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Mint
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Mint
Who is Divya Deshmukh? India's 19-year-old chess prodigy making waves at FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Georgia
Indian chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh is making waves at the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, after the 19-year-old Grandmaster became one of the two from the country to enter the semifinals in Georgia. The other Indian is Koneru Humpy. Having defeated compatriot GM Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals, winning both the tie-break games, Deshmukh drew her first semifinal game against China's Tan Zhongyi with a 0.5-0.5 scoreline. The result from the first game were shared on the official X handle of FIDE. Earlier, Deshmukh had stunned China's world no.6 Zhu Jiner in th tournament. Deshmukh has trainer herself under GM R.B. Ramesh at Chess Gurukul in Chennai and is best known for her sharp tactical vision, unshakeable composure, and creative flair. Born in Nagpur to doctor parents Jitendra and Namratha, Deshmukh was drawn into sports when her elder sister enrolled her into badminton. But she found her love in chess at the age of five and quickly advanced. Two years later, Deshmukh brought home her first title, winning the Under-7 National Championship in 2012. That was followed by world youth titles in U‑10 (Durban, 2014) and U‑12 (Brazil, 2017) categories. Deshmukh got er woman FIDE Master early on and by 2021, she has earned the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM), and became Vidarbha's first and India's 22nd under that rating. In 2023, Deshmukh got the title of International Master (IM) and won the World Junior Girls' U‑20 Championship in 2024 as a world no.1. She had finished with a dominant 10/11 score of 54:53. There was no looking back for Deshmukh as the Nagpur girl played a crucial role in India's team gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) in Budapest. At an individual level, Deshmukh achieved a performance rating over 2600 in the blitz segment of the World Team Rapid & Blitz Championship. So far, Deshmukh has three chess Olympiad gold medals in her cabinet, and multiple Asian and World Youth titles.
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Chess: India gets 87th Grandmaster after Harikrishnan A Ra achieves his final GM norm in France
A detailed view of the board and pieces (Photo by) CHENNAI: Three months ago, A Ra Harikrishnan promised his coach Shyam Sundar that he would come back from the tournaments in Europe as a Grandmaster. The 23-year-old Chennai boy kept his word as he secured his third and final GM norm at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France on Friday. Harikrishnan is the 87th Indian GM, and 32nd from Tamil Nadu. The first breakthrough for Harikrishnan came in July 2023 at the Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland, where he earned his first norm. He added a second at the Lince Andujar Open in Spain in June. As a seven-year-old, Harikrishnan earned his FIDE rating, the youngest Indian to do so at that time. But it wasn't until 2018 that he earned the International Master title. Seven years later, he finally crossed the next big milestone. 'I took up chess when I was five, after I saw my brother Venkata Krishnan playing. He was a state-level player. After bagging the IM title, I was stuck there for a while. It was only in 2022 that I started playing seriously again and took part in back-to-back tournaments. It was also the year I started training with my coach Shyam sir , and we worked on a lot of stuff,' said Harikrishnan, whose mother, Renga Nachiar, is an international arbiter. One would think that with the GM title in hand, Harikrishnan would be on the next flight home, just as he had promised. But he isn't done yet. The hunger now is for rating points and eventually, a 2600 rating. 'I was a little more adamant this time that I really wanted to become a GM, but that wasn't the entire goal. I'm still aiming for more. I've already planned three more tournaments — in Morocco, Spain and Portugal — and I'd like to reach a rating of 2530 or 2540 before I return. Till I became a GM, it felt like a huge thing. But now that I've done it, it doesn't feel like a lot. Maybe the journey really is more beautiful than the destination,' he said. Harikrishnan (r) with his coach Shyam Sundar, who runs Chess Thulir academy in Chennai Even as the goalpost shifts, coach Shyam knows exactly what makes his student tick and what he needs to keep doing. 'We worked on calculations, dynamics and strategies. He also had a good understanding of the Reti opening, which was Vladimir Kramnik's favourite. So I made him go deeper into that and play more games using it. 'Now, I think openings will play a major role, because what helped him reach 2500 and become a GM might not be enough to go beyond. That's just the base. Now it's about working harder on openings and playing, beating more 2650-rated GMs,' said Shyam, who is currently serving as head of delegation for the Indian team at the Women's World Cup in Georgia. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
A Ra Harikrishnan, another GM from Chennai stable
Harikrishnan (r) with his coach Shyam Sundar, who runs Chess Thulir academy in Chennai CHENNAI: Three months ago, A Ra Harikrishnan promised his coach Shyam Sundar that he would come back from the tournaments in Europe as a Grandmaster. The 23-year-old Chennai boy kept his word as he secured his third and final GM norm at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France on Friday. Harikrishnan is the 87th Indian GM, and 32nd from Tamil Nadu. The first breakthrough for Harikrishnan came in July 2023 at the Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland, where he earned his first norm. He added a second at the Lince Andujar Open in Spain this June. As a seven-year-old, Harikrishnan earned his FIDE rating, the youngest Indian to do so at the time. But it wasn't until 2018 that he earned the International Master title. Seven years later, he has finally crossed the next big milestone. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai 'I started playing when I was five. My brother, Venkata Krishnan, was a state-level player and that's how I got into chess. After bagging the IM title, I was stuck there for a while. It was only in 2022 that I started playing seriously again and took part in back-to-back tournaments. It was also the year I started training with my coach Shyam sir, and we worked on a lot of stuff,' said Harikrishnan, whose mother, Renga Nachiar, is an international arbiter. One would think that with the GM title in hand, Harikrishnan would be on the next flight home, just as he had promised. But he isn't done yet. The hunger now is for rating points and eventually, a 2600 rating. 'I was a little more adamant this time that I really wanted to become a GM, but that wasn't the entire goal. I'm still aiming for more. I've already planned three more tournaments — in Morocco, Spain and Portugal — and I'd like to reach a rating of 2530 or 2540 before I return. Till I became a GM, it felt like a huge thing. But now that I've done it, it doesn't feel like that much. Maybe the journey really is more beautiful than the destination,' he said. Even as the goalpost shifts, coach Shyam knows exactly what makes his student tick and what he needs to keep doing. 'We worked on calculations, dynamics and strategies. He also had a good understanding of the Reti opening, which was Vladimir Kramnik's favourite. So I made him go deeper into that and play more games using it. 'Now, I think openings will play a major role, because what helped him reach 2500 and become a GM might not be enough to go beyond. That's just the base. Now it's about working harder on openings and playing, beating more 2650-rated GMs,' said Shyam, who is currently serving as head of delegation for the Indian team at the Women's World Cup in Georgia.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Magnus Carlsen ko draw kar diya!': Meet the 9-year-old chess prodigy from Delhi who held his own against a Grandmaster
On the morning of June 24, sitting in a hotel room in Batumi, Georgia, Aarit Kapil made a decision that would have people talking for weeks to come. The nine-year-old was in the country to compete in the prestigious FIDE World Cadets Cup, battling it out in the under-10 category. At 8 am that day, on a whim, he decided to log into and play their well-known Titled Tuesday online blitz event. Organised twice every Tuesday, this tournament is only open to players with FIDE titles (like Grandmaster (GM), International Master, Candidate Master, etc.) This particular Early Titled Tuesday had elite GMs like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik — and Magnus Carlsen — competing in it. Aarit's parents were on a phone call when he rushed out shouting, 'Draw kar diya, Magnus ko draw kar diya! (I got Magnus to draw)'. It took his parents a few seconds to process his words before they erupted in celebration. For them, Aarit's near success against the formidable chess grandmaster was almost natural. In December last year, Aarit defeated Grandmaster Raset Ziatdinov. In February this year, he had gathered enough points to become a Candidate Master. 'He doesn't get nervous when facing big players. He gets really excited,' said Nisha Kapil, his mother, who often accompanies him to his tournaments. Aarit, with his round Harry Potter-like glasses, smiled shyly beside her. 'All I think about is that I need to beat them… I always keep looking out for mistakes they can make,' he said softly, almost under his breath. It was four years ago that Aarit's parents noticed his prodigious talent for the game. 'I'm a casual player and used to often play online,' said Vijay Kapil, the boy's father. 'He had come to me and asked what I was doing, and I taught him. Within a week, he was beating me at the game,' he said. At first, his parents believed it to be a fluke and tried testing his abilities. 'We would feel bad that he's beaten us,' laughed Nisha, adding, 'So we'd make the game tougher for him. We'd take away a few pieces, randomly reduce his points… and he still kept beating us at it. I think that's when we realised that he has a true talent for the game.' Aarit was put into coaching with International Master (IM) Vishal Sareen. Within a week, his father said, Aarit had won an international tournament with a Rs 15,000 cash prize. 'I was shocked. I mean, he was only five years old,' Vijay said, laughing as if he still couldn't believe it. Over the years, Aarit's rise has been meteoric. His coaches, too, believe that the young boy prodigy has the makings of a future Grandmaster. Yet, Aarit has suffered his fair share of losses, too. In the 37th National Under-9 Open in 2024, Aarit went up against Nidhish Shyamal — a boy who had, similar to Aarit, started playing chess at the age of five and was a formidable opponent by the time he was nine years old. In the final, Shyamal was trailing Aarit by half a point. Aarit, confident of pocketing the match, decided to play fast and loose with his moves. 'I had defeated Nidhish in the rounds before, so I thought it would be an easy match. But I didn't know that he had a walkover in one of the previous rounds and had a better tie-break score than me,' said Aarit. In his self-confessed hubris, Aarit stretched the match longer, perhaps relishing his opponent's squirming. Yet at the worst possible moment, towards the end, Aarit made a mistake and Nidhish lunged at the opportunity. While both scored a 9.5 out of 11, Nidhish's better tie-break score pushed him over the victory line. 'I was angry with myself,' confessed Aarit. Yet, he didn't let himself wallow in his defeat. 'I came back and kept practicing,' he said quietly. His parents, too, are careful not to let him feel too much of the pressure. 'Half the battle is won when he is confident,' said Nisha. 'We are optimistic that if he doesn't get the gold in one tournament, he'll win a bigger one next time. Besides, it's like mutual funds. If you want to create wealth, you must see volatility. Jo game mein tika rehta hai, wo hi aage badhta hai (Those who stick with the game are the ones who move forward),' said Vijay. However, Aarit's flourishing career has taken a financial toll on the family. The husband and wife duo runs a mutual fund-distributing business. They rent a modest two-bedroom apartment in Mayur Vihar and have little to no sponsors funding their child's dreams. Except for a Rs 25,000 grant each month from the All India Chess Federation for the last three months, the family has little help to fund Aarit's tournaments abroad. 'It's easier to get sponsors in the Southern states or Maharashtra, but there is no culture around chess in the North. It's been difficult to single-handedly fund my son's dreams,' said Vijay. But the father is determined to help Aarit realise his dreams, no matter what. 'When I was young, my father didn't have a lot of money to fund his children's extra-curricular activities. It made me decide then that when I grow up, my children will want for nothing,' he said.
Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Meet Aarit Kapil, nine-year-old from Delhi's Mayur Vihar, who almost beat Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game
Magnus Carlsen's Indian tormentors keep getting younger and younger. Weeks after the five-time world champion lost to 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju at the Norway Chess tournament, Aarit Kapil, a nine-year-old boy from New Delhi's Mayur Vihar, almost pulled off a win over one of the greatest players in the sport's history before settling for a draw due to time trouble. The Standard V boy from Mayur Vihar's Somerville School — who started playing chess just four years ago — had a winning position in an online blitz game against the current world no.1 in the Early Titled Tuesday competition. The Titled Tuesday tournament is organised twice every Tuesday by and is only open to players with FIDE titles (like Grandmaster, International Master, Candidate Master etc.) This particular Early Titled Tuesday event had elite GMs like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and former world champion Vladimir Kramnik competing. Aarit, a Candidate Master, was playing in the online event from his hotel room in Batumi, Georgia, where he is currently in the middle of playing an over-the-board FIDE World Cadets Cup (in the under-10 category). For the Delhi boy, the draw with Carlsen is another step in what is turning out to be a fast rise: last December, he became the third-youngest player in the world to defeat a grandmaster in classical time control when he took down 66-year-old Raset Ziatdinov of the United States. 'He was five years old when his elder sister Aarna taught him chess. In one week, he was beating us. Not like I am a serious player – I am the equivalent of a bathroom singer in the sport: a casual player. But we saw his potential, so we got him working with a coach. And in a few days, he won an international online tournament,' Aarit's father Vijay tells The Indian Express. Unlike other Indian players, Aarit does not play too many international events. The family is on the lookout for sponsors to help him take the next steps in the sport. He spends five to six hours on the sport daily and is currently coached by IM Vishal Sareen. Vijay and wife Nisha, who is in Batumi accompanying Aarit, were on a phone call on Tuesday when the boy came shouting 'draw kar diya, Carlsen ko draw kar diya' into the room. That's when the parents realised what their nine-year-old had done. It could have been even better. Until the 46th move, Aarit had a winning position against the Norwegian. But with his time running low, Aarit allowed Carlsen to salvage a draw on the 49th move, which was still commendable for his age and in a format where Carlsen is formidable. What was even more remarkable was that Carlsen was playing with white pieces and had held a better position out of the opening. In Titled Tuesday, each player gets three minutes on the clock at the start and gets an increment of one second per move made. Carlsen's prep for the game was such that he had used up just seven seconds on his clock for his first 14 moves. Despite the stature of the man playing against him, Aarit attacked from early on, throwing both bishops deep into Carlsen's territory, offering them up as trades. Aarit had one less pawn on the board after move 14. But by the 18th move, with some devil-may-care attacking chess, both of his knights were deep in Carlsen's territory threatening his king. By the 25th move, the Indian boy held an advantage on the board. But on the clock, he was down to just 31 seconds while Carlsen had a minute and 25 seconds. By the 29th move, when both queens were traded, Aarit held a significant advantage on the board. But his time was down to 16 seconds, a challenge under any circumstances, but even more so against a player like Carlsen who relishes piling pressure on opponents to see them crack before defeating them. In this case though, Carlsen was the one in trouble on the board, despite having more than a minute to work his way out of jail. By move 31, when Aarit's pawns on e and f files were primed to make a run to get promoted, with both of his rooks guarding them from behind, the engine showed that the Indian boy had a winning position. Aarit held this advantage till the 46th move, when he was down to just seven seconds on the clock. But he had made Carlsen think, leaving the latter with just 20 seconds himself. Eventually, both players agreed to a draw after 49 moves. It must be noted that Carlsen is currently on a vacation with wife Ella, but just how seriously he takes the Titled Tuesday event can be gauged by the fact that he ended third at the event, which featured 664 players. Vijay, who works as a mutual fund distributor in the national capital, is hoping that the draw and the headlines it creates will lead to more sponsors showing an interest in his son's career. 'Sometimes when he has a bad tournament, we jokingly tell him 'tera chess rukwadenge' (We'll stop your chess). He says, 'jo marzi karlo, chess nahi chhodunga' (Do whatever you can, I won't stop playing chess),' laughs Vijay. Ask Vijay what other interests the boy has and the father replies: 'Bas chess hi karta hai. Aur kuch nahi karta. (only chess, nothing else).' Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
