Saturday, 6 June 2026
Friday, 29 May 2026
MAGNUS CARLSEN HAD TO FIGHT 'DOUBTS' TO BEAT GUKESH 'WHO WAS UP FOR A FIGHT' AT NORWAY CHESS
It wasn’t a straightforward victory for Magnus Carlsen over D Gukesh at Norway Chess on Thursday. The former world champion had to overcome mental battles to conquer the reigning king.
 |
| D Gukesh discussed his mistakes with Magnus Carlsen after losing the match. Image: Norway Chess |
Magnus Carlsen had to fight doubts before beating world champion D Gukesh in their latest encounter at the Norway Chess 2026 on Thursday as the world No 1 secured his first Classical victory on the ongoing tournament. So far in the last three rounds, Carlsen had suffered two defeats and secured one win via Armageddon.
But five-time world champion Carlsen turned the tables against Gukesh on the eve of the Indian Grandmaster’s 20th birthday, winning in 42 moves. Gukesh remained solid in the match during the opening and middlegame with the White pieces, but lost the initiative in the endgame under time pressure.
Gukesh was eventually forced to resign as Carlsen picked up a crucial win after tough three rounds.
Carlsen relieved after beating Gukesh
In the post-game interview with Take Take Take, Carlsen said that his recent Classical defeats to Alireza Firouzja and R Praggnanandhaa of India had shaken his confidence, and that the victory over world champion Gukesh had come as a big relief.
“It was a huge relief,” Carlsen said. “After missing a few chances, you get a little bit of doubt, like what it’s going to take for me to get back. Feels really good to get that monkey off the back.
“He was up for a fight today, but so was I.”
There’s no doubt the victory has come as a big relief for Carlsen, even if he remains the top-ranked chess Grandmaster. Amid his recent poor form, his critics have been constantly questioning him holding onto the world No 1 ranking despite playing only a few tournaments.
Hand Niemann, who in 2022 was accused of cheating by Carlsen, has said that FIDE needs to change its ranking methodology to reward the players who are more active on the circuit.
A few other critics have started to signal that it’s the start of the end for Carlsen, but the truth is the Norwegian remains the most consistent player across formats.
- FP Sports Desk
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
Monday, 2 June 2025
THE 18 WORLD CHAMPIONS IN CHESS ♟️
The 18 World Champions in Chess!♟️
The 18th Champion is 18-year-old Gukesh for India!🇮🇳🥇🫡
#chess #chessgame #chessplayer #chessboard #chessmaster #chesslover #chessmoves #chesslife #chesspuzzle #chessclub #chesstactics #chesspiece #chesstournament #chessproblems #ajedrez #checkmate #chesspuzzles #chessmemes #chessnotcheckers #chessislife #chessset #schach #chessquotes #echecs #chessgames #chesstime #magnuscarlsen #scacchi #chesslove #шахматы
Monday, 3 February 2025
PRAGGNANANDHAA BETTERS WORLD CHAMPION D GUKESH IN TIEBREAKER TO WIN TATA STEEL MASTERS CHESS
The tiebreaker was necessitated after Gukesh lost to fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi while Praggnanandhaa went down to Vincent Keymer of Germany
The Indian juggernaut in international chess remained unstoppable as Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa fought through exhaustion and nerves to defeat world champion D Gukesh in a clash of compatriots to clinch the Tata Steel Masters title for the first time in his prolific career.
The bespectacled 19-year-old from Chennai, a city that has become the cradle of Indian chess, came from behind to upstage the 18-year-old world number three 2-1 in the tiebreaker of the event's 87th edition here on Sunday.
This was after both players ended up tied on 8.5 points after losing their 13th-round games. While Gukesh lost to fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa went down to Vincent Keymer of Germany.
In the tie-breaker, there was huge drama typical of two young players looking to win every game they played in the tournament as they played the tie-break.
"I am still shaking, it was such a crazy day. I don't know how to express it. I didn't really expect to win. Somehow things went my way," Praggnanandhaa told the official tournament website after his triumph.
Asked if it was the most tense day of his chess career, which began when he was a mere two years of age.
"Today is more special because I won the tournament. Definitely most stressful day," he responded.
The teenager became the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the title. Anand won it thrice (2003, 2004 and 2006) individually when it was called the Corus Chess Tournament, named on the title sponsor of that time. The legend also shared the honours twice (1989 and 1998) in its earliest form of Hoogovens Tournament.
Praggnanandhaa faced the Benoni with reversed colours in the first game of the tie-break and it seemed like he had equalised easily in the middle game.
However, Gukesh had other thoughts as he kept trying and won, thanks to a blunder by Praggnanandhaa that cost him a full rook.
In a must-win second game of the tiebreaker, Praggnanandhaa employed the Trompowsky opening, and this time Gukesh could claim a slight advantage with his black pieces.
"I was just trying to relax, to rest a bit. It was a very difficult game. Against Vincent I didn't play anywhere close to the level I was playing here. I should buy something for Arjun. At some point I thought Gukesh was better," the former world youth champion quipped.
"For sure, (this win) it is the highlight. When I came here, I wanted to win but the field was very strong. I didn't really think about it much until yesterday," he added.
"I am completely exhausted. I was also quite tired. I just want to get some rest now."
During the tie-break, by just keeping his position together, Praggnanandhaa patiently waited and capitalised on an unforced error from Gukesh to first knock down a pawn and then his technical abilities were enough to see the normal blitz games through with a 1-1 score.
This took the match into sudden death, where Praggnanandhaa drew white and once again Gukesh was better with some imaginative play on the queen side that netted him a pawn.
The sudden death had a time control of two minutes and thirty seconds for white against three for black but that did not deter Praggnanandhaa from trying to defend an inferior endgame.
Just while the position looked completely drawn and another game was on the cards, Gukesh lost control in the battle of nerves and first lost a pawn then his last remaining knight.
Praggnanandhaa showed perfect technique to take the full point and his maiden victory at the Masters.
For Gukesh, this was the second year running when he tied for first position and lost the tiebreaker. In the previous edition, Gukesh had lost to Chinese Wei Yi.
- PTI
Friday, 20 December 2024
Saturday, 14 December 2024
Tuesday, 10 December 2024
HIGHEST EVER CHESS RATINGS 🔥
The first 23 higher ELO ratings in the history of world chess represent the ultimate titans of the game, led by Magnus Carlsen with a record-breaking peak of 2889. These players, from legends like Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer to modern stars like Fabiano Caruana, have shattered barriers of strategy, precision, and genius, redefining the limits of human intellect on the 64 squares. Their dominance marks the pinnacle of competitive chess, inspiring generations of players worldwide.
Thursday, 28 November 2024
Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Tuesday, 26 November 2024
CHESS WORLD CHAMPIONS: DING LIREN BEATS GUKESH WITH COMMANDING DISPLAY IN GAME 1
Ding Liren eased to an impressive win in game 1 of the 2024 FIDE chess World Championship on Monday against D Gukesh. The defending champion saw off a fast and furious start from his young challenger, reversed the pressure by staying calm and starting with employing the French defence, he eventually won rather comprehensively.
Ding now leads the 14-game match 1-0.
This is the first time in 14 years that a win has been registered in game 1 (that was Viswanathan Anand vs Veselin Topalov)
At one point at the start, Ding was trailing Gukesh by an hour but as the game wore on, Ding made a few quick counterattacking moves, leading with his queen and that threw Gukesh off his game. Threating the diagonal with queen a5, Ding piled the pressure on Gukesh's opening.
With half an hour left on the first time control (40 moves have to be completed in two hours minutes), Gukesh went defensive with a castle as he grew wary of Ding's threat on the Queen side. With another defensive move, rook to d3, Ding marched forward with his queen and continued to hammer home the advantage. With time pressure piling up, Gukesh was forced to go into blitz mode towards the end. His 40th move was made with one second left on the clock, but in making the time control, he had to make a few quick moves that put him in a compromised position.
Ding took his time to turn on the screws, before taking his first break from the board, walking away and staying away for a few minutes before re-entering and finishing the match in one move. As Gukesh offered his hand for the defeat, Ding finally broke into the briefest of smiles.
Game 2 will be same tomorrow, and we'll be here to cover it live. You can relive the first game's proceedings live right here:
Yeah, Ding is here to play
Anirudh Menon
With his form waning, and his attitude self-deprecating, there were murmurs that this could be a World Championship for Gukesh to lose. But Ding Liren has shown the world just why he is the reigning king. Staying calm under early pressure, he amped up the pressure bit by bit to take a most comprehensive win.
DING LIREN WINS!
Anirudh Menon
Oh Gukesh offers a handshake, seeing how impossible this situation is and DING LIREN TAKES THE WIN!
This is the first time in 14 years that game 1 has seen a result and Ding Liren starts his defence in some style.
Ding is not at the board!
Anirudh Menon
Ding Liren has moved off to take a bathroom break, and that's a first! He usually stays put... this gap sees Gukesh move his bishop to e6 to check Ding's King and Ding calmly moves it to the side...and that's that.
Ding, Ding, Ding
Anirudh Menon
Ding is ripping apart Gukesh's defence here. He's up three pawns and has full control of Gukesh's territory right now. It looks very hard to defend from here.
Superb from the champ, and a lesson learnt early on for the young challenger.
BOTH PLAYERS MAKE THE TIME CONTROL!
Anirudh Menon
Gukesh is defending gamely here, but Ding's moving in for the kill here. And Gukesh makes his last move JUST IN TIME... that's his 40th move with ONE SECOND LEFT... and Ding has two minutes to make his final move. Gukesh's rushed movement has put him in a poor position and with a minute to go, he pulls off the first check. Gukesh defends and that's the clocks restarting with thirty more minutes each.
Ding taking his time.
Anirudh Menon
Ding takes a whole minute up and that's entirely reasonable considering the situation (I repeat, but it's so key, here). A minute and a half now. Two and a half and it's now a proper blitz as they both make quick moves.
Can Ding force a win here?
Anirudh Menon
GUKESH HAS 46 seconds to make seven moves after he moves queen e3. Ding has six minutes left and that's a long, long time considering the situation.
Gukesh is running out of time, surely?
Anirudh Menon
TWO MINUTES LEFT FOR EIGHT MOVES. Can Gukesh make the time control? 1:35 now and wow, he's still not moved!
Time pressure setting in
Anirudh Menon
Ding castles, and Gukesh moves black bishop to d4 and Ding doesn't take the bait and moves his knight to d3. 6:32 left for Ding, less than 3 for Gukesh.
This now essentially a blitz game for Gukesh for the next eight moves.
Ding keeps at it
Anirudh Menon
Ding goes Queen c4 to put pressure on Gukesh's queen... and he responds by moving it wide to d2. Gukesh has 3:39 left on the clock... Ding has 10:00 and counting down. Ding has 11 moves to hit that 40 move mark and he's now down to seven minutes.
Was that a blunder?
Anirudh Menon
Gukesh moves queen c2 and now Ding has options in front of him. It's a defensive move from the Indian, and it remains to be seen if Ding has the confidence to take charge here.
There are of course opportunities for Gukesh, and now Ding is taking his time with his response. 15:10 and counting down for him. Gukesh is on 4:27
Are we in the endgame?
Anirudh Menon
For Gukesh to win, he surely has to checkmate Ding. Twelve moves left to 40 and he has less than five and a half minutes to go to execute them. Ufff, the nerves.
This is finely poised
Anirudh Menon
If Gukesh can hold his nerves with the time ticking (7:23 and less) there's an opening in Ding's defence, with a bishop move. But has Gukesh seen it? Has he calculated the potential counters Ding would mount?
Ding on the charge again.
Anirudh Menon
OOO! Gukesh moves knight to f4 and Ding takes it with his queen. Gukesh has less than ten minutes left on the clock. Ding has 16:57 and we are 27 moves down.
Gukesh pulls back some ground
Anirudh Menon
Ding does the calculations and makes the risky move to take the e6 white pawn with his f pawn. Gukesh responds by moving his knight back to e2. Ding takes his queen to e5. A better position for Gukesh, but the table is on shaky ground here.
Does Gukesh have a way out?
Anirudh Menon
Ding's taking his time because as much as he's pushed Gukesh back, his position is not the safest. There are gaps that can open up with one wrong move and with the kind of form he's been in (very very bad), he could well be second guessing himself here. It's such a crucial juncture.
Ding has less than 19 minutes on the clock and it's counting down. Gukesh has 12:13 left
Ding remains on top
Anirudh Menon
Ding moves rook up to c3 as he solidifies his position high up the board in Gukesh territory. He has 22:34 left on the clock, with 24 moves done. Gukesh has 13:20 and counting (down) as he considers what to do.
His leg seems to be shaking in that subconscious manner we all do at times and you can see the chair rocking at high speed. Gukesh takes the rook Ding moved up, and Ding takes that one with his queen. Gukesh then takes the e pawn with a move to e6 and Ding remains in control.
Ding takes a pause as Gukesh defends well
Anirudh Menon
Aaditya: "I think this is the first time all day that Ding has taken his hands off the table. He's leaning back, hands folded, looking like someone who has made some incredible progress in the game."
As he sends us that, Gukesh moves his queen left to b1 and that's given Ding a bit of a pause.
- Aaditya Narayan in Singapore
Sunday, 24 November 2024
WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP: 2024: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GUKESH VS. DING
The 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship match between India's D Gukesh and China's Ding Liren will begin on November 25 at Singapore's Equarius Hotel in Resorts World Sentosa.
Ding, the reigning world champion, will face quite the task in defending his crown against an 18-year-old teenager, who has been at his best over the last year to earn a shot at the title.
Here's all the essential information of chess' ultimate match:
Dates and format:
The official opening ceremony is scheduled for November 23 and the first game is on November 25.
The match will be played to a best of 14 games and with tiebreakers if needed. Gukesh and Ding will earn a point for each win and 0.5 each for a draw, with a score of 7.5 enough to win the championship. If the score is equal after 14 games, tiebreakers with faster time controls will be used to determine the winner,
Schedule:
November 23, Saturday: Opening ceremony.
November 24, Sunday: Rest day
November 25, Monday: Game 1
November 26, Tuesday: Game 2
November 27, Wednesday: Game 3
November 28, Thursday: Rest day
November 29, Friday: Game 4
November 30, Saturday: Game 5
December 1, Sunday: Game 6
December 2, Monday: Rest day
December 3, Tuesday: Game 7
December 4, Wednesday: Game 8
December 5, Thursday: Game 9
December 6, Friday: Rest day
December 7, Saturday: Game 10
December 8, Sunday: Game 11
December 9, Monday: Game 12
December 10, Tuesday: Rest day
December 11, Wednesday: Game 13
December 12, Thursday: Game 14
December 13, Friday: Tiebreaks (if necessary)
December 14, Saturday: Closing ceremony
All the games will start at 2.30 PM IST.
Head-to-Head:
So far, Gukesh and Ding have played each other thrice in classical time controls, out of which Ding has won twice with black while their last match at the Sinquefield Cup was a draw.
How did Ding and Gukesh qualify for the match?
As reigning world champion, Ding Liren automatically gets the chance to defend his title in the following edition of the World Chess Championships. Ding beat Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi in a marathon match back in 2023 to become the world champion for the first time.
 |
| Ding Liren defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi to become World Champion in 2022. Kalizhan Ospanov/Xinhua via Getty Images |
Gukesh made it to the world championship as challenger after winning the Candidates tournament in Toronto earlier this year. He was the youngest-ever to win the Candidates Tournament and thereby also became the youngest challenger in the World Championship.
The Indian teenager made it to the Candidates on the basis of his points in the FIDE circuit. In fact, Fabiano Caruana had won the 2023 FIDE Circuit, but had already made it to the Candidates through the Chess World Cup where he finished third. Thus, Gukesh who was second in the Circuit, qualified for the Candidates.
Form:
Gukesh, who's currently ranked world no. 5, is the overwhelming favourite against Liren. Over the last year, Gukesh made big improvements to his ratings with consistent performances as well as making an impact in the big tournaments. In August last year, he overtook Viswanathan Anand in the live ratings, becoming the first player to do it since Pravin Thipsay in July 1986 and later broke into the top 10 rankings.
From an ELO rating in the 2600s in 2022, Gukesh made a significant jump to his current rating of 2783, with notable performances in the FIDE Circuit and the Candidates Tournament, where he overcame opponents like Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Nepomniachtchi and later at the Chess Olympiad, where he picked up an individual gold as well as helping his team to win to finish on top. Playing the board one, he scored 9 out 10 points and achieved the highest rating performance of 3056 in the open event.
 |
| Gukesh was crucial to India winning gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images |
Meanwhile, since becoming the world champion, Ding has struggled to replicate his form while dealing with mental health issues. He didn't feature in any tournaments for months and once he made his return, he failed to replicate his best. When he became the world champion, his rating was 2788 but currently it's down to 2728 and he has fallen to 23 in the world rankings.
Nevertheless, a world championship match can be daunting and Ding has been there and done it. He overcame many tough battles in the run up to the previous championship match and also during the tussle against Nepomniachtchi which he won in tie breaks. This is the player who had already broken the 2800-mark in ratings during his best spell.
Time Control Rules:
The time control for each classical game is 120 minutes per player for the first 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest of the game. There will be a 30-second increment per move starting with move 41.
If the scores are equal after 14 games, rapid followed by blitz matches will have to be played with faster time controls.
Prize money
The total prize money is USD 2.5 million. Each player will receive USD 200,000 for each game they win. The remaining money will be split equally between the two players.
If the match is decided on a tie-break, the winner will receive USD 1,300,000, and the runner-up receives USD 1,200,000.
What they said:
"I know my performances haven't been up to my usual high standards. But at the end of the day, a match is a match. It's between two players. When one player starts to hit his stride, how the opponent reacts depends on their experience and how they handle the situation at the moment," Ding told FIDE.
Meanwhile Gukesh said, "It's always a privilege to play for India at such a high level, and I enjoy the experience. I think how I handle pressure is mostly through experience. I've played in many high-pressure situations, though not the World Championship, of course. But I'm looking forward to the new experience."
Broadcast details
The championship match will be live streamed on FIDE's Youtube and Twitch channels. And you can follow each game on ESPN India's live blog.
- Anish Anand