Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

The Indian contingent was expected to do well at the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee. The players have done that so far. After 11 rounds, D Gukesh is the sole leader with eight points. Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and R Praggnanandhaa are breathing down his neck just half-a-point behind. With two rounds to go, it’s a three-way race featuring two Indians. In the year’s first major tournament — five of the 14 participants are from the world’s top 10 — Arjun Erigaisi has been the biggest headline for India for the wrong reasons. World No. 4 when the…

Wriddhiman Saha would have been proud of the catch the Punjab wicket-keeper held to send him back for a six-ball duck in what turned out to be the Bengal veteran’s last first-class knock. As his team posted an innings win, a 17-year-career, which started with a century on Ranji Trophy debut at Eden Gardens, ended with a zero in the same competition, and at the same venue. There is something about scoring a duck in the last outing when it comes to the stalwarts from Bengal. Pankaj Roy (first-class), Sourav Ganguly (Test cricket) and Jhulan Goswami (women’s ODI) had failed…

World champions react differently with that crown on their head. D Gukesh is having a good time after snatching it from Ding Liren. He is the sole leader and in a good position in his first outing after that momentous win in Singapore last month. . The Chinese he defeated had a terrible time after becoming the champion. His form dipped beyond imagination, he admitted to suffering from depression and became a shadow of himself in the aftermath. Gukesh continues to lead a strong field at the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands. After 10…

A lot of sportspersons believe that playing like a champion is tougher than becoming one. D Gukesh has started his journey as the reigning world champion on a sound note. After nine rounds of the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands, the Indian is the sole leader with 6.5 points. Four more rounds remain in the event also known as the ‘Wimbledon of chess’. In his first competition after winning the world crown in Singapore last month, Gukesh started with a fortuitous win over Anish Giri, before playing out three straight draws. He then defeated…

After the eighth round of the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands, D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa are among the three joint leaders with 5.5 points each. There is nothing unexpected about it because these Indian players are in the elite of the world. The surprise lies at the bottom of the table. Having started the year’s first top competition as World No. 4, Arjun Erigaisi is winless. With four draws and as many defeats, he has just two points. The top-rated Indian languishing at last in the 14-player field is something that nobody saw…

A few days ago, there was a post on social media showing a picture of Pat Cummins. The text said something on the lines that the Australia captain had forced the entire Indian team to play domestic cricket. The source couldn’t be traced immediately. If someone notifies, it will be acknowledged here. It’s a laudable directive from the BCCI that India stars turn up for their states when available, following some lacklustre performances in Test matches of late. A lot of players had skipped these fixtures when they could have played. If they needed to be told that Ranji Trophy…

This is going to be a big year for R Praggnanandhaa, and he has made a good start. Overshadowed by D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi for most parts of 2024, he is sharing the lead after Round 5 of the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands. Eight more rounds remain in the event featuring five of the world’s top 10 players, sans No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Pragg, the 19-year-old ranked 13th in the January Fide rating list, can expect a re-entry into the top 10 next month if he continues to play the way he…

R Praggnanandhaa was the joint leader with Nodirbek Abtusattaorov after the third round of the Tata Steel chess tournament being played in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands. The Indian and the player from Uzbekistan were on 2.5 points each, following two wins and a draw. World champion D Gukesh was in a pack of three players following the leaders on two points each. Pragg, as he is known in the circuit, had drawn with Abtusattaorov in the first round. After that, he won against fellow Indians Pentala Harikrishna and Arjun Erigaisi in the subsequent games. Fifth in terms of…

There is clamour in certain quarters over the exclusion of Sanju Samson from the Indian squad for the England ODI series and Champions Trophy. The dashing wicketkeeper-batter has been making waves in the T20 format and he also has an average of 56-plus from 16 ODIs. He is in form too, having cracked two T20I centuries in South Africa late last year. The Indian squad announced yesterday has two wicketkeepers — KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. If Samson were to find a place, it would have to be at the expense of one of them. Looking at Rahul’s experience, ability…

The Tata Steel chess tournament starting in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands today will be a new beginning for D Gukesh. This top-tier event featuring 14 players will be his first outing after winning the World Championship in Singapore just over a month ago. This is also the start of a period when he will be under pressure to deliver, and his moves on and off the board will be closely followed. It’s said that in sports, defending the crown is more difficult than winning it. The Tata Steel event is not the equivalent of the World Championship, of…