Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

Indians chess players have been making waves in major international outings. The last year was a dream thanks to D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali and the members of the golden Olympiad teams. The new year has started with R Praggnanandhaa clinching the star-studded Tata Steel event in the Netherlands. Did anybody notice? None of the events the Indians excelled at were held in India. The country which hosted the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai is still bereft of an annual competition which attracts top players. The All India Chess Federation (AICF) wants to host two elite events in…

Is freestyle chess the new and coveted format? Not for the first time in the history of the game has this question surfaced. There had been breakaway events not approved by FIDE, the governing body, which drew wide attention. Top names like Garry Kasparov were part of these self-declared world championships. Most such initiatives died down before changing the world order. The freestyle championship in 2025 — to be held over five legs, and the first one of which was played in Weissenhaus in Germany — is different. This year, it started amid confrontational exchanges between the organisers of the…

Chances of chasing down 399 in the fourth innings being slim, Kerala’s best hope in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Jammu & Kashmir was to bat out the last day in Pune. Despite losing two wickets on Day 4 and being reduced to 180/6 with more than 40 overs remaining, Kerala hung on to ensure progress on the basis of the one-run lead secured in the first innings. It was a day of drama and anticipation. There were phases when J&K looked like making it to the semi-finals for the first time. They broke partnerships and dislodged batters who had…

There was a sense of inevitability about it. After Mumbai recovered from 113/7 shortly after lunch on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Haryana and posted 315, it started getting clearer by the minute that they were going to clinch it, even when Haryana were going strong in the initial part of their reply at Eden Gardens. The game reached its logical conclusion in the end. With a thumping 152-run victory, the 42-time champions stormed into the semi-finals and set up a clash against Vidarbha. These two teams met in last season’s final where Mumbai had the last…

Outside Eden Gardens, a crowd gathers everyday when the Mumbai players board the coach taking them to the hotel after the day’s play. Mostly, they chant the names of SuryakumarYadav, Shivam Dube and Ajunkya Rahane. Amid the noise, largely unnoticed, this player quietly makes his way towards the coach. Some recognise him. Most do not. Shardul Thakur chose the right moment to make his presence felt. With national selector Shiv Sundar Das watching from the VIP box, the medium-pacer dismantled Haryana in this Ranji Trophy quarter-final. Resuming the day at 263/5 in reply to Mumbai’s 315, Haryana were all out…

By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata The Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Mumbai and Haryana was evenly poised after Day 2. In reply to Mumbai’s 315, Haryana reached 263/5. With three days to go, the 42-time champions will try to keep the deficit to as little as possible or even snatch a lead. The underdogs will try to stretch their first innings. The highlight of the day at Eden Gardens was a flawless century by Ankit Kumar. The Haryana skipper anchored the innings with a knock of 136 which came off 206 balls. It was his second century of the season. The…

“We were not disheartened. We knew we could fight back,” said Shams Mulani at the end of the first day of play in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Mumbai and Haryana at Eden Gardens. The all-rounder had a point. For the umpteenth time in the recent past, Mumbai recovered from a collapse thanks to their all-rounders. From 25/4 and 113/7, they ended the day at 278/8. Mulani fell towards the end after making 91, but not before sharing an eighth-wicket stand worth 165 with Tanush Kotian, who remained unbeaten on 85. It’s a five-day game and a lot of cricket…

The show goes on. As the Ranji Trophy heads into the quarter-final stage, the India stars are gone after playing in the last two rounds of group league games. However, for the players of the eight teams contesting for the four semi-final spots, this is a vital time of the season. For months, they have been preparing for this. A quick look at the quarter-final match-ups. Mumbai vs Haryana, Eden Gardens, Kolkata The defending and 42-time champions are always the favourites in knockout games. They lift their game when it comes to this and keep finding men who bail them…

The Ranji Trophy has entered the quarter-final stage and talk about it is not even a fraction of what it was for the last two rounds of group league matches. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other international stars are back in the blue kit, and India’s countdown to the Champions Trophy has begun with the ODI series against England. It’s not unusual. Thousands at the stadium to see Kohli play for Delhi and the media on red alert in Mumbai for Rohit’s return to the domestic fold was an exception. Players, coaches, selectors and everybody else involved with Ranji Trophy…

Hidden beneath the one-two finish by R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh at the Tata Steel chess tournament in the Netherlands are the exploits of two other Indians. They finished way down the ladder in the 14-player elite event, but snatched crucial points at critical stages, which tilted the balance in favour of the top two. Without those, this may not have happened. As things unfolded gradually in the town of Wijk Aan Zee, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan emerged the biggest threat for eventual champion Pragg and runner-up Gukesh, who were either on top or near the top of the table…