Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

It was a fascinating evening of contests. The world’s best of chess took on each other in the Global Chess League (GCL). After the first round, there were three winners and three more looking to script a turnaround. It did go according to scripts, but not always. PBG Alaskan Knights, Alpine SG Pipers and American Gambits were in the lead. Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters and Triveni Continental Knights were in the chasing pack, after action on Day One. All eyes were on the clash between Magnus Carlsen representing Alpine SG Pipers and Viswanathan Anand playing for Ganges Grandmasters. This one…

Friends House. The chess world will be tuned to this venue in central London from October 3-12. This is where the Global Chess League (GCL) will be played. This Tech Mahindra event featuring six privately-owned teams is an attempt to make the game more popular. It’s a double-leg event of rapid games. The top two will meet in the final. The players have high hopes when it comes to the prospects of the competition which is in its second year. “It’s definitely a great thing that we now have the Global Chess League in the chess circuit,” World No. 3…

Two years ago, a youngster was sent off the field by his captain during the Duleep Trophy final between West Zone and South Zone in Coimbatore. He had misbehaved with his opponents. The leader of the troop, Ajinkya Rahane, asked his man to leave, fielded with 10 players, and called him back after some time. The idea was to convey that nobody is bigger than the game. That player put the finishing touches on India’s stunning win against Bangladesh in the second Test in Kanpur. Of the many shots he played across two innings, an on-drive against the turn of…

Motivation to take up a sport can vary. For Daniel Dardha — who saw his father and grandfather discussing chess positions at home — it was an annoyance. When he started learning from his father, his father’s students would make short work of him. He was seven or eight years old. The determination to beat them back drew him to chess. Today, he is Belgium’s all-time best and a highly talked-about youngster. His talent has earned him a place in the Global Chess League, where he will have one of the best seats one can imagine. The Alpine SG Pipers…

All players, especially the younger ones, look forward to the Global Chess League. It’s a first of its kind event, featuring the best players in the world, divided into six teams of six each. The younger ones have plenty of incentive, because they get to interact with the top guns and watch them from close quarters. Other than winning and losing, it’s a learning opportunity for them. It’s no different for Raunak Sadhwani. The 18-year-old is one of the brightest young prospects in world chess. He is one of the six players in the ‘prodigy’ category, which is essentially for…

He doesn’t know who Ravichandran Ashwin is, but is mighty impressed with the new generation of Indian players who have taken the chess world by storm. Jan-Krzysztov Duda is a Polish Grandmaster, playing in the Global Chess League (GCL) for the team called American Gambit. The celebrated cricketer is a co-owner of the team. Duda knows cricket is India’s sports obsession. “I’ve been there and know that cricket is very big there,” said Duda in a chat with RevSportz in connection with GCL. “People (cricketers) are famous and celebrities. I understand that, but I still don’t understand anything about cricket.…

There is good news on several fronts for Indian chess. This one is nothing compared to the euphoria of the Chess Olympiad double gold, but is significant evidence that the country’s growing stature in the sport is getting recognised in many ways. At the World Cup next year, seven Indians will take part in the open section after having qualified from the national championship. This is unprecedented. Indians had to make it to the biennial event from the continental qualifying competitions. Exempted from this were those who qualified on the basis of their world rankings. For example, in 2022, D…

The average age of the Indian quartet that played most of the matches in the open section of the Chess Olympiad is 22. The corresponding number in the women’s section is 24. Gold in both segments of the competition held in Budapest is a testament of the strength of India’s youngsters. Achieving this success with teenagers as regular members of the side is exceptional. It’s not that Indian youngsters had not been praised for their talent in the past. They had won junior world championships and other accolades. The teams that claimed bronze in the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai…

What after Viswanathan Anand? The question bugged Indian chess fans for years. The country that produced a five-time world champion and Grandmasters by the dozen had not made a mark at the top level for years. Some came close, but they did not win the big events. Nobody doubted their potential, but when it came to showing something tangible, there was nothing. The heist of Hungary, where Indian won gold in the open and women’s sections, breaks that hoodoo. They were among the favourites, being the second seeds in open and top seeds in the women’s section. But to be…

Demeanour is an important element in sport. It’s not decisive but indicative. If you happened to catch a glimpse of the Chess Olympiad through reels or videos clippings, you’ll get an idea how the Indian team is feeling. World No 2 Fabiano Caruana cornered, D Gukesh got off his chair and started circling the area behind him. Eyes firmly on the board, he was surveying what he was about to conquer. Gukesh’s victory and India’s 2.5-1.5 win over top-seeds USA makes them firm favourites for the gold medal in the open section. With one round to play against Slovenia, they…