Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) is keen to ride the momentum created by the success of Indian players in recent times and turn a new leaf. As a part of its development strategy, the federation is going to table an ‘action plan’ at its general body meeting on May 4. If approved, this will be implemented with immediate effect. “It’s a five-year plan prepared on the basis of internal discussions,” the AICF president Nitin Narang told RevSportz. “It’s for the overall development of chess in India. Players at the senior and junior levels and everybody in the Indian chess…

There is nothing called home advantage in chess. However, if things go according to the plans of the All India Chess Federation (AICF), the world championship match between D Gukesh and Ding Liren of China might take place in India. This match will be played in November. Hosting rights will be awarded by FIDE, the world body, through a bidding process. Gukesh became the youngest winner of the Candidates meet in Toronto recently to secure a title clash with Ding, the defending champion. “The AICF will try to host this match in India. It’s too early to say which city,”…

“We can’t put this beast back in the cage. So it’s important to understand this beast and treat it like it is,” said journalist and author Indrajit Hazra. The ‘beast’ is social media, rather, the other side of it. How harrowing can trolling be? What about the scars left by it and is there any mechanism to stop it or cope with it? The pros and cons of using these platforms have been before us for a while now. The time has come to develop a holistic understanding of this issue and see how to stay away from the perils…

D Gukesh’s triumph at the Candidates meet and some consistently strong displays by a band of youngsters in recent years confirms that Indian chess is turning a new leaf after basking in the glory of Viswanathan Anand for decades. This became visible at the Chess Olympiad in 2022 and got a boost at the World Cup last year. The success of Gukesh and the five-game winning run of R Vaishali in the women’s section of Candidates stated emphatically that the next generation is ready to challenge the best. GM Krishnan Sasikiran is a link between the times of Anand and…

Ability to soak pressure, solid performances with black pieces and finding opening novelties to catch the opponent off guard — these are broadly the standout features of D Gukesh’s victorious campaign at the Candidates chess competition, in the eyes of his coach, GM Vishnu Prasanna V. Like everyone else, Vishnu heaved a sigh of relief and joy when Fabiano Caruana abandoned his marathon and eventually futile quest for victory against Ian Nepomniachtchi. “The significance of this is hard to measure. It’s a massive boost for Indian chess,” Vishnu told RevSportz on Monday. “We had discussed and come to a conclusion…

Remember 5.58 am, April 22, 2024, in India. That’s the moment D Gukesh made history. That was when Fabiano Caruana agreed to draw his game against Ian Nepomniachtchi. This meant that the Indian turning 18 next month had become the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates chess competition. He will be the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to take on the world champion. It’s a watershed moment in Indian chess. The Candidates is one of the most prestigious events. Only the best of the elites qualify for it. After Anand, India didn’t even have anybody in the competition for decades. To…

Surprise comes in different forms. D Gukesh unfurled a deadly plan in the garb of pretending to accept a draw offer in the penultimate round of the Candidates chess competition. His dramatic refusal to turn it down and clinical breaking down of Alireza Firouzja’s defence made him the sole leader of the open section with 8.5 points. If Gukesh holds onto the lead in the 14th and final round, he will win the right to challenge world champion Ding Liren of China. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana are following Gukesh on eight points. The last day will see…

The Candidates chess competition is heading towards an end no engine foresaw! It has been one of the most exciting contests in recent years in the open section. Two rounds to go and there is no favourite. Viswanathan Anand praised the youngsters for “adding a spark” to the tournament. On official commentary, he lauded their keenness to hang in till the end and make things happen. There are three youngsters in this section of the competition in Toronto. D Gukesh is 18, R Praggnanandhaa 19 and Alireza Firouzja 21. The youngest of the remaining five is 29. Gukesh, Pragg and…

“It’s probably more likely that he will have a bad event than a good event,” was Magnus Carlsen’s assessment of D Gukesh’s chances in the Candidates chess competition. “He will certainly win at least a couple of good games, but have some fairly bad losses as well,” the World No. 1 had said in an interview with Chess.com before the start of the tournament. Having lost his share of the lead in the previous round following a draw, the 18-year-old became the joint-leader in the open section, again, after the 12th round. It took him about five hours of planning…

The Indian campaign in the open section of the Candidates chess competition suffered major blows in the 11th round. Not only did D Gukesh lose his share of the lead following a draw, R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi crashed to demoralising defeats. R Vaishali stunned Aleksandra Goryachkina, the top seed, in the women’s category. Expectations were high of the Indian trio playing with white pieces. This was a chance for them to strengthen their position on the points table. While Gukesh held Fabiano Caruana to an exciting draw, Pragg came out of pressure and then lost the plot against Hikaru…