Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Goa The 12th FIDE World Cup is here. Rio Resort in Goa will stage the world’s biggest knockout chess tournament from November 1-27. Several top names are present in field of 206 players. There is a strong Indian contingent and a few of them are among the favourites. This is an important event offering Candidates berths to the top three. The winner of the eight-player Candidates event will earn the right to challenge D Gukesh in the World Championship duel next year. HISTORY OF THE COMPETITION FIDE World Cup was first held in 2000. The first…

By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata Fire in the belly speaks a thousand words. Mohammed Shami avoided making controversial remarks after putting in a stellar performance for Bengal against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match. Thanks to the veteran fast bowler’s five-wicket haul at Eden Gardens, the home team posted a 141-run win, which didn’t seem likely at the start of the final day’s play. The pitch hadn’t deteriorated much and taking 10 wickets in less than a day looked difficult after Bengal batted for half an hour in the morning. Shami struck with the first ball…

By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata There was one matter of interest when play resumed on Day 3 of this Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match between Bengal and Gujarat. Gujarat were 107/7 and trailing by 172 runs. The home team securing a first-innings lead was a foregone conclusion. The question was, could Bengal push themselves into a position to win this one outright? At stumps on the penultimate day at Eden Gardens, that possibility looked bleak. On another day of cricket unattractive and low on intrigue, Bengal took far too long to dislodge the last two Gujarat wickets. After that,…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata Newly-appointed national selector RP Singh is at Eden Gardens for the Bengal-Gujarat Ranji Trophy match. National selectors can’t go everywhere because each round in the Elite division has 16 games. They have to pick and choose. Sometimes, they are more interested in watching those who could be in national reckoning. Looking at the players of the two teams in this Elite Group fixture, there is only one who is closely followed. There is no doubt about his ability. The selectors want to see what kind of condition he is in. Mohammed Shami didn’t disappoint the…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata Some indiscreet shot-making and disciplined bowling by Gujarat restricted Bengal to 244/7 on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match at Eden Gardens on Saturday. A few got starts, even made half-centuries, but none apart from Sumanta Gupta showed the temperament to dig deep. The No. 6 batter was unbeaten on 58 at stumps. Bengal have a strong attack featuring Mohammed Shami and their bowlers can put pressure on the opposition, but they would know that their team could have put more runs on the board. Two dismissals on either side of lunch…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay More cricket away from the spotlight! The second round of Ranji Trophy league phase begins on Saturday. Bengal take on Gujarat in a Group C match at Eden Gardens and the stakes will be high. Performance here doesn’t get headlines, but runs made and wickets taken are taken seriously by the selectors. There are a few in both teams keen to do that. Talking about India aspirants, foremost is Mohammed Shami. The veteran fast bowler answered questions on fitness by bowling 39.3 overs and taking seven wickets across two innings in Bengal’s eight-wicket win over Uttarakhand in the…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay Floating under the dizzy heights reached by his peers, Nihal Sarin was looking for his own space and scope. He has succeeded in meeting some of those goals this year. Amidst ups and downs, timely performances helped him secure a berth in the biggest event of 2025, win a tournament in Tashkent and touch the 2700 Elo rating mark separating the elite from others. In doing so, he has set himself up nicely for the FIDE World Cup. The knockout event in Goa from October 31 to November 27 offers three tickets to Candidates 2026. A prodigy who…

Dictionary defines ‘transition’ as ‘the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another’. It’s a crucial phase in sports. Those who follow team games can tell that broadly, this is when the old makes way for the new. In individual disciplines, a key transition is the shift from junior to senior. That’s why Tanvi Sharma’s runner-up finish in the girl’s section of the world junior (U-19) badminton championship in Guwahati needs careful examination. It’s a commendable feat, not unprecedented. She is the third woman and 11th player from the country to be on the podium…

Every success story has silent heroes. In Indian chess, RB Ramesh is one of them. After becoming the country’s 10th Grandmaster in 2004, he gave in to his inner calling four years later. He quit as a player and switched to coaching when he was 32. The academy run by him in Chennai has produced among others, R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali — the world’s only Grandmaster brother-sister duo — and Aravindh Chithambaram. Pragg and Aravindh are taking part in the FIDE World Cup in Goa from October 31. Ramesh has written two books on chess and his commentary drew…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay The beaches of Goa and adjoining areas turn into a sea of humanity between the months of November and February. That’s when the ‘season’ is. During that period, the tiny state, which is arguably the tourism capital of India, becomes a hotbed of activities featuring folks from the world over. Goa has also hosted the International Film Festival of India annually since 2004. This November event has added another dimension to an atmosphere that encourages visitors to have a good time. Entertainment of another kind is on offer on the Konkan coast this year. The FIDE World Cup…