Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen faced an unprecedented challenge this month — playing a single freestyle chess game against over 143,000 people around the globe. Billed as “Magnus Carlsen vs The World,” the match was hosted by Chess.com, and ran from April 4 to May 13. It was the first-ever online freestyle game to feature…
Vidit Gujrathi, one of India’s top Grandmasters in recent years, visited Delhi Public School, Gautam Buddha Nagar, for a special chess tournament.The event—the All India Open Rapid and Blitz Tournament—featured over 100 young participants and offered prize money exceeding Rs 8 lakhs. Gujrathi attended the tournament along with his wife, Dr. Nidhi Kataria. In an…
Hans Niemann (Agency Photo) NEW DELHI: In the late 16th century, France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, moving New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Those who clung to the old date were mocked as “April fools”, while others began playing pranks on them. It soon became a tradition.Theories on…
Magnus Carlsen (Photo Credit: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes) NEW DELHI: In his column for The Economist last January, Magnus Carlsen, a five-time World Chess champion and the current World No. 1, penned, “As the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour begins, I look forward not only to competing but to witnessing how this format reshapes…
Viswanathan Anand (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Chess legend Viswanathan Anand’s unexpected withdrawal from the upcoming Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has undoubtedly raised eyebrows across the global chess community.Initially scheduled to take part in the season-opening event in Germany, Anand’s decision to pull out has sparked questions, especially amid the tensions between FIDE, the global…
Magnus Carlsen (Photo Credit: @FIDE_chess on X) NEW DELHI: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen recently expressed criticism towards the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in response to an open letter from Jan Henric Beuttner, co-founder of Freestyle Chess, to FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky. Carlsen supported Beuttner’s stance with a brief message encouraging greatness, directly tagging FIDE…