Magnus Carlsen (Pic credit: X) World number one Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris, sealing the title in dominant fashion on Monday. Carlsen defeated Hikaru Nakamura 1.5–0.5 in the final, winning the first game and drawing the second to claim the crown without needing a tiebreak.“It felt like I…
D Gukesh (Photo Credits: Lennart Ootes / Freestyle Chess) NEW DELHI: The preliminary phase of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, hosted in Paris, concluded its eleven-round competition on Tuesday. This stage saw twelve contenders vying for eight available positions in the subsequent knockout phase. The competition was fierce, and the results were closely contested.Ian Nepomniachtchi…
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…
Pranav Venkatesh and his coach GM Shyam Sundar M (@GM_Pranav_V on X) NEW DELHI: The soft thud of a yellow smiley-face sponge ball striking the floor again and again barely disturbed the silence of a five-star hotel room, where 18-year-old Pranav Venkatesh and his coach, GM Shyam Sundar M, were putting up during the Chennai…
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…
Wei Yi (Photo Credit: Tata Steel Chess 2025) NEW DELHI: Just a few days back, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa made a stunning statement in the Tata Steel Masters by defeating the youngest-ever World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju to claim the prestigious title, often referred to as the “Wimbledon of Chess,” at Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.On the…
World Champion D Gukesh advanced to the knockout stage of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour‘s first event despite losing to Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the final qualifying round. Gukesh finished with 3.5 points, securing seven draws and two losses without a single victory.The ten-player tournament featured modified initial piece positions, making it one of…
D Gukesh (Credit: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes) NEW DELHI: The 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam kicked off at Weissenhaus on Germany’s Baltic coast, with Chess960 taking centre stage on Friday. The tournament, featuring top grandmasters, serves as a preliminary rapid event to determine the eight players advancing to the knockout phase.Indian GM D Gukesh,…
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…