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Tag: arjun erigaisi

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Four years into Soviet-style chess academy, Anand’s students shine bright: ‘Always available for them’

Back in December 2020, when India’s first Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand started his chess academy, he had a modest dream: someone had “to carry the torch forward”. Three years later, the torch is shining bright, with a queue of contenders ready to take on the mantle.Three students from the online WestBridge Anand Chess Academy’s (WACA) first batch — D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and his sister R Vaishali — have qualified for the upcoming Candidates tournament, a prestigious event to figure out the challenger to the reigning world champion. Other promising prodigies at Anand’s academy are Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi, Raunak Sadhwani and Leon Luke Mendonca. While Arjun is no longer categorised as a junior player, Nihal, Raunak and Leon are — along with Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh — among the T...
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Gukesh D one step closer to Candidates after becoming sole leader at Chennai Grand Masters 2023

India’s Gukesh D took a massive leap towards securing a spot at next year’s Candidates tournament after back-to-back victories at the Chennai Grand Masters 2023 tournament which left him as the sole leader in the tournament after five rounds. On Tuesday, Gukesh defeated Russian GM Sanan Sjugirov with black pieces to edge past compatriot GM Pentala Harikrishna into the sole lead at a tournament that could prove critical for him to make the cut for the prestigious Candidates tournament. On Monday, the Indian teenager handed a defeat to Russian grandmaster Alexandr Predke to join compatriot GM Pentala Harikrishna with two and a half points as the joint leader. Monday’s win over Predke had ended a run of three straight draws for Gukesh at the start of the tournament — albeit ones that came ...
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Chess controversy: Is Chennai Grand Masters held just to help Gukesh & Erigaisi make candidates cut? ‘Within rules’ says Viswanathan Anand

The Chennai Grand Masters event has received criticism from several quarters that it has been included in the calendar at the last minute to help improve the chances of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi making the Candidates cut. However, FIDE (International Chess Federation) deputy president Viswanathan Anand said he has absolutely no question of fairness around the event. “If people find out that they need to finish 5th in a tournament to qualify and they focus on finishing fifth rather than winning… is that a violation? I mean, you are supposed to play for first place. If a player is content with fifth place, he’s content with fifth… It’s the same thing. Within the rules, if you organise a tournament, it is fine. I’m very happy with this tournament. I don’t see a problem with this at all,...
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Vidit Gujrathi wins title at Vugar Gashimov Memorial Chess tournament

Indian grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi won the title at the Vugar Gashimov Memorial Chess tournament 2023 on Monday after the blitz portion of games by edging past a loaded field at Gabala. He wrested away the top spot on the final day of the competition, ahead of local favorites like Nijat Abasov, Teimour Radjabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. The tournament is organised by the Vugar Gashimov Foundation at the Gabala Garden hotel in Azerbaijan. Vidit had drawn seven of his games while losing one and winning two matches in the rapid time controls to finish second behind Azerbaijan’s Aydin Suleymanli with 11 points in nine rounds. But then, he scored 7/9 in the second round of blitz games to come from behind to claim the title. Vidit ended the 10-player tournament on top spot with 22 points, ...
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Focus on Praggnanandhaa as India begin campaign in chess at Asian Games – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The spotlight will be on the young Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa in the chess competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games, especially after his recent impressive performances in the World Cup. India is eager to secure several medals to boost their overall tally.The 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa is a vital member of the strong team participating in the team event, which will be played under standard time control. He is joined by fellow teenager and Grandmaster D Gukesh, forming a formidable duo as India seeks the gold medal.These two young talents are expected to lead India's quest for the top prize, given their recent strong form. They will receive solid support from experienced players like P Harikrishna, Vidit Gujrathi, and the rapidly improving Arjun Erigaisi.The individual event,...
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D Gukesh: ‘Used to handling expectations… have high expectations off myself’

It’s been a few days since R Praggnanandhaa declared that he felt that he has the potential to be a world champion someday. It was a bold declaration, one that even veterans would hesitate to make. So it was only natural that when D Gukesh, another history-making teenage prodigy, fielded questions from the media on the sidelines of the Tata Steel Chess India on Thursday, he was asked if he felt he could be a world champ someday too. “If I didn’t think so (that I don’t have the potential), it would be quite bad. I surely have trust in myself. If I do all the right things, I surely can make it,” says the 17-year-old, who earlier this month overtook Viswanathan Anand as India No. 1 after 37 years. It was a moment that felt like it started a new era in Indian chess: the age of teenaged prod...
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I have the potential to become world champion: Praggnanandhaa | Chess News – Times of India

KOLKATA: For a long time Viswanathan Anand was the lone Indian presence in the chess World Championship cycle. With R Praggnanandhaa making the cut for the Candidates by finishing runner-up in the World Cup, it will be an Indian Generation Next player at the highest level of world chess now. The new sporting hero of the country, Prag appears to be ready to carry the aspirations of the entire nation now."I have not felt any pressure so far, but maybe it will be different from now on," he said on Monday, the eve of Tata Steel Chess India Tournament in the city.The 2727-Elo rated player would not beat around the bush. "There's still a lot to improve. But I think I can go much higher than where I am now. I feel like I have the potential to become the world champion and am working towards th...
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What lies ahead for Praggnanandhaa and pack?

India’s 18-year-old Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa created history by becoming the youngest player to reach the final of a FIDE World Cup earlier this week. He may have lost the final to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in tiebreakers, but it was undoubtedly his best-ever performance at a major tournament.It was also a breakthrough tournament for India’s ‘Golden Era’ of chess prodigies, with four of them making it to the quarterfinals.Winning the World Cup would’ve been a sensational result for Praggnanandhaa but by just making it to the final, he’s done what no other Indian since five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand has managed to do — secure a spot in the 2024 Candidates Tournament. What level is the World Cup? The World Cup term may seem like it’s the highest tournament for chess playe...
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R Praggnanandhaa: The OG, original child prodigy, now challenger to World No 1 Magnus Carlsen

In the post-pandemic world, a new tidal wave of Indian teenagers had swamped the chess landscape, but the 18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa remains the OG, the original child prodigy. The other bright young stars – D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin – are all walking the path paved by the Chennai boy who goes by the name of Pragg on the global chess circuit. On Monday, Pragg nudged a reminder by downing the reigning US chess champion Fabiano Caruana via the tiebreaker to enter the final in Baku, where Magnus Carlsen, the modern day chess genius, another OG, awaits him. Befittingly, Viswanathan Anand, who breathlessly tweeted about Pragg’s progress, would be moved to post: “what a performance”. Before the COVID-19 pandemic brought over-the-board chess tournaments to a grinding halt, Pragg ...
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Narrow loss to R Praggnanandhaa in Chess World Cup quarters only a minor bump in the road for Arjun Erigaisi

Nineteen-year-old Arjun Erigaisi lost his best chance to make it to the 2024 Candidates Tournament when he came second-best to younger compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in a marathon blitz round of the quarterfinal at the FIDE World Cup on Thursday. While it was a bitter pill to swallow, the World No. 32 is not fretting about it. He rather prefers to look at how far he has come in the past five years.Back in 2018, Erigaisi was a young player with plenty of promise, with Indian chess badly in search of someone who could carry Viswanathan Anand’s legacy forward, or at least do well on the international stage. That year, Erigaisi earned all six norms (three International Master and three Grandmaster) in a period of eight months to become a Grandmaster at the age of 14.Erigaisi showed a lot of sp...
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In Baku, India on the backfoot: Magnus Carlsen eliminates D Gukesh; homeboy Nijat Abasov makes Vidit Gujarathi pay for costly slip-up

India’s hopes of three players reaching the semifinal of the FIDE World Cup at Baku were crushed on Wednesday, as Magnus Carlsen eliminated Gukesh D and home favourite Nijat Abasov inflicted a shocking victory on Vidit Gujrathi.However, India will have at least one player in the semifinal as R Praggnanandhaa fought brilliantly to beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the second game to take their match to tie-breakers, which will be played on Thursday.The silver lining for India is that the winner of the game between Praggnanadhaa and Erigaise will qualify for the 2024 Candidates Tournament after five-time world champion Carlsen confirmed he will not vie for a spot at the World Championship final for the second consecutive time. Magnus Carlsen succeeds in securing the draw he needed to eli...
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Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi shocks Nepomniachtchi, reaches World Cup quarterfinals

Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi on Monday stunned Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi via the tie-breaker to reach the quarterfinals of the FIDE Chess World Cup here. He defeated Nepomniachtchi 2-0 in the 10-minute rapid segment of the tie-break to qualify for the quarterfinals for a second time. Gujrathi joins a trio of fellow Indians — D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi — in the last eight, a first for the country. Gujrathi and Nepomniachtchi had drawn the two-game classical match and the two tie-break games. He will meet Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan in the quarterfinals. Asked about four Indians featuring in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, Gujrathi said, “We are doing very well, what can I say! Everybody is showing very high level of play. “Pragg defeated Hikaru which is...
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FIDE World Cup: Gukesh sets up Magnus Carlsen face-off in quarters

India’s highest-rated chess player Gukesh D has set up a much-awaited quarterfinal clash against five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in the FIDE World Cup in Baku on Sunday.The 17-year-old Gukesh, who has a live rating of 2761 making him the seventh highest-rated player in the world, played solidly with white pieces to pull off a much-needed draw against China’s Wang Hao for a 1.5-0.5 victory.Carlsen on the other hand, defeated Ukrainian legend Vassily Ivanchuk to show signs that he is peaking at the right time. The quarterfinal will be played on Tuesday. In his post-match interview, the former world champion said Gukesh is one of the world’s top players, so it’s no surprise he made it to the quarterfinal. “We are in the quarters, so you expect to play the top guys. The way he is p...
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For Praggnanandhaa, inaugural season of GCL meant winning a lot and learning a lot more

On Wednesday, after Magnus Carlsen had overpowered Viswanathan Anand in a clash of former world champions and propelled his team, SG Alpine Warriors, to the top of the Global Chess League standings, the Norwegian was asked by GM Tania Sachdev in the post-match broadcast what set the Warriors apart from the other teams. “Well, we have this one guy (Praggnanandhaa R) who wins every single game. That kinda helps… Pragg has been the absolute star. Not only the fact that he wins games, but the way he wins them. It seems like he wins with class,” said the world no 1. Over the course of the league stage of the GCL, the 17-year-old Praggnanandhaa has scythed through his opponents, losing none of his 10 games. Seven of those were victories, while two of the three draws came on Saturday (first ...
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Young Magnus Carlsen building large Lego sets made his father to teach him chess

In a sport teeming with teenage prodigies, Magnus Carlsen is one of the rare examples of a chess player who converted his early talent to become a world beater. Tales abound of his incandescent talent after he emerged on the world stage: how he once held Garry Kasparov to a draw and took down GM Anatoly Karpov as a teenager even before he was a grandmaster or how, back in the day, he became the second-youngest GM in history. But his rise also holds lessons for the rest of the chess world — particularly for India, which has now seen an explosion of teenage grandmasters over the last decade or so — on how to nurture a teenage prodigy. As Magnus Carlsen’s father Henrik puts it simply, the secret is not to push the kids too much, and let them make their own life decisions. On the sidelines...
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It’s the beginning of a revolution in India: Magnus Carlsen | Chess News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Magnus Carlsen, the five-time chess world champion, said he is pleasantly surprised with the immense enthusiasm for the game in India. Carlsen believes that this surge of interest marks the commencement of a revolutionary era, an achievement primarily attributed to the legendary Viswanathan Anand.Carlsen, widely recognized as one of the most formidable players in chess, is currently representing the SG Alpine Warriors in the Global Chess League (GCL). He acknowledged that India's consistent production of Grandmasters holds promising prospects for the sport's future.India, of late, has produced the likes of the young R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh, among others, who have beaten some of the biggest names in the world, including Carlsen."It's awesome to see the hu...
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Magnus Carlsen: ‘We’re at beginning of chess revolution in India which started with Vishy Anand’

Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen believes that India is only at the start of a ‘chess revolution’. The country has seen an explosion in grandmasters in recent years, with the numbers rising from just 20 before 2010, to 82 in the last 13 years. What’s even more heartening for Indian chess is that there are currently nine Indians in the top 100 spots of the FIDE classical chess rankings: Viswanathan Anand (World No 9), Gukesh D (No 13), Vidit Gujrathi (26), Arjun Erigaisi (30), Pentala Harikrishna (32), R Praggnanandhaa (47), Nihal Sarin (53), SL Narayanan (85) and Aravindh Chithambaram (100). Out of them, players like Gukesh, Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa and Sarin are still in their teens. “It’s awesome to see both the interest in chess (from the general public and media in India) an...