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Magnus Carlsen says he’s looking forward to playing Gukesh in Freestyle Chess
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Magnus Carlsen says he’s looking forward to playing Gukesh in Freestyle Chess

After spending the past two months battling against the world governing body of chess, FIDE, Magnus Carlsen said he was looking forward to facing off against the current world champion Gukesh in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, when the Weissenhaus leg starts today at the luxury nature resort. When Carlsen was asked by ChessBase India who he was looking forward to playing at the first event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, he said: “I’m very much looking forward to playing the classical world champion, Gukesh. Obviously, I look forward to playing everybody, but getting a chance to play Hikaru Nakamura here… last year there was a bit of a generational battle. I’ll be trying a little bit harder to beat the youngsters.” The first event of the Freestyle Tour at Weissenhaus will se...
Arkady Dvorkovich responds to personal texts being leaked: ‘Cannot deal with a partner who has such business culture’
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Arkady Dvorkovich responds to personal texts being leaked: ‘Cannot deal with a partner who has such business culture’

FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich has accused organisers of Freestyle Chess of leaking personal texts sent by him during the terse negotiations over the past few months. Dvorkovich told The Indian Express in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that messages that he had sent Jan Henric Buettner, the man behind the freestyle chess tour, were being shared with players ‘within seconds’ during the negotiations. FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich speaks at an event during the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore last year.(PHOTO: FIDE/Maria Emilianova) After talks between FIDE and organisers of Freestyle Chess collapsed on Monday, Buettner posted a long open letter addressed to the FIDE president where he also made public personal messages sent to him by Dvorkovich. Soon, this was followed ...
As FIDE vs Freestyle Chess war intensifies, Magnus Carlsen, trainer share private text messages from FIDE president, CEO
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As FIDE vs Freestyle Chess war intensifies, Magnus Carlsen, trainer share private text messages from FIDE president, CEO

The FIDE versus Freestyle Chess war intensified late on Monday after peace talks collapsed between the two parties. In the immediate aftermath of the feud reigniting, there were open letters from both sides with fresh allegations. Members from the Freestyle Chess camp also aired private messages from FIDE officials like president Arkady Dvorkovich and CEO Emil Sutovsky. World No 1 Magnus Carlsen posted a couple of texts that Dvorkovich had sent to his father Henrik Carlsen on his X handle before asking the Russian to resign. Story continues below this ad Carlsen posted on X: “Coercion of players, misuse of power and broken promises. FIDE President Dvorkovich, to convince me to play the Rapid & Blitz in New York, you wrote Dec 19th to my father: ‘Just want to pass a mes...
FIDE vs Freestyle Chess dispute continues as ‘intensive negotiations’ lead nowhere
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FIDE vs Freestyle Chess dispute continues as ‘intensive negotiations’ lead nowhere

The global governing body of chess, FIDE, has announced that talks with the organisers of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour have not yielded much as the impasse continues in chess. “Despite intensive negotiations, the FIDE Council states that there is currently no agreement regarding the Freestyle Tour. This is due to the other party’s refusal to acknowledge FIDE’s status as the sole regulator of World Chess Championships and its authority to award a World Championship title,” FIDE posted on their X handle on Monday afternoon. It went on to add that it would be releasing a “full statement” on the matter later on Monday. Story continues below this ad FIDE and organizers of the upcoming Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour have been at loggerheads for over two months now. This fe...
‘Most stressful day’: Praggnanandhaa jokes he’ll buy Arjun Erigaisi something after winning Tata Steel chess title ahead of Gukesh
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‘Most stressful day’: Praggnanandhaa jokes he’ll buy Arjun Erigaisi something after winning Tata Steel chess title ahead of Gukesh

Praggnanandhaa defeated world champion Gukesh in a tense tiebreak that went into sudden death to emerge as the champion of the Tata Steel chess tournament 2025. It was a moment he called the highlight and the most stressful day of his career. After defeating Gukesh in the tiebreak, Praggnanandhaa was asked by commentator Fiona Steil-Antoni if winning the Tata Steel title was the “highlight of his young career”. “Yeah, for sure. When I came here, I wanted to win the event. But the field was very strong. I didn’t really think about it much until yesterday. Can’t really express… I’m really happy,” said Praggnanandhaa. Story continues below this ad Praggnanandhaa, asked if this was the most intense day of chess in his career, compared Sunday’s action with the sudden death batt...
Exclusive: FIDE and freestyle chess organisers close to amicable agreement after 2-month-long dispute
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Exclusive: FIDE and freestyle chess organisers close to amicable agreement after 2-month-long dispute

The prospect of ‘war’ looming over the world of chess seems to be easing up after the organisers of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour and FIDE are close to an amicable agreement, The Indian Express can reveal. After two months of uncertainty in the sport punctuated by open letters and allegations against each other, a ceasefire appears likely. In fact, over the past three days there have been three one-on-one phone calls between German entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner, the brains and financial muscle behind the ambitious freestyle tour, and FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich to smoothen out matters. “I already had two phone calls with Arkady yesterday and the day before, and we’re going to have another one today. I can tell you that we are pretty close to reaching an amicable agreement that w...
Tata Steel Chess: Gukesh beats Leon Luke Mendonca to secure lead with four rounds to go
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Tata Steel Chess: Gukesh beats Leon Luke Mendonca to secure lead with four rounds to go

With just four rounds remaining at the Tata Steel chess tournament, the reigning world champion Gukesh D has ensured that he is in pole position to win the event known as the Wimbledon of Chess. The 18-year-old Gukesh defeated his contemporary Leon Luke Mendonca in Round 9 at the season-starting chess event in the quaint Dutch town of Wijk aan Zee in a battle lasting just 43 moves. This is the first event Gukesh is competing in after becoming the youngest world champion in history of chess by defeating Ding Liren in Singapore last month. So far after nine games, Gukesh is yet to lose, winning four games and drawing the others. This is in sharp contrast to the fate of Arjun Erigaisi, who came into the event rated 2801, but has not won a single game at the event. Tuesday’s win ensures that...
In chess, away from eye-catching numbers lies world where GMs lose money playing, struggle to attract sponsors, and worry about making a living
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In chess, away from eye-catching numbers lies world where GMs lose money playing, struggle to attract sponsors, and worry about making a living

Editor’s Note: We present On The Moves, a new weekly column which will appear every Tuesday from Amit Kamath on chess where he will look at everything that happens on the battlefield of the 64 squares and away from it.Hikaru Nakamura couldn’t disguise his envy as he spoke about what he called the ‘Big 3’ of Indian chess — D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi. The reason for this envy was not the pace at which their careers had taken off. No, the World No.3 was envious about all three players finding sponsors early on in their careers, which he linked to the trio “staying hungry”. “When I came up in the USA, even once I had crossed the 2700 rating, I never had any kind of sponsorship that was on the level of what Arjun, Gukesh or Praggnanandhaa are getting right now. The goal for m...
Gukesh vs Praggnanandhaa ends in draw at Tata Steel Chess after some mind games
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Gukesh vs Praggnanandhaa ends in draw at Tata Steel Chess after some mind games

D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa played out a bloodless draw in round 8 at the Tata Steel chess tournament that ended in 33 moves on Sunday in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. In what was a battle royale of two of India’s top grandmasters, there was very little to separate the duo with Pragg having white pieces. Both players had started the game as joint leaders in the standings in the masters section — a spot which they shared with Uzbek star Nodirbek Abdusattarov. All three players are still in joint lead after 8 rounds with Nodirbek holding off the event’s giant-killer Vladimir Fedoseev to a draw. The Gukesh vs Praggnanandhaa contest started with a bit of a mind game from Pragg, who waited almost one full minute before playing 1.e4, which is the most common opening move in the book. The first fi...
Arjun Erigaisi stays winless at Tata Steel after blunders vs Fedoseev
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Arjun Erigaisi stays winless at Tata Steel after blunders vs Fedoseev

Arjun Erigaisi’s luck at the Dutch town of Wijk aan Zee just refuses to turn. The top-ranked Indian player slumped to another defeat in Round 4 of the Tata Steel chess tournament, this time after surrendering a hefty advantage on the board in two back-to-back moves against Vladimir Fedoseev. Meanwhile, veteran Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna defeated Dutchman Max Warmerdam to claim his second win at the event. He had earlier defeated Arjun Erigaisi while losing to R Praggnanandhaa. The defeat against Fedoseev means Arjun Erigaisi has not won a single game at the prestigious Tata Steel chess event since winning the Challengers section in 2022. At that edition, he had won the event with a round to spare, scoring a jaw-dropping 10.5 out of 13. That win had secured Erigaisi a spot in th...
Arjun Erigaisi loses to Praggnanandhaa to stay winless at Wijk aan Zee since 2022
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Arjun Erigaisi loses to Praggnanandhaa to stay winless at Wijk aan Zee since 2022

Arjun Erigaisi was handed defeat in the third round of the Tata Steel chess tournament by good friend Praggnanandhaa in 60 moves. While Pragg held the upper hand in most of the game, the end came with checkmate being inevitable with Arjun Erigaisi’s king standing in the middle of the board without any protection while Praggnanandhaa’s pieces surrounded it. The defeat means that Arjun Erigaisi has not won a single game at the Tata Steel event since winning the Challengers section in 2022 with a jaw-dropping score of 10.5 out of 13. He had in fact won the event that year with a round to spare. That win had secured Arjun Erigaisi a spot in the Tata Steel Masters section the next year. But he went through the 2023 edition without a single victory and has continued that streak in 2025. He di...
R Vaishali claims bronze at World Blitz Championship to cap stellar year for Indian women in chess
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R Vaishali claims bronze at World Blitz Championship to cap stellar year for Indian women in chess

R Vaishali ended 2024 in style, claiming a bronze medal at the World Blitz Championship after reaching the semi-finals at the year-end event at New York’s Wall Street. Ju Wenjun clinched the women’s blitz crown by defeating Lei Tingjie in the final. Vaishali had lost to Wenjun in the semis and finished behind the two Chinese women. In the men’s section, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi agreed to share the title after both players won two games each in the final and three tie-break games were drawn. After the Swiss section of the World Blitz Championship (from where the eight quarter-finalists were selected), Vaishali had told the official YouTube handle of FIDE how she did not think she was a good blitz player. This despite the fact that she was a full point ahead of the pack at that ...
Title Gambit Accepted: Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi make history after agreeing to share world blitz title
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Title Gambit Accepted: Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi make history after agreeing to share world blitz title

Magnus Carlsen and Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi opted to share World Blitz Championship title after three sudden-death games failed to produce a winner. Magnus Carlsen won the first two games in the final against Ian Nepomniachtchi and needed just a draw in the third game to seal another World Blitz title. But Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi made a comeback by winning two games, thus levelling the score at 2-2. The final would thus have to be decided in a tiebreak. When three sudden-death games, neither player managed to secure a win, with all three games ending in draws. Magnus Carlsen then suggested sharing the title with his opponent. Why did Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi agree to share the title? “People should, of course, understand that we are both tired and nervous. Some people ...