India's Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and Grandmaster Nihal Sarin advocate for a transparent, merit-based education system as protests over alleged NEET exam irregularities continue. Environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk is on an indefinite fast, and a student march to Parliament was dispersed by Delhi Police.
GM M Pranesh secured his second consecutive victory over world champion D Gukesh at the Chennai Grand Masters. GM Nihal Sarin also defeated Arjun Erigaisi, leading to GM Alireza Firouzja taking the sole lead with four points heading into the final round.
The Global Chess League's Season 4 draft saw Indian GM Nihal Sarin drafted by American Gambits amidst a bidding war, while defending champs Alpine APL Pipers retained Magnus Carlsen and added Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy. Chess legend Viswanathan Anand made a historic team switch to PBG Alaskan Knights.
Magnus Carlsen won the Chess.com Open, while Denis Lazavik beat Nihal Sarin, leaving no Indian qualified yet for the Esports World Cup 2026, as of yet. Extra qualification spots don’t pass down, increasing pressure on Sarin. He remains India’s one of the besthopes, with chances through circuit rankings and qualifiers in the evolving esports chess format.
