Defending champions India announced formidable men's and women's chess squads for the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, led by D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and R Vaishali. Separately, Viswanathan Anand became interim FIDE president after Arkady Dvorkovich temporarily stepped aside due to EU sanctions.
Indian chess prodigy Pranesh Munirethinam faces uncertainty over his participation in the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Hong Kong due to a visa delay. Coach RB Ramesh has appealed for urgent assistance to expedite the process.
India’s chess boom is inspiring young talents, but families face huge financial and logistical struggles behind the scenes. Parents spend lakhs on foreign tournaments, visas, travel, and coaching, often without sponsorship or federation support. Many also deal with poor tournament systems in India and scams abroad. Despite rising success stories like Vaishali and Gukesh, chess parents say survival in the sport remains extremely difficult.
Vaishali Rameshbabu’s journey to the Women’s Candidates title wasn’t easy. After a poor run in Chennai shattered her confidence, she even considered skipping the Grand Swiss. A crucial two-hour call with Karthikeyan Murali changed her mind. A mental reset helped her win the event, regain form, and now she prepares to face world champion Ju Wenjun.
Die indische Schachgroßmeisterin Vaishali stand lange im Schatten ihres erfolgreicheren Bruders. Nun spielt sie um die Weltmeisterschaft. Und er darf ihre Banane halten.
