Viswanathan Anand praises R Praggnanandhaa's recent win at Norway Chess 2026, suggesting D Gukesh learn from his perseverance to regain momentum before defending his world title.
D Gukesh's coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, defends the young chess champion's aggressive playing style, citing it as key to his world title win and integral to his identity, despite recent criticisms.
Reigning World Champion D Gukesh must defeat Magnus Carlsen in the final round of Norway Chess 2026 to avoid last place, while Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa, and Alireza Firouzja compete for the title.
R Praggnanandhaa defeats D Gukesh in Norway Chess, securing third consecutive win and contending for the title alongside Wesley So and Alireza Firouzja.
In Round 7 of the Norway Chess tournament, R Praggnanandhaa secured a dominant classical win, while Divya Deshmukh won her Armageddon tie-break. World Champion D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen also won their respective tie-breaks.
In the 2026 Norway Chess tournament, R Praggnanandhaa secured a notable classical win. D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen, surprisingly low in standings, won their Armageddon tie-breaks. Divya Deshmukh also won her Armageddon tie-break.
Indian chess stars Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Divya Deshmukh suffered significant classical defeats in the reverse fixtures of Norway Chess. Magnus Carlsen returned to winning ways, while Koneru Humpy's struggles continued.
India's Dommaraju Gukesh defeated compatriot R Praggnanandhaa, while Divya Deshmukh beat Zhu Jiner, both securing crucial wins at Norway Chess after previous setbacks.
World chess champion D Gukesh had a viral moment during Norway Chess when he failed to open a water bottle mid-game, contrasting with his intense 116-move battle against Wesley So, which ended in a draw and subsequent Armageddon loss.
Divya Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy in an Armageddon decider at Norway Chess, while Praggnanandhaa lost to Alireza Firouzja in the open section.
Divya Deshmukh drew with Ju Wenjun in classical chess and won the Armageddon tiebreak. Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa also won their Armageddon matches. Magnus Carlsen lost to Alireza Firouzja, who played with an injured leg.
Reigning world chess champion D Gukesh admits criticism of his recent performances is justified, acknowledging he hasn't met expectations since winning the title in 2024. Speaking ahead of the Norway Chess tournament, Gukesh stated he focuses on his own game despite comments from chess legends.
Norway Chess returns to Oslo with a strong Indian contingent including D Gukesh, Divya Deshmukh, Koneru Humpy, and R Praggnanandhaa. Gukesh faces pressure before his World Championship defense, while Deshmukh is the youngest women's competitor. Humpy returns after a withdrawal, and Praggnanandhaa seeks redemption.
Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi believes Indian World Champion D Gukesh is currently vulnerable against top players. He cited Gukesh's inconsistency since becoming the youngest world champion in 2024 and backed Javokhir Sindarov to win their upcoming title clash.
Javokhir Sindarov defeated D Gukesh in their first-ever blitz clash at the Grand Chess Tour in Warsaw, avenging his earlier rapid loss to the World Champion. Gukesh’s rare fist-pump celebration after that previous win had gone viral. With one win each, their growing rivalry now heads into a decisive final reverse-blitz showdown before this year’s World Championship clash.
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.
World champion D Gukesh showed rare emotion after defeating future title challenger Javokhir Sindarov at the Grand Chess Tour in Poland. Playing with the black pieces, Gukesh outplayed the Uzbek grandmaster in 52 moves and celebrated with a fist pump after the win. The victory was seen as a strong statement ahead of their World Championship clash later this year.
World No. 1 and five-time world Magnus Carlsen suffered his first classical chess defeat in nearly a year after losing to Jorden van Foreest at the TePe Sigeman & Co Tournament 2026 in Malmo. Carlsen had remained unbeaten since his loss to D Gukesh in 2025. Arjun Erigaisi stayed unbeaten after drawing with Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
12-year-old Aarav Sarbalia is gaining recognition as a rising chess talent. Alongside his on-board progress, his structured social media content has attracted prominent followers, including Judit Polgar and D Gukesh's coach, Vishnu Prasanna. Supported by his family and guided by top coaching, Aarav is building momentum toward his long-term goal of achieving the Grandmaster (GM) title.
Aarav Sarbalia, a 12-year-old FIDE Master, has become the online chess world's latest sensation through his 'fun reels' on social media. The Bengaluru-based prodigy, who analysed positions at the recent FIDE Candidates tournament on a YouTube commentary panel, has gained high-profile followers including Judit Polgar and Vishnu Prasanna. After struggling to find sponsorships due to lack of social presence, his family started creating content to build his profile, which led to securing a sponsorship from a chess startup. Currently rated around 2247, Aarav is coached by six-time national champion Surya Shekhar Ganguly and has his sights set on becoming a Grandmaster.
Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen has backed 20-year-old Uzbek prodigy Javokhir Sindarov to defeat reigning champion D Gukesh in the upcoming World Chess Championship. Speaking at an event in Stockholm, Carlsen highlighted Sindarov's well-rounded game while pointing out Gukesh's 'obvious weaknesses.' Both players are 20, making this the youngest World Championship match in history. Former champion Garry Kasparov also labelled Sindarov the 'clear favourite' based on his dominant 10/14 performance at the Candidates Tournament.
