Bodhana Sivanandan (Photo by John Saunders) New Delhi: Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has become England’s top-rated female player, according to the latest FIDE list. At just 11 years old, she now has a rating of 2366 and has overtaken four-time British women’s champion Lin Yao. Based in North London, Bodhana’s journey is particularly notable…
Alva Norman takes a selfie with Magnus Carlsen (Photo from @ChessbaseIndia) New Delhi: A simple selfie request turned into an unexpected situation at the Greinke Freestyle Chess Festival in Germany. Just before their match, Kazakh player Alva Norman asked Magnus Carlsen For selfies. He agreed without hesitation and posed with her. However, soon after, he…
R Praganananda (photo by Yvonne Ness) New Delhi: You read that right. R Praganandha, India’s lone representative in the open section, squandered an excellent opportunity to claim his second win at the Candidates Tournament at the Cape St George’s Hotel and Resort on Friday. Instead, the 2741-ranked grandmaster settled for a lifeless draw, his third…
R Praganandha’s Hidden Second Vibhu Suri (photo by Michal Walusza) NEW DELHI: Feedmaster (FM) Parson Jeet Dutta, a man whose life has been a series of strategic gambles and late game recoveries, runs a popular academy in the heart of New Delhi. For years, he followed a predictable ritual. Whenever a particularly gifted student walked…
Ukraine’s Anna Mozychyk does not shake hands after defeating Russia’s Kateryna Ligno (screen grab) NEW DELHI: The cold war of chess reached a freezing point in Round 4 of Women Candidates 2026, as Ukraine’s Anna Mozychak and Russia’s Kateryna Ligno defied the traditional decorum of the game. There was no handshake at the start, no…
USA GM Hikaru Nakamura blasts FIDE. New Delhi: World No. 2 American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has criticized the world chess body FIDE for what he sees as excessive anti-cheating measures at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. Kicking off his fourth qualifier with a loss to fellow American Fabiano Caruana, Nakamura took to his YouTube…
Divya Deshmukh vs Zhu Jiner (Photo by Michal Walusza) New Delhi: The fourth round was always considered a psychological hurdle. With the 2026 edition of the candidates unleashing a new level of competition, Wednesday was the final sprint before a previously scheduled rest day at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Cyprus. However,…
Divya Deshmukh (Photo by Yves Ness) NEW DELHI: If R Praganandha’s opening-round victory over Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri in Candidates was a manifesto of his aggressive DNA, Round 3 was a glaring reminder of the flattering nature of the game.On a day that started with high hopes for the Indian contingent at the Cape…
R Vaishali vs Divya Deshmukh (Photo by Yves Ness) New Delhi: The second round of FIDE Candidates 2026 began on Monday with royalty. Five-time world champion and FIDE Vice-President Viswanathan Anand took the ceremonial first step by stepping next to the board of Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali Ramesh Babu.It was a fitting start to a…
A match during Round 1 of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. (Image credit: FIDE) The Candidates’ Chess Tournament, which opens in Cyprus on Sunday, has made sure the men don’t lose in time. But only after the 41st move. Until then, they may have suffered because the legendary Bobby Fischer’s rule, which aims to create…