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Women's World Cup 2025 Round 1.2: Vantika, Padmini and Nandhidhaa advance to Round 2

08/07/2025 -

IM Vantika Agrawal, IM Padmini Rout and WGM Nandhidhaa P V won their respective games to advance the second round of FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. Vantika and Nandhidhaa scored comfortable wins after their respective opponents, WFM Lala Shohradova (TKM) and WIM Anahi Ortiz Verdezoto (ECU) made one-move blunders. Padmini made a thematic sacrifice in the Sicilian Najdorf for the second consecutive game. This time she made it work with correct play. WIM Priyanka K won her must-win game against WGM Gaal Zsoka (HUN) to force tie-breaks. WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty is the sole Indian to get eliminated in the first round. Round 1 Tie-break games start today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

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Mumbai boy Jaiveer Mahendru's sensational wildcard entry to the Abu Dhabi Masters

07/07/2025 -

The Abu Dhabi Chess Festival is hosting their 31st edition this year with a massive prize fund of USD 55,500, featuring seventeen different exciting tournaments to offer an opportunity for players of all levels. The organisers of the festival presented us with this first of its kind special chance where the winner of the tournament will get a wildcard entry to play the Abu Dhabi Masters, one-way flight ticket to Abu Dhabi, visa and free entry to play any tournament of the festival subject to eligibility. This step can be a game changer for the young Indian talents who are always looking for great opportunities like these and we hope that the festival continues to support the initiative and we can arrange bigger tournaments in the coming days which can produce many young talents. All prize distribution photos were captured by Maestro Chess Academy team.

Kaustuv Kundu dominates 18th G H Raisoni Memorial Rating Open 2025

07/07/2025 -

IM Kaustuv Kundu scored an unbeaten 10.5/11 to win 18th G H Raisoni Memorial Rating Open 2025. He finished a staggering 1.5 points ahead of the rest. FM Arun Kataria and Shaunak Badole scored 9/10 each. They secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the entire Nagpur Chess Festival was ₹451000. The top three prizes were ₹51000 + trophy, ₹31000 and ₹26000 each. The six-day eleven round Rating Open tournament was organized by G H Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation & Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation at G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering & Technology in Nagpur, Maharashtra from 8th to 13th June 2025. This is Kaustuv's second rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Bhushan Shriwas

Women's World Cup 2025 Round 1.1: Padmini and Nandhidhaa make a winning start

07/07/2025 -

IM Padmini Rout and WGM Nandhidhaa P V made a winning start at FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. In the first game of Round 1, Padmini made a good start by making a thematic knight sacrifice against Lanlin Zhang (CHN). However, she did not follow through correctly and lost an exchange. Later, her opponent misplayed allowing her to not only get back the exchange but arrive at a winning position. Nandhidhaa made a good recovery after a difficult start against WIM Anahi Ortiz Verdezoto (ECU). WFM Lala Shohradova (TKM) held IM Vantika Agrawal to a solid draw. WIM Priyanka K had a firm grip of the position against WGM Gaal Zsoka (HUN). However, she let her advantage slip, blundered, allowing her opponent to win the game. WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty made an incorrect exchange in the endgame versus IM Yuxin Song (CHN) which cost her the point. Round 1 Game 2 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

Magnus Carlsen wins SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz 2025 with a round to spare, Gukesh third

07/07/2025 -

Magnus Carlsen drew against R Praggnanandhaa in the penultimate round to win Grand Chess Tour SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz 2025 with one round to go. The World no.1 defeated Ivan Saric (CRO) in the final round to finish with 22.5/36. Wesley So (USA) secured second place 20/36. He scored a half point more 5.5/9 than the champion on the final day of Blitz. The World Champion, D Gukesh recovered well and scored 4/9 in the second half of Blitz to finish third with 19.5/36. Carlsen forced a Berlin draw against Gukesh in their Blitz rematch. The fourth event of the season will be Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz which will take place at Saint Louis Chess Club in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA from 10th to 16th August. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Meet Renjith Balakrishnan: The man who left his job at Facebook to start his own chess ecosystem

06/07/2025 -

What makes someone leave a job at Facebook and start a chess academy from scratch? After working in top companies for almost 15 years, Renjith Balakrishnan decided to build something of his own, not just for himself, but for the community he came from. His simple gesture to help his relative slowly grew into Premier Chess Academy - an organization that now supports over 150 people. To create a vibrant chess ecosystem, the academy has grown beyond just online teaching. Today, it also organizes large-scale tournaments, including events with good prize funds. Read the story to know how one brave step grew into something bigger. Photo: Renjith Balakrishnan

Kiran, Priyanka K, Vantika, Padmini and Nandhidhaa set to play their first game at Women's World Cup 2025

06/07/2025 -

Five out of the nine Indian women will battle in the first round of FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 starting today. They are - WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty, WIM Priyanka K, IM Vantika Agrawal, IM Padmini Rout and WGM Nandhidhaa P V. They will face IM Yuxin Song (CHN), WGM Zsoka Gaal (HUN), WFM Lala Shohradova (TKM), Lanlin Zhang (CHN) and WIM Anahi Ortiz Verdezoto (ECU) respectively. Among them, Kiran and Priyanka are making their Women's World Cup debut. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI) and GM Aleksandra Goryachkina are the winners of the first two editions. Who will win the third one? Round 1 Game 1 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

SuperUnited Blitz 2025: Carlsen beats Gukesh, overtakes him and gains sole lead

06/07/2025 -

The reigning World Blitz Cochampion, Magnus Carlsen scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 in Blitz to emerge sole leader at Grand Chess Tour SuperUnited Blitz 2025. Despite starting the day with a draw against Anish Giri (NED), the World no.1 had two more draws against Wesley So (USA) and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL). He was disappointed for not being able to convert his advantage into a win against Duda to increase his lead. The FIDE World Cup 2021 winner, Duda is at 16/27, followed by the reigning World Champion, D Gukesh at 15.5/27. Gukesh had a forgettable day as he scored only 1.5/9. R Praggnanandhaa scored 50%, 4.5/9 to take his total score 13.5/27. Nine more rounds of Blitz will be played today. Round 1 starts at 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

38th Magistral Ciudad de Leon: Anand survives Oro challenge, advances to the Final

05/07/2025 -

Vishy Anand defeated Faustino Oro (ARG) 3.5-2.5 in the first Semifinal of 38th Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez Ciudad de Leon. First game ended in a draw. In the second game, the 11-year-old posed some serious trouble after the legend went for an incorrect break in the center. Faustino missed all of his opportunities and the game ended indecisively. The next two games also had the same result. Thus, Blitz tie-breaks were enforced. Anand won the first Blitz game after hs opponent blundered in time trouble in a queen and same color bishop endgame. The next game ended in a draw, thus Anand advanced to the Finals. The second Semifinal between Jamie Santos Latasa (ESP) and Liem Quang Le (VIE) starts today at 4:30 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. IST.

Gukesh tops SuperUnited Rapid 2025 with a 2937 performance

05/07/2025 -

The World Champion, D Gukesh topped SuperUnited Rapid 2025. Despite starting the tournament with a loss, he scored 14/16 in his next eight games. On the final day of Rapid, he started with a draw against Anish Giri (NED). Then he salvaged a draw verus Ivan Saric (CRO) who could have pushed for more. Gukesh finished the Rapid portion with a win over Wesley So (USA). He is at the top of standings. Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL) scored 11/16 to finish second. He is the only player to remain undefeated. The World no.1, Magnus Carlsen (NOR) is at third place 10/18, followed by Fabiano Caruana (USA) and R Praggnanandhaa at 9/18 each. Nine rounds of Blitz will be played today. Round 1 starts at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Sourath Biswas wins Gold at Asian Junior 2025, Bronze for Kashish Manoj Jain and Sarayu Velpula

04/07/2025 -

FM Sourath Biswas scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to clinch Gold at Asian Junior 2025 Open. He earned the International Master and also scored a GM-norm. IM L M S T De Silva (SRI) also scored the same. However, Sourath's fifth round victory gave him an edge on tie-breaks. IM Kashish Manoj Jain won Bronze with a score of 7/9. WIM Sarayu Velpula scored 7/9 to secure Bronze in the Girls Classical event. FM Jaiveer Mahendru scored 6/7 to earn Silver in Rapid Open event. WIM Tejaswini G got Bronze in Girls scoring 6/7. Femil Chelladurai clinched Gold in Blitz Girls event. Photo: GM Mitrabha Guha

38th Magistral Ciudad de Leon: Faustino Oro set to face Vishy Anand

04/07/2025 -

Vishy Anand will aim for his eleventh Leon Masters title at 38th Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez Ciudad de Leon. It will be knockout tournament played in Rapid time control in a best of four games. In the first Semifinal, it will be the clash of generations - IM Faustino Oro and the defending champion, Anand. Jaime Santos Latasa (ESP) will face World Blitz 2013 champion, Liem Quang Le (VIE). The first Semifinal starts today at 4:30 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. IST. The second Semifinal will take place tomorrow Saturday at the same time. Finals will be held on Sunday. Faustino played Simultaneous Exhibition games against 26 players yesterday. He won all of those games. Photo: Magistral de León

SuperUnited Rapid 2025: Gukesh silences Carlsen, wins five in-a-row to emerge sole leader

04/07/2025 -

Magnus Carlsen had choice words for D Gukesh before the start of Grand Chess Tour SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz 2025. However, the World Champion made the World no.1 eat them in the sixth round as he chained his fifth consecutive win at this event. For the second month in-a-row, Gukesh defeated Carlsen from a losing position. Since last year, the Norwegian has been vocal about the Rapid being the proper format of chess instead of Classical. The 18th World Champion defeated the World no.1 in his preferred format. Is he still the 'presumably weaker' opponent in this event after emerging sole leader 10/12 or will Carlsen start taking him seriously in the Blitz event? We will have to wait and watch. Round 7 starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

HelpChess Foundation raises Rs. 1.6 crore to support talented Indian chess players in 2024-25

04/07/2025 -

HelpChess Foundation started with only one mission - to support talented Indian chess players who need that extra push. Over the last seven years, the Foundation has grown steadily, both in raising funds and making a meaningful impact on players’ lives. HelpChess is a 12A-registered Charitable Trust with a CSR number that provides benefits to its contributors. Between April 2024 and March 2025, HelpChess Foundation raised Rs. 1,63,48,955. This is the highest amount in any year so far! All of this money goes towards empowering deserving chess players. This year, total 32 players have received support through this initiative. This article will talk about those players and the kind souls who made it all possible.

The 31st Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival starts on 15th August 2025

04/07/2025 -

One of the world’s most prestigious chess festivals is back with its 31st edition! The crown jewel of the festival, Abu Dhabi Masters, is all set to take place from 15th to 24th August 2025 in Abu Dhabi. With a total prize fund of USD 55,500, the event promises to be a great thrill for players as well as fans. The festival will feature 17 different exciting tournaments to offer an opportunity for players of all levels. Like every year, the stakes are high, with USD 15,000 reserved for the winner of the Masters event! Scroll down to explore what’s in store at this chess festival! Photo: Abu Dhabi Chess Festival

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