From the electrifying victory of the Indian cricket team in the recent T20 series to the rising star power of young badminton sensations, India's sporting landscape is ablaze with action! This week alone saw record-breaking performances in the Pro Kabaddi League, showcasing the nation's unwavering passion for indigenous sports. The upcoming Asian Games are generating immense anticipation, with athletes across disciplines sharpening their skills and aiming for glory on the international stage. We delve into the crucial role of sports sponsorships in nurturing talent and boosting India's sporting infrastructure. Furthermore, debates rage on about the future of cricket's dominance in India's sporting ecosystem, with other sports like hockey and football vying for increased attention and investment. Stay updated on all the latest scores, match analyses, and exclusive interviews with your favorite athletes. Explore the dynamic world of Indian sports—from the bustling stadiums to the quiet dedication of rising stars—right here. Discover the stories that shape the nation’s sporting spirit and witness the unfolding drama of the sporting year.
CHENNAI: Following an eventful outing at the Global Chess League Season 3 draft in Mumbai, American Gambits head coach GM Srinath Narayanan and co-owner Prachura PP shared insights on their draft strategy, highlighting their pursuit of GM Arjun Erigaisi and the X-factor prodigy, Volodar Murzin, ahead of the new season, scheduled to take place in India later this year. Having retained Icon player Hikaru Nakamura and Superstar Women player Bibisara Assaubayeva, American Gambits made key acquisitions at the draft, adding Superstar Men Richard Rapport and Vladislav Artemiev, Superstar Women Teodora Injac, and prodigy Volodar Murzin to their squad. The team faced a fierce bidding war with the Alaskan Knights for World No 4 Arjun Erigaisi but narrowly missed out on securing his services. Reflecting on the auction, Prachura said, "I have a personal connection with Arjun. Hikaru rates him very highly, and we felt he would have been a perfect fit alongside him. I even went beyond the 250-point cap we set for ourselves just to bid for him, crossing 300 points. Still, with PBG holding 1,000 points compared to our 800, we simply couldn't outbid them." Srinath added, "Arjun was one of our top preferences. Having him alongside Hikaru, our top American player, would have been a powerful combination. However, we had to balance this with the need to save points for later stages of the draft. In an auction like this, you can't simply handpick the players you want -- every team is building their squad at the same time." American Gambits stole the spotlight in the Prodigy category with the acquisition of Volodar Murzin, the current world rapid chess champion. The team's think-tank rates him highly, seeing him as the X-factor for the season. "He's not just a prodigy; he's already performing consistently at the 2650 level and shows remarkable maturity and reliability for his age. It's safe to say he's the strongest junior in the world today," said Srinath. Echoing this, Prachura said, "Volodar is the strongest prodigy and the current World Open Rapid Champion. We expect him to deliver critical wins for us, as the prodigy board can be a real differential in this format, and we believe we have the best player there." The Chess Olympiad-winning coach also spoke about the unique challenges of coaching in a league format, "In a league, flexibility is key. Unlike established events like the Olympiad, where everything is pre-set, here things change constantly. Different time controls and dynamic situations test your ability to think on your feet. The more challenging it is, the greater the opportunity to stand out." Discussing the team's goals for the season, Prachura stated, "Our primary goal is to win the trophy. Second, we want our players to perform to their full potential so we can retain them, rather than constantly reshuffling the squad. Third, we aim to strengthen our brand and show that the American Gambits are here to win, backed by celebrity co-owner Ravichandran Ashwin and chess legend Nakamura." American Gambits squad: Hikaru Nakamura, Richard Rapport, Vladislav Artemiev, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Teodora Injac, Volodar Murzin.
Delhi GM Open chess tournament NEW DELHI: The Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2025 commenced today at Tivoli Gardens, featuring remarkable first-round results. In a notable upset, Vairaj Sogerwal (1869) secured a victory against Armenia's GM Karen H Grigoryan (2520). Additionally, young Meetansh Dixit (1874) achieved an impressive draw against Georgian GM Levan Pantsulaia (2551), highlighting the emerging talent at the event.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!GM Narayanan S L (2600), the tournament's top seed, secured a victory against Singapo ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Teenage Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa believes players like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura gradually moving away from classical chess has to do with the mental and physical exhaustion that comes with playing the long format for a long time. Magnus, the five-time world champion, and world No.2 American Grandmaster Nakamura have played fewer classical games, and instead focused on freestyle, rapid and blitz formats. Praggnanandhaa, who has won three major classical titles this year, feels players don't really enjoy the hours of preparations that goes into class ...Read More >
Nagpur: Reigning world junior champion and Nagpur's star chess master, Divya Deshmukh, started her campaign in the FIDE Women's World Cup on a thumping note in Batumi, Georgia, on Wednesday. As the 15th seed, Divya opened her campaign from the second round, where the world's top 21 women players joined the 43 winners from the first round. In the knock-out format of the World Cup, seven rounds consisting of two-game matches in the classical format will be played, followed by a rapid tie-break round.In the second round, the 2463 Elo IM Divya was paired up against WFM Kesaria Mgeladze of Georgia. ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): India newly crowned chess grandmaster, Divya Deshmukh, shared her views on the recently concluded FIDE Women Chess World Cup 2025, which took place in Georgia, saying that this tournament has been her most significant test of resilience. Divya, a 19-year-old rising sensation in the world of chess, became the first Indian woman to clinch the Chess World Cup after overwhelming Koneru on Monday evening in the final via tiebreaks. She became just the fourth Indian woman grandmaster and overall the 88th in the nation to clinch that title. Speaking to the media, ...Read More >
Indian chess prodigy Arjun Erigaisi faces a critical juncture at the World Cup in Goa, needing a medal to qualify for the 2026 Candidates tournament. Despite his high ranking, he's currently outside the qualification spots, with rivals like Nakamura and Giri already securing places.Indian star is yet to secure a spot in The Candidates 2026Make or another heartbreak. Arjun Erigaisi finds himself in a delicate situation once again as he prepares his bid for the knockout World Cup chess that starts ...Read More >
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa played out a second draw against France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave during their semifinal tie of the Grand Chess Tour Finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday. The result leaves both players tied on 6-6 after the first classical game on Monday also ended in a draw. In contrast to the first game, both players went for a safer approach, and the match was over in 21 moves. "I just wanted to play normal chess. If there's a fight, I will fight, and if I don't get anything, then a draw is not a bad result. I just wanted to play a bit faster today, especially after ...Read More >
Panaji, Oct 21: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday launched the logo and anthem for the 2025 FIDE World Cup Chess Championship to be held in the coastal state from October 31 to November 27. The World Cup winner will not only take home the championship title but also secure one of three coveted spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, the penultimate stage leading to the World Chess Championship, the organisers said in a statement released during the event. Among the top contenders are some of the biggest names in world chess, including Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa R, An ...Read More >
India's D. Gukesh is set to face reigning World Chess Champion Ding Liren in Game 3 of the 2024 World Chess Championship at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. After losing the first game, Gukesh managed to hold Ding to a draw in the second round while playing with Black. In Game 3, Gukesh, now with White, aims to reduce Ding's lead and fight for an equal footing in the series. The match will be streamed live on platforms like FIDE's YouTube and Chess.com, with live updates available on Sportstar’s match blog. Fans can follow all the exciting action as it unfolds. ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Magnus Carlsen did just Magnus Carlsen things. Like showing up for the games after a round of golf with trainer Peter Heine Nielsen, and winning his seventh Norway Chess title. The tournament was a clash of generations - three players aged between 19-26 going up against three players in their mid to late thirties. Two from the latter group finished first and second, with only Gukesh sneaking into third from the former lot. Carlsen, 34 and ranked No.1 in the world, believes that while the young crop is talented and tenacious, it is not ready to take over the reins just yet. "I feel ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], October 15 (ANI): The initiative comes from the organisers of the prestigious Norway Chess tournament, and the official World Championship status agreement was signed with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in early October. The vision of the Total Chess World Championship Tour is to find the player who best masters the disciplines Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz combined. Fast Classic is an innovation of classical chess, featuring a time limit as short as 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. This will receive a rating as classical chess, as per a release fro ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jun 7 (PTI) A 26-year-old man allegedly beheaded his wife following a heated argument on the outskirts of Bengaluru after he suspected her of having an extra-marital affair, police said on Saturday. After killing Manasa, Shankar travelled with her severed head on his scooter to the nearest police station and confessed to the crime, they said. The man was later arrested, police said, adding that the incident occurred at Heelalige village, near Chandapura, Anekal taluk late on Friday. According to the police, the couple were married for over five years and have a four-year-old daug ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) India's top seed and joint leader Narayanan S L continued his flawless run with victory over Arnav Agarwal in the third round of the 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament here on Sunday. Joining Narayanan at the top of the table are Grandmasters Deepan Chakkravarthy, Vitaly Sivuk, Mihail Nikitenko, Karthik Venkataraman, Abhijeet Gupta, and International Master Arsen Davtyan. All the leaders have registered three wins in three rounds. IM Aronyak Ghosh also maintained his perfect score with a win over Guru Prakash, keeping pace with the front-runne ...Read More >
Chennai (Tamil Nadu), [India], July 10 (ANI): Five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand has praised the Chola Chess Initiative in Chennai, stating that the facility provides a solid platform for young talents to rise and shine in the international chess arena. The Chola Chess facility is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by Cholamandalam Investment and Finance in association with Chess Gurukul. Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Viswanathan Anand said, It is a very healthy development, a CSR initiative, very nice facilities. There will be very good coaches, and people can ...Read More >
Nagpur: Vantika Agrawal stunned former world champion Anna Ushenina to become the fifth Indian to advance to the round of 32 in the FIDE Women's World Cup at Batumi, Georgia, on Friday.While Vantika played well with both her white and black pieces in the three tie-break matches played in the rapid and blitz format to join Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali Rameshbabu, and D Harika in the third round, Padmini Rout and Priyanka K suffered losses in contrasting fashion to exit the World Cup.A day after Humpy, Divya, Vaishali, and Harika won their respective second-round contests in the classi ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) The first thing Grandmaster Shyam Sundar Mohanraj noticed about Harikrishnan A Ra was his calculation skills when he joined his academy, Chess Thulir in Chennai, as an early bird in 2022. Harikrishnan, 24, on Friday earned his third GM-norm at the La Plagne International Chess Festival in France to become the country's 87th Grandmaster and bring joy to his coach Mohanraj, who has seen two players from his academy become GMs in a span of months. The Chennai-based Harikrishnan earned his first GM norm some years back. He then gained his second one at Andujar Open in Spa ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, felicitated the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 medallists Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy here on Friday. Indian chess prodigy Divya and veteran Grandmaster (GM) Humpy made the nation proud with a dominant performance at the recently concluded tournament in Batumi, Georgia. Dr. Mandaviya personally felicitated Divya Deshmukh, who also became the 88th Grandmaster of the country and 4th Indian woman to become a GM, on becoming the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women's Wo ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 5 (UNI) The Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament (Delhi GM Open) is set to make a grand return this June with a record prize pool of Rs 1.21 crore. Triveni Sports has come on board as the Associate Sponsor for the 21st edition, marking a major boost for one of India's most prestigious chess events. Organized by the Delhi Chess Association (DCA), the tournament will take place from June 7 to 14 here, drawing over 2,500 players from more than 15 countries, including 20 Grandmasters ,across three rating-based sections. Held under the aegis of the All-India Ch ...Read More >
Mumbai: Net profit of Nifty 50 companies at the aggregate level is expected to increase 4.6% year-on-year while revenue may increase 4.5% for the June 2025 quarter. Net profit is likely to show single-digit year-on-year growth for the first time in at least nine quarters amid an anticipated poor performance by select companies, including Tata Motors, IndusInd Bank and Coal India. The sample's revenue is expected to grow in single digit for the fourth consecutive quarter reflecting persistent muted demand scenario. Select companies from metals, pharmaceuticals, cement, banking and finance and ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Saturday. The Prime Minister Office (PMO) handle posted on X, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri @myogiadityanath, met Prime Minister @narendramodi. Sharing an X post about the meeting, CM Yogi wrote, I had the honour of meeting the world most popular leader, the respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, in New Delhi today and received his warm guidance. Heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister ji for granting me his ...Read More >
Also Read: India's Gukesh rises to career-high No. 3, Praggnanandhaa returns to top 10 in FIDE rankings In the highly anticipated showdown between Nakamura and Gukesh, the tension was palpable as the two grandmasters went head-to-head. After a series of intense games, Nakamura emerged victorious in a high-speed bullet match. True to his flamboyant style, Nakamura picked up Gukesh's king and tossed it into the crowd, a dramatic gesture that quickly went viral. While some celebrated the excitement, the act sparked a fierce debate across social media about the appropriateness of his actions. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Promising Vairaj Sogerwal shocked Armenian GM Karen H Grigoryan as the Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament kicked off on a dramatic note here on Saturday. The other standout result of the day was a draw between 17-year-old Meetansh Dixit and Georgian GM Levan Pantsulaia. Top seed GM SL Narayanan began his campaign with a solid win over Singapore's Sai Siddharth, while Indian GMs Diptayan Ghosh and Abhijeet Gupta, along with Armenia's Manuel Petrosyan, registered convincing victories. Other Grandmasters with Round 1 victories are: Luka Paichadze, Vit ...Read More >
Srinagar, July 09: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that Jammu & Kashmir's tourism sector is witnessing a strong revival, with a steady rise in the number of tourists visiting the Union Territory each day.Abdullah, while addressing reporters in West Bengal ahead of the Kolkata Tourism Fair, said, "Tourists are coming back to Kashmir in good numbers. The ongoingAmarnathYatra is proceeding smoothly with heavy footfall on both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, he said."I spoke to several pilgrims, and they are all happy and satisfied with the arrangements. I have come to Kolkata to ta ...Read More >
Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections rose 7.5 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1.96 lakh crore in July (for sales in June), data released by the government on Friday showed. Even though the pace of growth in gross GST collections picked up to 7.5 per cent in July from 6.2 per cent, this is the second consecutive month wherein the growth rate has been in single digits and much lower after posting double-digit growth in the first two months of the ongoing financial year. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO Net GST collections, after accounting for refunds, took a hit by growing by just 1.7 per ...Read More >
While India cherishes chess, no other city nurtures the game quite like Chennai does, thanks to its idols, investment and deeper socio-cultural penchant for the puzzling adventure. The game of chess has altered the hierarchy of consumption of sport in the nation over the past couple of years, usurping the status quo in the sprawling peninsular nation of India. While cricket remains the top-billed outdoor activity, the chess revolution that has taken the nation by storm, aided by the prolonged i ...Read More >
Mumbai, Sep 26: Top Indian Grandmasters, world champion D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, will represent PBG Alaskan Knights in the upcoming Global Chess League after the duo was snapped up in a high-stakes player draft by the franchise for the third edition of the lucrative event, here on Friday. A joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, the third edition of GCL featuring six teams will be held here from December 13 to 24. The 'Icon round' set the ball rolling as Alpine SG Pipers snapped up American GM Fabiano Caruana, PBG Alaskan Knights edged out rivals to secure Gukesh, while five-time wo ...Read More >
Elated after his first win in the World Championship showdown against defending champion Ding Liren, young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh said it is "always very nice" to outplay an opponent the way he did in the third game in Singapore on Wednesday. Liren lost on time control after 37 moves as Gukesh drew level on points, wiping off the deficit of a first-round loss. The two played out a draw in the second game. "It feels great. I am quite happy, also the last two days I was happy with my play today was even better. I felt good on the board and I managed to outplay my opponent which is always ve ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): Day 2 of the 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2025 brought double the drama as players faced off in Rounds 2 and 3 at Tivoli Gardens, Chattarpur. With two classical-format games scheduled for the day, stamina and precision were put to the test as early leaders began to emerge, according to a release from Delhi GM Open. India's top seed GM Narayanan S L (2600) continued his flawless run, moving to 3/3 after defeating Arnav Agarwal (2096) in Round 3. Joining him at the top of the table are GM Deepan Chakkravarthy (2410), GM Vitaly Siv ...Read More >
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 13 (ANI): Grand Master (GM) Karthikeyan Murali lit up Round 7 of the Chennai Grand Masters 2025 on Monday with a stunning win over GM Vidit Gujrathi, prevailing with the black pieces after a gritty battle. Meanwhile, German GM Vincent Keymer strengthened his grip on the title race with a clinical win over American GM Awonder Liang, leaving the former 1.5 points ahead of his closest competitors, Liang included, as per a press release from Chennai Grand Masters. Now in its third year, the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 is India's strongest classical ch ...Read More >
Panaji: The FIDE World Cup returns to India for the first time since 2002. That year, Viswanathan Anand defeated Rustam Kasimdzhanov in the two-game final held in Hyderabad, a victory that helped cement India's emergence as a major force in world chess.Now, as the World Cup returns to Indian soil, this time in Goa, top seed Gukesh D, current World Champion and one of the favourites, will look to create a major impact."I am really excited and looking forward to playing in the World Cup," said Gukesh, seeded straight into round two. "Anywhere in India is great of course, but I have some nice mem ...Read More >
Mumbai, October 29: Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju faced a difficult day at the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown as he dropped to the bottom of the table with no wins, while Magnus Carlsen took the lead with four wins and two losses on the second day. Gukesh, who began the day in the sole lead, suffered two defeats against Carlsen. Afterwards, he drew the first game against Hikaru Nakamura, whom he had previously defeated on the first game day to avenge his Checkmate: USA vs India exhibition match loss. D Gukesh Takes Calm Revenge on Hikaru Nakamura After Controversial King-Throwing G ...Read More >