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.
NEW DELHI: The fourth round was always supposed to be a psychological hurdle. With the 2026 edition of Candidates unlocking a new level of competitiveness, Wednesday was the final sprint before the first scheduled rest day at Cyprus's Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort. However, it appeared as if the Indian contingent was already mentally checking into their day off.It was indeed a day of missed opportunities and disappointing results for India. While the sibling duo of R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali managed to salvage draws, the spotlight turned harsh on Divya Deshmukh, whose experimental play collapsed under the weight of fundamental errors. For a nation that started the tournament with the sensible solidity in the opening rounds, Round 4 felt like a whimper, a desperate rush toward the sanctuary of Thursday's break.Praggnanandhaa's dry drawR Praggnanandhaa, who has been India's only hope in the Open section, looked uncharacteristically subdued against Germany's Matthias Blübaum. Playing with the black pieces, the Chennai prodigy seemed content to steer the game toward neutral territory, as his German opponent would've wanted, rather than testing his resolve.Veteran GM Pravin Thipsay was critical of the approach. "Blübaum has been playing very solidly, and he chose a simple opening, and with white pieces, he just simplified into a drawish ending," Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com while analysing the game. "Praggnanandhaa did try to open up the game with a centre break, but he had wasted a couple of pawn moves in 4...c6 and 5...c6, so by the time he played 6...c5, there was hardly any chance of winning."The game ended in a 37-move threefold repetition, a dry affair that lacked the aggressive Pragg-style, even when defending with black pieces, the chess world has come to expect.Sindarov sets the toneWhile the Indians struggled for rhythm, Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov continued to set the pace, dismantling the world-class Fabiano Caruana. The result has sent shockwaves through the chess fraternity, firmly establishing the Uzbek as the man to beat. "The match between two players who were leading this tournament with 2.5/3 was interesting," Thipsay noted. "Sindarov scored a crushing victory over Fabiano Caruana to take lead 3.5/4. Looks like a fantastic score. At this stage, one can say that his quality and play or the consistency is much better than the others. If things go on in the same manner, then one can say that Sindarov is going to win this tournament."Vaishali's escapeIn the women's section, R Vaishali faced Aleksandra Goryachkina in what turned into a 27-move survival act. Opting for a King's Pawn opening that evolved into an Italian Game (Modern Bishop's Opening), Vaishali found herself in murky waters early on. "Vaishali survived a bad position. She played the opening badly," Thipsay remarked bluntly. "At one stage, there was a central exchange, and if her opponent had played exd4 (instead of 18...Nxd4), it would have been a great positional advantage for her opponent. But after the opponent took Knight into d4, Vaishali immediately recovered, and the game ended in a draw with some exciting moments, but nothing really serious."FIDE Candidates Round 4 Results - April 1, 2026Open SectionWomen's SectionDivya Deshmukh's positional meltdownThe most harrowing result for India came on Divya Deshmukh's board. Facing China's Zhu Jiner with the white pieces, Divya's Slav Defense fell apart not because of an opponent's brilliance, but due to self-inflicted wounds."The most disappointing game of the day was by Divya Deshmukh," Thipsay said. Divya Deshmukh played the English Opening. Early in the middlegame, she had already established a two-pawn structure on d4 and d5 with 8. cxd5... exd4 and 9. exd4... Bb6."She played a position which is probably not easy to understand, but she took doubled pawns in the centre so that she would have the cramping effect. Apparently, she did not know the follow-up, because as soon as she got a slight advantage... she tried to push the pawns on the king's side unnecessarily for no reason, instead of concentrating on the development." Her first major misstep came with the premature kingside pawn push, 12. h4, which weakened her position. Capitalising on this, Zhu Jiner struck decisively by capturing the d5 pawn with 17... Nxd5."Divya also castled on the same side which she had weakened, and in the process, she lost a pawn on the 17th move," Thipsay explained. "The time lost and the pawn lost were sort of irreparable. Thereafter also, the play was very inaccurate. She lost another pawn... In the final position, she was threatened with a loss of queen, threatened with mate, threatened with a pawn fork. A very one-sided game between the two."By the time Divya resigned after 36 moves, she was multiple pawns down in a hopeless position. It was a clear-cut case of a player losing the thread of the game while perhaps already thinking about the rest day.The Indian contingent needs more than just rest. They need a total recalibration.The playing-for-safety mindset witnessed in Round 4 has done little but allow the competition to pull ahead.Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali, and Divya will need to return on Friday. What they would need is the killer instinct that seems to have evaporated in the Mediterranean heat.Round 5 Pairings - April 3, 2026
Mumbai, July 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) While Ravi Shastri was blasting six sixes off an over in a Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium in 1985, his parents had no idea about their son's massive achievement. Shastri's mother, Lakshmi, was told by the neighborhood bhelpuri wala that her son had done something great on that day. Ravi Shastri's mother narrated this incident as the most memorable moment for her from her son's career after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 on his behalf on Wednesday. On the occasion of the World Sports Journalists Day, the Sports Journalists Association ...Read More >
D Gukesh, a rising chess star, has secured a psychological edge over current champion Ding Liren in the ongoing World Chess Championship. After the first three games, both players are tied at 1.5-1.5, but Gukesh's meticulous preparation has clearly given him the upper hand. In their initial encounter, Gukesh's strategic progress in a French defense game allowed him a significant time advantage, despite losing the opener in a complex middle game. He redeemed himself in the second game, achieving an effortless draw in just 23 moves against Liren's solid Italian opening. Heading into the third ...Read More >
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], July 20 (ANI): Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury on Sunday expressed concern over the government inaction in bringing to justice the terrorists behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians, including a Nepali citizen. As the Parliament Monsoon session begins, Chowdhury stated that the INDIA bloc will raise this issue, demanding answers from the government. Speaking to ANI, Chowdhury said, The Parliament session is starting, so we have reached Delhi. We have not been able to see those who killed our countrymen in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam arrested yet. T ...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 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 >
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 >
Pune: The Indian Gig Workers' Front on Saturday evening suspended the ongoing strike of cabs and autorickshaws operating on applications till Tuesday, after leaving many commuters, including those arriving at the airport on Saturday morning, hassled. Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of the front, said, "We have a meeting on Tuesday with senior officials of the state transport department. If its decisions don't meet our expectations, the strike will resume." Several commuters had a harrowing experience on roads on Friday and in the early hours of Saturday. Cabs and autos were hard to come by. T ...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 >
Mumbai, July 11: The opening press conference for the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) was held in Riyadh, marking the start of the world's largest esports and gaming festival. The 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) opened on Thursday evening with a star-studded opening ceremony. Running until August 24, the event features more than 2,000 elite players, 25 tournaments across 24 leading titles, and a prize pool of over 70 million U.S. dollars. Danial Patel Makes History at WAVES Esports Championship 2025, Clinches First-Ever Gold Medal for India. Speaking at the press conference on Wednesday, Prince Fai ...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 >
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 >
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday commended R. Vaishali, who has once again become the champion at the FIDE Grand Swiss -- one of the most prestigious events in the chess calendar. In a social media post, Mr. Stalin congratulated Ms. Vaishali on her defending her title with composure and brilliance, securing her place in the prestigious women candidates tournament. "This victory is not just a personal milestone but a celebration for Chennai, for Tamil Nadu, and for countless young girls who now see their dreams reflected on the world ...Read More >
Samarkand: India's Vaishali Rameshbabu became the third Indian to win the 2026 International Chess Federation (FIDE) Women's Candidates tournament on Monday. She defended her FIDE Grand Swiss title in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Monday, as per ESPN. She finished with a total of eight points from 11 rounds, equal to Katryna Lagno, but secured a successful title defence on the basis of a tie-break. Vaishali's qualification to the Women's Candidates tournaments comes after Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy made it to the event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated Vaishali Rameshbabu o ...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 >
New Delhi [India], December 13 (ANI): Five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand took to social media and shared a photo of him with young D Gukesh recalling the moment when he met him as a young boy. "The boy who would be King @FIDE_chess @WacaChess," Viswanathan Anand wrote on X. Also Read | Big score is just around the corner for Steve Smith, Skipper Pat Cummins Backs Star Batter Ahead of IND vs AUS 3rd Test 2024. https://x.com/vishy64theking/status/1867402859903590525 Earlier the former World Champion congratulated D Gukesh on his phenomenal victory, "Congratulations! It's a prou ...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 >