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: After a relative calm on Monday's rest day, with some players playing cricket on the pitch, the storm is back on the board at the Cap St. George Hotel and Resort in Cyprus, with a hint of vengeance. Tuesday's Round 8 of the 2026 FIDE Candidates proved that during a 14-round marathon, breaks often lead to chaos rather than calm.While the Indian camp celebrated Divya Deshmukh's huge win and topping the women's rankings, the Open segment saw India's best hope R Praggnanandhaa almost collapse.In the Open portion, Hikaru Nakamura finally found his stride, defeating compatriot Fabiano Caruana with ruthless efficiency. Meanwhile, Anish Giri took clinical revenge for his first-round loss by defeating Praggnanandhaa. However, the most jaw-dropping drama of the day occurred in the women's category, where the leaderboard was set ablaze in a showdown between Divya Deshmukh and championship leader Anna Muzychuk.Muzicuk was not supposed to feature in Cyprus but was a last-minute replacement for India veteran Koneru Humpy and had been playing the role of an invincible shield until Tuesday. But a series of inexplicable mistakes against Divya caused her crown to slip.With the wins of Divya, Zhu Jiner and Kateryna Lagno, the women's division has become a five-way tie at the top, with Divya and Vaishali Rameshbabu sharing the lead with 4.5/8 points.Divya's huge victoryWhile Divya Deshmukh's run to the top of the table looked impressive in the points tally, veteran Pravin Thipsay believes the win had more to do with Muzychuk's sudden lack of oxygen than India's tactical brilliance."Anna played pretty well. By the 40th move, Divya seemed to be in serious trouble," Tipsay told TimesofIndia.com in a post-match analysis. "Under normal circumstances, failure (for Divya) is a normal outcome." The game suddenly took a turn when the Ukrainian veteran suffered a mental breakdown."However, when Muzychuk decided to play her strongest point in her position (the pawn on h6), she was completely lost. By playing 43.Qh5, I think Muzychuk retains a huge advantage even if he doesn't win. But as she retreated Qe2 on move 43, it became a draw after Divya destroyed the powerful enemy piece (43...Qxh6). "Tipsey was particularly surprised by the lack of technical discipline at this level."When Muzychuk gave her a powerful h6 piece, I thought she had zero chance of winning. But the decisive mistake came on move 59, when she pushed another piece, the a6 piece, to a7, not realizing at this stage that a6 was the only advantage in her position. By giving up the piece (59...Qxa7), Muzychuk got into a lost position. Surprisingly, she gave up first the h6 piece and then a6, the passed piece, which was Black's only threat."In the endgame of queens and pawns, Divya has the slight advantage of the extra pawn. She maintained a shrewd structure and forced Muzychuk to throw in the towel on move 83, her first defeat of the tournament.Praggnanandhaa's hopes come to naughtIf Divya's performance brought smiles to Indians, then R Praggnanandhaa's performance was a masterclass in self-destruction.The Chennai grandmaster defeated Anish Giri at the start of the match but got a brutal lesson in the second round. "While Praggnanandhaa almost equalized on move 34, I think the inaccurate footwork starting with 35.Qf7 and then 38.h5 proved to be decisive errors," Thipsay explained."The whole process of moving the queen to the king's side and then advancing the pieces on the king's side, weakening the king, turned out to be disastrous. Therefore, due to this loss, Pragnananda may not be a challenger for the world title. "Lukewarm Vaishali and the road aheadMeanwhile, R Vaishali's day lacks energy. Despite having one more piece than Bibisara Assaubayeva, she failed to overturn the advantage. Thipsay noted, "Vaishali seemed to gain some advantage against Bibisara Assaubayeva. The advantage of the extra piece was not enough to win, as the theoretical position was a draw. Vaishali tried her best, but her opponent, who fought well, accomplished nothing. "As the competition enters the ninth round, the focus shifts to the all-India clash in the women's category. The two sides are Vaishali Rameshbabu versus Divya Deshmukh. Both are co-leaders, but only one has the ability to keep the momentum going.In the Open section, Pragnananda now has to fight for pride as his path to the title has been effectively blocked.FIDE Candidates Round 8 Results - April 7, 2026open partAndrei Esipenko 0.5-0.5 Javokir ZindarovWei Yi 0.5-0.5 Matthias BruebaumAnish Giri 1-0 R PraggnanandhaaHikaru Nakamura 1-0 Fabiano CaruanaWomen's groupAnna Muzchuk 0-1 Divya DeshmukhBibisara Ashobayeva 0.5-0.5 Vaishali RameshbabuKaterina Ranio 1-0 Alexander GoryachkinaTan Zhongyi 0-1 Zhu JinerFIDE Candidates Pairing Round 9 - 8 April 2026open partHikaru Nakamura vs Andrei EsipenkoFabiano Caruana vs Anish GiriR Praggnanandhaa VS Wei YiMatthias Bruebaum VS Javokil ZindalovWomen's groupTan Zhongyi VS Anna MuzchukZhu Jiner vs Katerina RagnowAlexander Goryakina VS Bibisara AshobayevaVaishali Ramesh Babu vs Divya Deshmukh
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 >
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 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 >
NAGPUR: Indian legends Viswanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy suffered defeats as the country's top three Grandmasters Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa R, drew their respective games on a day dominated by hosts UpGrad Mumba Masters in the Global Chess League (GCL), in Mumbai on Sunday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!While the two outfits led by Indian icon players, including Anand's Ganges Grandmasters and world champion Gukesh's PBG Alaskan Knights, lost their season-3 league opener in contrasting fashion, the home team from Mumbai kick-started their camp ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) With two wins from their first two matches, the Maxime Vachier-Lagrave-led upGrad Mumba Masters went top of the table in the third edition of the Global Chess League (GCL) in Mumbai on Monday. The Masters defeated Fyers American Gambits 9-7, before Ganges Grandmasters mounted a stunning comeback to beat Alpine SG Pipers 13-7 with Black for their first win of Season 3. Matchday 2 action kicked off at the Royal Opera House on Monday, where "hosts" upGrad Mumba Masters edged past Fyers American Gambits in a tightly contested tie, with resilience across the boards ...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 >
New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): A last-gasp win on the Prodigy board helped Fyers American Gambits overturn a deficit and seal a dramatic victory against reigning champions Triveni Continental Kings on Matchday 3 of the Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, on Tuesday. The Gambits beat the Kings 10-8, following Ganges Grandmasters' 12-3 win over PBG Alaskan Knights, according to a release. Opening Matchday 3, Ganges Grandmasters continued their strong run with a dominant win over PBG Alaskan Knights, headlined by a generational icon clash between Viswa ...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 >
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, 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 >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 15 (ANI): With two wins from their first two matches, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave-led upGrad Mumba Masters went top of the Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, on Monday. The Masters defeated Fyers American Gambits 9-7, before Ganges Grandmasters mounted a stunning comeback to beat Alpine SG Pipers 13-7 with Black for their first win of Season 3, according to a press release. Matchday 2 action kicked off at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai, where "hosts" upGrad Mumba Masters edged past Fyers American Gambits in a tightly con ...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 >
India has found its youngest chess record-holder. Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha, just three years, seven months and 20 days old, has become the youngest player in world chess history to earn an official FIDE rating. The nursery student from Madhya Pradesh has also broken an Indian record that was set only last year. The toddler edged past compatriot Anish Sarkar, who was three years, eight months and 19 days old when he achieved the same feat in November 2024. To earn an official rating from FIDE, th ...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 >
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 >
Panaji (Goa), Nov 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) GM Arjun Erigaisi and P Harikrishna came up with near-perfect play with white, while world champion Gukesh D played out a draw with black pieces in the opening game of Round 3 in the FIDE World Cup 2025 here in Panaji on Friday. Arjun, the highest-ranked Indian in the fray, defeated Uzbekistan's Shamsiddin Vokhidov in 30 moves, while Harikrishna once again showed his command of preparation to beat GM Daniel Dardha of Belgium in 25 moves to put themselves in the driver's seat to reach the fourth round. A total of 10 Indians have made it to the third round ...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 >