magnus carlsen

India's chess prodigy, D Gukesh, fresh from his World Championship victory, is set to face magnus carlsen at Norway Chess 2025. Viswanathan Anand anticipates a thrilling contest, highlighting Carlsen's motivation against India's young talents.

The Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam semifinals began with intense draws in the top matches as Carlsen and Caruana, Nakamura and Keymer couldn't break the deadlock. Nepomniachtchi and Abdusattorov secured wins in the 5th-place bracket, while Rapport and Praggnanandhaa drew. The stage is now set for decisive second games and potential tiebreaks.

magnus carlsen triumphed at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris, securing the title by defeating Hikaru Nakamura 1.5–0.5 in the final. Carlsen's dominant performance earned him the $200,000 first prize, solidifying his status in this innovative format. Fabiano Caruana claimed third place, edging out Vincent Keymer and securing a spot in the upcoming Grand Slam event in the USA.

magnus carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura are set to face off in the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam final after winning their respective semifinal matches. Carlsen defeated Fabiano Caruana, while Nakamura overcame Vincent Keymer. Caruana and Keymer will compete for third place, promising a thrilling conclusion to the event.

magnus carlsen secured a 1-0 lead against Hikaru Nakamura in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam final in Paris, capitalising on a crucial error by Nakamura. Carlsen's precise conversion of the advantage puts pressure on Nakamura to win the second game. Fabiano Caruana also leads in the third-place match, while other placement matches saw victories for Arjun Erigaisi and Ian Nepomniachtchi.

In the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris, Arjun Erigaisi was defeated by Hikaru Nakamura, who advanced to the semifinals. magnus carlsen secured his spot with a draw, while Fabiano Caruana also progressed. Other matches saw draws, leading to tie-breaks, and the battles for lower rankings resulted in draws as well.

Indian chess fans face disappointment as their grandmasters struggle in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam. Despite Arjun Erigaisi's quarterfinal appearance, Gukesh Dommaraju, Vidit Gujrathi, and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa failed to advance. Coach Srinath Narayanan believes it's too early to judge, citing the high level of competition and the need for adaptation to the format.

Paris's Freestyle Chess Grand Slam's knockouts began with magnus carlsen's win over Abdusattorov, while other quarterfinals drew. Nepomniachtchi's "Nepo Gambit" intrigued, yet drew with Keymer. Nakamura and Caruana also drew, despite gambit attempts. Rapport beat Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa defeated Gujarathi in placement matches. Quarterfinals conclude Thursday, after classical time-control games and tiebreaks.

magnus carlsen and Nodirbek Abdusattorov are tied for the lead after six rounds of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris, with five points each. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is closely behind with 4.5 points. Carlsen gained momentum by defeating Gukesh Dommaraju and Hikaru Nakamura, while Fabiano Caruana recovered from three losses but was stopped by Ian Nepomniachtchi.

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam preliminary stage wrapped up in Paris. Ian Nepomniachtchi and magnus carlsen led with 8.5 points each. Nepomniachtchi secured the top spot via tiebreaks. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished third. Arjun Erigaisi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov also advanced. Hikaru Nakamura qualified after a tough endgame. Gukesh Dommaraju was eliminated. Vincent Keymer's victory secured his place.

Viswanathan Anand's withdrawal from the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Germany dealt a major blow to hopes of reconciliation between FIDE and Freestyle Chess. Tensions escalated after a dress code dispute involving magnus carlsen, with Anand enforcing FIDE rules. Despite backchannel talks, Freestyle players ultimately chose to crown their own “Freestyle Chess Champion,” sidelining FIDE’s authority.

Pranav Venkatesh, the World Junior Chess Champion, has his sights set on becoming the World Chess Champion. The 18-year-old from Chennai balances chess with academics and enjoys cricket. He admires magnus carlsen and Viswanathan Anand. Pranav is preparing for upcoming tournaments in Spain and Dubai. He skipped his board exams for the championship.

On April 1, 2025, American grandmaster Hans Niemann posted about his potential arrival in Paris for the second leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. However, five days later, he withdrew for 'personal reasons,' disappointing chess fans. Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 suggested heightened anti-cheating protocols influenced his decision. Niemann has been replaced by Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

Arjun Erigaisi is aiming to regain his India No. 1 ranking after narrowing the gap with D Gukesh in the latest FIDE ratings. Erigaisi made a strong comeback with decisive victories in the Bundesliga, positioning himself at World No. 4. Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram achieved their career-high rankings, now at seventh and eleventh respectively.

World Chess Champion D Gukesh and Viswanathan Anand were seen dancing to popular Bollywood songs at fellow Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi’s wedding, showcasing a rarely seen fun side of the GMs. Gukesh will participate in the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, while being closely followed by Arjun Erigaisi in the FIDE chess rankings.

Team S8UL makes history yet again by becoming the first Indian esports organization to venture into competitive chess. They signed grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram for the Esports World Cup 2025. Chess debuts as an esports discipline with a huge prize pool. Sarin and Chithambaram express excitement to represent India.

English Grandmaster David Howell, a former wunderkind who currently does commentary, feels the Indian model is the one to emulate for chess nations.

Newly crowned world chess champion D Gukesh received a hero’s welcome from Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and shared a special moment with veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Gukesh, who recently became the youngest world chess champion, is focused on performing well in upcoming tournaments while continuing to inspire athletes across disciplines.