Chess Olympiad in Samarkand (FIDE Photo) Former champions Uzbekistan will be severely tested as their men will try to regain the Olympiad chess title that they won in India four years ago.Uzbekistan will feel the added pressure of home expectations at Samarkand coupled with the might of defending champions India in the 11-round over-the-board classical…
Magnus Carlsen and Javokhir Sindarov (GCL Photos) BENGALURU: Saturday was the final day of the preliminary stages of the 2026 Global Chess League (GCL). Two teams, Viswanathan Anand‘s PBG Alaskan Knights and Alireza Firouzja’s Triveni Continental Kings, had already been eliminated. Javokhir Sindarov’s American Gambits had an outside chance of qualifying for the finals on…
Magnus Carlsen on Gukesh vs Javokhir Sindarov World Championship clash BENGALURU: Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen has pushed back against the framing of D Gukesh’s upcoming World Championship match as a “title defence”, arguing that the Indian should instead be approaching it as an opportunity to gain rather than something to protect.Speaking to the reporters…
Nihal Sarin in GCL (Photo by GCL) BENGALURU: The ITC Windsor hotel, home to the six teams competing in the 2026 Global Chess League (GCL), sits at the heart of the city. Walk in after the security check at the gate, past doormen greeting you with folded hands, and a left turn down the hallway…
Viswanathan Anand loses on time to Javokhir Sindarov (GCL Photo) BENGALURU: Viswanathan Anand’s difficult start to the 2026 Global Chess League took another turn for the worse on Tuesday as the five-time world champion suffered two defeats in a day, the second coming in painful fashion against 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov.Playing for Alaskan Knights, Anand had…
Viswanathan Anand loses on time to Magnus Carlsen (GCL Photos) BENGALURU: The fast-paced world of chess has seen many terms evolve over time. “Flagging” is one of them. It generally refers to winning a game purely on time when an opponent’s clock hits 0:00, regardless of the evaluation on the board. From the perspective of…
Levon Aronian on Javokhir Sindarov vs D Gukesh clash World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov is not thinking about the summit clash against Dommaraju Gukesh yet.Earlier this year, the 20-year-old Uzbek earned his shot at the title by winning the Cyprus Candidates with a round to spare. But having returned to the country where it all…
Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov (PTI/IANS Photos) Javokhir Sindarov knows the biggest challenge of his young career awaits later this year when he takes on defending champion D Gukesh for the world crown. But the Uzbek prodigy is refusing to let the much-anticipated showdown dominate his thoughts just yet.Sindarov will face fellow 20-year-old Gukesh in…
PM Modi gifting Javokhir Sindarov’s World Cup scoresheet to Uzbek Prez Prime Minister Narendra Modi used chess as a unique diplomatic gesture during his visit to Uzbekistan, gifting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev the original handwritten scoresheet from Uzbek Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov’s 2025 FIDE World Cup final victory in Goa.The scoresheet was presented in a leatherette cover…
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa (PTI Photo) Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa continued his strong run in St. Louis as he defeated World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov in the second round of the Sinquefield Cup to move into a share of the lead.The 20-year-old secured the full point after a marathon battle in which neither player was able…