All posts tagged: Chess future

‘Means a lot to me that my parents don’t have to think about money anymore’: Gukesh | Chess News

‘Means a lot to me that my parents don’t have to think about money anymore’: Gukesh | Chess News

Current chess world champion D Gukesh opened up about his parents’ struggles before his success, revealing that they had to depend on the generosity of friends to support his international tournament expenses. “I remember my parents’ friends sponsoring me to play tournaments abroad. It was quite difficult at that time, and we had a lot of help from very, very nice and selfless people. Now, the last year was financially very good for us,” Gukesh said at the ‘India Today Conclave 2025’. “I think it means a lot to me that my parents don’t have to think about money anymore. We can lead a comfortable life, not struggle like before,” he added. Gukesh is India’s youngest grandmaster, missing the tag of becoming the world’s youngest by just 17 days. He’s the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates tournament, which earned him a shot at the World Championship in the first place. And he was the first Indian chess player to topple Viswanathan Anand’s 36-year stay in the world rankings as the top-ranked Indian player. Story continues …

INTERVIEW with AICF president Nitin Narang on India’s grand chess plan

The historic double gold for India’s Open and Women’s teams at the Olympiad shifted the power equation in world chess and put the country’s GenNext players in the limelight. All India Chess Federation president Nitin Narang spoke to The Indian Express on the road ahead — India’s own player rating system, contracts for top players and the challenges of generating sponsorships. Excerpts: India has a bunch of very talented players. Do you see this as a big responsibility? Nitin Narang: The achievements of these golden boys and girls are because of their efforts and the sacrifices of their parents. When I was in Budapest for the Olympiad I saw how much parents were sacrificing. The federation’s role is to support players. Yes, there is a huge responsibility on my shoulders; one to continue the momentum, and second to make sure these players, who have outperformed everyone in the world, get the best of the facilities and support. How was the reaction of other players and fans during the Olympiad? Nitin Narang: India’s chess players were …