Abhimanyu Mishra became the world’s youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 in 2021. He still has that record. He is also the youngest player to defeat a reigning World champion. Excerpts from an interview Abhimanyu gave The Hindu in Bengaluru, where he played for PBG Alaskan Knights in the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League:

How do you look back at your journey of becoming the youngest Grandmaster?

It was part of a bucket list. It was in the middle of the pandemic. Everything in the world had shut down, and I desperately wanted to break this record. I went eight months without playing any tournament. Me and my dad decided to take this insurmountable risk. I am not sure if I would take the same risk today. We went to a different country in the middle of a global pandemic, and if either of us got the virus, we would be admitted to a hospital. It would have been an absolute nightmare.

But despite all odds, we decided to take the risk. Taking the risk was one thing, but getting the title was another. I had a rating of about 2410 and no Grandmaster norms (a player needs three). I think I scored norms from two of the first three events, and after that I hit a dry streak. I had to hit the rating of 2500 for the Grandmaster title. I was missing the final norm narrowly. But I made it in cinematic style in the last tournament. I needed to win with black pieces against [India’s] Leon Mendonca, and I did. I was euphoric that this journey was finally over for me and my family.

You had another interesting game with Mendonca here at the GCL. From a winning position, you put your promoted queen on the wrong square, and he claimed it was an illegal move. The arbiter agreed, and you had to replay the move in one second, which was humanly impossible. And you lost on time…

We would have needed an F1 driver to make a move so fast. But I am okay with the claim made by Leon. It is what you do, especially in a team event, where every point matters. I would have done the same. I would do a lot worse actually.

Your thoughts on your maiden GCL?

I actually wanted to play last year, but it did not work out. I had some school obligations and some other stuff, so unfortunately I couldn’t play. I was determined to play this year. I had been following the GCL from the beginning and I found it entertaining. This is a very strong event. We have the world’s best players.

From the spectators’ point of view too, it is an exciting event. It is good to see the audience cheering for you from inside the venue. It actually gives chess a new life in some regard. I loved being part of my GCL team, PBG Alaskan Knights. We had [Viswanathan] Anand, who is one of the greatest players of all time. There was Arjun Erigaisi, who is very creative and an absolute madman. I love his creativity, and the way he can transform any game into a very sharp, complicated minefield.

Arjun also has the ability to take risks, and that is very important. He doesn’t mind being in a minus position, according to the computer, but as long as he is comfortable, he would go for anything. We also had in our team Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who is very, very strong.

Your thoughts on the other prodigies of Indian chess – Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin?

Gukesh has this ability to bounce back from very tough situations. Yes, his recent form hasn’t been good, but it happens sometimes. I am sure he will be back to his best. Pragg has had a phenomenal run of late, and he is mentally strong, like we saw recently in the Grand Chess Tour final against Fabiano Caruana. He was down by six points at one stage, but came back and won the match. Nihal is very tricky and does well in time scrambles. I have played with him a lot online and he is very, very strong in bullet chess.

You beat Gukesh at the Grand Swiss last year and became the youngest player to beat a defending World champion…

That was a very interesting game. Before the start, I realised I had two options. I was white, yes, so I could play something solid and I could try to press a little bit. But he is very strong, so it was unlikely I would be able to create real chances and win unless he made some very big mistakes.

The other choice was that I could view this game as a unique opportunity to create history. If I had lost that game, no one would have remembered, but it was an opportunity to beat the World champion.

That’s something I wanted to. So I decided to play the sharpest line in my repertoire (Bg5 in the Italian Game) but he has one of the world’s greatest opening preparations. He had come prepared for this, and I was thinking over the board, and I had this idea to sacrifice a piece. You are playing against the World champion, so sacrificing a piece is probably the last thing to do.

But I was trying to replicate what Arjun does in these scenarios. I mean, it was fine as long as I understood what I was doing in this position. During the Grand Swiss, I felt like I was sort of untouchable. I was in a very good state of mind, and it was like I would play my best chess.

If Gukesh wanted, he could have made a draw. But he desperately wanted to win. He has this hunger even after becoming World champion… he still wants to kill everybody. This is both a positive and negative trait, but I believe if you want to reach the very top, you need to be like this. You will lose games, but you will win more. In our game, he tried to do this, but it backfired, and I found some very accurate moves. I got to a rook ending, and then clearly converted my advantage.

There doesn’t seem to be as much support for chess in the United States as in a country like India…

Yes, it is quite difficult to be a full-time chess player in the USA. I don’t really have sponsors, but I am a very positive person. I hope things can still work. And yes, the Kasparov Chess Foundation has been supporting me.

Published – September 19, 2026 06:30 am IST

Cruel game: Abhimanyu’s illegal move against Mendonca proved costly.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

World number one Magnus Carlsen on Monday criticised senior FIDE officials, including its deputy president Viswanathan Anand, for mishandling the dress code violation issue, calling them “not grown-ups” and stating that the Indian was “not ready for the job.” A couple of days after being disqualified from the Rapid event at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship for refusing to change into formal trousers, Carlsen was confirmed for the Blitz event following FIDE’s decision to allow players to compete in jeans.

Describing the decision to disqualify him as “draconian,” the Norwegian called the officials “robots” who are not capable of making independent decisions.

“Well, first of all, let’s go back to a couple of days ago. I did have some choice words for FIDE in my interview with you. And I would say that it was a bit imprecise. I definitely mean it when it comes to certain people in FIDE. No question about it,” the Norwegian told ‘Take Take Take, an app he is co-promoting.

“I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side. And I was about to basically book my plane tickets and get out of here. My father said that we should maybe wait until the morning to make a decision to speak to the FIDE president, Arkady Dvorkovich, whom we have a good relationship with.

“Him actually being asleep when this happened meant there were no grown-ups in FIDE. You can argue whether I am or not. But there was nobody even slightly willing to have a conversation.” The five-time world champion was fined USD 200 for wearing jeans, which was “explicitly prohibited” under the original tournament regulations. The Norwegian was also disqualified by chief arbiter Alex Holowczak after he refused to change his attire ahead of the ninth round.

“We had long conversations with Anand yesterday and others, which generally didn’t lead anywhere. It was generally the same answers, that arbiters are basically robots who cannot think on their own, who have no way to even deviate slightly from… I don’t even know if I broke any rules. I still haven’t gotten a clear answer on that,” said Carlsen.

“They were saying that jeans were generally not allowed. If it’s generally not allowed, that must mean that there must be exceptions. And if I, with a decent attempt at an outfit apart from that, didn’t meet that exception, I don’t see what would, frankly,” he added.

Anand, himself a five-time world champion, had told Chessbase India that Carlsen “simply refused to follow the rules, left us with little choice.” “So I’m not even sure I broke any rules. But anyways, they decided to take that opportunity to pursue a very narrow interpretation of a rule. Apparently, there was no room for discussions or anything,” Carlsen continued.

“Anand said very clearly that he didn’t know that he had any opportunity to do anything past, you know, go with the arbiters’ honestly draconian decision of not pairing me. And that means that he was, for all his good qualities, not ready for this job. That’s what I feel.”

Carlsen had opted out of the Blitz section after his disqualification but will now defend his title. FIDE boss Dvorkovich announced the change in policy, saying “I took the decision to trial an approach to provide more flexibility to FIDE officials in judgements regarding the suitability of the attire.

“The principle is simple: it is still required to follow the official dress-code, but elegant minor deviations (that may, in particular, include appropriate jeans matching the jacket) are allowed,” Dvorkovich said in a statement on X. 

Viswanathan Anand said FIDE didn’t want to disqualify Magnus Carlsen the event.© FIDE

File image of D Gukesh© AFP

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh is on the cusp of dethroning Ding Liren of China at the World Chess Championship in Singapore. With the series tied at 6-6 after 12 games, both GMs showed incredible concentration in Game 13, considering the circumstances, to force a final game, which will be played on Thursday. Despite being outplayed by Gukesh in the 68-move game on Wednesday, Ding dodged several bullets with a mixture of excellent defensive skills combined with a lot of good luck. While the draw was a missed opportunity on Gukesh’s part, the world number two will have another bite at the cherry, and he’ll be hoping to make it count this time around.

Who is D Gukesh?

Gukesh Dommaraju, commonly known as D Gukesh, was born in Chennai, India on 29 May, 2006. His father, Dr. Rajinikanth, is an ear, nose and throat surgeon, while his mother Dr. Padma is a microbiologist.

Gukesh, who hails from a Telugu family, picked up chess at the age of seven, practising for one hour, three days a week. After impressing his chess teachers, he started competiting in tournaments on weekends.

Gukesh clinched his first accoloade at the Under-9 section of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015. That triumph was followed by a World Youth Chess Championships in 2018 in the Under 12 category.

At the tender age of 12, he won five gold medals at the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championships in the U-12 individual rapid and blitz, U-12 team rapid and blitz and U-12 individual classical formats.

In March 2017, he earned the title of International Master in March 2017 at the 34th Cappelle-la-Grande Open. Aged 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, Gukesh is the third-youngest GM of all-time.

However, 2023 was the year when Gukesh announced himself to the world. In August, he became the youngest player ever to reach a rating of 2750.

A month later, Gukesh officially surpassed Viswanathan Anand as the top-ranked Indian chess player, ending the latter’s 37-year reign at the top.

He continued his upward trajectory in 2024, becoming the youngest ever winner of the Candidates, with the tournament earning him a seat in the World Championship against Ding Liren.

In September, he helped India clinch a first-ever Chess Olympiad gold, teaming up with the likes of Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi.

If Gukesh beats Ding in Game 14, he will become only the second world chess champion from India after Anand, who won it four times (2007t, 2008, 2010, 2012).

Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov showered praise on the Indian team for historic double gold in both the men’s and women’s events at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. In a historic triumph, India’s men’s and women’s teams clinched gold medals for the first time in the 45th Chess Olympiad on Sunday. Led by the stellar performances of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, the men’s team secured the gold medal after a thrilling final round victory over Slovenia. The women’s team comprising Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev, and Abhijit Kunte, also secured the gold medal, beating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title.

“A very impressive double gold achievement by India. “Vishy’s children” are all grown up and chess is coming home! Two American flags on the podiums as well, worthy of note. Add Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, with no European flags,” Kasparov posted on X.

A very impressive double gold achievement by India. “Vishy’s children” are all grown up and chess is coming home! Two American flags on the podiums as well, worthy of note. Add Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, with no European flags. https://t.co/0lK4HGLpDm

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) September 23, 2024

The men’s team of Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Harikrishna Pentala, with Srinath Narayanan as the captain, led throughout the tournament, winning 10 matches and drawing just one. Before the last round, they were 2 points ahead of China.

In the final round, India only needed a draw to clinch the gold medals or for China not to win their match. However, India continued to press for a win and defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5.

The women’s team had a very strong start, leading the event after 7 rounds, having won all their matches. They stumbled in round 8, losing to Poland and then drawing with Team USA, but made a strong finish. Going into the final round, India was tied for first with Kazakhstan, and the race for the medals was down to the wire.

The team of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev, with Abhijit Kunte as the captain, demonstrated excellent composure and delivered, winning the final match against Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. At the same time, Kazakhstan only drew with the USA 2-2, making India the sole winners of the event.

A legend in the world of chess, Viswanathan Anand, welcomed India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to his sport in style as the cricketer became a co-owner of a chess franchise. Ashwin bought stakes of the American Gambits, a new team that will feature in the second edition of the Global Chess League, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and the International Chess Federation. Ashwin, who is an icon in the sport of cricket, received a stylish welcome by Vishy Anand, who shared a glorious social media post as Ashwin entered the world of chess.

“Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on your exciting new venture into the world of chess! As someone who has bowled out the best in cricket, I’m sure you’ll bring the same competitive spirit to the Global Chess League with the American Gambits. May your rooks and bishops be as unstoppable as your off-spinners!

Best of Luck in London! @GCLlive

Vetri kodi kattu

Malaigalai muttumvarai muttu

Lathchiyam ettum varai ettu

Padaiyedu padaiyappa!,” Anand posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on your exciting new venture into the world of chess! As someone who has bowled out the best in cricket, I’m sure you’ll bring the same competitive spirit to the Global Chess League with the American Gambits. May your rooks and bishops be as…

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) July 8, 2024

The League on Monday unveiled the six franchises for the second edition to be played in London from October 3 to 12.

American Gambits, owned by prominent business leaders Prachura PP, Venkat K Narayana and Ashwin, will replace Chingari Gulf Titans.

“We’re thrilled to introduce the American Gambits to the chess world. With a blend of strategic brilliance and unwavering determination, our team aims to redefine the game. As co-owner, I’m excited to witness their journey and contribute to their success,” Ashwin was quoted as saying in a media release.

The five other franchise — Alpine SG Pipers, PBG Alaskan Knights, Ganges Grandmasters, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Mumba Masters will return for a second season.

Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We are thrilled to welcome the teams for the second season of the Global Chess League. We have found the right partners to strengthen the league’s global reach and look forward to bringing an exciting season of chess to fans worldwide.

“The teams made season one a huge success and we believe that their impact and popularity will continue to expand in the world of chess.” The players will compete in a unique joint team format consisting of six players, including two top women chess players and a prodigy player per team.

Adding to the excitement and anticipation among fans, this innovative format will be aired on major OTT and broadcast platforms worldwide.

Global Chess League Format

In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.

Each team will play 10 matches across black and white pieces. The sides will play five matches, with all six players in each team initially playing with the white or black pieces against their opponents, followed by a reverse round in which the entire team will play five matches with the reversed colour pieces against the same opponent.

The winning team for every match will be determined by the points aggregated from wins and draws across all six games played in the match. The top two sides will advance to the final round.

With PTI Inputs

File image of Viswanathan Anand© X (Twitter)

File image of D Gukesh and Viswanathan Anand© X (Twitter)