India’s young brigade makes the right moves
If there is one sport which made all the noise all year round, it was chess. Its prima donna was none other than the most famous Norwegian — Magnus Carlsen — cementing his dominant position further with his sixth Fide World Rapid Championship title in Doha in December, his seventh Norway Chess title in June, his first-ever Chess Esports World Cup title in August, his triumphant Champions Chess Tour as he won the Chessable Masters in February and the Paris Freestyle Grand Slam in April. By December end, Carlsen was standing tall with Numero Uno ranking across all three formats —classical, rapid, and blitz.
Classical world champion D Gukesh, Grand Chess Tour Final (2025) winner Fabiano Caruana and Javokhir Sindarov, the youngest ever FIDE World Cup champion, did make some ripples but Carlsen was the complete package.
From the Indian fans’ point of view, teenager Divya Deshmukh was the diva, winning the Women’s Chess World Cup in Batumi. It was indeed a special year for Indian chess as the country’s deep chess reserves came to the fore, positioning it as the next powerhouse of the game.
India now has 91 GMs — LR Srihari, Harikrishnan A Ra, Divya Deshmukh, S Rohith Krishna, Ilamparthi AR and Raahul VS getting the title in 2025.
Deshmukh, 19, daughter of a Nagpur doctor couple, took significant leaps by becoming the first Indian to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, a Grandmaster title and an automatic qualification for the 2026 Candidates tournament. If all goes well, the Nagpur girl may be challenging the women’s world champion Ju Wenjun of China.
Gukesh, who became world champion in 2024, had a so-so 2025. He finished second in the Tata Steel Chess Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands, where R Praggnanandhaa beat him in the blitz tiebreaker to clinch the title. The 19-year-old bowed out of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam and disappointed his fans with a third-round exit at the FIDE World Cup in Goa.
Gukesh’s moment of glory came in May-June when he beat world No. 1 Carlsen, this time in Norway Chess in Stavanger. A dejected Carlsen banged his fist on the table and hurriedly left the hall uttering “Oh my God” before coming back to shake hands with Gukesh, making it the picture of the year. Carlsen however clinched his seventh Norway Chess title without fuss and reigned supreme. Carlsen again lost his cool and thumped the table after losing to Arjun Erigaisi in the World Blitz in December.
The much-anticipated World Cup in Goa did not turn out as expected. The country was expecting at least one Candidates tournament berth but Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, P Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi failed to rise to the occasion.
Praggnanandhaa finally sealed a spot in the Candidates by winning the FIDE Circuit 2025. He became the first Indian male player to qualify for the World Championship qualifier by topping the circuit’s standings.
