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Exclusive: Netflix has turned to one of its most trusted documentary directors to tell the story of the Liver King’s steroid scandal.

The streamer’s Untold franchise has enlisted Joe Pearlman to helm the Liver King film after he directed the Robbie Williams and Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now documentaries.

Pearlman’s other credits include HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts and Bros documentary feature After the Screaming Stops.

Produced by Bitachon 365 and Candle True Stories, the Liver King film will examine the social backlash against the self-styled “primal living” social media guru after he admitted to steroid use.

In 2022, the TikTok star, whose real name is Brian Johnson, issued an apology for taking the body-building drug, something he had repeatedly denied in the past.

“I lied, and I misled a lot of people,” said Johnson, who built an audience of millions...

Aaron Rodgers will be back on the field for an NFL for the first time in a year after tearing his Achilles four snaps into his first game for the New York Jets.

The outspoken quarterback will do it with a Netflix greenlight in his pocket.

The streamer has ordered docuseries Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, which will follow Rodgers’ comeback, which kicks off at Levi’s Stadium as the Jets take on the San Francisco 49ers.

The three-part series, which launches on December 17, will also follow the ayahuasca advocate’s life off the field. It is produced by Religion of Sports, Skydance Sports and NFL Films.

In the trailer, which you’ll be able to see above shortly, Rodgers talks about both his approach to quarterback play, as well as the events of that night at MetLife Stadium.

“Listen, I believe in the power of prayer and intention and from the first night this happened,...

One of the NFL’s biggest names is getting the Netflix sports treatment.

Aaron Rodgers, a four-time league Mvp and quarterback of the New York Jets, will be the subject of a three-hour docuseries on the streamer. Aaron Rodgers: Enigma is set to premiere Dec. 17 — eight days before Netflix takes its biggest leap into live sports with two NFL games on Christmas Day (though neither one involves the Jets).

The Rodgers series is one of several sports projects Netflix announced Monday: It has also picked up a third season of Full Swing, which follows golfers on the PGA Tour, and ordered a new slate of documentaries under the Untold banner. Among the subjects for the latter in 2025 will be the notorious locker-room gun incident involving Washington Wizards players Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton; the beef and cheating accusations between chess grandmasters Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen; and a steroid scandal...

Hold on to your butts, Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone are re-teaming for the new movie Checkmate, according to the Hollywood Reporter. It’s an adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s upcoming non-fiction book of the same name, which dives into a 2022 scandal that rocked the chess world.

Fielder and Stone last blew our minds with The Curse, a black comedy at Showtime. This time around Fielder is set to direct while Stone’s Fruit Tree banner will produce. The whole project will be led by A24, which blew away offers from much larger studios with a reported seven-figure guarantee. “I’ve never seen A24 do that before,” THR quotes one insider saying. And what could make A24 this excited?

In 2022, at the St. Louis stop on the Grand Chess Tour, 19-year-old Hans Niemann upset Magnus Carlsen, the 31-year-old world No. 1 and arguably the strongest player of all time. As a...

Back in 2022, world champion chess player Magnus Carlsen quit the Sinquefield Cup pro tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, after a surprising loss to a 19-year-old, Hans Niemann. What started as a speculative drama about why Carlsen quit or how Niemann won in the first place quickly spiraled into accusations of cheating, an unsuccessful legal battle, and what’s considered to be the biggest scandal in chess history. Now, that story is receiving the film treatment at A24.

Emma Stone will produce the cheating scandal film alongside Dave McCary, her husband and production partner.

After more than proving his directing mettle with Nathan For You and The Rehearsal, Nathan Fielder entered another echelon with The Curse, helming seven episodes (including the mind-bending finale). Now, the comedian, actor, writer, and director has notched another step in his filmmaking ascendancy with the announcement of his feature directorial debut.

THR reports he’ll reteam with The Curse star and producer Emma Stone and her company Fruit Tree for Checkmate, which A24 has picked up. With Fielder on board to direct and Stone on as producer, the film is an adaptation from a forthcoming book by Ben Mezrich, whose works have been adapted into The Social Network and Dumb Money.

Picked up on a 12-page proposal from Mezrich ahead of the full book, the story spotlights “the biggest scandal in the history of chess, focusing on the generational battle between Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and the young bad boy of chess,...

Emma Stone knows to stick with what is working as she follows up her 2023 projects (which have garnered significant attention) with more from the same collaborators. Stone recently won an Academy Award for her performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. Lanthimos would also already release a trailer for his next film, Kinds of Kindness, earlier this year and Stone is among the principal cast. Other than Poor Things, last year, Stone would star in a limited series for Showtime with comedic actor Nathan Fielder in a surreal dark comedy called The Curse, which would also feature a collaboration with Benny Safdie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stone will also be reuniting with Fielder for another project with A24. The indie studio that features a bevy of off-beat films has recently had its biggest title with Civil War, and the company played its moves aggressively to beat out bigger studios for Checkmate.

Following the success of The Curse, Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder are again teaming with A24 to produce Checkmate, a movie based on the chess world’s biggest scandal.

Chess can be absorbing subject material for drama, whether it’s a glossy period piece such as Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, or more left-field takes like 2013’s Computer Chess. Perhaps chess movies are like Robin Hood projects: there are always several in development in Hollywood and it becomes a strategic game of, well… erm, chess to see who can put one together first.

The latest chess project is being produced by Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder, and A24 have reportedly spent a seven-figure sum to secure the rights to it. Why the buzz? Well, the film will be based on the biggest scandal the chess world has seen in recent years, dramatising the events of the ‘controversial 2022 head-to-head match between Grandmasters Magnus Carlsen,...

Following the success of “The Curse,” Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder and A24 are teaming up again to take on the cutthroat world of chess.

The studio has won the rights to the hot feature package “Checkmate,” based on a book proposal by author Ben Mezrich, whose works were adapted into “The Social Network” and “Dumb Money.”

The story centers on what has been described as the “biggest scandal in the history of chess,” following the controversial 2022 head-to-head match between Grandmasters Magnus Carlsen, then world champion, and Hans Niemann, during which the latter was accused of cheating.

After a competitive situation in which multiple studios and streamers showed interest in the project, A24 nabbed the rights thanks to a reported seven-figure offer. The deals are still in the works, but Fielder is currently attached to direct, with Stone on board to produce with her husband and partner Dave McCary under their Fruit Tree banner.

Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder are getting back together again!

The costars shared the screen for their Showtime series The Curse. Now, they’re set to work together again on a new movie called Checkmate.

Read more about Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder’s collaboration…

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the duo would be working with A24 on the new movie, which will be about the faceoff between chess legends Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann.

Based on a book proposal by Ben Mezrich, it will highlight the drama of cheating allegations and other behind-the-scenes moments in the world of chess.

It does not appear that Emma and Nathan will star in the project. Instead, the former is expected to produce alongside husband Dave McCary. Meanwhile, Nathan has been tapped to direct.

The outlet noted that their contracts are “still being hammered out.” We’ll update you as we learn more.

A24, operating on its new mandate to act aggressively in the pursuit of projects, just outplayed the Hollywood studios and streamers in order to pick up Checkmate, a hot feature package centered on a book proposal by Ben Mezrich, the author whose books were adapted into films such The Social Network and Dumb Money.

If deals close, Checkmate will reteam Emma Stone with Nathan Fielder, who both adorned the most recent edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine and the stars of the Showtime series The Curse. Fielder is attached to direct, while Stone will produce along with her husband and partner Dave McCary via the duo’s Fruit Tree banner. It also reunites the pair with A24, which backed The Curse. Sources say the book deal is closing or has closed while the talent deals are still being hammered out.

In true Mezrich fashion, Checkmate sees the author tackling an...

Just a day into the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Netflix has swooped on Ibelin, a new feature doc from Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief), in the first acquisition of the festival.

World premiering in Park City on Thursday afternoon, the title playing in World Cinema Documentary Competition tells the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated existence, later discovering that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers.

The film takes us on a journey through the breadth of Steen’s adventurous online life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from his gameplay, narrated entries from his blog and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin,...

A year after its premiere in Venice, Makbul Mubarak's debut feature “Autobiography” keeps impressing the festival audiences. On the occasion of screening during the Five Flavours Film Festival, we met with the director to delve into the concept of historical trauma and how it affects younger generations who were born into it. We also discuss the complexities of loyalty within Indonesian society, dynamics of power and what it means to be a good person, among other topics.

In the opening sequence of the movie, Rakib is watching a game of chess. But it's not just a game, but the particular match from the important tournament: the world championships' rapid chess game between Viswanath Anand and Magnus Carlsen. I do believe that things like that don't occur in movies without a reason… So what's your reason behind it?

Thank you for catching that. I chose this particular match because it's a battle between two generations.

Hans Niemann, 20, a chess grandmaster, has repeatedly denied the claim that he cheats in over-the-board chess.

In a conversation on Piers Morgan Uncensored, he addressed the specific claims that he cheated with vibrating sex toys. These allegations emerged on social media, although it is unclear the original source of the accusations.

When pressed as to whether he had used such toys as he played, Neumann replied, “Well, your curiosity is a bit concerning, you know – maybe you’re personally interested, but I can tell you, no. Categorically, no, of course not.”

In the 2022 at Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Neimann beat five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen.

In the days that followed his victory, The New York Times reported that Neimann had stated, “They want me to strip fully naked, I’ll do it. I don’t care, because I know that I’m clean. You want me to play in...

Chennai, Sep 3 (Ians) Eighteen-year-old Indian chess Grandmaster (Gm) R. Praggnanandhaa last month became the second Indian after former world champion Gm Viswanathan Anand to enter the Candidates Tournament to be held in Canada next year.

And he did that in style at the recently-concluded Fide World Cup held at Baku, Azerbaijan, knocking out world No. 2 and 3 — Gm Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana of the US, respectively — before going down to world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the final, losing in tie-breaker.

As of now, Praggnanandhaa is keeping Indian hopes for the chess world title alive as the winner of the Candidates Tournament will challenge the reigning global chess king China’s Liren Ding.

“Praggnanandhaa can become the world champion in three to five years’ time, if not now,” Gm R.B. Ramesh, the young prodigy’s chess coach, told Ians.

Praggnanandhaa, according to Ramesh, is a balanced person, taking...

New Delhi, August 29 (Ians) The much-awaited Asia Cup Odi cricket tournament is all set to begin with hosts Pakistan taking on first-timers Nepal in Multan on Wednesday (August 30).

In a snap poll conducted by CVoter, around 57 per cent of sports enthusiasts in India in the age group of 18-24 years are of the opinion that Nepal can be a competitor for Pakistan, while those in the age group of 45-54 years are more pessimistic about the same. The survey had a sample size of 1,897.

Most of the respondents believe that Pakistan skipper and star batter Babar Azam can yield good results for his team, while Shadab Khan remains the least favoured among the choices provided.

When asked about Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, middle-aged and the respondents residing in urban areas seemed to be highly familiar with the cricketer, though she is not much popular among the female respondents,...

New Delhi, Aug 24 (Ians) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed young Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa for his runner-up finish at the Fide Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Praggnanandhaa’s sensational run at the prestigious tournament came to an end after he lost to world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the tie-break after the classical games in the final ended in a stalemate.

“We are proud of Praggnanandhaa for his remarkable performance at the Fide World Cup! He showcased his exceptional skills and gave a tough fight to the formidable Magnus Carlsen in the finals,” Pm Modi wrote on ‘X’, formerly Twitter.

“This is no small feat. Wishing him the very best for his upcoming tournaments.”

–Ians

cs/bsk...

Chennai, August 24 (Ians) Though Indian chess Grandmaster (Gm) R. Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up in the strong Fide World Cup held at Baku in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, the 18-year-old chess prodigy booked his seat in the Candidates Tournament to be held in Canada next year.

In the World Cup final tie-breaker, Praggnanandhaa went down fighting to world No. 1 by rating and former world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

Interestingly, for both the players, it was their maiden World Cup outing with one winning the Cup, and the other finishing second.

With this, Praggnanandhaa, ranked fourth in the world in the juniors’ category, became the first Indian player after former world champion Gm Viswanathan Anand to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, the winner of which will challenge world champion Liren Ding of China.

“It was a very strong performance by Praggnanandhaa throughout the tournament. It was super impressive. He is a very humble...

Chennai, Aug 24 (Ians) World No. 1 chess player by rating, Norwegian Grandmaster (Gm) Magnus Carlsen (32) won the Fide World Cup after defeating Indian prodigy Gm R. Praggnanandhaa (18) in tie-breaker at Baku in Azerbaijan on Thursday.

Former world champion Carlsen clinched the title by winning the first tie-breaker game and then drawing the second one.

In the second tie-breaker, Carlsen with white pieces seemed to be in a hurry to wind up the game soon and went in for Queen exchange at the 17th move.

Soon after, the two players exchanged their bishops. At the end of the 22nd move, both players had four pawns, one rook, knight and a bishop each. The two then signed the peace treaty.

Playing with white pieces in the first game of the tie-breaker, Praggnanandhaa had an advantage in the initial stages and later maintained equality for a large part of the 47-move game.

However, the...

Chennai, Aug 24 (Ians) Eighteen-year-old Indian chess Grandmaster (Gm) R Praggnanandhaa on Thursday was defeated by former World Champion Magnus Carlsen in their first tie-breaker game at the finals of the Fide World Cup being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Playing with white pieces, Praggnanandhaa had an advantage in the initial stages of the game and later maintained equality for a large part of the 47 move game.

However, the Indian player suffered a reversal from the 37th move onwards. At that point of time, the players were left with their two rooks and minor pieces — two knights for Carlsen and a knight and a light coloured bishop for Praggnanandhaa.

The Indian player was also much behind on the clock and resigned on the 47th move.

The two will play one more game and Carlsen needing just a draw to clinch the title while Pragggnanandhaa needs a win to stay in the contest.

Baku (Azerbaijan), Aug 23 (Ians) India’s 18-year-old Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa played out a 30-move draw with World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the second game in their two-game final in the Fide World Cup here on Wednesday, taking the summit clash into the tiebreaker.

Praggnanandhaa, who was held to a draw with white pieces in the first game on Tuesday, held the Norwegian five-time World Champion in Classical Chess to another draw, this time with black pieces, as they remained tied 1-1 after two games.

The second successive draw means, the two players will come back to the board on Thursday to play shorter games in the tiebreaker to decide who wins the World Cup. If he wins, Carlsen will claim his first World Cup title while Prggnanandhaa is hoping to become the youngest winner of the World Cup by claiming his maiden title.

The World Cup final will now be decided...

Baku (Azerbaijan), Aug 23 (Ians) India’s Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa held World No.1 Magnus Carlsen to a second successive draw in their two-game final in the Fide World Cup here on Wednesday, taking the summit clash into the tiebreaker.

Praggnanandhaa, who had played out a draw with white pieces on Tuesday, held the Norwegian five-time World Champion in Classical Chess to another draw, this time with black pieces.

It was a quiet draw as Carlsen could not gain much advantage despite playing with white pieces.

The final will now be decided on Thursday via rapid chess tiebreak games.

–Ians

bsk...

Mumbai, Aug 22 (Ians) The All-India Chess Federation (Aicf) president Dr. Sanjay Kapoor has spoken to Ramessbabu Praggnanandhaa ahead of his Fide World Cup 2023 final clash with World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in Baku and conveyed to him that he not only carries into the final his exceptional skills but also the hopes and aspirations of hopes and dreams of an entire nation.

The 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa defeated American World No.3 Fabiano Caruana in tie-breaks in the semifinal to set up a summit clash with the five-time World Champion from Norway.

Kapoor had a telephonic conversation with Praggnanandhaa on Tuesday in which he congratulated him on his victory against Caruana and wished luck to India’s prodigious talent for his clash with Carlsen.

“I had the privilege of speaking to Praggnanandhaa and conveyed to him the immense pride that the entire nation feels for his remarkable achievement. Our hearts are filled with hope...

Chennai, Aug 22 (Ians) The third week of August, 2023 is a week of suspense, excitement and high spirits for India.

On Monday, Indian chess Grandmaster (Gm) R.Praggnanandhaa made the nation’s spirits reach the moon by entering the finals of the Fide World Cup defeating world number 3, the American Gm Fabiano Caruana.

In the process, Praggnanandhaa booked his seat for the Candidates Tournament to be held in Canada next year. The winner of the Candidates Tournament will challenge the Chinese Gm Liren Ding, the reigning world champion for the world title.

Now the suspense and excitement is will Praggnanandhaa defeat world number 1, the Norwegian Gm Magnus Carlsen to lift the World Cup?

In one of the earlier rounds, Praggnanandhaa had slayed world number 2 from the US Gm Hikaru Nakamura.

Having already defeated world No. 2 and world No. 3 in the tournament, will Praggnanandhaa be able to defeat the world No.1 is...

New Delhi, Aug 22 (Ians) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday congratulated Grandmaster (Gm) Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa for entering the Fide Chess World Cup final.

Praggnanandhaa beat world number 3 American Gm, Fabiano Caruana by 3.5-2.5 in the semifinal tie-break games played at Baku, Azerbaijanand, and will now battle it out against world No. 1 and former world champion Magnus Carlsen for the title.

“18-year-old Praggnanandhaa’s outstanding performance in reaching the finals of the Chess World Cup has elevated the country’s name. We are all proud of this remarkable achievement. Congratulations to them for this impressive performance at such a young age!,” Kejriwal posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Having already defeated world No. 2 and world No. 3 in the tournament, will Praggnanandhaa be able to defeat the world No.1 is the question doing the rounds in chess circles now.

With this win, Praggnanandhaa also qualified to play in the Candidates Tournament, the...

Chennai, Aug 21 (Ians) India’s 18-year old Grandmaster (Gm) R. Praggnanandhaa on Monday entered the Fide World Cup final after defeating world No. 3 by rating, American Gm Fabiano Caruana, in the semifinal tie-break games played at Baku, Azerbaijan.

The final score stood at 3.5-2.5 in favour of the Chennai youngster. After drawing the first two tie-break games, the Indian slayed Caruana in the third game and drew the next one.

The match went into tie-breaker after the players drew their two classical games earlier. In the tie-breaker, the first two games had ended in draw. The young Indian then won the third game.

Praggnanandhaa will now cross swords with world No. 1 and former world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the final.

Having already defeated world No. 2 and world No. 3 in the tournament, will Praggnanandhaa be able to defeat the world No.1 is the question doing the rounds in chess circles now.

Chennai, Aug 21 (Ians) India’s 18-year-old Grandmaster (Gm) R Praggnanandhaa took lead in the tie-break of Fide World Cup semifinal by defeating American Gm Fabiano Caruana at Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.

After drawing the first two tie-break games, the Indian slayed Caruana, the world No. 3 by rating. Praggnanandhaa is now just a draw away from entering the final where he would cross swords against world No. 1 and former world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

–Ians

vj/arm...

Chennai, Aug 18 (Ians) Chess players and others will be looking at the match between 18-year old Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa (Elo 2707) and American Gm Fabiano Caruana (2782) at the ongoing Fide World Cup at Baku, Azerbaijan.

Whether Praggnanandhaa makes it to the Candidates Tournament – where the winner would challenge the world champion for the world title – is the question that occupies the mind of this mind game players and followers.

As per the International Chess Federation or Fide’s rule, the top three players in the World Cup will qualify for the Candidates Tournament.

And Caruana should be careful because for Praggnanandhaa, giant slaying is not new and he has done that in this tournament as well by defeating far more higher-rated players, including US Gm Hikaru Nakamura, world No. 2 by rating.

The other semifinal match is between world No. 1 and former world champion Norwegian Gm Magnus Carlsen (2835) and Azerbaijan Gm Nijat Abasov (2646).

For Carlsen,...

Mumbai, Aug 4 (Ians) The 17-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh won two games in his second-round match with Gm Misratdin Iskandarov in the first round of the Fide World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan to surge past Viswanathan Anand in Live Rating and become the highest-ranked Indian chess player in the World.

The win in the first round on Thursday evening against Iskandarov (Elo 2559) helped him rise to 2755.9 in the live rating, taking him past Anand’s rating of 2754, making him the second Indian player after Pentala Harikrishna in March 2016 to overtake Anand in live rating as India’s No.1 chess player, a position the five-time World Champion has held for 37 years since 1986. Harikrishna was India’s No.1 chess player for just one day as Anand won his game the next day and took back the position.

That would be the first time since 1986 that an Indian will overtake Vishy Anand in the ‘published’ Fide Rankings.

New York, July 22 (Ians) American Grandmaster (Gm) Hikaru Nakamura emerged as champion in the Bullet Chess Championship 2023 championship, winning the title after shutting down Gm Magnus Carlsen’s comeback in overtime in an epic Grand Final.

Having dropped down to the Losers’ Bracket earlier in the tournament, Norway’s world champion Carlsen shifted gears to storm back into contention by making it to the event’s Grand Final, defeating Gm Daniel Naroditsky and taking his revenge on Gm Alireza Firouzja.

Then, in the set-piece final, Carlsen found himself trailing again and had to fight back against the reigning champion Nakamura’s five-point lead, tying the match and forcing overtime.

Ultimately, Nakamura came out on top but needed to use all his ability to increase the pressure on the board and the clock to win his fourth Bullet Chess Championship. It was a stunning display of speed chess from the two top stars.

A lawsuit against the Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com has been dismissed by a Missouri federal court in a $100 million defamation lawsuit.

Hans Niemann, a U.S. chess prodigy, accused Carlsen, Chess.com’s chief officer Daniel Rensch and Hikaru Nakamura of collusion and defamation.

The U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Fleissig dismissed the claims Niemann made that the defendants were, “egregiously defaming him and unlawfully colluding to blacklist him from the profession to which he has dedicated his life.”

In addition to this, Niemann sued for slander and libel, which Fleissig also rejected, but without prejudice. This means that Niemann is permitted to file a separate suit to sue the defendants on those allegations, but Niemann has not confirmed if he plans on doing this.

Judge Fleissig rejected accusations that antitrust laws were violated “with prejudice,” so Niemann is not allowed to file an antitrust...

Dubai, July 1 (Ians) It was yet another day of huge upsets at the Global Chess League as all the pre-event favourites lost their final matches, leaving Triveni Continental Kings and upGrad Mumbai Masters set to clash in the final.

In a shocking outcome, two of the teams that dominated the Global Chess League from the beginning – Ganges Grandmasters and Sg Alpine Warriors – were knocked out of the race for the top two places in the final.

Instead, it will be Triveni Continental Kings and upGrad Mumba Masters who will fight for the coveted crown in the final of the first edition of Global Chess League.

Triveni’s journey to the top was the most unlikely. Despite setbacks and a rocky start, they made a triumphant comeback with four consecutive wins.

Meanwhile, upGrad Mumba Masters consistently hovered near the top but struggled in the latter part of the event. Nonetheless, they...

Dubai, July 1 (Ians) With a four-match winning streak including a dominating victory over tournament favourites Ganges Grandmasters, Triveni Continental Kings have surged from the bottom to the top of the standings, becoming the first team to qualify for the final of the inaugural edition of the Global Chess League.

In another match earlier on Saturday, Sg Alpine Warriors suffered a defeat to Chingari Gulf Titans putting a big question mark on which team will get the second place in the finals.

Triveni Continental Kings continued their onward march on Saturday by stunning Ganges Grandmasters 11:6 in a must-win league match.

This match was the last chance for Triveni -– if they had lost, they would have been out of the tournament. For Ganges, this was their final chance to score points and secure the top place in the round-robin league.

While a draw was enough for team Ganges, Triveni had...

Hans Niemann, the American 20-year-old chess grandmaster at the center of a scandal involving Magnus Carlsen, the game’s reigning superstar and former world champion, will not have the chance to seek damages over allegations of cheating that have hurt his professional standing. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Fleissig threw out his $100 million defamation lawsuit against Carlsen, the gaming platform Chess.com and another grandmaster, Hikaru Nakamura.

Niemann did not immediately return a request for comment or indicate whether he would continue to explore his legal options in the matter,...

Dubai, June 28 (Ians) In a historic endgame, Magnus Carlsen of Alpine Warriors defeated Viswanathan Anand and launched his team to the top of the Global Chess League, pushing Ganges Grandmasters to second.

Balan Alaskan Knights unsettled one of the top tournament performers Mumba Masters in the first match of the round.

However, all eyes were on the second match, between tournament leaders Ganges Grandmasters and Alpine Warriors. The team of Ganges Grandmasters took the lead but thanks to the unstoppable Praggnanandhaa R on the Alpine Warrior’s team, the team managed to strike back in a critical moment.

In what turned out to be the endgame for the history books, which saw two queens promoted by White and a knight promoted by Black, Carlsen managed to win and ensured his team reaches the top of the scoreboard.

Knights, who won the first round against the Masters 14:5, started with the advantage of playing with white.

Dubai, June 28 (Ians) Magnus Carlsen is the World Number 1 rated player and is considered to be the strongest World Champion ever. As an Icon player for the Alpine Warriors at the Global Chess League, he shared his thoughts on the event.

The Global Chess League has seen the best of the best descend in Dubai for the inaugural edition. In what is a chess carnival in Dubai, the world’s number one chess player Magnus Carlsen has been having an enjoyable time and believes the tournament is a great promoter of the sport, bringing it to a new level. The Global Chess League, a unique team event featuring the best chess players in the world competing in six teams, takes place from June 22 to July 2.

Magnus Carlsen is part of the Alpine Warriors, who are among the top-performing teams in the Global Chess League. Asked about the League and its concept in a press conference,...

St. Louis (USA), June 28 (Ians) After thrilling wins by Gm Fabiano Caruana and five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the first two legs of the Grand Chess Tour, the next tour stop will be in Zagreb, Croatia for SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz, set to take place from July 4-9.

SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia will mark the midway point of the Grand Chess Tour and will feature 175,000 dollar in prizes.

Five full-tour and five wildcard players will compete over nine rounds of rapid and 18 rounds of blitz to see who comes out on top. The field includes Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Viswanathan Anand, Richard Rapport, Dommaraju Gukesh, Ivan Saric, Constantin Lupulescu.

“The Grand Chess Tour features the world’s best chess players and this year’s competition has been no exception thus far,” Grand Chess Tour Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky was quoted as saying in a media release.

Dubai, June 26 (Ians) The ongoing Global Chess League has hit a significant milestone on its fifth day, here on Monday. With half of the matches already in the books, the competition now embarks on the crucial second phase of the round-robin tournament.

After day five, Ganges Grandmasters and Sg Alpine Warriors are on top with 12 match points. The team of Ganges Grandmasters is in first place due to a better difference in game points – 52:51, upGrad Mumba Masters are third, with 8 Match Points.

This was a day of big hope for Triveni Continental Kings. The team which features top-world players such as Levon Aronian, Yu Yangyi, and three-time women blitz champion Kateryna Lagno had high hopes ahead of the match with Gangese Grandmasters. With two victories in four matches, they needed to win to have strong chances of reaching the finals. However, this wasn’t their day.

Ganges Grandmasters vs...

Dubai, June 25 (Ians) The fourth day of the Global Chess League started with a huge upset as the team of Ganges Grandmasters who have been dominating the first three days of the event suffered a defeat at the hands of Ronnie Screwvala’s upGrad Mumba Masters.

It was a busy day in Dubai as a large number of spectators gathered to follow the matches in the Global Chess League. The crowd exploded with excitement when the famous Indian cricket player Yuzvendra Chahal appeared, to support the team of Alpine Warriors.

This was an encounter between the leaders of the Global Chess League and the team in the middle. The Ganges Grandmasters have been dominating the league, having won all three matches played and securing nine match points. The story was somewhat different for upGrad Mumba Masters: they won one match, lost one and drew one, and started day four from the middle of the scoreboard,...

Dubai, June 24 (Ians) The Ganges Grandmasters maintained their dominant streak as they kicked off the third day of the Global Chess League (Gcl) with yet another impressive victory, here on Saturday.

Ganges Grandmasters are the only team in the Global Chess League to have three victories out of all three matches.

This was a duel between two teams in the middle of the scoreboard looking to make a push to the top. Following the first two rounds, both had three Match Points each and 15 Game Points. The coin toss decided that Triveni Continental Kings will play as white. The team achieved the initiative from early on.

The most anticipated encounter took place on board one with a faceoff between two icon players, world heavyweight Levon Aronian (as White) and the highest-rated chess player, Magnus Carlsen.

Both sides put up a fierce fight and Carlsen ended up defending an uncomfortable position...

Dubai, June 23 (Ians) The second half of the second day of the Global Chess League witnessed the great Vishy Anand face off against Magnus Carlsen when Sg Alpine Warriors went up against Ganges Grandmasters, here on Friday.

The Sg Alpine Warriors were playing their second match of the day, winning the coin toss, they opted to play with the white pieces.

All eyes were on board one where — for the first time in years — Magnus Carlsen was up against Vishy Anand, the man he beat in 2013 to claim the title of world champion for the first time.

Carlsen seized the initiative early in the game. He soon achieved an extra pawn and more initiative, leading to a better position. The former world champion Vishy Anand was in a tough sport — defending a poor position he gradually fell into time trouble. After an exchange of heavy pieces, Carlsen ended up in a significantly better position.

Chennai, June 23 (Ians) Even before Sg Alpine Warriors begin their campaign in the Global Chess League (Gcl), the team has been promised a big cash incentive if it wins the title.

Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, Apl Apollo, which owns the franchise, has announced $200,000 as a cash incentive for his team if it clinches the Gcl title, team captain and manager, Fide Senior Trainer and International Master Vishal Sareen said.

The Gcl is being held in Dubai.

With five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who is World No.1 for the last 12 years, as their icon player, and boasts a massive talent pool of three young Grandmasters (Gm) — D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R. Praggnanandhaa, the Sg Alpine Warriors are one of the formidable teams in the Gcl.

GMs Irina Krush and Elisabeth Paehtz complete the six-member lineup of players.

The incentive announcement was made during a charity match wherein the team players played some games against Gupta,...

Baku (Azerbaijan), June 12 (Ians) Young Indian Grandmasters Gukesh Dommaraju and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and top woman star Koneru Humpy along with World No.1 Magnus Carlsen and reigning Women’s World Classical Champion Ju Wenjen will line-up in a top-class field and for enhanced prize-fund in the Fide World Cup set to be held here from July 30-August 24, 2023.

The 17-year-old Gukesh is the 10th seed and leads the pack of up-and-coming young prodigies, which includes Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa, and Vincent Keymer.

The knock-out chess extravaganza, held every two years, will celebrate its 10th edition at Baku and will have a combined prize pool boosted to a whopping Usd 2.5 million, the single largest amount at any chess event in the world.

In all 146 of the 206 participants in the 2023 Baku World Cup, and 71 of the 103 Women’s World Cup participants, have already been confirmed. The field will be completed between June 15-30, after the conclusion of the Zonal tournaments,...

Mumbai, June 7 (Ians) The Global Chess League held its first draft for the highly anticipated inaugural edition at the Mahindra Campus, here on Wednesday.

The Gcl, which is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and Fide and scheduled to take place from June 21 to July 2, at the Dubai Chess & Culture Club in association with the Dubai Sports Council, has captured the attention of chess enthusiasts worldwide, with renowned players like Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Ding Liren, and Hou Yifan leading the pack.

The draft witnessed the selection of 36 of the world’s best chess players, who were drafted by six Gcl franchises: Ganges Grandmasters owned by Suresh Kotak led-Insurekot Sports (Ispl), Triveni Continental Kings owned by Triveni Group (Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd. and Triveni Turbine Ltd.), Sg Alpine Warriors owned by Apl Apollo-led Sg Sports, Chingari Gulf Titans owned by Chingari App (Tech4Billion Group), upGrad Mumba Masters owned by Ronnie Screwvala led-u Sports,...

New Delhi, June 5 (Ians) The Global Chess League (Gcl) on Monday unveiled the six participating franchises for its highly anticipated first edition, which is scheduled to take place from June 21 to July 2 in Dubai.

upGrad Mumba Masters, Ganges Grandmasters, Balan Alaskan Knights, Triveni Continental Kings, Chingari Gulf Titans and Sg Alpine Warriors are the new franchises for the league that will commence with a players’ draft in which franchise owners will select players for their respective teams.

The Gcl, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and Fide, aims to redefine the world of chess by bringing together the brightest stars in the game, including five-time World Champions Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hou Yifan, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, Kateryna Lagno, and other renowned players, alongside distinguished sports entrepreneurs as franchise owners.

The Fide President, Arkady Dvorkovich, said, “Tech Mahindra Global Chess League started as a dream,...

New Delhi, May 31 (Ians) Former five time world champion and current world Rapid Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, who has joined Global Chess League as one of the icon players, has said that the league is an exciting prospect for him to do something new.

Carlsen, who is widely regarded as the greatest chess player of the current generation, will be in action during the inaugural edition of the league, which is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and Fide.

The Global Chess League will be held from June 21- July 2, 2023, at the Dubai Chess & Culture Club in association with the Dubai Sports Council.

“It is an exciting prospect for me to be a part of. This will be something new. Something that has not been done this way in over-the-board chess. I am looking forward to exploring this format for the future,” Carlsen was quoted as saying in a media release.

Warsaw (Poland), May 26 (Ians) Five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen won the 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour (Gct), here at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

The Norwegian Grandmaster, the World No.1, finished with a score of 24/36, taking home the $40,000 1st place prize on Thursday night.

Placed second was local favourite and defending champion Jan-Krzyzstof Duda, who led until the final day and ended just a point behind with 23/36, after nearly winning a final game against Carlsen that would have forced a playoff.

Tied for third were Wesley So of the United States and France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, each with 21.5 points, with Levon Aronian finishing in clear fifth place with 20.5.

Carlsen’s day started with a victory against Vachier-Lagrave, extending his fantastic win streak from the end of the previous day to seven.

He was then held to a draw by...

New Delhi, May 23 (Ians) The Global Chess League (Gcl) on Tuesday announced a steller line-up including current World Champion Ding Liren of China and his two predecessors and five-time Champions, Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Viswanathan Anand of India, along with four-time Women’s World champion Hou Yifan for the inaugural edition to be held in Dubai next month.

The first season of the Global Chess League — a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and the world chess federation, Fide, to be played in team format — will be held at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club from June 21 to July 2, 2023, in association with the Dubai Sports Council.

The competition will be held in a one-of-a-kind joint team format at Gcl, with each team consisting of six players a minimum of two women chess players per team.

To add to the thrilling level of competition, four more World Champions besides reigning Classical...

Astana (Kazakhstan), April 30 (Ians) China’s Ding Liren made history by becoming the 17th Fide World Champion in chess, defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in the final game of the tiebreak here on Sunday. Both Ding and Nepomniachtchi finished 7-7 after exhilarating 14 classical games, taking the match into the tie-breaker.

In the tie-break, Ding Liren defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi 2.5-1.5 in the 2023 Fide World Championship final, becoming the first Chinese male player to win the chess world championship.

This marks a historic moment as both the men’s and women’s world champions in chess are now from China.

After three draws in the tiebreaks, Ding emerged victorious in the fourth and final game, clinching the title. In a tense and even position, with just a minute on his clock, Ding declined a threefold repetition and decided to play for a win. In a nail-biting finish, with both players under enormous pressure, the...

New Delhi, April 8 (Ians) US star Hikaru Nakamura came out on top in a thrilling last gasp Grand Final of the Chessable Masters to seal his first Champions Chess Tour title.

According to information received here, the 35-year-old, playing from Sunrise, Fl, was in full beast-mode as he launched an all-out assault on fellow American Fabiano Caruana, the previously unbeaten tournament leader.

Caruana fought back to take it to an Armageddon tiebreak, but it was not enough as Nakamura recovered from a blunder to push one last time and win the tournament overall. Nakamura takes home a $30,000 top prize and a ticket to the Champions Chess Tour Finals.

Caruana had gone into the final unbeaten and needing just one match win while Nakamura needed to win twice due to the double-elimination format.

Yet a win against Nakamura is never easy and he was too strong. Few will argue against him being a deserved winner.