Iniyan P wins Indian Chess Championship 2025
Panneerselvam Iniyan emerged as the winner of the 2025 Indian Chess Championship, edging out Goutham Krishna on tiebreak to claim his maiden national title. The 62nd National Chess Championship, an 11-round Swiss tournament with classical time control, took place at Vignan University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, from September 21 to October 1. Although the event did not attract all of India’s top players, it still boasted a massive field of 394 participants, including 14 GMs and 30 IMs. Top seed Iniyan P entered the competition as one of the pre-tournament favorites, but his path to the title was far from straightforward. Trailing the leaders for most of the way, he faced sole leader Krishnan Sasikiran in the penultimate round. In a game of paramount importance to both players, Iniyan seized his opportunity when Sasikiran faltered in a drawn endgame, failing to find the only move that would have secured a half-point. Heading into the final round half a point ahead of four rivals, Iniyan drew with Abhijeet Gupta and clinched the title with 9/11. Despite winning his last-round game and catching Iniyan, Goutham Krishna had to settle for silver due to an inferior Buchholz (the first tiebreak criterion). With this victory, Iniyan now holds the Indian National Champion title in both Classical and Rapid chess, having previously won the rapid championship in March 2025. As many as six players tied for third on 8½/11, with Sasikiran taking bronze on tiebreaks. Final standings (chess-results) Photos: Shahid Ahmed Official website: apchess.org/
11th Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival draws thousands
The 11th Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival was held with extraordinary interest this year at the Hungarian National Gallery. The celebration of chess attracted thousands of visitors, who could choose from thirty different programs in line with the festival’s triple motto: play, inspire, experience. Each year, this international event seeks to present the diversity of chess, its cultural values, and its community-building power in a unique format and setting. One of this year’s novelties was the RubikChess competition, where fifty young mixed pairs tested their skills. The unusual combination of the two games sparked great interest, and registrations quickly filled up. Seeing the success of the event, it is not unlikely that RubikChess will become a permanent program of the festival in the future. The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess was proud to support the launch of the RubikChess competition, recognizing its unique emphasis on teamwork, creativity, and gender equality. With each team composed of one girl and one boy, the format reflects the Commission’s mission to create opportunities where talent knows no gender and collaboration strengthens performance. The presence of Commission Chairwoman Anastasia Sorokina, who also presented prizes to young talents at the festival, further underlined FIDE WOM’s commitment to initiatives that inspire the next generation and promote inclusion in chess. The festival also featured a special performance of Queen’s Trap by Chilean artist Juga, an audiovisual project developed in cooperation with the Commission, celebrating the power and creativity of women in chess. Thanks to the online broadcast, hundreds of thousands followed the Community Simul, in which Judit Polgar played simultaneously on six boards against teams joining from different parts of the world — including the interactive digital learning platform Chessable and ChessIsForEveryone, along with a group led by a former world chessboxing champion. Among younger audiences, the technological innovations showcasing the future of chess were especially popular. Highlights included the world’s first AI-powered chess robot capable of moving real pieces, and the magical GoChess board where the pieces move independently. “For me, chess has always been about creation, discovery, and courage. These values are also reflected in my festival. I want to inspire the audience to step outside the usual boundaries and explore how many opportunities the game offers — not only on the board, but in life as well,” said Judit Polgár, founder and organizer of the Global Chess Festival. Throughout the day, the festival audience enjoyed a wide range of special programs. On the Morgan Stanley stage, The Invisible Chess Game was presented, featuring Judit Polgár and her former teammate, Olympic silver medalist grandmaster Peter Ács, playing on a visual installation board designed by Samuel Havadtőy. Another historic highlight was the first-ever live human–robot chess match, in which young Hungarian chess talent Gellért Karácsonyi faced off against the SenseRobot. “This year’s Global Chess Festival once again showed how play can connect people across borders, generations, and cultures. It was truly inspiring to see our Morgan Stanley colleagues demonstrate at the chessboard the same creativity and strategic thinking that defines our everyday work in areas such as technology, risk management, and financial modeling. For us, supporting the festival was not only about celebrating chess, but also about fostering new connections and communities,” said Dániel Mayer, Head of Morgan Stanley’s Budapest office. Competitive chess enthusiasts also found their place at the festival: the Play on the Square chess tournament was included in the program, while the Let’s Chess! workshops, led by International Master Ármin Juhász, provided opportunities to develop strategic thinking and deepen analytical skills. Visitors could also enjoy thrilling matches against renowned masters in the Challenge the Master! event. In addition to the chess experience, museum educators of the Hungarian National Gallery enriched the day with thematic guided tours, allowing visitors to experience the worlds of art and chess together. Since 2015, the Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival has been held annually, bringing the values of chess to millions worldwide. Beyond promoting the sport, the event builds bridges between cultures, generations, and communities through the universal language of chess. This year’s festival once again proved that chess is not merely a game, but an experience that inspires, connects, and brings joy to all ages. Results:RUBIK CHESS: Luca Miklós – Jan Marco Albers (Egyházaskozár-Bikali Primary School) (5/4.5 points) Hanna Miklós – Ádám Dunai (Egyházaskozár-Bikali Primary School) (4.5) Tábita Dan – Bálint Mázsár (Egyházaskozár-Bikali Primary School) (4) Detailed results: chess-results.com/tnr1263763.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=5&SNode=S0 Community Simultaneous:Each of the six communities was defeated by Judit Polgár. Chess on the Square Tournament: Máté Pápai (5/5 points) András Ilkó-Tóth (4.5) Róbert Major (4.5) Pavel Capek (4.5) Erik Czikiollai (4) Mihály Puskás (4) Best U16 Girl: with 4/5 points, Sofi Lytvynenko (8 years old).The prize was presented by Anastasia Sorokina, Chairwoman of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess (WOM). Best U16 Boy: Máté Pápai (5/5 points) Detailed results: s1.chess-results.com/tnr1263717.aspx?lan=1 Programmes: globalchessfestival.com/index.php/en/
FIDE October 2025 Rating List: Zhu Jiner climbs to #2, Anish Giri returns to top 10 Open
The October 2025 FIDE rating list was primarily shaped by the FIDE Grand Swiss, the Women’s Grand Swiss, and the inaugural Fujairah Global Chess Championships. These competitions triggered notable changes in the top 100 of both the Open and Women’s rankings. Zhu Jiner soared to the world #2 spot following her excellent performance at the Fujairah Global Chess Championships – Superstars, where she earned 21 rating points and reached a career-high. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Divya Deshmukh the only two female players in the FIDE Grand Swiss impressed in this competition. Goryachkina returned to the top five on the women’s list after gaining 13 rating points, while Divya climbed to 11th with a 20-point boost. Anish Giri re-entered the Open top 10 after an 18-month absence, thanks to his well-deserved victory at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, which earned him 13 rating points. Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE Vaishali R successfully defended her title at the Women’s Grand Swiss, picking up 21 rating points and reaching a career-high 15th place. Biggest gains in top 100 Open and Women Atwell, Rose FM USA 2353 (+69) Mohammadi, Melika WFM IRI 2342 (+54) Pranav V GM IND 2641 (+45) Mishra, Abhimanyu GM USA 2652 (+41) Song, Yuxin IM CHN 2444 (+35) Goltseva, Ekaterina WGM FIDE 2347 (+34) Nurman, Alua WGM KAZ 2347 (+31) Predke, Alexandr GM SRB 2634 (+25) Fataliyeva, Ulviyya IM AZE 2410 (+25) Krush, Irina GM USA 2388 (+22) This category was dominated by newcomers to the top 100. Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint-Louis Chess Club Sixteen-year-old Rose Atwell (pictured above) made her debut in the Women’s top 100, becoming the biggest rating gainer of September. She won the Labor Day CCC in Charlotte (+54 points) and overperformed at the Chess for Cure SoCal Open in Monrovia, USA (+15), which catapulted her to 85th place. Another youngster, 15-year-old Melika Mohammadi of Iran, excelled at the Fujairah Global Chess Championships – Masters, netting 54 rating points to break into the Women’s top 100. Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE Pranav V and Abhimanyu Mishra (pictured above) delivered back-to-back strong performances at the Fujairah Global Chess Championships – Superstars (won by Pranav) and the FIDE Grand Swiss, earning 45 and 41 points respectively. Both debuted in the Open top 100, at 84th and 69th. Song Yuxin (pictued below) followed a similar path, gaining 35 points across the Fujairah Masters and the Women’s Grand Swiss. The 19-year-old IM from China entered the Women’s top 30 for the first time. Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE Alua Nurman also shone at the Fujairah Masters, earning 31 points against tough opposition. Ulviyya Fataliyeva and Irina Krush climbed significantly after strong performances at the Women’s Grand Swiss. Finally, several experienced players—Alexei Shirov, Alexander Donchenko, Alexandr Predke, Ruslan Ponomariov, Robert Hovhannisyan, and David Anton Guijarro—overperformed in Samarkand and re-entered the Open top 100.