[ad_1]
India’s dominance in world chess has found yet another major recognition, with reigning world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandha and Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh leading a strong Indian contingent in the shortlist for the inaugural FIDE Award of Excellence.The International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Friday unveiled the nominees for the biennial awards, with Indian players, teams and the national federation receiving accolades in several categories. The awards will be presented in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in conjunction with the 46th Chess Olympiad in September. Established earlier this year, the FIDE Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding achievements over a two-year cycle, with the inaugural edition covering performances from September 2024 to August 2026.
Indians excel in major award categories
India’s highest representation comes in the best chess player categories.World Champion Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi were shortlisted for the Best Chess Player (Male) award. He will compete against some of the biggest names in world chess, including world no Magnus CarlsenFabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer and Javokhir Sindarov.The women’s category also boasts of a strong Indian presence. World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy and women’s champion R Vaishali are among the 10 nominees along with world champion Ju Wenjun, Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Lei Tingjie, Anna Muzychuk, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Zhu Jiner.Gukesh and Divya were also recognized in the Rookie of the Year category after their remarkable rise on the global stage. Gukesh became the youngest world champion in the classical style, while Divya won the Women’s World Cup title to place herself among the sport’s brightest young stars.Veteran Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna is another Indian in the running after earning a nomination in the Best Comeback category.
AICF, Indian teams and ChessBase India Foundation are also recognized
India’s impact goes beyond individual players.The All India Chess Federation (AICF) was shortlisted for the Best Federation Award along with leading chess bodies from China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and several other nations.The Indian Open and women’s national teams also secured a nomination in the best team category, reflecting the country’s continued success at elite international competitions.ChessBase India Foundation, which has played a significant role in popularizing chess and nurturing talent across the country, has been named among the nominees for the Best Chess Initiative Award.In the category of the best chess player with a disability, the Indian Jennitha Anto is also in the final shortlist.According to FIDE, all nominees were selected by the FIDE Excellence Awards jury following a public nomination process held during June.“Each of the eleven award categories, consisting of six regular categories and five discretionary categories, includes 10 nominees from the FIDE Excellence Awards Jury. The jury is appointed by the FIDE President in consultation with the FIDE Board of Directors and the FIDE Excellence Awards Working Group,” the governing body said.The selection process will now move to the awards selection committee, which will review the shortlisted candidates and vote to determine the winners in all 11 categories before the ceremony in Samarkand in September.
The full selection of FIDE Excellence Awards:
Best chess player (men): Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer, R Praggnanandhaa, Javokhir SindarovBest Chess Player (Female): Bibisara Assaubayeva, Divya Deshmukh, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Koneru Humpy, Lei Tingjie, Anna Muzychuk, Tan Zhongyi, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Ju Wenjun, Zhu JinerBest tournament (open): Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, Aeroflot Open, Dubai Open, Grenke Freestyle Chess Open, Open Chess Menorca, Prague International Chess Festival Open, Qatar Masters Open, Reykjavik Open, Sharjah Masters, US Open Chess ChampionshipBest tournament (head-to-head): Biel Chess Festival, Cairns Cup, Grand Chess Tour, London Chess Classic, Norwegian Chess, Prague International Chess Festival, Sinquefield Cup, Tata Steel Chess Tournament, TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament, UzChess CupBest Federation: Chinese Chess Federation, Colombian Chess Federation, Georgian Chess Federation, All India Chess Federation, Italian Chess Federation, Kazakhstan Chess Federation, Chess Kenya, Chess Federation of Serbia, Turkish Chess Federation, Uzbekistan Chess FederationBest Chess Initiative: Armenian School Chess Program, Chess for Freedom, Chess for Protection, Chess in Schools and Communities, ChessBase India Foundation, Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI), FIDE Infinite Chess Project, Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa, Queens’ Online Chess Festival, The Gift of ChessBest Team: Ashdod Elite Chess Club, China (Open and Women’s National Teams), Dragon Chilling, Hexamind Chess Team, India (Open and Women’s National Teams), Kazakhstan (Open and Women’s National Teams), Team MGD1, United States (Open National Team), Uzbekistan (Open National Team), WR Chess TeamBest Breakthrough (Rookie of the Year): Divya Deshmukh, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Faustino Oro, Gukesh Dommaraju, Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, Vincent Keymer, Volodar Murzin, Javokhir Sindarov, Andy Woodward, Zhu JinerBest comeback: Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Vladimir Fedoseev, Pentala Harikrishna, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Parham Maghsoodloo, Anna Muzychuk, Tan Zhongyi, Wei YiBest chess player with a disability: Jennitha Anto, Artom Andriienko, Griffin McConnell, Jamal Messala, Natasha Morales Santos, Lukasz Nowak, Jesus Osorio, Handenur Sahin, Marcin Tazbir, Jessica LauserTop creators: Alexandra Botez and Andrea Botez, Anna Cramling, ChessBase India, ChessBrah, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Leontxo García, Hikaru Nakamura, Levy Rozman, Sagar Shah, Simon Williams
[ad_2]
Source link
