Latest news with #TeamMGD1
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First Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Anish Giri hilariously trolls Ian Nepomniachtchi after controversy at World Blitz Team Championship: 'The good thing with Ian is'
The 2025 FIDE World Blitz Team Championship ended with WR Chess lifting the title, but not without controversy. Anish Giri has now trolled Ian Nepomniachtchi online after confronting him at the venue during the event. read more The 2025 edition of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships recently wrapped up in London, where Team MGD1 won the rapid title and WR Chess ended up winning the blitz title. However, the tournament didn't end without its fair share of controversy that happened after the WR Chess team got a chance to replay their quarter-final match , which they had originally lost. The original loss came after WR players, including Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Hikaru Nakamura, arrived late to their games against Germany and Friends due to alleged confusion over round timings. Vincent Keymer's team handed a 4-2 defeat to WR Chess, following which the latter protested and got a re-match arranged. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The match was replayed and WR Chess won 4.5-1.5 and 4-2. They then defeated Hexamind Chess Team in the semi-finals and KazChess in the final to win the FIDE World Blitz Team Championship 2025. However, Hexamind's Anish Giri wasn't happy with how things went and exchanged words with WR players, including Nakamura and Nepomniachtchi. Giri mocked by Nepo and Nakamura In a video shared by ChessBase India, Giri was seen confronting the WR players, repeatedly asking, 'Would you have replayed the match if you had won?' That triggered a heated exchange with Nepomniachtchi, who hit back by saying things like, 'Big expert in law, Anish. Since when? Next FIDE president. Anish seems so smart, but whenever he opens his mouth… it's already questionable.' Nakamura was heard saying, 'Why does he care so much?' Giri takes fresh jibe at Nepomniachtchi Meanwhile, American GM Hans Niemann joined in on X, joking: 'I think Anish and Nepo should settle things on the chess board. Happy to sponsor a match on Endgame!' Giri has now fired back at Nepomniachtchi with a fresh jibe referencing a previous World Blitz Championship where the Russian GM and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen agreed to share the title after multiple draws. 'The good thing with Ian is, one doesn't even need to beat him. Just hang in there long enough and he will probably accept to share the title. What do you think, Ian?" The good thing with Ian is, one doesn't even need to beat him. Just hang in there long enough and he will probably accept to share the title.🙈 What do you think @lachesisq?😅 — Anish Giri (@anishgiri) June 16, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
2025 FIDE Rapid & Blitz Team Championships: Erigaisi's MGD1 in knockouts, chases historic double
Arjun Erigaisi's Team MGD1 and Viswanathan Anand's Freedom powered into the knockouts on Day 1 of the Blitz leg at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships. Freedom advanced from Pool B along with Hexamind Chess Team, Theme International Trading, and Malcolm's Mates. MGD1, which won the Rapid leg in historic fashion, made it through a challenging Pool D, joined by KazChess, Hetman GKS Katowice, and Pool A qualifiers were WR Chess, Ashdod Elit Chess Club, Knight Dance, and FIDE Management Board. Pool C saw Uzbekistan, Germany and Friends, Rookies, and Generation XYZA make the cut. Also read | Indian boxer Nishant Dev wins second pro bout by unanimous decision What happens next? With the pool stage complete, the tournament now enters the knockout phase. Here's what lies ahead: - The 16 qualified teams (top four from each pool) will battle it out in a single-elimination format. - Each encounter consists of two games, with players alternating colours. - The time control is 3+2. And if teams are tied? - If a match ends level, teams will play up to three additional matches at 3+2, alternating colours each time, until a match is decided. - If still tied after three matches, a sudden-death game follows: a random pair of players (who've already faced each other) contest a bidding Armageddon game starting at 4+2. The tournament is taking place at the Novotel London West in London, England. WR Chess. The Blitz title last year was won by WR Chess, led by Magnus Carlsen, who is absent this year.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
With Arjun Erigaisi as their star player and a strong Indian presence, Team MGD1 wins FIDE World Rapid Team Championship 2025
Team MGD1, with Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi as their star player and N Srinath as the non-playing captain, won the FIDE World Rapid Team Championship 2025 in London on Saturday. A Pune-based chess management firm, Team MGD1 became the first Indian team to achieve this feat in the tournament's brief three-year history. Team MGD1 also featured the most Indian players in their squad. Alongside Erigaisi and Srinath, the team included Harikrishna Pentala, Pranav V, Leon Luke Mendonca, Atharvaa Tayade, and Hariharan Raghavan. Spanish GM David Anton Guijarro and Greek IM Stavroula Tsolakidou completed the roster as overseas players. In the 12-round Swiss-format tournament with a time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment from move one, Team MGD1 won 10 of 12 rounds, with one loss and one draw, finishing with 21 points. They closely edged out Hexamind Chess Team, which finished with 20 points and featured two Indian players — Vidit Gujrathi and Divya Deshmukh. The title was secured in a close final round against Malcolm's Mates, with crucial wins from Erigaisi, Pranav, and Tayade. Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand's Freedom team took third place with 17 match points. Another Indian participant, Nihal Sarin, represented Ashdod Elit Chess Club alongside strong players like Pavel Eljanov and Benjamin Gledura. Anand hailed the format of the event. 'What is commendable is that so many teams composed of fans and club players chose to participate, giving it a slight festival feel,' the five-time World Champion and India's greatest ever chess player told The Indian Express from London. With this victory in the tournament's third edition, Team MGD1 matched the title wins of inaugural champions WR Chess and 2024 winners Al-Ain ACMG UAE. WR Chess Team were the top seeds with big names like Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Hou Yifan, but they finished fifth. The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2025 is an event open to any team around the globe that meets the official requirements. According to FIDE, the teams can be made of club members, members of different federations or any other chess players. This structure has been designed to ensure an inclusive, level playing field where each team must have at least six and no more than nine players. The teams also have to include at least one female player and one recreational player who is defined as 'one who never achieved FIDE Standard, Rapid or Blitz Rating of 2000 (or an equivalent national rating, as determined by FIDE's Global Strategy Commission) Elo points (or unrated) up to and including the March 2025 rating lists.' Over 110 GMs competed across 52 teams in the rapid event. Some teams — like Noval Group Kyrgyzstan, Oxbridge, and Berlin Lasker Legends — had no grandmasters. Others, such as The London Legends and Rey Ahogado, featured no titled players. 'It's a very attractive format with all the expected excitement, and I believe this event will grow in strength in coming years,' Anand added. For FIDE, the international chess body, the event holds great significance. President Arkady Dvorkovich stated: 'This pivotal event distinguishes itself as the largest team tournament featuring both professional and non-professional players. The immense value of events like the WRB Teams lies in providing unique opportunities for recreational players and new chess talents to play alongside — and directly against — stars in genuine tournament settings. We're already seeing significant interest from potential hosts for next year's edition, and we're optimistic about this event's future and similar competitions globally.' Srinath, after the win, said: 'I'm absolutely elated. This is definitely one of the most special wins of my career. It's a fun event that has already fit into the cycle by its third year. While more relaxed than classical events, it remains intense nevertheless.' The total prize fund is €500,000, with €310,000 allocated to the rapid event and €190,000 to the blitz event.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
History made! Arjun Erigaisi, Srinath Narayanan's Team MGD1 becomes first Indian team to win FIDE World Rapid Team Championship
Team MGD1 made history by becoming the first Indian team to win the FIDE World Rapid Team Championships in London on Friday, securing 10 wins in 12 rounds over three days. The sixth-seeded team emerged victorious after an intense battle with Team Hexamind in the prestigious tournament, which featured 104 grandmasters including 5 from the world's top 10, competing for a record prize purse of €500,000. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Team MGD1, who had previously won silver and bronze medals in past editions, started strong with an undefeated record on day one. However, they faced setbacks with a draw against Team Freedom and a loss to Team Hexamind, requiring exceptional performance on the final day. The team responded by winning all four rounds on the last day. Team MGD1 consisted of GMs Arjun Erigaisi, Tsolakidou Stovroula, Pentala Harikrishna, Leon Mendonca, David Anton Guijarro, Pranav, Atharva Tayade, and team captain Srinath Narayanan. "This is very special! With the Indian team in the Olympiad we were the favourites to win and out here with Team MGD1 we were the underdogs. And yet we won Gold again!" said Team Captain, GM Srinath Narayanan. Team MGD1 finished with 21 points, one point ahead of Team Hexamind, while Team Freedom, featuring Viswanathan Anand, secured third place with 17 points. World number 3 Arjun Erigaisi led the team's final day charge, scoring 3.5 points out of 4 after a difficult second day where he managed only half a point. He defeated GM Richard Rapport, drew against GM Nihal Sarin, and won against GMs Jose Martinez and Luke McShane. "Team MGD1 is all about Team Spirit. I was having a bad day on day 2 and others stepped up to keep the momentum going. Also Atharvaa's performance was out of this world!" Arjun stated. IITian Atharvaa Tayade, competing on the Recreational Board, won 11 of 12 games and helped secure a 3:3 draw against Team Freedom when other boards split points and Arjun lost to Anand. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Pranav maintained perfect form on the final day, winning all four games including a victory over GM Ivan Saric, finishing with 7.5/8 points overall. "I am really happy! With this team it's mainly about a great culture! Even though I'm an amateur player they didn't make me feel like one. Also my entire college was rooting for me that was very special. I have to go back and get back my attendance!" said Atharvaa Tayade, who is pursuing his management degree from IIM Kolkata. The teams will now compete in the Blitz competition, with Team MGD1 aiming to achieve a double victory.
News18
14-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
World Rapid And Blitz Team Championships: Arjun Erigaisi's Team MGD1 Claim Rapid Title
Last Updated: The Erigaisi-led side finished at the top of the table, ahead of second-placed Hexamind and Viswanathan Anand-led Freedom came in third. Team MGD1 clinched the Rapid event title at the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships on Saturday as the Arjun Erigaisi-led side finished at the top of the table, ahead of second-placed Hexamind and Viswanathan Anand-led Freedom came in third. The team led by captain Srinath Narayanan comprised Tsolakidou Stovroula, Pentala Harikrishna, Leon Mendonca, David Anton Guijarro, Pranav and Atharva Tayade in addition to Erigaisi. MGD1, who had claimed the silver and bronze medals in the previous two editions of the event bettered their record to clinch the top podium spot with four wins on the last day of the Rapid event. 'This is very special! With the Indian team in the Olympiad we were the favourites to win and out here with Team MGD1 we were the underdogs. And yet we won gold again," skipper Srinath said following the triumph. 'Team MGD1 is all about Team Spirit. I was having a bad day on day 2 and others stepped up to keep the momentum going. Also Atharvaa's performance was out of this world," Erigaisi added. Despite commendable performances from across the spectrum, it was amateur player Atharvaa Tayade who shone the brightest with a nearly unblemished record at the team event that dictates contingents to include a sub-2000 ELO ranked male and female player each. Tayade remained unbeaten up until the final round in the Rapid section of the event in the United Kingdom to help his side script history with the victory as they became the first India team to clinch the coveted title in London. 'I am really happy! With this team it's mainly about a great culture! Even though I'm an amateur player they didn't make me feel like one," Tayade added. First Published: June 14, 2025, 10:00 IST
