Indian chess stalwart Varugeese Koshy passes away at 66 

Legendary Indian chess player Varugeese Koshy passed away on Wednesday, May 8, at the age of 66. A veteran chess player, Koshy was hailed as an endgame expert.

He represented India on numerous occasions in international tournaments and was one of the finest trainers the country has ever seen.

Koshy was known for mentoring Indian chess players like P. Harikrishna, S. L. Narayanan and N.R. Visakh, among others. Koshy also worked with the Central Reserve Police Force in Mt. Abu, Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO, Jamshedpur) before calling it quits in 2018.

For the unversed, Varugeese Koshy was one of the founding members of the Chess Players Forum, formed in 2020-21. The Forum was introduced to the world, aiming to stand in the interest of the players and to take their issues to the Government and other authorities.

"Welcome to a new chapter in the History of Indian Chess! The Chess Players Forum has been founded to give a voice to the chess players of India for their own welfare and rights, as well as duties," the Forum wrote on its website.

IM Varugeese Koshy took on the role of the President, while Dibyendu Barua was the vice presidentThe .

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Gukesh, Arjun and Praggnanandhaa to face Magnus Carlsen at Superbet Rapid and Blitz 2024

Grand Chess Tour 2024 season begins with the upcoming Superbet Rapid and Blitz tournament. For the first time in the history of the Grand Chess Tour, as many as three Indians, namely Dommaraju Gukesh, Arjun, and Praggnanandhaa will make their presence felt.

The trio will take on the likes of Magnus Carlsen (NOR), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), Wei Yi (CHN), Anish Giri (NED), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL), Vincent Keymer (GER) and Kirill Shevchenko (ROU).

“I am very happy to be the only representative of adults who are 30 years and older. It's going to be an interesting challenge for sure. I played tournaments where there is a mix but I don't think I have played tournaments like this where there is almost exclusively young players, so it's going to be fun”, Carlsen was quoted on Chess Base India.

The Superbet Rapid and Blitz 2024 event will take place at Museum of the history of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen will be the oldest player to take part in the competition.