India’s dominance in world chess has received another major endorsement, with world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh leading the Indian contingent in the inaugural FIDE Prize for Excellence.The International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Friday revealed the nominees for the biennial awards, with Indian players, teams and international organizations receiving honors in several categories. The awards will be presented in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in conjunction with the 46th Chess Olympiad in September. Launched earlier this year, the FIDE Excellence Awards celebrate achievements over two years, with the first edition running from September 2024 to August 2026.
Indians feature prominently in major award categories
India’s greatest representation comes in the categories of Best Chess Players.World champion Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi have all been 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 group also prides itself on being strong Indians. World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, two-time world champion Koneru Humpy and Women’s Candidates winner 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 category of Best Breakthrough (Rookie of the Year) following their incredible rise in the world. Gukesh became the youngest world champion, while Divya took the title of Women’s World Cup to become one of the most promising young champions in the sport.Former Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna is another Indian contender after being nominated in the Best Comeback category.
AICF, Indian teams and ChessBase India Foundation also recognized it
India’s influence extends beyond individual players.The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has been selected for the Best Federation award along with leading chess federations from China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and several other countries.The India Open and Women’s national teams have also secured nominations in the Best Team category, reflecting the country’s success at the top international tournaments.ChessBase India Foundation, which has played a major role in promoting and nurturing chess talent across the country, has been shortlisted for the Best Chess Initiative award.In the category of Best Chess Player with a disability, India’s Jennitha Anto is also in the final list.According to FIDE, all nominees were chosen by the FIDE Excellence Awards Jury following a public nomination process held in June.“Each of the eleven award categories, which have six permanent categories and five discretionary categories, has 10 nominees selected by the FIDE Excellence Awards Jury. The jury was chosen by the FIDE President in consultation with the FIDE Management Board and the FIDE Excellence Awards Working Group,” said the governing body.The selection process will now go to the award selection committee, which will review the nominees and vote to determine the winners in all 11 categories before the ceremony in Samarkand in September.
Full List of FIDE Excellence Awards:
Best Chess Player (Male): 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 (Round-robin): Biel Chess Festival, Cairns Cup, Grand Chess Tour, London Chess Classic, Norway Chess, Prague International Chess Festival, Sinquefield Cup, Tata Steel Chess Tournament, TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament, UzChess CupBest Federation: Chinese Chess Association, 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 of Chess, The Gift GiftBest 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 TeamRookie of the Year: Divya Deshmukh, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Faustino Oro, Gukesh Dommaraju, Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, Vincent Keymer, Volodar Murzin, Javokhir Sindarov, Andy Woodward, Zhu JinerGood Return: Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Vladimir Fedoseev, Pentala Harikrishna, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Parham Maghsoodloo, Anna Muzychuk, Tan Zhongyi, Wei YiBest Disabled Chess Player: Jennitha Anto, Artom Andriienko, Griffin McConnell, Jamal Messala, Natasha Morales Santos, Lukasz Nowak, Jesus Osorio, Handenur Sahin, Marcin Tazbir, Jessica LauserBest Creator: Alexandra Botez and Andrea Botez, Anna Cramling, ChessBase India, ChessBrah, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Leontxo García, Hikaru Nakamura, Levy Rozman, Sagar Shah, Simon Williams
