FIDE Awards of Excellence shortlist: Gukesh, Pragnananda and Divya Deshmukh lead India’s strong showing | Chess News
India’s dominance in world chess received another major recognition as reigning world champions D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Women’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh led a strong Indian squad on the shortlist for the inaugural FIDE Excellence Award.The International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Friday announced the nominees for the biennial awards, with Indian players, teams and national chess federations recognized in multiple categories. The award will be held in September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in conjunction with the 46th Chess Olympiad. The FIDE Excellence Awards were established earlier this year to recognize outstanding achievements within a two-year cycle, with the inaugural awards covering performance from September 2024 to August 2026.
Indians excel in major award categories
India’s largest representation comes from the Best Chess Players category.World champion Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi are shortlisted for the Best Chess Player (Male) award. They will compete against some of the biggest names in world chess, including the world no. Magnus CarlsonFabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Nodelbek Abdusatorov, Vincent Keimer and Javokir Zindarov.The women’s division also has a strong Indian influence. World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, two-time world rapid chess champion Koneru Humpy and women’s candidate champion R Vaishali join world champions Ju Wenjun, Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Lei Tingjie, Anna Muzychuk, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Zhu Jiner among the 10 nominees.Gukesh and Divya were also named in the Breakthrough (Rookie of the Year) category for their remarkable rise on the global stage. Gukesh became the youngest ever Classical World Champion, while Divya became one of the sport’s brightest young stars by winning the Women’s World Cup.Veteran Indian maestro Pentala Harikrishna is another Indian in contention after being nominated for the Best Comeback Award.
AICF, Team India and ChessBase India Foundation were also recognized
India’s influence extends beyond individual players.The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has been shortlisted for the Best Federation award along with leading chess bodies from China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and several other countries.The Indian Open and Women’s National Team were also nominated in the Best Team category, reflecting the country’s continued success in elite international competitions.The Indian Chess Base Foundation, which has played an important 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 Best Disabled Chess Player, India’s Janissa Anto was also among the finalists.According to FIDE, all nominees were selected by the FIDE Excellence Awards Jury in an open nomination process held throughout June.“Each of the eleven award categories, including six regular and five free categories, has 10 nominees selected by the FIDE Awards for Excellence Jury. The jury is appointed by the FIDE President in consultation with the FIDE Governing Council and the FIDE Awards for Excellence Working Group,” the governing body said.The selection process will now move on to the awards panel, which will review the shortlisted nominees and vote to determine the winners in all 11 categories ahead of the awards ceremony in Samarkand in September.
Full list of finalists for the FIDE Excellence Award:
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 Tournaments (Open): Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, Russian Chess Open, Dubai Open, Gronk Freestyle Open, Menorca Chess Open, Prague Chess Festival Open, Qatar Masters Open, Reykjavik Open, Sharjah Masters, US Chess Championship OpenBest tournament (round robin): Biel Chess Festival, Cairns Cup, Chess Tour, London Chess Classic, Norwegian Chess, Prague Chess Festival, Sinkfield Cup, Tata Steel Chess Championship, TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Championship, Uzbekistan Chess CupBest Federations: Chinese Chess Association, Colombian Chess Federation, Georgian Chess Federation, All India Chess Federation, Italian Chess Federation, Kazakhstan Chess Federation, Kenya Chess Federation, Serbian Chess Federation, Turkish Chess Federation, Uzbekistan Chess FederationBest Chess Initiatives: Armenia School Chess Program, Chess for Freedom, Chess Conservation, Chess in Schools and Communities, ChessBase India Foundation, Free Asia Chess Initiative (FACI), FIDE Unlimited Chess Project, Kasparov Chess Foundation for Africa, Queens Online Chess Festival, The Gift of ChessBest Team: Ashdod Elite Chess Club, China (Open and Women’s National Team), Dragon Chilling, Hexamind Chess Team, India (Open and Women’s National Team), Kazakhstan (Open and Women’s National Team), Team MGD1, USA (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, ZhukinerBest comeback: Levine Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Pentala Harikrishna, Vasily Ivanchuk, Parham Magsudru, Anna Muzchuk, Tan Zhongyi, Wei YiBest disabled chess players: Jennitha Anto, Artom Andriienko, Griffin McConnell, Jamal Messala, Natasha Morales Santos, Lukasz Nowak, Jesus Osorio, Handenur Sahin, Marcin Tazbir, Jessica LauserBest 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
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