India’s dominance in world chess has found another major endorsement, with reigning world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh leading a strong Indian contingent in the shortlist for the inaugural FIDE Excellence Awards.The International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Friday unveiled the nominees for the biennial awards, with Indian players, teams and the national federation earning recognition across several categories. The awards will be presented in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, alongside 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 feature prominently across major award categories
India’s biggest representation comes in the Best Chess Player categories.World champion Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi have all been shortlisted for the Best Chess Player (Male) award. They will compete against some of the biggest names in world chess, including world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer and Javokhir Sindarov.The women’s category also boasts a strong Indian presence. World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy and Women’s Candidates winner R Vaishali are among the 10 nominees alongside world champion Ju Wenjun, Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Lei Tingjie, Anna Muzychuk, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Zhu Jiner.Gukesh and Divya have also been recognised in the Best Breakthrough (Rookie of the Year) category following their remarkable rise on the global stage. Gukesh became the youngest-ever classical world champion, while Divya claimed the Women’s World Cup title to establish herself among the sport’s brightest young stars.Veteran Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna is another Indian in contention after earning a nomination in the Best Comeback category.
AICF, India teams and ChessBase India Foundation also recognised
India’s influence extends beyond individual players.The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has been shortlisted for the Best Federation award alongside leading chess bodies from China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and several other nations.India’s Open and Women’s national teams have also secured a nomination in the Best Team category, reflecting the country’s sustained success across elite international competitions.ChessBase India Foundation, which has played a significant role in popularising chess and nurturing talent across the country, has been named among the nominees for the Best Chess Initiative award.In the Best Chess Player with a Disability category, India’s Jennitha Anto also features in the final shortlist.According to FIDE, all nominees were selected by the FIDE Excellence Awards Jury following a public nomination process held throughout June.“Each of the eleven award categories, comprising six regular categories and five discretionary categories, features 10 nominees selected by the FIDE Excellence Awards Jury. The Jury was appointed by the FIDE President in consultation with the FIDE Management Board and the FIDE Excellence Awards Working Group,” the governing body said.The selection process will now move to the awards selection panel, which will review the shortlisted nominees and vote to determine the winners across all 11 categories before the ceremony in Samarkand in September.
Full FIDE Excellence Awards shortlists:
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, U.S. 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 Programme, 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 Elit 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 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
