CHENNAI, Dec 6: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team will felicitate world chess champion Viswanathan Anand on the opening day of their first cricket Test against England, beginning on Dec 11.

Dhoni will present Anand with a one carat diamond ring, worth approximately Rs 5 lakh, at a function organised by the All India Chess Federation, it was announced on Saturday.

Anand has returned home after defending his world title against Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in a match at Bonn, Germany in October.

The Indian chess ace has for the third time won the title after he first crowned himself in 2001 and then in 2007 and 2008 asserting his supremacy in all the their formats - knock-out, round-robin and matchplay - respectively to be among the all time greats of the sports.—Agencies

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...