Nepal's historic path to the FIDE Chess World Cup

Nepal a country located in the South Asia, has a growing interest and presence in the game of chess. Over the years, chess has gained popularity among the Nepalese citizens and the country has seen significant developments in the chess community.

First Rated Player of Nepal

Sitaram Agrawal the first rated player(2002) in the country and also known as Prabhu in Chess Community and here is his interview by ChessBase Nepal. 

The National Chess Championships go back to the end of 70s Bijay Sharma won the first national championship in 1970s and the first Women Chess Championship was held in 2008 which was won by WCM Monalisha Khamboo. 

First Chess Olympiad in 2004: -

Nepal participated in the Chess Olympiad for the first time in 2004 and scored 105th position out of 129 countries.

Manish Hamal who won the National Chess Championship in 2012 became the first titled player for Nepal in 2009 and paved the way for many more players. Now there are 23 titled players in Nepal. WCM Suruchee Thing was the first women to secure the WCM title in 2014 Chess Olympiad. and Sujana Lohani secured the WFM title in 2016 Chess Olympiad.

The 2022 Chess Olympiad

The selection process was briefly covered in this blog, but afterwards I couldn't focus on the event as my board exams were at the same time. Nepal performed exceptionally well in open section securing 87th place in the open and 94th place in women's section which is one of the highest achievements in team event. It opened the door for the participation in the FIDE World Cup 2023. 

FM Rupesh Jaiswal

The youngest FM in the history of Nepal at the age of 17, Jaiswal is aiming for Nepal's First International Master title. He won the National Chess Championship in 2023 and is the first participant in the FIDE World Cup from Nepal. 

Mahendra Dhakal is his first coach of Jaiswal and formed his foundation in his youth as he earned CM title in 2012 at the age of 14.  

Rupesh Jaiswal(on left) Bibek thing (on middle) and Saurab Pradhan(on right) after completing the undergraduate studies in Russia as they were rewarded Chess scholarship or sports excellence scholarship to RSSU University, Moscow on co-ordination with FIDE and Nepal Chess Association( now known as Nepal Chess Federation) which was a major boost for the two top rated players of Nepal. 

CM Bibek Thing(2269) and FM Rupesh Jaiswal(2122) and a young Purushottam Silwal(1897 at the age of 15) are the ray of hopes for the Nepal first IM title but the road is up hill task without major government support, sponsors and proper training for them, the search will be ongoing especially after the inflation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Round One

GM Guseinov, Gadir (2661) is the opponent of FM Rupesh Jaiswal in Round one of the FIDE World Cup 2023. 

I'd like to wish FM Rupesh Jaiswal all the best for the 2022 FIDE World Cup.

Hope you enjoyed reading my blog.