From India-Nepal roots to Fide Candidates 2026: Anish Giri’s global chess journey eyes ultimate breakthrough

Anish Giri's father is from Nepal. His mother is Russian. His grandmother is from India. His birthplace is in Russia. He started chess in Japan and went on to represent the Netherlands. Currently, he is in Cyprus, aiming for the biggest win of his career, which will add another layer to his already remarkable journey.

The first round of Fide Candidates 2026 begins on 29 March, with eight top stars in the chess world ready to lock horns in a bid to get the chance to challenge the world champion D Gukesh. The tournament would not be easy, but Giri, 31, knows he has never been better prepared.

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Anish Giri's India connect

Indian fans have always been intrigued by Giri. The name sounds familiar and the looks too help Indians connect. He has Nepali roots and his father had Indian roots. Giri has also never shied away from his Indian roots. Of course, his name would not let him do that, but still, he embraces his links to India and Nepal.

He watches Indian movies, likes Indian food and can also connect with Indian music tunes. He has mastered Russian, English, and Dutch, and has a good knowledge of Japanese, Nepalese and German.

Giri was born in 1994 in St Petersburg, Russia and moved to Japan with his family in 2002. Six years later, his family shifted to the Netherlands in 2008 and since then, he has represented the country.

Apart from skills on the chessboard, Giri is also known for his sharp humour and has a good number of followers on social media for his content.

Giri's prodigious start

Giri started playing chess when he was just six years old. At just 14 years and seven months of age, Giri became a Grandmaster, becoming the youngest player to achieve the milestone at that time.

He renewed his Indian connection once again in 2010 when he joined the then world champion India's Viswanathan Anand in his team for the World Chess Championship against challenger Veselin Topalov.

At his debut at the Tata Steel Chess Masters in 2011, Giri defeated Magnus Carlsen with Black in 22 moves.

By 2015, Giri crossed the live rating of 2800. Even though he could not maintain the rating to register it in the official FIDE monthly rating, it was a remarkable feat for the Dutch Grandmaster.

However, as good as he was, Giri just could not quite get to the next level. He hovered around mid-2700s for a while, but his form has made a big leap in recent times.

Giri awaits the final push

The Dutch GM famously drew all 14 of his matches at the 2016 Candidates, which was his first appearance at the prestigious tournament. In 2020, he had a solid showing at the event and finished third.

Six years later, he is back in Candidates and this time he believes he is as good as the others. Against players with more than 2700 rating, he has gained 22 points since January 25. Only Javokhir Sindarov and Matthias Bluebaum have gained more against top players in that time.

In 2023, he won the Tata Steel Chess Masters. Last year, he won the FIDE Grand Swiss to confirm his place in the Candidates. Now, his confidence and form have put him in a good place to put the foot on the accelerator and advance his career to the next gear.

Challenges, however, are aplenty. The field is strong and even one mistake could end his dreams. He will have to adapt strongly against different opponents to win the Candidates, but if there is one thing that he has mastered through his journey, that is definitely adaptability.