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Monday Memories: Vishy Anand trivia

01/06/2020 -

We are aware of the fact that two days ago Vishy Anand returned back to India, but before that while he was stuck in Germany, the maestro posed a trivia on his facebook on 18th May. The question was, "What was so important about this simul? Can you spot me? And where and when did this happen??" If you were able to find answers to all questions then it's wonderful, if you haven't managed to figure out this challenge shared by the seven-time World Champion, then you should check out this article which reveals all the answers by Anand himself who shared the answers through a video on his fb page on 24th May 2020. Photo: Vishy Anand's fb

The secret chess database

What is a very powerful way to do your opening preparation? Enter the world of Correspondence Database 2020. This is a database of 1.6 million games played in correspondence chess which can give you some amazing ideas which your over the board opponents would not be aware of! Check more details.

Get the Correspondence Database 2020

Atma-Nirbhar (self-reliant) India - J&K's Anil Kotwal shows the way

01/06/2020 -

The lockdown has proved to be difficult period for everyone across the country. However, some people have made the best use of this time to not just be creative but also help people around them. One such story is of Mr. Anil Kotwal who is a chess lover, a chess dad and a government employee in Jammu Kashmir. Father of Arushi Kotwal, a talented youngster of Indian chess, Anil is very closely attached to the game of chess. So what did he do? He came up with an idea to build his own chess board, which is extremely artistic, sturdy and long lasting. Following the Prime Minister's Aatma Nirbhar (self reliant) slogan, Kotwal managed to come up with something special.

ChessBase India YouTube channel crosses 350,000 subscribers

31/05/2020 -

We started our ChessBase India YouTube channel as a way to interview top players, coaches, parents, organizers, sponsors and all the people connected with the game of chess. Slowly it extended into showcasing games of players, top class analysis, live shows and much more. The main aim of the channel is to enrich and enlighten players and spectators and make chess one of the most followed sports in India and the world. At the beginning of the year we had around 250,000 subs, now after five months we have gained over 100,000 subscribers and reached 350,000. Did you know the channel has 17 videos with over a million views? The top five videos together total up to 100 million views! This is the right time to share with you our top ten videos!

The future of chess books (2)

31/05/2020 -

So I am being pressured to publish a book, a collection of articles that have, in the last twenty years, appeared on our news page – especially those describing encounters with famous players. And the ones that showed entertaining puzzles and games. They were very nice on a computer monitor, where you can replay and analyse everything – but transfering them onto very thin slices of tree? Nobody fetches a chessboard and pieces to replay moves anymore. Ahh, but there's a solution to this problem. Let me show you. And please help me evaluate this approach.

Stranded in Budapest – but rewarded by the world's best! + Anand returns!

30/05/2020 -

Two months ago, just before his 14th birthday, Indian super-talent (Elo 2452) Leon Luke Mendonca played in the 1st Saturday tournament in Budapest, Hungary. He was scheduled to fly back on the 18th of March, but the Indian government closed the country on the 19th. So for over two months now Leon and his father Lyndon have been separated from their family in Goa. Only comfort: they are stranded in what Lyndon called "one of the most beautiful cities in the world." And they got to meet a wonderful lady who inspired the young chess player deeply. Latest: yesterday five-time World Champion Vishy Anand was able to fly back to India after being stranded for over three months in Frankfurt, Germany.

Master Mind's Mind Master: A Poetic Book Review

30/05/2020 -

Upendra Rawat's poem on Vishy Anand titled "TYGER TYGER BURNING BRIGHT" which was published on ChessBase India during the numero uno's 50th birthday was received with great warmth by the readers. People loved it and we also judged it to be the best wish to the legend on his 50th birthday. Now Upendra is back with another poem, this time on Vishy Anand's recently released autobiography named "Mind Master". Through passionately written lines the author tells people what a deep impact the book has made on him and how reading it is a must for every chess and Vishy Anand fan.

Nihal beats Carlsen for the very first time in a Blitz game

29/05/2020 -

Due to Covid-19 pandemic all over-the-board tournaments have either been cancelled or postponed. However Chess is such a sport that can still be played online without huge modifications, in fact slim to none would be the right thing to say. Thanks to various online platforms, players from all over the world can play against their favorites at the champion's convenience. You just have to pick your poison, know who is going to play when and where, if you show enough grit, who knows you might get to play against your favorites from the comfort of your home. On May 27th, Nihal Sarin sent a challenge to the World no.1 during his banter blitz session and guess what? Nihal beat Carlsen for the very first time in an online blitz match. Photo: Amruta Mokal

Mitrabha Guha wins Buddhibal Kreeda Trust Fischer Random Online Blitz Open

28/05/2020 -

Babysnake (IM Mitrabha Guha) scored an unbeaten 8.0/9 to win Buddhibal Kreeda Trust Fischer Random Online Blitz Open. He fought against all odds and won ₹11000 cash for his efforts. Peruvian IM Terry Renato, GM Raunak Sadhwani and IM Aronyak Ghosh, three players finished at 7.5/9, they were placed second, third and fourth respectively according to their tie-break scores. The tournament witnessed the participation of 30 GMs, 23 IMs, 3 WGMs and 5 WIMs from all across countries across the world including India. This was the third ever Fischer Random event hosted by ChessBase India on Playchess and it was the champion's first ever Chess960 in his career. Photo: Niklesh Jain

Maharashtra Chess Association organizes Letsup presents Blitz GP 2020

28/05/2020 -

Maharashtra Chess Association organizes LetsUp presents Blitz Grand Prix 2020 starting from 3rd June 2020. Every Wednesday from 3rd June to 1st July 2020 Blitz GP Open will take place at 8 p.m. IST on Playchess. The entire event will have a total prize fund of ₹155000. Each event in the GP will have a total prize fund of ₹25000 and additional top five finishers of the GP will receive a total of ₹30000. The tournament is Open to everyone all across the world. Entry is FREE for GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs. Entry fee for each tournament is ₹250, if you register for all five events then entry fee is ₹1000. Registration is now Open. Photo: Maharashtra Chess Association

Singapore vs Kazakhstan Age Group Battle

27/05/2020 -

GM Kevin Goh from Singapore wanted to help in the fight against the invisible warrior - the Coronavirus. Kevin recently ended Singapore's drought of being GM-less for 21 years. As a GM and the leading player of the country he took it upon himself to raise funds during this difficult period. This is what inspired the continuous series of online chess events, titled #ChessAgainstCovid, with different 'modes'. Players were invited to Bughouse chess, Fischer Random (Chess 960), GM Simul and more! And the result? The events are still going on and #ChessagainstCovid has managed to raise a massive S$82,324 SGD (44 lakh rupees) of the total 100,000 SGD. In this article we tell you about the Singapore vs Kazakhstan friendly youth match

Champions Combat Corona - Samriddhaa Ghosh

27/05/2020 -

To find out how the champions are dealing with the global pandemic Covid-19, we decided to start a new series titled Champions Combat Corona where the current National Champions talk about how they are coping with the unprecedented adversity. In this article, the current WB State and National Under-17 Girls champion Samriddhaa Ghosh of Kolkata, talks about how she is spending her lockdown days. How she is making the most out of this pandemic, she had plans to play tournaments throughout the year but now she has to confine herself in online events only. She is also a bibliophile and she also found a new love towards Rabindra Sangeet. We also take a look at one of her online Blitz game win against IM Ravi Teja. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

A theory on Theories

27/05/2020 -

India's 33rd GM Vishnu Prasanna is a prolific trainer. He has trained World's second youngest GM in history GM Gukesh D and also worked with GM Adhiban B, he is also training with GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly. He launched his new official website on 1st May 2020. The website has all the information about Vishnu and it is rich with features. One of the feature of the site is blog where Vishnu himself discusses various themes about chess. In his third blog post, he talks about theories. We all know that we must learn theories in chess to improve the understanding of the game. However he also mentions the fact that there is no single theory for every position in chess. Photo: Unknown

Komodo 14 is here! Pre-Order now

26/05/2020 -

ChessBase brings you Komodo Chess 14 inspired by AlphaZero, the double world champion is now available for pre-order. Get 10% discount if you pre-order it by 23:59:59 on 26th May 2020. The product releases tomorrow 27th May. Komodo 14 is 40 Elo points stronger than its predecessor and it is the 2019 World Chess Computer Champion and also 2019 World Chess Software Champion. That's not all, Komodo 14 comes with six months ChessBase Premium Account which can be used on any platform. Komodo has already set benchmarks with its innovative approach with MCTS (Monte Carlo Tree Search). So hurry up, pre-order now.

Rs.34,000 Online Blitz event with no entry fee by Kings' Chess Academy

25/05/2020 -

Kings' Chess Academy - Hyderabad presents 6th Seshamma Memorial Online Blitz Open on 30th May at 8 p.m. IST. The Total Prize fund is ₹34000 including the first prize of ₹10000. The best thing about this tournament is entry is FREE. That's right, irrespective of your title, rating or location, you don't have to pay anything to take part in this tournament. So what's the catch? The catch is simple all interested players must register by filling up the form. That's it. Entry will not be accepted by any other means. When is the last date? Anytime which means as soon as we reach 500 registrations, entry will close. So hurry up, register first and think later. Photo: Kings' Chess Academy

Last chance to be a part of the FIDE Online Trainers Seminar taking place from 29th to 31st May

25/05/2020 -

The FIDE online trainers seminar in cooperation with ChessBase India will be held from the 29th to the 31st of May 2020. It is your chance to not just become a certified FIDE trainer as you will be granted a title, but you will also receive training by some of the best trainers in the world like Yusupov, Sokolov, Yu Shaoteng, Motylev, Dejan Bojkov and Thomas Luther. The last date for registration is 26th of May 2020. In this article we not only provide you will all the details to register but also provide you some of the answers to Frequently asked questions by the participants.