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Olympiad round 1: Did Humpy ever take a break from chess?!

25/09/2018 -

Koneru Humpy played her first tournament game after a break of nearly two years. How would she play was the question on everyone's mind. Well it seems as if she picked up from where she had left and played some excellent chess to beat New Zealand's Helen Milligan. The Indian women's team blanked the Kiwis 4-0. Tania was in trouble but managed to survive. Anand took rest for the first round against El Salvador in the open section. India scored 3.5-0.5 with just Sasikiran drawing his game. It has been a good start for Team India, but we are just beginning here. It will be interesting to see as the rounds progress as to how we hold up. Check out this detailed report with pictures from Amruta Mokal and Niklesh Jain and in-depth analysis of Humpy's game by GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly.

Live Games and Updates of Team india from Batumi Olympiad 2018

24/09/2018 -

The Batumi Chess Olympiad is one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the world. Team India begins as the fourth seeds in the open section and as the fifth seeds in the women' section. With Vishy Anand and Koneru Humpy back in the team, India has a realistic chance of winning a medal. On this page, you can follow the entire journey of the Indian team from the start until the end of the event. First of all, you can see the live games and commentary here, but apart from that, you will find all the relevant links required of previous reports, chess-results and other important sources. This page will be updated every day several times to give you live updates as well. We suggest that you bookmark this page on your browser to follow team India's journey at the Batumi Chess Olympiad 2018. 

I may take risk in chess, but it is completely unacceptable in finance - Vishy Anand

23/09/2018 -

A very interesting article has been published earlier this week by the Livemint, an Indian financial daily newspaper. In this article Anand shares with us how managing money is similar to handling chessboard, the key is to study past dealings and apply knowledge to new transactions. It gives you interesting insights into the mind of one of the best chess players and how he thinks about finances. Anand has won five World Championships, done various advertisements and endorsements, has a permanent sponsor in NIIT. Naturally he makes good amount of money and needs to manage it well. Read the full article to learn money managing tips from the Tiger of Madras.

Ilamparthi wins 32nd National under 9 with a round to spare and Sneha in the sole lead among girls

22/09/2018 -

Ilamparthi A R of Tamil Nadu wins 32nd National under 9 Chess Championship 2018 in open category with a round to spare. Ilamparthi won all 10 games he has played so far and he shows no sign of stopping. In the girls section, Sneha Halder of West Bengal defeated Hiya Panchal of Gujarat to gain sole lead heading into the final round. There are three players trailing behind her by half-a-point at 8.0/10, they are Indira, Hiya and Suhaani. With the open section champion already decided, all eyes will be on the girls section tomorrow to see who wins the proverbial crown. This report contains photos, games and important positions from round 10. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

32nd National under 9: Ilamparthi and Hiya in sole lead

22/09/2018 -

Ilamparthi A R of Tamil Nadu made a quick work of Mayank Chakraborty as the game finished in just over an hour. Mayank blundered his queen early on in the game as his queen got trapped in 18 moves. Hiya Panchal of Gujarat won her game comfortably when she trapped her opponent's Bishop in just 19 moves. Ilamparthi needs a win a penultimate round to become a champion with a round to spare, while Hiya's win would make her a step closer to the champion's trophy. In this report, you will find photos, games and critical positions from round 9. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Priyanka K. wins under-17 Nationals for second time in a row!

22/09/2018 -

She is a fighter not just on the chess board but also in life. Priyanka's chess career was on the rise and she was doing very well until a disaster struck her family. She was ten years old and her father met with an accident and passed away. Since then apart from the feeling of someone missing in her life, Priyanka's chess career has been constantly mired with financial difficulties. But her resolve is strong. A strong chess player is what she wants to become and there is nothing that can stop her. At the under-17 national championships recently held in Sonipat, Haryana from 3rd to the 11th of September 2018, she claimed the first spot! This was Priyanka's second under-17 national title after she had won it last year as well.

Humpy is back!

21/09/2018 -

World U10 Champion in 1997, World Girls U10 Champion and World Girls U12 Champion in 1998, Asian Girls U20 Champion in 2000, World Girls U14 Champion in 2001, World Girls U20 Champion in 2001 and runner-up in 2002. In 2000 she won the British Ladies Championship, becoming the youngest winner of the British Ladies title. She repeated her victory in 2002. After winning the World Girls U14 championship title, she Asia’s youngest Woman Grandmaster. In 2002, at the age of 15 years, 1 month, and 27 days she broke another record by being the youngest woman to receive the Grandmaster title. Arjuna Awardee and Padma Shri, she is our pride and star player Koneru Humpy, and she is back to play for team India at the Olympiad 2018 in Batumi after a hiatus of two years.

32nd National under 9 round 8: Hiya beats Indira to get into joint lead, Ilamparthi maintains sole lead

21/09/2018 -

Overnight leader Ilamparthi A R of Tamil Nadu maintained his sole lead with a perfect score by defeating Abhyuday Santosh of Karnataka. However, the sole leader of the girls' section, Indira Priyadharshini Subbu of TN lost to Panchal Hiya of Gujarat. Thus Hiya joining the previous round leader Indira at the conclusion of round 8. In the open section, only two players are trailing at 7.0/8 whereas in the girls section, there is four-way tie at 6.5/8 points at the second spot. In this report, we bring you photos and games from round 8. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Vishy Anand on the cover of Sports Illustrated India

21/09/2018 -

Sports Illustrated is one of the best sports magazines in the world. Recently they have begun with Sports Illustrated India where they have tried to maintain the same level of quality for their monthly magazines. The September issue of Sports Illustrated is very special for chess players. It has the cover story of one of the greatest India sportsperson ever - Viswanathan Anand. The magazine has given a generous space to cover Anand's life story right from childhood to his decision to play for Team India at the Batumi Olympiad 2018. In this article you get a glimpse of the contents in the magazine and some high quality pictures. Our recommendation is to buy the magazine, read it and then preserve it, so that you can get Vishy's autograph on it, on the day you meet him!

32nd National under 9 round 7: Ilamparthi and Indira in sole lead

20/09/2018 -

Ilamparthi A R and Indira Priyadharshini Subbu maintain sole lead with a perfect score of 7.0/7 after winning their 7th round game in 32nd National under 9 being held in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Top seed in the open category, Ilamparthi A R is the 7th highest rated player in the world in under 9 age category. A staggering 424 players comprising of 273 boys and 151 girls are taking part in this event. Total 2 lacs prize money is up for grabs consisting of 1 lakh in each category. In this report we bring photos, video and games from round 7 of the tournament. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

My brother is a hero: A true story of overcoming adversities and never giving up

20/09/2018 -

Have you every asked yourself "What I am made of?" When push comes to shove, when the rubber meets the road, when the chips are down, what lies at the very core of your character? It is only when things don't go our way and we are hit by adversities and setbacks which makes us tumble is when we learn about ourselves. You can choose the prism you want to look at life through, and sometimes even the most helpless of situations appear cheerful if you happen to look at it that way. Read this true inspiring story of Soundarya Kumar Pradhan, who despite his disability of being 100% blind has overcome all the difficult situations and proved that the only disability in life is a bad attitude. It's a story of a boy who comes from the most impoverished area in Odisha and went on to become the silver medalist at World Juniors Blind 2018. The article has been penned by none other than Prachurya Kumar Pradhan, Soundarya's best friend and beloved brother.

How to hold Anish Giri to a draw?

19/09/2018 -

As on 29th of July 2018 Anish Giri had a rating of 2780! He was ranked number five in the world. It goes without saying that he is one of the best players in the world. While the Dutch Open 2018 was in progress in Dieren, Netherlands, the organizers had prepared a special treat for the participants. 32 players would get a chance to play against the maestro in a simul. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and three Indians got the chance to play against Anish - Anand Nadar, Kushager Krishnater and Amardeep Bartakke. At the end of the simul, Anish managed to beat 31 opponents, but one of them slipped out of his hands! It was none other than the Mumbai youngster Kushager Krishnater, who played a fine game to hold the Dutch no.1 to a draw. Check out the game along with some very nice pictures by Harry Gielen. 

My experience of spending 50 days in Barcelona

19/09/2018 -

A few months ago ChessBase India came up with the innovative and at the same time enterprising idea of the ChessBase India Power Tour to the Catalan circuit in Barcelona. Young kids always need their parents to travel to tournaments. Many of the times the parents lose a lot of their time and money in accompanying their kids to the tournaments. In order to make it more efficient, we started with the ChessBase India Power Tour, where the parents could send their kids with a capable tour manager. The thought was that people would save money and also could continue with their daily work, while their children pursued their passion. While all of this happened, the benefits for the kids were much more! Travelling alone made them confident and self-sufficient. Kavisha Shah, one of the participants in this trip, sends us her account. 

Are you looking for a strong rating tournament in India next week?

18/09/2018 -

Shri Maheshwaranand Saraswati All India Open FIDE Rating Chess Tournament is slated to be held in Pune, Maharashtra from the 25th to the 30th of September 2018. The tournament will witness its 15th successful edition this year, which will be held after a one year gap. The event will be headlined by the country's latest grandmaster, GM Karthik Venkataraman and includes a long list of strong participants in the fray. Here's all you need to know about the event. Along with it we also tell you about the Buddhibal Kreeda Trust (BKT), an organization in Pune that has worked tirelessly since years to ensure the growth and development of chess in the city and the state of Maharashtra.

ACL Challengers League is open for all academies

17/09/2018 -

After the successful completion of ACL 1st Super League 2018, ChessBase India brings you ACL 1st Challengers League 2018. The Challengers League is for all the teams to qualify for the 2nd edition of Super League. Top 8 teams from the Challengers League will qualify for the 2nd Super League. This time there is no restriction for the number of teams that can take part in each of the four rating categories (Unrated, 1000-1400, 1400-1800, 1800-2200). The format will be Swiss-League, so all teams get to play equal number of matches. All games will be available for download, so that everyone can prepare for their opponent and analyse their games to rectify their mistakes and improve. The time control will be 45 minutes + 10 seconds increment, so that everyone can play strong chess and prepare better for their upcoming tournaments.