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WestBridge Capital celebrates Gukesh's World Championship victory in Bangalore

13/01/2025 -

Gukesh has made history by becoming the youngest World Chess Champion. What better way to celebrate than with those who made it possible? The WestBridge-Anand Chess Academy (WACA) organized a felicitation ceremony on 5th January 2025 where Gukesh, his parents, and team members were honored. The event was hosted by Tania Sachdev and Sagar Shah at the Good Shepherd Auditorium in Bangalore. Gukesh and his team shared their experiences from this incredible journey. As a token of gratitude, the World Champion presented specially crafted rings to his parents and team members. The event also featured exciting games when Samay Raina joined the stage. The celebrations concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony. Check out the article for photos and videos of the event. | Photo: Eventive communications

ChessBase 18 and Mega 2025 are here

ChessBase 18 is an all-new program that helps you manage all your databases as an ambitious player. Mega Database 2025 has 11 million games with over 113,000 games annotated by masters. The cost of ChessBase 18 is Rs.4499/- and the cost of Mega Database 2025 is Rs.6499/- However, if you go for the combo the total amount comes to Rs.8999 (instead of 10,998/-) helping you save Rs. 1999/-.

ChessBase 18 + Mega 2025 Combo

Visakh N R triumphs at 21st Bois Colombes Master 2024

13/01/2025 -

GM Visakh N R, IM Lucas Di Nicolantonio (FRA) and IM Kirill Klukin scored 7/9 each at 21st Bois-Colombes Master Open A (≥1950) 2024. Visakh won the tournament on tie-breaks. The remaining two IMs were placed second and third respectively. Visakh drew with both runners-up and he was the only one among them to remain undefeated. The total prize fund of the tournament combining three category was €7400. The top three prizes in Open A were €1200, €800 and €500 along with a trophy each respectively. For the second consecutive year, an Indian won this tournament. Last year, GM Sankalp Gupta won this event. Photo: Vladislav Yastrebov/Cercle d’Échecs de Bois-Colombes

Di Li wins XIII Lorca International Festival 2024, Vignesh N R second

13/01/2025 -

Di Li (CHN) scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win XIII Lorca International Festival Group A Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. GM Vignesh N R scored sole 7.5/9 to secure second place. Vignesh also remained undefeated. GM Alexis Cabrera (ESP) edged past three more player on tie-breaks to finish third. The top three prizes were €1500, €900 and €700 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by C A Lorca with the collaboration of the City Council of Lorca, the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, the Chess Federation of the Region of Murcia and the Spanish Chess Federation at Hotel Amaltea **** in Lorca, Murcia, Spain from 26th to 30th December 2024. Photo: Concejalía de Deportes. Ayuntamiento de Lorca

3rd Goa GM R2-3: Viresh Sharnarthi outplays Ameya Audi

13/01/2025 -

Advaitt Srikant Koduri held Singapore's latest GM Siddharth Jagadeesh to a draw in the second round of Late Shri Manohar Parrikar Goa International GM Tournament 2025.Viresh Sharnarthi showed great positional understanding to beat IM Ameya Audi. Vignesh B drew with IM Aronyak Ghosh. WCM Charvi A drew in a much better position against IM Ethan Vaz. WCM Prishita Gupta shared the point against IM Ritviz Parab. IM Nitin S defeated GM Raset Ziatdinov (USA). In Round 3, IM Utsab Chatterjee held GM Mitrabha Guha to a draw. FM Ram Aravind L N got the better of IM Neelash Saha. WIM Mrudul Dehankar split the point with GM Deepan Chakkravarthy. Round 4 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: IA NI Vivek Sohani

Ajay Srikanth dominates 1st Sports Bees Rapid Rating Open 2024 after more than a decade long hiatus

12/01/2025 -

When a lot of tournaments take place, naturally a lot of champions get crowned. However, it is slightly different with Ajay Srikanth, the winner of 1st Sports Bees Rapid Rating Open 2024. He scored 8.5/9 and finished a half point ahead of the rest. Five players - FM Ankit Gajwa, IM Sathvik Adiga, Vivaan Sachdev, FM Apoorv Kamble and Aarya Satish Chikodi scored 8/9 each. They were placed second to sixth according to tie-breaks. Ajay defeated the eventual runner-up, Sathvik in the final round to become the champion. The total prize fund was ₹250000. The top three prizes were ₹35000, ₹25000 and ₹20000 along with a trophy each. The two-day nine-round Swiss league rapid rating tournament was organized by Sports Bees at CMK Convention Hall in Bangalore, Karnataka on 28th and 29th December 2024. This is Ajay's first rating tournament triumph of his career. If you have not played a tournament for a really long time, check out this report and you might just find your inspiration. Photo: sportsbees.in

New: Ivan Sokolov - Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.11 - King's Indian Structures

12/01/2025 -

The King’s Indian Defence is one of the most popular and historically rich openings in chess, known for its dynamic complexity and fierce battles for control. In this course, you will explore how to navigate White’s full pawn centre and understand the key plans for both sides. But understanding an opening doesn't stop at memorising theory. It's crucial to grasp the ideas and structures connected to the opening moves. Knowing how to apply these concepts and recognising mistakes from your opponent can give you a critical edge in the middlegame—a key component to transforming an opening advantage into a winning position. Photo: ChessBase

3rd Goa GM R1: Aadik and Arshiya draw with GMs

12/01/2025 -

Aadik Theophane Lenin and WCM Arshiya Das drew with GM Deepan Chakkravarthy and GM Alexei Fedorov respectively in the first round of Late Shri Manohar Parrikar Goa International GM Tournament 2025. The third edition witnesses the participation of 187 players including 17 GMs, 34 IMs and 6 WIMs in Category A (>2000) from 17 countries across the world including India. The Category B (Below 2000) has a total participation of 285 players. The total prize fund of the festival is ₹5300000. Category A has the prize fund of ₹2500000. Category C (Below 1700) starts on 16th January. Round 2 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: IA NI Vivek Sohani

Johor Chess Association invites you to 9th Johor Open 2025 in Malaysia

11/01/2025 -

Johor Chess Association invites you to 9th Johor International Open 2025. The tournament has two categories - Open and Challengers (Below 2000). The top three prizes in Open are RM 10000, 6000 and 4000. For Challengers, the top three prizes are RM 1300, 1000 and 800. A total of 3 GMs, 11 IMs and a WIM have registered from eight countries across the world. Entry is Free for GM, IM and players rated above 2300 in the Open section. Last date is extended to 16th January without any penalty in entry fees. There are few conditions offered for GMs rated above 2400 and IMs rated above 2300. IM Nitin S and Venkatesh M R are the only two Indians to have won this tournament in 2014 and 2017 respectively. The next one can be you. Check out the article to find out all details about the tournament. Photo: Tournament circular

Kaustuv Kundu prevails at 1st Royal Rivals Rating Open 2024

11/01/2025 -

IM Kaustuv Kundu and Debayan Ray scored an unbeaten 8/9 each at 1st Royal Rivals Rating Open 2024. The top seed, Kaustuv won the tourament due to better tie-breaks, 14-year-old Debayan secured second place. Four players - Saptorshi Gupta, CM Kunal Chatterjee, Gopal Chandra Biswas and Arijit Ghosh scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed third to sixth respectively. The total prize fund was ₹400000. The top three prizes were ₹50000 + trophy, ₹30000 + trophy and ₹20000 each. The six-day nine-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Classical Chess Academy at Eastern Railway Sports Academy Complex in Kolkata, West Bengal from 26th to 30th December 2024. This is Kaustuv's fifth tournament triumph of the year. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

ChessBase 18: Opponent preparation with Lichess games

11/01/2025 -

How would it be if you knew the Lichess games of your next opponent and could prepare for him with these games? An enticing idea! But to do that, you would have to know your Lichess account! ChessBase 18 now offers exactly this powerful method of preparing against your opponent! ChessBase 18 can derive the possible Lichess account from a Lichess team! You will receive a report on the most likely Lichess accounts that could belong to this player from the relevant team. Chief developer Matthias Wüllenweber shows how it works in the video! Photo: ChessBase

Vinodhkumar Balaguru wins Basel Xmas Festival 2024 Below 2100 Rating Tournament

11/01/2025 -

Vinodhkumar Balaguru, Emile Roubert (FRA) and Stephan Buettiker (SUI) scored 6/7 each at Basel Xmas Festival Experts (Below 2100) Rating Tournament 2024. Vinodhkumar won the tournament on tie-breaks, Emile and Stephan were placed second and third respectively. Balaguru drew with Emile and defeated Stephan. The total prize fund was CHF 5000. The top three prizes were CHF 1000, 700 and 500 along with a trophy each. The five-day seven-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Claudio Boschetti - Swiss CHess Tour at Mövenpick Hotel - Aeschengraben in Basel, Switzerland from 26th and 30th December 2024. This was the sole rating tournament Balaguru played in 2024 and he won it. Photo: IA Tiziana Balzarini

Iniyan convincingly clinches 15th Chennai GM Open, Venkatesh second and Aronyak third

10/01/2025 -

GM Iniyan Pa defeated his coleader, GM Deepan Chakkravarthy to win 15th Chennai GM Open 2025. Iniyan sscored an unbeaten 8.5/10, performed at 2629, gained 14.7 Elo rating points and finished a half point ahead of the competition. GM Venkatesh M R won against IM Ethan Vaz to secure second place 8/10. IM Aronyak Ghosh drew with IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete to finish third 7.5/10. Deepan, Sammed and IM Kaustuv Kundu also scored 7.5/10. They secured fourth to sixth place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹2000000. The top three prizes were ₹400000 + trophy, ₹300000 and ₹180000 each. Nine out of the top ten places were claimed by Indians. Photo: IA R Anantharam

Devesh Anand Naik decimates QTCA Rating Open 2024

10/01/2025 -

Devesh Anand Naik scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win QTCA Rating Open 2024. He finished a whopping 1.5 points ahead of the rest. Five players - Anecx Kanjiravila B C, Aravinda B R, Chaitanya V Gaonkar, Aaryavrat Rasiket Naik Desai and Chaitanya Sushant Patil scored 7/9. They were placed second to sixth according to tie-breaks. Devesh defeated both podium finishers and won the tournament with a round to spare. The total prize fund was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹40000, ₹25000 and ₹15000 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Quepem Taluka Chess Association and Govt. College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Quepem at Govt. College of Arts, Commerce and Science in Quepem, Goa from 26th to 30th December 2024. This is Devesh's second tournament triumph of the year. Photo: IA Sanjay Kavlekar

What do you get for a World Championship's VIP ticket?

10/01/2025 -

Imagine attending the prestigious World Chess Championship in Sentosa, Singapore, and opting for the ultimate VIP experience. At 380 Singapore dollars (slightly under 24,000 Indian Rupees), this ticket is akin to securing Category 1 seats for a Taylor Swift concert. Naturally, you might find yourself pondering whether this investment is truly worthwhile. After all, with that budget, you could snag some World Championship merchandise - think t-shirts, posters, phone cases, umbrellas, and mugs - alongside the popular game collection books featuring Ding Liren (NIC) and Gukesh (Elk and Ruby), with some change left over. But what are the perks of buying a VIP ticket for the World Chess Championship? Read the article to find out. Photo: Michelle Tay

Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Final Episode

09/01/2025 -

Welcome back to the Strategic Mastery series, where we explore advanced chess concepts to help you elevate your game. After an incredible journey, we’ve arrived at the final episode of our Strategic Mastery series. It’s hard to believe that we have covered so many profound strategic themes and puzzles, all designed to sharpen your understanding of chess and elevate your positional play. In this final episode, we will take a look back at the various themes we have explored together - each one aimed at deepening your knowledge, improving your strategic thinking, and helping you approach the game with a fresh perspective. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate player, or someone looking to refine your skills, we hope this series has been a valuable resource in your quest to become a more insightful and thoughtful chess player. | Photo: ChessNeurons

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