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Chess Beyond the Board: Exciting side events at 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad

08/09/2024 -

The 45th FIDE Olympiad will feature a wide range of side events to target a diverse range of members of the chess universe. There will be exhibitions, short film, Judit Polgar's 10th Global Chess Festival, FIDE100 Awards Ceremony, Conferences, Seminars, highlighting the social and cultural impacts of chess. There will be something for everyone who loves chess to engage in something or the other. Find out the key information about the side events announced so far by FIDE. Photos: FIDE

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David Gochelashvili wins 24th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Kunal M second

08/09/2024 -

IM David Gochelashvili and FM Kunal M scored 7/9 each at 24th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2024. David won the tournament as he defeated Kunal in the second round. GM Manik Mikulas (SVK) scored sole 5.5/9 to secure third place. Kunal scored his final IM-norm. He just needs to fulfill the rating requirement to become India's next International Master. The seven-day ten-player round-robin tournament was organized by Tamil Nadu State Chess Association at Hotel Le Palace in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from 14th to 20th August 2024. Tournament Coordinator and Chief Arbiter - IA V Vijayaraghavan writes the tournament report. Photo: IA V Vijayaraghavan

New: Robert Ris: The flexible Taimanov Sicilian + A Complete Guide for Black against the Anti-Sicilian

07/09/2024 -

The Taimanov Sicilian offers Black a flexible and reliable system against 1.e4, allowing for realistic winning chances without unnecessary risks. This comprehensive video course provides a complete repertoire, covering both the main lines and Anti-Sicilian variations, with more than 16 hours of instruction, interactive training, and over 400 model games. Ideal for players looking to solidify their understanding and confidently face any challenge in the Sicilian Defence. So grab these fritztrainers and enrich your knowledge in Taimanov Sicilian and also a complete guide for Black against the Anti-Sicilian. Now you can read it on ChessBase Books, stream it on any device including phone and tablet. Photo: ChessBase

Utsab Chatterjee clinches 6th Sant Adria Open 2024

07/09/2024 -

IM Utsab Chatterjee scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win 6th Sant Adria International Open Group A (≥1950) 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. 12-year-old Siddharth Singh (USA) scored 7/9 to finish second. FM Carlos Alberto Chavez Suarez (CUB), CM Vaibhav Jayant Raut, CM Vedant Pimpalkhare and Elm Catalan Monteagudo (ESP) scored 6/9 each. They were placed third to sixth respectively. Utsab defeated both runners-up in Round 2 and 6 respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was €3030, €2100 in Group A. The top three prizes were €700, €400 and €300 along with a trophy each. Ambarish Sharma, Anustoop Biswas, CM Barath Kalyan M and WFM Vrushali Umesh Deodhar scored 5.5/9 each to be placed from seventh to tenth respectively. Vaibhav won the Blitz Open scoring 8/8, Ambarish second 7/8 and Suvradeepta Das third 6/8. Photo: IO NA Ricard Llerins

Mahdi Gholami Orimi wins 22nd Splimbergo Masters 2024, Kaustuv Kundu third

07/09/2024 -

IM Mahdi Gholami Orimi (IRI), GM Marcin Tazbir (POL) and IM Kaustuv Kundu scored 7/9 each at 22nd Splimbergo Masters (>2000) 2024. Mahdi won the tournament due to better tie-break score. Marcin and Kaustuv were placed second and third respectively. The top two finishers remained undefeated. The total prize fund of the tournament combining four sections (Masters, Open A, B and C) was €8000. Top three prizes were €1500 and a cup, €800 and €600 each. The seven-day nine round rating tournaments were organized by Circolo scacchi "Le due torri" Spilimbergo at Centro Sportivo La Favorita in Splimbergo, Italy from 9th to 15th August. Photo: Circolo scacchi Spilimbergo

Exciting format changes announced for World Blitz Championships 2024

06/09/2024 -

FIDE has announced a change in the format of World Blitz Championships 2024. Instead of the usual 21 rounds for Open and 17 for Women, there will be two stages. Stage 1 will be of 13 rounds of Swiss league in Open and 11 in Women. The top eight players from both events will qualify to the knockout stage. The knockout stage will have four games per match. This is done to garner more attention from the media, make the spectacle exciting for all viewers, reduce the results determined by chance/luck and more on the sheer quality and form of the player. What do you think about these changes? Does the Rapid event also need a similar change? Photo: FIDE

Shashveen A K triumphs at 14th Modern School Rating Tournament 2024

06/09/2024 -

Four players - Shashveen A K, Prasanna Karthick M, Hari Ganesh T and Lishanth B scored an unbeaten 6.5/7 each at 14th Modern School Rating Tournament 2024. Shashveen won the tournament on tie-breaks. The remaining three were placed second to fourth respectively. They did not face each other. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹150000. The top three prizes were ₹25000 + trophy, ₹20000 and ₹15000 each. The four-day seven round rating tournament was organized by and at Modern Senior Secondary School in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from 15th to 18th August 2024. This is Shashveen's first rating, second overall tournament triumph of the year. Check out the report written by a passionate chess enthusiast - S Ramanathan. Photos: S Ramanathan

Pradeep Tiwari wins 2nd Chess for Everyone Rating Open 2024 in Port Blair

06/09/2024 -

Pradeep Tiwari, Salil Kumar D and Chiranjit Manna scored 7.5/9 each at Chess for Everyone Rating Open 2024 in Port Blair, Andaman Nicobar. Pradeep won the tournament due to better tie-break score. Salil and Chiranjit secured second and third place respectively. Pradeep defeated the eventual runner-up, Salil in Round 5. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹115000. The top three prizes were ₹20000, ₹15000 and ₹12000 along with a trophy each respectively. The objective of Chess for Everyone tournaments is to have a low entry barrier of only ₹250, encourage maximum players to take part in rating tournaments and gain rating. This is Pradeep's first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Andaman Nicobar Chess Association

Subhayan Kundu becomes the latest International Master of India

05/09/2024 -

Subhayan Kundu became the latest International Master of West Bengal and India on 17th August. He achieved the title when he defeated Vidya Bhushan Singh in Round 2 of 4th Atal Talen Hunt Rating Open 2024 in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. The first IM-norm was scored at 5th Eka IIFL Investment Managers GM Tournament 2019-20. Almost three years later, he earned his second IM-norm at 59th National Senior Championship 2022 in New Delhi. A little over a year and a half later he secured his final IM-norm at Dini GM International Tournament 2024 in Sri Lanka. Subhayan did not slow down after becoming an IM. He continued playing tournaments, in fact he won the tournament where he fulfilled the final criteria to become an IM. His journey towards the GM title continues. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Madhesh Kumar S dominates 2nd Sakatam Blitz Rating Open 2024

05/09/2024 -

11-year-old Madhesh Kumar S scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 2nd Sakatam Blitz Rating Open 2024. Three players - FM Daakshin Arun, Abhrojyoty Nath and CM Mrithyunjay Mahadevan scored 8/9 each. They were placed second to fourth respectively according to tie-breaks. Total prize fund was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹20000, ₹15000 and ₹10000 along with a trophy each. The one-day Blitz tournament was organized by NorthEast Chess India and HBM Society at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati, Assam on 15th August 2024. This is Madhesh's second rating tournament triumph of the year. A day before this, he won 2nd National Schools Team Under-12 Championship for Velammal Vidyalaya Paruthipattu. Photo: IA Anupam Bhattacharjee

Christos Krallis clear first at 5th SKG Open 2024, Raahul V S second

05/09/2024 -

FM Christos Krallis (GRE) scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win 5th SKG International Open Group A (≥2000) 2024. Krallis finished a full point ahead of the competition. IM Raahul V S scored sole 7/9 to secure second place. Four players - Konstantinos Tsarsitalidis (GRE), GM Athanasios Mastrovasilis (GRE), Spiros Stratigos (GRE) and Kuzey Guleryuz (TUR) scored 6.5/9 each. They were placed third to sixth respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was €3800, €2900 in Group A. The top three prizes were €1200, €700 and €400 along with a trophy each respectively. The eight-day nine round rating tournament was organized by Chess Academy "Lefkos Pyrgos” from 6th to 13th August 2024 at Porto Palace Hotel Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki, Greece. IM Padmini Rout is the only other Indian finisher among top ten. She scored 6/9 to be placed eighth. Photo: Official site

Surya Ganguly wins the Venceslav Rutar Scoring System match against Sam Shankland

04/09/2024 -

GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly defeated GM Sam Shankland in their 8-game online match following the Venceslav-Rutar Scoring system, a brand new scoring system devised by Venceslav Rutar which changes the scoring of draws into three categories based on the material disparity - Favored draw, Disfavored draw, Equal draw. Surya won the match with a margin of 26-11 points, scoring 5 wins. Sam managed to score 1 win, and 3 games ended in equal draws. The total prize fund of the match was USD 5000 - Surya received USD 2000 for winning the match, and Sam USD 1000. The remaining USD 2000 was divided proportionally among the players according to the number of wins and draws. While there were no favored/unfavored draws in the match, it surely advocated for fighting chess as we got to see so many interesting games! Read the full report of the final day below

Gaurang Bagwe wins Federal Bank presents 2nd Tarabai Shinde Rapid Rating Open 2024

04/09/2024 -

FM Gaurang Bagwe and Shrayan Majumder scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 each at Federal Bank presents 2nd Tarabai Shinde Rapid Rating Open 2024. Gaurang won the tournament on tie-breaks, Shrayan secured second place. Five players - IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh, Rushikesh Kabnurakar, Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi, IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam and Gaurang Bhandari scored 8/9 each. They were placed third to seventh respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹250000. The top three prizes were ₹20000, ₹15000 and ₹10000 along with a trophy each respectively. The one-day rapid rating tournament was organized by Mr. Nandakumar TV on 11th August 2024 at Agri Koli Sanskriti Bhavan in Nerul, Maharashtra. This is Gaurang's fourth overall, second rating tournament triumph of the month and year. Photo: Nandakumar TV

Velammal Vidyalaya Paruthipattu and Velammal MHS Mogappair dominate 2nd National Schools Team Under-12 and Under-18 Championships 2024

04/09/2024 -

Top seed Velammal Vidyalaya Paruthipattu scored a perfect 18/18 to win 2nd National Schools Team Under-12 Champions. They finished three match points ahead of the rest. Velammal Vidyalaya Alapakkam and Velammal MHSS Mogappair scored 15/18 each. They were placed second and third according to tie-breaks. The Under-18 category was won by Velammal MHSS Mogappair. They also scored a perfect 18/18 to win the tournament. Velammal Vidyalaya Alapakkam secured second place scoring a sole 16/18. Kalvi International Public School, Madurai edged past Delhi Public School, Guwahati A Team on tie-breaks to finish third scoring 13/18. Trophies and medals were the prizes for the top three finishers in each category. There were also top three board prizes for all five boards. Photo: All India Chess Federation

Harshad S dominates 23rd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

04/09/2024 -

IM-elect FM Harshad S scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 at 23rd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2024. He finished a staggering 1.5 points ahead of the competition. WGM Uurtsaikh Uuriintuya (MGL) scored 6/9 to secure second place. IM Alexander Slizhevsky was placed third scoring 5.5/9. Harshad defeated the eventual runner-up, Uurtsaikh in the first round and drew with Slizhevsky in Round 6. The seven-day ten-player round-robin tournament was organized by Tamil Nadu State Chess Association at Abu Sarovar Portico  in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from 6th to 12th August 2024. Tournament Coordinator - IA R Srivatsan writes the tournament report. Photos: IA R Srivatsan

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