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From Happenstance to First International Makruk Open Champion

18/03/2024 -

During one of his trips to Bangkok, while visiting a shopping mall, Peter Long stumbled upon a poster which had Chess and Makruk written on it. It piqued his interest. Makruk is also known as Thai Chess in the west. How did he get into this unique version chess? What is the origin of it? FM FT IA Peter Long writes all about his journey from attending a referee seminar to participating his first-ever international open tournament of Makruk and winning it. He shared his experience of playing a fun team match in Malaysia. Peter also did a lot of research and shares the origin of Makruk. Read this intriguing journey of Peter. Photos: FM FT IA Peter Long

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Aditya Mittal astounding at 125th anniversary of Werder Bremen with a 2713 performance

17/03/2024 -

GM Aditya Mittal scored an unbeaten 7/9 to win 125th anniversary of Werder Bremen Tournament. The teenager was the top seed of the event and he certainly delivered a top class performance in one of the strongest chess tournaments to take place at Bremen. He performed at 2713, finished a full point ahead of the competition and gained 13 Elo rating points. Aditya also crossed 2600 in the live ratings for the first time in his career. GM Pawel Teclaf (POL) scored sole 6/9 to finish second. Four players - GM Bobby Sky Cheng (AUS), GM Szymon Gumularz (POL), GM Zahar Efimenko (UKR) and GM Vojtech Plat (CZE) scored 5.5/9 each. They were placed third to sixth according to tie-breaks.

New: Luis Engel - Uncovering the Anti-Sicilians!

17/03/2024 -

Who hasn’t experienced it? You’re prepared for an exciting game in the open Najdorf Sicilian, and suddenly your opponent puts one of the seemingly countless minor variations on the board - in order to avoid the main Najdorf variations. Should you be frustrated? Absolutely not! Luis Engel uncovers the Anti-Sicilians, so you can prepare well. This Fritztrainer offers you the perfect addition to any Sicilian or Najdorf repertoire, and covers all the minor variations that White has tried to avoid the open Sicilian. If you already have the two Fritztrainers covering the Sicilian Najdorf after 5... a6, you have a complete and seamless grandmaster repertoire against 1. e4 at your disposal! Photo: ChessBase

Anastasia Bodnaruk wins 2nd International Women's Championship 2024, Soumya Swaminathan second

17/03/2024 -

The reigning World Rapid Women's champion, IM Anastasia Bodnaruk scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win 2nd International Women's Chess Championship 2024. She finished a half point ahead of others. IM Soumya Swaminathan and WIM Mariam Mkrtchyan (ARM) scored 7/9 each. They secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. The tournament was dedicated to the International Women's Day. The total prize fund of the tournament was US$ 50000. The top three prizes were $6000, $5000 and $4000 each respectively. This was the third rating tournament Soumya played in 2024 and she secured her first podium finish of the year.

Exclusive Interview: Insights from the New Officers of AICF

16/03/2024 -

On March 10, Indian chess marked a significant occasion not tied to any tournament or player achievement but rather to the announcement of the newly elected working committee of the All India Chess Federation (AICF). Unlike past elections marred by controversies, this round proceeded in a remarkably peaceful manner, culminating in unopposed victories, a rarity in national associations. Moreover, in compliance with the National Sports Code, the majority of elected individuals are fresh faces. To gain insights into this pivotal moment, ChessBase India conducted an exclusive interview with the newly appointed President of the All India Chess Federation, Nitin Narang, Secretary Dev Patel, and Treasurer Dharmendra Kumar. Let's delve into their perspectives and aspirations for the future of Indian chess.

New: Christian Bauer: The evergreen Philidor

16/03/2024 -

The Philidor Defence is celebrated for its historical significance and varied tactical approaches, including the aggressive early f5 push and the more dubious line involving an early d4 pawn exchange and fianchetto. This video course, by GM Christian Bauer, shows the Philidor Defence's main positions and White's significant deviations, highlighting the nuanced manoeuvres in a semi-closed middlegame that challenge White's comfort. Get this Fritztrainer now and enrich your theoretical knowledge in Philidor Defence by the French Grandmaster. Photo: ChessBase

Massive updates on the Freestyle Chess Tour by Magnus Carlsen and Jan Buettner

15/03/2024 -

After a successful completion of the inaugural edition of Weissenhaus Freestyle G.O.A.T. Challenge, Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner make a major announcement. The world's greatest chess player and German entrepreneur, invited world’s top chess players to become members of their newly formed, exclusive Freestyle Chess Players Club (FCPC). At the same time, Carlsen and Buettner confirmed the launch of a worldwide Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, a series of five tournaments per year on five continents. Read the press release to know details about the announcement.

Mitrabha Guha perfect at 2nd Aamdar Chasak Rapid Rating Open 2024, earns a brand new Honda Shine bike

15/03/2024 -

GM Mitrabha Guha scored a perfect 9/9 to win 2nd Aamdar Chasak Rapid Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the field. GM Laxman R R scored sole 8.5/9 to secure second place. IM Kaustuv Kundu, IM Ravi Teja S and IM Ratnakaran K scored 8/9 each. They secured third, fourth and fifth place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000 + bike + 97 trophies. The champion's prize was a brand new Honda Shine motorbike. The runners-up received were ₹20000 and ₹15000 each respectively. The top three winners received a huge trophy. The one-day rapid rating tournament was organized by Kalyan Taluka Buddhibal Sanstha on 3rd March 2024 at Navrang Banquets in Kalyan, Maharashtra. Photos: IA Mohit Ladhe / Kalyan Taluka Buddhibal Sanstha

Four Honest Reviews for GM Vidit Gujrathi's Master Advanced Tactics and Calculations like a Super GM

14/03/2024 -

Vidit Gujrathi has had a phenomenal 2023. From reaching the FIDE World Cup Quarterfinals, winning the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 and qualifying to the Candidates, and winning the Gashimov Memorial 2023, this was easily his best year performance-wise in the last few years! In 2023, we also recorded a ChessBase video course with Vidit - named Master advanced Tactics and Calculations like a super Grandmaster. In this video course we use studies to present the different aspects of Advanced Tactics and Calculations. IM Sagar Shah sits along with Vidit for 5 hours and 26 minutes, trying to understand Vidit's thought process while he's solving tough endgame studies blindfolded! Check out 4 detailed and honest reviews of this video course from players of different skill levels and ratings.

Arjun Erigaisi will return at 29th TePe Sigeman & Co 2024

14/03/2024 -

Arjun Erigaisi will make his third consecutive appearance at one of the most prestigious events of the world, 29th TePe Sigeman & Co Tournament 2024. As always, the organizers have once again put together a great mix of legendary players along with the present generation of world-class talents. The defending champion - Peter Svidler, Arjun Erigaisi, Nils Grandelius (SWE) and Vincent Keymer (GER) will be returning to the 29th edition. They will be joined by the reigning four-time Women's World champion - Wenjun Ju (CHN), former World Rapid champion - Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), four-time Ukraine champion - Anton Korobov, and reigning World Junior champion - Marc` Andria Maurizzi (FRA). The tournament will take place at Elite Plaza Hotel, Malmö in Sweden from 27th April to 3rd May 2024. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Consistent P Saravana Krishnan dominates Prague International Chess Festival 2024 Grand Prix

14/03/2024 -

IM P Saravana Krishnan participated in seven different events at Prague International Chess Festival 2024. Saravana made five podium finishes out of them. He scored a staggering 1020 points in the entire Grand Prix and finished 255 points ahead of the runner-up, FM Nikoloz Chkhaidze (GEO). Saravana's performances are: Runner-up in F Solving competition; second runner-up in G Basque chess, H Rapid, J Fischer Random and K Pair Blitz. Each day after finishing his side events, he played his Classical game in D Open category. Saravana showed his passion and true dedication towards chess in not just one format or time control but across a multitude of formats and variants. Photo: Petr Vrabec/Prague International Chess Festival

CircleChess Bullet Bash 3.0 Concludes in Dramatic Fashion!

14/03/2024 -

CircleChess, the tech startup pioneering advancements in chess learning and online tournament discovery, successfully concluded the largest-ever free-entry online bullet tournament in India with an impressive 3,341 participants battling it out in an arena format for a thrilling 90 minutes. The Bullet Bash series, hosted by CircleChess, pits players of all skill levels, both titled and untitled, against each other in a fast-paced arena format. This unique structure encourages participants to maximize the number of games they play within the limited timeframe. This iteration witnessed a phenomenal six-fold increase in participation compared to the previous tournament, primarily attributed to CircleChess's decision to make the event free to enter and introduce a dedicated prize pool for untitled players. Read more about the thrilling details in the article below. Photos: CircleChess

Abhimanyu Puranik clinches 40th Cappelle la Grande Open 2024 with a 2686 performance

13/03/2024 -

GM Abhimanyu Puranik and GM Lorenzo Lodici (ITA) scored 7.5/9 each at 40th Cappelle la Grande Open 2024. Abhimanyu won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, Lorenzo was placed second. Nine players scored 7/9 each. Out of them, IM Alberto Barp (ITA) secured third place. The total prize fund in the Open tournament was €12000. The top three prizes were €2000 + trophy, €1500 and €1200 each respectively. This is Abhimanyu's third rating tournament triumph of the year. Earlier, he won 33rd Keres Memorial Blitz Open 2024 in January. Then he won Bangabandhu Premier League 2024 for Bangladesh Police and now he won his first individual Classical rating tournament in 2024. Photos: L'Echiquier Cappellois

Big Response for 21st BCC Open 2024

13/03/2024 -

The 21st Bangkok Chess Club Open starts one month from today on 13th April 2024. The tournament has received a fantastic response. A total of 251 players from 50 countries across the world have registered in Open and Challengers section. A total of 18 GMs, 20 IMs, 4 WGMs and 10 WIMs have confirmed their participation. Last two days left to get early bird discount. Register now if you haven't yet and play during Songkran festival at a picturesque location in Hua Hin, Thailand. FM FT IA Peter Long writes about the latest update and shares some photos from the venue. Photos: FM FT IA Peter Long/Bangkok Chess Club

Kushagra Mohan wins 20th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

13/03/2024 -

IM Kushagra Mohan and IM Anton Sitnikov (UKR) scored 7/9 each at 20th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2024. Kushagra won the tournament as he defeated Anton in the penultimate round. The direct encounter tie-break went in favor of Kushagra, Anton was placed second. IM David Gochelashvili scored sole 6.5/9 to finish third. The six-day ten-player round-robin tournament was organized by Tamil Nadu Chess Association at Hotel Alankar Grande in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu from 27th February to 3rd March 2024. Tournament Coordinator - IA R Srivatsan writes the tournament report. Photos: IA R Srivatsan

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