NEW ARRIVALS

New book titles available in the shop

Checkout Now!

new books banner

The Beautiful Baku

29/07/2023 -

FIDE World Cup and Women's World Cup 2023 inauguration ceremony is just a few hours away from now. We decided to do a short tour of Baku before this important event commences. The author of this article, Shahid Ahmed travelled to Icherisheher as he loves visiting historical places. After reading a lot about must-see places in Baku and getting info from the locals, Icherisheher seemed to be the perfect place to venture. In a little over three hours, he visited The Palace of Shirvanshahs, Guiness World Records award-winning Miniature Book Museum, Maiden Tower and Nizami Street. Let's take a look at what piqued the author's interest on a day when he walked 16230 steps, the longest of the year. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

NEW LAUNCH

CHESSBASE '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26

The industry standard new combo is here to help you uplift your Chess!

ChessBase '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26 Shop Now

Indian chess community on Praggnanandhaa crossing 2700 Elo at the age of 17 years

29/07/2023 -

For most of us chess has two titles - IM at 2400 Elo, and GM at 2500 Elo. But for the select few who are extremely good at the sport, there is also an unofficial title - that of Super GM. You start being called a super GM in the world of chess, when you cross the Elo of 2700. That's what Praggnanandhaa managed to achieve on 12th of July when he beat Parham Maghsoodloo in the second round of the Geza Hetenyi Memorial 2023. In this article we tell you how Pragg managed to break the 2700 Elo barrier, the people who have been instrumental in him achieving it and also the reaction of the top players in Indian chess community. 

Deep Sengupta wins 22nd Najdorf Memorial 2023

28/07/2023 -

GM Deep Sengupta, GM Valery Kazakouski (LTU) and GM Jacek Tomczak (POL) scored 7/9 each at 22nd Najdorf Memorial A 2023. Deep won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, Kazakouski and Tomczak secured second and third place respectively. Ten players scored 7/8. Despite losing his fourth round game, Deep managed to score 4.5/5 in his next five games to become the champion. GM Sriram Jha and GM Shardul Gagare scored 6/9 each. They were placed seventh and tenth according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the festival was 45000 PLN, 24000 PLN in A, 12000 in B and 9000 in C. The top three prizes were 8000, 4000 and 3000 PLN each respectively in the A category. This is Deep's second consecutive podium finish after securing a second place finish at České Budějovice GM B 2023.

Xiangzhi Bu triumphs at 56th Biel MTO 2023, Aryan Chopra second

28/07/2023 -

GM Xiangzhi Bu (CHN) drew his final round game against his compatriot Xiongjiang Peng to win 56th Biel Chess Festival MTO 2023. Although, Xiangzhi was winning, since a draw was enough to become champion 8/10, he decided to finish the game soon. GM Aryan Chopra was held to a draw by IM Rathanvel V S. Aryan secured sole second position, scoring 7.5/10. This is Aryan's second consecutive runner-up finish after a second place finish at La Plagne Soleil Masters 2023 before this event. Rathanvel is the only other Indian to make a top ten finish. He scored 7/10 to finish seventh on tie-breaks. IM Harikrishnan A Ra earned his maiden GM-norm with a 6/10 score. IM Vantika Agrawal won the Best Woman prize 6/10. Photos: Biel Chess Festival

Arjun Kalyan wins Chairman's Trophy Rapid Rating Open 2023

28/07/2023 -

GM Arjun Kalyan and GM Laxman R R scored an identical 7.5/8 at Chairman's Trophy Rapid Rating Open 2023. Arjun won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, Laxman was placed second. Ten players scored 7/8. Out of them, Arun R U secured third place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹21000 + trophy, ₹18000 and ₹15000 each respectively. This is Arjun's first individual tournament triumph of the year. Earlier he had won both zonal and All-India Inter-University Championship 2023. The one-day Rapid Rating tournament organized by Sri Raghavendra Chess Academy and Master Mind Chess Academy was held on 15th July. It witnessed the participation of 471 players including two GMs. All photos in this article are by C Natarajan unless stated otherwise.

From an IM to an unrated player - Reviews for Attack like a super GM video course with Gukesh

27/07/2023 -

Gukesh is one of the most promising youngsters in the world of chess. He is no longer just a talent, but has confidently marched to the very top of the chess world and is currently ranked no.11. He has an Elo of 2751 in classical chess. In March 2023, Gukesh visited the ChessBase India studio in Mumbai and together with IM Sagar Shah they recorded a video course on how to attack like a super GM. The course is based on Gukesh's best attacking games. This video course which lasts for 4 hours and 14 minutes was sent out to a few of the members of the ChessBase India community. These members are from differing levels of strength - right from an IM to an unrated player. They give their honest feedback about the video course in this article. 

56th Biel MTO R9: Aditya Samant becomes India's 83rd Grandmaster

27/07/2023 -

IM Aditya Samant just needed to play his ninth round game against GM Aryan Chopra at 56th Biel Chess Festival 2023 MTO. The result of the game was immaterial for his GM title. Aryan won the game and maintained his pursuit 7/9 against the tournament sole leader GM Xiangzhi Bu (CHN) 7.5/9. Thus, Aditya became India's 83rd and Maharashtra's 12th GM. The last two GMs from Maharashtra are named Aditya. For the third consecutive year, India has got a new GM at this event. Harshit Raja in 2021, Pranav Anand 2022 and now Aditya Samant. Liem Quang Le (VIE) 32.5/56 won the GMT event for the second consecutive year. Arjun Erigaisi defeated Vincent Keymer (GER) in the final round to dash his championship hopes. He finished second 31.5/56. David Navara (CZE) finished third 30.5/56. MTO Round 10 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Biel Chess Festival

A union made in the world of 64 squares: Hikaru Nakamura and Atousa Pourkashiyan are now married!

27/07/2023 -

A happy surprise came in the world of chess last night (July 26, 2023) when world number two, Hikaru Nakamura, and women grandmaster, Atousa Pourkashiyan, announced their marriage on Atousa’s Instagram page. The couple kept their dating profile low-key for a long time and eventually announced the news after tying the knot. A match made in heaven or over a chess board? One can argue, but needless to say, the fans are ecstatic. As the news came to light, wishes from all over the world came pouring in for the newlyweds. Find out more about both of these highly talented players in this article.

Sebastian Bogner clinches 96th Paris IdF Masters 2023, Harshavardhan second and Karthik Venkataraman third

26/07/2023 -

GM Sebastian Bogner (SUI) scored an unbeaten 7/9 to win 96th Paris IdF Masters 2023. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. IM Harshavardhan G B, GM Karthik Venkataraman, GM Andrei Shchekachev (FRA) and FM Aarav Dengla scored 6/9 each. They were placed second to fifth respectively as per tie-breaks. IM Sai Agni Jeevitesh J and FM Senthil Maran scored 5.5/9 each. They were placed sixth and tenth respectively. Aarav and Senthil scored an IM-norm each. This is Senthil's second IM-norm. The first prize was €2500 and trophy in the Masters section. The 96th edition witnessed the participation of 504 players in four categories - Masters, A, B and C. Photos: idF-Echecs

56th Biel MTO R8: Aditya Samant on the verge of becoming India's next GM

26/07/2023 -

IM Aditya Samant held the sole leader GM Xiangzhi Bu (CHN) to a draw in the eighth round of 56th Biel Chess Festival MTO 2023. Aditya's ninth round opponent, GM Aryan Chopra needs to turn up, irrespective of the outcome, they must play a game, for Aditya to become India's next Grandmaster. Apart from them, GM Pranav Anand and IM Rathanvel V S are two more Indians also at 6/8, a half point behind the leader Xiangzhi 6.5/8. Rathanvel won a nice game after he accepted his opponent, GM Carlos Daniel Albornoz Cabrera's (CUB) knight sacrifice and ensured he never gets anything out of it. GM Vincent Keymer (GER) defeated GM Bassem Amin (EGY) to throw the Grandmaster Triathlon (GMT) wide open before the final round. GMT Round 7 and MTO Round 9 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Biel Chess Festival

IM Kushagra Mohan and Shriraj Bhosale: The Winners of the 4th edition of Pursue Your Chess Scolarship

25/07/2023 -

In 2018, a person hailing from Bangalore who wanted to remain anonymous initiated Pursue Your Chess Scholarship under the banner of Help Chess Foundation with Rs. 50000. It has been 5 years now, and this is the 4th edition of the initiative. The donor is now a well-known personality in chess, Ashwin Subramanian, a man with many talents. Ashwin has been an integral part of the chess community for some time now and finds ways to give back to the community in any way possible. With his support, we have been able to help many chess players all over the world. Every year, he has been raising the fund by Rs. 25,000; this year, the total amount was Rs. 1,25,000. The scholarship was divided between IM Kushagra Mohan, who won Rs. 1 lakh, and Shriraj Bhosale, who received Rs. 25,000.

Meet Tejas Tiwari, the youngest FIDE-rated player!

25/07/2023 -

Tejas Tiwari is a 5-year-old boy living in Haldwani, Uttarakhand - also known as Devbhoomi. Tejas has just become the youngest FIDE rated player in the world! He currently has a FIDE Rating of 1149. Sharing this information on their social media channels yesterday, the International Chess Federation confirmed that currently Tejas is the youngest player in the world to achieve a FIDE Rating. Born on 25th December 2017, Tejas received his FIDE Rating on 1st June 2023, and was then aged 5 years 5 months and 7 days! This little boy was one of the players who participated in ChessBase India's first chess camp at Bhopal. Even in this tender age, he practices chess for 3-4 hours every day! Get to know more about Tejas in this article below.

Kartavya Anadkat dominates 5th Ayodhana Rating Open 2023 with a perfect 9/9

25/07/2023 -

Kartavya Anadkat scored a perfect 9/9 to win 5th Ayodhana Rating Open 2023. He finished a massive 1.5 points ahead of the field. Five players - Indrajeet Mahindrakar, Naitik R Mehta, Rupam Mukherjee, Tanmay Rajbongshi and Mohit Kumar Soni scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed second to sixth respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹350000. The top three prizes were ₹55000, ₹30000 and ₹20000 each respectively. This is Kartavya's seventh tournament triumph of the year. After winning this event, he won a one-day rapid open tournament. As of this writing, he is fighting for the championship at SLAN 1st Rating Open 2023. Photos: Sujaul Hazarika/Chess Players Parents' Forum, Guwahati, Assam

Yevgeniy Roshka wins 42nd St. Veiter Jacques-Lemans Open 2023, Sharan Rao second

25/07/2023 -

IM Yevgeniy Roshka (UKR) and FM Sharan Rao scored 7.5/9 each at 42nd St. Veiter Jacques-Lemans Open A 2023. Roshka won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, Sharan secured second place. The fifth round battle between them ended in a draw. Both players remained undefeated. FM Kurt Fahrner (AUT) scored sole 7/9 to finish third. The top three prizes were €1000, €800 and €600 each along with a Jacques-Lemans watch respectively. Sharan crossed 2400 in the live ratings when he beat Sebastian Hoffman (GER) in the final round to become India's latest International Master. The Mangalore man did not slow down. Immediately on the following day, he played Zadar Open 2023 in Croatia. He scored an unbeaten 5.5/9, finished in ninth place and added another 37.4 Elo rating points. Currently, he is playing at 4th Paul Keres Memorial 2023 where he won the first game.

56th Biel MTO R7: Aditya Samant destroys Daniil Yuffa

25/07/2023 -

GM Xiangzhi Bu (CHN) defeated GM Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen (VIE) to maintain his sole lead 6/7 at 56th Biel Chess Festival 2023 MTO. IM Aditya S Samant got the better of GM Daniil Yuffa (ESP) to be one of the two pursuers at 5.5/7. The other one is GM Yan Liu (CHN) who defeated IM Vantika Agrawal. Yuffa sacrificed an exchange against Aditya and could not gain any compensation for it. GM Pranav Anand once again had a great opportunity to win with the white pieces. This time GM Aryan Chopra was his opponent. However, he missed it and the game ended in a draw. GM Arjun Erigaisi drew against GM Jules Moussard (FRA) in the fifth round of the GMT. The defending champion, GM Liem Quang Le (VIE) emeged sole leader by winning against GM Yangyi Yu (CHN). GMT Round 6 and MTO Round 8 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Biel Chess Festival

Contact Us