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What history says about winning the Candidates tournament?

17/03/2026 -

The Candidates Tournament is the ultimate proving ground for chess players. Eight elite players compete over fourteen rounds for the right to challenge the World Champion. Predictions and rating lists often dominate the discussion beforehand. But what do the numbers from past tournaments actually tell us? A look at the statistics from recent editions reveals several clear patterns behind victory. In this article, A. Ganesan explains the trends that have shaped previous Candidates winners.

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Aronyak Ghosh crowned as 2026 National Rapid Champion

15/03/2026 -

Aronyak Ghosh of RSPB scored an unbeaten 9.5/11 points to win the National Rapid Chess Championship 2025-26 with a clear half-point lead. Murali Karthikeyan and Hari Madhavan NB of Tamil Nadu scored 9/11 points to finish in second and third place according to tiebreaks. The National Rapid Championship was organised by the All Jharkhand Chess Association at Sarala Birla University, Mahilong, Ranchi. The total prize fund of the Rapid Championship was ₹4,00,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹75,000, ₹60,000, and ₹50,000. The National Blitz Championship will take place today, on 13th March at 9 am. Photos: Omkar/ Sarala Birla University

Raj Aryan wins 2nd DNC Memorial FIDE Rating Below 1700 Tournament 2026

14/03/2026 -

Raj Aryan of Bihar scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the 2nd DNC Memorial FIDE Rating Below 1700 Chess Tournament 2026. Raj Aryan and Raman R of Tamil Nadu both scored 8/9 points, but Raj secured 1st place according to tie-breaks. Seven players scored 7.5/9 points, finishing from 3rd to 9th place, respectively. The total prize fund of the event was ₹5,00,000, with the top 3 prizes being ₹50,000, ₹40,000, and ₹30,000 each. The tournament was organised by Vivekananda Chess Academy at Sri Vijay Vidyalaya College of Pharmacy, Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, from 20th to 22nd February 2026. Photos: Rishi Raj Bharadwaj

Shahid Ahmed's unforgettable contribution to ChessBase India

14/03/2026 -

For nearly a decade, Shahid Ahmed was an integral part of the backbone of ChessBase India. He wrote thousands of articles, conducted hundreds of interviews, and documented countless milestones in Indian chess. But numbers alone cannot capture the spirit with which he approached his work. 31st January 2026 was his last day with the company. Shahid is someone who genuinely cares about the game and the people who make it special. We wanted to look back at his journey and celebrate the work he has done over the years. A small tribute to someone who spent years documenting the achievements of others!

New: ChessBase Magazine 230

13/03/2026 -

From Tata Steel 2026 to Rustam Kasimdzhanov's opening video on the Two Knights Game and Dorian Rogozenco's "The Fortress" to Karsten Mueller's series "Fundamental Endgame Knowledge". Mihail Marin and Nico Zwirs take two games from the Tata Steel tournament as the starting point for their opening theory analyses. Aravindh-Blübaum featured the Catalan, while Van Foreest-Giri saw the Sicilian Najdorf Variation. And Rustam Kasimdzhanov reports on his experiment with the Two Knights Game against McShane in the German Bundesliga, and much more. Photo: ChessBase

Saravana Krishnan wins Warrior Chess Academy's 2nd FIDE Rated 2026

13/03/2026 -

IM Saravana Krishnan P scored 7.5/9 points to win Warrior Chess Academy - International 2nd FIDE Rated Open Chess Tournament 2026. IM Saravana Krishnan, Vijay Shreeram P, IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam, Sivan S Roshan, Mrityunjay Kumar, and Sidharth Mohan all scored 7.5/9 points and secured 1st to 6th positions, respectively, according to tie-breaks. The tournament was successfully held from 25th February to 1st March 2026 at the Hall of Chess, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, by Warrior Chess Academy, with a total prize money of ₹7,00,000, with top 3 prizes of ₹50,000, ₹40,000 and ₹30,000. Photos: Warrior Chess Academy

An Interview with the Former World Champion Ding Liren: Sports, Engines, Rest

12/03/2026 -

In early March, Jonathan Zhi had the chance to do a written interview with Ding Liren. His answers are translated from Chinese; the original answers are available here. The questions draw heavily from previous interviews, articles, podcasts, and TV shows that Ding has given, particularly Chinese-language ones. Jonathan started following professional chess during college. At some point, Jonathan realised that many interesting players don't get to fully express themselves in the media. He started doing interviews to highlight those players and help them share their thoughts, stories, and personalities. Read this conversation with the former World Champion Ding Liren

India's National School Chess League — Onboarding Now Underway for 2026

12/03/2026 -

The National School Chess League (NSCL) 2026 is now open for schools across India. This is a free program that offers a digital platform for chess learning, practice, and competitions. Participating students will receive interactive lessons, assessments, and leaderboards. They can take part in a national competition at the end of the cycle. Schools can join online without extra costs, and optional advanced training is available for interested institutions. There is also an option for students to participate individually. The program is headed by World Champion Gukesh, structured by Vishnu Prasanna and IM Soumya Swaminathan, and presented by CircleChess. Check out the article to know more. Photos: CircleChess

Invitation to play at 1st Danne's Fide Rated Classical 2026 in Hyderabad

12/03/2026 -

Dannes Chess Academy is organising its 1st Danne's International FIDE Rated Open Classical Chess Tournament 2026 from 30th April to 4th May 2026 at Saroor Nagar Indoor Stadium, LB Nagar, Hyderabad. The total prize money of the event is ₹11,00,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹1,00,000, ₹60,000, and ₹40,000. The tournament will have 2 rounds each day, except the first day, with the time control of 90 Mins + 30 Sec increment per move from move 1. The early bird offer ends on 14th March. Register yourself and be a part of this event.

National Rapid 2025-26: Mithrabha Guha in sole lead after 5 rounds

12/03/2026 -

Mitrabha Guha of West Bengal emerges as the sole leader after 1st day at the National Rapid Chess Championship 2025-26. Mitrabha scored a perfect 5/5 to gain the sole lead over the pack of 11 players who are on 4.5/5 points. In the 6th round, Mitrabha will face Murali Karthikeyan with black pieces. The National Rapid Championship is organised at Sarala Birla University, Mahilong, Ranchi, from 11th March to 12th March. The time control of the tournament is 15 minutes + 10-second increment from move 1, with a total of 11 rounds. The National Blitz Championship will be played on 13th March at the same venue. Photos: Omkar Awale

Sarbartho Mani dominates at Grand Prix at Prague International Chess Festival 2026

11/03/2026 -

Sarbartho Mani scored 897 points to win the Giovanni Grand Prix at the Prague International Chess Festival 2026. Sarbartho had a great time in Prague and played some wonderful and exciting games across all formats. In the Karel Janecek Open, he scored 5.5/9 points with some exciting games, showing his resilience. In the H blitz event, he dominated the field of strong-titled players and scored an unbeaten 10/11 points to win the event. He also performed exceptionally well in the Rapid section, increasing his rating by 133 points. Check out what Sarbartho feels after winning the event in this report. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Shikhar Saxena - This tech founder is a silent supporter of Indian chess

11/03/2026 -

Meet Shikhar Saxena, an IIT Guwahati graduate and founder of Binary, who serves as the indispensable technical architect and advisor behind many of ChessBase India’s digital initiatives. Known for his unique decision to host a charity chess tournament at his wedding, Shikhar has become a big part of the chess ecosystem while fostering deep personal friendships with champions like Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi. Beyond technology, he brings a unique philosophical approach to life inspired by MS Dhoni’s principles of staying grounded, trusting the process, and maintaining radical accountability in both business and life.

Ram Prakash wins 1st Dehradun Open FIDE Rating Rapid 2026

11/03/2026 -

Ram Prakash of Punjab scored an unbeaten 9/10 points to win the 1st Dehradun Open FIDE Rating Rapid Chess Tournament. Krishnan Soni also scored 9/10 points to secure the 2nd place on tie-break scores. Vidit Sethi, Harshit Panwar, and Armaan Singh Bakshi scored 8.5/10 points to secure 3rd to 5th places respectively. The event was successfully organised by Chess Knight Academy in Dehradun from 7th to 8th February 2026 at Touchwood International School, Sahastradhara Road, Dehradun. The total prize money of the tournament was ₹1,00,000, and the top 3 prizes were ₹21,000, ₹15,000, and ₹12,000 along with trophies. Photos: IA Anurag Singh/Chess Knight Academy

Meet the 16 Superheroes who will be playing at the Super Heroes Cup: Living a life beyond extraordinary

10/03/2026 -

The Super Heroes Cup 2026, a special chess tournament for India's top specially abled chess players kicks off on 14th March! Among the 16 players for this two-day Knockout tournament, 15 were selected as the top players from their respective categories. The 16th and Final player were selected via the Online qualifiers on 8th March. In this article, we share with you all about these 16 players who will be seen in action of 14th and 15th March at the Habitat in Pune, Maharashtra. A big thank you to Samay Raina and Balraj Ghai for their benevolent support in making these event come to fruition!

Top Seed Apoorv Kamble wins Inventive 1.0 All India Rapid Rating 2026

10/03/2026 -

Apoorv Kamble scored 8/9 points to win the Inventive 1.0 All India FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2026. 5 players scored 8/9 points, but a better tiebreak score helped Apoorv to clinch the title. IM Hari Madhvan NB, IM Chakravarthi Reddy M, Nirmal L, and CM Sudharshan Bhat secured 2nd to 5th place, respectively, according to tiebreak scores. The total prize money for this tournament was ₹2,00,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹20,000, ₹15,000, and ₹14,000. The tournament was organized by Inventive Chess Academy at EuroSchool, Bangalore, Karnataka, on 28th February 2026. Photos: Praveen K/Inventive Chess Academy

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