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Carlsen vs Nepo World Championship 2021 Game 2: They are also human

28/11/2021 -

After the first game ended in a draw, everyone was excited to see what is it that Magnus would choose as his opening move in game two. The World Champion went for 1.d4 and surprisingly played the Catalan. But there were even more surprises in store! First Nepo playing the trendy ...b5 line in the Open Catalan, Magnus going for the speculative Ne5!? It was a game where the moves suggested by the engines and the way human beings think did not match! It was a game where both sides risked to lose. It was a game worthy of a World Championship match. We bring you the full coverage. 

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A short take - Game 2 of the World Championship 2021

28/11/2021 -

The second game of the FIDE World Championship Dubai 2021 was an incredibly exciting encounter. Everyone was on the edge of their seat and kept wondering whether we will see a decisive result in a Classical game at a World Championship for the first time since 2016. Well, the answer is clear now, we have to wait a bit longer. If yesterday was a sign of things to come then rest assured, the wait will not be a longer one. While both players have shown incredible preparation in the first two games, we also got to witness the humane side of them. Even the toughest gladiators fall on an unfortunate day, that day was not yesterday. Photo: Amruta Mokal

D K Sharma clinches MP Masters 2021 Classical, Rapid and Blitz

28/11/2021 -

IM D K Sharma won MP Masters 2021 in all three events - Classical, Rapid and Blitz, scoring 5.0/7, 3.5/5 and 9.5/12 respectively. He played 24 games in five days, including 12 Blitz games on 25th November 2021. Earlier in September he won the 1st Zenith Challenger Cup by winning all eight games and finishing a full point ahead 8.0/8 at Mathura. The stalwart of Uttar Pradesh, D K Sharma won the National Blitz championship in 2018, with a fractured arm. That should definitely give you an inkling of his prowess. Trophies, software products and books were the prizes for the prize winners. Photo: Niklesh Jain

Carlsen vs Nepo World Championship 2021 Game 1: A battle of equals?

27/11/2021 -

On 26th of November 2021, the FIDE World Championship Match 2021 kicked off at the Dubai Expo. Challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi had the white pieces and opened the game with 1.e4. World Champion Magnus Carlsen responded with the solid 1...e5. On the 8th move Carlsen sacrificed a pawn for the bishop pair and activity. The game was intense and exciting. Both players fought hard before deciding to split the point. In this article IM Sagar Shah takes you not only through the entire game, but gives you a complete picture of what is happening at the venue and what it means to be present in Dubai for the World Championship Match.

A short take - Game 1 of the World Championship 2021

27/11/2021 -

The highly anticipated FIDE World Championship Dubai 2021 started on Friday 26th November 2021 at the Dubai Expo 2020. Everyone was buzzing about what will be the first move, result of the first game, whether it will be an exciting game and what not. It is safe to say that the first game delivered beyond expectation. We saw a line in the Spanish opening which is not frequented in the top level of chess, a solid opening preparation from both players, some interesting choices and decisions. It might have ended in a draw which is what the majority of the chess universe expected, but the game was far from predictable. Photo: Eric Rosen/FIDE

Dubai 2020 World School: Velammal Nexus tops Group A

27/11/2021 -

Velammal Nexus stormed into the Knockout stage by completely mowing the competition in Group A of Dubai 2020 World School Tournament. They topped the Group by winning all five of their games finishing with 100% score of 15.0/15. Saco Oliveros (PER) secured second place 13.0/15. Gujarat State Chess Association scored 11.0/15 to finish third in the same group and advance to the Knockout stage. Velammal Nexus and GSCA are the only two Indian teams in the KO stage, with the former being the star-studded tournament favorite. Mongolia is the only other country to have two teams qualified in the Knockout stage. Photo: Patricia Claros Aguilar 

2nd Barbera del Valles 2021 Masters R1-5: Sankalp Gupta in sole lead

26/11/2021 -

India's 71st Grandmaster Sankalp Gupta maintained his sole lead as he beat the highest rated player of the Masters section, GM Josep Manuel Lopez Martinez (ESP) in the fifth round of 2nd Barbera del Valles Masters 2021. The Nagpur lad started his event with two emphatic victories over GM Cristhian Camilo Rios (COL) and IM Cristhian Hernandez (COL) before drawing his third round game against GM Miguel Munoz (PER). Chilean GM Rodrigo Vasquez Schroeder and GM Hipolito Asis Gargatagli (ESP) are at 4.0/5 and 3.5/5 each respectively. Sankalp will face them in seventh and ninth round respectively. Photo: Rupali Mullick

Review: Robert Ris: Calculation Training in Attack & Defence Vol. 1

25/11/2021 -

Every month a few ChessBase DVDs get released. Which one to get and which one to pass? Which one should be prioritized? Well, that you have to figure out on your own or with the help of your trainers or sparring partners. Once you have figured out the area you need to improve on or become stronger, it becomes that much easier to select a DVD and start working on it. Aanjaneya Phatak, shares his own personal experience as he reviews the latest DVD by Robert Ris, titled Calculation Training in Attack & Defence. Check out the review and see if it helps you to decide buying this DVD.

Mumbai to Dubai: A first look at the FIDE World Championship Match 2021

25/11/2021 -

The World Championship is about to begin on the 26th of November 2021. Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal have made their way from Mumbai to Dubai to bring you on the ground coverage of the biggest event of the year. Magnus Carlsen is going to play his 5th World Championship Match in the last 8 years, while this will be the first shot at the title for the Challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi. A lot of interesting things have already happened leading to the match, and in this article we tell you about the venue of the event - the massive Dubai Expo 2020, the press conference and the opening ceremony! Along with it Sagar gives you a personal account of his experience of travel from India to the UAE and reaching the World Championship venue.

Aronyak Ghosh dominates Tata Steel Chess Festival 2021 All India Rapid Rating Open

25/11/2021 -

IM Aronyak Ghosh scored a massive 8.5/9 at the Tata Steel Chess Festival 2021 All India Rapid Rating Open. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. Three players finished at 7.5/9. They are - IM Koustav Chatterjee, IM Neelash Saha and GM Mitrabha Guha. They were placed second to fourth according to tie-breaks. A total of 148 players including a GM, 4 IMs and a WIM took part in this event, in this nine-round Rapid Rating tournament with a time control of 20 mins + 5 seconds each. The total prize fund was ₹100000. Check out the games of the champion and photos from the event in this article. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

New: Markus Ragger: Power openings: Grünfeld Defence Volume 1 + 2

24/11/2021 -

You are looking for an active answer to 1.d4? Then the Grünfeld Indian is an excellent choice! Not by chance this opening is one of the main weapons of some top grandmasters: with active play and emphasis on tactics, Black counters White’s strong centre, immediately facing him with concrete problems. Learn the most important and main lines of Grunfeld Defence from Austria no.1 GM Markus Ragger. With over 10 hours of interactive videos, it is a good opening to learn from one of the world's top Grandmaster. Photo: ChessBase

Color Complex in Chess

24/11/2021 -

It is widely believed that chess players see only two colors - black and white, or it can be said as dark and light. The space in a chess board comprises these colors, and time is the moves you make. Since it's a turn-based game, one has to make sure that every move count, and sometimes you just have to cleverly pass your move to your opponent to gain the upper hand via zugzwang. The man of encyclopaedic and impeccable knowledge, GM Sundararajan Kidambi explains the beautiful concept of color complex in chess with examples drawn from two games. Check out his enriching article. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

MP Masters 2021 R1-3: Franco Valencia Angela gains sole lead 3.0/3

23/11/2021 -

WIM Franco Angela (COL) has taken the sole lead by winning all three of her games. She beat Saurabh Choubey in the third round. Three players are trailing her by a full point. They are - Saurabh Choubey, IM Dinesh Kumar Sharma and IM Vikramaditya Kulkarni. The tournament is played in a single Round-Robin format with a time control of 90 minutes each + 30 seconds increment from move no.1. The average rating of the tournament is 2125. Blitz and Rapid Rating Round-Robin will take place on 25th and 26th November respectively. There is a spot open for each of those events. Round 4 starts today at 4:00 p.m. IST. Photo: Niklesh Jain

New: Svitlana Demchenko: Understanding Material Imbalances

23/11/2021 -

One of the first lessons we are taught in the beginning of our chess journey is how much every piece on the board is “worth”. However, the more we master the game, the more we realize that the “true” value of pieces can differ from their theoretical value, depending on the subtleties of the position. When faced with material imbalances, it can be challenging to come to a correct evaluation and decide which plans to pursue. This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces. Photo: ChessBase

IM Saravana Krishnan and Md Reyan win the Marvel Chess Academy, Hyderabad twin tournaments

23/11/2021 -

The players’ hunger for the Over The Board tournament after a gap of 20 months was evident from the massive turn-out for the 3rd Hyderabad Open and 4th Hyderabad Below 1600 FIDE Rated Chess Tournaments, organised by Marvel Chess Academy from 6th to 10th and from 11th to 13th November 2021 respectively. Fifth seeded international master Saravana Krishnan P of Karur Vysya Bank Tamil Nadu won the open tournament, scoring 8.5 points, conceding only one draw to IM Himal Gusain of Chandigarh. Check out a beautifully annotated game shared by the winner, IM P Saravana Krishnan. Photo: R Anantharam