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Have a knack for problem-solving? Here's a chance to cudgel your brains and take home gorgeous prizes!

29/11/2023 -

Win up to 100 dollars and also take home some of the choicest ChessBase products out there; all you have to do is solve twelve fascinating and engine-defying chess challenges that we bring out in two tiers—the first six in this article and the remaining in the next. Welcome to the ChessBase India Winter Chess Solving Championship, an uncommon initiative to promote chess composition and creative-logical thinking through chess. This introductory article serves as the curtain-raiser to the event: we give you the rules, the details of the prizes, and the first six of the twelve problems to solve. Read on.

ChessBase 17 and Mega 2024 are here

ChessBase 17 is an all-new program that helps you manage all your databases as an ambitious player. Mega Database 2024 has 10.4 million games with over 112,000 games annotated by masters. The cost of ChessBase 17 is Rs.4199/- and the cost of Mega Database 2024 is Rs.5999/- However, if you go for the combo the total amount comes to Rs.8999/- helping you save Rs. 1198/-.

ChessBase 17 + Mega 2024 Combo

Mitrabha Guha dominates Reguengos de Monsaraz Chess Festival Rapid Open 2023 with a 2786 performance

29/11/2023 -

GM Mitrabha Guha scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win Reguengos de Monsaraz Chess Festival Rapid Rating Open 2023. He finished a full point ahead of the field. GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy (UKR) scored sole 7.5/9 to secure second place. GM Carlos Albornoz Cabrera (CUB) and IM Semen Mitusov (NOR) scored 7/9 each. They secured third and fourth place respectively. Mitrabha did not face Bernadskiy. However, he defeated both Carlos and Mitusov in the seventh and eighth round respectively. The total prize fund combining Classical and Rapid event was €7070. The top three prizes in Rapid were €300, €200 and €150 along with a trophy each. This was Mitrabha's eighth tournament triumph of the year. Photos: Academia de Xadrez Portugal

Alef Super Stars 2023 R2: Two Calm Draws

29/11/2023 -

Nihal Sarin drew his game against Yangyi Yu in the second round of Alef Super Stars 2023. Their previous encounter earlier this year at 6th Sharjah Masters ended in a draw. Unlike last time, Yangyi did not play Petroff's Defence. He opted for Berlin in the Ruy Lopez. A draw was agreed after 30th move when the position did not offer much for either player. The UAE no.1 Salem Saleh is yet to beat the new Hungary no.1 Sanan Sjugirov in a Classical rated game. That statistic remained unchanged yesterday. However, they will face once again in the fifth round with reversed color. Round 3 starts today at 4:30 p.m. local time, 6 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

B K Chaurasia wins Madhya Pradesh Civil Service State Tournament 2023

29/11/2023 -

B K Chaurasia, Shekhar Verma and Deepak Chiwande scored 5/6 each at Madhya Pradesh Civil Services State Chess Tournament 2023. Chaurasia won the tournament due to better tie-break score, Shekhar and Deepak were placed second and third respectively. Padmaja Nayudu, Monika Nishad and Vaishali Ramteke secured first, second and third place among the Women scorin 3.5/6, 3/6 and 3/6 each respectively. The top six men and women qualified to the National Civil Services tournament. Police Commissioner of Indore, IPS Makrand Deoskar, defeated the top seed and eventual champion, B K Chaurasia in the very first round. He scored an impressive 4.5/6 to finish fourth. Photos: Vivek Vishwakarma and Pankaj Tiwari

Alef Super Stars 2023 R1: Nihal and Yangyi make a winning start

28/11/2023 -

Nihal Sarin started with a convincing victory over Salem Saleh in the first round of Alef Super Stars 2023. In their first ever Classical rated game, Nihal made the most out of his opportunity when his opponent made a positional mistake by giving up his isolated d-pawn incorrectly. China no.3 Yangyi Yu completely decimated the new Hungary no.1 Sanan Sjugirov. The total prize fund of the tournament is US$15000. The prizes are $6000 + cup, $4000 and $3000 along with Gold, Silver and Bronze medal each. The event will be played Classical and Rapid games in double Round Robin format, while the Blitz event will be played in triple Round-Robin format. Classical is given maximum weightage, followed by Rapid and Blitz. Round 2 starts today at 4:30 p.m. local time, 6 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Karthik Venkataraman dominates 7th Mersin Metropolitan City Open 2023 with a 2828 performance

28/11/2023 -

GM Karthik Venkataraman scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 7th Mersin Metropolitan City Open Category A (>2000) 2023. Karthik finished a mammoth two points ahead of the competition. GM Vugar Rasulov (AZE) scored sole 6.5/9 to secure second place. GM Misratdin Iskandarov (AZE), GM Evgeny Romanov (NOR) and FM Ravan Aliyev (AZE) scored 6/9 each. They were placed third, fourth and fifth respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund combining all four categories was ₺372500, for Category A it was ₺269500. The top three prizes were ₺60000, ₺50000 and ₺40000 each. This is Karthik's second triumph of the month after winning Chess at Dreamhack Blitz Open 2023. Photos: Ömer Faruk Ercan 

Marthandan K U wins Late Shri Vasudeva V Dempo Rating Open 2023

28/11/2023 -

Marthandan K U and Santu Mondal scored 7.5/9 each at Late Shri Vasudeva V Dempo Rating Open 2023. Marthandan won the tournament due to better tie-break score, Santu was placed second. Santu remained undefeated. He had beaten the eventual champion, Marthandan in the seventh round. Seven players scored 7/9 each. Out of them, the top seed of the event, GM Saptarshi RoyChowdhury secured the third place. He also remained unbeaten. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹370000. The top three prizes were ₹53000, ₹37000 and ₹27000 along with a trophy each. This was Marthandan's twelfth overall, third rating tournament triumph of the year. Photos: IA Arvind Mhamal

Singapore Chess Federation CEO Kevin Goh Wei Ming teaches chess at Singapore Prison Services

27/11/2023 -

The CEO of Singapore Chess Federation, GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming is the first Grandmaster of his since 1999. He also became an eight-time National champion of his country early this year. Ever taking the role of CEO, he has been continuously nurturing the talent. He made his second consecutive World Cup appearance at the FIDE World Cup 2023. Although he got eliminated in the first round, the number one player of Singapore Tin Jingyao eliminated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in the second round, before his elimination in Round 3. Kevin recently tweeted about teaching chess at Singapore Prison Services. IM Sagar Shah decided to interview him where Kevin talks about the social benefits of chess and more. Photo: GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming's twitter

Lokesh triumphs at Tal Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2023 with a 100% score 9/9

27/11/2023 -

Second seeded Lokesh N scored a perfect 9/9 to win Tal Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2023. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. Sudarshan Bhat, Sathvik Adiga, IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam and Augustin A scored 8/9 each. They secured second to fifth place respectively according to tie-breaks. Lokesh defeated both eventual runners-up - Sudarshan and Sathvik in the seventh and sixth round respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹16000 + trophy, ₹15000 and ₹14000 each. This was Lokesh's first individual tournament triumph of the year. Few months ago, he became 29th Tamil Nadu State Team champion for Ananthi Chess Academy A. Photos: FI NA Sushruta Reddy/Innovators Chess Academy

Leon Mendonca vs. Fritz 19 - The Allrounder (GM level)

26/11/2023 -

Leon Luke Mendonca fears nobody, not even the Grandmaster level of the brand new Fritz 19! The Indian Grandmaster faces the allrounder, which is one of six new player types, that Fritz 19 has to offer. Does Leon even have a tiny chance against the powerful GM-Level? Can the allrounder score, just by maintaining an innocent demeanor? You can find out in the video. You can also get Fritz 19 from our store. It is available now. There are options to upgrade from Power Fritz 18. You can also buy it as a combo with ChessBase 17 to save few bucks. Photo: ChessBase

Samyak Dharewa sensational at All India School Rating Open 2023 with a perfect 9/9

26/11/2023 -

Top seed Samyak Dharewa won All India School Rating Open 2023 with a 100% score 9/9. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. The student of Banimandir Railway H S School, Siliguri defeated both runner-ups Mrinmoy Rajkhowa and Tanmay Rajbongshi in seventh and eighth round respectively. Mrinmoy of Suderashan Public School scored sole 8/9 to secure second place. Tanmay of Maria's Public School, edged past five other players who scored 7/9, to finish third. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹320000. The top three prizes were ₹50000, ₹35000 and ₹30000 along with a trophy each. The former West Bengal State U-13, U-16 and U-18 champion's first rating tournament triumph of 2023. Photo: NA Rajib Dhar

Mayank Chakraborty becomes the second International Master from North-East India

25/11/2023 -

13-year-old Mayank Chakraborty became India's latest International Master on Thursday 23rd November 2023. He defeated FM Marc Jay Bacojo (PHI) in the tenth round of World Youth Under-18 Open 2023 in Montesilvano, Italy. That win helped him cross 2400 in the live ratings. The talented youth from Guwahati, Assam also became the second IM from the North East India. Mayank earned his first IM-norm at 2nd Maharashtra GM Open in Nagpur, Maharashtra in June. A little over a month later, he secured his second IM-norm at Issykkul Open in Isyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. Three months later he scored his final IM-norm at Qatar Master in Qatar. Mayank scored three IM-norms, a GM-norm and 262 Elo rating points in a little over five months. It goes without saying that Mayank is a phenomenal talent. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vidit, Leon, Harika and Divya will play at 86th Tata Steel Chess 2024

25/11/2023 -

As of now, the first major chess event of the year 2024 is 86th Tata Steel Chess. The 'Wimbledon of Chess' will take place from 12th to 28th January 2024. D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi will be seen in action in the Masters section along with Ding Liren, Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Anish Giri, Parham Maghsoodloo, Wei Yi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Jorden van Foreest, Alexander Donchenko, Max Warmerdam and Wenjun Ju. Tata Steel Chess India 2023 Women Rapid winner, IM Divya Deshmukh and GM Leon Luke Mendonca will be making their debut in the Challengers section. They will be joined by GM Harika Dronavalli who will make her return to Wijk aan Zee after five years. Who are your picks to win the Masters and Challengers sections?

Alexei Fedorov terrific at 6th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023, Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy third

25/11/2023 -

GM Alexei Fedorov scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win 6th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2023. He finished a staggering two points ahead of the field. The second highest rated player of the event, GM Evgeniy Podolchenko scored 6/9 to secure sole second place. 13-year-old Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy and IM Asylbek Abdyzhapar (KGZ) scored 5/9 each. They were placed second and third respectively. The teenager gained 58.4 Elo rating points. The seven event of the series starts tomorrow Sunday 26th November. Sai Vishwesh C and Gugan G will replace Arnav Maheshwari and Prasannaa S in that event. Photos: IA R Anantharam

New: Ivan Sokolov: Understanding Middlegame Strategies, Vol. 7, Vol. 8 & Vol. 9

24/11/2023 -

Ivan Sokolov's long awaited "Understanding Middlegame Strategies" continues! The dutch Grandmaster and star coach released three new volumes on the French Winawer, Catalan Structures, and the French Tarrasch Variation. Vol. 1 Dynamic Pawns and Vol.2 Practical Play launched in 2020, Vol. 3 + 4, Vol. 5 Sicilian Rossolimo and Maroczy. and Vol.6 Ruy Lopez Structures released last year. Now you can get Vol. 7, 8 and 9. You can also get Vol.1 to 9 if you have not got the earlier volumes. So grab these Fritztrainers and increase your middlegame strategical understanding right away from one of the strongest elite players and also the trainer of many successful elite players. Photo: ChessBase