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Ayush Sharma topples Abhijeet Gupta, on the verge of winning 3rd Maharashtra GM

27/04/2025 -

IM Ayush Sharma defeated the top seed, 'Mr. Commonwealth' GM Abhijeet Gupta in Round 9 of 3rd Maharashtra GM 2025. Abhijeet's knight sacrifice needed precision to draw the game. However, he went for more and ended up losing the game. GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO) and GM Boris Savchenko also won their respective games against IM Nitish Belurkar and GM Deep Sengupta respectively. While Deep blundered in the endgame, Nitish's positional mistake was so minute that it cannot even be called a mistake. Ayush will face GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) in the last round. Pantsulaia and Savchenko will clash on the top board. Ayush not only has the opportunity to win the tournament but also score his final GM-norm. A win should make him the champion and bring close to the GM title. However, tie-breaks might play the spoilsport if Pantsulaia or Savchenko end up having a decisive outcome. Round 10 starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

ChessBase 18 and Mega 2025 are here

ChessBase 18 is an all-new program that helps you manage all your databases as an ambitious player. Mega Database 2025 has 11 million games with over 113,000 games annotated by masters. The cost of ChessBase 18 is Rs.4499/- and the cost of Mega Database 2025 is Rs.6499/- However, if you go for the combo the total amount comes to Rs.8999 (instead of 10,998/-) helping you save Rs. 1999/-.

ChessBase 18 + Mega 2025 Combo

Azerbaijan Chess Federation announces 'Chess Tour Azerbaijan'

27/04/2025 -

Azerbaijan Chess Federation announces 'Chess Tour Azerbaijan' comprising eight open tournaments in seven different cities. The first one Baku Open starts tomorrow in Baku, Azerbaijan. There are seven more tournaments slated to take place from June to November 2025. Each tournament offers a total prize fund of AZN 22500 (~US$ 13235) or more. First prize is ~US$ 3000 in every Open. Conditions are offered for GMs. Check each tournament details to find out the special conditions. Five out of the eight tournament details are available. As of this writing, getting e-visa for Indian citizens is easy. One can apply online on the official site and get it via email. Photo: Chess Azerbaijan project

Superbet Rapid 2025 R1-3: Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh set the board on fire

27/04/2025 -

Vladimir Fedoseev (SLO) emerged early sole leader 5/6 after the conclusion of Round 3 at Grand Chess Tour Superbet Rapid 2025. He is closely followed by Alireza Firouzja (FRA) and R Praggnanandhaa at 4/6 each. Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram had the most exciting game of the round. Aravindh was winning for the better part of the game. However, a final mistake cost him dearly. He scored 3/6, currently tied at fourth place with Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL), Bogdan-Daniel Deac (ROU) and David Gavrilescu (ROU). Praggnanandhaa finished the day with a loss against Deac when the former's ambitious attack did not work out. Round 4 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

3rd Maharashtra GM R8: Abhijeet, Ayush and Deep join the leaders to make it nine-way

26/04/2025 -

GM Abhijeet Gupta, GM Deep Sengupta and IM Ayush Sharma defeated GM Deepan Chakkravarthy, FM Garv Gaur and GM Manik Mikulas (SVK) respectively in Round 8 of 3rd Maharashtra GM 2025. The top seed of the tournament, Abhijeet and Deep won relatively smooth games. However, Ayush had to navigate through complex positions to bounce back with a win. Those three players joined GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM), GM Boris Savchenko, GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO), GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO), IM Nitish Belurkar and IM Neelash Saha to make it a nine-way lead with a score of 6/9. The penultimate Round 9 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

India wins four medals at World Cadet Rapid and Blitz Championships 2025

26/04/2025 -

The reigning 37th National Under-11 Girls 2024 champion, Divi Bijesh has won two medals FIDE World Cadet Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2025. Divi won Gold in Under-10 Girls Rapid scoring an unbeaten 10/11. She won Silver in Under-10 Girls Blitz event with a score of 9/11. Pune district Under-9 Girls 2025 and Maharashtra State Under-7 Girls 2024 champion, Anvi Deepak Hinge secured a Silver medal in the Under-8 Girls Rapid event. The reigning 37th National Under-9 Girls 2024 champion, Kiyanna Parihaar scored 9/11 to get Bronze medal in Under-10 Girls Blitz. Photos: Ippotis Chess Club Rhodes

Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh set to face Firouzja, Aronian, Duda and co. at Superbet Rapid and Blitz 2025

26/04/2025 -

The first event of the Grand Chess Tour 2025 season is Superbet Rapid and Blitz. This is the tenth anniversary of the GCT. R Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram will be the two Indians taking part in this event. They will battle against Alireza Firouzja (FRA), Levon Aronian (USA), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), Vladimir Fedoseev (SLO), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), Veselin Topalov (BUL), Bogdan-Daniel Deac (ROU) and David Gavrilescu (ROU). Who do you think will win this tournament? It takes place at Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. Round 1 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

3rd Maharashtra GM R7: Half a dozen players catch up with Nitish at the top

25/04/2025 -

GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) handed the sole leader, IM Nitish Belurkar his first loss at 3rd Maharashtra GM 2025. In a semi-closed position, Nitish's king became vulnerable more than his opponent. GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO) pulled a similar feat against IM Ayush Sharma. GM Deepan Chakkravarthy, GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO), GM Boris Savchenko and IM Neelash Saha are the remaining four players who joined the leaders' group at 5.5/7. WGM Mary Ann Gomes, IM Padmini Rout and WIM Tejaswini G are at 4.5/7 each. Tejaswini drew with GM Alexei Fedorov. For the first time at this event, the top two boards will only feature foreigners in the eighth round. It starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

SRM Institute of Science and Technology dominates All India Inter University Men 2025 with a perfect score

25/04/2025 -

The defending champion SRM IST, Chennai scored 100% to win All India Inter University Men Chess Championship 2025. They finished two points ahead of the runners-up Delhi University and Anna University 8/10. They secured second and third place according to tie-breaks. The winning team comprised - GM Arjun Kalyan, IM FT Harikrishnan A Ra, GM Pranesh M, IM Srihari L R, IM Srihari L and IM Raahul V S. This is their fourth consecutive All-India Inter University Men title. They were the only which consisted of GMs and IMs only. The team won South Zone Inter University Team Championship back in January with a perfect score too.

New: Svitlana Demchenko: King's Indian Attack - Simple. Flexible. Dynamic.

25/04/2025 -

The King's Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities. By simply knowing the setup and some key ideas, it can become a lifelong addition to your repertoire - without the need for constant memorization. Played by fierce attackers like Bobby Fischer and great positional players like Tigran Petrosian, this opening is suitable for players of all styles. Apart from downloading files and installing on your computer, you can now stream videos and study from ChessBase books on any device - computer, smartphone, tablets etc. The app runs on both Windows and Mac OSX. For Windows device, Windows 10 or higher is required. Photo: ChessBase

64 Squares backed by Pravaha and MGD1 invest Rs.1 crore (US$ 117k) to power Indian women's chess

25/04/2025 -

The 64 Squares Initiative, a joint effort by the Pravaha Foundation and MGD1, is giving a boost to some of India's brightest young women chess players. The 2025 cohort includes IM Vantika Agrawal, WIM Sarayu Velpula, WIM Sahithi Varshini, Charvi Anilkumar and Shubhi Gupta. With a ₹1 crore fellowship, the program covers everything from training to tournament expenses, helping these players reach their full potential. The initiative has already seen players like Vantika achieve incredible success, and it continues to help young women break barriers and make their mark in chess. Read the article to know more.

3rd Maharashtra GM R6: Nitish and Ayush stay ahead of the pack

24/04/2025 -

IM Nitish Belurkar drew with IM Ayush Sharma to maintain his sole lead 5.5/6 at 3rd Maharashtra GM 2025. Both of them maintain their top two places. They are followed by 13 players at 4.5/6 each. GM Sandipan Chanda bounced back with a win over WIM Sarayu Velpula. IM Utsab Chatterjee and WIM Tejaswini G scored big wins over GM Stany G A and GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE) respectively. WGM Mary Ann Gomes drew with GM Venkatesh M R. Both her and Tejaswini are at 4/6 each. Top seed of the tournament, GM Abhijeet Gupta scored a welcome victory after three draws in-a-row against FM Vedant Nagarkatte. Round 6 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Koneru Humpy wins Pune GP, Divya Deshmukh third

24/04/2025 -

GM Koneru Humpy defeated IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) in the final round to win FIDE Pune GP. Her rival, GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) also won her game against IM Polina Shuvalova. Both Humpy and Jiner scored 7/9 each, Humpy won the tournament due to better tie-break scores, Jiner finished second. IM Divya Deshmukh drew with IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL) to finish third 5.5/7. Humpy gained 117.5 points to move up to the second spot with 279.17. Jiner is close behind at 235. Humpy will need to hope that Jiner does not surpass her in GP points at the last GP event of the season next month, so that Humpy can qualify to the next Women's Candidates via GP. The total prize fund was €80000. The top three prizes were €18000, €13000 and €10500 along with a trophy and medal each. The next leg is in Grosslobming, Austria from 5th to 16th May 2025. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

3rd Maharashtra GM R5: Nitish Belurkar conquers Sandipan Chanda, maintains his sole lead

24/04/2025 -

IM Nitish Belurkar defeated GM Sandipan Chanda to maintain his sole lead at the conclusion of Round 5 at 3rd Maharashtra GM 2025. Compared to his last two wins, it was a contrasting victory for Nitish. IM Ayush Sharma got the better of GM Venkatesh M R. The teenager spotted a nice sequence of moves, eventually had two queens on the board and gave up one to have a safe win. Nine players are currently at 4/5. Among the Women, WGM Mary Ann Gomes and WIM Sarayu Velpula are at 3.5/5 each. They won against FM Raghav V and IM Sambit Panda respectively. Round 6 starts today at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Aswath wins big at Grenke Open 2025 with a 2779 performance

23/04/2025 -

IM Aswath S and GM Brandon Jacobson (USA) scored 8/9 each at Grenke Open A 2025. Aswath won the tournament due to better tie-break scores, Brandon secured second place.GM Ivan Saric (CRO) and GM Daniil Yuffa (ESP) shared third place scoring 7.5/9 each. Aswath not only remained undefeated but also became the only IM to make a top ten finish. The first prize was €17500 (≈₹1704272.5 according to google), which means he won 17+ lacs. It is even more than tournaments total prize fund. Aswath performed at 2779 to earn his maiden GM-norm. That's not all, he played on the same stage as Magnus Carlsen (NOR), the winner of Grenke Freestyle Open and also won ahead of so many GMs and strong players. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Humpy or Jiner, Who will win Pune GP?

23/04/2025 -

GM Koneru Humpy salvaged a draw from a lost position against IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL) in Round 8 of FIDE Pune GP 2025. Meanwhile, GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) got the better of IM Divya Deshmukh. It means both Humpy and Jiner are now sharing the lead 6/8. If they both end up having the same score after the final round, Humpy will become the champion as her tie-break score is better. However, if they both lose and Divya defeats Alina in the last round then she might claim a podium finish. GM R Vaishali missed a win after an interesting rook sacrifice against IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL). GM Harika Dronavalli had a 116-move prolonged draw against IM Melia Salome (GEO). Round 9 starts today at 2 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

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