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Table Tennis and joy on the rest day of the WR Chess Masters 2023

21/02/2023 -

Different tournaments have different kinds of rest days! At the WR Chess Masters 2023, the players and organizers had a great time with a well organized mini-table tennis event. 7 out of the 10 participants of the main tournament took part in this round robin tournament with Gelfand, Dana Reizneice and Wadim Rosenstein joining them. It was a keenly contested event with Andrey Esipenko edging everyone out and taking the top spot. Sagar Shah who travelled to Dusseldorf brings you a fun report.

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Diptayan Ghosh wins 21st Rochefort Chess Festival Masters 2023, Harsha Bharathakoti third

20/02/2023 -

GM Diptayan Ghosh headed into the final round as the sole leader scoring 7/8 at 21st Rochefort Chess Festival Masters 2023. A last round loss against GM Momchil Nikolov allowed four more players to finish at 7/9 each. It did not affect Diptayan's championship chances as he had better tie-breaks. IM Kirk Ghazarian, GM Harsha Bharathakoti, Momchil and IM Peio Duboue were placed second to fifth respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was €8000. Diptayan won €1500 and a trophy. The reigning World Under-14 Open Gold medalist, Ilamparthi A R became India's latest IM at this event. Photo: Susan Polgar

WR Chess Masters 2023 R4: Five draws

20/02/2023 -

All five games of the fourth round at WR Chess Masters 2023 ended in draws. D Gukesh made a nice exchange sacrifice against Vincent Keymer. The Germany no.1 returned the exchange at the right time to prevent things getting out of hand and the game ended in a draw. Gukesh's undefeated streak against Keymer in rated games continues. R Praggnanandhaa tried to create some chances against Nodirbek Abdusattorov but there was never any real opportunity. Anish Giri (NED) was the only one who had real chances against Andrey Esipenko. However, the World no.5 could not capitalize on his connected passed pawns and the game ended in a draw. Today is a rest day. Round 5 starts tomorrow Tuesday 21st February from 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/WR Chess Masters

New: Dorian Rogozenco: Play the Sveshnikov Sicilian - A complete repertoire for Black against the open Sicilian

19/02/2023 -

“In order to understand an opening, you need to know the historical background and have a good feeling for the dynamics”, says the GM Dorian Rogozenco in the introduction to this video course. Based on 30 years of personal experience at high level, Rogozenco provides a complete guide for Black in the modern theory of the Sveshnikov Sicilian. The Sveshnikov Sicilian regained popularity after the World Championship match 2018 between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, where the World Champion used the opening as one of his main weapons. To enrich your knowledge in the Sveshnikov, grab this DVD right away. Photo: ChessBase

WR Chess Masters 2023 R3: Aronian takes Sole lead, Praggnanandhaa bounces back

19/02/2023 -

Levon Aronian is a 2-time World Cup Champion, who has crossed 2800 multiple times. The Top US Grandmaster is coming back to his old form, as he defeated young Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the 3rd round of WR Chess Masters 2023. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa scored his first win of the event by defeating GM Vincent Keymer. D Gukesh made a solid draw against Wesley So with the Black pieces, and the rest of the games were drawn. After 3 rounds, Levon Aronian is leading the tournament with 2.5/3. Round 4 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/WR Chess Masters

R Ashwath dominates Graz Open 2023 Blitz

18/02/2023 -

FM R Ashwath scored an unbeaten 10/11 to win International Graz Open 2023 Blitz. He finished ahead of two GMs, three IMs and a half point of the competition. FM Mieszko Mis (POL) scored sole 9.5/11 to finish second. Austria no.5, GM Felix Blohberger was adjudged third with a score of 8.5/11. Total prize fund was €1000. Top three prizes were €300, €200 and €100 each respectively. Ashwatth won ₹26554 and gained 77.2 Elo rating points. This is Ashwath's first tournament triumph of the year. The last tournament he won was a Rapid Rating tournament in December 2022. Photo: Internationales Schachopen Graz

Rathanvel V S wins 3rd SCMA Rapid Rating Open 2023

18/02/2023 -

IM Rathanvel V S, IM Nitin S and FM Senthil Maran K scored 8/9 each. Rathanvel won 3rd SCMA Rapid Rating Open 2023 on tie-breaks, Nitin and Senthil were adjudged second and third. Both Rathanvel and Nitin remained undefeated. The total prize fund for the Rapid Rating was ₹200000 and ₹40000 for the Blitz Open. The top three prizes for the Rapid Rating were ₹25000, ₹15000 and ₹12000 along with a trophy each, for Blitz they were ₹8000, ₹5000 and ₹3000 each respectively. This is Rathanvel's first tournament victory since he won a Blitz Rating Open last year in October. The two-day Rapid Rating and Blitz Open tournaments were organized by Sri Sadguru Chessmartz and Music Academy on 4th and 5th February 2023. Photo: SCMA

WR Chess Masters 2023 R2: Gukesh outplays Praggnanandhaa

18/02/2023 -

The games between Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa have always been exciting. It was no different in the second round of WR Chess Masters 2023. Gukesh was confident during his game as he knew that his opponent played something which is not precise as per his preparation. He had to work it out over the board and calcullate the variations in a very complex position. The other 44th Olympiad Gold medalist, Nodirbek Abdusattorov also won his game. He defeated Andrey Esipenko for the first time in a Classical rated game with a beautiful double bishop sacrifice. Round 3 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/WR Chess Masters

Airports Authority of India clinch MPL National Team 2023 Open and Women for the second consecutive year

17/02/2023 -

AAI had won MPL 42nd National Team Chess Championship 2023 Open at the conclusion of the eighth round. Even, a last round loss against Tamil Nadu B could not deter their championship hopes, as they had already beaten PSPB in the fifth round. Despite playing with one less member in the last two rounds, AAI managed to win the tournament on tie-breaks. Undefeated RSPB A scored sole 14/18 to finish third, a point behind AAI and RSPB. In the Women's event, both AAI and PSPB won their final round matches. They secured first and second place respectively. Maharashtra also won the last round. They secured third place 10/13. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

WR Chess Masters 2023 R1: Gukesh draws with Giri after 6.5+ hour long battle

17/02/2023 -

D Gukesh started his campaign with a draw against the World no.5 Anish Giri at WR Chess Masters 2023. The game went for over 6.5 hours and finding precise defence in a long, grueling battle is certainly not an easy task. Gukesh managed to do so by overcoming unpleasant position and did not crumble against the 85th Tata Steel Chess Masters 2023 winner. R Praggnanandhaa started his tournament with a loss against Levon Aronian. Wesley So defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda who went wrong in the opening. Andrey Esipenko won against Vincent Keymer which went for over seven hours. It will be Gukesh vs Praggnanandhaa in Round 2 which starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/WR Chess Masters

10-year-old Samuel Stephen Noble dominates 1st V4 Chess Below 1600 Rating Tournament 2023

16/02/2023 -

10-year-old Samuel Stephen S Noble scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 1st V4 Chess Below 1600 Rating Tournament 2023. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. Three players - Harshal U Patil, Samarateja K and Manikandan Tayalan scored 8/9 each. They were placed second to fourth. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹1000000. Top three prizes were ₹100000, ₹60000 and ₹40000 along with a trophy each. A total of 508 players participated from various states across India along with three from USA. The three-day nine-round tournament was organized by V4 Chess at Sri KVBR Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana from 3rd to 5th February 2023. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa set to face the world's best at WR Chess Masters 2023

16/02/2023 -

GM D Gukesh and GM R Praggnanandhaa are going to face the world's top players at WR Chess Masters 2023 starting today in Dusseldorf, Germany. They both made their presence felt at the 85th Tata Steel Chess Masters last month. It will be their second consecutive super tournament of the year when they will face a few players who were not part of the 'Wimbledon of Chess'.The remaining eight players in the field are - Ian Nepomniachtchi, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Vincent Keymer and Andrey Esipenko. Round 1 starts today from 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/WR Chess Masters

MPL National Teams 2023 R8: AAI on the verge of second consecutive triumph

16/02/2023 -

AAI defeated Kerala B 2.5-1.5 with only three members. Since GM Sankalp Gupta was absent, GM Aravindh Chithambaram and the reigning Asian Junior Open Gold medalist, IM Harshavardhan G B scored important victories. GM Abhimanyu Puranik averted disaster and drew his game to ensure AAI move closer to second consecutive triumph at this event. They just need to draw their last round match against Tamil Nadu B to clinch the tournament. PSPB is two points behind at 13/16, followed by RSPB A 12/16. Both AAI and PSPB won their respective matches in the Women's event. Therefore, they are still in the lead with 11/12 each. AAI needs to tie the result with PSPB to become champion. Round 9 Open and Round 7 Women starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

Arul Anandh wins 3rd Little England Rating Open 2023 with a round to spare

15/02/2023 -

16-year-old Arul Anandh S P K scored eight straight wins to become the winner of 3rd Little England Rating Open 2023. The 31st seeded 1678 rated teenager won the tournament 8/9 with one round to spare. Thus, a last round loss to the eventual runner-up Arpan Das 7.5/9 did not deter his championship chances. Top seed IM Ratnakaran K and Dhanush Ragav N S also scored 7.5/9. They secured third and fourth place respectively. . The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹500001. The top three prizes were ₹60001, ₹40000 and ₹30000 along with a trophy each. The tournament was organized by Viyugam Chess Academy and Ananthi Chess Academy. Check out the annotated game by the champion Arul himself. All photos in this article are by IA R Anantharam

MPL National Teams 2023 R7: AAI continues their winning streak

15/02/2023 -

AAI continues their winning streak at MPL 42nd National Team Chess Championship 2023 Open. Odisha lost to them 1.5-2.5. GM Abhimanyu Puranik scored the important victory which helped his team AAI win their sixth match. AAI maintains their sole lead 13/14, two points ahead of RSPB A and PSPB 11/14. In the Women's event, PSPB defeated Maharashtra 2.5-1.5. AAI scored their fourth whitewash of the event, it was against Telangana in the fifth round. Both teams are in the lead 9/10. If both teams maintain their match points same, eventually game points will become a factor in determining the champions. Round 8 Open and Round 6 Women starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

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