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World Junior R5-6: Pranav Venkatesh gains sole lead

03/03/2025 -

GM Pranav Venkatesh defeated GM Emin Ohanyan (ARM) in Round 6 to emerge sole leader 5.5/6. In the previous round, he drew with his coleader - Yihan Meng (CHN). Three players are trailing Pranav by a half point. IM Aswath S is the only Indian at 4.5/6, in a pack of 17 players. Among the Girls, WFM Kesaria Mgeladze (GEO), WFM Mariya Yakimova, WIM Ayan Allahverdiyeva (AZE) and WIM Umida Omonova (UZB) are sharing the lead 5/6 each. Five players are in pursuit at 4.5/6 each. WGM Rakshitta Ravi is one of them. Round 7 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST.

ChessBase 18 and Mega 2025 are here

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ChessBase 18 + Mega 2025 Combo

Prague Masters 2025 R5: Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh draw their game, both remain coleaders

02/03/2025 -

R Praggnanandhaa drew with Aravindh Chithambaram in Round 5 of the 7th Prague International Chess Festival 2025 Masters. Both of them maintain their lead 3.5/5. It was a well contested battle where neither player gave an inch to their opponent. Wei Yi (CHN) registered his second consecutive win of the event. His victory was the solitary one of the round against Sam Shankland (USA). Vincent Keymer (GER) missed a good opportunity against Liem Quang Le (VIE). Keymer, Anish Giri (NED), Liem and Wei are at a full point behind the leaders at a 50% score 2.5/5. A total of 17 players are trailing the leaders in Karel Janeček Open at 3.5/5 each. Among them, there are two Indians - GM Raja Rithvik R and IM Arghyadip Das. The sixth round for Masters, Challengers and Futures, and Round 4 Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Aleksandra Goryachkina wins Monaco GP 2025, Humpy second

02/03/2025 -

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina drew with IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL) in the final round to win FIDE Monaco GP 2025. GM Koneru Humpy defeated IM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ). Goryachkina, Humpy and Batkhuyag, all three ended up having the same score 5.5/9 each. Goryachkina became champion due to better tie-break scores, Humpy secured second place and Batkhuyag third. Humpy's sole loss of the event was against the eventual champion, Goryachkina in the sixth round. The fourth leg of the GP will take place in Cyprus from 14th to 25th March 2025. Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

March 2025 FIDE Rating list: World Champion D Gukesh becomes World no.3, Praggnanandhaa World no.8

02/03/2025 -

The 18th World Champion, D Gukesh has climbed up to World no.3 in the March 2025 FIDE Rating list. It is his career high ranking. R Praggnanandhaa's fantastic performance at the 87th Tata Steel Masters 2025 moved him up by six places to number eight from 14. Aravindh Chithambaram and Leon Luke Mendonca gained 1.5 Elo rating points each at Bundesliga and in Wijk aan Zee. Pentala Harikrishna gained 8.6 Elo rating points at the Wimbledon of chess to return to 2700+ club. Seven Indians are currently in top 30 which is the highest ever. Koneru Humpy increased her rating by 4.6 points at FIDE Monaco GP. Vaishali R added 8.1 at Tata Steel Challengers to regain India no.2 spot. Photo: ECCC

Prague Masters 2025 R4: Praggnanandhaa prevails Keymer, joins the lead with Aravindh

02/03/2025 -

Aravindh Chithambaram had a solid draw with Sam Shankland (USA) in the fourth round of the 7th Prague International Chess Festival 2025 Masters. He moved to 4/5. R Praggnanandhaa managed to get back in the game after a slightly shaky start in the opening. Vincent Keymer (GER) could not manage to capitalize on his chances and suffered his second defeat of the event. This win allowed Praggnanandhaa to join the lead with Aravindh. They both will face each other in the fifth round. IM Divya Deshmukh drew with GM Qun Ma (CHN) in the Challengers. GM Raja Rithvik R scored a hat-trick of wins by defeating FM Simon Rybka (SVK). The fifth round for Masters, Challengers and Futures, and Round 4 Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

World Junior R3-4: Pranav and Sarayu in the lead

01/03/2025 -

GM Pranav Venkatesh and Yihan Meng (CHN) are the coleaders at FIDE World Junior Open 2025. Pranav defeated FM Raem Sherman (ISR) to score his fourth consecutive win. IM Gomez Manuel Campos (COL) lost to Yihan Meng (CHN) and the latter joined the lead with Pranav 4/4. In the Girls section, nine of them are at 3.5/4. WIM Sarayu Velpula is the sole Indian among them. WGM Rakshitta Ravi and WGM Savitha Shri B are at 2.5/4 each. Pranav inevitably clash with his coleader Yihan in the fifth round. Sarayu is up against WIM Yelyzaveta Hrebenshchykova (UKR). Round 5 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Official site

Indian Chess Masters and Indian Chess Masters for the Blind set to happen in Mumbai from 3rd-4th March

01/03/2025 -

After the online qualifiers were held in early January, the Indian Chess Masters and Indian Chess Masters for the Blind finals are set to take place on 3rd-4th march! This event will take place at the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai. There are 16 men and 16 women who have qualified to the finals - who will emerge as the Champion? In this article, you will get to know all the information about this event. 

Prague Masters 2025 R3: Amazing Aravindh outwits Wei, now World no.16, Praggnanandhaa World no.7

01/03/2025 -

Aravindh Chithambaram continues his terrific form at 7th Prague International Chess Festival 2025 Masters. Once again, he played fantastic chess to beat Wei Yi (CHN). Aravindh is now World no.16 with a live rating of 2740.1. He has also taken an early sole lead 2.5/3. It is not every day when Wei loses two out of the first three games in a strong super tournament like this. R Praggnanandhaa scored his first win of the event against Thai Dai Van Nguyen (CZE). The Czech Republic no.2 went for an incorrect break in the middlegame and paid a heavy price for it. GM Sasikiran Krishnan and GM Raja Rithvik R won their second consecutive games respectively. The fourth round for Masters, Challengers and Futures, and Round 3 Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Shivjayanti Chess Tournament in Nashik: A Celebration of Tradition and Strategy

28/02/2025 -

The Shivjayanti Chess Tournament in Nashik was a perfect mix of tradition and strategy. It brought chess lovers together to celebrate both the game and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The blitz tournament was organized by Genius Chess Academy at City Centre Mall, Nashik. There were a total of 256 participants battling it out in exciting games. Apart from that, there were fun history quizzes as well that added to the charm. With such initiatives, Nashik is becoming a great place for chess enthusiasts to learn and grow. Check out the full report. Photo: Saras Joshi

Prague Masters 2025 R2: Aravindh Chithambaram astonishes the in-form Vincent Keymer

28/02/2025 -

Vincent Keymer (GER) was in terrific form since his triumph at Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1. He started Prague Chess Festival 2025 Masters with a victory. However, in the second round, Aravindh Chithambaram managed to stop his momentum. In a wild game, the India no.5 and World no.21 prevailed by playing fantastic chess. He found some great resources. Ediz Gurel (TUR) held R Praggnanandhaa to a solid draw. IM Divya Deshmukh bounced back well with a victory over IM Richard Stalmach (CZE). In Karel Janeček Open, GM Sasikiran Krishnan and GM Raja Rithvik R made a winning start. The third round for Masters, Challengers and Futures, and Round 2 Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Grand Chess Tour 2025: Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa named full tour participants for the second year in-a-row

27/02/2025 -

Grand Chess Tour 2025 season full tour participants names have been revealed. Out of the nine full tour participants, there are two Indians - D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa. The remaining seven are - Alireza Firouzja (FRA), GCT 2022 and 2024 winner, Fabiano Caruana (USA), World no.2 and GCT 2023 winner, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), World Blitz 2021 champion, Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), World Rapid 2021 champion, Wesley So (USA), GCT 2021 winner, Levon Aronian (USA), only two-time World Cup winner in history and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL), World Cup 2021 winner. For the second consecutive year, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa have been named as full tour participants. However, the World no.4, Arjun Erigaisi's name is shockingly missing from the list. Photo: Grand Chess Tour

The Story of Odisha's inspiring brothers checkmating all the challenges and barriers!

27/02/2025 -

Have you come across a situation where you feel low and give up without giving a second thought to the purpose that motivated you to begin? Surely, many times! Tina Popli shares the story of two brothers, Prachurya and Soundarya, from Odisha, who are visually impaired and have overcome all the barriers despite the challenges that came their way! Photo: Kesha Ranjan Pradhan

Meet Roman Vidonyak: The hidden coach behind top grandmasters

27/02/2025 -

Some of the world’s best chess players have trained under him, yet his name remains unknown to many. He has worked with players like Anish Giri, Jorden van Foreest, and Vladimir Fedoseev but always stayed behind the scenes. He is known for his creative training methods and intensive sessions. The name of this mastermind is Roman Vidonyak, and Sagar Shah got the opportunity to meet him in Wijk aan Zee. Check out his interview in which he talks about his training journey, training philosophy, and what it takes to create champions. Photo: German Chess Federation

World Junior R1-2: Sneha Halder stuns Miaoyi Lu

27/02/2025 -

WFM Sneha Halder stunned the top seed, IM Miaoyi Lu (CHN) in the first round of FIDE World Junior Girls 2025. After the Chinese was unable to maximize her chances in the opening, Sneha seized her solitary opportunity in the late middlegame and went on to win the game. In the second round, Sneha drew with FM Yana Zhapova. Mrittika Mallick held the third seeded - IM Yuxin Song (CHN) to a draw in Round 1. Sarayu Velpula and WGM Savitha Shri B won both of their games. They are at 2/2 each. Sneha and WGM Rakshitta Ravi are at 1.5/2 each. In the Open event, GM Pranav Venkatesh and IM Ilamparthi A R are at 2/2 each. Sunle Gong (CHN) outplayed the top seed, GM Daniel Dardha (BEL) in Round 2. Round 3 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Official site

Prague Masters 2025 R1: Keymer and Shankland make a winning start

27/02/2025 -

The seventh edition of Prague International Chess Festival 2025 is off to a great start. Both Masters and Challengers sections witnessed two decisive games each. Vincent Keymer (GER) and Sam Shankland (USA) scored the wins over Wei Yi (CHN) and Ediz Gurel (TUR) respectively. Thai Dai Van Nguyen (CZE) missed a great winning opportunity against Aravindh Chithambaram. The game eventually ended in a draw. R Praggnanandhaa shared the point with David Navara and the former was certainly not happy with the outcome. IM Divya Deshmukh suffered a loss against GM Ivan Salgado Lopez (ESP). The second round for Masters, Challengers and Futures, and Round 1 Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

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