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Carlsen vs Nepo World Championship 2021 Game 4: Why did Magnus Carlsen play 1.e4?

01/12/2021 -

It's clear that Nepo has come to the World Championship match with the intention to be super solid, at least with the black pieces. So when Magnus would go 1.e4, it was very likely that he would either go for the Petroff or the Berlin. Yet, why did Magnus Carlsen go for 1.e4? Why did he let his opponent play an opening that's almost unbreakable? We try to figure that out in this article. Currently four games of the World Championship match have been completed and the score stands even on 2-2. There is nothing much to choose between the Champion and the Challenger, but with every passing game, the excitement and the suspense is building. 

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Rahul Srivasthav shares first place at US Masters 2021, wins US$ 3750

01/12/2021 -

IM Rahul Srivasthav P won the Telangana State Senior early this year. He joined the undergraduate program as part of the chess program of University of Texas, Dallas in USA. He took a couple of tournaments to get himself adjusted. After a small gain of Elo rating points at Houston Fall Championship 2021, Rahul got to his true form as he scored an unbeaten 7.0/9 to finish shared first along with GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (PER) in US Masters 2021. He was placed second according to tie-breaks, scored his fourth GM-norm, gained 17.2 Elo rating points and earned US$ 3750 (approx. ₹2.8 lacs). His present rating is 2466 which means he is just 34 points away from becoming India's next Grandmaster. Photo: Niklesh Jain

2nd elllobregat Open R1: Aditya Samant stuns Vitaliy Bernadskiy

01/12/2021 -

FM Aditya Samant scored the biggest upset of the first round as he beat one of the tournament favorite, GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy (UKR) at 2nd elllobregat Open 2021. The 15-year-old boy holds an IM-norm, and he has won two rating tournaments this year, Rapid and Classical in September and November respectively at his home city, Pune. A total of 157 players including 37 GMs, 34 IMs, 3 WGMs and 2 WIMs are taking part from 41 countries across the world. The total prize fund of the event is €25400, the first prize is €10000. Karthikeyan Murali, Arjun Erigaisi, Sethuraman, Visakh N R and Sankalp Gupta made a winning start among Indian GMs.

Sankalp Gupta wins 2nd Barbera del Valles 2021 Masters

30/11/2021 -

Just like India's 72nd GM Mitrabha Guha, India's 71st Grandmaster Sankalp Gupta has also won the first tournament he played after becoming a GM, 2nd Barbera del Valles Masters 2021 with a score of 6.0/9. Four players finished with the same score, the Nagpur lad won clinched the first place due to better tie-breaks. He won a trophy and €1000 cash prize. Dhananjay S and Ojas Kulkarni secured second and third place scoring 7.0/9 and 6.5/9, earned €700 and €500 each respectively. Arvind Ramnath Iyer won the Group B 7.5/9, remained undefeated and finished a full point ahead of the competition. He received €300 for his efforts. It was a wonderful event for the Indian players as four podium places were secured by Indians combining three groups. Photo: Club d'Escacs Barberà

Velammal Nexus clinches Dubai 2020 World School Tournament

30/11/2021 -

Velammal Nexus defeated Saco Oliveros (PER) 3-2 in the Finals to win Dubai 2020 World School Tournament. They beat School #1 (MGL) in the Semifinals 3.5-1.5. The tournament favorite won both Knockout stage matches convincingly. All five members of the team - Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Leon, Pranav V and Rindhiya, contributed valuable points to the team which made them invincible as a team throughout the event. Moreover, the seven-time world champion, Vishy Anand inspired them before the matches. The valuable words not only helped them in this event, but also for the rest of their life. Saco Oliveros (PER) and 33rd Secondary School secured second and third place respectively. Photo: Niki Riga/FIDE

Carlsen vs Nepo World Championship 2021 Game 3: Who is pushing whom?

29/11/2021 -

A dull boring draw! We are going to witness all classical games ending in a draw! Classical chess is no fun! That's how people reacted at the end of game three of the World Championship 2021. While a part of it is true, that the game was rather tame, it doesn't paint the entire picture. There was quite some pressure on the board, with Carlsen playing an interesting opening idea with black, Nepo pressing as hard as he could and then there is the off the board tension that is rising! We bring you the game three report with analysis, photos, videos and a cricketing analogy to help understand the situation better.

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. 

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.

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