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Kumar Gaurav wins Shephali Memorial Rating Open 2025

28/01/2025 -

FM Kumar Gaurav, Iftikar Alom Mazumdar, Apollosana Mangang Rajkumar and Rahul Gurung scored 8/9 each at Shephali Memorial Rating Open 2025. Kumar won the tournament due to better tie-break scores. The remaining three were placed second to fourth respectively. Kumar drew with both runners-up. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹350000. The top three prizes were ₹50000, ₹35000 and ₹25000 along with a trophy each respectively. The six-day ten round Rating Open tournament was organized by Bijoyee Sangha in association with Cachar District Chess Association at Ashirbad Vibaha Bhawan in Silchar, Assam from 10th to 15th January 2025. Kumar won both Blitz and Classical Open consecutively. Photo: Bijoyee Sangha

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

Fujairah Global Chess Championship Announced with $125,000 Prize Fund

27/01/2025 -

Fujairah is set to become the new hub of chess, as it gears up to host the Fujairah Global Chess Championship at the state-of-the-art Fujairah Chess and Culture Club, home to the world’s largest chess queen. The tournament boasts a total prize fund of $125,000 and promises to be one of the strongest open chess tournaments ever organized. The event will be held across three categories. The Superstars Tournament will feature players with a rating of 2600 and above, making it an exceptionally strong open tournament. Additionally, there will be a Masters Tournament and a Youth Open to cater to players across different skill levels. The competition is scheduled to take place from August 24 to September 3, 2025, at the Fujairah Chess and Culture Club. Read this article for full details!

India Hosts the 21st International Solving Contest in Four Cities

27/01/2025 -

India hosted the 21st International Solving Contest on January 19th, bringing together over 200 solvers across four cities: Mumbai, Bhopal, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The contest featured three categories – highly experienced, less experienced, and junior – catering to solvers of all levels. ChessBase India successfully organised the Mumbai and Bhopal legs of the event, with Dr. Vidhi Karelia and Satanick Mukhuty leading the efforts. In this pictorial report, we delve into the highlights of the contest, presenting a visual recap of all four tournaments. Furthermore, to put your skills to the test, we have included a 'Test Yourself' section featuring five problems from the contest.

12 Champions crowned at the 13th National Schools Chess Championship 2025

27/01/2025 -

The 13th National Schools Chess Championship 2025 took place from 17th-21st January at the Sri Prakash Synergy School in Peddapuram, Andhra Pradesh. 12 Champions were crowned across various age categories in this 9-round chess tournament with a swiss format! 1200+ players took part in this mega event. Shreyanshi Jain from Rajasthan was the only player across all the categories to score a perfect 9/9! She won the National Schools Under-7 Girls title, and won a ChessBase video course of Gukesh signed by the World Champion Gukesh himself. Read the full report for information on all the winners in different categories. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Suyog Wagh victorious at Smt. Arunatai Devidasji Jagnade Smruti Rapid Rating Open 2025

27/01/2025 -

FM Suyog Wagh scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win Smt. Arunatai Devidasji Jagnade Smruti Rapid Rating Open 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Four players - IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam, Shaunak Badole, Nihaan Pohane and Nachiket Paturkar scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed second to fifth respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹25000, ₹17000 and ₹12000 along with a trophy each respectively. The two-day nine round Rapid Rating Open tournament was organized by Bramhapuri Taluka Chess Association at Vitthal Rukmini Sabhagruha in Bramhapuri, Maharashtra on 11th and 12th January 2025. Suyog started the year 2025 the same way he ended 2024, by winning a tournament. Photo: Ritesh Urkude

Tata Steel 2025 R8: Praggnanandhaa draws with Gukesh, maintains three-way lead with Abdusattorov

27/01/2025 -

R Praggnanandhaa got the opening he was expecting against D Gukesh in Round 8 of 87th Tata Steel Masters 2025. The FIDE World Cup 2023 runner-up thought that his opponent knew the line after 9...0-0, so he didn't want to test his opponent. Instead, played a move on the board which he later felt to be not a good move. The game eventually ended in a draw. Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna and Leon Luke Mendonca shared the point with Alexey Sarana (SRB), Anish Giri (NED) and Jorden van Foreest (NED) respectively. Today is the second rest day. Round 9 starts tomorrow Tuesday 28th January at 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST for both Masters and Challengers section. Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025

Vijay Kumar wins 1st Khelo Chess Academy Rating Open 2025

26/01/2025 -

Vijay Kumar and IM Subhayan Kundu scored 8/9 each at 1st Khelo Chess Academy Rating Open 2025. Vijay won the tournament due to better tie-break scores. Subhayan secured second place. Five players - Shubham Kumar, Sudhanshu Ranjan, Rishan Debnath, Subhabrata Roy and Vishal Sharma scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed third to seventh respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹500000. The top three prizes were ₹75000, ₹45000 and ₹30000 along with a trophy each respectively. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Khelo Chess Academy at City Lounge Resort in Patna, Bihar from 9th to 13th January 2025. Vijay won the first tournament he played in 2025. Photo: All Bihar Chess Association

Tata Steel 2025 R7: Gukesh beats Harikrishna, joins the lead with Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa

26/01/2025 -

D Gukesh defeated Pentala Harikrishna to join the lead with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) and R Praggnanandhaa at 87th Tata Steel Masters 2025. The world champion and his second in winning the crown, did not manage to surprise each other in the opening as they were well-prepared. In the middlegame, Gukesh found some nice resource, combining with the fact that his opponent's inaccuracy, allowed him to convert his advantage comfortably. Leon Luke Mendonca drew with the defending champion Wei Yi (CHN). R Praggnanandhaa shared the point with Jorden van Foreest (NED). Arjun Erigaisi's tough form continues as he went down against Max Warmerdam (NED). In the Challengers, R Vaishali drew with Benjamin Bok (NED). Round 8 starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST for both Masters and Challengers section. Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025

Search for strategic topics with ChessBase 18

25/01/2025 -

Completely new possibilities for strategy training: ChessBase 18 searches games for you according to 30 (!) different strategic themes! In the new search mask you can select strategic themes from 3 categories. In the category ‘Structure’ you will find topics such as ‘Space advantage’ or ‘Majority on the queenside’. The ‘Pieces’ section deals with the value of individual pieces, i.e. ‘opposite coloured bishops’ or ‘strong rooks’. And under ‘Plans’ you can search for ‘Attack weakness’, ‘Successful defence’ or ‘King's attack’. ChessBase 18 then provides a list of games sorted according to the importance of the strategic theme and when you click on it, ChessBase 18 jumps to the relevant part of the game! Chief developer Matthias Wüllenweber shows in the video how quick and easy it is! Photo: ChessBase

Igor Janik wins 35th Cracovia International Chess Festival 2024, Prraneeth Vuppala third

25/01/2025 -

GM Igor Janik (POL) and GM Szymon Gumularz (POL) scored an unbeaten 7/9 each at 35th Cracovia International Chess Festival Open A (>2100) 2024. Igor won the tournament due to better tie-break scores, Szymon secured second place. GM Prraneeth Vuppala scored 6.5/9 to finish third. He drew with the eventual champion, Igor in Round 7. The total prize fund in Open A was PLN 35400. The top three prizes were 10000, 8000 and 6000 PLN. The eight-day nine round Rating Open tournament was held at Hotel Galaxy in Krakow, Poland from 27th December 2024 to 4th January 2025. Photo: Cracovia Chess

Tata Steel 2025 R6: Resilient Gukesh escapes with a draw against Abdusattorov

25/01/2025 -

Every time Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) and D Gukesh clash against each other, fans of the sport are in for a treat. The sixth round battle between the world champions, Gukesh, the reigning one in Classical and Abdusattorov, World Rapid 2021 champion, was an exciting one. The World no.6 got himself a decisive advantage in the endgame. However, he could not capitalize. Gukesh showed his resiliency and the game ended in a draw. R Praggnanandhaa drew with the defending champion, Wei Yi (CHN). Both Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa maintained their lead 4.5/6 each. They are closely followed by Gukesh at 4/6. Arjun Erigaisi drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA). Pentala Harikrishna and Leon Luke Mendonca shared the point with Jorden van Foreest (NED) and Max Warmerdam (NED) respectively. Round 7 starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST for both Masters and Challengers section. Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025

Arpan Das decimates PMZDS Rating Open 2025 with a perfect 10/10

24/01/2025 -

Arpan Das scored a perfect 10/10 to win PMZDS Rating Open 2025. He finished a whopping two points ahead of the competition. Dakhsha Rudra and Abhigyan Das scored 8/10 each. Dakhsha secured second place according to tie-breaks and Abhigyan third. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹150000. The top three prizes were ₹25000, ₹18000 and ₹10000 each respectively. The six-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Purba Medinipur Zilla Daba Sangstha at Shree Hari Bhaban in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal from 7th to 12th January 2025. Arpan won the first tournament he played in 2025. Photo: Utpal Paul / Enjoy Food Enjoy Life

The HelpChess Fundraiser during Tata Steel Chess 2025

24/01/2025 -

The HelpChess Foundation was established on 21st June 2018 to financially support Indian chess players. Since its foundation, it has raised over Rs. 1 crore with the help of thousands of donors. We have been able to support many players in their journey in some ways from generous donations. Every year, our mission is to help more players than before. Previously, we have raised funds during important tournaments like the World Cup 2023 (Rs. 12,58,827.55) and the 45th Chess Olympiad (Rs. 10,26,577.13). This year, we started fundraising with the Tata Steel Chess 2025 tournament and successfully raised Rs. 5,87,374. This amount will be used to support a talented chess player in India. Read the article to find the complete list of contributions made since the start of the tournament. 

Atharva Madkar triumphs at Belgaum Rating Open 2025

24/01/2025 -

Atharva Madkar scored 8/9 to win Belgaum Rating Open 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Dr. Prajwal P Shet scored sole 7.5/9 to secure second place. Six players scored 7/9 each. Among them, IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam was placed third according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹325000. The top three prizes were ₹55000, ₹35000 and ₹25000 along with a trophy each respectively. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Lions Club of Belgaum, Midtown in association with Belgaum District Chess Association at Dharmnath Bhavan, Ram Nagar in Belgaum, Karnataka from 4th to 8th January 2025. Atharva won the first tournament he played in 2025. Photo: Aakash Madiwalar

Sharjah Masters 8th edition starts from 16th May 2025

24/01/2025 -

One of the strongest classical tournaments in the chess calendar is back with its 8th edition! The Sharjah Masters 2025 is set to take place from 16th May to 26th May 2025. The last edition was won by Bardiya Daneshvar (Masters), Divya Deshmukh (Challengers), and Agshin Alizada (Futures). Once again, the event will feature three exciting sections: A, B, and C (replacing the previous names of Masters, Challengers, and Futures). While the players' list is yet to be announced, we can expect some of the world’s best players fighting for the title. It will be a nine-round Classical Swiss tournament with a time control of  90 minutes+30 seconds increment per move for the whole game. The tournament will be held at the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club. Check out all the tournament details below. Photo: Sharjah Masters

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