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100 episodes of Improving Chess with Sagar Shah and the comedians

25/09/2020 -

One of the most loved and followed chess series in the lockdown has come to an end - "Improving Chess with Comedians" by IM Sagar Shah. Four of India's well-known and celebrated stand-up comedians Samay Raina, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Vaibhav Sethia and Anirban Dasgupta were trained for 100 episodes covering all the important tactical, positional and strategic themes that an improving chess player should know. This series led to the chess improvement of not just these comedians but also of the thousands of viewers following the shows. In this article we tell you about the journey and also publish the mails from the viewers that were sent to us!

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Vugar Rasulov wins Play for Durgesh Fundraiser Open

25/09/2020 -

360 players from all over the world participated in Play for Durgesh Fundraiser Online Blitz Open. Over 11 lacs funds were raised which we have already mentioned a few days ago. Four players finished at 8.0/9, Vugar Rasulov, Terry Renato, Harsha Bharathakoti and Vugar Asadli. They were placed first to fourth according to their tie-breaks. The entire prize of ₹50000 was sponsored by Durgesh's good friend Sushrutha Reddy under the aegis of United Karnataka Chess Association. Lucky prizes were added to the donation as the tournament had to be truncated by one round due to technical issues. Photo: Azeri news

World no.9 Teimour Radjabov launches his online chess academy

25/09/2020 -

The Covid-19 situation has presented the world with a tough time. The chess world is also affected heavily with the over-the-board tournaments dwindling in number. But one thing that has received a tremendous boost is the level of chess education that has been made available in the last few months. As a prime example of this is the Chess Stars Academy launched by GM Teimour Radjabov a few days ago. The World no.9 Azeri GM has launched his online academy along with two of his trainers Chuchelov and Nataf who have been responsible for his rise to the top in the last few years! Get to know more about Raja's new venture and also the courses on offer.

IM Harshit Raja secures admission in the University of Missouri

24/09/2020 -

Towards the end of 2019 IM Harshit Raja from Pune shot into prominence after scoring two back to back GM norms in Spain. The first one was at the Elllobregat Open and the next one was at the Sunway Sitges 2019. En route to this achievement he beat several strong GMs like Karthikeyan Murali, Gukesh, Parham Maghsoodloo among others! So what's up with this 19-year-old youngster in 2020? What is Harshit Raja doing? Turns out that while all of the over the board tournaments have been cancelled due to Covid-19 situation, Harshit has managed to keep progressing - this time on the academic front. 

Talk of the Universe: Ganguly in conversation with Kramnik

23/09/2020 -

On 5th September, Surya Sekhar Ganguly invited the former World Champion, legend Vladimir Kramnik to his talk show 'In Conversation with'. It is well-known that Kramnik has contributed a lot to the theoretical aspect of chess. So it was right that on Teacher's Day someone who has taught a lot through his games talk about his journey. Kramnik also discusses about training young Indian talents and hopes he will get to come to India very soon. That's not all, he discusses various games of his and shares his thought process and one of the most important element - 'Prophylaxis'. Photo: Surya's youtube channel.

Getting the most out of ChessBase 15: a step-by-step guide #3 – Layout

22/09/2020 -

You've installed Chessbase 15, it's activated and updated. What next? How does a beginner to ChessBase 15 know where to start, or how to access the functions and features of the most sophisticated chess program on the planet. It's actually remarkably simple. Now is a very good time to learn the basic functions and features of ChessBase 15. It is a software which is used by everyone from beginners to World Class players. Definitely there is a reason behind. It is quintessential to all chess players of the entire universe. Here, Nick Murphy shows you how in a detailed pictorial tutorial.

Ameya Audi - The latest International Master from Goa

21/09/2020 -

Ameya Audi became the latest International Master from Goa. Despite crossing the 2400 barrier in November 2017, he took a break from chess for studies, made his return to the sport in August 2018. He lost quite a bit of rating and dropped to 2322. He scored his maiden IM-norm at World Junior 2019 and got the form back. He scored his final IM-norm at Aeroflot Open B where he beat the top seed and the defending champion in the very first round and went on to finish sixth in the tournament. Get to know about this young talent's journey from the man Ameya himself. He also shares a couple of his game with detailed annotations. Photo: Ameya

Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2020: Carlsen and So are the Co-Champions

20/09/2020 -

Both reigning World Champions Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So scored 24.0/36 to become Co-Champions at Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2020. While Carlsen scored 6.0/9 on the final day, So scored 6.5/9 including scoring three consecutive victories in the final three games. Both of them won US$45000 each. In their direct encounter, Carlsen came out at the top against So. It is absolutely poetic and just that both Carlsen and So finished at the shared first place. Nakamura finished sole third with 21.0/36. Harikrishna had a tough final day as he managed to score only 3.0/9, finishing the tournament with 15.5/36 at shared seventh place along with Xiong. Harikrishna won US$14000. Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club Live stream

Chess Community raises over 11 lacs for coach Durgesh

20/09/2020 -

The entire chess universe has once again come together for a noble cause to help raise funds for a a well-known chess trainer from Bangalore, who suffered from brain haemorrhage. World no.10 and Dutch no.1 GM Anish Giri spent his valuable time and efforts to participate in this tournament and spread awareness for this noble cause. We have had 582 donors across the world and managed to raise Rs. 11,08,160. Durgesh's good friend Sushrutha Reddy sponsored Rs.50,000 as the prize fund for the tournament under the aegis of United Karnataka Chess Association. Sushrutha also brings an update about Durgesh's present health situation. GM Vugar Rasulov of Azerbaijan won the event with 8.0/9, three other players - IM Terry R, GM Harsha Bharathakoti and GM Vugar Asadli also finished at 8.0/9. They were placed second to fourth. Photo: Amruta Mokal and others

Saint Louis Blitz: Harikrishna beats Carlsen

19/09/2020 -

The fourth day of Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz was an interesting one. Carlsen took the sole lead despite not having his best day. He lost to Harikrishna in Round 3, swindled Firouzja in Round 7 and had a close call against Dominguez in Round 8.  Still the World Champion finished at the top of the table with 18.5/27. Previous day leader So made a recovery after starting the day with a loss against Xiong and then finished the day with 18.0/27. Nepomniachtchi beat both Carlsen and Nakamura with 1.b3 and he is at sole third position with 15.0/27. Who do you think will win the entire event - Carlsen, So or someone else? Blitz Round 10 starts tonight from 11:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club Live stream

Lockdown Tryst with Chess

18/09/2020 -

Chess is not anymore a game between brooding old men hunched over drab checkered boards and slogging away for hours. That stereotypical image of chess and chess players is passé—the royal-game has shed it's serious intellectual outlook and is now being truly embraced by the masses at large as a legitimate sport capable of giving even soccer or tennis a run for money. Chess, for the first time, is gaining traction among them who perhaps do not fit into the traditional chess player mould. Thanks to some unlikely men and women joining forces, there are novices taking up and becoming passionate about the game literally every other day. How has all this happened is the question in everyone's mind. Vaibhav Bajaj, a new chess initiate himself, takes you through his journey over the past few months and gives you an idea of how the spectrum of the game has been changing lately at the very grassroot level.

Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand to play Card Chess?!

18/09/2020 -

When Samay Raina got Magnus Carlsen to his channel on 2nd of September 2020, the world was amazed! The well- known Indian stand-up comedian could not outdo this feat, right? Well, think again! The 22-year-old just outdid that achievement! And instead of one world champion on a stream, Samay has managed to bring two World Champions together! Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand will be together on 18th of September 2020 at 18.30 hours IST on Samay Raina's YouTube channel. And guess that variant of chess that they would be playing? Card chess! A variant that Magnus will introduce to the world today! 

Saint Louis Rapid Day 3: Wesley So takes sole lead

18/09/2020 -

The third day of Saint Louis Rapid belonged to Wesley So as he went on two score two wins after making a draw with Nepomniachtchi and take the sole lead with 13.0/18. Grischuk beat Carlsen in the final round of the Rapid stage which made sure Carlsen finish sole second, a point behind So at 12.0/18. Both Grischuk and Nepomniachtchi finished at shared third place with 10.0/18. Harikrishna finished at shared fourth place with 9.0/18. The tournament will continue with a total of 18 rounds of Blitz taking place today and tomorrow. Blitz Round 1 starts tonight from 11:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club Live stream

The entire Gold medal winning Indian team from Online Olympiad 2020 interviewed by ChessBase India

18/09/2020 -

12 individuals played out of their skin to ensure that team India win its first ever medal at an Olympiad. Team India and Russia jointly won the FIDE Online Olympiad 2020. IM Sagar Shah got in touch with 14 individuals who were an integral part of this victory. 12 players - Vishy Anand, Vidit Gujrathi, Harikrishna, Aravindh Chithambaram, Koneru Humpy, D. Harika, Bhakti Kulkarni, R. Vaishali, Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Vantika Agrawal and Divya Deshmukh. Additionally we also spoke to vice captain Srinath Narayanan who played a huge role in India's victory and Samay Raina who helped to bring in huge number of followers for the event! 

New: Sokolov's first Fritztrainer - Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol. 1 + 2

17/09/2020 -

Ivan Sokolov is well-known for his stunning attacking games. Most of them originate from middlegames, so no wonder he wrote various books about this topic. We are delighted to now present his "Understanding Middlegame Strategies" Fritztrainer series, starting with Vol.1 - "Dynamic Pawns" and Vol.2 - "Practical Play". While Volume 1 concentrates on several ideas and tips for dynamic pawn play, Volume 2 is focusing on decision taking and creating crisis. GM Sokolov coached the Iranian national team (Alireza Firouzja, Parham Maghsoodloo) for many years, so he is capable of guiding you through the topics professionally and interestingly. Those Fritztrainers will take your middlegame to the next level. Photo: ChessBase

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