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Cote D’Ivoire Day 3: King Magnus reigns supreme and crosses 2900 elo!

11/05/2019 -

Garry Kasparov was considered the greatest of all time not for his game quality (which was exceptional, by the way) but for his amazing streaks in tournaments. He crushed top GMs like paper and won by huge margins of 2 to 3 points in super tournaments! Now, his former student has taken over the mantle, and at the rate he is going, he might as well surpass his illustrious teacher! Magnus Carlsen performed brilliantly yet again, scoring two wins and a draw on the final day of the rapid to extend his sole lead by three points!  The World Champion continues his brilliant 2019 and jumps above 2900 elo on the rapid list! Hikaru Nakamura had another solid day at the office, scoring 4 points and retaining slim hopes of catching Carlsen in Blitz. MVL and Wesley So too had a great day, grabbing three and two wins respectively to retain slim chances of overall tournament victory. A comprehensive report by Tanmay Srinath.

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Pranesh and Sarayu lead National under-13 with two rounds to go

11/05/2019 -

The national under-13 is currently in progress in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Indian chess scene for this age category is quite vibrant amd hence this national championship assumes even greater importance. V.Pranav took the early lead in the event with a 7.0/7 start. In the eighth round he was defeated by Pranesh. Pranesh then went on to beat Jubin Jimmy as well and with 8.0/9 has a two point lead with two rounds to go. In the girls section top seed Sarayu Velpula is clearly showing her superiority as she is one point ahead of the entire field. An illustrated report with photos from the venue by Devashree Agarwal.

Harikrishna finishes second at Tepe Sigeman & Co. 2019, Nihal reaches 2600.4

10/05/2019 -

It was a race to the finish between Harikrishna and Gawain Jones at the Tepe Sigeman & Co. 2019. In the final round Harikrishna on 4.0/6 was pitted against Gawain Jones who was on 4.5/6. Hari didn't really get a position that he could press and after 21 moves the players agreed to a draw. This meant that Gawain Jones became the champion with 5.0/7 while Harikrishna had to settle for the sole second spot with 4.5/7. He was followed by Nils Grandelius on 4.0/7. Nihal Sarin's first major round robin event was quite a success as the 14-year-old gained some experience and also 2.4 Elo points. This was enough to propel him beyond 2600. Detailed report from Sweden.

S Prasanna wins 4 Queens 2nd FIDE Rated Open 2019

10/05/2019 -

Untitled S Prasanna of Tamil Nadu scored 8.0/9 and finished half-a-point ahead of a pack six players to become champion and win ₹75000 cash and a shining new trophy. He also finished ahead of two IMs. Top seed, IM Arghyadip Das finished at 7.5/9 and due to a better tie-break score, he secured the runner-up position. Ram S Krishnan of Tamil Nadu, suffered his only loss against the eventual champion of the tournament, scored also scored 7.5/9 to get second runner-up place. Total 284 players from various states across the country participated in this tournament where total prize money was ₹801000 distributed in 112 different prizes. Here is a pictorial report of the tournament. Photo: 4 Queens Chess Club

Alekhine Memorial in Voronezh, Russia invites you from 10-21st June 2019

10/05/2019 -

The Alekhine Memorial in Voronezh, Russia is being held from the 10th to the 21st of June 2019. It is one of the strongest open events in the world. In 2017 a bunch of talented Indians went to the tournament and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Some of the talents who participated there were Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Gukesh, Raunak Sadhwani, Leon Mendonca, Arjun Kalyan, V. Pranav, Vaishali, Rakshitta Ravi and others. In 2017, the number of Indians who took part were 18, but in 2018 it reduced to four. This year the organizers are keen to have more Indians at this tournament. Read on to know if you would like to take part in this year's Alekhine Memorial. 

Magnus Carlsen dominates day 2 in Cote D'Ivoire, moves to Rapid Elo of 2896!

10/05/2019 -

After the Grenke Chess Classic 2019 talks about Magnus Carlsen breaching 2900 mark became very relevant. The World Champion is currently on 2875 on the classical rating list, but in rapid ratings he has moved all the way upto 2896! If Carlsen does manage to breach 2900, this won't be the first time as he has reached 2919 before. However, it just goes to show how he is dominating the chess world in all formats. The second ranked rapid player is Nakamura with an Elo of 2835! On day two of Cote D'Ivoire Rapid, which is the first leg of the Grand Chess Tour 2019, Magnus Carlsen continued with his dominance. He is currently on 10/12, followed by Nakamura on 8/12 and Wei Yi on 7/12. An illustrated report by Tanmay Srinath.

A tribute to Dieter Kutzborski, the master who is no more

09/05/2019 -

The great German chess composer Dieter Kutzborski passed away on 27th April 2019 at the age of 72. He was one of the foremost specialists of modern directmates in the style of Logical-New German school, whose productions have brought countless hours of joy to many a problem enthusiasts. The author himself has been an ardent admirer of his works. His problems, especially the longer ones, are simply sensational; their strategic richness and adventurous play can for sure captivate any solver no matter how strong. Photo: SSZ 1968 and Euro Schach

Magnus Carlsen and Wei Yi lead after day one of Côte d'Ivoire Grand Chess Tour Rapid

09/05/2019 -

For years a top class tour in the chess world was missing. In 2015 Grand Chess Tour began with the top ten players in the world and a few wild card entries. The prize money was excellent and chess fans all around the world were treated to some high class chess through out the year. The tour is now into its fifth edition. The organizers have ensured that the best players in the world still take part, but the format is made more dynamic with rapid and blitz also becoming a part of it with classical chess. The first leg of 2019 Grand Chess Tour began on the 8th of May at Côte d'Ivoire in Africa. After day one of rapid chess and three rounds, it is Magnus Carlsen and Wei Yi who lead the event with some exciting chess. A huge report from Africa. 

Let's rebuild Odisha - an online tournament to raise funds for the destruction done by Fani cyclone

08/05/2019 -

On 12th May 2019, an online blitz tournament will be held to raise funds for the destruction done by 'Fani' cyclone in Odisha. The entire money received through donation will be given to Chief Minister's Relief fund. The tournament has no entry fee. Each player is requested to donate a minimum of Rs 100, however there is no maximum limit. The tournament will take place at 8 p.m. so even if you are playing some tournament or have some other work, you can still take part in it. Certain parts of the state have been badly affected and the normal life has been badly disrupted. Photo: PTI

Special Grand Chess Tour 2019 contest only for Indians

08/05/2019 -

Grand Chess Tour 2019 starts today at Côte D’Ivoire. But before that begins, we would like to let you know about a contest where you can win either the official collectors edition Sinquefield cup book signed by the GCT participants and a Chess board signed by the GCT participants. This contest is open only to Indians and has been made possible by the efforts of IM Tania Sachdev. So, what do you have to do to win them? Well you just have to predict the four qualifiers for the Grand Chess Tour finals in London that will be held in December this year. However there is a procedure that needs to be followed. In this article we explain it to you. Mind you, today, 8th of May 2019 is the last date for taking part. Photo: Grand Chess Tour

Harikrishna's endgame sorcery explained

07/05/2019 -

It seems like reaching an equal endgame against Harikrishna is a recipe for disaster! The India no.2 has been playing some phenomenal endgames since the Shenzhen Masters. Hari continued his form at the Tepe Sigeman & Co. and is now on 3.0/4 after his rounds three and four victory against Nils Grandelius and Nihal Sarin. How does Harikrishna do it? How is he able to beat such strong opponents from relatively equal endgame positions? IM Sagar Shah has been following Hari's games quite closely and in this article he tries to reveal the key elements of Harikrishna's successful endgame play. We also have a very beautiful endgame lesson from a game played in 1984 between Kovacevic and Ribli. Don't miss this instructive article.

A tournament in France organized by an Indian!

06/05/2019 -

What makes the 4th Noisiel Open 2019 so unique? There are two reasons which make the event special. Sometimes things do not happen as we planned, and sometimes the opposite. IM P. Iniyan didn't want to play in the event at first and instead wanted to prepare for the Dubai Open. With 5 GM norms, P. Iniyan was short of 13 Elo points from the GM title, and at the last moment, he decided to take part in it. With a strong performance of 2638, scoring 7.0/9 points and remaining undefeated P. Iniyan not only was the 1st runner up but also became India's 61st Grandmaster! 4th Noisiel Open 2019 thus made a particular place and a part of GM P. Iniyan's life. The second reason is that the event is organised by Narayanin Oupindrin, the Indian origin French citizen and International organiser who represented the Chennai University team for four years between 1983 and 1986. In this pictorial report, we try to know more about this event in depth.

Swayams Mishra - India's 62nd GM, accomplished trainer and an IT Engineer

06/05/2019 -

Born in 1992, 26-year-old Swayams Mishra has become India's latest GM on 5th of May 2019 when he achieved his final GM norm at the Polonia Wroclaw GM norm tournament. Swayam's story is one of grit and persistence. After achieving two of his GM norms in 2014 and 2015, he had to wait for nearly three and a half years to get the final GM norm. In that period, Swayams not only evolved as a chess player but also as a human being. He became an IT engineer from KIIT university, he became a FIDE trainer and has helped several of his students to unlock their true potential. This is a story of a boy who had no sponsors to support him in his journey, but with the help of his family, friends and well wishers claimed the highest title in chess. An exclusive interview with India's 62nd GM Swayams Mishra.

Gavi Siddayya wins Karnataka State Amateur 2019

05/05/2019 -

Gavi Siddayya of Silicon City Academy of Secondary Education (SCASE) became the surprise winner of the Karnataka State Amateur Chess Championship by scoring an unbeaten 7.5/8. Despite starting out as the eighth seed and drawing his round 3 game, Gavi managed to win the tournament. Top seed FM Yashas D finished half-a-point behind the champion at 7.0/8 and secured the first runner-up position. Second seeded Vinayak Kulkarni suffered the only loss against the eventual champion of the tournament, scored 6.5/8 and secured third place. The tournament was organized by Innovators Chess Academy from 25th - 28th April 2019 at SCASE. Photo: Sushrutha Reddy

Nihal Sarin crosses 2600 on the live rating list at Tepe Sigeman & Co.

05/05/2019 -

In the first round Nihal Sarin played the opening like a book, middlegame like a magician, but couldn't play the endgame like a machine. The result was a draw in a completely winning position against GM Ivan Saric. In round two he was up against Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu. The 14-year-old was under some pressure, but he managed to wriggle out of the mess. Two draws in the first two rounds has helped Nihal to take his live rating past the 2600 mark, making him the youngest 2600 GM in the world at present. Harikrishna, the top seed, missed a winning position against Tiger Hillarp Persson in round one and drew his round two game against Parham Maghsoodloo. Round 1 and 2 report from Sweden.

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