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World Youth 2019 R02+03: Exchange French, Pawn Endgames and some brilliant play

04/10/2019 -

A double round in a day always speeds up an event. After the first day, we had two rounds on the second day of the World Youth 2019. In all the sections we have five or less than five players on perfect score. In the under-18 girls section we already have a sole leader! In this report we analyze the win of Honorata Kucharska, the sole leader in girls under-18 and try to improve our understanding of the Exchange French. We also have two very interesting games by the highest rated player in the event Shant Sargsyan (2580) and lastly we look at two pawn endgames that were complex enough for strong players to solve them over the board! A detailed round 2+3 report from Mumbai by IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal.

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Nihal visits Akshayakalpa Karnataka State Chess Championship

04/10/2019 -

The second day of Akshayakalpa Karnataka State Chess Championship proved enthralling for more than one reason. The biggest sensation of the day was undoubtedly Nihal Sarin visiting the tournament venue. The 15-year-old Indian prodigy interacted with selected youngsters and also had an exclusive autograph/photograph session with parents and fans. The rounds too had fair share of ups and downs. Top seed and WIM Isha Sharma had to toil hard for more than three hours to clinch victory against her 8-year-old opponent Chinmay Kowshik; while in the same round the second seeded Prachura P Padakannaya was shocked by 1397 rated Prasiddhi Bhat. Our author, Hinduja Reddy, sends an illustrated report from Bengaluru.

World Cup Final - An epic battle between Ding and Radjabov

03/10/2019 -

The finals of the ongoing World Cup 2019 in Khanty-Mansiysk has culminated into an epic battle between the current World no.3 Ding Liren and the Azerbaijani phenom Teimour Radjabov. Their first encounter ended in a draw but in the second round the Chinese prodigy dealt the first blow with the white pieces and clinched the edge in their four games match up. It was evidently an uphill task for Radjabov to overcome a setback like this in such a high pressure situation but the 32-year-old Azerbaijani surprised the chess world by defying all odds and leveling the score with an emphatic victory in the very next round. The fate of the match thus hangs on the fourth and final encounter and as it stands, only a win can determine the champion! 

The top seeds have a smooth sailing on the first day of Karnataka State Chess Championship

03/10/2019 -

The Akshayakalpa Karnataka State Chess Championship started off yesterday at the Silicon City Academy of Secondary Education in Konanakunte, Bengaluru. As expected, the top seeds of the event registered easy victories in the first round against their less experienced opponents. Some of the encounters even lasted for less than twenty moves. The top seed of the event, WIM Isha Sharma, got the better of 11-year-old Akarsh S. Gowda in just fourteen moves; while Prachura P Padakannaya's opponent, Akshat Sharma, stuck to a lost position for three long hours. In this illustrated report Hinduja Reddy brings you the glimpses of first day's action from the venue.

World Youth 2019 begins with the downfall of defending under-18 champion

03/10/2019 -

The World Youth Championships 2019 kicked off on the 2nd of October 2019 in Mumbai. India. The biggest upset of round one was defending champion Viktor Gazik losing his game to local lad Vedant Panesar. Gazik sacrificed an exchange in the style of Petrosian, but never really had enough compensation. In the past players like Tiviakov and Andersson have been successful with a similar idea. In this article we try to find what was the difference between those sacrifices and Viktor's. We also feature a brave-hearts of the tournament Harshita Guddanti, a girl who is playing in the open section. Round one report from the venue by Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal.

Is Chess really a young man's game?

02/10/2019 -

These days almost every other day we hear about a young kid breaking some kind of record and etching their name history, making us all believe that chess is a 'young man's game'. 69-year-old Belgian IM Ekrem Cekro had something else in his mind. On 21st of September, Ekrem Cekro scored 12.0/13 and won Belgium Blitz Championship which is a rare feat to achieve for a man of his age. The only game he lost was in round six against the top seed and eventual runner-up of the tournament GM Miguel Minoz. Miguel scored 11.0/13. Second seeded 4-year-old Belgian sensation Daniel Dardha scored 9.5/13 to finish sixth. Total 162 players participated in this year's Belgium Blitz championship. Photo: Yves/Eddy/Walter

An electrifying opening ceremony at the World Youth Championships 2019

02/10/2019 -

When the World Youth Championships 2019 come for the first time in India, how do you expect the opening ceremony to be? For all those who were present at the Convention center of the Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai, the experience was "electrifying". The dance performances showcased at a glance the myriad culture of India. Players from 64 countries are taking part at the World Youth Championships 2019 (under-14,16,18). The Indian challenge at the event is being led by Praggnanandhaa (2567) and Divya Deshmukh (2362). In this article we bring to you the glimpses of the opening ceremony and also tell you about the "How well do you know India" Quiz that was conducted by us with players from across the world!

ChessBase Online Blitz returns this Sunday

01/10/2019 -

World Youth and World Junior takes place in India this time. Do you wish to play some of the best talents of India? Wait no more, because ChessBase Online Blitz tournament makes a return this Sunday 6th October in memory of Late Rafiq Khan, the first Olympiad medal winner in Indian Chess history. Five GMs have already made a strong lineup for this tournament - Karthikeyan Murali, Aravindh Chithambaram, Gukesh D, Vishnu Prasanna and Laxman R R. IM P Konguvel has made the biggest contribution so far of ₹10000. Each player has to donate a minimum of ₹500 as entry fee. However there is no limit on how much they want to donate. The entire donation amount will go to the wife of Rafiq Khan. Total ₹51000 worth of prize money is up for grabs.

A tantalizing Tarrasch masterpiece with GM Saptarshi Roy

01/10/2019 -

It is said that you can never know a subject well without knowing its roots, its history. "We are not makers of history. We are made by history", said Martin Luther King Jr. Here in also lies the value of examining old chess games from the past. A Morphy or Steinitz might easily appear to be obsolete in today's age of stupendous engines and artificial intelligence but in reality they are treasure houses of timeless, elemental chess ideas. In the third part of the Tuesday King Hunts series, Grandmaster Saptarshi Roy once again brings us a classic encounter, a century old masterpiece played between two great legends, Aron Nimzowitsch and Siegbert Tarrasch. If you are an aggressive player and want to enrich your arsenal of attacking tools and techniques with new ideas, then this might be the perfect time to sit back and soak in a blast from the past.

Akshayakalpa Karnataka State Chess Championship begins from tomorrow

01/10/2019 -

The Akshayakalpa Karnataka State Open FIDE Rating Chess Championship 2019 will be held from the 2nd to 6th of October in the Silicon City Academy of Secondary Education, Konanakunte in Bengaluru. Organized by Innovators Chess Academy and Sponsored by Akshayakalpa, an organic milk and milk product based company in Bengaluru, the tournament has attracted over 500 participants this year. The total prize fund of the event is Rs.3,50,000 and also players finishing in the top four would be selected to represent Karnataka in the prestigious National "A" Chess Championship. Moreover, the event will also feature a one day interactive session with Akshayakalpa's newly minted brand ambassador Nihal Sarin. In this article we bring you all the information you need to know about this exciting tournament that is all set to begin from tomorrow.

"I am now more stable with lots of patience" - Humpy Koneru

30/09/2019 -

Humpy Koneru is an inspiration to the entire chess community. She was off the chess grid for two years, taking care of her new born daughter Ahana. In this cut throat chess world filled with computer innovations and novelties a break of a few days is enough to make you feel outdated. How did Humpy, who made a comeback after such a long layoff, manage to not just start playing good chess, but win one of the strongest tournaments in the world - the Skolkovo Women's Grand Prix? How did she manage to improve her game so that she could rise to world no. 3 rankings behind just Hou Yifan and World Champion Ju Wenjun? In this interview we discuss each of Humpy's game at the Skolkovo Grand Prix in detail with the champion! "I am now more stable with lots of patience", says Humpy. 

Ivan Rozum wins 2nd Gujarat International Grandmaster Open

30/09/2019 -

The Russian Grandmaster Ivan Rozum quickly drew his final round game against IM Neelash Saha to finish clear first with an unbeaten score of 8.5/10 points and win the 2nd Gujarat International Open 2019. Rodrigo Vasquez Schroeder, Neelash Saha, and Sandipan Chanda finished just half a point behind with 8.0/10 each and were declared second, third, and fourth respectively based on tie-breaks. Both Sandipan and Rodrigo remained unbeaten in the event and won their last round encounters to ensure a strong finish. In this final report we bring to you the highlights of all the interesting moments from the final day of the event, the games and analyses, and more.

Upcoming tournaments in October 2019

30/09/2019 -

October begins with World Youth Championship at Mumbai on the very first day of the month. FIDE Grand Swiss starts at Isle of Man on 10th October which is the new official tournament in the calendar. Only the winner of the tournament qualifies to the Candidates. World Junior also takes place in India in the nation's capital New Delhi from 15th to 25th October. There are various other strong tournaments M Chigorin memorial, Hoogeveen Open and many more.

Decoding The Lightning Kid!

30/09/2019 -

The ChessBase Masterclass Vol.12 is a foray into the mind of a chess genius who has influenced the game in ways that would take pages to describe. It attempts to cover a rather quiet Indian, who is potentially the greatest ever to play the sport. Vishy Anand is a celebrity in India, but his games and ideas have not been elucidated in a depth comparable to the Russians Karpov and Kasparov, who dominated the game for decades till Vishy disturbed the balance. Coming from a non-chess background, Anand's meteoric rise and continued vigil at the top astound many a chess fan. Tanmay Srinath critically examines ChessBase's latest offering, and provides some insights into the product and the player it strives to portray.

For the first time on Indian soil - The World Youth Championships 2019

29/09/2019 -

It's a big moment for Indian chess - the prestigious World Youth Championships are taking place for the first time in our country. It will be held in Mumbai from the 1st to the 13th of October 2019. A total of 465 players from 64 countries will compete for six world championship crowns (under-14, under-16 and under-18 in open and girls). Some of the best talents in Indian chess will be participating in the event spearheaded by GM R. Praggnanandhaa with an Elo of 2567, who is the top seed in the under-18 open section. We give you an overview of all the sections, the favourites, the top Indian players and also tell you about the tournament, the venue, the must-visit places in Mumbai and more.

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