Bhopal 2017 Round 1: 850 Elo difference! 1733 defeats 2575 GM

22/12/2017 -

We all love upsets! That too when a young boy beats a seasoned grandmaster. Souhardo Basak beat GM Adam Tukhaev in the first round of Bhopal International Grandmaster event 2017. Souhardo, a shy 10-year-old from Kolkata rated just 1733 played a fine game to get the better of the Ukrainian GM who has won many big events in the past. Indian chess is blessed that it has four extremely strong tournaments lined up one after the other starting with Bhopal. It's a great exposure for our youngsters. Souhardo proved it in the first round. After beating a 2575 rated GM your confidence is propelled to an altogether different level! 

Aravindh Chithambaram leads with four others at the Sunway Sitges 2017

21/12/2017 -

The Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival is just over it's halfway point. 5 players are now tied at 5.0/6, including two youngsters GMs Aravindh Chithambaram and Awonder Liang. The other three players are experienced GM Hrant Melkumyan, IM Matthias Dann and IM Aman Hambleton. In this report by our 12-year-old author we not only tell you all about the main event, but also take you to all the other events that are taking place in Sitges. We also have an interview with the man behind the Sunway Chess Festival. Enjoy our report from Barcelona, Spain.

The strongest secret tournament in India!

21/12/2017 -

IM V. Saravanan writes on Facebook: "Psst.... THAT secret tournament has started this year again!" Yes, it's the strongest secret tournament in Indian chess and it is currently in progress in Digboi, Assam. It's a team championship between various units of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board which is employing the big stars of Indian chess. Three teams have the chance of winning the title - BPCL led by Harikrishna Pentala, IOCL consisting of Adhiban, Lalith and others and ONGC which has Sasi and Vidit. IA Vasanth B.H, the chief arbiter of the event, sends us the impressions from Assam.

A colourful closing ceremony at the World Youth Olympiad 2017

20/12/2017 -

ChessBase India covered all the nine rounds of World Youth Olympiad 2017 held at Ahmedabad, Gujarat in great detail. We now bring to you the final report from the Closing ceremony that was held at 5 p.m. on the 18th of December 2017. It was a tastefully conducted ceremony. Russia won the gold, India the silver and Iran settled for bronze. Amruta Mokal brings you the pictorial impressions, while Sagar Shah interviews few of the players and which give you some interesting insights.

Laxman wins 2nd RK Chess Club Rapid Rating 2017

19/12/2017 -

The year 2017 has been Laxman's year. He had already won 5 tournaments this year, by winning 2nd RK Chess Club's International Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2017, he took his tally to 6. He has won four rapid tournaments and two Blitz tournaments including National Blitz Chess Championship 2017. Here is a report of the event that was held in Mandya, Karnataka on 18th and 19th of November by Shahid Ahmed. Photos by Manjunath Jain.

World Youth Olympiad Round 9: India Red beats Russia!

18/12/2017 -

It was a thrilling final round. Russian team who had already won the gold medal and had a score of 16.0/16 were surprisingly beaten by the India Red team! This didn't change the final standings but it was surely a moral victory for the India Red team. Silver was won by India Green who beat Kazakhstan by a margin of 3.5-0.5. Iran won the bronze medal. In this report we bring to you all the action of round 9 with interviews of many top players.

World Youth Olympiad Round 8: Russia win the title, India close in on the silver

17/12/2017 -

Once the Russians had defeated India and Iran, it was assumed that no team would be able to stop them. And they didn't prove the pundits wrong. After eight rounds the Russian team stands strong with a score of 16.0/16, and none of their top four players have lost a single round. Indians on the other hand have been pretty shaky, but they have managed to win their last three matches and are now on 13.0/16, in the sole second position. P. Iniyan for team India has been the player of the event with a fantasic score of 6.5/7. Round eight report from Ahmedabad.

World Youth Olympiad Round 6+7: There's no stopping Russia, India green heading for Silver

17/12/2017 -

With a three point lead over the field Russians seem invincible. They have a perfect 14.0/14 score. India green team has secured the sole second position with 11.0/14. However, they have Armenia and Iran right on their heels. The sixth and the seventh round was played on the 16th of December and we witnessed a lot of exciting chess. We bring you some very instructive moments from the games. The article is also packed with videos and excellent photos by Amruta Mokal. 

Hola! Sunway Sitges Chess festival 2017 begins!

16/12/2017 -

Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival has begun. The A- tournament is definitely the centre of attraction for the entire festival. Players like Motylev, Shankland, Salem Saleh will be fighting out for the top prize. Apart from the main tournament there are some very exciting side events as well. Our youngest ChessBase India reporter Avathanshu Bhat is at Sitges in Spain and sends us this round one report. Find out more about the welcome reception and first round, as well as a pictorial representation of the environment.

World Youth Chess Olympiad: Tripping through the amazing Ahmedabad

16/12/2017 - Players had a rest day halfway through the nailbiting chess action of the World Youth Chess Olympiad. After the fifth round yesterday, the organisers of the event gave all participants and accompanying persons a chance to explore the city by taking them on a sightseeing tour. The tour included the famous Kankaria Lake along with all its amusements and one of the residences of Mahatma Gandhi, Sabarmati Ashram. Vipnesh Bhardwaj sends us some impressions from the day.

Breaking: No National Premier and Challengers, only one Nationals!

16/12/2017 -

Since times immemorial, India has had the format of National Challengers and players doing well in that tournament qualifying for national premier. The Central council of AICF has come up with a path breaking idea of dissolving the format of national challengers and premier and consolidating it into one national tournament with a prize fund of 20 lakh for open and 15 lakh for women. It would also mean that the tournament would be a norm event and would be considered as "The National Championship" of the country. Read on to know more. And let us know your opinion of this decision.

Boosting the chess culture in north east India

15/12/2017 -

Chess in India is booming, but it is also true that equitable distribution is difficult for a country which is as huge as India. One of the main tasks of AICF under the leadership of Bharat Singh Chauhan is to bring chess to regions which have not been able to keep up with the rapid pace of development. One of them is the north east region. It is with this intention that some of the best chess minds of India (and one Scottish!) have gathered in Guhawati for a FIDE trainers seminar. Impressions from this truly unique event.

World Youth Olympiad Round 5: Who will stop the Russians?

15/12/2017 -

There's no stopping the Russian team! After beating the Indians, they continued their phenomenal run by outplaying Uzbekistan. India green and Iran was a mouth-watering clash that ended in a 2-2 draw. Suprisingly, the Indian Red team has moved ahead of the green team and is now on 8.0/10 after their victory against Israel. We bring you the round five report loaded with game analysis, pictures and videos.

World Youth Olympiad Round 4: From Russia with Love!

14/12/2017 -

The Indian team looked really strong - Aryan, Pragg, Nihal, Iniyan. However, the Russians simply destroyed our line-up with some solid and purposeful play. Lomasov got the better of Chopra and Lobanov beat Praggnanandhaa. The other two games ended in draws. With this win Russians now have one match point lead over the field. In the fifth round, they take on Uzbekistan. The other interesting match-up is Iran vs India. Will the Indian players be able to make a comeback? Time will tell. For now we have the detailed drill down of the India-Russia match with pictures, videos, analysis and more from Ahmedabad.

Aaryan Varshney and Navya Tayal Crowned Champions of IIFL Wealth Delhi Qualifiers

13/12/2017 -

The IIFL Wealth  Juniors is just around the corner. But before the tournament kicks off on the 30th of this month, its organizers decided to ensure that players from all corners of the country got an opportunity to showcase their talent at this world-class event. To this end, eight regional qualifiers are being held in several parts of the country. The title winners not only get free entry plus accommodation into the tournament but also a unique opportunity to interact with the chess legend Vishy Anand. In its first regional qualifier that concluded on December 3 in Delhi, Aryan Varshney and Navya Tayal won the title prizes in the boys' and the girls' category respectively and confirmed their tickets to Mumbai. We have an illustrated report with pictures and games.