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"My chances of winning another world title greater than zero"

14/10/2017 -

"I think my probability of winning another world title is greater than zero. There are an incredible number of strong players and to qualify for the Candidates, then there's Carlsen and I'm not getting any younger. So clearly my chances are going down, but I'll still try." This admission by Vishy Anand clearly shows that he is not ultra optimistic about his chances for another shot at the world title. However, with the Madras Tiger, you never really know. If there is anyone in the present day chess world who can win the world title at the age of 50 and beyond, it is only Vishy Anand. Interview by Susan Ninan for ESPN.

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Beat the open King's Pawn Opening with Bc5!

13/10/2017 -

With king pawn openings like the Spanish and the Italian coming back in vogue at all levels, it is essential for players to have something in store against the open king-pawn. And what could be a better than opting for something that offers similar structures in various lines? When Davide Nastasio stumbled  upon GM Sam Collins' "Open Games with ...Bc5", he was frightened by the sheer size of the offered repertoire. But as he began digging into it, he realised that with the right "homework", he will have a formidable weapon against 1. e4 in his arsenal. Here are his impressions.

Battling the World Champion - Vidit speaks about his game against Magnus Carlsen

12/10/2017 -

It's not every day that you see an Indian playing against the World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Even rare is the fact that you are able to draw the game. Vidit Gujrathi, India number three, faced the Norwegian numero uno in the seventh round of the Isle of Man International 2017. He made Carlsen suffer quite a bit before agreeing to a draw. How did it feel to play his first classical encounter against the World Champion, what was going through his mind, how did he prepare for the game, what did he speak to Magnus, would he have pressed more if it was someone else? We ask all these questions to Vidit and drill down this historic battle.

11-year-old Gukesh makes his maiden IM norm!

11/10/2017 -

There is definitely something about 11-year-old Gukesh and his ability to sustain the last round pressure. This young lad played a fine final round game against B. Sekar and not only made his maiden IM norm but also won the first edition of the First Friday closed Round Robin tournament with a score of 7.0/9, one and a half point ahead of his nearest rivals. Gukesh has announced his presence on the international arena and we can be sure that within a few months he will get his remaining two norms and also the 38 Elo points to reach 2400 rating mark and become an International Master.

Nielsen on 10 years of Mexico 2007 (R07): Anand beats Grischuk with the beautiful anti-positional 34.h5!!

11/10/2017 -

The 2007 World Championship in Mexico was nearing the half way mark. After six rounds Vishy Anand and Boris Gelfand were leading with a score of 4.0/6. In the seventh round Vishy was up against Grischuk who came prepared to play the Marshall. Anand went for the Anti Marshall with 8.a4. He used an opening idea which he had discussed with Magnus Carlsen in a training camp before the event. Grischuk played with great ambition but was trying to balance his position on a knife's edge. Anand played some fantastic chess, especially his anti-positional 34.h5!! to take home the full point and sole lead in the tournament. Video analysis by Vishy's second Peter Heine Nielsen.

GM Kidambi analyzes the complex Aronian - Dubov endgame

11/10/2017 -

At the recently concluded World Cup 2017 in Tbilisi, Georgia, Levon Aronian faced Daniil Dubov in the fourth round. The players reached a technical endgame with Aronian having a rook against Dubov's bishop. Many sources analyzed this endgame with the help of engines and showed us where Aronian could have won much more easily and where Dubov could have drawn. However, going over this engine analysis doesn't really help us to improve our understanding of the game. GM Sundararajan Kidambi was keen on learning this endgame in depth and he takes us on a journey where he speaks about how slowly and steadily he was able to uncover one layer after another. It's a tale of three endgames and it's high quality stuff.

Can Gukesh make his maiden IM norm?

10/10/2017 -

The biggest focus point of the first edition of the "First Friday" tournament has been the 11-year-old Indian talent D. Gukesh. The boy has been in bad, in fact even losing, positions in many of his games, but like a true fighter has come back and remained unbeaten. With 6.0/8, he needs a win in the final round against B. Sekar to make his maiden IM norm. He is the only player in the tournament who has the chance of making the norm. Will Gukesh be able to do it? It will be an interesting final round to follow!

Gukesh still the sole leader as first edition of "First Friday" moves towards the end!

10/10/2017 -

India is filled great talents. What they lack is exposure. When Peter Long decided to hold closed Round Robins tournament in Malaysis a lot of Indian players registered for it. For Indians this is the perfect setup to make their IM norms. After six rounds it's still D. Gukesh, who is leading the tournament with 4.5/6. He will need 2.5 points our of three to make an IM norm. Not an easy task, but it is quite probable. We have a pictorial report along with games, food and much more!

"I don't understand why all sorts of ridiculous people tell me that I should retire!"

10/10/2017 -

Every time Anand falls, his detractors start their rant of "Vishy should retire". But Anand knows how to pick himself up. He doesn't care about responding to these disparagers. Instead he focuses on what went wrong and how he could improve his game. The last open tournament that Vishy played before the Isle of Man 2017 was the Gibraltar Masters 2016. He had lost 22 Elo points back then. He learned from this experience and came out strongly at the Isle of Man International, scoring +5 and finishing second. ChessBase India caught up with the champion and got his views not only on his performance but also on this retirement issue.

Gukesh leads October First Friday with 3.5/4

10/10/2017 -

After two rounds of the first edition of the First Friday tournament we had the 11-year-old Gukesh who was the sole leader with 2.0/2. He managed to score 1.5/2 on the second day and with a score of 3.5/4 maintained his sole lead over the field. Kumar Gaurav is also playing well and is on 3.0/4. While all the players have scored at the event, the experienced Indian International Master Neeraj Kumar Mishra is clearly struggling as he has lost all his games until now. We have pictures and games from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Too strong, too fast – Carlsen beats 16 opponents in 1 hour 15 minutes!

10/10/2017 -

6th of October 2017 was a great day for Singapore chess. Thanks to the efforts of Norwegian Business Association Singapore, Magnus Carlsen visited the country for a simul against 16 players that was greatly enjoyed and appreciated by all the chess lovers of Singapore. The opposition that Magnus faced was not easy. Some players were rank amateurs, but there were also seasoned experts, with six-time National champion IM Kevin Goh Wei Ming (rated 2461!) being one of the participants. But Magnus showed absolutely no mercy. He cleaned up the field with a 16-0 score in little over an hour! | thumbnail image: Andrey Terekhov.

Know your World Champion: Jishitha D

09/10/2017 -

Jishitha Dhanumuri of Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, daughter of Dhanumuri Venkata Subbarao and Rama Jyothi. Father's occupation is Aquafarming and mother is a homemaker. Jishitha has travelled insane distances for chess training and proved the naysayers wrong by defying all odds and winning World Youth Chess Championship 2017 in under 14 girls category in Montevideo, Uruguay. She played a World Championship for the first time and she won it. We hope that through this interview you get to know Jishitha better, because as we see it, the girl is not going to stop anytime soon!

Interview with India's greatest social worker: Dr. Achyuta Samanta

09/10/2017 -

He is one of the biggest social entrepreneurs in the world. Meet Achyuta Samanta the founder of the KIIT University, that hosts of one of the biggest tournaments in India. Dr. Samanta's life story is one from which you can draw great inspiration. Born as a poor man who struggled for his basic needs, Samanta now ensures that 25000 children are fed every day. He works 16-18 hours each day without a break, hasn't married as he wants to devote himself entirely to the cause of the upliftment of the poor. ChessBase India caught up with him and spoke about his inspiration, his work, his vision and finally his connection to the game of chess!

How did Swapnil Dhopade achieve a performance of 2768 at the Isle of Man?

08/10/2017 -

Swapnil Dhopade became a grandmaster in the year 2015 and since the last two years has been oscillating between 2500-2550 Elo range. There has never been any doubt about his chess talent. However, he hadn't been able to make the breakthrough to reach the 2600 Elo mark. However, things have begun to change and Swapnil made a huge mark on the world chess scene by a fantastic performance at the Isle of Man International 2017. He scored 6.5/9 and performed at an astronomical Elo rating of 2768 with strong wins over Short, Tari and others. In this interview with ChessBase India, he tells us all the reasons that have helped him to play at such an amazing level. 

11-year-old Indian prodigy leads at First Friday inaugural event

08/10/2017 -

It was a brave decision by FM Peter Long to hold the First Friday norm tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ten players from five different countries are fighting it out in first edition of the "First Friday" tournament that is taking place from the 7th to the 11th of October 2017. These tournaments can be a huge boon for the Indian talents that are looking out for the opportunities to make their IM norms. And after two rounds on the first day we already have the 11-year-old Gukesh who is leading the tournament with 2.0/2. A detailed day one report.

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