Dubai 04-07: Shardul and Sethu in pursuit

18/04/2016 -

Dubai is a city known for its energy, optimism and openness to the people from across the globe. The emirate is a place that is constantly in flux and the world has witnessed it mature as a city and as a society. The tournament has established a new record in participation approximately 200 players from 41 countries, including 46 Grandmasters, of which 25 are rated above 2600. 60 competitors are Indians, with many youngsters hunting for norms and points. At the end of seven rounds, Shardul Gagare and S.P. Sethuraman are tied at the second spot with 5.5/7, pursuing four leading grandmasters. A report.

Bangkok 06-09: Ganguly wins the title!

17/04/2016 -

India's Surya Shekhar Ganguly is the 2016 Bangkok Chess Club Open Champion, finishing ahead in the tiebreaker by the narrowest of margins over Spain's Paco Vallejo. We had reported earlier how Dhopade and Ganguly were in the race for a high finish at the 2016 Bangkok Open. Loek van Wely was leading the table at the end of five rounds. Read the first part of our final report chronicling Ganguly's victory march.

Asian Youth Championship 2016

17/04/2016 -

Approximately 470 young players assembled at Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia for the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2016. The tournament came to a close on 14 April 2016 with the Indians scooping up a total of eight medals — three golds, two silvers, and three bronzes. A report highlighting the winners with games.

Learn Breyer with Pavel Eljanov!

16/04/2016 -

ChessBase India has introduced a new DVD in the shop: The Breyer Variation of the Ruy Lopez by Pavel Eljanov. And it is just for Rs 999/- for Indian residents. In this article we explain how you can go about studying this complex opening. We show you the latest game between So-Kamsky and how the black player went wrong in the Breyer. By studying Pavel Eljanov's DVD you come to the conclusion that Kamsky would have fared much better had he seen the DVD before the game! Such is the excellent level of analysis. This article also breaks down the opening into different diagrams to show you that it is not so difficult to master it. So what are you waiting for? Dive into the world of Breyer!

Dubai 01-03: Gopal among the leaders

15/04/2016 -

Three rounds have ended at the eighteenth edition of Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup, aka Dubai Open, that opened on 10 April 2016 night at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Nine grandmasters are in the lead with a perfect three and among them is India's thirty-second seed GM G.N. Gopal, who beat the inimitable Georgian Baadur Jobava! Quite a few Indians are also tied for the second spot after earning or dropping draws. We highlight some interesting moments.

Hridaynath Award for the conqueror of Indian hearts!

13/04/2016 -

It was an evening to remember! The Governor of the state, Bollywood super-star, eminent sports personalities from various disciplines and more than 600 fans had gathered to felicitate the pride of India and the honour of Indian chess Viswanathan Anand. Vishy was feted with the Hridaynath on the 12th of April 2016. The ceremony consisted of impeccable compèring, highly entertaining speeches and light Q&A session of 20 minutes with Anand. We not only have some beautiful pictures captured by Amruta Mokal but also the speeches and videos that give you an overall feel of how things transpired that evening.

Bangkok 04+05: Swapnil leads the hunt

13/04/2016 -

The highest number of players in the tournament being Indians, the tournament is bound to witness some upsets. With 4.5/5, GM Swapnil Dhopade is in the pack of five contenders tied at the second spot. We bring you an illustrated report.

Bangkok 01-03: Indians off to a steady start

12/04/2016 -

Of the one hundred ninety-eight players competing at the Bangkok Open in Thailand, the home country has the second largest contingent of competitors participating, with a total of twenty-seven players. The highest representation is from India, with thirty-five chess loving tourists! It has been observed regularly now that Indians in overseas tournaments are akin to cats among the pigeons. With so many underrated Indians in the fray, there is bound to be a handful of upsets. An illustrated report.

Neelotpal dazzles in Skopje!

11/04/2016 -

What do you do when the opponent that you are going to face in the next round is rated 150 points above you and has written an entire book on the Sicilian Richter Rauzer. While some players will shy away from the challenge, players like Neelotpal Das will confidently take him into the same opening and beat him there! The 34-year-old grandmaster from Kolkata was the hero of India at the Karpos Open 2016 where he scored 7.0/9 finishing joint second. We have a short interview with him and Neelotpal has specially sent us an annotated game!

Asian Youth Championship 2016: rapid and blitz

11/04/2016 -

Approximately 470 young players have assembled at Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia for the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2016. After the fifth round, the Asian Youth Rapid and Blitz Championship 2016 was held on 10 April 2016. Check out how the Indian youngsters performed in this pictorial report.

Asian Nations Cup: rapid and blitz

10/04/2016 -

Organized by the UAE Chess Federation, the Asian Nations Cup 2016 was held at the Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan hotel with 20 countries competing for the right to represent Asia in the World Team Championship. While India won the gold in the open section and China won the women's section, the rapid and blitz tournament was a clean sweep by the Chinese. We bring a brief illustrated report covering the matters that were left unsaid.

Indians at the Asian Youth 2016

09/04/2016 -

The Asian Youth Championship 2016 began on 6th April 2016 and will be played over nine rounds in various categories. India is represented by a huge contingent, spearheaded by some of our brightest talents. We bring you an illustrated report.

The Complex Najdorf by Bologan for Rs.999/-

08/04/2016 -

A week ago ChessBase came out with a DVD on the Najdorf Opening by Viktor Bologan. The Opening is rich and has been played by many great players in the past, most notably Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov who used the Najdorf as their main weapon against 1.e4. And the credentials of GM Victor Bologan (Elo:2654) are never in doubt. When the two combine, what you get is six and half a half hours of high class chess material. And if you are an Indian resident you can enjoy this DVD for just Rs.999/-. Check the article for more details.

Vishy Anand in Grand Chess Tour 2016

07/04/2016 -

Following a not so memorable GCT 2015, Anand suffered a ridiculously surreal debacle at the Gibraltar Open. But that is the thing with Anand when the chips are down — you think he is done and crushed, think this is it, and he, out of nowhere, starts playing at his best, as if on demand. In its official press release, the Grand Chess Tour announced the list of superstars who will be competing in the 2016 edition, and Anand is going for the prize, once again! A quick summary.

Hridaynath Award for Vishy Anand!

06/04/2016 -

On 12th of April, Vishy Anand will be feted with the Hridaynath Award at the Dinanath Mangeshkar Auditorium in Mumbai. This award is conferred to people who achieve outstanding excellence in their field. The previous recepients of the award have been Amitabh Bachchan, A.R.Rahman, Lata Mangeshkar. Vishy will be the first sportsman to receive this honour! A moment of pride for every Indian chess fan!

Books, Boards, Clocks & More