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Chess and the Geopolitics

25/11/2024 -

15-year-old IM Aarav Dengla draws a few comparisons between the World Championship that is starting today and the one which took place over half a century ago. What are the obvious similarities that come to mind? The teenager takes a quick glance at it. The rating difference is the most obvious one. Bobby Fischer 2785 vs Boris Spassky 2660, difference of 125 Elo rating points. Although, this time the rating gap is less, D Gukesh 2783 vs Ding Liren 2728, 55 points to be exact. The rank difference is 5 vs 23. Do you agree with the author? Game 1 starts today at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Maria Emelianova

ChessBase 18 and Mega 2025 are here

ChessBase 18 is an all-new program that helps you manage all your databases as an ambitious player. Mega Database 2025 has 11 million games with over 113,000 games annotated by masters. The cost of ChessBase 18 is Rs.4499/- and the cost of Mega Database 2025 is Rs.6499/- However, if you go for the combo the total amount comes to Rs.8999 (instead of 10,998/-) helping you save Rs. 1999/-.

ChessBase 18 + Mega 2025 Combo

CheckMatle - The World Championship Game

25/11/2024 -

Just in time for the great event, a new chess puzzle game, inspired by the incredibly popular 'Wordle', is being released. It was developed by a young lad from Singapore, a problem expert, together with a member of the ChessBase family. Today we will show you how it works, on Monday, November 25, you will get a daily puzzle to solve. Check it out in this exciting article. Also, try your hand at some of the demo problems currently available to solve. Photos: Frederic Friedel

Agnivo Chakraborty dominates Tata Steel Chess Festival 2024 Under-19 Rapid

25/11/2024 -

Agnivo Chakraborty scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win Tata Steel Chess Festival 2024 All India Under-19 Rapid. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Soham Bhattacharyya and IM Mayank Chakraborty scored 8/9 each. They secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. Agnivo defeated the defending champion and eventual runner-up, Soham in the penultimate round, and second runner-up, IM Mayank in Round 6. The total prize fund was ₹51000 + trophies. The top three prizes were doubled since last year, ₹10000 + trophy, ₹6000 and ₹4000 each respectively. This was the first time this event became an All India event from All Bengal. Thus, the participation increased from 160 to 243. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

World Cadet Chess Championship: Bocelli's Surprise Visit Adds Magic as Medal Races Heat Up

24/11/2024 -

It’s not every day that the worlds of music and chess intersect, and to witness a global icon like Andrea Bocelli gracing the World Cadet Chess Championship 2024 was a moment to remember. The legendary Italian tenor, whose music has touched hearts worldwide, made a surprise appearance at the tournament during Round 7. Not only did Bocelli make his presence known, but he also had the honor of playing the opening move in the Under 12 section, adding an unforgettable touch to the event. His arrival was met with admiration, as many people were eager just to have the chance to see him in person. As for the results, the competition remains fierce with only three rounds left to determine the final medalists. In the Under 8 Girls, the battle for the lead continues between Chen Zhihan and Xin Stella. In the Under 8 Open, Linyuan of the USA has taken the lead, while Advik Amit Agrawal from India is making strong strides in the Under 10 Boys. The excitement is palpable as these talented young players inch closer to their dreams. Report & Photo By Niklesh Jain

December 2024 and January 2025 brings five GM tournaments in India

24/11/2024 -

Five GM tournaments are scheduled in India from 2nd December 2024 to 19th January 2025. They will take place in Bhubaneswar, Madurai, Chennai and Goa respectively. Those who are looking for opportunities to score norms, increase their rating and/or claim huge prizes should chalk out their plan if they have not already. 15th KIIT International Chess Festival will take place from 2nd to 9th December, Odisha Open from 15th to 22nd December, 4th Athens of the East GM tournament from 24th to 31st December, 15th Chennai GM Open from 2nd to 9th January 2025 and Late Shri Manohar Parrikar Goa GM Tournament from 11th to 19th January 2025. Check out the article for more details. All tournament info photos are from their respective tournament circulars

FIDE World Championship 2024: Gukesh draws White in the first game

24/11/2024 -

The second event of the FIDE World Championship Match 2024 was the opening ceremony. The magnificent Capitol Theatre was packed to the brim with more than 400 guests. It is an architectural and lifestyle gem in the heart of Singapore's civic and cultural district, hosted the festivities. The Draw of Lots witnessed a beautiful technological display where both players participated. The end result as shown in the cover picture revealed Gukesh to have the white pieces in the first game. Game 1 starts on Monday 25th November at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Eng Chin An

FIDE World Championship 2024: Opening press conference

24/11/2024 -

The first event of the FIDE World Championship Match 2024 was an official Press Conference. World Champion - Ding Liren (CHN), the Challenger - D Gukesh, moderator - GM Maurice Ashley (USA), FIDE President - Arkady Dvorkovich and GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming, CEO of Singapore Chess Federation were present in this occasion. It was unlike any other previous world championship press conferences. Here both players showed deep mutual respect towards each other, there was humility, while the pressure is on but it is difficult to say that the tension was felt. "We are going to give our best and see what happens", speaks volumes. Game 1 starts on Monday 25th November at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Maria Emelianova

Mirai Aoshima wins Japan Open 2024

23/11/2024 -

Mayur Gondhalekar and his good friend, Sheldon Donaldson regularly keeps us updated about the Japan chess scene. Sheldon writes a blog about his experience playing at Japan Open 2024. The Canadian origin, currently residing in Japan, Sheldon's article is full of high quality photos and some interesting moments from his games. He loves playing, analyzing and making us enjoy various moments from his games. Check out his account of the tournament which took place at Nagoya Congress Center in Nagoya, Japan. Did he manage to achieve his goal of scoring 4/7? FM Mirai Aoshima (JPN) won the tournament scoring 6/7. IM Shinya Kojima (JPN), IM Arif Abdul Hafiz (INA) and CM Kan Nakahara (JPN) also scored 6/7 each. They were placed second to fourth respectively. Photos: Sheldon Donaldson

Magnus Carlsen escapes with a draw against Fabiano Caruana, wins Freestyle Exhibition

23/11/2024 -

Magnus Carlsen (NOR) managed to salvage a draw in the second game to win Freestyle Chess Exhibition match against Fabiano Caruana (USA). The world no.2 had a couple of good chances in the rook endgame. However, he missed them and the endgame expert escaped with a draw. The second game was played at Le Freeport in Singapore. Both players posed next to a lavish US$ 44 Million chess set up. The first event of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025-26 will take place in Weissenhaus, Germany from 7th to 14th February 2025. Carlsen, Caruana, Levon Aronian (USA) and Alireza Firouzja (FRA) are the confirmed participants for that event. One has to wait and see if the reigning World Fischer Random champion, Hikaru Nakamura (USA) accepts his 'extended invitation' for the tour. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Akhil Anand launches his own clothing line to support neurodiverse individuals

22/11/2024 -

At just 13, Akhil Anand is already carving a legacy of his own. His passion for art began with observing the stripes of zebra and tiger. He realized that patterns are everywhere and decided to dive deeper into the art. Last year, he published his book ‘The HEart of Math’ and exactly a year later, he launched his clothing line in collaboration with the Hastha Foundation. The funds received from this initiative will be used for neurodiverse individuals. For Akhil, this is just the beginning; his ultimate goal is to host a solo exhibition to showcase his art. Check out what Anand and Aruna have to say about Akhil’s talent and also, how can you support his initiative. | Photo: Hastha

D Gukesh becomes the Brand Ambassador of RBL Bank

22/11/2024 -

On Thursday 21st November, RBL Bank announced GM D Gukesh, the World Championship Challenger, as their Brand Ambassador. The first game of FIDE World Championship Match 2024 is a little over three days away. It will be played between Gukesh and the reigning World Champion - GM Ding Liren (CHN). Gukesh is the second Indian after Vishy Anand to compete in a World Championship Match. A decade and a few days after Anand, Gukesh will challenge for the most coveted prize in this beautiful cerebral sport. Gukesh being the brand ambassador of RBL Bank will bring a lot of eyes all across the globe to the bank. Game 1 starts on Monday 25th November at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: RBL Bank

Freestyle Exhibition G1: Carlsen wins a crazy game against Caruana

22/11/2024 -

Magnus Carlsen (NOR) won the first Freestyle Chess Exhibition game against Fabiano Caruana (USA). It was a wild game where the world no.1 decided not to castle his king. Eventually it turned out to be safer for his king than his opponent who decided to castle on the kingside. Caruana captured the b2-pawn which helped White to gain control of the b-file after few moves and turn things in his favor. The Norwegian's king ended up on h4 which was a really safe place compared to Black's at h8. The game was played at Silentworld Yacht in Singapore. Caruana must win the second game today to force tie-breaks. Game 2 starts today from 8 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photos: IM Sagar Shah

Leaders Emerge After Round 6 at World Cadet Chess 2024

21/11/2024 -

The World Cadet Chess Championship 2024 in Montesilvano, Italy, has crossed its halfway mark, and the competition is heating up. Leaders have emerged in all age categories, but with several players in close pursuit, the remaining five rounds are set to deliver thrilling battles and surprising results. Indian players like Sattwik Swain, Advik Amit Agrawal, and Pooja Shree R have shown strong performances, keeping India’s hopes alive in the medal race. As the tournament progresses, their resilience and skill will be closely followed by Indian chess fans. For the first time in history, the 1st World Cadet Chess Solving Championship 2024 will be organized on the rest day. A total of 247 players from 47 countries will participate in this historic event. Report & Photos: Niklesh Jain

Carlsen and Caruana set to play two Freestyle games to promote Freestyle Grand Slam Tour 2025

21/11/2024 -

World no.1 and 2, Magnus Carlsen (NOR) and Fabiano Caruana (USA) will play two exhibition Freestyle games to promote Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025. Both games will be in Singapore, however in different locations. The first game will be played in a yacht. Before the exhibition games, there was a 'Head and Hand' game also famously known as Hand and Brain games. For those who are unfamiliar with it, one player (Head) says which piece to move, the other player (Hand) moves that piece to wherever s/he desires. IM Tania Sachdev and GM Magnus won the Head and Hand exhibition game against GM Fabiano and GM Maurice Ashley (USA). Game 1 starts today from 8 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram and Aditya Sur Roy

Ilamparthi and Prishita Gupta are National Sub-Junior Open and Girls 2024 Champions

21/11/2024 -

IM Ilamparthi A R (TN) and IM Ethan Vaz (Goa) scored 9.5/11 each at 49th National Sub-Junior Under-15 Open 2024. The top seed, Ilamparthi won the tournament due to better tie-break score, Ethan secured second place. Prathamesh Sherla (MAH) and CM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma (MP) scored 9/11 each. They were placed third and fourth respectively. Prathamesh was the only player to beat the eventual winner, Ilamparthi. WCM Prishita Gupta (DEL) scored an unbeaten 9.5/11 to become champion in 40th National Sub-Junior Under-15 Girls 2024. Ashita Jain (GUJ), WFM Saparya Ghosh (WB) and Ananya Raman (TN) scored 8.5/11. They were placed second to fourth respectively. The total prize fund combining Open and Girls section was ₹900000. The top three prizes in both Open and Girls sections were ₹90000, ₹70000 and ₹58000 along with a trophy each respectively. Photos: Jayapala Chandady

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