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62nd National Championship R5: Aronyak and Sasikiran win five in-a-row

25/09/2025 -

IM Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB) and GM Sasikiran Krishnan (PSPB) have emerged coleaders at 62nd National Championship 2025. The four-time National champion showcased a positional masterclass against IM Goutham Krishna H (KER). IM Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB) scored a smooth victory over IM Kashish Manoj Jain (MAH). Both Sasikiran and Aronyak are inevitably going to clash at the halfway mark, in the sixth round. GM Sethuraman S P (PSPB) and IM Ameya Audi (Goa) played a barn burner. It was a rich complex game where one can easily delve a lot of hours into it. Both had their fair share of chances. Yet, the game ended in a draw after more than five-hour-long battle. Round 6 starts tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

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

Aditya Samant triumphs at 91st Southwest Open 2025

25/09/2025 -

GM Aditya S Samant scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win 91st Southwest Open Round-Robin International 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. GM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux (CAN) scored 7/9 to secure second place. GM Balaji Daggupati (USA) scored 6.5/9 to finish third. The top three prizes were US$ 3000, $1500 and $500 in the International section. Aditya drew against both runners-up. The five-day nine round Round-Robin Rating tournament was organized by David Ortiz at Wyndham Garden McAllen Hotel in McAllen, Texas, USA from 28th August to 1st September 2025. This is Aditya's first rating tournament triumph of the year. He also became 2025-26 Southwest Collegiate Champion by winning this event. Photo: Texas Chess Association

Anurag Kashyap Y wins the Tribe64 Chess Championship

25/09/2025 -

Anurag Kashyap Y clinched the title of the Tribe64 Chess Championship. Pratik Sen Gupta and Bala Manoj Gupta Pachipulusu secured the second and third spots, respectively. The three players were tied for first place. After the Buchholz tie-breaks, Anurag became the Champion. Special prizes were awarded to Amulya Palangi (Best Woman Player), Akshay Kumar (Best Unrated Player), and Jithin Yalavarthi (Best U-16 Player). The tournament took place on 14th September in LuLu Mall, Hyderabad. Check out the article for the full report. Photos: Tribe64

62nd National Championship R4: Abhishek T M sets the board ablaze against Ayush Sharma

24/09/2025 -

Seven players are at a perfect score at the conclusion of the fourth round of 62nd National Championship 2025. Three of them are former champions - GM Lalit Rohit (PSPB), GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly (PSPB) and GM Sasikiran Krishnan (PSPB). The remaining four are IMs - Ameya Audi (Goa), Goutham Krishna H (KER), Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB) and Kashish Manoj Jain (MAH). IM Aaditya Dhingra (HAR) played fantastic chess and missed a beautiful combination against GM Sethuraman S P (PSPB). Abhishek T M (KER) set the board on fire against GM-elect IM Ayush Sharma (RSPB). Ayush somehow managed to escape with a draw as his opponent had too many paths to victory. Round 5 starts tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Harshit Raja wins Tirol Open 2025

24/09/2025 -

GM Harshit Raja, GM Nikolaus Stanec (AUT) and GM Igor Glek (BEL) scored an unbeaten 7/9 each at Tirol Open A (>1800) 2025. Harshit won the tournament on tie-breaks, Nikolaus and Igor were placed second and third respectively. Harshit drew against both runners-up in the sixth and seventh round. The top three prizes were €1100, €800 and €600 each. The eight-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Tirol Association at House of Encounter, Innsbruck in Tirol, Austria from 23rd to 30th August 2025. This is Harshit's first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Official site

Arush A dominates 1st Andaman Rating Open 2025

24/09/2025 -

Arush A scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 1sth Andaman Nicobar Rating Open 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. Prashant J Naik scored sole 8/9 to secure second place. Five players - Sudhir Kumar Sinha, Arul Anandh S P K, Shiraj Bhosale, Tanish Ragavan S and Abhijith U scored 7.5/9 each. They secured third to seventh place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹700000. The top three prizes were ₹100000, ₹70000 and ₹5000 along with a trophy each. The six-day nine round Rating tournament was organized by Andaman Nicobar Chess Association at Jalsa in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands  from 23rd to 28th August 2025. This is Arush's fourth overall, second rating tournament triumph of the year. Photos: Himank Ghosh

62nd National Championship R3: Iniyan survives a massive scare against Paras Dilip Bhoir

23/09/2025 -

The top seed of 62nd National Chess Championship 2025, GM Iniyan Pa (TN) escaped jaws of defeat against Paras Dilip Bhoir (MAH). The teenager got a few good opportunities against the strong GM. He missed them all and the GM escaped with a draw. CM Mukund Hemant Agarwal (GUJ) and Shrayan Majumder (MAH) drew against GM Vignesh N R (RSPB) and GM Deep Sengupta (PSPB). Deep's razor sharp play almost backfired. His opponent could not seize his opportunity. Andalamala Hemal Varshan (AP) scored his first-ever win against a Grandmaster in a Classical rating tournament when he won his game versus Sayantan Das (RSPB). A three-cube (27) players are at a perfect score. Round 4 starts tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

The Mental Game: Why Chess Players Need Sport Psychology

23/09/2025 -

How often do chess players train their minds the way they train openings? Every chess player has faced moments of doubt, nerves, or overthinking that cost them crucial games. This is where psychology enters the picture. In this article, Saloni Sapale, a WIM and sports psychology consultant, shares her journey from being a competitive player to working with athletes on the mental side of performance. If you have ever wondered why your preparation doesn’t always translate into results, or how to play with clarity under pressure, this piece will resonate deeply. Know how training your mind can transform the way you play! Photos: Saloni Sapale

62nd National Championship R2: J Ramakrishna stuns Bala Chandra Prasad

23/09/2025 -

The second round of 62nd National Chess Championship 2025 did not have any major upset. The top seeds scored a relatively smooth victory. Only Hrishikesh Kumar Banik (WB) provided a stiff resistance against GM Sasikiran Krishnan (PSPB). He needed to find computer-like precision to save the exchange down endgame. FM J Ramakrishna (TEL) defeated IM Bala Chandra Prasad Dhulipalla (AP) after the latter could not follow through correctly after sacrificing an exchange. Former National Sub-Junior and Junior Girls champion, Mrittika Mallick (WB) defended a difficult knight endgame correctly to draw against IM C R G Krishna (RSPB). Shivamshka G (TEL) won a wild game against IM Utsab Chatterjee (RSPB). Round 3 starts today at 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Sneha Waykar and Teammates face Visa delays just a day before the World Chessboxing Championship

22/09/2025 -

Twelve Indian athletes, including Chessboxing Champion Sneha Waykar, were selected to represent India at the World Chessboxing Championship in Serbia, which starts tomorrow. But they are facing a major hurdle just a day before the tournament. Their visa applications are still “under process.” They have received no response from the authorities. After training for months to compete at such a major event, they are unsure if they will get the chance to represent India. See what the exact issue is. 

Marium Fatima becomes the first Woman FIDE Master of Bihar

22/09/2025 -

Eight Indian chess players took part in strong open tournaments in Spain this June as part of the Catalan Circuit Tour conducted by My Chess Trip. Among them was Marium Fatima, selected through the HelpChess Foundation, who went on to win the Barbera del Valles 2025 Group B tournament. She gained 152 Elo points, reached a rating of 2083, and became the first Woman FIDE Master from Bihar. Apart from that, Kaivalya Nagare earned an IM norm during the tour. All the players returned home with strong performances and valuable rating gains. With this, a new tour has been announced, the Spain-Sweden Chess Tour, starting from 27th November. Check out the article for more details. Photo: Niklesh Jain

Laxman R R and Mitrabha Guha are cochampions at an Exhibition Blitz Knockout Tournament

22/09/2025 -

We have already published both team and individual event reports of 37th All India Railway Championship 2025. But that was not the only secret event you will get to know about. There was an eight player Exhibition Blitz Knockout tournament took place after the conclusion of the individual event. There was no prize, rating or glory. It was solely done as the intention was to increase awareness among the local school children. Who knows, some of them might get inspired and become a champion one day themselves. Check out the report and replay the games yourselves, either in a video form or on our replayer board. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

62nd National Championship R1: Tijil Singh fights valiantly for nearly 5.5 hours against Surya Ganguly

22/09/2025 -

The 62nd National Chess Championship 2025 witnessed a lot of exciting and interesting games in the very first round. There was no major upset. However, Tijil Singh (TEL) had a great opportunity to draw against the six-time consecutive National champion, GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly (TEL). However, he blundered a queen exchange which cost him the game. The Indian legend, GM Sasikiran Krishnan (PSPB) is playing his first National in nearly 12 years. The last one he played was the 51st edition in 2013 which he won. The total prize fund of the tournament is same as last year ₹3000000. The top three prizes also remain unchanged ₹600000, ₹500000 and ₹400000 each. Round 2 starts today at 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Aakash G wins Sivakasi Chess Club Rapid Rating Open 2025

21/09/2025 -

Five players - FM Aakash G, FM Prasannaa S, GM P Shyaam Nikhil, Balkishan A and IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam scored 8/9 each at Sivakasi Chess Club Rapid Rating Open 2025. Aakash won the tournament on tie-breaks. The remaining four were placed second to fifth according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹26000 + trophy, ₹22000 + trophy and ₹17000 each respectively. The one-day nine round Swiss League Rapid  Rating Open Tournament was organized by Sivakasi Chess Club at Sri Kaliswari College in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu on 31st August 2025. This is Aakash's fifth overall, third rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: IA R Anantharam

Suryansh Verma clinches 4th HP State Senior Rating 2025

21/09/2025 -

Suryansh Verma scored an unbeaten 7.5/8 to win 4th HP State Senior Rating 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the field. Pankaj Verma scored sole 7/9 to secure second place. He also remained undefeated. Dev Krishan, Vipan Kumar and Dushyant Singh scored 6.5/8 each. They secured third, fourth and fifth place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹70000. The top three prizes were ₹7100, ₹6100 and ₹5100 along with a trophy each. The three-day eight round Rating tournament was organized by District Shimla Chess Association at Hotel Shimla Hills International in Theog, Himachal Pradesh from 28th to 30th August 2025. This is Suryansh's first State Senior title of his career. Photo: Rajesh Verma

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