The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is one company whose support for Indian chess has been unparalleled over the years. From sponsoring top Grandmasters of the country like Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Adhiban Baskaran to hunting down young talents and aiding them, their impact on the sport has been significant. Well, they are also taking excellent initiative during these lockdown times to ensure that public interest in the game doesn't wane. Recently on 24th of May they conducted a unique online exhibition event through ChessBase India featuring two of the most highly regarded figures of Indian chess - GM Abhijit Kunte and IM D V Prasad. We bring you the details in this brief report.

It's 1st of May and being the first day of a new month, the new FIDE rating list is published. However, there has been absolutely no change in anyone's rating in the last month as no tournaments were held across the country and the world. Hence, we at ChessBase India decided to dig up some data. We took the entire FIDE Rating lists from April 2019 to April 2020 and analyzed it thoroughly to bring you some very interesting findings. We tell you about the players who did really well and who are the ones you should watch out for once this lockdown ends.