Every single person has the potential to change the course of history and bring about the necessary development in and around the place they live. This is the story of one such girl from Bihar who has made a name for herself in the chess community and is soaring to new heights. The chess culture in Bihar was almost negligible a few years ago and is growing now. One player who is doing very well in the last few years is the very talented 17-year-old Marium Fatima. Everyone in Bihar knows her and is proud of her, and it is not an exaggeration to say that she can be the first WGM from Bihar. For all those who are not aware of her, this article is the perfect opportunity to get to know her and understand why we think so highly about her talent. We also announce a Rs.1 lakh support to her from Neeraj Kumar through the HelpChess Foundation.

These days, we often see the word legend used lightly. People who have not achieved much are quoted as legends, and this leads to a reduction in the value of the word per se. However, when the right people are attributed with the term, it enhances the value of the word. And one such person who does justice to the word legend is Mr. Dhruv Sawhney. Dhruv is the Chairman and Managing Director of the Triveni Group, and the group owns a team in the Global Chess League called the Triveni Continental Kings. And this is the team that won the first edition of the GCL. IM Sagar Shah interviews Dhruv Sawhney and gets his thoughts on the event, the growth of chess, his thoughts on the sport, and lessons that he can share with the youngsters. It is fantastic that Mr. Sawhney, who was once the President of AICF for 12 years, is now back to chess!

India is a land of amazing talents in chess. And the talents are sprouting from different corners of the country. Meet 2016-born 7-year-old Advitiya AG, who lives in Shillong, Meghalaya. The boy became the under-12 state champion when he was just 5 years old. Currently, he has a rating of 1182. IM Sagar Shah speaks with Advitiya and asks him some questions based on the different positions he has selected, while Advitiya has his own list of questions he wants to ask IM Sagar Shah. Advitiya is soon to play in the under-7 nationals happening in Kolkata. If groomed well, this boy could very well become a future GM of India and perhaps the first from Meghalaya!

The world of chess recently witnessed something that had not been seen for many years. The 18-year-old chess sensation, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, recently became the first Indian after Vishy Anand to reach the finals of the FIDE World Cup. It was a historic day for India, as one day after Chandrayaan’s landing on the moon, Pragg was already writing history with his chess moves. He faced world no. 1. Magnus Carlsen in the finals and lost to him, claiming a silver medal in the end. Many would say that it was a sad ending to a rather beautiful fairy tale, but it wasn’t. Not only did Pragg write history, but he also made a place for himself in the hearts of millions of Indians. Read the full article to get a glimpse of how the world reacted to Pragg’s victory.

He is an IAS officer and is the current Director of School Education in Meghalaya. Meet Swapnil Tembe, who found chess to be an ideal tool to inculcate in school kids the virtues of concentration, patience, analytical thinking, and decision-making. This is the reason why he decided to build a chess arena in a park in Tura, West Garo Hills. Sagar Shah had an interview with Swapnil. Read the article to learn more about how Swapnil made it possible.

Aleksander Goloshchapov is one of the most well-known trainers in the world of chess. Recently, Aditya Samant became India's 83rd GM, and we got in touch with him. He told us that this was the 10th Indian GM that he had worked with. It's simply amazing how a man in Ukraine has powered Indian chess! Parimarjan Negi, Sethuraman, Vaibhav Suri, S.L. Narayanan, Shardul Gagare, Ankit Rajpara, Rithvik Raja, Arjun Kalyan, Aditya Mittal, and Aditya Samant. In this article, you get to know how Aleksander works with his students and how he helps them improve on their weaknesses and become stronger chess players. Read ahead to get an insight into the mind of one of the best chess trainers in the world.

Frederic Friedel founded ChessBase in 1985. For the last 38 years, he has been having chess guests at his house. Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik, Gelfand, Leko, Svidler, Polgar - absolutely every chess legend has been to his place. The house has been welcoming to just about every chess player, and even in the present generation, we have had Nihal Sarin, Gukesh, Savitha, and many other Indian talents who have been to the Friedel House in Hamburg. One thing has been constant - each and every guest has had to fill out the guest book, and this has led to a beautiful compilation of heartfelt messages from the greatest minds in the world of chess at different phases of their chess careers! IM Sagar Shah was at Frederic's place in Hamburg, and they had a nice trip down memory lane.

From coding instructor to chessboxer, there is nothing that this talented 23-year-old cannot do. Sneha has won many laurels in the world of ChessBoxing. Within a few years, she has established her name in this highly athletic and booming sport. Sneha is the current national champion of India and has proudly represented India and secured a Gold medal at Asian ChessBoxing Championships 2023 and a Silver medal at the World Championships 2022. Through this article we want to acquaint you with the life of this fighting athlete, how she is trying to pursue her passion in spite of all the hurdles.

Over the course of his career, Daniel King has written many books that have been chess bestsellers! This time, the world-famous grandmaster, writer, commentator and chess coach has come up with another book named How to Win at Chess: From First Moves to Checkmate. The short 54-page book is ideal for someone who is just starting out in chess. The book is the key manual for young players in the game. Before examining tactics like forks, pins, and skewers, it describes each piece and its movements and clarifies fundamental concepts like check and how to open a game. We recently had a conversation with Daniel about his new book, his writing process, and more. Find out more about it in this article.

After a perfect 9/9 at the 5th Ayodhana Rating Open 2023, untitled Kartavya Anadkat started as the sixth seed at the 1st SLAN International Tournament in Hyderabad. He continued his epic run to finish the tournament with a massive score of 8.5/9, ahead of four IMs. 6th Top seed of the Tournament Mr. Kartavya Anadkat from Gujarat is the Champion of the Slan First International Open FIDE Rated Chess Tournament 2023. IM Anuj Shrivatri was the first runner-up, while IM Ramanathan Balasubramanian was the second runner-up of the tournament. The event was organized by Sports Local Area Network and was conducted from July 21 to July 25, 2023, at Sri Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium, Yousufguda, Hyderabad, Telangana. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

One of the biggest and most popular chess festivals in the world, the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, is back in 2023. The event will start on August 14, 2023. From all over the world, 61 countries are participating in the event, and numerous 2700+ GMs have already participated. A total of 63 Indian players are participating in the master's section, while 54 Indian players are taking part in open section A. What is the schedule and prize money for the event? Who are the players participating? Find out more information about the event in this short article.

Pravaha Foundation is doing some phenomenal work in Indian chess by supporting 6 talented youngsters - 5 girls and 1 boy. They are Vantika Agrawal, Savitha Shri, Shubhi Gupta, Saparya Ghosh, Charvi and Ilamparthi. The Foundation has committed to spending Rs.2 crores over a period of 2 years. Why are they supporting chess, and what is the thought behind it? Sagar Shah had the chance to speak to the director and trustee of Pravaha Foundation - Vinoda Kailas. Find out all about it in this article.