Elllobregat Open 2024: Sokolovsky Triumphs, 8 Norms Achieved

The Elllobregat Open 2024, one of Spain’s premier chess tournaments, came to a thrilling conclusion with intense battles and remarkable performances. GM Yahli Sokolovsky from Israel claimed the title after a dramatic final round. GM Savva Vetokhin from FIDE finished in second place, while GM Cristobal Henriquez Villagra from Chile secured third. In addition to the exciting competition for the top spots, a total of 8 international norms were achieved, including IM, WGM, and WIM norms. Among these, Indian player Tejaswini G earned the WGM norm. The organizers of the Elllobregat Open extend an invitation to all players to join the 2025 edition, which will take place on the same dates next year, offering prizes for the top 30 players, with a total prize pool of 40,000 euros. Photo by Angela Franco & Niklesh Jain

World Championship: Ding Liren bounces back in Game 12 again

Ding Liren struck back in Game 12 of FIDE World Championship Match for the second consecutive year. Last time, he did it against Ian Nepomniachtchi and went on to win the match, become the World Champion. This time, he did it to level the score. He revealed a few things he did to make a comeback. He slept early, got himself energized, spent a bit of time in the player's lounge to ensure he has enough energy for the critical moment. The reigning and defending champion, also changed his appearance, something with his hair. He admitted to getting caught by surprise in the opening, found some ideas to pose problems for his opponent. Richard Rapport sent him a file named strike back, and Ding Liren made it happen. His mom reminded him what he did last time and instilled confidence in him that he can do it again. Tomorrow is the last rest day. Game 13 starts on Wednesday, 11th December at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Eng Chin An

Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Episode 21

Welcome back to the Strategic Mastery series, where we explore advanced chess concepts to help you elevate your game. In Episode 21, Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara delves into a critical strategic theme: Maintaining the Tension. Our goal is to deepen your positional and strategic understanding through a series of meticulously crafted puzzles and clear, insightful explanations. In many positions, the immediate resolution of tension-whether through exchanges or pawn breaks-can lead to missed opportunities or a loss of control. Mastering the art of maintaining the tension allows you to keep your opponent guessing, increase the complexity of the position, and wait for the perfect moment to strike. This episode will show you how to stay patient, evaluate tension-filled situations, and exploit your opponent’s mistakes. Photo: ChessNeurons

The story of the World Championship 2024 through pictures: Game 11

After seven consecutive draws, Game 11 of the World Championship match between D Gukesh and Ding Liren finally delivered the third decisive result. Gukesh successfully took Ding out of his preparation from the opening, and despite both players facing severe time pressure, Gukesh held his ground. Ding's blunder was immediately capitalized by Gukesh, forcing Ding to resign. Game 11 will undoubtedly be remembered as a turning point in the match. Check out the article to explore some of the game’s most fascinating moments. | Photo: Eng Chin An

Arpan Das dominates 1st Skillcraft Rating Open 2024

Arpan Das scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 1st Skillcraft Rating Open 2024. Ashirwad Swain scored sole 8/9 to secure second place. Seven players - Agnivo Chakraborty, GM Saptarshi RoyChowdhury, Kartavya Anadkat, IM Somak Palit, Oishik Mondal, Kumar Gaurav and Arnav Agrawal scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed third to ninth according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹1400000. The top three prizes were ₹125000, ₹100000 and ₹75000 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine-round rating open tournament was organized by Skillcraft and Eminent Chess Academy at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi from 16th to 20th November 2024. This was Arpan's second tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Jaydeep Sharma

Bhakti Kulkarni best at Brno Open - IM Round Robin 2024

IM Bhakti Kulkarni scored 7/9 to win Brno Open - A IM Round Robin 2024, 13th International Chess Festival part of Czech Tour 2024. FM Jan Marn (SLO) scored 6.5/9 to secure second place. IM IO FT Petr Pisk (CZE) scored 6.5/9 to be placed third. Bhakti's sole loss of the event was against the eventual runner-up, Jan, the highest rated player in the field. The top three prizes were CZK 3000 + trophy, 2000 and 1000 each. The eight-day nine-round, round-robin rating tournament was organized by AVE Chess z.s. at Cosmopolitan Bobycentrum hotel**** in Brno, Czech Republic from 16th to 23rd November 2024. This was Bhakti's first tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Czech Tour

Boris Savchenko on the verge of winning 15th KIIT GM Open

GM Boris Savchenko defeated IM Kaustuv Kundu to increase his sole lead by a full point 8/9. He just needs a draw in the final round against GM Sayantan Das, to win 15th KIIT International Chess Festival Category A 2024. Savchenko's game seemed to be heading towards a draw when Kaustuv did not exchange his knight with his opponent's bishop at the right moment in the endgame. It ended up costing him the game. Nine players including five Indians - IM Aronyak Ghosh, IM Viani Antonio Dcunha, GM Sayantan Das, Utkal Ranjan Sahoo and GM Saptarshi Roy are at 7/9 each. Final Round 10 starts today at 9:30 a.m. IST. Photo: Swayangsu Satyakam

World Championship Game 11: Ding Liren collapses under pressure, Gukesh gains the lead

D Gukesh has gained a lead for the first time at FIDE World Championship Match 2024, presented by Google. In an intense and complex game, Gukesh held on to his nerves. While his opponent, world champion, made a one move blunder in crunch, lost a piece and resigned immediately. Gukesh now just needs to survive the next three games to become the youngest world champion in history. Ding Liren has a surmountable task of winning as early as possible in the next three games to get back in the match and quite possibly force tie-breaks. The teenager just needs to play solid for the next three games and make his opponent take some risks which can result in few more losses for the world champion. Game 12 starts tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Eng Chin An

World Championship 2024 diaries Game 9

Only four Classical games are remaining at FIDE World Championship Match 2024 presented by Google. D Gukesh opted for the Catalan opening in the ninth game. GM Sundararajan Kidambi analyzes Game 9 in detail. He also takes a look at a few interesting moments of the game. Check out the dissection by Kidambi of the ninth game and enrich your understanding of it. If you like his explanations, do mention it in the comments, so that it inspires Kidambi to share more from his fountain of knowledge. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

15th KIIT GM Open R8: Savchenko wins an 18-move miniature, regains sole lead

GM Boris Savchenko made a short work of GM Evgeniy Podolchenko in just 18 moves in Round 8 of 15th KIIT International Chess Festival 2024. Savchenko has regained sole lead 7/8. He is closely closely by followed by seven players including four Indians - IM Aronyak Ghosh, IM Kaustuv Kundu, Utkal Ranjan Sahoo and GM Sayantan Das at 6.5/8 each. Kaustuv and Aronyak drew with GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE) and IM Viani Antonio Dcunha, Sayantan and Utkal defeated IM David Gochelashvili and Sriram Shravan respectively. Kaustuv will face Savchenko in the penultimate round. Round 9 starts today at 3 p.m. IST. Photo: Swayangsu Satyakam

Qatar Masters 2024 R5: Karthikeyan Murali and Shant Sargsyan are coleaders

GM Karthikeyan Murali continues his great form at Qatar Masters 2024. He defeated GM Pouya Idani (IRI) in the fifth round to maintain his lead. GM Shant Sargsyan (ARM) won against GM Arkadij Naiditsch (BUL) to stay at the top. The coleaders, Karthikeyan and Shant will inevitably clash against each other in sixth round. The world no.4, GM Arjun Erigaisi scored a victory against GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly to maintain his pursuit 4/5. GM Raja Rithvik R outplayed GM Pranav V to also take his score 4/5. Today is the sole rest day. Round 6 starts tomorrow Monday 9th December at 4 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Saji Mathew

Level up your game with ChessNeurons One-Month Free Membership

As the ‘Strategic Mastery Series’ continues, ChessNeurons and ChessBase India are thrilled to announce an exciting treat for all the chess enthusiasts. As the World Championship between D Gukesh and Ding Liren is going on in Singapore, it’s time to celebrate it by taking your game to the next level. This is a golden opportunity to get one-month FREE membership of ChessNeurons with all the premium features. Moreover, you can get an additional FREE month membership and also grab a seat for a masterclass which will be conducted by GM Ankit Rajpara. Don’t miss to check out the article to find out how.  

Elllobregat Open: Yahli Maintains Sole Lead with Two Rounds to Go

The Elllobregat Open Chess 2024 has reached its final and most intense stage, with only two rounds remaining to determine the champion. Israel’s GM Yahli Sokolovsky remains in the lead with 6.5 points, following a strategically played draw against top-seed GM Cristobal Henriquez Villagra in the 8th round. The tournament has already showcased thrilling battles and remarkable performances across the board. As the event nears its conclusion, players are not only competing for the prestigious title but also for coveted international norms. Over its last four editions, this tournament has produced an impressive 38 international norms, and this year promises to add more names to that legacy. Among Indian players, WIM Tejaswini G revived her chances for a WGM norm with a strong win in the 8th round.

Photos & Report by Niklesh Jain

World Championship Game 10: A solid draw

The tenth game was the most uneventful game so far at FIDE World Championship Match 2024, presented by Google. It was the shortest game in terms of duration which lasted just over 2.5 hours. However, in terms of moves it is the second-shortest game after Game 2 which lasted 23 moves. Ding Liren's strategy can be surmised as he wants to survive the Classical games and beat Gukesh in tie-breaks, as it is well-known by now that shorter time controls are not the Challenger's forte. Gukesh is happy to draw with black. He will try to push with the remaining two whites he has left and want to finish things off before the tie-breaks. Game 11 starts tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Eng Chin An

World Championship 2024 diaries Game 8

Nine games are over at FIDE World Championship Match 2024 presented by Google. Only five more to go, unless the match heads to tie-breaks, then more games will be played. The eighth game witnessed English opening and hyper modern spirit. GM Sundararajan Kidambi analyzes Game 8 in detail. He also takes a look at the moment where Gukesh refused a threefold repetition, something everyone thought the game to end in a draw at that time. Check out the dissection by Kidambi of the eighth game and enrich your understanding of it. If you like his explanations, do mention it in the comments, so that it inspires Kidambi to share more from his fountain of knowledge. Photo: Shahid Ahmed