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45th Chess Olympiad R9: Uzbekistan halts India's winning streak, Vantika saves the day for India Women

21/09/2024 -

The defending champion, Uzbekistan halted India's winning streak at 45th Chess Olympiad in the ninth round. Vidit Gujrathi was the first to make a quick draw against Jakhongir Vakhidov. Fans waiting for another exciting battle between - D Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov will have to wait a little longer as their game was an uneventful draw. R Praggnanandhaa defended well Javokhir Sindarov. Arjun Erigaisi had the longest game of the match against Shamsiddin Vokhidov. It also ended in a draw. India is still in sole lead 17/18, maintaining their two points lead. USA, Uzbekistan and China are at 15/18 each. IM Vantika Agrawal saved India Women's team from defeat as she defeated GM Irina Krush to draw the match 2-2 against the USA. In the penultimate round, it will be India vs USA in Open and China in the Women. Round 10 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Maria Emelianova/chess.com

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45th Chess Olympiad Day 7: Photos that tell the tale

20/09/2024 -

After the sixth round at the Olympiad, players had to make a tough call – whether to attend the Bermuda party or not. The Bermuda party is an opportunity for the players, coaches, and officials of all the federations to unwind, socialize, and enjoy a break from the tournament. The party is filled with energetic music, lively dancing, and an overall festive atmosphere. While many players attend the party for fun calling it the ‘best day’, some choose to skip it calling it the ‘rest day’ and stay focused on the upcoming rounds. Whatever the decision, we hope each player made the choice that was right for them. As we move forward with the tournament, let’s explore some memorable pictures from Day 7.

Ramnathan Balasubramaniam dominates 1st HZCA Rapid Rating Open 2024

20/09/2024 -

IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 1st HZCA Rapid Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the field. Dr. Prajwal P Shet and Nihal N Shetty scored 8/9 each. They secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹100000. The top three prizes were ₹20000 + trophy, ₹13000 + trophy and ₹7000 each respectively. The one-day rapid rating tournament was organized by Haveri Zilla Chess Association on 25th August 2024 at Guru Bhavana in Haveri, Karnataka. This is Ramnathan's fourth overall, first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

45th Chess Olympiad R8: Gukesh, Arjun and Vidit ensure India squashes Iran, increase their sole lead

20/09/2024 -

Indian men continue their impressive winning streak at 45th Chess Olympiad. Iran lost to India 0.5-3.5 to score their eighth consecutive win. D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi scored the wins for the team over Parham Maghsoodloo, Bardiya Daneshvar and Pouya Idani respectively. Only R Praggnanandhaa conceded the sole draw of the match against M Amin Tabatabaei. India is at a perfect score after eight rounds 16/16. Uzbekistan and Hungary are the only two teams trailing them at 14/16 each. India will face Uzbekistan in Round 9. The Indian Women's team suffered their first loss of the event against Poland. IM Divya Deshmukh scored the sole win. IM Vantika Agrawal also had winning chances but she missed them and it ended in a draw. Poland and Kazakhstan join India in a three-way lead 14/16 each. India vs USA in the Women in Round 9 which starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Mark Livshitz

Malaysian Chess Festival celebrates its 19th birthday together with Malaysia Day

19/09/2024 -

The 19th IGB Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Chess Championship 2024 part of Malaysian Chess Festival, has reached its halfway mark. Malaysia no.1, IM Poh Yu Tian and GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (VIE) are leading the tournament scoring 4.5/5 each. IM Kushagra Mohan is the sole Indian in a pack of five players, trailing by a half point at 4/5 each. Among the women, WGM Priyanka Nutakki is at 3.5/5. Peter Long writes on the history and significance of the tournament, the winners of the Rapid team event and also about Seniors and Challengers event. Photo: Andrew Ooi

45th Chess Olympiad R7: World champion ducks Gukesh, his masterpiece crumbles the infallible China

19/09/2024 -

Those who were eagerly waiting to see D Gukesh face off Ding Liren will have to wait a little longer. The world champion was given a rest in the crucial battle against India. Gukesh is always determined to deliver his best. That was evident in the seventh round battle against Wei Yi. He played fantastic chess to beat his nemesis, a rivalry which has been building since the beginning of the year. The remaining three games ending in draws meant Gukesh's win gave India their first win over China in decades. Iran is the only team trailing them at 13/14. GM R Vaishali and IM Vantika Agrawal scored the crucial victories over IM Lela Javakhishvili and GM Bella Khotenashvili respectively, to increase India Women's lead by two points. Poland, Kazakhstan and France are at 12/14 each. Iran will take on Indian men and Poland against Indian women in Round 8. It begins today at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Michal Walusza

45th Chess Olympiad Day 6: Photos that tell the tale

18/09/2024 -

Did you know that only amateur players were allowed to play in the Olympics earlier? The intention was to prefer athletes who compete for their ‘love’ for the game rather than for ‘financial gain’. In 1924, chess was not included in the Olympic because it was difficult to clearly distinguish between amateur and professional players. However, true chess lovers did not give up! They conducted the first unofficial Chess Olympiad alongside the Olympics in Paris. The closing day of the Olympiad was the birthday of FIDE - 20th July 1924. This was the biggest step in the chess world! After that, FIDE organized the first-ever official Chess Olympiad in 1927 in London. Cut to the present, 380 teams with 1736 players have participated in the 45th Official Chess Olympiad! Every chess lover should be proud of being a part of this event – as an authority, organizer, participant, coach, journalist, or as viewer! And just like the Olympiad has its story, every picture from Day 6 reveals one of its own. Let's discover some of these pictures.

Harish Sharma sensational at 1st SDCA Rapid Rating Open 2024

18/09/2024 -

Harish Sharma scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 1st SDCA Rapid Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Five playeres - FM Garv Gaur, Dhyey Agarwal, Kartavya Anadkat, IM Aaryan Varshney and CM Vivaan Vishal Shah scored 8/9 each. They secured second to sixth place according to tie-breaks. Top four finishers remained undefeated. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹25000, ₹15000 and ₹10000 along with a trophy each respectively. The two-day rapid rating tournament was organized by Surat District Chess Association on 24th and 25th August 2024 at P R Khatiwala Sankul in Surat, Gujarat. This is Harish's second rating tournament triumph of the year. He is the reigning 11th National Amateur Below 2300 Open champion. Photos: Ravindra Potawad

Soham Bhattacharyya dominates 1st SXCCAA All Bengal Rapid Rating Open 2024

18/09/2024 -

Soham Bhattacharyya scored an unbeaten 10.5/11 to win 1st SXCCAA All Bengal Rapid Rating Open 2024. He won the tournament with a round to spare. Soham finished a whopping 1.5 points ahead of the competition. Five players - Sneha Halder, Maitreyi Mondal, Debapriya Manna, Jion Ghosh and Swapnabha Neogi scored 9/11 each. They were placed second to sixth each respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹20000, ₹16000 and ₹12000 along with a trophy each respectively. World no.4 and India no.1 - GM Arjun Erigaisi was the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony. He also played Simultaneous exhibition games. This is Soham's third rating tournament triumph of the year. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

45th Chess Olympiad Day 5: Photos that tell the tale

17/09/2024 -

I recently came across a nice story shared by GM Magesh Panchanathan. He shared his thoughts on the concepts of ‘Experiencing self’ and ‘remembering self’, which were explained by Daniel Kahneman. The Experiencing Self is the one who ‘enjoys’ the present moment and the Remembering Self is the one who ‘remembers’ the important parts of the experiencing self. If you observe, we generally focus on the ‘remembering self’ in our life. We remember the blunder made during the game and ignore the beautiful tactics played earlier. It’s a bit unfortunate, isn’t it? At the Olympiad, players will likely remember the event based on the good or bad outcome of their games. But we will share some pictures which will show the ‘experiencing self’ moments of our players. Let’s remind them that these might be their memorable moments from the event.

New: ChessBase Magazine #221

17/09/2024 -

Biel 2024 Chess Festival: The winner of the Masters, Le Quang Liem, comments on one of his games. In addition, Jonas Bjerre, Alexander Donchenko, Abhimanyu Mishra and Ihor Samunenkov contribute analyses from Biel - "Special" on Ju Wenjun: CBM authors show their favourite games of the world champion, an exclusive collection of 24 annotated games awaits you! - "If one piece is bad, the entire position is bad": Jan Markos develops a winning strategy for your games in his "Practical tips"! - Bomb in the Panov Attack: Robert Ris analyses the promising piece sacrifice 8.Qb3 Bxf3 9.gxf3 e6 10.Qxb7 Nxd4 11.Bb5+ Nxb5 12.Qc6+ Ke7 13.Qc5+!? and much more! Photo: ChessBase

45th Chess Olympiad R6: India beats Hungary and Armenia, scores a double hat-trick, emerges sole leader

17/09/2024 -

One could not have asked for a better start for the Indian teams at the 45th Chess Olympiad 2024. India scored a double hat-trick of wins to emerge sole leader in both Open and Women events. Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi scored the key victories over Sanan Sjugirov and Benjamin Gledura respectively. D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa held the fort by making solid draws against Richard Rapport and Peter Leko respectively. IM Divya Deshmukh scored the sole win for her team against GM Elina Danielian. It helped the Indian Women's team beat Armenia 2.5-1.5. IM Tania Sachdev is the only one who had a winning chance against IM Anna Sargsyan. Today is the sole rest day of the event. India will face China in the Open and Georgia in Women in Round 7. This can prove to be the most critical round of the event to have serious implications for Gold. Round 7 starts tomorrow Wednesday 18th September at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

45th Chess Olympiad Day 4: Photos that tell the tale

16/09/2024 -

Things are getting serious in the Olympiad now! After four rounds, every move counts, and every move builds tension. There is no room for blunders. The players know that even the slightest mistake could change everything. You might expect to see players in full 'serious' mode, with stress clearly visible on their faces. But surprisingly, you will see the exact opposite of this! We will show you some snapshots in which you will see your favorite players in fun mode. Read the article to catch a glimpse of the lighter side of the competition.

Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Episode 9

16/09/2024 -

Welcome back to the “Strategic Mastery” series, brought to you by the collaboration of ChessNeurons and ChessBase India. In this episode, Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara will lead you through the next step in your chess journey. Our goal is to deepen your positional and strategic understanding through a series of meticulously crafted puzzles and clear, insightful explanations. This time, we’ll reveal the solutions to the five puzzles from Episode 8, which included positions from the topic of Exchange of Queens. Following that, we’ll present five new positional puzzles, each more challenging than the last, to further sharpen your strategic thinking. All these puzzles are from the Chess Olympiad 2024.

45th Chess Olympiad R5: Arjun Erigaisi scores fifth win in-a-row, India keeps leading in both Open and Women

16/09/2024 -

India maintains their impressive momentum by winning their fifth consecutive match at 45th Chess Olympiad 2024. India defeated Azerbaijan convincingly 3-1. Indian women won against Kazakhstan by a minimum margin 1.5-2.5. It was GM D Gukesh and GM Arjun Erigaisi who scored the key wins over GM Aydin Suleymanli (AZE) and GM Rauf Mamedov (AZE) respectively. GM Vidit Gujrathi missed a win over GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE). Among Women, GM Harika Dronavalli suffered her second loss of the event, it was against IM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ). GM R Vaishali and IM Vantika Agrawal ensured the team's victory. IM Divya Deshmukh was held to a draw by WIM Xeniya Balabayeva (KAZ). India will face Hungary and Armenia in Open and Women's event respectively. Round 6 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Amruta Mokal

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