Harikrishnan A Ra dominates 9th Lignano Sabbiadoro International Festival with a perfect 7/7

08/05/2024 -

After winning 2nd Noisiel Blitz Rating Open 2024 on 8th April, IM Harikrishnan A Ra won 9th Lignano Sabbiadoro International Festival 2024. He scored a perfect 7/7 in Open A (>1900) category. Harikrishnan finished a staggering 2.5 points ahead of the rest. GM Stefan Djuric (SRB) and GM Nenad Ristic (SRB) scored 4.5/7 each. They secured second and third place respectively. The total prize fund in Open A was €3500. The top three prizes were €800, €600 and €400 each respectively. The seven-day seven-round tournament was organized by Massimo Varini - Accademia Di Scacchi ASD at Hotel Columbus**** in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy from 14th to 20th April 2024. This is Harikrishna's second rating tournament triumph of the month and overall fourth of the year.

Gukesh, Arjun and Praggnanandhaa set to face Magnus Carlsen and co. at Superbet Rapid and Blitz 2024

08/05/2024 -

The first event of the Grand Chess Tour 2024 season is Superbet Rapid and Blitz. This will be the first time in GCT history that three Indians - D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa will be taking part. They will battle against Magnus Carlsen (NOR), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), Wei Yi (CHN), Anish Giri (NED), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL), Vincent Keymer (GER) and Kirill Shevchenko (ROU). Who do you think will this tournament? The tournament takes place at Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. Round 1 starts today from 1 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Dubai Police Global Challenge Round 3 & 4: Aravindh and Visakh extend winning streak, share joint lead

08/05/2024 -

Indian chess players showcased their prowess in the third and fourth rounds of the Dubai Police Global Challenge Masters 2024. They are delivering remarkable performances that have put them in the spotlight. Aravindh Chithambaram and Visakh N R have emerged as frontrunners, leading with four consecutive wins each and setting the stage for an intense showdown in the fifth round. Notably, GM Pranav V secured a significant upset by defeating second seeded GM Amin Tabatabaei of Iran, adding to the excitement of the tournament. This tournament boasts a prize fund of $125,000, marking the highest prize fund in the UAE tournament history. For the full report, read on, and enjoy the accompanying photos by Aditya Sur Roy.

Daniel Dardha wins Sardinia World Chess Festival 2024

08/05/2024 -

Sardinia World Chess Festival 2024 Open A had an intriguing finish. It would have been difficult to predict it for anyone. Daniel Dardha (BEL), Jorden van Foreest (NED), Kirill Shevchenko (ROU) and Volodar Murzin scored wins in the final round. They all finished with the same score 7/9. Daniel and Jorden defeated the coleaders Alan Pichot (ESP) and Yair Parkhov (ISR) to dash their championship hopes. Kirill and Volodar got the better of Lorenzo Lodici (ITA) and Maksim Chigaev (ESP). The Belgium no.1 Daniel won the tournament due to better tie-break scores, Kirill second, Volodar third and Jorden fourth. IM Ramazan Zhalmakhanov (KAZ) scored his final GM-norm, crossed 2500 in the live ratings and became Kazakhstan's latest Grandmaster. Photo: Niklesh Jain

Harikrishnan A Ra dominates 2nd Noisiel Blitz Rating Open 2024, third in Classical

07/05/2024 -

IM Harikrishnan A Ra scored a perfect 9/9 to win 2nd Noisiel Blitz Rating Open 2024. He finished a whopping two points ahead of the field. GM Jonathan Dourerassou (FRA) scored 7/9 to secure second place. GM Ibrahim S Khamrakulov (ESP) scored 6.5/9 to finish third. Both of them suffered their sole loss against the eventual champion, Harikrishnan. The total prize fund of the Blitz event was €1000. Top three prizes were €300, €200 and €100 each. GM Li Min Peng (SUI), IM Marco Materia (FRA) and Harikrishnan scored an unbeaten 7/9 each in the Above 1900 Open A event. They secured first, second and third place respectively. The total prize fund in Open A was €4800. The top three prizes were €1500, €1000 and €700 each.

Come and Learn Chess for free at the Big Chess Summer Camp 2024 - 13th to 19th May 2024

07/05/2024 -

The Phoenix ChessBase India Chess Club in Mumbai is hosting another exciting event! Last year, in 2023, we had two camps: the Big Chess Summer Camp in May, which had over 700 people, and the Big Chess Winter Camp in November, with over 500 participants. Now, in 2024, we're bringing back the joy of learning! With 45 training sheets, 3 levels, trainers, volunteers to help you learn - this promises to be an exciting camp for just about everyone out there. Join us from May 13th to 19th, 4-8 p.m. each day, at Phoenix Marketcity Mall, Mumbai. There's no entry fee or registration needed – just come and enjoy and learn chess with us! This initiative is taken to popularize chess!

Last call for Aktobe Open 2024 offering a prize fund of US$ 100000

07/05/2024 -

Kazakhstan Chess Federation invites you to Aktobe Open 2024 - Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial 2024. There are two tournaments - Masters (> 2400 for Men and >2200 for Women) and Open (1800-2299). The total prize fund in the Masters is ≈US$ 100000, and for Open ≈US$10165. The top three prizes are ≈US$ 20000, 15600 and 11100. Entry is FREE for GM, IM, WGM, WIM, FM, WFMs in the Masters, provided they meet the rating criteria mentioned above. Conditions are offered to 2600+ players. GM Aditya Mittal won two tournaments in Kazakhstan last year. You could be the next one. Deadline has been extended to 10th May 2024. So hurry up and register now if you haven't yet. Check out the article for more information. All tournament info photos are from tournament circular. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Dubai Police Global Challenge R2: Iniyan holds Amin to a draw, Aravindh secures second win

06/05/2024 - The second round of the Dubai Police Open witnessed gripping clashes and notable achievements as players from around the world showcased their skills on the chessboard. In a standout performance, 45th seeded Indian Grandmaster Iniyan Pa held Iran's second seed, Amin Tabatabaei, to a draw on the top board. Alongside him, Visakh, N R, Pranesh M, and llamparthi A R also secured their second victories, adding to the thrill of the competition. Moreover, the World Women's Chess Champion, Ju Wenjun, joined the tournament in the second round, commencing her campaign with a resounding victory. Let's delve into the highlights and surprises of this thrilling round. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

New: Leon Luke Mendonca: Rock Solid with the Queenʼs Indian Defence

06/05/2024 -

The Queen's Indian Defense is one of the most solid defenses against 1.d4. From a rock-solid position, the black player can pursue many ideas and plans without having to worry about coming under quick pressure. In this video course, the young Indian Grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca presents the most solid black responses in various variations. The teenage attests that he has had great results with this opening and continues to use it often. So grab this Fritztrainer, enrich your knowledge and strengthen your opening repertoire. Fritztrainers are now also available in ChessBase Books format. You can use the same code to study it in ChessBase Books format here. So buy now and study whichever way you want. Photo: ChessBase

Dubai Police Masters 2024 R1: Ravi Teja and Aradhya score huge upsets

05/05/2024 -

IM Ravi Teja S scored the biggest upset of the first round at Dubai Police Global Challenge Masters 2024. He defeated the 44th Chess Olympiad Gold medalist when GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) blundered into a checkmate. IM Aradhya Garg scored the other big upset of the day. He showed his endurance a double bishop vs rook endgame against GM Jinshi Bai (CHN). IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman (BAN) held the top seed GM Yangyi Yu (CHN) to a draw. Among Indians, IM Ethan Vaz, IM P Shyam Nikhil, IM Harsh Suresh and WGM Priyanka Nutakki drew against their stronger GM opponents. Round 2 starts today at 5 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Developing an opening repertoire with Anish Giri

04/05/2024 -

To play openings like a grandmaster - that's probably what most ambitious amateurs want. The first and not so easy step is to choose openings for your own repertoire. Would you like to do this with a world-class grandmaster? Of course you would! In the new two-part video course "A Supergrandmaster's Guide to Openings with Anish Giri", Anish Giri introduces (almost) all openings in an instructive way, categorises their relevance and tells fascinating stories from the world of elite chess. The Fritztrainer is available now on our shop. Buy now if you haven't yet to strengthen your opening repertoire. Photo: ChessBase

ChessBase India Training Academy invites you to 1st Khelo Chess India Rating Open 2024

04/05/2024 -

ChessBase India Training Academy invites all chess players around the world in the inaugural edition of Khelo Chesss Rating Open 2024. It is scheduled to take place from 4th to 9th June 2024. This tournament has a very low entry fee of ₹600. The idea is to encourage players to take part in a Classical rating tournament and gain an Elo rating. The total prize fund is ₹64000. The first prize is ₹10000 + trophy each. Special ChessBase India prizes will be announced before the start of the tournament. Entry is FREE for GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs. Last date of registration is 3rd June 2024. So hurry up and register now. Photos: Tournament circular

Sardinia Festival 2024 R8: Alan Pichot catches up with Yair Parkhov

03/05/2024 -

Sardinia World Chess Festival 2024 is heading for a very close finish. GM Yair Parkhov (ISR) drew against GM Kirill Shevchenko (ROU). It allowed GM Alan Pichot (ESP) to catch up as he defeated GM Vitaly Sivuk (SWE). Both Parkhov and Pichot are now the coleaders 6.5/8. Parkhov for the second consecutive game missed a good chance. They have already faced each other in the sixth round. It ended in a draw. In Group B, WFM Alexandra Botez (CAN) won against Carlo Molinari (ITA) in Open B. She maintains a full point lead going into the final round 7.5/8. In the final round, she will be up against the top seed Dejan Dimitrov (BUL). Round 9 starts tomorrow at 9 a.m. local time, 12:30 p.m. IST. All photos are by Shahid Ahmed unless stated otherwise.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov wins 29th Tepe Sigeman & Co 2024 in Playoffs, Arjun Erigaisi second

03/05/2024 -

Arjun Erigaisi struggled a lot against Nils Grandelius (SWE). Trying to push even though there was no clear way to achieve that positionally, landed him in deep trouble. However, Arjun somehow managed to salvage a half point. Peter Svidler forced perpetual check against Vincent Keymer (GER). Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) seized his opportunity against Marc` Andria Maurizzi's (FRA) blunder. All three ended up with the same score 4.5/7. Both Arjun and Abdusattorov defeated Svidler and drew against each other in the tie-break games. Then the World no.5 and 8 had to play two 3' + 2" Blitz games. The first game was drawn, Arjun lost the second. Thus, Abdusattorov won 29th TePe Sigeman & Co. Tournament 2024. Arjun finished second in terms of tie-breaks. However, prize money is shared between the players with the same points. Photos: Mikael Svensson/tepesigemanchess.com

Chess Titans Carlsen, Nakamura, Anand and Amin set for Epic Showdown in Casablanca, Morocco

03/05/2024 -

This month on 18th and 19th May, we will witness a new chess variant, Casablanca Chess introduced by Casablanca Stock Exchange. So what is different in this variant? The starting positions of each game will be equal positions inspired by historical gems - some renowned and others less so. Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Vishy Anand and Amin Bassem will be the four elites taking part in this event. Check out the press release to know all the details about this event slated to take place in Casablanca, Morocco. Are you excited about this new variant of chess? Who do you think will emerge victorious? Our very own CEO and Cofounder, IM Sagar Shah will be present at the venue to bring you all coverage from there. Photo: Casablanca Chess