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Asian 2019 Round 2: Karthikeyan does a Kramnik

09/06/2019 -

In what was every bit classy chess, Murali Karthikeyan won his second game in a row when he defeated Xu Zhihang of China. India's triple crown champion Aravindh Chithambaram was also in his element when he grabbed the chance to create a demolishing passer against Zhao Yuanhe. Sethuraman S.P. beat Raunak Sadhwani in a Najdorf when the latter made a careless move. In the women's section, Bhakti Kulkarni continued her conquest by beating Hoang Thi Bao Tram. It was round 2 at the Asian continental championships 2019 and in this report we bring you the most important moments of the day's excitement.

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Venezuela no.1 Eduardo Iturrizaga wins 12th KIIT International 2019

08/06/2019 -

Top seed of the tournament, Venezuela no.1 GM Eduardo Iturrizaga scored an unbeaten 8.0/10 to win 12th KIIT International 2019. Ukrainian GM Valeriy Neverov and Armenian GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan also finished at 8.0/10, however due to a lower tie-break score, they had to settle for runner-up and second runner-up places. Among the Indians, IM P Shyamnikhil finished the highest by scoring 7.5/9 and secured 6th position. Experienced IM P Konguvel played fantastic after a long time. He scored 7.5/9 and secured 7th position. Undefeated Koustav Chatterjee was the third highest finisher among Indians and he completed his IM title requirements by scoring his final norm. Photo: R Anantharam/KIIT International

From Hollandaise sauce to Salmon, Vishy Anand is unbeatable as a chef!

08/06/2019 -

Rest days in super tournaments have become more and more interesting as sponsors try and make the best use of the time of the world class grandmasters present at their event. Very often we see the GMs giving simultaneous exhibitions or lectures which motivate the youngsters of the place in which the tournament is being held. But the organizers at Norway Chess always have thought outside the box. This was the second year when they made the grandmasters don the cooking hat, and indulge in a cooking contest! Ten players were divided into five teams along with an expert chef to help them. It turned out that Vishy Anand who had won the title in 2018, defended it successfully, this year teamed up with MVL! We bring you some amazing pictures, Vishy's tweet after winning, and Aruna's comments on her husband's cooking abilities.

A Valentine's Day GM chess challenge from Lienz Open 2019 Part 2

08/06/2019 -

IM Nisha Mohota is one of the strongest female chess players of India. Even after three decades of actively playing chess, her love for the game is very much intact. She has won multiple accolades in her career both in the country and internationally. She takes the time to write down her experiences both on and off the board for all chess readers as well as non-chess players too. She wrote one a few days on her experience in playing at Lienz, Austria, how she fell in love with the beautiful city and more. In Part II of her article, she answers the question asked at the end of part I and explains variations in detail, engines' role and how a GM friend of her reacted when the position was given to him and more. Photo: Nisha's blog

Asian 2019 Round 1: Vidit sizzles, Bhakti's grit and Nihal's sapient show

08/06/2019 -

The Asian continental open and women's championship 2019 has begun in Xingtai, China. In round 1 top seed Vidit Gujrathi punished his opponent Dai Changren for his dubious play. The youngest 2600 player in the world, Nihal Sarin, displayed superior positional understanding by subjecting his Filipino adversary to a slow grind. Elsewhere, Vaibhav Suri suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of a much lower rated Zou Chen. In the Women's section the encounter between Bhakti Kulkarni and Swati Ghate lasted for a staggering 80 moves and saw fortune change hands multiple times. The Asian Championships is a key event in the calendar, because top five in open and the winner in women's section qualify for the World Cup 2019. In this report we bring you the highlights of the first day's action.

Norway 2019 Round 3: Carlsen's Alpha Zero Strategy amidst an uncompromising day!

07/06/2019 -

4 decisive games in classical chess meant that any debate about lack of fighting spirit was put off for now. Magnus Carlsen's mastery of Alpha Zero's innovative kingside attacks in the Grunfeld meant he only needed 34 moves to force Grischuk's resignation. Wesley So swindled Yu Yangyi using triangulation, Aronian busted Mamedyarov's English with fine counterattacking play, and Ding Liren's imaginative endgame play was too much for Caruana's fortress to bear. Anand drew both the classical and the armageddon games as Black against MVL, scoring his first win of the tournament. A mammoth report from Norway Chess by Tanmay Srinath

Women's Candidates: Muzychuk sisters score their first win of the tournament, Goryachkina extends her lead

07/06/2019 -

Anna Muzychuk scored her first victory of the tournament when she exploited her opponent Valentina Gunina's mistakes and slow plans. Mariya Muzychuk sacrificed an exchange in the endgame and created passed pawns which helped her to score a win. Despite dominating for the major part of the game and getting an almost winning position, Nana sacrificed a piece for which she did not get enough and eventually she lost. Tan started out well and got a good position, however she made a tactical error which cost her a couple of pawns and an exchange. Lagno did not give any chances and scored a full point. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

How 2106 rated chess player cracked GATE examinations and scored All India Rank 9

07/06/2019 -

Chandrashis Mazumdar from West Bengal is rated 2106 and is the former commonwealth under-12 bronze medalist. He was an extremely ambitious chess player, but at some point academics took the front seat and he became an Engineer. His real challenge came when he had to appear for the GATE examination. GATE is a national level post graduation examination conducted by the IITs and IISc Bangalore to select their candidates. Naturally, it is quite tough to crack it. But, Chandrashis, not only passed with flying colours but aced the examination with an All India Rank 9. How did he do it and how did chess help this youngster to hold his own in such a tough competitive exam? In this article Chandrashis reveals his secret.

Women's Candidates round 5: Goryachkina is back in the lead and still undefeated

06/06/2019 -

Aleksandra Goryachkina outplayed former Women's World Champion Tan Zhongyi in a Double Rook endgame with unbelievable precision to get back into the lead. The youngest in the fray is not only the sole leader, but also the only undefeated player in the tournament so far. Valentina Gunina missed an easy win in time pressure against Mariya Muzychuk. Alexandra Kosteniuk got lucky as overnight leader Nana Dzagnidze blundered in time pressure in a normal position, according to her. Kateryna Lagno had better for most of the game but Anna Muzychuk managed to trick her opponent and save half-a-point. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Norway Chess 2019 Round 2: Caruana's Norwegian Immortal and Mamedyarov's Tai-Chi Reversal!

06/06/2019 -

'Fab' Caruana displayed fabulous chess to dismantle Maxime Vachier Lagrave's Najdorf with an energetic bishop sacrifice. Viswanathan Anand seemed to lose his concentration for two moves, which was enough for Shakriyar Mamedyarov to complete a memorable reversal after suffering in passivity. Levon Aronian's heartbreak against Magnus Carlsen graduated to another level after the former missed the chance of the round. Carlsen then managed to beat Aronian in the armageddon. Yu Yangyi continues his charmed life in top level chess by beating Ding Liren in the tiebreaker, while Grischuk's hasty draw offer in the classical game came back to bite him against So. A detailed round two report from Norway Chess 2019 by Tanmay Srinath.

"I wanted to enjoy every moment of pressure and learn from it" - Aravindh Chithambaram

06/06/2019 -

On 18th December 2018, Aravindh Chithambaram won his maiden National Open Senior title, after getting close to it multiple times and missing it. The next National title he won was National Teams on 11th February 2019 along with his PSPB Teammates. He became first National Triple Crown Champion of India when he won National Rapid and Blitz title on 27th and 28th May 2019 respectively. Thus winning all four National titles in three different formats of the game in just 163 days. In this article we interview Aravindh and he shares three of his best games from the recently concluded National Rapid and Blitz. We also take you back in 2013-14 when Aravindh was a rising star in Indian chess and how he has progressed logically through these last five years.

Women's Candidates: Nana takes sole lead after round 4

05/06/2019 -

Georgia no.1 Nana Dzagnidze is on a roll, she defeated Valentina Gunina, despite the Russian attempting to surprise Nana with French Defence. Nana understood her opponent's psychology and played to her strength to score a win with ease. Kosteniuk felt that she rushed launching an attack which resulted in quick liquidation to the endgame and equalization, diminishing all hopes pushing for a full point. Thus the game between former World Champions Kosteniuk and Zhongyi ended up in a draw. Anna drew with Goryachkina and halted her momentum while her sister Mariya returned her opponent Lagno's exchange sacrifice too early and eventually lose the game. Olympiad Gold medalist IM Padmini Rout analyzes Nana's game. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Shahid Ahmed

Norway Chess 2019 Round 1: Armaggeddon Crazy Chess at Norway 2019!

05/06/2019 -

5/5! That's how many encounters that were decided by Armageddon games! Clearly, all the players were in a mood for fighting chess but had to place their faith in Caissa's blessing, as the five classical games ended in fascinating draws. Carlsen had the best chance of the round against Anand, but the Indian champion defended resourcefully and forced a drawn rook ending. Elsewhere, Mamedyarov missed one of the finest nuances in his game against Caruana, while Aronian was somewhat worse against Grischuk but drew. Ding Liren and So drew while still in their preparation. The armageddons were full of excitement and action, yet surprisingly one-sided at times. An in-depth report by Tanmay Srinath.

16-year-old Keval Nirgun wins Late Babukaka Shirgaokar Open at Sangli

04/06/2019 -

16-year-old Keval Nirgun of Pune, surprised everyone by winning 52nd Late Babukaka Shirgaokar Open at Sangli on 23rd May 2019. The tournament was organized by Nutan Buddhibal Mandal, one of the oldest organizers in India and it took place at Sangli, Maharashtra from 18th to 23rd May 2019. Total 220 players participated from various states across the country. Top seed of the tournament was Anish Gandhi and IM Ramnath Balasubramaniam was the only International Master in the tournament. Total Prize fund ₹200000 was distributed among 66 different prizes. Photo: FA Vivek Sohani

Bhakti Sensational at National Rapid and Blitz 2019

04/06/2019 -

The reigning National Women's Champion WGM Bhakti Kulkarni had a fantastic run at National Rapid and Blitz 2019. She scored 8.0/11 in both Rapid and Blitz each to secure 8th and 3rd position respectively. This is the best performance by a woman in the National Rapid and Blitz event for the past five years. Previous best was by her only in 2014 when she scored 7.0/11 and 7.5/11 to secure 11th and 8th position respectively in Rapid and Blitz. In this article we interview her to get to know about her performance and her best game from the tournament. Photo: Kanwarjeet/Punjab Kesari  

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