Test Yourself With These Five Incredible Compositions

29/11/2024 -

Time to exercise your chess muscles! ChessBase India's Editor of Chess Composition, Satanick Mukhuty, brings you five intriguing challenges. They are first presented together in a sheet with only the stipulations. Readers can download this sheet and take their time to ponder over each position. Later in the article, Satanick provides in-depth solutions. The selection boasts a remarkable chronological span, with problems from as far back as 1891 and as recently as 2002. Decades apart, yet equally mesmerising – these five challenges are a testament to the timeless allure of chess composition.

World Championship Game 4: A balanced draw

29/11/2024 -

Ding Liren bounced back well with a balanced draw in the fourth game against D Gukesh at FIDE World Championship 2024 presented by Google. The world champion opted for this line in the Reti opening to surprise his opponent. It worked well according to him. However, the positional advantage was miniscule. He felt that he had to play f4 at some point but was not sure about the evaluation in some variation. Instead, he opted for a safer variation. Pieces got exchanged at regular intervals and the game eventually liquidated into an equal rook endgame where draw became the obvious result. Game 5 starts tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Maria Emelianova

India wins six medals at 2nd Asian Championship for Players with Disabilities 2024

29/11/2024 -

FM Venkata Krishna Karthik and CM Samarth J Rao scored 6/9 each at 2nd Asian Championship for Players with Disabilities 2024 Open. Venkata won Gold in Physical Impairment category, Samarth Silver, according to tie-breaks. Jinay Ankitbhai Shah and Aditya Asaram Ghule scored 4.5/9 each in Junior section. They won Silver and Bronze medal respectively in Physical Impairment category. Sharon Rachel Aby scored 6.5/9 in Junior Girls section. She won Gold in Physical Impairment category. Durkasri Maruthaiah scored 5/9 to secure Silver in the same category. Overall India won a total of six medals at this event - two Gold, three Silver and a Bronze. Photo: IA Anandh Babu V L

Nihal Sarin subdues Javokhir Sindarov, on the verge of winning 3rd President Cup 2024

29/11/2024 -

GM Nihal Sarin continues his stellar form at 3rd President Cup 2024. He played a fantastic game to beat GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) to emerge sole leader 7/8. He is now a full ahead of seven players who are at 6/8 each including the top seed, Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB). Nihal just needs a draw against Abdusattorov in the final round to become a clear champion. IM Neelash Saha also continues his great momentum. He drew with GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB) in a hard fought battle to take his score 6/8. His final round opponent will be Sindarov. IM Nitish Belurkar scored a fine victory as he outplayed GM Mukhiddin Madaminov (UZB). Round 9 starts today at 10 a.m. local time, 10:30 a.m. IST. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Divith Reddy Adulla wins Gold at World Cadet Under-8 Chess Championship 2024, Silver for Sattwik Swain

28/11/2024 - The 2024 World Cadet Chess Championship concluded with a thrilling final round, showcasing exceptional talent from around the world. Divith Reddy made India proud by winning the Under-8 Open World Championship, further cementing India’s rising prominence in global chess. Alongside him, Sattwik Swain, another Indian talent, finished in second place in the Under-8 Open category. The closing ceremony was a grand affair, with over €20,000 in gifts, including ChessBase 17 and DGT Pegasus chess sets, awarded alongside trophies and medals. The inaugural World Cadet Problem Solving Competition added another layer of excitement, with winners receiving trophies and chess books. The championship crowned six new World Age Group Champions, marking a milestone in the careers of these young chess prodigies. Tournament Director IO/GM Roberto Mogranzini thanked everyone for their support, while FIDE Delegate Solakoglu, Ozgur officially declared the championship closed, marking the end of a spectacular event and a bright future for chess. Photo : Niklesh Jain / Patricia Claros Aguilar / Margherita Morigi

The story of the World Championship 2024 through pictures: Day 3

28/11/2024 -

After the second game, Ding said, “I am ready for a fight" And that’s exactly what we got. The youngest World Championship Challenger came out with a fire to level the score. Gukesh pushed hard with every move, seizing every opportunity. After his victory in the first game, the World Champion showed that he was back in form, and made it clear that this would not be an easy battle for Gukesh. Now, it was Gukesh's time to prove that it wouldn’t be an easy battle for the Champion either. Game 3 showed us how an 18-year-old challenger can shake the confidence of a reigning World champion! Relive the drama through pictures. Photo: Eng Chin An

World Championship 2024 diaries Game 2

28/11/2024 -

Three games are already over at FIDE World Championship Match 2024. The second game was a rather uneventful one. GM Sundararajan Kidambi did not find the game to be a boring draw. He analyzes the game in detail. He followed the commentary of Peter Svidler, also analysis of Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik. Check out the detailed dissection by Kidambi of the second 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

3rd President Cup R7: Nihal and Sindarov emerge coleaders, Abhimanyu forces draw against Abdusattorov

28/11/2024 -

GM Abhimanyu Puranik held the top seed, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) to a draw in Round 7 of 3rd President Cup 2024. The former forced a draw via perpetual check against the World no.6. GM Nihal Sarin scored a comfortable win over IM Ortik Nigmatov (UZB). Nihal is now coleader with GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) 6/7 each. Sindarov defeated GM Sankalp Gupta. IM Neelash Saha continues his great form. He had a solid draw against GM Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI). Neelash and GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB) are trailing the leaders by a half point at 5.5/7 each. IM Ameya Audi scored a fine victory over GM M Amin Tabatabaei (IRI). Round 8 starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST.

World Championship Game 3: Gukesh delivers the equalizer by outplaying Ding Liren

27/11/2024 -

D Gukesh defeated the world champion, Ding Liren for the very first time in a Classical rated game. He did it on the biggest stage at FIDE World Championship Match 2024 presented by Google. The teenager was pretty confident about his position when his opponent was down to his last minute. He was only thinking about the position after he got Rc1-d1. He wasn't playing for time. The Challenger had all intentions to finish things off cleanly. The match has definitely gotten with Gukesh's equalizer. The next game will be interesting to see how the world champion responds after suffering his first loss at this match. Tomorrow is the first rest day. Game 4 starts on Friday 29th November at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Maria Emelianova

Legendary Players, Fascinating Problems | A Review of Chess Stories by Frederic Friedel and Christian Hesse

27/11/2024 -

Chess Stories by Frederic Friedel and Christian Hesse is now available in English worldwide. Friedel is the co-founder of ChessBase and served as an advisor to numerous World Champions and Grandmasters. Hesse has a doctorate in Mathematical Statistics from Harvard and has previously published a bestseller titled The Joys of Chess. Together, they explore interesting encounters and combine chess and logic in this book. It is currently available for purchase worldwide in Hardcopy and Kindle editions. Read on for an in-depth review of its contents. Photos taken from the book.

The story of the World Championship 2024 through pictures: Day 2

27/11/2024 -

After a tough loss in round 1, Gukesh prepared for round 2 of the World Chess Championship with a calm mind. Playing such an intense match at a young age is no easy task, but it's impressive to see how Gukesh handles the pressure so calmly. His mantra is to focus on one game at a time. Before round 2, everyone was curious to see whether Gukesh would bounce back or if Ding would push for a win. Check out the article to see what happened on Day 2 through pictures. Photo: Maria Emelianova

Thomas Brand invites you to 48th Zurich Christmas Open 2024 in Switzerland

27/11/2024 -

Thomas Brand invites you to 48th Zurich Christmas Open 2024. The 48th edition is offering a total prize fund of CHF 18500 (≈₹1763605). The tournament has two categories - Master (>2000) and Main (≤2050). The top three prizes in Master are CHF 3000, 2000 and 1400. A total of 5 GMs and an IM have registered from seven countries across the world. Entry fee is CHF 180 including banquet in the Master, CHF 160 for the Main category. Entry is Free for GM/IM in the Master section. GM Sasikiran Krishnan won the last edition. The next one could be you. Check out the article to find out all details about the tournament. Photo: Official site

World Championship 2024 diaries Game 1

27/11/2024 -

Two games are already over at FIDE World Championship Match 2024. The first game was a decisive and rich one. The second was a solid draw in 23 moves. GM Sundararajan Kidambi analyzes the game in detail. He followed the commentary of GM Judit Polgar, GM Daniel Naroditsky, also analysis of Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik. Check out the detailed analysis by Kidambi of the first game and enrich your understanding of it. If you like his explanations, do mention in the comments, so that it inspires Kidambi to share more from his fountain of knowledge. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

3rd President Cup R1-6: Neelash beats Bernadskiy, joins the five-way lead with Nihal and Sankalp

27/11/2024 -

IM Neelash Saha, GM Nihal Sarin and GM Sankalp Gupta are in a five-way lead 5/6 at 3rd President Cup 2024. IM Ortik Nigmatov (UZB) and GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) are the remaining two leaders. Top seed, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) is at 4.5/6. Neelash defeated two GMs in consecutive rounds, Timur Gareyev in Round 5 and Vitaliy Bernadskiy (UKR) in Round 6. Sankalp got the better of his compatriot, GM Karthikeyan Murali. Both Bernadskiy and Karthikeyan sacrificed material aiming to launch an attack. However, they both were unsuccessful against Neelash and Sankalp respectively. In Round 7, it will be GM Javokhir Sindarov vs Sankalp, Nihal vs Ortik and GM Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) vs Neelash. Round 7 starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

World Championship Game 2: Gukesh bounces back with a 23-move solid draw

26/11/2024 -

The question on everyone's mind was, how will Gukesh fare in the second game after suffering a loss? He answered it quite well by playing a solid draw. At the post-game press conference he mentioned that, "We all knew that things can happen. Losing is just part of the game. So it was not a shock. We were prepared..." He is definitely strong mentally. That was evident both on the board and off it. He also added that, "Today was a good day and hopefully we will have many more good days coming." The teenager is definitely poised to bring some exciting games and a lot of determination in the next few games as he is facing the best version of the world champion, Ding Liren, which the world knew and wanted to see. Game 3 starts tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Eng Chin An