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India’s Himal Gusain Wins the 16th Dolomiti International Chess Tournament Title

14/06/2025 -

Forni di Sopra, Italy The 16th Dolomiti International Chess Tournament, held in the UNESCO World Heritage region of the Dolomite mountains in Forni di Sopra, Italy, concluded today, and the title was claimed by India’s International Master Himal Gusain based on a superior tiebreak score. The event was organized by UniChess Italy. After 9 rounds, both Himal and Bulgaria’s top seed Grandmaster Martin Petrov finished with 8 points and were jointly placed at the top. However, due to a better tiebreak score, Himal was declared the champion, while Petrov had to settle for the runner-up position. Romania’s Madalin Andronescu secured third place with 6.5 points. Among the women players, Romania’s EKaterina Pirvulescu, Greece’s Grapsa Georgia, and Colombia’s Angela Franco were the top three finishers. Final Report & Photos by Niklesh Jain.

ChessBase 18 and Mega 2025 are here

ChessBase 18 is an all-new program that helps you manage all your databases as an ambitious player. Mega Database 2025 has 11 million games with over 113,000 games annotated by masters. The cost of ChessBase 18 is Rs.4499/- and the cost of Mega Database 2025 is Rs.6499/- However, if you go for the combo the total amount comes to Rs.8999 (instead of 10,998/-) helping you save Rs. 1999/-.

ChessBase 18 + Mega 2025 Combo

MGD1 convincingly clinches World Rapid Team 2025 Championship, Hexamind second and Freedom third

14/06/2025 -

Team MGD1 defeated Malcolm's Mates 3.5-2.5 to win FIDE World Rapid Team Championship 2025. They scored 21/24 and finished a full point ahead of the rest. Hexamind Chess Team scored 20/24 to secure second place. Freedom, Uzbekistan and WR Chess scored 17/24 each. Out of them, Freedom was placed third due to better tie-break scores. Hexamind is the only team who managed to beat the eventual champion, MGD1 in Round 8. Freedom drew with MGD1 in Round 5. It is not about remaining unbeaten, it is all about how you take losses and bounce back. MGD1 truly exemplified it. GM Arjun Erigaisi, GM Pentala Harikrishna, GM David Anton Guijarro, GM Leon Luke Mendonca, GM Pranav Venkatesh, IM Stavroula Tsolakidou and Atharvaa P Tayade won Team Gold. World Blitz Team Pool Stage starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

Only 6 days left to register for the Anichess x ChessBase India Spells Open tournament

14/06/2025 -

ChessBase India and Anichess are teaming up to bring you an exciting tournament - the Spells Open! It's chess, but with a magical twist. Play your favourite game, but with spells! We are combining traditional chess with powerful spell mechanics to create a whole new experience for everyone. The prize pool for this tournament is Rs. 2.5 Lakhs ($3,000). along with 7,000 M8 points. This tournament is about having fun, trying something new, and exploring a whole new dimension of chess. This is your chance to become the first-ever Spells Open Champion! Check out the article to find out how you can register. Photo: Anichess

5th Cairns Cup R4: Humpy and Harika score to join the lead with Alice

14/06/2025 -

Two of the best Indian women - GM Koneru Humpy and GM Harika Dronavalli won their respective games in Round 4 of 5th Cairns Cup 2025. Humpy got the better of GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ) who played weak according to the former. Humpy exchanged her two minor pieces for a rook and two pawns in the endgame to gain decisive advantage. Harika dominated with her rook and bishop pair against GM Nana Dzagnidze's (GEO) rook, bishop and knight in the endgame. GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) scored her first win of the tournament versus IM Carissa Yip (USA). The sole leader, IM Alice Lee (USA) held the 16th Women's World Champion, GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN) to a well contested draw. Round 5 starts today at 12 p.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

Can Abhijeet Gupta win 21st Delhi GM Open?

14/06/2025 -

GM Abhijeet Gupta crushed GM Mihail Nikitenko to emerge sole leader, heading into the final round of 21st Delhi GM Open 2025. Nikitenko did not respond correctly to the five-time Commonwealth Gold medalist's attack on the kingside. Abhijeet is now at 8/9. IM Aronyak Ghosh defeated Viresh Sharnarthi comfortably to move to 7.5/9. GM Aditya S Samant won a back and forth battle against GM Aleksej Aleksandrov. He is also at 7.5/9. Abhijeet will face Aronyak in the final round and Aditya will be up against the top seed, GM S L Narayanan. A win in the last round makes Abhijeet an outright champion, whereas a draw might also prove to be enough for him to win the tournament. Round 10 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Subhrajit Dey wins 3rd HDCA Rating Open 2025

14/06/2025 -

Five players - Subhrajit Dey, Rupam Mukherjee, Kishan Kumar, Piyush Kumar and Ayush Das scored 8/9 each at 3rd HDCA Rating Open 2025. Subhrajit won the tournament due to better tie-break scores. The remaining four were placed second to fifth respectively. Among them, Subhrajit, Rupam and Piyush remained undefeated. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹405000. The top three prizes were ₹71000, ₹40000 and ₹25000 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Hazaribag District Chess Association at Angel's High School in Hazaribag, Jharkhand from 11th to 15th May 2025. This is Subhrajit's first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: IA Vishal Kumar Minz/Hazaribag District Chess Association

How 16-year-old IM Akshay Borgaonkar conquered both chess and academics

13/06/2025 -

A few months back, 16-year-old Akshay Borgaonkar from Pune became an International Master. He earned both his final IM norm and his maiden GM norm at the SixDays Budapest March GM-A Round Robin tournament, scoring an impressive 7/9. Soon after that, he also scored a phenomenal 98% in his Class 10 CBSE exams! While many young athletes are forced to choose between their passion and academics, Akshay, with the right mindset and time management, has shown that it is possible to pursue both and excel. In this article, he shares exactly how he managed to do it. So, read on to learn from his journey in his own words!

World Rapid Teams R5-8: Hexamind hexes MGD1 to join the lead

13/06/2025 -

Hexamind Chess Team ended Team MGD1's unbeaten streak in Round 2 of FIDE World Rapid Team Championship 2025. Freedom was the first team to halt MGD1's winning streak in Round 5 when the match ended in a 3-3 draw. Hexamind finished the day by beating two top teams - WR Chess and MGD1 in Round 7 and 8 respectively. Both Hexamind and MGD1 are currently at 13/18 each, closely followed by Freedom, Uzbekistan and, Germany and Friends at 12/18 each. Atharvaa P Tayade is indubitably the top performer of the event so far. He has won all eight games he has played so far. Four more rounds of Rapid will be played today. Round 9 starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz

5th Cairns Cup R3: Carissa Yip swindles Nino Batsiashvili

13/06/2025 -

IM Carissa Yip (USA) swindled GM Nino Batsiashvili (GEO) in Round 3 of 5th Cairns Cup 2025. The Georgian GM made an interesting knight sacrifice and could have won the game, if she spotted the correct continuation. A few mistakes allowed the American to turn things around and score the sole victory of the day. GMs Harika Dronavalli and Koneru Humpy played well contested draws against GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) and IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL) respectively. IM Alice Lee (USA) drew against GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) to maintain her sole lead 2.5/3. Round 4 starts today at 12 p.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

21st Delhi GM Open R8: Mihail Nikitenko joins Abhijeet Gupta in the lead

13/06/2025 -

GM Abhijeet Gupta played a relatively calm draw against GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) to maintain his lead at 21st Delhi GM Open 2025. GM Mihail Nikitenko won against GM Luka Paichadze (GEO) to join the lead with Abhijeet. Both are at 7/8 each. IM Neelash Saha, IM Aronyak Ghosh and IM Sriram Adarsh Uppala drew against GM S L Narayanan, GM Vitaly Sivuk (SWE) and GM Manik Mikulas (SVK) respectively. GM Diptayan Ghosh got the better of GM Boris Savchenko in the queen and minor piece endgame. IM P Saravana Krishnan could not get out of the gate against GM Aditya S Samant. Viresh Sharnarthi continues his good form as he defeated IM Hari Madhavan N B. Round 9 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Inside the mind of Chess.com CEO Erik Allebest

12/06/2025 -

What does it take to build a massive global platform, just out of passion? In this candid interview, Sagar Shah delves deep with Erik Allebest, the man behind Chess.com. Erik shares his story, from bootstrapping an idea to leading a company of more than 700 people. As you read, you will discover a multifaceted individual: an inspiring entrepreneur, a powerful leader, a deeply emotional husband, an avid chess fan, and an all-around amazing person! It's a rare, closer look into the mind and journey of the force who built not only one, but three successful businesses. Read the article to know the full story.

World Rapid Teams R1-4: MGD1 makes a perfect start

12/06/2025 -

MGD1 has made a perfect start by winning all four of their matches on the first day of FIDE World Rapid Team Championship 2025. Uzbekistan lost to MGD1 by a minimum margin 2.5-3.5. WR Chess, Freedom and Malcolm's Mates are at 7/8 each. Each of those three teams drew one match. Both Arjun Erigaisi and Pentala Harikrishna suffered a loss each. However, they are the top two players of the team and would certainly like to continue their momentum. Vishy Anand played two games for his team and he won both. Sarbartho Mani scored 3/4 including a walk over. Four more rounds of Rapid will be played today. Round 1 starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

5th Cairns Cup R2: Alice Lee wins two in-a-row

12/06/2025 -

IM Alice Lee (USA) scored a huge win over the 15th Women's World Champion, GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) in Round 2 of 5th Cairns Cup 2025. The teenager needed only one opportunity and she seized it correctly. She is now the sole player who has won both of her games so far. GM Koneru Humpy and GM Harika Dronavalli drew against GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN) and GM Nino Batsiashvili (GEO) respectively. Both of them were well contested draws. The only other victory of the round was scored by GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) over GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ). Round 3 starts today at 12 p.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

21st Delhi GM Open R7: Abhijeet Gupta emerges sole leader

12/06/2025 -

GM Abhijeet Gupta defeated GM Mamikon Gharibyan (ARM) to emerge sole leader at the conclusion of Round 7 at 21st Delhi GM Open 2025. Mamikon made a positional mistake in the middlegame and he did not get enough compensation for the lost pawn. It helped Abhijeet to win the game and take his score 6.5/7. The top seed, GM S L Narayanan made a 19-move draw against GM Boris Savchenko. IM Aronyak Ghosh, Viresh Sharnarthi and Advik Amit Agrawal defeated GM Duc Hoa Nguyen (VIE), GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO) and GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO). Narayanan, Aronyak and IM Neelash Saha are three Indians trailing the leader by a half point at 6/7 each among eight players. Round 8 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Maitreyi Mondal wins 16th KIIT Chess Festival Category B Below 1900 Rating 2025

11/06/2025 -

Maitreyi Mondal and Debanjan Sinha scored an unbeaten 9/10 each at 16th KIIT International Chess Festival Category B Below 1900 Rating Tournament 2025. Maitreyi won the tournament due to better tie-break scores, Debanjan secured second place. Soumalya Mondal scored sole 8.5/10 to be placed third. Maitreyi drew her eighth round game against the eventual runner-up, Debanjan. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹1500000. The top three prizes were ₹100000, ₹75000 and ₹60000 along with a trophy each. The four-day ten round Below 1900 Rating tournament was organized by and at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from 9th to 12th May 2025. This is Maitreyi's first individual rating tournament triumph of the year. It is not every day that a girl wins a rating open/restricted tournament, but that is changing rapidly.

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