chessbase india logo

61st National Championship R1: Smooth start for the top seeds

18/08/2024 -

The 61st National Chess Championship 2024 started smoothly for the top seeds. There was no major upset for a change. A few minor ones were - Richard Solomon M (TN) held India's second highest rated IM Himal Gusain (RSPB) to a draw. The other one is Abhinav Anand (KAR) held former National Challenger champion, IM Ravi Teja S (AP) to a draw. Neemay Bhanushali (MAH) defeated WGM Swati Ghate (LIC). All GMs and IMs won their respective first round matches. The total prize fund of the tournament is same as last year ₹3000000. The top three prizes also remain unchanged ₹600000, ₹500000 and ₹400000 each. Round 2 starts today at 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

ChessBase '26 and Mega 2026 are here!


ChessBase ’26 has new features like Opening Report, Monte Carlo Analysis, More Power with Remote Engine, New Reference Filters, AI Description of Plans and more. 


Mega Database 2026 has over 11.7M games and 114,000 annotated games.

Get ChessBase '26 and Mega 2026

Tbilisi GP Round 3: Vaishali crushes Sara

18/08/2024 -

GM R Vaishali scored her first win of the event in Round 3 of FIDE Tbilisi GP 2024. Vaishali crushed her opponent IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP). The IM got a cramped position out of the opening after choosing an inferior line in the Two-Knights' Defence. She only made things worse in the middlegame, allowing Vaishali to positionally outplay her opponent. GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) missed her second consecutive chance to push for a win. This time against IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL). IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE) and IM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ) are the only two woman at 2/3. They are followed closely by seven women at 1.5/3. Vaishali will face IM Lela Javakhishvili (GEO) in Round 4. It starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

Subhayan Kundu wins DINI GM International Open 2024

17/08/2024 -

Five players - Subhayan Kundu, GM Peng Li Min (SUI), GM Stupak Kirill, GM Boris Savchenko and GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J scored 7.5/10 at DINI GM International Open 2024. Subhayan won the tournament on tie-breaks. The remaining four were placed second to fifth respectively. Top four remained undefeated. Subhayan also scored his final IM-norm and he is now 1 Elo rating point away from becoming India's next International Master. The total prize fund of the tournament was LKR 6000000 (Over US$ 20000). The top three prizes were LKR 900000, 720000 and 540000 along with a trophy and medal each respectively. This was Subhayan's third tournament triumph of the year. GM Diptayan Ghosh, IM Hari Madhavan N B, GM Mitrabha Guha and GM Sayantan Das are the remaining Indians to make a top ten finish. They scored 7/10 each to be placed sixth, eighth, ninth and tenth respectively. Photos: Blue and Gold Chess Club

Star studded 61st National Championship starts today

17/08/2024 -

The six-time consecutive National Senior champion, GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly is the top seed of 61st National Chess Championship 2024. The former Asian and five-time Commonwealth champion, GM Abhijeet Gupta is a rating twin of Surya. The defending champion, GM Sethuraman S P is the third seed. The reigning National Rapid and Blitz champion, GM Diptayan Ghosh has the rare opportunity to become India's second triple crown champion in history. The winner of 59th edition, GM Karthik Venkataraman will also be seen in action. The reigning Commonwealth champion, GM Mitrabha Guha and India's highest rated IM Aronyak Ghosh will also battle for the coveted title and earn a spot at the next edition of World Cup. Sethuraman is the only Indian to have secured his place in the Open section of next World Cup. Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club

30th Abu Dhabi Masters R2: Goutham Krishna draws with Ivanchuk

17/08/2024 -

13-year-old IM-elect FM Goutham Krishna H held the legend - GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (UKR) to a draw in Round 2 of 30th Abu Dhabi Masters 2024. Five Indians out of 18 players are currently at 2/2. They are - IM Srihari L R, IM Muthaiah Al, IM Harikrishnan A Ra, GM Pranav V and GM-elect IM Rathanvel V S. IM Ayush Sharma drew with GM Leon Luke Mendonca. IM Ameya Audi missed a win against GM Nikolas Theodorou (GRE). IM Harsh Suresh shaed the point with GM Pranav Anand. FM Harshit Pawar held the reigning World Junior Girls champion - IM Divya Deshmukh. Kushal R Jani defended well against the UAE no.1, GM Salem Saleh to share the point. Today is a rest day for the Classical events. Eleven rounds of Blitz will be played from the same time. Round 3 starts tomorrow, 18th August at 5 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Tbilisi GP Round 2: Vaishali misses against Kosteniuk

17/08/2024 -

GM R Vaishali got herself a good position against GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI) in Round 2 of FIDE Tbilisi GP 2024. The former women's world champion provoked a knight sacrifice. Vaishali correctly found it. However, she did not follow through her attack. Instead, she opted for a draw by perpetual check. Another former women's world champion, GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) was in a slight trouble against GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO). The Georgia no.1 could not seize her small window of opportunity and it ended in a draw. Vaishali will face IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP) in the third round. Round 3 starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

New: Oliver Reeh: Master Class Tactics - Train your combination skills! Vol.3

16/08/2024 -

In almost every chess game, there comes a moment when you just can’t go on without tactics. You must strike, because nothing is more annoying than missing a winning combination in the decisive situation, thus giving away the advantage you have worked for the whole game. So it is vital to train tactics properly - and Master Class Tactics offers you the perfect tool for this purpose! On this Fritztrainer, IM Oliver Reeh has compiled his favorites from the CBM column “Tune your Tactics” issues 209 to 218. Now you can stream it on any device - smartphone, tablets, computers etc. You can also study it on ChessBase books. So hurry up and grab this if you haven't yet. Photo: ChessBase

Pierre Villegas triumphs at 35th Cannes Summer Open 2024, Nikhil M second

16/08/2024 -

Top seed IM Pierre Villegas (MNC) scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win 35th Summer Open of the City of Cannes 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Nikhil M scored sole 7/9 to finish second. 9-year-old CM Marc Llari (FRA) scored 6.5/9 to finish third. Nikhil's sole loss of the event was against the eventual winner, Pierre in the second round. The first prize was €1000 with a trophy. The seven-day nine round Rating Open A (>1900) tournament was organized by Romuald De Labaca at Palais des Victoires in Cannes, France from 22nd to 28th July 2024. WIM Chandreyee Hajra is the sole other Indian taking part in the event. She scored 4.5/9 to finish eighth. Photo: Cannes Echecs

30th Abu Dhabi Masters R1: Karthik, Soham and Ajay Parvathareddy hold top GMs to a draw

16/08/2024 -

The 30th edition of Abu Dhabi Chess Festival 2024 Masters started with a lot of minor upsets in the first round. IM-elect FM Karthik Rajaa held second seeded, GM Aravindh Chithambaram to a draw. FM Soham Kamotra and Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy are two more Indians to hold top GMs - Raunak Sadhwani and UAE no.1, Salem Saleh to a draw each respectively. 18 players are rated 2600 and above. 49 GMs, 71 IMs, 2 WGMs and 6 WIMs are taking part. The average rating of the tournament is 2402. That definitely creates a huge opportunity for the norm seekers. Prizes got increased by a lot for the top three finishers. They are - US$ 30000, $15000 and $8000 each. Round 2 starts today at 5 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Tbilisi GP Round 1: Stavroula upsets Vaishali

16/08/2024 -

The first round of FIDE Tbilisi GP 2024 witnessed an upset. The lowest rated player of the field, IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE) stunned GM Vaishali R. Vaishali made an incorrect exchange which dropped her exchange. The Greece no.1 woman had no trouble seizing her opportunity and converting it into a full point. IM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ) scored the only other win of the round. She defeated IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP). Sara did not manage to thwart her opponent's attack on the kingside. Vaishali will face the former women's world champion, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI) in the second round. Round 2 starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

Who's the strongest team at the Global Chess League 2024 | Draft in Delhi

15/08/2024 -

The Global Chess League features some of the best players in the world (Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand, Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Nepo and many more). These top players are divided into 6 teams and in order to distribute the remaining players the draft was held at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi on 11th of August 2024. In this article we take you through the teams and tell you all that you need to know about the strengths and weaknesses of each of the teams at the Global Chess League! 

Arjun Adireddy convincingly clinches 22nd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Harshad third

15/08/2024 -

FM Arjun Adireedy scored 7/9 to win 22nd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. IM Alexander Slizhevsky and FM S Harshad scored 6.5/9 each. They were placed second and third respectively according to tie-breaks. Both Arjun and Harshad scored an IM-norm each. It was Arjun's second IM-norm and also his second triumph in the series. For Harshad, it was his final IM-norm. He also went on to win the 23rd edition. He is now a few rating points away from becoming India's next International Master. Arjun will need to score his final IM-norm in an Open tournament to become an IM. He already crossed 2400 in December 2023 FIDE Rating list. Photos: IA R Anantharam

Himal Gusain dominates 1st Genova International Chess Festival 2024

15/08/2024 -

Top seed IM Himal Gusain scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win 1st Genova International Open A 2024. He finished a full point ahead of the field. IM Vilka Sipila (FIN) and IM Conor E Murphy (IRL) scored 6.5/9 each. They secured second and third place according to tie-breaks. Himal defeated both runners-up in sixth and fifth round respectively. The total prize fund combining three groups was €7000. The top three prizes were €1500, €1000 and €800 each. The seven-day nine round Rating Open A (>2000) tournament was organized by Circolo scacchistico Luigi Centurini at Stadium Genova in Genova, Italy from 13th to 19th July 2024. IM Nitish Belurkar, WGM-elect WIM Sakshi Chitlange and CM Joel Paul Ganta are three more Indians to make a top ten finish. They scored 6/9, 5.5/9 and 5.5/9 each to be placed seventh, ninth and tenth respectively. This was Himal's seventh tournament victory of the year. Photo: Paulo Aiello

Kumaran Charan wins the 2nd ChessBase India Chess Festival Blitz Tournament in Hyderabad

15/08/2024 -

On a day typically dedicated to relaxation, Hyderabad's chess community chose to ignore the National Lazy Day and celebrate the 2nd ChessBase India Chess Festival. The event was held in the loving memory of Bishan Singh Ji. The location was The Shri Ram Academy International School in Gachibowli. The event consisted of a puzzle-solving contest and a blitz tournament in which 132 and 213 players participated respectively. The day witnessed intense competition as well as heartwarming felicitation of all the key persons responsible for the growth of chess in Telangana. Read the article to know more about the event.

Vaishali set to take on World's best women at FIDE Women's GP in Tbilisi, Georgia

15/08/2024 -

The first leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 will start today in Tbilisi, Georgia. GM Vaishali R will be the sole Indian participant in the fray. The 10-player round-robin tournament will feature GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR), GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR), GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO), IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI), IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL), IM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ), IM Lela Javakhishvili (GEO) and IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE) along with the previously mentioned Vaishali. Anna is the highest rated player of the event. In the first round, Vaishali will face the lowest rated player in the field, Stavroula. Round 1 starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

Contact Us