​Interview with the Chief Arbiter of the World Chess Championship Abd Hamid Abd Majid ​ ​ ​

22/12/2024 -

Abd Hamid Abd Majid is a very well-known name in the chess fraternity. He has dedicated over 30 years to the art of arbitration. From his early days officiating Malaysia vs. Singapore challenge matches to presiding over the most prestigious World Championship, Hamid has always prioritized fairness and professionalism. He is the first Malaysian to officiate at the World Chess Championship. In this exclusive interview with Junior Tay, he shares the joys and challenges of being an arbiter, the importance of staying composed, and why he believes he was chosen for this critical role. Photo: WFM Yip Fong Ling

Nubairshah Shaikh wins 2nd Jaffna Open 2024, Prajwal P Shet third

22/12/2024 -

IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh and Sivathanujan S scored 9/10 at 2nd Jaffna International Chess Championship 2024. Nubairshah won the tournament as he defeated Sivathanujan in the seventh round. Thus, he finished second. Six players - Dr. Prajwal P Shet, IM P Konguvel, Senarathne A A H M B (SRI), Bandara Dhanushka (SRI), Samrat Ghorai and Santanu Borpatra Gohain (SRI) scored 6/8 each. They secured third to eighth place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was LKR 2.4 Million. The top three prizes were LKR 200000, 150000 and 100000 along with a trophy and a medal each. Priyanshu Barua and Prawin K are the remaining two Indians to make a top ten finish, scoring 8/10 each. They were placed ninth and tenth respectively.  This is Nubairshah's third rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Jaffna District Chess Association

Cocoro Matsumara convincingly clinches Kyoto Gion Open 3

21/12/2024 -

Mayur Gondhalekar and his good friend, Sheldon Donaldson regularly keeps us updated about the Japan chess scene. Sheldon writes a blog about his experience playing at Kyoto Gion Open 3. This tournament takes place only once in every three years. The Canadian origin, currently residing in Japan, Sheldon's article is full of high quality photos and some interesting moments from his games. He loves playing, analyzing and making us enjoy various moments from his games. Check out his account of the tournament which took place in Kyoto, Japan. Did he manage to achieve his goal of scoring 3.5/6? CM Cocoro Matsumara (JPN) won the tournament scoring 5.5/6. IM Julien Song (FRA) secured place 5/6. IM Shinya Kojima (JPN) finished third 4.5/6. Photos: Sheldon Donaldson

Chess is Coming to the Esports World Cup 2025

21/12/2024 -

The greatest chess player of all time, Magnus Carlsen has been announced as the Global Ambassador of Esports World Cup Chess. World's top online chess players will compete in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a $1.5 million dollar prize pool. It will take place from 31st July to 3rd August 2025. Time control will be 10 minutes with no increments. Twelve players hoping to compete at the EWC will qualify through the Champions Chess Tour, which will host two online tour events in February and May of 2025. A final Last Chance Qualifier will take place in Riyadh to select the final four competitors. That competition will be open to amateur and professional players alike! Photo: Official site

Odisha Open R8: Alexei emerges sole leader, Deepan and Vignesh Advaith in pursuit

21/12/2024 -

GM Alexei Fedorov defeated one of his coleaders, IM Neelash Saha to gain sole lead 7/8 at Odisha Open 2024 Category A. Neelash could not get out of the gate as he misplayed in the opening. GM Deepan Chakkravarthy defeated IM Semetei Tologon Tegin (KGZ) to move his score 6.5/8. IM Sambit Panda misplayed in a winning position against Vignesh Advaith Vemula. The teenager snatched a win from the jaws of defeat. He is also at 6.5/8. FM Quoc Hy Nguyen (VIE) drew with GM Cristhian Camilo Rios Gomez (COL) to stay in the hunt 6.5/8. Deepan will face Alexei in the penultimate round and Vignesh will battle against Quoc. Round 9 starts today at 3 p.m. IST. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Devesh Anand Naik dominates 13th Late Cdr. Gopal Sakharam Sukthankar Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2024

20/12/2024 -

Devesh Anand Naik scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 at 13th Late Lt. Cdr. Gopal Sakharam Sukthankar Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. 14-year-old Chaitanya V Gaonkar scored 8/9 to secure sole second place. Abhishek Patil, Shane Alvarin Braganca, Joshua Mark Telles and Rishikesh Parab scored 7.5/9 each. Abhishek was placed third due to better tie-breaks scores. The total prize fund was ₹75000. The top three prizes were ₹13000, ₹10000 and ₹7000 along with a trophy each. The two-day nine-round Swiss league rapid rating tournament was organized by Mushtifund High Schools' Parent-Teacher Association at Menezes Braganza Hall in Panaji, Goa on 30th November and 1st December. This is Devesh's first tournament triumph of the year. Photo: IA Arvind Mhamal

Singapore’s National Age Group Championship: A new era for chess unfolds

20/12/2024 -

The Singapore National Age Group Championship held alongside the World Chess Championship turned out to be a huge success. The tournament was organized as part of the Singapore Chess Festival. The event saw 692 young players from 22 countries competing for top honors. This was the first time that a prize money was awarded to the winners. Highlight of this event was Satvik Kapoor's win in the U20 category, U16 champions Tay Yi Xiang and WCM Bernadette Kong who earned spots in elite competitions. The event reached its peak when legendary Viswanathan Anand presented the trophies to the players. All the players and families present were awestruck by the chance to meet the icon in person. Check out the article to know more about the event. | Photo: Tampines West CSN

Odisha Open R1-7: Neelash Saha in a three-way lead

20/12/2024 -

FM Quoc Hy Nguyen (VIE), IM Neelash Saha and GM Alexei Fedorov are the three leaders with a score 6/7 each at Odisha Open 2024 Category A. Quoc drew with Alexei. Neelash defeated GM Sayantan Das to join the lead. Neelash is now 2.4 Elo rating points away from becoming India's next Grandmaster as gaining those will take his live rating to 2500. Former National School Under-15 Open champion, Vignesh Advaith Vemula is playing fantastic chess. He has scored an unbeaten 5.5/7 so far, including victories over GM Deepan Chakkravarthy and GM Pa Iniyan. Neelash will face Alexei in Round 8 and Vignesh will be up against IM Sambit Panda. Round 8 starts today at 3 p.m. IST. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

20 ChessBase Premium Accounts Giveaway for emerging chess players

19/12/2024 -

Chess in India is on the rise with many Indian players shining on the national and international platforms. Still, there are certain regions like the North-East and Jammu & Kashmir where players are struggling due to a lack of resources and support. Shivaji Apte and Sidharth Priolkar have decided to donate 20 ChessBase Premium accounts to the emerging players from these regions. Their goal is to bridge the gap and provide players with advanced tools and opportunities. If you are a chess player from these areas, read the article to find out how you can apply.

The inside story: Sagar Shah interviews Gukesh

19/12/2024 -

Chess is booming in India and Sagar Shah, cofounder and driving force behind ChessBase India, has played a major role in this process. ChessBase India has also followed the career of Gukesh, the new world champion, from the very beginning. In an extensive, almost three-hour interview, Sagar Shah and Gukesh now talk about Gukesh's path to the World Championship, the 14 games of the competition and the choice of his seconds, among other things. Gukesh also reveals how and why Vincent Keymer, who is actually a rival of Gukesh, became part of the team in this revealing interview.

Tips and Tricks for ChessBase 18

19/12/2024 -

Every complex piece of software has hidden gems that aren't immediately obvious. For example, the reference search in ChessBase 18 has a new superpower that’s easy to overlook. Do you know the best way to prepare your teammates for a match? What is the crucial innovation that Rasmus Svane brought to the program? And why does Malcolm Pein never walk alone? Check out the details and decide whether you can afford not to have the program. ChessBase 18 and Mega Database 2025 are available now on our shop. Upgrade from previous version is also available. Buy now if you haven't yet. Photo: ChessBase

Saptarshi RoyChowdhury wins 1st New Delhi Rapid Rating Open 2024

19/12/2024 -

Seven players - GM Saptarshi RoyChowdhury, IM Aaryan Varshney, IM Ravi Teja S, IM Sambit Panda, IM Aaditya Dhingra, Jake Shanty and Gaha Narayan scored 8/9 each at 1st New Delhi Rapid Rating Open 2024. Top seed of the tournament, Saptarshi became the champion. The remaining six were placed second to seventh respectively according to tie-breaks. Apart from Aaditya and Gaha, the remaining five were undefeated. The total prize fund was ₹800000. The top three prizes were ₹71000, ₹51000 and ₹25000 along with a trophy each. The two-day nine-round Swiss league rapid rating tournament was organized by Sara Foundation at Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi on 30th November and 1st December. This is Saptarshi's second tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Niklesh Jain

Sunway Sitges International Open Group A Round 1-5: Anwesh in the leaders pack, Savitha holds Alekseenko

18/12/2024 - After 5 rounds of play at the Sunway Sitges International Open Group A, there are 8 players jointly leading with 4.5/5 points. The only Indian in the pack of leaders is IM Anwesh Upadhyaya (2379). GM Ido Gorshtein (2542, ISR) has the best tiebreaks among the 8 co-leaders. The top board clash between Anwesh and Gorshtein ended in a draw in the 5th round. WGM Savitha Shri Baskar (2329) impressed by holding one of the top seeds, GM Kirill Alekseenko (2673) to a draw in the 5th round! 4 more rounds are left in this beautiful 9-round classical swiss tournament held at Hotel Sunway in Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. Photos by Niklesh Jain.

Adarsh Tripathi becomes the latest International Master from Uttar Pradesh

18/12/2024 -

Adarsh Tripathi became the latest International Master of Noida, Uttar Pradesh and India. He achieved the title at IM Swiss Mix Grocka 1 in Novi Sad, Serbia. The first IM-norm was scored at Brno Open IM Round Robin 2023. After eight months, he earned his second IM-norm at Piestany Open 2024 in Piestany, Slovakia. He secured his final IM-norm in the following month and crossed 2400 in the live ratings at the same event. Adarsh also won the tournament where he fulfilled the final criteria to become an IM. His journey towards the GM title continues. Get to know about Adarsh's journey so far. He is third International Master from his Uttar Pradesh after the legendary - Dinesh Kumar Sharma and 45th Olympiad Gold medalist - Vantika Agrawal.

Bhaavan Kolla decimates Dr. Rangala Babu Rao Rating Open 2024

18/12/2024 -

Bhaavan Kolla scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win Dr. Rangala Babu Rao Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the field. Vinayak Kulkarni and Varun V scored 8/9 each. They also remained undefeated, secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. Bhaavan drew with Vinayak. The total prize fund was ₹500001. The top three prizes were ₹50001, ₹40000 and ₹30000 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Sri Chess Academy at S3 Sports Arena in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from 27th November to 1st December. This is Bhaavan's sixth tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Dr. Rangala Babu Rao / Sri Chess Academy