Hrant Melkumyan does a hat-trick of winning O2C Doeberl Cup 2024, Arghyadip Das third

16/04/2024 -

GM Hrant Melkumyan (ARM) scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win O2C Doeberl Cup Premier 2024. He finished a full point ahead of the rest. This is his third consecutive and overall fourth triumph at this event. His previous wins were in 2019, 2022 and 2023. IM Peng Chen (CHN) and IM Arghyadip Das scored 7/9 each. They secured second and third place respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was AU $26440, $16200 in Premier. The top three prizes were $5000, $3000 and $1500 each respectively. Apart from Arghyadip, GM Mitrabha Guha and GM Venkatesh M R are two more Indians to make a top ten finish. They scored 6.5/9 each, secured sixth and seventh place respectively. Photo: GM Venkatesh M R

Women's Candidates 2024 R10: Vaishali ends her losing streak by winning a rollercoaster game against Nurgyul

16/04/2024 -

GM Vaishali R ended her losing streak in the tenth round of FIDE Women's Candidates 2024. Vaishali was lost the better part of the endgame against IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL). However, after a lot of mutual blunders, it was the youngest player in the field, Nurgyul who made the final big mistake. Vaishali's both wins at this event happened against the same opponent. GM Tingjie Lei (CHN) defeated GM Aleksandra Goryachkina to join the lead with GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN) 6.5/10. Goryachkina blundered in the endgame which should have ended in a draw. GM Koneru Humpy had a well contested draw against Zhongyi. Today is a rest day. Round 11 starts tomorrow Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. local time, 12 a.m. IST. Photos: FIDE/Michal Walusza

Candidates 2024 R10: Gukesh draws with Nepomniachtchi, both still in the lead

16/04/2024 -

The highly anticipated clash between the leaders - D Gukesh and Ian Nepomniachtchi ended in a solid draw. The tenth round of FIDE Candidates 2024 witnessed two decisive games. Fabiano Caruana (USA) and Hikaru Nakamura (USA) won their respective games against Alireza Firouzja (FRA) and Nijat Abasov (AZE). They both are now trailing the leaders by a half point at 5.5/10 each. The All-Indian clash between R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi ended in a draw. Praggnanandhaa is also at 5.5/10, followed by Vidit 5/10. Today is a rest day. Round 11 starts tomorrow Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. local time, 12 a.m. IST. Photos: FIDE/Michal Walusza

Iftikar Alom Mazumdar convincingly clinches 2nd Lt. Diloo Dhar Memorial Rating Open 2024

15/04/2024 -

Iftikar Alom Mazumdar scored an unbeaten 8.5/10 to win 2nd Lt. Diloo Dhar Memorial Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Soram Rahul Singh scored sole 8/10 to secure second place. He also remained undefeated. Four players - Rajdip Das, Snehaal Roy, Subrata Nandy Roy and Elangbam Shashikanta Singh scored 7.5/9 each. They secured third to sixth place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹30000, ₹24000 and ₹16000 each respectively. The six-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Siddhanandaji Education Trust from 1st to 6th April 2024 at Royal Convent School in Silchar, Assam. Photo: Cachar District Chess Association

Women's Candidates 2024 R9: Zhongyi Tan crushes Vaishali in 21 moves

15/04/2024 -

GM Vaishali R suffered her fourth consecutive loss at FIDE Women's Candidates 2024. She self-destructed her game in just 21 moves against GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN). This is also the shortest decisive game at Candidates 2024 combining both Open and Women. Zhongyi has regained her sole lead 6/9. IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL), GM Koneru Humpy and GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR) drew against GM Tingjie Lei (CHN), GM Kateryna Lagno and GM Aleksandra Goryachkina respectively. Goryachkina and Tingjie are trailing the leader by a half point at 5.5/9 each, followed by Kateryna at 5/9. Round 10 starts today at 2:30 p.m. local time, 12 a.m. IST. Photos: FIDE/Michal Walusza

Candidates 2024 R9: Vidit Gujrathi beats World no.3 Hikaru Nakamura for the second time in ten days

15/04/2024 -

Vidit Gujrathi bounced back well by defeating Hikaru Nakamura (USA) for the second time at FIDE Candidates 2024. The World no.3 started aggressively by pushing his pawn to g5 on sixth move. However, he blundered in the middlegame when he incorrectly attempted to regain the lost pawn. D Gukesh had a well contested draw against R Praggnanandhaa. Alireza Firouzja (FRA) made a lot of attempts to break Ian Nepomniachtchi's defenses. However, he could not find a way. After the game, Firouzja tweeted his displeasure on being told not to walk anymore because his shoe is making noise on the wooden floor. Round 10 starts today at 2:30 p.m. local time, 12 a.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Michal Walusza

21st BCC Open 2024 starts at Hua Hin

14/04/2024 -

21st Bangkok Chess Club Open 2024 started yesterday. A total of 223 players including 11 GMs, 22 IMs, 2 WGMs and 7 WIMs are taking part in the Open section. The first round did not witness any major upsets. Only a few draws occurred. The Challengers section has 84 players taking part. Players from a combined total of 40 countries across the world are playing in two sections. GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy (UKR) is the top seed of the event. The highest rated Indian in the field is GM Pranesh M. Both players have won their respective first round games. Check out the Round 1 report written by Peter Long. Photos: FM FT IA Peter Long/Bangkok Chess Club

Women's Candidates 2024 R8: Humpy victorious against Vaishali

14/04/2024 -

GM Koneru Humpy scored her first win at FIDE Women's Candidates 2024 in the eighth round. The win occurred against GM Vaishali R. Although Humpy gained an exchange early in the middlegame. A few incorrect decisions almost allowed her opponent to escape with a draw. Vaishali could not find the correct defence and missed a virtual fortress in the end. GM Tingjie Lei (CHN) defeated the sole leader GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN) to join Zhongyi and GM Aleksandra Goryachkina at the top 5/8. IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) missed a simple win in the endgame against GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR). Round 9 starts today at 2:30 p.m. local time, 12 a.m. IST. Photos: FIDE/Michal Walusza

Candidates 2024 R8: Gukesh hunts Vidit's king, rejoins the lead with Nepomniachtchi

14/04/2024 -

D Gukesh made a strong comeback in the eighth round of FIDE Candidates 2024. He outplayed compatriot Vidit Gujrathi, hunted his opponent's king and he had to resign before getting checkmated. The teenager claimed the control of a-file after Vidit gave it up. He invaded with his queen and rook in the backrank, when Vidit went for a desperate break. Gukesh is now in the lead with Ian Nepomniachtchi scoring 5/8 each. Fabiano Caruana (USA) blundered in time trouble in an already unpleasant position against Hikaru Nakamura (USA). R Praggnanandhaa drew with Alireza Firouzja (FRA). Both Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa are trailing the leaders by a half point at 4.5/8 each. Round 9 starts today at 2:30 p.m. local time, 12 a.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Michal Walusza

Mitrabha Guha wins a double at Melbourne Open 2024

13/04/2024 -

GM Mitrabha Guha scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win the inaugural Melbourne International Open 2024. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. FM Felix Xie scored sole 6.5/9 to secure second place. Six players - IM Zhaoqi Liu (CHN), Yi Ren Daniel Chan (SGP), FM Christopher Wallis (AUS), CM Tri Kien Le (VIE), IM Ikeda Junta (AUS) and IM Arghyadip Das scored 6/9 each. They secured third to eighth place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was AU $15000, $9750 in Major and $5150 in Open. The top three prizes were $3000, $2000 and $1500 each respectively. Apart from Mitrabha and Arghyadip, GM Sriram Jha is the only other Indian to make a top ten finish. He scored 5.5/9 to be placed ninth. Mitrabha also won the Blitz tournament scoring 8/9. Photo: FA Walter Wolffs / Independent Chess Australia

New: Anish Giri: A Supergrandmaster's Guide to Openings Vol.1 & 2

13/04/2024 -

When you begin your journey of building an opening repertoire, how nice would it be to get a glimpse of what each opening looks like through the eyes of a super GM. It would help building your opening repertoire and understanding the vast world of chess openings. It is exactly with this thought that "A Supergrandmaster's Guide to Openings with Anish Giri" was made. So grab this video course, enrich your knowledge and strengthen your opening repertoir by learning from none other than Anish Giri himself. Pre-order now! Delivery on 18th April 2024. Apart from download and stream, you will also be able to go through the video course in Book format. Check out the samples in the article to find out what it is. Photo: ChessBase

Petroleum Sports Promotion Board perfect at 21st National Team Women 2024

13/04/2024 -

PSPB scored a perfect 14/14 to win 21st National Team Chess Championship 2024 Women. PSPB won the tournament with a round to spare. They finished a staggering three points ahead of the competition. Telangana scored sole 11/14 to secure second place. Life Insurance Corporation of India was placed third scoring 10/14. PSPB defeated both runners-up convincingly. They registered whitewash victories in three out of their seven matches. This is PSPB's first National Team Women title since 2020. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹500000. Top three prizes were ₹125000, ₹100000 and ₹75000 each. Photos: Himachal Pradesh State Chess Association

ChessBase India's April Training Camp 2024 Concluded

12/04/2024 - In continuation of the series of ChessBase India Training Camps initiated last year, this year's first training camp was held from April 2nd to April 7th at the ChessBase India Training Academy in Bhopal. For this camp, a total of 8 participants from Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh participated. The camp provided training sessions from morning till evening for the first five days, totaling approximately 40 hours of training for the players. Each day began with focused training divided into three sessions. On the sixth day, as always, a Chess India Rapid Chess Tournament was organized, which saw participation from many talented players from Bhopal and surrounding districts, making it a successful event. The next ChessBase India camp is scheduled for June. So far, ChessBase India has organized a total of four camps. Read this article for more details.

Railway Sports Promotion Board dominates 43rd National Team Open 2024

12/04/2024 -

RSPB A and RSPB scored an unbeaten 17/18 each at 43rd National Team Chess Championship 2024 Open. The unit RSPB secured the top two places with a round to spare. However, their last round result determined which team will the first and second place. RSPB A won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, RSPB B was placed second. Gujarat A scored sole 12/18 to finish third. Both RSPB teams scored four whitewash victories. They faced each other in the fourth round and it ended in a draw. Both RSPB teams defeated the eventual runner-up Gujarat A convincingly. This is RSPB's first National Team title since 2017. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹500000. Top three prizes were ₹125000, ₹100000 and ₹75000 each. Photo: CM IA FT Ravichandran Venkataraman

Women's Candidates 2024 R7: Zhongyi Tan maintains her sole lead

12/04/2024 -

The seventh round of FIDE Women's Candidates 2024 had only one decisive game. GM Tingjie Lei (CHN) won the sole game of the round against GM Vaishali R. Vaishali made a few positional inaccuracies which allowed her opponent to use tactics and win the game. The battle between the top two in the standings ended in a draw. Thus, GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN) is still in the sole lead 5/7. She is closely followed by GM Aleksandra Goryachkina at 4.5/7. GM Koneru Humpy drew against GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR). IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) bounced back well with a draw against GM Kateryna Lagno. Today is a rest day. Round 8 starts tomorrow Saturday 13th April at 2:30 p.m. local time, 12 a.m. IST. Photos: FIDE/Michal Walusza