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Kramnik Microsense Chess India Program Day 2: Can you solve the mate in two?

17/08/2019 -

On the second day of the Kramnik Microsense Chess India Program, the endgame grind continued. Kramnik showed ten of his endgames where he had beaten some of the best players in the world from slightly better endgame positions. His trick is always to keep improving his pieces and at the right moment strike with accurate calculations. While this is easy to speak about, it is extremely difficult to execute it on the chess board. That's what makes Kramnik one of the greatest endgame players alive on the planet as of today! In the camp he is training the kids on how they can imbibe some of his endgame skills. Before day two began Vlad posed the class with a mate in two position. We ask you to solve it as well, and narrate to you a very interesting story related to it.

Christian Bauer: The nasty Nimzowitsch Defence 1.e4 Nc6

The Nimzowitsch Defence, 1.e4 Nc6, is a lesser-known and by far less popular branch of opening theory from the great strategist Aron Nimzowitsch. Hence 1...Nc6 as an answer to 1.e4 can be used as a surprise weapon in your games.

Buy The nasty Nimzowitsch Defence 1.e4 Nc6 DVD here

Athens of the East Round 8: Abhijeet Gupta goes down against Pavel Smirnov

17/08/2019 -

The Athens of the East International Open 2019 had five players tied for the lead with 6.0/7 points at the end of the seventh round. However, in round eight one of them, the Russian Grandmaster Pavel Smirnov, dashed ahead of the others to emerge as the sole leader. Pavel defeated Abhijeet Gupta in the eighth round to take a half point lead over the entire field with 7.0/8 points. He is closely followed by a pack of six players on 6.5/8 led by West Bengal's Sayantan Das who maintained his solid form to hold GM Adam Tukhaev to a draw in the latest round. Elsewhere, Venkatesh M.R. drew the Chilean GM Rodrigo Vásquez Schroder, while India's Blitz King Rajaram Laxman suffered defeat in the hands of second seed Boris Savchenko. In this report we bring you photos, games, analyses, and more.

Kramnik Microsense India Chess Program Day 1: Meeting Vladimir Kramnik!

16/08/2019 -

The Kramnik Microsense India Chess Program kicked off on the 15th of August 2019 as Vladimir Kramnik came to the champions house in Chens Sur Leman, France. The six youngsters introduced themselves and Kramnik got to know them better in the first couple of hours. After trying some Indian food, an intense endgame session began where Vladimir showed seven of his practical endgames. It was a class where the youngsters learnt a lot and Kramnik's preparation was matched by the boys giving it their 100%. Get to know more about day one of this amazing chess camp, and also the journey of all the youngsters on how they travelled and made it to Chens Sur Leman! 

Vanshika Sachdeva wins Smart Girl Udaipur

16/08/2019 -

14-year-old Vanshika Sachdeva of Jodhpur wins Smart Girl All India FIDE Rated Open at Udaipur, Rajasthan by scoring 8.0/9. Vanshika finished a full point ahead of the group of players who scored 7.0/9. Unrated Heena Kaak and Dakshita Kumawat were placed second and third respectively according to their tie-break score. Total 60 women participated from 5 different states across the country in this five-day nine-round women's only FIDE Rated tournament. Photo: FA Neelesh Kumawat

Athens of the East Round 7: Sayantan and Abhijeet join the lead

16/08/2019 -

Five players lead with 6.0/7 points after seven rounds at the ongoing Athens of the East International Open 2019. Top seed Abhijeet Gupta outplayed compatriot Karthikeyan Pandiyan's King's Indian Defense to finally join the pack of leaders at the end of seventh round. Venkatesh M.R. couldn't keep his winning streak going as he suffered his first defeat of the event in the hands of third seeded Pavel Smirnov. On the other hand, West Bengal's Sayantan Das bounced back by beating IM Shyaamnikhil P in what was a display of scintillating aggressive play. With only three more rounds to go, the fight for the top place is slowly heating up. In this report we bring you photos, analyses, and more.

Meet Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest IM norm maker in the world

15/08/2019 -

10-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra is a very special talent in the world of Chess today. Recently, he scored his first IM norm at the Chess Max Academy GM norm tournament becoming the youngest IM norm maker ever. Prior to this, the record was held by the Indian wunderkind Praggnanandhaa R. which Abhimanyu has bested by 43 days! A participant of the elite Young Stars camp conducted by Kasparov Chess Foundation, Abhimanyu has also held the record of being the highest rated under-9 player in the World and becoming the youngest National master in the history of US Chess at the age of nine. Today in this article we explore the talent of this rising Chess star and try to understand the factors that are in play shaping his genius.

Preparation made easy: the ChessBase 15 Playerbase

15/08/2019 -

The ChessBase 15 Playerbase is a very useful tool. It helps you to find information about other players: the openings he plays and how well he plays them or his rating development. Sometimes this information even comes with one or several photos of the player. And you can search online or offline. Design: ChessBase

Athens of the East Rounds 5-6: Perfect 6.0/6 score for Venkatesh!

15/08/2019 -

Grandmaster Venkatesh M.R. has so far won all his games to attain a perfect score of 6.0/6 after six rounds in the ongoing Athens of the East International Open 2019. His victories in rounds five and six, over International Masters Sayantan Das and Konguvel Ponnuswamy respectively, have put him a full point ahead of the entire field. A pack of seven players follow not very far behind on 5.0/6 which also include the top seed of the event Abhijeet Gupta and third seed Pavel Smirnov. The second seed Boris Savchenko, who was held to a draw with the black pieces by Gupta in the sixth round, has slipped to the tenth place with 4.5/6. The previous day of the event had double rounds and in this report we bring to you the glimpses of the most important moments.    

Subbaraman uncle as I knew him

14/08/2019 -

Back in the 90s Nisha Mohota and S. Vijayalakshmi were arch rivals trying to beat each other to win every national title. However the rivalry existed only over the board. Off the board they were good friends and one of the primary reasons was Vijayalakshmi's father who always used to motivate Nisha and her family. It's been 12 years since A.S. Subbaraman, Viji's father passed away, but his actions and words still live on. In this article Nisha Mohota speaks about Subbaraman uncle and how he was instrumental in giving India's first WGM Viji the confidence that she possesses today. Here's a memoir by Nisha on the eve of the 1st A.S. Subbaraman Memorial Blitz Rating event.

Athens of the East 2019 Round 4: West Bengal's Sayantan Das stuns second seed Boris Savchenko

14/08/2019 -

It was round four at the Athens of the East International Open 2019. IM Sayantan Das of West Bengal shocked the Russian Grandmaster and second seed of the event Boris Savchenko by checkmating him in a mere thirty-eight moves. It was a double-edged Sicilian game where the Indian player managed to heavily punish his opponent's slow and dubious plans. WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty also created a stir by beating the Tajikistani IM Muhammad Khusenkhojaev. Elsewhere, Rajesh V A V, Konguvel Ponnuswamy, and Raja Rithvik R. held their higher rated adversaries Pavel Smirnov, Adam Tukhaev, and Masoud Mosadeghpour respectively to draws. All in all, after four rounds, three players - Sayantan Das, Venkatesh M R, and Kiran Manisha Mohanty - lead the event with 4.0/4. In this report we bring you photos, games, and more.

Vladimir Kramnik to train six Indian youngsters in a 10-day camp

13/08/2019 -

A wonderful new development has taken place which will boost Indian chess beyond measure. Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th World Champion, has decided to train six talented Indian youngsters in a training camp that will be held in Chens-Sur-Leman, France from the 15th to the 24th of August 2019. The Kramnik - Microsense Chess India Program has been sponsored entirely by Microsense Private Limited. The six youngsters who would be attending the camp are Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Iniyan, Prithu Gupta, Raunak Sadhwani and Leon Mendonca. ChessBase India has played a pivotal role in bringing all of the elements of the camp together. IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal will be accompanying the youngsters for this camp. Check out the article for more details.

From a carpenter to India's first Olympiad medal winner - Remembering the legacy of Rafiq Khan (1946-2019)

13/08/2019 -

He was the son of a carpenter and had no formal education. He himself became a carpenter to ensure that his daily needs are satisfied. Something about the game of chess attracted him and began playing it actively. Thank God, that he chose chess, because this impoverished, illiterate carpenter from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, went on to become one of the finest chess players that India has ever seen. This is the story of Mohamed Rafiq Khan, former national champion of India and the first Olympiad chess medalist for our country. Rafiq Khan passed away at the age of 73 years on 19th of July 2019. With this article we would like to go back in the memory lane and explore the legacy left behind by this great personality. We not only bring you Rafiq Khan's life story and best game analysis but also messages and anecdotes from his friends, colleagues and contemporaries. A heartfelt eulogy. 

Athens Of The East 1st International Grandmaster Open Chess Tournament begins

13/08/2019 -

The Athens Of The East 1st International Grandmaster Open Chess Tournament 2019 has begun from the the 10th of August and will continue till 18th in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The tournament has three categories (A, B, and C) for players rated 1700 and above, below 1700, and below 1600 respectively. Four times Commonwealth Champion Abhijeet Gupta is the top seed of the category A event, followed by Boris Savchenko and Pavel Smirnov. Out of the total 180 participants in Category A, 35 are titled players which include 9 Grandmasters and 14 International Masters. This is a ten rounds swiss event following a time control of 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move one. In this pictorial report we bring you the glimpses of the first two days of action.

ChessBase 15: Online help and manuals

12/08/2019 -

ChessBase 15 is a powerful program with a lot of useful functions. The online support helps you to get the most out of ChessBase 15 and is easy to access. And if you really want to explore the depths of the program the ChessBase 15 online manual will help you. It is free and available in four languages! | Drawing: ChessBase

12-year-old Harshad's maiden International title at Barbera del Valles 'B'

12/08/2019 -

12-year-old Harshad S from Tamil Nadu tasted success on his maiden voyage on the international soil when he won Barebera del Valles 'B' by scoring an undefeated 8.0/9 and finishing a half point ahead of the runner-up Greeshma Anand Dhumal, also from India, who increased a massive 249 Elo rating points in the entire tournament. With a performance rating of 2169, Harshad managed to increase his Elo rating by 90 points. Harshad made a draw in round 2, after that he won four consecutive games to take a sole lead which he maintained till the final round. Photo: Sathiesh