chessbase india logo

Wesley So beats Carlsen in the Finals and wins Opera Euro Rapid

15/02/2021 -

Wesley So wins his second event in Meltwater Champions Chess Tour as he beat Carlsen in the Finals once again to win Opera Euro Rapid. The last time So lost to Carlsen in a serious tournament and got eliminated was at Lindorey Abbey Rapid Online 2020. So remained undefeated in the second set of the Finals and he won the match without the need of tie-breaks. Carlsen is yet to win a tournament ever since he turned 30. This was the third time So has beaten Carlsen in a Final. Check out all the action from the Finals of the tournament. Photo: Champions Chess Tour

ChessBase 16 is here!

Get the all new ChessBase 16 + Mega Database 2021. Releases on 17th of November 2020. Available now on the ChessBase India Online shop.

Available now

Opera Euro Rapid Finals: Carlsen and So poised for a thrilling finish

14/02/2021 -

Wesley So is delivering strong performance at Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Opera Euro Rapid. The first set of the Finals was no different than the Skilling Open Finals. In the fourth game of the first set, So was in a must-win situation to equalize the score. That is exactly what he did. So has beaten Carlsen several times in the finals including the first event of this tour, Skilling Open. Can he repeat that result again? Catch the Finals live stream with IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal on our youtube channel tonight from 9:30 p.m. IST to find out who wins Opera Euro Rapid. Photo: chess24 Live stream

Shahil Dey on track to become North East India's first IM, scores his maiden IM norm

13/02/2021 -

Chess in North East India has been popular, but unfortunately until now we haven't seen a single titled player from the region. This drought quickly seems to be coming to an end as former under-7 and under-9 national champion Shahil Dey has now grown into a very strong player. The youngster from Assam scored his first IM norm at the Orbis GM Round Robin tournament held in Serbia from the 5th to the 11th of February 2021. In this article we acquaint you with Shahil's performance and also bring to you one of his games from the event - his win over the top seed GM Hans Niemann Moke. 

OTB chess tournaments make a comeback in West Bengal

13/02/2021 -

West Bengal is a sports loving state. There is no dearth of either talent or spectator in any sport hosted in this eastern state of India. The year 2019 witnessed six youngsters become an IM and one WIM, all of them being less than 18 years of age at that time. Sonarpur Utsav committee in South 24 Parganas District and Shyama Palli Shyama Sangha in Kolkata organized two open rapid events with restricted number of total participants following Covid-19 protocol and safety precautions in mind. Both of them witnessed a huge interest because everyone is chomping at the bit to get back to over-the-board events. Photo: Shahid Ahmed and Niklesh Jain 

Opera Euro Rapid SF Day 2: Carlsen and So set up a rematch in the Finals

13/02/2021 -

Vachier-Lagrave managed to beat Carlsen three times but it was not enough for him to advance to the Finals of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Opera Euro Rapid as he lost Armageddon. So took only three games to beat Radjabov as the latter misplayed in the opening in the third game after making two draws. So will face Carlsen in the Finals. It will be interesting to see if Carlsen can redeem his loss against the Fischer Random world champion at Skilling Open. Finals will start tonight from 9:30 p.m. IST. Catch the live stream with IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal on our youtube channel. Photo: chess24 Live stream

Call for submissions: FIDE Veterans Support Program 2021

12/02/2021 -

We are all aware of many chess players who we see in tournaments playing for decades. While some of them either have or had a steady job, many of them devoted their entire lifetime for chess, introduced various players to the game, helped discover talent and contributed to the sport in various ways. Some of them might have had financial or other difficulties but that did not deter their dedication to what made them happy, being around chess. FIDE is inviting federations, clubs and players to send the nominations via email. Hurry up, deadline for submission is 1st March 2021. Photo: FIDE

Opera Euro Rapid SF Day 1: Carlsen beats Vachier-Lagrave, Radjabov struggles against So

12/02/2021 -

After having a tough day against Dubov, Carlsen made a strong comeback by beating Vachier-Lagrave 2.5-0.5 in the Semi-Finals of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Opera Euro Rapid. Although Carlsen won the first set in minimum number of games, he missed a quicker win in the third game. So and Radjabov traded wins in the first three games. Radjabov made an incorrect sacrifice in the third game which cost him the full point. Both Vachier-Lagrave and Radjabov now must win their second set to force tie-breaks and keep Final hopes alive. Semi-Finals will continue tonight from 9:30 p.m. IST. Catch the live stream with IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal on our youtube channel. Photo: chess24 Live stream

Lucknow Chess lights up with UP 32 Knights' first OTB event

12/02/2021 -

You are a chess lover, who got hooked onto the game during the lockdown. You love playing the sport, but are craving for Over the Board (OTB) events to begin! Unfortunately due to the lockdown like situation nothing is moving in your city. What do you do? Does it make sense to form your own chess club, tie-up with a cafe, create an instagram page and hold your first chess event? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, this is exactly what Akshay Natu, a regular viewer of the ChessBase India YouTube channel and a chess enthusiast, did. He setup the UP 32 knights chess club in Lucknow and on 7th of February, held the first over-the-board meet! Learn from the report how he did it, and maybe you too can start something similar in your city!

Chess lovers raise Rs.1,41,007 on ChessBase India's Commentary Livestream for Indian chess

11/02/2021 -

The chess community that we have built up on our channel on YouTube is simply amazing! It was just another day at office for Sagar and Amruta, who were commentating on the Opera Euro Rapid Quarter Finals day 1. All of a sudden one super chat followed the other and quite some money was received! At that point Amruta announced that all of this money would be utilized for Indian chess! It was amazing to see how the viewers supported this initiative and in a little over an hour we collected a total of Rs.1,41,007! Read how it all transpired!

Adhiban, Sethuraman, Gukesh, Laxman and Nandhidhaa receive Outstanding Sportsperson award by Tamil Nadu government

11/02/2021 -

It is safe to say that we all like when our hard work and efforts are appreciated by a public acknowledgement. The sense of pride and happiness satiate all the tireless time and work one has put to overcome all odds. GMs Adhiban, Sethuraman, Gukesh, Laxman and WGM Nandhidhaa have won countless prizes and accolades. On Monday 8th February when Tamil Nadu government awarded them the prestigious Chief Minster's Outstanding Sports Persons award, it was such a fantastic moment for them, their family and the entire chess fraternity.

Opera Euro Rapid QF Day 2: Dubov pushes Carlsen to his limit

11/02/2021 -

Carlsen was once against brought to his limit by his 'Kryptonite' Dubov. The former world rapid champion won two consecutive games in the second set to force tie-breaks. Once again he won on demand but lost the Armageddon and did not have another fairytale ending. The in-form Vachier-Lagrave drew the second set 2-2 against Aronian to advance to the Semi-Finals. Radjabov-Giri made five consecutive draws before the Airthings Masters winner beat Giri to advance to the next stage. Semi-Finals will start tonight from 9:30 p.m. IST. Carlsen will face Vachier-Lagrave and So will go against Radjabov. Catch the live stream with IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal on our youtube channel. Photo: chess24 Live stream

Arjun Erigaisi - a peaceful warrior and the future of Indian chess

10/02/2021 -

He became a GM at the age of 14 years and 11 months and currently has an Elo of 2559. At just 17 years of age, Arjun Erigaisi from Warangal, Telangana is all set to become one of the best chess players in the world. But how did it all begin? Who were the people who helped him on his journey of chess? What are his qualities that have helped him to climb the ladder of chess improvement so quickly? Saishyam Srikanth interviews Arjun and brings out an enlightening portrait of the youngster. Also interviewed in this article are Arjun's close friend Nihal Sarin, his current coach Srinath Narayanan, and Sagar Shah, who has been following his chess journey closely for several years now.  

Opera Euro Rapid QF Day 1: Advantage Carlsen, Vachier-Lagrave and So

10/02/2021 -

World champion Carlsen completely dominated former World Rapid champion Dubov as he won the first set 2.5-0.5 in the Quarter-Finals of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Opera Euro Rapid. Vachier-Lagrave and So are the other two players who have won their respective first sets. That means Dubov, Aronian and Duda must win the second set tonight to keep their Semi-Final hopes alive. Quarter-Finals will continue tonight from 9:30 p.m. IST. Catch the live stream with IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal on our youtube channel. Photo: chess24 Live stream

Fat Fritz 2.0 - The new number 1

09/02/2021 -

Fat Fritz 2.0 is the successor to the revolutionary Fat Fritz, which was based on the famous AlphaZero algorithms. Using a new Japanese AI technology that achieves optimal performance on regular computerprocessors (CPUs – no expensive graphic card required) it combines the best of both worlds: a massive new neural network, trained by Albert Silver with the original Fat Fritz, while learning from the surgical precision of Stockfish’s legendary search. This new version takes chess analysis to the next level and is a must for players of all skill levels, whether beginner or professional, who won’t accept any compromises. Its understanding is unparalleled, as it learned by literally studying billions of chess positions. Fat Fritz 2 comes with the latest version of the most advanced chess playing interface in the world, which provides coach functions, automatic game analysis, a database with 1 million games as well as a six-month subscription to ChessBase Premium Account.

Opera Euro Rapid Day 3: Vidit misses against Carlsen

09/02/2021 -

Vidit Gujrathi had a fantastic opportunity against Carlsen as he had a huge advantage and if he spotted the correct intermediate move who knows Vidit might have been in the knockout stage of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Opera Euro Rapid. After that Vidit scored four solid draws to finish his tournament with 6.5/15. Carlsen, Giri, So, Aronian, Vachier-Lagrave, Duda, Radjabov and Dubov advance to the next stage by finishing in the top eight. Quarter-Finals starts tonight from 9:30 p.m. IST. Catch the live stream with IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal on our youtube channel. Photo: chess24 Live stream