New: Herman Grooten: Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol. 1+2

14/06/2022 -

IM Herman Grooten will offer rules-of-thumb and concepts to give club chess players the necessary guidance to try and find the right paths in their own games. In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures, ones that appear quite often in games and that will be very recognisable to club level chess players. The Vol.1 of the DVD contains the topics of Open, Half-Open and The Pawn Chain. Vol.2 of the DVD discuss the quintessential Isolated Queen's Pawn and The Passed Pawn. Check out these two important DVDs and increase your knowledge of pawn structures from IM FT Herman Grooten. Photo: ChessBase

Harikrishnan wins 9 Sportz All India Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2022

13/06/2022 -

IM Harikrishnan A Ra scored an unbeaten 8/9. IM Dhulipalla Bala Chandra Prasad also scored the same, however Harikrishnan edged past Bala on tie-breaks to win 9 Sportz All India Rapid Rating Open Chess Tournament 2022. Five players scored 7.5/9 each. Among them, IM P Shyam Nikhil was adjudged third. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹240000, ₹200000 for Rapid  Rating and ₹40000 for Blitz Open. Top three prizes in the Rapid Rating were ₹30000, ₹20000 and ₹15000 along with a trophy each. A total of 285 players in the Rapid Rating and 160 in the Blitz Open including a GM and 6 IMs took part in this two-day Rapid Rating and Blitz Open tournament held at Mysore, Karnataka.

3rd Vizag GM Open R1-4: Konguvel makes a perfect start

13/06/2022 -

IM P Konguvel is a revered chess player and gentleman of the game. He is in a three-way lead 4/4 along with the top seed GM Farrukh Amonatov and GM Stupak Kirill at GITAM University 3rd Vizag GM International Open 2022. He scored sublime victories over GM Boris Savchenko and IM Nigmatov Ortik in the third and fourth round respectively. The perfect start by Konguvel does not surprise us. He is former National 'A' champion (1995) and has GM strength. He has all the norms, only the rating requirement is left to be fulfilled. The current rating system might make things difficult to increase by a lot for an adult. However, Konguvel is certainly going to strive for it. Round 5 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

Anand's fantastic performance in Norway Chess!

12/06/2022 - Vishy Anand played some fantastic chess in the Norway Chess. He finished 3rd in a very strong field, and defeated Magnus twice- once in Blitz, once in Armageddon! In this article, we talk with Vishy about his overall performance, his games in the event, his resignation against Shakh, and a lot more.

Breaking News: Rahul Srivasthav becomes India's 74th Grandmaster

12/06/2022 -

19-year-old Rahul Srivasthav P crossed 2500 in the live ratings at Cattolica Chess Festival 2022 Open on Friday 10th June. He drew with Georgia no.2 GM Levan Pantsulaia in the penultimate eighth round at Cattolica, Rimini, Italy. He already had five GM-norms before fulfilling the rating criteria. The teenager from Hyderabad, Telangana is currently studying Economics in University of Texas in Dallas, Texas, USA. He becomes Telangana's fourth GM after Arjun Erigaisi, Harsha Bharathakoti and Raja Rithvik R. Let's take a look at Rahul's journey towards the coveted GM title from the man himself in a short live interview.

Play at the Olympiad Torch Run International Open Rapid Chess Tournament 2022

12/06/2022 -

For the first ever in Chess Olympiad history, there will be a torch relay. Next Sunday, on 19th June 2022, Olympiad Torch Run International Rapid Open Chess Tournament will take place at Indira Gandhi International Stadium in New Delhi. Total ₹1000000 prize fund is up for grabs. That's not all. Vishy Anand himself will be present there. Entry fee is only ₹200. Over 500 players have already registered for the event. A maximum of 1500 number of entries will be accepted. It is a one-day non-rating Rapid Chess Tournament. Check out the article for more details about the tournament and do not miss this fantastic opportunity. Photo: Tournament Circular

Prague Chess Festival 2022 Masters R3-4: Harikrishna's beautiful Knightmare

12/06/2022 -

We all know that two knights cannot force a checkmate to a lone king, only helpmate is possible. What if a pawn is added to the position, does that change the equation? Harikrishna showcased a beautiful way to score a victory which was seemingly a draw. Sure his opponent, Parham made a few mistakes. However, it was the India no.3's immaculate technique that earned him a full point. It is well-known that endgame is his forte, and once again he showed it to the world. Today is a rest day. Round 5 starts tomorrow Monday 13th June at 3 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. IST). Photo: Petr Vrabec/Prague International Chess Festival

Interview with India's 74th GM Rahul Srivatshav

11/06/2022 -

India gets its 74th Grandmaster in the form of Rahul Srivatshav! Rahul achieved his final GM Norm in the Cattolica Open 2022. Check out the story of the 19-year-old GM who manages a degree in Economics and the Grandmaster-level play together- how does he do it? We explore it all in this exclusive interview with the man himself.

Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess Open 2022

11/06/2022 -

Tournament favorite and the top seed of the event, GM Praggnanandhaa won Norway Chess Open 2022 convincingly. He scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 and finished a full point ahead of the competition. In the final round, Praggnanandhaa beat fellow countryman, IM Prraneeth Vuppala to win the tournament. He won 32000 NOK (approx. ₹2.57 lacs) cash as his prize. The 16-year-old performed at 2676 and gained 6.4 Elo rating points. Prraneeth was the only other Indian taking part in this event. He scored 6/9, secured sixth place and earned 3000 NOK (approx. ₹24158). Check out Praggnanandhaa's games from the event. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Norway Chess

Magnus Carlsen clinches his fifth Norway Chess title, Vishy Anand third

11/06/2022 -

Magnus Carlsen won 10th Norway Chess 2022 convincingly. He scored 16.5/27 and finished a full point ahead of the field. Despite losing three Armageddon in this event, he still managed to win it. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov had a good opportunity to win the tournament, however he was denied glory by his fellow countryman Teimour Radjabov. The upcoming FIDE Candidates participant displayed his defensive skills and beat his opponent in the Armageddon to ensure Mamedyarov finishes second 15.5/27. Vishy Anand beat Aryan Tari in Armageddon to secure third position 14.5/27. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Norway Chess

44th Chess Olympiad Official Logo, Mascot and Hashtag unveil

10/06/2022 -

The 44th Chess Olympiad is less than 50 days away. The official logo, mascot and hashtag were unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, AICF President Dr. Sanjay Kapoor and AICF Secretary and Olympiad Tournament Director Bharat Singh Chauhan in Chennai. 'Thambi' is the official mascot of this biggest sporting event in India. A day before, it was announced that for the first time in Chess Olympiad history, Torch Relay will take place at each Olympiad starting from the 44th edition. Check out the Official Mascot, Logo, Hashtag and a short video of the unveil event shared by Tamil Nadu CM's twitter. Photo: AICF

Prague Chess Festival 2022 Masters R2: A tough day

10/06/2022 -

Sometimes things do not turn out the way we want it to be. A loved one may not respond the way you expected, words can be misconstrued, and the result on the 64 squares may end up being the undesired one. Vidit was on the unfortunate end of a now common draw in the Petroff's Defence against Spain no.2, David Anton Guijarro. Harikrishna's opponent Spain no.1 Francisco Vallejo Pons did not give him any opportunity. Sasikiran was denied any point by Germany no.1, Vincent Keymer. Overall, it was a tough a day for the Indian players at Prague International Chess Festival 2022 in both Masters and Challengers section. Round 3 starts today at 3 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. IST). Photo: Petr Vrabec/Prague International Chess Festival

10th Norway Chess 2022 R8: Carlsen survives Maxime scare, Anand blunders

10/06/2022 -

Magnus Carlsen was completely lost against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in both Classical and Armageddon encounter. The world blitz champion could not capitalize the few chances he had to spoil the world no.1's chances to register his fifth Norway Chess triumph, fourth consecutive. The Armageddon also had an exciting finish in the end until the Frenchman blundered. Speaking of blunders, Vishy Anand made a shocking err against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. He resigned immediately once his opponent returned to the board. The Azerbaijan no.1 is currently a half point behind Carlsen at 14.5/24, followed by Anand 13/24. Final Round 9 starts today at 5 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. IST). Photo: Lennart Ootes/Norway Chess

Play at the 44th Chess Olympiad venue in Curtain Raiser Rapid Chess Tournament 2022

09/06/2022 -

44th Chess Olympiad is less than 50 days away. Would you like to play in the same hall where histories will be made, records will be broken, heroes will be born and legends will be seen in action? Then Olympiad Curtain Raiser Rapid Open Chess Tournament is the tournament for you. Total ₹500000 prize fund is up for grabs. Entry fee is only ₹200. Over 1100 players have already registered for the event. A maximum of 1414 number of entries will be accepted. It is a one-day non-rating Rapid Chess Tournament. Check out the article for more details about the tournament and grab this lifetime opportunity. Photo: Tournament Circular

Farrukh Amonatov wins 1st Maharashtra GM Open 2022, Arjun Kalyan third

09/06/2022 -

GM Farrukh Amonatov (TJK) won his second consecutive tournament, 1st Maharashtra International GM Open 2022 after winning 13th KIIT GM Open, ten days ago. GM Arjun Kalyan gave his heart out in scoring a win in the last round and that is exactly what he achieved. GM Alexej Aleksandrov and Arjun also finished with the same score as Amonatov 8.5/11. Amonatov won the event due to better tie-breaks, Alexej and Arjun had to settle for second and third places. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹2000000. Top three prizes were ₹300000, ₹200000 and ₹150000 along with a trophy each respectively. IM Bhakti Kulkarni 6.5/11 is the highest finisher among female participants. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy