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FIDE Online Olympiad 2021 R4-6: India ascends to the top

09/09/2021 -

Team India dominated the second day to ascend to the top of Pool B with 11.0/12. Hungary is also with the same points, but the Indian team has better tie-breaks as they scored more game points. Shenzhen China was annihilated by India as they suffered a 1-5 loss in the fourth round. India defeated Azerbaijan 4-2 in the fifth round. Belarus lost to India by a minimum margin 2.5-3.5 in the sixth round. Nihal and Bhakti won both of their games today. Anand and Vaishali scored a valuable 1.5/2 and 2.0/3. Praggnanandhaa suffered his second consecutive game of the event. India will face Hungary, Moldova and Slovenia tomorrow in Round 7-9 from 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Amruta Mokal

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Champions Showdown 2021 R1-3: Caruana takes sole lead 2.5/3

09/09/2021 -

Champions Showdown 2021 Chess 9LX returns to over-the-board after last year it had to be conducted online due to the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. Fabiano Caruana scored an unbeaten 2.5/3 on the first day to take the sole lead. Vachier-Lagrave, Mamedyarov and Shankland are at shared second place 2.0/3. So started the day with a beautiful combination against MVL, then he survived a massive scare against Kasparov in the following round. Mamedyarov was the only player to score a win against Kasparov so far in the third round. Aronian, So and Leinier are at 1.5/3, Svidler and Kasparov at 1.0/3 each respectively. Nakamura is at the last place, yet to score a point. Round 4 resumes tonight from 12:30 a.m. IST. Photo: Bryan Adams/Saint Louis Chess Club

Norway Chess R2: Carlsen overcomes the Tari turmoil

09/09/2021 -

Magnus Carlsen was in quite a bit of a pickle against his compatriot Aryan Tari in their Classical encounter of the second round at Norway Chess 2021. The world champion somehow managed to steer his ship through troubled waters and salvage a draw. Tari lost the Armageddon. Karjakin also escaped with a draw in the Classical game against Rapport. They drew the Armageddon too, which allowed Rapport to win the match and stay in the lead 4.5/6. Nepomniachtchi surprised Firouzja with King's Gambit in Armageddon. The France no.2 was caught off-guard, which resulted in a loss. Round 3 starts tonight from 8:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Norway Chess

FIDE Online Olympiad 2021 R1-3: Team India off to a flying start

08/09/2021 -

Team India made a strong start at the FIDE Online Olympiad 2021. The team remained unbeaten in the first three rounds. The only draw of the day was against France in the second round where top four games ended in draws and Praggnanandhaa lost. Vaishali's win became crucial for the team to make a draw. Both Vaishali and Adhiban won both of their games 2.0/2, Anand and Tania scored an important 1.5/2, Harikrishna and Bhakti won their sole game 1.0/1. Praggnanandhaa and Online Olympiad debutante Savitha Shri suffered a loss each. Indian team will face Shenzhen China, Azerbaijan and Belarus tomorrow in Round 4-6 from 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Norway Chess R1: Carlsen survives a scare, beats Firouzja in Armageddon

08/09/2021 -

Magnus Carlsen started his Norway Chess 2021 campaign in the exact same way as last year, by making a draw in the Classical game and then winning the Armageddon. Although it was Firouzja who was completely winning the endgame in Armageddon, but he missed in a time scramble and allowed the world champion to escape with a draw. Rapport beat Tari in the Classical game to score 3.0 points and enter the World top 10. As announced earlier, Nepomniachtchi will play against Karjakin on the rest day, Saturday 11th September. Catch all the action of Round 2 tonight from 8:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Norway Chess

Lull before the storm at the FIDE Online Olympiad 2021

08/09/2021 -

India's journey at the FIDE Online Olympiad 2021 begins from the 8th of September 2021 at 4.30 p.m. The players arrived at Taj Coromandel on 6th of September and the premise has turned into a mini-training camp. You can see coaches working with the players and the seriousness in the eyes of each of the participant. At the same time you can also see the camaraderie as jokes are cracked and hyper bullet is played! Staying at one place has definitely helped the team to create a strong bond - one of the key elements to progress in this event. IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal bring you the entire happenings from Chennai and describes the atmosphere. It's the "Lull before the Storm!"

Mighty Blockading Knights

07/09/2021 -

The first introduction to the game of chess lay in the fascination of knights for me. They are the most unique pieces on the chess board and the ability to fork a king and queen and/or rook(s) were simply fascinating to understand as a child. World Champion Capablanca considers that the knight is a very dangerous piece for an amateur, but as one's strength develops, he starts appreciating the value of bishop. While, this is very true, the fascination with knights nevertheless does continue as one grows into a stronger player with a deeper study of chess strategy. Enjoy this beautifully explained concept of blockading knights by Sundararajan Kidambi. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

IM Raja Rithvik scores second GM-norm at Skalica Open, Leon finishes third in Masters

06/09/2021 -

IM Raja Rithvik R beat GM Valentina Gunina in a must-win final round to score his second GM-norm at Skalica Chess Festival 2021 in the Open section. Rithvik scored an impressive 7.0/9 to finish sole second with a performance of 2616. He gained 21.7 Elo rating points, a beautifully crafted trophy and €500 as his prize. India's 67th GM and Skalica Open 2020 winner Leon Luke Mendonca scored 5.5/9, finished a half point behind the winner Anton Korobov (UKR) and runner-up Vitaliy Bernadskiy (UKR) to secure third place. He also won a trophy and €800 for his efforts. Check out the article to find Rithvik's epic win over Gunina and also Leon's triumph over Bernadskiy and draw with Korobov. Photo: Skalický Šachový festival

Magnus Carlsen wins Aimchess US Rapid with a dominant show

06/09/2021 -

Magnus Carlsen completely decimated Vladislav Artemiev in the second set of the Finals at Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Aimchess US Rapid. For the eighth time in the tournament, Carlsen started the day with a victory. He never seemed to be in any kind of trouble. Artemiev's questionable choice of opening removed any remote chances of going for a win in the second game. The world champion won the third game emphatically after the Russian's frail attempts were thwarted. With this triumph, Carlsen ties with So for the maximum number of event wins in this tour - three. The finals will take place later this month in Oslo, Norway. Photo: Champions Chess Tour

Off the Board Tales #15 - Rohan Rao

05/09/2021 -

'Off the Board Tales' is a series by ChessBase India, where the premise revolves around people who are passionate about chess despite it not being their career. An emotional and short story is what you're up for, so read on for tales of joy, tales of aspirations, tales of sorrows, and tales of success. Rohan Rao is a Data Scientist & 17-time National Champion of India in Sudoku. He has represented India internationally every year since 2008, & still actively plays chess online.

Carlsen is poised to win Aimchess US Rapid

05/09/2021 -

Carlsen found the first set to be reasonably comfortable after Artemiev lost it by 1.5-2.5 in the Finals of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Aimchess US Rapid. The world champion felt that, had he not made a mistake in the third game, there would not have been a fourth. The Norwegian is definitely aiming for his third triumph of this season, which will tie with So for a maximum number of event wins before the Finals later this month. Aronian was awarded the third place without even playing a single game, as his opponent Firouzja was unable to play due to ill health. Will Artemiev be able to bounce back, or will Carlsen etch another victory to his name? Second set of the Finals start today at 8:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE

Rs.6,18,603 raised for Sanjay's fight against Osteogenesis Imperfecta

05/09/2021 -

We put up a plea to the ChessBase India community to support 10-year-old Sanjay Sivakumar for his fight against Osteogenesis Imperfecta. The former under-7 Karur District champion and his family were in need of funds to ensure that his treatment can be taken care off. Although Osteogenesis Imperfecta is not a condition that can be cured 100%, the damage can be mitigated with timely surgeries and medicines. The entire community rallied together for the cause and in 4 days of fundraising we were able to collect Rs.5,92,699. All the amounts will be used for Sanjay's treatment. The name of each and every donor is in this article. Update on 13th September: The updated amount is now Rs.9,61,787  

New: Nico Zwirs: The Fianchetto Scandinavian (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6)

04/09/2021 -

The Scandinavian is one of the most direct approaches against 1.e4. Right from the first move Black is attacking White’s centre. A lot of players, especially club players, don’t like to face this line because of this aggressive character. Most of them flee into offbeat lines which are not very critical. The ones who dare to go for the mainlines need to remember a lot of lines. This makes the Scandinavian a perfect choice for your repertoire. In the Fianchetto Scandinavian, Dutch IM Nico Zwirs will share his experience with the love of his youth. Photo: ChessBase

Aimchess US Rapid SF2: Artemiev will face Carlsen in the Finals

04/09/2021 -

Carlsen described his last game against Aronian as 'unbelievably shaky'. He defeated the Armenian who is playing his last event from his native country before moving to the USA. Artemiev-Firouzja was a close fight which went all the way to Armageddon, where the France no.2 made a tactical blunder which cost him the game. Artemiev reached the Finals of a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event, Aimchess US Rapid for the second time since Goldmoney Asian Rapid. Instead of Aronian, this time Artemiev will be up against the world champion Carlsen. Will he be able to seize his opportunity, or will Carlsen win his third event of the season? Finals start today at 8:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Norway Chess

Vantika Agrawal becomes the 21st Woman Grandmaster of India

03/09/2021 -

Vantika Agrawal scored her final WGM-norm in her first tournament in over 1.5 years at Vezerkepzo GM August 2021. She scored 4.5/9, performed at 2408 to become India's latest Woman Grandmaster. She scored two of her WGM-norms and crossed 2300 by July 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed her an opportunity to play over-the-board tournaments. However, that did not stop her from preparing and increasing her strength. She started turning things in her favor after winning Gold for the Indian team at FIDE Online Olympiad 2020. Her hard work is paying off as she won one accolade after the other, the latest being her winning the coveted WGM title.

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