The old riddle of Fischer vs Taimanov

10/08/2020 -

The endgame of the fourth game of the famous Candidates match of Vancouver 1971 is very instructive. But one question has remained puzzling. Was the adjourned position already lost or was Taimanov's 42nd move a decisive mistake? Once again we invite you to debate this question with leading endgame experts, including our own GM Karsten Müller. With the help of chess engines you can win the analytical duels and show them where history needs to be corrected. Photo: ChessBase

MCT Finals: Ding Liren beats Carlsen in the first set

10/08/2020 -

Ding Liren started his campaign with a win over the reigning World Champion in The Finals of Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. Carlsen struck back and won Game 2. The China no.1 and World no.3 missed a win in Game 3, the following game was an uneventful draw. Carlsen lost Game 5 due to some technical issue. He immediately struck back in Game 6 forcing an Armageddon which the Chinese drew with black pieces allowing him to win the first set of the Semi-Finals. Meanwhile Nakamura and Dubov had four decisive games before making a draw in the fifth game. Their Game 3 and 4 were appreciated by all including Nepomniachtchi. Nakamura won Game 6 resulting in winning the first set of the Semi-Finals. Photo: Amruta Mokal

Jakhongir Vakhidov wins The Knighthood Online Blitz | A total of Rs.211226 raised

09/08/2020 -

GM Jakhongir Vakhidov won the strongest and the highest prize money Online Blitz event by ChessBase India on 1st August - The Knighthood Online Blitz Open. He won ₹40000 cash prize for his monumental efforts. Eight players finished at 8.0/10. The remaining podium places were taken by Russian GMs - Maksim Chigaev and Vladimir Fedoseev. Both of them made their debut in ChessBase India Online Blitz events. A total of 210 players including 39 GMs, 25 IMs, 2 WGMs and 6 WIMs took part from 12 countries across the world. On the next day, India no.3 GM Vidit Gujrathi played a Simul against the Specially Abled and Age Group prize winners. A detailed report of this mega event.

The Queen Bee of ChessBase India - Amruta Mokal

08/08/2020 -

COO, Creative Head, WIM Elect, photographer, graphic designer, financial manager, and more than that, a great person. Co-founder of ChessBase India, Amruta Mokal turns 34 years old today. She has worn so many hats, and none of them were ever easy. However she has always climbed these hurdles with sheer willpower, and her creativity is what moulds the world around her. She is responsible for growth of ChessBase India. Supriya Bhat, who is Amruta's close friend and an integral part of the ChessBase India team, decided to pen down this article to tell you about the person Amruta Mokal is. Get to know some fascinating things about her and also read about the wishes that some of her closest friends in the chess world have sent.

Blitz Challenge with GM D.Gukesh

07/08/2020 -

Have you ever played a serious game against a GM? This is your chance to cross swords with not just a talented grandmaster but also the second youngest GM in the history of the sport. D. Gukesh will be playing against the Premium members of ChessBase Account in a 3 minute + 2 second increment encounter. The games will be commented by IM Sagar Shah and after it ends he will be discussing with Gukesh with regards to why he made certain decisions and analyze the game in depth. You not only get to play against a future world class opponent, but also get your games analyzed in the process! Join in on the 7th of August 2020 at 4 p.m. IST for the Blitz Challenge with Gukesh.

Infinity within 64 squares

07/08/2020 -

Chess has evolved a lot since it was first introduced competitively in India. Contributing to the increase were the best Indian players and Anand of course is the cornerstone of the growth. Over the past few decade, the game has grown beyond anyone could have ever fathomed. All chess players know how taxing it is both mentally and physically to sit hunched over a board and calculate hundreds of intricate variations with a time ticking down with hundreds of players playing simultaneously in a tournament hall. However some people who have never been to a tournament hall furrow at the thought of calling chess a 'sport', for them it is just a board game to be played to pass the time. WFM Tarini Goyal explores the impact of chess as a sport and how it changed her life for the positive and all the opportunities it provided. Find out more about Tarini and her journey in the article below.

Talk of the Universe: Ganguly in conversation with Wesley So

05/08/2020 -

Wesley So is the reigning and first official Fischer Random World Champion. He is the current World no.8 and a former World no.2. A little over two months ago, So won Clutch Chess Champions Showdown. So has been to Kolkata, India for the past two consecutive years. In his first visit to Kolkata, So met Surya Sekhar Ganguly who played a small prank on him. We all know Wesley So hails originally from Philippines and few years back he moved to USA where he shined the most. However a lot of things are unbeknownst to us, like what are his hobbies, why he stays away from social media, what are his thoughts and much more. Find out many more things about the reigning Fischer Random World Champion Wesley So. Photo: Surya's youtube channel.

The Legend of Carlsen! | Legends of Chess Final Round 2

05/08/2020 -

We have a winner! One of the Greatest Chess players of all time further cements his legacy by winning the Legends of Chess tournament without breaking a sweat! Magnus Carlsen, the man behind the evolution of chess in the last decade, adds yet another tournament to his bulging list of victories by vanquishing Nepomniachtchi with a round to spare. While Round 1 saw a close fight between the two finalists, Carlsen found another gear in Round 2, demolishing Nepo in a London System in game 1 before adding insult to injury with another scintillating win in game 2. A puzzled Nepo tried all he could in game 3, but the Magnus Force stayed strong and drew from a position of strength to win the match and the tournament with a game to spare. Tanmay Srinath brings forth a detailed report.

Think and Decide - Part 2

04/08/2020 -

India's 31st GM Shyamsundar M launched his website on 30th May 2020. The site is rich of various content, one of the main features of the site is 'blog' where Shyamsundar himself explains various chess themes with illustrative games and diagrams. Shyamsundar is an accomplished player and a successful trainer. He has been a second to the Indian Men's team in Batumi Olympiad 2018 and also one of the seconds for Women's World Championship 2018 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. In his second blog post, Shyamsundar talks about Sticking to our playing style in the critical moments of the game by showing an example from his game with fantastic explanation mentioning the decisions he took along with the tournament situation. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Carlsen Draws First Blood | Legends of Chess Final Round 1

04/08/2020 -

The Magnus Force makes winning look easy! Magnus Carlsen has been unstoppable, winning match after match, and today he continued his sparkling run, beating Ian Nepomniachtchi in the first of 3 rounds in the Legends of Chess Final. Carlsen got off to a good start, winning Game 1 with the Black pieces, after Nepo's opening experiment did not go according to plan. However, the ever resourceful Nepo struck back with a brilliant victory in game 3, in what many call one of the games of the tournament, outplaying the World Champion before finishing with a flourish and thus taking the match to the blitz tiebreakers. However, Carlsen would not be denied, winning both blitz games to win Round 1 of the finals. Nepo now has a mountain to climb if he is to throw a spanner in the works of the Carlsen juggernaut. A comprehensive report by Tanmay Srinath.

New: Simon Williams - The Exciting Budapest Gambit

03/08/2020 -

Are you tired of playing d5 against 1.d4 or c4? Grandmaster Simon Williams, one of the most creative GMs in the chess world, has tackled the flamboyant Budapest Gambit. Williams' typically fun and entertaining way of teaching is paired with serious theory, as he is always very well-prepared to show extraordinary variations. The English Grandmaster honestly reflects on how this opening can backfire, and goes over several traps that can be triggered against White. If you want to learn about an exciting new opening, Budapest Gambit is definitely worth a try. Photo: ChessBase

Nepo vs Carlsen in Blockbuster Finale! | Legends of Chess Final 4 Round 3

03/08/2020 -

A tale of grit and rigour will be decided in a match between the two best speed players in the world! After losing the 2nd match by the slimmest of margins, Ian Nepomniachtchi won his 3rd Round Match against Anish Giri 3.5-2.5 to set up a dream final with Magnus Carlsen. It wasn't a smooth ride for Nepo, whose speed of play often resulted in painful mistakes, but his resourcefulness more than compensated for this drawback, as he saved 4 bad positions in the first 4 Rapid games. Anish Giri kept getting brilliant positions out of the opening from both colours, but his usually superb technique was missing from action, as Nepo remarkably saved lost positions, which he followed up by playing beautifully to win the second Blitz game and go through to the finals. Tanmay Srinath brings forth an exhaustive report.

Carlsen Marches On, Giri Forces Decider | Legends of Chess Final 4 Round 2

02/08/2020 -

Magnus Carlsen has truly become the benchmark of consistency! A favourite in all the tournaments he participates, he now advances to the Finals of the Legends of Chess tournament, easily defeating the Russian Legend Peter Svidler 2.5-0.5 in both the matches! Svidler needed a win in the 2nd round to force a decider, but his inconsistency worked against him, as Carlsen won the first two games and easily drew the last one with White to win the round and the match. In the other semifinal, Anish Giri was a point down twice, but fought back like a lion to win the decisive Armageddon, keeping his chances of meeting Magnus in the final alive. While Magnus awaits both Giri and Nepo have everything to win and lose as the 2nd semi final will be decided on the final day! A comprehensive report by Tanmay Srinath.

Carlsen and Nepo Start Strong | Legends of Chess Final 4 Round 1

01/08/2020 -

After a rest day, Magnus Carlsen has come back stronger than ever! The World Champion beat Peter Svidler 2.5-0.5 in the first of 3 matches by winning both his Black games! In a show of brilliant risk-reward judgement Carlsen critically opened his king in game 1, but understood that disrupting the psychological balance in his favour would reward aplenty, and he outplayed Svidler to win in 27 moves, displaying subtle understanding of the opponent and the positions. Ian Nepomniachtchi beautifully beat Anish Giri in Games 2 and 3 after being tortured for 131 moves in the first game, playing remarkable chess in positions with disrupted material balances to throw Giri off his tracks. With 2 matches to go, both Giri and Svidler need to win on demand to progress to the Finals. An illustrative report by Tanmay Srinath.

Last call for The Knighthood Online Blitz Open this Saturday 1st August

31/07/2020 -

The biggest ever prize fund for a ChessBase India Online Blitz Open on Playchess server will take place this Saturday 1st August titled - The Knighthood Online Blitz Open. One Man Army - Sujit Varghese contributes the entire prize fund of the event, the entire entry fee received for the tournament will go into the betterment for Specially Abled (Blind, Physically Challenged, Mute and Deaf) players of India. That's not all. Age group and Specially Abled prize winners will get an opportunity to play against GM Vidit Gujrathi in a simul event on Sunday 2nd August. Hurry up, register yourself if you haven't yet as the last date is approaching fast on 31st July 8 p.m. IST.

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