The Queen's Gambit wins two Golden Globes awards

03/03/2021 -

Netflix mini-series 'The Queen's Gambit' broke a lot of records in a very short time. Initially it was difficult to predict this much of a success for the mini-series, but we kept doing episodic reviews because we thought it was something to be dwelled upon. Turns out 78th Golden Globes cemented the show creators - Scott Frank and Allan Scott efforts. The involvement of Garry Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini made sure the chess universe can enjoy the intricate chess aspects of the show. Photo: Golden Globes

Chess as a tool to fight Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

03/03/2021 -

We have often heard about using chess as a tool to help and benefit the society in various sphere of daily life. We have also heard of people saying video games doing more harm than good which studies have proved it to be not true. Research showed few months ago that it is good for mental health. Last year we shared an experience by a young man with ASD and the role of chess in his life. In this article, we tell you about a clinical trial which was conducted among teenagers to test the effectiveness of a chess based video game on patients diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Photo: The Secret Trail of the Moon

A sports journalist par excellence - Rakesh Rao

02/03/2021 -

We recently unveiled an all-new series called ‘Off the Board Tales’ on our Instagram page. The premise revolves around the stories of chess that people have a personal connection with; it could be anyone from a die-hard professional, to someone who’s emotionally involved with chess! Today is the birthday of one of India's most prolific journalists of Indian sports - Rakesh Rao. He has witnessed countless sports legends during their rise, and chess makes a good portion of it too. His contribution to journalism is invaluable and to Indian chess in its rising era. Through over 3 decades of his work as a journalist, Rakesh has given special importance to chess. This is our small tribute to this hardworking and charismatic gentleman.

38th BRDCA Rapid Open attracts 260 players all over India

02/03/2021 -

Bangalore Rural District Chess Association organised a one-day rapid tournament on Sunday 28th February in Bangalore. It attracted 260 players from five states across India including Karnataka. Both Sa Kannan and 13-year-old Tejes Suresh Kumar finished at an unbeaten 6.5/7. Kannan won the event due to a better tie-break score. The prize winners received beautiful trophies. Bengaluru resident and ardent chess lover Sushruta Reddy who has not missed a single chess tournament in Bengaluru since November 1992, recounts on playing an otb event after over a year. Photo: Sa Kannan

New: ChessBase Magazine #200

01/03/2021 -

ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! Digital DVD with several hours of video to learn and train. Top GMs like Giri, So, Van Foreest, Grandelius, Harikrishna, Duda, Wojtaszek, Fedoseev, Daniel King, Simon Williams, Mihail Marin and many more. Photo: ChessBase

Chess Challenge 2 and Simul with Japan Chess Champion

28/02/2021 -

With due precautions against the corona virus, the National Chess Society of Japan held two more over-the-board events a month after the New Year Festival. Both tournaments took place on Saturday 20th February 2021. They were Chess Challenge 2 and Simul with Japan Champion 2020 - Tran Thanh Tu. The Chess Challenge 2 was aimed at giving an opportunity to low rated players and beginners to get a feel of over-the-board tournaments Mayur Gondhalekar brings you details from Tokyo. Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Levon Aronian relocates to Saint Louis and will represent the USA

27/02/2021 -

In a breaking announcement, world no. 5 Levon Aronian announced that he would be switching his federation from Armenia to the USA. He was invited by American entrepreneur and philanthropist Rex Sinquefield and Aronian has accepted this offer. This means that America will now have five players in world top 20 and an extremely formidable chess team. Why did Aronian, who is a great patriot and lover of his country Armenia, make this decision? In a detailed statement he speaks about the lack of support received from the Government as being the main reason for his decision.

Soundarya Pradhan's website for blind chess players

26/02/2021 -

The main problem that blind players face when preparing for the chess games, is the lack of tools and resources that are available. They struggle with technology because of their inability to access some of the content which sighted people can easily do so. For big organizations who produce chess tools, tweaking the features for visually impaired players becomes financially unviable. This is the reason why Soundarya Pradhan, who is 100% visually impaired, decided to take things in his own hands. He has built up his own website, which solves a very specific problem for blind chess players. What is it? Know more about it in the article. Soundarya also received Rs.33,000 from ChessBase India and its viewers for his efforts and to develop his website further.

EDU Commission launches a new capacitation program

26/02/2021 -

FIDE Commission for Chess in Education has launched a new program which is divided into two stages. In the first stage, the EDU Commission will prepare and certify lecturers and then these lecturers will run seminars to prepare teachers. Those who fulfill the required criteria can receive a diploma of Certified FIDE Chess in Education Lecturer (CEL) and School Instructor (SI). The entire program considers the current circumstances, thus the majority of the seminars are to take place online. Photo: FIDE

Gariahat Chess Club draws huge interest at Open Air Chess Fest

25/02/2021 -

If you enjoy playing otb chess, Gariahat Chess Club is the place to be to play a friendly blitz game against anyone, any time. Of course you have to be prepared to remain impervious to the cacophony of traffic. It is just like the online chess servers, except this is where you get to play against someone whom you can actually see in person and move pieces physically on the board. The 24x7 open chess club has organized various tournaments witnessing 300+ players on this busy area of the city. On Sunday 21st February, Open Air Chess Fest witnessed 158 players participation including four IMs. Photo: FA Mrinal Ghosh

A Tweet and the formation of the Global Chess League

24/02/2021 -

The chess boom during the pandemic has happened because of several reasons. In India the influx of stand-up comedians led by Samay Raina, in the US - a lot of Twitch streamers led by Hikaru Nakamura, the persistent work done by various organizations in these tough times led by FIDE and the cherry on the top, was of course the Netflix Show - The Queen's Gambit which piqued the interest of people all across the globe towards our venerable sport. Riding on this wave of chess boom it doesn't come as a surprise that dynamic entrepreneurs like Anand Mahindra see it as an opportunity to invest in the sport. Tech Mahindra has joined hands with five-time World Champion Vishy Anand to bring the Global Chess League.

Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik to play a four-game match of No-Castling Chess

23/02/2021 -

From July 13th to 18th, the chess world will be looking forward to the duel between the 14th and 15th World Champions Vladimir Kramnik and Vishy Anand once again. The event will be held in the chess-rich city of Dortmund and will be a part of the historic Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Trophy. However, there is a small twist here! The legends will indulge in a four-game match with Classical time control, but in No-Castling Chess! In this article we give you the details of the event and also acquaint you with the world of No-Castling chess and how it can lead to exciting games.

Odisha Circle and Utkal Sahoo triumph in 35th All India Postal Team and Individual Tournament

22/02/2021 -

Odisha Circle ended Tamil Nadu's dominant run at the 35th All India Postal Chess Tournament in the Team event as the home team edged past the last three editions' consecutive winner Tamil Nadu in the tie-breaks to assert a new champion. Both teams finished with 9.0/10 and the first three tie-breaks were same. It was the fourth tie-break which decided the winner. Rajasthan Circle finished third with 8.0/10. In the individual debutant Utkal scored an unbeaten 6.5/7 to win it. FM P Maheswaran and Shailendra K Bajpai finished second and third respectively with 6.0/7. Check out Utkal's success on his birthday with his annotated games.

FIDE Online World Corporate Championship: LIC, TCS Chennai and TCS Bangalore make strong finish

21/02/2021 -

Day 2 of the FIDE Online World Corporate Championship witnessed the exit of all Indian teams at the conclusion of Stage 1. Team LIC, TCS Chennai and TCS Bangalore are the only three teams to finish in top five in their respective groups. TCS Bangalore remained undefeated throughout the event. However it was not enough as only group toppers advance to the knockout stage. Vaishali representing Autodesk scored 6.0/6. Ian Nepomniachtchi of SBER, Georg Meier and Alina Kashlinskaya of Grenke Bank and Anton Korobov of Sberbank Trade Union, are the notable top players to advance for their respective teams in the knockout stage., Photo: Amruta Mokal

FIDE Online World Corporate Championship: Nihal Sarin holds Anish Giri to a draw

20/02/2021 -

FIDE Online World Corporate Championship had an exciting start as Akshayakalpa Farms and Foods was paired against Optiver in the very first round. It means Nihal Sarin was up against Anish Giri, something which is yet to happen in an over-the-board tournament yet. Nihal got a good chance but he mistimed it and Giri saved the game and it ended up in a draw. Among Indian teams, Praggnanandhaa's team Tata Consultancy Services Chennai is the only Indian team which has a very good chance of advancing to the Knockout stage as they won all three matches on the first day of Stage 1.

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