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Grenke Freestyle Open R1: A smooth start for the favorites

18/04/2025 -

Grenke Chess witnesses the participation of over 3000 players combining three groups in Open and three in Freestyle. It is the biggest open chess tournamet in the world. Magnus Carlsen (NOR) is the top seed in the Freestyle Open A. World no.4, Arjun Erigaisi and World no.11, Aravindh Chithambaram are two of the top Indian players in the fray. The conventional Grenke Open has a combined total prize fund of €70000 whereas the Freestyle Open has a prize fund of €225000, more than three times of Classical chess. There is no doubt that it has attracted all the top chess players around the world to try this popular old variant which has been renamed and rebranded to 'Freestyle chess'. Round 2 starts today at 10 a.m. local time, 1:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

ChessBase 18 and Mega 2025 are here

ChessBase 18 is an all-new program that helps you manage all your databases as an ambitious player. Mega Database 2025 has 11 million games with over 113,000 games annotated by masters. The cost of ChessBase 18 is Rs.4499/- and the cost of Mega Database 2025 is Rs.6499/- However, if you go for the combo the total amount comes to Rs.8999 (instead of 10,998/-) helping you save Rs. 1999/-.

ChessBase 18 + Mega 2025 Combo

Pune GP R4: Divya Deshmukh bounces back, Humpy wins two in-a-row

18/04/2025 -

IM Divya Deshmukh bounced back with a win over IM Melia Salome (GEO) in Round 4 of FIDE Pune GP. Divya had to grind a major piece endgame, until her opponent faltered. GM Koneru Humpy won her second consecutive game by defeating IM Polina Shuvalova. Both Humpy and Divya are at 3/4 each. A half point behind the sole leader, GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) who defeated IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL). The All-Indian clash between GM Harika Dronavalli and GM R Vaishali ended in a draw. IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) scored her first win of the event against IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL). Round 5 starts today from 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Can Levan Pantsulaia win 2nd Namma Bengaluru GM?

17/04/2025 -

GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO) defeated the in-form GM Iniyan Pa to gain sole lead 7.5/9, heading into the final round of 2nd Namma Bengaluru GM 2025. IM Anuj Shrivatri drew with GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM). Levan will face Manuel in the final round. GM Marat Dzhumaev (UZB) lost to GM Sandipan Chanda. Nithin Babu earned his final IM-norm after a draw against IM Ameya Audi. The result was immaterial to his norm chances. Total ten players are at 7/9 each. Levan winning the last round makes him a clear champion whereas a draw means his fate will be left in others hands. Round 10 starts tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

22nd BCC Open R1-4: Lalit Rohit in a three-way lead

17/04/2025 -

GM Lalit Rohit defeated IM Arif Abdul Hafiz (INA) to maintain his perfect score 4/4 at 22nd BCC Open 2025. The defending champion, GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy (UKR) lost to IM Arif Abdul Hafiz (INA). 15-year-old talented FM Christian Gian Karlo Arca (PHI) won against GM Stephen J Gordon (ENG). Currently, Christian, Arif and Lalit are the only three players in the lead 4/4. They are closely followed by 13 players at 3.5/4 each. Among them, GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly, winner of the 20th edition of this celebrated event. The first prize in the Open group is THB 100000. Round 5 starts today at 1 p.m. local time, 11:30 a.m. IST. Photo: bangkokchess.com

Pune GP R3: Humpy halts Divya's winning streak

17/04/2025 -

GM Koneru Humpy denied IM Divya Deshmukh any opportunity to score a hat-trick. She mentioned in the post-game interview that she played something, got a new position and outplayed Divya. GM Harika Dronavalli scored her first win of the event against IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL). IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL) launched a devastating attack on the queenside to beat IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL). GM R Vaishali drew with IM Polina Shuvalova. GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) shared the point with IM Melia Salome (GEO) to emerge an early sole leader 2.5/3. Humpy, Divya, Polina and Batkhuyag are at 2/3 each. Harika moved to 1.5/3. Round 4 starts today from 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

2nd Namma Bengaluru GM R8: Iniyan's excellence of execution propels him to the top

16/04/2025 -

GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) drew against GM Marat Dzhumaev (UZB) in Round 8 of 2nd Namma Bengaluru GM 2025. Nithin Babu had a solid draw against GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO). GM Iniyan Pa played a fantastic game to completely squash IM Ethan Vaz. Ethan is also in good form, however, he was no match for Iniyan's excellent play. IM Padmini Rout suffered her second consecutive loss. It allowed her opponent, IM Ameya Audi join the leaders pack. FM Suyog Wagh lost a long minor piece endgame against IM Anuj Shrivatri. He also moved to the top. Currently, there are seven players at 6.5/8. It will be an extremely close finish. Round 9 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Aravindh Chithambaram will feature at 58th Biel Chess Festival GMT

16/04/2025 -

GM Aravindh Chithambaram will play in the 58th Biel Chess Festival Grandmaster Tournament (GMT) in Masters section. The World no.11 earlier participated in two Biel Masters Open (MTO) tournament. Both were forgettable events for him. However, he is at his career best shape and rating, so one can certainly expect fireworks from him. The remaining participants in the Masters are: GM Liem Quang Le (VIE), GM Frederik Svane (GER), GM Volodar Murzin, GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek (POL) and GM Saleh Salem (UAE). Challengers: GM David Navara (CZE), GM Daniel Dardha (BEL), GM Ma Qun (CHN), GM Nikolas Theodorou (GRE) and GM Rinat Jumabayev (KAZ). The festival will run from 11th to 25th July 2025. Check out the press release to find out the details of the tournament and the schedule. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Aditya Dileepraj clear first at 2nd Namma Bengaluru Category B (Below 2000) Rating Tournament 2025

16/04/2025 -

13-year-old Aditya Dileepraj scored an unbeaten 9/10 to win 2nd Namma Bengaluru Category B (Below 2000) Rating Tournament 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Four players - Afreed T Khan, Rohith P, Subramanian R M and Nijesh R scored 8.5/10 each. They were placed second to fifth respectively according to tie-breaks. Both Afreed and Nijesh remained undefeated. Aditya drew with both Rohith and Nijesh in the last two rounds respectively. The total prize fund was ₹1500000. The top three prizes were ₹125000, ₹100000 and ₹80000 along with a trophy each. The four-day ten round Rating tournament was organized by The Golden Aura Trust at Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka from 10th to 13th April 2025. This is Aditya's first rating tournament triumph of his career. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Pune GP R2: Vaishali self-destructs against Divya Deshmukh

16/04/2025 -

IM Divya Deshmukh scored her second consecutive win at FIDE Pune GP 2025. She defeated her 45th Olympiad Gold medalist teammate, GM R Vaishali. The GM blundered on move no.17. Divya had no trouble spotting the excellent tactic and win the game in nine more moves. GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) scored the only other win of the round against IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL). The latter made an incorrect pawn sacrifice in the double rook endgame which cost her the game. GM Koneru Humpy and GM Harika Dronavalli drew with IM Melia Salome (GEO) and IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL) respectively. IM Polina Shuvalova shared the point with IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL). Round 3 starts today from 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

2nd Namma Bengaluru GM R7: Nithin Babu grinds a rollercoaster bishop endgame, joins the lead

15/04/2025 -

IM Ethan Vaz drew with GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) in the seventh round of 2nd Namma Bengaluru GM 2025. IM Padmini Rout lost to GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO) after she made a one-move blunder. IM Harsh Suresh was held to a draw by FM Suyog Wagh. IM Ayush Sharma lost a topsy-turvy same color bishop endgame against Nithin Babu. IM Manish Anto Cristiano F played a well contested draw against the second seeded, strong GM Karen Grigoryan (ARM). IM P Saravana Krishnan pulled off a huge swerve against GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE). Both kings dashed to the center, yet the Vietnamese was the one to make the final mistake. Round 8 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

New: Nico Zwirs: The Ultimate Scotch Gambit - A Repertoire for Aggressive and Positional Players

15/04/2025 -

The Scotch Gambit is a favourite at club level, offering a rich blend of attacking and positional ideas. Whether you prefer sharp tactical battles, or a more controlled strategic approach, this video course gives you everything you need to master this dynamic opening. Apart from downloading files and installing on your computer, you can now stream videos and study from ChessBase books on any device - computer, smartphone, tablets etc. The app runs on both Windows and Mac OSX. For Windows device, Windows 10 or higher is required. Photo: ChessBase

Magnus Carlsen convincingly clinches Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 2

15/04/2025 -

Magnus Carlsen (NOR) drew the second game against Hikaru Nakamura (USA) to win Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 2. He did not have to play a single tie-break game in the Knockout stage. Fabiano Caruana (USA) repeated moves in a winning position against Vincent Keymer (GER) as it was enough for him to finish third. He has also qualified for the next even in Las Vegas this July. Arjun Erigaisi managed to draw with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) from a difficult position to finish fifth. Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) to claim seventh place. The next Freestyle event is Grenke Freestyle Open from 17th to 21st April. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Pune GP R1: Divya Deshmukh starts with a win

15/04/2025 -

The fifth leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 had an exciting start. Four out of the five games ended decisively. IM Divya Deshmukh won her game against IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL). The Bulgarian made an incorrect recapture after losing an exchange. Divya correctly exploited it and won the game. GM R Vaishali drew with GM Koneru Humpy. GM Harika Dronavalli's passive play did not work out against GM Jiner Zhu (CHN). Birthday lady, IM Melia Salome (GEO) suffered a tough loss against IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL). It could have very well ended in a draw. Round 2 starts today from 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Magnus Carlsen on the verge of winning Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 2

14/04/2025 -

The first game of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 2 Finals between Magnus Carlsen (NOR) and Hikaru Nakamura (USA) was heading towards a draw. In the final moments of the endgame, Nakamura made an irrevocable mistake. Carlsen had no trouble seizing his opportunity and his opponent resigned. Vincent Keymer's (GER) knight sacrifice did not pan out against Fabiano Caruana (USA). Arjun Erigaisi continues his great form as he defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) whose exchange sacrifice did not yield anything. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) lost a thrilling battle against Ian Nepomniachtchi. Finals Game 2 starts today from 1 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

India's top four women - Humpy, Harika, Vaishali and Divya will battle at FIDE Pune GP

14/04/2025 -

The fifth leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 will start today in Pune, Maharashtra. For the first time in a FIDE GP event, the top four Indian women - GM Koneru Humpy, GM Harika Dronavalli, GM R Vaishali and IM Divya Deshmukh will be seen in action. The ten-player round-robin tournament will also feature GM Jiner Zhu (CHN), IM Polina Shuvalova, IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL), IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL), IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (BUL) and IM Melia Salome (MGL). The reigning Women's World Rapid Champion, Humpy is the highest rated player of the event. Round 1 starts today from 3 p.m IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

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