Candidates 2018 Round 7: Can anyone stop Fabi?

19/03/2018 -

When Vishy Anand won the Candidates in 2014 and also the 8-player round robin in Mexico in 2007 there was one thing that he did really well - he kept control. This is something that Fabiano Caruana is executing to perfection at the Candidates 2018. While Levon Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik and even Wesley So are showing flashes of brilliance, it is Caruana who is truly looking rock solid. He now has a +3 score and at the half-way mark looks like the favourite to win the title. He is closely followed by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov who is on 4.5/7. Rest of the players are on 3.5/7 or below. It's a race between Fabi and Shakh.  

Why is Ramesh one of the best trainers in the world?

19/03/2018 -

Somewhere towards the end of 2017, GM R.B. Ramesh held a one-day seminar in Singapore where he gave a lecture to Singapore youngsters on how to improve at the game. Malaysia's FM Peter Long was present at this workshop. Peter himself is a trainer and hence it was very interesting for him to see how one of the best trainers in the world uses the very limited time (just one day!) in order to train players whom he has met for the first time. The bottom line: Peter Long was greatly impressed with Ramesh's way of working with the students and in this articles tells us the reason for the same. 

Team India, how to improve at chess? #AICF

18/03/2018 -

Confused by the title of the article? Well, it is your chance to ask the best players of Indian chess whatever it is that you had on your mind. Six of the best players of Indian chess - Anand, Harikrishna, Vidit, Adhiban, Sethuraman and Ganguly have gathered in Delhi for the pre-olympiad training camp. Some of the best questions posted by you on social media will be picked up and answered by the players. So, here is your chance! Check the article to know how you can post your questions.

Have a drink with the Drunken Master!

18/03/2018 - How would you react if your opponent just moved all their pawns to the third rank of the board in the opening and still managed to hold ground? Wesley Falcao, a National Master living in New York, did exactly this in some of his blitz games. The result: this seemingly drunken manner of opening the game actually caught some strong players off guard, provoked errors and produced some really entertaining games. In this article, Wesley shares some of his games, discusses some key ideas behind his opening and urges the readers to have a drink with the Drunken Master!

Huge hoardings of Adhiban adorn the city of Udaipur

18/03/2018 -

We are quite used to seeing hoardings of politicians all around India. If we come to sports then you can see Sachin or Virat Kohli or Dhoni on the hoardings. "Sirf Politics aur Cricket India mein chalta hai!" (Cricket and Politics are the two things that work in India!) However, if you do visit the city of Udaipur you will see a refreshing change! At some of the busiest junctions in the city you have hoardings of GM Adhiban Baskaran who will be in the city to inaugurate the 2nd Holi Cup Lakecity FIDE Rating tournament. It's a novel idea by Chess in Lakecity and it is sure to make chess more popular.

Candidates 2018 Round 6: Wesley So shows positional brilliance to beat Aronian

17/03/2018 -

When the Candidates began everyone thought that Levon Aronian would be the favourite to win the Candidates and challenge Magnus Carlsen. We are six rounds into the competition and the Armenian numero uno is languishing at the second last position. In round five he missed a win against Grischuk while in the sixth round he was positionally outplayed by Wesley So. In this report we bring you the breakdown of Wesley So's battle against Aronian and how the American managed to pull off his first win of the tournament.Vladimir Kramnik lost to Mamedyarov. Caruana and Mamedyarov now lead the tournament with 4.0/6 as we enter the second rest day.

The Tigress of Madras - Aruna Anand (2/3)

17/03/2018 -

Right from a very early age, everyone knew that Vishy Anand would make it big in the world of chess. His talent and work ethic combined with the love for the game took him to the top. But what is it that kept him at the top for so many years? If you had to ask us, we would say: a very important role was played by his wife Aruna Anand. She gave Anand the emotional support that helped him keep going for years and years. Even at the age of 48 he is going strong. In Part II of our interview with the Tigress of Madras - Aruna Anand, we ask her about her role as a manager, the biggest challenge, how she deals with Vishy's losses and how Akhil's presence has brought new colours into their lives!

The scenic campus of IIT-B invites you to Aavhan 2018

16/03/2018 -

"The Chess culture in IIT is very profound in lots of students here," says Amogha HA, who is organizing a State Level Rapid tournament, Aavhan 2018, on March 31st and April 1st, in IIT Bombay. The total prize fund is Rs. 1,00,000 and the organizers are also providing accommodation for participants outside Mumbai in their campus for a very reasonable price. The 530 acred IIT Bombay is one of the most scenic locations to play chess in. Read on to find out more about why you should participate at the Aavhan 2018!

First Friday shifts from Kuala Lumpur to Manila

16/03/2018 -

The March edition of First Friday 2018 was won by Uzbek WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. She scored 6.5/9 but narrowly missed her norm. Three Indian players participated in the event but couldn't achieve anything special. In this article, organizer of the event Peter Long shares with us his experience of organizing the First Friday tournaments. He has organized four editions and made a loss of nearly 5,000 USD. Hence, the First Friday events will no longer take place in Kuala Lumpur. But the good news is that it is not the end of the road for First Friday as the next edition will be held in May in Manila, Philippines. Read on to know more.

Reykjavik Open: Adhiban takes the title!

15/03/2018 -

After his penultimate round win against co-leader Richard Rapport, Adhiban Baskaran only needed a draw in the final round of the Reykjavik Open 2018 to win the title prize at the event. However, Mustafa Yilmaz, Adhiban's opponent also had a shot at the title if he were able to defeat Adhiban. But Adhiban played out a well-balanced game in the finale and took home the champion's trophy in his very first appearance in Reykjavik. On board three, GM Vaibhav Suri pushed hard for a win against the second-seeded Pavel Eljanov but, after a 143-move-long marathon, ended up signing peace. Praggnanandha missed a GM norm in Reykjavik but the little genius finished the tournament on a high note beating Niranjan Navalgund in the final round. An illustrated report. 

Candidates 2018 Rd 04: Caruana overtakes Kramnik

15/03/2018 -

The fourth round of the FIDE Candidates 2016 was truly a spectacle. Nailbiting action was witnessed in almost all the games of the round. To start with, Vladimir Kramnik lost his lead to Fabiano Caruana after losing to the latter in a thrilling encounter that, quite paradoxically, began with a tepid looking Petroff. Alexander Grischuk sacrificed a piece very early in the game but missed the critical continuation and had to settle for a draw in the end. In another exciting game, Levon Aronian scored his first win of the tournament while Wesley So kept up his safety first approach and held Mamedyarov to a draw comfortably. Round 4 report. 

Reykjavik Open Rd 08: Adhiban beats Rapport to take sole lead!

14/03/2018 -

In the penultimate round of the Reykjavik Open, GM Adhiban Baskaran outsmarted the top seed of the tournament GM Richard Rapport with some excellent opening preparation and took sole lead in the tournament. This win means that the Chennai lad only needs a draw in the final round to etch his name on the champion's trophy. Half a point behind Adhiban is his final round opponent Mustafa Yilmaz who beat GM Daniel Fernandez to keep himself in title contention in round 8. In another important game of the round, IM R Praggnanandhaa came very close to defeating GM Emre Can but failed to find the killer blow at the crucial moment and had to settle for a draw. An illustrated report with game analysis by IM Sagar Shah. 

Rahul Gurung wins 18th North East Championship 2018

14/03/2018 -

Did you know Indian chess has a north-east championship that has been held since the past 18 years! This was the 18th edition and it happened for the first time in the history that a player from Sikkim won the North Eastern Championship. Until now it was Assam and Manipur who had dominated the event. What was even more surprising is that amidst many champions of the north east, the winner was 16-year-old Rahul Gurung! The young boy aims to become an International Master as soon as possible. Our reporter from north-east Angom Nongsha sends us a detailed summary of what happened at the 18th North East Championship.

Candidates 2018 Rd 3: Kramnik wins the day!

13/03/2018 -

The third round of the FIDE Candidates witnessed the first big brilliancy of the year in the game between Vladimir Kramnik and Levon Aronian. Surprisingly, Levon was caught off guard in the Berlin, an opening which has been pretty much in vogue at the top level in the last few years. All the other games of the round were drawn. However, special mention needs to be given to the highly complex and entertaining game played between Fabiano Caruana and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Round three also saw Wesley So open his score. After losing in the first two rounds, So finally added half a point to his tally after his draw against Ding Liren. An illustrated report with games and analysis. 

Reykjavik Open 07: Adhiban and Rapport lead

13/03/2018 -

Only two out of the six tournament leaders were able to maintain their lead after the antepenultimate round of the Reykjavik Open.The two who prevailed were India's Adhiban Baskaran and the tournament's top seed, Richard Rapport. Nihal Sarin also had good chances to pull out yet another sensational win but he failed to find the best continuation and had to settle for a draw. Regardless, the young genius has scored his second Grandmaster norm with this draw and is now only one norm away from the coveted title.