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Jakub Vaculik victorious at Prague International Chess Festival 2025 I Basque Open

23/03/2025 -

Jakub Vaculik (CZE) scored 11.5/14 to win Prague International Chess Festival 2025 I Basque Open. The top seed, Jakub, finished a full point ahead of the competition. CM Looi Xin Hao (MAS) secured second place scoring 10.5/14. Kevin Narr (GER) finished third, scoring 10/14. Jakub suffered only two losses - one against Looi in Round 2 and the other one against Sahib Hasanzada (AZE) in the penultimate round. Both matches were drawn, as the eventual champion managed to win the other game. Eight-year-old Michael Mortensen (NOR) scored an impressive 9.5/14 to finish fourth. The top three prizes were CZK 1000, 7000 and 500 each. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

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

New: ChessBase Magazine #224

23/03/2025 -

Tata Steel 2025: Analyses by the tournament winners, Praggnanandhaa and Nguyen, as well as Abdusattorov, Giri, Harikrishna, L'Ami, Mendonca, Suleymanli, Van Foreest and Yakubboev + video review by Blohberger - Chess legend Viktor Kortschnoj: exclusive collection of 24 annotated games from 1960 to 2006 plus video by David Navara – Modern Petroff: Balázs Csonka sheds light on the Damiano Variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4!? - “The fortress - rien ne va plus!”: Dorian Rogozenco shows a classic fortress motif with queen + pawn against rook + pawn - The cheeky queen: Surya Ganguly shows in the video that 4.Qxd4 is also an option against the Sicilian with 2...e6! and much more. Photo: ChessBase

Nicosia GP Round 7: Jiner Zhu regains sole lead

23/03/2025 -

The seventh round of FIDE Nicosia GP 2025 witnessed a big shake up in the leaderboard. GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR) suffered a shocking loss against IM Olga Badelka (AUT). Anna made a positional mistake in the middlegame from which she could not recover. It was her first loss of the event and her opponent's first win. GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) defeated IM Divya Deshmukh to regain her sole lead 5/7. Anna is now trailing by a half point at 4.5/7. GM Harika Dronavalli drew with GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR). Both are at 4/7 each with GM Aleksandra Goryachkina who made a quick 11-move draw against GM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER). Round 8 starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz

Harikrishna’s journey from becoming a Junior Champion to training the World Champions

22/03/2025 -

We see the player, but we rarely see the person. Behind the celebration of ratings and titles, there is a story of quiet moments. Pentala Harikrishna's story is one of those. Top 10 player, Olympiad winner, Team Championships, second of current World Champions, Hari’s resume is so impressive! Recently, Sagar Shah sat down with him in Prague to discover the person behind a great player. Hari opened up about his achievements, wife Nadezda, challenges, downfalls and many more. This raw, honest conversation will reveal the human side of a grandmaster.

Aravindh Chithambaram named as one of the wild cards for Grand Chess Tour 2025: Superbet Rapid and Blitz

22/03/2025 -

GM Aravindh Chithambaram has been named as one of the wild cards for the upcoming Grand Chess Tour: Superbet Rapid and Blitz 2025. The newly crowned Prague International Chess Festival 2025 Masters champion joins GM Vladimir Fedoseev (SLO), former World Champion - GM Veselin Topalov (BUL), GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (ROU) and GM David Gavrilescu (ROU) at Superbet Rapid and Blitz 2025. The remaining participants of the event are: GM Alireza Firouzja (FRA), GM Levon Aronian (USA), GM R Praggnanandhaa, GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL) and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA). Once again, the World no.5, Arjun Erigaisi's name is surprisingly missing from the list. Superbet Rapid and Blitz will take place from 24th April to 1st May 2025. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Nicosia GP Round 6: Harika bounces back, Anna Muzychuk maintains her sole lead

22/03/2025 -

GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR) drew with GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) to maintain her sole lead after the sixth round of FIDE Nicosia GP 2025. GM Harika Dronavalli bounced back with a victory over GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO), after suffering a loss in the previous round. Harika could have probably finished things much earlier if she had seized her opportunity in the middlegame. In a relatively balanced rook vs bishop and knight with two pawns each endgame, the Georgian trapped her rook which cost her the full point. IM Divya Deshmukh forced a perpetual check to draw with IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE). Round 7 starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz

Honoring a Legend: The 2nd PM Mohanty Invitational Rapid Tournament

22/03/2025 -

The 2nd PM Mohanty Invitational Rapid Tournament took place on March 16, 2025, at KT Global School. It was held in honor of Shri Pabitra Mohan Mohanty, a chess legend from Odisha. The event was organized by the Odisha Chess Players Welfare Trust in which fifty talented young players participated. The total prize fund for the event was Rs. 1,00,000. Goa’s Nitish emerged as the champion, claiming the Rs. 30,000 first prize. More than just a tournament, the event fostered a sense of community and celebration. On the eve of the competition, players unwound with a friendly cricket match, offering a break from intense chess battles. With strong backing from KT Global School and passionate chess supporters, the tournament is poised for even greater success. They are planning to organize a FIDE-rated edition and more elite-level competitions in future. Check out the report for more details. Photos: Rakesh Kumar Jena

Simon Bibby perfect at Osaka Chess Championship 2025

21/03/2025 -

Mayur Gondhalekar and his good friend, Sheldon Donaldson regularly keeps us updated about the Japan chess scene. Sheldon writes a blog about his experience of playing at Osaka Chess Championship 2025. He wanted to qualify for the upcoming Japan Chess Championship. The Canadian origin, currently residing in Japan, Sheldon's article is full of high quality photos and some interesting moments from his games. He loves playing, analyzing and making us enjoy various moments from his games. Check out his account of the tournament which took place in Osaka, Japan. Did he manage to qualify? FM FI Simon Bibby (JPN) won the tournament scoring a perfect 5/5. Takahiro Mizumoto (JPN) and Yoshiki Kohei (JPN) scored 4/6 each. They secured second and third place respectively. Photos: Sheldon Donaldson

Senthil Maran K wins 2nd Dragonara Festival 2025

21/03/2025 -

IM Senthil Maran K and FM Paolo Formento (ITA) scored an unbeaten 4/5 each at 2nd Dragonara Festival Rating Category A (>1900) 2025. Senthil won the tournament due to better tie-break scores. Paolo was placed second. Three players scored 3.5/5 each. Out of them, Jacopo Motola (ITA) secured third place. The total prize fund of the tournament was €4000. The top three prizes in Category A were €500 + plate, €400 and €300 each respectively. The three-day five round Rating  tournament was organized by Paolo D'Augusta at Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi in   Camogli, Italy from 21st to 23rd February 2025. This is Senthil's second tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Paolo D'Augusta

USA and England 1 are World Senior Team 2025 Open 50+ and 65+ Champions

20/03/2025 -

USA and Italy scored an unbeaten 15/18 each at World Senior Team Championship 2025 Open 50+ Category. USA became champion due to better tie-break scores, Italy had to be content with the second place. Kazakhstan scored sole 14/18 to finish third. In the Open 65+ Category, England 1 scored sole 16/18, remained undefeated to become the champion. They finished two points ahead of the rest. Lasker Schachstiftung GK (GER) scored 14/18 to secure second position. Saxonia (GER) scored 13/18, edged past Israel on tie-breaks to finish third. The top three prizes were €1500, €1000 and €700 in each of the Open categories. Photo: Official site

Kanan Hajiyev wins Prague International Chess Festival 2025 H Blitz Rating Open

20/03/2025 -

FM Kanan Hajiyev (AZE) and GM Jergus Pechac (SVK) scored 9/11 each at Prague International Chess Festival 2025 H Blitz Rating Open. Kanan won the tournament due to better tie-break score. The top seed, Jergus had to settle for the second place. Four players - FM Patrik Stevik (SVK), FM Reyaansh Chakrabarty (AUS), IM Maxim Polyakov (UKR) and Aziz Umarbekov (KGZ) scored 8.5/11 each. They secured third to sixth place respectively according to tie-breaks. The top three prizes were CZK 3000, 2000 and 1500 each. Check out some exciting games and moments from the tournament, along with an interview with the champion. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Nicosia GP Round 5: Anna Muzychuk scores a hat-trick, emerges sole leader

20/03/2025 -

GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR) scored a hat-trick of wins to gain sole lead after the fifth round of FIDE Nicosia GP 2025. In the opening, Anna sacrificed a pawn. She was not sure if it was good. However, she had enough compensation for it. Eventually in time trouble, her opponent, IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE) made a one-move blunder and paid a heavy price for it. IM Divya Deshmukh drew with GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO). GM Harika Dronavalli misplayed in the opening and could not recover for the rest of the game against GM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER). GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) is the sole pursuer at 3.5/5, followed by GM Aleksandra Goryachkina at 3/5. Today is the sole rest day. Round 6 starts tomorrow Friday from 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz

GM Iniyan on ChessBase 18 - 3

19/03/2025 -

"ChessBase have truly outdone themselves with the new CB18," say strong GM Iniyan Panneerselvam. "It makes life so much easier for players and coaches alike, thanks to its fantastic new features! We all know how precious time is; and CB18 is designed to save you a ton of time when you need it most." Today he describes how the software works with Mega Database 2025. and which additionsl bonus features it provides. Check out the tutorial and grab ChessBase 18 if you haven't yet. For those who are already using ChessBase 18, check out Iniyan's tutorials to maximize the software and help your understanding of it. Photo: ChessBase

CircleChess launches the Community Partner Program for chess enthusiasts worldwide

19/03/2025 -

Do you love chess and want to share it with others? You can turn your passion into impact and earn from it with the new CircleChess Community Partner Program. Whether you are a parent, student, influencer, coach, or simply a chess enthusiast, this program allows you to inspire others. You can grow the game, earn rewards, and connect with a global chess community. As a partner, you will receive 1 week of free access to Caissa School of Chess, 1 month of Caissa,  and many more benefits. Check out the article to learn how you can become a CircleChess Community Partner! Photo: CircleChess

Nicosia GP Round 4: Harika crushes Badelka, Anna Muzychuk joins Jiner Zhu in the lead

19/03/2025 -

GM Harika Dronavalli crushed IM Olga Badelka (AUT) in the fourth round of FIDE Nicosia GP. Harika scored her first win of the event as she surprised her opponent with 2.a3 in the English Opening. She lost an exchange early in the game and could not recover. GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR) won her second consecutive game. This time, it was against IM Divya Deshmukh who made a tactical error in the endgame. Anna joined GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) in the lead 3/4. Harika is trailing the leaders by a half point with GM Aleksandra Goryachkina at 2.5/4 each. Round 5 starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz

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