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National Challengers Round 5+6: Swapnil, Himanshu, Sammed lead with 5.5/6

17/08/2017 -

It was a turbulent day at the Karnavati Club in Ahmedabad where rounds 5 and 6 of the 55th National Challengers were underway. Seven out of the top ten games finished with decisive results in the fifth round while the sixth round witnessed four decisive games. The most spectacular game of the day featured the Bengali WGM Mary Ann Gomes yet again. But this time around, she was not on the sunny side of the of the result as she blundered mate in one in an equal endgame.  

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Abu Dhabi Masters: 11-year-old Raunak Sadhwani holds Nigel Short

17/08/2017 -

The Abu Dhabi Open is one of the strongest open tournaments in the world. 12 grandmasters above 2600 are participating in this 124 player event. GM Nigel Short is the top seed. But what is astonishing is the number of Indian participants in the capital of UAE. 50 of them! And so many talents are taking part that there are bound to be brilliant games and performances. Three rounds have been completed and we bring to some of the best games, and results by Indian players.

Saint Louis Rapid day two: Battle of world war one veterans!

16/08/2017 -

Day two of the Saint Louis Rapid held special importance. Two old foes Vishy Anand and Garry Kasparov, who had played the World Championship match against each other 22 years ago, were going to be seated opposite each other in the sixth round. It was a complex Sicilian Defence that ended in a draw. Meanwhile, Kasparov lost his first game after making a comeback by spoiling a very promising position against Ian Nepomniachtchi. Nepo is now the sole leader of the tournament. Our author IM V. Saravanan brings you all the action from the Saint Louis Chess Club. 

A stamp of excellence for Dibyendu Barua

16/08/2017 -

It is a glorious moment for Indian chess. Arjuna Awardee GM Dibyendu Barua's postal stamp was released on 10th of August 2017 by Government of India. From being the youngest (12 years) to participate in Indian National Championship to defeating Viktor Korchnoi at the age of 16, to becoming the second Indian grandmaster, to winning National Championship 3 times. He has done it all. He won the Arjuna award in 1993. And now this postal stamp release. It's not just a feather in his cap, but a moment of pride for the entire Indian chess fraternity.

National Challengers 2017 Round 4: Mary Ann Gomes wins an instructive rook endgame

16/08/2017 -

Perfect scorers were chopped down from seventeen to just six in the fourth round of the 55th National Challengers. The round witnessed some nail-biting action: Mary Ann Gomes won the day with her instructive endgame against GM Deepan Chakravarthy; GM Abhijit Kunte squeezed a win out in a seemingly drawn endgame against Arjun Erigaisi; while players from team Railways showed no mercy beating down their own teammates on the top two boards. A report with pictures and games from Ahmedabad.

Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz: Kasparov makes a solid comeback

16/08/2017 -

Saint Louis became the focal point of world attention as the 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov, sat on the board, back from his retirement after 12 years! V. Saravanan was at the venue and he tells us about how the playing hall suddenly started looking really small as people rushed to buy tickets to see the great Garry in action. Kasparov managed to remain unbeaten with three draws on day one. Vishy Anand had an off day as he scored just 0.5/3. We have a full report with the biggest blunders, brilliant moves and all the action from the first day of Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz.

Bangladesh's three time sub-junior champion in need of help

15/08/2017 -

He is a three-time national sub-junior champion of Bangladesh, a Candidate Master and has a current rating of 2174. Life was excellent for Ikramul Haq Siam, until a few months ago he was hit by an illness that has degenerated his disc and paralyzed his right leg. His mother recently passed away and Siam is all alone. The doctors have asked him to go for a surgery as soon as possible in order to ensure that he remains alive. Siam is unable to manage the finances for his operation. The 19-year-old boy has asked the chess community to help him come out of this and be back on the chess board.

National Challengers 2017 Round 2+3: Day of underdogs!

15/08/2017 -

They say Indian players are under-rated. Well, this was shown in ample measure at rounds two and three of the National Challengers 2017. Players rated 500 points below their grandmaster opponents were able to draw their games. Especially noteworthy is the performance of Chaitanya Sairam Mogili, rated 1781, and has drawn against a GM, IM and a WFM. We have pictures from Ahmedabad and game analysis. Seventeen players lead with a perfect score after three rounds.

Anand vs Kasparov - Revival of a fascinating rivalry

14/08/2017 -

When Vishy played Kasparov for the World Championship Match in 1995, the Indian youngster was brilliant, but inexperienced. One of Anand's major drawback was lack of high class opening preparation. Fast forward 22 years and the same Anand is feared in elite chess circles as a master of opening preparation! Chess fans always wondered how would Kasparov have fared against this meticulously prepared Anand. Well it remained only a theoretical question as Kasparov had retired in 2005. But now from 14th-18th we will see Garry back on the board in Saint Louis, and the age-old rivalry will be renewed. V. Saravanan takes you down the memory lane.

National Challengers Round 1: 14-year-old holds GM Sriram Jha

14/08/2017 -

The Open National Challengers 2017 has got underway in Ahmedabad from 13th of August. All the grandmasters had a smooth outing in the first round except for one - GM Sriram Jha. The grandmaster from Delhi was held to a draw by 14-year-old Mounika Akshaya. Few more higher rated players faced the heat and were made to split the points. The battles are heating up and ChessBase India brings you the action from Karnavati club.

Komodo 11: A review

13/08/2017 -

When it comes to chess engines, Komodo 11 is bang up to date and is often referred to as the engine that can think like humans! Amazed by this, Davide Nastasio got his hands on this silicon giant to test it out for himself. After spending several hours exploring the various features of Komodo, he was not only convinced that the engine does analyse positions in a human-like manner but also felt it is an extremely useful tool for the modern chess player. Below is his insightful review.

A surprise from India at the scenic Sitges in Barcelona

13/08/2017 -

Our Spanish trip is coming to an end. Nearing its close, this 53-day-long journey of ours took us to Sitges, a coastal town south-west of Barcelona which is renowned for its beauty across the globe. Besides enjoying the town’s sandy beaches, our aim here was to make it big at the 43rd Sitges International Chess Open. As the tournament concluded, the young Peruvian GM Cori Jorge etched his name on the title prize. Unfortunately for the Indian contingent, none of the players was able to finish among the top 10. 50-year-old IM Anup Deshmukh’s scintillating performance outshined all young stars as he finished as the best Indian performer at the event. Anyway, seeing our motherland make its presence felt in a foreign land filled our hearts with respect and pride. In this article, Niklesh Jain takes you on a Spanish journey.

National Challengers 2017 kicks off with Parthiv Patel as the chief guest

13/08/2017 -

One of the most important tournaments in the Indian circuit National Challengers 2017 is about to begin from 13th of August 2017. On 12th August former Indian test cricketer Parthiv Patel attended the opening ceremony and made the inaugural moves against WIM Dhyani Dave. Round one begins at 3 p.m. on 13th. Top seed is GM Aravindh Chithambaram followed by  S.L. Narayanan, Lalith Babu and ten other grandmasters and seventeen International Masters. Pictures from the opening ceremony.

MVL wins Sinquefield Cup 2017, Anand finishes second

12/08/2017 -

Maxime Vachier Lagrave has won many super tournaments in his life. He is also called as Mr. Biel for his excellent performances over the years in the Swiss grandmaster event. However, this Sinquefield victory surely trumps everything else that he has conquered. In the final round he won a smooth game against Nepomniachtchi and won the title with a score of 6.0/9. Vishy Anand drew his game with Wesley and achieved an admirable second spot with 5.5/9. Third place went to Magnus Carlsen. Final report of the event from Saint Louis by V. Saravanan.

Sinquefield Cup 2017 Round 8: In for a tense finish!

12/08/2017 -

The penultimate round at the Sinquefield Cup 2017 kept all the possibilties open. Vishy Anand drew his game against MVL. The duo maintained their lead with 5.0/8 along with Levon Aronian. Magnus Carlsen was unable to win against Nepomniactchi. He is now joined on 4.5/8 by Sergey Karjakin who was able to outplay Wesley So. Five players have a theoretical chance to win the title! We are in for a tense finale! Complete round 8 report from Saint Louis.

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