chessbase india logo

Vinodhkumar Balaguru wins Basel Xmas Festival 2024 Below 2100 Rating Tournament

11/01/2025 -

Vinodhkumar Balaguru, Emile Roubert (FRA) and Stephan Buettiker (SUI) scored 6/7 each at Basel Xmas Festival Experts (Below 2100) Rating Tournament 2024. Vinodhkumar won the tournament on tie-breaks, Emile and Stephan were placed second and third respectively. Balaguru drew with Emile and defeated Stephan. The total prize fund was CHF 5000. The top three prizes were CHF 1000, 700 and 500 along with a trophy each. The five-day seven-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Claudio Boschetti - Swiss CHess Tour at Mövenpick Hotel - Aeschengraben in Basel, Switzerland from 26th and 30th December 2024. This was the sole rating tournament Balaguru played in 2024 and he won it. Photo: IA Tiziana Balzarini

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

Iniyan convincingly clinches 15th Chennai GM Open, Venkatesh second and Aronyak third

10/01/2025 -

GM Iniyan Pa defeated his coleader, GM Deepan Chakkravarthy to win 15th Chennai GM Open 2025. Iniyan sscored an unbeaten 8.5/10, performed at 2629, gained 14.7 Elo rating points and finished a half point ahead of the competition. GM Venkatesh M R won against IM Ethan Vaz to secure second place 8/10. IM Aronyak Ghosh drew with IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete to finish third 7.5/10. Deepan, Sammed and IM Kaustuv Kundu also scored 7.5/10. They secured fourth to sixth place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹2000000. The top three prizes were ₹400000 + trophy, ₹300000 and ₹180000 each. Nine out of the top ten places were claimed by Indians. Photo: IA R Anantharam

Devesh Anand Naik decimates QTCA Rating Open 2024

10/01/2025 -

Devesh Anand Naik scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win QTCA Rating Open 2024. He finished a whopping 1.5 points ahead of the rest. Five players - Anecx Kanjiravila B C, Aravinda B R, Chaitanya V Gaonkar, Aaryavrat Rasiket Naik Desai and Chaitanya Sushant Patil scored 7/9. They were placed second to sixth according to tie-breaks. Devesh defeated both podium finishers and won the tournament with a round to spare. The total prize fund was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹40000, ₹25000 and ₹15000 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Quepem Taluka Chess Association and Govt. College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Quepem at Govt. College of Arts, Commerce and Science in Quepem, Goa from 26th to 30th December 2024. This is Devesh's second tournament triumph of the year. Photo: IA Sanjay Kavlekar

What do you get for a World Championship's VIP ticket?

10/01/2025 -

Imagine attending the prestigious World Chess Championship in Sentosa, Singapore, and opting for the ultimate VIP experience. At 380 Singapore dollars (slightly under 24,000 Indian Rupees), this ticket is akin to securing Category 1 seats for a Taylor Swift concert. Naturally, you might find yourself pondering whether this investment is truly worthwhile. After all, with that budget, you could snag some World Championship merchandise - think t-shirts, posters, phone cases, umbrellas, and mugs - alongside the popular game collection books featuring Ding Liren (NIC) and Gukesh (Elk and Ruby), with some change left over. But what are the perks of buying a VIP ticket for the World Chess Championship? Read the article to find out. Photo: Michelle Tay

Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Final Episode

09/01/2025 -

Welcome back to the Strategic Mastery series, where we explore advanced chess concepts to help you elevate your game. After an incredible journey, we’ve arrived at the final episode of our Strategic Mastery series. It’s hard to believe that we have covered so many profound strategic themes and puzzles, all designed to sharpen your understanding of chess and elevate your positional play. In this final episode, we will take a look back at the various themes we have explored together - each one aimed at deepening your knowledge, improving your strategic thinking, and helping you approach the game with a fresh perspective. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate player, or someone looking to refine your skills, we hope this series has been a valuable resource in your quest to become a more insightful and thoughtful chess player. | Photo: ChessNeurons

Chess in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

09/01/2025 -

Exactly a month ago, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle released worldwide. Being a massive fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, this game was obviously a must-play. You must be wondering, why are we talking about a video game on a chess website? Well, the game had plenty of chess positions which were carefully curated. Unlike WatchDogs, you cannot solve the positions by moving pieces but you can certainly use your mind to solve them or even for that matter, recollect where you might have probably seen it. The game releasing day one on Xbox Game Pass meant, not waiting for a deal/sale or a price drop, you can hop in on any given day as long as you have a valid subscription. All photos are in-game screenshots captured by the author. Game cover: Indiana Jones fandom

Indrajeet Mahindrakar wins a double at 14th Ethugalpura Rating Open 2024

09/01/2025 -

Indrajeet Mahindrakar scored an unbeaten 9.5/10 to win 14th Ethugalpura Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. G W D M Dabarera (SRI) scored 9/10 to secure second place. A A H M B Senarathne (SRI) was placed third scoring 8.5/10. The total prize fund of the tournament was over LKR 1200000. The top three prizes in the Classical event were LKR 150000, 75000 and 50000 along with a trophy and medal each. Indrajeet won the Blitz Rating event scoring a perfect 9/9. He finished a full point ahead of the field. C U Hettiarachchi (SRI) and C C Weerasinghe (SRI) secured second and third place scoring 8/9 each. These were Indrajeet's fourth and fifth tournament triumph of 2024. Photo: Ethugalpura International Chess Championship

Bangkok Chess Club invites you to 22nd BCC Open 2025

09/01/2025 -

The 22nd Bangkok Chess Club Open will take place in Bangkok, Thailand from 13th to 21st April 2025. The first prize in Open group is 100000 Baht. There are prizes for the top ten and five best players from Thailand Chess Association. The top five in the Challengers (Below 2000) will receive a prize each. That's not all, there is a Blitz event on 16th and 17th April which is played in two stages. Join this tournament where utmost care is given to the playing conditions. 7 GMs, 3 IMs and a WIM have already confirmed their participation. The tournament takes place during Songkran festival. So you can enjoy the fantastic tournament along with experiencing the most special festival of Thailand. FM FT IA Peter Long writes about this event. Photo: Bangkok Chess Club

Deepan or Iniyan - Who will win 15th Chennai GM Open?

09/01/2025 -

GM Iniyan Pa made a quick draw with IM Aronyak Ghosh to maintain his lead at the conclusion of the penultimate round. GM Siddharth Jagadeesh (SGP) suffered a loss against GM Deepan Chakkravarthy. Thus, Deepan joined Iniyan in the lead 7.5/9. They will inevitably face each other in the final round. A draw would allow any five players - IM Ethan Vaz, Aronyak, IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete, GM Venkatesh M R and FM Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy to catch up with them. A win scored by either Deepan or Iniyan will make them an outright champion. Who will win 15th Chennai GM Open? Round 10 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: IA R Anantharam

Nidhish Shyamal and Kiyanna Parihaar are 37th National Under-9 Open and Girls 2024 Champions

08/01/2025 -

Nidhish Shyamal (TEL) and Aarit Kapil (DEL) scored 9.5/11 each at 37th National Under-9 Open 2024. Nidhish won the tournament due to better tie-break score, Aarit secured second place. Divith Reddy Adulla (TEL) scored sole 9/11 to finish third. Kiyanna Parihaar (RAJ) became champion in Girls scoring an unbeaten 10/11. She finished a half point ahead of the rest. Top seed and reigning National Under-11 Girls 2024 champion, Divi Bijesh scored 9.5/11 to claim second place. Vanshika Rawat (DEL) scored 9/11 to secure third place. The total prize fund combining Open and Girls section was ₹500000. The top three prizes in both Open and Girls sections were ₹50000, ₹36000 and ₹30000 along with a trophy each respectively. Photo: Maharashtra Chess Association

2024 saw Indian chess rise and rule the global arena

08/01/2025 -

If someone asks Indian chess fans about their favorite moment from 2024, they would probably be confused; because there were just so many! From our top players making history to the budding talents climbing the ladder… Indian chess was on fire in 2024! More importantly, it was not just about the victories; we saw some great initiatives taken to improve the future of Indian chess. Let’s take a quick recap of the moments that made 2024 unforgettable for Indian chess! 

ChessBase India to Host the 21st International Solving Contest in Mumbai and Bhopal

08/01/2025 -

The International Solving Contest (ISC) is an annual chess-solving competition for individual solvers, held concurrently worldwide at multiple locations on a Sunday in late January. Under the auspices of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), the ISC brings together a vibrant global community of chess composition enthusiasts, promoting friendly competition among solvers from diverse backgrounds. The 20th edition of the event, held last year, attracted 669 solvers from as many as 26 countries – a testament to its growing reach and significance. Since its inception in 2005, the ISC has nearly tripled in size! This year marks the 21st edition of the contest, scheduled for January 19, 2025. In a welcome development, ChessBase India is introducing the event to two new Indian cities: Bhopal and Mumbai. Details follow.

Suyog Wagh wins Shatranj Rapid Rating Open Belgaum 2024

08/01/2025 -

FM Suyog Wagh, Srikara Darbha and IM Ameya Audi scored 8/9 each at Shatranj Rapid Rating Open Belgaum 2024. Suyog won the tournament due to better tie-break scores. Srikara and Ameya secured second and third place respectively. Only Suyog and Srikara remained unbeaten among top three. Suyog drew with Srikara in the last round. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹320000. The top three prizes were ₹50000, ₹30000 and ₹20000 along with a trophy each. The two-day nine-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Rotary Club of Belgaum South in association with Belgaum District Chess Association at Maratha Mandir in Belagavi, Karnataka on 28th and 29th December. This is Suyog's fourth tournament triumph in 2024. Photo: Aakash Madiwalar/Belgaum District Chess Association

15th Chennai GM Open R8: Iniyan gains sole lead

08/01/2025 -

GM Iniyan Pa defeated his coleader IM Sammed Shete in Round 8 of 15th Chennai GM Open 2025. Iniyan has emerged sole leader now 7/8. The top seed of the event, IM Aronyak Ghosh won against CM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma to stay in the title picture 6.5/8. The reigning National Under-11 Open champion could not get out of the gate against India's highest rated IM. GM Deepan Chakkravarthy scored a full point against IM Kaustuv Kundu to also remain in the chase with Aronyak. IM Manish Anto Cristiano F missed a winning chance against IM Ethan Vaz. IM Mayank Chakraborty got the better of GM Attila Czebe (HUN). WFM Sneha Halder missed her sole opportunity against IM Sathvik Adiga. Round 9 starts today at 10 a.m. IST. Photo: IA R Anantharam

Mayank Chakraborty wins SPS Guwahati Rating Open 2024

07/01/2025 -

Five players - IM Mayank Chakraborty, Samyak Dharewa, IM Vikramaditya Kulkarni, IM Neelash Saha and Bivor Adak scored 8.5/10 each at SPS Guwahati Rating Open 2024. The top seed of the tournament, Mayank became the champion. The remaining four were placed second to fifth respectively according to tie-breaks. Only Mayank and Vikramaditya remained undefeated among them. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹1000000. The top three prizes were ₹100000 + trophy, ₹80000 and ₹70000 each. The six-day ten-round Swiss league rating tournament was organized by Assam Chess Club at South Point School in Guwahati, Assam from 25th to 30th December. This is Mayank's eighth tournament triumph in 2024. Photo: IA Biswajit Bharadwaj/Assam Chess Club

Contact Us