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What happens when Chess and Spirituality meet? Madara Golsta’s life-changing decision

09/11/2024 -

We always hear about making calculated and precise moves on the chessboard. But sometimes, the most important moves are made off the board. These moves get us control over the game of life. They might lead to discoveries that we never anticipated! Madara Golsta, a chess player from Latvia has a story that reveals how powerful these off-board moves can be. From competing in prestigious tournaments to discovering the power of spirituality, her path took an unexpected turn. She stepped away from her chess dreams to embark on a journey of yoga and meditation. This biggest change has brought clarity and strength to her life. Read on to learn how she redefined success by making a big move within. Photo: Madara Golsta

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

2nd Chennai GM R4: Arjun Erigaisi plays outstanding to trounce Tabatabaei, emerges sole leader

08/11/2024 -

Arjun Erigaisi is not showing any intention of slowing down after becoming World no.2 in live ratings. He played his signature swashbuckling chess, throwing M Amin Tabatabaei (IRI) off the track early in the middlegame. He made a very nice practical bishop sacrifice. It did not yield him the point immediately, that's obvious at that level. However, eventually his opponent cracked under pressure in the endgame and lost the game. This win moved Arjun's live rating to 2809.3. Aravindh Chithambaram made a quick 17-move draw against Levon Aronian (USA). Vidit Gujrathi had a well contested draw against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA). Pranav Venkatesh defeated R Vaishali to maintain perfect score 4/4. He is now a full point ahead of the competition. Round 5 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Sasikiran wins 5th Maurice David Rapid Rating Open 2024

08/11/2024 -

GM Sasikiran Krishnan and GM Yannick Gozzoli scored an unbeaten 8/9 each at 5th Maurice David Rapid Rating Open 2024. Sasikiran won the tournament on tie-breaks, Yannick was placed second. 13-year-old Anuar Tureshbayev (IRL) sole 7.5/9 to finish third. He also remained undefeated. Sasikiran drew with both runners-up. The total prize fund was €1500. The top three prizes were €500, €350 and €250 along with a trophy each. The one-day rapid rating open was organized by Cercle d'Échecs du Bassin Annemassien at Martin Luther-King Complex in Annemasse, France on 26th October 2024. This was Sasikiran's first individual, second overall tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Club d’Échecs du Bassin Annemassien

Neelash Saha triumphs at 1st BNKU Chess Festival Rating Open 2024

08/11/2024 -

Top seed of the tournament - IM Neelash Saha scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win 1st Bharatiya Naveena Kreeda Utsav Chess Festival Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. Seven players - IM Kaustuv Kundu, GM Venkatesh M R, Alekhya Mukhopadhyay, Lokesh N, GM Saptarshi Roy, Siddhant Salunke and FM Ayushh Ravikumar scored 7.5/9 each. They secured second to eighth place respectively according to tie-breaks. Neelash drew with both runners-up. The total prize fund of the festival was ₹1500009, for Classical rating it was ₹1000009. The top three prizes were ₹110003, ₹60000 and ₹40000 along with a trophy each. This was Neelash's seventh overall, sixth rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: BNKU Foundation

Sorcery on the Board—3rd Home Solving Tier II

07/11/2024 -

Submissions for the first tier of the 3rd ChessBase India Home Solving Championship are now closed. We have received several promising entries, but the challenge intensifies in phase two. Can our contestants maintain their momentum? For Tier II, we present six additional problems, with the first three featuring the fascinating fairy condition Circe, where captured pieces burst back to life like phoenixes from the flames. In contrast, the final three problems shift gears to helpstalemates, where creative cooperation replaces competition, and both sides work together to achieve stalemates in the stipulated number of moves. All the rules are explained comprehensively, but comprehending them is ultimately up to you. Indeed, among other things, this contest is a test of your comprehension skills—your ability to adapt to novel definitions. Ready to give it a shot?

2nd Chennai GM R3: Arjun Erigaisi swindles Alexey Sarana, now World no.2

07/11/2024 -

Arjun Erigaisi continues to play with fire and avoids getting burned at 2nd Chennai Grand Masters 2024. The India no.1 swindled Alexey Sarana (SRB) who missed a win and eventually lost the game after a terrible blunder. It allowed Arjun to not only stay in the lead with M Amin Tabatabaei (IRI) but also become the new World no.2 in live ratings. Vidit Gujrathi had a well contested draw against Aravindh Chithambaram. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) neglected one pawn too many which cost him the game against Tabatabaei. Levon Aronian (USA) squeezed the life out of the uncharacteristic cramped play by Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI). Pranav V defeated Karthikeyan Murali to emerge sole leader in the Challengers by scoring a hat-trick. Round 4 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

The making of a chess prodigy: Kalyani Sirin's journey

07/11/2024 -

There are many chess prodigies who capture attention with their exceptional talent and determination. Kalyani Sirin stands out as a shining example of what it takes to combine great potential with hard work. This young prodigy from Kerala has achieved several victories on the international stage. With the support of her coaches and family, she has become a beacon of inspiration for young players aspiring to chase their dreams in the world of chess. Read the article to know her story. Photo: MBI

Aronyak Ghosh clinches 2nd Annemasse Masters 2024, Karthik Venkataraman second

07/11/2024 -

IM Aronyak Ghosh, GM Karthik Venkataraman and IM Polina Shuvalova scored an unbeaten 7/9 each at 2nd Annemasse Masters (≥1950) 2024. Aronyak won the tournament on tie-breaks, Karthik and Polina were placed second and third respectively. Aronyak drew against both of them and also earned his second GM-norm. He is now final GM-norm away from becoming India's next Grandmaster. The total prize fund of the entire festival was combining three categories was €26000 + cups and medals. The top three prizes in Masters was €3000, €2300 and €1700 along with a cup each. GM Raja Rithvik R, GM Karthikeyan Murali, GM Sasikiran Krishnan and GM Sankalp Gupta scored 6.5/9 each. They secured fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth place respectively. This is Aronyak's fifth tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Club d’Échecs du Bassin Annemassien

Experience the thrill of FIDE World Chess Championship live in Singapore

07/11/2024 -

The World Championship Match will take place from 23rd November to 13th December 2024 at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. It is now less than three weeks away. Are you planning to travel to Singapore, watch everything unfold in front of your eyes? Are you thinking about which hotel to book and if there is any package deal or offers for it? Worry not, FIDE has published a list of hotel choices which includes the day pass entry of the World Championship, a sightseeing/special attraction package and along with two nights of stay at the hotel. Find out all details in this article, book the package of your choice and make your travel plans accordingly. Photo: FIDE

Rathanvel wins 1st Sparkassen Open Lautertal 2024, Soham Das third

07/11/2024 -

IM Rathanvel V S, GM Hagen Poetsch (GER) and IM Soham Das scored an unbeaten 5.5/7 each at 1st Sparkassen Open Lautertal 2024. Rathanvel won the tournament on tie-breaks, Hagen and Soham were placed second and third respectively. Rathanvel drew against both of them. The total prize fund of the tournament combining two groups was €5400. The top three prizes in Group A (>1600) were €1000, €700 and €500 each. The four-day seven round Rating tournament was organized by Schachverein Reichenbach and ChessxDream at Heidenberghalle in Lautertal-Gadernheim, Germany from 17th to 20th October 2024. This is Rathanvel's first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Official site

2nd Chennai GM R2: Leon and Pranav score two in-a-row, Arjun and Aronian play an exciting draw

06/11/2024 -

The second round of 2nd Chennai Grand Masters had 50% decisive games in both Masters and Challengers section. The Iranians - M Amin Tabatabaei and Parham Maghsoodloo scored wins over Alexey Sarana (SRB) and Vidit Gujrathi respectively. Sarana played fast and crashed hard. Vidit for the second consecutive game, made a series of blunders in the endgame. Aravindh Chithambaram signed a 23-move draw against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA). Arjun Erigaisi and Levon Aronian (USA) had an exciting draw. Arjun could have pushed for a maximum. In the Challengers section, Pranav V and Leon Luke Mendonca scored their consecutive win. Round 3 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

Hrithickkesh and Laxman win Panchajanya Rapid and Blitz Rating Open 2024

06/11/2024 -

Four players - Hrithickkesh P R, GM Laxman R R, IM Ravi Teja S and IM Nitin S scored an unbeaten 8/9 each at 1st Panchajanya Rapid Rating Open 2024. Hrithickkesh won the tournament on tie-breaks. The remaining three were placed second to fourth respectively according to tie-breaks. Five players - Laxman, Nitin, Ravi, WCM Swara Lakshmi S Nair and Charith Bhat scored 8/9 each in Blitz. Laxman became champion due to better tie-breaks, the remaining four were placed second to fifth respectively. The total prize fund of the Rapid Rating tournament was ₹300000, for Blitz ₹100000. The top three prizes in Rapid were ₹30000 + trophy, ₹25000 + trophy and ₹15000 each. For Blitz, top three prizes were ₹14000 + trophy, ₹12000 and ₹10000 each. This was Hrithickkesh's first tournament triumph of the year, for Laxman, it was his fourth victory of 2024. Photo: Suresh Babu M H/Panchajanya Chess Academy

Shymkent GP R6: Goryachkina extends her sole lead

06/11/2024 -

The sixth round also had four decisive games just like the previous round at FIDE Shymkent GP. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina defeated GM Elisabehthe Paehtz (GER) to extend her sole lead 5/6 by a point. In an opposite color bishop endgame, it was not easy for the Germany no.1 woman to navigate through all complexities. She blundered at a crucial moment and lost the game. GM Koneru Humpy returned her opponent, IM Stavroula Tsolakidou's (GRE) sacrificed exchange. However, it was not enough to bounce back from a dwindling position. IM Divya Deshmukh had a well contested draw against IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) to maintain her 50% score 3/6. Round 7 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Konstantin Chalabov

2nd Chennai GM R1: Vidit fumbles big time, Arjun Erigaisi crosses 2800 again

05/11/2024 -

2nd Chennai Grand Masters is off to a fantastic start. The opening round witnessed a rollercoaster battle between GM Vidit Gujrathi and GM Arjun Erigaisi. Vidit had winning chances in the rook and minor piece endgame. Despite being control for the better part of it, time trouble caused him to miss all his chances and eventually make a terrible blunder which turned the tables. The World no.4 and India no.1 won the game and crossed 2800 once again. World Blitz 2021 winner, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) scored the only other win against GM Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI). GM Aravindh Chithambaram could have had a difficult outcome if his opponent, GM M Amin Tabatabaei (IRI) pressed further. Round 2 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh and Anmol Bhargav

Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Episode 16

05/11/2024 -

Welcome back to the “Strategic Mastery” series, brought to you by the collaboration of ChessNeurons and ChessBase India. In this episode, Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara will lead you through the next step in your chess journey. Our goal is to deepen your positional and strategic understanding through a series of meticulously crafted puzzles and clear, insightful explanations. In Episode 16, Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara will guide you through a key concept that can greatly enhance your strategic play: the Outpost. An outpost is a square that cannot be attacked by enemy pawns, offering a safe, dominant position for your pieces—especially knights. Learning how to create and exploit outposts can elevate your positional play, giving you control over critical areas of the board and paving the way for your powerful plans. This episode’s puzzles will guide you in identifying and leveraging outposts to transform your games. First, let’s reveal solutions to the puzzles from Episode 15 in which we discussed puzzles of Gukesh’s games till reaching 2700 FIDE Rating. Photo: Ankit Rajpara

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