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The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 is here - bigger and better

19/10/2024 -

In 2023 India got its highest ever classical super tournament in the form of Chennai Grand Masters. The tournament with an everage rating of 2711 proved to be a perfect event for fighting and high quality chess as well as an important one in the FIDE circuit. This year the event is back - bigger and better. Not only has the rating average of masters grown to 2729, but we also have a challengers section with 8 talented Indian youngsters fighting for that 1 masters spot. Read on to know all the players, prize money, schedule, venue and more of the Chennai Grand Masters 2024.

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Ian Nepomniachtchi wins 10th Gashimov Memorial, Aravindh Chithambaram third in Blitz

19/10/2024 -

Ian Nepomniachtchi scored 19/28 to win 10th Gashimov Memorial 2024. It was his first appearance in this prestigious event. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) continued his fantastic form from 45th Olympiad. He maintained his pursuit till the very end. However, he fell one point short and finished second 18/28. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE) also remained in the chase. His score 16/28 earned him a third place finish. Aravindh Chithambaram made an impressive Super GM tournament debut. He scored 8/14 in the Blitz event to finish third. His overall score 13/28 put him in the sixth place. Aravindh handed Abdusattorov his sole loss in the Blitz event. Apart from Nepomniachtchi and Mamedyarov, Aravindh defeated the remaining five players at least once out of three games. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Arjun Adireddy and Mrittika Mallick are National Junior 2024 Open and Girls Champions

19/10/2024 -

FM Arjun Adireddy (TEL) scored an unbeaten 9.5/11 to win 53rd National Junior Under-19 Open 2024. Mrittika Mallick (WB) and Sarayu Velpula (TEL) scored 9/11 each at 38th National Junior Girls. Mrittika won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, Sarayu was placed second. FM Sourath Biswas (WB) and FM Jaiveer Mahendru (MAH) scored 8.5/11 each. They were placed second and third in the Open event. Sneha Halder (WB) scored sole 8.5/11 to finish third. The total prize fund combining Open and Girls section was ₹1000000. The top three prizes in both Open and Girls sections were ₹100000, ₹72000 and ₹60000 along with a trophy each respectively. Arjun successfully defended his National Junior title. Mrittika is now both National Sub-Junior and Junior Girls champion. West Bengal dominates the podium by claiming three out of the six places.

PARALYSED...The Art of Madrasi Chess with IM Narayan Shankar Ram!

19/10/2024 -

What happens when pieces of the same type but opposite colour attack each other? In standard chess, nothing out of the ordinary occurs, besides it sometimes heightening the tension on the board or lending a dash of visual drama. There's, however, a fascinating variant of chess where such a confrontation leaves both pieces paralysed — that is, unable to move, capture, or even check! The delightful peculiarities spawned by invoking this condition were first explored by the Indian problemist Abdul Jabbar Karwatkar in 1979. Karwatkar lived in southern India, in Vaniyambadi near Chennai, formerly known as Madras. Hence, the variant came to be known as Madrasi Chess. While it's possible to play entire games of Madrasi chess, its primary appeal lies in the uncanny possibilities it offers problem composers. In this article, we delve into some of these possibilities through the creations of India's first International Master of Chess Composition, Narayan Shankar Ram.

Arjun Erigaisi wins the WR Chess Masters Cup 2024, gains 24.13 FIDE Circuit points

18/10/2024 -

GM Arjun Erigaisi emerged as the Champion of the WR Chess Masters Cup 2024 after defeating GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a thrilling final. Following two tense classical draws, the final Armageddon game saw Arjun outplay his opponent despite starting with nearly six minutes on the clock. Arjun earned a total of 24.13 points during this event and is now close to 2800 Elo. He is currently at the top of the FIDE Circuit leaderboard. Read on to discover how Arjun's journey to the title unfolded. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

WR Chess Masters Day 3: Arjun vs MVL in the finals!

17/10/2024 -

WR Chess Masters Semifinals was quite a spectacle, with two Indians and two Frenchmen fighting for a final spot. The players who will compete against each other to win the Cup are Arjun Erigaisi And Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Arjun Erigaisi defeated Praggnanandhaa 1.5-0.5 in the classical segment itself, winning with the White pieces and drawing with Black. In the other semifinal match, the two classical games between Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave were drawn. MVL defeated Firouzja in Armageddon with the Black pieces, securing the match win! Who do you think will win the WR Chess Masters? Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Sneha Waykar clinches the title in Cultural Olympiad - IFC 6 Chessboxing fight

17/10/2024 -

On July 23rd, 2024, the IFC 6 Chessboxing fight unfolded at the iconic venue L’Olympia in Paris, as part of the cultural event of the Paris Olympics 2024. In an intense 7-round match, Sneha and Kenza battled for the title. Sneha and Kenza were the first female fighters in this prestigious event. This article covers more about this event! (All the photos used in this article are credited to IFC/Julien M. Hekimian/Getty)

WR Chess Masters Day 2: Praggnanandhaa, Arjun, Maxime and Firouzja go ahead

16/10/2024 -

The Quarterfinals of the WR Chess Masters Cup 2024 saw full-fledged action - out of the four matches, two of them ended in the classical section, and two of them were decided by Armageddon. The players who proceed to the semifinals are - Arjun Erigaisi, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Alireza Firouzja. In the semifinals, there are all-Indian and all-French clashes happening - Arjun takes on Pragg, and MVL battles Alireza. Which players do you think will face each other in the finals? The semifinals start from 2:30 PM IST today. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

WR Chess Masters Day 1: Five Indians advance to Quarterfinal

15/10/2024 -

The second edition of WR Chess Masters 2024 began with a thrilling start on 13th October. The tournament is happening at the Langham Hotel in London. 16 of the world’s top players are set to compete in this knockout format with a new time control: 60 minutes for the first 30 moves, 30 minutes for the next 20 moves, followed by 30 additional minutes for the rest of the game (no increment throughout). This faster time control is being introduced for the first time and allows for two classical matches between the same opponents in one day. This novel approach is expected to enhance the drama on the board and challenge players to maintain high-level play under time pressure. Read the article to find out the results from Day 1. Photo: Tao Bhokhanandh

Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Episode 13

14/10/2024 -

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. This episode will focus on positions from the tournaments where Gukesh achieved his grandmaster norms, marking his ascent to one of the youngest grandmasters in history. Each puzzle from these events showcases the sharp strategic understanding and composure Gukesh displayed during these formative stages of his career. By studying these positions, you’ll not only enhance your chess skills but also gain insight into what it takes to achieve the title of Grandmaster.

'May the best player win' captures chess like never before

13/10/2024 -

While millions of chess study materials are available in the market, it’s rare to see a chess novel. Chess is often limited to a short scene in movies or fiction. It rarely got the center stage as the heart of the story, which it deserves. That’s what makes Kyla Zhao’s 'May the Best Player Win' stand out. The book revolves around chess and highlights some critical issues like sexism in chess, performance anxiety, and self-doubt. Readers will experience these issues through the eyes of a young girl, May. Her journey before playing in the National Tournament is filled with challenges just like any other chess player. The book was officially released on the 17th of September 2024. It brings a fresh perspective to chess storytelling. Read on to discover why 'May the Best Player Win' is a must-read for every chess lover and beyond! Photo: Kyla Zhao

Triveni Continental Kings clinches Tech Mahindra Global Chess League for the second consecutive year

12/10/2024 -

Triveni Continental Kings defeated PBG Alaskan Knights in both matches of the Finals to defend their Tech Mahindra Global Chess League title. In the first match, Alireza Firouzja and Alexandra Kosteniuk scored the key wins for TCK. Nodirbek Abdusattorov was the sole victor for PBG AK. In the second match of the Finals, the 'Icon' of PBG AK, Anish Giri avenged his loss against Firouzja by playing fast, furious and accurate. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was the only other winner for the team. Wei Yi, Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina scored the crucial wins which allowed them to score a dominating victory 7-13. Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group and award-winning actor and film producer, John Abraham made the ceremonial first moves for the first and second matches respectively. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Anirudhha Potawad dominates 2nd The Chembur Gymkhana Rapid Rating Open 2024

12/10/2024 -

FM Anirudhha Potawad scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 2nd The Chembur Gymkhana Rapid Rating Open 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. Five players - Paras Dilip Bhoir, Arnav Mahesh Koli, FM Vedant Nagarkatte, IM Sameer Kathmale and FM Gaurang Bagwe scored 8/9 each. They secured second to sixth place respectively according to tie-breaks. Top three remained undefeated. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹20000 + trophy, ₹10000 and ₹8000 each. The one-day nine round Rapid Rating tournament was organized by Institute for Chess Excellence with the support of The Chembur Gymkhana on 29th September 2024 at The Chembur Gymkhana in Mumbai, Maharashtra. This is Anirudhha's fifth overall and first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Ravindra Potawad

Imran triumphs at 29th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

12/10/2024 -

FM Md. Imran scored 6.5/9 to win 29th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2024. He finished a half point ahead of the field. GM Evgeniy Podolchenko and IM Semetei Tologon Tegin scored 6/9 each. They secured second and third place according to tie-breaks. The seven-day ten-player round-robin tournament was organized by Coimbatore District Chess Association at Hotel Alankar Grande in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu from 23rd to 29th September 2024. Tournament Coordinator - IA FI M Ephrame writes the tournament report. Photo: IA FI M Ephrame

Javokhir Sindarov powers Triveni Continental Kings to Tech Mahindra GCL Finals

11/10/2024 -

Javokhir Sindarov won an exhilarating battle against Daniel Dardha to power his team, Triveni Continental Kings to the Finals of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. Magnus Carlsen had an exciting finish against Alireza Firouzja. However, his win was not enough for his team, Alpine SG Pipers to advance to the Finals. R Praggnanandhaa played well against Wei Yi to get a decisive advantage early in the game but he could not manage to seize any of his series of opportunities. Valentina Gunina's victory over Kateryna Lagno also turned out to be crucial for the defending champions. The other finalist, PBG Balan Alaskan Knights scored a dominating victory over American Gambits 5-14. Finals Match 1 starts tomorrow from 2:15 p.m. local time, 6:45 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

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