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An Interview with the Former World Champion Ding Liren: Sports, Engines, Rest

12/03/2026 -

In early March, Jonathan Zhi had the chance to do a written interview with Ding Liren. His answers are translated from Chinese; the original answers are available here. The questions draw heavily from previous interviews, articles, podcasts, and TV shows that Ding has given, particularly Chinese-language ones. Jonathan started following professional chess during college. At some point, Jonathan realised that many interesting players don't get to fully express themselves in the media. He started doing interviews to highlight those players and help them share their thoughts, stories, and personalities. Read this conversation with the former World Champion Ding Liren

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India’s National School Chess League opens 2026 onboarding for Schools

12/03/2026 -

The National School Chess League (NSCL) 2026 is now open for schools across India. This is a free program that offers a digital platform for chess learning, practice, and competitions. Participating students will receive interactive lessons, assessments, and leaderboards. They can take part in a national competition at the end of the cycle. Schools can join online without extra costs, and optional advanced training is available for interested institutions. There is also an option for students to participate individually. Check out the article to know more about the program. Photos: CircleChess

Invitation to play at 1st Danne's Fide Rated Classical 2026 in Hyderabad

12/03/2026 -

Dannes Chess Academy is organising its 1st Danne's International FIDE Rated Open Classical Chess Tournament 2026 from 30th April to 4th May 2026 at Saroor Nagar Indoor Stadium, LB Nagar, Hyderabad. The total prize money of the event is ₹11,00,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹1,00,000, ₹60,000, and ₹40,000. The tournament will have 2 rounds each day, except the first day, with the time control of 90 Mins + 30 Sec increment per move from move 1. The early bird offer ends on 14th March. Register yourself and be a part of this event.

National Rapid 2025-26: Mithrabha Guha in sole lead after 5 rounds

12/03/2026 -

Mitrabha Guha of West Bengal emerges as the sole leader after 1st day at the National Rapid Chess Championship 2025-26. Mitrabha scored a perfect 5/5 to gain the sole lead over the pack of 11 players who are on 4.5/5 points. In the 6th round, Mitrabha will face Murali Karthikeyan with black pieces. The National Rapid Championship is organised at Sarala Birla University, Mahilong, Ranchi, from 11th March to 12th March. The time control of the tournament is 15 minutes + 10-second increment from move 1, with a total of 11 rounds. The National Blitz Championship will be played on 13th March at the same venue. Photos: Omkar Awale

Sarbartho Mani dominates at Grand Prix at Prague International Chess Festival 2026

11/03/2026 -

Sarbartho Mani scored 897 points to win the Giovanni Grand Prix at the Prague International Chess Festival 2026. Sarbartho had a great time in Prague and played some wonderful and exciting games across all formats. In the Karel Janecek Open, he scored 5.5/9 points with some exciting games, showing his resilience. In the H blitz event, he dominated the field of strong-titled players and scored an unbeaten 10/11 points to win the event. He also performed exceptionally well in the Rapid section, increasing his rating by 133 points. Check out what Sarbartho feels after winning the event in this report. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Shikhar Saxena - This tech founder is a silent supporter of Indian chess

11/03/2026 -

Meet Shikhar Saxena, an IIT Guwahati graduate and founder of Binary, who serves as the indispensable technical architect and advisor behind many of ChessBase India’s digital initiatives. Known for his unique decision to host a charity chess tournament at his wedding, Shikhar has become a big part of the chess ecosystem while fostering deep personal friendships with champions like Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi. Beyond technology, he brings a unique philosophical approach to life inspired by MS Dhoni’s principles of staying grounded, trusting the process, and maintaining radical accountability in both business and life.

Ram Prakash wins 1st Dehradun Open FIDE Rating Rapid 2026

11/03/2026 -

Ram Prakash of Punjab scored an unbeaten 9/10 points to win the 1st Dehradun Open FIDE Rating Rapid Chess Tournament. Krishnan Soni also scored 9/10 points to secure the 2nd place on tie-break scores. Vidit Sethi, Harshit Panwar, and Armaan Singh Bakshi scored 8.5/10 points to secure 3rd to 5th places respectively. The event was successfully organised by Chess Knight Academy in Dehradun from 7th to 8th February 2026 at Touchwood International School, Sahastradhara Road, Dehradun. The total prize money of the tournament was ₹1,00,000, and the top 3 prizes were ₹21,000, ₹15,000, and ₹12,000 along with trophies. Photos: IA Anurag Singh/Chess Knight Academy

Meet the 16 Superheroes who will be playing at the Super Heroes Cup: Living a life beyond extraordinary

10/03/2026 -

The Super Heroes Cup 2026, a special chess tournament for India's top specially abled chess players kicks off on 14th March! Among the 16 players for this two-day Knockout tournament, 15 were selected as the top players from their respective categories. The 16th and Final player were selected via the Online qualifiers on 8th March. In this article, we share with you all about these 16 players who will be seen in action of 14th and 15th March at the Habitat in Pune, Maharashtra. A big thank you to Samay Raina and Balraj Ghai for their benevolent support in making these event come to fruition!

Top Seed Apoorv Kamble wins Inventive 1.0 All India Rapid Rating 2026

10/03/2026 -

Apoorv Kamble scored 8/9 points to win the Inventive 1.0 All India FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2026. 5 players scored 8/9 points, but a better tiebreak score helped Apoorv to clinch the title. IM Hari Madhvan NB, IM Chakravarthi Reddy M, Nirmal L, and CM Sudharshan Bhat secured 2nd to 5th place, respectively, according to tiebreak scores. The total prize money for this tournament was ₹2,00,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹20,000, ₹15,000, and ₹14,000. The tournament was organized by Inventive Chess Academy at EuroSchool, Bangalore, Karnataka, on 28th February 2026. Photos: Praveen K/Inventive Chess Academy

15 young talents selected for Quantbox Research Scholarship worth Rs. 60 lakh

10/03/2026 -

At HelpChess, we believe that financial constraints should never come in the way of a child's dream. When Quantbox Research approached us with the desire to support young chess talents, we knew something special was about to unfold. Together, we have instituted the Quantbox Research Scholarship: a landmark initiative of Rs. 60 lakh aimed at easing the burden on promising players. This year, 15 talented youngsters from across the country have been selected to receive this support. Read on to discover who these players are and how this support is already transforming their journeys.

Invitation to play at Children’s Research University FIDE Rated Open and U-18 in Ahmedabad

10/03/2026 -

Children’s Research University and Gujarat Council on Science and Technology are organising a major 2-day Rapid Rating event with a total prize money of ₹11,00,000. On the 28th March, the Under-18 Rapid Rating tournament will be conducted with a nominal entry fee of ₹200; the total prize fund of the Under-18 tournament is ₹4,00,000. On the 29th March, the Open Rapid Rating tournament will take place with a total prize of ₹7,00,000. Both events will take place at Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Naranpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Each participant will be gifted an international chess kit by the organizers. Read more details in the article.

4th Anniversary of Phoenix ChessBase India Club Ratin: Ayush dominates in Rapid, Abhimanyu shines in Blitz

09/03/2026 -

Ayush Sharma from Madhya Pradesh dominated the field at the 4th Anniversary Phoenix ChessBase India Chess Club Rapid Rating Tournament. Ayush scored a perfect 9/9 points to win the Rapid event. FM Om Kadam scored 8/9 points to secure 2nd place. 8 players scored 7.5/9 points, but IM Akshay Borgaonkar secured the 3rd place on better tiebreak score. In the Blitz tournament, GM Abhimanyu Puranik scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to finish in first place. Kartavya Anadkat, Mithrabha Guha, and WIM Mrudul Dehankar scored 8/9 points to secure 2nd to 4th places respectively. The event was organized by ChessBase India from 28th February to 1st March at Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla. Photos: Omkar Awale and Tanmesh Mokal

A real-life “2 States” wedding in the Indian chess family

09/03/2026 -

Indian chess recently got a new couple: Vidhi Karelia and Srinath Narayanan. They tied the knot on 6th February 2026. They met online in 2021. She loves teaching chess and bringing new players into the game. He is one of India’s most respected coaches. Same game, but different worlds. She describes herself as chaotic; he is known for his patience. If you enjoy the kind of stories where two very different personalities somehow fit perfectly together, you might like this one. Read on to discover their story. Photo: Viral Memories and Totography clicks

A new job opening at ChessBase India - Customer Success Manager

09/03/2026 -

ChessBase India has a thriving e-commerce business which involves selling softwares, books, merch and much more. We sell products not just on our ChessBase India website, but also on Amazon, Flipkart and other platforms. As chess continues to grow in India and the world, the number of queries that we get with regards to our products is also growing. We are looking for a full-time person who would be interested to become our customer success manager - give our customers the best possible shopping and after sales service experience. If you think you fit in the role, then do read the article to know more about it and fill in the form.

Prague Challengers 2026: Vaclav Finek wins the Challengers, Divya Deshmukh secures 3rd place

09/03/2026 -

16-year-old local star from the Czech Republic, Vaclav Finek, wins the Prague Challengers 2026 with a clear half-point lead over the field by scoring 6.5/9 points. Daniil Yuffa scored 6/9 points to secure 2nd place. Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh scored 5/9 points to finish in third place. In the last round of Challengers, all games were decisive. Surya Shekhar Ganguly finished the event with a nice win over Benjamin Gledura, while Divya turned the tables in the game with Stepan Hrbek. Vaclav Finek won his last round against Thomas Beerdsen to secure the title and place in the Masters next year. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram, Prajwal Bhat

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