A Quick Recap of The Big Chess Inter-School Tournament 2025

The second edition of The Big Chess Inter-School Tournament was held from 16th to 18th May at the Phoenix ChessBase India Chess Club. A total of 306 players from various schools across the city participated in this event. There were six categories: U-6, U-8, U-10, U-12, U-14 and Open. The winners were Aksh Shrivastava (U-6), Kathit Shelar (U-8), Neev Bafna (U-10), Vihaan Rao (U-12), Mysha Perwez (U-14), and Vivaan Sardana (Open), who showcased exceptional skills. The top two finishers of all the sections got a chance to play in a simul against GM Harshit Raja. He personally felicitated all the winners and top performers after the simul. Check out the article to see these exciting moments! Photo: Nehal Deshmukh

Tu Thanh Tran dominates Japan Chess Championship 2025

Mayur Gondhalekar and his good friend, Sheldon Donaldson regularly keeps us updated about the Japan chess scene. Sheldon writes a blog about his experience of playing at Japan Chess Championship 2025. The Canadian origin, currently residing in Japan, Sheldon's article is full of high quality photos and some interesting moments from his games. He loves playing, analyzing and making us enjoy various moments from his games. Check out his account of the tournament which took place in Curian, Tokyo, Japan. IM Tu Thanh Tran won the tournament scoring an unbeaten 8/9. He finished 1.5 points ahead of the rest. Seven players scored 6.5/9. Out of them, Muxi Chen (CHN) and IM Ryosuke Nanjo secured second and third place according to tie-breaks. Photo: Sheldon Donaldson

Lokesh Kumar Pulkanti shares first place at Livingston Allegro May Bank Holiday Rapid Rating Major 2025

Lokesh Kumar Pulkanti, Ruslan Dudkin (UKR) and Darima Donitova-Johnstone (SCO) scored 3.5/5 each at Livingston Allegro May Bank Holiday Rapid Rating Major 2025. They shared first place. Lokesh got the better of Ruslan in the third round. His sole loss wasagainst Darima in Round 4. The top two prizes were £100 and £50 each. The one-day five round Rapid  Rating Open tournament was organized by Scottish Chess Tour and at Mercure Livingston Hotel in Livingston, Scotland on 5th May 2025. This is Lokesh's first rating tournament triumph of his career. Photo: Scottish Chess Tour

6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial R6: Praggnanandhaa joins the lead with Aravindh

R Praggnanandhaa defeated Benjamin Gledura (HUN) in the sixth round of 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial. Praggnanandhaa seized his advantage when his opponent dropped pawn in the middlegame and got himself in a worse position. Aravindh Chithambaram made a quick draw in ten moves against Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB). Both Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh are now coleaders 4/6 each. The remaining three games ended in draws. Aram Hakobyan (ARM) and Dmitrij Kollars (GER) are the only two players trailing by a half point at 3.5/6 each. Round 7 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Chess Academy of Armenia

Norway Chess Women R8: Humpy regains her sole lead, Vaishali beats Wenjun in Armageddon

GM Koneru Humpy bounced back by defeating IM Sara Khadem (ESP) in Round 8 of 2nd Norway Chess Women. This is the second time Humpy won against Sara in Classical at this event. This win moved Humpy to the top of the standings with a score of 13.5/24. GM R Vaishali won Armageddon against the five-time Women's World Champion, GM Wenjun Ju (CHN). GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR) defeated GM Tingjie Lei (CHN) in Armageddon again. Both Wenjun and Anna are at 12.5/24 each. Today is the last rest day. Round 9 starts tomorrow Thursday 5th June from 5 p.m. local time, 8:30 p.m. IST. Apart from youtube, there is also a live broadcast on Sony Liv. Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Karnataka Govt. Funds & Extends Support to CircleChess through Elevate Startup Program 2024-25

CircleChess has made history by becoming the first chess-focused startup in India to win the Elevate 2024 Startup Program under the Education and Ed-Tech category. This milestone highlights the startup’s innovative approach to chess education through technology, mentorship, and community. CircleChess blends AI-driven learning with coach-led programs to create a powerful platform for chess learners. They are transforming how chess is taught and experienced. The startup is supported by GM Vishnu Prasanna and World Champion Gukesh. So far, 70,000 users are already a part of its growing ecosystem, and as they say, this is just the beginning! Photo: CircleChess

Norway Chess 2025 R8: Arjun swerves Caruana, Wei beats Carlsen again

Arjun Erigaisi made a huge turnaround to beat the sole leader, Fabiano Caruana (USA) in Round 8 of 13th Norway Chess. The outcome did not affect the standings as Caruana is still at the top 12.5/24. Arjun made a few incorrect decisions in a difficult queen, rook and opposite color bishop endgame. He arrived at a losing position. However, Caruana could not capitalize and made huge mistakes himself to lose the game. Magnus Carlsen (NOR) lost another Armageddon and match against Wei Yi (CHN) after he blundered his knight by not seeing the entire tactic. Wei is the only player who defeated Carlsen twice at this event. The World Champion, D Gukesh made a huge positional mistake against Hikaru Nakamura (USA). He had to pay a huge price for it. Today is the last rest day. Round 9 starts tomorrow, Thursday 5th June from 5 p.m. local time, 8:30 p.m. IST. Apart from youtube, there is also a live broadcast on Sony Liv. Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

All India Civil Services Chess Tournament 2025 - Chennai Team, Utkal Ranjan Sahoo are Champions

The All India Civil Services Chess Tournament was organized by the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs, Government of Goa, in collaboration with All India Civil Services at the Multipurpose Sports Complex, Pedem, Mapusa, North Goa. The event comprised four events: Individual Men, Individual Women, Team Men & Team Women; Two of which were FIDE-rated. RSB Chennai won the Men's Team event while Kerala won the team event in the Women's Category. Utkal Ranjan Sahoo of RSB Bhubaneswar won the Individual event in Men, remaining unbeaten, while Amrutha S of RSB Mumbai became champion in the Individual Women category.

Viswanathan Anand defeats Faustino Oro 2–0 in the ‘Clash of Generations’ match

In the historic "Clash of Generations" match held at La Versiliana in the beautiful city of Pietrasanta, Italy, India’s five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand defeated Argentina’s 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro 2–0. While the match was largely one-sided, Oro displayed composure and focus beyond his age, and in the future, this match will certainly hold historical importance. Anand won the first game with the white pieces and the second with black. In both games, Anand played quickly and maintained pressure on Oro throughout. The opening ceremony was unique, as both players were brought to the match venue in a specially designed horse-drawn carriage. Prior to the match, the grand opening of the Chess Roads Festival included an exhibition of 40 rare and precious chess boards, inaugurated by Anand, Oro, world-famous musician Andrea Bocelli, and Paola Rovellini, President of the La Versiliana Foundation.

Following the match, both players participated in a simultaneous exhibition game, where Anand and Oro each faced 10 invited guests. They both won all of their games, creating a lasting impression on the audience. This historic event will certainly be remembered among the most special in chess history.

6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial R5: Aravindh maintains his sole lead, now World no.10

Aravindh Chithambaram drew against Samuel Sevian (USA) in Round 5 of 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial. In a double rook and minor piece endgame, Sevian could have made a break which would have given him substantial advantage. It is not clear whether it would have been enough for him, but surely it is better than what he opted in the game. Aravindh maintained his sole lead 3.5/5. He is now World no.10 with a live rating 2753.5. This is also the first time when four Indians are in World Top ten in live ratings. R Praggnanandhaa drew his third game in less than 25 moves. This time against Dmitrij Kollars (GER). Jonas Buhl Bjerre (DEN) and Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) are the only two victors of the round. Praggnanandhaa, Kollars and Aram Hakobyan (ARM) are trailing the sole leader by a half point at 3/5 each. Round 6 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Chess Academy of Armenia

The Big Chess Summer Camp 2025 is coming to Lucknow!

The Big Chess Summer Camp 2025 is all set to make its grand debut in Lucknow! It is organised by UP32 Knights in collaboration with ChessBase India and Teach Chess India. The camp will follow the same format of the Chess camps held annually at Phoenix Marketcity Mall in Mumbai. This one-of-a-kind free chess camp invites enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels to experience the joy of chess in a vibrant, community-driven setting. With a unique self-paced learning system, level-wise worksheets, exciting gifts, and a welcoming atmosphere, the camp will ignite or reignite your love for the game. Check out the article for more details.

Norway Chess Women R7: Wenjun Ju emerges sole leader

GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR) drew the Classical game against GM Koneru Humpy in Round 7 of 2nd Norway Chess Women. She drew the Armageddon too. Since she had the black pieces, she won the match and Humpy lost. The five-time Women's World Champion, GM Wenjun Ju (CHN) scored three points as she defeated IM Sara Khadem (ESP) in Classical. Thus, Wenjun is now the sole leader 11.5/21. Anna is just a half point behind 11/21, followed by Humpy 10.5/21. GM Tingjie Lei (CHN) defeated GM R Vaishali after the latter blundered in time trouble in a double rook and minor piece endgame. Round 8 starts today from 5 p.m. local time, 8:30 p.m. IST. Apart from youtube, there is also a live broadcast on Sony Liv. Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Norway Chess 2025 R7: Gukesh bests Arjun Erigaisi, climbs up to the second place

A win against Magnus Carlsen is undoubtedly a huge confidence boost. The World Champion continues his momentum as he won his second Classical game in-a-row at 13th Norway Chess. In the seventh round, he defeated his compatriot, Arjun Erigaisi who missed an opportunity to maintain a firm grip of the position. Once he loosened, Gukesh got back in the game and eventually turned things in his favor. Magnus Carlsen (NOR) was in no mood to play Classical chess. He drew quite possibly his final Classical game against Hikaru Nakamura (USA) and won Armageddon. Fabiano Caruana (USA) won against Wei Yi (CHN) for the second time at this event to gain sole lead 12.5/21. Round 8 starts today from 5 p.m. local time, 8:30 p.m. IST. Apart from youtube, there is also a live broadcast on Sony Liv. Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Gukesh beats Magnus, and the world goes “What?”

Gukesh took down the World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess at the 13th Norway Chess. The game was full of excitement, but it was the time trouble that changed the course of the result in just a few moves. It wasn’t the smoothest win. In fact, Gukesh himself said he was still shaking after the game. But a win is a win, and this one was special. His first classical victory over Magnus Carlsen! While Gukesh stayed composed as usual, the internet did the celebration for him. From top players to chess fans across the world, everyone had something to say. Here is how the world reacted to this epic moment. Photos: Michal Walusza

Sneha Halder superb at 7th SSC Classical and Blitz Rating Open 2025

WFM Sneha Halder scored 9/10 to win 7th SSC Rating Open 2025. She finished a half point ahead of the rest. Senarathne A A H M B (SRI), CM Hansana G Haritha (SRI) and Geenuka Kavinu Gunaweera scored 8.5/10 each. They secured second to fourth place according to tie-breaks. In the Blitz Rating Open, Sneha scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to become the champion. Dharmakeerthi G K Pasindu Nimsara (SRI), Jayaweera Y (SRI) and Hettiarachchi C U (SRI) scored 8/9. They secured second, third and fourth place respectively. The total prize fund was LKR 1.6 Million. The top three prizes in Classical were LKR 150000, 100000 and 75000 along with a trophy and medal each. The tournaments were organized by SSC International Chess Academy at Grand Rockland Hotel in Matara, Sri Lanka from 1st to 5th May 2025. This is Sneha's first and second second rating tournament triumph of the year. It is not every day that a girl wins an open tournament, let alone two. So this was an incredible feat by Sneha. Photo: Event by Navod De Silva