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The Journey of The Big Chess Summer Camp 2025 in Pictures

22/05/2025 -

A place where chess players come to meet, learn, play, and grow. A place where you are never too young or too old to discover chess. A place where you learn at your own pace. A place where you feel right at home the moment you walk in. That’s what the chess camp at the Phoenix ChessBase India Chess club is all about. It’s a place for players of all ages and skill levels. We recently organised The Big Chess Summer Camp 2025 at the Phoenix Marketcity Kurla, Mumbai, from 9th May to 14th May. Over the past two years, these camps have become truly special for us. This year, we saw a fantastic turnout with a total of 535 participants. Everyone found something to take back from this camp, not just in terms of chess, but also memories, friendships, and a whole lot of fun. Take a look at some photos that made this camp one to remember!

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

Alaukik Sinha dominates 2nd Maharashtra Chess Festival Below 1800 Rating Tournament 2025

22/05/2025 -

14-year-old Alaukik Sinha scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 2nd Maharashtra Chess Festival Below 1800 Rating Tournament 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Aditya Khairmode scored sole 8/9 to secure second place. He also remained undefeated. Parth Moghe and Yug Vishal Bardiya scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed third and fourth according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹604000. The top three prizes were ₹110000, ₹95000 and ₹85000 along with a trophy each. The four-day nine round Below 1800 rating tournament was organized by Maharashtra Chess Association from 25th to 28th April 2025 at Amanora Mall in Pune, Maharashtra. This is Alaukik's first rating tournament triumph of his career. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

8th Sharjah Masters R5: Iniyan and Aditya Mittal score

22/05/2025 -

GM Anish Giri (NED) drew with his coleader, GM Aleksandar Indjic (SRB) in Round 5 of 8th Sharjah Masters 2025. GM Changren Dai (CHN) defeated GM M Amin Tabatabaei (IRI) to join them in the lead 4/5. GM Visakh N R drew his game with GM Nikolas Theodorou (GRE) to move to 3.5/5. GM Iniyan Pa and GM Aditya Mittal scored full point against IM Ilamparthi A R and GM Jingyao Tin (SGP) respectively. Both of them join the pursuit at 3.5/5 each. 13 players are trailing the leaders by a half point at 3.5/5. Visakh, Aditya and the reigning National Rapid champion - Iniyan are the three Indians among them. Round 6 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

Kazakhstan Chess Federation invites you to Aktobe and Oskemen Open with a prize fund of US$ 100000 each

22/05/2025 -

Kazakhstan Chess Federation invites you to Aktobe Open 2025 - Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial and Oskemen Open 2025. Both of these feature three tournaments each - Masters (> 2400), Challengers (>1900) and Open (<1900). The total prize fund in both of these events are - US$ 100000 each, $78000 for Masters, $15000 for Challengers and $7000 for Open. The top three prizes are US$ 18000, 14000 and 10000. Entry is FREE for 2600+ in Masters, GM, IM, WGM, WIM in Challengers and Open. Conditions are offered to 2600+ players. GM Aditya Mittal won two tournaments in Kazakhstan in 2023. Kumar Gaurav won Oskemen Open 2024 last year. You could be the next one. Check out the article for more information. All tournament info photos are from tournament circular.

Srihari L R becomes the 86th Grandmaster of India

21/05/2025 -

IM Srihari L R became the 86th Indian to achieve the Grandmaster title on Thursday 15th May 2025 at Asian Individual Men 2025. After a draw against GM Pranesh M in the penultimate round, the final round result became immaterial towards his final GM-norm. Srihari earned his first GM-norm in August 2023 at Six-Days Budapest July-August GM A. A little over two months later, he scored his second GM-norm at Qatar Masters 2023 in Doha, Qatar. In August 2024, he got a published rating of exact 2500. Then nine months later, he earned his final GM-norm and end a year-long wait for India's next Grandmaster. Check out the journey of the talented boy from Chennai. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

Brand new release: Fritz 20

21/05/2025 -

Twenty versions of a software program in 34 years! In times of an AI explosion things have become more exciting than ever. Fritz 20 stresses the “human” playing concept, talks to you, adjusts itself to your playing level. You can select opponents like Morphy, Lasker, Capablanca, Tal, Fischer, Karpov... Or set it to play exactly like your opponent in a running event! At the 2024 Computer Chess World Championship in Santiago de Compostela, it shared first place among nine participants in the software category. Fritz 20 is available now on our store. Those who have already bought Fritz 19, can buy an upgrade at a discounted price. Photo: ChessBase

Vasyl Ivanchuk prevails at 4th Menorca Open, Karthikeyan Murali third

21/05/2025 -

The legend, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (UKR) scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win 4th Menorca Open 2025. He performed at 2833 and gained 22.1 Elo rating points. The total gain in the month of April was 39.7 points in 27 games, which is incredible. GM Shanglei Lu (CHN) and GM Karthikeyan Murali scored 7.5/9 each. They secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was more than €26000, an increase of €6000 means 30% The top three prizes were €6000, €4000 and €2500 along with a trophy each. GM Chongsheng Zeng (CHN) and GM Bharath Subramaniyam H scored 8/9 each in the Night Blitz. Chongsheng became champion and Bharath second. The top three prizes in the Blitz were €300, €200 and €150 each. Photo: Menorca Open

8th Sharjah Masters R4: Anish Giri and Aleksandar Indjic emerge coleaders

21/05/2025 -

GM Anish Giri (NED) and GM Aleksandar Indjic (SRB) won their respective games in Round 4 to emerge coleaders at 8th Sharjah Masters 2025. Anish defeated GM Ivan Zemlyanskii and Indjic got the better of GM Mihail Nikitenko. They will inevitably clash against each other in the fifth round. GM Visakh N R made a quick 14-move draw against GM Adam Kozak (HUN) to move to 3/4. UAE no.1, GM Salem Saleh scored a crushing victory over GM Madminov Mukhiddin (UZB). IM Ilamparthi A R managed to escape with a draw against GM Sergei Azarov. Round 5 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

Saptarshi RoyChowdhury wins the first-ever Rapid Rating Open in Nagaland

20/05/2025 -

GM Saptarshi RoyChowdhury etched his name in the record books by winning the first-ever rapid rating tournament ever held in Nagaland. Four players - Saptarshi, Tanmay Rajbongshi, Soram Rahul Singh and Arpan Das scored 7.5/9 each. They secured first to fourth place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹300000. The top three prizes were ₹40000, ₹30000 and ₹20000 along with a trophy each. The two-day nine round Rapid Rating Open tournament was organized by Nagaland Chess Association at Don Bosco Institute for Development and Leadership in Dimapur, Nagaland on 24th to 25th April 2025. This is Saptarshi's second rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Mengise Haikam / Nagaland Chess Association

Himal Gusain perfect at Locarno Open 2025

20/05/2025 -

India's highest rated IM - Himal Gusain scored a perfect 5/5 to win Locarno Open 2025. He finished a full point ahead of the rest. Jakub Bednarczuk (GER) scored sole 4/5 to secure second place. Alessandro Camagna (ITA) edged past three more players including the organizer, Claudio Boschetti (SUI) on tie-breaks to finish third scoring 3.5/5. The total prize fund was CHF 2150. The top three prizes were CHF 500, 300 and 200 along with a trophy each. The three-day five round rating tournament was  organized by Claudio Boschetti - Swiss CHess Tour at H4 Hotel Arcadia in Locarno, Switzerland from 25th to 27th April 2025. This is Himal's third rating tournament triumph of the year. A little over seven years ago, Himal won this event in 2018 scoring 4.5/5. Photo: IA Tiziana Balzarini

8th Sharjah Masters R3: Visakh draws with Indjic, stays in the lead

20/05/2025 -

GM Visakh N R drew with GM Aleksandar Indjic (SRB) in Round 3 to maintain his lead at 8th Sharjah Masters 2025. GM Visakh N R is the only Indian at 2/2. GM Pranav Anand went wrong in the double rook and knight endgame against GM Anish Giri (NED). Anish also moved to 2.5/3. GM Aditya Mittal seized his opportunity against GM Gabriel Sargissian (ARM). GM Bharath Subramaniyam H saved a half point in a tough queen vs double rook endgame against GM Samuel Sevian (USA). IM S Rohith Krishna outplayed GM Sethuraman S P. Round 4 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

Yash Watarkar claims Seine-et-Marne Below 2400 Rating 2025 with a 100% score

20/05/2025 -

Yash Watarkar scored a perfect 5/5 to win Seine-et-Marne Below 2400 Rating Tournament 2025. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. Arnaud Haie (FRA) and Nethul Dilsara Kankanige Perera (FRA) scored 4/5 each. They secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was €800. The top three prizes were €200, €150 and €100 along with a trophy each. The two-day five round rating tournament was organized by Francis Beley at Multipurpose Hall rue Saint Roch Rozay-En-Brie in Seine-et-Marne, France on 19th and 20th April 2025. This is Yash's first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Tours And Detours

L'Echiquier Du Roy René invites you to 2nd Dole Trophy 2025 offering prize fund worth more than €30000

19/05/2025 -

L'Echiquier Du Roy René invites you to 2nd Dole Trophy International Open 2025. It is one of the strongest tournaments in Europe. The total prize fund is more than €30000. The top three prizes are €8000, €5500 and €3500. There are three tournaments - Masters (>2100), Accession (<2200) and Petits Zelos (<1700). It will take place at Pasino Grand Aix in Aix-en-Provence, France from 19th to 27th July 2025. Indians had a huge success in the inaugural edition last year. GM Pranesh M and Dinesh Rajan M won the Masters and Accession events respectively last year. The next one could be you. So far 30 GMs, 30 IMs, 5 WGMs and 6 WIMs have registered from 29 countries across the world. It is shaping up to be a event which one cannot afford to miss. Photo: Officlal site

Arun Kataria convincingly clinches 2nd Jaipur Rating Open 2025

19/05/2025 -

Top seed, FM Arun Kataria scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win 2nd Jaipur Rating Open 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. Five players - IM Rahul Sangma, Shrayan Majumder, Manav Kumar, Deepak Batra and Sree Veeramani P scored 7.5/9 each. They secured second to sixth place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹1150000. The top three prizes were ₹100000, ₹75000 and ₹50000 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Royal Chess Club and Services at Jaipur Club in Jaipur, Rajasthan from 23rd to 27th April 2025. This is Arun's third tournament triumph of the month and year. Photo: Official site

8th Sharjah Masters R2: Visakh N R wins two in-a-row

19/05/2025 -

The reigning National champion, GM Karthik Venkataraman played a solid draw against GM Anish Giri (NED) in Round 2 of 8th Sharjah Masters 2025. GM Visakh N R is the only Indian at 2/2. He defeated the current National Rapid champion, GM Iniyan Pa. Apart from Visakh, GM Changren Dai (CHN) and GM Aleksandar Indjic (SRB) are the only two players who have won both of their respective games. GM Aditya Mittal held the top seed, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB). Although, Aditya could have pushed for a maximum but instead he decided to repeat moves and split the point. Round 3 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

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