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423 players take part in the Aurionpro Mumbai International Grandmaster and Junior Chess Tournament 2025: Round 1-3 Report

19/06/2025 -

After a hiatus of almost 5 years, a Grandmaster tournament is happening in Mumbai - it is the Aurionpro Mumbai International Grandmaster Tournament! Along with the GM Open, the U-13 Juniors tournament is also taking place - just like the previous editions. After the first 3 rounds of play, the top seeds are seen to be dominating in both the sections - in Masters, Levan Pantsulaia (2551, GEO), and in juniors Aansh Nandan Nerukar (2356) are leading with 3/3 points. 6 more rounds remain to be played at the Expo Hall of the World Trade Center in Mumbai! Go through all that happened in the first three rounds in our report. Photos: Vivek Sohani, Himank Ghosh

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

Arjun, Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh set to face World's best at 2nd UzChess Cup Masters

19/06/2025 -

Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram will make their debut at 2nd UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The World no.3, Arjun is the highest rated player in the field. Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) is the defending champion. The remaining six participants in the Masters are - Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), Ian Nepomniachtchi, Richard Rapport (HUN), Javokhir Sindarov (UZB), Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) and Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB). The tournament will take place at Panarams Hotel in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 19th to 27th June. The total prize fund of the tournament is US$ 121500. Masters has $80000, Challengers $25000, Futures $11500 and Open $5000. Round 1 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Sharp Minds on 64 Squares: Chennai’s Children’s Chess Tournament Returns!

18/06/2025 -

The 8th edition of the 64 Squares Children’s Chess Tournament will be held at Chennai Citi Centre, Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore, a prominent venue near the beach. The event will follow a rapid format with a time control of 15 minutes per player, without increment, and will run from 10 AM to 4 PM. Previous editions have featured open categories, with one such event offering a prize pool of ₹50,000, comprising 20 cash prizes and 3 awards for veteran players. The tournament regularly attracts a competitive field, including several FIDE-rated participants. The maximum number of entries this time is limited to 350. Further details follow in this article.

23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships to take place in Malaysia next month

17/06/2025 -

Penang Chess Association, ASEAN Chess Confederation and Malaysian Chess Federation are inviting participants from ASEAN members. Players from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste, Dialogue Partners - Australia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and USA are eligible. If the participation requirements are met, the medal winners in selected categories may become eligible for direct titles and norms. Check out the article for more information. All tournament info photos are from tournament circular. Photo: Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau

Ameya Audi dominates 4th Late Venkatesh and Sumathi Shanbag Rolling Trophy Rapid Rating Open 2025

17/06/2025 -

IM Ameya Audi scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win 4th Late Venkatesh and Sumathi Shanbag Rolling Trophy Rapid Rating Open 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the field and won this event for the third consecutive year, completing a hat-trick. Four players - Mandar Pradip Lad, Arpith S Bijoy, Reuben S Colaco and Joshua Mark Telles scored 8/9 each. They secured second to fifth place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹125000 + 92 trophies. The top three prizes were ₹30000, ₹15000 and ₹10000 along with a trophy each. The two-day nine round Rapid Rating Open tournament was organized by Mormugao Taluka Chess Association at St. Therese's High School in Vasco De Gama, Goa on 17th and 18th May 2025. This is Ameya's first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Tanishq Kavlekar/Mormugao Taluka Chess Association

5th Cairns Cup R6: Humpy beats Harika to emerge sole leader

17/06/2025 -

GM Koneru Humpy defeated GM Harika Dronavalli to emerge sole leader at 5th Cairns Cup. Harika made an incorrect exchange sacrifice. She had compensation but it was not enough as Humpy's long-term material advantage helped her to win the game. She is now at 4.5/6. IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL) defeated GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) to move to 4/6. IM Carissa Yip (USA) played fantastic chess to beat GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN). She is now at 3.5/6 with Harika and IM Alice Lee (USA). GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ) crushed Alice after the latter went wrong early in the game. GM Nino Batsiashvili (GEO) made a one-move blunder in the endgame which cost her the point against GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO). Round 7 starts today at 12 p.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

India wins five medals at Western Asian Junior Chess Championships 2025

16/06/2025 -

India has won a total of five medals including two Silver and three Bronze medals at Western Asian Junior Chess Championships 2025. The reigning National Under-13 Girls 2024 champion - Saranya Devi Narahari scored 6.5/9 to win Bronze in Classical Girls. IM Mayank Chakraborty scored 5.5/7 in Rapid and Blitz Open events to secure a Bronze medal each. WFM Keerti Shree Reddy scored 6/7 to earn Silver in Rapid Girls. Mrittika Mallick scored 6/7 to get Silver in Blitz Girls. Mayank is the sole Indian to have won two medals in this edition. Photo: Monomita Chakraborty

How two mothers kickstarted a memorable chess camp

16/06/2025 -

Chess camps are one of the best ways for young players to learn closely from strong coaches and improve their understanding of the game. Two chess moms had one simple wish to give their children that experience. They shared this idea and followed up seriously. Soon, things began falling into place, and Chess Camp with GM Harshit Raja was organised. The 12-hour masterclass happened on 25th and 26th May 2025 in Mumbai. Kudos to these two mothers who made something happen for the journey of many young players. Read the article to see how it all came together. Photo: Vidhi Karelia

WR Chess retains World Blitz Team title, Hexamind third

16/06/2025 -

WR Chess Team successfully defended their World Blitz Team title as they defeated KazChess 4-2 in both matches. Hexamind Chess Team won the third place against Uzbekistan by winning by both matches with the same score 2.5-3.5. Only two out of 27 board prizes were won by Indians. GM Arjun Erigaisi (MGD1) got Bronze on Board no.1 and Sarbartho Mani (Freedom) received on Board no.9. The total prize fund was €500000 combining Rapid and Blitz, €310000 in Rapid and €190000 in Blitz. The top three prizes were: €110000, 70000 and 50000 each respectively. For Blitz, the top three were - €75000, €50000 and €30000 each. Photo: FIDE/Rafal Oleksiewicz

Sailesh R wins 1st SRM Rating Open 2025

16/06/2025 -

Seven players - Sailesh R, Hari Ganesh T, Vignesh N, Sivan S Roshan, Abinandhan R, Ajjesh J R and Ayyappan P Santhana Prabu scored 7/8 each at 1st SRM Rating Open 2025. Sailesh won the tournament due to better tie-break scores. The remaining six were placed second to seventh respectively. Apart from Ajjesh, the remaining six remained undefeated. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹500000. The top three prizes were ₹50000 + trophy, ₹40000 and ₹30000 each. The four-day eight round Rating Open tournament was organized by Golden Knights Chess Academy and Master Mind Chess Academy at Major Dhyan Chand Indoor Stadium, SRM IST, Kattankulathur in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu from 15th to 18th May 2025. This is Sailesh's fourth overall, second rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

IMC India donates Rs. 1,00,000 to HelpChess Foundation to empower Indian chess players

16/06/2025 -

In recent times, there has been a surge in corporate interest in promoting chess. Many companies now align with our mission to support talented players who are facing financial issues. Recently, IMC India stepped forward and donated Rs. 1,00,000 to the HelpChess Foundation. This initiative was led by Debajyoti, who nominated the foundation through their "Make Your Mark" CSR program. This generous contribution will ease the financial burden on a promising chess player. ChessBase India had the opportunity to speak with both Debajyoti, Quantitative Researcher, and Jet, CSR Coordinator at IMC India, about this donation. Read the article to know their insights and what profound impact this support will have on Indian chess.

Abhijeet Gupta clear first at 21st Delhi GM Open, Diptayan Ghosh third

15/06/2025 -

GM Abhijeet Gupta made a quick draw against IM Aronyak Ghosh to win 21st Delhi GM Open 2025. Abhijeet became a clear champion with 8.5/10. He won this event for the fourth time since 2008. Five players - GM Mihail Nikitenko, GM Diptayan Ghosh, IM Aronyak Ghosh, GM Aditya S Samant and GM Duc Hoa Nguyen (VIE) scored 8/10 each. They were placed second to sixth according to tie-breaks. As many as 16 players scored 7.5/10 each. Out of them, top seed of the tournament, GM S L Narayanan was placed seventh according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹12100000, ₹5100000 in Category A. The top three prizes are ₹700000, ₹600000 and ₹500000 along with a trophy each. This is Abhijeet's first triumph of the year. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

World Blitz Team 2025: WR Chess, MGD1, Freedom, Hexamind, Ashdod and others advance to the KO stage

15/06/2025 -

The defending champion, WR Chess Team, Freedom, Uzbekistan and MGD1 have topped their respective Pools in the Pool stage of FIDE World Blitz Team Championship 2025. Out of them, only WR Chess and Uzbekistan have won all twelve matches. However, in the KO stage, those scores will not matter. World Blitz 2024 Cochampion, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi has joined WR Chess. Surprisingly, GM Alireza Firouzja did not play a single game in the Pool stage. MGD1 would certainly like to make it a double and dethrone the defending champions, WR Chess. Hexamind Chess Team and Ashdod Elit Chess Club have also advanced to the next stage. KO Stage starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: John Brezina

Chess dads- The Silent Architects Behind Every Move

15/06/2025 -

The glitz and glory of Indian chess - that’s what we often see. But behind those moments are stories we don’t always hear. This Father's Day, we celebrate the silent strengths of chess dads, the ones who make the early sacrifices, the ones who stand by through the ups and downs. Like Rameshbabu, the father who simply wanted his kids, Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa, to stay busy, never imagining they'd become global chess stars. And Rajnikanth, Gukesh's dad, who even left his job to support his son's dreams. Read their inspiring stories and discover the profound impact of these incredible fathers.

5th Cairns Cup R5: Carissa Yip beats Nana Dzagnidze

15/06/2025 -

IM Carissa Yip (USA) scored the sole victory of the fifth round at 5th Cairns Cup 2025. She defeated GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) after finding the correct sacrifice. Her follow through was not precise which delayed her win. GM Koneru Humpy played a solid draw against IM Alice Lee (USA). GM Harika Dronavalli had a 17-move quick draw against GM Zhongyi Tan (CHN). Humpy, Harika and Alice are still in the lead 3.5/5. They are closely followed by IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL) at 3/5 and IM Carissa Yip (USA) 2.5/5. Today is the sole rest day. Round 6 starts tomorrow Monday 16th June at 12 p.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

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