Books, Boards, Clocks & More

At ChessBase India Shop

Visit now!

new books banner

Punjab State Rapid and Blitz 2026: Shubham wins Rapid, Nikhil shines in Blitz

27/02/2026 -

Top seed Shubham Shukla of Ludhiana scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the Punjab State Rapid Chess Championship. Nikhil Chehal of Patiala won the Punjab State Blitz Chess Championship with an unbeaten 8/9 points. The championship also served as a selection tournament, with the top 2 performers earning the opportunity to represent Punjab at the upcoming National Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. The event was successfully conducted on January 31 and February 1, 2026, at the campus of Amity University, Mohali. The state championship was organized by the Punjab State Chess Association in collaboration with Social Substance. Photos: Ankush Kathuria

NEW LAUNCH

CHESSBASE '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26

The industry standard new combo is here to help you uplift your Chess!

ChessBase '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26 Shop Now

Is Gukesh calculating too much?

27/02/2026 -

Is calculation becoming a strength that turns into a weakness? In this opinion piece, Ravi Abhyankar explores the delicate balance between calculation and instinct in modern chess. Can today’s elite players afford to rely only on deep calculation and ignore speed? Why does blitz matter so much for a classical World Champion today? By blending data, history, and modern realities, the article explains what dominance means in modern chess. Photo: Eng Chin Ann

Prague Chess Festival 2026 R2: Aravindh gets the winning start after beating Hans

27/02/2026 -

Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram scored a big win with the black pieces in the second round of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026. In the Masters section, there were 2 decisive results where Aravindh Chithambaram won his game against Hans Niemann, and David Anton Guijarro beat Jorden van Foreest with white pieces. In another important game, Nodirbek Yakubboev drew against D Gukesh. In the Challengers section, Divya Deshmukh drew her game against GM Daniil Yuffa, and Surya Shekhar Ganguly played a draw against Jonas Buhl Bjerre. In the 3rd round, Divya will be facing the World no.2 Zhu Jiner with black pieces. The third round for Masters, Challengers, and Futures, and Round 2 of Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Rohit Jadhav wins the Mind Champions Challenge 3rd Edition

26/02/2026 -

The Mind Champions Challenge 3rd Edition was held on 21st February 2026 at the Phoenix ChessBase India Chess Club, Phoenix Marketcity Mall, Kurla. It was sponsored by the Lions Club of Bombay Uptown and organised in association with the All India Chess Federation for the Blind, ChessBase India, and Phoenix Marketcity Mall. Around 36 visually impaired players participated in the event. Rohit Jadhav emerged as the champion with a score of 4.5/5, followed by Swapnil Shah and Gaurav Khetre, who finished second and third, respectively, with 4/5 points. Check out the article for the report.

Prague Chess Festival 2026 R1: Gukesh and Divya starts with a draw

26/02/2026 -

The 8th edition of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026 started with many interesting games and some huge upsets. Masters section witnessed 4 decisive results with the white side winning in all 4 games. The only game that ended in a draw was between World Champion D Gukesh and Hans Niemann. In the Challengers section, there were 3 decisive results in which Surya Shekhar Ganguly (IND) lost to Thomas Beerdsen (NED). GM Divya Deshmukh (IND) drew her game against Benjamin Gledura (HUN) to start her campaign. The second round for Masters, Challengers, and Futures, and Round 1 of Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Vaibhav Jayant Raut triumphs at 1st G H Raisoni Memorial Rapid Rating Jalna 2026

26/02/2026 -

FM Vaibhav Jayant Raut of Nagpur, Maharashtra, scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to claim first place at the 1st G H Raisoni Memorial FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament. Kartavya Anadkat also scored 8/9 points to secure the 2nd Place. It was a five-way tie on 7.5/9 points for third place, but CM Naitik Mehta secured the 3rd place on better tirebreaks. This one-day rapid-rated tournament was organized by G H Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation & Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation at Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Jalna, Maharashtra, on 8th February, with a total prize fund of ₹2,00,000, and the top 3 prizes were ₹31,000, ₹25,000, and ₹20,000, respectively. Photos: Bhushan Shirwas

Sharjah Masters 9th edition starts from 30th April 2026

25/02/2026 -

One of the strongest classical tournaments in the chess calendar is back with its 9th edition! The Sharjah Masters 2026 is set to take place from 30th April to 10th May 2026. The last edition was won by Anish Giri (Category A), Mayank Chakraborty (Category B) and Shubham Shukla (Category C). Once again, the event will feature the same exciting categories. While the players' list is yet to be announced, we can expect some of the world’s best players fighting for the title. The total prize fund for the event is $100,000 (around Rs. 90 Lakh). It will be a nine-round Classical Swiss tournament with a time control of  90 minutes+30 seconds increment per move for the whole game. The tournament will be held at the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club. Check out all the tournament details below. Photo: Sharjah Masters

Aditya Mittal clear first at 3rd Al-Beruniy Challengers 2026

25/02/2026 -

GM Aditya Mittal wins the 3rd Al-Beruniy Challengers 2026 with a clear half-point lead over the field. Aditya scored an unbeaten 6.5/9 points to win this round-robin event. Aditya started the event as a top seed and finished the tournament on a high note. GM Manuel Petrosyan of Armenia scored 6/9 points to secure second place, and GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov also scored 6/9 points to finish in third place. The tournament was organized by the Uzbekistan Chess Federation in Tashkent from 13th to 21st February, with the top 3 prizes in the Challengers of $5,000, $3,500, and $2,500, respectively. Photos: Uzbekistan Chess Federation

Two thousand players took part in FIDE rated event at LJ University Ahmedabad

25/02/2026 -

Have you ever seen or heard two thousand chess players in action in a huge playing hall? The venue and the organizer were the LJ University, Ahmedabad, which hosted the mammoth tournament, providing free AICF registration, lunch, and dinner on both days, plus unlimited snacks and coffee & tea. The nine-round rapid rating tournament, an attempt at a Guinness world record (around 2000 players from a single university playing in a rating tournament), was organized by the LJ University at its campus on 16th and 17th February. Krunal K Solanki, an invited rated player, won the tournament with a perfect score of 9/9 points. Photos: LJ University, Ahmedabad

19 year-old Rohit S becomes India's latest IM at First Saturday IM Tournament in Budapest

24/02/2026 -

Rohit S is India's latest International Master!! Rohit recently crossed the 2400 Elo mark in the live ratings at the First Saturday IM tournament in Budapest, February 2026, completing the requirements for the International Master title. He scored an unbeaten 7/9 points in the event to secure first place and gained 25.6 Elo points to cross the 2400 mark. This result came immediately after a strong performance at the Six Days Budapest GM-B tournament earlier, where he gained 33.2 Elo rating points. His first IM norm came at the Prague International Chess Festival 2024, followed by his second at the Serbia Open 2024. He completed his 3rd norm at the 18th Arad Open GP Classic 2025 in Romania. Photos: IO Nagy Laszlo/First Saturday Chess Tournament

Jorden Van Foreest wins Head-to-Head Match against Ediz Gürel in Ankara

24/02/2026 -

A 12-game match between Ediz Gürel and Jorden Van Foreest was held in Ankara from 11th to 17th February under the auspices of the Turkish Chess Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The event brought together one of Turkey’s young and accomplished Grandmasters, GM Ediz Gürel, and Dutch Grandmaster GM Jorden van Foreest. The match had six classical games, two Rapid Freestyle (Chess960) games, and four Blitz games, making a total of 12 encounters. Jorden Van Foreest convincingly wins the series with 19.5-6.5 points. The event has been recorded as a significant occasion in terms of contributing to Türkiye’s young athletes’ international experience and supporting the development of chess in the country. News: Kübra Ceylan Photos: Turkish Chess Federation

FM Pranav K P triumphs at AIM Rapid Rating 2026

24/02/2026 -

FM Pranav K P scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the AIM International FIDE Rated Rapid Tournament with a clear half-point lead over the field. Going into the last round, Pranav was on 8/8 points, and he drew his last game against Gokul Krishna S to win the title. Sham R and Sarveshwaran V scored 8/9 points to finish in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. This one-day rapid rating event was organized by Aim Chess Academy & Nathan Chess Academy at The Navodaya Academy Senior Sec School, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu. The total prize fund was ₹2,40,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹25,000, ₹18,000, and ₹13,000 along with trophies. Photos: FA & NI R Sivaramakrishnan

Novy Bor Chess Club is leading at Czech Extraliga 2025-26

23/02/2026 -

The Czech Extraliga is one of the best team competitions in Europe, and it started on 29th November 2025. In this long event, the twelve strongest teams are competing and offering exciting, eye-catching matches. The 8th round is finished on the 22nd Feb, and Novy Bor Chess Club is leading the league with 21 points, Exhibition Centre Lysá nad Labem and ŠK ZIKUDA Turnov A are in joint second place with 19 points. Novy Bor Chess Club already won the Czech Extraliga a record 14 times, and this year they are defending their title. Rounds 7 and 8 of the competition were played at the Don Giovanni Hotel in Prague before the start of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Vaibhav Jayant Raut clear first at 3rd G H Raisoni Memorial Rapid Rating Amravati 2026

22/02/2026 -

FM Vaibhav Jayant Raut of Maharashtra scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the 3rd G H Raisoni Memorial International FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament in Amravati. Three players scored 8/9 points, and due to the tiebreaks, Kartavya Anadkat of Gujarat, FM Siddhant Gawai, and Ashish Chaudhari of Maharashtra secured 2nd to 4th positions respectively. This one-day rapid-rated tournament was organized by G H Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation & Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation at G H Raisoni University, Amravati, Maharashtra, with a total prize fund of ₹2,00,000, and the top 3 prizes were ₹31,000, ₹25,000, and ₹20,000, respectively. Photos: Bhushan Shirwas

Prithvi Raj Prajeesh wins 11th ACA Classical FIDE Rated 2026

22/02/2026 -

After six competitive rounds, Prithvi Raj Prajeesh of India emerged as the Champion at the 11th ACA Classical FIDE Rated Chess Tournament, scoring an unbeaten 5.5/6 points and showing consistent play throughout the event. Lumanog Eddie Jr L, of the Philippines, scored 5/6 points to secure second place. 7 players scored 4/6 points, but a better tiebreak score helped Noel Abraham Punnoose of India secure third place. The tournament was organized by Arjun’s Chess Academy at the Game Arena, Zinj, Bahrain, from 25th January to 3rd February 2026, with the time control of 60 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move 1. Photos: Arjun Kakkadath

Contact Us