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Innovators Chess Academy brings a unique Grand Prix offering ₹24.35 lacs prize fund

22/12/2025 -

Innovators Chess Academy as the name suggests keeps organizing innovative chess tournaments. In January 2026, they are organizing five Rapid and Blitz Open tournaments, three of those Rapid and one Blitz event will be rated. That's not all, each of those events will have Grand Prix points which will culminate in a GP Final among the top 40 GP finishers. Sounds interesting right? One of the Blitz event is a Blitz marathon event inspired by Pardubice Blitz Marathon tournament. All five tournaments have huge prize fund. The Bonus GP Final will offer a ₹100000 prize fund. The total prize fund combining all five GP events and the Final is ₹24.35 lacs. Entry is FREE for GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs. For more details, read the article. Logo: Innovators Chess Academy

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Tech Mahindra GCL 2025 Day 8: Triveni Continental Kings are through to the Finals with a round to spare

22/12/2025 -

Triveni Continental Kings are through to the Finals of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2025 with a round to spare. Ganges Grandmasters suffered their second loss against TCK which allowed the latter to advance to the Finals. They will face upGrad Mumba Masters in Round 10. Alpine SG Pipers defeated uMM and FYERS American Gambits to move to the second position 15/27. They just need to ensure they do not lose against PBG Alaskan Knights in the last round of double round-robin stage to secure their place in the Finals. Round 10 starts today at 5 p.m. IST with FYERS American Gambits vs Ganges Grandmasters. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Sandeep Santhosh wins XXII Gran Hotel Bali Chess Festival Aficionados Group B 2025

21/12/2025 -

Sandeep Santhosh and Miguel Lacamara Pasamar (ESP) scored 8/9 each at XXII Gran Hotel Bali Aficionados B (<2000) 2025. Sandeep won the tournament on tie-breaks, Miguel secured second place. The total prize fund for the entire festival was €35000. The top three prizes in Aficionados B was €2300, €1500 and €1000 along with a trophy each. IM Srinath Rao S V won the Blitz Open Group A scoring 6.5/8. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. GM Carlos Daniel Albornoz Cabrera (CUB), Yifan Hou (CHN, HLJ), IM Zhihang Xu (CHN) and IM Felix-Antonio Illinca (ROU) scored 6/8 each. They were placed second to fifth respectively. In Blitz Group B (<2000), Aleksandar Stanchev (BUL), Om Gada and Veer Kunjan Shah scored 7/8. They secured first, second and third place. The top three prizes in both group of Blitz events was €300, €150 and €100 along with a trophy each. This was Sandeep's first rating tournament triumph of the year. WFM Charvi A scored her first WIM-norm in Open A event. Photo: Patricia Claros Aguilar

New: Surya Ganguly: Calculation Step by Step: A Grandmaster’s Training Guide Vol 2 - Advanced Practice

21/12/2025 -

GM Surya Ganguly’s Calculation Training – Part 2 takes players beyond the structured basics of the first course (forcing moves, elimination, short calculation, visualization, and comparison) into a more complex, tournament-like environment. The lessons mix attack, defense, long calculation, imagination, and unusual tactical patterns, forcing students to think without hints and develop practical decision-making under pressure. Ganguly also emphasizes psychology and mindset, sharing his own instructive experiences against elite players like Morozevich and Nigel Short - moments of missed tactics, emotional struggle, and recovery. The goal is to help players train calculation depth, accuracy, and resilience as if playing real tournament games. Photo: ChessBase

Tech Mahindra GCL 2025 Day 7: Gukesh misses a win against Anand, Triveni Continental Kings still at the top

21/12/2025 -

Triveni Continental Kings is still at the top after Day 7 of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2025. The sixth day started by upGrad Mumba Masters suffering a huge loss 1-16 against FYERS American Gambits. Then Ganges Grandmasters defeated Alpine SG Pipers by a narrow margin of 10-9. Thus, GG won against ASGP twice in the double Round-Robin stage of the event. Then FAG lost a close match against the leaders TCK 7-8. Marc` Andria Maurizzi (TCK) scored the key victory of the match. PBG Alaskan Knights avenged their earlier loss against Ganges Grandmasters as they won by 9-7. In the battle of World Champion, D Gukesh (PBG AK) missed a couple of good chances to beat Vishy Anand (GG). Arjun Erigaisi (PBG AK) bounced back well versus Vincent Keymer (GG). Today will be the last of the three-days consisting of four matches. Round 8 continues today at 3 p.m. IST with Alpine SG Pipers vs upGrad Mumba Masters. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Dr. Prajwal P Shet dominates Sanjana Spark Ways Rapid Rating Open 2025

20/12/2025 -

Dr. Prajwal P Shet scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win Sanjana Spark Ways Rapid Rating Open 2025. He finished a full point ahead of the rest. Four players - IM Chakravarthi Reddy M, WCM Swara Lakshmi S Nair, Nagendra Mekala and Sachin Pai scored 7.5/9 each. They secured second to fifth place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹300000. The top three prizes were ₹25000, ₹20000 and ₹15000 each. The one-day nine round Rapid Rating Open tournament was organized by Sanjana Spark Ways at KRS Function Hall in Ballari, Karnataka on 28th November 2025. This is Prajwal's second overall, first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: dr64verse

Carlomagno Oblitas wins 37th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2025, Jaidambareesh third

20/12/2025 -

IM Carlomagno Oblitas (PER) scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win 37th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. GM Evgeniy Podolchenko and CM Jaidambareesh N R scored 6/9 each. They secured second and third place respectively according to tie-breaks. Carlomagno drew against both eventual runners-up. The seven-day ten-player round-robin tournament was organized by Tamil Nadu State Chess Association at Hotel Alankar Grande in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu from 22nd to 28th November 2025. Tournament Coordinator and Chief Arbiter - IA V Vijayaraghavan writes the tournament report. Photo: IA V Vijayaraghavan

Tech Mahindra GCL 2025 Day 6: Triveni Continental Kings loses and bounces back

20/12/2025 -

Triveni Continental Kings maintained their sole lead after Day 6 of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2025. Despite suffering a loss against Alpine SG Pipers by 12-8, they finished the day strong with a narrow 10-9 victory over PBG Alaskan Knights. TCK's 'Icon' board, Alireza Firouzja's winning streak came to an end against Fabiano Caruana (ASGP). Then he lost another game against the World Champion, D Gukesh. Gukesh lost his first game of the day against Hikaru Nakamura (FAG) where the former had a winning position. R Praggnanandhaa (ASGP) and Vidit Gujrathi (TCK) scored their first wins of the event. Praggnanandhaa first won on time against Vidit, later Vidit defeated Leinier Dominguez Perez (PBG AK). Arjun Erigaisi (PBG AK) defeated Vladislav Artemiev (FAG) but lost to Wei Yi (TCK) in an exciting battle. Today will be the second of the three-days consisting of four matches. Round 7 continues today at 3:30 p.m. IST with upGrad Mumba Masters vs Fyers American Gambits. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Bharath Subramaniyam H dominates 6th El Llobregat Open 2025 with a 2685 performance

19/12/2025 -

GM Bharath Subramaniyam H scored an unbeaten 8/10 to win 6th Elllobregat Open A 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the field. GM Cristobal Henriquez Villagra (CHI) and GM Brewington Hardaway (USA) scored 7.5/10 each. They secured second and third place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was €36000. The top three prizes were €5000 + trophy, €3500 and €2500 each respectively. The top seed of the event, GM Pranesh M scored 7/10. He edged past eight others on tie-breaks as he had the better tie-break score. GM Raja Rithvik R is the only other Indian to make a top ten finish. He scored 7/10 to finish tenth. This is Bharath's second tournament triumph of the year and both of them are big ones.

Nalan Arumugam wins Kamaraj College Below 1800 Rating Tournament 2025

19/12/2025 -

Nalan Arumugam S and Dhevarsh Sagar V P scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 each at Kamaraj College Below 1800 Rating Tournament 2025. Nalan won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, Dhevarsh secured second place. They finished a full point ahead of the rest. Ashwath Ram U S, Akhil Vijayakumar, Akil Sethu G and Dhanyashree R scored 7.5/9 each. They secured third to sixth place respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was ₹400000. The top three prizes were ₹50000 + trophy, ₹35000 and ₹25000 each. The three-day nine round Below 1800 Rating tournament was organized by Thoothukudi District Chess Association and Kamaraj College, Thoothukudi at Kamaraj College in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu from 29th November to 1st December 2025. This is Nalan's second overall, first rating tournament triumph of his career. Photo: IA R Anantharam

Tech Mahindra GCL 2025 Day 5: Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and PBG Alaskan Knights end their win drought

19/12/2025 -

Triveni Continental Kings has emerged sole leader at the halfway mark of the double Round-Robin stage of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2025. Their coleaders upGrad Mumba Masters suffered 5-9 loss against TCK, allowing the latter to move to 12/15. Alireza Firouzja (TCK) scored his fifth consecutive win of the event. He defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (uMM) which turned out to be the key result as the remaining five games ended in draws. PBG Alaskan Knights scored their first win of the event against Alpine SG Pipers as the World Champion, D Gukesh, World no.5 Arjun Erigaisi, also won their first game of the event. Leon Luke Mendonca (ASGP) completed a hat-trick of wins as he defeated Daniel Dardha (PBG AK). Today will be the first three-days consisting of four matches. Round 6 starts today at 3:30 p.m. IST with Fyers American Gambits vs PBG Alaskan Knights. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Shreyanshi Jain: The Making of a Young Champion

19/12/2025 -

A little girl in Jaipur picked up a chess piece at age four, simply because she was curious. Three years later, that same child is winning State, National, and International titles! This is the story of 7-year-old Shreyanshi Jain. She is a fearless player who does not hesitate to take risks on the board. Her rise includes big wins, tough lessons, and a support system that lets her dream freely. At the Asian Schools Championship, she even brought home medals in all three formats: Classical, Rapid, and Blitz. Read the article to see how it all unfolded and what shaped her early success.

Nandhidhaa clinches Indian Oil 51st National Women 2025, wins the event for the second year in-a-row

18/12/2025 -

WGM Nandhidhaa P V (TN) defeated WIM Srishti Pandey (MAH) to win Indian Oil 51st National Women's Chess Championship 2025. It was a battle fitting for a finale. After, WGM Mary Ann Gomes (PSPB) drew her game against WGM Varshini (TN), it was clear that Nandhidhaa needed a win to become the champion without the need of tie-breaks whereas a draw would have left things up in the air. Nandhidhaa won a grueling battle which was heading towards a draw until her opponent blundered in the final moments of the game under pressure. Thus, Nandhidhaa won the National Women's title for the second consecutive year and secured her place in the next FIDE Women's World Cup. Mary Ann secured second place. The newly crowned National Sub-Junior Girls champion, WFM Arshiya Das (TRI) defeated WFM Shubhi Gupta (UP) to finish third. A draw in the final round would have given Srishti a third or fourth place finish. However, the loss pushed her to sixth place. Shubhi and Nivedita V C (TN) scored a WIM-norm each in a rare feat for National Women Championship. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

2nd Khelo Chess India Blitz and Rapid Rating Open to take place on 10th and 11th January 2026

18/12/2025 -

FIDE Rated Chess Tournaments will be organized once again in the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. ChessBase India and Khelo Chess India Club invite you to participate in the 2nd Khelo Chess India FIDE Rated Blitz and Rapid tournament, which will be held on 10th and 11th January. During this time, you will get to play ten Blitz and nine Rapid games. With top-notch arrangements, you can strive to improve your FIDE rating if you are already rated, or earn your first FIDE rating if you don't have one yet. In addition, you will have the chance to win a prize from a total prize fund of ₹150000. An under-10 or 12-year-old player will have the opportunity to win a chess scholarship worth ₹50000. Find out how you can participate in this tournament. Read this article, and we hope to see you in Bhopal. Graphic: FI Niklesh Jain

How to handle pressure and stay confident during crucial chess games

18/12/2025 -

Handling pressure is something every chess player can recognize, from beginners to top professionals. In this article, Saloni Sapale, a Woman International Master and Sports Psychology Consultant, explores why crucial rounds feel so intense and how the mind reacts when the stakes rise. She draws on recent moments from the Chess World Cup to show how quickly pressure affects decisions. Most importantly, she offers simple and practical ways to understand pressure rather than fear it. Her goal is to help players feel prepared, confident, and ready when the moment truly counts. Read the article to learn how you can handle pressure and play with confidence. Images used are AI-generated.

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