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Nihal Sarin - The second highest paid player in the history of Indian chess?!

04/09/2019 -

It is clear that Vishy Anand is the highest earning chess player in the country. But who is the second biggest? Well, it seems like it is Nihal Sarin, after the 15-year-old signed a major long term sponsorship agreement with Akshayakalpa, an organic milk and milk products based company in Bangalore. The amount of sponsorship is kept as a secret for now, but backed by our analysis we feel that it could be somewhere between Rs.75 lakh to Rs.1 crore (between US$ 100,000 to US$140,000) per year. Why did Akshayakalpa decide to sponsor Nihal, what do Nihal and his team members feel after this agreement and how will this money be utilized? All of this and much more.

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Maharashtra State Schools witness over 600 participants

04/09/2019 -

Total 605 players from various districts of Maharashtra participated in this Maharashtra State Schools Selection FIDE Rating Tournament in four-day age group rating tournament held between 27th and 30th August at Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Total 24 players (top two from each group) qualified for the upcoming National Schools Championship 2019 which will also be held in the same city and organized by the same organizer Grandmaster Chess Foundation. Here is a pictorial report of the tournament which witnessed almost 1200 people from all across the state including parents and officials. Photo: Vijay Deshpande

India's 64th GM Prithu Gupta visits India's 1st GM Vishy Anand's home in Chennai

04/09/2019 -

It's said, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." For India's 64th GM Prithu Gupta, 3rd of September 2019 was one such day. He got the chance to meet his idol Viswanathan Anand at Vishy's residence in Chennai. Prithu flew down from Delhi to Chennai and spent a few hours with Anand and together they analyzed some interesting chess positions. In 1987, Vishy Anand became India's first GM and on 18th July 2019, the first chess board of Indian GMs was completed when Prithu Gupta became the 64th GM. It was wonderful to see the first and the 64th GMs together! In this article Prithu tells us what he learnt from this unique meet with the chess legend.

NEW: Nicholas Pert: Typical Mistakes by 1000-1600 Players

03/09/2019 -

Learning from our mistakes is, of course, crucially important for players of all levels. In the latest video series from Nick Pert, the English grandmaster and experienced trainer tackles common mistakes that are made by players rated between a FIDE Elo of 1000 and 1600.

War of Wits - A Corporate Chess Championship Preview

03/09/2019 -

e-Zest Solutions presents, first Inter IT Chess Tournament in collaboration with Victorious Chess Academy on 8th September 2019. The tournament is open to IT Professionals of above 18 years only. The tournament will take place this sunday 8th September at e-Zest Solutions Ltd. in Pune. The tournament will be played in rapid time control of 15 minutes + 10 seconds each. Maximum 150 players can participated and the tournament will comprise of a minimum seven round in Swiss league format. The champion will receive ₹11000 and a trophy. However there are three prizes for Best Company to fight for the bragging rights. Photo: Tournament Circular 

Understanding a very deep case of mutual zugzwang

03/09/2019 -

Mutual zugzwang or reciprocal zugzwang refers to those special kind of situations where whichever side it is to move finds itself in a disadvantageous position. The idea continues to thrive since ages as one of the primary curiosities in endgame composition. In today's article, the author Satanick Mukhuty, presents a uniquely deep scenario of the same in a pawn study. An endgame with just a few pawns and a pair of kings on board is the simplest type of position to analyse. But in chess, the infinitely rich game of possibilities that it is, even such meagre material can give rise to unusual complexities!

Harikrishna's brilliant play at Polish Extra League takes him to Elo 2754 and world no.16

03/09/2019 -

The last five months have been fantastic for Pentala Harikrishna. From a rating of 2723, he has moved to 2754. This makes his World no. 16 as he moves ahead of world class players like Nakamura, Topalov, Svilder etc. How has Harikrishna engineered his comeback? We tell you all about it and also delve deep into three of his games from the Polish Extra League. The tournament is currently in progress and Hari is playing on the first board of team Wroclaw. He has already beaten Heberla, Piorun and Mista. With a performance rating of 2900+ he is gained eight Elo points. Check out Hari's games and learn from the fastest improving player in the elite chess circle.

Sushrutha Reddy: Revolutionizing Chess in Karnataka at the Grassroot level

02/09/2019 -

Chess in Bangalore and Karnataka is on the rise and it is only because of dedicated individuals like Sushrutha Reddy. His teachings to students in all the schools has made a significant change. His hardwork over the years has led to nearly 1500 blooming talents across the country. We got a chance to talk to the man himself, and his story through the years really grabs ears. His friend, and respected coach by his own stature, Aravind Shastry, also had his own insight into Reddy's journey. Some of his most loyal students also gave their piece of mind on his coaching. The summary of all their responses is common: that Reddy's teaching is unique in it's own regard. The following article is in honour of Sushrutha's birthday.

"I feel I have learnt a lot in endgame play from the Kramnik Camp" - IM Leon

02/09/2019 -

Goa’s IM Leon Mendonca (2401) was one of six of the brightest chess talents from the country identified by the 14th World Champion, Vladmir Kramnik for an intensive 10-day chess program at Chens-Sur-Leman, France recently. Looking back at the residential Kramnik Microsense India Chess Program which was managed by Chess Base India, the 13-year old chess prodigy gushes at the opportunity afresh to memory as one of his biggest accomplishments till date. Photo: Gulesh D

Heartbreak for Indian contingent at the World Cadets 2019

02/09/2019 -

The FIDE World Cadet Chess Championships 2019 came to a heartbreaking conclusion for the Indian contingent. Vivaan Vijay Saraogi, who emerged as one of the leaders in the under-8 open, failed to deliver in the final round and with that the country's hopes for a medal were dashed. In the under-10 section the encounter between Yash Bharadia and Ilamparthy A R ended in a draw which meant that both missed out on podium finish narrowly. In the same category Mayank Chakraborty registered a consoling victory, thus climbing up to a satisfactory seventh place on the rank-list. No other Indians could manage a top ten finish in the remaining categories. All in all, quite a forgettable event for Indian chess. 

Raahul V S triumphs at Talent Chess Academy 1st Open Rating

02/09/2019 -

Raahul V S of Tamil Nadu edged ahead of IM Sayantan Das and CM Rajarishi Karthi, all three of them scored 8.0/9 each, due to a better tie-break score, Raahul clinched the championship. Sayantan and Rajarishi had to settle for second and third position respectively. Total 361 players including 4 IMs, 2 FMs, a WFM and CM each from 12 different states, 2 union territories, a player from USA participated in this event. Total ₹731000 prize fund was distributed among the prize winners in this five-day open rating tournament organized by S Vijayakumar and Talent Chess Academy. Photo: Go Checkmate

Kartavya Anadkat and Fathima Abdeen win National Amateur 2019

01/09/2019 -

Kartavya Anadkat of Gujarat and Fathima Abdeen of Kerala are the National Amateur champions in open and women section respectively. Five players scored 8.0/10, Kartavya came out at the top due to a better tie-break score, suffering only one loss in the penultimate round against the eventual runner-up Srikanth K of SSCB who also finished with the same score. Indrajeet Mahindrakar of Maharashtra was placed third. Among the women, Fathima Abdeen of Kerala scored 7.0/10 to win the first position in her category followed by Femil Chelladurai of Tamil Nadu and Dhanashree Rathi of Maharashtra finishing at 6.5/10 each to secure second and third place respectively. Photo: Mpchess

Breaking the Carlsen juggernaut

01/09/2019 -

There are some opponents who are just very difficult to beat. For Ding Liren it has been Magnus Carlsen. While the World Champion has scored 19 wins over the Chinese GM (in different formats), Ding has only been able to inflict two defeats to Magnus Carlsen. Psychologically Carlsen has always had an upper hand over Ding Liren. But at the Sinquefield Cup 2019, Ding Liren broke away from these mental shackles by beating Magnus. In this article, IM Sagar Shah tells us about the history of rivalry between these two world class players that began in 2015 and how it evolved. In the end we analyze the final game of tiebreak match at the Sinquefield Cup and show you how Ding's level headedness let him come out on top.

The Controversy in Bengal Chess

01/09/2019 -

Bengal Chess is witnessing a controversy where the state's first grandmaster Dibyendu Barua has levied some serious allegations against the Bengal Chess Secretary Atanu Lahiri. These allegations include not giving permission for the organization of chess events, banning players from participating in tournaments, banning top GMs of the state - Surya Ganguly and Deep Sengupta from attending ceremonies organized by Bengal Chess, no elections held, and misappropriation of funds. AICF has condemned the actions of Atanu Lahiri and has issued a press release. In this article we acquaint you with the current situation of this controversy in Bengal Chess.

India's medal hopes in World Cadets 2019 rests on Vivaan

01/09/2019 -

Vivaan Vijay Saraogi has emerged as one of the leaders of the under-8 open after the penultimate round at the ongoing FIDE World Cadet Chess Championships 2019. One of country's upcoming talents, Vivaan has scored an impressive 8.0/10 points so far in the event and shares the lead with Kazakhstan's Tulendinov Dinmukhammed and Russia's Lebedev Artem S. Among players of other categories, Yash Bharadia too is performing commendably and has registered four victories in a row from rounds seven to ten. But unfortunately in the final round of the tournament he has been paired up against compatriot Ilamparthi A R which dwindles the country's medal hopes in that category. 

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