CANDIDATES SALE IS LIVE

Use code: CANDIDATES to get 20% off on popular products

Shop now!

new books banner

Candidates Round 8: Don Fabi's poisonous new idea in the Najdorf

20/04/2021 -

The resumption of the Candidates 2020-21 was filled with great drama and luckily it was all on the chess board! The tournament has restarted from the halfway mark and the 8th round witnessed two decisive games! Caruana vs MVL and Alekseenko vs Grischuk, both of them bordered very closely on the edge of a draw but in the end it was Caruana and Alekseenko who came out on top. The remaining two games ended in draws. The game of the day, and perhaps of the event was Fabiano Caruana's amazing preparation from the white side of the poisoned pawn variation in the Sicilian Najdorf. We have detailed breakdown of the game along with analysis, images, videos and more!

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

Master Class with Boris Gelfand

20/04/2021 -

Chess can be learned from anywhere, any time and from anyone. When the FIDE World Cup 2009 winner and multi-time world championship candidate can be your teacher, you do not want to pass on that opportunity. The legend of the game and critically acclaimed author will be doing a webinar with World Chess on Thursday 22nd of April 2021 at 8:30 p.m. IST. The topic of the session is "Switching to counter-attack". You will be able to ask questions to Gelfand and also get your doubts answered. Check out the article to find out how you can learn from one of the greats in the world. Photo: Amruta Mokal

Hanumantha Rajanna (1959-2021): The man who resurrected Karnataka Chess

19/04/2021 -

Every once in a while a person comes who brings people together, elevates talent and makes sure that the overall chess level of a region is uplifted. He does it all selflessly because his goal is not materialistic, he just wants to see people happy by working towards what makes him happy. Hanumantha Rajanna was one of those persons who gave his all for chess. From merely 40 rated players in 2006, the state of Karnataka now boasts over 2000 players. A major reason for this happening was Hanumatha. On 15th of April 2021, Hanumantha passed away due to Covid-19 virus. We have collected eulogies from Karnataka's top players as well as people who shared his memories on social media. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.

New: The Flexible Open Spanish by Sipke Ernst

18/04/2021 -

The Open Spanish is considered to be one of the soundest systems in modern opening theory. It remains a popular choice among superstars such as Mamedyarov, Caruana, So and Giri and was used in World Championship matches by Korchnoi and Anand. In this opening Black opts for active piece play and is not afraid to fight for the initiative from an early stage. One of the many good features of this opening is that Black is often the side which controls the pace of the game. Black can go for long forced variations that lead to sharp endgames or choose a slower game with more pieces on the board. Therefore, the Open Spanish is not only an excellent weapon against stronger players, but also gives plenty of scope for the outplaying of “lesser rated’’ opponents. Photo: ChessBase

Vidit and Praggnanandhaa set for Meltwater Champions Chess Tour New in Chess Classic

17/04/2021 -

The next event in Meltwater Champions Chess Tour is New in Chess Classic which will start on Saturday 24th April. The third Regular event has a total prize fund of US$ 100,000 with the first prize being US$ 30,000. Praggnanandhaa will debut in this tour in the upcoming New in Chess Classic event as he earned himself a spot by winning Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour Polgar Challenge. Duda, Vidit, Mamedyarov, Liem, Karjakin and Leinier are the six Wild Card entrants. Top eight finishers will get a guaranteed spot in the next Major event which will start from 22nd May 2021. Photo: ChessBase India

Off the Board Tales #02 - Devin Anand

16/04/2021 -

Off the Board Tales is a series by ChessBase India, where the premise revolves around people who are passionate about chess despite it not being their career. An emotional and short story is what you're up for, so read on for tales of joy, tales of aspirations, tales of sorrows, and tales of success. Devin Anand is a song composer and writer, and produces music with his brother Derayne. Being a fan of Indian music and a chess enthusiast led to making a single titled 'Bewafa Samay' that went viral among the Indian Chess community.

Japan Chess Championship Qualifiers - Part II

16/04/2021 -

The months of February and March are quite busy with excitement in Japan's Chess calendar. Qualifying tournaments are held by various regional chess clubs, to select candidates for the strongest event of the year, held in May – the Japan Chess Championship (FIDE rated). Mayur Gondhalekar brings you all the news and updates from Japan in this two-part series. Part II covers events from Tokyo, Hokkaido and Hyogo (Kobe). Check out this report containing few games and beautiful photos from the events along with an annotated game by Japan no.3 IM Shinya Kojima. Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

19 years old and 2585 Elo - the story of Delhi boy Aryan Chopra

15/04/2021 -

Born in 2001, Aryan Chopra learnt the game at the age of 6. Playing less than 50 events, the youngster from Delhi achieved his GM title in 2016 at the age of 14 years, 9 months and 3 days. As on today, Aryan is 19 years old and already has a FIDE rating of 2585. As compared to his peers, Aryan has a completely different vibe to himself. Calm, cool and collected, the youngster may come across as someone who is laidback. But behind that meditative approach is an ambitious youngster who aims to conquer the world of chess in the years to come. We bring you a portrait of one of the brightest stars of Indian chess - GM Aryan Chopra.

Arkady Dvorkovich: “We are absolutely ready to start the Candidates Tournament”

15/04/2021 -

On Tuesday, 13th April 2021, six days before the resumption of the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg, FIDE organized a Press Conference at the Rossiyskaya Gazeta Media Center where the speakers answered questions of journalists from all parts of the world, who were attending the event online. The speakers of the press conference were: FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, multiple times World Сhess Champion, Сhairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation Anatoly Karpov, participant of many previous Candidates Tournaments and the winner of 2016 FIDE Candidates Tournament Sergey Karjakin, and Director of the Candidates Tournament, Executive Director of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation Albert Stepanyan. Photo: FIDE

New: Opening Encyclopaedia 2021

14/04/2021 -

The new Opening Encyclopaedia 2021 is a collection of all the opening articles from all the issues of ChessBase Magazine and with more than 1,200 articles it covers the whole range of openings. An enormous treasure trove of ideas and high-level analysis! In the new edition, as usual the number of articles has increased – compared to the previous year 66 new opening articles as well as 349 new opening surveys have been added. The menu structure offers comfortable access to all tutorials and articles. Under the main categories “Open games”, “Semi-open games”, “Closed openings”, “Semi closed openings”, “English Opening and Reti” and “Flank openings” you will find all the recommendations and analyses classified according to the names of the openings.

IM Rahul Srivasthav clinches Telangana State Senior convincingly 8.0/8

13/04/2021 -

Top seed IM Rahul Srivasthav P scored 8.0/8 to win Telangana State Senior FIDE Rated Open. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. Second seeded Bharat Kumar Reddy Potluri scored 7.0/8 to finish second. Seven players finished at 6.5/9, Aditya Varun Gampa secured the third position as he had the best tie-break. A total of 216 players took part from various districts across Telangana in this four-day eight round Swiss league event. Telangana State Chess Association provided financial aid worth ₹20000 each to former National Rapid champion G V Srinivas Rao and M Y Raju. Photo: FA Chandra Mouli

Praggnanandhaa dominates Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour Polgar Challenge

12/04/2021 -

Praggnanandhaa delivered a dominant performance from day 1 to win Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour Polgar Challenge. His domination is evident in the final score as he scored 15.5/19, one and a half point ahead of the competition. He will receive US$ 3000 for his efforts but most importantly a Wild Card entry at the next event of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. That means Pragg will play in the big leagues with the best of the best of the world. A lot of dream matches are going to become reality. Gukesh and Nihal finished at shared second place with 14.0/19. Leon scored 12.0/19 and he shared the eighth position. Photo: Champions Chess Tour

Arjun Kalyan wins GM Round Robin Rujna Zora-1 2021

11/04/2021 -

IM Arjun Kalyan scored an unbeaten 6.5/9 to win GM Round Robin Rujna Zora-1 2021. He already has all three GM-norms, just needs to touch 2500 in the live ratings to become India's next GM. He has already started playing the next event GM Round Robin Rujna Zora-2 2021 as you read this. IM Krishna Teja N missed his GM-norm as he lost his final round game against Shantanu Bhambure. Krishna scored 6.0/9, gained 17 Elo rating points to finish second. Check out some of Arjun and Krishna's games from the event.

Can Praggnanandhaa win the Polgar Challenge?

11/04/2021 -

Team Polgar takes the lead for the first time in Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour Polgar Challenge with 75 points. Team Kramnik might be trailing with 71 points but they have the leader and the pursuer. Praggnanandhaa maintained his sole lead at the conclusion of Day 3 with 12.0/15 followed closely by Abdusattorov at 11.5/15. Nihal and Liang are also in the title fray with 11.0/15 each respectively. Gukesh is at 10.0/15 along with Murzin and Yoo, followed by Leon at 9.5/15. While top ten places are claimed by the male players, the remaining ten places are occupied by the female. It will be close contest for the championship as. Round 16 continues today from 7:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Niki Riga

P.V. Nandhidhaa: Engineer, India no.7 and a future GM

10/04/2021 -

Today is P.V. Nandhidhaa's 25th birthday! She is one of India's top female chess players and is currently ranked 7th in the country with an Elo of 2365. She is already a WGM and has 4 IM norms to her credit. But did you know, she is also an Electronics and Communications Engineer? With multiple national titles under her belt and a brave aggressive player Nandhidhaa is surely a player to watch out for. ChessBase India's author Saishyam Srikanth got in touch with Nandhidhaa and brings to you an in-depth portrait of this young talent. How did Nandhidhaa reach where she is right now? Who are the people who have helped and inspired her? What are her future plans? All this and much more!

Contact Us