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CBIJ #06: The inside stories about India's two most talented youngsters - Raunak and Leon

05/06/2018 -

CBIJ (ChessBase India Juniors) part 6 brings to you the progress in the Indian Junior world. Leon Mendonca, a talented 12 year old has seen his rating fluctuate over 600 Elo points in the last three months! From a rating of nearly 2300, Leon slipped to 1986. Just a couple of weeks ago he is back to 2200+. We talk to him about how he maintains his composure through all of this. Raunak Sadhwani became an IM at the age of 12 years and five months and five days, which adds another junior to the possible list of becoming India's youngest GM! We have wonderful answers submitted to us about what do players prefer - cash prize or trophy? Last but not the least, do read about one of the most underrated professions in the world of chess!

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Altibox Norway Chess: Wesley So beats Magnus Carlsen!

04/06/2018 -

One of the biggest results from the Altibox Norway Chess came in the sixth round when the American number two, Wesley So won the first ever classical game of his career against Magnus Carlsen. For Carlsen, this was his first loss not only of the tournament but of the year. So ventured the waters of a harmless looking but well prepared Exchange Slav to pull out this victory. All other games of the day were drawn: Anand drew Mamedyarov; Aronian drew Caruana; and Nakamura signed peace against MVL. Carlsen still leads the tournament with 3.5/6 but So, with his score of 3.0/5 has a game more than Carlsen in Norway. Round 6 report. 

Karpov Poikovsky Cup:Vidit's chances diminish

04/06/2018 -

At the conclusion of the seventh round at the Karpov Poikovsky International, Vidit Gujrathi had drawn his sixth game of the tournament against Vladislav Artemiev. Meanwhile, Jakovenko, who has taken sole lead in the tournament, is already 1.5 points ahead of the Indian. Ian Nepomniachtchi, too, is ahead by a point. Given the current scores, it looks highly improbable that Vidit will have any shot at the title. After all, with two rounds to go, overcoming a 1.5-point lead seems highly unlikely. | Photo: Vasily Papin

Norway Chess R5: Anand holds Carlsen without breaking a sweat

03/06/2018 -

Thus far at the Altibox Norway Chess, Magnus Carlsen had been able to pull out a win in both of his white games. In round 5, he had the white pieces yet again. But Anand turned out to a tough customer to deal with. With the black pieces, Anand equalised almost effortlessly and by the 20th move, the position was a dead draw. Carlsen kept trying for another 25 moves but his efforts just hit a stone wall. Meanwhile, Fabiano Caruana played a fine attacking game against Sergey Karjakin to score his first win of the tournament. The other two games of the round ended in quick draws. An illustrated report.

Karthik Venkatraman wins the Orissa GM Open with a stunning 2740 performance!

03/06/2018 -

The KIIT chess festival concluded a couple of days ago. In the main event, 19-year-old International Master Karthik Venkatraman stunned players and spectators alike and won the event with an unbeaten 9.0/10. In his run, he defeated four GMs in the last four rounds that included the fourth-seeded GM Sandipan Chanda as well as the top seed of the tournament Martyn Kravstiv. Rated a modest 2457, Venkatraman finished with a mindboggling performance of 2740 to earn a GM norm and 34 Elo points along with his title prize.

Srinath, Karthik, who's next? Mumbai Mayor's Cup 2018 begins!

02/06/2018 -

After two exciting GM events in Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar, we now move on to the financial capital of our country - Mumbai! The 11th edition of the Mumbai Mayor's Cup begins from the 3rd of June 2018 and it promises to be an exciting event. The question on everyone's mind is, can an Indian player make it three in a row? In Kolkata it was GM Srinath Narayanan who finished half a point ahead of the field. In Bhubaneshwar it was IM Karthik Venkatraman who gave no one a chance with a score of 9.0/10. The Mayor's Cup has the first prize of Rs.3,30,000, higher than both the previous events. Who do you think will win? A special prize awaits the person who guesses the right answer.

Norway Chess R4: Ding Liren withdraws from the event; So holds Anand

02/06/2018 -

The big news from Stavanger right now is that Ding Liren has withdrawn from the tournament due to his hip fracture. As per the FIDE laws, his results will not be counted for standings or tie-breaks. Meanwhile, in the remaining four games, Levon Aronian and Sergey Karjakin emerged as the two victors of round 4. Interestingly, both players deployed the Exchange Gruenfeld to score their wins. Indian ace, Vishy Anand tried hard to complicate matters against Wesley So but the Filipino-American GM was up to the task and defended with a neat rook sacrifice. As for Magnus Carlsen, his opponent's unambitious play with the white pieces left him no option but to accept a sedate draw. Report.

Karpov Poikovsky International: Jakovenko & Fedoseev catch Nepo in the lead

01/06/2018 -

The last two rounds of the Karpov Poikovsky International were full of excitement. Nepomniachtchi lost his first game of the tournament to Fedoseev, Jakovenko narrowly escaped losing after committing a blunder against Korobov while Gelfand pulled out a sensational stalemate tactic in a lost position against Vidit Gujrathi to save the day. Here's an in-depth look into all the happenings.

From opening a box of cereals to Hollandaise sauce - Grandmaster chef Vishy Anand!

01/06/2018 -

Anand has been extremely solid at the Altibox Norway Chess 2018. In the first three rounds he has had draws against Aronian, Nakamura and Ding Liren. However, on the first rest day he showed his class and won the first place! But not in chess! It was a cooking contest where the grandmasters worked in pairs. Anand teamed up with Ding Liren as he cooked Halibut Fillet with vegetables and Hollandaise sauce! The judges loved what Vishy had cooked and awarded him and Ding Liren the first place. All of this was achieved with Vishy's mentor watching him cook! Thumbnail image: Tarjei Joten Svensen 

Indian chess community remembers the genius called Nasir Ali (1936-2018)

01/06/2018 -

Indian chess is built upon the shoulders of great individuals who dedicated their life for the game of chess to bring it to the stature that it currently enjoys in our country. One such individual was Nasir Ali Syed from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Born in 1936, Nasir Ali passed away at the age of 82 years on 29th of May 2018. He was active in the Indian chess circuit, playing tournaments, until the last days of his life. A completely self-made player, Nasir Ali started playing chess at the age of 19 and became the National Champion at the age of 31 in 1967. In this article some of the greats of Indian chess like Manuel Aaron, Pravin Thipsay and Nasir Ali's close friends remember him, his style and his immense talent and love for the game. 

Norway Chess R3: Carlsen demolishes Aronian; Ding holds Anand

31/05/2018 -

In the third round of the Altibox Norway Chess, Magnus Carlsen won his second game of the tournament against GM Levon Aronian. Within the first three rounds, the world champ has established himself firmly into the pole position, a full point ahead of his nearest rivals. Another game that caught eyeballs was Mamedyarov's short but scintillating draw against Sergey Karjakin. The game was admired by players and spectators alike. Vishy Anand tried hard with a novelty in the Ruy Lopez to carve out a win against Ding Liren but the Chinese GM was able to hold ground comfortably. Round three report.

DPS North Kolkata ends 11-year reign of South Point

31/05/2018 -

Delhi Public School North Kolkata ended 11-year reign of South Point in 12th Chessmate - The Inter-School FIDE Rapid Rating Team Championship 2018 held at the South Point School on 27th and 28th April 2018. This was the first ever inter-school rapid rating team chess championship in India which had no entry fee. Total Prize money was ₹36000 cash and board prizes in both Open and Girls category. Total 38 teams including 31 schools participated from all across the state of West Bengal. This is the same school where Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh was emerged and nurtured from. In this report, you will see photos, videos and interviews from the event by Shahid Ahmed who was present at the venue.

Altibox Norway Chess R2: Anand draws Nakamura as all games end in draws

30/05/2018 -

Games in Stavanger did not even last three hours last night. Quick draws were seen on all of the five boards. In fact, Caruana's game against Mamedyarov finished as early as on move 26. The other games made it to move 40, but it was more a matter of appreciating the rules than hunting for winning chances. Anand's game against Nakamura looked promising but a tactical sequence by the American GM left nothing in the position to play for. Magnus Carlsen also played an interesting novelty against Karjakin but this too led nowhere.

Karpov Poikovsky R3: Vidit holds Nepomniachtchi

30/05/2018 -

The third round of the Karpov Poikovsky International saw a face-off between Indian rising star, Vidit Gujrathi and the top seed of the tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi. Nepo tried to unsettle Vidit with a gnarly novelty in the Queen's Gambit. But Vidit did not budge; playing solidly, he secured a comfortable draw in merely 20 moves. In another important game of the match, Dmitry Jakovenko defeated Emil Sutovsky in a thrilling heavy piece endgame. With this win, Jakovenko has joined Nepomniachtchi as the tournament leader. Report.

The story of how M.S. Thejkumar became a GM at the age of 36 years without a chess coach

30/05/2018 -

"Your dream doesn't have an expiration date. Take a deep breathe and try again" - KT Witten. GM M.S. Thejkumar has a story that can inspire millions. The amount of risks he took to achieve his dream of becoming a grandmaster in chess is just mind numbing. Every time he was close to his goal, he failed. But he didn't give up. He always came back with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. He blazed new paths, opened new doors, by believing in himself and becoming a GM at the age of 36 years. Without any formal training in chess he achieved all his six norms (three IM and three GM) within six months! This is a story of a man who believed that he could achieve anything he set his eyes upon. This is the story of India's 50th GM and Karnataka's first M.S. Thejkumar.

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