Dubai 01-03: Gopal among the leaders

15/04/2016 -

Three rounds have ended at the eighteenth edition of Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup, aka Dubai Open, that opened on 10 April 2016 night at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Nine grandmasters are in the lead with a perfect three and among them is India's thirty-second seed GM G.N. Gopal, who beat the inimitable Georgian Baadur Jobava! Quite a few Indians are also tied for the second spot after earning or dropping draws. We highlight some interesting moments.

Hridaynath Award for the conqueror of Indian hearts!

13/04/2016 -

It was an evening to remember! The Governor of the state, Bollywood super-star, eminent sports personalities from various disciplines and more than 600 fans had gathered to felicitate the pride of India and the honour of Indian chess Viswanathan Anand. Vishy was feted with the Hridaynath on the 12th of April 2016. The ceremony consisted of impeccable compèring, highly entertaining speeches and light Q&A session of 20 minutes with Anand. We not only have some beautiful pictures captured by Amruta Mokal but also the speeches and videos that give you an overall feel of how things transpired that evening.

Bangkok 04+05: Swapnil leads the hunt

13/04/2016 -

The highest number of players in the tournament being Indians, the tournament is bound to witness some upsets. With 4.5/5, GM Swapnil Dhopade is in the pack of five contenders tied at the second spot. We bring you an illustrated report.

Bangkok 01-03: Indians off to a steady start

12/04/2016 -

Of the one hundred ninety-eight players competing at the Bangkok Open in Thailand, the home country has the second largest contingent of competitors participating, with a total of twenty-seven players. The highest representation is from India, with thirty-five chess loving tourists! It has been observed regularly now that Indians in overseas tournaments are akin to cats among the pigeons. With so many underrated Indians in the fray, there is bound to be a handful of upsets. An illustrated report.

Neelotpal dazzles in Skopje!

11/04/2016 -

What do you do when the opponent that you are going to face in the next round is rated 150 points above you and has written an entire book on the Sicilian Richter Rauzer. While some players will shy away from the challenge, players like Neelotpal Das will confidently take him into the same opening and beat him there! The 34-year-old grandmaster from Kolkata was the hero of India at the Karpos Open 2016 where he scored 7.0/9 finishing joint second. We have a short interview with him and Neelotpal has specially sent us an annotated game!

Asian Youth Championship 2016: rapid and blitz

11/04/2016 -

Approximately 470 young players have assembled at Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia for the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2016. After the fifth round, the Asian Youth Rapid and Blitz Championship 2016 was held on 10 April 2016. Check out how the Indian youngsters performed in this pictorial report.

Asian Nations Cup: rapid and blitz

10/04/2016 -

Organized by the UAE Chess Federation, the Asian Nations Cup 2016 was held at the Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan hotel with 20 countries competing for the right to represent Asia in the World Team Championship. While India won the gold in the open section and China won the women's section, the rapid and blitz tournament was a clean sweep by the Chinese. We bring a brief illustrated report covering the matters that were left unsaid.

Indians at the Asian Youth 2016

09/04/2016 -

The Asian Youth Championship 2016 began on 6th April 2016 and will be played over nine rounds in various categories. India is represented by a huge contingent, spearheaded by some of our brightest talents. We bring you an illustrated report.

The Complex Najdorf by Bologan for Rs.999/-

08/04/2016 -

A week ago ChessBase came out with a DVD on the Najdorf Opening by Viktor Bologan. The Opening is rich and has been played by many great players in the past, most notably Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov who used the Najdorf as their main weapon against 1.e4. And the credentials of GM Victor Bologan (Elo:2654) are never in doubt. When the two combine, what you get is six and half a half hours of high class chess material. And if you are an Indian resident you can enjoy this DVD for just Rs.999/-. Check the article for more details.

Vishy Anand in Grand Chess Tour 2016

07/04/2016 -

Following a not so memorable GCT 2015, Anand suffered a ridiculously surreal debacle at the Gibraltar Open. But that is the thing with Anand when the chips are down — you think he is done and crushed, think this is it, and he, out of nowhere, starts playing at his best, as if on demand. In its official press release, the Grand Chess Tour announced the list of superstars who will be competing in the 2016 edition, and Anand is going for the prize, once again! A quick summary.

Hridaynath Award for Vishy Anand!

06/04/2016 -

On 12th of April, Vishy Anand will be feted with the Hridaynath Award at the Dinanath Mangeshkar Auditorium in Mumbai. This award is conferred to people who achieve outstanding excellence in their field. The previous recepients of the award have been Amitabh Bachchan, A.R.Rahman, Lata Mangeshkar. Vishy will be the first sportsman to receive this honour! A moment of pride for every Indian chess fan!

India wins the Asian Nations Cup 2016

06/04/2016 -

The ninth round saw the leaders India take on the Vietnamese, with even a draw assuring the title. But the team was raring to go and they roared to a class victory. India lifted the Asian Nations Cup 2016 and qualified to the World Teams Championship! The women's team ended its disappointing campaign by drawing the match with Iran, finishing fourth. We bring you a detailed report with comments by the players and the coach of the winning team!

Chess at 10,500 ft. above the sea level!

05/04/2016 -

Mighty peaks surround the enchanting green valley of the Beas river, with adventures seducing one from all sides — Manali is a pleasant place to be. The Himachal Pradesh State Chess Association organized a seven-day coaching camp, from 24 March-30 March 2016, in a place that can only be described as a paradise. What do you think of playing chess in three-degree celsius, 10,500 feet above sea level in a place covered with snow? Find out here!

Asian Nations Cup 07+08: India beat the neighbours

04/04/2016 -

The seventh and the eighth rounds bore positive results for Team India. Although out of contention, the women's team shut out the weaker Sri Lanka and UAE-2 4-0. The team in the open section fought and earned victories over Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. An illustrated report.

Asian Nations Cup 06: Indians vanquish Iran

03/04/2016 -

The sixth round of the Asian Nations Cup 2016 turned out to be an easy day for the Indian team in the Open -- India vanquished Iran 3.5-0.5. In the women's section, our opponents were the Kazakhs, a team that one would not fancy to be posing problems to the Indians. However, India surprisingly lost. A report.

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