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Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1: Sindarov eliminates Nakamura, joins Keymer, Caruana and Carlsen in SF

11/02/2025 -

Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) eliminated Hikaru Nakamura (USA) to advance to the Semifinals of Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1. The 44th Olympiad Gold medalist's brave decision to choose Nakamura has to be applauded. Despite being lost in three out of the four games, he defended well and manage to win the match. The reigning World Fischer Random champion, Nakamura appreciated his opponent's defensive skills. Magnus Carlsen (NOR) and Fabiano Caruana (USA) won their second game against Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) and D Gukesh to advance to the next KO stage. Vincent Keymer (GER) drew with Alireza Firouzja (FRA) to setup a clash with Carlsen. Caruana will face Sindarov in the Semifinals. Game 1 starts today from 1 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

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Debanjan Sinha wins 5th Navin Kumar Sinha Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2025

10/02/2025 -

Debanjan Sinha and IM Himal Gusain scored 8/9 each at 5th Navin Kumar Sinha Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2025. 14-year-old Debanjan won the tournament due to better tie-breaks, Himal was placed second. Debanjan's sole loss was against the top seed, Himal who remained undefeated. Arpan Das, Manindra Karjee, Tapan Badamundi and CM Anurag Jaiswal scored 7.5/9 each. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹100000. The top three prizes were ₹20000 + trophy, ₹12000 and ₹7500 each respectively. The one-day nine round Rapid Rating Open tournament was organized by West Singhbhum District Chess Association at St. Xavier's Welfare Centre in Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, Jharkhand on 26th January 2025. The tournament was sponsored by Grih Laxmi Sales and Marketing. This was Debanjan's first rating tournament triumph of his career. Photo: Basant Khandelwal / West Singhbhum District Chess Association

Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1: Firouzja, Gukesh and Abdusattorov in a must-win situation

10/02/2025 -

Vincent Keymer (GER), Fabiano Caruana (USA) and Magnus Carlsen (NOR) have won their respective first game of the Quarterfinals at Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1. Firouzja's ambitious approach against Keymer did not work out. It only made his king more vulnerable. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) missed a great opportunity to win against Javokhir Sindarov (UZB). D Gukesh made a slight miscalculation, traded rooks at an inopportune moment and arrived at an inferior exchange down endgame. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) could not get out of the gate against Carlsen. All four matches continue with a second game of the Quarterfinals and reversed color. Game 2 starts today from 1 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

A tale of two brains: Wishful thinking vs deep calculation

09/02/2025 -

How many moves do you think grandmasters can calculate? It’s somewhere between ‘a lot’ and ‘are they even human’. Their brain works like a high-speed engine. They can see countless variations in seconds. They can spot traps before they even exist. And a Woodpusher? They might stare at the board, see one move ahead or maybe two on a good day, and hope for the best. This article explores the bizarre gap between ‘deep calculation’ and ‘let’s see what happens’.  

ChessBase 18: New functions in the reference search

09/02/2025 -

ChessBase 18 has many spectacular new features, but also hidden innovations: The new superpower in the reference search provides knowledge you need: Do you know the best way to prepare your team-mates for a team match? How do you find typical draw variations? Which opening variations are currently played in amateur chess? Chief developer Matthias Wuellenweber shows interesting innovations in the ChessBase 18 reference search. Check out the tutorial and grab ChessBase 18 if you haven't yet. Photo: ChessBase

Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1: Caruana handpicks World Champion Gukesh as his Quarterfinals opponent

09/02/2025 -

Alireza Firouzja (FRA) scored an unbeaten 3/4 on the second day to top Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1. He was on the verge of beating Magnus Carlsen (NOR) in Round 7. However, he missed it and the game ended in a draw. Firouzja defeated the sole leader Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) in Round 9 to finish first in the Round-Robin stage. The ranking in the round-robin stage does not have a lot of consequence, except for choosing their opponent. The winner gets a choice from the bottom four out of top eight, then runner-up picks from the remaining three and so on. Thus, the QF lineup turned out to be: Firouzja - Vincent Keymer, Sindarov - Hikaru Nakamura, D Gukesh - Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen - Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Quarterfinals Game 1 starts today from 1 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Diptayan Ghosh best at 29th Hit Open 2025

08/02/2025 -

GM Diptayan Ghosh scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win 29th Hit Open A (>1600) 2025. He finished a staggering one and a half point ahead of the rest. FM Dejan Omorjan (SRB), GM Matej Sebenik (SLO) and FM Rudi Olenik Campa (SLO) scored 6.5/9 each. They were placed second, third and fourth respectively according to tie-breaks. The top three prizes were €1000, €750 and €500 each. The eight-day nine-round Swiss League Rating Open tournament was organized by Chess club Nova Gorica, Slovenia at Perla, Resort & Entertainment in Nova Gorica, Slovenia from 24th to 31st January 2025. This is the second tournament Diptayan played this year and he won it in a dominant fashion. Photo: RTV Slovenia

Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1: Carlsen slayers Caruana and Sindarov emerge coleaders

08/02/2025 -

Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1 is off to a great start. Fabiano Caruana (USA) and Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) have emerged coleaders 4.5/5. Both of them defeated the Magnus Carlsen (NOR). Vladimir Fedoseev (SLO) was the only other player to beat the World no.1. Alireza Firouzja (FRA) is at a full point behind the leaders at 3.5/5 each. He is the only player who managed to beat the World Champion, D Gukesh. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) has made a 50% start 2.5/5. Carlsen, Gukesh, Hikaru Nakamura (USA) and Vincent Keymer (GER) are at 2/5 each. Round 6 starts today from 1 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

Aravindh Chithambaram keeps climbing, becomes World no.21

07/02/2025 -

The FIDE Rating list for February 2025 does not reflect a lot of change as Tata Steel Tournament was in progress. So, the list is unable to show the changes for Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali. However, two Indians gained significant places. Aravindh Chithambaram continues his climb to the top. He gained 2.9 Elo rating points to move to 2729 and World no.21. Among the Indian Women, WGM Rakshitta Ravi gained 44.6 Elo rating points to break into World top 100 among Women for the first time with a career high rating 2365. She is now World no.77 among Women. Photo: Anmol Bhargav

Gukesh to face Carlsen and co. at Weissenhaus Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1

07/02/2025 -

Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Stage 1 starts in Hamburg, Germany today. This will be the first time the World no.1 - Magnus Carlsen (NOR) will face D Gukesh after he became the 18th World Champion. The remaining eight players are - Fabiano Caruana (USA), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), Alireza Firouzja (FRA), Levon Aronian (USA), Vincent Keymer (GER), Vladimir Fedoseev (SLO) and Javokhir Sindarov (UZB). Sindarov replaced Vishy Anand who withdrew from the tournament. The Uzbek was the runner-up in the online qualifiers behind Fedoseev who won and earned his spot. There will be five rounds of Rapid games played today in the Round-Robin stage and the remaining four will take place tomorrow. Gukesh will face Carlsen in the ninth round. Round 1 starts today from 1 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: IM Sagar Shah

"A joyful passion for chess" - An interview with Sagar Shah

06/02/2025 -

Sagar Shah is the Cofounder and CEO of ChessBase India, a trainer, organiser and author. He is a regular guest at top tournaments around the world and has made countless videos filming chess events and interviewing top players and organisers. But during a visit to the ChessBase studio he changed roles and was interviewed. He talked to Johannes Fischer about his enthusiasm for chess, his chess career, his chess wedding and revealed why he is fascinated by mountain climbing. Check out the 77-minute-long interview of the man who is truly indefatigable when it comes to chess. Photo: ChessBase

New: 1.Nf3: A Reti-Grandmaster course for strategic understanding and flexibility Vol.1 - Fianchetto Systems

06/02/2025 -

Looking for a versatile and strategic opening repertoire that doesn’t rely on memorising endless variations? In this course, Grandmaster Felix Blohberger delivers a complete opening repertoire for White, centred around the flexible move 1.Nf3. Whether you’re a club player or a seasoned competitor, this course offers a solid yet dynamic approach that adapts to various playing styles and opponents. Felix was the second for Pentala Harikrishna at the recently concluded 87th Tata Steel Masters 2025. Grab this new Fritztrainer if you have not yet. Now you can study chess on any device, either via streaming or on ChessBase Book. Photo: ChessBase

‘Morphy Residential Chess Camp’ is offering you a blend of intense training and holistic activities

05/02/2025 -

Chess-Music-Nature. It may sound like a retreat, but it's actually what the Morphy Chess Academy is offering through their training camp. Their 'Morphy Residential Chess Camp' combines intense chess training with holistic activities. Last year, nine players from different cities came together to train under CM Vinod Bhagwat, a renowned chess coach in Nashik. This year, the camp is scheduled from 20th to 30th April. Check out the article for insights into how the last camp was organized and how you can participate in the upcoming one. Photo: Vinod Bhagwat

Sharan Rao triumphs at Big Rook Chinese New Year Open 2025

05/02/2025 -

IM Sharan Rao scored an unbeaten 6/7 to win Big Rook Chinese New Year Open 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the competition. 13-year-old Rumi Arjuna Malique Cairel Adrin (MAS) scored 5.5/7 to secure second place. Bei Er (CHN) and FM Poompong Wiwatanadate (THA) scored 5/7 each. They were placed third and fourth respectively according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was THB 30000 (≈ ₹77643) + trophies, medals and certificates. The top three prizes were THB 5000 + trophy, 3000 and 2400 each. Louie Salvador (PHI) won the Blitz Rating Open scoring 8/9. FM Jony Habla (PHI) finished second 7.5/9. Sharan secured third place 7/9. The top three prizes in Blitz were THB 1400 + trophy, 1000 and 700 each. This was Sharan's second overall, first rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Big Rook Chess Academy, Bangkok

Ambit Chess Club: A new go-to place for chess lovers

05/02/2025 -

Have you ever walked into a place and felt the incredible vibe right away? That’s exactly what happened on January 18th at the Ambit Chess Club. Ambit turned their cafeteria into an amazing chess club and it has already become a favorite spot for chess lovers. The response to the three events held so far has been fantastic. If you want to compete, learn ,or just enjoy the game, this is the perfect place for you! But don’t forget, registration is mandatory! Check out the article to find out how you can sign up.

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