FIDE will provide aid packages to Open Tournaments

22/01/2021 -

FIDE has been in the forefront to innovate, adapt and overcome all the odds the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic has presented us. It has affected all players, enthusiasts, organizers, the entire chess community, one way or the other. Once again FIDE comes up with another measure, this time with an aid package for the organizers, to encourage more over-the-board chess tournaments, something we are longing for quite sometime especially those who have not played any otb tournament for almost a year. Photo: FIDE

Tata Steel Masters R5: Grandelius takes sole lead, Harikrishna close on his heels

22/01/2021 -

Nils Grandelius scored his third victory of the tournament as he beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in his own domain Najdorf. Vachier-Lagrave went wrong with a novelty which Grandelius capitalized to pummel himself into the sole leader spot with 3.5/5 at the conclusion of Round 5. Giri made a move which he regretted immediately after making and made a draw with Harikrishna. Donchenko played solid and held the world champion Carlsen to a draw. Harikrishna, Carlsen, Giri and Caruana are at shared second spot with 3.0/5. Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021

Festive start to Japan's new year

21/01/2021 -

Chess players in Tokyo got a chance to welcome the new year by participating in something that has been missing from the chess world for the last nine months – an over the board tournament. The National Chess Society of Japan, which is Japan's official FIDE affiliated organization, decided to go ahead with the two events, the New Year's Chess Festival 2021 and Chess Challenge 1, while ensuring all safety guidelines for prevention of Covid-19 were followed. A report by Mayur Gondhalekar from the tournament location. Photo: NCS Japan

Tata Steel Masters Round 4: Hari enters world top 20 and keeps lead after a fighting draw with Caruana

20/01/2021 -

Round 4 of the Tata Steel Masters 2021 had all the seven games ending in draws. Hence the leaders at the top remained the same - Harikrishna, Caruana, Carlsen, Giri and Grandelius. However, things were not at all simple in all the games. In fact Harikrishna was on the backfoot for a long duration against Caruana. It seemed like the world no.2 was well and truly on track to scoring a win. However, Harikrishna fought with all his might and was able to trick Fabiano. How did he do it? This entire sequence has been analyzed in this article by IM Sagar Shah. Check out our illustrated report from round 4 of the Tata Steel Masters 2021.

FIDE approves hybrid competitions valid for rating

20/01/2021 -

Covid-19 has made a big impact in all facets of life. FIDE keeps evolving continuously by taking various innovative measures, organized and announced multitude of first ever online events. In its new step, FIDE announces a Hybrid format where tournaments will be played online as most of the countries are still having travel restrictions due to the pandemic, but they will play from a specific venue in presence of an arbiter. FIDE also wants some of these events to be rated. What are your thoughts on this? Are you up for hybrid chess tournaments? Photo: FIDE

The Don Fabi Engine and Hari's French Explorations

19/01/2021 -

Great news for Indian chess fans. After three rounds of Tata Steel Masters 2021, we have Pentala Harikrishna in the lead with 2.0/3. The India no.2 played the French defence to beat the overnight leader Nils Grandelius. The tournament is now led by Harikrishna along with Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri and Nils Grandelius. The most exciting player of the event has without doubt been Fabiano Caruana. IM Sagar Shah analyzes his round 2 and 3 encounters with Donchenko and Duda in great depth and tells you why he thinks Don Fabi is the most uncompromising player at the highest level.

Master Class with Vishy Anand

19/01/2021 -

Chess can be learned from anywhere, any time and from anyone. When the seven-time world champion and the man who inspired a nation can be your teacher, you do not want to pass that opportunity. The legend of the game will be doing a webinar with World Chess on Sunday 24th of January 2020 at 9.30 p.m. IST. The topic of the session is "Defending Tough Positions". You will be able to ask questions to Anand and also get your doubts answered. Check out the article to find out how you can learn from one of the best in the world among World Class players. Photo: Amruta Mokal

Carlsen's aggression and Giri's defensive skills light up day 1 of Tata Steel Masters 2021

17/01/2021 -

It just seems like a normal year when the Wimbledon of chess begins in January! That's exactly what has happened in 2021! With the Covid-19 pandemic threat, it seemed likely that the Tata Steel Masters would be called off. But the will of the organizers and the excitement of the players to get back on the chess board has ensured an exciting 83rd edition of this world class event in the town of Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands. Day one began with an amazing onslaught by Magnus Carlsen. He won his game against Alireza Firouzja. Anish Giri got the better of Aryan Tari in an Ant-Berlin. Nils Grandelius was the other winner on day one. All of this and much more in our illustrated report from day 1 of Tata Steel Masters 2021.

Autism and Chess - Part 2

16/01/2021 -

Our last article on this subject was well-received. A number of autism experts and groups have shown great interest in the experiences Simon has made with chess – which might be the ideal entry point for people with ASD to interact with others. In the second part Simon describes how playing in tournaments was a big step for him – how it helped him to make and enjoy new contacts. | Illustration by Bobby Lopez

Harikrishna returns to Tata Steel Masters after four years

15/01/2021 -

While we all eagerly wait for the pandemic to be over and get back to pushing pieces over the board and press a physical clock next to it, Tata Steel Chess continues its tradition as the 83rd edition of the 'Wimbledon of Chess' starts on Saturday 16th January 2021. Pentala Harikrishna will make his return to the historic event for the first time since 2017. He will be seen in action along with Carlsen, Caruana, Vachier-Lagrave, Giri, Firouzja, Duda, Wojtaszek, Jorden Van Foreest along with five debutants - David Anton Guijarro, Andrey Esipenko, Alexander Donchenko, Nils Grandelius and Aryan Tari. Photo: Niklesh Jain

Road less travelled

14/01/2021 -

It is safe to say that last year we witnessed the least number of over-the-board tournaments of the decade, perhaps the century too, due to Covid-19 pandemic. However online tournaments witnessed more than the usual number of games in a top level tournament, at least the ones which had a 'set' format like tennis. We often hear players saying that they have forgotten this line or move, but is chess all about opening preparation and engine lines? There are still less trodden paths and some where no footprint exists. Who ventures on them? Srikanth Govindaseshan takes a look at the less trodden paths.

How chess helped me to quit smoking

13/01/2021 -

Smoking is a dangerous vice. Once you are addicted to it, it is difficult to get rid of the habit. People often have to take days of therapy in order to solve this problem. But here's the inspiring story of one of our viewers on YouTube. He calls himself "Just a Random Guy." He would like his identity to be concealed, but his story is 100% authentic! From smoking 20 cigarettes a day, he has come down to 1 every couple of days! How did this transformation happen? Chess played a huge role in it and here's the story of how it transpired!

New: Nicholas Pert: A Black Repertoire versus the Anti-Sicilians

13/01/2021 -

The Sicilian is the most popular opening against 1.e4 because it is theoretically sound but offers Black double-edged play at the same time. Whilst you must know how to handle the main line (2. Nf3 and 3.d4), sidelines are also very important. In this video series I give a strong and practical Black repertoire against these sidelines such as the Bb5 Sicilian, the Grand Prix Attack, the Alapin and many more, from my years of experience playing the Sicilian. Photo: ChessBase

ChessBase 16 - The search booster in action

12/01/2021 -

Jeroen van den Belt has already explained how the search booster came about and how it works in an interview with Frederic Friedel. But how the high-speed tool will be used in practical tests may still be unclear to some. That is why we have simply opened ChessBase 16, and let the booster work. Check out the tutorial video to find out how the search booster of ChessBase 16 works and how you can make the most out of it.

Julia Osmak wins 11th Sharjah International Cup for Women Online Final

11/01/2021 -

IM Julia Osmak wins 11th Sharjah International Cup for Women Online Final. She scored 7.0/9 and finished a half point ahead of the competition. Three Indian women qualified to the Final stage. Out of them IM Bhakti Kulkarni made a fantastic start taking sole lead with 4.5/5, however she suffered three consecutive losses and finished 12th with 5.0/9. WIM Vantika Agrawal was the highest performing Indian, scoring 5.5/9 and finished at 10th place. IM Padmini Rout is the only other Indian in the Final, she was placed 20th with 4.5/9. Photo: Niklesh Jain

NEW ARRIVALS