A Song of Ice and Fire, and Bobby Fischer

23/04/2016 -

The Game of Thrones is a wildly popular TV-show all across the world, with young and old alike watching the series with the devotion that seems unmatched. The characters, as well as the story itself, has achieved cult status following. Not surprisingly, the TV-show has an army of followers in India as well, and many of the chessplayers here, especially those belonging to the younger generation, are die-hard fans of the story, probably because of the chess-like themes so dominant in it. The TV-show is based on an equally popular series of books named 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. Did you know that George RR Martin, the man who created this whole concept, was a chessplayer? Read on.

Norway Rd.4: Hari misses the 'Grand'elius opportunity

23/04/2016 -

Hari started his fourth round with a score of 1.0/3. His opponent was Nils Grandelius, the last seed at the event, and right after the opening Black had an excellent position. It seemed as if Hari would win this game but a few inaccurate moves and staunch defence by Grandelius meant that almost all of Hari's advantage had evaporated. A good defensive effort by the Swedish GM but Harikrishna would be kicking himself for missing out on the golden opportunity. In-depth game analysis.

Dubai 08+09: Vidit joint second

22/04/2016 -

Indians Sethuraman and Gagare were in close pursuit of the leaders before the eighth round began. However, things did not end positively for them. In the end, after nine rounds of play, Vidit Gujrathi ended joint second with 7.0/9, fifth on the tie-break. Englishman GM Gawain Jones completed a double victory after his win in the blitz event, lifting the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Cup. Report.

Harikrishna consolidates with two draws

22/04/2016 -

After losing to Magnus Carlsen in the first round, Harikrishna consolidated his situation in the tournament with two draws in rounds two and three against Pavel Eljanov and Veselin Topalov respectively. Hari can be happy with his round two encounter with Eljanov where he had his chances in the Saemisch Nimzo, but with the white pieces against Topalov he didn't get even the slightest of advantage. In this article we have a look at both these games.

Stany scores his maiden GM norm

21/04/2016 -

Stany has been one of the strongest International Masters in India for quite some time now. But he never really seemed to be taking the next step towards the GM title. But in the past six months he seems to be in a hurry. The 23-year-old from Karnataka has not only gained 60 Elo points but also achieved his maiden grandmaster norm. In this article Stany describes his journey of how he achieved the GM norm and also shares with us a truly beautiful victory against a Lithuanian GM.

R.B. Ramesh: An Interview

20/04/2016 -

R.B. Ramesh has been a top-class coach in India for a while now and has regularly brought home laurels in various important events with his chess guidance and terrific man-management skills. Today, the Chennai-based grandmaster turned forty! In a freewheeling chat, Ramesh, an astute chess coach, discussed many critical facets of the sport and its development in India.

Norway R01: Hari outplayed by Force Magnus

20/04/2016 -

Playing a super-elite tournament after almost two years is a difficult task in itself. You are definitely not helped by the fact that you have to face the World Champion with black pieces. Magnus played a nearly flawless game and won in smooth positional style. Hari's mistake can be traced all the way back to the eighth move when by not following the theoretical paths he landed in an inferior position. We have detailed analysis as well as a nice a suggestion for you on how to combat the Queen's Indian.

The search for Mumbai's second grandmaster!

19/04/2016 -

How do you go about changing the level of chess players in a city like Mumbai? A city that has a population of nearly 12 million people, is the financial hub of the nation, but has produced only one grandmaster till date. To bring a positive transformation we need dedicated and selfless individuals. Hemangi and Rishi Gupta have the dream of creating champion chess players in the city. And it is with this vision they have started the iLead Chess Academy. As Lao Tzu said,"Every journey of thousand miles begins with a single step." Read on and know more about the fantastic work iLead is involved in.

Dubai 04-07: Shardul and Sethu in pursuit

18/04/2016 -

Dubai is a city known for its energy, optimism and openness to the people from across the globe. The emirate is a place that is constantly in flux and the world has witnessed it mature as a city and as a society. The tournament has established a new record in participation approximately 200 players from 41 countries, including 46 Grandmasters, of which 25 are rated above 2600. 60 competitors are Indians, with many youngsters hunting for norms and points. At the end of seven rounds, Shardul Gagare and S.P. Sethuraman are tied at the second spot with 5.5/7, pursuing four leading grandmasters. A report.

Bangkok 06-09: Ganguly wins the title!

17/04/2016 -

India's Surya Shekhar Ganguly is the 2016 Bangkok Chess Club Open Champion, finishing ahead in the tiebreaker by the narrowest of margins over Spain's Paco Vallejo. We had reported earlier how Dhopade and Ganguly were in the race for a high finish at the 2016 Bangkok Open. Loek van Wely was leading the table at the end of five rounds. Read the first part of our final report chronicling Ganguly's victory march.

Asian Youth Championship 2016

17/04/2016 -

Approximately 470 young players assembled at Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia for the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2016. The tournament came to a close on 14 April 2016 with the Indians scooping up a total of eight medals — three golds, two silvers, and three bronzes. A report highlighting the winners with games.

Learn Breyer with Pavel Eljanov!

16/04/2016 -

ChessBase India has introduced a new DVD in the shop: The Breyer Variation of the Ruy Lopez by Pavel Eljanov. And it is just for Rs 999/- for Indian residents. In this article we explain how you can go about studying this complex opening. We show you the latest game between So-Kamsky and how the black player went wrong in the Breyer. By studying Pavel Eljanov's DVD you come to the conclusion that Kamsky would have fared much better had he seen the DVD before the game! Such is the excellent level of analysis. This article also breaks down the opening into different diagrams to show you that it is not so difficult to master it. So what are you waiting for? Dive into the world of Breyer!

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