Sagar Shah

Sagar Shah is an International Master from India with two GM norms. He loves to cover chess tournaments, as that helps him understand and improve at the game he loves so much. He is the co-founder and CEO of ChessBase India, the biggest chess news portal in the country. His YouTube channel has over a million subscribers, and to date close to a billion views.

ChessBase India is the sole distributor of ChessBase products in India and seven adjoining countries (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia) and the prices are tailored to the spending capacity of these countries. All ChessBase products including ChessBase software, Mega-database, Fritz, different engines and DVDs by world famous authors are available for 60% discount as compared to International prices.             

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Recent news

When kids take the lead: Tania Sachdev's memorable morning in Kolkata

3/24/2026 – International Master Tania Sachdev visited RP Goenka School in Kolkata for what turned out to be a truly memorable interaction. What stood out wasn't just the questions - but the confidence, clarity and leadership shown by children as young as eight. In this heartwarming account, Tania reflects on young minds, the role of sport and the moments from school that stay with us forever. It's wonderful to see what Tania is doing apart from playing chess and commentating - inspiring the next generation!
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The most beautiful combination of Sasikiran's chess career

3/8/2026 – Krishnan Sasikiran is an absolute legend of Indian chess. In recent times, he has lost some rating, but his strength has never been in doubt. He proved what an evergreen champion he is by winning the Prague Open ahead of 11 GMs and 23 IMs. He did so by executing a brilliant combination in his seventh round game against Eren Ataberk! This was described by Sasikiran as one of the best combinations of his career. | Photo: Prajwal Bhat
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Commentator or strong GM? Harshit Raja's inspiring run at Saint Louis Masters

3/3/2026 – After a small break, GM Harshit Raja made a fine return to classical chess at the Saint Louis Masters, an elite invitational tournament featuring a powerhouse lineup of just 70 players. Facing a gauntlet of opponents with an average rating of nearly 2580, Harshit proved what a strong player he is, leading to a performance rating of 2600+ and a gain of 13 Elo points. From daring "coffeehouse complications" against Grigoriy Oparin to a strategic masterclass in the Najdorf, Harshit shares the insights behind his "chill" and inspired approach to the game. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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The touch-move controversy between Judit Polgar and Garry Kasparov

2/10/2026 – Netflix launched a new documentary on the life of Judit Polgar, "The Queen of Chess". The documentary is extremely well-made and is definitely worth a watch if you are a chess fan. It brought back to life an incident that had happened 32 years ago in 1994, when an 18-year-old Judit took on the world number-one Garry Kasparov for the first time. It involved a famous touch-move incident. | Photo: Judit Polgar Chess Foundation
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"I just wanted a medal" - Vladislav Artemiev on beating Magnus Carlsen and winning silver at World Rapid 2025

1/14/2026 – Vladislav Artemiev had an impressive run at the FIDE World Rapid Championship 2025. He finished the tournament unbeaten, defeated Magnus Carlsen, survived severe time pressure against Arjun Erigaisi, and eventually claimed the silver medal. In this exclusive interview with Sagar Shah, Artemiev speaks openly about his approach to the tournament, his struggles with time management, and the balance he tries to maintain between ambition and stability. He also reflects on his memorable games against Magnus and Arjun during the event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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The inspiring story of Alojzije Jankovic, enthusiastic chess promoter

12/6/2025 – On the rest day of the FIDE World Cup, on 20 November, I decided to interview GM Alojzije Jankovic. Every time I have met him, I have always been amazed by his warmth and infectious enthusiasm. A man who has worn many hats in the chess world, Jankovic carries the rare combination of passion, humility and purpose. A strong GM who once reached a 2593 rating, Jankovic is also a long-time television presenter in Croatia, Vice President of the European Chess Union, author, theoretician, trainer, commentator and researcher. Let's dive into his multi-faceted life.
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Interview with the man behind the Saint Louis Chess Club, Rex Sinquefield

10/30/2025 – What makes a chess club feel like home? The Saint Louis Chess Club shows that it's the people, the stories and the shared love for the game. They form the heart and soul of this legendary chess club. From world champions to beginners, everyone is welcome at this place, which is driven by a community of passionate chess lovers. Recently, the club hosted the Clutch Chess Legends 2025, where two icons, Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand, faced each other once again. In the middle of all the action, IM Sagar Shah interviewed the person behind this beloved chess club, Rex Sinquefield, the visionary whose dream turned Saint Louis into the chess capital of the world.
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Spreading joy in the world of chess: Anish Giri turns 31 years old today

6/28/2025 – Born in 1994, Anish Giri turns 31 years old today, on 28 June 2025. Anish is a player whom we have known for almost a decade now. In this article, we go down memory lane with some selected images that tell the story of what a gem of an individual Anish is. Amruta and I first met Anish in 2015 at the London Chess Classic. The then young GM has turned into an experienced player - as he remains at the top of the world rankings! | Photos: Amruta Mokal
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Meet Roman Vidonyak: The hidden coach behind top grandmasters

3/11/2025 – Some of the world’s best chess players have trained under him, yet his name remains unknown to many. He has worked with players like Anish Giri, Jorden van Foreest, and Vladimir Fedoseev but always stayed behind the scenes. He is known for his creative training methods and intensive sessions. The name of this mastermind is Roman Vidonyak, and Sagar Shah got the opportunity to meet him in Wijk aan Zee. Check out his interview in which he talks about his training journey, training philosophy, and what it takes to create champions. Photo: German Chess Federation
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Anish Giri takes on the Fischer Quiz in New York!

12/27/2024 – The World Rapid and Blitz Championships began in New York on 26 December. Sagar Shah is reporting for ChessBase India, while Anish Giri is participating. They are good friends and, before the start of the tournament, Sagar invited the Dutch top player to try his luck in a little quiz about the most famous chess player in New York: Bobby Fischer! How well do you know Fischer's games? How well does Giri know Fischer's games?
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Grzegorz Gajewski shares insights on Gukesh's World Championship victory

12/25/2024 – Gukesh made history by becoming the world chess champion at 18 years of age. Grzegorz Gajewski has been training Gukesh for the past two years. In this in-depth interview with Sagar Shah, Gajewski reveals the story behind forming Team Gukesh - how every member was carefully chosen, the strategies they employed and the collaborative effort that led to this historic win. He also sheds light on Gukesh's mental resilience, the crucial role played by his parents and an insightful analysis of the games. | Photo: Maria Emelianova
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The inside story: Sagar Shah interviews Gukesh

12/17/2024 – Chess is booming in India and Sagar Shah, founder and driving force behind ChessBase India, has played a major role in this process. ChessBase India has also followed the career of Gukesh, the new world champion, from the very beginning. In an extensive, almost three-hour interview, Sagar Shah and Gukesh now talk about Gukesh's path to the World Championship, the 14 games of the competition and the choice of his seconds, among other things. Gukesh also reveals how and why Vincent Keymer, who is actually a rival of Gukesh, became part of the team in this revealing interview.
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The Chennai Grand Masters returns in 2024 - bigger and better

10/20/2024 – In 2023 India got its highest ever classical super tournament in the form of the Chennai Grand Masters. The tournament, with an average rating of 2711, proved to be a perfect event for fighting and high-quality chess as well as an important event in the FIDE circuit. This year the contest is back - bigger and better. Not only has the rating average of masters grown to 2729, but we also have a Challengers section with 8 talented Indian youngsters fighting for one spot in the Masters. Read on to know all the players, prize money, schedule, venue and more!
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Ziaur Rahman, Bangladeshi chess legend

7/18/2024 – Ziaur Rahman, the second grandmaster of Bangladesh and the player to have reached the highest rating in his country (2570), passed away on 5 July while playing a game of chess at the Bangladeshi National Championships. He suffered a heart attack and collapsed to the ground. Ziaur was just 50 years old. In this article, we look back at his life and remember what a gem of a person he was both on and off the board, and we also share heartfelt messages from some of the top Indian GMs. | Photo: Amruta Mokal
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The Candidates are ready - First impressions from Toronto!

4/3/2024 – The wait is over. We are one day away from kick-off at the Candidates Tournaments in Toronto, and the ChessBase India team is already on-site, producing video content for all of us to enjoy. Sagar Shah and co. have met a number of chess personalities already, including Levy Rozman (a.k.a. Gotham Chess) and Vidit Gujrathi, one of the participants in the open section. Check it out!
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Yochanan Afek's chess compositions

3/26/2024 – Yochanan Afek, International Grandmaster of chess composition, has been providing us with articles for decades. He lives in Amsterdam, where Sagar Shah caught up with him and conducted a 90-minute interview, discussing some of the great problem compositions that we have from him. We have the puzzles in a replay board, where you can follow the discussion, using the built-in engine to answer residual questions you might have. Very entertaining and instructive.
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What can you learn from Vidit

3/15/2024 – Have you ever finished last in a tournament? Well, it happened to Vidit Gujrathi at the Prague Masters 2024. As Vidit himself pointed out, this might be the first time ever that he finished last in his entire chess career. And it happened 20 days before the most important event of his life - the Candidates, this cannot really be a good sign, can it?
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The beautiful world of Anish Giri and Sopiko Guramishvili

2/24/2024 – After an intense tournament at Weissenhaus, Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal had a free week before their trip to the Prague Masters. They decided to use this time to visit the residence of Anish Giri and Sopiko Guramishvili in The Hague. The plan was to record an opening video course for ChessBase. This was done quite efficiently in three days, and the course is a 7-hour masterclass covering opening play. Moreover, the trip turned out to be much more than just recordings. For the author, experiencing the life of a beautiful family, which combines ambition, love and respect, was extremely enjoyable!
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