Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
A strong open tournament took place at the Norwegian city of Fagernes on April 10-17. The lineup was headed by three Indian players: Arjun Erigaisi, Krishnan Sasikiran and Nihal Sarin. They were closely followed rating-wise by Alexander Donchenko from Germany, Aram Hakobyan from Armenia and S.P. Sethuraman, also from India.
Master Class Vol. 12: Viswanathan Anand
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.
With such a well-represented Indian contingent, it is not surprising that five players from the South Asian country finished in the top 10. However, it was not the in-form Arjun who claimed first place, but 41-year-old Sasikiran. The experienced grandmaster from Madras was only the second player from India to reach a 2700 Elo rating, and is currently one of seven Indians belonging to the world top 100 in the official FIDE ratings list.
Sasikiran entered the final round in Fagernes a half point behind Aryan Chopra, the sole leader of the event. Facing Donchenko with black, Sasikiran showcased great tactical awareness to take down his German opponent in 55 moves.
Aryan, a 20-year-old grandmaster from Delhi, drew Frode Urkedal with the white pieces on top board, which meant he and his older compatriot finished tied atop the standings table on 7 out of 9 points. Sasikiran was declared tournament winner thanks to his better tiebreak score.
It was notwithstanding a strong performance by Aryan, who beat two grandmasters throughout the event — Stellan Brynell from Sweden and Kaido Kulaots from Estonia. Also satisfied with his performance must be Urkedal, who finished undefeated with a 2672 TPR to claim third place.
Ukrainian FM Semen Mitusov grabbed an IM norm, as he scored 5½ points after beating, among others, Sethuraman and Erik Blomqvist.
Top 4 in the GM group: Frode Urkedal (3rd), Aram Hakobyan (4th), Krishnan Sasikiran (1st) and Aryan Chopra (2nd) | Photo: Tom Eriksen
The Reti, a flexible attacking opening
The Nimzo-Indian, the Gruenfeld and the King's Indian Defence are three incredibly uncomfortable defences to meet. This hypermodern DVD gives new ideas on how to squash these setups with sound, positional play based on double fianchetto systems.
