Ojas' journey: 400 rating points in 37 days!

Ojas' journey: 400 rating points in 37 days!

By Priyadarshan Banjan - 30 July 2016

Have you ever imagined what it would be like if you increased 400 Elo rating points in one month?

Let us be more precise. Imagine you are a player rated 2000. How would you feel if one month later your rating would be 2400+? Ojas Kulkarni from Bangalore, Karnataka, has pulled off something incredible in the bygone 37 days. He has jumped from 2000 Elo to 2405 Elo, in four tournaments, all part of the Catalonian circuit in Spain.

Ojas is a 17-year-old student from Bangalore in Karnataka. He received his first published rating of 1418 in November 2010, when he was around eleven. He has had an adventurous time in the chess world, especially after the arrival of the k=40 era for under-18 players, where successes alternated with failures. But he kept moving ahead anyway.

Playing him, one gets an impression that he is a very solid player, hardly making concessions in his game. He won't win too many games, but he won't lose too many either. Good knowledge of endgames and sharp calculation skills have made sure that he has held or beaten some very strong titled players.

Towards the end of June, Ojas travelled to Spain to play in the Catalonian circuit, where he was competing in four tournaments. He increased 143 Elo in Montcada, 54 Elo in Barbera del Valles, and 98 in Sant Marti. In the ongoing tournament in Sitges, he is already increasing about 105 Elo.

1418 Elo to 2405 in less than six years. How did he do it?

Ojas credits his success to his coaches and ChessBase DVDs. "I have worked with GM Abhijit Kunte, GM Vishnu Prasanna and V. Raghavendra of the Karnataka School of Chess."

ChessBase Fritztrainers have been an integral part of every player's arsenal for decades now. Ojas is no different. "The DVDs related to openings and middlegame are very valuable. The Power Play DVDs have helped a lot. Especially the ones related to pawn structures (3, 5 and 15) are very useful," Ojas said. The Power Play series is suitable for anyone looking to improve their chess but also provides ready-made lessons and exercises for a trainer.

Power Play 03: Pawn Storm by Daniel King

Launching a successful attack is a skilful business that often demands great creativity. And like most themes in chess, this is a skill that can be honed and polished. In this 3rd DVD in the Power Play series, Grandmaster Daniel King examines more devilish methods of attacking the castled king – this time by means of a pawn storm. But which is the right pawn to use? And when is the right moment to launch a pawn in the direction of your opponent’s king? At the end of the DVD you can test your attacking and defensive skills by examining a series of specially selected test positions.

Order here

Power Play 05: Pawns

You might be a brilliant tactician or a fearsome attacker, but you won’t always be able to apply these skills when you play. If a game takes on a quieter nature, it is crucial that you develop an understanding of pawn structures, pawn play and pawn weaknesses. In this fifth Power Play DVD, Daniel King discusses strong and weak pawn structures, isolated pawns and pawn islands, how to create pawn weaknesses, how to cramp a pawn structure, the power of centre pawns…and much more. Remember, weak pawns can decide the game. At the end of the DVD you can test your understanding of pawn play and pawn structures by examining a series of specially selected test positions.

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Power Play 15: Practical Pawn Endgames

"The PowerPlay DVD series by GM Daniel King is one of the most successful chess instruction tools today." – New In Chess (Magazine Shop). The aim of this DVD is to provide you with the practical skills and knowledge that you will need to play a king and pawn endgame. Based on his own playing experience, Grandmaster Daniel King reveals what is essential knowledge, saving you time in your studies. In the first section of the DVD he takes you through typical motifs and themes. In the second section, he tests your knowledge with typical scenarios from actual games.

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Sample video

Other DVDs and Fritztrainers by Daniel King

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Source

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