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Just a few days ago, I was in Europe playing five tournaments in different countries, and in this period met so many new chess players from all over the world. Right from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (at the point he was world number two) to Vladimir Chuchelov (world famous coach) to people who had just taken their first steps in this huge chess ocean! After initial greetings, our talks would usually turn in Indian direction when I would ask them, "Have you ever visited India?" Most of the people would reply - "No, we haven't done that yet. But we would really like to!" And then they next logical question from their end is – " Are there any good tournaments in India?" And they are really shocked to hear that India organizes world class FIDE norm tournaments with the first prize in the range of Rs. 200,000 to Rs. 400,000 (€3,000 to €5,000).
A total of 3379 kms! Mumbai (central part of India), Delhi (North) and Chennai (South)
And now the Indian circuit is here - from 26th of December 2016 to 25th of January 2017. This allows you to not only play in three tournaments but also cover the length and the breadth of the country.
The first tournament in the circuit is the IIFL Wealth International Open in Mumbai. This is the second edition of this event. It will be held simultaneously with the highest prize money Junior's tournament in the world! In the morning you will have the IIFL Junior event, while in the afternoon the IIFL Open round will begin.
This was the playing hall in the first edition of the Mumbai tournament. World Class - don't you agree!
Mumbai Open event: 26th Dec 2016 - 3rd Jan 2017
Total prize fund: Rs.1.2 Million (€16,000), first prize Rs. 300,000 (€4000)
Mumbai Junior event (only for players below 13 years): Total prize fund over €10,000
Organizer of the event Praful Zaveri (centre) with GM Swapnil Dhopade (winner of the first open edition) and Raunak Sadhwani (winner of the first junior edition)
The best part of this tournament - nine single rounds, 25 wooden digital boards and live commentary for both the sections. This is where you can find all the reports related to the first edition IIFL tournament along with final standings, pictures and other information.
Total Prize fund Rs. 1.8 million (€24,000), first prize: Rs. 400,000 (€5,300). This is by far the most popular tournament in the Indian circuit. The above prize fund is only for the A category, but there are two more B and C which are equally popular. This tournament attracted more than 3500 players last year from all over the world! Don't believe me?
The tournament witnesses unbelievable turnout from the all the corners of the country!
Ivan Popov was the winner in 2016! In the centre you can see Bharat Singh Chauhan, one of the best organizers in the country. He and his team make sure that the participants have a good time in Delhi.
Check out the number of strong players who participated in the previous edition along with pictures and final standings in the ChessBase India report. The circular of the Delhi Open with all the details can be downloaded from here.
Total prize fund Rs.1,100,000 (€14,650), first prize Rs. 200,000 (€2,650). Chennai as a city has a rich tradition of chess in the country. It is the place where the greatest number of India's grandmasters come from. The first IM of India Manuel Aaron, the five-time World Champion Vishy Anand, and the youngest IM R. Praggnanandhaa of the world are all from Chennai! More information about the Chennai Open, final standings and pictures can be found over here.
Vladimir Belous won the Chennai Open 2016 edition
From the happening city of Mumbai...
... to the architecturally beautiful city of Delhi ...
... to the chess crazy city of Chennai!
This is your chance to not only play in three super strong International Opens but also discover the Incredible India.
Did you know Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world, is just 200 kms away from the Delhi International Open!
The first twenty grandmasters (above 2500) receive excellent conditions. This includes flight ticket from your country to India and back, along with other conditions. If you are interested to play, you can send a mail to delhiinternationalchess2014@gmail.com.
Alexey Dreev in 2007 [photo: The Hindu]
Michal Krasenkow in 2008
Mikhailo Oleksienko and Martin Kravtsiv
Mikhailo Oleksienko and Martin Kravtsiv
Boris Grachev in 2016
Humpy Koneru with her father, receiving honorary membership of Goregaon Sports Club, Mumbai, in 2008
Areshchenko with the winner's trophy in Delhi 2011
A young Yuriy Kuzubov with the winner's trophy in 2009
India waits for you, so send in your mails at delhiinternationalchess2014@gmail.com and get to know the exact conditions on offer.
Check out the ChessBase India website at www.chessbase.in – a responsive news page that runs on notebooks, tablets, smartphones, practically everything. You can also visit and "like" the ChessBase India Facebook page or Twitter account
