World champions, elite GMs and young stars

The quarterfinals of the WR Chess Masters Cup took place on Tuesday at the luxurious Langham Hotel in London, delivering an exciting day of high-level competition. Two of the four matches were decided in classical chess, with Arjun Erigaisi and Alireza Firouzja advancing after securing 1½-½ victories. Meanwhile, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu needed an Armageddon decider to progress.

The first standout moment from the day was Raunak Sadhwani's unfortunate forfeit in his opening game against Alireza Firouzja. Paired against the world number 7, Raunak missed the start of his match due to technical issues with his alarms, which were connected to his AirPods and failed to ring. As a result, Firouzja won the first game by default and then comfortably held a draw in the second game to advance to the semifinals.

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.

Three out of the five players from India's victorious Olympiad team in Budapest made it to the quarterfinals, including Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi, who faced off against each other. Arjun, currently ranked third in the world, displayed his strength by holding a draw with black in a complex encounter before winning with white to secure his semifinal spot. Meawhile, Praggnanandhaa, facing his mentor Viswanathan Anand, saw both classical games end in draws. However, it was the 19-year-old Pragg who triumphed in the Armageddon tiebreak, thus defeating his childhood idol.

The final quarterfinal match saw France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave take on Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the only contest without an Indian representative. Two relatively short draws, lasting 21 and 30 moves, led to an Armageddon decider, where MVL dominated with the white pieces to advance.

As the tournament moves to the semifinals, chess fans can look forward to an all-Indian battle between Arjun and Praggnanandhaa, while Firouzja and MVL will clash in an all-French duel. At 33, MVL stands out as the veteran among the remaining competitors.

Praggnanandhaa* 1 - 1 Anand

* Won in Armageddon

Master advanced Tactics and Calculations like a super Grandmaster

The Indian chess grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi with an ELO of over 2700 (June 2023) is one of the best 20 players in the world. For the first time, the sympathetic top player presents himself in a video course. Let a world-class player show you tactical moti

Vachier-Lagrave* 1 - 1 Abdusattorov

* Won in Armageddon

Arjun 1½ - ½ Vidit

Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.1 - 9

In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.

Firouzja 1½ - ½ Raunak

Video gallery (by ChessBase India)

The Ultimate Showdown | Praggnanandhaa vs Vishy Anand

Revealing Modern Grandmaster Secrets Vol. 1 & 2

This isn’t just another chess tutorial—it’s your all-access pass to the strategies, insights, and techniques that define modern grandmaster play.

Raunak LOSES against Firouzja for not showing up on time!

Links

• Official website
• All ChessBase reports on the 2023 WR Chess Masters
• Creating a super tournament from scratch: Interview with Wadim Rosenstein