2/3/2020 – Last August former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik trained six Indian super-talents in Geneva. They went on to score remarkable tournament success and GM norms, attributing their performance directly to the training session. The sponsor, Microsense PL, decided to stage another training camp, this time with fourteen players and in south Indian city of Chennai, with two super-GMs. Frederic Friedel visited the camp and found it deeply impressive. Here is his pictorial report. | Photos: Amruta Mokal

1/7/2019 – He will always greet you with a smile, he is always high on energy and, in almost any conversation, you will see him adding some of the famous quotes of great personalities! The natural question to ask is: how does Adhiban Baskaran remain so positive all the time? What is the secret of his positivity, huge ambitions and a pleasant personality? Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal visited Adhiban's home in Chennai, immediately after Adhiban had won the tournament of Peace in Croatia in November 2018. Apart from discussing highlights from the tournament, you'll learn about Adhiban's workspace, his parents and his support system — all the secretes to what motivates him to do well!

9/25/2017 – Feel like escaping to a warm climate this winter? Why not India? From December 2017 to January 2018 we'll see events in Bhopal, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. Her are all the details about the forthcoming Indian Winter Circuit tournaments along with a few tips on what one can expect from each of the tournament destinations as a tourist.

1/5/2015 – The time has come for the 7th edition of the Chennai International Open in Chennai, India, held between Dec 30, 2014, to Jan 06, 2015. With a total prize fund of Rs.1.4 million ($22,135 approx), in three different groups – the Grandmaster Open, and two others. It is the proverbial 'bigger and better' with total entries all combined reaching a mammoth 937 players.

2/14/2014 – This dramatic event that took place in south India last November and attracted visitors from all over the world. In the tournament hotel we encountered two chess playing barristers from London, who were clearly enjoying their stay. We asked them to write up their impressions, which they duly did, giving us a picture of the World Championship as experienced by seasoned chess tourists.

12/15/2013 – One of the daily attractions of the World Championship in Chennai last November was the problem and study contests that were held in the hotel lobby during every round. Scores of competent, enthusiastic and highly motivated solvers participated. The organiser of the solving contest, C.G.S. Narayanan, kindly sent us a set for our readers to solve. You have 90 minutes to do so.

12/3/2013 – It's ten days since Magnus Carlsen snatched the most valuable title from India's Viswanathan Anand. There are literally hundreds of reports in the international press – and a number of remarkable interviews with the players. In case you missed them we bring you a selection, with titles like "My turn to teach Anand now" and speculation on the super-secret men who helped Magnus.

12/1/2013 – After a number of interviews by Magnus Carlsen, it was now the turn of now former World Champion Vishy Anand. In an extraordinarily frank and candid interview, conducted a week after his defeat at the hands of the Norwegian, Anand describes his opponent, the course of the match, his thoughts on retirement (spoiler: he's not going to!) and life after five world titles. Video and text transcript.

11/27/2013 – The 2013 Chennai Grandmaster Open, held in celebration of the Anand-Carlsen FIDE World Championship Match, was sensationally won by 14-year-old FM Aravindh Chithambaram of Chennai. With a performance rating of 2728, which dwarfs his current rating of 2335, it seems we have a new prodigy to track! Here is the illustrated report by WGM Soumya Swaminathan

11/27/2013 – With the world championship match over, a variety of experts are beginning to weigh in on the match, what happened and why. The most prominent of the pundits is the irrepressible Garry Kasparov who published his personal summary on the match and Magnus Carlsen in Time Magazine. However other grandmasters such as Giri, Short, and King, have also given their expert analysis of the match.

11/26/2013 – After his historic win, Magnus Carlsen sat down with the cohort of Norwegian press members for a group interview. There was no division in parts and all members used the body of questions and answers for their work. In it he discusses his impressions of match play, his plans for the future, and what type of world champion he sees himself as. Here is the full collective interview.

11/25/2013 – With a couple of days to rest and recover, before the closing ceremony, Magnus Carlsen chose to indulge in his favorite activities such as some basketball and football. A gymnasium was reserved and he challenged a team of journalists to face his team of Norwegians. Finally, the day came for the players to receive their medals, trophies, and checks. Large pictorial report.

11/25/2013 – While Magnus Carlsen’s victory is a victory for youth, with his numerous records in precociousness, it is unfair and incorrect to suggest that excellence and success are the exclusive domain of the young. As a follow-up to our look at the wonders of those in the springtime of life, here is a list of the players for whom age is just a number, and each wrinkle is but a battle scar.

11/24/2013 – As would be expected, the news of the result of the Anand-Carlsen world championship match and the new title-holder circumnavigated the globe like wildfire, and media around the world has reported on it. The focus has clearly been on Magnus Carlsen, who is described as the "Justin Bieber of chess" or "a cross between a boxer and a 50s gangster". Here is a sample of the stories and headlines.

11/23/2013 – Magnus Carlsen is the new world chess champion, having defeated the titleholder Vishy Anand of India in ten games with the score 6.5-3.5. The 22-year old Norwegian grandmaster has now won everything there is to win in chess. Huffington Post columnist GM Lubomir Kavalek comments on the course of the Championship and the Berlin Defense that played a critical role.

11/22/2013 – The game was well described by Vishy Anand: "a microcosm of what the match was". Anand played a solid game while keeping tension, but he started making mistakes. A blunder by each player led them to an endgame with an advantage for Carlsen. He tried to win the knight endgame but forced a draw when things got complicated. Analysis of the game that made Magnus Carlsen the new World Champion.

11/22/2013 – There seemed little doubt a real game would be played today, with Magnus the consummate player, and Anand unwilling to disappoint his fans for not trying. They played a hedgehog, and a long battle ensued, culminating in in a fascinating knight endgame Magnus might have won. After they finally drew, a new king was crowned. Long live the king. Illustrated report with celebratory video.

11/22/2013 – The chess match is nearing its end and we are set to leave the south Indian city that is hosting it. The stay was very interesting and as promised we will be providing you with impressions around and outside the event. On one of the free days ChessBase editor Frederic Friedel accompanied two young chess ladies on a shopping tour and visited a famous temple in the city. Big pictorial report.

11/21/2013 – Today was one of the most exciting games of chess seen in recent years. The World Champion pawn stormed his opponent without caring about Carlsen's b pawn... which was queening! However an unfortunate and horrifying blunder ended the attack and Anand had to resign. Anand must win the next three games in a row, two of them with black. Round 9 grandmaster impressions.

11/21/2013 – It was everything the chess fans hoped for, no matter who they supported: a sharp battle with Anand all guns ablaze. Carlsen admitted this was the first time he risked being mated in the match, and the position could not have been more exciting. With computer precision he found all the defensive moves, and a final slip by Anand left him half a point from the title. Large illustrated report.

11/20/2013 – The World Championship press room is filled with journalists from all parts of India, and they are filing reports in a dozen different languages. The main Indian language is Hindi, spoken by over four hundred million people. But Chennai is in the middle of the Dravidian language family that is less closely related to Hindi than, let us say, Norwegian (both Indo-Aryan languages). We thought we would give you an impression of the local dialects.

11/20/2013 – While chess has never lacked respect, the general media has long taken only a casual look, publishing the occasional centerpiece as a form of tipping its hat. Now, the world championship and chess itself have seen an absolutely mind-boggling surge of interest, and men's fashion magazine GQ was shocked to report that an article on chess was beating a photo gallery of 100 lingerie models.

11/19/2013 – The openings were a surprise all-round as Magnus Carlsen opened with 1.e4 for the first time. Whether or not Vishy Anand was surprised by this decision is not clear, but it was hard to predict a Berlin as his comeback choice. Carlsen was unfazed and rattled off each of his moves with 30 seconds thought, leading to complete equality. They drew after 40 minutes. Report and video analysis.

11/18/2013 – The obvious pro-Carlsen view of the round is that an easy draw puts him half a point closer to the World Championship title. However there is something to be said that is favorable to Anand. After two tough losses he managed to simply survive, he has time to stabilize his game and maybe come back with something stronger not in this set of games, but the next. Analysis of today's tame game.