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CHESS GOES PUBLIC: URBAN CHESS IN THE NETHERLANDS

CHESS GOES PUBLIC: URBAN CHESS IN THE NETHERLANDS

It was a Moment de Gloire for the Netherlands as it got to witness the face-off between two of its brilliant talents at the grand finals of the Tata Steel Chess 2021 at Wijk aan Zee. For the Dutch soil, it ain’t new to celebrate chess.

With grandmasters like Max Euwe, Jim Timman, and the current No.1 Anish Giri, chess is prestigious for the ‘Netherlanders’ which is all the more accentuated by a new wave of “urban chess”. An innovative initiative by Jesus Medina is opening the Dutch schaakwereld (chess world) to urban public spaces in the Netherlands.

A Boy Called Praggnanandhaa

A Boy Called Praggnanandhaa

The new Julius Baer Challengers Chess that kicked off on April 8 2021 gave India a goosebump as its young prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa won the maiden event title with eight wins in a row.

Praggnanandhaa isn’t a new name for India or even the chess world to get excited over. The 15 year old prodigy from Chennai has already been rated as “another Anand in the making” by the chess kingdom.

Arjun Erigaisi to join the Champions Chess Tour, Better Platforms for India’s Young Talents

Arjun Erigaisi to join the Champions Chess Tour, Better Platforms for India’s Young Talents

On 10 May 2021, India’s teen talent Arjun Erigaisi ensured his seat in the June event of the elite, online Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. In a tough game that showcased his grit and patience, the 17 year old beat compatriot and prime seed B. Adhiban in the Indian Qualifier finals.

Women and Chess: On Pride and Prejudices

Women and Chess: On Pride and Prejudices

Thanks to the new Julius Baer Challenger’s Chess Tour from the Play Magnus Group, Women’s chess is getting a much-needed and delayed facelift. With Judit Polgar – a powerful female name in the chessworld - at the helm (along with ex-world champion Vladimir Kramnik), the best of the young female talents is sure to emerge out of the mist in 2021.

Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour: Digging for the NextGen Gold

Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour: Digging for the NextGen Gold

While the most-watched online chess event, the Play Magnus Group’s Meltwater Champions Chess Tournament 2021, has won much attention worldwide, yet another online tour is getting ready for the launch. The Chess legends Judit Polgar and Vladimir Kramnik come together to join hands with the Play Magnus Group for a fresh new online tour. The elite tour is designed with a focus to advance gender equality in chess and ensure female participation as well as to coach and promote upcoming young players.

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational: Breaking Through Newer Frontiers

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational: Breaking Through Newer Frontiers

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational, the Fourth event of the Champions Chess Tour, will be held on March 13-21. The World Champion has teamed up with Breakthrough Initiatives to commemorate the 60th anniversary of man’s first flight to outer space. The organisation that is driven by a quest for investigating the fundamentals of life beyond Earth is funded by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, headed by philanthropists and tech investors Yuri and Julia Milner.

Oops! So did it again! Wesley So Beats Magnus Carlsen in the Opera Euro Rapid Finals

Oops! So did it again! Wesley So Beats Magnus Carlsen in the Opera Euro Rapid Finals

American GM Wesley So slays it on Valentine’s Day leaving the World Champion heartbroken as one of his own arrows back-fired and drowned him in a mire of blunders.

Following two draws that led to a thrilling final game, a third one sealed the overall victory for So giving him the rare opportunity to beat the Norwegian Chess King twice in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.

Wesley So had earlier won the opening match – the Skilling Open - of the online chess tour in November 2020 against Magnus Carlsen, “ruining” Carlsen’s 30th birthday that fell on the D-day.

Azerbaijan’s Teimour Radjabov clinched third place playing against the Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, winning twice with white.

Jorden van Foreest claims the title at the Tata Steel Chess Championship 2021

Jorden van Foreest claims the title at the Tata Steel Chess Championship 2021

In a dramatic coup d'état, Dutchman Jorden van Foreest won the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament held at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. The 21 year old GM became the first ever Dutch player to win the grand tournament in 36 years. Van Foreest overthrew his mighty opponent and compatriot GM Anish Giri in a miraculous playoff following an 8.5/13 finish for both.

Rehabilitation in Black and White: The role of chess in de-addiction therapy

Rehabilitation in Black and White: The role of chess in de-addiction therapy

Chess is known for its cognitive properties and as a booster for improving memory, strategic thinking and span of attention. It isn’t a surprise that the ancient game has been used in behavioural therapy for decades. The neurological and psychological impact of chess on human minds has been a topic of intense research and has led to innovative breakthroughs in cognitive skill development, artificial intelligence and behaviour modulation.

Chess in 2020 – the Silver Line of a Turbulent Corona Cloud

Chess in 2020 – the Silver Line of a Turbulent Corona Cloud

As the year winds up in silent mode, the world of chess can’t grumble much. It did taste a different wine online. Yes, the star players felt strangled and deprived of the pure excitement of a real face-off. But 2020 did eventually bring out the glory of online chess. And the platform witnessed quite a few gripping games.

The 7 Most Controversial Chess Championships in History

The 7 Most Controversial Chess Championships in History

It is a year-end warm-up for chess lovers as the prestigious online Champions Chess Tournament 2020 kick-started by November end, followed closely on the heels by the Speed Chess Championship in December. As the championships bring cheers to chess galleries, it would be interesting to look back at some of the most controversial tournaments that stirred up a few storms in the history of chess.

Cognitive Development during COVID-19: Helping kids balance the stress of online classes

Cognitive Development during COVID-19: Helping kids balance the stress of online classes

Children across the world have accepted the new norm in education: online learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has hijacked our traditional, brick-and-mortar schooling into a new wave of e-learning. If there is a sector that’s among the worst affected, it is education. The outbreak has enormously affected the structure of schooling, including teaching, learning and evaluation methodologies.

AI in Chess: Warmer Waters for the Cold Logics

AI in Chess: Warmer Waters for the Cold Logics

In September 2020, the world of chess witnessed an interesting U-turn when a former world chess champion and an AI game-playing software came together to explore interesting variants of the game to initiate players into newer creative patterns.

It was the first time in chess that human intelligence collaborated, rather than compete, with machine learning to bring innovative game variants.