sports

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A Beginner’s Approach to Solving the 3X3 Rubik’s Cube

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A Beginner’s Approach to Solving the 3X3 Rubik’s Cube

A Rubik’s Cube is one of the most common pieces of puzzle we find in our lives. While you’re traveling in train, bus, visiting a grocery store or buying a pen at a stationery store, chances are very high that you might find Rubik’s Cube being sold. That’s the market penetration and popularity of the puzzle that has sold over 500 million units. However, what remains a fact is that not many of us know how to solve one. On this post, we will get a little closer in solving the Rubik’s Cube through a series of simple steps. So, if you have a Rubik’s Cube near you, get it and follow the instructions.

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5 Variations of the Rubik's Cube You Probably Haven't Used

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5 Variations of the Rubik's Cube You Probably Haven't Used

When the professor of architecture and sculptor from Hungary devised a puzzle in 1974, hardly did he know that he was creating nothing less than a revolutionary mental challenge that would influence minds for the decades to come. Yes, initially called the Magic Cube, it was the year 1980 that a few businessmen sold the puzzle to a toy company. On selling, the Magic Cube became Rubik’s Cube and cut to a few decades, it became the world’s top selling puzzle game in the history with over 500 million cubes getting sold.

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Beginner’s Challenges during a Long Chess Tournament

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Beginner’s Challenges during a Long Chess Tournament

Allan Rufus the author of ‘The Master’s Sacred Knowledge’ once quoted, “Life is like a game of Chess. To win you have to make a move”. Reading this quote twice or thrice, what perplexed me was, which is tougher and complex, Life or Chess? Should I compare making a move in Chess with Life or Life with Chess? Speaking on the complexity and toughness of life is out of the purview of this article. So, let me focus on the challenges what a beginner, to be precise a kid who begins to play chess faces during a long chess tournament.

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Two students of Mind Mentorz become FIDE rated chess players

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Two students of Mind Mentorz become FIDE rated chess players

Aman Thomas George and Vandana Srinivas Babu, students of Mind Mentorz an institute providing Chess Coaching in Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore, has become FIDE rated chess players after the recent BRDCA (Bangalore Rural District Chess Association) tournament. While Vandana has secured a rating of 1147, Aman secured a rating of 1107.

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4 Chess Apps for Your Android Phone

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4 Chess Apps for Your Android Phone

Practice is what turns a layman to a connoisseur and constant exposure to tougher situations is what brings out the best in people. In this fast-paced world, hardly do we have time to sit down, think and have conversations. We go to work, binge television series, eat, try to sleep at night, sleep in the mornings and repeat. Amidst such a lifestyle, it is difficult to pursue an interest and sustain it. That’s why we have with us chess apps for your smartphone that will allow you to stay in touch with the game and update your games and skills while you’re on the move. So no matter if you are commuting your way to work, having lunch or have a spare time, these apps should keep nurturing the pro in you. Check them out.

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What Goes on Inside the Mind of a Chess Player?

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What Goes on Inside the Mind of a Chess Player?

For a viewer, it’s all about moving one piece of chess coin from one position to another. But only the chess player who has made the move knows what has happened inside his or her mind. Within the few seconds of looking at the board, the chess player would have played a hundred moves, cracked 50 strategies, made 10 sacrifices, read the opponent’s mind, come up with counter strikes and zeroed in that one move he went on to play. Sometimes, all we can do is look at a chess player and get inspired by their thought processes and approach to life and chess in general.

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Beginner’s Chess & the Challenges

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Beginner’s Chess & the Challenges

‘Beginner’s Chess & the Challenges’, is an article that focuses on the kids who begin their play of chess and intended to enlighten their parents who may or may not have knowledge & experience in the game. Unlike, other board games, chess has its uniqueness not only in its play but also in the benefits that are ensuing from it. The day when a kid learns to play chess, is a beginning of a long journey of development into a professional chess player. Many Grand Masters that I have interacted and observed had started to learn chess at the age of 5 or 6. But, they have become grand masters in their early teen age or towards the fag end of their teen age. Hence, it is a long journey for your kid to conquer the title, “Grand Master”

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4 Documentaries on Chess You Should Binge This Weekend

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4 Documentaries on Chess You Should Binge This Weekend

Amidst your busy schedules on binging on television series like Stranger Things, Sherlock, Black Mirror and others, we recommend watching 5 of the greatest documentaries on chess this weekend for a change. We know that you have a flair for chess and the thirst to keep getting better at your game. While practice, tips, tutorials and online matches help, there is nothing like a dose of motivation to achieve greater heights in chess. To help you on that, check out our list of 5 documentaries on chess you should binge.

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A Timeline of Vishwanathan Anand’s Achievements

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A Timeline of Vishwanathan Anand’s Achievements

There are prodigies and there are some people who are beyond such concepts. Such veterans cannot be confined within the limits of anything and when you see them, you look up to them with amazement than appreciating them. In a land of over a billion people, there are only a handful who would fall into this category and one such legend is our very own Grandmaster from Chennai Mr. Vishwanathan Anand.

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How do you draw a chess game?

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How do you draw a chess game?

Everybody knows that a game of chess can be won by pulling a checkmate on the opposite king. But like in any game it need not always be a one sided result. Sometimes both the players may share laurels by ending the game in a draw. This is many a times used by players on the losing side to strategically avoid defeat. Let us sneak into the rulebooks to see the various ways in which a game of chess can end in a draw.

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Lakshanya secures 1st Prize in the U10 Girls Category of the Rainbow Chess Tournament

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Lakshanya secures 1st Prize in the U10 Girls Category of the Rainbow Chess Tournament

The team at Mind Mentorz is very proud of our student - Lakshanya for securing the 1st prize in her recent Chess Tournament. Lakshanya played in the Under 10 Category of the Rainbow Club Chess Tournament, held in Bangalore on Jan 21st, 2018 and secured 1st Prize in Girls category. She concluded the tournament with a score of 4/6 pts.

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Congratulations to the Manasvi & Jesslyn for 2nd place in Girls Category of the TBSA Rapid Chess Tournament

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Congratulations to the Manasvi & Jesslyn for 2nd place in Girls Category of the TBSA Rapid Chess Tournament

We're extremely thrilled to see our top performing students - Manasvi & Jesslyn score well in today's TBSA Rapid Chess Tournament. Jesslyn secured 2nd place in Girls category of U8 with a score of 5/7 Rounds, while Manasvi secured 6/7 in her U10 Category, securing 2nd place as well. Congratulations to both students in today's tournament performance and we wish them the best successes in their future chess tournaments.

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Have you Read Knights and Horses from Mind Mentorz Yet?

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Have you Read Knights and Horses from Mind Mentorz Yet?

At Mind Mentorz, we have always been channelizing our energy on walking you through the positive impact chess can bring in to your life. Be it through our classes, conversations or blog posts, we have emphasized the importance of training your mind with chess for the development of analytical and strategic skills that will complement your goals and aspirations.

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Manasvi Secures 1st Place in the Girls Category of the 15th BNCF Monthly Chess Tournament - U10 Category

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Manasvi Secures 1st Place in the Girls Category of the 15th BNCF Monthly Chess Tournament - U10 Category

There were a total of 62 Participants in the 15th BNCF Chess Tournament that took place in BEL Officers Club, Bangalore. After a total of 7 Rounds, Manasvi managed to secure the 1st place in her category (U10)  after she successfully managed to secure a 5.5/7 Rounds. The team at Mind Mentorz would like to congratulate Manasvi on a remarkable performance and wish her the best for her future chess tournaments.

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Basic Chess Terms & Definitions Every Beginner Should Know

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Basic Chess Terms & Definitions Every Beginner Should Know

If you are a beginner and chess aspirant, chances are high that you are doing all that takes to get better at your games. From reading about chess basics and strategies to watching videos and going through expert tutorials online, you are indulging in all aspects of training in chess.

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Types of Checkmates Every Chess Player Should Know

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Types of Checkmates Every Chess Player Should Know

As chess players, we all yearn for that perfect moment we can trap our opponents, strangle them with pieces and watch them slowly give up to their helplessness. Ah, what a sight! However, reaching up to that  point is not easy and sometimes, we tend to make a few minor miscalculations or give into carelessness that backfires our strategies for a perfect checkmate.

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The Greatest Chess Games of All Times

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The Greatest Chess Games of All Times

Over the last few decades, mankind has been fortunate to witness some really intense moments that have earned a permanent name for themselves in history. There have been some great moments in the history of chess, where one masterstroke have turned players into legends and tournaments into historic milestones. Be it the games involving Anderssen and Dufresene, Kasparov, Vishwanathan Anand or Deep Blue, there are some greatest games in chess that looked back in awe in the decades to come.

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Jesslyn Jinisha placest 1st in U7 Category of the IIFL Wealth Regional Qualifying U13 FIDE Rating Chess Tournament

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Jesslyn Jinisha placest 1st in U7 Category of the IIFL Wealth Regional Qualifying U13 FIDE Rating Chess Tournament

Jesslyn Jinisha - student of Mind secured a score of 5/9 Rounds in the FIDE Rated Chess tournament that concluded on Dec 16th, 2017. She managed to win against two rated opponents and also secure a draw against another rated opponent for the very first time in a single tournament. She not only finished in the first place of the U7 category, but also confirms a new FIDE Rating for herself. The team at Mind Mentorz are very proud of her new achievement and wish her all the best in her future successes with chess tournaments.

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6 Tips to get Better at Chess

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6 Tips to get Better at Chess

Like any other game, you can become better at chess by constant practicing. This is an evolutionary game, where you not just learn newer ways of winning a game but evolve after every match as well. If winning in chess teaches you about your opponent’s mistake, losing can teach you yours. With literally several thousands of probabilities to the game, you cannot just come up with a pattern and device algorithms to tackle chess and win using a textbook approach. It takes constant development of skills including strategizing, consequential analysis, manipulation, grabbing the right opportunity at the right time and foreseeing actions to get better at chess.

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5 Best Endgame Tactics Every Beginner Should Know

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5 Best Endgame Tactics Every Beginner Should Know

So, you’ve played or opening game really well. You had strategies in place and worked on implementing them. You had even managed manipulate your opponent into tricking a few moves to your advantage and took a significant leave. But then, things seemed like getting rattled. With just a few pieces left for both of you, somewhere you feel you can’t win because you are not sure how to tactically move your remaining pieces towards victory and the opponent is starting to gain an upper hand.

Gift your child a new skill.