Chennai is all set to welcome the international chess community to its sunny settings this July. The city will host the 2022 FIDE Chess Olympiad scheduled between 26th July and 8th August. The decision came from the council members of FIDE who favoured the city for its annual event this year.   The actual schedule of the event is yet to be announced.  Members of the council have said that all the details will be declared within a few days. The tournament is going to be held in Mahabalipuram, one of the most popular tourist spots in the southern part of India. The venue will be ..read more

Earlier this week, two Indian chess masters dominated the Asian Continental Chess Championship. Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa smashed through his opponents and seized the championship title in the Open category on November 3rd. Further adding to the pride of India, Grandmaster P V Nandhidhaa on her finest victory at the championship and won the women's category with triumph. Colossal Victory for India's Best Players The Asian Continental Open Chess Championship 2022 was hosted in New Delhi, India, from October 26th to November 3rd. All India Chess Federation organised the championship on beha ..read more

Have you ever had to convince your boss to give you a raise? Or, had to talk your way out of a speeding ticket? If so, then you know first-hand the power of persuasion.  The ability to persuade others is a valuable skill that everyone could do with, and chess is the perfect game to teach your kids the art of persuasion. Chess requires players to think ahead, anticipate their opponent's moves, and adjust their strategy accordingly. In other words, chess helps build cognitive skills in children to think two steps ahead.  The Theory of Mind and How Persuasion Works  Theory of mind ..read more

Excerpts from Uzbek chess team coach Captain Ivan Sokolov's Interview with Chess.com In the recent Chess Olympiad 2022, the tiny terrain of Uzbekistan walked away with the overall gold, hushing off the more formidable teams including the ones from India. At the event hosted by the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, the Uzbek men's chess team clinched the gold medal from Armenia and the Indian 2nd team, who won Silver and Bronze medals, respectively. This was a remarkable achievement considering that Team Uzbek was led by a young captain, the 17-year-old chess prodigy Nodirbek Abdusattorov.   C ..read more

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi beat David Anton Guijarro of Spain in the ninth & deciding round of the 28th Abu Dhabi Masters Chess Tournament in August 2022. Second and third place went to Javokhir Sindarov & Jorden van Foreest, who each scored 7 out of a possible 9 points. Indians took six of the ten leading spots.  Over the course of five days in August 2022, 148 competitors from 31 different countries gathered in the UAE for the tournament. Arjun won by a score of 7.5 out of 10. After the last Chess Olympiad in India, the young GM gained an incredible 35 Elo rating points, movin ..read more

Praggnanandha, India’s youngest chess prodigy, has made it to the news yet again with his hat-trick against the reigning world champion Magnus Carlson at the FTX Crypto Cup held at Miami last week. The Norwegian world champion was on his trailblazer wins as always, when the young GM overtook him in the tie-breaker match.  However, despite the hat-trick, the 17 year old had to settle down for the first runner up because of the score charts. He came one point behind Magnus who scored 16 from his overall wins. This is the third time Pragg surprised Carlsen - and the world - with astute arro ..read more

On 9th August, the curtains were drawn on the 44th Chess Olympiad at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai in a grand ceremony attended by dignitaries including FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Chairman & GM Viswanathan Anand, & Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin.  The Chief Minister honoured the open section winners, the open sector winner's trophy was delivered to GM Ivan Sokolov, the coach & captain of the youthful Uzbekistan squad, by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.  In a ceremony that lasted four hours and was packed with excitement, FIDE head Arkady ..read more

Chess is a sport that calls for immense focus, perseverance and commitment to make it to the top. While you wish for your child to excel in the game and make a name for herself/himself in the world of chess, there’s also the perennial parental concern: Is it possible for your child to juggle the brain game and the studies with ace? This is a question G. Akash, India’s 66th chess Grandmaster and the record-holder of the youngest senior chess champion can answer with ease. Balancing Chess and Education: The story of GM Akash.G Akash started playing chess relatively late: at the age of 9. As a ..read more

Congratulations to our student, Vivaan Sachdev - Student from Mind Mentorz wins 1st place in the 4th HSM Memorial Rapid Chess Tournament U16 Category . It is yet another remarkable achievement from Vivaan to have won another spectacular looking trophy that gets added to his trophy showcase. Way to go Vivaan ..read more

Practice and persistence make people perfect. True, if you're looking to learn a new skill, you will need these two ingredients to progress in your path and master the skills. You need the right exposure, mentoring, and knowledge in your chosen field to set your pace, go far and accomplish something. This is especially true for a mind game like chess that opens up new challenges in every other move.   With a game like chess that is full of possibilities, you cannot claim to learn it by completing a series of games or reading a book. A skilled chess player is born when practice gets ..read more