Koneru Humpy has just returned from Russia after winning the World Rapid Championship title and finishing 12th in the World Blitz. But expectations are already highcan she win the Classical world title, the holy grail that has eluded her so far? On the comeback trail after a two-year sabbatical after the birth of her daughter, Humpy accepts she has had a great start in her second innings but will not be running after tournaments and titles like earlier.

If it happens, I will be very happy but I dont want to think too much about it, says the former world champion in Under-10, U-12 and U-14 sections.

The 32-year-old from Vijayawada spoke to Hindustan Times about how people took to her comeback and the difficulties, the difficulties of re-entering competitive chess, and why the Moscow win was unexpected.

Excerpts.

You have finally won a World Championship title after missing the Classical world title despite repeated attempts. Were you expecting this breakthrough?

Of course, I didnt expect to win the rapid title at all. It was never my focus and I was like 13th seed in the tournament. When I started the event, I thought just getting a medal would be a great result for me. But on the last day of the event, after a few rounds, I felt that I had a good chance of finishing at the top. My final game with the Chinese player (Tan Zhongyi) was crucial; when I beat her, I was sure of getting silver (medal). At the same time the other Chinese player (Lei Tingjie) lost her game so I got an opportunity to play the tiebreak.

Things worked for you in crucial moments in rapid section, but not in blitz as you lost the last three games to finish 12th

I am not a strong blitz player either and even though I lost the last three games, I can say that this is the best blitz result I have ever had. It went pretty well till the 14th round and I was in clear second spot, at some time I was also joint first. I think at that stage I felt like I got exhausted and collapsed, because in blitz once you lose the thread, it is very difficult to come back because of shorter time control.

But you had a great start, five wins in first five rounds.

Yeah, I had a great start and on the first day I lost to (Kateryna) Lagno (the eventual winner) a crucial game (in which) I was completely winning and I would say I was just unlucky to lose that game.

In general I am satisfied with my play. Not like before when I would lose on time, without giving much fight. It was not like that (this time), I fought, and I fought till the end.

How difficult was for you to decide on a comeback?

I was always intending to continue playing chess, I never had thoughts of stopping. I just took a break because it was needed but once my baby was born, I thought okay, I need to be with her. I told the doctor, she is one year old, so I decided to start playing. It was a well-thought of plan that I want to get back to chess.

Preparation wise, how difficult was it?

It was not so easy for me because a two-year break from chess is something very big because a lot of development happened during that time and also I lost board practice completely. I hadnt seen chess at all during this period. So, it became quite difficult and I had my share of failures when I came back. After three tournaments, I slowly started playing at my level and then I came back.

Is it more difficult now to keep your focus on the game when you have a family, a baby?

No, actually when I am playing a tournament, I dont get distracted at all. Once I start travelling for an event, my complete focus will be on chess itself, and I never get a second thought. But when I am at home practicing, then it is not completely chess. Its like any other normal person, I have other family things.

Do you plan to have a shortened calendar, or go full throttle into the circuit?

No, I wont be playing many tournaments, I will be very choosy about what I am playing. Even in 2019, I started by playing in Gibraltar, which is a strong mens tournament. I took part in that because I was playing after a long time and I thought it will help improve my game. After that I took a break for two months and then I played in some Chinese leagues, they were just four games, three games, so it was easy for me to travel and stay in touch with family. Thats how I maintained a balance. After that I played in the Grand Prix Series, which is the official FIDE event. So, I played two Grand Prix events and European Club Cup, three Chinese leagues and of course Gibraltar and then this World Rapid and Blitz Championship. I was in all the major official tournaments and the rest I played to keep myself focussed and to stay in touch. I will do the same thing this year also.

The Grand Prix Series was quite successful for you in one event (Skolkovo, Russia) you finished first and in the second (at Monaco from Dec 2-15), joint first. How was it playing against top women players?

It was very difficult for me because when you play a round-robin tournament you need very good preparation to outclass your opponents. Its not just the game but you also need very concrete stuff in the opening. For that I really had to work hard, not only before the tournament, but even during the event. I felt I was back into the game after the Chinese leagues and Gibraltar. But the only problem was the lack of opening preparations but I somehow managed without that in my first Grand Prix event. But now I think I am more or less in the normal state that I was before the break. In that sense, the first Grand Prix event was crucial.

How was the reaction when you made a comeback?

For sure many thought I will not get back to chess because I took such a long break. I havent played even online tournaments and I was not in the chess circuit. Even when I came back, they had doubts about how much I will do. Some of them said to me, now that you have a kid, it will be difficult to concentrate on the game. Its better to enjoy your life. Everyone has their opinion but at the end of the day the passion and the ambitions you have will help you to rise.

Do you think there is some unfinished business for you, winning the Classical World Championship, maybe?

Yeah true, thats haunting me. But I dont want to think about it too much. Just want to concentrate on improving my game and I really dont know whether I will end up winning the world title or not, but I will keep on trying.

Continued here:

Chess star Koneru Humpy opens up on comeback and Moscow title win - Hindustan Times

Ju Wenjun, the reigning Womens World Chess Champion, will defend her title against Aleksandra Goryachkina, of Russia this month. Photo from an earlier encounter in September 2019.

Editors Note: The Womens World Chess Championship match is from January 3-26, 2020. The first six games will be played in Shanghai, China and the remaining six games, plus any tiebreak games, will be played in Vladivostok, Russia. The match features Womens World Champion Ju Wenjun of China against challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina, of Russia. Here, Alexey Root, a lecturer teaching courses about chess in education at The University of Texas at Dallas, answers questions about the Womens World Chess Championship.

The Fdration Internationale des checs (FIDE) was established in 1924 and, in 1927, held the first Womens World Championship and the Mens Olympiad. According to Mark Weeks, who served as the Chess Guide for About.com, FIDE organized just these two events for its first two decades. Eventually, FIDE gained control of other prestigious chess events, most notably the World Chess Championship.

The present Womens World Chess Championship cycle parallels the World Chess Championship cycle. The World Chess Championship cycle is open to both men and women, though only men have reached its final stage, a two-person match for the champions title. Preliminary stages include the Candidates Tournament, an eight-player double round robin where the winner becomes the challenger for a title match.

Most chess tournaments are open, to all ages, all genders, and all nationalities. In the United States, the annual U.S. Open is one example. However, segregated championships exist, by age (junior championships), geography (state chess championships), by gender, and even by profession (U.S. Armed Forces Open Chess Championship). These segregated tournaments allow those playing to get media attention, benefit financially, and make friends with people with whom they share some similar characteristics. Separate tournaments dont speak to whether there are advantages or disadvantages.

Likewise, separate tournaments for girls and women dont mean that girls and women are more or less capable than boys and men at chess. However, there may be less interest in chess among girls and women compared to boys and men. Based on 2019 statistics, 14.6% of US Chess members are female, and that is a new, record-high percentage. Thus logically, and in reality, a smaller base of females means fewer women than men at the top of the chess rating list, as one study found. Offering occasional female-only tournaments may make chess more attractive to girls and women, for the financial, social, and publicity reasons mentioned above.

The Womens World Chess Championship match is the culmination of a two-year cycle of events. Those events financially help the current top women players to concentrate on chess exclusively, as there is prize money for each event in the cycle. If the cycle were abolished, then it would be much harder for those women players to make money from playing in chess tournaments. Women would also become relatively invisible in media stories about chess.

A four-time Womens World Chess Champion, Hou Yifan, is ranked at #75 among men and women combined. Though she is the highest-rated woman on the list of active chess players, as #75 she likely would not qualify for the Candidates Tournament in the World Chess Championship cycle and the prize money and media attention associated with it. Sponsorship money might also be lost to the chess world, as some sponsors specifically target chess for girls and women.

However, segregated tournaments for girls and women are not universally supported. For example, Judit Polgr, the highest-rated woman of all time who at her peak in 2005 was ranked #8 in the world, wrote that she makes it a point to never separate girls and boys nor award special prizes for girls in the childrens tournaments that she organizes. Meanwhile, national federations use their resources, and public subsidies are creating more female-only competitions, Polgr wrote. It is high time to consider the consequences of this segregation because in the end, our goal must be that women and men compete with one another on an equal footing.

To get to equal footing, however, separate championships may provide a leg up. The prize fund for the Womens World Chess Championship match is 500,000 Euros, and you can follow the championships games at this same link. Perhaps that prize money will enable the two competitors to invest in more chess training for themselves so that maybe, someday, they can compete also in the World Chess Championship.

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Read the original here:

Why there's a separate World Chess Championship for women - The Conversation US

The alternative, then, is the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. But the regime has shown its willingness to slaughter hundreds and even thousands in order to stay in power, most recently in its brutal suppression of price riots. Such brutality works, at least for a time. And since the United States has, for now, gone out of the business of invading Persian Gulf countries, an external power is unlikely to facilitate regime collapse. Thus, even before recent events, Washingtons tactics seemed to have had no discernible way of getting to a strategic outcome.

Which brings to the fore the largest problem: the Trump administrations national-security team. There is no such thing as a Platonic ideal of strategy. There is, rather, only strategy as can be executed by a particular group of people at any time. Any warand if you are in the business of blowing people up, you are at warinvolves improvisation and reaction. As Winston Churchill somberly observed, Always remember, however sure you are that you can easily win, that there would not be a war if the other man did not think he also had a chance. Iran cannot beat the United States in the field, but it can win the war politically, and may very well do so.

Graeme Wood: Two questions to ask now that Qassem Soleimani is dead

The dominant tone in the American government is military assertiveness. The American military has in its theater commander, General Frank Mackenzie Jr., and its chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, two tough, experienced, aggressive commanders, with lots of time downrange in Iraq, where they personally felt the sting of Soleimanis tactics. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is forward-leaning, while Defense Secretary Mark Esper, promoted unexpectedly from being secretary of the Army, has been a capable organizer but has not articulated a distinctive strategic point of view. Neither has the national security adviser, Robert OBrien. None has shown a substantial inclination to buck the presidents wishes or even his inclinations.

As the United States has learned to its cost, good decision making requires a forceful brake, or at least a counterpoise, to a tempting decision like the one to eliminate Soleimani. There seems to have been no one playing that role, and thereby ensuring that second- and third-order considerations had been identified and explored. Beneath the Cabinet officials is an uneven crew, many of its members filling acting positions. And above them all is a mercurial, impulsive, and ignorant president who has no desire to be pulled into a Middle Eastern war in an election year, and who wants to look tough without being prepared to follow through. This is a recipe for strategic ineptitude, and possibly failure.

The novelist James Gould Cozzens observed higher headquarters at close range during World War II. He drew on that for his masterly World War II novel, Guard of Honor. In one passage, his protagonist admits to himself that some of his seniors were not complete fools. However, he noted,

it was the habit of all of them to look straight, and not very far, ahead. They saw their immediate duties and did those, not vaguely or stupidly, but in an experienced firm way. Then they waited until whatever was going to happen, happened. Then they sized this up, noted whatever new duties there were, and did those. Their position was that of a chess player who had in his head no moves beyond the one it was now his turn to make. He would be dumbfounded when, after he had made four or five such moves (each sensible enough in itself) sudden catastrophe, from an unexpected direction by an unexpected means, fell on him, and he was mated.

Minus the compliments, that may be where the United States government is headed.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Original post:

Trump Is Playing Chess One Turn at a Time - The Atlantic

Viswanathan Anand, speaking on the latest episode of India Today Inspiration, shed light on the physical demands of chess and how he has still not figured out how to get a good night's sleep after a bad day at the office.

Viswanathan Anand stressed the importance of physical training for chess players (Reuters Photo)

If you thought chess is all about outsmarting your opponent who is at the other end of the board, then you are mistaken.

Legendary chess player Viswanathan Anand said physical training is crucial to a chess player. Wondering why?

Anand, speaking to India Today Consulting Editor Sports Boria Majumdar in the New Year episode of 'India Today Inspiration', said he would make sure he went out running or climbing on the morning of almost all of his chess matches.

Anand said getting tired during a long match will spell doom and his focus was always on building stamina.

"The most important thing is stamina. You want to be able to handle 6 hours attention and then your brain not to get tired. When you get tired you tend to forget things and then blunders happen. And also it is no use playing 5 good hours and weakening," Viswanathan Anand told India Today.

"So during all my matches, in the morning, we would meet up, I go for a run, climbing or whatever it is that could really raise the heart rate.

"That was also good because chess builds up tension, you are constantly lost in your thoughts. You get a lot of positive and negative emotions sitting inside and they are knocking around. I wonder sometimes if the physical training you do is to get rid of tension or build your ability to sustain pain.

"You often feel that one hour you spend by yourself, running or lifting weights, is one hour you are not thinking about chess and that's its main value."

Viswanathan Anand also said proper sleep is another important aspect for chess players but he has still not figured out how to get a good night's sleep after a tough loss.

"The other thing is again good sleep. It's hard. The usual routine works well for me. I am quite exhausted by 11-12 every day. And in the morning I get a sound sleep. I wake up at 8 or 9 am in the morning.

"On the days, I lose a game, despite your best efforts that night is going to be miserable because you're going to keep on waking up recollecting the moment of horror where things went wrong. I haven't found a solution for that."

See more here:

Stamina most important thing in chess, physical training key to get rid of tension: Viswanathan Anand - India Today

Are you looking for an easy way to add chess content to your website, blog, or social media account? Chess.com has a variety of tools you can use to easily embed chess games, puzzles, streams, diagrams, and more!

In this short guide, we show you how to easily find and use these tools.

Daily Puzzle

Thousands of users solve the Chess.com daily puzzleevery day, and you can add it to your website or blog with the following simple embed code:

Embed Streams

Much like the daily puzzle, official Chess.com streams can be easily embedded using the "share" option on our Twitch channel and on archived Twitch videos. Just add the embed code to your website or blog.

Embed Games, Puzzles

Probably the most advanced and little used feature here is the group of "Embed" options in our "share" modal. The embed tab allows you to easily add any game from Chess.com to your website. You can also create your own games and annotations at Chess.com/analysis.

Additionally, you can customize the chessboard and piece set, coordinates, and options to present the embed as a puzzle.

GIFs

GIFs are incredibly easy and popular ways to share chess games, especially on social media. You can easily make and share GIFs in two places on Chess.comthe "share" modal for games and chess.com/gifs.

To access GIFs with the "share" modal, just use the highlighted share button and "Download" the GIF from the "Animated GIF" tab once it's ready.

Creating your own GIFs from any PGN is simple! Go to Chess.com/gifs and paste in a PGN. Then click "Create GIF" once you've selected your preferred options. The GIF will now open in a new tab, and you can right-click to download it.

Diagrams

A diagram image can be accessed and downloaded for any position from the "share" modal. Just open the share modal when looking at any game or chess position, and "Download" the diagram from the "Image" tab.

Originally posted here:

How To Embed And Share Chess.com Media - Chess.com

Back in the United States, Aydin is climbing the national ranks. This year I became a national co-champion in the ninth grade, he said. And also I got fifth place in the twelfth-grade high school nationals.

Aydin has to travel to take part in his sport. Theres not too many tournaments around (the Midwest), he said. Usually I go to Chicago or St. Louis or we have to fly somewhere. He Skypes with a chess tutor in California.

Although Eva Turgut Satell joins her son during many of his chess competitions, she knows the sport is more of a father/son activity. He would rather be there, because he understands and can coach him, too, she said about her husband.

Aydin may enjoy chess, but the sport can take a toll. While attending the eighth grade in Mount Zion, Aydin missed more than 30 days of school. Theres a lot of making up I have to do, he said.

He is able to keep up, though. His current grade point average is 4.0, and he excels in math, which is beneficial for the game.

There is a lot of visualization in your head, he said. So it helps with calculating stuff.

Aydin Turgut plays a game of chess against his father, Tansel. Aydin has been playing chess since he was 2 years old, and has represented the United States in eight World Youth chess tournaments.

Now a sophomore atCulver Academy in Indiana, Aydin works with the schools administration and teachers to enable him to attend as many chess tournaments as possible. Future tournaments include a trip to Texas and possibly Portugal.

Read the original here:

Checkmate: Decatur teen a whiz on the world chess circuit - Herald & Review

In August 2019 an ambitious project was undertaken where six young talents ofIndia were to train under the 14th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.Kramnik, who retired from chess in January 2019, had been quite busy with his post-retirement projects both in chess and beyond. However,seeing the talent crop of India and thepotential these youngsters possessed, he decided tofree up ten days in his schedule for the training camp.It was Frederic Friedel, the founder of ChessBase, who had conceived this idea just a few days after Kramnik retired from professional chess.

There was no question of talent in Indian chess. Kramnik was ready. What was now required was a sponsor, who would fund this entire project. After several months of searching, it was Microsense Networks Private Limited that came forward. Mr. Kailasanathan, the Managing Director of Microsense Private Limited and a former Tamil Nadu Chess State Champion in 1972,found this project in sync with the mission of Microsense. The company wants to create world class chess players in the years to come and training with Kramnik was sure to help them in their vision.

Participants of the August camp: Vladimir Kramnik withGM R. Praggnanandhaa, GM D. Gukesh, GMP. Iniyan, GM Prithu Gupta, IM Raunak Sadhwani (who was not a GM back then), IM Leon Mendonca and ChessBase India founders Sagar and Amruta | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Ten days of training with Kramnik proved to be immensely useful | Photo: Amruta Mokal

But the camp was not the end of it all. After its completion Vladimir was in touch withthe games of the students. He would regularly communicate with me about howa youngster had got it all wrong in the opening, oranother youngster had to simply get his act together in endgame technique. It was Kramnik'shigh level ofinvolvement in the projectand subsequent results of the students that convinced Kailasanathan and Microsense of the need to continue these camps.

Praggnanandhaa went on to become the World Youth Champion in the under-18 section and also won the London Chess Classic FIDE Open. Raunak Sadhwani scored his final GM norm with a tremendous performance at theGrand Swiss 2019 in Isle of Man and became India's 65th GM.

After becoming a GM, and speaking to ChessBase India Raunak mentioned:

I can say that Kramnik sir's camp was a life changing thing for me. In a few days he taught so many practical things:

All these were encouraging signs and Microsense decided to take things up anotch. The second camp was planned in January, but this time instead of eight Indians travelling toEurope, it was decided that Kramnik should come down to India. The last time Vladimir Kramnik was in the country was back inthe 90s when heplayed a match in Sanghi Nagar against Boris Gelfand. Vladimir agreed to the proposal. As the camp had beenvery useful to the youngsters, it was decided that the number of studentsshould be increased from 6 to 14. The logisticalarrangements wouldbe much less and it made sense to have more talents working with thelegend. Butof course, it would be too much for Kramnik to work with 14youngsters alone. Anotherworld-class player was required and the naturalchoice was India's five-time World Champion Vishy Anand.

Vishy Anand withKailasanathan (right), CEO of MicrosensePrivate Limited

At a felicitation ceremony held in Chennai in October 2019, Anand showed his keenness in joining the programas a trainer in the monthsto come. But in January,it wasn't really feasible for Vishy as he was participating in theTata Steel Chess tournament 2020 in Wijk AanZee.It is quite probable that Vishy would join in for the next camp. The search for a world-class player / trainer continued.

Boris Gelfand needs no introduction. He has been one of the greatest chess players ever tohave graced the game of chess. He fought against Vishy Anand in the World Championships 2012 and after the Classicalgames the score was tied at 6-6! Anand eventually won the rapidtiebreakers, but it was clear that Boris had been a worthy opponent for the four-time World Champion back then. Over the years, Gelfand has continued to fight at the highest leveland it is this very experience ofhis that made him a worthy partnerfor Vladimir Kramnik in the training camp.

Kramnik and Gelfand: Rivals on the chess board, and friends off it!| Photo: Amruta Mokal

Master Class Vol.11: Vladimir Kramnik

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 (Pelletier, Marin, Mller and Reeh) how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep y

More...

The trainers weredecided,it was now time to select the students. The list of the top players in the country between the age of 12-16 was created. Some players above the age of 16 were also considered. However, the main aim was to have the best and youngest players of India attend the camp. This list of probable candidates was submitted to Kramnik and Gelfand, who went over the names with great care and selected the 8 players in addition to the six who already were in the first camp.

2602 at the age of 14! Pragg is one of the finest young talents, not just in India but also all over the world.

Praggnanandhaa | Photo:Lennart Ootes

Arjun Erigaisi has raced to an Elo of 2575. The 16-year-oldhas been extremely consistent andwe have seen his Elo climb upwards for quite some timenow. He was part of the first camp as well, but a last minute injury meant that he had to miss it. It's wonderful to have Arjun in the second training camp.

Arjun Erigaisi | Photo:Lennart Ootes

The second youngest GM in thehistory of chess and a tremendous talent.

D. Gukesh | Photo:Lennart Ootes

India'slatest GM.His performance at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2019 where he was unbeaten for seven rounds against some of the best players in the world including Sergey Karjakin drew attention from all corners of the world.

Raunak Sadhwani | Photo: Amruta Mokal

GM P. Iniyan hails from Erode, a place with absolutely no chess culture. For a GM to emerge from such a town, at such a tender age, shows Iniyan's talent.

P. Iniyan | Photo:Lennart Ootes

Arjun Kalyan has already scored3 GM norms and is on the brink of becoming India's next GM.

Arjun Kalyan | Photo: Sagar Shah

India's 64th GM isclearly the one who plays the least number of tournaments amongall of these youngsters. The fact that he could become a GM by playingsuch few events, shows what a consistent player he is.

Sreeshwan Maralakshikari is a talentto watch out for. Just 13 years old, he is already an IM. Financial difficulties and lack of structured training have proved to be impediments in this youngster's progress, but with this camp, he should be able to make headway towards his GM title pretty soon.

Sreeshwan Maralakshikari | Photo: Amruta Mokal

A gutsy youngster who has never let anyoff the boardobstacles come in between his journey towardschess excellence. Aditya had an accident before the event and hence will be joining in the camp remotely.

Aditya Mittal | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Gaining in strength every day, thisyoungster from Goa is sure to become a GM soon. Check outLeon's symphonyon the board which he created at the World Juniors 2019.

Leon Mendonca| Photo: Amruta Mokal

He became an IMjust at the age of 11 years and 8 months. BharatSubramaniyamknows no fear andin the next few months will be looking forward to breaking Karjakin's youngest GM world record.

BharatSubramaniyam | Photo:Lennart Ootes

When it comes to women's chess in India, R. Vaishali is one of the best. She already is a WGM, has two IM norms, but more importantly she has alsoscored a GM norm recently.

R. Vaishali | Photo:Lennart Ootes

You only need to seeRaahil Mullick's couple of wins at the Abu Dhabi Masters 2019 against 2600 rated opponentsto know how talented he is!

Learn from the Classics

Sagar Shah shows you on this DVD how you can use typical patterns used by the Master of the past in your own games. From opening play to middlegame themes.

More...

Raahil Mullick shows Sagar two sparkling wins

Rakshitta Ravi is just 14, is already a WIM and has twoWGM norms.

Rakshitta Ravi | Photo:Lennart Ootes

Note:WIM Divya Deshmukh was invited to the camp. However, due to other commitments, shewill not be able tobe a part of the camp. She was replaced byR. Vaishali in the camp.

When is it held:The first session will begin onJanuary8thand the last day of the camp will beJanuary17th, 2020.

How many hours each day:Each day the training camp will have six hours of training divided into twothree-hour sessions

Whereis it held:The camp is held in a villa on the East Coast Road in Chennai and no parents are allowed to be a part of the camp. It's a residential training program.

How will the students be taught:There will be two groups created and trainingthat will happen in two separate rooms. Each group willget time with both Kramnik and Gelfand for training.

Innovations:There are several innovations that will be seen at the training camp:Firstly a Michelin Starred chef will be preparing food for the youngsters throughout the event. Secondly a yoga expert will train the youngsters.

ChessBase India founders Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal will bepresent at the venue as the managers of this entire camp and also to bring you further updates.Initiator of the training camps, Frederic Friedel fromChessBase International, will also be visiting.

"Our vision and mission are to build India as a powerful chess-playing nation" The man with thevision the MD of MicrosenseNetworks Private Limited S. Kailasanathan

Read more:

Kramnik and Gelfand train top juniors - Chessbase News

Fahad Rahman in action against Puranik Abhimanyu at the Intl GM Chess in Mumbai BCF

Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman is in joint second place with 14 other players, on 4.5 points, while Tahsin Tajwar Zia has one point

International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman is in joint-first in the EKA IIFL Investment Managers 5th International Grandmaster Chess Tournament with four other players, with all of them on five points after the sixth round.

The tournament is being held in Mumbai, India

Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman is in joint second place with 14 other players, on 4.5 points, while Tahsin Tajwar Zia has one point.

In the sixth round, IM Fahad beat Indian 2580 rated GM Puranik Abhimanyu, GM Zia beat IM Srijit PAul of India and Tahsin lost to Gaikwad Siddhant of India.

Meanwhile, Marzouq Chowdhury earned 4.5 points and Azher Hossain earned 3.5 points after the 7th round games in the EKA IIFL Investment Managers 5th Mumbai Junior Under-13 FIDE Rating Chess Tournament.

Original post:

Fahad in five-way lead at 5th International GM Chess - Dhaka Tribune

Kasparov tweeted that there isnt any doubt today that Stalin joined Hitler in invading Poland. Ryan Kelly/PAP/EPA

Russian chess legend and political activist Garry Kasparov has entered the fray surrounding controversial comments made by Vladimir Putin that suggested Poland was in part responsible for the start of the Second World War.

Taking to Twitter, Kasparov tweeted a picture of a newspaper from September 1939 carrying the headline Russia Enters War: Invades Poland.

Above it Kasparov, who is a fierce critic of Putin and his polices, wrote: There wasnt any doubt on 17 Sep 1939 that Stalin invaded Poland as Hitlers partner, and there isnt any doubt today.

Morawiecki accused Putin of repeatedly lying about Poland.Marcin Obara/PAP

His words will add to the maelstrom of controversy surrounding Putins comments, in which he also called the man who was Polands pre-war ambassador to Berlin as an anti-Semitic pig, and increase fears that Russia is trying to whitewash over the Soviet invasion of eastern Poland in September 1939, an act of war carried out in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Putins statement prompted Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, to dispense with diplomatic niceties and issue a stinging response in which he accused the Russian leader of "repeatedly lying" about Poland.

Putins words have increased fears Russia is determine to re-write history.MIKHAEL KLIMENTYEV / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL/PAP/EPA

The statement reflected widespread anger with Putin that was not just confined to Poland.

Georgette Mosbacher, the US ambassador to Warsaw, tweeted: Dear President Putin, Hitler and Stalin colluded to start WWII. That is a fact. Poland is a victim of this horrible conflict.

Original post:

Chess legend Kasparov says there is no doubt Stalin invaded Poland as Hitler's partner - The First News

If playing chess is something that takes your fancy then why not take part in the Isle of Wight Chess Club which is spread over 4 towns.

There are currently 4 places to play chess on the island, these include Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin & Freshwater.

Coaching is available for anyone wishing to take part, they currently have beginners, social, club and country players among their current groups.

Ryde Lawn Tennis and CroquetClub(clubhouse)

Playstreet Lane Ryde PO33 3LJ

Mondays 12:00 to 14:00

Shanklin Age Concern Cafe

106 Regent Street Shanklin PO37 7AP

Tuesdays 14:00 to 16:00

FreshwaterConservativeClub(upstairs room)

Queens Road Freshwater PO40 9ES

Tuesdays from 19:00

Sandown ConservativeClub (main room/bar)

92 Station Ave Sandown PO36 8HD

Thursdays from 19:00

For more information, you can contact John Wrench on 01983 852829 or 07913 227402.

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ISLE OF WIGHT CHESS CLUBS SPREAD OVER 4 LOCATIONS - Island Echo