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Kanpur (03 Mar 22) :- Second seed Telangana Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi becomes National Chess Champion after signing the peace treaty with former champion Sethuraman S P of PSPB in the eleventh and final round of the MPL 58^th Senior National Championship which conclude here at Ganges Club on Thursday. Follow us on facebook and twitter.

Scoring 8.5 points out of a possible 11, Arjun tied for the title with Tamil Nadu Grandmasters duo D Gukesh and P Iniyan but better Buchholz tie break score helped Arjun to lift the champion trophy while Gukesh and Iniyan finished as first and second runner up respectively. In the final round, Gukesh split the point with Delhi Grandmaster Aryan Chopra while Iniyan produced a decisive result against Mitrabha Guha of West Bengal.

While Arjun got richer by Rs.6,00,000/-, Gukesh got Rs. 5,00,000/- and Iniyan took Rs. 4,00,000/- from the total kitty of thirty lakh prize money.

In a colourful closing ceremony, BCCI Vice President Shri Rajiv Shukla gave away the trophies and prize money cheques in presence of Dr Sanjay Kapoor, President All India Chess Federation, Shri Vijay Kapoor, Chairman Ganges Club, Shri Naresh Sharma, Treasurer All India Chess Federation, Shri AK Raizada, Secretary UP Chess Sports Association.

Final Standings (Top Ten with Prize Money):-

Champion           : GM Erigaisi Arjun of Telangana – Rs. 6,00,000/-

1^st Runner-Up     : GM Gukesh D of Tamil Nadu – Rs. 5,00,000/-

2^nd Runner-Up    : GM Iniyan P of Tamil Nadu – Rs. 4,00,000/-

4^th                       : GM Aravindh Chithambaram of Tamil Nadu – Rs.3,00,000/-

5^th                       : GM Aryan Chopra of Delhi  – Rs. 2,50,000/-

6^th                       : IM Koustav Chatterjee of West Bengal – Rs. 2,50,000/-

7^th                       : GM Karthikeyan Murali of PSPB – Rs. 2,00,000/-

8^th                       : GM Visakh N R of Railways – Rs. 2,00,000/-

9^th                       : GM Sethuraman S P of PSPB – Rs. 1,50,000/-

10^th                     : IM Pranav of Tamil Nadu – Rs. 1,50,000/-

The Asian Chess Federation shall organize a Workshop for updates to FIDE Regulations from 04/03/2022 to 07/03/2022. Visit fide.com.

Language: English

Lecturers: IA Alex Holowczak, IA Abdulrahim Mahdi, IA Casto Abundo, IA Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh

Participations: For licensed National Arbiters, FIDE Arbiters and International Arbiters

Participation fees: Free for registered participants

Contact: IA/IO Casto Abundo (PHI) – casto.abundo@gmail.com

Schedule: 4 sessions are planned with the following schedule:

Registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbgt7fASJXuuMpW-FiZzrxIKLq8YZN2cQ3TGkEnbjtVWTPUA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

 

9-12 (UK time) Friday 4 March, Alex Holowczak Changes to Title and Rating Regulations 9-12 (UAE time) Saturday 5 March, Abdulrahim Mahdi Updates to Laws of Chess, Online Regulations 9-12 (UAE time) Sunday, 6 March, Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh Titles of Arbiters, Fair Play 9-12 (UAE time) Monday, 7 March, Casto Abundo Tournament Organization, Online Chess

Kanpur (01 Mar 22) :- The MPL 58^th Senior National Chess Championship at Ganges Club, Kanpur heading for an exciting finish as five players are now leading the point table with six and half points with just three rounds remaining in the thirty lakh prize money event hosted by Uttar Pradesh Chess Sports Association and sponsored by MPL Sports Foundation. Follow us on facebook and twitter.

In the crucial eighth round on Tuesday morning, Tamil Nadu Grandmaster P Iniyan outwitted top seed B Adhiban (together, above left) while International Master P Pranav (above right) shocked seasoned campaigner Grandmaster Deep Sengupta to join Erigaisi Arjun (below left) and Gukesh D (below right) in the top point table along with defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram, who beat Railwayman Sayantan Das in the eighth round encounter.

Overnight joint leaders Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh signed the peace treaty with Visakh N R and Lalith Babu M R respectively which enabled Iniyan, Pranav and Aravindh (photo below) to catch up with the leaders with contrasting wins in the eighth round.

In other important encounters, Grandmaster Mitrabha Guha and Aryan Chopra agreed to split the points while commonwealth champion Abhijeet Gupta beat Nitin S of Railways. Mitrabha, Aryan and Abhijeet are now trailing behind the leaders with a drift of half point along with Lalith Babu M R, Visakh N R,  Swapnil Dhopade and Aditya Mittal. Swapnil got the better of IM Srijit Paul of West Bengal while Adiya registered victory over Srihari L R of Tamil Nadu in the eighth round battle.

Earlier, Prof Vinay Kumar Pathak, Vice Chancellor of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Kanpur University inaugurated the eighth round proceedings in presence of Dr Sanjay Kapoor, President All India Chess Federation.

In the ninth round, which is now in progress at the time of report, Pranav is taking on Arjun Erigaisi while Gukesh is pitted against Iniyan P and Aravindh paired against Swapnil Dhopade.

GM Utut Adianto (above center) has been elected Chairman of the Indonesian Chess Federation (PERCASI) in elections held 25-28 February 2022. Follow us on twitter and facebook.

The PERCASI National Conference was opened by the Minister of Youth and Sports of Indonesia Zainudin Amali (above left) on February 25,2022 at 20.00 Jakarta time, and was attended by the Secretary General of the National Sports Committee Tb Lukman Djajadikusuma, as well as delegates from 33 provinces throughout Indonesia.

The PERCASI National Deliberation Session which took place at Century Park Hotel Jakarta on February 26, 2022 for one full day, has elected and decided GM Utut Adianto as Chair of PERCASI for the period 2022-2026 by acclamation.

The elected PERCASI chairman, GM Utut Adianto, has the task of arranging the Central PERCASI management within the next 30 days.

Kanpur (27 Feb 22) :- IM Koustav Chatterjee of West Bengal continued his impressive show and downed fourth seed and two time national champion Karthikeyan Murali in the fifth round of the ongoing  MPL 58^th Senior National Chess Championship here Ganges Club here on Sunday.

Playing black side of Steinitz Defence of Ruy Lopez opening, Koustav sacrificed his rook for bishop and pawn on 39^th move to garner full point against his fancied rival after 20 more moves. Earlier in the fourth round Koustav stunned fifth seed Sethuraman while in the third round he held top seed B Adhiban.

In other important fifth round encounters, former champion Grandmaster Lalith Babu M R of PSPB defeated Grandmaster Aryan Chopra of Delhi while much anticipated top board battle between young Grandmasters D Gukesh of Tamil Nadu and Arjun Erigaisi of Telangana ended in peace treaty after 46 moves arrived out of Semi Slav- Botvinnik System.

At the end of fifth round matches, second Arjun Erigaisi along with D Gukesh (photo above), Lalith Babu M R, Koustav Chatterjee and Commonwealth champion Abhijeet Gupta, who beat International Master Aditya Mittal are sharing the lead with four and half points. A pack of 14 players including top seed A Adhiban are now trailing behind the leaders with a drift of half point.

Earlier the fifth-round matches were inaugurated by Shri Satyadev Pachauri, Member of Parliament in presence of Dr Sanjay Kapoor, President All India Chess Federation. The sixth round matches of this eleven Swiss System tournament sponsored MPL Sports Foundation will be played on Monday morning.

by Marlon Bernardino
MANILA—Laguna Heroes scored twin victory in the 2nd season of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All Filipino Conference online chess tournament held at Chess.com Platform Saturday night, February 26, 2022.
The defending champion  toppled Cagayan De Oro-Misamis Oriental Chess Association , 12-9 before surpassing Camarines Soaring Eagle, 12-9.
The team backed up by KALARO, Greatech Philippines, Inc., SDC Global Choice, Jolly Smile Dental Clinic and Rotary Club of Nuvali still ranks third of the Northern Division with 17 wins and four loses.
Against Camarines Soaring Eagle, the foursome of GM Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla Jr. (Board 1), FM Austin Jacob Literatus (Board 2), IM Angelo Young (Board 4) and Richie Jocson (Board 6) orchestrated Laguna’s 5-2 win in the blitz contest.
Barcenilla, a two-time Asian Junior Champion, defeated IM Idelfonso Datu in 53 moves of King’s Indian Defense, Literatus trounced Walt Allen Talan in 37 moves of Benko Gambit Opening, Young dismantled NM Carlo Lorena in 34 moves of Double Finachetto Opening while Jocson subdued Coelleir Graspela in 53 moves of Ruy Lopez Opening.
Board 3 Michella Concio drew with Virgenie Ruaya while Board 5 Vince Angelo Medina split the point with National Master Ronald Llavanes.
Board 7 Virgen Gil Ruaya provided the full point for Camarines after beating Apollo Agapay.
The rapid game between Laguna and Camarines ended in a 7-all deadlock.
“We got a hard-earned victory against Cagayan de Oro and Camarines. It was another lucky win. I am happy that GM Banjo Barcenilla, FM AJ Literatus, IM Angelo Young and Richie Jocson delivered the needed points, ” said Arena GM Dr. Fred Paez, one of the four co-team owners of the Laguna Heroes that include Mr. David Nithyananthan of KALARO, Engr. Benjamin Dy of SDC Global Choice and Engr. Jonathan Mamaril of Oregon, USA.
“I’m happy and honored to play for the Laguna heroes. Its always a great feeling winning my games ,but what is greater is the team winning the match,” added Young, an 8-time Illinois USA Champion.
Still leader in the Northern Division is the Pasig City Kings Pirates  (20-1) as well Iloilo Kisela Knights (19-2) lording the Southern Division.
PCAP, the country’s first and only play-for-pay chess league, is headed by Atty. Paul Elauria as President-Commissioner; Michael Angelo Ong Chua as Chairman; Dr. Ariel Potot as Vice Chairman and Atty. Arnel Batungbakal as Treasurer.
The tournament is sanctioned by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), headed by Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra, and supported by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), led by Chairman/President Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr.

Koustav holds top seed Adhiban

Kanpur (26 Feb 22) :- International Master Koustav Chatterjee of West Bengal held top seed Grandmaster B Adhiban of PSPB to a creditable draw in the third round of the ongoing MPL 58^th Senior National Chess Championship here at Ganges Club on Saturday.

Playing white side of the English Opening, Adhiban agreed to sign the peace treaty with his West Bengal opponent after 73 moves in an opposite colour bishop and rook ending. Meanwhile second seed Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi of Telangana beat International Master Sayantan Das of Railways to occupy the pole position of the point table along with Grandmasters Abhijeet Gupta of PSPB, D Gukesh of Tamil Nadu, Aryan Chopra of Delhi, Harsha Bharathakoti of Telangana, International Master Ravi Teja of Railways, Utsab Chatterjee and Anustoop Biswas of West Bengal with perfect score of three points.

Gupta defeated P Shyaamnikhil of Railways while Gueksh, Aryan and Harsha accounted for Sammed Jaykumar Shete of Maharashtra, Anuj Shrivatri of Madhya Pradesh and Harshad S of Tamil Nadu respectively. Ravi Teja outwitted Suyog Wagh of Maharashtra. Utsab and Anustoop stunned Grandmasters Swapnil Dhopade and Visakh N R of Railways to join top of the point table.

Former champions Karthikeyan Murali, Sethuraman S P, Lalith Babu M R and defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram satisfied with half points in their third-round outing against RR Laxman, Srijit Paul, Srihari L R and Shahil Dey respectively.

Mayor of Kanpur Smt Pramila Pandey inaugurated the third round matches of this 30 lakh prize money championship sponsored by MPL Sports Foundation. Earlier in the second round, Jeet Jain of Gujarat held Grandmaster Abhimanyu Puranik while Grandmaster P Iniyan suffered a shock defeat by the hands of Suyog Wagh of Maharashtra.

The fourth round matches are in progress at the time of report

Important Results (Round-3) :- GM Adhiban B of PSPB (2.5) drew with IM Koustav Chatterjee of West Bengal (2.5); IM Sayantan Das of Railways (2) lost to Arjun Erigaisi of Telangana (3); GM Abhijeet Gupta of PSPB (3) beat IM Shyaamnikhil P of Railways (2); GM Laxman RR of Railways (2.5) drew with GM Karthikeyan Murali of PSPB (2.5); GM Sethuraman SP of PSPB (2.5) drew with IM Srijit Paul of West Bengal (2.5); GM Gukesh D of Tamil Nadu (3) beat IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete (2); IM Shahil Dey of Assam (2.5) drew with GM Aravindh Chithamabram of Tamil Nadu (2.5); GM Aryan Chopra of Delhi (3) beat IM Anuj Shrivatri of Madhya Pradesh (2); IM Srihari L R of Tami Nadu (2.5) drew with GM Lalith Babu M R of PSPB (2.5); Ritviz Parab of Goa (2.5) drew with GM Mitrabha Guha of West Bengal (2.5); FM Harshad S of Tamil Nadu (2) lost to GM Harsha Bharathakoti (3); GM Swapnil Dhopade of Railways (2) lost to Utsab Chatterjee of West Bengal (3); IM Ratnakaran K of Railways (2.5) drew with IM Aditya Mittal of Maharashtra (2.5); FM Jain Kashish Manoj of Maharashtra (2.5) drew with IM Aronyak Ghosh of West Bengal (2.5); Ravi Teja S (3) beat FM Suyog Wagh of Maharashtra (2); GM Visakh N R of Railways (1.5) lost to Anustoop Biswas of West Bengal (3); Anadkat Kartavya of Gujarat (1.5) lost to GM Abhimanyu Puranik of Maharashtra (2.5); GM Sankalp Gupta of Maharashtra (2) drew with IM Saravana Krishnan P of Tamil Nadu (2); Jeet Jain of Gujarat (1.5) lost to GM Deep Sengupta of PSPB (2.5); IM Manish Anto Cristiano of Tamil Nadu (1.5) lost to GM Deepan Chakkravarthy of Railways (2.5).

Round – 2 :- Sai Agni Jeevitesh lost to Adhiban B; Arjun Erigaisi beat Ayush Sharma; Sharan Rao lost to Abhijeet Gupta; Karthikeyan Murali beat Niranjan Navalgund; Rahul Sangma lost to Sethuraman S P; Abhimanyu Puranik drew with Jeet Jain; Ayushh Ravikumar lost to Gukesh D; Aravindh Chithambaram beat Aaryan Varshney; Mohamed Anees lost to Aryan Chopra; Lalith Babu M R beat Bharat Kumar Reddy Poluri; Deep Sengupta drew with Anadkat Kartavya; Ravi T S drew with Visakh N R; Deepan Chakkravarthy drew with Aradhya Garg; Suyog Wagh beat Iniyan P; Mitrabha Guha beat Soham Kamotra.

Adhiban gets top billing in MPL 58^th Senior National Chess Championship

Kanpur (24 February 2022) :- Former champion Grandmaster B Adhiban of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board has been handed the top billing in a strong field which included young sensation Arjun Erigaisi in the 58^th edition of Senior National Chess Championship sponsored by MPL Sports Foundation starting on Friday here.

184 players from across the country including 23 Grandmasters and 30 International Masters, will be seen in action in the one-week long tournament, formerly known as National Premier Chess Championship.

Commonwealth champion Abhijeet Gupta, former national champions Karthikeyan Murali, Sethuraman S P, Lalith Babu M R, defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram, young talents Gukesh D, Abhimanyu Puranik and Aryan Chopra are the other top players taking part in the event to be held at Ganges Club, Kanpur.

The championship will be conducted under Swiss System with 11 rounds with a time control of 90 Minutes with 30 second increment from move 1. After roping in MPL Sports Foundation as official sponsor for all the national championships, AICF increased the prize fund of all nationals substantially and top ten players in the event will be awarded with cash prizes amounting to thirty lakh rupees out of which six lakh is reserved for the winner as well as the winner will get a bonus of 25 points while deciding the Indian team for the World Chess Olympiad and Asian Games which are scheduled later this year.

All India Chess Federation National Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan while addressing the press conference at the Ganges Club, the venue of the National Championship said that the way we have developed and taken steps to reach at the district and state level competitions, we are trying to make chess even more popular throughout the country. The All India Chess Federation is searching for talent in Chess through the ‘Chess in Schools’ program. AICF is confident that promising players will come forward and bring laurels to the country. In other sports Kanpur is remembered and referred, then why not in the chess field the mind game. Such competitions in cities will bring out players living in oblivion. Shri Bharat Singh said that it is not the players’ reach out to the Federation, but the Federation will reach to the players from cities, towns and villages and give them better opportunities. These same players will bring laurels to the country in the world of chess. We are interested and keen efforts are on to add the Federation’s Chess in Schools scheme to the curriculum.

Secretary of UP Chess Sports Association Shri AK Raizada stated that for the first time 23 Grand Masters, 30 International Masters are taking part in this event as well as increased prize fund are the main highlights of this edition.

Asian Chess Federation President Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan and General Secretary Hisham Al Taher sent a congratulatory letter welcoming the new president of the Kyrgyzstan Chess Federation, Mr. Babur Tolbaev.

The National Chess Federation of the Philippines on behalf of FIDE and the Asian Chess Federation shall organize the 110th Internet based FIDE Arbiters Seminar by FIDE Lecturer IA.IO Casto Abundo from 25-27 February 2022.  Visit fide.com for details.