14-year-old Vihaan Dawda scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win XLVI Barbera del Valles Open B (<2099) 2024 The teenager finished a half point ahead of the field Alfons Macaya Ruiz (CAT) scored 7.5/9 to finish second Josep Sort Sererols (CAT) secured third place 7/9 GM Yuri Solodovnichenko (UKR) won the Open A (>1950) scoring 7.5/9 IM Michel Alejandro Diaz Perez (CUB) and IM Kaustuv Kundu scored 7/9 each They were placed second and third respectively CM Barath Kalyan is the only other Indian to make a top ten finish in Open A The eventual winner of Open A - GM Yuri Solodovnichenko (UKR) suffered only one loss in the event It was against WFM Rutuja Bakshi in Round 3 This is Vihaan's third overall and first rating tournament victory of the year a WGM and a WIM took part from 17 countries across the world in Open A (>1950) category The nine-day nine-round Swiss League Rating Open tournament was organized by Victor Pont Maria at Barbera del Valles in Barcelona The time control of the tournament was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment Details A total of 109 players took part from eight countries across the world in Open B (<2099) category The nine-day nine-round Swiss League Rating Open tournament was organized by Victor Pont Maria  at Barbera del Valles in Barcelona Details Official site We have launched the ChessBase India App. Check out this amazing resource! Android for now - Download the app now Follow Tweets by @ChessbaseIndia ChessBase India is proud to be the official partner of chessbase.com reporting on events in India Like our Facebook page for more Indian chess updates The all new ChessBase Premium Account which gives you access to ten amazing online ChessBase services like PlayChess Become a part of the ever-growing ChessBase India Youtube Channel. Subscribe now and stay update with our awesome video content.  For Alina L'Ami Barcelona feels just like home People may have a point when wondering and asking me with curiosity how come I never get tired by traveling around the world with almost no time to relax from one trip to another Everything depends on the perspective and my participation in the Open of Barbera del Valles offers a good answer The truth is that in Spain I feel at home and how could anyone possibly be tired of returning home? At its 38th (!) edition and part of the famous Catalan Circuit (highly recommended you can practically play non-stop over the whole summer jumping from one tournament to the next one) the Barbera Open makes me think of a big family ready at any time to receive its errant sons alias the ever-traveling chess players in permanent search for a brilliant move There is no secret the event is very dear to me I have played it several times and here is where I scored my only (hopefully this year things didn't go precisely my way I had many tough games with young promising talents (how can they be so well prepared in the opening?!) but this is just another reason to look forward for returning and give it a new try in the future This leitmotif was in fact inspired to me by the movie Terminator 5 launched in the cinemas during the days of the tournament Arnold Schwarzenegger  is a renowned chess lover but his “main” contribution is the philosopher's stone he revealed to all the players who donated sometimes very generous rating points to their opponents: "I'll be back"! since we were in Spain and because the movies are dubbed it is better to give the local version: "Volvere!" For some players things went unexpectedly smoothly Take for instance the top rated Karen Grigoryan His first and third round opponents didn't show up for some reasons and in the last round he drew without fighting since this result was convenient for his opponent as well The main off-board attraction of the tournament is Barbera's neighborhood with Barcelona the magic city attracting zillions of tourists from all over the world And how could one help loving this country infecting all its visitors with its incorrigible optimism How to stay indifferent to the country of Gaudi the famous jamon iberico and (for the connaisseurs) clara How could you forget the country of los paseos so beautiful that they make you losing your mind I will never get tired to say it again and again: Spanish people are inimitable I love this country for its old citizens habits taking their coffees in the morning (or after midnight) in the pub next door I love this country for not forcing me to be a different person than I am And Spain provides the chess world with an endless string of chances opportunities to reveal our multiple talents The only problem with this year's edition (even if invaded by optimism we cannot cease being objective) was the warmth I don't mean the inexhaustible warmth of souls displayed by the organizing team but at the temperature from the playing hall the air-conditioned system refused cooperation to compensate for the outside 41 degrees heat and soon after all the players sat down for their games we all felt a bit like in the sauna keeping the equality of chances and the fairness of fight it is an excellent physiological process in getting rid of toxins A different type of "Ramblas" - you walk on the water Barcelona is a beauty - from whichever point you look Detail of the facade of "La Sagrada Familia" The little Sister of "La Sagrada Familia" - another Gaudi masterpiece Back to chess: the tournament hall for the A-group Always positive - Margarida Coimbra from Portugal Krystian Kucmicz - he is close to the GM title but needs some more Elo-points The Catalan circuit and the Barbera Open.. Daniel Gurevich from the USA won 30 rating points Five selected chess highlights from the tournament “We are really excited to see our sites get more sophisticated as the Amazon Robotics technology evolves Thanks to this evolution we are helping our associates learn and train for new and fascinating roles such as an amnesty responder or flow control specialist and support them in re-allocating their abilities,” said Dennis Oates EU Director Sort Centres Program and Innovation “We work relentlessly for both our customers and our associates to make sure we offer them the best experience possible through continuous innovation and investment while creating permanent jobs at the same time We would like to thank the Barberá del Vallés authorities for their professional and timely support.” Whenever I play a tournament in a foreign country I have the habit of entering the tournament’s name in the search bar of the ChessBase.com website to see if any articles have been written about the previous editions of the event I am participating in When I decided to play the XXXVII edition of the Internacional Barbera del Valles in Spain I was happy to find an article written by the globe trotter IM (back then WGM) Alina L’Ami on the XXXIV edition of the same tournament in the year 2011 In her article entitled Sun, Fun and a GM norm WGM Alina L’Ami explains how she was able to give the best performance of her life by scoring her maiden GM norm with rating performance of 2612 and gaining 48 Elo points in the process Reading this article before the start of my tournament made me believe that I too could do something special here After all Alina was rated 2312 back then and my rating was 2314 on July 2014 she played much stronger opposition than me and that explains why she made a GM norm But still the similarity of our performance is quite astounding And last but not the least we have both written reports for ChessBase after our excellent performance Coming back to the XXXVII Barbera Del Valles Open 2014 The tournament starting list was quite deceptive While out of the 87 participants there were only five grandmasters the tournament boasted of an average Elo of 2208 It didn’t have a very strong representation at the top but in terms of middle order depth it was really quite formidable Add to that the fact that no draws were allowed before 30 moves and we had a real fighting event Karen was a half point ahead of the field and a draw would have worked out just fine for him to win the title But Fernando took full advantage of having the white pieces as little by little he built up a great position What happened between move thirty to fifty was simply a spectator’s delight: Peralta sacrificed a knight made a new queen and then in a winning position moved his queen to a wrong square where it could have been trapped But Karen missed the opportunity and lost a few moves later A nerve-racking last round which is a must watch [Event "Barbera Open 2014"] [Site "?"] [Date "2014.07.12"] [Round "9"] [White "Fernando Grigoriyan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A65"] [WhiteElo "2596"] [BlackElo "2592"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2014.??.??"] 1 Qg3 {We pick up this game from a position where it is all quite well balanced made a mistake here by playing:} Kh7 $2 31 e5 $1 {was the more precise way to take advantage of the mistake.} Rxe5 (31.. Rxc4 Rec8 $14 { White maintains a slight edge but Black should be able to fight on.}) 32 exf6 {White has a rollicking attack now as his bishop is really strong on b1.} e5 34 h4 $1 {with the idea of h5 would have been very strong.}) 34.. Qxd7 $5 {A queen sacrifice in order to make a new queen But the excitement is still not over.} Rxd7 37 f8=Q Rdf7 {Black is a piece down but has some counterplay against the white king.} 38 Qb8 $4 {Truly a disastrous square for the queen.} (38 Qe8 $1 {would have ensured White's victory.} Qxf2+ 39 Rg8 $1 $19 {and the white queen is simply trapped!}) 39 White is a piece up and goes on to wins without any more adventures.} Rxg2 42 Kh2 {Such games make the game of chess truly entertaining and a spectator friendly sport.} 1-0 Fernando Peralta enjoys a victory drink with his friends The ever smiling and happy-go-lucky Karen Grigoriyan from Armenia finished second with 7.0/9 The 1995 born lad always seems to be enjoying in the present moment – even after the heart-breaking last round loss he was all smiles 16-year-old IM Diptayan Ghosh (2468) from India finished fourth Just like in his previous tournament the Montcada Open He keeps knocking on the doors of the GM title and soon enough he is going to be India’s newest GM Sixth: IM Ernesto Gomez Garrido Camilo (2495) Eighth place: GM Levan Aroshidze (2565) from Georgia enjoys a light moment during the first day of the tournament After arriving 20 minutes late (he caught the wrong train) Akshat built up a great position only to realize that he was playing against the wrong player The above picture was taken when he had to restart his game against the right opponent but for all his extra work he received only one point IM Ana Matnadze (2389) from Spain was the best female player of the event Aguilar Jordi Ritter (2065) won the B category tournament with a score of 7.5/9 While receiving the prize he gave a touching speech in which he dedicated this victory to his son Diana Ruth Lopez Atay (2076) was the best female player in the B category Very innovatively designed trophies were given to the age category winners One fine day the weather is sunny warm and beautiful… … and on the next day it’s raining cats and dogs And sometimes the sun and the rain combine to produce a great scene The Spanish Circuit keeps on growing more and more intriguing After the excellently organized tournaments at Montcada and Barbera Del Valles which will be held from 13th to 21st of July Stay tuned for the coverage of that tournament in ten days from now A small three minute video to give an idea on the environment in which this tournament was played All the pictures in this report have been made by Amruta Mokal who is a not only an enthusiastic photographer but also a professional chess player with an Elo of 2046 and four WIM norms Photography is her passion and she loves to cover tournaments capturing various expressions and emotions of the chess players so engrossed in the game She is also the wife of the author of this article Drug products with highly-Potent APIs are a special species: these highly-potent APIs are small Handling them therefore requires an extraordinary expertise as it can be found in Siegfried's site in Barberà del Vallès in the northeast of Spain Carolina Bonifacio is the Head of Research and Development (R&D) in Barberà del Vallès and its neighboring site El Masnou As an expert of this matter she knows the requirements and challenges of HPAPIs: “These substances not only require particularly sensitive handling in the manufacturing process; the employees who work with them also need special skills a thought-out risk and hazard assessment is needed." That is the reason why in Barberà del Vallès these products are manufactured in a separate area in isolated facilities with the actual production process largely automated HPAPI production requires special requirements and skills: Investment in production equipment is high manufacturing times are usually significantly longer and energy costs are higher than for conventional APIs production volumes are usually comparatively low the transition times from one product or batch to the next are quite long while cleaning and waste management are complex Siegfried brings its entire expertise in this area to the plant just under half an hour north of the port city of Barcelona The company claims a successful track record of supplying complex Drug Products containing HPAPIs to Europe It has a team that brings decades of experience with these products And it has a wide range of technologies - from dry & wet granulation process (including roller compaction) over blending Due to the increasing importance of HPAPIs and its special expertise Siegfried is focusing on further strengthening this area and gaining additional customers Highly Potent APIs are a rapidly growing segment of the global pharmaceutical industry Some market estimates project that the global HPAPI market could reach 26 billion dollars by 2023 and close to 10% annual growth in this area more than 25% of all drugs in development fall into the HPAPI category," says R&D Head Bonifacio Thereby the HPAPI market covers a wide range of product types across several therapeutic areas although oncology-focused medicines continue to lead in terms of innovative pipeline candidates the northern Spanish sites gain further importance with the opening of a new global development center for drug products in spring 2023 highly qualified specialists will work there closely with Siegfried's customers there in modern purpose-built laboratories to transform their innovations into commercial products this is a qualitative step forward - from pure production of a limited number of drugs to development activities as well employees are developing individual approaches to solving customers' problems Bonifacio points to the state-of-the-art laboratories that have been built on an area of around 1,500 square meters around 40 employees are working in product development determining how best to formulate an active ingredient so that it exerts its desired effect in the right part of the human body The manager points out that in the development center they also carry out process development provide drugs for clinical trials and develop analytical methods to be able to provide evidence for certain ingredients the transition to the regular high-volume manufacturing process the decisive factor is that the production process is robust Siegfried has invested 15 million EUR in the new development center development activities and equipment were moved from the company headquarters in Zofingen to Barcelona The new facilities will be Siegfried's global research and development hub for its drug product sites in addition to the development center for Biologics Fill & Finish in Hameln which will help to expand the competencies of the CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) and its service depth as well as to win new customers: "The Center of Excellence for Drug Products development services at our Barcelona sites shows our strong commitment to invest in technologies and to development capacities for our customers." In Barberà del Vallès the lettering of the former owner Novartis is still slightly visible under the Siegfried logo but the fresh wind that has been blowing through the plant with its approximately 550 employees since the takeover in early 2021 is clearly noticeable where solid oral dosage forms are produced in large quantities served mainly its own internal production under the previous owner under Siegfried they not only get additional competencies with HPAPIs and the new development center each of whom has their own product requirements This not only significantly expands the site's portfolio but also demands a high degree of flexibility and expertise from the employees a short  drive from Barberá del Vallés and slightly elevated near the Mediterranean Sea the focus of the nearly 400 employees here is on the production and packaging of aseptic ophthalmic products such as eye drops and eye ointments Access to the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) production of liquids and ointments is possible only in compliance with strong hygienic regulations Also the manufacturing itself takes place under strict orders of absolute cleanliness: Materials are sterilized in autoclaves 1100-liter reactors produce fully automatically the filling machine presses a cataract remedy into small containers grab small vials from the assembly line at high speed and place them with equal speed and precision into passing sorting systems Siegfried has proven to be a highly trusted partner for HPAPI projects as it has the appropriate facilities and equipment as well as highly trained personnel in place Barberá del Vallés and El Masnou play a central role in this: The two sites not only stand out for its competencies in Highly-Potent APIs CHEManager Spotlight is an exclusive event tailored for practitioners and decision-makers in the chemical industry This part of our event series delves into the latest trends and innovations in logistics to streamline your operations and drive efficiency ProteiNext is an annual symposium that offers a platform for sharing insights on protein analysis Just like India's 72nd GM Mitrabha Guha, India's 71st Grandmaster Sankalp Gupta has also won the first tournament he played after becoming a GM 2nd Barbera del Valles Masters 2021 with a score of 6.0/9 Four players finished with the same score the Nagpur lad won clinched the first place due to better tie-breaks Dhananjay S and Ojas Kulkarni secured second and third place scoring 7.0/9 and 6.5/9 Arvind Ramnath Iyer won the Group B 7.5/9 remained undefeated and finished a full point ahead of the competition It was a wonderful event for the Indian players as four podium places were secured by Indians combining three groups. Photo: Club d'Escacs Barberà Both FM Alexandre Pigeat (FRA) and Dhananjay S scored 7.0/9 each in Group A however Pigeat clinched the championship and Dhananjay secured the second place according to tie-breaks Ojas Kulkarni was placed third due to his better tie-break score Arvind Ramnath Iyer scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 finished a full point ahead of the competition to win the Group B section Sankalp Gupta suffered his first loss of the event against GM Daniel Alsina Leal (ESP) in the sixth round A mistake in the final moments of the endgame probably under time trouble cost him dearly White needs to keep the f6-pawn supported and attack the g-pawn with the rook only when it is farthest from the black king 50.Rb6 or Kd4 both keeps White in the game he opted for 50.Ra1 which leads to a loss after 50...Kxf6 since the white king is already cut-off by the rook on e8 It becomes easier for Black to convert it into a win Sankalp did a beautiful queen maneuver of his queen in an already advantageous position against GM Rodrigo Vasquez Schroeder (CHI) The black queen moved from e7-a3-a1-d1 and the knight maneuvered via d6-b7-a5-b3 White can do nothing to save the game except be a witness to the demise of his position Black made a breakthrough with the pawns on the queenside and created a passed pawn on the c-file which eventually was instrumental in getting Black an important victory Sankalp suffered another setback as he lost a complex queen and bishop ending against IM Pere Garriga Cazorla (ESP) White is threatening to stir up some trouble in Black's back rank 47...Bd7 enables Black to prevent any kind of invasion as 48.Qb8 or Qd8 is met with 48...Qe8 47...e3 was played in the game and it was all over after 48.Qd8 Sankalp made a quick 17-move draw with GM Hipolito Asis Gargatagli (ESP) to finish with 6.0/9 and win the tournament The tournament took place at Barberà Chess Club at Barberà del Vallès Barcelona in Spain from 21st to 29th November 2021 Time control is 90 mins + 30 seconds each from move no.1 Details Details Details Details Official site Open Tournament Details Masters Tournament Details Louis Vuitton increased its production capacity in Spain The luxury brand has completed works on the new leather goods’ production site of Girona The new manufacturing point extends 8,000 square meters (from the 3,000 of the old ones) Via company Manufacture de Maroquinerie et Accessoires Louis Vuitton LV controls five production sites in Spain this one in Girona and one in Santa Perètua de Mogoda (Barcelona) 1,100 of which will benefit from a new labor contract LVMH’s admiral brand increases the production capacity of handbags in Spain. In Girona, all production phases, from cutting leather to final preparations, will take place, says Modaes The French brand had conducted a similar operation in 2020 on the 8,000 square meters site of Santa Perpètua where it had moved activities previously done in a smaller site in Polinyà LVMH’s manufacturing activity in Cataluña is worth about 240 million euro a year About 1,100 employees will be impacted by the new labor contract signed by the brand with unions The pre-agreement includes the updating of professional categories for workers responding to an historical complaint of local personal All you need to know about the leather industry French recycling and waste management group Paprec is expanding its presence in Spain through the acquisition of Barcelona-based environmental services provider CLD and GBI Paprec announced the conclusion of an agreement to this effect early last week Earlier in July, Paprec also announced a take-over in its home market of France The company acquired the metals recycler Cernay Environnement and its subsidiary Alsadis which specialises in hazardous waste management... 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You can find more information on the individual external services in our privacy policy Plasteurope.com is a business information platform for the European plastics industry It is part of KI Kunststoff Information and PIE Plastics Information Europe one of the leading content providers for the European plastics industry We offer daily updated business news and reports polymer prices and other services for the international plastics industry News | Polymer Prices | Suppliers Guide | Jobs | Register | Advertising Amazon has announced it will open three new delivery stations in Barcelona to further enhance delivery speeds for customers in the region These three new delivery stations will create over 270 permanent jobs with competitive salaries 20 independent local delivery companies that will work with Amazon will hire more than 800 drivers who will collect parcels from the delivery stations and deliver them to Amazon customers in their local communities “We are excited to continue to invest in the region of Catalonia with three new delivery stations that will provide efficient delivery for customers and create hundreds of job opportunities for the talented workforce” The building with over 10,700 square meters – which will be located in the Motsolís industrial park on Carrer del Canem - is expected to start operations in October of this year and will create more than 60 permanent jobs in addition to more than 400 indirect job opportunities for drivers of the 6 delivery partners companies The building with over 10,400 square meters – which will be located in the Can Magarola industrial park on Can Maagrola Avenue - is expected to start operations also in October of this year and will create close to 130 permanent jobs in addition to more than 170 indirect job opportunities for drivers of the 6 partners companies with which Amazon will collaborate in this locality The building with over 13,490 square meters – which will be located in Placita d’en Coll in Carrer Fresser - is expected to start operations also in October of this year as well as indirect job opportunities for more than 230 drivers who will work for the 8 local delivery partners There are more than 9,000 SMEs based in Spain that sell on Amazon these SMEs exceeded 450 million euros in exports which is an increase compared to 400 million euros the previous year more than 2,000 SMEs from Catalonia exported products through Amazon and gained more than 100 million euros revenue The roof and siding of these three new centers were made using high quality materials designed for optimum isolation and energy efficiency 500sqm of photovoltaic solar panels will be installed on the rooftop producing 100 kWp of electricity each building will extensively use LED lighting as well as a significant amount of windows and skylights will provide a good amount of natural lighting smoothly balanced each of Amazon’s new last mile centers has pre-installed electric chargers to enable the delivery companies with which Amazon collaborates to charge the electric vehicles in their fleet and therefore promoting the adoption of sustainable transport Amazon is a great place to work with highly competitive pay training programs and industry-leading benefits from day one for its workers Among some of these benefits is the Career Choice program through which the company supports employees in accessing adult training in their field of choice financing 95% of tuition and associated fees up to an amount of €8,000 over four years "Joining Amazon has been a big change in my life as during the pandemic I lost my job as a teacher Amazon has offered me peace of mind and a steady salary that I can take home to my family as well as it is a place where I have the opportunity to grow professionally and personally one of the best things about being an Amazon employee is the salary and benefits This is something that very few companies offer and what I value the most in this case" associate at Amazon's delivery station in Rubí Amazon has been a lifeline after losing my previous job and being unemployed for almost 4 years Amazon gave me the opportunity that no other company wanted to give me it’s been almost 2 years since I joined the company and couldn’t be happier: great working conditions fun environment and kind co-workers and managers… and I have been able to grow professionally being recently promoted” – Cristina Alfonso Sigler Operations supervisor at the Amazon delivery station in Barcelona The company prioritizes the safety and health of employees above all else and so Amazon committed $11.5 billion in 2020 on COVID-related initiatives to help keep its employees globally safe and to get items to customers This includes an investment of over $1.2 billion on measures like temperature checks and regular COVID testing in some countries since the beginning of the pandemic Amazon has purchased more than 39 million pairs of gloves over 74 million units of disinfectant wipes and 12,7 million bottles of hands disinfectant Amazon’s Operations network in Spain started with the San Fernando de Henares (Madrid) Fulfilment Center which started operations in 2012 – a year after the launch of Amazon.es the company has opened Fulfillment Centers in El Prat (Barcelona) and two recently announced fullfillment centers in Corvera (Murcia) and Illescas (Toledo) Amazon also has three urban fulfillment centers in Madrid and Barcelona ​​which provide fast deliveries to its customers in these cities through the Amazon Fresh service located in Getafe (Madrid) and Barberá del Vallés (Barcelona) and sixteen delivery stations located throughout the country to strengthen their delivery services for the benefit of customers and sellers Amazon has invested 6.8 billion euros between 2011 and 2020 in its Spanish infrastructure Amazon invested 2.5 billion euros and created more than 5,000 jobs increasing its workforce to 12,000 permanent employees in Spain Amazon onboarded 7,000 people to support its Operations across the country during the last Christmas season 12-year-old Harshad S from Tamil Nadu tasted success on his maiden voyage on the international soil when he won Barebera del Valles 'B' by scoring an undefeated 8.0/9 and finishing a half point ahead of the runner-up Greeshma Anand Dhumal who increased a massive 249 Elo rating points in the entire tournament Harshad managed to increase his Elo rating by 90 points after that he won four consecutive games to take a sole lead which he maintained till the final round "This is the first time I have traveled abroad to play chess tournaments Previously I got the opportunity to participate in World Schools Championship as selected player to represent India at Albania but due to financial constraints I could not make it is completely a wholehearted effort by my parents to provide exposure to tournament environments overseas and enjoy my passionate game without any pressure and target They gave me enough liberty to select the tournament and the category in which I wanted to play." - Harshad exclaims about his maiden voyage Here are a couple of games of Harshad annotated by him Unheralded Harshad also credits his coach and shares his experience - "I am very happy to participate in XLII Open Internacional de Barberà del Vallès "B" This is my first title in any rating tournament and fortunately or unfortunately which I am not able to say has come on a foreign soil.  I am very much indebted to my coach Visweswaran who supported me throughout the tournament amidst his busy schedule His technical and moral support kept me without any pressure to enjoy my game." scored 7.5/9 to secure sole second position finished 1.5 point ahead of the second runner-up and increased her Elo rating by a massive 249 points with a performance rating of 2165 Complete standings 2020 – Amazon today confirmed its commitment to the Murcia region with the announcement of a future high-tech robotic fulfillment center in the area The company moves ahead with its investment in the Murcian region by confirming the arrival of what will become Amazon’s second facility in the region joining a last mile delivery station launched in 2020 barely 200 meters away the future site will be located in the municipality of Corvera Situated next to the airport and approximately 20 km away from the city of Murcia this new site will be equipped with advanced Amazon Robotics technology focused on the health and well-being of the employees This facility will be the fourth Amazon robotics site in Spain joining two robotics fulfillment centers in El Prat (Barcelona) and Dos Hermanas (Seville) as well as one robotic sortation center in Barberá del Vallés (Barcelona) This new fulfillment center will be used by Amazon to stock and manage sortable products supporting Amazon operations in Spain and across Europe “We are proud and excited to further invest in the Region of Murcia with a new high-tech robotic fulfillment center in Corvera a site that will play a key role for our operations in the southeast region of Spain and ultimately Director of Amazon Customer Fulfillment in France sortation associate at Amazon delivery station in Murcia highlighted his positive experience: “My first day at Amazon was very exciting and I was looking forward to new challenges and experiences The work environment at Amazon is phenomenal and Amazon committed $11.5 billion in 2020 on COVID-related initiatives to help keep its employees globally safe and to get items to customers over 74 million units of disinfectant wipes and 12,7 a million liters of hand disinfectant bottles for the usage of employees and partners Amazon is further expanding the size of its Spanish fulfillment center network to meet increasing customer demand and support a growing number of independent small businesses (SMEs) using Fulfillment by Amazon warehousing and delivery there are more than 200 SMEs selling on Amazon and exporting more than 10 million euros in 2019 Amazon’s operations network in Spain started with the San Fernando de Henares (Madrid) fulfillment center the company has opened fulfillment centers in El Prat (Barcelona) Dos Hermanas (Seville) and Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) ​​which provide fast deliveries to its Prime customers in these cities through the Prime Now and Fresh services Amazon has invested 2.9 billion euros between 2011 and 2018 in its Spanish infrastructure Amazon on-boarded 7,000 people to support its Operations across the country during the last Christmas season Thanks to Himanshu Sharma’s fantastic run at the Barbara Open the Indian charge continued its dominance at the second coveted event of the Catalan circuit in Barcelona it was Shyam Sundar who brought glory to India by clinching the title prize this is his first title prize at an Open outside his home country his play was aggressive and filled with energy it is indeed essential to find the balance between offence and defence we shall look closely into how he composed himself to maintain this balance while also looking at the overall performance of the Indian contingent Another major event of the Catalan Circuit took place in Barbera We hope you’re enjoying reading these reports Receive our weekly Newsletterand set tailored daily news alerts The exhibition is showcasing the company's flagship WHOLEGARMENT knitting machine Knitwear, Knitted Outerwear Shima Seiki’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations Shima CrossTex exhibition returns to Hong Kong Knitted fabrics for shoes to fit all occasions Chess gives you an ability to travel across the globe There are tournaments held all over the world and one of the perks of being a chess player is that you can visit them and also play your favourite sport But everything is not so rosy! Planning an international trip is never easy but even if you were to overcome them there are logistical issues to tickets to accommodations to paying the entry fee. It's exactly to do away with all such problems we introduced the concept of the ChessBase India Power tour! Apart from ensuring the logistical support accompanied the players from India to Barcelona and stayed with them for 50 days - the entire duration of the trip What was his experience as a tour manager and how did he manage to ensure that Indian players came back with a rich haul of 4359 Elo points In March 2018, ChessBase India Power conceived an ambitious plan The plan was to take a tour of players from India to Barcelona in Spain and play in five tournaments. These were the tournaments that were planned: Apart from just making sure that all the logistics (visas, flight accommodation etc.) were in place, ChessBase India Power also decided that they would be sending a person as the tour manager This was done to ensure that young kids whose parents couldn't take time off from their work schedule could still send their children to the tournaments without having to worry about their off the board requirements At the same time the cost was instantly cut into half because the cost of parent's accommodation and travel and food was saved On paper this looked like an exciting plan. But to put it into motion was not easy. There was no better person as the tour manager than the head of ChessBase India Power Ankit Dalal. He was going to travel with the group. On 3rd of April 2018 we published the article inviting people to enroll for the tour and the response was huge We had more than 20 people who signed up for this.  The biggest advantage of the Catalan circuit is that you can rent a single apartment and stay in it throughout the duration of all five events. If you are able to find a centrally located apartment all the tournaments (apart from Sitges which is an hour and a half away) would be within 30-45 minutes of travel There were around six to seven children who decided to come without their parents And there were also some who joined the tour along with their parents so that their logistical work would be reduced At the same time there were also players in the age zone of 20-30 years who could manage many of the things on their own but preferred to be the part of the tour because it was the first time for them Ankit Dalal stayed in the apartment with those six kids who were below the age of 18 Here's the performance of people who travelled with the ChessBase India Power Tour to the Catalan circuit: None of the players actually lost any rating points Q: How many people were part of the ChessBase India Tour?  AD: The tour was full of challenges and all kind of challenges right from getting visas done to managing kids Food was really an issue as the parents thought their children could manage with "ready to eat" food packets But the youngsters didn't like the food packets at all We at ChessBase India Power believe that kids should be given the best environment to perform and so I decided to cook perhaps not as tasty as their parents would prepare but then getting Indian food on nearly a daily basis in Barcelona is nothing short of something special There are always language barriers when you travel in a foreign country and fitness and stamina issues will arise if you play five tournaments in a row For me the toughest part was to see the Visas getting refused for some or the other reasons which shook the equilibrium of the group and few colleagues couldn't join the tour. I tried my best in every individual case but when it comes to visa everything is not in our hands Q: What are the other benefit for the kids and their parents apart from the fact that they save money AD: The young generation is often pampered with the love and care of their parents Parents travel with their kids and ensure that everything off the board is taken care off at times it can also be detrimental. Of course you want your child to be capable on the board but you would also like that he/she develops skills off the board as well When the kids joined the ChessBase India Power tour they were exposed to situations which helped them build their overall character When the trip began I felt that the kids would feel home sick Maybe tantrums would begin once we reached the one month mark But it was completely different. All of them were so passionate about chess None of them missed even a single round. They played their hearts out and they worked as hard as they could The journey taught all of the participants of the ChessBase India Power tour to be warriors  As the trip progressed there came a time when all the kids were telling me directions in how much time they can get the next train These are all sorts of details they were aware of I was told by their parents that they have never handled the gas But in the apartment they made popcorns and maggis and lot of other stuff I was surprised that most of them helped in chopping vegetables if we give the opportunity to kids and the right platform and instill self belief then you can be sure they would excel at everything they did Q: What were some of the memorable incidents from the trip AD: I realised that all of these youngsters are smart individuals when after landing I gave them an option - travel by taxi from airport to the apartment or travel by bus which was considerably cheaper but also dropped us two kilometres away from the apartment I was pleasantly surprised when they said bus They dragged their luggage for nearly two kilometres to save some money When the trip ended everyone was travelling by different flights because many of them lived in different cities and many of them had different departure dates The trip gave them the confidence that they could all travel alone At the end of the trip when I asked them "What did you learn from this tour?" Each one of them replied "Sir now we can travel anywhere alone!" That's the self belief they got Another benefit is the foreign exposure part and the perk of exploring new country personal growth of each and every participant is what I could see In this regard I would like to thank the parents because without their support it wouldn't really be possible Q: Don't you think 5 tournaments in a row was a bit too much?  AD: At first glance it looks like a lot but looking at the confidence and performance of the kids, I don't think so Even in the last tournament they were not ready to miss any round After playing 45 rounds they still wanted to play chess So if properly planned it's an excellent period for the player to play and prepare for the future tournaments. Five events will also test you mentally and physically which will make you learn more about yourself and give you a massive database to work upon. The biggest advantage of the Catalan circuit is not only that you remain in the same time zone but you also don't have change your apartment Q: We know that you were the manager of the trip but what were the things you specifically did AD: Learning is a process and not a destination. I have learnt so much out of this tour right from managing kids to giving them right sort of exposure.  It also helped me to build a vision where we can give the best sort of atmosphere to players and bring administrative changes back in India to create tournaments like this in India don't perform daily jobs on our own as we have people to do it for us but when you play outside the country and are alone each one has to make sure that he/she performs their daily chores The members of the apartment came from different places in India But when they were together they became one They all helped each other and grew into better individuals I myself have learnt a lot and I am sure that next year the team will be 100% better than this year Q: What are the future plans for a ChessBase India Power Trip AD: We are going to plan more circuits like this and we will give more exposure to upcoming players to play international tournaments I would recommend all the parents who want their child to improve on and off the board to enroll for such trips I can ensure that you will see a marked improvement in them when they come back home ChessBase India identified the talent of Om Kadam when he became the national under-9 champion and also the Asian under-10 gold medalist. Coming from a humble background, affording a Catalan circuit was quite difficult for the young boy. We put up an article on the ChessBase India newspage and help flowed in helped Om by contributing nearly Rs.50,000 A huge thanks to all the donors - Mayur Gondhalekar Kajri Chokshi contributed Rs.25,000 to cover for the increasing expenses in Spain And Mayur Gondhalekar has even pledged further support for Om for future events Ankit took care of him and Asia's first GM Eugene Torre said to Om I am watching your journey!" All of this is great but what stands out is the belief of Om's parents on his chess talent It's not easy to send your 10-year-old son alone from India to Spain on a flight for the first time in his life But Manish Kadam (Om's father) believed in the young boy's talent and took this as an important step in the development of Om as a chess player I have been working tirelessly for over two years now trying to power chess in India And I know for sure that the ChessBase India newspage bringing in ChessBase softwares at affordable prices getting in Quality Chess Books to our country maintaining one of the most active Youtube Channels in the world of chess has definitely helped to boost Indian chess But I have to say the ChessBase India Power trip has made an impact which is huge and the most tangible A total of 4359 Elo points gained! Youngsters travelled alone and learned the art of how to survive in a foreign land! So many people have been wishing to travel to International tournaments for years now but no one ever guided them in a correct way I know everything was not perfect there were issues with accommodation and travel. There are definitely things which we can improve But more importantly we made an attempt towards something ambitious and we tried our best to achieve it Ankit (Dalal) worked day in and out to make this trip a success and I must congratulate him for making such a huge impact on Indian chess It goes without saying that more trips will be planned and things can only get better from here 5+ tournaments in Spain. Make ChessBase India Power your personal tour guide! Overwhelming response for the ChessBase India Power Catalan circuit group tour 2018 ChessBase India Power Group Tour makes a strong beginning in Montcada! Barbera Del Valles 2018: Iniyan finishes clear second, CBIP groups gains 1355 Elo points! Sant Marti Open 2018: Mitrabha Guha earns his maiden GM norm! Vila de Sitges 2018: Anuj Shrivatri finishes joint third! My experience of spending 50 days in Barcelona In 2018 we came up with the bold idea of a ChessBase India Power Group Tour - the idea was go to the Catalan circuit in Barcelona Spain for nearly 50 days with a tour manager and play in five back to back tournaments Having a tour manager ensured the youngsters whose parents were not able to travel were also able to send their kids The youngsters learnt how to handle their finances but more importantly the entire group of 20 players gained 4359 Elo points This year we are back with the ChessBase India Power Group Tour to the Catalan circuit from 24th of June to 10th of August You can find all the information about this tour in the article below At ChessBase India for every decision we take we have a litmus test - "Does it help to power chess in India?" If the answer is yes, this is something we go ahead with all our energy. Travelling to International tournaments is one of the best ways in which a youngster can improve Not just as a player but also as a human being new opponents and new conditions force you to bring out the best within you. To all the people who want to play 4-5 international tournaments in a row there is nothing better to begin with than the Catalan circuit we organized the first ChessBase India Power Group Tour. Nearly 20 people travelled with us to Barcelona (10 in group tour and 10 as normal participants) Here are some pictures that give you an idea of what happened there Like a chess player analyzes his games and improves from his mistakes we at ChessBase India Power too are learning from our experience of the Group Tour in 2018 This year we have already expanded our staff so that you will be served better with regards to your pre-tournament preparations and arrangements The most important improvement that we have brought about is the introduction of food cooked by experts and chefs in this trip You can read more about it in the article later The 2019 Group Tour promises to be bigger and better than what we were able to achieve in 2018 While it's great that the group tour gives you an opportunity to grow as an individual and make new friends what really counts is whether you were able to improve as a chess player It is simply amazing that each and every player who travelled to Barcelona with ChessBase India Power gained rating The biggest gainers were Hriday Bhuta (617) Aagam Aditya (438), Kartavya Anadkat (363) A lot of people argue that gaining rating points in Spain doesn't make sense because many times your rating overshoots your strength and when you come back and play in India you start losing rating points. While it's 100% certain that Indian events are stronger as compared to Spain gaining Elo points in the Catalan circuit opens up new horizons Imagine your rating is in the 1800 zone since many years and are able to reach 2150 in the Catalan circuit, the first thing that happens is your confidence shoots up You start believing that you are a stronger player. This 350 rating gain will boost you in the right direction The important thing to remember here is not to get attached to the rating Rating after all is just a number. My favourite example of how this works is the very talented Indian youngster Leon Mendonca Platja D'Aro - 24th June to 1st July 2019 Barbera Open - 4th July to 12th July 2019 Sant Marti Open - 13th to 21st July 2019 Sitges Open - 22nd to 30th July 2019 (Click on the name of the tournaments to see the players list and the strength of the tournament in 2018) Let's have a look at where all of these tournaments are situated on a map: You get down at the El Prat airport in Barcelona and play the first tournament in Platja D'Aro. Platja D'Aro is around 120 kilometres away from the airport From Platja D'Aro you come back to the Barcelona city and stay in a central location from where Barbera Del Valles (2nd tournament) Sant Marti (3rd tournament) and Badalona (5th tournament) are near Sitges (4th tournament) is around 45 kilometres away from the centre of Barcelona city It takes around one to one and a half hours to travel to the tournament but a lot of players have done that in the past and the fact that there is only one round in a day makes it feasible.  Platja D'Aro is the only tournament which has a different accommodation. It is 120 kilometres away from Barcelona and you cannot travel back and forth the stay there is more expensive than other four events but there a couple of reasons why we have decided to choose the tournament In 2018 there was a Legends tournament held at Platja D'Aro Ljubojevic and Vaisser battled each other like the good old days when they were the best players in the world We have confirmed with the organizers that this year as well the 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov will be back in Platja D'Aro It will be a unique opportunity to interact with him and the other greats The Tour Manager for the Catalan Circuit 2019 will be the ChessBase India Power head Ankit Dalal. Ankit is a National Instructor (NI) and National Arbiter (NA) and has an Elo of 1680 Ankit was also the group tour manager in 2018 Judging from the performance of the players it is clear that his presence helped the players to unleash their full potential He would be doing everything that a guardian does parents who usually have to travel with their kids will be saved from spending nearly two months in Spain while the kids will be taken perfect care of Only the first 20 applicants will be a part of the ChessBase India Power Tour the rest can do all the bookings with us but you won't receive personal attention from Ankit during the tour Why do we choose the Catalan circuit and not some other place in the world The biggest advantage of playing in the Catalan circuit was that you get to play five tournaments in a row The most boring part for chess players is to pack their bags after every tournament and move to the next location Playing in Catalan Circuit helps you avoid that because all the events are in the same city So you can have a central place to stay and travel to each of these tournaments without having to change your accommodation This year the Montcada Open has been cancelled and hence we have replaced it by Platja D'Aro The Platja D'Aro (the first event in the trip) is the only tournament where there will be separate accommodation you can stay in the same apartment in Barcelona There is only one round taking place each day This helps you to plan your day in a perfect manner what is the ideal time to prepare for the games and so on A good schedule often helps you to conserve energy and keep your focus for the entire trip The city of Barcelona is one which people visit as a part of their vacations We as chess players are lucky that we get to stay in the city for more than a month to do something more meaningful (playing chess) than just sight seeing I know of many people who have made good friendships with people from different countries at the Catalan circuit In fact some of them have gone beyond mere friendship and have found the love of their life As people from many countries visit the Catalan circuit you get to make new friends and know the culture of people from different countries The best way to know about the costs is to give a call to the ChessBase India Power Hotline number (details at the end of the article) and speak to our representative This is because the number of tournaments that one might want to play differs from person to person to give you a rough idea of what you would be facing: * Transportation to Platja D'aro and back The package cost for titled players will reduce because they do not have to pay entry fees In 2018 we hadn't made any food arrangements Players had to have their food in the restaurants or cook themselves at home cooked on many of the days although it was not in the part of his list of duties Being there in Barcelona with the players for nearly 50 days Ankit realized that it was important to provide good food to the players The food that you intake affects your mood and your results on the chess board This is the reason why we are going to make special arrangement for food this year with lunch and dinner provided to the participants so that the players will have more time to focus on their preparation The total cost of the group tour along with food is Rs 2,10,000 (which includes only lunch and dinner) It is always possible that you just want to play in all the tournaments and not be part of the group tour you will not receive personal attention during the tour from Ankit and we will not charge you with the group tour management charges please reach us on the hotline numbers given below or mail us at chessbaseindiapower@gmail.com  Suppose you want to play only three or four events and not all five of them. Customization is always possible and the cost of your package will accordingly reduce You must call us on the helpline number to get an accurate quote after we understand the cusomization you require If you confirm and pay the full amount by 20th of March we will be giving you a special discount of Rs 7,500 and if you confirm your seat by paying 50% advance by 20th of March, you will receive 4,000 discount For all the people who were part of the ChessBase India group tour in Barcelona 2018 or Sharjah - Dubai 2019 get Rs.5,000 off as loyalty discount 5+ tournaments in Spain. Make ChessBase India Power your personal tour guide Overwhelming response for the Catalan group tour 2018 A strong beginning in Montcada My experience of spending 50 days in Spain by Kavisha Shah How a bunch of Indians went to Spain and gained 4359 Elo points Videos from Catalan circuit 2018 on ChessBase India YouTube Channel स्पैनिश डायरी 01- श्याम सुंदर फिर बने मोंटकाड़ा किंग स्पैनिश डायरी 02 - बारबेरा - भारत का दबदबा कायम Shyam Sundar wins XXV Montcada Open, Iniyan scores a GM norm! GM Himanshu Sharma bags top prize at the Barbera Del Valles Open Sant Marti Open 2017: An event of glorious achievements and missed opportunities A surprise from India at the scenic Sitges in Barcelona Badalona - The Final Destination in Catalan circuit! Over 580 photos from the 2017 Catalan circuit by Niklesh Jain  स्पैनिश डायरी -01- यहाँ शतरंज सिर्फ खेल नहीं !! स्पैनिश डायरी -02 - फिर छा गया भारत ! श्याम रहे श्रेष्ठ ! स्पैनिश डायरी -03- हिमांशु के कमाल से भारत गुलजार ! स्पैनिश डायरी -04 - शतरंज और हौसलों का सफर ! जारी है ! स्पैनिश डायरी 05- खूबसूरत सिट्जस ! भारत यहाँ भी है मौजूद ! स्पैनिश डायरी 06 - ये दोस्ती हम नहीं तोड़ेंगे !! Ni Hua wins XXII Montcada Open Peralta wins XXXVII Barbera del Valles Open Grigoriyan wins Sant Marti Open Grigoryan wins Badalona Open The 47th Grandmaster of India, Himanshu Sharma, received the Chess Olympiad Torch at Brahm Sarovar, Kurukshetra. The man who has won various rating tournaments all over the country, brought the Torch to Panipat Museum at Panipat. Himanshu has a fantastic understanding of chess. He won a Fischer Random tournament in 2017 before winning the 50th Barbera del Valles GM Open Haryana's first GM won that event before becoming a GM and finished ahead of many India's 64th GM Prithu Gupta received the Torch at Shiv Nadar School The 18-year-old became a GM in six years after he got his FIDE rating IAS received the Chess Olympiad Torch at Brahm Sarovar and handed it over to 47th GM of India Additional Deputy Commissioner Gurugram received the Chess Olympiad Torch at Shiv Nadar School Gurugram and handed it over to India's 64th GM Prithu Gupta For more photos, please click here Have you always wanted to play in a tournament outside India but didn't feel confident about the logistics the ChessBase India Power group tour to the Catalan Circuit, is your perfect chance to plan tournaments outside India and also save money How? A group tour manager will be looking after all your needs as you focus and give your 100% on the board This year the circuit begins from the 24th of June 2019 In this article you will find the names of the participants who have already enrolled for the group tour. Sreeshwan Maralakshikari rated 2461 is one of them You also have many other talented youngsters like Arhan Anand The ChessBase India Power group tour is a concept where youngsters can travel with a ChessBase India tour manager for a series of tournaments outside India What this basically ensures is that the parents do not have to travel with their children and it saves a lot of time and finances in the process Also the children become independent and learn at lot about managing their day to day activities Here's a glimpse of the accommodation arrangements that were made for the players: Both the coaches Niklesh and Angela were very cooperative and friendly and provided every necessary things that she needed And as a parent I felt very comfortable and relaxed sending my child with the ChessBase India group And if ChessBase will organise such a trip in future The ChessBase India Power group Tour manager will be Ankit Dalal There is also a tournament before the Barbera Open - Platja D'Aro open it is quite soon and it is away from the city of Barcelona it would make sense to play four tournaments beginning from Barbera The cost of the package is Rs.1,80,000 for four tournaments inclusive of food You can get further details by contacting ChessBase India Power on the phone number given at the end of the article Here are the players who are joining the ChessBase India Power Group Tour:  Haresh Gajanand More              -                 - Radhika Maralashikari (mother of Sreeshwan) There are few other players who are not part of the group tour but the arrangements for them have been made by ChessBase India Power Priya Shah            5+ tournaments in Spain. Make ChessBase India Power your personal tour guide Overwhelming response for the Catalan group tour 2018 A strong beginning in Montcada Barbera Del Valles 2018: Iniyan finishes clear second, CBIP groups gains 1355 Elo points! Sant Marti Open 2018: Mitrabha Guha earns his maiden GM norm! Vila de Sitges 2018: Anuj Shrivatri finishes joint third! My experience of spending 50 days in Spain by Kavisha Shah How a bunch of Indians went to Spain and gained 4359 Elo points Videos from Catalan circuit 2018 on ChessBase India YouTube Channel स्पैनिश डायरी 01- श्याम सुंदर फिर बने मोंटकाड़ा किंग स्पैनिश डायरी 02 - बारबेरा - भारत का दबदबा कायम स्पैनिश डायरी 03 :बारबेरा ::इन्यान रहे उपविजेता ! स्पैनिश डायरी 04 संत मार्टी - मित्रभा को जीएम नार्म स्पैनिश डायरी 05 - अनुज श्रीवात्रि के नाम रहा सिटजस Shyam Sundar wins XXV Montcada Open, Iniyan scores a GM norm! GM Himanshu Sharma bags top prize at the Barbera Del Valles Open Sant Marti Open 2017: An event of glorious achievements and missed opportunities A surprise from India at the scenic Sitges in Barcelona Badalona - The Final Destination in Catalan circuit! Over 580 photos from the 2017 Catalan circuit by Niklesh Jain  स्पैनिश डायरी -01- यहाँ शतरंज सिर्फ खेल नहीं !! स्पैनिश डायरी -02 - फिर छा गया भारत ! श्याम रहे श्रेष्ठ ! स्पैनिश डायरी -03- हिमांशु के कमाल से भारत गुलजार ! स्पैनिश डायरी -04 - शतरंज और हौसलों का सफर ! जारी है ! स्पैनिश डायरी 05- खूबसूरत सिट्जस ! भारत यहाँ भी है मौजूद ! स्पैनिश डायरी 06 - ये दोस्ती हम नहीं तोड़ेंगे !! Ni Hua wins XXII Montcada Open Peralta wins XXXVII Barbera del Valles Open Grigoriyan wins Sant Marti Open Grigoryan wins Badalona Open Hotline and Whatsapp: 09106908500/ 07878860008 (10 a.m to 8 p.m.) Kaustuv Kundu scored three IM-norms and crossed 2400 in a little over a month's time to become India's latest International Master The youth from Kolkata earned his maiden IM-norm at 1st Maharashtra GM 2022. He has won tournaments all over the country in all three formats. In recent times his tournament triumphs is only second to GM Laxman R R covered on our website. The 23-year-old man from Kolkata started his journey to Spain with 2266 rating and one IM-norm he scored two IM-norms at 45th Barbera del Valles Open 2023 and 47th Sitges Open he crossed 2400 in the live ratings at 23rd Sant Marti 2023 He earned his fourth IM-norm for a good measure at 47th Badalona Open 2023 Kaustuv Kundu has had the strength of an International Master naturally the scope of scoring any norm was much less for him This year he has already won three tournaments Anyone who knows Kaustuv's strength on the 64 boards is quite well aware of the fact that he would become an IM That time has finally come and he has become an IM Now his journey towards the GM title continues Kaustuv scored his first IM-norm at 1st Maharashtra GM Open in 2022 including a win over GM Enamul Hossain (BAN) GM Vishnu Prasanna and IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh Kaustuv secured his second IM-norm at 45th Barbera del Valles Open 2023 drew against IM Gerard Ayats Llobera (ESP) IM Emmanuel Jimenez Garcia (CRC) and IM Ilamparthi A R with a performance of 2465.  allowed Black to gain some material Bxc2!-+ 23.Qxc7 Bxc7 24.Bd2 Bxd1 25.Rxd1 Rd8 and White loses some more Kaustuv Kundu suffered a loss in the third round making a 1.5/3 start at 47th Sitges Open 2023 Then he scored 5/6 to secure his final IM-norm drew against GM Dylan Isidro Berdayes Asn (CUB) and GM David Arenas (COL) with a performance of 2447 and gained 48.8 Elo rating points actually helped White 45.gxh4 Rxh4 46.Rcc1 Rh7 47.Rg1 Rhg7 48.Rxg6 Rxg6 49.Ne8 Bf7 50.Nc7 Rc6 51.Na8 generally no one wants to corner their own knight it was a necessity to put it on b6 and provide support to the passed c-pawn 51...Be6 52.Nb6 Kf7 53.Rg1 and White won the game soon Kaustuv Kundu scored 7/9 at 47th Badalona City Open 2023 he secured a second place finish and score his fourth IM-norm in the process too a fourth IM-norm was not required but it's good to have one extra just in case one of the norms get cancelled for some technicalities. Kaustuv defeated GM Miguel Manoz (PER) drew against GM Dylan Isidro Berdayes Ason (CUB) GM Omar Almeida Quintana (CUB) and IM Gerard Ayats Llobera (ESP) On 15th of January we got the next two GMs - Visakh NR (59th) and D After roughly one and a half month we now have our 61st GM P Tamil Nadu. Born on 13th September 2002 Iniyan is just 16 years and 6 months old He scored his first GM norm at the Montcada Open 2017 second one at the Bobligen Open 2018 and the final one at Barbera Del Valles 2018. After achieving his final GM norm it took him some time to reach the 2500 Elo mark which he managed to achieve on 5th of March 2019 at the Noisiel Open in France by beating GM Sergey Fedorchuk in round 6 A detailed report with game analysis by India's 61st GM and interview with the man of the moment Iniyan had already achieved his three GM norms (in fact he went on two score two more GM norms later) and crossed 2500 Elo at Noisiel Open He beat GM Sergey Fedorchuk in round six to cross 2500 Elo on the live rating list The youngster scored his first GM norm at the Montcada Open The second norm came at the 34th Bobligen Open in Germany and the final norm was made Barbera Del Valles Spain in 2018. On the evening of the day he became a GM Sagar Shah caught up with Iniyan for an interview: Sagar Shah (SS): Did you know before your game against Fedorchuk that if you won today My opponent is a strong player and winning against him would not be easy at all SS: Who are the people you would like to thank for becoming a GM earlier coaches Thirumurugan sir and Senthilvel sir I would also like to thank  All India Chess Federation (AICF) all the teachers and my friends in The Indian Public School SS: What has been the role of your coach Visweswaran in your journey PI: Visweswaran sir has been coaching me for the past 6 years He is one of the biggest reason that I have made it this far SS: Sponsorship is always an issue for chess players What would you like to say about their support PI: Olirum Erodu Foundation has been sponsoring me since December 2015 It is a foundation which concentrates on heath management water management and many good things for our Erode District. At the same time they would like to create world class sports players from Erode Because of their support I have managed to play nearly 45 International GM norm tournaments in abroad SS: How have your parents supported you in this journey PI: My father is an administrative officer in Highways department and my mother is a house wife My sister Iniyakeerthi is studying in 6th grade My family has supported and encouraged me a lot Especially in the past one year when I was several times close to the title but couldn't reach it for some or the other reason Without their support and sacrifice I would have not been able to reach this place When my mother travels with me for tournaments Hiding her tears she always wishes me "All the Best" SS: Now that you are a GM what is your next aim SS: Which has been your favorite game that you have played till date PI: There are a lot of games I really like but if I have to choose one it would be my win against French GM Edouard Romain at the Andorra Open 2017 I played very well from moves 20-34 but only his mistake on move no.35 helped me win the game SS: What is your advice to budding youngsters who would like to make it big in the world of chess You have to improve the standard of your game I felt that I am playing better when in the last few tournaments I gave pressure to my opponents even if they are much higher rated than me what has been the role of ChessBase in your chess career till date PI: ChessBase is the software I use to practice as I think many do. The new features that come with every version is cool and fun. When I became an IM, ChessBase India wrote an article about me. That boosted my confidence I think ChessBase India is a great media for chess players 1. From Visa issues to World Youth Bronze Iniyan faced his first huge test at the World Youth in 2010 Due to miscommunication with the travel agent he almost missed the interview with the Greece Embassy in Delhi While the visa of many players were rejected Iniyan got his visa eight hours before the departure thanks to the efforts taken by All India Chess Federation (AICF) Iniyan played well and tied for the bronze in the U-8 section When the Anand-Carlsen match was held in Chennai in 2013 two players from Tamil Nadu made it big One was 13-year-old Aravindh Chithambaram who won the Grandmaster Open ahead of many GMs and the other was Iniyan who won the below 2100 category event with a score of 9.0/9 Starting the tournament as the 41st seed and winning the event was a big success Although Sitges 2016 didn't really end well for Iniyan, the real shock was yet to come. While they were about to leave for the Lorca Open, Iniyan's laptop was stolen! ChessBase India had reported on this incident: "I work with the laptop for 10 hours a day we can't search for partners to play and thus it becomes our playing partner as well It had all the data about the players I have countered Visweswaran's inputs and my entire history from the age of seven Losing it was a big blow." It was a big blow Iniyan went on to score his second IM norm with a 2590 performance Vishy wished him personally as well as on Twitter: Iniyan!In 1987 we were all wondering if we would have a GM and we closely watched each other in trying to get there first Now it seems every other month we have a GM ! the popular cricket commentator also chimed in Meet Erode's first IM - 14-year-old P. Iniyan Barbera Del Valles 2018 - Iniyan finishes clear second To find out how the champions are dealing with the global pandemic Covid-19 we decided to start a new series titled Champions Combat Corona where the current National Champions talk about how they are coping with the unprecedented adversity the current National Under-17 Open also West Bengal State Blitz and Under-17 Open Champion IM Neelash Saha talks about how he is spending his lockdown days. The worry of the remaining two class 12 board exams is still at the back of his mind doing exercise everyday to make sure his body doesn't slow down and stay fit We also take a look at one of his online Blitz game win against IM Tania Sachdev I was appearing for my Higher Secondary Class 12 board examination I had a lot of plans to play various tournaments all over the world Before getting locked down in my own house the examinations could also not get finished I am locked inside my home for more than a month I have accepted the present scenario as things are beyond our control I used to hear that it is difficult to play chess without studying chess books When I started playing chess, Susan Polgar's book was the first one I took my babysteps along with my coach Bijoy Sir (Bijoy Moitra) I noticed that my father also has a lot of books My father who is a journalist has written a lot on chess Few days ago he published a write up on Sultan Khan on his fb profile Autobiographies and biographies of famous chess players and many more Magnus Carlsen's childhood stories in Wonderboy by Simen Agdestein etc I had already completed both Profile of a Prodigy and Wonderboy before. I just glanced through the other books I have the entire series of My Great Predecessors by Garry Kasparov the recently released Mind Master of Vishy Anand The read and unread books are my companion in these unforeseen days There is also the part of playing online tournaments I am playing plenty of tournaments regularly Going outside and walking is completely stopped I am doing exercise everyday so that my body doesn't slow down and become lazy The remaining two board exams are still at the back of my mind It is not something that is happening everyday I have to prepare for the remaining two exams Saptarshi Roy became the 51st GM of India in January 2018 If you ask any of his contemporaries or anyone who has played him or seen him play in a tournament you will get a unanimous reply - Saptarshi Roy loves to attack The GM from West Bengal has now settled down in Mumbai and is training some talented youngsters in the city. On 27th of January he will be giving a four hour free workshop on the Art of Attack to all the players who have registered and paid their entry fee for the Universal Chess Below 1800 one day rapid In this article you get to know more about Saptarshi's wild attacking style of play as he crushes the author in just 25 moves We also tell you about how you can enroll for this workshop and become a stronger attacking player.  One of the tournaments that evokes pleasant memories in my mind is the Barbera Del Valles Open that I played in 2014 in Spain I was able to get my final IM norm and at the same time boost my rating by nearly 52 Elo points with a 2528 performance I had began the tournament with a win over 1979 player and then in the next three rounds against an average opposition of  2431 Of course I was very confident when I went for my fifth round game I was up against the Indian IM (who is now a GM!) Saptarshi Roy I knew Saptarshi Roy well and I was aware that he is a fierce attacker I had newly learnt the Taimanov Sicilian with the black pieces and had tried it in my previous events But against Saptarshi I decided to stick to an opening which is supposed to be very solid - the Accelerated Dragon In the Accelerated Dragon White cannot castle on the queenside and we get a positional battle I will have a good chance against the Bengal IM in this opening And I remember that Saptarshi had not even used 30 minutes on his clock he was even more impressive as he crushed my one defensive effort after another I was given a perfect example of how good he was at attacking chess In many of the variations he didn't even calculate the lines. His intuition was enough to find the correct way to play.  When I got to know that GM Saptarshi Roy is holding a four hour camp on 27th of January in Mumbai I got quite excited. I immediately called him to ask what the theme of the lecture is going to be "I am going to show some of my best attacking games calculation required for the attacking positions consent of attacking chess and themes related to a successful attack!" Saptarshi Roy teaching for four hours on the art of attack Now this is something that I wouldn't like to miss for anything. It's like getting tips from a player who has beaten the best players in the world with his attacking play Saptarshi has beaten the former World Championship Challenger Nigel Short as well Complete list If you do plan for the above two events then you can manage your accommodation via ChessBase India Power there will be a ChessBase workshop done along with Saptarshi Roy's camp by the ChessBase India Juniors editor-in-chief Avathanshu Bhat Avathanshu will not only show you some of the new exciting features of ChessBase 15 but also tell you on how to use ChessBase Account to make your daily chess practice exciting There will also be a chess quiz contest organized by ChessBase India on the 27th of January with prizes worth Rs.5,000 to be won in the form of ChessBase products 27th January - 4 hours of training with Saptarshi Roy ChessBase workshop and chess quiz with Avathanshu Bhat The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of Rajasthan Ashok Chandna received the Torch from India's 42nd GM Shardul Gagare and handed it over to India's 61st GM Iniyan P at Jaipur