From the CEO
From a bunch of 8 people, ChessBase India has grown into a group of close to 30 people. It's funny that both our meet ups actually happened in Goa! Back in 2019 it was after the Goa GM International tournament and now in 2025 after the FIDE World Cup. Seeing the smiling faces on both these images is quite a happy feeling for me! Also the fact that each and every person who was part of that picture back in 2019 is still part of the team in 2025!
ChessBase India is a good representation of how the chess ecosystem in the country has grown. We began back in 2015. I just checked today that 12th of September 2015 is the first article that was written on ChessBase India newspage. That's well over 10 years! :) In these 10 years a lot of things have grown and a lot of possibilities have emerged for the company. Right from running the YouTube channel, to the live commentary, to building an ecommerce business, to covering tournaments, to tech projects, to organizing events, there are many things that bring in the growth for the company. Our Foundation - HelpChess has grown massively and support has flown in from all ends. The year 2024-25 itself we raised Rs.1.6 crores for the young Indian chess players! This is absolutely mind-blowing for me.
While we continue to grow, I have realized one thing - for anything to grow in this world - a lot of factors have to come together. And we have to understand this very deeply. Take for example a tree - it needs first a seed to be sown, for sunlight to fall, for nutrients to be there in the soil, for water to exist in order for it to come to life and grow. ChessBase India today generates revenue and the money get distributed amongst the 30-35 people who are part of the team. And we do need a physical existence of a company to ensure that money is transacted safely. However, the truth of the matter is that thousands of people have contributed are thousands are contributing towards the success of ChessBase India.
For eg. Gukesh became the World Champion and now many more people want to watch his videos! This means that Gukesh is helping ChessBase India grow. The same can be said about Vishy Anand. He was at the top of Indian chess for 30+ years and he paved the way for many talents by means of being an inspiration. A lot of my passion for chess comes from the fact that someone like Anand was dominating the sport when I was growing up. So definitely Anand has contributed to the success of ChessBase India.
If I try to sit down calmly and think in this manner, I realize that it is not thousands but millions of people who are contributing towards the growth of ChessBase India. In the truest of senses then, it becomes absolutely impossible to take the credit for anything that is happening. This is not humility, this is the fact. When someone comes and tells me I commentate well, I think of the times I sat in front of the TV and watched Tony Greig commentate on Sachin Tendulkar's amazing centuries in Sharjah. I think of the times when I sat inside my room and heard Daniel King talk about pawn structures and how it is important to understand the 4-2 vs 3-3 structure. All of these people have contributed immensely in the journey of me becoming a good commentator. And I am pretty sure there are people who helped Tony Greig and Daniel King become great commentators and trainers as well - this chain is endless! :)
It's when you see the world in this connected fashion, that you understand that not much is achieved by your genius. It could be a slightly depressing feeling for some, but it is also a very liberating one. You no longer have anything left to prove. Every single act of yours starts becoming an act of gratitude. You realize how deeply everything is connected to each other and how someone starting a venture in one corner of the world can impact what you are working upon in another corner. Butterfly effect as they say. And this feeling of connectedness is not at a superficial feeling anymore, it is deeply embedded within you.
And so if you are a chess player, think about all the trainers, people, books, videos and material that has helped you to become a good player. Yes, you were the one who synthesized this knowledge and applied it in the best possible way, but you are never the sole reason for your success. And so, while ChessBase India grows and move towards the journey of the next 10 years or more, I want to thank each and every person who has contributed towards its growth. Could be the entire world actually. Maybe this is the space from where the well-know saying of "Vasudev Kutumbakkam" or "Gens Una Sumus" comes in - "We are one family"! :) I truly believe we are. - Sagar Shah
HEADLINE OF THE WEEK
19-year-old Javokhir Sindarov becomes the youngest ever FIDE World Cup Champion
Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) has created history by becoming the youngest ever to win a FIDE World Cup. He won it at the age of 19 years. The first tie-break Rapid game ended in a draw after Wei Yi (CHN) blundered in the same color bishop endgame. Sindarov missed his opportunity. However, Sindarov won the second tie-break game after Wei could not capitalize on his chance in the complex major piece endgame. Thus, Sindarov brought the biggest individual glory to Uzbekistan, since Rustam Kasimdzhanov became World Champion in 2004. Fun fact: Both World Cup winners - Divya Deshmukh (Women) and Sindarov, won it at the age of 19 years and they are born just a day apart. Hard work definitely brought them success. Maybe destiny too? One thing is for sure as Sindarov mentioned in the post-tournament Press Conference, India and Uzbekistan players are going to fight for the top honors in the near future - Olympiad and World Cup are just the beginning. Photos: Shahid Ahmed
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
WHEN CHESSPA MET GUKI!
On this day (30th November 2025) exactly 8 years ago, Gukesh gave that iconic interview to Sagar - he told him he wants to become the youngest World Chess Champion. And he did achieve that dream! In "ChessPa meets Guki - the Golden boy", Step into the incredible journey of Guki, a curious 7-year-old from a small Indian town, whose life changes forever when he meets ChessPa, a wise and mysterious mentor. Will Guki’s passion and hard work lead him to become the world’s youngest chess champion? Find out in this heart-warming tale of dreams, dedication, and the joy of learning. Perfect for young readers (6+) and chess enthusiasts alike, Guki – The Golden Boy inspires everyone to believe in their own checkmate moments.
Today, we have a special offer on ChessPa meets Guki - The Golden Boy - use the coupon code "GUKIPA10" to avail a 10% discount. This offer is valid until 7th December 2025 - hurry up and get it now!
LATEST NEWS OF THE WEEK
XTX London Chess Classic Open 2025 R4: Pranav Anand holds World no.7 Praggnanandhaa to a draw
The coleaders, GM R Praggnanandhaa and GM Pranav Anand drew their fourth round battle against each other at XTX Markets London Chess Classic Open 2025. The game ended in a calm draw, arising out of Closed Ruy Lopez. Six more players - GM Velimir Ivic (SRB), GM Daniil Yuffa (ESP), GM Vahap Sanal (TUR), GM Sebastian Maze (FRA), GM Tamas Fodor Jr. (HUN) and IM Jonah B Willow (ENG) have also joined them in the lead 3.5/4 each. Today is last double round of the event. Round 5 starts today at 10 a.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Shahid Ahmed
Commonwealth 2025: Daniel Howard Fernandez clinches Gold, Arjun Adireddy Silver and Lalit Rohit Bronze
GM Daniel Howard Fernandez (ENG) drew against FM Arjun Adireddy to clinch Gold at Commonwealth Chess Championships 2025 Open. He scored 7.5/9 and finished a half point ahead of the rest. Arjun secured a Silver medal scoring 7/9. A'qil A'lauddin Bin Abd Aziz (MAS) lost to GM Lalit Rohit and the latter got Bronze with the same score 7/9. WGM Srija Seshadri, WGM Mary Ann Gomes and IM Nisha Mohota won Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Women's category scoring 5.5/9 each. India won a total of 35 medals (13 Gold, 10 Silver and 12 Bronze) combining both Classical and Blitz events. GM Mitrabha Guha won Gold in Blitz with an unbeaten 8/9. GM Deep Sengupta earned a Silver 7.5/9. GM P Shyaam Nikhil edged past four other players to win Bronze on tie-breaks scoring 7/9. Photo: FIDE
Isha Sharma becomes Karnataka's first and India's 27th Woman Grandmaster
Isha Sharma became India's 27th Woman Grandmaster at IM RR SahArt in Subotica, Serbia on 14th November 2025. She scored her final norm at that event last week. The first WIM of Karnataka, also became the state's first WGM. She earned her first IM and WGM-norm at Slovakia Open Piestany in July 2022. A little over a year later, she scored her second WGM-norm at 4th S M le Roi Mohammed VI Crown 2023 in Casablanca, Morocco. Two years and almost three months later, she earned her final WGM-norm. Her better half is IM Sharan Rao with whom she got married a few months ago. Thus, Karnataka's strongest chess couple got stronger. Her journey towards the next title - IM, continues. Photo: Shahid Ahmed
9 young talents receive laptops through the ChessBase India YouTube Members Program 2024-25
For chess players, a good laptop is as important as a good coach. It helps them study, analyse and train without any hurdles slowing them down. To support talents who cannot afford a powerful device, we decided that our ChessBase India YouTube Membership money will go towards this. This initiative aims to ensure that talent is never held back by lack of resources. Every contribution from our members directly strengthens the future of Indian chess. This year’s contributions reached Rs 8,53,622.7. We used the amount to give the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED to nine chess players. This article shares how the program works, why these players were selected and how the laptops are making a difference in their training.
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