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So, Ding, Nakamura, Giri and Hari take Kolkata by storm

by Shahid Ahmed - 21/11/2019

First Official Fischer Random World Champion Wesley So visited DDDBCA for a Q&A session and distribute a few prizes for Intra Academy tournament. Ding Liren and Hikaru Nakamura visited the Gariahat Chess Club to play a little bit of street chess. It is the only open air club in the world which is on 24x7, 365 days a year and it is open-for-all. 16-year-old IM Aronyak Ghosh held World #3 Ding Liren to a draw in a friendly blitz game. In a battle of Arjuna Awardees, Tania Sachdev beat Dibyendu Barua, in a warm-up friendly game for the audience. Anish Giri and Harikrishna Pentala appeared at one of the oldest chess clubs of the city Alekhine Chess Club for an interactive and photo op session | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Fischer Random World Champion Wesley So visits DDDBCA

The last two days was a star studded day for the chess lovers of Kolkata | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

This was Wesley's second visit to the City of Joy, Kolkata. He had a great time last year, so it was an obvious decision for them to come back again. This time So and his mother Lotis Key decided to reach the city a few days early. One of the stops was at Dhanuka Dhunseri Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy - an academy which has been visited by Vishy Anand, Surya Sekhar Ganguly, Jacob Aagaard, Rodrigo Schroeder and many more stalwarts.

Wesley So loved the Kaju Barfi | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

IM Koustav Chatterjee won the Fischer Random Intra DBCA championship, receives his prize from Fischer Random World Champion Wesley So | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Wesley So poses with the DDDBCA students | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Wesley So with Team DDDBCA | Photo: Shahid Ahmed
A brief interview with the First Official Fischer Random World Champion Wesley So | Video: Shahid Ahmed
Q&A session with Wesley So | Video: Shahid Ahmed
Wesley So shows the initial moves of the game where he took Vishy Anand out of theory in just five moves | Video: Shahid Ahmed

Ding Liren and Hikaru Nakamura visit Gariahat Chess Club

Gariahat Chess Club is the only chess club in the world which is open 24x7, 365 days a year. It is free for all. World famous New in Chess magazine reported about this club. Last year Wesley So visited the club and he was surprised by GM Diptayan Ghosh, when So did not know that he was playing against a GM.

Diptayan surprises So in Street Chess last year | Video: Shahid Ahmed

Gariahat Chess Club is ready to welcome the masters | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

As soon as I arrived, I noticed Aronyak was sitting with his mother patiently about 40 minutes before the scheduled start | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

The club is decorated for the special occasion | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Tania Sachdev was the first to visit the Gariahat Chess Club | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Till Ding and Nakamura arrived, Barua and Tania decided to warm-up the audience with a friendly blitz game | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

As Nakamura and Ding finish their friendly blitz match, the country's second GM in history Dibyendu Barua tells the city's latest IM Aronyak Ghosh to get ready for his match | Photo: Shahid Ahmed
Battle of the Arjuna Awardees: Tania Sachdev beats Dibyendu Barua in a friendly blitz Street Chess | Video: Shahid Ahmed
Nakamura and Ding give a preview of what's to come in a friendly blitz Street Chess | Video: Shahid Ahmed
16-year-old IM Aronyak Ghosh holds World #3 Ding Liren to a draw | Video: Shahid Ahmed
Speed King Hikaru Nakamura beats IM Mitrabha Guha in 60 seconds | Video: Shahid Ahmed

Anish Giri and Harikrishna Pentala visit Alekhine Chess Club

Alekhine Chess Club is one of the oldest clubs in the city. It was the only place which used to host international events in the entire country. Legends like Vishy Anand, Viktor Korchnoi, Jon Speelman, Daniel King and many other world's best have played various GM tournaments in this iconic place. This is the only club which has produced GMs like - Surya Sekhar Ganguly, Sandipan Chanda, Neelotpal Das, Saptarshi Roy, Diptayan Ghosh and many more IMs and WGM.

The man who organized multitude of international events Soumen Mazumder with Anish Giri, Harikrishna Pentala and Mr. V Dementiev, Vice-consul and Director, Gorky Sadan, Russian Centre of Science & Culture | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Both Giri and Hari enjoyed answering all the questions they were asked | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Caption this | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Alekhine Chess Club president Biswarup Dey presents a memento to Anish Giri | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Alekhine Chess Club president Biswarup Dey presents a memento to Harikrishna Pentala | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Hari and Giri with the portrait of Alexander Alekhine at Alekhine Chess Club | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Giri and Harikrishna take photos with budding talents of Alekhine Chess Club | Photo: Shahid Ahmed
Q&A session with Anish Giri and Harikrishna Pentala | Video: Shahid Ahmed
Harikrishna talks about 236 move long draw, winning Silver at European Club Cup and much more | Video: Shahid Ahmed

If you want to watch Wesley So, Ding Liren, Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Harikrishna Pentala, Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand and other stars in action live, get your tickets from here. Hurry up, get them before they are sold out.

 

Links

Official website

Grand Chess Tour

Gameplan

Tickets for the event


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