INTERVIEW GUIDANCE

PROGRAM CSE 2024

CHESS
AT A GLANCE

DELHI CENTRE:
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2 Interview Guidance Program : CSE 2024

ABOUT THE HOBBY • Blitz: Fast chess. Many blitz games are 5 minutes per
player for the entire game.
Quotes • Book: Besides the kind with a spine, a “book” move
• “In Chess you need to find the best move and then find a is one that a player has learned to play in a particular
better one.” position in the opening (from a “book” or other media)
• Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. without the need to “calculate”.
 —Siegbert Tarrasch • Blunder: A bad move; primarily a move that turns a win
• “The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability into a loss or draw, or a draw into a loss.
to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life.”—Paul Morphy • Capture: (or Take) not Kill – to remove a piece from the
• “Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.” —Blaise Pascal board via a legal move. Castle: To move your unmoved
• Even the worst bishop is better than the best knight. King 2 squares toward an unmoved Rook and to move
the Rook on the other side of the King is the castling
Meaning move.
• Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on • Check: An attack on the King. You do not have to
a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in announce “check”.
an 8×8 grid. • Checkmate: An attack on the King where there is no
• One player have white pieces and other one having way for your opponent to finish his turn and no longer
black pieces, 16 each i.e. two rooks, two bishop, have the King attacked. To be checkmated.
two knight, one King and one queen along with eight • Discovery: An attack by a piece that was opened up
pawns. via another piece’s move
• Objective of game is to checkmate the opponent where • Double Attack: An attack on two (or more) pieces by
they can’t move their King under check, although a single move.
sometimes it ends in a Draw as well.
• Doubled Pawns: Two pawns of the same color on the
• Sheesham is a very common wood used in the making same file as a result of a capture.
of chess sets. It’s a medium brown colour and is
• Doubled Rooks: Two Rooks forming a battery on a
reasonably dense. When polished or waxed it can
rank or file.
develop very attractive figuring and is not a hugely
• Elo Rating: Elo rating system measures the relative
expensive wood.
strength of a player in some games, such as chess,
History and Evolution compared to other players. Its creator, Arpad Elo, was
• Chess has root from an ancient Indian game a physics professor in the United States and a chess
Chaturanga.Arabians didn’t have cha word so ‘chatu’ master who worked to improve the way the U.S. Chess
became sat and ‘ranj’ remained the same. Federation measured their players’ skill levels.
• It was devised by a brahmin named Sisa from Magadha Š The Elo rating system was officially adopted by
who was asked by his king to devise a game to replace FIDE in 1970. Many chess organizations and
gambling but must be addictive for men. websites also use this system to rate players.
• Earliest known Chinese version of Chess is Xiangqi. Š World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen holds the
record for the highest Elo rating ever achieved by a
Chess Terminology and Rules human player. He reached an impressive classical
• Action Chess: A game where each player only has 30 rating of 2882 in 2014.
minutes to make all his moves.. • En Passant: Capturing a pawn that moved 2 spaces
• Attack: When you move a piece to a square where you with a pawn that could have captured it if it had only
could capture an opponent’s piece NEXT move. moved 1 space, on the next turn only.
• Back Rank: The rank where a player sets up his major • En Prise: Literally “in take” - able to be captured for
pieces (1st for White; 8th for Black) free. A piece is en prise if it can be captured but is
• Back-Rank Mate: A checkmate on the 1st or 8th rank not guarded.
with a Rook or Queen • Endgame: The part of the game where the King should
• Battery: Lining up two pieces that move similarly, like come out and fight (with fewer pieces left on the board).
a Queen and Rook or Queen and Bishop. The ending phase of chess.
 CHESS 3
• Exchange: Trading pieces, usually of equal value. Also • Illegal Move: A move that either a) Moves a piece in
trading (“winning”) a Rook for a Knight or Bishop is to an illegal manner, or b) Results in an illegal position.
be “up the Exchange”. • International Master: Someone with the intermediate
• Fianchetto: To develop a Bishop on a long diagonal International Chess Title.
(b2 or g2 for White; b7 or g7 for Black). • Isolated Pawns: Pawns that have no other pawns of the
• FIDE Master: Someone with the lowest International same color on adjacent files are isolated and “alone”,
Chess Title. lacking support by fellow pawns.
• Fifty-Move Rule: A type of draw where both players • Knight: The chess piece that moves like an “L”, or the
make 50 moves consecutively without either player shortest move that is not a straight one..
advancing a pawn or making a capture. • Material: A way to determine piece value; or the winning
• File: The rows of a chess board going up and down, of a pawn (or piece, or Exchange) means winning
lettered a-h (lower case), with “a” always on White’s “material”.
left (and Black’s right). • Notation of Moves
• Five Minute/Blitz: A game where each player has five Š Qg5 - “queen moves to the g-file and the 5th rank”
minutes to make all his moves. Š Ngf3 means “knight from the g-file moves to the
• Flag: The part of an analog clock that rises when the square f3” - Since 2 Knights
minute hand nears the hour and falls at the hour. As a Š If the piece makes a capture, “x” is inserted before
verb, “to flag” means to lose the game on time. the destination square.
• Forfeit: When a player doesn’t show up for a game he • Patzer: A “fish” or weak chess player.
is forfeit and loses.
• Piece: Any of the chessmen; a set of chess pieces.
• Fork: A double attack, usually by a Knight or Pawn Sometimes non-pawns only, “pieces and pawns”.
(thus looking like a “fork” in the road), a common
• Pin: An attack (by a Rook, Bishop or Queen) on a
chess tactic.
piece that cannot or should not move, because a piece
• Gambit: is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices behind the attacked piece is worth even more. If the
material with the aim of achieving a subsequent piece behind is a King, this is an “absolute” pin and
positional advantage the pinned piece is not allowed to move, or it would
• GM title: held by players for life, sits at the top of the put the King into check.
‘Master’ ladder - above Candidate Master (requiring
• Ply: A half-move, or the move of one player. When both
an Elo rating of 2200), Fide Master (Elo rating of 2300)
players move, that is two ply, or one full move.
and International Master (three norms and Elo rating
• Promote: When a pawn reaches the other side of the
of 2400). To be awarded the title of GM, a player must
board, the 8th rank, it can promote to a Queen, Rook,
cross the 2500 Elo rating requirement in addition to
Bishop, or Knight on the promoting square.
three norms.
• Rank: The rows of a chessboard going sideways,
• Hypermodernism:-The Hypermodernists demonstrated
numbered 1st-8th starting from White’s side as 1st.
their new ideas with games and victories. Aron
• Rating: A measure of skill. USCF Ratings range from
Nimzowitsch, considered the founder and leading
roughly 0 (basically impossible to get this low - no one
practitioner of hypermodernism, showed that games
could be won through indirect control of the centre, ever has) to 3000; most scholastic beginners start
breaking with Tarrasch’s view that the centre must around 400. Even if you lose all your games in your
be occupied by pawns. Nimzowitsch advocated first few tournaments you are still usually about 200.
controlling the centre with distant pieces rather than • Repetition: A type of draw where the same position
with pawns, thus inviting the opponent to occupy the is reached three times with the same player to move.
centre with pawns, which can then become targets Does not require the same moves and can occur at
of attack. any point in the game.
• Indian defense -e4 Nf6. Then variants, old indian • Resigns: When you purposely turn down your King or
defense, Kings Indian Defense etc. The earliest known say “I resign” – the game is over and you lose. Note
use of the term “Indian Defence” was in 1884, and that shaking hands does not end a game.
the name was attributed to the openings used by the • Round Robin: A system of pairing players where
Indian player Moheschunder Bannerjee against John everyone in the same (small) section plays everyone
Cochrane else. Unlike the swiss system, this type of tournament
4 Interview Guidance Program : CSE 2024

calls for some level of commitment on the part of the • Zugzwang: The obligation to move, when any move at
players to attempt to complete all their games. all will be bad.
• Semi-Open File: A file with only one pawn, belonging • Zwischenzug: An in-between move. For example,
to the opponent. instead of re-capturing, a check may be given first.
• Skewer: Sometimes called an “x-ray” attack, a sort of
Books and Movies
inside- out pin. A move that attacks a piece of value, but
• Caissa is a fictional (anachronistic) Thracian dryad
there is a piece behind it of equal or lesser value that
portrayed as the goddess of chess. She was first
will be captured anyway if the attacked piece moves.
mentioned during the Renaissance by Italian poet
• Skittles: Chess for fun or chess without a clock; a Hieronymus Vida in 1527. Garry Kasparov uses this
skittles room is where you go and play for fun while reference now and again, especially in his five-
waiting for your next formal pairing. volume work My Great Predecessors. He cites her
• Stalemate: When the player to move isn’t in check, but as a metaphor for good luck – “Caïssa was with
none of his pieces can move. This is a type of draw - me” – especially in unclear situations, for example in
but not all draws are stalemantes. sacrifices.
• Sudden Death: A final time control period where the • Queen’s Gambit-Set during the Cold War era, orphaned
game must be completed within a certain amount of chess prodigy Beth Harmon struggles with addiction
time, say 20 minutes on each player’s clock. in a quest to become the greatest chess player in the
• Super grandmaster (super GM) is an informal term to world. Earlier a book, now a web series as well.
refer to the world’s elite players, usually players who • Bobby Fischer teaches Chess- Book by Bobby Fischer.
are serious contenders for the World Championship. In My great predecessors by Garry Kaspar.
the past this would refer to players with an Elo Rating
of over 2600, but as the average Elo rating of the top STAGES OF GAME
players has increased it has come to refer to players
Openings in Chess
with an Elo rating of over 2700. Super GMs, the number
• Fundamental Strategic aims of Openings or three basic
of which has grown considerably over the years, have
principles in chess
some name recognition in the world of sport and are
Š Development of minor pieces - Moving bishops
typically the highest earners in chess
and knights to useful squares
• Swiss System: A system of pairing tournaments whereby
Š Control of the Center
players are paired against opponents who are doing
Š King’s Safety - castling
about as well as they are. Wherever possible, players
get about an equal number of games with Black and Š Pawn Structure
White, and will not play the same opponent twice.. • White by the virtue of its first move begins the game
with a small advantage
• Tactics: The mechanics of combining piece moves
and creating threats; involving piece safety, checks, • Gambit - More often White, sacrifices material, usually
attacks, etc. Advanced tactics are considered a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting
“combinations” of tactical motifs, such as pins, forks, advantageous position
removal of the guard and so forth. • 10 Golden Moves
• Tempo: The “time” invested in developing the pieces
Middle Game
harmoniously. A pawn is said to be worth 3 tempi, or
• No clear line between opening and the middle game,
3 turns.
but middlegame will start when most pieces are
• Threat: A move which can win material, checkmate, or
developed
make progress next move if the opponent does not stop
it. Attacking an undefended piece is a possible threat. • Combinations are a series of tactical moves executed
to achieve some gain
• Time Delay: The preferred way of using a clock at a
USCF tournament; a digital clock is set to NOT run for • Try to gain some material advantage
a defined number of seconds on each move.
End Game
• Touch Move: The rule that says if you touch a piece
• Pawns become more important
you have to move it. If you let go of a piece you have
to leave it there, and if you purposely displace an • King emerges as a strong piece
opponent’s piece, you have to take it. • Zugzwang is often a factor in the endgames
 CHESS 5

FORMATS/TYPES/VARIANTS OF CHESS • States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and
others which are some of the biggest states in our
• Fischer Random Chess (or Chess960): The placement
country are finding it hard to get their first GMs.
of the pieces on the first rank is randomised, with the
opponent’s pieces mirroring it. Invented by Bobby • Reasons for the same:
Fischer. Š The main reason is surely the lack of chess culture
• Blitz- Blitz is a format, where each player gets a time in these places.
control of three minutes and two additional seconds Š Very few tournaments are held and players don’t
to make a move. get enough exposure to play and improve.
• Rapid-It is a slower format than blitz. Here, a player Š The other reason could also be because of the
has 15 minutes, plus 10 additional seconds to make a language.
move, starting from move 1. Š Hindi is the main spoken language in these states
• Classical- has no time control but has a total time limit and most of the chess literature exists in English.
of 10 hours.
• Armageddon - A variant of blitz chess where a drawn
Significant Events
game is counted as a win for Black. This guarantees • Match of the century in chess — the World Championship
the game ends decisively, so it can be used as a final title bout between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky
tie breaker game. It is used in tournaments such as in Reykjavik in 1972
Chess World Cup as a tie breaker. To compensate for • Gary Kasparov defeated by Deep blue in 1997
giving Black draw odds, White has more time on the • 1886-first world chess championship won by William
clock. Common times are six minutes for White and steinitz.
five minutes for Black or five minutes for White and • In 2002, Judit Polgar became the first woman to beat
four minutes for Black. This can also be played with a then world champion Garry Kasparov.
small increment
• Bullet-A variant of blitz chess, bullet chess games Competitive Events
have less than three minutes per player, based on a • Chess’s international governing body is FIDE
40-move game;some chess servers rate one-minute- (Federation Internationale Des Echecs). FIDE is a
per- player games separately.Lower time controls are member of the International Olympic Committee, but
called ‘hyperbullet’ and ‘ultrabullet’ for 30-second-per- the game of chess has never been part of the Olympic
player and 15-second-per-player games, respectively. Games.
• Anti Chess-also called Losing Chess, Suicide Chess • Chess does have its own Olympiad, held every two
The objective of each player is to lose all of their years as a team event. Major tournaments in chess
pieces or be stalemated,A player wins by losing all are-FIDE Grand Prix is a biennial series of chess
their pieces, or being stalemated If there is a chance tournaments, organized by FIDE and its commercial
to take opponent’s piece we can’t move anything else partner Agon.
• Four-player chess- is a family of chess variants played • The FIDE World Cup refers to three different events over
with four people. The game features a special board the years.
typically made of a standard 8×8 squ are, with 3 rows • The Tata Steel Chess Tournament is an annual chess
of 8 cells each extending from each side, and requires tournament held in January in Wijk aan Zee, the
two sets of differently colored pieces. The rules are Netherlands.
similar to, but not the same as, regular chess. • Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament
organized by FIDE, as the final contest to determine
Chess in India the challenger for the World Chess Championship.
• Tamil Nadu contributes highest number of GM total 24
out of 75. Major reason for that is rise of Vishwanathan FAMOUS CHESS PLAYERS
Anand,Chess clubs and academies etc.
• Garry Kasparov: He started ruling the chess world from
• Maharashtra holds the second position with ten, while the age of 22 as the youngest ever undisputed World
West Bengal closely follows with 9 GMs. Delhi, on the Chess Champion in 1985. He remained No. 1 until his
other hand, has 7 GMs. retirement in 2005.
6 Interview Guidance Program : CSE 2024

• Magnus Carlsen: His chess career is full of great • NATIONAL: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) is
achievements. He was only 13 years old when he central administrative body for the game of chess in
earned his grandmaster title in 2004. India, headquartered in New Delhi
• Jose Raul Capablanca: In 1921, he won the World Chess
Championship. The new World Chess Champion TYPES OF CHESS OPENINGS - WHITE
successfully defended the title for the next 6 years.
• Spanish Opening: Ruy Lopez also called the Spanish
• Alexander Alekhine: he was already one of the greatest
Opening or Spanish Game named after 16th-century
chess players of Russia by the age of 16, and was the
strongest player in the world by 22. Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
• Vishwanathan Anand: India’s first GM was the Nc6 3.Bb5
undisputed World Chess Champion from 2007 to • Italian Game: Considered drawish, not preferred much
2013. Anand has won almost every title a professional The Italian Game is a family of chess openings
chessplayer could wish to win.
beginning with the moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
• Mikhail Tal - Widely regarded as a creative genius and
• King’s Gambit: 1. e4 e5 2. f4. White offers a pawn
one of the best attacking players of all time. He was
often called “Misha”, a diminutive for Mikhail, and he sacrifice on move two, with the aim of eliminating
earned the nickname “The magician from Riga black’s central pawn.
• Manuel Aaron- First IM from India in 1988 • Queen’s Gambit: The idea behind the Queen’s Gambit
• R Pragnanandha -India’s youngest GM is the White is trying to exchange his wing pawn (the
c-pawn) for a centre pawn (Black’s d-pawn). If this is
WOMEN CHESS PLAYERS done, then White proceeds to dominate the centre with
• Vaishali Rameshbabu- Sibling of R Pragnandha, 7th his King pawn. 1.d4 d5 2.c4
rank in world girl’s Junior.
• Catalan Opening - The Catalan is a chess opening
• Hou Yifan- No.1 women Chess player in world from
where White adopts a combination of the Queen’s
China
Gambit and Réti Opening: White plays d4 and c4
• Humpy Koneru- achieved her career-high FIDE Elo
and fianchettoed the white bishop on g2. A common
rating of 2598 in July 2014, which placed her third on
the list of female grandmasters. opening sequence is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2
• Judith Polgár- is the only woman to qualify for a World although the opening can arise from various move
Championship tournament which she achieved in 2005. orders.
She is also the only woman to date to cross the 2700 • London System - 1.d4 and 2.Bf4, or 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and
Elo rating barrier. 3.Bf4. It is a “system” opening that can be used
• Tania Sachdev is an Indian chess player who has been against virtually any black defense and thus comprises
honored with such FIDE titles as Woman Grandmaster a smaller body of opening theory than many other
(WGM)
openings.
• Soumya Swaminathan is a chess player who has been
• English Opening - The English Opening is a chess
honored with FIDE titles, such as Woman Grandmaster
(WGM). She won world girls junior title as well. opening that begins with the move: 1. c4
• Bishop Opening - The Bishop’s Opening is a chess
Do you know? opening that begins with the moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4

• Chess Oscar: Chess Oscar was an international • King’s Indian Attack - or KIA opening system for White,
award given annually to the best chess player. The characterized by several moves. The center pawns are
winner was selected by votes that are cast by chess developed to e4 and d3, the knights are developed
journalists from across the world. to d2 and f3, the king’s bishop fianchettoed at g2
• World Chess day- 20 July following the g-pawn’s movement to g3, and White
castles kingside.
CHESS REGULATION BODIES • Blackmar–Diemer Gambit - 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3
• INTERNATIONAL: The International Chess Federation or where White intends to follow up with f2–f3, usually
World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its on the fourth move. The King’s Fianchetto Opening or
French acronym FIDE. Benko’s Opening - 1.g3
 CHESS 7

TYPES OF CHESS OPENINGS - BLACK • The arbiter intervenes to declare a draw, without a draw
request necessary:
• Sicilian Defence - 1. e4 c5 best-scoring response to
Š When the same board position has occurred five
White’s first move
times
• French Defence - 1. e4 e6 This is most commonly
followed by 2.d4 d5 Š When the moves without capture or pawn move
• Queen’s Indian Defense - 1. d4 Nf6. 2. c4 e6. extend up to seventy-five
• Nimzo - Indian Defence - The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a
chess opening characterised by the moves: 1. d4 Nf6
WHY IS RUSSIA SO GOOD AT CHESS?
2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 Other move orders, such as 1.c4 • Chess is usually introduced at a very young age, it’s
e6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.d4 Bb4, are also feasible. government-subsidized, and it’s often used in schools
• The Grunfeld Defense is a hypermodern defense, to develop academic skills.
meaning that it doesn’t try to control the center early on • Because winters are very long and extremely cold
with his pawns. Instead black tries to attack the center in Russia, people need indoor activities to help pass
with these minor pieces from the sides and then once the time.
the foundation is in place, then looks to undermine the
• During the USSR, chess was more than just a game.
center control that white usually has.
Š For instance, in the 1920’s, poet Vladimir
• 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 Black offers White the
Mayakovsky paid tribute to Lenin by referring to
possibility of 4.cxd5, which may be followed by 4...
his ability to lead a revolution that managed to
Nxd5 and 5.e4
lift those whose ‘yesterday’s existence had been
• King’s Indian Defence - 1. d4 Nf6.
that of a pawn.’
• The Old Indian Defense is a chess opening defined
• Chess is ‘more useful to leaders.’ This type of mentality
by the moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 This opening is
has sustained in the country for generations.
distinguished from the King’s Indian Defense in that
Black develops their king’s bishop on e7 rather than • Participation in Chess is encouraged by the general
by fianchetto on g7. public as well as those in positions of authority.
• Old Benoni Defence - d4c5 • In Russia, public areas are venues for chess
• Benoni Defense - The Benoni Defense is a chess enthusiasts to engage in daily competition.
opening characterized by the moves: 1. d4 Nf6: 2. c4
c5: 3. d5. Black can then sacrifice a pawn with 3...b5 Do you know?
(the Benko Gambit),
• Chess has the capability to influence the nation’s
• Benko Gambit - 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5
modern politics.
Š For instance, one of Vladimir Putin’s harshest
TYPES OF DRAW IN CHESS
critics is Garry Kasparov, who is considered by
The player to move is not in check and has no legal move. many as one of the greatest chess players ever.
This situation is called a Stalemate.
Š In 1985, Kasparov became the youngest ever
• The game reaches a dead position.
world champion at the age of 22. He is viewed
• Both players agree to a draw after one of the players ‘in the West as a symbol of opposition to Putin’.
makes such an offer.
• The player having the move claims a draw by correctly
HOW IS INDIAN CHESS DIFFERENT FROM
declaring that one of the following conditions exists,
or by correctly declaring an intention to make a move
WESTERN CHESS?
which will bring about one of these conditions: • King cannot move unless a check is given at least once.
Š The same board position has occurred three times • When only the king and pawns are left in play, the
with the same player to move and all pieces having opponent may not give check, but they can win by
the same rights to move, including the right to stalemate, variants of this include the check being
castle or capture en passant allowed but the capture of last pawn being disallowed
Š There has been no capture or pawn move in the (resulting in a draw).
last fifty moves by each player, if the last move • The two-step initial pawn move is absent in Indian
was not a checkmate chess; thus, en passant is also absent.
8 Interview Guidance Program : CSE 2024

• Normal castling with rook and king is absent. The king • Torch relay - A torch relay was held prior to the event,
can make a knight’s move once in a game, known as the first for a Chess Olympiad. It started on 19 July at
Indian castling. the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi, where former
• On reaching the opposite end of the board, pawns World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand held
promote to the piece of that square. If it promotes at it. The torch was then taken to 75 cities in 40 days,
the initial king’s position, it promotes a queen. finishing in Chennai.
• India’s woman Grandmaster Priyanka Nutakki was
INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE expelled from the World Junior Chess Championship
being held in Italy currently for having a pair of ear
Advantages/Personal Benefits of Chess buds in her jacket pocket.
• Mental Exercise • 16-year-old Indian GM Praggnanandhaa Won 2022
• Help build friendships Reykjavik Open. Few months back he became
• Unlimited opportunity to learn youngest player to beat Magnus Carlson
• Helps build discipline • Dommaraju Gukesh beats world champion Magnus
• Concentration improvement Carlsen after Pragnananday
• Confidence building • India’s Pranav Anand and AR Ilamparthi emerged
champions in the Open under-16 and under-14
How can Chess help you in Life and in categories respectively in the World Youth Chess
administration? Championship
• Foresight - Which looks a little into futurity, and • Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath participated in a
considers the consequences that may attend an action charity chess match against five-time world chess
champion, Viswanathan Anand.
• Circumspection - Which surveys the whole Chess-
board, or scene of action Š To many people’s surprise, he won the match.
However, the billionaire later admitted to defeating
• Caution - Not to make our moves too hastily. Don’t take
the chess champion using unfair means and
anything lightly,even a pawn can become a queen.
apologized for it.
• Choice - Choose the correct or best possible way when
• Defending champion Magnus Carlsen will not be
you have a number of options in front of you.
defending his World Championship title next year. He
• Thinking - An ability to think on more than one level will be replaced by Ding Liren, who will take on Ian
simultaneously - an invaluable skill in business or Nepomniachtchi in the final.
diplomacy is a transferable skill from chess. • Ian Nepomniachtchi won 2022 Candidates without a
• Objectivity - Focus on checkmate rather than capturing single loss.
piece. • V Pranav became India’s 75th Grandmaster on eve of
• Time management and decision making India’s 75 years of Independence.
• Team work • A Chess.com report says Hans Niemann cheated
much more than he has publicly admitted. Last month,
• Never miss an opportunity
Niemann, 19, had confessed to using illegal means
in only a few “random games” after world champion
CURRENT EVENTS Magnus Carlsen had hinted that he was a cheater
• Abhimanyu Mishra, Indian American prodigy became • Pakistan opted out of Chess Olympiad as Torch relay
the world’s youngest chess grandmaster (GM) ever at of Olympiad passed through J&K.
12 years, 4 months, and 25 days.
• 44th Chess Olympiad (also known as the Chennai Chess Do you know?
Olympiad), organised by the FIDE and consisted of • India Bangladesh land boundary agreement -these
open and women’s tournaments, as well as several small pieces of land were used as stakes for the
events designed to promote the game of chess, was game of cards or chess between the Rulers of
held in Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu, India Rangpur and Coochbehar resulting into the origin
from 28 July to 9 August 2022. of these complexities.
• The 93rd FIDE Congress also took place during the • During World War II, some of the top Chess players
Olympiad, at which Arkady Dvorkovich was re-elected were also code breakers. British masters Harry
as FIDE President and Viswanathan Anand was elected Golombek, Stuart Milner-Barry and H. O’D. Alexander
as FIDE Deputy President. was on the teamwhich broke the Nazi Enigma code.
 CHESS 9

CHESS AND WOMEN CHESS FOR SPECIALLY ABLED

Why low participation of women in chess? The All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB) is
the governing body for the game of Chess among visually
• There are only 37 women GMs in the world, compared
to 1,683 men. impaired in India. It was formed in 1997 with a view to
promoting the game of chess among the visually impaired
• Only 15% of all the licensed players in the world are
all over the country.
women,according to the FIDE.
• India is no different: Its 13,365 women chess players
GROWTH AND REVIVAL IN RECENT YEARS
make up 16% of the total registered, according to the
All India Chess Federation (AICF). There are few things which helped resurgence of Chess
• General patriarchal attitude or wrong mindset of in India
considering females as inferior to men. • First, India’s march into the IT world. Chess may not
• Emphasis on conventional gender roles have deprived be a TV sport but it’s uniquely suited for the internet
women of opportunities. era. All one needs is a net connection to play against
• Fewer participants at the entry level results in fewer a wide group of players across the world.
chances for the top slots. Reasons: Š You can play endless games for free, make
Š Lack of role models, reckless sacrifices, be mated by cryptic user-
Š lack of financial security, handles and be judged by none.

Š male gatekeepers in chess bodies and an • Second, Chess was earlier played mostly in the
overwhelming pay gap in the sport classical format, in which almost every game lasts for
two and half to three hours and often ends in draw. This
What is being done to solve the problem? resulted in lack of interest among the people.
• Currently most of the tournaments are in open category, Š But New innovations in chess like Bullet, blitz,
where women can also contest. rapid and armageddron format infused new life
• Indian Grandmaster Soumya Swaminathan withdrew in the game of chess and made it more exciting.
from the Asian Team Chess Championship to be held • Third, During Covid times People were looking for
in Hamadan, Iran because of the country’s hijab policy. options to pass their boredom and chess and ludo
became their first go to option.
CHESS AS A FEMINIST GAME • The engagement of Comedians with chess masters on
• The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of the internet became a major factor for the widespread
chess. It can move any number of squares vertically, popularity of chess nowadays.
horizontally or diagonally, combining the powers of the
rook and bishop. Chess and Technology
• The predecessor to the queen is the ferz, a weak piece Perhaps no other game has affected so much due to
only able to move or capture one step diagonally, technology as Chess.
originating from the Persian game of shatranj. The • World Computer Chess Championship -
modern queen gained its power and its modern move Š 1997 - IBM’s Deep Blue beat World Champion
in Spain in the 15th century during Isabella I’s reign, Gary Kasparov
perhaps inspired by her great political power. • Computers now have Huge Databases from Past
games and high analytical ability
CHESS AND RACISM • Since 2006, the computer has been consistently able
• It has been questioned as a racist game as white to beat strongest human chess players
makes the first move,but • Chess Engine - A chess engine is a computer program
Š Magnus Carlsen and Dutch rival Anish Giri that analyzes chess positions and returns what it
marked a U.N. international campaign against calculates to be the best move options. If computers
racism by playing a game in which contrary to the were chess players, engines would be their brains.
longstanding rules of the game the player with the Š ELO rating more than 3400
black pieces made the first move. Š Stockfish - elo 3529 - currently the strongest
Š Chess originated in India where there was no chess engine available to the public. Open source
racism based on Color of skin engine.
10 Interview Guidance Program : CSE 2024

Š Leela Chess Zero - elo 3496 - based on Alpha zero a new chapter in its chess legacy, with players like
Š Komodo 11.3.1 - elo 3482 Deshmukh being tipped for future success.
Š Alpha Zero chess by Google earlier Deep mind
R Praggnanandhaa
Leela Chess Zero
• R Praggnanandhaa made headlines with a historic
Š It was the first engine to use reinforcement learning
victory over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the 2024
and self-play to train its neural networks.
Norway Chess tournament.
• AI has changed Chess forever, improving analysis.It is
• The Indian grandmaster’s win, his first classical victory
major reason for rising number of GM across the world.
against Carlsen, pushed the reigning champion to the
• Sophisticated supercomputers serve as “seconds” to fifth spot in the standings.
both ethical and unethical players.
• Social media erupted with praise for Praggnanandhaa’s
• The longest chess game theoretically possible is impressive display of confidence and skill.
5,949 move
• His performance not only delighted fans but also
sparked discussions about India’s rising prominence
Do you know?
in chess, with many eager to see him and other young
• Why do chess players put the king in the middle talents like Gukesh, Nihal, and Arjun compete for the
after the game is over? World Championship in the future
Š Chess players put the kings in the middle
Playing Chess using Neuralink
because in tournaments most of the time
DGT (digital) chess boards are used in which • Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-chip company, recently
keeping the kings in the center of the board demonstrated a groundbreaking moment when Noland
helps the software to detect the final result of Arbaugh, a 29-year-old paralyzed patient, played
the game and display it to everyone. online chess using a Neuralink device.
• Arbaugh, who was paralyzed after a diving accident,
received the implant in January. The technology
INDIAN CHESS IN ASIAN GAMES 2023
enabled him to control a computer mouse solely with his
At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, India’s chess teams thoughts, allowing him to resume activities like playing
won silver medals in both the men’s and women’s events: the game Civilization VI, which he had previously given up.
• Men’s Team: Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala • Despite challenges highlighted by the FDA regarding
Harikrishna, R. Praggnanandhaa, and D. Gukesh Neuralink’s animal testing, the success with Arbaugh
secured second place, defeating the Philippines in offers a glimpse of potential future capabilities in brain-
the final round, finishing behind Iran. computer interfaces.
• Women’s Team: Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, R.
Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal, and Savitha Shri triumphed Shreyas Royal
over South Korea 4-0 in the final round, earning silver, • Shreyas Royal, the UK’s youngest-ever chess
with China in first place. Grandmaster, made headlines not only for his chess
• Individual Performances: Arjun Erigaisi finished 6th, and achievements but also for helping his family avoid
Vidit Gujrathi placed 5th in the men’s individual event. deportation.
• In 2018, Shreyas’ father faced visa expiration, but
Chess Olympiad Rachel Reeves (now Chancellor of the Exchequer)
• India made history at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad successfully argued that the UK would lose a bright
in Budapest, securing team golds in both the men’s talent if they were deported. Shreyas’ family was
(Open) and women’s competitions. granted a new work visa.
• The men’s team, comprising Gukesh Dommaraju, • Shreyas recently drew with World Champion Ding Liren
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and at the London Chess Classic. A passionate advocate
others, dominated with 27 wins, while the women’s for chess in the UK, he stresses the need for financial
team, led by Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, support to foster the sport’s growth and future success.
and Divya Deshmukh, triumphed with 19 points.
• Gukesh, Erigaisi, Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal won R Vaishali (84th Grandmaster )
individual golds. • R Vaishali, a 22-year-old chess prodigy from Tamil
• Viswanathan Anand hailed this achievement, describing Nadu, has earned the prestigious title of Grandmaster,
it as a “magical time” for India. India’s victory marks becoming the 84th individual to achieve this honor.
 CHESS 11
• She is also the 42nd woman to reach this milestone. • Long-Term Planning: Think ahead, plan for future
Vaishali, the sister of GM Praggnanandhaa challenges and goals.
Rameshbabu, has made history as part of the first- • Flexibility: Adapt strategies based on changing
ever sibling duo to both achieve Grandmaster status. circumstances.
• With her FIDE rating crossing 2,500, Vaishali joins a • Risk Management: Weigh risks and rewards in decision-
distinguished group of Indian chess players, including making.
legends like Vishwanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy. • Resource Allocation: Use time, budget, and personnel
Her family, especially her supportive mother, has been effectively.
a key part of her success. • Patience & Discipline: Make deliberate decisions and
avoid rushing.
Learning from chess in administration • Clear Communication: Ensure effective teamwork and
• Chess can offer valuable lessons for administration, alignment.
especially in decision-making, strategic planning, and • Evaluation & Reflection: Learn from past decisions and
resource management. adjust strategies.

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