The Knighthood Online Blitz on 1st of August with a first prize of Rs.40,000!

The Knighthood Online Blitz - the biggest ever online blitz on ChessBase India

On 1st August 2020, the biggest ever prize fund for an online blitz will be held on ChessBase India. The "Knighthood Online Open" Blitz event will have a total prize fund of ₹150,000 with the first prize of ₹40,000. The aim of this tournament is two-fold. The first one is to provide a high quality event for the strong players in this lockdown and secondly all the money that will be collected via entry fees will be donated for the betterment for specially abled chess (blind, physically disabled, deaf and mute). And guess what! GM Vidit Gujrathi will play a simul against the age category winners as well as top five winners of the specially abled category.

One man army - Sujit Varghese

Who is Sujit Varghese and why is he supporting chess in such a big way? Sujit Varghese is a management professional and a chess lover. He currently lives in UAE, but grew up in Gujarat. Ever since he was a young boy, he has been interested in chess. Speaking to ChessBase India, Sujit said, "My father and I used to spend several hours playing chess. There were times when we used to be up all night challenging each other into playing several games of chess. However, we were then in a small town in Gujarat and getting coaching wasn’t very easy. My interest took a backstage during the initial stages of my career. Later the corporate chess tournaments helped to re-ignite the passion I had for chess."

Although Sujit wasn't able to professionally play chess tournaments, what he learnt from chess has stayed with him forever. "Chess has helped me through several phases in life - teaching me discipline, being persistent and to never give up. I have been involved in several CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs and always wanted to be involved in some initiative on a personal level also. ChessBase India has provided me this opportunity with this tournament that will help in raising funds for specially-abled chess players."

India no.2 Vidit Gujrathi joins in the cause

Vidit has always been up for a good cause. In 2018 he volunteered to be the brand ambassador for the All India Chess Federation of the Blind (AICFB) and boosted the morale of several blind players. Seeing that money is being raised for a good cause, the India no.2 has chipped in with a special contribution to the event. The winners of the age categories and specially abled categories (totally 17 players) will play simultaneous exhibition against Vidit on the 2nd of August 2020 and the entire event will be streamed live by the GM from Nashik on his YouTube channel. This will not only involve playing a simul with him, but Vidit will discuss the games with selected players live on the stream as well. It would be a big honour for the youngsters and specially abled players to fight it out against Vidit and also interact with him.

Date: Saturday 1st August 2020

Time: 8.00 p.m. IST

Time control: 3 mins each (no increment)

Number of rounds: 10

Total Prize fund: ₹150,000

Venue: Vishy Anand Arena in Playchess under ChessBase India room

Details of the online tournament:

Main Prizes

Best Women

Best Specially Abled players - Top 5 will get ₹1000 each

Category prizes: Best U-19, U-16, U-14, U-12, Rating 1000-1300, 1301-1600, 1601-1900, 1901-2100 and Best Unrated (Total nine categories)

One player will be eligible for one higher prize only and prizes will not be shared. For Rating category prizes, Standard Rating as on 1st July will be considered for prizes. A player without a Standard Rating will be considered as an unrated player. Players without a FIDE ID will have to e-mail their date of birth certificate by 31st July 2020.

No draw before 30th move

From this tournament onwards in all events organized by us, 'Draw offer' before the completion of 30th move is not allowed. If a draw is agreed before the completion of 30th move, the player who offered the draw will be given a loss in that round irrespective of tournament situation. This rule has been enforced to see fighting games in all boards.

Special attraction:

Age-group and Specially Abled category prize winners will get to play against India no.2 Vidit Gujrathi on Sunday 2nd August at 6 p.m. IST in three separate simuls. Once the tournament ends the players who have won and are selected to play against Vidit will be notified.

Note: Age-group prizes cannot be claimed by titled (CM to GM and WFM to WGM) players.

Entry fees:

The entry is FREE for all GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs. So register as fast as you can by sending us an email mentioning your name, FIDE ID and Playchess ID to teamchessbaseindia@gmail.com.

For everyone else the entry fee is ₹500 and for ChessBase Premium Account holders, the entry fee is ₹400. For foreigners the entry fee is €10. Entry is free for Specially Abled players. Physically Handicapped, Blind and Deaf players need to produce the certificate. Entry will close on 31st July at 8 p.m. IST. Organizer reserves the right to reject any entry without assigning any reason.

Entries are closed

Google Pay ID for general donation:

As all the funds will be used towards the betterment of specially abled chess you can donate to the good cause by sending in the money on the following Google Pay ID of the ChessBase India Foundation:

Google Pay ID: chessbaseindia-1@okhdfcbank

International Players

International players (outside India) can submit their entries here. They must mention their Name, FIDE ID and playchess in an e-mail to teamchessbaseindia@gmail.com

Confirmed Titled players

Contact and registration queries for the tournament:

Mr. Shahid Ahmed (Tournament director) - 9038139510 (Entry confirmations will be done via site only, no whatsapp/phone call confirmation of entries)

Email - teamchessbaseindia@gmail.com

• We request all players to check their internet connection before the tournament. Minimum requirement is at least 2 mbps broadband. No phone calls/messages will be entertained once the tournament starts from 8 p.m. IST onwards. All queries must be resolved before the tournament. Each player is responsible for their internet connection, organizers will not be held responsible for any players connectivity issues. All games will be thoroughly checked for cheating/impersonation. Anyone adapting any unfair means will be removed from the tournament and will not be allowed to participate in future events on Playchess.

List of players

How to play tournament?

Please ensure that you have a valid Playchess id. You can create one here if you don't have one already.

1. Download the free Windows software of Playchess

Next you have to download the free native Windows software from here. If you have Mac OS or Mac Computer, then you have to use some VMWare to run it as Playchess Desktop Client has native support on Windows OS only. The tournament cannot be played via mobile or tablet device. All players must update the Playchess software to the latest version before the tournament.

Login or Create account

After you have installed the Client. You must login.

Enter your Playchess/ChessBase Account username and password. 

The tournament will take place in the Vishy Anand Arena in the ChessBase India room. Registered players should be online and logged into Playchess at least 45 minutes before the start of the tournament on 1st of August 2020. 7:15 p.m. IST would be a good time.

Click on the ‘Players’ Tab and then click on ‘Join Event’. The Sysop (Tournament Director) will accept your entry. Only those who have paid the entry fee will be allowed to play.

Note: The Playchess id, while registering and playing the tournament should be the same.

About online tournaments on Playchess by ChessBase India:

ChessBase India has organized innumerable online events successfully. Here is some feedback about the quality of the events:

GM Vaibhav Suri, winner of Letsup MCA Grand Prix Online Blitz tournament

The tournament was conducted quite smoothly and a quite "fun Sunday" event. The participation of Adhiban & Sethuraman definitely added the spark to the event. I guess an Online Blitz Festival would be the next way to go (with different formats - Chess960, Bughouse, Bullet etc). Overall really happy with such events. Way to go!!

GM R R Laxman, former National Blitz Champion

I thank the  Chessbase India team once more for their strenous and tireless endeavour to popularise blitz events in India. Considering the fact that the present day time control  even in classical format ( unlike the yesteryears)  demands quick reflexes and blitz skills  , I feel that the entire Chessbase India team is doing an exemplary and praiseworthy job. A boon for Indian chess !!!. Though my performance this time was not satisfactory ,I hope to excel and cherish more pleasant memories from my side in the forthcoming editions of Chessbase India blitz events.

Tushar Bohra, father of Kanishk Bohra

Thanks for enrolling Kanishk for the event. He had a great time playing the games. And a great overall experience.

D Gukesh, youngest GM of India

I am extremely happy to have participated in my first online blitz tmt conducted by ChessBase India and loved the experience and thrill. from the start to the finish its professionally conducted and got the rare opportunity to play several high-class players in a single event and looking forward for its next event

Priti Mahendru, mother of Jaiveer Mahendru

This was our second chessbase online blitz event. My son is 8 years and it was an absolute thrill for him to be playing against titled players ! Thanks a lot for organizing this. We look forward to more such events !

Kushagra Mohan

I was happy the way the tournament was conducted. No problems at all. You just keep increasing the prize money and that is a big improvement.Cannot hope for more.

Edit: No draw rule, age group prizes for titled players ineligibility definition added on 26th July 2020.

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