The US Junior Championship - A Quick Walk Through History

A couple of months ago, I was asked to write a brief article on the US Junior Championship as part of the Saint Louis Chess Club’s 10-year anniversary celebration.Today, as

AkshatChandra.com ~ Fabiano Caruana, Candidates 2018

Highs and lows from the Candidates (Part 2)

Continuing where we left off in the previous posting: A very sound, strategical win by Wesley over Aronian: A tactical melee between Aronian and Caruana, in which the American displayed excellent nerves

AkshatChandra.com ~ Chess - Candidates 2018 - GM Vladimir Kramnik

Highs and Lows from the Candidates (Part 1)

Continuing where we left off in the previous posting, I’d like to take a look at some of the best and worst moments from the 2018 Candidates.Let’s start from the

Recap of the Candidates

The recently concluded Candidates Chess tournament was easily the most exciting and dramatic since the 2013 edition. Several players were in contention to win the tournament till the very end,

AkshatChandra.com ~ Pawn Against An Army ~ Chess Unfair Play

How Chess Sites Can Fairly Address
Suspected Unfair Play

Last week, following the Chess.com issue covered here, I was approached by Ben Johnson of the Perpetual Chess Podcast, and one of the questions he asked me was “How do you think chess sites

AkshatChandra.com ~ Credit-Adam Gault, Getty Images

Locked Out from Chess.com.
A set of games from 3 years ago in 2015
were unfair, claims Chess.com, and
wants a Blind Confession.

Exactly one day after the “Titled Tuesday” concluded on April 17, I found myself unable to log into my Chess.com account. I tried many times to reset the password, but

A Young Grandmaster’s Reflection On His Time In Saint Louis

The article was first published on Saint Louis Chess Club blog.Back in July of 2016, my family decided to move from New Jersey to Saint Louis in order to help support

Summer Roundup – Ups and Downs

Summer is when the chess tournament circuit comes alive in the US, and players congregate all over the country to take advantage of the increased tournament opportunities. My summer travels

Playing Chess in Batman City!

The Clark Street Capital Grandmaster Invitational was a 20-player tournament held from April 12-16 and sponsored by chess aficionado Jon Winick of Clark Street Capital. The tournament was organized by

Recapping The 2016 World Rapid and Blitz Championship

As the year 2016 drew to a close, several of the world’s chess elite descended upon Doha, Qatar to compete in the World Rapid & Blitz Championship.Making his first appearance

“How Self-Faith and a Move to St. Louis created a Grand Master”

In January 2010, I played in the Delhi International Chess Grand Master Open, my first major tournament. I was 10 years old and brimming with optimism and hope, having started

The End of One Quest, The Start of Another

The November Autumn Invitational was a Round Robin (RR) held at the Saint Louis Chess Club from Nov 17-22. It was a 6-day event, and so had more meaning for

Amy Lee & Maurice Ashley - AkshatChandra.com

2016 Millionaire Chess – Competing on Millionaire Monday

The 3rd, and perhaps final, edition of the Millionaire Chess Open was held from October 6 -10 at Atlantic City.I had the good fortune of being able to participate this

SEE IT! Our old man loses to a 16-year-old Chess Master!

This article was written by Editor of New York Daily News, Gersh Kuntzman, with whom I played a Chess game.Article By GERSH KUNTZMANNothing makes you feel dumber than losing at

Awesome Thank You Note from RISE!

A couple of days ago, I received a wonderfully crafted Thank-You Note from the students at Rise Program. Thank you so much, and I really appreciate it!Have a look at

Presentation at RISE Program of Woodbridge School District

Being the present National High School and US Junior Chess Champion, as well as the 2013 Junior High K-9 National Chess Champion, provides one with special credentials as well as

Media Mention – Top 10 Blitz Player on Chess.com and 1st Ranked Junior Rapid Player in the US

Pretty cool that I'm the only Junior player in the world to make the Top 10 Blitz Ranking List on the Chess.com server That goes well with the #1 Rapid

Tom In his Own Words

This Post continues on my previous posting about Tom, which can be viewed here.The same post on US Chess Federation site can be viewed here.Hi,My name is Tom Nordeman, I

Knowing Tom

While at the Philadelphia Open a few months ago, I came into contact with a local chess enthusiast - Tom Nordeman. An ardent chess player, Tom, in his own words,

Media Mentions

Some recent coverage of the US National High School Championship and the US Junior Closed Championship.

The US Junior Championship 2015Winning the strongest US Junior event ever in my first appearance!

The US Junior Closed Chess Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the United States – next only to the US Championships. This was my first time playing

Winning the National High School Championship 2015!

The National High School Championship K-12 is by far the strongest national scholastic event in the US. The 2015 edition was held in Columbus, Ohio, from April 10 to 12,

Titled TuesdayChess.com’s Online Blitz Tournament

Blitz chess is the most exciting format of a chess game. Players usually have between 3 and 5 minutes for the entire game, and several times the game gets decided

“Training” with the US Chess Champion.
5-hours with GM Gata Kamsky

In January, I played one of Mike Regan's 5-round tournaments, the Championship section of the Chesapeake Open at Rockville, Maryland. This year's edition was quite strong, and happened to attract

Meeting the Legend Once Again!A session with Garry Kasparov

Last month, a group of 5 young players were invited to an evaluation session by Garry Kasparov as part of the "Young Stars-USA" program sponsored by Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF)

Reflecting on the Qatar Masters 2014
I won’t back down!

The Qatar Masters 2014 held in Doha late November, turned out to be the strongest Open tournament ever. Out of a total of 154 players, 92 of them were GM's, of

Final impressions of the Qatar Masters

The recently concluded Qatar Masters 2014 was surprisingly won by Chinese GM Yu Yangyi. I say surprisingly because when there are players like Kramnik and Giri playing, one seems to

Vladimir Kramnik - Akshat Chandra - Chess

Dueling in the Dunes!The Qatar Masters Open 2014

Please check my latest article on the World's Strongest Open Tournament - The Qatar Masters 2014 - on Chessbase. Some of it is below:The Middle East is rapidly emerging as

The Missed Combination Of A Lifetime

(Actual Position - Black to move now in a combination which secures a decisive advantage) An article I wrote was published on Chessbase. I had posted the combination puzzle as 'Insane

John Nunn and Mark Hebden - Akshat Chandra - Chess

To Take, or Not to Take?

I came across a game between British GMs John Nunn (left) and Mark Hebden from the recently concluded World Seniors Championship. There was a very neat finish to the game,

Ni Hua - Le Quang Liem, AkshatChandra.com

Insane Tactic

I was going through some games, and I came across one which had an extremely exciting and complicated position. The game was between former Chinese Super GM Ni, Hua (Left), and

Washington International 2014
Sand through my Hands

Rockville, Maryland. That's where I was headed next for the Washington International 2014 chess tournament. I was extremely excited for this chess tournament, and eager to make amends for the

The Chicago Open 2014
Stricter Rules on Players Leaving the Playing Area

Recently I learnt about a comment being floated by chess player Gopal Menon. He is aggrieved at two incidents that occurred at the Chicago Open in May 2014 when he

North American Junior U20A Missed Opportunity!

Sometimes you unexpectedly come across low-hanging fruit. But that doesn't mean you are still able to pluck and eat it. This is the story of such a time. On July 26

The Seventh Samurai

I came across a post written by a fellow chess enthusiast, Dana Mackenzie, on his blog, He really wrote an awesome article profiling me, and I want to express my

Tied 1st at the Paracin International OpenMissed GM Norm by a Whisker!

Checking in from Europe to give a little update.I tied first with 7.5/9 at the Paracin International Open in Central Serbia!2700 GM Richard Rapport took first on better tiebreak. I

9-year old storms through GMs!

I thought I'll share an article I just published on ChessBase. It was about a 9-year old beating a couple of GM's. I don't know the young phenom, but such

Akshat Chandra and Mike Regan, Potomac Open, August 2013

Like Mike!

Sorry my dear readers!It's been a crazy month and a half in which I played 4 norm tournaments, striking gold in one of them! But that's not the subject I

Achieving the 1st GM Norm!

The Marshall Chess Club organized a GM Norm Invitational tournament from April 04 to April 13. It was a 9 round, 10-player Round-robin, with 6.5 points required for a GM

There can only be One.The US Championship 2014

The US Men's and Women Championship is by far the most prestigious and honorable tournament in the United States. What makes it even more enticing is that it is held

Once a King Always a KingMental Strength and Grit – Carlsen wins Gashimov Memorial 2014

Has it really been 2 months since my last blog post ?!?! Wow, time flies. Doesn't it?The first thing I want to say is that the Chess World lost a

Funding a Quest!

Chess is one of the sports that is hard to find sponsors for. The game lacks the awareness and treatment that more popular sports receive, such as basketball, soccer, and

Tying for First at The US Amateur Team East 2014

The US Amateur Team East is held every year in Parsippany, NJ. It's the most well-attended annual team tournament in the country with ~1200 players showing up in 278 teams

Meeting the Legend for the First Time

On a recent January weekend, I attended the Kasparov Chess Foundation camp taught by Garry Kasparov himself ! As most of you would know, Garry was the 13th WCC, and

Finding the path between Scylla and Charybdis.
When Wins turn into Draws against the 2600s

Those 2600s. Those darn, wily, 2600s :) . They're always slipping out of my craftily woven webs, at the last possible moment. They remind me of Scylla and Charybdis, ancient

Akshat Chandra - Boris Arkhangelsky - Chess

Reminiscing over the “Remi !”
The Day it All Started

It's January 14, 2010. The weather is a bitter 37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 Celsius), with frosty winds gnawing at my face. Wearing my Choppers beanie, I enter the venue of

Chess in Michigan – October 2013

The final tournament in my 3-tournament October Series was the Annual Fall Chess Festival in Dearborn, Michigan. After a sub-par performance in my previous two tournaments , I was hoping

World Chess Championship 2013 – A New Era Begins

As most of you know, the World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan 'Vishy' Anand and Magnus Carlsen came to an end 3 days ago. Anand, the defending champ, ultimately proved

Twitter

I signed up on Twitter recently, my account is @questToGM. Let's see who'll become my first follower ... Ready,Set, Go ! :)

Spice Cup 2013

Have you ever met a chess legend? How about playing in a chess legend's tournament? Well, that's exactly what I was able to do, by playing in this year's Spice

Losing & Winning the North American Youth Chess Championship

After coming home from the the Washington International Chess tournament, I was headed out again a couple of days later. This time it was to Toronto for the North American

Quebec Chess Championship 2013A Beautiful Setting

I feel compelled to write about my experience at the Quebec Chess Championship, as I wish to share with other Chess Players that things aren't always "up and up" in

The World Open 2013A Bid to Sponsor My Quest Comes Short

The World Open is the richest prize money tournament in the US. My focus has to be to climb the rating and norm charts and play the Open section, particularly

Catching an Apple at The New York International 2013 – my 1st IM Norm

I was looking forward to the New York International, which was being held at the St. John’s University in downtown Manhattan and organized by the venerable Marshalls Club. After a

World U16 Chess Olympiad 2013 Recap

The World Youth Olympiad is an annual team tournament held for youth 16 years and under. The tournament brings together talented teams of youngsters from all parts of the world.

SuperNationals V – Winning the K-9 National Chess Championship

Nashville! Nashville! Nashville! That was the one word buzzing amongst the chess kids during March and April. The SuperNationals was here and Nashville was the destination for many of us chess

Playing the Czech Open 2012

(I’m finally catching up on a great tournament I played last year – The Czech Open)Pardubice! That was our next destination. After bidding farewell to Belgrade, we boarded the bus

Playing with Super GM Anish Giri !

A few days ago, I was on a chess server and I got paired with chess prodigy GM Anish Giri. It was Akshat Chandra vs Anish Giri. I was electrified. Here

Media Mention – US Chess – A GM Win

I will like to share that my article regarding my first GM win was published in the United States Chess Federation's (USCF) Chess Life for Kids publication! A mention also

Chess in Novi Sad, Serbia

After the Italian leg, it was time to go to Serbia! Serbia is a special place for Chess. Everyone appears to know chess. Even the cab drivers talk about chess.

akshatchandra.com ~ Merrymaking in Munich! Akshat and Aditya.

Chess in Braunau, Austria

The final chess tournament of my European Summer 2012 trip was in the small city of Branau Am Inn, Austria. The weather was great during early August. The great thing

akshatchandra.com ~ Winter's must be beautiful, with snow-capped peaks

Forni Di Sopra…Scenic Chess

Next stop after Ortisei ... Forni Di Sopra! Forni Di Sopra is a small, lush village, located in the Dolomite region. It's very scenic with open views, and a beautiful

Hard Loss…Now What? Recovering from a Chess Loss.

I'm sure if one has played Chess long enough, we've all experienced "tough losses." In fact, I would venture to say that if you haven't had a tough loss yet,

Chess in the Paradise of Ortisei!

Our next tournament in June was Server 24 Chess in Ortisei - St. Ulrich. Ortisei is a beautiful small township nestled in a high valley and surrounded by mountains. A

Gallipolli – Let the Guns Boom!

It's been a while since I've blogged, and now for the first time in the last two weeks I've got some time to share my experiences. I have playing in

World Championship Match Game 3

Game 3 was a lively affair, with Vishy coming tantalizingly close to a win! It looked like it would begin as a Gruenfeld but Vishy deviated from Game 1 with

World Championship Rest Day

After two games the World Championship Match sees it first rest day which the players will use to recuperate and refresh their preparation. The score is level at 1-1 after

The Big One! World Championship 2012 – Anand Vs Gelfand

Well it's approximately 40 hours before the World Chess Championship 2012 match begins! The current champion is GM Viswanathan 'Vishy' Anand from India, who will try to retain his title

Ups and Downs in Thailand!

Bangkok! Yes, that's where I recently finished a tournament. In April, the weather was hot-pleasant. Not humid. Of course, you've to watch out for the water festival of Songkran from

When Should We Accept Draws?

Hey! I wasn't feeling all too well and so I thought I'll blog and share an interesting psychological situation with you guys. A big dilemma that comes across a player

Hot in Vizag!

Vizag. That was my next destination in November 2011, following the World Amateur Chess in Antalya, Turkey. Vizag is a bustling port city on the eastern coast of India, and

Lifting the Cup!Victory in FIDE U2200.

My next tournament after Vizag was in Delhi itself. A U2200 Delhi Open Championship from Dec 07 to Dec 12. Players from all over India participated and even one from