Mayors Chess Cup with Belarus GM Alexei Aleksandrov as Top Seed from June 7 in Mumbai

Mayors Chess Cup: GM Alexei Aleksandrov of Belarus (2606) returns to Mumbai this week to defend his title from June 7 at what is going to be India's highest-ever prize money tournament. He is also going to be the top seed at the event. India's GM B Adhiban (2555) is the top seed among Indian players at the event. 

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Trailer of Chess Documentary on Magnus Carlsen - 'The Prince of Chess'

Tal Chess Memorial - the super-strong tournament - with world's No. 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen of Norway begins on June 7 in Moscow. We are reminded of a documentary made in 2005 titled 'Prince of Chess' by Norwegian director Oyvind Asbjornsen. Carlsen was, at that time, 13 years old and the world's youngest grandmaster. The Carlsen family had rented out their house to travel with Carlsen around the world to chess tournaments. The documentary also take up the chess motif in culture and politics. Magnus had said, in the documentary, that his dream was to be world chess champion and before 2020!

This trailer of the documentary on the chess wizard was uploaded to YouTube by razantra.

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Russia's Valentina Gunina Wins Women's World Blitz Chess Championship 2012 in Batumi, Georgia; Natalia Zhukova, Anna Muzychuk Tie for Second

Valentina Gunina

Russian chess player Valentina Gunina has won the Women's World Blitz Chess Championship in Batumi, Georgia. On the second day of play, on Wednesday, she amassed a total of 13 points out of 15 rounds. Earlier, this year, Gunina had also won the European Women's Women's Blitz Chess Championship and the European Women's Championship in classical chess.

Second place went to Natalia Zhukova of Ukraine and third place went to Anna Muzychuk of Slovakia. Both tied for the second place with 10.5 points. Russia's Alexandra Kosteniuk was a trifle unlucky to miss out on the medals with her fourth place at 10 points. Kosteniuk had won the silver medal in the women's world rapid chess a day earlier. Bulgaria's Antoaneta Stefanova had to settle for the fifth place with 9.5 points. Stefanova had won the gold medal a day earlier in the rapid section.

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