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It is giveaway time on the Epic Games Store again. Alongside its usual freebie affair that brings a copy of Chess Ultra, this week the store is offering a starter DLC pack for the free-to-play World of Warships.

From the duo, Chess Ultra rolls in being described as the "the most breathtaking chess game ever made" by developer Ripstone. Released in 2017, The game features 10 "Grandmaster-approved" AI levels, local and online multiplayer with ELO rankings, various time controls, and even VR support for maximizing immersion.

The developer describes the experience like this:

Chess Ultra injects the greatest strategy game of all time with a modern twist; offering the ultimate chess experience with stunning 4K visuals, Grandmaster approved AI and full VR compatibility.

Those looking to jump into Wargaming's free-to-play multiplayer naval battling entry World of Warships can also claim the handy Ishizuchi starter pack. The pack comes with the Ishizuchi Japanese Tier IV battleship, a Port slot, 11 Epic camouflages, 11 XP boosts for four economic gains, and five award containers. You need to have a Wargaming account made via the Epic Games Store to use this free promotion, however.

Chess Ultra and the World of Warships Starter Pack: Ishizuchi are free to claim on the Epic Games Store until March 30. Tunche will be the freebie incoming next week to replace the current duo.

Link:
Chess Ultra and a World of Warships starter pack are free on the Epic Games Store - Neowin

Arvinder'sjourney to become the WorldAmateur Champion

FM FI Arvinder Preet Singhwas the 26th seedin the starting rankings of the World Amateur Chess Championships 2018.Pulling off a stellarperformance in the final rounds, hebecame the World Amateur Champion in the Under-2300 rating category! In his brand new book called "Roadto a World Chess title" launched on 7th January 2023, Arvinder takes the reader through his journey inreaching this title.

The back coverof "Road to aWorld Chess title", introducing the author and sharing some lovely reviews of the book.

We asked Arvinder to share some details about himself and a brief introduction to thebook.Read in his own words below:

Arvinder's smile afterbecoming WorldAmateur Under-2300 Champion! | Photo: Palak Patel

" Hi, I'm FM FI Arvinder Preet Singh.I am 41, and belong to a middle-class family inLudhiana. I am a sports-loving fitness freak and I like to follow various sporting events around the world. I have been playing chess since 1996 with moderate success. My biggest win came when I won the World Amateur Chess Championship in Italy in 2018, right before my planned retirement from playing chess. The win encouraged me to play for some more years. I have been playing actively till now and won an international tournament in Spain in October last year.My book Road to a World Chess Title is a comprehensive guide through my memoirs, games and exercises. In it, I share my experience of years of playing chess in a bid to help young chess players. "

Road To A World Chess Title: Amateur Champions Book Tells How Chess Can Flourish In Punjab | Arvinder's interview with Indian Express Punjab

FM FI Arvinder Preet Singhfelicitated by the Ludhiana District Chess Association for the launch of his new book "Road to a World Chess Title"

Arvinder Preet Singh is also a veryaccomplished chess coach,and that is clearly reflected in the wayhe has shared his story in thisbook. The languageand explanations are verylucid! Here's what Arvinder hastosay about the contents of the book and how it can help chess players:

" The book covers my journey from 1996 to 2018, followed by my 30 best games against Masters or higher-ranked players analysed in detail. There are about 128 chess exercises as well. When I won the world Amateurs Chess Title in Italy in 2018 and the Indian National Anthem was played in Italy, it was like a dream come true. It became the proudest moment of my life! The way to this moment was not a smooth path. I went through so many challenges, struggles, and ups and downs in my chess playing career. Through this book I shared my experience of 22 years of chess playing career with full truthfulness. This will help young chess players in taking their decisions in their career. My 30 best games played against masters or higher ranked players will guide the players how they can play fearlessly without bothering about the ratings and titles of their opponents. The 128 exercises on middlegame and endgame will guide the players to improve their standards of play. All the games and exercises are analysed in great depth with the help of my chess playing friends and of course, the silicon monster. "

Grandmaster Rajaram Laxman ICF, Chennai Gold-Medallist in Commonwealth Chess Championship 2010, Indian National Blitz Chess Champion 2005 & 2017 10th Chennai International Open Chess Champion, 2018.

I recommend this book to young players who want to excel in Chess. I am aware of Arvinder's talent and am a silent admirer of his exemplary passion & prowess in Chess. I encourage everyone to follow in the footsteps of the World Amateur Champion. Best Wishes!

Jupinderjit Singh, Senior journalist, The Tribune Chandigarh

A self-taught player, Arvinder's journey to bag a world chess title from humble beginnings is an inspiring life story, dotted with lessons to improve your chess.

Great read! Loved the games, their analysis and the stories behind them! I am sure readers will also find them fascinating. Wish Arvinder all the best for the book.

FM Ashwani Tiwari, Jalandhar, 1st FIDE Master of Punjab & Former Selection Committee member of AICF

My camaraderie with Arvinder goes way back to 1996, when he was already a recognised state junior level hockey player. But his fascination towards Chess gave Punjab a bright young talent, which over years flourished and brought great laurels for our country when he won the World Amateur Chess Championship in 2018. I am sure that his writings penned in this book will be invaluable for all budding as well as professional chess players alike. I wish him all the best!

Review by Dr. Paramjit Kaur, National Awardee | CBSE Awardee | Educationist and Life Coach | Director at Arya Samaj Group of Schools, Ludhiana

Publisher : Walnut Publication (1 January 2023)

Language : English

Paperback : 395 pages

ISBN-10 : 9355742738

ISBN-13 : 978-9355742735

Item Weight : 490 g

Dimensions : 23 x 16 x 3 cm

Country of Origin : India

Buy "Road to a World Chess Title" on Amazon

Buy "Road to a World Chess Title" on Flipkart

FM FI Arvinder Preet Singh Linkedin Profile

FM FI Arvinder Preet Singh Coach profile on Lichess

Weend the article with this beautiful picture of Arvinder getting a copy of"Chesspa in Chess adventure Park" for his little daughter Agam!

See the original post:
Arvinder Preet Singh writes "Road to a World Chess Title" - ChessBase India

Uganda Chess Federation (UCF) president, Emmanuel Mwaka has underscored the importance of technology in the enhancement of the chess game in Uganda, saying professional players have improved their game over the past century.

He explained that this has become more evident particularly with the advent of digital technology and online chess engines.

Mwaka, who was in the company of Timur Gareyev, the Uzbeki-American chess grandmaster, made the remarks shortly after delivering a chess set to Dalton Kaweesa, the Chief News Editor of NBS television.

According to Mwaka, the federation is currently undertaking the regional chess tour in the whole country and is expected to last for the next two weeks.

Mwaka said in this tour they will be promoting chess in the kingdoms, schools and ensuring community mobilisation in a bid to change people's mindset towards the game.

"It is part of our responsibilities and this is the third edition, we first did it in 2017 where we went to Jinja, Entebbe and the Buganda region. In 2019 we repeated it we went up to Kabale where we visited several schools,"

The initiative, he said, will help in sensitising the communities and Ugandans at large.

Mwaka told the Nile Post that technology is also doing great in enhancing the game in the country.

"Technology has come. People are embracing technology where they can play it on their phone. These are things that never used to be there. Technology is enhancing the game and you will find even the Olympics have jammed on chess as an e-sport. They have taken it in," he said.

Mwaka said playing chess is like a game for the brain which is very key in keeping people active for long hours.

"You see people (MPs) dozing off in Parliament, we are seeing, you should play chess regularly because chess is like a gym for the brain. When you look at the professionals, there is a lot of money in chess, there are a lot of opportunities, scholarships, you can get education," he noted.

He however noted that accessibility to chess board and literature is still a major challenge in Uganda, noting that some of these things are not yet localised.

"Chess is different. Chess has a theoretical bit. Chess is required to begin in schools where someone can read and write because it is also a requirement that you must write the moves. It is an elite game" he said.

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He expressed optimism that in the next five years to come, chess is going to be number one sport in the word

The former USA open chess champion, Timur Gareyev who is currently in Uganda said he was glad to be in the country to support and provide guidance to the local chess players.

He expressed optimism in the progress of the game in Uganda, underscoring the importance of promoting local chess.

"Uganda is known around the world. Uganda is the strongest in East Africa in terms of chess. The future of Uganda Chess in promoting education, sport opportunities, I find it remarkable. The government, education leaders, and decision makers should come together to support the game," he advised.

Gareyev is an Uzbeki-American chess grandmaster and he was a part of the University of Texas at Brownsville's chess team from August 2005 to August 2006 and from August 2009 to December 2011 where he helped the university obtain its first national championship along with other collegiate honours.

In 2007, he tied for first with Vladimir Egin and Anton Filippov in the Uzbekistani Chess Championship. Gareyev has participated in two Chess Olympiads.

See more here:
Uganda: MPs Advised to Play Chess to Keep Active in Parliament - AllAfrica - Top Africa News

Chess will make its first appearance in the European Gamesas an accompanying event under the aegis of the Organizing Committee of the Krakw-Maloposka Games 2023.

ECU regulated a new special competition, the European Pair Blitz Chess Championship 2023, which will take place on 19th of June 2023 in Krakw, Poland, as anaccompanying event at the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023. The Championship is organized by the Malopolska and Silesian Chess Association under the auspices of the European Chess Union and the Polish Chess Federation with the support of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

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Eight teams (ECU members) are invited according the best combined Pair FIDE Classical rating according to theMarch 2023 list: Ukraine, Azerbaijan, France, Poland, Romania, Germany, Armenia and the Netherlands. Each team shall consist of one player over 2650 (classical rating) in the open section andone female player over 2350 (classical rating) in the womens section, and one representative/captain.

Photo from the 2021 European Blitz Chess Championship

Both Womens and Open events will consist of two phases:

The rate of play is 3 minutes plus2-secondincrements from the first move.

The individual medals are decided by the playoffs in each section. The gold medal will be awarded to the winner of the final match, and the silver medal will go to the runner-up. The winner of the match for third place wins the bronze medal.

The combined pair medals are decided by the final position of the players of each team after the playoffs in each section (sum of points): 1st - 8 points, 2nd - 7 points, 3rd - 6 points, 4th - 5 points, 5th - 4 points, 6th - 3 points, 7th - 2 points, and 8th - 1 point. In case of a tie between two teams, the tiebreak criteria are the sum of points in the open and womens sections during the qualification round.

The 3 winners of the Open, Womens and Combined Pair sections will receive gold, silver and bronze medals, the same as European Olympic Games medals. The best European Pair will receive the title of European Pair Chess Blitz Champion 2023.

The application should be sent by Monday, April 10th, 2023, to the e-mail address: iechess2023@gmail.com with a copy to ECU: secretariat@europechess.org

Kamila Kauna- Turcza president of the Malopolska Chess AssociationE- mail: iechess2023@gmail.commob.: +48 693 046 440Official website: https://ie2023.pl/en/

Excerpt from:
Chess to make first appearance at European Games - ChessBase

Samay Kaul of Mayfield Prep School, Walsall, playing with the white pieces, takes on Anvikkashri Prabhakaran of Leamington Spa in the under-eights section. They fought all the way until only the kings were left a draw.

The event was at the Charlton School in Wellington and had sections ranging from under-eights to under-18s, with all the youngsters playing six games.

"It was a great event with fierce competition and we hope all players enjoyed the day," said principal organiser Chris Lewis.

"It's our first Shropshire junior chess congress since Francis Best organised the tournament nearly a decade ago but it follows our successful megafinal tournament last May.

"We were thrilled to have 74 entrants. Some brilliant games of chess were played and the atmosphere was amazing.

"It was wonderful to see so many young chess players, including many local players entering their very first tournament."

Among the features were the use of digital chess boards for the top games which allowed them to be broadcast live on the internet.

"From the players' perspective the day went really well and pretty smoothly. For those of us wrestling with the software behind the scenes me on the pairing software, Phil Love on the live boards it's a miracle we didn't hurl our laptops across the room!

"Other highlights were the mega chess board which the kids absolutely love to play on between the games, and the commentary provided by Rudy van Kemenade of Oswestry Chess Club and Thalia Holmes of Newport Chess Club was especially popular.

"The commentary wouldn't have been possible without Phil Love (Newport Chess Club) keeping the live boards working, another addition that you won't find at almost any other junior tournament.

"Junior chess has seen a huge resurgence across Shropshire in the past 18 months and is absolutely thriving. There are now junior clubs at the Nerdy Cafe in Shrewsbury and at Ludlow Library.

"We're also really excited to announce that additional junior clubs are about to open in Market Drayton Library and at the Royal British Legion in Newport.

"If anyone has a child who is interested in chess and is looking for a junior club they can contact me at christopher.d.lewis44@gmail.com.

"I just want to thank my volunteer team without whom the event wouldn't have been possible Phil Love, Dan Hilditch-Love, Francis Best, Andrew McCumiskey, Chris Hankey, Rudy van Kemenade and Thalia Holmes, along with Charlton School for allowing us to host the event."

Chris said he was very pleased with how well some of the Shropshire players did. Highlights were Rudi Bedford of Shropshire Junior Chess Club being runner up in the under-10s, Merry Curtis of the Shrewsbury-based Telepost Chess Club being runner up in the under-12s, and Rhys Macmillan, also of Telepost, being equal second in the under-14s.

Shropshire youngsters Ryan Barton of Telford Chess Club, Charlie Bethune (Telepost), and George Eden, who is the grandson of Shropshire veteran player John Casewell, won the team puzzle challenge.

Section winners were: under-eights, Lucas Zheng (Lakeside Primary School), who won all six games; under-10s, Rohan Babu (West Bridgford) on 5.5 points; under-12s, Torrin Anderson (Lytham St Annes) on 5.5; under-14s, Stephen Gaskell (Rushall Chess Club), who won all his six games; and under-18s, Jay Baddeley (Potteries Junior Chess Club), who also won all six.

Shropshire Chess Association is continuing its efforts to promote junior chess by offering discount chess equipment to schools and other junior clubs in the county, and there are plans to start a schools league in the near future.

More children's chess action is lined up with a Shropshire Megafinal at Charlton School on June 10.

Read more:
Young chess aces descend on Telford for major county event - Shropshire Star