Chess Base

• Aaryan Varshney: Grandmaster without a trainer

  At first glance, the Andranik Margaryan Memorial, held from 9 to 16 January in Armenia, did not appear particularly historic. Three GMs, six IMs and one FM took part, and with a rating of 2514 the Russian IM Vladislav Nozdrachev was the top seed. In the end, however, it was the 21-year-old Indian Aaryan Varshney who emerged victorious, becoming India’s 92nd grandmaster with this success. His story shows how modern computers, software and databases can help to win titles and celebrate success in chess — even without a trainer or support from federations. | Photo: Chess Academy of Armenia

• Rozman defeats Song 14–8

  The streamer match between IM Levy Rozman and IM Julien Song in Madrid opened with two draws in the classical games. In rapid and blitz, however, Rozman, known as Gotham Chess, clearly took control: he won two of the four rapid games, drew one and lost one, then scored six wins in the blitz while Song managed only two. Under the tournament’s scoring system, the final score was 14–8. | Photos: David Martinez/Chess.com

• Tata Steel Chess - Live!

  The 88th edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament is taking place from 17 January to 1 February and once again features the traditional structure of parallel Masters and Challengers tournaments, each consisting of 14 players competing in a single round-robin. After two rounds, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hans Niemann are sharing the lead with 1½ points each. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 14.00 CET (7.00 ET, 20.30 IST)