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Tag: Chess

  • Nodwin Gaming’s upcoming digital festival DreamHack to celebrate chess

    Nodwin Gaming’s upcoming digital festival DreamHack to celebrate chess

    Mumbai: Nodwin Gaming’s upcoming DreamHack event, scheduled from 4-6 November will also celebrate “chess.” This is in addition to the gaming fun at the event.

    In partnership with comedian Samay Raina & ChessBase India, Nazara Technologies’ Nodwin Gaming has planned a chess celebration which includes an open tournament, a death-match between two grandmasters—Gukesh D and Arjun Erigaisi, Comedians over the Board (COTB), free chess workshops, along with some fun activities like hand-and-brain, a Simul exhibition, and a meet-and-greet with other chess stars. A total prize pool of Rs 10 lakh has been announced for the winners of the DreamHack Rapid and Blitz chess tournaments that are open to all.

    “By bringing a much respected and one of the oldest sports like chess to the DreamHack, we’re giving fans the experience of a lifetime! The super success of our chess league showed us how loved the game is in India and how passionate this community is, which is why we wanted to celebrate chess at DreamHack. Chess is also played over the internet just like gaming and also features the fabled over-the-board competition, exactly like a LAN event. The synergies and similarities are extremely evident and we believe that these two communities will love what they have to offer to each other,” said Nodwin Gaming COO & co-founder Gautam Virk.

    “The vision of ChessBase India has always been to make chess the most popular sport in the country. Nodwin has been a wonderful partner in this odyssey of popularising chess. I am very happy that chess is going to be a part of an iconic event like Dreamhack. I am extremely thrilled and so looking forward to it,” said ChessBase India co-founder & CEO Sagar Shah.

    A deathmatch between two chess players—the 16-year-old India number two and world number 18, Gukesh D, and the 19-year-old India number three and world number 19, Arjun Erigaisi, is scheduled for 5 November. The winner of this match will take home Rs 3,00,000 and the runner-up, Rs 2,00,000.

    “I am excited and eagerly looking forward to battling it out with Arjun Erigaisi, my fierce rival on the board and close buddy off it. I am looking forward to a great match,” said Gukesh D.

    Erigaisi added, “I was closely following the first edition of the deathmatch between Anish and Vidit. It was so thrilling and intense. Now I’m super delighted to be playing the second edition of Deathmatch, that too against a very strong opponent like Gukesh. Also, as far as I can recall, this is going to be my first one-on-one OTB, that too in my backyard in Hyderabad. So all in all, extremely excited.”

    For the first time, Comedians on the Board (COTB), an event in the world of chess that has always been hosted online by Samay Raina, will go live at DreamHack. Eight of the strongest chess-playing stand-up comedians, including Tanmay Bhat, Samay Raina, Biswa Kalyan, Joel D’souza, Anirban Dasgupta, Vaibhav Sethia, Manik Mahna, and Sumit Sourav, will face off against each other to win the Rs 5,00,000 prize and to become the ultimate COTB champion on 4 November.

    On the workshop front, there is a line up which includes: How to stream chess in an effective way by Samay Raina; How to make chess exciting in terms of teaching and commentating by Sagar Shah; and What is needed to pursue a career as an arbiter by one of India’s finest chess arbiters, IA Vivek Sohani.

    DreamHack will go live from 4-6 November at Hall 1 and 3, Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hitec City, Hyderabad.

    The tickets for Chess at DreamHack Hyderabad are priced at Rs 1, 299 can be bought at DreamHack India’s website.

  • AI-based chess board maker Square Off introduces two new products

    AI-based chess board maker Square Off introduces two new products

    MUMBAI: Harish Thawani, the founder of Nimbus and Neo Sports is one mean competitor who loves the mental battle the game of chess provides. Are there any other players amongst media executives who want to rise up to the challenge? This one is for Thawani and for them.

    Three-year-old Mumbai-based smart chess board maker SquareOff has been wowing game players worldwide with its gee-whiz products that use robotics, artificial intelligence, and leverage the internet of things. Two of its best-sellers are the Kingdom Set which is priced at $399 and the other is Grand Kingdom chess set at $449. Both consist of a chessboard, chess pieces, a charger, an adapter, a mobile stand, a manual and an app that allows players to stay connected and play online.

    Recently, it added two new products Square off Neo and Swap, raising raise $1 million during the pandemic lockdown on crowdfunding platforms Kickstarter and Indiegogo to roll out cheaper versions for those wanting more affordable options.

    Square Off Neo, at a starting price of $169, is a lighter, faster and affordable chess board meant for every household. Its adaptive AI, personalized chess coaching and 1.5x faster movements make it a-hard-to-resist for any chess lover out there

    Square Off Swap, currently priced at $229, offers users the convenience of playing multiple board games on the same surface. To begin with, it supports four games – chess, draughts, halma and Connect 4, making it a desirable board game for all age groups. Paired with the Square Off App, both these products are globally connected; so, whether the opponent is in a different room or a different continent, the game still goes on!

    “The lockdowns have motivated people to rediscover their passion and connected gaming has seen tremendous growth,” says SquareOff CEO, Bhavya Gohil. “Our vision is to enable connected automated gaming over a single platform. With Neo and Swap, we’ve attempted to revolutionise board gaming and thereby the experience altogether. Our next step is to get the boards in production and deliver at the earliest. Though the pandemic has affected our delivery timelines, we are committed to delivering quality products to our backers at the earliest.”

  • Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone Red

    Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone Red

    MUMBAI: To showcase its differentiated and innovative postpaid proposition, Vodafone India has roped in chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone Red.

    Under the Red bouquet, Vodafone recently introduced postpaid plans offering entertainment with free subscription of Amazon Prime and Vodafone Play, complimentary mobile insurance for smartphones up to two years old and free international calling and roaming.

    Additionally, Red Postpaid comes with lowest bill guarantee that ensures customers are assured of never facing bill shocks.

    Beginning July, Anand will be seen making some smart moves, endorsing Vodafone Red. A series of three television commercials will show him propagating the benefits of choosing the postpaid plan to popular cricket presenter Gaurav Kapoor.

    Vodafone India EVP of marketing Siddharth Banerjee says, “Latest Vodafone Red is a lifestyle enabler of a new-age postpaid consumer, addressing their passion points like entertainment, travel, devices, shopping, family and tension points such as billing. This campaign aims to position Vodafone Red as India’s smartest postpaid, enabling our existing and new customers to make a smartest choice. We are glad to have chess champion and youth icon Vishwanathan Anand on board, who best fits the proposition of India’s smartest postpaid.”

    Anand adds, “Being smart means making the right choice at the right time. In the game of chess, it is important to make the smartest move at the right time. As a Vodafone customer, the new Vodafone Red plans are a smart bouquet of services catering to my critical needs like entertainment and international roaming. Mobile insurance and lowest bill guarantee feature become important as we Indians are evolving in smartphone usage. I am glad to be a part of the campaign that closely resonates with my needs to make a smart choice.”

    The 360-degree high-decibel campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather India. Presenting a holistic marketing mix, the four-week long campaign will connect with customers across diverse mediums like OOH, radio, print and digital.

  • Get set for a chess match with the champion

    Get set for a chess match with the champion

    MUMBAI: The fans of Chess player Viswanathan Anand may now get a chance to meet their icon as Crocin Cold & Flu Max is organising a ‘Chess Challenge’ on its Facebook page.

    10 lucky winners will get a chance to meet Viswanathan Anand and one winner amongst them gets the opportunity to play a game of chess with him. While others stand a chance to win exciting prizes.

    To participate in the game, consumers can log on to https://www.facebook.com/GSKCrocin. The contest commenced on 7 November and will be on till 28 November. Players can register on the Crocin Chess Challenge Facebook app and can earn points by playing against the computer. All the games against the computer are timed; hence it would be a real test of skill and technique.

    The pecking order of the players on the game’s leader board is interestingly constructed classifying players as: Brilliant Bishops, Relentless Rooks, Knowledgeable Knights and the Chess Champion based on increasing order of their performance and points. While five ‘Relentless Rooks’ have a chance to win Viswanathan Anand merchandise every day, top 10 Knowledgeable Knights will get a chance to meet the legend himself. One ‘Chess Champion’ will be crowned from amongst the top 10 performers who will get to play a game of chess with the chess master.

    Speaking about the contest, GlaxoSmithKline India EVP-marketing Jayant Singh said, “Over the years, Crocin has been trusted by millions of consumers in India to get effective relief from pain. Backed by the strong heritage of Crocin, New Crocin Cold & Flu Max not only provides effective relief from five signs of Cold and Flu but also helps bring back your focus. Chess is one such game that epitomizes focus and concentration. We are glad to host the ‘Chess Challenge’ with the brand ambassador for Crocin Cold & Flu Max Vishwanathan Anand. We wish him a great championship ahead!”

    Delighted at being associated with the contest, Viswanathan Anand said, “Chess is a unique game that truly tests the player’s ability to strategise and foresee. I am glad to be a part of the Crocin Cold & Flu Max ‘Chess Challenge’; the contest provides a platform for chess lovers to enjoy the game and also showcase their knowledge about the game through the quiz. What is interesting is that the game can also be enjoyed by inviting friends to join. I am looking forward to being challenged by the contest winner; it will certainly be an exciting game of chess!”

    The ‘Chess Challenge’ is supported by an extensive campaign consisting of display banners, YouTube video pre-rolls and stamp ads. Viswanathan Anand and Crocin have a long-standing association and the ‘Chess Challenge’ takes this association forward.