Chess.com India's July 2018 newsletter
July 2018 was one of the busiest months in the chess calendar for chess players all over the world, especially Indians. We had IM P. Karthikeyan and WGM Tania Sachdev winning the Commonwealth Championships 2018, our latest GM, R. Praggnanandhaa, played exceptionally well at the Leon Masters and several others scouted European opens for ratings, norms and prizes.
P. Karthikeyan and Tania Sachdev win Commonwealth Titles
Indians dominated the Commonwealth Championship on home soil by winning 47 medals out of a possible 51 held at New Delhi, India.
You can read an in-depth report on these championships here.
The top 3 medal winners along with the AICF representatives. | Photo: Delhi Chess Association
Pragg steals the show in Leon despite defeat
India's latest minted GM, R. Praggnanandhaa, created a flutter in his semifinal match against World No. 7 ~ GM Wesley So of USA at the Leon Masters in Spain.
Pragg definitely brought the lion in him at Leon. | Photo: Leon Masters
The match ended with 1.5-2.5 in the favor of the American, but the event showed Pragg can compete with the absolute elite.
You can read a detailed report about the Leon Masters 2018 here.
Indians in Europe!
As many as a hundred Indians have flocked to the continent of Europe in search of rating points and prestigious title norms.
Norms and titles achieved in the month of July 2018
| No. | Name | Tournament | Norm | Remarks |
| 1 | IM P. Iniyan | Barbera open | GM | 3rd norm |
| 2 | Saloni Sapale | Barbera open | WIM | Title completed |
| 3 | Neelash Saha | Barbera open | IM | 1st norm |
| 4 | Gaurav Kumar | Barbera open | IM | 2nd norm |
| 5 | Bitan Banerjee | Canadian open | IM | Title completed |
| 6 | Soham Das | Benasque open | IM | Title completed |
| 7 | Ojas Kulkarni | Paris open | IM | 2nd norm |
| 8 | FM Anand Nadar | Paris open | IM | 2nd norm |
| 9 | FM Sai Krishna GV | Quebec open | IM |
Title completed |
| 10 | Rakshitta Ravi | Paradubice open | WIM |
2nd norm |
| 11 | Priyanka Nutakki | Paradubice open | WIM |
2nd norm |
| 12 | Anuj Shivratri | Sitges open | IM |
1st norm |
| 13 | Prantik Roy | Xtracon open | GM |
1st norm |
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Rakesh Kulkarni is the Director of Indian Social Media for Chess.com and a correspondent on chess in India.
Rakesh has earned the International Master title and is a former Commonwealth Blitz Champion and a Commonwealth Bronze medallist in the junior category. Rakesh has a Masters of Commerce degree in Management & Business administration. He now is a professional chess player and trains young talents across the globe on chess.com
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