The dreamhack festival scheduled to take place from 4-6 November will also feature open Chess tournaments, a deathmatch between two grandmasters and several chess workshops with many fun activities.
Nodwin gaming by Nazara Technologies have partnered with ChessBase India and stand-up comedian Samay Raina for the chess events. The open tournament includes a rapid and blitz tournament with a prize pool of 10 lakh INR.
The two grandmasters dueling each other are Gukesh D and Arjun Erigaisi. The winner of the Grandmasters duel will take 3 lakh INR and the runner-up 2 lakh INR. The event will also feature Comedian Over the Board (COTB), one of the most popular chess events organized by 6 comedians. This will be the first time COTB will be done live in person, as it has always been done online.
The CEO of ChessBase India, Sagar Shah, said, “The vision of ChessBase India has always been to make chess the most popular sport in the country. I am very happy that chess will be a part of an iconic event like DreamHack. I am extremely thrilled and so looking forward to it.”
Gukesh D, ranking number 2 in India and number 18 worldwide, said, “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 at the 2nd edition of the ChessBase India originals Death Match.”
Arjun Erigaisi, ranking number three in India and number 19 in World, said, “I was closely following the 1st edition of Death Match between Anish and Vidit; it was so thrilling and intense. Now I’m delighted to be playing the 2nd edition of Death Match against a very strong opponent like Gukesh. Also, as far as I can recall, this is going to be my first 1 on 1 OTB, that too in my backyard at Hyderabad. So all in all, extremely excited.”
The COBT hosted by Samay Raina will have 8 of the best chess-playing comedians face each other for a chance to win 5 lakh INR and the title of ultimate COBT champion. The comedians facing each other are Samay Raina, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Vaibhav Sethia, Anirban Dasgupta, Joel Dsouza, Manik Mahna, Sumit Sourav and Tanmay Bhat.