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Chess Grandmasters now on Zapak.com
BANGALORE: Zapak Digital Entertainment (Zapak) a Reliance ADA Group venture, announced the launch of India’s first full-feature online ‘Multiplayer Chess’.
The Multiplayer Option provides the advantage of playing against your friend who could be anywhere across the world, and also has three difficulty levels; for beginners, advanced players and experts. Zapak.com also launched ‘Multiplayer Speed Chess’, where the player has only ten seconds to make a move.
Koneru Humpy, the Reigning World Junior Champion, only 33 ELO points away from being called ‘Super Grandmaster Champion’ and Tania Sachdeva, the Reigning Asian Junior Girls Champion, unveiled the game and showcased the gameplay.
Speaking about the performance of the portal on this occasion, Zapak COO Rohit Sharma, said, “We have become the fastest growing portal in less than two months from launch reaching 5,00,000 registrations and crossing 5,00,00,000 page views.
The performance of the portal has surely exceeded our expectations and we are continuously adding new features on our website so that we exceed our players’ expectations. In fact we have even witnessed registrations from Vishakhapatnam, Siliguri, Jabalpur, Ludhiana, etc besides the Metros and even International Locations.
Computer gaming the world over is dominated by males – almost 85% of the gamers are male, however according to Sharma, Zapak has around 25-30% female subscribers, a swing from the norm, while discussing the current three TVC’s on air which focus on males. The TVCs’ have been created by Marketing Ants, while the Reliance internal team handles the media part. Over the last two months since the launch of the gaming site around Rs.45 million have been spent on the media campaign according to Reliance Entertainment president Rajesh Sawhney.
Currently on offer is a bouquet of 160 plus games on the site with plans to ramp this number up to 500 games by the end of March this year. Zapak also announced an online chess championship for the Zapak Grandmaster starting February 01 this year with a prize purse of Rs.100,000/- for the Grandmaster.
According to Reliance estimates, the global gaming industry is worth around US$45 billion and is expected to grow to US$53 billion (which would make it larger than the Hollywood film industry), while that of the Indian industry is expected to grow to US$424 million by 2010.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
