Fritz 16 - He just wants to play!
Fritz 16 is looking forward to playing with you, and you're certain to have a great deal of fun with him too. Tense games and even well-fought victories await you with "Easy play" and "Assisted analysis" modes.
Endgames of the World Champions from Fischer to Carlsen
Let endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller show and explain the finesses of the world champions. Although they had different styles each and every one of them played the endgame exceptionally well, so take the opportunity to enjoy and learn from some of the best endgames in the history of chess.
This week's lovely pair of games are by David Sprenkle an American who is a former Illinois champion and writes:
I'm 60, married with two daughters, and an Instructor of English at Northwestern Michigan College here in the wilds of Traverse City, Michigan. I'm pretty much retired from tournament chess these days — except to fend off pesky, talented young players in small local events (the photo I've attached shows one such encounter). But I like to follow the international chess scene on the internet — including ChessBase.com, of course!
Sprenkle, playing black against Gavin Roupe in 2016
In any case, on to the games. As a strong player, David sent just a few notes but in highly relevant places. I've left these untouched and added a few comments of my own as JS.
We begin with the Agony, in which near the end of the US Open, he conjured up a splendid attack but then imploded. David writes:
This is my agony submission, as much for the significance of the game as for the outcome. After a modest start to the tournament, one of the strongest U.S. Opens of that era, my 25-year old self had managed to conjure up a five-game win streak and after ten rounds I found myself tied for 3rd with Igor Ivanov and Fedorowicz at 8½-1½, sitting just behind Korchnoi (yes, that Korchnoi, #3 in the world at that time) and Christiansen at 9-1. As my reward, I was paired with the youthful Yasser Seirawan (then #10 in the world) on board 3. I was duly crushed, but, with one round left, there was still hope for a fine result.
Then this happened:
Click or tap a game in the game list below the board to switch
David sent the games to the ChessBase drop box (see below) a while ago but I didn't get round to them because there was no email address and it was only when I looked properly that I realised how excellent the material is.
Please, if you have sent games to the drop box without an address then send it there now. There may be a problem with the formatting (people sometimes send a single .cbh ChessBase file rather than the .cbv archive or .pgn which is necessary) or I may want to clarify something.
ChessBase Account Premium annual subscription
At the airport, in the hotel or at home on your couch: with the new ChessBase you always have access to the whole ChessBase world: the new ChessBase video library, tactics server, opening training App, the live database with eight million games, Let’s Check and web access to playchess.com
Did you enjoy the column and instructive analysis by GM Jonathan Speelman? Do you wish you could have a world-renowned grandmaster analyzing your play? You can!
To submit your games just upload a PGN or ChessBase file, along with your name and e-mail address. Send one success story (Ecstasy) and one loss (Agony).
Tell why you chose them, where or when they were played. Please also include your email address, so Jon can reply, and preferably a photo of yourself for our article.
If your game is selected Jon will contact you personally, and not only will you get free detailed commentary of your games by one of chess’s great authors and instructors, and former world no. 4 player, but you also win a free three-month ChessBase Premium Account!
A three-month Premium subscription to ChessBase Account means you get: