Candidates, Round 13: Live

7/3/2022 – The Candidates Tournament is the ultimate qualifier for the FIDE World Championship. Eight prominent grandmasters compete for the right to face reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen in a match for the crown. The event is a double round-robin held in Madrid, Spain, from 16 June to 5 July 2022. Rounds kick off at 15.00 CEST (09.00 ET, 18.30 IST). Follow the games live with expert commentary!
More...
 81

Conversations with the Gods

7/3/2022 – Unlike in ancient times, in our (chess) world, the oracles are not priestesses but silicon based. For high grade but not necessarily perfect information, we turn to computer engines. The crucial thing is that, however splendiferous the software, it has to be we who control the process. We need to put the time to work through the lines with the engine to understand why we should play a specific move in a given position. | Pictured: Ganesha, a Hindu deity, the deva of intellect and wisdom
More...
 1

"Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" - New training series with Jan Markos

7/3/2022 – Anyone who hopes that he or she will one day succeed in playing a perfect game will, in principle, attach the same weight to every move in a game. After all, every move could be a mistake or - which would be just as bad - simply not the best move! In the first article of his new training series, Jan Markos explains, among other things, what consequences the pursuit of perfection can have on your time management. And he explores the question in which types of positions it makes sense to invest your time at all. You can watch an excerpt from his highly recommended video from ChessBase Magazine #208 here!
More...
 1

Understanding before Moving 86: Basics of the Benko Gambit (5)

7/3/2022 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In the 86th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to explain why playing the Benko Gambit might be a good choice for club players. | Photo: Pascal Simon
More...
 2

Endgames from Madrid (4)

7/3/2022 – Eight of the strongest players in the world are fighting in Madrid to get a shot in the next match for the world crown. Deep opening preparation and maximum focus often lead to slightly better (or worse) endgames. GM Karsten Müller aims his attention at the last stage of the game, as he compiles the most salient and instructive endings from the Candidates Tournament. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage
More...
 3

Kasparov on Nepomniachtchi, Firouzja and Carlsen’s boredom

7/2/2022 – Between 1985 and 2000, Garry Kasparov played no fewer than eight matches for the World Championship title. The living legend is, without a doubt, an expert on the topic. During round 12 of the Candidates, the Russian joined the Saint Louis Chess Club webcast, and gave his opinions on Ian Nepomniachtchi’s performance, Alireza Firouzja’s bullet binge, and the likelihood of Magnus Carlsen agreeing to play the next match for the crown.
More...
 23

Cancer and their strategy

7/2/2022 – Chess legends Paul Morphy, Adolf Anderssen, Henry Bird, Ernst Falkbeer, and Johann Löwenthal were star sign cancer in the age of romantic chess. With Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Gelfand, Anish Giri, Alexei Shirov, Alexander Morozevich, and of course Ian Nepomniachtchi, we have the almost 200 year older equivalent in the present time. Of the players listed, their merciless attack is often in focus. Does cancer really feel most comfortable with fire on board, or does the aggressive strategy have other reasons? | Photo: Pixabay
More...
 1

Touch and go

7/2/2022 – In the diagram position, White's 37.Rd6 attacked the queen b6 which is guarding the Ne3. Now only one move puts Black on the winning track - perhaps you'll need to think for some time to find it!
More...
 3

Candidates R12: Radjabov stops Ding, Nepo almost there

7/2/2022 – In the one decisive game of round 12, Teimour Radjabov stopped Ding Liren’s winning streak by beating him from the black side of a Nimzo-Indian Defence. Much earlier, less than ten minutes after the round started, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura signed a 14-move draw by repetition. The day’s results left Nepo two points ahead of his closest chasers with two rounds to go. The Russian is now a half point away from securing tournament victory. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage
More...
 11

Daniel King’s Power Play Show: Grand strategy from the old school

7/1/2022 – In his "Power Play Show" Daniel King examines a classical game between Alexander Alekhine and Fred Yates, in which the former world champion dominated his opponent by taking control of the open file and the dark squares. He also looks at a similar game from 1972 featuring the great Yuri Averbakh. | Power Play is on air most Fridays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.
More...
 1

"MVL" on the Candidates, Chennai and Carlsen

7/1/2022 – It has been more than a year since Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (MVL) finished second in the Candidates tournament. Ideally, the French Grandmaster should have been playing in this year’s edition too. However, he missed out following disappointing performances in the Fide Grand Prix events. With the 2021 Candidates tournament relatively fresh in mind, Dhananjay Khadilkar spoke to MVL on a range of issues including his pick for the 2022 Candidates, skipping this year’s Olympiad and the possibility of Magnus Carlsen not defending the world championship title.
More...
 9

Robert Ris’ Fast and Furious: An interesting line against the Petroff

7/1/2022 – This week Robert Ris takes a look at the game Firouzja-Nepomniachtchi in which we again got to see Nepo's favorite Petroff. Firouzja opted for the interesting sideline with 5.c4, which eventually led to a non-typical Petroff structure. In the game Firouzja lost quickly but there are different, and better, ways to play this line. | "Fast and Furious" is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.
More...
 1

Candidates R11: Nepo wins, Caruana collapses

7/1/2022 – The two most relevant games for the standings finished decisively in round 11 of the Candidates Tournament. Ian Nepomniachtchi beat Alireza Firouzja with black, while Fabiano Caruana first failed to make the most of a better position and then went astray against Ding Liren. This was Ding’s third straight victory, which leaves him in sole second place, 1½ points behind Nepo. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage
More...
 12

Game of the Week #522: A positional masterpiece

6/30/2022 – In his “Game of the Week” show #522 Merijn van Delft looks at a positional masterpiece, in which the knights got dancing and the pawns pushed ahead. | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.
More...
 1

Firouzja on tilt? Bullet-chess spree amid Candidates Tournament

6/30/2022 – Alireza Firouzja had a brilliant 2021. The youngster reached the second spot in the world ranking and qualified to the Candidates Tournament. Expectations were high after Magnus Carlsen hinted that he would gladly face him in a World Championship match — unlike other opponents. Things have not been going according to plan in Madrid, though. After his round-10 loss, the 19-year-old played over 300 bullet-chess games online, and not during a rest day. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage
More...
 5

CBM #208: Analyses from the European Champion 2022 Matthias Bluebaum et al. New series "Practical tips for the tournament player" and much more

6/30/2022 – European Individual Championship 2022: Analyses by the new champion Matthias Bluebaum as well as Gabriel Sargissian, Ivan Saric, Ruslan Ponomariov, Aryan Tari, Ivan Cheparinov, Rasmus Svane, Yuriy Kuzubov, Maxime Lagarde and others - Looking for a fighting concept against Trompowsky? In her opening article, Petra Papp relies on 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5!? - "Special" on the FIDE World Championship 1997: exclusive collection of 22 extensively annotated games + articles on strategy and endgame highlights - Don't miss: Jan Markos' new training series "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" Vol. I: "Time management" - Or jump straight into interactive training with Robert Ris and replay a current master game "Move by Move" with video feedback!
More...
 1

Candidates R10: Ding and Naka strike as Caruana falters

6/30/2022 – Fighting chess was the rule rather than the exception in round 10 of the Candidates Tournament. All the players — except Ian Nepomniachtchi, naturally — chose fighting lines, attempting to win at all costs, as the event is coming to an end and first place is all that matters. In the end, Ding Liren and Hikaru Nakamura won and caught up with Fabiano Caruana in shared second place, as the latter overplayed his hand and was defeated by Jan-Krzysztof Duda. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage
More...
 7

Karsten Müller and Luis Engel: The 4 Player Types model - A review

6/29/2022 – The German Grandmasters Karsten Müller and Luis Engel developed a model that allows to classify players according to their playing style: The 4 Player Types model. According to Müller and Engel there are "Activists", "Pragmatists", "Theorists", and "Reflectors". Each group of players has distinctive strengths and weaknesses and knowing which type of player you are - and the opponents you play against - can be extremely helpful. Tanmay Srinath liked the model.
More...
 2

Endgames from Madrid (3)

6/29/2022 – Eight of the strongest players in the world are fighting in Madrid to get a shot in the next match for the world crown. Deep opening preparation and maximum focus often lead to slightly better (or worse) endgames. GM Karsten Müller aims his attention at the last stage of the game, as he compiles the most salient and instructive endings from the Candidates Tournament. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage
More...
 1
12345...Next