Strong resource in the London System

2/12/2022 – The "Lucky bag" of ChessBase Magazine Extra has never been so extensively and diversely filled as in Extra #205! The new issue offers no less than 73 annotated games, including two tricky training exercises by GM Sasikiran. GM Kapnisis presents various opening ideas ("Scotch advance", "Benoni strikes", "Petroff rook shifts", "English castling"), plus analyses by Edouard, Krasenkow, Sumets and many more. However, Imre Hera's analysis of his game against his compatriot Zoltan Almasi from the Hungarian League - "The brilliancy" of this issue - is right at the top of the "Lucky bag". For his success against the higher-rated opponent, Hera employed a surprise in the popular London System: after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 b6 4.e3 Be7 5.h3 c5 he went for the unusual 6.Nc3, which immediately posed problems for the nine-time Hungarian Champion. Take a look!
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One false move!

2/12/2022 – While you are looking at this rich diagram position - would you be so kind to show why 22...Kxc8?? loses the game for Black?

Berlin GP: Dominguez and Rapport win tiebreakers, reach semis

2/11/2022 – The two players who won their round-6 games to force tiebreaks in their respective groups managed to also win their 2-game rapid matches on Friday to reach the semifinals of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin. Leinier Dominguez knocked out Wesley So and will face an in-form Levon Aronian, while Rapport eliminated Radoslaw Wojtaszek and thus gained the right to face Hikaru Nakamura in semis. | Photos: World Chess

Daniel King’s Power Play Show: The Archbishop and the Octopus Knight

2/11/2022 – In his Power Play Show, GM Daniel King looks at two of his favourite themes - the Octopus Knight and the Starfish Bishop - which occurred in games from the Berlin Grand Prix. Daniel will feature these masterful strategic performances from Levon Aronian and Daniil Dubov. | 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.

Svitlana's Smart Moves - Ivanchuk and Shirov demonstrate creativity in chess

2/11/2022 – If you think of a massively creative chess player, who comes to mind? Tal? Larsen? Creativity in chess is fairly important, to find "impossible" moves in a chess game. Moves, which would never cross your mind. But regularly, these are the moves which can decide a game in a beautiful way. Svitlana was taught creativity in chess by one of her coaches, and passes her knowledge on to us.

Hybrid Match: ECU Board vs Berlin Chess Association

2/11/2022 – As part of the Berlin Grand Prix, members of the Berlin Chess Association played a friendly "hybrid" four-board match against members of the ECU Board. The ECU team played from Thessaloniki, the Berlin team from Berlin, and after an exciting battle the match of the officials ended with a 2-2 tie.

Berlin GP: Nakamura in semis after wild sixth round

2/11/2022 – Frequent evaluation swings in tense-filled encounters made for an exciting sixth round at the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin. In the end, the one player who secured a spot in the semifinals on Thursday was Hikaru Nakamura. Naka and Levon Aronian, who qualified after round 5, will face the winners of Friday’s playoffs. In the rapid and blitz tiebreakers, Richard Rapport will face Radoslaw Wojtaszek, and Wesley So will play Leinier Dominguez. | Photos: World Chess

Robert Ris’ Fast and Furious: An exciting gambit

2/10/2022 – This week Robert Ris shows why the almost forgotten Schara von Hennig Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4) has become popular again and attracts players like Grischuk and Jorden van Foreest. Ris also shows a clear game-plan for Black that will help you to try this exciting gambit with success! | "Fast and Furious" is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

Boris Gulko turns 75!

2/10/2022 – In the 1970s Boris Gulko was one of the best players in the USSR and the world, and he is one of the few players who has a positive score against Kasparov. In 1976, after Kortschnoi had fled the USSR, Gulko refused to sign a critical statement against Kortschnoi, and as a result Gulko was targeted by the authorities. For seven years, Gulko fought to emigrate from the Soviet Union, and in 1986 he moved to the USA, where he continued his chess career. On 9 February 2022 Gulko celebrated his 75th birthday. | Photo: Les Glassman

Berlin GP: Aronian qualifies with a round to spare

2/10/2022 – Levon Aronian became the first player to secure a spot in the semifinals of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin. The US grandmaster qualified to the knockout stage with one round to spare after getting an unsurmountable 1½-point lead in pool C. Suspense remains in the other three pools, though, with seven players going into Thursday’s sixth round still with chances of getting one of the three remaining spots. | Photos: World Chess

Game of the Week #502: Aronian vs Vidit, Berlin, Grand Prix 2022

2/9/2022 – In his "Game of the Week" show #502 Merijn van Delft takes a look at the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin, and shows how Levon Aronian defeated Vidit Gujrathi in the very first round of the tournament in a fine game that might prove crucial at the end. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

The Weekly Show: Grand Prix Berlin

2/9/2022 – In his "Weekly Show" Lawrence Trent takes a look at the Berlin Grand Prix, focusing on the smooth positional masterpiece Aronian-Keymer from round 3. Lawrence also talks about Yuri Averbakh, who turned 100 on 8 February 2022. | Lawrence’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here

Austria no.1 Markus Ragger teaches Grunfeld Defence

2/9/2022 – There are plenty of openings to choose from and learn. Which one to prepare and where to begin? We are here to solve that dilemma. Austria no.1 and FIDE Trainer Markus Ragger explained the basics of the Grunfeld Defence. He even included his most recent games in this two volume ChessBase DVD. The opening course has been created with thorough research and utmost care because he himself plays it in his career. Check out the 100+ minutes long interactive session with IM Sagar Shah where Markus Ragger shows and explains a lot of lines of the popular opening and answers audience questions too. Photo: ChessBase India

University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley wins 2nd Annual Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup

2/9/2022 – The Kasparov Chess Foundation organized the second annual KCF University Cup which was played on lichess.org and hosted on chessstream.com on the weekend of February 5 and 6, 2022. The tournament attracted students from every continent and from over thirty countries. With nearly 700 participants, the event was a resounding success. | Photo: Garry Kasparov | Photo: ChessBase

Congratulations! Yury Averbakh turns 100!

2/8/2022 – Yury Averbakh is the world's oldest living Grandmaster. In his prime, he was one of the strongest players in the USSR and the world, and in 1953 he took part in the legendary Candidates Tournament in Zurich. After his active career Averbakch worked as author, editor, theoretician, second and official. Today, 8 February, he turns 100! Congratulations! | Photo: Averbakh at the match USA vs. USSR, New York City, 1954 (via D. Griffith)

Tallaksen Ostmoe, rated 2466, holds Magnus Carlsen to a draw

2/8/2022 – After gaining 3.1 rating points by scoring a brilliant 9½/13 at the Tata Steel Masters, Carlsen gave up 4.1 rating points by drawing a single game in Norway. Geir Sune Tallaksen Ostmoe, an International Master and chess composer, showcased his endgame abilities to defend an inferior position with the black pieces until getting an outstanding 84-move draw against the world champion. | Screenshot: Sjakkforbundet / Twitch

The Winning Academy 5: What to do with a bishop pair?

2/8/2022 – The pair of bishops can be a powerful weapon. If you know what to do with them. In the fifth installment of "The Winning Academy" Jan Markos shows what you should do to convert the advantage of having the pair of bishops into a winning position.

Berlin GP: So and Fedoseev score crucial wins

2/7/2022 – Round 4 of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin saw three games ending decisively, each of them in a different group. Going into the rest day, three of the four pools have sole leaders — Hikaru Nakamura, Levon Aronian and Welsey So — while in pool B Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Vladimir Fedoseev (pictured) are sharing first place after the latter obtained a convincing victory over Grigoriy Oparin. | Photos. World Chess

Safety first

2/7/2022 – Passed pawns are particularly powerful in queen endgames because the mobility of the queen helps to support the advance of the pawns. However, king safety is also an issue. In the diagrammed position Black's a-pawn is far advanced, but Black's king has to find a way to hide from the enemy checks. How can Black protect her king, queen the pawn and win the game?

Karsten Müller’s Endgame Magic Show #181 - with Mihail Marin: Endgame highlights of Wijk 2022

2/7/2022 – The well-known author and Grandmaster Mihail Marin is Karsten Müller's guest in the Endgame Magic Show #181, and Mihail and Karsten look at highlights from the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee 2022. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

New: The Hippopotamus system of defence

2/7/2022 – What is the Hippopotamus system of defence? The idea is that, at the beginning of the game, Black develops within his own first three ranks. He constructs a solid, flexible and hopefully stable position, awaiting events. At the right moment, he will strike back! The Hippopotamus was given the name by an eccentric English amateur player JC Thompson, back in the 1950’s. It seems as good a name as any. Given the right conditions, Black will emerge from the chessboard swamp and crush all before them.

Battle of the Sexes: Men triumph!

2/7/2022 – The final round (ten) of the Battle of the Sexes match-tournament, held at Gibraltar, saw the men’s team win by 6½-3½ to finish overall winners by 53-47. The winners on the final day were Bobby Cheng, who beat Jovi Houska; Ravi Haria, who beat Olga Girya; and Bilel Bellahcene, who defeated Marie Sebag (her only loss of the event). Balazs Csonka drew his game with Marsel Efroimski and this was enough to secure his second grandmaster norm.

Berlin GP: Aronian in full control

2/7/2022 – Fighting chess has been the rule rather than the exception at the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin, as Sunday’s third round marked the halway point of the group stage. Round 3 saw half the games ending decisively, with Levon Aronian becoming the first player to score two wins in the event. Aronian now has a full-point lead over Vidit Gujrathi in group C. | Photos: World Chess

Dirty forks and dead parrots

2/6/2022 – A talk with his son Lawrence got Jon Speelman thinking about how many Monty Python sketches he could link to specific chess themes. He thus came up with ‘dirty forks’, ‘dead parrots’, ‘four Yorkshiremen’ and ‘the Ministry of silly walks’. Enjoy!