Zugzwang

11/16/2021 – The diagram shows a position from a game between Teimour Radjabov and Hikaru Nakamura, played at the Meltwater Chess Champions Final 2021. It is White to move and he has to find the right square for his king to avoid getting into zugzwang. In the game, with limited time on the clock, Radjabov failed to find the right move. Can you do better?

Euro Teams: Russian teams win close matches

11/16/2021 – In the key matchup between top seeds Russia and Georgia in the women’s section of the European Team Championships, the rating favourites and defending champions defeated their Georgian rivals by 3-1 on Monday. In the open section, co-leaders Azerbaijan and Hungary drew their direct encounter, allowing Russia to catch up with them on 7/8 match points. | Photos: ECU Press

Svitlana's Smart Moves - Powerful knight endgames

11/16/2021 – Svitlana's Smart Moves started roughly half a year ago, and we made twenty episodes so far. The work with Svitlana is always a blast, and we are happy, that so many people follow the weekly show regularly. The Canadian WIM, not only produced a "Lazy Sicilian" opening course, but her newest Fritztrainer "Understanding Material Imbalances" has launched yesterday. Can there be any better time, than purchasing the products today, for 25% less? Back to the episode for today: Knight endgames can be very tricky, and Svitlana explains what to look out for in two examples.

Karsten Müller’s Endgame Magic Show #170: Endgame highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss in Riga (2)

11/15/2021 – In the Endgame Magic Show #170 Karsten Müller and Fabian Brinkmann continue to look at endgame highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss in Riga. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

Fritz 18 vs. Svitlana Demchenko

11/15/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko has to find all of her smart moves for a fun battle against Fritz 18, which is available very soon. The newest engine is made for playing interesting games, and finds some "human" moves on purpose for your and our entertainment. Although Fritz 18 gives Svitlana some subtle hints to the right direction, it still feels very satisfying to find an unstoppable mate combination against the engine.

Euro Teams: Azerbaijan and Hungary tied in the lead

11/15/2021 – Two teams have won their first three matches in the open section of the European Team Championships taking place in Slovenia. Azerbaijan, led by an inspired Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Hungary are sharing the lead on 6/6. Meanwhile, in the women’s section, Russia, Georgia and Armenia have perfect scores, with the Russians merely losing a half point in all their individual encounters. | Expert analysis by GM Karsten Müller. | Photo: ECU Press

Understanding before Moving 53: Space advantage (2)

11/14/2021 – 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 52rd instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to talk about the advantages of having a space advantage. | Photo: Tommy Grooten

Fritz 18: Evolving Genius

11/14/2021 – When's the last time you played a game of chess against a chess program? Normally it is pointless – you get thoroughly crushed, even if you are a 2800 player. But now you can challenge the computer: the brand new Fritz 18 uses its awesome power to set up brilliancies for its opponent! It is the ideal partner to train yourself to spot and execute spectacular combinations. The launch of Fritz 18 is on Discount Day, Tuesday November 16, when you can get the program at a premium price!

Carlsen's cool concept

11/13/2021 – In the diagram position White's pawn on c3 is attacked. Time for a world champion-like reaction - your call!

Thirty years! Happy Birthday Fritz (3)

11/13/2021 – In 2003 there was a gigantic man vs machine match in New York. Garry Kasparov faced "X3D Fritz", a chess program that used new hardware and software which allowed radically lifelike 3D images, floating hologram-like in front of the screen. The match was an unprecedented success, generating more media coverage than any chess game previously in history. It was also full of adventure for the ChessBase team.

Grand Swiss Highlights - Part 2

11/12/2021 – The 2021 FIDE Grand Swiss concluded on November 7 with Firouzja and Caruana taking the qualification spots to the 2022 Candidates tournament. Two of the most important games from the second half of the event, Caruana – Firouzja and Firouzja – Howell are analysed by Joshua Doknjas. He also takes a look at the impressive second half performances of David Howell and Grigoriy Oparin. | Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

Game of the Week 489: F. Caruana vs A. Firouzja

11/12/2021 – This week, Merijn van Delft takes a look at the direct clash between Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja, who got spots in the next Candidates Tournament at the Grand Swiss in Riga. A top-notch struggle indeed! | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz is back!

11/12/2021 – The Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz Tournament will take place on November 17-21 in Kolkata. This time, fourteen players will be taking part. The lineup will be spearheaded by Levon Aronian. This event aims to give maximum exposure to Indian youngsters who have been rapidly climbing the rating ladder. Vishy Anand will be present at the tournament as a mentor to the young talents.

Trent's Tactics - King hunts with queen stunts

11/12/2021 – During this episode of Trent's Tactics, we talk about the new coronavirus situation getting wilder again, and what it might mean for the European Team Championship, which is starting today. Lawrence also mentions the World Rapid and Blitz Championship, falling on Christmas, and him not being able to participate once again. What can lighten up these darker themes? Some of Trent's Tactics!

Giri, Grischuk and Firouzja among top stars at European Team Championship

11/12/2021 – The 23rd edition of the European Team Championships will take place on November 12-21 at the Hotel Toplice in the Terme Čatež Spa Complex, in eastern Slovenia. An open championship and a women’s championship will be played concurrently, with each event a 9-round Swiss tournament. Both Russian teams arrive in Slovenia as the defending champions and rating favourites.

Robert Ris’ Fast and Furious: Four queens in the Geller Gambit

11/11/2021 – This week, well-known Dutch trainer Robert Ris takes a look at a game between Boris Gelfand and Sergei Movsesian from the Grand Swiss in Riga. It was a fantastic battle, with four queens appearing on the board as early as on move 11. Not to be missed! | "Fast and Furious" is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

Nur-Sultan to host World Rapid and Blitz Championships

11/11/2021 – The World Rapid and Blitz Championships, one of the most awaited events in the calendar for chess fans, will take place on its traditional dates: December 25-30, 2021. The tournaments will be hosted by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and will be played in Nur-Sultan, the capital of the country (formerly known as Astana). | Photo: FIDE

"My favourite Polgar game"

11/11/2021 – Judit Polgar is generally regarded as the best female chess player of all time. Playing almost exclusively in men's tournaments, she advanced inexorably to the top of the world. In 2004, at the age of 28, she climbed to 8th place in the world rankings. The following year she took part in the tournament for the Men's World Championship and reached an Elo high of 2735. In the new ChessBase Magazine #204 our authors comment on their personal favourite games of the great Hungarian. The result is an exclusive collection of 23 (mostly very spectacular!) victories from the period spanning from 1989 until 2014. Polgar's was well-known for her furious attacking style. A fine example is her win against Vadim Ruban from 1993, annotated by IM Robert Ris. We hope you enjoy it!
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Magnus Carlsen presents ‘The Maître’s Gambit’ in an exclusive interview

11/11/2021 – The Royal Hideaway Sancti Petri is a 5-star hotel located in Cadiz, Spain. Recently, world champion Magnus Carlsen visited the resort and was presented as ambassador of “The Maître’s Gambit”, a recurring activity in which Guillermo Garcia, a former Spanish Junior chess champion, plays simultaneous exhibitions against guests of the hotel. In an interview, Carlsen talked about grandmaster preparation, his early years as a chess player and “The Queen’s Gambit”

Forester Open in Grapevine, Texas

11/10/2021 – The 2021 Forester Open, with a planned $20,000 prize fund and norm opportunities, will take place on November 24–28 in Grapevine, Texas. Its organizer is Blakeman Chess, founded by 20-year-old Cole Blakeman. He plans to expand Blakeman Chess outside of Texas and build its reputation as one of the biggest U.S. chess tours.

Svitlana's Smart Moves - Kasparov's immortal

11/10/2021 – If you have a favourite book, or a favourite film, our guess is, you have read or watched them more than once. Without a doubt, one of the greatest chess games ever played is the one between Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov from 1999 in Wijk aan Zee. A game which you probably looked at more than once already. But how well do we know this game by heart? Svitlana gives us the chance to guess the correct move in eleven crucial moments of the game. How many can you guess?

Elisabeth Paehtz: “For every kilo I gained, I gained ten Elo points”

11/10/2021 – Elisabeth Paehtz played an outstanding tournament in the Women’s Grand Swiss, where she came second. Her performance granted her a spot in the next Grand Prix, and she also scored a GM norm, but it is not entirely clear whether this was her second or third norm. In an interview, she explains why and talks about the factors that helped her improve during the last year or so. | Photos: FIDE

In memory of Mikhail Tal

11/9/2021 – The ‘Magician from Riga’, Mikhail Tal, enchanted the chess world in the 1950s and 1960s with his amazing combinations. He was ill all his life, but nevertheless belonged to the absolute top of the chess world for decades, even after losing the World Championship title. Today is the 85th anniversary of his birth. | Photo: Dutch National Archive

Thirty years! Happy Birthday Fritz (2)

11/9/2021 – In November 1991 ChessBase launched its first chess playing program for PCs. After a modest start it picked up strength and started challenging the best players in the world. In 1992 the reigning World Champion Garry Kasparov played 35 blitz games, on his notebook, a beta of Fritz 3. He won 31, the computer won four. In 1994 Fritz was equal first with Kasparov in the strongest blitz tournament of all time (17 GMs, Elo average of 2625). In a supreme effort, Garry won the playoff.