10/2/2020 – Some might think that ChessBase was the inventor of the chess database. That is true to some degree, but there is a predecessor, and Frederic Friedel was a part of it. In the video we talk about one of the very first commercially available chess database systems, called "Intelligent Chess", and we opened our little ChessBase museum to present to you, the original prototype including a database on audio cassette.

10/2/2020 – "With the games and analyses in this article, I'm confident you are well-equipped to face 6.f4 against the Najdorf in a practical game." That's how Niclas Huschenbeth closes his article on 6.f4 in the Najdorf in the current ChessBase Magazine #197. Only a few days after the editorial deadline, he had the opportunity to test his analyses in practice at the German Masters. Andreas Heimann promptly attacked Huschenbeth's Najdorf with the aggressive 6.f4. And? Huschenbeth came out of the opening without any problems, but missed a nice winning chance in the middlegame.

10/2/2020 – In the diagram position White is a pawn down but Black has not castled yet and is far from being fully developed. Black's last move 13...Qb8 targets White's pawn on e5 but did not do anything for Black's development. Don't you let him get away with it!

10/1/2020 – The 2700chess.com webpage has been keeping track of top players’ ratings on a daily basis for quite a while now. Besides presenting the highest rated players in classical, rapid and blitz, both in the open and the women’s categories, they have included a list of the highest live ratings ever achieved. Let us recap the top ten of this list, and look at the games which gave each of the players their highest-ever live rating.

10/1/2020 – After the corona lockdown the players gradually play again over-the-board, which led to some movement on the rating lists. However, while World Champion Magnus has been very active online, he did not play a single elo-rated game. But with a rating of 2863 Carlsen is still the world's number one, and he is currently 35 points ahead of Fabiano Caruana who indeed played some over-the-board games in September.

10/1/2020 – Chess Classics are an integral part for every young chess player's development. These are the building blocks which help you to develop your style of play. IM Sagar Shah has started a new series on the ChessBase India YouTube channel where he has taken on the challenging task of covering some of the most important classics in chess! The first one he begins with is his personal favourite - Botvinnik vs Capablanca AVRO tournament 1938. A young Botvinnik takes on an experienced Capablanca and outplays him both strategically as well as tactically. 10 positions to solve, an hour long video and detailed game analysis for you to understand this duel.

9/28/2020 – In the 1930s, Bela Lugosi (best-known as Dracula) and Boris Karloff (best-known as Frankenstein) were the world's two most popular horror movie actors. In the film "The Black Cat" from 1934, Lugosi and Karloff played a sinister game of chess against each other - for the life and the liberty of a young woman.

9/28/2020 – The Covid-19 situation has presented the world with a tough time. The chess world is also affected heavily with over-the-board tournaments dwindling in number. But one thing that has received a tremendous boost is the level of chess education that has been made available in the last few months. A prime example of this is the Chess Stars Academy launched by GM Teimour Radjabov a few days ago. The World no.9 Azeri GM has launched his online academy together with two of his trainers, Vladimir Chuchelov and Igor-Alexandre Nataf, who have been responsible for his rise to the top in the last few years! Get to know more about Raja's new venture and the courses on offer.

9/28/2020 – With two rounds to go, Silla Bosch Serinsys has grabbed a one-point lead at the Spanish Team Championship taking place in Linares. Magic Extremadura defeated Jaime Casas in round five to climb to sole second place, while Beniaján Duochess, Solvay and Andreu Paterna still have chances to fight for the title as they stand two points behind the leading squad. | Pictured: Pia Cramling v Raquel Pablos | Photo: Spanish Chess Federation

9/27/2020 – Four times in a row, from 2016-2019, Komodo won the World Computer Chess Championship. And Komodo 14 is even stronger than its succesful predecessors and will help you to improve your game. With the Fritz Powerbook 2020 included, this "Autumn-Special" bundle, for only €89.90, is a "Championship Powerhouse" (offer valid till 30.9.)! 25 million opening positions, derived from millions of high-class tournament games, is what the Fritz Powerbook 2020 contributes. And if that isn't enough, all bundle-buyers have a chance to win a signed DVD by Indian super talent GM Nihal Sarin.

9/27/2020 – Alexander Donchenko won the ACP-ChessBase Knockout Tournament, which took place in the Emanuel Lasker Arena of the PlayChess server a couple of months ago. In an interview with Bojana Bejatovic, the German grandmaster talked about online chess, the psychological factor in the game and his advice for aspiring players. “No matter how much or how little you trained, you must be able to show as much of it as you can when it matters most, during a tournament game”, says Donchenko. | Photo: Amruta Mokal

9/27/2020 – The former leaders from Andreu Paterna are now sharing second place with Magic Extremadura after losing their Saturday encounter against Beniaján Duochess. Solvay and Silla Bosch Serinsys took this chance to grab the lead, with Solvay currently placed first on tiebreaks. However, while Silla Bosch Serinsys will play tailender Collado Villalba in round 5, Solvay will face the rating favourites from Beniaján. | Photo: Spanish Chess Federation