12/3/2018 – After the success of the first volume on Calculation Training, Dutch IM Robert Ris continues with “Extreme Calculation Training” — a wide range of new aspects which have to be mastered to become a great calculator at the board! The topics discussed in the original series (candidate moves, method of elimination & imagination) are certainly useful when studying the content of this new video series. Special attention will be paid to intermediate moves, quiet moves, sacrifices on empty squares, mating patterns, ignoring opponent threats, calculation in defence and methods of comparison. On top of that, more practical advice for training is recommended, for instance how to handle your time management and how to visualise the position in your mind during the calculation process. After going through the 13 examples from the theoretical section, it’s time to switch the brain to active participation and your calculation skills will be tested seriously! The frequent request for more puzzles has been granted, as Ris has selected no less than 50 games with multiple questions. After all, training your calculation abilities is an activity which never ends; it takes continual practice to stay sharp at the board!

12/3/2018 – Grandmaster ADRIAN MIKHALCHISHIN takes a look at some of the key games from the World Senior Championships recently concluded in Bled, Slovenia. Featured are the games of 65+ runner-up Yuri Balashov and third place Nukhim Rashkovsky, Women 65+ winner Nona Gaprindashvili, best 50+ woman Elvira Berend, Open 50+ champ Karen Movsziszian and runner-up Giorgi Bagaturov | Photo: Tadej Sakelšek

12/2/2018 – The Slovenian city of Bled received players from more than sixty countries for this year's World Senior Championships. Open and women's tournaments for players aged 50+ and 65+ took place from November 18th to 29th. Nona Gaprindashvili (pictured), Elvira Berend, Vlastimil Jansa and Karen Movsziszian were the winners. During the rest day, some of the participants plus other 'visitors' competed in the Albin Planinc Memorial, a 9-round rapid tournament won by Mladen Palac. | Photos: Official site

12/2/2018 – Can a master level blitz match be more exciting than an elite level match? Are amateurs or semi-pros able to showcase their creativity, imagination, dazzling combination and sacrifices as well as the big guns? Is over-the-board (OTB) chess more exciting than online chess and streaming? The answer two all these questions a resounding, yes, argues DAVIDE NASTASIO, who presents many positions from a recent match — Meruga vs Mbonu (pictured) — that he finds useful for training. Blitz rules like touching a piece or losing because of an illegal move don't exist in online chess. In OTB chess this makes the difference between life or death! So don't miss the chance to add some tactical ideas or endgame learning to your arsenal!

12/2/2018 – This week GM JON SPEELMAN takes a submission from a Belgian 2200 player featuring the Pirc Defence. Feel free to send in your own games! Jon can always use more material from readers. If your games are selected for the Agony column, 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!

12/1/2018 – FIDE's December ratings are out and surprisingly little has changed across all rating categories. The World Championship did not lead to a new number one. The Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun will have to wait to claim the number one spot as well, since Hou Yifan played in the German League and is in no danger of dropping off the rating list due to inactivity despite her ongoing University studies. There was more of a shakeup in rapid and blitz ratings thanks to India's first ever super-tournament which featured both. | Pictured: Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun survived a strong challenge to hang on to her title, not unlike a certain Magnus Carlsen! | Photo: ugra2018.fide.com

12/1/2018 – Remember our article on the Babson task? Tim Krabbé told us the tragic story of how a fanatical problem composer failed, after 22 years of exhausting labour, to find a position that required quadruple echo promotion — only to see a 26-year-old soccer trainer succeed with multiple examples. Today there are 20 known examples, but none are free of duals. A very erudite 99-page paper by Peter Hoffmann describes the current state of affairs, and problemist Werner Keym is offering substantial cash prizes for the perfect Babson.

11/30/2018 – Today, on November 30th, 2018, Magnus Carlsen celebrates his 28th birthday, carefree, as World Champion, after successfully defending his title two days earlier in a match against Fabiano Caruana by a 3-0 win in the rapid tiebreak. Carlsen is already considered one of the best players of all time, but a few numbers show how impressive his career has been, and provide a handy gateway into the ChessBase archives. | Pictured: Magnus Carlsen in the ChessBase office in October 2017 | Photo: Nadja Wittman

11/30/2018 – Friday at 18:00 CET (17:00 UTC) Daniel King will go on air on playchess.com. You can watch the episode live for free. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer, plus Daniel will be looking at the tie-break games from the World Championship. Puzzle and the live video...

11/30/2018 – The World Championship has naturally dominated the headlines over the past three weeks, but let us not forget that chess is played by millions of amateurs worldwide. That's the focus of a new tournament in Serbia from January 3rd-11th, 2019. DIANA MIHAJLOVA explains. | Pictured: The Amateur Chess International Tournaments are accompanied by an ever-present mascot: a stylized chess piece with a head of a panther, called "Archibald". | Photos: Tournament archive

11/30/2018 – The inaugural Ivy Chess Challenge was the one of the strongest collegiate tournament to be ever held in North America, after the Pan-American Collegiate Championships. Though the name is a bit misleading, as only three out of the six teams were Ivy Leagues, the tournament nevertheless boasted very strong chess-players, on both rating and academics. QIYU ZHOU was there representing the host University of Toronto and sends this report. | Photo: Changong Yu

11/30/2018 – The diagram position saw the queen sacrifice 18.Bxh6, giving rise to fantastic complications. After 18...Nxf4 19.Bxg7+ Kh7 20.Rxf4 White threatens checkmate. Can you show — or maybe even remember — how Black could have won?