Organizing databases in ChessBase 15!

2/21/2019 – Keeping your chess databases in order, e.g. by arranging databases according to topics, players, openings, etc., makes training and improving easier and more fun. Database administration in ChessBase 15 is not difficult. Here's a little tutorial to help you. | Drawing: ChessBase
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Aeroflot Open: Better late than never

2/21/2019 – After a bomb threat forced the first round to be postponed, the Aeroflot Open kicked off on Wednesday at the Cosmos Hotel. A lot of the rating favourites only managed to score half points, but plenty of fighting chess was seen on the lower boards. The biggest surprises were given by Kaido Kulaots and Liu Yan, who defeated Parham Maghsoodloo and Jorden van Foreest, respectively. | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili / Russian Chess Federation

Game of the Week: P. Maghsoodloo vs S. Tiviakov

2/20/2019 – Ideas and strategies in Grandmaster games can be quite instructive. IM Merijn van Delft presents games like these every Wednesday at 19:00 UTC (20:00 CET, 2 pm EST). On this week's show: P. Maghsoodloo vs S. Tiviakov from the 3rd Stars Cup in Iran. The live show is free to watch, and available on-demand for ChessBase Premium account holders (but FREE for a limited time!). To chat, please visit videos.chessbase.com/live or login via Playchess for Windows.

Berlin to host big Bundesliga weekend

2/20/2019 – This year's edition of the prestigious German teams tournament has reached its half-point and, unlike the previous edition, it will see the squads gathering in Berlin midway through instead of doing so at the end. On March 1st-3rd three rounds will be played, which will include two key match-ups for defending champions and current leaders OSG Baden-Baden. Standings, pairings and more below. | Photo: schach2019.berlin

Preparation made easy: the ChessBase 15 Playerbase

2/20/2019 – The ChessBase 15 Playerbase is a very useful tool. It helps you to find information about other players: the openings he plays and how well he plays them or his rating development. Sometimes this information even comes with one or several photos of the player. And you can search online or offline. | Grafik: ChessBase
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James Mason and the London System

2/20/2019 – Today, the London System (1.d4 Nf6 - or 1...d5 - 2.Bf4) is a very popular opening but it took a while before it was taken seriously. Though it is a rather old line, and James Mason, one of the strongest players of the 19th century, used to play it regularly and with success. Stephan-Oliver Platz tells more about Mason and the development of the London System.

Bomb threats in Moscow: Round 1 of the Aeroflot Open was aborted

2/19/2019 – After a bomb threat the first round of the Aeroflot Open had to be aborted 45 minutes after the start of the games. The Cosmos Hotel, the venue of the Aeroflot Open, was evacuated. Moscow had to cope with various bomb threats this afternoon, and shopping centers, cinemas, and theatres were evacuated. Thousands of people are affected.

Endgame Magic with Karsten Müller and Robert Ris

2/19/2019 – Karsten is joined by Robert Ris. This week's show is live at 14:00 UTC (15:00 CET, 9:00 AM EST) and FREE to watch on-demand (for a limited time)!

The Weekly Show: Games from the 4NCL

2/19/2019 – IM Lawrence Trent brings you the latest trends, games and combinations from elite chess tournaments every Tuesday at 17:00 UTC (18:00 CET, Noon EST). This week he looks at games from the 4NCL, Britain's Four Nations League. Free to watch on-demand for a limited time with a ChessBase Basic Account. You can register a free 90-day account to watch.

Fast pawns and tricky endings

2/19/2019 – Pawn endings sometimes appear simple but they can be really tricky. And you may see this deceptively simple position as a warm-up for today's "Endgame Magic Show" in which Karsten Müller has Robert Ris as his guest. The "Endgame Magic Show" starts live at 14:00 UTC (15:00 CET, 9:00 AM EST) and is FREE to watch on-demand (for a limited time)! But first enjoy the warm-up.

Did Yoo know?

2/19/2019 – Child stars are a common sight in the chess world these days, but getting to know them more closely remains to be an enticing activity. At 12, Christopher Yoo already earned three IM norms to become the youngest American IM in history. And if he gets three GM norms in less than twenty months he will overcome Sam Sevian, United States' youngest ever grandmaster. Let us explore some curious facts about the future star. | Photo: David Llada / American Chess Magazine

New: Masterclass Vladimir Kramnik

2/19/2019 – For almost three decades Vladimir Kramnik has been one of the world's best players, and from 2000 to 2007 he was World Champion, the 14th in the history of chess. Kramnik has inspired countless players, from amateurs to grandmasters, and the new ChessBase Masterclass reviews the career of this outstanding player, improves your game and invites you to enjoy chess with Vladimir Kramnik.

Simon Says — Sacrificing the Rook on a8 in the Opening!?

2/18/2019 – In this Simon Says we take a look at some very interesting examples where in the opening, Black sacrifices the Rook on a8. Sounds weird!? Well you will have to tune in to see! Simon is live this week at the usual time: 18:00 CET (17:00 UTC). If you miss the show, you can watch it in the archive with a ChessBase Account. Don't have an account? You can register a free 90-day account to watch!

"Trophée Napoléon": Maxime Vachier-Lagrave wins match against Jorden van Foreest

2/18/2019 – 250 years ago, August 15, 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born. The statesman and military leader is said to have been a passionate chess player, and in France the opening 1.e4 e5 2.Qf3 is called "Ouverture Napoléon", Napoleon's Opening. The French emperor also founded the city of La Roche-sur-Yon which celebrated Napoleon's jubilee and his passion for chess with a match between Maxime Vachier and Jorden van Foreest. A campaign in which "MVL" was more successful. | Photo: La Roche-sur-Yon, Ville & Agglomération

The adventure of chess programming (3)

2/18/2019 – In the first two sections of this series, originally published in Der Spiegel, Europe's largest (and most influential) news portal, Frederic Friedel described his decades-long involvement in computer chess. He was commissioned to make the story personal, and in part three he describes his encounter with the latest twist in this area of research: artificial intelligence and self-learning machines that are playing at the very highest levels of the game. Where are we headed and what will the future bring?

Chess boom in Norway: Mikroputt and Liliputt

2/18/2019 – Tournaments for children have a certain tradition in Norway. In 1999, Carsten Opseth won one of these tournaments, Ørnulf Stubberud and Johannes Kvisla finished second and third. With 3 points out of 6 games a certain Magnus Carlsen was eleventh. Today, Stubberud and Kvisla are FIDE Masters while Carlsen is even more successful. | Photos: Holger Blauhut

The importance of endgame training

2/17/2019 – This week, JON SPEELMAN takes a gander at two games played by Niels Engelen, a 37-year-old Dutch software developer from The Hague (pictured), who is enjoying chess more than ever. Niels says he has been playing more often after having found a couple of chess buddies at his town's club, but he has also started to focus on training endgames, an activity that has already borne fruit. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Aeroflot Open to kick off with Wei Yi as favourite

2/16/2019 – The Cosmos Hotel, located in north-central Moscow, will host the 17th edition of the Aeroflot Open. Group A currently counts 39 registered players rated 2600 or above, with 19-year-old Wei Yi as the top seed. The event is a great chance for players that are vying to get a place in the elite to prove themselves against formidable opposition. Nine rounds will be played starting Monday, with no rest days in between. | Photo: Amruta Mokal (archive)

Valentina Gunina wins inaugural Cairns Cup

2/16/2019 – The critical game of the Cairns Cup finished drawn, but only after both players missed chances to get ahead. Nonetheless, a half point was all that Valentina Gunina needed to win the tournament and take home $40,000, while Alexandra Kosteniuk's performance was not too shabby either, as she got over thirteen rating points with her 6½/9 score. Irina Krush bounced back after two losses and defeated Harika Dronavalli to finish in sole third place. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

Cairns Cup - Round 9

2/15/2019 – Live games and commentary beginning at 19:00 UTC (20:00 CET, 14:00 EST) by GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade. Ten of the world's top female chess players compete at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis from February 6th to 16th. The tournament is similar to the Sinquefield Cup, but for women. Official site: USChessChamps.com

The Power Play Show - An attacking game

2/15/2019 – Friday at 17:00 UTC (18:00 CET, Noon EST) 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. Puzzle and the live video...

Demolition man

2/15/2019 – In the diagram position the black pieces seem to be perfectly placed but he still has to find a way to make short work of White's position. Do you want some action? Please, do not hesitate!

Champions Showdown in St. Louis

2/15/2019 – Immediately after the Cairns Cup (February 5 to 16) the Saint Louis Chess Club hosts another top class event: the Champions Showdown. From February 20 to February 24 ten top players show their skills in five rapid and exhibition matches. Press Release. | Picture: Saint Louis Chess Club

Cairns Cup: Russian showdown

2/15/2019 – The Russian participants are the only ones with a chance to take home the first prize of $40,000 at the Cairns Cup. Valentina Gunina will enter her final round game against direct rival Alexandra Kosteniuk a half point ahead…but she will have the black pieces. Both players drew their Thursday games in Saint Louis, albeit through very different paths: Gunina was close to lost against Abdumalik while Kosteniuk had the upper hand during most of her encounter against Dzagnidze. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club