Tactics test – Find the Winning Moves

2/17/2017 – The monthly British magazine CHESS has been going strong for over eighty years. It is currently published by the Chess & Bridge Ltd., London, and brings its readership all the news from the UK – but also from the rest of the world. It also has interesting sections, like three pages of tactical puzzles taken from games of various recent events. Here's a selection of these puzzles, presented on our interactive JavaScript board – an orgy of tactics.

Trade with care

2/17/2017 – Tactics can seem deceptively simple, particularly when seeing an engine analysing grandmaster games. Strange, however, how difficult it is to find the right move and to calculate variations properly when playing yourself. It is easier if you solve tactical puzzles regularly. In the ChessBase Magazine and his tactics column Oliver Reeh helps you to do so.

Greater Scholastic Tournaments in America

2/16/2017 – 2017 marks the 15th anniversary for the Kasparov Chess Foundation, and they are celebrating with record-breaking events around the U.S. This past weekend, despite sharing a busy schedule with the traditional Super Bowl, the Greater New York, Greater Chicago and Greater Baltimore Scholastic Chess tournaments brought in over 2000 players! Garry Kasparov himself made an appearance in New York.

Tehran WWCh Rd2 G2: Consistency, nerves, and a bit of luck

2/16/2017 – The second game of round two saw even more melodrama with so many upsets and excitement. After losing a completely won position, Caissa decided to square matters with Natalia Buksa, giving her the kind of luck she needed to win a near lost position against Sopiko Guramishvili, and force a tie-break. Theirs was hardly the only one to go to a tiebreak, and no fewer than nine matches will need to be decided in overtime. Here is the report with photos and GM analysis.

ACP letter in support of GM Zhang Zhong and WGM Li Ruofan

2/15/2017 – The "golden couple" GM Zhang Zhong (FIDE rating 2641) and WGM Li Ruofan (FIDE rating 2352) are Singapore's top players. But they have been banned from participating in the the forthcoming Asian Zonal 3.3 which starts on February 24, 2017, in Tagaytay, Philippines. The Singapore Chess Federation accusing them of not going through the SCF when registering for other events, and of showing "insufficient involvement in the local chess life." The Association of Chess Professionals has protested.

Daniel King on Bobby Fischer

2/15/2017 – Bobby Fischer was known for his eccentric behavior and for his principled, clear and aggressive chess. On his Power Play Chess Show on YouTube ChessBase author Daniel King recently analysed one of the many strategically instructive Fischer games. Daniel King on Bobby Fischer...

Tehran WWCh Rd2 G1: Even distribution on Valentine's Day

2/15/2017 – Nothing would please men more, at least the romantic at heart, than to be able to mold the world into the stuff of dreams for their sweethearts on Valentine’s Day. Sadly, chess can be a heartless cad, even on Valentine’s Day. It was a perfectly balanced day with half the matches starting in draws and the other half in decisive games, but the actual battles over the board were hardly so equanimous. Enjoy this illustrated report with GM analysis.

Pal Benko's Valentine Day problems

2/14/2017 – Since the days of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century Valentine's Day, February 14, has been associated with romantic love, with the presentation of flowers, confectionery and (often anonymous) greeting cards called "valentines". Our indefatigable friend, problem composer Pal Benko, sent us something different: twin problems in valentine shapes. Take a look, but be warned: they are trickier than you would expect – and definitely more romantic.

A clumsy knight

2/14/2017 – Knight or bishop - who is better? Blitz specialists tend to prefer the knight but bishops can make knights look very lame. In today's endgame blog Karsten Müller presents one example of good bishop vs bad knight. Later today - at 4 pm CET to be precise - Karsten Müller shares more endgame secrets in his Endgame Magic Show. His guest today is Swiss Grandmaster Yannick Pelletier.

Tehran WWCh Rd1 TB: Draws are not enough!

2/14/2017 – With eleven mini-matches reaching tie-breaks, players started the first tie-break in a hair-raising fashion. The most notable characteristic of these tie-break games was the uncompromising approach of the players in every match. The most dramatic incident was the host’s disappointment when they saw both of their local players lose their respective matches. Here is the report on the tiebreaks with a detailed look at the matches and games.

Using and embedding the powerful new Live Replayer

2/13/2017 – You may have noticed recently the posts on the Live events featuring a brand new live replayer, replacing the previous one that showed a number of very small boards. The new replayer is not only easier to navigate, but includes great tools such as an engine you can run, and the ability to move the pieces on the board and analyze. Learn how you can also embed it free in your own pages.

83rd Brazilian Ch. Rd6-9: Matsuura continues to dominate

2/13/2017 – The Brazilian Championship is finally rounding the last curve as it enters the home stretch, and while it cannot claim the ultra-elite field of national championships such as Russia, it has more than made up for it in fighting spirit and fun. The top guns are leading as one might expect, but it has not been a smooth ride as even top-seed Fier nearly lost in 20 moves. Illustrated report with games and positions.

Tehran WWCh Rd1 G2: Live another day!

2/13/2017 – 20 of 63 ladies lost their respective matches and had to leave the cycle. 11 matches went into the tie-break with hair-raising pressure. For many, it was the question of survival in the competition. In Tehran, many of the players who lost their first games managed to bounce back and square the match, some did not. Check out GM Elshan Moradiabadi's illustrated report and analysis.

Erwin L'Ami's Dutch Stonewall – A hard nut to crack

2/12/2017 – Dutch Stonewall is an underrated opening. Players with the white pieces who play 1.d4 usually do not devote much time to studying the best way to deal with it. It's a positionally dubious system, is what they think. However, the Dutch grandmaster Erwin L'Ami has come out with a ChessBase DVD that will change your opinion about the Stonewall. L'Ami calls it a perfect weapon for a fighting game of chess. IM Sagar Shah, a firm adherent of 1.d4 in his chess career, presents his findings.

Tehran WWC: Bittersweet beginnings

2/12/2017 – The first round of the Women's World Championship 2017 was off to a controversial start in Iran. For a handful of higher rated players, it was a frustrating opening round as they were held to draws. Some even lost. Check out GM Elshan Moradiabadi's illustrated report with analysis and more.

Women World Championship starts in Tehran

2/11/2017 – After an almost non-stop stream of controversy regarding the Women World Championship, whether because of the infamous Hajibgate, or simply the country itself, the grand championship has finally begun its cycle to determine the next title-holder. The opening proceedings were somewhat overshadowed by the recent demise of Romanian IM Cristina Foisor, who remained in the roster as a tribute. Here is the amply commented report on the opening by Elshan Moradiabadi.

Mikhalchishin: Pattern Recognition and Typical Plans

2/11/2017 – "Studies prove: the more patterns you know, the better you play," says Ukrainian GM Adrian Mikhalchishin. He is one of the best trainers in the world: he coached the USSR team, the national teams of Slovenia, Poland and the Netherlands, and was the trainer of Anatoly Karpov (1980-1986) and other famous players. Now he turns his attentions on you: in a new Fritztrainer DVD he reveals the pattern recognition secrets of the World Champions. Don't miss it.

Sunway Sitges: Chess on the Catalonian Beach

2/11/2017 – Imagine an Open tournament with beautiful surroundings around the venue, a beach nearby. Imagine going to the playing hall by pedaling a bicycle on the seashore. Atul Dahale found it so mesmerizing that he thought he was in a different world. Find beautiful pictures, annotations, GM masterclass by the winner, and more in his personal report!

Jon Speelman's Agony Column #40

2/10/2017 – This week the Agony/Ecstasy features none other than our columnist himself. He played a game against an old rival and friend, John Pigott, got outplayed and was faced with a clearly worse endgame. "I did something grossly stupid, and then he reciprocated, offering a draw in a position which turns out to be winning! A very lucky escape for me, and later he generously assented to my using the game here." There is a lot to learn from this week's column.

FIDE Training on Playchess

2/10/2017 – FIDE has partnered with ChessBase to provide FIDE training courses via Playchess. Anyone who wishes to acquire a FIDE Trainer title, can now register for this series of lectures and participate online without geographical restrictions. All participants will not only be eligible for one of four FIDE Trainer titles, but will also receive a full copy of ChessBase 14 upon registration. Please note that the course is limited to 30 participants, and will run from March 3 - 5. Don't miss this opportunity!

Act or react?

2/10/2017 – Tactics can seem deceptively simple, particularly when seeing an engine analysing grandmaster games. Strange, however, how difficult it is to find the right move and to calculate variations properly when playing yourself. It is easier if you solve tactical puzzles regularly. In the ChessBase Magazine and his tactics column Oliver Reeh helps you to do so.

83rd Brazilian Ch. Rd3-5: Three draws!

2/10/2017 – That might sound like the title of a dull round, a plaintive complaint of lack of fighting spirit, but the contrary is true here. Three is actually the grand total of non-decisive games after five rounds in a tournament with twelve players. The win rate is absolutely unprecedented, and one player has been the greatest beneficiary: Everaldo Matsuura with 5.0/5. Illustrated report with master analysis.

The Modern Pirc: A Mix of Tactics and Strategy

2/9/2017 – An opening destined to become a trend is the rather curious looking Modern-Pirc. Or as some grandmasters are already admiring it, a fusion of the strategies involved in the Modern Defence and the Caro-Kann Defence. If you are wondering how that is done, you are about to find out.

My favourite chess book

2/8/2017 – What's your favourite book of chess? This question is asked many a time, and every chess player has a book that is close to his heart. Usually it's a book that one has read in childhood and has ignited the love for the game. In case of IM Sagar Shah it was a book by Irving Chernev. In this article he speaks about what he loved about the book and also annotates his favourite game, which, to be frank, is some sort of a fairy tale!