Lots of fun on playchess.com!

9/21/2016 – When the playchess.com server went online 15 years ago it changed the way chess was played, trained, and enjoyed. In part two of his memories of 15 years of playchess.com, ChessBase editor André Schulz reflects about the advantages, the pleasure and the fun online chess offers, and shares memories of the many prominent players who visited the ChessBase studio in Hamburg or at international tournaments.

Jon Speelman's Agony Column #20

9/21/2016 – After a short interlude in Baku, we return this week to this column's normal business, with a tale of Agony and revenge in the regional Bundesliga. Sent by Andreas Beyerlein they comprise two games against the same opponent, Miroslav Kalous. In 2010 Andreas got a winning position but then dived into the abyss; two years later he easily converted another won game. Analysis and training by GM Jonathan Speelman.

Kavalek on Huffington: US Team wins Olympic Gold

9/20/2016 – We can't get enough of the 42nd Chess Olympiad that finished last Tuesday in Baku. It was one of the most exciting events of the year, and saw some extraordinary chess and results. Huffington Post columnist GM Lubomir Kavalek tells us how the US Americans bested 170 teams to win Gold and gives the three rules required to achieve this. His game analysis is as always profound and entertaining. Perfect for an early autumn Sunday.

Chess goes art: the Tal Memorial begins on Saturday

9/20/2016 – Under the motto "Chess is Art" the Russian Chess Federation and the Timchenko Foundation organise important tournaments and matches in museums. In 2012 the World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Boris Gelfand was played in the Tretyakov Gallery and on Saturday the strong 10th Tal Memorial (Elo-average 2760) begins with a blitz tournament in the recently opened Museum of Russian Impressionism in Moscow.

Three new exhibitions at the World Chess Hall of Fame

9/20/2016 – The city of Saint Louis plays a substantial role in the chess boom in the US. The city hosts prestigious tournaments such as the Sinquefield Cup or the US Chess Championships, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis supports talents and helps to make the game more popular, and The World Chess Hall of Fame highlights the many fascinating cultural aspects of chess. Recently, the Hall of Fame announced three new exhibitions designed "to celebrate five years in Saint Louis".

Happy Birthday: 15 years of playchess.com!

9/20/2016 – Today the ChessBase playchess.com server celebrates its 15th birthday. On 20th September 2001 the server went public and only minutes later the first chess fans wanted to play. Today, thousands of chess fans from all over the world play and train on the server, watch the many audio- and video-files, and follow top tournaments live. ChessBase and playchess made online chess incredibly comfortable! To celebrate, ChessBase has presents for its readers, customers and friends.

Racing pawns

9/20/2016 – Every week ChessBase magazine author and renowned endgame expert Karsten Müller presents a remarkable or particularly instructive endgame in his blog. A click on the diagram opens a larger board. Test your endgame skills, improve and have fun!

Jan-Krzysztof Duda plays best game in the Bundesliga!

9/19/2016 – In Germany's first league, the "Bundesliga", 16 teams with eight players each play a 15-round round-robin team tournament. Now, the readers of "schachbundesliga.de", the internet portal of the "Bundesliga", voted for the best game of last season. However, voters did not have to go through all games of the season, 15 made it to the shortlist. The most votes received Jan-Krzysztof Duda's win against Grzegorz Gajewski, a fine example of the power of pawns.

"Truth, beauty and annihilation: my quest for chess mastery"

9/19/2016 – Stephen Moss is a successful English journalist, and he is a passionate chessplayer. On 22 September 2016 his book "The Rookie: An Odyssey through Chess (and Life)" will apear. Last week, in "The long read" column of the English "Guardian" Moss published a long article in which he takes his readers on to an excursion into the world of chess and talks about his chess career, the pain of defeat, and the charm and allure of the game.

Learning from Kramnik!

9/19/2016 – Among the many brilliant performances turned in at the Baku Olympiad was Vladimir Kramnik's gold medal performance on board two, and taking him to 2817 Elo and world no.2. While everyone appreciates his brilliance, understanding the games and moves of such a deep player often requires the help of a grandmaster who can shed light on seemingly baffling choices. Providing just that is GM Elshan Moradiabadi who shares his insights in this wonderful class on strategy.

Hockey and Football at the chess board

9/18/2016 – If you thought the three activities hockey, football and chess don’t mix, think again. During the summer break, the Doprastav Bratislava Chess Club (Slovakia) organized a chess exhibition match between hockey players and footballers. This match between big names of the sport in Slovakia, included such players as Miroslav Šatan, a hockey player who was world champion and even won a Stanley Cup. His personal love for chess motivated him to help make this unlikely event possible. Illustrated report with a mind-boggling video.

View from The Pack: Australia at the Baku Olympiad

9/17/2016 – An event such as the Baku Olympiad will generate enormous interest, great games, and historic moments, but have you ever wondered what it was like from an insider's point of view. We don't mean from the perspective of an on-site reporter, but rather one who had to make the tough decisions each and every day: the captain! What follows is an article by Manuel Weeks, the captain of the Australian team, as he dealt with the decisions and worries that might decide his team's fate. A fascinating account with games and quizzes.

Even Kramnik couldn't find this one!

9/17/2016 – Three years ago Vladimir Kramnik won the 2013 FIDE World Cup in Tromsø, a 128-player knockout tournament. It was a fine and stunning victory, which involved defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (currently the World's number two) in the sixth round. In game two Kramnik could have settled matters with a study-like win he had on the board, but failed to find. Not surprising in short time controls under high pressure. Try to solve the position and let Sagar Shah of ChessBase India teach you a bit about an important endgame.

Feeling fine against 1.d4

9/16/2016 – A solid mix of solid play and aggression - that is what Black wants with the Queen's Gambit Declined. And that is what Daniel King wants to give you on his DVD "Powerplay 23" - a "Repertoire For Black With the Queen's Gambit Declined". German amateur Sebastian Vigl, who now seems to be an ardent fan of the QGD, had a look at the DVD and shares his impressions in a personal review.

IM Li Ruifeng wins North American Junior Open U20

9/16/2016 – Chess is on the rise in the US, symbolized by the gold medal the US team won at the 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku. And there seems to be no lack of talent in the US. Jeffery Xiong is the top rated player in the world born in or after 2000 and he recently became World Junior Champion. Li Ruifeng is the top rated player in the world born in or after 2001 and he recently won the North American Junior Open U20. After a dramatic last round.

Nerves of silicon steel

9/16/2016 – 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.

World Championship 2016 – new broadcast, new sponsors

9/16/2016 – The 2016 World Championship, which will take place from November 11th to 30th in New York, has announced that it has a new sponsor, EG Capital, and has partnered with Livestream to build a Virtual Reality broadcast platform that will allow people all over the world a 360° view of the match. This is a first for any sport and will cost viewers $15 – for all twelve games. Naturally there will be traditional broadcast with partner chess news sites. Press release + video.

Olympiad quiz: and the winners are...

9/15/2016 – Before the Olympiad in Baku began on 1st September, ChessBase invited its readers to answer three questions to predict which team would win the open, which team would win the Women's Section and who would win gold for the best result on board one in the Open. Hundreds of readers replied but no one had the right answer to all three questions. As so often, it was Baadur Jobava who surprised everyone.

Elisabeth Pähtz: How to exchange pieces

9/15/2016 – What is better - knight or bishop? And why? In many positions these are difficult questions but knowing the right answers to them helps to make the right moves and win more games. Practice and study helps to develop a feeling for the right exchange which simply makes you a better chessplayer. On her new ChessBase DVD Elisabeth Pähtz offers a practical and useful guideline that shows how to exchange pieces.

Anand: 'In chess, 40 is the new 50'

9/15/2016 – Recently Susan Ninan met Vishy Anand at his home in Chennai to do an interview for ESPN India. The thing which separates this interview from many others we have read in the past is the detail and candour with which Vishy answers the questions related to age and aging, tackling younger opponents, fatherhood, staying relevant in an evolving sport – and, inevitably, to retirement. We reproduce this interview along with some very interesting historical pictures.

Romantic chess in modern times

9/14/2016 – In the romantic era of chess many games followed a similar pattern: a sudden attack was fueled by sacrifices to get a lead in development and, ideally, the opponent was finally mated with a flourish. This way of playing led to a number of gambits, particularly after the opening moves 1.e4 e5. But can you still play that way today? On two ChessBase DVDs Dutch Grandmaster Erwin l'Ami used modern chess engines to take stock of all gambits that might arise after 1.e4 e5. German amateur player Henrik Meyer took a look at Volume 1 of this Gambit Guide.

Daniel King's final report from the Baku Olympiad

9/14/2016 – In the final video report on the Baku Olympiad, Daniel King brings images and comments on the eleventh round. He talks about the big matches with the historic US victory, including the surprising tiebreak conundrums, which turned into a vertiable cliff-hanger, and a small chat with Ukraine's top board Pavel Eljanov. He discusses China's first Gold with Hou Yifan, and other tidbits from Azerbaijan. Plus additional on the spot interviews.

Tie-break system decides Olympiad

9/14/2016 – After the US team had won the Olympiad in Baku on tie-break Hikaru Nakamura congratulated German Grandmaster Matthias Blübaum via twitter for "the win of the tournament" and thanked "Germany" for helping the USA to win gold. Blübaum, indeed, had played the game that was crucial for the, as Daniel King put it in his video report about the last round, "arcane" tie-break system, and decided the Olympiad in favor of the USA. But why exactly?

From Baku: Jon Speelman's Agony Column #19

9/14/2016 – As one of England's top players Jon Speelman played in many Olympiads, in Baku he was captain of England's women's team. Of course, the many games played in the Olympiad offer a wealth of material for Speelman's "Agony/Ecstasy Column". But for now he focuses on his compatriots and presents adventures and misadventures of the English teams in Baku.