2016 Shamkir Rd2: From lukewarm to scalding

5/27/2016 – There was nothing tepid about the second round with three decisive games and hard battles. The first to win, and the cleanest, was Indian Harikrishna who beat Mamedyarov. Eljanov and Caruana had a balanced battle, but Fabi pressed until Pavel blundered and lost. Karjakin blundered his queen to Giri, and in spite of heroic efforts, lost. All wins annotated!

A beautiful study explained

5/27/2016 – "One of the prettiest studies I have seen in recent times!" wrote Indian GM Abhijeet Gupta when he posted it on Twitter. Sagar Shah tried his hand at solving the position and gave it to a number of his students. The reaction was the same – everyone who was able to find the solution had a feeling of unadulterated joy. Here’s the study with a detailed explanation, including why King Leonidas is on the thumbnail!

Super idea

5/27/2016 – 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.

2016 Shamkir Rd1: A lukewarm start

5/26/2016 – It wasn't the most thrilling start with three draws in which there were never any doubts as to the result. It wasn't all dull though, with a rollercoaster game between Safarli and Eljanov that saw the Ukrainian dead won, then blew it to be lost, and by the time control it was equal and drew. Caruana pressed an advantage against Harikrishna for a long time, but drew. Round one report.

Casablanca - a tribute to a classic

5/26/2016 – Although the timeless masterpiece "Casablanca" is adored by film-lovers throughout the world, among chess fans in particular, it holds a special place in our hearts for the famous chess scene with Humphrey Bogart. Very recently, Madeleine LeBeau, the last surviving credited cast member passed away at the age of 92. We take advantage to pay homage to the great classic.

Shamkir: Gashimov Memorial starts on Thursday

5/25/2016 – The Shamkir super-tournament, also known as the Gashimov Memorial, kicks off tomorrow with an interesting range of players. Despite the absence of two-time winner Magnus Carlsen, the field is star-studded, with big names such as Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Hou Yifan, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and others. We bring you a small preview, the opening ceremony and the schedule of our live broadcast!

Cheating incident mars Delhi under 1600

5/25/2016 – The total prize fund of the Delhi Chess Association Below 1600 FIDE Rated Chess Tournament 2016 was a cool one million Rupees (about US $15,000). Many participants feared that such a colossal sum – by Indian standards – was bound to attract cheaters. But the arbiters were ready for that. When one player finished with 8.5/9 points he was searched and found to be using machine assistance – in a fairly clever way.

Rapport's Retreats

5/25/2016 – 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!

Jon Speelman's Agony Column #3

5/25/2016 – In this week's column, two violent games are presented by a reader and analyzed by GM Speelman. One is a painful loss that went horribly wrong, but with a valuable lesson, while the second is a victory worth cheering about described as "my most satisfying attacking game in many years". The grandmaster also shares a missed resource from a game of his own, and challenges readers to do better.

Ernesto Inarkiev is the 2016 European Champion

5/24/2016 – It was nothing short of an imperial performance by Russian GM Ernesto Inarkiev who stormed away with the tournament from start to finish, defeating all his would-be challengers, to end on 9.0/11 with a 2882 performance. Igor Kovalenko, who lost to him in round nine, bounced back with two big wins to take sole second. Here is the report with games and positions.

A list of must-haves and should-buys

5/24/2016 – The number of DVDs and products in the ChessBase Shop literally number the hundreds. What is best, or more specifically what is best for you? It depends on what you are looking for in chess, your level of play, your ambitions to get better. In case you are a mite overwhelmed by the vast range of products, here is a list, based on hands-on experience, of personal recommendations.

Karpov Diem: Happy 65th birthday, Tolya!

5/23/2016 – When Anatoly Karpov was 11 years old, he was invited to Botvinnik’s chess school. But the “Patriarch” passed a harsh verdict: “The boy has no clue about chess and therefore absolutely no future as a chess player.” Rarely was a judgement about chess talent more wrong — Karpov went on to become the 12th World Chess Champion. Here is a look at his career and lots of games.

Arrabal translates Hou Yifan interview

5/23/2016 – Fernando Arrabal Terán is a playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist and poet, last survivor among the “three avatars of modernism” (New York Times theatre critic Mel Gussow). Arrabal has a strong interest in chess and writes a column on it for the French weekly L’Express. He has reproduced our interview depicting Yifan as Joan of Arc and himself as Pan, the mythological Greek shepherd god of the nymphs.

In the line of fire

5/23/2016 – 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.

Visiting Hamburg and ChessBase

5/23/2016 – Ever wondered what it was like to come and visit the ChessBase headquarters in Hamburg, Germany? Accompanying her husband, GM Erwin L'Ami, who came to record another excellent DVD (stay tuned for its release!), chess writer, traveler, and photographer extraordinaire Alina L'Ami shares her look at the vibrant city and office where ChessBase and Fritz were born in this photographic tour.

The wrong bishop – part two

5/22/2016 – Last Monday we explained the endgame bishop and edge pawn vs a lone king, and how volatile it becomes when the bishop does not control the promotion square of its pawn. Today we will tell you how some famous people fared with the study we gave you to solve. We also explain didactically how to solve such endings and give you two more studies to hone your skills in a vital area of chess.

2016 Euro Ch. Rd9: Inarkiev activates 'god mode'

5/22/2016 – In a number of video games, such as classics like Doom 2 and many others, there is a secret cheat code that unlocks "God Mode". Once unlocked and active, this usually makes player-characters invulnerable. Ernesto Inarkiev seems to have stumbled on that code as he won a second straight game with black to grab sole lead, a full point ahead.

Grand Chess Tour Rapid and Blitz in Paris

5/21/2016 – In just over two weeks the first event of the 2016 Grand Chess Tour will be inaugurated in Paris, France. The best players in the world will duke it out over four days in rapid and blitz chess, including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Vladimir Kramnik and more. The games will be broadcast via Dailymotion Games, a company specializing in broadcasting video games live. Press Release.

2016 Euro Ch. Rd8: Inarkiev continues to steamroll

5/21/2016 – Going into round eight, two players lead ahead of the rest. To say this is crunch time is an understatement. Ernesto Inarkiev scored a powerful win over co-leader David Navara taking sole lead, followed by a dozen others, all with chances to steal the gold at the first slip. In the meantime, Pavel Eljanov called Dubov's win a masterpiece reminiscent of Torre-Lasker.

Chess Progress: making the big leap

5/21/2016 – Contrary to some fields where controlled steady progress is the norm, chess is dominated more often than not by timely bursts forward preceded by periods of seeming stagnation. It can be tricky knowing when it is one or the other. Here is the tale of just such a leap forward, as well as tips and recommendations to help you make your big leap.

Young Stars Success

5/20/2016 – It is clear that chess in on the rise in many countries. Talents are popping up everywhere, from Armenia to India, from China to South America. However, it seems that the combined program between the Kasparov Chess Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club, named the Young Stars, has a key to success. They currently have the two strongest players born in the year 2000, and they only keep going up!

Why Hou Yifan has dropped out of the cycle

5/20/2016 – At fourteen she was the youngest female player ever to gain the title of grandmaster, and at sixteen she became the youngest Women's World Champion in history. She has won the title four times and is the reigning champion. Now Hou Yifan, 100 points stronger than any of her colleagues, has abandoned the Women's Championship cycle. She tells us why and calls for a reform of the system. Her proposal is amazingly simple.

Gjakova, Rd. 7: Inarkiev and Navara lead

5/20/2016 – Ivan Saric, after six rounds sole leader at the European Championship in Gjakova, suffered a setback in round seven and lost against Ernesto Inarkiev. After this win Inarkiev has 6.0/7 and shares the lead with top seed David Navara, who won a rook ending against Baadur Jobava. Half-a-point behind the leaders follows a group of six players with 5.5/7 each.

New: Nigel Davies: The Accelerated London with 2.Bf4

5/19/2016 – Alexander Grischuk plays it, Ruslan Ponomariov plays it, and a lot of strong grandmasters play it: 1.d4 followed by 2.Bf4, the Accelerated London. For a long time this line has been underrated but it is more dangerous than many people believe. On his new ChessBase DVD Nigel Davies shows how White can make life difficult and dangerous for Black. More...