The last trump

1/27/2015 – 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.

Tata Steel Final Recap

1/27/2015 – Wijk aan Zee has come and gone; two weeks of exciting chess, surprises, and full of passionate chess. There were some quick draws, some games that were not as exciting as others, but there was not a single round in this event that did not have a gem, a point of interest, a spectacle to be admired. Some players did better than others, and we give you a summary of each one of them.

Anand as you never heard him before

1/27/2015 – It was an offbeat series of questions and answers in a highly enjoyable interview in The Indian Express, leading to a look at the very human side of top-level chess. While enjoying a rare break, Vishy Anand talks about about topics such as how he was once confused for a movie star, how he has a pretty poor memory, and even the dating scene in chess.

2015 Women's World Championship is announced

1/27/2015 – After the alarming news that the 2014 Women's World Championship had been put on hold with no definition in sight, due to lack of sponsorship, FIDE has finally published the dates, location and prize fund. The event will be held in Sochi, Russia, it will start in less than two months, and the players have two weeks to sign the contracts. Here are the full details.

Gibraltar Open starts tomorrow!

1/26/2015 – Several events tried very hard to take away the title of the "strongest open" of the year. Qatar, Millionaire, Reykjavik, to name a few... but they all fall short of Gibraltar: for the first time in history a 2800 player will be participating in an open event, and with 30+ 2600 players the tournament is sure to be a complete slugfest. We bring you a preview of the tournament.

Three million view chess players playing soccer

1/26/2015 – When we published the pictorial by Alina L'Ami with her pictures and comments, we were confident it would be a success with the readers since the photos were fun, varied, and plain good, with her revealing comments. What was not expected is that one of the images from the article was then reposted on a social network where it instantly became viral.

A dangerous surprise: 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4

1/26/2015 – Some players like to play 1.d4 but are not happy after 1...d5. Maybe they fear the dangers of the Queen's Gambit or the intricacies of the Catalan. GM Henrik Danielsen from Iceland proposes a surprising alternative: 2.Bf4! The bishop move is rarely played and looks innocent. But in a 60 minute ChessBase DVD Danielsen shows why it is a good weapon for White.

Hawaii: Aloha Chess Friend

1/26/2015 – The beautiful Pacific island group will be the host of an Inaugural Chess Festival in March 2015 – a weeklong series of world-class events that bring chess enthusiasts from all over the world to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. You may be interested to attend this unique chess event – and participate in a crowdfunding initiative that can win you the chess vacation of a lifetime! Press release.

Wijk aan Zee: the pictures and their stories (2/2)

1/26/2015 – The first part of this series of pictures by Alina L'Ami was met with warmth and enthusiasm by the readers, and as promised here is the second part. In it are the moments when the players are oblivious to all but their own microcosm, the beauty of Wijk aan Zee when the conditions are just right, and of course what helps bring us closer to the author: her unfettered comments.

Carlsen wins Wijk masters, Wei Yi wins B

1/25/2015 – That Carlsen took first was no surprise, but the question was who would take second. It was a four-way tie for 2nd-5th, with Vachier-Lagrave pipping out his rivals, followed by Giri, So and Ding Liren. If there ever was a heralding of the new generation, this was it with all top five places taken by players under 24. The Wijk Challengers was won by 15-year-old Wei Yi. Last round analysis.

Ni Hua at the University of Melbourne

1/25/2015 – After scoring an extraordinary result of 10.5/11 in 2015 Australian Open Championship and shooting his rating back above 2700 in Sydney, GM Ni Hua's next stop was to the second largest city in Australia, Melbourne. In addition to visiting friends and to celebrate the great victory, the champion gave a simul at the University of Melbourne in the historic 1888 building.

ChessBase Chrismas Puzzles 2014 – solutions

1/25/2015 – Today is the final day to submit your solutions to 2015 New Year's Puzzle Contest. To get you in the mood we show you the final twelve solutions to our Christmas puzzles, which we published in the week from December 25–31, 2014. Some are deep and quite stunning, the ones from the December 31 "Curious Chess" section are just entertaining. We wish you a fine Sunday of problem solving.

Andrés Rodriguez double winner at Florianópolis

1/24/2015 – The Florianopolis Chess Club recently organized the 2015 Floripa Chess Open in the beautiful city of Florianópolis, in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The event had a field of 278 players, including several grandmasters, making it the largest open ever in Brazil. The very next day came the Floripa Masters, a norm laden round-robin. Both were won by GM Andrés Rodriguez, who was unstoppable.

Tata Steel Rd12: Giri claims clear second

1/24/2015 – It wasn't the prettiest of games, and it should have finished hours before it did, but Giri was able to best So after 111 moves! This win puts Giri half a point behind Carlsen, who drew Ding Liren with some minor problems. Wojtaszek seemed lost on what to do in his defeat against Saric. Meanwhile, in the Challengers, Wei Yi needs but a draw to qualify for next year's Masters.

Karsten Mueller instructs: Wijk Endgames (3)

1/24/2015 – Renowned for his tactical prowess and creative middlegame play, Ding Liren has also been showing his chops in the endgame. Here are two endgames won in which he finds solutions that are far from obvious, including his very imaginative reversal against Wojtaszek. Radjabov also works a win in a drawish endgame with instructive technique. Lessons from the doctor.

Wijk aan Zee: the pictures and their stories (1/2)

1/23/2015 – While the readers will no doubt have enjoyed and appreciated the fine photographic work provided by Alina L'Ami in our reports, there were many that never made the cut simply because they did not fit anywhere specifically. It is often assumed that the photographer's work is just a good camera, a good eye, and lucky timing. Not so! Here are some wonderful pictures and their stories.

The inspiring story of Karelle Bolon (2/2)

1/23/2015 – Having secured the funds, it was time to justify the faith so many had put in her, and justify it she did. Travelling 18 hours to pick up the chess material, and then hours to reach the remote bush village and back, Karelle Bolon now teaches in two different schools, while working the five other days. She still faces challenges, but is committed to inspiring children to dream.

Tata Steel Rd11: A day for the Chinese

1/23/2015 – While Carlsen drew and maintained his lead, Wesley So continues his superb run by beating Ivan Saric, and is now within a half point of the leader. Among the numerous exciting games, the one that stood out between Wojtaszek and Ding Liren, in which the Chinese player conjured up a fantastic win that no one saw coming. In the Challengers Wei Yi took the sole lead. Round eleven report.

With what?

1/23/2015 – 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.

Recap of Tata Steel so far

1/23/2015 – Wijk aan Zee has something special about it. For many fans it is the most exciting of the major round robins organized this year, and this edition has been nothing but a pleasure to watch. We have had ups, down, disasters and miraculous recoveries. We give you a player by player review, from top to bottom, of their current situation and some of their highlights.

The inspiring story of Karelle Bolon (1/2)

1/22/2015 – Several months ago, we published an article on a young woman's fundraiser project to teach chess in Cambodia. To understand how remote that is in chess, FIDE lists exactly five players, of whom four are unrated. Karelle Bolon, a former top French junior, now working as a designer, decided to spread the word in a bush school, but needed help. The reader response was heartwarming.

Mueller and Lamprecht: Wijk endgames (2)

1/22/2015 – Karsten Mueller teamed up with his colleague Frank Lamprecht to analyze a couple of fascinating endgames for your pleasure and instruction. Both have collaborated on classic endgame works, notably Fundamental Chess Endings, a fantastic resource. In the following article, Lamprecht not only shows a fascinating rook endgame, but then compares it shifting one move to the left.

Seek and find!

1/22/2015 – The ChessBase Shop is a treasure trove for every chess fan. ChessBase 13, Deep Fritz 14, Komodo 8 and the Mega Database help you to organize and improve your chess. Moreover, the shop also offers more than 300 training DVDs, a lot of them about openings. And the product finder helps you to quickly find the DVDs you are interested in. Try it out!

ChessBase Chrismas Puzzles 2014 – solutions

1/22/2015 – In the week from December 25–31 2014 we presented our traditional Christmas puzzles, and on the 1st of January our 2015 New Year's Puzzle Contest. The closing date for submission of solutions to the latter was set at January 21, 2015. We are extending this to Sunday the 25th. In the meantime you may be interested to see part one of the solutions to the Christmas Week's puzzles.