11/15/2024 – We have been waiting for a while, but she is finally back! WIM Svitlana Demchenko had to work and study, but returns with a fun, attacking lesson! Well-known chess author, Joe Gallagher, wrote the book "101 Attacking Ideas In Chess". Svitlana took some examples of this book, and it covers plenty of rules for the attacking player.

11/12/2024 – Absolute chess superstars occasionally play a Sicilian Dragon in a classic game, and it is rare for these games to win a brilliancy prize. However, some of our readers prefer to see the Dragon in action at the highest level, and have mentioned recent games by Arjun Erigaisi and Ray Robson. Here at ChessBase our Dragon Tamer Chris Ward analyses these games, having previously done so on the chesspublishing.com website. Then, as an extra treat, he shows us a fantastic game by super grandmaster Daniil Dubov! | Photo: John Upham

11/7/2024 – In the European Club Championship, lower rated players occasionally faced GM superstars, such as Erigaisi, Gukesh, Abdusattarov, Praggnanandhaa or others. And in the very first round, Pragg had to deal with IM Francois Godart from Belgium, rated 2377. In a Sicilian Rossolimo, Godart had a pawn less, but strong counterplay. Counterplay that was so strong that the strong moves seemed to play themselves. Robert Ris took a closer look.

10/11/2024 – The Olympiad in Budapest is over, and of the 7000+ games, a couple of stunning dragons were on the board. Chris selected the 5 most interesting, and beautiful examples, and analysed them. A sixth game was also added, as a special surprise - Especially for co-host Arne Kaehler ... | Photo: John Upham

10/3/2024 – Round 1 was the main source for Robert Ris to find plenty of Underdog upsets at the Olympiad in Budapest. One game in particular was not only a big surprise result, but also interesting in many ways. Yakubboev, Nodirbek vs. Cabralis, Quinn! Roughly 500 rating points difference, didn't scare the man from Trinidad & Tobago, and he pursued a fabulous game against his opponent of the Bronze Medal-winning team.

9/25/2024 – This is what winners look like. At the end of the Chess Olympiad, Arne Kaehler brought the gold medallists in front of the ChessBase camera: Gukesh, Arjun, Vidit, Harikrishna and Divya shared their thoughts and answered to Arne's tricky questions!

9/12/2024 – Obviously, Alireza Firouzja cannot be considered an Underdog, right? But who would have guessed that he could play so brilliantly against one of the best players in the world with the Black pieces? Fabiano Caruana is still considered one of the best prepared players ever, and just like Magnus Carlsen, can rarely be beaten, when leading the White pieces. Robert Ris presents an unusual Underdog, which can rise back to his "overdog" status, end of 2021!

9/6/2024 – Vladimir Tukmakov faced Viktor Korchnoi in the USSR Championship, 1970, and played a famously brilliant game, in the Nimzo-Indian, Bronstein variation. While the Black King tries to escape a devastating attack, Korchnoi still finds the time for counterattacks, and builds up some intense threats. Tukmakov decides to invest his attack in a new idea! Svitlana's analysis of the whole game, is in great detail, as always. The Smart Moves continue in October, after the Olympiad in Budapest.

8/9/2024 – Episode 101 has launched, and Svitlana is testing our tactical skills! She found some lovely games of the World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship Tactics 2024, including Magnus Carlsen, Richard Rapport, Ding Liren, and more. Some tactics can be solved rather easily, while others require some critical thinking. Daniil Dubov, for example, couldn't find a decisive tactic. But maybe you can?

8/6/2024 – Chris Ward gathered not one, not two, but three beautiful Dragon examples for us. The key features in this episode are the d5 break, the Rook on the c-file, and the explosive c4 square! In typical fashion, Chris explains his thoughts, plans, ideas and more about the most recent Sicilian games. | Photo: John Upham

8/6/2024 – During the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships in Astana, a player from the all-Chinese team, Decade China, made headlines: Pang Bo! The 26-year-old dominated the amateur board, winning every single Rapid game and excelling in the Blitz section. His official FIDE rating is 1400, but he has yet to play an international tournament and is virtually unrated. However, he has successfully played strong tournaments and opponents in China and is much stronger than players with a real rating of 1400. No wonder, his pawn-pushing style gave his opponents in Astana a hard time. Robert Ris shows an interesting example of how Pang Bo tackles the London System!

8/2/2024 – Not long ago, ChatGPT received another update. Time for Arne Kaehler to check the AI's opinions about chess related questions. Who is the greatest player of all time? Who will win the world championship? Which nation will dominate chess in 2030? And finally, Arne challenges ChatGPT for a chess game over the board. But maybe he should wait for the next major update.

7/23/2024 – Surya Ganguly, the experienced GM from West Bengal, is playing at the Masters Open Tournament in Biel. In an entertaining interview conducted by Arne Kaehler, Surya shares anecdotes from his lengthy chess career and responds to rather unexpected questions. Not to be missed!

7/16/2024 – The participants of the Masters and the Challengers at the Biel Chess Festival were invited to an excursion on the first rest day: a boat trip to picturesque La Neuveville. Saleh Salem and Hail Martyrosian enjoyed the ride by playing a game of blindfold chess, which featured a remarkable tactical finish. Arne Kähler is enjoying himself in Switzerland and recording the events on video!

7/13/2024 – Unbelievable but true! Svitlana Demchenko and Arne Kaehler are celebrating their 100th episode of "Svitlana's Smart Moves". It all started in April 2021, and has now reached a magical number. In the video, Svitlana and Arne take a look at some superlatives of the past episodes: the most and least viewed, the shortest, the longest, the most and least liked, and more. Their looks have changed a little, but the format improved over time, thanks to you, dear viewers! Finally, we play a blitz game on an actual wooden chessboard.

7/11/2024 – We all love the dragon for it's attacking play against the king on the queen-side. But how can one attack the king on the king-side? Chris Ward has not only an answer to that, but actually dives deep into the the psychology of king-side attacking, and how to actually get an advantage on the queen-side instead. Furthermore, the example game shows nicely how a material imbalance harmonizes against White. | Photo: John Upham

7/4/2024 – Recently, a Chinese chess player won the Arona International Chess Festival. Surprisingly, the winner has no title yet, and started at rank 29. Alan Pichot, Bartosz Socko, and Felix Blohberger couldn't keep up with Haowen Xue. Last year, the then 15-year-old, beat Hans Niemann in the Dubai Open 2023. Time to have a more profound look at this Underdog, before he has 2700+!

7/2/2024 – In an interview with Nico Zwirs at the ChessBase studio in Hamburg, the Dutch IM shares insights into his recent tournament experiences, his journey in the chess world, and his thoughts on balancing competitive play with coaching. He also discusses the intricate dynamics of chess training and preparation, the personal and professional growth of a chess player, and the balance between maintaining a competitive edge while nurturing the next generation of players.