2/28/2026 – This episode trains you to think more creatively by first testing obvious ideas, understanding precisely why they fail, and then searching for a small adjustment that removes the opponent’s defensive resource. Through tactical and endgame examples, Svitlana shows that imagination isn’t about random brilliance, but about spotting loose pieces, hidden interference ideas, and unexpected candidate moves that change the evaluation completely. The learning effect is practical: by repeatedly challenging your first instinct and actively looking for alternatives, you reduce careless mistakes and expand your tactical vision in real games.

2/28/2026 – Chris Ward flips the usual “Monthly Dragon” perspective by studying why White wins against the Sicilian Dragon, using the classic Karpov–Korchnoi game to highlight recurring mating themes. He then shows how those same ideas transfer across openings and how he used the lessons in his own games to punish opponents who weren’t aware of the patterns—especially tactics involving sacrificesand mating nets. The takeaway for Dragon players: don’t avoid White’s best wins, learn the “warning signs,” so you can prevent them and steer the positions toward Black’s counterplay instead.| Photo: John Upham

2/20/2026 – In this episode, Svitlana explores how to fight back after a blunder, using dramatic comeback examples from players like Magnus Carlsen and classic games from the 19th century to show that even the best can recover from lost material. The key lessons are to avoid self-pity, keep pieces on the board, create complications, pose constant problems, and play actively as if you’re not worse—because pressure often causes the opponent to falter. Ultimately, she demonstrates that chess games are rarely over after a single mistake, and with the right mindset and resourcefulness, even a lost position can turn into a win or at least a save.

2/19/2026 – By coincidence, ChessBase conducted an interview with Loek van Wely just a day after the passing of Jan Timman. Their Dutch rivalry at the board defined an era, yet beyond the battles they also shared memorable moments, such as representing their country together at the 1992 Olympiad in Manila. Although Van Wely’s peak years are behind him, he has remarkably maintained a 2600+ level and remains fiercely competitive. In the interview, he reveals how he sustains his strength, and reflects on politics, poker, and his work as a coach.

2/14/2026 – In this episode of Svitlana’s Smart Moves, Svitlana introduces the concept “move first, think later,” encouraging players to start with concrete candidate moves based on intuition and pattern recognition, and only afterward justify them with general principles. Through several tactical examples, she shows how strong moves arise naturally from experience rather than abstract reasoning about positional features. The key takeaway is that in practical play, it’s often more effective to trust your instincts, calculate actively, and refine your logic afterward, rather than getting stuck searching for rules before finding a move.

2/13/2026 – Robert Ris presents 14-year-old prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who impressed at Tata Steel Masters and scored 7/13 against elite opposition. In a sharp English Opening battle against Arjun Erigaisi, Erdogmus demonstrates deep preparation, fearless play, and precise calculation, including dynamic piece activity and strong strategic decisions. The game eventually transforms into a complex endgame where his bishop pair and powerful passed pawns take over, sealing a remarkable victory for the young talent.

2/10/2026 – In this “Best Games of 2025” episode, Lilit Mkrtchian takes us through a deeply instructive win from the Tegernsee tournament, showing her full ChessBase-style preparation workflow and how she chose an offbeat setup to get her opponent out of comfort early. The lesson then turns into a masterclass on positional pressure: exploiting the weakened d5-square, improving pieces step by step, and using concrete calculation to avoid tempting but incorrect tactics. The game finishes with clean technique—converting a queenside advantage and a dangerous passed a-pawn—while the big takeaway is clear: smart prep + strong squares + not spoiling a better position wins games.

2/7/2026 – In this episode, Svitlana takes on one of the most aggressive setups against the Modern Defence: the Austrian Attack. She explains the key ideas behind White’s early central pawn storm, typical attacking plans, and what you should be aiming for before the tactics even begin. A practical, idea-driven lesson that helps you understand when to attack, how to build it up, and what Black is trying to survive.

2/1/2026 – In this episode, Svitlana analyzes one of her own intense games from the Canadian University Championships, where she faced a 2400+ tactical rival in a long-awaited revenge match. The game began as a controlled strategic battle out of a Pirc structure, exploded into sharp complications, and transitioned into a wildly double-edged endgame where both players missed wins. Svitlana shows key defensive resources, creative practical decisions under time pressure, and two critical endgame “bluffs” that helped her hold a theoretically difficult position. After six exhausting hours and 113 moves, the roller-coaster fight finally ended in a hard-earned draw packed with lessons from opening to endgame.

1/30/2026 – GM Chris Ward opens the Monthly Dragon with a sharp refresher on a classic Classical Dragon position, showing how certain White sidelines can be punished, especially with the key idea …Qb6 and the tactical “Zollner gambit” packed with pins, forks, and long-diagonal themes. He then moves to a second highlight: Arne’s very first Classical Dragon, played as a delayed Vietnamese Dragon to surprise a Dragon expert, with a practical discussion of move orders of h5 vs. e5. The game itself is a model attacking performance: Black builds dark-square pressure, opens lines, and finishes with a direct king hunt and checkmate. | Photo: John Upham

1/17/2026 – Svitlana introduces the “Fake Sveshnikov,” an unconventional Sicilian where Black mimics familiar Sveshnikov structures but deliberately deviates with early …e5 and …Ne7 to sidestep typical pins and seize dynamic counterplay. The episode walks through White’s main setups (Bg5, Be3, Bd3, c3, c4), showing recurring Black ideas like sacrificing a pawn, rapid development, dark-square pressure, and timely breaks with …f5 or …Nd4. The lesson emphasizes pattern recognition over memorization, illustrating how surprising plans and imbalances can lead to strong practical chances—even revealing that Sveshnikov himself once played this “fake” version.

1/17/2026 – Gukesh, the World Chess Champion, endured a difficult 2025. Still, he produced a convincing win against Magnus Carlsen and finished tied for first at Tata Steel Chess, ultimately losing the blitz tiebreak to Praggnanandhaa. At the World Blitz Championship in Doha, he suffered a stunning upset against underdog Sergey Sklokin (2407), where an extraordinary endgame collapse saw Gukesh lose multiple pawns in succession.

1/6/2026 – Lilit Mkrtchian analyzes a complex and instructive game she played against 17-year-old Georgian rising star Anastasia Gad at the European Women’s Championship, showing how deep opening preparation and understanding of pawn structures gave her an early, lasting advantage. She explains her use of ChessBase to study her opponent’s tendencies, deliberately steering the game into a Slav-type structure with colours reversed, where her opponent made subtle inaccuracies that allowed Lilit to build pressure and play comfortably. Despite time trouble and a tense middlegame with aggressive counterplay, Lilit kept control, found precise tactical solutions, and ultimately converted her advantage, highlighting how opening knowledge, planning, and calm decision-making decide high-level games.

1/1/2026 – This interview introduces Anastasia Corotcova as a member of the ChessBase team, sharing how she grew into chess through her grandmother, an international arbiter, before choosing an IT career while staying closely connected to chess. She talks about her work as an arbiter, a fun kids-tournament anecdote, and her experience creating a weekly TV chess show for children. The final part is a lighthearted rapid-fire Q&A that reveals her personality, interests, and everyday habits.

12/31/2025 – This “Best of 2025” episode is a year-end tactics celebration where Svitlana reviews the coolest moments of the chess year by turning them into a guess-the-move challenge for viewers. The WIM works through several sharp positions from major events (including the Global Chess League, World Cup, Grand Swiss, and Prague Chess Festival), featuring wild sacrifices, mating nets, and one especially memorable queen-sac idea in a Petroff line. Happy new year!

12/29/2025 – This video is a valuable chess lesson by IM Mkrtchian. Watch Lilit walk through a full "real tournament" prep routine in ChessBase 26. Find out how she scouts an opponent in the Mega Database, predict their openings, and steer the game into a line she specifically prepared. The payoff: a sharp Rossolimo move-order trap explained in a super teachable way, plus how she converts the advantage into a clean endgame win.

12/29/2025 – This end-of-year edition of the Monthly Dragon with Chris Ward wraps up 2025 by diving deep into early deviations against the Sicilian Dragon, with a special focus on the tricky and provocative Knight d5 idea. Ward explains why grabbing the e4-pawn is often a trap, illustrates the dangers with classic games and sharp tactical examples, and shares practical recommendations for Dragon players to stay calm and choose safer setups like …Nxd5 or …Bg7. Blending serious opening theory with anecdotes, humour, and historical games, the episode delivers a memorable “anti-Christmas variation” lesson to take into the new year. | Photo: John Upham

12/24/2025 – This video is a valuable chess lesson by IM Mkrtchian. Watch Lilit walk through a full “real tournament” prep routine in ChessBase 26. Find out how she scouts an opponent in the Mega Database, predict their openings, and steer the game into a line she specifically prepared. The payoff: a sharp Rossolimo move-order trap explained in a super teachable way, plus how she converts the advantage into a clean endgame win.