2/6/2023 – The ChessBase Magazine appears six times a year and shows the latest trends in top level chess and opening theory. However, the issues do not get old: the first issue of 2023 is CBM #211, but Davide Nastasio recently had great fun looking at CBM #205. In an impromptu review he writes: every issue of the ChessBase Magazine "is pure gold for those genuinely interested in growing as chess players".

5/22/2021 – It hasn't been easy working under pandemic stress. Now that things are getting better we need to get ready to re-enter the chess arena. "The only real training tool I found," writes Davide Nastasio, "which was comprehensive, and covered all the phases of the game is ChessBase Magazine, now in its 200th edition. Davide shares some of the positions and games he found especially interesting.

7/7/2020 – To improve in chess you need to practice. But what do you do when you have little time, e.g. just a few hours before going to work? Davide Nastasio uses this time to study his favourite chess magazine to keep in shape. In a review he takes a look at the latest issue of the ChessBase Magazine.

5/27/2020 – What to play with White? 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.Nf3 or another move? The English Grandmaster Nick Pert, former U18 World Champion, renowned author and trainer, recommends 1.d4 and on his DVD "Attacking Repertoire with 1.d4!" he explains why this is a good choice. Davide Nastasio took a look at the first volume of Pert's recommended repertoire.

5/24/2020 – Tests with chess players of various strengths found the "secret" of the good players: the more chess patterns you know the stronger you are. No wonder that studying chess helps you to improve! On his DVD "Mastering Pattern Recognition in the Opening" Robert Ris deals with important patterns in the opening. Davide Nastasio had a look at the DVD.

3/17/2020 – Do you know what is the Centurini's rule? Do you have an Anti-Reti in your opening repertoire? Would you like to have an IM pose some interactive questions, and test your tactical vision? Do you know how to evaluate a position with no minor pieces, but with queens and rooks on the board? Are you aware of common opening traps in the Caro-Kann, Philidor, English and Sicilian? Do you want to update your opening repertoire with the latest recommendations? If these topics have you intrigued, and interested in knowing more, ChessBase Magazine could become your addictive chess reading while as you self-isolate!

4/2/2020 – Exciting chess is the reason some of us love it as a sport and look forward to fighting weekend after weekend in the tournament arena. Many come out from such arena to never enter again, because they cannot stand the pressure and the pain when they lose. But for those who are on the fence, and for those gladiators who fight endlessly during the year, there is nothing better than preparing one's own weapons, and sharpening them as much as possible. This can be aided by the right choice of openings, and reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO thinks the Najdorf is definitely one of them. Pelletier introduces us to the magical world of the Sicilian Najdorf in his recent FritzTrainer!

2/23/2020 – Traps, tricks, pattern recognition, all in one FritzTrainer! And of course a deeper understanding of the London system! Finding the right ideas for each position starts with knowledge of the typical tactical patterns. But equally important is to anticipate Black's plans and be able to neutralize them! DAVIDE NASTASIO takes a first look at a FritzTrainer on his iPad!

2/16/2020 – The English is an opening which can transpose into many others. It is definitely a must for those who want to improve middlegame play, thanks to the huge variety of middlegame themes which can arise from it. One can play very aggressively, or positionally; it's clearly an opening which can satisfy everyone interested in learning strategy and tactics. World Champion Magnus Carlsen is one of the players who has incorporated the English into his repertoire. In this FritzTrainer, IM Lorin D'Costa presents a complete repertoire for White explaining key pawn structures and ideas behind the moves. DAVIDE NASTASIO breaks it down.

1/27/2020 – There are two types of vision during a chess game. The first, which we use quite often, is to calculate variations in our head. We ask ourselves, "what happens if I move this and my opponent moves that...?" Often such vision is sharpened by the knowledge of common tactical motifs. The other type of vision is more abstract, and belongs to the realm of human imagination, we use the word "plan" to describe it. DAVIDE NASTASIO reviews IM Robert Ris' video series aptly titled "How to make a plan".

1/21/2020 – A journey into a distant and foreign land always begins by choosing a good guide. If one is interested in knowing more about rook vs minor piece endgames, there is no better guide than the latest book from renowned endgame expert: GM Karsten Mueller. DAVIDE NASTASIO is back for an instructive breakdown on his latest stop on the road to chess improvement.

1/2/2020 – ChessBase magazine is a great training tool, but a very important feature not to be overlooked in today's modern world is that it's a time-saver! Want to find the best endgames played in the last couple of months, or the latest opening novelties? It's all well packaged in one neat product, the latest ChessBase Magazine 193! Loads of videos cover the needs of those who are visual learners. Prolific reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO (known by his students as Mr. Checkmate) gives us the details.

9/30/2019 – The way we play and improve our chess has increased in complexity. The game is the same, but the information overload from video streaming channels, hundreds of books published yearly, and online sites vying for our attention can be overwhelming to an average chess player. ChessBase Magazine, with its holistic format based on training different parts of the game and its sophisticated interactive Fritz trainer tools, allows every player to learn while having fun. DAVIDE NASTASIO reviews the content of the latest issue and some fundamental positions and games everyone should play, learn from and enjoy.

9/9/2019 – We often hear that in order to make chess more interesting we need to shorten the time controls, as it would magically shift the interest of the masses from sports like soccer, football, basketball or tennis, while at the same time it will increase their chess understanding! But this new FritzTrainer proves there is a side of chess that cannot be appreciated and consumed like fast food, as we witness the development of a fluid repertoire in which each master put his personal fingerprint. The goal is to disorient the opponent and bring him out of his comfort zone.

8/8/2019 – A meteorite can pass through the atmosphere burning — a fulgent light in the darkness. Igor Kurnosov, who died six years ago today, passed through the chess world like a meteorite, leaving many interesting games in his wake. DAVIDE NASTASIO reviews the book which celebrates a life cut too short. | Photos provided by the publisher, Elk and Ruby

7/29/2019 – Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO noticed a flaw in many chess biographies of world champions. They all have an index for the opponents, they have an index for the openings, but there is no index for the interesting endgames. Often we find a 400 or 500 page biography with tons of games, yet no idea how to find typical middlegame themes or endgames to learn from. In the latest FritzTrainer from GM Karsten Mueller, however, you'll find the world champions' best endgames, each deconstructed using Mueller's great endgame insight and teaching experience.

7/11/2019 – For those who wish to learn the first 25 moves of an opening by heart, the Najdorf is the breakfast of champions! But for those who love to just get through the opening with as little memorization as possible and directly play the middlegame and endgame the Colle-Zukertort and the Torre Attack are a fine choice! Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO explores these openings allowing you to create a repertoire without fear of encountering computer generated novelties. As always, GM Simon Williams has created an attacking video series aimed at slowing raising the pressure on your opponent, making them quite uncomfortable until they crack.

6/26/2019 – These days there's no shortage of information on opening theory. Everyone, even an amateur, with a bit of study can play main line theory like a pro GM. In such circumstances, perhaps it's all the more salient to question to our opponents using openings which are sound, but less mainstream. That's what Simon Williams sets out to do in his latest DVD on the Torre Attack, and DAVIDE NASTASIO has the review.