10/5/2022 – That's how chess can be: You cheerfully let the knights rush forward and threaten everything that's standing there. The dear pawns lash out so much that it's a real joy - and suddenly the cerebrum announces: T-R-A-P. Unfortunately too late. That doesn't have to be. With the tactics app in your ChessBase account, you can work on your tactics at any time: Solve tasks at your level without time pressure, measure yourself against others in the tactics fight or compete against the clock in the tactics sprint. In the second episode of his account tutorial, Martin Fischer explains how best to use the tactics app. So that you don't fall into a trap again...

9/30/2022 – There are many ways to train chess or to entertain yourself with chess: relaxed tactics training without time pressure or in competition with others? Or do you love the artistic appeal of studies? Do you like to follow live world-class tournaments or to watch training videos? Do you like to hone your opening repertoire by using the opening trends from the live ticker? The ChessBase Account offers you all this - and much more. Fully integrated in the ChessBase world, the WebApps work together and can be used perfectly with the ChessBase and Fritz programmes. The ChessBase Account offers a comprehensive access to the world of chess, no matter whether you play chess as a sport or as a hobby. In a new tutorial series Martin Fischer explains how to use the ChessBase Account. Part 1: Set up & get started!

4/28/2022 – Those who have learned their variations with the Fritz Opening Drill may start with the practical exercise: the training game against Fritz 18. For good reason: with its "Evolving Genius" mode, Fritz 18 is the ideal partner for practice-oriented opening training. Fritz adjusts its playing strength and you quickly see whether you can play the positions resulting from the newly learned opening. Fritz 18 guides you through the training games as a trainer, gives intelligent hints and thus ensures a motivating sense of achievement. The best practical training for a real game. ChessBase seminar leader Martin Fischer shows how it works and that this opening training is really fun.

4/14/2022 – How do you build an opening repertoire and learn the variations? Fritz 18 offers many possibilities for this, and you can even compare your learning success with other users. In a short series of tutorials, we show you how to do it. In the first episode, we deal with learning and testing the opening repertoire. The next episodes will deal with building the opening repertoire. With the new "Easy Game" mode in Fritz 18, you can check your knowledge of an existing repertoire, and you can replay and practise it. Let's go!

2/18/2022 – The ChessBase MegaDatabase 2022 contains around 9.2 million games, many of them by top players. Thanks to the ChessBase reference function the immense opening knowledge from these games is easily accessible. Thanks to the ChessBase search mask the same applies to the middlegame and endgame. But how does the search for positions work, e.g. for positions with an isolated queen pawn? You will quickly learn how powerful this tool is and how easy it is to use the search mask! Let's go.

6/8/2021 – Train and analyse with video - almost like in a chess club, but simply via the browser! The new training functions in the PlayChess web browser are already being actively used by Stefan Kindermann and the Munich Chess Academy! You can see, hear, analyse, train and of course play! Anyone can create their own virtual room, invite friends and training groups and get started. Martin Fischer explains step-by-step how it works. Online training has never been so much fun!

12/16/2020 – One year of top level chess and top level training materials: six issues (a one-year-subscription) of the ChessBase Magazine, that is the first prize in the 7th tournament of the Autumn Series on Playchess, a nine round Swiss blitz tournament that will start on Wednesday, December 16, 20.00 CET (19:00 UTC, 14:00 ET). As in all tournaments of the Autumn Series, the games will be played under real names.

12/9/2020 – One year of top level chess and top level training materials: six issues (a one-year-subscription) of the ChessBase Magazine, that is the first prize in the 7th tournament of the Autumn Series on Playchess, a nine round Swiss blitz tournament that will start on Wednesday, December 9, 20.00 CET (19:00 UTC, 14:00 ET). As in all tournaments of the Autumn Series, the games will be played under real names.

12/2/2020 – One year of top level chess and top level training materials: six issues of the ChessBase Magazine, that is the first prize in the 6th tournament of the Autumn Series on Playchess, a nine round Swiss blitz tournament that will start on Wednesday, December 2, 20.00 CET (19:00 UTC, 14:00 ET). As in all tournaments of the Autumn Series, the games will be played under real names.

11/27/2020 – What distinguishes the Mega Database from other databases? For one, it does not become obsolete and remains "up to date" with just a few clicks! Because the delivery of the Mega Database 2021 includes not only more than 8 million games but also the weekly mega update service. Every week we provide you with a database of around 5,000 new games. At the same time the search booster of the reference database is updated, which allows you to continue your work immediately and without losing time. With a few clicks in ChessBase 16, your Mega Database will always be up to date. A "mega help" for every tournament player. Here's how...

11/25/2020 – 90 minutes online training with Grandmaster Nicholas Pert, ChessBase author and renowned coach. This is the first prize in the 5th tournament of the Autumn Series on Playchess, a nine round Swiss blitz tournament that will start on Wednesday, November 25, 20.00 CET (19:00 UTC, 14:00 ET). As in all tournaments of the Autumn Series, the games will be played under real names.

11/18/2020 – 90 minutes online chess training with PowerPlay author Grandmaster Daniel King. This is the first prize in the 4th tournament of the Autumn Series on Playchess, a nine round Swiss blitz tournament that will start on Wednesday, November 18, 20.00 CET (19:00 UTC, 14:00 ET). As in all tournaments of the Autumn Series, the games will be played under real names.

11/4/2020 – Today, Wednesday, November 4, the Playchess Autumn Series 2020 continues. With a blitz tournament (20:00 CET, 19:00 UTC, 14:00 ET), in which you can win online training with GM Sebastian Siebrecht. Felix Gerland won last week's tournament and online training with GM Yannick Pelletier. Martin Fischer reports.

9/3/2020 – It is not clear when we will get to play over-the-board team tournaments again. Online competitions are the only alternative. But where can you play serious team matches using a classical formats? On PlayChess! For example at the DSOL (German Online Chess League), in which 246 teams are participating. You do not need to play at the DSOL to play with your team though — anyone can do it! You can set up a round-robin event with a fixed board order or use the Scheveningen system. As in over-the-board tournaments, the players can concentrate exclusively on their games and do not have to worry about the pairings or how to challenge others. Only the team captains have to put in some more work, just like in “normal” team matches.

3/28/2020 – With playchess.com you can create a virtual room for your chess club. We recently featured how to do so! The logical follow up is to organize an online tournament in your own club room. It is quite simple: All club members receive a special link, with one click the virtual tournament hall is accessed, the tournament director starts the round and the chessboard game windows open automatically for the participants. Just like in real life, this is a bit more demanding for the tournament director. This tutorial explains how it all works.

3/19/2020 – Every club, school or trainer can open a virtual playing room on the ChessBase server. Everything is possible: casual games, tournaments, online training, simultaneous events, etc. Everything on "your" chess server! The best alternative to keep the club evening running, and a good (virtual) meeting point to play chess together. Creating a virtual club room is easy. Have a look!

12/10/2019 – The first part of the "Opening training with Fritz 17 Tutorial" showed how to create an opening repertoire in Fritz 17 by using the "Move-by-Move" principle. The second part of the tutorial shows how you can upload and edit games or previous analyses to the Fritz 17 Opening Trainer.

12/6/2019 – Fritz 17 helps you to learn and memorize your opening repertoire. But first you have to create an opening repertoire that Fritz 17 can help you learn. This is done with the "Move-by-Move" principle and the following short tutorial shows how to enter moves or previous material to create such a repertoire.