7/7/2022 – Early this year GM Yuri Averbakh turned 100 and set a world record. He became the oldest ever grandmaster in chess history. Sadly, he passed away in May. Averbakh led a rich and extraordinary life that he narrated himself in his autobiography, "Centre-stage and Behind the Scenes". In the series here our columnist draws on this important work and also explains much that was left unsaid. | Photo: Averbakh at the match USA vs. USSR, New York City, 1954 (via D. Griffith)

6/22/2022 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess and it also provides arsenal for the tournament player. This issue offers games from two major events, FIDE Grand Prix and Ukraine Charity Cup. 353 games (37 annotated), 11 opening surveys, lectures and exercises for training. Annotators include Anish Giri, Wesley So, Andrey Esipenko, Grigoriy Oparin and Nikita Vitiugov among others. The icing on the cake is the Larsen Special, a tribute to the Great Dane. Our columnist Nagesh Havanur takes a look.

5/15/2022 – Yuri Averbakh is no more. Tributes are pouring in from all over the world to the late grandmaster, who had only recently turned 100 and chess fans had celebrated the day. Not many are aware that he wrote his autobiography years before. Our columnist had begun a series on this fascinating work and narrated how it all began. Then came the Ukraine war, and he could not bring himself to write anything in the face of this tragedy. Sadly, the war is continuing, and our columnist has reconciled himself to writing. Importantly, this series is a homage to the life and work of a great player. | Photo: Eric Koch / Anefo

5/3/2022 – Opening theory has come a long way, from the ECO codes to the current digital, multimedia publications. The ChessBase Opening Encyclopaedia is more than a compilation of writings on opening variations. It also has opening videos, tutorials, databases and games, annotated and unannotated. For who is it intended? For everyone who wants to learn.

3/4/2022 – The world is witnessing a catastrophe in Ukraine. Many of us are also anxious over the safety and well-being of chess players in the war-torn land. News on their current situation is coming in, but it is not enough to address all our concerns about them. We would be better placed to offer sympathy and help to players in Ukraine if we share information on their plight. It is in this spirit that our columnist has made the appeal to readers here.

2/25/2022 – There are grandmasters and grandmasters. But there is only one Averbakh. This month he turned 100 and set a record in longevity. He is the oldest grandmaster in chess history. The other day ChessBase paid him a tribute and accolades are still pouring in from the chess world. Not many are aware that he has written his autobiography. Our columnist takes a look. The first part of this series tells us how it all began. | Photo: Chess Federation of Russia

2/1/2022 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess and it also provides arsenal for the tournament player. Issue 205 offers games from several major events, FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, USA and Russian Championships and European Team Championship, 2287 games (21 annotated), 11 opening surveys, lectures and exercises for training. Annotators include Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri and Nikita Vitiugov among others. The icing on the cake is the Robert Hübner Special, a tribute to a great player who crossed swords with the best of them all, from Bobby Fischer to Garry Kasparov. Our columnist Nagesh Havanur takes a look. | Photo: Magnus Carlsen vs Alireza Firouzja, Norway Chess 2021 | Photo: Lennart Ootes

1/14/2022 – Among ChessBase products the Big DataBase stands in its own right. Unlike the MegaBase it has no annotations. This paves the way for independent study and preparation, and helps the player to hone skills on his own. The present edition offers 9.2 million games from 1475 to 2021. In this vast collection there are games from world championships, famous tournaments, past and present, not to mention little-known events that deserve greater recognition. There are magnificent battles, brilliancies and unknown gems all waiting to be discovered. Our columnist here introduces a few rare lines in e4-openings.

1/7/2022 – The MegaBase 2022 is Chess History in Action: It offers 9.210.512 games, the earliest played in 1475 and the most recent played October 2021, many of them annotated. Here our columnist, offers an introduction to three epic matches from the MegaBase with six annotated games. There is a lot more to discover in this treasure trove, grand battles, opening novelties and exemplary endgames.

12/2/2021 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess and it also provides arsenal for the tournament player. CBM #204 contains 1226 games (26 annotated), 9 opening surveys, lectures and exercises for training. Annotators include Peter Heine Nielsen, Alireza Firouzja, Romain Edouard and Anish Giri, to mention a few. The icing on the cake is the Judit Polgar Special, a tribute to the former child prodigy who crossed swords with the best of them all, from Kasparov to Carlsen. Our columnist Nagesh Havanur takes a look and muses on the performance of the champion and the challenger in the coming match for the world crown.

8/27/2021 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess, and it also provides arsenal for the tournament player. This issue offers 456 games from 3 major events, Candidates’ Tournament, New in Chess Classic and the Russian Team Championship. It also includes games annotated by Ian Nepomniachtchi, Boris Gelfand and Anish Giri, to mention a few. The icing on the cake is a tribute to Timman who turned 70 this year, with 25 annotated games. Prof. Nagesh Havanur takes a look. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE

4/26/2021 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess and it also provides arsenal for the tournament player. With this bi-centennial issue it has reached a landmark. GM Rainer Knaak recalls the memorable journey with some nice videos. Then we are back to tournament preparation. This issue offers games from three major events, Tata Steel 2021, Skilling Open and 73rd Russian Championship Superfinal. 413 games, 3 opening videos, 11 opening surveys, demo. lectures and exercises for training. It also includes games annotated by Wesley So, Anish Giri, Van Foreest, Jan Duda, Vladimir Fedoseev, Nikita Vitiugov to mention a few. Prof. Nagesh Havanur takes a look.

2/17/2021 – The ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess, and it provides arsenal for the tournament player. CBM #199 offers games from the Altibox Norway Chess Tournament and the Russian Team Championship and others. 440 games, 11 opening surveys, demo lectures and exercises for training. It also includes games annotated by Alireza Firouzja, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Anish Giri, to mention a few. Prof. Nagesh Havanur takes a look and also offers a challenge or two to our young readers. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

12/18/2020 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess, and it also provides an arsenal for the tournament player. This issue offers coverage of two major events, the Carlsen Chess Tour Final and the FIDE Online Olympiad. 5759 games, 11 opening surveys, demo lectures and exercises for training. It also includes games annotated by Wesley So, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Peter Heine Nielsen, just to mention a few. Our columnist Nagesh Havanur takes a look. | Photo: Frederic Friedel

11/15/2020 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess and it also provides arsenal for the tournament player. We are pleased to inform readers that we have just released CBM #198. Meanwhile, we have received an article on the treatment of openings by Prof. Nagesh Havanur. As this may be of practical use to young players, we are offering it to our readers. | Pictured: Richard Rapport | Photo: Georgios Souleidis

10/18/2020 – This issue offers coverage of three major events, Chessable Masters, Legends of Chess and Biel Chess Festival. 733 games, 11 opening surveys, demo lectures and exercises for training. It also includes games annotated by Boris Gelfand, Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Peter Heine Nielsen, just to mention a few. Our columnist Nagesh Havanur takes a look. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

8/29/2020 – It was not quite the apocalypse. But the pandemic wreaked death and destruction of a magnitude never seen before. While many are still struggling to survive, the worst is over. The human spirit remains indefatigable and there are efforts to rebuild and rehabilitate lives. Amidst this chaos chess has survived and indeed flourished in the virtual world. This issue offers coverage of two major events, the Magnus Carlsen Invitational and the FIDE Online Nations Cup and offers all available games (405 of them!) from the Silkway Online Blitz Cup, the proverbial icing on the cake. It includes games annotated by Anish Giri, Alireza Firouzja and Romain Edouard, just to mention a few. Our columnist Nagesh Havanur takes a look at some of the decisive encounters featured in this issue. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

8/12/2020 – Vladislav Tarasiuk is known as an immunologist in medical circles in Kharkov, Ukraine. However, the chess world knows him as a composer. Recently Tarasiuk authored an endgame study, Noah’s Ark, and aptly dedicated it to the Health workers and medical professionals combating the pandemic all over the world. In an interview with Tarasiuk, our columnist Prof. Nagesh Havanur lets the composer speak for himself.