8/1/2022 – ChessBase Magazine Extra #208 offers, among other things, almost an hour of video training: Ivan Sokolov presents 6.g3 as a surprise weapon against the Sicilian Four Knights. And Nico Zwirs examines the move 5...b5 in the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit - an absolutely fashionable variation that leads to very dynamic play! "The brilliancy" is contributed by David Navara, who highlights his Black win with the Berlin Defense against Alexei Shirov. In addition, the "Lucky bag" with 59 annotated games - including contributions from Anish Giri and Kirill Shevchenko - holds a colorful mix of analyses and suggestions. ChessBase Magazine Extra is the perfect supplement to ChessBase Magazine. Available as a single issue or by subscription (6 issues per year). Available as download or on DVD.

8/1/2022 – As a chess site, it is not an exaggeration to say that the first and foremost obligation is to have the means to teach the game. ChessBase has programs such as the Fritz & Chesster series, but another way is through the Learn Chess app in the ChessBase Account, a beginner courses, which teaches the moves and then the core fundamentals. Here is a small tour.

8/1/2022 – It is getting more and more difficult for the top teams to beat their lower-rated opponents at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai. In round 3, Norway and Germany, seeded third and ninth in the open section, were defeated by Italy and Austria respectively, while the eighth seeds from Ukraine could only get a draw against Cuba. In the women’s section, Mongolia beat the United States and Estonia took down Armenia. | Pictured: Daniele Vocaturo (Italy) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/31/2022 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In the 88th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to explain why playing the Benko Gambit might be a good choice for club players. | Photo: Pascal Simon

7/31/2022 – The term "malyutka" - "baby" - is used for endgame studies with up to five pieces. The art of such studies is very old, but some modern composers extensively researched such positions. Obviously, endgame tablebases made composing such endgame studies easier in the late 20th century, and it seems that there can't be much variety with only three pieces apart from the kings. Yet, even with so few pieces, some interesting ideas can be found.| Photos: Pixabay

7/31/2022 – Most games favoured the favourites in round 2 of the Chess Olympiad, with a few exceptions. In the open section, Zambia and Bulgaria upset Denmark and Croatia respectively, while among the women, Ecuador got the better of Slovenia. World champion Magnus Carlsen made his debut, and outplayed Georg Meier in a balanced endgame to help Norway get a 4-0 win over Uruguay. | Pictured: Mohamed Emli Ramla (Dijibouti) | Photo: Mark Livshitz

7/31/2022 – Of all chess players, Fabiano Caruana is currently the most well-known Leo. We do, however, have a second one in the wings with Praggnanandhaa. But Judit Polgar and Mikhail Botvinnik, two other notable Leo's, tower over both players. The world champion and top female chess player have contributed to the development of the game massively. But even Polgar and Botvinnik can't compete with one of the most well-known celebrities in history who also knew how to play chess - Napoleon Bonaparte. | Foto: Pixabay

7/30/2022 – The Maccabiah Games have been held every four years in Israel since 1932, with the participation of many Jewish athletes from around the world. Chess is one of the many sports featured at the games. The 21st edition was played from 13 – 22 July 2022 in Jerusalem. The atmosphere of the Maccabiah Games was palpable in the historical city, with a huge number of sportspeople from different countries speaking different languages and waiting to compete in a range of sports. | Photo: Dr. Mark Livshitz

7/30/2022 – In the diagram position Black has just invited 18.Qxf5, but his way to victory after the game continuation 18.Qd2 is also worthy of a brilliancy prize - have fun!

7/30/2022 – Over 650 games are being played daily at the record-breaking Chess Olympiad in Chennai. GM Karsten Müller is attentively following the games, looking for instructive endings. Naturally, all sorts of setups and typical patterns show up with so many encounters running concurrently. Go over our in-house expert’s analyses, and you are sure to find something to learn or, at the very least, something to enjoy! | Pictured: Ariadna de la Riva (Andorra) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/29/2022 – The much-anticipated Olympiad finally kicked off in Chennai. Lopsided matches were once again the rule in the first round of the massive event. Nonetheless, a couple of strong grandmasters escaped with draws from losing positions, as their opponents were happy to split the points when given the chance. Indian fans could not have asked for a better start, as all six Indian teams scored 4-0 victories on opening day! | Photo: Stev Bonhage

7/29/2022 – A few weeks ago, Karsten Müller invited readers to analyze an interesting endgame that occurred in a game Bobby Fischer and David Bronstein played at the Interzonal Tournament Portoroz 1958. Bronstein was better but could not convert his advantage, and this crucial draw later helped Fischer to qualify for the Candidates. However, according to the analyzes of Karsten Müller and the ChessBase readers, Bronstein missed a win in the endgame. | Photo: Bobby Fischer at the Candidates Tournament 1959 | Photo: Tournament Book