3/15/2026 – In this episode, Svitlana and Arne kick off a Candidates-themed tactics series by exploring beautiful combinations from the careers of several contenders, including Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Matthias Blübaum, and Wei Yi. Each player is represented by an easier and a harder puzzle, and the lesson highlights recurring tactical themes such as queen deflections, mating nets, forcing moves, and precise attacking calculation. Along the way, they also discuss their Candidates favourites, with Arne backing Matthias Blübaum as a dark horse, while Svitlana expects a fiercely contested tournament full of surprises.
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The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Facing the Sicilian doesn’t have to be complicated. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Whether your opponent plays the Najdorf, Taimanov, or Dragon, the Alapin lets you take control of the game as early as move two.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 2...g6
Whether you‘re a beginner looking for a clear roadmap or an advanced player ready to refine your strategic edge, this comprehensive course will transform the way you think about chess.
€49.90
Svitlana's Smart Moves - Episode 139
With Svitlana Demchenko and Arne Kaehler
Svitlana Demchenko, born in 2003, is a Canadian WIM and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and everything else chess-related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the Women's International Master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video on our chessboard.
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If you like Svitlana's Smart moves, you will certainly enjoy her newest course - Silence the Sicilian!
The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Facing the Sicilian doesn’t have to be complicated. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Whether your opponent plays the Najdorf, Taimanov, or Dragon, the Alapin lets you take control of the game as early as move two.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 2...g6
Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.
The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.
Arne KaehlerArne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.
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.
2/20/2026 – 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.
London System PowerBase 2026 is a database and contains in all 11 285 games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 282 are annotated.
The London System Powerbook 2026 is based on more than 410 000 games or game fragments from different opening moves and ECO codes; what they all have in common is that White plays d4 and Bf4 but does not play c4.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Opening videos: Open Spanish (Sipke Ernst) and Classical Sicilian (Nico Zwirs). Endgame Special by Igor Stohl: ‘Short or long side’ – where should the defending king be placed in rook endgames? ‘Lucky bag’ with 35 master analyses.
YOUR EASY ACCESS TO OPENING THEORY: Whether you want to build up a reliable and powerful opening repertoire or find new opening ideas for your existing repertoire, the Opening Encyclopaedia covers the entire opening theory on one product.
The Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange Variation with 5.Bf4 has a great balance between positional play and sharp pawn pushes; and will be a surprise for your opponents while being easy to learn for you, as the key patterns are familiar.
€9.90
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