5/9/2026 – Winning against the reigning world champion is always difficult. The first German player to achieve this feat after the Second World War was Wolfgang Unzicker, for many years the number one player in the Federal Republic of Germany. At the 1961 European Team Championship, he outplayed the then world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. Wolfgang Uhlmann, for many years the number one player in the GDR, was not to be outdone. In 1962, at the Chess Olympiad in Varna, he defeated Botvinnik - though not quite as convincingly as Unzicker had done a year earlier. | Image: Wolfgang Uhlmann in 1970 | Photo: Rob Mieremet, Anefo

8/11/2023 – It can be very challenging to recognize one's mistakes much less own up to them with objectivity. We wiggle and we squirm as we seek to place the blame on outside factors, so imagine what it is like if you are asked to explain your 'crushing defeat' in front of a large audience. This is what happened to Mikhail Tal, but don't miss his priceless reply!

9/28/2022 – Castling is a privilege which both sides have in each game. Despite the choices being two, a player can castle only once in the entire game. The choice often determines the fate of the game. It might seem easy, yet the underlying consequences of a correct or a misjudgement can be long term. GM Sundararajan Kidambi shows two examples of former world champions’ games where one of the contenders made an incorrect call. Check out the grandmaster’s detailed analysis and enrich your knowledge.

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

1/27/2022 – The German Grandmaster Wolfgang Unzicker was an amateur and a judge by profession but even for the world's best players he was a dangerous opponent. At the Chess Olympiad 1954 in Amsterdam he was close to winning against Mikhail Botvinnik but Botvinnik managed to save an endgame that seemed impossible to save. Karsten Müller invited ChessBase readers to take a look at this endgame, and now presents the solution of this endgame riddle.

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.

1/6/2022 – "One of the most difficult games I have ever played." That is how Mikhail Botvinnik described his encounter with Wolfgang Unzicker from Germany at the Chess Olympiad 1954 in Amsterdam. Botvinnik wound up in a difficult rook ending in which he was a pawn down. However, he managed to save the endgame, once again proving his analytical abilities and his endgame skills. But was the endgame really drawn? Or did Unzicker miss a win? Karsten Müller invites you to take a look at this fascinating endgame. | Photo: Botvinnik at the Chess Olympiad 1960 in Leipzig

9/12/2021 – The Soviet team scored 11 wins in as many matches at the 1960 Chess Olympiad in Leipzig. Czechoslovakia came in fifth place. The direct clash between these two countries took place in round 8, with Mikhail Botvinnik playing white against Ludek Pachman on top board. Botvinnik won an opposite-coloured bishop endgame a pawn to the good. But was Botvinnik’s win flawless, or could have Pachman saved himself? Help Karsten Müller find an answer to this historical riddle!

5/12/2021 – 60 years ago today, on 12 May 1961, the return World Championship match between Mihail Tal and Mikhail Botvinnik, which had started in Moscow on 15 March, came to an end. Tal had won the first match in 1960 with 12.5-8.5, but in the return match Botvinnik regained the world championship title and defeated Tal 13-8 (+10, -5, =6). But despite the clear result Botvinnik's victory still failed to convince.

12/25/2020 – It has been a tough year for everyone. But one can always look at the glass half full, like our columnist Vlastimil Hort, who wrote this piece two years ago. Enjoy! | How to recover after a loss? What to do when things do not go your way — in life and in chess? Vlastimil Hort has an answer to this question: "Don't worry, be happy!" And he shares some anecdotes to show how this works in practice.

12/20/2020 – In game 14 of the 1958 World Championship match between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov, Botvinnik played what he called “maybe his most subtle rook ending”. Endgame specialist Karsten Müller asked our readers to help him find any mistakes that might have been made in the game. The verdict? Smyslov could have drawn!

12/12/2020 – Mikhail Botvinnik became world champion for the first time in 1948. After defending the title twice, he lost it to Vasily Smyslov in 1957. Botvinnik reclaimed the title with a clear victory in a rematch the very next year. In game 14, he played what he called “maybe his most subtle rook ending”. Endgame specialist Karsten Müller now wonders whether a few mistakes have not been discovered yet. You can help him solve the historical riddle! | Pictured: Botvinnik v Smyslov on April 19, 1957 | Photo: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo