11/7/2021 – In his first opening video for ChessBase Magazine Markus Ragger takes up an idea that the World Champion tried out at the FIDE World Cup this summer. In the Moscow Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 cxd4) White almost always recaptures the d4-pawn with the queen. Carlsen played 5.Nxd4 against Wojtaszek instead and answered 5...Nf6 with the remarkable 6.0-0. In the new ChessBase Magazine Markus Ragger explains the potential of the new concept in a half hour video. From simple stumbling blocks (why can't Black just win the pawn with 6...Sxe4?) to tricky double attacks and positional exchange sacrifices, everything is possible! Here's an excerpt from Ragger's analysis.
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"Special" on Judit Polgar with analyses and videos on strategy and endgame. Demchenko, Sarana, Erdos, Grandelius, Saric et al. comment on games from the European Individual Championship. Opening videos by Ragger, King and Marin. Plus 11 opening articles
The Reference Function of ChessBase 16 as often gives a direct indication of how "new" - and how popular! - Carlsen's continuation is:
Quantitatively, 6.0-0 is (still) second choice. The fashion index, however, signals more than clearly that this is all the rage in the sideline with 5.Nxd4 Nf6. Carlsen's experiment against Wojtaszek has meanwhile been taken up by the top GMs Vachier-Lagrave, Firouzja and Esipenko, among others.
In his half-hour analysis Markus Ragger first explains why Black should not capture the unprotected pawn on e4: 6...Nxe4 is followed by 7.Re1, and when the knight retreats to f6, 8.Nf5 follows with an already decisive attack on d6. And also the attempt to protect the knight with 7...d5 backfires after 8.c4 Nf6 9.Nf5 (again with the threat 10.Nd6).
Austria's number 1 then goes into detail about various alternatives for Black: The developing moves 6...e6, 6...g6, 6...e5 as well as the main variation 6...a6 are on the programme. Ragger presents exciting ideas for White in all variations and makes you want to try out the new positions in practice!
Video analysis by Markus Ragger from ChessBase Magazine #204 (Excerpt)
Running time of the complete video in CBM #204: 29:32 min
More opening videos in ChessBase Magazine #204
Daniel King: Recent trend in the Queen’s Gambit Exchange Variation
The Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit is very popular with many d4-players of all levels. In fact for White this opening has some basic advantages to offer: you are guaranteed a sound pawn structure and there are no sharp critical variations which you have to know in great detail. Here it is much more about finding the correct plan, the correct strategy. In his video he presents a new idea for Black which Alireza Firouzja recently successfully employed against Wesley: in a standard position Firouzja continued with 11...b7-b5. Previously this move had been judged anti-positional. But today’s engines agree with him! “Very interesting counterplay!”
Marin’s analysis of the variation begins with a game played by the “heroine” of this issue: using the encounter Polgar-Spassky (1993) the openings expert first explains why in his view this variation above all seems attractive for White. He then goes on via other games to describe how the evaluation of the line – not least on account of varying engine evaluations– has moved over decades sometimes in one direction and sometimes in the other.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Opening videos: Sipke Ernst brings the Ulvestad Variation up to date + Part II of ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’. Special: Jan Werle shows highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in the video. ‘Lucky bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of King’s Indian and Pirc structures with colours reversed, often arising from the French or Sicilian.
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