1/25/2020 – The Gibraltar Chess Festival is one of the strongest open tournaments in the world but only after three rounds did we see the GMs begin to separate from the pack, five of whom maintained a perfect score. After four rounds the five dropped to one: Ivan Cheparinov. The festival also has an interesting program of side events. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, currently number eight in the world, gave a masterclass (pictured) after round two, which you can relive at your leisure. | Photo: Niki Riga
new: ChessBase 16 - Mega package Edition 2021
Your key to fresh ideas, precise analyses and targeted training!
Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.
Your key to fresh ideas, precise analyses and targeted training! Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.
Enjoy the best moments of recent top tournaments (World Cup, Isle of Man Open) with analysis of top players. In addition you'll get lots of training material. For example 10 new suggestions for your opening repertoire.
€19.95
Cheparinov leads with perfect score
Among the five leaders after three rounds, none was an Elo favourite! The top-rated scored with 3/3 was 2686-rated Bulgarian GM Ivan Cheparinov (who now plays for Georgia), and playing on board 1 in the fourth round, he was the only player to win a fourth consecutive game. That resulted in an interesting round five pairing: black against Veselin Topalov, for whom Cheparinov served as a second for many years.
Topalov heads a group of 13 players a half point behind which includes fellow-2700er Wang Hao, and also young up-and-comers Andrey Esipenko and Parham Maghsoodloo. The latter faces veteran American Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov, who is an active trainer of young talents himself but seldom plays competitively.
Cheparinov vs Chigaev | Photo: John Saunders
As is typically the case for large open tournaments, most of the favourites prevailed in the early rounds, achieving crushing victories that are rarely possible against their world-class colleagues. For instance, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave outplayed Indonesian IM Irine Sukandar with a slew of powerful pawn pushes in the opening round.
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6! leads to the so-called "Accelerated Dragon Defense". On this DVD the Russian grandmaster and top women player Nadezhda Kosintseva reveals the secrets of her favourite opening.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave speaking with Tania Sachdev | Photo: John Saunders
One notable upset came from the large Indian contingent: WIM Nandhidhaa defeated her fellow countryman Praggnanandhaa, considered one of the greatest talents in the world, in a tactical slug fest.
This DVD offers Black a complete repertoire against all weapons White may employ on move six. The recommended repertoire is not as risky as other Sicilians but still offers Black plenty of counter-play.
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: John Saunders
Masterclass with Mamedyarov
Moderator Tania Sachdev hosted the Azerbaijani number one Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in the first of the traditional "masterclass" series of lectures in Gibraltar after round two. He showed two interesting games that he won against Loek Van Wely with black and spoke frankly about his career, tournaments and his attitude towards chess.
Both games discussed for replay
The veterans: Vassily and Veselin
Vassily Ivanchuk is a regular in Gibraltar and although the Ukrainian is considered a player who can beat anyone on good days, he is also vulnerable on bad days. He started the tournament in Gibraltar with two wins but stumbled in round four against Mikhail Antipov
White's knight on c6 is a monster, so Ivanchuk eliminated it out of desperation: 35...♜xc6 but after 36.bxc6 ♛xc6+ 37.♕f3 ♛c7 38.♕e4 he resigned as Black is nearly in zugzwang, e.g. 38...b5 39.♜a8 and now there's nothing much for black to do against the white rooks, one of which will soon take over the seventh ranks. E.g. 38...♛c3 (trading queens is also hopeless 39...♛c4 40.♕xc4 bxc4 41.♖c8) 40.♖1a7, etc.
Vassily Ivanchuk is back in 57th place with 2½/4 | Photos: Niki Riga
Topalov is of the same generation as Ivanchuk and while he's not getting invitations to many elite events, he's still dangerous, especially when given the opportunity to unleash a signature exchange sacrifice — as in round three against French GM Fabian Libiszewski, amid a power outage caused by a mishap at the new power facility being constructed in Gibraltar which interrupted play.
This DVD gives you the key to start out with the French Defence. GM Yannick Pelletier is a specialist of this opening, and believes that the most efficient way to understand its ideas, plans, and typical structures is to study classical lines.
Topalov with Tania Sachdev after his third round win
The following round, Topalov gave a veritable master class of his own at the board against Spanish GM Jaime Santos, who prevented the Bulgarian from sacrificing an exchange by taking the opportunity himself in the hopes of holding a worse endgame. But Topalov demonstrated how the rook dominates the knight in this ending.
What is the best way to use your pieces to their full potential in the endgame? GM Karsten Mueller demonstrates "knight geometry", and teaches you how to employ the "knight check shadow" in your own games!
Macauley PetersonMacauley served as the Editor in Chief of ChessBase News from July 2017 to March 2020. He is the producer of The Full English Breakfast chess podcast, and was an Associate Producer of the 2016 feature documentary, Magnus.
In this video series Pert gives a strong and practical Black repertoire against the Anti-Sicilians such as the Bb5 Sicilian, the Grand Prix Attack, the Alapin and many more, from my years of experience playing the Sicilian.
Special: AVRO 1938. “All in One”: Anish Giri and Igor Stohl dissect two topical opening lines. Analyses from Norway Chess 2020 by Duda, Firouzja et al. Videos by Erwin l’Ami, Daniel King and Mihail Marin. 11 opening articles and much more!
If you want some inspiration for your next online or offline blitz games this video course is for you. Simon Williams shows his favorite opening traps in 60 minutes.
When it comes to strategy, one of the key things that chess professionals understand much better than amateur players is the role of the bishop which is the key theme on this video course.
Merijn van Delft: Update in the Keres Attack. Elisabeth Pähtz: Anti-Awerbach (only in German -Part II). „Lucky bag" with analyses by von Navara, Nielsen, Meier, Krasenkow, Huschenbeth, Müller et al.. Over 43,000 new games for your database!
Your key to fresh ideas, precise analyses and targeted training! ChessBase 16 + MEGA 2021 + CBM subscription (6 issues) + ChessBase Account (1 year) + CORR 2020 + Endgame Turbo 5 + 500 Ducats
€469.90
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.
Pop-up for detailed settings
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies, analysis cookies and marketing cookies. You can decide which cookies to use by selecting the appropriate options below. Please note that your selection may affect the functionality of the service. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.
Technically required cookies
Technically required cookies: so that you can navigate and use the basic functions and store preferences.
Analysis Cookies
To help us determine how visitors interact with our website to improve the user experience.
Marketing-Cookies
To help us offer and evaluate relevant content and interesting and appropriate advertisement.