5/7/2025 – MegaBase 2025 is Chess History in action. Regularly updated every month, the Main Database currently offers 11 million games, many of them annotated. Here our columnist offers a review with focus on chess in the 21st Century.
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Nearly six centuries of chess
The MegaBase 2025 is the premiere chess database with over 11 million games from 1475 to 2025 in high quality. The first of these games was played in Valencia, Spain way back in 1475. The last of them updated in my database is Stefanova, Antoaneta - Mammadzada, Gunay, Baku Blitz (W), 30 April 2025.
On my current count, I have 11318370 games. The number is still growing. So when you see this MegaBase on your screen, you have nearly six centuries of chess before you. It's impossible to do justice to this kind of work in one review.
The first question that a modern player would ask is, "What about Carlsen? How many of his games are in the new database?" As of now, the MegaBase has more than 7000 games played by Magnus. He has himself analysed about 26 games during the period 2006-2016. Thereafter, Peter Heine-Nielsen, his long-time second, has annotated about 50 of his games to date. Why not Magnus himself? He is too busy playing, hopping from one tournament to another. Besides, he is not all that anxious to reveal his mind to his rivals!
To return to the present, Magnus represents the ultimate test for both his peers and younger rivals. He is also a champion with universal style. In the following game we see him as a positional player with excellent endgame technique.
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On occasion, he may let slip a chance as in the following game:
Carlsen v. Praggnanandhaa, Tata Steel Chess Tournament, 2023 | Photo: Lennart Ootes
I have drawn attention to Pragg's performance against Carlsen before, in a previous review. He did miss his chance in the Candidates 2024, finishing 5th in a field of 8, scoring 7 out of 14. He redeemed himself, edging out Gukesh and coming first in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. This edition of MegaBase has more than 2100 games played by him.
Another Indian talent who has drawn a lot of attention for his games is Ajun Erigaisi. He is known for his aggressive style. When he is in form, there is no way of stopping him as Carlsen found to his cost:
Carlsen v. Erigaisi from the Tata Steel Blitz Tournament 2024
Erigaisi is a hit-or-miss player with unpredictable results. He plays with great energy and determination, missing the goal when he overestimates his chances. Here is a recent example.
This was a rapid game and Erigaisi missed a win more than once (see Notes). It speaks for Carlsen's coolness under fire that he held the position with imaginative defence and launched a counterattack himself to score a draw. In such battles, honours are even.
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To return to Erigaisi, there are more than 3200 games (2012-2025) played by him in the MegaBase here. One can learn as much from his defeats as from his victories.
Carlsen's other young rivals have also been learning and performing better against him year after year. One of them is Nodirbek Abdusattorov. He missed his qualification for the Candidates 2024 last year. However, he has been playing well in the past few weeks and put up a good performance in the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tournament.
Carlsen v. Abdusattorov, Paris Grand Slam Freestyle Tournament 2025 | Photo: Abhyudaya Ram / ChessBase India
Here is a game played a few years ago.
There are more than 3200 games (2012-2025) played by Abdusattorov in the MegaBase here.
Duda v. Carlsen, Norway 2020 | Photo: Lennart Ootes
One player who was out of the tournament arena for quite some time is now back. It's Jan Duda, and in the following game he beats Carlsen in entertaining style.
There are 4300 games (2007-2025) played by Duda in the MegaBase here.
One player who deserved better and received less in sporting results is Alireza Firouzja. A few years ago, Carlsen expressed his hope that he would play a world championship match with him. He added:
If someone other than Firouzja wins the Candidates Tournament it is unlikely that I will play the next World Championship match.
So it happened. The young Iranian-French talent has had issues with the organisers in the Candidates 2024, and it adversely affected his play. In the end, he finished 7th, winning 2 and losing 6 games. As it turned out, he was the only player to inflict defeat on the eventual winner of the Candidates Tournament.
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Firouzja v. Gukesh, Candidates 2024
Firouzja's annotations to the game may be found in the MegaBase here.
This game was played in the first half of the Candidates Tournament. In the second half of the contest, Gukesh levelled his personal score with Firouzja.
Gukesh v. Firouzja, Candidates Tournament 2024 | Photo: Michal Walusza
There are more than 4500 games played by Firouzja (2013-2025) in the MegaBase here.
Finally, let us consider the performance of Dommaraju Gukesh as reflected in the MegaBase. In January this year, the young World Champion shared first and second place with Praggnanandhaa in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament with a score of 8½/13 (+5, -1, =7). Then they had to play a blitz match to resolve the tie. After both had drawn level with 1-1 score, Praggnanandhaa won the final game to claim first prize in this prestigious tournament.
He had dismal results in the Weissenhaus and the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tournaments. In Weissenhaus he had too many draws and losses to Carlsen and Firouzja. In Paris success also eluded him with losses to almost every other player in the world elite, be it Carlsen or Caruana, not to mention his nemesis, Abdusattorov.
Should we call him "An Accidental World Champion" just on account of these results? The answer is NO.
As Carlsen put it, Gukesh has not had much exposure to freestyle chess, having devoted most of his time to the more regular formats of play.
The young Indian is only 18 and still in the prime of life. We have yet to see what the future holds for him. The MegaBase has about 2100 games played by him over a decade (2014-2025). He has annotated only three of them (the opponents being Ian Nepomniachtchi, Andrey Esipenko and Vidit Gujrathi).
During the Covid-19 years, Gukesh played an online speed match with Carlsen. He was barely 14 and received a severe drubbing from Magnus. Curiously, he managed to win a miniature.
The result, 1-0, is inexplicable here as Black is slightly better after 15…Nde5.
Probably there was a network failure or Carlsen thought for too long and ran out of time.
Since then, Gukesh has come a long way. In the following game, he shows that he too can learn and play freestyle chess.
Will he be able to maintain a pre-eminent position in tournament chess in the coming days or retain his title in the next World Championship match? Time will tell.
For reasons of length, I have not been able to do justice to the rich treasure of games collected over centuries and offered in the MegaBase. In my previous reviews, I have drawn attention to a few of them.
Experts examine the games of Max Euwe. Let them show you which openings Euwe chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, which tactical abilities he had or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame. Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world's best players. Euwe holds the record for the most Dutch national championships, with twelve. After winning the World Championship, Euwe was also the world's best player for a while. He lost the title again in 1937 in the rematch against Alexander Alekhine.
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This brings me to the subject of annotations in this database. The games in recent years are annotated in detail, thanks to their main source, ChessBase Magazine, right up to 2025. Not so with games from the past. A number of them are unannotated. Others have annotations of varying length and quality in Informant style.
At times, a game may have only one cryptic note and if you investigate further, the results are rewarding. A case in point is the miniature Carlsen v. Erigaisi from Tata Steel Blitz 2024. There is a single note, pointing out that Carlsen's 17. Qf4 is an opening novelty. However, the course of the game shows that it's a dubious novelty that cost Carlsen a whole point. Why does Carlsen play such moves? To set problems for himself and his opponent. It's a learning experience for both the players and the spectators.
Which annotations are best? Those that offer a judicious blend of explanation and analysis.
Here Anish Giri sets an example. As of now, he has annotated 141 games in the MegaBase. Currently one annotator who comes close to Giri in the quality of commentary is Adhiban Baskaran. He has analysed 91 games - quite a few of them, his own losses.
One issue that I have had with the MegaBase is that the annotations have become bilingual, with both English and German commentary side by side.
Many German players have a fine grasp of the English language. They have no problem here. Not those who follow only English. Perhaps it makes sense to have separate language editions.
Seeing the games in the MegaBase is the first step. Thereafter, one has to supplement one's understanding with some good reading and, importantly, practice over the board.
Notes
1. Anish Giri's annotations appear in both NewinChess Magazine and ChessBaseMagazine.
2. Other leading GMs as Annotators in MegaBase
Caruana:47 games
Nakamura: 06 games
Praggnanandhaa: 30 games
Firouzja:27 games
Abdusattorov:05 games
Duda:28 games
3. Once you have the MegaBase, it's important to update the database every week (Monday or Tuesday) without fail. On a rare occasion, one may not find games one is looking for in an update. A case in point is the first leg of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tournament held in Weissenhaus in February this year. Vincent Keymer won this event, beating Carlsen and Caruana on the way:
4. In the Erigaisi-Carlsen game the Indian player missed the spectacular 30.Bb4!! and 4.Bxg5!! But then let us remember, it was a rapid game.
5. In the Gukesh-Firuzja game from the Candidates Tournament 2024, Black missed a chance to draw with 45…Ne6!! 46.Qxf5 Qg7! (the point) 47.Qe5 Qxe5 48.Rxe5 Nxf4 49.Rxe4 Nxh3+ 50.Ke2 Rf8=. The line is far from obvious, and it's no wonder that Firouzja missed it at a tense moment.
Links
1. In a previous review of the MegaBase I dealt with its treatment of three world championship matches:
The ChessBase Mega Database 2025 is the premiere chess database with over 11 million games from
1475 to 2024 The ChessBase Mega Database 2025 is the premiere chess database with over 11 million games from 1475 to 2024 in high quality. Packing more than 113,000 annotated games, Mega 2025 contains the world‘s largest collection of high-class analysed games. Train like a pro! Prepare for your opponents with ChessBase and the Mega Database 2025. Let grandmasters explain how to best handle your favorite variations, improve your repertoire and much more.
Nagesh HavanurProf. Nagesh Havanur (otherwise known as "chessbibliophile") is a senior academic and research scholar. He taught English in Mumbai for three decades and has now settled in Bangalore, India. His interests include chess history, biography and opening theory. He has been writing on the Royal Game for more than three decades. His articles and reviews have appeared on several web sites and magazines.
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