"Pure gold" - Davide Nastasio reviews ChessBase Magazine #205

by Davide Nastasio
2/6/2023 – The ChessBase Magazine appears six times a year and shows the latest trends in top level chess and opening theory. However, the issues do not get old: the first issue of 2023 is CBM #211, but Davide Nastasio recently had great fun looking at CBM #205. In an impromptu review he writes: every issue of the ChessBase Magazine "is pure gold for those genuinely interested in growing as chess players".
"Special" on Robert Huebner with analyses and videos on strategy and endgame. Firouzja, Oparin, Predke, Sevian, Vitiugov and others comment on their games from the Grand Swiss 2021. Opening videos by Kasimdzhanov, Ragger and Marin. 11 Opening articles

Chessbase Magazine 205!

It’s exciting for me to see how my favorite training tool can be downloaded in less than 3 minutes!! 3 GB of intense chess training on my HD and ready to go on a Saturday morning I don’t have to go to work, and I can finally enjoy every drop of chess wisdom given to me by professionals like Robert Ris with his move by move analysis of a game,

which is quite helpful. It’s like entering into the mind of a top chess player. Yes, the move by move invites you to guess what the next move played will be, and this guessing back and forth, with the right feedback by Ris will help an amateur or club player to understand the difference in thinking, evaluating and calculating lines compared to a pro.

Then of course I love to follow the "Tune your tactics" column which in my opinion is more focused than the usual tactic trainers based on engines which find a difference in scores about a position and present the position. Here we have Oliver Reeh who presents different themes from a good variety of games.

One advantage of the ChessBase Magazine over paper magazines is the amount of positions given, in this issue there are multiple positions coming from 37 games, and the orientation of the diagram is from the side which should play, when in books for the laziness of authors and publishers, they all give White's perspective.

Imagine in the following position, Black missed a simple tactic, and he’s rated 2400+ hence the need to practice more tactics!

In the position below Oliver Reeh asks us: if White plays Qxh6, what happens after Rxg2?

It seems there are recurring squares in chess where a massacre happens! LOL

And then, of course, at a certain level games are won or drawn thanks to endgame skills, so the ChessBase author I always run to listen to is GM Karsten Mueller, with his deep endgame wisdom. This issue is about rook endgames, and I believe they are a MUST for every player aspiring to the Master title. GM Mueller gives 44 endgames, taken from games, which I believe are a good amount of material for the chess player aspiring to learn them.

Dr. Robert Huebner played some very interesting endgames. Here is one example, which I found extremely interesting, and which could be given to a chess student for training.

Black just played 54…Kc8, which is a mistake, Black could have drawn with 54…Kd8, but give this position to a friend and ask to analyze it and prove the draw, it will not be easy. White now plays a winning move, guess move 55 by White, and prove with analysis how he can win.

Personally I feel grateful to these chess trainers who poured so much of themselves and their chess knowledge into this and other issues of ChessBase Magazine (I’m definitely behind with my chess reading, ChessBase just issued ChessBase Magazine 211! But everyone of their magazines is pure gold for those genuinely interested in growing as chess players).

Issue 205 of ChessBase Magazine ends with 2288 Top Master level games which can satisfy everyone’s need for knowing the latest trends in opening’s theory, while at the same time giving us a chance to follow and replay the latest games of the players we love (there are more than 40 annotated games from top players like Firouzja). I love the training format of this magazine and I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings of a Saturday morning with my fellow chess players who are also preparing for tournaments, or just trying to improve in chess!

I’d like to end this impromptu article with a game I commented lightly, because in it we can see the magic of top level chess!

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,186,70654%2421---
1.d4960,56055%2434---
1.Nf3286,91356%2440---
1.c4185,11556%2442---
1.g319,90256%2427---
1.b314,60954%2428---
1.f45,95948%2376---
1.Nc33,91950%2383---
1.b41,79148%2379---
1.a31,25254%2406---
1.e31,08149%2409---
1.d396950%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446654%2382---
1.c343951%2425---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411860%2461---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39366%2506---
1.Na34762%2476---
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 It's exciting to see a top GM playing, because automatically in my mind, when I see moves like this one I stop and wonder. Clearly he's not afraid of a pin on F3 by a move like Bc8-g4, so clearly there is something more he wants to achieve. And the next thought was: he wants to push the G pawn, the H pawn is used as support! e6 7.g4 and we can see that Ph2-h3 was made just for being able to play this move. White now has a space advantage, but there is much more that the position is telling us. White will not castle on the kingside, hence we also know Black's plan which is to try to use the C file. h6 8.a3 In chess books we often find moves like this one mentioned as dubious because it weakens the castle, it's a waste of a tempo, it gives the opponent a hook to attack, etc. Yet if one of the top 5 players in the world plays it there must be some deep reasons behind... Be7 9.Be3 Nc6 10.Rg1 another interesting move. t removes pre-emptively, the rook from a diagonal which could give Black counter-play and tactical motifs. Nd7 11.Be2 g5 Very interesting, this move tells White that Black is going to keep his king in the center! 12.Qd2 White continues his development, and plans to finish the opening phase by connecting the rooks with castling on the queenside. Nce5 13.0-0-0 b5 14.h4 Bb7 Now we can see the level of prophylaxis a 2800 level player usually play, and this is the real strategy not taught in chess books. White (I don't use Caruana also if he's White, because maybe move 10 was found by Stockfish LOL) refuted this development of the bishop 4 moves before!! Please if you take anything out of this game take this. It doesn't matter who actually played 10.Rg1 for the first time, what it matters are the ideas behind that move, and the work we do at the board to discover those ideas, those fleeting moments of electric energy in some neurons, are what makes chess the spiritual sport everyone should learn. Yes the feeling of accomplishment when we enter into someone's else mind is quite beyond the rating or the winning or losing a game. 15.hxg5 hxg5 16.Rh1 Rg8 this rook is scared, she found herself on the wrong side, all alone defending the king... and now she knows she is going to die on such duty! 17.Rh5 Caruana is doubling the rooks on the H file to have access to the Black king. Rc8 18.Rdh1 Bf6 Trying to control H8, while giving the Monarch an escape route! 19.f3 this supports the pawns, while giving the chance to the Be2 to be exchanged on C4. Qe7 20.Kb1 Nc4 21.Bxc4 A passive piece has been exchanged for an attacker, good deal! Rxc4 22.b3 Rc8 At this moment we see something is wrong in Black's placement of the pieces. This rook alone cannot storm the enemy castle, and the other rook is not able to help. Is there an active piece in Black's camp? 23.Nd5‼ exd5 24.Nf5 Now we see the reason of the sac on D5, White wanted to gain access to the square F5. Qe6 25.Bxg5 Bc3 26.Qh2 Ne5 27.Rh6 Rg6 28.Rxg6 Qxg6 29.Qf4 Nxf3 30.Qxf3 dxe4 31.Qe3 Bg7 32.Qa7 Qxg5 Notice how important was to play Kb1... 33.Qxb7 Rd8 34.Rh7 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Caruana,F2800Chigaev,M26391–02021FIDE Grand Swiss1

This review first appeared on Davide Nastasio's blog Chess News and Views. Reprinted with kind permission.

More about ChessBase Magazine...

Davide is a chess aficionado who regularly reviews books and DVDs.
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.