9/22/2026 – In a previous article we described the genesis of this increasingly popular form of chess – and what the strongest ever player, Magnus Carlsen, thinks of it. Today we hear the opinion of another top grandmaster. In this remarkable interview you can listen to the view of Levon Aronian – but also on a number of other subjects that are of great interest to the chess world.
new: ChessBase Magazine 225
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more. ChessBase Magazine offers first-class training material for club players and professionals! World-class players analyse their brilliant games and explain the ideas behind the moves. Opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in tactics, strategy and endgames show you the tricks and techniques you need to be a successful tournament player! Available as a direct download (incl. booklet as pdf file) or booklet with download key by post. Included in delivery: ChessBase Magazine #225 as “ChessBase Book” for iPad, tablet, Mac etc.!
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Keep it simple. Stay objective. Watch the clock. Sometimes take the risk. GM Loek van Wely explains the ten principles that decide real games. They aren’t about theory. They’re about what you do at the board when it counts.
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Levon Aronian believes Chess960 has a future
In our previous article, we described how Fischer Random chess came about, how it was promoted by Bobby Fischer, shortly before his death, how it came to Europe and then spread into the world chess scene. We spoke about Garry Kasparov's ideas on the game, how its name changed to Chess 960 with the Fischer rules there are 960 possible starting positions), and how the first 960 tournaments were staged in Germany.
We also discussed some possible alternate rules to the game: we select ten interesting positions to be used in tournaments and allow players to prepare in advance. Immediately before the start of each round, the audience in the hall (or on the Internet) selects one of these ten positions for all games. This provides spectator participation, which is never a bad thing. We also included a video in which Magnus Carlsen talked about Fischer Random Chess.
Today we bring you the views of grandmaster Levon Aronian on the subject, which came up when Aronian sats down with Manisha Mohite in Bengaluru (Bangalore) during the recent Global Chess League. The interview was conducted for the Deccan Herald, the main newspaper of the southern Indian city.
Considered a master of prophylaxis, Petrosian sensed dangers long before they actually became acute on the board. In his prime, Petrosian was almost invincible. Let our authors introduce you into the world of Tigran Petrosian.
This is what he says:
Levon Aronian: I think in in a way it's also easy for us because we know that we can always switch to chess 960 any single day and that game is full of creativity.
Manisha Mohite: You have been a world champion in the Chess 960 or Fisher Random chess. Could you tell your experience with it?
LA: The first time I was introduced to it I fell in love with the game, because it's full of color. It feels amazing to play it because you have to um invent the game itself from move one. I think the reason why I was always successful in it was because I adore the game and I adore challenges. This has always been part of my life. Even from early age I always like challenges.
MM: So you think Fisher Random Chess or Chess 960 as it is called needs further exploration?
LA: Absolutely. We definitely we need some good literature written on it. I might be writing a book on it – I'm getting a team together for this. But I'm so busy with playing that it will take some time. But it is something I strongly believe should be done. Something to introduce the young generation to the game. So you learn Chess 960 instead of chess from the from your first game.
MM: Bringing a lot more creativity you think into the game?
LA: Yeah. And you know it's a game of the future I think because um you know the world is changing so fast and you cannot just grasp the amount of knowledge there is, the inexhaustible infinite possibilities.
The above is of great interest to people trying to form an opinion on Fischer Random, but we strongly advocate that you listen to at least passages of the rest of the 21-minute interview. Here are the subjects discussed – click on the links to start them in YouTube.
00:00 – First impressions of Bengaluru 01:31 – Surviving the Soviet collapse 02:37 – 3 Olympiad Golds for Armenia 03:07 – Early days in India & Viswanathan Anand 04:08 – The story behind the colorful shirts 05:22 – Did computers kill chess creativity? 06:01 – Why Chess960 is the future 08:52 – Why he moved to the US 10:19 – Rating India’s chess prodigies 11:37 – Gukesh vs. Ding Liren predictions 13:17 – Longevity in chess & Fabiano Caruana
On this DVD, Grandmaster Daniel King presents a repertoire for Black against the opoular queen's pawn openings such as the London System or the Trompowsky!
Frederic FriedelEditor-in-Chief emeritus of the ChessBase News page. Studied Philosophy and Linguistics at the University of Hamburg and Oxford, graduating with a thesis on speech act theory and moral language. He started a university career but switched to science journalism, producing documentaries for German TV. In 1986 he co-founded ChessBase.
9/19/2026 – The Master Class series combines biography, a collection of games and Fritz Trainer material on a chess legend in a multimedia format. Several authors contribute to each volume, presenting the master in their respective areas of expertise. Jochen Schwarz, a club player from Bremen, has followed the Master Class series since its first volume and has taken a look at the latest edition, devoted to Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen. He also compares it with earlier volumes in the series.
9/16/2026 – GM Jon Speelman returns to the theme of opening preparation in the computer era, examining how engine-assisted novelties can unsettle even the strongest players. His examples begin with Fabiano Caruana's preparation from the recent Grand Chess Tour final, before moving to an earlier attacking idea by Hikaru Nakamura and, finally, the famous gambit introduced by Frank Marshall (pictured) against José Raúl Capablanca in New York in 1918.
After 1.d4 d5 many players with White avoid the great amount of theory in the Slav, Semi-Slav, QGA and Orthodox Queen's Gambit and do not therefore play 2.c4. This is not very ambitious, but the painful experience of many chess players has been that the Colle System, the Trompowsky Attack, the Torre Attack and the London System are nevertheless extremely dangerous. Black has to be prepared for each of these openings and IM Valeri Lilov offers you some help with his six instructive videos, in which he demonstrates for each single opening a relevant plan for Black. In addition to the openings mentioned, the Bulgarian trainer also delves into the Catalan, the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit and the Richter-Veresov Opening.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Keep it simple. Stay objective. Watch the clock. Sometimes take the risk. GM Loek van Wely explains the ten principles that decide real games. They aren’t about theory. They’re about what you do at the board when it counts.
2026 Chess Olympiad with analyses by Abdusattorov, Donchenko, Duda, So and many more – ‘Rooks love open files’: Tactics training with Oliver Reeh – ‘Don’t underestimate it’: Caruana’s blitz weapon 1.e4 e5 2.d3 – Total Video playing time: over 6 hours!
Most players don’t lack the urge to attack, they just strike at the wrong moment, and GM Sipke Ernst shows you which signals tell you to go for the king and which tell you to choose another plan.
How grandmasters win without fireworks: GM Jan Markos shows you 11 very practical tips from "How to play in a lost position" to "Be patient like Carlsen" that will improve your tournament chess.
The Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4!? is an opening idea well worth considering. Black immediately threatens to double the pawns on c3 in the style of the Trompowski or Sicilian Grand Prix attack.
In this 60-minute video course you’ll learn how to use the Austrian Defence as a practical weapon for Black!
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