3/19/2023 – When choosing a move during a game of chess, there will be a compromise between instinct and calculation. In reasonably clear positions, you may be able to rely on the former with just a few checks for blunders, but there are situations which require you to go deeper into the position. At times, if nothing is satisfactory after exploring the alternatives, it may be advisable to bluff and go for a line which you believe to be worse if they find a difficult resource but better if they fail to find this (near) refutation.
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.!
Winning starts with what you know The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
The Black Sniper is back – sharper and deadlier than ever! This dynamic system (1...g6, 2...Bg7, 3...c5 against 1.e4, 1.d4 and 1.c4) creates unpredictable, high-pressure positions, leaving opponents struggling to adapt.
€39.90
If and when it capsizes...
[Note that Jon Speelman also looks at the content of the article in video format, here embedded at the end of the article.]
When choosing a move during a game of chess, there will be a compromise between instinct and calculation. In reasonably clear positions, you may be able to rely on the former with just a few checks for blunders, but there are times when you need to go deeper into the position.
Calculation involves at least three different processes. In each position you examine, you must find the “candidate moves” for yourself or your opponent, i.e. move generation; and then stitch them together to make reasonably plausible “variations”, with luck without making too many glaring errors. A variation ends when you believe that nothing too dramatic is going to happen (the position is fairly quiescent) and you must then try to assess it.
It's a great idea to take Grunfeld and King’s Indian players out of their comfort-zone right from the start! Let’s go 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 first and now play 3.h4!?
After working through these variations — and it’s perfectly sensible to stop without looking at everything if you find something sufficiently appealing — you must finally make your choice. Normally this will be the line that leads to the best possible outcome if they play what you believe to be their best moves (computer engines do this by finding the maximin — the line which leads to the maximum minimum value against the supposed best play). However, sometimes, if nothing is satisfactory, it may be better to bluff and go for a line which you believe to be worse if they find a difficult resource — but will be better if they fail to find this (near) refutation.
Two well-known books on chess calculation, by Jacob Aagaard and Ramesh RB
Today I’m concentrating on the first part of the process: move generation. And in particular high-value moves which may or may not change the assessment dramatically. These will rock the boat — if and when it capsizes, either you or your opponent is likely to be underneath: though a priori you don’t know which.
To calculate well, you have to be able to see these moves or at least a decent proportion of them (of course, engines uncover ludicrous ideas which people would hardly ever see, all the time). And if you can develop an instinct as to when they might occur and what they actually are, then this will undoubtedly be very helpful.
We start with a vicious opening trap which was sprung in the first round of the recent European Championship. It turns out it had already occurred at least 20 times previously. It is followed by a lovely game from the recent Swedish League, in which a small thunderbolt did considerable damage. It’s counterpointed by a couple of analogous examples with the same blow, and I’m finishing briefly with two positions from my own games.
New ...
New Game
Edit Game
Setup Position
Open...
PGN
FEN
Share...
Share Board (.png)
Share Board (configure)
Share playable board
Share game as GIF
Notation (PGN)
QR Code
Layout...
Use splitters
Swipe notation/lists
Reading mode
Flip Board
Settings
Move
N
Result
Elo
Players
1.e4
1,186,706
54%
2421
---
1.d4
960,560
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
286,913
56%
2440
---
1.c4
185,115
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,902
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,609
54%
2428
---
1.f4
5,959
48%
2376
---
1.Nc3
3,919
50%
2383
---
1.b4
1,791
48%
2379
---
1.a3
1,252
54%
2406
---
1.e3
1,081
49%
2409
---
1.d3
969
50%
2378
---
1.g4
670
46%
2361
---
1.h4
466
54%
2382
---
1.c3
439
51%
2425
---
1.h3
289
56%
2420
---
1.a4
118
60%
2461
---
1.f3
100
47%
2427
---
1.Nh3
93
66%
2506
---
1.Na3
47
62%
2476
---
Please, wait...
1.e4 This game in the first round of the European Championship
features a vicious opening trap whcih had been sprung more than 20 times
previously.c52.Nc3e63.Nge2a64.g3b55.Bg2Bb76.d4cxd47.Nxd4Nf68.0-0b49.Na4Bxe410.Bxe4Nxe411.Re1d511...Nc512.c3Nxa413.Qxa4Qb612.c4bxc313.Nxc3Nxc3
A devastating blow. e6 now
crumbles.14.Qh5‼Ne414...g615.Qe5Ne416.Qxh8Qf616...Nd717.Bh6Qf618.Qxf6Ndxf615.Nxe6Qb615...g616.Nc7+16.Qe5?fxe616...Qxc717.Qxd5f5Neither Q nor Nc6 is any better with g6 included.17...Qc618.Rxe4+Be719.Rxe7+Kxe720.Bg5+Kf821.Bh6+17...Nc618.Rxe4+Be719.Rxe7+Kxe720.Bf4Qd821.Qxc6Rc822.Re1+Kf823.Bh6+Kg824.Qxa618.Qxa8Bc518...Bd619.Bh6Qc519...Qc620.Qxc6+Nxc621.f320.Rxe4+fxe421.Qxe4+Kf722.Re119.Rxe4+fxe420.Bf4Bxf2+21.Kg216.Nc7+!Qxc717.Qxd5
17...Qc6In fact Nc6 is a tougher defence because you have to
find - or rather be watching when your engine tells you - that Rxe5+ is only
somewhat better for White while Bg5 wins:17...Nc618.Bg5‼18.Rxe4+Be719.Rxe7+19.Bf4Rd8!19...Kxe720.Bf4Qd720...Qd8‼21.Qxc6Kf821.Qc5+Kd822.Re1!Qb723.Qd5+Kc824.Rc118...Be718...f619.Qxe4+19.Rxe4+Be720.Rc1Rc821.Bf419...Kf720.Qe6+Kg621.Bf4Qc822.Qe4+f523.Qe6+18...f519.Qxf5Be720.Qxe4Rc821.Rac119.Bxe7Kxe720.Rxe4+Kf821.Rc1Rc821...Rd822.Qxc6Rd1+23.Rxd1Qxc624.Rd8+22.Rec418.Rxe4+Be7
19.Rxe7+!Kxe720.Bg5+f620...Kf821.Qd8+Qe822.Be7+21.Re1+Kf822.Qd8+Kf723.Re7+Kg624.Qxh8Here engines helpfully
tell us that it's mate in 8.h525.Qxg7+Kf526.Qh7+Kg427.h3+1–0
In this Videocourse we deal with different aspects of the middlegame which are important to study and improve your general understanding of chess structures.
Jonathan SpeelmanJonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.
ChessBase is re-releasing this timeless classic in the modern ChessBase Media format - complete with brand-new training features. Get ready to rediscover a masterpiece of chess instruction!
How do you play the Queen's Gambit Accepted? Does White have promising variations or can Black construct a water-tight repertoire? The Powerbook provides the answers based on 300 000 games, most of them played by engines.
The Queen's Gambit Accepted Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 11827 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 240 are annotated.
Rossolimo-Moscow Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 10950 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 612 are annotated.
€9.90
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.