4/28/2025 – The rapid section of the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament ended with Aravindh Chithambaram, Vladimir Fedoseev and Alireza Firouzja sharing the lead on 11 points. Held in Warsaw as the first event of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, the competition now moves on to 18 rounds of blitz. Aravindh scored an important victory over Firouzja in a dramatic game that saw the latter losing on time. Levon Aronian, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave remain within reach of the leaders. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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 course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay.
€39.90
Sharp battles, no lack of drama
The rapid section of the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament concluded on Monday with three players tied at the top of the standings. Aravindh Chithambaram scored two wins and one loss to join Vladimir Fedoseev and Alireza Firouzja in the lead as the competition now moves into the blitz portion.
Aravindh's most important result came in the final round of rapid chess, when he defeated Firouzja in a dramatic encounter. Firouzja, who had been leading the event after beating Veselin Topalov in round eight, found himself in a difficult position against the Indian grandmaster. The French representative failed to foresee a tactical shot when he allowed Aravindh to play 25.Rxd5
Aravindh v. Firouzja
Black could not capture the rook with 25...Nxd5 due to the immediate mate with 26.Qxg7#. Firouzja instead chose 25...Qg4, and Aravindh in turn missed the strongest continuation with 26.Qxe7, which would have allowed White to coordinate his pieces and create decisive threats against the weakened black king.
White instead went for 26.Bxf6 Bxf6 27.Nxf6+ gxf6 and 28.Qe7 (28.Qd6 is stronger).
Aravindh v. Firouzja
Despite these missed chances, Aravindh kept pressing. Firouzja defended resourcefully to reach a drawn rook endgame a pawn down - but eventually lost on time on move 85!
Firouzja ran out of time after Aravindh played 87.Rd5
The course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay. The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3
Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Earlier in the day, Aravindh had defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda after surprising his opponent by playing an offbeat opening variation. However, he was then defeated in his game with black against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Heading into the blitz portion of the tournament, Aravindh, Firouzja and Fedoseev are tied with 11 points each. They hold a one-point lead over Levon Aronian and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. The blitz section will consist of 18 rounds, with 1 point awarded for a win and ½ point for a draw.
Given the large number of blitz games still to be played, other players remain within realistic striking distance. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, currently on 9 points, and even Bogdan-Daniel Deac and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, both on 8 points, will have plenty of opportunities to fight for top honours over the next two days.
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu ended the rapid section with back-to-back wins over David Gavrilescu and Jan-Krzysztof Duda | Photo: Lennart Ootes
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bb5Nf64.0-0Nxe45.d4Nd66.Ba4Aravindh deviates from the much-explored line leading to the Berlin endgame:6.Bxc6dxc67.dxe5Nf58.Qxd8+Kxd86...e47.Re1Be78.Ne5b5By far the most popular continuation is8...0-09.Nc3and Black now has a number of alternative, playable ways to proceed.9.Bb3Na510.Bxf7+
This move, not approved by the engines, had been tried by Wei Yi against Arjun Erigaisi at this year's online Chessable Masters. Arjun won that game. Still, Black does not have a winning position after this move - and facing this line in a rapid game might turn out to be quite tricky.10...Nxf711.Nxf7Kxf712.Qh5+Kf8Of course not12...g613.Qd5+Kg714.Qxa8Nor12...Kg813.Qd5+Kf814.Qxa813.Nc3Bb7After spending 12 minutes (in a 25-minute game) Duda falters, giving up his advantage. White is now for choice - and has a clear edge on the clock.Correct is Wei's13...Qe814.Qxb5and the Chinese GM here went for the inaccurateNc6Stronger is14...Nb715.Nxe4Qg616.Bf4c617.Qe2when Black has made progress (mostly trying to develop his pieces), while still a piece up for two pawns.15.Rxe4Rb816.Qe2Qf717.d5Nd8and White has a clear advantage.14.Nxe4But Aravindh fails to find the refutation. Black is better now.Correct is14.Qxb5c615.Qf5+Kg816.Nxe4with dynamic equality - though White still has the initiative and a major advantage on the clock.14...Qe815.Qxb5d516.Qxa5dxe417.Qxc7Qc818.Qg3
Black has emerged from the complications with a piece for three pawns but, more importantly, he has managed to activate his pieces - and has a pair of bishops in an open position.18...Qxc2Commentator Peter Svidler described this move, which is not the most accurate, as "maximalist"Engines prefer18...h5and e.g.19.Qb3a520.d5a421.Qb5a322.Qb3Bf6and Black is for choice.19.Bg5Aravindh plays this imprecise manoeuvre while having 19 minutes on the clock (to Duda's 4). In practical terms, it made sense to play quickly to increase the pressure on his opponent, who came from being surprised by the offbeat opening.Better is19.Bf4Qd320.Re3Qa621.Rc1Qg6and the double-edge struggle continues.19...Bxg520.Qxg5Qc4An inaccuracy.Better is20...Qc621.Qf4+Qf622.Qc7Qb6and e.g.23.Rac1Re824.Qg321.Rac1Qd522.Qg3h5
The deciding mistake - curiously, the pawn push that was the most accurate alternative on move 18.Not giving up control of the c-file at once with22...Rc8was absolutely necessary, though White can still pose difficult problems after23.Rxc8+Bxc824.Qc7Qd725.Rc1and e.g.Kf726.Qf4+Qf527.Rc7+Ke828.Qd6Qe6and Black's bishop and queen hold things together.23.Rc5Qxd424.Rf5+White's rook is fully activated, with decisive effect.Ke8Black cannot play24...Kg8due to25.Qb3+Kh726.Qf7and Black would need to give up a lot of material to prevent his opponent from checkmating the king.25.Qc7Bd526.Qd6Rd827.Re5+Kf728.Re7+Kg829.Qxd8+Kh730.Re8Rxe831.Qxe8Aravindh is now an exchange up in a completely winning endgame. Once his rook infiltrated, he converted his advantage swiftly and without major issues.Kh632.Qb5h433.h3g534.Qa6+Kg735.Qe2Bxa236.Qe3
Most players prefer to attack rather than defend. But what is the correct way to do it? GM Dr Karsten Müller has compiled many rules and motifs to guide you, along with sharpening your intuition for the exceptions.
Local hero Jan-Krzysztof Duda | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Carlos Alberto ColodroCarlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
4/30/2025 – Kicking off the 2025 Grand Chess Tour is the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, the first of three speed chess events, which is taking place on April 26-30 in Warsaw. The event starts with 9 rounds of rapid action, followed by 18 rounds of blitz. Included in the field are young elite GMs such as Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Alireza Firouzja alongside former world champion Veselin Topalov. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)
4/24/2025 – The 2025 Grand Chess Tour begins with the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, scheduled for 26–30 April in Warsaw. Held at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (POLIN), the event features nine rounds of rapid chess followed by eighteen rounds of blitz. Among the participants are elite grandmasters Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Alireza Firouzja, who will be joined by former world champion Veselin Topalov and other invited players competing for a $175,000 prize fund and tour points.
The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.
Ruy Lopez Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12092 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 1276 are annotated.
In this 60 Minutes, Andrew Martin guides you through all the key ideas you need to know to play with confidence. Whether you’re looking to surprise your opponents, or simply want a straightforward weapon against e5, the Centre Attack has you covered.
Videos by Mihail Marin: Najdorf Variation with 6.f4 and Nico Zwirs: Italian ‘giucco pianissimo’. ‘Lucky bag’ with 45 analyses by Edouard, Ftacnik, Gupta, Pelletier and others. Update service with over 50,000 new games for your database!
This video course provides a comprehensive and practical White repertoire in the Ruy Lopez! Through instructive model games and in-depth theoretical explanations, you will learn how to confidently handle both main lines and sidelines.
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.
€21.90
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.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
