On the a and h-files

Sacrifice as defence

Sometimes a small detail can make all the difference. For example in the diagram, with a pawn on h3 instead of h2 White's game continuation would win easily.

The way things are, however... 

ChessBase Magazine 181

Enjoy the best moments of recent top tournaments (World Cup, Isle of Man Open) with analysis of top players. In addition you'll get lots of training material. For example 10 new suggestions for your opening repertoire.

Oliver Reeh in ChessBase Magazine

Do you like these lessons? There are plenty more by tactic expert Oliver Reeh in ChessBase Magazine, where you will also find openings articles and surveys, endgames, and of course annotations by the world's top grandmasters.

ChessBase Magazine #181 (December/January)

The editor’s top ten: 

1. Counter-puncher Carlsen: Peter Heine Nielsen shows how, cool as ice, the world champion seized his chance against Caruana in the IoM.
2. Calculate correctly: test your calculation of variations with Oliver Reeh in his interactive tactics video!
3. The improved Grand Prix Attack: let Simon Williams enthuse you for 2.Be2 against the Sicilian.
4. Tricks in a double rook ending: Karsten Müller shows you the key points in Aronian-Vachier Lagrave from the World Cup (video)
5. Drum roll with a long echo: Max Illingworth sums up what Grischuk's 6...Bc5 has set in motion in the theory of the English Opening.
6. What's new in the King's Indian Attack? Let Igor Stohl bring you bang up to date.
7. Surviving despite -+(4,84): David Navara explains how he saved the draw with a rook against a queen and despite being a pawn down.
8. Attack, attack, attack: let Aronian's second Ashot Nadanian show you how the Armenian notched up his first win in the World Cup final.
9. Doubled is better: find the diversionary motif in Khalifman-Ehlvest from the FIDE training course of Efstratios Grivas.
10. World Cup decider: enjoy one of the most spectacular tiebreaks in Daniel King's video analysis!

Links

• Hunting the bishop
• Transformer