3/26/2026 – A life between political pressure, sporting rivalry and unshakeable ambition: Viktor Korchnoi is one of the most fascinating figures in chess history. On 23 March, the chess legend would have turned 95. ChessBase is taking this as an opportunity to provide you with a feature package on the influential figure in the history of chess. | Pictured: Petra and Viktor Korchnoi enjoying a meal aboard the Hamburg Alster steamer at the ChessBase Christmas celebration. | Photos: ChessBase
new: Fritz 20
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
2025 European Championship with a German double victory and analyses by Bluebaum, Svane, Rodshtein, Yuffa, Navara and many more. Opening videos by Engel, King and Marin. Training sections “The Fortress”, “The Trap” and “Fundamental Endgame Knowledge" etc.
€21.90
Unyielding fighter
Viktor Korchnoi (23 March 1931–6 June 2016) was one of the most important chess grandmasters of the 20th century and for decades was regarded as a serious contender for the title of world champion. Trained in the Soviet Union, he quickly established himself among the world elite, but his independent character increasingly brought him into conflict with the state authorities.
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Viktor Korchnoi. Let them show you which openings Korchnoi chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
Viktor Korchnoi in the old ChessBase studio, with his wife Petra and ChessBase co-founder Frederic Friedel | Photo: ChessBase
In 1976, he defected to the West during a tournament and later became stateless, while his family in the Soviet Union was subjected to repression. Despite these personal hardships, Korchnoi continued to play at the highest level well into old age.
His greatest achievements came as challenger to Anatoly Karpov in the World Championship matches of 1978 and 1981. These encounters were not only of the highest sporting quality but also politically charged, and were widely seen internationally as a symbolic confrontation between East and West.
Korchnoi remained an active tournament player into advanced age and was known for his tireless fighting spirit, his psychological strength and his uncompromising style of play. He is counted among the strongest players in chess history never to have won the world title.
Special package for his birthday:
ChessBase honours the unforgettable grandmaster with a special themed package.
To mark the occasion, we are offering two outstanding video courses featuring in-depth analyses, unforgettable games and fascinating insights into the life of an extraordinary champion at a special price:
Master Class, Vol. 15 – Korchnoi and My Life for Chess, in which Korchnoi personally analyses his best games, are available together as a special bundle offer
Free video shows honouring Korchnoi
In the latest episode of his Power Play Show, GM Daniel King dedicates the video to Viktor Korchnoi on the occasion of his 95th birthday
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Viktor Korchnoi. Let them show you which openings Korchnoi chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
In the 716th instalment of his Game of the Week, IM Merijn van Delft analyses a remarkable attacking victory by "Viktor the Terrible"
12/30/2025 – Tuesday marks the final day of the World Blitz Championships in Doha. Both the open and the women's sections will be decided in four-player knockouts once the first stage (Swiss opens lasting 19 and 15 rounds respectively) come to an end. The time control throughout is 3+2. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 12.00 CET (6.00 ET, 16.30 IST)
9/14/2025 – For many, the passing of Jacob Murey will elicit a passing nod, or barely that as a name that brings no recognition. This is fair, but for the chess community located in Paris, France, he was a deeply respected character and fixture who left an indelible mark.
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.
From the 2026 Candidates Tournament, featuring a video review by Dorian Rogozenco, to Jan Werle’s opening video on the French Tarrasch Defence, and Oliver Reeh’s tactical column ‘Top Grandmasters at Work’. Analyses by Giri, So, Wei Yi and many others.
You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
In this course, you’ll learn how to take the initiative against the London and prevent White from comfortably playing their usual system by playing 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 Nh5.
London System Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains in all 11 285 games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 282 are annotated.
The London System Powerbook 2026 is based on more than 410 000 games or game fragments from different opening moves and ECO codes; what they all have in common is that White plays d4 and Bf4 but does not play c4.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Opening videos: Open Spanish (Sipke Ernst) and Classical Sicilian (Nico Zwirs). Endgame Special by Igor Stohl: ‘Short or long side’ – where should the defending king be placed in rook endgames? ‘Lucky bag’ with 35 master analyses.
€14.90
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