2/26/2024 – Chess is often considered a calm and quiet game, where the only sound is the clicking of the pieces. But what if we could hear the heartbeat of the players, and see how their body reacts to the tension and excitement of the game? That is exactly what was done in the Freestyle Chess 2024 event in Weissenhaus, where the heart rate of some of the world’s best chess players were monitored as they faced each other! We start this series with a look back at how it all started. | Photo Lennart Ootes
2/15/2024 – Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana signed a draw in the first game of the finals at the Freestyle G.O.A.T. Chess Challenge. In the match for third place, Levon Aronian barely escaped with a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while Alireza Firouzja got the better of Gukesh D in the fight for fifth place. Finally, in the match for seventh place, Vincent Keymer defeated an out-of-form Ding Liren. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase
1/31/2024 – Last week we asked you to help us solve a historical riddle. Game 3 of the 1972 match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky left many open questions and new discoveries to be made. Charles Sullivan, Wolfram Schön, Zoran Petronijevic helped Karsten Müller resolve the riddles — and it turns out that Spassky could have held a draw!
1/25/2024 – Game 3 of the 1972 match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky has been analysed countless times. But there are still many open questions and new discoveries to be made. Karsten Müller invites you to help him solve the riddles emerging from this fascinating, historic encounter.
1/10/2024 – The ChessBase Christmas Puzzle week has concluded, but one final competition remains! To all amateurs and aspiring composers, now is your chance to gain fame by submitting a composition with chance for prizes too – with ChessBase publications in the brand-new eBook format up for grabs! The deadline for submission is January 21st – this article provides all other details! So good luck and happy composing to all!
11/27/2023 – Sofia Polgar's new book is instructive and informative. It is also generously illustrated, with acrylic on canvas paintings by the author. It is published by Russell Enterprises, and makes for an ideal Christmas gift. We have known Sofia since she was a very young girl, and tell you about that in part two of our review 0150 which also includes some of the paintings from the book.
10/25/2023 – India is beginning to seriously dominate the chess world, the country is on a path to becoming the super-power in the game. This is deeply gratifying – especially for the people involved in the training and advancement of the young stars. Frederic Friedel describes how the new group of super-talents is making its way to the very top. Other countries should take this as an example!
10/3/2023 – Hundreds of thousands of people in the Netherlands play chess or are interested in one of its numerous aspects. Some 20,000 are organized: they belong to a chess club. Quite a few people have found the way to the Max Euwe-Centrum, but many have no idea at all of its facilities and possibilities. ChessBase India's Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal, who were reporting on the Levitov Chess Week, visited the tournament venue and the chess museum, and give us a complete video tour!
9/13/2023 – MegaBase 2023 is Chess History in action. Regularly updated every month, the Main Database currently offers 10 million games, many of them annotated. Our columnist offers a review with focus on modern master play. There is a lot more to discover in this treasure trove: grand battles, opening novelties and exemplary endgames.
8/29/2023 – Readers may remember when the Hans Niemann controversy broke out that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, decided to dip into his vast fount of wisdom and offer his own explanation. But this was neither the first nor last time he would proffer opinions for the chess world, and has suggested ideas to revolutionize the millenary game.
8/28/2023 – After arriving from Baku and resting the first day, R Praggnanandhaa continued where he left off at the FIDE World Cup 2023. The sensational teenager scored four wins in-a-row for WR Chess at FIDE World Rapid Teams 2023. Meanwhile GM D Gukesh (Kompetenzakademie Allstars, 2629) faced the 14th world champion, GM Vladimir Kramnik (Chess Pensioners, 2739) for the first time in an over-the-board rated game. He made the most out of his opportunity and won comfortably. Impressions from Düsseldorf with videos by Sagar Shah.
6/18/2023 – ‘Chess4refugees’ was the motto of the Emanuel Lasker Society Chess Culture Day, which took place a week ago in Hamburg. The event kicked off with a simultaneous exhibition given by Dr. Richard Lutz and Dr. Helmut Pfleger (final result: 20-5). In the evening, the chairman of the Emanuel Lasker Society, Thomas Weischede, handed over a symbolic cheque for €5,000 to the UN Refugee Aid and a lively panel discussion about 40 years of chess history followed with Frederic Friedel, Prof. Christian Hesse and Dr. Helmut Pfleger. | Photos: Nadja Wittmann (ChessBase)
5/21/2023 – Our Summer Camp has completed five days, with many hundreds of new players being trained. The camp is being held at the Phoenix Marketcity Mall in Mumbai and is open to all. There are no charges and people can learn chess in a fun and engaging way, at their own pace. Trainers and volunteers help to educate the public and guide them in the right direction. Is this a model that can be emulated in countries all over the world? Full video impressions at the end of the article.
5/9/2023 – Chess journalist Harald Fietz, who experienced Viktor Kortschnoi in person, treated himself to the Fritztrainers "Viktor Kortschnoi: My life for chess" and "Masterclass: Viktor Kortschnoi". In one the master speaks himself, in the other, they talk about him. Both Fritztrainers offer plenty of chess thrills, says Fietz in his review.
4/13/2023 – The 13th of April is "Kasparov-day". Today, 60 years ago, arguably the best player in chess history was born and since then has shaped the history of chess like no other player — not only on the board! André Schulz traces Kasparov's history from his first international moves, through the peak of his career in 1999 to his life in politics. | Photo: Kasparov.com
4/4/2023 – Your heart rate and adrenaline have an impact on your performance. As a chess player, understanding and monitoring various physiological aspects can have a significant impact on your performance. When you play chess, you may not be as physically active, but the mental demands of the game can still trigger an extreme stress response in your body. As was demonstrated in last month's Armageddon tournament in Berlin.
3/30/2023 – The 2015 World Team Championship saw China winning its first gold medal (out of three) in the tournament. The team was led by Ding Liren on top board, and had its top scorer in 15-year-old Wei Yi, who collected scoring 7/9 points on board 4. Ukraine and Armenia finished second and third, while the clear rating favourites from Russia only managed fourth place. The tournament took place in Tsaghkadzor, a small touristy town in Armenia also known as the ‘valley of flowers’. | Photos: Arman Karakhanyan
3/27/2023 – It is usual for rook endgames to end in a draw. At least, they usually have a strong tendency to do so. Recently young grandmaster Iniyan visited our company and showed us a position from one of his games which should be won by White. But he needed to work very hard to do so. Even our endgame expert Dr. Karsten Müller, and a visiting super-GM colleague of Iniyan had great difficulty finding the win. Can you help find the convincing proof?
3/6/2023 – Bobby Fischer is certainly the most famous of the Pisces chess players. But other top players include Bent Larsen, Veselin Topalov, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Teimour Radjabov, Hou Yifan, Anna Muzychuk and David Bronstein. Those who are Pisces can sometimes be as brilliant as Albert Einstein. With the Pisces-born, the circle of the twelve signs of the zodiac has come full circle, making this our final instalment.| Photo: Pixabay
3/2/2023 – Gukesh is just 16 years old, already a full-blown top GM with a live rating of 2730, currently number 20 in the world. Ilamparthi, is a young talent, 13 years old, currently the world under-14 champion, and an IM rated 2423. Both Gukesh and Ilamparthi did really well in Dusseldorf at the WR Masters and Juniors respectively. It was time for some fun on our train journey from Dusseldorf to ChessBase in Hamburg. This article includes ten tough positions posed by Ilamparthi to Gukesh!
2/21/2023 – Different tournaments have different kinds of rest days! At the WR Chess Masters 2023, the players and organizers had a great time with a well organized mini-table tennis event. 7 out of the 10 participants of the main tournament took part in this round robin tournament with Gelfand, Dana Reizneice and Wadim Rosenstein joining them. It was a keenly contested event with Andrey Esipenko edging everyone out and taking the top spot. Sagar Shah who travelled to Dusseldorf brings you a fun report.
2/19/2023 – Levon Aronian continues to lead the standings at the WR Chess Masters, as all five games ended drawn in Sunday’s fourth round. A few of the encounters featured double-edged openings, but accurate defensive responses prevented any of them from finishing decisively. Monday is a rest day in Düsseldorf. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
2/11/2023 – Rapid interviews are fun: interviewer and guest face each other in an epic rapid chess battle. The chess guest not only has to face the interviewer's questions, but also concentrate on the chess game at the same time. This leads to surprising answers and sometimes to curious chess positions. Leon Mendonca is now playing for the Schachbundesliga team HSK in Hamburg, just like Nihal Sarin. Leon visited us a couple of times already, and was brave enough to face Arne Kaehler in the Rapid Interview, using the legendary Garde chess clock. | Photo: Twitter Leon Mendonca with Frederic Friedel
Anyone who seriously deals with openings cannot avoid the opening encyclopaedia. Whether beginner or grandmaster. The Opening Encyclopaedia is by far the most comprehensive chess theory work: over 1,463(!) theory articles offer a huge fund of ideas!
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