1/9/2023 – Mikhail Tal's meteoric rise shook the chess world in the late 1950s, taking him straight to the very top. His victory over Botvinnik in the 1960 match won him the world title. In the process, the 'Wizard from Riga' thrilled fans with his unprecedented combination style – “There are two kinds of sacrifices - correct ones and mine!” For CBM 211 we invited our authors to comment on their favourite Mikhail Tal games. The total of 21 encounters, the last played in 1991, show the eighth World Champion above all, in his element - as a brilliant tactician. A little-known game from the National Open in Chicago 1988 is presented by Yannick Pelletier in CBM 211 - you can watch his analysis in abridged form here. Enjoy!

1/7/2023 – With ChessBase Magazine #211 Karsten Mueller starts a new training series, which is not about endgame finesse on grandmaster level, but about basic techniques, which are worth learning for every ambitious chess player. And without them you won't get far at a higher level. The topic of the first article is the endgame rook vs. pawn. As clear as the balance of power is in this endgame, you have to know a few rules of thumb and techniques in order to always be able to treat the position correctly. You can watch Karsten Mueller's video introduction to his new series here!

1/7/2023 – In the diagram position White just played 26.Rb1+. How would you parry the check spontaneously, with 26...Nb6 or with 26...Ka8? But you can also think a bit longer, because one of these moves leads straight to a loss...

1/4/2023 – October saw the start of the new Bundesliga season. In ChessBase Magazine #211 participants from various teams comment on their games from the first rounds, including the stars from the cover - Pavel Eljanov, Loek van Wely and Luke McShane - as well as Nils Grandelius, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Ivan Saric, Ivan Cheparinov, Gawain Jones, Nikita Vitiugov, Erwin L'Ami, Dennis Wagner, Daniil Yuffa, Georg Meier, Jan-Christian Schröder, Thai Dai Van Nguyen and Michael Prusikin. In addition, David Navara presents his game against Luke McShane in a detailed video analysis and Rustam Kasimdhzanov reviews his Black victory against Julian Kramer, also in the video. "The Analysis" of the issue comes from Erwin l'Ami – A Queen’s Gambit Accepted in which the Dutch GM actually had his opponent perfectly pegged out. Enjoy!

1/3/2023 – In the diagram position White is a piece up but if Black plays correctly White cannot win - after an exchange of queens White often lands in a position in which he has the h-pawn and the "wrong" bishop. But how should Black proceed in the diagram position?

1/2/2023 – Online chess with its short time controls has also led to a renaissance of romantic openings like the King's Gambit. After the moves 1.e4 e5 2.f4 gxf4 3.Nf3 Black is faced with a fundamental decision. Should one try to hold the extra pawn on f4 with g7-g5 at all costs? With little time on the clock and against a potential theory expert, this involves some risks. So should one instead focus less on the material but on development and good piece play? With 3...Ne7!? Sergey Grigoriants recommends the second approach in his article for CBM #211 The "Bacrot Variation" is of course no refutation of the King's Gambit, "but it is an excellent practical choice for Black". Take a look!

12/31/2022 – Black has a weak king and a weak back rank - but White's forced win from the diagram is also based on the a7 rook. You'll get it, I'm sure!

12/30/2022 – Bundesliga season 22/23: Stars up close - Eljanov, Van Wely, McShane, Jones, Kasimdzhanov, Cheparinov, Meier and many others comment on games from the first rounds - "Special" on Mikhail Tal: exclusive collection of 21 commented games + contributions on strategy and endgame - "The Scotch Gambit": Daniel King presents another gambit idea: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5. 0-0 (video) - "How to deal with opening surprises": Jan Markos continues his training series for tournament players (video + collection of exercises) - "Jumping across the centre line":over 50 tactics exercises + three selected combinations in video format with Oliver Reeh - Endgame good, all good: Karsten Mueller's new video series "Fundamental Endgame Knowledge" (Part 1: Rook vs. Pawn) – King’s Gambit: Take it easy! Sergey Grigoriants promotes 1. e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Ne7!? - Gambit time in the French Advance Variation: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? and much more.

12/27/2022 – Endings with opposite coloured bishop have drawish tendencies but they are often also full of surprising tactics. In the diagram position it is Black to move and win. How would you proceed with Black?

12/24/2022 – In the diagram position Black threatens ...Rh8, but he doesn't have the sole right to use the h-file. White to play and win!

12/20/2022 – In the endgame a rook is usually much stronger than a minor piece. But when only a few pawns are left on the board the attacker must be careful. In the diagram position it is Black to move. What did he do to win the game?

12/17/2022 – Clear activity advantages for White in the diagram position - please find White's best continuation!

12/13/2022 – Opposite colored bishop endings often have drawish tendencies and fortresses are often the main topic. But sometimes creating passed pawns makes the fortresses crumble. In the diagram position it is Black to move and win. What should he do?

12/10/2022 – In the diagram position Black finally wants to play ...0-0, but of course White still has something to say about that. 22.g4 or 22.Ra8+ - how would you start disruptive action?

12/7/2022 – ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess. Issue #210 contains 7578 recent games, (45 annotated) 12 opening surveys, 9 demo lectures and several exercises for training. Annotators include Anish Giri, Ajun Erigaisi, Gabriel Sargissian, Ivan Sokolov, Luke McShane, Pentala Harikrishna, Pragganandhaa, Maria Muzychuk and Wesley So among others. The icing on the cake is a feature on Ding Liren who will play the world championship match with Ian Nepomniachtchi now that Carlsen has announced that he will not defend the title. Prof. Nagesh Havanur took a closer look.

12/6/2022 – In queen endings attacks on the king occur quite often. How did White use the power of his king and queen to win the game?

12/3/2022 – In the diagram position, the fork 18...e4?? blundered the game for Black, but he did have a subtle way to get a clear advantage - enjoy the notes by Wesley So!

11/29/2022 – It is a well-known but still slightly surprising fact that king, bishop and outside pawn cannot win against a bare king if the defending king is in front of the pawn and the bishop does not control the queening square of the pawn - a constellation Hans Kmoch called the "impotent pair". In the diagram position Black is close to such a draw but has to be precise to reach it. What should he do?

11/26/2022 – In the diagram position, White just played Rd1 to d4, threatening to take the black knight on b4 and to play Rh4 with a mating attack. But it's Black to move and win - if he keeps calm and calculates the lines! How should Black proceed?

11/22/2022 – In the diagram position it is Black to move and win. Do you see how? But be careful: Black's winning idea might be obvious but Black has to calculate precisely.

11/19/2022 – The razor-sharp diagram position should be drawn with best play, but until then there are still some cliffs to be avoided on both sides. White starts - please fasten your seatbelts!

11/15/2022 – One important defensive method in rook endings is giving checks - pawns that stop this "rain of checks" are called "umbrellas". In the diagrammed position it is White to move. How can he draw the game and stop Black from opening a functioning umbrella?

11/13/2022 – How do you feel when you have to play against an opponent whose rating is some hundred points better than your own? The bold among us will see this as a special incentive. For most of us, however, unease will probably prevail. In the third part of his video series "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" in ChessBase Magazine #210, Jan Markos deals with the important topic of how to play against a stronger opponent. The GM from Slovakia first makes it clear that you have to keep a cool head and then presents three promising strategies. Take a look!

11/12/2022 – In the diagram position, White missed the moment to turn the activity of his pieces into something tangible. Without time pressure and with the certainty that 'something is possible' - can you do better?