9/20/2023 – IM Andrew Martin recently produced his upcoming Fritztrainer on the Black Knight Tango opening at the ChessBase Headquarters in Hamburg. We seized the opportunity to chat with him and delve into his extensive chess journey. Born and raised in London, Andrew turned to chess as a solace during a challenging childhood. This passion shaped his entire life around the captivating game. He's done it all: from authoring multiple books, collaborating closely with ChessBase, competing in tournaments, mentoring students, to even setting a simultaneous play world record against 321 opponents. The conversation with Andrew is profoundly insightful, offering listeners a wealth of knowledge.

8/30/2023 – In the last episode, Chris introduced the Hungarian Dragon. This time, the British GM will continue with some deviations of the popular variation. Beware, the following game is intense! It is definitely worth it to check out the full analysis. | Photo: John Upham

8/14/2023 – One opening variation in the Sicilian Dragon is getting more and more popular. The Hungarian Dragon! A somewhat "safer" Dragon than usual, with a twisty idea to push h5 forward very soon, and avoid all of White's pawn rushes better. Dragon tamer Chris Ward shows us a game, probably inspired by Richard Rapport, where our Dragon bishop causes some havoc on h3, instead of g2!| Photo: John Upham

7/27/2023 – Explore the mysteries of the powerful Janowski Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined with this brand-new video course! Immerse yourself in this fascinating chess opening and learn how to exploit it to destabilise your opponents. To approach the Janowski Variation, which arises after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 (or 3.Nc3) a6, it is essential to understand the stakes of the position rather than accumulate a large amount of theory.

7/14/2023 – Usually regarded as a separate phase of the game, the endgame bears a tight connection with the middlegame (and in some extreme cases, with the opening). The process of simplifying to an endgame implies a series of subtleties and principles, highlighted on this video course. Ignoring them, could result into losing the middlegame advantage or getting the worst of it. How, when and which piece to exchange are the main questions requiring an accurate answer.

7/8/2023 – Magnus Carlsen likes to play with, and against the Dragon. Chris Ward found two recent games of the Norwegian GM, and shows us which variation the former World Champion chose to defeat the Sicilian, and how to counter the variation better. Furthermore, we dive into the win of Magnus, and what mistakes his strong opponent made. Remember, all the variations are available on Ward's Fritztrainers! | Photo: John Upham

6/8/2023 – The Alekhine (1.e4 Nf6) is a rare guest in general and especially at a high-level. During the pandemic, however, this daring opening has been employed on several occasions, notably by the World Champion Magnus Carlsen. A faster time-control and perhaps the unusual atmosphere created by online games probably helped some players unleash, from time to time, a marginal opening to surprise their opponents.

6/1/2023 – From her weekly video series "Svitlana's Smart Moves" we already know what a good teacher Svitlana Demchenko is. She is well prepared, can give clear and understandable instructions, which makes it easier for her students to understand and learn from her, and she is excellent at explaining complex chess concepts in an understandable way, which makes the learning process more enjoyable! Her latest Fritztrainer consists of a whopping 10 hours of great instructional advice on how to play the Leningrad Dutch Defence!

5/31/2023 – On our last show, we checked out a very popular Dragon line in the Yugoslav Attack. And just a couple of days later, Chris had a similar game on the board. So, now the British GM had the choice to carry on with his suggested idea, or use a more active move. Well, you might have already guessed what Chris did, right? This game turned into a typical Dragon beauty, full of tactics, and surprising ideas. | Photo: John Upham

4/30/2023 – The Calculation Training series continues with two volumes explaining the main tactical motifs of our game. Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player.

4/27/2023 – Grandmaster Chris Ward found an interesting Sicilian Dragon game, in which the recent strategy of castling queenside early on is used. This variation is actually old, but due to recent popularity, it is considered a modern line. How to defeat the white pieces now? Chris shows us how, and gives us plenty of helpful tips!| Photo: John Upham

4/21/2023 – In Chess, making a mistake in the opening can instantly cost you the game or lead to a long-term disadvantage. Learning from mistakes and avoiding common pitfalls is crucial to improving your game. In his first Fritztrainer, former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov shares basic patterns and universal themes to help beginners, amateurs, coaches, and professionals navigate the complexities of Chess openings and strengthen their skills.

3/30/2023 – I recently had the privilege of interviewing Grandmaster Iniyan P, one of India's top chess players and a rising star in the chess world. Iniyan, who is only 20 years old, has already achieved impressive results, including winning the Commonwealth Championship U18 at New Delhi with 7/7. In our interview, Iniyan shared his thoughts on a range of topics, including his early days in chess, his upcoming Fritztrainer, and his goals for the future.

3/28/2023 – The "Ginger GM" Simon Williams enjoys playing the Dragon a lot, but is an even bigger fan of the Dragadorf. But, what happens if the opponent plays the interesting 6.f4 Levenfish variation for White? Simon Williams knew the answer and dominated his opponent. Chris Ward analysed the game closely, and found some interesting options for Black and White to take care of!| Photo: John Upham

3/24/2023 – For a chess player, chess pieces are like specific tools in a toolbox. We need to know how to use them best, like a craftsman knows their tools. We shouldn’t use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail; and we shouldn’t use the queen just for defence.

3/22/2023 – We have some good news for you. The Slovakian GM Jan Markos has created his first Fritztrainers for ChessBase, and their release is just around the corner. It is time to meet your new Fritztrainer in our interview. Jan understands to break complex themes down to several rule of thumbs which are very practical for your own play. With these guidelines it seems easy to improve your own middlegame play. Jan has written a number of chess books and enjoys chess because of the game, not mainly to achieve goals. This and some of his philosophies, which he has studied all his life, make him such a popular person. | Photos: Jan Markos

2/28/2023 – Karsten Mueller released a brand new Fritztrainer a few weeks ago. For once, however, it's not about fabulous endgames, but about the basic rules of attacking play. In the interview with the German grandmaster, we see how wonderfully a good attack can be completed with the help of two examples.

2/23/2023 – Chris Ward is showing us into an interesting endgame, which occurred between two strong US chess players a couple of weeks ago. The dragon variation, which we look at, leads us to an endgame with 7 pawns vs. 1 pawn, but with a full rook less! Which side would you rather be? At this point, the engine says = 0.00 equal position. Chris had a very similar game against Karsten Mueller once, which we also dive into, when both Grandmasters played in the German Bundesliga. | Photo: John Upham

2/20/2023 – In order to understand openings properly, the middlegame should actually be studied first. Because all plans in the middlegame link directly to the ideas from the opening. Almost everything is hung up on pawn structures. Therefore, IM Herman Grooten takes the club chess player by the hand to take a closer look at common middlegame structures.

2/8/2023 – “In order to understand an opening, you need to know the historical background and have a good feeling for the dynamics”, says the GM Dorian Rogozenco in the introduction to this video course. Based on 30 years of personal experience at high level, Rogozenco provides a complete guide for Black in the modern theory of the Sveshnikov Sicilian.

1/27/2023 – 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. An extraordinary Fritztrainer by the endgame pro, this time dedicated to his real player type standard model - The attacking activist!

1/24/2023 – The first Monthly Dragon in 2023 is ready, and our Dragon aficionado GM Chris Ward found some interesting games in the Yugoslav attack for us. This month we take a look at 9. 0-0-0 d5 where White ignores the central pawn tension and instead immediately swaps knights on c6 and then seeks to trade off the Dragon bishop via Bh6. This ultra-direct approach with a swift h-file assault in mind has been around for decades but has recently come back into fashion. Needless to say it’s far from one-way traffic though as Black certainly has his own attacking aspirations in another no-holds-barred encounter of thrills and spills! | Photo: John Upham

1/16/2023 – In the past, Fritztrainers were only available on DVD - you had to wait for the post, and installation on hard disk and online activation were unavoidable. Nowadays, downloading is the standard - so the training courses can be installed and started directly after purchase. However, only on Windows or Mac OS. It is now even more convenient and faster with the stream function on the ChessBase video page - also usable on mobile devices such as iPad, tablet or smartphone. You don't even have to enter a serial number here. This is how it works!

1/4/2023 – The theme of “decision-making” is an essential part of every chess game. At every moment of the game, you must make a decision that is not only tactical; as psychology, structural preferences, positional basics and good variation calculation are all part of the process of making the right decision.