3/2/2021 – The ChessBase Magazine celebrates its anniversary! On the occasion of the recently published issue #200, today and in the weeks to come, we present highlights from various sections of the ChessBase Magazine! We start with Simon William's "Move by Move" series and present seven selected articles by the popular English Grandmaster. Celebrate with us! Enjoy the interactive training and seven brilliant games!

3/2/2021 – Rook endings contain many theoretically important positions and methods. The following position is one example. White to move and win.

2/28/2021 – The ChessBase Magazine celebrates its anniversary! The new issue, number 200(!), offers various extras, for example an exclusive collection of "My favorite game of the young Magnus Carlsen", a selection of 100 exquisite games with analyses by top players such as Carlsen, Kramnik, and many others, a review of the history of CBM by Rainer Knaak, and much more. The issue also includes "Pearls from Wijk": Jorden Van Foreest and Anish Giri, the winners of Tata Steel 2021, annotate their best games, as do Nils Grandelius, Pentala Harikrishna, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Radoslaw Wojtaszek. Plus training material and videos on openings, tactics, strategy and the endgame. Take a look!

2/27/2021 – In the diagram position, White started to expose the central enemy king with 43.c5! dxc5 44.Rxc5 a3 - can you take things to victory from there?

2/23/2021 – Usually a rook is far superior to a knight in a pure endgame. But there are exceptions. In the diagram position White's rook is helpless against the black knight and the black pawns. Black to move and win.

2/19/2021 – In the diagram position, White's line-up of major pieces on the kingside makes one eager to strike. 23.hxg6 or 23.g5 - how would you continue the attack?

2/17/2021 – The ChessBase Magazine offers a window to the world of professional chess, and it provides arsenal for the tournament player. CBM #199 offers games from the Altibox Norway Chess Tournament and the Russian Team Championship and others. 440 games, 11 opening surveys, demo lectures and exercises for training. It also includes games annotated by Alireza Firouzja, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Anish Giri, to mention a few. Prof. Nagesh Havanur takes a look and also offers a challenge or two to our young readers. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

2/16/2021 – Endgames with knight against bishop can be very deep. In the diagram position Black can win, if he uses the power and the influence of his bishop and the sharp endgame weapon zugzwang in the right way.

2/12/2021 – In the diagram position it is White to move and he is in big trouble: his king is exposed, Black's white-squared bishop rules on the diagonal a8-h1, and the black pawn on h3 can turn nasty. White played 29.Qf2 which allowed Black to hunt down White's king. How did Black finish the game?

2/9/2021 – Opposite coloured bishop endings have drawish tendencies but in the diagram position it is difficult to see how Black can stop White's connected passed pawns. However, Wesley So showed why the king is a strong piece and saved the game for Black.

2/5/2021 – White's 8.Nh3?? in the diagram position (which according to the Mega Database occurred in the first recorded game that started with the moves 1.e4 Nf6) allowed Napoleon to finish in style - don't hold your horses!

2/2/2021 – Knight endings are often tricky and both sides have to calculate precisely. In the diagram position Black has to make a difficult decision: should he try to advance and to queen the f-pawn or should he catch White's a-pawn and convert the kingside pawns later? What would you do?

1/29/2021 – In the diagram position White is three pawns up and just played 45.Qf7+. Things look fine for White but the position is not that simple. After 45...Ng7 White played 46.Be3?? and now Black had a chance to strike. What did he do?

1/26/2021 – Is a knight on the rim always dim? Well, in chess there are no rules without exceptions, and though knights on the rim often make a poor impression there are still countless examples in which they prove to be powerful. The diagram position is one such example: Black to play and draw.

1/22/2021 – Yes, White's king is on f4! Which Black could have exploited. But this was a rapid game, and in time-pressure Magnus Carlsen, who was playing with Black against Ian Nepomniachtchi, did not find the win. Can you do better?

1/19/2021 – Pawn endings require precise calculation. Here, Black's king is stronger than White's outside passed pawn. Black to play and win.

1/17/2021 – With 11 articles about various openings the new ChessBase Magazine #199 offers a lot of material for ambitious chess players who want to improve their openings. IM Patrick Zelbel, for example, examines a surprise weapon against the Modern Benoni, namely 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.Bg5!?. If Black reacts with the standard move 7...Bg7, Zelbel recommends an idea by Matthias Blübaum: 8.Nd2!?, which prepares e2-e4 and a later f2-f4. Let us show you how White can achieve a "huge advantage" against an unprepared opponent. And how Black should best meet White's bishop move.

1/15/2021 – In the diagram position White just played 21.Nf6+!, which gives him a winning attack. There are some most beautiful variations to discover, the highlight being a checkmate in ... 14! Enjoy!

1/12/2021 – Usually, in a race of passed pawns it is better to have a bishop than a knight. After all, bishops are long ranging pieces while knights can easily become short of breath. But there are exceptions, this position for example. White to play and win.

1/8/2021 – In the diagram position White develops a powerful initiative with 12.Rb5! This play on the wing finally allowed White to score. Enjoy!

1/5/2021 – For two years now, "The Analysis" has been a permanent column in the ChessBase Magazine. The editors choose "the best" of the usually more than 30 annotated games in an issue. In the current issue CBM #199 it is very a special game: in Duda-Carlsen (Norway Chess 2020) the World Champion's series of 125 classical tournament games without defeat came to an end. The winner, our author Jan-Krzysztof Duda, comments. Take a look and join in the victory!

1/5/2021 – Endings with opposite coloured bishops have drawish tendencies. And often positional factors are more important than material, particularly so when building a fortress is the order of the day: White to play and draw!

1/1/2021 – In the diagram position White has to decide how to proceed after Black took on d4. A long-term strategic decision ... or isn't it? Enjoy!

12/29/2020 – Passed pawns can be dangerous, sometimes even extremely dangerous. In the diagram position Black really needs a good idea to stop the white pawns. What would you do? Black to play and draw!