3/2/2018 – An only move is usually not so difficult to find — provided one has enough time and knows that there is one, of course! In the diagram position, White fired away with 19.Rxd7 Qxd7 20.Nf6+ gxf6 21.Bxf6, ripping open the enemy king position and threatening checkmate on the dark squares. How did Black prove him wrong?

2/27/2018 – Knights are tricky and can bring kings, queens, rooks and bishops into trouble. But knights are afraid of outside pawns - with good reason!

2/20/2018 – Endgames with opposite-coloured bishops are often paradoxical — sometimes they are drawn although one side is two or even three pawns up. This often leads to surprising tactical opportunities.

2/16/2018 – The bishop b2 is longing for action, and 19.fxe5 in the diagram position is the first step to activate it. Can you see the best continuation for White following 19...dxe5, and then, possibly, all five moves until the end of the game?

2/13/2018 – Pawn endings often reveal how surprising and beautiful chess can be. But pawn endings also often reveal how complicated the game can be.

2/9/2018 – The diagram shows a position from a rare Nimzo-Indian line (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Be7 6.e4 dxe4 7.fxe4 c5!?) in which Black can immediately start making pressure. White commits a single mistake and only seven moves later is plain lost.

2/6/2018 – "All rook endings are drawn", is an often quoted witticism. However, things are not that simple. In fact, a lot of rook endings are won — provided the side that has an advantage knows what to do with this advantage. Which, of course, is easier said than done.

2/3/2018 – Winning against a reigning world champion is always something special. In this example, Vlastimil Hort finds a tactic to take a point off of Anatoly Karpov.

1/30/2018 – Endgames with opposite-coloured bishops are often drawn but these endgames are also often very attractive because often material is less important than piece activity. This leads again and again to interesting tactical turns.

1/26/2018 – White cannot castle, but with his knight blocking the centre and the king ready to scarper to f2 his position seems just fine. Can you prove this evaluation wrong?

1/23/2018 – Steinitz often emphasised the strength of the king. Of course, kings are particularly strong in the endgame because they are less vulnerable with fewer pieces on the board. But even if you can no longer mate the enemy king, you should keep a good eye on him.

1/19/2018 – The sacrifice 23.Bxh7+ in the diagram position gives White a dangerous attack, enabling him to use this rooks on both edge files. How far can you get in your calculations?

1/16/2018 – In the endgame bishops are usually better equipped to fight against passed pawns than knights. After all, they are long-range pieces and not that easy to put into zugzwang. But bishops need room to manoeuvre.

1/12/2018 – A detailed review of our current issue of ChessBase Magazine from Prof. Nagesh Havanur. Among other things this issue includes all games from the World Cup, The Isle of Man and the European Union Cup Tournaments. The icing on the cake is Marin’s lesson on finding difficult moves. Our reviewer sets a little test for young readers from Marin’s tutorial. 2075 games (several annotated) with 11 opening surveys from Sicilian to Slav. Not to be missed.

1/12/2018 – In the diagrammed position, White has two ways to make his static advantage (protected passed pawn e5) dynamic. The piece sacrifice 32.Nxc6!? is the first one. Can you see the alternative — and what would have been your choice?

1/9/2018 – It is nice if you can dominate and paralyse the enemy pieces. However, this alone often is not sufficient for a win. Particularly, if only a few pieces are left on the board. A nice example from a game of Timur Gareyev.

1/5/2018 – Do you remember this game from the London Chess Classic last year? By playing 43...Rh7 in the diagram position Anand could have completed the line-up of kings and rooks on the h-file, creating the deadly threat ...Kg7+. Do you see the reason why he dismissed this?

1/2/2018 – Some endgames look hopeless: the king cannot move, the pawns cannot advance and heavy material losses seem to be unavoidable. But sometimes, when everything seems to be lost, there is an escape.

12/30/2017 – In the diagram position the fork 38.Ne6+ forces Black's hand. 38...Qxe6 39.dxe6 Rxd3 40.e7 - which result is to be expected? A) White wins B) Black wins C) a peaceful ending

12/27/2017 – Oh, the pawns! Every pawn is a potential queen but the way to the queening square is long and full of danger. "Zugzwang" and a powerful enemy rook are just two of them.

12/22/2017 – Black has attacked the white knight e5 with 18...f6 (diagram position). Two questions: What's the best square for it? And how can it get there?

12/19/2017 – "Do not rush!" is a well-known rule of thumb in the endgame. Indeed, in many endgames the direct way often is often a dead end. To know which way to go usually requires precise calculation.

12/15/2017 – The diagram shows a typical Taimanov Sicilian position (though it was 3.Bb5!) where Black has two ideas — the lever ...d6 and ...b5 shutting out White's bishop on a6. Yet Nakamura found a remarkable way to counter both, enabling him to completely dictate the further course of game. How would you have continued?

12/12/2017 – "Chess is 99 percent tactics" is an often-quoted aphorism usually ascribed to Richard Teichmann. This number seems exaggerated but that does not change the fact that it pays to keep an eye on tactics — till the very end.