11/5/2021 – Lawrence takes us on a ride to discover how creativity can be used for tactical patterns. The more often we repeat the exercises, the better we understand the tactics. Furthermore, Lawrence and Arne try to achieve over 2100 rating points in the ChessBase training section.

10/30/2021 – In the diagram position, Black's king is only protected by pawns and - not a single minor piece supports its monarch. Which is kind of an invitation for White - or isn't it? Your move!

10/29/2021 – Today's tactical focus: how to harness the power of devastating queens. Trent uses examples from 1880 and 100 years later. The Playchess training playground is getting more and more difficult, and some problems took us a few minutes to solve. But we were able to reach a rating of over 2050 meanwhile.

10/23/2021 – In the diagram position White's knight is about to occupy the blockade square in front of the pawn d5. How would you react with Black?

10/16/2021 – Once you worked out why Black should refrain from opening the diagonal of White's bishop on a2 with 20....cxd3??, you should also know how to refute the move played in the game: 20...Qd7??. Enjoy!

10/15/2021 – Our beloved IM from London returns, but not with the "News Review" show. Lawrence's "Trent's Tactics" is teaching us about the world of tactics. In this episode, Lawrence will show us different tactics about the back-rank mate. And even though we know the motif now, some of the examples which Lawrence picked are still very challenging! In the last ten minutes, we start from basically "zero" and raise the rating to over 2000, in the ChessBase training section.

10/11/2021 – What if you could get an estimate of your Elo rating just by doing a single test, as opposed to playing a couple of dozen games at long time controls? It isn’t an exaggeration to say this sounds like one of those inane personality ‘quizzes’ you see in supermarket magazines. But this proposal was the subject of a university study to do just that. Try it yourself!

10/9/2021 – In the diagram position White just played 14.Bd4 to neutralize the enemy Dragon bishop on the long diagonal. But this solid looking move actually allowed Black to get the advantage. How did he continue?

10/7/2021 – Solving tactical puzzles can be fun, but what if you could automatically create your own, even from your own games? Nothing could be easier thanks to the analysis tools in both the Fritz interface or ChessBase. In fact, it can be a fun way to review your online games and be tested on the moves where you or your opponent missed a shot. Read on to learn how!

10/2/2021 – Opposite-coloured bishops favour the attacker - this well-known chess wisdom was impressively proven in the diagram position. How did White start the action?

9/25/2021 – In the diagram position Black has enough material for the queen, so the key to victory for White must be the attack on the king. Which is protected by a lot of pieces - but how can White break through Black's defence?

9/23/2021 – While the Solve Tactics mode is undoubtedly the meat of the of the Tactics web app, there are two other modes that provide a very different sort of training, excellent to stay sharp. Both are based on trying to solve as quickly as possible, but each with a slightly different angle. They are also the perfect trainer for bullet chess. You will also find part one demonstrated in a video!

9/20/2021 – Among the myriad apps and services offered with a subscription to ChessBase Account is the Tactics web app. This concept is hardly new, and readers undoubtedly are aware of a plethora of rival sites and apps offering this same service, so what makes this one so special? What makes it deserving of the headline "best by test"? Read on to find out!

9/18/2021 – In the diagram position, Black just burned his bridges by playing 7...Bg4 which forces White to win a piece with 8.f3. Putting aside "modern objectivity" - what I like about the following attack is the energy of Black's moves. He only has one goal in mind: to mate the enemy king. A full-speed nostalgia trip - enjoy!

9/11/2021 – In the diagram position Black's attacked rook should definitely not leave the back rank - after 35...Rc2?? White has a forced checkmate. Enjoy!

9/4/2021 – The diagram position arose from an Open Spanish, an opening that apparently was unfamiliar to Beth Harmon, the main character of the Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit", who was playing with Black. Her last move 9...Na5 is an inaccuracy that allowed World Champion Borgov to seize the initiative. What did he play?

8/30/2021 – Here's another opportunity to sharpen your tactical skills: twelve positions taken from recent tournaments, selected by the British magazine CHESS. The diagrams on our news page allow you to move the pieces around to analyse. There is also an embedded engine that will actually play out the position against you! Which means you can work things out directly on the diagrams in the browser. How neat is that?

8/28/2021 – In the diagram position, White has two aggressive knights on the e-file and a mobile queen behind them - a constellation that is just crying out for a combination. Your call!

8/21/2021 – In the diagram position it is Black to play - and the title says it all! Gather ideas, calculate lines and enjoy!

8/14/2021 – In the diagram position, which is taken from a rapid game between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Levon Aronian, White used his three pieces to get access to Black's weakened king and to finally hunt it down. What did the World Championship Challenger 2021 play?

8/7/2021 – In the diagram position 23.Nxf6! gxf6 leads to a winning advantage for White. Knowing this, can you remove possible obstacles on the way?

7/31/2021 – Rarely was a headline more appropriate - this is a crucial position of one of the most exciting games I have seen recently. In the diagram position White continued with 25.Rxe6 Rxe6 26.exd5 which gave Black a chance to win. Enjoy!

7/24/2021 – In the diagram position, decentralizing White's queen with 20.Qa5? Rxd4 21.Qxa7 looks unhealthy - and runs into a direct refutation. Full score only if you can see it already in this position!

7/17/2021 – In the diagram position Black just played 21...Rxd4!, capturing a knight. However, this move looks dangerous because White has 22.Qc3, pinning the rook on the long diagonal and threatening 23.e3. But Black knew exactly what he was doing. Can you follow his thoughts?