11/23/2025 – Ivan Sokolov’s new course examines colour-reversed King’s Indian and Pirc structures, showing how extra tempi influence typical plans and why these positions feel uncomfortable for humans but not for engines. He analyses key model games from Kramnik, Botvinnik, and Fischer, demonstrating that White usually gets a pleasant setup without a guaranteed advantage, leading to sharp, dynamic battles decided by understanding rather than theory. The course equips practical players, both with white and black, with clear ideas, typical patterns, and concrete plans for navigating these complex reversed-colour systems.

11/12/2025 – In “Endgame Academy Volume 2:Theoretical Rook Endgames,” Grandmaster Dr. Karsten Müller teaches the essential knowledge needed to master the most common rook endgames and confidently convert advantages into victories. Using classic motifs such as the Philidor, Lucena, and Vancura positions, he explains all key principles in a clear and practical way. Interactive exercises with a scoring system allow you to track your learning progress and actively apply what you’ve learned.

10/30/2025 – GM Surya Ganguly’s Calculation Training – Part 2 takes players beyond the structured basics of the first course (forcing moves, elimination, short calculation, visualization, and comparison) into a more complex, tournament-like environment. The lessons mix attack, defense, long calculation, imagination, and unusual tactical patterns, forcing students to think without hints and develop practical decision-making under pressure. Ganguly also emphasizes psychology and mindset, sharing his own instructive experiences against elite players like Morozevich and Nigel Short - moments of missed tactics, emotional struggle, and recovery. The goal is to help players train calculation depth, accuracy, and resilience as if playing real tournament games.

10/18/2025 – This ChessBase course transforms calculation into a structured, trainable skill. Instead of random puzzles, it teaches practical thinking tools—how to identify forcing moves, visualize clearly, and compare positions under real game conditions. Designed for ambitious club and tournament players, this course builds lasting calculation habits that sharpen decision-making and reduce blunders.

10/16/2025 – Wilhelm Steinitz, born in Prague in 1836, is regarded as the first official World Chess Champion after winning the historic 1886 match against Johannes Zukertort. He founded modern chess theory by replacing romantic, attacking chess with strategic and positional thinking, formulating numerous principles that still shape the game today. The Master Class, featuring four international experts, presents his most important openings, strategic ideas, endgames, and combinations through engaging video lessons.

10/15/2025 – The Colle and Zukertort Systems offer White a simple yet powerful setup with d4–Nf3–e3–Bd3, aiming for rapid development and a strong kingside attack. The Colle-Koltanowski focuses on c3 and e4, while the Zukertort System employs b3 and a fianchettoed bishop for added strategic depth. Easy to learn and highly effective for club players, this course teaches key sacrifices, maneuvers, and attacking ideas through classical and modern grandmaster games.

9/18/2025 – Victor Bologan’s Chess Academy Vol. 3 & 4 offers a complete, low-maintenance repertoire for both White and Black, built on the philosophy of his legendary coach Chebanenko: focus on understanding typical pawn structures and recurring piece setups rather than memorising endless theory. For Black, Bologan recommends the universal 1…d6 system, leading to flexible Philidor-style positions against 1.e4 and solid setups against 1.d4, emphasizing resilience and strategic clarity. For White, the repertoire begins with 1.e4 followed by d3, using quiet but powerful systems like the King’s Indian Attack, Closed Sicilian ideas, and anti-Caro-Kann setups—practical approaches that avoid heavy theory while still being played successfully at the highest level.

9/5/2025 – Grandmaster Lubomir Ftacnik presents a personal chess course that draws on his decades of playing at the top level and later experience as a coach, aiming to teach what he now understands more deeply than during his competitive career. Instead of overwhelming students with the endless information available in databases, he focuses on highlighting the most important principles—how to evaluate positions, avoid common mistakes, and understand underlying features of the game. The course covers key aspects of openings, middlegames, and endgames, always stressing practical understanding to help players make better decisions at the board.

8/5/2025 – Svitlana Demchenko’s Smart Moves show began in 2021 and has produced over 120 nearly weekly episodes on topics ranging from openings and endgames to tactics and all things chess. Now, she is speaking at the World Schools Summit in Washington, DC—fittingly named the Smart Moves Summit 2025! | Photo: ChessBase India Interview

8/3/2025 – The Modern Defence (1…g6) offers Black a dynamic and strategically rich alternative to mainstream openings, avoiding early theory battles while targeting White’s centre with long-term pressure. Grandmaster Daniel Fernandez guides you through its complex ideas and practical applications, ideal for players seeking unbalanced positions and full-point ambitions. Master the subtleties of 1…g6 and energize your repertoire with this bold and flexible weapon.

7/28/2025 – This practical course offers a clean and effective response to the Sicilian Defense. By playing 2.c3, you sidestep heavy theory and gain early central control, logical development, and aggressive yet manageable positions. The course includes structured explanations, model games, and interactive training tools to help you confidently master the Alapin and outplay your opponents.

7/5/2025 – In this video course, Grandmaster David Navara teaches when deep calculation is truly necessary and when simple, solid moves are more effective. Through examples from top-level games, he explains how to recognize critical positions, avoid overcalculating, and use candidate moves and hidden tactics wisely. The course is designed to improve decision-making and efficiency, making it ideal for tournament players aiming to strengthen their practical skills.

6/29/2025 – In today's chess world, an ideal opening should be practical, easy to remember, aggressive, and force the opponent to think early—rather than aiming for small advantages. IM Robert Ris presents such a repertoire for White with 1.d4 followed by 2.Bg5, fulfilling all these criteria. The Trompowsky Attack, now revived by top grandmasters, is especially effective in rapid games and allows players to sidestep deep theory while gaining dynamic play.

6/20/2025 – IM Andrew Martin’s video course provides practical and aggressive solutions against Anti-Sicilian lines, covering common systems like 2.c3, Nc3, and Bb5, as well as rare moves like 2.b3 and 2.Na3. Designed for club and tournament players, it helps you neutralize White’s sidelines and confidently take control of the game.

6/17/2025 – Master Your Technique Vol. 2 by Adrian Mikhalchishin takes you deeper into the technical foundations of practical chess, focusing on converting advantages and mastering key endgame and middlegame imbalances. Through structured lessons and model games, you'll learn crucial skills like precise endgame technique, double attacks, attacking on open files, and the principle of two weaknesses. This course is ideal for ambitious players who want to turn good positions into wins with confidence and clarity.

4/26/2025 – This new interactive ChessBase video course by GM Fabien Libiszewski offers over eight hours of detailed instruction on the Pirc Defence, a dynamic opening for players seeking winning chances with black. Grandmaster Libiszewski guides viewers through key games and a complete repertoire, helping players grasp the main strategic ideas and counterplay opportunities. Suitable for both English and French speakers, the course also allows users to save games and variations for further study, making it a valuable addition to any ambitious player's training.

4/16/2025 – The Classical Sicilian remains one of the most resilient and strategically rich responses to 1.e4. In this new ChessBase course, Grandmaster S.P. Sethuraman offers an in-depth guide to this time-tested defence, covering key lines such as 6.Bg5, 6.f3 and 6.Bc4. Designed for ambitious club players and competitive improvers alike, the course balances theoretical depth with practical insight, featuring model games, tactical drills and move-order nuances. With over five hours of video content, it’s a comprehensive repertoire for Black.

4/13/2025 – In this sneak peek, IM Robert Ris presents Volume 3 of his “Mastering Chess Strategy” series for ChessBase, focusing on how to exploit various weaknesses in an opponent’s position. He explains that after the earlier volumes defined and classified weaknesses (e.g., weak pawns, weak squares), this third installment dives deeper into identifying and prioritizing multiple weaknesses—especially around the king—while maintaining awareness of tactical opportunities.

4/3/2025 – Building on the lessons from the previous volumes, Volume 3 shifts the focus to one of the most essential skills in chess: identifying and attacking your opponent’s weaknesses. Whether it’s a weak pawn, a vulnerable king, or poor piece coordination, this course will teach you how to pinpoint the critical targets, prioritise your attack, and execute a clear, effective plan. But strategy alone isn’t enough — you’ll also need tactical awareness!

3/21/2025 – The Black Sniper is back – sharper and deadlier than ever! This dynamic system (1...g6, 2...Bg7, 3...c5 against 1.e4, 1.d4 and 1.c4) creates unpredictable, high-pressure positions, leaving opponents struggling to adapt.

3/13/2025 – The King's Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities. By simply knowing the setup and some key ideas, it can become a lifelong addition to your repertoire - without the need for constant memorization. Played by fierce attackers like Bobby Fischer and great positional players like Tigran Petrosian, this opening is suitable for players of all styles.

3/11/2025 – The Neo-London System is an improved, more creative variation of the classical London System, which avoids dangerous black defensive moves with 3.c3 and Lf4 and exploits risks in the Lf5 variation. The course offers numerous innovations, sharper ideas and interactive training material to surprise opponents in unexplored positions. The ultra-creative Neo-London system! Ellis' “baby” is probably one of the most comprehensive Fritztrainers of recent years, with a running time of over 9 hours!

3/10/2025 – The Scotch Gambit is a favourite at club level, offering a rich blend of attacking and positional ideas. Whether you prefer sharp tactical battles, or a more controlled strategic approach, this video course gives you everything you need to master this dynamic opening.

3/1/2025 – After laying the foundation in Volume 1, it's time to dive deeper into key strategic concepts that will elevate your middlegame play. But don't expect long theoretical explanations - this course is all about active learning!