1/29/2024 – What role do traps play in chess? And what is important for successful trapping? In the current ChessBase Magazine #217, Jan Markos deals with the topic of "traps" in his series "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" and works out four rules that you should definitely observe in your own games. We invite you: this week you can download Jan Markos' article - consisting of a video and a small collection of exercises - as a free sample. Directly via your web browser in the new ChessBase Books format. This is because CBM #217 is the first issue to also include full mobile access. So you can read it directly via your web browser on your iPad, tablet or Mac. Have fun!

5/10/2023 – What happens when you find yourself in a lost position? Many chess players - as Jan Markos states in his video for ChessBase Magazine #213 - react to this realisation with a loss of energy or even inner resignation. They make a few more normal moves, and a little later the game is over. In the sixth part of his training series for ChessBase Magazine, Jan Markos explains what it takes to get the maximum out of a lost position in a practical game. Take a look at an excerpt from his video!

3/17/2023 – What should you do if your opponent offers a draw at an early stage of the game? What aspects should you take into account when making your own decision? GM Jan Markos gives you a series of rules of thumb in the fifth part of his series "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" to help you go for the full point more often - or accept the offer if it is advisable. You can watch an excerpt from his video here!

11/13/2022 – How do you feel when you have to play against an opponent whose rating is some hundred points better than your own? The bold among us will see this as a special incentive. For most of us, however, unease will probably prevail. In the third part of his video series "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" in ChessBase Magazine #210, Jan Markos deals with the important topic of how to play against a stronger opponent. The GM from Slovakia first makes it clear that you have to keep a cool head and then presents three promising strategies. Take a look!

9/16/2022 – In ChessBase Magazine #208, our new author, GM Jan Markos, started his video training series "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" with an article on "Time Management". In the new issue, CBM #209, he reveals how you should play in must-win situations. You certainly know such situations too - what would you tend to do? Play a risky opening line? Seek sacrifices? Try to put your opponent under time pressure? Jan Markos' recommendations go in a completely different direction. You can watch an excerpt from his video here. Have a look!

7/3/2022 – Anyone who hopes that he or she will one day succeed in playing a perfect game will, in principle, attach the same weight to every move in a game. After all, every move could be a mistake or - which would be just as bad - simply not the best move! In the first article of his new training series, Jan Markos explains, among other things, what consequences the pursuit of perfection can have on your time management. And he explores the question in which types of positions it makes sense to invest your time at all. You can watch an excerpt from his highly recommended video from ChessBase Magazine #208 here!