ChessBase Magazine Online

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (75)
25.12.2011 – It seems that the exchange of Christmas greetings cards has never been a particularly common practice in the chess world, and such ephemeral items from yesteryear are quite difficult to find. The Editor of Chess Notes has brought together a selection of cards sent by prominent figures, including Géza Maróczy, Edward Lasker and Irving Chernev. It is time to revel in some Yuletide nostalgia.
 

Women's World Team Championship: China crushes Russia 4-0
24.12.2011 – The fifth round brought the much anticipated encounter between the leaders, China, and the reigning Olympic champions, Russia, but no one could have expected the crushing 4-0 score the Chinese ladies inflicted. They won again in the sixth round, and are on their way to a perfect score. Runners-up India fell to the Russians in round six though continue in second. Here are the report and pictures.
 

Master Moves #19
24.12.2011 – All the deepest plans or endgame technique are useless if you fall victim to a shot that leaves you in a lost position. Likewise, sometimes that superior play will only offer a single window of opportunity to deliver that final blow, so it is vital to be ready for it when it does. All the shots were played at the European Rapid Championship. Raze these rousing positions!
 

Chessbase Online: Quick opponent preparation
23.12.2011 – In many, if not most, of today’s tournaments, demanding fewer and faster rounds, the chances are you will play more than one round a day, and quality opponent preparation may seem an impossible task. However, with an Android smartphone, internet access, and the new Chessbase Online app, you really have all you need. Learn how in this How-To guide by Albert Silver.
 

Ladies' duel
23.12.2011 – Playing 25.R1f6 (diagram) White has attacked her opponent's queen and at the same time taken the point h6 under fire. Now the reply 25...Qxe4 leads to...

A)... a mate final;
B)... the loss of the queen for Black;
C)... perpetual check.

ChessBase Magazine, larger diagram and solution.
 

Kavalek in Huffington: The Chess Player Vaclav Havel
23.12.2011 – President Vaclav Havel died last Sunday and the sad news spread quickly. The Czechs lost one of their best statesmen – a good, modest man who was respected throughout the world. Havel was perhaps the only head of state who played – and won – an actual game during a ceremonial opening of a chess tournament. GM Lubomir Kavalek recalls.
 

Magnus Carlsen – 'I don't quite fit into the usual schemes'
22.12.2011 – He is by his own admission a chess genius, weaned on computers, a supreme expert on openings, and the hardest worker amongst the top players. Actually, when you have gone through this remarkable ChessPro interview with Magnus Carlsen – which you must – you will recognize that all of the fairly plausible claims in our initial statement are false – in fact the opposite is true.
 

CBM training: The hiding place, long march, and breakthrough
22.12.2011 – Sounds a bit like the Chinese Revolution, doesn't it? But actually it is a new set of chess positions by our endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller, who provides us with instructions in his popular ChessBase Magazine section. You can get a sample of it on our news page, replaying and downloading his analyses. It will do wonders for your practical playing strength.
 

Women's World Team Championship: China leads with perfect score
22.12.2011 – Not to be outdoneby the men, the Women's World Team Championship is underway in Mardin, Turkey, from December 17-28, and has the world's top national teams. China, with Hou Yifan on top board, leads with a perfect four in four score, followed by India, a half-point behind, led by Humpy Koneru. Russia is third, and fielding their Olympic Gold lineup. Follow the action in this illustrated report.
 

Women's World Team Championship: China leads with perfect score
22.12.2011 – Not to be outdone by the men, the Women's World Team Championship is underway in Mardin, Turkey, from December 17-28, and has the world's top national teams. China, with Hou Yifan on top board, leads with a perfect four in four score, followed by India, a half-point behind, led by Humpy Koneru. Russia is third, and fielding their Olympic Gold lineup. Follow the action in this illustrated report.
 

The joys of chess – and the value of the pieces
21.12.2011 – Christian Hesse is a PhD from Harvard and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Stuttgart. He is also an avid chess fan and has written a number of articles for our news page. As a book author he has been successful with instructive and entertaining works on chess. Now one of his best is available in English. We bring you an interesting chapter to study and enjoy.
 

ChessBase Online for Android - A review
21.12.2011 – In ChessBase's first foray into the world of Android, the new ChessBase Online app has been released. It is an invaluable tool for opponent preparation, searching by player, year, and event, as well as giving detailed opening statistics from over five million games. It is also ideal to replay games commented with text and color markers on your phone and tablet. Buy it now or first read the review.