ChessBase Magazine 155 Review

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Selected highlights

• The surpise winner of the Tal Memorial, Boris Gelfand, provides detailed notes on his decisive game against Nakamura. Fabiano Caruana comment on his victory over world-champion Anand in Moscow.
• For the first time US-champion Gata Kamsky analyses for ChessBase Magazine. He annotates his victory over Dominguez-Perez, the winner of the FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki.
• Zoltan Almasi played a strategical master game in the Sicilian Rossolimo (3.Bb5) against the new European champion Moiseenko, the Hungarian GM offers in-depth analysis on the DVD.
• NEW! Daniel Kings presents his column „Move by Move“ in the new interactive video format with training questions and detailed feedback even when you fail to find the best move. In this issue your task is to win against the King's Indian (Eljanov-Baryshpolets, Kiew 2013).
• Opening video: Opening expert Mihail Marin reveals secrets of the Queen's Gambit in a 30 minutes lecture.

Video introduction (Karsten Müller)

Free opening survey - download a sample!

Leonid Kritz: "Strange - as early as move 3"
Sicilian B30 - 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Na5)
With the line 3...Na5 the German GM Leonid Kritz presents you a repertoire idea against the popular Rossolimo Variation. With this strange knight move Black avoids the doubling of his c-pawns. White also has to waste time because his Bb5 is not optimally placed. In the ideal case, Black can later move his Na5 to c4.
How should White react to the bizarre knight move? What are the practical prospects for Black in this line?
Download the opening survey for free (CBV file for ChessBase 12/Fritz 13)...
Load extract from CBM 155 (pdf)...

Opening surveys Tibor Karolyi: English A31 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 d5 This variation is especially interesting for Benoni players, who after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 g6 4.Nc3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 d5 reach the position in the diagram. Positions frequently arise which are known from the Grünfeld Defence. Rotstein: Modern Defence A42 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 e5 5.d5 und 5.dxe5 Things are not easy for Black in either line, but in each case Arkadij Rotstein shows plans which enable him to keep things level. For White it is above all a question of taste whether to play 5.d5 or 5.dxe5. Objectively speaking he has a slight initiative, but no more than that. Kritz: Sicilian B30 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Na5 With this strange knight move Black avoids the doubling of his c-pawns. White also has to waste time because his Bb5 is not optimally placed. In the ideal case, Black can later move his Na5 to c4. Leonid Kritz shows how, with precise play, White nevertheless obtains an advantage. Szabo: Sicilian B76 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.g4 Be6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 As Krisztian Szabo demonstrates in his analyses, Black is also under pressure after 9.g4. Objectively speaking, he can perhaps equalise, but to do so, however, he has to know a lot of precise moves. But even then White has the more pleasant play in the endgame. Almasi,I.: French C07 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd8 und 6...Qd7 Istvan Almasi compares in this mighty article (there are actually two of them) the two queen moves to d8 or d7 with the actual main move 6...Qd6 and in doing so provides deep insights into the secrets of this variation. Postny: Italian Game C54 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Be2 Baadur Jobava has experimented successfully with 7.Be2 – instead of going to b5, which frequently leads to the exchange of the bishop, White takes precautions against the expected move ...Bg4. There are some good reasons for the bishop move, but as Evgeny Postny shows, Black can in any case equalise. Kuzmin: Queen's Gambit Accepted D22 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 b5 Black first of all clings to the extra pawn, in order to exchange off later on as many pawns as possible in the centre. With a symmetrical structure, it often comes down not only to equality but also to a situation in which there is almost always a draw for the taking. Marin: Queen's Gambit D37 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Bf4 dxc4 The move 5.Bf4 is becoming ever more fashionable, though it is an ancient one. Mihail Marin has recently had it at the board with both colours. As always, the Romanian grandmaster provides deep insights into the ideas and the individual lines in his subject. Stohl: Grünfeld Defence D76 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nf3 Nb6 7.Nc3 c6 8.e3 0-0 9.0-0 Re8 Whenever the Fianchetto Variation is played nowadays, there is a high probability that the position in the diagram will appear on the board. Igor Stohl examines the latest trends, including above all the moves 10.h3 and 10.a3. Krasenkow: Grünfeld Defence D78 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.cxd5 cxd5 If you want to or have to play this variation, then there is some pre-knowledge you really must have. Thus, after 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nc3 you should not thoughtlessly continue with 8...Nc6 – 9.Ne5 gives White a pleasant game – but the correct move is 8...Ne4. Michal Krasenkow tells you about other subtleties. Sumets: Grünfeld Defence D94 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.Be2 c5 7.dxc5 Can Black be put under pressure with this quiet variation? According to Andrey Sumets there is a lot to be taken into consideration and perhaps the theory of this variation also requires to be re-written. It is well worth knowing what you are doing. Schipkov: King's Indian E87 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.Qd2 Qh4+ The moves 9.g3 Nxg3 10.Qf2 are followed by the queen sacrifice: 10...Nxf1 11.Qxh4 Nxe3. White’s position is not easy to play; he will also lose the c4-pawn and does not have a pawn lever. Boris Schipkov is, however, convinced of White’s advantage and backs up this thesis with relevant analysis.

System requirements

Pentium-Processor at 1 Ghz or higher, 512 MB RAM, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, DVD drive, mouse, soundcard

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For more than 20 years ChessBase Magazine has been one of the leading international chess journals. The bilingual magazine (English /German) appears every two months and coming as it does as a combined issue of a printed magazine and a DVD it offers the best possible training material for club players and professionals alike. What are you waiting for? With ChessBase Magazine you are programmed to win! The advantages this offers are unbeatable!

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Many annotated games as well as videos in Fritztrainer format from top players such as Anand, Carlsen, Kramnik, Caruana, Aronian, Gelfand, Karjakin, Kamksy, Radjabov and Shirov.

In every issue 11 to 15 opening reports from top class authors. What is really essential about every subject is explained in compact form. The opening surveys consist of an introduction and several annotated games in which the authors treat the subject in a way which is both of a high level and yet user-friendly.

Tactics: Bundesliga player Oliver Reeh selects nice tactical exercises from the latest tournaments and you can see how you measure up against the clock. In addition, on a video the author offers you a deeper insight into the way combinations arise and how to find them.

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Interactive and efficient. That is the trademark of the newly developed Fritz-Trainer-Format which was introduced with ChessBase Magazine #154 in June 2013. The new training concept brings two major improvements over the previous video format:

• The spectator is drawn actively into the training process, i.e. he or she is challenged to reply to a training question by entering the move which is the solution. It is only when that has been done that the training continues.
• There is feedback for every move entered, either in the form of a confirmation or in the form of a challenge to have another try. And if you have only found the second best move, there is frequently some comment about your idea.

One of the first authors to make use of this new format to help you in your work is Daniel King. For his “Move by Move” column, the English player always prepares a complete game  for training purposes.

In ChessBase Magazine #155 it is the King’s Indian game Eljanov-Baryshpolets (Kiev 2013) which is up for discussion. The trainee always has to put himself or herself in the position of the winner and find the latter’s moves. King’s trademark: instead of only dealing with the best move, a lot of plausible alternatives are also explained, sometimes including wrong moves. It is also nice to find one of the variant moves – you then learn why the move you have chosen is not so strong, thus widening your chess horizons more than by simply finding the move in the game. In addition you still have the chance to get the right answer by clicking on “Try again”.
Now it's up to you to find the right moves! Enjoy the new video training format with GM Daniel King and IM Oiver Reeh!

Free opening survey - download a sample! 

Leonid Kritz: "Strange - as early as move 3" - Sicilian B30: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Na5

With the line 3...Na5 the German GM Leonid Kritz presents you a repertoire idea against the popular Rossolimo Variation. With this strange knight move Black avoids the doubling of his c-pawns. White also has to waste time because his Bb5 is not optimally placed. In the ideal case, Black can later move his Na5 to c4.

How should White react to the bizarre knight move? What are the practical prospects for Black in this line?

Download the opening survey for free (CBV file for ChessBase 12/Fritz 13)...

Load extract from CBM 155 (pdf)...

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New: ChessBase Magazine 157 – with free sample

Highlights Fabiano Caruana, the "King of Bucharest", analyses his win against Ponormariov. More annotated games by Wang Hao and Nisipeanu. Sinquefield-Cup Saint Louis: Magnus Carlsens last staging post before the WCh match. All important games from this top-class event with in-depth analysis. The two winners of the FIDE Grand Prix in Paris, Caruana und Gelfand, each comment on one of their best games. Large opening survey by Mihail Marin. European Club Cup: Wojtaszek, Laznicka and Bartel from the vicrorious team Novy Bor have annotated games. NEW! Interactive video training: Daniel King "Move by Move", Oliver Reeh “Tactics", and Karsten Müller "Endgame" offer feedback to your ideas! Language: English + German Delivery: Download or post Price: €19.95 – €16.76 without VAT (for Customers outside the EU) – $22.81 (without VAT)

ChessBase Magazin 157 - Intro

 

12 new opening articles

	Michal Krasenkow: Dutch A85 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.h4 In this sharp variation White follows up with h4-h5 and then he must not be afraid to offer an exchange on h5. There is no proof of any direct opening advantage according to Michal Krasenkow, but Black is faced with a difficult defensive task.
	Schipkov: Dutch A85 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 d6 4.Bg5 If Black wants to avoid the above variation, but nevertheless still aims for the Leningrad System, there is always the changing of move order with 3...d6. Boris Schipkov then examines 4.Bg5, which brings to the board independent variations – where the theory is as yet under-developed.
	Szabo: Sicilian B85 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.0-0 Be7 8.f4 0-0 9.Be3 Nc6 10.a4 Qc7 11.¢h1 Re8 12.Bf3 Bd7 13.Nb3 With 12...Bd7 Black is aiming for ...Nxd4 and ...Bc6, but the white knight avoids the exchange. The theory then goes far into the middlegame. Krisztian Szabo shows in his article that Black can hardly count on equality.
	Schandorff: Sicilian B97 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb6 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.e5 h6 Development in the Poisoned Pawn Variation is driven above all by computer games. So, for his article Lars Schandorff has to great extent turned to the Najdorf Powerbook 2013 and come to some remarkable conclusions.
	Karolyi: Ruy Lopez C80 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Bc5 The move 9...Bc5 is actually only the third choice (after 9...Be7 and 9...Nc5), but Tibor Karolyi proves with his extensive analyses that Black can count on good chances of equality.
	Stohl: Ruy Lopez C88 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 b4 People still avoid the Marshall Attack. One quite popular variation is the one with 8.a4 b4 and then either 9.d3 or 9.d4. According to Igor Stohl White does not obtain an advantage with it, but over the board he gets playable positions.
	Postny: Grünfeld Defence D90 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.h4 Variations with h4 are fashionable, so why not against the Grünfeld Defence? All the relevant games are from 2013. Evgeny Postny shows in his article that Black gets decent play after both 5...c6 and also 5...dxc4.
	Sumets: Grünfeld Defence D94 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bc4 Of course the Closed Variation (5.e3) is not an attempt to refute the Grünfeld Defence, it is more about enticing Black into unknown territory. Contrary to the trend Andrey Sumets considers that from the diagram the reply 7...Nxc3 is the safest.
	Arnaudov: Tango E04/E10 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.Bg2 dxc4 In the second part of his series on the Tango Petar Arnaudov looks into the reply 4.g3, after which Black can only transpose to another opening. Our author pleads in favour of 4...d5 5.Bg2 dxc4, when a popular but easy to learn variation of the Catalan is on the board.
	Illingworth: Catalan E05 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Ne5 Nc6 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxc6 Qe8 10.Nxe7+ Qxe7 Vladimir Kramnik gave an impetus to this variation when he played 11.Qc2 (instead of the usual 11.Qa4) against Magnus Carlsen in the candidates tournament and obtained an advantage. Max Illingworth has examined both moves in depth and can refer to numerous contemporary games.
	Antic: Bogoindian E11 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 0-0 5.a3 Be7 6.e4 d5 7.e5 Nfd7 8.Bd3 c5 9.h4 In recent years Black has obtained good results with the variation after 6...d5. But the setup with 9.h4 could turn out to be dangerous. Dejan Antic shows that 9...h6 is practically refuted; after 9...g6 there are certainly a lot of discoveries waiting to be made.
	Marin: Nimzoindian E59 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.a3 Bxc3 9.bxc3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7 11.Bd3 e5 12.Qc2 Mihail Marin presents detailed analysis of a variation which has recently somewhat gone out of fashion. But things do not have to remain like that. According to our author White’s resources are not yet exhausted.

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Free opening survey Michal Krasenkow: "No compromises" (Dutch A85: 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.h4) GM Michal Krasenkow from Poland presents a sharp weapon against the Dutch Defence. After 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 White immediately attacks the black setup with 4.h4. The most common reply now is 4...Bg7 but that is exactly where Black starts to go wrong! In his new article Krasenkow shows you how White can cause the black king big troubles ater the almost forced moves 5.h5 Nxh5 6.e4! fxe4 7.Rxh5! The better choice is 4...d6, but also here White will sacrifice the exchange after 5.h5 Nxh5 6.Rxh5 with at least good practical chances. Click here to load an extract from CBMagazine 157 (PDF) Download the complete survey for ChessBase 12/Fritz 13...

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