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Help from ChessBase Magazine
09.03.2010
– After three rounds in the European Championship Dieter-Liviu Nisipeanu was in the lead. The Romanian GM scored three consecutive wins, including one against Dimitri
Reindermann. Perhaps he was helped in his efforts by an article in ChessBase
Magazine, because in
CBM 132
his compatriot Mihail Marin examined in detail a variation of the Alekhine
Defence, which then was up for discussion in the game. The Dutch player chose a
line which our author had rejected and received the ultimate punishment for
doing so. Marin has provided a few notes on the game, and a thorough analysis
will follow in CBM 136. Here is
Nisipeanu -
Reindermann
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A rook full of tricks
03.03.2010
– Okay, the analysis of last week's endgame set you a pretty hard task. But
since
you are really up to speed on this material, there is an equally hard one
for you
this week.
After 72...Rb4+ (diagram) White had an important decision to take in the
game Romanov-Vescovi:
should he move his king aside to g5, in order to advance his h-pawn as
quickly
as possible, or is perhaps 73.Kh3 the better choice?
Work out both variations – but be warned: there are all sorts of
hidden tricks!
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Opening surveys in CBM 134
01.03.2010
– The Albin Countergambit does
not have a particularly good reputation, but since it is not an opening you have
to face very often as White, a lot of players do not know how to achieve a safe
advantage against it. This is above all the case after the main move 5.g3 when
the switch to 5...Nge7 (from the previoulsy more usual 5...Bg4) means that it is
no longer so clear how White can point to any opening advantage. Simple
solutions are wanted and they are provided by GM Dorian Rogozenco
with his repertoire for White based on the move 5.Nbd2. Here is the complete
article, one of 12 in CBM 134. Read
Rogozenco: Albin with 5.Nbd2.
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The duel of knights and queens...
26.02.2010
– ... was literally the central theme in this position. White has a threat - which knight move secures the draw for Black?
A) 29...Nc5
B) 29...Nxb2
C) 29...Nf4
The solution is here,
but first ponder over it with a
larger version of the diagram.
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Barriers and bodychecks
24.02.2010
– The position in the diagram is from the game Bu Xiangzhi-McShane. Black will soon have to give up the rook for the a-pawn and when that happens the decisive question is whether the duo of black king and f-pawn are favourably enough placed to draw against the rook and the king. Amongst the weapons in Black's arsenal, there is above all the bodycheck in order to keep the white king at a distance. White, on the other hand, can get to work with a barrier. Sharpen up your analytical abilities by trying to work out the solution and comparing what you find with GM Karsten Müller's analysis. It's well worth the effort!
CBM Online.
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Open f-file versus open c-file...
19.02.2010
– ... was the scenario in this game from the Austrian Bundesliga, where White had just played
28.Bf4-c1, giving his rooks free view to the black king. How would you assess the situation now?
A) White wins due to the threat 29.Rf1+;
B) the game should end in a perpetual check
C) Black wins.
The solution is here,
but first ponder over it with a
larger version of the diagram.
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Duel of the minor pieces
18.02.2010
– In the analysis of Short-Kramnik ("the wrong choice of ending") we saw a knight that had everything under its
control triumph over the bishop. But having the superior minor piece
does not always guarantee the full point, as can be seen in the game McShane-Sebag.
White has an extra pawn and the last black pawn is fixed on the same colour
square as the bishop. Black should be able to save the game here, because
the winning potential in the position is just too
slight. However, the reason for 134....Kd7? being the wrong move and how
Black could have held the draw can be seen in Karsten Müller's analysis for
ChessBase Magazine Online.
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Move by Move: Training with ChessBase Magazine
16.02.2010
– In addition to
reports on top tournaments and games analysed by world class players,
every issue of ChessBase Magazine contains,
lots of training designed to help ambitious club players. There is, for
example, the column "Move by Move" by the English grandmaster
Daniel King. We
have put together some screenshots to show you how it works in practical
terms.
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The king in the middle...
12.02.2010
– ... is a classical chess theme. In this Bundesliga top game the reigning U20 World Champion had sacrificed a pawn to open lines against the black monarch, which was countered with
16...f6. How would you assess this continuation?
A) a mistake, White can decisively penetrate the opponent's position;
B) good move, Black drives back the bishop and consolidates his plus pawn;
C) much ado about nothing, the position remains balanced.
The solution is here,
but first ponder over it with a
larger version of the diagram.
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Zugzwang
10.02.2010
– Although there are of course beautiful examples of zugzwang in the
middlegame, it is much more a motif from endgames, many of which could
not be won without zugzwang. Even when there is a clear superiority in
material, as for exampe in the duel between a rook and a bishop, it is often
only possible to make progress by employing zugwang. Here is a
typical example. After 68.Kb5 Black could, with the correct
continuation, have retained his chances of a draw. What that was and
the instructive winning method used by White after 68...Bc5? are
things you can find out from Karsten Müller's analysis in
ChessBase Magazine Online.
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Sherlock Holmes chess
06.02.2010
– A very original sequence happened in this Sicilian encounter from the recently finished festival in Wijk aan Zee. The black knight is attacked, but onto which square it should go now is only one question (A).
The other interesting issue is: what was actually White's last (and best!) move (B),
as a reaction in turn to which black move (C)?
What do you think, Watson?
The solution is here,
but first ponder over it with a
larger version of the diagram.
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Fire on board...
04.02.2010
– ... has become Alexei Shirov's trademark. In the tournament in Wijk aan
Zee, which Shirov started with five wins in a row, the 37-year-old chess
magician from Riga once more justified this reputation.
In many middlegame positions he managed to put his opponents under
pressure with inventive attacking play. And even in the endgame, one
always has to take into account that Shirov might set the board on fire.
This happened in the eleventh round in his game against Vladimir Kramnik, where he played 35.c5! in the diagram position. GM Karsten Müller has analysed the endgame for
ChessBase Magazine Online.
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