Highlights
From the 2025 European Championship to Luis Engel's opening video on the Najdorf with 6.Bd3 and the new practical tip ‘Liquidation’ by Jan Markos and Oliver Reeh's tactical contribution ‘Queen sacrifice with dividend’ to Dr. Karsten Mueller's video series ‘Fundamental Endgame Knowledge’.
Over 7 hours of video playing time with Frederik Svane, Martin Breutigam, Daniel King, Luis Engel Jan Markos, Mihail Marin, Dr Karsten Müller, Michael Prusikin, Oliver Reeh, Robert Ris and Dorian Rogozenco – European Championship 2025: Analyses by Bluebaum, F. Svane, Abasov, Alonso Rosell, Cheparinov, Grandelius, Lagarde, Navara, Ponomariov, Rodshtein, Sargissian, Suleymanli, Tari, Velten, Vogel, Volokitin, Wojtaszek and Yuffa – Raid in the Sveshnikov: Lars Schandorff shows that Black has to be extremely careful after 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 9.Qf3!? – ‘Queen sacrifice with dividend’: Oliver Reeh's tactical tests with over 30 current games + four interactive videos – Kramnik at his best: Dorian Rogozenco reviews the ‘Modern Classic’ Kramnik-Ehlvest (Tal Memorial 1995), including the novelty in move 16 and the impressive play by the former world champion, and much more.
Top games and master analyses
EICC 2025: Matthias Bluebaum wins the Europe¬an Championship for the second time. Frederik Svane completes the German triumph by finishing in joint second place. Both comment on their most important winning games of the tournament in this issue. In addition, third-placed Maxim Rodshtein and many other participants – Ary¬an Tari, Gabriel Sargissian, Nijat Abasov, David Navara, Maxime Lagarde, Paul Velten, Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Nils Grandelius, Roven Vogel, Ruslan Ponomariov and many more – provide analyses of their best games.
Opening videos
In this and the next issue, Luis Engel takes a clo¬ser look at the increasingly popular continuation 6.Bd3 against the Sicilian Najdorf Variation. In Part I, he deals with the secondary variations 6...e6, 6...Nc6, and 6...g6. Daniel King examines the remarkably successful move 5...h5 in the Czech Benoni. And Mihail Marin takes on the French Advance Variation with 5...Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.0-0. His recommendation is 7...Nf5, after which White can continue with 8.Bd3, 8.Na3 or 8.dxc5.
Luis Engel: Sicilian Najdorf Variation (I)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3
Daniel King: Czech Benoni
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 h5
Mihail Marin: French Advance Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.0-0 Nf5
“The fortress”
Dorian Rogozenco concludes his trilogy on fortresses with the material distribution queen + pawn against rook + pawn. This time, the attacker‘s pawn is on the e-file. Our expert shows you where your pieces should be and how to skilfully fend off all your opponent‘s winning attempts!
“Rook against bishop and knight”
Strategy expert Mihail Marin explains the complicated material distribution in video (including two interactive units) and a collection of examples and exercises.
New ideas for your repertoire
From the Reti to the Blumenfeld Gambit – ChessBase Magazine #226 offers 10 opening articles with new ideas for every repertoire!
Postny: Reti 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 c5 3.b3 Nf6 4.Bb2 e6
Santiago: Modern Defence 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7
Papp: Caro-Kann Fantasy 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 e6
Schandorff: Sveshnikov with 8.exd5 Nb8 9.Qf3!?
Lorenzini: Sicilian Alapin 3.c3 Nf6 4.Bd3!?
Kapnisis: Spanish 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6
Henris: Albin Counter-Gambit with 10...Bc5!?
Quintiliano: Queen's Gambit 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4
Grigoriants: Catalan 4...dxc4 5.Bg2 Bb4+
Ris: Blumenfeld Gambit 5...exd5 6.cxd5 h6!?
Opening traps
The Berlin Defence is actually considered a super-solid opening. Sometimes, however, the wall building goes really wrong if Black is unfamiliar with it. Michael Prusikin presents three tricky variations for White in the video.
Move by Move
Vasily Ivanchuk has celebrated numerous successes in recent months, including at the Reykjavik Open and two other open tournaments in Spain. Robert Ris has chosen the game between Chucky and Polish GM Krzysztof Raczek from the Alicante Open for his interactive training series.
Modern Classics
The encounter Kramnik vs. Ehlvest from the 1995 Tal Memorial is not only a very attractive game with many concrete ideas, it also played an important role in the development of the Semi-Slav Botvinnik Variation. Dorian Rogozenco reviews the entire game, including Kramnik‘s novelty on move 16 and the subsequent impressive attack on Black's king on e8.
Practical tips for tournament players – “Liquidation”
The art of liquidation consists of skilfully exchanging pieces in a complex position to create a position that is easy to win or, in the case of defence, easy to hold to a draw.
Tune your tactics: “Queen sacrifice with dividend”
Oliver Reeh‘s article, featuring 35 games and over 100 training questions, often requires bold play with the queen. Solve our author‘s four favourite combinations in interactive video format!
Endgame series “Fundamental Endgame Knowledge’ – Part 16: Queen against pawns
Continuation of the interactive training series with video feedback. Karsten Mueller also shows selected endgames from the 2025 European Championship.
