Minimum: Dual Core, 2 GB RAM, Windows 7 or 8.1, DirectX11, graphics card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 14/Fritz 16 or included Reader and internet access for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel i5 (Quadcore), 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX11, graphics card with 512 MB RAM or more, 100% DirectX10-compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVD-ROM drive and internet access for program activation.
The editor’s top ten
1. The deciding moment in the candidates tournament: Fabiano Caruana annotates his final round victory over Grischuk.
2. “Fresh and unexpected”: Vladimir Kramnik explains how he crushed Aronian with Black after innovating with 7…Rg8.
3. A new plan against the Najdorf? Peter Heine Nielsen annotates Carlsen's successful experiment with 5.Qd2!? in Shamkir.
4. “Fantastic fighting game”: Karsten Müller analyses the endgame in the trail-blazing duel between Kramnik and Caruana (video)
5. Salvation after a series of draws: Ding Liren comments on his win over Mamedyarov in the candidates tournament.
6. Attack like a WCh challenger: Find the best continuation – “Move by Move“ with Simon Williams in the game Meier-Caruana!
7. “Domination on both flanks”: enjoy Daniel King’s video analysis of the game Caruana-Aronian and let him whip up some enthusiasm for the Ruy Lopez!
8. A popular weapon against the Najdorf: let Robert Ris introduce you to the secrets of the variation with 7.Nf3.
9. “Like Karpov in his prime”: Rustam Kasimdzhanov annotates Caruana's win over MVL at the Grenke Chess Classic.
10. Promising in the long term: GM Yannick Pelletier recommends 6…h6 in the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit (video)
Recommendations for your Repertoire Papp: Caro-Kann B15 (Recommendation for White and Black)
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Ne2 Re8 
| | In her article Petra Papp reveals two important developments. Against the previously recommended 9.Qc2 Black has had incredible success with 9...h5!, especially when White continues with the obvious 10.0-0-0. But in the 9.0-0 Qc7 line the author has made an important discovery for White. |
Ris: Sicilian B92 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nf3 
| | No less than Magnus Carlsen has successfully played 7.Nf3 several times (instead of the usual 7.Nb3), immediately acquiring numerous followers. Robert Ris has put the variation under the microscope in detail. At the moment it looks good for White, but with precise play Black should be able to hold his own. |
Moskalenko: French C18 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Qg4 Kf8 
| | Black has not been able to solve all his problems either with 7...Qc7 or with 7...0-0. Viktor Moskalenko analyses 7...Kf8 from Black’s point of view and in doing so had to take into account half a dozen replies by White. It looks as if 7...Kf8 is a really safe move. |
Kuzmin: Vienna Game C28 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.f4 
| | The position in the diagram is of significance for three openings: the Vienna Game, the Bishop’s Opening and the King’s Gambit. Alexey Kuzmin investigates above all the main variation 5...d6 6.Nf3 and comes to the surprising conclusion that, 6...exf4 offers the best chances for equality. |
Breutigam: Two Knights Defence C55 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Be7 
| | Recently Bu Xiangzhi had great success with 4...Be7 (instead of the obvious 4...Bc5), when he defeated Magnus Carlsen in the World Cup. This inspired Martin Breutigam to examine somewhat more closely the ideas behind this variation. |
Szabo: Ruy Lopez C74 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.0-0 Bd3 8.Re1 Be7 
| | The Siesta Variation (5.c3 f5) is apparently not feared by players with White, but as Krisztian Szabo demonstrates in his article, you cannot get a genuine advantage against it. White must probably content himself with a symbolic plus. |
Marin: Ruy Lopez C79 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 Bd7 6.d4 g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.Re1 
| | Mihail Marin’s subject is the Modern Steinitz Defence with 6...g6. On account of the enormous amount of theory he has split the material and in his first part begins with the main move 8.Re1. For Black he analyses above all the “most popular continuation” 8...Nf6. |
Postny: Ruy Lopez C92 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 exd4 12.cxd4 Nd7 13.Nf1 Na5 14.Bc2 Bf6 
| | Till 2015 the variation enjoyed the status of a secret weapon, then it was played by Peter Svidler. Despite that the original idea was not very popular among top players. Black may well be able to bring about a fresh sort of position on the board, but in the opinion of Evgeny Postny in his article, “he is playing with fire”. |
Stohl: Queen's Gambit D37 (Recommendation for Black)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 
| | Our author Igor Stohl spots a trend to 6...c5 (instead of 6...Nbd7) and thoroughly investigates the whole variation. In doing so he bases himself above all on games of Hikaru Nakamura, who has played at least one important game in almost all of the possible lines. |
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