ChessBase Magazine Extra 226

Opening videos

Luis Engel: Sicilian Najdorf Variation

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e5 7.Nb3

In ChessBase Magazine #226 and the upcoming issue #227, Luis Engel presents a comprehensive analysis of the Najdorf Variation with 6.Bd3. ‘In between’, in this CBM Extra, the GM from Hamburg focuses on another variation in his favourite opening: after 6.h3 e5, White has recently preferred the continuation 7.Nb3. ‘A very dangerous variation – for both sides!’ On the seventh move, Black has a choice between two moves that take the game in very different directions. Video playing time: 33 minutes!

Nico Zwirs: Sicilian Taimanov Variation

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7.Qf3 Nf6 8.0-0-0 Ne5 9.Qg3 b5 10.a3

For some time now, 7.Qf3 has been very popular as a weapon against the Taimanov Variation –From f3, the queen may move forward to g3, where it can target the pawn on g7 and offer an exchange of queens that is favourable for White. In the game Trost-Donchenko (Grenke Open 2025), which Nico Zwirs uses as the starting point for his analysis, the main moves 7...Nf6 8.0.0.0 Ne5 9.Qg3 b5 followed. At this point, the young IM from Sweden refrained from the standard continuation 10.f4 – which requires extensive theoretical knowledge – and instead played the clever 10.a3, allowing 10…Bb7 11. Bf4! – this move has only been played once before. 11...d6 is practically forced, and here Trost sacrificed his knight for two pawns and a strong initiative with 12.Nxb5 axb5 Bxb5+. Even a player of Donchenko's calibre was unable to solve the concrete problems of this position over the board. ‘A very nice piece of opening preparation!’

"Lucky bag": Analyses by Anish Giri, Lubomir Ftacnik, Surya Ganguly, Abhijeet Gupta, Yannick Pelletier and many more

Extra #226 delivers 38 annotated games from a wide variety of tournaments in the "Lucky bag".

The Update Service once again provides over 50,000 new games for your database!

The games from the Update Service are also included in the Mega Update Service 2025, which can be used with ChessBase 17/18 (and a corresponding subscription).