Highlights
Welcome to ChessBase Magazine #206! The home page welcomes you with the editors' special recommendations: the highlights of the issue to click, replay and enjoy!
Tata Steel 2022: Game analyses by Duda, Giri, Grandelius, Mamedyarov, Praggnanandhaa, Shankland, Erigaisi and Vogel. Peter Heine Nielsen and Dorian Rogozenco (video) analyse two Catalan wins by the World Champion and tournament winner. Plus all the games of the World Championship match Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi with analyses by Adams, Giri, Kasimdzhanov, McShane, Navara and So. Or start trainining right away "Move by Move": Robert Ris plays through a fantastic game by the new World Rapid Chess Champion Abdusattorov with you! "One of the most interesting innovations in modern theory": 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 g5!? starts a steamroller against the Reti! Not to be missed: The "Special" on Levon Aronian with 19 commented games as well as analyses + video on the endgames of the Armenian.
Special: My favourite game by Levon Aronian
CBM authors analyse their favourite game of the Armenian. Exclusive collection of 19 annotated games from 1994 to 2021.
Top games and master analyses
Tata Steel 2022: Magnus Carlsen kept the competition at bay in Wijk aan Zee with 9.5 out of 13. Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Anish Giri, Nils Grandelius, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Sam Shankland comment on their best games. Peter Heine Nielsen and Dorian Rogozenco (video) analyse two of Carlsen's wins with the Catalan.
World Championship 2021: Review of Magnus Carlsen's successful title defence against Ian Nepomniachtchi in November 2021. All eleven games of the match annotated by Michael Adams, Anish Giri, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Luke McShane, David Navara and Wesley So.
All in one
Here you can find out everything you need to know about a specific line - and all that on the basis of just one, extensively annotated game! Tanmay Srinath takes a close look at the tricky Bogo-Indian setup against the Catalan: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7.
Opening videos
Jan Werle uses a game by the current shooting star Alireza Firouzja to show a way of getting a secure initiative against the Sicilian Taimanov Variation. Daniel King once again takes up an idea by Daniil Dubov, this time in the Tarrasch Defence (7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5). And Mihail Marin offers some reflections on the Flohr-Mikenas System based on games by the "hero" of this issue, Levon Aronian.
Jan Werle: Sicilian Taimanov Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Qd3
Daniel King: Tarrasch Defence
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.Nc3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5
Mihail Marin: Flohr-Mikenas System
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.e5 d4 5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6
New ideas for your repertoire
CBM #206 offers many exciting ideas and concepts for your next games with 11 opening articles:
Hera: Reti Opening 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 g5
Schandorff: Caro-Kann Advance Variation 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.Bd3 Bxd3 6.Qxd3. Qa5+ 7.b4!?
Szabo: Sicilian Nimzowitsch Var. 3.e5 Nd5 (II)
Braun: Sicilian Taimanov Variation 7.g4!?
Kapnisis: Petroff 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5/6.Nc3
Ris: Ruy Lopez with 3...Bc5 (Part I) 4.0-0 Nd4
Lorenzini: Ruy Lopez Delayed Exchange 6.Bxc6
Postny: London System 5.Nbd2 Qb6 6.dxc5 Qxb2
Grigoriants: Slav 3.Nf3 dxc4 4.e3 Be6 5.Nbd2
Vogel: Gruenfeld 5.Bd2 c5!?
Zelbel: King's Indian recipes against 6.Be2 (Part II)
Topical opening traps
"From Caro-Kann to English" - Rainer Knaak takes a close look at eight traps from current tournament practice three of which he also presents in video format.
Move by Move
Let Robert Ris put you to the test. Nodirbek Abdusattorov sets off fireworks with many surprising ideas against GM Sethuraman in the Exchange Variation of the Slav Defence. Can you find the moves of the new Rapid World Champion?
"Aronian's strategic universe"
Mihail Marin examines the Armenian's extraordinary understanding of the game through the categories of "Pawn play", "Rook play and open files", "Coordination and harmony" and "Exchange sacrifice". Incl. introductory video (playing time: 30 minutes)
The Classic
"That was perfectly played!" Dorian Rogozenco presents the game between Mikhail Chigorin and Emanuel Lasker (London 1899). A wonderful testament to the playing strength of the then World Champion!
Tactics: "Knights on the rampage"
Improve your tactical striking power! Oliver Reeh's article contains 34 games, peppered with many training questions. Solve his three favourite combinations move by move together with the IM in interactive video format!
"Endgame highlights from the 2021 World Championship match" and much more.
The Hamburg endgame expert provides comprehensive training material for the highest demands, including the "Endgame Highlights from the World Championship Match 2021" and a selection of the best "Endgames by Levon Aronian" - Karsten Müller prefaces both articles with a detailed video introduction. In addition, he provides further analyses in "Readers write".
