ChessBase Magazine Extra 218

Opening videos

Nico Zwirs: Vienna Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 c6 5.f4

The IM from the Netherlands presents the game of Tata Steel 2024 winner Wei Yi against Max Warmerdam in his video - "probably the best game of the tournament"! The Chinese player used an unusual sequence of moves (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nc3 c6 5.f4) to lead the game into a rare variation of the Vienna Game. Warmerdam continued with 5....d5, Zwirs also analyses the continuation 5...exf4 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 Qxf6 8.Qe2+ Kd8 9.Bxd5, which Wei Yi may have checked in his preparation. In the game Warmerdam added fuel to the fire after 6.exd5 with 6...Ng4. And after 7.Nf3 0-0 8.fxe5 Nf2 9.Qe2 Nxh1 the battle was already in full swing!

Mikhalchishin‘s miniatures (Part 2)

In issues ChessBase Magazine Extra 217 to 219, master trainer Adrian Mikhalchishin presents a variety of small opening ideas. The focus of this issue: The “Indian” openings!

Bogo Indian

1.d4 Sf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 b6 5.g3 Bb7 6.Bg2 d5 7.0-0 0-0 8.b3 c5 9.Bb2 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nbd7 11.cxd5 Nxd5

Vladimir Fedoseev managed an impressive attack from a symmetrical and seemingly completely quiet position in the 2023 European Club Cup. The key role was played by the knight on d4, which opened the a1-h8 diagonal for White's attack after 14.Nf5 with 16.Nxg7!

Queen's Indian

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 b5 6.cxb5 Bxb5 7.Bg2

"It is useful from time to time to play a bit forgotten lines. These lines are not bad at all." Against the winner of the 2023 Wolfgang Uhlmann Memorial Tournament, Roven Vogel, our author chose 5...b5 in the Queen's Indian, a line that was widely discussed in Soviet times but later fell out of fashion.

King's Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Qc7

At the Wolfgang Uhlmann Memorial in Dresden 2023, IM Maximilian Neef chose a rare variation against our author with 5...Qc7, which Kasparov had already used against Karpov in 1987, and benefited from his successful preparation. "Very clever modern preparation with the use of the full power of the computer!"

King's Indian/Sicilian Maroczy

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Nc2 Be6 10.Be3 Qa5 11.Qd2 Rfc8 12.f3 Ne5 13.b3

The game between Sergei Shipkov and Javokhir Sindarov started as a King’s Indian, but the position discussed in this video is typical of the Sicilian Maroczy. However, something is wrong in White’s setup. Which tactical twist immediately gave Black a winning position after 13.b3?

Romain Edouard, Michal Krasenkow, Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, Gabriel Sargissian, Nodirbek Yakubboev and many others comment

The “Lucky bag” of this Extra includes 53 detailed analyses.

“The brilliancy” of the edition is the game between Sandro Mareco and the 15-year-old IM Shreyas Royal from England, who analyses this encounter from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023. An incredible game, here is an example:

Position after 28…c2! "The board is on fire! This position could be labelled as a Super GM level calculation exercise, the variations that follow are unbelievable! Of course, the engine gives a calm 0.00 as the evaluation."

And the “Update service” delivers over 50,000 new games for your database!

The games from the Update service are also included in the Mega Update Service 2024, which can be used with the ChessBase 16/17 programs (and a corresponding subscription).