Chessletter #23 November 2017

[Issue #23 November 2017](#) ChessBase Newsletter // Dear Chess Friends! Get ready for the next season! The new Mega Database 2018 simply has it all, from the very first games in the history of chess to current grandmaster games. The most important games are annotated by experts. Or get our Powerbook 2018 which offers the entire current opening theory on one DVD and helps you to explore new opening ideas with the help of the comprehensive opening tree. But one question is relevant for every player: how to realise an advantage? On his new DVD of the same name, GM Sergei Tiviakov shows the way! [New: Mega Database 2018]( The "Mega" is a must for every ambitious chess player. The database contains the entire history of chess, with 7.1 million games from 1500 to 2017, fully edited, full of master analyses and classified according to opening. Use the Mega Database 2018 to prepare perfectly and make the mother of all databases the father of your success! The Mega Database 2018 offers comprehensive information about all areas of chess. More than 838,000 games include a team tag which allows to generate team tables. The DVD also contains the updated players’ encyclopaedia with more than 430,000 names and about 37,000 photos of players (to use the players’ encyclopaedia you need the current ChessBase 14 program). The database contains, amongst other things, the games of all top tournaments in 2017, such as the Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis, the World Cup in Tbilisi and the FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Geneva. Fully revised historical section In the last two years Gisbert Jacoby – co-founder of ChessBase and inventor of the Mega – continuously worked to extend and to improve the historical section, with amazing results: 180,000 games were edited and sometimes corrected, sources were checked, tournament names revised and unified. Since then no less than 14,000 historical games have been added to the Mega Database. More than 1,000 of them either contain historical or entirely new analyses. About 200 new database texts provide background to these historical tournaments. This "historical update" would not have been possible without Jacoby’s enormous chess library which allows him quick and permanent access to original sources. And what would chess history be without stories about the greatest players of their time? In these tournament texts Jacoby shares a wealth of anecdotes and stories which makes playing through and analysing the games even more entertaining and exciting! [Order "Mega Database 2018" from the shop...]( [Order "Upgrade Mega 2018 from Mega 2017" from the shop...]( [read more]( // [New: Powerbook 2018]( The Powerbook 2018 offers you the current state of opening theory in a comprehensive tree of variations including a statistical evaluation for each position. If you want to know what the main line is in a certain position, simply check in the Powerbook. And how about the success rate of specific moves? Maybe there are sidelines that are less known but still promising? Check the statistics! The Powerbook 2018 really has a lot to offer: 18 million opening positions, derived from one million of the best tournament games, reflect the complete opening practice. It is a first class enhancement for all who want to improve and train their opening knowledge. For every position in the opening all previously played moves are indicated, with the Elo-average of the players and the success rate of the moves. The DVD also contains a database with all the games used for the Powerbook, allowing you to check and play through the illustrative games. Train and improve your repertoire with ChessBase and the new Powerbook 2018! [Order "Powerbook 2018" from the shop...]( [Order "Powerbook 2018 Upgrade from Powerbook 2017" from the shop...]( [read more]( // [New: Big Database 2018]( The Big Database 2018 is, so to speak, the “little sister” of the Mega Database. It contains the same games but without any analyses and annotations. Moreover, in contrast to the Mega, the Big Database does not contain an update-service. If being always up-to-date is not essential to you, the new Big Database might be a good alternative to the Mega. [Order "Big Database 2018" from the shop...]( [read more]( // [New: Sergei Tiviakov: Realizing an Advantage]( It’s a problem every player encounters when he stands better in a game: how to convert his plus into a full point? In this DVD the author answers this difficult question of chess strategy, considering both the psychological aspects of the realization of an advantage and the technical methods. The following issues are taken into account and carefully explained: selecting the correct plan, importance of the centre and space advantage, domination, the principle of two weaknesses, changing the pawn structure, converting one type of the advantage into another, king activity in the endgame and middlegame. Special attention is paid to the problem of piece exchanges as part of the realisation of an advantage. This DVD is based on the games and positions from the practice of the world champions, strong grandmasters, and of course the author himself. The quiz part of the disk contains nine positions where you can test your freshly acquired knowledge on the subject. Recommended for players of all levels and ages. [Order "Sergei Tiviakov Realizing an Advantage" from the shop...]( [read more]( [In the News: The European Team Championship]( Azerbaijan secured the [European Team Championship]( gold on Monday with a draw against Ukraine. The Azerbaijani team scored a critical win over top-seeded Russia in Round 8, such that even a last round win over Germany was only good enough for the silver medal. Ukraine, the third seed going in, took the bronze. In the European Women’s Team Championship, the favourites Russia, clinched gold with a round to spare, leaving Georgia and Ukraine battling for silver and bronze. In the end they finished exactly according to their starting rank. Fourth seed Poland was upset by ninth seed Romania and so just missed out on a medal. [Final report]( // You're a subscriber to the ChessBase newsletter. 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