Chessletter #1 January 2018

[#1 January/2018](#) ChessBase Newsletter // Dear Chess Friends! You can look forward to a great year of chess in 2018, a year brimming with highlights! The Candidates Tournament is set for March (in Berlin) and the World Championship between the winner and Magnus Carlsen will be held in London in November. The new tournament season traditionally kicks off in Wijk aan Zee, and the first round of this classical event starts on Saturday! In addition to the World Champion, most of the world's elite will be competing over thirteen rounds. Enjoy the action live on playchess.com or alternatively check out [our broadcasts page](! In addition to following the events in Wijk on [playchess.com]( and our [news page]( after each round, we’ll be ready with a [daily "round up" show](20wijk%20aan%20zee%202018) in English, brought to you by star commentators such as Simon Williams. Daniel King, Yannick Pelletier and Lawrence Trent. [Daniel King has got a preview for you](20by%20Daniel%20King) [Archive of the round-up shows.](20wijk%20aan%20zee%202018) [Watch the round-up show live at 3 pm EST after every round.]( Are you ready to get back into the swing of things now that things are almost back to normal after the turn of the year? Why not play a blitz game every now and then via your browser at [play.chessbase.com]( to shake off any festive excesses! Playing via a browser is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to access our servers. No wonder, as you can also use the site on iPads and Android tablets as well! New: The new Fritz16 manual for beginners and experts alike From your very first steps right through to special functions such as "Key Installation" or "Cloud engine matches", you'll find it all in the extensive Fritz 16 manual which spans some 400 pages! You can download the new manual as a PDF file from the [ChessBase Wiki](Wiki free of charge, regardless of whether you have already purchased Fritz 16 or would just like to read about the new playing and training functions, such as "Easy Play" or "Assisted Analysis". [Download Fritz 16 Manual...]( [Order Fritz 16 in the ChessBase Shop...]( In the News: [The results are in](! Find out how ChessBase readers rated our nominations for [Player of the Year, Female Player of the Year, Game of the Year, Endgame of the Year and Move of the Year](. From Anand to Zhongyi, we look back at the highlights of 2017, as selected by ChessBase editors and voted on by members! // New 60-Minutes [The Fort Knox Variation in the French Defence]( If you're one of those French Defence players who has been desperately searching for a reliable and easy-to-learn system against White's two main 3rd moves (3.Nd2 or 3.Nc3) then this is the 60 Minutes for you! Presenting: the Fort Knox variation (3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7!?). This opening does exactly what it says on the tin! By developing the notoriously bad French c8-bishop to c6, followed by a natural and methodical development of the kingside pieces, Black manages to erect a super-solid structure — like Fort Knox — that is designed to frustrate White, who will often overextend, leaving himself exposed in his quest for glory. This variation has been endorsed by some of the most classical players (like Karpov), as well as the most creative (like Jobava) Grandmasters in the world with fantastic success. It’s a perfect choice for those with a positional style of chess who enjoy counterattacking and taking advantage of overzealous opposition. [Order "The Fort Knox Variation in the French Defence" from the shop...]( [read more]( // You're a subscriber to the ChessBase newsletter. If you no longer want to receive the chessbase newsletter, [click here.]( © 2018 ChessBase Schachprogramme Schachdatenbank Verlagsgesellschaft mbH Registered: Osterbekstr. 90a, 22083 Hamburg Telephone: 040-63 90 60 0 - Fax: 040 630 12 82 Directors: Matthias Wüllenweber and Rainer Woisin HR Amtsgericht Hamburg HRB 40336 Value added tax identification number DE 118644875 Local tax office tax number 49/711/00031ChessBase, All rights reserved