Powerbooks, CBM and Tactics

[#4 February/2018](#) ChessBase Newsletter // Dear Chess Friends! For world-class players, chess professionals and opening experts, the special Powerbooks for individual openings are always an excellent tool for working on one’s repertoire. The statistics of these special editions not only go much deeper than standard opening books, but also draw on a large number of engine games from playchess.com, guaranteeing the reliability of the evaluations. Of course, you can also take advantage of them too! Embark on a journey of discovery with the new Powerbooks for the London System or French and take a look at the theory of tomorrow! [NEW: London System Powerbook 2018]( The Powerbook London System 2018 is a premiere at ChessBase. A few years ago, this system still had the image of an amateur opening. However, many world-class players such as So, Kramnik, Grischuk, Vachier-Lagrave, Aronian and Karjakin have contributed to the further popularization of the opening. There is of course also no overlooking the fact that the London book is also based on 44 games by Magnus Carlsen! To ensure the utmost statistical reliability, the threshold for including games was set at a very high level. The Powerbook is based on 176,000 engine games as well as 11,000 games from the Mega 2018 + Correspondence 2018 One of the most fundamental positions of the London System is shown in the following diagram: The statistics suggest 6....cxd4, but the modern 7... Nh5 is a very popular variation after 7. exd4. You can then study the different ways of playing here using the London Powerbook, as it offers a 100-fold increase in games compared to the Mega/Online Database. Does this mean the end of the London system? Certainly not, for example, merely delaying Nf3 offers White additional options, which is also clearly demonstrated by the Powerbook statistics. If you want the ultimate combination here, then pairing the London System Powerbook 2018 with the bestseller from 2017: [The London System with 2.Bf4 from GM Simon Williams is the way to go!]( [Order "London System Powerbook 2018" from the shop...]( [read more]( // [NEW: French Powerbook 2018]( The French Powerbook has been compiled based on high-quality material – “only” roughly 20,000 top games from the Mega and Correspondence databases. There are also 582,000 games from the playchess.com engine room. The statistics in the Winawer, especially in the sharp 7. Qg4 Qc7 variation, are not very enticing for Black, and one can understand why the top players rarely enter this structure. In the Steinitz variation, however, things are a different story, especially if you take the continuations played most often by both sides: 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.Qf2 Bxd4 12.Bxd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 b5 14.Bd3 Rb8 15.Kb1 b4 16.Ne2 In the online database there are only two correspondence chess games, both ended in a draw. Based on a further 1100 games, the new Powerbook offers more information with positive numbers for Black: For White, there are few promising alternatives on the long path to this position, but Black can deviate quite a few times. For example, with 7...a6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. Be2 b5 10.0-0 0-0-0, here the Powerbook still offers statistics based on more than 20,000 games, while the online database has less than 1000 games available. Also in the main variation of the Steinitz, 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Be3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Bb5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 a6 13.Bxd7+ Bxd7 14.Rb3 Qe7 15.Rxb7, the evaluation has solidified somewhat, with the Powerbook preferring 15... Rc8; with the evaluation based on some 6000 games shows that the position is balanced. [Order "French Powerbook 2018" from the shop...]( [read more]( // NEW: ChessBase Magazine #182 [ChessBase Magazine #182]( The editorial team’s top 10 + a bonus from Wesley So! 1. Sharp attack on the seventh move – top Russian top player Nepomniachtchi shows you how he surprised former World Champion Anand at the LCC. 2. Important step to the title: Radjabov explains his strategic win against Movsesian at the European Team Championship in Crete. 3. Castling long and blow your opponent off the board: Take a move-by-move look at the attack from Morozevich-Ponomariov together with Simon Williams! 4. "A funky line": get inspired about the rare 7.Nbd2 in the classical Italian with IM Lawrence Trent! 5. Razor-sharp update: Michal Krasenkow introduces you to new ideas and trends in the ever-popular King’s Indian with 6.h3. 6. An exciting Scotch: enjoy the fantastic game between Nakamura and Carlsen complete with Daniel King's video analysis! 7. “Natural moves": how do they relate to our understanding of a position? Strategy expert Mihail Marin relays valuable tips for practical play! 8. Risk-free Petroff: Dennis Breder shows you how to guarantee a comfortable position with 8.Nbd2. 9. No one saw it! Expert trap setter Rainer Knaak presents an impressive collection of missed opportunities from current tournament practice. 10. Let Karsten Müller show you what it's all about when it comes to mating with 2 knights against a pawn! Bonus content: Wesley So annotates his win against Viswanathan Anand at the London Chess Classic! ChessBase Magazine #182 offers more than 4 hours of video, training databases for openings, tactics, strategy and endgames, a FIDE training course, an accompanying booklet and much more! [Order "ChessBase Magazine 182" from the shop...]( [Watch trailer...]( [read more]( // [NEW: Oliver Reeh: Strike like the World Champions]( Throughout the history of chess, outstanding players have dominated their respective eras with very individual styles, which were also reflected in the way they finished their games tactically. Now you have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the World Champions - with this unique collection of tactical combinations! IM Oliver Reeh guides you step-by-step through the 88 most brilliant tactical shots of the World Champions – in the interactive Fritztrainer format, where you can input the winning moves yourself. If you can’t find the solution on your own, there is always a small tip to help you out. From powerful mating attacks to dynamic middlegame stunners and tactical niceties with just a few pieces – anyone who manages to solve all these positions will certainly benefit tremendously when it comes to their own games. The selection naturally includes classics such as Capablanca's infamous “Petite combinaison”, Fischer's glamorous match against Byrne (1956) and "The Pearl of Wijk" (1999), where Kasparov drove the black king to d1. However, Reeh also shows less famous works from the Champions' creative efforts – profound, spectacular, brilliant, or simply beautiful and inspiring. Awaken and discover the World Champion in you with the most beautiful combinations of the Masterclass series (Lasker, Alekhine, Capablanca, Tal, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Carlsen) – all on a single DVD! [Preorder from the ChessBase Shop today!]( [Watch trailer...]( [read more]( // An interesting read [The unofficial Fischer Random (Chess960) World Championship 2018: Carlsen - Nakamura]( Did you know that you can also play Chess960 on the playchess server? Just go to "Thematic Chess/Chess960". // 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