Tata Steel Chess and new Fritztrainer - CHESSLETTER No. 2 Jan/17

[No. 2, January 2017] ChessBase Newsletter // Dear Chess Friends! Do you remember Magnus Carlsen's mating combination from the last World Championship in New York? Just a few short days ago in Wijk aan Zee, the World Champion could have come through with a repeat performance - but Carlsen overlooked the mate in 3 and was once again forced to settle for a draw against Anish Giri. In the board position, the Dutchman had just played Kf8-g8. Have a look - can you find the mate? Daniel King went through the game in his video summary of the seventh round – and rightly proclaimed: "Magnus didn’t see the ‘Magnus mate’ - unbelievable!" Naturally, however, there is a lot of other action at the tournament in the seaside town, each round offering spectacular games with sacrifices, opening surprises or tactical finesses. Be there [live on playchess.com] this weekend when play in Wijk comes to a head! After 10 rounds, Wesley So has the best score with 7 points, but Eljanov, Wei Yi and Aronian are merely a half-point behind. Tension also prevails in the B group. Markus Ragger was able to win all of his first four games, and now, the GM from Austria is at the top of the pack together with Ilia Smirin and Jeffery Xiong. All this means that he still has good chances to be able to compete with the best of the best in the A group next year! We’re keeping our fingers crossed for him! Would you like to get to know Markus Ragger better? Well, with a ChessBase Account, you can do so, with the ChessBase Video Portal offering a [video from the "Baku olympiad” series]! [Click here.] // This month - a whole host of new Fritztrainer DVDs! [Erwin l'Ami: The Dutch Stonewall - A Fighting Repertoire against 1.d4] In the Dutch Stonewall variation, Black fights for the initiative from the very first move. World Champions such as Mikhail Botvinnik, and most recently Magnus Carlsen, have shown just how dangerous it can be. Take a fascinating journey with Grandmaster Erwin l'Ami and let him demonstrate the depth and charm of this attractive opening. At the end of this five-hour training course, your reward will be a new combative repertoire against 1.d4! [Order "The Dutch Stonewall - A Fighting Repertoire against 1.d4" from the shop...] [read more] // [Alexei Shirov: How to crack the Berlin Wall with 5.Re1] The Berlin Defence (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4) is a pain for many 1.e4 players. Black’s position is extremely solid and almost impregnable, which is why the system was coined the "Berlin Wall". On this, his latest DVD, Alexei Shirov recommends a setup with 5.Re1. This may lead to a symmetrical position, but one that is full of potential and contains a great deal of finesse. "Mr. Shirov - tear down this wall!" [Order "How to crack the Berlin Wall with 5.Re1" from the shop...] [read more] // // [Sergei Tiviakov: The Art for the Positional Exchange Sacrifice] Positional exchange sacrifices are something most club players associate with dynamic play, but in practice, many are afraid to voluntarily enter a position with a material disadvantage. However, such sacrifices can be the stuff of brilliancies, as this example from one of Tiviakov’s games shows: How did the author obtain a slight but lasting advantage after the move Nc2-e3? (see image below) Let Sergei Tiviakov explain the secrets of this sacrificial art to you using the games of Petrosian, Botvinnik, Kasparov, to name but a few, and get your own game up to the next level! Video running time: 4 hours 21 mins (English). [Order "The Art for the Positional Exchange Sacrifice" from the shop...] [read more] // [Nisha Mohota: Strengthen your chess foundation] International master Nisha Mohota has brought together a comprehensive training extravaganza on this DVD, featuring everything from tactics, strategy and attack and defence techniques to endgames and chess psychology, all packed into a six-hour video course. The young Indian is particularly interested in two essential aspects of the game - the first is decision-making and how pawn structures help us find the right plan. The second is the beauty of chess, as, after all, “that is what attracts me to the game”. [Order "Strengthen your chess foundation" from the shop...] [read more] // Play and explore your way around ChessBase 14 There are many ways to familiarize yourself with the [new features in ChessBase 14]. Of course, one way is trying things on your own by trial & error, consulting the online help or the [manual in pdf format] when you need to. A handy alternative, however, is our [ChessBase 14 playlist on YouTube], where you will not only find [introductory videos] from our head programmer, Matthias Wüllenweber, but also practical application tips such as how to use assisted analysis in your analysis amongst others. [Download the ChessBase 14 manual...] [Order "ChessBase 14" 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.] © 2016 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