Chess Reviews: 199

ChessBase Magazine 150

The new issue of ChessBase Magazine is packed with enough material to keep even the greediest of chess students feel that there hunger has been satiated for some time to come.

The tournament coverage includes comprehensive reports from Biel and Dortmund. Indeed, in the case of the former there are numerous videos featuring post-mortem analysis by the players themselves (running at 1 hour and 40 minutes)!

There are plenty of eye catching moments along the way as the players share their spontaneous thoughts about the games. For example, Magnus Carlsen provides some interesting analysis about a possible variation in one of his games.

Carlsen - Wang Hao (variation)

Carlsen played 17 Bf4 and won ((1-0, 35), but over the board he considered the sacrificial 17 Bxh6 gxh6 18 Rhg1+ Kh8 19 Qd2 Rf7 20 Qxh6+ Nh7 21 Re6 Ne5 (not a forced move, but a mistake which if played would have allowed a very nice finish) 22 Bxh7 Rxh7 

Carlsen - Wang Hao (variation)

Well, can you see what Carlsen had planned to force a win from this position?

Elsewhere, there are examples of missed opportunities which could have been played for real. A couple of stand out examples involved former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.

Kramnik - Leko
Dortmund 2012

37 Nd3? missing 37 R1xb6! which would have netted two pawns and the full point. After the move played in the game, Leko was able to put up a stubborn resistance and the game was drawn after 134 moves. A remarkable double miss.

Kramnik's position was under great pressure in the next game.

Caruana - Kramnik
Dortmund 2012

The winner has annotated the game for the magazine and he comments here: ''Kramnik tries a last desperate shot...which nearly works!''

35 ...Rxf2!? 36 Kxf2? Nxe4+ 37 Kg2 Nc5 ''Now I realized, to my great disappointment, that the b3-square is controlled by Black's knight, so there's no way to switch to the b1-h7 diagonal.'' 38 Ra8 
So is Black more or less OK now? Maybe - but Kramnik blunders...

Caruana - Kramnik
Dortmund 2012

38 ...Nxe6?? ''A very surprising blunder. Black was close to the draw, but after this greedy capture I can weave a deadly net around his king.'' 39 Bd3+ Kh6 40 h4 g6 41 Rh8+ Rh7 42 Rg8 ''Now everything is clear. Black must sacrifice the exchange.'' 42 ...Rg7 43 Bxg7+ and 1-0 (53).

Opening articles remain an essential part of ChessBase Magazine and there are lots of them here, in addition to all the other standard features.

Opening Surveys:

Trompowsky Attack 3 h4
Kovacevic Variation 2 Nf3 g6 3 e3 c5 4 dxc5
Benoni Snake Variation
Dutch Leningrad 7 ...c6
Caro-Kann Main Variation
Sicilian Accelerated Dragon 8 ...a5
French Winawer 4 exd5 exd5 5 Bd3
French Advance 3 ...c5 4 Nf3
Slav Main Variation
Semi-Slav 4 Qc2
Semi-Slav Moscow Variation
Nimzo-Indian 4 Qc2 0-0
King's Indian 4 Bg5

Openings with videos:

Grunfeld Fianchetto
Sicilian Rossolimo 3 ...g6
Henning-Schara Gambit

No other chess product offers as much instruction and entertainment as ChessBase Magazine.

For further details on all ChessBase products, please visit their official website.