Category: ChessBase

  • Advanced Reviews of Chessbase 14 and Mega Base 2017

    Advanced Reviews of Chessbase 14 and Mega Base 2017

    My copy of [Chessbase Magazine 174](http://shop.chessbase.com/en/products/chessbase_magazine_174?Ref=RF70-5OH0EFN840) arrived a few days ago and included an exciting voucher for Mega Base 2017 that instructed me to head over to the [Chessbase Shop](http://shop.chessbase.com) to buy the new database. Curiously, it is not available at this time, so that voucher is tucked away safely until it is.

    In addition, Chessbase has included a brief summary and review of *Chessbase 14* in the back of CBM 174’s booklet, but CB14 is also unavailable for purchase on the Chessbase Shop.

    I like the product previews, but it feels strange being encouraged to *go out and buy* products that are not available yet… Maybe next time a simple *Coming Soon* notice instead?

  • Carlsen’s Amazing Hamburg Simul

    Carlsen’s Amazing Hamburg Simul

    You really have to hand it to Magnus Carlsen. As one of the youngest chess champions in history, he has transformed the professional chess world with major brand endorsements, [his own clothing line](www.g-star.com/en_us/featured/collaborations/magnus-carlsen.htm), his own brand/chess app, and is noteworthy as the first World Champion to develop his chess abilities in the age of prevalent chess computers. In the [2014 World Chess Championship](sochi2014.fide.com), Carlsen effectively destroyed former champion Viswanathan Anand where there were no shortage of comments and questions about him being [*past his prime*](www.chess.com/forum/view/general/end-of-era-for-vishy-anand) and Carlsen being the *young* wave of the future.

    Earlier this week on February 21 in Hamburg, [Play Magnus](www.playmagnus.com) hosted a simul exhibition with 70 players. The German paper [Die Zeit](www.zeit.de) organized the event to commemorate its 70th birthday, which puts its first publication right after the end of World War II. In this competition sat one person for every year that *Die Zeit* has faithfully published to its readers.

    ![simulsetup](http://www.campfirechess.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/carlsensimul01.jpg)

    70 boards ready to take on Magnus Carlsen. (Credit: Play Magnus)

    As you can see, the setup for the event was stunning with each player receiving a *Play Magnus* chess set which was autographed by the World Champion after the event. Some of the competitors were invited to the event while others were chosen from a pool of over 1,000 applicants.

    ![simulcarlsen](http://www.campfirechess.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/carlsensimul02.jpg)

    Carlsen’s six-hour battle. (Credit: Chess24.com)

    At the halfway point of the event, Carlsen had shut his opponents out with an amazing 30 wins and 0 losses or draws. At the conclusion of the event, which lasted around six hours, the World Champion emerged with an exceptional record of 67 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. It is easy to lose sight of the wins in this situation because of the startling number of losses. This defeat came at the hands of Jens-Erik Rudolph, who is identified by [Chessbase](www.chessbase.com) as a City League chess player with an 1981 ELO.

    [pgn]
    [Event “Simultan – 70 Jahre DIE ZEIT”]
    [Site “Hamburg”]
    [Date “2016.02.20”]
    [Round “?”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Rudolph, Jens-Erik”]
    [Result “0-1”]
    [ECO “A42”]
    [WhiteElo “2844”]
    [BlackElo “1981”]
    [PlyCount “114”]
    [EventDate “2016.??.??”]
    [EventType “simul”]
    [EventCountry “GER”]
    [TimeControl “180+2”]

    1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. e4 e5 5. d5 a5 6. Bd3
    Na6 7. Nge2 Nf6 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 O-O 10. f3 Nc5 11. Bc2 Bd7 12. O-O Qe8 13. Kh1
    Nh7 14. b3 f5 15. a3 b6 16. b4 Nb7 17. Qd2 f4 18. Bf2 g5 19. Nb5 Bxb5 20. cxb5
    h5 21. Nc3 g4 22. Qe2 Qg6 23. Rfc1 Nf6 24. Bd1 Bh6 25. Be1 Rf7 26. Ra2 Rg7 27.
    Rac2 Kh8 28. Qf1 Rag8 29. Bh4 Bg5 30. Bf2 g3 31. Be1 gxh2 32. Na4 Ne8 33. Nb2
    axb4 34. axb4 h4 35. Nd3 Bd8 36. Kxh2 Rh7 37. Nf2 Nf6 38. Nh3 Nh5 39. Ra1 Ng3
    40. Qd3 Bf6 41. Ra7 Nd8 42. Raxc7 Rxc7 43. Rxc7 Nf5 44. Rc2 Ne3 45. Ra2 Nxg2
    46. Qe2 Ne3 47. Bb3 Nf7 48. Qf2 Qh5 49. Qe2 Rg2+ 50. Qxg2 Nxg2 51. Kxg2 Ng5 52.
    Ng1 h3+ 53. Kh1 Qg6 54. Rh2 Nxf3 55. Nxf3 Qxe4 56. Rxh3+ Kg7 57. Kg1 Qe3+ 0-1
    [/pgn]

    Magnus Carlsen’s single loss in the simul.

    After struggling somewhat last year, it is refreshing to see Magnus playing such good chess recently. Additionally, it was nice to see that there was an eclectic mix of people participating in the simul including a nine-year old chess player and a famous futbol coach among others. Although I have to consider variables such as the number of people Carlsen played in this simul it is nice to know that the World Champion himself is not impervious to defeat at the hands of players < 2000 ELO. Rudolph's 1981 ELO gives me hope, I tell ya. Additional Credit: Featured Image by [IM Anna Rudolf](https://www.facebook.com/AnnaRudolfChess/) -w.s

  • Help the Max Euwe Center

    Help the Max Euwe Center

    Earlier this week, Chessbase co-founder Frederic Friedel appealed to his chess news audience to lend support for the Max Euwe Center in Amsterdam. The center was founded shortly after his death in 1981 and has since grown from a small museum and collection of books to an enormous collection of chess sets, books, and memorabilia from tournaments throughout history. As with any program that promotes cultural influences like chess, the museum has long relied on the financial contributions of private and corporate donors along with a subsidy from the city of Amsterdam. Although the article does not explain why it is happening, it appears that Amsterdam has chosen to stop providing the Max Euwe Center with the subsidy, which would put its future in doubt.

    Max Euwe is known for being the only amateur chess player to ever win the World Championship. He defeated Alexander Alekhine in 1935, but only held the title for 2 years before the title was recaptured by Alekhine in 1937.

    [pgn]
    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.03”]
    [Round “1”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D17”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “59”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3
    e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 Be6 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. O-O Be7 14. Qc2 Rd8
    15. Rfd1 O-O 16. Nb5 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Qa5 18. Nd4 Bc8 19. b4 Qc7 20. b5 c5 21.
    Nf5 f6 22. Ne3 Be6 23. Bd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Qa5 25. Nf5 Qe1+ 26. Kg2 Bd8 27. Bxe5
    fxe5 28. Rd7 Bf6 29. Nh6+ Kh8 30. Qxc5 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.06”]
    [Round “2”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D81”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “89”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Qb3 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Be6 6. Qb5+ Nc6 7. Nf3 Rb8 8.
    Ne5 Bd7 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. d5 Nd4 11. Qd3 e5 12. e3 Nf5 13. e4 Nd6 14. f4 Qe7 15.
    Be3 Ng4 16. Bxa7 Ra8 17. h3 Rxa7 18. hxg4 Bg7 19. Qe3 Ra5 20. f5 Bf6 21. a4
    Bh4+ 22. g3 Bg5 23. Qf3 O-O 24. b4 Raa8 25. Ra2 Ne8 26. Rb2 Nf6 27. Be2 c6 28.
    dxc6 bxc6 29. O-O Rad8 30. Kg2 Rd4 31. b5 cxb5 32. axb5 Rb8 33. fxg6 fxg6 34.
    b6 Qb7 35. Kh3 Rd6 36. Nd5 Kg7 37. Rc2 Nxd5 38. exd5 Rxb6 39. Rc6 Rxc6 40. dxc6
    Qe7 41. Bc4 Kh6 42. Qh1 Rb2 43. Rf7 Qe8 44. c7 Rc2 45. Qb7 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.08”]
    [Round “3”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “C15”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “81”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 6. Qg4 Nf6 7. Qxg7 Rg8 8.
    Qh6 c5 9. Ne2 Nbd7 10. Ng3 Rg6 11. Qe3 Nd5 12. Qxe4 Nxc3 13. Qd3 Nd5 14. Be2
    Qf6 15. c3 cxd4 16. cxd4 N7b6 17. Bh5 Rg7 18. Bf3 Qg6 19. Be4 f5 20. Bf3 Kf8
    21. a4 Rc7 22. O-O Bd7 23. Ba3+ Kg8 24. a5 Rc3 25. Qb1 Na4 26. Bxd5 exd5 27.
    Qxb7 Qc6 28. a6 Nb6 29. Bc5 f4 30. Nf5 Kh8 31. Ne7 Qe6 32. Bxb6 Bc6 33. Nxc6
    Rg8 34. Ne5 Rg7 35. Qb8+ Rc8 36. Ng6+ Rxg6 37. Qxf4 Qxb6 38. Qe5+ Rg7 39. Qxd5
    Rd8 40. Qe5 Qxd4 41. Qxd4 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.10”]
    [Round “4”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “0-1”]
    [ECO “D81”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “88”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Qb3 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bg7 6. Bf4 c6 7. Rd1 Qa5 8. Bd2
    b5 9. Qb3 b4 10. Na4 Na6 11. e3 Be6 12. Qc2 O-O 13. b3 Rab8 14. Bd3 Rfc8 15.
    Ne2 c5 16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Nxc5 Qb5 18. Nf4 Bg4 19. f3 e5 20. Nfd3 exd4 21. fxg4
    dxe3 22. Bxe3 Nxg4 23. Bf4 Bc3+ 24. Rd2 Rxc5 25. Nxc5 Qxc5 26. Bxb8 Qe7+ 27.
    Kd1 Ne3+ 28. Kc1 Nxc2 29. Rxc2 h5 30. Rd1 Bg7 31. h3 a5 32. Bf4 Qe4 33. Bc7
    Qe3+ 34. Kb1 a4 35. bxa4 b3 36. axb3 Qxb3+ 37. Kc1 Bh6+ 38. Rdd2 Qxa4 39. Be5
    Kh7 40. Bc3 Qb5 41. Bd4 Qe2 42. g4 Qe1+ 43. Kb2 Bxd2 44. Rc8 Bc1+ 0-1

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.12”]
    [Round “5”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “C15”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “68”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Ne2 dxe4 5. a3 Be7 6. Nxe4 Nc6 7. Be3 Nf6 8.
    N2c3 O-O 9. Ng3 b6 10. Be2 Bb7 11. O-O Qd7 12. Qd2 Rad8 13. Rfd1 Qc8 14. Qe1 e5
    15. d5 Nd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. Rxd4 c5 18. Ra4 Nxd5 19. Bg4 Qc7 20. Rxa7 Nxc3 21.
    bxc3 Ra8 22. Rxb7 Qxb7 23. Bf3 Qd7 24. Bxa8 Rxa8 25. Qe4 Ra4 26. Qe2 Bf8 27. h3
    Qe6 28. Qxe6 fxe6 29. Rb1 Rxa3 30. Ne4 Ra6 31. Kf1 Be7 32. Ke2 Kf8 33. Ke3 Bd8
    34. Rd1 Ke7 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.15”]
    [Round “6”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “D12”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “145”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Qe2
    Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. e4 N5b6 11. Bb3 Be7 12. a4 O-O 13. a5 Nc8 14. a6 Qb6 15. axb7
    Qxb7 16. Ba2 c5 17. d5 Ne5 18. g4 Nxf3+ 19. Qxf3 Bg6 20. Nc3 Nb6 21. Qe2 e5 22.
    Be3 a6 23. h4 Bxh4 24. Bxc5 Rfc8 25. Be3 Be7 26. Rfc1 Bd6 27. Nd1 Rab8 28.
    Rxc8+ Rxc8 29. Bb1 Nc4 30. Bd3 Nxe3 31. Bxa6 Qa7 32. Qxe3 Bc5 33. Qd3 Rb8 34.
    Qe2 Qe7 35. Rc1 h5 36. Rc3 Rb4 37. Bd3 Rb8 38. Bb1 Bd4 39. Rh3 Qg5 40. Kg2 hxg4
    41. Rg3 Bh5 42. Bc2 Rb6 43. Ne3 Rxb2 44. Qc4 Bxe3 45. Rxe3 Rb6 46. Qc8+ Kh7 47.
    Qf5+ Qxf5 48. exf5 f6 49. Rd3 Rd6 50. Rd1 Kh6 51. Kg3 Kg5 52. Be4 g6 53. fxg6
    f5 54. g7 Bf7 55. Rh1 fxe4 56. Rh8 Rg6 57. d6 Rxd6 58. g8=Q+ Bxg8 59. Rxg8+ Kf5
    60. Rf8+ Ke6 61. Kxg4 Rd3 62. Re8+ Kf6 63. f4 exf3 64. Rf8+ Ke6 65. Rxf3 Rd2
    66. Rf1 Rd3 67. Rf3 Rd1 68. Kg3 e4 69. Rf8 Rd2 70. Re8+ Kf5 71. Re7 Ra2 72. Re8
    Rb2 73. Re7 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.17”]
    [Round “7”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “C15”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “79”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Ne2 dxe4 5. a3 Be7 6. Nxe4 Nc6 7. g4 b6 8. Bg2
    Bb7 9. c3 Nf6 10. N2g3 O-O 11. g5 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Kh8 13. Qh5 Qe8 14. Nf6 Bxf6
    15. gxf6 gxf6 16. Qh4 Qd8 17. Bf4 e5 18. Bg3 f5 19. dxe5 Rg8 20. Bf3 Qd3 21.
    Be2 Qe4 22. Qxe4 fxe4 23. Bh4 h6 24. O-O-O Rae8 25. Bf6+ Kh7 26. f4 exf3 27.
    Bxf3 Na5 28. Bxb7 Nxb7 29. Rd7 Nc5 30. Rxf7+ Kg6 31. Rxc7 Nd3+ 32. Kb1 Kf5 33.
    Rd1 Nxe5 34. Rf1+ Ke4 35. Rxa7 Nc4 36. Rd7 Ke3 37. Re1+ Kf3 38. Rxe8 Rxe8 39.
    Rd4 Ne3 40. Rh4 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.20”]
    [Round “8”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D45”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “137”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nc3 a6 6. c5 b6 7. cxb6 Nbd7 8. Na4
    Nxb6 9. Bd2 Nxa4 10. Qxa4 Qb6 11. Rc1 Bd7 12. Ne5 Qxb2 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14. Bd3
    Rb8 15. Ke2 Rb6 16. Rb1 Qa3 17. Qxa3 Bxa3 18. Rxb6 Nxb6 19. Rb1 Nd7 20. Bxa6
    Ke7 21. Rb3 Bd6 22. Bb7 c5 23. a4 Bb8 24. Rb5 Ba7 25. dxc5 Nxc5 26. Bb4 Kd6 27.
    a5 Kc7 28. Bxc5 Bxc5 29. Bxd5 Kd6 30. Bb7 Ba7 31. a6 Rd8 32. Rb2 Rd7 33. Rd2+
    Ke7 34. Rc2 Rd6 35. Rc7+ Rd7 36. Rc2 Rd6 37. f4 f5 38. Rc8 Rd8 39. Rc7+ Rd7 40.
    Rc3 Rd6 41. Rc7+ Rd7 42. Rc3 Rd6 43. h4 g6 44. Rc2 h5 45. Rc3 Rb6 46. Rc7+ Kd6
    47. Rg7 Rb2+ 48. Kd3 Ra2 49. Rxg6 Ra3+ 50. Kc4 Bxe3 51. Bd5 Bxf4 52. Rxe6+ Kc7
    53. Rc6+ Kb8 54. Rg6 Bc7 55. Bb7 Ka7 56. Rg5 Bd8 57. Rxh5 Bxh4 58. Rxf5 Kb6 59.
    Rb5+ Kc7 60. Rb3 Ra5 61. Kd4 Bf2+ 62. Ke4 Kd6 63. Rd3+ Ke6 64. Bc8+ Ke7 65. Rd5
    Ra4+ 66. Kf5 Bg3 67. Rd7+ Kf8 68. a7 Bf2 69. Ba6 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.22”]
    [Round “9”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “C15”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “81”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qg4 Nf6 5. Qxg7 Rg8 6. Qh6 Rg6 7. Qe3 Nxe4 8.
    Bd3 f5 9. Ne2 c5 10. Bxe4 fxe4 11. Qh3 Nc6 12. Qxh7 Qf6 13. Nf4 cxd4 14. Nxg6
    dxc3 15. b3 Ne7 16. Nxe7 Bxe7 17. h4 Qf7 18. Qh8+ Qf8 19. Qxf8+ Kxf8 20. Bg5 e5
    21. f3 exf3 22. gxf3 Ba3 23. f4 Bf5 24. fxe5 Bxc2 25. O-O+ Kg8 26. Rac1 Bxc1
    27. Rxc1 Bf5 28. Rxc3 Rc8 29. Rf3 Rf8 30. Bf6 Be4 31. Rg3+ Kf7 32. h5 Rc8 33.
    Rg7+ Ke6 34. h6 d4 35. h7 Rc1+ 36. Kf2 Rc2+ 37. Kg3 Bxh7 38. Rxh7 Rxa2 39. Kf4
    b5 40. Ke4 Re2+ 41. Kxd4 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.24”]
    [Round “10”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D45”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “81”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nc3 a6 6. c5 Nbd7 7. b4 a5 8. b5 Ne4 9.
    Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nd2 f5 11. f3 Qh4+ 12. g3 Qh6 13. Qe2 Be7 14. Bg2 O-O 15. O-O Nf6
    16. Nc4 Bd8 17. fxe4 fxe4 18. Nd6 Qg6 19. b6 Be7 20. Nc4 Qg5 21. Bd2 e5 22.
    Nxe5 Be6 23. Rf4 Qh6 24. a3 g5 25. Rf2 Qg7 26. Raf1 h5 27. Kh1 Qh7 28. Bc3 h4
    29. gxh4 Qxh4 30. Ng6 Qh7 31. Nxf8 Rxf8 32. d5 Nxd5 33. Rxf8+ Bxf8 34. Bd4 Be7
    35. Qf2 Qh4 36. Qxh4 gxh4 37. Bxe4 Bd8 38. Bf5 Bxf5 39. Rxf5 Ne7 40. Rf6 Nc8
    41. Rxc6 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.27”]
    [Round “11”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “D12”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “60”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 e6 7. Ne5 Nfd7 8. Qb3
    Qc8 9. Bd2 Nc6 10. Rc1 Be7 11. Be2 Ndxe5 12. dxe5 O-O 13. Nb5 Qd7 14. O-O a6
    15. Nd4 Nxd4 16. exd4 Rac8 17. Bb4 Bxb4 18. Qxb4 Rc2 19. Rxc2 Bxc2 20. Rc1 Rc8
    21. h3 Rc6 22. Qa5 h6 23. b4 Ba4 24. Rxc6 Qxc6 25. Qd8+ Qe8 26. Qc7 Qc6 27.
    Qb8+ Kh7 28. Bd3+ g6 29. Kh2 Kg7 30. Qd8 Bc2 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.10.29”]
    [Round “12”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D97”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “71”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Qb3 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bg7 6. e4 O-O 7. Nf3 a6 8. Bf4
    b5 9. Qxc7 Qe8 10. Be2 Nc6 11. d5 Nb4 12. O-O Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxd5 14. Qc1 Bf5
    15. Ng3 Rc8 16. Qd2 Nxf4 17. Qxf4 Bc2 18. Qb4 Qd8 19. Ne1 Ba4 20. Rb1 Bd4 21.
    Nf3 Bc5 22. Qh4 Bc2 23. Rbc1 f6 24. Bc4+ bxc4 25. Qxc4+ Kg7 26. Qxc2 Qa5 27.
    Qe2 e5 28. a3 Be7 29. Nd4 Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Kh8 31. Nc6 Qc7 32. Qxa6 Rc8 33. Nf1
    Rb8 34. Nxe7 Qxe7 35. Rc8+ Rxc8 36. Qxc8+ 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.01”]
    [Round “13”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “C83”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “117”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
    Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. a4 b4 11. Nd4 Nxe5 12. f4 Nc4 13. f5 Bc8 14. Qe1 Bb7 15. cxb4
    c5 16. f6 Bxf6 17. Nf5 O-O 18. bxc5 Re8 19. Qb4 Qc8 20. Bxc4 a5 21. Qa3 dxc4
    22. Nc3 Nxc5 23. Be3 Qc6 24. Rf3 Nd3 25. Raf1 Rxe3 26. Nxe3 Bd4 27. Qe7 Ne5 28.
    Kh1 Nxf3 29. Rxf3 Rf8 30. h3 Bxe3 31. Qxe3 Qe6 32. Rg3 Re8 33. Qg5 Qe5 34. Qxe5
    Rxe5 35. Rg4 Re3 36. Kg1 Rd3 37. Rxc4 Rd2 38. b4 Rxg2+ 39. Kf1 Rb2 40. Rd4 g6
    41. bxa5 Rc2 42. Nb5 Kg7 43. Ke1 Rc5 44. Rd6 Bc6 45. a6 Bxb5 46. a7 Bc6 47.
    Rxc6 Ra5 48. Rc7 Rxa4 49. Kd2 g5 50. Kc3 h5 51. Kb3 Ra1 52. Kc4 g4 53. hxg4
    hxg4 54. Kd4 Kg6 55. Ke5 f6+ 56. Kf4 Ra4+ 57. Kg3 f5 58. Kh4 Kf6 59. Rb7
    1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.02”]
    [Round “14”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D82”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “81”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Nh5 5. Be5 f6 6. Bg3 Nxg3 7. hxg3 c6 8. e3
    Bg7 9. Bd3 O-O 10. Rxh7 f5 11. Rh1 e5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Nf3 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 Qf6
    15. cxd5 Qxc3+ 16. Kf1 Qf6 17. Rc1 cxd5 18. Rc7 Nd7 19. Bb5 Qd6 20. Rc4 Nf6 21.
    Rch4 Qc5 22. Ba4 Qc3 23. Ng5 Kg7 24. Nh7 Rd8 25. Nxf6 Kxf6 26. Rh7 Be6 27. R1h6
    Bf7 28. Kg1 Rg8 29. g4 Rg7 30. gxf5 Rxh7 31. Rxh7 gxf5 32. Bb3 Qe5 33. Qf3 Rc8
    34. g4 Bg6 35. Rxb7 Qa1+ 36. Kg2 Rh8 37. g5+ Kxg5 38. Qf4+ Kf6 39. Qd6+ Kg5 40.
    f4+ Kh6 41. Qe7 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.05”]
    [Round “15”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “D17”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “122”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Nh4 Bc8 7. e3 e5 8. dxe5
    Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Bxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Ne4+ 12. Ke1 Be6 13. f4 Na6 14. Nf2
    Nxf2 15. Kxf2 O-O-O 16. Nf3 Nc5 17. Be2 Nd3+ 18. Kg3 Nxb2 19. Nd4 Rxd4 20. exd4
    Rd8 21. Kf2 Rxd4 22. Ke3 c5 23. Ra3 Bf5 24. g4 Be4 25. Rf1 Bc6 26. a5 Nd3 27.
    Rc3 Re4+ 28. Kd2 Nxf4 29. Bxc4 Rd4+ 30. Kc2 Be4+ 31. Kb3 g5 32. Bxf7 b6 33. Ka3
    Kd7 34. Bb3 Kc6 35. Rc4 Rxc4 36. Bxc4 b5 37. Bf7 c4 38. Kb4 Nd3+ 39. Kc3 Nxe5
    40. Be8+ Kc5 41. Bxb5 Bd3 42. Re1 Ng6 43. Ba6 Nf4 44. Bb7 Ne2+ 45. Kd2 Nd4 46.
    Re7 Kb4 47. Be4 Bxe4 48. Rxe4 Nf3+ 49. Ke2 Nxh2 50. Kf2 a6 51. Ke2 Kxa5 52.
    Rxc4 Kb5 53. Re4 a5 54. Re5+ Kb4 55. Rxg5 a4 56. Kd3 a3 57. Kc2 a2 58. Kb2
    a1=Q+ 59. Kxa1 Kc3 60. Rg7 h6 61. Rg6 Kd3 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.07”]
    [Round “16”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “0-1”]
    [ECO “D12”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “130”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 e6 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Bd2
    Nc6 9. Rc1 Be7 10. Bb5 O-O 11. O-O Qd8 12. Na4 Na5 13. Bxa5 Qxa5 14. Nc5 Bxc5
    15. dxc5 Ne4 16. Qa4 Qxa4 17. Bxa4 Rfc8 18. c6 bxc6 19. Bxc6 Rab8 20. Nd4 Rxb2
    21. Nxf5 exf5 22. Bxd5 Nc3 23. Kh1 g6 24. Bb3 Rc5 25. f3 a5 26. e4 a4 27. Bd5
    Rbb5 28. h3 Kg7 29. Rc2 Nxd5 30. Rxc5 Rxc5 31. exd5 Rxd5 32. Rf2 Kf6 33. Re2
    Re5 34. Rc2 Re3 35. Kh2 Ra3 36. Kg3 Ke5 37. Rd2 h6 38. h4 h5 39. Re2+ Kd6 40.
    Kf4 f6 41. Rc2 Kd5 42. g3 g5+ 43. hxg5 fxg5+ 44. Kxg5 Rxf3 45. Rg2 Kd4 46. Kxh5
    f4 47. gxf4 Rxf4 48. Kg5 Re4 49. Kf5 Re5+ 50. Kf4 Re1 51. Kf3 Kd3 52. Rb2 Rf1+
    53. Kg3 Kc3 54. Rb7 Rc1 55. Rb8 Ra1 56. Kf3 Rxa2 57. Ke3 Rh2 58. Rc8+ Kb2 59.
    Rb8+ Kc1 60. Rc8+ Kb1 61. Rb8+ Rb2 62. Ra8 Rb3+ 63. Kd4 a3 64. Kc4 Kb2 65. Rh8
    Rc3+ 0-1

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.09”]
    [Round “17”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “D04”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “45”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Bd3 e6 5. Bxf5 exf5 6. Qd3 Qc8 7. b3 Na6 8. O-O
    Be7 9. c4 O-O 10. Nc3 c6 11. Bb2 Ne4 12. Rfc1 Rd8 13. Qe2 Qe6 14. a3 Nc7 15. c5
    Re8 16. b4 f4 17. exf4 Nxc3 18. Qxe6 Nxe6 19. Rxc3 Nxf4 20. Rb3 a6 21. g3 Ne6
    22. a4 Bf6 23. Rd1 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.12”]
    [Round “18”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “A20”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “31”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. c4 e5 2. Nf3 e4 3. Nd4 Nc6 4. Nc2 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bc5 6. b3 O-O 7. g3 d5 8. cxd5
    Nb4 9. Nxb4 Bxb4 10. Bg2 Re8 11. O-O Bf5 12. Bb2 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. d3 Rad8
    15. dxe4 Bxe4 16. Qxd5 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.14”]
    [Round “19”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D16”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “113”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e4 Bb4 7. e5 Ne4 8. Qc2 Qd5
    9. Be2 c5 10. O-O Nxc3 11. bxc3 cxd4 12. cxd4 c3 13. Bd2 Qa5 14. Bxc3 Bxc3 15.
    Ra3 Nc6 16. Rxc3 Bd7 17. Rb1 O-O 18. Rc5 Qd8 19. Rxb7 Bc8 20. Rb1 Nxd4 21. Nxd4
    Qxd4 22. Bf3 Bd7 23. Bxa8 Rxa8 24. a5 g6 25. Rd1 Qb4 26. Qc4 Rb8 27. Qxb4 Rxb4
    28. h3 Bb5 29. Rd8+ Kg7 30. Rcc8 Rb1+ 31. Kh2 Rb2 32. Kg3 Rb3+ 33. f3 Rb2 34.
    Rg8+ Kh6 35. Rc7 Bf1 36. Rxf7 Rxg2+ 37. Kf4 g5+ 38. Ke3 Re2+ 39. Kd4 Rd2+ 40.
    Ke3 Re2+ 41. Kd4 Rd2+ 42. Kc3 Rd3+ 43. Kc2 Ra3 44. f4 gxf4 45. Rxf4 Be2 46.
    Rf6+ Kh5 47. Kd2 Bc4 48. Rg7 h6 49. Rgg6 Rd3+ 50. Kc2 Rd8 51. Rxh6+ Kg5 52. Kc3
    Bd5 53. Kd4 Bh1+ 54. Ke3 Bd5 55. Rhg6+ Kh5 56. Kf4 Rh8 57. h4 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.16”]
    [Round “20”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “D17”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “81”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1998.09.30”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3
    e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 f6 12. O-O Rd8 13. Qc1 Qb8 14. Ne4 Be7 15.
    Qc3 O-O 16. Rad1 Be6 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Ng5 fxg5 19. Bxe5 Bf6 20. Bxb8 Bxc3 21.
    Bd6 Rf7 22. bxc3 Rfd7 23. Rb1 Rxd6 24. Rxb7 R8d7 25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. Be4 c5 27.
    c4 Bxa4 28. Bd5+ Kf8 29. Ra1 Ra6 30. Ra2 Ke7 31. f4 gxf4 32. gxf4 Kf6 33. e4 g5
    34. f5 h5 35. h4 gxh4 36. Kh2 Kg5 37. Kh3 Ra5 38. Bb7 Kf6 39. Bd5 Kg5 40. Bb7
    Kf6 41. Bc8 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.19”]
    [Round “21”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “0-1”]
    [ECO “D17”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “80”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1998.09.30”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3
    e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 Rd8 12. Qc1 f6 13. O-O Be6 14. Nxe5 Nxe5
    15. a5 a6 16. Ne4 Bb4 17. Nc5 Bc8 18. Bxe5 fxe5 19. f4 Bd2 20. Qc4 Rd4 21. Qb3
    exf4 22. gxf4 Qe7 23. Nd3 Be6 24. Qa3 Bc4 25. Kh1 Qxa3 26. Rxa3 O-O 27. Ra4
    Rfd8 28. Ra3 Bxd3 29. exd3 Rb4 30. Rf2 Rxb2 31. Bf1 Rd4 32. f5 Rf4 33. Rxf4
    Bxf4 34. h3 Bd6 35. Ra1 Kf7 36. d4 Kf6 37. Re1 Bb4 38. Ra1 Rd2 39. Bc4 Rxd4 40.
    Be6 Rd3 0-1

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.24”]
    [Round “22”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “E33”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “35”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bd2 O-O 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3
    Qe7 9. e3 e5 10. d5 Nb8 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. Ng5 g6 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nc5 15.
    O-O Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Bf5 17. Qf3 Qh4 18. Qe2 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.26”]
    [Round “23”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “D15”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “115”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 b5 6. a4 b4 7. Nb1 Ba6 8. Be2 e6
    9. Ne5 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nxc4 c5 12. dxc5 Nbd7 13. c6 Nc5 14. Nbd2 Qc7 15.
    Qc2 Rad8 16. Bf3 Nd5 17. b3 Bf6 18. Bb2 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 Qxc6 20. Rfd1 Qc7 21.
    Bxd5 Rxd5 22. e4 Rd3 23. Qe5 Qxe5 24. Nxe5 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 Nxb3 26. Rad1 Nxd2 27.
    Rxd2 Rc8 28. f4 f6 29. Nf3 Kf8 30. Rb2 Rc4 31. Nd2 Rd4 32. Nb3 Rxe4 33. Nc5
    Re1+ 34. Kf2 Rf1+ 35. Ke3 Bc4 36. Rxb4 Bd5 37. Rb8+ Ke7 38. Rg8 Kd6 39. Ne4+
    Bxe4 40. Kxe4 Ra1 41. Rxg7 Rxa4+ 42. Kf3 h5 43. Rf7 Ra3+ 44. Kf2 f5 45. Rh7 Kd5
    46. Rxh5 Ke4 47. Rh6 Ra6 48. Kg3 Rd6 49. Rh7 Rd3+ 50. Kf2 Kxf4 51. Rxa7 Rd2+
    52. Kf1 e5 53. Rg7 Ke3 54. Rg3+ Kd4 55. h4 e4 56. h5 Rd1+ 57. Kf2 Rh1 58. Rg5
    1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.11.28”]
    [Round “24”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “A90”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “65”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Nf3 Ne4 8. O-O
    Bf6 9. Nxe4 fxe4 10. Ne1 Bxd4 11. Bxe4 Bxb2 12. Bxh7+ Kxh7 13. Qc2+ Kg8 14.
    Qxb2 Nc6 15. Nf3 d6 16. c5 dxc5 17. Bc3 Qe7 18. Rad1 b6 19. Qc2 Bb7 20. Qg6 Qf7
    21. Qg5 Rad8 22. h4 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nd4 24. Bxd4 cxd4 25. Rxd4 Bxf3 26. Rf4 Qh5
    27. Rxf8+ Kxf8 28. Qf4+ Qf7 29. Qxf3 Qxf3 30. exf3 e5 31. Kf1 b5 32. Ke2 c5 33.
    Ke3 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.12.01”]
    [Round “25”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “0-1”]
    [ECO “D52”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “90”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qd2
    N7b6 9. Bd3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Nd5 11. Rc1 Nxc3 12. O-O Bb4 13. a3 Qxa3 14. Ra1 Qb3
    15. Bc2 Qd5 16. e4 Nxe4 17. Qxb4 Nxg5 18. Ne5 a5 19. Qa3 f6 20. Bg6+ hxg6 21.
    Nxg6 Nf3+ 22. Qxf3 Qxf3 23. gxf3 Rh5 24. Nf4 Rf5 25. Nd3 Rxf3 26. Nc5 b6 27.
    Kg2 Rf4 28. Nb3 e5 29. dxe5 Be6 30. Nc1 O-O-O 31. exf6 Rg4+ 32. Kf3 Rf8 33. Ke3
    Rxf6 34. f4 g5 35. Nd3 Bc4 36. f5 Rh4 37. Rad1 Rxh2 38. Ke4 Re2+ 39. Kf3 Re8
    40. Kg4 Rd8 41. Ne5 Rxd1 42. Rxd1 Be2+ 43. Kxg5 Rxf5+ 44. Kxf5 Bxd1 45. Nxc6 a4
    0-1

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.12.03”]
    [Round “26”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “A90”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “93”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Nf3 Ne4 8. O-O
    b6 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Ne5 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qc8 13. d5 d6 14. Nd3 e5 15.
    Kh1 c6 16. Qb3 Kh8 17. f4 e4 18. Nb4 c5 19. Nc2 Nd7 20. Ne3 Bf6 21. Nxf5 Bxc3
    22. Nxd6 Qb8 23. Nxe4 Bf6 24. Nd2 g5 25. e4 gxf4 26. gxf4 Bd4 27. e5 Qe8 28. e6
    Rg8 29. Nf3 Qg6 30. Rg1 Bxg1 31. Rxg1 Qf6 32. Ng5 Rg7 33. exd7 Rxd7 34. Qe3 Re7
    35. Ne6 Rf8 36. Qe5 Qxe5 37. fxe5 Rf5 38. Re1 h6 39. Nd8 Rf2 40. e6 Rd2 41. Nc6
    Re8 42. e7 b5 43. Nd8 Kg7 44. Nb7 Kf6 45. Re6+ Kg5 46. Nd6 Rxe7 47. Ne4+ 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.12.06”]
    [Round “27”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “C27”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “81”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Qh5 Nd6 5. Bb3 Be7 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8.
    Qxe5 O-O 9. Nd5 Re8 10. O-O Bf8 11. Qf4 c6 12. Ne3 Qa5 13. d4 Qh5 14. c3 Ne4
    15. f3 Ng5 16. d5 cxd5 17. Nxd5 Ne6 18. Qg4 Qg6 19. Be3 b6 20. Rad1 Bb7 21.
    Qxg6 hxg6 22. Rfe1 Rac8 23. Kf2 Bc5 24. Bxc5 Bxd5 25. Bxd5 Nxc5 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8
    27. b4 Ne6 28. Bxe6 dxe6 29. Rd7 Rc8 30. Rxa7 Rxc3 31. Ra8+ Kh7 32. a4 Rb3 33.
    b5 g5 34. Ke2 e5 35. Kd2 f6 36. Kc2 Rb4 37. Kc3 Rd4 38. Ra6 Kg6 39. Rxb6 Rxa4
    40. Ra6 Rd4 41. b6 1-0

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.12.08”]
    [Round “28”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “D66”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “125”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3
    h6 9. Bh4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Bd3 a6 12. e4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Bxh4 14. Bxc6 Ra7
    15. O-O Nb6 16. Ne4 Be7 17. Ne5 Rc7 18. Qd3 Nc4 19. Nxc4 Rxc6 20. Ne5 Rxc1 21.
    Rxc1 Bb7 22. Nc5 Bxc5 23. Rxc5 Qd6 24. a4 bxa4 25. Nc4 Qf4 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. f3
    Qg6 28. Nd6 Bd5 29. Qc3 Kh7 30. Qc2 Qxc2 31. Rxc2 Kg6 32. Rc8 Rxc8 33. Nxc8 Kf6
    34. Kf2 g5 35. Nb6 Bc6 36. Nc4 Ke7 37. Ne3 Kd6 38. Ke2 f5 39. g3 Bb5+ 40. Kd2
    f4 41. gxf4 gxf4 42. Ng2 e5 43. dxe5+ Kxe5 44. Kc3 Bf1 45. Ne1 Kd6 46. Nc2 Kc5
    47. Nd4 Bh3 48. Ne2 Bg2 49. Nxf4 Bxf3 50. Nd3+ Kb5 51. Ne5 Bh5 52. Nc4 Bg4 53.
    Nd6+ Kc5 54. Nf7 h5 55. Ne5 Bf5 56. Nc4 Be4 57. Nd2 Bg2 58. h4 Kd5 59. Nc4 Ke4
    60. Nd6+ Kd5 61. Ne8 Kc5 62. Nf6 Bf3 63. b3 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.12.12”]
    [Round “29”]
    [White “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Black “Euwe, Max”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “B05”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “100”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 dxe5 7. c5 e4 8. cxb6
    exf3 9. Bxf3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 axb6 11. Qxb7 Nd7 12. Bf4 e5 13. Bxe5 Nxe5 14. dxe5
    Bb4+ 15. Nc3 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 O-O 17. O-O Qe7 18. Rfe1 Qc5 19. Re3 Ra3 20. Qf3
    Re8 21. h3 Ra5 22. Rd1 Qe7 23. Qc6 Rc5 24. Qd7 g6 25. f4 Rc4 26. Qxe7 Rxe7 27.
    Rd4 Rc5 28. Kf2 c6 29. a4 Ra7 30. Rb4 b5 31. axb5 cxb5 32. Kf3 Rac7 33. Rb3 Kf8
    34. g4 Ke7 35. f5 gxf5 36. gxf5 f6 37. Kf4 fxe5+ 38. Rxe5+ Rxe5 39. Kxe5 Rc5+
    40. Ke4 Kf6 41. Ra3 Rc4+ 42. Kd3 Rh4 43. Rb3 Kxf5 44. Rxb5+ Ke6 45. c4 Rxh3+
    46. Kd4 Kd6 47. Rb6+ Kc7 48. Rf6 Rh5 49. Kc3 Kb7 50. Kb4 Kc7 1/2-1/2

    [Event “World Championship 16th”]
    [Site “Netherlands”]
    [Date “1935.12.15”]
    [Round “30”]
    [White “Euwe, Max”]
    [Black “Alekhine, Alexander”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “D21”]
    [EventCountry “NED”]
    [EventDate “1935.10.03”]
    [EventRounds “30”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [PlyCount “79”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nd7 4. Qa4 c6 5. Qxc4 Ngf6 6. g3 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. Bg2
    O-O 9. O-O Qa5 10. e4 Qh5 11. Qd3 Nb6 12. Ne2 Rd8 13. a4 Nbd7 14. b4 g5 15.
    Nxg5 Ne5 16. Qc2 Ng6 17. h3 h6 18. Bf3 Ng4 19. hxg4 Bxg4 20. Bxg4 Qxg4 21. Nxf7
    Kxf7 22. Qc4+ e6 23. f3 Qh5 24. Be3 Rg8 25. Rf2 Bf6 26. Raf1 Nh4 27. Qxe6+ Kxe6
    28. Nf4+ Kf7 29. Nxh5 Be7 30. Kh2 Ng6 31. Rb2 Rac8 32. f4 Nf8 33. f5 Bg5 34.
    Bxg5 Rxg5 35. Nf4 Nh7 36. Ne6 Rh5+ 37. Kg2 Nf6 38. Kf3 Rg8 39. Nf4 Rhg5 40. Rg1
    1/2-1/2
    [/pgn]

    This kind of thing happens in the United States almost on a daily basis. Programs and organizations that promote culture and history through subsidies from local and national governments are seeing those subsidies slowly stripped away through budget cuts and poor financial planning. The niche nature of chess makes maintaining a museum like the Max Euwe Center a challenge in itself and without the proper support from a wealthy proprietor or government subsidy these kinds of places simply cannot exist. In the event that the Max Euwe Center cannot find the appropriate funding and ceases to exist, it is likely that the museum’s inventory will go to private collectors like the World Chess Hall of Fame and others around the world. This would ensure that the items stored in the museum are well kept, but limiting the material access to the public would be a loss for the chess world.

    How You Can Help

    Corporate Sponsors: Contact Eddy Sibbing, manager of the Max Euwe Center or call +31-20-625-7017.

    Private Donations: Donate to IBAN: NL91 INGB 0005 4016 70 Stichting Max Euwe Center in Amsterdam. When donating to the center, indicate New Donor MEC plus your name and address.

  • The Big Deal About Berlin

    The Big Deal About Berlin

    In the recent World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand, it became apparent early on that Anand was not willing to allow Carlsen the chance to dominate the contest like he had done in 2013. Instead, Anand employed a complicated opening system against the World Champion called the Berlin Defense (ECO C65-C67). This defense is a variation of the immensely popular Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5…) opening made popular by Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. My serious study of chess has been ongoing for less than a year and it is apparent that there is more chess knowledge and application to be learned than there are hours in a person’s lifetime. Until the 2014 World Championship I had never heard of the Berlin and was intrigued by the way that chess commentators and even amateur players talked about the opening. Was it really as complex and devastating as people were making it out to be? I decided to take a look at the the feared Berlin Wall to get a better understanding of the opening and what makes it such a fearsome response to 3.Bb5.

    #### The Beginnings: A Ruy Lopez Primer
    The Ruy Lopez (ECO C60-C99) is the first opening that I learned when I began paying attention to opening theory and chose to focus on improving my chess. I did not realize until later in my chess studies that this opening was preferred by Bobby Fischer in his tournament games. The basic opening moves of the Ruy Lopez are: **1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5…**.

    **Fig 1:** A typical Ruy Lopez game after 3.Bb5.

    As you can see, White has immediate tactical control of the board and the Bishop’s position forces Black to respond to the 3.Bb5 threat or risk losing tempo to his opponent. This is where the concept of the *defense* comes into play. Until this point, each of these moves in the Ruy Lopez are standard and any deviation from the moves in this order moves it out of the Ruy Lopez ECO category and into another opening line. According to the Chessbase Fritz Powerbook, in most typical grandmaster games, the Berlin defense results in a 30% win rate for White, 22% for black, and a 48% draw rating. If this is the case, why would a player with the Black pieces even consider playing 3…Nf6? The answer seems to be as complicated as the Berlin Defense itself, but it seems clear that Black’s intention with 3…Nf6 is just to tell his opponent that victory will *not* be easy, nor will it be assured.

    #### Berlin Defense in WC 2014
    Vishy Anand used the Berlin Defense extensively throughout the World Championship match in response to Magnus Carlsen’s Ruy Lopez. For the purposes of this exercise, I have chosen to look at Game #11 of the match where I first noticed the intensity in which commentators were referring to the Berlin Defense.

    **Fig 2:** The Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez.

    As you can see from the diagram above, the Berlin Defense puts immediate pressure on Carlsen’s e4 pawn and challenges him for control of the d5 square. Magnus Carlsen played 4.O-O in response to 3…Nf6, which activated his Rook and put the White King to safety. At first, I recognized that this is not the move that I would have chosen and I am confident that is why I will never get to play Magnus for the title. 🙂 On the surface, it can seem like 4.O-O is not a developing move, but it places White in an exceptional position to defend against Black’s coming assault.

    Next, Anand played the Open Variation of the Berlin Defense with **4…Nxe4**. In the Berlin Defense, there are three primary options that a player can respond with after 4.O-O:

    * The Open Variation (4…Nxe4).

    * The Classical Variation (4…Bc5).

    * The Rio De Janeiro Variation (4…Be7).

    Another option is **4…d6** although the percentage of wins for Black drops considerably in the Powerbook to only 18% out of 78 games recorded. Each of these lines has advantages and disadvantages. Much of the theoretical research on the Berlin defense has focused on finding advantage after the e4 pawn is captured in the Open Variation. In my opinion, the capture of the e4 pawn looks much like a typical aggressive move from an online blitz game; not a world-class tournament. In any case, this was the move that Anand chose and Carlsen responded with the typical **5.d4**, which attacks Anand’s e5 pawn and balances the attack on the e5 square with his Knight. Anand gained a slight material advantage by capturing the pawn, but finding the benefit of that material seems to be the challenge that many openings experts continue to debate.

    The next move, **5…Nd6** is where things become overtly aggressive. The e5 pawn is left hanging in the center of the board as bait for Carlsen while the Knight on d6 attacks the waiting Bishop. In this case, the Bishop must make *some* kind of move, whether he chooses to launch an assault on Anand’s Queenside or to retreat back to safety. The most popular move in this position is for White to eliminate one of the Knights by playing **6.Bxc6**. The Bishop is lost, but Carlsen gets one of the Knights in return. This also forces Anand to break his Queenside defense to capture the Bishop before it does any more damage.

    **Fig 3:** The Berlin Defense Open Variation after 6.Bxc6.

    Anand immediately recaptures with **6…dxc6**, but the capture also enables Carlsen to regain the one pawn material advantage from the earlier 4…Nxe4. By playing **7.dxe5**, Carlsen creates a dangerous passed pawn and aims straight for Anand’s territory. Anand has several options to choose from, but **7…Nf5** makes the most sense as it takes control of squares in Carlsen’s territory and opens up his Queen for attack. However, this move is one of three accepted variations in which two result in a Queen sacrifice. Either 7…Nf4 or 7…Ne4 result in a sacrifice with 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8. Carlsen responded to the move with **8.Qxd8** and Anand recaptured with his King **8…Kxd8**. At this point in the game, Carlsen’s pieces are much more active than Anand’s and his King remains safely castled while Vishy has lost the ability to castle due to the forced 8…Kxd8. I have read in many chess books and heard from instructors that one of the priorities of an opening is to force the opponent to move his or her King before they are able to castle. This ensures that the King remains in the center of the board and is far more vulnerable.

    **9.h3** comes next although the Powerbook prefers 9.Nc3 as it gives White a slightly smaller chance of forcing a win. At this point in the Berlin Defense, it is worth noting that the Powerbook indicates that only 15% of grandmasters playing with the Black pieces have successfully forced a win from this position. However, in contrast, only 21% of grandmasters have managed a win with the White pieces. Therefore, the position is none too pleasant for either side given that the remaining 66% of games in this position have ended in a draw.

    **Fig 4:** The most perilous position of the Berlin Defense?

    The main line in this situation is 9…Ke8, but Anand deviates and plays **9…Bd7**, which restores some sense of balance to the game. Carlsen and Nakamura seem to be among the top grandmasters that prefer 10.Nc3 in this position while most others play 10.Rd1 to pin the Bishop to Black’s King. Carlsen plays **10.Nc3** to which Anand follows up by developing his h-file pawn with **10…h6**. This prevents Carlsen from attacking Black’s vulnerable King with 11.Bg5+ and also gives Black a little breathing room to advance his f and g pawns if necessary.

    **11.b3 Kc8** gets Black’s King out of danger. **12.Bb2** builds a tremendous fortress on White’s Queenside and gives additional protection to the powerful e5 pawn by moving the Knight on c3. Although White has strong counter-play against almost anything that Black can come up with, the Powerbook shows the game as already drawn with Anand’s reply of **12…c5??**. As the most amateur of amateur chess players, it is difficult for me to see the real intention behind this move. There appears to be no strategic value to White’s advance of the c3 Knight to any of the squares now controlled by the c5 pawn although maybe there is some secret grandmaster handshake that must be known before this particular move can be fully understood. With the follow-on **13.Rd1**, Carlsen targets the lonely Bishop guarding the Black King. **13…b6** develops another pawn on the Queenside, but it is too little too late. Carlsen played **14.Re1** and the game effectively left the book. The remaining moves were **14…Be6 15. Nd5 g5 16. c4 Kb7 17. Kh2 a5 18. a4 Ne7 19. g4 Ng6 20. Kg3 Be7 21. Nd2 Rhd8 22. Ne4 Bf8 23. Nef6 b5 24. Bc3 bxa4 25. bxa4 Kc6 26. Kf3 Rdb8 27. Ke4 Rb4 28. Bxb4 cxb4 29. Nh5 Kb7 30. f4 gxf4 31. Nhxf4 Nxf4 32. Nxf4 Bxc4 33. Rd7 Ra6 34. Nd5 Rc6 35. Rxf7 Bc5 36. Rxc7+ Rxc7 37. Nxc7 Kc6 38. Nb5 Bxb5 39. axb5+ Kxb5 40. e6 b3 41. Kd3 Be7 42. h4 a4 43. g5 hxg5 44. hxg5 a3 45. Kc3 1-0**

    #### Peering Over the Wall
    The conclusion of game 11 solidified Carlsen’s win and he retained his title as World Chess Champion. Even now, chess periodicals and magazines are being published that analyze the psychology, strategy, tactics, and political overtones of the match. My February edition of [Chess Life](http://www.uschess.org) arrived yesterday and the Carlsen-Anand match is the issue’s highlighted event. I am normally fascinated with the sociological and psychological aspects of the game, but this was the first match that ever turned my attention to the nuances of a particular opening. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy playing the Ruy Lopez and after careful analysis of the Berlin Defense I can honestly say that it **is** a complicated position to play. There is little to no room for error in order for one side to find a way over the Berlin Wall. As I continue struggle through online blitz games and gaze endlessly at configurations from magazines and periodicals, I take solace in knowing that Vishy and Magnus are out there winning the big ones for me.

    Play through the entire game below:

    [pgn]
    [Event “World Championship”]
    [Site “Sochi”]
    [Date “2014.11.23”]
    [Round “11”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Anand, Viswanathan”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “C67”]
    [WhiteElo “2863”]
    [BlackElo “2792”]
    [PlyCount “89”]
    [EventDate “2014.11.08”]
    [EventType “match”]
    [EventRounds “12”]
    [EventCountry “RUS”]
    [Source “Chessbase”]
    [SourceDate “2014.12.01”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
    8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 10. Nc3 h6 11. b3 Kc8 12. Bb2 c5 13. Rad1 b6 14. Rfe1
    Be6 15. Nd5 g5 16. c4 Kb7 17. Kh2 a5 18. a4 Ne7 19. g4 Ng6 20. Kg3 Be7 21. Nd2
    Rhd8 22. Ne4 Bf8 23. Nef6 b5 24. Bc3 bxa4 25. bxa4 Kc6 26. Kf3 Rdb8 27. Ke4 Rb4
    28. Bxb4 cxb4 29. Nh5 Kb7 30. f4 gxf4 31. Nhxf4 Nxf4 32. Nxf4 Bxc4 33. Rd7 Ra6
    34. Nd5 Rc6 35. Rxf7 Bc5 36. Rxc7+ Rxc7 37. Nxc7 Kc6 38. Nb5 Bxb5 39. axb5+
    Kxb5 40. e6 b3 41. Kd3 Be7 42. h4 a4 43. g5 hxg5 44. hxg5 a3 45. Kc3 1-0
    [/pgn]

  • Exploring the Master Class – Bobby Fischer

    Exploring the Master Class – Bobby Fischer

    Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen hold much higher ELO ratings and have won more World Championships than he ever did, but Bobby Fischer is still considered one of the greatest chess players in history. This is due in large part to his absolute domination of the chess world and his single-handed defeat of the Soviet chess machine in 1972. Some of us, who grew up hearing the stories of Bobby and watching the world as the Cold War came to an end attribute the fall of the Soviet Union to cultural icons such as Bobby Fischer and Rocky Balboa to winning the war more than politics or diplomacy. Bobby’s victory that year in Iceland was as much a Cold War event as the Cuban Missile Crisis because the honor and intellectual supremacy of each nation. These days, you would be hard-pressed to find a hobby or club-level chess player that has not studied Bobby’s games and game theory. His depth of knowledge on openings and his talent in the endgame remain legendary among the world’s top players. His book *My 60 Memorable Games* (download games: [PGN](http://www.offmychess.com/files/games/omc-fischer60games-pgn.zip) | [ChessBase](http://www.offmychess.com/files/games/omc-fischer60games-chessbase.zip)) is a staple in most chess player’s libraries.

    To take things to the next level, [ChessBase](http://www.chessbase.com) has a special DVD called *Master Class: Bobby Fischer*. Featuring five hours of video instruction from world-class chess players such as GM Dorian Rogozenco, GM Mihail Marin, IM Oliver Reeh, and GM Karsten Mueller. The DVD covers almost ever aspect of Fischer’s games including extensive insight on opening preparations, tactics, strategy, and deep analysis of his endgame. As with all ChessBase DVDs, the course is interactive with a responsive chessboard and notation to keep the viewer engrossed in the world of Bobby Fischer’s chess. The tactics on the DVD are presented as interactive puzzles that provide responsive feedback to help sharpen your game and bring Fischer’s games to life.

    #### The Good
    There is a lot to love about this DVD. ChessBase has long been a pioneer in developing interactive software and the integration with the ChessBase database software or the reader software is excellent. I use ChessBase 12 for my analysis and DVD play, but the free [ChessBase Reader](http://en.chessbase.com/pages/download) software will allow anyone with a windows computer to use *Master Class: Bobby Fischer* without having to own the full ChessBase Software.

    The instruction on the DVD is first-rate. There is a wealth of information ranging from the cross tables and tournament information to a full biographical history on Bobby Fischer. All of this comes together to bring the user a comprehensive picture of Bobby Fischer as a man and as a chess player. In addition to the training, there is an exclusive database included with the software that holds all of Bobby Fischer’s games along with many additional cross tables and annotations. Perhaps one of my favorite features in the software are the *trees*. Fischer’s games as black and white have been divided into two *book trees* that can be reviewed and analyzed using the ChessBase software. This is a valuable resource for someone wanting to explore the themes in Bobby’s games.

    #### The Bad
    Because of the diverse nature of the chess world, I try to give as much leeway as possible when reviewing a product. Therefore, many things that others may call *annoyances* or *problems* with a piece of software, book, or DVD, can often be attributed to a simple cultural, language, or other variation. In *Master Class: Bobby Fischer*, the only drawback I could find comes in the form of the opening analysis with GM Dorian Rogozenco. Although that part of the DVD is supposed to be an in-depth look at Bobby Fischer’s openings, GM Rogozenco skips most of the moves and proceeds directly to where the opening transitions more into the middle game. He does comment on the fast moves in these game reviews by stating that these are *easy moves* and that *they have been made hundreds of times,* but dismissing many of these opening moves, regardless of how mundane it may seem, does devalue the lesson in some respects. Bobby Fischer was a master of chess openings and I believe that more attention should have been paid to *why* he chose to play certain openings and opening variations.

    #### Back to Class
    *Master Class: Bobby Fischer* is an excellent product for anyone interested in chess history, the story of Bobby Fischer’s games and his life, or a person looking to expand their knowledge and skill at chess. This five hour DVD includes some invaluable knowledge and insight into Bobby’s thinking that could possibly change the way that you view and play the game of kings.

  • The Sad State of Chess on Mac

    The Sad State of Chess on Mac

    Prior to 2009, I was a die-hard Windows user. Once a year I would order a collection of parts from [NewEgg](http://www.newegg.com) and [Tiger Direct](http://www.tigerdirect.com) to build myself a custom PC or upgrade an older system with new memory or storage space. In addition to my custom desktop machine, I would carry around a Toshiba Windows laptop and I also had an early edition Acer AspireOne 10″ netbook with a keyboard almost too small for my hands. In the Spring of 2009, I began experimenting with Apple products thanks to my new obsession with my iPod Touch. It was not long before every computer in my home sported the *i-prefix*: an iMac desktop machine, a Macbook, and countless iPods and iPads. It was at that time when my chess studies waned significantly and I refocused myself to studying the Bible and working on my Masters of Divinity. This type of study lent itself well to the Apple ecosystem with [Logos Bible Software](http://www.logos.com) running with lightning-fast precision on my MacBook Air.

    However, my interest in chess took center stage in 2014 when I started *OffMyChess.com* and began a serious and regimented focus on my chess studies. I soon realized that the Apple ecosystem, as beautiful as it is, remains a wasteland of broken chess interfaces and is devoid of any true competitor to [ChessBase](http://www.chessbase.com), the king of chess databases. Unfortunately, ChessBase runs only on Windows PCs and I learned the hard way that it is not compatible with Windows emulation software such as [CrossOver](http://www.codeweavers.com). I was able to successfully install *ChessBase Reader 2013* on my MacBook Air under OS X Mavericks, but the full edition of ChessBase 12 and Deep Fritz 14 simply would not install on the system without resorting to extreme measures. At the end of this post, I will examine two ways that I have learned to use ChessBase in combination with the Apple ecosystem and offer tips on how it is possible to run full-edition ChessBase and all ChessBase products within OS X itself.

    #### OS X *Chess*
    In my opinion, there is very little to say about this program. It is a visual and cognitive disgrace that I am surprised has consistently passed the rigorous quality assurance processes in Cupertino. The Apple computer line has long prided itself as the preference of intellectuals and artists, which are two categories that encompass a significant portion of the chess community. Chess is the most popular mind sport in the world[^1], it is difficult to imagine why Apple did not dedicate a little more time and effort to refining the appearance and function of this program. Even *Winboard* and its derivatives are more useful for even the moderately responsible chess player than this program. There are no portable game notation (PGN) options in this program, which is pretty much a necessity when playing to improve. If a simple game of chess with basic functions and below-average playing skill and strength, then let the default chess program in OS X answer your prayers.

    #### Shredder for OS X
    Shredder is an immensely strong chess engine that has user interfaces available for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. I used Shredder on iOS to practice my tactics for years before migrating to chess on the desktop. However, the OS X chess user interface and overall implementation of Shredder on the Mac is truly horrific. The program itself is split into multiple windows, which is an old-school way of creating OS X applications. The lack of a unified interface makes it difficult to work with games and in trial runs with OS X Mavericks and Yosemite, there seemed to be a myriad of stability issues that made the entire user experience less than stellar.

    #### A ChessBase-like Database?
    Apple’s reputation for creating first-class operating systems and computer hardware does not extend to most of its applications. Utilities available to manage files and hardware in OS X are among the best out there, but Apple’s applications are often lacking key features and dependent on specific hardware configurations to work. This has left the open source community to pick up the pieces that are often lacking in OS X. The curiously titled [Shane’s Chess Information Database (SCID)](http://scid.sourceforge.net) is perhaps as close as a person can get to having a native version of ChessBase running under OS X. The program is incredibly stable, has excellent support from its community contributors over at *SourceForge* and contains many useful features necessary for serious chess study. SCID also features an interface for using the [Free Internet Chess Server](http://www.freechess.org). If there was simply no way to access ChessBase resources on a Mac, then SCID or a combination of SCID and HiARCS Chess Explorer would be the way to go.

    #### HiARCS Chess Explorer
    In the world of computer chess, there remains a dispute over the title of the reigning chess engine champion. In the not too distance past, *Rybka*, which boasted that it was the strongest engine ever created, had its World Computer Chess Championship title stripped when it was revealed that some of the code lines were plagiarized from another engine. These days, the HiARCS chess engine is the reigning computer chess World Champion, and its authors have created native user interfaces for both Microsoft Windows and OS X. These interfaces are identical on both operating systems, which makes HiARCS Chess Explorer *the best native OS X chess interface out there*. This program utilizes the HiARCS chess engine by default, but easily allows for the installation of 3rd-party universal chess interface (UCI) engines such as Stockfish, Shredder, Rybka, and older versions of Fritz. The database options in the program are basic, but highly functional for collecting and analyzing different games. I also found great use of the *engine match* function where the user can program two chess engines to compete against each other. HiARCS Chess Explorer is a light in the dark chasm of OS X chess, and it is probably the best *bang for your buck* if the user seeks something strictly native to OS X.

    #### ChessBase Under OS X
    The only way to access ChessBase or its myriad of DVDs and resources is to install a program that allows crossover applications from Microsoft Windows to function on OS X. The most popular (and stable) of these options are [CrossOver](http://www.codeweavers.com) and [Oracle VM VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org). However, each of them have some limitations that must be considered when installing and operating ChessBase:

    * CrossOver

    * This application installs on OS X and allows native integration for Windows-based programs with OS X. The major limitation to this program is that it creates virtual *bottles* where individual operating system settings are stored and virtual drives are created to install Windows-based programs. I made several attempts to install ChessBase 12 and Deep Fritz 14 on OS X using CrossOver, but the installer failed on each attempt. Fortunately, I was successful at installing ChessBase Reader, which is included with every edition of ChessBase Magazine. However, this is the extent to which ChessBase is available as a natively integrated OS X application.

    * Oracle VM VirtualBox

    * By far, this is the most effective way that I have found to install and use Windows-based software on OS X. Using VirtualBox, the end user can create a virtual computer to install a myriad of operating systems including multiple Windows and Unix flavors. The program itself contains multiple control options that allow the user to determine the amount of RAM, hard drive space, and processor resources used to run the software. There are some limitations that must be considered before taking this route:
    * The user must own a legal copy of a compatible Windows operating system.
    * If installing on a MacBook Air, the user should be mindful of hard drive space requirements to install a Windows operating system, ChessBase, and its database extensions. To alleviate this problem, I recommend installing the operating system on the Air’s SSD and using a 128 GB SD card as an external hard drive to install ChessBase databases, DVDs, and ChessBase Magazines.
    * Running Windows on OS X will have a significant impact on a MacBook’s battery life, so close attention should be paid to the amount of power being utilized for analysis and game annotation.

    Without a doubt, the best chess experience on an Apple computer comes in the form of the Windows environment. If the user owns a MacBook or MacBook Air and does not want to run Windows in a virtual environment under OS X, then the option to install Windows under *BootCamp* is available. This allows the user to install Windows on a separate hard drive partition and run the operating system without running OS X. As with the limitations of running Windows in VirtualBox under OS X, the user must own a legal copy of Windows and install it on the *BootCamp* partition for this to work properly.

    #### Wrapping This Up
    The OS X chess experience is less than stellar, which was a huge disappointment for me when I transitioned from Microsoft Windows to exclusively using Mac products. Much of the chess software available on the Mac will perform basic functions, but do not come close to the depth of function and resources that ChessBase and similar applications offer on the Windows platform. Hopefully ChessBase, ChessOK, and other companies will realize the growing OS X audience and offer alternatives to running this programs exclusively on the Microsoft platform. Until then, those of us in the Apple ecosystem will have to step outside of the walled garden to find our slice of heaven on the board.

    [^1]: Raymond Keene, *Chess Secrets (The Times Little Books)* (London, UK: HarperCollins, 2013), 1.

  • The Best of ChessBase Magazine #163

    The Best of ChessBase Magazine #163

    I have to admit that I have become somewhat of a [ChessBase](http://www.chessbase.com) fanboy over the past few months. The first time I can remember using a ChessBase product was a copy of Fritz 8 that I purchased at Hastings Entertainment in Clovis, New Mexico. I was just starting to grow my interest in chess and decided to head out to the store and pick up a program to help me learn. Fritz 8, although long superseded by Fritz 9 to Deep Fritz 14, was a powerful engine that readily defeated me in every game I played. Suffice to say that I was not impressed with it because I was unfamiliar with chess engines, chess interfaces, UCI, PGN, and the full lexicon of digital chess language that I utilize today. I took note that Fritz was created by ChessBase and decided to steer clear for awhile.

    #### My Growing Love for ChessBase
    As time has moved on, I have come to recognize the wonderful contributions to preparation and exhibition that ChessBase has brought to the world of digital chess. One night, I intended to purchase a copy of Deep Fritz 14 to assist with analyzing my games, but accidentally added a copy of ChessBase 12 to my order as well. When I sought a refund for the other, the friendly folks at ChessBase contacted me to discuss my concerns with the program and ask if there was anything they could do help. I explained that it was a mistaken purchase, but they encouraged me to try it out first before I decided if I wanted to return it. Since then, ChessBase has been critical to my growth as a player and as a blogger. As I became more reliant on ChessBase for game storage and analysis, I decided to give ChessBase Magazine and try. What I found was a digital utopia of analysis and reporting that caused me to cancel my subscription to *New in Chess*.

    It is no secret that I was ecstatic when I arrived home on Friday evening and found [ChessBase Magazine #163]() waiting in my mailbox. Each magazine comes in a distinctive color, with #163 (December 2014 to January 2015) being green and featuring Fabiano Caruana, who dominated in several Grand Prix tournaments and at the Sinquefield Cup earlier this year. The booklet that accompanies each edition of ChessBase Magazine is nice and has summaries and cross tables for each tournament, but the real meat of the publication is on the enclosed DVD. On a side note, there is a *download only subscription* option that includes all of the DVD content and a PDF file of the booklet.

    #### ChessBase Magazine #163
    As I said, the meat of ChessBase Magazine is on the DVD that comes with each issue. In CBM 163, there are 1,463 games included in ChessBase databases with many of them being presented with video commentary by grandmasters such as Karsten Müller, Daniel King, and others. In this day and age, it is easy to find commentary on top games by grandmasters on YouTube or other chess websites, but rarely will you find these games annotated and analyzed by grandmasters and provided with commentary and analysis for further study. In this edition, several tournaments from the FIDE Grand Prix are covered including Grand Prix Tashkent and Grand Prix Baku. Daniel King gives four video commentaries on games from Grand Prix Baku and many other games are annotated and included in the database. Here is an example of what comes in CBM 163:

    [pgn]
    [Event “EU-Cup 30th”]
    [Site “Bilbao”]
    [Date “2014.09.14”]
    [Round “1.5”]
    [White “Korobov, Anton”]
    [Black “Pettersson, Anders”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “A89”]
    [WhiteElo “2673”]
    [BlackElo “2271”]
    [Annotator “Meulders,R”]
    [PlyCount “73”]
    [EventDate “2014.09.14”]
    [EventType “team-swiss”]
    [EventRounds “7”]
    [EventCountry “ESP”]
    [Source “ChessBase”]
    [SourceDate “2014.11.11”]
    [WhiteTeam “SOCAR”]
    [BlackTeam “Stockholm Viking”]
    [WhiteTeamCountry “AZE”]
    [BlackTeamCountry “SWE”]

    1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. d5
    Na5 (8… Ne5 {is the real proof of the pudding in this variation. It’s a much
    sharper line and therefore ideal for blitz and rapid games. The text move is
    reputed to give White a small but lasting advantage.}) 9. Nd2 {The old,
    well-tested move.} (9. Qd3 {is Moskalenko’s recommendation in ‘The Diamond
    Dutch’.}) 9… c5 10. a3 (10. Rb1 e5 11. dxe6 Bxe6 12. b3 d5 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14.
    Nxd5 Bxd5 15. Ba3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nc6 17. Nf3 {1/2-1/2 (17) Aronian,L (2805)
    -Nakamura,H (2751) Wijk aan Zee 2011}) 10… Bd7 11. Qc2 Qc7 12. Nb5 (12. b3 a6
    13. Bb2 b5 14. e3 Rab8 15. Rab1 Rb7 16. Ne2 bxc4 17. bxc4 Rfb8 $11 {1-0 (49)
    Korobov,A (2671)-Serov,M (2388) St Petersburg 2011}) 12… Bxb5 13. cxb5 b6 14.
    b4 Nb7 15. Bb2 a6 $2 {Not best as the rook gets misplaced on a6. Black should
    have protected his queen.} (15… Rfc8 16. Rac1 Qd7 $11) 16. bxa6 Rxa6 17. e4
    f4 {A standard move in several Leningrad lines: Black aims for a blockade on
    the black squares, the white pawn on e4 being in the way of his own knight and
    bishop. The exchange on e4 also leaves White with the better position.} (17…
    fxe4 18. Rfe1 Nd8 19. Nxe4 Nf7 20. Nc3 Qd7 21. Qe2 Ra7 22. Nb5 Rb7 23. Rab1 {
    and White is in control.}) 18. Nf3 Nd7 (18… fxg3 19. fxg3 Qd7 20. e5 dxe5 21.
    Nxe5 Qd6 $18) 19. e5 ({The normal} 19. Bxg7 {is also fine.} Kxg7 20. Qc3+ Kg8
    21. e5 Nd8 22. Rfe1 Ra7 23. exd6 Qxd6 24. Rac1 fxg3 25. hxg3 $16) 19… dxe5
    20. Ng5 Nd6 (20… Nd8 $4 21. d6 exd6 22. Qc4+ $18) 21. gxf4 (21. Ne6 Qa7 22.
    Nxf8 Kxf8 23. Rfe1 fxg3 24. hxg3 Nf7 25. Bf1 $18 {Always this unfortunate rook
    on a6…}) 21… Rxf4 22. Ne6 Qa7 23. bxc5 $2 {White has managed to win the
    exchange but for two moves in a row he spurns the chance to take it; I wonder
    why?} (23. Nxf4 exf4 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Rfe1 Nf6 26. bxc5 bxc5 27. Re6 c4 28.
    Qc3 Nf5 29. Rxa6 Qxa6 30. a4 $18) 23… bxc5 24. Rae1 $2 ({After} 24. Nxf4 {
    White would still hold the advantage.} exf4 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Rfe1 Kf8 27. Qb2
    $16) {Now the advantage passes to Black} 24… Rc4 $1 $15 25. Qd2 Bf6 26. Re3
    Rh4 27. Qc2 c4 28. Kh1 Ra5 $17 (28… e4 $1 $19 {was even stronger.} 29. Bxf6
    Nxf6 $19) 29. Nd8 Rb5 30. Nc6 Qb6 31. Bc1 (31. Bc3) 31… e4 $6 {Now that the
    white bishop has moved from b2 this simply drops a pawn.} (31… Rb3 $19 32.
    Rg3 e4 33. Bg5 Bxg5 34. Rxg5 Nf6 35. Nxe7+ Kg7 36. Kg1 Rf4 37. a4 Rb2 38. a5
    Rxc2 39. axb6 Rb2 40. Rg3 Rxb6 $19) 32. Bxe4 Nxe4 33. Rxe4 Rxd5 $6 (33… Qc5
    34. Rxh4 Bxh4 35. Rd1 Qxf2 $15) 34. Qxc4 {and White has equalised again.} e6
    35. Rxh4 Bxh4 36. Be3 Rc5 $4 {Oh dear, what a blunder…} (36… Qb7 37. Rc1
    Bf6 $11) 37. Qxe6+ ({Of course and not} 37. Bxc5 $4 {which Black had counted
    on.} Qxc6+ 38. Kg1 Be7 $1 $17 {White had a very narrow escape here!}) 1-0
    [/pgn]

    Of course, the video lectures are my favorite part of ChessBase Magazine, but each edition includes a number of tactics and strategy puzzles for the reader to solve. These puzzles come straight from the grandmaster games reviewed in the magazine articles and the reader engages in responsive feedback with the video system within ChessBase. For example, in CBM 163, author Oliver Reeh focuses on exchanges in a series of tactical puzzles designed to fine-tune the reader’s interpretation of appropriate piece exchanges to gain advantage over their opponent.

    Finally, there is an excellent collection of “tele-chess” correspondence games presented by Juan Morgado and Roberto Alvarez. The correspondence database contains over 10,000 games with 32 of them annotated for greater emphasis and study. ChessBase Magazine #163 continues a tradition of chess journalism excellence and I highly recommend it for chess players of all levels.