ChessBase

1. Elisabeth Paehtz: The Neo-London-System - The sharper alternative to the popular London system

   The Neo-London System is an improved, more creative variation of the classical London System, which avoids dangerous black defensive moves with 3.c3 and Lf4 and exploits risks in the Lf5 variation. The course offers numerous innovations, sharper ideas and interactive training material to surprise opponents in unexplored positions. The ultra-creative Neo-London system! Ellis' “baby” is probably one of the most comprehensive Fritztrainers of recent years, with a running time of over 9 hours!

2. Meet Roman Vidonyak: The hidden coach behind top grandmasters

   Some of the world’s best chess players have trained under him, yet his name remains unknown to many. He has worked with players like Anish Giri, Jorden van Foreest, and Vladimir Fedoseev but always stayed behind the scenes. He is known for his creative training methods and intensive sessions. The name of this mastermind is Roman Vidonyak, and Sagar Shah got the opportunity to meet him in Wijk aan Zee. Check out his interview in which he talks about his training journey, training philosophy, and what it takes to create champions. Photo: German Chess Federation

3. Susan Polgar's Rebel Queen is out

   Today is publishing day. Susan Polgar's book, Rebel Queen, is available in book outlets, or on Amazon, where you can also get the Kindle edition. It describes the trials and tribulations of a super-talent at odds with her federation, and how she overcame it to rise to the very top of women's chess. Today we excerpt a passage from her book that describes her encounter with ChessBase. We are proud to have played a role in her chess career. | Photo Renata Goreczk

4. How Spassky fought for Fischer

   On July 13, 2004, Bobby Fischer was detained in Japan with an invalid U.S. passport. That marked the beginning of a nine-month ordeal for him in Japanese custody. Among the supporters fighting for his release was former World Champion Boris Spassky, whom Fischer had dethroned thirty years earlier. Spassky, who passed last week, even wrote a personal letter of appeal to President George Bush, asking to be locked up in the same cell as Fischer. "And give us a chess set," he said.

5. Women's Grand Prix Monaco: Live

   After Georgia and Kazakhstan, Monaco is the third stop on the current Women's Grand Prix series. Ten players will be competing for points and a place in the Women's Candidates Tournament from 18 to 27 February. Live daily from 15.00 local time - though the last round starts at 14.00.

6. Grivas on Trapping a Piece

   A trapped piece is a piece that has no escape squares or squares where it can safely move without being captured. A trapped piece can be a bishop or a knight, but also ‘heavier’ pieces such as a rook or a queen can be ensnared. Even the king can be put into a position where it no way to move around. In the first part of his article GM Efstratios Grivas deals with a trapped king and trapped queens.

7. Puzzles for you to solve

   Ready to test your wits, your ability to handle unusual chess problems? We have selected three really challenging examples for you to solve – problems that have come up with some outrageous ideas. See if you can find them, and record the time it takes you to solve them. In a week we will provide you with the full solutions, diligently explained in YouTube videos.

8. Tata Steel Chess - Pragg takes the title in thrilling tiebreaker

   Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the 2025 Tata Steel Masters after beating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a blitz tiebreaker. The two Indian stars entered the final round tied for first place and, notably, both lost their classical games on Sunday. Pragg then won the blitz tiebreaker by a 2-1 score after Gukesh misplayed a knight endgame in the third encounter. Meanwhile, Czech GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen won the Challengers, as he had a better tiebreak score than Aydin Suleymanli, who finished tied for first in the single round-robin. | Replay all the games with computer-assisted analysis. Full report to follow shortly.

9. Special offer: Judit Polgar's books

   Judit Polgar, the strongest female chess player of all time, wishes our readers a "Happy 2025, which will hopefully be filled with exciting challenges and successes – both on and off the chessboard!" To kick off the year she has prepared something special for us: you can get Judit's books, personally signed by her, at discounted prices in her Webshop. This exclusive offer is valid until January 31, 2025.

10. GM Iniyan on ChessBase 18 – (1)

    Are there any advantages of moving to the latest ChessBase 18? Are strong chess players doing it, and finding the software useful in their every-day tournament activity? A decided 'Yes!' is given by Indian grandmaster Pa. Iniyan, who sent us an in-depth three-part review. You would do well to read about his experience carefully, and learn how you too can dramatically improve your level of chess study and preparation.