Six centuries of chess before you
The MegaBase 2026 is the premiere chess database with over 11 million games from 1475 to 2025 in high quality. The first of these games was played in Valencia, Spain, way back in 1475. The last of them with updates at the time of writing was played on 26 January 2026. On my current count I have 11.866.453 games in this Database. The number is still growing. So, when you see this MegaBase on your screen, you have nearly six centuries of chess before you. It’s impossible to do justice to this kind of work in one review.
The ChessBase Mega Database 2026 is the premiere chess database with over 11.7 million games from 1475 to 2025 in high quality.
The first question that a modern player would ask is, “What about Carlsen? How many of his games are in the new database?” As is known, nowadays, Magnus does not play so often. He is still a box office draw. Any way, this edition of MegaBase has more than 7500 games played by Magnus. He has himself analysed about 26 games during the period 2006-2016. Thereafter, Peter Heine-Nielsen, his long-time second, has annotated about 50 of his games to date. Why not Magnus himself? He is not all that anxious to reveal his mind to his rivals!
To return to the present, Magnus still represents the ultimate test for both his peers and younger rivals.
Magnus Carlsen facing Fabiano Caruana at 2025 Norway Chess | Photo: Michal Walusza
Carlsen v. Caruana, Norway Chess 2025
On occasion, he may let slip a chance, as in the following game:
A loss that first made Magnus angry, but subsequently he composed himself.
In recent years Magnus had lost interest in classical chess with standard time control. Of late, there are signs of his return to regular tournaments. Time will tell. He is still the best in other formats, as shown by his recent victories in the FIDE Rapid and Blitz Championships. Otherwise, he is more into Freestyle Chess.
How do others play?
Two seasoned campaigners are Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. Between them, Fabiano is more experienced, having played a whole World Championship match with Magnus.
In this edition of MegaBase, Fabiano Caruana has more than 5500 games. Here is a fine example of his play:
Caruana v. Firouzja, Sinquefield Cup 2025
It may be of interest to note that one single game has been annotated by two experts, Anish Giri and Igor Stohl.
Caruana v. Carlsen, Norway Chess 2023 (Anish Giri)
Caruana v. Carlsen, Norway Chess 2023 (Igor Stohl)
Just like Carlsen, one player who has been out of the regular tournament circuit is Nakamura. Once he was regarded as a serous rival of Carlsen. Nowadays, he is known as a popular chess streamer:
Of late his ambition has been rekindled and is now prepared to play in the World Championship cycle. Nakamura is a cheerful optimist and plays enterprising chess:
An Indian talent who has drawn a lot of attention for his games is Ajun Erigaisi. He is known for his aggressive style. When he is in form, there is no way of stopping him, as Carlsen has found to his cost:
Erigaisi is a hit-or-miss player with unpredictable results. He plays with great energy and determination, missing the goal when he overestimates his chances. Here is a recent example:
To return to Erigaisi, there are more than 3200 games (2012-2025) played by him in the MegaBase here. One can learn as much from his defeats as his victories.
Carlsen’s other young rivals have also been learning and performing better against him year after year. One of them is Nodirbek Abdusattorov. He missed his chances in the FIDE World Cup, Goa, losing to José Martínez. Subsequently, he shone in the London Chess Classic, winning it ahead of Alireza Firouzja. There are more than 3500 games played by him in this MegaBase. Here is a game annotated by him:
When you see this MegaBase, do not miss the human drama. Here is a striking example.
Ivanchuk v. Naroditsky, World Blitz Championship 2024
Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world’s best players. Euwe holds the record for the most Dutch national championships, with twelve. After winning the World Championship, Euwe was also the world’s best player for a while. He lost the title again in 1937 in the rematch against Alexander Alekhine.
Free video sample: Openings
Ivanchuk has always been an emotional player. His opponent was embarrassed to win the game. But then young Naroditsky was always a gentleman.
For reasons of length, I have not been able to do justice to the rich treasure of games collected over centuries and offered in the MegaBase. In my previous reviews, I have drawn attention to quite a few of them.
Annotations
This brings me to the subject of annotations in this database. The games in recent years are annotated in detail, thanks to their main source, ChessBase Magazine, right up to 2025. Not so with games from the past. A number of them are unannotated. Others have annotations of varying length and quality in Informant style.
Which annotations are best? Those that offer a judicious blend of explanation and analysis.
Here Anish Giri sets an example. As of now, he has annotated 151 games in the MegaBase.
One issue that I have had with the MegaBase is that the annotations have become bilingual, with both English and German commentary side by side.
Many German players have a fine grasp of the English language. They have no problem here. Not those who follow only English. Perhaps it makes sense to have separate language editions.
Seeing the games in the MegaBase is the first step. Thereafter, one has to supplement one’s understanding with some good reading and, importantly, practice over the board.
Notes
1) The World Championship 2018 between Carlsen and Caruana ran a curious course. There were 12 draws in classical chess format, followed by a tiebreak in rapid chess format. Here Carlsen prevailed, scoring 3-0. There is a whole book on the match, Carlsen vs Caruana, Duel of Giants by Niclas Huschenbeth, Berlin, 2018.
2) Anish Giri’s annotations appear in both New in Chess Magazine and ChessBase Magazine.
3) Current World Championship Candidates as Annotators in the MegaBase:
- Caruana:47 games
- Praggnanandhaa: 32 games
- Nakamura: 06 games
- Esipenko: 06 games
- Wei Yi: 02 games
- Bluebaum: 05 games
4) Once you have the MegaBase, it’s important to update the database every week (Monday or Tuesday) without fail.
5) In recent years historians like Edward Winter and Tim Harding have done much work to get old game scores right and also offer the background of many games.
6) On a different plane, Douglas Griffin has offered glimpses of Soviet Chess History:
https://dgriffinchess.wordpress.com/
So is Genna Sosonko’s writing on the same era. There are no games, though.
https://www.newinchess.com/the-essential-sosonko
7) On the chess history front, McFarland, Moravian Chess and Russell Enterprises have published a series of titles, biographies and tournament books. New in Chess Publishers have offered a series of titles by Willy Hendrics offering a re-assessment of the great chess tradition. Food for thought.
https://www.newinchess.com/willy-hendriks
8) ChessBase has published its own series, Master Class, on the great players of the past and the present:
https://shop.chessbase.com/en/categories/master-class
The premiere chess database with over 11.7 million games
The ChessBase Mega Database 2026 is the premiere chess database with over 11.7 million games from 1475 to 2025 in high quality.
Links
1. In a previous review of the MegaBase I dealt with its treatment of three world championship matches.
https://en.chessbase.com/post/megabase-2022-three-epic-matches
2. In another review I have dealt with the coverage of Carlsen and his peers along with the play of veterans and young talents in the MegaBase.
https://en.chessbase.com/post/megabase-2023-modern-master-play
3. MegaBase 2024 Review: Chess marches on!
https://en.chessbase.com/post/megabase-2024-review-nagesh-havanur
4. MegaBase 2024 Revisited: World Championship Drama
https://en.chessbase.com/post/megabase-2024-revisited-nagesh-havanur
5. MegaBase 2025 Review:
https://en.chessbase.com/post/megabase-2025-review-nagesh-havanur
