New releases: July 2025
David Navara: Your Calculation Compass
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Using instructive examples from top-level games, you’ll learn:
• When simple, solid moves are better than deep calculation
• How to identify situations that require precise calculation
• The importance of candidate moves and systematic analysis
• Common pitfalls like overcalculating or ignoring strategic factors
• The value of intermediate and hidden tactical moves
:Free reading samples
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves
ChessBase Magazine Extra 226
ChessBase Magazine Extra is the perfect supplement to ChessBase Magazine – available as a single issue or by subscription (6 issues per year).
Available as a direct download, including the “ChessBase Book” format for iPad, tablet, Mac, and more!
A look inside:
- Professional opening analyses by Luis Engel, Nico Zwirs, and others
- The Lucky Bag with 38 top analyses from Anish Giri, Lubomir Ftacnik, Surya Ganguly, Abhijeet Gupta, Yannick Pelletier, and more
Krishnan Sasikiran: The Art of Sacrificing
The perfect sacrifice is every chess player‘s dream. You give your opponent material, but in return you receive overwhelming piece activity, which together with creative ideas, can lead to an unforgettable game.
However, sacrificing can also turn into a nightmare if the compensation is not enough, or the combination does not work. That is why the Indian top player and eleven-time(!) Olympic participant Krishnan Sasikiran has made it his mission to show sacrificing in all its aspects..
:Free reading samples
Sacrificing a Pawn for Initiative
The perfect sacrifice is every chess player‘s dream. You give your opponent material, but in return you receive overwhelming piece activity, which together with creative ideas, can lead to an unforgettable game. However, sacrificing can also turn into a nightmare if the compensation is not enough, or the combination does not work. That is why the Indian top player and eleven-time(!) Olympic participant Krishnan Sasikiran has made it his mission to show sacrificing in all its aspects.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Sacrificing a Pawn for Initiative
Adrian Mikhalchishin: Master Modern Opening Strategy: Flank Attacks against Classical Openings
Today’s top players are moving away from memorising endless forced lines. Instead, they’re embracing a modern, flexible approach — shaping the game with original strategies and creative use of flank pawns to gain space and control. This course dives into one of the most dynamic and practical ideas in modern chess.
You’ll discover how these strategies challenge traditional thinking, sidestep heavy theory, and create rich positions where understanding beats memorisation. Whether you’re a club player or a tournament competitor, you’ll learn how to apply these concepts with confidence and purpose – in your own games. Let’s explore this powerful approach together — and turn fresh ideas into winning weapons.
:Free reading samples
Today’s top players are moving away from memorising endless forced lines. Instead, they’re embracing a modern, flexible approach — shaping the game with original strategies and creative use of flank pawns to gain space and control. This course dives into one of the most dynamic and practical ideas in modern chess: using early pawn thrusts like b5 against Réti setups or b4 against the King’s Indian and Grünfeld Defences to seize the initiative on the queenside. You’ll discover how these strategies challenge traditional thinking, sidestep heavy theory, and create rich positions where understanding beats memorisation. Whether you’re a club player or a tournament competitor, you’ll learn how to apply these concepts with confidence and purpose – in your own games. Let’s explore this powerful approach together — and turn fresh ideas into winning weapons.
Free sample video: Anti-Reti
Svitlana Demchenko: Silence the Sicilian – Win with the Alapin Variation (2.c3)
Facing the Sicilian doesn’t have to be complicated. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Whether your opponent plays the Najdorf, Taimanov, or Dragon, the Alapin lets you take control of the game as early as move two.
:Free reading samples
Queen’s Gambit Accepted:
Powerbase 2025 and Powerbook 2025
The Queen’s Gambit never goes out of style – no matter the level, it keeps appearing on the board. Make use of these databases to access all ChessBase resources for your opening preparation – for just €9.90 each:
- The Powerbook 2025 contains over a quarter of a million games! 242,000 of them were played by engines.
- This new Powerbase alone contains 91 games by Magnus Carlsen. These and well over 11,000 additional games provide excellent study material.
Rossolimo Moscow:
Powerbase 2025 and Powerbook 2025
Add to the recent courses by Ivan Sokolov and Michael Prusikin: Make use of these databases to access all ChessBase resources for your opening preparation – for just €9.90 each:
- The 612 annotated games of the Powerbase, which contains 10,950 games offer comprehensive material to deepen your repertoire.
- The Powerbook 2025 contains no less than 263,000 computer games and more than 50,000 games from the Mega and from Correspondence Chess.
Here are the new releases from previous months:
