6 Freestyle
Magnus Carlsen wins his 21st World Championship, his first in Freestyle.
8 NIC’s Café
Drones from Ukraine, a spy from the GDR and Marcel Duchamp.
14 Uzbek success at Tata Steel
Friends and rivals Nodirbek Abdusattorov (21) and Javokhir Sindarov (20) seemed to be heading for an all-Uzbek tiebreaker. But in a final and decisive show of grit and class, ‘Abdu’ forged ahead to claim the trophy.
20 Nodirbek Abdusattorov
An interview with the winner: ‘Wijk aan Zee has always been very special to me’.
30 Tata Steel games
Game analysis by the top players: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Anish Giri, Matthias Bluebaum, Jorden van Foreest, Vladimir Fedoseev and Andy Woodward.
41 Celeb 64
Tom Stoppard, British playwright.
56 Matthias Bluebaum
An interview with the 28-year-old German grandmaster who qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
64 Fifth Double Crown for Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen (35) won his sixth rapid World Championship title and his ninth blitz title. How can we explain Carlsen’s domination of the Rapid & Blitz World Championships? The simplest answer may also be the truest: he is frighteningly good at chess.
74 Boris Gelfand’s selection
Boris Gelfand has selected the most interesting games of the last few weeks.
92 Fair & Square
Julian Barnes and John Nunn.
93 The Killer Blow
Puzzles selected by Jacob Aagaard.
96 Hastings
Jon Speelman reflects on chess in the 20th Century. In this issue: A tribute to Hastings
102 James Altucher
Win, Lose or Draw.
104 The Scoresheet
James Thompson-Paul Morphy, 1857.
106 Yes, opening novelties!
Another new column, on opening theory. Is it still possible to play a novelty? Yes, says opening expert Nikolaos Ntirlis. He will present four fresh, practical ideas in each issue.
112 The Model Game
Playing gambits is good advice for improving players. And the Benko is an excellent example for Black.
116 The worst placed piece
This new column by Renier Castellanos focuses on improvement. The author is a coach at the Killer Chess Academy and has a deep understanding of how club players can improve their chess knowledge.
122 Sadler on Books
High praise for a new book about Captain Mackenzie’s chess adventures.
130 Jan Timman
The collapse of the Soviet Union was a heavy blow to the chess infrastructure of the superpower that dominated our game for many decades.
138 Just Checking
Mauricio Flores Rios, bestselling author.
Have you reached a plateau in chess? Do you ever struggle to find a plan, or learn after a game that your chosen strategy was all wrong? Expand Your Chess Strategy will dramatically enhance your ability in this vital area of chess, providing the key to unlock further improvement.
Grandmaster Neil McDonald offers a comprehensive strategic toolkit, using carefully selected examples covering pawn breaks, attacking and defending, how to optimise the value of your pieces, and much more. Expand Your Chess Strategy with this book, and take your results and rating to the next level and beyond!
Neil McDonald has been a grandmaster for almost thirty years. An acclaimed author and sought-after coach, he is the ideal guide towards improvement in chess strategy.
Andrew Burnett is a Scottish FM who has represented his country on numerous occasions. He is the author of cult classic Streetfighting Chess and his love of the Dragon opening stretches back to his teenage years when he was looking to escape from 1.e4 e5! He is currently working on the third – and final – volume of DragonMasters.
When 1975 dawned, the Sicilian Dragon, the most ferocious and exciting of openings the chess world had ever known, was on its knees begging for mercy.
Anatoly Karpov had just slain Viktor Korchnoi and Fischer’s contemptuous approach – “open the h-file, sac, sac, mate!” – seemed to have spelled the Dragon’s end. But already in the background there were acolytes attempting to repair the damage, to replace the beast’s scales and recharge its fiery breath.
DragonMasters 2 covers the tempestuous two decades that followed, pitting the world’s deadliest attackers against each other: tactical brutes such as Planinc and Velimirovic, Miles and Mestel, Short and Tiviakov – all choosing sides in the greatest opening debate of all.
Would the sword-and-spear DragonSlayer followers of Karpov and Fischer prevail once again? Or would the reinvigorated DragonMasters prove that myth and legend could survive in a modern setting? The final answer would arrive at the very top of the world...
Dive into the wild world of the Sokolsky Opening with this unique and entertaining chess book. International chess author Marek Soszynski examines Magnus Carlsen’s remarkable experiments with 1.b4 — also known as the Orangutan — across more than a dozen annotated blitz and rapid games. Blending fresh analysis, practical advice, opening theory, and even a brief look at orangutans themselves, this book offers both instruction and fun.
Whether you’re a club player looking for an offbeat weapon, a fan of Carlsen’s creativity, or simply a chess enthusiast eager to explore one of the game’s rarest first moves, Carlsen Goes Ape delivers an insightful and enjoyable journey into an opening where anything can happen.
Endgame books tend not to prioritize the information most useful for reluctant endgame players, but this is the territory explored by Australian Grandmaster Ian Rogers in Rogers’ Practical Endgame Guide.
Rather than show methods of winning certain technical positions, Rogers’ Practical Endgame Guide is designed to help endgame-averse players who want to know what the ‘correct’ result of an ending is and, more importantly, what chance they will have to work out the right moves in actual play. Rogers’ Practical Endgame Guide obliges as little memory work as possible and offers plenty of general advice to keep you heading in the right direction.
Rogers’ Practical Endgame Guide covers endgame ideas that are not often highlighted but consistently turn games: recognizing Injustice Patterns, how to scare your opponent in an equal position, and understanding the endgame potential of the Tricky Knight or the Hyperactive King.
Nobody doubts that intuition in chess exists. It is part of the arsenal of every chess player, next to well-known skills such as tactical vision, the ability to calculate variations and endgame technique. But how does intuition in chess work, and where does it take us?
Intuition is by far the vaguest and hardest to grasp subject in chess, and consequently the least studied. Acclaimed author and experienced chess trainer Valeri Beim takes the bull by the horns and shows, with hundreds of well-explained examples:
– When intuition comes into play
– What the functions of intuition are
– Why some players have better intuition than others
– How intuition differs from pattern recognition
– How you can develop your chess intuition
– Why your intuition gets weaker as you grow older.
Valeri Beim deeply analyses and dissects how chess players think and demonstrates that each of us has the power of making intuitive decisions. You will learn how you can train and develop this human gift.
Beim uses plain language and illustrates his findings with sparkling tales about Capablanca, Tal, Fischer, Carlsen, and other greats in chess. With instructive examples of practical play, this is a thought-provoking, yet highly accessible work.
Valeri Beim is a grandmaster who lives in Austria. He has won numerous tournaments and plays in the Austrian and German leagues. For many years he was the head trainer at the chess school in Odessa, and he was also the trainer of the Israeli Olympiad team.
Uwe Bekemann, German Federation for Correspondence Chess:
"Bringing all this material together into a coherent and logical complex is, I think, the extraordinary achievement of the author (..) Beim highlights important benchmarks and best pratices in the text. This helps the reader to train and develop his talents."
Der Standard, Vienna:
"Beim demystifies the matter (..) Using excellently presented games, the intuitive way of playing chess is explained in a refreshingly classical and instructive way."
Luke McShane, New In Chess magazine:
"This book strikes me as an unusual thoughtful one (..) Beim has made a great effort to come up with a coherent theory of intuition, and there is plenty to enjoy along the way."
Martin Rieger, Europa Rochade:
"Very good are the prose and abundant explanations. Here is an experienced grandmaster spilling the beans!"
Marshtower Chess Reviews:
"I think the book can be read on two levels. Firstly, it represents a fine collection of inspirational games which can be enjoyed by any class of player. Secondly, it provides a deeper, thought-provoking read on a difficult subject."
Harry Schaack, KARL Magazine:
"Thrilling (..) Full of remarkable analysis and enlightening commentary (..) This book shows that mankind's intuition is still better than that of computers."
Hans Bohm, De Telegraaf:
"Beims method is always to first explain patiently what he is talking about, with pratical examples. Then he delves deeper into the material and considers things from different perspectives. That way every reader can apply what he learned at his own level."
B.H.Wilders, Nederlands Dagblad:
"The author has a clear view on how to develop chess intuition, with many interesting examples which show that it is indeed something quite different from recognition."
Joe Petrolito, Australasian Chess Magazine:
"As a trail-blazer, Beim is going out on limb with his ideas, but I think this will be an influential book on the topic (..) Highly recommended."
Dutch edition. For the English edition please click here
Over de legendarische Nederlandse schaakwereldkampioen Max Euwe is al veel geschreven, en Euwe produceerde zelf ook tientallen boeken. Maar er was nog geen representatieve verzameling van de beste partijen van deze ‘efficiënte, mensetende tijger’, zoals de Amerikaanse schaakmeester William Ewart Napier hem noemde.
Max Euwe’s Beste Partijen voorziet in deze lacune. En wie anders had dit boek kunnen schrijven dan Euwe’s opvolger in de Nederlandse schaakwereld – Jan Timman, één van de beste schaakschrijvers van deze tijd. Timman selecteerde tachtig partijen van Euwe. Het is ongelooflijk hoe hoog het niveau was dat Euwe bereikte in de vijftig jaar dat hij actief schaakte, en hoe aantrekkelijk zijn aanvallende speelstijl was.
Timman heeft veel nieuws ontdekt in de beste en meest beroemde partijen van Euwe, maar haalt ook een aantal minder bekende briljante partijen voor het voetlicht. Bij zijn analyses komt een aantal interessante paradoxen aan de orde. Zo was Euwe voor het overgrote deel van zijn carrière een amateur, maar wist hij meer van openingstheorie dan vele van zijn tegenstanders op topniveau. Als de underdog onttroonde hij de energieke Alexander Aljechin als wereldkampioen in een epische match in 1935. Op zijn 52ste wist hij nog steeds topspelers als Geller en Najdorf te verslaan met fantastisch aanvalsspel in het beroemde Kandidatentoernooi in Zürich 1953. En toen hij de zeventig al was gepasseerd bleef hij een gevaarlijke opponent voor de jongste generatie Nederlandse schakers.
Deze partijenverzameling van een soms onderschatte wereldkampioen, met analyses van topgrootmeester Jan Timman, is een onmisbare aanvulling voor iedereen die is geïnteresseerd in het Nederlandse schaken en in het wereldkampioenschap.
Jan Timman, de voormalig nummer twee van de wereldranglijst, is de auteur van vele populaire schaakboeken. Zijn boek Timman’s Titans won de ECF Book of the Year Award in 2017. Zijn recente boeken The Longest Game, Timman’s Triumphs en The Unstoppable American, zijn nu al moderne klassiekers in de schaakliteratuur.
It is not really in doubt that Bobby Fischer is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) chess players of all-time. His name is one that it is recognized immediately by almost anyone with even a passing interest in chess. His numerous brilliant games are very well known and have been seen in numerous anthologies.
However, Fischer also played many games that have generally escaped public attention. These include early games before he was well known, simultaneous games, blitz games as well as many classical games that have simply fallen under the radar. There is also a match of ten games played against Svetozar Gligoric in Sveti Stefan before his famous “re-match” with Boris Spassky.
Prolific author Cyrus Lakdawala has tracked down many of these games. They provide fresh material for die hard Fischer fans and provide numerous examples of Fischer’s extraordinary chess talent. Thanks to his remarkable ability to find clear cut plans and strategies in any position, Fischer somehow managed to make chess look easy. This is a very instructive anthology.
Cyrus Lakdawala is an International Master, a former National Open and American Open Champion, and a six-time State Champion. He has been teaching chess for over 40 years, and coaches some of the top junior players in the U.S.
In Schach 4/2026 finden Sie Berichte über folgende Veranstaltungen/Themen:
* Vorschau Kandidatenturnier
* Umfrage Kandidatenturnier
* Schachfestival Prag, Schach960 in Weissenhaus
* Herren-Bundesliga, Frauen-Bundesliga
* Fragebogen: Ding Liren
* Kombinationsschule, Problemschach, Turnierausschreibungen, Rezension
* Mitarbeiter dieser Ausgabe: Luis Engel, Stefan Löffler, Peter Nielsen, Franz Pachl, Michael Prusikin
¡Aprende grandes trampas, convierte las derrotas en empates y los empates en victorias!
Sergei Tkachenko, miembro del equipo ucraniano que ganó el 5º Torneo Mundial de Composición de Ajedrez en 1997 y que quedó segundo en 2000, 2004, 2013 y 2017, ha recopilado 100 estudios cuyo tema común es que las blancas terminan con un solo caballo en el final, pero logran ganar o empatar.
La mayoría de las soluciones no tienen más de seis movimientos, por lo que los jugadores experimentados pueden analizar las posiciones directamente a partir de los diagramas. Los principiantes en problemas de ajedrez también encontrarán útil analizar estos estudios. El diverso conjunto de ideas tácticas que involucran a un solo caballo en el final les permitirá comprender mejor la versatilidad del caballo.
Algunos de estos estudios son clásicos de épocas pasadas. Otros fueron publicados originalmente en la Unión Soviética o en países exsoviéticos. Varios son composiciones del propio Sergei Tkachenko.
Este es el segundo libro de una serie de estudios de finales de Sergei Tkachenko que publicará la editorial Elk and Ruby Publishing House.
Sergei Tkachenko, miembro del equipo ucraniano que ganó el 5º Torneo Mundial de Composición de Ajedrez en 1997 y que quedó segundo en 2000, 2004, 2013 y 2017, ha recopilado 100 estudios cuyo tema común es que las blancas terminan con un solo alfil en el final, pero logran ganar o empatar.
La mayoría de las soluciones no tienen más de seis movimientos, por lo que los jugadores experimentados pueden analizar las posiciones directamente a partir de los diagramas. Los principiantes en problemas de ajedrez también encontrarán útil analizar estos estudios. El diverso conjunto de ideas tácticas que involucran a un solo alfil en el final les permitirá comprender mejor la versatilidad del alfil.
Este es el tercer libro de una serie de estudios de finales de Sergei Tkachenko que publicará la editorial Elk and Ruby Publishing House.
¡Aprende grandes trampas, convierte posiciones perdidas en empates y empates en victorias!
Sergei Tkachenko, un miembro del equipo ucraniano que ganó el 5º Torneo Mundial de Composición de Ajedrez en 1997 y que quedó segundo en 2000, 2004, 2013 y 2017, ha recopilado 100 estudios cuyo tema común es que las blancas terminan con solo el rey en el final, pero logran empatar.
La mayoría de las soluciones no tienen más de seis movimientos, por lo que los jugadores experimentados pueden analizar las posiciones directamente a partir de los diagramas. Los principiantes en problemas de ajedrez también encontrarán útil analizar estos estudios. El diverso conjunto de ideas tácticas que involucran a un rey en el final les permitirá comprender mejor su potencial.
Este es el sexto libro de una serie de estudios de finales de juego de Sergei Tkachenko que será publicado por Elk and Ruby Publishing House.
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