"Chess develops analytical thinking. How deep can you go depends on your calculating skills and also your subconscious understanding of the relationship between squares, pieces and movement."



Source: GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (Chessblog.com)

So ... if you go to the Chessbase main site you'll notice a 'popup' similar to the one below ...


Now, just so we're clear that's not technically a popup. Internet Marketters piloted this format and it's called a Splash Page. There are tons of scripts online to create these to do just about anything and I've been toying with the idea to add to chessvine for some time but haven't found the time in my schedule (which has been crazy as any regular readers have noticed).

Anyway, I'm VERY happy to see that a heavy hitter in the chess world is taking advantage of the online format and actually doing some research into what consumers respond to on the internet.

In Summary: YAY CHESSBASE! I never thought I'd say that. Some part of me loves to hate on the corporate "MAN" but they've got it right this time.

Carlsen, M. - Anand, V.
Arctic Securities, Kristiansund, NOR
2010.08.30, Round: Game 1-Final
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 c6 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 Bf5 8. b3 Ne4 9. Bb2 Na6 10. Nh4 Nxd2 11. Qxd2 Be6 12. Rac1 Qd7 13. Nf3 Rfd8 14. Rfd1 Nc7 15. Qa5 Ne8 16. e3 Bg4 17. Rd2 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 e6 19. Rdc2 Nd6 20. a4 f5 21. Qe1 a5 22. Bc3 dxc4 23. Bxa5 cxb3 24. Rb2 Rdc8 25. Rxb3 Bf8 26. Rcb1 Ra7 27. Kg2 Nc4 28. Bb4 Bxb4 29. Rxb4 Nd6 30. Qc3 Rca8 31. Qc2 Ra6 32. h4 h5 33. e4 R8a7 34. exf5 Nxf5 35. Re1 Ra5 36. Qb3 Kf7 37. Re4 Ne7 38. Qc2 Nd5 39. Rc4 Ra8 40. Re5 Ne7 41. Bxh5 Rxe5 42. dxe5 Qd5+ 43. Bf3 Qxe5 44. Re4 Qd6 45. h5 Rf8 46. Qb2 b5 47. axb5 cxb5 48. Qxb5 Nf5 49. Qb7+ Kf6 50. Qh7 gxh5 51. Bxh5 Qd5 52. Bf3 Qd2 53. g4 Ng7 54. g5+ 1-0

But GM Nigel Davies does.

Just so you know I am in no way reimbursed for this and it isn't an advertisement but a personal recommendation:

"Tricks & Traps Vol. 1 - 1.e4 Openings
Tricks and traps, especially in the opening, are a dangerous reality of competitive chess. All sorts of surprises await the unwary player, from devastating sacrifices to cunning move order ploys. A knowledge of such ideas is essential if a player wants to be the hunter rather than the victim.

On this DVD Davies presents a variety of tricks and traps that can arise after 1.e4 by White, breaking them down into a number of different categories. The examples are designed to appeal to players of every level and feature all of Black’s main defences. Besides coverage of some of the classics, Davies reveals some little known ploys and explains how likely these traps are to succeed. Accordingly the viewer should gain some psychological insights into the art of trapping and this should help his game as a whole. Video runnig time: 3 hours 49 min.

Nigel Davies has been an International Grandmaster since 1993 and is a former British Open Quickplay and U21 Champion. Besides his playing accomplishments he is an experienced chess coach with a unique understanding of club level chess. Accordingly he knows just what is likely to succeed."

Check it out!

Take a good look at the article published by Karpov against Kirsan (from the election site). This is the first I've heard of Larissa Yudina and it is hopefully not the last time. This is tragic whether it is true that Kirsan was involved in her death or not. No voice deserves to be silenced forever.

http://www.karpov2010.org/2010/08/the-truth-about-kirsan/