New releases: June 2026
Mastering Calculation
This video course marks the ChessBase debut of IM Kostya Kavutskiy. He impresses with a practical approach and a clear, well-structured presentation. Step by step, the course helps you calculate more accurately and more efficiently.
Common thinking mistakes are identified and corrected, while challenging exercises sharpen your calculation skills. The result is an effective training program that noticeably improves both the accuracy and the speed of your calculation.
:Free reading samples
Introduction
Quiet Moves
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Calculation is at the heart of practical chess. Every chess concept builds on proper calculation technique. Therefore, all chess players should continuosly train the fundamental techniques, concepts and patterns this course will present. The goal isn’t only to teach you to calculate, but to give you the tools and insights to keep improving long after the final lesson.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Quiet Moves
Bulletproof b3 Repertoire
GM Andy Woodward, the second ChessBase newcomer of June, presents a modern and flexible repertoire built around 1.b3. Focusing on strategic ideas rather than endless theory, he offers a versatile system that is ideally suited to creative players.
The resulting positions are original and full of practical opportunities to take opponents out of their preparation at an early stage and steer the game into independent territory. A compact and practical course that can be put to use immediately.
:Free reading samples
Introduction
King’s Indian Setup
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Looking for an opening that gets your opponents thinking on move one? Grandmaster Andy Woodward has relied on 1.b3 for years in blitz and bullet, using it to defeat strong masters and grandmasters who underestimated its hidden venom. While many players dismiss the opening as harmless, they often find themselves caught in unfamiliar positions, tactical traps, and uncomfortable middlegames. This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas that matter most when the clock is ticking.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King’s Indian Setup
Master your Technique Vol.3
The third installment of Adrian Mikhalchishin’s Technique Academy continues his advanced training series for ambitious players.
The course focuses on refining technical skills, particularly in the transition from the middlegame to the endgame. Through carefully selected examples and precise explanations, Mikhalchishin develops a deep understanding of typical techniques and the strategic decisions that arise in these critical phases of the game.
:Free reading samples
Simple Tactics
Mating Net: Ne7+ Qxh7 Rh5+
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After mastering positional play in Volume 1 and learning how to convert small advantages in Volume 2 of the Master Your Technique series, GM Mikhalchishin now presents Essential Techniques, covering topics from playing on the flank versus the center to maintaining tactical vigilance. In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital. He shows how top players apply it, but also how even grandmasters sometimes miss critical resources, highlighting the necessity of developing a strong “tactical sense.” This approach encompasses tactical vigilance and scanning for sacrifices, but is also highly relevant to the second part of the course, which focuses on more strategic elements such as the use of heavy pieces and endgame technique.
Free Video Sample: Simple Tactics
Free Video Sample: Mating Net: Ne7+ Qxh7 Rh5+
Sidestep the Sicilian with 2.b3
In this 60-minute course, Andrew Martin presents a creative and practical approach to meeting the Sicilian Defence. The move 1.b3 leads to little-explored positions in which understanding matters far more than memorizing theory.
Players are introduced to clear strategic guidelines, typical plans, and flexible setups that are easy to put into practice. An ideal course for anyone who wants to take opponents out of their preparation at an early stage and steer the game into original yet sound positions.
:Free reading samples
EIntroduction
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This 60-minute course with International Master Andrew Martin is dedicated to one of the most practical anti-Sicilian weapons around: 2.b3
The appeal is simple. With one quiet move, you take your opponent straight out of mainline Sicilian theory and into a position where you understand the plans and they’re left to fend for themselves. It’s an ideal addition to any club player’s repertoire and sharp enough that even titled players bring it out at the right moment. What makes 2.b3 so attractive is that it’s aggressive and positional at the same time. You fianchetto your bishop to b2 and aim it down the long diagonal, then look to open the position with a well-timed f4 and generate attacking chances on the kingside . And it’s genuinely easy to understand: there’s no maze of forcing lines to memorize, just a clear, repeatable development plan.
Free video sample here
Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbase 2026
The Powerbase is a carefully selected collection of high-quality model games illustrating the key ideas of the Slav and the Semi-Slav.
By focusing on instructive games, it makes the typical plans, structures, and strategic motifs of these openings easy to understand. With nearly 12,000 games, more than 1,000 of them annotated, this database is an excellent resource for deepening your understanding and developing a more confident command of these openings over the long term.
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Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbook 2026
Opening variations that never go out of fashion: this Powerbook offers a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of games and variations covering the Slav and the Semi-Slav.
It provides a reliable foundation for opening preparation and enables targeted analysis based on modern game data. Players gain quick access to established continuations, current trends, and typical ideas, making both training and opening preparation more efficient and better structured.
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New releases of the previous months:
Links
Free January course by Robert Ris
Free December course by Robert Ris
Steinitz: Father of the Modern School
Review: 60 Minutes against Caro-Kann
Peter Balint succeeds thanks to Felix Blohberger’s course on the Reti
Karsten Müller at ChessBase
Ivan Sokolov at ChessBase
Review: “Outsmarting the London System – 60 minutes” by IM Andrew Martin
Review: “The Art of Sacrificing” by Krishnan Sasikiran
Review: “The Colle System”
Review: “Reinventing the Ragozin” by Surya Ganguly
Review: David Navara – Your Calculation Compass: Know When to Calculate
Review: Endgame Encyclopaedia