ChessBase´26 – Tips for beginners, part 26: Null moves: The art of doing nothing

In this tutorial, we’ll show you where to find the null move option and how to use it effectively.

To get started, open a new game and go to the main menu item “Insert”:

For example, if you want to demonstrate Black’s typical setup in the King’s Indian Defence during your next training session, you don’t have to build the position from scratch. Starting from the initial position, you can quickly reach the setup shown here as follows:

To reach this position and notation, simply start from the initial setup and click on “Null Move” (or use the shortcut ALT+CTRL+0), then enter 1…Nf6, click “Null Move” again, and enter 2…g6, and so on. On the board, you’ll see only the typical King’s Indian setup for Black, and the notation will display “–” for each null move.

If you like, you can now also add White’s moves by letting Black “pass” using null moves. However, in most cases, it makes more sense to start from the beginning. Here’s what the position might look like for a Four Pawns Attack structure:

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Combining with Other Analysis Tools

Of course, the null move can also be used in combination with other analysis tools in ChessBase´26, and it’s useful in endgame training as well. Take, for example, the non-trivial checkmate with bishop and knight. One common challenge is finding the precise tempo move to avoid stalemate.

In the following position, the knight square is currently marked red, as the suggested knight move would lead to stalemate. Instead, you should follow the green marker. A null move (see the notation) would achieve the same effect—but while not legal in an actual game, it can be a useful teaching tool in this context.

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Various markers have been added here. The main line follows the idea of playing 1…Bb5 as a tempo move. The alternative line begins with the null move 1…–.

Once again, trying it out beats overthinking. Enjoy exploring the surprisingly useful null moves in ChessBase´26 — the art of doing nothing!

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ChessBase has developed over decades to become what it is now in its 2026 version. The program has countless options, which we will present here in small portions – so you can design your interface for pleasant daily use and keep learning about new options and how to use them to get the most out of ChessBase´26 and save time.

We hope that this tip will help you to have more fun and be more successful when using ChessBase´26. You can find more tips and hints on our support pages and FAQ pages.

All parts of the series and more links:

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The ChessBase Mega Database 2026 is the premiere chess database with over 11.7 million games from 1475 to 2025 in high quality.

• Beginner´s Tips Part 1: Entering and Saving Your Own Games
• Beginner´s Tips Part 2: Insert variations and add engines
• Beginner´s Tips Part 3: Insert variations from references and engines
• Beginner´s Tips Part 4: Figurines and Colours
• Beginner´s Tips Part 5: Annotations
• Beginner´s Tips Part 6: Quick access toolbars and variation hierarchies
• Beginner´s Tips Part 7: Organising databases!
• Beginner´s Tips Part 8: Together what belongs together…!
• Beginner´s Tips Part 9: Tactical Analysis
• Beginner´s Tips Part 10: Standard Layout or Custom Layout
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 11: Multitasking with several windows
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 12: Arrows and marks
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 13: Powerbooks and Powerbases
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 14: Save resources with remote engines
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 15: Setting up and analysing positions
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 16: Setting up and analysing positions (Part 2)
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 17: Choosing your board design
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 18: What the mouse can do!
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 19: Find model games for training
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 20: Award medals to your best games!
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 21: Maximum Training Effect with the Power Tool “Replay Training” (Part 1)
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 22: Maximum training effect with the ‘Replay Training’ power tool (Part 2)
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 23: Stay up to date with program updates
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 24: Always get the latest games via update
• Beginner’s Tips, Part 25: Customizing your view – how to see what matters
• ChessBase´26: A Players Guide (1)
• ChessBase´26: A Players Guide (2)
• ChessBase´26: A Players Guide (3)
• ChessBase´26: A Players Guide (4)
• ChessBase´26: A Players Guide (5)
• Videos:
  Matthias Wuellenweber on all new functions for ChessBase 26​
  ChessBase 26 – The interview with Matthias Wuellenweber
  Matthias Wuellenweber – The Complete Guide to the ChessBase 26 Opening Report
  Matthias Wuellenweber – The Complete Guide to the ChessBase 26 Monte-Carlo-Analysis
  Dorian Rogozenco: How a GM uses the new ChessBase 26 opening report
  Dorian Rogozenco: How a Grandmaster Uses the New ChessBase´26 Monte-Carlo Analysis