ChessVibes Openings is our weekly PDF (+PGN!) magazine that discusses recent developments in opening theory. It brings the latest novelties right into your mailbox. If you subscribe now you can purchase all issues published so far for just 25 Euros extra. This way you get the first five months of 2010 for free! Can you imagine a better way to start preparing for your chess summer?

The latest novelties in your mailbox

Which openings are hot in top level chess? Which are not? Receive the latest opening novelties right in your mailbox with ChessVibes Openings, a weekly PDF magazine (+ PGN!) covering the latest openings news, co-authored by International Masters Merijn van Delft and Robert Ris and published by ChessVibes.

What is ChessVibes Openings?

Every issue consists of a PDF Magazine and the accompanying PGN file. The PDF consists of four pages (A4 size) with the following contents:

• What's hot? A round-up of this week's important opening developments, with statistics about the frequence and score of the week's most important opening novelty (page 1)
• What's not? Which openings are not recommended at the moment, according to the top players? And why not? (page 1)
• Game of the week Each week you'll find the theoretically most important game analysed by our two IMs, with a detailed survey of the opening phase (page 2).
• This week's harvest Four more new important opening ideas from this week (page 3) revealed and described with explanation of the opening and early middlegame (page 3).
• It's Your Move An interactive element: every week two exercises, of which the solutions/explanations will follow one week later. This will improve your understanding of certain opening, middlegame or even endgame themes even further.

FREE SAMPLE ISSUE - ChessVibes Openings #16 - click to download!

What does it cost?

As a subscriber you'll receive the PDF Magazine and accompanying PGN files in your mailbox every week.

A one-year subscription is € 25 (that's less than € 0.50 per issue!) - for price in US $ click here

Subscribe now and get January-May for free!

If you subscribe now you'll get all issues from January-May 2010 for free. We give these issues away if you subscribe and want to buy the issues of 2009 as well. In other words: for 25 Euros you get 52 issues of ChessVibes Openings until May 2011 (so far nothing new, but here it comes:) and you get issues #0 (published January 2009) till #73 (published this week) for just 25 more!

If you're interested in this deal, please contact us at, or directly transfer 50 EUR to our Paypal account:

Please drop us an email if you prefer to pay by bank transfer!

This deal is valid until June 15, 2010 so move quickly! Can you imagine a better way to start preparing for your chess summer?


Below we give more information on ChessVibes Openings, including the contents of the latest six issues.

This week's issue: #73, May 26, 2010

ChessVibes Openings #73 The latest opening developments of the fourth week of May, covering the FIDE Grand Prix in Astrakha, the U.S. Championship and the Chinese Championship All about the Kalashnikov Sicilian which was analysed in our Game of the Week Akopian-Radjabov, Astrakhan 2010.

Other lines that are covered:

• Ruy Lopez, Closed, 12.d5
• Ruy Lopez, Exchange
• Vienna, 6...h6
• Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nf3/5.g3

Last week's issue: #72, May 19, 2010

ChessVibes Openings #72 The latest opening developments of the third week of May, covering the FIDE Grand Prix in Astrakha, Bosna Open, the U.S. Championship and the Euwe Matches. All about the Chigorin Defence which was analysed in our Game of the Week Giri-Short, Amsterdam (04) 2010.

Other lines that are covered:

• Ruy Lopez, Anti-Marshall
• Sicilian, English Attack
• Catalan, 4...Bb4+ & 5...Be7
• Veresov Attack

Previous issue: #71, May 12, 2010

ChessVibes Openings #71 The latest opening developments of the second week of May, covering Anand-Topalov, the FIDE Grand Prix in Astrakhan and the Bosna Open. All about the Lasker Defence which was analysed in our Game of the Week Topalov-Anand, Sofia (12) 2010.

Other lines that are covered:

• Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3
• Gru?nfeld, Exchange
• Gru?nfeld, g3
• Sicilian, English Attack

Previous issue: #70, May 5, 2010

ChessVibes Openings #70 The latest opening developments of the end of April and start of May, covering Anand-Topalov, the President's Cup, the French and Italian leagues, the 4NCL, the Women FIDE GP and the Asian Continental. All about the Catalan which was analysed in our Game of the Week Anand-Topalov, Sofia (04) 2010.

Other lines that are covered:

• Catalan, 4...Bb4+
• Slav, 6.Ne5
• Najdorf, 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qc7
• Sicilian, Kalashnikov

Previous issue: #69, April 28, 2010

ChessVibes Openings #69 The latest opening developments of the third week of April, covering Anand-Topalov, Polgar-Navara, the women FIDE GP in Nalchik and the Asian Continental. All about the Grünfeld Exchange which was analysed in our Game of the Week Topalov-Anand, Sofia 2010.

Other lines that are covered:

• Ruy Lopez, Breyer
• French, Winawer
• Open Catalan
• Slav, 6.Ne5

Previous issue: #68, April 21, 2010

ChessVibes Openings #68 Because of the upcoming World Championship match, this issue was dedicated to the most theoretical implications of the previous meetings between Anand and Topalov. All about the Queen's Indian (4...Ba6 5.b3) which was analysed in our Game of the Week Topalov-Anand, Sofia 2005.

Other lines that are covered:

• Sicilian Najdorf, English Attack (8...b4)
• Sicilian Najdorf, English Attack (8...h5)
• Ruy Lopez, Archangelsk
• Queen's Indian, 4...Ba6

Ehm... can I have a look?

Here's what ChessVibes Openings #16 (April 22, 2009) looks like:



FREE SAMPLE ISSUE - ChessVibes Openings #16 - click to download!

• What's hot? A round-up of the most important opening developments of mid-April, including statistics about the frequence and score of the Chebanenko position after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 Nbd7 6.Bf4 Nh5 7.Bd2 Nhf6
• What's not? This week 1.e4 e5 was hot, as the top players categorically avoided the Semi-Open Games. Interestingly, the classical 1...d5 was also much more popular than the more modern answers to 1.d4, at the FIDE Grand Prix in Nalchik.
• Game of the week "I didn't spend much time on it before the game, but I prepared seriously for this tournament and we did investigate this line", Peter Leko said at the press conference in Nalchik, after his game against Sergei Karjakin. Page two has a closer look at this highly interesting draw in the Chebanenko.
• This week's harvest For more opening ideas from the Ruy Lopez Marshall, Sicilian Taimanov, Queen's Indian and Ragozin Defence.
• Opening expert This week Rustam Kasimdzhanov is highlighted. The former FIDE World Champion and current second of Anand has a broad repertoire, switching from hypersharp openings like Dragon and Anti-Moscow to positional Queen's Gambit lines.

July 1, 2009: Eugene Manchester reviews ChessVibes Openings for ChessCafe

In the July 1 issue of ChessCafe's Book Review (mirror here) ChessVibes Openings was reviewed by Eugene Manchester. Some quotes: "So, who-ya-gonna-call? Opening busters? Not quite. For the reasonable price of 25 euros per year, once a week you can receive intelligent, interesting opening surveys and analysis presented by a team lead by Dutch IMs Merijn van Delft & Robert Ris."

"The format and presentation are consistently of high quality, with variety of coverage and opening analysis."

"The cost per year is roughly equivalent to a good chess book. Each week you get a four- page issue packed with opening analysis, at least two thoroughly annotated games with one or more of that week's featured openings, a glimpse into the world of the latest opening novelties, in short, a quality weekly opening report."

May 7, 2009: GM Hedinn Steingrimsson reviews ChessVibes Openings for Chess Today

In issues 3103 (Thursday, May 7) of Chess Today, the daily chess newspaper which also comes into your inbox by email in PDF, ChessVibes Openings was reviewed by GM Hedinn Steingrimsson from Iceland. Some quotes: "What I like about ChessVibes Openings is their focus on the trend and discoveries that are revealed in super tournaments and by very strong players. It makes sense for all tournament chess players and opening theoreticians to follow these developments and getting an overview from ChessVibes Openings definitely saves time."

"I find it positive that there is consistency in the openings covered so that the readers will with time have a certain repertoire available based on different theoretical articles from ChessVibes about e.g. the Anti-Moscow Variation."

"For those that really want to find out how to get a better position out of the opening and are willing to enter complications and do some homework in order to succeed, ChessVibes Openings can be recommended."