Now that's what we call hard core theory: one of the seconds of World Champion Vishy Anand playing the Poisoned Pawn variation of the Sicilian Najdorf. Learn all the ins and outs in ChessVibes Openings issue 118, which analyzes the theoretical game Nisipeanu-Wojtaszek from the European Championship. Other variations treated this week are the Perenyi Attack in the Sicilian, the French Winawer, the Semi-Slav and the Catalan. Subscribe for just 25 Euros a year and check it out!

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.

Which opening variations have been discussed so far?

How to pay? Click on one of the buttons:

Payments can be done directly via Paypal, or by credit card after creating a Paypal account which takes a minute. Please drop us an email if you prefer to pay by bank transfer!

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This week's issue: #118, April 6, 2011

ChessVibes Openings #118 The European Championship was indeed won by Potkin ahead of Wojtaszek and Polgar, and was a rich source of theoretical encounters. Meanwhile, the Chinese Championship has started, and we check out the first six rounds. All about the Sicilian Najdorf, Poisoned Pawn which was analysed in our Game of the Week Nisipeanu-Wojtaszek, European Ch (Aix les Bains) 2011.

Other lines that are covered:

• Sicilian Scheveningen/Najdorf, Perenyi Attack
• French, Winawer (7...0-0)
• Semi-Slav, 5...a6 6.Qc2 c5
• Catalan, main line

Last week's issue: #117, March 30, 2011

ChessVibes Openings #117 As expected, Aronian didn't give up his lead and won the last edition of the Amber Tournament. We checked out rounds 9-11 for you. Of course, we also take a look at the European Championship in Aix les Bains, where 172 grandmasters are participating. All about the Classical French or 'French Poisoned Pawn' which was analysed in our Game of the Week Topalov-Nakamura, Amber 2011.

Other lines that are covered:

• Sicilian Najdorf, 6.Bg5 Nbd7
• Sicilian, Taimanov (English Attack)
• Ragozin
• Gruenfeld, Exchange

Previous issue: #116, March 23, 2011

ChessVibes Openings #116 We cover rounds five through eight of the special final edition of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament, where Aronian is in the lead. More spectacular and theoretically relevant chess was played in the German Bundesliga. All about the Semi-Slav, Anti-Meran which was analysed in our Game of the Week Chuchelov-Shirov, Bundesliga 2011.

Other lines that are covered:

• Italian Game
• Caro-Kann/Modern
• Slav, Exchange
• English, Four Knights

Previous issue: #115, March 16, 2011

ChessVibes Openings #115 The last edition of the Amber Tournament in Monaco, where the world's best meet for rapid and blindfold chess, has started. We cover the first four rounds. From other events, we take a brief look at the Reykjavik Open. All about the Chebanenko Slav which was analysed in our Game of the Week Carlsen-Nakamura, Amber (Monaco) 2011.

Other lines that are covered:

• Ruy Lopez, Berlin Wall
• Sicilian Scheveningen, Keres Attack
• Anti-Moscow Gambit
• Ragozin

Previous issue: #114, March 9, 2011

ChessVibes Openings #114 For this issue of CVO we've examined the big open in Cappelle la Grande, the Austrian League and the traditional Noteboom weekender in Leiden. The 6th Women's Grand Prix didn't have the theoretical battles we'd hoped for. All about the Keres Variation (11...Nd7) of the Closed Ruy Lopez which was analysed in our Game of the Week Kurnosov-Ragger, Austrian Team Championship 2011.

Other lines that are covered:

• Ruy Lopez (5.d3 d6 6.c3 g6 7.0–0 Bg7 8.d4 0–0 9.d5)
• Taimanov, English Attack
• Sicilian, Alapin
• King's Indian, Saemisch

Previous issue: #113, March 2, 2011

ChessVibes Openings #113 Instead of one major tournament, this week there were many different events. In this issue we mainly focus on the German Bundesliga and also take a look at the 6th Women's Grand Prix. The final event of the series is held in Doha, Qatar. All about the Spanish Four Knights (5.Nxe5!?) which was analysed in our Game of the Week Nisipeanu-Gonda, Bundesliga 2011.

Other lines that are covered:

• Najdorf, 6.Bg5 Nbd7
• Alekhine, Four Pawns
• Slav, Anti-Meran
• English, 1...e5 Four Knights

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‚Äôs Gambit lines.

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

How to pay? Click on one of the buttons:

Payments can be done directly via Paypal, or by credit card after creating a Paypal account which takes a minute. Please drop us an email if you prefer to pay by bank transfer!

For Dutch clients it's possible to pay via iDEAL, the Dutch online bank system with which you can pay safely, secure and comfortably.

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."