The summer is full of great round-robins and open tournaments, and opening theory is developing at top speed. Keep track of it all with ChessVibes Openings, our weekly PDF (+PGN!) magazine that delivers the latest novelties right in your inbox. Let's have a look the openings IMs Merijn an Delft and Robert Ris wrote about in the last six issues.

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.

Latest issues: #25-30, June 24-July 29, 2009

Issues #25-30 discuss all important theoretical opening novelties from the the last six weeks, or in other words: all you need to know about the latest opening developments from the Bazna super-tournament, the Ruy Lopez tournament in Zafra, the Capablanca Memorial, the France-Armenia rapid match, the Dortmund super-tournament, San Sebastián, the World Open, the Hilversum Open, the Greek League, the Biel super-tournament, the Canadian Open, the Politiken Cup and the Najdorf Memorial.

ChessVibes Openings #25 The latest opening developments of the third week of June 2009. All about the Open Catalan (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 a6 ) which is analysed in our Game of the Week. Other lines that are covered:

• Sicilian Four Knights
• Sicilian, Taimanov
• King’s Indian, Exchange
• Günfeld, Exchange

This week's opening is expert is Cuban top GM Leinier Dominguez Perez.

ChessVibes Openings #26 The latest opening developments of the fourth week of June 2009. All about the Sicilian Taimanov which is analysed in our Game of the Week. Other lines that are covered:

• Ruy Lopez, 3...Nge7
• Sicilian Najdorf, 6.Bg5 Nbd7
• Sicilian Dragon, 9.0-0-0
• Queen’s Indian, 4.g3 Bb4+

This week's opening is expert is French GM Christian Bauer.

ChessVibes Openings #27 The latest opening developments of the first week of July 2009. All about the Petroff (6...Bd6) which is analysed in our Game of the Week. Other lines that are covered:

• Ruy Lopez, Berlin Wall
• Two Knights, 4.d3
• French, Rubinstein, 4...Bd7
• Blumenfeld Gambit

This week's opening is expert is Dutch GM Friso Nijboer.

ChessVibes Openings #28 The latest opening developments of the second week of July 2009. All about the Queen’s Gambit Declined (5.Bf4) which is analysed in our Game of the Week. Other lines that are covered:

• Petroff, 6...Bd6
• Marshall, 15.Re4
• Vienna Defence, main line
• Closed Catalan

This week's opening is expert is Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi.

ChessVibes Openings #29 The latest opening developments of the third week of July 2009. All about the Semi-Tarrasch (13.Re1) which is analysed in our Game of the Week. Other lines that are covered:

• Bishop’s Opening
• Sveshnikov, 11.Bxb5
• Sicilian, 4.Qxd4
• French, Winawer 7.Qg4 Qc7

This week's opening is expert is Hungarian GM Ferenc Berkes.

ChessVibes Openings #30 The latest opening developments of the fourth week of July 2009. All about the Semi-Slav (6.Qc2, 7.Bd3) which is analysed in our Game of the Week. Other lines that are covered:

• Najdorf, English Attack
• Caro-Kann, 4...Nd7
• Slav, Exchange, 6.Bf4 Bf5
• Benoni, Taimanov (7.f4)

This week's opening is expert is Swedish GM Johnny Hector.

What is ChessVibes Openings?

Every issue consists of a ZIP archive file, including both the PDF Magazine and the accompanying PGN file. The PDF consists of three 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).
• Opening expert Every week an opening expert is covered, explaining the GM's expertise and showing a key game with annotations (page 4). Examples from the first two issues: Teimour Radjabov (King's Indian with Black), Alexey Dreev (White: Nimzo-Indian; Black: Caro-Kann and Slav).

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 "‚ÄúI didn‚Äôt spend much time on it before the game, but I prepared seriously for this tournament and we did investigate this line,‚Äù 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

Please note that it's still possible to start your subscription as a first-week subscriber.
Just let us know and we'll send you all previous issues!

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."