ChessBase Account: no new costs, just new features

by Albert Silver
2/8/2016 – A player recently asked about subscribing to ChessBase Account, explaining that he already had a Premium subscription to Playchess, but dearly wanted the new goodies such as the tons of great video courses. It showed how misunderstood all these new changes are, since ChessBase Account is not a new pay service, it is a series of new features added for free to Premium subscribers!

ChessBase Account Premium annual subscription ChessBase Account Premium annual subscription

At the airport, in the hotel or at home on your couch: with the new ChessBase you always have access to the whole ChessBase world: the new ChessBase video library, tactics server, opening training App, the live database with eight million games, Let’s Check and web access to playchess.com

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ChessBase Account = Playchess Account

To have a Premium account in one is to have a Premium account in the other. So why the new name, which seems to be causing confusion? The reason is that in the past, when you subscribed to Playchess with a Premium account, that is all it really was. A subscriber would get access to the Playchess server, where players of all strengths come to play, from rank amateurs to the world’s elite, get a rating, watch international broadcasts with live grandmaster commentary in English, German, and sometimes even Spanish, French, or Portuguese. There are lectures every week, as well as simuls, and more still. For the modest fee of 50 Euros for an entire year (or five Euros per month), it was excellent value.

However, ChessBase decided to sweeten the pot, and not just a little. That very same Premium Playchess subscription, with all the perks mentioned above, now comes with a ton of new features, all added on …. For no extra cost!

The menu with all the new features and tools available to Premium subscribers

Now the Premium subscriber can still play chess on Playchess, chat with others, watch live grandmaster commentary, etc. But they also get Cloud Database tools with engine analysis, access to a massive online database with millions of games to search, special Openings training tools, play against Fritz anywhere anytime, fun tactics trainers, and a large and growing collection of free video courses.

The video library also offers you access to numerous videos from the "60 minute" series for free! Well-known players and coaches explain opening concepts and inspire you with interesting ideas that help you to broaden your repertoire.

Free videos from the "60 minute" series

These video courses, which can be streamed even to a smartphone or tablet anytime and anywhere, cover on openings, middlegame, and endgames, and much more. Bear in mind, these videos are only available to Premium subscribers. Considering how much that Premium subscription offers beyond just Playchess, it made sense to transition the name to ChessBase Account, to help emphasize the extra tools offered.

The subscription page shows what features come with which subscription plan. If you wish to enjoy the many videos, then the Premium subscription is the one you want. If you are already a Premium subscriber and have not looked at this, then what are you waiting for? Go check them out!

Starter or Premium?

It should be noted also that when you purchase a copy of Komodo 9 or Fritz 15, it already comes with six months of Premium for free!

For more information on all the many options that come with a subscription that can help you take your game to the next level, check out the many tutorials published, or just try it out for a month (only a five Euro investment) and see what you think. You can cancel at any time. Remember, the tools can be used on your smartphone or tablet, meaning a commute on the train or bus can now be spent listening to a course by a grandmaster.

ChessBase Account Premium annual subscription

At the airport, in the hotel or at home on your couch: with the new ChessBase you always have access to the whole ChessBase world: the new ChessBase video library, tactics server, opening training App, the live database with eight million games, Let’s Check and web access to playchess.com

 


Born in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and after college moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had a peak rating of 2240 FIDE, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family as an editor and writer at ChessBase News. He is also a passionate photographer with work appearing in numerous publications, and the content creator of the YouTube channel, Chess & Tech.