Review: All new releases in February!

by Stefan Liebig
3/22/2026 – The Sicilian has long been one of the most popular openings. It therefore makes perfect sense for White to consider 1.c4. ChessBase author Nico Zwirs takes a look at similar, but reversed structures. His 60 Minutes course is aptly titled “Reversed Sicilian Power.” And since the Sicilian cannot be played without tactics, this new February release also fits the theme perfectly: Oliver Reeh’s new Master Class tactics volume offers exercises for players of all levels, regardless of their opening repertoire. | All photos: ChessBase
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  • PGN compatibility: upload and download games or databases as PGN files

New releases: February 2026

Nico Zwirs – Reversed Sicilian Power

“Reversed Sicilian Power” by Zwirs presents a modern and flexible repertoire for White, based on Sicilian structures with colors reversed. The author shows how seemingly quiet positions can develop into active and dynamic play.

Alongside concrete variations, the focus is on strategic concepts and typical attacking plans. The presentation is clear and practical, offering valuable ideas for players looking to enrich their repertoire with original concepts.

:Free reading samples

Indtroduction
d3 Sidelines

Buy in the ChessBase Shop

In this course, IM Nico Zwirs presents the Reversed Sicilian as a powerful and practical weapon for White
In this course, IM Nico Zwirs presents the Reversed Sicilian as a powerful and practical weapon for White. The core idea is simple: players who already play the Sicilian with Black can leverage their existing knowledge to build a dynamic and effective setup with White.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 2.d3 Sidelines

Oliver Reeh – Master Class Taktic Volume 4

Oliver Reeh’s fourth Master Class installment is devoted to the systematic development of advanced tactical skills. Using carefully selected examples, motifs, combinations, and calculation techniques are presented with precision.

The volume combines instructive explanations with challenging exercises, thereby fostering lasting improvement in combinational thinking. Particularly noteworthy is its clear didactic structure, which enables both ambitious club players and advanced tournament players to sharpen their tactical strength in a focused way.

:Free samples

Introduction

Do you know the Archangelsk? / Sukovic - Kazakousky

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In almost every chess game there comes a moment when you just can’t go on without tactics. You must strike to not giving away the advantage you have worked for the whole game.
In almost every chess game there comes a moment when you just can’t go on without tactics. You must strike, because nothing is more annoying than missing a winning combination in the decisive situation, and thus giving away the advantage you have worked for the whole game. So it is vital to train tactics properly - and Master Class Tactics offers you the perfect tool for this! On this Fritztrainer, IM Oliver Reeh has compiled his favourites from the CBM column “Tune your Tactics” issues 219 to 227.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Do you know the Archangelsk? / Sukovic - Kazakousky

Mihail Marin on Bobby Fischer’s understanding of the Sicilian

The analysis of a blitz game by Bobby Fischer reveals a remarkable parallel to modern theory in the Najdorf Sicilian with the English Attack, long before this line became established. GM Mihail Marin explores this fascinating phenomenon in an instructive video, making the underlying ideas clear and accessible.

An experienced grandmaster and award-winning author, Marin stands out for his clear and concise explanations of complex ideas. His presentation combines historical depth with strong didactic value and offers fresh perspectives on Fischer’s visionary play.

:Link to video

Fischer played a modern line 

No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Bobby Fischer. On this DVD, a team of experts shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion.

Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur.

Free course!

Robert Ris: Wijk aan Zee Classics: Great Games, Timeless Lessons

A journey through the most memorable games from the long tradition of tournaments in Wijk aan Zee: brilliant encounters by world champions and title contenders that have shaped chess history.

In this free video course, IM Robert Ris revisits the most dramatic moments, analyzes key strategic turning points, and highlights subtle tactical details. Interactive training segments reinforce the main ideas and make critical maneuvers immediately understandable.

Enjoy!
 

New releases of the previous months:

Links

Fischer played a modern line before it even existed – GM Michael Marin
Free January course by Robert Ris
Free December course by Robert Ris
Steinitz: Father of the Modern School
Review: 60 Minutes against Caro-Kann
Peter Balint succeeds thanks to Felix Blohberger's course on the Reti
Karsten Müller at ChessBase
Ivan Sokolov at ChessBase
Review: "Outsmarting the London System – 60 minutes" by IM Andrew Martin
Review: "The Art of Sacrificing" by Krishnan Sasikiran
Review: "The Colle System"
Review: "Reinventing the Ragozin" by Surya Ganguly
Review: David Navara – Your Calculation Compass: Know When to Calculate

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Topics: Product reviews
Stefan Liebig, born in 1974, is a journalist and co-owner of a marketing agency. He now lives in Barterode near Göttingen. At the age of five, strange pieces on his neighbour’s shelf aroused his curiosity. Since then, the game of chess has cast a spell over him. Flying high in the NRW youth league with his home club SV Bad Laasphe and several appearances in the second division team of Tempo Göttingen were highlights for the former youth South Westphalia champion.
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See also

Review: New releases in January!

2/15/2026 – We have a new author at ChessBase: Harshit Raja. And the Indian grandmaster is ambitious – he offers a complete 1.d4-repertoire! In addition, new episodes of Ivan Sokolov’s Middlegame Strategy series were released in January, and ChessBase Magazine fans can look forward to CBM Extra #229, packed with a rich "Lucky Bag". | All photos: ChessBase
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Megabase 2026: Living legends and rising stars

2/3/2026 – MegaBase 2026 is Chess History in action. Regularly updated every month, the Main Database currently offers 11.8 million games, many of them annotated. Here our columnist offers a review with focus on chess in the 21st Century.
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Video

60m English New ideas in the Najdorf_E

‘New ideas in the Najdorf – a Power Play 18 Update’ aims to complement Daniel King’s popular DVD from last year ‘The Sicilian Najdorf - a repertoire for Black’. Such a dynamic and popular opening as the Najdorf is developing the whole time. On this download, Daniel King updates lines that were included on his DVD but also responds to viewers’ requests, considering lines that he omitted from his original repertoire. The lines examined on this update are: • 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 h3 e5 7 Nde2 • 5….a6 6 Bc4 in combination with the English Attack (Be3, f3 etc) • 5…a6 6 Be3 and the …a5 variation • 5…a6 6 Be2 and 9 Re1 • 5 f3 (instead of 5 Nc3) It isn’t necessary to have seen the original Najdorf DVD to understand the lines examined here – but it would help as they form part of a complete repertoire.