Four top tournaments are waiting for you in the new issue of ChessBase Magazine: The Kings Tournament in Bazna, the FIDE Grand Prix in Astrakhan, the Capablanca Memorial in Havanna, and the Karpov Tournament in Poikovski.

Remarkably: the winners are also the star authors of the new DVD. Magnus Carlsen, Pavel Eljanov, Sergej Karjakin, Victor Bologan among other top players explain their best games in depth.

The 12 opening articles offer lots of new ideas for your repertoire. For instance Knut Nevens shows you how to counter the Dutch Defence with 2.Bg5, Igor Stohl continues his analysis of 5.d3 in the Ruy Lopez, and Evgeny Postny explains the new perspectives in the Slav with 6.Qh4.

There are also several lectures in video format. German GM Leonid Kritz starts a series of lectures on the Steinitz System in the French Defence, and Lars Schandorff shows you how to attack with White in the Kings Gambit with 2...Lc5. 
 
As the final games of the WCh match between Anand and Topalov were being played in Sofia, the last tournament of the Grand Prix series was starting in Astrakhan in Russia, with at stake the second starting place in the candidates’ tournament to choose the next WCh challenger.

Eljanov underlined his outstanding form and went on to win the tournament itself in majestic fashion. Radjabov was a happy second as that place in Astrakhan secured for him the qualification for the candidates’ tournament.

In June there followed another three top tournaments: in the Karpov Tournament in Poikovsky the winners were Karjakin and Bologan. Ivanchuk dominated the field in the Capablanca Memorial on Cuba.

And finally Carlsen turned the "Kings Tournament" in Bazna in Romania into an impressive one-man-show. You will find all the games from these four top tournaments on the DVD.

The tournament victors in each case are also the star authors of this issue: Carlsen, Eljanov, Karjakin, Bologan, Radjabov and many others have annotated their best games for you. 

 TOP TOURNAMENTS

· Astrakhan: Eljanov wins final stage of Grand Prix

· Bazna: Carlsen sails through

· Havana: Ivanchuk triumphs

· Poikovsky: Karjakin and Bologan on top 

WORLD CLASS PLAYERS COMMENT

· Carlsen gives an insight into his victory over Radjabov

· Gelfand with a wonderful game against Wang Yue

· Ejanov again presents two victories with Black

· Radjabov analyses how Ivanchuk got away

· Other annotated games, e.g. by Bologan, Gashimov, Karjakin, Nisipeanu, Vitiugov

· Sofia: Anand retains his title as world champion

· Rijeka: Nepomniachtchi the surprise European champion