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{{Short description|Serbian publishing company}}
[[File:ChessInfor97.jpg|right|thumb|''Chess Informant'', issue #97 (2006)]]
[[File:ChessInfor97.jpg|right|thumb|''Chess Informant'', issue No. 97 (2006)]]


'''Chess Informant''' (''Šahovski Informator'') is a publishing company from [[Belgrade]] (Serbia, former Yugoslavia) that periodically (since 1990, three volumes per year) produces a book of the same name, as well as the [[Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings]], ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings'', ''Opening Monographs'', other print publications, and software (including electronic editions of most print publications). [[Aleksandar Matanović]] and Milivoje Molerović founded the company in 1966 for the purpose of offering the rest of the world the sort of access to chess information enjoyed by Soviet players. The company has sold three million books in 150 countries, according to its website.<ref name="sahovski">[http://www.sahovski.com/other/index.php?other=1 Chess Informant website], "About Us" section</ref>
'''Chess Informant''' ([[Serbian language|Serbian]]: ''Šahovski Informator'') is a publishing company from [[Belgrade]], [[Serbia]] that periodically (since 2012, four volumes per year) produces volumes of a book entitled ''Chess Informant'', as well as the ''[[Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings]]'', ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings'', ''Opening Monographs'', other print publications, and software (including electronic editions of most print publications). [[Aleksandar Matanović]] and Milivoje Molerović founded the company in 1966 for the purpose of offering the rest of the world the sort of access to chess information enjoyed by Soviet players. The company has sold three million books in 150 countries, according to its website.<ref name="sahovski">[http://www.chessinformant.org/about-chess-informant/ Chess Informant website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627192747/http://www.chessinformant.org/about-chess-informant/# |date=2017-06-27 }}, "About Us" section</ref>


''Chess Informant'' published two issues per year in 1966–1990, and since 1991 has published three issues per year.<ref>David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld, ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'' (Oxford UP, 1996), p.251.</ref> Each issue offers several hundred games or fragments of games from master play, many annotated by the players themselves. A board of leading players selects the best games of each issue, and these are republished in the next issue often with more extensive annotations. Each issue since ''Chess Informant 5'' has included a combinations section with problems from recent play. A similar endings section has also become a standard feature.
Chess Informant published two issues per year in 1966–1990, three issues per year in 1991–2011<ref>David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld, ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'' (Oxford UP, 1996), p.251.</ref> and four issues per year since 2012. Each issue offers several hundred games or fragments of games from master play, mostly annotated by the players themselves. A board of leading players selects the best games of each issue, and these are republished in the next issue often with more extensive annotations. Each issue since ''Chess Informant 5'' has included a combinations section with problems from recent play. A similar [[chess endgame|endings]] section has also become a standard feature.


For two decades prior to the emergence of computer databases, ''Chess Informant'' publications were a leading source of games and analysis for serious chess players.<ref>Edward Winter laments them as a "convenient research prop" that fuel ignorance of history. ''Kings, Commoners, and Knaves'', p. 297.</ref> The publication routinely appears in the bibliography of texts on specific chess openings<ref>John Watson, ''Play the French'', 3d edition, p. 4; Graham Burgess, ''Winning with the Smith–Morra Gambit'', p.4; Glenn Flear, ''The Ruy Lopez Main Line'', p. 4.</ref> and other chess texts.<ref>Garry Kasparov, ''My Great Predecessors, Part IV, Fischer'', p.493.</ref> Former world champion [[Garry Kasparov]] asserted, "We are all children of ''Informant''" and then explained that his own development as a chess player corresponded with the ascent of ''Chess Informant''{{'}}s popularity. Other world champions, including [[Anatoly Karpov]], [[Vladimir Kramnik]], and [[Viswanathan Anand]], attest that ''Informant'' is central to their tournament preparation.
Previously, the main games were presented in full, showing all the moves played. More recently, many of the main games are in fact game fragments, where the coverage ends around move 20 to 30. Reviewing the Informant for The Chess Cafe, [[Carsten Hansen]] viewed this as an improvement, since the sudden death [[time control]]s often lead to hasty play at the end of game due to time pressure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen101.pdf|title=Yearbooks and Serials (Checkpoint)|last=Hansen|first=Carsten|date=October, 2007|publisher=[[Chesscafe.com]]|accessdate=2009-05-11}}</ref> He was more critical of truncating the game after the opening or early [[chess middlegame|middlegame]] in a 2009 review.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen120.pdf|title=More Repertoires (Checkpoint)|last=Hansen|first=Carsten|date=May 2009|publisher=[[Chesscafe.com]]|accessdate=2009-05-11}}</ref>
From millions of games played at some of the most important tournaments at the globe, more than 110,000 games have been published in first 112 volumes of ''Chess Informant'' series (1966–2011). Among contributors there were more than 5,000 notable chess players including all the world champions from [[Max Euwe]] to Anand.


The ''Chess Informant'' system of codes for the classification of chess openings, and its [[Chess punctuation|system of symbols]] have set the international standard<ref>See, for example, Artur Yusupov, ''The Petroff Defence'', Progress in Chess, vol. 1 (Zurich: Edition Olms, 1999); also Bruce Pandolfini, "A Fiery Cauldron of Competition," ''Chess Life'' (July 2006), p.45 (referring to the widely understood +− as "''Informant'' speak").</ref> for organizing chess information and communicating this information across language barriers. The system of codes is explained in ten languages on the front of each issue of ''Informant'', the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'', and other publications.
For two decades prior to the emergence of computer databases, ''Chess Informant'' publications were a leading source of games and analysis for serious chess players.<ref>Edward Winter laments them as a "convenient research prop" that fuel ignorance of history. ''Kings, Commoners, and Knaves'', p. 297.</ref> The publication routinely appears in the bibliography of texts on specific chess openings<ref>John Watson, ''Play the French'', 3d edition, p. 4; Graham Burgess, ''Winning with the Smith-Morra Gambit'', p.4; Glenn Flear, ''The Ruy Lopez Main Line'', p. 4.</ref> and other chess texts.<ref>Garry Kasparov, ''My Great Predecessors, Part IV, Fischer'', p.493.</ref>


On April 1, 2008, Chess Informant issued its one-hundredth issue.<ref>[http://www.chessvibes.com/personal/chess-informant-no-100-interview-aleksandar-matanovic/ ''Chess Informant'' No. 100 : ChessVibes<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405194748/http://www.chessvibes.com/personal/chess-informant-no-100-interview-aleksandar-matanovic/ |date=April 5, 2008 }}</ref>
The Chess Informant system of codes for the classification of chess openings, and its [[Chess punctuation|system of symbols]] have set the international standard<ref>See, for example, Artur Yusupov, ''The Petroff Defence'', Progress in Chess, vol. 1 (Zurich: Edition Olms, 1999); also Bruce Pandolfini, "A Fiery Cauldron of Competition," ''Chess Life'' (July 2006), p.45 (referring to the widely understood +− as "''Informant'' speak").</ref> for organizing chess information and communicating this information across language barriers. The system of codes is explained in ten languages on the front of each issue of ''Informant'', the [[Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings]], and other publications. Former world champion [[Garry Kasparov]] asserted "We are all Children of the Informant,"<ref>[http://www.sahovski.co.rs/other/beyond/article47_ws.htm The Best of Chess Informant]: Garry Kasparov</ref> and then explained that his own development as a chess player corresponded with the ascendance of Chess Informant's popularity. Other world champions, including [[Anatoly Karpov]], [[Vladimir Kramnik]], and [[Vishwanathan Anand]], attest that Informant is central to their tournament preparation.<ref name="sahovski"/>


Starting from Volume 113 (2012), Chess Informant has introduced major changes in its structure, including several authors' columns written in English, e.g. "Garry's choice" by Garry Kasparov, "Top Five" by selected top grandmasters, "Labs- theoretical surveys" by ten selected grandmasters, etc.<ref>[http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8028 Kasparov – picking games for the ''Chess Informant'']</ref>
On April 1, 2008, ''Informant'' issued its one-hundredth issue.<ref>[http://www.chessvibes.com/personal/chess-informant-no-100-interview-aleksandar-matanovic/ Chess Informant no. 100 : ChessVibes<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of chess periodicals]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.sahovski.co.rs/index.php Chess Informant website]
* [https://sahovski.com/ Chess Informant]


{{Chess}}
[[Category:Chess publications]]
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chess publishing companies]]
[[Category:Chess in Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Chess in Serbia]]
[[Category:Chess in Serbia]]
[[Category:1966 in chess]]
[[Category:1966 in chess]]
[[Category:Publications established in 1966]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1966]]

[[br:Chess Informant]]
[[de:Schachinformator]]
[[es:Informador ajedrecístico]]
[[fa:چس اینفورمنت]]
[[fr:Informateur d'échecs]]
[[it:Informatore Scacchistico]]
[[pt:Chess Informant]]
[[sr:Šahovski informator]]
[[ru:Шаховски информатор]]
[[fi:Chess Informant]]

Latest revision as of 01:32, 20 December 2024

Chess Informant, issue No. 97 (2006)

Chess Informant (Serbian: Šahovski Informator) is a publishing company from Belgrade, Serbia that periodically (since 2012, four volumes per year) produces volumes of a book entitled Chess Informant, as well as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings, Opening Monographs, other print publications, and software (including electronic editions of most print publications). Aleksandar Matanović and Milivoje Molerović founded the company in 1966 for the purpose of offering the rest of the world the sort of access to chess information enjoyed by Soviet players. The company has sold three million books in 150 countries, according to its website.[1]

Chess Informant published two issues per year in 1966–1990, three issues per year in 1991–2011[2] and four issues per year since 2012. Each issue offers several hundred games or fragments of games from master play, mostly annotated by the players themselves. A board of leading players selects the best games of each issue, and these are republished in the next issue often with more extensive annotations. Each issue since Chess Informant 5 has included a combinations section with problems from recent play. A similar endings section has also become a standard feature.

For two decades prior to the emergence of computer databases, Chess Informant publications were a leading source of games and analysis for serious chess players.[3] The publication routinely appears in the bibliography of texts on specific chess openings[4] and other chess texts.[5] Former world champion Garry Kasparov asserted, "We are all children of Informant" and then explained that his own development as a chess player corresponded with the ascent of Chess Informant's popularity. Other world champions, including Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik, and Viswanathan Anand, attest that Informant is central to their tournament preparation. From millions of games played at some of the most important tournaments at the globe, more than 110,000 games have been published in first 112 volumes of Chess Informant series (1966–2011). Among contributors there were more than 5,000 notable chess players including all the world champions from Max Euwe to Anand.

The Chess Informant system of codes for the classification of chess openings, and its system of symbols have set the international standard[6] for organizing chess information and communicating this information across language barriers. The system of codes is explained in ten languages on the front of each issue of Informant, the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, and other publications.

On April 1, 2008, Chess Informant issued its one-hundredth issue.[7]

Starting from Volume 113 (2012), Chess Informant has introduced major changes in its structure, including several authors' columns written in English, e.g. "Garry's choice" by Garry Kasparov, "Top Five" by selected top grandmasters, "Labs- theoretical surveys" by ten selected grandmasters, etc.[8]

See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ Chess Informant website Archived 2017-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, "About Us" section
  2. ^ David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld, The Oxford Companion to Chess (Oxford UP, 1996), p.251.
  3. ^ Edward Winter laments them as a "convenient research prop" that fuel ignorance of history. Kings, Commoners, and Knaves, p. 297.
  4. ^ John Watson, Play the French, 3d edition, p. 4; Graham Burgess, Winning with the Smith–Morra Gambit, p.4; Glenn Flear, The Ruy Lopez Main Line, p. 4.
  5. ^ Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part IV, Fischer, p.493.
  6. ^ See, for example, Artur Yusupov, The Petroff Defence, Progress in Chess, vol. 1 (Zurich: Edition Olms, 1999); also Bruce Pandolfini, "A Fiery Cauldron of Competition," Chess Life (July 2006), p.45 (referring to the widely understood +− as "Informant speak").
  7. ^ Chess Informant No. 100 : ChessVibes Archived April 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Kasparov – picking games for the Chess Informant
[edit]