ChessBase Cafe (2009-2015)

Table of contents :
OCT 2009 Openings for 1.e4 Players......Page 1
NOV 2009 To Explain or Not to Explain
......Page 8
DEC 2009 Playing the Board and the Man
......Page 18
JAN 2010 Edging out the Spring Chickens
......Page 28
FEB 2010 The World of the Repertoire
......Page 41
MAR 2010 The Magicians
......Page 49
APR 2010 Not All Fritz Trainers Were Created Equal
......Page 58
MAY 2010 All Openings are Created Equal, But They Don’t Stay That Way
......Page 66
MAY 2010 You Kan have Two Knights with a 1.d4 Repertoire
......Page 74
JUN 2010 A Short Exchange and an O’Kelly
......Page 82
JUN 2010 You Can Squeeze the Slav into a Winning Structure
......Page 89
JUL 2010 A Magazine that Really Talks Chess!
......Page 97
JUL 2010 Private Notes
......Page 102
AUG 2010 Being Alexei Shirov
......Page 108
OCT 2010 Power Playing Your Way to Tactical Mastery
......Page 111
NOV 2010 Ammo for Smith-Morra Gambiteers!
......Page 116
DEC 2010 Extreme Opposites
......Page 122
JAN 2011 The Domain of Practice
......Page 130
FEB 2011 Black is OK in the Benko
......Page 135
MAR 2011 Educational Excellence
......Page 138
APR 2011 Mastering the Carslbad
......Page 143
MAY 2011 Prophylaxis and Pawn Protected Squares
......Page 149
JUN 2011 You Can Always Sac a Pawn!
......Page 157
JUL 2011 Gentleman, Start Your Engines!
......Page 167
AUG 2011 Orthodox and Unorthodox Approaches
......Page 174
SEP 2011 Wealth of Information
......Page 181
OCT 2011 Training and Testing
......Page 188
NOV 2011 From the Opening to the Middlegame
......Page 193
DEC 2011 Playing on the Flanks: Not Just for Hypermoderns
......Page 200
JAN 2012 The Battleground of Ideas
......Page 208
FEB 2012 Something for Everyone
......Page 217
MAR 2012 Too Much Chess, Even for Me!
......Page 228
APR 2012 The Hits Just Keep On Coming!
......Page 236
MAY 2012 Opening Choices
......Page 245
JUN 2012 Bring Down the Wall
......Page 254
JUL 2012 Summertime Training
......Page 263
AUG 2012 A Good Start!
......Page 273
SEP 2012 Before the Ending
......Page 279
OCT 2012 In Search of an Opening Repertoire
......Page 286
NOV 2012 All About Checkmate
......Page 292
DEC 2012 A Head Start
......Page 297
JAN 2013 Fighting for e4
......Page 301
FEB 2013 Aiming to Achieve
......Page 305
MAR 2013 The Modern Slav Modernized
......Page 309
APR 2013 The Irish Bear Defense
......Page 312
MAY 2013 Learning the Hard Way
......Page 318
JUN 2013 Throwing Down the Gauntlet
......Page 323
JUL 2013 Hello Old Friend
......Page 329
AUG 2013 Spassky Redeemed
......Page 335
SEP 2013 Going Mainstream
......Page 341
OCT 2013 Armas Peligrosas!
......Page 349
NOV 2013 More Crashes than a Demolition Derby
......Page 355
DEC 2013 Amazing Functionality and Value
......Page 360
JAN 2014 An Interactive Coaching Session
......Page 368
JUL 2014 Tutorial: UCI Engines in Fritz 13
......Page 373
AUG 2014 Tutorial: Creating a Personal Tournament Book
......Page 377
SEP 2014 Tutorial: Building an Opening Repertoire
......Page 384
OCT 2014 Master Class Vol. 2: Mihail Tal
......Page 388
OCT 2014 ABC of the English Opening
......Page 392
NOV 2014 Tutorial: Creating a Multimedia Database
......Page 397
DEC 2014 Unlucky 13
......Page 401
JAN 2015 Hours of Chess Fun
......Page 406
FEB 2015 Knowing the King's Indian is a Must!
......Page 413
MAR 2015 Learn the McCutcheon
......Page 418
APR 2015 A University Education
......Page 421

Citation preview

Louis Lima is an active tournament player in Long Island, NY. He holds a Masters Degree in Training & Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. He has been involved in the field of intercultural training for fifteen years and currently serves as training director for Prudential Relocation's Intercultural Group.

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima

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His published articles include "Faux Pas and Adventures of a Latino in the American Workplace," "Communication Etiquette 101" and "Utilizing a Competency-Based Model to Enhance Intercultural Training Effectiveness." Louis speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. He enjoys making chess instructional videos, and currently teaches chess to young children at Tzu-Chi Foundation's Chinese School in Oyster Bay, NY.

Openings for 1.e4 Players

Fritz 12

I have been a hopeless chess media junkie for some years now, amassing a number of videos, DVDs, and Fritz Trainers that I am too embarrassed to count. However, I am glad to make good use of my learning experiences with these products. I often refer Fritz Trainers to my friends as the next generation of chess media instruction. The advantages over traditional chess videos and DVDs include the ability to clearly see the presenter and the board, the ability to pause the video in order to examine the game notation, and the option of adding a computer engine to evaluate the lines while the presenter is speaking. When a presenter makes the most of this new medium it can truly feel like having a live GM coach by your side. Thus, the overall quality and effectiveness of a Fritz Trainer is often impacted by how the presenter maximizes the opportunities this relatively new platform provides. All the authors featured in this column have a long history of appearing in videos and DVDs, but some have adapted better than others to the Fritz Trainer platform.

The Philidor Defense by Alexei Shirov

The f4 Sicilian (DVD) by GM Nigel Davies, Running Time: 4 hrs. This opening is commonly referred to as the Grand Prix Attack and it is an attempt by White to launch a quick kingside attack, with the mighty f-pawn usually leading the charge into Black’s camp. The position is reached via 1.e4 c5 2.f4, though players who want to avoid 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 lines tend to prefer the move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3, and only then play 3.f4. The early f-pawn push not only helps open up lines against Black’s king, but also gains space for a quick piece transfer into the attacking zone via maneuvers such as rooks lifts along the ffile and the transfer of the queen via e1. A cute little miniature illustrating the kind of massacre White can inflict can be seen in the following game (which is not on the DVD): Lorenz, Sascha (2306) Kiesekamp, Marcos (2223) Berlin 2000, 1.e4 c5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.Bb5 Bg7 5.0–0 e6 6.Bxc6 bxc6 7.Nc3 d5 8.d3 Rb8 9.Qe1 Nh6 10.f5 gxf5?? 11. Qg3 1–0. Davies begins with a sample game outlining several key features of White’s attack when it succeeds, and then moves on to demonstrate a couple of games advocating the ever-interesting “Tal’s Gambit” after 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 Nf6!?. Davies also shows us a game where he tried to sidestep the gambit with 3.Nc3. These are Davies own games and he does this to build up a case for reaching the f4 Sicilian via the move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 followed by 3.

ABC of Chess Openings by Andrew Martin

f4. Readers should know that this is not a repertoire DVD, where Davies suggests specific lines and then presents sample supporting games. Instead, we have a series of games that sketches the historical trajectory of the f4 Sicilian; a bit of case builder that presents a survey of various ideas. For example, after 1.e4 c5 2.f4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Nd4 we reach one of the main positions in this line.

Here Davies explains that White has many responses such as 6.Nxd4, 6.Bc4, 6.Bd3, 6.Ba4, 6.a4, and he presents a sample game for each of these lines. He then moves on to recommend 6.0-0 and shows several illustrative games in this line. Although Black did not win any of these games, he occasionally offers ways for Black to combat these positions. By now the case has been made that 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 is the way to go and Davies proceeds to show us a sample game that outlines the reasons why Najdorf players need to leave their pet variation pronto after 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4. He then concentrates the rest of the DVD on 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 lines, commenting on several games and concluding with a recent idea for White (1. e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5!? trying to trade on c6, and only then to follow with 4. f4) and another one for Black (1.c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 f5.) Overall, I found the video stimulating, and I particularly appreciated the wide array of ideas for both sides, though the DVD tends to concentrate on the white side of the picture. The DVD does have some shortcomings, which perhaps makes the product have less appeal to players rated 1500 and below. For one, Davies occasionally speeds through certain sequences of moves with no explanation and appearing slightly bored. He sometimes ends a variation with a comment such as “I assess this as good for White,” without any explanation as to why this is so. If he is going to explain obvious things such as why White’s bishop cannot go to b5 after 1.e4 c5 2.f4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 as he does on the DVD, then he should also justify his subjective evaluations in complex positions. Some very brief and succinct comments regarding his final assessments in these instances would probably be highly appreciated by lowerrated players. For those rated less than 2000, I would suggest PowerPlay3: Pawnstorm by GM King as an excellent companion volume. King goes into practical detail about positions featuring the f-pawn advance, and I have improved my game through his insights. The f4 Sicilian by Davies runs for four hours, and it is surprising that he does not take the time to describe the disadvantages of pushing the f4-pawn. While the f4-push does gain space and can open lines of attack, it does not develop a piece and it weakens White’s kingside along the second rank and g1-h6 diagonal. In addition, when the f-pawn gets stuck on f4, the bishop on c1 often makes a poor impression. Perhaps this is the reason the f4 Sicilian is a “perennial favorite with club players” but only a surprise practical choice of GMs.

Order The f4 Sicilian by Nigel Davies

The ABC of the Vienna (DVD) by IM Andrew Martin, Running time: 3 hrs. and 43 min. As a 1.e4 player who has never played the Vienna, I wondered whether Martin’s ABC of the Vienna would make me want to try it out in tournament play. The DVD certainly sparked my interest, and I can only hope my regular opponents at the local chess club are not reading this column. The Vienna is characterized by the moves 1.e4 e5 and 2.Nc3. If you have never played this opening before it might attract you for the same reasons as it did me: To avoid die-hard players of the Petroff Defense (yes, they exist) and to try enter the King’s Gambit without running into a booked-up Albin Countergambiteer after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5. This is a repertoire DVD where Martin recommends specific lines, and uses various illustrative games to demonstrate typical play: a) 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 White plays 3.Bc4, followed by a speedy d3 and f4, except when Black plays 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6. In these instances, White abandons the f4 idea and opts for 4.d3 and 5.Nge2. There are a total of eight lectures in the 2…Nc6 line. b) 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 we see 3.g3 where White fianchettoes the bishop and adds extra control to d5, a square of special importance in Vienna strategy. There are nine lectures covering this line. c) One lecture on 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 where he recommends 3.Bc4 Nf6 4. f4 d) One lecture on 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 where Martin again advocates 3.Bc4 and looks at Black’s attempt to contest the a2-g8 diagonal with 3…Be6. e) One lecture exploring 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 where the recommended continuation is 3.f4 f) One lecture on 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 featuring a game played by Alexander Alekhine during a simul tour in 1924. I have mixed impressions about this DVD. Martin is terrific when it comes to utilizing the Fritz Trainer platform. He often smiles and makes eye-contact with the camera, and speaks in a clear, eloquent, and entertaining manner. He also plays through the moves at a moderate pace, while making good use of the ability to use arrows and colors to highlight his ideas. The video starts with a valuable nine-minute lecture summarizing the basic ideas in open games. For White he discusses the f7-weakness, control of d5, and the attempt to outstrip Black of his queenside play. For Black he discusses the f2-square, the liberation of Black’s position with d5, and keeping up the pace with White regarding queenside development. I walked away from this mini-lecture with a greater understanding of basic ideas in the Vienna as well as other openings. In fact, Martin did such a great job in his open game summary, that when he moved on to his first inspirational game Sheldrick (2161) – Rout (1949) Australian Open, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 0-0 5.f4 exf4 6. Bxf4 c6, I thought Black is doing fine and getting on with the d5-break Martin had just mentioned. Except, this is how Martin assesses this position: “…And now here is the first sign that Black wants to get d5 in. He plays c6, but already I believe Black’s position is critical, this only after six moves” This left me slightly puzzled, and after the following move 7.Qf3 the obvious d5-break I just learned from Martin is screaming to be played. This move is

completely overlooked in his commentary. 7…d5 is very much possible here since White’s king has not castled yet. If 8.exd5, Black has a nice number of choices such as 8...Re8, 8...Bg4 or 8...Qb6; and if White plays 8.Bb3, Black has already achieved one of his opening objectives. I often felt Martin underestimated Black’s chances in many positions, and over-dramatized moves where logical alternatives were available. A perfect example of this is illustrated in a sample variation he presents in the game Larsen-Portisch from the Candidates Match in 1968. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Na5 5.Nge2 Nxc4 6.dxc4 Be7 7.0–0 d6 8.b3 0–0 9.Ng3 c6 10. Bb2 Qa5? 11.Qe1! Qc7, he offers the variation 11...Be6 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Nxe7 + Qxe7

Martin comments “…And the problem in this position is of course the pawn on d6. So White can start putting pressure on it immediately, for instance, with a move like 14.Ba3 and Black’s position here is prospect-less. I mean, Black can play the move 14…c5, but then how on earth is Black going to shake the grip on d5?…” I agree Black’s pawn on d6 is weak, but even the average 1900-rated player Martin often refers to on this DVD would think twice before leaving himself with a gaping hole on d5. Why not simply sidestep the pin with 14.Qc7 and keep the d5-break possibility alive? It is this superficial treatment by Martin that I found slightly irritating at times. I subscribe to his philosophy of incorporating some offbeat openings into one’s repertoire, in order to occasionally catch unprepared opponents. However, it would be helpful to enter Martin’s recommended lines with more realistic assessments. Martin does a great job at making succinct and lively comments that any rated-level player can understand, but the actual moves don’t always back his commentary. It is perfectly appropriate to show illustrative games that contain mistakes, but these ought to be pointed out by the presenter, and this is not always the case with Martin. One example of this is the last game in the DVD, which shows a sparkling game by Alekhine. The game is a nice illustration of White’s attacking chances in the Vienna, and serves as a final inspirational game in the DVD: Alekhine-Downman USA Simul Tour 1924 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3. Bc4 d6 4.f4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.0–0 Nf6 7.d3 0–0 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Nd4 10. Qd1 Bc5 11.Kh1 exf4 12.Bxf4 Qd7 13.Bg5 Ne8 14.Nd5 Nc6 15.Qh5 Kh8 16. Rf6 Bd4

During the game Downman allowed Alekhine to offer a second rook after 17. Raf1 Bxf6 18.Rxf6, and Black can’t recapture on f6 without Alekhine announcing mate in five or six moves. However, from an attacker’s perspective, the critical line to consider is typically the one that gives up the most material. Thus, after 17.Raf1, it seems to me that the critical line is not 17…Bxf6 but 17…gxf6, losing a whole rook for the g-pawn. Martin overlooks this move in his excitement to show White’s attack. Surely 17… gxf6 is an ugly move, but I couldn’t come up with a way for White to wrap things up as Alekhine did during the actual game continuation. 17…gxf6 clears the g7-square for the knight to defend the kingside, and Black’s pieces are not that far away from the king as it visually appears. However, I still recommend this DVD to anyone looking to sit back and enjoy a series of lectures on the Vienna, or to the club level player who wants to start building a repertoire in this opening.

Order The ABC of the Vienna by Andrew Martin

The Sicilian with 3.Bb5 (DVD) by GM Alexei Shirov, Running time: 7 hours. In The Sicilian with 3.Bb5, Shirov shares his experiences playing both sides of the 3.Bb5 system of the Sicilian Defense, also known as the Rossolimo Variation. It is a popular choice at all levels, mainly to avoid theory-laden lines such as those encountered in the Sveshnikov Variation. This is a truly outstanding production. We are treated to over seven hours of learning from one of the most creative and original players of all time. Those who follow chess history know that the player sitting across Garry Kasparov at the Classical World Chess Championship in the year 2000 should had been Shirov, and not Kramnik, whom Shirov defeated in the 1998 Candidates Match by a score of 5½-3½. Currently eighteenth in the world rankings, Shirov provides us with chess of the highest level. It can’t get much higher than when introducing his game against Carlsen, he states that at the time of the game, the Norwegian prodigy had a “relatively modest, I would put, rating of 2720.” His other opponents include the likes of Kasparov, Kramnik, Kamsky, Morozevich, Leko, Rublevsky, Van Wely and many others. The DVD contains three lectures for each of the main moves after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. These are 3…g6, 3… Nf6, and 3...e6. There is also one lecture for 3…d6. The move 3…e5 is not covered, but Shirov feels it is not as strong and suggests the plan 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5 4.0-0 Ng7 5.Bc4, threatening Ng5, and if 5…h6, then c3, followed by d4, with the idea of taking control of the center, and giving White a slight advantage. In addition, the DVD contains three bonus lectures from previous Fritz Trainers: Shirov-Pedrojevic and Shirov-Leko from My Best Games in the Sicilian, and Akopian-Shirov from My Best Games with Black.

These add-on lectures reinforced the general concepts presented in the new material. The line with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ is not covered in this DVD. Shirov comments that it is “almost absolutely clear Black can achieve equality in an easy way” by playing 3…Bd7 4.Bxd7 Qxd7 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 g6. He shows his disdain for players of the white pieces opting to play this “non-fighting” move. For black players encountering 3.Bb5+ he recommends 3…Bd7 and to search for Boris Gelfand’s games in this line. Shirov paints a realistic view of the game. Chess is a very complicated proposition, so don’t expect an answer from him as to which move is best: 3… g6, 3...Nf6, 3…e6, or 3…d6. He will readily admit that when it comes to White’s best approach against these moves he has more questions than answers. For Shirov, 3.Bb5 is the “beginning of a very complicated opening” and he half-jokingly points out that he has been finding himself playing 3.d4 to avoid the Rossolimo. In spite of the above complexities you can rest assured that Shirov will try to get to the truth for both sides of the Rossolimo. He will weave in and out of endless variations; always taking the time to verbally explain his moves and positional assessments. Shirov can be entirely forgiven for not making any eye contact with the camera, misplacing the color commentary, or occasionally landing in the wrong variation. This is because he is constantly analyzing, assessing, and re-assessing moves as he explains them. Most presenters prepare their material in advance to make a case. Shirov comes in prepared as well, but is not interested in advocating any lines. He simply wants to get to the truth. One can often sense he is thinking about a past variation as he speaks about the present one, and surely one sees him going back to it until he is completely satisfied with an answer (even if the answer was that the position remained unclear). Often times he would go silent as he analyzes a position, and apologizes for taking a break as he wanted to be one hundred percent honest and truthful to the viewer. At the start of the lecture featuring Shirov-Van Wely from Bundesliga 2003 after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Qc7 5.0-0 e6 he comments “It is always very risky to say that on move five someone is already wrong, and of course there are no certain refutations. However, I prefer Nd4. I think in this game I could show well the drawbacks of e6.” Unsurprisingly, he returns later to say that he was probably too strict in his assessment of 5…e6, because after 6.Re1 d6 still offers playing chances. What next? Shirov begins to discern what can happen after 6…d6! Given Shirov’s depth of analysis, most lectures were thirty to forty minutes long. The lecture presenting the game Bologan-Shirov from the third round of the 2008 Poikovsky event is fifty-six minutes long. The game between ShirovZhang from the Rapid Corsica Masters is forty-four minutes long. In this game twenty minutes had passed and Shirov was still exploring alternative variations before 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Qc7. It was mesmerizing to watch him think and display his analytical skills. Most viewers will need to go over these lectures several times, slowly, in order to take everything in. Still, I think even lower-rated players can learn a great deal from Shirov’s verbal comments and advice. A simple, but good illustration of this was in his game against Van Wely. After reaching the end of one of the variations, we arrive at the following position:

Here Shirov assesses this position as probably good for White, and goes on to briefly explain that this is because White can play Bg5 and trade the bishop on e7, leaving Black with a bad bishop on c8. Even if I was unable to keep up with him in the variation leading to this position, I learned that I can sometimes improve my position by trading my opponent’s active pieces, which would accentuate the bad ones left on the board. Shirov often dropped such pearls of wisdom in his positional assessments. I recommend this DVD to anyone interested in the 3.Bb5 Sicilian. Shirov’s analyses are often complex, but he does not try to convince us that chess is easy. I would much rather leave a chess lecture feeling confused than incredulous.

Order The Sicilian with 3.Bb5 by Alexei Shirov

© 2009 All Rights Reserved.

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To Explain or Not to Explain

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima

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I wonder how much thought goes into deciding on the amount of verbal commentary and variations to present in a Fritz Trainer DVD on the opening. If the presenter puts the pedal to the metal and zooms past moves without any explanation, while jumping in and out of endless variations, then lower-rated players will often be at a loss and soon lose interest in their purchase. If the lecturer talks too much in basic positions, then advanced players might get bored and deem the material too superficial. It is difficult to serve two masters, and I suspect the commentary-length factor boils down to a matter of style and the subject matter. It is through this factor that I assess this month's Fritz Trainers. Scandinavian the Easy Way (2nd edition) by Andrew Martin – Running time: 4 hours

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Fritz 12

The Scandinavian is somewhat of a controversial defense. We learn as beginners not to neglect development, and not to bring our queen out too early in the opening. However, this is exactly what Black does in the Scandinavian and many of us have fallen flat on our faces pushing our advantage with White, only to end up with misplaced pieces and subject to Black's counterattack. This is perhaps why the Scandinavian is so appealing at club-level. The Scandinavian the Easy Way explores the variation after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6!?. It is commonly known as the Pytel variation named after IM Krzysztof Pytel. However, you'll see all sorts of names out there for this variation, including the Bronstein, Modern, Gubnitsky-Pytel, Pytel-Wade, and even a "SchillerPytel" mention. Maybe it should be called the Pytel-Tiviakov variation, after GM Sergei Tiviakov who has been testing this line at the grandmaster level.

ChessBase Magazine #132 Edited by Rainer Knaak

Martin does a superb job at explaining the ideas behind this line, discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of 3…Qd6, as well typical piece placement and main strategic concepts after 1.e4 d5 2.exd4 Qxd4 3.Nc3 Qd6 5.Nf3 a6. One of the main ideas is for Black to prepare the liberating move ... c5, illustrated by Martin after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 a6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 Bb7 8.0–0 e6 9.Re1 Nbd7 ABC of Chess Openings by Andrew Martin

The first game featured in Martin's DVD is a sparkling win from GM Stripunsky against GM Goldin at the 2004 U.S. Championship. I'm fortunate to enjoy a monthly study group facilitated by Stripunsky and asked his thoughts on the Pytel. He commented that in some ways Black is trying to reach a Sicilian pawn structure. In the Sicilian we play 1…c5 and aim for the

d5 pawn break. In the Scandinavian we immediately achieve d5 at the cost of some tempi, and then aim for c5. Martin often reinforced this and other ideas throughout his sample games in this DVD. For instance, one of the disadvantages of 3…Qd6 is that the queen often gets harassed from d6, and sometimes trapped altogether. Martin devotes a short lecture on ways to avoid this and shows a few examples of what can happen if Black is not careful. This DVD covers the following lines: ●

●

●

1.e4 d5 2.exd4 Qxd4 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 a6. Several lectures look at White's possible responses, including 6.g3, 6.Bc4, 6.Bd3, 6. Ne5, 6.Bg5, and 6.h3. 1.e4 d5 2.exd4 Qxd4 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6. Here the lectures cover 5. Bc4 followed by 6.Nge2, 5.Be2, 5.Bd3 a6, and 5.Bg5 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.g3

Martin also provides us with several brief lectures discussing various sidelines. These bits are helpful starting points to investigate further and they include ● ● ●

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5. Here Martin explores 3.Nf3 and 3.d4 responses 1.e4 d5 2.Nc3 Unusual second moves including 2.e5 and 2.d4 (Blackmar-Diemer Gambit)

Martin often recommends the plan with ...b5 and ...Bb7 against many White set-ups. However, the line 1.e4 d5 2.exd4 Qxd4 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 a6 6.g3 b5 has been refuted in recent play. This seems to have prompted an updated edition of Scandinavian the Easy Way, which is labeled as "2nd Edition with updates and advice in all critical lines" Somewhat naively; I was expecting re-recorded sessions with updated material, and when I opened the first lecture it seemed funny to me Martin was wearing the same shirt as in the "original" DVD. It took me a minute to realize the second edition is the exact same DVD, but with seven additional lectures labeled under "Scandinavian Update" and placed at the very end of the video clip page. This strikes me as rather lazy from Chessbase. Anyone picking up this DVD for the first time is likely to look at it in a linear fashion. Imagine making your way through an opening book, only to find out at the end that the lines are now considered dubious by the author. Fortunately this only happens for the line with 6.g3 b5, as the rest are not really updates of critical lines, but alternative suggestions from the first edition. I would recommend buyers to first look at the introductory two lectures, and then move on to the updated content at the end of DVD before returning to the main content. The seven lectures in the Scandinavian update cover ●

1.e4 d5 2.exd4 Qxd4 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 a6 6.g3 Bg4 (Lectures

● ● ●

1-2) 1.e4 d5 2.exd4 Qxd4 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 (Lectures 3-5) 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nd4 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bf5 (Lecture 6) 1.e4 d5 2.Nc3 (Lecture 7).

Aside from the Scandinavian updates, the games are not referenced in the database file. Instead, you are only able to see the moves as variations or subvariations without any reference to the player's names or tournament event. This can be a minor inconvenience to the serious tournament player. Martin does tell you where the game comes from during the lecture, but the variations should be properly referenced in the annotations. Overall, The Scandinavian the Easy Way is a terrific starting point for players wanting to employ the Scandinavian with 3…Qd6. Martin's generous verbal assessments and commentary throughout this DVD makes this opening accessible to any club-level player.

Order Scandinavian the Easy Way (2nd ed.) by Andrew Martin

The Arkhangelsk by Adrian Mikhalchihin – Running time: Five hours. I approached the Arkhangelsk's review with great excitement, as one of my top five Chessbase Trainers is The Secret Weapons of the Champions with GM Adrian Mikhalchihin. Just as in this previous work, Mikhalchishin infuses his Arkhangelsk lectures with interesting historical references and anecdotes, increasing our chess culture and overall enjoyment of the game. You will not only immerse in "one of the youngest kids of the Ruy Lopez" as Mikhalchihin affectionately dubs this variation, but you will also learn about the history of the Ruy Lopez, the players, and key encounters that shaped Archangelsk opening theory. The Arkhangelsk is a sharp attempt by Black to get an active middlegame position in the Ruy Lopez. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7, Black has been able to post his light-squared bishop on a strong diagonal, and will often bring his dark-squared bishop to c5, exercising strong pressure on White's center and generating attacking prospects on the kingside. This quick piece deployment comes at the expense of delayed castling, and White can try to exploit this. One illustration of this is the game Acs, Peter (2542) – Beliavsky, Alexander (2640) from the Hungary championship in 2000, which included in this DVD: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.c3 Nxe4 8.d4 Na5 9.Bc2 exd4 10.Re1 d5 11.b4 Nc6 12.Nxd4 Be7 13.f3 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 Nf6 15.Bg5 Qd6 16.Nd2 Qb6 17.Nb3 Qxd4+ 18.Nxd4 Kf8 19.Nf8 Bd8 20.a4!

Mikhalchishin points out that "White has very good compensation because all Black pieces are badly situated. King has not castled, and rooks are not in the

game. So, for this reason, White's compensation is sufficient for the pawn." Black's kingside can also be vulnerable when the bishop goes to b7. It is natural then, that the main line involves pinning the knight on f6 after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.Re1 Bc5 8. 9.d4 Bb6 10.Bg5. The Arkhangelsk includes a database file with forty-eight games; many of them heavily annotated with variations. This can serve as an excellent resource for further study. The lecture content includes: ●

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 – In two lectures Mikalchihin looks at 7.Ng5, 7.Qe2 and 7.d4 sidelines 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.Re1 Bc5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 considered the main line. We have four lectures here covering 10.Bg5, 10.Nh4, 10.Qd3, 10.a4 and 10.Be3. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.c3 – We learn from Mikhalchihin that this line usually leads to very sharp play where Black needs to be very careful, and devotes ten lectures to this line. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.d3 – White take a positional approach but Black still needs to be careful. Six lectures are devoted to this line.

The DVD concludes with a twenty-two minute lecture titled "Kasparov Arkhangelsk" where Mikhalchishin analyses the Tukmakov-Dorfman game mentioned in Kasparov's book Revolution in the 70s. This DVD is for the advanced club-level player and beyond. Being a very strong grandmaster, Mikhalchishin speaks to us at that level. He often "fastforwards" through several moves, either silently or calling out the moves, without any explanation until he reaches a position he feels worthy of comment. I felt visually overwhelmed most of the time, even after stopping the lectures and returning to the starting position, or clicking back to an earlier point in the DVD. This is not necessarily a criticism; after all, not all Chessbase trainers can be made for a specific level-audience. On the other hand, I feel this DVD is essential for those wanting to employ the Archangelsk. Thus, I would suggest that those rated lower than expert-level approach this DVD in the following manner: ●

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Look at the title of the lecture before opening it. The title will contain the variation that will be presented. Go to the attached database, and study the games first. An excellent way to do this is to use the training tab to play "solitaire chess," where the game notation is covered and you guess the next move. If the moves differ, try to understand why. If your move was wrong, the right response will usually make sense and give you insight into the way you think and assess a position. View the lecture. The moves will make more sense now and you will derive greater enjoyment and satisfaction from the learning experience.

I would recommend the Archangelsk for anyone wanting a deep immersion into this variation, with the caveat that U2000-rated players might need to do some preparation before sitting back to enjoy Mikhalchishin's lectures.

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The Queens Gambit Declined Exchange Variation by Nigel Davies – Running Time: 4 hours This is one of the most accessible Fritz Trainers for the average club-player by Davies. Advanced-level players who would like to verify their overall

understanding in the QGD Exchange can just sit back, relax, and enjoy these lectures while reinforcing their existing knowledge and learn some new things. Davies does a conscientious job of explaining the strategic concepts and ideas in this opening for the average player. He takes every opportunity to drive the main concepts home, and even the lecture titles are named after the main illustrative themes: Ten lectures under "Minority attack" labeled under the titles: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction The weak pawn on c6 The weak pawn on d5 Black meets b4-b5 with c6-c5 White suppresses c5 Drawbacks of b7-b5 Danger to the white king The black rook on the third rank The black knight on c4 Black plays f5-f4

Four lectures under "White castles long" are titled: ● ● ● ●

Introduction The attack wins Black counterattacks Black castles queenside

Nine lectures under "White plays e4" titled: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction White plays 11.Rae1 The Karlsbad variation The Karlsbad antidote White plays f4 Hybrid planning Application 1 (Caro-Kann, Exchanged Variation) Aplication 2 (Grünfeld Defense) Other applications

I wanted to provide some illustration of the amount of explanation Davies gives in key positions. In the second lecture introducing the minority attack Davies provides us with an old game between Steinitz,William - Lee,Francis Joseph. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0–0 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7. cxd5 exd5 8.Qb3 c6 9.Bd3 Re8 10.Nge2 Nd7 11.Qc2 Nf8 12.0–0 g6 13.b4 Here Davies comments: "And this is a very instructive moment, because we got this b4 plan coming in, in order to try and undermine this pawn on c6. When white plays b5 it presents black with a bit of dilemma as to what to do. If he takes himself on b5 with the c pawn, then he would leave the pawn on d5 rather weak. If he doesn't take white is going to take on c6 himself, and then if black were to take back on c6 with a piece he would still have a weak d pawn. Or if he were to take back with the pawn on b7 then he would have a backward pawn on c6 on an open file. So, it's not an easy plan to meet at all, and this is why it is such an effective strategy for White."

After 13…a6 14.a4 Be7 15.b5, Martin pauses again to discuss this position in great detail. Another typical example is the second game of the DVD featuring Byrne-Eliskases from the Helsinki Olympiad in 1952 he starts by commenting: "Now, I mentioned earlier, the weakness on c6 that Black often contracts when he faces the minority attack – In case some of you were thinking that perhaps this is not such a great deal, Black can just defend it, then this game should serve as a warning. It's an example of Black being tortured just because of this weakness and ground down in a long endgame." After the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 c6 7. Qc2, he stops and comments: "This move Qc2 is a means of stopping Black from playing the Bishop out to f5" If you are still wondering why it matters to prevent f5, and what that has to do with minority attack, then don't worry because Davies will explain it: "For example if White were to play 7.Nf3 here, then Black could play this move [7…Bf5] and then white can't play his bishop out to d3 without the light square bishops coming off" If you still don't get it, no worries, Davies continues: "and we are going to go into this a little bit later, but this exchange of bishops makes the minority attack more difficult to engineer – because without these two bishops when white plays b4 this square often becomes weak and you can actually see a black knight jumping on this square and getting all sorts of irritation. So for this reason White really wants to keep the light squares on, and Black in turn often looks to exchange them. So this is why white's queen goes to c2, he is trying to ensure that white doesn't play f5. We could also play the bishop out to d3 in this position – that would be another way to do this." I found Davies's approach incredibly helpful for the average club player like myself. This is one of my favorite Davies productions so far.

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The Budapest Gambit by Andrew Martin – Running time: 4 hours 20 minutes Saving the best for last, The Budapest Gambit is an utterly delightful production by Martin and the ChessBase team. Being a 1.e4 player, I was surprised to find myself going back to see the entertaining lectures in this DVD. Before delving into specific variations, Martin begins with five

lectures outlying specific themes in the Budapest Gambit, which is characterized by the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5!?. The "Theme One" lecture focuses on white's acquisition of the two bishops and how to play against this as black, the doubling of White's pawns on c3 and c4, active piece play and rapid development. To illustrate these themes Martin uses the inspiring game Rubinstein-Vidmar, which I imagine every Budapest Gambiteer knows by heart. Played in 1918 Martin tells us that Vidmar was at a loss as to what to play against Rubinstein, who had acquired an "impregnable" reputation with 1.d4. Talking with friends, someone recommended the Budapest Gambit as a way to surprise Rubinstein. Little did Vidmar know he would win in such style. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 Life would be easy for Black if White allowed him to take the e-pawn back. Therefore, White's initial strategy is concerned with the best approach to defend the e-pawn. There is the obvious 4.Nf3, and Martin notes 4.e4 as a dangerous center-grabbing move by White. There is also 4.Bf4 played during the game, and several other sidelines covered on this DVD. 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nc3 Qe7 7.Qd5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Martin makes quick comments on almost every move, and pauses occasionally to explain the main themes in key positions in greater depth. Between 6…Qe7 and 8.bxc3 he comments: "... You will note that Black is not blocking any pieces in this procedure and is ready to take on e5, so White has to do something drastic if he wants to keep this pawn on e5 and make Black's life uncomfortable, which Rubinstein does with a move which even at that was thought to be very dangerous for Black, the strange-looking Qd5. Now, it's obvious that move is going to be controversial. Yes, White does protect the pawn on e5 and yes he does make life difficult for Black to regain that pawn. Of course the downside of this move is firstly and fore mostly that White allows Blacks to double his pawns. OK, White does have an extra pawn in this position, but how valuable is that extra pawn? These pawns are doubled and crippled, and it is playing against these pawns that characterize play in this particular variation from the Black point of view. How valuable is White's extra pawn in this position? OK White has two bishops. That has to be respected. If the game opens up they might show their strength. So Black creates these double pawns and plays against these pawns as the game progresses. Another plus point in Black's position is the position of the white queen…" Martin continues with his above explanation, and this is a very typical. The viewer will get generous verbal commentary to help understand the ideas behind the Budapest. 8..Qa3 9.Rc1 f6 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.Qd2 d6 12.Nd4 0–0 13.e3

Black to move, what would you play here?

13…Nxd4!

What a bolt from the sky! I would have never thought of straightening White's pawn formation here. 14.cxd4 Ne4 Martin comments: "In the Budapest you have to be specific. You have to look for ideas which force White's hand… this moves attacks the queen and drives her off this crucial diagonal (e1-a5) so when the White moves, Black checks on a5 and we see the whole point of White's idea…" 15.Qc2 Qa5+ 16.Ke2

"Tell me which move to make and I'll tell if you have the heart of a Budapest Gambiteer"

16…Rxf4! 17.exf4 Bf5 "It's a question of dynamics. It's not what Black is sacrificing here in this position. It's what remains on the board and active play" (Martin). 18.Qb2 Re8 19.Kf3 Nd2+ 20.Kg3 Ne4+ 21.Kh4 Re6 22.Be2 Rh6+ 23.Bh5 Rxh5+ 24.Kxh5 Bg6+ 0–1 A good example of the educational value of this DVD can be found in his "Theme Two" lecture, where he discusses the dangers of White's center. The lecture features a game between Spassky and Illescas at the 1990 Linares tournament starting with the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Nf3 Bc5. This placement of the bishop would make obvious sense to an IM such as Martin, and some presenters might just speed past this without any reference. Martin, however, realizes that a lower-rated player might be wondering why the bishop is on c5 if White is going retort with 5.e3. Martin comments "It is worthwhile dwelling a little bit on the position of the bishop on c5. Because you begin to wonder the position of the bishop on c5 when you see the move e3, what is bishop doing there. White is putting a brick wall in front of that bishop. Well, in fact, in this type of position the bishop, on the face of it, attacks f2. But in fact what it's doing is prophylactic restraining of the white pawns. Black is aware that these pawns (f2 and e3) constitute a danger to him in the middlegame. If those pawns start to roll forward Black can be brushed aside… so it is worth bearing in mind that the position of the White bishop is not just aggressive but prophylactic." Martin seems to always be thinking about how the moves might be perceived by amateur players, and this is what makes this DVD of high value. I also like the balanced approach Martin took in this video, showing the pros and cons of entering Budapest Gambit lines. The Spassky-Illescas game from the "Theme Two" lecture was a win by White showing what can happen when White's center gains strength. Such is the dynamic nature of the Budapest Gambit that viewers new to this opening will find the games riveting. However, Martin should also get credit for choosing such entertaining examples. His "Theme Three" lecture features

an "absolute classic, which inspired a whole generation of players to take up the Budapest." This is the game Oll-Romero Holmes from the Groningen European Union even in 1984, which features Black's peculiar queenside rook lift and transfer to the kingside after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Nc3 Ngxe5 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.Be2 0–0 9.0–0 Re8 10.b3 a5 11.Bb2 Ra6 12.Ne4 [12.Qd5 Qe7] 12...Ba7 13.Qd5 Rae6 [13...Rh6!]. The "Theme Four" lecture continues on the subject of restraining White's large center by means of active development, and features a game between Bacrot-Shirov played in 2000. As in all lectures, Martin takes his time to discuss the issues in the center. Other presenters might just delve into several variations and possibilities. We get minimal variations from Martin. His mission here is to ensure you leave with a firm understanding of all strategic concepts in the Budapest, and not with rote memorization of moves. The last theme lecture focuses on Black's fight against the two bishops and Martin uses the game Brown-Speelman from the Taxco Interzonal in 1985. This couldn't be a Budapest Gambit DVD without a mention of the common trap 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.a3 Ngxe5 8.axb4 Nd3 mate, which Speelman obviously doesn't fall for, but which I could totally see happening to me. Martin often likes to include nongrandmaster games in his DVDs, which I think is a clever idea as long as the games are instructive. The second section contains the following lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction 4.e4 (Two lectures) 4.Qd4/5.Qd5/4.e6 4.Nc3 4.e3 Nxe5 5.Nh3 4.Nf3 (Seven lectures) 4.Bf4 (Eight lectures)

Martin is at his best on this DVD. He is cheerful and lively, and enjoys making prolonged eye-contact with the viewer when verbalizing his analysis. He speaks slowly and clearly, often pausing and always showing enthusiasm. One can see he is really enjoying himself and is excited about the games he is presenting. Anyone going through The Budapest Gambit by Martin should be able to play through a grandmaster game in this opening, and understand why many of the moves were played. I highly recommend this DVD, and like me, you might find yourself returning to the lectures out of pure enjoyment.

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Playing the Board and the Man Chess for Scoundrels, by Nigel Davies – Running Time: Four hours

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima

Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

My first introduction to chess psychology came in the form of an eight-year old kicking me under the table and making funny faces whenever it was my turn to move. Fortunately for me, he was so busy with his guerrilla tactics that he soon blundered and lost the game. Ever since I've seen my run of intimidators and warriors disguised as pacifist. How colorless would a tournament be without the kid who confidently slams the pieces and looks bored while we think; the cold-staring blitzer, or the player who throws his arms up in the air in losing positions making you believe he already gave up? Davies invites us to join this devilish bunch of scoundrels, and while he doesn't exactly advocate under-the-table Tae Kwon Do, he will expose you to an arsenal of psychological ploys any tournament player worth its salt should be aware of. His first stop is Torture, which he describes as slowly improving one's position and playing on our opponent's nerves. The poster boy for this technique is non-surprisingly Tigran Petrosian, who was known for his python-like technique, slowly suffocating his opponents. To illustrate the torture technique, Davies shows us a ninety-six move marathon in which Petrosian tired his opponent through a long and tedious maneuvering game, finally inducing him to blunder at the critical moment. I personally enjoyed the game, though my step-dad fall asleep half-way through it. Davies was trying to make a point in showing a long game, but this is one rare instance in which I wished Davies could have gone through the moves a bit faster. The game was, after all, long and tedious. Another dimension to Petrosian's psychological repertoire is presented by Davies through a story he once heard from Fedorowicz. The American grandmaster had found it unusual that Petrosian, whom he had never met before, was unusually friendly and warm towards him. Throughout the tournament he realized that he was paired to play Petrosian in the last round, and concluded that Petrosian was probably being friendly in case he needed to secure an easy draw. The second stop is Intimidation. This comes in several forms, such as exhibiting a confident demeanor, playing a sharp opening line or gambit, or making a visually impressive move. One of the two sample games was Karpov-Korchnoi from the 1978 World Chess Championship match in which Karpov uncorked the shocking knight sacrifice 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 d4 11. Ng5!?

ChessBase Magazine #133 Edited by Rainer Knaak

Fritz 12

Magice of Chess Tactics by Claus Dieter Meyer & Karsten Mueller

Ever since, players have gone home to analyze this position and found grabbing the knight quite playable. I found over a hundred games in this line in my database, all the way up to last year. Korchnoi balked at accepting the intimidating sacrifice and managed to draw the game. Another psychological ploy is Rope, where Davies advocates not playing forcing moves against weaker players. He reasons that weaker players are more likely to make mistakes if put in a position to make decisions. He tell us about an old interview by Spassky where the former champion half-jokingly stated that one shouldn't punish the first mistake of one's opponent, because one will often get an even worse mistake later on. Davies uses some compelling examples, including a game between Lieb-Andersson in which the GM went along with the opponent's piece simplification strategy, and won thanks to his opponent's inaccuracies. This was a terrific lecture and I only wished Davies would have included some psychological ploys to use against stronger players as well. Probably it is difficult to find such ploys without chess knowledge backing it up. There are occasions where we feel compelled to win a game. Perhaps it is to secure a prize in the tournament, achieve a norm, or as is often my case, when we are tired of losing too many games in a row. In these instances, Davies suggests keeping maximum tension and complexity in the position and not coming all guns blazing into the tournament hall. He uses a couple of examples, one taken from Krogius's classic book Chess Psychology, where the author lost to a lower rated player, and the final game of the 1997 Kasparov-Karpov match, in which Kasparov needed to win in order to keep the title. Another interesting and common technique is titled Pavlovian Responses. Just as the salivating dogs in Pavlov's classic conditioning experiments, chess players make inferior automated responses if bent on playing their pet lines (no pun intended). He uses various examples here, starting with a twenty-one move miniature between GM Smirin and Neff. After 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6, Davies puts out his best scoundrel face, and with an entertaining grin on his face proceeds to tell us: "Well, I am playing a Scheveningen so I will play 5..e6 because I play the Scheveningen. Except that this is not a Scheveningen at all because the moves have been completely different…. 5.a6 getting my "Najdorf"… not really a Najdorf at all…. I am going to play my "Dragon" with 5…g6, but it is not a Dragon at all…." This was quite an entertaining and valuable lecture, and something I feel happens quite too often when we memorize opening moves without understanding the ideas behind them. Given the infinite possibilities of the game, it is surprising how many beginning moves are looked down upon by chess players. For instance, many who face the Grob with 1.g4 or 1...g5 feel their honor is on the line and try to go about setting their opponent straight no matter what. This sometimes leads to the insulted party losing all objectivity and playing for a win in inferior positions, falling head on into the scoundrel's trap. The most famous example of this is illustrated by Davies's compatriot Miles, who beat Karpov with 1… a6 at the European Team Championships in 1980. Miles commented that by the time he played 2…b5 the spectator's laughter was becoming embarrassing.

Deception is a fundamental weapon in competitive chess. Players often try to send mixed signals to their opponents, such as shaking their heads after making a move in the hopes that their opponents think they have blundered, or playing a move with a confident look while in fact they are unsure about it. Davies also includes specific chess strategies over the board, such as making moves on the queenside while really intending to attack on the kingside, draw offers, and others. Davies uses a great example from a game between De Firmian and Chernin.

"Oh my, what have I done??"

In time pressure De Firmian played 39.Bg2 while looking stunned and shocked right after making the move. Chernin fell for the ploy and immediately played 39…Qe1+ 40.Kh2 Qxf2 only to be faced with 41.Rxa6+ bxa6 42.Qxd5+ Kb8 43.Qd6+ Ka7 44.Qb6#. I would highly recommend this DVD for tournament players. Chess for Scoundrels is not a superficial treatment of a fascinating subject. Instead, Davies takes over four hours to discuss these psychological ruses. You will get suggestions for how to exploit time trouble, how to use and refuse draw offers, playing dead, engaging in active defense, defending difficult positions and never giving up. If you ever thought chess was confined to the sixty-four white and black squares, Davies will disabuse you of such naïve notions.

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Power Play 11: Defence by Daniel King – Running Time: 5 hours 25 minutes Most chess players are eager to devour a book on tactics, familiarize themselves with typical mating patterns, practice positions featuring the Greek sacrifice, or learn how to pry open files against the opponent's king. Attack is exciting! There is no shortage of materials out there to emulate Morphy or Tal, and they come with exciting titles such as Rocking the Ramparts, Fire on Board, Storming the Barricades, The Art of Attack, etc. Defense, on the other hand, gets close to zero attention, which is rather unfortunate because players often have to defend their positions over the board. Defense is a vital skill for the improving player. One of the first books in the area of defense was Soltis's The Art of Defense in Chess. This inspiring book increased our knowledge and awareness of the subject, but not necessarily our ability. From a training and development perspective, the current best work on the subject is Practical Chess Defence by Jacob Aagaard, aimed exclusively at building one's defensive muscle. Through three levels and two hundred positions, Aagaard takes the reader on an emotional ride that will delight, frustrate, and torture readers as they balance on the brink of disaster trying to escape overwhelming attacking

positions. Aagaard clearly believes that one should develop defensive skills in the same way we approach tactical training. This brings me to PowerPlay 11: Defence by GM Daniel King. Unlike Aagaard who puts us in the eye of the storm, King takes us back before the clouds begin to gather, and focuses on ways to avoid falling into defensive positions. He gets us started with ten puzzles, leaving the solutions at the end of the DVD. The idea is to first go over the main content before looking at the solutions, so that we can reassess our answers with the newly-gained knowledge. This is an excellent way to get viewers involved, treating the subject as a skill-development need. The following is a sample from the test positions. White has just played g4 and Black must figure out how to deal with this aggressive advance.

The first subject in PowerPlay 11 is premature castling, one of the main culprits for landing in defensive positions.

After White's 17.Bd3, Black made the correct decision to avoid kingside castling and try to exchange one of White's powerful attacking pieces with 17…Bd6. However, after 18.Re3 he castled with 18…0-0-0, allowing White to attack on that side of the board with 19.a4 and soon went into a lost endgame. The game ended in another forty-three moves, but King stops after 19…Bxe5 20.dxe5 Qd5 21.Qf1 Qd4 22.axb5 a5 23.Rxa5 Rd5 24.Qe2 Rhd8 25.Ra3 Kb8 26.h3. King's style of presenting is suitable for club-players of all levels. He is wellknown for his engaging style and clarity of communication, one of the main reasons the Power Play series is so effective. For instance, in the diagrammed position above he takes the time to slowly explain various positional factors, such as White's initiative due to the position of the bishops. The bishop on e5 has a beautiful diagonal looking at Black's camp from both directions, and after 17.Bd3 both bishops are looking towards the kingside. He also mentions the advantages of White's isolated d-pawn, which allows more space for moves such as 17.Bd3, the rook lift Re3, etc. For Black, he mentions the solid chain of pawns on the kingside, and the effective position of the light-square bishop along the h1-a8 diagonal. He often stops to dissect positions in this way, and no matter what the subject of King's DVDs, we leave enlightened with a greater understanding of positional chess. At the end of the first lecture King invites us to work out Black's best way of handling the position after 18.Re3, and he discusses the solution on the

second lecture where he recommends a strategy of simplification, exchanging bishops with 18…Bxd6. This is a good lecture and continues the theme of avoiding getting into difficult defensive positions. I do feel that perhaps King missed a nice opportunity to orient players on finding the best defensive moves in dire situations. For instance, he suggest that 18…0-0 might actually be playable, offering the sharp double-bishop sacrifice after 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Qh5+ Kg8 21.Bxg7 f6 22.Qh8+ Kg7 23.Bxf8 Rxf8 24.Qh7+ Ke8 25.Rxe6 Qxe6 26.Qxb7. This is a line where a false step can get Black mated, so it could have been good material to advise on how to remain calm and find onlymoves in such critical defensive positions. It is clear King does not want to get too much into the subject of defensive methods, but on how to avoid them altogether. This makes the title slightly misleading, and King admits this himself at the start of DVD. On the other hand, prevention in defense has tremendous practical value, and King gives ample treatment to this topic. In addition, some of the test positions in the test did require Black to find the best move to stay on the board. The second topic is devoted to the subject delayed castling, which King covers in four lectures. He starts this lecture with his overall philosophy for this DVD: "In order to be a good defender, I think is important to be able to recognize the danger before it occurs." The lectures feature the game TopalovPonomariov from the M-Tel Masters in 2005: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Nc3 0–0 where Topalov came up with a more aggressive placement of the light-squared bishop after 8.Rc1 c6 9.e4 d5 10.e5 Ne4 11.Bd3!? The moral of these lectures is to help players be alert to counterattacking possibilities, and not to underestimate the opponent's attack. The third topic is the advanced of the f-pawn; a topic that King gives comprehensive treatment through eleven lectures, as well as other works in the series such as Power Play 2: Attacking the King, and Power Play 3: Pawn Storm. King often illustrates typical moves that should cause us to flick our alert buttons on immediately, such as the one in the game here after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bd2 Qe7 7.a3 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 e5 9. d5 Nb8 10.e4 0–0 11.Be2 Nh5, with ideas of f5 and Nf4. As in most lectures, King leaves you with some homework to do. For instance, in the game above after 11…Nh5 King analyzes 12...Bh3 13.Nh4 Nf6 14.Qd3 15.b4 a5 16.bxa5 Na6 17.Qe3 Nac5 18.Bb4 Kh8 19.Bf1 Bxf1 20.Kxf1 g6 21.Kg2 Rg8 22.Rhf1 Raf8

King closes this lecture with the following comment: "Both sides have bought their kings to relatively safe positions, both sides have developed more or less – this one is still in the corner [Ra1], and black is building up for some kind of kingside attack. So here is my question for you: What would you do as White in this position. It's white to play. My advice is: Think very carefully about what black is trying to achieve, and then on that basis, choose a move…" On the next lecture you get the solution, often accompanied with more questions, making this DVD an excellent source of practice. King often recommends that we set up the positions on a board to help our ideas "flow from our fingertips and through our brains"

The fourth topic dealt with the f4-g4 duo advance in four lectures, and dealing mostly with Queen's Gambit positions, such as the game played between Spassky-Petrosian from the 1959 USSR Championship. King ends the first lecture asking how would we deal with white's aggression after 1.c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 Be7 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 c6 7.Qc2 g6 8.e3 Bf5 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nbd7 11.h4. King devoted one lecture to the final topics of passive play, the weakness of the back-rank, and stalemate; as well as a couple of lectures dealing with the process of elimination. The sample games were interesting, and the solutions to the questions posed by King exciting, as in Ennio-Nunn from the Geneva Open in 1987.

Black to play and win

Nunn ended matters with 28…Qe4! and White couldn't avoid losing a piece. King shows us a few more position featuring the back-rank mate. The example Rovner-Kamyshev (Moscow 1947) reminded me a little bit of one of the most famous back-rank examples of all time, where the unknown Edwin Ziegler Adams sacrificed the queen several times against Carlos Torre in New Orleans 1920. Although Edward Winter proved this game a sham, the position itself is still one of the most beautiful examples of this mating motif. King shows us several more examples to make the point that as defensive experts we need to be aware of this type mate, which occurs too often in chess. The test positions covered all the content topics in more or less the same order. I thought it would be interesting to benchmark the difficulty of the questions, and invited my 1300-rated student to take the test along with me (I'm currently rated in the 1900s). I was able to find the correct solution to six out of ten puzzles, while my student got two correct. I would imagine a 2100rated player would have gotten most of the questions right. King is probably the best presenter in the Fritz Trainer circuit, and Power Play 11 does not disappoint. I highly recommend this series to anyone, and hope they continue adding content to the Power Play series.

Order Power Play 11: Defense by Daniel King

1...e6: A Solid Repertoire against 1.d4 and 1.e4 by Nigel Davies – Running Time: Five hours In the Arkhangelsk DVD, Mikhalchishin asks the rhetorical question "why is the main line the main line?" His answer is that the line is not only the most played, but it is also the line where both players can best demonstrate the main plans and ideas behind a particular opening. This path is often heavily analyzed and one needs to be up-to-date in this analysis.

Enter here the average club player with full-time jobs and family responsibilities. We don't want to get slaughtered in the opening against a booked-up opponent, so we tend to look for shortcuts - easy-to-play openings that rely on general ideas rather than specific move orders. These moves might not be considered the very best ones, but they take prepared opponents off knowntheoretical lines, and we avoid having to study reams of theory. For instance, most French players are familiar with the c5 plan, say after, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. Nd2 Bd7 4.Bd3 and Black now gets the standard 4...c5 lever aimed mainly at leaving White with a weakness on d4. In 1…e6: A Solid Repertoire, Davies suggests a different route with 4..Nc6 and shows viewers how to play these types of positions.

In 1…e6: A Solid Repertoire, Davies has worked out an economical defense against 1.e4 and 1.d4. Of course, there is a plethora of other moves at this early stage of the game, so Davies concludes this DVD with a few suggestions against players of the Catalan, Colle, London, and Torre systems. The contents are divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction French 3.Nd2 Be7 lines (Six lectures) French 3.Nc3 Be7 (Four lectures) French 3.e5 c5 (Four lectures) French 3.exd5 French – 2nd move Alternatives Franco-Indian 2.c4 (Five lectures) Catalan Anti-Torre Anti-London Anti-Colle

I left this video wondering how economical 1..e6 really is. First one has to contend with playing the French Defense, which might not be to everyone's taste. Davies tries to shortcut French theory with ...Bd7 in answer to 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2, but then there is the advanced French, the exchange French, second-move alternatives, and various openings that Davies has no choice but to give minimal treatment to. Davies does state that 1…e6 is geared specifically to meet 1.e4 and 1.d4. We also get into Franco-Indian lines after 1. e4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+ which can often transpose to the Bogo-Indian Defense. Nevertheless, my concern is really more a matter of personal taste. If you like playing the French, Davies does a good job here of balancing both the explanations and variations. 1…e6 generates some intriguing possibilities that had never occurred to me. For instance, in Franco-Indian lines Black has not bought his knight out to f6, as typically occurs in the Nimzo-Indian Defense. This gives Black a couple of extra options, such as playing ...f7-f5 before ... Nf6, and preventing the sharp Bg5 variation in the Nimzo-Indian after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5. Similarly, as Davies points out 1…e6 also avoids certain sharp choices by white in the Trompowsky, such as 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3.e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 and now white can play the dangerous Qd2/ f4 plan. My own experience facing 1.d4 e6 is that it is the move order used by those who like to play the Dutch after 1.e4 e6 2.c4 f5, but want to avoid the Staunton Gambit.

The "anti" lectures are useful bits to get us in the right direction to explore further. Against the Torre Attack, Davies uses the game Hort-Browne played in 1979 in the line 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 h6 4.Bh4 g5 5.Ng3 Ne4 where Browne took the full point. Davies does not think much of the other common move arising after 4.Bxf6 Qxf6, and just mentions that Black gets a solid position from 5.c3 d6 6.e4 Nd7. 7.Nbd2 g6. Coincidentally, I had the good fortune to be paired against IM Danny Kopec recently, in a game that featured the Torre. After the game, he mentioned that the 4…g5 line after 4.Bh5 seems to be effective. The Colle and London lectures were extremely brief, the latter lasting a mere two and a half-minutes and featuring an amateur-level game. Still, the ideas were simple and easy to understand.

Order 1...e6: A Solid Repertoire against 1.d4 and 1.e4 by Nigel Davies

The King's Indian by Viktor Bologan – Running Time: 5 hours 10 minutes The King's Indian Defense is a rich and complex opening, boasting forty ECO codes, which is as many as the Ruy Lopez. It is an opening that has been played by great champions such as Kasparov and Fischer, as well as by Shirov, Gelfand, and Bologan, who relies primarily on his own games to explain his suggested repertoire for black. Amateur tournament players tend to play what is fashionable, so nowadays we seem to encounter the Slav more often than the King's Indian Defense, but the latter is still a common opening and Bologan appeals to the dynamism and flexibility this hypermodern opening offers. He explains that Black can play on queenside in Volga Gambit style, on the kingside with an f5 plan when White crosses over Black's territory with d4-d5, or possibly play in the center. He also makes a good case for taking up the King's Indian if we want to play for a win. Bologan's perspective is that if one is familiar with middlegame strategic ideas in the King's Indian Defense, we can often find ourselves easily outplaying our opponents, even if they are higher rated. He also points out that sometimes it is psychologically difficult for White to handle Black's play-to-win approach in the King's Indian, and that there are no lines that give White an immediate advantage, making this a strong and solid weapon. Bologan promises a full repertoire for Black and he delivers. The DVD contains the following lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction White plays Bg5 or Bf4 White plays h3 White plays 5.Ne2 or 5.Bd3 The Samisch Variation with 6.Be3 The Samisch Variation with 6.Bg5 The Four Pawns Attack The Averbakh Variation The Exchange Variation The Exchange Variation The Gligoric System The Classical Variation with 9.Bg5, 9.Bd2, 9.a4 and 9.b4 The Classical Variation with 9.Ne1 The Classical Variation with 9.Nd2 The Classical Variation with 8.Be3 The Fianchetto Variation with d3 The Fianchetto Variation with b3 The Fianchetto Variation, other 7th moves and 8.e4

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The Fianchetto Variation with 8.h3 The Fianchetto Variation with 8.d5 The Fianchetto Variation with 8.b3 The Fianchetto Variation without c4

Bologan has a very organized style of presenting, which I find highly effective for dealing with complex openings. He starts each video by presenting the general ideas, concepts, and piece placements in each line, and then transitioning into the actual moves. A typical example would be the first lecture in the Sämisch Variation after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5. f3. Bologan explains: "Now White is playing a very solid move. It is clear that White wants to prepare this set up of Be3 and Qd2 or, or Bg5 and Qd2. So this is very solid set up because White has a very strong pawn center, and for Black it is not so easy to attack it. I will recommend the system which starts with a6 and Nbd7. First we make sure we castle of course (5...0-0). Now we are waiting for the sixth move for White … Here we have two possibilities, mainly 6.Be3 and 6.Bg5, and on 6.Be3 we play here 6... a6 ... The idea behind this move is to prepare Nbd7 and c5, this is the main plan for Black … 6…a6 is just a useful move, especially in the lines where Black is playing c5, White is playing d5 and Black is sacrificing a pawn with b5…" This is a typical introduction from Bologan. He is a bit more economical with words at the start, just offering us some general concepts, and then describing what will be his recommended repertoire and why. Once he is going through the moves, he explains things further. He also closes each lecture with a formal conclusion, summarizing key learning points. One typical conclusion is offered at the end of the lecture on the Averbakh variation: "So let's make conclusions on this line, on Averbakh…we play Na6. The ideas behind this move are the same as in the Four Pawns attack ... c5. Sometimes If they put the bishop on g6 and pawn on f4, in that case we then play c6 and Nc7, and h6 with the idea of attacking the bishop … and we are not afraid of this h4-h5 attack, because meanwhile we play e6 and open the center, and we normally put our queen on c7, and at the same time we have our play on the queenside with a6, b5 with good counterplay…" One method I found highly effective in Bologan's lectures was his tendency to often stop and emphasize a move that was typical in the given variation. For example, in the lecture on the h3 variation after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5.h3 Nbd7 6.Nf3 e5 7.d5 Nc5 8.Qc2 he tells us not to rush to castle and first play a5. He reminds you that a5 is a very typical move in the King's Indian when the knight is on c5, and that we always have to be careful not to allow White to play b4 and disturb the placement of the knight. These terrific verbal stops are interspersed throughout the lectures, making the content easier to retain. Viewers will undoubtedly appreciate this aspect of Bologan's lectures, given the large number of white systems and variations Black needs to prepare against in order to successfully play the King's Indian. Bologan opted for non main-lines if the moves were solid and easier to play. For instance, in the Four Pawns attack he suggests a plan with 0-0 and 6… Na6, instead of immediate play in the center with 0-0, c5, and e6. This seems to be a safer and more positional treatment of the variation, which Bologan deems as one of the sharpest responses from White and where players are looking to refute the King's Indian altogether these days.

"Arrows and colors galore"

As a viewer I felt in very good hands with Bologan. He is tremendously organized and consistent in his approach. He also makes terrific use of the color commentary functions, leaving these visual cues in the accompanying games to make them easier to analyze.

Order The King's Indian by Viktor Bologan

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Edging out the Spring Chickens How to Beat Younger Players by Nigel Davies – Running time: 3 hrs.

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"A spring chicken may be a little naive or unseasoned at times, but it often makes up in physical agility." – Michael Pollick

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima

Older chaps are well-aware of the challenges younger players present on the tournament circuit. They usually have higher energy levels, the ability to calculate effectively for longer periods of time, and are able to perform well under sustained tension and stress. They also have better memory and their familiarity with technology allows them to exploit the benefits of chess software and databases. As Davies points out, players these days study many variations that catapult them straight into the middlegame without difficulty.

ChessBase Magazine 133 Edited by Rainer Knaak

Following the devilishly entertaining Chess for Scoundrels, Davies presents us with another fun and instructive subject. How to Beat Younger Players is a three hour guide to help older players steer the game towards positions where intuition and experience takes on particular importance. The first of fourteen lectures serves as an introduction where Davies outlines the methods discussed on the rest of the DVD. Some of these methods include ● ●

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Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

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Reshaping your existing opening repertoire Drifting the game towards typical positions rather than theory-laden lines. Learning low-maintenance openings Choosing quieter, less tactical lines. Adopting strategies to reduce tension in the position Welcoming simplifications, even if they lead to equal or slightly advantageous positions Boning up on endgame knowledge Being happy with aiming for tiny advantages Repeating the moves to gain and advantage on the clock, reach time controls, or simply to clear one's head. Keeping fit, following a healthy diet, and reducing stress levels in one's life.

In 1995 Kasparov surprised Anand (and the chess world) by employing the ultra sharp Classical Dragon for the first time in world championship play. Davies uses this game in the second lecture to show the disadvantages of playing sharp openings, where a tiny slip often trounces the un-booked opponent. Playing the macho dragon requires constant knowledge-updating, and a desire to play a game of relentless tension.

Fritz 12

1.e4 Repertoire by Sam Collins

Not exactly the type of position Davies suggests.

The second game in this lecture features the Accelerated Dragon, which Davies suggests older players switch to or adopt against the Sicilian Defense. This system generally travels along positional lines where specific plans and ideas are generally more important than move orders. According to Davies, the worst that White can do against the Accelerated Dragon is to play the Maroczy Bind, and he provides the following sample game: Nielsen,Tommy (2225) - Donaldson,John W (2430) Owens Corning Wrexham (9), 22.10.1997 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 0–0 8. Be2 d6 9.0–0 Bd7 10.Qd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.f3 a5 13.Rac1 Nd7 14.Bf2

In Maroczy-Bind positions the exchange of dark-squared bishops typically favors Black. This is somewhat counter-intuitive and Davies points out an instructive moment here. It would seem natural for White to want to play 14. Bxg7. However, after 14…Kxg7 15.Qd5+ Black has the retort 15…e5. After the queen retreat, Black can re-route his knight to d4 via c5-e6. The backward pawn on d6 cannot be exploited and neither the dark-squares around Black's king. Davies reasons that White retreated to 14.Bf2 based on the theoretical knowledge of avoiding this bishop exchange rather than understanding of the position, because after 14…a4 15.Rfd1 Nc5 16.Nd5 Re8 White decided to return the bishop to d4 with 17.Bd4 allowing 17…Bxd4+ 18.Qxd4 e5 The game ends with an instructive good knight versus bad bishop endgame, which is the dream endgame one gets in the Maroczy Bind when things go Black's way. According to Davies 1.e4 is the most difficult move to meet for the older player because it channels the game into open games featuring theoretical struggles, complications and on-going tension. He offers several recommendations in his third video lecture for how to meet 1.e4 such as adopting the Scandinavian and Caro-Kann, and certain lines of the French Defense such as the Fort Knox variation after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4. Bd7 with the idea of playing Bc6 and solving the problem of the French bishop. One of his sample games in this line was the game Xie Jun (2562) Seirawan,Y (2618) from the 2002 Queens v Kings event in which Xie Jun pushed a little hard and ultimately collapsed in a one-move blunder.

White has just played 24.Bxf6. What would you play here?

The game went 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.0–0 Be7 8.b3 Ngf6 9.Ng3 0–0 10.Bb2 b6 11.c4 Bb7 12.Qe2 c5 13. Rad1 Re8 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.Ne5 g6 16.Be4 Qc8 17.Bxb7 Qxb7 18.Rfe1 Nf8 19.Ng4 Nxg4 20.Qxg4 Rad8 21.Nh5 Rxd1 22.Rxd1 Rd8 23.Nf6+ Bxf6 24. Bxf6 Qe4 0-1 Davies's comments here are very instructive. He points out that his recommended opening repertoire steers the games into positions where patience and subtlety are required, and where experience and understanding is more important that specific variations. He also advises adopting openings that feature similar pawn positions, which helps make decisions based on general knowledge. For instance, all his recommended openings feature the same pawn structure of four pawns on the kingside, and standard operations along the d- and c-files. In the fourth lecture, Davies suggest an opening repertoire for players of the French Defense that features 1…e6 against 1.d4. 1.d4 e6 leads to less theoretical lines such as 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4, which Paul Keres played on occasion, as well as Franco-Indian and Bogo-Indian lines usually leading to exchanges. If you are interested in this approach, Davies has another ChessBase trainer titled 1…e6: A Solid Repertoire, which I reviewed in December 2009. The games in this lecture were highly instructive in the way Black went about reducing the tension in the position, and he offered several suggestions for players looking to recalibrate their opening repertoire. For Kings Indian Defense or Modern Benoni Players, he recommends the Czech Benoni after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5, where general knowledge of blocked position theory is much more important than knowledge of any exact moves. (There is also a nice ChessBase trainer out there by Martin on the Czech Benoni). Other opening recommendations here include old lines of the Queens Gambit, such as the Lasker variation. There are just so many good generic ideas here by Davies, and he does show several ways to tone down one's opening repertoire, even in several major openings. On lecture number five we get suggestions as White that includes adopting system-openings, such as the London, Colle, Colle-Zukertort, Torre, or Trompowsky. The game Smyslov–Xu was a wonderful example of the former champion employing a no-frills approach after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.e3. The game also begins to illustrate the concept of generating a quiet middlegame with a view to the endgame. Recommendations for readjusting one's white opening repertoire included going for same-side castling instead of the Yugoslav Attack in the Classical Dragon Sicilian, and switching to Closed Sicilian or the King's Indian Attack from open lines of the Sicilian Defense. He also recommends the Sicilian Kan as a very solid alternative for Black, and in Davies' excellent 1.e4 for the Creative Attacker there is an interesting approach with 1.e4 c5 2.Na3. Lecture six involves some of Davies own games, which serve to drive the point of playing positions featuring several of the strategies presented. The seventh lecture discusses the advantages of being satisfied with tiny advantages, which are more likely to lead to rational positions where older players tend not to make mistakes and use their experience to the maximum. Often times these positions look quite benign and lull the opponent into a fall sense of security as in the sample game Petrosian-Veingold from the 1993 Keres Memorial.

White wins in five more moves.

The game went 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 d5 6.0–0 dxc4 7. Bxc4 Be7 8.Qe2 0–0 9.Nc3 Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.b3 c5 12.Rd1 Qc7 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14.Bb2 Qe7 15.Nd2 Bg6 16.a3 a5 17.Bb5 Nd7 18.Nc4 Rad8 19. b4 axb4 20.axb4 Bxb4 21.Ra7 Qc5 22.Raxd7 Ra8 23.Ne5 1–0. Davies does a terrific job of discussing this game, weaving in previously outlined strategies, and providing some entertaining comments. There were also some enlightening pointers by Davies to transition into the next lecture and they centered on endgame preparation. According to Davies, players who employ the "taking a little nibble rather than a big bite" approach need to be prepared to play endgames. If one can switch to a style of play where one is good at endgames, then we will be confident at playing simple positions and not mind simplifications. According to Davies, the greatest trump in the older player's arsenal is to have knowledge and confidence in the endgame. That means the older players is OK with more restrained positions and can play in a more relaxed style, rather than going after their opponent and exposing themselves in the process. To illustrate this concept of restrained play and endgame specialization, Davies uses the game DonaldsonTaimanov from the 1997 Owens Corning event where Black adopted a BogoIndian set up and drifted the game to a successful endgame. How to Beat Younger Players runs for three hours, which is slightly shorter than the average ChessBase trainer nowadays. However, each lecture is packed with many useful suggestions. His ninth lecture advises older players to find positions that were popular before most opponents started playing chess. For instance, he suggests going back to the chess literature of the 70s or 80s and explore old lines of the King's Indian Defense, old Indians, and some Benonis, where the style is less forcing and based more on clean, classical play. Younger players might have forgotten or nor not be quite as up-to-date on these older lines. He presents us with some of his games in the King's Indian Attack, where he shows a clear connection between choosing an opening where one's experience counts. Needless to say, Davies also has a ChessBase trainer on the King's Indian Attack. There are times when we know an opponent wants to beat us, and Davies discusses how we might turn this to our advantage by trying to make them overreach in simple positions. He calls this the frustration factor, and in the tenth lecture he offers a terrific example from the famous game Lasker-Euwe from Nottingham 1936. Lasker applied the concept of simplification; frustrating Euwe where he overreached and blundered.

What would you play in this position?

In the above position Lasker played the tactical shot 24.b4! winning material. The game ended 24... Bxb4 25.Nc2 Bd2 26.Bxd2 Nb2+ 27.Ke2 Kd5 28.Bc1 Nc4 29.Kd3 Nb6 30.Ne3+ Ke6 31.Nc4 Nc8 32.Na5 Nd6 33.Bf4 1–0 The last lectures are devoted to Lasker and Smyslov who played until late in life, as well as Korchnoi and Karpov who continue playing actively today. The games include Lasker-Alexander (Nottingham 1936), Korchnoi-Tiviako (9th Open Banyoles 2006), Smyslov-Oll (Rostov 1993), and Kamsky-Karpov (Amber Rapid 1996). Davies extracts several educational moments in these lectures, in particular the games of Smyslov and seventy-eight year old Korchnoi whom Davies calls "the greatest biological miracle the chess world has ever seen." I highly recommend this excellent DVD by Davies, who is very articulate and engaging here. It was painful to discover all the methods the veterans have inflicted on me at the local chess club, but it gave me many ideas for how to handle the younger lads. Now we just need a "How to Beat the Veterans" guide for the balance to be restored!

Order How to Beat younger Players by Nigel Davies

The ABC of the King's Indian (2nd Edition) by Andrew Martin – Running time: 5 hrs. Last month I had an opportunity to review Bologan's King's Indian Defense DVD in which he provides a specific repertoire, based mostly on his own playing experience. The ABC of the King's Indian Defense by Martin, on the other hand, is a "friendly tour" of the K.I.D. His goal is to entertain you, inspire you, and give you some ideas and occasional recommendations. His aim is to make you a K.I.D fan and set you on your way to learn more and hopefully try it out in your play. Therefore, what you get is a bunch of lectures loosely organized under broad categories. The reader can compare Bologan's DVD outline with the one below to get a further idea of the content. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Chapter One 01: Introduction 02: Ljukamnov – Martin 03: Solution 04: Martin – Buckley Chapter Two: Classical Games 05: Introduction and Donner – Gligoric 06: Kortschnoj – Fischer 07: Ftacnik – Cvitan 08: Summerscale – Hebden 09: Vitiugov –Khismatullin Chapter Three: Four Pawns Attack 10: Introduction and Daces – Mrdja Chapter Four: Samisch Variation 11: Introduction and Karpov – Kasparov 12: Platonov – Shamkovitch 13: Some thoughts on 6…c5 14: Analysis against 6.Bg5 Chapter Five: Fianchetto 15: Introduction and Matonen – Vooremaa 16: Burmakin – Morozevich Chapter Six: Systems with an early Bg5 17: Introduction and Schandorff – Nataf

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18: Averbakh 6…Na6 analysis 19: Chernin – Cebalo Chapter Seven: Other white systems 20: Introduction and Behrmann - Tartar 21: Williams – Gallagher Chapter Eight 22: Closing remarks King's Indian Updates 23: Morozevich – Jones [Makogonov's system] 24: Wang Yue – Cheparinov [6…Nbd7 in the classical variation] 25: Johansen – King [Averbach system] 26: Hulak – Fedorov [The Panov in the Fianchetto variation] 27: Van Wely – Radjabov [Bayonet attack] 28: Grand Zuniga – Komljenovic [Four Pawn attack] 29: Williams – Hebden [Mar del Plata Variation] 30: Summerscale – Jones [Classical Variation]

Martin gets us started with one of his own games: Ljukmanov – Martin from the 1994 World Correspondence Semi-Finals. We pick up the action after 21. Bh6, and by the way, if you can solve these diagrams, the K.I.D. May be the opening for you.

Black to Move – What would you play?

Martin sacrifices his knight with 21…Nc4!, which White is forced to accept. 22.bxc4 Rb8+ 23.Ka1 Bh8 24.Nfd1 Rab7 25.Re1 Ne5 Bringing all pieces into the attack. 26.Bf4 Nxc4 27.Qe2 Qa3 28.Qxc4 Qxc1+ 29.Bxc1 Rb1# 0-1 Games like the one above abound in this DVD, and Martin surely knows how to entertain. One of the most amusing lines in the K.I.D. occurs in the classical variation when both opponents go about their own plans, largely ignoring each other. White expands on the queenside while Black builds his kingside attack. One of the most compelling examples of this in the DVD is the game Ftacnik – Cvitan from Bundesliga 1997 which went 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 Ne8 10. b4 f5 11.c5 Nf6 12.f3 f4 13.Nc4 g5 14.a4 Ng6 15.Ba3 Rf7 16.b5 dxc5 17. Bxc5 h5 18.a5 g4 19.b6 g3 20.Kh1 21.d6 Qh4 22.Bg1 Bh3 23.bxc7

Black to Move – What would you play?

Cvitan finished off in spectacular style with mating sequence 23…Bxg2+! 24. Kxg2 Qh3+! 25.Kxh3 Ng5+ 26.Kg2 Nh4+ 27.Kh1 g2# 0–1 The Classical Variation is typically where one sees these pretty kingside

attacks by Black. Another terrific example in the DVD was the game Summerscale – Hebden from the Great Britain Championship in 2000.

Black to Move – What would you play?

Here Hebden won a pawn with 19…Nfxd5! since 20.exd5 gives entry to black's knight after 20…Nf5 21.h3 Ng3+ 22.Kh2 Bxh3. Martin has a talent for explaining concepts and ideas for the average player, and his videos are replete with generous verbal commentary. In my review of Bologan's DVD, I quoted his explanation of the starting position of the Samish variation. Compare that with Martin's explanation of the Samish after 1. d4 Nf6 c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 and you clearly see the contrasting lecture styles. "Right, so this is the Samish Variation, one of the most difficult variations to meet in the King's Indian. The pawn on f3 often gives White's center a rock-like quality and behind that center, White hopes to drum a kingside attack with ideas of perhaps Be3, Qd2 and then g4 and h4. There are different ways for Black to play this position but Shamkovich plays 5…Nc6 which is quite rare. Black normally castles before he takes any sort of action against White's center. "Now, the possible drawback of the Samisch set-up is the d4 square. This is the soft spot in White's central pawn formation, so you often find Black bombarding this point in the Samish line. For instance after 5…00 6.Be3 Black can choose between playing 6…e5 or 6…c5. Each of these moves is connected with attacking d4 and forcing a slight concession - so if White plays, say, d5 (after 6…c5) the long diagonal is open. Or in the case of 6…e5 Black can sometimes get work with preparing the move f5. The blockage on the center makes it easier for white to engineer pawn levers on the flank. "So 5…Nc6 what do we make of this? Well, it's almost as is Shamkovich is provoking the White center forward. It's almost as he wants White to play d5 because he understand that if White pushes early before developing his pieces behind this center there could be some weak squares to occupy or take advantage of. For instance after 7.Be3 Black is already in good shape to attack the center with c6. Meanwhile, if White is really tempted and got for 7.f4 then Black simply drops back and is ready to chip in the center with c6." According to Martin, the K.I.D. player needs to be flexible, enjoy taking risks, have a good sense of timing, and enjoy experimenting with different types of positions. Martin also tells us that the K.I.D. player needs to "love chess and not results" and that it is an "artistic opening." My personal impression of what Martin means by an artistic opening is that to be a K.I.D. player one really needs to build very strong tactical acumen. There is no point in playing highly imbalanced games if Black lacks the tactical reserves necessary to find the winning combinational shots. Bologan's K.I.D. is a more useful DVD if one is looking to seriously adopt the K.I.D. There are so many dangerous systems White can adopt against the K.I. D., as well various systems against Black's responses to White's, so Black really needs to know his stuff and learn reams of theory. On the other hand, Martin's aim is to inspire and provide an overall introduction to the opening,

which he delivers on both counts.

Order ABC of the King's Indian by Andrew Martin

Power of Planning by Adrian Mikhalchishin – Running time: 3 hrs 19 min. Mikhalchishin continues to enlighten us with highly interesting DVD topics, which include Decision Making in Chess, Power of Exchange, and one my all-time favorites the highly instructive Secrets of World Champions. The Power of Planning is a series of twelve lectures discussing the element of pawn majorities and planning. Mikhalchishin is a strong grandmaster, author of several chess books, and renowned chess trainer, so we can expect outstanding examples illustrating his ideas. Mikhalchishin begins this DVD discussing topics such the double-edge nature of pawn majorities, its various objectives, and when a pawn majority is meaningful or not. The first example is from the game Kasparov-Vukic from the European Championship in 1980.

After 21…cxd4

Mikhalchishin points out here that Black's 4:3 pawn majority is difficult to advance on the queenside, but on the other hand the pawn being used to stop Black's majority is weak. White is better and he attributes this to the more mobile nature of White's 3:2 majority on the queenside. Mikhalkishin shows us how Kasparov exploited his pawn majority, culminating in the following position:

White to Move – What would you play?

Kasparov forced resignation with 37.Rd1! The game could have ended 37… Rxd1 38.Kxd1 Kd6 39.g5 Ke7 40.gxh6 Kf8 41.c5 Kg8 42.b4 Kh7 43.b5 axb5 and either the a- or c-pawn will promote. There are a couple of other instructive examples, one a king, rook and pawn endgame showing how White exploited his 3:2 vs 4:3 majority on the

kingside, as well as a game featuring good vs. bad pawn majorities. All examples in each lecture are arranged by level of difficulty, making the content accessible to intermediate-level players and beyond. In the second lecture, Mikhalkishin shows us several king, rook and pawn endgames featuring respective pawn majorities for each side, covering topics such as the sacrificed rook vs. passed pawn and standard methods for stopping pawn majorities. He also discusses taking into account additional factors besides the agile majority, as in his sample game Golod-Kosashvili:

Black to Move

Mikhalkishin comments that at first glance the position looks quite sound, but really the pawn structure on the queenside prevents white from preventing a passed pawn with 28…a5! and therefore Black's 4:3 majority on the kingside is more dangerous in this case. The rest of the game is equally instructive thanks to his interesting comments, and this special quality is consistent throughout all the chosen examples. Occasionally, Mikhalkishin fast-speeds at a bullet pace through certain move sequences. It's almost comical to watch this when it happens, but he does such a wonderful job at choosing his material and interconnecting the lectures. For instance, his third lecture explores good and bad majorities in more detail, picking a similar example from the Golod-Kosashvili, but tiny details give a totally different assessment of the position:

White to Move

This position is from the game Sveshnikov-Sokolov, Moscow Open 1997. White played 21.f3! cementing e4 and providing White's king a speedy route to the center of the board. The move a5 here by Black wouldn't hold White's majority successfully on account of the knights being on the board. This game was another great example of how to exploit pawn majorities. The game ended 21...Nd7 22.Kf2 f5 23.Ke3 Ke7 24.b4 e5 25.a4 Kd6 26.Kd3 Nf6 27.c5 + Ke6? 28.b5! Kd7? 29.Kc4 Kc7 30.a5! a6 31.b6 Kb7 32.g3 h5? 33.h4!+Nd7 34.f4 exf4 35.gxf4 Nf8 36.Ne2 Ng6 37.Nd4 Nxh4 38.Ne6 Kc8 39.Nxg7 Ng6 40.Nxh5 Kd7 41.Kd3 Kc8 42.Ke3 Ne7 43.Ng7 Nd5+ 44.Kf3 Ne7 45. Ne6 Nd5 46.Nd4 1–0 The third, fourth, and fifth lectures covered several topics related to pawn majorities including how pawn minorities can fight majorities, destroying our opponent's majority right in the middlegame, and which factors play a role in deciding when to transition into the endgame positions. He also presents examples illustrating the importance of tactical know-how in order to exploit

positional factors. In lectures sixth through twelve Mikhalkishin immerses in a long range of topics related to planning. We learn what planning is, the advantages of finding the best move through proper planning versus brute calculation, elements to assess in a position, and static vs dynamic elements. "It's all about weaknesses" Mikhalkishin tell us, so through various examples he discusses topics like basing our plan on our opponent's weaknesses, the weak King, creating a second weakness, exploiting our opponent's bad pieces, how to spot and fix weaknesses, and many other practical subjects. Below are a couple of examples of such instructional moments in these lectures:

White to Move – Where is Black's weak spot in this position?

This is from the game Vallejo Pons – Martines Lozano from 1998 Spain Championship. Vallejo put his finger on Black's weakness with 25.Kh1 Qd8 26.Rg1! (Kudos if you found the g-file to be the Black's weakness) 26…Re8 27.Bf3 Qb8 28.Qg2 b5 29.axb5 axb5 30.Ne4 Qd8 31.Nxd6 Re7 32.Nf5 1–0

Black to Move

The above diagram is from the game Smyslov – Andersson, Biel 1976 in which Mikhalkishin highlights among other things, the different approaches to dealing with the attack of the d-pawn. Andersson went for passive defense with 30…Rc6? and Mikhalkishin discusses dynamic defense with the variation 30...Rb8 31.Bxd6!? Bxd6 32.Rxd6 Rxb3 33.Rxa6 Rc3! (33...Rxc4? 34.Ra7) trapping the knight. There were several interesting comments by Mikhalkishin here; maybe they will make their way into "memorable chess quotes." On tactics: "Tactics is the accelerator of the plans." On creating a second weakness: "If you don't have stuff to make a shirt you can't make a shirt." On weaknesses: "A weakness is not a weakness at all if it cannot be exploited" I enthusiastically recommend this DVD and kudos to Mikhalkishin and the ChessBase team for developing an entertaining and high-quality training product. Power of Planning is jam-packed with wonderfully instructive examples rich in ideas, and will increase your awareness of planning and decision making in chess.

Order Power of Planning by Adrian Mikhalchishin

The Caro-Kann by Viktor Bologan – Running time: 4 hrs. 40 min. Bologan's goal in The Caro-Kann is to provide you with a repertoire, specific move orders, and knowledge. In his words, you simply need to watch this four hour DVD to have an idea on how to play all mainlines and sidelines. I agree that Bologan's explanations, while brief, are usually quite to the point. Still, beginner and intermediate-level players might benefit from a broader discussion, as Bologan's forte is to walk you through the specific recommended lines and not delve into long discourses that are helpful to average players. Bologan follows the same effective approach from his King's Indian Defense DVD, which I reviewed in December of last year. He is highly organized and consistent in his delivery. He first starts with a brief explanation of the particular system and recommended line, highlights a game, and ends with a short summary. Many of the illustrative games on this DVD are his own, so the content is based on his own knowledge and analysis. The recommended repertoire is what he has played or would play in the future, perhaps with some normal modifications. I wanted to see how he's been doing with the Caro-Kann since the creation of this DVD, but was only able to find one game, Okkes-Bologan from the 2008 Euro Club Cup in which he played 3… c5 against the Advanced Variation. As most players know, the Caro-Kann has a reputation for being solid, but somewhat passive and leading to drawn games. According to Bologan, however, there are many opportunities for Black to capture the initiative, and the positions are often complex and nuanced. There are also many dynamic suggestions in his recommended repertoire. For instance, in the King's Indian Attack set-up against the Caro-Kann, he recommends the pawn sacrifice after 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 e5 4.Ngf3 Bd6 5.Qe2 Nf6, and if White goes for the pawn he gets fantastic compensation after 6.exd5 cxd5 7.Nxe5 0–0 8.d4 Nc6 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Nb3 Re8 11.Be3 Ng4 12.g3 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Qg5. From a practical perspective though, it is unlikely your opponent will open up the center with his king still stuck in the center, or play 5.Qe2. Most K.I.A. players would continue with the common line 5.g3. Bologan explains several plans and ideas in his variations, but the viewer obviously has to do his homework and not expect his recommended repertoire to play the game for them. An excellent example of this is his recommended line after 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 e5 4.Ngf3 Bd6 5.d4 exd4 6.exd5 cxd5 7. Nxd4 Nc6 8.N2b3 Nf6 9.Be2 0–0 10.0–0 h6

"Learning to play IQP positions"

Bologan very briefly discusses how to play isolated queen-pawn positions, but this is a big subject in of itself. Learning how to handle IQP positions requires familiarization, playing experience, and further research – all beyond the scope of the subject and objective of this DVD. I would highly recommend Daniel King's Power Play 6, which provides great training material to develop a practical understanding of IQP positions for both sides. The overall PowerPlay series is worth every penny and some of the very best ChessBase

has to offer to average chess learners. One would think there are no long move sequences needing to be memorized in the Caro-Kann, but there are some. One of them occurs after 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 Nf6 6.d4 dxe4 7.Nxe4 Qxd4 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9. Be3 Qd5 10.Rd1 0–0–0 11.Ng5 Ne5 12.Qxd5 Nxd5 and here Black needs to know the sequence 13.Bxa7 h6 14.Bf5+ e6 15.Nxf7 exf5 16.Nxh8 Bb4+ 17. c3 Bd6 18.f4 Nxf4 19.Bb6 Nfd3+ 20.Ke2 Rxh8 21.Rxd3 Nxd3 22.Kxd3 g6. This is one of the few lines Black needs to remember in this variation otherwise nasty things can happen. The content is broken into the following twenty lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ●

01 – 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 02 – 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 03 – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 04 – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 05 – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 06 – 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 Advanced Variation: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 07 – 4th move sidelines) 08 – 4.c3 09 – 4.Be3/4.Nd2 10 – 4.h4 h5 5.c4 e6 11 – 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 f6 12 – 4.Nf3 e6 sidelines 13 – 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7 Classical System: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3/d2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 14 – 5.Nc5 15 – 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3/N1e2/Bc4 16 – 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bf4 Qa5+ 12.Bd2 Qc7 13.0-0-0 Ngf6 14.Qe2 (or 13.Qe2) 17 – 13.0-0-0 Ngf6 14.Ne4 0-0-0 15.g3 Nxe4 16.Qxe4 Bd6 17.Qe2 18 – 17. c4 c5 18.Bc3 cxd4 19 – 17. c4 c5 18.d4/18.Kb1/18.Qe2 20 – 17.Kb1

This is a good DVD if you are looking for a complete repertoire on the CaroKann. However, I would suggest buyers compliment this purchase with some broader materials that offer more explanations about ways to handle typical positions and pawn structures; otherwise they might not be able to get out of the theoretical jungle.

Order The Caro-Kann by Victor Bologan

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The World of the Repertoire "Opening theory is a strange, speckled animal" - Bent Larsen

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima

Last year I was strongly chastised by a chess expert for employing the ColleZukertort system against him. His argument was that I was hampering my long-term chess development by employing system-based openings that let Black equalize easily. He strongly encouraged me to get down to business and learn "grown-up" openings that fight for the advantage with White. Nonetheless, I was able to draw my game against him, not to mention my excellent results with the Zuk, or that I had a full-time job with family responsibilities limiting my study time. In his opinion, I was heading for doom if I didn't start playing 1.e4 and the Sicilian Defense against it specifically the Sveshnikov or Scheveningen systems. As most players know a few months into learning the game, there is no shortage of advice out there on what openings to employ.

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ChessBase Magazine 133 Edited by Rainer Knaak

This month's column features four ChessBase opening trainers that cater to a wide variety of audiences - from pragmatists to theory junkies. If you wish to never read another opening book for the rest of your life, then A Busy Person's Opening System by GM Nigel Davies might be your holy grail. Davies does venture some specific opening suggestions for further study down the line if desired. However, by "down-the-line" he means as in retirement or after the children move out of the house. These opening suggestions are a natural extension to Davies's suggested repertoire - it is a bit like purchasing a laptop with the hope of upgrading its memory and hard drive later on.

Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

If you believe in Fischer's "best by test" comment regarding 1.e4, then IM Sam Collin's 1.e4 Repertoire: Grandmaster Lines Explained for Club Players might be what you are looking for. His recommendations are slightly less theoretical but regularly played at top level. My wife, who was passing by as I was viewing one of the lectures, came to a screeching halt curious to know who the "extremely handsome man" in the video was.

Fritz 12

If you relish the adrenaline rush when playing the black side of the Classical Dragon, but keep getting slain upon losing your way in the jungle of theory, then IM Andrew Martin's The ABC of the Sicilian Dragon could be the perfect antidote. His recommendation of the line known as the "Dragondorf" is surely bound to attract a legion of fans craving to adopt an opening with the coolest name on the planet. If you enjoy active piece play and counterattacking potential, GM Lubomir Ftacnik is ready to introduce you to the Grünfeld Defense through a seven and a half hour marathon in fifty-four video lectures. This being only a superficial introduction to the accompanying 3,500 plus games you are advised to study if you wish to excel at this hypermodern opening.

A Busy Person's Opening System, Nigel Davies, Running time: four hours With A Busy Person's Opening System, Davies adds to his growing list of engaging DVD presentations. These productions generally shy away from sharp theoretical struggles. Jacob Aagard refers to this, in his "holiday style" production on the Queens Indian Defense, as "chess for gangsters, for swindlers, for people who basically don't want to learn a lot of theory but want to understand where the pieces

The Gruenfeld Defence by Lubomir Ftacnik

belong." This is exactly what Davies offers. His aim is to help you reach a type of position, regardless of piece color, that you can play and understand without having to study any opening theory. His audience is people who are too busy to study, but still want to play a decent game of chess without being massacred in the opening stages. For this reason he suggests adopting highly non-theoretical openings. Why learn to drive a Formula One car, he tells us, if we can only drive on the streets. Davies's suggested playing structure has us placing our pawns on e4, d3, and c3 (or e5, d6, and c6 as black). Thus, we are basically playing an Old Indian Defense as black or an Old Indian Reverse as white. For instance, the first illustrative game features Joerg Hickl (2500) vs. Ivan Sokolov (2580), Dortmund 1989. After 1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Be2 Nf6 5.d3 we reach the desired pawn structure.

Old Indian or Philidor-type of pawn structure with white

Upon 5… Be7 6.0–0 d5 7.Nbd2 0–0 8.Re1 e5, Davies points out that White has reached an Old Indian with colors reversed and two extra tempi, one by virtue of being White, and the other by Black having played e6 and e5. Hickl played 9…a3 here, employing one of the common plans of queenside expansion, preparing b4. The game is beautifully presented by Davies, making sense of White's maneuvers while introducing standard plans and ideas in these types of positions. One of the many examples of Black constructing this position is featured in the game YUCO-Kasparov from a 1998 Internet blitz game, where we see the former world champion playing 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bh5 5.c4 Nd7 6.Nc3 e5. All the games are from IM-level and above, and you'll find familiar names such as Pachman, Larsen, Lbujovevic, and more, including several games by German GM Joerg Hickl, who has frequently played this system. The lectures are organized in a very practical manner; first instructive games highlight the main strategical ideas, followed by Black's handling of this system - mainly through Philidor-type positions (e.g., 1.d4 d6 2.e4 c6 3.Nc3 Qc7 4.Nf3 e5). Davies then moves on to explore how to reach these positions with White, culminating with some opening expansions on the Ruy Lopez, King's Indian Defense, and others. There are a total of twenty-three lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Introduction 02: Strategy 1 - Central exchange 03: Strategy 2 - Little centre 04: Strategy 3 - Queenside pawn advance 05: Strategy 4 - Lever with f2-f4 or f7-f5 06: Strategy 5 - Attack with g2-g4 or g7-g5 07: Strategy 6 - Space gaining with e4-e5 or e5-e4 08: Strategy 7 - Space gaining with f2-f4 & e4-e5 & e5-e4 09: Philidor Nc3; Nf3 10: Philidor Nc3; f4 11: Philidor Nf3; Bg4; h3 12: Philidor Nf3; Bg4; Nc3 13: Philidor Nf3; Bg4; Bd3 14: Old Indian d4; c4; e4

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15: Flank Openings 16: White vs e5 17: White vs e4 Black plays a5 18: White vs e4 Ponziani queen exchange 19: White vs French 20: White vs Sicilian 21: White vs Alekhine or Pirc 22: White vs Caro Kann 23: Retirement option

The sample games feature plenty of maneuvering, as well as some wild games such as the Kosten-Luciani 1993 encounter: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Re1 c6 8.a4 b6 9.Bg5 a6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Be2 h6 12.Bf4 Ng6 13.Be3 Ng4 14.Bc1 Bf6 15.Nd4

Black to Move - What would you play?

Kosten played the speculative 15…Nxf2 and went on to win after 16.Kxf2 Bxd4+ 17.Qxd4 Qh4+ 18.Kf1 [18.g3 Qxh2+ 19.Ke3 Qxg3+] 18...f5 19.Bf3 Ne5 20.Qf2 Qxh2 21.Ke2 fxe4 22.Nxe4 Bg4 23.Be3 [23.Ra3 Rae8] 23...Qh5 24.Nd2 Rae8 25.Ra3 d5 26.Kd1 Bxf3+ 27.gxf3 Nxf3 28.Qe2 [28.Nxf3 Rxf3 29.Qe2 d4] 28...Qh3 [28...d4 29.Rf1 dxe3 30.Nxf3] 29.Rf1 Nxd2 30.Rxf8+ Rxf8 31.Kxd2 [31.Bxd2] 31...Qh4 32.Rb3 [32.Qxa6 Qb4+ 33.Kd1 Qxb2; 32. c3 c5] 32...d4 33.Qc4+ Kh8 34.Bxd4 [34.Qxd4 Rd8] 34...Rf2+ 35.Kc3 Qg3+ 36.Kb4 Qd6+ 37.Kc3 Rf3+ 38.Kd2 Rxb3 39.cxb3 c5 0–1 It is pointless to in these positions to study individual theoretical moves. To succeed one must have an understanding of how to play these positions, and Davies lectures are aimed at presenting plans and ideas. This is a fine effort by Davies and highly recommended to anyone looking to expand their opening stock.

Order A Busy Person's Opening System by Nigel Davies

1. e4 Repertoire: Grandmaster Lines Explained for Club Players, by IM Sam Collin, Running time: eight hours Back in the days of chess VHS videos, an opening video would be about an hour or two in length. Today, for almost the same price, one often gets much more. 1.e4 Repertoire by Collins is a massive undertaking that attempts to provide a complete repertoire for White, spanning no less than eight hours and fifty-four video segments. Collins rationale for his repertoire is based on his recommendation to play highly theoretical openings with black, and less theoretical (but still mainstream) as white. For instance, Collins recommends the Giuco Piano over the Ruy Lopez and the Alapin Sicilian instead of the Open Sicilian. His recommendation is to play something you enjoy, were you understand the resulting positions, and

score well. 1.e4 Repertoire has many strengths, one of which is undoubtedly Collin's sincere and thoughtful demeanor. This is Collin's first Chessbase DVD and I was very pleased with his effort. He is highly articulate and speaks slowly and clearly. He also has a very calm and thoughtful delivery approach, and one never feels that he is trying to sell you a line. Overall, his style makes the contents of the DVD very accessible. The first twenty lectures are devoted to Collin's pet line against the Sicilian Defense, the Alapin Sicilian. This is a subject he has written extensively in the past, including in books such as Understanding the Chess Openings and Chess Explained: The c3 Sicilian. Against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf6 Nc6, he recommends the Italian game with 3.Bc4 and here we get ten lectures split between Black's classical 3…Bc5 response and the Three Knight's Defense with 3…Nf6. You'll often see Collins gravitating towards less theoretical lines. Thus, instead of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5, where there is a lot to know, he opts instead for 4.d3, which often reaches similar pawn structures as in the 3…Bc5 recommendations.

There are two lectures in the Petroff Defense in which he recommends 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5.Nbd2. This leads to an asymmetrical pawn structure, and is a line that has received a lot of attention recently. There is even an opening survey by Alexei Kuzmin in Chessbase Magazine #132 containing seven annotated games in this line. There is an eleven-minute lecture on the Philidor Defense, which seemed sufficient, though it did leave out some minor f5 lines like 1.e4 e5 2.d4 d6 3. d5 f5. On the French, we get six lectures advocating a line of the Tarrasch Defense where White sacrifices the d-pawn, say, in the line 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ngf3 Qb6 8.0–0 cxd4 9.cxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Qxd4 11.Nf3 Qb6, with a brief discussion on how to handle the position when Black avoids the normal routes. Six lectures cover the Caro-Kann Defense, and his proposed method is the Panov-Botvinnik Attack after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 which leads to isolated-pawn positions similar to Alapin Sicilian lines with 3…d5. We also get three lectures on the Alekhine Defense, where Collins suggests 1.e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3. There is one short lecture on the Scandinavian, where he suggests avoiding the usual placement of the knight on c3, and to play Nf3 instead. His model game is Morozevich-Rogers, Bundesliga 1999, which went 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Be2 Nc6 5.d4 0–0–0 6.Be3 Nf6 7.c4 Qh5 8.Nbd2 e5 9.d5 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.Bxg4+ Nxg4 12.Bxd4 Bb4 13. h3 Bxd2+ 14.Kxd2 Qg5+ 15.Kc3 Ne5 16.Qe2 Nxc4 17.Qxc4 Rxd5 18.Rad1 Rhd8 19.Be3 Qe5+ 20.Kc2 b5 21.Rxd5 Rxd5 22.Qg4+ f5 23.Qf4 Qe6 24. Kb1 g5 25.Qxg5 Qe4+ 26.Ka1 1–0 The final two lectures cover the Pirc/Modern Defense placing the darksquared bishop on e3 and engaging in classical development as in 1.e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 a6 5.Qd2 Nd7 6.Nf3 b5 7.Bd3 Bb7, or angle for an Austrian Attack after lines such as 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 c6 5.h3 Nbd7 6.f4 b5 7.a3 Nb6.

Index format

The video lecture index is nicely designed. Instead of having to look for the game in the appended database, a link to the game featured in the lecture is included as part of the index. You can click on this link and study the game prior to viewing the lecture, and then reinforce your learning of that particular lecture by reviewing the game again afterwards. Personally, I've found the training tab to be very useful when going through these games, in order to compare my own moves with the moves played during the game. The ChessBase trainer format is a fun tool for anyone willing to sit down and do the hard work. Overall, an outstanding work by Collins, who makes these lines accessible and easily understood for players at all levels.

Order 1.e4 Repertoire: Grandmaster Lines Explained for Club Players by Sam Collins

The ABC of the Sicilian Dragon, by Andrew Martin, Running time: four hours While the Sicilian Dragon often leads to thrilling games featuring opposite-flank attacks, the players in particularly Black - needs to be fully prepared for the theoretical struggle ahead of him. As Martin points out, it is easy to be wiped off the board without making an original move, and overall the play requires an excellent memory to keep up with the latest theoretical updates. The alternative approach is one suggested by GM Simon Williams and presented in Martin's DVD. After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3, instead of following up with ...Nc6 and castling short, Black plays the Najdorf-like move 7…a6. Black delays castling for as long as it takes in order to generate queenside counterplay. In certain positions, Black plays ...h6 before castling to slow White on the kingside. One sample game of the "Dragondorf" on this DVD is Leake-Ward, which went 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 a6 8.Bc4 Nbd7 9.Qd2 b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11.0–0–0 h6 12.Kb1 Rc8 13.h4 h5 14.Rhe1 Qc7 15.Bg5 Nb6 16. Qe2 0–0 17.g4 hxg4 18.fxg4 Nc4 19.Rd3 Qc5 20.Red1 Rfe8 21.h5 Qxg5 22. hxg6 fxg6 23.Rf3 e6 24.Rdf1 Nd2+ 25.Ka1 Nxb3+ 26.axb3 b4 27.Qh2 bxc3 28.Rh1 cxb2+ 29.Kxb2 0-1 Incidentally, Christopher Ward is often featured on this DVD, and he is someone who has written extensively on the Classical Dragon. One of my alltime favorite slug-fests of his, and a good illustration of what Black tries to avoid in the Dragondorf is the game Brink-Claussen vs. Ward, which went 1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0– 0 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Ne5 11.Bb3 Qa5 12.0–0–0 Rfc8 13.Kb1 b5 14.Ncxb5 Qd8 15.Bh6 Bh8 16.Nc3 Rab8 17.g4 a5 18.a4 Rb4 19.h5 Rcc4!? 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.Be3 Bg7 22.Nf5! gxf5 23.gxf5 Nxf3 24.Qg2 Nxe4 25.Nxe4 Bxf5 26. Bh6 White starts to circle around Black's king. 26...Qf8 27.Rxd6! Rxc2? [27...exd6 28.Nf6+ Kh8 29.Bxg7# doesn't work, but Black needs to return to c8 to defend the back-rank)] 28.Qxg7+? [28.Bxc2!] 28...Qxg7 29.Rd8+ Kh7 30.Bxg7+ Rh2! 31.Rxh2+ Nxh2 32.Bc3 Rxb3 33.Ka2 Rb7 34.Rh8+ Kg6 35.

Rg8+ Kh7 36.Rh8+ ½–½ The content is organized through thirty lectures, focusing not only on the sharper lines, but also looking at lines where White castles kingside or featuring a kingside fianchetto. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Introduction 02: Intro Yugoslav Attack, Evans - Zuckerman, New York 1967 03: Dragondorf intro 04: Karkajin - Romero, Pamplona 2003 05: Leake - Ward, London 2005 06: Lohr, Germany 1996 07: Variation 9.Bh6, Kristjansson, Hastings 2006 08: Variation 9.Bh6, Volkmann - Pilaj, Gmunden 2005 09: Variation 9.0-0-0, Hartikainen - Volodin, Tallinn 2008 10: Variation 9.0-0-0, Shirov - Williams, West Bromwich 2004 11: Variation 9.0-0-0, Satyapragyan - Fedorov, Parsvnath 2006 12: Variation 9.g4, Erenburg - Sakaev, Khanty Mansyisk 2005 13: Variation 9.g4, Al Sayed - Cheparinov, Andorra 2004 14: Variation 9.g4, Kobalia - Chuprov 15: Variation 9.g4, Ishkhamov - Ehlvest, Berkeley 2005 16: Dragondorf conclusion, Littlewood - Botvinnik, Hastings 1961/62 17: Classical intro 18: Classical, Mkrtchian - Kosintseva, Fuegen 2006 19: Classical, Castro - Postny, Evora 2007 20: Classical, Kramnik - Navara, Prague 2008 21: Classical, Krivec - Kosintseva, Calvia 2004 22: Classical, Jessel - Mestel, Sunningdale 2007 23: Levenfish intro 24: Levenfish, Ljubojevic - Miles, Skara 1980 25: Levenfish, Gonzales de la Torre - Argandera Riviera, Elgoibar 2005 26: Fianchetto line, Babula - Civin, Czechia 2003 27: Sixth move alternatives for white: Makka - Kosintseva, Goa 2002 28: 6.Bc4, McShane - Hansen, Copenhagen 1999 29: 6.Bc4, Zelcic - Kovacevic, Zadar 2007 30. 6.Bc4, Sadvakasov - Kortschnoj, Astana 2003 31. Outro

Some of Martin's advice, while verbally convincing, fails for tactical reasons. Thus, it is important to take a critical view of the recommended lines. For instance, in the first game Karkajin-Romero, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 a6 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.Bc4 Qc7 10.Bb3 h6 11.0–0–0, Romero played 11...Nb6. Martin instead recommends 11…b5 12. Rhe1 Bb7 13.Kb1 Nb6 as a better way of handling Black's position. This has been played before, but the only problem is that instead of 12.Rhe1, White has 12.Nd5, with the idea of 12…Nxd5 13.Nxb5! and if 13…axb5, 14.Qxd5 simultaneously attacks f7 and the hanging rook on a8. After 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13. Nxb5 Qb8 14.Qxd5 0-0 15.Nd4 or 15.Nc3, White is a pawn up and Black still needs to organize his queenside play. There is plenty of material here to get thoroughly acquainted with the Dragondforf, and Martin never fails to entertain and educate. The theory on the Dragondorf will most likely expand very quickly, but at present there seems to be plenty of room for originality and experimentation.

ABC of the Sicilian Dragon by Andrew Martin

The Grünfeld Defence, by Lubomir Ftacnik, Running time: seven hours Prior to reviewing Ftacknik's Grünfeld DVD, my knowledge of this opening was limited to the 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc4 6. bxc3 line as played in the 1990 World

Championship Match between Kasparov and Karpov. Thus, imagine my surprise to see thirty ECO codes for this opening! The Grünfeld is not for the theory-weary. Ftacknik points out that one of the challenges for Black is that White decides which variation to play in the Grünfeld, so Black needs to be prepared for a wide variety of ideas and lines. On the positive side, the Grünfeld Defense offers very active positions with counterattacking potential. Ftacnik also recommends the Grünfeld to players who enjoy active piece play. If you enjoy piece play and don't mind incurring structural weaknesses, then this might be the ideal opening for you. The DVD is a massive undertaking by Ftacnik, who devotes no less than fifty video lectures discussing main Neo-Grünfeld and Grünfeld lines, plus a couple of lectures on typical endgames and common structures that arise from this opening. There are also 3,854 appended games, including games from 2009. You'll find many annotated games, but also some junk as well. For instance, there isn't any educational value in a blitz game between Radjabov and Svidler, which only contains the first four moves, or in short GM draws. On the other hand, one can't be too stereotypical and decide that shorts games are worthless. For example, the game Yegiazarian (2455) - Aronian (2455), Ciocaltea Memorial 1988 is heavily annotated with specific variations, even though the game was drawn on move eleven.

Given that there are fifty-four video lectures, it would have been really helpful to show the specific line on the index, as is done on most ChessBase opening DVDs. For instance, instead of "20: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5" you only see "Grünfeld 20: D80." D80 is the ECO code, which is great to know for further research, but an inconvenience if you are searching for a specific video lecture. The list below is meant as a rough guide to get an idea of the DVD contents according to the ECO code structure. The number in parenthesis following the ECO code represents the number of video lectures dedicated to that line. ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Intro Structures Endgames Neo Grünfeld Lines D70 (1): 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 D71 (1): 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 d5 D72 (2): 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 de5 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nb6 7.Ne2 D73 (1): 5.Nf3 D74 (1): 5.Nf3 0-0 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.0-0 D75 (1): 5.Nf3 0-0 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.0-0 c5 8.dxc5 D76 (7): 5.Nf3 0-0 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.0-0 Nb6 D77 (2): 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 D78 (2): 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 c6 D79 (1): 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.cxd5 cxd5 Grünfeld D80 (2): 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 D81 (1): 4.Qb3 D82 (2): 4.Bf4

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

D83 (1): 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 0-0 D84 (1): 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Nxd5 Qxd5 8.Bxc7 D85 (5): 4.cxd5 Nxd5 D86 (1): 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 D87 (3): 7… 0-0 8.Ne2 c5 D88 (1): 7… 0-0 8.Ne2 c5 Nc6 D89 (1): 7.Bc4 c5 8.New Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.0-0 Bg4 11.f3 Na5 D90 (1): 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 D91 (3): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5 D92 (1): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bf4 D93 (1): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 D94 (1): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3 D95-96 (1): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.Qb3 and 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 D97 (2): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 D98 (1): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc7 4.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 D99 (1): 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qcx4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 Outro

The introductory lectures are devoted to understanding typical structures and endgames in the Grünfeld, but they left me sort of befuddled. The video on structures begins with a blitz game between Kramnik and Ivanchuk from the Moscow Tal Memorial Blitz. Here Ftacnik probably scrolled through the moves faster than the players at the blitz tourney - so fast that at times I couldn't even see the moves! I think this completely defeats the purpose of the video lecture format, and I would much rather pick a book on the Grünfeld and learn at my own pace instead of being subjected to visual abuse. Speeding through games in such a manner quickly tired my eyes, and took some of the enjoyment out of the experience. This was really disappointing because I was expecting to be mesmerized by Ftacnik who did a wonderful job on his Scheveningen DVD. The main content is better paced and interesting. Ftacnik does not make any specific recommendations, as his goal is to deepen your overall understanding of the Grünfeld, so do not expect to be spoon-fed specific variations. Overall, Ftacnik's analysis is balanced, but heavy-handed.

Order The Gruenfeld Defence by Lubomir Ftacnik

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The Magicians "Chess is an amazing, deep and difficult game, but at the end, in the highest sense, is logical, even if it seems paradoxical at first for the human mind." – Karsten Müller

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Magic of Chess Tactics, by Claus Dieter Meyer and Karsten Müller, Running time: three hours, thirty minutes

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima

Prepare to be dazzled and challenged in this superb transformation of Müller and Meyer's book The Magic of Chess Tactics to Fritz Trainer format. Müller presents thirty-eight video lectures that highlight the creativity of some of the greatest magicians of the chessboard: Fischer, Shirov, Topalov, Bronstein, Tal, Nezhtmetdinov, and many others. Combine this with Müller's entertaining and dynamic style and you come away with a highquality production. One of best ways to improve your tactical ability is to roll-up one's sleeves and get down to business solving puzzles. You can sit back and enjoy these fabulous lectures, but I suspect Müller will soon make you feel guilty. He often stops during the presentation to ask what would you do in a given position. His question is followed by a pause, and just when you think he's about to reveal the solution, he will say "go ahead, take your time." You simply marvel at the creativity of the magicians or take the opportunity to improve your tactical skills. Some video lectures can provide a full day's tactical workout, as in the second video lecture presenting the game ShirovLautier, Munich 1993. In this nineteen-minute lecture, Müller stops no less than eleven times to challenge the viewer. Here are the first three:

Two Knight's Defence by Lawrence Trent

ChessBase Magazine 134 Edited by Rainer Knaak

Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

Deep Fritz 12 White to Move – Find the mate yourself

White to Move – Find the refutation to Rd3

White to Move – How to strengthen White's attack?

The puzzles range in difficulty, but they are geared towards intermediate to advanced players and beyond. Given the amount of training material provided, it is advisable to set-up the positions over-the-board, so you are not glued to the computer screen. Magic of Chess Tactics contains three and a half hours of video divided into the following lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Intro 02: Fischer, R – Donner, J 03: Shirov, A – Lautier, J 04: Topalov, V – Shirov, A 05: Cross pin 06: Bronstein, D – NN 07: Bronstein, D – Korchnoi, V 08: Tal, M – Bronstein, D 09: Samsonov – Nezhmetdinov, R 10: Nezhmetdinov, R – Tal, M 11: Polugaevsky, L Nezhmetdinov, R 12: Stein, L – Birbrager, I 13: Stein, L – Portisch, L 14: Stein, L – Anikaev, Y 15: Spielmann, R – Gruenfeld, E 16: Spielmann, R – Thomas, G 17: Tal, M – Koblentz, A 18: Tal, M – Klaman, K 19: Tal, M – Smyslov, V 20: Tal, M – Benko, P 21: Tal, M – Nievergelt, E 22: Kunnemann, N.N. 23: Analysis of Kunnemann – N.N. 24: Queen and Knight: Anand, V – Radjabov, T 25: Attacking combination 01: Müller, K – Zagrebelny, S 26: Attacking combination 02: Caruana, F – Berg, E 27: Attacking combination 03: Rotlewi, G – Rubinstein, A 28: Attacking combination 04: Bagirov, V – Gufeld 29: Attacking combination 05: Maroczy, G – Romi, M 30: Attacking combination 06: Alekhine, A – van Mindeno, A 31: Attacking combination 07: Nimzowitsch, A – Vidmar, M 32: Attacking combination 08: Kasparov, G – Karpov, A 33: Attacking combination 09: Panczyk, K – Matlak, M 34: Attacking combination 10: Martorelli, A – Antunes, A 35: Endgame magic 01: Szypulski, A – Silbermann, F 36: Endgame magic 02: Short, N – Cheparinov, I 37: Endgame magic 03: Geisler, F – Heissler, J 38: Endgame magic 04: Analysis of Kunnemann – N.N.

There is also a supplementary Chessbase file of 384 tactical positions from which the video examples were taken. If you choose the training tab to hide the answers, you can take a shot at solving the puzzles yourself.

While he discusses the solution of a puzzle, Müller dispenses valuable advice, such as, Don't exchange your attacking potential; opposite-colored bishops favor the attacker, etc. There are some fantastic lectures here that you will return to time and time again. Two of my favorites were the mad dash of pins and cross-pins in the game Fahnnenschmidt – Gutman, Germany Bundesliga 1987, and the epic duel Nezhmetdinov – Tal, 1961 USSR Championship. In the latter Müller paints a picturesque portrait of Nezhmetdinov with funny remarks such as "OK, this move is better, but of course Nezhmetdinov had to play the Nezhmetdinov move." Overall, this is a superb production from Müller, Meyer, and the ChessBase team. Along with King's PowerPlay series and Mikhalchishin's The Secret Weapons of the Champions, Magic of Chess Tactics is among my favorite Fritz Trainers of all time.

Order Magic of Chess Tactics by Claus Dieter Meyer and Karsten Müller

Trompowsky the Easy Way (2nd ed.), by Andrew Martin, Running time: four hours On his DVD on the Queen's Indian Defense, Jacob Aagard takes a humorous jab at the Trompowsky, when, after 1.d4 Nf6, he comments, "We are not thinking about things like the London, the Trompowsky or all the other people who do not want to play real chess, but want to fight for an advantage with 2.c4." Martin, on the other hand, feels that the Trompowsky provides us playable positions with plenty of room for creativity. As Martin points out in Trompowsky the Easy Way, 1. d5 Nf6 3.Bg5 became widely popular in the '70s, providing white players with an automatic attacking game without having to learn reams of theory. Martin's introductory games provide us with a bit of history on the Trompowsky, as well as a couple of questions to challenge our tactical knowhow the first illustrative game is Vaganian-Boterill 1974. After 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 Bg7 5.Ne2 b6 6.Nf4 d5 7.h4 h5 8.c4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bb7 10.Nc3 Bh6, we reach the following position:

White to Move – What would you play here?

Vaganian found the tactical shot 11.Bxf7+! Kxf7 12.Qb3+ Ke8 13.Nxg6 Qd7 14.Nxh8 Qg7 15.Qe6+ Kf8 16.Nd5 Nd7 17.Ne7 Re8 18.Nhg6+ 1-0 The second inspirational game is also another 1974 Vaganian encounter, this time against Jansa, at Kragujevac, and featuring the pawn sacrifice 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3 Qxb2. Martin puts both games into historical perspective and discusses how Black handles the opening these days, trying to play ...e5 (e.g., 5.Bd2 Qb6 6.e4 e5) before White does so himself. In the game, Black got steamrolled after 5.Bd2 Qb6 6.e4 d6 7.f4 g6 8.e5 Nfd7 9. Nf3 Bg7 10.Rb1 Qd8 11.e6 fxe6 12.Ng5 Nf8 13.Bb5+ Bd7 14.dxe6 Bxb5 15. Nxb5 Qc8 16.0–0 a6 17.Bc3 axb5 18.Bxg7 Rg8 19.Bxf8 Rxf8 20.Nxh7 Rg8 21.f5 gxf5 22.Qh5+ Kd8 23.Qf7 Re8 24.Rxf5 Qc6 25.Re1 Rxa2 26.Nf6 Rxc2 27.Qxe8+ Qxe8 28.Nxe8 Kxe8 29.h4 Rc4 30.h5 Nc6 31.Ref1 Kd8 32. R5f4 Nd4 33.Kh2 Nxe6 34.Rxc4 bxc4 35.h6 Ng5 36.Kg3 b5 37.Kg4 c3 38. Kxg5 1-0 As with most of Martin's opening DVDs, his inspirational games are followed by a series of lectures focusing on specific themes. This allows a better understanding of the underlying ideas behind specific variations. Martin first discusses the imbalance arising after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6, in which White gives up the bishop-pair in exchange for ruining Black's pawn structure. The second theme discusses the imbalance arising after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3. e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6, in which White gives up the bishop-pair in exchange for a strong center. Martin also relates that the old move 5.Nf3 is viewed as less flexible, since it blocks the f-pawn, and explains that 5.c3, 5.Nc3, and 5.Qd2 are seen more often nowadays. Because of the early departure of the bishop from the queenside, the b2-pawn can be a weakness, and White can sacrifice it to gain time fro an attack. Martin looks at this theme in two lectures exploring 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3. Bh4 c5 4.f3 g5 5.fxe4 gxh4 6.e3 Qb6 7.Nc3 Qxb2 and 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3. Bxf6 gxf6 4.d5 Qb6 5.Nd2 Qxb2. The appeal of the Trompowsky lies not only in the attacking chances it offers, but also in room for originality it provides. This is the last of the themes in Martin's video, and we are treated to he nice encounter Bellon-Kouatly, OHRA Open 1987. The material is divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Preintro 02: Intro and Game 1 03: Game 2 04: Bishop vs pawn structure 05: The big centre 06-07: White sacrifices for attack 08: Originality 09-11: 2…d5 12-16: 2…e6 17-20: 2…c5 21-27: 2…Ne4 28-29: Loose ends

● ● ●

30: Outro 31-36: Updates 37: Outro

It is often amusing to see what presenters have to say when making videos for both sides of an opening. On the DVD, Queen's Pawn Openings, Martin comments that Trompowsky players are looking for an interesting position without having to think too much, but in fact only expose their own laziness. He advocates the system with g6 and d5, and comments that if White wants to get anything out of the position he has to play an early c4. The line he recommends goes 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 (or 2…g6) 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 g6. Surprisingly, Martin does not have much to say about this line on the Trompowsky DVD. He only mentions that against 2…g6 White should opt for the same strategy of playing 3.Bxf6 in order to ruin Black's pawn structure. Thus, the Trompowsky the Easy Way doesn't even say how to handle the author's own recommendation against the Trompowsky. To be fair, Martin does give the Trompowsky its proper place in the opening hierarchy. He mentions that he is unconvinced White has any advantage whatsoever in the 2…e6 lines, and suggests 3.e3 over the more common 3.e4. This looks deceptively modest, but one idea is to potentially support an f4push and create a favorable stonewall-like game. In the updates section, he also suggests 3.Nd2 as a surprise weapon. Overall this DVD is a good introduction to this opening and the contents are neatly organized. Martin's target audience is the average improving player.

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The Power of Exchange, by Adrian Mikhalchishin, Running time: three hours Mikhalchishin has a way of making the classical masters and their techniques accessible to chess lovers via his excellent ChessBase trainers. His other titles include Winning Structures, The Secrets Weapons of the Champions, and Power of Planning. The Power of Exchange places great emphasis on various aspects of piece exchanges, an important aspect of technical mastery that is prevalent in the games of the famous Polish grandmaster Akiva Rubinstein. Five video lectures are devoted to Rubinstein and the exchange, with six lectures covering various other topics related to exchanges in general. In his first video lecture Mikhalchishin discusses topics such as when to exchange pawns and when to exchange pieces, transitioning to winning or superior endgames, the decisive role of the king in king in pawn endgames, creating a second weakens, and other subjects. Mikhalchishin's examples are highly illustrative of the topics he presents, and they are packed with terrific advice. One example is his lecture featuring the game Rubinstein-Tarrasch. His important rule here is "Don't look at the piece you want to exchange, but the pieces that remain on the board after exchange – look at the pieces remaining after the exchange and examine their activity."

Rubinstein-Tarrasch – White to Move – What would you play?

Here, the average player would likely consider where to develop White's bishop on c1 and connect the rooks, except that the bishop has no adequate square. Rubinstein recognizes that Black's knight is a strong piece and plays 21.Nd1 with the idea of playing 22.Ne3 to exchange the knight on c4. Along the way, Mikhalchishin discusses the characteristics of strong players, such as being able to choose multifunctional moves or the ability to find the simplest solution to a problem. One of the enjoyable and educational aspects of Mikhalchishin's lectures is how he will illustrate a specific rule in one lecture, just to show that things are not so simple in the next. In the illustrative game Zaichik-Mikhalchishin he gives the following position:

Black to Move – What would you play?

Mikhalchishin points out how he failed to assess the position, believing that he was better on account of his bishop on g7 pressuring White's queenside pawns along the open diagonal. However, after 23…c5? 24.Nd6 Bd4 25.f3 Rb6 26.Nc4 Re6 he humorously points out that nobody cares about his "strong" bishop on d4, the real weakness being the pawn on c5. His lowerrated opponent capitalized on it after 27.Rde1 Rfe8 28.Rxe6 Rxe6 29.Kd3 Bg7 30.Rc1 h5 31.Rc2 Re1 32.Na5 a6 33.Nb7 Re6 34.Kc4 f5 35.Nxc5 Rd6. The lesson is that chess is not so simple and that one cannot judge a position solely on a single factor. My only reservation is that Mikhalchishin does not quiz the viewer or provide any practice material. Simply viewing the DVD increases our knowledge, but not necessarily our ability. Of course, the viewer can print out diagrams of key positions and make self-test exercises. I did this with Mikhalchishin's Secret Weapons of World Champion and it was very helpful to my chess improvement. Overall, this is another excellent DVD by Mikhalchishin. I hope he continues to share his expertise through these instructive video lectures.

Order Power of Exchange by Adrian Mikhalchishin

The ABC of the Ruy Lopez (2nd ed.), by Andrew Martin, Running time: four hours, fifty-four minutes Martin's goal in the ABC of the Ruy Lopez is to provide the viewer with a working knowledge of this opening. He presents celebrated examples, offers repertoire suggestions, and comments on typical ideas to prepare us to employ the Lopez in our chess practice. Of the nearly five hour running time, ninety minutes is devoted to new material. The contents, organized in Martin's typical manner, discussing main themes, and then moving on to the specific variations, are divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Intro 02: Sustained Pressure 03: Simplicity 04: Solidity 05: The Lopez Grip 06: Black tries to smash the Ruy Lopez 07: Intro to Theory and Berlin 08: Berlin 1 09: Berlin 2 10: Schliemann 11: Bird 12: Cozio 13: Smyslov's 14: Classical 15: Berlin Classical 16: Chase Variation 17: Steinitz Deferred 18: Main Life 1 Steinitz 5.d3 19: Main Line 2 20: Main Line 3 21: Outro 22: Ruy Lopez Update 1/Berlin Defence; Zude-Strache 23: Ruy Lopez Update 2/Berlin Defence; Shirov-Levin 24: Ruy Lopez Update 3/Berlin Defence; Stellwagen-Carlsen 25: Ruy Lopez Update 4/Schliemann Defense; Carlsen-Radjabov 26: Ruy Lopez Update 5/Gajewsi Variation; Le Gallo-Kosten 27: Ruy Lopez Update 6/Steinitz Variation; Tiviakov-Eljanov 28: Ruy Lopez Update Outro

The video lectures begin with the concept of sustained pressure through a wonderful example of the Ruy Lopez grip in the old game Dyke-Santasiere 1931. According to Martin, no other opening, after 1.e4 e5, gives White the chance to get a clear edge from the start of the game. Martin tells us that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 2.Bb5 White's goals are to put pressure on the e-pawn, attempt to dominate the center, and attack Black on the kingside. One of several examples of this is the miniature Kulaots (2530) – Khudyakov (2365) in the Berlin Classical variation after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Bc5 5.c3 0–0 6.d4 Bb6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 d6 9.Qd3 Bd7 10.Nbd2 a6 11. Bc4 g5 12.Nxg5 hxg5 13.Bxg5 Kg7 14.f4 exd4 15.e5 dxe5 16.Qg3 Rg8 17. fxe5 Kf8 18.exf6 Ke8 19.Rae1+ Be6 20.Bxe6 fxe6 21.f7+ 1-0

One of the key differences between a DVD lecture and book is the amount of verbal commentary provided. Many opening books have a tendency to focus on variations, while the reverse can be true with DVD lectures. Thus, average players can glean the main ideas and capture the spirit of an opening in a short period of time with DVD training. For instance, here are some small excerpts from Martin's generous verbal commentary of the game Anand-Milov, Sao Paolo 2004: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 d6 "Here Anand's opponent Milov plays d6. We have already seen an example of this type of Steinitz-like passive approach. Really, it cannot be recommended to Black, even for very tough defenders, because when Black plays this way, it seems to me, Black is ceding the initiative to White, and secondly he is relying on White to make a mistake. This is really poor strategy. What I like about this game is how Anand develops his pieces: simply, forcibly, and accurately ..." 5.d4 Bd7 6.Nc3 Be7 "Now a very good move for Anand, one that probably wouldn't occur to a lot of players, simply taking the knight on c6. The idea of this is that when Black recaptures with the bishop, as it happened during the game, White simply plays Re1, and finally Black is forced to think about the pawn on e5. Now what is he going to do? If he decides to just leave it there and play Nd7, White wins a piece (to d5). So, Black has to cede center, which is what Milov does …" 7.Bxc6 Bxc6 8.Re1 exd4 9.Nxd4 Bd7 "After seeing what happened in our first illustrative game where White damaged Black's pawn structure, and getting an advantage that's not easy to be shaken off, Milov decides to retreat the bishop. Now comes a nicety which a lot of players wouldn't observe, a typical Ruy Lopez move h3, preventing Bg4 … Simple enough to understand but maybe not natural to a lot of players …" 10.h3 0–0 11.Qf3 Re8 "And after this simple move [Qf3] Black has got problems. White threatens to centralize his pieces by playing his bishop out to Bf4 and swing his rook over to d1. At that stage, fully developed, White is probably threatening to move his e-pawn down the board … with the queen on f3 White has options of Nf5 or Nd5 on the menu … so you see White has all this options and Black has to sit and weather the storm. … Well, don't take my word for it; let's just see how Anand demolished Milov in this game …" The contest ended quickly after 12.Bf4 c6 13.Rad1 Qb6 14.Nb3 a5 15.Bxd6 Bxd6 16.Rxd6 a4 17.Nd2 Qxb2 18.e5 Qxc2 19.Re2 Bf5 20.exf6 Rxe2 21. Nxe2 Bg6 22.a3 Re8 23.Qe3 1-0

I enjoyed this video. The ABC series is aimed at introducing the flavor of the opening, rather than dishing out the latest theoretical trends. At the start of the DVD, Martin says that regardless of whether we play the Ruy Lopez or not, our chess will improve dramatically by learning about this opening. This is a somewhat extravagant statement in my opinion, but we will see in a year or so if my chess results prove him right!

Order ABC of the Ruy Lopez by Andrew Martin

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Not All Fritz Trainers Were Created Equal It is a major task to step into the shoes of Louis Lima, but I am going to give it my best shot. I love chess and have been involved in it since the 1960s, that is even before Chess Informant and ECO. There were no computers and no databases. In those days, the greatest books were My System and Logical Chess Move By Move. There were other books, but nothing like what is available today. Now, new books are published every week and we have access to amazing software that will help us solve any positional puzzle we might have.

ChessBase Cafe Lance Martin

One of the greatest modern innovations was the "Fritz Trainer." I own fortyeight of them, all of which are on my net book. A net book is a tiny laptop with a twelve hour battery. I use Chess Base 10 (a product that every chess player should have) and an external DVD player to install the trainers to my net book, so that I can take them with me wherever I go.

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Sicilian Najdorf 6.Bg5 by Alexei Shirov

My reason for explaining this is that I believe DVDs have become an integral part of anyone's chess training. There are trainers for those who are brand new to chess, such as the much praised Power Play series, while intermediate and advanced players can delve into the mind of the likes of Alexi Shirov. I have a library of about 700 books, but I spend a quarter of my time with the trainers. I can watch Shirov over and over and always learn something new. However, not all Fritz Trainers were created equal. There are some superior works and there are some forgettable ones. I will review both ends of the spectrum and everything in the middle. So, let's begin. The Scheveningen Sicilian, by Lubomir Ftacnik, Running time: seven hours Rating Chart – Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

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ChessBase Magazine 135 Edited by Rainer Knaak

The Scheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defense was so named by Max Euwe after a town in the Hague in which he played this variation in a 1923 international tournament. The star of this trainer is Lubomir Ftacnik. A man who considers the Scheveningen as "the central world" of the Sicilian. Ftacnik started playing rated games in 1975 and by 1976 he was European Junior Champion. He received the title of international grandmaster in 1980. He is a native of Slovakia and eventually his chess took him to the United States. He is currently rated 2546 and his highest rating is 2580. He has played the Scheveningen since 1977. Thus, here is a man who has the credentials to do a Fritz Trainer on the Scheveningen. Ftacnik is definitely someone from whom most of us can learn. But more than that, his style is excellent for the task of teaching.

The trainer is divided into twenty-four lectures. He begins with a great introduction on the Scheveningen and all of its variants, where he defines the importance of the thirty-six squares in the Scheveningen. This is followed by five lectures on the English Attack. We then have five lectures on what is referred to as the "Main Scheveningen," which is really the 6.Be2 mainline.

Deep Fritz 12

This is followed by lectures on The Keres Attack, which is 7.g4. These are followed by three lectures on the Yugoslav Attack, 6.Bc4. I have to admit that I have always referred to this attack in the Scheveningen as the Sozin Variation. I would love to hear from anyone who can tell me the origin of the term Yugoslav Attack for this opening. The remainder of the lectures study the various other lines. The English Attack [ECO B80] is defined by the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.0-0-0 Bb7

[FEN "r2qkb1r/1b1n1pp1/p2ppn1p/1p6/ 3NP1P1/2N1BP2/PPPQ3P/2KR1B1R w kq - 0 11"]

Ftacnik covers the entire evolution of the variation as it went from 11.Bd3 to 11.h4 to 12.Na4 Qa5, and then goes through the alternative methods to meet White's attack. Ftacnik does an incredible job of annotating all of the games on this DVD. All the key moves of every variation are carefully explained and a database of about 8,000 games is included. As for the mainline Scheveningen, the question is White's reaction to 11.Kh1 Re8.

[FEN "r1b1r1k1/1pq1bppp/p1nppn2/8/P2NPP2/ 2N1B3/1PP1B1PP/R2Q1R1K w - - 0 12"]

The first lecture covers 12.a5. If Black takes with the knight, his position is weakened and it can eventually lead to black's demise. Next, we are given instruction in 12.Bd3 Nxd4, which can lead to disaster for Black after 13. Bxd4 e5 14.Bg1 exf4 15.Rxf4 d5 16.Qf3 Be6. In response to 12.Bf3, Ftacnik finally comes around to 12...Rb8, but to find out exactly how this move evolved into a winning attack for Black you will have to purchase the trainer. All these lines are exceptionally annotated by Ftacnik. The same is true for the dreaded Keres Attack, with Black again finding a way to score the point. I must say that it would take a chess player of considerable knowledge to fully appreciate this work. Thus, this DVD is meant for the player who already has a good understanding of the Scheveningen. However, even a beginner can marvel at Ftacnik's clear lectures and game annotations. Dare I say they are more interesting than Kasparov's Fritz Trainers. This DVD was a delight. Ftacnik does a yeoman's job of pointing out the similarities and differences of the lines within the Scheveningen, and the lectures on sidelines were very enlightening One of the games that stands out was Ftacnik's own game against Tal. His annotations for this game may not

teach you much about the mainline Scheveningen, but it will help your chess immensely. We really get to see how Ftacnik's mind works as he is playing. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Scheveningen Sicilian by Lubomir Ftacnik

My Best Games in the Grünfeld Defence, Alexei Shirov, Running time: five hours, fifty-five minutes In 1998, Alexei Shirov played Vladimir Kramnik in an elimination match for the right to play Garry Kasparov for the World Chess Champioship in 2000. Alexei won that match, but it was Kramnik that played Kasparov and won the championship. What does this have to do with this DVD? Well, Shirov had decided to play only the Grünfeld as black against Kramnik, and we are given Shirov's first hand annotations of five of these games. This is an opportunity not to be passed up. We have close to six hours of Shirov playing the world's top players in the Grünfeld. There is an introduction, followed by fifteen segments. Shirov acknowledges everyone's debt to Kasparov in the Grünfeld and a look at the board after the first six moves (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3) exemplifies the complexity of the opening.

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/ppp1pp1p/6p1/8/3PP3/2P5/ P4PPP/R1BQKBNR b KQkq - 0 6"]

It is awe inspiring when Shirov walks through the first eleven moves of a game and notes that he knew these moves when he was nine or ten years old. One merely has to look at the annotations to see the theoretical changes that occurred in the ensuing decade. Shirov tells us that in his entire chess career he is proud of two moves. The first was Bh3 in a game against Topalov. The second was surprising the queen on f4 against Gelfand. Both games are included on this DVD. The Topalov game contains one of the best moves in chess history. The game took place in Linares 1998. This is the famous position that Shirov considers his legacy to chess.

[FEN "8/5k2/5pp1/3p1b2/p6P/2B5/ 6P1/7K b - - 0 47"]

According to Shirov, not even the computer engines could find the winning move 47...Bh3. The game ended with Topalov's resignation, as there was no way that White could prevent Black from queening a pawn. It is moves like this that let us understand why people devote their lives to this endeavor. We may not see chess the same way that Shirov does, but the fact that all chess players have certain moves or positions that they will remember for the rest of their lives makes this game worthy of our time and effort. So is this DVD. My assessment of this DVD: Order My Best Games in the Grünfeld Defence by Alexei Shirov

Power Play 12: The Hedgehog, Daniel King, Running time: five hours The Hedgehog may have been played in the 1920s by Capablanca, but it is considered part of the Revolution in the 70s, according to Garry Kasparov in his underrated book. It was played by Ulf Anderson against Bobby Fischer, and Anderson made it his life's work to perfect its structure. One manner of studying an opening system and its development is by studying the work of its opponents. Wolfgang Uhlman became a "maniacal foe" of the Hedgehog and led to the continuity of its development by trying to uncover the imperfections that would allow opponents to beat it. There is a question as to whether The Hedgehog is a "system" or whether to consider it as The Symmetrical English [A30]. Daniel King's Power Play 12 is a Fritz Trainer devoted to this opening. King does consider it "a system." He begins with multiple examples of the Hedgehog, so as to better explain exactly what it is and how one gets into the required position. The Hedgehog setup is achieved by placing four black pawns on the sixth rank and "with their spines" they control the fifth rank. The Hedgehog is divided into two main subsystems. The Fianchetto is marked by the moves 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b6 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.0-0 e6 5.c4 c5 6.d4 cxd4 7. Qxd4 d6 8.Nc3 a6 9.Rd1 Qc7 10.b3

[FEN "rn2kb1r/1bq2ppp/pp1ppn2/8/2PQ4/ 1PN2NP1/P3PPBP/R1BR2K1 b kq - 0 10"]

The Classical Hedgehog is reached via the following move order 1.Nf3 c5 2. c4 b6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bb7 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.f3 d6 7.e4 Nbd7 8.Be3 e6 9.Be2 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Rc1 a6

[FEN "r2q1rk1/1b1nbppp/pp1ppn2/8/2PNP3/ 2N1BP2/PP2B1PP/2RQ1RK1 w - - 0 12"]

King's videos are divided into thirty-three segments. However, this may be misleading because any single game can be divided into multiple clips with test positions. For instance, the Vulkic-Suba game is inexplicably divided into five clips that are separated by training questions. Perhaps Mr. King forgot that the viewer can make use of the pause button. This division of the material leaves one confused if he wants to research a particular game, as he has to remember which clip contained the comments he wanted to hear again. One of King's own games is likewise separated into four clips. I sure would like to know the rationale for this. King does an admirable job in the theory section of the Fianchetto Variation, explaining the different move orders and why they are either better or worse. He spends a great deal of time on the game Hort-Tal 1966, and he makes wonderful use of this game as a paradigm for the inclusion of much of the Hedgehog theory. He uses the distinction between 8.Nxd4 and 8.Qxd4 as the main basis upon which to break up the theory sections into two parts. He spends a total of about forty minutes going into the various possible moves in the Hedgehog. This section is probably the most detailed and best part of this Fritz Trainer. However, there is no equivalent theory section for the so-called Classical System. I really cannot fathom the his reasoning for this. In fact, hardly any time is spent on the Classical System. Mr. King provides us with fourteen clips to the solutions to his tests, and I must admit he does a more than admirable job in doing this. All of the solutions are completely explained and he sometimes goes into these positions in great detail. Sadly though, sometimes he does not. King could have done much better in combining the separate parts of games into one whole as is normally done. If the test positions and separate clips were combined into the main part of the DVD, the entire presentation would have been more harmonious. This thirty-three clip hodgepodge of the Hedgehog could have been a superb learning tool. There is a lot of information here and King is a great teacher. He spends a great deal of time on the possible resources that White has at his disposal and the ways Black can meet them. Yet, the Power Play series has

sunk several notches over the past few endeavors. Here King just spent too much time on things that were unworthy. I was really disappointed in the manner in which he presented this material. King should go back to his first half-dozen Power Play DVDs and watch them to see how good they were. Then pick another opening and do the same kind of justice to it as he did with things such as pawn structures and rook lifts. That would make this reviewer very happy. My assessment of this DVD: Order Power Play 12: The Hedgehog by Daniel King

My Best Games, by Yasser Seirawan, Running time: five hours Yasser Seirawan was swept up in the Fischer boom. Born in 1960, he did not start playing chess until 1972. Yet, it took him just under eight years to make his final grandmaster norm. This is definitely a chess player worthy of a Fritz Trainer and from whom we can learn a lot. However, the title of the DVD is a misnomer, as Seirawan clearly states in the introductory lecture that the games included are those that were important to him in his ascendency from expert to grandmaster. They are not what I would classify as his "best games." He makes it clear that this is only the first installment of a series of DVDs of his best games. Thus, we have to take this DVD for what it is: a chess autobiography from one of the highest rated American chess players in history. It begins with his first win over a GM when he was sixteen years old. If we are interested in the games of a junior chess player, then the DVD is worth watching. The contents are divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Seirawan-Bisguier, 12 min 40 seconds Weinstein-Seirawan, 8 minutes 18 seconds Timman-Seirawan, 16 minutes 30 seconds Seirawan-Grefe, 12 minutes 19 seconds Darby-Seirawan, 15 minutes 15 seconds Seirawan-Larson, 12 minutes 32 seconds Seirawan-Miles, 10 minutes 48 seconds Zaltsman-Seirawan, 12 minutes 44 seconds Marjanovic-Seirawan, 10 minutes 28 seconds Jhunjhnuwala-Seirawan, 7 minutes 10 seconds Seirawan-Barbero, 5 minutes 17 seconds Gligoric-Seirawan, 8 minutes 22 seconds Van der-Wiel-Seirawan, 6 minutes 11 seconds Seirawan-Korchnoi, 12 minutes 27 seconds Seirawan-Timman, 11 minutes 50 seconds Kovacevic-Seirawan, 10 minutes 38 seconds Seirawan-Tal, 17 minutes 29 seconds Seirawan-Rivas, 7 minutes 49 seconds Seirawan-Korchnoi, 25 minutes 11 seconds Seirawan-Hort, 18 minutes 56 seconds Timman-Seirawan, 27 minutes 25 seconds Karpov-Seirawan, 30 Minutes 25 seconds

Seirawan spends a great deal of time on anecdotes and lyrical digressions. One such was the fact that Tal had webbed fingers on his right hand. According to Seirawan, "He should be a poster boy for the challenged or handicapped." I admit that this was interesting, but I was more concerned with the game at hand. A five minute introduction to a seventeen minute annotation was a bit too long for me. He blames the following blunder in the opening on his mind wandering about Tal's disability. 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.d3?

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n5/3np3/8/ 2NP1NP1/PP2PP1P/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 6"]

The move should have been 6.Bg2 as in the standard English. However, Seirawan recovered to win the game. It was a wonderful win for Seirawan and he does an expert job of annotating it. One of the key games on the DVD is Seirawan's draw against Anatoly Karpov. His comments leads us to believe that this was his only game with Karpov in 1982, when, in fact, he played five games with the reigning world champion that year. Every game on this DVD is a win for Seirawan, but here he had to settle for a draw in a game that he should have won:

[FEN "4q3/p1r5/k3p3/2ppPp2/P1n2P2/ 2P3Q1/R1P1KB2/8 b - - 0 37"]

Seirawan, playing black in a beautiful middlegame that Fritz and Shredder consider a win for Black, played 37...Qc6, instead of 37...Qh5+. From there the game goes downhill for Black and he had to settle for a draw. Seirawan spends a good deal of time telling us how he saw the winning line, but decided not to play it. This DVD provides a fair number of games; however, it has too few annotations and Seirawan does not delve into the rationale for many of his moves. I would have liked to see one of his games with Reshevsky or Spassky from the time period covered by this DVD, but they did not meet the criteria of a win for Seirawan. Seirawan's books show what a great chess mind he has. He was a great opening and middlegame thinker. It is sad that he did not spend the time on any single game to demonstrate this knowledge. Well, considering he spends about ten minutes on the majority of the games on this DVD, we cannot expect much more. It is only in the last two games, with Timman and Karpov, that we are actually given lengthy annotations. I find this DVD does not do him justice. My assessment of this DVD: Order Yasser Seirawan: My Best Games by Yasser Seirawan

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All Openings are Created Equal, But They Don't Stay That Way

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Sicilian Najdorf 6.Bg5, by Alexei Shirov, Running time: five hours

ChessBase Cafe Lance Martin

According to Garry Kasparov in his trio of Fritz Trainers on How to Play the Najdorf, 6.Bg5 is the "sharpest, most complicated and the most aggressive line" in this opening. Kasparov goes on to explain why and gives us myriad examples of games. In fact, two of his three volumes deal with 6.Bg5. Yet that was done some time ago. Shirov, for his part, released a DVD of Best Games in the SicilianNajdorf; however, it contains no games with 6.Bg5. Each of these DVDs belong in the Najdorf player's library.

O’Kelly Sicilian by Andrew Martin

On this DVD, Shirov tells us that if he plays the Najdorf as black, it means he wants to win the game, and he chooses the moves that give him the best chance of doing so. The contents are as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ●

Rating Chart

● ●

– Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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01: Introduction 02: Shirov-Ibramihov 03: Spraggett- Vallejo Pons 04: Spraggett-Vallejo Pons 05: Shirov-Ferec 06: Alekseev-Karjakin 07: Spraggett-Cheparinov 08: Ponomariov-Ferec 09: Shirov-Anand 10: Shirov-Karjakin 11: Shirov-Ivanchuk – Something on Polugaevsky 12: Shirov-Ftacnik 13: Shirov-Wang Hao - Conclusion 14: Additional Shirov-Dominguez 15: Additional Shirov-Papaioannou 16: Additional corrections – Latest News and Corrections

With this DVD, I recommend that the viewer play the last clip first. A good deal of it pertains to mistakes that were caught by ChessBase after the DVD was completed, and it contains some new material that is pertinent to certain lines in the previous clips. Shirov admits that his manner of lecturing can be prone to tactical errors, because in many cases he does not check lines beforehand, rather he improvises during the lecture itself. To his credit, Shirov uses these errors as an opportunity to discuss more recent games that changed his opinion of certain lines. In any event, the Najdorf with 6.Bg5 begins with the move order 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5:

Power Play 13: The Squeeze by Daniel King

Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 by Nigel Short

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/1p2pppp/p2p1n2/6B1/3NP3/ 2N5/PPP2PPP/R2QKB1R b KQkq - 0 6"]

This is not a DVD for those wanting to take up this opening for the first time. However, listening to Shirov present these games is a real treat for the seasoned Najdorf player. In the first game, against Rasul Ibrahimov, Shirov admits that he was expecting 6…e6, but instead was met by 6…Nbd7. He then remembered a move he had played two years before with good results, 7. Bc4, and so the game went. That's the thing about Shirov. He explains why he chose his moves, what the alternatives were, and why he did not choose them. It is as close as possible as seeing into the mind of Shirov during a chess game. This is what makes Shirov different from any other presenter, he is able to bring us into his games better than any other grandmaster. The annotation for this game runs more than forty minutes, and at the thirtyfive minute mark we are only at move twenty. When Shirov gives alternate moves, they turn into lines that sometimes turn into full games. Thus, the first game also includes a game between Radjabov and Ivanchuk. We can actually see how the various lines lead to a specific middlegame, and this makes us better Najdorf players than we are now. For me, one of the high points of this DVD is Shirov's game against Anand, which went 6…e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 (Shirov admits that at this moment he didn't know whether he would play Qf3 or Qe2) 8...Qf7 9.0-0-0 b5 10.Bd3. And now Shirov launches into the following variation to show why 10.e5 is only good for a draw at best: 10.e5 Bb7 11.Qh3 dxe5 12.Nxe6 fxe6 13.Qxe6+ Be7 14.Bxf6 (14.Bxx5 axb5 15.Nxb5 Qb6) 14..gxf6 15.Be2 h5 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.Rxd5 Nb6 18.Bxh5+ Rxh5 19.Qg8+ Bf8 20.Qe6+ Qe7 (20..Be7 21.Qg8+ Bf8 22.Qe6+) 21.Qxb6 Rd8 22.Qc6+ Kf7 23.Rxd8 Qxd8 24.Rd1 Qe8 25.Rd7 + Be7 26.Qd5+ (26.g4 Rh4 (26…Rxh2 27.g5) 27.Qd5+ Kf8 28.Ra7 Qf7 29. Qa8+ Kg7 30.Qb7 Kh6 31.Qxe7 Qxe7 32.Rxe7 exf4) 26…Kf8 27.Ra7 exf4. This is the kind of analysis we have come to expect from Shirov and he delivers. The game continued 10...Bb7 11.Rhe1 Qb6 12.Nb3 Rc8 13.Qh3, when Shirov explains why this was a mistake and what the refutation is, which he calls "punishment." He further explains why he resigned on move thirty-five. How many other players put their major losses onto their DVDs? This is not a clip that you watch just once. It is one that you watch over and over. Then comes the next clip where Shirov plays Karjakin, which will probably teach you even more about the Najdorf than the Anand game. By now you should be getting the idea. Each game was hand picked by Shirov to be in some way better than the previous one. Your sure to find your own favorites. Shirov also lets us know where his home preparation ends and his over-theboard playing begins. For instance, in his game against Leinier Dominguez in Sofia in 2009, Shirov's preparation ended after the following sequence: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Nbd7 9.0-0-0 Qc7 10.g4 h6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.h4 Qb6

[FEN "r1b1k2r/1p1n1pp1/pq1ppb1p/8/ 3NPPPP/2N2Q2/PPP5/2KR1B1R w kq - 0 13"]

The game ended in a draw because of time trouble for Shirov. Careful study of this DVD will certainly improve your understanding of this opening. I don't think there are many better teachers of this line. I give this DVD my highest recommendation. My assessment of this DVD: Order Sicilian Najdorf 6.Bg5 by Alexei Shirov

French Defence Strategy, by Nigel Davies, Running time: four hours French Defense Strategy is not an introduction to the French Defense. It is an explanation of the strategies in the various French systems based on potential piece position and structures. This is a topic that is sadly overlooked in many opening DVDs. If you are looking for an introduction to the French Defense, Ari Ziegler's monstrous DVD is more relevant to that audience. No defensive system is perfect. There is almost always an advantage for White that is at first academic, but then becomes practical as the game progresses. Every line of every opening will lead to certain pawn and piece structures. It is our job as a player to recognize these structures and to learn how best to deal with them. Thus, we need a DVD like this and I hope further strategy orientated DVDs are forthcoming for other openings. The contents are as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Introduction 02: Black’s Queen’s Bishop: Tarrasch-Teichmann 03: Black’s Queen’s Bishop: Timman-Seirawan 04: Black’s Queen’s Bishop: Hindle-Botterill 05: Black Queen’s Bishop: Krogius-Karner 06: White’s Pawn Wedge: Tarrasch-Von Gottschall 07: Super Quartz Grip: Konstantinopolsky-Lilienthal 08: Destroying White’s Pawn Wedge: Reshevsky-Vaganian 09: White’s pawn wedge attacking h7: Alekhine-Asgeirsson 10: White’s pawn wedge attacking h6: Hartson-Portisch 11: Black’s isolated d-pawn weakness: Karpov-Uhlmann 12. Black’s isolated d-pawn strength: Tatai-Korchnoi 13.Black’s backward e-pawn weakness: Karpov-Hort 14. Black’s backward e-pawn strength: Govedatrica-Uhlmann 15. Black’s hanging pawns weakness: Nimzowitsch-Salwe 16. Black’s hanging pawns strength: Spassky-Petrosian 17. Black’s broad pawn center: Trent-Davies 18. Countering Black’s broad pawn center: Spassky-Korchnoi

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19. Whites doubled pawn weakness: Smyslov-Botvinik 20. White’s doubled pawn counterplay: Planinec-Timman 21. White’s tripled Pawns: Spassky-Korchnoi 22. Little center white pressure: Smyslov-Stahlberg 23. Little center counterplay: Balashov-Suba 24. Exchange center: Guervich-Short 25. Flexible center: Romanishin-Bareev 26. Summary and suggested repertoire

To get the most from this DVD requires a certain level of proficiency from the viewer. Davies does not hold your hand through the clips. This is a back to the basics DVD, but it won't provide you with easy answers to the various strategic problems. Each clip is only about ten minutes long. In some of the clips the structures are just pointed out and it is up to the viewer to figure out how to deal with it. Admittedly, this is not true in every case, but Davies expects a certain amount of expertise on the part of the viewer and in some cases the major points are not explicitly made. In the Karpov clip we are told that there is an isolated black d-pawn as a result of the Tarrasch Defense.

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But beyond that there is no mention of how it hampered Black or whether it led to a victory for White. It is just pointed out that we have this isolated dpawn. Davies scurries through the game without ever mentioning it again. I really would have expected more. The next clip is all of seven minutes long and shows a quick victory by Korchnoi as black, even though he had an isolated queen's pawn. Other than telling us that there are natural strengths that belong to the possessor of the isolated d-pawn, there is no mention as to how it may have helped lead to victory. It seems to me that the presenter of any DVD of this sort should search for relevant games in ChessBase to find the structures and strategies that resulted in the most victories for one side. The DVD begins with four clips about Black's light-squared bishop. The games illustrate why this pieces is weak in the French, but it is up to you to use the games and the information to deal with the fact that the bishop is a possible source of trouble in the French. You have to figure out what to do with it based on the information Davies provides. Whether you should exchange the bishop is based on the position you are in. Here is a position in the Winawer where exchanging the bad bishop was the beginning of a victory for Black: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Qd7 5.Bd2 b6 6.Nf3 Bf8 7.Be2 Ba6 8.O-O Ne7 9.Bxa6

[FEN "rn1qkbnr/p1p2ppp/Bp6/3pp3/1P1PP3/ 5N2/P1PB1PPP/RN1QK2R b KQkq - 0 6"]

From there we go on to the five clips dealing varying pawn structures and wedges that may be advantageous to either Black or White. The white pawn wedge that occurs very early in this Tarrasch gives White a distinct advantage: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/pp1n1ppp/2n1p3/2ppP3/3P4/ 2PB4/PP1N1PPP/R1BQK1NR w KQkq - 0 7"]

The Classical Variation features a classic confrontation in the center with White having a half-open e-file and Black with a half-open d-file: 1.e4 46 2. d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7

[FEN"rnbqkb1r/ppp1pppp/5n2/3p4/4P3/2N2N2/ PPPP1PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 3"]

Now it is up to White to either cramp Black or to start a ferocious attack on the black king. At the same time Black will try to extend control over his half open d-file. These are the goals that each side will try to meet. Unfortunately, for the rest of the game, it is almost as if this position is forgotten as the moves are analyzed. Davies's summary includes a short repertoire based on the bulk of the DVD, but this just provides you with suggestions to play logical positional chess instead of memorizing theory. For example, to play on the c-file, advance your queenside pawns, attack White's weakened d-pawn against white's kingside pawn storm. For what he is attempting to do Davies does a fair job. However, most of the information contained herein is already well known to the seasoned player of the French, so this would be most useful to intermediate players.

My assessment of this DVD: Order French Defense Strategy by Nigel Davies

The Queen's Gambit Accepted, by Valeri Lilov, Running time: four hours, twenty-three minutes I had never heard of Valeri Lilov before watching this DVD. According to the product packaging, "FM Valeri Lilov also known as Tiger Lilov is ... one of the most famous and quality online chess coaches that you will see on virtually all major chess websites on the internet." When I searched through his games in MegaBase 2010, I discovered his rating to be around 2400. However, I became a bit skeptical when I saw that he has played very few rated games in the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Still, after watching this DVD, I have to say that he has a warm and friendly teaching style that will appeal to the target audience of this DVD. It is best suited for those who are first learning this opening or rated lower than 1800. His commentary is adequate but simplistic, which is fine for this audience. The contents are as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Intro 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 02: Variations; 3.Nc3 and 3.Qa4 Alterman-Raetsky 03: Variation 3.e3 Short-Bareev 04: Variation 3.e3 Nc6 4.d5 Volkov-Ibramibov 05: Variation 3.e4 Nc6 4.Nf3 Yakovich-Kharlov 06: Variation 3.e4 Nf6 Plan with Nc6 Petursson-Anand 07: Variation 3.e4 Nf6 Plan with Nb6 Volkov-Mihhalchison 08: Variation 3.e4 c5 Gelfand-Anand 09: Variation 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 Bb4 Van Wely-Azmaiparashvili 10: Variation 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Nc6 Karpov-Anand 11: Variation 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Bb4 Vyzmanavin-Rublevsky 12: Variation 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Kasparov-Petrosian 13: Variation 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qa4 Ljubojevic-Anand 14: Variation 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Kasparov-Timman 15: Variation 4.e3 Bf4 Antunes-Miles 16: Variation 4e3 e6 Classical Line Ulibin-Raetsky 17: Variation 4.e3 e6 classical line with a6 Botvinnik-Petrosian 18: Variation 4.e3 e6 classical line with a6 II Jussupow-Anand 19: Variation 4.e3 e6 classical line with a6 III Petrosian-Smyslov 20: Model Game I Lukov-Dlugy 21: Model game II Leitao-Ponomariov 22: Outro

As you can see, this seems like a complete presentation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. When I began viewing the Alterman-Raetsky clip, where the acceptable but less played 3.Nc3 was met by 3...a6, and found that Lilov spent about twenty minutes on the first ten moves, my interest was piqued. In fact, because of the opening and the quality of his annotation I include it here. Alterman, Boris (2600) – Raetsky, Alexander (2465) Rostov on Don op 1993 Queen's Gambit Accepted [D20] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nc3 3.Qa4+ Nd7 4.e4 c6 5.Qxc4 e5 6.Nf3 exd4 7.Qxd4 (7.Nxd4 Ne5 8.Qc3 Nf6) 7….Ngf6 8.Bc4 Bc5 9.Qd3 Qe7.

3…a6 3….e5 4.e3 (4.dxe5 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 Be6) 4…exd4 5.exd4 Nf6 6.Bxc4 Be7 7. Nf3 0-0 8.h3 Nbd7 9.0-0 Nb6 10.Bb3 c6 11.Re1; 3…c5 4.d5 e6 5.e4 exd5 Nf6 7.Bxc4 Bd6 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.a4. 4.e4 4.a4 e5 5.e3 (5.d5 Nf6 6.e3 (6.e4 Bb4) 6…Bb4 7.Bxc4 c6 8.dxc6 Qxd1 9. Kxd1 Nxc6) 5…exd4 6.exd4 Nc6 7.Nf3 Na5. 4…b5 5.a4 b4 5..c6 6.axb5 cxb5 7.Nxb5. 6.Na2 e5 7.Nf3 7.d5 Nf6. 7…exd4 8.Bxc4 c5 9.Qb3 Qe7 10.0-0 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.0-0 h6 12.Bd5 hxg5 13.Bxa8 g4 14.Nd2 Be6 15.Qg3 Qd8 16. e5 (16.Rfc1 Bd6 17.e5 Nh5 18.Qd3 Bxe5) 16..Nh5 17.Qd3 Qh4 18.Nc1 Nf4 19.Qg3 Qg5 20.Re1 Nh3+ 21.gxh3. 10...Be6 11.Bd5 Nf6 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bh4 g5 14.Bg3 Bg7 15.Qc2 O-O 16. Nxb4 16.Bxa8 b3 17.Qd1 bxa2 18.b3 Qa7 19.Bd5 Nxd5 20.exd5 Bxd5 21.Rxa2 Nc6. 16...Bxd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Nd7 19.Qf5 Ra7 20.Rfe1 Qf6 21.Qd3 Rb7

[FEN "5rk1/1r1n1pb1/p4q1p/2pP2p1/P2p4/ 3Q1NB1/1P3PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 22"]

Here Lilov comments that it is time to evaluate the position, and, because this is a DVD on the opening, he would not spend time on the rest of the game. He then explained that White was slightly weaker and why. This is a very good touch and more instructors should follow his lead. Other annotators would have taken us through the entire game, even though it would have had nothing to do with the opening. The fact that the game ended in a sixty-three move draw is not mentioned by Lilov, as it was not pertinent to his lecture. (I looked it up with ChessBase.) Unfortunately, this first clip was the high point of the DVD. I expected the rest of the DVD to contain the same energy, but it does not. His second clip, on the game Short-Bareev, is technically on the 3.e3 variation, but it begins with the move-order 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.c4 dxc4 6. Bxc4 Nf6. Now, different move-orders can lead to the same position, but the target audience at which this DVD is aimed may just find this confusing. One thing that irked me was that Lilov does not explain his logic in the order of the material. Another thing was that when Lilov expresses a capturing

move, such as "dxc4," he does not say "d takes c4," rather he says "d ex to c4." Four hours of listening to this was bothersome to me. Moreover, he does not use any recent games, the latest being from 2001. Even his model game with Max Dlugy is from 1989. If you are looking for new ideas in this opening, you will not find it on this DVD. Nevertheless, Lilov is very thorough in the games that he did choose for this DVD. The DVD will help the beginner who is new to chess and is looking for an opening to play. For this audience, many of his annotations border on excellent. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Queen's Gambit Accepted by Valeri Lilov

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You Kan have Two Knights with a 1.d4 Repertoire

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Two Knights Defence, by Lawrence Trent, Running time: four hours, fortyfive minutes

ChessBase Cafe Lance Martin

The subject of this DVD is The Two Knights Defense with 4.Ng5. The opening begins with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6, which was analyzed by Polerio as early as 1580. Reportedly, David Bronstein recommended that this opening be called the Chigorin Counter Attack, and Tarrasch even called 4.Ng5 a beginners move (ein stumper zug). However, according to Jan Pinski in The Two Knights Defence, it was revitalized in the 1990s by players such as Morozevich and Short.

O’Kelly Sicilian by Andrew Martin

There are a total of twenty-six lectures on this DVD: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Rating Chart – Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

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Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

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Introduction Asrian-Minasian Anand-Beliavsky Huerta-Ballinas Bahram-Hector Kan-Konstsntinopolsky Vallejo-Pons-Naiditsch Weitsch-Jedynak Dublin-Kuzman Jeric-Rodmanr Rudnick-Pichlern Trent-Parpinel Kursonov-De La Paz Perdomo Demian-Oprisor Zhang Zhong-Gungully Short-Sokolovl Nakamura-Friedel Conquest-Howell Socko-Bacrot Ciocaltea-Nezhmetdinovn L-Ami-Stellwagen Kriventsov-Becerra Sutovsky-Beliavsky Yakovich-Tomashevsky Naititsch-Halikias Outro

As for Lawrence Trent, I had my doubts about him when I discovered that he only played three rated games in the 4.Ng5 line.

Power Play 13: The Squeeze by Daniel King

Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 by Nigel Short

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4p1N1/ 2B1P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R"]

Nevertheless, he is young, articulate, and knowledgeable. He sets out to show you that this is an interesting opening that offers chances for a White victory. He links the opening to the middlegame to which it leads, but leaves it for the viewer to explore any endgame themes. He does not waste his lecture time on unnecessary moves in terms of the opening, though one can quibble about his choice of illustrative games. The number of games Trent has played in this line does not reflect the research and erudition that went into this DVD. To start things out, Trent begins with the Traxler Gambit 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+. In the U.S. and U.K. this is known as the Wilkes-Barre variation.

[FEN "r1bqk2r/pppp1Bpp/2n2n2/ 2b1p1N1/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R"]

Trent uses the game Asrian-Minasian for two reasons: Asrian made the game look so easy and there have hardly been any games in the Traxler since this game. While this line has only been played 300 times in all of historically rated games, it has been played by the likes of Anand and Shabalov. In fact, Trent's next game in the Traxler is Anand-Beliavsky. It is one of the few games where Trent found it necessary to include the entire game in his lecture. One thing that I noticed is Trent uses the same transposition of moves that Pinski does in his book. Both show the game went 6…d6 7.d3 Qe8, when the real move-order was 6…Qe8 7.d3 d6. Further similarities between the two works can be found in the commentary to the moves 11…Qxg2 and 15..Ng4, as well as in the game Bahram-Hector. In that game, which illustrates the Ulvestad variation 5…b5 6.dxc6, Pinski states "After this move White is actually fighting to stay alive. The paradoxical 6.Bf1 is the main move here..." While, according to Trent, "White can play the move 6.Bf1 which I am going to recommend to you." After the move 7.Nc3, Pinski says, "The alternative is 7.Qe2?1 h6!? (also possible is 7…Qd5)..." While, according to Trent, "If white plays 7.Qe2, Black has a very logical move …Qd5." On 8.Nge4, Trent has "Nf3 might be a better move followed by Qd6 and Bd6 9.Qe2 Black castles white castles Re8 is very dangerous for white." While Pinski writes "Also possible is 8.Nf3 Bd6 9.Qe2 0-0 10.0-0 .. After something like 10…Re8 white has a difficult game in front of him." Trent continues, "11.Qxc4 e4 12.Ne1 Bxh2+ this might be winning 13.Kxh2 Ng4+ 14.Kg3 h5!." And here is Pinski's annotation of the position: "11.Qxc4? e4 12.Ne1 Bxh2+ 13.Kxh2 Ng4+ 14.Kg3 h5!."

Of course some of this analysis can also be found in ECO, but it would seem that Trent used Pinski's book as a point of reference. The next game chosen for Trent's lectures was between Ilia Kan and Alexander Konstantinopolsy and it was also annotated by Pinski: 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 b5 6.Bxb5?! Qxd5 7.Bxc6+ Qxc6 8.0-0

[FEN "r1b1kb1r/p1p2ppp/2q2n2/4p1N1/ 8/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQ1RK1"]

Happily, Trent's analysis is far more thorough than Pinski's, even though there were some similarities, which can be expected when two strong players annotate the same game. Other games follow the same course, with occasional similarities between the two works, but also with enough differences to set them apart. Trent, for his part, is an excellent teacher who knows how to structure a DVD to provide the lectures in an order that is both understandable and useful for learning this opening. He goes through every major variant and does an excellent job in annotating the sample games from each line. This DVD succeeds in meeting every line with a game that best shows the positives and negatives of the moves that are associated with it. All in all, Trent met the goal that he set at the beginning of the DVD. He showed that the 4.Ng5 variation is playable and leads to enjoyable game. He presents the advantages for White and shows how Black can equalize in this line. Plus, he does so in an interesting and vibrant manner. I recommend this DVD to anyone who is looking for an aggressive variation and is willing to take some chances to gain the point. If you are tired of your current repertoire, then this is a sure-fire alternative that will make your opponents think twice when playing against it. My assessment of this DVD: Order Two Knights Defence by Lawrence Trent

Build a 1.d4 Repertoire, by Nigel Davies, Running time: five hours Nigel Davies is an excellent teacher with a full repertoire of training DVDs aimed at average strength players. This DVD is aimed at the player who is ready to take the next step in their chess education by creating a 1.d4 repertoire from the building blocks of the Colle, London, and Torre systems as their opening choices. This contents are as follows: ● ● ●

Introduction Build on the Colle Build on the London

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Build on the London (sic) Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Slav Slav Queen's Gambit Accepted Queen's Gambit Accepted Queen's Gambit Accepted 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 dxc4 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.c4 dxc4 Tarrasch Anti-chigorin 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 C5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 b5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 b5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 g6 1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 King's Indian Defense Petrosian 7…a5 8.h4 King's Indian Defense Petrosian 7.Nbd7 Grünfeld Defence Grünfeld Defence Catalan Taster Dutch 1.d4 d6 1.d4 g6 1.d4 and 2.c4

Davies's early lectures focus on the Colle- Zukertort: 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.b3 Be7 6.Bb2 Nbd7; the London: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Be7; and the the Torre Attack: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 c5 4.e3 Bg7 5.Nbd2 d5 6.c3 Nbd7. Note that this last lecture is mislabeled in the contents. Davies expresses his favor for the London system as the best of the three. He believes that the London is better prepared to deal with alternative Black move orders than the other two systems. The early part of his lectures demonstrate how the systems can lead to a quick victory. He then spends the remainder of the lectures on how to counter Black's best play. He recommends that you chose one of these systems and play it for six months to a year before moving on to the next step, which presumably is 1.d4 2.Nf3 3.c4. The first recommendation along this line is the Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation. Davies also has a Fritz Trainer dedicated to this one opening variation. He makes sure to tell us that he doctored the move order of the games, as he does in all the recommended opening systems, so we will increase our pattern recognition. He knows this line very well and provides some excellent instruction for the player just starting out in this opening. Planning and strategy are more important than the memorization of move order. To put it another way, logic is more important than theory. Davies finds the most economical way of playing and presents what amounts to a chronology of openings that increase in their degree of difficulty as the DVD progresses. He emphasizes from the very beginning that if you have to spend less time on your opening preparation, then you can spend more time on your endgame, which will mean a greater number of wins. Simplicity and economy are the keys with which he unlocks each opening system. Davies even addresses the world of the Benoni, Blumenfeld, and Benko Gambits. This is stage three of your advance into the world of queen's pawn openings. Even in such positions as the Modern Benoni, Davies believes in trying to keep the game quiet by not entering into unnecessary complications. Just keep playing logical chess and exchanging pieces and White will keep a better game. The lines recommended by Davies are by no means inferior. Indeed, his

recommendation for the King's Indian is the Classical Petrosian, which I have been playing for quite some time. He simply takes the viewer level by level to a more advanced manner of play. And he does this very well. The games chosen, the annotations, and explanations are as good as you can get. Moreover, he presents several lines in each defense so you can choose the one with which you feel most comfortable. The fact that Davies makes the Grünfeld playable for the less advanced player is quite a coup. He also shows how it is possible to play a good game in the Catalan with the line 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.Qc2 dxc4 7.Nbd2 Bd7 8.0-0 Bc6 9.e4 b5 10.Re1 Bb7 11.b3 Nc6

[FEN "r2q1rk1/pbp1bppp/2n1pn2/1p6/2pPP3/ 1P3NP1/P1QN1PBP/R1B1R1K1 w - - 0 12"]

He explains how this line has many ideas that the London, Torre, or Colle player can readily understand. Davies closes out the DVD with examples of how to play the Dutch, the Modern, and even the Budapest Gambit in a manner that the viewer can almost immediately put to use. While I sometimes dislike opening trainers that present complete games, Davies shows the exception in this case. He states, "when you are not spending so much time on opening theory, you can concentrate on the endgame." He suggests that this will not only help you win games, but also give you a better overall knowledge of chess in general. If you are looking for cutting-edge opening theory, you will have to look elsewhere. Davies does include some recent games in his repertoire, but the focus is on ideas and plans that can be used for years to come without worrying about some line superseding it. This DVD, in order to have a place in your chess career, needs to be viewed many times over. I recommend that you view the entire DVD at least three times before you choose your opening. Probably best, would be in the order in which the openings are presented. Then listen to each lecture with the aid of a chessboard in front of you, look up similar games in a database, and play through them with your chess set. The more you do this the better your "pattern recognition" will become. Once you are ready, you can buy a specialty book for further research. I recommend this DVD for anyone struggling to learn opening theory. My assessment of this DVD: Order Build a 1.d4 Repertoire by Nigel Davies

The Sicilian Kan Variation, by Valeri Lilov, Running Time: four hours, twenty-nine minutes The Kan variation begins with the moves 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6. It was originally introduced by Anderssen commencing in the late 1850s. In the beginning of the twentieth century Tarakower began playing it. Then in the 1950s one of the pioneers of the Soviet school, Ilya Kan began studying and playing this opening.

There are twenty-one lectures included on this DVD: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction A Model Game The Bb4 idea The best formation How to fight an early Nf3 and e5 Plan with b5 and Qb6 Plan with b5 and Qb6: main line with Bxe3 Plan with b5 and Qb6 Plan with Bd3 –d7-d5 idea Plan with Bd3: Drago-Najorf setup The Hedgehog Maroczy Bind : Plan with Bc5 Maroczy Bind : Plan with Bb4 Maroczy Bind: Plan with Bb4 II Maroczy Bind: sacrifice of e4 Maroczy Bind: Plan with Bd3-h3 Maroczy Bind: The Hedgehog Enhanced Maroczy Bind: The sacrifice on e4 for black General Plan Number 1: General Plan Number 2 Outro

Lilov, as I mentioned in another review, is an excellent teacher. He is personable and gets his points across in a clear, concise, and understandable manner. However, this DVD is less impressive than his previous work. For one, let's consider his choice of a model game for the Maroczy Bind. He chose a forty-year old Spassky-Fischer game that, although falling into his definition, follows the Taimanov move order: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 exd5 9.0-0 Bd6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bd4 0-0 12.Qf3 Be6 13.Rfe1 c5 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Qxf6 gxf6

[FEN "r4rk1/5p1p/p2bbp2/2pp4/8/2NB4/ PPP2PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 16"]

This is unlike any of the remaining games on the DVD. As a matter of fact, by move ten it is the only game in the database that followed this move order. It was just a poor choice to be used as a model game for the Sicilian Kan. Further, he continued to use older games that were out of the database by the eighth move. So, don't expect to face these moves anytime soon. I am not against the use of older games to illustrate a point, but the theory of this opening is changing at a very rapid rate. Moreover, Lilov chose not to include any games where White scored the point. This is not the way to teach us the traps we can fall into and the moves with which White can challenge our opening structure. Also, in most cases he chose to include entire games, which takes up time going over endgame struggles that had little to do with the opening. To illustrate how ...Bb4 is a real threat to White in the Open Sicilian, Lilov demonstrates the game Saeed-El Taher, which went 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 Bb4 7.Nde2 Nf6 8.a3 Be7

[FEN "rnb1k2r/1pqpbppp/p3pn2/8/4P3/ P1N1B3/1PP1NPPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 9"]

Although White's knight on d4 was forced to retreat to e2, I am not sure it was worth the tempo. Lilov summed it up by saying that all of White's eventual problems can be traced to 5…Bb4. However, I would trace White's problems to the fact that his rating was 300 points lower than his opponent. Lilov devotes a couple of lectures to the Hedgehog; however, he only mentions in passing that the Hedgehog is one of Black's most valuable weapons against the Maroczy Bind. Further on, he develops another lecture on the "enhanced Hedgehog," but it bears no relation to the accepted definition of the "enhanced hedgehog" with a double fianchetto, as defined in the book Play the Sicilian Kan by Johan Hellsten. Lilov spends no less than seven lectures on the Maroczy Bind as a weapon against the Sicilian Kan without ever really making clear the problems this position can cause. I wish he had spent more time teaching us exactly what White can do once he has engaged in this position. Nowhere does Lilov explain the position in which the beginning chess player and the intermediate potential player of the Sicilian Kan would be very interested. Instead he replies by explaining the plan against it. I admit that his lecture on the Hedgehog against the Maroczy Bind between Vallejo Pons and Epishin is extremely interesting and it utilizes Epishin's love for the move c4 and is one of the few games that I think are worthwhile in this lecture series. Yet, just when you think Lilov is on the verge of teaching good theory, he falls back to easy wins by black that teach you very little. When Lilov presents an old game that leaves theory at move six, I wonder what he is doing and why he is doing it. However, in his model game in "General Plan 1," Lilov does give some advice. He says that when meeting something new you should ask yourself two questions. ● ●

What is the (opponents) plan? Secondly, what is the drawback for him?

After watching the DVD several times, I am still not sure of the audience at which it is aimed. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Sicilian Kan Variation by Valeri Lilov

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Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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A Short Exchange and an O’Kelly O'Kelly Sicilian, by Andrew Martin, Running Time: Four Hours

ChessBase Cafe Lance Martin

Count Alberic O'Kelly de Galway was not the first player to play the opening that bears his name. That distinction belongs to Dr. Savielly Tartakower who played 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 against both Réti and Spielmann. This opening is so flexible that subsequent moves can transpose into many other Sicilian variants, such as the Alapin, Kan, Paulsen, Taimanov, or even a Najdorf. Indeed, many of the games on this DVD do not carry the B28 Chess Informant code for the O'Kelly Sicilian. Quite a few other codes are attached to Martin's sample games, simply because of the incredibly elastic nature of this opening.

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Sicilian Kan Variation by Valeri Lilov

There are a total of thirty-three lectures on this DVD: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Rating Chart

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– Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

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Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

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01: Introduction 02: Inspiring Game: Paulsen-O'Kelly de Galway 03: c3 Game One: Tomasian-Romanov 04: c3 Game Two: Ventosa-Barlov 05: c3 Game Three: Stets-Romanov 06: c3 Game Four: Van den Heever-De Villiers 07: c3 Game Five: Vogt-Hort 08: c3 Game Six: Georgiev-Kurejica 09: c3 Conclusion: Savic-Blesic 10: c4 Game One: Voicu-Gaponenko 11: c4 Game Two: Hagara-Baklin 12: c4 Game Three: Obodchuk-Kabanov 13: c4 Game Four: Velimirovic-Martinovic 14: c4 Game Five: Horvath-Csom 15: c4 Game Six: Zolotukin-Kopylov 16: c4 Summary 17: d4 Game One: Pacis-Dimakiling 18: d4 Game Two: Adam-Ikonnikov 19: d4 Game Three: Maechel-Ikonnikov 20: d4 Game Four: Navarro-Khamrakulov 21: d4 Game Five: Thorhallson-Roozmon 22: d4 Game Six and summary: Lotero-Uribe 23: Nc3 Game One: Kalod-Walach 24: Nc3 Game Two: Kaplan-Kudischewitz 25: Nc3 Game Three: Nguyen-Vinh 26: Nc3 Game Four: Thavandiran-Milicevic 27: Nc3 Game Five and Summary: Prandstetter-Kalod 28: Morra: Hugot-Tartakower 29: 3.Be2: Zigura-Giffard 30: Closed Setup: Kubasky-Blaasberg 31: Wing Gambit One: Planninc-Ljubojevic 32: Wing Gambit Two: Rietveld-Epishin 33: Outro

The material is separated into lectures based on White's third move. There are no top ten players here. Martin makes clear that this is an opening for the club player who does not have the time to study theory. He has only chosen games where Black scores the victory, because he wants to make sure that the viewer knows how to win with black. I have to admit the game by Alberic de Galway was fascinating and I enjoyed Martin's annotations.

Power Play 13: The Squeeze by Daniel King

Opening Encyclopaedia 2010 by ChessBase

Martin begins his lecture series with no less than seven lectures on 3.c3. The idea behind the move is to push d2-d4, fight for the center, and try to show that 2...a6 was simply a loss of tempo. As for Black, he is out to prove that 2... a6 is actually beneficial. Martin does a fair job of explaining the moves normally played by both White and Black in this variation. The move order Martin follows in these lectures is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 (Nf6 or e6) 6.Bd2 or Be3. If you know the theory for either side of this opening better than your opponent, then you will likely win. Martin not only presents the theory of the opening, but gives the rationale behind the moves. If you listen closely, you will become a better Sicilian player. The next series of lectures are on the 3.c4 variation of the O'Kelly Sicilian. Martin recommends the following move order, which transposes to the Sicilian Kan: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Qc7 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Nf6

[FEN "rnb1kb1r/1pqp1ppp/p3pn2/8/2PNP3/ 2N5/PP3PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 7"]

Next up is six lectures on the 3.d4 line, which is the most commonly played according to my database, and it shows a significant advantage for Black. The following variation is considered the mainline: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5.Nb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd2 0-0 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.0-0 Bxc3 10.bxc3

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/1p1p1ppp/p1n2n2/4p3/ 4P3/1NPB4/P1PB1PPP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 10"]

In his summary for this line, Martin warns against Black overestimating his chances. Being cocky can be Black's downfall. Black gets a more comfortable game than he usually does in the open Sicilian and Martin admits that 3.d4 is not a good move for White in the O'Kelly Sicilian. Martin considers the 3.Nc3 line as dangerous for Black. He recommends transposing into the Kan variation, which normally arises from the following move order: 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Ne7.

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/1p1pnppp/p3p3/8/3NP3/ 2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 6"]

Martin recommends that you research this line further on your own. In his next lecture, he illustrate how the O'Kelly Sicilian can turn into a Morra Gambit via the move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.d4 cxd4 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3 e6. This is followed with a 3.Be2 line for the O'Kelly. What he comes up with is "not a Kan, not a Paulsen, not a Taimanov, it is a Hybrid of all three." This is a very interesting lecture that presents some new ideas that need to be played through on your chessboard. In what was supposed to be the last game of the DVD, Martin presents the O'Kelly with 3.g3. In this case, he recommends that you place your pawns on c5 and e5. As the closed Sicilian was announced as the last lecture, one can only assume that the coverage of 3.b4 was a late addition. Martin presents two lectures for Black to meet this possibility and shows how Black can break up White's control of the center. This is an excellent DVD that more than meets Martin's stated goals. In addition to teaching you how to play the O'Kelly Sicilian, he has tried to show you how to think when playing the Open Sicilian. I recommend this DVD for the club player who is willing to put in the time to really understand the lectures. I also recommend it for the higher level player who is looking for new roads to travel in the Sicilian, while still using the theory that he has already amassed. Moreover, I have to also recommend it to players of the French Advance Variation to which it was associated in a very positive light in the ChessBase Opening Encyclopedia 2010.

My assessment of this DVD: Order O’Kelly Sicilian by Andrew Martin

Nigel Short : Greatest Hits, Volume 1, by Nigel Short, Running Time: Four Hours Since the age of fourteen, when he won the brilliancy prize at Hastings and became the youngest international master in chess history, Nigel Short has been one of England's leading chess players. Perhaps his major contribution to chess in general was as part of the triumvirate who initiated the English Attack that became a major part of Sicilian Najdorf theory. However, it is unfortunate that we never get to hear about the evolution of the attack on this DVD. Still, this DVD makes a great addition to the ChessBase autobiographical series. This DVD contains fourteen games: ● ● ●

01: Short-Lein 02: Short-Timman 03: Short-Kasparov

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04: Short-Ponomariov 05: Short-Anand 06: Short-Ljubobojevic 07: Short-Karpov 08: Short-Mchedlishvili 09: Short-Cheparinov 10: Kramnik-Short 11: Topalov-Short 12: Mamedaryov-Short 13: Short-Smyslov 14: Short-Akopian

The DVD begins with a game against Anatoly Lein, which is the chronological beginning of Short's long career as a chess player. This game won Short the brilliancy prize at the tournament in which he was to become an international master. This first game is indicative of the rest of the DVD. It is an extremely good game and well annotated. Short's annotations range from the extremely interesting to the outstanding.

One of the high points of the DVD is the game against Jan Timman in 1991, which starts out as an everyday Alekhine and ends up as one of the most memorable games in chess history. If features a brilliant king march, and to hear Short annotate the final moves of the game really makes you understand why you love this game so much. Included on the DVD is a Scheveningen against Kasparov from 1986 when Short had entered the FIDE top ten. It is a good game and the annotations are well thought out. Short admits that he is not as familiar as he would like with current theory in the line, but annotates based on the theory at the time the game was played. I, for one, would like to have seen his current thinking on many of the openings and middlegames, considering he is still a top player. This game was one of the very few victories he has over Kasparov. Next, we have another high point of the DVD. A game that was part of a secret match against Ruslan Ponomariov, when Ponomariov was FIDE world champion and preparing for a upcoming match with Kasparov that never came about. It was an Evan's Gambit, which is rarely seen at the highest levels of chess, but it was and is a part of Short's 1.e4 repertoire. Short's annotations are enlightening with regards to his thoughts during the game. The next game on the DVD is against Anand in 1993 after FIDE stripped Short of his ELO rating because of his upcoming match with Kasparov. It is a Petroff, which Short calls a "dull opening." However, his annotations make it an interesting game. He makes a concerted effort in this game to explain the ideas behind his moves. You can learn a great deal by listening to Short's annotations. But you have to know the general ideas of the positions in order to make full use of them. This is a DVD for chess players of every level. However, the higher rated you are, the more you will learn from it. Short's game against Cheparinov was interesting for its context if not its

content. It seems that the day before the game was played Cheparinov had been forfeited for refusing to shakes Short's hand before their regularly scheduled round. The forfeiture was eventually overturned during an appeal process. Short was not going to take a loss in this game and he took his time taking Cheparinov apart. This DVD is a personal history of Nigel Short's rather distinguished career. If you are a fan of Nigel Short, then it must be a part of your library. If you are a fan of autobiographies, then it is also a must have. In fact, I have no problem recommending this DVD to just about anyone interested in the world of chess. My assessment of this DVD: Order Nigel Short : Greatest Hits, Volume 1 by Nigel Short

Spanish Exchange Variation, by Andrew Martin, Running Time: Four Hours What makes the Spanish Exchange Variation different from most other openings is that White gets to determine the structure that arises and in essence forces Black to fight on the terrain of White's choosing. The line is positionally sound and if all goes according to plan, then an endgame arises that is very favorable for White. The price of all this is White parts with his bishop-pair and consents to an early exchange of queens. One of the earliest proponents of the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez was Emanuel Lasker. But it was Bobby Fischer who turned this opening into an art form. I have to admit that I began looking at the DVD with a bias, because I had found that Martin had only played three games in the Spanish Exchange Variation, and the last one played was in 1992. However, he is a terrific teacher, with a tremendous knowledge of theory, and I eventually came to the conclusion that this is an excellent DVD. There are thirty-one lectures on this DVD: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Introduction and Game One 02: The Pawn Ending 03: Game Three Vallejo Pons – Sasikirian 04: 5…Qd6 Game Four 05: 5…Qd6 Game Five 06: 5…Qd6 Game Six 07: 5…Qd6 Game Seven 08: Summary 5…Qd6 09: 5…Bg4 Game One 10: 5…Bg4 Game Two 11: 5…Bg4 Game Three 12: 5…Bg4 Game Four 13: 5….Bg4 Game Five and Summary 14. 5….Bd6 Game One 15: 5…Bd6 Game Two and Conclusion 16: 5…f6 Game One 17: 5…f6 Game Two 18: 5…f6 Game Three 19: 5…f6 Game Four 20 5…f6 Game Five 21: 5…f6 6.d4 Bg4 Game One 22: 5…f6 6.d4 Bg4 Game Two 23: 5…f6 6.d4 Bg4 Game Three 24: 5...f6 6.d4 Bg4 Game Four 25: 5…Be7 Game One 26: 5…Ne7 Game One

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27: 5…Ne7 Game Two and Summary 28: 5…Qe7 29: 5…Qf6 30: 4…bxc6 31: Outro

The Exchange Variation of the Spanish begins with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0:

[FEN "r1bqkbnr/1pp2ppp/p1p5/4p3/4P3/ 5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 0 5"]

Martin elected to include only victories by White on the DVD. However, a victory or two for Black might have provided examples of maneuvers that White could learn to thwart. Martin's first real lecture is on the pawn structure of this opening.

[FEN "4k3/1pp2ppp/p1p5/8/4P3/8/PPP2PPP/4K3"]

The lecture is geared towards the player who is not familiar with typical king and pawn endgame play, but it is a useful introduction to the pawn structures that we can expect from this system. The rest of the DVD is about Black's reaction to White's play and the recommended theory for White in this opening. I compared a great deal of the DVD with the ChessBase Opening Encyclopedia 2010 and not all is roses for the white side. It is quite obvious that the caliber of play and knowledge of theory will have a large part in determining the victor in any opening system. Martin's first series of lectures is on the 5…Qd6 line. All but one of his lectures cover 6.Na3 b5. He does an exceptional job explaining the moves and the reasons for making them. Martin chose 5…Bg4 as the subject of his next five lectures. Aside from 5…f6, this is the most popular response in the Spanish Exchange. The next major line that Martin considers is 5…f6. Martin believes that after this move Black has protected his central pawn. He has not committed any of his minor pieces as yet and "left to his own devices he will attempt to cement the d4 square by going c5 Ne7 and then Nc6." According to Martin, this plan is so strong that "black should not be permitted to effect it." The next four lectures involve the 6...f6 7.d4 Bg4 variation of the Spanish Exchange. The following move order is recommended by Martin: 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 f6 6.d4 Bg4 7.c3

[FEN "r2qkbnr/1pp3pp/p1p2p2/4p3/3PP1b1/ 2P2N2/PP3PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 0 7"]

In all his recommendations, Martin arms you with the theoretical knowledge required to meet Black's position, and he will always tell you why a particular move is made. In the Outro, Martin explains that the Exchange Variation is an "excellent practical bet" and I believe that this DVD will only add to the number of players who employ it. I recommend this DVD without reservation. My assessment of this DVD: Order Spanish Exchange Variation by Andrew Martin

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Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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You Can Squeeze the Slav into a Winning Structure

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Power Play 13: The Squeeze, by Daniel King, Running Time: five hours

ChessBase Cafe Lance Martin

"The Squeeze" is the latest in Daniel King's series of Power Play DVDs. Earlier titles could each be considered as four-star additions to any beginner's library; however, some of the more recent titles have left a lot to be desired regarding topics and content structure. Beginner's are often taught that there are several methods of play that are available in terms of weakening one's opponent. These are capture, exchange, attack, and immobilize. It is this last concept that is the central focus of this DVD. King says that it was the following position, in which he was black during a simultaneous exhibition by Andras Adorjan, that made him realize the importance of such play.

ChessBase Magazine #136 by ChessBase

Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 by Nigel Short

Rating Chart – Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

[FEN "3r4/p2rppbk/q1p1b1pp/2p1P3/ PpP5/1P1P1N1P/1B2QPP1/3RR1K1"]

King was placed in a position in which he could do nothing to improve his position. It is this situation that King refers to as "the squeeze." According to King, to subdue the enemy without fighting is the motto of this DVD. It is the prevention of all of your opponent's active ideas that is the instructional goal herein. The DVD contains fifty lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Introduction 02: Test Positions 03: Petrosian-Bertok I 04: Petrosian-Bertok II 05: King-Barua I 06: King-Barua II 07: Petrosian-Georgadze I 08: Petrosian-Georgadze II 09: Petrosian-Simagin I 10: Petrosian-Simagin II 11: Bronstein-Winiwater I 12: Bronstein-Winiwater II 13: Bonstein-Winiwater III + Kavalek-Lengyel 14: Fischer-Weinstein I 15: Fischer-Weinstein II 16: Fischer-Weinstein III

The Advance Caro-Kann by Alexei Shirov

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

17: Karpov-Unzicker I 18: Karpov-Unzicker II 19: Karpov-Unzicker III 20: Karpov-Unzincker IV 21: Botvinnik-Alekhine I 22: Botvinnik-Alekhine II 23: Botvinnik-Alekhine III 24: Botvinnik-Alekhine IV 25: Botbinnik-Alekhine V 26: Botvinnik-Alekhine VI + Anand-Karpov 27: Levitt-King I 28: Levitt-King II +Socko-Wall I 29: Socko-Wall II 30: Short-Timman 31: Short-Berg I 32: Short-Berg II 33: Short-Berg III 34: Short-Berg IV 35: Short-Berg V 36: Short-Berg VI 37: Vaganian-Mecking I 38: Vaganian-Mecking II 39: Vaganian-Mecking III Solutions 40: Nunn-Upton 41: Petrosian-Kikolaevsky + Petrosian-Ivkov + Petrosian-Velimirovic 42 : Kramnik-Gonzalez 43: Lautier-Novik 44: Nielsen-Milliet 45: Spassky-Koch 46. Cordoba-Bandals 47: Petrosian-Karner 48: Miles-Pastor 49: Andersson-Eggleston + Andersson-Grohde + Andersson-Heimann 50: Janowski-Saburoff + Summary

The DVD is structured in the same way as his last few Power Play endeavors. King begins by giving you test questions to which the DVD will assist you in providing the answers. He then goes over the actual answers at the end of the DVD. The main section of the DVD is devoted to games that have been divided according to their relation to the theme of immobilization. The games are suspended at a certain point, where you are then asked to guess the next move played. Most of the game are devoted to the white side of the picture, as black is the side that always seems to come out on the short end. Here is an example of the first segment of a game between Fischer-Weinstein, with white to play: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 Bb7 13.d5 Bc8 14.Nbd2 g6 15.b4 Nb7 16.a4 Bd7

[FEN "r2q1rk1/1n1bbp1p/p2p1np1/1p1Pp3/ PP2P3/5N1P/2BN1PP1/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 17"]

This is an entire clip. The next clip will pick up where this one leaves off.

Some games are divided into as many as five parts, and in each case King asks you to find the next move based on the principle of "the squeeze." King has hand-picked each example to illustrate a particular point. It is not likely that you will reach the same exact positions in your games, rather it is the general theme that is discussed. His annotations are good, though they do not extend much beyond the theme of the DVD. Still, he does present many other chess principles that will be useful to the player who is just starting out. King also has a great screen personality and he gets his points across in a very natural manner that is easy to comprehend. The person for whom this DVD is aimed has an entire world that is opening up for him, and the prospective viewer should be sure to include print media, as well as a great deal of practical experience in their training regimen. I recommend this DVD with very few reservations. In closing, don't take the suggestion by King to use a real chess board too lightly when doing the exercises. It is an important part of your education. My assessment of this DVD: Order Power Play 13: The Squeeze by Daniel King

Winning Structures, by Adrian Mikhalchishin, Running Time: five hours This DVD is divided into two parts. The first contains eleven lectures on the pawn structure preferences of some of the greatest chess minds of the twentieth century, and the second is devoted entirely to the isolated pawn structure. Mikhalchishin begins the first section by noting how the great Akiva Rubinstein used double pawns to help him control the center of the board, and he presents a game where Alekhine used this structure against Rubinstein. Almost all the game examples come from the Queen's Gambit and what Mikhalchishin calls a semi-closed structure. While presenting these structures, Mikhalchishin does an admirable job of annotating the games he has chosen as examples. The DVD contains a total of nineteen lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Rubinstein 01 02: Rubinstein 02 03: Rubinstein 03 04: Rubinstein 04 05: Rubinstein 05 06: Keres 01 07: Keres 02 08: Keres 03 09: Geller 01 10: Geller 02 11: Geller 03 12: Isolated Pawn 1 13: Isolated Pawn 2 14: Isolated Pawn 3 15: Isolated Pawn 4 16: Isolated Pawn 5 17: Isolated Pawn 6 18: Isolated Pawn 7 19: Isolated Pawn Outro

The next lecture again shows Rubinstein demonstrating his understanding of pawn structures. He understood which squares he had to control and how to make use of them in setting up his attack.

[FEN "3r1rk1/1p1b1p1p/p1nqp1p1/3p3n/ 3N1P2/2PB1NP1/PP1QRP1P/R5K1"]

Mikhalchishin's lectures are useful in that they point out how each move contributes to a structure that brought Rubinstein closer to a winning position. He demonstrates how the giants of chess brought their games together to make a harmonious whole, and explains the plans and strategies that the players followed. According to Mikhalchishin, Botvinnik always gave credit to Rubinstein with regards to pawn structures. In looking at the games of Botvinnik included on the DVD, one cannot help but note the similarities to Rubinstein's play. Mikhalchishin does a masterful job of pointing out how Botvinnik used the opponent's weak squares to mount an attack. Mikhalchishin discusses how every great player had favorite structures in which they placed their pieces. In the first Keres lecture, he shows us two examples of the Fianchetto Grünfeld that met the needs of this great player. The next lecture presents a game from Romanishin in which he obtained the same central structure as Keres, but from a Réti Opening. One of the high points of the DVD is the discussion of Efim Geller. Included in the lecture is Geller's beautiful victory over Bobby Fischer in the Sicilian Najdorf. Both Geller and Fischer believed that chess is timing and that in certain positions one must act immediately or risk losing an opportunity. Mikhalchishin underscores how our understanding of different structures transcends almost all opening systems. One important structure that requires a great deal of time is the isolated pawn. This structure comes from many different openings and is one that all players must learn how to handle it. Here is a key position with an isolated pawn:

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pp2bppp/4pn2/8/2BP4/ 2N2N2/PP3PPP/R1BQ1RK1"]

There are many possibilities for the player with the isolated pawn and Mikhalchishin shows us what they are and how to play them. He teaches us about blockades and how to play against them. He shows us how the masters played with the isolated pawn. He illustrates many methods of play for both sides of the structure, and he is sure to tell us which plans can succeed and which should be avoided, along with of the reasons for each one. This entire section is also loaded with examples from Mikhalchishin's own games. According to Mikhalchishin, if you avoid playing with an isolated pawn, then

you are doomed to passivity, which will be exploited by your opponent. He spends about a half-hour on the most dangerous plan with the isolated pawn: a direct breakthrough in the center. It has to be carefully prepared, but he shows that it works. He makes many recommendations on how to play with this structure. The idea is to increase the activity and mobility of your pieces. Experience and knowledge are the prerequisites of the planning process and the setups that are required. Mikhalchishin advises that in order to successfully play with the isolated pawn, you have to be able to play all sorts of structures and be able to adapt during the game based on the moves of your opponent. According to Mikhalchishin, the changes in structure are usually favorable to the side with the isolated pawn and he provides a few examples of changes in structure where both sides have to react or suffer the consequences. There is a separate lecture in which Mikhalchishin explains which squares you have to avoid and which squares you have to control. He also covers which types of endgames that you can expect. In the twenty-three minutes allotted to this lecture, he just about presents an entire course on the endgame. There are basic rules that you have to follow or you are not going to win or draw. In fact, this is probably the most difficult lecture on the DVD given the amount of material you have to understand. There is enough material contained on this DVD to last a player a lifetime. The subject matter is important to anyone who plays chess. However, in order to understand the material you have to be sufficiently advanced as a player. For this type of person, this DVD is a must buy. My assessment of this DVD: Order Winning Structures by Adrian Mikhalchishin

The Slav and Semi-Slav Revisited, by Alexei Shirov, Running Time: eight hours This is Alexei Shirov's second DVD for ChessBase on the Slav and Semi-Slav. Compared to the first DVD, there is a self recognition on the part of Shirov that he is one of the trendsetters in some of the variants of this opening and he exudes excitement about the subject matter. There are very few players that can match his grasp of the opening and he displays this knowledge on lectures that sometimes last close to an hour. As someone who plays the Slav, I found much that can be learned from these lectures. There are nineteen lectures on this DVD: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Intro 02: Buhmann-Shirov 03: Shirov-Svidler 04: Sargissian-Nejer 05: Shirov-Fridman 06: Braun-Fridman 07: Shirov-Rublevsky 08: Intro Meram 09: Lafuente-Shirov 10: Wang Yue-Kramnik 11: Akesson-Shirov 12: Ivanchuk-Aronian 13: Chuchelov-Shirov 14: Kramnik-Shirov 15: Shirov-Karjakin

● ● ● ●

16: Van Wely-Smeets 17: Topalov-Shirov 18: Carlsen-Shirov 19: Kasimdzhanov-Shirov

Whereas the title of Shirov's first DVD was: "My Best Games in the Slav and Semi-Slav," this one could aptly be titled "The Best Games in the Slav and Semi-Slav." Because, going by current theory, that is exactly what is contained on this DVD. The time goes by quickly as Shirov does his usual over-the-board calculations without the aid of computer. In the first video we not only see the game Buhmann-Shirov, we also see Shirov's game against Inarkiev, so that we may better understand his moves against Buhmann. Shirov makes it clear that this will be a DVD about the Meran and Botvinnik variations. The latter of which he thought was incorrect on his first DVD, but he explains that he has changed his mind over the past two and a half years. He only briefly discusses the Chebanenko system with a game against Gata Kamsky. He recommends that you look at the games of Carlsen, Anand, and Kramnik for more on this variation. One of the few white games by Shirov on the DVD is his game against Peter Svidler. Svidler chose a line that Shirov was not as familiar with as white, since he does not like to deal with the gambit like situations that occur in this line: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 e6 6.e3 c5

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/pp3ppp/4pn2/2p5/P1pP4/ 2N1PN2/1P3PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 7"]

This popular line transposes to the Queen's Gambit Accepted, where black has lost a tempo. Shirov claims that he is not in his sphere with this line of the Slav, and that he tried to remember the opening moves from his childhood work on the line. Judging from the current annotations it seems that this game is the current archetype for this variation of the Slav. The annotations for these games last for as long as forty minutes and are a window into Shirov's thought process. Before beginning the section on the Meran and Botvinnik variations, Shirov annotates a game between him and Sergei Rublevsky in 2007: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.g3

[FEN "rn1qkb1r/pp3ppp/2p1pn2/4Nb2/P1pP4/ 2N3P1/1P2PP1P/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 7"]

Of the nearly 2,000 games in this line, 7.g3 was played in fewer than 140 games. Shirov believes that it is a viable alternative to 7.f3, and he believes

that this is an important game in this line. If we follow the game through to the end of move twelve, then we find that it had only been played twice. Once as the current win by Shirov and the second game a 1995 draw between Sokolov and Bareev. Shirov spends almost forty minutes in his annotation of this game. The Botvinnik variation is played as follows: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/p4p2/2p1pn1p/1p2P1p1/ 2pP3B/2N2N2/PP3PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq g6 0 9"]

Shirov presents the game between Loek Van Wely and Jan Smeets from 2009, which led him to the notion that the Botvinnik was alive and well. He does an excellent job of annotating this system, and he explains all of the options that are available to both white and black. He is always looking to the future of this variation and he has a great deal to say about current theoretical ideas. In Shirov's two games in the Botvinnik variation, played in Sofia against Topalov and Carlsen, you can tell that he is really enjoying himself as he goes over these games that contain all of his current theory. It is as if all of his analysis and preparation were paying off. If you play this variation, then these two lectures are a must see. As Shirov makes clear, this system cannot be played by common sense, you must have the theoretical knowledge. It seems that the DVD was originally prepared in May of 2009, but it says a great deal about Shirov that he made this last forty-five minute lecture in order to bring us up to date on the theory. I recommend this DVD to anyone who plays the Slav or Semi-Slav. Moreover, if you are interested in the development of chess theory, specifically in the Slav, then both of Shirov's DVDs should be in your library. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Slav and Semi-Slav Revisited by Alexei Shirov

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Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

[ChessCafe Home Page] [Book Review] [Columnists] [Endgame Study] [The Skittles Room] [Archives] [Links] [Online Bookstore] [About ChessCafe.com] [Contact Us] © 2010 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com®" is a registered trademark of BrainGamz, Inc.

A Magazine that Really Talks Chess! This month I am going to take a look at ChessBase Magazine. This is published every two months on DVD, with an accompanying printed booklet. If you haven't purchased one lately, you should be aware that ChessBase changed the format of the printed magazine to make it more professional, while also providing a plastic slipcase for the DVD. Furthermore, the printed magazine is now bound instead of being stapled, so it can be properly placed on your book shelf. This is a testimonial to their commitment to chess excellence in their commercial endeavors.

ChessBase Cafe Lance Martin

The printed booklet is provided in both English and German. This issue begins with an editorial that tries to predict the openings for the then upcoming world championship match. Their prediction of 1.e4 from Anand proves how hard it is to foretell future events. The contents of the printed magazine serves as a summary of what can be found on the DVD. I find this very useful, as I can sit on my couch and read the magazine and get a good idea of what to find on the DVD. However, the heart of the product is the actual DVD.

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ChessBase Magazine #136 by ChessBase

Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 by Nigel Short

Rating Chart – Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

The DVD comes bundled with the CB Reader, so no other software is necessary to access the contents. However, if you own the ChessBase database program or one of the Fritz family of programs, you can use these to watch the DVD. I recommend that you install the magazine on your hard drive, so that you will always have its components available to you. The DVD begins with a video introduction by the inimitable Karsten Müller, who previews the major features in this issue. Müller's sense of humor and questioning about positions in the various games really make the DVD a more enjoyable experience. He spends about one-third of the introduction going over some of the more important games from Wijk aan Zee and points out which games will be in Fritz Trainer format. He also highlights some of the more interesting openings from the thirteen opening surveys that are provided on the DVD. He spends a particularly long time on the Najdorf game between Naiditsch and Sjugirov from the Moscow Aeroflot tournament. He then mentions all of the remaining columns on the DVD and provides hints for some of the questions provided therein. Müller ends the introduction with an unanswered question that can only be found in one of the upcoming columns. All in all, it is a great way to begin the magazine.

The Advance Caro-Kann by Alexei Shirov

Next up is a video presentation by Dorian Rogozenko of the two major supertournaments: Linares and Wijk aan Zee. Rogozenko explains that Wijk aan Zee was a Category 19 tournament and that his hero of the first half of the tournament was the then unbeaten Alexei Shirov. Rogozenko examines a few of Shirov's games and indicates that Shirov's time trouble in several games led to his second-third place finish. As for Linares, Rogozenko explains that it was a six-player tournament that was made more interesting by the play of Topalov. The bulk of the time is spent on a Najdorf between Topalov and Grischuk. The second video by Rogozenko describes the two strongest tournaments from the beginning of the year: The Moscow Open and the Aeroflot Open. The winner of the Moscow Open was Konstantin Chernyshov who won six out of nine games. The winner of the Aeroflot Open was Le Quang Liem, a Vietnamese player. Also mentioned is The Gibraltar Tournament won by Michael Adams and the stunning loss by the all-star team from Baden Baden in the German League. There follows a link to the Wijk aan Zee results that are either in game, audio, or video format. First up is a theoretical survey of the various openings used in Wijk ann Zee by Mikhial Marin. He tells us that the Arkhangelsk variation of the Ruy Lopez was tested in four games during the tournament: 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.a4 Rb8 9.d4 Bb6 10.Na3 0-0 11.axb5 12.Nxb5 Bg4

[FEN "1r1q1rk1/2p2ppp/pbnp1n2/1P2p3/ 3PP1b1/NBP2N2/1P3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 12"]

We then are presented with deeply annotated games that were played from this position. All the games from the tournament are extremely well annotated by either Marin or Krasenkow. Each game is deeply explained and no favoritism toward any opening is shown. The next highlight of the front page is a link to the Karjakin-Carlsen game in the French Defense, won and honestly annotated by Carlsen. His comments were a real high point for me. Next up is a Petroff between Anand-Kramnik. This is annotated in audio format by Anand and, having been spoiled by the Fritz Trainer video format, it is somewhat difficult to acclimate to the presentation. For instance, this pales in comparison to the video analysis by Alexei Shirov of his game against Dominguez in the Najdorf. This is a full twenty-five minute presentation, and to understand the story behind this game you have to watch the whole video. Anyway, had Shirov played 31.b4 in the following position, instead of agreeing to a draw, he would have won Wijk aan Zee:

[FEN "6k1/4r1b1/4p1P1/qp6/8/P4Q2/ 1PP5/1K1R4 w - - 0 31"]

It is apparent that Shirov felt bad about missing the move, especially when so many players around him had seen it. Yet, he was in time trouble and that is the nature of chess. He displays a real champion's attitude toward the game. Shirov's next video is his game against Carlsen. He had beat Carlsen nine months before in Sofia in the same opening. However, at Wijk aan Zee, Carlsen found the move that saves the draw. In the following position, Carlsen found the improvement 22...Bc3!.

[FEN "1r2r2k/4qpbp/P1b5/3p1P2/4p1Q1/ 1P1B4/P1N2PPP/4RRK1 b - - 0 22"]

In Sofia, he lost after 22….Be5 23.Be2 d4 24.Bc4 Rg8 25.Qh3 Rg7 26.g3 Rbg8 27.Qh6 Qc7 28.Nb4 Ba8 29.Nd5 Qd8 30.Rxe4 1-0. In Wijk, the game continued 23.Qh3 Qf6 24.Be2 d4 25.Bc4 Rg8 26.g3 Rbe8 27.Rd1 e3 28.fxe3 dxe3 29.Be2 Re4 30.Qg2 Re7 31.Qh3 Re4 32.Qg2 Re7 33.Qh3 ½-½ It is games like this that make chess such an enjoyable activity for me. Chess is my life, and my life is made a little bit better by such games. I devote this column to those that think the way I do. Another highlight of CBM #135 is a video analysis by Nigel Short in a game against Kramnik using the Petroff. This video is a testimonial for thinking for one's self. Short remembers the days before computer reliance for an opening repertoire and he insists that a computer would not have found the same moves that he played. In any event, after the match both participants agreed that had Short played 30.h4!, instead of 30.Qxa4, in the following position he would have gained the upper hand.

[FEN "3r3k/6pp/2p3b1/2B3b1/p1Q5/

P4R1P/2P2PP1/3q1NK1 w - - 0 30"]

Every chess player should have a copy of CBM in order to gain the insights of these top players. For example, Short claims that he played like a "total Patzer" by permitting Kramnik to escape from a lost position. This game just hurts him to replay. He says that someone rated 2696 should "not be so stupid" as to miss some of the moves that he did. The games from Linares are annotated by either Marin or Ftacnik, and they do a really great job. Of special note is the game between Topalov and Grischuk with a novelty on move ten in the so-called Adams Attack in the Najdorf. This game is worthwhile for many reasons. I was enlightened by Ftacnik's annotations the game. However, there is more to the DVD than coverage of major tournaments. The magazine also contains thirteen opening surveys on everything from the Poseidon Variation of the Grivas Sicilian to an interesting article on the Réti Gambit in the French by Victor Moskalenko. Kuzmin's article on the Najdorf has an interesting idea on a heretofore dubious move, and you can read the full excerpt here. The surveys begin with an article on a particular opening, followed by a number of annotated games. These opening surveys are a large part of the draw of this magazine and they will provide you with plenty of food for thought for your next games. And yet we are still not done exploring the contents of this DVD! For instance, Rainer Knaak supplies a pretty good video on an opening trap in the Vienna. There is also an opening video on the Queen's Gambit by Adrian Mikhalchishin and a twenty-minute video by Lilov on the Dutch Stonewall. This is a typical Lilov video in that it is an excellent introduction for beginners in this opening. This is followed by a video from Nigel Davies, giving us an example of the Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation. Finally, we get to the training part of the DVD. This includes the Move By Move column by Daniel King, where we are asked questions about the best moves in a couple of games. You must "Enable Training" in order to use this feature. The Tactics column by Oliver Reeh presents you with a number of positions of varying degrees of difficulty. Endgames are covered by Karsten Müller, and we are presented with a total of seven videos devoted to various types of rook endings. Both his wit and charm are on admirable display as he teaches the principles of endgame theory. He provides us with test questions and then proceeds to explain the answers. Here is an example of a cut off along the rank:

[FEN "6r1/8/5R2/2k5/6P1/6K1/8/8"]

Note how the rook shields its king so that it supports the advance of the passed pawn. The first three of his seven videos are all about cut offs. These alone are worth the price of the magazine. Now if we could only remove the word "tenacious" from Karsten's vocabulary.

In between each issue of ChessBase Magazine, an "Extra" DVD is released. These usually contain a large database of games and several Fritz Trainer videos. For example, CBM #134 Extra contains a database of 20,788 games played between December 2009 and February 2010 and three Fritz Trainer videos: Leonid Kritz shows a classical game Botvinnik-Tal, Moscow 1961; Andrew Martin refers to his own DVD "The Budapest Gambit"; and Valeri Lilov presents Aronian-Nakamura, Bursa 2010. ChessBase Magazine is probably one of the best values in chess. I recommend it to all chess players no matter what their level of play. My assessment of this DVD: Order ChessBase Magazine Subscription by ChessBase

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Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Private Notes The Fighting Philidor, by Victor Bologan, Video running time: five hours

ChessBase Cafe Lance Martin

François-André Danican Philidor wrote his famous book, Analyse du jeu des Échecs, in 1749. It is here that he wrote that pawns are the "very spirit" of chess, and that if your pawn structure was unhealthy, then you were doomed to lose. Contained therein are examples that bear the elements of the opening which was to become associated with his name, even though he never played the opening himself. In fact, the Philidor Opening bears a structural resemblance to the opening developed by Slovenian GM Vasja Pirc (pronounced "peer-ts"). I first learned of this resemblance in Pirc Alert by Lev Alburt and Alex Chernin, but I did not fully realize the potential structural similarities until watching Bologan's DVD.

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Chess Endgames 5 by Karsten Müller

The material is divided into three sections containing a total of twenty lectures: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Rating Chart

● ●

– Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Play through and download the games from ChessCafe.com in the DGT Game Viewer.

● ● ● ●

01: 1.e4 d6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 02: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.f3 03: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bd3 04: 1.e4 d6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nge2 05: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nge2 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8 Kxd8 06: 6.Nf3 07: 6.Bc4 08: 6.Bg5 09: 6.Bc4 II 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 10: 5.g3 11: 5.g4 12: 5.Bc4 13: 5.Bc4 II 14: 5.Bc4 III 15: 5.Bc4 IV 16: 5.Bc4 V 17: 5.Bc4 VI 18: 5.Bc4 VII 19: 5.Bc4 VIII 20: 5.Bc4 IX

As you can see the content is divided into three major categories: Pirc-like structures, endgame structures, and the mainline structure. This bears similarities to Bologan's previous DVDs where he dealt with the sidelines first because of his belief that it will lead you to a better understanding of the mainline of the defense. He is convinced that this is a necessary part of opening preparation, so that you will not get taken into a line with which you are unfamiliar. Moves can be concrete or strategic. The concrete is the known theory that you have memorized; strategic is the move based solely on your knowledge of chess principles. It is far better if you are playing the concrete moves that you have studied. The relationship of the Philidor to the Pirc is exhibited by the fact that all of the games in the sidelines are in Chess Informant B07 category. This relationship was also noted by Alexei Shirov in his Fritz Trainer DVD, The Philidor Defence. This variant in its many forms takes up four out of

Guide to the Tkachiev Ruy Lopez by Alexei Shirov

Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 by Nigel Short

Bologan's five lectures on the sidelines. This makes knowledge of the Pirc almost a must if you intend to play the Philidor successfully. The first example from Bologan is 1.e4 d6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4. The required response by Black is to play in the center with 3...d5, when the main moves are then 4.e5 d4. The annotations that follow take us well beyond the scope of the game itself, which was Palac-Malaniuk. However, Bologan's lectures on the sidelines are not just limited to the Pirc. His second lecture begins with 1. e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.f3 e5

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/ppp2ppp/3p1n2/4p3/3PP3/5P2/ PPP3PP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq e6 0 4"]

He then alters Black's third move to arrive at the following: 3…d5 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Qb6 8.Nc3 e6. 3…c5 4.d5 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Bg5 e6 8.Qd2 exd5 9.cxd5. In the first case, we get a comfortable French opening, and in the second we get just as comfortable with the King's Indian. In Bologan's game against L'ami in 2007, he kept a Pirc-like structure, which serves as a good precursor to the Philidor games to come: 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8 + Kxd8 6.Bc4 Ke8 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.Ne2 a5 9.a3 Bc5 10.Kf2 Bxe3+ 11.Kxe3 Nb6 12.Nd2 a4

[FEN "r1b1k2r/1pp2ppp/1n3n2/4p3/p1B1P3/ P3KP2/1PPNN1PP/R6R w - - 0 13"]

Bologan reminds us that we have to have "moves in our pocket." By this, he is referring to concrete moves that we have studied. His annotation of this game again takes us into a world of games that are yet to be played, but that are never bad for Black. As Bologan admits, this DVD is made for the black side. He recommends that "if you want to know about the white side, then listen to the DVD by Shirov." Bologan has played this variant of the Pirc since 1989 and he is very fastidious in his annotations. He tells tell you whether the lines are better for black or white, and ends each lecture by explaining what to be careful about in the given move order and how best to play any given setup. His discussion of 3.Bd3 continues 3…e5 4.c3 d5 5.dxe4 Nxe4. He notes that Black should not be afraid of sacrificing the pawn as he has good compensation. In the mainline, Black's plan is to play Nc5, Nc6, Bg4, Qd7, 00-0, and d4. Black is to break through as it "were a tank." His assessment is that Bd3 should not pose any problem to the Philidor player.

His next lecture discusses 1.e4 d6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nge2. Rahter than follow up with 3…e5, his recommendation is 3…g6 4.d4 Bg7 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 e5 7.h3 c6

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pp3pbp/2pp1np1/4p3/3PP3/ 2N3PP/PPP1NPB1/R1BQK2R w KQ - 0 8"]

Bologan comments that this position might not be seen in your whole life, but he would like the answers ahead of time, rather than trying to solve them overthe-board. The next game is a real Philidor Defense between Sax and Nevednichy. Bologan explores territory known only to him and his former trainer Chebanenko. The line shows the importance of putting a pawn on h5 in order to stop white's g4 plan. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nge2 c6 5.f3 h5

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/pp3pp1/2pp1n2/4p2p/3PP3// 2N2P2/PPP1N1PP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq h6 0 6"]

It is a testament to Bologan's thoroughness that the sidelines took up so much of the DVD. Though I would have liked even more discussion of the relationship of the Pirc to the Philidor. The next part of the DVD is devoted to the Philidor Endgame, in which the queen's are exchanged on move five: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8 Kxd8

[FEN "rnbk1b1r/ppp2ppp/5n2/4p3/4P3/2N5// PPP2PPP/R1B1KBNR w KQ - 0 6"]

Bologan's recommends meeting 6.f4 by 6…Nc6 7.Nf3 Bd6, as this offers good protection of the e5-square. Even though this lecture comes under the heading of 6.Nf3, Bologan spends most of his time investigating 6.f4 and 6.

Be3. What we have is Bologan's notes on how he would play each position at the board. I think this is quite a bargain. What he does for 6.f4, he also does for 6.Be3 and 6.Nf3. In his example game, one that he played against Epishin in 1991, he shows how he was able to turn a draw into a win with black. According to Bologan, the most important feature in this version of the Philidor is not to lose our fight in the center, and to protect our pawns in the endgame and initiate a counterattack. Bologan faced 6.Bc4 against Khenkin. Here he recommends to always clear square d5 and control f5. The plan is to play a6, b5, Bb7, and Bd6. As you can see, every part of Bologan's game is controlled by a plan. It is our successful use of this plan that gives us a lead against our opponent. Bologan's game against Bocharov is interesting in that Bocharov has played more than twenty-five games as black in the Philidor. When he plays a game, I think we should watch it carefully. The fact that Bologan can find alternative winning lines for Black is just a testimonial to his thought processes in the opening, and he does a great job of explaining the reasons for his moves. The final game of this section was interesting for me, as I discovered a discrepancy with the book The Modern Philidor by Vladimir Barsky. I contacted IM Sergey Soloviov, who is technical editor of Chess Stars Publications, who in turn contacted GM Bologan, who verified the mistake in the DVD. Quite simply, the game on the DVD that was supposed to be Sokolov-Bologan was really Sokolovs-Bologan. This is a completely different player than GM Andrei Sokolov, who is rated just under 2700. Be that as it may, Bologan was able to transform the game into a beautiful advantage for Black. Thus, we finally arrive at the heart of this DVD: the mainline Philidor with 1. e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7. We now get to look at the move five possibilities for White and the correct way for Black to answer them. The main move is Bc4, but Bologan begins with 5.g3 and 5.Be2 c6. As usual his move order takes us out of the database, with no games having been played using his recommendations. Again, we are given access to Bologan's private notes and his trainer's recommendations, perhaps with a little Rybka 4 for good measure. Bologan's lecture in answer to Shirov's 5.g4 is extremely important, as, according to Bologan, Black holds in this line, and he shows us how to play against White.

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/pppn1ppp/3p1n2/4p3/3PP1P1// 2N2N2/PPP2P1P/R1BQKB1R b KQkq g3 0 5"]

Bologan recommends Black accept the sacrifice, and he deeply investigates the lines with 9.Qd3 and 9.dxe5. He summarizes that g4 is a sharp line with chances for both sides. In the lectures for 5.Bc4 Be7, Bologan reveals that when he was a child he was afraid of the move 6.Bxf7+. This move can be made at either move six or move seven.

[FEN "r1bqk2r//pppnbppp/3p1n2/4p3/2BPP3/ 2N2N2/PPP2PPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 0 6"]

His annotations after 6…Kxf7 are exceptional. And once again they are straight from his personal notes and go well beyond known games. The next lectures discuss the plans involved with 8…h6 and 8…b6. These lines are complicated, but Bologan provides us with enough knowledge to implement these plans and he offers alternatives. However, after viewing his lecture about the b6 line I am not too optimistic for Black. Bologan's personal mainline as Black in the Philidor is 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 c6 8.a4 a5

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/1p1nbppp/2pp1n2/p3p3// P1BPP3/2N2N2/1PP2PPP/R1BQR1K1 w - a6 0 9"]

A good part of the lecture shows the possibilities after 10.Ba2, 10.Bb3, and 10. Bf1, and what Bologan would play against them. You can note a difference in his attitude as he explains the lines for Black. It is as if he owes us the best lines because they are the ones he uses over-the-board. He emphasizes what should be the main move in each line and summarizes what should be played in each case. His next lectures cover 9.Ba2 and 9.b3. Bologan does not seem as sure of himself in explaining the lines with 9.Ba2; he has no real conclusion or overall assessment as in most of the other lines. Against 9.b3, Bologan recommends that Black be very active and immediately try to clarify the situation in the center. I thought you would enjoy seeing the board after move twelve with all of Bologan's plans built into the diagram.

[FEN "r1bqnrk1/1p2bppp/1np5/p2pP3/ P2N4/1PN5/2P2PPP/R1BQRBK1"]

Bologan proceeds to show you how to implement this plan, and how it adapts based on what occurs during the game. What is especially nice is his explanation of his plan in the game's summary. All in all it is a job well done. In summation, this is probably one of the best Fritz Trainers that I have ever seen. This is high praise considering that the presenter is uncomfortable in front of a camera and speaks with a heavy accent that is sometimes difficult to understand. I recommend this DVD to anyone rated above, say, 1600-1800. I have viewed this DVD several times, and will likely do so a few more times as well. If you are a chess player … buy it. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Fighting Philidor by Victor Bologan

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Being Alexei Shirov Guide to the Tkachiev Ruy Lopez, by Alexei Shirov, running time six hours

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It was about four and a half years ago that Alexei Shirov produced his first Ruy Lopez video for ChessBase. It was on this video that he announced that he was going to present a version of the Spanish that he called the Tkachiev. This was to honor a colleague of his who had been studying and playing this opening for several years. That colleague was now French chessplayer Vladislav Tkachiev. The move order as Shirov provided it back then was 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5

Lance Martin

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[FEN "r1bqk2r/2pp1ppp/p1n2n2/1pb1p3/4P3/ 1B3N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQ1RK1 w kq - 0 7"]

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This was to distinguish it from the 6…Bb7 version of the system, known as the Archangelsk. Well, Mr. Shirov did an excellent job in presenting this opening back then and even featured this opening on his second DVD on the Spanish by giving it about half the space of that DVD. He now returns to that line with an entire DVD on the theory and current status of this opening. It is now Shirov’s main weapon of choice as Black and he has played it no less than fifty-five times since. There are twelve lectures on this DVD. For a full list of chapters, see the detailed description in the ChessCafe.com shop. Without question this is not a DVD for the merely curious. This DVD is aimed first and foremost at the player of the Ruy Lopez who is considering playing this line as black. But over and above that, it is for the chess player who wants to know how theory is developed and implemented during the current computer era. Shirov makes no bones about the fact that every move is checked with the latest version of Rybka. To hear Shirov say that his yearand-a-half-old computer is almost too old to make proper assessments of positions, gives you a good idea as to what has become of modern-day chess. When a current top ten player states that he trusts the latest developments in Rybka as much or more than his own analysis, then it shows that we have reached a point in time that I for one thought would never come. Shirov tells us that it was in September 2009 that this opening became of utmost importance to his chess. The first game on the DVD is between Svidler and Shirov from the World Cup in December 2009. It contains one of the most difficult plans that White can give this opening. Right away the first real choice for White is on move seven where he can play a4, c3, or d3. Shirov provides the responses by Black to each of these choices. According to Shirov, Svidler used a very old counter to meet the Tkachiev: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.axb5 axb5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.d4 Bxd4 11.Qxd4 d6 12.f4 Nc6 13.Qc3 Ne7 14.Qd3

The Advance Caro-Kann by Alexei Shirov

Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 by Nigel Short

[FEN "1rbqk2r/2p1nppp/3p1n2/1p6/4PP2/ 1B1Q4/1PP3PP/RNB2RK1 b k - 0 14"]

Here Svidler surprised Shirov with an old move. What is important at this point is Shirov’s comment that even in our computer era if you have time on your clock, you can calculate almost as good as a computer. Now Shirov was caught in a situation in which his preparation was exhausted; however, he went on to win the game. Aside from going through the game, Shirov also goes over some sub-lines. Here he says that the Spanish is "the counter attack for real men." The next lecture features a game from Wijk aan Zee between Karjakin and Anand. Shirov first concentrates on the possibilities for Black on move eight: Rb8, Bg4, and Bb7. The next point of analysis is move thirteen for White. Topalov played Bc2 against Shirov in 1996 and fourteen years later the same move was made by Karjakin against Anand at Wijk ann Zee. Against Topalov, Shirov’s response was 13…d5 and for the next ten years Shirov thought this was a good move. Now thanks to a game against Ivanchuk, Shirov doesn’t consider it a reliable move. It has been supplanted by 13…Bf3 or 13…exd4. Shirov spends a good deal of time moving around the line and seeing who has the better chances and which move order is correct. We are bearing witness to the analysis of this line as it is happening. It sure sounds like Shirov is taking a great deal from these lectures at least in the clarification of his thoughts. This is followed by a lecture on a game between Karjakin and Shirov. During this lecture Shirov does an excellent job of showing how he calculates a position when there are few pieces on the board. He gives us an idea of the risks that he is willing to take and those that he wouldn’t. This is one of the few times when we get a real look at how he calculates when there is limited material on the board. It gives you an idea of the kind of accuracy required at top-level play. A wrong move cannot be permitted. Many drawn positions can be lost because of a minor inaccuracy at the end of a long hard game. He refers to these endgames as computer defenses. All in all, this is a wonderful DVD for players rated around 2000 or above who want to see the evolution of a major chess opening. The insight you will get into Shirov’s thought processes is unsurpassed, making this DVD unique indeed. My assessment of this DVD: Order Guide to the Tkachiev Ruy Lopez by Alexei Shirov

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Power Playing Your Way to Tactical Mastery Power Play 14: Test Your Tactics, by Daniel King, running time six hours, $39.95 (ChessCafe Price: $33.95)

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There seems to be some consensus among chess authors and coaches regarding the value of tactical training over other aspects of the game. In his introduction to School of Chess Excellence 2: Tactical Play, Dvoretsky discusses how deep positional factors or strategic nuances in a position are of little value if the player is unable to convert these advantages through tactical means and accurate calculation. Chess is 99% tactics and 99% of the fun too Reinfeld tells us in his classic 1001 Chess Sacrifices and Combinations. Even the authors of those hefty "Chess Openings Explained" tomes warn us that amateur players should only focus on openings for one-quarter of their study time, and instead devote their efforts to areas such as tactical training that can have a more dramatic impact on one's game. In PowerPlay 14: Test Your Tactics, Daniel King advocates the value of sharpening one's tactical awareness through pattern recognition and familiarization of tactical methods as the surest way for club-level players to boost their play. King invites us to step into a tactical workout gym consisting of forty-seven test positions and several pause-the-video-to-think moments, and hopefully emerge with stronger tactical muscles. The test positions touch on a very wide array of themes: ● ●

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Mating patterns Awareness of tactical factors such as weaknesses, king safety, LPDO (Loose Pieces Drop Off), or the possible consequences of a queen in the line of an opponent's rook. Typical tactical themes arising from the French, Trompowsky, Catalan, English, Sicilian Hedgehog and other openings. Positional factors such as the creation of a second weakness, squeezing our opponent, planning, squashing counter play, and improving our position. Tactical themes such as pins, forks, discoveries, intermezzos, and double attacks. Common opening traps Plethora of advice in various areas of chess such as tactical training habits, when to assess, and when to calculate, etc.

One of the aspects I enjoy in King's PowerPlay series is his knack for exposing the subject in a slightly different way from how it is presented elsewhere. In PowerPlay 10: Calculation the focus was on discerning which positions required calculation and when not to bother. In PowerPlay 11: Defence, King concentrated on how to avoid defending altogether by not falling into passive positions. King infuses a healthy dose of realism in PowerPlay 14 by mixing tactical and non-tactical positions in his tests. Authors have tried doing this in the past, but have rarely succeeded. Jacob Aagard included one or two tactical puzzles to surprise us in Basic Positional Ideas, but King really mixes things up. Some problems require a tactical shot, while others a quiet move to strengthen the position. Often times the potential combination will be a dangling carrot the solver will be tempted to take, and you'll need to assess whether going for the combination is a good idea or not. In one simple example, King asks us to decide after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 2.e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Be2 Nh6 whether playing 7.Bxh6 is good or bad. This is a common theme in the French, and King presents similar positions in the lecture containing the solution. I found this approach of greater value compared to other tactical tests. Here

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King is training us to be on alert at all times, rather than only flicking on our tactical senses when we have a test of this nature in front of us. Very often amateur players are unable to transfer the gained skills and experience from tactical training, simply because we shut our tactical alertness off during regular games. Unfortunately, the very mention that a test is tactical gives us a clue that we don't otherwise get while a game is in progress. Given that King provides several non-tactical puzzles, you might be wondering how much of PowerPlay 14 is devoted to tactics, and the answer is: Plenty! While the solution to a test position might require a quiet move, King takes us through the rest of the game highlighting the tactical possibilities and combinational elements that occurred, and often throws another practice question our way for good measure. At the same time, he might also use the lecture to introduce an important positional method. Let's look at one of the test positions taken from the game Drizgalovic-Karpov: Black to Play

[FEN "3r2k1/5p1p/p2q2p1/1p2p3/ 1Pb5/P3PN1P/1Q3PP1/2R3K1"]

Here King comments "If you are looking for a tactic in this position you will be disappointed. It's simply too dry for that, you can see that there is not enough interaction among the pieces. So, we have to think in quite a different way. White has just played h3 which means there is now a threat to take on e5 since he has solved the back rank problem [Tactics]. So, how to defend this pawn? …definitely a mistake to move this pawn because that gives the knight a wonderful outpost in the middle of the board supported by the pawn [on e3]. The knight is just as good as the bishop. I'd say the position is about equal, but maybe Black has to be a little careful because White can now open the a file and go for a counterattack. Anyway, e4 is definitely a mistake. Karpov, even at his young age - he was a teenager when he played this game - recognized the fact that it was important to cut out the options of his opponent's knight..." King continues his lecture showing how Karpov applied the "squeeze," which was the theme of one of Power Play 13: The Squeeze. I've tried to refrain from showing the test positions, and if I do, not to point out the answers. Doing so would deprive the potential buyer from getting the most out of PowerPlay 14. Suffice to say the test positions are arranged in five blocks of approximately ten questions each. The solver will quickly notice a familiar theme among smaller groupings. Some might require thinking whether to capture the poisoned b2-pawn in French and Sicilian sample lines, and in the solution King brings additional examples of when it is prudent to capture the pawn, and when it can turn out to be a greedy proposition. In other test positions, you'll see an emerging theme of an unsafe king, and try to find ways to exploit this advantage. Prior to the test King uses seven short lectures to shows us a game between Anand and Topalov. His purpose is to show us how GMs utilize their tactical awareness and pattern recognition during a game, and at the end of each lecture he leaves us with an exercise to solve from the game. King often

alludes to moments during the game where there were "tactics in the air," and some were eye-opening moments for me, as in the following position: White to move

[FEN "r2qrbk1/1b3pp1/p1np1n1p/1pp1p3/ 1P2P3/PNPP1N1P/B4PP1/R1BQR1K1"]

Many amateur players would not notice Black's undefended bishop on b7, but Topalov plays 16.Rb1 here. King explains that this can be exploited it if Black tries to play a5 and gives the following possible variation: 16...a5 17. bxc5 dxc5 (17...a4 18.Nbd2 dxc5 19.Rxb5 Ba6 20.Qxa4 Bxb5 21.Qxb5) 18. Be3 Qb6 (18...Nd7 19.Nbd2). Equally interesting is Anand's response. Given that there are two pieces and a pawn in between the rook on b1 and the undefended bishop on b7, one would think there is no danger to the bishop. Anand, however, plays 16...Bc8 to get himself out of the possible line of fire. In addition to this, he has noticed the undefended bishop on a2 and plans to play 17...Be6 pinning the knight on b2! I found these nuances quite fascinating and really appreciated King's attention to moments like this. King seems to come less prepared to debrief variations, and instead likes to think things through during the live recording. It is quite interesting to observe how a professional player thinks about a position, though at times, the added multitasking of making eye contact with the camera and operating the keyboard gives way to some analysis blunders or missed tactical opportunities. For example, in the Drizgalovich-Karpov game continuation, after 41...g5 we reach the following position: White to Play

[FEN "8/3r2k1/5p2/1p2p1pp/ 1Pb5/3qPN1P/1Q3PPK/R7"]

Here King passed by White's response of 42.Rc1 without even discussing Black's tactical saving grace to stay in the game after: 42.Nxg5! fxg5 43.Qxe5 + activating White's queen along the a1-h8 diagonal, and the rook via Ra6. Overall, this is another excellent PowerPlay installment, but there were a number of things missing that would have made this a product of even greater value. At times, King did not synthesize the lessons to be learned at the end of his solution lectures. Some comments about how the puzzle could have been solved would have been appreciated. This is a coaching method that elevated the quality of Aagard's book Practical Chess Defence. One example of a missed teaching moment came in the game Koneru-Stefanova:

White to Move

[FEN "2kr3r/pp1nbpp1/1qp1p3/3n2p1/ 3P4/2N1P3/PPQB1PPP/1K1R1B1R"]

The solution might have been spotted if we were aware of basic patterns that give birth to tactical operations. In this case, the solution might come to us by seeing that the queen on c2 is in the same line as the king on c8, and that Black's queen is on the same diagonal as the rook on d8, and so it happens White still has a dark-squared bishop. I would highly recommend Weteschnik's Understanding Chess Tactics, which takes an in-depth look into the mechanics of chess tactics, and you can also take a crack at solving the approximately 350 positions in the book. The accompanying database file for PowerPlay 14 contains the source games from which the test positions were taken, but this could easily have been converted into a training database, as Müller did in Magic of Chess Tactics. If this is your first investment in tactical training material, I would suggest a book such as John Emms' The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book, or the CT-ART software by Convekta. Even King alludes to every serious chess player owning a tactical "chess bible." His was Harry Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess. Mine was Encyclopedia of Chess Middlegame Combinations (Informant 1980). This book has gone through several editions and is now available as the Anthology of Chess Combinations. PowerPlay 14 is a good way to hone your tactical skills. Whereas Magic of Chess Tactics was a more inspiring treatment that left you ready to sacrifice pieces like Tal or Nezhmetdinov, King's approach is more pragmatic, and after going through the material a couple of times you are likely to emerge with a greater sense of tactical awareness. My assessment of this DVD: Order Power Play 14: Test Your Tactics by Daniel King Buy any three PowerPlay DVDs and automatically save 40% on a fourth!

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Ammo for Smith-Morra Gambiteers! The Smith-Morra Gambit, by Lawrence Trent, running time: five hours, twenty-five minutes, $29.95 (ChessCafe Price: $25.95)

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The Smith-Morra Gambit helped me end a long losing streak against my stepfather back in 2005. I was a 1400-rated player and chess drama centered more at home than the chess club. We used to battle it out at the board in various G15 to G30 time controls, and at some point that year I lost eight games in a row to him. Our weekend game was soon approaching and, unable to fathom another week of despair, I decided to try the Smith-Morra Gambit, which led to this little miniature: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3 d6 6.Bc4 Qc7?! 7.0–0 e6 8. Nb5 Qd8 9.Bf4 e5 10.Ng5 exf4?? (The big blunder, but White is still looking good after 10...Nh6 11.Qb3.) 11.Nxf7 Qf6 12.Nc7+ Kd7 13.Nxa8 Nh6 14.e5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5+ Qxe5 16.Re1 Qc5 17.Qa4+ Kd8 18.Qe8# 1–0

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Looking back at my patzer miniature I wonder about White's results in the Morra. The percentages on my updated Mega Database 2010 are not compelling, but they do point to more favorable results for White as the Elo rating of the players decrease.

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Mega Database 2010 Statistics for the Smith-Morra Gambit

The Smith-Morra Gambit DVD by IM Lawrence Trent is a terrific production. Trent speaks in an unhurried and clear manner, and his assessments are succinct and easy to understand. This communication style is very consistent throughout the lectures and helps make the contents accessible to intermediate-level players and beyond. His approach was also quite efficient. When authors on opening lectures cover entire games, descending into a labyrinth of variations that do not offer educative connections to the opening, middlegame, and endgame themes, these can quickly become video filler. Trent keeps it simple by only discussing games up to when he has illustrated the desired points, and then moves on to another example. Trent does not hype lines with overly optimistic assessments. One will often hear him summarizing a line by saying that all three results are possible or that more practical tests are needed. This struck me as honest and balanced, making the product valuable to players on both sides of the Smith-Morra Gambit. Black's defenses are well organized, ranging from inferior to superior, and the analysis seemed objective. There is a host of new ideas and novelties, and the production abounds in piece and pawn sacrifices presented as typical in the various defenses. Those who want to learn the ins and outs of the declined variations might be disappointed as 3...Nf6 and 3...d5 are not covered in this production. Trent recommends the Fritz Trainer by Tiviakov on the Alapin Sicilian, but it still feels like a significant omission, given that Black declines the gambit in

Enter 1.f4, Bird's Opening! by Andrew Martin

almost fifty-percent of the games. I found it somewhat odd that Trent did not include any sample games of his own, and unfortunately I was only able to find one Smith-Morra game in my database. Trent has done a superb job at researching this opening, so this is probably unfair criticism on my part. However, it does give confidence to try these gambits out when authors walk the talk, and there is something special to be said when they show positional nuances discovered from playing experience. Even an author's loss can be instructive. On the other hand, it could well be that this contributed positively in providing unbiased assessments of the various lines, and Trent came up with new ideas in wellknown positions one would think everything has been said about them. This is one terrific effort by Trent and a must for Morra gambiteers. There is approximately 5½ hours of video lecture time organized into twentyfive lectures. Below is a breakdown of the content along with specific length times for each lecture. This will give you an idea of how much time is dedicated to a particular defense you might be interested in:

Table of Contents

Let's take a look some of the contents: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined: 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 3...e5 The most common reply is 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.cxd4 and Trent spends a bit of the lecture discussing this move. However, his recommendation in the spirit of the opening is 5.Bc4, which he assesses as leading to unclear play and shows a number of possible variations leading to highly double-edged positions. One of the critical lines arose after 5…Qc7 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Ng5 Nd8 8.Qb3 Ne6, which looks nice for Black after Trent's recommended 9.f4. 3...g6 This is my favorite move whenever I decide to decline the gambit and Trent's suggestion was completely new to me. After 4.cxd4 d5 5.Nc3 dxe4, instead of the usual 6.Nxe4 lines, his recommendation is 6.Bc4 played twice in 2008 by

GM Sergei Zhidalgo and most recently seen this year in the encounter ZelicRadovic from the 24th Open Tula in Croatia. There is also an amateur-level encounter at the 39th Women Olympiad between Orejuela Chango from Ecuador and De LaParra Hurtado from Mexico featuring opposite-side castling. The arising positions don't seem to offer as much complexity as the positional struggles of 4.cxd4 d5 5.e5, but Black still needs to be careful with his initial piece placement as the sample game in the lecture showed. Trent's recommended lines aim for open tactical positions Smith-Morra gambiteers are sure to enjoy. A good example of what can happen if Black is not on the alert here is the miniature encounter between GM David Howell and Timothy Spanton in 2004, prior to Howell attaining his GM title. What would you play as White after 4.cxd4 d5 5.Nc3 dxe4 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Qb3 e6 8.d5 exd5 9.Nxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxd5 Bb4+? White to Move

[FEN "rnbqk2r/pp3p1p/6p1/3B4/1b2p3/1Q6/ PP3PPP/R1B1K1NR w KQkq - 0 11"]

11.Qxb4 Qxd5 12.Qc3! This line could pack some surprise value and my suggestion would be to also look at the games of GM Dusko Pavasovic, who began experimenting with this line before Zhidalgo in 2004. 3...d3 - Fianchetto and Hedgehog Variations: 4.Bxd3 Nc6 5.Nf3 g6 6.c4 Bg7; 4.Bxd3 d6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 e6 This is the second most popular way to decline the gambit after 3...Nf6 and seen at all levels of play. There is so little initial interaction between the pieces that after 4.Bxd3 Nc6 5.Nf3 g6 White has little choice but to try for a positional advantage with 6.c4. Black can either fianchetto his bishop on g7 or choose a hedgehog structure with moves such as d6, Nf6, e6, etc. Nothing new here, but Trent focuses on piece placement and general plans for both sides, concluding that Black has a solid position in spite of White's grip in the center. Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted: 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Trent organizes the material along thirteen defenses, first exploring what he feels are the most inferior set-ups, and methodically moving to Black's more resilient defenses. He also advises white players to be daring, imaginative, and to play with the initiative, otherwise they can easily find themselves a pawn down with no compensation. Early ...Nf6 Defenses: 4...d6 5.Bc4 Nf6 and 5…Nc6 6.Nf3 Nf6 What would a Smith-Morra Gambit product be without the famous 6.e5 dxe5 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qxd8 trap? We see that here, of course, but there is much more fun packed in this lecture after other sixth-move black responses. 6… Nfd7 leads to excellent winning chances for White too, and Trent spends sometime discussing this line. You might think you will not be so lucky to face these lines as white, but 5…Nf6 feels like a natural move and there are many examples in my database. Tactics and piece sacrifices also abound after 5…Nc6 6.Nf3 Nf6, the consequence of bringing the knight on f6 too early, and viewers will be in for a treat with some of Trent's novelties here.

...Qc7 Lines Here again, Trent organizes the material around four lines ranging from the less resilient to the most critical. Pawn and piece sacrifices are again prevalent, and you'll want go back again and again to enjoy these lectures. Here is one position, see if you can spot the ideas and tactical possibilities: Black to Move

[FEN "r1b1k1nr/1pq1bppp/p3p3/4p3/2B1P3/ 2N2N2/PP2QPPP/2RR2K b - - 0 12"]

How should White handle 12…Nf6 or 12…Bd7? If 12...Nf6 13.Nb5 Qb8 14.Nc7+ Kf8 (14...Qxc7 15.Bb5+) 15.Nxa8 Qxa8 16. Nxe5; If 12...Bd7 13.Nb5 Qb8 14.Rxd7 Kxd7 15.Qd3+ Ke8 16.Nc7+ Qxc7 17.Bb5+ (Trent's analysis) In the game Black lost in similar style after 12… Qb8 13.Bb5+ Kf8 14.Na4 Qa7 15.Nxe5 axb5 16.Nb6 Qxb6 17.Rxc8+ Rxc8 18.Nd7+ 1-0. Overall, the placement of the queen on c7 seems to foster tactical opportunities for White in various lines. In the recent encounter from the 3rd Karen Asrian Memorial in Armenia between Kalashian (2441) – Inants (2281) this past October, the game went 1.d4 c5 2.e4 cxd4 3.Nf3 a6 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.Rd1 Qc7 10.Bf4 Ne5. Here Kalashnian opted for 11.Bb3 instead of Trent's recommended 11.Bxe5, but the board soon exploded in tactical fireworks anyways after Nxf3+ 12.Qxf3 e5 13.Bg5 Bg4 14.Nd5! Qd7 15.Qxf6! Bxd1 16.Rxd1 gxf6 17.Nxf6+ Kd8 18. Nxd7+ Kxd7 19.Bf6 Be7 20.Bxh8 Rxh8 21.Bxf7 and White went on to win. There is a similar defense seen in a later lecture with the moves 4...e6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0 Qc7 8.Qe2 Bd6!?. White enjoys his usual active play along open files, and Trent points out that this line was popularized by Bent Larsen. I've been unable to unearth any games by the great Dane on the Morra, or find a mention elsewhere about this, so perhaps a knowledgeable reader can share some insights. ...Bd7 Line: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Rd1 Bd7 Trent recommends 10.Bg5 and after 10…0-0 he advises to play energetically, aligning the rooks on the d-file rather than playing 10…Rc1 when there is no longer a queen to harass on that file. There are pitfalls here for Black if he is not careful. For instance, what would you play after 10.Bg5 Qb8 11.Rd2 Ne5? What would you play here as White?

[FEN "rq2k2r/pp1bbppp/4pn2/4n1B1/2B1P3/ 2N2N2/PP1RQPPP/R5K1 w kq - 0 12"]

11...Ne5 12.Nxe5 dxe5 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Rxd7 Kxd7 15.Rd1+ Ke8 16.Qh5 with a winning advantage. (Trent's analysis) Classical Main Line: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 d6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Rd1 e5 This is still looking like a very solid line for White. Trent shows ways to drum up some initiative and counterplay, foregoing the prophylactic 10.h3 for the quicker 10.Be3, but statistical results of both lines are not so encouraging for White. White also seems to have less fun here than in later systems, such as the Chicago Defense (4...e6 5.0-0 b5 8.Bb3) and the cheeky Siberian Variation (4...Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Qc7). Still, I walked away satisfied to see complex and imbalanced positions where the best player wins. ...Nge7 Variation: 4...e6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0 Nge7 Trent continues the firework display here with games such Zhakarov-Tusev: 1. e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0–0 Nge7 8.Bg5 f6 9.Be3 b5 10.Bb3 Ng6 11.Nd5!? exd5 12.exd5 Nce5 13.d6 Bb7 14.Nxe5 fxe5 15.f4 exf4 16.Re1! fxe3 17.Rxe3+ Be7 18.Qd4 Qb8 19.dxe7 Qa7 20.Bf7 + Kxf7 21.e8Q+ Rhxe8 22.Rf1+ Kg8 23.Qxa7 Rxe3 24.Qxe3 winning the game. There is a lot of fun in the ...Nge7 lectures. As in many Black defenses, White must play with initiative, courage, and display high tactical acumen. ...Bc5 System: 4...e6 5.Nf3 Bc5 Popularized by a high profile encounter between GM Jan Timman and GM Murray Chandler in 1982, this line never really caught on. The idea is to place the bishop on an active diagonal rather than sit on e7 behind a pawn as in previous variations. However, the absence of this bishop can often be felt when White is able to create play on the kingside. One example of this is the game Horvath, Imre (2355) - Cordara, Michele (2255) not included in the DVD: 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Nf3 Bc5 6.Bc4 Ne7 7.0–0 Ng6 8.Qe2 a6 9.Rd1 0–0 10.h4 Nxh4 11.Ng5 Qe7 12.Qh5 h6 13.Rd3 Nc6 14. Rg3 Qf6 15.Nh3 d5 16.Bxh6 Ng6 17.Bg5 Qe5 18.exd5 exd5 19.Bxd5 Qxg3 20.Ne4 Qe5 21.Nf6+ 1–0 Fianchetto Variation: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 g6 This, along with the Taylor and Finegold defenses are considered by Trent to be the most underrated systems Black has at his disposal. This line probably appeals to Dragon players and Trent recommends 6.Bc4 Bg7 and now 7.e5 and White seems to be doing well in practice. Taylor Defense: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 This has proven to be a very effective line against Morra gambiteers, giving White somewhat miserable statistical results. More practical tests are needed in the critical line 7.0-0 Nf6 and now Trent recommends 8.b4 Bg4 9.b5 Bxf3 gxf3 10.axb5. Trent prefers to recapture with the knight, but the stem game Hardardson-De Firmian in 1999 shows the bishop recapture instead. Black is doing fine here, but the position looks imbalanced enough to let the best player win among amateur play. It is no surprise that this line was Nick de

Firmian's pick for his Modern Chess Openings, 15th Edition. Finegold Defense: 4...d6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Qe2 a6 This seemed like a short lecture, given that Trent considers it to be one of the best lines of defense for Black, but there is not a great deal of theory here. One of the critical lines was 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 d6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.0–0 Be7 8.Qe2 a6 9.e5 dxe5 10.Nxe5 0–0 11.Rd1 Nbd7 12.Bf4 Qe8!, though White seems to have the normal Morra gambit compensation for the pawn, as Black's rooks and light-squared bishop still have to find their way into the game. In conclusion, if you are looking for a theoretical win for White in the SmithMorra Gambit, you won't find it here, or probably elsewhere. However, if you seek spirited suggestions, practical advice, and greater understanding of this opening, then this is the ideal product. Trent's organizational approach to the lectures made the ideas and tactical motifs very accessible and easy to remember, and I appreciated his honest approach to the material. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Smith-Morra Gambit by Lawrence Trent

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Extreme Opposites

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Rating Chart – Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

This month's column features two opening Fritz Trainers taking a different perspective on how to approach the opening phase of the game. For serious tournament players and theory buffs seeking the ultimate plus advantage with 1.e4, there is Bologan's Fit for the French. Bologan shows us his repertoire once again, and given his current rating of 2690 and forty-sixth in the world standings, you will be expected to dive into the main lines and long streams of theory. The contents and approach seemed more suitable to chess experts and beyond, but anyone playing 3.Nc3 against the French can benefit from studying the games of one of the world's best players. If you are rated below 2000, my suggestion would be to first look at the series Beating the French by former World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov. His three-volume set offers more verbal commentary and is more accessible for those beginning to play 3. Nc3. On the other end of the spectrum we have British GM Nigel Davies, who has been steering players on and off theory for decades, showing the endless possibilities of the royal game. He also gets the Oscar for catchy titles, such as Chess for Scoundrels, Sicilicide, and now Bamboozle Your Opponent with 1. g3. This move can lead to all sorts of transpositions to opening lines in the Catalan, English, Réti, and King's Indian Attack, but it also allows White to strike an independent path if desired, either through reverse openings systems or little explored set-ups. These alternative paths are the subject of this Fritz trainer. I like the fact that Davies walks the talk by playing these lines in his tournament games. If you want to switch your opponent's opening book off (and don't mind doing that for yourself), then this might be the ideal product for you. Davies introduces and concludes each lecture with general pointers and ideas. Some possibilities were wildly interesting, while other suggestions seemed to give too much to Black in order to strive for the unfamiliar. There is no way I would get into a reverse Alekhine in the line 1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 e5 3. Nf3 e4 4.Nd4 c5 5.Nb3 c4 6.Nd4 Bc5 7.c3 Nc6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.0–0 and be subjected to 9…h5, even if Bent Larsen did play it.

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World Champion’s Guide to the King’s Indian, 2nd ed. by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

Bamboozle Your Opponent with 1.g3, by Nigel Davies, Running Time: four hours, $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) The move 1.g3 is known in some circles as Benko's Opening, so named because of Pal Benko's excellent results with this move at the 1962 Candidates Tournament in Curaçao. Among his victims with 1. g3 in this tournament were Fischer, Tal, and Filip, as well as draws with Petrosian, Geller and Korchnoi. In the book Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions, co-author John Watson writes, "As Benko points out; calling 1.g3 'The Benko System' is just silly. To me, the only setup we might call a Benko System would be one with Nf3, g3 and then c4 against d5, in which White omits or delays d4. In addition, the game has to be in some sense different from a simple Réti System." 1.g3 has also been called Bilek's Opening, named for Hungarian grandmaster Istvan Bilek, who is considered an expert in flank openings. In Bamboozle Your Opponents with 1.g3, Davies encourages viewers to study Bilek's games.

ABC of the Benko Gambit, 2nd ed. by Andrew Martin

The contents are divided between twenty-four lectures, each one lasting an average of ten minutes for an approximate four hours of running time: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ●

01: Introduction 02: Reversed Classical Pirc 6.c3: Dzindzichashvili,R – Ljubojevic,L 03: Reversed Classical Pirc 6.c4: Tal,M – Klovans,J 04: Reversed Pirc 4…g6: Stein,L: Averbakh,Y 05: Reversed Modern e5/d5/c6: Davies,N – Lev,R 06: Reversed Modern e5/d5/c5 – 4.Nc3: Badea,B – Varga,Z 07: Reversed Modern e5/d5/c5 – 4.c4: Bilek,I – Ornstein,A 08: Reversed Alekhine: Larsen, B – Donner,J 09: Reversed Alekhine: Belyavsky's 10…h5: Hulak, K – Beliavsky, A 10: Reversed Alekhine: Hartson,W – Miles,A 11: c6/d5 Reversed Leningrad Themes: Lima,D – Chaves,J 12: c6/d5 Reversed Leningrad: Larsen,B – Day,L 13: c6/d5 Reversed Leningrad: Gulko,B – Doroshkievich,V 14: c5/d5 Reversed Leningrad: Lima,D – Molina,J 15: c5/g6 Closed Sicilian Formation: Davies,N – Wiersma,E 16: c5/g6 Closed Sicilian Formation: Korchnoi,V – Karpov,A 17: g6/Bg7 3.d4 King's Indian Style with e5: Davies,N – Trent, L 18: g6/Bg7 3.d4 King's Indian Style with Na6: Davies,N – Jones,G 19: g6/Bg7 3.d4 King's Indian Style with c5: Davies,N – Marchini,M 20: g6/Bg7 3.d4 King's Indian Style with an early c5: Davies,N – Cicak, S 21: g6/Bg7 3.Nc3 c5: Larsen,B – Calvo Minguez,R 22. g6/Bg7 3.Nc3 c5: Larsen,B – Lehmann,H 23: g6/Bg7 3.Nc3 e5: Larsen,B – Panno,O 24: g6/Bg7 3.Nc3 e5: Bronstein,D – Razuvaev,Y

There is a whole cornucopia of offbeat approaches here designed to avoid theory and force our opponents to rely on their own resources. The argument Davies makes here is that players nowadays spend inordinate amounts of time studying opening theory, which helps catapult them into the middlegame without much thinking. Not only are they able to navigate through the opening phase of the game with ease, but have often internalized the main plans and pawn structure formations. Playing offbeat systems throws opponents onto their own resources and forces them to think for themselves straight out of the opening. Moreover, if the 1.g3 player is more familiar with these structures, they might get an edge over their opponent. The fight here is for the practical advantage, not the theoretical one, and there are several ways Davies sets out to accomplish this: Playing an unusual move order where Black attempts to get his desired set-up, and then strike with an independent path One example of this can be found in the introductory game Stein-Book from Tallinn in 1969. After 1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 c6 3.d3 Nf6, Black seems to be angling for a specific defense against White's King's Indian Attack. For instance, after 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.0-0 or 5.Nbd2 Black can now play 5…e6 comfortably or continue with queenside development with 5…Nbd7. However, after Stein's 4. Nd2 Black continued to angle for his desired set-up with 4…Bg4, misplacing

the bishop and opening a new possibility for White via 5.h3 Bf5 6.e4 dxe4 7. dxe4 Be6 gaining central control and valuable tempos. The rest of the game went. 8.Ngf3 Na6 9.0–0 Qa5 10.Nd4 0–0–0 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Qe2 g6 13.Nc4 Qc7 14.Bf4 Qd7 15.Rfd1 Qe8 16.Rxd8+ Qxd8 17.Rd1 Qe8 18.Bf1 Nd7 19. Qe3 c5 20.Qb3 Nab8 21.Na5 b6 22.Qxe6 1–0

Playing reversed opening systems There is a plethora of reversed systems introduced by Davies, as you can see from the contents. Usually the difference is that White enjoys the extra tempo, though Davies shows a funny example where Tal reached a reversed Sicilian position against Janis Klovans in 1975 with white: 1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 Nf6 3.d3 e5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.0–0 Be7 6.c4 dxc4 7.Qa4 0–0 8.Qxc4 Be6 9.Qa4 Nd5 10.Nc3 Nb6 11.Qd1!?. Davies does not focus much on the extra tempo White usually gets from these systems, but places emphasis on the ability for White to explore less uncharted territory. Reaching less explored systems or positions There are several examples of this, some highlighted in specific video lectures, and others weaved throughout the DVD. One example is the game Larsen – Calvo Minguez from Palma de Majorca 1968, in which Larsen played 1.g3 g6 2.Bg2 Bg7 3.Nc3 and the game quickly headed for a fresh position after 3…c5 4.d3 Nc6 5.a3. Davies shows a number of Larsen games in this system, which I felt gave me some good guidelines. Playing standard White openings with a twist One example of this was the line 1.g3 g6 2.Bg2 Bg7 3.e4 c5 4.f4 (The recommended move order by Davies here is 1.g3 g6 2.Bg2 c5 3.e4 Bg7 4.f4). The idea is to play a Closed Sicilian formation, but without the knight on c3, which usually ends up having to relocate elsewhere in order to fight for the center with c3 and d4. In one of the games by Davies featured on the DVD, the knight ended up on a3 after 4…Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.0-0 Nge7 7.c3 0-0 8.Na3. The other lecture on this system was devoted to the encounter Korchnoi – Karpov from the 1978 World Championship in which Korchnoi gave an unusual twist to the Closed Sicilian by avoiding an early Nc3 after 1.g3 c5 2. Bg2 Nc6 3.e4 g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 and played 8.c3 instead of 8.Nc3. Overall, I found this production highly stimulating. Davies continues to show us that despite being in the age of advanced software engines and relentless opening theoretical works one can still be original and aim for positions where the player with the better knowledge and experience is likely to emerge with a good result. My assessment of this DVD: Order Bamboozle Your Opponent with 1.g3 by Nigel Davies

Fit for the French, by Viktor Bologan, Running Time: Five hours, twenty minutes, $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) Bologan has been sharing his wide repertoire through Fritz trainers for quite some time and is ready to share his knowledge and experience with us in the French with 3.Nc3. One of his most recent tournament successes was the 40th Sarajevo Open in which he tied first and second place. As white, he encountered the French in two of his games, winning both with 3.Nc3. The first was his fourthround encounter against Rasidovic, which is covered in the Winawer section: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.Qg4 Kf8 8.Qd1 Qc7 9.Nf3 b6 10.a4 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.0–0 Rc8 13.a5 b5 14.Qe2 cxd4 15.Qxb5 Nc5 16.cxd4 Ne4 17.Ba3 f6 18. c4 dxc4 19.exf6 gxf6 20.Rfe1 f5 21.d5 Kg7 22.d6 1–0

The video is organized around three main areas: The Exchange, Classical, and Winawer variations. There is also a fourteen-minute lecture exploring the less common 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nc6 variation. Given that the Winawer leads to the most complex and theoretical paths, Bologan spends the most time here with ten lectures. Let's briefly take a look at these sections. The numbers refer to the video lecture. ● ● ● ● ●

01: Introduction The Exchange Variation: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 02: Bologan, Victor – Bauer, Christian 03: Karjakin, Segey – Drozdovskij,Y 04: Areshchenko, Alexander – Ushenina, Anna

Here Bologan focuses on the main line 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7, but also takes the time to explore the sidelines 4…Bd7, 4…Be7, 4… Nf6, and 4…Qd5. He offers a wide variety of possible positions with general ideas and plans in the various sidelines, but the viewer obviously needs to do the hard work of researching relevant games or practicing against an opponent or playing engine. For example, in the sideline 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 Bologan comments that White can play 5.Nxf6+ Qxf6 6.Nf3 h6 7. Bd3 Bd6 8.0-0 Nc6 9.c3 0-0 10.Nd2!? heading for e4 where it simultaneously attacks the queen and bishop and concludes that White is better, as in the 1974 encounter between Gufeld – Alburt. Of course, better does not mean winning and Gufeld lost this encounter. Another example of this is in the sideline 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Qd5, which Bologan dismisses as strange and after 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Nxf6+ gxf6 7.Nf3 White will gain space by attacking the queen with c4 and playing Be4, concluding that White is better. 4…Qd5 is not a common move, but tournament results are statistically even between White and Black. ●

Irregular Lines: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nc6

●

05: Bologan,Victor – Ambroz,Jan

Before moving into the main lines Bologan takes a look at a couple of less played moves. One is the move 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Be7 where Bologan recommends 4.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bd3 exd4 6.Nxe4 transposing to analyzed lines in the exchange lectures. The line 3…Nc6 is very un-French, but has been played on occasion by the likes of Morozevich, Petrosian, Short, and others. In the stem game after 4.Nf3 Nf6, instead of 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e5 Ne4 7.Be7 Qxe7 8.Bd3 Qb4 played in the 1993 encounter Cuijpers – Ambroz, Bologan opted for 5.e5 Ne4 6.Bd3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nxd2 8.Qxd2 and White seemed slightly better because of his lead in development and usual spatial advantage. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

The Classical Variation: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 06: Grischuk, Alexander – Volkov, Sergey 07: Bologan, Victor – Rychagov, A 08: Kramnik, Vladimir – Radjabov, Teimour 09: Bologan, Victor – Drozdovskij, Yury 10: Svidler, Peter – Bareev, Evgeny 11: Fedorov, Alexei – Volkov, Sergey 12: Bologan, Victor – Gurevich, Mikhail

As someone trying to incorporate 3.Nc3 into his repertoire, I was delighted to see that Bologan prefers 4.e5 over the more common 4.Bg5. 4.e5 cuts out some of Black options, thereby limiting what White needs to learn. The emphasis here is on showing the various lines, sidelines, and variations, typically concluding with the comment that White is better. The viewer is left to his own devices to deduce why. However, if a lecturer flies through variations without verbal explanations, then the video format is somewhat wasted, and picking up a good book might allow one to go through the contents at their own pace and in a more relaxed manner. I also think it is valuable to compare and contrast how lecturers present a given position, and let the viewers decide which style works best for them. After the line 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6, Bologan recommends Kramnik's move 11.Qf2.

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/1p1n1ppp/p1n1p3/2bpP3/ 3N1P2/2N1B3/PPP2QPP/2KR1B1R b - - 0 11"]

Bologan's does a very nice job of explaining the idea behind 11.Qf2 from the game Kramnik – Radjabov, Linares 2003. Let's see what he recommends for Black's response of 11…Bxd4, the move recommended by Ari Ziegler's in The French Defense. "I've played here 11.Kb1 and 11.Nb3, but maybe the best is to immediately ask what his intention here is with Bc5 and all the story of d4 and just to force him to do something after 11.Qf2. He has two options, to take with the knight or with the bishop. Let's see first if he takes with the bishop. 11…Bxd4 12.Bxd4 and 12…b5. You see that we have that this very strong dark square bishop. Also our light square [bishop] is not so bad, only thing is that he has some squares for his pieces and he has a plan of advancing his pawns on the queenside and play Ba6 and exchange his pieces, and finally he will do everything then he will be fine. So now our point is to keep this bishop alive [13.Be3]. If he is going 13.f6 we simply take on f6 [14.exf6] and on 14…Nxf6 we

control very well all the squares [Bologan plays 15.Be2] and we are not afraid of 15…b4 because the knight can go on a4 and is very safe on a4, and Ne4 doesn't create any serious threats. After 13.Be3 if he is playing 13…Bb7 then it is important to start with 14.h4 and if 14…f6 we take on f6 [15.exf6] 15..Nxf6 16.Bc5 Rf7 and to play 17.a3 now and White is better. "One more move for Black can be here is 13…Qa5 just to see how our reaction here is is. But on 13…Qa5 we simply move our King to 14.Kb1 b4 and now he forces to go to 15.Ne2 not to a4, 15.Na4 is preferable of course because he controls c5 and b6 but even after 15.Ne2 White already here he can jump to d4 or play Ng3, still this bishop on e3 controls very nice squares on e4 and c5. So, on 13…Be3 we should check 13….b4 here of course he is very fast with Ba6 because he forces to go to 14.Na4.a5 15.h4 Ba6 and now 15.g4 is a very good move played by my friend Alexei Fedorov from Belarus. The point is that after 15.g4 if he takes on g1 with 15…Bxf1 16.Rxf1 f6." Bologan went deeper into this line, explaining White's advantages, and continued to demonstrate the further course of the game. IM Ari Ziegler, who speaks in a calm and unhurried manner (to the point that I can transcribe what he says without having to stop the video) looks at the same position and comments: "As we have seen, the concept of playing h4 does not give White an advantage. On the contrary, White is risking losing the game. So White has been seeking other opportunities to get an attack, and Kramnik has played 11.Qf2 twice. It's a move we have to be prepared to meet when we play this line as Black. I recommend 11…Bxd4 because as I said earlier to take with the Bishop is a little mistake because then white can preserve his bishop. But, that was when the queen was here [on d2]. People have tried to take with the knight instead but practice has shown that White's attack is very dangerous and very quick here. 11…Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Qc7 13.Bd3 b5 14.Qh4 g6 15.Ne2 b4 16.Qh6 Bxd4 17.Nxd4 Nc5 18.h4 and White is having a wonderful game. We have to pay respect to this little plan of Bd3, Qh4 followed by an attack against the black king. "OK, so 11..Bxd4 12.Bxd4 b5 and now white could play 13.Bd3 b4 14. Ne2 a5 we see the difference if we would have taken with the knight we would have wasted time defending the Bishop on c5. 15.Kb1 and now has time to exchange the dangerous bishop 15…Ba6. Black of course waits until it is absolutely necessary 16.h4 Qc7 17.h5 Rfc8 18.Be3 a4 and Black has an attack. "So, instead, White players used to save this bishop playing little positional chess at the same time wants to attack on the kingside. It's a balance 13.Be3 b4 and here perhaps 14.Na4 is slightly better. [To the alternative move in the stem game 14.Ne2] 14.Na4 is very strong because Black really wants to go with his knight somewhere [b6 or c5], but with the knight here [Na4] it helps to prevent the knight to d7 to develop further, so then, White can move his queen his move somewhere [Qa4] and it still prevent the Black knight from getting active. The knight on a4 is also preventing the pawn on a5 [from advancing]. So 14.Na4 is a little bit better than 14.Ne2. One more point is that here Black would like to move his bishop to c6 to attack the knight on a4 but here this maneuver is simply not available right now. So there are many reasons why White should play 14.Na4 here."

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/3n1ppp/2n1p3/p2pP3/ Np3P2/4B3/PPP2QPP/2KR1B1R w - - 0 15"]

Ziegler continues to discuss 14.Na4 and suggests play for Black in the same style, offering plenty of verbal commentary in slow reflective fashion, giving an opportunity for viewers to immerse in the positions presented to them on the video lecture. Beating the French, Volume 2 has former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov recommending 11.Qf2 as well, and he covers the same Kramnik – Radjabov game: "The move 11.Qf2 serves as sort of a question to Black. What is he going to do with his bishop? This can be answered in several ways. First of all Black can try to exchange as many pieces as possible and this is done in many games. 11…Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Qc7 13.Bd3 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 Qc5. But as we know this sort of ending arising after 15.Ne2 is not without problems for Black. The difference with the endings that are considered acceptable as Black is that Black's king is not in the center anymore and Black's pawn is on a6 where is limiting the scope of Black's bishop on c8 even further and subject to the blocking of the pawn by a4-a5, and this is probably sufficient to make a completely tenable endgame for Black seriously worse. So this doesn't look fun for Black anymore. The other approach is 11…Bxd4, a more dynamic approach because after 12.Bxd4 b5 the pieces don't get exchange so much and White has to be a bit careful because if he continues in a similar way, say 13.Bd3 b4 14.Ne2 a5 then after Ba6 it could turn out that in fact Black would have easy play. He would go Qc7, Rfc8, a4, b3 and it is not so clear what White is doing. For this reason it would be advisable not to play 13.Bd3 but maybe to execute the plan with 13.Be3 saving the bishop and after 13…b4 14.Na4 a5 and then go 15.g4 and avoid the trade of bishops by playing Bg2 and then f5. But this is a complex position with slightly better chances for White. In my opinion this move 11…Bxd4 is a better way for Black to proceed." As Bologan, Kasimdzhanov moves on to explain the rest of the game and Radjabov's choice of 11..Nxd4. I thought this comparison offered a snapshot of the different styles and is representative of the overall productions. Bologan offers more variations, while Kasimdzhanov offered less content and more verbal commentary. Ziegler offered much more insight into the position; for instance, explaining the nuances between 14.Na4 and 14.Ne2. It is often good research to see what authors are recommending for Black in order to get a balanced perspective. Bologan tends to speak and move fast, so I had to give the lectures a couple of views and will need to revisit them several times to study the accompanying games. Overall, though, I found this section highly instructive and felt that Bologan helped further my understanding of chess in general here. There was an abundance of middlegame plans and concepts, and endgame strategies that I could use to play typical positions. ● ● ● ● ●

The Winawer Variation: 1.e4 e6 3.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 13: Almasi, Istvan – Kristjansson, Stefan 14: Psakhis, Lev – Eingorn, Verslav 15: Bologan, Victor – Rasidovic, Sead 16: Luther, Thomas – Szelag, Marcin

● ● ● ● ● ●

17: Bologan, Victor – Psakhis, Lev 18: Bluvshtein, Mark – Barsov, Alexei 19: Bologan, Victor – Lputian, Smbat 20: Karjakin, Sergey – Jussupow, Artur 21: Shirov, Alexei – Ganguly, S 22: Smirnov, Pavel – Singh, Gurpreetpal

The Winawer is the most complex variation, one sure to keep players up late at night unlocking its secrets and striving to keep up-to-date. In the first lecture of this section, Bologan shares an anecdote illustrating this issue: "Now we will go to the most complex variation in the French Defense against Nc3. This is the Bb4 move … Well, this move actually I remember the times when we came to Hamburg and we played with Alexei Shirov some blitz games…a 2200 player, a local guy, long time ago. It was 1992 and I remember he was beating us exactly with this move. So which means we actually have to be very well prepared with White facing this move. There is a lot of positional ideas, very deep, that at first sight you think you are better but on the long term strategically you might be worse. Thus, White has to control the situation and one of the most important things in this line is what pieces to exchange and which ones to keep, and there are a lot of nuances you have to pay attention to." There was a bewildering amount of theory in the lectures here, often presented at a very rapid pace and with sparse explanations for individual moves. If you are below expert level and new to the white side of the French, then the contents will feel a bit out of reach. If you already play 3.Nc3 against the French and are familiar with the arising positions, then Bologan's lectures can compliment and advance your existing knowledge. If your goal is to become a chess master and beyond, then learning to play the main lines of the French, and getting used to the work associated with learning them, probably attains importance as well. My assessment of this DVD: Order Fit for the French by Viktor Bologan

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The Domain of Practice

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima [Find us on Facebook.] Translate this page

It is well-known that developing our tactical abilities is one of the fastest ways to improve at chess, and that this is generally best acquired through problemsolving. Knowledge plays a role to some extent. We need to learn, for instance, what characterizes a clearance or skewer tactic, develop our pattern recognition, and raise our awareness of conditions that give rise to combinations – just to name a few. Still, tactical training is mostly in the domain of practice, and the chess industry is rightly geared to provide us with excellent material from a skills-development approach. One can easily find terrific tactical compilations from books, software, and Internet sites. Even Fritz trainers such as PowerPlay's tactical installments, or Müller's Magic of Chess Tactics encourages hands-on involvement from the viewer. When it comes to tactics there is no substitute to learning by doing. Nevertheless, if you are already integrating tactical problem-solving into your chess training, a complimentary approach would be to also learn the mechanics of chess tactics. This can help you see things with fresh eyes and in ways you might not have considered, improving your performance both overthe-board and in your tactical training. The Power of Tactics: A World Champion's Guide for a Club Player by former FIDE Knock-out World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov, helps fill the knowledge void in the Fritz trainer media, providing a series of lectures focusing on three types of tactics: the pin, the double attack, and the back-rank weakness. This effort is an improvement from The Path to Tactical Strength, where I felt many of his explanations where unnecessarily convoluted. Here he takes a more organized approach, starting with the simplest examples for beginner players and moving on to more complicated material. There is close to four and half hours of video content organized among eighteen lectures: ● ●

Rating Chart – Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

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01: Intro 02: The Pin – Basics 03-07: The Pin – Samples 08: Double Attack – Intro 09-13: Double Attack – Samples 14: The Back Rank – Basics 15-17 – The Back Rank – Samples 18: Wrap Up

Kasimdzhanov tries to cater to players of all levels, continuously promising more complicated examples to come, but I suspect many players rated around 1600+ will find about half of the initial material in the pin section to be somewhat tedious. The last lecture on the pin, containing the most complex examples, discusses positions such as the one below:

[FEN "2krr3/1p1n3p/2pBbpp1/p3p3/

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P3P3/1PNR4/2P2PPP/2KR4"]

White to Move White needs to find 1.Nb5 here, threatening mate on a7, and after 1…cxb5 2. Rc3+, Black is forced into a pin with 2…Bc4. White does not want to take this bishop with the b-pawn, as that would close the file for his rook. Therefore, he removes the defender of the pinned piece by 3.axb5. After 3… Nb6 4.bxc4, the file is closed, but White has emerged with an extra pawn and better position. If you thought this position was too easy, then you are likely to feel bored with the preceding material on the pin. Still, most players can surely learn from Kasimdzhanov, and I appreciated his discussions of various subjects. For instance, in the above position Kasimdzhanov also discusses the element of fantasy in realizing our tactical advantage, a theme he emphasizes throughout the rest of the lectures. We realize that Black is weak on the dark squares, and are able to see that a knight on a7 would mate. However, we might be put off seeing that the knight gets chopped off if we try to get there via the b5-square. Kasimdzhanov recommends looking further and having a sense of optimism, and see if we can in fact make the moves that seem visually impossible at first.

[FEN "k3r3/1p4pp/pn3pb1/2Rp4/ 1N1P2P1/2N3PP/P1P2QK1/4q3"]

White to move Here Black would like to play 1…Re2 and pin the white queen, but unfortunately the knight on c3 is protecting that square. However, if we look a little further, we might realize this knight is a bit overloaded, controlling both e2 and e4. Thus, if we put our optimistic hat on and decide to calculate a bit further we might be able to see that White loses the queen after 1…Re2 2. Nxe2 Be4+!. Through numerous practical examples from tournament play, Kasimdzhanov touches upon various themes, such as the basic components to a pin, pieces that look pinned but are not, unpinning methods, exploiting a pin for positional advantages, attacking the pinned pieces, being pinned to a key square (i.e., a mating square), and replacing once pinned piece with another. Occasionally, Kasimdzhanov dispenses some practical tips such as placing our king on the opposite-color square as our opponent's bishop to avoid pins or double attacks, or consider all possible checks, as in the following position:

[FEN "2b2rk1/R2n2pp/1p1Q1q2/ 2pPp3/1pP1p3/1N4PB/5P1P/6K1"]

White to Move White does not have time to gain the two minor pieces for the rook with 1. Rxd7, as Black can strike back with 1…Qxf2+, so we are advised to look for all possible checks in the position. We have 1.Be6+ and 1.Qe6+ and both seem to fall short. For instance, 1.Be6+ Kh8 2.Rxd7 fails to 2…Qxf2+. The solution is 1.Qe6+ Kh8 2.Qxf6! If 2…Rxf6, 3.Rxd7 wins two pieces for the rook. The point of the illustrative example is that after 1.Qe6+ Kh8 2.Qxf6 Nxf6, White now has another pin with 3.Ra8! winning a piece. But how could we have found the right moves here? Kasimdzhanov points us in the right direction by looking at all possible checks, but to find the proper sequence one has to plow through forcing moves – the check being the ultimate forcing move to consider. Yet there are no more checks after 1.Qe6+ Kh8. Therefore, 2.Qxf6 is the most forcing move in the position, as Black has to do something immediately to regain his material. The second thing a player needs to appreciate is "pins in the making," as Black's king and rook could potentially become part of a pinning chain – all we need is an attacking piece. This is where I feel Kasimdzhanov's discussion of the subject falls short. The lectures on double attack and back-rank mate were richer and much more interesting. The presentation of the subject for beginner players looked quite strong and thorough for a video lecture, and he seemed more at ease and fluent in his explanations. Kasimdzhanov looks at the nature of double attacks by observing specific piece features – pawn, knight, bishop, rook, and queen double attacks. He indicates, for instance, that the long range of a single bishop can sometimes create double attacks when pieces are on the same color complex. He also discusses relevant themes, such as how to fight a double attack, underpromotion examples, or utilizing the double attack for positional gains rather than actual material.

[FEN "r3k3/p7/8/4b3/4n3/8/8/3Q2K1"]

White to Move – How many double attacks can you find? There is also some practical advice that Kasimdzhanov nicely illustrates on the DVD. He tells us, for example, that when calculating we tend to spend inordinate amounts of time trying to make something work, but then what we have to do is switch our observation button on and fish for other weaknesses we might able to exploit.

Kasimdzhanov seems to place a great deal of focus on the tactics themselves, but in some cases fails to mention that these tactics work because of factors in the position such as hanging pieces, weaknesses, and other elements that give rise to such combinations. Let's look at an example of this:

[FEN "2r1r1k1/pbp2p1p/1p2p1p1/3nP1q1/ 4B1N1/2P5/PPQ2PPP/3RR1K1"]

White to Move Kasimdzhanov's discussion of this position culminates with the explaination that the double attack with 1.Nf6+ ends up becoming "an attack over the whole board." Why not just clarify that the combination 1.Nf6+ Nxf6 2.Bxb7 Rb8 3.Bc6 works because there is an undefended bishop on b7? I feel that a more integrated discussion of the tactical subject in relationship to these clues would have reinforced some of the lectures in this section. I must admit that I found it odd to sit back for hours listening to lectures on tactics. Whenever Kasimdzhanov presented an example, I wanted to press the pause button to try solve the positions myself. This would have given me added practice, allowed me to see any deficiencies in finding the solution and correct variation, and given me the chance to compare my way of thinking to that of a GM. Unfortunately, many of the examples required Kasimdzhanov making some initial moves to reach the tactical combination. This production would surely have been much stronger if Kasimdzhanov had simply asked us to pause the lectures before presenting the solutions, allowing us to participate in the experience. Karsten Müller did this in Magic of Chess Tactics to a great extent, which helped me to improve my tactical abilities rather than just wowing me with wonderful examples. Overall, I feel this production is interesting and educational. Beginner players will appreciate the initial lectures, and intermediate level players will not be bored with the more difficult examples. However, not incorporating any skillsdevelopment practice makes this product incomplete in my view. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Power of Tactics by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

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Black is OK in the Benko The ABC of the Benko Gambit (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing time: 6 hours $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95)

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In this second edition of the ABC of the Benko Gambit, Martin examines both the gambit accepted and declined, and tries to present a solid grounding of the ideas and themes that underpin the opening. He uses illustrative games to allow the viewer to play the opening with confidence by knowing how to organize their pieces and what to play for.

ChessBase Cafe Michael McGuerty

The main four hours of content was geared to be relevant for 2005; the two hour update includes many recent games and a portrait of how the gambit stands today. The material is divided as follows: ● ● ● ●

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● ● ● ●

●

●

●

● ●

●

Rating Chart – Poor – Useful – Good – Excellent

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● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 c5 4 d5 d6 5 e4 b5: Van Scheltinga-Opocensky 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 g6 4 Nc3 d6 5 e4 b5: Taimanov-Bronstein 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 Bxa6 6 Nc3 d6: AsplerBenko 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 Bxa6 6 Nc3 d6: Parr-Browne 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 b6: Cheparinov-Ivanchuk Benko Gambit Accepted 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 Bxa6 6 Nc3 d6 7 g3: Gurevich-Cao Sang 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 Bxa6 6 Nc3 d6: RadziewiczPinski 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 g6 6 Nc3 Bxa6 7 Nf3: Wright-Fedorowicz 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 g6 6 g3: Marquez MolinaBellon Lopez Pawn Structure 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 g6 6 Nc3 Bxa6 7 g3: AseevPonomariov 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 g6 6 Nc3 Bxa6 7 f4: Bangiev-Devcic 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 Bxa6 6 Nc3 g6: KnaakVaganian Summary Benko Gambit Declined [sic] Benko Gambit Declined 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 e3: Georgiev-Rogers 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 b6: Elson-Mannion 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 b6: Aubry-Goulenok 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 Nc3: Breutigam-Fedorowicz 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 f3: Dzagnidze-Kostiuk 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 Nf3: Sokolov-Bareev d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 a4: Gheorghiu-Norris Summary Benko Gambit Declined and farewell 2010 Update Van Wely-Carlsen Atalik-Milanovic Mohota-Turov Yermolinsky-Ehlvest Sargissian-Caruana Shestoperov-Bogorads Nyback-Kivipelto Muheim-Eames Vitiugov-Nepomniachtchi and Outro

The running time of six hours can seem a little daunting when you think about

The Open Ruy Lopez by Andrew Martin

Strategy University, Vol 2 by Adrian Mikhalchishin

Unorthodox Chess Openings by Valeri Lilov

how to find that kind of time to devote to watching a DVD. However, the video files mostly run twenty minutes (more or less), so it is easy enough to watch one or two segments per day; and, once you begin, each segment leaves you looking forward to the next. The introduction mostly consists of a series of games in which things go very well for black. In the game Parr-Browne, Adelaide 1971, where White was decidedly the weaker player, Martin states the main reason he is showing the game is that there are few things as instructive to the average player as fairly lopsided games in an opening. Because usually the main themes are well illustrated as the loser is failing to cope with the opponent's ideas. And finally you get a nice optimistic basis for learning the opening. Martin believes that when one is coming to learn a new opening one needs to be optimistic. We don't really want to see games where Black is getting crushed to start off with, because that makes you feel depressed about playing the opening in question. He further notes that the little details and subtle problems come with time and not from learning from a DVD. They come from experience playing the gambit and learning from books. But to begin its a good thing to know the best things that can happen to you when you use the opening. He admits it is "propaganda" for the opening to showcase where one side gets its own way, but it also creates an excitement with the viewer to try and put these plans into practice. It is only in the last game of the introduction, Cheparinov-Ivanchuk, FIDE World Cup 2005, that Martin shows what can go wrong for Black. He calls it a lesson in what Black should avoid in the Benko Gambit. The presentation is primarily from Black's point of view, though there are plenty of pointers for White as well. In the BGA section, Martin shies away from variations and presents ideas, typical tactics, general evaluations, golden rules, and thematic endgame play. He often points out Black's advantageous structure for endgames. He deals with each of the following benefits for Black in turn: ● ● ●

First, easy development for his pieces. Second, the initiative and promise of positional pressure. Third, a fireproof pawn structure and the hope of a favorable endgame.

After presenting a number of games where everything goes Black's way, Martin presents some games to illustrate its not always as easy at it seems for Black. The game Knaak-Vaganian is described as an "an ideal example of virtually all the things that can happen if Black goes even slightly go wrong." Here, White's energetic play simply dominates. In the game Bangiev-Devcic, the following position is reached after 18 Bf4:

[FEN "r5k1/4p1bp/3qN1p1/2pPn3/ 5Bn1/2N5/PP2Q1PP/R4K2 b - - 0 18"]

Martin proclaims it is difficult to give a definitive assessment of the position, but "Black should be OK." And here one of the features of using the Fritz Trainer within ChessBase 11 or a playing program comes in handy, because one can simply pause the video, click on the default kibitzer, and get an evaluation from the chess engine of choice. In this case, Fritz 12 offers a +(3:09) and clearly assesses White as winning. In the BGD section, Martin tries to present lines in the spirit of those shown in

the BGA portions of the content, though he notes that Black has to be more concrete. Black has to be prepared to part from the routine and cannot get by on generalizations, as the play is more specific. Martin is unimpressed with the 5 e3 variation for White and in the Shirov 5 b6 line he recommends 5... Qxb6 as best and most straightforward. During the 2010 update, Martin claims Black is still OK in the Benko, but the games have players such as Carlsen, Caruana, and Nepomniachtchi all getting the worse of it as black and feature more wins for White than for Black, though Martin shows where Black could have improved in these games. He describes the Benko as a challenging opening and this certainly applies to both sides. At the top level Martin calls it a sign of courage to be willing to assay the Benko, because White has all manner of ways to fight against it and Black has to walk a fine line to keep the balance, especially in the fianchetto line with 10 Rb1. His presentation will leave you itching to play the opening after only thirty minutes and will enable you to generate interesting ideas at the board. My assessment of this DVD: Order ABC of the Benko Gambit by Andrew Martin

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Educational Excellence Strategy University, Vol 1: The Central Approach (DVD) by Adrian Mikhalchishin, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hrs. 50 min. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95)

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"If you feel that you have both feet planted on level ground, then the university has failed you." – Robert Goheen

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There are times when we emerge from a chess learning experience realizing how superficial and unsophisticated our view of the game can be, and at the same time, fortunate to be given the opportunity to learn such valuable lessons. This is how I felt after viewing Mikhalchishin's Strategy University Vol. 1: The Central Approach, a series of twenty-one lectures comprising close to four hours of content. Utilizing the classics, as well as today's top level chess, Mikhalchishin delves into a wide array of topics related to central strategy: ● ●

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How to materialize our central advantage Counter play methods against a central advantage Illustrations of the power of the pieces behind the center Typical opening plans connected to central strategy Dissolving the center to one's advantage Transitioning to various endgame stages Exploiting the power of a knight on e5 How players such as Fischer, Botvinnik, and Rubinstein treated the center Changing the central structure to one's advantage Deciding when to open or close the center Creating a central passed pawn Creating a strong center and rolling it down the board Typical central structures Destroying the center with a piece sacrifice Creation of a second weakness Theory of the isolated pawn Developing the initiative with a strong center Combination of flank strategy with central strategy Attacking the root or the base of the pawn chain

A Modern Way to Play the King's Indian by Dejan Bojkov

Strategy University, Vol 3 by Adrian Mikhalchishin

Below are some sample highlights of how Mikhalchishin addresses some of the topics above. Take some time, if you can, to solve the diagrams and compare your answers with Mikhalchishin's comments. Polugaevsky, L – Dorfman, J USSR Championship 1978 This game was covered in the first video lecture, intended to show why the center is so important and what becomes possible with a powerful center. 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 "In the Grünfeld Defense Black gives up the center in many cases and has ideas to attack it with different measures with Bg7 and Bg4, so White's next move is very important." 6.h3 "Prevention of the pin Bg4, limiting the bishop on c8 and increasing the power of the center as Nf3 is protecting d4 very well."

Unorthodox Chess Openings by Valeri Lilov

6…Bg7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Be2

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/1n4p1/8/3PP3/ 2N2N1P/PP2BPP1/R1BQK2R b KQ - 0 8"]

What are Black's plans in this position? "Here there are different plans to attack the center. One of the plans is of course 8…c6 9.0-0 Nd7 with the idea of destroying the center with e5. Another plan is some sacrifice like 8…c5 9.dxc5 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Qxd1+ 11. Bxd1 N6d7 12.Be3 Na6. OK, it's typical Grünfeld play. On one side Black gives up his main asset, the black-squared bishop, which is always a problem because this bishop is so powerful. But on the other hand, the pawn c3 is very weak. Of course White does not allow c5, better to play 13.c6 bxc6. This kind of position, of course, we have pair of bishops but the structure is symmetrical, so generally the rule says that in symmetrical structures the knight can match the bishop. Thus, this position is quite unclear." 8…Be6?! 9.0-0 Bc4? "Black has problem with space, it's true, and it's useful on those situations to exchange pieces. But on the other hand it would be possible to play Na6 with the idea of playing c5 to attack the center." 10.Bxc4 Nxc4 11.Qe2 Nb6 12.Rd1 "9…Bc4 just allows White too easy development. Of course, one piece was exchanged but it doesn't matter for White. He much improved his pawn on d4 as the rook is protecting it and White is ready to push. White is now ready to get more space with d5 and e5. This powerful center can roll on and create a lot of troubles for Black." 12…N8d7 13.Bg5 c6

[FEN "r2q1rk1/pp1nppbp/1np3p1/6B1/3PP3/ 2N2N1P/PP2QPP1/R2R2K1 w - - 0 14"]

What would you play here as White? 14.a4! "Useful move trying to attack knight on b6 driving it back. If Black would play 14…a5, then there would be a very unpleasant move 15.Rab1 with b4 opening the b-file and creating threats on the b-file, then the b7-pawn would

be very vulnerable." 14…Qe8 [with the idea e5] 15.a5 Nc8

[FEN "r1n1qrk1/pp1nppbp/2p3p1/P5B1/ 3PP3/2N2N1P/1P2QPP1/R2R2K1 w - - 0 16"]

What would you play here as White? "This is a key moment. What to do with a strong center? It's always the question. The answer is that the strong center has to be open. Why? For the simple reason that in such cases we can see the power of the pieces that are behind this center." 16.d5! a6

[FEN "r1n1qrk1/1p1nppbp/p1p3p1/P2P2B1/ 4P3/2N2N1P/1P2QPP1/R2R2K1 w - - 0 17"]

What would you play here as White? 17.e5! "Getting more space and closing the bishop on g7." 17…h6 18.Bh4 e6

[FEN "r1n1qrk1/1p1n1pb1/p1p1p1pp/P2PP3/ 7B/2N2N1P/1P2QPP1/R2R2K1 w - - 0 19"]

How would you handle this position as White? "Of course, 18…cxd5 would create a lot of problems after 19.Nxd5 as square

on c7 is extremely vulnerable. So Black tries to close the center, to force White to play 19.d6. Of course, another possibility now was to make weakness on c6 by 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.Ne4 trying to come to d6 with the knight or trying to play Rac1 and to exploit the weakness of the c-pawn. Both ways are quite possible and both ways guaranteed White a huge positional advantage." 19.d6 g5 20.Bg3 f5

[FEN "r1n1qrk1/1p1n2b1/p1pPp2p/P3Ppp1/ 8/2N2NBP/1P2QPP1/R2R2K1 w - f6 0 21"]

What would you play after 20…Na7 instead? "21.Ra4! Trying to transfer rook to g4 and to start kingside attack with h4, opening the position of the black king. You see, the power of the pieces behind the center is huge because it allows the pieces to be transferred to both sides." The game ended with similar commentary after 21.exf6 Rxf6 22. Ra4 Na7 23. h4! gxh4 24.Rxh4 Nb5 25.Be5 Rg6 26.Bxg7 Kxg7 27.Ne5 Nxc3 28.bxc3 Rg5 29.f4 Rf5 30.Qg4 Kh7 31.Qh3 Rf6 32.Ng4 Qf8 33.Nxf6+ Qxf6 34.Re1 Nf8 35.Re5 Kg7 36.Reh5 1-0 Each lecture begins with a game that clearly illustrates the strategic concept, such as the Polugaevsky–Dorfman encounter, and then moves on to more complicated examples. The material is very interesting and suitable for Class C players and above. One of the aspects I enjoy in Mikhalchishin's lectures is his ability to discuss the games of great champions from a single, strategic perspective. We saw this in his fabulous The Secret Weapons of the Champions, where he illustrates Botvinnik's flank strategy, Tal's intuition of attack, Petrossian's light-squared strategy, and Makogonov's theory of the worst-placed piece. Here he takes the same approach with many of his lectures. Two wildly interesting lectures covered several of Fischer's games, and Mikhalchishin illustrates how the former champion handled his central advantage. You are likely to walk away from these with a renewed interest in investigating the games of Fischer, Botvinnik, Rubinstein, and many others. There are close to fifty games analyzed from the perspective of central strategy, and you'll find some wonderful gems, such as Rubinstein's immortal game and Tal's common piece sacrifices to destroy his opponent's center:

[FEN "r2qrb2/3bnp1k/p2p1npp/1ppPp3/4P3/

1PP1BNNP/P1BQ1PP1/R3R1K1 w - - 0 19"]

What would you play as white? Mikhalchishin begins the tenth lecture on structural change in the center be featuring the Tal–Ghitescu encounter. Tal sacrificed the exchange with 19. Bxc5! dxc5 20.Nxe5 Nc8 21.f4 Qe7 22.c4 Bg7

[FEN "r1n1r3/3bqpbk/p4npp/1ppPN3/ 2P1PP2/1P4NP/P1BQ2P1/R3R1K1 w - - 0 23"]

What would you play as white? Mikhalchishin comments as follows: "23.Nf3 Very typical and instructive moment. The knight is fantastically placed in the center but it is necessary to free the way for the pawns." Tal went on to win the game and Mikhalchishin culminates the lecture with a similar example in the game Korchnoi–Nijboer from the 1993 Netherlands Championship. The thirteenth lecture also covered a number of similar piece sacrifices to destroy the opponent's center, focusing on the French Defense and the games of Mikhail Gurevich. I highly recommend this DVD for 1600-rated players and above. Mikhalchishin is considered one of the top five chess coaches in the world and the value of both his material and oral instruction is of the highest quality. My assessment of this DVD: Order Strategy University, Vol 1: The Central Approach by Adrian Mikhalchishin

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Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Mastering the Carlsbad Know the Terrain, Vol. 1: The Carlsbad (DVD) by Sam Collins, ChessBase, Playing time: 7 hrs. $31.95 (ChessCafe Price: $25.95) "This type of understanding about a specific pawn structure, and knowing it in fine detail – that's the type knowledge that never loses its currency. Opening variations change and need to be updated and refreshed, but we've seen by the range of games over fifty years or more, that the Carlsbad-type ideas have been dictating and explaining the play of even the world's best creative players in these structures. Thus, just as a guide for understanding how these players play and hopefully beginning to approach their level of play, I hope you got something out of this." – IM Sam Collins

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There are pawn structures every player needs to know how to handle in order to execute correct middlegame plans. One of them is the Carlsbad pawn structure, also known as the Orthodox exchange formation. This opening structure can arise from several openings including the Queen's Gambit; English and Slav by transposition to the Queen's Gambit; Grünfeld, NimzoIndian, Caro-Kann, and others.

Chess Expertise Step by Step by Efstratios Grivas

1.e4 Repertoire by Sam Collins

[FEN "4k3/pp3ppp/2p5/3p4/3P4/4P3/PP3PPP/4K3"]

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I am extremely impressed with the quality and depth of content Chessbase Trainers contain these days. The coverage of Carlsbad ideas here by IM Sam Collins is frankly astonishing, covering about twenty key Carlsbad themes in fifty-three video lectures and totaling approximately seven hours of master instruction. We get to see several games from well-known Carlsbad masters on both sides of the board, like Karpov and Yusupov, giving the work a balanced treatment. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Series Introduction 02: Intro 03: Carlsbad 04: Model game: Karpov – Ljobojevic,L Themes White plays – Nc3-a4-c5 05: Karpov,A – Beliavsky,A 06: Djuric, S – Baburin, A 07: Dobrev, N – Sasikiran, K 08: Graf,A – Jussupow,A Black plays – Nf6-e4-d6 09: Bobtsov,M – Petrossian,T 10: Portisch,L – Kasparov,G White plays b5/Black plays c5 11: Piket,J – Timman,J White exchanges – b4xa5

Unorthodox Chess Openings by Valeri Lilov

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12: Kramnik,V – Timman,J 13: Karpov,A – Kharitonov,A Black plays b5 14: Larsen,B – Geller,E 15: Telljohann,S – Dautov,R White plays b5/Black plays a5 16. Timman,J – Spassky,B 17: Sotnikov,I – Pushkov,N 18: Kortschnoj,V – Spassky,B Black plays f5-f4 19: Karpov,A – Campora,D Black plays Bd6, Nd7-b6-c4 20: Inkiov,V – Jussupow,A Black plays a kingside attack 21: Karpov,A – Beliavsky,A 22: Yermolinsky,A – Garcia,G 11.Rae1 23: Botvinnik,M – Robatsch,K 24: Jusspow,A – Kramnik,V Rae1, Nf3-e5, f4 25: Reyes Naero,C – Kelly,B 26: Kramnik, V – Gelfand, B 27: Mamedyraov, S – Gurevich,M Nf3-e5 and f4 28. Bacrot,E – Luce,S e3-e4 29. Karpov,A – Beliavsky,A 30: Karpov,A – Jussupow,A Bxf6 31: Kortschnoj,V – Karpov,A White plays 0-0-0 31: Bacrot,E – Karpov,A 33: Tukmakov,V – Jussupow,A 34: Timman,J – Karpov,A 35: Portisch,L – Larsen,B 36: Daly,C – Collins,S 37: Botvinnik, M – Khanov,K Black plays Nb8-a6 38: Karpov,A – Jussupow,A Double Pawn f7/f6 ending 39: Van Wely,L – Short,N 40: Bitalzadeh,A – Collins,S Black plays Nf6-h5 early 41. Baburin,A – Hoffman,A White plays Nge2 42: Kasparov,G – Andersson,U 43: White plays Nge2: Botvinnik,M – Keres,P 44: White plays Nge2: Botvinnik,M – Larsen,B 45: White plays Nge2: Ivanchuk,V – Jusspow,A Black plays Bc8-f5, White plays Qd1-c2 46: Kaparov,G – Short,N Black plays c5 early – IQP 47: Kasparov,G – Karpov,A Move Order 48: Main Lines 49: Early Deviations 50: Direct Transposition 51: Other Openings 52: Carlsbad Conclusion 53: DVD Conclusion

Collin's lectures abound in verbal commentary that helps viewers understand Carlsbad structural features, and very often avoids delving into variations unless they were necessary to make a point. His lecture introductions are thoughtful, and the content centers on key Carlsbad plans and ideas that Collins clearly articulates for the average tournament player. Here are a few highlights from the fifth lecture showing Collin's educational style:

"One of White's key resources in Carlsbad structures is to bring his knight to c5, and before pushing his pawn to b5. This has the effect of exerting additional pressure on Black's queenside and even in the center. The knight on c5 controls key squares like d7, e6 and e4. So, it's always with these ideas – if there is a game from the master available, it's worth learning it from that. Fortunately Karpov has used this idea in several games. His clash with Beliavsky from Belfort 1988 is particularly instructive." 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3 Re8 8.Nf3 Nbd7 9.0-0 c6 10.Qc2 Nf8 11.h3 g6

[FEN"r1bqrnk1/pp2bp1p/2p2np1/3p2B1/3P4/ 2NBPN1P/PPQ2PP1/R4RK1 w - - 0 12"]

"Karpov's patent move 11.h3. Karpov has used different moves here as well, including Rab1, but h3 is one of Karpov's key ideas. In this game Beliavsky selected g6. This is a move with a few points, one of which is that now the knight can come to g7 which would enable bishop to f5 trading White's very good light-squared bishop and this tends to be an excellent plan for Black." 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.b4 Ne6 "Karpov needs to get going on the queenside and he decides to take on f6 and then play b4. So, he really saves a tempo because he hasn't needed to play Rb1 just yet. I suppose the other idea as well, and one of the reasons this work with g6, is that when White takes on f6 in these positions frequently he wants to trade light-squared bishops anyway, simply because now Black has the two bishops, so there is something in this trade for White. So, once Black has played g6 frequently it is a good idea to take on f6 because Black goes to some trouble in exchange the light-squared bishop which White really doesn't mind trading anyway in the new circumstances. " 14.Rfd1 a6 15.a4 Qd6 16.Qb3Rd8 17.Bf1

[FEN"r1b1r1k1/1p3p1p/p1pqnbp1/3p4/PP1P4/ 2N1PN1P/2Q2PP1/R2R1BK1 b - - 0 16"]

"The game has settled into a simple maneuvering phase… You will notice that with 17.Bf1 is that Karpov vacates the d3-square for the knight, thus preparing the journey that we see in this game." 17…Bg7 18.Ra2 Nc7

"Beliavsky drops back with the bishop but I supposed Ng7 and Bf5 have as much point when the white bishop has already retreated and puts the knight on c7 instead." 19.Ne1 Bf5

[FEN"r3r1k1/1pn2pbp/p1pq2p1/3p1b2/PP1P4/ 2N1P2P/R1Q2PP1/3RNBK1 w - - 0 19"]

"So, now, this is a relatively harmonious formation for both sides. Both players are, of course, experts in this structure. What we see now is that Black is really well-prepared for b5; his knight on c7 and pawns on a6 and c6 both control this square. His knight on c7 also protects the d5pawn so in certain positions he can consider c5 and that would open the game up for the bishops. So, he has protected himself against an immediate b5 and that is one of the reasons why Karpov decides to sink a knight into c5." 20.Ne2 "Bringing another defender to the kingside. Karpov needs to be a little bit careful that Black doesn't get his standard kingside counterplay." 20…Bf8 21.Rb2 Qf6 "And now Beliavsky prepared the d6-square for his own bishop." 22.Nf4 Ne8 23.Rc1 h5 "Typical move in these positions, gaining space on the kingside. In certain positions he might be able to consider a march of the g-pawn, although he will need to be careful about his own h-pawn." 24.Ra2 Bd6 25.Nfd3 Nc7 26.Nc5

[FEN"r2r2k1/1pn2p2/p1pb1qp1/2Np1b1p/PP1P4/ 1Q2P2P/R4PP1/2R1NBK1 b - - 0 26"]

"The key position which I really want to discuss starts here with 26.Nc5. You noticed that even though it is move twenty six Karpov still hasn't pulled the trigger on the b5 advance. Instead he has just placed his knight on this square [c5]. The knight is just excellent on this square. He hits two key weaknesses [a6 and b7], it controls various squares where Black might like to put his pieces. Thus the knight is very strong in there

and it is actually very difficult to drive it away." 26…Rab8 27.b5

[FEN"1r1r2k1/1pn2p2/p1pb1qp1/1PNp1b1p/P2P4/ 1Q2P2P/R4PP1/2R1NBK1 b - - 0 27"]

"And now with b5 Karpov breaks through on the queenside, and we noticed that Black, even though he has played very logically, hasn't managed to get much going on the kingside. As always Karpov has been very attentive to his king defense. The knight and the bishop both hold the king. This rook [a2] operates laterally, so it's a very effective defense of the kingside." Collins briefly explains Beliavsky's pawn sacrifice after 27…b6 28.Nxa6 Nxa6 29.bxa6 c5, explains the key features after 30.Nf3 c4 31.Qb5 h4 31.Qb5 h4 32.a5 bxa5 33.Qxa5, and then returns to reinforce the ideas of Nc5 in the conclusion of this lecture: "You can look at the rest of the game yourselves, but the key position to bear in mind is this idea of moving the knight to c5. Black had prepared well for the b5 advance during the game, but putting a knight on c5 before playing b5 makes a lot of sense. One of the other things which is important mention is that Nc5 tends to be in response to a6. This pawn on a6 means that it is more difficult for Black to kick this knight without any problems." The following two lectures in the Nc3-a4-c5 section discusses ways for Black to handle White's knight on c5, and the last game concludes with a model game by Yusupov, considered by Collins to be one of the foremost exponents on how to handle the black side of these structures. Collins ends this production with a short but powerful conclusion. If you are getting into Carlsbad-type structures from your opening repertoire as white or black, you will find Collin's seven-hour exposition of the subject a truly worthwhile investment. My assessment of this DVD: Order Know the Terrain, Vol. 1: The Carlsbad by Sam Collins

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Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

[ChessCafe Home Page] [Book Review] [Columnists] [Endgame Study] [The Skittles Room] [ChessCafe Archives] [ChessCafe Links] [Online Bookstore] [About ChessCafe.com] [Contact ChessCafe.com] © 2011 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com®" is a registered trademark of BrainGamz, Inc.

Prophylaxis and Pawn Protected Squares "…in what do I see the idea of true positional play? The answer is short and to the point – in prophylaxis." Aron Nimzowitsch, My System.

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Strategy University, Vol 2: Prevention and Preparation in Chess (DVD) by Adrian Mikhalchishin, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hrs 30 min. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95)

ChessBase Cafe Louis Lima & Steven B. Dowd [Find us on Facebook.] Translate this page

Those familiar with Mikhalchishin's Chessbase Trainers usually come to realize just how complex and vast a single chess subject can be, and I continue to find his works of immense value, both from an educational perspective as well as for my growth of chess culture in general. Strategy University Vol.2: Prevention and Preparation in Chess presents countless examples to various aspects of prophylactic thinking. If you thought prophylaxis was just about asking yourself what is your opponent up to, Mikhalchishin's work will lift the veil off your eyes and guide you to engage in true positional thinking. The second volume runs for three and a half hours and is broken down into twenty-nine lectures, as indexed below. The games are underlined in the main interface page, so you have the choice - either before or after viewing the lecture, to look at the game fragments with their analysis. If you want to turn this DVD from a series of interesting educational lessons, and into a true positional training tool, my suggestion would be to open these games and click on the Chessbase training tab to hide the moves to figure them out on your own, later comparing your analysis with Mikhalchishin's lecture. You can also go through this training exercise after viewing each video lecture to reinforce the lessons learned. It takes much longer to view a Chessbase trainer in this manner, and I had to stop for fear of missing my column deadline. However, chess is a game of skill and I doubt we can make any progress in our game if we are not pushing our brain. I'm looking forward to continuing to look at this work in this brain-challenging manner even if it takes me the rest of the year!

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01: Introduction: Ozturk – Savina; Juniors; Kavalek, L – Bohm, H; Zhu Chen – Khurtsidze, N; Huebner, R – Ljubojevic, L. 02: Prophylactic problems in champion's games: Fischer, R – Smyslov, V 03: Prevention – Excluding the opponent's piece I: Sokolov, A – Mikhalchishin, A; Geller, E – Mikhalchishin, A 04: Prevention – Excluding the opponent's piece II: Lilienthal, A – Botvinnik, M; Beliavsky, A – Korchnoi, V 05: Prevention – Excluding the opponent's piece III: Mikhailchishin, A – Deleyn, G; Mikhalchishin, A – Aseev, K; Nikolic, P – Van Wely, L 06: Prevention – Excluding the opponent's pieces IV: Spassky, B – Gligoric, S; FM Biryukov, M – FM Ali Marandi, C 07: Tactical Prophylaxis I: Duchene, R – Van Nies, P; Seirawan, Y – Karpov, A; Solak, D – Sargissian, G 08: Tactical Prophylaxis II: Beliavsky, A – Xie,J 09: Tactical Prophylaxis III: Kasimdzhanov, R – Nakamura, H; Rohl Montes, J – Luther, T 10: Limit the activity of opponent's pawn structure I: Botvinnik, M – Ragozin, V 11: Limit the activity of opponent's pawn structure II: Mikhalchishin, A – Tseshkovsky, V 12: Prevention of freeing pawn moves: Vyzmanavin, A –

Practical Pawn Endgames by Daniel King

The Secret to Chess by Maurice Ashley

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Mikhalchishin, A 13: Prevention of the improvement of opponent's structure I: Spassky, B – Petrosian, T; Bronstein, D – Fischer, R 14: Prevention of the improvement of opponent's structure II: Huebner, R Ljubojevic, L 15: Improvement of King's Position: Illescas Cordoba, M – Andersson, U 16: Rubinstein: Exchange pieces I: Rubinstein, A – Duras, O; Rubinstein, A – Tarrasch, S; Rubinstein, A – Bogoljubow, E 17: Rubinstein: Exchange pieces II: Rubinstein – Spielmann; Rubinstein, A – Dus Chotimirsky, F; Yates – Rubinstein; Rubinstein – Przepiorka; Rubinstein, A – Nimzowitsch, A 18: Rubinstein: Exchange pieces III: Janowski, D – Rubinstein, A 19: Prevention of opponent's plan: Yildiz – Papadopoulou; Gufeld, E – Damjanovic, M 20: Prevention: Transfer the King to the other flank: Palac – Pavasovic 21: Problems of young players with the opponent's plans: Bartel, M – Urban, K; Muhren, B – Danielian, E; Muhren, B – Kovalevskaya, E 22: Prevention of Exchanges: Tal,M – Ribli, Z; Kholmov – Geller 23: Prevention of opponent's threats: Can, E – Mamedov, R 24: Prevention in complicated strategical positions: Mikhalchishin, A – Drei, A 25: Prevention in endgames I: Schultz, K – Schebler, G 26: Prevention in endgames II: Examples 2; Chigorin, M – Tarrasch, S; Example; Example; Example 28: Examples of top players I: Karpov, A – Timman, J 29: Examples of top players II: Svidler, P – Jussupow, A

Mikhalchishin introduces the concept of prophylactic thinking and taking prophylactic measures in chess, which in its basic form relates to thinking about what our opponent's threats are after each move. Right from the get-go we learn from Mikhalchishin that this is the most elementary form of prophylaxis. The second form of prophylaxis is asking what our opponent's plan might be and how to fight against it. Yet, a third form of prophylaxis illustrated throughout this production is being aware of new elements in a position after a move has been played, and incorporating this awareness into our decision-making process. Mikhalchishin also dispenses the notion that prophylactic thinking is a passive endeavor that does not focus on what we want to do with our position, but instead places too much emphasis on what our opponent wants to do with his. Dvoretsky clearly explains this in School of Chess Excellence III: "What I understand by prophylactic thinking is the habit of constantly asking yourself what you opponent wants to do…and to take account of it in the process of taking a decision." Mikhalchishin takes the concept further and explains that prophylaxis is both prevention and preparation – prevention of our opponent's threats and plans, and preparation of our own plans and ideas. An excellent illustration of preparation comes from one of the introductory examples (Kavalek-Bohm, IBM Amsterdam 1975):

[FEN "6k1/p3bppn/1p2p2p/2p1P2P/2P2BP1/ 1P1Q2K1/P2N1P2/7q w - - 0 36"]

Black has just played 35…Qh1. White might want to carry his own idea of invading on the seventh rank with his queen to simultaneously attack the bishop on e7 and the pawn on a7 – but after asking what Black was up to with

the queen maneuver, he realizes there is a mate threat with Bh4. Therefore, some defensive measure is required here and White played 36.Nf3. Now it is Black's turn to take into account Qd7 in his decision making process, and concludes that it is necessary to prevent it and plays 36…Nf8. Now it is White's turn to move, and unfazed with the knight move by his opponent, he decides to continue with his plan and play 37.Qe4 to enter the seventh rank on b7:

[FEN "5nk1/p3bpp1/1p2p2p/2p1P2P/ 2P1QBP1/1P3NK1/P4P2/7q b - - 0 37"]

White failed to prepare his plan by pinning his queen and allowed the decisive 37…Bh4+ ending the game. There are many similar examples of this, suggesting that preparation can simply involve looking at any potential tactical features arising out of a potential move we might want to play, before playing it. Failure to engage in prophylactic thinking leads to many oversights, and there are many colorful illustrations of this in all stages of the games and throughout Mikhalchishin's lectures, showing what can happen when players of all levels neglect prophylaxis. The following example is from BronsteinFischer, Mar del Plata 1960.

[FEN "r2qk2r/pp3pbp/4pp2/2n5/8/2N2Q2/ PPP1NPPP/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 12"]

Here Mikhalchishin points out that it was imperative for Black to play 12…f5 in order to activate the bishop. Fischer castled instead, allowing Bronstein to play the preventive 13.g4!, denying the best diagonal for the bishop for the rest of the game. Many of the lectures felt quite advanced, and Mikhalchishin's uneven speaking style didn't help. In some lectures he displays a calm, thoughtful voice, while in others he races excitedly over the material. The second lecture, for instance, had him speeding madly through a Fischer-Smyslov game, concluding at the end how both players missed basic prophylactic moves. I found lectures like this a bit overwhelming, even after having looked at the game in advance, but I imagine these lectures are educational to stronger players and Mikhalchishin's work abounds in examples for intermediate to advanced players. My assessment of this DVD:

Order Strategy University, Vol 2: Prevention and Preparation in Chess by Adrian Mikhalchishin

Hello! I am Steven B. Dowd and will be taking over from Louis in the future. I thought I would start with a review of a new trainer better suited for lowerrated players by Maurice Ashley. I have long admired him for his accomplishments in both achieving the GM title and his skill as a teacher, so bear that in mind in this review. Following up on his successful Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess, it looks like Ashley is about to produce another series of winners, and I will review the first volume in this month's column. What Grandmasters Don't See, Vol. 1: Protected Squares (DVD) by Maurice Ashley, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours 18 minutes. $35.95 (ChessCafe Price: $29.95) As I noted earlier, this new series, with it's catchy title, looks like a winner to me, especially for players rated below 1600. What does this series hope to accomplish? From the insert: "Many times when a top player blunders, it is routinely described by the esoteric term, chess blindness. In the series What Grandmasters Don't See, chess trainer and world-class commentator Maurice Ashley strips away the myth, and for the first time explains why the root of these mistakes is more often based on the psychology of human learning." Does the first volume accomplish this goal? For the average player, certainly. Ashley is absolutely correct, many average players live in a world more often filled with more chess myths than knowledge. This is of course not their fault. Most chess learning is experiential learning, and despite reports to the contrary, learning by doing is not always the best way to learn – there needs to be some focused study as well. This volume's first edition appears to be well on the way to meeting this need. What does he mean by "psychology of human learning?" The great Robert Mager, the developer of behavioral objectives in learning, noted that "people learn to avoid the things they are hit with." Thus, early in our careers, when we start playing chess seriously, we notice we lose pieces when we place them on squares that are protected, especially by pawns. But this avoidance precisely will make us miss moves that are great sacrificial sallies because we are hesitant to lose that piece, the attack fizzles out, and end of game. Ashley claims to have coined a new term "Protected Squares," and this volume focuses on "Pawn Protected Squares." At first I wanted to call him out on the carpet a bit for this. Surely this is no new term or concept? But a review of my chess literature found that only Vukovic in his Art of Attack in Chess, with his concept of "focal points," even comes close. The rationale behind the series is that if grandmasters or strong players miss these moves, then they are probably missed even more at lower levels. Here is the lay-out for the first volume: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

01: Introduction Protected Squares 02: Protected Squares 01: Bareev, E – Timman, J 03: Protected Squares 02: Cao Sang-Bologan,V 04: Protected Squares 03: Carlsen,M-Giri,A 05: Protected Squares 04: Kramnik, V-Anand,V 06: Protected Squares 05: Yudasin,L-Kramnik,V 07: Protected Squares 06: Saigin,V-Tal,M 08: Protected Squares 07: Dreev,A-Tiviakov,S 09 Protected Squares 08: Tal- Suetin 10: Protected Squares 09: Melikhina-Mandizha

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11: Protected Squares 10: Schroer,J-Kacheishvili,G 12: Protected Squares 11: Bronstein,D-Zamikhovsky,A 13: Protected Squares 12: Hector, J -Vernersson 14: Protected Squares 13: Tal, M-Koblencs,A 15: Protected Squares 14: Stein-Tal 16: Protected Squares 15: Olafsson, H- Levitt,J 17: Protected Squares 16: Ashley,M-Kreiman,B 18: Protected Squares 17: Hungaski,R- Shroer,J 19: Protected Squares 18: Tate, E- Yudasin, L Test Positions 20: Test position 01: Bets,A-Moskalenko,V 21: Test position 02: Bronstein, D- Geller, E 22: Test position 03: Sprenger, J-Bobras,P 23: Test position 04: Karpov, A-Stojanovic, M 24: Test position 05: Steinitz-NN 25: Test position 06: Tal,M-Platonov, I 26: Test position 07: Hartston,W-Richardson,J 27: Test position 08: Ivanchuk-Shirov, A 28: Test position 09: Reinfeld 1 29: Test position 10: Reinfeld 2 30: Test position 11: Geller, E-Portisch, L 31: Test position 12: Kuzmin, G- Lein, A 32: Test position 13: Rossolimo-NN 33: Test position 14: A Kasantsev 34: Outro

The insert notes Ashley's "trademark style," and he is indeed very engaging. For example, in the introduction to a quite good game by the American chess player Emory Tate, he notes that this game is the best he has ever seen, "even better than my man Tal," (He repeatedly points out Tal as his hero and recommends that all players study his games) and I paraphrase: If you have some chess buddies you like or even don't like, call them and invite them over to see this game, order a pizza, get some drinks, as it is one of the best games you will ever see in your natural born days as a chess player. You have to enjoy a teacher who can make learning fun like that. Occasional mistakes are made that should have been corrected: for example, in one section, he states that one side will be up "a whole rook" when it is clear that this side will be up the exchange (and several pawns, so he may have meant "the equivalent of a whole rook," but for clarity's sake, this should have been corrected). Let's look at one sample from the games and one sample from the test so you can see the quality of the material. The game sample is from the always entertaining Jonny Hector, who has white against Vernersson in this game from the Swedish Championship of 2001:

[FEN "r1b1kb1r/1pqn1pp1/p3pn1p/8/3p3N/ 3B1N2/PPPBQPPP/2KR3R w kq - 0 14"]

An interesting example of "knight on the rim" whose future is not so dim! You might consider 14.Nf5 here, especially given the topic, but in this example of "PSP" (pawn square protection), Hector found the much better 14.

Ng6! Rg8 (14...fxg6 15.Bxg6+ Ke7 16.Nxd4 is just murder) 15.Nxd4 Nc5 (15...fxg6 loses even more quickly) 16.Bf4 Qb6 17.Nxf8 Kxf8 18.Bc4 Bd7 19.Nf5 (again!) 19...Bb5 20.Qe3 Ne8 21.Rd6 Ashley makes the interesting comment here that such moves, where a piece is placed on a square protected by a piece, is much more common in grandmaster games, and not as easily missed. This makes sense based on his previous suppositions; we are less likely to be "burned" with such moves, since giving up a rook for a knight is not as immediately potentially devastating as a rook for a pawn. 21...Bc6

[FEN "r3nkr1/1p3pp1/pqbRp2p/2n2N2/ 2B2B2/4Q3/PPP2PPP/2K4R w - - 0 22"]

Note how Black is essentially self-blocking his king, even the "good" defensive move Rg8 will come back to haunt him. Now a second and then a third example of PSP, and it is finally lights out: 22.Bxe6!! fxe6 (22...Nxe6? 23.Qxb6 – the e6-square is only apparently protected by a piece) 23.Rxe6 Na4 and now our final blow on a pawn protected square 24.Rf6+! Nxf6 25.Qe7# There is of course much more commentary and analysis on the DVD than the small amount I just showed you. The pacing of the commentary is excellent, and the depth of the analysis is "just right," especially for a basic understanding of the concept presented. These are all very good lessons for below 1600 players. The information is worth watching at any level, though higher-rated players won't learn anything all that "new," the examples are nicely reinforcing and will remind them to look more closely for such moves in the future. I always evaluate how well teaching material works for me by evaluating my subsequent play; I did notice in some club games I was playing, I was more aware of pawn protected squares and how I might sacrifice a piece on that square. I am going to introduce a new term here that I plan to use in future reviews – while a DVD like this is definitely good for the average player as a trainer, I consider this DVD valuable for high-rated players as a "watcher." What is a "watcher"? Simply, it is something a strong player will enjoy watching, even if he learns nothing new from it. I am a chess puzzle fanatic, buying nearly every chess puzzle book ever published, and I really got a lot out of just watching the tests. They weren't hard, they weren't enlightening to me, but I really enjoyed them. And if you are enjoying yourself, you are learning, at least unconsciously. You could similarly say you won't learn anything new at a "macro" level if you are an above-average player, but you will learn at a "micro" level. Something inside you will click. Some sort of categorization would have made this more valuable for higherrated players, such as "Knight plants on f5 when the square is protected by an e6-pawn," and so on, and Ashley may indeed be planning such study and presentation for that audience (and for the lower-rated players who will simply want more after this fine DVD). He does make brief mention that these moves occur on certain squares more often, such as e3, g6, etc. There is a good progression of the concept from easy to more difficult, and Ashley continues to teach, not just test, in the test section. Too many teachers do not recognize that testing is also another form of learning, and in fact sometimes provides the best learning. This is a mistake Ashley does not make.

We'll look now at one of the test examples, from a game Rossolimo-NN, Paris, 1944 (Ashley pontificates a bit here on "NN" and how there are no NNs today – it's an amusing little diatribe).

[FEN "3r1b2/1p1q1ppk/p1n1p2p/2p1Pn2/ 3PNR2/2P2K2/P2QBP2/6R1 w - - 0 1"]

1.Rxf5 (not so hard to see) 1...exf5 2.Qxh6+! (2.Nf6+ doesn't lead anywhere yet) and if 2...gxh6, Black is quickly mated, but the really brilliant continuation follows after 2...Kxh6 3.Rh1+ Kg6 4.Kf4!! Qe6 and now if 5. Bh5+ Kh7 6.Bxf7+ Qh6+ 7.Ng5+ Kh8 and the win is gone, so White instead makes a "problem-like move" (an often misused term, but not in the case of Rossolimo, who seemed to find these continuations more often than most) 5. Rh8!! and Black can resign. 6.Bh5+ will follow, with devastating effect. One final teaching critique. A long time ago, I learned the simple rule as an academic that any lecture, presentation, series of lectures, and so on should always contain the following three checkpoints: "Tell us first what you are going to tell us, tell us, and then tell us what you just told us." The final checkpoint ensures a reinforcement of material, with studies dating back to the beginning of last century showing that comprehension increases by about fifty percent when this is done. In the introduction, GM Ashley does a great job of "telling us what he is going to tell us," and he of course does a great job as well in telling us and testing us. The "outro" is a bit weak, and just glosses over the "shock value" of such moves, etc. I would like to see a little more "tell us what you just told us." I am sure the average player will learn a lot from this, but it is key to tell them what they learned for proper reinforcement. A near perfect trainer for 1600 and below, and an entertaining "watcher" for those above that level. My assessment of this DVD: Order What Grandmasters Don't See, Vol. 1 by Maurice Ashley

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Reviewed this Month Strategy University Vol. 3: Positional Pawn Sacrifice by Adrian Mikhalchishin

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Attack With the Modern Italian by Nigel Davies Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 1, Unexpected Tactics by Efstratios Grivas

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You Can Always Sac a Pawn! This month Louis Lima examines the latest of a long list of instructive titles by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin. While Steven Dowd looks at one exceptionally excellent opening DVD, and then a two volume set covering strategy and tactics that is somewhat uneven: good material, but not well-presented, at least in terms of the lecture format. The two volumes could have been quite excellent if executed in the proper manner, although they are still good and certainly bear a look if the subject matter is of interest. Strategy University Vol. 3: Positional Pawn Sacrifice (DVD) by Adrian Mikhalchishin, ChessBase, Playing time: four hours. $34.95 (ChessCafe.com Price: $28.95)

Rating Chart Awful –

Chess Expertise: Mastering Strategy by Efstratios Grivas

The Catalan by Viktor Bologan

If you are an advanced player seeking to improve your positional mastery through ChessBase Trainers, GM Mikhalchishin's works are worth exploring. Strategy University Vol. 3: Positional Pawn Sacrifice adds to a long list of instructive titles by Mikhalchishin.

Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

This work is not a systematic approach to help you build the skill of pawn sacrificing - there is no methodical build-up of the subject. Instead, what we have here is a four-hour collection of loosely organized lectures offering an abundance of terrific pawn sacrifice examples. As with previous Mikhalchishin works, the material covers past and present play, utilizing no less than sixty games or game fragments. The lecture content is also available on a ChessBase database file for slower study. The contents are as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ●

You can always sac a pawn! Real pawn sac – keeping the king in the center Real pawn sac – ways to eliminate the initiative for a pawn Real pawn sac – preventing your opponent of castling Positional sacrifices of central pawns Other forms of sacrificing the central pawns

What Grandmasters Don't See, Vol. 2 by Maurice Ashley

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Developing an attack after sacrificing a central pawn Real positional central pawn sac Modern typical positional sacrifices of the c7 pawn Complicated cases of the c7 pawn sacrifice Typical pawn sacrifices for control of the long diagonal Typical pawn sacs in King's Indian Structures Different positional pawn sacrifices in the direction on the opponent's king Kasparov's positional pawn sacs How to develop the initiative after an early positional pawn sac Positional pawn sac – pawn breaks: destroying the opponent's pawn Way to fight against a freeing pawn sac Pawn sac for bishop pair activity Positional pawn sac – central piece of development as compensation for the pawn Piece activity and pressure on different parts of the board as compensation for the pawn Centralization as compensation for the pawn Complicated positional pawn sacs – Kramnik's way (not always successful) Typical positional pawn sac – diverting the play from the centre to the kingside Pawn sac – reducing the opponent's central pressure and drawing attention away from the king Positional pawn sac – sacrificing doubled pawns to activate your pieces Sacrificing a pawn for the total activity of your own pieces

I often wonder what rating level is ideal to make it worthwhile to purchase a ChessBase Trainer. Few lessons can be extracted if the material is too advanced for the viewer, unless there is willingness and dedication to immerse in hard work and analyze the content files. My current USCF rating is in the 1900s (and steadily declining) and I found several lectures quite difficult to follow in Strategy University Vol. 3. Chess is not easy! Conversely, intermediately-level players no doubt will be stimulated – as I was – by the variety of examples and possibilities. Mikhalchishin shines through with his ever excellent and instructive material. There are so many wonderful instructive moments that I am already revisiting some of the lectures just for sheer pleasure. Here are some brief examples:

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp3ppp/3b1n2/3p4/8/ 1PN1PB2/PBQ2PPP/R3K2R"]

Black to Move This is from the fourth lecture discussing central pawn sacrifices to prevent castling. Mikhalchishin comments "…It is a position with the isolated pawn, but at the moment this pawn is not well contained and this allows Beliavsky to open the e-file (with the pawn sacrifice 12…d4). Of course, Korchnoi is a big lover of pawns so he took it immediately, despite the fact that it was best to avoid for White to take this pawn with 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 dxe3 15.0-0 exf2+ 16.Qf2 and White would have serious compensation for the pawn."

[FEN "r2q1rk1/ppp1bppp/1nn1p3/4P2b/ 2PP4/2NBBN1P/PP4P1/R2Q1RK1"]

White to Move Mikhalchishin usually begins his video lectures with an educative talk introducing the topic, often weaving interesting anecdotes and stories of known players. He also spends some time discussing the opening of the game to create a context in which the pawn was sacrificed. For example, the position above was taken from his thirteenth lecture. He discusses the differences between positional and dynamic pawn sacrifices, and then moves on to briefly explain some basic aspects of the Four Pawns Attack in the Alekhine Defense. Here White sacrificed a pawn with 13.Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.Ng5+ Kg8 15.Qxh5 Bxg5 16.Bxg4 Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Qxe5. Mikhalchishin comments, "Black won a pawn and White queen is pinned on h5. But, White sacrificed a pawn for real good mobilization of the pieces and some weakening of the opponent's king flank…because there are no many defending pieces there." After 18.Rae1 Qa5 19.Ne4, Mikhalchishin show's White's plan of action here. I liked his clear use of visuals when explaining his plans, and incidentally, around here he discusses a new type of pawn sacrifice:

[FEN "r4rk1/ppp2pp1/1nn1p3/q5BQ/ 2P1N3/7P/PP4P1/4RR1K"]

In this position Black played 19…Nd7 to bring some defensive resources to the kingside. What did White played to uncoordinated Black's pieces? Mikhalchishin comments "Of course White's threat is something like c5 to cut the fifth rank, and then try to conduct attack with Nf6 or Bf6, or even Rf4-h4. So, you see, different plans of attack. OK, it depends – if Black does not attack the rook on e1 then White can play Rf4. If he does, then there are other methods of attack. So after 19.Ne4, Black played Nd7, trying to bring some power back. After 19…f5 20.Nf6+ Rxf6 21.Bxf6+ gxf6 22.Qg6+, such positions are generally indefensible." In the game, Mikhalchishin played 20.b4! to destroy the coordination of the black pieces. If 20…Qxb4, then 21.Bd2 gains a tempo on the black queen, vacates the f4-square for a potential Rf4-Rh4 maneuver. After 20...Nxb4 21. Rd1, Mikhalchishin explains that the point of Rd1 is to attack Black's most important defensive piece, and he show the culmination of White's attack after 21…Rad8 22.Qh4 f6 23.Bxf6 Nxf6 24.Nxf6+ gxf6 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Qxf6

Nc6 27.Qg6+ Kh8 28.Qh6+ Kg8 29.Qg6+ Kh8 30.Qh6+ Kg8 31.Qxe6+ Kh8 32.Rf5 Qd2 33.Qf6+ Kh7 1-0 Mikhalchishin points out that almost every opening has its own set of dynamic pawn sacrifices, so there will be a plenty of interesting stuff here for theory buffs. As a Nimzo-Indian player myself, I enjoyed lectures such as Zhu Chen – Xu Yuhua from Nanjing 2009 where Black sacrificed a pawn for active piece play in 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7.cxd5 Ne4!? 8.Qc2 exd4 9.Bf4 Bf5! offering the c7-pawn. Overall, great work from Mikhalchishin. We are fortunate ChessBase continues to tap into one of the best chess trainers in the world for positionalbased lectures. My assessment of this DVD: Order Strategy University, Vol 3 by Adrian Mikhalchishin

Attack With the Modern Italian (DVD) by Nigel Davies, ChessBase, Playing time: four hours. $34.95 (ChessCafe.com Price: $28.95). Nigel Davies is one of my favorite modern chess writers, and after viewing this DVD, one of my favorite chess lecturers as well. He has an extremely pragmatic approach both to the game and to presenting chess concepts. His approach to the opening is as follows, taken from his highly recommended Chess Improver blog: "I see the opening as little more than a prequel to the middle game so I think the major focus should be on which middle games someone should be willing to play." For many years the emphasis in the openings has been – regardless of level – trying to learn a lot of theory to catch one's opponent unawares and secure a convertible advantage as White or at least equalize with black. I know I spent a lot of time when I was actively playing chess (trying to and occasionally winning tournaments) on memorizing opening lines, when I should have been working on my middle- or endgame skills. Additionally, I have seen players rated much lower than me doing the same sort of preparation. However, in recent years players have often focused more on this idea of using the opening to reach a playable middlegame, even at the grandmaster level. Players from Kasparov to Gelfand have used this opening, the Modern Italian, to reach a middlegame that is often similar to play in the classical Ruy, but without the need for lengthy memorization of lines and keeping up with every theoretical innovation, and especially without having to know all the sidelines Black can play. One thing that is especially attractive about this opening is that it features many attacking lines, lines that are ideal for club play. Many of these lines feature opposite-side castling for both sides, and usually these opposite side castling lines occur when Black has made the slightest of mistakes (for example, playing ..h6 and then castling king-side, allowing White to try to slash and burn the kingside with a g4 push). It is no secret that most club level players want to play fun games, and in chess, fun games means trying to mate the opponent's king in a fancy manner. One reason I picked this DVD to review was my desire to find a new 1.e4 e5 opening line as white. The material is divided into games featuring the most important lines: ● ● ●

Introduction Main line move order: Warakomski-Bartel Main Line 10...dxe4 11...Qxd6: Howell-Parry

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Main Line 10...dxe4 11...Qxd6: Tiviakov-Sargissian Main Line 10...dxe4 11... Qxd6: Howell-Svidler Main Line 10...dxe4 11... Be6: Rodriguez-Mahia Main Line 10...dxe4 11...Nh5: Gonzalez Vidal-Gomez Main Line 10. d4: Gunnarson-Weeks Main Line 10...h6: Tiviakov-Balogh Main Line 10...Re8: Kobalia-Sorokin Main Line 10...Qd6: Emms-Ledger Main Line 10. ..Be6: Tiviakov-Buhmann Main Line 8...Ne7: Macieja-Stefanova Main Line 9...Be6: Yemelin-Klimov Main Line 7...d5: Kobalia-Petkov Main Line 7...0-0: Nepomniachtchi-Bindrich 3. ..Bc5 5. ..0-0: Shcherbakov-Predke 3...Bc5 5...d6 6. Bb3 Bg4: Kasparov-Queriz 3...Bc5 5. ..d6 6. Bb3 h6: Bologan-Barber 3. ..Nf6, 7...Na5: Bauer-Hebden 3...Nf6, 7...h6: Tiviakov-Semcesen 3...Nf6, 7...Be6: Malakhov-Carlsen 3...Nf6, 7. ..Bg4: Tiviakov-Bacrot 3...Nf6, 7...Kh8: Rossiter-Littlewood 3...Nf6, 7...d5: Hansen- Borges Feria 3...Nf6, 6...d5: Efimenko-Kravtsiv 3...Nf6, 4...d5: Hansen-Santos 3...Nf6, 4...h6: Zambrana-Marin 3...Bc5, 4. ..Qe7 Kudrin-Palozi 3...Be7: Vasiukov-Garcia Martinez 2. Bc4 and Summary: Morozevich-Gelfand

The main line begins as follows: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Bb3 a6 7.h3 Ba7 8.Nbd2 0-0 9.Nf1 d5 10.Qe2. This certainly qualifies as a line in which White has good chances of working an advantage in the middlegame, and if his opponent falters, a nice crush might be in sight. GM Davies has an attractive style of presentation. Choosing one specific game to illustrate his points, it is easy to focus on learning the essentials. He also follows the style of, in each lesson, telling you what he is going to tell you, telling you, and then telling you what he just told you. This is the best way to help the student learn. Some of the summaries are a bit too brief, rushing through what he just told you, but that is a rarity. He will drop an occasional dry joke into the annotations; for example, at the end of one game he indicates he thought one grandmaster was an expert at the Open Games, but after seeing this game, he may need to rethink that! The only problem I had with the DVD is that I found it difficult to implement the line in practice games, but I attribute that mostly to the fact that I haven't properly digested the material yet. Here is the game/lesson I enjoyed the most. It's probably not the best, but the game was the most fun to play over. Notes based on those by GM Davies. Howell, D (2593) – Parry, M (2261) WYCC Boys U18, Vung Tau City 2008 Italian Game [C54] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 a6 Davies calls this a "high-class waiting move" fulfilling several functions. 6.Bb3 Ba7 7.h3 d6 8.Nbd2 We've essentially had a series of waiting moves here but now White is compelled to action. 8...0–0 9.Nf1 d5 Black feels compelled to do something (break in the center) since White's slow build-up to a kingside attack will otherwise prove dangerous.

10.Qe2 dxe4 11.dxe4 Qd6 12.Ng3 Ne7 13.Nh4 Qc6 14.Bc2 Be6 15.Bg5 Ng6 16.Nhf5 Nd7 17.h4 Qb6

[FEN "r4rk1/bppn1ppp/pq2b1n1/4pNB1/4P2P/ 2P3N1/PPB1QPP1/R3K2R w KQ - 0 18"]

A moment of decision again for White. He decides to protect the b-pawn and castle, of course then letting the f2 pawn go. 18.0–0–0 Qxf2 19.Qg4 h6 A moment of decision for Black now. Davies indicates 19...Qxg2(!) may be the best for Black, if 20.Rd2 Bxf5 21.exf5 Nf6 22.Bxf6 Be3. Best may well be 22.Rxg2 Nxg4 23.fxg6 when White has a piece for several pawns but active pieces. It would be an interesting test for either side. But now the game, as we used to say, practically "plays itself." 20.h5 hxg5 If 20...Nf4 21.Bh4 g5 22.hxg6. 21.hxg6 fxg6 22.Nh6+ gxh6 23.Qxe6+ Kh8 24.Rxh6+ 1–0 At the end, he gives the reasons why entry into this line through the Bishop's Opening (2.Bc4) is not such a good idea. It's a nice little lesson in and of itself, showing how Black, using classical principles of occupying the center, can nullify the Bishop's Opening. This lesson will help me as Black, as I gave up this approach some time ago against the Bishop's Opening, trying all sorts of dubious lines. I am confident enough now to return to my first love! This is an excellent trainer, and if you are interested in an alternative as White in the 1.e4 e5 opening complex, as I am (and have been for a few years), I highly recommend this one. If you just enjoy watching the battle of chess ideas, I can recommend it for that reason as well. Probably dedicated Ruy players would even get something out of this DVD, since so many of the ideas here are very similar to that opening. My assessment of this DVD: Order Attack with the Modern Italian by Nigel Davies

Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 1, Unexpected Tactics (DVD) by Efstratios Grivas, ChessBase, Playing time: four hours. $35.95 (ChessCafe.com Price: $29.95). I have to say that I was not initially pleased with this DVD, although it grew on me as I worked through it. I found the material to be in good shape, but was very unhappy with the style of the presentation. I do not know much about grandmaster Grivas; his resume indicates he is an accomplished trainer, but this is not immediately evident.

Not usually bothered by accents of any kind, I found his accent too distracting at times. Also, often it seemed like he was simply reading the material, rather than trying to instruct (remember those teachers from school who simply read from their notes, which were also flashed up on the screen? – this DVD can be wooden in the same manner), and when he was not reading, often simply filler statements were made such as, for one example, "This is the move usually played, and of course there are some games." Well, I certainly hope so! There are also errors of usage of the English language that crop up in some ChessBase trainers that I find difficult to fathom, as if there is no editorial overview of the presenter's material. The worst example here is "and like a bold from the blue." Those who do not speak English as a first language often make such mistakes, "bold" seems perfectly acceptable to them. So I do not fault the GM as much as I do the editorial staff at ChessBase; such errors are simple enough to correct. In case you wondered if I simply misheard GM Grivas, the offending statement is printed in the notes in exactly this manner. Here are the main chapters, with a total of seventy-two games: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Unexpected Tactics Introduction Mate on the Back Rank The Dancing Knight Queen Sacrifice Around the King A King's March The f4 Break Initiative Sacrifices

Are "the fundamental building blocks" of tactics presented here, as noted on the package insert? Yes and no. The DVD starts basically (back-rank mates) but then moves quickly to more advanced material. When you get past raw beginner, back rank mates are hardly unexpected tactics, but ideas like the "King's March," which is somewhat counter-intuitive in many settings, are. A relative beginner who bought this DVD expecting basic tactics lessons would soon find himself like, well, a fish out of water. It is not for anyone who doesn't have some experience with basic tactics. I am also a bit confused: if the first volume is on basic tactics, why is the second on "mastering" strategy? The fit isn't there in that case. But this first DVD really isn't all that basic, meaning there really is a nice fit between the two volumes. I enjoyed this game from "The f4 Break" section because the break is not in a position where a mating attack is expected – the black king is the target, but more so to secure an endgame advantage than to mate (Hou-Sharevich, Khanty Mansiyk, Olympiad, 2010):

[FEN "r1b4r/1p1k4/p2p3p/4pppB/7B/ 2P5/P1P1RPPP/5RK1 w - - 0 20"]

20.f4! gxh4 21.fxe5 dxe5 22.Rxf5 Kc7 23.Rf7+ Kd624.Rf6+ Kc7 25.Rxe5 Bd7 26.Re7 Kd8? 27.Ref7 Bc6 28.Bf3! Here Black's last active piece is exchanged, and the win will be a matter of possessing the proper technique. Grivas does not stop there, and shows how the proper technique was used to win the game. I must compliment him on

this, as many annotators would have stopped at the end of the tactical phase of the game, given that this is a DVD on tactics. If you have been through at least one book on tactics, you will find material of worth here. A club player with a knowledge of basic tactics will find the material interesting, and the presentation style hopefully not too irritating. I certainly would have rated it one star higher with a better presentation. My assessment of this DVD: Order Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 1 by Efstratios Grivas

Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 2, Mastering Strategy (DVD) by Efstratios Grivas, ChessBase, Playing time: four hours. $36.95 (ChessCafe.com Price: $30.95). In stark contrast to the first volume, I found this very enjoyable from the outset (despite the accent and often wooden presentation style; that may be because I was more used to it by this point) and I found myself learning about various strategic concepts. The author does classify themes, as the package asserts, the language in the notes is used well for the most part, and the examples are all entertaining, in addition to having good learning value. In the section on "The Useless Isolani," the author even uses an example from his own games in which he did not properly exploit the useless isolani. Such examples are often gold, because the author must be honest, and show how he did not use the opportunities presented to him. No matter what your level (at least up to 2200 or so), you will find something of value that you can use in your own games. There is a very nice emphasis on the "why" rather than simply "how." Why is this important? In any activity, be it chess or cycling or mathematics, simply knowing how to implement a strategy in a specific situation does not mean you can transfer the strategy to a similar, or especially, a seemingly dissimilar situation (quite different from tactics, when memorization of sequences is enough, in strategy you must understand the idea). When I was involved in technical education, one saying we often repeated was that "an ability to perform a task does not signify an understanding of that task," meaning you might be quite adept at operating a certain machine, but unless you understood how machines of those types worked in general, you might not be able to transfer that knowledge to other settings. It is obvious the author understands the hows and whys of the situations he presents, and he makes a game effort in presenting these (the games and notes are typically well-done; the presentation style, as I noted in the earlier review, leaves a bit to be desired) in an understandable manner. The main sections of this DVD, with a total of thirty-one well-annotated games: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Strategy Mastering Introduction The Important f5-Square The Useless Isolani Emptying the Queenside The a7 Forepost Small Advantages The Weak d5-Square

My favorite lesson was on the a7-forepost, although I cannot critique any of

the lessons for content. If you have been playing chess for awhile, you are familiar with the following Karpov masterpiece. The light notes here are based on those by Grivas, which are extensive and good. I remember this game primarily because when I first saw it I noted how many ways I would have gone wrong, from the formation of the forepost onward; Grivas explains many of these points quite well in his notes. So I learned even more about a classic game and a powerful strategy. Notes based on those by Grivas. Karpov, Anatoly (2700) – Unzicker, Wolfgang (2535) Olympiad Nice, 1974 Ruy Lopez [C98] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0– 0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.d5 Nd8 14.a4 Rb8 15. axb5 axb5 16.b4 Nb7 17.Nf1 Bd7 18.Be3 Ra8 19.Qd2 Rfc8 20.Bd3 g6 21. Ng3 Bf8 22.Ra2 c4 23.Bb1 Qd8 Grivas notes that Karpov was probably inspired by a previous game in which he was on the other side of the forepost idea, Spassky-Karpov, Leningrad 1974, which he cites as the seminal game for the use of this a7-forepost.

[FEN "r1rq1bk1/1n1b1p1p/3p1np1/1p1Pp3/1Pp1P3/ 2P1BNNP/R2Q1PP1/1B2R1K1 w - - 0 24"]

24.Ba7! Ne8 One reason I remember this game so well is that I remember thinking that I would probably never have thought of this foreposting idea, and its effectiveness took some time to sink in. It is the sort of maneuver that establishes something close to a middlegame zugzwang; Black just doesn't have any effective plan to combat White's intentions. 25.Bc2 Nc7 26.Rea1 Qe7 27.Bb1 Be8 Grivas notes, "The main problem of Black's cramped position is that he cannot exchange any pieces and he has not enough space for their regrouping, so he to stay in a passive position, waiting for White to show his hand. " 28.Ne2 Nd8 Now White opens a second front on the kingside. Grivas makes a nice note here that, "that's the power of the spatial advantage, as pieces can be transferred on any side in no time." I give the rest without notes; Grivas' notes are very good in showing how totally lost Black is. 29.Nh2! Bg7 30.f4 f6 31.f5! g5?! 32.Bc2! Bf7 33.Ng3 Nb7 34.Bd1 h6 35. Bh5! Qe8 36.Qd1! Nd8 37.Ra3! Kf8 38.R1a2 Kg8 39.Ng4! Kf8 40.Ne3 Kg8 41.Bxf7+ Nxf7 42.Qh5 Nd8 43.Qg6! Kf8 44.Nh5 Another game shows the idea in mirror image (Bh7!), from Kasparov-Karpov, FIDE WC 1985, which I find quite clever, seeing it done on the other side of the board should help to "cement" the concept firmly in the learner's mind. If you have read through at least one decent strategy book, there is material here you can benefit from. Again, the author's lack of an effective presentation style diminishes the value of the material, along with annoying

bloopers like "this has been a continually nightmare," but a serious student of the game will be able to overcome this. My assessment of this DVD: Order Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 2 by Efstratios Grivas

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Reviewed this Month Deep Junior 12 by Amir Ban & Shay Bushinsky

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HIARCS 13 by Mark Uniacke HIARCS 13 Professional Openings Book by Mark Uniacke

ChessBase Cafe Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! Steven B. Dowd [Find us on Facebook.] Translate this page

This month we review two chess engines using the ChessBase Fritz 12 interface. Today, when some of the best engines are available free (examples available via the ChessCafe.com links page include Stockfish, one I often use to analyze endgame positions, and Houdini), the interface, with its various bells and whistles, becomes as important as the engine itself. Many individuals do not want to use free Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), such as Arena, and prefer a commercial product with support (as I will note later, I have always had good results with ChessBase support). So that will be a major component of this review. I also wish to note that I am, like most players, a user of chess engines but do not consider myself especially expert in the algorithms or other in-depth technical issues. I don't consider myself a "power user" of engines, even though I use them all the time. We'll start with a general look at each engine, then look at the interface and my experiences with it, and then my experiences with each engine. I installed the programs on a computer with a 2 Quad CPU, 8GB of memory and 64-bit operating system.

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good –

Hiarcs 13 by ChessBase

The Programs Deep Junior ($110.95, ChessCafe Price: $104.95), in an earlier incarnation, held Kasparov to a draw in a match, and even carried off a successful "Greek gift" Bxh2+ sacrifice against him in that match. Junior is said to have its own special search techniques and evaluation functions. It is described by ChessBase as "enterprising and entertaining, sacrificing material for initiative whenever it sees a chance, providing new ideas in traditional positions against man or machine."

Great – Excellent –

Deep Junior 12 by ChessBase

The authors are Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky, and with Junior, they have won a number of World Computer Chess Championships. Version 12 is said to be some 200 Elo points stronger than its earlier incarnation. It also has 32 and 64 bit options, with the use of up to forty cores. The opening book was written by GM Alon Greenfeld. HIARCS ($58.95, ChessCafe Price: $52.95) has been around for over thirty years and has won the world championship more than once beginning in 1993, a statement that makes me realize there are many players who have never lived in a world without commercially available computer chess programs. In discussing the engine with various players, I found that the hype that it, as noted on the HIARCS site, "famous for its human-like playing style and its ability to come up with the unexpected," and that "recent HIARCS versions are renowned for sharp attacking chess and a never say die attitude to

Hiarcs 13 Book by ChessBase

their play," is indeed true. Version 13 has a new deeper search capability and evaluation of dynamic possibilities, and most excitingly, for me, at least, plays rather deep attacks while also having a greater positional sense than before. It is especially touted as an analysis partner and no less an authority than world champion Anand has praised its use as such. Version 13 can use sixteen cores simultaneously, but yet supposedly even runs well on a single-core system. Although it is not part of this review, it should also be mentioned that the software for Pocket Fritz 4 is HIARCS. It should also be noted that HIARCS runs a forum that covers both of these programs. I noted several posts by Mark Uniacke, the developer of HIARCS, and there are a number of interesting discussions of both programs. The Interface and "Ribbons" The interface uses the "ribbons" implemented for Microsoft 2007. If you are like me, and perfectly comfortable with older versions of software (I often only upgrade grudgingly), ribbons may be new to you.

This looks quite a bit different than the interface to my Fritz 11:

Where I hardly ever use the tool-bars to the right but mostly use the menu on the left. What is the use of ribbons? When Microsoft implemented them in Office 2007, they were touted as a modern way to help users find, understand, and use commands efficiently and directly. There should be minimal "clicking," less trial-and-error, and less reference to Help. The idea is to consolidate the many functions of menus, tool-bars, and task panes into one area. When first implemented, many users felt they took too much time to learn, and some tasks took more key-presses or clicks to implement. One survey found that most users were negative regarding the change to ribbons and advanced users of the software actually found a reduction in productivity. In our software, I can't say that I had an especially negative reaction to the ribbons. This, even though I can be quite hesitant in using, and become quite frustrated with, new implementations of technology. It certainly took more time at first to find the things I wanted, although generally they were in the areas I wanted them to be, and I just had to "fish around" a little. I also recommend reading the manual to the software, and yes, I am one of those folks who hardly ever reads the manual, preferring to stumble in and start using it. The introduction to the ribbons and their logic is succinctly contained in the manual, under initial operation. Many options that didn't seem to work as they should, did work when I read the manual and realized the step(s) I was omitting. So I will give the ribbon concept a cautious thumbs-up. I adapted to them readily, and even though, after a month, I am probably just back up to speed in using the functions, I do not see them as a great time-waster. Those already familiar with ribbons will probably be quite comfortable with them. Options in the Interface For those who have used previous forms of CB engines and their interfaces, all the old options are still there. They may take awhile to find initially, but they are there.

Some of the options are quite nice. For example, there is a device called a "slider" that allows you to get to a certain point in a game faster. One function I continually had trouble with was "Calculation Training." Every time I tried to use it the program(s) shut down. This is an option that does indeed look like it would be a very valuable one, especially for people of my age, where calculation begins to fail and general knowledge takes over. Using such a tool would help my fading visualization skills. To be fair, I had not had the time yet to communicate with the help people at ChessBase to see what the problem is. I mention this because it may be simply a fault of how I am using the option. ChessBase, for all its small flaws, cannot be described as a company that does not respond to their consumers. Whenever I have contacted ChessBase for help, I have always received some kind of response within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. When I bought the endgame analysis program Freezer some years back, the help person even ran my analysis for me as an initial guide to helping me getting up and running with the program. So probably CB can help me with this problem. Another option I had trouble with at first was engine-engine match. I figured out my problem on this one myself, but again, a glance into the manual would have revealed the issue. I wasn't setting the parameters beforehand (I had assumed that I would enter them later), and thus the engine had no idea what to do. This left both of us hanging. I find computer-computer games most intriguing, and I know I am not alone here, as it gives you a view into the "thinking" done by each engine. Engines see things that humans don't – and by this I don't mean simply stronger moves but also different ones. One option I almost never use on any engine is actually playing the engine. To me, playing an engine is rather like having a footrace against your car. But I found many people do still spar and play against their computer programs. Unfortunately, I found little to dissuade my view that engines are great as analysis partners and not much use as a sparring partner.

In the past handicapping a computer by rating was a bit of a fool's game. Basically the engine played its normal game for a certain number of moves and every so often inserted an idiot's move that you could capitalize on. The little clown face in the corner gives little hope that this has been improved. Unfortunately, this seems to be the case. I didn't get much different of a game – and in some cases no difference at all – whether I set the slider to 1385 or 1800 or 2000. Both programs simply tended to hang a piece early on and depending on the level set, either defended tenaciously or poorly. Deep Junior was the worst culprit here, at handicap levels simply flinging the same piece (s) all over the board, and in many cases, playing for a helpmate in less than twenty moves. Both programs have different levels; the above is from HIARCS, but the slider stopped at a rating of 2125 in Deep Junior. I was more impressed with HIARCS ability to play a decent handicap by rating game, although I personally would never use either engine for this.

Particularly disappointing, as, like many people, I cannot get to the club or to tournaments as I once could, and would have loved to use this option. But with the software you get a free year at the Playchess site, where there are plenty of humans to play. Since a year's membership is about thirty-five dollars, this is one of the real advantages of buying one of these programs. There are specific programs designed for opening training. I never liked any of them. I must admit I also liked studying openings the least of all, which could certainly account for this. Here I found the opening trainer to be quite useful in brushing me up on openings.

I particularly enjoyed looking at the whys and wherefores of the different opening choices:

In many cases, they differed quite a bit from what I expected, both in my own personal repertoire and what the books told me. So long as you use this option critically, I think you will do well. It made me reconsider some of my opening variations and their possible continuations. However, with some, I felt the evaluation provided was inaccurate. But like any tool, knowing its strengths and weaknesses (you don't drive a nail with a screwdriver) makes you a better user. In at least one line that seemed ridiculous to me, I saw a fundamental mistake I was making in evaluation. In another, I found that the line recommended was mostly "smack-downs" of lower-rated players, and the line did not consider the resulting endgame, as it never got that far. The HIARCS Professional Openings Book ($32.95, ChessCafe Price: $28.95) is a very good addition, so if you were thinking of using the engine as an opening trainer, and you were a fairly high-rated player, you probably would choose HIARCS with the opening book.

Those are primarily "before a serious game" function; what if you choose to use these engines in analyzing your games? I had not used options such as "auto-analyze" in the past with engines (my preference is to analyze, move-bymove, either with the engine alone, or preferably, within ChessBase), as I found they tended to generate as much nonsense in analysis as useful information, and there was always plenty to wade through. Happily, I believe these options are much more useable in these engines. I'm still a little wary of this use of an engine, as I still believe the human controlling the analysis move-by-move is a superior method. But I am also sure many will disagree. Also, there are a number of analysis options. Like any tool again, the user will probably find which version(s) work best - whether full analysis, blunder check, or shoot-out. I used both programs to analyze this months offering by IM Dvoretsky, "Tal's Unknown Game" using the full analysis option. Both processors agreed in general with the analysis to that game and also allowed me to analyze the line 23.Nxc7+!?, where the win was proclaimed as more difficult, but no analysis was given. Actually both engines see it as a rather easy win (although they didn't consider it in the full analysis option; I had to force them to do so in the "Infinite Analysis" mode); however, Tal's spectacular line was of course superior. Here are the results of full analysis by Deep Junior from move fifteen in the Tal game, with additional comments from the analysis done by HIARCS in parentheses:

[FEN "4kr1r/pppqb1pp/2n1b3/3pP3/8/2NQ1N2/ PPP2PPP/R1B1R1K1 w - - 0 13"]

13.Ng5 White threatens to win material: Ng5xh7 13.Bg5 Bb4 14.Bd2 h6+/- (A later analysis in blunder check mode with HIARCS showed that it considered this move a blunder, although it is only seen as "not best" in the Dvoretsky article. But it also gave the rather odd line 13.Rd1 Nb4 14.Qe2 Nc6 15.Bg5 Bc5 16. a4 a6 as best. Interestingly, when I let the full analysis mode run overnight, it came up with the supposedly best move, 13.Bg5!, whereas deep position analysis, at sixty minutes for analysis, thought 13.Rd1 best and 13.Bg5 second-best). 13...Bc5 13...Bxg5!? 14.Bxg5 Rf5+/=. (HIARCS gives 13...Bc5 a question mark, indicating 13...Nb4 is the best option Black has; e.g., 14.Qd1 Bf5+/-) 14.Nxe6+/- Bxf2+ 15.Kh1 Bxe1 16.Nxf8 16.Nxd5!? Ba5 17.Nxf8 Rxf8 18.Be3 Nxe5 19.Qd4+/-. (HIARCS also prefers 16.Nxd5, without giving it any punctuation, but gives 15.Nxf8 a double question mark) 16...Rxf8= Black king safety improved. 17.Bg5?

17.Be3!? and White could well hope to play on 17...Bxc3 18.bxc3= (HIARCS also gives White's move here a question mark, and notes 17.e6!? is a viable option, which is something I wondered when looking at the game for the first time; however, all lines end in a slight to large advantage for Black). 17...Nb4+/- 18.Qe2 Nxc2 19.e6 Qd6?? There were better ways to keep up the pressure, 19...Qc6 20.Rd1 d4–+. 20.Nb5+- Qe5? 20...Qc5 21.b4 Qb6+- (HIARCS also considers 20...Qb6 here, but considers it favorable to White). 21.h4 Qg3 21...Rf5 hoping against hope 22.Qxe5 Rxe5 23.Nxc7+ Kf8+-. 22.Rd1 Rf2 23.Qxf2!! Mate threat. 23...Bxf2 23...Bxf2 24.Rxd5 Combination; 23...Qxf2 24.Nxc7+ Kf8 25.e7+ Passed pawn; …23...-- 24.Qf7# Mate threat. 24.Rxd5 1-0 Not a bad result for a thirty second per move evaluation; not quite as good as Dvoretsky and Sosonko's analysis, but most of us don't have an IM and GM at our disposal. I was particularly happy with the additional options HIARCS considered over Deep Junior. An interesting feature is the "Compare Analysis" option, where the analyses of various engines can be compared without doing it "the long way," as I did above. Also, the language-based analysis isn't as clumsy or downright silly as it has been in some earlier incarnations of this interface. All comments in "natural language" were appropriate and easy to understand. For testing the analytical capabilities of the engines in single positions, I used a number of the positions available online. Again, the programs found the continuations in a short period of time, without glitches. When fully armed, the programs are quite impressive with what they find, and many of the studies (with their various underpromotions and zugzwang positions) that used to confound engines did not stump either program. Conclusion I really enjoyed my time evaluating both these engines. I am going to give HIARCS a nod because of the various advantages mentioned above, such as its more "human-like" play and that I preferred the analysis it gave me, but both are decent purchases and any player choosing one of these as his primary engine will not be disappointed. I cannot recommend them as a sparring partner in rating handicapped mode; I encourage programmers to work on this, especially since this should be a strong selling point for a commercial engine over the various free ones. But for analysis of games, engine-engine matches, and opening study, both programs lived up to expectations. I would, as a consumer, probably be dissuaded from buying Deep Junior because of the cost; you can have HIARCS 13 and the opening book for less than Deep Junior alone. My assessment of HIARCS 13: Order HIARCS 13 by ChessBase

My assessment of HIARCS 13 Professional Openings Book: Order HIARCS 13 Professional Openings Book by ChessBase

My assessment of Deep Junior 12: Order Deep Junior 12 by ChessBase

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Reviewed this Month Unorthodox Chess Openings by Valeri Lilov

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Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster's Repertoire, Vol. 1 by Viktor Bologan Know the Terrain, Vol. 2: The Capablanca Structure by Sam Collins

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

Translate this page

Orthodox and Unorthodox Approaches

Chess Endgames 8 by Karsten Müller

We will be reviewing three trainers this month: one on unusual openings that has been out there for awhile and two new brand-new trainers, one on main line Sicilians and another on pawn structures that is a continuation of a previous trainer. Thus, the concentration is on openings and the middle- and endgames that arise from them. Unorthodox Chess Openings (DVD) by Valeri Lilov, ChessBase, Playing Time: 5 hrs 16 min. $32.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95) Lilov is a popular presenter on the Playchess server, and this set of lectures shows why. Don't expect to learn anything about unorthodox openings in depth; this DVD is an introduction to a whole slew of unorthodox openings. Lilov speaks a very good colloquial style of English with an accent that is not too bothersome; he lapses into the occasional malapropism but nothing that makes you wince.

Rating Chart Awful – Poor –

The material is divided as follows: ● ● ●

Uneven –

●

Good –

●

Great – Excellent –

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire Vol. 2 by Victor Bologan

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● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction Sokolsky Dunst Double Fianchetto Richter-Versov Anderssen, Larsen, and Grob Fantasy Variation Chigorin Variation Center Game Danish Gambit Blackmar-Diemer and Omega Gambit Nimzowitsch Defense Hippopotamus St. George Gurgenidze Variation Balogh and Kingston Latvian, Elephant, and Greco Chigorin Defence Albin's Countergambit Budapest Gambit Tango

Chess Expertise: Mastering Strategy by Efstratios Grivas

● ● ●

Polish Defense and Englund Gambit Opening Formations Outro

I've loved unorthodox openings, especially strange gambits, for years, so I was very pleased to be reviewing this trainer. However, if you do have plenty of experience with unorthodox openings, you will find little new material here. I see this trainer as a bit of edutainment for a player, probably at the club level, who has little experience with these sorts of formations. I enjoyed the sections on the Sokolsky, Richter-Veresov, Hippopotamus, and Englund Gambit the best. The Sokolsky material is actually comprehensive enough that it would give the club player playing against it or thinking of taking it up enough material for a start. The Hippopotamus and later material on the Universal Defense in "Opening Formations" was well-presented, and as most of us know, and Lilov affirms, is tough to break through. I play mostly speed chess on the net these days, so I see a lot of these – these players play quickly, sit back, and wait for you to overextend yourself or lose on time in the complications. The approach Lilov gives to battling these makes perfect sense whether in a bullet game or a rated slow tournament game. Since a lot of my speed chess is played "coffeehouse style," I do occasionally play the Englund Gambit, and the one formation Lilov covers is something of a reversed Blackmar-Diemer Gambit in addition to the old known "one trap" line with 4...Qb4+. It's not sound, but it is often fun, and what is interesting is how persistent the attack can be for Black if one does not try to blow White away immediately. A sample line is 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 f6?! 4.exf6 Nxf6 5.Bg5 Bc5 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 d5 8.Nc3 Be6 9.Bd3. That being said, it is strange that the material on the actual Blackmar Diemer doesn't resemble anything close to what I know as BDG theory. He gives 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bd3 c5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Qe2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.Ne4 as the main line. If this is all you know about the BDG, as black or white, you will quickly find yourself losing from either side. One unorthodox opening I always play poorly against is the Dunst, and Lilov offered nothing of value to me here (I always end up in something of a bad Scotch opening). Some of the modules are just too short and don't contain enough information, even for a rough start, and the Dunst is one of those. In the material on the Latvian, Elephant, and Greco, he notes these are good surprise weapons, and covers the Latvian well, but doesn't give enough information on the Elephant. The material on the Elephant ignores the 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5?! 3.exd5 e4!? line, as well as "The Wasp," 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5?! 3. Nxe5 dxe4 4.Bc4 Qg5?!, which most books stop here, listing a great plus for White (absolutely true if you know the subsequent analysis, but if you don't, Black will wipe the board with you). Covering the Chicago Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5?!, in a serious manner was amusing. I only knew the apocryphal story behind it, where the player who invented it on his deathbed indicated he simply "didn't see that the e-pawn was protected." But why is the more highly regarded Halloween Gambit relatively ignored? As an overview for club players, this is to be recommended. Higher-rated players who enjoy watching these trainers will also find something of value, if nothing else, in Lilov's fun way of presenting these that does not descend into the ridiculous. He is always aware of the drawbacks of these various openings. One things that is odd is that full reference information (Player's names, etc.) is not given in writing, so you have to listen for the names of the players if Lilov mentions them, in case you want to try to find more games by that player. This is the first trainer I have ever seen that did this. But if you want in-depth information on any of these formations in order to play them (in most cases, he gives sufficient information for the player who has to play against these openings), you will have to find books that cover that material.

My assessment of this DVD: Order Unorthodox Chess Openings by Valeri Lilov

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster's Repertoire, Vol. 1 (DVD) by Viktor Bologan, ChessBase, Playing time: 6 hrs. $36.95 (ChessCafe Price: $33.95 ) Although I mainly play coffeehouse style chess for fun these days, I realize that if I ever want to plunge into serious play again, I am going to have to bite the bullet and engage in some serious opening study. Like all players, I have my dreams, and one is to perhaps compete in the World Senior Open one day (hey, if I can't beat all these new kids, maybe I can beat up my own generation!), and to do so, I will have to give up both my "junk" openings as well as my serious repertoire, which is designed to avoid all main lines. For someone like me with those sorts of dreams, this DVD, and the promised follow-ups is ideal. I simply cannot praise it enough. This is the first volume on the Open Sicilian, and it covers all Black responses to 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd 4.Nxd4. So we have the Sveshnikov and Cheiabinsk Variations, the Rauzer, the Maroczy Bind, as well as minor side lines. What I really liked about this DVD is that Bologan goes back to his roots in many variations and discusses, for example, how he learned certain lines from his first trainer or how he had to come up with a variation for one of his students. Although he covers lines, you have to realize that he is presenting ideas to you. From the one or two lines he gives, you should have the main ideas mastered for that opening variation. In terms of level, this is not the DVD for you if you don't understand how to exploit favorable positions, for Bologan will often stop at a point where for a lower-rated player, even if they understood that the position is favorable for them, will not know how to proceed to the win. For practice, I've played some main lines Sicilians as black, with little success, and Bologan has shown me why. If I ever take up the white side, I feel confident this DVD and its successors will prove invaluable in that regard. As to the presentation style, Bologan of course has an accent but it does not disturb once you have listened to it for awhile. He also presents with great confidence (although his speaking is a bit on the quiet side and occasionally descends into what sounds like mumbling to my older ears), which keeps you focused. He notes, "I don't like to give you too many lines, too many variations, I try to give you exactly what you need." And he does. Here are the main divisions of the DVD: ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction Maroczy Systems: 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4 Richter Rauzer: 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 Löwenthal: 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 Sveshnikov: 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 Line

I cannot say there is a section in which I was not impressed with his knowledge and his ability to impart that knowledge. If I had to critique any section, it would be the Rauzer, and I don't find anything out of order here except there are lines that are not covered that I feel should have been. Another critique is that when I turned to the analysis section (going over the games after the presentation is very important for proper learning), the annotations were not in English! Seeing things like "po tsentru!" after a move is not useful for me, and I imagine, most users of this media.

Bologan is always honest and forthright in his discussion. For example, he notes that a student of his used to play the following line in the Löwenthal: 1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6. He wanted to have the student quite the line, but noted it was not so easy for him to prove an advantage for White. After 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6, the books recommend 8.Qd1, 8.Qxf6 (Khalifman), 8.Qc7 or 8.Qd3, the last two also seemingly being the choice of most chess engines. Many years ago 8.Qc7 was the move, thought to secure White the advantage. But here Bologan recommends his own line of 8.Qd2!

[FEN "r1b1k1nr/1p1p1ppp/p1n2q2/4p3/4P3/ 8/PPPQ1PPP/RNB1KB1R b KQkq - 0 8"]

The white queen does not stand badly, and of course after c4 and b3 the c1bishop may well be fianchettoed. Bologan believes that this 8.Qd2! move is the best way to maintain the needed control over the d5-square, and he shows this very well. If I could give this first volume ten stars I would. I have learned more from this one DVD than probably all the trainers I have ever viewed combined. It was a wonderful learning experience, and I look with great anticipation to the next two volumes. My assessment of this DVD: Order Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster's Repertoire, Vol. 1 by Viktor Bologan

Know the Terrain, Vol. 2: The Capablanca Structure (DVD) by Sam Collins, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hrs 30 min. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) My predecessor for this column praised very highly the previous DVD in this series on pawn structures: Know the Terrain, Vol 1: The Carlsbad, and I am going to offer the same high praise for the quality of ideas presented, but I found Collins' presentation style here less than ideal. He hesitates, he looks lost at times, and just doesn't give that air of confidence you should have when you have such excellent ideas. He reminds me very much of a young professor, unsure of himself in the classroom – and he should not be. I must remark this is not always the case throughout the entire DVD, but I did find it unnecessary. I also wonder if this is Collins' fault – why doesn't an editor at ChessBase note these glitches and re-record that lecture or section of a lecture? For a serious player looking to improve, you will find no better way to do so, once you have mastered endgames, to study pawn structures in depth. It is an understanding of pawn structures that separates the good players from the also rans. Combinations come up only every so often, but knowing what you need to know with a certain pawn formation will always serve you well. Although this pawn formation crops up more in 1. d4 openings than others, it will be

seen in some 1. e4 openings as well such as the Chase Variation of the Alekhine, the Caro-Kann, and others. This is the Capablanca structure, which Collins claims has been neglected in the past:

[FEN "6k1/pp3ppp/2p1p3/8/2PP4/8/ PP3PPP/6K1 w - - 0 1"]

I checked my copies of Kmoch's Pawn Power in Chess as well as the more recent Understanding Pawn Structures by Marovic and Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess, as well as various middlegame texts and felt he was correct in this assessment. The structure of this DVD is excellent, Collins starting with his own discovery of the potential of this structure through some games of his own, and then moving on to try to cover as many eventualities as possible. Using full games as a guide is excellent; you get to see the opening set-up and the resultant middle- and endgames. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction Meeting e4 with e5 d4-d5 Advance c5 advance and occupation of d6 c5 vs. b6 and Bb7 Rook lift and advance of h-pawn Tactics against f7 and e6 Nf5 g4 pawn storm f4 e5 advance b5 and light-square bind f5 and g5 Tactics for Black Doubling rooks on d-file Early endgame Maneuvering Which pieces to trade? Conclusion

I give only the main headers because underneath each of these is as many as seven games, for a total of forty-seven full games! The research, the material, it is all first class and on a par with well-known theoretician such as Dvoretsky. By the time I had watched the entire DVD, I felt I had added over a hundred Elo points to my sagging playing ability based on the excellent knowledge I now had of this pawn structure. This was my favorite game from the series as it showed the potential in the endgame for Black of having such a solid pawn structure in the center, letting him go crazy on one wing. It is by the always enterprising and entertaining Suat Atalik: Illescas Cordoba, Miguel (2585) – Atalik, Suat (2575) Bled ol 2002 Chebanenko Slav [D15] 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 a6 5.e3 Bf5

Collins – "An interesting idea" 6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.Qxd3 e6 8.0–0 Be7 9.e4 0–0 10.b3 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Nd7 At this point it is obvious Black is OK. 13.Bf4 Qa5 14.Qc2 Rad8 15.Rad1 Rfe8 16.Rfe1 Bf6 White doesn't have much of anything here, and his d-pawn is under pressure, as Collins notes. 17.h3 Nf8 18.Bd2 Qh5 19.Be3 Ng6 20.Qe4 At this point a draw was offered and declined. And certainly this makes sense, Atalik has nothing to fear. 20. ..Nh4 21.Nxh4 Qxh4 22.Qxh4 Bxh4 23.Kf1 Rd7 24.Ke2 Red8 25.Rd2 Be7 26.Red1 Bb4 27.Rd3 f6 28.Bd2 Bd6 29.Ba5 Re8 30.Kf3 Kf7 31.Bb6 h5 32.Ke2 g5 33.a4 Rg8 34.Rh1 Be7 35.f3

[FEN "6r1/1p1rbk2/pBp1pp2/6pp/P1PP4/ 1P1R1P1P/4K1P1/7R b - - 0 35"]

At this point it is fairly obvious Black holds all the trumps. He has been able to instigate an action on the wing that White has no way of meeting. The rest of the game is an instructive example of when and how to play an aggressive endgame. Normally "throwing pawns forward" is a bad idea in the ending; but the Black set-up is so ideal he can afford this aggressiveness. 35. ..h4 36.Rhd1 Rc8 37.Kd2 Bb4+ 38.Kc2 a5 39.Rf1 Ra8 40.f4 gxf4 41. Rxf4 Rg8 42.Rf2 f5 43.Kd1 c5 44.d5 Kf6 45.d6 Rg3 46.Rff3 Rxg2 47.Bc7 e5 48.Rde3 Rd2+ 49.Kc1 f4 50.Rd3 Rxd3 51.Rxd3 e4 52.Rd1 e3 53.Rf1 e2 0–1 For any player rated 1800 or above, this is an excellent DVD for improvement. Collins is very thorough in the presentation of his ideas and does not ever get too complex in his analysis, so players of around 1600 might benefit as well. I nicked one star from my rating due to the sometimes hesitant presentation style, other than that it is a near perfect DVD for learning purposes. My assessment of this DVD: Order Know the Terrain, Vol. 2: The Capablanca Structure by Sam Collins

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will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster's Repertoire, Vol. 2 by Viktor Bologan

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

First Steps in Attack by Andrew Martin

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

Chess Endgames 8: Practical Rook Endings by Karsten Müller

Wealth of Information

Tricks & Traps Vol. 3 by Nigel Davies

This month we look at three DVDs, one each for the opening, middlegame, and ending. Each one is very well-done, and contain a wealth of information for the learner. It will probably be the only time you see me giving six stars – the maximum – to each DVD. Translate this page

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire Vol. 2 (DVD) by Viktor Bologan, ChessBase, Playing time: 5 hours 40 minutes, $36.95 (ChessCafe Price: $33.95)

Rating Chart

I reviewed the excellent first volume of this series last month. There is nothing here that dissuades me from my original opinion: if you are a decently strong player, club player or above, and want to get an inside track on how to beat the Sicilian as white using main lines, this DVD is for you. Buy it before someone else in the club does, so you can start winning more games! I note that ChessCafe is currently running a special where you can buy all three DVDs (the third volume is now available as well) with a six dollar discount.

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire Vol. 3 by Victor Bologan

Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

The emphasis is on the Dragon and Najdorf systems. There are twenty-four well-laid out sections: one an introduction and discussion of the "DragoNajdorf," four on the Dragon, and nineteen on the Najdorf. I was most interested in the first section. According to Bologan, the system presented here, which he calls the "Drago-Najdorf" (and I have always heard being referred to as the "Dragon-dorf"), is a system that popped up a few years back, with the intent of beating weaker players by combining the Dragon system with the Najdorf. A friend and I had had a conversation on this one some years back, and we both remembered that GM Kavalek had in the old RHM series roundly condemned such systems as violating too many general opening principles. The basic analysis here starts on move eight: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 3.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.Qd2 a6

What Grandmasters Don't See, Vol. 3 by Maurice Ashley

[FEN "rnbqk2r/1p2ppbp/p2p1np1/8/3NP3/ 2N1BP2/PPPQ2PP/R3KB1R b KQkq - 0 8"]

Black has three main continuations: 8...Nbd7, 8...b5, and 8...h5!? Interestingly, each of these three is dealt with in a slightly different manner, although all involve the a4 push by White in a timely manner. For example, 8...Nbd7 is met by 9.g4 b5 (9...Ne5 10.0-0-0 b5 11.g5 Nfd7 12.f4 Nc4 13. Bxc4 bxc4 14.Nc6 Qc7 15.Nxe7 and White is winning) 10.g5 Nh5 11.a4 bxa4 12.Rxa4 Nc5 (12...Bb7 might be better, but still leads to a secure White advantage) 13.Ra2 Bb7 14.Bg2 0-0 15.0-0 Rc8 16.Nde2 Nd7 17.Bh3 e6 18. Qxd6, with a secure plus for White, as in the game Bauer-Romero Holmes, France 2005. Black's only real chance seems to be 18...Ne5, hoping for a queen trade to alleviate some of his problems, but then 19.Qb4! just leaves Black struggling. That is an interesting use of play on both flanks, and White seems to violate basic opening principles as well by pushing pawns on both flanks. However, the white position is secure in the center and Black's c6 hole is a large deficit. The g-pawn pushes force the black knight to a worse position, and the a4 push secures White's positional advantage. The white king is in no danger from the black pieces, they cannot exploit his potential deficits, whereas White is well set-up to profit from Black's mixture of two diverse plans. Such a position reminds me of how Alekhine used to win game after game by skillful play on both flanks. I had another friend who played the Dragon religiously, and I used to play it in the days when Reinfeld recommended it, so the Dragon material didn't seem to offer anything especially new or ground-breaking, but it was very thorough, with much of the analysis extending to move thirty and beyond. The Najdorf has always been the reason I have avoided mainline Sicilians, and it was reassuring to hear Bologan state that there is no clear answer for White here, the Najdorf being something "of a headache" for White. There are so many potential options that have been tried, and none has ever "busted" the system. Bologan suggests that 6.Be3 (the English Attack) is the best line, as it is both aggressive and positional at the same time. It also has similarities to the means used to meet the Dragon. The means by which White can combine positional concepts with attacking play is impressive. For example, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6The 8.f3 h5 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.0-0-0 Be7 11.Kb1 (he stresses often that b1 is the best square for the king) and now Black has a choice between 11...Qc7 or 11...Rc8. After 11...Qc7, White has an interesting plan with 12.g3 b5 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd Nb6 15.Bxb6 Qxb6 16.Na5! and White will aim for a potential c4 push, if allowed; if not placing the WB on g2, with an eventual f4 and Nc6 will give him a good advantage. On 11...Rc8, the plan changes to a kingside attack. This is one of the best DVDs I have reviewed, but it is not worthwhile for the beginning player. You particularly have to understand how to capitalize on various fluid plans that result from Black's move choices. The annotations in the notes are mostly in English, but occasionally lapse into other languages. This was a larger problem in the first volume, I consider it quite minor here. Again, Bologan is also a good speaker of English, with an accent, but it is not distracting, with only occasional language flubs. If I ever do make the brave

jump to mainline Sicilians, I will have all the Bologan DVDs by my side. My assessment of this DVD: Order Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster's Repertoire, Vol. 2 by Viktor Bologan Order all three volumes of Beating the Sicilian and automatically save an extra $6.00!

First Steps in Attack (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours, $23.95 (ChessCafe Price: $19.95) I was not sure what to expect from this DVD, because of its author. It is touted as the beginning of a series for players under 2200, and which will eventually cover a variety of topics. At the end of the series, the viewer should be able to pursue individualized study on the chess topics of his choosing, as he will now have a firm foundation. Why was the presenter an initial concern? Andrew Martin is certainly one of the most prolific authors in chess these days, but unlike his compatriot Nigel Davies, also a prolific author, Martin has produced a few duds. When I was a member at chesspublishing.com, I liked his analyses and sections the least. They often seemed hurried and incomplete. He has produced some very good books, but also some that were less-than-stellar. However, just about any prolific author is bound to release some letdowns just because they are producing so much material. And unlike some authors, who shamelessly cut-and-paste from their colleagues, Martin's mistakes are all his own. Here Martin wants to tell you what you should be thinking "before you launch an assault." He notes that just about everyone likes attacking chess, and of course, below 2200, tactics prevail. His presentation style is very entertaining, and he divides the DVD into sixteen annotated games. This is great, because full games are the best way for a lower-rated player to really understand chess in its entirety. Although I understand the use of game fragments and positions as a means of teaching for lower-rated players and tactics, I often think this is overly stressed. A good collection of games, showing how the attack followed logically from the opening and early middlegame, is best for learning. Particularly impressive was that Martin was not afraid to show one of his losses, in this case to show the potential of the queen as an attacking piece. Chess is a funny game in that often we learn more from our losses than our wins, painful though they might be. And Martin makes no bones about the fact that this game was a painful lesson for him. Having just completed his first book on the King's Indian, Martin was eager to show how Bronstein's queen sacrifice was good against the Sämisch. Levitt, Jonathan (2480) – Martin, Andrew (2425) Glasgow, 1989 [E87] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0–0 5.f3 d6 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.Qd2 Qh4 + 9.g3 Nxg3 10.Qf2 Nxf1

[FEN "rnb2rk1/ppp2pbp/3p2p1/3Pp3/2P1P2q/ 2N1BP2/PP3Q1P/R3KnNR w KQ - 0 11"

Here we have the beginning of Bronstein's queen sacrifice, which looks like a duffer's mistake. Even if you don't play either side of this opening, it is one of those phenomenal ideas that deserve closer study. Here Martin makes an excellent point on how the King's Indian is a reactive defense that relies on exactly the right time to counterattack. 11.Qxh4 Nxe3 Black has only two minor pieces and a pawn for the queen, but has a number of threats, as Martin notes. 12.Ke2 Nxc4 13.Rc1 A major problem here of course is that Black, although he has compensation, must proceed rather slowly with his attack, a deficit Martin clearly points out. He is going to have to break open the position with either ...c6 or ...f5, but both moves take a good deal of preparation. 13..Na6 13...Nxb2 14.Nb5; 13...Bd7 14.Nd1 Bb5 15.a4 Ba6 16.b4 c6. 13...Bd7 may well be best here. White has his own ideas after 13...Na6 – to amass pieces on the kingside, against a black king that looks rather secure at first. 14.Nd1 Nb6 15.Ne3 Bd7 16.Nh3 f6 17.Nf2 Nc8 A "retrograde" move according to Martin that made sense at the time, but that he would probably reconsider today. 18.Nd3 18.Rc1 was Kasparov's choice against Seirawan in a game played in the same year; Martin finds Levitt's approach "superior to the great Kasparov." There are no real inroads into the black queenside and the game was later drawn. 18..c5 19.Qg3 Bh6 20.h4 Bb5 This seemed logical at the time, but Levitt notes that the newer 20...f5 is better, and if 21.exf5, then 21…Ne7!, a move he admits was found by his "silicon friend." 21.a4 Bxd3+ 22.Kxd3 Nb4+ The knight looks pretty here, but really isn't doing much. 23.Ke2 f5 24.h5 Bxe3 25.hxg6 h6

[FEN "r1n2rk1/pp6/3p2Pp/2pPpp2/Pn2P3/ 4bPQ1/1P2K3/2R4R w - - 0 26"]

Martin thought he was doing well here, but missed the brilliant move to follow. My own "silicon friend," Fritz 11, takes a few seconds to find the brilliancy, and also finds that all other continuations favor Black, or at best, provide equality. 26.Rxh6!! Bxh6 27.Qh3 Kg7 28.Rh1 Bg5 28...Rh8 29.Qxf5 Rf8 30.Qh3 Rh8 31.Qd7+ Kxg6 32.Qe6+ Kg7 33.Rg1+. 29.Qh7+ Kf6 30.Qd7 Bh6 31.Rxh6 1–0 I've only given a small portion of Martin's annotations to the game; the contrast between the Kasparov game and Levitt's approach is particularly worthy of study. And all the games given have that same quality – quality games with quality, easily understandable annotations by any player above 1200. I've been through this game several times to see how one can amass forces in such a position. Note how small but how decisive Martin's mistakes were in this game. Even if you are above 2200, you will find this DVD worthwhile as a review of the basic concepts involving properly amassing forces to the kingside for an attack. The fact that Martin focuses on "thinking points" and ideas means that if you put the work in, you cannot help but learn. Credit to Martin for producing such an excellent product that would be inexpensive at twice the price. My assessment of this DVD: Order First Steps in Attack by Andrew Martin

Chess Endgames 8: Practical Rook Endings (DVD) by Karsten Müller, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hours 41 minutes, $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) I always expect quality from Karsten Müller's offerings; for years I kept a notebook of his Endgame Corner column, which I now of course archive digitally. I was not disappointed here. There are seven chapters, and each chapter has at least five examples, using annotated games in all cases except for a few pointed studies. The titles of some of the examples are enticing in and of themselves: "Mating attacks out of the blue," "Prophylaxis is important," "The king needs a place to hide," "The beauty of ugly rook moves," and so on. The DVD concludes appropriately with, "Duel of the Legends," featuring a Korchnoi-Karpov world championship game from Baguio City, 1978.

I had believed no one would ever produce anything superior to Emms' Survival Guide to Rook Endgames, one of my favorite books on rook endgames, but I do believe this DVD is much better, and for those who prefer the kind of learning provided by electronic media, it is definitely superior. The lessons are typically short and pointed. I like to view one each morning to get the main point, but someone who wanted to use it as a quick overview of rook endings could do so easily. For example, from Huschenbeth-Buhmann, German Championship 2011:

[FEN "4k3/R7/5Kp1/8/1P3PP1/8/p4r2/8 w - - 0 52"]

Can you spot the win? It isn't 53.Kxg6? Rxf4, but instead, the formation of an "umbrella" for the king: 52.f5! gxf5 53.g5!! 53.gxf5? Kd8 54.b5 Kc8 55.Kg6 Kb8 56.Ra6 Rg2+ 57.Kf7 Rf2 58.f6 Kb7 59. Kg7 Rg2+ 60.Kf8 Rf2 61.f7 Re2 62.Kg7 Rg2+=. 53...f4 54.g6 Rg2 55.g7 f3 56.Rxa2! f2 57.Ra1 Rg3 57...Rg1 58.Rf1!!+–. 58.Rf1 Rf3+ 59.Kg6 Rg3+ 60.Kh7 Rh3+ 61.Kg6 Rg3+ 62.Kf6 Rf3+ 63. Ke6 Rg3 64.Rxf2 Rxg7 65.Kd6 Rg6+ 66.Kc7! Rg7+ 67.Kc6 Rg6+ 68.Kb7 Rg7+ 69.Ka6 Rg6+ 70.Ka5 Kd7 71.Rc2! Re6 72.b5 Here Black resigned, although there are still some technical difficulties before the win occurred, Müller doesn't just stop here, but shows the full winning technique. Another pointed example: the importance of rook activity has been drilled into all of us who have studied rook endgames, but as Müller notes, sometimes only passivity does the job (from Esser,N-Esser,J 21st Goch Open, 2010):

[FEN "6k1/8/8/6p1/1r1RK1P1/5P2/8/8 b - - 0 46"]

It is easy for most of us to see why 46...Rxd4+? fails, but can you see why the passive defense of 46...Rb7! just holds, while the apparently better and less passive move 46...Rb6? fails? In the game Black played for activity with 46... Rb3? and lost, something many of us would have done.

46...Rb7! 47.Rd5 Rg7 48.Kf5 Rf7+! (a resource not available after 46...Rb6) 49.Kxg5 Rxf3, drawn. I enjoyed his discussion of when to be passive and when to be active, and like most good material on chess, it made me think about how I might apply this to my own games. This is, of course, the eighth in the series, and of the ones I have seen this is the best. The games are recent, which I find important since endgame technique has definitely improved over the years; too many examples in the old books are of a relatively weak player versus a GM. The only quibble I have with Müller is that, unlike his presentation style in German, which is clear and forceful, his presentation style in English, although perfectly understandable, is a bit hesitant and reserved. But this is not a major problem and should not deter anyone from buying this DVD. The only thing that was out of place here was his discussion of Duchamp's famous "left-behind" study, which he has discussed in his column as well. His revision of it is very clever, but seems not to belong in media discussing practical rook endgames; however, if you haven't seen this little bit of history yet, just consider it a bonus to the practical endgames. I don't know anyone who couldn't use a little more training in rook endgames. I have studied them for years and am still amazed by what I don't know, or what I do know, but don't play because I evaluate the position incorrectly. If you want to get better at rook endings, this DVD is for you. My assessment of this DVD: Order Chess Endgames 8: Practical Rook Endings by Karsten Müller Buy any three Chess Endgames DVDs and automatically save forty percent on a fourth!

© 2011 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Power Play 16: Test Your Rook Endgames by Daniel King

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What Grandmasters Don't See, Vol 3 by Muarice Ashley

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

Training and Testing This month I review two products that provide the opportunity for you to test yourself on the knowledge gained. Thus, they train and test, which is an excellent way to learn for any skill with a performance component, such as chess. Too often, one may learn something of value but not have the opportunity to use that knowledge right away. In such cases the knowledge fades quickly into the recesses of our brains. With these two products, you can not only learn something about the royal game, but also how reinforce how to use it in a game. Let's go!

Fritz 13 by ChessBase

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Power Play 16: Test Your Rook Endgames (DVD) by Daniel King, ChessBase. Playing Time: 6 hrs. $34.95 (Chesscafe Price: $30.95) This is the first product by GM King I have reviewed, and he passes muster. He has a good speaking ability, is obviously knowledgeable and well-prepared for each unit, and works to his strengths. He isn't the "fun" sort of instructor we will discuss in the next review, but he can crack a joke when appropriate and is exceptionally professional in his approach.

Rating Chart Awful – Poor –

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire Vol. 3 by Victor Bologan

That being said, this product must be compared with the product I reviewed last month, Karsten Müller's Chess Endgames 8: Practical Rook Endgames. I compared that product favorably with, and even felt it surpassed, my favorite all-time book on rook endgames, Survival Guide to Rook Endgames by John Emms.

Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

Comparatively, this is a very good product, though it is quite a different product from Müller's. First of all, the endgames given are more basic than Müller's examples. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If you are looking for a first primer on rook endgames – and if you don't believe you need more than one, you haven't played much tournament chess – this could be just the ticket, with Müller's product to follow. Second, there is the opportunity to test yourself with King's DVD. He structures the test portion quite nicely, giving you various positions in which you must find a plan. Later, he explains the proper plan so you can compare your answers with those given. There is no feedback, though, to tell you how well you did other than your own evaluation of your answer with King's. Let's look closer at the content. First comes the learning material. There are eighteen endings, all curiously called "pawn endings" for some reason. They are mostly grandmaster games from 2000 on, although the classics are

Tutorials Openings #04 by ChessBase

included. Newer games are better, simply because both sides show a deeper understanding of how to attack and defend various positions. Too many endgame books use the "great player versus second-class player" approach; this is not a problem here. King is another author who shows his losses. The following game was played when he was quite young. He notes the deep impression it made upon him, since he could have drawn but did not, in fact, getting it "spectacularly wrong." I believe this is often the impetus to endgame study; you lose a game you should have drawn or won and realize that it is because you have spent too much time in opening books and middlegame puzzle books, and don't understand the finer points of an ending. Sanz-King, Charlton Open 1979

[FEN "8/pp6/4R3/2k5/8/P5P1/1P3r2/ 1K6 b - - 0 32"]

Here Black played 32...Rg2, as he should. After 33.Rg6, he made a not-soobvious mistake, 33...Kb5? Normally one is dissuaded from flinging pawns forward in the endgame, but that is exactly here what he must do, with 33... b5! 34.Rg4 a5! ( 34...a6 is also probably good and more solid). Now if 35.Ka2 a4! and the king cannot emerge. King is hard on himself, but probably shouldn't be. Many players would be hesitant to push those pawns, and his waiting strategy led to an eventual win for White, who both got his king out and cramped Black with his own queenside pawns. The second part of the DVD is the test. It is straightforward, and the viewer is encouraged to make plans in most cases, instead of finding single moves. There is no means of evaluating yourself once you complete the test, but I would say a seventy percent score would place you in about the 1800 category, at least in terms of rook endgame knowledge. As much as I love ChessBase products, and love to recommend them to visual and oral learners, I still, in every product, see at least a bit of sloppiness in the production. For example, the following appears on one of the test questions (Spoiler alert!):

In the test to this section, you are asked whether Black can win or whether it is a draw. Now if you have any sort of command of German (or are simply curious, an online translator will tell you what the above says in a few sections), you will know that Black can win, since it clearly states that he can decide the race for himself. Why do such goofs survive in otherwise quality products? It clearly isn't King's mistake, or even if it was, the CB editors should have removed that comment for the test. It especially irks me because

it shows a nice classical win of far advanced pawns versus rook and pawn, and if you already know Black will win, you won't look for the draw. As noted, this is a good first primer for rook endgames. If you are at that point where you lose or draw too many rook endgames simply because you have not studied them in any depth, this is a great product for that purpose, and the opportunity to test yourself is a great plus. After that, you can graduate to Emms or Müller, and know rook endgames as well as the grandmasters. My assessment of this DVD: Order Power Play 16: Test Your Rook Endgames by Daniel King Buy any three PowerPlay DVDs and automatically save forty percent on a fourth!

What Grandmasters Don't See, Vol 3 (DVD) by Maurice Ashley, ChessBase. Playing Time: 3 hrs 45 min. $34.95 (Chesscafe Price: $28.95) Maurice Ashley scores again as favorite teacher with this DVD. I reviewed the first volume of this series in one of my first columns, and I am not embarrassed to say that Steve Goldberg did an even better review of the second volume in ChessCafe. com's weekly review column. We certainly agree, though: Ashley teaches with a entertainingly fast pace, is quick to crack a good joke, and simply relates well to the audience. If there really were a ChessBase University, Ashley would be a candidate for teacher of the year, and would be my handsdown choice to win. This DVD does exactly what it sets out to do: it summarizes the content in previous DVDs, including pawn protected squares, discoveries involving what he calls higher-level tactics (involving multiple pieces), and his mantra, "What you don't see can hurt you." Of course, GM Ashley especially exploits our wonder at the things grandmasters – some of them even supergrandmasters – miss in games. The combinations and continuations are not that hard to find. Yet in the heat of battle, even those hundreds of rating points above us do, at least on occasion. There's an opportunity to learn something even a GM doesn't see? Sign me up! Let's look first at what he covers in the summary. The introduction does a great job of summarizing the first two DVDs, and explains that this one will go into trickier tactics than we normally focus on, as well as looking at piece protected squares and pawn protected squares. There are eighteen grandmaster level games or game fragments. Again, as in previous volumes, Ashley shows some of his own discoveries, and on occasion, when he was, as Steve Goldberg put it, the "discoveree" rather than the discoverer. Readers of this column will know I respect a presenter or author who can show his losses as well as his wins. You know you aren't getting just the fluff games. My favorite game from this section was one against Sofia Polgar early in his career, a match he managed to draw and almost won. This game shows discovery nicely, as well as the idea of protected squares. What interested me even more was that Ashley noted he was unaware of these ideas he has now coined, of pawn and piece protected squares, and that it was in his pursuit of the GM title that he became aware of these concepts. It wasn't memorization or special preparation that brought him the title, but instead a focus on chess ideas. This little bit of wisdom, that thinking about chess is more important than memorizing in achieving higher levels, is something all of us can afford to chew on for awhile.

Polgar, Sofia (2445)-Ashley,Maurice (2370) Match New York 1992

[FEN "r5k1/pp3rbp/5np1/3np2q/8/PNN2R1P/ 1PP1Q1P1/R1B4K w - - 0 20"]

Here Polgar plays it safe with 20.Bd2, so as not to allow 20...Nxc3. Ashley notes Black already has a good active game here, with the e-pawn being in question: is it weak or is it strong? Well, the discovery move 20...e4! shows that it is strong. The idea of course is to exploit the long diagonal since, as the grandmaster notes, every move has a weakness. Here that weakness is that the b2-pawn is weakened. With four pieces in the way, he must open things up. The fact that e4 is "overprotected" does not mean anything. Now Polgar saw that 21.Nxe4 Nxe4 22.Qxe4 Rxf3 23.Qxf3 Qxf3 24.gxf3 Bxb2 25.Ra2 Bc3 leaves White's pawns scattered. Since that was not a good option, she chose something else, something that also looks solid, holding the queen on e2, 21.Rf2. But what follows? Yes, of course! Another push! White has made a connection between the Rf2 and Bd2, and one could argue that the two solid moves in a row were actually poor moves. After 21...e3! (yes that square is doubly piece protected!), if 22.Bxe3 Nxe3 23. Qxe3 Ng4! and the game is practically over, so Polgar chose instead 22.Qxh5 gxh5 23.Rxf6 Bxf6 24.Nxd5 exd2 25.Nxf6 Rxf6 26.Nd2, but after 26...Rf2 there were simply too many open lines – the exchange for a pawn just isn't going to be enough. So a player of Polgar's caliber, seeing one potentially bad endgame, is tricked into another by missing discovery on squares that are well-protected by pieces. The test section contains fourteen games, fragments, and a puzzle. Spoiler alert! This is my favorite section of the product from the test section, no players given, simply entitled "Lifesaver." I might like this one the best because the answer jumped out at me (well, after a minute, anyway) and Ashley says that no one has ever found the answer to this one. Lifesaver

[FEN "5b1k/1b2P1p1/p4PQp/3P3P/1p4K1/ 4qBP1/8/8 b - - 0 1"]

At first glance, it looks pretty hopeless for Black. He can't sacrifice the bishop for the pawn with 1...Bxe7? because he gets mated on g7. So 1...Bc8+ is obvious, as is White's reply of 2.Kh4. Now Ashley says people look at Qd4+, many look at a possible draw with 2...Qg5+ (this appears to fail and at best puts Black in a pretty rotten position) and everything but the winning move 2...

Qxe7!! He can't take the queen, and now Black wins by force, a piece up, and White's position in ruins. No matter what your level, this is a fun product where you will also learn something. And since these really are things grandmasters don't see, even higher-level players will benefit from the information as well as the excellent lecturing style of the presenter. If I could ever afford lessons from a grandmaster, I would pick GM Ashley, no question. Luckily, I can have him as a teacher for about thirty bucks with this DVD; let's hope he makes more. My assessment of this DVD: Order What Grandmasters Don't See, Vol 3 by Maurice Ashley Order all three volumes of What Grandmasters Don't See and automatically save an extra $6.00!

© 2011 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

[ChessCafe Home Page] [Book Review] [Columnists] [Endgame Study] [The Skittles Room] [ChessCafe Archives] [ChessCafe Links] [Online Bookstore] [About ChessCafe.com] [Contact ChessCafe.com] © 2011 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com®" is a registered trademark of BrainGamz, Inc.

Reviewed this Month ChessBase Tutorials Openings #04: Indian Defenses by ChessBase

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Know the Terrain Vol 3: Central Majority by Sam Collins

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

From the Opening to the Middlegame What? Back so soon? The good people at ChessCafe.com have decided to switch my column to a first Saturday schedule (with Inside Chess moving to the third Wednesday), hence this column so soon after the last one. This month I review an ingenious way for many people to become acquainted with an opening, the ChessBase tutorial system. I will also review another Sam Collins video on central majority pawn structures, probably the most interesting of them all so far.

Fritz 13 by ChessBase

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ChessBase Tutorials, Openings #04, Indian Defenses (DVD) , ChessBase. Playing Time: 5 hours. $35.95 (ChessCafe Price: $29.95)

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

I'd never seen this type of product before, and being an old-school skeptic, I wondered how well a video of this nature could introduce a player to certain opening structures. The accompanying booklet, excellently produced, with plenty of interesting facts on the openings it covers, purports the DVD as "all you need to know about" the Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian, Bogo-Indian, King's Indian, Grünfeld, Budapest Gambit, Trompowsky, Torre, Old Indian, Benoni, Benko, and Blumenfeld Gambit. There are a total of twenty-four videos. Manufacturer hyperbole aside (I don't believe a five hour video on any one of these could cover "all you need to know"), each lesson does cover in sufficient detail what you need to know to start playing that opening successfully and have a decent basic overview. Igor Stohl examines the Queen's Indian and Nimzo-Indian Defenses, Lawrence Trent does the King's Indian, Lars Schandorff presents the Grünfeld, Daniel King addresses the Benoni formations and the Budapest, and Valeri Lilov handles the Benko and Blumenfeld, along with the Bogo-Indian, Torre, and Trompowsky. I found Stohl a bit quiet and hesitating, and Schandorff as well. It was somewhat harder to follow their presentations, although not impossible. King, Trent, and Lilov were all great as far as presentation style goes; Lilov struggles with English at times, but it does not detract from his enthusiastic presentation of his material. What is great, if you also know German, is that the DVD also contains the same theoretical discussions by (mostly) other speakers, the exception being Daniel King, who does a great job in German or English. So how much detail is presented? The best analogy I can come up with is a video version of Abby Marshall's column here at ChessCafe.com, "The Openings Explained." If you don't know much about these openings, the

Chess Expertise, Vol. 2 by Efstratios Grivas

My Best Games in the King's Indian by Alexei Shirov

presenters give you what you need to get started. And like Abby, the DVD doesn't just have a presentation on the opening. Included is a database with 100 famous games (according to the booklet, but there actually are 101) that feature these openings. The drawback is that they aren't organized by openings nor are they annotated. Adding even brief annotations would have been a great plus. I'll confine myself to one example since it relates to a system I sometimes play when my normal ones aren't working (always good to have something in reserve), the Bogo-Indian. Most of my knowledge of it relates to an article I read many years ago by Bent Larsen. I was attracted to the fact that it was not often-played and was idea-based, with several ways to proceed for Black. Lilov presents the main ideas behind the lines confidently and quickly (he is almost too quick for me at times, but I suppose that is what "rewind" and replay" are for!). Breutigam, is a bit more "variation-based" in his discussion, although there is not much difference between the two. After the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+, I am comfortable with all continuations except 4.Nbd2 and that is simply because I have been too lazy to look in the book at what is recommended. But Lilov believes I can give up the b4-bishop here and secure a good game: 4...b6 5.a3 Bxd2+ 6.Qxd2 Bb7 7. e3 0–0 8.Be2 d6 9.0–0 Nbd7 10.b4 Ne4 11.Qc2 f5 12.Bb2 Qe7 13.Rad1 Rf6 14.d5 Rh6

[FEN "r5k1/pbpnq1pp/1p1pp2r/3P1p2/ 1PP1n3/P3PN2/1BQ1BPPP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 15"]

Lilov indicates Black may already be better. I am not so sure, but it is a line I would like to try: it looks to me like 15.Bd3! is best here for White, when Black will have to sacrifice a pawn for what will be a dynamic game for both sides. And if he recaptures with the bishop? 6.Bxd2 Bb7 7.Bg5 d6 8.e3 Nbd7 9.Qc2 Qe7 10.Rd1 h6 11.Bh4

[FEN "r3k2r/pbpnqpp1/1p1ppn1p/8/2PP3B/ P3PN2/1PQ2PPP/3RKB1R b Kkq - 0 11"]

And two possibilities emerge, 11...g5 or 11...a5. Pushing the g-pawn signals the possibility of queenside castling (there are some other openings with a queenside fianchetto where I occasionally castle on the queenside and this position looks better than most of them) Pushing the a-pawn signals that you are prepared for White's b4-push, and will try to use the a-file to your advantage. Although I am sure there is more to the story, I really am anxious to try this out, both possibilities in fact.

I'll briefly note one other section that impressed me. As a youngster I played the Budapest Gambit, so I was very interested in what King had to say. I was surprised how little had changed in forty years, but also very impressed that King avoided the tricks and traps in this opening and concentrated on the two most telling White responses – holding the pawn or returning it for a positionally better game. For the adventurous, he also showed a means by which they might imbalance the position: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 g5 – probably dubious, he notes, but worth an attempt if you want to mix it up. What level of player will benefit here? Well, any player with tournament experience will find these to be a useful introduction, perhaps barring those rated more than 2200. I normally play, for example, classically, and thus, the Tarrasch defense has been my defense of choice. But there are times when the defense just doesn't work for me, and it is always useful to have a back-up. In these cases, I play Nimzo/Queen's Indian/Bogo-Indian defenses, so I know something about them. Still, I found Stohl's material very useful in telling me a little more about an opening I rarely play, but know at least a little about. And of course, I already mentioned Lilov's little piece of theory I am dying to try out in my online games. For someone brand new, it would be a good introduction, for those who know a bit about openings, a useful review. This tutorial system is a great idea. My assessment of this DVD: Order ChessBase Tutorials Openings #04: Indian Defenses by ChessBase Order all four volumes of ChessBase Tutorials Openings and automatically save an extra $10.00!

Know the Terrain Vol 3. Central Majority (DVD) by Sam Collins, ChessBase. Playing Time: 4 hrs 39 min. $31.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) I really enjoyed the last Know the Terrain video, and the material in this one is probably even superior, as Collins discusses this idea of a central majority in ways I have not read or heard about before. It is an important theoretical contribution and anyone getting through the DVD will have weapons at his disposal (these weapons being ideas!) that his opponents will not have. The idea behind these videos is that prepared lines don't win all that many games - knowledge wins the tough tournament games. In this case specifically, superior knowledge of the pawn structures that typically arise from various openings. The fact that such knowledge should be transferable between different openings that have similar structures is another good weapon. When I was competing regularly, I grouped all of my openings, for white and black into ones that led to similar middlegame structures. This reduces the amount of time you have to spend on memorizing openings (general ideas will take over when memory of specific lines fails) and gives you the middle- and endgame advantage over your opponent. Collins defines this central majority as white pawns on a2, d4, and e4 against black pawns on a7, b7, and e7. These structures appear quite often in the Grünfeld and Semi-Tarrasch Defenses. White has a space advantage that gives him the initiative in the middlegame and a potential kingside attack. Black's goal is to reach an endgame where his outside passed pawn may prove to save the day. A related construction covered is the passed d-pawn structure that arises when the e-pawns are exchanged. The short question here is whether that passed pawn is a strength or a weakness. Kramnik and Carlsen are the main proponents of this type of structure from the white side, while

Svidler, Ivanchuk, Van Wely, and Gymesi are the primary proponents from the black side. In my youth, I was impressed with several Spassky games utilizing such structures. The positions are definitely unbalanced – I had many satisfying wins with the structure Collins set forth, and many frustrating losses. Here are the two basic positions, one arising from the Semi-Tarrasch:

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/pp3ppp/4p3/8/3PP3/5N2/ P4PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 8"]

And the other from the Exchange Grünfeld:

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pp2ppbp/6p1/8/3PP3/ 5N2/P3BPPP/1RBQK2R b K - 0 10"]

The sections are as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Black plays …b6 and …Nc6 Black plays …b6 and …Nd7 White plays d4 and e5 White plays d5 and e5 Kingside Attack Black plays …f5 c4 outpost Minority Attack Decoying the black central pawn Passed d-pawn Ng5 Blockade in the middlegame Blockade in the endgame d5 outpost in the endgame

No less than thirty-four illustrative games are used, and for those who want modern games, you will not be disappointed. The seminal game is Polugaevsky-Tal, 1969, where "Polu," with outstanding preparation, rips Tal's ...Nc6 line to shreds and even has the ability to develop a kingside attack that includes every player's favorite, Bxh7+! But most of the games are from "this century," including Topalov-Anand, 2010! It is very hard to pick a favorite game. All are good and instructive. I suppose because it fit under the category of "Attack I would most likely mess up," I picked this stunner: Sokolov, Ivan (2695) – Polgar, Judit (2722)

Hoogeveen Essent Crown, 2003 [E12] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3 The Petrosian variation of the Queen's Indian is another way to get to the types of positions discussed here. 5...d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Qc2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Be7 9.e4 0–0 10.Bd3 c5 11.0–0 Qc8 Here I would be stymied, like Tarrasch, I do not play well without my king's bishop. The idea is both to trade off the bishop and threaten ..cxd, which would also nullify any attack. 12.Qe2 Ba6 13.Rd1 Rd8 14.h4 Many of us know to play this move in these sorts of positions, but Collins also explains two of its advantages quite well: first, that it controls g5 and Bg5 may be the desired moved, when, if Black trades, the pawn can recapture, making h7 weak; and second, if Black prevents the push all the way to h6 when White plays h5 with his own ...h6, then the kingside has become more static and vulnerable to attack. 14...cxd4 15.cxd4 Bxd3 16.Rxd3 Nd7 17.Bg5 f6 Collins considers this advance quite sound based on the second advantage, although he also notes, that even if the h7-pawn were to become weak, the knight could transfer itself to f8 to hold, and as Bent Larsen once noted, "with a knight on f8 you can never get mated!" My engine analysis indicated both the trade and Polgar's move to be sound, leaving White with the slightest of advantages. 18.Bf4 Qb7 19.h5 Rac8 20.Rad1 Qa6 21.e5 f5 22.d5 exd5 This sort of double push of the pawns occurs frequently in these types of formations, the other being an e5- and d5-push. Polgar's 21...f5 may have been a mistake. However, my Fritz 11 calls for 22...Nc5!, not mentioned by Collins and worth a look analytically. After 22...exd5, Fritz thinks the White advantage to be secure, more than a pawn equivalent. 23.Nd4

[FEN "2rr2k1/p2nb1pp/qp6/3pPp1P/ 3N1B2/P2R4/4QPP1/3R2K1 b - - 0 23"]

Most of us could win such positions. It's getting to them that is the hard work. Black has too many holes; f5 is already hanging and d5 may in the future as well. 23...Rf8 24.Qf3 Fritz prefers 24.Bh6! here and it does seem quite good, but Sokolov probably had a specific plan in mind. 24...Nc5 25.h6 White plans on 25...Nxd3 to play 26.hxg7. But whether White still has an

advantage is unclear to me. 25... g5 26.Bxg5 Bxg5 27.Qh5 Bf4 28.Rf3 Bxe5 29.Nxf5 White is a piece down, but his attack is raging. In fact, all my engines consider White to be winning at this point. 29...Qb7 30.Rxd5! My exclamation point, not Collins. But he obviously can't take the rook with the queen because of the fork. 30...Rce8 31.Qg5+ Kh8 32.Rxe5 The immediate 32.Ne7! is probably crushing at this point 32...Rxe5 33.Ne7! Again, my emphasis, but White looks won at this point. 33...Re1+ 34.Kh2 Qb8+ 35.Rg3 Rxe7 What else? 35...Rf7 36.Qg7+! and Black is mated by a mere pawn. 36.Qxe7 Ne6 37.Qxe6 Qf4 38.a4 a6 39.Qxb6 Rb8 40.Qe3 Qh4+ 41.Rh3 Qf6 42.Qc3 1–0 The rook endgame is easily won, the h6-pawn still containing the black king. So after all the praise, what do I consider a deficit here? It is that Collins' presentation style is extremely unpolished. I was so put off by it, I started counting the stammers and awkward pauses that arose during his presentation. At times I had to stop the video and go through the game myself, without the benefit of his expertise, taking notes, whereupon I then watched the video to the end. This was less irritating to me, but it should not have been necessary. I would have awarded this DVD at least one more star had the presentation been smoother. The powerful ideas he presents deserve no less. My assessment of this DVD: Order Know the Terrain Vol. 3: Central Majority by Sam Collins Order all three volumes of Know the Terrain and automatically save an extra $6.00!

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Reviewed this Month Tricks and Traps Vol. 3: The Flank Openings by Nigel Davies

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

World Champion's Guide to the King’s Indian, 2nd ed. by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

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Playing on the Flanks: Not Just for Hypermoderns This month we'll look at two opening DVDs. One by GM Nigel Davies on the flank openings, and the other is the second edition of Kasimdzhanov's Guide to the King's Indian. Both of these have plenty to offer the student of these openings. Tricks and Traps Vol. 3: The Flank Openings (DVD), Nigel Davies, ChessBase. Playing Time: 4 hours. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95). In this third volume of his Tricks & Traps series, Davies gets to the meat of his expertise – the flank openings. If you want to see for yourself, go to his Chess Improver blog and see this game. He played 1. g3 in five out of his six white games when he returned to competitive chess in the recent British Rapidplay Championships. Davies states that, "it puts the emphasis on a broad knowledge of opening formations rather than specific preparation."

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

Fritz 13 by ChessBase

In the introduction to this DVD, GM Davies notes that there are fewer tricks and traps in the flank openings, simply because the position stays closed longer (few quick f7 or f2 weaknesses) and that the pieces do not engage each other rapidly. This makes his job a bit harder, as he has to search for examples of traps (there are probably more neat tricks here than traps), but he has done a remarkably – and I cannot think of any better word for it – eclectic job. If you are thinking about playing flank openings in the future, or wish to find ways to encounter some of them on better footing, this DVD is for you. Here are the thirty-three different sections. I could only find one lesson that I did not consider of the highest quality (and Davies notes he added this one with reluctance), and had a few quibbles with one other. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction h1-a8 diagonal 1 h1-a8 diagonal 2 h1-a8 diagonal 3 Hedgehog 7.Re1 trap 1 Hedgehog 7.Re1 trap 2 Hedgehog 9.Bg6 trap English Grünfeld trap Petrosian-Ree Semi-Tarrasch failure

No Fear of 1.d4, Vol. 1 by Sergei Tiviakov

First Steps in Defence by Andrew Martin

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Keres pawn sacrifice h8-a1 diagonal e4 killer h8-a1 diagonal Ljubojecvic-Stein h8-a1 Hartston trap 1 h8-a1 Hartston trap 2 h8-a1 diagonal Davies-Thiel Positional trap King's Indian Attack with an early e5 Positional trap King's Indian Attack with an early 0-0 Positional trap King's Indian Attack with Uhlmann playing f5 General traps – Queen fork General traps – Reti Gambit with Bg4 General traps – English with Nd4 General traps – Queen fork General traps – Traffic jam General traps – Mikenas attack with a Queen trap General traps – Larsen Opening with a fork trap Chamber of horrors – From Gambit mates Chamber of horrors – Orang Utan 2...Qd6 Chamber of horrors – Deadly Dunst tricks Chamber of horrors – Grob and Summing Up

Not just one theme here, as noted earlier, but an eclectic assortment, placed in an order that is best for learning. Since there are so many things I like about this trainer, I will first state some of the things I didn't like. First of all, "positional" is misspelled as "positianal," not once, but four times. This is not the fault of GM Davies, but ChessBase needs better quality control in this area. Also, "stem games" are mentioned in verbiage, but not in the analysis portion (which I usually enjoy turning to before and after the video – there is an absolute lack of commentary there, and "bare moves" are not very helpful). Thus, you have to write down the players and other information to find the full game in question. One section that seemed weak to me was on the Keres pawn sacrifice: 1.c4 e5 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nc3 (he mentions in passing that 4.d4 might be best and is featured on his DVD on the English Opening; I still would like to have heard a bit about it, because my experience has shown, as Shatkes noted years ago, that the queen is rather exposed on d4. Since d4 is "avoiding the trap" of the pawn sacrifice, I expected more) 4...d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3 Nc6 7.Nxd5 Nd4 8.Nxf6+.

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/pp3ppp/5N2/4p3/3n4/1Q4P1/ PP1PPPBP/R1B1K1NR b KQkq - 0 8"]

Here he analyzes the well-known 8...gxf6. This move may seem surprising but is best. He notes that 8...Qxf6 is "both quite interesting" and gives Black "compensation for the pawn." This is certainly true, but it certainly is quite inferior to the capture with the pawn. After 8...gxf6, he analyzes only 9.Qd1 and again, since some books consider 9.Qd3 to be superior, I wonder why he did not mention it. Also, I was left wanting at the end – Black is considered, after more than a dozen moves, to have compensation, perhaps even into the endgame, but no examples were given of how that compensation could be specifically exploited. Davies does give a line that is better than the pawn sacrifice. Instead of 7. Nxd5, 7.d3 is to be preferred. However, this section could perhaps have used a part two, as we have for some other sections. But this is a minor quibble, and perhaps is due to the fact that I have played the line for more than forty

years as Black – I expect perhaps too much from this introductory video. The material on the Grob is the portion he added with reluctance, but he only superficially covers this poor opening move. This was one of the places where, as advertised, he does place "an emphasis on the psychological side of things" by noting that many players lose to the Grob, as they consider it something of an insult. But there is not much more than that, and an admonition not to take the g4-pawn. The other advertised item, "positional traps that can occur in flank openings which can lead to miserable positions if players are unaware of them," was well-represented. That they were mostly in the King's Indian Attack was terrific for me, since this is an opening I often play. Everything else on this trainer was very well-done. I will give two examples of things I particularly liked. The first was what he calls the Hartston trap (and is the "main event" in the a1-h8 diagonal section): 1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.a3 e6 6.b4 Nxb4! (6...cxb4 leads to positions similar to the Benko Gambit) 7.axb4 cxb4. As he notes, there is now quite a body of theory that has developed here – such a comment may seem small, but it gives the viewer a starting point to do more research. The knight is pinned to the rook, and if it moves, the bishop will take the rook. After discussing the main line, where he shows how White can still emerge with a decent game, even after losing the pawn, there is a part two with a very interesting exchange sacrifice ("probably the most interesting game the English opening has to offer"). Here is the game in full: Hodgson, Julian M (2580) – Gulko, Boris (2590) Groningen, 1994 English Opening [A36] 1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.a3 e6 6.b4 Nxb4 7.axb4 cxb4 Davies: "I suspect Julian fell into this by accident, and then decided to sacrifice the exchange as well." 8.Nb5

[FEN "r1bqk1nr/pp1p1pbp/4p1p1/1N6/1pP5/ 6P1/3PPPBP/R1BQK1NR b KQkq - 0 8"]

8...Bxa1 9.Qa4 Be5 This eliminates the check on d6, but later analysis indicated 9...Bf6 might be better, to bring the king over f8 to g7. 9...Bf6 10.d4 a5 11.Bf4 Ra6 had actually been played some twenty years earlier, Barle-Smejkal, Vidmar Memorial 1973, with Black winning. White has to really drum up his compensation here, according to Davies. 10.Nf3 Bb8 11.Bb2 f6 12.h4! Bringing the white rook into play. 12...a5 13.h5 gxh5

He obviously cannot play 13...g5? here. 14.Rxh5 Qe7 15.Ng5 Ra6 16.Ne4 e5 Hoping to block the bishop's diagonal. 17.c5 Kf8 18.Nbd6 Bxd6 19.Nxd6 Rxd6 20.cxd6 Qxd6 Sacrificing back the exchange doesn't quite work, White still has means of breaking through. 21.d4 exd4 22.Rd5 Qc7 23.Rxa5 "All Black's pawns are weak, and Black's king is standing with the wind in his hair on f8" 23...Ne7 24.Qxb4 d6 25.Rb5 Kg7 26.Qxd4 Rf8 27.g4 Qd7 28.Rh5 Kg8 29. g5 In the end, White dominates the a1-h8 diagonal, when Black did early on. 29...Qg4 30.gxf6 1–0 Black doesn't have any way to stop the threats. Although this game is interesting, Davies thinks just going down a pawn as white (which most likely would be regained with a good position) is the way to go when all is said and done. I found that approach intriguing – show the neat piece sacrifice after first demonstrating how it can be dealt with with quiet play. Then in part two present an attempt at refutation that is wildly interesting but probably fails with best play. This provides a bit of cognitive dissonance and makes the student consider the various options he might pursue in his own games. I've already found myself trying to find ways to make White's position work after 9...Bf6. But in the end, I'll probably end up playing the safer continuation. My second favorite was the section on the Sokolosky (Orang Utan) where he notes the potential trap 1.b4 d5 2.Bb2?! Qd6!. Davies doesn't mention this, but this is known as the German Defense. He does note that the intent is to play for a large pawn center with e5. If White is not careful and plays 3.b5?, he loses a pawn to 3...Qb4!

[FEN "rnb1kbnr/ppp1pppp/8/1P1p4/1q6/8/ PBPPPPPP/RN1QKBNR w KQkq - 0 4"]

What I especially liked about this section – and he does this in other sections as well – is that he looks at the move and how it might be applied to the white side. For example, 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 b5 3.Bg5 4.Qd3 a6 5.Nbd2 and White will again strive for a large pawn center that will be difficult for Black to crack. The idea of playing Qd3 in d4-openings is not new, but surely with an added target on b5, White has good chances in a position that will be, in all likelihood, new to the second player. This one gets a near-perfect score from me. I was even able to immediately implement some of the traps and ideas in my online games, which is a test I use for every trainer I review. For anyone 1600 and above (below that level you probably shouldn't be playing many flank openings anyway!), this is an

excellent way to engage not just tricks and traps, but many of the ideas behind the flank openings. My assessment of this DVD: Order Tricks and Traps Vol. 3: The Flank Openings by Nigel Davies Order all three volumes of Tricks & Traps and automatically save an extra $6.00!

A World Champion's Guide to the King's Indian, 2nd ed. (DVD), by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, ChessBase. Playing Time: 7 hours. $36.95 (ChessCafe Price: $30.95). With seven hours of running time, and an update that includes many new games by Kasimdzhanov and other players, this is a real bargain, especially at the ChessCafe.com price of only $30.95. It is, as advertised, "a perfect tool for players looking for a complicated battle against 1.d4," as well as,"structural insights and an array of ideas." I've always admired the King's Indian Defense, although I never have been able to play it as well as I would like. In the annotations to one of the games, Kasimdzhanov notes that Bronstein once noted that the Evans Gambit was not just a chess opening, but a chess school, making the King's Indian the equivalent of a chess university! I find I must agree. The material is divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction Classical Variation: Atalik-Kasimdzhanov g3 Variation: Neverov-Kasimdzhanov Be3 Variation: Intro Be3 Variation: Sasikirian-Kasimdzhanov b4 Variation: Intro b4 Variation: Bacrot-Kasimdzhanov Pawn structure Saemisch variation: Abolianin-Kasimdzhanov Letelier Martner-Fischer Update Elijianov-Radjabov Elianov-Radjabov Gelfand-Radjabov Wang Yue-Radjabov Gelfand-Radjabov Margvelashvilli-Kasimdzhanov Vescovi-Radjabov 9.b4 Wrap-Up

With so many lessons packed with ideas, it is difficult to select illustrative sections; nevertheless, here is small sampling of one of the update games that I find the most fascinating, with the annotations based on the ideas presented by Kasimdzhanov. Vescovi, Giovanni (2660) – Radjabov, Teimor (2733) World Team Ch. Turkey, 2010 King's Indian Defense [E90] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.h3 Although 6.h3 is considered a sideline, it is a multifaceted move that not only

prevents Bg4 and Ng4, it also plans g4, Be3, and Nd2, preventing Black's kingside operations. 6...e5 7.d5 Nh5 The standard reply, making 8.g4? a bad move, since the knight can then plant itself on f4 with good counterplay. 8.g3 a5

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/1pp2pbp/3p2p1/p2Pp2n/ 2P1P3/2N2NPP/PP3P2/R1BQKB1R w KQ - 0 9"]

A standard position from this line. Both sides have advantages and disadvantages associated with their position. For example, Black would prefer to have the knight on f6, but withdrawing it here would cost time. 9.Bg2 Na6 10.O-O Nc5 11.Be3 Bd7 12.Ne1 b6 13.Kh2 Qe8 14.Bf3 f5 Finally Black decides to strike out after patiently waiting and building up his position. This will involve a piece sacrifice. 15.exf5 e4 16.Be2 Bxf5 17.g4 Qe5+ At the cost of a piece to come, Black has weakened White's kingside. 18.Kg1 Nf4 19.Bxf4 Qxf4 20.Ng2 Qh6 21.gxf5 gxf5 Black has only a pawn for the piece, but his advantages are easy to see. Every single one of his pieces has the potential to infiltrate the kingside. 22.f4 Qxh3 23.Qd2 White has started well with his defense. But it probably isn't enough. 23...Kf7! (?) Here Kasimdzhanov thinks that 23...Rf6 might be better, with 23...Kf7 too slow. 23...Rf6 24.Qe3 Rh6 25.Qxh3 Rxh3. I'll note that my Fritz 11 initially assigns only the smallest of pluses to White here. Kasimdzhanov thinks Black still has good chances in the endgame. But when I let Fritz run for awhile and play out some possible continuations, it finds the game continuation to be best. In fact, I believe it is winning, contrary to the world champion's analysis. 24.Rfe1? 24.Qe3 was the best chance here as well, as in allowing ...Rg8 without a challenge, White gives Black an easy winning advantage. There will simply be too many threats. After 24.Qe3, Black has to sacrifice another piece with 24...Bd4! and is probably still winning. The queen has to capture, and is not well-placed on d4, and Black now has time to place his powerful rooks on the g-file.

[FEN "r4r2/2p2k1p/1p1p4/p1nP1p2/2PbpP2/ 2N1Q2q/PP2B1N1/R4RK1 w - - 0 25"]

24.Qe3 Bd4! 25.Qxd4 Rg8 26.Rf2 Rg3 27.Bf1 Rag8 28.Rd2 (or 28.Re1, etc.) 28...Qh4 29.Nd1 R8g6 30.Rc1 e3, and this looks winning to me. After 24. Qe3, Kasimdzhanov only gives 24...Qh6?, after which it does appear that White is out of the frying pan and the fire. He can follow up with the defensive move 25.Kf2!, after which Rh1 is threatened. I am uncertain why he did not mention the possibility of 24...Bd4!. 24...Rg8 25.Bf1 Nd3 Now "all Black pieces walk into the White position." The game is, for practical purposes, over. 26.Nb5 Bh6 27.Re3 Nxf4 28.Rxh3 Nxh3+ 29.Kh2 Bxd2 30.Kxh3 Rg5 31. Rd1 Rag8 32.Rxd2 Rh5+ 33.Nh4 Rg4 34.Kh2 Rgxh4+ 35.Kg1 Rh1+ 0-1 If you play or are considering playing the King's Indian, this DVD will be a big boon to your understanding. And as it is idea-based, many of the ideas here apply well to openings such as the Pirc and Modern as well. There appear to be a few flaws in the analysis, as noted above, but these are few and far between, and again, I think the idea-based approach trumps pure analysis in most cases when it comes to opening preparation (you can always fire up your engines for help with analysis, but most of us need help with ideas). Don't pass up the opportunity to learn some complicated ideas about chess from a world champion! My assessment of this DVD: Order A World Champion's Guide to the King's Indian by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

© 2011 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

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Reviewed this Month Scandinavian with 3...Qd6 by Sergei Tiviakov

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

The Art of the Exchange Sacrifice by Ari Ziegler Chess Endgames 9, Rook and Minor Piece by Karsten Müller

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

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Tactics: from Basics to Brilliance, Vol. 2 by Valeri Lilov

The Battleground of Ideas

Fritz 13 by ChessBase

This month I review opening, middlegame, and endgame trainers that all show the power of original ideas in chess, the categorization of such ideas, and how learning how strong players formulate and classify these ideas will make you a better player. It is a new year and perhaps time to consider some new ways of studying and playing chess to make you a better player. Scandinavian with 3...Qd6 (DVD), Sergei Tiviakov, ChessBase, Playing Time: 4 hours 16 minutes (two databases) $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95)

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

This trainer is interesting, idea-packed, and thorough. The package insert boldly states that this system may well be called the Tiviakov system, and that may well be true – after all, the Benko Gambit was, once upon a time, called the Benoni Countergambit. The DVD contains a database of Scandinavian games, and another database of games by the author, of which many were unpublished. ChessBase calls this a bit of "added sweetener," but I wish all DVDs offered something of this sort. It is a great way to plunge into study – let a grandmaster tell you what he thinks of an opening, and then go study games by him and others to see whether the opening really meets your needs. I do suppose it is an added sweetener in that the DVD is so well done. The presenter speaks English with an accent, but with great command, and is a good presenter to boot. There are none of the irritating editorial flubs you too often find on these trainers – none of the others reviewed here will pass muster on that account, unfortunately – and the author captivates you from the start and doesn't let up until the end. There are fourteen chapters here. The first three cover what to do if White doesn't play 3.Nc3. This part is a bit short, but this is understandable, given the content. You may need a supplemental text on the Scandinavian if you intend playing this opening. It was a game Tiviakov played as white in 2005 that opened his eyes to the potential of this system: Tiviakov, Sergei (2678) – Almeida, Omar (2462)

No Fear of 1.d4, Vol. 1 by Sergei Tiviakov

First Steps in Positional Play by Andrew Martin

Open Internacional del Solsones 2005 Scandinavian [B01] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 a6 6.g3 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8. Bg2 Nc6 9.0–0 0–0–0 10.Bf4 Qb4 11.d5 e6 12.a3 ½–½

[FEN "2kr1b1r/1pp2ppp/p1n1pn2/3P3b/1q3B2/ P1N2NPP/1PP2PB1/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 12"]

You don't need to be a grandmaster or to fire up your engine to see that White is in a terrible way after only twelve moves – in fact, this position is objectively already lost. Black can happily ignore Marshall's old admonition to never grab the b2-pawn with the queen and sail to victory. Tiviakov admits he was lucky that his opponent accepted the draw here. Interestingly, though, Black does not usually play this aggressively in this system. Often you get something similar to a Caro-Kann (Black plays ...c6), sometimes with a fianchettoed king's bishop, and waits for the counter-punch. If White gets too aggressive, some of the positions resemble weaker versions of a Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, with its concomitant positional weaknesses. But Black's position is always solid and never overextended. My favorite game was the following: Macieja, Bartlomiej (2600) – Tiviakov, Sergei (2686) Remco Heite Schaaktoernooi Wolvega, 2008 Scandinavian [B01] 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 6.g3 Bg4 7.Bg2 e6 8.0–0 Be7 9.Bf4 Qd8 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6 12.Ne5 Nfd7 13.Nxg6 hxg6 14.Ne4 Nf6 15.Nc5

[FEN "rn1qk2r/pp2bpp1/2p1pnp1/2N5/3P1BP1/ 7P/PPP2PB1/R2Q1RK1 b kq - 0 15"]

The knight appears to be well-outposted, and only a patzer would try to drive it away with 15...b6?, correct? 15...b6!! The exclamation points are all mine, although Tiviakov admits he was quite proud of this move, as it showed a deep insight into the position. That's not bragging, it is absolutely correct. I have always enjoyed GM innovations that look like what Tarrasch used to call Stumperzug (a duffer's move); the text gives up the c6-pawn, and with check, no less.

16.Bxb8 Rxb8 17.Bxc6+ Kf8 18.Na6 Rc8 The point of the sacrifice is now clear. Not only has White given up an active bishop, h3 is now hanging, and if White wants to keep this pawn, he has to worsen the position of his knight to a much weaker "outpost" on a6 – and again, as the great Tarrasch noted (English transliteration), "Knight on the rim? – Future is dim!" 19.Bg2 Nd5 The idea of course is to outpost his knight on f4, a formidable square from which to commence operations all over the board. 20.c3 Nf4 21.Qf3 Bd6 22.Rfe1 g5 The idea is not only to consolidate the knight's position, but to consider doubling the rooks after ...g6. But he also had to consider that he needs to sacrifice a second pawn here. But he still has no worries. 23.Re3 g6 24.Qb7 Kg7 25.Qxa7 Re8 Here Black gives up the idea of doubling rooks to play on both sides of the board. 26.Qb7 Re7 27.Qe4 Ra7 28.Nb4 Bxb4 29.cxb4 Rc4 30.Ra3 Rac7 With his terrible pawns and awkward position, despite being two pawns up, White is practically lost here. The rest of the game follows without comment. 31.Rc3 Kh7 32.Rxc4 Rxc4 33.Rd1 Rxb4 34.b3 Qc7 35.Bf1 Nd5 36.Qe1 b5 37.Qd2 Qe7 38.Re1 Qa7 39.Rd1 Qe7 40.Bg2 Nf4 41.Kf1 e5 42.Qe3 Qa7 43. dxe5 Qxa2 44.Bd5 Qc2 45.Qd2 Qxd2 46.Rxd2 Kg7 47.f3 Kf8 48.Kf2 Nxh3 + 49.Ke3 Nf4 50.Kf2 Ke7 51.Rd1 Nxd5 52.Rxd5 Rxb3 53.Rd6 b4 54.Rb6 Rb1 55.Ke3 b3 56.Kf2 b2 57.Kg2 Kd7 58.Kh2 Kc7 59.Rb3 Kc6 60.Kg2 Kd5 61.Rb5+ Ke6 62.Kh2 Rf1 63.Rxb2 Rxf3 64.Kg2 Rf4 65.Kg3 Kxe5 66. Rb5+ Kf6 67.Rb6+ Kg7 68.Rb7 Rd4 69.Ra7 Rd3+ 70.Kg2 Rc3 71.Kf2 Rc4 72.Kf3 Rf4+ 73.Kg3 Kh6 74.Ra8 f5 75.gxf5 gxf5 0–1 This is one of those rare trainers that actually gives insight into the grandmaster's lab, and how he formulates ideas in the opening. If you are a patient counter-puncher who likes activity as black, in an opening your opponents probably won't know very well, you need to consider this DVD and opening. It is too good to pass up. My assessment of this DVD: Order Scandinavian with 3...Qd6 by Sergei Tiviakov

The Art of the Exchange Sacrifice (DVD), Ari Ziegler, ChessBase, Playing Time: 6 hours 40 minutes $31.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) I was very excited at the prospect of learning more about that most diffuse of sacrifices, the exchange sacrifice. I love such sacrifices because of the unbalanced positions they provide, as well as the opportunity to play a "beautiful" game. The package insert promises that you will, "seriously enhance your understanding of exchange sacrifices, very quickly recognize the value of an exchange sacrifice in any kind of position, your games will be richer and you will see more opportunities and because of that you will improve your overall results, and you will reach a better understanding of the games of

world class players." The author notes that this is a DVD for "chess lovers," and that only a true chess lover would buy a DVD on the exchange sacrifice. Ziegler succeeds with flying colors in developing a classification of when the exchange sacrifice works in various settings. Exchange sacrifices work in diverse positions and have diverse goals. Sometimes you sacrifice the exchange for mating possibilities, but just as often it can be a strategy to give you a strong outpost piece in the middlegame, or as a means to an endgame advantage by sacrificing the exchange for a minor piece and a pawn. There are thirty sections to his taxonomy, from defensive sacrifices to build a fortress (the DVD uses the unfortunate term "to build a castle," which might be misinterpreted by some) or secure a technical draw, getting strong outpost pieces on e6/d6 or d3/e3, sacrifices on squares such as f6 or c3 to weaken the squares around the king, for central domination, getting the bishop-pair plus one pawn against rook plus bishop with weaknesses on the squares that would be protected by the missing bishop, and so on. He obviously has been collecting these for a good many years, and he knows his material. However, some of the games are misplaced. For example, the very strong exchange sacrifice made by Kasparov against Yusupov, 1989, is classified under "Sacrifice on f6 in order to weaken the squares around the castled king." Well, in this game Kasparov sacrificed an exchange on e8 to a white bishop on h5, which lead to fatal f3 weaknesses, so it does qualify as a sacrifice that weakened the f3-square, but that is not where the sacrifice occurred. Certainly some viewers would find this distracting and confusing. My favorites were the various endgame sacrifices, especially the following, since it looks like a study. It falls under the heading "sacrificing the exchange to get a pawn to the seventh rank." Ljubojevic – Vukic Yugoslavia, 1975

[FEN "3r2k1/3R1ppp/1bp1p3/P3P3/ 3nN3/7P/5PP1/3B2K1 w - - 0 30"]

Here your silicon monster will probably tell you that the mundane 30.Rxd8+ is best, followed by pushing the pawn to a6, leading to a White advantage. That may well be the case, but this is a game between humans, with the clock ticking, and Ljubojevic was always one to pursue the unbalancing option. I've looked a bit at that ending, though, and found it hard – it would take a long time, anyway – to find the win. My own silicon monsters find the initial position dead even at 0.00 after the sacrifice; I am convinced they are wrong. 30.axb6 Rxd7 31.Nc5 Rd8 32.b7 The threat now is Nd7, Ziegler notes. Compared to exchanging rooks, Black's defensive task is much more difficult and difficult to find, if there even is a defense. 32...Rb8 33.f4 f6 34.Kf2 fxe5 35.fxe5 Kf7 36.g4 Ke7 Ziegler indicates the best defense here is 36...Nb5, where White must be careful, since only 37.Ba4! works. If 37.Bf3?, then 37...Nd4, and then if 38.

Be4, Black happily pulls what Ziegler calls "an important trick": 38.Nb3!, and on 38.Nxb3 Rxb7, when the passed pawn is gone and "the clumsy rook" has the freedom it needs to defend – not that White has any real threats anymore. After 37.Ba4, Black can only shuffle pieces around and push his kingside pawns until he gets into zugzwang and must allow the white king to infiltrate on the queenside. 37.Ke3 Nb5 38.Bf3 Here only 38.Bf3 gives a clear win, 38.Ba4? allows 38...Kd8! and a potential defense to White's threats. 38...Na3 39.Kd3 Rd8+ 40.Kc3 Nb5+ 41.Kb4 Nd4 42.Be4 Rb8 43.Kc4 Nb5 44.Bxc6 Nc7 45.Kb4 Nd5+ 46.Bxd5 exd5 47.Kc3 1–0 Ziegler comes across as a sympathetic character, but he is a terrible presenter. Another weakness of this DVD is the written notes accompanying the games. Some are in poor English with multiple misspellings (whereas others are welldone without mistakes), some are in German, and some are in Swedish! This appears to be a lack of editorial quality control by ChessBase. The material in terms of its attempt at a first taxonomy of the exchange sacrifice deserves six stars. The author's analysis is usually quite good, although it does lapse at times into the superficial. His ideas deserve a full six stars as well. But given his poor presentation skills, and the editorial gaffs, this brings the rating down considerably. Still, if you are one of those "chess lovers" who wants to learn more about the elusive exchange sacrifice, you will want this DVD. My hope is that the author expands on his material; it would be enough to fill a good-sized book and would provide for easier reference. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Art of the Exchange Sacrifice by Ari Ziegler

Chess Endgames 9, Rook and Minor Piece (DVD), Karsten Müller, ChessBase, Playing Time: 7 hours 38 minutes $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) If I have to take the time to convince you that Karsten Müller is one of the very top endgame analysts of our time, I would first have to ask what planet you have been living on for the past fifteen years. The German grandmaster consistently produces excellent endgame analysis, often finding obscure games to analyze – he either has a prodigious memory or the best endgame database in the world, to say nothing of his uncanny ability to analyze the most difficult of endings. This trainer is one of his best, taking a topic not often explored in endgame texts: how rooks and minor pieces work together – or in many cases, how they do not. As with any endgame study, seeing how pieces work together will improve your middlegame and opening skills, as well as improve your knowledge of that particular endgame. There are five chapters to this DVD, the first is rook and knight versus rook and knight, with twenty-one examples, the second is rooks and oppositecolored bishops, with fourteen examples, the third is rooks and same-colored bishops (although it is erroneously given the same title as the second chapter), with ten examples, the fourth, what is called the "Fischer endgame" where the bishop dominates the knight, with fourteen examples, and finally, what Müller has named the "Andersson endgame" in honor of the Swedish grandmaster,

who handles knights like no other, with eleven examples. The stem game for the fourth chapter is the famous Fischer-Taimanov match game, and if you haven't studied it before, Müller's smooth analysis should be your introduction. I've studied this game over the years, many times, and I learned a few new things about it from Müller. One chapter I particularly enjoyed was on opposite-colored bishops. Of course, with a rook on board, there are definite winning chances, many of them tactical, and I have always enjoyed playing opposite-colored bishop endgames anyway, because so many of my opponents seem to assume they are "automatic" draws. Müller presents well in English. Some of his pronunciations are a bit odd (the way he says "attacker" always throws me) and he is sometimes given to long pauses, probably to think out what he wants to say, but this is minor, and does not detract. He uses nice snappy titles for his examples, which I always find helps me to remember them later. Some on this DVD include, "The bishop shoots in the air," "Shirov fails to set the board on fire," and the follow-up, "He does better in the second (example)," and, "To exchange or not to exchange, that is the question." Consider this game fragment. Can you see, as Müller puts it, how "A light initiative weighs heavily," and Smyslov forced Benko (two other great endgames experts to capitulate in only eighteen more moves? How many of you would offer a draw here? Yet it only took two mistakes by Benko, and the game was over. Smsylov first exploited Black's undeveloped and then off-side knight to win; I'll let you either work out how or let you buy the trainer to see! Smyslov – Benko Monte Carlo, 1969

[FEN "rnr5/p3ppkp/1p4p1/8/3N4/1P4P1/ P3PPKP/R4R2 w - - 0 16"]

As I stated earlier, the section on opposite-colored bishops and rooks was one of my favorites. Look at how Black's light-squared weaknesses in this game led to his defeat. But how, you say? Isn't the rule that only one pawn up with "opposites" is a draw? Müller – Heinemann German Ch. Altenkirchen 1999

[FEN "8/br5p/3R2p1/1P2p2k/2B1P2P/ 5KP1/8/8 w - - 0 56"]

56.Kg2

"Come on in," said the spider to the fly. Of course 56...Kg4?? gets mated and 56...g5? 57.Be2+ (57.Kh3 is also good) 57...g4 58.Bc4 Bd4 59.Rf6 shows that Black has not only light-squared weaknesses, but also on the dark squares as well. After Rf6, he loses at least the exchange immediately, and more later. 56...Bc5 57.Rc6 Bd4 58.Kh3 Kh6 59.g4 Kg7 60.g5 Be3 61.Bd5 Rb8 62.Rc7 + White continues tactically. By maintaining the squeeze, he forces the black king to an unfavorable position in which he is under the threat of getting mated, which allows White to carry out his plan. Black eventually attempts counterplay, but it doesn't work. 63...Kh8 63.Bc6 Rf8 64.Re7 Bd4 65.Bd5 Rf3+ 66.Kg2 Rf2+ 67.Kg3 h6 68. gxh6 68.h5! is even stronger, leading to mate. But the one pawn advantage is about to become three, and that's good enough with the clock ticking in an important game. 68...Rf4 69.Re6 Kh7 70.b6 Rf8 71.b7 Ba7 72.h5 gxh5 73.Kh4 Rf1 74.Kxh5 Rg1 75.Re7+ Kh8 76.Rxe5 1–0 Finally, a short example of the "Andersson endgame." I chose this one because I once watch Andersson on the ICC blithely trade off his bishop(s) for a knight(s) in game after game. (A bishop it looked to me like he needed sorely for defense!) Then, with apparent ease, he showed the superiority of the knight in those positions. His opponent here is another world-class endgame expert. You would expect that with this material, only a pawn down, Black might have drawing chances. But Timman's light-squared bishop is ineffective as a defender or attacker of the dark squares, and serves as little more than a target for the rook. Andersson – Timman Bugojno, 1982

[FEN "8/1R5p/4b1pk/4N3/4PK1P/ 5P2/8/r7 w - - 0 68"]

68.Rb6! Other moves win as well, but this study-like domination of the bishop (where to go?) must have been especially disheartening to study composer Timman. 68...Bh3 69.Kg3 Bc8 70.Rc6 Ra8 71.Nf7+ Kg7 72.Rc7 Kf6 73.Kf4 1–0 All Black's pieces are dominated, and he soon will hemorrhage the last of his pawns. There's little more to say here except that if you want to tackle more complicated endgames, this trainer is the ticket to that goal. My assessment of this DVD:

Order Chess Endgames 9, Rook and Minor Piece by Karsten Müller

Tactics: from Basics to Brilliance, Vol. 2 (DVD), Valeri Lilov, ChessBase, Playing Time: 4 hours 18 minutes $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) As a presenter, Lilov always delivers competent instruction. I make it a point to attend as many of his lectures on the Playchess site as often as possible; they are always basic, but show a good understanding of how chess is played. They make me remember some of those important concepts that are easy to forget when you are occupied with advanced material. The first volume of this set covered basic tactical motifs. This DVD has twenty-four sections; each one focuses on the power of a particular piece in tactical play, from pawns to kings. The audience, as for many of Lilov's DVDs, can be considered "the advanced beginner." For the visual/oral learner, they are good substitutes for the basic books, such as Reinfeld's classic on checkmates. My sole quibble is that the player information is not included in the game fragments presented. For example, consider the following:

[FEN "5rk1/pp4pp/4p3/2R3Q1/3n4/2q4r/ P1P2PPP/5RK1 b - - 0 23"]

Any player rated higher than 1600 who doesn't immediately recognize the position, at least the name of the black player, and the story behind the game, gets 100 rating points docked! (I'll give you one hint: "gold pieces.") This game made a deep impression on me at a very young chess playing age. Stories help us to learn and to remember, but even if Lilov chooses not to use these stories in his instruction, he should at least list the players of the games to show respect for their achievements. In this case, they are Stefan Levitsky as white and the incomparable Frank J. Marshall as black. That aside, I find this a very good set of instructional material that will take players rated from 1000 to 1400 to the next level in their tactical play. My assessment of this DVD: Order Tactics: from Basics to Brilliance, Vol. 2 by Valeri Lilov

© 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Mega Database 2012 by ChessBase

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

Gambit Opening Repertoire by Valeri Lilov The Dutch Stonewall by Valeri Lilov

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

First Steps in Opening Play by Andrew Martin First Steps in Positional Play by Andrew Martin

Fritz 13 by ChessBase

Something for Everyone Translate this page

This month I review four trainers and the new Mega Database 2012. I had plenty of fun "playing" with the new Megabase, and the trainers are designed primarily for players of lower ratings, but have their value for high-rated club level players as well. Andrew Martin, with his solid teaching style, particular impressed me this month. Mega Database 2012 (DVD), ChessBase, $173.95 (ChessCafe Price: $159.95)

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

Advertising itself as, "the exclusive annotated database," the newest Mega contains more than 5.1 million games from 1560 to 2011. There are 66,000 games with annotations by strong players, with ChessBase opening classification with more than 100,000 key positions, and the ability to access players, tournaments, middlegame themes, and endgames. There is a new edition of the playerbase. The insert states, "as usual, this is where most of the work was done." However, given the many errors that arise in historical games, I am looking forward to the day when this statement is instead, "as usual, great care was exercised in making sure historical games were accurate and annotated by strong players." I am quite impressed with the database, but my quibble lies with not including the famous game Kujoth-Fashingbauer, Milwaukee 1950; one of the most fascinating non-master games of the last century: 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 Nc6 4.axb4 Nf6 5.b5 Nb8 6.e5 Qc7 7.d4 Nd5 8.c4 Nb6 9.c5 Nd5 10.b6 Qd8

No Fear of 1.d4, Vol. 1 by Sergei Tiviakov

First Steps in Defence by Andrew Martin

[FEN "rnbqkb1r/pp1ppppp/1P6/2PnP3/3P4/ 8/5PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 11"]

Yes, nothing but pawn moves by White so far – and Black is crushed. 11.Rxa7 Rxa7 12.bxa7 Qa5+ 13.Nc3 Nxc3 14.axb8=Q Nxd1+ 15.Bd2 Qd8 16.Kxd1 and White later won. Is it because the game is still thought by some to be a fabricated game? Kujoth has dealt with that critique himself over the years and there should be little question that it should be included. The package insert also states that CB11 is required and that "with ChessBase 10 or 11 you can download games for Mega 2012 for the whole year..." However, Mega2012 installed perfectly fine on my CB9, with the only caveat that I could not have received the updates. Nevertheless, using Mega in CB9 is hardly optimal; it is like putting retreaded tires on a Roll-Royce compared to what you get with CB11. Although I had a long chess life without ChessBase, I cannot imagine one without it today. That being said, I have been a haphazard user of the database, and resolved to become more familiar with its features. For one, I used the database to extract all the featured games for the trainers below. One thing I could not do with CB9 was, for example, to find all of Meduna's games with Black to establish his opening repertoire and win/loss percentage. I was interested because Andrew Martin notes in his opening trainer (reviewed below) that Meduna is a particularly economical player of the black pieces. With the help of Steffen Giehring from ChessBase I learned how it is done. By the way, I have always received timely help from ChessBase support, often in less than twenty-four hours, even before I started this column. Here is the explanation of how this is done (there are actually two ways to do it!), with illustrations: In CB 11 there is a prominent button right in the main screen especially for this purpose. It takes three clicks:

That brings up the players index of your Mega right away:

Now you select the player of your choice and simply click on the button "Prepare against White" or "Prepare against White" on the top. That will bring up the opening statistics for his games and the full list of his games. The opening tree gives detailed information about the number of games, score, when he last played a line, the opponents, etc.:

In CB 10 it works similarly. Open the Mega 2012 and click on the "Players" index. Select the player of your choice and click it with the right mouse. Again, click on "Prepare against White" or "Prepare against White," etc.

Finally, in both versions, there is also the "Dossier" feature. Right click the player name in the players index and click on "Dossier." This feature takes longer because ChessBase creates a new text with all available information about the player from the databsae and also from the Players Encyclopedia. Here is a sample of what you get when you search for Meduna:

You can research how well he has done against certain players, how he has performed in certain tournaments, and since I will never play GM Meduna, more importantly, his opening repertoire as black should I wish to see if he is really as economical in his play as Martin indicates. The value in this for players at my level (2200 and below) is that we can find high-class players to emulate, so long as they fit our style. I will speak more about using CB11 in coming months. Everyone should get this database. It is obviously a must buy for any serious tournament player or analyst who uses ChessBase. There are flaws, mainly as I noted, in its approach to historical games, but many won't consider this serious. My assessment of this DVD: Order Mega Database 2012 by ChessBase

Gambit Opening Repertoire (DVD), Valeri Lilov, ChessBase, Playing Time: 4 hours $30.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95) I love gambits; always have, and always will. I realize that as I have aged, I should look for a more sedate opening repertoire, but I simply can't. First sacrifice a pawn, then some pieces, and mate! I know it is a simplistic view of the game, but chess for me has always been fun, and I can't imagine just searching for "playable middlegames," as many of the experts suggest. For lower-rated players though, gambits are one of the best means of learning tactics. In the introduction, Lilov indicates that everyone from beginner to below GM level should train in the open games, because this develops an ability to calculate, develops a feeling for tactical positions, and most importantly, develops an ability to attack. These are all wise words, but if you buy this DVD, I would ask you to start with the summary. It is here that Lilov gives the key. If you are going to play gambits, you must learn them in depth and simply put, you have to study them. This does not mean simply memorizing some theoretical lines. This will not be a quick process, he notes, and the first question to be answered is, which gambits fit you well? This is an important question. With the exception of the Blackmar-Diemer, for example, I found I don't like gambits where I advance my f-pawn. I found over the years that central gambits are more my speed. On all four trainers I review here, there is an emphasis on developing a personal system for study. For example, here Lilov notes three things you

must do to become a strong gambit player: 1. Work through games. 2. Make a database of your own, based on your own investigations, 3. Learn the opening through quick games. He considers time limits of fifteen to twenty minutes optimal. I believe correspondence games are also helpful, as they make you engage in deeper thought about the opening. The flaws of an opening become quickly apparent with time to think, and with so many free sites to play "turn-based" chess, it seems a waste not to take advantage of that option these days. There should also be a fourth item here, one I call "Purser's Law" (after Tom Purser, who now runs a BDG blog and for years published BDG World). Purser's Law is that any gambit player must learn the pawn-down endgames that result from the gambits. The reason is that when the attack goes awry, you need to find a way to draw the game. Often the activity gained from sacrificing the pawn can carry into the ending, giving you "just enough" to draw. The gambits presented are The King's, the Evans, Belgrade, Wing Gambit Deferred, Nimzowitsch, Rasa-Studier, The Mad Dog Attack, Alekhine Gambit-Omega Gambit, The Blackmar-Diemer (BDG), Staunton, Jaenisch/ Rosseau, Marshall, Icelandic, Colorado, Fajarowicz, Schara-Henning, From's, and then four worthwhile games on gambits entitled "Gambit Strategy." I rather enjoyed his presentation of the Colorado Gambit (1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 f5?!) given with a wink and a nod, indicating maybe "it isn't as bad as it looks." And he is correct, it is one of those gambits opponents will want to blow off the board but will find that Black has all sorts of odd resources. Lilov is an excellent and enthusiastic teacher. He has an accent, but strives to make everything he says clear, and he does an excellent job. The focus is on ideas here rather than specific variations. But that is one place Lilov also fails on this trainer, at least in two gambits I am very familiar with. The first is in his presentation of the Henning-Schara gambit: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4 5.Qa4+ Bd7 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.Qxd5 Nc6 8.Nf3 9.Qd1 Bc5 10.e3 Qe7 11.Be2 0-0-0 12.0-0 g5

[FEN "2kr2nr/pp1bqp1p/2n1p3/2bP2p1/3Q4/ 2N1PN2/PP2BPPP/R1B2RK1 w - - 0 11"]

Here he only considers 13.a3, which as has been known for decades as too slow. Only the counter-thrust 13.b4! is to be taken seriously (see the table from CB11 and the new Megabase below) and leads to complications that are beyond the scope of this column. I felt a bit betrayed, like I had bought one of those old opening pamphlets that only showed spectacular wins for the "correct" side, and ignored best defenses. Even if he wanted players to study that line on their own, he should have mentioned the possibility and encouraged them to research it on their own. It should also be noted that White has ways to avoid the Henning-Schara, and thus, Black must be prepared to play classical Tarrasch lines. I consider this exclusion much more significant than the next.

More puzzling was the exclusion of the Gunderam Defense from the BDG. "Gunderam's Opfervariante" (sacrificial variation) was one thing that got me interested in the BDG many years ago: 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bf5 Gunderam's Defense. Scheerer in his book The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit devotes twenty-seven pages to this defense; I highly recommend this book if you decide to take up the BDG. 6.Ne5 e6 7.g4 Ne4!? 8.gxf5?! Later the in-between check 8.Bb5+ was thought to be better, but it turns out White wins this way. 8...Qh4+ 9. Ke2 Qf2+ 10.Kd3 Nc5+

[FEN "rn2kb1r/ppp2ppp/4p3/2n1NP2/3P4/ 2NK4/PPP2q1P/R1BQ1B1R w kq - 0 11"]

And the complications are phenomenal (11.Kc4! is best and wins, according to Scheerer), having been argued for over fifty years now. I am not saying he should have included this particular variation, but to cover 5...c6 and not cover 5...Bf5 just didn't make sense to me. Thus, this is a slightly flawed but useful introduction to various gambits. With only four hours to cover a cornucopia of openings, Lilov was bound to have to leave something out; only the above two examples gave me concern. So long as you realize you are only getting part of the story here, I don't hesitate to recommend it. Just realize you will have plenty of work ahead in learning the "meat" of the gambits you choose to play. But then again Lilov makes no pretense that you won't. My assessment of this DVD: Order Gambit Opening Repertoire by Valeri Lilov

The Dutch Stonewall (DVD), Valeri Lilov, ChessBase, Playing Time: 4 hours, $30.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95) This DVD covers both the classic Stonewall with ... Be7 and the so-called modern Stonewall with ...Bd6. This opening has always held a certain fascination

for me as it was played by the great Botvinnik. And, of course, Lilov uses a Botvinnik game as his stem game. My other interest is that it resembles a system with white advocated by Horowitz and Reinfeld in How to Think Ahead in Chess: the Stonewall Attack. Though, Lilov does not seem to mention the possibility of playing this system as white. The content is divided equally between the two lines, which is appropriate. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were a number of leading GMs who played the modern version: Yusupov, Dolmatov, Short, and Agdestein. What surprised me though, was no inclusion of the Polish Immortal, the famous game where Najdorf sacrificed all four minor pieces in a blazing attack. Surely this game is a great advertisement for ...Bd6? There are some other classic games missing, such as Gulko-Zaitsev, Moscow 1968, that I believe should have been included. Also, of the four GMs mentioned earlier as proponents, only one game by Dolmatov is included. The most telling counter to the modern Stonewall must be the systems where White plays b3 and tries to exchange off Black's strong bishop on d6, leaving him only with the "inferior" Bc8. Here he first presents a game of Botvinnik, but as white – the classic game Botvinnik-Ragozin, 1939. Ragozin of course failed to use Botvinnik's own opening against him. Then Dolmatov makes his entry with the move 7...Qe7 (after 1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg2 c6 6.b3 Bd6 7.0-0), and in the end, it still doesn't seem clear whether or not this is an effective counter. You will be treated to attacking games such as the following, featuring ChessCafe columnist and master teacher Mark Dvoretsky. In this game the Spanish master attempts the line with cxd5, which is not normally a good move for White in these sorts of positions. Pascual Sauch, Angel (2210) – Dvoretsky, Mark (2475) Terrassa open 1996 Modern Stonewall [A90] 1.Nf3 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.d4 c6 7.Bg2 Bd6 8.0–0 0– 0 9.b3 Ne4 10.Qc2 Be6 11.e3 Nd7 12.Bb2 Qe7 13.Rae1 Rae8 14.Nd2 Ndf6 15.Ncb1 Ng4

[FEN "4rrk1/pp2q1pp/2pbb3/3p1p2/3Pn1n1/ 1P2P1P1/PBQN1PBP/1N2RRK1 w - - 0 16"]

16.Nf3 Here if 16.h3, Black has 16...Nxf2! and if 16.f3 Nxh2!, both very typical sacrifices for this opening. Both are well-worth analyzing on your own, especially if you have an interest in this opening. 16...Qf6 17.h3 Nh6 18.Ne5 Nf7 19.Nd3 g5 20.Nd2 Qh6 21.Nf3 g4 22.hxg4 fxg4 23.Nfe5 Nfg5 24.Nf4 Bxe5 25.dxe5 Nf3+ 26.Bxf3 gxf3 27.Qd1 Ng5 28. Qd4 Nh3+ 0–1 Lilov again emphasizes proper study techniques on the DVD, but his presentations are not as polished and he stumbles more. In general, it seems as if he did not put the usual preparation time into this one and it shows. I recommend this DVD only if you are sure the Stonewall is your opening.

My assessment of this DVD: Order The Dutch Stonewall by Valeri Lilov

First Steps in Opening Play (DVD), Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing Time: 3 hours $23.95 (ChessCafe Price: $19.95) I am a great fan of the "First Step" series and am increasingly becoming a fan of Andrew Martin's teaching style. He never lets the discussion get boring, although sometimes he speaks so quickly that I struggle to understand his accent. The overarching theme here is that if you don't know the opening, you won't get to the other two phases of a chess game! That will resonate well with lowerrated players, who often fret over this and being caught in traps. The package insert indicates that the series is for players below 2200, while Martin notes on the DVD that it is designed for players below 1500. Yet, even those over 1500 will derive benefit from his approach, which is a detailed study of master games. I was especially impressed that further study methods were explained in some detail. When you get past what Martin calls, "the expert guiding you," as he does on this DVD, you have to get down to the real work of studying on your own. Martin especially stresses that one cannot progress in chess study unless one can find time to be completely focused on the material. It can be as little as half-an-hour at a time, but there must be a complete focus on chess during that time. The master games all illustrate one poignant theme in opening play. Meduna's opening play as black is featured in three of the games on the trainer, primarily because Martin considers his play in the opening "economical." This could be, of course, the jumping-off point for the serious student to study Meduna's openings to see if his play matches their style. I was able to do a comprehensive search of Meduna's games as black using the new CB11 and Megabase 2012 (see the first review), and I must say he does have a simple but not simplistic approach to the openings that I wish I could emulate. Unfortunately, the theme is not explicitly shown in the index, so when returning later to re-study a concept, you have to guess or remember which theme is covered in which segment (the only major negative I find for this trainer). For example, the following game illustrates the peril of commencing tactical operations before development is complete. By the way, I took it from Megabase 2012, which has the same notes by Martin! I have used it here only in abbreviated form. The notes to this trainer are simply excellent. Jones, Gawain C (2418) – Bates, Richard (2373) GBR-ch 2011 Sicilian [B21] 1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2!? Gawain has just produced a book and DVD about the best way to tackle the Sicilian. Here he goes back to an old idea of Larsen, which is simply to play a Dutch in reverse with an extra tempo. This can hardly refute the Sicilian, but it puts Richard Bates to the test early on. 5...d6 6.0–0 Bg4 Ambitious and might work better if there was a knight on c3. There is a similar idea: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 Nf6 7.0–0 Bg4!? 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 0–0 and Black continues ...Nd7, ...Rb8, and ...b7-b5. Exchanging off the bishop clears the decks.

7.Qe1 c4!? Continuing with his ambition. 7...Nf6 was of course, the less risky way. As you'll see below, this is not the first time Richard Bates has ventured this line. 8.dxc4N 8.Kh1 cxd3 9.cxd3 Nf6 10.Nc3 Nd7 11.Ng5 Bxe2 12.Qxe2 Qa5 13.Nd5 Rc8 14.b4 Qd8 15.Bb2 Bxb2 16.Qxb2 0–0 17.b5 Ncb8 18.Rac1 Rxc1 19.Rxc1 Nb6 20.Ne3 Qd7 21.f5± Cobb,J (2401)-Bates,R (2374), Plovdiv 2010 /½–½ (46). 8...Qb6+ 9.Kh1 Bxb2 The point of the small combination, although Black must be very careful now as he is leaving himself well behind in development. 10.Bxb2 Qxb2 11.Nc3

[FEN "r3k1nr/pp2pp1p/2np2p1/8/2P1PPb1/ 2N2N2/PqP1B1PP/R3QR1K b kq - 0 11"]

11...Bxf3? He had to try 11...Nf6 and castle quickly. White can disrupt this plan after 12. e5! and then 12...dxe5 13.Rb1! Qxc2 14.Bd1! Qf5 15.fxe5 leaves Black precariously placed. 12.Bxf3 12.Rb1! Qa3 13.Bxf3 0–0–0 14.e5 also gives White a ferocious attack. 12...Qb4 13.Rb1 It's fair to say that from this point on, White's attack is too strong to meet. 13...Qxc4 14.Rxb7 Nd4 15.Nd5 Rc8 16.Rxa7 16.Rb4 Qc5 17.Qa1 e5 18.Rb7!+-. 16...Nxc2 17.Qb1 Qc5 18.Qb7 Qc6 19.Nc7+ Kd7 19...Rxc7 20.Qxc7 Qxc7 21.Rxc7 Nd4 22.e5 Kf8 23.a4+-. 20.Qxc6+ Leading to an attractive finish. 20...Kxc6 21.e5+ Kb6 22.Rb1+ Kxa7 23.Rb7# 1–0 A miniature that illustrates the peril of commencing tactical operations when development is not complete. For those rated about 1500 this is a really good introduction to opening ideas and how to begin studying them. Those rated 1800-2000 may find some good

new ideas; I thought I had studied most of Larsen's ideas, and may have simply forgot this one, but this idea of playing the Sicilian as a Dutch with a move in hand certainly seemed new to me. This one I recommend without hesitation. My assessment of this DVD: Order First Steps in Opening Play by Andrew Martin Buy all four First Steps DVDs and automatically save an additional $8.00!

First Steps in Positional Play (DVD), Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing Time: 3 hours 20 min $23.95 (ChessCafe Price: $19.95) First Steps in Positional Play was a bit trickier to review as everyone has a different idea on what constitutes "positional" play. Nevertheless, Martin gives most of the important seminal concepts for the intended audience. It is designed mainly for players below 1500. I normally prefer not to give the entire list of topics covered on a trainer, but in this case it seems important: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction A Routine Pawn Structure The Isolated Pawn I The Isolated Pawn II The Isolated Pawn III The Double Pawn The Passed Pawn The Passed Pawn The Pawn-Center The Pawn-Wedge Piece Activity The Initiative The Vulnerable King How to Outplay an Opponent The Weak King on Both Sides Good and Bad Pieces How to Outplay an Opponent II Power of Resolve I Power of Resolve II Outro

The notes are really great to this one, so it is easy to go back and review a lesson on your own without having to re-watch the video. The example game for doubled pawns is Ivanchuk-Short, Linares 1992, where Martin notes that, yes, in general, doubled pawns are bad, but there are ways of making them work for us with open lines and active pieces. This is the critical position:

[FEN "rn2kb1r/pp3p1p/2p2pb1/3p4/3P4/

2N1P3/PP3PPP/R3KBNR w KQkq - 0 10"]

Despite White's solid structure, the open lines and two bishops should allow Black to hold – and he did, the game ended in an interesting draw in thirtyfive moves. Martin considers Short, in his road to the world championship match, as a model in the effective use of structures with doubled pawns – of course this is the same Short who once noted, "Modern chess is too much concerned with things like pawn structure. Forget it, checkmate ends the game." Some of the topics, such as "Power of Resolve," don't seem to belong here (although in and of themselves, they are quite instructive, indicating how beating stronger players requires more than just waiting for blunders), whereas some, like "Outposts" seem to be missing. I have no hesitation in recommending this trainer to its target audience – it's obvious Martin put a lot of time and effort into it and you will learn most of the important positional concepts if you pay attention and, as he suggests, put the study time in afterward. The First Steps trainers would also be great tools for teachers to use with their students as an adjunct to a lecture or home study material. My assessment of this DVD: Order First Steps in Positional Play by Andrew Martin Buy all four First Steps DVDs and automatically save an additional $8.00!

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Reviewed this Month ChessBase 11 by ChessBase

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

ChessBase Magazine #146 by Rainer Knaak (ed)

ChessBase Cafe

Strategy University, Vol. 4: The Technique of Realising the Win by Adrian Mikhalchishin No Fear of 1. d4! Vol. 2, Nimzo-Indian by Sergei Tiviakov

Steven B. Dowd

Fritz 13 by ChessBase

Too Much Chess, Even for Me!

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First up this month is more on my latest favorite toy: ChessBase 11. Then a look at the latest ChessBase Magazine, and finally two trainers: one on converting a win and another on the Nimzo-Indian. Normally I watch each trainer at least three times before writing my review; however, there was so much material on ChessBase Magazine #146, I had to soften that approach. It was too much chess (at least in a short time period!) even for a long-time chess nut like me! ChessBase 11 (DVD), ChessBase, Starter Package Price: $198.95 (ChessCafe Price: $182.95)

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

Endgame Magic by Efstratios Grivas

To begin I will note a frustrating bug. When copying games from one database to another, if you copy the games and then close the source database before pasting them into the target database, the games will not copy. The source database has to stay open. I understand this bug has already been reported to ChessBase and I hope it is being worked on. One of the newest features of CB11 is one that theory fans will love; an option called theoretical weight, in which TNs are classified by CB11. Based on games I knew had important TNs, I found that the database handled it with great accuracy for the most part. In some cases you will have to know (or keep playing through the database) to find the novelty. You can do this in an opening by clicking on "Reference." For a theoretical novelty in an opening I knew well, I found that the game Rhine-Sprenkle, Midwest Masters 1981, is still the top theoretical novelty in the Nimzowitsch Sicilian. That is the famous game from the Informant and Nunn's Beating the Sicilian; it is also Game #218 in 1000TN!!. I used the database of games in the Tiviakov trainer (reviewed below) and found some interesting ideas for use in my own games as well. Let's look at the games from the recently completed Bunratty Masters as an example:

No Fear of 1.d4, Vol. 1 by Sergei Tiviakov

At the very right is the column for theoretical weight; you can see the various dots with different shading and sizes. The larger and darker the dot, the greater the theoretical weight. When I click on that column, the games are arranged by their theoretical importance:

And you can see, there were not many theoretical innovations (the dots only get progressively lighter and smaller after the few examples above). By going through the Adams-Short game, and keeping the "Reference" window open, you will find that the TN was White's 9.bxa5:

Previously 9.b5 was preferred (which still looks better to me). My thought is that 9.bxa5 was probably a psychological ploy, but then again, many TNs are. However, my purpose here is to show the "theory mavens" how to scour games from recent tournaments for TNs. Anyone who follows modern theory closely will find this a very useful tool, and even those of us who play more offbeat openings will find it useful in identifying games with novelties. My assessment of this DVD: Order ChessBase 11 by ChessBase

ChessBase Magazine #146 (DVD), Rainer Knaak (ed), ChessBase, $23.95 (ChessCafe Price: $19.95) Reviewing the latest ChessBase Magazine was an eye-popping experience for someone like myself who has not seen a recent issue. (I had a subscription when it used to be distributed on CD.) It comes with a twenty-six page booklet in English and German. The enlarged format, compared to earlier issues, is a wholesale improvement. It provides an absolutely wonderful summary of the material on the DVD! The disk also contains a PDF file of the booklet, along with a PDF index of the opening surveys from previous issues. The material is divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Top Tournaments European Team Championship Tal Memorial Moscow Chess Classic London Reggio Emilia Other recent tournaments Russian Cup final Women's World Championship, Hou Yifan-Humpy Koneru Openings Carlstedt: English 1.c4 c6 Stohl: Old Benoni Schipkov: Classical Dutch Grivas; Sicilian 4...Qb6 Kritz: Sicilian Maroczy 7...Ng4 Moskalenko: French Advance Marin: Ruy Lopez Bird's Defence Kuzmin: Ruy Lopez Cozio Variations Breutigam: Tarrasch Defence Postny: Queen's Gambit 5.Bf4 Schandorff: Nimzo-Indian 4.Qc2 Columns King: Move by Move Wells: Strategy Reeh: Tactics Mueller: Endgames Knaak: Opening Trap Chess Media Training Kritz: French Winawer 7.Qg4 0-0 Mikhailchishin: Nimzo Indian 4.Nf3 Lilov: London System, model game Service New products with videos of the DVDs ChessBase 11: Video course

On the very first page, accompanying the editorial, is an invitation to take part in a reader survey to make the magazine even more relevant, with prizes given to selected participants. Both Carlsen and Nakamura annotate the game Carlsen-Nakamura from London. Nakamura also annotates his save against Anand. Nigel Short provides an excellent audio analysis of his King's Gambit game against McShane, in which he explains, "under what conditions you can play this 'lousy opening' and why the King's Gambit is OK anyway." All the audio commentaries were top-notch, and, for me, the audio analysis is often superior to the video portions, since I get distracted from the chess content by watching the presenter in the video segments. All 684 games from the European Championship are included, with an extra bonus being Marin's bringing together of all the theoretically important games in a fascinating analysis. Peter Wells' article on prophylaxis was very useful

to me. Not only does the article show how to implement this concept, but the accompanying discussion of ChessBase 11 shows how to access further games from the database with prophylaxis as the theme! I found Wells' essay extremely thought-provoking and one I will ruminate over for some time to come. Moreover, he put me at ease about my selfassessed lack of understanding on the topic when stating, "For over the years, I have gradually formed the impression that the term 'prophylaxis' is more frequently used and even revered, than it is entirely comprehended." He is willing to show his own deficits in the area and includes a discussion of the "human component" of prophylactic moves (the annotations on the DVD are much deeper than I give here): Dolmatov – Beliavsky Odessa 1989

[FEN "3rrbk1/1bqn1p1p/p1pp1np1/1p2p3/ P2PP3/BPPB1N1P/2QN1PP1/R3R1K1 w - - 0 18"]

White played the mysterious rook move 18.Rab1!!, with Wells noting he found the move "genuinely profound" once explained to him, and "baffling" beforehand: "To find this move White not only needs to appreciate the importance of keeping an eye on Black's d5 pawn break, he needs to realise that its immediate implementation 18...d5?! Is rendered problematic by the reply 18.Bxf8 Kxf8 20.b4! When neither the bishop on b7 nor Black's dark squares have reason to be happy with the turn of events. For this reason Dolmatov regarded the preliminary exchange 18...bxa4 19.bxa4 d5 as the real problem, and it is that against which his move is primarily directed." Wells presents many examples of masters with great prophylactic ability and stresses that those who are good at prophylaxis are not only great strategic players, but also possess great tactical ability, which they use to prevent tactics being employed against them. As Robert Byrne once noted of Petrosian, he trades off your attacking pieces before you even realize you have an attack. He also declares Dvoretsky as probably the one author who has tackled the topic in any serious way. This is an essay I plan to read several times during the coming months. I also really enjoyed Rainer Knaak's opening trap, one reason being that it meshes well with Grivas' own discussion of the Grivas Sicilian. The trap involves the move ...Qxb2, taking a "poisoned pawn" – for some time now I have been collecting examples of the ...Qxb2 move, wondering when Black can and cannot take the pawn. It shows what happens if a player sticks too closely to the plan: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd 4.Nxd4 Qb6 is the normal Grivas, but what happens on 4.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 cxd 5.Nxd4? Should Black still try 5...Qb6? No! In this case 6.Be3! is nearly crushing. I'll let you buy the magazine to find out how. As to the trainers, Lilov's "model game" made me feel confident I could handle the London System with success; the presentation is idea-based and he notes that the ideas will work even if White does not follow a specific moveorder. It's simple really, at least the way he presents it: play for central breaks and realize that a well-timed ...Nh5! often ruins White's game. Lilov always

seems to impart concepts in a crystal-clear manner than inspires confidence. I can't wait to face the London! There is just so much interesting material in ChessBase Magazine that I can't imagine a better chess bargain than this product. My assessment of this DVD: Order ChessBase Magazine #146 by Rainer Knaak (ed)

Strategy University, Vol. 4: The Technique of Realising the Win (DVD), Adrian Mikhalchishin, ChessBase, Playing Time: 4 hours, 37 minutes. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) GM Adrian Mikhalchishin has tackled a very important topic in his latest DVD. I don't know a chess player, grandmaster or tyro, who doesn't and hasn't had trouble converting a win. We all know the classic saying, "the hardest thing to win is a won game," and many of us have lived it. Mikhalchishin notes the dearth of training programs or books that categorize typical ways of winning won games, and this DVD is designed to fill that gap. I counted seventy-one game fragments used in the thirty-three lessons, and there is a good range of games from classic to modern. This is one area in which classic games are particularly useful, as technique was not as well-developed; but even today strong GMs make mistakes and fail to win won games. See for yourself the extent to which the material is covered: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Tactical Problems During Realization 1-2 Wrong Ways of Realization 1-3 Specific Problems of Young Players 1-3 Wrong Methods of Realizing an Extra Pawn 1-3 Bad Knowledge of Basic Theoretical Endgame Positions 1-4 Problems of Correct Exchange Technique 1-4 Exploiting a Weakness 1-3 Classical Technique 1-6 Rubinstein's Instructive Technique 1-2 Eliminating the Opponent's Counterplay 1-2 Exploiting a Flank Pawn Majority 1-3 Practical Examples of Correct Realization 1-3

It looks like everything is there. The only sections I found odd were "specific problems of young players" – they appear to be no different than the problems we "old fish" have. You can essentially view this material as a puzzle book in which a strong GM trainer is on hand to explain the mistakes and how they can be combated. Mikhalchishin is a powerful presenter, his English is easily understood, and his accent is non-intrusive. He does tend to present quickly and sometimes stumbles over his own thoughts, but this is not much of a detriment. On the downside, some examples are only about maintaining an advantage and the win is still pretty far away. There were not enough examples where an opponent gives up a piece for insufficient compensation – but the player doesn't have the technique to convert the win. Also, the examples are brief (you might call them vignettes) and I would have liked to see, at the beginning, a game of a player who more slowly dissipates an advantage – most of these were quick dissolutions. Nevertheless, as an introduction to the problem of winning won games, you will benefit greatly from this DVD. Mikhalchishin presents some wonderful classic examples – showing Rubinstein's technique, for one – and offers

practical lessons from his own games. Conversely, some of the examples, such as those below, also show you how to wrestle a half-point from the jaws of defeat, if your opponent lacks the proper technique. I'll confess to a certain schadenfreude at seeing strong GMs misplay theoretically won endgames. Here are two examples: Portisch – Kavalek Montreal, 1978

[FEN "8/3n4/3k4/B7/P2K4/1P6/8/8 w - - 0 1"]

Portisch, who certainly was never a slouch in the endgame, forgot the rule of "not hurrying" and played 1.b4?? (1.Bb4+ is probably best) and after 1...Nb8! found he had just given away half a point, as after 2.b5 Nc6+! 3.bxc Kxc6, White of course has the wrong-colored bishop for the rook pawn. If he had tried 2.Kc4 Nc6 3.Kb5, Black would have been persistent in sacrificing his knight with 3...Nxb4! and after 4.Bxb4+ Kc7, we have the same draw. Here GM Susan Polgar took a chance: Chandler – Polgar Biel 1987

[FEN "6n1/6k1/4K3/6P1/4B3/8/7P/8 b - - 0 1"]

She played 1...Nh6, which is her best chance, although White is easily winning after 2.h4. But Mikhalchishin theorizes that Chandler only thought of the recapture when he played 2.gxh6+?? Indeed if 2...Kxh6 3.Kf6 Kh5 4.Kg7 Kh4 5.Bf5 Kg5 6.Bd7 Kh5 7.h3 Kg5 8.Bg4 Kh4 9.Kg6 Kg3 10.Kg5, it doesn't matter that White has the wrong-colored bishop; his king is in the ideal position to help the pawn advance, while Black's king is far out of the corner. But the wily Polgar played 2...Kh8! and the game is a draw – doubled rook pawns are of no more use than a single one in this situation. This DVD is to be recommended, since no one has covered the topic in this depth before, and it provides a useful taxonomy of the major issues that occur in trying to win a won game. The few deficits are easily forgiven. Those rated between 1600-2000 will probably find this most useful – you have to know, for example, the types of theoretically won endgames to derive maximum benefit. I believe a serious student rated 1400 could benefit as well, so long as they viewed each vignette several times and had a good middlegame and endgame reference by their side. I hope there is a follow-up to this one with more sophisticated and complicated examples. It is worth the investment.

My assessment of this DVD: Order Strategy University, Vol 4: The Technique of Realising the Win by Adrian Mikhalchishin

No Fear of 1. d4! Vol. 2, Nimzo-Indian (DVD), Sergei Tiviakov, ChessBase, Playing Time: 5 hours, 36 minutes. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) A competitive player always needs a back-up opening for when things just aren't going right or you know your opponent is "booked-up" on your pet line. The Nimzo-Indian is my back-up opening. It is a defense that stresses active play while remaining positionally sound. This was one reason I particularly wanted to review this DVD and I was not disappointed. Tiviakov is a lifelong player of the Nimzo-Indian, and is an enthusiastic presenter. Included on the DVD is a database of 360,000 Nimzo-Indian games, a database of all NizmoIndian games played by the author, and a database of selected, annotated Nimzo-Indian games. Tiviakov is also a very honest presenter and notes your repertoire won't be complete unless you also buy Volume One of this series, covering the Catalan and Queen's Indian. The one great weakness of the trainer is that almost all the real analysis starts in the middlegame. So, those who have no experience in the opening may be disappointed. There also seems to be too much focus on specific moves rather than the ideas behind the opening. Recent trainers have all explored ideas in greater depth than this one, and I believe that to be a very good thing. This makes the DVD less useful for lower-rated players. who need to learn the ideas first, and for players who, like me, were never good at memorizing opening sequences (and age hasn't helped). When Tiviakov does hit on an idea, it is brief and quickly over with comments such as, "White cannot organize an advance of the pawn majority." Just a few seconds on the "why" would have been of great assistance. A big help in understanding why a line was equal or better for one side is to explore the lines with Fritz. Where ideas are given more attention is in the late opening and early middlegame structures. For example, the real analysis and discussion occurs at move fourteen in the following game: Obukhov – Tiviakov Voronezh 1986

[FEN "r1b1r1k1/ppq2ppp/2n2n2/2p5/3PP3/ P2B1N2/2Q2PPP/R1B2RK1 b - - 0 14"]

Black played 14...Bg4! The game continued 15.Qxc5 (15.e5 Bxf3 16.exf6 Nxd4 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.fxg7+ Kxg7 19.Bb2 Rad8 20.gxf3 Rh8 21.Kh1 Rxh7 22.Rg1+ Kh8 23.Rg3 Qe5 24.Rag1 Rh4?! 25.Qc1! with the idea of Qf1-g2 is

a famous loss by Garry Kasparov against Sokolov at Wijk aan Zee, 1999 (25. f4 Qe7 26.f3 as a means of line-clearance to get the white queen to g2 looks even better to me, as after 25.Qc1 Qh5! may hold) 25...Kh7 26.Qb1+ Kh8 27. Qf1 and white is winning) 15...Bxf3! (if 15...Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Rxe4 17.Qc2 is slightly better for White) 16.gxf3 Qd7 17.d5? Ne5 18.Be2 Qh3 19.Qe3 Nxd5! 20.exd5 Ng6 21.Qg5 Rxe2 22.Qg4 Qxg4+ 23.fxg4 Re4 24.Rd1 Rxg4 + and Black won the endgame, his advantage is clear. This DVD is a good investment if you are serious about the Nimzo-Indian and can follow the theoretical lines in this depth. A lower-rated player should consult a book that covers the basic ideas of the opening before proceeding. At about 1600, you can probably digest everything the presenter gives you with multiple viewings. Recommended, with the above reservations. My assessment of this DVD: Order No Fear of 1.d4!: Vol. 2, Nimzo-Indian by Sergei Tiviakov

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Reviewed this Month ChessBase 11 by ChessBase

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

The Queen's Gambit Declined by Andrew Martin Open Ruy Lopez by Andrew Martin

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Chess Informants 95-97 by Chess Informant

Steven B. Dowd

The Hits Just Keep On Coming!

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I have seen some superb trainers while conducting this column. This month two excellent entries by Andrew Martin, for club players in search of openings, are reviewed. Also, another month of fun came my way with the Chess Informant on CD, viewed using ChessBase 11.

Endgame Magic by Efstratios Grivas

ChessBase 11 (DVD), ChessBase, Starter Package Price: $198.95 (ChessCafe Price: $182.95) Users of CB11 should make sure they are on the latest build. To find out, click the "Application Menu" at the top left of the screen, and then the "About" button. The latest build as of this writing is February 27, 2012. To update the program click "Activation" and "Update Program." If you run into any trouble, ChessBase support is very helpful in such matters. Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great –

Another project I've been engaged in is buying books in ChessBase file format. One such is A Ferocious Opening Repertoire (Everyman, 2011) by Cyrus Lakdawala. The beauty of the CB file format is that you can make all sorts of moves on the board with your own engines running in the background, as well as create your own databases from the source material. The repertoire starts with the Richter-Veresov, along with various other openings that can arise from 1.d4 and 2.Nc3. There is still a lot to be said for paper books, but this format has really encouraged me to study openings – my least favorite chess activity.

Excellent –

My assessment of this DVD: Order ChessBase 11 by ChessBase

The Queen's Gambit Declined (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours 23 minutes. $35.95 (ChessCafe Price: $29.95). International master Andrew Martin is a natural

1000TN!! by Chess Informant

Chess Informants 110-112 by Chess Informant

teacher, especially for those below 2200. This trainer is a hit with me for its ability to supply the club player, in slightly less than five hours, with a repertoire that can be used for the rest of one's chessplaying career. The material is organized so well, you could carry this one to your next tournament and review the opening suggestions before the next round. The analysis is clean, clear, and straight to the point, with only a few omissions. The package insert notes "The Queens Gambit Declined, Orthodox Variation is an opening choice for Black which will never be refuted. It perhaps has an unjust reputation of being solid and passive, but this all-new ChessBase DVD will challenge that perception. Basing his Black repertoire on the Cambridge Springs variation, Andrew Martin takes you on a tour of classic games, showing how Black may conveniently sidestep the dangerous lines with Bf4, whilst retaining good chances and providing comprehensive coverage of the lines where White captures early on d5. This is a repertoire which will suit all levels of player." And it does just that. By the time I had finished the two short introductions, I knew exactly what was in store: coverage of the Cambridge Springs, coverage of the Exchange Variation, and coverage of lines where White decides to play Bf4. The Cambridge Springs may seem surprising those who do not believe it is good in modern practice. Martin believes that the defense is as viable as any, and the only reason it is not seen much these days is simply a matter of fashion. The Cambridge Springs, of course, arises after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nf3 (5.cxd5 exd5 6.Nxd5? is the well-known Elephant Trap) 5...c6 6.e3 Qa5.

[FEN "r1b1kb1r/pp1n1ppp/2p1pn2/q2p2B1/ 2PP4/2N1PN2/PP3PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 7"]

The reason I, and many other players, moved on from the Cambridge Springs to other openings, is the main line 7.Nd2. Martin calls the knight move "peculiar looking," and indeed, since many of Black's traps focus on the bishop being unprotected, it does seem odd. However, it is the most effective move in this position. He believes it stops the ideas of ...Ne4 and ...Bb4, losing "some of the point of ...Qa5." After 7.Nd2, Martin recommends 7...dxc4, and White usually recaptures with the knight after trading off the g5-bishop. 8.Bxf6 Nxf6 9.Nxc4. Now all sorts of queen moves are possible, but certainly 9...Qc7 appears best.

[FEN "r1b1kb1r/ppq2ppp/2p1pn2/8/2NP4/ 2N1P3/PP3PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 10"]

This is where the rubber meets the road and why I gave up the variation. White has a slight pull here, and has various ways of proceeding: 10.g3, 10. a3, 10.Rc1 and 10.Be2, amongst others. If Black is patient, Martin notes, he should be able to weather the storm (White has an initiative, but there are few ways to provoke a weakness in the Black camp), and has the bishop-pair to look forward to. The position is solid but passive, and Martin provides a number of ways for Black to "gradually come forward." Consider some of the ideas he presents in Van der Sterren-Timman, Donner Memorial 1994, which continued 10.g3 Bd7 11.Bg2 c5 – going for a break right away and now White is faced with how to keep the initiative – 12.d5 exd5 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Qxd5. White can capture with the bishop here, but then 14...0-0-0! 15.Qf3 f5 16.0-0 Kb8 17.Rad1 h5 and Black has chances for an attack. The game continued 14...Rb8 15.0-0-0 (games in which both sides can consider either castling always hold some interest) 15...Be6 and now White is forced into 16.Nd6+, which allows all the pieces to come off. 16.Qe4 is tempting, but 16...Be7 and now queenside castling looks like something of a mistake, as ...b6 will soon follow. Timman used his considerable endgame skill for a later win. 7.Nd2 doesn't really stop, of course, either 7...Bb4 or 7...Ne4. Both moves have been played frequently. The aggressive 7...Ne4 looked really good to me until I started analyzing the various games in my Mega Database 2011 – one needs to double-check the teacher's pontifications after all. There were a few neat tricks and traps, but Martin ends up being correct in his assessment. In the Exchange Variation, as in the Cambridge Springs, you have to be patient. I'd always thought that Black could counter-punch back to at least a slight advantage in the line. But this takes time, and well-timed counterpunches, and Martin provides them. The most interesting variations these days are those with Bf4, where, if Black cannot prove the bishop to be misplaced, White gets a good game and Black has little ability to fight back. One encounters Bf4 quite often at the amateur level, and Martin considers this section one of the most important of the DVD. The following game was particularly instructive: Caoili, Arianne (2242) – Portisch, Lajos (2544) Marianske Lazne 2010 Queen's Gambit Declined [D94] 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 Superior to 4...Be7. Martin considers Bf4 inferior after ..Nbd7. Makes good sense to me; the knights are ready to work in cooperation against that bishop, whereas 4...Be7 is really best as a counter to Bg5. 5.Bf4 dxc4 6.e3 Nd5 7.Bxc4 Nxf4 8.exf4 Bb4 8...Nb6 may well be better, and the f8-bishop will be fianchettoed after the c4bishop moves. The knight move also neutralizes any d5 threat. Relying on the queen check trick leads to positions like

9.0-0 Nxc4 10.Qa4+ c6 11.Qxc4 Be7. The engines rate this as equal, Martin notes, but one important factor: White's position can only get worse, and Black's can only get better. Finding these sorts of positions that engines evaluate poorly are as important to the amateur as the grandmaster these days. 9.0–0 Bxc3 10.bxc3 0–0 11.Bd3 Nf6 12.Ne5 c5 13.Qf3 cxd4

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp3ppp/4pn2/4N3/3p1P2/ 2PB1Q2/P4PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 14"]

Again, the engines tend to see this position as better for White. Martin disagrees. 14.Rad1 Bd7 15.cxd4 Ba4 16.Rc1 Rb8 Now Portisch has to survive the next ten moves, and not fall prey to a kingside attack. But there simply "isn't enough firepower" and Portisch knows that. The rest is a typical grandmaster versus "ordinary master" win. 17.Qh3 g6 18.Qh6 Rc8 19.Rxc8 Qxc8 20.h4 Qd8 21.Re1 Qxd4 22.h5 Nxh5 23.Re4 Qa1+ 24.Kh2 Bc6 25.Nxc6 bxc6 26.Re5 Nf6 27.Qg5 Kg7 28.Re3 Qd4 29.Rg3 Rd8 30.f5 exf5 31.Qxf5 Rd5 32.Qf3 Nh5 33.Be4 Nxg3 34. Bxd5 Nf1+ 35.Kg1 Qxd5 36.Qc3+ Kg8 37.Kxf1 Qd1+ 0–1 Other trainers may have greater depth of material, but this one is "just right" for the club player looking for a solid defense to the Queen's Gambit that offers chances of coming out on top. It is good enough to be used as an opening reference as well. It is incredible that Martin doesn't waste a single second here in presenting the material. Highly recommended for those rated below 2200, with a target audience of 1400-1800. The one caveat is that you have to be willing to accept a middlegame that might taper off into a draw, but if you are careful, patient, and know the main ideas, you have good chances to win. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Queen's Gambit Declined by Andrew Martin

Open Ruy Lopez (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hours 40 minutes. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) This is another well-produced trainer, but to be fully armed in the Ruy Lopez, Martin's two other DVDs will round out your repertoire: ABC of the Ruy Lopez and the Spanish Exchange Variation. Martin describes the Open Ruy as an active defense. The package insert notes, "White will argue that Black loosens his position in the Open Variation, but if Black takes the time and trouble to learn the ideas and tactical themes that underpin this line, he has

every chance to win the game." In that sense, it resembles the Tarrasch Defense. The same rules apply. It can be loosening, but if you know the ideas and tactical themes, you will succeed more often than you fail. In my own games, I hate reaching passive positions, which I mention only because I believe others share this apprehension. For lower-rated players, this is a particular problem, as once you are doomed to passivity, you probably don't have the positional skills to hold on. That is why I found the Open Ruy to be such a great starter opening. In evaluating opening trainers, I pay particular attention to how well side-lines are covered. In weekend tournaments, I noted that successful players often eschewed main lines in favor of side-lines they knew well. Opening books often don't cover such lines in any depth, and in some cases, not at all. Martin usually does well in this department, and spends five games of the twentynine on these. He also notes that many of them are "tricky," which is precisely why you need to know them. He does well usually, but misses on a few occasions. For example, in the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.Qe2 is a move designed to not commit the rook to e1 but allow it to come to d1, 7.Bxc6 dxc6 8.d4 Ne6 9.dxe5 opens the d-file. Here Martin correctly avoids the most commonly played move in this position, 9...Bc5, in favor of 9...Nd4! 10.Nxd4 Qxd4.

[FEN "r1b1kb1r/1pp2ppp/p1p5/4P3/3q4/ 8/PPP1QPPP/RNB2RK1 w kq - 0 11"]

Now 11.Rd1 is played, and Black will have two good moves to choose from: 11...Bg4, or 11...Qg4. But Martin fails to consider Euwe's recommendation here, the prophylactic 11.h3!, which should lead to a decent game with chances for both sides. After 11.h3, the best retort is 11...Be6, allowing the black queen to go to c4 in case of Rd1. Certainly Black still has slightly better chances with the bishop-pair, but his four to three majority on the queenside is also a bit crippled. Another tricky position comes after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.c4!? (Martin calls this move "insanelooking").

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/2p2ppp/p1n5/1p1pp3/2PPn3/ 1B3N2/PP3PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 0 8"]

8...bxc4?! leads to 9.Ba4, and thus Martin recommends the simple approach with 8...dxc4, giving 9.Bc2 Nf6 10.dxe5 Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Nd7 and Black is a pawn up with a good game. I am not certain of this, as it looks like the pawn

break 12.a4! (12.Nc3 might be good as well) will equalize. But instead of 9. Bc2 White will play 9.Qe2, retaining some attacking chances, as in the game Trindade-Grivas, Belfort 1983. Euwe, again, recommended the counter stroke 8...Bg4! Here I am also convinced this active move is more in the vein of the Open Defense, and unlike his various "distillations" in the Queen's Gambit trainer, where you can pretty much rely on him to pick the best continuation, Martin falters a bit with his coverage of these tricky lines. However, one can't expect a four hour DVD to cover everything – that is what your database is good for! Martin's coverage of the main lines is impeccable, and I leave you with this game in which the mighty Seirawan gets beaten by an unknown. This is an example where Black's piece activity is impressive, and is the kind of game that makes you take up an opening like this. Two pieces versus a rook is not always an advantage! Seirawan, Yasser (2610) – Zak, Uriel (2335) Lugano op 1989 Open Ruy Lopez [C82] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 A good noncommittal move for White, waiting to see what he wants to do with his queenside pieces, and supporting the d4-square. 9...Bc5 Martin recommends this over other possibilities as it is more active. The drawback is that the bishop is exposed, and might be exchanged. 10.Nbd2 0–0 11.Bc2 Bf5 Another recommendation by Martin (Larsen once beat Fischer with it); usual is 11...f5. 12.Nb3 Bxf2+ Murey's move; 12...Bg6 is more usual. We end up in a position similar to the Dilworth. 13.Rxf2 Nxf2 14.Kxf2 Bxc2 15.Qxc2 f6 16.exf6 Qxf6 17.Kg1 Ne5 18.Qd1 18. Nbd4 has been recommended by Korchnoi. 18. Qf2 is another option, but in all cases White is under pressure. 18...Rae8 19.Qxd5+ Kh8 20.Bd2 Nxf3+ 21.gxf3 (21.Qxf3?? Qb6+) 21...Re2 Black's rook is "supremely active on the seventh rank," according to Martin. 22.Be1 Rxb2 23.Nd4 Qf4 24.Bg3 Qd2 25.f4 c5 26.f5 cxd4 27.cxd4 Qd3 28. f6 gxf6 29.Rf1 Rg8 30.Rxf6 Rxg3+ 31.hxg3 Qe3+ 0–1 My assessment of this DVD: Order The Open Ruy Lopez by Andrew Martin

Chess Informants 95-97 (CD), Chess Informant. $55.00 (ChessCafe Price: $51.00) The information on the Chess Informant compilation CD is provided in four formats: ChessBase, Chess Assistant, Chess Informant, and PGN. I am reviewing its use in ChessBase, which is

an excellent way to access the material. In brief, this disk contains 1,265 fully annotated theoretically important games and 1,478 accompanying game fragments played between October 2005 and August 2006. It also contains the so-called "trademark sections" of the ten best games and the ten most important theoretical novelties from Chess Informants 94, 95, and 96; theoretical surveys in ECO format (C92, D49, and E15); tournament standings and crosstables; along with the best of Alexei Shirov, John Nunn, and Svetozar Gligoric. Not to mention my favorite sections of the most interesting combinations and endings from recent tournament practice, as well as the studies. The easiest way to copy the content from the Informant CD to your computer is to create a new folder in My Documents/ChessBase/Bases and name it, for example, "Informant." Then use Windows Explorer to navigate the content of the CD and copy everything from the "ChessBase" folder to the "Informant" folder you created. Open the databases as usual with CB11. I enjoyed going through the theoretical novelties section quite a bit, even though the openings are rarely ones I play. That's because TNs represent great ideas in chess that have applicability across the opening spectrum. Here is another proof that two pieces can't always match a rook, especially when there is a nice pawn mass. Boros's annotations are in brackets: Boros, De (2402) – Nemeth, Zo (2370) Budapest 94/96, 2005 Sicilian Defense, Pelikan [B33] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 Rb8 12.Nc2 Bg5 13.Be2 Ne7?! [13...0–0 77/143] 14.Ncb4 Bb7 15.a4!N

[FEN "1r1qk2r/1b2nppp/p2p4/1p1Np1b1/ PN2P3/2P5/1P2BPPP/R2QK2R b KQk - 0 15"]

[15.0–0] It seems surprising that this move could be a novelty, as it starts putting questions to Black he will have a hard time answering, whereas castling is just too agreeable. My Fritz 11 seems to prefer the slight pull it "sees" after 15.Nxe7 Qxe7 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.Qd5. 15...Bxd5 [15...0–0 16.axb5 axb5 17.0–0+-] I don't disagree with this assessment, but wonder if it isn't better to play 15...Nxd5. 15...Bxd5 seems to give up one of the important defenders of the light squares. 16.exd5! [16.Nxd5?! Nxd5 17.exd5 (17.Qxd5 bxa4!) 17...0–0=] I do wonder how many would have automatically recaptured with the knight, but the pawn wedge on d5 is obviously superior (in hindsight!) and the outpost on b4 is superior.

16...Qb6 17.Nxa6!! Qxa6 18.Bxb5+ Rxb5 19.axb5 Qb7 [19...Qxb5?? 20.Ra8+] 20.c4 0–0 21.Ra6 Rc8 22.b3 Qc7 23.0–0 g6 24.Qa1! Bd2 25.Qa3 25.b6! Looks better as after 25...Qb8 26.Ra7! White wins a piece, since all attempts to hold it give time for moves like 27.Qa6 or 27.b7. But again, that is hindsight, and you can't blame Boros for sticking to his plan. 23...Nf5 26.Rc6+– Qd8 27.Rxc8 Qxc8 28.b6 e4 29.Ra1! e3 30.Qa8 Qxa8 31. Rxa8+ Kg7 32.Kf1 exf2 33.b7 Be1 I suppose you can always hope. This sort of trap, though, usually only works in blitz. 34.Re8 1–0 Richard Becker is the best study composer today in the United States; perhaps of all time. His studies feature game-like positions that are notoriously difficult to solve, typically involving the three themes you see featured here: reciprocal zugzwang, positional draw, and stalemate. Endgames down a piece (especially a knight) but few pawns offer drawing chances, and it is worth reviewing studies with this constellation of material. If you had this position as White in a game, could you draw it? Richard Becker White to Play and Draw First Prize, Olimpia dunyasi 2005

[FEN "1n6/5Q2/8/2K5/1p2q3/1P6/8/1k6 w - - 0 1"

1.Kb5! Nc6 2.Ka4 Qc2 3.Qg8!! There are a number of other queen moves here. I would never have found this move with the clock ticking, although I finally did in a process of elimination. It is well worth your while to go through the possibilities here until you realize why the g8-square is the best. 3...Qa2+ 4.Kb5 Qc2 5.Ka4 Ka2 6.Qd5 Kb2 7.Qd3 Qc3 8.Qe2+ Qc2 9.Qd3 Kb1 10.Qh3! Qa2+ 11.Kb5 Qc2 12.Ka4 Ka2 13.Qe3 Qc3 14.Qf2+ Qb2 15. Qe2! Qxe2 = Were you able to see all the reciprocal zugzwang positions? I did not. The CD points them out – if you cannot find them, you need the CD! To say that there is a wealth of material here is an understatement. I expect I will be using this CD for several months, especially to fill my notebooks (both paper and electronic) with interesting material. That you can save your own annotations (instead of penciling them in the margins) is another great plus. My assessment of this CD:

Order Chess Informants 95-97 by Chess Informant

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A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Enter 1.f4, Bird's Opening! by Andrew Martin

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Try the Sicilian Kalashnikov! by Dejan Bojkov

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire, Vol. 3 by Viktor Bologan Chess Endgames 10, Rook and Two Minor Pieces by Karsten Müller Chess Highways by Dejan Bojkov

Opening Choices Translate this page

This month we feature three opening trainers and one on the endgame. Two of the opening trainers, by Bojkov and Bologan, feature the ever-popular Sicilian, and one, by Martin, is for those who want to tread new ground by playing Bird's Opening. The world's foremost endgame expert, GM Karsten Müller, attempts to educate us on endgames with rooks and two minor pieces in a trainer worthy of university credit! As an added bonus, he emphasizes positions in which the pieces work together in harmony, something that has to improve your middlegame skills as well. The latest CB11 update fixes the copy and paste problem noted a few columns back. So be sure to update your program. I know it has made my life a little easier when it comes to making my own databases of games!

Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack by Nigel Davies

Enter 1.f4, Bird's Opening! (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hours. $30.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95) Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

Andrew Martin makes a good case for the Bird by first massaging our egos with a bit of old-fashioned salesmanship: we amateurs don't have much time for studying openings, but we are original and creative players who don't want to sit through a memory test. He then makes a case for the Bird by providing an unusual repertoire that does seem to offer chances of success, if you can handle it. The DVD is divided into four chapters: The Bird Game, From Gambit, Leningrad Game, and Other Systems. I recommend you start this DVD with the last section from the first chapter, Repertoire Choice, as it immediately shows you the choices he is going to recommend. In the case of the From, he eschews accepting the pawn with 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.Nf3 dxe5 4.e4. This seems reasonable, and an open game in the style of the King's Gambit Declined. Against 1...d5 2.Nf3, and against moves other than 2...Bg4, where he recommends 3.e3, he wants you to play the Reversed Leningrad, where I prefer the name "Polar Bear Opening." There are a number of players Martin features on this DVD who play the Bird. These are GM Danielsen, GM Granda Zuniga, and even GM Kamsky

Beating the Berlin Defence by Alexei Shirov

(who occasionally plays the Polar Bear by transposition from 1.g3). He makes the excellent suggestion of following their games. When it comes to choosing a repertoire for that "busy amateur" who wants to play creative chess, it seems to me that a repertoire with similarity of positions and goals offers the best chances. For example, if you play the 2.c3 Sicilian, you might want to combine that with the Tarrasch French and the Panov-Botvinnik as white, and the Tarrasch as black against 1.d4. The three set-ups Martin recommends, though, seem too diverse, and would work against the idea of chess openings as a memory game – they all require quite a different handling of the opening. Still, those of us who have tried the Bird have dreamed of playing such a game as this: Danielsen, Henrik (2512) – Luther, Thomas (2507) Petermaennchen GM 1999 Bird's Opening [A03] Surveying Megabase, I note that Danielsen went 6-3 in 1999 with the Bird for a performance rating of 2520. His weakest results (draws and a loss versus Nunn) were in the Reversed Leningrad, whereas he shone in games such as these. 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Bg4 3.e3 Nd7 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 Ngf6 6.g4 6.Nc3 is another option, forcing a defense of the d5-pawn, and after 6...e6 (6... c6 is also possible) lead to a win for Nimzowitsch versus Kmoch, Kecskemet 1927, continuing 7.g4 Bb4 8.g5 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Ne4 10.d3 Nd6 11.c4 (opening up the position for the two bishops) 11...c6 12.e4 dxe4 13.dxe4 f5 14.exf5 Qa5 + 15.Bd2 Qxf5 16.0-0-0 0-0-0 17.Bc3 Ne8 18.h4 Rf8 19.Bh3 Qxf4+ 20.Qxf4 Rxf4 21.Bxe6 1-0. One question here is whether ...e5 is a threat or not, Danielsen makes for a slow but aggressive build-up. 6...e6 If 6...e5, then 7.g5. Then 7...Ne4, ala Nimzowitsch-Kmoch, 8.d3 and White wins a pawn. If 7...e4 8.Qe2 Ng8 and now either 9.Nc3, or Timothy Taylor's 9. Qb5! should be advantageous for White. 7.d3 Bb4+ 8.c3 Bd6 9.e4

[FEN "r2qk2r/pppn1ppp/3bpn2/3p4/4PPP1/ 2PP1Q1P/PP6/RNB1KB1R b KQkq - 0 9"]

A creative position no doubt! White has moved only his queen and pawns, and is playing according to precepts first advocated by Philidor, with bishops first inside the pawn chain he is creating, and then opening lines for his bishops. 9...dxe4 10.dxe4 e5 11.g5 Ng8 12.f5 h6 13.h4 Be7? 13...hxg5 is probably better. 14.Qh5!

With a rook and knight practically trapped in the corner, Black has few options. 14...Nb6 15.Be3 Qd6 16.Na3 c6 17.Nc4 Nxc4 18.Bxc4 0-0-0 19.Rh2 Qc7 20. Bxf7 hxg5? It is all over really, the rook sacrifice isn't enough. 21.Qxh8 Nh6 22.Qxg7 Ng4 23.f6 1-0 Martin, as always, makes a good case for his repertoire. However, in the end, I didn't buy it, mostly because the opening choices don't really fit my style of play. So take my skepticism with a healthy dose of your own. If all this sounds intriguing to you, go for it. In the end, opening choices are a personality fit, and this one might fit you well. The usual good work by Martin makes this both an educational and entertaining DVD. My assessment of this DVD: Order Enter 1.f4, Bird's Opening! by Andrew Martin

Try the Sicilian Kalashnikov! (DVD) by Dejan Bojkov, ChessBase, Playing time: 6 hours. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) It was a game in the Kalashnikov, sometimes called the Neo-Sveshnikov line, that won the best game prize in Informator 75 in 1994. The game is featured on the trainer, of course, and even in John Nunn's own book Understanding Chess Move by Move. Nunn, John (2600) – Nataf, Igor (2481) French Team Championships, 1999 Sicilian Defense, Kalshnikov Variation [B32] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 f5 9.Bd3 f4 10.g3 Nf6 11. gxf4 exf4 12.Bxf4 0-0 13.Bg3 Ng4 14.Be2? The losing move, only 0-0 held chances for White. 14...Nxf2!!

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/1p2b1pp/p1np4/8/2P1P3/ N1N3B1/PP2Bn1P/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 15"]

Else White secures an advantage. Nunn notes that this sacrifice is one "where one cannot give any kind of justification based on general principles." It certainly reminds of the sacrifices Tal made in his heyday. 15.Qd5+ Kh8 16.Bxf2 Nb4 17.Qh5 Rxf2 18.Kxf2 Bh4+ 19.Kg2 g6 20.Qf3 Qg5+ 21.Kf1 Bh3+ 22.Qxh3 Rf8+ 23.Bf3 Qe3 24.Qxh4 Nd3 25.Nd5 Qxf3+ 26.Kg1 Nf2 27.Kf1 Qxh1+ 28.Ke2 Qxa1 0-1

The main drawback Black faces is the weakening of the d5-square, and of course, if Black can overcome this deficit, he has at least equalized and perhaps has the better game. I like how this DVD is subdivided. There are two parts, giving a total of thirtytwo videos. Part one provides the main ideas behind the opening, and the second gives the theoretical material. Too often, opening study is concerned with move order choice instead of understanding the ideas behind them. The first part contains sections like "Historical journey," "Attack on the dark squares," Play on the queen's flank," Endgame dangers with heavy pieces only," "Endgame dangers with all the pieces on the board," and so on. Bojkov stresses the potential positives and negatives of playing this line, never excessively proselytizing the line. The following is the kind of endgame "with all the pieces on the board," taken from Popovic-Ivanovic, Vrsac 1994, that you can fall into if you are not careful:

[FEN "2r1nr2/1p2n1k1/p2pb3/5p1p/1NP1pP2/ 1P2N1P1/P2RB1PK/5R2 w - - 0 29"]

Some of Black's more egregious weaknesses are highlighted, but I am sure you see them anyway. In the second part, where theoretical lines are given, one primary game is used as the showcase game, as is the custom in these trainers. I was bolstered studying these lines, as now that I knew the basic ideas, I was learning exactly when to implement them in the theory section. Bojkov is a decent presenter of the material; he is a bit on the quiet side, and has a very slight accent that does not disturb. One thing I found impressive is that he caught any small flub he made in his presentation and quickly corrected himself. This is not the case in all trainers, where sometimes presenters just fly on without acknowledging their mistakes. From my Mega Database 2011, I see that GM Radjabov has played the most games with this line in the decade of 2001-2011, with an impressive score and Elo performance of 2703, but there is only one game by him on the trainer, with Sveshnikov getting the lion's share of examples. Sveshnikov has played the most games with the line, 102 to Radjabov's twenty-three. It's simply that Radjabov has more recent games. This, coupled with the fact that the most recent book on the line seems to be authored in 2001, may signal nothing more than the fact the theory of the line is pretty well developed, and not subject to much change, which can be a good thing for the amateur player. If you like an opening that can be aggressive, but also has a relatively sound positional base without too many positional deficits, you may want to "try the Kalashnikov." Bojkov's trainer might be your ticket to exciting games! My assessment of this DVD: Order Try the Sicilian Kalashnikov! by Dejan Bojkov

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire, Vol. 3 (DVD) by Viktor Bologan, ChessBase, Playing time: 5 hours. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) This third volume in the series by GM Bologan deals with 2...e6. This is a "less direct, more subtle" approach to the Sicilian, and is usually adopted with the intention of slowly outplaying White. However, if White reacts strongly and quickly, Black can find himself in some real trouble. The DVD is dedicated mainly to various Paulsen lines using 4...a6 and 4... Nc6. In some cases, Bologan recommends Nxc6 for White, but usually he recommends an English attack set-up (Be3, f3, Qd2, and 0-0-0), as he does against the Najdorf and Dragon. Side lines such as 5...Bb4 are also covered, and the classical Keres Attack in the Scheveningen, where 6...e5! is still the test for White's strategy. Bologan tries to show an advantage for White, and his original treatment is very interesting: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 One can play the "normal" 6.Be3 here, but Bologan feels if Black is going to allow the Keres attack, White may as well play it! 6.g5 e5 6...e5 is something of a trick, where White should get the advantage if wellprepared, so knowing the specific lines is very important. 7.Bb5+ The immediate 7.Nf5 has good results in Mega Database 2011, but Bologan does not cover the line. 7...Bd7 8.Bxd7+ Qxd7 9.Nf5

[FEN "rn2kb1r/pp1q1ppp/3p1n2/4pN2/ 4P1P1/2N5/PPP2P1P/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 0 9"]

Here Black is forced to play 9...h5 right away, else he gets killed on the lightsquares, especially d5. The f8-bishop has no active prospects at this time. 9...h5 10.f3 If 10.g5, then 10...Nxe4! The only game by Bologan I could find in this line saw 10.gxh5, where Black also countered with 10...Nxe4. He won that game in fine style with a TN, but must have reconsidered the move in the meantime. A little on that, "entering the grandmaster's mind," so to speak, would have been a great addition. 10...hxg4 11.fxg4 Rh3 Such an active measure by Black is needed, as "normal moves," such as 11... Nc6, just lead to positions where White has all the play. Even if a knight gets to d4, it will eventually be driven away with c3 (or as Bologan piquantly

states, "his joy will not be forever"), and White will control two important squares on the queen's file. He is preparing an exchange sacrifice on c3, and 12.Bg5 is wrong. 12.0-0 Qc6 If 12...Rxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Qf3! (Playing on the f-file) 14...Nc5 15.Be3, White threatens to take on c5. 15...Nba6 16.Rad1 0-0-0 17.Ng3 f6 18.g5. And White has very active play, down only one pawn for the exchange, although that pawn is, of course, doubled. 12...g6 is also possible, but the knight just drops back to a better square. 13.Ng3 Rxg3+ Another exchange sacrifice! Yet without such an aggressive countermeasure, White just dominates the game with no disadvantages of his own to contend with. 14.hxg3 Nxe4 15.Qf3 Nf6 16.g5 Qxf3 17.Rxf3 Nfd7 18.Be3 Nc6 19.Raf1 Nd8 20.Nd5 Rc8 21.c3 b6 22.Kg2 Nc5 23.c4 and White dominates the board. I admit I found it hard to digest the material on this DVD, and some of the lines have not seen many tests in master games. For someone like me, a lengthier overview at the beginning would have helped, but I also imagine that this DVD is precisely not for players like me, but for Sicilian aficionados. The analysis is fascinating, but by using CB11 and my Mega Database 2011, I noted there were many continuations Bologan did not cover. I imagine he has refined his analysis to the most critical lines. For anyone who wants to contest the main line Sicilian as white, this series is absolutely essential. The first two DVDs were of good quality, with plenty of original ideas, and this one doesn't disappoint either. Study this series and you may find that your club mates will suddenly switch to the French! My only critique is that Bologan flips through lines quickly at times and you often have to pay more attention than usual. My assessment of this DVD: Order Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire, Vol. 3 by Viktor Bologan Order all three volumes and automatically save $6.00!

Chess Endgames 10, Rook and Two Minor Pieces (DVD) by Karsten Müller, ChessBase, Playing time: 7 hours 38 minutes. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95) This DVD comes in at a whopping seven plus hours, which means you know the material will be covered in sufficient depth. Müller did some research and found that the distribution of material with a rook and two minor pieces against a rook and two minor pieces is very common in practical play. In fact, these various types of endings are found more often than rook endgames alone, which prompted his decision to make a tenth endgame DVD. Most endgame texts that cover this sort of material balance mainly only discuss the bishop-pair. So there is new material here that you will not find elsewhere, not even in those weighty endgame tomes. Müller emphasizes achieving harmony and coordination of pieces, which also makes the DVD good for learning about the coordination of pieces in the middlegame. In fact, some examples are really the so-called "queenless

middlegames," included to show the full range of possibilities for the pieces. In terms of achieving harmony, one example is the geometry of the knightpair in connection with rooks. Here the important question is: should the knights be defending one another or standing side by side? Müller addresses other important questions such as the following: ●

●

●

When is the combination rook+bishop+knight superior to the trio of rook and two knights? When should we liquidate to an ending with rook and minor piece against rook and minor piece? What are the rules of thumb and methods which we can deduce from this?

The question of "slight initiative" is also covered. What was a "slight initiative" in the middelgame can rapidly become a winning advantage in the ending; if you don't believe that, I encourage you to study Karpov's games. As an example of exploiting a slight initiative, Müller addresses whether it becomes an even greater when there are a rook + two knights against a rook + two knights. Steinitz's restriction method and questions of pawn handling, such as Capablanca's rule, and some new concepts, such as "Bacrot's bishops," are all covered here. Müller has a knack for giving these endings witty names that encourage memory retention, such as, "Shirov's knight power" or "Short's net of knights." Here are the chapters: ● ●

●

●

●

● ● ●

Rook and two knights versus rook and two knights. Rook and two knights versus rook, knight and bishop, with the bishop's side having disadvantage. Rook and two knights versus rook, knight and bishop, but here the bishop has the advantage. Rook, knight and bishop against their counterparts, but oppositecolored bishops. Rook, knight and bishop against their counterparts, but the bishops are of the same color. Rook and bishop-pair versus rook and knight-pair. Rook and bishop-pair versus rook, knight, and bishop. Rook and bishop-pair versus rook and bishop-pair.

The material in this trainer is more detailed than any endgame text I have seen, and the examples are presented in near perfect style. One of the things I find particularly attractive about all of Müller's columns, books, and trainers is that he is able to find recent grandmaster and master games to illustrate his points, whereas many endgame "experts" rely almost exclusively on classic examples. Look at this recent Shirov-Anand rapid game, Leon Masters 2011. If you have never committed the sin of overextending your king in the endgame, blindly following the dictum to activate your king, and then fall into a mating net, well, you either are much stronger than me or haven't made it to many endgames!

[FEN "2r3k1/5p2/4p1pn/1p1pPn2/ p1rP1K1P/6P1/PP1R4/N2RN3 b - - 0 32"]

Here Anand played 32...f6!! 33.exf6

If 33.Nf3 Rf8 34.g4 g5+ 35.hxg5 fxg5+ 36.Kxg5 Ne3-+. 33...e5+ 34.Kxe5 Ne3 35.Rb1 35.Kf4 Nxd1 36.Rxd1 Rf8 37.Kg5 Kh7-+. 35...Re8+ 36.Kf4 36.Kd6 Nf7+ 37.Kd7 Rd8+ 38.Ke6 Rc6+ 39.Ke7 Nf5#. 36...Rc6 37.Kg5 Re4 38.Kxh6 Rg4? You don't need to be a study composer to see the near model mate that results after 38...Ng4+ 39.Kxg6 Rxf6+ 40.Kg5 Kg7 41.h5 Rf5+ 42.Kxf5 Ne3+ 43. Kg5 Rg4#, but this was a rapid game. 39.Rf2? White misses his chance: 39.f7+! Kxf7 40.Kh7 Rc7 41.Nd3 Kf6+ 42.Kg8 Rc8 +=. 39...Nf5+ 40.Rxf5 gxf5 41.Kh5 Rc7 0-1 And White gets mated by the two rooks. The pitiful looking knight and rook in the corner are still there. Here is an example of Bacrot's bishops, from a Smyslov-Bacrot match in 1996. Beating Smyslov in an endgame was an accomplishment of phenomenal proportions no matter what his age, and here Bacrot does it while missing an even better winning continuation. Smyslov made a few mistakes before this position, letting the superior harmony of the black pieces take what should have been an equal endgame to one that was very difficult for him in just a few moves.

[FEN "1r6/4p1k1/4bp2/2b5/p1P4B/ 1P1RpBP1/P3K3/8 b - - 0 35"]

Here Bacrot played 35...Rb6?! Waiting for the optimal moment to play axb3, according to Curt Hansen. But Müller notes that the engines find the incredibly deep 35...Bxc4!! (he also notes he probably would have played "a normal human move" such as Rb6 as well) 36.bxc4 Rb2+ 37.Kd1 Rxa2 38.Rd5 Bb4 39.g4 a3 40.g5 Rh2 41.gxf6+ exf6 42.Rd7+ Kg6 43.Be1 a2 44.Ra7 Bxe1 45.Kxe1 Rb2 46.Be4+ f5 47.Bd3 and now Müller gives 47...Rb1, winning, but I think Black can play with White a bit here with 47...Kf6! etc. – not that it matters. 36.g4 axb3 37.axb3 Ra6 38.b4? Better was 38.Rd1 Ra3 39.Rb1 Ra2+ 40.Kd3 Rd2+ 41.Kc3 Bd4+ 42.Kb4 Be5 43.Be1 Rd8 44.Ka4 Rh8. 38...Ra2+ 39.Kd1 Bxb4 40.Rxe3 Bxc4 41.Re4? This final mistake ends it all. Better was 41.Be4 e6 42.Rh3 Be2+ 43.Kc1

Bxg4 44.Rb3 Bd2+ 45.Kb1 Ra7 46.Kc2 Bf4, but is still winning. 41...Bb3+ 42.Kc1 Bd2+ 0-1 43.Kb1 Bc3 44.Rxe7+ Kf8 45.Re2 Ra1#. White is mated with the two bishops hanging right over the king's head. Any endgame work by GM Müller is of great value to practical players. So save all his columns, buy all his books, and his trainers. If you are serious about taking endgame points away from your opponents, you'll heed this advice, and probably have the equivalent of a Ph.D. in practical endgameology as well. The only drawback I can find to this DVD is that GM Müller still has a somewhat hesitant speaking style in English with many "verbal pauses." I've watched his trainers in German and noted he has no such problem there; I assume he is searching for the proper words during this time, and perhaps this could be fixed with a little more rehearsal before making the trainer. My assessment of this DVD: Order Chess Endgames 10, Rook and Two Minor Pieces by Karsten Müller Buy any three Chess Endgames DVDs and automatically save 40% on a fourth!

© 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack by Nigel Davies

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

Beating the Berlin Defense by Alexei Shirov Chess Highways by Dejan Bojkov

ChessBase Cafe Bring Down the Wall Steven B. Dowd

Openings are king again this month, with two trainers on openings, and one middlegame strategy trainer on diagonals and files from Dejan Bojkov. Two of the trainers (Bojkov and Davies) have excerpts featured in ChessBase Magazine #147; CBM is a good investment for any player and offers enough material for months of study. Our CB11 note features my own rather idiosyncratic approach to openings.

Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack by Nigel Davies

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Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack (DVD) by Nigel Davies, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours 40 min. $30.95 (ChessCafe Price: $24.95) Whenever you see the name Nigel Davies attached to a chess product these days, you can expect a high level of quality on all fronts. In the case of a trainer that means objective, "just deep enough" analysis; an emphasis on ideas, and a good presentation style. Every Davies trainer I have reviewed has met these standards, and this is no exception.

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great –

Beating the Berlin Defence by Alexei Shirov

Davies calls the line 1.Nf3, followed by 2.b3, the Nimzowitsch Attack; and 1.b3 the Larsen Opening. He notes that the opening complex has been "rather neglected by the theoreticians." I would believe that is because it is the type of opening that is hard to pin down in terms of "lines," but it is well-used by players who want to innovate. Larsen himself called it, as I remember from the pages of his column in Chess Life in the 1970s, the "Baby Orang-Utan." This is an opening that is used both by attacking players (Ljubojevic, Planinc, Minasian, and Fischer) and positional players (Petrosian, Taimanov, and Bagirov), and it is a fun opening to play.

Excellent –

Davies shows the pluses and minuses for both sides here. It is not one of those "snake-oil" trainers where the presenter does his best to convince you that the opening is great by showing only victories for one side. I've always believed that the best approach for Black, if he wants to win, is to adopt the classic approach of occupying the center with pawns on the dark squares. However, after viewing Davies' commentary, this sort of approach, which does nothing to contest White's dark-square control, must be wrong: Nimzowitsch, Aaron – Voellmy, Erwin Bern 1931 Nimzowitch Attack [A06]

Chess Highways by Dejan Bojkov

1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 Nf6 3.Bb2 Bf5 4.e3 Nbd7 5.c4 e6 6.Nc3 The most active set-up according to Davies. White will exchange on d5 at some point. If the recapture is with e-pawn, then White has a central pawn majority and a possible minority attack on the c-file, as occurs in the game. If he recaptures with the c-pawn, White can be first to use the open c-file. 6...c6 7.Be2 Bd6 8.0–0

[FEN "r2qk2r/pp1n1ppp/2pbpn2/3p1b2/ 2P5/1PN1PN2/PB1PBPPP/R2Q1RK1 b kq - 0 8"]

8...Qe7 Probably not the best move, but we already have a position that is not so easy for Black to play. To diverge from GM Davies' analysis, this reminds me very much of a New York system against the Reti (for Gary Lane's excellent overview of this system see his January 2005 column), but the slight differences in position mean it just won't work as well. If Black plays 8...0-0 here, and then 9.cxd5 cxd5, we have a motif that occurs often: 10.Nb5 and if 10...Bb8, then 11.Ba3 Re8 12.Nd6 and the bishop-pair is lost. But if 10...Be7, then a knight to the rim 11.Nh4! and the bishop-pair is again lost. What appears to be an innocuous position is not. We can rewind back to move eight 8...h6 9.cxd5 and allow Black to play the other recapture 9...exd5, but then 10.d3! to blunt Black's bishop on f5 and to play for a later e4, taking advantage of his central pawn-majority. A minority attack with a3 and b4 is also possible in conjunction with this. 9.cxd5 exd5 If 9...cxd5, we have a continuation similar to the above 10.Nb5! Bb8 and now 11.Ba3 is even more unpleasant, as it hits the black queen and gives White an almost winning advantage. 10.Rc1 Ne5 11.Nd4 Bd7 Can you see why 11...Bg6 is bad? Again, 12.d3 already threatens f4 and f5, winning the bishop. But this necessary passive retreat allowed Nimzowitsch to win the bishop-pair and carry off an instructive minority attack. And those are just a few ideas he presents with that very instructive game. Here is one of his own, a victory for the black side, where White tries to play hyper-aggressively. He provides extensive analysis of alternate lines here for White and Black. I give only brief annotations directly related to the game. Taimanov, Mark (2505) – Davies, Nigel (2460) Gausdal International, 1992 Nimzowitsch Attack [A06] 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3 d5 3.Bb2 c6 4.e3 Bg4 5.h3 Bxf3 6.Qxf3 Nbd7 7.g4 Better is probably 7.g3 according to Davies.

7...e5 8.g5 Ne4 9.h4 Bb4 In retrospect, 9...Bd6 might be better, but at the time Davies preferred this idea. 10.Bh3

[FEN "r2qk2r/pp1n1ppp/2p5/3pp1P1/1b2n2P/ 1P2PQ1B/PBPP1P2/RN2K2R b KQkq - 0 10"]

Now the protection of the e5-pawn is a problem. 10...Qe7 10...0-0 would have been his preference, but then 11.Qf5! is hard to answer. So he recalls his "King's Gambit fare" from his youth and sacrifices a central pawn – a courageous decision, with the idea of opening up the position with ... f6. 11.Bxd7+ Qxd7 12.Bxe5 0–0 13.a3 Ba5 14.b4 Bc7 15.Bxc7 Qxc7 16.Qf4 A dubious decision, according to Davies, as the endgame is better for him, even though he is temporarily a pawn down. It certainly shows that just any queen exchange when a pawn up won't do, you have to plan those carefully. Black keeps piling on the pressure, even after winning back his pawn. Please play this one out to the helpless and hopeless end, the final position is worth a look. 16...Qxf4 17.exf4 Rae8 18.Kf1 f6 19.d3 Nd6 20.Nc3 fxg5 21.fxg5 Nf5 22. Kg2 Nd4 23.Rac1 Rf4 24.Kf1 Ref8 25.Nd1 Nf5 26.Rh3 Nxh4 27.c4 d4 28. Rc2 Nf3 29.Re2 Rg4 30.Rh1 Rf5 31.g6 Rxg6 32.Nb2 Kf7 33.c5 Rfg5 34. Rc2 Re6 35.Re2 Rh6 0–1 And that is just a smattering of the rich fare Davies provides. For any player who has reached the level where they have a basic positional understanding, and wants to try an opening where plans and ideas trump memorized lines, this is a phenomenal trainer. My assessment of this DVD: Order Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack by Nigel Davies

Beating the Berlin Defense (DVD) by Alexei Shirov, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hours 49 min. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) I won't deny it – the Kasparov-Kramnik World Championship match in 2000 was the final straw for me in trying the Ruy Lopez as an opening. The package insert provides an excellent introduction to the material to be presented: "Ever since the Kasparov-Kramnik WCh

match (London 2000) players with the white pieces have been breaking their teeth biting on the Berlin Wall in the Ruy Lopez. There may also have been some successes for White of course, but time and again Black has convincingly demonstrated how to equalise or even how to construct an impregnable fortress. The situation from White's point of view has become precarious – ducking it is equivalent to capitulation, because in all alternative variations to the Berlin endgame White gives up from the start on the struggle for an opening advantage. What can he do? There is no other way, White has to find ways to crack open Black's defence. " Shirov's previous DVDs on the Spanish have been well worth the money, and he again works wonders here. His hesitant presentation style is somewhat lacking (and way too many "OKs"), but it isn't enough to detract from the richness of the concepts. Shirov looks like he just arrived in Hamburg after a seventeen-hour train ride; tie open, and a few days growth of beard; but that is part of the charm. How much is "off-the-cuff" is a matter of conjecture, at least once he exclaims, "I just found this idea." The introduction is very rich with ideas and the more I listened to it, the more I thought I might try again to battle the Berlin Wall. Shirov's frank approach in the introduction heartened me. He notes, first of all, that just about every Ruy Lopez line can be seen as a separate opening. The Berlin "only" requires a good understanding of the strategic ideas behind it, and Shirov notes that he personally is just now coming to an understanding of the strategic ideas of the opening and is still very far away from a full understanding. That is a great personal admission that is heartening to us patzers who struggle with trying to understand the ideas. In the introduction, he shows the various ways White can avoid the dreaded endgame, and they all fail. Most provide at best a shaky equality for White, and some are just not good. He knows, as he has tried them, like in this game against French GM Fressinet: Shirov, Alexei (2705) – Fressinet, Laurent (2700) European Championship 2011 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense [C67] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bg5 The idea behind 6.Bg5 is a piece sacrifice. The hope is for 6...f6 7.dxe5 Nxb5 8.exf6 gxf6 9.Re1+ Kf7 10.Qd5+ Kg7 11.Bd2. A new move; 11.Bf4 was played in the game Socko-Lautier, European Champ, 2001, and is annotated in the latest Megabase by Stohl. 11.Bd2 is certainly worth a try, but as Shirov states, Black can avoid all of this with the simple 6...Be7! As played in his game here – he states although he won this game, he should not have. 6...Be7 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 8.Bxc6 dxc6 9.dxe5 Ne4 10.Qe2 Nc5 11.Nc3 Bg4 12. h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 0–0–0 14.Qe3 Kb8 15.f4 f5 16.Rad1 Ne6 17.Ne2 c5 18. Kh2 Qh4 19.Rd3 g6 20.Rfd1 b6 21.Rd7 Rxd7 22.Rxd7 Qe1 23.Qf3 g5 24. fxg5 Rf8 25.Qc6 Qxe2 26.Qxe6 Qe3 27.Qd5 Qxg5 28.Qf3 f4 29.e6 h6 30.e7 Re8 31.Kg1 Qh4 32.Kf1 Rc8 33.Qe4 Re8 34.Qe5 1–0 The most interesting game to me was Gashimov-Carlsen. Gashimov is oftcited on the DVD as one who has well-mastered the strategic concepts behind the Wall, and this game was especially interesting as it was a blindfold rapid game. How these two super-GMs can play strategically in such a game was baffling to me. Gashimov, Vugar (2740) – Carlsen, Magnus (2813) Amber-blindfold, 2010 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence [C67] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ke8

[FEN "r1b1kb1r/ppp2ppp/2p5/4Pn2/8/ 2N2N2/PPP2PPP/R1B2RK1 w - - 0 10"]

Usual is 10.h3. With his next move Gashimov is trying to innovate and save the h3-tempo. 10.Ne2 c5 10...Ne7 may have been better, forcing 11.h3 after all. 11.Nf4 b6 Gashimov is going to get an interesting position (not necessarily an advantageous one) here using what Shirov calls "straight moves" – by which he means of course straightforward moves. He contends this is exceptionally difficult in the Berlin. 12.Nd5 Kd7 13.Ng5 Kc6 14.c4 Be6 This position is difficult to evaluate. Certainly Black should be OK since he has the king on the best square, c6, and after White's next he might want to consider ...h6, accepting some other strategic disadvantages. And ...Re8 might be best of all. 15.Rd1 Nd4 16.Be3 Only here does Shirov really like White's position. What Gashimov has succeeded in doing with his plan is confuse Carlsen, something that Shirov notes is also not easy. 16...Bxd5 17.cxd5+ Kxd5 18.Rac1! Black's weakness is on c7. 18...Be7 19.Nf3 Bd8 20.Bxd4 cxd4 21.Rxd4+ Ke6 22.Rc6+ White should be winning here. 22...Ke7 23.Rd5 Re8 24.Nd4 Kf8 25.g3 g6 26.Kg2 Re7 27.f4 Ke8 28.f5 gxf5 29.Rh6 c6 30.Nxc6 Re6 31.Rxe6+ fxe6 32.Rd6 Bc7 33.Rxe6+ Kd7 34. Rh6 Re8 35.Kf3 Re6 36.Rxe6 Kxe6 37.Kf4 a5 38.Nd4+ Kd5 39.Nf3 Ke6 40.Kg5 Bd8+ 41.Kh6 Kd5 42.Kxh7 Ke4 43.Kg6 1–0 This DVD is a good jumping off point to deeper personal analysis. The only further thing I would have wished for was an overview of the 2000 championship games, which would have made a good addition, especially in comparison to modern efforts to bring down the wall. At the end, you should be ready to try to conquer the dreaded Berlin Wall, through more study, play, and understanding of the strategic ideas in the endgame. This video is primarily for those with a good basic understanding of strategic principles in general; thus, probably Elo 1800 and above. My assessment of this DVD:

Order Beating the Berlin Defense by Alexei Shirov

Chess Highways (DVD) by Dejan Bojkov, ChessBase, Playing time: 5 hours 38 min. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) In my May 2012 column I expressed admiration for Bojkov's DVD on the Kalashnikov. However, I am not enthusiastic about this one. The description from the package insert might appear whimsical, and thus appropriate as a "fun" trainer, but some of it is just fluffy nonsense: "Almost all the chess pieces (except for the tricky knights) have the ability to move along straight lines, whether vertically (files), horizontally (ranks) or on the diagonals. These straight lines, which connect different areas of the board and give the pieces the chance to decide the outcome of the battle, are most important in chess, and thus the title – highways. Understanding the abilities of the pieces is absolutely crucial for every player, from beginner to master. In a game of chess you are the general, and the pieces are your soldiers – the better your relationship with your soldiers – the better your results." Who would have thought that understanding the ability of the pieces was crucial? This is the third ChessBase DVD by Bojkov, and reviewing it has me baffled. I certainly understand the concept, and this DVD is probably OK for the just above beginning level player, but it won't offer much to anyone who has been through a decent chess puzzle book. There are indeed thirty clips, but there is no in-depth organizing principle behind them. Some are terribly misnamed, "Straining the bishop," (constraining!), or misspelled, as in "Chenturini" (Centurini) position. When you are done you will have seen a bunch of neat games or game fragments illustrating a principle, but how do you hook those into your memory for your next tournament game? Couple that with a very weak presentation by the GM, and you have a product that one can't really recommend. Unlike the Kalashnikov DVD, he does not try to make himself understood and there were segments where his voice trails off as he seems to be searching for what to say. Yet, even with multiple viewings, I could not figure out what it was. One positive aspect is the use of quiz questions at the end, but again, without a format or "hook" for the trainer, you are simply answering random questions. It is too bad, as some of the examples are quite good. Who hasn't over-pressed in such a position, and ended up almost losing a rook? Bojkov calls this, "The fears of the rook," which I don't find to be an appropriate title (although it does correlate with his description of optimal rook placement, "The rooks dream"), if you have a section on "[Con]straining the bishop," why not "Constraining the rook"? Or perhaps, as he calls it later in the presentation, "In-boxing of the rook"? Shavtvaldze – Jankovic Kalamaria Open 2008

[FEN "8/8/5kpp/1p2p3/3rPp1P/2R2P2/ 1P2K1P1/8 b - - 0 38"]

Here Black played 38...Rb4?, which allows White to in-box the rook with 39. b3! And after 39...g5, White should have played 40.Rd3. Then if the rook tries to escape with 40...Rd4, the pawn endgame is lost after 41.Rxd4. Instead we saw 40.hxg5+ hxg5 and then 41.Rd3 g4. White can now win with 42. Kd2!, which threatens to either win the rook or exchange rooks, and still wins for him. But he erred with 42.Kf2? and got the draw he had hoped for, although he could have won. I could be overly critical and it is possible that lower-rated players will find this appropriate. Perhaps checking out the sample clip in the most recent Chessbase Magazine is advisable before you purchase. I also wonder, when a DVD such as this goes awry, whether it is a problem with the author or improper editing by the publisher. I suspect more of the latter. I encourage ChessBase to think about this – the market for DVDs and other video trainers is going to become even more competitive in the future. Properly reworked, this could be a decent DVD for the player rated 12001600. But I cannot find much to recommend in its current form. It is "OK," but I expect more from both ChessBase and Bojkov. My assessment of this DVD: Order Chess Highways by Dejan Bojkov

A ChessBase11 Note One thing I really like about ChessBase11 is the enhanced functionality that comes with using an Everyman Chess e-book, along with a trainer and database at hand. It makes research rather seamless. I was perusing Yelena Dembo's excellent Fighting the Anti-King's Indians, when she stirred me with some "fighting words" regarding the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: "The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit never ceases to amaze me with its popularity. It is often met at club level and in correspondence chess, while thematic tournaments are devoted to it and its supporters are more fanatical than the fans of major football clubs! All this is very strange for a gambit that is best, quite dubious." Her remedy is playing a Huebsch Gambit rather than a Blackmar-Diemer, but what got me was this: "I'm not sure how strong both Blackmar and Diemer were, but I am pretty sure that if this gambit were remotely sound, at least one of the 1,000 grandmasters out there would wheel it out occasionally, if only as a surprise weapon." I remembered that GM Velimirovic used the BDG approach against the Scandinavian, and indeed the game is there in the databases:

Velimirovic, Dragoljub (2540) – Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel (2450) Metz, 1988 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (by transposition) [D00] 1.e4 d5 2.d4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8. Bf4 e6 9.0–0–0 Bb4 10.Bd2 Nbd7 11.Bd3 Nb6 12.Qg3 Qe7 13.Rhf1 Rg8 14. Rxf6 Bxc3 15.Bxc3 Qxf6

[FEN "r3k1r1/pp3ppp/1np1pq2/8/3P4/ 2BB2QP/PPP3P1/2KR4 w q - 0 16"]

16.d5! A typical blow for this sort of position and one that should justify the exchange sacrifice. A friend of mine used to call such line opening for the bishop-pair, "opening the can for the worms." (Brings up an odd visual, doesn't it?) It would seem to me that Black could still hold this but he starts drifting, which is of course exactly what the gambit player hopes for. 16...Qe7 17.d6 Qd7 18.Bxh7 0–0–0 19.Bxg8 Rxg8 20.Bd4 Kb8 21.h4 Nd5 22.h5 g5 23.Kb1 f6 24.c4 Qh7+ 25.Kc1 Nf4 26.Qe3 b6 27.Bxf6 Qf5 28.Be7 e5 29.d7 Ne6 30.Qf3 Qxf3 31.gxf3 Kc7 32.d8Q+ Nxd8 33.Bxd8+ 1–0 There are other GMs who have also used the BDG, the most interesting finding being that their opponents almost always decline it and transpose to other openings, such as the Caro-Kann or French. It is, according to conventional wisdom, a mistake for a lower-rated player to try such an approach; if you are going to beat the GM or force him to take a draw, surely accepting the gambit is best? In any case, it has given me something to explore in my opening research. And, yes, we BDG fans tend to be a bit rabid about our opening. (I love it despite its faults.) © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

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Reviewed this Month ABC of the Classical Dutch by Andrew Martin

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ABC of the Classical Dutch (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hours 45 min. $29.95 (Chesscafe Price: $24.95) Andrew Martin is one of my favorite presenters. He always approaches a topic with enthusiasm. On this trainer, after a rather pragmatic introduction, his next two sections consist of "Black getting pounded" and a "cautionary tale" so you can see what not to do in this opening! You won't even see the main line of the repertoire until the fourteenth game of the thirtythree presented. The Classical Dutch is one of those openings that doesn't enjoy a great reputation at the highest levels. Yet, there is no refutation in sight, and it has been adopted by all kinds of uncompromising players. The Dutch player is a combinative one, willing to play for complications and the win from the getgo. The Dutch is an unbalancing opening, and the Classical Dutch demands accurate play on both sides.

Attack with 1.e4 by Daniel King

Here is an example of how things can go wrong for White. He has already let the opening get away from him, and his careless approach to the middlegame will lose. Notaros – Maric Novi Sad 1974

Winning with the Ruy Lopez, Vol. 1 by Viktor Bologan

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/4b1pp/2p5/p2p4/2pP4/ 4B1P1/PP2P1BP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 17"]

Black's small but persistent advantage is rather obvious. White should try 17. Bd2 or 17.Bf4 here, but tries instead to break up the queenside pawn structure. 17.b3 c3 Accurate play in a wide open position, according to Martin. Of course, Black could have played 17...Bb4 or 17...Ba6 with advantage as well. 18.Qc1 Qb6 19.Rd1 The best way to get off of the "skewer line" was probably 19.Rf1. 19...Bg4 20.Bf1 Qb4 21.Rd3 c2 22.Qxc2 Bf5 23.Qxc6 Bxd3 24.Qxd5+ Kh8 The engines think White is still OK here. Yet, he is lost in less than ten moves. White's decision to give up the exchange for some pawns was not a good one; Black's activity is long-term, White's, short-term. That is a common theme in this opening; play good moves until White's opening advantage dissipates, and then counterattack. 25.exd3 Bf6 26.Rc1 Rae8 27.Rc4 Qe1 28.Bf2? 28.Bf4 should hold for awhile, anyway, although it still looks hopeless in the long run. Now White is lost. 28...Qd2 29.Qg2 Bg5 30.d5 Rxf2 0-1 The reason I show this game fragment, and why Martin includes it as the first Black success, is that it represents just one of the many positions that can arise in the Classical Dutch once things "open up." You have to exercise a certain "flexibility of thought" in the Classical Dutch, Martin later notes, giving it a certain appeal to those who like to innovate over-the-board. The main repertoire line features GM Simon Williams, who is a consistent proponent of the Classical Dutch. Although Martin calls 7...Ne4, a relatively new move, it was advocated by Williams as early as 2003. The idea behind 7... Ne4 is to exchange a set of minor pieces, then going for the ...e5 break with Bf6 and Nc6. The traditional Classical Dutch moves of ...a5 and ...Qe8 are held in reserve. White's choices are mainly to take the knight or play various queen moves, with 8.Qc2 the main line. Here is a great fighting game by Williams, against a world class-GM, that illustrates his "cold-blooded approach": Sokolov, Ivan (2689) – Williams, Simon (2452) Reykjavik op 2006 Classical Dutch [A96] 1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0–0 6.0–0 d6 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Bd2 This looks like one of those passive moves you get from rank beginners, almost a Stümperzug, so if a GM of Sokolov's stature plays it, there must be a point. Indeed, he plans to get in a quick d5. Both players have left conventional paths already. 8...Nc6 9.d5 Nxd2 10.Nxd2 Black has the bishop-pair, but White has greater freedom of movement. It is going to be a battle. White now turns to natural moves; they don't get him very far. 10...Ne5

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/ppp1b1pp/3pp3/3Pnp2/ 2P5/2N3P1/PP1NPPBP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 11"]

White can try 11.dxe6 here, hoping to take advantage of the long diagonal for the bishop, but after 11...c6!, blunting the bishop, Black is slightly better. It looks to me like the experiment has failed, and White has to fight for equality. 11.e3 c6 12.b4 Bf6 13.Qc2 Bd7 14.Rad1 a5 15.b5 Gains space but also opens lines for Black pieces. 15...cxd5 16.cxd5 Rc8 The immediate tactical threat is, of course, 17...Rxc3. 17.Ndb1 Bxb5 White has tried to conduct the early middlegame with solid moves, but this approach has failed. So he tries an exchange sacrifice that gives him practical chances. If such imbalanced games as this one do not appeal to you, the Classical Dutch with ...Ne4 is perhaps one opening you should not try! 18.dxe6 Bxf1 19.Kxf1 Kh8 One of those moves that shows Williams has a good assessment potential for this type of position – he removes his king from any potential light-squared difficulties. 20.Bxb7 Rc7 21.Qb3 a4 A tactical deflection and, according to Martin, a "bamboozling" move. 22.Nxa4 Qe8 23.Nbc3 Qh5 24.Bg2 Nf3 25.Bxf3 Qxf3 26.Qd5 Qh5 27.Qxd6 Rfc8 A position that is hard to evaluate and may even now be slightly better for White. 28.Kg2 h6 In a "confused position" Black removes the possibility of a back-rank mate. 29.Nb5 Rc2 30.Nb6 f4 Evidence that time-trouble must have affected this game, as the immediate 30...Qe2 would have won. 31.exf4 Qe2 32.Rf1 Qe4+ 33.Kg1 Rxf2 34.Rxf2 Rc1+ 35.Rf1 Rc2 36.Qd5 Qe2 37.Qh1 Qe3+ 0–1 A brilliant game no doubt, but also one riddled by mistakes, as expected from a hard-fought OTB battle. When I tried to conduct my usual evaluation of the opening through online games, nearly everyone avoided the Classical Dutch! You can interpret that two ways: "people hate to face this opening, so I am going to take it up!"; or

"if all my opponents avoid it, I will just end up in some crazy sideline, so I will stick with my standard openings!" Upon viewing the DVD, I felt very comfortable in my knowledge of the repertoire: get a set of minor pieces off the board, strive for an ...e5-break, and watch out for an e4-break by White, or alternately, a break on the queenside. What really attracted me is that the play is active the whole time. This DVD is an excellent introduction to the Classical Dutch and Martin is an excellent teacher. Nevertheless, he stresses that to really learn the repertoire (and all the ways White can avoid the Classical Dutch), you will need to get a book or two on the opening and immerse yourself in a database of games. It is a great DVD to consider if you are thinking about playing the opening, and if not, you will still learn something about counterattacking chess in general. My assessment of this DVD: Order ABC of the Classical Dutch by Andrew Martin

1.Nf3: A Variable Repertoire for White (DVD) by Lubomir Ftacnik, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours 33 min. $29.95 (Chesscafe Price: $25.95) This is a very unusual opening repertoire DVD from GM Ftacnik. He is the sort of strategically-minded GM who makes positional chess look simple and forces the viewer to sometimes reconsider their approach to the game. And that can be a good thing. A quiet but determined presenter, his command of English is strong with few gaffes. One example of the latter, he uses "parade" for the German parade (counter). These small mistakes are persistent, but do not overly detract from the material. The introduction is worth listening to for any class of player, as he attempts to answer the question,"Why 1.Nf3 instead of 1.c4 or 1. d4?" One thing he stresses is that one should use databases to find ideas you can use with either color by looking for analogies and symmetries in openings. That made me think right then and there. I have used databases to search for specific positions, and have noted instances like this in the openings – a Latvian Gambit can transpose to positions found in the King's Gambit, for example. I may explore this further and report on it in a future CB11 note. 1. Nf3 is a "careful player" repertoire. When playing it, you are often a step away from mainline openings, and you can transpose, but you do not often run the risk of falling into an opening trap based on a specific variation. I don't normally give the whole list of topics on a DVD, but it seems wise to in this case: ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction Symmetry (no less than ten illustrative games! - there sixty-five total on the DVD) 1.Nf3 01: Avoiding main lines 1...b5, 1...d5, and 2...Nc6, 1...b6 02: The Hour of Bc8 – 1...d6 and 2...Bg4 03: Dutch Defence – 1...f5 04: King's Indian Set-up for White 05: English Opening – 1...c5 06 English Version of Gruenfeld/Queen's Indian – 1...Nf6 2.c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4.cxd5/ 1...b6 07 Nimzo-Indian Setup 08: Catalan (without d4)- 1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 09: The Big 1...d5 Challenge 1a – 1...d5 2.e3 Part 1 10: The Big 1...d5 Challenge 1a – 1...d5 2.e3 Part 2 11: The Big 1...d5 Challenge 2a – 1.d5 2.g3 Part 1 12: The Big 1...d5 Challenge 2b – 1.d5 2.g3 Part 2

● ● ● ● ● ●

13: The Big 1...d5 Challenge 2c – 1.d5 2.g3 Part 3 14 Hedgehog with ...e6 – 1...Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 15 Hedgehog with ...g6 – 1...Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 16 English Opening 4 Knights – 1...Nf6 2.c5 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.g3 17 English Opening with 3...e5 – 1...Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 e5 18 Summary

You certainly cannot complain that this DVD is too sparse with either variation- or idea-based play. I am a big believer in using ideas rather than rote memorization for openings. However, I must confess that I have rarely found the approach of using an opening with a tempo in reserve to be all that useful. It is very difficult to turn a defensive idea into an attacking idea, especially for a player who prefers punching to counter-punching. Still, the third section was quite illuminating, with the game Kramnik-Carlsen providing a good example of his symmetry analogy and I began to get the drift. Kramnik, Vladimir (2791) – Carlsen, Magnus (2823) Moscow Botvinnik Memorial 2011 1.Nf3 [A40] 1.Nf3 b5?! Stopping an immediate 2.c4 but only for the shortest of time. 2.e4! Bb7?! Marin in his notes in MegaBase that it almost looks safer to avoid the pawn exchange with 2...a6 3.d4 Bb7 4.Bd3, transposing to 1.e4 a6, the famous game Karpov-Miles. 3.Bxb5 Bxe4 Here both Marin and Ftacnik make similar comments: Generally speaking, the exchange of a knight-pawn for a central one should favor Black. However, the bishop is exposed in the center and the time invested in this operation (two tempi) is too high a price to pay. At the same time, the b5-bishop is active. For instance, it prevents an early occupation of the centre with ...d5, according to Marin. 4.0–0 Nf6 5.d4 e6 6.c4 Here is where the point of the DVD became clear to me, because I play 1...e5 against the Polish. But there, Black has to usually block his c-pawn with Nc6 to control the center; here White has time for c4 and is going to continue in Steinitzian mode with d5. The extra tempo for White certainly tells here. 6...Be7 7.Nc3 Bb7 8.d5 0–0 9.Bf4!? Na6 (9...c6? 10.d6!) 10.Re1 Qc8 11.Nd4 Bb4 12.Bg5! Ne8 13.Re3 A decisive kingside attack. 13...c6 14.Bxa6 Bxa6 15.Qh5 f6 16.Rh3! fxg5 17.Qxh7+ Kf7 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Qh7+ Kf7 20.Ne4 Bxc4 21.Qh5+ Ke7 22.Qxg5+ Kf7 23.Qh5+ Ke7 24. Qg5+ Kf7 25.dxe6+ dxe6 26.Nf3! Kg8 27.Qh4 Rxf3 28.Qh7+ 1-0 28...Kf8 29.Rxf3+ Ke7 30.Qh4+. One thing I really appreciated from Ftacnik is how to utilize closed positions to my advantage. You can never have too many examples of these in your chess memory. I just wish it were as simple as he made it look. After you work your way through all these games, the summary is a bit disappointing; he really doesn't give you any more than he gives in the introduction, less in fact. A more overarching conclusion would be valuable. Closed openings are not especially useful for lower-rated players seeking to

improve, so I will say this DVD is for any player rated above 1600 Elo who wants to learn more about ideas that arise in closed openings. It certainly was an educational experience for me, and I intend to continue viewing it, as the author has many great ideas that I need to comprehend. My assessment of this DVD: Order 1.Nf3: A Variable Repertoire for White by Lubomir Ftacnik

ChessBase Magazine #147 (DVD) by ChessBase, $23.95 (Chesscafe Price: $19.95) ChessBase Magazine is one of the best chess values you can buy. First off in #147 is comprehensive coverage of three major tournaments: Gibraltar, Wijk Aan Zee, and the Aeroflot Open. The annotations provided by the GM contributors is amazing. The European championship of 2011 still holds interest and Alexei Shirov has a fifty-minute video on his phenomenal game as black in the Botvinnik Variation against Grischuk. This alone is worth the price of the DVD. The video is a detailed summing up of the latest developments in this sharp variation. He goes into both the systems with 6.a4 (here his recommendation is 6...b5) and also with 6.e4 and shows a series of new themes. There are thirteen openings articles with "numerous ideas for your repertoire including a weapon against the Volga Gambit (4.Nf3), a strategic recommendation against the Maroczy Bind in the Sicilian, a re-discovered move in the in French Advance Variation and a completely new development in the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit." I found the following opening articles of most interest: Breutigam, writes on the Tarrasch QGD with a solid e3 for White, concluding Black has nothing to fear; Stohl, on the QGD with Bf4, showing many interesting ideas and Schipkov, on black alternatives in the Classical Dutch to Qe8, which complimented well Martin's DVD. He also concludes that with 7...Ne4 "Black gets sufficient counterplay." The opening article I enjoyed the most was Marin on the King's Indian Torre Attack. Everything by Marin is worthwhile to the serious player. When working on an earlier theoretical survey he found two games that did not lead to the traditional slow maneuvering for advantage but featured an intense fight for the initiative from an early phase. He recommends an interesting combination of lines against the 6...c5 variation, which he rightly notes would form a "balanced and varied repertoire," and would be difficult to prepare against. Knaak's Opening Trap is a fairly deep idea (his traps are never the simple kind), with a natural-looking move losing in the Exchange Variation of the Slav by allowing Black's queenside pawns to become weak and doing nothing against a strong bishop on f4: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.cxd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4 Bf5 7.e3 e6 8.Bd3 is a well-known drawing line but 8.Qb3 is more ambitious. 8...Qb6 9.Bb5 Now the natural developing move 9...Be7 is bad:

[FEN "r3k2r/pp2bppp/1qn1pn2/1B1p1b2/ 3P1B2/1QN1PN2/PP3PPP/R3K2R w KQkq - 0 10"]

10.Ne5! Rc8 The stem game Reuben – Houska, Menchik open 1994 continued 11.0–0 0–0 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Qxb6 axb6 14.Na4 Bd8 15.Rfc1 b5 16.Nc5 and Black cannot save the pawn on c6. This trap has applicability across a wide number of openings (for instance, in the Panov-Botvinnik), making it a great opening trap meme. In such positions, you don't often have to give up something after winning the pawn – your advantage continues unabated. Opponents tend to fall into such "lulls" easily in symmetrical, semi-open positions. Tactics by Reeh shows how danger signs on the diagonals were ignored by one side or another, the most spectacular being Rapport – Pijpers, Groningen 2011:

[FEN "6k1/3bpp2/3p3p/q1pP1Pp1/ 2BbP3/1Q6/6PP/1R5K w - - 0 33"]

Reeh finds this position "truly amazing" and I must agree. "On which diagonal could there ever be danger looming for the black king, especially with that monster bishop on d4? Yet the second player simply seemed to react wrongly to White's next move – and five moves later he was checkmated!" 33.Qh3! My engines want to play 33.Qb6 at first, but soon recognize the strength of the text. 34...Kh7 34...Kg7? loses a piece to the check by the pawn, but 34...Bg7 was probably better. It was likely difficult to see the retreat because the bishop seems so well-placed on d4. 34.e5! Obstacle-clearing. 34...Qa8 is best. 34...Bxe5 35.f6!!

Surely even the most conservative annotator would give this clearance move, which also sacrifices the queen, two exclamation points? 35...Bxh3 Black is lost. After 35...Be8 36.Qf5+, White will dominate and win the bishop on e8. 36.Bd3+ Kg8 37.Rb8+ Qd8 38.Rxd8# A game in which the appellation "problem-like moves" would be appropriate. Müller annotates the endgames of Wijk aan Zee and Gibraltar. He gives them such delightful and memorable names, such as Radjabov's pawn rockets or closing the mating net. Hast – Ootes Tata Steel-C, 2012

[FEN "R2B4/5p1k/2p1p1pp/3bP3/ 5P2/4b3/6PP/7K w - - 0 33"]

Would you forget to close the mating net here, and play 33.Bf6?, which gives drawing chances? Instead, the game is over after 33.h4! If you cannot work out why, you certainly need Müller's always sage endgame commentary. Peter Wells' Strategy section is always thought-provoking, and this was no exception. He discusses the concept of harmony, covering such a diffuse topic as effectively as possible. He writes, "Harmony is inevitably concerned with the aesthetics of a position, but the practical player wants to ensure that the pieces coordinate and cooperate in a way which promotes appropriate plans." Wells claims Marin's annotations to Kramnik-Leko show a sensitivity to the concept of harmony: "the way in which White's pieces vacate squares or lines which are then utilised by their colleagues in the sequence 12.Bg5 13.Qf4 and 14. Rc1 carries tremendous appeal, but might still have been overlooked by a less astute observer." Here is the "before":

[FEN "rnq2rk1/2p1bppp/p3pn2/1p6/3Pb3/ 5NP1/PP1BPPBP/RNQ2RK1 w - - 0 12"]

And the "after":

[FEN "r1q2rk1/1bpnbppp/p3pn2/1p4B1/ 3P1Q2/5NP1/PP2PPBP/RNR3K1 b - - 0 14"

With Marin commenting as follows: "There is something remarkable about White's last moves. I can't help comparing them with certain patterns of play in chess problems (mates in three or four, helpmates). White's pieces tend to make full use of the space left available by their colleagues. 12.Bg5 has made available a whole new diagonal for the queen and she uses it immediately, making the longest possible move. This has cleared the c1-square and the king's rook hurries to occupy it. I would also point out that the queen and the bishop concentrate their pressure on the f6-square, while the queen and the rook attack the c7square. To my understanding, this is pure harmony, but let us return to the more concrete world of practical chess, where things are not that clear." Of the eight games discussing harmony in chess, one of them, WardWilliams, features again the 7...Ne4 variation of the Classical Dutch. That opening does seem to be ubiquitous. There are many other sections as well. I just realized that the Telechess section gives readers the chance to see their annotated games published in CBM. It seems I am always finding something new on these DVDs. The one recurring fault with ChessBase Magazine is the poor editing (language usage) – other than that everything else seems perfect! My assessment of this DVD: Order ChessBase Magazine 147 Order ChessBase Magazine Subscription

© 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 3, Rook Handling by Efstratios Grivas

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A Good Start!

ChessBase Cafe Steven B. Dowd

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by Michael McGuerty Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 3, Rook Handling (DVD), by Efstratios Grivas, ChessBase, Video running time: 4 hours, $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) If there is one aspect of chess that every player can improve, it is rook endgames. Even a minor advance in theoretical knowledge can go a long way. In Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 3, Rook Handling, Greek GM Efstratios Grivas describes them as the "most fascinating element of chess, rich in both tactical and strategic possibilities." That they are the most frequently encountered type of endgame is further reason to become familiar with their intricacies.

Chess Expertise: Unexpected Tactics by Efstratios Grivas

The contents are divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

About the author Introduction Keep Your Rooks Active (four segments) A Trapped Rook (six segments) Losing a Drawn Rook Ending (six segments) Technical Rook Endings (seven segments) Rook on the Transfer (seven segments) Rook and Knight (four segments) Rook [sic] and three Pawns vs. Rook (seven segments; this part should read knight and three pawns vs. rook)

In the "About the author" segment, as can be expected, grandmaster Grivas lists his extensive accomplishments as a chess trainer and author. He is a FIDE Senior Trainer (Secretary of the FIDE Trainers' Commission), an International FIDE Chess Arbiter, and an International FIDE Chess Organizer. He has won several medals at various Olympiads and, in 2010, he was awarded the FIDE TRG Boleslavsky Medal for best author of 2009 (though he does not mention for which title). It is a bit odd that they felt the need to include this as a video clip; a paragraph of text in the index window would have sufficed. Grivas has a deep, gravelly voice and talks somewhat quickly with a heavy accent, but by the end of the short introductory clip the viewer is already acclimating to his enunciation and inflections and quite soon this does not become an issue at all. During the introduction, he is clearly reading his statement and never looks square at the camera. Nevertheless, his gaze is directed forward in later segments, and, since the focus of the viewer is on the chessboard during the tutorial clips, one does not notice the presenter as much in these portions. Grivas states that the aim of the DVD is to "cover important parts of this field rook endings and help to assimilate knowledge and understand the depth of

Chess Expertise: Mastering Strategy by Efstratios Grivas

Chess Expertise: Endgame Magic by Efstratios Grivas

proper handling of the rook in certain cases: how to keep the rook active; how to trap a rook; how not to lose a drawn rook ending; how to handle technical rook endings; how to successfully transfer our rook; how to use cooperation between rook and knight; and how to defend against a knight and three pawns." Already in the first game segment, many important principles are conveyed. In Flohr – Vidmar, Nottingham 1936, Grivas begins his analysis with the following position:

[FEN "3r1k2/1p3p1p/p5p1/3pn3/3N4/ 1P2PP2/P5PP/2R2K2 b - - 0 29"]

He states that White seems to be slightly better because of Black's isolated pawn, but Black should be able to hold the position. He notes 29...Ke7 would have drawn, when Black only has one weakness, which White probably cannot exploit. 29...Nc6?! 30.Nxc6 Rc8 31.Rc5?! Here he notes 31.Ke2! is more precise: 31...bxc6 (31...Rxc6? 32.Rxc6 bxc6 33.b4! Ke7 34.Kd3 Kd6 35.Kd4) 32.Rc5. 31...bxc6?! 31...Rxc6 32.Rxc6 (32.Rxd5 Rc2 gives Black active counterplay for the pawn) 32...bxc6 33.b4 Ke7 34.Ke2 Kd6 35.Kd3, when Black has time to play 35...c5 36.bxc5+ Kxc5 37.Kc3 a5=. 32.Ke2! 32.Ra5?! c5! 33.Rxa6 c4; 32.b4?! Ke7 33.Ke2 Kd6 34.Kd3 Rb8 35.a3 Rb5. 32...Ke7 33.Kd3 Kd6 34.Ra5! 34.Kd4?! Rb8 35.Ra5 c5+! 36.Kd3 Rb6=. 34...Ra8 35.Kd4 White prepares e4. It is too early for 35.e4 dxe4+ 36.Kxe4, as Black's king will hold the weak pawns: 36...Kc7 37.Ke5 Kb6 38.b4 Re8+, allowing the black rook to become active on e2. 35...f5 36.b4 Grivas calls this a critical moment. Black needs to have an active rook, but he first needs to protect his weak queenside pawn.

[FEN "r7/7p/p1pk2p1/R2p1p2/ 1P1K4/4PP2/P5PP/8 b - - 0 36"]

36...Rb8? 36...Kc7! was necessary. Grivas then launches into an extensive analysis: 37. Kc5 Kb7 38.Kd6 Re8 39.Ra3 A) b) 39...d4 40.exd4 Re2 41.Rc3 Rxg2 (41...Rd2 42.Rc4) 42.Rxc6 Rxh2 43. a4 g5 44.Rc7+! Kb6 45.Rg7 White is too active and he has a good opportunity to win. B) c) 39...g5! Grivas states that this simple move has been overlooked in most of the endgame books: B1) 40.g3 B1a) 40...d4?! 41.exd4 Re2 42.Ra5! h6 43.a4! (43.Rxf5 Rxa2 44.Rf7+ Kb6 45.Rc7 Rxh2 46.Rxc6+ Kb5 47.d5+/-) 43...Rb2 44.Rxf5 Rxb4 45.Kc5 Rxa4 46.Rf7++/-. B1b) 40...g4! 41.f4 (41.fxg4 fxg4 42.Rc3 Rf8=) 41...Re4 42.Rc3 Rc4= and Black's position is perfectly playable. B2) 40.Rc3 f4 41.exf4 gxf4 42.Rxc6 Rd8+ 43.Kc5 d4 Black's d-pawn offers good counterplay: 44.Re6 d3 45.Re1 Rg8=, gives Black a perfect position to achieve a draw. C) 39...f4? 40.exf4 Re2 41.g4 Rxh2 42.f5+–, the f-pawn is very fast and Black cannot hold the game. The good news for us is that Grivas admits it is impossible to calculate all these variations. Instead, we need to follow the principles of such positions. We have to activate the rook, so it is logical to protect the pawn with the king and then decide what to do with the rook. For sure, a8 is the wrong square for the rook. 37.a3 Ra8 37...Rb6 puts Black in zugzwang after any White move. 38.e4! Grivas calls this break "enlarging the battlefield," which many will recognize as the principle of two weaknesses. 38...fxe4 39.fxe4 dxe4 40.Kxe4

[FEN "r7/7p/p1pk2p1/R7/1P2K3/P7/ 6PP/8 b - - 0 40"]

40...Ra7?! 40...Kc7! A) 41.Kf4? Rf8+ 42.Kg3 Kb6=, and Black should be fine because the rook is active. B) 41.h4!? Kb6 42.g4 (42.Kf4? Rd8 43.Kg5 Rd3 44.g4 Rd4 45.h5 Re4=) 42... Rf8 43.h5+/-, White is better, but perhaps not yet winning. This is the line preferred by Dvoretsky in his Endgame Manual. C) However, Grivas likes 41.Re5! Kb6 42.g4 (42.Re7? a5! 43.Rxh7 axb4 44. axb4 Ra4 45.Rg7 Rxb4+ 46.Kf3 Rh4! 47.h3 Rh6 48.Kg4 c5 49.Kg5 Rh8 50. Rxg6+ Kb5 51.Rg7 c4=) 42...Rf8 (42...a5? 43.Rxa5 Rxa5 44.bxa5+ Kxa5 45. Kd4+–) 43.a4+/-, when White is better, but there is still a long way to go and Black holds more resources for counterplay than after the passive move 40... Ra7. 41.Kf4 h6 Trying to prevent the white king from entering the position. Now White has to find a pawn breakthrough on the kingside to win some critical squares for his king. Worse is 41...Ra8 42.Kg5 Ra7 43.Kh6 Ke6 44.g4 Kd6 45.h4 Ke6 46.g5 Kd6 47.a4+–. 42.h4! Ke6 43.Kg4 Ra8 44.h5! g5

[FEN "r7/8/p1p1k2p/R5pP/1P4K1/ P7/6P1/8 w - - 0 45"]

44...gxh5+ 45.Kxh5 Rg8 46.g4+–. Now the f5-square is weak and White must use it to penetrate with the king to c6. 45.g3! 45.Kf3? Rf8+ 46.Ke4 Rf4+ and Black has become active. Now Black has no counterplay and can only play waiting moves. 45...Ra7 46.Kf3! Ra8 47.Ke4 Ra7 48.Kd4 Kd6 49.Ke4 Ke6 50.Re5+! A nice move. Black must allow the rook or the king to penetrate.

50...Kd6 If 50...Kf6, then 51.Rc5 Rc7 52.Ra5 Ra7 53.Kd4 Ke6 54.Kc5 Rd7 55.Rxa6 Rd3 56.Rxc6+ Kf7 57.a4 Rxg3 58.Rxh6+–. 51.Re8 c5 51...Re7+ 52.Rxe7 Kxe7 53.Ke5, and Black is in zugzwang.

[FEN "4R3/r7/p2k3p/2p3pP/1P2K3/ P5P1/8/8 w - - 0 52"]

52.Rd8+! Kc6 After 52...Kc7 53.Rh8 cxb4 54.Rh7+ (54.axb4+–) 54...Kb8 55.Rxa7 Kxa7 56. axb4 Kb6 57.Kf5 Kb5 58.Kg6 Kxb4 59.Kxh6 a5 60.Kxg5 a4 61.h6 a3 62.h7 a2 63.h8Q. 53.Rc8+ Kb6 54.Rxc5 Rh7 55.Re5 Kc6 56.Re6+ Kb5 57.Kf5 Rf7+ 58.Rf6 1–0 This entire segment is just fifteen minutes long and yet it is packed with teachable moments and it clearly demonstrates the importance of the rook's activity in the endgame. A few other segments also approach the fifteen minute mark (in the "Technical rook endings" section), while a good many others are seven to ten minutes in length, and others just two or three minutes. Grivas's presentation style is matter-of-fact and straightforward. He is more the staid professor rather than the rambunctious sports commentator. Most of the other games on the disk are from contemporary grandmaster practice, though there are some golden oldies in Benko-Rossolimo, 1962; Browne-Zuckerman, 1973; and Lein-Littlewood, 1980. Grivas gives the complete game scores with each game, even though his commentary begins in the endgame. Of the thirty-three annotated games, Grivas's own are featured in five; three of which are in the technical rook endings section. In the game Grivas-Papadopoulos, 2006, he showcases his 2265-rated opponent's excellent technique in holding the draw in a pawn-down, four-versus-three rook endgame. If a 2200 can survive the test of a 2500+ grandmaster by following correct principles, then it only underscores the necessity of having this knowledge in your endgame arsenal. Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 3, Rook Handling comes bundled with the ChessBase Reader and so works as a stand-alone program. It also runs within the ChessBase database program or any of the Fritz-family of playing programs. The system requirements are Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, etc. Grivas himself notes that this DVD provides just a small amount of what one needs to learn about rook endings. Yet he is correct in saying "it is a good start!" One can watch these segments multiple times and each time come away with some new insight. Seeing the ideas in action onscreen, they are more likely to stay with you than if you only read them on the page of a book, and you can always review the games at your own pace in the accompanying database. Recommended for any level of player.

My assessment of this DVD: Order Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 3, Rook Handling by Efstratios Grivas Buy all four Chess Expertise DVDs and automatically save $12.00!

We would like to thank Michael McGuerty for filling in for Steve Dowd this month. © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Tactics: from Basics to Brilliance, Vol. 3 by Valeri Lilov

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Attacking A King Which Has Castled Short by Valeri Lilov 1.e4 e5: An Active Repertoire for Black by Adrian Mikhalchishin

ChessBase Cafe Before the Ending Steven B. Dowd

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First, I want to thank all of you who wished me well during my last illness and regrettable absence from my column last month. I was especially pleased that so many old chess friends read this column, and it is always great to make new friends through chess; in fact that is one reason I love this game so much!

Opening Repertoire for the Positional Player by Valeri Lilov

I always wonder why opening trainers are so popular – until I find myself playing poorly in the opening – and then I wonder why there aren't more of them! However, this month we feature two middlegame trainers, by the always competent Lilov, and only one opening trainer. Tactics: from Basics to Brilliance, Vol. 3 (DVD) by Valeri Lilov, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95)

Rating Chart

I consider Valery Lilov a master teacher in training. He is not as polished a presenter as Andrew Martin or Nigel Davies, but he is definitely on the path of continued progress. On this DVD, Lilov proceeds with his exploration of tactics in the Basics to Brilliance series. In sixty-two games, he moves from knight forks through weaknesses on files and diagonals to discovered attacks, overloading, and misplaced pieces. From the package insert:

Play it Safe, Play the Petroff by Leonid Kritz

Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

"Topics start from "the hole in the fianchetto" and go as far as "the seventh rank." But that's not all we get! How about a combination juggling from a "decoy into a pin?" You will find everything you didn't find in other tactics books, all in one place, because it is now put together just for you! Enjoy FM Valeri Lilov's training once again and get your tactics to the next level now! " A bit of hyperbole, but not inaccurate, at least for players below 1600 Elo or so. Lilov's explanation of motif versus theme is a bit of a struggle to comprehend at first and his differentiation may be a bit homespun, but it makes sense the more you consider it and that is what a good teacher does – shows justification for his own explanations. It not always necessary that the student believe it, it is only necessary that the student understand it – clarity of presentation is one of the hallmarks of a master teacher. In explaining his use of motif and theme, he uses back rank (or weakness) as an example of motif. The theme is the execution of the tactic or combination, the "way we exploit it, the action that we take." Deflection is a theme. Consider the following:

Learn from the Open Games by Sam Collins

[FEN "5rk1/pp3r1p/3p2p1/3NP2q/2Pn4/ 1P4Q1/P2R2PP/4R1K1 b - - 0 1"]

The experienced player will note the rook on d2 and the lack of an escape square for the white king, the black queen's ability to "run down" the diagonal h5-d1, and the weak square e2. In fact, if you can't spot the motif – the weak back rank – you are a prime candidate for this DVD to get your tactics up to speed. Now to the execution. Since e2 is a weak square, how is this exploited in combination with the back rank weakness? Lilov calls attention immediately to 1...Qe2!, which is indeed an "extraordinary move." The rooks are exposed as helpless and clumsy against the queen and knight. This is a powerful deflection (the theme). One thing I would have added is why 1...Ne2+!? is not as effective as the text move, but perhaps he considered that only noise in relation to the very clean execution of the theme. All the examples are well presented on this DVD, which could serve as a great resource for any player below 1600 or for teachers looking for supplemental material for their students. It would also be a competent refresher for the stronger player looking to shake off the rust. A solid five-star presentation; I look forward to more Lilov, as always. My assessment of this DVD: Order Tactics: from Basics to Brilliance, Vol. 3 by Valeri Lilov

Attacking A King Which Has Castled Short (DVD) by Valeri Lilov, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) This is another solid effort from FM Lilov. Barring the awkward title, it is a very good introduction to attacking the castled king. This is a great start before taking on weightier classical tomes, such as Vukovic's Art of Attack in Chess, and it also features a few things you won't find in those classical works, as the author has the benefit of modern experience. He begins appropriately with attacks on g7. Attacks on this square are amongst the most important to know when attacking the castled position. The "why" is not always obvious to chess students, so I always have my own students repeat the mantra: "g7 is the new f7." By this we mean that f7 is no longer the weakest square on the board. Because, once castled, g7 is the only square protected by the king, and the g7-pawn is an important protector of the king. Nevertheless, much more importance tends to be attached to the h7-sacrifices, such as the Greek gift, probably because it is flashier and tends to draw the black king out. In the first lesson, Lilov presents the following position:

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/3nbppp/p2pp3/6PQ/1p1BP2P/ 2NB4/PPP2P2/2KR3R w – - 0 14"]

This is from the game Movsesian-Babula, 1996. If you follow along in your database, you will find four games with this position, and since Lilov doesn't give the games with full continuations, it is worth following with the database. If nothing else, you see all the ways White can win. I don't consider it a deficit that he doesn't present all these possibilities; that isn't the goal of a DVD, and the good student will always search for the whole story on his own. Of course, here the passive 14.Ne2? isn't going to lead anywhere. Black can then shut off the bishop by playing the pawn or knight to e5, or could also consider 14...Qa5. The target should be clear: the king, and specifically his protection: the g7-pawn. Lilov notes you really need three things in any attack: a target (g7 and the king), three pieces to attack (two sometimes work if others can come in from the wings in time, but that can be dodgy), and open lines. So we start with 14.Bxg7! In his annotations in Megabase, Ftacnik gives 14. Nd5! as of equal worth. However, then 14...Ne5! seems to blunt the d4-bishop and aim at getting the important d3-bishop off the board. But perhaps I am missing something. The game continued 14...Nc5 15.Qh6 (we could be greedy with 15.Bxf8, but why?) 15...Re8 (15...Nxd3+ just lifts the rook to d3) and now 16.Ne2!, the move that was passive just two moves ago, threatens to bring the knight to g3 and h5 with a crushing attack. White wins. Speaking of rook lifts, another idiosyncratic use of language is his calling the rook lift a "rook switch." He even notes that "some people" (practically everyone) call this a rook lift. "Rook switch" just doesn't bring the same action to mind for me. That the DVD is very comprehensive in seen in the follow-ups to the g7sacrifice in double sacrifices on h7- and g7, f7- and g7. In fact, I must say again that this DVD covers more topics than well-established sources like Vukovic. I am the author of a two-part article on the Bxh6 sacrifice here at the ChessCafe.com (and one I was proud of), so I was very interested in his coverage of the Bxh6 sacrifice. As with many sacrifices that expose the king's position, it must often be made on general principles: not with a mate in sight, but the opponent must defend for a prolonged time, and enough material equivalent (usually pawns) must be secured in case the king can escape. The goal of Bxh6 is again to destroy the cover provided by g7. This example really floored me, as I could not initially see the value of the sacrifice. It is Vogt's only win against Uhlmann in the databases, and in a French, no less! If you had asked me who conducted the white pieces, I would have guessed Fischer. Vogt, Lothar (2505) – Uhlmann, Wolfgang (2515) East Berlin,1989 French Defense [C18] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Bd3 Nbc6?! 9.Qh5 h6? 10.Bxh6! gxh6 11.Qxh6 Nf5 12.Bxf5 exf5

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp3p2/2n4Q/2ppPp2/3P4/ P1P5/2P2PPP/R3K1NR w KQ - 0 13"]

Sure Black's king is open, but only the queen is in play. Yet after White's next move, Black is totally lost! 13.0-0-0! Starting to clear the way for the rooks to come into play, but the rook is not even brought to a square from which it can lift, as Black's 14...c4 seals it off. My Fritz 11 spends a lot of time on 13.Nh3, which it initially evaluates as equal, and takes a very long time before it "sees" long castling. 13...c4 14.Nh3 f6 15.Qg6+ Kh8 16.Rhe1 fxe5 17.dxe5 f4 Black gives himself an opportunity he cannot take: removing the Nh3, which would just open the g-file. But what else? This is an amazing position where Black has no hope. It is one of those rare positions where you don't need three pieces immediately in the attack; the white queen restrains any black play while the white pieces take their time in getting to the king. 18.Qh6+ Kg8 19.Nxf4 Qe7 20.Re3 Bg4 21.Nxd5 Qxa3+ 22.Kb1 1-0 Where the DVD is truly valuable, however, is in its coverage of pawn attacks and pawn storms, which constitute five of the lessons. All levels of players can benefit from this discussion, and I would like to recommend to Lilov that he consider making "Pawn Levers and Storms Against the King" his next DVD. I would be willing to buy that, no questions asked! To say the least, I picked up a lot from those five lessons. This is a five-star DVD that has something of value for all players, especially those who have not explored the topic of attacking the castled king in depth. Highly recommended. My assessment of this DVD: Order Attacking a King Castled Short by Valeri Lilov

1.e4 e5: An Active Repertoire for Black (DVD) by Adrian Mikhalchishin, ChessBase, Playing time: 6 hours 48 min. $31.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) This trainer was a pleasant surprise for me, because it offered a very informative discussion by a grandmaster on the "neglected" open games. It doesn't really meet the goal, in my opinion, of providing an active repertoire for Black, especially at the club player level, but it is definitely a good starter for finding your own repertoire in the open games. There is no formal introduction, but the introductory comments regarding opening choice are golden here: a useful discussion of why you might choose 1.e4 e5 as opposed to various other

openings, the fight for the center, etc. Mikhalchishin has a pronounced accent, but he is perfectly understandable. He tends to rush through positions at times, and this means that multiple viewings are necessary if you want to get the full gist of an idea. He starts very well, using Smyslov as the model player for the first portion of the Spanish: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6. Why g6 versus the Spanish? It can be similar to a King's Indian, not in the sharp attacks but as a means of fighting for the center. This line is easy to study and implement. You don't need to know a lot of theory, but you need to know ideas, which makes it an ideal opening for players below 2200. Then he oddly switches to both the Exchange and the Archangelsk variations. I am not sure why you would need these in your repertoire if you already had the Smyslov line without ..a6. In fact, it seems a rather dissonant choice. I believe he is trying to give the viewer a number of possibilities, but I am not certain it makes much sense in a repertoire DVD. A grandmaster may need several lines, but most of us need just one – in fact, having too many can be just confusing for the club player. Mikhalchishin notes the many holes that can be found in this opening, but he also praises the good development. If you like his ideas here you may want to try his trainer on the Archangelsk. His contention is that the e4-square is of significant importantance in the Spanish, and the Archangelsk certainly piles pressure on that square in many variations. In Mikhalchishin's version, Black plays ...h6 and ...g5 with castling short. The piece activity makes up for having what Purdy called the weakest kingside position. You have to be especially adept at handling these sorts of positions: Prandstetter, Eduard (2400) – Mikhalchishin, Adrian (2485) Dortmund, 1990 1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.Re1 Bc5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 g5 Castling here for Black and playing a later ...g5 will lead to various pieces sacrifices on g5, which will be hard for Black to meet. 12.Bg3 None of the piece sacrifices quite work here without Black having castled.

[FEN "r2qk2r/1bp2p2/pbnp1n1p/1p2p1p1/ 3PP3/1BP2NB1/PP3PPP/RN1QR1K1 b kq - 0 12]

12...0-0!? This was a novelty at the time. The traditional line began with 12...Qe7 and castling long, along with ...h5. If you examine the position in your database, you will find that both Beliavsky and Hector have also been successful with the line, along with Mikhalchishin, of course. White has only a 43.5% success rate, which does speak to it's potential, but there have been relatively few GM games with the line.

13.h4 13.Qd3 may be better. Exchanges on e5 just work out to a Black advantage 13...g4 14.Nh2 h5 15.Qc1 This certainly seems best, along with 15.Qd2, while 15.d5? Ne7 just lets Black bring another piece to the kingside. 15...Kh7 There are many holes in the black position, but Mihalchishin is more impressed with Black's "fantastic development." 16.Qg5 Rg8 This move involves a pawn sacrifice. 17.Qf5+ Kh8 18.dxe5 White doesn't take the sacrifice. 18.Bxf7 Bc8 19.Be6 Bxe6 20.Qxe6 exd4 21. Na3 dxc3 22.bxc3 Qf8 23.Nc2 Re8 24.Qf5 Ne7 25.Qf4 Ng6 26.Qf5 is glossed over as better for Black, which it certainly is. In the only game with this in the databases, Svensson-Lejlic 1994, White played 21.Nd2 and won, but Black should still be better there as well. It certainly is a position worth exploring for both sides. 18...Nxe5 19.Bxe5 The engines already evaluate Black as much better here. 19...dxe5 20.Qxe5 Qd6! This removes White's only active piece; Black has terrible pressure against e4 and f2. 21.Qxd6 cxd6 22.g3 Nxe4 23.Re2 Nxg3 24.Re7 Bc6 25.Nd2 Nf5 26.Rxf7 Raf8 27.Nhf1 g3 28.Nxg3 Rxg3+ 29.Kf1 Rxf7 30.Bxf7 Rg2 0-1 Certainly a model game. If this sort of fighting chess interests you, I recommend you check out the Archangelsk DVD too. I was quite interested in Mikhalchishin's assessment of the Bishop's Opening, as that has been the source of the most heartbreak for me in tournaments. He advocates building a big center, noting, "White can attack Black's center, but the center is the center." As regular readers of this column know, I always test openings in online games to see what I have learned. I can report a big success here by following the author's ideas, and I want to thank him profusely for that. Another interesting contention of the grandmaster is that the King's Gambit is underestimated. He asserts that White can achieve better positions than in the Spanish, and this opening is due for a comeback. A good tip presented here is to remind you that one can approach a gambit in two ways: take all or nothing. The "in-between" route is rarely successful. Thus, he recommends two lines: one declined and one accepted. I was especially impressed with his discussion of the King's Gambit declined and accepted. A particularly excellent discussion focuses on the right time for White to take the c5-bishop in the 2...Bc5 declined variation. For example, after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.d3 Bg4 7.Na4 0-0 8. Nxc5 dxc5 (the loss of the bishop is not a problem here) 9.0-0 Nh5 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Nxf4 12.Bxf4 he recommends his own innovation 12...Nd4! (Forster-Mihalchishin, 2002), giving Black some chances to fight for a win in a position that is normally a well-known drawing line. If you decide you prefer the approach of taking the f4-pawn, he recommends

the modern line 3.Nf3 Ne7. There is very little to speak against on this DVD, except its positioning as a repertoire trainer. In its defense, the universe of the open games is very broad and not easily covered in a few hours; whereas it is easy to make a repertoire trainer on Larsen's or the Bird's Opening, for instance. If you view this DVD as a potential starter for your search for an opening repertoire based on 1.e4 e5, then you will not be disappointed. In general, this one rates five stars, but four as an opening repertoire trainer. Good work from the GM and I hope to view more of his work in the future. My assessment of this DVD: Order 1. e4 e5: An Active Repertoire for Black by Adrian Mikhalchishin

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

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Reviewed this Month Play it Safe, Play the Petroff by Leonid Kritz

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Attacking A King Which Has Castled Short by Valeri Lilov Opening Repertoire for the Positional Player by Valery Lilov

ChessBase Cafe In Search of an Opening Repertoire Steven B. Dowd

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I am one of those players who is always threatening to get back into the game. After all, I can play "senior" chess now, in tournaments without those young whippersnappers that always ruin it for us old guys. I suppose that is why I am enthusiastic about these videos – I continue to be optimistic that one of them is going to reveal my "new" opening repertoire to me. Recently, I have had difficulty in choosing a repertoire before I get back to the tournament grind. I would like to play more solidly, but this has eluded me thus far. Nevertheless, in chess, you have to be an optimist!

Opening Repertoire for the Positional Player by Valeri Lilov

I always wonder why opening trainers are so popular – until I find myself playing poorly in the opening – and then I wonder why there aren't more of them! However, this month we feature two middlegame trainers, by the always competent Lilov, and only one opening trainer. Play it Safe, Play the Petroff (DVD) by Leonid Kritz, ChessBase. Playing time: 4 hours, 37 minutes. $31.95 (ChessCafe price: $27.95)

Rating Chart

Play it Safe, Play the Petroff by Leonid Kritz

I love the open games, but every tournament player needs a safety net opening for various occasions. I chose the Petroff because it provides that safety net, while also offering winning chances without too many losing chances.

Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

This DVD provides exactly what it sets out to. In fact, I may consider the Petroff as a main line, especially if combined with approaches like Shirov's on My Best Games in the Petroff Defence (which is anything but safe, as you would expect!). The presentation starts off a bit wooden, but Kritz becomes more animated as he demonstrates the variations. In fact, variations is pretty much all you get. Not much time is spent on specific ideas or games you might hang your hat on. There are a few ideas, of course, such as the relative strength of the pawn structure d6/d5, where Black has had to allow the exchange of his darksquared bishop, but gains good control over the e5-square. That is when you have to ask the question as to whether the video approach is being used to its fullest capabilities. Since video offers you more chances to exploit the fact that most people are visual and aural learners, you should take advantage of that. Kritz sadly does not, although he does a very competent job of presenting the variations and making brief stops to evaluate the position. But no more.

Learn from the Open Games by Sam Collins

My main interest was in how he handled the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4, which has been a pet line of mine for many years. Black plays 3...Nxe4 "of course" and then the usual is 4.Bd3. No mention is made of 4.dxe5!?, which hopes for 4...Bc5 and a slew of complications. This must be a deficit; not because the line is good (I find only the uncompromising Short has tried this amongst strong Gms), but because it can be tricky, and if you are going to "play it safe" you probably want to avoid this line. Black can simply transpose into the main line after 4.dxe5 with 4...d5 and then there is nothing better than 5.Bd3 d5, when one line continues 5...Be7 6.0-0 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.Re1 Nc6 9.Nc3, and we reach this position:

[FEN "r2qk2r/ppp1bppp/2n5/3pP2b/4n3/ 2NB1N1P/PPP2PP1/R1BQR1K1 b kq - 0 9"]

Here Kamsky defeated Carlsen at the World Cup in 2007 (Kritz only mentions that it is a "famous game" of Kamsky's) after 8...Bg6 10.Bd2 Nxd2 11.Qd2 d4 12.Ne4 0-0. After 12.Ne4, he recommends 12...Bb4!?, which certainly merits a try over the board, since 13.c3 is forced, although his line 13...dxc 14.bxc Be7 15.Rad1 0-0 16.Qf4 Qc8, where he says that ...Qf5 "is coming." White can nip that in the bud with 17.Ng3, where it looks to me like White is better. But even better than that, I believe, is not continuing in the vein of Kamsky's game, with 16.Qc2! When, if Black tries 16...Qc8, White responds with 17. Neg5! threatening to destroy the g7 strong point and if 16...Qe8, White can consider 17.Qb1 or the forcing 17.Nf6+, which pops up quite a bit in this line whether White is castled or not. The reason I distrust this line today is because of another line Kritz gives: the more direct 8...Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Nxe5 10.Qe2 Nxc3 11.bxc Kf8. White has compensation for a pawn, but I doubt he can do much more than win it back with an equal position. This is more in tune with of "playing it safe." I certainly learned from and enjoyed the video. Some added features, as mentioned earlier, could have driven it into first class status, and hopefully GM Kritz will consider this in his future productions. The DVD is advertised as being suitable for all strengths of players, and I am mostly in agreement with that – probably players of Elo 1400-2200 will benefit the most. My assessment of this DVD: Order Play it Safe, Play the Petroff by Leonid Kritz

Learn from the Open Games (DVD) by Sam Collins, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours. $32.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95) The author is clear that this is not an opening repertoire, instead Collins offers an overview of specific games rather than lines, and the material is arranged by theme: exchanges, attacking strategy, gambits and sacrificial play, opening selection, play

with opposite color bishops, restriction of the opponent’s pieces, play in queenless middlegames and endgame technique. These themes, which continue to crop up in open games, function to guide play in the middlegame. The only trouble is that the themes are not stated expressly in the menu – there the only arrangement is by opening! I had to go back and insert the theme names on my own. Here is the example of the opposite-colored bishops. Learning about "the opposites" is worthwhile as they are valuable in a middlegame attack, but also because knowledge of how they work in the ending can bring extra points – one thing I have found is that too many individuals assume that one pawn down is a forced draw. Often it is, but not always. Here, White goes down a pawn, but his dark-square bind and attacking chances are simply too much for Black to overcome. Jones, G – Hebden, M. Kilkenny 2011 Scotch Gambit [C56] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 The Scotch Gambit, a favorite of mine. You can play 5.0-0, but unfortunately too many people know the lines well, and except for what Collins calls "rubbishy sidelines" you can't hope for more than sterile equality. 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bc5 8.Be3 Bd7 9.Bxc6 bxc6 Black will want to get his bishop back to b6 and push his queenside pawn majority with ...c5 and ...d4; White has a kingside pawn majority he wants to push with f3 and f4. 10.Nd2 Qh4 11.0–0 Bb6 A standard position for the opening. Nakamura played 12.Nb3 against Hebden in 2008 and won; 12.c4 is also possible. Jones uncorks an innovation he had found during the previous summer. 12.a4!

[FEN "r3k2r/p1pb1ppp/1bp5/3pP3/P2Nn2q/ 4B3/1PPN1PPP/R2Q1RK1 b kq - 0 12"]

A move that doesn't show its true intent until later. White threatens to push against the bishop with a5, but that is only the immediate threat. In retrospect, it is easy to recommend that Black castle instead. 12...a5 13.e6! Bxe6 14.Nxe4 Qxe4 15.Re1 Bxd4 Probably best, although the engines already note that White has sufficient compensation 16.Bxd4 Qg6 17.Ra3! This rook-lift is the actual point of 12.a4. Collins considers that Black's

position might be hopeless at this point. Although it looks like an aggressive defense might have stemmed the tide, White certainly has all the chances in a practical game. 17...Kd7 The "computer move" 17...Rg8 may have been better. 18.Rg3 Qf5 19.Qd2 Qh5 20.Bxg7 The engines prefer 20.Rg5, but it is understandable why White keeps the rook on the third rank. It is fairly obvious that the black squares have been weakened, perhaps beyond repair, as Collins claims. 20...Rhg8 21.Qd4 Qf5 22.c4 Rab8 23.h4 Rb4 24.b3 Kc8 The black king just becomes a target now, although his crown was not resting easy on d7. Perhaps 24...Qc2! would have held, which gives White fewer targets. Then the logical 25.Qf4 is met by the switchback 25...Qf5! and how is White to make progress? 25.Qa7! f6 26.Qxa5 Rb8 27.cxd5 cxd5 With the c-file open, the end is near. 28.Rc1 Qf4 29.Bh6! A sweet little overloading of the black queen. 29...Qd6 30.Rgc3 Rb7 31.Qa8+ 1-0 The themes and ideas presented here are worth seeing for any player with more than a passing familiarity with the open games. The DVD could serve as a good introduction to these themes for lower-rated players as well. Another solid effort from the Irish GM, who is a great presenter. Collins has that self-effacing manner that endears himself to a viewer: "There are good game and there are my games on this DVD. And I hope some of my games are good games as well." Moreover, he takes the time to think before speaking (though this does bring about lots of pauses), but I find this preferable to some presenters who talk too quickly and misspeak. And he does refer viewers to a neat set of DVDs that do provide an opening repertoire for Black in the open games: Black Repertoire against 1.e4, Vol. 1: The Marshall Attack and Black Repertoire against 1.e4, Vol. 2: Open Games.

My assessment of this DVD: Order Learn from the Open Games by Sam Collins

Opening Repertoire for the Positional Player (DVD) by Valery Lilov, ChessBase, Playing time: 4 hours. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95) I was intrigued by Lilov's DVD mainly because I never have considered myself a positional player. But I recognize that positional play has to enter in a player of my years, or as Lasker once noted, I needed to give up the Cowboys and Indians approach to chess. However, the trainer covers all sorts of openings: the English; various d4 openings, including the Torre; 1.e4 e5 as white and black; and so on. So what exactly is he advocating? Certainly no one except a Spassky is enough of an "all-rounder" to play all those openings?

This trainer turns out to be more of a discussion of how to apply positional concepts in your opening, so long as you play most of the usual first move choices. Lilov should take a page from the opening pamphleteers of the 1970s and rename the trainer "How to Play a Rock-Solid Opening, No Matter What Your Style!" Unlike many of those pamphlets of that era, it would be a true and honest description in this case. If this were properly conveyed in the title, then it would be a more attractive product for players like me who are not good at positional play! The package insert notes, "Let one of the best coaches on the internet guide you through the maze of positional chess where none of your tactical opponents’ tricks will work! Learn how to take advantage of your positional style of play with the help of the Tiger. " With this assessment I am in full agreement. This won't offer a way to choose or learn a repertoire, but it will solidify your knowledge of how to play the opening and, for example, learn when it is important to not worry about losing the two bishops, etc. This DVD should help combat such wrong-headed thinking. The content of this video is simply excellent. There are all sorts of neat discussions from an experienced player on how to embark on getting the middlegame you want through sound positional means. Lilov is fully in control on this one; you'll be passing up a good set of lessons (especially for lower-rated players) if you don't consider it for your video library. My one major critique is that Lilov, like many strong players, is too immediately dismissive of Black gambit lines, such as the Latvian or Elephant Gambits. It isn't that these lines are good, but many of us don't know how to meet them. A great future video for Lilov would be "How to Refute Positionally Unsound Openings." My interest was in the Torre attack, which he calls it a "Universal Weapon," and it seems like an opening you could assay against any level or style of player. As usual, the 1400-1800 crowd will benefit the most from Lilov's instruction, although I found his material a useful reminder. For example, after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5 probably just about everyone knows 3...g6? is not best because of 4.Bxf6, but do you know why? One trap players often fall into is knowing that something is bad without knowing why. I am probably as guilty as anyone on that account. The answer is that the pawn on d5 has been weakened. Not only has the support from f6 been knocked out but the pawn on e7 can no longer support his colleague on d5. Thus after 5.e3 Bg7 6.c4 0-0 7.Nc3 c6 8.cxd5 cxd5 9. Qb3, White has an exceptionally solid position and will win a pawn:

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pp3pbp/5pp1/3p4/3P4/ 1QN1PN2/PP3PPP/R3KB1R b KQ - 0 9"]

What the DVD lacks is an adequate explanation of how to proceed from here. Strong players don't need that; but I suspect many in the target audience do. Also some further explanation of what to do if Black takes on c4 rather than saddling himself with the isolated pawn would help. There are some neat tidbits here; for example, after the better 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.Nbd2 Be7 5.Bxf6!? is mentioned as a possibility, leading to a position similar to the Rubinstein French, and based on the fact that, again,

striving for the bishop-pair is not always the sound choice. If there was a personality test for chess, I would definitely score high on the "bishop-pair overestimation scale." One of the idiosyncracies of the early bishop developments after 1.d4 is that the dark-squared bishop may not be as useful as the light-squared one, reminding of Tarrasch's dictum that "without his king's bishop, he could not play chess." Many of the games I found in the database with this "Rubinstein approach" had White pressuring the kingside for a long time, and then transposing to a better endgame where Black had permanent structural weaknesses. It was something you could learn by ideas and basic structures – exactly what I would think the "positional approach" was all about. Unfortunately, the move order 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5 is simply not good; the way you should enter this line is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 d5. These bishop sorties require an accurate move order. As Palliser notes in The Torre Attack: Move by Move (a book I highly recommend if you want to understand the ideas behind the Torre) 3.Bg5 without ...e6 allows 3...Ne4! and in my opinion, White is fighting for no more than equality, and can easily slip into a bad position if he continues dogmatically. There are a few slip-ups of this sort, but not many. In general, I was pleased with what I found; in the lines you won't play, there still are important positional ideas that will transfer well to other settings (e.g., control of d5). I suppose to leave your audience wanting more is the hallmark of a good teacher and performer, and I hope Lilov expands on this idea of solidity in the opening in future trainers. For people like me, who, for better or worse, often play like a caveman, it would be a welcome addition to my video library. Yet this one serves well. My assessment of this DVD: Order Opening Repertoire for the Positional Player by Valeri Lilov

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

[ChessCafe Home Page] [Book Review] [Columnists] [Endgame Study] [The Skittles Room] [ChessCafe Archives] [ChessCafe Links] [Online Bookstore] [About ChessCafe.com] [Contact ChessCafe.com] [Advertising] © 2012 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com®" is a registered trademark of BrainGamz, Inc.

Reviewed this Month 1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

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All About Checkmate

ChessBase Cafe

First, let me thank all the chess friends I have met through this column, which is, unfortunately, going to be my last because of some personal issues in my life. I have learned so much and appreciated the comments you have made. ChessBase TeamViewer Support

Steven B. Dowd

I imagine I am like many of the readers of this column: serious about chess but somewhat limited with regard to technical matters. This is an issue that arose in reviewing this month's trainer; everything worked fine except the training function! So I contacted ChessBase support and soon received a reply with a few suggestions.

Chess Endgames 11 by Karsten Müller

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Strategy University, Vol 5 by Adrian Mikhalchishin

Rating Chart Awful – Poor –

It turns out that I must have unchecked the "enable training" function in CB11 at some point and forgot all about it. This is as simple as clicking the training tab in the board window and checking the box for "enable training." However, for some reason I could not find this on my own, so ChessBase support invited me into a TeamViewer session. This creates a remote desktop connection that allowed them to access my computer, and they not only enabled the training feature, they also made some tweaks that allowed for better utilization of other features in CB11.

Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

I have expressed my admiration for ChessBase's technical support before, and once again I am very happy with their commitment to customer service. That is one reason I will continue to support CB products. 1000x Checkmate (DVD) by Lubomir Ftacnik, ChessBase, Video Playing Time: 60 min. $27.95 (ChessCafe Price: $21.95) I probably do not need to cite GM Nigel Short's famous comment about excess attention to pawn structure and other positional considerations being a waste of time because "checkmate ends the game" to readers of this column. Indeed, checkmate is what it is all about, and knowing mating patterns makes you a better player more than memorizing umpteen moves of opening theory ever will.

The Chebanenko by Victor Bologan

I will cite the package insert on this one, as it will also relate to various points I will make throughout the review: "In this extended update of the ChessBase mating course, Lubomir Ftacnik initiates you into the fine art of mating your opponent. In four videos the grandmaster explains typical mating patterns. At the same time, two small collections of material allow systematic assimilation of the subject of delivering mate. After that, it is all about answering the training questions in 1000 mating exercises. "The positions are classified in different ways. The simplest of these differentiates between mate in 1, 2 or 3 moves. There is a methodological way of accessing the 1000 mating exercises via 15 main themes. These include themes such as back rank mate, smothered mate, the king in the centre or motifs involving the h-file. The systematic solving of exercises on specific themes may be a little easier but it will certainly help you when similar motifs crop up in your own games." The first thing I like about this trainer are the short lessons. There are four mini-lectures by Ftacnik that total "only" sixty minutes. But they are just about the right length. In my former life as a professor, I found that short lectures with intensive follow-ups of drill-and-review brought about better learning outcomes on all levels: short-term, long-term, and quality of knowledge. However, that is putting the cart before the horse, and not showing some of the real advantages this trainer brings, whether you are a tyro at the board or at the mouse. There is a much better introductory section to this trainer than most. It is titled "How to work with this database":

So if you are new to chess or chess databases, you have a convenient way of learning both. Here is a small sample of what you find in the "Basics" section, taken from the "Taking the piece" section:

[FEN "6kR/5p2/6N1/8/8/8/8/b5K1 b - - 0 1"]

Of course, this is about mate prevention: How can Black stop the mate, and the answer is course 1...Bxh8. Thus, before you ever start the videos, if you are a beginner, you have a way to get up to speed first. And the videos are mostly well-done. Ftacnik is not a naturally strong presenter, he hems and haws a bit, and has an indirect way of speaking (he takes too long, for example, to make the case of studying checkmates as the alpha and omega of chess study), but he is a professional, and makes a concerted effort. Still, a more forceful, less hesitating style would be of benefit.

His discussion is arranged in terms of motifs, for mates, the below is an example of "Rook and light pieces" from the tenth round of the 2007 world championship tournament in the game Aronian-Grischuk:

[FEN "3r2kb/p7/7P/8/1P1pBpN1/R6P/ P3bP2/6K1 w - - 0 37"]

Here Aronian effectively finished off the game with 37.Rxa7! and Grischuk banked on his pawn with 37...d3 38.h7+ Kf8 39.Bg6 d2 40.Rf7+ Ke8 41.Nf6 + Bxf6 42.Rg7+ 1-0. Here perhaps you see my quibble with the classification scheme. Surely the white pawn has as much to say in this position as the other pieces, since it will promote with mate on the next move. And the drawingout of the bishop from the queening square and the resultant shut-off of that piece with the precise 42.Rg7+ has something to do with the combination working, if not everything. Perhaps the developers and Ftacnik thought this would be a case of "TMI," too much information, and thought it not worth including. I could understand this; it can be confusing to list too many motifs. After you go through basic patterns on the video, there is a reinforcement section. This is what the package insert refers to as the "two small collections of material [that] allow systematic assimilation of the subject of delivering mate." This is from the mating motif section:

You will see that you can access the game by clicking on the greenhighlighted link, which is a nice feature when you want to move the pieces around. The second of the two "small collections" was the elementary section I already discussed. This is a bit confusing, but this has to do with how the material is presented in the package insert – a bit more "up-front" clarity in advertising CB products is needed. The process of drill-and-review has been known for over a century to bring the best learning results, yet it is not used often enough. I firmly believe every trainer should have a drill-and-review section. You learn best by doing, and when you cannot play the game, the next best thing is drill-and-review exercises. How else do you know what you learned or did not learn? A slick presenter can make you feel like you learned a lot – but when you next play at the club or in a tournament, will you really remember that opening line you just looked at? That endgame? No trainer without drill-and-review is complete. This is what makes this trainer usable for any level of player. If Dad is the local master, and son is just learning the game, both can benefit from this DVD. Here is an example of the drill-and-review section (the "Mates" section):

You will see that I was correct on Black's last two moves (...g5+ and ...Rxh3 +) and have now only to deliver the final coup of ...Bf3# to get the maximum score of 100% on this one. So you get much more than just the thousand mates, which is only the last portion of the DVD. You get video training with a GM, reinforcement through a review, and then the chance to test your knowledge. It is no different than a competent shampoo: lather, rinse, repeat. And if the jump to a DVD trainer is a big one, the use of the trainer is explained in great detail. If you just learned chess, what you need to learn basic patterns is there as well.

My biggest nit with this DVD is "Smoothered mate." Yes, there it is. This despite the fact that the package insert uses the correct "smothered." There are many mistakes you can let go, but, really, ChessBase? A "smoothered mate?" All sorts of bad puns leap to mind: "Is that a smothered mate delivered in a smooth fashion?" "How did the cow checkmate the goose? With a smoothered mate?" If you try to type "smoothered mate" in Google, it will correct you. Spell-check will alert you. How do these things happen in otherwise quality products? That said, I rate this product highly. All of us, from beginner to master, need more checkmate study and practice. And this one delivers the goods. My assessment of this DVD: Order 1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

[ChessCafe Home Page] [Book Review] [Columnists] [Endgame Study] [The Skittles Room] [ChessCafe Archives] [ChessCafe Links] [Online Bookstore] [About ChessCafe.com] [Contact ChessCafe.com] [Advertising] © 2012 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com®" is a registered trademark of BrainGamz, Inc.

A Head Start by Michael McGuerty

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

The Chebanenko: Still Improved (DVD), by Victor Bologan, ChessBase, Video running time: 4 hours 40 min. $32.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95)

ChessBase Cafe

In 2008, New in Chess published The Chebanenko Slav According to Bologan, and Bologan notes that the openings popularity has only improved since then (hence the title of the DVD), with many games played at a very high level, including by Magnus Carlsen. The variation arises upon 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc4 a6 and is named after Vyacheslav Chebanenko, the patriarch of Moldovian chess, who was one of Bologan's trainers in Kishinev. Chebanenko also developed the system with 3.Bb5 in the Sicilian, which is yet the topic of another Bologan DVD, The Sicilian Rossolimo for White, and book, The Rossolimo Sicilian, also published by New In Chess.

Meet the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2! by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

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Bologan claims that it is not easy for White to gain an advantage against the Chebanenko and suggests the DVD will give new life to this already popular opening. He notes that even he will switch to 1.e4 when he knows he is playing someone who employs the Chebanenko. On this DVD he gives a full repertoire for Black against 1.d4, which means he also covers other side systems in the Slav Defense. For some reason, the English side of the DVD cover has the spelling as "Chebanenco," while the German side has the correct Chebanenko. The contents are as follows: ● ●

Rating Chart

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Introduction 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Bf4 Nc6 7.Bd3/Rc1 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Bf4 Nc6 7.e3/Rc1 5.h3 5.Qc2 5.Qb3 5.Bf4 5.Bg5 5.a4 e6 6.e3 5.a4 e6 6.g3 5.a4 e6 6.Bg5 5.Ne5 5.c5 Nbd7 6.h3 5.c5 Nbd7 6.Bf4 4.e3 a6 5.Qc2 e6 6.Nf3/c5/b3/Bd2 4.e3 a6 5.b3 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Bd3/Nbd2 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 dxc4 5.Qxc4 Bf5 6.Nc3 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 dxc4 5.Qxc4 Bf5 6.g3 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 a6 6.Qb3/Ne5/c5/Bd3/cxd5 5.g3

It is rather unhelpful that in the games list of the database these are named as "Clip 1," "Clip 2," etc. Everything should be done for the users ease of use and access, and here naming the game headings after the table of contents would have been more convenient. Only two of the clips extend beyond move twenty, with the longest (Clip 14) going to move twenty-seven. In addition only two clips are longer than twenty minutes in length, with the longest (also Clip 14) clocking in at 21:11. Nevertheless, Bologan examines several options

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

Chess For Novices 1 by Sabrina Chevannes

at each significant juncture summarizing the different plans at Black's disposal. For instance, in the slightly more than eighteen minute clip on 5.c5 Nbd7 6.h3, he spends the first eleven minutes examining other sixth move alternatives. In the brief introduction, Bologan notes that the Chebanenko Variation includes a variety of setups for Black and incorporates ideas from the Slav, of course, and the Classical Queen's Gambit Declined, with setups and plans sharing common ground with the Carlsbad and Cambridge Springs structures. He says the original idea of 4...a6 was for Black to simply make a waiting move that improves his position and see what White does next before deciding which system to play. Black's fourth move also controls the b5square, prepares ...b5, and allows Black to play the light-squared bishop to f5 or g4 before playing ...e6. Bologan will often give two plans for Black from the same position and then summarize the main setups at the end of the clip. He also uses graphical elements to highlight key maneuvers:

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/1p1npppp/p1p2n2/4N3/ 2pP1B2/2N5/PP2PPPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 7"]

Bologan shows the typical plans, piece maneuvers, and easy-to-remember tricks and ideas, along with the positional nuances of different moves in certain setups. For instance in the exchange variation 5.cxd5 cxd5, Black wants to play his light-squared bishop to f5; if White's light-squared bishop is already on d3, then Black plays it to g4 and then to g6; the dark-squared bishop is better placed on d6 than e7; and Black will often play for the maneuvers Nc6-a5-c4 and Nf6-d7-b6. In positions with four knights on the board, Black aims for the placement on c4 and d6. Easy as pie! There are no full illustrative games on the DVD. He verbally notes when a line is from an actual game, but the games themselves are not included on the database. So why not include them, when it can be done with so little effort. Another thing lacking is some guidance from the publisher on how to best make use of the material. It may seem obvious to them, but the are many users who would like things spelled out in greater detail. Here is how I would approach the material (using it within ChessBase 12 or any of the Fritz family of programs; the ChessBase Reader that comes bundled with the DVD does not have such extensive functionality): ●

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Copy the games to a new database on your computer. (I only copy the games, not the multimedia components.) Watch the video clips from the DVD that you feel are most relevant to your repertoire. Once you have seen several segments and are itching to try the opening, play some practice games (preferably against human opponents). Copy your games into the notes of your newly created database. Compare you games with the recommendations by Bologan and review any of the relevant video clips. Use a chess engine to evaluate the positions where your opponent deviates, as they ultimately will, and copy the analysis into the game notes. As you progress, look for similar games and copy those relevant to you

into your database. For example, it was interesting to see the recently played game KramnikMcShane from round five of the London Chess Classic 2012. Kramnik played the 5.g3 variation and McShane responded with 5...dxc4 6.a4 e6. We can thus compare this to Bologan who recommends 6...g6 or 6...a5 in the line, and a further viewing of this clip cements this material firmly into the foundation of our understanding of the repertoire. Bologan recommends his book as a companion to the DVD and to study the games of Malakhov, Rublevsky, and Carlsen, and, surprisingly, to use Houdini to find new moves and ideas for Black. With regard to checking with an engine, it is indeed necessary, especially for club players who may not follow all the nuances intuitively. For instance, in the following position it is Black to move:

[FEN "r1b1k2r/1p1n1ppp/pqp5/2b1P3/3pPP2/ N5P1/PP1B2BP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 14"]

Bologan follows the line 14...0-0 15.Nc4 Qc7, without explaining that upon 14...Qxb2 the queen gets trapped after 15.Nc4 Qb5 16.Bf1! and Black is helpless against the discovered attack with check. Bologan also gives improvements compared to the book. In the line 1.d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 a6 5.Ne5 Nbd7 6.g3 e6 7.Bg2 Nxe5 8.dxe5 Nd7 9. cxd5 exd5 10.f4 Bc5 11.e4 d4 12.Na4 Bb4+ 13.Kf2

[FEN "r1bqk2r/1p1n1ppp/p1p5/4P3/Nb1pPP2/ 6P1/PP3KBP/R1BQ3R b kq - 0 13"]

"The move that escaped attention in the book" is 13.Nxe5, "completely destroying the white pawn structure and after 14.fxe5 b5 "winning back the piece, with a much better position for Black." While Bologan promises to show how to take the initiative as black and play for the win, the phrase he most often utters at the end of a variation is that things are "solid" or "equal." This likely reflects the chess professionals attitude of drawing with black and playing for a win with white. His presentation itself is professional; he is dressed in a suit and tie, makes good eye contact with the camera, and for the most part speaks clearly. He can be a little hard to understand when he pronounces players names when referencing games, but the chess ideas are never in dispute. From a pure content perspective, the DVD only offers a fraction of what a similarly priced book does. Yet, it does provide an easier way to learn the

opening, and an easier way to parse the material and study it in depth. The more you make the material your own, the better you will play and understand the opening. Bologan's DVD gives you a head start on this process, it is not the be all and end all itself. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Chebanenko: Still Improved by Victor Bologan

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily.

[ChessCafe Home Page] [Book Review] [Columnists] [Endgame Study] [The Skittles Room] [ChessCafe Archives] [ChessCafe Links] [Online Bookstore] [About ChessCafe.com] [Contact ChessCafe.com] [Advertising] © 2012 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com®" is a registered trademark of BrainGamz, Inc.

Fighting for e4 by Michael McGuerty

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

Meet the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2 (DVD), by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, ChessBase, Video running time: 3 hours 28 min. $32.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95)

ChessBase Cafe

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The Nimzo-Indian Defense, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4, is a hyper-modern opening developed by grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch. The basic premise is to prevent White from playing e4 by pinning the knight on c3 and possibly to double White's pawns after Bxc3. This DVD is by grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov (pronounced "Kah-zeem-jha-nov"), who was the FIDE Knockout World Champion in 2004. He examines the Classical Variation with 4.Qc2, with which White aims to spoil Black's plan of doubling pawns by recapturing with the queen. There was some initial trepidation of the content based on some editing mishaps by the publisher, in that from the back cover of the DVD we have the following promotional blurb: "Rustam Kasimdzhanov, the FIDE World Champion in 2004, is predestined to deal with the subject of the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2, since he has been extremely successful with this opening both with White and with Black. The Usbek grandmaster has also gathered valuable experience on the subject when working as a second to world champion Anand. Right from his introduction, Kasimdzhanov emphasises that the Nimzo-Indian has a lot of advantages and that White is often left with a ruined pawn structure; that is precisely what the queen move avoids. Of course in his investigations the author offers much deeper insights into the opening. In over 4 hours of video [emphasis added] Rustam Kasimdzhanov explains all the important ideas, strategies and tricks helped by sample games in which the white side is represented, e.g., by Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik and Ivanchuk as well as the author himself."

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

Houdini 3 Pro by ChessBase

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

But then the paragraph ends with bold red lettering "Video running time: 3 hours 28 min," which is accurate and, of course, less than four hours of video. The next flag was the introductory text file in the ChessBase database named "Meet the Mimzoindian [sic] with 4.Qc2." Thankfully, these slips were not indicative of the training material to follow. Kasimdzhanov goal is to provide a "proper repertoire against the NimzoIndian"; a fact he emphasizes at least three times in the two-and-a-half minute introduction. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6, he calls 3.Nc3 the most natural continuation and notes that the problem for most amateur players, as well as professionals, is that 4.Nf3 can transpose to too many different openings. He notes 4.Nc3 limits the opponents choices, but then leaves White facing the question about what to do upon 3...Bb4. His own choice of course being 4. Qc2. Kasimdzhanov promises an overview of the theory as it stands now and many practical examples from recent games; though the four most recent games are from 2011, with the others spanning from 1999 to 2008. The contents are divided as follows: ● ● ● ● ●

Introduction 01: Theory Introduction 02: Minor Lines Theory 4...c5 03: Kasparov,G - Chuchelov,V

The Chebanenko by Victor Bologan

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04: Morozevich,A - Vitiugov,N 4...d5 05: 4...d5 Theory 06: Anand,V - Kramnik,V 07: Kasimdzhanov,R - Karpov,A 4...0-0 08: 4...0-0 Theory 09: Kasimdzhanov,R - Naiditsch,A 10: Kasparov,G - Grischuk,A 11: Kramnik,V - Tiviakov,S 12: Kramnik,V - Leko,P 13: Kasimdzhanov,R - Ghaem Maghami,E 14: Dreev,A - Movsesian,S 15: Shomoev,A - Andreikin,D 16: Ivanchuk,V - Morozevich,A 17: Wrap up

Of the eighteen video segments, twelve are devoted to game presentation and six to outlining the theoretical material. The longest game clip is Kasimdzhanov-Karpov at almost twenty-one minutes. The longest theory segment is on 4...0-0 and runs just over twelve minutes. However, the theory segments are only introductions to the basic themes and plans; there is plenty more theory in the game presentations. In the introductory theory segment, Kasimdzhanov devotes nine-and-a-half minutes to the basic principles of the line. He calls 4.Qc2 "a bit easier to play, a bit easier to understand, and a bit healthier in general." He notes that Black's replies are limited to three or four continuations, with the heart of the variation being 4...0-0 5.a3 Bxc3 6.Qxc3, when White has a strong pawn center and the bishop-pair; with the drawback that Black is already ahead in development.

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pppp1ppp/4pn2/8/2PP4/ P1Q5/1P2PPPP/R1B1KBNR b KQ - 0 6"]

He then gives a brief overview of 6...b6 7.Bg5 Bb7, which he calls the main tabyia of the whole line and 6...d5 7.Nf3 dxc4 8.Qxc4 b6 9.Bg5. So much for the maxim don't bring your queen out to early! Kasimdzhanov later notes it is easier for White to build a long-term repertoire from 5.a3 than from 5.e4. The other mainline is 4...d5, which stops White from playing e4, when 5.a3 can transpose to the line above after 5...Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 0-0 or Black has 6... Ne4 7.Qc2 c5 8.dxc5 Nc6, which he calls "another very, very major position." White also has 5.cxd5, with Black now having the choice between 5...exd5 and 5...Qxd5. During the presentation Kasimdzhanov is articulate and comfortable in front of the camera, though he does speak with many verbal pauses ("uhs"). He often seems to steer the viewer away from overly complex speculative lines to solid variations that offer a slight pull for White. At one point he comments "If Black loses control over e4, White's advantage will probably become overwhelming." Kasimdzhanov begins by looking at the minor lines before moving on to the critical variations. He is quickly dismissive of these and often ends with an assessment that White has easy play after only a handful of moves. However,

he does not explore them too deeply and if you find yourself in one of these situations, you may be wishing for Kasimdzhanov's level of skill to capitalize on the "easy play" you are supposed to be enjoying. One of the longer lines he looks at is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5 0–0 6.a3 Bxc5 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Bg5 Nd4 9.Nxd4 Bxd4 10.e3 Qa5 11.exd4 Qxg5 12.Qd2 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2

[FEN "r1b2rk1/pp1p1ppp/4pn2/8/2PP4/ P1N5/1P1K1PPP/R4B1R b - - 0 13"]

He notes that the line has fallen out of favor with Black because White has an enjoyable endgame. This may well be true, but, again, a player needs the skill to make the most of the position. A player serious about improving may decide to play out this position repeatedly against a friend or computer to see how they fare. As Kasimdzhanov notes, in reference to a different position, a deeper understanding of the resultant positions will do no harm. One of the things that I liked is that when you click on a game link in the ChessBase text file, it jumps to the position of the variation under discussion. This saves time for the viewer by not having to watch the presenter click through the opening moves to arrive at the desired position. I also like the fact that Kasimdzhanov includes the complete game scores. Moreover, whenever an important position is reached he stops to explain the theoretical underpinnings and the relevant variations in some detail, while also pointing out the tactical shots hidden in the position.

[FEN "r5rk/1bqn1pp1/1p5p/pP2p2P/ N1P1P3/P3Q3/4BP2/1K1R2R1 b - - 0 25"]

The coverage mostly highlights the dangers of Black's position, such that you may wonder how it is that Black ever wins a game, especially given that the twelve complete games on offer are all White wins. Given the nature of this opening, I would advise the prospective player to watch as many of the video segments as possible before venturing it over the board; certainly watch all the theory clips and several of the game clips. But then have at it and enjoy! Meet the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2 is a very good introduction to this complex opening. It arms the viewer with the necessary knowledge to confidently include this variation in their repertoire. My assessment of this DVD: Order Meet the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2 by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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Aiming to Achieve by Michael McGuerty

Purchases from our chess shop help keep ChessCafe.com freely accessible:

First Steps in Gambits and Sacrifices (DVD), by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Video running time: 3 hours 21 min. $30.95 (ChessCafe Price: $24.95)

ChessBase Cafe

The DVD packaging promises that "on this all new ChessBase DVD FIDE Senior Trainer and IM Andrew Martin will show you how to go about [sacrificing] in the right way." And in the introductory video, IM Andrew Martin describes the content as follows: "Sacrificing material successfully is one of the most exciting rewards that the game of chess can bestow. To play a truly excellent or even brilliant game brings confidence and a true belief in one's own ability. Sometimes we look at the sacrificial masterpieces of the great players in awe. Could we ever imagine ourselves playing in that grand manner? On this all-new ChessBase DVD I hope to open up the world of sacrificing material and to see how it all works. Romantic notions aside, the fact is that more sacrifices fail than succeed and especially today, when computing power is at a new level and gambit play is reducing to a very narrow field at master level. The advice to the newcomer to chess is still the same: learn to make combinations and sacrifices early and to let your imagination fly. We will try to keep to this maxim, but inject a dose of realism at the same time; the realism that modern chess compels us to look out for. The most important thing to understand about sacrificing is that, adhering to the maxim of Steinitz everything is geared to the needs of the position. You have to be able to recognise situations throughout the game where a sacrifice might become possible. So join with me now and enter the world of the chess sacrifice. It will be an exciting journey."

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First Steps in Attack by Andrew Martin

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

The material is divided as follows: Rating Chart Awful – Poor –

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Uneven – Good – Great –

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Introduction Breakdown Game 1 Adly,A – Duchrow,O Game 2 Zhao Jun – Zhou Jianchao Game 3 Ledger,D – Jones,G Game 4 Esserman,M – Van Wely,L Game 5 Sarkar,I – Onischuk,G Game 6 Weller,J – Hanley,C Game 7 Aronian,L – McShane,L Game 8 Gligoric,S – Keres,P Game 9 Bondick,K – Cebalo,M Game 10 Sigfusson,S – Bellin,R Game 11 Moranda,W – Hoffmann,P Game 12 Velimirovic,D – Ljubojevic,L Game 13 Vuckovic,B – Govedarica,R Game 14 Von Meijenfeldt,B – Naiditsch,A Game 15 Gustafsson,J – Kramnik,V Game 16 Cramling,P – Garcia Domingo,J Game 17 Zagorskis,D – Sadler,M Outro

It is noted that the material is further divided into the following sections: ● ● ●

Punishing sacrifices – the enemy has lost time and must be attacked! Sacrifices for momentum Positional sacrifices

Houdini 3 Pro by ChessBase

● ● ●

Intuitive sacrifices Speculative sacrifices Unjustified sacrifices

However, it is not differentiated in the table of contents list as to which games fall into which categories. The majority of the games are from 2011-2012. While there are a couple of old classics in Gligoric-Keres, 1958 and Velimirovic-Ljubojevic, 1972. The longest game clip is seventeen minutes in length; the shortest is a little more than eight; and the average is probably about eleven minutes or so. The majority of the games are less than thirty moves; the longest are forty-four and fifty-five moves. In the first clip we see a grandmaster rip apart his lower-rated opponent's poor opening choices. The rating difference is 475 points, but, as Martin notes, it does not take away from Adly's accomplishment. The game with the largest rating difference is Moranda-Hoffmann where the winner out-rates his opponent by a whopping 815 points; another lopsided crush is Von Meijenfeldt-Naiditsch, with a disparity of 552 points, but it is the lower-rated player that sacrifices a pawn and then the exchange and only later goes wrong against his grandmaster opponent. Oddly, this latter game did not display properly at first in ChessBase 12. As can be seen from the screen-shot below, even though the slider bar (under the image of Martin) is half-way through the commentary, there is no game loaded in the game screen:

A restart of CB12 did not seem to help either. Nevertheless, the issue was resolved by opening the game in the database window first and then clicking to launch the ChessBase media file. Why this is so I have no idea. Another buggish issue in CB12, which has occurred in a number of databases, is that when the text file for the table of contents is first opened, it appears to be completely blank and it is only after attempting to scroll that the contents appear on screen. Note that owning CB12 is not a prerequisite. First Steps in Gambits and Sacrifices comes bundled with the ChessBase Reader, so no other software is necessary. The system requirements are Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, etc. Returning to the DVD content, not all the games are lopsided slaughters; for instance, in Esserman-Van Wely it is the higher-rated player who "caught it on the nose" from the black side of a Smith-Morra Gambit. Here the rating difference is 230 points, though Esserman literally wrote the book on the Smith-Morra. Here is that game with select notes: Esserman, Mark (2453) – Van Wely, Loek (2683) US op 112th Orlando (3), 03.08.2011 Sicilian Defense [B21] 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0 Nge7 8.

Bg5! This is a reasonable and ambitious defensive set-up against the Morra, whereby Black aims to control the central dark squares d4,e5 and f4 by placing his Knight on g6. This is why White interrupts this plan with 8 Bg5, forcing a concession. 8...f6 9.Be3 Ng6 10.Bb3 b5 11.Nd5!

[FEN "r1bqkb1r/3p2pp/p1n1ppn1/1p1N4/ 4P3/1B2BN2/PP3PPP/R2Q1RK1 b kq - 0 11"]

An absolutely typical Morra sacrifice. White detonates the position before Black gets developed. Practically, the sacrifice give excellent chances, especially against an optimist like Van Wely, who believes he can defend any situation. 11...exd5 12.exd5 Nce5 13.d6 Forced, in order to open the Bishop on b3. 13...Bb7 14.Nxe5 fxe5 15.f4 Qf6? Van Wely falters in defence, bringing his Queen out to a very exposed position. 15...exf4 is again forced, with everything to play for after 16.Re1! (16.Bc5 Qg5!! 17.Qe2+ Be7) 16...fxe3 17.Rxe3+ Be7 18.Qd4! although I would not like to be Black in this situation. 16.fxe5! Qxe5 17.Bg5! 17.Bf7+ is also crushing! 17...Kd8 18.Bb6+ Kc8 19.Re1. 17...Be7 18.Bf7+ Kd8 19.dxe7+ Nxe7 20.Qd2 Kc8 21.Rac1+ Nc6 22.Rfd1 Qf5 23.Bf4! Qxf7 24.Qd6 Kd8 25.Rxc6 Bxc6 26.Qxc6 1-0 Martin's presentation is topnotch. He speaks clearly, has good eye contact with the camera, and explains things in an easily understandable fashion. Another praiseworthy aspect of the content is that much of the spoken commentary is included in the notes to each game in the database. Aside from some misspellings, this is ideal for those who want to play over the notes without the audio visual component. Moreover, it brings an element of portability in that one can copy the games to a PGN database and then load them onto a tablet, such as the iPad, for use in a PGN viewer. For those who prefer old-school book learning or may be interested in a companion to the DVD, Fred Wilson's Simple Attacking Plans offers thirty-seven games along the same general theme as the DVD. First Steps in Gambits and Sacrifices is an inspiring collection of games that players of any strength can enjoy and hope to learn from. However, the fact that it is part of the First Steps series seems to suggest that it will offer instruction for beginners in how to play gambits and sacrifices. This is not quite the case. It certainly showcases some exemplary games and offers some general advice, but club-level and casual players will likely find it most worthwhile. The high level of tactics on display also require an equally high level of skill to begin with; so, while the DVD shows what can be achieved, it does not necessarily show how to get there in any categorical way.

Nevertheless, it is well recommended as chess entertainment. My assessment of this DVD: Order First Steps in Gambits and Sacrifices by Andrew Martin

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2012 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

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The Modern Slav Modernized by Colin Potts

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The ABC of the Modern Slav, 2nd ed (DVD), by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Video running time: 5 hours $32.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95)

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Andrew Martin has been a fixture in the DVD market for many years now. His easy delivery makes him a particular favorite among junior players. He does not talk down to his audience, but he is plain-spoken and enjoyable company. Do not let the cheeky chappy cockney demeanor fool you, though; he is eloquent, knowledgeable, and intelligently incisive. With Martin you generally get what is advertised on the box. The current DVD on the Modern Slav (i.e. variations of the Slav where Black plays an early ...a6 and does not capture on c4) does not disappoint. It is what most club players want: an encouraging and clearly articulated introduction to a repertoire choice. However, if you are a 2200-player or above, the analysis and coverage will likely seem superficial and slight.

ABC of the Ruy Lopez by Andrew Martin

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The Chebanenko by Victor Bologan

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

A note of caution, though: This is a re-release and update of a DVD initially produced several years ago. It is billed as a second edition, but I would quibble with this. It is really a re-packaging of the earlier DVD with a lengthy addendum of nine games to bring it up to date. A second edition of a book would involve extensive editing of the text throughout, not the mere addition of further chapters, however long. Likewise, a second edition of an eBook should have involved the re-recording or extensive revision of the games analyzed in the first edition with the updates interleaved with the content, so that the updates could be understood more clearly in the context of what they are updating. Most chess players would not be fazed by the breaks in continuity that would result, because it is the content that matters, not the clothes the presenter is wearing. As it is on this DVD, the viewer is forced to skip back and forth between the older and newer material. There is also a dramatic difference in style between the two sets of material covered here. Aside from the obvious continuity issues, the games are treated more as a collection of interesting games worth studying by someone already familiar with the earlier material. The earlier games featured an almost uncanny ability by Black to equalize and gain the advantage. The score in these games was +14 –0 =3 to Black with another couple of lines that are not followed to the end of the game, leading one to wonder why everyone did not start playing the Modern Slav. The new

Houdini 3 Pro by ChessBase

material is more balanced (+4 –4 =1). There is less advocacy for the black pieces and more of an encouragement to enjoy and learn from both sides. Martin explores the main variations starting from 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 (the Chebanenko Slav) but also 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 3.e3 a6 and the unconventional 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 (a very popular line) 4...a6. There are also those lines of the Exchange Slav where Black plays the popular ...a6 in response. The entire complex is quite flexible, but not so varied that you need to understand many middlegame configurations. One distinctive type of position occurs when White plays an early c5 before Black has the opportunity to challenge the c-pawn with ...b5. Another is the exchange center when White captures on either d5 or b5 and Black recaptures with the c-pawn, and a third is a QGA-type position where Black plays ...c5 after developing his pieces. This latter idea often leads to isolated QP positions. That is pretty much it, and nine out of ten games starting with 1.d4, 1.Nf3 or 1.c4 might be funneled into such familiar variations, a godsend for lazy or busy club players. Martin gives several nuggets of wisdom to help you understand when to play one way and when to play another. For example, if White leaves the pawn on c4, Black should avoid b5 until the Nb1 comes to c3. (The idea is that White's dangerously disrupting a2-a4 can in that case be met by the counter-disruption b5-b4 followed by a queenside pawn sacrifice or expansion.) Bizarrely, Martin spends some time in the first update game (Anand – Aronian, Moscow 2009) explaining the ideas of the opening all over again. It is a symptom, along with the introduction of one game that features the Schlechter Slav/Grunfeld, that the nine new games do not cohere in the way that the original nineteen do. The games are not presented in an order that reproduces the order of the variations in the first set and the result is to make Martin's recommendations seem undeservedly haphazard. That first game is spectacular, though, and worth reproducing even though it is not very typical of this solid system. Martin explains that Anand just forgot theory at move twelve and allowed Aronian to exchange White's powerful bishop, leading to an imbalance that won the game for him. Anand, Viswanathan (2788) – Aronian, Levon (2786) 4th Tal Memorial Moscow (9), 14.11.2009 Slav Defense [D15] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.e3 (5.c5) 5...b5 6.c5 6.cxb5 cxb5 7.a4 b4. 6...Nbd7 7.Bd3 e5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.dxe5 Nd7 (9...Ng4) 10.e6 Nxc5 10...fxe6 11.Qh5+. 11.exf7+ Kxf7

[FEN "r1bq1b1r/5kpp/p1p5/1pnp4/8/ 2NBP3/PP3PPP/R1BQK2R w KQ - 0 12"]

12.b3 12.Bc2 g6 13.0-0 Bg7 14.Ne2 Re8 15.Nd4 Qd6 16.b4 Ne6 17.Rb1 Nxd4 18. exd4 a5.

12...Nxd3+ 13.Qxd3 Qg5 14.g3 14.Rg1 Bd6; 14.Kf1 Bf5. 14...Qf6 (14...Bh3) 15.Bb2 Qf3 16.Rg1 Bg4 17.a3 Re8 18.Rc1 18.b4 a5 19.bxa5 (19.Na2 axb4 20.axb4 Ra8 21.Bc3 d4 22.Bxd4 Rxa2 23. Rxa2 Bxb4+ 24.Bc3 (24.Rd2 Qd1#) 24...Bxc3+ 25.Qxc3 Qd1#) 19...Bc5 20. Rf1 (20.Nd1 d4 21.Bxd4 Bxd4 22.Qxd4 Qe2#) 20...Bh3. 18...b4 19.axb4 Bxb4 20.h3 Bxh3 21.g4 Bxg4 22.Rg3 Qf5 23.Qd4 Re4 24. Qa7+ Qd7 25.Qb6 c5 0-1 If you are interested in finding out more about the Modern Slav, which is a pretty self-contained defense for Black against 1.d4, you could definitely benefit from this perfectly positioned introduction. In fact the casual or improving club player could learn to play this defense from the DVD alone, with perhaps some lightweight personal research from time to time. There is really no need to supplement it with a book or personal database research as there would be if the defense were more dynamic and double-edged. The updated version is now a five-hour course and very good value for money, but if you have the earlier version, I am not sure that the nine new games fully warrant buying it again. My assessment of this DVD: Order The ABC of the Modern Slav by Andrew Martin

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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The Irish Bear Defense Two Black Repertoire DVDs by Colin Potts

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A good piece of advice for club players to follow when choosing an opening repertoire is to identify a player whose games they enjoy and find instructive, or whose repertoire seems comfortable, and then try to play like that player. There are not as many role models to choose from as there used to be, though. Members of the chess elite tend to have broad, varied repertoires as a way to stay ahead of the opposition, and in this era of chess databases even lowly grandmasters are following suit. Alexander Baburin, the Irish grandmaster, coach and writer born in Russia, is a throwback. For many years "the Irish Bear" played only the Alekhine Defense and Queen's Gambit Accepted as black, and his playing style leads to the kind of non-random, logical middlegames that a patzer can study with a semblance of understanding without having to rely on an engine. The DVDs this month feature exactly those defenses, including some of Baburin's own games.

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

The Queen's Gambit Accepted: A Repertoire for Black, by Sam Collins, Video running time: 3 h. 30 min. $29.95 (ChessCafe Price $24.95)

Rating Chart Awful –

Sam Collins, Baburin's compatriot, presents a repertoire for black that he developed for his own use as a surprise, second-string weapon against overprepared opponents. He wanted a solid defense that was simple to acquire, and the QGA appeared to fit the bill. The problem for him was that he had seen several of Baburin's games in team tournaments in which black suffered in the main isolated queen's pawn lines, and it was only when he hit on the underestimated 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dc4 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 Bg4 variation as the stem variation for his repertoire. It seems that his plan to trot this out over-theboard as a surprise was derailed by the decision to publish the repertoire in DVD form, because I cannot find a single example of him playing the QGA in my database other than one transposition from a Slav. Never mind; his loss is your gain.

The Chebanenko by Victor Bologan

Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

The Queen's Gambit Accepted by Valeri Lilov

The database presents a complete repertoire for black against 1 d4 d5 2 c4, which means that it is almost half a repertoire for black. You will have to find your own responses to irregular queen's pawn openings and work to avoid being move-ordered in transpositions from the flank openings, but in the straight and narrow of the queen's gambit move order the DVD presents comprehensive coverage with no apparent gaps, and it achieves this in only three and half hours. This implies that the material has to be thin, but in this

opening, at least in the lines selected by Collins, there are few critical lines that need to be learned by heart and an understanding of the resulting structures will suffice. For a series of lessons collectively not much longer than a Lord of the Rings movie, this is quite an achievement. The main lines then are as follows: ● ● ● ●

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dc4 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 Bg4 (a favorite of Tony Miles) 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dc4 3 e3 e5 (necessary to avoid the IQP lines) 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dc4 3 e4 Nc6 (Baburin's favorite line) 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dc4 3 Qa4 c6 (a transposition to the Qc2 or Qb3 variations of the Slav)

Some of the positions arising from the ...Bg4 variation have a surprising affinity with the Nimzo-Indian, and Collins explores these and the significance of piece placement very instructively. Avrukh's influential repertoire recommends 3 e3 for White precisely to avoid ...Bg4. Black has to diverge at this point. If he plays 3..e6, we are back in the main lines that Collins wants to avoid. Given the popularity of Avrukh's books, the treatment of 3...e5 is therefore critical. White gets an isolated queen's pawn usually, but here Black has a c-pawn, not an e-pawn, and this leads to much more fluid play from both sides. Here is an example game in that line from the DVD. Note how Black has to take the initiative by risking his kingside around moves nine to twelve: Stocek, Jiri (2584) – Rausis, Igors (2520) CZE-ch Havlickuv Brod (2), 14.02.2008 Queen's Gambit Accepted [D20] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 e5 4.Bxc4 exd4 5.exd4 Nf6 6.Nf3 6.Qb3 Qe7+ 7.Ne2 (7.Be3 Nbd7) 7...Qb4+ 8.Nbc3 Qxb3 9.Bxb3 Bb4 10.Bf4 Ba5 11.0-0 0-0. 6...Bd6 7.0-0 7.Qe2+ Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Bxe7 9.0-0 Be6 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Re1 Nc6 12.Nc3 (12. Rxe6 Rd8 13.Be3 Kd7) 12...Rd8 13.Rxe6 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Rxd4 15.Be3 Rd7 16.Bc5 Kf7 17.Rxe7+ Rxe7 18.Bxe7 Kxe7 19.Re1+ Kf7. 7...0-0 8.Bg5 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.h3 (9.Bg5) 9...h6. 8...Nc6 9.h3 9.Nc3 h6 10.Bh4 Bg4 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Nxd4 13.Qxb7 Rb8 14.Qxa7 Ra8.

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/ppp2ppp/2nb1n2/6B1/2BP4/ 5N1P/PP3PP1/RN1Q1RK1 b - - 0 9"]

9...h6 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 Bxg3 12.fxg3 Na5 13.Bd3 Nc6 14.Bc4 14.Qd2 Nh5 15.g4 Nf4 16.Be4 Nxd4 17.Nxd4 Qxd4+ 18.Qxd4 Ne2+ 19.Kh2 Nxd4.

14...Na5 15.Bd3 Nc6 16.Nc3 g4 17.hxg4 Bxg4

[FEN "r2q1rk1/ppp2p2/2n2n1p/8/3P2b1/ 2NB1NP1/PP4P1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 18"]

Quite a transition! 18.Bc4 Qd6 19.Qd3 Kg7 (19...Qxg3 20.Qg6+) 20.Rad1 Rad8 21.Ne2 Na5 22.Bb5 a6 23.Ba4 b5 24.Bc2 Nc4 25.Rde1 Rfe8 26.Nh4 Ne3 27.Rf2 Qb4 28. Rb1 Qc4 29.Qxc4 bxc4 30.Ba4 Re4 31.Re1 Ned5 32.Nf5+ Bxf5 33.Rxf5 Rb8 34.Bc6 Rxb2 35.Re5 Re3 36.Bxd5 Rxe5 37.dxe5 Nxd5 38.Nf4 Nxf4 39. gxf4 c3 40.Rc1 c2 41.Kf2 Rxa2 42.Ke3 h5 43.f5 Rb2 44.Kf4 a5 45.Kg5 a4 46.f6+ Kf8 47.g4 a3 48.gxh5 a2 49.h6 Kg8 50.e6 Rb5+ 51.Kg4 fxe6 52.Rh1 Kh7 0-1 Sam Collins has a dry, fluent style of teaching that will appeal to most viewers. Some may find him insufficiently animated or entertaining, but three and a half hours does not leave room for anecdotes or distractions, and he has a quiet, convincing authority that makes one confident that all the hidden details have been carefully researched and are being summarized evenhandedly. If you want a concise introduction to a secure, logical repertoire, Sam's the man. My assessment of this DVD: Order The Queen's Gambit Accepted: A Repertoire for Black by Sam Collins

The ABC of the Alekhine, 2nd Edition, by Andrew Martin, Video running time: 7 h. 30 min. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price $27.95) Alekhine's Defense is about the most provocative opening played in serious chess. On the very first move, black attacks the pawn on e4, luring it forward having to dodge and weave to d5 and then b6 or c7. It is deliciously transgressive: the little guy with the black pieces, who according to Tarrasch could only try to equalize before trying to seize the initiative, instead comes out fighting It is guerrilla warfare; a blow against the establishment. Things can go horribly wrong, of course, with black getting overrun by the phalanx of advancing pawns or, more likely, suffocated by White's permanent space advantage. But Black aims to nibble at White's center before any of that happens, and when the center collapses, if it collapses, there are plenty of unguarded squares behind for Black pieces to flow into. Andrew Martin has developed a complete repertoire in the Alekhine's Defense that frankly admits the risks of adopting this opening and addresses them head on by a series of uncompromising, but (so Martin claims) sound variations. ●

● ●

●

1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 (Modern Variation) de5 5 Ne5 c6 (Another favorite of Miles) 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 c4 Nb6 5 ed6 (Exchange Variation) ed6 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 c4 Nb6 5 f4 (Four Pawns Attack) de5 6 fe5 c5!? 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 c4 Nb6 4 c5 (Chase Variation) Nd5 5 Nc3/Bc4 e6

●

1 e4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5/e6!?

There are, of course, many minor lines, and Martin deals with most of the ones you are likely to see very thoroughly in a total of seven and a half hours. For sheer volume, this is incredible value for money. As with last month's reviewed DVD, Martin's ABC of the Slav, this is a second edition. Again it is a re-release of the first edition with a lengthy addendum of more recent games. However, in this case the new games relate much more directly to the lines considered in the first version, and in only one line (1 e4 Nf6 2 Nc3) does Martin have serious doubts about his earlier recommendation (2...d5). In this case, of course, a 1 e4 e5 player who is looking for a new defense could just fall back on the Vienna. Martin does not recommend this, preferring to stay within the Alekhine Defense, and gives a fascinating recent game of Baburin's in which he played 2...e6. (You can view that game, edited down, in the DVD preview on the ChessBase site.)

Martin devotes most of his attention to two lines: the Modern Variation, with 4 Nf3, which has been the preferred main line at grandmaster level for decades, and the Exchange Variation, which is the recommendation for White in several recent repertoire books written from the white side of the board. In the case of the Modern Variation, he abjures the old defense 4...Bg4 or Alburt's favored 4...g6, and recommends exchanging in the center followed by 5...c6. This leads to positions resembling the Caro-Kann or Scandinavian Defenses and was a favorite of Tony Miles. In the Exchange Variation, he acknowledges that the Voronezh Variation is a positional refutation of 4... cxd6 and opts for 4...exd6 with a solid position in which Black's main challenge is reactivating his knight on b6. There are no horrors in either variation, and Martin explores them thoroughly. The real psychological test of the entire defense, though, is the Four Pawns Attack. Now regarded as too committal at grandmaster level, it still packs a punch as a surprise weapon even among the elite and is formidable at club level unless you have a cool head. Here, Martin makes a bold decision that will either sell this repertoire or sink it, depending on your boldness and ability to maintain a poker face. His line is ...c5 (1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5 3 c4 d6 4 f4 de5 5 fe5 c5!?). White is almost impelled to keep rolling forward with the do-or-die 6 d5. Martin makes a compelling case that Black is OK and that the White center, like Napoleon in Russia or the Enron Corporation has taken one liberty too many. Martin breezily and confidently goes through a couple of games in which Black seemingly inevitably pulverizes the pawn center, infiltrates and wins. If here were selling kitchen knives I'd buy them instantly, but I don't know about this choice of variation. Call me cowardly, I'm not sure I'm convinced would have the sang froid for these positions. In the update, Martin does give one example of a more restrained response to the Four Pawns Attack: 5...Bf5 followed by ...Bg4 once White moves his knight out and allows it to be pinned. But one game in this main variation is only an introduction and not sufficient material for a repertoire choice. Here is an example of an exciting game with the ...c5 line where Black escapes with a draw: Volzhin, A – Svechnikov, L Russia, 1988 Alekhine's Defense [B03]

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 7.d5 g6 8.Bf4 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Be3 (9.Nf3 Bg4 10.Bf4 N8d7) 9...0-0! 10.Bxc5 N6d7! 11.Bd4 Nxe5. 8...Bg7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Qd2 e6

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pp3pbp/1n2p1p1/2pPP3/ 2P2B2/2N5/PP1Q2PP/R3KBNR w KQ - 0 11"]

11.0-0-0 11.d6 Nc6 12.Nf3 f6 (12...Nd7 13.Qe3 f6 14.0-0-0 Ndxe5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Qxc5 Bd7 17.Bxe5 fxe5 18.Kb1 Bc6) 13.0-0-0 fxe5 14.Bg5 Qd7 15.Ne4 Nd4 16.Nxc5 Qc6. 11...exd5 12.cxd5 Bg4 13.Re1 (13.Nf3 N8d7) 13...c4! 14.h3 14.Bh6 Bxh6 15.Qxh6 Nxd5 16.h3 Bf5 17.Rd1 Nxc3 18.Rxd8 Nxa2+ 19.Kd2 Rxd8+. 14...Bf5 15.g4 15.Nf3 Na6 16.Nd4 Bd3 17.d6 Nc5 18.Be2 Re8 19.Bf3 Nbd7 20.Nd5 Nxe5 21.Ne7+ Rxe7 22.dxe7 Qxe7 23.Bxe5 Bxe5 24.Bxb7 c3! 25.bxc3 Qxb7 26. Nc2 Bf5 27.Nb4 a5 28.Rxe5 axb4 29.Rxc5 bxc3 30.Qxc3 Qb1+ 31.Kd2 Rxa2 +. 15...Bd3 16.Bxd3 cxd3 17.Qxd3 Na6 18.d6 Rc8 19.Kb1 Nc4 20.Nd5 Qa5 21.Ne7+ Kh8 22.Nf3 Rc5 22...Nxb2!? 23.Kxb2 Nb4 24.Qb3 Rc2+ 25.Kb1 Rxa2 26.Rh2 Ra3 27.Qc4 Ra1+ 28.Kb2 Qa3#.

[FEN "5r1k/pp2Npbp/n2P2p1/q1r1P3/ 2n2BP1/3Q1N1P/PP6/1K2R2R w - - 0 23"]

23.h4? 23.Qb3 Nxb2 24.Bd2 Qa4 25.Re3 Rb5 26.Qxa4 Nxa4+ 27.Rb3 Rxb3+ 28. axb3 N4c5. 23...Qxa2+ 24.Kxa2 Nb4+ 25.Kb3 Nxd3 26.h5 gxh5

26...Nxf4! 27.hxg6 fxg6 28.e6 Nxd6. 27.Rxh5 Nxf4 28.Rxh7+ Kxh7 29.Rh1+ Bh6 30.Ng5+ Kg7 31.Nf5+ Kg6 32. Nh7!! Nd2+ 33.Ka4 Kxh7 33...Rc4+ 34.b4 Nh5 35.Rxh5 Rxg4 36.Rxh6+ Kxf5 37.Nxf8 Kxe5 38.Nd7+ Kf5 39.Rf6+ Ke4 40.Nc5+ Ke5 41.d7. 34.Rxh6+ Kg8 35.Ne7+ Kg7 36.Nf5+ Kg8 37.Ne7+ ½-½ If you see yourself playing the black side in that game and like the look of the position at move eleven, go for it! This DVD is essential for anyone who is tempted to take up Alekhine's Defense. The thirty-seven (!) games are instructive and inspiring (even if most are a little one-sided for Black). It is a thorough and deeply considered effort that will repay serious study. In fact, viewing the DVD from beginning to end would be a nine-to-five experience, and dipping into it one game at a time would take you over a month. The real question is whether this repertoire is for you. My assessment of this DVD: Order ABC of Alekhine, 2nd ed. by Andrew Martin

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

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Learning the Hard Way by Colin Potts

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Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 4, Endgame Magic (DVD), by Efstafios Grivas, ChessBase, Running time 4 hours, $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95)

ChessBase Cafe

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Efstafios Grivas, the Greek grandmaster turned trainer, has written several training books and has recently turned his hand to ChessBase DVDs. His style in these works is to collate into a larger work several concrete chapters or segments on advanced topics. The idea is not to present a treatise that covers an entire field, but rather to choose example themes or games in the hope that the student will fill in the gaps between. His style resembles the teaching of literature rather than science. In science, a course necessarily looks at one topic and goes systematically into details about that entire subject. There is no shortage of chess books, including endgame treatises, that adopt this approach. In literature, however, the usual strategy is to take a sample of works and analyze them in detail. So you studied King Lear at school, but not Hamlet. Well, you can read Hamlet later. The point is not to teach King Lear but to teach how to read King Lear (and Hamlet) and to appreciate and extract the themes from any literary work.

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

So it is with Grivas's endgame DVD. It is the fourth in a series of trainers and has the loose theme of endgame training, but the topics are a smattering of themes: ● ● ●

● ● ●

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

●

The isolani in the endgame (5 game fragments) Rook and RP vs. Bishop and RB (14 theoretical positions) The square – a misnamed segment on exchange up endings (3 game fragments) Queen vs. rook endgames (8 game fragments) Shattered pawns (3 game fragments) Pawn endgames (5 examples) Rook vs. bishop-pair (7 game fragments)

As you can see, this is an arbitrary collection of topics that by no means amounts to a treatise on a DVD or even a part of a treatise. Rather, it is a collection of seven distinct lessons that last for an average of forty minutes. Some of the endgames are theoretical. Others are more practical. To evaluate whether it is worth buying and watching, involves asking two separate questions. First, are the topics themselves important and taught well. (Is King Lear an important play, and do you understand its major themes after the course?) Second, and more importantly: Are the thinking processes illustrated by this motley collection of topics and game fragments explained in a way that is likely to stick? (Having studied King Lear, can you approach other literature in a similar, critical way?) This is a high bar to reach, and perhaps it would be fairer to ask the question of the entire collection of DVDs of which this is just one volume, rather than a four-hour collection of coaching sessions. But the bar has to be reached to justify a work like this, and this single DVD does not. Grivas's delivery is clear but rather wooden and lacks spontaneity and character. In the introductory segments he visibly reads from a script. Worse, he reads it without insight or enthusiasm as though he had just been given someone else's lines to recite. The first segment, where he could engage the viewer by explaining why he chose the seven themes, is an opportunity wasted. Instead he merely reads the list aloud, barely elaborating beyond the contents page. This is not an auspicious start.

The Chebanenko by Victor Bologan

Meet the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2 by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

Once he gets into the games themselves, however, Grivas comes more into his own. He explains the strategies of the positions quite clearly in accented and occasionally ungrammatical but flowing English. What is lacking in his dry commentary, though, is an understanding of the amateur viewer's real needs. Take the following game as an example. It is the first game on the theme of the isolani, and according to Grivas has already been analyzed in another of the DVDs. (Not having viewed that DVD, I cannot comment on whether this is a case of synergy or double-dipping.) White, having blockaded the isolani and rendered Black's rook passive is about to open a second front on the kingside, but the key to winning is a couple of lines in which he plays a pawn move on the opposite wing to put Black in zugzwang. Watch for the move a4. (The annotations are by Grivas, but the comments are mine.) Szabo, Laszlo (2565) – Penrose, Jonathan (2450) ETC tt Bath (4), 09.07.1973

[FEN "8/1k1r1bp1/1p3p1p/p2p1P2/ 3K2PP/P3PB2/1PR5/8 w - - 0 36"]

36.g5! fxg5 36...hxg5 37.hxg5 Bg8 38.g6! (With the black bishop shut in, Black is running out of moves.) 38...Rd6 39.Be2! Rd8 40.Bb5 Rd6 41.a4 zugzwang. Whatever Black does, White infiltrates to c6. 37.hxg5 hxg5 38.Rg2 Rd6 38...Kc6 39.Rxg5 Be8 (39...Bg8 40.f6) 40.a4+–. Again it is zugzwang. 39.Rxg5 g6 40.fxg6 Rxg6 1-0 Black resigned immediately after the time control as the weak pawn is about to fall. Grivas explains very clearly in annotations omitted from the fragment above White's overall strategy, but its implementation depends crucially on being able to see that a "passing" move is needed in both these variations forcing Black to give way, and this Grivas merely comments on after the fact with admiration. But if I were White following this logical strategy at the board, a voice in the back of my head would not be telling me "lose a move. Lose a move" at the critical juncture. It is being able to notice these critical moments in the execution of a plan that differentiates merely knowledgeable players from very strong players. Yet Grivas rolls on past these valuable teaching moments, failing to remark on the growing constriction and inflexibility of Black's pieces as signals that a zugzwang opportunity is imminent or even that that is what White should be aiming for by the restricting move g6 in the first variation. In the above example, it is the important details that Grivas skates over, and perhaps the studious viewer might learn more effectively by going back and asking why the restriction worked and when the zugzwang had to be sprung. But in other cases, Grivas fails to give enough overall orientation. Instead there is just the click, click, click of his keyboard as he advances the board animation. The section on the square is a good example of this.

By the square, Grivas refers to a square-shaped cycle of squares that the rook has to maneuver around during an exchange-up ending with opposite bishops where each side has only one pawn and neither is passed. Here is a famous example with his evaluation of the position. (However, Lubos Kavalek has pointed out that this entire example was "lifted by Grivas from [his] Huffington Post article word-from-word." - ed.) Kasparov, Garry (2800) – Karpov, Anatoly (2730) FIDE-Wch Lyon (16), 01.12.1990

[FEN "5k2/4R3/2K3p1/4BbPn/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 89"]

Here the game was adjourned for the second time. Judging from all the features the position is a winning one for White, and in end the logic of chess triumphed. To win the game, Kasparov has to walk his king to the square d8. He can only do it by having his rook moving around a magical square which is described by a7-, a3-, e3- and e7-squares. Let's stop Grivas right there. White's king clearly needs to get over to the ffile eventually and the first step in that plan may indeed be to go via d8. But there are other paths too. As a naive endgame student, I might look for a zugzwang as in the preceding position that would force the bishop off the diagonal and let the king in via d6 and e6. Or I might ask how, having reached d8 in Grivas's "only" plan, the king will penetrate further to the f-file. Never mind, a journey of a thousand miles starts with four steps. Let's see how Kasparov and his seconds put together the maneuver during the break and how Grivas explains it (with detailed annotation of click-click-click variations omitted). 89.Ra7! Bg4 90.Kd6 Bh3 91.Ra3! The second side of the square is born. But why has the rook land on the square a3? It prevents the black knight from jumping to the square g3. 91...Bg4 92.Re3! The rook draws the third side of the square, preparing the white king's journey to d8. Now nothing can prevent the white king from making his way into the enemy position. 92...Bf5 93.Kc7 Kf7 94.Kd8 The king's journey is over and White push the black king from the f-file. 94...Bg4 95.Bb2! Kasparov makes an important bishop move precisely in a moment when the black knight can't move. It opens the road for the rook to come back to the square e7. 95...Be6 96.Bc3! An accurate waiting move which puts Black in a zugzwang position. 96...Bf5 97.Re7+

Returning where it all began, the rook finishes the square journey. 97...Kf8 98.Be5 The domination is complete: the knight at the edge has no moves. White can easily force the black king to the corner. 98...Bd3 99.Ra7 Be4 And at this point, Kasparov could have checked with the bishop and forced the king to e7 and f6 in a few moves. He continued maneuvering instead, but Karpov saw the writing on the wall and resigned two moves later anyway. Grivas says in summary that the ending was both very easy and very difficult: easy by virtue of there being a simple, albeit long-term plan; difficult because it required precise execution at key moments. And this, in a nutshell, is his belated recognition of the challenge of DVD courses like this, a challenge that I do not believe Grivas fully meets. He does explain the simple stuff quite well – although I came to appreciate the concepts more effectively by reading his text annotations than by listening to his verbal explanations. But it is the difficulties that are difficult to teach: he does not clarify sufficiently well when obstacles have to be met by precise move orders, waiting moves, and threats. None of this stopped me from enjoying this DVD because I enjoy chess. And I do feel a little guilty accusing Grivas of making me work too hard to learn the deeper themes that he is teaching – which for me are all about restricting the opponent. Learning that sticks, after all, is learning that is deep and active, not learning that the student picks up while casually listening. Nevertheless, Grivas does not make enough effort to reach out to his audience, to emphasize the key moments, to stop and say: "Look, something interesting is about to happen, and it can only happen right now because of this and that" the way that a world-class teacher or coach should. Just as we can learn from King Lear and Hamlet life lessons about the indecisiveness and fickleness of human nature, so we could learn about restriction and domination of pieces from Grivas's lessons. But some of us need a teacher's insight at these key points, and it is not enough for him just to recite the text. My assessment of this DVD: Order Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 4, Endgame Magic by Efstafios Grivas

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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Throwing Down the Gauntlet by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

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Fighting Chess Move by Move (Ebook) by IM Colin Crouch, Everyman Chess, ChessBase and PGN file formats, $21.95 What separates the top players from the rest of us? This was the question that IM Colin Crouch set out to answer in Fighting Chess: Move by Move. In the Spring of 2012 IM Crouch was extremely ill and when he finally was well enough to sit at his computer he found himself wanting to look through some high-level chess as a lifeline to the world.

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

As it turned out his timing was excellent, since Vladimir Kramnik and Lev Aronian were just about to start their friendly six-game match, and shortly thereafter Viswanathan Anand would be defending his world championship crown against challenger Boris Gelfand (twelve games, plus four tie-break games). Also, following on the heels of those two events would be the Tal Memorial in Moscow (in which eight games are featured).

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Knowing as I did that in the eighteen main games of those two matches there were only four wins to go along with fourteen draws, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that fighting was any part of the chess. After all, we are conditioned these days to the idea that a draw must consist of a handful of moves of theory accompanied by a peace offering so as to allow both sides to take no risks.

Chess Expertise 2: Mastering Strategy by Efstratios Grivas

Imagine my pleasant surprise as I worked my way through IM Crouch's addition to the excellent "Move by Move" series. While I would not refer to all of these games as fighting chess, I would certainly refer to them as technical chess with a high level of precision shown in the majority of the games. Over the course of the thirty deeply annotated games IM Crouch is able to clearly define the level of technical precision that separates the top ten players from most everyone else in the chess world.

Great – Excellent –

Meet the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2 by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

To access the content one must have either a PGN compatible program, or ChessBase, or a ChessBase playing program (Fritz, Rybka, Shredder, etc.), or the freely available ChessBase Reader. I used the latter. Once you have downloaded your Ebook, simply double-click the file and it will open in ChessBase. You will see the "Contents" menu, which allows you to navigate to the "Preface," "Introduction," or games. Just click the option you would like to look at first and enjoy! The PGN file has the same content as the ChessBase file and is formatted for use in the Everyman Chess Viewer, which is now available for both Apple and Android products. Let's jump right in and look at a position from Game Six of the AnandGelfand match.

[FEN "r3k2r/1p2qppp/p3bn2/2bp4/8/2N1P3/ PPQ1BPPP/R1BR2K1 w kq - 0 14"]

This is the position after Anand's 13...Qe7. IM Crouch notes, "An extremely difficult position to try to evaluate. Anand is a vastly experienced grandmaster, and World Champion, with great tenacity in defense. He decides that this move, protecting the c5-bishop but abandoning control of the d5pawn, is sufficient to hold the game. He loses a pawn, but his pieces are so much better developed, he would argue that White has no realistic chance of playing for a win." After 14.Bf3 0-0 15.Bxd5 Bxd5 16.Nxd5 Nxd5 17.Rxd5 Rac8, we arrive at the following position:

[FEN "2r2rk1/1p2qppp/p7/2bR4/8/4P3/ PPQ2PPP/R1B3K1 w - - 0 18"]

For those who are not familiar with the "Move by Move" format, the idea of this series is that when a critical position is reached the reader is asked a question as if they are working directly with a chess coach. If the reader chooses to work through the exercises as intended, then he or she will learn much more than if simply playing through a standard annotated game. In this case the question is "What should White do next? Can he keep the extra pawn successfully?" The answer is that White can attempt to hold on to the extra pawn only by passively defending. Therefore, he returns the material with 18.Bd2 Bxe3 19.Bc3 to try to hold on to a slight edge. After looking at this draw I realized how much I wish my own games were like this. How many times have I had a similar position where I am saddled with a potential weakness, such as Black's IQP, which can be effectively blockaded and will therefore require a lot of attention to defend? How often have I not known how to proceed and so the weakness falls, causing my position to collapse around me? And yet here is a crystal clear example of how players at the highest level deal with these same positions. Anand chose to sacrifice the pawn, knowing that Gelfand would have to choose to either give the material back or accept a less active position. So while this may not be fighting chess in the slash-and-burn style of Tal or Christiansen, this is certainly tenacious chess worthy of a world championship match. Here we have a position from the Game Eleven of the match. Gelfand, as white, has just played the enticing move 17.Bf4.

[FEN "r4rk1/pp1n1ppp/2b1pn2/7q/2PP1B2/ P2B1N2/4QPPP/R2R2K1 b - - 0 16"]

This invites Anand to play 17...Bxf3, when 18.gxf3 would ruin Gelfand's pawn structure. Here IM Crouch asks, "Should Anand have tried that?" The answer is "Probably not. Anand was happy to halve out with his next move, safely. Yes, he could give his opponent doubled and isolated f-pawns, but White then has two bishops versus two knights, and while it is easy enough to see ways in which White can improve his position, it is difficult to see anything constructive for Black." This was another comment that left me feeling as if I had been struck by lightning once a fully understood it. It is something I would previously never have considered because the maxim of the weakness of doubled isolated

pawns was so ingrained at a young age. Yet as soon as I realized that if Black enters the above line, then eventually, as the position opens more, White's bishops will become too powerful for Black's knights to handle, I understood why these moves are possible and how much top-level players value piece activity over pawn weaknesses in such positions. Now let's take a look at the final game (Game Six) of the Kramnik-Aronian match. I found it very interesting that even top GMs are capable of making an opening inaccuracy as early as move seven! Here is the position after Black's sixth move.

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/ppp2ppp/2np1n2/1Bb1p3/ 4P3/2PP1N2/PP1N1PPP/R1BQK2R w KQ - 0 7"]

Aronian plays a normal looking move: 7.0-0. IM Crouch then points out, "As Steinitz recognized over a century ago, the manoeuvre with 7.Nf1, followed by either Ne3 or Ng3, can be highly effective. In such a knight manoeuvre, if White has already castled he will have to use an extra tempo with Re1 to vacate the f1-square." After a few more moves, the following position arises:

[FEN "r2qr1k1/pp3pp1/1bppbnnp/8/P2pP3/ 2P2N1P/1PB2PP1/R1BQRNK1 w - - 0 15"]

Here White has the option to recapture on d4 with either the pawn or the knight. It seemed obvious to me to recapture with the c-pawn in order to have more center pawns. However, after 15.cxd4 d5!, White now finds his center coming under fire. The attempt to win a pawn by 16.e5 Ne4 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.Rxe4 fails to 18...Bd5, and then after White moves his rook, Black will chop the knight on f3 and win back the pawn on d4. Therefore, the correct move is 15.Nxd4. Crouch's pinpoint annotations make these concepts crystal clear. Again, we could quibble over the definition of fighting, but these examples do contain a wealth of information about how to improve. Yet, Chapter Three of this book is all about fighting. Perhaps not Kimbo Slice-style street brawling, but fighting nonetheless. This chapter takes us to Moscow in June of 2012 for the Tal Memorial. Round Five featured the game Radjabov-Carlsen. Radjabov played the Scotch Game and after some long maneuvering this position was reached upon 51.Kd2

[FEN "8/8/1r1k4/4p3/2ppB1b1/2P5/ RP1K2P1/8 b - - 0 51"]

Black has the more mobile pawns and his rook is active. But how to convert those advantages? Here Magnus finds the winning plan with 51...Be6. After 52.Kc2 Bd5 53.Bxd5 d3+ 54.Kd2 Kxd5 55.Ke3 Rg6 56.Ra5+ Ke6 57.Ke4 Rg4+ 58.Kf3 Rf4+ 59.Ke3 Rf1, White has no defense against ...Re1+ and ...Re2 and so resigned.

[FEN "8/8/4k3/R3p3/2p5/2PpK3/ 1P4P1/5r2 w - - 0 60"]

Fighting Chess: Move by Move is very well written and full of practical advice that will be relevant to the average tournament player. The author wholeheartedly meets his goal of showing what separates the top handful of players in the world from the rest. The answer is a clarity of play that most of us can only hope to achieve, but certainly all of us can improve at this with some hard work and dedication. This book will be most useful to those rated 1500 and up, or even just below that threshold for ambitious improvers. At first I was leery of the idea of an Ebook, since I have been reading paper chess books since what feels like the beginning of time. However, as I came to learn, there are many advantages. The two most noticeable are that you can have an engine running in the background giving constant evaluations and alternative suggestions (and even copy them into the game), and that you can easily play through the analysis without any errors. With an Ebook, you will never set up the wrong position! One final ironic observation: the same night that I looked at the AronianKramnik game, I came across Steinitz-Blackburne, London 1876. After the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 Be7, Steinitz played 7.h3, and Dr. Tartakower in annotating the game states that a better plan would be 7.Nbd2, with the idea of Nf1 followed by Ng3 or Ne3. History repeats itself again. My assessment of this Ebook: Order Fighting Chess: Move by Move by Colin Crouch

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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Hello Old Friend by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

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Kasparov-Short, 1993 (Ebook), ChessCafe, CBV, PDF, and PGN formats, $3.99 This eBook was compiled from a series of articles written for Inside Chess in 1993 by IM Colin Crouch, along with guest analysis by other commentators. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the legendary match between World Champion Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short, the British challenger for his crown. Looking back now it is easy to laugh at some of the things that seemed so serious back when the Cold War era had just ended. As an example, prior to the match GM Short accused Kasparov of having been involved with the KGB. Today in 2013 that sounds laughable, but two decades back it sounded sinister. Another historical aspect of this match is that it was the first match for the World Championship played outside the auspices of FIDE since 1948 when Mikhail Botvinnik ascended to the throne. Prior to the match being held both Champion and Challenger were dissatisfied with FIDE President Florencio Campomanes's decision to simply award the title match to Manchester. This ignored FIDE regulations which said that the venue for the match would be decided by the organization and the match participants.

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good – Great – Excellent –

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

Chess Expertise 2: Mastering Strategy by Efstratios Grivas

As a result of what they felt to be an unacceptable abuse of power Kasparov and Short united to form the Professional Chess Association (PCA) and removed their match from FIDE's control. As a result, FIDE stripped Kasparov of his title and for the next thirteen years there were two world champions until reunification in 2006. The ebook consists of the following three file formats: A ChessBase database featuring all twenty games of the match deeply annotated, nineteen text files, and the seven bonus exhibition games that were played in lieu of the final four scheduled games. A 126 page PDF file of the match coverage, diagrams included. A PGN file of the annotated match games and exhibition games that works well with the Everyman Chess Viewer app for Apple and Android devices.

Meet the Nimzo-Indian with 4.Qc2 by Rustam Kasimdzhanov

To access the ChessBase content you have to use ChessBase, a ChessBase playing program (Fritz, Rybka, Shredder, etc.), or the freely available ChessBase Light. Once you have downloaded and unzipped your eBook simply double-click the file and it will open in ChessBase. You will see the Contents menu that allows you to navigate to the introductory text or game that you would like to see. The text files offer the full content of the magazine article, with diagrams, that corresponds to the annotated game, along with a link to the game in the ChessBase database. The game files contain the full replayable annotations to each game from the match. Just click the option you would like to look at first and enjoy! Although I grew up reading paper chess books and magazines, I have come to love eBooks and their advantages. The two most noticeable are that you can have an engine running in the background giving constant evaluations and alternative suggestions, and that you can easily play through the analysis without any errors. Game One really seemed to set the tone of the match. Kasparov built up a dominating position, and after Short's eighteenth move the following position was reached:

[FEN "1rq1r1k1/2pb1ppp/p2p1b2/P2P4/ 1pBp4/3P4/1PPB1PPP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 19"]

As IM Crouch writes, "White has a massive advantage. Imagine, for example, a position with all the major pieces exchanged: Black's a- and b-pawns would be so weak that one of them must fall. Black has another problem in that the e-file is open. White will continue to offer the exchange of major pieces along this file, and since Black must refuse, he will cede control of the open file to White. This, in turn, will give White the leverage to develop an initiative on the kingside, leaving Black under pressure across the whole board. It must be reckoned that White's advantage is close to decisive if he plays reasonably accurately. "Kasparov thought for a very long time here, and halfway through this Short returned to sit at the board and stare intently at the position. This was an indication that he saw he was in deep trouble; up to now neither player had been sitting at the board when it was the opponent's turn to move, preferring instead to scan the electronic demonstration boards. But now the position is desperate; Nigel must put in some hard work." Eighteen moves later the following position is reached:

[FEN "r5k1/2q2pb1/p2p1Bp1/P1pP4/ 1pPpR3/1P5Q/2P2P2/6K1 w - - 0 36"

With only seconds remaining on his clock Kasparov blundered with 37.Bxg7? ?. IM Crouch notes that after 37.Re7 Qc8 38.Qxc8 Rxc8 39.Bxg7 Bxg7 40.Rd7, White easily wins the endgame. Instead, after 37...Kxg7 38.Rh7+ Kf8 39.Qg4, Short lost on time finally having achieved equality. It is impossible to truly know if the psychological impact of this loss had a continuing influence on Short's performance, but at the end of four games the score was 3½-½ in favor of Kasparov. In comparison to his previous five matches against Karpov, Kasparov seemed to be cruising to an easy victory against his English challenger. Over the next ten games Short dug in his heels, seemingly determined to stop the bleeding, at least as best as he could. The score in those ten games was 64 in favor of the champion, with eight draws, and two Kasparov wins. However, in game eight Short missed a spectacular win. Here is the position after 23...Qd5:

[FEN "r4k1r/1b3p2/p2NQ3/1p1qn1B1/ 7p/1P6/1PP3PP/2K2R2 w - - 0 24"]

Short played 24.Rxf7+!?. As California Master David Gliksman pointed out, 24.Qf6 could have made this Short's Immortal Game. Here is the analysis given at length: A) 24...Kg8 25.Nf5 (threatening both Qg7 mate, and Ne7+, winning the queen) 25...Nd3+ 26.Kb1 Qe5 27.Ne7+ Kh7 28.Qxf7+ Qg7 29.Qf5+ and mate next. B) 24...Rh7 (if 24...Rg8? 25.Bh6+ wins instantly) 25.Bh6+ and now: B1) 25...Rxh6 26.Qxh6+ Ke7 [if 26...Kg8, then 27.Nf5 Nd3+ 28.Kb1 Qe5 29.cxd3 (threatening d4 as well as Rf4-g4) 29...Bc8 30.Qg5+ Kf8 31.Qd8+ Qe8 32.Qd6+ Kg8 33.Nh6+ wins] 27.Nf5+ Ke8 28.Qf6! and Black cannot meet all of White's threats. For example, 28...Nd3+ 29.Kb1 Qe5 30.Ng7+ or 30.Nd6+ are both very strong and if 28...Ng6 29.Ng7+ Kf8 (or 29...Kd7 30.Rd1) 30.Ne6+ wins. B2) 25...Kg8 26.Nf5, and now: B2a) 26...Nd3+ 27.Kb1 wins because of the threat of Ne7+ as well as Qg5+. B2b) 26...Nc6 27.Qg5+ Kh8 28.Bg7+ Kg8 29.Be5+ Kf8 30.Bd6+ Ke8 31.Re1+ Kd7 32.Re7+ and Black gets mated. B2c) 26...Ng6 27.Rd1 Qc5 28.Rd8+ Nf8 29.Qg5+ wins. B2d) 26...Re8 27.Rd1 Qe6 (if 27...Qc6 28.Rd8 Ng6 29.Nd6 Rf8 30.Qxg6+! and mate next move) 28.Rd8! and although Black is still up a rook, he is lost because he cannot defend against the threat of Ne7+. For example, if B2di) 28...Nd3+ 29.cxd3 Qe1+ 30.Kc2 Qe2+ 31.Bd2 wins. B2dii) 28...Ng6 29.Ne7+ Qxe7 30.Qxe7 wins. B2diii) 28...Nc6 29.Qg5+ Kh8 30.Bg7+ Kg8 31.Bd4+ Kf8 32.Bc5+ Ne7 33.Qg8+! and mate next move. Although from a match standpoint this is one that got away, it serves to illustrate one of the beautiful aspects of chess: that with careful analysis it is possible to unearth gems such as this. Heading into Game Sixteen Kasparov had taken a commanding lead of 10½4½ and seemed to be readying the finishing touches on a near flawless victory. At this point it seemed as if Short would not win so much as a single game. Showing a grim determination to finally get in the win column Short steered the game into the following position:

[FEN "3r3k/1b1r1ppp/p2ppn2/1pq5/4P3/ PBNRQP2/1PP3PP/3R3K b - - 0 22"]

At this point Crouch writes, "A strange phase of the game starts here. The exchange of queens is inevitable, but neither side initiates it – White refrains, because ...dxc5 would improve Black's pawn structure, and Black, because he feels he can profitably maintain the tension. For either player to retreat the queen would be a big concession; so the status quo is maintained. Both players try to make gradual improvements to their positions, starting off by bringing their kings closer to the center for the endgame."

After some protracted maneuvering, and with queens remaining on the board, Short built up quite an advantage:

[FEN "b5r1/3rkp1p/p2ppn2/1p2q1p1/3RP3/ PNP2P2/1PB2QPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 32"]

Observes IM Crouch: "Nothing has been exchanged and no pawns have come in contact since move eighteen. It has been pure maneuvering. A comparison between this diagram and that after White's twenty-second shows just how much progress White has made, and just how little Black has been able to achieve. Note in particular that White has strengthened his center, improved the positions of both his minor pieces, driven Black's queen away from c5 to a much more vulnerable spot, and generally taken control of the queenside dark squares. Black, in return, has some very slim chances of a kingside attack. Before these counterchances can amount to anything, White makes a pawn break to open up Black's defenses on the queenside." White then finds the winning plan with 32.a4 h5 33.axb5 axb5 34.Rb4 h4 35.Nd4 g4 36.Rxb5 d5 37.Qxh4 Qh5 38.Nf5+ 1-0

[FEN "b5r1/3rkp2/4pn2/1R1p1N1q/4P1pQ/ 2P2P2/1PB3PP/4R1K1 b - - 0 38"]

Sadly for Nigel this was his only win of the match. Three games later Kasparov drew the nineteenth game to retain his title, and then the twentieth to win the match. On the surface this match was an easy victory for the champion, and so it is easy to attempt to dismiss Nigel Short after this result. However, at a much deeper level this match signaled a shift in the world chess scene as the title seemed to move away from pure Russian dominance. Considering that these games were annotated on a tight deadline to meet the publication schedule of a biweekly magazine the analysis is deep enough to be meaningful without being impossible for the club player to follow. My assessment of this Ebook: Order Kasparov-Short, 1993 (Ebook) by ChessCafe Order Inside Chess 1988-2000 by ChessCafe

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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Spassky Redeemed by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

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Boris Spassky: Master of Initiative (Ebook) by Alexander Raetsky & Maxim Chetverik, Everyman Chess, ChessBase file format, $21.95 History has been somewhat unkind to the tenth world champion. It seems that practically any time Boris Spassky's name is mentioned it is as a footnote to the career of his successor, Bobby Fischer. However, the reality of Spassky's career is much richer than his role as Fischer's foil. In truth, Spassky's ascension to the chess throne almost seems inevitable, and, as noted in the introduction (written in 2006), "Together with Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov, he is the only player to have made it all the way through the candidates matches to play for the World Championship more than once." Spassky is widely considered to have a universal style, meaning that he was comfortable playing almost any position, be it attacking, defending, tactical, positional, open, closed, etc. As Garry Kasparov indicated in My Great Predecessors, "It is generally considered that the universal chess style, involving an ability to play the most varied types of positions, stems from Spassky. However, in my view, this general conviction about Spassky's universality ignores the fact that from childhood he clearly had a leaning towards sharp, attacking play, and possessed a splendid feel for the initiative."

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven –

My Great Predecessors, Part 3 by Garry Kasparov

As an aspiring chess player in the latter part of the 1980s, I remember "discovering" some of Spassky's games. How nice it was to see swashbuckling openings, such as the King's Gambit, which he famously employed against opponents the caliber of Bronstein, Fischer, and Karpov. I understand now that Spassky infused elements of romanticism, exemplified by many of the players from a century before his time, into the modern games of his era.

Good –

So let us now enter this world of the tenth world champion.

Great –

First, let's discuss how to access the content. You have to use ChessBase, a ChessBase playing program (Fritz, Rybka, Shredder, etc.), or the freely available ChessBase Light. Once you have downloaded the files, simply click the icon for the Ebook. The database will then open in ChessBase, and you will see the table of contents:

Excellent –

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

Bobby Fischer Goes to War by David Edmonds & John Eidinow

The content is divided into ten chapters: Boris Spassky: A Short Biography Warming Up A Greater Depth It's Time to Calculate Up Another Level The Very Best of Spassky Endgame Legacy Retaliation Missed Opportunities Tips It might surprise the prospective reader, as it did me, that this book is not a game collection, but rather a puzzle book. The authors note, "In this book we have selected Spassky's best tactical finishes to give the reader a chance to improve their tactics." While they invite the reader to "study the tactical moments of Boris Spassky's chess career in the form of puzzles," they also generally provide the full game score along with the solution to each puzzle. However, since I truly enjoy puzzle books and think that they are a very important part of a player's improvement, I was delighted to accommodate their request. If one wants to access the complete games, you can click on the "games" tab:

You will then see the following:

Here you may double-click on any of the games in the list and play through the entire game or view the puzzles and solutions as well as the text files. Now let's take a look at some of the main content, since that is what we are here for in the first place! The book begins with a brief biography of Mr. Spassky from evacuating as a four-year-old during the siege of Leningrad to becoming editor of the weekly Russian newspaper Shakhmatnaya Nedelya in 2005. Those who only knew him as a former World Junior Champion and from the Fischer match will surely learn quite a bit. For instance, one of the numerous informational jewels in this section is that in Spassky's first game in his debut international tournament (Bucharest 1953) he defeated future World Champion Vassily Smyslov. This sections also includes four of his greatest games annotated in full: against Bronstein, Tukmakov, Karpov, and Fischer. Chapter Two, "Warming Up," presents twenty examples of one-movers where the authors warn that anything "less than a 100% score should serve as a good warning about the state of your tactical ability and form." Let's take a look at the first example, which is Ivkov-Spassy, Santa Monica 1966 with Black to play.

[FEN "8/4k1p1/1p2pp1p/p6P/2n1PN2/ 4qPP1/1P4K1/3Q4 b - - 0 36"]

One of the nice features about using ChessBase to read an Ebook is that if you

have a position where it is Black to play, you can simply press Ctrl+F to flip the position and view it from the black perspective:

[FEN "8/4k1p1/1p2pp1p/p6P/2n1PN2/ 4qPP1/1P4K1/3Q4 b - - 0 36"]

I like having this option, since I try to duplicate game conditions as much as possible in order to derive the most benefit from reading a book of this nature. I encourage everyone reading this review to work on solving the examples included here on their own. The solutions appear at the end of the column. The next chapter, "A Greater Depth," gives us a chance to work on some more difficult puzzles. Included among them are Spassky's win against Bent Larsen at Palma de Mallorca in 1969. Here is the position from that game. Boris has the white pieces, and a miserable position to go with them. However, Larsen's last move 65...h4 was a grievous error, and Spassky saw the chance to pounce:

[FEN "6k1/1p3p2/p2prPq1/8/7p/ 2Q5/PP3RP1/6K1 w - - 0 66"]

Chapter Four, "It's Time to Calculate," was one of the more interesting chapters. As explained by the authors, "So far we've dealt with several basic but important tactical motifs, albeit without overtaxing the reader's calculating ability. It's now time to help improve that with some more challenging exercises. These will require a bit more calculation as well as some imagination." This chapter has a nice example from later in Boris's career in the game Spassky – Eliet, French League 2002:

[FEN "r1bB2r1/pp3pnp/2p5/4k3/4P3/ 2N2P2/PPP1B2P/2KR4 w - - 0 18"]

It is White to play and the authors ask "Spassky has sacrificed the exchange to control the dark squares. What happened next?" One of the nice things about the format of this particular Ebook is that each puzzle is diagrammed in the accompanying text file and has three hyperlinks.

The top links to the ChessBase game window, and the bottom links point to a tip and to the solution. This makes for an extremely readable experience. However, in the game window it reads to "Press F10 for the solution." This was previously the load next game command, but it is no longer valid in ChessBase 12. In CB12, the proper key is F11. One wonders why ChessBase would have changed this longstanding shortcut. Chapter Six, "The Very Best of Spassky" is both fun and instructive. One of the examples given was my favorite from the entire book: Spassky – Geller, Suhumi 1968.

[FEN "2r3k1/1b2ppb1/q2p1np1/2p3N1/1p2P1PQ/ nP1PB2P/r1P1N1B1/2R2RK1 w - - 0 23"]

The above position was reached on the white side of the Closed Sicilian. In a complex position Boris finds a nice way to break through. When I was examining the above position I could not discern who was objectively better if there was no immediate tactic available. White is pressuring Black's king, but Black seems poised to break through on the queenside. I was unable to solve it, and so after working through the solution I loaded the position into Fritz 12. This can be done simply by clicking "File" and "Go to Fritz." Interestingly, the computer evaluates Black as much better for about a minute or so before it finally calculated the win for Spassky. Incidentally, it is also possible to get an engine evaluation from the ChessBase game window by clicking "Default Kibitzer." Overall, I enjoyed Boris Spassky: Master of Initiative very much. I like how the authors chose to group the exercises by level of complexity rather than by theme. This causes the reader to look deeper at the positions compared to books that identify the theme of each chapter beforehand. If readers work through the puzzles the way the authors intend, there is much to be learned.

The one nit I have is the title. Master of Initiative is not very descriptive of the content; something along the lines of "Master of Tactics" would have been more appropriate. Solutions Ivkov – Spassky: 36...Qxf4 wins after 37.gxf4 Ne3+. Spassky – Larsen: 66.Qc8+ Kh7 67.Qxe6 and Black must give up his queen to stop the pawn. Spassky-Eliet: White wins a piece with 18.f4+ Kxf4 (or 18...Ke6 19.Bc4#) 19.Rf1+ Ke5 20.Bc7+ Ke6 21.Bc4+ Ke7 22.Rxf7+ Ke8 23.Bd6. Spassky – Geller: The solution here is more complex, so I will give only the main line, which is 23.Rxf6! Exf6 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Nxf7!! Rxc2 26.Bh6! Rxc1+ 27.Nxc1 Kxf7 28.Qxg7+ Ke8 29.g5 f5 30.Qxg6+ Kd7 31.Qf7+ Kc6 32.exf5+. My assessment of this Ebook: Order Boris Spassky: Master of Initiative (Ebook) by Alexander Raetsky & Maxim Chetverik

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

[ChessCafe Home Page] [ChessCafe Shop] [ChessCafe Blog] [Book Review] [Columnists] [Endgame Study] [The Skittles Room] [ChessCafe Links] [ChessCafe Archives] [About ChessCafe.com] [Contact ChessCafe.com] [Advertising] © 2013 BrainGamz, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "ChessCafe.com®" is a registered trademark of BrainGamz, Inc.

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Going Mainstream by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

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The Scandinavian: Move by Move (Ebook) by IM Cyrus Lakdawala, Everyman Chess, ChessBase and PGN file formats, $24.95 The Scandinavian with 3...Qd6 is in fashion these days mainly because of GM Sergei Tiviakov, who began using it as his main weapon against 1.e4. It has even earned a stamp of approval from the twelfth world champion Anatoly Karpov, who used it to draw a fine game against former world champion Veselin Topalov in a rapid game earlier this year. For his part, IM Lakdawala has been playing this opening, in his words, "since Ronald Reagan's presidency." This line in the Scandinavian is a good choice for club players who would like a solid opening choice that does not require dozens of hours per year to keep up with current theory. Over the course of the fifty-four games in this eBook, Lakdawala acquaints the reader with the opening and covers the main lines and most topical sidelines stemming from 3...Qd6. For anyone not already familiar with the Move by Move series, allow me to explain the advantages. This series is laid out in a question and answer format that encourages the reader to collaborate in the learning experience. In answering the questions posed by the author, the reader is an active participant and is able to become more familiar with the ideas being conveyed in the book.

Rating Chart Awful – Poor – Uneven – Good –

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

Chess Developments: The Grünfeld (Ebook) by David Vigorito

To access the content one must have either a PGN compatible program, or ChessBase, or a ChessBase playing program (Fritz, Rybka, Shredder, etc.), or the freely available ChessBase Reader. I used the latter. Once you have downloaded your Ebook, simply double-click the file and it will open in ChessBase. The PGN file has the same content as the ChessBase file and is formatted for use in the Everyman Chess Viewer, which is now available for both Apple and Android products.

Great – Excellent –

Winning Chess Openings (Ebook) by Yasser Seirawan

The advantages to the eBook format include being able to turn on an engine to either check the author's analysis or explore reasonable alternatives to the suggested lines. I gain a lot just by seeing how my own ideas either work or are refuted. Using ChessBase, it is also handy to be only a few mouse clicks away from their online reference database to see how recent GM games are trending. The content is divided as follows: The Main Line without 6.Ne5 The 7.Nc4 Variation The 7.Bf4 Variation Shirov's Variation: 7.f4 Fifth Move Alternative's The Early...c6 Move Order The 5...g6 Scandinavian White Refrains From an Early d4 White Avoids an Early Nc3 Odds and Ends The first chapter begins with a less critical line. As IM Lakdawala puts it, "Before we enter the terrifying 6.Ne5 lines of Chapters Two, Three and Four, let's begin the book with a relaxing vacation in the non-critical sixth move alternatives. In this chapter, White's hope of a long-lasting opening advantage (or, indeed, any advantage at all) is spent, flavourless gum, chewed too long. The variations we arrive at in this chapter will probably occur against opponents who don't know Scandinavian opening theory and are just basically winging it. Let's keep things simple by remaining within Caro-Kann-like structures. In each instance, White gets nothing from the opening, and his efforts to force an advantage are wasted." Come on Cyrus, tell us how you really feel! It is no coincidence that five of the seven games in this chapter (and, in fact, twenty-two games in the entire book) feature Sergei Tiviakov as black. Let's have a look at the game Sulskis-Tiviakov, Pfalz 2009: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5

[FEN "rnb1kbnr/ppp1pppp/8/3q4/8/8/ PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 3"]

Notes Lakdawala, "Welcome to the other Caro-Kann! Question: If the position is destined to be Caro-Kann-like, then why not just go ahead and play the real Caro-Kann? Answer: This is a facsimile of the positions we reach from the Caro. But if you play the Caro, you must also face the Advance Variation, the Panov-Botvinnik and about a half-dozen others, all different from one another and all loaded up with nearly a century of theory. The Scandinavian avoids such a theoretical nuisance. We tend to get the same mainline Caro structure over and over. Also, most 1 e4 players are heavily booked up on the Caro, and anything but booked up against the rarely played Scandinavian. The reason that Lakdawala refers to this as the Caro-Kann is because most of the structures arising from this opening involve ...c6, and often ...e6 as well, thereby taking on the properties of the Caro Slav structure. 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 6.h3 Bf5 7.g4!?

[FEN "rn2kb1r/pp2pppp/2pq1n2/5b2/3P2P1/ 2N2N1P/PPP2P2/R1BQKB1R b KQkq g3 0 7"]

Question: Isn't his move weakening? Answer: To play for a win, one must sometimes take on reasonable risk as well. I think this rare but ambitious move, designed to take over both the initiative and bishop-pair, is White's only real try for an edge, and if failing that, then at least a sharp fight. Alternatives: 7.Bd3 Bxd3 8.Qxd3 Nbd7 9.Bg5 e6 10.0-0-0 Be7 11.Kb1. Now Black has a choice of 0-0-0, which is not very ambitious but good enough for equality, E.Inarkiev-S.Tiviakov, Moscow 2009,( or the more enterprising but riskier 0-0!?, going opposite wings.) 7.Bc4 Nbd7 (the most accurate move; Black covers e5) 8.0-0 e6 9.Bg5 (or the more enterprising but riskier 9.Nh4 Bg6 10. Nxg6 hxg6, but we Scandinavian players are used to such structures) 9...Be7 10.Qe2 0-0 11.Rad1 h6 12.Bh4 Qc7 is equal, Yu Ruiyuan-O.Barbosa, Ho Chi Minh City 2012. Later on, after White's forty-sixth move the following position is reached:

[FEN "2r2b2/6p1/R3p1P1/1p4Br/ 4N2p/1k1K3P/8/8 b - - 0 46"]

Here the reader is asked to find the denouement: Exercise (planning): Just one strong move is required and Black's pieces emerge in force. What should he play? Answer: Overload. 46...Rc4 Black threatens 47...Rxe4. This in turn collapses White's semblance of counterplay. Summary: Prepare yourself for the upside down, alternate reality, also known as the Scandinavian, where development is optional, and Dukes and Counts smack down Morphy. Having gone over this game, it feels like White did everything right and Black did everything wrong, yet the forces of chaos won anyway. For some reason, I am reminded of Bill Clinton's assertion that he 'didn't inhale' when reflecting deeper on this game. As you can see, the questions vary from nuances of development to raw tactical exercises. Now let's look at a more topical game in the current main line theory from Chapter Two. The introduction to this chapter begins as follows:

[FEN "r1b1kb1r/pp1npppp/2pq1n2/8/2NP4/ 2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 7"]

Part of the magic of chess is the fact that two strong players with equal IQ levels and chess ability can examine a position and come to opposite conclusions on an assessment. Most strong players may look at the diagrammed position above and tell you Black is in serious trouble. After all, White leads in development in a somewhat open position. We Scandinavian players know better, and I state with confidence, mainly based on GM Tiviakov's games: Black holds his own. The game Tiviakov-Sveshnikov, Moscow 2011 begins 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nc4 Qc7 8.Qf3 Nb6 9.Ne5 and again the questions start to flow: Question: Why would White refuse to gain a tempo by posting his bishop to f4? Answer: We saw in earlier games the havoc Black's ...Qd7 and ...Qg4!

manoeuvre caused, so White reasons there is no rush for the tempo-gain. He takes care of business first, preparing to castle long and only then will he play Bf4 which isn't running away. In essence, White's last move prevents the dreaded ...Qd7. 9...Be6 Practiced familiarity is synonymous with masterful control. Tiviakov knows and understands this line better than anyone else in the world and doesn't get confused by White's tricky move order. He discourages the coming Bc4. Remember, always be flexible about ...g6 and ...Bg7 development. We look at the fianchetto lines later in the book, which will actually help you understand this and other chapters better as well, since in some cases we do fianchetto our dark-squared bishop. 10.Bf4 Qd8

[FEN "r2qkb1r/pp2pppp/1np1bn2/4N3/ 3P1B2/2N2Q2/PPP2PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 0 11"]

Question: Why isn't Black getting blown away? So far he moved his queen three times to end up where she started from. Answer: You just described the great Zen koan of the Scandinavian. I can't explain why Black is able to survive, other than he just does! Perhaps the reason is twofold: 1. White has great difficulty in opening the position in the Scandinavian. This in turn, has a way of dampening his impressive development lead. 2. The second reason lies perhaps within the psyche of many who face Scandi as White: They act like they are winning when they actually are not. The net result of this is overextension, which happens to White on a regular basis in the Scandi. 11.0-0-0 g6 12.Bd3 Alternatives; 12.h4 Bg7 (Black feels no great urgency to play ...h5, since he can grab it and perhaps castle queenside later on) 13.Be2 Nfd5 14.Bd2 (perhaps White should proceed forward with 14.h5 Nxc3 15.Qxc3 Qd5 16. Qf3 Qa5 17.a3 Nxf4 18.Qxf4 when Black must still deal with issues of where to place his king) 14...Nxc3 15.Qxc3 Qd5 16.Qd3 0-0! with equal chances, since g2 is too dangerous a grab, T.L.Petrosian-S.Kasparov, Bhubaneswar 2011. 12.h3 Bg7 13.Ng4 isn't very effective, since Black hasn't committed to kingside castling yet, T.Paehtz-S.Kasparov, Arco 2011. Black looks fine after Nfd5. 12...Bg7 13.h4 Nbd5 14.Bc4 Nxf4 15.Qxf4 Bxc4 16.Nxc4 Nd5 17.Qf3 Nac3 18.bxc3!?

[FEN "r2qk2r/pp2ppbp/2p3p1/8/2NP3P/ 2P2Q2/P1P2PP1/2KR3R b kq - 0 18"]

A theoretical novelty and a radical approach. A soldier is obliged to follow orders from a commanding officer, even when he realizes it may be sheer folly. Sveshnikov refuses to lose time with his queen, and allows serious damage to his structure around his king. There is something unsettling and incongruous about White's idea. As you can see by the example above this is an opening that can lead to some seriously imbalanced positions. The so-called "three-result chess." Black not castling, as in the game above, is not a rarity, and so wild attacking possibilities often exist on both sides of the board. As noted by IM Lakdawala, the 6.Ne5 lines are the only variations in this opening in which Black must be rather knowledgeable since they cannot be improvised. Let's take a look at one more example of the possibilities that exist in the Scandinavian, this time from Chapter Seven, which covers 5...g6. Per the introduction to this chapter The biggest complaint about the ...c6 lines is not that they are unsound, but that they tend to veer toward the overly solid, and therefore can be difficult to win as Black. So to alleviate this issue, a sharper, little studied sideline is offered: 5...g6. In Alekhine's Defence/Grunfeld fashion, we hand White the centre, with the understanding that we eventually strike back with either: Direct piece pressure on White's d-pawn with ...Nc6, ...Rd8, ...Bg4 and ...Bxf3. This plan tends to be more effective when White tries Nb5 and c4 lines, which undermine his c3 support for the d4-pawn. Black plays for a ...c5 break, but only when we catch up with White in development. We all understand not to open the position when behind in development in the Scandianvian! We play for an ...e5 break, sometimes with ...Bg4 and ...Bxf3 tossed in, to weaken White's control over e5, at the cost of the bishop-pair, which rarely scares the seasoned Scandinavian player. So if you are in the mood to play harder for a win, or just desire a change (or plan wanton opening treachery upon the opponent!), then the 5...g6 line is an interesting diversion which is almost certain to catch your opponents off guard theoretically, after which the recoil from our opening surprise may throw off his or her aim. The game is Crisologo-Lakdawala San Diego (rapid) 2010: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6 6.Be2

[FEN "rnb1kb1r/ppp1pp1p/3q1np1/8/3P4/ 2N2N2/PPP1BPPP/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 0 6"]

You may face this ultra-safe, annoying line from lower-rated players who hope to draw. White envisions the coming ...a6, ...b5 and ...Bb7. He plans to mute dynamism with Ne5 and Bf3, challenging Black's powerful bishop along the h1-a8 diagonal and injecting the game with as much dullness as possible. Question: Isn't c4 a more natural square for the bishop? Answer: It is, but in a way it is also the move Black wants, since we follow with ...a6 and ...b5, chasing down the bishop. Later on, when White's bishop posts on b3, we play ...c5 and after dxc5, recapture with a d7-knight, once again harassing his bishop. For example: 6.Bc4 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 (preventing Bg4) a6 9. A4! (disallowing Black easy expansion with ...b5) Nc6 10.Be3 Bf5 11.Qe2 Nb4! (here is the down side of a4: it allows Black's knight to nest on b4) 12.Bb3 Nbd5 (seeking freeing exchanges) 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Bg5 Rae8 15.Rfe1 h6 (15...Nf4 16.Qd2 Ne6 17.Qe3 g5!? 18.Bg3 e6 19.h4, P.Leko-V.Kramnik, Moscow (blitz) 2009. White may have a shade of an edge after Bf6, since Black has yet to achieve either ...c5 or ...e5 breaks. Now let's skip ahead to the position after White's twenty-fourth move: 24.Rc6?!

[FEN "2r1r1k1/2p1ppbp/p1R2np1/4B3/ 1q6/5Q2/PP2NPPP/5RK1 b - - 0 24"]

Exercise (combination alert): In his zeal, White hopes to affect a crude form of parliamentary legitimacy to his tyrannical reign over the queenside, yet his last move is an error. Tactical alertness is perhaps the single most important characteristic to chess improvement. Do you see the simple trick which your unobservant writer missed? Answer: Double attack. Black picks off another pawn after 24...Qa5! 25.Bc3 Qxa2. Overall, IM Lakdawala achieves his aim, as this book will certainly prepare someone for their first experience wading into the waters of this enjoyable opening. If you are looking for in depth analysis of recent top-flight GM games in a heavily debated theoretical line, then this book is not for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a primer that explains ideas and themes in clear language and then reinforces them with a series of questions and answers, then this is indeed the droid you have been looking for. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to take up the

Scandinavian, either as a main line or as a surprise weapon. It can even be recommended to those playing it from the white side. Lastly, I recommend this book to anyone who plays or coaches scholastic chess, as this seems to be a frequently played opening at that level. My assessment of this Ebook: Order The Scandinavian: Move by Move (Ebook) by Cyrus Lakdawala

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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Armas Peligrosas! by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

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Dangerous Weapons: The Ruy Lopez (Ebook) by John Emms, Tony Kosten,

and John Cox, Everyman Chess 2013, ChessBase file format $21.95 The Ruy Lopez is the Cadillac of chess openings, offering numerous options for either side. Whether you prefer to play something sharp or solid, the Spanish offers you a plethora of choices. Over the past few years there have been quite a number of books covering the Ruy Lopez, but none quite like this offering from Everyman Chess. The beauty of Dangerous Weapons: The Ruy Lopez is that it is chock full of ideas for both sides. The Dangerous Weapons series is intended to provide playable options in sidelines to theory. Rather than having to learn mountains of key variations, a player can learn something that is offbeat, but offers excellent practical chances. As quoted in the Series Introduction, "The original concept behind Dangerous Weapons was to take a major chess opening and to approach it in a completely different way to normal: to concentrate on variations that are ambitious, sharp, innovative, disruptive, tricky, enjoyable to analyse; ones not already weighed down by mountains of theory, and ones unfairly ignored or discredited."

1000x Checkmate by Lubomir Ftacnik

Garry Kasparov, Part II:

1985-1993 (Ebook) by Garry Kasparov

Rating Chart Awful –

Poor –

Uneven –

Good –

Great –

Excellent –

Practical Endgame Play:

Beyond the Basics by Glenn Flear

To access the content one must have ChessBase, or a ChessBase playing

program (Fritz, Rybka, Shredder, etc.), or the freely available ChessBase Reader. Once you have downloaded your Ebook, simply double-click the file and it will open in ChessBase. The content is divided as follows:

The Aronian Variation Classical Berlin: Introduction Classical Berlin: 5.c3 Main Line 6.Ba4 Versus the Berlin New Ideas in the 4.d3 Berlin An Evans Gambit in the Lopez Fighting the Exchange Variation New Ways to Play d3 Another g4 Lunge A Gambit Against the Anti-Marshall The 9...a5 Variation An Open Chigorin The first chapter is on the "Aronian" variation, which is essentially a Cozio with an early ...a6. After the opening moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nge7 5.0-0 g6 6.c3 Bg7 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 b5 9.Bc2 this position is reached:

[FEN "r1bqk2r/2ppnpbp/p1n3p1/1p6/3PP3/

5N2/PPB2PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 0 9"]

As noted by Tony Kosten, "This retreat stops Black gaining a tempo when he plays ...Na5, but is quite rare, although I'm not entirely sure why as White will be a tempo up in certain positions." One of the nicer aspects of working with an Ebook is that it can be seamlessly integrated with other aspects of ChessBase. In reading Kosten's note above I was curious as to what the usual continuations are other than 9.Bc2. One neat tool to determine this is the "Reference" tab in the notation window:

In my database this shows that 9.Bb3 is played almost ten times more often than 9.Bc2, although from a total of forty-one games. Depending on the size of your reference database, your results may vary. Upon 9...0-0 10.d5 Kosten offers the following lengthy comment: "However, with the bishop on c2, 10.Nc3 is probably not a good idea as White is no longer controlling d5 adequately and Black can play: "a) 10...d5 11.e5 (otherwise White will be left with an exposed IQP,

although this is not the end of the world by any means: 11.exd5 Nb4; or 11.h3 dxe4 12.Bxe4 b4 13.Ne2 Bf5,; 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 dxe4 13.Bxe4 g5 14.Bg3, S.De Filomeno-S.Galdunts, Cesenatico 2011, 14...Bg4 and ...f5) 11...Bg4. This is the problem: 12.Be3 f6! 13.exf6 Rxf6 14.Bg5 (or 14.Kh1 Qf8 15.Bb3 Qf7 (even better is 15...Rd8! planning ...Rxf3!) 16.h3? Bxf3 17.gxf3 Rxf3 with a crushing advantage, T.EsadzeK.Strukova, Albena 2011) 14...Rf7 15.Nxd5?! Qxd5 16.Bb3 Qf5 (White is lost) 17.Bxe7 Nxe7 18.Bxf7+ Qxf7 19.Rc1 Nd5 20.Rc5 Nf4 21.Qc2

Bxf3 22.Rxc7 Ne2+ 23.Kh1 Qd5 0-1, K.Messinger-M.Cornette, St Chely d'Aubrac 2011. "b) 10...d6 11.h3 can also be played, as in the main line with the white bishop on b3. 11...Bb7 (Black develops his final minor piece, ready to counterattack the white centre) 12.Bf4 (12.Re1 Rc8 13.Bf4 Na5 14.Qe2 c5 15.dxc5 Rxc5 16.Rad1 Nc4 17.Bb3 Nxb2 18.Rxd6 Qc8 19.Nb1 Nc4

was fine for Black in B.Firat-V.Erdos, Sarajevo 2011) 12...Na5 (still

good, even if it doesn't gain a tempo) 13.d5 Nc4 14.Qc1 b4 15.Nd1 c6! 16.dxc6 Nxc6 17.Bh6 N4e5! 18.Nxe5 dxe5 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Ba4 Nd4 with a powerful knight and better bishop, S.Grover-I.Sokolov, Reykjavik 2011. "c) Or 10...b4!? first, to drive the knight back: 11.Ne2 d5 12.e5 Bg4 13.h3 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Qd7 15.Kh2 with mutual chances in R.PotzeF.Erwich, Hoogeveen 2011." I like it that the annotations are essentially variation-driven, which allows the reader to fully explore the resulting positions, while still being wordy enough to provide a clear explanation of the underlying plans. While the lines are not explored in great depth, the reader has the opportunity to use the reference tab to find further games and dive in to whatever depth is desired. Another benefit is that you can do all of this with an engine running in the background to keep from straying too far off course! "New Ideas in the 4.d3 Berlin" by John Cox was the chapter I was most

looking forward to, as I was looking for something different against the Berlin endgame. The d3-theme arises in a number of Lopez variations, so I was excited about the chance to explore this chapter. It begins with the statement "This is the move Kasparov said later he wished he'd tried in London in 2000. It provides a calm strategic alternative to the main endgame line of the Berlin, yet with a drop of poison." The game given as a reference point for the way that White should handle the resulting structure is Capablanca-Janowski, New York 1913. The game itself is not annotated, although there are some footnotes at the end. After that, Cox gives us a deeper look into McShane-Parker from the British League 2011, given here in condensed form. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5

[FEN "r1bqk2r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/1Bb1p3/

4P3/3P1N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 5"]

This is the classical reply and pretty much the invariable choice of the top players these days; of course Black can play many moves and we'll have a quick look at some of them in the 'Looking a Little Deeper'

section. This is the position in which Luke McShane has a new idea. 5.Bxc6 The line established back in the 19th century was 5.c3 0-0 6.Bxc6 (6.0-0 allows either 6...d6 with a kind of Giuoco Pianissimo where White's bishop has overshot to b5,(or 6...d5, a more forthright attempt to equalize which seems to have gone out of fashion a little bit) ) 6...bxc6 7.Nxe5 d5, when Black has enough compensation for the pawn. Instead 5.0-0 Nd4 is pretty comfortable for Black.

5...dxc6 Jonathan thought for about ten minutes over this move. "I thought 5...bxc6 might just lose a pawn", he told me afterwards, and indeed obviously Black would prefer to have castled while White wastes time on c3, as in the old line. Probably Jonathan's sage observation is more or less correct despite a bit of initial optimism from the machines. For example, even the naive line 6.Nxe5 d5 7.exd5!? Qxd5 (7...Nxd5 8.d4 Bd6 9.Nxc6 Qf6 10.0-0 Bxh2+ 11.Kxh2 Qxc6 isn't much better, largely because White has the vexing 12.Qe2+, when 12...Be6? loses a piece to c4, d5 and so on) 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 Re8 10.Nc3 Qd6 11.Re1 Bf5 12.Be3 sees Black struggling to demonstrate any reasonable compensation. 6.b3 This was Luke's new idea. "This structure is underrated for White", he tells me. 6...Qe7 7.Bb2 Nd7 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Ne2 This is White's usual manoeuvre in this structure; the knight is on its way to g3. Black doesn't usually want to play ...g6, which gives White a variety of handles, so he has to be constantly wary of a Nf5 leap, and White can get ready for f4 to liberate his rooks. 9...Ba3 A controversial moment; obviously Black could play ...Bd6, ...c5, ...Re8, ...f6 and ...Nf8-e6 instead, digging in and treating his 'bad' bishop, in Bellin's marvellous phrase, "like a girder in a building". That would perhaps be the more conventional option, but it's a different game, as they say. Still, it's easy to see why Parker wanted to remove the b2bishop, which would certainly have pointed malevolently at his kingside after a later f4 break. 10.Bxa3 Qxa3 11.0-0 Qe7 12.Ng3 Nc5

[FEN "r1b2rk1/ppp1qppp/2p5/2n1p3/4P3/

1P1P1NN1/P1P2PPP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 13"]

13.b4 A difficult choice. As I said before, White's move doesn't give him such a secure blockade as the other sort of arrangement of his queenside. What it does do in the short term, however, is prevent Black from establishing a pawn on c5 and thus secure White's control of the d4-square and his advantage in the centre. McShane demonstrates an ability which all strong players have but which is perhaps particularly a mark of his style, to change his plans according to events. 13...Na6 13...Na4 was also possible, but it doesn't change the play all that much. It looks attractive to bring the knight to b6 and to be ready to invade on c4 if White does play d4, but actually it doesn't help half as much as one might think – as they say, it's only a square. White can bring a knight round to e3 and trade the knight off, and the bishop isn't stable on c4 unless Black plays ...b5, which is obviously not what his queenside pawns want to see. Many of these issues came up in a slightly different form in Capablanca's game.

14.c3 c5 15.a3 cxb4 16.axb4 c5 17.bxc5 Nxc5 This was Black's idea; he has solved his structural issues on the

queenside, but the trouble is that in so doing he has allowed White a

central majority and better control of that sector. Jonathan told me after the game he was surprised by the way his troubles endured here and the way the white knights continue to outplay his bishop. From here McShane goes on to win a nice sixty-move game. Cox continues to give explanations of how White is implementing plans that are cohesive with his position, although the analysis is not particularly deep. Each chapter finishes with a section called "Looking a Little Deeper" in which the plans and ideas in the variation under discussion are delved into at a greater depth. As an example, let's take a look at a position from "An Open Chigorin" by John Emms:

[FEN "r1bqr1k1/4bppp/p2p1n2/npp5/3PP3/

5N1P/PPB2PP1/RNBQR1K1 w - - 0 13"]

13.Nc3 was considered in Hayawaka-Clausen, and the two other options

we'll consider in detail are: A: 13.Nbd2 B: 13.d5 Alternatively: a) 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 doesn't look dangerous. For example, 14...Qxd1

(or 14...Nd5!? with similar play to Hayawaka-Calusen) 15.Rxd1 Nd7 16.Be4 (16.Nc3 Nc4; 16.b3!?) 16...Ra7 17.Bf4 Nf8 18.Nc3 Ne6 with balanced chances. The asymmetrical pawn structure offers both sides the chance to fight for the advantage, even in the ending. However, an early queen exchange generally favours Black, who no longer has to worry about a direct kingside attack. b) 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nc3 (14.e5 transposes to 13 e5) 14...Qxd1 (14...Bb7 transposes to Hayawaka-Clausen) 15.Rxd1 Be6 16.e5 Nd7 is similar to 'a' and again offers balanced chances. c) 13.a4 Bb7! 14.d5 White has followed the principle of waiting for

...Bb7 before advancing with d4-d5. However, his waiting move, 13 a4,

turns out to be a weakness which allows Black greater counterplay on the queenside than usual. After 14...Nd7 15.Nbd2 Bf6 Black is ready to

activate with ...c4 and ...Nc5. d) 13.Bf4 Bb7 and now: a) This time after 14.d5 Black can exploit White's early bishop

development with 14...Nh5!, intending 15.Bh2 (or 15.Be3 Nc4) 15...Bf6

and ...Nc4 with counterplay. b) 14.Nbd2 cxd4 (if 14...Qb6 then 15.d5) 15.Nxd4 reaches a typical

Romanishin-type position, with the slight difference being White's darksquared bishop has developed earlier than usual. Here I suggest 15...g6 (15...Bf8 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bh4 Nc6 18.Nxc6 Bxc6 19.Qf3 looks slightly better for White, N.Djukic-N.Doric, Paracin 2011), and if 16.Nf1 Bf8 17.Ng3 we transpose to Line A1, note on 17 Bf4.

The authors fully meet the goal of arming readers with some interesting surprise weapons. However, I would not recommend these lines as repertoire recommendations if, like me, you play against the same members of your club all the time. Yet, I do recommend using these as occasional surprise weapons. My assessment of this Ebook:

Order Dangerous Weapons: The Ruy Lopez (Ebook)

by John Emms, Tony Kosten, and John Cox

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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More Crashes than a Demolition Derby by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

ChessBase Tactics App, ChessBase, iPad, iPod, iTouch, or iPhone, Free I was initially very excited when I heard that ChessBase had released a tactics app. After all, I am a dedicated user of ChessBase, Fritz, and the Fritz Trainer software.

Magnus Force (Ebook) by Colin Crouch

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Fighting Chess:

Move by Move by Colin Crouch

Rating Chart Awful –

Poor –

Uneven –

Good –

I downloaded the app on my iPhone and set out to see what they had to offer. Sadly, it was less than what I hoped for. In the first place, unlike other tactics apps I have used, nothing happens when you press the square of the piece that you want to move. I am used to the square being highlighted so that I know that I have selected the correct piece.

Great –

Excellent –

For example, here is a screen shot after having pressed the rook on c8, since the solution is ...Rxc4.

Best of Viswanathan Anand by Chess Informant



Without the square being highlighted I do not know if I have truly selected the right piece, meaning that it is quite possible that I actually pressed the rook on d8. Were I now to press c4 for the destination square, I would be told I selected the wrong answer, since the rook on d8 cannot go to c4. This happened a few times on various puzzles. I would try a move, be told that it was incorrect, and then eventually realize that I pressed the wrong square. Another shortcoming is that there is no rating function. Tactics ratings serve two very useful purposes. The first, of course, is ego. We all like to see that we are improving and a rating achieves that aim. The second is much more important, as an app with a ratings function should feed the user tactics appropriate for their level. This app seems to be very random, which does not help with systematic training as effectively as it could or should. The layout of the app was also a bit vague. Let's take a look at another screen shot.

Some of the layout is rather standard. For example, the colored dot just below h1 is the color of the side to move. The hint button will highlight the piece to be moved, while the next button will make the next move, or if the puzzle is a one move solution, the next button will take you to the next puzzle entirely. As for the buttons on the bottom bar, the one on the far left that looks like a joystick will take you to the leader boards to show you the users who have solved the most puzzles. The center one with the X in the middle will reset all of the puzzles, and the one on the right with the number one in it just seems to crash the program, as all I ever got was a "please wait" followed by nothing until I reset the app. Though I believe this allows you to buy the ChessBase currency known as "ducats." At the top of the puzzle you will notice that there is a bar that displays Total =

100, Solved = 22. The solved total indicates the total number of moves found, not the total number of puzzles solved. For example, let's solve the puzzle starting with the above.

1.Qd8+ As you can see the solved total has increased to twenty-three, and the green square indicates that the correct move was chosen. Had an incorrect move been attempted the box would be red.

1...Rxd8

2.Rxd8# Again, the total solved has now increased by one. Next I set out to determine what happens when the total solved goes over 100. Sadly, I never found out. I got to sixty-seven when I was given the following puzzle:

The answer is clearly 1.b3 which puts Black in zugzwang. I pressed the b-pawn and the app crashed. After repeating this process three or four times, I finally just skipped this problem by using the next button and was given this problem:

I tried to input 1...Nxf2+, which seemed like it might work, but the app crashed. Again, I repeated this three or four times with the same result. I returned to the app store to read any reviews and found three one-star negative reviews. One said that there comes a time when the program will crash every time you attempt to enter a move. Another was titled "More Crashes than a Demolition Derby," and the third just said that the app was impossible to use. It was at this point that I decided to end my quest to reach 100 on the solved meter, because I had seen enough. ChessBase has some serious problems with this app. In its current form I would not advise anyone to use it. However, there is a lot of potential here. If ChessBase will go back and redevelop this app to make it less buggy and more user-friendly, then they could do some really cool things. For instance, they could link the app to their database. Then you could actually see the root game that a tactic comes from, assuming it is a game example, and play through the moves. I believe that

would be a useful way for people to become more familiar with some famous games. So there is a lot more potential if ChessBase decides to rework the app. My assessment of this app:

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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Amazing Functionality and Value by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

ChessBase App, ChessBase, iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, $4.99 After last month's review of the disappointing ChessBase Tactics app, I was apprehensive about reviewing another ChessBase app. However, in this case ChessBase stuck with their strengths and produced an amazing and useful application that comes in very handy.

Magnus Force (Ebook) by Colin Crouch

When you first open the app you see their title screen: Translate this page

Fighting Chess:

Move by Move by Colin Crouch

Rating Chart Awful –

Poor –

Uneven –

Good –

You are then directed to the home page:

Great –

Excellent –

Garry Kasparov, Part II:

1985-1993 (Ebook) by Garry Kasparov

Click the "online" button and you will be taken to a list of recent games:

I am not certain how often the online database updates, but it is frequent. In the month or so that I have been testing this app it has updated three times, and as I write this on November 28th it already contains games from the recently completed European Team Championships. The beauty of this application is that it works much the same as ChessBase itself, but in a manner that is totally portable. One of the ways in which I put it to use was for opening preparation in upcoming club games. The clubs I attend play one slow rated game each week, so typically you know your pairing several days in advance and can do a little bit of preparation. If you click the graphic of the chess board that appears in the lower left corner of the app (see above in the list of games) you see the following:

You can then either move the pieces on the screen or click the choices (i.e. 1.e4 or 1.d4, etc.) until you find the position you want to view:

At this point if you press the magnifying glass search icon you are shown a list of games with that starting position:

Click on the game that you want and you can begin to examine it:

Once you are done examining the game you can press the Games button in the upper left of the screen and you will be taken back to the previous screen, which lists the games starting in the position you selected. One drawback of this feature is that it does not save the search parameters between uses. In other words, if you perform a search for a specific line and then set it aside, when you go back later you will have to start over from scratch. It would be nice to see ChessBase update this in a future version for those of us who do their research in increments when time allows rather than all at once. You can also search for games between players, just like in ChessBase itself. To do so simply click the search button in the lower left hand of the screen:

Then you will be taken to this screen:

If you are looking for a game between two specific players, simply click the advanced button:

Enter the information to look up the game you want. One way in which this came in handy was when I was reading an opening book and I was able to search for the games that were listed in the notes without having to be at my computer. Another nice feature with this app is that it comes with an analysis engine. To access the engine you tilt the phone so that the screen shows in landscape. You will then see the start button for the engine:

Click the Go button and the engine will start analyzing:

Of course, you can also click the Stop button when you are done using the engine. The app also provides the ability to email games. I have a few friends whom I regularly get together with to study and it is convenient to be able to send a quick email of a game or two that we will be looking at later. To email a game, first bring up the game:

Then click the icon all the way to the right at the bottom of the screen:

If you then select the email option, you can email the game:

Of course, you can also select the other options that will allow you to do things such as publish games to Facebook or bring up information about the players. I will leave you with one last feature that I found enjoyable. The menu has a hyperlink that will take you to ChessBase News on their website. Just click the link on the lower left hand corner of the screen:

Having spent the past month using this app on a daily basis, I almost forget what it was like before I had this tool at my disposal. I highly recommend this product. My assessment of this app:

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2013 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!



   



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An Interactive Coaching Session by Chris Wainscott

ChessBase Cafe

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Power Play 20: Test Your Attacking Chess by Daniel King, Fritz Trainer DVD, ChessBase, Video running time: 4 hours 40 min. $34.37 Test Your Attacking Chess is the twentieth installment in GM King's Power Play series, but it was a first for me. It was also the first time I experienced the new interactive training with video feedback feature of the Fritz Training DVDs. I had no idea what a treat was in store when I began watching. The one main feature that sets this apart from other materials I have trained with is that the viewer is asked to solve exercises using an interactive board.

The Panov-Botvinnik Attack: Move by Move by Lorin D'Costa

For example, a video clip shows the first several moves of a game, complete with explanations, and then at a certain point the viewer is asked what move they would make in a given position. You then play a move with your mouse on the GUI chessboard, and if your move is correct, the next clip plays explaining why the move is good. If the move is incorrect a text pop-up informs you of that fact; but if your move is an interesting alternative or particularly poor for a reason that might not be so obvious, another clip will play explaining why.

Rating Chart Awful –

The format of the DVD is very useful for this type of training because it consists of complete games rather than just tactical fragments. The intention is to show the viewer how to conduct an attacking game from start to finish rather than just focusing on how to solve a tactical situation.

The Nimzo-Larsen Attack:

Move by Move by Cyrus Lakdawala

The DVD is divided into ten segments, which naturally are the ten complete games:

Poor –

Uneven –

Good –

Great –

Excellent –

Kasparov – Begun Sadler – Hawkins Kjartansson – Fedorchuk Popovic – Cvetkovic Miladinovic – Kovacevic Svidler – Ivanchuk Kramnik – Fressinet Hector – Rapport Sanikidze – Ivanisevic Norwood – King There is also a bonus database of fifty attack test games, which GM King describes as follows: "In this database you will find the ten test games with annotations, and underneath each one I have selected some related games (but mainly without annotations). Sometimes you will find the same opening as the test game, but one of the players varies; sometimes you will find a similar theme, for example a pawn break or a piece manoeuvre; sometimes I show how the defender might have improved his play. If you study the test games well, it should be clear where the similarities lie. I hope that the supplementary games will deepen your understanding

Magnus Force (Ebook) by Colin Crouch

of the attacking concepts presented on this DVD."  The DVD runs as stand-alone software, though it does require the bundled

newest version of the CB 12 Reader, or ChessBase 12, or Fritz 13 (or higher). Other system requirements are as follows: Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Windows Vista, XP (Service Pack

3), DirectX9 graphic card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, and internet connection for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows 7 or Windows 8, DirectX10 graphic card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or better, 100% DirectX10 compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, and internet connection for program activation. One of the nice features of modern day living is that you can purchase a DVD and then download it instead of having to wait for it to arrive in the mail. So if you are sitting around one afternoon wondering what you should do, you have the option to purchase a DVD and watch it within just a few minutes rather than having to wait several days. Now, let's get on to the content of the DVD. In the introduction to Game One, GM King says, "Every chess player should have the ability to play a direct attack against their opponent's king or to sense when it's possible to play a direct attack." He then explains that the point of this DVD is to show players how to identify the key themes that run through all attacking games. He notes that after seeing those themes (i.e. lack of king safety, open lines, etc.) there will come a time when calculation is key. I found it interesting, especially considering that it was advice being given on a DVD, that GM King recommends the viewer set up the positions on a real board so that when it comes time to do the calculation exercises the viewer is under game or tournament conditions. Game One, between Garry Kasparov and Sergei Begun, dates from the

Sokolsky Memorial in 1978. (Yes, that Sokolsky; the one who popularized 1.b4.) At this point Kasparov was still a relative unknown, as this was prior to his first international tournament in Banja Luka 1979. (An interesting historical side note is that when Kasparov was sent to the grandmaster tournament in Banja Luka he had no Elo rating. He won the event, emerging with a rating of 2575.) After the first ten moves in a Semi-Tarrasch this position is reached:

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp2bppp/2n1p3/2p5/3PP3/

3B1N2/PP3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 11"]

It is at this point that the viewer is asked their first question: Can you find a way for White to seize the initiative? It was now my turn to make a move on the interactive board, so after

calculating for a bit I thought 11.d5 was a reasonable choice. After all, the pawn does not hang as after 11...exd5 12.exd5 Qxd5 Black's queen would be lost to 13.Bxh7+, so d5 looked like a good way to grab some space. However, 11.d5 was incorrect and a video pops up where GM King indicates that after 11...exd5 12.exd5 Nb4 13.Bc4 Bf5 White now has some serious issues to deal with, not to mention that Black's dark-squared bishop will simply go to d6 to stop the pawn.

The correct move is 11.dxc5, as after 11...Bxc5 12.e5 White now has the threat of playing 13.Qc2 with a double attack on the h7-pawn and the bishop on c5 so Black is forced to waste time by playing 12...Be7

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/pp2bppp/2n1p3/4P3/8/

3B1N2/PP3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 13"]

GM King points out that the pawn on e5 is a common attacking theme. It serves the dual purpose of opening the b1-h7 diagonal, and helps lock in the bishop on c8. Here the viewer is again asked to find the most logical continuation. The next moves were 13.Qe2 Nb4 14.Bb1 Bd7 and once again it is time for the viewer to find the continuation:

[FEN "r2q1rk1/pp1bbppp/4p3/4P3/1n6/

5N2/PP2QPPP/RBB2RK1 w - - 0 15"]

Here, 15.Qe4 looks logical as Black would be forced to play 15...g6, but after 16.Bh6 Black can play 16...Bc6, rather than the immediate 16...Re8, and after a move like 17.Qg4 comes 17...Re8 18.a3 and now Black has the zwischenzug 18...Bxf3 19.Qxf3 Nc6. Now, as pointed out by GM King, one of Black's main problems a few moves earlier, his light-squared bishop, is no longer an issue and Black is OK. Therefore, the correct move is 15.a3, driving the knight away prior to playing Qe4. The game continues in this question and answer format until Kasparov wins on move twenty-four after a withering attack. Another game I particularly enjoyed was Miladinovic – Kovacevic, Serbian Ch. Vrnjacka Banja 26.04.2013. (Talk about the inclusion of topical games!) One reason that I enjoyed this game is that Miladinovic is one of my favorite lesser-known GMs. I spent a bit of time last year studying the Taimanov Sicilian and he is a devoted adherent of that opening, so I became familiar with many of his games. Another reason that I enjoyed this game was that it was very interesting. After twenty-one moves in a rare line of the Trompowsky the following

position is reached:

[FEN "1r4k1/1bq2pbp/pp2p3/2rp1p2/P2N4/

1QP1P1P1/1P1R1P1P/R4BK1 w - - 0 22"]

Here, as GM King points out, White has no structural problems and his pieces are placed very harmoniously. It is at this point that the viewer is asked to find the smoothest way for White to continue. The move here is 22.Qd1, with the idea of being able to expand on the

queenside by freeing up the b-pawn to advance. In fact, after the next two moves in the game, 22...Bc8 23.Rc1, there is a threat shown by making the "nothing move" 23...Bf6 and then the attacking idea White has is brought to fruition via 24.b4 Rxc3 25.Rxc3 Qxc3 26.Rc2 Qxb4 27.Nc6 which is winning for White. Later, after several more tests of your attacking acumen, the following position is reached upon Black's forty-first move:

[FEN "5q1k/1br3b1/pp2R2p/5p2/P4P1Q/

2pBP2P/1P5K/6R1 w - - 0 42"]

Here White is gathering for the final attack and now it remains only to figure out how to best bring home the point. I will not spoil this one for you, but will leave you to find the solution on your own. Having worked with this DVD, I find myself eager to explore more of these interactive Fritz Trainers. Rather than a static product, like most books, articles, and DVDs, this is a very dynamic tool that will help most aspiring players on their journey towards improvement. This DVD comes as close to emulating a lesson from a GM as anything I have seen, and will be particularly useful for those rated between 1400 and 2000. In addition the production value is on par with what you would expect from ChessBase. I give this a very enthusiastic five out of six stars. My assessment of this DVD:

The DVD is available for purchase in the ChessBase store

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is

available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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We are still ironing out some wrinkles in the website redesign. In the meantime enjoy this month's ChessBase Cafe. Please support this column with a purchase from our chess shop.

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Tutorial: UCI Engines in Fritz 13 by Mark Donlan Note the directions here will also be applicable to the ChessBase

database program, any of the Fritz-family of playing programs, and

playing or database programs from other developers, though individual

commands may differ.

Houdini 2 UCI Pro by ChessOK

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Fritz 13 was designed as a multi-engine program. This means that the chess playing part of the program (i.e. the chess engine) is separate from, and independent of, the graphical user interface (GUI). This allows the GUI to support multiple engines; these can even run at the same time to, say, stage engine matches or engine tournaments. There are now many strong and freely available Universal Chess Interface (UCI) engines. A selection of these can be found in the Chess Engines and Resources section of the ChessCafe.com Links page. A few of these programs and engines even run on a Mac. We also link to sites that rank the strength of the various engines.

Rybka 4 UCI by ChessOK

Rating Chart Awful –

Poor –

Uneven –

Good –

Great –

Houdini 2 UCI Standard by ChessOK

Excellent –

UCI is an open communication standard that enables a chess engine to

communicate with a user interface. The UCI protocol was developed in 2000 by Rudolf Huber and Stefan Meyer-Kahlen. Meyer-Kahlen is the publisher of the Shredder chess engine. UCI makes it possible to plug any UCI chess engine into any UCI capable GUI, such as Fritz 13, ChessBase, etc. The benefits of the UCI protocol include the following: The engine can be run under a tested interface that allows developers to focus on improving the strength of the engine.

The engine runs at full performance and strength without the need of

special adapters. The engine can be installed without the need for any complicated

configuration. The UCI protocol can be used without any license fees, for private and for commercial purposes. Installing a UCI engine First, you have to download a UCI engine to your computer. It can be saved to any folder on your system, though you could create a separate folder on your system, say, Users\Documents\Engines, and then have individual sub-folders for each UCI. The engines are usually packaged in a zip file and need to be accessed using an unzip utility. Windows often does this automatically; otherwise, you may need an unzip utility.

Click on the file you saved to your computer and unzip or extract the engine to the folder you created. Then launch Fritz to install the engine. This is done as follows: Select "Create UCI engine" in the Engine menu. Use "Browse" to navigate to the location where you saved the UCI

engine on your computer. The author and engine name automatically fill in. Simply click "OK" to install the engine, and it will then be displayed in the engine list. The engine can be changed via Menu Tools - Engine. Modifying Engines Most users can just use an engine with the standard settings. Nevertheless, many UCI engines allow you to modify the search and evaluation parameters that influence the playing style of the engine. For advanced users, once an engine is installed its parameters can be modified, and the modified engine can be saved under a different name. However, the original engine name must be part of the new name. So if you installed Stockfish, and tweaked the parameters, you would have to name it, say, "Stockfish Altered." You could not name it "My Engine."

Anytime you change the default parameters of an engine, the engine name must be changed, though the name of the engine author cannot be removed. Note that modifying and storing an engine with a different name does not create a new copy of the engine. It simply stores the modified parameters under the new name and applies them when the engine is started.

To change the parameters click on the Parameters button in the Create UCI engine dialog. Each UCI engine will then display the parameters that can be changed, and these can vary for different engines. If you make any change, the input fields for "Name" and "Author" become active. After clicking "OK" the new engine is registered and will appear in the engine list, together with any other UCI and bundled chess engines. You can also install different logos for different UCI engines, which are then displayed in engine matches. Set UCI Priority In Fritz 13 there is a parameter to determine the priority of a UCI engine. This has to do with the distribution of the processor time. The communication between the user interface and the chess engine is carried out by a separate program: the Engine Interface. The Engine Interface runs with low priority to give the chess engine the maximum amount of resources. However, some UCI engines have problems with the default setting, because they use too much of the system resources and the Engine Interface cannot receive the evaluation results and similar data.

The setting "Below normal" solves display problems that can arise when certain UCI engines are used. Even when the lower priority is set, a UCI engine receives all the processor speed it needs. The setting does not adversely affect the performance of a UCI engine. This can be tested by analyzing the same position with both settings. There should be no change in the engine's speed, it only makes the usage smoother. For the Fritz-family of engines, the priority does not need to be lowered, because ChessBase engines are linked as dynamic link libraries to the user interface. This means that they are internal processes. So no external protocol is necessary, and no priority must be set. Hash Tables Hash tables are memory areas in which the program can store positions and evaluations while it is calculating the moves of a game. If the program encounters the same position again, it can simply take the evaluation from the hash tables, rather than analyzing the position all over again.

Hash tables increase the playing strength of the program considerably. This is especially true of tactically strong engines such as Fritz. Some run beyond 500,000 positions per second, and will fill the hash tables very quickly. After that, the search slows down. This is not the case in a slower, positionally oriented program, which processes fewer positions per second, and takes much longer to fill the hash tables. For slower time controls and deep analysis, the engines need large hash tables. Tournament games with an average of three minutes per move ideally require over 256 MB for the hash tables. On blitz levels 16 to 64 MB is sufficient. If you set a very large hash table, Windows has to free the memory the first time you activate the engine. This process can be slow and during this time the hard disk will run constantly. If there is constant disk activity during the game, then the hash table setting is too large. If there is no disk activity at all when you first start an engine, this could mean that the hash table size is too low. In which case you may want to increase the size to achieve optimum playing strength.

Elements of this article were adapted from the Fritz 13 user manual.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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We are still ironing out some wrinkles in the website redesign. In the meantime enjoy this month's ChessBase Cafe. Please support this column with a purchase from our chess shop.

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Tutorial: Creating a Personal Tournament Book by Mark Donlan The Internet may have deterred chess publishers from producing tournament books devoted to the top events, but that should not stop you from creating your own book for private use. This month we will look at how to create a personal tournament book from the web in ChessBase 12.

Mannheim 1914 and

the Interned Russians by Anthony Gillam

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Let's use the No Logo Norway 2014 tournament as an example. The

participants were as follows: GM Simen Agdestein GM Levon Aronian GM Magnus Carlsen GM Fabiano Caruana GM Anish Giri GM Alexander Grischuk GM Sergey Karjakin GM Vladimir Kramnik GM Peter Svidler GM Veselin Topalov Rating Chart Awful –

Poor –

Uneven –

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Excellent –

Grandmaster Repertoire:

1.e4, Volume One by Parimarjan Negi

First, you might wish to create a folder for the tournament on your computer. Open Windows Explorer, go to My Documents-ChessBase-Bases, right click in the window, choose New-Folder, and type in the name. Then visit the official tournament site, navigate to the download page, and download all the PGN files for the games and save them to the folder you created. Next open ChessBase 12 and create a new database (Ctrl-X). You can save it in the same No Logo folder you just created. Let's call it NoLogo.cbh. With the database created, right click on the database icon and choose properties. Here you can set the type of database if you so wish, though it is not absolutely necessary.

Grandmaster Repertoire 18:

The Sicilian Sveshnikov by Vassilios Kotronias

Here we chose the icon for Top Chess, but you can choose any that you prefer. It would be nice if there were an option for "Historical" content, but that is beside the point. Now with the NoLogo database created, copy all the PGN games into it from rounds one through nine. Use the open database command (Ctrl-O), navigate to the No Logo folder, select all the PGN databases, and press OK.

Left click once on the PGN database icon for round one, hold the mouse button down, and drag the icon until it hovers over the ChessBase No Logo database icon. Release the mouse button and it will copy all the games into the ChessBase database. Do this for all nine rounds, and the blitz tournament as well if you wish to include those games. You can copy them all at once using shift-click on each icon and dragging the entire group over, but going round by round assures the proper order in the database. Once you have finished there will be ninety games in the No Logo database. Now you can shift-click on all the PGN databases, right click on the mouse, and choose Delete Physically to move these files into the trash bin since they are no longer necessary.

Double-click on the No Logo database to open it, and click the Players tab. Here you can check the formatting of the names of the participants. To edit any name, click on it and press f2. The same can be done with the Tournaments tab and Sources. Now you have a database of games, but you still want to make a personal tournament book. Go to the official tournament website, and click on Round Reports. Open the link for Round 1 and then save the web page to your No Logo folder on your computer by using the File-Save As command. Do this for each of the nine rounds and even the brief report of the blitz event if you like.

With the web files saved to your computer, you now want to import them as Text files into your No Logo database. From the database window choose File-New-Text In Database (Ctrl-Alt-N). This launches the database text editor with a new database text. You can also load an existing text and edit it.

Once the text editor opens, choose File-Open-Import Text. Navigate to the No Logo folder, click on the html file for round one, and click open. This will load the entire web page, including photos, that you saved to your computer into the database text editor. Any links within the web page will still work from the database text window, which acts like a web browser. You can delete any of the elements you do not wish to save. If you make a mistake while editing the page, use the undo command (Ctrl-Z) to undo the last function. Another useful feature for future ChessBase versions would be the ability to import text from PDF files.

When you have formatted the database text page to your liking, choose FileSave (Ctrl-S) and then enter a name and author for the page. You can also

enter information for the round, country, city, type of tournament, etc.

Now exit the database text window and return to the No Logo database

window. At the bottom of the games list, you will see the listing for the Text file you just created. Click on it once and drag the listing to the top of the database screen so that it is above the list for the first game. Click on the Games tab and then choose Fix Sort Order. This will then place the text file for round one at the top of the database list.

Do this for each of the nine rounds of the event. Once you have saved a Text file you can still edit it later as well. In the database text editor, enter Editor Mode (Ctrl-W) to make changes. Note that you do not have to add and move each text file one by one for each nine rounds, you can add all nine text files and then move them to their proper positions, or not, and use the Fix Sort Order command just once. If you edit the text file after you have first saved it, use the Replace command (Ctrl-R) to save the edited version. The ChessBase Text File editor conforms to most of the normal Windows

conventions with regard to typing and editing. The keyboard functions are similar to those of Windows Notepad. In a database text you can embed pictures, sound files, and even videos. They can only be linked into the database text after you have saved it. This means that you could convert YouTube videos with a program such as Freemake Video Converter and embed the videos into the ChessBase text file. However, there is a bit of a glitch when opening text files. They can appear completely blank at first. If this happens, attempt to scroll the page and the content usually then appears. Soon you will have a database list of text files for each round followed by the games from each round:

To ensure that your database is being created without any errors you can run an integrity check either as you build it or once it is complete. Just right click on the database icon:

Hover over the tools menu:

And click the Check Integrity command. This is also the process for creating an archived back up of your database via the Backup Database (Ctrl-Z) command.

If you subscribe to Chess Today, or the Chess Evolution Newsletter, or have purchased the Chess Insider: Norway Chess 2014 bundle, you can copy these games into your database and use the Sort Order feature to place the games as you see fit. Now you will have reports and game analysis from a wide variety of annotators.

Of course you can use the many analysis functions of ChessBase or one of the Fritz-family of programs to annotate the games, including using multiple engines. Here is another tip as well: if you find a website with analysis of the games within a PGN viewer, even if there is not a download PGN option, you can often save the PGN file to your computer anyway by right clicking on the web page, choosing View Source, and locating the PGN game within the source code. Copy it, paste it into Notepad, and save it as a PGN file to your computer. Now you can open it in ChessBase, just as with any PGN database file.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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We are still ironing out some wrinkles in the website redesign. In the meantime enjoy this month's ChessBase Cafe. Please support this column with a purchase from our chess shop.

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Tutorial: Building an Opening Repertoire by Mark Donlan This month we will look at using ChessBase 12, or any similar database program to some extent, to build an opening repertoire. Players will sometimes lament, usually after a loss, that they do not have any good openings. Yet it is rarely the opening that is at fault. It is usually a tactic on which the game turns. With regard to the opening these players seldom study it in a formulaic way, and often do not play long enough time controls in which to expect perfection in any phase of the game.

Bent Larsen's Best Games by Bent Larsen

First let's consider some maxims from chess authors to define our parameters: "The importance of opening theory is grossly overestimated." - Herman

Grooten, Chess Strategy for Club Players "All openings are sound below master level." - William Lombardy "Your only task in the opening is to reach a playable middlegame." Lajos Portisch

Rating Chart Awful –

Poor –

Uneven –

Good –

Great –

Excellent –

This last locution from Portisch seems especially apropos today. Small moves, such as e3 and g3, are prevalent and the era of big chess appears to be over thanks to the dominance of computer engines in opening preparation. The goal nowadays seems to be to get your variation on the board before your opponent does, often through the use of offbeat lines and quiet systems. As noted by Viswanathan Anand, perhaps somewhat humorously, "It is always advisable to avoid openings that cover more than four pages in an Informant!" However, even today you can find a good amount of theory on the most obscure of openings. We can also consider Bent Larsen's admission that "I do not deliberately play openings that are obviously bad. I emphasize the surprise element, and in some cases this makes me play a variation without being convinced that it is correct." So first you have to choose a line, and there are many ways to go about it. One is to find a player whose style you would like to emulate and model your repertoire based on their preferences. For instance, if you like open positions, you might see what Morphy played against the French, and you might be surprised it was often the French Exchange Variation. You could start by compiling his games into a database and then adding some modern examples from contemporary play. Another method is to follow the recommendations of authors such as Gary Lane or Abby Marshall and others. Marshall in particular often recommends interesting lines that do not have a large body of theory. For example, in her

August 2014 ChessCafe.com column, she recommended c3 against the e6Sicilian with the line 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.e5. If Black now plays 4...Nc6 the game has transposed to an Advanced French; while she examines 4...d4 in her column, with 5.Bd3 to follow.

Garry Kasparov

Part III 1993-2005 by Garry Kasparov

Play Unconventional

Chess and Win by Noam A. Manella

& Zeev Zohar

[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pp3ppp/4p3/2p1P3/3p4/

2PB1N2/PP1P1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 0 5"]

If this sparks your interest, then this is all you need to get started. Open a new game board (ctrl-N), enter the moves of the variation, and then click the reference tab in the board window:

A search through MegaBase finds almost 300 games; while a search in a The Week In Chess compilation database finds 114:

To search a database that is not your main reference base, click the drop-down menu in the ribbon:

You can also use this search result to see which players have used this opening:

If you want to copy some of these games into a new database devoted to this one opening, you create the database with ctrl-x, name it, highlight the games

you want to copy (shift-click), right click the mouse, and choose edit-copy. Then tab over to the new database and choose edit-paste. You now have the beginning of a repertoire database on this one line. (A shortcut to all this is to download the ebook of the column.) To mark the database as a repertoire database right-click the icon in the database window, select properties, and in the dialog that appears click the "Repertoire database" check box:

If you are replaying a game from any database, you can add it to your

repertoire by right clicking anywhere in the board window and selecting Add to repertoire. If no repertoire database has yet been defined, the program will offer to create a new repertoire database. Now that you have compiled a database of games, play through them several times or more to learn the themes and structures that can arise. As noted by Alexander Kotov, "The main task when studying an opening is to understand the strategic essence of certain basic positions, which determine the scheme of variations." And Tigran Petrosian weighed in as follows: "To study opening variations without reference to the strategic concepts that develop from them in the middlegame is, in effect, to separate the head from the body." Once you feel comfortable with the setup, try to implement the line in your own practice. As you play games in the variation, be sure to enter them into your repertoire database for future study. Before you go to a club, tournament, or online session, review a few key games or positions to refresh your memory in each of the lines you expect to encounter. Do not worry too much about remembering the specific move orders. If you get the position after Black's fourth move on the board and realize you already forgot White's fifth, that's OK. As Soltis remarks in Studying Chess Made Easy, the method of learning the openings is too remember as much as you can up to a certain point, and then use that position as your next memory marker. In that way you slowly build your knowledge deeper into the middlegame and your understanding of the system grows as a result. Once you enter your games in the database use a chess engine to evaluate the moves and catch any errors for you and your opponent, just remember to let the engines run long enough for a proper evaluation and to use different engines on the same position to see the various results. In this way, you can begin to learn the traps in the opening and when conditions are right for taking advantage of an opponent's misstep. You can also copy the engines evaluation into the game notes. You could even run engine vs. engine matches if you wish. When using a repertoire database it is easy to search for games that match your interest. Simply launch the search mask (ctrl-F) and click In repertoire. This will retrieve all the games in a database relevant to your repertoire. You can also click a directory with many databases, or even an entire partition of your hard drive, and use the search mask to find all repertoire games there. The repertoire scan is another function that easily let's you discover what's new in your opening systems. Say you just downloaded the latest TWIC database: click File-New-Repertoire scan. ChessBase will then generate a report of all games that are important to your repertoire. The report is a database text with

separate sections for each of the repertoire lines. The games are given as links and can be clicked for instant load and replay, sorted by player Elo and degree

of annotation. You can also print out an ECO-style repertoire table. If you have a deeply annotated game, or if you have merged a number of games from one variation into a large variation tree, then use the command File-Print-Repertoire. In the print preview you can see what your page will look like prior to printing. The last component of building a repertoire is to buy a specialty book or ebook devoted to the opening. Do this at the point when you begin to feel so comfortable with the opening that you start to wonder about the expert theoretical assessments. In this way you will learn the critical variations on which the entire complex hinges, and you can prepare for the day when, if ever, you face those lines. You may even find yourself playing the opening from the opposite side just to reach those positions to try them out. The more work you put into building your repertoire, the more confident you will feel with it, and the more your results will improve. Soon your opponent's will be avoiding certain openings altogether, rather then test your knowledge against them.

A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessCafe.com All Rights Reserved. Comment on this month's column via our official Chess Blog!

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A Wonderful Multimedia Product by Davide Nastasio Master Class Vol. 2: Mihail Tal, ChessBase DVD, Running Time 4 hours, 13 min., $39.95 (ChessCafe Price $29.95) This review is about a wonderful new multimedia product. When it comes to chess improvement methods, we often only consider learning from books, and maybe they are best. Yet thanks to the integration of computer, video, audio, and software, we can have chess material that engages all our senses, which broadens our ways to learn. The Master Class series of DVDs starts with Robert James Fischer, rightly the greatest world champion of all, continues with Tal, and now there is already a third installment on Alekhine. I bought the DVD on Tal, because curiosity took advantage of me! While I love Fischer, I consider him above and beyond my level at the moment. Tal is too, but in this case I wondered how correct his tactics and combinations were. I refer to a quote attributed to Botvinnik on page 232 in Chess Explorations, by Edward Winter, "If Tal sacrifices a piece - take it, if I do, check the variations, and if it is Petrosian - decline the sacrifice." Hence, the interest in this product, which promises many games full of tactics. The material on the DVD is divided as follows: Openings, three video clips by GM Rogozenco:

In the first video Rogozenco explains that Tal was mainly a 1.e4 player, and had a preference for open games, but like every world champion, he could also be universal, and utilize 1.c4 or 1.Nf3. While with black he would mostly answer

1.e4 with the Sicilian. The second video comments on Tal's opening preparation for his matches with Botvinnik. The third video shows how Tal enormously improved his opening repertoire in his later years thanks to his cooperation with Karpov. Strategy, five video clips by GM Mihail Marin:

In the first clip Marin shows Tal at his best, and describes how other players saw him in the 1960s. In the second clip Marin presents a thorough analysis of the eleventh game of the Botvinnik - Tal 1960 Match. In the third video Marin demonstrates that Tal could be a strategic player, and extensively comments the game Tal – Timman to prove the point. The fourth and fifth videos are a recollection of Marin's meeting with Tal, and how Tal was really brilliant, showing some games, and some of the thought process behind Tal's moves. Tactics, twenty video clips by IM Oliver Reeh:

Oliver Reeh produces the Tactics section of ChessBase Magazine, which is another interesting product. Here he shows the critical point of twenty games played by Tal, where his creative efforts lead to brilliant combinations. Endgames, twelve video clips by GM Müller:

Müller is a leading authority on the endgame, famous for his books, ChessCafe.com columns, and his ChessBase videos. He presents six videos called Magic Moments, followed by three videos on rook endings, and the last three are

famous Tal's endgames. The DVD contains all games by Tal (around 2,900), many of them annotated (about 350 in Informator style), plus tournament tables. There is also a short biography of Tal. The last section offers 245 games with training questions.

Let's now say few words about Tal. He was born in 1936, just a few years before the beginning of one of the bloodiest wars in human history. At the age of seven his father taught him to play chess. His first great tournament was the 23rd USSR Championship, which was held in 1956 where he reached 6th place (that tournament was won by Spassky!). Then, just one year later, in the 24th USSR Championship held in 1957, he wins first place followed by such illustrious

names as Keres, Bronstein, Spassky, Kortchnoi, and Petrosian. In 1958 he won the Interzonal held in Portoroz and this gives him access to the Candidates Tournament in 1959, where Fischer also played.

Notice that Tal is at the top of his form, for in that time he played four games against Fischer, winning all four. Tal’s career reaches the apogee in 1960 when he wins the World Championship against Botvinnik in a very exciting match.

Unfortunately chess is a very hard sport and in 1961 Tal loses the world championship, partly also for health problems, as he had to undergo surgery many times for his kidneys. This then becomes a trademark of his career, for when we

reach 1979 Tal wins against Karpov in a super-tournament in Montreal; however, without good health it is impossible to remain at the top. In 1988, at the age of 51, Tal won the Second World Blitz Championship. His last great performance was beating Kasparov in a blitz tournament in Moscow in May 1992, just one month before he died.

The 245 games with training questions alone make this DVD worthwhile. But just quickly playing through the more than 300 annotated games can be an exciting experience. Tal created many masterpieces during his lifetime, and it is our duty as dedicated chess players to become familiar with them. Last, but not least, here are a few brilliant games played by Tal against world class players. Mikhail Tal - Anatoly Karpov

Blitz (Belgium) (5), 1987 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nxd5 6.Nf3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 g6 8.d4 Bg7 9.Bd3 O-O 10.O-O Nc6 11.Re1 Re8 12.Bg5 Be6 13.Rxe6 fxe6 14.Bc4 Qd6 15.Qe2 Nd8 16.Re1 Rc8 17.Nd2 Kh8 18.Ne4 Qc7 19.Bb3 e5 20.h4 exd4 21.h5 gxh5 22.Qxh5 Rf8 23.Bc2 Qe5 24.Ng3 Qxe1+ 25.Kh2 h6 26.Bxh6 Kg8 27.Bxg7 Rxf2 28.Qh7+ Kf7 29.Qg6+

Kg8 30.Bh6+ 1-0 Mikhail Tal - Vasily Smyslov

Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (8), 9/18/1959 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 e5 4.Ngf3 Nd7 5.d4 dxe4 6.Nxe4 exd4 7.Qxd4 Ngf6 8.Bg5 Be7 9.O-O-O O-O 10.Nd6 Qa5

11.Bc4 b5 12.Bd2 Qa6 13.Nf5 Bd8 14.Qh4 bxc4 15.Qg5 Nh5 16.Nh6+ Kh8 17.Qxh5 Qxa2 18.Bc3 Nf6 19.Qxf7 Qa1+ 20.Kd2 Rxf7 21.Nxf7+ Kg8 22.Rxa1 Kxf7 23.Ne5+ Ke6 24.Nxc6 Ne4+ 25.Ke3 Bb6+ 26.Bd4 1-0 Mikhail Tal - Bent Larsen

Reykjavik, 1957 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Bd7 8.Qf3 Nc6 9.O-O-O Nxd4 10.Rxd4 Bc6 11.Be2 Be7 12.Rhd1 Qa5 13.Qe3 h6 14.Bh4 e5 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.R4d3 O-O 17.Kb1 Rfd8 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Nd5 Bg5 20.Qf3 Rac8 21.b4 Qa4 22.Ra3 Rxd5 23.exd5 e4 24.Qc3 Bf6 25.Rxa4 1-0 Mikhail Tal - Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian

USSR Championship (13), 2/8/1957 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Nf5 8.Bd3 h5 9.Qh3 cxd4 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.g4 Nfe7 12.gxh5 Qc7 13.Bf4 Ng6 14.Qg4 Nxf4 15.Qxf4 dxc3 16.Qg5 Qe7 17.Qxg7 Qf8 18.Qg5 Qh6 19.Rg1 Qxg5 20.Rxg5 Bd7 21.Ke2 Ke7 22.Ke3 Raf8 23.Rag1 Be8 24.Nd4 f5 25.Nxc6+ Bxc6 26.Kd4 f4 27.Rg7+ Rf7 28.Rg8 Rxg8 29.Rxg8 Rf8 30.Rxf8 Kxf8 31.h6 b6 32.Kxc3 Kg8 33.Bg6 a5 34.Kd4 Kf8 35.c3 Kg8 36.h7+ Kg7 37.Bf7 Bd7 38.Bg8 Bc8 39.Kd3 Bd7 40.Ke2 Kh8 41.Kf3 b5 42.Kxf4 d4 43.cxd4 b4 44.axb4 a4 45.d5 a3 46.dxe6 a2 47.exd7 a1=Q 48.d8=Q Qc1+ 49.Kf5 Qb1+ 50.Ke6 Qg6+ 51.Kd7 1-0 Yuri Averbakh - Mikhail Tal

USSR Championship, 1958 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.Nf3 O-O 9.O-O Re8 10.Qc2 Na6 11.Bf4 Nb4 12.Qb1 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Bf5 14.Nfd2 Nxd5 15.Bxd6 Nf6 16.Bf3 Nxe4 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Bxe4 Qxd6 19.Qc2 Re7 20.Bf3 Rae8 21.Rad1 Bd4 22.a4 b6 23.b3 Re5 24.Rd2 5 25.Re2 Rxe2 26.Bxe2 h4 27.Kh1 Qf4 28.g3 Qf6 29.Qd1 Rd8 30.Bg4 Bxf2 31.Qe2 Rd2 32.Qe8+ Kg7 33.gxh4 Qd4 34.Bh3 Qd3 35.Bg2 Rd1 0-1 Pal Benko - Mikhail Tal

Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (21), 10/13/1959 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.f3 Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.Qd2 Qc7 11.g4 Nc6

12.Nxc6 Qxc6 13.g5 Nd7 14.Nd5 Bd8 15.a4 Ne5 16.O-O bxa4 17.Nb4 Qb7 18.Rxa4 Bd7 19.Ra3 Be7 20.Qd4 Rfc8 21.Bd2 Bb5 22.Rf2 a5 23.Nd3 Nc4 24.Bxc4 Rxc4 25.Qe3 Rxc2 26.Bc3 Rxf2 27.Nxf2 Qc7 28.Ra1 Qc4 29.h4 a4 30.Kg2 Rc8 31.Qa7 Bf8 32.Re1 Qb3 33.Qb7 Bf1+ 0-1 Mikhail Tal - Mikhail Botvinnik

Russia (11), 4/6/1960

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.O-O O-O 5.c4 c6 6.b3 Ne4 7.d4 d5 8.Bb2 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nxd2 10.Qxd2 Na6 11.Rac1 Qd6 12.Ne5 Rfd8 13.Rfd1 Rac8 14.Qa5 dxc4 15.Nxc4 Qc7 16.Qe1 Qb8 17.e4 Bxc4 18.Rxc4 Nc7 19.Bh3 e6 20.Bc1 Qa8 21.Bg5 Re8 22.Qd2 f5 23.Bh6 Bxh6 24.Qxh6 Re7 25.Re1 Rf8 26.Rc5 Qd8 27.Re5 Rg7 28.Qd2 Qd6 29.Bf1 Rd7 30.exf5 Rxf5 31.R5e4 Rf6 32.h4 Kg7 33.h5 gxh5 34.Rh4 Kg8 35.Bd3 Rg7 36.Re5 Rff7 37.Qh6 Qe7 38.Rexh5 Nd5 39.Qd2 Nf6 40.Rh6 Qd6 41.Rf4 Qf8 42.Qe3 Nd5 43.Rxf7 Qxf7 44.Qe5 Nc7 45.Qc5 Qf3 46.Bxh7+ Rxh7 47.Qg5+ Kh8 48.Qd8+ Kg7 49.Rxh7+ Kxh7 50.Qxc7+ Kg6 51.Qxb7 Qe4 52.Qa6 Qb1+ 53.Kg2 Qe4+ 54.Kf1 Qb1+ 55.Ke2 Qc2+ 56.Kf3 Qf5+ 57.Ke3 Qg5+ 58.Ke2 Qh5+ 59.Kd2 Kf6 60.Qxc6 Qa5+ 61.Qc3 Qxa2+ 62.Ke3 Kf7 63.d5 exd5 64.Qc7+ Ke6 65.Qc6+ Ke7 66.Qxd5 Qa1 67.Qe4+ Kf7 68.Kf4 Qc1+ 69.Kg4 Qa1 70.Qd5+ Kf8 71.Kf5 Qb1+ 72.Kf6 1-0 A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.

An Alternative Tool to Learn the Opening by Davide Nastasio ABC of the English Opening, by Lorin D'Costa, ChessBase, Video running time: 7 hours As an amateur who competes in many tournaments throughout the year, I am interested in learning about openings and the ideas behind them. Unfortunately, as an adult with limited time, I cannot really read chess books in any great depth. The magnus opus of the English Opening was written by GM Marin for Quality Chess, a beautiful set of three books in the Grandmaster Repertoire series, with a total of 1,187 pages! If I only had the time to read it. So as an alternative tool for learning the openings, I find the Fritz Trainer DVDs enormously beneficial. On this DVD English International Master Lorin D'Costa presents a complete repertoire for White. D'Costa is a full time coach who has written some great chess books, and created a number of other Chessbase DVDs. The content is divided as follows: 1.c4 e5 - 14 videos 1.c4 c5 Symmetrical English - 7 videos 1.c4 setups against Slav, Kings Indian, Grunfeld, 1...b6 and other minor lines - 13 videos Test Positions: 11 videos A database of 58 essential games, with many different annotators. Every year I try to rotate my openings, and the English is the next one on my list. I find it to be an exciting opening, because it can give rise to complex games with a reversed Sicilian setup, or with a symmetrical double fianchetto

bishops as in the game below: Ulf Andersson - Karl Robatsch

Munich (Germany), 1979 English Opening [A15] 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.0-0 g6 6.b3 Bg7 7.Bb2 0-0 8.Nc3 d5 9.Nxd5 Nxd5 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.cxd5 Qxd5 12.d4 cxd4 13.Qxd4+ Qxd4 14.Nxd4 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 a6 16.Rac1 Ra7 17.Rc2 Rd8 18.e3 e5 19.Nf3 f6 20.g4 Rd6 21.Rfc1 Nd7 22.Rc6 Rxc6 23.Rxc6 Kf7 24.Nd2 Ke7 25.Ne4 Rb7 26.b4 Rb8 27.Nc3 f5 28.Nd5+ Kf7 29.Kg3 h5 30.gxf5 gxf5 31.Rd6 Rb7 32.Kh4 Kg7 33.Kxh5 1-0 This particular game is not on the DVD; I came across it in the book Grandmaster Chess Strategy. But it stands out as a model game and can be found with select notes in the ChessCafe.com book review. No extra software is necessary to view the DVD as it comes bundled with the CB12 Reader; however, the advantage of using the ChessBase 12 program for watching the games in the database is evident. One can easily click the reference tab to see how many games were played with that line, and which other moves the different GMs tried. Its been said that in order to understand an opening, a player needs to find at least six to ten other games in that variation in order to see the main ideas and traps. And thanks to the integration with ChessBase 12, I can do it with just one click. As to the games on the DVD, D'Costa’s explanations are amazing and his choice of games spot on for highlighting the ideas behind them! I am very pleased with this product and grateful to this young IM for creating such a wonderful

product. D'Costa notes that one should study classical games because they contain important ideas. Yet, I would like to add that having the right teacher is immensely helpful. D'Costa also knows when to stop commenting. In the first game he stopped around move twenty-four, and advised the student to watch the rest on his own to discover more of the tactical ideas. Here is that game, which is remarkable for the ease in which Nakamura wins, and, of course, D'Costa’s mastery of

explaining the main points and clarifying commentary is uncanny. Nakamura,Hikaru (2759) - Navara,David (2712) Tata Steel-A 74th Wijk aan Zee (5), 19.01.2012

English Opening [A22] 1.c4 e5 2.g3 D'Costa explains that the repertoire he gives on the DVD is based on the idea of delaying the development of the Nc3, while playing g3. He also adds that we are going to play Nc3 at some point, but in this way a lot of theory is avoided.

This is the reason why he recommends 2.g3. In my opinion this is a particularly good choice that every amateur should keep in mind. 2...Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 D'Costa reminds us that the English is all about e4 and d5. So we must keep it in mind when fighting for the center. 4.cxd5 Here D'Costa says there is a general rule when one should always exchange a pawn in the center. However, to me it makes sense to exchange a wing pawn for a central pawn since this is a kind of reversed Sicilian. 4...Nxd5 5.Nc3 This move applies pressure to d5, and now the reader should pause for a moment, and think what they would do as Black. The correct move could come as a shock. 5...Nb6

[FEN “rnbqkb1r/ppp2ppp/1n6/4p3/8/2N3P1/PP1PPPBP/R1BQK1NR w KQkq - 0 6”] Here D'Costa explains why it is important for Black to play Nb6. The main idea is that if Black played Nf6, that would block Black's development and coordination. Black can also play f7-f5, but it could not be played if the knight on f6. While on b6 the knight is placed well if Black wants to create a Maroczy bind pawn structure. 5...Nxc3 6.bxc3 D'Costa points out that Black does not want this exchange, because afterward White would have an open b-file and pressure on b7, thanks to the Bg2. 6.e3 D'Costa goes for this move because it is becoming popular between GMs and is more offbeat than the main lines. He

explains that this move looks weakening because Black can aim at d3 with his pieces. However, White's plan is to play

Nge2 and d2-d4. 6.Nf3 This is the main line, but D'Costa prefers to use a slightly offbeat approach to this opening. 6...Nc6 7.0-0. 6...c5 Here Black is setting the Maroczy Bind pawn structure, with the idea to control d4. 7.Nge2 Nc6 8.0-0 Be7 9.f4 D'Costa points out the problem that all the white pawns are on dark squares, and he explains how to develop the Bc1, via b2-b3, and Bb2 to attack e5 and g7, or on a3 to attack c5. 9...exf4 10.Nxf4 D'Costa shows that this pseudo-outpost is good for White, if Black tries to dislodge the knight with g7-g5. In that case White can play Nd5 or even Nh5! 10...0-0 11.b3 Now White can have harmonious development. Continuing with Bb2, Rf2, and eventually doubling on the f-file. White has so many choices, since the c-file can also give rise to an attack on the c5-pawn. Let's also consider Black's

development. The Bc8 does not have a good square, because if Black plays Bf5, then it is exposed to a g4 advance, or even to a possible e4 attack. Let's not forget that if White moves the Nf4, a bishop on f5 would be attacked by the Rf1. 11...Bf5 12.Bb2 Qd7 13.Ne4!

[FEN “r4rk1/pp1qbppp/1nn5/2p2b2/4NN2/1P2P1P1/PB1P2BP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 13”] Nakamura plays this good move, which has a lot of ideas behind it. It opens the b2-g7 diagonal, and puts pressure on the enemy king, since White can continue with Nh5 attacking g7, and the Bf5. And at the same time attacks the c5-pawn. 13...Rad8 Now Black is threatening the d2-pawn, once the Ne4 defender is removed, and here we see Nakamura finding a defending/attacking move. 14.Rf2 Nb4 15.Qf1!

[FEN “3r1rk1/pp1qbppp/1n6/2p2b2/1n2NN2/1P2P1P1/PB1P1RBP/R4QK1 b - - 0 15”] Nakamura continues to find really good moves. Now the threat is Nh5, with an attack on the Bf5, and f-file. 15...Bxe4 16.Bxe4 And now both the bishops are menacingly pointing at Black's king! Notice the difference with Black's position. White's pieces are active and pointing toward the enemy stronghold, while Black's pieces are unfocused. They lack of

coordination and a plan. The point here is that D'Costa does an amazing job in showing us the critical points of the game, and to focus our attention on them. 16...N6d5 Here Black tries to exchange a passive knight, for the Nf4, which will join the attack and put even more pressure on the enemy castle upon going to h5. 17.Nh5 Now D'Costa, as a great coach, asks: "how does Black deal with the g7-pawn?" This prompts the student to stop at this critical position and consider all possible replies by Black in order to better understand the position. The difference with a diagram in a book is that watching the video and hearing D'Costa’s tone of voice makes it clear right away that one must stop to think, and then, of course, one can resume following his crystal clear explanations! 17...g6 This opens the diagonal for the Bb2. 17...f6 D'Costa explains that this move would open the position for the Be4 to better attack h7. 18.Qb1 g6 19.Bxg6 hxg6 20.Qxg6+ 18.a3 Na6 This is another critical moment in the game, where a player trying to learn should stop and think for a few minutes to find the best continuation for White. 18...Nc6 This move was better for Black. 19.Bxd5 Qxd5 20.Bf6 20.Nf6+ This line shows why it was better to play 20.Bf6, because then it becomes nearly impossible for White to go to g7 with the queen. 20...Bxf6 21.Bxf6 Rd7 22.Qh3 h5 White’s position is still better, but Nakamura played more

precisely in the game with 20.Bf6. 20...Qd6 21.Bxe7 Qxe7 22.Nf6+ Kg7

[FEN “3r1r2/pp2qpkp/n4Np1/2p5/8/PP2P1P1/3P1R1P/R4QK1 w - - 0 23”] Once more the viewer should pause and try to guess White's next move. 23.Qc4 23.Qh3 This natural move is not the best. 23...h6 24.Raf1 Here White is still better, but not winning like in the game. 23...Qe5 23...Nc7 Here D'Costa explains why Qc4 was better, and shows that White can create more threats. 24.Qh4 h6 25.Nh5+ As we can see, it is just a question of calculating a few moves in advance, but the correct ones. 24.Raf1 IM D'Costa stops commenting the game here and suggests that the student goes through the rest of the game on their own to better appreciate Nakamura's creativity. 24...h5 25.Nxh5+ Qxh5 26.Rxf7+ Rxf7 27.Rxf7+ Kh6 28.Qf4+ g5 29.Qf6+ Qg6 30.Qf1 Qh5 31.Rxb7 c4 32.Qf6+ Qg6 33.Qxd8 Qb1+ 34.Kf2 1-0 My one negative experience with this product was trying to register it. To do so one needs Internet activation, with a big long code. I thought I had activated the product at home to later enjoy it on my laptop. However, when I tried to open the first video, it asked me for the activation code again. So I had to use my phone to create a hotspot and input the code again from an email. As a customer, I would like the product to be more hassle free. A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.

Tutorial: Creating a Multimedia Database by Mark Donlan In the tutorial Creating a Personal Tournament Book (cbcafe56) we looked at how to create a personal ebook from the web in ChessBase 12 using the No Logo Norway 2014 tournament as an example. This month we will examine how to create a multimedia database similar to the ChessBase Media System DVDs using the 2014 Carlsen-Anand world championship match as an example. In the previous column we saw how to import web pages into a database text file. Here we will learn how to embed videos. The video file must be in the Windows .wmv format. You could also embed pictures (.bmp) and sound files (.wav) if you so wished. A database text is not a game but a text report. It can contain pictures, videos, positions and links to games, keys, other texts, etc. It appears like a game in the database list, and can be loaded in the same way.

Database texts can also contain links to video sequences, so that when you click a video icon the clip is replayed. First, you might wish to create a folder for the match on your computer. To do so, open Windows Explorer, go to My Documents-ChessBase-Bases, right click in the window, choose New-Folder, and type in the name, say, wcc2014.

Next up is to open ChessBase 12 and create a new database (Ctrl-X). You can save it in the same folder you just created. Let’s call it wcc2014.cbh. With the database created, right click on the database icon and choose properties. Here you can set the type of database if you so wish, though it is not absolutely necessary. If you have saved any PGN files from the match coverage on the Internet, you can copy them into this new database.

Here we chose the icon for a Match, but you can choose any that you prefer. To copy from one database into another, open the PGN database, click on the icon in the database window, hold the mouse button down, and drag the icon until it hovers over the wcc2014 database icon. Release the mouse button and it will copy all the games into the ChessBase database.

Now we want to create a new text file in the wcc2014 database. To start a new text click New – Text in the database window or press Shft-Ctrl-Alt-N. The database text is created with a special database text editor that is built into the CB12 program. By way of introduction for the first game, I pasted Peter Svidler’s commentary from the official match site into the newly created text file and saved it as “Game 1.” You have to save the file before you can link video into it, because multimedia files can only be linked into the database text after you have saved it.

Now it is necessary to create the multimedia files. To do this you will need an external video converter; one that converts Internet videos to wmv or avi files. One such program that is freely available is called Freemake, but we will

not get into the specifics of using the external conversion program. Just be sure to not use it to download copyrighted content. When you link them in the text file, the multimedia files are copied in separate directories with the name of the database and the extensions.

Once you are ready to link the video file into the text database, open the database text, and make sure you are in Editor Mode. Place the mouse cursor into the text file where you want the video link, and from the drop-down menu for Links click Video. You can also click Stream, which provides a link in the text file to the video on your system, instead of embedding the file in the text. In fact, this latter option can be the easiest.

Navigate to the folder where the video is saved on your computer, click the file name for the video you wish to link, and click OK. You now have a video control panel visible in your database text file. If you want to center the panel, click on it, and click the proper alignment icon in the menu ribbon.

Now you want to use the replace command (Ctrl-R) to save the file. If you use the save command (Ctrl-S), it will save the file as a separate database text instead of overwriting the existing file. Note that once you have saved a Text file you can still edit it later as well. In the database text editor, enter Editor Mode (Ctrl-W) to make changes. Now exit the database text window and return to the wcc2014 database window. At the bottom of the games list, you will see the listing for the Text file you just created. Click on it once and drag the listing to the top of the database

screen so that it is above the list for the first game. Click on the games tab and then choose Fix Sort Order. This will then place the text file for round one at the top of the database list. You can do this for each round of the event. This method of embedding multimedia will not play the video in the game window the same way that the ChessBase Media system does, but it does give you a way to create your own multimedia database with video functionality. A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.

Unlucky 13 by Mark Donlan Tutorial: How to install ChessBase 13, by ChessBase, DVD, Various pricing Thirteen might be a lucky number for Garry Kasparov, but it’s not for ChessBase. This column was designed to by a walk-through for installing the latest iteration of their flagship product ChessBase 13. Yet things didn’t go quite so smoothly as I’ve come to expect from ChessBase products. Perhaps it has something to do with only meeting the minimum requirements rather than the recommended requirements. I’ve found it is usually beneficial to meet the latter, rather than the former. However, even though I was installing on a Vista machine, it is one that meets the recommended requirements aside from Windows 7. So it should

handle CB13 without issues.

The system requirements are as follows: Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Windows Vista, XP (Service Pack 3), DirectX9 graphics card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9 and Internet access to activate the program, Playchess.com, Let’s Check, Engine Cloud and updates. Recommended: PC Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows 7 (64 Bit) or Windows 8 (64 Bit), DirectX10 graphics card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or more, 100% DirectX10 compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVD ROM drive and Internet access to activate the program, Playchess.com, Let’s Check, Engine Cloud and updates.

ChessBase 13 can be registered for use on two computers with one serial number. However, if I recall correctly, CB12 allowed for three, and this is a better situation, as one could install it on a home and work computer, along with a laptop. Now one has to choose which system isn’t getting the upgrade. Nevertheless, the user has the option to deactivate an installation in order to be able to install it on another system. So if you want to install the program on a new computer you must first deactivate the previous registration. Even if you update your system configuration, say your operating system, it is necessary to deactivate and reactivate the installation.

The installation instructions are printed inside the DVD cover of CB13. Yet, it was not as simple as these would make it out to be. Auto-run of the installation did not start for me, which is no fault of the program, that’s just the way my system is configured. Thus, I launched the setup files by pressing the Windows icon button on the keyboard, along with the letter ‘r’, which is the shortcut for the ‘Run’ command. Alternatively, you could open Windows Explorer, navigate to the DVD folder, and double-click ‘setup.exe’ from the DVD drive.

The installation asks that you stay at the computer until administration rights are granted. The initial installation took seven minutes, but it did not automatically launch the program prior to installation. So I double-clicked the desktop icon for CB13 (182 MB) to launch the program and was immediately prompted to install the database. This installed the Big Database 2014 (2.7 GB) and took about six minutes. The program then asks to install the Player Encyclopedia 2014 (628.9 MB), which took nine minutes.

It was only now that the program asked to input the activation key. Note that there are two fields here: the activation key and the code field. The activation key is printed inside the DVD case. Capital letters are the default when inputting the letters, so you do not have to worry about pressing the shift key when entering them. The code field is the four numbers that appear within the orange background. Upon entering the key and the proper code I received a pop-up that activation was successful.

I know that it is important to keep the program up-to-date, so I immediately went to update the program with any new version. This is done by clicking on ‘File’, ‘Activation’, ‘Update Program’.

However, now it told me that the program had not been activated and prompted me to do so. Thus, I clicked ‘program activation’ and went through the process once again of activating the program, and once again received the message that it was successful. I tried to update again, and – you guessed it – it told me the program was not activated.

Now I exited the program and relaunched it. Once again I am prompted to activate the program, and once again it tells me I did so successfully. I am now fifty minutes into the installation process. This time I exit the program, restart my computer, and relaunch CB13. And yet again I am asked to activate the program. This is getting to be absurd. Yet, it is finally and truly successful; fourth time is a charm, or is it the fifth, I’ve lost track. Now the program prompts me to update to a new version without me checking it, so I know the activation was a success. And even though CB13 was released only two or three weeks ago, it is already at version three. Among the new features in CB 13 are the following: Input and saving of illegal positions. ChessBase 13 supports the input and saving of illegal positions. This can be useful for demonstrational purposes or for explaining certain concepts. Endgame Classification. There is a new menu "Endgames" under the Games option in the database window. This adds an endgame classification to the games in a database. Support Syzygy Tablebases. ChessBase 13 supports a relatively new endgame database format, the Syzygy Endgame Tablebases. Older versions only supported the Nalimov Endgame Tablebases, which are still supported in this version. The new format was designed by Ronald de Man from Holland. Most new chess engines already

support this format. The Syzygy Endgame Tablebases pay attention to the 50 move stalemate rule. If there are 50 moves without a piece being taken or a pawn being moved, the game is drawn. Since the data can be accessed in RAM very fast and effectively the Syzygy Endgame Tablebases are now used exclusively by many modern chess engines. Cloud Databases. With ChessBase it is now possible for you to store your data not only on your own hard drive but also on our ChessBase servers. This makes it possible for you to access your data from different devices

without having to copy or re-install databases. Repertoire Databases in the Cloud. In ChessBase 13 you can manage your opening repertoire in two databases, one for White and one for Black. It is recommendable to keep these two databases in the Cloud, so that you can look at them on any computer that has ChessBase 13. Analysis Jobs. Analysis jobs are a collection of positions which are automatically processed by ChessBase 13. The results of the evaluations by chess engines are stored in a database with the same name, so that you can

return to them later to study them. Loading multiple instances of an engine. Many engines can be loaded more than once in the same window. This allows more possibilities in the analysis mode "Deep Position Analysis". By the way, the CB13 manual (25.3 MB) is on the installation DVD. You can copy it to your system via Windows Explorer. There is also a manual for PlayChess (11.5 MB). I look forward to exploring these new features. I only hope they work better than the installation process. My advice to you is this: once the initial installation is complete restart your system, perhaps you can avoid all this ridiculousness. A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.

Hours of Chess Fun by Steve Goldberg First Steps in Pawn Structures, by Andrew Martin, 2014 ChessBase, DVD, approx. 4 hours playing time. $29.95 (ChessCafe Price $22.46)

Andrew Martin gets right to the point in explaining his purpose in producing First Steps in Pawn Structures: "The purpose of this DVD is to focus on pawns, pawn structure, and to demonstrate exactly how pawns can play a pivotal role in our favorite game ... Pawn weaknesses don't necessarily lose, but you have to know how to handle them. Pawns are important because they facilitate the proper development of the pieces."

There are several aspects to this DVD. The primary segment consists of analysis of 22 games, one game per video segment. Topics include various types of pawn centers, open centers, half open centers, blocked pawn centers, passed pawns, isolated pawns, weak pawns, doubled pawns, hanging pawns and pawn chains. Martin presents these topics with suggestions for both sides of the board and more importantly, analyzes games illustrating both successful and unsuccessful implementation of these guidelines. One point comes across continually – play actively! For example, in the video for Game 2, Martin stresses the importance of properly timing an attack against an opponent's center pawns. In this game, Black attempted to attack White's center pawns, but his pieces remained passive and he never generated any counterplay. However, in Game 3, Martin shows how Black successfully dismantled White's center and went on to win. Similarly, in Game 17, he introduces the idea of hanging pawns, and he presents a fun game between Gligoric and Keres

that includes some great tactical options for White. Once White was able to advance one of his hanging pawns, the position became more favorable for him. Game 20 (Karpov-Unzicker, 1974) represents the third of three pawn chain presentations in the video section of the DVD. Martin describes this as "A textbook lesson on how to create a favorable pawn chain and how to control the position through domination of an open file. It's also a textbook lesson on how to handle a position in which you've got more space, where the enemy is cramped." In this game, Unzicker, as Black, has very little space to maneuver. Let's take the game up after 23...Qd8:

Already Black is quite cramped. Martin notes that Karpov uses the closed pawn chains to more or less seal off the queenside so he can then attack on the kingside. Karpov followed up with 24.Ba7, which did a phenomenal job of further cramping Black. Eight moves later the game looks like this:

Black can hardly move, while Karpov finally begins maneuvering on the kingside. After 44.Nh5, the final position shows Black unable to avoid the loss of one or more pawns before long (i.e. after Bb6 and Ra5). This is where Unzicker finally threw in the towel.

There are also 8 semi-interactive test positions. Martin provides a position with a little explanation, and the viewer is asked to make a move on the board on the screen. If the move is correct, the video continues with Martin's discussion of why this move is advisable. If an incorrect move is made, a prominent message is displayed stating "That was not the right move." If the viewer doesn't want to make a move, or can't solve the test position correctly, the "Solution" button can be clicked, again continuing the video with Martin's further discussion of the correct move.

There are two other important portions of the DVD – "Pawn Structure Extra" and "Essential Games." Pawn Structure Extra is a database of 19 heavily annotated games by Martin, all occurring in 2014. He has generally organized them by opening and pawn structure. Essential Games is another database on the DVD. This consists of 50 games which took place between 1997 and 2014. These are also heavily annotated, although interestingly, none of the games appear to be annotated by Martin. Many are annotated by one of the players themselves. So in total, there are 91 well-annotated games the viewer is treated to, as well as the 8 test positions. It is possible that one could watch the video segments or review the annotation notes in the various games, and forget at times that this DVD is about pawn structure. Much of the DVD is about general game annotation. But this may also be viewed as a strength, allowing the viewer to see how the given pawn structure and the players' handling of this structure determine the further course of the game. Just as it is important for players to understand what types of middlegames and even endgames may result from specific openings, it is helpful to be able to get a sense for

how a pawn structure factors into the game continuation. I would tend to agree with the publisher's statement that this DVD is well suited for players rated up to about 1800 FIDE. Martin clearly explains how one should handle the more common pawn structures, and the abundance of deeply annotated games is a pleasure to work through. My assessment of this software:

Order First Steps in Pawn Structures by Andrew Martin Most Amazing Moves, by Simon Williams, 2014 ChessBase, DVD, approx. 5½ hours playing time. $39.95 (ChessCafe Price $33.95)

Every chess player may have his or her own reasons for being attracted to the game, but I suspect for many of us there is that hard-to-describe incredible beauty and attraction of the bolt-from-the-blue move or the shocking combination. While others may stare with fascination at a Rembrandt or their souls may revel in the melodic notes of Beethoven, for us it is the subtle and not-so-subtle action on the board that grips our imagination. This is the motivation for the production of the Most Amazing Moves ChessBase DVD by British grandmaster Simon Williams. In this 5½-hour presentation, he has selected 37 games to highlight, each with its own video segment. Each game is presented in its entirety, and in each case, Williams provides commentary, leading to a stopping point where he asks the viewer to try to determine the surprising move that comes next. The process is interactive – the viewer makes a move on the board that is displayed, and if it is correct, Williams goes on to explain in fair depth the game continuation. If the choice is incorrect, he may explain why the given move doesn't quite work, or why it's not the move that was played, or he may provide a bit of a hint.

The viewer can then click the button that says "Try Again" and select another move. If the choice is still incorrect, there may or may not be any further response from Williams, but there is always the option of either trying again, or clicking the "Solution" button to reveal the correct answer.

Among the 37 games are the classic Adolf Anderssen "Evergreen" game and the equally stunning but perhaps lesser known "Gold Coin" game by Marshall. Most of the games, however, will likely be new to most viewers. Most are

extensively annotated. In addition to these 37 games, there is an additional set of 50 games included in the "Extra Database" portion of the DVD. There are no video segments for these 50 games, and these are less heavily annotated than the featured 37 games. But they are also quite remarkable. Clicking on one of the games in the Extra Database produces the ChessBase Training display. It is timed, and the viewer is asked to enter his suggested move on the board. If you are unable to find the correct move, click "Solution" and then "Continue" to see the correct move and its follow-up.

Viewers will find the Byrne-Fischer "Game of the Century" here (can one ever tire of seeing that?), as well as a number of other relatively well known games from decades past. There are also newer games as well. As in the main database,

there is plenty of material here likely to be new (or forgotten) for most viewers. Williams points out that these games should not be viewed solely for the pleasure they provide us. They can also be springboards of ideas for our own games. As an example, game 11 is Nimzowitsch-Rubinstein, Dresden 1926, in which White played Nh1 to reroute his knight. The subsequent game on the DVD is Ward-Williams from 2004. In this game, Williams uses a similar idea, moving ...Nh8, again to the corner of the board. In his case, it wasn't specifically to move the knight to a better square, but rather to make way for a subsequent pawn move that the knight had been blocking. More to the point, take a look at the Levitsky-Marshall "Gold Coin" game:

It is Black to move, and his h3-rook is already en prise. What is Marshall's famous move in this position? It is 23...Qg3! Remarkably, capturing the black queen with either the f-pawn or the h-pawn leads to mate, and capturing with the white queen leads to a lost position for White, a piece down. The black rook at h3 can no longer be captured, and if the black queen is not captured, mate occurs with ...Qxh2. With this position in mind, let's look at the game Rossolimo-Reissmann (which occurred 55 years later) after 22...Kh8:

With the hindsight of having seen Marshall's incredulous 23...Qg3, it may not be hard to find 23.Qg6! played by Rossolimo in this position. Mate is threatened on h7, and no matter how Black captures either the white queen or the f6-knight, mate will follow. So much of success in chess stems from pattern recognition, even if it may be a bit mysterious to us. Playing over such games may well lead to our own ability to produce similar moves. Interestingly, Williams relegates to his Extra Database what he considers to possibly be the "most beautiful ever played in the history of chess" – a game which most readers may not have seen before (or may not remember). On the downside, there are a number of misspellings in the annotation notes in the Extra Database, so a little tighter editing would have helped. However, this does not detract from the beauty of the games themselves. In addition, in the Nimzowitsch-Rubinstein game referenced above, the annotation notes appear to be in French, although the rest of the DVD contains notes in English. Note that there is an option to change the primary written language on the DVD if desired, although utilizing that option didn't change the French notes.

Most Amazing Moves represents what excites me most about the game of chess. I very much enjoy subtle positional games, and I marvel at exceptional endgame technique. But it's the magnificent games such as those included here, and the beautiful, sometimes unusual mating patterns illustrated in these games, that keep me addicted to the game. In my opinion, all players, at all levels, are likely to share this appreciation. My assessment of this software:

Order Most Amazing Moves by Simon Williams A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2014 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.

Knowing the King's Indian is a Must! Review by Davide Nastasio Winning Against King's Indian with the Main Line, by Mihail Marin, ChessBase, 4 hours 11 min, $39.95 (ChessCafe Price $29.96) I don't play the King's Indian, and I'm not sure if I will play it in the future. So why did I get this DVD? Because in the last fifty years or so the greatest battles of the greatest chess players have been fought around this opening. Thus, the road to mastery is clear: knowing the King's Indian is a must! Just as it is important to read the classics of chess literature, it is equally essential to become familiar with classical structures. And the King's Indian teaches a player about all aspects of the game. Do you want to learn tactics? Do you want to learn important pawn structures? Do you want to learn the plans to attack on the kingside or defend on the queenside? This opening will teach you that. Moreover, many of the top master players in my area have shown me some of their games and given me a good explanation of what was happening and why. I honestly was in awe about this opening, and understood that it was my duty to learn more and complete the formation of my chess persona. Now let's examine the content of the DVD. The presenter is Romanian grandmaster Mihail Marin. He has won the Romanian championship multiple times, played in eleven chess Olympiads, and has been a candidate in the interzonal tournament at least twice (which is the main tournament played to qualify for the world championship). GM Marin's work as an opening theoretician and author is widely known, especially his series of books on the English Opening, and, of course, his collaboration on the Judit Polgar trilogy. Now, why do we need a GM of Marin's caliber to teach us the King's Indian? Well, in today's world many amateurs think that computers can give us the winning lines and provide all the answers. In the case of the King's Indian this can be particularly dangerous and lead to disaster. In fact, Marin warns us about this very thing in the introductory video to the Mar del Plata attack with Nd2. While long generated computer lines are nearly impossible to remember, the ideas behind the moves are easy. With a few key points and phrases GM Marin had me understanding the ideas behind White's play in just a few seconds. I also find GM Marin to be intellectually honest. He clearly states that he cannot arm us against all the possible lines available to Black in the King's Indian, but his promise is to give us the ideas behind the main moves, and the critical opening and middlegame positions needed to effectively play this opening. I also appreciate the passion with which Marin conveys his material. He emphatically hopes that the student will learn the tactics and the strategic subtleties of the system he teaches. The content is divided as follows: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2

[FEN "r1bq1rk1/ppp1npbp/3p1np1/3Pp3/2P1P3/2N5/PP1NBPPP/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 9"] Three videos are covering the lines beginning with 9...Nd7.

One video is covering 9...Ne8.

Four videos are covering 9...c5.

Eleven videos cover 9...a5. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0

[FEN[FEN "rnbq1rk1/ppp2pbp/3p1np1/4p3/2PPP3/2N2N2/PP2BPPP/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 7"] Three videos cover the lines from 7...Nbd7.

Three videos cover the lines from 7...Na6.

Two videos cover the lines from 7...exd4. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2

[FEN "rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/2PPP3/2N2N2/PP2BPPP/R1BQK2R b KQ - 0 6"] One video covers 6...c5.

One video covers 6...Bg4. Most of the videos alternate general explanations with quizzes, giving the viewer a chance to test their new-found knowledge and to reinforce their skills. The main database used for the videos is based on twenty-nine examples, while a further database of 286 deeply annotated games is also provided. Inside we find the games of many illustrious players, such as Fischer, Kasparov, Kasimdzhanov, Karpov, and Spassky (just to mention a few of the world champions who have employed this opening), along with Chuchelov (Caruana's coach), Gelfand (candidate to the world championship), and many others who have battled in the arena of the King's Indian. I'd like to share one of the games from the database that I found particularly interesting. Chess authors often mainly show amazing wins made by the side they are promoting. This is nice for some inspiration, but not so useful to avoid tournament losses. In this game White lost, and in order to "Win with the King's Indian" one must learn how White loses and why. In this sense I find the selection of games made by GM Marin quite useful. This game below demonstrates how tactics, sacrifice, and a tactical blunder can be common components in the King's Indian. I will add some comments for beginning players, because the intended audience of the DVD is geared toward a more advanced level. Ftacnik,Lubomir (2585) - Cvitan,Ognjen (2570)

Bundesliga 9798 Germany (2.1), 19.10.1997 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e4 d6 GM Marin doesn't comment on this position, but as we can see White has developed a big, strong center, while Black has been able to develop his dark-squared bishop on a very active diagonal. Black will attack White's center at the right time. For improvers the best games to watch on this opening are the one played by Bronstein and Boleslavsky in the 1940s and '50s. 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 Marin explains that the idea behind this move is to stop Black from playing Nh5. However, there are also other factors: the d5- and c4-pawns give White a space advantage on the queenside, which means that the Nd2 could become an important piece in such fight. While Black will need to move the Nf6 in order to gain a space advantage on the kingside, with f7-f5, and attack. 9...Ne8 9...a5 could be played to prevent White from playing b2-b4.

10.b4 f5 11.c5 Nf6 12.f3 f4 13.Nc4 g5 14.a4 This is clearly a race on both sides. 14...Ng6 15.Ba3 GM Marin points out that the dark-squared bishop is very important on this diagonal, because it puts pressure on d6 and, consequently, on f8. 15...Rf7 16.b5 dxc5 17.Bxc5 h5 18.a5 g4 I've seen this kind of race also in other openings, the Dutch for example, and the problem is that there is no king on the queenside. While on the kingside one can get checkmated if the opponent wins the race. 19.b6 g3 20.Kh1 Nh7 21.d6! Qh4 22.Bg1

[FEN "r1b3k1/ppp2rbn/1P1P2n1/P3p2p/2N1Pp1q/2N2Pp1/4B1PP/R2Q1RBK b - - 0 22"] 22...Bh3!? 22...Ng5 23.dxc7+- Nh3 24.Qd8+! Marin, Stoica. 23.bxc7?? 23.gxh3! Qxh3 24.Rf2 gxf2 (24...Nh4 25.Bf1+) 25.Bxf2 '+/-' 25...axb6 (25...Nh4 Marin, Stoica 26.Bxh4 Qxh4 27.bxc7+; 25...cxb6 Marin, Stoica 26.Bf1 Qd7 27.axb6 a6 28.Na4 Rc8 29.Nc5 Rxc5 30.Bxc5 Ng5 31.Na5+; 25...c6

Marin, Stoica 26.Bf1 Qd7 27.bxa7+; 25...c5 Marin, Stoica 26.Bf1 Qc8 27.bxa7 Rxa7 28.Nb6+; 25...cxd6 Marin, Stoica 26.Nxd6 Rd7 27.Qb3+ Kh8 28.Nf7+ Rxf7 29.Qxf7+ axb6 30.Qxg6) 26.Nd5! (26.a6! Marin, Stoica 26...Rxa6 (26...bxa6

27.dxc7+) 27.Rxa6 bxa6 28.dxc7 b5 29.Qd8+ Rf8 30.Nd6+) 26...cxd6 27.Nxd6 Rff8 28.Nxb6 Rad8 29.Bf1 Qe6 30.Bc4. 23...Bxg2+! 24.Kxg2 Qh3+!! 24...Ng5? 25.Rf2!. 25.Kxh3 Ng5+ 26.Kg2 Nh4+ 0-1 26...Nh4+ 27.Kh1 g2# This was a nice short game that teaches us a lot about the roles for both White and Black in this opening. Today's chess world is quite complex, the amount of knowledge we have at out disposal is bewildering: as GM Soltis

once said, chess has become a case of TMI (Too Much Information). In my reference database on the main line proposed by GM Marin, I have more than 30,000 games! Thus, for me to decide as to which moves are good or bad is likely impossible. Marin's selection of deeply annotated games is a gold mine that every serious student must dig into. A student cannot do this on their own, but with Marin's guidance the road to understanding has been paved and through the videos, the questions posed, the training questions, and the sample games we see the gamut of ideas of this exciting opening in actual play. I highly recommend Winning Against King's Indian with the Main Line for the advanced student who wishes to achieve a master level in chess. For beginners, I recommend The ABC of the King's Indian, 2nd edition by Andrew Martin. Order Winning Against King’s Indian with the Main Line

by Mihail Marin A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2015 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.

Learn the McCutcheon Review by Steve Goldberg The New McCutcheon, by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, 2014 ChessBase, DVD, 4 hours, 42 minutes playing time. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price $29.87)

Particularly for a player looking for a Black repertoire response to 1.e4, The New McCutcheon by Rustam Kasimdzhanov is an excellent choice. The McCutcheon French is reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4.

[FEN “rnbqk2r/ppp2ppp/4pn2/3p2B1/1b1PP3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R2QKBNR w KQkq - 0 5”] So what is “new” about this? Kasimdzhanov explains that 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 used to be the main variation, with 6.Bc1 and 6.Bh4 also common continuations. But now, he states, 6.Be3 is the primary follow-up. In this DVD, former world champion Kasimdzhanov reviews all of these variations, and more, to help the player with the black pieces safely navigate the sometimes treacherous waters this line may lead to. Of course, this information is also useful to the White player who frequently begins with 1.e4. A quick database search shows that White has about a 40% win rate with the McCutcheon, Black about 30%, with about 30% drawn. With the detailed information Kasimdzhanov provides, a knowledgeable player may be able to skew these percentages more favorably. After the introductory video segment, Kasimdzhanov presents two videos analyzing 5.exd5 and 5.e5 h6 6.exf6, both considered inferior for White, allowing Black to quickly equalize or more. But Black needs to be aware of some

resources that might be overlooked. For example, if play continues 5.e5 h6 6.exf6 hxg5 7.fxg7 Rg8 8.Qh5 Rxg7 9.Qh8+, it may appear that Black will lose his rook at g7.

However, Black has the simple resource 9…Bf8. But because of the backward bishop move, it might easily be missed. Kasimdzhanov offers additional insights regarding other potentially dangerous White moves, and how Black can correctly respond. The primary instructional portion of the DVD, however, is in the subsequent segments, as follows (after 5.e5 h6): 6.Bh4: 3 video portions. Kasimdzhanov recommends this follow-up for White if he is looking for a positional struggle. Black will do fine as long as he understands the requirements of the position, but Black’s kingside is vulnerable if he is not careful. 6.Bd2: 3 video segments. The “old main line” as Kasimdzhanov refers to it. This is playable for Black, but does require some precise play at certain junctures. 6.Bc1: 4 videos segments. This odd-looking move can lead to some “messy” positions, as the author describes. But again, understanding the important elements of the position should allow Black to hold his own. 6.Be3: 6 videos. This variation, the “new main variation,” is where Kasimdzhanov presents the most instruction. This follow-up can lead to some wild positions, offering good chances for either side. Again, a proper understanding of the important elements will vastly improve one’s chances of achieving a happy outcome.

A summary video follows, offering a quick overview of each of these primary variations. Four instructive games are presented in the next segments, including the original Steinitz-McCutcheon simul game that led to the naming of this variation. Even though this game occurred as part of a simultaneous exhibition, nevertheless it

is remarkable seeing an unknown amateur defeat a reigning world champion (in 28 moves!), giving birth to a variation still active 130 years later. At times, Kasimdzhanov moves the pieces a bit faster than a club player may be able to easily assimilate, but that’s what the rewind button is for. Frankly, to get the most out of this DVD, the viewer will likely want to review key sections a couple times anyway. To be fair and complete, Kasimdzhanov doesn’t simply demonstrate Black success in all these McCutcheon analyses. For example, of his four instructive games, two are Black victories and two are White victories. The last of these games has an interesting story attached to it. The game was Kasimdzhanov-Smerdon from the 2014 Tromso Olympiad. Kasimdzhanov knew that Smerdon had recently taken up the McCutcheon as part of his Black repertoire, but what Smerdon didn’t know was that Kasimdzhanov had just completed recording all the videos for this DVD, which had not yet been released. So Kasimdzhanov had a great hidden advantage which he used to his fullest ability, once he was able to steer the game toward the McCutcheon French. Despite finding good moves over the board, Smerdon ultimately couldn’t overcome Kasimdzhanov’s deep unexpected preparation.

The DVD ends with 12 test positions resulting from McCutcheon openings. The idea with these is not just to present tactical tests, but rather to test the viewer’s memory of important junctures that Kasimdzhanov has previously discussed. If all or most of the test positions are solved quickly, that indicates that the reader retained a good amount of instruction from the DVD. If not, it may be worthwhile to go back and review the material here. As Kasimdzhanov states, “With modern chess theory, almost everything which was true 15 years ago, is different now.” So even if the viewer has been a lifelong French Defense player, there may well be important tidbits here that have

escaped his or her attention. Just as with Kasimdzhanov’s game against Smerdon in the Tromso Olympiad, the more well-prepared player is indeed a dangerous opponent. With The New McCutcheon, every viewer has the opportunity to be that dangerous player. Order The New McCutcheon

by Rustam Kasimdzhanov A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2015 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.

A University Education Review by Davide Nastasio Power Strategy 1, by Mihail Marin, ChessBase, Video running time: 4 hours 52 min., $39.95 (ChessCafe Price $29.96)

When I was in college I was frustrated with the education system because every year they would test us on what kind of learner we were (visual, auditory, or tactile), and then independently from the results they would just give us a heavy 2,000+ page book to read. I'm not against books, but as a tactile learner my brain is clearly dominated by movement, color, and geometric shapes. So, while one of the best books on the middlegame was written by Nimzowitsch, between his metaphors from a previous century and the translation, I wasn't able to learn much from it. Yet I knew that one cannot go far without studying the middlegame and the endgame. Thanks to the ChessBase Fritz Trainer system I can receive all the knowledge I need without opening a book, while at the same time engaging all my senses for learning. With the Power Strategy series of DVDs, Romanian grandmaster

Mihail Marin “aims to demonstrate the importance of taking proven principles into account before choosing the direction of your over-the-board calculations.” This first DVD focuses on development in the initial phase of the game and the wide range of situations in which developing moves are of the highest priority. Marin offers the viewer a kaleidoscope of games played by modern grandmasters across twenty video segments, along with an exclusive training database of fifty-five essential games that correspond to the themes presented on the DVD.

The database is quite interesting because of exciting games played by the best players: Tal, Nezhmetdinov, Fischer, Geller, and GM Marin himself. Viewers can also test their skills with many quiz videos featuring interactive feedback. In the section on general aspects, GM Marin shows the game Ivkov – Gheorgiu:

[FEN “rnbq2k1/p5bp/3p1pp1/1NpP2B1/2P1Q3/5N1P/P4PP1/4R1K1”] The black player, a strong Romanian GM, is punished for not developing. This shows us that the rules are the same for amateurs and professionals alike, and if one violates them, the opponent will win the game. Gheorghiu also made the

mistake of attacking before finishing his development. As can be seen in the diagram, Black has still four pieces on the back rank, and it is already move seventeen of the game. Marin presents games that had an impact on him as a player. He tells us to "find some games which are beautiful, and you will want to see them over and over." I believe this is necessary in order to become a stronger player. The

importance of his message is conveyed in his tone of voice, which wouldn’t come across so clearly if only written on the page of a book. Marin shares a lot of chess wisdom throughout the DVD, including quotes from players the past. For instance, Rudolf Spielmann, the last of the romantics, in relation to the material value of a pawn compared to development, said "one pawn is equivalent to three tempi." Marin’s deep knowledge of chess history is one of the things that I really like about this DVD. Of the four videos on the theme of punishing a deviation from natural development, I'd like to show a position that is really interesting from Fischer-Byrne, 1965:

[FEN “r1b1k2r/ppp1bppp/2n2n2/7q/2BN4/2P5/PP1N1PPP/R1B1QRK1”] Fischer just played Nxd4, thinking that he will be able to keep the enemy king in the center because the Be7 is underprotected. Instead Byrne answered with a move that left Fischer dumbfounded! The threat Nxc6 is not real, but Fischer was deceived into thinking that Black couldn't castle!

Another game of note was played between Timman versus Geller in 1973:

[FEN “rnr3k1/p3qpp1/1p2b2p1Bpp4/3P4/Q3PN2/PP3PPP/2R1K2R”] In this position White has just played 14.Bb5, trying to impede the development of the black knight. Is this a great move or not? In explaining the answer GM Marin tells the story of how Geller previously lost a game against Furman in 1970. Let's remember that Furman was Karpov's coach! Then Geller found an improvement: 14...Qb7. He told Spassky about this move, but he didn't use it in his match against Fischer! Hence, with this game against Timman, Geller wins

thanks to Qb7! This shows the importance of knowing the history of an opening line, and the ideas behind it, especially at the professional level. The three videos devoted to converting an advance in development were quite enlightening. Marin notes Steinitz that while a development advantage can be temporary, it can also last throughout the game, up until the final victory. This made me think twice, because I always considered it just temporary. This simple statement shook the foundation of things I thought I knew, and made look at the games I review daily under a different light. The next section of four videos is about developing sacrifices. The obvious role model for these games is Tal. The nextto-last section is entitled "how to catch in development, ignoring minor threats,” as is comprised of five videos. The last section features two games on the theme "the tactical benefits of perfect development." Overall, I'm satisfied with Power Strategy 1. Marin performs with the expertise of a university professor who patiently explains difficult material in an easily understandable manner. With the aid of the many games provided, I've absorbed the ideas, and will be able to apply them to my own games. Products like this one allow amateur-level players to play far above their rating. I'd like to conclude the review with another pearl of wisdom: Marin, quoting Kortchnoi, states "in order to ignore the rules, you first must know them well." Order Power Strategy 1

by Rustam Kasimdzhanov A PDF file of this month's column, along with all previous columns, is available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. © 2015 ChessEdu.org. All Rights Reserved.