1…e5, Dutch and Indian setups
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play.

1...c5, 1...c6 and 1...e6
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play. 

1…e5, Dutch and Indian setups
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play.

Es ist nicht schwer, gute Argumente für die Englische Eröffnung zu finden. Spielt Schwarz 1...e5, steht ein Sizilianer mit vertauschten Farben auf dem Brett, also ein Sizilianer mit Mehrtempo für Weiß. Der Symmetriezug 1...c5 gibt Weiß ein Tempo und Chancen, die Initiative zu ergreifen und auf Angriff zu spielen. Alle großen Spieler in der Geschichte des Schachs hatten die Englische Eröffnung in ihrem Repertoire.

The 582 annotated games are a true treasure trove. Top players such as Carlsen (3 annotated games), Caruana (1), Ding Liren (2), Giri (5), So (4), Aronian (2), Yu Yangyi (1), Radjabov (2), Kramnik (2), Karjakin (1), Nakamura (1), Navara (3) have analysed their games; and on top of that there are experts in the English Opening such as Marin (147), Stohl (68), Postny (29). There is a total of 9652 games, with a ratings average of 2600.

It's very rare that after merely three moves in a Sicilian, you can play a line which is not only sound, dynamic, but one that has flown almost completely under the radar and yet has such a high win rate in the database. Welcome to the Gashimov Variation of the Sicilian Defence. Similar to its cousin the Chekhover Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4!?), this variation, pioneered by the late great Azeri GM, aims to throw Black off his normal game right from the word 'go', where he'll be forced to play accurately and deal with a number of intricate nuances just to get an equal position. The general premise of this line is to adopt a very aggressive setup with White, developing the queen early, fianchettoing the dark squared bishop and castling on the long side as quickly as possible in order to start belligerent operations on the kingside. Naturally Black has a number of different ways to set out his stall, but what's great about this line is that White's system is almost identical regardless of how Black decides to develop, thus making the opening easy to learn and execute over the board.

New Ideas for your Opening Repertoire!
Video Lectures & Training Exercises

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

In this detailed “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays with an early d5. The start position for this DVD is 1.d4 d5 2.c4. This series has many chapters and is a thorough analysis, showing how to fight for the advantage from positions in which Black plays with an early d5.

In this “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays without an early d5. The start position of this series is 1.d4 d5 2.Nf6. This DVD focuses on a White system against openings such as the “Nimzo-Indian”, Benoni and Benko. Please note that the Grunfeld and Kings Indian variations (2...g6) are not covered in this DVD.

Almost 300 000 engine games as well as 30 000 games culled from the Mega 2019 + the Correspondence Database 2018 constitute the basis for the Nimzo-Indian Powerbook 2019. If you want to play for a win with Black against 1.d4 then hardly any opening is as well suited to the purpose as the Nimzo-Indian: it is rare for symmetrical positions to arise and not much is exchanged, instead of that exciting distributions of material often appear on your board. White requires patience. To be sure he can frequently obtain the bishop pair, but that does not necessarily promise him an advantage.

The threshold for selecting games for the database was a high one - the average Elo of games being over 2550 points. There are many world-class Nimzo-Indian specialists, but all of them have played the opening with both colours. World champion Magnus Carlsen has 96 games in it, 53 of which with White. As is the case in the Mega as a whole Viktor Kortschnoj has the largest number of games in the Nimzo-Indian Powerbase namely 271, of which 130 are with Black.

For Garry Kasparov it had been clear for quite some time who would be his successor as world chess champion: none other than Vladimir Kramnik! In 1992 Kasparov brought the 17-year old into the Russian team and the latter justified his early inclusion with eight wins and one draw in the Chess Olympiad in Manila. Eight years later Kramnik in fact defeated his mentor in the world championship match in London and became the 14th chess world champion. It was thanks to Kramnik that the split between world championships which had begun in 1993 was brought to an end. Kramnik defended his title in 2004 against Peter Leko and in the reunification match in 2006 he defeated Veselin Topalov. In 2007 Kramnik lost the title to Viswanathan Anand at the world championship tournament in Mexico and was also defeated by the Indian in 2008 in the return match. Even after losing the title of world champion Vladimir Kramnik has continued to remain among the absolute elite of players in the world – till the present day. With his deep understanding of chess Vladimir Kramnik is considered one of the greatest masters of strategy in the history of the game. His flawless technique has enabled him to bring to a successful conclusion innumerable encounters in the endgame. In the realm of opening theory too Kramnik is one of the leading players. In addition to many other contributions, he has decisively shaped the theory of the Berlin Defence to the Ruy Lopez and that of the Catalan Opening with many original ideas. This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors (Yannick Pelletier, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh) how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure and how to bring your games to a successful conclusion with accurate technical endgame play. Through Vladimir Kramnik’s games it is possible, moreover, to follow the history and development of numerous popular openings and thus obtain a better understanding of the ideas behind them.

Over the years I have often heard Bird’s players (1.f4) labelled chess mavericks, “chancers”, too lazy to learn “proper” opening systems. Well, I am happy to say those days are well and truly over. Welcome to the “Bombastic Bird’s”, a revolutionary repertoire for one of the most enterprising and underrated openings in chess theory. In this series, I uncover a number of groundbreaking theoretical novelties and new ideas that will soon have scorners of this romantic system regretting they ever doubted its soundness. Black will often try to refute White’s setup right from the word “go”, an attempt which often embarrassingly backfires and leads to a quick victory for the first player. Even World Champion Magnus Carlsen has taken a shine to the opening, joining a whole host of top grandmasters integrating it into their opening arsenals.

The Bird Opening is above all a lovely surprise weapon. Moreover it is perfectly suited to those who play the Dutch, since after 1.f4 d5 one can play one’s favourite opening with an extra tempo. For the Powerbook an Elo threshold of 2300 was set. Thus 53 000 games from the Engine Room of Playchess found their way into the database. To those were added more than 4000 games played by human beings.

Magnus Carlsen has twice played the move 1.f4, including once in classical chess. Both games are annotated in the database (by Yermolinsky and Peter Heine Nielsen). Henrik Danielsen (82 games) and Artur Jakubiec (74) are the greatest specialists in the Bird Opening. The threshold for inclusion on the database was an average for the game of Elo 2350.

Houdini poursuit sur sa lancée: la nouvelle version a encore gagné 60 points Elo, ce qui lui permet d'être à nouveau le leader des logiciels d'Échecs actuellement sur le marché. Houdini 6 sort après être passé sur un banc d'essais sévères, qui a permis d'affiner encore les capacités du logiciel, notamment les fonctions d'évaluation des positions et de recherche, la gestion du temps, l'utilisation des bases de données des finales ou encore l'exploitation de plusieurs processeurs à la fois. Il existe deux versions d'Houdini 6: la standard, qui supporte jusqu'à 8 processeurs et peut utiliser jusqu'à 4 GB de mémoire vive; et la pro, qui est le bon choix si vous possédez un ordinateur dernier cri pouvant utiliser jusqu'à 128 processeurs et 128 GB RAM.

Houdini poursuit sur sa lancée: la nouvelle version a encore gagné 60 points Elo, ce qui lui permet d'être à nouveau le leader des logiciels d'Échecs actuellement sur le marché. Houdini 6 sort après être passé sur un banc d'essais sévères, qui a permis d'affiner encore les capacités du logiciel, notamment les fonctions d'évaluation des positions et de recherche, la gestion du temps, l'utilisation des bases de données des finales ou encore l'exploitation de plusieurs processeurs à la fois. Il existe deux versions d'Houdini 6: la standard, qui supporte jusqu'à 8 processeurs et peut utiliser jusqu'à 4 GB de mémoire vive; et la pro, qui est le bon choix si vous possédez un ordinateur dernier cri pouvant utiliser jusqu'à 128 processeurs et 128 GB RAM.

La dernière version du logiciel multiple champion du monde n'est pas seulement plus forte que jamais, mais est aussi livrée avec la version "Monte Carlo" pour la technique d'analyse, laquelle a été utilisée dans le cadre du projet d'IA "AlphaZero" qui a fait tout récemment parler de lui. Komodo 12 est ainsi à la fois le meilleur programme et un formidable partenaire d'analyse qui vous surprendra souvent par ses propositions et ses idées révolutionnaires! Sont inclus à l'achat de Komodo 12: l'environnement du dernier Fritz 16 et un abonnement Premium de 6 mois qui vous donnera accès à playchess.com, à notre portail vidéos, au LiveDataBase, ainsi qu'à toutes les autres applications de ChessBase.

Quand prend-on le plus de plaisir aux Échecs? Quand on gagne! Il est loin le temps où l'Homme avait encore une chance de gagner contre la machine. La supériorité du cerveau en silicium a été définitivement scellée en 2006, après la victoire 4-2 de Fritz contre le Champion du Monde de l'époque, Vladimir Kramnik. Dès lors, quel intérêt peut-il encore y avoir à jouer contre la machine? Fritz 16 permet de sortir du marasme: grâce à l'"Analyse assistée" vous recevez, au moment de jouer, de discrets tuyaux graphiques, et les FritzEmoticons dévoilent le sentiment du logiciel par rapport à la position sur l'échiquier. Autant d'outils qui permettent à n'importe quel joueur, même avec des connaissances échiquéennes sommaires, de rendre sa partie contre Fritz plus passionnante, et même de remporter parfois la victoire. À peine la partie terminée, la fonction "Analyse tactique" vous permet de mettre le doigt sur les combinaisons qui vous ont échappé. Vous pouvez aussi utiliser la fonction "Easy Play" pour affûter vos capacités de calcul.

Deep Junior is back – and as strong as ever. This program has been used for over a decade by top players as a secret weapon to find astounding novelties and ideas, where traditional chess engines only see uninspired moves. The reason is clear: Junior has its own special search techniques and evaluation functions that makes it different to any other chess program. It is enterprising and entertaining, sacrificing material for initiative whenever it sees a chance, providing new ideas in traditional positions against man or machine. The name Junior is perhaps deceptive. Playing against Junior is not necessarily something for children, as Garry Kasparov discovered in a match in New York. He was held to a 3-3 draw by the Israeli program. Junior played in its typically dynamic style, greatly surprising the former World Champion with now-famous bishop sacrifice on h2 that forced him to concede a draw. You can look forward to a world class grandmaster when you install the new program on your computer.

For years now Rybka has dominated the computer chess scene. No other program has been able to achieve a similar increase in playing strength. For chess analysis Rybka has long become one of the most important analyis tools of professions and amateurs alike. So that this state of affairs will continue in the future, the Rybka-team gathered around programmer Vasik Rajlich has developed a new version which is even better: “Rybka 4 plays more aggressively and more tactically”.

For years now Rybka has dominated the computer chess scene. No other program has been able to achieve a similar increase in playing strength. For chess analysis Rybka has long become one of the most important analyis tools of professions and amateurs alike. So that this state of affairs will continue in the future, the Rybka-team gathered around programmer Vasik Rajlich has developed a new version which is even better: “Rybka 4 plays more aggressively and more tactically”.

The Rybka4 opening book is a high-class compilation of opening theory. It was developed for the world‘s strongest chess entity - 100 cores cluster Rybka and program Rybka4 and will maximize the program‘s playing strength. The choice of variations in the book is well suited to the style of the program, and the book has been fine-tuned and checked in thousands of games. Availabe from 28. May

In this detailed “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays with an early d5. The start position for this DVD is 1.d4 d5 2.c4. This series has many chapters and is a thorough analysis, showing how to fight for the advantage from positions in which Black plays with an early d5.

1…e5, Dutch and Indian setups
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play.

In this “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays without an early d5. The start position of this series is 1.d4 d5 2.Nf6. This DVD focuses on a White system against openings such as the “Nimzo-Indian”, Benoni and Benko. Please note that the Grunfeld and Kings Indian variations (2...g6) are not covered in this DVD.

La plus grande base de données au monde avec des annotations d'experts en exclusivité, contient plus de 7,6 millions de parties, jouées entre 1560 et 2018, et éditées selon les plus hauts standards de qualité de ChessBase. 72'000 d'entre elles sont commentées par des joueurs appartenant à l'élite. Vous apprécierez la classification des ouvertures de ChessBase, avec plus de 100'000 positions clefs, l'accès direct aux joueurs, tournois, thèmes de milieu de jeu et finales. Les toutes dernières parties de la base de données date de mi-octobre 2018.

Vous avez trouvez la combinaison gagnante! Le programme ChessBase 15 + la nouvelle Mega Database 2019 avec 7,6 millions de parties et plus de 70'000 analyses de Maîtres + le magazine Chessbase (avec DVD) et 1 an d'abonnement Premium à ChessBase.

ChessBase est une base de données autonome et personnalisable qui et devenu le standard à travers le monde. En effet, ChessBase est utilisé aussi bien par le Champion du Monde que par votre voisin de palier. Ce programme est dédié à tous ceux qui aiment le jeu et veulent en connaître toujours plus.

La dernière version du logiciel multiple champion du monde n'est pas seulement plus forte que jamais, mais est aussi livrée avec la version "Monte Carlo" pour la technique d'analyse, laquelle a été utilisée dans le cadre du projet d'IA "AlphaZero" qui a fait tout récemment parler de lui. Komodo 12 est ainsi à la fois le meilleur programme et un formidable partenaire d'analyse qui vous surprendra souvent par ses propositions et ses idées révolutionnaires! Sont inclus à l'achat de Komodo 12: l'environnement du dernier Fritz 16 et un abonnement Premium de 6 mois qui vous donnera accès à playchess.com, à notre portail vidéos, au LiveDataBase, ainsi qu'à toutes les autres applications de ChessBase.

Aujourd'hui, les joueurs sont de plus en plus tentés d'apprendre les variantes d'ouverture en s'appuyant sur le jugement du moteur d'analyse, délaissant par là le côté pratique du jeu. Ce DVD souligne combien il est important de s'entraîner dans le calcul de variantes – et comment le faire correctement! Le MI hollandais Robert Ris a rassemblé ici la quintessence du matériel qu'il utilise pour former ses pupilles. Quel que soit votre niveau, vous profiterez de cette méthode structurée d'entraînement.

‘Why bother learning hundreds of complex variations and keeping up with the latest theory when you can play a simple yet deadly opening - the London System with 2.Bf4. In this DVD I take you through all the main ideas and setups that you need in order to gain a very exciting yet well founded opening game with the White pieces. The most important thing in my teaching is to keep things simple yet aggressive. This DVD concentrates on plans that will help you gain victory quickly. A perfect opening for the player with little time on his hands. Carlsen has started to play this opening regularly, now I share his secrets with you.

Over the years I have often heard Bird’s players (1.f4) labelled chess mavericks, “chancers”, too lazy to learn “proper” opening systems. Well, I am happy to say those days are well and truly over. Welcome to the “Bombastic Bird’s”, a revolutionary repertoire for one of the most enterprising and underrated openings in chess theory. In this series, I uncover a number of groundbreaking theoretical novelties and new ideas that will soon have scorners of this romantic system regretting they ever doubted its soundness. Black will often try to refute White’s setup right from the word “go”, an attempt which often embarrassingly backfires and leads to a quick victory for the first player. Even World Champion Magnus Carlsen has taken a shine to the opening, joining a whole host of top grandmasters integrating it into their opening arsenals.

New Ideas for your Opening Repertoire!
Video Lectures & Training Exercises

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

No World Champion has enchanted the chess world as much as Mihail Tal did. His reign as World Champion was short but in his time Tal’s star burned with unknown intensity. With his combinations and his intuitive sacrifices the young Tal ran over his opponents, and thrilled the chess world with his risky uncompromising attacking play, which inspired many players to emulate him. In 1960 he beat the reigning World Champion Botvinnik but one year later he lost the title of World Champion again in a return match of doubtful competitive value. But even though Tal was no longer World Champion, he still remained one of the best players in the world. At eight chess Olympiads he won gold with the Soviet team. Six times he became USSR-Champion. In 1973/74 he managed to remain unbeaten in 93 consecutive games, a still unmatched record. In 1988 he won the Blitz World Championship. Despite his frail health Tal enjoyed life to the fullest and was a funny and brilliant man, who loved nothing more than chess. Through the games of Mihail Tal this DVD provides a unique access to the realm of chess tactics. Tal’s colleagues dubbed their tactical guru „Magician“, because in his games seemingly incomprehensible moves in the end blended into a successful whole, as if by magic. But Tal was also a master of strategy and endgame play. On this DVD Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Oliver Reeh and Karsten Müller present the 8. World Chess Champion in video lessons: his openings, his understanding of chess strategy, his artful endgame play, and finally his immortal combinations. In an interactive test they invite you to try to find combinations like Tal did. The DVD also contains all games by Tal, many of them annotated, plus comments and tournament tables. 

Houdini poursuit sur sa lancée: la nouvelle version a encore gagné 60 points Elo, ce qui lui permet d'être à nouveau le leader des logiciels d'Échecs actuellement sur le marché. Houdini 6 sort après être passé sur un banc d'essais sévères, qui a permis d'affiner encore les capacités du logiciel, notamment les fonctions d'évaluation des positions et de recherche, la gestion du temps, l'utilisation des bases de données des finales ou encore l'exploitation de plusieurs processeurs à la fois. Il existe deux versions d'Houdini 6: la standard, qui supporte jusqu'à 8 processeurs et peut utiliser jusqu'à 4 GB de mémoire vive; et la pro, qui est le bon choix si vous possédez un ordinateur dernier cri pouvant utiliser jusqu'à 128 processeurs et 128 GB RAM.

After the success of the first Volume on Calculation Training, Dutch IM Robert Ris continues Volume 2 of the series with a wide range of new aspects which have to be mastered to become a great calculator at the board! The topics discussed in Volume 1 (Candidates Moves, Method of Elimination & Imagination) are certainly useful when studying the content of this new DVD. Special attention will be paid to Intermediate Moves, Quiet Moves, Sacrifices on Empty Squares, Mating Patterns, Ignoring Opponents Threat, Calculation in Defence and Method of Comparison. On top of that more practical advices for training are recommended, for instance how to handle your time management and visualising the position in your mind during the calculation process.

The King’s Indian Attack is a unique opening system in that it offers White a dynamic and interesting game but without the need to know reams of theory. In addition to being easy to learn it has an excellent pedigree, leading exponents including great players such as Bobby Fischer, Tigran Petrosian, David Bronstein, Viktor Korchnoi, Leonid Stein and Lev Psakhis. It is playable as either a complete, self-contained opening system or as part of a regular 1.e4 repertoire. On this DVD Davies presents a complete repertoire for White as well as the lines he can use to supplement a King’s Pawn repertoire. Having had extensive experience in these positions he is able to communicate the plans and ideas in lucid fashion. Video running time: more than 5 hours.

When choosing an opening repertoire, it is common to consider two types of variations. One is usually a solid opening, like 1...e5 against 1.e4, with plenty of strategical ideas and quiet paths of play. However, there are of course days when you want to play for a win with Black, when you want to bear down on your opponent’s position with a potentially crushing attack. The Najdorf is perfect for just such occasions – and it’s no coincidence that Garry Kasparov played it the most out of all the variations in the Sicilian – the opening served him well throughout his brilliant career. I myself have played it with both colours, but even I discover more to its endless depths every day! Strategy, combinations, attack and defence, sacrifices and marvellous manoeuvres – exciting chess is all about the Najdorf!

Le logiciel des Finales Turbo 5 est le premier programme de ChessBase qui est livré sur une clé USB. Cette nouvelle version offre une parfaite évaluation pour tous les finales avec 5 pièces et pour les plus importantes avec 6 pièces. Votre moteur d'analyse atteindra ainsi des niveaux encore jamais atteints dans les Finales! Les bases de données ont une capacité de 128 GB (sur la clé USB) – cela correspond à 27 DVDs! Il suffit d'insérer la clé sur votre ordinateur; l'installation sur le disque dur n'est pas nécessaire. L'accès est remarquablement rapide avec USB 3.0!

Le paquet correspondant le mieux aux standards professionnels, avec la Mega Database 2019, le nouveau endgame turbo sur clef USB et la Corr Database 2018, auxquels s'ajoutent le Magazine ChessBase (DVD inclus) et 1 an d'abonnement Premium à ChessBase!

ChessBase est une base de données autonome et personnalisable qui et devenu le standard à travers le monde. En effet, ChessBase est utilisé aussi bien par le Champion du Monde que par votre voisin de palier. Ce programme est dédié à tous ceux qui aiment le jeu et veulent en connaître toujours plus.

Vous avez trouvez la combinaison gagnante! Le programme ChessBase 15 + la nouvelle Mega Database 2019 avec 7,6 millions de parties et plus de 70'000 analyses de Maîtres + le magazine Chessbase (avec DVD) et 1 an d'abonnement Premium à ChessBase.

ChessBase est une base de données autonome et personnalisable qui et devenu le standard à travers le monde. En effet, ChessBase est utilisé aussi bien par le Champion du Monde que par votre voisin de palier. Ce programme est dédié à tous ceux qui aiment le jeu et veulent en connaître toujours plus.

Votre en entrée dans le monde de ChessBase, avec le programme ChessBase 15 + la nouvelle Big DataBase (7,6 millions de parties non commentées), ainsi que 3 n°s du Magazine ChessBase et un abonnement Premium de 6 mois à ChessBase.

ChessBase est une base de données autonome et personnalisable qui et devenu le standard à travers le monde. En effet, ChessBase est utilisé aussi bien par le Champion du Monde que par votre voisin de palier. Ce programme est dédié à tous ceux qui aiment le jeu et veulent en connaître toujours plus.

ChessBase est une base de données autonome et personnalisable qui et devenu le standard à travers le monde. En effet, ChessBase est utilisé aussi bien par le Champion du Monde que par votre voisin de palier. Ce programme est dédié à tous ceux qui aiment le jeu et veulent en connaître toujours plus.

ChessBase is a personal, stand-alone chess database that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.

La plus grande base de données au monde avec des annotations d'experts en exclusivité, contient plus de 7,6 millions de parties, jouées entre 1560 et 2018, et éditées selon les plus hauts standards de qualité de ChessBase. 72'000 d'entre elles sont commentées par des joueurs appartenant à l'élite. Vous apprécierez la classification des ouvertures de ChessBase, avec plus de 100'000 positions clefs, l'accès direct aux joueurs, tournois, thèmes de milieu de jeu et finales. Les toutes dernières parties de la base de données date de mi-octobre 2018.

ChessBase est une base de données autonome et personnalisable qui et devenu le standard à travers le monde. En effet, ChessBase est utilisé aussi bien par le Champion du Monde que par votre voisin de palier. Ce programme est dédié à tous ceux qui aiment le jeu et veulent en connaître toujours plus.

The exclusive annotated database. Contains more than 7.4 million games from 1560 to 2018 in the highest ChessBase quality standard. 72,000 games contain commentary from top players, with ChessBase opening classification with more than 100,000 key positions, direct access to players, tournaments, middlegame themes, endgames. The largest top class annotated database in the world. The most recent games of the database are from the middle of October 2018. Mega 2019 also features a new edition of the playerbase (requires ChessBase 14 or 15).

Activation key for automatic update of your reference database in Chessbase 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.

Attention: This online update service 2018 is also included in the Mega Database 2019!

Toujours avoir un temps d'avance sur son adversaire… qui ne rêve pas d'une telle situation? Grâce à la dernière édition de l'Encyclopédie des Ouvertures, vous avez à disposition un outil haut de gamme pour réaliser cet objectif! En effet, l'Encyclopédie 2018 contient plus de 1'000 articles spécialement dédiés à la théorie. Cette année, l'accent a été mis plus particulièrement sur les Variantes populaires de la Sicilienne (Sveschnikov, Paulsen, Dragon, Najdorf, entre autres). À noter aussi que la Française se voit complétée par 9 nouveaux apports. Le Système de Londres est de plus en plus pratiqué, aussi bien au niveau amateur que sur le plan professionnel. C'est pourquoi les auteurs de l'Encyclopédie 2018 ont aussi travaillé à fournir du matériel le concernant.

Corr Database 2018 is an extensive collection of correspondence games, featuring classical correspondence games played by mail as well as email games. The CD contains 1,431,813 games from 1804 until 2017 including all games of the correspondence chess world championships 1-28, correspondence chess olympics 1-18, correspondence chess european championships, national chamionships (AUS, CSR, DEN, GER, NED, USA). Corr 2018 also features a correspondence chess playerbase, which includes about 522,222 names. A must for every player of correspondence chess!

Perfect endgame analysis and a huge increase in engine performance: Get it with the new Endgame Turbo 4! Thanks to a new format the Endgame Turbo 4 is smaller, faster and yet has more scope. Four DVDs cover all five- and 27 of the most important six-piece-endgames and top engines such as Komodo Chess 8 and Houdini 4 play these endgames perfectly. But they also play other endgames much better because they can access the perfect knowledge of the Endgame Turbo! A must have for everyone wanting to improve in the endgame, correspondence players, endgame theoriticians, and friends of engine matches!

La base de données du nouveau Powerbook est phénoménale: les statistiques et les évaluations de ce DVD d'ouverture pour la Slave et la Semi-Slave reposent sur plus de 1,6 mio de parties! Seules 5% d'entre elles ont été jouées par des êtres humains. À l'aide du Powerbook, vous pourrez tirer des connaissances statistiques hautement intéressantes, car là où la théorie des hommes ne possèdent plus qu'une douzaine de parties à sa disposition, celle du Powerbook en a encore des milliers! Vous y trouverez des suggestions remarquables, ainsi que les tendances les plus actuelles! Par exemple, dans la variante principale après 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.♘f3 ♞f6 4.♘c3 e6 5.e3 ♞bd7 6.♕c2 ♝d6 7.♗d3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.♗xc4, le coups privilégié était pendant longtemps 9...b5. Désormais, c'est 9...a6 qui lui est préféré. Et après 10.♖d1 b5 11.♗d3 ♝b7 12.♘g5 h6 13.♘ge4

les hommes jouent 13...♝e7, mais la machine préfère 13...♝c7. À ce point de l'étude, la base de données contient encore 19'000 parties que vous pourrez étudier pour bien comprendre les finesses de la position!

Le Powerbook 2018 sur la Slave et la Semi-Slave peut être utilisé sur les programmes Fritz et ChessBase.

1…e5, Dutch and Indian setups
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play.

1...c5, 1...c6 and 1...e6
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play. 

Es ist nicht schwer, gute Argumente für die Englische Eröffnung zu finden. Spielt Schwarz 1...e5, steht ein Sizilianer mit vertauschten Farben auf dem Brett, also ein Sizilianer mit Mehrtempo für Weiß. Der Symmetriezug 1...c5 gibt Weiß ein Tempo und Chancen, die Initiative zu ergreifen und auf Angriff zu spielen. Alle großen Spieler in der Geschichte des Schachs hatten die Englische Eröffnung in ihrem Repertoire.

1…e5, Dutch and Indian setups
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play.

It's very rare that after merely three moves in a Sicilian, you can play a line which is not only sound, dynamic, but one that has flown almost completely under the radar and yet has such a high win rate in the database. Welcome to the Gashimov Variation of the Sicilian Defence. Similar to its cousin the Chekhover Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4!?), this variation, pioneered by the late great Azeri GM, aims to throw Black off his normal game right from the word 'go', where he'll be forced to play accurately and deal with a number of intricate nuances just to get an equal position. The general premise of this line is to adopt a very aggressive setup with White, developing the queen early, fianchettoing the dark squared bishop and castling on the long side as quickly as possible in order to start belligerent operations on the kingside. Naturally Black has a number of different ways to set out his stall, but what's great about this line is that White's system is almost identical regardless of how Black decides to develop, thus making the opening easy to learn and execute over the board.

In this detailed “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays with an early d5. The start position for this DVD is 1.d4 d5 2.c4. This series has many chapters and is a thorough analysis, showing how to fight for the advantage from positions in which Black plays with an early d5.

In this “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays without an early d5. The start position of this series is 1.d4 d5 2.Nf6. This DVD focuses on a White system against openings such as the “Nimzo-Indian”, Benoni and Benko. Please note that the Grunfeld and Kings Indian variations (2...g6) are not covered in this DVD.

Almost 300 000 engine games as well as 30 000 games culled from the Mega 2019 + the Correspondence Database 2018 constitute the basis for the Nimzo-Indian Powerbook 2019. If you want to play for a win with Black against 1.d4 then hardly any opening is as well suited to the purpose as the Nimzo-Indian: it is rare for symmetrical positions to arise and not much is exchanged, instead of that exciting distributions of material often appear on your board. White requires patience. To be sure he can frequently obtain the bishop pair, but that does not necessarily promise him an advantage.

For Garry Kasparov it had been clear for quite some time who would be his successor as world chess champion: none other than Vladimir Kramnik! In 1992 Kasparov brought the 17-year old into the Russian team and the latter justified his early inclusion with eight wins and one draw in the Chess Olympiad in Manila. Eight years later Kramnik in fact defeated his mentor in the world championship match in London and became the 14th chess world champion. It was thanks to Kramnik that the split between world championships which had begun in 1993 was brought to an end. Kramnik defended his title in 2004 against Peter Leko and in the reunification match in 2006 he defeated Veselin Topalov. In 2007 Kramnik lost the title to Viswanathan Anand at the world championship tournament in Mexico and was also defeated by the Indian in 2008 in the return match. Even after losing the title of world champion Vladimir Kramnik has continued to remain among the absolute elite of players in the world – till the present day. With his deep understanding of chess Vladimir Kramnik is considered one of the greatest masters of strategy in the history of the game. His flawless technique has enabled him to bring to a successful conclusion innumerable encounters in the endgame. In the realm of opening theory too Kramnik is one of the leading players. In addition to many other contributions, he has decisively shaped the theory of the Berlin Defence to the Ruy Lopez and that of the Catalan Opening with many original ideas. This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors (Yannick Pelletier, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh) how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure and how to bring your games to a successful conclusion with accurate technical endgame play. Through Vladimir Kramnik’s games it is possible, moreover, to follow the history and development of numerous popular openings and thus obtain a better understanding of the ideas behind them.

Over the years I have often heard Bird’s players (1.f4) labelled chess mavericks, “chancers”, too lazy to learn “proper” opening systems. Well, I am happy to say those days are well and truly over. Welcome to the “Bombastic Bird’s”, a revolutionary repertoire for one of the most enterprising and underrated openings in chess theory. In this series, I uncover a number of groundbreaking theoretical novelties and new ideas that will soon have scorners of this romantic system regretting they ever doubted its soundness. Black will often try to refute White’s setup right from the word “go”, an attempt which often embarrassingly backfires and leads to a quick victory for the first player. Even World Champion Magnus Carlsen has taken a shine to the opening, joining a whole host of top grandmasters integrating it into their opening arsenals.

The Bird Opening is above all a lovely surprise weapon. Moreover it is perfectly suited to those who play the Dutch, since after 1.f4 d5 one can play one’s favourite opening with an extra tempo. For the Powerbook an Elo threshold of 2300 was set. Thus 53 000 games from the Engine Room of Playchess found their way into the database. To those were added more than 4000 games played by human beings.

The Spanish Opening arises after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. Now Black has a wealth of interesting systems. One possibility which until now has been completely ignored is the Norwegian Defence, which arises after 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5!?. With this seemingly odd move Black wants to exchange his knight for the strong white-squared bishop. The idea is extravagant and costs time. Black delays his development but often gets very dynamic counterplay. Surprisingly, it is difficult to prove an advantage for White. The variation is an ideal surprise weapon because White will usually be not at all prepared for this rare idea. The game often becomes concrete and very tactical. Therefore the Norwegian Defence is ideally suited for players who want to fight for the initiative from the very start.

The basis for the Powerbook Queen's Gambit Accepted 2019 consists of 168 000 engine games as well as 26 000 games from Mega 2019 + Correspondence Database 2018. In the Queen’s Gambit Accepted 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 Black is not seeking to win a pawn, but the early capture on c4 rather represents an attempt to rapidly become active on the queenside and then to contest White’s centre – mainly with ...c5, but sometimes also with ...e5.

The completely new Powerbook London System 2019 is based on games which start in different ways and belong to different ECO codes, but where in each case White plays d4 and Bf4 and also does without c4. This way of starting the game has long since cast off its image as purely an opening for amateurs; world class players such as So, Kramnik, Grischuk, Vachier-Lagrave, Aronian and Karjakin play the opening with both colours and the London book is based on 45 games by Magnus Carlsen. In order to guarantee a high level of reliability for the statistics, the threshold for accepting games was set at a very high level. Thus the basis for the Powerbook consists of 205 000 engine games as well as 11 800 games from Mega 2019 + Correspondence Database 2018.

The Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4!?) is a brazen yet utterly sound system for White who immediately opens up the position, by sacrificing a central pawn, in an attempt to assassinate the enemy king as quickly as possible. The sheer number of ways Black can mishandle the position after merely four moves makes this system a weapon that should be part of any first player’s repertoire if they enjoy highly tactical, dynamic positions full of initiative and attacking possibilities. As with any opening, if Black knows his theory he should emerge with a completely satisfactory position. Yet even at the elite level there have been a number of casualties, making this an opening that should absolutely be a part of any attacking player’s arsenal.

Appréciez en direct les moments forts du Championnat du Monde à venir entre Carlsen et Caruana en suivant chaque partie au coup par coup sur le serveur playchess.com en tant que membre Premium. Comment les logiciels d'analyse évaluent la position en cours? Et qu'en disent les Maîtres et experts connectés sur le serveur? De plus, en tant que membre Premium, vous avez accès à toutes les nouvelles applications web de ChessBase, avec entre autres: le portail vidéos, la base de données live avec plus de 8 millions de parties, l'entraîneur tactique avec plus de 50'000 exercices, le Live ou vous pouvez suivre tous les grands - et moins grands - tournois en direct ainsi que nos shows quotidiens d'échecs, etc.

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1…e5, Dutch and Indian setups
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play.

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.
 

1...c5, 1...c6 and 1...e6
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play. 

1…e5, Dutch and Indian setups
For many great players from different generations the English opening has been a logical complement to 1.d4. By delaying the advance of the d-pawn White can avoid certain popular defences such as the Nimzoindian or the Grünfeld, to return to the 1.d4 paths a few moves later. But White can go further and build up a purely English repertoire, based on 1.c4 and 2.g3, which is the aim of these two DVDs. There are a few move orders or systems (most typically the King’s Indian) where White’s objectively best idea might be transposing to 1.d4 anyway (which I frequently do in my games) but while mentioning this in all relevant cases I have analyzed genuine English systems, leading to interesting play.

In this “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays without an early d5. The start position of this series is 1.d4 d5 2.Nf6. This DVD focuses on a White system against openings such as the “Nimzo-Indian”, Benoni and Benko. Please note that the Grunfeld and Kings Indian variations (2...g6) are not covered in this DVD.

In this detailed “two-part” video series I take a look at a main line White system based on 1.d4. This series is aimed at the ambitious player who is looking to put maximum pressure on their opponent from the start of the game. In this DVD I consider positions in which Black plays with an early d5. The start position for this DVD is 1.d4 d5 2.c4. This series has many chapters and is a thorough analysis, showing how to fight for the advantage from positions in which Black plays with an early d5.

Over the years I have often heard Bird’s players (1.f4) labelled chess mavericks, “chancers”, too lazy to learn “proper” opening systems. Well, I am happy to say those days are well and truly over. Welcome to the “Bombastic Bird’s”, a revolutionary repertoire for one of the most enterprising and underrated openings in chess theory. In this series, I uncover a number of groundbreaking theoretical novelties and new ideas that will soon have scorners of this romantic system regretting they ever doubted its soundness. Black will often try to refute White’s setup right from the word “go”, an attempt which often embarrassingly backfires and leads to a quick victory for the first player. Even World Champion Magnus Carlsen has taken a shine to the opening, joining a whole host of top grandmasters integrating it into their opening arsenals.

After the success of the first Volume on Calculation Training, Dutch IM Robert Ris continues Volume 2 of the series with a wide range of new aspects which have to be mastered to become a great calculator at the board! The topics discussed in Volume 1 (Candidates Moves, Method of Elimination & Imagination) are certainly useful when studying the content of this new DVD. Special attention will be paid to Intermediate Moves, Quiet Moves, Sacrifices on Empty Squares, Mating Patterns, Ignoring Opponents Threat, Calculation in Defence and Method of Comparison. On top of that more practical advices for training are recommended, for instance how to handle your time management and visualising the position in your mind during the calculation process.

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. Video running time: 4 hours 23 min.

Bologans way to the Nimzo-Indian was very long and difficult. Which he now regrets a lot: “I would better start it when I was young. First I played only the King’s Indian against 1.d4, later I learned Black’s Knights Tango, which already had some elements of the Nimzo-Indian and only in the new millenium I included the Nimzo Indian into my repertoire.” This period coincided with the period of winning the Dortmund 2003 tournament, when he managed to hold with Black against Vladimir Kramnik in the decisive last round in a Nimzo with 4.Qc2. The Moldavian grandmaster recommends the Nimzo-Indian to players of all levels, because it’s complex and simple at the same time. It teaches one very important thing in chess - how to play with the knight against a bishop. The Nimzo- Indian therefore has the same importance as the Ruy Lopez after 1.e4. This DVD is aimed to give Black a clear idea what to do against 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 which is considered the strongest move order by White. Video running time: 4 hours 14 min.

All world champions left their mark on chess. And although they had different styles each and every one of them played the endgame exceptionally well. The material on this DVD is based on the ChessBase MasterClass series, and gives you a good opportunity to enjoy some of the best endgames in the history of chess.

The Open Games begin after the moves 1.e4 e5. The name results from the fact that the position often opens quickly which might lead to an early clash of the enemy pieces. Typical examples are the Scotch Opening, the Two Knights Defence or the venerable King’s Gambit. But the most important openings after 1.e4 e5 are the Italian Game and the Ruy Lopez, and here the game often develops more slowly. On this DVD the International Master Georgios Souleidis presents these and all other relevant openings arising after 1.e4 e5 in 36 videos.

There are a number of good Anti-Sicilian options out there, however I believe the 2.b3 Sicilian to be one of the most overlooked and underrated systems available to White. This modest move came back to the fore as a legitimate Anti-Sicilian weapon when none other than Vladimir Kramnik used it in a few games to frustrate his Sicilian diehard opponents.

L’Est-Indienne est une des ouvertures les plus dynamiques contre 1.d4. Sa marque de fabrique: s’en prendre directement et sans fioriture au Roi adverse. Avec beaucoup de dextérité, les pièces Noires se replacent sans cesse sur les meilleurs cases, malgré le peu d’espace à disposition. Employée par de nombreux champions tels que Fischer, Kasparov ou plus récemment Nakamura et aujourd’hui Carlsen, cette Défense convient particulièrement aux joueurs agressifs.

Bobby Fischer was a devoted Sicilian player. But the American chess genius and 11th World Champion was also a devoted 1.e4 (“Best by test” as he said) player, and his results against the Sicilian are remarkable.

For Garry Kasparov it had been clear for quite some time who would be his successor as world chess champion: none other than Vladimir Kramnik! In 1992 Kasparov brought the 17-year old into the Russian team and the latter justified his early inclusion with eight wins and one draw in the Chess Olympiad in Manila. Eight years later Kramnik in fact defeated his mentor in the world championship match in London and became the 14th chess world champion. It was thanks to Kramnik that the split between world championships which had begun in 1993 was brought to an end. Kramnik defended his title in 2004 against Peter Leko and in the reunification match in 2006 he defeated Veselin Topalov. In 2007 Kramnik lost the title to Viswanathan Anand at the world championship tournament in Mexico and was also defeated by the Indian in 2008 in the return match. Even after losing the title of world champion Vladimir Kramnik has continued to remain among the absolute elite of players in the world – till the present day. With his deep understanding of chess Vladimir Kramnik is considered one of the greatest masters of strategy in the history of the game. His flawless technique has enabled him to bring to a successful conclusion innumerable encounters in the endgame. In the realm of opening theory too Kramnik is one of the leading players. In addition to many other contributions, he has decisively shaped the theory of the Berlin Defence to the Ruy Lopez and that of the Catalan Opening with many original ideas. This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors (Yannick Pelletier, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh) how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure and how to bring your games to a successful conclusion with accurate technical endgame play. Through Vladimir Kramnik’s games it is possible, moreover, to follow the history and development of numerous popular openings and thus obtain a better understanding of the ideas behind them.

Mikhail Botvinnik became world champion in 1948 and remained so until 1963. During this time he either successfully defended his title against David Bronstein, Vassily Smyslov and Mihail Tal or got it back in a return match. The systematic, scientific method of working in chess begins with Botvinnik. He studied openings with respect to their typical middlegame structures and for those he developed successful strategies. The strategic approach runs like a red thread through Botvinnik’s work. Towards the end of his active career, the 5th world chess champion, known in the Soviet Union as the “patriarch”, founded a chess school and passed on his knowledge to numerous bright students. Amongst his students were, for example, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik.

Learn about one of the greatest geniuses in the history of chess! Paul Morphy’s career (1837-1884) lasted only a few years and yet he managed to defeat the best chess players of his time. After his triumphal journey to Europe in the years1858/1859 the American was hailed as the unofficial world champion. But how was it possible for Morphy to outplay his experienced opponents with such ease? What were his particular strengths?

Un talent légendaire venu, à la Bobby Fischer, de nulle part! Avec Magnus Carlsen, les parties préparées à l'avance avec l'appui de l'ordinateur ont laissé la place à l'aspect sportif des Échecs: profondeur stratégique, vaste connaissance technique des finales, énergie et endurance sont les cartes maîtresses de la nouvelle star des Échecs. Un DVD qui doit trouver sa place dans toutes les médiatiques des fans du jeu d'Échecs!

A-t-on connu dans l'histoire des Échecs un meilleur joueur que Garry Kasparov? Tout au long de sa carrière, Kasparov a impressionné par l'énergie qu'il dégageait. À seulement 22 ans, contre vents et marées, il obtint le titre de Champion du Monde. Quelles ont été les bases de son succès? Dans ce DVD, quatre experts scrutent en profondeur l'incommensurable connaissance des Échecs de Kasparov. Pas moins de 9 heures de vidéo! Et en bonus, Karsten Müller analyse les matches légendaires des années 1996 et 1997 opposant la machine Deep Blue à l'Ogre de Bakou.

When Anatoly Karpov was 11 years old, he was invited to Botvinnik’s chess school. But the “Patriarch” passed a harsh verdict: “The boy has no clue about chess and therefore absolutely no future as a chess player.” Rarely was a judgement about a chess talent more wrong, for Karpov soon became the best player in the Soviet Union, growing to be considered a serious challenger to the reigning World Champion, Bobby Fischer. But in the World Championship match in 1975, Fischer refused to play and Karpov won by default, becoming the 12th World Champion. He nevertheless proved himself worthy of his title, playing in countless tournaments with exceptional results. Particularly impressive was his style. Thanks to Karpov’s brilliant feel for positional chess, which reminded many experts of Capablanca, he outplayed his opponents again and again with seemingly effortless ease. If you want to improve your grasp of chess strategy, then there is hardly a better teacher than Anatoly Karpov! It took the arrival of Garry Kasparov for Karpov to have an opponent who could challenge him on an equal footing.

The name Emanuel Lasker will always be linked with his incredible 27 years reign on the throne of world chess. In 1894, at the age of 25, he had already won the world title from Wilhelm Steinitz and his record number of years on the throne did not end till 1921 when Lasker had to accept the superiority of Jose Raul Capablanca. But not only had the only German world champion so far seen off all challengers for many years, he had also won the greatest tournaments of his age, sometimes with an enormous lead. The fascinating question is, how did he manage that? Previously the answer frequently given was – psychology and luck. But this thesis has been refuted by authors who have to be taken seriously. Lasker’s secrets are obviously to be sought elsewhere.

He was a child prodigy and he is surrounded by legends. In his best times he was considered to be unbeatable and by many he was reckoned to be the greatest chess talent of all time: Jose Raul Capablanca, born 1888 in Havana. At the age of 13 he became Cuban champion; in 1909 he sensationally defeated Marshall by 8:1 and was thus catapulted into the world elite. It was only after some time, since only sparse amounts of information made it across the pond, that in 1911 Capablanca achieved well-deserved recognition by leaving the elite of world chess trailing in his wake in San Sebastian. It would however take another 10 years before the Cuban defeated the reigning world champion Emanuel Lasker in their match and wore the crown himself.

Alexander Alekhine, the fourth World Champion, played many fantastic attacking games and to this day enjoys the reputation of being an attacking genius. But ever since Alekhine won the World Championship match against Capablanca in Buenos Aires 1927 the chess world could see that the Russian-born Alekhine – who immigrated to France in 1921 – also handled technical positions excellently. But his success against Capablanca was still a surprise because the Cuban was considered to be virtually unbeatable. After winning the World Championship Alekhine reached the peak of his career in the early 1930s winning famous tournaments such as San Remo 1930 and Bled 1931 by a huge margin. Moreover, the World Champion was also a prolific author and in annotating his games gave deep insights to the thinking of a World Champion. Alekhine was one of the best players in the history of chess and treated all phases of the game – opening, middlegame and endgame – in textbook fashion. No wonder a lot of later top class players, not least Garry Kasparov, claimed Alekhine as their role model in chess. On this DVD Grandmasters Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller, and International Oliver Reeh present outstanding games, stunning combinations and exemplary endgames by Alexander Alekhine. And they invite you to improve your chess knowledge with the help of video lectures, annotated games and interactive tests. The DVD also contains all known games by Alekhine, most of them annotated. Tables of important tournaments and various articles with background information complete the DVD.

No World Champion has enchanted the chess world as much as Mihail Tal did. His reign as World Champion was short but in his time Tal’s star burned with unknown intensity. With his combinations and his intuitive sacrifices the young Tal ran over his opponents, and thrilled the chess world with his risky uncompromising attacking play, which inspired many players to emulate him. In 1960 he beat the reigning World Champion Botvinnik but one year later he lost the title of World Champion again in a return match of doubtful competitive value. But even though Tal was no longer World Champion, he still remained one of the best players in the world. At eight chess Olympiads he won gold with the Soviet team. Six times he became USSR-Champion. In 1973/74 he managed to remain unbeaten in 93 consecutive games, a still unmatched record. In 1988 he won the Blitz World Championship. Despite his frail health Tal enjoyed life to the fullest and was a funny and brilliant man, who loved nothing more than chess. Through the games of Mihail Tal this DVD provides a unique access to the realm of chess tactics. Tal’s colleagues dubbed their tactical guru „Magician“, because in his games seemingly incomprehensible moves in the end blended into a successful whole, as if by magic. But Tal was also a master of strategy and endgame play. On this DVD Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Oliver Reeh and Karsten Müller present the 8. World Chess Champion in video lessons: his openings, his understanding of chess strategy, his artful endgame play, and finally his immortal combinations. In an interactive test they invite you to try to find combinations like Tal did. The DVD also contains all games by Tal, many of them annotated, plus comments and tournament tables. 

No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Robert James Fischer. But what were the secrets to his sensational ability, and what enabled him to take on the Soviet school of chess alone – and win? On this DVD, a team of experts presents you every facet of the chess legend, and shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion. Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur. His congenial video analysis of Fischer’s legendary endgames can only be found on this DVD! To top it off - you too can unleash tactical combinations like Fischer! German Bundesliga player Oliver Reeh has compiled the World Champion’s best combinations – and now it’s your move. You too can try to find Fischer’s stunning brilliancies by entering your solution on the board and receive video feedback in the new ChessBase media format!

• Video running time: approx. 5 hours (English)
• Interactive tactics test with video feedback
• Collection of every Fischer game, tables, backround knowledge, short biography
• “Fischer powerbook”– the World Champion’s repertoire as an opening tree
• Tactic training: 100 Fischer games with training questions.

Dans son dernier Opus, Daniel King se concentre sur le principe fondamental du jeu d'échecs: faire échecs et mat! Autant par le biais de ses DVDs que par celui de sa chaîne powerplaychess, le GM anglais est devenu le n°1 des commentateurs des tournois du plus haut niveau. Il présente ici la multiplicité des chemins qui mènent à l'abdication du ♚ adverse. Pour ce faire, il s'appuie évidemment sur la fameuse technique des positions typiques qu'il s'agit d'avoir bien en tête pour transposer la configuration actuelle sur l'échiquier en position gagnante.

Renforcer la puissance de vos pièces! Initiez-vous à l'art du maniement des ♙♙ ou comprenez sur la base d'exemples tirés de la pratique quand est-ce qu'un ♘ est supérieur à un ♗. Ce bouquet contient les DVDs n° 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 de la série Powerplay.

Passer à l'attaque et remporter la partie! N'est-ce pas ainsi qu'on prend le plus de plaisir aux Échecs? Découvrez l'art de l'attaque grâce à Daniel King: les motifs de mat, les principes de l'attaque sur le ♔ adverse, le déferlement de ♙♙, tactique d'attaque, etc. Ce bouquet comprend les DVDs n° 1, 2, 3, 13, 14 et 20 de la série Powerplay!

Les Ouvertures comme le système de Londres ou la Trompofsky ont le vent en poupe. Les Blancs désirent avant tout éviter les lourds débats théoriques, tout en commençant la partie sur des bases solides. Daniel King vous montre comment leur répondre en se développant de manière saine, en conservant une structure de ♟s intacte, un ♚ en sécurité et une position dynamique au sortir de l'Ouverture. Ce DVD est le complément idéal aux répertoires proposés par l'auteur dans les DVDs 23 et 24 de la série Power-Play.

DVD1:
The Queen’s Gambit Declined (QGD) is one of the most reliable openings against 1 d4. With a rock of a pawn in the middle of the board, Black refuses to be pushed over in the centre. Establishing central control gives Black good chances to launch an attack against the enemy king. On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black with the QGD. The repertoire is demonstrated in 10 stem games, covering all White’s major systems: 5 Bg5, 5 Bf4, and the Exchange Variation. (Black’s options against the Catalan are explored on another DVD). The Queen’s Gambit Declined is a flexible opening. This DVD explores different systems so that you can keep your opponent guessing as to your choice. One of the great advantages of playing the QGD is that theory is relatively simple: this opening depends on your understanding of ideas, not tricky variations with counter-intuitive computer moves. Complete games are discussed so that one gains an idea about typical strategies for both sides. More than that, these model games provide inspiration to play the opening. This is an interactive DVD. At key moments in the games Grandmaster King pauses and puts you on the spot. You will have to find and play the best move. He then gives feedback in further video clips according to the move you chose. Every World Champion has played the Queen’s Gambit Declined. That speaks for its reliability and quality.

DVD2:
The Catalan is a reliable opening for White, but there are ways for Black to shake White out of his complacency while still maintaining a sound and solid position himself. On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black against the Catalan, based around maintaining the rock of a pawn on d5. Keeping central control ultimately gives Black good chances to launch an attack against the enemy king. The repertoire is demonstrated in 10 stem games with the system 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3 Bb4+. The check proves somewhat awkward for the smooth flow of White’s development. All three of White’s responses (5 Bd2, 5 Nbd2, 5 Nc3) are examined. 4...Bb4+ has been played by Magnus Carlsen of late and has been regularly and successfully employed most notably by Anand and Spassky. A system against the Reti/English 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 e6 3 g3 is also provided. One of the great advantages of playing this system for Black is that theory is relatively simple: this opening depends on your understanding of ideas, not tricky variations with counter-intuitive computer moves. Complete games are discussed so that one gains an idea about typical strategies for both sides. More than that, these model games provide inspiration to play the opening. This is an interactive DVD. At key moments in the games Grandmaster King pauses and puts you on the spot. You will have to find and play the best move. He then gives feedback in further video clips according to the move you chose.

The Catalan is a reliable opening for White, but there are ways for Black to shake White out of his complacency while still maintaining a sound and solid position himself. On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black against the Catalan, based around maintaining the rock of a pawn on d5. Keeping central control ultimately gives Black good chances to launch an attack against the enemy king. The repertoire is demonstrated in 10 stem games with the system 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3 Bb4+. The check proves somewhat awkward for the smooth flow of White’s development. All three of White’s responses (5 Bd2, 5 Nbd2, 5 Nc3) are examined. 4...Bb4+ has been played by Magnus Carlsen of late and has been regularly and successfully employed most notably by Anand and Spassky. A system against the Reti/English 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 e6 3 g3 is also provided. One of the great advantages of playing this system for Black is that theory is relatively simple: this opening depends on your understanding of ideas, not tricky variations with counter-intuitive computer moves. Complete games are discussed so that one gains an idea about typical strategies for both sides. More than that, these model games provide inspiration to play the opening. This is an interactive DVD. At key moments in the games Grandmaster King pauses and puts you on the spot. You will have to find and play the best move. He then gives feedback in further video clips according to the move you chose.

The Queen’s Gambit Declined (QGD) is one of the most reliable openings against 1 d4. With a rock of a pawn in the middle of the board, Black refuses to be pushed over in the centre. Establishing central control gives Black good chances to launch an attack against the enemy king. On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black with the QGD. The repertoire is demonstrated in 10 stem games, covering all White’s major systems: 5 Bg5, 5 Bf4, and the Exchange Variation. (Black’s options against the Catalan are explored on another DVD). The Queen’s Gambit Declined is a flexible opening. This DVD explores different systems so that you can keep your opponent guessing as to your choice. One of the great advantages of playing the QGD is that theory is relatively simple: this opening depends on your understanding of ideas, not tricky variations with counter-intuitive computer moves. Complete games are discussed so that one gains an idea about typical strategies for both sides. More than that, these model games provide inspiration to play the opening. This is an interactive DVD. At key moments in the games Grandmaster King pauses and puts you on the spot. You will have to find and play the best move. He then gives feedback in further video clips according to the move you chose. Every World Champion has played the Queen’s Gambit Declined. That speaks for its reliability and quality.

The French Defence is one of the most reliable openings against 1 e4. The solid central pawn chain protects Black’s king and provides the basis for counter-attacks on both wings. On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black with the French. Based around ten stem games, all White’s major lines against the French are covered. The French Defence is one of the most flexible of openings. This DVD explores different systems so that you can always keep your opponent guessing as to your choice. Complete games are discussed so that one gains an idea about typical strategies for both sides. More than that, these model games provide inspiration to play the opening. This is an interactive DVD. At key moments in the games Grandmaster King pauses and puts you on the spot. You will have to find and play the best move. He then gives feedback in further video clips according to the move you chose.

Every chessplayer should have the ability to play a direct attack against the enemy king. Positional chess is important but one has to be able to recognise when to launch an attack. Checkmate ends the game. This DVD has two aims: · To test your attacking ability · To provide you with an arsenal of potent attacking ideas Using the new Fritz Trainer interactive system, Grandmaster Daniel King presents ten exemplary attacking performances. At key moments he stops and asks you to play a move. King then gives feedback on the most plausible continuations using video clips. It’s the next best thing to having your own personal trainer!

DVD provides you with a repertoire of attacking lines against: The Scandinavian, Alekhine’s Defence, The Petroff, The Philidor, The Pirc, The Modern Defence (1. e4 g6). Many of these openings are very popular in club chess, yet they are often underestimated by players of the white pieces. Using his wealth of experience playing with 1 e4, Grandmaster Daniel King explains the openings and provides you with an aggressive system against each of them. This is the second part of Daniel King’s project ‘Attack with 1 e4’ (part I dealt with the Sicilian, the French, The Caro Kann and 1...e5). King’s recommendations aim to put your opponent under pressure right from the start of the game, and when players are under pressure, mistakes occur. This is a practical repertoire – if we study openings we want to be sure to use them in our games. After just a few moves, you will be dictating play. Video running time: 5 hours 24 min.

The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence is the opening of champions. Kasparov, Anand and Bobby Fischer all made this uncompromising opening a central part of their repertoire – with success. Grandmaster Daniel King is a life-long practitioner of the Najdorf. On this DVD he explains the fundamental principles of the opening and offers a repertoire of systems for Black against all of White’s major alternatives. Whether you are new to the Najdorf or already have experience with the opening, this DVD is suitable for you. The Najdorf has a reputation for complexity, but this is undeserved. Strategy is often determined by pawn structure, and as Black’s structure is often the same in many variations of the Najdorf, this opening is actually much simpler to understand compared to others. King demonstrates that an understanding of positional principles can lead Black through this seemingly complex opening, into the middlegame and right through to the endgame. As well as up-to-date theoretical information, classic games are examined, putting theory in context and demonstrating typical strategies. Video runningtime: 6 hours.

This DVD provides you with a repertoire of attacking lines against the four major defences to 1.e4 – that is, 1...e5, the Sicilian, the French, and the Caro Kann. These systems will put your opponent under pressure, and when players are under pressure, mistakes occur. This is a practical repertoire – if we study openings we want to be sure to use them in our games. For example 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 is one of the recommendations. After just a few moves, you will be dictating play. The Power Play series is suitable for anyone looking to improve their chess, but also provides ready-made lessons and exercises for a trainer. Video runningtime: 6 hours.

The aim of this DVD is to provide you with the practical skills and knowledge that you will need to play a rook and pawn endgame. Based on his own playing experience, Grandmaster Daniel King reveals what is essential knowledge, saving you time in your studies. The first section of the DVD compromises some basics – common positions you simply must understand if you enter a rook and pawn endgame, such as rook and pawn against rook. In the second section common scenarios are discussed, for example, endgames with all pawns on one wing, and endgames where one side has an extra pawn on one side of the board. In the third section you can gauge your knowledge by studying some specially prepared test positions. The Power Play series is suitable for anyone looking to improve their chess, but also provides ready-made lessons and exercises for a trainer. Video runningtime: 5 hours.

The aim of this DVD is to provide you with the practical skills and knowledge that you will need to play a king and pawn endgame. Based on his own playing experience, Grandmaster Daniel King reveals what is essential knowledge, saving you time in your studies. In the first section of the DVD he takes you through typical motifs and themes. In the second section he tests your knowledge with typical scenarios from actual games. The Power Play series is suitable for anyone looking to improve their chess, but also provides ready-made lessons and exercises for a trainer. Video runningtime: 4 hours.

For more than 20 years ChessBase Magazine has been one of the leading international chess journals. The bilingual magazine (English /German) appears every two months and coming as it does as a combined issue of a printed magazine and a DVD it offers the best possible training material for club players and professionals alike. What are you waiting for? With ChessBase Magazine you are programmed to win! The advantages this offers are unbeatable!

New Ideas for your Opening Repertoire!
Video Lectures & Training Exercises

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

The ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs! DVD with several hours of video + booklet.

Learn to think strategically, try out tricky mental exercises and master fun and exciting challenges – all with a generous helping of chess knowledge. These things and more await you on this unusual chess adventure that has already received great international acclaim.
Start playing version 3.0 of Fritz & Chesster Volume 1 straight away and on any computer, laptop, tablet or iPad with Internet access and join Prince Fritz and his cousin Bianca on their journey through the rules of chess and many tactical motifs.

 This unforgettable chess adventure is designed to advance young chess player’s skills, move by move. Discover mini-games, brain-twisters and more at every attraction. Pick up chess tips and skills as you ride in bumper cars and the Ferris wheel. Polish up your chess strategy and tactics, opening, middle game and endgame and use what you’ve learned to win. You’ll have lots of fun while you learn more about the serious business of playing – and winning – chess!

 Jump into chess action, move by move, to rescue Chesster from deep within King Black’s castle. Join Fritz and Bianca in a thrilling chess adventure as they enter rooms of the castle, where each challenge will help you sharpen skills and prepare for the ultimate showdown.

It's very rare that after merely three moves in a Sicilian, you can play a line which is not only sound, dynamic, but one that has flown almost completely under the radar and yet has such a high win rate in the database. Welcome to the Gashimov Variation of the Sicilian Defence. Similar to its cousin the Chekhover Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4!?), this variation, pioneered by the late great Azeri GM, aims to throw Black off his normal game right from the word 'go', where he'll be forced to play accurately and deal with a number of intricate nuances just to get an equal position. The general premise of this line is to adopt a very aggressive setup with White, developing the queen early, fianchettoing the dark squared bishop and castling on the long side as quickly as possible in order to start belligerent operations on the kingside. Naturally Black has a number of different ways to set out his stall, but what's great about this line is that White's system is almost identical regardless of how Black decides to develop, thus making the opening easy to learn and execute over the board.

The Spanish Opening arises after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. Now Black has a wealth of interesting systems. One possibility which until now has been completely ignored is the Norwegian Defence, which arises after 3...a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 Na5!?. With this seemingly odd move Black wants to exchange his knight for the strong white-squared bishop. The idea is extravagant and costs time. Black delays his development but often gets very dynamic counterplay. Surprisingly, it is difficult to prove an advantage for White. The variation is an ideal surprise weapon because White will usually be not at all prepared for this rare idea. The game often becomes concrete and very tactical. Therefore the Norwegian Defence is ideally suited for players who want to fight for the initiative from the very start.

Dans cette seconde partie, Andrew Martin considère 3...dxc4, cette fois après que les Blancs aient opté pour 3.♘f3. Cette prise a-t-elle encore du sens du moment que poussée thématique b7-b5-b4 ne dérange aucun ♘ posté en c3? S'il est vrai que cela fait une grande différence, il n'en demeure pas moins que l'idée de base des Noirs reste la mêmes: les Blancs doivent investir beaucoup d'énergie pour récupérer le ♟ en c4 sans commettre d'inexactitude ou même d'erreur.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.♘c3 dxc4! Il y a peu d'ouverture dans lesquelles la moyenne des joueurs sont surpris après le 3e coup déjà et n'y sont pas préparés du tout. La rapide capture en c4 dans la Slave fait partie du lot! "Non conventionnel et ambitieux!" "Ultramoderne et pugnace!" C'est ainsi qu'Andrew Martin caractérise les variantes et types de position dans lesquelles les Noirs s'orientent avec la prise précoce et peu connue en c4. Lorsque les Blancs ne sont pas suffisamment attentifs, il n'est pas rare de voir les Noirs sortir de l'ouverture sainement avec un ♟en plus! Dans cette première partie qui concerne 3.♘c3, Martin explique pourquoi la prise en c4 est particulièrement dérangeante pour les Blancs en présentant un plan clair pour les Noirs. Suivez l'exemple des champions tel que Nakamura en optant pour cette variante tendue de la Slave!

The Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4!?) is a brazen yet utterly sound system for White who immediately opens up the position, by sacrificing a central pawn, in an attempt to assassinate the enemy king as quickly as possible. The sheer number of ways Black can mishandle the position after merely four moves makes this system a weapon that should be part of any first player’s repertoire if they enjoy highly tactical, dynamic positions full of initiative and attacking possibilities. As with any opening, if Black knows his theory he should emerge with a completely satisfactory position. Yet even at the elite level there have been a number of casualties, making this an opening that should absolutely be a part of any attacking player’s arsenal.

The Arkhangelsk Variation in different forms is one of the old favourite weapons of Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana who are still employing it in their tournament games on the highest level possible. Adrian Mikhalchishin’s first DVD on the Arkhangelsk was released 10 years ago. Naturally enough, since then quite a few important discoveries have been made, and in his new work the author sheds light on fresh ideas in the hyper-sharp c3 variation, the classical line, which is specially well played by Caruana, as well as further entertaining developments in the Semi-Arkhangelsk with a temporarily delayed b7-b5.

Young, inexperienced players usually have stress facing closed positions, since powerful pawn chains always demand knowledge of special and precise plans. I remember that, even when already being a strong GM, I always was a bit afraid of the Dutch Stonewall. One day my friend Aleksander Beliavsky took me aside to reveal his new idea for White: You exchange the bishop on f4 to open the g-file (gxf4) and double rooks there. Black will protect his weakness on this file with all his forces. Then, as you have more space, you transfer your pieces to the other side, create a new weakness there, and the opponent will be helpless. Beliavsky's splendid game against Artur Jussupov is a fantastic educational example of this great plan.

The Löwenthal Variation in the Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6!?) is a surprise weapon for Black. If you play the Open Sicilian with White you should know what to do against it. In this 60 minutes video GM Nadezhda Kosintseva offers White a repertoire to counter the Löwenthal Variation. However, if you like to play the Löwenthal with Black you should also take a look at this video because Kosintseva explains typical plans and ideas of the Löwenthal and indicates a number of typical tricks and traps.

The 2.Ne2 Variation of the Caro-Kann (1.e4 c6 2.Ne2), sometimes called the Short variation, is an ostentatious try by White to get Black out of his comfort zone as early as move 2. Caro-Kann players typically love their solid structures and modest setups, but with this bamboozling sideline they will be forced to enter unknown territory right from the off!

If you're one of those French Defence players who has been desperately searching for a reliable and easy-to-learn system against White's two main 3rd moves (3.Nd2 or 3.Nc3) then this is the 60 Minutes for you! Presenting: the Fort Knox variation (3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7!?). This opening does exactly what it says on the tin! By developing the notoriously bad French c8-bishop to c6, followed by a natural and methodical development of the kingside pieces, Black manages to erect a super-solid structure — like Fort Knox — that is designed to frustrate White, who will often overextend, leaving himself exposed in his quest for glory. This variation has been endorsed by some of the most classical players (like Karpov), as well as the most creative (like Jobava) Grandmasters in the world with fantastic success. It’s a perfect choice for those with a positional style of chess who enjoy counterattacking and taking advantage of overzealous opposition.

For a long time the Scotch opening was considered harmless and rarely played. This changed in 1990 when Garry Kasparov successfully employed the Scotch opening in his World Championship match against Anatoly Karpov. But that was 25 years ago. Now, there is no need to panic if you want to play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 and need a line against the Scotch. On this 60 Minutes renowned and successful coach Adrian Mikhalchishin gives simple practical tips how to neutralize and counter the Scotch.

The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.

On this 60 mins video we are going to concentrate on a simple, very solid idea in the main line Scandinavian, which even Magnus Carlsen has used to win games. Black focusses on making his life easy in the opening and forces White to work very hard to get advantage – but it is doubtful if White can get an advantage. Club players are always on the lookout for effective, time-saving solutions and here we have just that. Accompany FIDE Senior Trainer and IM Andrew Martin on this 60 mins video. You can learn a new opening system in 60 mins and start to play it with confidence on the very same day!

Dynamic play is what makes your chess effective and most importantly fun! You start the game making the essential steps of developing pieces and focusing on the center. As the battle heats up one player assumes the defensive position while the attacker takes over the initiative. As you commit to your attack, keeping the initiative becomes alike ''walking a tight rope''. There is no turning back and the path to success is narrow. You either come out victorious or you fall crushing down. This is the kind of chess we love to play!

This DVD deals with a unique line in the Bogo Indian that is becoming poular recently. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 Bxd2!? 6.Qxd2 Nc6! 7.Nc3 d5! is a modern line where Black tries to play actively in the center. With the move d5 he puts pressure on the white centre and forces him to make a decision. If White were to take cxd5 exd5, it solves the problem of the bishop on c8. But if White doesn't take then dxc4 becomes a real possibility. This gives Black clear cut ways to deal with White's ways of playing in the opening. The Author also discusses side lines with 7.b3 and 8.b3. In 60 minutes you will have good, sound knowledge to face 3.Nf3 and play the Bogo Indian.