Filtres

Creating a Repertoire can be a difficult and demanding job, especially for those with limited study time. Attempts to implement a lot of new openings at the same time can set a player adrift in a sea of unknown chess patterns. This in turn can have a catastrophic impact on their game. On this DVD Nigel Davies explains how to go about this process of building a repertoire the right way, with a minimal amount of stress or sweeping wholesale changes.

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan began playing chess in the summer of 1972 and by 1979 he had won the World Junior Championship and in January of 1980 earned his final Grandmaster norm. What had he learned in seven and a half years that propelled him so far so quickly?

Grandmaster lines explained for club players – Constructing an opening repertoire is one of the chess player’s most difficult and time-consuming tasks. Turned off by masses of theory, many players shy away from critical lines and concentrate on trappy lines, ‘universal’ systems, or variations which concede the advantage of the first move in order to get a playable position.

Players with interests and commitments away from the chess board often find it difficult to compete against those with more study time. Their opponents come to the board armed with the latest theory and can bash out moves well into the middle game. On this DVD Nigel Davies addresses this issue by demonstrating a simple and easy to learn opening system designed for the busy person.

Magic of Chess Tactics Chess Tactics are the art of combat command. When tactics dominate concrete action is required immediately in order to put a plan into practice or to grab an opportunity. However in complicated positions and with determined resistance basic tactics are often insufficient and intuition, imagination and precision are necessary. The Magic of Chess Tactics DVD helps to develop these qualities and hereto offers a multitude of highly interesting, thoroughly analysed examples as well as detailed explanations and exercises.

The Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange Variation is one of the most important opening systems, having been played by most of the great players in history and from both sides of the board. The most outstanding specialists in this method of play include Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Botvinnik and Samuel Reshevsky whilst the Black side has been championed by such notables as Anatoly Karpov, Boris Spassky and Paul Keres. It is truly an opening of champions.

The f4 Sicilian is a perennial favorite with club players. It was popularised by Bent Larsen in the 1960s and then later on by British GMs such as Mark Hebden, James Plaskett and William Watson. White’s strategy is simple, the advance of his e- and f-pawns gains space on the kingside and might later be used as a battering ram behind which White’s pieces are ready to spring into the attack. Although this plan may sound primitive it can be highly effective. Indeed the Israeli GM Emil Sutovsky has used it to wreak havoc against some of the World’s top players. On this DVD Davies makes a cogent argument for White playing 2.Nc3 rather than 2.f4 because of the gambit line with 2...d5! 3.exd5 Nf6. He goes on to show that this is not only a playable approach for White but can have devastating consequences against anything but the most accurate play by Black. Accordingly Davies’s presentation is offered for both players wishing to play this opening with White and for those who need to know how to meet it with Black. A special warning is offered to Najdorf players because 2.Nc3 d6 makes 3.f4 very dangerous. Video running time: 4 hours.

The Rossolimo Variation of the Sicilian Defence (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) is always an excellent choice with White if you want to avoid the deeply analysed main lines of the Open Sicilian (3.d4), in which the analysis frequently goes deep into the middlegame or sometimes even into the endgame. For that reason the move 3.Bb5 has a fi rm place in the repertoire of many grandmasters where it is welcome above all as an anti-Sveshnikov weapon. Instead of getting involved in a theoretical duel, White logically aims for strategically complex positions, e.g. by exchanging on c6 and at the cost of the bishop pair degrading Black’s pawn structure (doubled pawns c6/c5). This results in positions in which positional understanding is more important than knowledge of specific variations - meaning that only players who are aware of the general plans and typical piece manoeuvres will be able to find their way through them. Alexei Shirov provides you with the requisite understanding of the subtleties of these positions, by annotating extensively his most important games in this variation. During his career he has played the 3.Bb5 system with both colours and he shares with you on this DVD his valuable experience in the form of video lessons which take up a total running time of more than seven hours.

The modern form of the Philidor Defence arises via the move order 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5. Then after 4.Nf3 Nbd7, Shirov has introduced the pawn sacrifice 5.g4!? into practice - and achieved excellent results with it. Accepting the sacrifice leads to a very sharp position full of tactical possibilities. Shirov is one of the best connoisseurs of this system, and although he has been very successful with the white pieces in this line, he is always striving for objectivity and shows the possibilities for Black’s counterplay as well. Who finds the gambit 5.g4!? too double-edged, can find an alternative in the tried and tested, solid strategic approach 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 c6 8.a4. Also on this system Shirov presents many of his own games, discussing among other things the difficult, but extremely important question whether and when White can advantageously proceed in the centre with d4-d5. The third system presented by Shirov arises after the traditional Philidor move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4. Black tries to solve his problems by the radical 3... exd4 now, a move which was already played by Horwitz versus Staunton in 1846 and which recently has come into fashion again. Analysing his game against Nisipeanu, apart from Bacrot one of the experts of Black’s way of playing, Shirov shows how White can fight for the advantage here. Video running time: 5 h 52 m.

Chess is turning into a young man’s game. Time limits are faster, sessions last longer and computer databases and playing engines seem to dominate opening preparation. Add the fact that older players often have jobs and families that take most of their time and it’s no surprise they suffer painful defeats at the hands of spotty youths. Nigel Davies is no stranger to this situation; a more mature Grandmaster who refuses to grow old with dignity he is still slugging it out with young players in tournaments and matches. On this DVD he argues that an older player with very little time can nonetheless remain competitive, but only if he uses guile and common sense rather than bluster and machismo. There are several aspects to Davies’ plan, for example using ‘low maintenance openings’, seeking out particular types of position, making the endgame your hunting ground and looking after your health. He goes on to show how several great players have used such techniques to make outstanding results in their 60s and even 70s. Video runnig time: 3 hours.

For players who lack either the time or inclination to study reams of opening theory the Closed Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 followed by 3.g3) is an excellent choice. The two great exponents of this method of play were World Champions Vassily Smyslov and Boris Spassky. These days it’s the top English Grandmasters Michael Adams and Nigel Short who are its leading exponents. During the early stages White quietly builds strong central fortifications and gains space on the kingside. Despite the quiet appearance of this plan, in the middle game this can lead to a ferocious onslaught against Black’s king. On this DVD Nigel Davies introduces the viewer to the different strategies and variations through a series of instructive games. His presentation caters mainly for players who wish to play White, but he also points out the best methods of defence for Black. This makes it essential viewing for players wishing to play either colour. Video running time: 4,5 hours

The Scotch Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4) is a lively alternative to the Ruy Lopez which has found favour amongst many leading Grandmasters. The top experts in the Scotch include former World Champion Garry Kasparov as well as Alexander Morozevich, Sergei Rublevsky and others. The space White takes early in the game can easily translate into a powerful attack against Black’s king. In addition to this White can often usually some damage on Black’s pawn structure by capturing Black’s knight on c6. These dual aims have certainly been giving Black plenty to think about.