ChessBase Reviews

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CDs, DVDs, Software Part 30

Powerplay 4: Start Right By Daniel King

There are many ChessBase authors who do a first class job of teaching us on various aspects of the game. Daniel King is one of those, yet having looked at this DVD I still can’t decide if it is brilliant, or a waste of time for the correspondence chess player.

Daniel deals with early ways of grabbing an early initiative. The trouble with this from the perspective of a Correspondence Chess Player, at least in my experience, is that we tend to follow lines in our favourite opening, or at least book lines, until we reach the middlegame, before we start any sort of independent thinking.

OK this is possibly a bit simplistic but I bet there are quite a few correspondence players, even at Grandmaster level, who are quite happy to play 20 moves of the opening automatically to reach a position they are familiar with. On reflection I am not sure this is the best strategy even though I am guilty of this type of thinking.

The DVD footage lasts just under 6 hours and includes a lot of fascinating games and exercises. Games go from the modern greats to past giants such as Fischer and Morphy. Daniel King isn’t even afraid to disagree with the post game analysis of some of the greatest players.

That said, if I forget every bit of analysis on all of the games presented on this DVD the one thing I will remember is that every move is important and deserves equal consideration. Actually it is a lesson that Richard Beecham kept trying to tell me about. (Talking of which Richard it is about time you sent me another game or two for the games column).

But this DVD - no matter how good you think you are I think it could broaden your horizons.

My Best Games in the Slav and Semi-Slav By Alexei Shirov

The author uses 14 of his own games with both colours, 8 in the Semi-Slav and 6 in the Slav on this DVD. He updates his notes on a few of the older games from his "Fire on Board" books but most of the material covered comes from the last 2 or 3 years.

Shirov's middlegame explanations are second to none and indeed he provides a first class insight into chess preparation at the highest level. The comments to Fressinet–Shirov are excellent and probably are worth the cost of the DVD on their own. You get 5 hours and 20 minutes of tuition on this DVD so it is easily good value for money.

The ABC of the Czech Benoni By Andrew Martin

This DVD-ROM on the Czech Benoni (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 sees Martin concentrating on the continuation 5... Nbd7). Andy Martin is the ideal presenter: articulate and knowledgeable. Andrew concentrates on the move order with the Black knight to 4... Nbd7. The DVD has about 4 hours of video instruction with around nineteen complete games. There are also quizzes to test your skills and a theoretical overview. Andrew Martin is one of the best tutors in the ChessBase stable so if the Czech Benoni is in your opening repertoire then you have to buy this DVD.

Chess Endgames 4 – Strategical Endgames By Karsten Mueller

Following on my comments from the Daniel King Opening DVD, I think it is only fair to say that I also have problems remembering endgame sequences that I have spent a fortune on books over the years. I had almost given up hope but Karsten Muller's excellent series has renewed my joy in endgame study. Each of the DVDs have been excellent in covering their respective areas and are well worth buying. The latest DVD covers a wide spectrum of endgames. In fact probably too much for me to give justice to.

The ChessBase info says "In the fourth volume of the endgame series a lot of themes with more material are included like rook and minor piece vs rook (and minor piece), rook vs and bishop vs rook, which is quite often won over the board. Those who have always found studying endgames with chess textbooks too dry and tedious will enjoy this DVD with its comfortable training system and benefit enormously – in brilliant endgames at the actual board. Complete video running time: approx. 6 hours."

Personally I think this is a DVD I will enjoy going over again and again over the coming months.

How to Play the Najdorf, Vol. 3 By Garry Kasparov

In the third volume of his Najdorf lectures, Garry Kasparov looks at lines with 6.Be3, which is today considered the main line in the Najdorf System.

The variation with the bishop on e3 and the pawn on f3 proves to be one of the most effective weapons against almost any variation of the Sicilian, including the Paulsen. Despite not playing chess for about 2 years, Kasparov appears to be keeping up to date with things as his analysis uses games from 2007. The DVD contains more than five hours of first-class private tuition. The package includes the latest Chess Base 9.0 Reader, a big reference database featuring all relevant Najdorf games, as well as a complete opening book that can be used to practice what you have learnt with Fritz.

The Pirc Defence By Nigel Davies

The Pirc Defence is a highly flexible and double-edged opening with which Black can avoid premature simplification and go for the full point. By first developing his kingside he waits to see how White will deploy his own forces before striking back in the most effective way. The top exponents of the Pirc include Mikhail Gurevich, Alexander Chernin, Jan Timman, Yasser Seirawan, Jonathan Speelman, Zurab Azmaiparpashvili and Alexander Belyavsky; in the past it was a great favourite of Mikhail Botvinnik and Tony Miles.

Here Nigel Davies explains the ideas and backs this up by showing exactly how Black should react to White's different formations. The DVD is extensive and Nigel Davies covers over 130 different lines so you should get a excellent grasp of the opening. Even rare second moves such as 2.Nc3 and 2.g3 are covered. I quite enjoyed playing through the Austrian attack, with the moves 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0. Video running time: 7 hours.

The Secret Weapons of the Champions By Adrian Mikhalchishin

Modern middlegame theory does not exist in written form. That is why players and trainers have to go back to the old recommendation by Nimzowitsch – to study typical positional methods. But who is better placed to teach us about their own powerful weapons than the great champions of the past? So the key to understanding the middlegame lies in understanding how to execute certain positional manoeuvres.

In this DVD Mikhalchishin explains, for example, Botvinnik’s famous "flank against centre" strategy, which is one of the cornerstones of positional play. Also Petrosian's white square strategy is an extremely important form of the control of squares and space. Tal was a great master of changing the material balance in every position – for example, rook and pawn against two pieces.

GM Makogonov, once a trainer of Vassily Smyslov, invented the famous secret positional rule of the Soviet chess school. How and when it is possible to apply this method you will find out from this disc.