ChessBase Reviews

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CDs, DVDs, Software Part 31

Power Play 5: Pawns By Daniel King

You might be a brilliant tactician or a fearsome attacker, but you won’t lways be able to apply these skills when you play. If a game takes on a quieter nature, it is crucial that you develop an understanding of pawn structures, pawn play and pawn weaknesses. In this fifth Power Play DVD, Daniel King discusses strong and weak pawn structures, isolated pawns and pawn islands, how to create pawn weaknesses, how to cramp a pawn structure, the power of centre pawns…and much more. Remember, weak pawns can decide the game. At the end of the DVD you can test your understanding of pawn play and pawn structures by examining a series of specially selected 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. Francois André Danican Philidor: "The Pawns Are The Soul Of Chess." Video running time: more than 6 hours!

The Accelerated Dragon By Nigel Davies

The Accelerated Dragon is much more than just a dynamic yet solid means of countering 1.e4. By knowing how to counter the Maroczy Bind Black can counter both the English and Reti Openings and even develop the basis of a defence against 1.d4.

Whilst having been used extensively by superstars such as Bent Larsen and Tigran Petrosian, Davies argues that the Accelerated Dragon is an even more effective proposition for club players. As he explains on this DVD, many White players are under the mistaken impression that the positions are like a regular Sicilian Dragon. And if this is the case they can find himself being demolished right out of the opening. Video running time: 4 hours.

My Path to the Top By Vladimir Kramnik

Born in 1975 in Tuapse on the shores of the Black Sea, Vladimir Kramnik studied at the Botvinnik-Kasparov chess school. At 16 he was included in the Russian Olympiad team and scored a sensational 8.5/9, the best result at the Olympiad. After that followed a string of great tournament results, culminating in a world championship challenge. In 2000 Kramnik played the chess legend Garry Kasparov and beat him to take the title, which he successfully defended in 2004 against Peter Leko and 2006 against FIDE champion Veselin Topalov, whom he defeated to take the unified world championship title.

On this DVD Vladimir Kramnik retraces his career from talented schoolboy to World Champion in 2006. With humour and charm he describes his first successes, what it meant to be part of the Russian Gold Medal team at the Olympiad, and how he undertook the Herculean task of beating his former mentor and teacher Garry Kasparov. Kramnik dissects his wins against Leko and Topalov, giving us a vivid impression of the super-dramatic final games of the 2006 match. His commentary is full of useful advice and provides a fascinating insight into the thought processes that govern top level play.

The DVD contains more than six hours of video with narrative and game analysis. There are also five additional segments from an exclusive video interview on the intrigues that surrounded the 2006 world championship, and on the state of the chess world in general.