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CDs, DVDs, Software Part 37

Attacking the King for Experts By Rustam Kazimdzhanov

System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM,Windows XP or Windows Vista, Windows Media Player 9.0, DVD drive.

Ever since the beginning of chess, the assault on the king has had its own special magic; masterly attacking games, crowned by sacrifices and unforgettable combinations, have never ceased to attract and thrill the audience. On this DVD in fritztrainer video format, Rustam Kasimdzhanov shows us that particularly the World Champions were outstanding attackers from who we can learn a lot. From Steinitz, Lasker and Capablanca to Fischer, Karpov and Kasparov, one exemplary attacking game is presented reflecting the individual playing attitude of each of these chess legends.

The extraordinary GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov uses four hours of video to cover the complex topic detailing the secrets of attacking the king. The lessons are based on the games of some of the greatest World Champions of all time. All the material is based on games from world champions as players such as: Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Botvinnink, Euwe, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Karpov and obviously Kasimdzhanov himself whose games are covered in the second part of the DVD. All together there are eight games from Rustam Kasimdzhanov on these video files and that makes this DVD so highly instructive!

Fritz Powerbook 2009 By ChessBase

The current openings theory with 1 million games. The Fritz Powerbook 2009 contains 27 million opening positions, derived from 1.4 million high class tournament games.

Together with each position all relevant information is stored: all moves that were played in the position, by players of what average rating, with what success and performance results.

The games from which the Fritz Powerbook 2009 were derived are also included on the DVD. This means that in any position of the openings tree you can load and replay the games in which the position occurred.

The Fritz Powerbook 2009 represents the state of the art of current openings theory. Discover exciting and tricky new lines and practice them against Fritz.

In addition the DVD has a small but very exclusive book with the strongest GM games (ELO >= 2550)from the past 100 years (1.8 Mio positions).

System requirements: Pentium PC, 32 MB RAM, Windows Vista, WindowsXP and Fritz11, DVD drive.

The Scotch Game By Nigel Davies

With this DVD Grand Master Nigel Davies provides a complete repertoire based on the Scotch Four Knights.

Part one of the DVD covers 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4} and  other Scotch lines such as Kasparov’s favourite, the  Mieses variation. Part two of the DVD covers 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5}.

The Scotch is a good choice of opening but requires a lot of work to memorise the variations. Nigel does a great job of showing you the lines and ideas and concentrates on the modern approach which will be most relevant for today’s play. The video running time is about 5 hours and there are 34 well filled video files to cover the different aspects of the opening.

An interesting game included is a game with the Steinitz System. As Gutman once wrote in his book on 4…Qh4 the boldest and most dangerous of Black’s defences to 4. Nxd4.

Kasimdzhanov, Rustam (2614) - Vladimirov, Evgeny (2586) [C45] Namangan zt Namangan, 2000
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Be2 Nf6 [6...Qxe4 7.Ndb5 Bxc3+ (7...Kd8 8.0-0 Bxc3 9.Nxc3 Qd4 10.Bd3 Nge7 11.Qh5 f5 12.Re1 h6 13.Bd2 a6 14.Rad1 g6 15.Qe2 Qg7 16.Na4 Rh7 17.Bc3 Qf8 18.Bc4 b6 19.Qe3 Rb8 20.b4 d6 21.Nc5 bxc5 22.bxc5 d5 23.Bxd5 Nxd5 24.Bf6+ Re7 25.Rxd5+ Bd7 26.Bxe7+ Nxe7 27.Rdd1 Ke8 28.Qe5 Rc8 29.Rxd7 Kxd7 30.Qe6+ 1-0 Sevillano,E (2490)-Kretchetov,A (2335)/Los Angeles 2003) 8.bxc3 Kd8 9.0-0] 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.Nf5 Qxe4 9.Bd3 Qg4 10.f3 Qa4 11.bxc3 Kf8 [11...0-0 12.Nxg7 Kxg7 13.Bh6+ Kxh6 (13...Kg8 14.Qd2 Qh4 15.Bg5) 14.Qd2+ Kg7 (14...Kh5 15.g4+ Nxg4 16.fxg4+ Kxg4 17.Kh1) 15.Qg5+ Kh8 16.Qxf6+ Kg8 17.Qg5+ Kh8 18.Qh6] 12.Qe1 Ne8 [12...d6 13.Nxg7 Kxg7 14.Qg3+ Kf8 15.Bh6+ Ke7 16.Bg7 Re8 17.Qg5 Be6] 13.Qg3 d6 14.Nxg7 Rg8 [14...Nxg7 15.Bh6 Rg8 16.Bxh7] 15.Bh6 Rxg7 16.Rae1 Ne5 17.f4 Nxd3 18.cxd3 Bf5 19.h3 Qb5 20.Rxe8+ [20.Rf3] 20...Kxe8 21.Qxg7 Bxd3 22.Re1+ Kd7 23.Qxf7+ Kc6 24.Kh2 Bc4 25.Qxh7 Bxa2 26.Re7 Rc8 27.Qe4+ Kb6 28.f5 Bd5 29.Qd4+ Kc6 30.f6 Rg8 31.Bg7 Qf1 32.Qg4 Kb6 33.h4 a5 34.h5 c5 35.h6 Qd3 36.f7 Bxf7 37.Rxf7 Re8 38.Qd7 Qe4 39.Qxd6+ Kb5 40.Qd7+ Ka6 41.Qf5 Qh4+ 42.Qh3 Qe4 43.h7 a4 44.h8Q 1-0

The ABC of the Sicilian Dragon By Andrew Martin

The Sicilian Dragon is one of the most extensively analysed openings in the entire realm of chess theory. That is because it is one of Black’s best counterattacking options against 1 e4 and therefore very attractive.

After 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6! Black develops aggressively and rapidly, has clear intentions on the half-open c-file and the long diagonal. He retains options of levering open the queenside with the help of ...b7-b5 and ...a7-a5. Black keeps the inherently flexible Sicilian pawn-structure intact.

Yet... can it really be sensible for the club player to wade in these dangerous waters? Will the game not reduce to a battle of memory, particularly in the Yugoslav attack? Not everyone has the talent of Kasparov, Carlsen, Topalov or Golubev. In the ABC of the Sicilian Dragon, Andrew Martin constructs a battle plan for the average player, which relies less on theory and more on understanding.

He argues conclusively that this excellent opening CAN be used by every player and give fine results. Video running time: 4 h 10 min. This Fritz-Trainer can also be run with Pocket Fritz 3 (audio format)!

The ABC of the Leningrad Dutch By Andrew Martin

The running time of this DVD is 4h 10 min so you can learn everything you need to know about the Leningrad Dutch. Well I’m sure David Cumming will correct me on that as it is one of his favourite openings and he has been studying it for years.

The Leningrad System of the Dutch is characterized by an early fianchetto of Black’s King Bishop. Thanks to the uncompromising and controversial nature of Black's first move, 1...f5, this will always lead to sharp and difficult play.

On this ChessBase DVD, International Master Andrew Martin makes a compelling case for playing the Leningrad in competitive games and demonstrates that this is the ideal opening for players willing to embrace risk and who like to WIN.

Bent Larsen once famously remarked that the Dutch Defence brings out "the chicken" in a lot of opponents. Time and again on this DVD we will see what he means. Maybe Petrosian rubbed his hands with glee at the thought of facing 1...f5, but for the average player the Dutch can be a nasty shock.

Video running time: 4 h 10 min. This Fritztrainer is also running under Pocket Fritz 3! Martin also includes some small theory video files where he digs more into the played strategies of the Leningrad Dutch.

The ABC of the Anti-Dutch By Andrew Martin

This DVD is the ideal companion to the previous DVD. To play and understand the Dutch Defence it is necessary to understand the so called Dutch lines such as the Staunton Gambit.

As Martin explains Black has to be careful but does not have to fear this tricky line as we can see in the following game from Martin himself, where for Black an old recommendation of Nimzowitsch is 4..b6:

Players wishing to play the Dutch Defence must certainly pay as much attention to Anti-Dutch systems as they do to the main line, as it is these very lines that will occur most often at club level. On this DVD IM Andrew Martin shows entertaining ways to get a good position as Black against all the most common Anti-Dutch strategies, so that you never have to worry about facing these annoying sidelines again.

The most important lines: 2 Nc3, 2 Bg5, 2 e4 and various side options for White are all considered. The Dutch is fully playable in the author’s opinion and especially at club level, where it will be a sharp and uncompromising points-scorer. Every game featuring the Dutch is an adventure!

Video running time: 3 h 10 min. This Fritztrainer is also running under Pocket Fritz 3!