Maurice Ashley: The Secret to Chess

9/2/2010 – This is one you really do not want to miss. Star international trainer and commentator Maurice Ashley reveals a secret he discovered on his way to becoming a chess grandmaster. It is a simple idea that anyone can understand – something that you can use immediately to improve your game. Maurice's entertaining style and great clarity make this a first class DVD. Here's a sample lesson.

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Maurice Ashley: The Secret to Chess

How Grandmasters Find Amazing Moves

Most chess fans believe that knowledge of the opening, middlegame and endgame is what separates grandmasters from everyone else. While all of these are important, the truth is much more profound: top players all have a deep insight into how to think about chess in ways that most players have never heard of

On this Fritz-Trainer DVD, Maurice Ashley reveals a simple idea that will forever change the way that you see chess. He shares the secret he discovered on his path to the grandmaster title, a secret that every player must understand in order to reach the highest level. Introducing a new term, “Drawback Chess“, he shows that chess is often not about looking for a winning move, but more about searching to find the flaws hidden deep inside your opponent‘s moves. With instructive examples and engaging practice positions, all explained with a clarity that anyone can understand, Maurice opens the door to a grandmaster‘s thinking process that will put you on the path to real chess improvement. Video running time: four hours.

One of the first lessons by Maurice. You can see it in better resolution here.

Maurice Ashley is an International Grandmaster, well known for his dynamic brand of chess commentary and effective coaching style. He was a commentator for the Anand-Kasparov World Championship match as well as all of Kasparov‘s epic computer matches. Next Friday (September 10th) he will be the commentator in the G-Star RAW World Chess Challenge in which Magnus Carlsen will take on the whole world in a one-day match.

Reactions from early buyers

André Vögtlin, Switzerland
Congratulation on the new DVD by Maurice Ashley. With regard to content, the personality of the author and the English it is simply superb. I enjoyed the DVDs of Daniel King and Valeri Lilov, but this one simply bowls me over. I want to thank Maurice for his wonderful model of "Drawback Chess". You are right, it is a secret! I think I have started to enjoy the game at a completely new level. I will definitely buy the next volume by Ashley – I sincerely hope there will be more to come.

Jens Im Brook, Germany
Tribute to whom tribute is due – the DVD on Aikido Chess by GM Maurice Ashley is a rare big-time pitch. Perhaps you can discuss the merits of Ashley's theme, but his presentation and commentary are indisputable. You can see that he is perfectly comfortable working in front of a camera. First class! Together with IM Andrew Martin and GM Daniel King he is certainly the top ChessBase coach. Excellent – we want more!!