4/19/2012 – 'International master Andrew Martin is a natural teacher, especially for those
below 2200,' writes Setven Dowd in this Chess
Cafe review. He gives the software six out of six stars (excellent) and
says: 'This trainer is a hit with me for its ability to supply the club player,
in slightly less than five hours, with a repertoire that can be used for the rest of one's chess-playing career.'
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
Winning starts with what you know The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
The course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay.
€39.90
Andrew
Martin: The Queen's Gambit Declined
Review by Steven B. Dowd
The Queen's Gambit Declined (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing
time: 4 hours 23 minutes. $35.95 (ChessCafe Price: $29.95).
International master Andrew Martin is a natural teacher, especially for those
below 2200. This trainer is a hit with me for its ability to supply the club
player, in slightly less than five hours, with a repertoire that can be used
for the rest of one's chess-playing career. The material is organized so well,
you could carry this one to your next tournament and review the opening suggestions
before the next round. The analysis is clean, clear, and straight to the point,
with only a few omissions.
The package insert notes: "The Queens Gambit Declined, Orthodox Variation
is an opening choice for Black which will never be refuted. It perhaps has an
unjust reputation of being solid and passive, but this all-new ChessBase DVD
will challenge that perception. Basing his Black repertoire on the Cambridge
Springs variation, Andrew Martin takes you on a tour of classic games, showing
how Black may conveniently sidestep the dangerous lines with Bf4, whilst retaining
good chances and providing comprehensive coverage of the lines where White captures
early on d5. This is a repertoire which will suit all levels of player."
And it does just that. By the time I had finished the two short introductions,
I knew exactly what was in store: coverage of the Cambridge Springs, coverage
of the Exchange Variation, and coverage of lines where White decides to play
Bf4.
The Cambridge Springs may seem surprising those who do not believe it is good
in modern practice. Martin believes that the defense is as viable as any, and
the only reason it is not seen much these days is simply a matter of fashion:
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The Cambridge Springs, of course, arises after
the moves1.d4d52.c4e63.Nc3Nf64.Bg5Nbd75.Nf35.cxd5exd56.Nxd5?is the well-known Elephant Trap.5...c66.e3Qa5The reason I,
and many other players, moved on from the Cambridge Springs to other openings,
is the main line7.Nd2After 7.Nd2, Martin recommendsdxc4and White usually recaptures with the
knight after trading off the g5-bishop.7.Nd2 doesn't really stop, of course,
either7...Bb4or7...Ne4Both moves have been played frequently. The
aggressive 7...Ne4 looked really good to me until I started analyzing the various
games in my Mega Database 2011 - one needs to double-check the teacher's pontifications
after all. There were a few neat tricks and traps, but Martin ends up being
correct in his assessment.Both moves have been played frequently. The aggressive
7...Ne4 looked really good to me until I started analyzing the various games
in my Mega Database 2011 - one needs to double-check the teacher's pontifications
after all. There were a few neat tricks and traps, but Martin ends up being
correct in his assessment.8.Bxf6Nxf69.Nxc4Now all sorts of queen moves
are possible, but certainlyQc7 appears best. This is where the rubber meets
the road and why I gave up the variation. White has a slight pull here, and
has various ways of proceeding: 10.g3, 10.a3, 10.Rc1 and 10.Be2, amongst others.
If Black is patient, Martin notes, he should be able to weather the storm (White
has an initiative, but there are few ways to provoke a weakness in the Black
camp), and has the bishop-pair to look forward to. The position is solid but
passive, and Martin provides a number of ways for Black to "gradually come forward."10.g3Consider some of the ideas he presents
in Van der Sterren-Timman, Donner Memorial 1994, which continued10.a310.Rc110.Be210...Bd711.Bg2c5 - going for a break right away and now White is faced with how
to keep the initiative -12.d5exd513.Nxd5Nxd514.Qxd5The game continuedWhite can capture
with the bishop here:14.Bxd5but then0-0-0!15.Qf3f516.0-0Kb817.Rad1h5 and Black has chances for an attack.14...Rb815.0-0-0(games in which both sides can consider either castling always
hold some interest)Be6and now White is forced into16.Nd6+which allows
all the pieces to come off.16.Qe4is tempting, butBe7and now queenside
castling looks like something of a mistake, as ...b6 will soon follow. Timman
used his considerable endgame skill for a later win.
In the Exchange Variation, as in the Cambridge Springs, you have to be patient.
I'd always thought that Black could counter-punch back to at least a slight
advantage in the line. But this takes time, and well-timed counter-punches,
and Martin provides them.
The most interesting variations these days are those with Bf4, where, if Black
cannot prove the bishop to be misplaced, White gets a good game and Black has
little ability to fight back. One encounters Bf4 quite often at the amateur
level, and Martin considers this section one of the most important of the DVD.
The following game was particularly instructive:
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1.d4Nf62.Nf3d53.c4e64.Nc3Nbd7Superior to4...Be75.Bf4 Martin considers this inferior. Makes good
sense to me; the knights are ready to work in cooperation against that bishop,
whereas 4...Be7 is really best as a counter to Bg5.dxc46.e3Nd57.Bxc4Nxf48.exf4Bb48...Nb6may well be better, and the f8-bishop will be fianchettoed
after the c4-bishop moves. The knight move also neutralizes any d5 threat. Relying
on the queen check trick leads to positions like9.0-0Nxc410.Qa4+c611.Qxc4Be7The engines rate this as equal, Martin notes, but one important factor:
White's position can only get worse, and Black's can only get better. Finding
these sorts of positions that engines evaluate poorly are as important to the
amateur as the grandmaster these days.9.0-0Bxc310.bxc30-011.Bd3Nf612.Ne5c513.Qf3cxd4Again, the engines tend to see this position as better
for White. Martin disagrees.14.Rad1Bd715.cxd4Ba416.Rc1Rb8 Now Portisch
has to survive the next ten moves, and not fall prey to a kingside attack. But
there simply "isn't enough firepower" and Portisch knows that. The rest is a
typical grandmaster versus "ordinary master" win.17.Qh3g618.Qh6Rc819.Rxc8Qxc820.h4Qd821.Re1Qxd422.h5Nxh523.Re4Qa1+24.Kh2Bc625.Nxc6bxc626.Re5Nf627.Qg5Kg728.Re3Qd429.Rg3Rd830.f5exf531.Qxf5Rd532.Qf3Nh533.Be4Nxg334.Bxd5Nf1+35.Kg1Qxd536.Qc3+Kg837.Kxf1Qd1+0–1
Other trainers may have greater depth of material, but this one is "just
right" for the club player looking for a solid defense to the Queen's Gambit
that offers chances of coming out on top. It is good enough to be used as an
opening reference as well. It is incredible that Martin doesn't waste a single
second here in presenting the material. Highly recommended for those rated below
2200, with a target audience of 1400-1800. The one caveat is that you have to
be willing to accept a middlegame that might taper off into a draw, but if you
are careful, patient, and know the main ideas, you have good chances to win.
My assessment of this product: Excellent (six out of six
stars)
Andrew David Martin (born 18th May 1957 in West Ham, London)
is an English chess player with the title of International Master. He has won
various national and international tournaments and has been playing for years
in the Four Nations Chess League, at present (July 2009) for Wood Green Hilsmark
Kingfisher, previously for the Camberley Chess Club. Martin received his IM
title in1984. He earned his first grandmaster norm in the British Championship
of 1997 in Brighton. Martin was a commentator on the chess world championship
between Kasparov and Kramnik in 2000.
On the 21st February 2004 Martin set a new world record for simultaneous chess.
He faced 321 chess players at the same time. His result was: 294 wins, 26 draws
and only one loss. Martin is known as a professional chess teacher and head
trainer of the English youth team. He trains eight schools (Yateley Manor, Aldro,
Millfield, Sunningdale, Waverley School, St Michael’s Sandhurst, Wellington
College, Salesian College). Martin is a chess columnist, an author of chess
books and the author of various instructional videos. He was the publisher of
the series Trends Publications. Martin lives in Sandhurst, England, is married
and the father of two daughters and two sons. His present Elo rating is 2423
(as of July 2009).
Ruy Lopez Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12092 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 1276 are annotated.
In this 60 Minutes, Andrew Martin guides you through all the key ideas you need to know to play with confidence. Whether you’re looking to surprise your opponents, or simply want a straightforward weapon against e5, the Centre Attack has you covered.
Videos by Mihail Marin: Najdorf Variation with 6.f4 and Nico Zwirs: Italian ‘giucco pianissimo’. ‘Lucky bag’ with 45 analyses by Edouard, Ftacnik, Gupta, Pelletier and others. Update service with over 50,000 new games for your database!
This video course provides a comprehensive and practical White repertoire in the Ruy Lopez! Through instructive model games and in-depth theoretical explanations, you will learn how to confidently handle both main lines and sidelines.
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more.
€21.90
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