Sam Collins: Know the Terrain Vol 3. Central Majority

by ChessBase
11/9/2011 – "I really enjoyed the last Know the Terrain video," writes Chess Cafe reviewer Steven Dowd, "and the material in this one is probably even superior, as Collins discusses this idea of a central majority in ways I have not heard about before. It is an important theoretical contribution and anyone getting through the DVD will have weapons at his disposal that his opponents will not have." Curious?

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Sam Collins: Know the Terrain Vol 3. Central Majority

Reviewed by Steven B. Dowd

Know the Terrain Vol 3. Central Majority (DVD) by Sam Collins, ChessBase. Playing Time: 4 hrs 39 min. $31.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95)

I really enjoyed the last Know the Terrain video, and the material in this one is probably even superior, as Collins discusses this idea of a central majority in ways I have not read or heard about before. It is an important theoretical contribution and anyone getting through the DVD will have weapons at his disposal (these weapons being ideas!) that his opponents will not have.

The idea behind these videos is that prepared lines don't win all that many games – knowledge wins the tough tournament games. In this case specifically, superior knowledge of the pawn structures that typically arise from various openings. The fact that such knowledge should be transferable between different openings that have similar structures is another good weapon. When I was competing regularly, I grouped all of my openings, for white and black into ones that led to similar middlegame structures. This reduces the amount of time you have to spend on memorizing openings (general ideas will take over when memory of specific lines fails) and gives you the middle- and endgame advantage over your opponent.

Collins defines this central majority as white pawns on a2, d4, and e4 against black pawns on a7, b7, and e7. These structures appear quite often in the Grünfeld and Semi-Tarrasch Defenses. White has a space advantage that gives him the initiative in the middlegame and a potential kingside attack. Black's goal is to reach an endgame where his outside passed pawn may prove to save the day. A related construction covered is the passed d-pawn structure that arises when the e-pawns are exchanged. The short question here is whether that passed pawn is a strength or a weakness. Kramnik and Carlsen are the main proponents of this type of structure from the white side, while Svidler, Ivanchuk, Van Wely, and Gymesi are the primary proponents from the black side.

In my youth, I was impressed with several Spassky games utilizing such structures. The positions are definitely unbalanced – I had many satisfying wins with the structure Collins set forth, and many frustrating losses. Here are the two basic positions, one arising from the Semi-Tarrasch:

And the other from the Exchange Grünfeld:


The sections are as follows:

  • Black plays …b6 and …Nc6
  • Black plays …b6 and …Nd7
  • White plays d4 and e5
  • White plays d5 and e5
  • Kingside Attack
  • Black plays …f5
  • c4 outpost
  • Minority Attack
  • Decoying the black central pawn
  • Passed d-pawn
  • Ng5
  • Blockade in the middlegame
  • Blockade in the endgame
  • d5 outpost in the endgame

No less than thirty-four illustrative games are used, and for those who want modern games, you will not be disappointed. The seminal game is Polugaevsky-Tal, 1969, where "Polu," with outstanding preparation, rips Tal's ...Nc6 line to shreds and even has the ability to develop a kingside attack that includes every player's favorite, Bxh7+! But most of the games are from "this century," including Topalov-Anand, 2010!

It is very hard to pick a favorite game. All are good and instructive. I suppose because it fit under the category of "Attack I would most likely mess up," I picked this stunner:

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3 The Petrosian variation of the Queen's Indian is another way to get to the types of positions discussed here. d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Qc2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Be7 9.e4 0-0 10.Bd3 c5 11.0-0 Qc8 Here I would be stymied, like Tarrasch, I do not play well without my king's bishop. The idea is both to trade off the bishop and threaten ..cxd, which would also nullify any attack. 12.Qe2 Ba6 13.Rd1 Rd8 14.h4 Many of us know to play this move in these sorts of positions, but Collins also explains two of its advantages quite well: first, that it controls g5 and Bg5 may be the desired moved, when, if Black trades, the pawn can recapture, making h7 weak; and second, if Black prevents the push all the way to h6 when White plays h5 with his own ...h6, then the kingside has become more static and vulnerable to attack. cxd4 15.cxd4 Bxd3 16.Rxd3 Nd7 17.Bg5 f6 Collins considers this advance quite sound based on the second advantage, although he also notes, that even if the h7-pawn were to become weak, the knight could transfer itself to f8 to hold, and as Bent Larsen once noted, "with a knight on f8 you can never get mated!" My engine analysis indicated both the trade and Polgar's move to be sound, leaving White with the slightest of advantages. 18.Bf4 Qb7 19.h5 Rac8 20.Rad1 Qa6 21.e5 f5 22.d5 exd5 This sort of double push of the pawns occurs frequently in these types of formations, the other being an e5- and d5-push. Polgar's 21...f5 may have been a mistake. However, my Fritz 11 calls for 22...Nc5!, not mentioned by Collins and worth a look analytically. After 22...exd5, Fritz thinks the White advantage to be secure, more than a pawn equivalent. 23.Nd4
Most of us could win such positions. It's getting to them that is the hard work. Black has too many holes; f5 is already hanging and d5 may in the future as well. 23...Rf8 24.Qf3 Fritz prefers 24.Bh6! here and it does seem quite good, but Sokolov probably had a specific plan in mind. Nc5 25.h6 White plans on 25...Nxd3 to play 26.hxg7. But whether White still has an advantage is unclear to me. g5 26.Bxg5 Bxg5 27.Qh5 Bf4 28.Rf3 Bxe5 29.Nxf5 White is a piece down, but his attack is raging. In fact, all my engines consider White to be winning at this point. Qb7 30.Rxd5! My exclamation point, not Collins. But he obviously can't take the rook with the queen because of the fork. Rce8 31.Qg5+ Kh8 32.Rxe5 The immediate 32.Ne7! 32.Ne7! is probably crushing at this point. 32...Rxe5 33.Ne7! Again, my emphasis, but White looks won at this point. Re1+ 34.Kh2 Qb8+ 35.Rg3 Rxe7 What else? 35...Rf7 36.Qg7+! and Black is mated by a mere pawn. 36.Qxe7 Ne6 37.Qxe6 Qf4 38.a4 a6 39.Qxb6 Rb8 40.Qe3 Qh4+ 41.Rh3 Qf6 42.Qc3 The rook endgame is easily won, the h6-pawn still containing the black king.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Sokolov,I2695Polgar,J27221–02003E12Hoogeveen Essent Crown5

So after all the praise, what do I consider a deficit here? It is that Collins' presentation style is extremely unpolished. I was so put off by it, I started counting the stammers and awkward pauses that arose during his presentation. At times I had to stop the video and go through the game myself, without the benefit of his expertise, taking notes, whereupon I then watched the video to the end. This was less irritating to me, but it should not have been necessary. I would have awarded this DVD at least one more star had the presentation been smoother. The powerful ideas he presents deserve no less.

My assessment of this product: Good (four out of six stars)


Sampler from Sam Collins - Know the Terrain Vol.3: Central Majority


About the author Sam Collins


Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.

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