4/24/2017 – The Berlin Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6) is a very solid line for Black - so solid that players dubbed it "The Berlin Wall". But Alexei Shirov has some ideas "how to crack the Berlin Wall". Hedinn Steingrimsson liked these ideas - and so did Hou Yifan who used Shirov's recommendations to beat Fabiano Caruana in round 1 of the Grenke Classic.
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A review by Hedinn Steingrimsson
The Berlin Wall is nowadays the most popular opening after 1.e4 at the highest level. White has been searching for ways to counter it for quite a number of years now. Being a principled player Alexei Shirov has tried many different lines against the Berlin, among others the endgame with 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8 Kxd8 against the writer of these lines in a German Bundesliga game which ended with a draw after some adventures.
In this video, Shirov show his latest interpretation of White’s chances, namely the super solid and popular 5.Re1. After 5…Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 we have the tabia that is discussed. Nine games are analysed in great detail, thereof five that Shirov played himself against top opponents such as Caruana and Kramnik. This variation was Carlsen’s choice in both Berlin games in the World Championship match against Sergey Karjakin in New York last December.
It is very instructive to hear Shirov explain the typical plans that White has in the arising structures. White is aiming for a small plus without much risk, trying to play for two results. In the most solid lines, where black simplifies with 7…Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0, which was Karjakin’s choice, White in some lines ends up with a slight advantage in an endgame with a bishop against a knight, which Black objectively should hold, but White can press for a long time see e.g. MVL – Giri 2014.
White’s chances are not the least present in the lines where Black is ambitious and tries to play for all three results, keeping all pieces on the board with 7…Nf5 8.Nf3 d5 9.d4 0-0 10.c3 as Shirov himself demonstrated in his win against Kramnik and was most recently demonstrated by Hou Yifan against Caruana at Grenke Chess Classic.
In these remarkably similar games, Black’s weakened kingside with pawns on …f6 and …g6 was hard to handle after the game opened up in the center with the c4 or for black …c5 break.
This video is suitable for players of all strength, also the world’s best, who want to see how white can play very solidly against the Berlin. The white setup, while being simple and easy to understand, looks innocent - a symmetrical pawn structure that reminds one of the exchange French, but due to a slight disharmony of Black’s pieces, looks can be deceptive. Shirov shows how White can get a position that is easier to play with White and where white retains practical chances.
The video also serves well as a master class lecture on the art of nurturing small advantages, specially involving the bishop pair.
Suitable for advanced club and tournament players.
Video running time: 4 h 30 min (English)
With interactive training including videofeedback
EXTRA: Database with 50 model games
Including ChessBase Reader
Price: €29.90; €25.13 without VAT (for customers outside the EU); $27.14 (without VAT)
15-minute introduction to Alexei Shirov's new DVD on cracking the Berlin Wall
Alexei Shirov
Alexei Shirov was born in Riga, just like world champion Mihail Tal, and also his playing style reminds many chess fans of the young Tal. In the beginning of the 1990s a comet-like rise brought the young Latvian to the world top within the shortest time. At the age of 22 he already had reached an Elo rating of nearly 2750 and belonged to the absolute world elite. Since then Shirov has been one of the best players in the world, delighting all chess fans with original and amazing ideas on the board.
Hedinn SteingrimssonGrandmaster Hedinn Steingrimsson was born 1975 in Iceland. In 1986 he became World Champion U12. 1990, at the age of 15, he won his first Icelandic Championship. Steingrimsson has also made interesting contributions to the field of chess training theory and is interested in how chess training can be improved theoretically and practically.
In this course, you’ll learn how to take the initiative against the London and prevent White from comfortably playing their usual system by playing 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 Nh5.
London System Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains in all 11 285 games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 282 are annotated.
The London System Powerbook 2026 is based on more than 410 000 games or game fragments from different opening moves and ECO codes; what they all have in common is that White plays d4 and Bf4 but does not play c4.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Opening videos: Open Spanish (Sipke Ernst) and Classical Sicilian (Nico Zwirs). Endgame Special by Igor Stohl: ‘Short or long side’ – where should the defending king be placed in rook endgames? ‘Lucky bag’ with 35 master analyses.
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The Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange Variation with 5.Bf4 has a great balance between positional play and sharp pawn pushes; and will be a surprise for your opponents while being easy to learn for you, as the key patterns are familiar.
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