Adrian Mikhalchishin: 1.e4 e5 –
An Active Repertoire for Black

Review by Steven B. Dowd

1.e4 e5: An Active Repertoire for Black (DVD) by Adrian Mikhalchishin, ChessBase, Playing time: 6 hours 48 min. $31.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95)

This trainer was a pleasant surprise for me, because it offered a very informative discussion by a grandmaster on the "neglected" open games. It doesn't really meet the goal, in my opinion, of providing an active repertoire for Black, especially at the club player level, but it is definitely a good starter for finding your own repertoire in the open games. There is no formal introduction, but the introductory comments regarding opening choice are golden here: a useful discussion of why you might choose 1.e4 e5 as opposed to various other openings, the fight for the center, etc.

Mikhalchishin has a pronounced accent, but he is perfectly understandable. He tends to rush through positions at times, and this means that multiple viewings are necessary if you want to get the full gist of an idea.

He starts very well, using Smyslov as the model player for the first portion of the Spanish: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6. Why g6 versus the Spanish? It can be similar to a King's Indian, not in the sharp attacks but as a means of fighting for the center. This line is easy to study and implement. You don't need to know a lot of theory, but you need to know ideas, which makes it an ideal opening for players below 2200.

Then he oddly switches to both the Exchange and the Archangelsk variations. I am not sure why you would need these in your repertoire if you already had the Smyslov line without ..a6. In fact, it seems a rather dissonant choice. I believe he is trying to give the viewer a number of possibilities, but I am not certain it makes much sense in a repertoire DVD. A grandmaster may need several lines, but most of us need just one – in fact, having too many can be just confusing for the club player.

Mikhalchishin notes the many holes that can be found in this opening, but he also praises the good development. If you like his ideas here you may want to try his trainer on the Archangelsk. His contention is that the e4-square is of significant importantance in the Spanish, and the Archangelsk certainly piles pressure on that square in many variations.

In Mikhalchishin's version, Black plays ...h6 and ...g5 with castling short. The piece activity makes up for having what Purdy called the weakest kingside position. You have to be especially adept at handling these sorts of positions:

Certainly a model game. If this sort of fighting chess interests you, I recommend you check out the Archangelsk DVD too.

I was quite interested in Mikhalchishin's assessment of the Bishop's Opening, as that has been the source of the most heartbreak for me in tournaments. He advocates building a big center, noting, "White can attack Black's center, but the center is the center." As regular readers of this column know, I always test openings in online games to see what I have learned. I can report a big success here by following the author's ideas, and I want to thank him profusely for that.

Another interesting contention of the grandmaster is that the King's Gambit is underestimated. He asserts that White can achieve better positions than in the Spanish, and this opening is due for a comeback. A good tip presented here is to remind you that one can approach a gambit in two ways: take all or nothing. The "in-between" route is rarely successful. Thus, he recommends two lines: one declined and one accepted.

I was especially impressed with his discussion of the King's Gambit declined and accepted. A particularly excellent discussion focuses on the right time for White to take the c5-bishop in the 2...Bc5 declined variation. For example, after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.d3 Bg4 7.Na4 0-0 8.Nxc5 dxc5 (the loss of the bishop is not a problem here) 9.0-0 Nh5 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Nxf4 12.Bxf4 he recommends his own innovation 12...Nd4! (Forster-Mihalchishin, 2002), giving Black some chances to fight for a win in a position that is normally a well-known drawing line.

If you decide you prefer the approach of taking the f4-pawn, he recommends the modern line 3.Nf3 Ne7.

There is very little to speak against on this DVD, except its positioning as a repertoire trainer. In its defense, the universe of the open games is very broad and not easily covered in a few hours; whereas it is easy to make a repertoire trainer on Larsen's or the Bird's Opening, for instance. If you view this DVD as a potential starter for your search for an opening repertoire based on 1.e4 e5, then you will not be disappointed. In general, this one rates five stars, but four as an opening repertoire trainer. Good work from the GM and I hope to view more of his work in the future.

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

• Order Mikhalchishin: 1.e4 e5: An Active Repertoire for Black
• Or order it in the ChessBase Shop
• This month's reviews in PDF

Sample lesson by Adrian Mikhalchishin in 1.e4 e5: An active Repertoire for Black