First, an important note: if you have access to a computer running MS Windows, you can still use even the oldest FritzTrainers in this series, from 2006 to 2012, without restriction. Further information can be found in my recently published article "Are older Fritz Trainers still worth it?"
Volumes 1 to 16
In Power Play Volumes 1 to 16, Daniel King covers a range of topics in tactics, strategy and endgames. In terms of difficulty, the courses are suitable for amateurs and club players of any playing strength, although the level becomes somewhat higher from Power Play 10 onwards.
The author presents his knowledge in a very captivating and entertaining way – fun is never neglected. Regardless of the language version printed on the DVD case and disc, the DVDs always contain the videos in both German and English. Even before the era of videos in the "interactive" FritzTrainer format (from 2013 onwards, recognisable by the two-tone grey DVD cases), Daniel King already placed considerable emphasis on practical exercises, which occupy a substantial part of the courses.
The first two generations of FritzTrainers can be recognised by their single-colour DVD cases bearing the Fritz logo. Note: if you install such FritzTrainers from the DVD, it is better not to use the automatic installation of the included ChessBase Reader, as on the older DVDs it is still based on ChessBase 9 or, at best, ChessBase 12. If you do not yet have a ChessBase program installed, first install the Reader 2017.
The famous Power Play Video Course series! All 28 titles in one bundle. Get your chess skills to the next level with instructions by Daniel King!
My favourites from the early volumes are:
Power Play 15 - Practical Pawn Endgames and
Power Play 16 - Technique Test: Rook Endgames
Anyone wishing to learn perhaps the two most important types of endgame - pawn and rook endgames - will find two didactically excellent courses here.
From Power Play 17 onwards, practical opening repertoires for club players become the main focus. Daniel King concentrates above all on providing the knowledge needed to understand the resulting position types and their tactical and strategic characteristics. These courses can therefore still be recommended today as an introduction to a particular opening.
Here is the overview:
As a fan of the French Defence, I particularly enjoyed the course "French Defence: A Repertoire for Black".
On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black with the French. Based around ten stem games, all White's major lines against the French are covered.
The course offers a superb introduction to the French. Daniel King explains the fundamentals of the opening in detail, while the breadth and depth of the variations remain manageable. The most important lines are discussed through ten extensively annotated model games.
Conclusion
Older Power Play FritzTrainers can still provide a solid chess education. The courses on tactical and strategic themes are timeless. Even the opening courses can still be used effectively today to build a basic repertoire. As an added benefit, they can also save you money, since these courses are still sold at their original release prices, which are generally lower than those of current FritzTrainers. And when the courses are included in the Summer Specials, you can buy them without hesitation!
About the author:
Daniel King, born in 1963, has been a professional chess player for more than 30 years and has represented his country in many competitions, including the historic victory by the English national team over the Soviet Union in Reykjavík in 1990. King is the author of more than 15 chess books and has coached many talented young players. He is well known as a commentator on major chess events on television, radio and the internet. To the delight of chess fans around the world, King hosts his monthly "Power Play" show on the playchess.com chess server. The English grandmaster has produced, among other things, the highly acclaimed "Power Play" series for ChessBase.
More products by the author are available in the ChessBase Shop
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Glorious sacrifices, unexpected tactics and checkmating attacks. The King's Gambit is one of the oldest and most romantic openings in the game of chess. These DVDs contain all you need to know to play the King's Gambit.
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