Daniel King: what can be done about the Catalan?

GM Daniel King: Powerplay Show

Hello, my name is Daniel King, and the question I'm going to be posing in this month's Powerplay show is: what can be done about the Catalan? You can see it – we've just played the pawn ot g3, ready to fianchetto the bishop to g2. This opening seems to take the joy out of chess, if you are playing with the black pieces. You only need to look at the statistics from the latest super-tournament in Dortmund to see that. There were seven games where the Catalan was played – five draws and two white wins. And I should say in those draws Black's prospects of winning were almost zero. It is really depressing if you are playing with the black pieces and the summit of your ambitions is just to draw. So that's the question: what can be done about the Catalan? Serious questions, serious answers at the Powerplay show, 7 p.m. Thursday – that is 8 p.m. Central European Time. See you then!

Click here to watch the video teaser. You can also see it on YouTube

PowerPlay DVDs by Daniel King

‘The PowerPlay DVD series by GM Daniel King is one of the most successful chess instruction tools today.’ – New In Chess

Power Play 1: Mating Patterns
Power Play 2: Attacking the king
Power Play 3: Pawn storm
Power Play 4: Start Right
Power Play 5 - Pawns
Power Play 6 - Pawns, Pieces & Plans
Power Play 7 - Improve your pieces
Power Play 8 - Knights and Bishops
Power Play 9 - major pieces vs. minor pieces
Power Play 10 - Calculation
Power Play 11 - Defence
Power Play 12 – The Hedgehog
Daniel King Power Play 13 - The squeeze

Power Play 11 – Defence

There is a seeming inevitability to many defeats – one side has the initiative, goes on the attack and from that moment it is very difficult to turn back the tide. In this 11th Power Play DVD Grandmaster Daniel King will help you to identify those key moments where there is potential danger. The secret to good defensive play is to avoid falling into a passive defensive position! Throughout the DVD, specially selected positions will enable you to test your understanding of the subject. The Power Play series is suitable for anyone looking to improve their chess, but also provides ready-made lessons and exercises for a trainer. Video running time: 5 h 25 min.

Grandmaster Daniel King has been a professional chess player for more than 20 years. During that time he has represented his country on many occasions, including an historic match victory over the Soviet Union in Reykjavik, 1990. At the same time he has distinguished himself as a coach, helping many of England‘s younger generation to achieve their potential. Besides his chess career, he has built up a reputation as a commentator on television, radio and the internet. He is also an award-winning author of more than 15 books.

Grandmaster Daniel King has been a professional chess player for more than twenty years. During that time he has represented his country on many occasions, including an historic match victory over the Soviet Union in Reykjavik, 1990. At the same time he has distinguished himself as a coach, helping many of England‘s younger generation to achieve their potential. Besides his chess career, he has built up a reputation as a commentator on television, radio and the internet. He is also an award-winning author of more than 15 books.