ChessBase Magazine 123
Review by Sean Marsh
ChessBase have introduced yet another new feature; Opening Reports in the Fritz
Trainer format. These work in exactly the same way as the dedicated Fritz
Trainer DVDs, with an expert presenting video lectures and the viewer having
access to a number of Windows, such as one for the board, one for the video,
another for the list of moves etc.
This time, Andrew Martin and Oliver Reeh make presentations covering important
lines of the Alekhine Defence and the Sicilian Dragon respectively.
Click here for replay the Sicilian
Dragon video.
Other aspects of the game are covered in the Fritz Trainer format, including a
bonus piece for those who have enjoyed ‘Chess for Scoundrels’ by Nigel Davies
and a further selection featuring Daniel King, Karsten Muller (eight (!) video
presentations in addition to the usual amount of material), Oliver Reeh and Robert
Knaak. Samples are included from some more of ChessBase’s recent output.

In addition to the new-style reports, there are 11 more in the more traditional
format. The openings covered this time are:

Played the Janisch Gambit with success against Anand, Topalov, and
Carlsen: Teimour Radjabov |
- A Modern
Way to Avoid the Grunfeld Defence by Igor Stohl
- Positional
Play in the Classical Benoni by Mihail Marin
- The Main
Line of the 4-Pawns Attack by Tibor Karolyi
- The
Modern Treatment of the Alekhine by Dorian Rogozenko
- Satisfied
with a Slight Edge by Tibor Karolyi (regarding a quiet White system against the
Modern Defence)
- The
Philidor Defence - Passive, but Solid by Lubomir Ftacnik
- The
Janisch Gambit with 4 Nc3 - Part 1 by Evgeny Postny
- Deviations
From the Rio de Janeiro Defence by Mihail Marin
- A Simple
System Against the Slav by Efstratios Griva
- Grunfeld:
The Central System with 7 Nf3, 8 Be3 The
Fianchetto Variation with an Early …c5 by Dorian Rogozenko
Of particular interest are the surveys on the Alekhine Defence and Janisch
Gambit. Both were played at the highest level recently and Black seems to be
having more than his fair share of the fun.

Poisition after
1 e4 Nf6 2 e5
Nd5 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 dxe5 5 Nxe5 c6 |
The humble c-pawn move has been quietly developing into a very reliable weapon
for Black. Combining Rogozenko’s survey with Martin’s Fritz Trainer
presentation will give the reader an easy to learn addition to their opening
repertoire in a very short period of time.
1315 recent games are included in this issue and about 120 of them annotated. The
most important are undoubtedly those from the Moreila/Linares Supertournament. Some
of these expert clashes are annotated by the elite players themselves (Anand provides
two impressive audio commentaries) and the majority of the rest have notes by a
plethora of well known ChessBase authors.
Aronian provides the annotations
for his dramatic Marshall Attack against Anand…

…in which the concluding blow was 30...Re3! 0-1 (34). |
The top GM tournaments are bloodthirsty affairs these days and no chess fan
will want to be without a these fighting games in their databases.

The influence of Bobby Fischer is still keenly felt in all things chess and
Daniel King provides a superb lecture all about the great champion’s game with
Weinstein (US Championship 1963).
Here’s a couple of examples from Reeh’s excellent section on tactics.

Sjugoriv - Tjurin
White to play and mate in two |

Yudin - Orlinkov
How can Black gain a decisive advantage? |
This is a top quality chess product
with an absolutely astonishing amount of material. Players of all strengths -
from club player to Grandmaster - will find plenty of entertainment and
instruction here.
Click here
for the full original review.