Daniel King: Power Play 6 - Pawns, Pieces
& Plans
Reviewed by Michael Jeffreys
The Sixth installment of the charming British
GM’s “Power Play Series” runs 5 hours and focuses on two main areas: 1.
Isolated Queen Pawns (IQPs) and 2. Central Passed Pawns (and when and
when not to exchange these pawns).
King starts the DVD by giving you several
“test” positions to try and solve, with the first one taken from game 7 of the
2006 world championship match between Topalov and Kramnik. Daniel asks you to use
the “training mode” in your Chessbase notation window so as to hide the moves
that were actually played, which is definitely something you should do. He also
suggests setting up the position on a real chess board, which will or will not
happen depending on how motivated you are as well as how much free desktop
space you have next to your computer!
Needless to say, trying to come up with the
correct plan, the one that the GM chose in the game, will be a bit of a
challenge before you have viewed the lessons on the DVD. However, after you
have watched the DVD all the way through, solving the puzzles will be much
easier as you will by then be quite familiar with the common plans and ideas.
Part
I - IQPs
King begins part one by explaining exactly
what an IQP is: a queen’s pawn without any friends on either side of it… oh the
isolated pawn on d4 does look so lonely! (see diagram below)

King
discussing the pluses and minuses of the IQP |
However, King points out that the pawn has both
pluses and minuses. If you are White, the pawn can prove a valuable weapon to
gain space and control key squares in the middle of the board from which to
launch your attack. If you are Black, then you need to know how to “neutralize”
the little fella.
Daniel uses several games by the great
world champion and master strategist Anatoly Karpov to show exactly how to deal
with an IQP. If you are Black, your goals should be: 1) Blockade the pawn to
prevent it from moving, 2) trade off all the minor pieces, 3) pile up your
major pieces on it, and 4) win it!
In the above diagram, King explains how
Karpov, who is playing the Black pieces, gives a textbook lesson on how to
“gang-up” against an IQP. Here his victim is Korchnoi, from their 1981 World
Championship Match. Daniel provides you with over a dozen video clips (mostly
from Karpov games) so that you get a real appreciation for how to play these
positions, regardless of what side you are on.
Part
II-Central Passed Pawns
King begins the 2nd half of the
DVD by showing you a position from a game between Petrosian and Korchnoi from
their 1977 Candidate’s match. After taking you through several moves and
explaining the key features of the position, Daniel stops and asks you to find
Petrosian’s winning plan. Here is the position:

White
to Move-What did Petrosian play? |
The part I really like is that in the very
next video clip, King goes on to show you exactly what Petrosian did to
win the game. Very instructive!
The rest of the DVD includes games by King
himself as well as other top GMs, such Bronstein, Alekhine, Morozevitch and
even Kasparov (vs. Deep Blue!).
The Bottom Line
I don’t know how he does it, but somehow
Daniel King continues to keep his “Power Play” series fresh, interesting,
instructive, and entertaining (no easy task!). This sixth DVD in the series, “Pawns,
Pieces and Plans” is ideal for the club player as it gives you a solid
understanding of how to play with and against an IQP. Rather than guessing what
you should be doing, after seeing this DVD you will know exactly what to do when playing on either side of an IQP or passed pawn. On a scale of 1-10,
Power Play 6 by Daniel King gets a 9.
More Powerplay:
Powerplay 1 - Mating Patterns
Powerplay 2 - Attacking the King
Powerplay 3 - Pawn Storm
Powerplay 4 - Start Right
Powerplay 5 - Pawns