Colle, Torre, and London System
Nigel Davies' new DVDs reviewed by Sean Marsh
The
three DVDs reviewed here all follow the standard Fritz Trainer format. Load up
the disc and one's computer screen split into three windows. One is a
chessboard, depicting the latest moves, one is for the notation and the third
shows the author/presenter talking to the screen. It's very much like having a
Grandmaster giving you his direct and complete attention.
Queen’s Pawn Systems
The lines covered on three DVDs considered here are linked by common themes:
- They are all d4 openings.
- All have been
played by World Champions
- All require
knowledge of considerably less theory than main line Queen’s pawn openings.
- The themes and
ideas behind all of them can be assimilated fairly quickly.
- Once a repertoire
is in place it is very low-maintenance, with little chance of major theoretical
novelties coming along to spoil the fun.
- Generally
speaking, opponents dislike playing against them.
The three new
Chessbase DVDs provide excellent coverage of the main lines, themes and typical
tactics in the Colle, Torre and London systems.
The Colle System

The backbone variation advocated by GM Davies relies on the development of the
Queen’s Bishop to b2, rather than the more classical Colle in which White
constructs the central pawn triangle c3/d4/e3 and strives for e3-e4 to liberate
the Queen’s Bishop. White's build may appear slow, but it is methodical and
every piece finds easy employment.
The very first
illustrative game amply demonstrates White’s attacking potential (Colle
Gruenfeld, Berlin 1926).

I feel sure that despite the material deficit (Colle has already sacrificed a
Knight), the sheer volume of traffic heading for the Black King should be more
than enough to convince the reader of the potential of White’s attack. Colle
now sacrificed the other Knight with 20 Nf5+ and won on move 27.
One particularly important feature of the whole Colle System is that it’s not
equally effective against all of Black’s defences. Indeed, some Black set-ups
leave it looking rather toothless. I have seen some Colle books that like to
gloss over this important fact, providing unsuspecting players of the White
pieces with little warning of future disappointments. GM Davies does not fall
into the trap of creating the impression that all is rosy in the garden no
matter how Black proceeds and freely admits that White must be flexible and not
follow the Colle System too blindly.
For example, 1
d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 e3 Bg4 is an irritating line to
face, especially if one believes the standard Colle moves can trotted out
regardless.

After the lazy 4
Bd3 Nbd7
Black is already limbering for …e7-e5, completely solving his opening problems.
As pointed out on the DVD, White must play 4 c4 to prevent Black from obtaining a
very easy game. White can then aim for an early Qb3 to apply pressure on the
Queenside in general and the b7 pawn in particular (although even here White
needs to know something about the Queen’s Gambit Accepted as Black can
transpose to it with 4...dxc4).
The Colle is mainly effective against 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 and 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6. Although lines are givn
against King's Indian structures, one is advised to met 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 with....
The Torre Attack

The Torre Attack has two advantages over the Colle: the Queen’s Bishop is quite
clearly unblocked and it has greater effectiveness against King’s Indian
structures, as well as the common 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 sequence.
The first
illustrative game on the DVD is a real classic, showing Carlos Torre (after whom the system
was named) smashing through the defences of the second World Champion, Emanuel Lasker.

The Torre Bishop had a major starring role in this, one of the most famous
combinations in the history of chess. 25 Bf6! sacrificed the White Queen but set Torre on the route to an
impressive victory. It’s good to see such classic games getting an airing. A sense
of history is very important yet can often be found lacking in modern chess
products.
Just as in the
Colle, there are some Black lines that can be annoying to face. Here, the move
order 1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 Nf6 is
a good choice for the second player, as 3 Bg5 is met by 3...Ne4 and Black is already on the way to a
very good position. To get around this problem, why not add both the Torre and
the Colle to your repertoire?
There are some intriguing moves and ideas in the main lines of the Torre. In
this standard and common position…

…9 Qb1 is recommended, with two
ideas: 10 b4 and 10 e4. I had the pleasure of
playing this against GM Bronstein himself (in a simultaneous display, 1996). I
plumped for 10 e4 (a draw in 50 moves). GM Davies prefers 10 b4 and presents a
very informative and persuasive case as to why it is the best plan.
Black has to be
surprisingly alert when it comes to move order. The 12 World Champion, Anatoly
Karpov, once came badly unstuck when he tried to steer a Torre Attack into
Queen’s Indian territory.

Jussupow - Karpov
Black’s last
move, 4...b6, is actually an error. White
sized the advantage with 5 d5! and secured a very strong grip on the d5 square. The tactical
nuances to support White’s positional plan are all very clearly explained on
the DVD. If a World Champion can be caught off his guard as early as the fourth
move by the Torre Attack then anyone can.
The London System

With his coverage of the London System, GM Davies concludes a fascinating
trilogy of Queen’s pawn surveys.
Once again the
point is made: plans and ideas much more important than specific theory. Plans
against the main Black responses are all analysed in considerable detail.
The Bishop on f4
might look as if it’s not doing an awful lot, at least when compared to the
rather more direct Bg5 of the Torre, but it will typically exert a great deal
of nagging pressure against virtually any set up Black cares to adopt. It can
be as effective as the famous Catalan Bishop, only nudged along to the dark
squares. Sometimes it will even deliver the knock-out blow, as in one of the
illustrative games…

Speelman - Haik
25 Bxd6! 1-0
(28)
The 'boring' tag,
so often dumped on the London System, really doesn't wash. Kovacevic and
Bronstein are recurring names in the illustrative games; it would be plainly incorrect
to label either them as dull players. Those with the Black pieces harbouring
such views will suffer if they are aiming for success. It’s too difficult to
reconcile such a stereotypical and stubborn viewpoint with the following
randomly selected positions (one from each of the systems):

Kovacevic -
O’Donnell - 12 Bxh7 came next. Not a forced
win, but a very exciting attack!

Petrosian - Liublinsky

Hoi - Danielsen
The Hoi game is
particularly important as it features significant improvements on the classic
Bogoljubow - Capablanca game, often cited as a complete antidote to the
Colle-Zukertort system.
Summing up, it is clear to see that these Queen’s Pawn systems carry a
considerable amount of danger. There are tricky paths to navigate in each of
the systems and a false step could prove fatal. With GM Davies as your guide,
the paths become much clearer. These new DVDs will help you make the territory
your own. Stepping carefully will become the sole concern of your opponents.
There’s a total
of 63 illustrative games spread over the three volumes, every one expertly
chosen for maximum educational value. With a combined run time of over 12 hours
it's easy to that these products offer excellent vaue for money (as is norm
with Chessbase).
Any of the three
systems covered here would prove to be a valuable addition to any repertoire. Absorbing
knowledge of all three would make preparation very difficult for your future
opponents.
Click
here
for the full original review.
More video training with GM Nigel Davies: