Meet the Fritztrainer - Chris Ward

by Arne Kaehler
11/26/2020 – We have hundreds of different Fritztrainers in our shop. A lot of them are made by top grandmasters, and perhaps you sometimes wonder what the authors of these Fritztrainers do besides teaching us to play better chess. "Meet the Fritztrainer" is the very first part of a new series that tells us more about the private life of your favourite chess coach. We start with joyful GM Chris Ward, who shares anecdotes about Kasparov, talks about the time when he played in the Bundesliga, and reveals how he thinks chess should be taught. | Photos: Chris Ward

Sicilian Dragon: The Real Deal! Part 1: Understanding The Dragon Sicilian Dragon: The Real Deal! Part 1: Understanding The Dragon

In this first part, the emphasis is on themes and ideas as the viewer is armed with tactical and positional motifs and concepts after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6.

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Meet the Fritztrainer - Chris Ward

Chris Ward is an English grandmaster who gained the title after becoming British Champion in 1996. Being a successful tournament player and popular chess commentator, he is also a well-known endgame and opening theoretician who has authored a large number of books, among them the bestselling “Winning with the Dragon 1 & 2”. Last but not least, Ward enjoys an excellent reputation as a chess coach, having mentored many teams and youngsters in and outside Britain. Maybe his talent for teaching is in his blood - he is also a passionate Salsa dancer and instructor!

In our "Meet the Fritztrainer" interview, Chris tells us many funny anecdotes about chess and his life.

Chris Ward Interview

  • Who are you? - 1:01
  • How and when did you learn to play chess? - 4:00
  • What did you do, after reaching your GM title? - 7:20
  • How many books have you written, and what role does your mother play in this? - 10:25
  • When is part two of your "Sicilian Dragon" Fritztrainer arriving, and why is this opening so exciting? - 13:00
  • Who is your favourite chess player? - 20:51
  • What is your favourite chess book? - 21:22
  • What is your favourite chess film or series? - 21:42
  • What is your favourite chess opening as White? - 22:45
  • What is your favourite chess opening as Black? - 23:22
  • Karpov or Kasparov? - 23:34
  • Knight or Bishop? 25:30

For the viewer: How many Grandmasters can you spot, and what are their names? - 6:38

Links:

<< Game of the Week: Nepomniachtchi vs Anton
Solution of the endgame riddle: Was Fischer's 22.Nxd7 winning? >>
Topics: Chris Ward, Fritztrainer, Interview, youtube
Arne Kaehler, a creative thinker who is passionate about board games in general was born in Hamburg and learned how to play chess at a very young age. Through teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess content on YouTube, Arne was able to extend this passion onto others and has even made an online chess course for anyone who wants to learn how to play this game. Currently, Arne blogs for the English news page of ChessBase and focuses on creating promotional and entertaining articles.
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The Fritztrainer Christmas Calendar - Door 24

12/24/2020 – This year we are launching our "Christmas Fritztrainer Calendar". For the next 24 days, you can open one of our Fritztrainer doors daily, and guess: Which Fritztrainer is this? If you send us the correct answer by email, you are participating in a raffle to win plenty of prizes, including our big Christmas surprise packages!
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The Fritztrainer Christmas Calendar - Door 23

12/23/2020 – This year we are launching our "Christmas Fritztrainer Calendar". For the next 24 days, you can open one of our Fritztrainer doors daily, and guess: Which Fritztrainer is this? If you send us the correct answer by email, you are participating in a raffle to win plenty of prizes, including our big Christmas surprise packages!
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Video

The London System

If you are looking for a new attacking plan against the popular Queen’s Gambit, then this download is for you. Completely new ideas after 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 turn the solid London system into a serious weapon. New approaches and Fritz analyses will catch out an unprepared opponent. Henrik Danielsen used this system to win the Icelandic blitz championship in 2011. Some strong GMs and IMs didn't realise the danger before it was too late. Even after Black’s best defence White will be able to fight for an advantage. After watching 60 minutes you have a total opening plan against the Queen’s Gambit.

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jose urbina jose urbina 11/26/2020 10:22
This is an excellent video. Chris Ward a great teacher. The structure of the presentation superb. 10 points to Chessbase.
notebook03 notebook03 11/26/2020 01:26
@GR2

I think...
Top row: William Watson, Danny King, Stuart Conquest, Alexander Baburin
Bottom row: Luke McShane, Chris Ward, Mickey Adams, John Nunn
GR2 GR2 11/26/2020 10:35
I think I know 5 of them
GR2 GR2 11/26/2020 10:34
Who are the players in the photo at the top of this article?
TimSpanton TimSpanton 11/26/2020 09:33
What a shame. I was looking forward to reading this, but I cannot be bothered to go through more than three hours of video
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