3/28/2024 – What to do against 1.e4? Many players choose to open with the Sicilian to play for a win with Black and get interesting positions, but they are afraid of the long forced variations in the Najdorf, the Dragon or the Sveshnikov. The Kalashnikov Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6!?) is an interesting alternative. The positions offer a wealth of tactical and strategic possibilities, but the theory is straightforward. In a new course, French GM Fabien Libiszewski shows how to score in the Kalashnikov Variation.
Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Winning starts with what you know The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Unleash your chess potential with this dynamic course focused on mastering the initiative.
€39.90
Master the Sicilian Kalashnikov
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the Sicilian Kalashnikov! We will unravel the secrets of the explosive opening arising from 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5.
Black willingly makes long-term strategic concessions, but in return forces White to lose valuable development time. This versatile opening will appeal to lovers of dynamic play while providing a solid strategic foundation. You will learn the key ideas and crucial strategic plans so that you feel more comfortable navigating the sharp variations.
Dive into the fascinating world of the Sicilian Kalashnikov variation! We will uncover the secrets of this explosive opening from the very first moves: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5.
Introduced in 1834 by one of the greatest players of his time, Charles de La Bourdonnais, this opening has stood the test of time and continues to be used by top players at the highest level. Modern heroes of this opening include Teimour Radjabov, Alexei Shirov and, more recently, Parham Maghsoodloo and Hikaru Nakamura, who used the Kalasnikov in the decisive last round of the Grand Swiss 2023, qualifying for the Candidates Tournament in the process!
Expand your repertoire with innovative variations to surprise your opponents. Explore the modern perspective of this opening with French GM Fabien Libiszewski, an expert on the Kalashnikov for almost two decades.
Running time: 5 hours 7 minutes
Interactive video training with feedback
Database with over 300 model games
Extra: Training with ChessBase Apps - Practise the opening repertoire
Sample video
Language: English
Level: Advanced, tournament player, professional
System: Windows 10 or newer, Mac OS X (download only)
Streaming: For iPad & Tablet
Delivery:Download, Post - Free delivery within Germany from 50 EUR purchase value
How do you play the Queen's Gambit Accepted? Does White have promising variations or can Black construct a water-tight repertoire? The Powerbook provides the answers based on 300 000 games, most of them played by engines.
The Queen's Gambit Accepted Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 11827 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 240 are annotated.
Rossolimo-Moscow Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 10950 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 612 are annotated.
The greater part of the material on which the Rossolimo/Moscow Powerbook 2025 is based comes from the engine room of playchess.com: 263.000 games. This imposing amount is supplemented by some 50 000 games from Mega and from Correspondence Chess.
Focus on the Sicilian: Opening videos on the Najdorf Variation with 6.h3 e5 7.Nb3 (Luis Engel) and the Taimanov Variation with 7.Qf3 (Nico Zwirs). ‘Lucky bag’ with 38 analyses by Anish Giri, Surya Ganguly, Abhijeet Gupta, Yannick Pelletier and many more.
€14.90
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