In order to avoid reaching a somewhat passive Catalan setup, Black has to get out of his comfort zone and accept the pawn sacrifice on c4. White’s compensation typically consists of an advance in development and a space advantage in the centre and play frequently acquires a neo-romantic character.

There are lines where it is hard to prove an objective advantage for White in analysis mode, but Black’s route to a safe position is not simple, either. In over-the-board play White has excellent chances for maintaining the initiative for a long time. A compact and promising repertoire for active players.

• Video running time: 6 hours (English)
• With interactive training including video feedback
• Extra: Training with ChessBase apps - Memorize the opening repertoire and play key positions against Fritz on various levels
• Database with model games

Sample video

The author

Mihail Marin, born in 1965, has several times been Romanian champion and first made the leap over the Elo barrier of 2600 in 2001. Marin possesses a rare gift for a grandmaster - he is able to explain in readily comprehensible terms the ideas behind moves, variations and positions. This ability is

there for all to admire in his contributions to ChessBase Magazine. Marin has written some books which have earned the highest of praise, among which are Secrets of Chess Defence and Learn from the legends.

System requirements

Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 2 GB RAM, Windows 7, DirectX9 graphic card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9 and internet connection for program activation. Recommended:PC Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX10 graphic card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or better, 100% DirectX10 compatible soundcard, Windows Media Player 11, DVD-ROM drive and internet connection for program activation.

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