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International Master Andrew Martin from England is something of a veteran among the authors at ChessBase Studio. I first became acquainted with him thanks to his excellent series "The ABC of...", in which he skilfully broke down complex opening systems into their basic ideas. This talent, coupled with his enthusiasm and wit, make him a great author. Now he is back with an interesting surprise weapon for Black against the London System.
Specifically, the idea is as follows::
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 c5 3.e3 Nd5!?
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This line has been played by numerous strong players, including Moiseenko and Christopher Yoo. Black wants to disrupt the harmony in White's structure early on, then target b2 with an early queen move. The tempo that the knight has ‘gained’ in the process, provided White does not sacrifice the pair of bishops, should offer advantageous positions compared to the regular pawn capture on b2. The course follows a clear structure and, in addition to Martin's trademark motivational opening game, offers a clear list of White's critical ideas, paired with example games for your own analysis.
In accordance with the principle of the 60-minute series, the knowledge is to be conveyed to the student in a compact form. The student can then continue their own study using training databases.
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In my opinion, the target audience is broad. This variation serves as an interesting foundation for those looking for an initial idea against the London System. It may be necessary to study individual variations and move sequences that White can choose in order to fully prepare the idea for one's own repertoire. However, players who already play very sharp ideas with early ...d5, ...c5, ...Db6 or ...c5 are likely to get their money's worth, as Andrew Martin's idea offers small nuances that could throw some White players off their preparation.
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In addition to the video lessons, the course includes the following supplementary material:
– Databases with analyses that can be copied into your own database
– Sample games
With "60 Minutes – Outsmarting the London System", Andrew Martin has developed a nice idea, which he presents in a compact format in keeping with the style of the series. After 60 minutes, you can get started right away and put the idea into practice. Critical variations are highlighted and reinforced with example games. All in all, a successful addition to the classic 60-Minutes series.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Positive:
✔ A poisonous surprise weapon
✔ Clear database structure
✔ Critical analyses taken into account
Negative:
– Perhaps a little sparse in terms of text commentary within the individual games.
Andrew David Martin (born 18th May 1957 in West Ham, London) is an English chess player with the title of international master. Martin received his title as international master in1984. He earned his first grandmaster norm in the British Championship of 1997 in Brighton. Martin was a commentator at.the chess world championship between Kasparov and Kramnik in 2000 and commentated at the British Championship for 20 years, before retiring in 2017.
On the 21st February 2004 Martin set a new world record for simultaneous chess. He faced 321 chess players at the same time. His result was: 294 wins, 26 draws and only one loss. Martin is known as a professional chess teacher and is the former Head of the ECF Academy.. Martin is a chess columnist, an author of chess books and the author of various instructional videos. He is also a FIDE Senior Trainer and the current ECF Manger of Coaches.
Martin lives in Bramley, England and still teaches extensively.
Andrew Martin in the ChessBase Shop...
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