11/9/2011 – "I really enjoyed the last Know the Terrain video," writes
Chess Cafe reviewer
Steven Dowd, "and the material in this one is probably even superior, as
Collins discusses this idea of a central majority in ways I have not
heard about before. It is an important theoretical contribution and anyone getting
through the DVD will have weapons at his disposal that his opponents will not
have." Curious?
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Throughout the video course, Sasikran shows various examples from his career to explain sacrifices for initiative, an attack, a better pawn structure and much more.
€49.90
Sam
Collins: Know the Terrain Vol 3. Central Majority
Reviewed by Steven B. Dowd
Know the Terrain Vol 3. Central Majority (DVD) by Sam Collins, ChessBase.
Playing Time: 4 hrs 39 min. $31.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95)
I really enjoyed the last Know the Terrain video, and the material
in this one is probably even superior, as Collins discusses this idea of a central
majority in ways I have not read or heard about before. It is an important theoretical
contribution and anyone getting through the DVD will have weapons at his disposal
(these weapons being ideas!) that his opponents will not have.
The idea behind these videos is that prepared lines don't win all that many
games – knowledge wins the tough tournament games. In this case specifically,
superior knowledge of the pawn structures that typically arise from various
openings. The fact that such knowledge should be transferable between different
openings that have similar structures is another good weapon. When I was competing
regularly, I grouped all of my openings, for white and black into ones that
led to similar middlegame structures. This reduces the amount of time you have
to spend on memorizing openings (general ideas will take over when memory of
specific lines fails) and gives you the middle- and endgame advantage over your
opponent.
Collins defines this central majority as white pawns on a2, d4, and e4 against
black pawns on a7, b7, and e7. These structures appear quite often in the Grünfeld
and Semi-Tarrasch Defenses. White has a space advantage that gives him the initiative
in the middlegame and a potential kingside attack. Black's goal is to reach
an endgame where his outside passed pawn may prove to save the day. A related
construction covered is the passed d-pawn structure that arises when the e-pawns
are exchanged. The short question here is whether that passed pawn is a strength
or a weakness. Kramnik and Carlsen are the main proponents of this type of structure
from the white side, while Svidler, Ivanchuk, Van Wely, and Gymesi are the primary
proponents from the black side.
In my youth, I was impressed with several Spassky games utilizing such structures.
The positions are definitely unbalanced – I had many satisfying wins with
the structure Collins set forth, and many frustrating losses. Here are the two
basic positions, one arising from the Semi-Tarrasch:
And the other from the Exchange Grünfeld:
The sections are as follows:
Black plays …b6 and …Nc6
Black plays …b6 and …Nd7
White plays d4 and e5
White plays d5 and e5
Kingside Attack
Black plays …f5
c4 outpost
Minority Attack
Decoying the black central pawn
Passed d-pawn
Ng5
Blockade in the middlegame
Blockade in the endgame
d5 outpost in the endgame
No less than thirty-four illustrative games are used, and for those who want
modern games, you will not be disappointed. The seminal game is Polugaevsky-Tal,
1969, where "Polu," with outstanding preparation, rips Tal's ...Nc6
line to shreds and even has the ability to develop a kingside attack that includes
every player's favorite, Bxh7+! But most of the games are from "this century,"
including Topalov-Anand, 2010!
It is very hard to pick a favorite game. All are good and instructive. I suppose
because it fit under the category of "Attack I would most likely mess up,"
I picked this stunner:
So after all the praise, what do I consider a deficit here? It is that Collins'
presentation style is extremely unpolished. I was so put off by it, I started
counting the stammers and awkward pauses that arose during his presentation.
At times I had to stop the video and go through the game myself, without the
benefit of his expertise, taking notes, whereupon I then watched the video to
the end. This was less irritating to me, but it should not have been necessary.
I would have awarded this DVD at least one more star had the presentation been
smoother. The powerful ideas he presents deserve no less.
My assessment of this product: Good (four out of six stars)
Throughout the video course, Sasikran shows various examples from his career to explain sacrifices for initiative, an attack, a better pawn structure and much more.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
The Trompowsky is especially suited for faster time controls as you don‘t have to memorise endless lines of theory, and you push your opponent out of their comfort zone after your second move.
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Powerbook based on more than 618 000 games in which White already sidesteps the main variations of the Sicilian on move 2.
€9.90
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