7/7/2012 – 'Yes, it is that time of year when many of us are thinking of outdoor activities,
but with chess being so portable these days why not consider a trainer to take
along with you?' writes Seven Dowd in Chess
Cafe. He recommends Andrew Martin's The ABC of the Classical Dutch, which
he give five out of six stars. 'When you reach the end of your journey there
will be masters waiting to teach you!'
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Andrew
Martin:
The ABC of the Classical Dutch
Review by Steven B. Dowd
ABC of the Classical Dutch (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing
time: 3 hours 45 min. $29.95 (Chesscafe Price: $24.95)
This is another well-produced trainer, but to be fully armed in the Ruy Lopez,
Martin's two other DVDs will round out your repertoire: ABC
of the Ruy Lopez and the Spanish
Exchange Variation.
Andrew Martin is one of my favorite presenters. He always approaches a topic
with enthusiasm. On this trainer, after a rather pragmatic introduction, his
next two sections consist of "Black getting pounded" and a "cautionary
tale" so you can see what not to do in this opening! You won't even see
the main line of the repertoire until the fourteenth game of the thirty-three
presented. The Classical Dutch is one of those openings that doesn't enjoy a
great reputation at the highest levels. Yet, there is no refutation in sight,
and it has been adopted by all kinds of uncompromising players. The Dutch player
is a combinative one, willing to play for complications and the win from the
get-go. The Dutch is an unbalancing opening, and the Classical Dutch demands
accurate play on both sides.
Here is an example of how things can go wrong for White. He has already let
the opening get away from him, and his careless approach to the middlegame will
lose.
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1.Nf3f52.c4Nf63.Nc3e64.g3Be75.Bg20-06.0-0d67.d4a58.Re1Ne49.Nxe4fxe410.Nd2d511.f3exf312.Nxf3c513.cxd5exd514.Be3c415.Ne5Nc616.Nxc6bxc6Black's small but persistent advantage is rather obvious. White should try
17.Bd2 or 17.Bf4 here, but tries instead to break up the queenside pawn structure.17.b3c3Accurate play in a wide open position, according to Martin.Of
course, Black could have played17...Bb4or17...Ba6with advantage
as well.18.Qc1Qb619.Rd1The best way to get off of the "skewer line"
was probably19.Rf119...Bg420.Bf1Qb421.Rd3c222.Qxc2Bf523.Qxc6Bxd324.Qxd5+Kh8The engines think White is still OK here. Yet, he is lost
in less than ten moves. White's decision to give up the exchange for some pawns
was not a good one; Black's activity is long-term, White's, short-term. That
is a common theme in this opening; play good moves until White's opening advantage
dissipates, and then counterattack.25.exd3Bf626.Rc1Rae827.Rc4Qe128.Bf2?28.Bf4 should hold for awhile, anyway, although it still looks hopeless
in the long run. Now White is lost.28...Qd229.Qg2Bg530.d5Rxf20–1
The reason I show this game fragment, and why Martin includes it as the first
Black success, is that it represents just one of the many positions that can
arise in the Classical Dutch once things "open up." You have to exercise
a certain "flexibility of thought" in the Classical Dutch, Martin
later notes, giving it a certain appeal to those who like to innovate over-the-board.
The main repertoire line features GM Simon Williams, who is a consistent proponent
of the Classical Dutch. Although Martin calls 7...Ne4, a relatively new move,
it was advocated by Williams as early as 2003. The idea behind 7...Ne4 is to
exchange a set of minor pieces, then going for the ...e5 break with Bf6 and
Nc6. The traditional Classical Dutch moves of ...a5 and ...Qe8 are held in reserve.
White's choices are mainly to take the knight or play various queen moves, with
8.Qc2 the main line.
Here is a great fighting game by Williams, against a world class-GM, that illustrates
his "cold-blooded approach":
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1.d4e62.c4f53.g3Nf64.Bg2Be75.Nf30-06.0-0d67.Nc3Ne48.Bd2 This looks like one of those passive moves you
get from rank beginners, almost a Stümperzug, so if a GM of Sokolov's stature
plays it, there must be a point. Indeed, he plans to get in a quick d5. Both
players have left conventional paths already.Nc69.d5Nxd210.Nxd2Black
has the bishop-pair, but White has greater freedom of movement. It is going
to be a battle. White now turns to natural moves; they don't get him very far.Ne511.e3White can try11.dxe6here, hoping to take advantage of the
long diagonal for the bishop, but afterc6!blunting the bishop, Black is
slightly better. It looks to me like the experiment has failed, and White has
to fight for equality.11...c612.b4Bf613.Qc2Bd714.Rad1a515.b5Gains space but also opens lines for Black pieces.cxd516.cxd5Rc8The
immediate tactical threat is, of course, 17...Rxc3.17.Ndb1Bxb5White has
tried to conduct the early middlegame with solid moves, but this approach has
failed. So he tries an exchange sacrifice that gives him practical chances.
If such imbalanced games as this one do not appeal to you, the Classical Dutch
with ...Ne4 is perhaps one opening you should not try!18.dxe6Bxf119.Kxf1Kh8One of those moves that shows Williams has a good assessment potential
for this type of position - he removes his king from any potential light-squared
difficulties.20.Bxb7Rc721.Qb3a4A tactical deflection and, according
to Martin, a "bamboozling" move.22.Nxa4Qe823.Nbc3Qh524.Bg2Nf325.Bxf3Qxf326.Qd5Qh527.Qxd6Rfc8A position that is hard to evaluate and
may even now be slightly better for White.28.Kg2h6In a "confused position"
Black removes the possibility of a back-rank mate.29.Nb5Rc230.Nb6f4Evidence
that time-trouble must have affected this game, as the immediate 30...Qe2 would
have won.31.exf4Qe232.Rf1Qe4+33.Kg1Rxf234.Rxf2Rc1+35.Rf1Rc236.Qd5Qe237.Qh1Qe3+A brilliant game no doubt, but also one riddled by
mistakes, as expected from a hard-fought OTB battle.0–1
When I tried to conduct my usual evaluation of the opening through online games,
nearly everyone avoided the Classical Dutch! You can interpret that two ways:
"people hate to face this opening, so I am going to take it up!";
or "if all my opponents avoid it, I will just end up in some crazy sideline,
so I will stick with my standard openings!"
Upon viewing the DVD, I felt very comfortable in my knowledge of the repertoire:
get a set of minor pieces off the board, strive for an ...e5-break, and watch
out for an e4-break by White, or alternately, a break on the queenside. What
really attracted me is that the play is active the whole time.
This DVD is an excellent introduction to the Classical Dutch and Martin is
an excellent teacher. Nevertheless, he stresses that to really learn the repertoire
(and all the ways White can avoid the Classical Dutch), you will need to get
a book or two on the opening and immerse yourself in a database of games. It
is a great DVD to consider if you are thinking about playing the opening, and
if not, you will still learn something about counterattacking chess in general
My assessment of this product: Great (five out of six stars)
Sample lecture: Andrew Martin – The ABC of the Classical Dutch
Andrew David Martin (born 18th May 1957 in West Ham, London)
is an English chess player with the title of International Master. He has won
various national and international tournaments and has been playing for years
in the Four Nations Chess League, at present (July 2009) for Wood Green Hilsmark
Kingfisher, previously for the Camberley Chess Club. Martin received his IM
title in1984. He earned his first grandmaster norm in the British Championship
of 1997 in Brighton. Martin was a commentator on the chess world championship
between Kasparov and Kramnik in 2000.
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 head
trainer of the English youth team. He trains eight schools (Yateley Manor, Aldro,
Millfield, Sunningdale, Waverley School, St Michael’s Sandhurst, Wellington
College, Salesian College). Martin is a chess columnist, an author of chess
books and the author of various instructional videos. He was the publisher of
the series Trends Publications. Martin lives in Sandhurst, England, is married
and the father of two daughters and two sons. His present Elo rating is 2423
(as of July 2009).
Ruy Lopez Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12092 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 1276 are annotated.
In this 60 Minutes, Andrew Martin guides you through all the key ideas you need to know to play with confidence. Whether you’re looking to surprise your opponents, or simply want a straightforward weapon against e5, the Centre Attack has you covered.
Videos by Mihail Marin: Najdorf Variation with 6.f4 and Nico Zwirs: Italian ‘giucco pianissimo’. ‘Lucky bag’ with 45 analyses by Edouard, Ftacnik, Gupta, Pelletier and others. Update service with over 50,000 new games for your database!
This video course provides a comprehensive and practical White repertoire in the Ruy Lopez! Through instructive model games and in-depth theoretical explanations, you will learn how to confidently handle both main lines and sidelines.
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