The Power of Initiative: Episode 5

by Jan Werle
6/25/2025 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?
Master the Catalan – Strategic depth, dynamic plans, and a lifetime repertoire. Now on sale!
Master the Catalan – Strategic depth, dynamic plans, and a lifetime repertoire. Now on sale!

In this series, we dive deep into the opening and middlegame, analyzing the most dynamic and aggressive ways to take charge. Through expert commentary, thrilling games, and insightful breakdowns, you’ll discover the art of the initiative—how to grab it, how to keep it, and how to use it to dominate your games.

These DVDs will show you dangerous new sidelines that are ideal for combatting the Sicilian after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6/d6 3.Bb5(+), with your author giving you the positional ideas behind less well-trodden Sicilian paths that avoid the main and winding main

Are you ready to take control? Then let’s begin the fight for The Initiative!

We take a look at Rapport – L’Ami from the Sigeman tournament in Malmö, followed by a fascinating moment where Ivanchuk lost his game while fighting for the initiative. We also include a game from one of Werle’s students, offering valuable practical insight. As always, there’s a training exercise to sharpen your skills, and we continue with our Opening Repertoire in the French Advance Variation: focusing on how to build up the initiative when fighting for a space advantage.

Example: Westerhof vs Hagen, 2025

This week's show

The author

GM Jan Werle is a professional chess trainer, coach and author. In 2008 he became EU-champion in Liverpool and reached his peak rating of 2607. He is giving chess lessons online to pupils worldwide but also in schools. He enjoys to help and teach his students and to watch them improve. Werle regularly publishes video courses with ChessBase. His most recent one being a two volume course on the Catalan.

Mastering piece setups in various pawn structures and transitioning to a dominant middlegame, this course equips you with the insight and flexibility to outmanoeuvre your opponents in the Closed Catalan.

Review by IM Hannes Langrock

In volume 1 of his Catalan repertoire, Jan Werle looks at the Open Catalan, i.e. playing with an early ...dxc4. The Dutch grandmaster tends to choose "tough", concrete variations to pose Black difficult problems. In 9 hours and 30 minutes of video time, he designs an ambitious main line repertoire. Such a repertoire requires a good deal of theoretical knowledge, but it is also extremely powerful. The course has made me want to play the Catalan more often again – even without deferred c2-c4!

Dominate the Open Catalan: Unlock key strategies and dynamic plans for a lifetime repertoire!

Read the whole review here...

A recent example of Supergrandmasters playing the Catalan...

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Topics: The Initative
Jan is a professional chess Grandmaster, trainer, coach and author. In 2008 he became EU-champion in Liverpool and reached his peak rating of 2607. Hereafter finished his law studies obtaining two master law degrees (civil and commercial law) before he commenced with his job as a lawyer. But now he's back in chess.
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See also

The Power of Initiative: Episode 4

6/5/2025 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?
More...
 1

See also

The Power of Initiative: Episode 3

5/19/2025 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?
More...
 1

Video

60m English New ideas in the Najdorf_E

‘New ideas in the Najdorf – a Power Play 18 Update’ aims to complement Daniel King’s popular DVD from last year ‘The Sicilian Najdorf - a repertoire for Black’. Such a dynamic and popular opening as the Najdorf is developing the whole time. On this download, Daniel King updates lines that were included on his DVD but also responds to viewers’ requests, considering lines that he omitted from his original repertoire. The lines examined on this update are: • 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 h3 e5 7 Nde2 • 5….a6 6 Bc4 in combination with the English Attack (Be3, f3 etc) • 5…a6 6 Be3 and the …a5 variation • 5…a6 6 Be2 and 9 Re1 • 5 f3 (instead of 5 Nc3) It isn’t necessary to have seen the original Najdorf DVD to understand the lines examined here – but it would help as they form part of a complete repertoire.

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