Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.
Louis-Charles Mahé De La Bourdonnais
This video is about the Frenchman De La Bourdonnais. After the death of Philidor, who we can call the first (unofficial) world champion, it was mainly the French and the English who threw themselves into the game of chess.
In Paris Deschapelles initially presented himself as the best player, in London it was Sarratt, Lewis and Walker who brought chess into the public eye. A meeting of the two chess nations was not long in coming. The French honours were held by Louis-Charles Mahé De La Bourdonnais (who had managed to defeat Deschappelles), while in England Alexander McDonnell was widely regarded as the most important representative of the masters' guild.
In the summer of 1834, De La Bourdonnais travelled to London to play a duel with McDonnell that lasted well into autumn. The two players sat face to face in silence (they could not understand each other) and, according to some sources, no fewer than 85 games were played between them. The duel was won convincingly by the Frenchman, who won no fewer than 44 games to the Englishman's 28.
In this video we also draw attention to a connection between the famous position shown in the diagram below and a modern game between Nepomniachtchi and Carlsen.
The diagram shows the end of the most famous McDonnell and De La Bourdonnais played against each other. Do you know your classics? And do you know what the Frenchman played here?
Master Class Vol. 12: Viswanathan Anand
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.
This week’s show (for Premium Members only)
