Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.
After Garry Kasparov became world champion in 1985, he successfully defended his title against Anatoly Karpov in 1986 (12½-11½), 1987 (12-12), and 1990 (12½-11½). In total, the two rivals faced each other in 144 classical games. Throughout these matches, Kasparov played numerous brilliant games that delighted chess enthusiasts worldwide. Given his extensive and versatile "oeuvre," it is challenging to single out the best games. Therefore, I recommend fans of Kasparov to refer to previous episodes of "Understanding before Moving", where I have highlighted several particularly fine examples:
I believe it would be enjoyable to revisit the few memorable moments when I personally experienced Garry Kasparov in action. The first occasion was in Dortmund in 1980 at the Youth World Championship, where Kasparov emerged as the champion, well ahead of British prodigy Nigel Short, who finished second. When it became clear that the Dutch junior champion, later IM Frans Cuijpers, would play against Kasparov in the first round, we planned a trip to Dortmund in a Volkswagen van with four chess friends. We arrived in time to watch the game on demonstration boards.
The game turned into a true massacre in the Benoni, with Kasparov introducing an interesting novelty. Afterward, we were fortunate enough to attend the post-game analysis, where Cuijpers was again overwhelmed, this time by the variations Kasparov demonstrated, showcasing his immense power. It was an impressive experience all around.
A while later, top British player John Nunn published a book analyzing the game and suggested an improvement. Naturally, we anticipated a game between Kasparov and Nunn, which occurred two years later during the Olympiad in Lucerne in 1982. The same position arose, and Nunn implemented his recommendation. Unfortunately for him, Kasparov had a brilliant counter-concept ready. The variations that entered the Mega Database at the time have since been improved with the help of Stockfish 16.1, providing new insights.
The diagram position comes from a variation in the analysis where the engine finds a fantastic move. Do you have any idea how White can reinvigorate his attack?
Master Class Vol.7: Garry Kasparov
On this DVD a team of experts gets to the bottom of Kasparov's play. In over 8 hours of video running time the authors Rogozenko, Marin, Reeh and Müller cast light on four important aspects of Kasparov's play: opening, strategy, tactics and endgame.
This week’s show (for Premium Members only)
