Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.
In the previous two episodes, we discussed Vladimir Kramnik losing his world title to Anand. It took some time before Kramnik made a comeback, but in 2013, he was well on his way to winning the Candidates Tournament in London. In the end, both the young Magnus Carlsen and Kramnik finished with the same number of points, but due to tiebreak rules, Kramnik was relegated to second place. Carlsen then went on to challenge World Champion Anand in a World Championship match, which we will discuss later. For Kramnik, this was more or less his last chance to compete for the world title.
Less widely known than Kasparov's famous battles against the computer program Deep Blue were the matches Kramnik played against the computer program Deep Fritz. Developed by Dutch programmer Frans Morsch for ChessBase, the first match, held in 2002, ended in a 4-4 draw. However, by the time of their rematch in 2006, the chess computer had significantly improved. This match took place in Bonn and had a prize fund of $1 million. Fritz won the match 4-2, partly due to Kramnik famously overlooking a checkmate in one move.
In 2019, Kramnik announced his retirement from professional chess to focus on other aspects of the game. However, in 2024, he made headlines several times for controversial accusations of online cheating on the popular platform chess.com. Kramnik notably accused GM José Martínez, who hails from Peru but represents Mexico, of cheating, claiming that Martínez's rapid play couldn't be as strong as it appeared. These accusations culminated in a high-profile match dubbed "The Clash of the Claims," where the two players faced off, with half of the blitz games played online in the same room under supervision, and the other half on a physical board. Martínez ultimately won this duel, though Kramnik continued to express doubts about the integrity of the games.
Kramnik was later given a rematch in London, called the "Match of the Blames," which he narrowly won. Despite the controversies, Kramnik remains a remarkable player whose departure from active classical chess is a significant loss to the chess world. Thankfully, many of his victories are a pleasure to replay, and they serve as a testament to his all-around brilliance.
To illustrate Kramnik's strategic prowess, I would like to showcase one of his games against Magnus Carlsen. In this position, White has blocked the c5 square with a pawn on b4. Black, seeking to break the blockade, plans to undermine it with ...a6-a5. What brilliant strategic concept does Kramnik come up with in response?
Master Class Vol.11: Vladimir Kramnik
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 (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep y
This week’s show (for Premium Members only)
