ChessBase is a personal, stand-alone chess database that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it.
A review of Vladimir Kramnik's DVD My Path to the Top has appeared on the site about.com. Essentially is says that this is another of ChessBase's top notch DVDs. "The presentation is lovely, and Kramnik gives plenty of insight into his preparation and state of mind at various points in his career," the reviewer writes. "Kramnik offers a wealth of insight into his career, with full analysis of some of his most important games."
The reviewer lists the pros and cons of this product. The former are that the DVD represents an overview of Kramnik's championship career, narrated by Kramnik himself; six hours of world-class analysis and insight; and the fact that the ChessMedia presentation is easy to follow. The sole con: that the product requires PC and ChessBase software.
Conclusion: "My Path to the Top is a must have for Kramnik fans, but should also be of interest to anyone who wants a more complete picture of the chess world of the last 20 years, or those who want advice and commentary from one of the world's elite players."
Born in 1975 in Tuapse on the shores of the Black Sea, Vladimir Kramnik studied at the Botvinnik-Kasparov chess school. At 16 he was included in the Russian Olympiad team and scored a sensational 8.5/9, the best result at the Olympiad. After that followed a string of great tournament results, culminating in a world championship challenge. In 2000 Kramnik played the chess legend Garry Kasparov and beat him to take the title, which he successfully defended in 2004 against Peter Leko and 2006 against FIDE champion Veselin Topalov, whom he defeated to take the unified world championship title.
On this DVD Vladimir Kramnik retraces his career from talented schoolboy to World Champion in 2006. With humour and charm he describes his first successes, what it meant to be part of the Russian Gold Medal team at the Olympiad, and how he undertook the Herculean task of beating his former mentor and teacher Garry Kasparov. Kramnik dissects his wins against Leko and Topalov, giving us a vivid impression of the super-dramatic final games of the 2006 match. His commentary is full of useful advice and provides a fascinating insight into the thought processes that govern top level play.
The DVD contains more than six hours of video with narrative and game analysis. There are also five additional segments from an exclusive video interview on the intrigues that surrounded the 2006 world championship, and on the state of the chess world in general.
Vladmir Kramnik:
MY PATH TO THE TOP
