Vladimir Kramnik: My Path to the Top
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
- ChessMedia format
- on DVD-ROM
- Video running time: 6 hrs
- Language: English
- EAN 4027975004990
- recommended retail price:
- 39.99 € incl. VAT
- 33.61 € without VAT (for customers outside the European Union)
- US $45.7 (without VAT)