10/26/2012 – "Wolfgang Uhlmann has authored a wonderful DVD," writes John Watson. "He presents 20 of his most memorable games in 7 hours and 38 minutes, with Karsten Müller as co-commentator. Uhlmann is much like his games: lively, sharp, and full of enthusiasm (he's 77 years old now)." Watson thinks this rare DVD might be worth getting even if you don't speak German. Review with sampler.
new: ChessBase 16 - Mega package Edition 2022
Your key to fresh ideas, precise analyses and targeted training!
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. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.
Your key to fresh ideas, precise analyses and targeted training! 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. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.
The two Video-Courses offer you the chance to solve 66 exercises with multiple questions. These exercises are presented in the interactive format, which makes them accessible for players of different strengths as we will go through the thought process ste
€29.90
Wolfgang Uhlmann: Meine besten Partien
Review by John Watson
John Watson has reviewed two sets of ChessBase downloads and DVD courses. In
the first group he looked at five ChessBase tutorial videos. Here is one that
is slightly different from the usual recommendations.
Wolfgang Uhlmann: Meine besten Partien
Wolfgang Uhlmann has authored a wonderful DVD in German: Meine besten Partien.
This is available on the German
ChessBase Shop site. Uhlmann presents 20 of his most memorable games in
7 hours and 38 minutes, with Karsten Mueller as co-commentator. Here is a small
sampler:
Uhlmann is much like his games: lively, sharp, and full of enthusiasm (he's
77 years old now). This is the rare DVD that might be worth getting (also available
by download) even if you don't speak German. Granted, that might be a bit of
a luxury for someone without a liberal chess budget.
Some
of the basic questions about chess video products have been around for a couple
of decades: Who are they best suited for? Are they a good learning tool? What's
the best way to keep the viewer's interest? How do they compare with books?
In my experience, people either take to videos or don't. I have a friend who
watches them as he exercises on a stationary bike; he's seen hundreds. Other
players show little or no interest.
An important issue is whether you absorb and/or enjoy material better in a
video format (as many people do for 'real world' subjects, particularly children);
on the negative side passive learning (not moving the pieces or being engaged
interactively) doesn't work for some people, who say they don't like the lack
of feedback. From those who do like watching chess videos, the most common complaint
I hear about ChessBase DVDs is that the presenter's face is always before you
(facing you or staring at the computer screen), but after you've gotten used
to him or her, the only thing you're really doing is watching the moves on the
board and listening to a voice. So in one sense, the split screen method isn't
that much better than just showing the board with audio commentary and no live
visuals. On the other hand, some people find it pleasant to have a face in front
of them simulating a real-world lecture. Personally I don't care that much,
although it's very nice to see the presenter for at least a brief time so that
you know what he looks like and can see a little about his screen personality.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the players from England are the best at presenting
the material (at least for English-language DVDs!); it's simply a matter of
a native feel for the nuances and humour of the language. That's one reason
Davies (who is quietly expressive) and Martin (who has a more directly enthusiastic
style) are so popular; they are fun to listen to. Lawrence Trent is similarly
at ease and convincing, while Daniel King, whose Power Play series is very popular
(unusually so for lectures with mostly middlegame themes) gives a comfortable
impression with numerous entertaining comments.
As much as I respect the competent English of other lecturers, which easily
exceeds my own abilities with other languages, they too often come across as
either mechanical, forcedly 'humorous', or downright dull. Some of them are
even difficult to understand. (Of course there are exceptions, for example,
Jan Gustafsson and Lubomir Ftacnik; and players with exceptional knowledge are
always interesting, e.g., Alexei Shirov sometimes seems befuddled, but I like
his humour, spontaneity, and of course great chess wisdom). On the other hand,
linguistic awkwardness can be to some extent made up for by a good spacing of
the moves and variations. And of course, the chess material itself is easily
the most important factor in assessing these DVDs. Nevertheless, especially
in a video format, we're more likely to stay alert and interested if the lecturer's
personality engages us.
The new Komodo Dragon 3 engine has gained 100 Elo points in playing strength over its predecessor when using a processor core in blitz. That's a huge improvement for a program that already reached at
an Elo level of over 3500!
The Stonewall Attack (d4 followed by e3 and possibly f4) is an old-fashioned opening, almost forgotten, not thought to give White any advantage at all. Yet it still packs a punch and is not so easy to defend against. It is especially good for club players
White gains space on the queenside, forces the opponent to use their own resources right from the start of the game and creates a complicated position.
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures. “Open and half-open files” and “the pawn chain” will be covered extensively on this video course. New: now also available as stream!
€29.90
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.
Pop-up for detailed settings
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies, analysis cookies and marketing cookies. You can decide which cookies to use by selecting the appropriate options below. Please note that your selection may affect the functionality of the service. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.
Technically required cookies
Technically required cookies: so that you can navigate and use the basic functions and store preferences.
Analysis Cookies
To help us determine how visitors interact with our website to improve the user experience.
Marketing-Cookies
To help us offer and evaluate relevant content and interesting and appropriate advertisement.