10/4/2018 – How do you choose an opening for Black against 1.e4? One idea is to watch the games of the most influential players and discover how you feel about their main choices. But in general, having a number of games at our fingertips to use as a foundation for knowing the opening is a must for every serious player. The Petroff has been considered a safe and solid way to play for equality, but as we will see in this review, it can become quite a sharp weapon to add to one's own repertoire. This can be ideal for the weekend tournament warrior, as well as for club players. The collection of games given with this review will help the reader make an informed choice, discovering the manoeuvres, ideas and risky lines available in the Petroff.

9/10/2018 – The real reason one should study endgames, is not only related to the possibility those endgames actually appear on the board (they seemingly never do!), but to the gain of confidence we need in order to convert a game where we have a material advantage, or a more active position, into a won game. In fact, lately we have witnessed the World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, playing many games which seem drawn, and yet when he reaches the endgame, it turns into an almost magical win. In this review by DAVIDE NASTASIO, you can practice many interesting endgame positions against the engine which stem directly from the games of all these great champions. No excuses! Getting some training done today!

8/30/2018 – This quick review of a recent interesting product is geared toward the player who would like an easy plan to face the Stonewall Dutch. The review itself, thanks to the new ChessBase "live diagrams", lets a player tests some positions and ideas against an engine. Then, of course, Mikhalchishin's explanations and choice of example games can be quite enlightening. DAVIDE NASTASIO explains.

8/27/2018 – We often hear the advice to replay classical games played by World Champions in order to improve our chess understanding. What if we could unite the fun of learning a new opening with improving our chess? Yes, the Tarrasch Defence answers both these conditions. Many World Champions played it throughout their careers in very crucial moments, when a win would define their own existence as chess players. Now we can learn it from a top GM, who adds his own wisdom to the theoretical knowledge we can find in books.

8/9/2018 – There is a clear need to revisit one's own opening repertoire from time to time, reinterpreted under a different teacher — this is a must for every competitive chess player. Now here's a chance to add a very sharp opening to your toolkit, whether for blitz, quick time controls or a surprise weapon. Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO says we can gain an edge over the competition thanks to this video series by International Master Michael Rahal.

8/2/2018 – 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 — have you ever used this defence, which acts as a very big nuisance in the white position? In his latest Fritztrainer Lawrence Trent calls this “one of the most underrated openings, gambits-wise” and considers it perfectly sound, since he has not been able to refute it with some of the strongest computers in the world. He promises dynamic play, with the “most in-depth analysis I’ve ever done.” Review by SEAN MARSH, with live Fritz-board for you to train on.

7/14/2018 – Mikhail Botvinnik is the patriarch of the Soviet School of Chess. Knowing Botvinnik's games is fundamental for the development of every player, argues reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO, who takes you on a tour of the lasted addition to the Fritztrainer Master Class series. Try your skills at some study positions as you learn about Botvinnik and his games in this review. Whether or not one likes Botvinnik's style or personality, he is clearly a piece of chess history worth knowing and studying.

7/10/2018 – Rustam Kasimdzhanov is not only a great player in his own right, he's also Fabiano Caruana's main coach, and therefore played a major role in the new World Championship challenger's success at the Berlin Candidates tournament. That's why, speculates reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO, the first customer for this recent DVD offering was Magnus Carlsen or one of his seconds, in preparation for November's match. When a possible World Champion is learning from a former one, shouldn't we all do the same?

6/26/2018 – A romantic gambit? A modern product of top engines? How to define the Evans gambit? In today's frenetic chess world, with new tournaments every weekend, a chess warrior must keep the competition always unprepared using different sharp openings. Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO has the review as GingerGM (AKA Simon Williams) continues his journey helping other chess players to spice up their openings and gain points while playing exciting chess.

6/5/2018 – Richard Reti was a very original player who brought us interesting ideas in the openings, as well as beautiful endgame studies. Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO explores Victor Bologan's video series, as Bologan explores the different transpositions the Reti (1.Nf3) can lead us to. The goal is to make our opponents play chess from the word 'go', and side-step their theoretical opening preparation.

5/25/2018 – Will my tactical vision improve? With the right glasses, the answer is a resounding Yes! Dedicate the next ten hours to train under IM Oliver Reeh, and you'll discover your eyes will acquire new powerful tactical spectacles which will make you see the board under a different tactical light! Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO explains.