CHESSBOOK REVIEWS

Latest book reviews of 1 May 2023

Wilhelminalaan 33 

7261 BP RUURLO 

The Netherlands.
           John Elburg


 
Chess DVD's

Middlegame Secrets Vol.1 - The Power of the Queen
by  Jan Markos
http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
2023
 Price Euro 29.90
Windows 7 or higher
Minimum: Dual Core, 2 GB RAM, DirectX11, graphics card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 14/Fritz 16 or included Reader and internet access for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel i5 (Quadcore), 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX11, graphics card with 512 MB RAM or more, 100% DirectX10-compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVD-ROM drive and internet access for program activation.
MacOSX  only available as download! Minimum: MacOS "Yosemite" 10.10 


This new series of grandmaster Jan Markos will explain you in great detail the power of each chess piece, starting with the so important Queens as we say the true ladies of the chessboard.
Covered are in the five hour video running time are:
Introduction
The queen shines
The queen fails to reach her potential
A personal experience of not handling the queen well
Attacking Queen
The 4th phase of the game - heavy pieces endgame
How Magnus Carlsen handles the queen
Queen Manoeuvres
Backward manoeuvres and spotting holes
Unprotected pieces
Queen transfer for coordination and harmony
Shall I exchange the queens?
First set of examples
Second set of examples
Cooperation
Queen + Knight = Soulmates
Queen + Knight = Soulmates II
Queen + Bishop battery
Queen + Rook(s) battery
Common Mistakes
Bad blocker and premature activity
Limited access to other parts of the board
Queen Masterpieces
Nakamura vs Navara
Nepomniachtchi vs Yu Yangyi
Extra: Additional database with exercises
Training with ChessBase apps – Play key positions against Fritz on various levels
Conclusion: Perfect trainings material!   

Middlegame Secrets Vol.2 - The Potential of the Rook
by  Jan Markos
http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
2023
 Price Euro 29.90
Windows 7 or higher
Minimum: Dual Core, 2 GB RAM, DirectX11, graphics card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 14/Fritz 16 or included Reader and internet access for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel i5 (Quadcore), 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX11, graphics card with 512 MB RAM or more, 100% DirectX10-compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVD-ROM drive and internet access for program activation.
MacOSX  only available as download! Minimum: MacOS "Yosemite" 10.10 


Chess Author and Grandmaster Jan Markos provides the user with a impressive 5 hour coverage the secrets and strategies of strong rook play.
But first a small overview: Introduction
The rooks are stronger than minor pieces when playing on the edge of the board
Get your rooks active as quickly as possible
Connected rooks
Open file
Open file in a quiet position
Widen the battlefield
Two open files
Entry squares
The file which is further away from the king is usually the correct one I
The file which is further away from the king is usually the correct one II
Attacking rook
Rook lifts
Attack on the g- and h-file
Doubled pawns are vulnerable to exchanges
Opening a second flank
The 7th rank
Key factors for a successful attack on the 7th rank
Typical defender mistakes
Losing track of strategically goals in tactical positions
Rook exchanges
Space advantage
Opposite coloured Bishops/Material Imbalances/Central Majority
Passed Pawn/King position
Rook lift
Transfer to a different wing
Transfer to attack a weakness I
Transfer to attack a weakness II
Transfer to attack a weakness III
As we can learn here good rook play is more than manoeuvring on the 7e and 8e rank!
Extra: Additional database with exercises plus Training with ChessBase apps – Play key positions against Fritz on various levels.
Conclusion: Very instructive learning material!

ChessBase Magazine issue 212 Extra
April  2023
ChessBase
 http://www.chessbase.com
E-Mail info@chessbase.com
ISSN 1432-8992
Euro 12,99
System requirements:
Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Windows Vista, XP (Service Pack 3), DirectX9 graphic card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9, ChessBase 12/Fritz 13 or included Reader and internet connection for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, DirectX10 graphic card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or better, 10


This time I would like to start with the smashing video files from the French openings expert Romain Edouard who starts a four-part series in which he presents some new ideas for Black in the Sicilian Dragon Variation, which runs after the moves: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 d5.
And from Leon Mendonca the 17 year old chess genius digs in the Caro-Kann,with the moves
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.N1e2.
Krishnan Sasikiran contributes "The Brilliancy" of this extra issue with the moves 1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.b3?! Ne4! 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.Ng1!? e5!? 8.dxe5?! Qa5+ 9.Bd2 Qxe5.
But the most important issue on this DVD is the main file with 46905 latest played entries.
Plus a extra lucky bag file 45 entries but these games are all more than excellent analysed.
A fine example of play is: Mamedov,Rauf (2646) - Anand,Viswanathan (2756) [C44]
EU-Cup 37th Mayrhofen (3.1), 05.10.2022
[Mikhalchishin, Adrian]
Top Grandmasters have some love for unusual or old lines,which can be used just once a year!Azeri IGM Rauf Mamedov revived old line in Two Knights Defence. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 This move became main reaction against White assault.Former defence is under fire now [5...Ne5 6.Bxf7+ (6.f4 h6 7.Nxf7 Nxf7 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Qh5+ Kf8 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qxd4; 6.Nxf7!?) 6...Nxf7 7.Nxf7 Bb4+ 8.c3 dxc3 9.bxc3 Kxf7 10.Qb3+ Ke8 11.cxb4 d6 12.0-0 Qe7 13.Nc3 c6 14.Re1 Be6 15.Qc2 Nf6 16.Bg5 Kf7 17.e5 dxe5 18.Rxe5 with very strong pressure,Goryachkina,A (2582)-Yip,C (2420) chess.com INT 2020] 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5 d5 [Much weaker is 9...Re8 10.Qd5+ Re6 11.0-0 Nb4 12.Qb3 c5 13.f4 d5 14.a3 Na6 15.f5 Rxe4 16.fxg6+ Kxg6 17.Nd2 Re3 18.c3 d3 19.Nf3 Re2 20.c4 Bf5 21.Bg5 Black King is in bad troubles, Mamedov,R (2703)-Erdos,V (2605) Skopje 2018;
I dont see ,why logical development could be wrong.Just weakness of Black squares? 9...d6 10.Qc4+ Be6 11.Qe2 Qf6 12.0-0 Rhe8] Best and most logical.Other moves are simply wrong 10.0-0 [10.e5 Re8 11.0-0 Rxe5 12.Bf4 Qe7 13.Qb5 Rf5 with advantage, Mamedov,R (2315)-Grischuk,A (2712) ICC INT 2003;
10.exd5? Re8+ 11.Kf1 (11.Kd1 Re5) 11...b6 12.Qc4 Na5 13.Qb5 Nb3 14.axb3 a5] 10...dxe4 11.c3 [#] 11...Re8 Here Black has other interesting choices [11...Qd6 12.Qxd6 cxd6 13.cxd4 Nxd4 14.Nc3 Bg4 (14...Re8? 15.Be3 Nf5 Kovalev,V (2623)-Mamedyarov,S (2757) chess.com INT 2022 16.Nd5±) 15.Nxe4 Nc2 16.f3 (¹16.Nxd6+ Ke6 17.Bf4) 16...Nxa1 17.fxg4+ Ke6 18.Bh6 Nc2 19.Rd1 Nb4 and White must fight for draw, Mamedov,R (2650)-Dominguez Perez,L (2750) Hengshui 2019;
11...Bf5 12.Bf4 Re8 13.Na3 a6 (¹13...d3) 14.Rad1 (14.cxd4 Qxd4 15.Qc1 Kg8³) 14...d3 15.Nc4 Qe7 White got no compensation for the pawn, Mamedov,R (2667)-Ponomariov,R (2682) Hengshui 2019] 12.cxd4 Qxd4 13.Qg5 Qf6 Vishy works with his seconds very ell oncomputer prepaations! Weakar played such top player ,as Aronian, on USA championship after this game [13...Nb4 14.Bd2 Qd6 (¹14...Kg8) 15.Nc3 c6 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.g4 h6 18.Qh4 Bc8 19.Bxh6 Nd3 20.Bg5 Qe5 21.f3 with winning position, Liang,A (2608)-Aronian,L (2755) Saint Louis USA 2022] 14.Qg3 Nd4 It is much better than [14...Ne5 15.Nc3 Bf5 16.Bg5 Qd6 17.Bf4 Qe6 Samsonkin,A (2428)-Vokhidov,S (2530) chess.com INT 2021and here White would have great position after 18.Rad1 Nd3 19.Bxc7] 15.Nc3 c6 [Another way was 15...Qc6 16.Qh4 Kg8 17.Rd1 Nf5 18.Qf4 b6 19.Nd5 Bb7 20.Qxc7 Qxc7 21.Nxc7 Red8] 16.Bg5 Qe5 17.Rad1 Nf5 18.Qxe5 Rxe5 19.Rfe1 [Some chances still promised 19.Rd8 Re8 20.Rxe8 Kxe8 21.Nxe4 Be6 22.Nf6+ Kf7 23.Nxh7 Bxa2 24.Rd1 Bd5 25.Nf6 Rd8 26.Ne4] 19...h6 20.Bf4 Re8 21.Nxe4 g5 22.Nd6+ [Anyhow Black would equalise after development 22.Bc7 Be6 23.Nc5 Bxa2 24.Nxb7 Bd5 25.f3 Rac8 26.Be5 Re7 27.Nc5 Rce8] 22...Nxd6 23.Bxd6 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Be6 25.a3 Rd8 26.Bb4 Re8 27.Bc3 Bd5 28.Rxe8 Kxe8 29.f3 Kf7 30.Kf2 h5 ½-½
Conclusion: This is must have material!