ChessBase Tutorials Openings #02: The Semi-Open Games

Overview

How do you do your chess opening training? Do you try in vain to commit to memory sequences of moves as far as move 15 or even 20?

Do you work your way through thick tomes in order to laboriously collect the most important information?

Or do you simply keep on playing the same opening, just because by chance you learned a little about it years ago and because it is in any case too complicated and time-consuming to learn something new?

Or do you simply not bother with opening theory, but continue to be annoyed about being at a disadvantage before you really get into the game proper?

Fortunately, there is no need for chess opening training to be like that, because for all those who are looking for a compact and entertaining survey of the openings, there are now the new ChessBase Opening Tutorials.

Volume Two deals with the wide-ranging and important area of the Semi-Open Games. Our masters and trainers present to you 24 exciting, entertaining and instructive videos:

• Caro-Kann (3 videos)
• French (5 videos)
• Scandinavian (1 video)
• Sicilian (12 videos)
• Alekhine Defence (1 video)
• Pirc (1 video)
• Nimzowitsch and Owen Defences (1 video)

The major area of the Sicilian is subdivided into:

• Najdorf (3 videos)
• Sveshnikov (2 videos)
• Scheveningen System (1 video)
• Paulsen and Taimanov (1 video)
• Dragon (1 video)
• Richter-Rauser Attack (1 videos)
• Rossolimo (1 video)
• Alapin (1 video)
• Closed Sicilian (1 video)

Most of the videos last between 13 and 16 minutes, meaning that in something like six hours you can get a survey of this immensely important area of chess opening theory.

This time five authors went before the camera for the videos in English, of whom you already know Lawrence Trent (6 videos), Valeri Lilov (6 videos), and Lars Schandorff (3 videos) from the first volume. You will be glad to welcome Daniel King (6 videos) and Sam Collins (3 videos) as new authors.

In the English / German accompanying booklet, the 22 pages in each language offer short descriptions of the chess openings. This is intended on the one hand to help you orientate yourself and on the other to make possible an entertaining introduction to the world of the Semi-Open Games.

Last but not least, there is also a database which contains 100 outstanding games from the openings areas which are being presented.

System Requirements:

Minimum: Dual Core, 2 GB RAM, Windows 7 or 8.1, 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.