For young and developing players a very important piece of advice is to study open positions and to understand the value of coordination of the pieces plus the role of the center. These goals can be achieved just by answering 1.e4 with 1…e5.

Some players claim that these positions are not sharp and interesting enough, and they believe that different Sicilians should be one’s choice, but that is not completely correct. The idea of this DVD is to show that 1.e4 e5 can be extremely entertaining and that Black can obtain interesting counterplay in every opening. There are two lines proposed in the Spanish systems plus the most active alternatives against other white choices.

The theory of the critical moment in the chess game was explained once by GM Iosif Dorfman. He suggested that every game has 5 or 6 “forks” at which the important decisions are made.

Accordingly, all major erroneous decisions are made at these moments when there are multiple possible choices. Adrian Mikhalchishin describes different critical moments in detail and explains how to react correctly.

Understanding the play at such a critical moment is the key to improving one’s results and a general understanding of chess.

Critical moments are characterized by the presence of between 2 and 4 different possibilities. The exchange of pieces, the calculation of a long variation, a positional solution, or transposition into an endgame.

Adrian Mikhalchishin also shows how to perform correctly in the above situations.

Modern middlegame theory does not exist in written form. That is why players and trainers have to go back to the old recommendation by Nimzowitsch – to study typical positional methods.

But who is better placed to teach us about their own powerful weapons than the great champions of the past? So the key to understanding the middlegame lies in understanding how to execute certain positional maneuvers.

In this DVD, Adrian Mikhalchishin explains, for example, Botvinnik’s famous “flank against center” strategy. Which is one of the cornerstones of positional play.

Also, Petrosian’s white square strategy is an extremely important form of the control of squares and space.

Tal was a great master of changing the material balance in every position – for example, rook and pawn against two pieces.

GM Makogonov, once a trainer of Vassily Smyslov, invented the famous secret positional rule of the Soviet chess school.

How and when it is possible to apply this method you will find out from this disc.

Strategy University Vol. 5: Winning Methods of Great Players – GM Adrian Mikhalchishin

The Soviet grandmaster Vladimir Simagin was one of the first to employ the typical exchange sacrifice: on one hand the Sicilian exchange sacrifice Rxc3, and on the other allowing the ‘exchange’ of a rook on f8 against the white bishop on h6 in order to go on and achieve superiority on the black squares.

Attacks by Tal are presented under ‘Bluffs’, but the theme has a much more all-embracing heading, namely ‘drastically altering the course of a game.

Anybody can carry out double attacks, but how do you bring about the positions in which they are possible? This theme, which is of course partly tactical in nature, is one of the most important ones which can lead to success in chess.

How to take the ideas of other players and then make use of them yourself.

Through his own games, the author shows how to recognize typical mistakes and study them with a view to avoiding them in the future.

To finish off, this chess strategy DVD introduces some legendary Soviet players: Yuri Razuvaev, Vitaly Tseshkovsky, Oleg Dementiev, and Viktor Zheliandinov.

Strategic planning is the most difficult part of the game and needed throughout, from the opening to the ending.

Strategic planning is based on an evaluation and that evaluation is based on the different elements of the position.

But what the chess books don’t describe is the direction of the plan.

The aim of every plan is the exploitation of weakness! So, spot the weakness in your position or your opponent’s and then either defend it, repair it or attack it!

There are different kinds of plans, some based on structures and others based on recurring piece constellations.

The author tackles another big subject and gives examples of how to construct plans in positions with pawn majorities on the flanks.

These examples will teach you how to exploit this important positional element properly.

In chess, the technique of exchanging pieces is the ultimate knowledge. The biggest specialists of this were such greats as Akiba Rubinstein and Vasily Smyslov. The exchange bishop for a knight is the most common case.

The technique of exploiting the individual power of these pieces is completely different. The bishop is well placed on certain strategical outposts where it controls diagonals or both flanks.

The technique of knight play is much more complicated since this piece can attack weaknesses of any color and thus may change its target many times. The knight is especially strong in the center, in blockade positions, and against doubled pawns – all these cases are explained on this product. Enjoy!

The King’s Indian is an extreme counterattacking weapon for Black, so White’s best way is to conduct an effective central strategy and to keep the king in safety.

Maybe the only and best way to fulfill this strategy is the variation with the fianchetto of the white bishop to g2. It is the most unpleasant variation for King’s Indian Defence players, easy to handle and it prevents Black from performing his typical attacking plans.

Modern chess theory often considers time and development to be more important than material. 

Sacrificing pawns has been standard opening practice for centuries but ten or fifteen years ago leading theoreticians developed more and more opening lines in which one side regularly gives up the exchange. 

Such sacrifices in the opening lead to strategically and tactically complex positions and give the well-prepared player good winning chances. 

On this 60 Minutes renowned and successful coach Adrian Mikhalchishin shows you openings with early exchange sacrifices. 

These openings enrich your repertoire, improve your chess, and give you an opportunity to witness the development of modern chess theory.

An easy Plan vs. the Stonewall System!

Young, inexperienced players often have problems in closed positions, because in positions where pawn chains dominate, you have to know the plans.

So when I was a strong grandmaster, I was always a bit afraid of Stonewall positions in the Dutch System.

But one day my friend Aleksander Beliavsky took me aside and showed me a new idea for white: you exchange the bishop on f4 to open the g-line (gxf4) and double the rooks there.

Black will defend his weaknesses on this line with all his power.

Since White has space advantage, he now transfers his pieces to the other wing and creates new weaknesses - and the opponent is helpless.

Beliavsky's brilliant match against Artur Jussupov is a fantastic and instructive example of this great plan.