Eric Warolus a écrit:
Ce que tu indiques correspond à la ligne du menu " Chess Media System ".
cette commande ouvre un fichier.WMF sur le dvd chessBase ou sur un autre support.

La ligne qui m'interpelle quelque part, c'est " Media Encoder ".

Chess is often represented in films. Sometimes merely as decoration, often with a deeper, symbolic meaning. In Hollywood the connotation of chess seems to be that of the lonely, disturbed man, seeking pastime and consolation in the royal game. One YouTube user has collected a great number of chess scenes in four videos.

The user FightLuX posted four “Chess Rhapsodies” on YouTube. The music might not be a treat to anyone’s ears, but the collection is impressive:

0:04 – “Shakhmatnaya goryachka” directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin
0:12 – “Monkey Business”, with Marx Brothers
0:18 – “The Black Cat” by Edgar G. Ulmer, with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi
0:20 – “The Great Dictator” by Charlie Chaplin
0:21 – “The Thief of Baghdad” by Ludwig Berger
0:22 – “The Mark of Zorro” by Rouben Mamoulian with Tyrone Power
0:23 – “The Sea Hawk” by Michael Curtiz
0:25 – “Casablanca” by Michael Curtiz with Humphrey Bogart
0:27 – “Keeper of the Flame” by George Cukor with Spencer Tracy
0:28 – “To Be or Not to Be” by Ernst Lubitsch
0:29 – “Sherlock Holmes Faces Death” by Roy William Neill
0:33 – “Ivan Groznyj” by Sergej Michajlovic Ejsenštejn
0:35 – “La belle et la b?te” by Jean Cocteau
0:36 – “Knocking on Any Door” by Nicholas Ray with Humphrey Bogart
0:39 – “Quo Vadis” by Mervyn LeRoy with Robert Taylor
0:42 – “Angel Face” by Otto Preminger
0:45 – “Det Sjunde inseglet” by Ingmar Bergman with Max Von Sydow
0:52 – “Ascenseur pour léchafaud” by Louis Malle
0:53 – “The Diary of Anne Frank” by George Stevens
0:54 – “Exodus” by Otto Preminger
0:55 – “Lolita” by Stanley Kubrick with James Mason
0:56 – “From Russia with Love” by Terence Young
0:59 – “Becket” by Peter Glenville
1:03 – “Woman of Straw” by Basil Dearden with Sean Connery
1:07 – “Whats New Pussycat” by Clive Donner with Woody Allen
1:12 – “Zatoichi Jigoku tabi” by Kenji Misumi
1:16 – “Tony Rome” by Gordon Douglas with Frank Sinatra
1:20 – “Dance of the Vampires” by Roman Polanski
1:23 – “The Thomas Crown Affair” by Norman Jewison with Steve McQueen

0:03 – “Straw Dogs” directed by Sam Peckinpah with Dustin Hoffman
0:07 – “Vamos a matar, compa?eros” by Sergio Corbucci
0:08 – “Lassie: The Adventures of Neeka” by Jack B. Hively
0:09 – “The Omega Man” by Boris Sagal with Charlton Heston
0:11 – “Blazing Saddles” by Mel Brooks with Gene Wilder
0:13 – “La plus longue nuit du diable” by Jean Brismée
0:16 – “Night Moves” by Arthur Penn with Gene Hackman
0:23 – “Io sono un autarchico” by Nanni Moretti
0:29 – “The Wild Geese” by Andrew V. McLaglen
0:31 – “Il gatto” by Luigi Comencini
0:36 – “The Lady Vanishes” by Anthony Page with Elliott Gould
0:37 – “Fantozzi contro tutti” by Neri Parenti
0:40 – “History of the World: Part I” by Mel Brooks
0:52 – “Aus dem Leben der Marionetten” by Ingmar Bergman
0:55 – “Blade Runner” by Ridley Scott with Rutger Hauer
0:58 – “Fanny och Alexander” by Ingmar Bergman
0:59 – “The Thing” by John Carpenter with Kurt Russell
1:08 – “A Midsummer Nights Sex Comedy” by Woody Allen
1:11 – “Bingo Bongo” by Pasquale Festa Campanile with Adriano Celentano
1:19 – “The Jigsaw Man” by Terence Young
1:22 – “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by Michael Radofrd
1:24 – “Revenge of the Nerds” by Jeff Kanew
1:27 – “La diagonale du fou” by Richard Dembo with Michel Piccoli
1:42 – “Lattrazione” by Mario Gariazzo
1:49 – “Dekalog, jeden” by Krzysztof Kieslowski
1:54 – “Rambo III” by Peter MacDonald
1:56 – “M.A.R.K.-13 – Hardware” by Richard Stanley
1:57 – “Europa” by Lars von Trier
1:58 – “The Silence of the Lambs” by Jonathan Demme
1:59 – “The Addams Family” by Barry Sonnenfield with Raul Julia
2:04 – “Knight Moves” by Carl Schenkel with Christopher Lambert
2:11 – “Caino e Caino” by Alessandro Benvenuti
2:16 – “Searching for Bobby Fischer” by Steven Zaillian
2:26 – “Grumpy Old Men” by Donald Petrie with Jack Lemmon
2:28 – “Botte di Natale” by Terence Hill
2:40 – “Men of War” by Perry Lang with Dolph Lundgren
2:42 – “Sugar Hill” by Leon Ichaso
2:44 – “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult” by Peter Segal with Leslie Nielsen
2:48 – “Assassins” by Richard Donner with Sylvester Stallone
2:54 – “Canadian Bacon” by Michael Moore
2:57 – “Othello” by Oliver Parker with Kenneth Branagh

0:04 – “Checkmate” [porno!] by Dyanna Lauren
0:15 – “Ridicule” by Patrice Leconte
0:20 – “Sabotage” by Tibor Takács with Mark Dacascos
0:24 – “Independence Day” by Roland Emmerich with Jeff Goldblum
0:30 – “Shine” by Scott Hicks
0:32 – “Summer of Fear” by Mike Robe
0:37 – “George of the Jungle” by Sam Weisman
0:39 – “Le comte de Monte Cristo” by J. Dayan with Gérard Depardieu
0:43 – “Train de vie” by Radu Mihaileanu
0:48 – “Bicentennial Man” by Chris Columbus with Robin Williams
0:54 – “The Spy Who Shagged Me” by Jay Roach with Mike Myers
1:11 – “Virus” by John Bruno
1:15 – “The Luzhin Defence” by Marleen Gorris with John Turturro
1:29 – “X-Men” by Bryan Singer
1:36 – “Black Hawk Down” by Ridley Scott
1:37 – “Black Knight” by Gil Junger with Martin Lawrence
1:40 – “Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone” by Chris Columbus
1:48 – “The Last Castle” by Rod Lurie
1:50 – “La regina degli scacchi” by Claudia Florio
2:10 – “Scacco alla Regina” [porno!] by Riccardo Schicchi with Eva Henger
2:30 – “The Navigators” by Ken Loach
2:31 – “Zoolander” [extra bonus in DVD!]
2:32 – “Two Weeks Notice” by Marc Lawrence with Hugh Grant
2:33 – “Global Effect” by Terry Cunningham
2:35 – “Moscow Heat” by Jeff Celentano with Michael York
2:42 – “Il Paradiso allimprovviso” by Leonardo Pieraccioni with Alessandro Haber
2:56 – “Out of Reach” by Po-Chih Leong
3:00 – “The Chronicles of Riddick” by David Twohy
3:02 – “In Enemy Hands” by Tony Giglio
3:06 – “A Love Song for Bobby Long” by Shainee Gabel
3:11 – “Five Fingers” by Laurence Malkin
3:16 – “La terza stella” by Alberto Ferrari
3:19 – “Kingdom of Heaven” by Ridley Scott
3:21 – “Oliver Twist” by Roman Polanski
3:22 – “Revolver” by Guy Ritchie with Jason Statham

0:04 – Star Trek TOS (1×01)
0:11 – The Prisoner (1×09)
0:17 – Columbo (2×07)
0:19 – Happy Days (1×01)
0:21 – The Bionic Woman (2×07)
0:27 – Three’s Company (3×02)
0:32 – Hart to Hart (1×18)
0:36 – Family Ties (4×20)
0:46 – MacGyver (1×21)
0:57 – Murder, She Wrote (2×17)
1:02 – Cheers (5×15)
1:07 – Major Dad (1×08)
1:16 – Cheers (8×19)
1:21 – Twin Peaks (2×14)
1:29 – Hart to Hart (6×04)
1:34 – Frasier (3×18)
1:39 – OZ (1×03)
1:40 – Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1×18)
1:44 – OZ (2×05)
1:49 – The Pretender (3×19)
1:54 – Profiler (3×19)
1:56 – Stargate SG1 (3×18)
2:04 – Compagni di scuola (1×20)
2:09 – Friends (7×21)
2:20 – That 70s Show (4×01)
2:23 – Judging Amy (3×19)
2:27 – The West Wing (3×14)
2:30 – Joan of Arcadia (1×03)
2:32 – Malcolm in the Middle (4×19)
2:36 – Less Than Perfect (1×20)
2:38 – Coupling (4×03)
2:41 – My Wife and Kids (4×26)
2:43 – CSI: New York (2×04)
2:51 – Law & Order, Criminal Intent (4×11)
2:54 – Numb3rs (2×05)
2:58 – Star Trek Enterprise (4×11)
3:01 – In Justice (1×13)
3:03 – According to Jim (5×17)
3:04 – Smallville (5×19)
3:06 – House, M.D. (3×23)
3:10 – Hannah Montana (2×04)
3:12 – Lost (3×11)
3:17 – Tudors (1×01)
3:22 – Numb3rs (4×14)
3:26 – Don Matteo (6×22)
3:27 – Terminator: The Sarah Connors Chronicles (1×05)

Furthermore, the info of the YouTube user refers to a website (in Italian) with a large collection of chess in films, telefilms, videoclips, TV shows, commercials, animations and cartoons. Is there any other board game that’s represented so much in our culture?

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has released a DVD that choronicles the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship. The video features video footage from the top players in the U.S. and their expressions on a variety of topics. The preview appears to capture the intensity of the event as well as the beauty of the venue. Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield have been the hosts of the championship since the USCF parted ways with the previous sponsor. This production appears to share a glimpse of the important role the Sinquefields are playing in what appeared to be a dying chess scene.

How does White do something with this passive position?

Howell-Werle, London 2009. White to play.

Concluding our brief survey of the Scotch (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4), we look at the kind of dynamic endgame struggle that can arise from this old but still important opening.

RB White's position after 1 exf5 Nxf5 2 Re1 (or 2 e4, or 2 Kd2) is so passive – and the e-pawn likely to be a long-term weakness – that White's best chance is to push with 1 e5. Assuming Black takes (1...d5 2 Na4 followed by Nc5 would give the white knight a great post ) with 1...dxe5, White has 2 Bc4, developing his bishop to another great square. If 2...exf4 3 exf4, OK White is a pawn down, but it hardly matters. With the white pieces all ready for action and Black's queenside pawns in a dreadful state, this has to be the best move.

DK 1 e5, as Howell played, is an excellent pawn sacrifice. To find it one needs to appreciate that the alternative, 1 exf5, leaves Black comfortably placed. Here's a typical scenario: 1...Nxf5 2 e4 Nh4. The f-pawn must advance to save itself, and then the knight hops via f3 into e5. Compare this knight with White's, unable to move to its outpost on d5. With the pawns blockaded, Black has stabilised the position and can begin to take control.

After 1 e5 dxe5, it would be wrong to recapture with 2 fxe5 as 2... Ng6 followed by Nxe5 gives Black more freedom than in the game. 2 Bc4 is correct, preventing Black's bishop from emerging on e6, and now 2...exf4 3 exf4 Ng6? would be met by 4 Rxg6! hxg6 5 Rd3, and there is no defence to the checkmate on h3.

If you'd like to investigate the Scotch, then Starting Out: The Scotch Game by John Emms (Everyman Chess, £13.99) will provide you with the basics, while The Scotch Game for White by Vladimir Barsky (Chess Stars, £17.99) – just published – will provide more up-to-date theory. If you prefer to study with a DVD, I recommend the The Scotch Game by Nigel Davies (ChessBase, €26.99).

chess@guardian.co.uk

Sorti en salles le 5 août 2009, le film Joueuse de Caroline Bottaro
avec Sandrine Bonnaire est désormais disponible en DVD

Synopsis : Hélène, femme de ménage discrète, mène une vie paisible dans un petit village en Corse avec son mari, Ange, et sa fille de quinze ans, Lisa. Alors qu'elle nettoie la chambre de deux touristes américains, elle les surprend en train de jouer aux échecs sur le balcon. La complicité entre les deux amants au travers du jeu la fascine. Intriguée, Hélène va se passionner pour les échecs et se rapprocher du mystérieux docteur Kröger...

2007-2009 © Chess & Strategy - tous droits réservés

• Against the Grunfeld, he recommends a delayed e4 advance that is parallel to a Black line that typically emerges from the Benoni -- compare Garnett - Littlewood, British Championship 2009 to Schlosser - Alburt, Arco di Trento 1981.
  
  
• Against the annoying Nb4 idea of the classical main line, he recommends exchanging in the center and playing a3! -- compare Bruzon - Anand, Ciudad de Leon 2006 to Commons - Reshevsky, US Championship 1975.
  
  
• As a way of reviving the traditional Colle, he recommends playing it like a reversed Semi-Slav -- compare Persson - Karlsson, Sweden 2006 to Jankovic - Kaplan, Dresden 2007.
  

L'année 2009 aura été une année riche d'événements, heureux ou malheureux, sur ce blog. Je passerai pudiquement sur une tragédie familiale qui n'a pas grand chose à voir avec les échecs mais que, sur le coup de l'émotion, je vous avais fait partager. Vos nombreux commentaires, tous chaleureux ont autant étonné que réchauffé et m'ont démontré qu'il y avait bien un lien humain à travers ces pages, quelque chose qui dépasse de très loin le simple univers tactique des échecs ! De l'humanité, encore, et de la chaleur à travers la petite histoire concernant Philippe Kesmaecker. Elle n'avait qu'une portée symbolique mais elle m'a donné la pêche... Philippe, en infatigable compilateur de génie a lui aussi été revigoré par son titre de "plus vieux maître FIDE de France" (sic) et s'est engagé dans un ouvrage d'envergure : la mise à jour et la mise en forme de sa base "tactiqueries", qui comporte maintenant un cours de tactique et plus de 4000 positions incluant les meilleures combinaisons des plus récents tournois ! Cette nouvelle version n'est pas encore diffusée sur ce blog car, il faut l'avouer, Philippe cherche légitimement à valoriser son travail et tentera sûrement de commercialiser l'ultime version... mais une mise à jour "intermédiaire" vous sera certainement livrée courant 2010. L'année 2009 m'aura permis de diffuser en libre téléchargement mon premier recueil de parties, d'ajouter plus de 60 exercices tactiques inédits issus de mes propres parties et 9 critiques de livres ou DVD mais le grand tournant aura été pour moi la découverte et la diffusion de vidéos d'échecs : 28 vidéos ont été diffusées sur youtube, dailymotion ou viméo, vues par plus de 12000 visiteurs et le plus souvent gentiment commentées sur ce blog par des spectateurs pourtant exigeants. Les vidéos les plus appréciées sont celles qui parlent d'ouverture (vous êtes incorrigibles !), comme en témoigne le succès de la vidéo sur le gambit Schilling-Kostic, qui est pourtant loin d'être une ouverture à la mode ! Les "cours de tactique" semblent aussi très appréciés : certains d'entre vous n'ont pas hésité à rester plus d'une heure devant le cours sur la déviation (une heure alors qu'on n'y voit aucune femme nue, incroyable !...)  Je vais bien sûr étoffer cette série... mais cela demande un temps considérable de préparation d'où la lenteru du processus... Ma plus belle satisfaction reste votre fidélité : le nombre de visites ne fléchit pas, même pendant les périodes d'inactivité du blog. Alors que j'espérais 30000 visiteurs à la fin de cette année, nous avons dépassé les 47000 avec plus de 37500 visiteurs rien que pour l'année 2009 et près de 100000 pages vues. C'est toujours moins que les sites pornographiques, mais que voulez-vous, malgré quelques tentatives timides de rapprochement, nos deux mondes sont trop éloignés ! Merci à vous tous pour votre fidélité. Je vous souhaite d'excellentes fêtes de fin d'année !

We are glad to inform you, that Chess Assistant 10 Mega package is now available for a price of Chess Assistant 10 Professional, which amounts to a $80 discount!

Mega Package includes Chess Assistant 10 Professional and Gold Nalimov Tablebases on 12 DVD, so essentially you get these DVDs for free.

— Chess Assistant 10 Mega & Gold Nalimov Tablebases for download $149 / €119.20
— Chess Assistant 10 Mega & Gold Nalimov Tablebases on DVD $159 / €127.20

Note: even for download version Nalimov Tablebases are sent by post on 12*8.5GB DVD (100GB of data).

... sera identifié ! Je vous rappelle le principe : je livre le numero IP du vainqueur. Celui qui se reconnait me contacte par le lien "contacter l'auteur" et répond à ce questionnaire. Il recevra un prix (ebook, base chessbase ou DVD) en récompense de sa fidélité. Pour connaitre votre adresse IP, il suffit de vous connecter ici. Venez nombreux tenter votre chance ! A bientôt...

We have just received from Hamburg a new and instructive training DVD: The Magic of Chess Tactics.

Originally published as book by Russell Enterprises back in 2002, Claus Dieter Meyer and Karsten Müller have considerably improved and expanded The Magic of Chess Tactics over the last few years.

Now it’s presented as a training DVD, for the very first time in the popular ChessBase format. It comes with Fritztrainer videos, where Karsten Müller shows a selection of instructive games.

The DVD contains many additional tactical brilliancies, including a collection of the creative achievements of the five memorable great masters of attack: Tal, Spielmann, Neshmetdinov, Stein and Bronstein.

You will get a multitude of highly interesting, thoroughly analysed examples as well as detailed explanations and exercises.

The Magic of Chess Tactics is a great way to improve as a tactician!

Thierry Hugues a écrit:
a ce propos est ce chessabse a conservé cette protection casse pied sur son nouveau fritz 12 ? peut -on jouer sans le cdrom dans le lecteur apres son installation ?

New Products are available for sale at our online shop:

The long awaited CT ART 4.0, which is a indispensable training tool for intermediate players. The new version sports a convenient user interface and adds 1,000 training exercises (2,200 basic exercises and 1,800 auxiliary exercises altogether)

• CT ART 4.0 for download — $25/€20
• CT ART 4.0 on DVD — $32/€25.60

There are also upgrade versions (from CT-ART 3.0) available:

• for download — $18/€14.40;
• on DVD — $19.95/€15.96;

Elementary Checkmates I & II which are mainly aimed for beginners who do not want to miss 1 move mate, but also would be useful as exercises for more experienced players:

• Checkmates I for download — $25/€20
• Checkmates I on DVD — $32/€25.60
• Checkmates II for download — $25/€20
• Checkmates II on DVD — $32/€25.60

In view of the changes in Rybka author Vasik Rajlich’s plans about the date of Rybka 4’s launching (read his message here) our plans concerning the Rybka Aquarium 2010+ package respectively have also been altered!

Customers who have already ordered Rybka Aquarium 2010+ in accordance with our previous announcement can either get their money back or receive a new Rybka Aquarium 2010+ kit.
We are trying to include into Rybka Aquarium 2010+ the best possible substitution of the Rybka 4 engine.

1) Now Rybka Aquarium 2010+ / Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010+ will include Rybka 3/Deep Rybka 3.

2) Super Bonus. Instead of a right for a free upgrade to Rybka 4 / Deep Rybka 4 you will get a free copy of a professional chess database program Chess Assistant 10 along with Aquarium 2010+!

Every buyer of the Rybka Aquarium 2010+ package gets a bonus of Chess Assistant 10 starter package, and a buyer of Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010+ gets Chess Assistant 10 Professional package. For the DVD-version of Rybka Aquarium 2010+ the Chess Assistant will be delivered on an additional CD enclosed into a box.

This offer presents a unique opportunity to buy those two programs at the lowest possible price.

We are pleased to announce the release of our new product – Rybka Aquarium 2010 / Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010 – which will be available for pre-ordering from November 18, 2009. The product will be released on:

  • November 30, 2009 (download version);
  • December 1, 2009 (DVD-version).

The purchase of Rybka Aquarium 2010 / Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010 includes:

1) Rybka 2.3.2a and a FREE UPGRADE to Rybka 4 Aquarium / Deep Rybka 4 Aquarium (includes Rybka 4 / Deep Rybka 4 chess engines), which will be released at the same time as Rybka 4:

1. Customers buying Rybka Aquarium 2010 / Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010 download versions will get a FREE download version of Rybka 4 Aquarium / Deep Rybka 4 Aquarium through the Internet;
2. customers buying the DVD-version of Rybka Aquarium 2010 / Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010 will get their DVD with Rybka 4 Aquarium / Deep Rybka 4 Aquarium by mail (postage will be paid by Convekta Ltd);

2) Free online access to the very latest Internet Rybka running on fast, remote servers (from December, 26, 2009 till January, 31, 2010. Initial service will be available to Aquarium customers before the general release of Rybka 4, based on pre-release versions of Rybka 4) as defined here:

1. Rybka Aquarium 2010 includes Internet Rybka remote access start pack worth 5 | (estimated more than 13 hours of online access, using 1 logical server thread).
2. Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010 includes Internet Rybka remote access start pack worth 10 | (estimated more than 26 hours of online access, using 1 logical server thread).

Note that the Rybka 4 engines that are included with (Deep) Rybka 4 Aquarium can be also used in other chess programs, like Chessbase, Chess Assistant and Fritz.
If you already have any Rybka 3 on your computer or other UCI engines by your desire Rybka Aquarium 2010 automatically will find them and add to the list of the engines.

Rybka Aquarium 2010 / Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010: a short description

Rybka 2.3.2a combined with Aquarium 2010, a new and modern user interface.

• Analyze and annotate your games with Aquarium’s advanced analysis methods.
• Databases with fast searches
• Powerful and fast chess trees
• Play against the computer
• Publish your chess text: Print, word processor or web
• Free internet chess server access for playing against chess players all over the world
• Online access to Rybka 4 on a remote server
• Database: 4,400,000 games. Lightning fast database searches. Chessbase/Fritz CBH format (reads and converts), Chess Assistant CDP, PGN and EPD databases
• The right to get Rybka 4 Aquarium / Deep Rybka 4 Aquarium, (includes Rybka 4 / Deep Rybka 4 chess engines), which will be released at the same time as Rybka 4
• Full Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit) and Vista compatibility.

Choose Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010 ($124 / 99.2 Euro for DVD version or $119 / 95.2 Euro for download version) for a multiprocessor/multi-core computer and Rybka Aquarium 2010 ($62 / 49.6 Euro for DVD version and $59 / 47.2 Euro for download version) for a single processor computer.

Recently we have received from Hamburg: a variety of top DVDs.

Lubomir Ftacnik:
The Gruenfeld Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) This DVD (+7hrs!) covers all lines of any importance. It contains more than 8000 Gruenfeld games played by the best players, 1300 of them deeply annotated.

Adrian Mikhalchishin:
Power of Planning: Planning is the most difficult part of chess. The aim of every plan is the exploitation of a weakness. This DVD teaches you to how to spot a weakness, fix it and then just attack it.

Power of Exchange: Which pieces to swap and which pieces to keep, whether to recapture with a piece or with a pawn, this DVD provides you with all the answers. You will learn the correct technique of exchanging!

Nigel Davies: Lessons for those who have little time to study theory.
1…e6: A Solid Repertoire: a solid and easy to learn Black repertoire against White’s two main opening moves, 1.e4 and 1.d4.

A Busy Person’s Opening System: a simple and easy to learn opening system. A structure with …d7-d6, …c7-c6 and later …e7-e5 as Black and d2-d3, c2-c3 and e2-e4 as White.

Learn Chess in 30 Minutes

Chess for Absolute Beginners

On this DVD, I teach beginners basic chess knowledge including pieces, points, rules and moves. I, along with my teaching helpers, Champion and King Harold, set a fun stage for learning chess. Also included is a brief history of chess, my short biography, and "Fun Facts" about Chess. Don't miss added DVD-ROM features if you use this DVD in your computer.

Chess news from Susan Polgar

Do you like to watch porn? Sorry, different question. Do you like feel-good movies? Many people don’t like to admit this, perhaps because they know the world is really a very cruel place, but I think there can’t be much wrong with feeling good about life from time to time. Similary, it can’t hurt occasionally reading a chess book that makes you feel that chess is a really simple game, full of great opportunities and combinations waiting to be executed, rather than a frustratingly difficult enterprise full of failures and broken careers.

Neil McDonald’s recent book The Giants of Power Play, published by Everyman, is exactly such a feel-good chess book. In it, the author shows basic chess themes and motifs from games by five great ‘power players’: Paul Morphy, Alexander Alekhine, Efim Geller, David Bronstein and Veselin Topalov. Some of these players are obvious choices, but personally I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Geller, of whom I hadn’t seen too many games until now.

Such a selection of players always tends to be a bit forced: I’m sure you could find plenty of examples from, say, Kramnik or Karpov’s games to show that they, too, are great ‘power players’, or that you could pick games from Bronstein and Topalov to prove they were subtle strategists. But that’s not the point. McDonald wants his readers to enjoy chess to the max and I think his selection of players is highly suitable for this purpose, whether or not his selection is ‘fair’ or not. Take, for instance, the following example:

Topalov-Ponomariov
Sofia 2006

The situation in the diagram above looks absolutely hopeless for White: he is the exchange and two pawns down, his knight is hanging and his bishop on a2 is pinned against his rook. However, Topalov defied materialistic considerations in a manner that would have delighted Alekhine.

32.Nxf6!! Bxg6 33.d4!!

You only need control one square to win a game of chess, and here that square is h7. White threatens 34.Bb1 with unstoppable mate. Black can defend with 33..Rg8 34.Bb1 Rg7, but then 35.Rxa5 grabs the queen. The fact that there is a discovered attack on the black queen with 34.Bb1 is integral to the combination. Well, so much for a spirit of self-sacrifice when we end up nabbing the queen. In fact the conflict between materialism and sacrifice makes chess a rich and exciting game, even when materialism triumphs!

Here, McDonald not only shows entertaining chess, but also makes good valid general observations - just like in a good feel-good movie. Admittedly, after about a hundred pages of such great examples, I found myself completely convinced that chess really was an easy game and that if you just put your mind to it, you could win any game with a cunning trick, a combiation or a postional sacrifice, such as, for instance:

Geller-Dreev
New York open 1990

11.Bxc4!!

Or:

Bronstein-Ljubojevic
Petropolis 1973

15.Bg5!!

Or even:

Morphy-Amateur
New Orleans 1858

21.Re8!!

In reality, sadly, chess (and life) just doesn’t work like that, not even for the likes of Bronstein and Topalov (most of the time, anyway), and I must say McDonald’s accumulation of example after example of such successful combos executed skilfully by our five heroes - however clearly explained - sometimes reminded me more of a porn movie rather than a feel-good film: the difference being, of course, that porn is just a one-sided fantasy, while the feel-good movie genre at least attempts to show life from different angles.

Fortunately, McDonald does have just enough eye for the flip side of the coin. Here’s an example where his hero Alekhine actually loses a game:

Euwe-Alekhine
The Netherlands (2) 1935

42.Qh1! Menacing a discovered check and then Rf7+.

42…Rb2 Alekhine stalemates the white king to prevent the threat, but now his rook is no longer fighting the passed pawn.

43.Rf7 Qe8 44.c7 The intention is 45.Qd5 and 46.Qe6, forcing the pawn home.

44…Rc2 45.Qb7!! 1-0

White wins after 45…Rxc4 46.Rxh7+ (but not 46.c8Q, threatening mate on h7, as Black escapes with 46…Qxf7! 47.Qxf7 Rxc8) 46…Kxh7 47.c8Q+ Qe7 48.Qxe7+ Bxe7 49.Qxc4. The paradoxical threat of 42.Qh1! followed by the ‘ambush’ 45.Qb7! would have greatly appealed to the ‘maverick’ chess mentality of Bronstein.

In the end, however, McDonald is just so enthusiastic that it’s easy to forgive him for not paying too much attention to what I would call the downside of chess: the flawed combination, the would-be masterpiece lost on time, the breakdown of nerves at the crucial moment. Rather, in this book McDonald proves to be a master in showing the energizing potential of chess, even though he sometimes does this by showing fragments that are so well-known even players who barely know the rules will recognize them. But this the lasting impression I got from reading this book really is this: chess is a great game, with wonderful possibilities, and they’re waiting to be realized!

As said, I found it especially refreshing to become more familiar with the games of Efim Geller, who I feel is a bit underrated in the West. (Geller, by the way, was praised several times by Kasparov in his DVD on the Queen’s Gambit Declined, and he was one of the few players with a positive score against Fischer.). But it was also nice to see how well Morphy was aware of modern problems of chess (and how little his opponents, including the great Anderssen, knew of them), and how strong the young Topalov already was. (McDonald gives several Topalov examples from his early youth.) Here’s an example of McDonalds often personal style of writing, from the chapter ‘The Goldilocks Queen’:

Alexander Alekhine was particularly adept at finding secure but powerful posts for his queen on the third rank. From such a vantage point she could survey the whole board, and conduct an attack without being in any great danger. I have always been impressed by his subtle handing of the queen in the two games that follow. In both examples a single manoeuvre led to a massive shift in the energy balance between the two armies.

There’s also an interesting and original chapter called ‘The Psychology of Preparation’ about some of the matches our five heroes have played. After Morphy lost the first two games of his match with Harrwitz in Paris, 1858, McDonald  imagines himself to be Morphy, resulting in the following monologue intérieur:

“As Black, it’s obvious I should avoid a fixed centre pawn structure like that in the Queen’s Gambit. Harrwitz mustn’t be allowed a clear plan. He should be engaged in a complex battle over the whole board, which means combining threats to his king and his pawns. As White, I should build up in the centre in my usual style. But once I have gained a positional advantage, I need to target more than just his king. The struggle must be as wide as possible, to wrong-foot his pieces. I should only sacrifice when the outcome  is entirely clear.”

In all, this book is great for anyone who wants to learn more about some of the greatest players in chess history, or wants to learn about some of the basic principles of chess, or just wants to enjoy the good side of chess. Feel good, and your chess will feel good too.

Links

• Get yourself a copy of The Giants of Power Play
• Read more book reviews

In the end of November 2009 we plan to release 5 new programs both on DVD and for download. Those are:

Rybka Aquarium 2010, Deep Rybka Aquarium 2010, CT-ART 4.0, Chess for Beginners: Elementary Checkmates I and Chess for Beginners: Elementary Checkmates II.

We intend to give a detailed description of those new programs and to indicate an exact date of release next week.

L'émission de Chess & Strategy en partenariat avec Variantes !

Bonjour à tous! Après la victoire de Maxime Vachier-Lagrave au championnat du Monde Junior de Puerto Madryn, nous vous proposons aujourd'hui un rendez-vous Spécial "french touch" pour progresser aux échecs. Cette chronique s'adresse à tous les joueurs, du débutant au maître.

Dans cette vidéo, la séduisante Aurélie Dacalor s'est faufilée dans la réserve de la boutique Variantes. Elle nous propose un DVD en français intitulé, Les ouvertures contre 1.e4, de Marie Sebag.

Avec les Noirs, on a un très large éventail de réponses possibles à 1.e4. Le coup le plus naturel est 1…e5. C’est pourquoi cette réponse est très populaire. Ce DVD vous présente un répertoire pour les Noirs après les coups 1.e4 e5 2.Cf3 Cc6 qui inclut l’Espagnole, le Gambit Marshall, la variante d’échange de l’Espagnole, l’Écossaise et le Gambit écossais.

2007-2009 © Chess & Strategy - tous droits réservés

Fantascacchi: ultimo turno alle 13!

Sparta! e Impedonati al comando! WOODPUSHER e Mutuamente esclusivi alle loro spalle a un punto! Chi si aggiudicherà i premi?

E finalmente siamo arrivati alla fine di questa bella avventura. Sono stati giorni intensi, ricchi di passione, coraggio, fortuna, rabbia, gioia, delusione, speranza... insomma, tutto ciò che sono gli scacchi. Dovreste saperlo ormai, no?

In questi giorni s'è visto di tutto, come ci si poteva aspettare da un campionato così partecipato, in cui nessuno aveva la minima intenzione di fare da comprimario. Chi è partito col botto ma poi si è perso per strada; chi ha iniziato in sordina e poi è cresciuto, prendendo ritmo via via che si succedevano i turni; chi ha tenuto il suo passo regolare ed ora è lì coi primi; chi semplicemente ha guardato da lontano la lotta per i primi posti, maledicendo ora la sorte cinica e bara, ora la sua stella che ha deciso di prendersi un giorno di ferie. Tutto ovviamente all'insegna del divertimento, ma con quel pizzico di tensione e agonismo che ogni scacchista conosce.

Comunque, bando alle ciance: oggi ci si gioca tutto in una sola partita. Non è ammesso sbagliare. I titolari devono dare la carica, portare a casa i loro punti e infondere fiducia alle giovani retroguardie; le riserve devono rompere gli indugi e dimostrarsi all'altezza del compito loro assegnato.

E per meglio gustarci il rush finale, alcune statistiche e numeri sparsi:

Elo 15612: e già si vede il mestiere dell'allenatore: questo è infatti il 12mo Elo più basso della competizione, importantissimo elemento di spareggio in caso di pari punti, segno sicuro di conoscenza precisa anche di giocatori ?non da prima pagina?.

Morozevich non ha fatto sfracelli in prima scacchiera con 3,5 punti in 5 partite giocate, ma il resto della squadra dimostra come mai Sparta! sia qui a giocarsi il Titolo: Tomi Nyback (5,5) e Jon Ludvig Hammer (6,0!) hanno portato la compagine a questi alti livelli, aiutati da Bojan Vuckovic (4,5) e dalle riserve Ivan Saric e Matej Sebenik.

Malgrado la già citata relativa scarsa presenza del Moro, si tratta comunque di una squadra che si affida in primo luogo ai suoi titolari: 19,5 punti su 22 per loro.

Eh sì, è proprio HAMMER TIME! Con 6 su 8, sicuramente Jon Ludvig è la rivelazione del torneo!

Impedonati di Magico Capo, 22 punti

Elo 15694. Al contrario di Sparta! nel loro caso la prima scacchiera ha fatto molto per portarli dove stanno: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov gli ha portato una dote di 6 punti, imbattuto in 8 partite.

Più ?umani?, ma davvero soddisfacenti Andrei Volokitin e Gabriel Sargissian (4,5), insieme a Luka Lenic (4) hanno completato l'opera. Se devono avere dei rimpianti, sono le riserve: da un lato Sebastien Feller (6 punti ma solo 3 disponibili per la squadra, immaginarlo in quarta scacchiera...) e dall'altro Denis Rombaldoni (1 punto, perdipiù inutile): non è stato il suo europeo.

Sebastien Feller: la dimostrazione del fatto che per primeggiare al Fantascacchi occorre sapersi scegliere bene anche le seconde linee!

SuperShak sta spingendo la sua squadra verso grandi traguardi. E non parliamo solo dell'Azerbaigian...

WOODPUSHER UNITED IV di LordSte, 21 punti

Elo 15564! (sestultimo su 101, notevolissimo). Costanza, in una parola. Nessun turno stratosferico con 4 o 3,5 punti. Mai. Ma un costante rendimento tra i 2 e i 3 punti senza mai un crollo nervoso o un minimo di affaticamento. Vugar Gashimov ha fatto il suo in prima scacchiera (5,5), buone seconda (Sargissian, 4,5) e terza (Levan Pantsulaia, 4), anche per loro l'enorme Hammer in 4a (6). E' stata una delle 8 squadre a dare fiducia al veteranissimo Korchnoi, che purtroppo dei suoi 2,5 punti non ha potuto darne neppure mezzo alla squadra. La seconda riserva Bjorn Thorfinnsson ha dato il massimo con 4 punti, ma anche nel suo caso poco è potuto andare alla squadra: solo mezzo punto, ma potrebbe essere decisivo oggi.

Vugar Gashimov: con 5,5 punti è una prima scacchiera di lusso.

Mutuamente Esclusivi di ludovigo, 21 punti

Elo 15748. Si sono mostrati da subito una delle corazzate dal torneo: per i primi 3 turni sono andati avanti così: 3,5, 3,5, 3,5. Ma sul lungo andare ha pesato una prima scacchiera un po' troppo assente come Veselin Topalov: 2,5 punti giocando 4 partite...David Navara (4,5), Fabiano Caruana (5,0) e la scommessa vincente per le squadre di questo torneo Hammer (6) l'hanno in ogni caso portata dove sta ora: in lotta per il primo premio. Purtroppo il suo gioco spumeggiante, come spesso capita, è stato a volte punito: 1,5 nel quarto turno, 1(!) nel settimo...Dovrà recuperare la sua freddezza e affidarsi a tutta la squadra. Nel caso di un'altra assenza di Topalov, non bisogna dimenticare i buoni risultati delle riserve Stuart C Conquest (5) e Igor Efimov (4,5).

"Mister 2813" stavolta sembra sbeffeggiare coloro che lo hanno scelto... 2,5 su 4: ci sono domande?

Fabianone: ormai una certezza.

Tante altre squadre meritano attenzione per questa volata finale: pensiamo ai Briciolini di Briciola (20,5 punti) che, tanto per mettere le cose in chiaro, hanno chiuso il penultimo turno a 4 su 4 (!), o gli Spettacolosi di Tizio, ottavo turno da 2 punti, sì, ma nei tre turni precedenti capaci di marciare sui 3 punti costanti, o ancora a The Mist! di the king, a 20 punti li aspetta un compito arduo, ma dopo due turni opachi da 1,5 sono tornati chiudendo a 3 il penultimo... forse a qualcuno di loro avrebbe fatto comodo uno dei giocatori che, inspiegabilmente o meno, sono rimasti sul mercato senza che qualcuno buttasse loro un occhio? Ne presentiamo uno in rappresentanza di tutti:

"Ma come", sembra pensare Pavel Eljanov fra l'assorto e lo sconsolato, "faccio 5 su 7 e nessuno (nemmeno Nessuno) mi chiama? Bah... che mondo... per consolarmi mi dovrò sposare!"

Ad ogni modo, insomma, in tanti possono ancora sperare nel mettere la mano sui premi che Le Due Torri di Bologna ha gentilmente messo a disposizione per gli allenatori di Scacchierando e alla Gloria dell'incidere il proprio nome nell'Albo d'Oro...

1? premio: Esame di scacchi?(link)

Insomma, ci sono tutti i requisiti di un finale appassionante e incerto come non mai: alta competitività, imprevedibilità, grande ressa in testa alla classifica... sì, decisamente sarà un ultimo turno degno del Fantascacchi!

Ricordiamo comunque che questo rimane comunque un divertimento e che nessuno stasera guadagnerà o perderà chissà cosa... al limite, una serata alla pizzeria sotto casa per festeggiare il premio o consolarsi di non essere fra i primi!

BUON GIOCO!!!

Weitere 11 Eröffnungsbeiträge finden Sie nur auf der DVD von CBM 132. Krasenkow: Königsindisch mit 6.h3

Ceux qui craignent encore de ne pas reconnaître un motif de mat ou de louper une attaque contre le roque devraient beaucoup profiter de ce DVD intitulé "mating patterns", 1er volet d'une série ambitieuse de cours d'échecs en 11 tomes intitulée "power play" et animée par un GMI Anglais : Daniel King. Ce DVD est dans la lignée d'excellents livres comme l'"art de faire mat" ou "comment battre papa aux échecs", qu'il complète de façon utile et agréable en nous faisant profiter des animations toujours somptueuses signées Chessbase.  Le propos est clair, très didactique. Le présentateur est aussi très sympathique, surtout quand il n'hésite pas à nous conseiller d'utiliser un bon vieil échiquier en bois plutôt que d'examiner la fenêtre 2D (ben alors, à quoi bon mettre toutes tes flèches et colorier toutes ces cases, coco ?) et lorsqu'il s'emmêle avec la souris en prononçant un "Oooups !" gêné, typically British ! N'en déplaise aux franchouillards grincheux, l'anglais reste la langue officielle, mais les animations sont déjà suffisantes pour rendre le matériel instructif pour les non anglophones. J'ai particulièrement apprécié comment l'auteur a cherché à rendre ses exemples les plus utiles possibles et vraiment transposables dans nos parties. Un exemple analysé en détail s'appelle "le cadeau grec" : situation où le Cf6 devant le petit roque noir a été chassé par un pion e5 (position souvent issue de défense Française), permettant la manoeuvre Fxh7+ suivie de Cg5+, Dh5, Dxf7 (intermédiaire indispensable) suivi du mat. Je ne savais pas que cela s'appelait "le cadeau grec" mais j'avais déjà subi, concrétisé et manqué ce type d'attaque ! Vous apprendrez quand lancer vos sacrifices de démolition sur le roque, et comment attirer le roi adverse dans vos filets. Ceux qui rechignent à investir dans ce type de DVD (un peu cher...) pourront toujours se replier sur le matériel totalement gratuit présent sur ce blog : la base tactiqueries, bien sûr, et le cours pour débutants signé Philippe K, fournisseur officiel du blog "échecs en amateur" !

L'émission de Chess & Strategy en partenariat avec Variantes !

Bonjour à tous! Nous vous proposons aujourd'hui un troisième rendez-vous pour progresser aux échecs. Cette chronique s'adresse à tous les joueurs, du débutant au maître.

Pour cette troisième vidéo, la séduisante Aurélie Dacalor s'est faufilée dans la réserve de la boutique Variantes. Elle nous propose un DVD en français intitulé, Les ouvertures contre 1.e4, de Marie Sebag.