Opening Databases (141)

Expert Repertoire against Queen's Gambit Declined 

It goes without saying that Queen's Gambit Declined is one of the most reliable weapons for Black. Even at the highest level, White is struggling to create problems. The fact that in his World Championship match against Carlsen, Caruana opted for this opening tells enough. In his new database, GM Roiz deals with the difficult task to suggest a repertoire against Queen's Gambit Declined. In this extensive survey, Roiz comes up with a number of rare concepts and novelties in topical positions. At the very least, we can say that his suggested repertoire creates tons of practical problems for Black. The database consists of 13 theoretical chapters and 15 interactive test positions.

PGN Download Interactive Tests

Tricky Repertoire against King's Indian Defence (1h 46min Running Time) 

GM Boris Avrukh introduces his suggestion in the following way: "Thе move 5.Nge2 is usually considered merely as a surprise weapon against the KID, but it actually contains more venom than it might seem. I was quite sceptical about it at first because the knight does not seem to belong on g3 square when Black already has a pawn on g6. However, one of my students had great results with this system (often called Hungarian System) as White, so I decided to check it more deeply. After careful analysis, I came to the conclusion that this is indeed a very playable system for White that could even form a base for a long-term repertoire and not only a temporary weapon. Black needs to show very good home preparation not to be worse out of the opening, which can be seen in the analysis below."

This partner product is based on a video group lecture by GM Avrukh.

Partner Product:

PGN Download Video Content

Understand the Ruy Lopez 

“Milking a cow.” This is how once Bronstein described the Ruy Lopez opening. Despite the heavily explored lines this remains one of the most colourful and rich openings ever. The complex nature of the arising positions, the huge variety of tactical and positional ideas make it a must for every chess player. The more we study and the deeper we dive into the Ruy Lopez the more and more secrets will be revealed and the better the understanding of the structure and the typical ideas would become.

Partner Product:

PGN Download Video Content

Tactics Multiplier - The Grünfeld Defense (Video Database - 8 hours running time) 

The Grünfeld is a tactical opening by nature. However, understanding the key strategic concepts and different pawn structures which frequently arise will help you to navigate through the waters of the Grünfeld and spot the right candidate moves. More often than not, tactical and positional play go hand in hand. Many lines which allow you to achieve positional goals are justified tactically. If you don’t spot these subtle tactics, you won’t be able to improve your position.

Partner Product:

Video Content

Complete Repertoire against Alekhine and Scandinavian 

Zahar Efimenko prepared a database for White against the Alekhine Defence (1.e4 Nf6) and Scandinavian Defence (1.e4 d5). Both are relatively rare but quite provocative openings in the sense that Black lures White into pushing his central pawns in the opening, only to attack and undermine them later. Such an approach is often dangerous in shorter time controls as Black gives up some space in the centre and then tries to launch a counter-attack while waiting for White's mistake as he is defending his central pawns. Another similarity between the two is that in both cases Black puts a piece on d5 (a knight in the Alekhine and typically the queen in the Scandinavian Defence) as early as move 2. In some cases, there are even overlaps in the type of position that arises out of the opening, such as the Scandinavian gambit (2.exd5 Nf6) which can lead to an Alekhine-Defence type of position once Black recaptures on d5 with the knight. The database, which consists of 15 chapters and 15 test positions, can naturally be divided into two parts.

PGN Download Interactive Tests

Positional Nimzo-Indian Repertoire - Part 1 

In this project, he is launching a very ambitious series of databases devoted to the “queen of openings” - the Nimzo-Indian. Arguably, the Nimzo, alongside with the Ruy Lopez, are the two openings every single top-player and almost every single GM have played at some point of their careers. The Nimzo is so vastly popular due to its versatility and flexibility – you can get literally any type of position, such as IQP, hanging pawns, positions with the bishop pair, pawn chains, lead in development, etc. Both sides have a massive amount of choice almost on every move.

PGN Download Interactive Tests Video Version

Understand the King's Indian - Typical Middlegame Ideas 

In the introduction to this product, GM Bojkov writes: "With this new mini-video series I tried to bring in life my methodology of an in-depth preparation and help you build the bridge yourselves. Because the better you understand the middlegame, the easier the transition between the chess phases will be, the quicker you will make your decisions and the better your play will become. You will never drift after the opening and will always know what to look for."

Partner Product:

PGN Download Video Content

Play the Solid Caro-Kann Like a Grandmaster (Video Database - 6 hours and 40 minutes running time) 

In this video course, the Indian GM Swapnil Dhopade provides a complete Caro-Kann repertoire or Black. Being a Caro-Kann expert himself, GM Dhopade shares all his analysis and understanding. All the lines are based on a solid positional foundation. After watching the course, you will be able to start playing the Caro-Kann successfully.

This product is provided by the Chess Pathshala company. It includes Video and PDF (without PGN).

Video Content

Play Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 

While in Part 1, GM Eljanov was dealing with White's systems based on Bf4, the current database features all the alternatives, except 4.g3. True to his approach, GM Eljanov provides in-depth analysis with a variety of new ideas. We can safely state that his repertoire can be employed even at the top level. The database consists of 11 theoretical chapters and 15 interactive test positions.

PGN Download Interactive Tests

Positional Repertoire against the Caro-Kann 

After writing his trilogy for the Anti-Sicilian approach, GM Neiksans decided to write something similar about the ever-tough Caro-Kann as well. He suggests an easy-to-learn setup which according to several Caro-Kann experts is the most annoying system for a Caro-Kann player to face! The database contains 10 theoretical chapters and 18 interactive test positions.

PGN Download Interactive Tests Video Version