Courses (256)

Complete Modern Benoni Repertoire - Part 1 

In our computer-driven time, the level of preparation is drastically increasing. Sometimes, even top players face difficulties to outplay regular 2300+ rated players. This problem is even bigger when it comes to playing for a win with Black. In most of the openings Black struggles to obtain a playable position. Nevertheless, exceptions exist.

If you need an opening which is dynamic, strategically sound and offers plenty of possibilities to outplay your opponent, the Modern Benoni is your bread and butter. In his latest database for Modern Chess, one of the best Benoni experts in the world, GM Mihail Marin provides you with a complete Benoni repertoire.

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Classical Repertoire Against Bogo-Indian Defense 

The Bogo - Indian Defence is one of the most topical opening after 1.d4. Every 1.d4 player should be very well prepared against it. White has several ways to meеt 3...Bb4+, but 4.Bd2 - is the most natural option, which would be the topic of the current survey. White is not aiming to get the pair of bishops but is continuing the normal development, counting on his space advantage in the center. What I like about the line 4.Bd2 is that White's play is natural and positionally sound. It's true that often White's advantage will be marginal. However, I strongly believe that when your opening is based on a good positional ground, it's easier, at least from a practical point of view, to handle the position in the middle game as well

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Complete Repertoire against King's Indian Defense  Updated 

How to play against the King's Indian is a question that every 1.d4 player faces. The world-renowned theoretician and author GM Boris Avrukh provides you with an answer. His antidote is based on the set-up with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 d6 6.Be3. This is a very interesting move order that has not been particularly popular until the Russian Champion Grandmaster Alexander Riazantsev has started to employ it actively.
In his new opening database for Modern Chess, Avrukh presents some of the ideas he found while working as the second to former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.

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Positional Gruenfeld Repertoire - Part 3 

The third and final part of GM Mihail Marin's "Positional Gruenfeld Repertoire" is here! The trilogy is completed with an examination of popular systems that involve developing the white bishop to g5 and f4, as well as the Fianchetto system (with g3). In the final chapters, GM Marin also covers less popular alternatives, such as the interesting 3.f3!?, as well as various 4th and 6th move alternatives for white.
His theoretical recommendations, as usual, have the benefit of being fundamentally strategically sound, while somewhat less explored. This is a good combination in today's computer-driven chess era, especially for those who want to avoid long and sharp theoretical battles.

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Positional Gruenfeld Repertoire - Part 2  Updated 

In this survey, GM Marin deals with some of the most critical White's responses to the Grunfeld Defence such as the classical main line in the Exchange System and the so-called Russian System. True to his creative approach to the opening, in a number of well-known theoretical lines, the author suggests original continuations which are not extensively tested in practice. Of course, every suggestion is based on solid positional grounds.

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Positional Gruenfeld Repertoire - Part 1 

Nowadays, Gruenfeld Defence is one of the most topical and complicated openings. Practically, every top-player has the Gruenfeld in his opening repertoire. Still, the complexity and the enormous amount of theory make a number of players reluctant to play this opening. This is the reason why we decided to start another ambitious project - complete Gruenfeld repertoire in three parts prepared by GM Mihail Marin.
Being aware of the fact that it is difficult to study a new opening without knowing the typical middlegame positions which could be reached, we have decided that this database should start with some pawn structures that every Gruenfeld player should know. The coverage of the structures is based on 4 articles that GM Marin wrote for Modern Chess Magazine. After studying the arising positions from a structural point of view, the reader will better understand the theoretical part of the database.

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Complete Repertoire against the Benko Gambit 

In his first opening database, GM Evgeny Postny provides us with a complete repertoire against the Benko Gambit. Instead of taking the pawn, White starts fighting for the initiative by playing 4.Qc2.
In his analysis, GM Postny proves that even if Black plays correctly, White manages to retain a small edge in a risk-free position. This is certainly the scenario Benko players are afraid of.

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Positional Repertoire against Nimzo-Indian Defense 

Nimzo-Indian Defence is one of the most difficult openings to meet when you play 1.d4. Given the fact that the arising positions are very complicated, Black fights for more than equality.
In his database, GM Kiril Georgiev builds a repertoire for White which is mainly based on a positional understanding. He suggests the solid Rubinstein System which arises after 4.e3. In most of the proposed variations, the move 4.e3 is followed by 5.Nge2. GM Kiril Georgiev not only provides you with a number of interesting novelties but at the same time he explains all the positional subtleties of the arising positions.

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Fight the Queen's Gambit with the Vienna Variation 

In this database, GM Aleksander Delchev observes the so-called Vienna Variation in Queen's gambit.
The position arises after the first moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4. This is a very dynamic option which requires some exact knowledge.
With this database, you will have a GM repertoire against 1.d4 and you will be ready to face strong opponents and even to outplay them.
The database contains 50 illustrative games and 23 original, theoretical analyses which cover all the deviations and the main lines.
After completing this database, you will be able to play the Vienna Variation even at a top level.

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GM Repertoire against the Slav - Part 3. Squeeze the Chebanenko Slav 

The Chebanenko Slav is an extremely popular opening in the modern grandmaster practice. Nowadays this variation is a hard nut to crack for every 1.d4 player. In his last database concerning the Slav Defense, GM Davorin Kuljasevic provides us with a classical approach which allows White to obtain an edge against Chebanenko. As always, GM Kuljasevic shares with his readers a number of novelties and original positional concepts.

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