The Popular Italian

Stormester Bologan er en av dagens store forfattere om åpningsspill. Her drøyt 6 timer i DVD-format med oppskriften lukket Italiensk for hvit: 1 e4 e5 2 Sf3 Sc6 3 Lc4 fulgt av d3. Han dekker også svarts alternative tredjetrekk.

ChessBase sin egen omtale:

When we are kids we are mostly taught to play 1.e4, and the first mate we see is the one with Bc4, Qh5 and Qxf7++. It looks like chess theory is turning back to its roots when the move 3.Bc4 was much more popular than 3.Bb5.

Nowadays all top tournaments are full of Italian games, and it proves much more difficult for Black to achieve equality there than in some Marshall or Berlin variation of the Ruy Lopez. In the Italian, the focus of the battle is transposed from the opening to the middle game which requires from both sides good knowledge of typical plans and ideas - and thus a totally new concept.

In the actual DVD Bologan covered all answers by Black against 3.Bc4, especially 3...Bc5, presenting all relevant possibilities for White. It is full of positional ideas and plans, and it it will definitely raise your chess understanding to the highest standards.

• Video running time: 6 h (English) • With interactive training incuding video feedback • Extra: Analysis file by the author plus additional Model Games • Including CB Reader

Innholdet:

01: Intro [06:31]
Sidelines without Bc5
01: 3...d6 4.d4 Bg4/exd4 - Video analysis [10:04]
02: 3...Be7 4.d4 d6 5.dxe5 dxe5/Nxe5 - Video analysis [06:05]
03: 3...g6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7/Nxd4/d6 - Video analysis [08:45]
04: 3...Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 g6 7.d4 Qe7/exd4 - Video analysis [23:50]
05: 3...Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 Bg5/a5/a6/Nd4/Nd7 - Video analysis [13:29]
06: 3...Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 Na5 8.Ba2 c5 9.c3 Nc6 - Video analysis [11:02]
07: 3...Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 h6 8.a5 a6 9.c3 Nh7 - Video analysis [16:18]
08: 3...Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 Kh8 8.a5/h3 - Video analysis [15:03]
09: 3...Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 Be6 8.Nbd2/a5 - Video analysis [13:03]
Main Lines with 3...Bc5
01: 4.0-0 d6 5.c3 Bg4/Qf6 - Video analysis [10:16]
02: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.a4 a6/h6 - Video analysis [34:56]
03: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.a4 d6/a5 - Video analysis [17:17]
04: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.a4 a6/h6/d5 - Video analysis [16:39]
05: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.Bb3 d5/Nd4 - Video analysis [09:42]
06: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.Bb3 d6 7.c3 Ne7/a6/Bb6/Bg4/Be6 - Video analysis [06:16]
07: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.Bb3 h6 7.c3 d5 - Video analysis [08:33]
08: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.Nbd2 d6 7.c3 a6/a5 and 6...d5 - Video analysis [24:36]
09: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.h3 d6 - Move orders - Video analysis [04:40]
10: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.h3 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Re1 Be6/Nb6/Re8/f6 - Video analysis [10:16]
11: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.h3 d6 7.c3 a6 8.Bb3 Ba7 9.Re1 h6 10.Nbd2 Nh5 - Video analysis [13:19]
12: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.h3 d6 7.c3 a6 8.Bb3 Ba7 9.Re1 Ne7 10.Nbd2 Ng6 and 9...h6 10.Nbd2 Ne7 - Video analysis [17:57]
13: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.h3 d6 7.c3 a6 8.Bb3 Ba7 9.Re1 Kh8 10.Nbd2/d4 - Video analysis [09:26]
14: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.h3 d6 7.c3 a6 8.Bb3 Ba7 9.Re1 h6 10.Nbd2 Be6 and 9...Be6 10.Bc2 d5/h6 - Video analysis [23:00]
15: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.h3 d6 7.c3 a6 8.Bb3 h6 9.Re1 Re8/Nh5 - Video analysis [17:32]
Test section
01: Test 1 [00:58]
02: Test 2 [01:18]
03: Test 3 [01:24]
04: Test 4 [00:57]
05: Test 5 [01:24]
06: Test 6 [01:41]
07: Test 7 [00:58]
08: Test 8 [01:13]
09: Test 9 [00:57]
10: Test 10 [01:27]
11: Test 11 [01:25]
12: Test 12 [01:35]

ChessBase sin omtale

When we are kids we are mostly taught to play 1.e4, and the first mate we see is the one with Bc4, Qh5 and Qxf7++. It looks like chess theory is turning back to its roots when the move 3.Bc4 was much more popular than 3.Bb5. Nowadays all top tournaments are full of Italian games, and it proves much more difficult for Black to achieve equality there than in some Marshall or Berlin variation of the Ruy Lopez. In the Italian, the focus of the battle is transposed from the opening to the middle game which requires from both sides good knowledge of typical plans and ideas - and thus a totally new concept