Tactic Toolbox Scheveningen

Publisher: Chessbase, 2014, DVD

Lubomir Ftacnik complements his popular Scheveningen DVD with fresh material for training tactical themes. The world’s most popular opening, the Sicilian defense (played in more than 50% of all games!) rises and falls with attack, fantasy and combinations. The ability to spot a tactical opportunity, calculate variations and choose the best line decides the game in sharp Sicilian positions and, even on its own, is a skill worth having. The new interactive features in ChessBase make it possible to view every position through the eyes of grandmaster with subtle hints that help you to find the best idea. You still get praise for choosing the second best solution, of course, but you also get another chance to appreciate the full depth and beauty of 79 rich, colorful and carefully selected tactical examples from the games of top players.

Every opening bears its own strategic hallmarks, typical endgames and quite naturally, its own stock of tactical motives. Scheveningen structures subtly unite and help to explain problems in many of the varied forms of the Sicilian – ranging from the Paulsen variation, all the way through to sharp forms of the Najdorf. The same goes for its natural tactical richness, attacking combinations and possibilities for counterplay. All players meeting the Sicilian with White or playing it with Black will be entertained, surprised and their knowledge enriched by spending moments with this selection of the best tactical positions. The dust of Sicilian tactical magic will be sure to rub off on you, making you a more versatile and dangerous opponent.

• Video running time:  7 h 16 min (English)

• 79 carefully selected tactical examples including video feedback

• Including CB 12 Reader

Lubomir Ftacnik is a Slovak grandmaster, long term cooperator of ChessBase and diligent analyst. For this DVD he has used his experience of three decades on the international chess scene. Just as they have done for many top players, the openings with 1.d4 have served him well throughout his active career. The lines against various defenses have been forged in the fire of battles over the board. Learning more about the 1.d4 repertoire will bring any player a few steps closer to the coveted grandmaster level.

System requirements: Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Windows Vista, XP (Service Pack 3), DirectX9 graphic card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9 and internet connection for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows 7 or Windows 8, DirectX10 graphic card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or better, 100% DirectX10 compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVD-ROM drive and Internet connection for program activation.