Basics of Chess Strategy Vol. 1: Pawns and Rooks

In this video course you are making your first steps in mastering strategic concepts. As the legendary player Philidor (1726-1795) said: ‘’pawns are the soul of chess’’ and in this course on basic chess strategy you will see his quote is still true today! After a brief introduction to each piece, covering their strengths and shortcomings, our focus will be on pawns and their specific functions (protecting your king, supporting pieces and restricting opponent mobility) and how they impact the course of the game. Some pawns are strong, others are weak, but when is a pawn weak and how do you take advantage of it? When there are weak pawns, weak squares are never far away! What are weak squares and how do your pieces benefit from occupying such a square? A rook is a powerful piece, and in the topics “open files” and “seventh rank” you’ll see that sound positional play is closely linked with attacking chess. All these elements should be taken into consideration when planning to improve your own pieces or weaken your opponent’s position. The interactive format offers you a chance to test your knowledge! In 77 excercises you’ll be able to apply your newly acquired knowledge!

• Video running time: 5 hours
• Interactive training including video feedback
• Including download & stream for iPad, tablet etc: can be unlocked with imprinted key

Born in 1988, Robert Ris is an International Master who has represented The Netherlands in various international youth events. Nowadays his main activities in the Amsterdam area consist of teaching in schools and chess clubs as well as coaching private clients. On top of that, he is also an active online trainer with a number of students from a host of different countries. Robert has made several appearances as a live commentator for prestigious events, such as the Dutch National Championships 2011-2013 and the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2013 and 2014

System requirements:
Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Windows 8.1, 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 10 or 11 , DirectX10 graphic card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or better, 100% DirectX10 compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVDROM drive and internet connection for program activation.