Ivan Sokolov: Understanding Middlegame Strategies 4 - Dynamic pawn structures Part 1 Downloadversion

ChessBase Fritztrainer Strategie / Mittelspiel, Englisch, ISBN: 978-3-86681-835-4, 2022.

Level: Advanced, Tournament player, Professional

Studying this video course should greatly improve the viewer’s handling of dynamic pawn positions! As with all my other video courses material here is predominantly aimed at improving players and tournament Players.

Isolated pawn structures can obviously come from many different openings. In this video course I have picked up isolated pawn structures coming from the classical Tarrasch defence D34; for which a considerable part was inspired by the games of Garry Kasparov. I believe studying the classical Tarrasch isolated pawn structures (and related pawn structures) to be an excellent way to improve understanding of those types of positions.

Choosing my games selection, I wanted to show typical plans for both sides based on high level instructive games. Hanging pawns in the centre can come from different (though usually 1.d4 systems) openings. “Hanging pawns in the centre” structures are difficult to master because a good feeling for the “transformation timing” is needed! Sometimes those “transformations” are pawn-break related, unleashing dynamic power; while sometimes they are related to taking space and not being bothered about surrendering central squares.

I have tried to show typical plans aiming to improve the viewer’s knowledge, and also practical play level. Sicilian Rauzer double f-pawn structures are fashionable nowadays and are seen at all levels. Dynamic timing is everything! Most of the time, temporary pawn sacrifices are an essential part of this “dynamic timing”. While it is difficult to give exact set of rules here, typical ideas do repeat themselves and I have tried to show these in this video course.

• Video running time: 5 hours 30 minutes (English)
• Extra: Training with ChessBase apps - Play key pawn structures against Fritz on various levels

Ivan Sokolov is a Dutch chess Grandmaster and author of popular chess books. He was Yugoslav champion in 1988 and Dutch champion in 1995 and 1998. For more than two decades he has been on of the elite players and has beaten many of the strongest players in the world.

TAB:Contents

Hanging Pawns in the center

Capablanca vs Alekhine
Bok vs Grischuk
Petrosian vs Spassky
Sokolov vs Riazantsev
Carlsen vs Hou Yifan
Carlsen vs Aronian
Kasparov vs Portisch
Korchnoi vs Geller

Isolated Pawns

Active Play

Beliavsky vs Illescas Cordoba

Transformation

Petrosian vs Spassky
Kasparov vs Illescas Cordoba
Zueger vs Kasparov
Smyslov vs Kasparov
Larsen vs Kasparov
Van Wely vs Grischuk

Rauzer structure

Pawn sacrifice

Klovans vs Tal
Ragger vs Salgado Lopez
Gan-Erdene vs Maghsoodloo
Geller vs Larsen

Practice positions

Description

Hanging pawns 1 - 7

Isolated pawn 1 - 6

Rauzer 1 - 5