In your chess openings, do you play 1. e4, or 1…e5? Then you need to be familiar with the Berlin Defense ⚔! GMs Paco Vallejo and Jan Gustafsson provide you with everything you need to know. Get instant access with 35% off. ►https://ichs.co/2F8seFA
If you play 1. e4 as White, or respond with 1…e5 as Black, you must get familiar with the Berlin Defense. It was popular in the nineteenth century, but passed out of favor in the early twentieth. Back then, the Berlin Defense was described as fundamentally too passive.
However, the Berlin Defense went from relative obscurity to being the most discussed opening in chess when Vladimir Kramnik used it to successfully frustrate Garry Kasparov in 2000, ultimately winning the World Chess Championship. Since then, Magnus Carlsen has employed it in many top games, notably his matches against Vishy Anand in 2013 and 2014.
This chess opening has long had a reputation for solidity and leading to draws, yet it has risen in popularity, even used by players with a dynamic style such as Alexei Shirov, Veselin Topalov, and the legendary Garry Kasparov.
In fact, Kasparov later said, “The sharp character of these games [from the 2000 World Chess Championship match] shows the Berlin is indeed a rich and subtle middlegame, and not an endgame. And if White pushes too hard, the absence of queens from the board does not offer him any safety.” Despite the opening having a reputation for being drawish, it often creates imbalances that allow either side to play for an advantage.
In this video, GMs Paco Vallejo and Jan Gustafsson join forces to reveal the main ideas for White. As Kasparov said, the early exchange of queens does not mean the game will be simple and so it is crucial that players understand all the opportunities and difficulties, plus their solutions, if they want good results. This video discusses all the ideas White needs to know in order to confidently navigate the murky waters of the Berlin Defense and come out on top.
The opening usually begins with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6.
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