[quote author=685F4D4D3E0 link=1258989027/12#12 date=1330858810][quote author=35000D2B040209080F610 link=1258989027/10#10 date=1330857202]After a while of playing this all the time, it would probably evolve into: A bored or boring person’s opening system... ;)[/quote]
And yet not so bad. Nowadays the second player is often looking for positional systems that are not so theory heavy. It includes strong players, too.. [highlight]Sometimes[/highlight] the stronger player can outplay his opponent only in such a 'boring' system, because entering into 30-moves theory heavy variations can lead both players to a 1/2 result.  8-)[/quote]

Sometimes - yes, Always - no. 

Besides, to me the target audience of the dvd seem to be the 'weaker players' (if you don't have time to train you lose playing strength) who in the first place usually aren't so good at outplaying others in boring systems...

Sepp - M.Gurevich, Bruges 1995 is a clear example for implementing similar ideas: 1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 c6 (and not 3...Bg7 because black is expecting 4.f4 where after 4...c6 and 5...d5 white will play e4-e5 and the B on g7 is biting on a solid rock pawn formation d4-e5-f4) 4. f4 d5!? 5. e5 h5 6 Nf3 Nh6 (or 6...Bg4) 7. Be3 Qb6 and so on.. Now the second player is free to find a more suitable square for his B-f8 than the usual g7-square. 

naughtyknight wrote on 12/04/09 at 20:14:01:


I haven't seen the DVD but what about 1.e4 d6 2.d4 c6 3.f4 d5!?.   I'm not saying it equalizes but it has some interesting ideas behind it.  4.e5 Bf5 or ...h5 with Gurgendize type play.  4.Nc3 dxe4 5.Nxe4 and now 5...Nd7 or 5...Nf6 6.Nxf6 exf6 might be playable.  Perhaps even more exotic stuff like 5...Nh6 is playable arguing that the f-pawn stops Bxh6.  Someone more familiar with the Caro Kann can perhaps shed some more light on the advantages and disadvantages of White already having the pawn on f4. 

TN wrote on 11/23/09 at 21:05:43:


I dont doubt Black is in decent shape, but there is nothing dubious about this for White - its basically a Philidor reversed and used to be the speciality of IM Bruno Carlier who played it a lot. It can pack some punch as a positional weapon, but theoretically Black is fine.

okpawn wrote on 11/23/09 at 15:10:27:


Probably true, but I bought and watched the DVD this weekend anyway.

Yes, as advertised, it's basically the Philidor/Old Indian as Black, and the, err hum, Philidor Attack as white.

More of a concept that a list of opening variations, and so most of the DVD covers plans and ideas, and the variation detail is light as it's an anti-theory system.

However if you think, oh no, I've still got to learn all this theory like the Shirov gambit against the Philidor, then the move order is optimised to cut this out.

Basically, 1. ...d6 / 2... c6 as Black, and the same idea as White, but from 1. e4. Nigel also likes delaying the development of the QN to allow developing the QB to N5.

So you get e.g. as Black

1. d4 d6 2. c4 c6
1. Nf3 d6 2. c4 c6
1. e4 d6 2. d4 c6

In this last one, my first thought was what about 3. f4. Oops, not covered. 3. ...Nf6 hoping for a Czech Pirc runs into e5 with some sort of Alekhine, or 3. ...g6 aiming for a Gurg, but White isn't commited to Nc3.

As White, you get some ideas based on Be2 vs all Black systems. I think the Ponziani recommended move order after 1. e4 e5 is the worst one here, but it's been played. Not a good score for White, but what do you expect for a zero theory repertoire 


I've been playing the KIA/Pirc/Universal 1. ...d6 for many years, and I liked the DVD's Nigel did for these.

Now I think the sort of players who use this sort of repertoire (and they exist up to GM level) might have  gone through the following thought process (or maybe it's just me  ).

"I like the sort of play I get on the Queenside, but when I have the e4/e5 pawn center, my King's Bishop is just blocked in and left defending a bunch of weakened squares. Wouldn't it just be better of on e7."

So this leads you to explore the the Czech Pirc and the Philidor (via 1. ...d6 /2. ...Nf6).

And when you'v gone this far, and you've liked reversed openings like the KIA, you consider doing this as White too. Yes, I've looked at all this stuff too, and according to Chessbase, I'm not alone.

Nigel quotes a game with Kasparov playing it, but that's rather cheeky as it's an anti-computer game from the nineties 

There's no magic bullet here. So if you're the sort of player who really hates theory, you might find something here, but then again, what are you doing reading this forum  (oh, her hang on, that applies to me...)

I would imagine most of the positions covered are going to look like the Phillidor / Reversed Phillidor.

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