I got the second DVD (Winawer, including the Poison Pawn, plus the Exchange, KID, etc.) and the story is similar to what I read above. Novelties are provided (for Black here), yet the preferred line in the Poison Pawn ends with White forcing Black to defend an awkward, prospectless endgame. I don't want to reveal publicly too much of the video's content, so let's let it rest at that.
Cactus wrote on 08/18/10 at 17:56:00:
For me it is more about the presentation and if I will learn anything from it. That's really why we buy these things. I got the Dutch and was quite shocked by it's very high standards that I actually got something useful from it. I prefer just watching it on the tv and no it doesn't link in with a chess program like Fritz but thats not what I want these things for. I want to improve first and foremost. I get this with Williams.
You'll get it again here. The explanation of themes, for example of the the tactical themes in the complex Poison Pawn section, is clear. After watching this a couple of times, you'll definitely know what to keep your eyes on, what dangers and opportunities to watch out for.
Markovich wrote on 08/17/10 at 15:47:12:
It seems rather tawdry of Williams to recommend a line leading to the diagrammed position, rather than making a serious pass at trying to solve Black's problems in this variation. Fraudulent, almost. But more charitably, maybe just careless.
I would be a bit kinder here, for who is Williams' audience? Surely not the same as Vitiugov's. Perhaps we've all been spoiled by Avrukh, whose endlessly fertile imagination comes up with strong novelties by the bucketful, and who squanders them on a book. But this is a video: an Avrukh-like video on this material may be an impossible dream. Can one choose a subset of Poison Pawn variations which leads to theoretical equality, while presenting a reasonably complete synoptic view of their tactical themes in a couple of hours?
Williams has used his expertise to select a Poison Pawn line where White has to walk on a razor's edge, and where Black can follow a clear set of prominent tactical themes. To achieve that, he may have sacrificed, say, 30 centipawns of theoretical status. To me, that's a fair trade. Of greater importance to me is the integrity Williams shows in treating the material honestly.
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C00-C19: GM Simon Williams: The Killer French (Read 89314 times)
