I has only made a very quick look late yesterday. I enterred the disc into my computer and Media player started, it appears that the disc is therefore pure video with a advanced chapter meny systems but I has not hade time to confirm that. During the quick look I jumped a few chapters and made a quick check on chinese dragon and he seems to have some new ideas there in a critical line, but I has not had time to check other critical options there yet or computer double check. I can get a more detailed overview later this week, busy at work in an other town. I will check other critical lines to.

For my part, I prefere to play Solits defence combined with Topalov system but that me playing solid and fasing out the Dragon and I will probebly switch opening next seasons after playing to many games unless something develops in the Dragon in both some forced draw Soltis lines (Bh6) and in some 9 0-0-0 lines.

However, black has an other option that is intersting in the Ne5 12 Kb1 variation and that is Nc4 13 Bxc4 Rxc4 14 g4 b5 15 b3 b4!? line called Burnett variation leeding to pretty unclear sitruations.

About Chinese, I had a good score with it, including crushing a FM in a team match but there was some line I did not like.

ChevyBanginStyle wrote on 12/11/11 at 18:41:40:


It is usual to play after 10.Bb3...
a)10...Rc8 11.h4 h5
b) 10...Rc8 11.0-0-0 Ne5
c) 10...Rc8 11.0-0-0 Nxd4
d) 10...Nxd4
e) 10...Na5 is a move less trusted because it releases the pressure on d4 very early. White can start an attack via g4 and h4, or just h4 itself without castling long.

Yes, the value of 10.Bb3 does seems to depend on the assessment of 10..Nxd4, as I don't see a better independent option. If that is a problem, I need to look into the Topalov or go back to the 12.Kb1 lines (which I'm trying to avoid).

It appears one must learn three major systems against 9.Bc4 to play the most theoretically sound continuations! (Well OK, maybe two if you always aim for the Topalov system.)

The DVD recommends the Chinese and the Soltis, but I can't find mention of 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3. I suppose 10..Na5 would be the main attempt to reach the Chinese, but 11.h4 (recommended by de la Villa) looks annoying. I've often seen that 10.Bb3 Nxd4 has a decent reputation, but this move order seems to be a problem for staying within this repertoire. Or am I missing something? I'm studying the Yugoslav for Black again and this move order is a slight headache.

I meant 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 a6 (Bg7 = no longer accelearated Dragadorf since accelerated idea is to avoid Bg7 untill later. It can however became a regular dragadorf or a standard dragon) 7 Be2  (I checked hes book too, only given move is f3) with idea Qd2 and 0-0-0 without playing f3. No refutation but still a bit tricky to meet unprepared. Ng4 is of course possible later but in these types of position black does not want to play a6.

However in standard dragon 5 .. g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 Be2 line is completly different but still a bit tricky with the Qd2 0-0-0 plan. I asses that line as unclear if black plays Ng4 after Qd2.

Both discs looks interesting at first sight. I will probebly buy both.

In disc 2 he also seems to prefere to play accelerated Dragadorf instead of standard dragadorf.
However, he does not seem to cover the line line where white plays Be2 yugoslav like instead of f3 in accelereted dragadorf, he only covers it in standard dragon when then position does not transpose!
EDIT the line in the Shirov - Topalov sample game with Be3 Be2 yugoslav like is very good for white if he had play Kb1 instead of h4  /EDIT