fianchetto.

I've been interested in this DVD as well. It looks like a version of my old 1.Nf3 repertoire.

Any ideas what he recommends against the Dutch? Transposition to a main line with a later d2-d4, or a pure English style setup?

From the contents I'm assuming that he meets the King's Indisn with a transposition to the standard fianchetto setup as White.

TD wrote on 04/19/12 at 10:31:35:


in order:

No.
Yes.
Not that I could make out.

Verdict: a dismal affair.

No classical dutch.

I also have some 360 games in ChessBase where Ftacnik plays 1.Nf3 himself. He usually plays 1...d5 2.d4, 1...c5 2.c4 and 1...Nf6 2.c4. And he has played some 80 Catalans via different move-orders.

I can sort of sympathise with Ftacnik since I once tried to cover a complete White repertoire in four hours in a lesson and found it impossible to cover any of the lines in a lot of depth. That said I think that Ftacnik's books are of a higher quality than his DVDs, which is not too surprising.

@Antillian

I'm not sure if the thread should be moved to General Chess since it's not clear to me whether Ftacnik is calling the Nimzo-English the 'Nimzo-Indian', for instance. Personally I'd find it very strange to try and cover so many main line openings in four hours, and the whole idea of 1.Nf3/2.c4 is normally to reach some 1.d4 openings and avoid others.

I think it's maybe more about the KIA and related tries? It's just a weird product, usually they say clearly which lines are covered, and now it's just.. 1. Nf3? There are a lot of different ways to play 1. Nf3, it would be nice if they told us which ones the DVD covers.

edit: the link is http://www.chessbase-shop.com/en/products/ftacnik_1_nf3_a_variable_repertoire_fo... and the description

"1.Nf3 - a variable Repertoire for White’ is the name for a comprehensive opening system strategy based on security and choice. The old maxim of perceiving 1.e4 openings as tactical and more dangerous as opposed to the more positional and peaceful 1.d4 openings no longer reflects the modern world of chess openings. This repertoire DVD is the fruit of a lifetime’s experience, as the author Lubomir Ftacnik uses it actively in his practice. The system gives all White players the chance to fine-tune the level of exposure and risk – from the main lines of all the great 1.d4 and 1.c4 openings all the way to the concept of playing “Black” lines with an extra tempo – as in the King’s Indian in reverse. The explanations deal with all the big challenges – the English Opening, Nimzo-Indian systems, the Catalan, the Dutch Defence and of course that annoying reply 1...d5. Video running time: 4 hours 33 min."