Killer French DVD with GM Simon Williams
Order Killer French DVD
Apologies: signed copies are not available in the US/Canada.
Description
To win without risk is to triumph without glory.
In this, Simon’s second DVD, he will guide you through Black’s part in the French Defence. Simon’s frank, clear and understandable delivery of material of which he has extensive knowledge certainly aids the viewer in increasing their understanding of these opening lines. Simon’s first DVD has been internationally acclaimed as setting new standards in this format for his clear approach to delivering sometimes complex material. Chapters are broken up through chess-related montages maintaining a viewing interest from start to finish. This feature is a standalone product running on all platforms and requiring no additional software.
This is a two-part DVD, each part has a running time of roughly 5 hours:
- DVD 1 covers The Advance Variation and Tarrasch Variation. £19.99.
- DVD 2 covers The Winawer Variation, Exchange Variation, Kings Indian Attack and Any Other Possibilities. £19.99.
- Killer French Defence: DVD 1 + DVD 2: Discount Price: £35!
Promotional Videos
DVD Contents
1st DVD: The Advance Variation and Tarrash Variation
Chapter 1: Introduction
1: DVD Introduction
2: Introductory Game: L.Ljubojevic-M.Gurevich
3: Basic Strategic Ideas: Part 1. …c5 and ..f6 plus others
4: Basic Strategic Ideas: Part 2. The light squared bishop dance.
Chapter 2: The French Defence: Advance Variation
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: A.Shabalov-A.Shirov
3: 2nd Introductory Game: A.Grischuk-N.Short
4: Theory A: 5…Bd7 6 a3?! Too Slow!
5: Theory B: 5…Bd7 6 Be2 Better but Black is still ok!
6: Theory C: Early Deviations from White
Chapter 3: The French Defence: Tarrash Variation with 3…Nf6: White plays 5 f4: Black replies with an early …a5: The Most Dangerous Plan.
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: V.Hansen-D.Buzmann
3: 2nd Introductory Game: B.Mongontuul-Y.Benitah
4: Theory A: 8…a5!? a-pawn Battering ram!
5: Theory B: White avoids playing c3.
Chapter 4: The French Defence: Tarrash Variation with 3…Nf6: White plays 5 Bd3 and 7 Ne2: The Most Popular Choice.
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: J.Emms-S.Williams
3: 2nd Introductory Game: A.Persson-E.Berg
4: Theory A: 11…Qc7 12 Bg5 0-0 13 Bh4 Still popular after all these years
5: Theory B: 11…Qc7 12 Bg5 0-0 13 Rc1 The modern concern
6: Theory C: 11…Qc7 12 g3 Please let me swap off dark square bishops!
7: Theory D: 9 Nf4!? Greedy and Dangerous
8: Theory E: Early Deviations from White
Chapter 5: The French Defence: Tarrash Variation with 3…Nf6: The Universal System: 7 Ngf3 Be7 8 0-0 a5!
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: G.Botta-S.Williams
3: 2nd Introductory Game: S.Erenburg-S.Williams
4: Theory A: 8…a5 9 a4 Safe and solid
5: Theory B: 8…a5 9 Re1 Fun and Games!
Chapter 6: Conclusion
2nd DVD: The French Winawer, Exchange Variation, Kings Indian Attack and any other Possibilities
Chapter 1: Introduction
1: DVD Introduction
Chapter 2: The French Winawer: Various 4th Move Alternatives for White
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: J.Hector-E.Berg
3: 2nd Introductory Game: O.Brendel-A.Jussupow
4: Theory A: 4 Nge2 Non-critical but tricky
5: Theory B: 4 exd5 Simplifying matters
6: Theory C: Any Other Possibilities that White might try
Chapter 3: The French Winawer: Various 5th Move Alternatives for White
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: J.Hector-P.Nikolic
3: 2nd Introductory Game: M.Manik-A.Jussupow
4: Theory A: 5 Bd2 b6 Whip those bishops off!
5: Theory B: 5 Qg4 Pressure on g7!
6: Theory C: Any Other Possibilities that White might try
Chapter 4: The French Winawer: White Avoids 7 Qg4: 7 Nf3, 7 a4 and 7 h4!?
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: C.Briscoe-S.Williams
3: 2nd Introductory Game: A.Morozevich-S.Lputian
4: Theory A: 7 Nf3 The most popular choice
5: Theory B: 7 a4 Probing on the queenside
6: Theory C: 7 h4!? Attacking the dark squares.
Chapter 5: The French Winawer: The Main Line 7 Qg4: 12…d4!? New and Interesting
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: T.Callstri-D.Bunzmann
3: 2nd Introductory Game: J.Palkovi-F.Portisch
4: Theory A: 15 Rg1 The only chance at gaining an advantage
5: Theory B: 15 Rb1 Promising for Black
6: Theory C: 13 Ng3 Black should be happy!
7: Theory D: Any Other Possibilities that White might try
Chapter 6: The French Exchange Variation
1: Introduction
2: Introductory Game: S.Tatal-V.Kortschnoi
3: Theory A: 4 Bd3
4: Theory B: 4 Nf3
5: Theory C: 4 c4!? The most aggressive variation.
Chapter 7: The Kings Indian Attack (Black plays with …d5 …c5 and …g6)
1: Introduction
2: Introductory Game: A.Stripunsky-G.Kaidanov
3: Theory: 5…g6!?
Chapter 8: Other Possibilities that White might try, Wing Gambit etc
1: Introduction
2: 1st Introductory Game: I.Schneider-M.Ulibin and Theory to 2 Nf3 and then 3 Nc3
3: 2nd Introductory Game: E.Paehtz-N.Zhuhova and Theory to 2 b3
4: Theory C: The Wing Gambit: 4 b4!?
5: Theory D: Any Other Possibilities that White might try: 3 Bd3 and 3 Be3
Chapter 9: Conclusion
DVD Reviews
GM Glenn Flear, New In Chess
A quick search and a click or two are all it takes to find gingergm.com, the author’s own site, where Simon and friends talk about, and analyze, their chess, poker and drinking experiences. Simon is a ginger-haired grandmaster from the south of England who happens to come, unusually for the UK, from a chess-playing family. His opening choices are often daring, and at times, downright cavalier, but here in the Killer French he aims to outline a repertoire that he claims is ‘sharp, interesting, exciting, but sound’.
Naturally, even in nine-and-a-half hours of film, a pair of DVDs cannot compete with a book for sheer detail. However using this alternative media enables the ‘author’ to present his material in another fashion and perhaps reach a different market.
Many people in the real world (i.e. outside of chess) prefer to see a fascinating tale on film, rather than on the written page, so why not in chess?
After a flashy opening sequence where Williams, bedecked in sunglasses, comes across more of a film star than a GM, we get down to business. We see our hero explaining the main ideas in the various key lines of the French.
I was interested to see how his approach to the Winawer compared. He outlines the early phases of some instructive encounters, and then goes to a theory section. In the main line of the so-called ‘poisoned pawn’, he gives close attention to the thematic ideas, and reveals a few ideas of his own as well as trying to explain the logic behind a highly sharp variation.
Steve Giddins, British Chess Magazine
As a long-time French player myself, I was particularly interested to see Simon’s exposition, and it has certainly not disappointed. His great strength as a presenter is his straightforward, down-to-earth honesty. Watching the DVDs, I was strongly reminded of Jamie Oliver (hmm, Simon Williams, The Naked Grandmaster – I’m on dangerous ground here!). Just like the TV chef, whose working class plainness and refreshing honesty did so much to demystify cooking and to endear him to TV viewers, so Simon has a similar effect. He explains the ideas and variations of the opening with a clarity and straightforwardness that not only strips away the mystery and gets the point across well to the viewer, but also enables him to come across as the viewer’s friend. And this is half the battle, of course –watching Simon makes one want to go out and try the opening.
xThe technical merits of the DVDs are also considerable. Comparing them with the Chessbase DVDs, there is no doubt that GingerGM have raised the bar in terms of professionalism and production standards. Each chapter break is preceded by 30-odd seconds of footage from chess tournaments, much of it from last year’s London Classic, which is nicely woven in, with background music. I also very much liked the way in which key instructional points would flash up in rolling text at the bottom of the screen, helping to reinforce the message.
I am sure that readers who follow Simon’s recommendations here will score very well as Black. They will also have a lot of fun!
Overall, I could hardly recommend these two DVDs any more highly. They are excellently-produced, fun to watch and offer an excellent French repertoire for players of almost every level.’
Jonathan Bryant, Streathan and Brixton Chess Blog
This DVD set is well made, well presented and will give an enjoyable and entertaining starting point to playing the French Defence the Williams way. Even club chessers who have played 1. … e6 for many years are likely to find something new here and anybody who wants a highly confrontational/counter-attacking ‘defence’ to 1. e4 in their repertoire could do a lot worse than consider TKF.
I’ll end with the observation that before I watched these DVDs I was a person who had played the French for many years but who was intending to try something else against king’s pawn openings in the coming season. Having watched TKF, though, I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist going back to my old favourite after all. The next time I see 1. e4 my response will definitely be 1. … E6.
Sean Marsh, Marsh Towers
One of the really good things about Ginger GM products is that they will happily play virtually anywhere – PC, MacBook, normal DVD player – and no special software is required.
This is a very enjoyable and instructive set of discs. I’ve been a fan of the French Defence for a very long time and I can confirm that there is plenty of great stuff here for experienced 1 …e6 adherents. French novices will pick up the basics easily enough but more time – and repeated viewings – will, of course, be required to come to terms with the more theoretical lines.
The presentation is direct, lively and polished. Production values are of a very high standard; these DVDs deserve your attention.
Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe
Williams has played the French as far back as I can remember and knows the opening incredibly well. In addition, he has a natural flow to his presentation that makes it a pleasure to watch. ‘The DVD is easy to navigate to find the lines you want, just as with the scene finder function on any normal movie DVD.’ ‘Unlike many other DVDs, Williams spends a considerable amount of time explaining pawn structure, typical ideas, weak squares, and tactics of all kinds. All of which contributes to the viewer’s improved understanding of the opening and the material at hand.
Whether you play the French or wish to, this DVD is a good place to start and is an excellent value for the money spent.
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