Karpov's Best Games, Volume 4 - Chess Cafe

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Modern Times
Steve Goldberg
Karpov’s Best Games, Volume 4, by Anatoly Karpov & Ron Henley,
ChessOnDVD, Playing Time: approximately ninety-five minutes, $24.95
(ChessCafe Price: $18.95)
This fourth volume of Karpov’s Best Games appears to be similar in size and
content to the previous three volumes. Volumes One and Two each examine
four of Karpov’s games, while Volume Three looks at five of them. The three
earlier editions run between seventy-three and ninety minutes long, while this
volume goes about ninety-five minutes. This volume covers four of Karpov’s
games from his 1996 world championship match with Gata Kamsky: Games
Four, Six, Nine, and Fourteen.
GM Anatoly Karpov
This DVD is a throwback to the days when chess video production was only
available on VHS. In other words, it was initially created for distribution on
VHS tape and has since been updated to a DVD format. Thus, on one hand,
any serious analysis of the games of former world champion Anatoly Karpov
is bound to be instructive. On the other hand, the method in which the
instruction is accomplished impacts its effectiveness.
The video begins with footage from the opening ceremony of the Karpov-
Kamsky match. However, the initial video appearance is very grainy and the
quality is quite poor. This is unnecessary, particularly for a DVD that’s only
about ninety-five minutes long. It would be better to have more instruction
and less pomp and circumstance.
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by Anatoly Karpov

Once the actual presentation begins, the video is clear, but modern viewers
may be taken aback by the fact that the games are presented with a large felt
demonstration board. This was before the days of technological advantages of
the DVD format. Therefore, it is not easy to move around to various portions
of the DVD, and there are no extra clickable sections to play.
GM Ron Henley
Once the presentation gets rolling, the instruction itself is interesting,
especially for beginning and intermediate players. Karpov and GM Ron
Henley combine to discuss the four games on the DVD. Openings are
covered, many middlegame tactics appear, and Karpov’s strong endgame
skills come to the fore as well. Positional-minded players will appreciate the
python-like manner in which Karpov slowly strangles his opponent. Also
instructive is how Karpov chooses among various options when recapturing.
Advanced players will not be terribly challenged by much of the material
here. There are not many long variations that needed to be calculated, nor
many combinations seemingly coming out of nowhere. Advanced opening
analysis is absent. However, players who struggle with devising viable plans
will learn from this DVD.
An interesting moment occurred in the discussion of the third game on the
DVD, from Game Nine of the world championship match. Karpov effectively
blockaded Kamsky’s potentially dangerous passed a-pawn, and the following
position has been reached:

In this position, Kamsky has just played 32…Ra6. Karpov responded with 33.
Qc4! and notes that “One queen attacks the whole board!” Indeed, his queen
incredibly attacks directly or indirectly, six of Black’s forces – Ra6, Rc8,
Kg8, Bc6, and the a4- and e6-pawns. Black lost the e6-pawn and resigned a
few moves later.
Two of the four games selected involve Karpov playing black against a
Kamsky isolated d-pawn. In neither game does Karpov directly attack the dpawn
in a classic manner, doubling or tripling heavy pieces on the d-file, but
he does demonstrate inventive ways to play the position.
The instruction is basic but interesting, and does include a number of traps
that Karpov sets or has to avoid. In general, I would suggest that the video is
well-suited to beginning and intermediate players who are more visual/aural
learners (as opposed to those who learn better by reading), and who will
appreciate the simplicity of the production. The bits of historical footage,
grainy as they may be, are also of some interest.
There certainly is instructional value in this DVD, and there is something
special about hearing it from the former world champion himself. There is
also something to be said about being able to watch this on a TV via your
DVD player, rather than being glued to your computer. However, to compare
this to a modern production would be as unfair as comparing Charlie
Chaplin's "Modern Times" to James Cameron's "Avatar."
Order Karpov's Best Games, Vol. 4 (DVD)
by Anatoly Karpov
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