The greatly anticipated course by Vladimir Kramnik – Understanding Chess Openings with 1.e4 is finally here! With a brand new Part 3, the 14th World Champion reveals his ‘user manual’ for playing and winning with 1.e4.
Get your copy of Understanding Chess Openings with Vladimir Kramnik part 1 here / Understanding Chess Openings with Vladimir Kramnik part 2 here / Understanding Chess Openings with Vladimir Kramnik part 3 here
Vladimi Kramnik passes onto you his mastery of 1.e4 — enabling you to expertly navigate the opening and outplay the opposition. Chess players then and now admire Vladimir’s strategic genius and harmonious playing style. But what most people miss is that he’s also one of the best coaches around to teach you the intricacies of 1.e4. Vladimir has played 1.e4 since 1984, when he was barely 10 years old, and… It’s his rich experience in the opening which allowed him to wrestle the World Championship from Garry Kasparov in 2000… and defend the title in 2004 and 2006. Yet Vladimir’s command of 1.e4 only got better after he was crowned champion — tested and refined through 20-plus years of super GM tournaments and matches.
Part one of Understanding Chess Openings 1.e4 with Vladimir Kramnik takes on the Caro-Kann, French, Scandinavian and Pirc Defense… as well as strange openings common in club-level games. Here’s what you’ll learn inside the course:
🧠 The simple three-step counter which takes the sting out of oddball openings like 1…a6. Zoom to a pleasant advantage, without having to study more theory.
🧠 An easy-to-remember plan against the double-fianchetto. Let the Nakamura-wannabes reach their favorite setup… because when you control 62.5% of board, you’ve got all the winning chances.
🧠 The only playable plan for Black in the Alekhine. Throw a monkey wrench into that plan, and you get long-term attacking chances against the enemy king.
🧠 The correct mindset against the club-favorite Scandinavian Defense. Your sense of urgency can mean the difference between winning in less than 12 moves and boring equality.
🧠 How to pick apart the Pirc Defense. Vladimir shows you two positional setups which give you a firm grip on the center… plus two attacking systems that go straight for the enemy king’s jugular.
🧠 A less-popular response to the French Defense which gives you a near-guaranteed attack… minus the complicated theory and middlegame structures of the classical main line.
🧠 How to secure the bishop pair and the better pawn structure against an early …Bf5 or …Bg4 in the Caro-Kann. With these positional trumps in your grasp, most middlegame and endgame scenarios work to your advantage.
Get your copy of Understanding Chess Openings 1.e4 with Vladimir Kramnik part 1 here
Inside Understanding Chess Openings with 1.e4 Vladimir Kramnik, you’ll discover:
🧠 The ONE plan which cuts through every black opening after 1…e5. If you wish to simplify your repertoire while still keeping it venomous, this plan alone is worth the price of admission.
🧠 Why a quick d4-thrust in the Italian Game is ineffective at best. PLUS, what you must do instead if you want to play for the full point.
🧠 The “crazy” gambit which stood the test of time. Not only is it playable and fun for White, it’s dangerous for Black, too. (No, it’s not the King’s Gambit.)
🧠 So Black plays a third-move sideline in the Ruy Lopez? Lesson 17 shows you a simple way to net an undeniable advantage as early move six.
🧠 How to turn White’s aggression on its head and take over the initiative when they start pushing their pawn majority in the Berlin Endgame.
🧠 How to neutralize White’s Anti-Marshall weapons. After levelling the playing field, you’ll be ready to press for the advantage yourself.
Get your copy of Understanding Chess Openings with 1.e4 Vladimir Kramnik part 2 here
Inside Understanding Chess Openings with Vladimir Kramnik part 3, 14th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik “feeds” you his hard-won mastery of 1.e4 c5. It’s the final piece in Kramnik’s hit series. And like parts one and two, it breaks away from the norm of your typical repertoire.
What you’ll see inside took Kramnik 35 years to master. But not you, because you’re taking a “shortcut” through 1000+ trainable variations and 35 hours of video.
You will learn about:
🏆 Thematic plans which quicken your decision-making and improve your strategic play. From Najdorf “knight tours” that cement your control of the center… precision pawn storms in the Rauzer… to Black’s “aggressive prophylaxis” in the Accelerated Dragon.
🏆 The ideal move orders to reach your Sicilian. For example, you’ll see why 2…Nc6 is the perfect lead-up to the Sveshnikov, but sucks for nearly everything else.
🏆 How to refute and “milk” the tricky but unsound gambits you see in the club — including a clean win by a 15-year-old Kramnik against the greatest attacker of all time.
🏆 Opening choices to suit your style and pace. Whether you’re into blitz, rapid or classical time controls, you’ll be given ways to sharpen the struggle… or take it to the steady positional waters you feel comfortable in.
Get your copy of Understanding Chess Openings with Vladimir Kramnik part 3 here
