Mastering Control of the Center

If you are a beginner chess player that is struggling to progress in your game, controlling the center might be your problem. This basic principle is frequently overlooked as beginner chess players find it easy to become caught in a trap of not knowing what to study, and in what order to study it in! Simply relying on the basic rules of successful opening play will greatly improve your tournament results. Don't overcomplicate your game! Control the center, develop your pieces actively, create threats and you will be winning games. Controlling the center is such an important fundamental concept in chess because it can represent an immediate, tactical advantage or it can be a long-term, positional advantage. You can use control of the center to limit and push back the pieces of your opponent, or you can use this central control to establish strong outposts for your own pieces. In this chess DVD, Grandmaster Damian Lemos focuses on the basic concepts and common themes of successful central control for beginner chess players.

Learn from the Champions

"Mastering Control of the Center" features an exceptionally clear presentation by GM Damian Lemos, highlighting the basic concepts of controlling the center and tying that back in with basic opening strategies as well. Viewers will see many different types of center structures as GM Lemos presents his favorite ways to play for an advantage in a variety of positions. In chapters 1 and 2 GM Lemos also presents a detailed analysis of how the former World Chess Champions Capablanca and Alekhine used central control to win key games. Chapter 3 demonstrates a very effective method to establish control of the center and convert this to a powerful initiative and winning advantage. In the rest of the DVD in chapters 4-6, GM Lemos instructs viewers on how to play common central positions featuring an isolated pawn, loose pawns, and connected pawns with opportunities to create a sudden central break and passed pawns. If you are a beginner chess player struggling in the opening or middlegame, this chess DVD will teach you how to incorporate strong central control into your repertoire and start winning more games immediately.