Dude, I love your videos !

I play this line myself by the way and it's great fun. Won the first game of the season with it (last Sunday).

damn this video is good,,, I have had problems with this line when playing black,,, now I just hope someone is polite enough to try again

thanks ... high class

db

Very interesting. I used to play double-KP defenses, but stopped since a few of the tougher players out here play either the 4 knights or some slow game (Italian, Ponziani) and I felt I needed something sharper. I always loved playing the Ulvestadt every chance I got and I have been VERY successful with it in either the Berliner line or the off-shoots. I often don't notice I'm down a pawn until I win back a White pawn and say to myself, 'I'm winning a pawn and have a crushing position' then I realize I'm only equal in material but I still have the crushing position. I think I've played it in 6 or 7 tournament games and only drew one of them.

I really like your Ne6 idea instead of the Berliner. If you can cover the slower games in such detail as you have with the presentations so far, I promise I will switch back to double KP defenses. I already know the Ruy Lopez very well, but the Italian and Ponziani games bog me down and bore me to death. Any suggestions?

Good video. Another opening I am pretty familiar with, but not expert at like you. I just played a game where this came up, wish I had watched this beforehand. Unfortunately, I missed the win in the game, you can see it here:

viewtopic.php?t=5959

You stopped playing 1...e5 because of the Ponziani??
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3?! d5! and white is actually fighting for his life! (Wait for the video, no spoilers!)

Unfortunately the Italian with d2-d3 tends to be somewhat slow and boring-- similar to a Spanish Torture sort of Ruy-Lopez middlegame.

To everyone:
THANKS for the great comments and ratings. Nice comments are really the only reason for me to make these videos....

My voice was shot for this one, but i will try to make the next one better. OK peace out.

Yes, the Ponziani! I play the line you recommend (...d5) because it looks logical, but I am unaware of any pitfalls unless they are calculated. In other words, I haven't studied it since starting out in chess a long long time ago.

There are just some openings I play against that I have never really studied and except for master games, I wouldn't have studied them at all. This attitude includes the Four Knights and Guioco Piano. Mind you, I feel Black equalizes quickly and easily, but I've hardly studied them at all.

So I am looking forward to any insight you can share on these lines in future presentations.

TIA

Katar- thanks for the great video. I hope you don't mind but I've taken the liberty of creating a Chess Position Trainer database based on your analysis (along with Harding and Estrin). Anyone who wishes to train in this line can find the zipped file at: http://www.nationalchessacademy.org/Two ... vestad.zip

If you don't have Chess Position Trainer, you can download a free copy at http://www.chesspositiontrainer.com/

Hey Katar!!

Your videos are outstanding, keep them coming. You present your material very well with a calm voice and you always seem very well prepared. Looking forward to the other vids in this 1.e4 e5 series!

Zib

Since your video veers into the Fritz variation, I will update the CPT database file with material on the FV relatively soon. There is some limited material on there currently but it could definitely benefit from expansion.

Hey katar!

Another great video! Like Steve, I'm getting inspired to go back to 1... e5 too. It's either that or really trying to learn the French...

L8erz...
=wild=

Actually I found a repertoire for the Two Knights on the Chess Position Trainer site. The analysis is not as thorough as my specialized Ulvestad repertoire but it has decent coverage of the Fritz Variation and of the other lines of the Two Knights. The CPT program gives you the option to merge them if I'm not mistaken.

You can find that repertoire here.

Great video, I can only echo what Zibbit said.

There is an expert player on youtube recommending 6..h6 instead of Nd4 after Bf1 but I'm glad to see you didn't. I don't understand why so many white players make silly moves like Ne6 when Nxf7 gives white an excellent game. If white doesn't take on f7 black is good, but I'm not going to base my opening repertoire on inaccuracy from white and I don't think anyone should.

Thanks for the notification and keep up the good work!

I think this video may underestimate White's chances after the 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 b5 6. Bxb5 Qxd5 7. Bxc6+ Qxc6 8. Qf3 e4 9. Qb3 Bc5 10. Qxf7+ Kd8 11. O-O variation. After, 11. ... Rf8, as recommended, 12. Qxg7 Rg8 13. Qh6 Bb7 14. Kh1 Rg6 15. Qh4, I am not so sure that Black has compensation for the pawn.

Maybe 9. ... h6 is an improvement?

I think that position is OK for black. Worst case black can force a draw with 14. e3

12. Qxg7 Rg8 13. Qh6 Bb7 14. Kh1 e3 15. f3 e2 16. Re1 Ng4 17. Qxc6 Nf2+