Strategy Compass Volume 5: The Philidor Structure

The explosion of information has led to a massive growth in opening theory. But how often do you win a game with a prepared line? What makes strong players superior to their opponents is not some spectacular innovation, but a deep understanding of the pawn structures their openings lead to - an understanding that extends into the middle and endgame and is transferable between different openings with similar structures. In this DVD, Irish IM Sam Collins explains the Philidor structure (white pawns on e4 and d4, black pawns on d6 and e5, with the exception of King's Indian and Old Indian positions where the white c-pawn has already taken the c4 square). First and foremost, this structure arises directly from the Philidor Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4), but it also has a defining character in many other open games, e.g. the Italian or the Closed Spanish Opening. The fact that there have been few attempts to work out the game plans for this structure may be due to its particular flexibility. Depending on whether White takes on e5 or Black on d4 or whether the tension in the center is maintained, completely different types of positions arise. The Philidor structure regularly appears in one of its forms in all world-class tournaments, and this is also reflected in the selection of games on this DVD. Collins presents, among others, current master games by Carlsen and Caruana, who owe some of their recent tournament successes to brilliant victories in the Philidor structure. Video time: 3 hours 31 minutes (English)