Opening does not matter that much, especially for players less than 1600. As long as you follow the opening principles and understand the general concept of an opening, you will do fine. Your time would be better spent on middlegames strategies, endgames and tactics instead of countless opening lines.
That is why I created only one opening DVD so far. And the reason why I chose the Colle-Zukertort is because it is versatile and you do not have to spend so much time studying the latest theories as in some other openings.
In this DVD, I did my best to show you the key ideas and plans behind the opening instead of the imposible to remember details.
You can find out more about this DVD here.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
And it’s a very good introduction to the system. I’d recommend this as a first course, then picking up a book that goes into more detail.
And I’d love to see a companion DVD on it’s cousin, the Colle-Koltanowski. (subtle hint. 🙂 )
i play the colle-zukertort in blitz games. ive yet to unleash it in a tournament game but Andy Soltis wrote a nice little 100 page or so book giving some key games and ideas in this opening as well that would make a nice supplement to the book. I read it it only took me 2 days. in general I have seen Susan’s first series Dvd’s but not these ones but i already know the quality is good because she is a quality type of person. kind of anxious about getting this one…..maybe for christmas 🙂
Hi Susan. After reading this post, I went to learn more about the Colle-Zukertort, and just started playing it today. Normally, I like to play king pawn openings, such as the Danish gambit with 4. Nxc3. For some reason, I just shunned queen pawn openings. But I have to say that this is going to change, and I may have a new favorite opening!
Also, are there any defenses for Black that you suggest? I’m always playing the Scandinavian with 2 …Nf6, and there doesn’t seem to be too many lines to learn about that.
Hi Susan – what is the target grade/rating for your DVDs, are they aimed mainly at under 1600 players? If there is a website that will explain the chess level required for each of your DVDs please point me at the link
Kind regards
I played the Colle for years when I was starting out. When I started meeting Class A players, though, I saw it was not so hard to defend. Finally I ground through the switch to open games, and I’m a better player for it.
I have the DVD. Soltis, Lane, and Summerscale books are also recommended for some additional critical lines on the queenside. Susan’s DVD is good in that it explains it LIVE so its easier to remember the main lines and gotchas. I also recommend learning the LONDON system and perhaps the Torre…Then you need to be able to also cover QID, modern, KID, Dutch, Groinfield, and Balony
Hi Susan,
I have the DVD and it is terrific except for one problem. I am getting killed with early Black BF5 or BG4 moves, which aren’t covered on the DVD. Please help!