Since the Slav is typified by the move c6 while the Semi-Slav by e6; the relationship between the two is obvious. At some points, Shirov’s lecture is closely related to the history of the opening, because the Latvian has contributed to and advanced the development of many lines. In the Meran Variation, Shirov’s name is linked to a line which is now known as Shabalov Attack. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 it was Shirov and Shabalov who introduced the move 7.g4 into chess praxis in 1992. Today there are over 1000 games in the Mega Database with that variation. Shirov recounts the way this extravagant line arose and explains some of its most important ideas. Video running time: 5 hrs 20 min.

Alexei Shirov was born in Riga just like world champion Mihail Tal, and also his playing style reminds many chess fans of the young Tal. In the beginning of the 90's, a comet-like rise brought the young Latvian to the world top within the shortest of time. Being no older than 22 years, he already had an Elo rating of nearly 2750 and belonged to the absolute elite. Since then Shirov has continued as one of the best players in the world, delighting all chess fans with his original and amazing ideas on the board.

System requirements: Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows Vista, Windows XP, DVD drive, mouse, soundcard