The Bottom Line
ChessBase's DVD products are usually top notch, and this one is no exception. Vladimir Kramnik narrates his career, from his start as a young player through the 2006 World Championship Match against Veselin Topalov.
The presentation is lovely, and Kramnik gives plenty of insight into his preparation and state of mind at various points in his career. Like most ChessBase DVDs, it can only be viewed on a PC with ChessBase software such as Fritz, or the included ChessBase reader, but this is a very minor complaint. Any Kramnik fan will love this product.
Pros
- Overview of Kramnik's championship career, narrated by Kramnik himself
- Hours of world-class analysis and insight
- ChessMedia presentation is easy to follow
Cons
- Requires PC and ChessBase software
Description
- Six hours of video commentary and analysis by Vladimir Kramnik.
- Interview with Kramnik on the 2006 World Chess Championship and other chess topics.
- ChessBase Reader software included.
Guide Review - Vladimir Kramnik: My Path to the Top
Vladimir Kramnik may currently trail Viswanathan Anand in their World Championship Match, but there were better days for the former World Champion. Kramnik has won three World Championships in his time, and has been a force in major tournaments for over a decade now.
Given these successes, there was plenty of material for ChessBase's Vladimir Kramnik: My Path to the Top. The DVD includes over six hours of video, all narrated by Kramnik himself. The material spans from the very beginnings of his career, through the controversial 2006 match with Veselin Topalov.
Kramnik offers a wealth of insight into his career, with full analysis of some of his most important games. He also delves into the preparations for his matches with Garry Kasparov, Peter Leko, and Topalov, talking about the challenges of meeting each opponent and the differing match strategies he employed. In the case of the match with Topalov, Kramnik refreshingly focuses just on the chess; the more controversial aspects of the match are only mentioned in an extra interview included on the DVD, separate from the chess videos.
There's little to complain about here. While the DVD can only be viewed with ChessBase software on a PC, there is a program -- ChessBase Reader -- included on the DVD itself that can be used for this purpose. The ChessMedia system makes the material take on the feel of a private lesson with a World Champion; the board, moves, annotations and video complement each other and are simple to follow.
My Path to the Top is a must have for Kramnik fans, but should also be of interest to anyone who wants a more complete picture of the chess world of the last 20 years, or those who want advice and commentary from one of the world's elite players.
