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Chess Mentor 2.0
| Chess Mentor is an instructive and enjoyable program for learning chess.
Learning with their method is a lot like receiving lessons from a master chess teacher.
The current collection of courses are authored by the following chess authors, teachers,
and players: IM Jeremy Silman, IM John Grefe, IM Eric Tangborn, IM Marc Leski, FM Thomas
Wolski, FM Mike Arne, and FM Craig Mar. When solving Chess Mentor's challenges, you can
use as many advice and hint tools as you need, and your performance is tracked
accordingly. Your good moves and your bad moves both receive comments. With Chess Mentor,
your learning can be at any time of the day or night, and as long or as brief as you want.
Chess Mentor automatically adjusts to your individual pace of learning and never forgets
what you have already mastered, and where you need more review. |

| Chess Mentor is currently available in five configurations, each of which can accept
additional Supplementary Chess Courses, as desired:
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Chess Mentor Supplemental Courses
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The King's Indian Defense
- $19.95
by FM Thomas Wolski.
This module contains 40 challenges chosen from all of the important
systems in the King's Indian Defense and is suitable for players of all
levels. You will learn all of the basic opening principles for both White
and Black and also come across many original ideas and novelties. Players
with Elo ratings up to 1800 and perhaps even higher will benefit from this
course module. Novices may have some difficulty with these challenges, but
will gain a good introduction to the King's Indian and the main strategies
for both Black and White.
How To Use "The King's Indian Defense" - For this richly and extensively
annotated openings module, we recommend that you first use
Sequential
Challenge Mode instead of
Solving Cycle Mode. Make the
change in the Options drop down
menu (Refer to the Help menu to
access the entire users manual). We suggest that you not be concerned with
your score at first and try many different moves to gain the most from
Wolski's comments. You can then switch back to
Solving
Cycle Mode and go through the module again to see how much you
learned. Enjoy!

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The Sicilian Defense
- $19.95
by FM Thomas Wolski.
This module contains 41 challenges chosen from all of the important
systems in the Sicilian Defense and is suitable for players of all levels.
You will learn all of the basic opening principles for both White and Black
and also come across many original ideas and novelties. Players with Elo
ratings up to 1800 and perhaps even higher will benefit from this course
module. Novices may have some difficulty with these challenges, but will
gain a good introduction to the Sicilian and the main strategies for both
Black and White.
How To Use "The Sicilian Defense" - For this richly and extensively
annotated openings module, we recommend that you first use
Sequential
Challenge Mode instead of
Solving Cycle Mode. Make the
change in the Options drop down
menu (Refer to the Help menu to
access the entire users manual). We suggest that you not be concerned with
your score at first and try many different moves to gain the most from
Wolski's comments. You can then switch back to
Solving
Cycle Mode and go through the module again to see how much you
learned. Enjoy!

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Build Your Technique
- $19.95
by FM Thomas Wolski.
Wolski follows his popular "Master Your Technique" with this new course
which contains less difficult material. "Build Your Technique" is aimed at
players with USCF or Elo ratings between 1200 and 1600, although some of the later
challenges will not be easy for 1800 to 2000 rated players. The 110 challenges include
some openings, middlegames, endgames, and a lot of tactics. This course is designed to
enhance the overall understanding of chess for an intermediate player and to prepare that
player for more advanced courses.


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Roots of Positional Understanding
- $19.95
by IM Jeremy Silman
Are you ever at a loss for what to do when there are no immediate tactics in sight? If
so, then you need to learn the basics of positional play. The master seems to optimally
place his pieces with effortless ease where they coordinate well and control key lines and
squares. This is because he sees the board as a structural entity. Using 300 hundred brief
Challenges, Silman gives you the basics of this same positional sense and vision. This
module will help you to build strength into your quiet positions. This course module was
initially intended for intermediate players with USCF or Elo ratings between 1200 and
1800. However, at least half of the challenges are suitable for those rated between 1800
and 2200 and even higher. Experts and Class A players will find this course module more
than challenging with the advanced material and very useful review with the intermediate
material. Intermediate players will build a solid foundation with the intermediate
challenges and gain more and more from the advanced material as they progress in chess strength.


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Kasparov - IBM Deep Blue Matches -
$19.95
by Aficionado's Staff.
These 24 challenges come from the historic 1996 match and 1997 rematch between World
Champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue super-computer. These are the same challenges
that were uploaded to Aficionado's special website daily as the games were played during
the 1997 rematch. These challenges are richly annotated with extensive natural language to
allow beginners and novices to follow world class chess with understanding provided by the
mentor method. Experienced players will want this collector's item for their mentor library.


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A Kaleidoscope of Openings -
$19.95
by IM John Grefe
Former US Champion Grefe takes the novice and early intermediate level players (USCF
or Elo ratings between 1000 and 1500) on a guided tour of many popular openings.
Fundamental opening principles such as rapid development, mobility, struggle for control
of the center and sound pawn structures are illustrated through practical examples. Grefe
also gives numerous examples of tactical possibilities and traps in various innocent
looking positions. This course contains 100 challenges.


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Chess Potpourri -
$19.95
by FM Craig Mar
This course with 100 challenges has something for everyone. Mar includes some opening
traps, endgames, combinations, and positional challenges. Many of the challenges are at
the intermediate level (USCF or Elo ratings between 1300 and 2000) and many are at the
expert and master (USCF or Elo rating above 2000) level. Mar chooses positions from many
sources including his own games as well as GM's, IM's, and also amateurs.


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Silman Teaches Tactics -
$19.95
by IM Jeremy Silman
The 100 challenges in this Course contain combinations and tactical material for
intermediate and expert level players (USCF or Elo ratings between 1400 and 2000+). Some
challenges here are difficult even for masters and above. However, players of all levels
can enjoy and learn from these examples. Less experienced players will go over these
challenges many times and continue to learn more each time as they progress in their chess
knowledge and experience.


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Pawn Endings from Beginner to Expert
- $19.95
by IM Eric Tangborn
With the 103 challenges in this Course, Tangborn covers king and pawn endings
thoroughly. Basic concepts (square of the pawn, king and 1 pawn vs. king basic wins and
draws, opposition, triangulation, etc.) are covered. Then the challenges get progressively
harder until the final ones cause masters to scratch their heads. King and pawn endings
are the basic building blocks for any players' sound endgame technique and this course is
suitable for novices (USCF or Elo ratings below 1000) all the way up to those approaching
expert level (USCF or Elo ratings approaching 2000).


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Lessons in Strategy Vol. 1 -
$19.95
by IM Jeremy Silman
This course contains 50 very instructive positional challenges. Some are very long
(exceeding 20 moves and one lasts 40 moves), and experts and masters (USCF or Elo ratings
above 2000) will not find many of these to be easy. A novice or intermediate level player
(USCF or Elo ratings below 2000) will find these challenges quite difficult, but they will
learn a bit more with each attempt, all the way until they reach master or higher.


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Lessons in Strategy Vol. 2 -
$19.95
by IM Jeremy Silman
This course continues with strategic positional challenges similar in difficulty to
those contained in Silman's Lessons in Chess Strategy (1). Some are very long, and experts
and masters (USCF or Elo ratings above 2000) will not find many of these to be easy. A
novice or intermediate level player (USCF or Elo ratings below 2000) will find these
challenges quite difficult, but they will learn a bit more with each attempt, all the way
until they reach master or higher.


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Master Your Technique -
$19.95
by FM Thomas Wolski
This Course contains 50 rich and thoroughly analyzed challenges. The majority of these
challenges focus on complex middlegame positions, the art of transition from the
middlegame to the endgame, and on endgames themselves. This course is aimed at all players
from the intermediate level to masters. Experts and even masters (FIDE and USCF ratings
over 2000) will not find these challenges easy. Many of the challenges will be hard for
the intermediate player, but they will learn a bit more with each attempt until they
become a master of technique. The challenges feature an average length of 10 moves. 

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World Champions at Their Best Vol. 1
- $19.95
by IM Jeremy Silman
This course is the first in a series that represent Silman's best work ever and which
have the earmarks of becoming classics. This first course will cover the period from the
first World Championship match in 1834 between La Bourdonnais and MacDonnell up to the
Steinitz era in the 1880's. Compared to the modern eras, there is a dearth of literature
and analysis regarding pre-twentieth century championship chess. Silman breaks new ground
with much original analysis and includes a wealth of historical facts. Utilizing Chess
Mentor's features to their limits, Silman has produced this course with learning utility
for novices as well as International Masters. No one who owns Chess Mentor will want this
series missing from their library of courses.


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World Champions at Their Best Vol. 2
- $19.95
by IM Jeremy Silman
Jeremy continues his historical trek, moving on to the games of the man whose reign as
World Champion lasted longer than any other -- an amazing 27 years. Emanuel Lasker was a
polymath and, in addition to his chess, he was an accomplished mathematician and
philosopher who was also a personal friend of Albert Einstein. Lasker believed that chess
was a struggle, and was probably the first champion to take a psychological approach to
chess. His games reflect this attitude as he was willing to take tremendous risks, and
even intentionally make inferior moves, in order to create uncomfortable positions for his
opponents. 50 Challenges with historical background of each player and match.

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