Chessbase Fritz Trainer Monster [TOP]
Buying the DVD is step one. How you use it determines your rating increase. Do not binge-watch the videos like a Netflix series. Instead, follow this protocol:
Week 1 – Absorption Watch the first 2 hours of video without a board. Just listen. Take notes on key tactical motifs. Highlight the "critical positions" the GM marks with a star.
Week 2 – Active Drilling Open the database. Play through the main lines on your physical board. Run Fritz at depth 20 to check the GM's analysis. (Spoiler: They are usually right, but challenging the engine teaches you why they are right.)
Week 3 – The Gauntlet Play 20 online rapid games (15+10 time control) using ONLY the MONSTER opening. You will lose the first five. You will equalize in the next ten. By game 20, you will feel the power. You will see the tactics before they happen.
ChessBase has released many MONSTER titles over the years, but three have achieved legendary status.
Headline: BEWARE THE BEAST.
Body: Chess is a game of strategy. But sometimes, strategy isn't enough. Sometimes, you need a MONSTER. ChessBase Fritz Trainer MONSTER
The all-new ChessBase Fritz Trainer MONSTER is here to revolutionize your game. Forget the quiet draw. Forget the safe path. This is about raw power, calculating deep into the complications where only the strongest survive.
Do you have the courage to sacrifice a pawn for the initiative? Can you smell weakness from the first move?
Open the cage. Unleash the tactical fury. Let your opponents fear the moment they sit across from you.
ChessBase Fritz Trainer: MONSTER. Prepare to crush.
Author: GM Jan Gustafsson
This course teaches you to transform your bishop from a mere diagonal attacker into a game-winning monster. Key themes: Buying the DVD is step one
Why it’s a “long piece” course: The bishop’s strength is its range; Gustafsson shows how to maximize that range to control the board from afar.
The real magic happened after the video. Inside the ChessBase training database, the MONSTER series came with 150 exercises, carefully ordered by pattern difficulty, not random Elo.
Leo created a custom training schedule:
He used ChessBase’s “Training” mode (F11 key). After each puzzle, he had to type a short annotation: “Why did the MONSTER pattern work? What was the defensive flaw?”
Within two weeks, something shifted. In a casual online game, his opponent castled kingside and then pushed the g-pawn unnecessarily. Leo didn't calculate a long variation. He just saw the pattern: “Exposed king walk. The h7 square is soft.” He played Nh5, then Qg4, then sacrificed a knight for two pawns. Checkmate in 6 moves. His opponent resigned in disbelief.
Unlike opening or endgame DVDs, the MONSTER series (typically authored by GM Jan Gustafsson or GM Dorian Rogozenco) focuses exclusively on calculation and defensive resourcefulness. Author: GM Jan Gustafsson This course teaches you
Each volume presents a collection of positions with a specific theme:
The core philosophy: Tactics are not just about finding the winning move. They are about seeing what the opponent can do to you.
Title: ChessBase Fritz Trainer: MONSTER – Unleash the Beast on the Board
Description: Are you ready to transform your playing style from cautious to catastrophic? Introducing the latest installment in the renowned Fritz Trainer series: MONSTER.
This is not your standard opening course. "MONSTER" is designed for the player who wants to intimidate, dominate, and crush the opposition. Whether you are looking to sharpen your tactical vision to a razor’s edge or master aggressive, unorthodox opening systems, this trainer provides the tools you need to terrorize your opponents.
Move beyond standard theory and learn how to play like a force of nature. With specially curated video instruction, interactive training positions, and deep engine analysis, MONSTER teaches you how to find the most brutal continuations and execute decisive attacks.
Don’t just play chess—dominate it. Play like a MONSTER.
The Fritz Trainer software tracks your score. Go back to the positions you failed. If you solve them easily now, you learned. If you fail again, add them to a spaced-repetition tool (e.g., Chesstempo, Anki).