Chessbase Fritz Trainer Monster

At approximately €39.95 to €49.95 per DVD (or download), the MONSTER series is more expensive than a chess book but cheaper than a single coaching hour with a GM.

The Pros:

The Cons:

Do not pause. Just listen to the GM explain the theme. Take notes on patterns (e.g., "In this volume, the monster hides on the back rank").

Headline: BEWARE THE BEAST.

Body: Chess is a game of strategy. But sometimes, strategy isn't enough. Sometimes, you need a 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

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:

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. At approximately €39

Each MONSTER DVD comes with a massive, pre-packaged database. This isn't just a few PGNs. It contains thousands of annotated games, often sorted by ECO code and theme. You get the exact working file the Grandmaster used to prepare for his own tournaments. For a club player, this is like having a World Championship second sitting at your desk.

Most tactics trainers show you a position and ask: "White to play and win." The MONSTER does the opposite. It often asks: "You are about to play Nxe5. What is Black’s hidden refutation?"

This is the chess equivalent of a horror movie jump-scare. You feel confident. You spot a knight fork. You reach for the piece... and then the trainer reveals that the square was poisoned.

Many club players (1600–2000) underuse their rooks and bishops: The Cons: Do not pause

The MONSTER courses drill you to activate long pieces immediately – often sacrificing a pawn to open a file or diagonal. After studying these, you'll see 7th-rank rooks and long-diagonal bishops as immediate winning threats, not afterthoughts.

This is the secret sauce. After watching a chapter, you can activate "Training Mode." The software will play through the line you just learned, randomly stop, and force you to find the MONSTER move. If you choose the wrong pawn structure, Fritz punishes you. It gamifies learning, ensuring that the aggressive patterns stick in your long-term memory.