Chess Opening Principles - Master the Fundamentals with a GM (Free course)

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Opening Principles - The fundamentals and beyond in detail

Course 36 episodes
(1 hour 51 min)
Creators GM Avetik Grigoryan

"Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist." - Pablo Picasso

How do you find the right moves when you can’t remember the opening theory?
What do you do if your opponent intentionally takes you out of the book?

The key is to use chess opening principles to find the best continuation! 

Many beginners are familiar with such principles but still struggle to find the right moves in the opening. That’s because their understanding is on a surface level, while a GM’s understanding is much deeper...

See more

For instance, it's important to develop your pieces.

But what’s the right way to do it? 
How do you punish your opponent when they’re behind in development? 
And when should you break this opening principle? 

Knowing how to answer questions like these in a specific position is more important!

In this course, GM Avetik takes you on a journey to build a solid foundation of such principles so that it’s easier for you to figure out the opening moves and remember the theory!

Following these principles will also help you safely navigate ‘out of the opening theory’ positions.

This course is best suited for:

  • Players below 1500 because it will build their base understanding of how to play in the opening. It’ll also help to grasp the lines in the ChessMood repertoire.

  • Players up to 2000 rating will also find value in the course, especially from the lessons where you’ll see how to punish your opponents who don’t follow the opening principles.

Get ready to improve your understanding of chess openings so that you remember the theory easily and punish opponents who take you out of the book!

Let's dive in!

Opening PrinciplesOpening PrinciplesOpening PrinciplesOpening PrinciplesOpening PrinciplesOpening PrinciplesOpening PrinciplesOpening Principles

What you'll learn

  • The 3 main opening principles you should follow. 
  • The 4 mistakes you should avoid in the opening and how to punish your opponent when they make them.
  • Which are the 2 weak squares for each side in the opening.
  • Why the popular opening advice like "castle early" is bad.
  • The philosophy behind chess openings.
  • The principles behind playing a gambit and more!

Course Content

  • media 36
    Episodes
  • time 1 hour 51 min
Are you sure?

This will reset the entire course progress.

5

Students give this course an average of 5 out of 5 stars.

Julius kalunga
Julius kalunga
Thanks a lot a learning
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
I hope you'll put it in practice!?
james Scotland
james Scotland
That was a great course to watch before I go onto Whitemood openings.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Nice!
Steve Smercak
Steve Smercak
Excellent stuff. Thank You!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Steve!
Krzysztof P.
Krzysztof P.
Very, very informative!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Glad to hear! Thanks!
Bijay Belbase
Bijay Belbase
Brilliant course
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you!
Huynh Hoang
Huynh Hoang
Informative course! It has helped me a lot in practice.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Vinod Mishra
Vinod Mishra
Sir you helped me alot by your articles, by your courses, by your fit personality and much more. I am a 1900 rated player just because of you. You are really an inspirational figure for me .Thank you❤️❤️💖💖
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
wow!!! thank you very much! Let's go!!
Jem Mai
Jem Mai
.
Kaushal Rawat
Kaushal Rawat
Worth watching video
Ninja Anass
Ninja Anass
thank you
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
You're welcome!
Ninja Anass
Ninja Anass
how do i collect moodcoin i want to open a course but it will take years to collect moodcoins what do i do
Rafiul Islam
Rafiul Islam
This was one of the best courses I have completed from Chessmood, GM aventik constantly provides little insights about opening concepts, mistakes we tend to make at the beginning and how to minimize those within short time to gain more ratings. I really admire the time and effort he invested on this course and also other courses. You have been a torch bearer for players who have just started learning chess Aventik. Thank you, and please provide more good quality content for the future.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, friend!
Zaheem Chess
Zaheem Chess
This is amazing I myself am a lower level player but just a little higher in that category but i didn't know to use my skills in the opening till this I mean i played about 78 games with my opponent doing the f2, f7 blunders but i kinda didn't know to punnish them but took long tactics to mate 5 minutes before my lesson there when i was digesting my knowledge on a game it was almost a model game except i didn't know to punnish Thanks GM Avetik sir
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Great! Thank you, for your kind review, my friend!
Gatis Ozolins
Gatis Ozolins
Great!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you! :)
Siya Mehta
Siya Mehta
This is nice trick to teach chess to children's
Kaweesha Methsarani
Kaweesha Methsarani
Very useful course .❤❤❤
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Happy you liked it! :)
Yogesh Gupta
Yogesh Gupta
Great course! I will definetly reccomend it to lower level players!!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Yogesh!
Samarth Dash
Samarth Dash
It was a very nice journey and really sir I appreciate this course because people teach us openings but they don't teach why we should know this. And this is what I like about u sir, u want to teach us the concepts, u don't want us to just blindly mug up openings and things without understanding it. Sir the I have only one request, Sir can u please make some samples of these courses so by which we can learn without paying but if we are interested we would by it with mood coins or take a membership.
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ChessMood
Thank you, Samarth! As you might know, we have huge investments to make all those courses, and the AI coach we're building. We need to cover them somehow, no? :)
Samarth Dash
Samarth Dash
I understand sir so this might be a future prospect, the course is absolutely worth my every single priceless second, its just amazing. Hats Off to you and your team sir!!!
Stephan Harris
Stephan Harris
Very informative
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Happy to hear it! :)
Kevin Sanchez
Kevin Sanchez
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the ChessMood team for their outstanding course on Opening Principles. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such an accessible and inspiring way!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Kevin, thank you very much for your kind review.
Swapnabha Neogi
Swapnabha Neogi
Good job! Keep it up!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Forever! :)
Swapnabha Neogi
Swapnabha Neogi
Good course to remember and understand the key concept of the opening.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Peter Ackland
Peter Ackland
Having played chess for 60+ years I wasn't sure I needed to bother with the opening principles course, but I did - and I am glad I did. I now know WHY the fundamentals are the fundamentals.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
What a review! Thanks a lot Peter! I hope your chess will be recharged from now on!
Kaushal Rawat
Kaushal Rawat
The way you explain is really awesome 🔥
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you! Why 4? What was missing there? :)
Danny Miyoshi
Danny Miyoshi
😀😀😀😀😀😀
cecilio gonzalez
cecilio gonzalez
Nice and excellent videos
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Gracias!
Dragon Slayer
Dragon Slayer
thanks for nice Videos
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
You're welcome, my friend!
Emma Yang
Emma Yang
I have finished the course and to honestly say, Chessmood is always the best in every part. These courses are well-made and give plenty of details. Thanks!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Emma, thanks a lot, dear!
kamaran wriya
kamaran wriya
thanks for nice Videos . can I contact you? I want to talk directly with your excellency . thanks again
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you! Hehe :) Sure, you can message us here: https://chessmood.com/contact
Adhyayan Banerjee
Adhyayan Banerjee
Well, I must say all chessmood courses are like a BRILLIANT MOVE!! Before chessmood I just blundered around not finding a brilliant course as many were just a "PRODUCT" of marketers but chessmood courses are ways to learn and improve crafted by GMs so there is a huge difference!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks for fantastic words!!!
Adhyayan Banerjee
Adhyayan Banerjee
Chessmood completely deserves it!
Jon Duffield
Jon Duffield
I have watched three of these videos now and am really impressed with the delivery of information. Clear, straightforward and when playing at my local chess club my results have already improved. Can't wait for the next one!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks a lot, Jon!
Methuki Diyathma
Methuki Diyathma
Amaizng work.Thank you!!!!!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Happy you liked it! Thank you!
Alex Reeve
Alex Reeve
Thank you, great course!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Alex!
Emmanuelle Li
Emmanuelle Li
Very good
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you! :)
Subrata Biswas
Subrata Biswas
Nice!!!!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you :)
Joseph Ford
Joseph Ford
Rules to live by.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Hehe :)
Ray Wang
Ray Wang
Very helpful
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Happy!
Alex Oliynyk
Alex Oliynyk
Very instructive and useful course. Thank you very much for your systematic approach
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks too!
Kevin Vincke
Kevin Vincke
Well-structured course. Looking forward to the next one.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Kevin! WhiteMood, BlackMood? :)
Kevin Vincke
Kevin Vincke
Started on WhiteMood already, loving it so far :D
Surya Madamsetty
Surya Madamsetty
Very helpful as a 10 year old your article in Lichess brought me to this.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Nice! Best of luck, my young friend.
lakshmi chepuri
lakshmi chepuri
hussein hussein
hussein hussein
Nice course....
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks :)
Dan Skywalker
Dan Skywalker
Great videos, everything very well explained. Thank you!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, too, Dan!
Teddi Kao
Teddi Kao
This is the best opening course I have ever come across! The explanations are very clear. Ever since I have watched this course, This has helped me to get into great positions and win many more games against opponents who did not follow the opening principles. I never knew how powerful the f4 move could be until I watched this course. Thank you so much.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Great! Thanks Teddi. I hope you'll become even better after watching the opening courses. And you'll see the power of f4 more in Grand Prix attack.
Mark Rodriguez
Mark Rodriguez
Great breakdown for a beginner like myself! Very helpful. Thank you and I’m looking forward to learning more!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Great! Thanks for sharing, Mark! And looking forward seeing you crossing 2,000.
Massimo Petazzoni
Massimo Petazzoni
Thank you so much
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, too!
Neera Ann Rajan
Neera Ann Rajan
Excellent Course
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Ronald Eduardo
Ronald Eduardo
Excelent course! I teach chess to beginners, and this material is the best that I have seen in a long time, congratulations!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks a lot, Ronald!
Matteo Garavelli
Matteo Garavelli
Very good course. Clear and easy explanation and simply but fondamental principles that every chess player must know. I like it very much ☺️
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Great! Thanks a lot, Matteo!
Branny Bliss
Branny Bliss
Now I have been winning lots of games when people play f4 great course and well explained
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Great! Thanks!
Chris Knight
Chris Knight
Good to review. Helpful to see thinking process outlined when opponent doesn't follow these.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Tushar Agarwalla
Tushar Agarwalla
Very nice course. All opening principles are very well explained with examples.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, very much!
Jason Marshall
Jason Marshall
A truly amazing course that I am sure will help me greatly.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Jason!
Vikram Medelin
Vikram Medelin
Great opening rules with interesting examples.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
pierre Wavresky
pierre Wavresky
Très clair. Merci !
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Merci! :)
Ben Ten
Ben Ten
Great Course
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you!
Ben Ten
Ben Ten
This is awesome , I always thought we should castle early to keep the king safe, but now i know it's not necessary to castle early
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Yess! :)
Dipankar Ghosh
Dipankar Ghosh
Great course for beginners ....love it
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Aradhya Adke
Aradhya Adke
Very nice
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Gracias! :)
Raj Kumar
Raj Kumar
Love it
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Love to see 5 star reviews :)
challa venkateswarlu
challa venkateswarlu
nice
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
challa venkateswarlu
challa venkateswarlu
soo good i will follow your i tnrouctions
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Nice! :)
Bouhamyd Saad
Bouhamyd Saad
Thanks a lot and we wish to unlock more free courses please
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you! Sure, no problem. If you cover our bills, and salaries for our coaches, and for our developers, and the costs of keeping the website - no problem :)
David Stanford
David Stanford
Essential!
Saeid Mousavi
Saeid Mousavi
very useful course and tips.
Nick Mousavi Almaleki
Nick Mousavi Almaleki
Chess.com lessons suck compared to this. Thanks for the info Avetik!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks a lot, Nick!
Sammith Rao
Sammith Rao
This is a very good course..
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
salyh ali
salyh ali
Will this course always be free ? thank you
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Maybe no? :)
aditi aggarwal
aditi aggarwal
Great
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks :)
joe gladson
joe gladson
very good
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks :)
mihir patle
mihir patle
I like the course ,I am in worst phase of my chess nowadays because I lost rating in my recent games.I hope ,I will regain my rating.Thank you sir
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you! Focus on long-term growth. Focus on fun. Focus on doing your best. Rating will go up and down. Care for a long term.
Neil Gomes
Neil Gomes
Solid information through and through!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Neil!
Derek McGovern
Derek McGovern
An excellent course, with openings principles presented in a clear and concise way. While generally for beginners and lower graded players, more experienced players can also find the course useful.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Derek!
Todd Bultje
Todd Bultje
I've been discovering that despite being a chess player I'm very sloppy on Online chess games. These courses are excellent!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Todd!
Todd Bultje
Todd Bultje
ChessMood courses like this "Opening Principles - The fundamentals and beyond in detail" are excellent. I've raised my chess knowledge dramatically during the 6 day free courses. Thank you 😊!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks too!
happy light
happy light
Thank you
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, too! :)
Lakshit Dayananda
Lakshit Dayananda
This is really helpful
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!!
Neil Gomes
Neil Gomes
Great job in presenting the information!!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Neil!
Riccardo Volpati
Riccardo Volpati
Great course Avo
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Gracias, amigo!
Noor Seif
Noor Seif
This course is both comprehensive and concise. I think that all of the essential ideas were explained well with good examples! Thank you!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Noor!
Julius Mulius
Julius Mulius
I am about 2000 fide and it was still refreshing to get the fundamentals down and learn a couple of new interesting things on the way
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks a lot, Julius!
Hesam Dm
Hesam Dm
Great course
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Petrisor Gavrila
Petrisor Gavrila
Excellent stuff!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Stephan Briem
Stephan Briem
excellent
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Gaming highlights
Gaming highlights
Please even if you consider to make your courses premium please please I have just come to know about this I want to become a GM I am currently 15 and spending 3-4 hours a day in chess and don't know what to do now as I am 1143 in chess.com i started playing chess 4 months ago please do not make your premium please
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ChessMood
Hehe :) Of course, thank you for kind words, and that you realize, that ChessMood is an invaluable resource for your journey to GM title. But please, also think about how much resources we spend to record this amount of and this quality courses... How much our developers work and so on... :) Anyway, opening principles course is unlocked currently.
Gaming highlights
Gaming highlights
Could you please do a favour to us who don't have money to spend on chess.Can you make one course free for sometime .
GM Hovhannes Gabuzyan
GM Hovhannes Gabuzyan
Guys this is not a joke :-) Even though I am a GM, I learned very important things here. GM Avetik says that if you have a strong center, and space advantage - it's a reasonable idea to castle to the opposite side and attack on the Opponent's king. Maybe I have done this in my games intuitively sometimes - however, I never applied it as a learned concept. Thanks, brother for teaching me even at this level :-)
Pavithra Gokhale
Pavithra Gokhale
Great course, crystal clear explanation GM Avetik! Listening to your sessions has started giving me more confidence than other chess related materials on the internet. Thank you so much 😊
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Glad to hear that, my friend! And thanks a lot!
Riccardo Volpati
Riccardo Volpati
Hi Avo great course of Opening ( few an clear words for explaing eveything); as I'm an adult improver ( my rating is between 1300/1400 on Lichess ) you have "opened" my mind ; I'm sure to improve my chess since now I have founded the right guide , with your help (I'm just an essential member ) and with the Noel's NLT course ( just finished ) ; my next step is to choice the best opening for me with white and black beginning my journey through chess world in the better way , making my chess training planning. In my opinion : there are a lot of GM but few GM able to teach chess as you and Noel May be in the future to become a Pro Member Thank you so much ! Cheers
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, Riccardo! I am very happy you follow Noel! Looking forward for an email, when you cross 1,500. And then 2000 :)
AQIL IDRAKI
AQIL IDRAKI
Really helpful!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
I am happy!
Shlok Maheshwari
Shlok Maheshwari
This course is very good! (Review from my 9-year-old)
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks and cheers to your son!
dhruva roy
dhruva roy
t
Nevan Ashad
Nevan Ashad
Nice course!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Super Champ
Super Champ
it is great
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Yey!
ali khairala
ali khairala
very good
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ChessMood
Merci!
Barney Powers
Barney Powers
Excellent course. I appreciate that the focus is on 3 primary principals that greatly simplifies the process. Also, a few things to avoid as well as tips for castling and weaknesses. Thank you.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, Barney!
Alejandro Cornejo
Alejandro Cornejo
Nice course.. very clear and useful
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you!
Dmytro Holiak
Dmytro Holiak
Very useful course! Thank you!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, too!
Abhay chaturvedi
Abhay chaturvedi
very detailed in less time , best course on the internet , thanks avetik , it would be best if this would be free for everyone , i am a math teacher and i want to open a chess club in my district siddharth nagar , india . hope i will teach them about all of these thanks again
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you for kind words, my friend! Yes, this course is unlocked currently, and anyone can watch it. It's our gift to chess world, so they start with right foundation.
Ian Threlkeld
Ian Threlkeld
The best courses I have ever seen by far! Thank you Avetic.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks a lot!
Dmytro Holiak
Dmytro Holiak
Nice course!
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ChessMood
Gracias!
Albert Calinescu
Albert Calinescu
This course was amazing! You are the best teacher I ever came across!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Hehe :) Thanks, my friend!
Ethan Zheng
Ethan Zheng
YESSSSSSSSSSIR
Ethan Zheng
Ethan Zheng
Go here https://media.tenor.com/1Kn_qoP7bJMAAAAM/chess-chesscom.gif
testing trouble
testing trouble
Awesome course. It helped me to improve my basic understanding of the opening.👍😁
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks! Hopefully, no more trouble? :)
Ethan Zheng
Ethan Zheng
:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
Ethan Zheng
Ethan Zheng
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas! So good :)
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thaaaaaank you! :)
Ethan Zheng
Ethan Zheng
https://media.tenor.com/1Kn_qoP7bJMAAAAM/chess-chesscom.gif
Chatraessh R
Chatraessh R
It's so good and useful to improve my chess skills I was thankful to ChessMood to give this free courses.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
You're welcome!
Henry Singletary
Henry Singletary
Always done in excellence. Thank you Chessmood for breaking down opening principles in an easy understandable course!.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, too! :)
Bojan Milanovic
Bojan Milanovic
Nice explained, easy to understand. Really one of the best fundamentals opening courses I've seen.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks a lot, my friend!
Neo Toppinen
Neo Toppinen
I think this course does a really good job at explaining the opening principles, not only listing them, but explaining and actually teaching them.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you very much, Neo! Now you can build your opening rep :)
Rextorum Hope
Rextorum Hope
Muy claras las explicaciones y los ejemplos. Muy útil el curso. Muchas gracias.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Muchas gracias, amigo!
Narasimha Rao
Narasimha Rao
Really nice course. I loved the point point - winning a tempo using smart castling .
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks! Yeah, that's a hidden nuance :)
Aaron Chapman
Aaron Chapman
This was encredibly helpful. There were several principles I already used, but I did not know why. This was the first course that actually explains the reason why very well. Thank you!
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you for a nice review and kind words my friend!
Rishu Gg
Rishu Gg
Amazing course for beginner and people who want to improve their openings. Thanks teacher Avetik . And eagerly waiting for Middle game and End game principle courses for beginners.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks! :) Why 4 and not 5? :) What was missing?
Gokul krishna
Gokul krishna
Thanks Chessmood! I already reached 1800+ but i still dont know much of this.
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ChessMood
Then 2,000 is coming soon! Thanks!
Jeff Petersen
Jeff Petersen
Very helpful, thank you!
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ChessMood
Great! Thank you, too! :)
Borhene E. LAKHOUA
Borhene E. LAKHOUA
Awsome, thank you very much
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ChessMood
You're welcome! :) Thank you, too! :)
tuguldur Chess
tuguldur Chess
good
Louai Fakher
Louai Fakher
For me I reach 1600 rating on lichess in different kind of chess rapid classic and blitz and I was just playing the openings blindly without understanding the main principles and the last year I was stuck in 1600 rating even I decrease to 1500 and I stuck there for months , now after taking this course which I finiched it now am completly sure that I will win most of games in the opening stage . Thank you a lot GM avetik for this course it helps me a lot of times
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thank you, my friend! Please update here, once you reach 1700.
vinay hi
vinay hi
Good
Sam Baker
Sam Baker
This course has helped me so much with my openings. I am a beginner and only have a rating of 300. I would recommend this course to anyone who wanted to learn how to start a game of chess.
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Sam, thanks!
Cayito
Cayito
Buenísimo curso para iniciarte en los principios de la apertura. Inglés sencillo y entendible con los movimientos que se van dando en el tablero. Muy recomendable para recordar las normas básicas de la apertura.
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ChessMood
Muchisimas gracias! :)
Shreyash Buva
Shreyash Buva
Very good course
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ChessMood
Thanks!
Anirudh Gazelli
Anirudh Gazelli
After watching these videos I realized how silly my openings were till now. Thank you GM Grigoryan for making this comprehensive playlist on opening principles.
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ChessMood
Hehe :) Thanks a lot! What's your rating? Indeed, especially most of the players below 1,000 all they need, is this course :) And only then build openings.
Henry Singletary
Henry Singletary
Very good reminder of opening principles. Especially number 3 instead of castle early focus on king safety.
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ChessMood
Thanks! Exactly! "Castle early... And get mated :) " vs "take your king to safety :) "
Steven Anderson
Steven Anderson
It takes a good teacher to be able to explain the basics. Thanks!
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Thanks too! :)
Gaurav Joshi
Gaurav Joshi
Thnx for this
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Thnx too :)
Wolverine Logan
Wolverine Logan
Nice
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:)
Thunder Bolt
Thunder Bolt
Explained in an interesting and memorable way
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Thanks!
Zyad Mustafa
Zyad Mustafa
Very nice
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Gracias!
Asif Tayyeb
Asif Tayyeb
Very Important ideas & points are being shared by GM, really very helpful to everyone one no matter player is beginner, amateur or expert
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Asif, thank you!
rajul dhurwey
rajul dhurwey
nice
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Thanks :)
AG Digital
AG Digital
It was awesome loved it
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Thanks :)
Herbert Antoine
Herbert Antoine
I have been playing chess for some years now and learned lots of opening principles, however knowing them and not knowing (understanding the reasons, well the why's), after studying this course, I realized how much time going the wrong way, stuck at the bottom of the ladder. Now I have confidence in playing the opening, and looking forward to the middle game principles. Thank you a bunch for a wonderful stimulating, motivating course. Herbert A
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Herbert, thank you very much too, for spending time to leave this beautiful review!
Ali ElSaid
Ali ElSaid
Amazing course interactive and easy to follow up during the instructions.
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Thanks, Ali!
flori deda
flori deda
thank you this is very easy to follow and learn
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Thanks! I tried my best! :)
Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns
Great content
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Thanks!
Robert Waller
Robert Waller
Great instructions and examples. Well done. Thank you
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Thank you, Robert!
sachin kumar bind
sachin kumar bind
Very instructive 🔥
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Thx!
Giorgos Kechagias
Giorgos Kechagias
Great course! I will definetly reccomend it to lower level players!!
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Thanks, Giorgos!
Bret Kugler
Bret Kugler
Great Course!!! The Quiz at the end really helps you further digest the material so it becomes part of you and your thinking.
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Thanks, Bret!
Santosh Katakam
Santosh Katakam
good
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:)
Neera Ann Rajan
Neera Ann Rajan
Very good
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Thanks! :)
Sherry Gondal
Sherry Gondal
Excellent Course ....do we have affiliate program for this website or courses
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Thanks! Yes, of course: https://chessmood.com/refer-a-friend
Johnathan San
Johnathan San
Excellent course, clear and concise explanations with examples. A must course for beginners and possible intermediate [layers.
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Thanks!
Marc Galichet
Marc Galichet
Merci pour ce cours très limpide. S'inscrire sur ChessMood était vraiment une bonne idée. J'ai l'impression de faire de réels progrès. Marc
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Merci, merci!
yves walravens
yves walravens
excellent.
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Thanks! :)
Paul Muresan
Paul Muresan
very good
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ChessMood
Thanks, Paul!
Mad House
Mad House
Thank you the course is very instructive and easy to understand
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Thanks, Mad!
Sachin Agrahari
Sachin Agrahari
too easy to understand.
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Thansk! :)
Tom Benemann
Tom Benemann
Great introduction!
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:) Thank you!
Amarnath Keerthi
Amarnath Keerthi
Great job!!
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Thanks!
Eugene Chweya
Eugene Chweya
I really enjoyed this course. Segmenting the course into bit-size video formats was the best feature for me. The theories and examples were also perfectly explained. Thank you Mr. Avetik. I'm looking forward to learning more from you.
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Eugene, thank you very much! Glad you liked the way we made it.
roland kennedy
roland kennedy
Terrific. Gets straight to the core instruction that early stage players need. Best i have experienced on the topic of 'openings'. Useful. Applicable. Ageless. Thank you!
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Thank you, too for this beautiful review!
Kesom Simulium
Kesom Simulium
Best
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Yaay!
Jean-Marc Sabourin
Jean-Marc Sabourin
Excellent !!!
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Merci!
jenna ash
jenna ash
very good
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Thanks :)
jenna ash
jenna ash
good
Pratik Tambi
Pratik Tambi
good
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Thanks!
Jalal Haidarah
Jalal Haidarah
Great jop
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Thank you :)
Adham Ghaly
Adham Ghaly
A Great Entry Level Course.
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Thanks, Adham!
Robert Fetner
Robert Fetner
great course
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Thanks, Robert!
Austin Blevins
Austin Blevins
Awesome course!...can anyone please link me the Nepo game from chapter 24?
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Thanks, Austin! Here you have it: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1461298
Ananya N K
Ananya N K
the best
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Merci!
Mir Arbaz
Mir Arbaz
Amazing, imagine all the beginners who start using these principles in their games leading to a huge increase in rating points!
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Thanks!
Yorick Bekoutou
Yorick Bekoutou
Really amazing stuff in year, and the explanations are so crystal clear
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Yorick! Thanks a lot!
lz a78
lz a78
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR KIND ACT! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR UNLOCKING THIS GREAT COURSE FOR FREE !!!
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YOU ARE WELCOME!!
Allan Sunga
Allan Sunga
very helpful and easy to follow course. Great job GM Avetik...
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Thanks! We're happy you loved it!
Dipankar Ghosh
Dipankar Ghosh
You guys are great to say..How you all are sharing the content with everyone and reaching to all its totally commendable and appreciable ..wishing all happiness for whole cheesmood content creators...
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Deep-big-huge thanks from all our team!
Barry Phillips
Barry Phillips
Good
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:)
Dave Browne
Dave Browne
The best basic chess lesson I've seen online, thanks.
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Wow, Dave! Thanks for such words!
A. T.
A. T.
This is so good Thanks Avetik!
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Thanks too! :)
Rob Widham
Rob Widham
awesome course, where are the middlegame and endgame principle courses though?
Elizabeth Tanyous
Elizabeth Tanyous
Really Amazing as usual 😍 and also will watch it more and more 🙏🏻 and can't wait the next courses😍 thank you i appreciate
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Hey Elizabeth! Thank you very much. What's your rating?
Tony O'Donovan
Tony O'Donovan
Another great course from chessmood
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Thanks Tony! Trying our best :)
Casey Davis
Casey Davis
Excellent course. Very helpful to one who learnt openings before becoming more au fait with basic opening principles.
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Thanks, Casey!
Tiago Morita
Tiago Morita
Great course on opening principles!
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Thanks, Tiago!
Gharsallah Marwen
Gharsallah Marwen
Good job ! Amazing
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Gracias!
Boris Silbermann
Boris Silbermann
great course!
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Thanks, Boris!
Brendan Morris
Brendan Morris
Easy to follow
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Thanks :)
Tony O'Donovan
Tony O'Donovan
Fantastic course
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Thanks, fantastic man! :)
Sritej Devarakonda
Sritej Devarakonda
This is the most important course for beginners, it also helps the intermediate and advanced players.
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Sritej, much appreciated!
Peiheng Chan
Peiheng Chan
good lesson! love you so much Avetik!!!
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Thanks, my friend! :)
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson
Very Informative.
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Gracias Michael!
Ali Akbar
Ali Akbar
Amazing ?
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ChessMood
If its a question, yes, we think so! :)
Ahmed Younis
Ahmed Younis
A great and very instructive course. Well done :)
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Thanks, Ahmed!
Kishwor Bhandari
Kishwor Bhandari
The opening concepts that I have learned in around 2 years, and which have been stored in my brain like a messed up knowledge, is well summarized and brushed up by GM's less than 2 hours lecture. Thank you GM for your nice efforts??.
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Hehe :) Thanks, Kishwor! Keep learning from the right sources, and you'll see a fast growth.
Real Interviews
Real Interviews
excellent
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Thanks! :) When do we organize an interview? :)
Ashish Kumar
Ashish Kumar
Very nice
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Thanks, Ashish
Mt Tr
Mt Tr
I've been playing chess for a couple years and was aware of the opening principles, but this really went to the next level in cementing them in and found it to be a really useful review! One friendly piece of feedback - it would be nice if your quizzes gave more feedback (e.g. what principle, or video chapter, are they testing? Why were they looking for the answer they're looking for / why was that particular puzzle chosen - to highlight what?) Very much enjoyed!
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Thanks a lot my friend for kind words! And thanks for feedback. We assure you, we'll make the quizzes better.
Daniel birhanu
Daniel birhanu
great job
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Thanks, Daniel!
ja ja
ja ja
Great!
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:)
Mohamed Ben Youssef
Mohamed Ben Youssef
So satisfying
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Hehe :)
Punit Dodhiya
Punit Dodhiya
if you study this course properly and after that i suggest to watch games of greco so one can understand how this principles work in practice
Olaf Mueller-Michaels
Olaf Mueller-Michaels
Fantastic course.
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Olaf, thanks!
Christopher Aach
Christopher Aach
Very useful and informative.
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Thanks, Chris!
Ovi - Silver Cloud
Ovi - Silver Cloud
Thanks Avetik. Learned a few principles I didn't know. Great job, you're #1 teacher!
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Hehe :) Thanks, Ovi! But I still need to eat lots of bread and cheese to be number 1 :)
Nils Philipp
Nils Philipp
Very nice. I liked most the examples of how to punish violations of the principles and the easy to remember setup. Maybe more examples and examples from the announced Middlegame Principles course could be put together as a kind of "Master vs Amateur" course (which could also include games from the rocketing streams).
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Thanks, Nils!
Joseph Flynn
Joseph Flynn
Reveik Poobalan
Reveik Poobalan
I'm so happy I joined chessmood. GM Avetik is the best thing to happen in chess for a lot of us. So passionate to teach, so passionate to create a family with positive vibes and good nature.
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Thanks a lot, Reveik!
Sriram M
Sriram M
Great concept ! I am certain I heard "Middle Game Principles" in one of the videos. Looking forward to it.
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Super!
Hovig Aramali
Hovig Aramali
Very good course! Well organized with nice demonstrations/examples! The course is for beginners and chess coaches who teach chess at the beginner level! Thank you ChessMood! :)
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Thanks a lot, Hovig jan!
Timothy McGovern
Timothy McGovern
Ignoring what to do when an opponent violates principles is common among most chess teachers, so I was very pleased to finally see some ideas on how to punish that type of bad play. This was an excellent primer on not only how to learn an opening repertoire, but why.
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Timothy!! Thanks a lot!
Krishnanunny Menon
Krishnanunny Menon
Explained beautifully
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We try :) Thanks!
Shankar j
Shankar j
Nice work. I liked the idea of breaking the course into multiple sections with 1-2mins videos which is letting us to have some pause and grasp the concept. Keep up the good work. Thanks a lot
Kevin D
Kevin D
The most important course on the site so far, and exceptionally well produced! An invaluable resource for players new to the game, as well as the more experienced ones just wanting to fill in any gaps regarding their Opening fundamentals. Even seasoned players are well served to refresh their Opening fundamentals from time to time, as it helps re-calibrate one's thought process, and even such a legendary player as Mikhail Tal was known to employ this practice as a regular part of his training regimen.
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Kevin, thanks a lot!
Fernando Cacela
Fernando Cacela
Fernando Laroca
Fernando Laroca
Excelent course!
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Gracias!
Juan Suarez
Juan Suarez
Amazing work!
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Thanks, sir! :)
Artyom Manukyan
Artyom Manukyan
GM Avetik Grigoryan
GM Avetik Grigoryan

After having a successful playing career where he became the Armenian Champion in 2010, GM Avetik Grigoryan found his passion for chess coaching and switched to it full-time. 

Since then, he has guided many ambitious players to become Grandmasters and International Masters and has over 10 years of coaching experience.

He believes anyone can improve at chess, with the right mood and proper direction. And with that vision, he founded ChessMood in 2018.

After having a successful playing career where he became the Armenian Champion in 2010, GM Avetik Grigoryan found his passion for chess coaching and switched to it full-time. 

Since then, he has guided many ambitious players to become Grandmasters and International Masters and has over 10 years of coaching experience.

He believes anyone can improve at chess, with the right mood and proper direction. And with that vision, he founded ChessMood in 2018.

Currently, this course is free and unlocked for all!

Course
play 36
Episodes
time 1 hour 51 min
Creators GM Avetik Grigoryan
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