Chess forum by Grandmasters

Antisicilian Part 3

Hello Everyone, Currently I am facing problem with the Grand Prix in the following move order. 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.f4 a6!?. If anyone has a remedy or a plan how to deal against this system then please share. Thank you

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If you check Chessmood A6 course, then in the advanced section it shows how to counter it along with the general ideas.
I had the same problem too as a lot of people seem to play it.
I hope this helps!

Yes, Manu, this line is very popular lately, it is not so difficult to play against it though and you need to rely on positional and thematic understanding. As Armandas said, just check the course and next time let us know how you implemented the ideas in your next win!😀

Loser tantrums

Hey there,

I am new at the site and still exploring it, so i have found, for now, the shortest channel for getting help - this forum. 

My issue is… uhm… i am even ashamed to say… It's the fact i can't handle lose at all, ok almost at because of the simple fact i am still playing chess and didn't give up, and i can't self control properly when in the situation of facing defeat, even if it starts to smell as defeat. 😅

So i am getting tantrums, start to cry, throw pieces at the board, more cry after the match, of course trying to hide it from spectators and opponent all the time, but they always notice it, because i cannot really control it. 

To explain my chess… It's intermediate level, closer to advance, 1500 elo, online much better but still not above 2000. These tantrums, i have it even when playing online, but they are much more strong when at real tournaments.

Also, i have horrible fear from losing, to the point i have to psychologically prepare for each and every match i am playing, no matter if in virtual or real world. 

I don't know why am i like that, i have tried literary everything, from meditation techniques, to some possible early childhood trauma analysis, i have also tried to ignore these emotions, to keep my face stil, but never succeed, tears just start to drop and one more issue is that i am grown up woman, very adult, and i am not sure what people around me think in these moments. 😂😂

Also, i have feeling that my fear drives my chess back, i am losing horrible amounts of rating at fide, about 50 or 60 pts per tournaments sometimes, i just don't believe i am able to win the match!!

I had huge years-long breaks in chess play till nowadays, so maybe i am not very well prepared, but after all i know some theory, my tactics are intermediate, and i am playing pretty decent endgames, so i should gain rating more then lose it, tho… i am still losing it. 😔

So after all, i ll be really thankful to those willing to give me an advice, two, what to do, how to stop fear of defeat so much, how to at least start to better self control myself, because i think my emotions are going to throw me at 0 elo rating one day (if something like this even exists). 😂😔

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Hi there,

Welcome to ChessMood.

Nobody likes losing.  However, its a fact of life - even Magnus Carlsen loses sometimes!  

So, first of all, I think you have to try to accept that there will be games that you win and games that you lose.  Chess games between players of similar abilities are decided on pretty thin margins - sometimes, just one bad move can lose the match (or one good one can win it!).  It's unrealistic to think that those scenarios are always going to be in your favour.

Secondly, it may be helpful if you try to understand why losing a game had such a strong impact on you.  Don't get me wrong, I hate losing!  But, once it's done I let it go and move on.  What is it that reduces you to tears and tantrums?  With online games you are typically playing a random player from a pool of, what, millions of players?  Who cares if you lose?  You'll probably never see them again.

Thirdly, I suspect few of us ever really finish learning in chess. So, look at each loss as an opportunity to learn.  What did you do badly? What did your opponent do well?  If you were to play the same game again, what would you do differently?  Is there a particular area that you could work on to help your development (openings, middlegame, endgame, tactics, time control, concentration, focus etc etc).

Have you had chance to read any of the ChessMood blog posts in the psychology and mental toughness section?  Lots of good content there.  Here is one to start with: https://chessmood.com/blog/a-secret-weapon-for-handling-tough-positions-and-bad-moods

Good luck!

My chess improvement journey: week 5

Week 5! I write the update today because yesterday I was busy. Anyway let's jump into the recap of the week.

So, this week started a bit slow, and I didn't play very well. I lost some elo and couldn't concentrate. But than I recovered from some tiredness and got extra sleep, started thinking more seriously and today, as I'm writing this post, I'm currently at my elo peak in rapid with 1392, hit with a great attack (https://www.chess.com/game/live/98901425873), 2 great and 1 brilliant move.
From the study point of view, I Finally defined a thinking system to use, and I'm starting to play better, as you've read. I'm also progressing on tactics pattern studying (I've spotted ¾ forks this week, which I would usually miss, so this is a big win for me). I'm also expanding my opening repertoire against e4.

Overall I'm happy. I'm confident I'll hit 1400 elo this week, and I really hope so. Thanks everyone for support, keep studying!

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Well done on reaching your current Elo peak - I'm sure that you will hit 1400 soon.

I've sent you a friend request on Chess.com.  I'm only around ½ your Elo would but enjoy a game sometime :-)

I can't wait for two years from now on week 100 and you're boasting your 2800 rating.

In all seriousness, congrats on this achievement.

How to use Tatics Ninja quizz

Hello,

Have an happy new year and chess growth.

I have just finish Tatics Ninja course. I would like to use the quizz now. It gathers more than 700 puzzles. It is not possible to attempt to solve them in one time. How can I navigate through puzzle so that I can for example have 10 attempts per day? I need to be bot obliged to start from the beginning each day.

Thank you for your help.

Olivier

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Hi just go through the puzzles like normal? Chessmood saves your progress so it remembers the last puzzle you did and will continue next time where you left off. It still works if you switch to a different device. 

Alex

😅You can also select the number that you want, just change the number of the puzzle and press Enter key…😅

French opening

I have been studying the French attack, do you have the rest of the French opening?

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An advanced French course for 2000+ players will come in the future.

Did you watch the Blackmood model games too? They are very important to see the openings in practice and some moves orders are introduced there too. Check them out.😀

Why is French recommended as a Starter course rather than answering e4 with e5 as most beginner/ intermediate players do? It might be difficult for an beginner/ intermediate player to handle the cramped positions coming out of the French and defending against White's kingside attack?

Bug Report: Pawn Promotion

Hi, in the Must-Know endgame theory U200 course, the quiz after the 7th video of the 9th section is faulty. In each of the 4 questions, when the black pawn reaches the last rank, it stays as a pawn! 

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Thanks!😀

This was fixes a couple of days ago. It was in our to fix list, thanks for reporting it.

Any chess channel recoms on yt??

Sooooo i've been watching chess on yt for a while now- just for fun nothing too serious like i've been wanting to consume more “chill” chess content so would like to know your recommendations! (i have watched Gothamchess,Hikaru clips aannnddd daniel naroditsky altho just a lil bit..

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Hi there,

Good question - there is so much content out there that it's difficult to know what to watch isn't it? I'll be interested to see what others add but for me it's primarily the following:

ChessMood (0f course!) : https://www.youtube.com/@ChessMood

Chess Vibes : https://www.youtube.com/@ChessVibesOfficial

Aman's Building Habits : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8pZbhjL-fQ&list=PL8N8j2e7RpPnpqbISqi1SJ9_wrnNU3rEm

https://www.youtube.com/@STLChessClub

Has great lectures by very prominent players.

Chessmood, (as expected): https://www.youtube.com/@ChessMood

GM Daniel Naroditsky, his speedruns are very instructive, you can watch them from the begining in the channel's playlists : https://www.youtube.com/@DanielNaroditskyGM

Chess Vibes, but only if you are begginer or early intermediate level player, I think his content is mostly for these level players : https://www.youtube.com/@ChessVibesOfficial

Hanging Pawns, if you are more advanced. He has playlists with the theory of most of the openings BUT he analyses a lot of variations (almost all of them). It is a great place to start if you want to learn an opening and you can't afford to buy a course. But you need to choose wich variations you will play and then focus only on them. Link : https://www.youtube.com/@HangingPawns/videos

That being said, my favourite YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/@PowerPlayChess . Quite the opposite of Gothamchess I fear. That being said, the way he talks feels more chill to me. :]

It's run by GM Daniel King. He uploads games and comments on them, often focusing on strategic ideas during the games. Currently he is showcasing every candidate playing for the WC spot.

To Me, GM Daniel Narodistky is best. His Speedrun are even focused to that level of players (so if he is playing against 1300, he will explain concepts for 1300s).

improve on calculation

hi i want to improve my calculation how can i do that

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Hi, chessmood lanched a new course about calculation, if you want you can watch it here: https://chessmood.com/course/calculation

If you don't have access to it, I think it is good to calculate everytime before solving a puzzle. Don't rush with a move, try to find the whole solution before playing it and you will see that with time you will start to get more used to calculating and eventually you will improve.

Opening PGN files

Good Morning

I'm curious how others organise their opening PGN files on chessbase etc after watching a course or reading a book. 

Do you..

A) Keep neat files of just the moves and variations 

B) Add your own text to every move explaining the positives and drawbacks etc 

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Good morning,

I use B with the GMs comments added by my own ones.

This article might be very interesting:

https://chessmood.com/blog/the-most-effective-way-to-create-chess-pgn-files

I did it! 1002 in rapid

Yall may have seen my earlier post despairing that I couldn't get up to 1000. I did it just now! I'm going to celebrate. I ordered myself 2 tungsten carbide index rings.

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Congratulations!

Was there anything in particular that suddenly ‘clicked’ and enabled you to progress?  Or was it just a question of playing more games until your abilities eventually shifted the Elo needle?

Congratulations!!! 🥳

Congratulations!

Good job, keep the hard work up!

Well done buddy

Closed Captioning on Videos

Are there any plans (and I know it's a big project) to add closed captioning to the video training? There are times when I don't want to bother other people and would like to follow along the trainings by reading what is being taught. (I'm a big chess book fan, so the written word is one more learning tool at my fingertips.)

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Hi Benjamin, 

That is a good idea but a huge undertaking… 

Sincerely speaking, we are considering to add the CC and subtitles too but we need to grow in order to be able to afford it. 😅

Let's hope that we can do it! Thanks for encouraging us!💪

Super idea!

Improving Chess Visualization Skills. How to see the full board much better?

Hey chess community,

Dealing with a challenge here—despite having winning positions, I often miss easy moves due to visual impairment. I'm part of my country's visually impaired chess team and have played at world championships with decent results.

Wondering if anyone has tips or exercises to improve chess visualization, especially for those with limited board visibility. Your insights are much appreciated!

Replies

Try to see the board in 3D, that's easier than 2D.

https://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-visualization-trainer.php

I know, but instead of calculating a 2D position, you can calculate it in 3D

Problem with chess planning!?

In the courses examples I came up with a plan on every example, and they were correct. But when I tried it out on a other game, for example a game played by magnus carlsen I could not seem to make a plan in the game from the 7 questions. I need some help??? 

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Could you not make any  plan with the 7 questions, or could you not make the same plan as Magnus Carlsen? 

Endgame help - avoiding stalemate

Hi all,

I haven't yet studied endgames and mates (it's on my ‘to do’ list once I've finished my first 100 games).  In the game below we are in the endgame and I am ahead.  However, it ended in a stalemate and I feel as though I missed an opportunity for a win.  If you look at the game from, say, move 88  how would you finish off the opponent?

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/98381244993?tab=review&move=88

Thanks :-)

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What an excellent learning experience!  Lesson learned from this is that you have to be careful when using your pawns to push the opponent's king back. And don't get the king in a corner where it's easy to stalemate.

Looking at the position where you played 45. … h3.  You have a knight and 5 pawns to the opponent's one pawn.  You can use the other pawns to queen!  I would probably have played 45. … a5 just to get rid of the last white pawn. For example:
45. … a5 bxa5 46. bxa5.  This position would give you 4 passed pawns. Fabulous!  Then just push the a-pawn down the board. The opponent can't get his king over in time to stop it.

Alternatively, there would be nothing wrong on move 45 with pushing the d-pawn. If White moves his king to intercept, then you can queen the h-pawn. You have lots of good options! 

Hope this makes sense. If not, just ask and I'll be happy to clarify.

Happy Chess,

Jeff

If you accidently stalemate, that means you're not looking ahead even a single move. You had 10 minutes to contemplate your opponents response after ..h2 and …d5, but ultimately chose the literal worst continuation.

I realize that sounds cruel, but I hope you don't take it that way. Jeff Hensley's answer is very helpful for this sort of endgame, so be sure you understand it first. My point I guess is that there's never a good reason to not consider how your opponent may respond to your move, at any stage of the game from opening to endgame. It only takes a single move to throw away a game. A game of chess is generally not won by the maximization of brilliant moves, but by the minimization of blunders. 

These sort of thoughts have given me a new perspective on how I view the game, so maybe with any luck they'll provide something to you to. Or maybe I'm just rambling. Anyways, a very well played game overall, and just know that you're not the first nor the last to create an unfortunate stalemate.

I would just have let my h pawn untouched. H and A pawns very often come with the danger of stalemating your opponent. I would bring my king to the e file, then push the f or d-pawn. 😃

Hello,

First of all in the last position, on move 49 I would have played f2+ and not h2+ because if he went to the corner,  next move when white prometes into a queen it is mate (or even into a rook). With h2+ you are begging the opponent to go to the corner, as this is a very common stalemate pattern(). Also, the safest approach is to push the d pawn, as there is no way to stalemate the opponent. Also if he comes to stop your d pawn, he is now very far away from your h pawn, so you promote.

So if I were you, I would try to get familiar with the most common stalemate patterns (as the one in your game, if you knew it you would never end up there). You can find some videos on Youtube if you want with tips on how to avoid stalemate if you want,  I found this one wich I think is decent about some tips on how to avoid stalemate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-WKm5-bwXI and this on on stalemate patterns (it has a lot inside so don't memorize them all, just  watch this to get familiar with them and understand them): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jphC0ucqFc

Hope this helps

From the episode, we’ve extracted 6 valuable lessons which you can use in your chess and life from GM Bassem Amin, who’s also one of the strongest ChessMoodians. Read here 👇
https://chessmood.com/blog/bassem-amin

Share your thoughts with us under this forum thread.

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Inspiring!

Advice sought re Lichess puzzle (again!)

Hi all,

OK, my beginner brain is struggling with the solution to this puzzle so I'd appreciate some feedback.  

I'm fine with Rb4xb2 and the follow-up Rb8xb2.  What I don't understand is why it is preferable to then take the rook on b1 (putting white in check) rather than taking the queen on c2.  Surely the white queen takes the rook if the suggested solution is used?

Puzzle: https://lichess.org/training/2cqcQ

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You cannot take the queen due to a backrank mate (Rb8+).

New success story: No excuses, no compromises... And then 500 points in 4 months

Champions, meet the 16-year-old who raised over 500 rating in 4 months! 

Discover how he:

🟢 Used the chess improvement formula to get better.

🟢 Made time for chess while balancing school & extracurricular activites.

🟢 Stayed detached while having goals and much more!
 

Read the full story👇
https://chessmood.com/success-stories/jeffrey-sweeney

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😀

THANK YOU CHESSMOOD FAMILY.THIS WILL HELP

How much time did Jeffrey spend on studying chess on chess mood per week or per day to get to where he did in 4 months?

NEW COURSE LAUNCHED: Rook vs Bishop Endgame

You’ll be surprised how tricky Rook vs Bishop endings can be.

Sometimes, your opponent may be down an exchange and a central pawn, yet they still have serious chances to secure a draw if you don't know the right technique. 

In the course with GM Gabuzyan, you'll discover the most important theoretical positions and concepts of this endgame as you'll see:

• The winning technique in Rook + pawn vs Bishop position.
• The danger you should avoid when pressing for a win in Rook + pawn vs Bishop endgame.
• How to evaluate Rook vs Bishop endgame with 2 vs 2 pawns.
• Can the side with the Bishop defend in a 3 vs 3 pawn situation?
• Is Bishop + 2 pawns enough to win against a Rook and much more!

Start watching the course here👇

https://chessmood.com/course/rook-vs-bishop-endgame

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My chess improvement journey: week 4

Hi! This is the end of the first month of my chess journey.
This week wasn't as productive as I had hoped. I had problems with insomnia and so my performances decreased a bit. But that doesn't mean I'm not learning from this!
I've tried hard to fix my tendency to blunder pieces by hanging them, the process is slow but I'm making progress.
From the study side, I can say I'm studying the fork pattern, because it's the one I miss the most. I decided to make the process a little faster, because I feel like I can, so now I'll go through 3 section per day instead of one.
Overall this was a good month. I've built the habit of studying chess daily, and I've learned lot of things and better discovered myself as a player. 
Short recap this week, it's all, see you next week!

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Well done for pressing on when it wasn't easy (but note that there is no harm in taking a rest sometimes!).

I don't know about you but I find that I am much better at spotting forks that help me than I am at spotting potential forks for my opponents - it can be quite annoying when they make a move and you suddenly realise what you missed 😉