Chess forum by Grandmasters

French Attack Exchange Variation

Hey guys,

Loving the French Attack!
I was wondering on the occasions where opponent castles long in Exchange Variation, what's the attack plan for us?

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I'm no chess expert but the attack plan for White can be  to create a pawn storm on the kingside. This involves pushing the f-pawn to f4 and then f5, breaking apart Black's solid central pawn structure and eventually starting a Kingside attack. This plan also gains space on the Queenside and possibly creates room for the dark-squared Bishop to come to b2.

Can I get the coaches in here to help? I face long castle using French Exchange quite frequently (1100 elo blitz). Can't do the attack set up with opposite castles =/

Brag: Finished 51,000 Puzzles

Six months ago I began a quest to complete 51,000 mate-in-1 puzzles. Today, I have reached that goal! I can say, without question, that it has made a massive improvement in my game (went from 1400 to 1740 on lichess). 

Additionally, going back into Tactic Ninja is so much easier for me now than it was before. Loving all the new puzzles in Tactics Ninja! Actually, I just love puzzles. Keep the puzzles coming!! :)

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Yes, I guess that you must love to solve puzzles after solving so many. Now you need to go for other types of puzzles, but don't lose the habit of working hard every day on chess! 😄

Paging Dr Avetik - this might or might not be suspicious

This site looks lifted from the SLP course. He uses the exact same terms Chessmood does. 

I appreciate that I might be overreacting. There are only so many ways to describe the same set of skills. If you ask me what a knight is and I say it moves in an L shape…did I plagiarize someone by explaining facts? But on the other hand ‘SLP mode’ is very much a trademark saying of Avetik's so…

https://summitschoolofchess.com/how-to-save-losing-positions-in-chess/

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This looks almost blatantly copied and pasted. All the article writer did was just summarize some points. They even used the same examples!!!!

Something is going on here…

Thanks for letting us know. We'll take it from here. 😀

The French Attack..

In the advanced variation of the French variation 3. e5 bd7 4. nf3 a6 5. c4 dc4 6. bc4 bc6 7.nc3 nd7 what should we do against d5?

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For me, i would trade everything with Bxd5 and if the take, we take back with the queen to provoke them with a trade, then castle long if they do take. This really just covers a barebones variation of the line, but i recommend you to do your self analysis on this variation.

How to play when opponent takes you out of theory?

I've been studying the chessmood repertoire and model games with commentary, and the games that go in that direction I generally win (unless I blunder x)), but lately half my opponents don't play the moves taught here. And then I went from knowing exactly what to do to not sure what to do and then I get out-played. Do you guys have tips on how to navigate in waters that are unfamiliar? 

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Shouldn’t happen much but when it does -

Use the Opening Principles (https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principles). 

My only exception is if it happens really often, (like nc3 on the french exchange) Post them on the forums as they might spark a conversation to how to play and guide you through that position.

Why does Magnus Carlsen resign in this game?

Hi,

I am a total newbie to chess, please help me understand why Magnus Carlesn resigns the following game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQmbRTtAUg

He can still try to take the black bishop, with the white queen, one square to the right, but he resigns.

If he will take the black bishop with the white queen it will end up, as much as i can see, with him being in disadvantage of 1 rook, in comparison to the black pieces, but is this the reason he resigns? 

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Yes, this is the reason. At the GM level, they just resign when they're a rook behind without compensation even in blitz.

Hello Roi!

Yes of course the reason is lack of material. On GM level player may even resign being 2 pawns down, but in this case its a rook and pawn. Especially in and endgame there is no chance.

At GM level being down one piece without compensation is like being down a queen at 1600 level

need a chess coach on spot during June 10-20, 2024 at Almaty

Anyone is interested? Qualification: you need to speak English relatively well, so my kids could understand you. Our coach cannot accompany them to Almaty, so we are considering hire a coach on spot to help. Price negotiable. Prefer CM, FM or above level, titled players, or experienced chess coach with juniors. Please PM me here and then we can get in touch to explore the possiblities. Thanks. 

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If you know someone might be interested, please help forward to them. My kids will go to Almaty, Kasakhstan to join the Asian Youth and it would be good if we can find a coach on spot. Thanks a lot!

How can you get courses using moodcoins?

Hi. I'm new to the chessmood platform and apparently there is something called moodcoins. It says you can use them to buy courses but I'm not really sure how exactly we can do that..

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Hi there,

Try this:

1. Go to the Courses page and pick your course
2. Select the option “Or get lifetime access”
3. Select the option “Buy the course”
4. In the right-hand section titled “Choose your payment method” the last option will be MoodCoin.

Remember that $1 = 1,000 MoodCoin.  So, if the course costs $300 that is 300,000 MoodCoin.

Need to earn some more?  Details are here: https://chessmood.com/moodcoin

My deadly dangerous bishop. Thanks Gabuzyan

I wouldn't have thought of this before the bishop pair course. I always saw bishops as simply projectiles

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/daily/646706395?tab=review

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Well played.  That light-square bishop was a real annoyance for black and difficult to remove from the fantastic square that you found for it.

The French Attack

Hello guys…

Till date I played e5 against 1.e4.. The French Attack has complex type of positions that are not usually found in 1.e5..Do you reccomend me coming out of my comfort zone and learning this new opening..Will it help me improve in chess?

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Yup! I recommend to play the french against e4, If you don't like it, you could always find another one that might suit you. (sicilian, pirc caro)
If you really wanna improve, you gotta get out of your comfort zone. You might fail at first but the important thing is to focus on growth and not the results. More about this on here: https://chessmood.com/blog/detachment

One of my favorite quotes:

”Comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there.“

Since you're asking this on ChessMood forum, it would be to play French since it's part of the repertoire. Or you know, Sicilian if you're 2000+ elo :P

How to not think about songs when you play OTB games

Recently when I play songs get stuck in my head and it is very annoying. How do I get them out of my head?

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Press skip until you find one that you like, or just mute…😄

No, jokes aside, and I hope that you understand that it was a joke, you need to work more on concentration and calculate regularly much more than you are doing. When you start to calculate more seriously, you don't have time for music. I would also recommend not to listen to music while playing chess at home… 😊 I also had and some times still have this during my games, but calculating exercices a lot at home helped me overcome this. 

The Grand Prix

Recently when I was playing the Grand Prix Attack against a 2000+ rated opponent (I am around 1800) in an OTB tournament I faced a problem in the opening.. 
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bc4 e6 6. 0-0 Nge7 with the idea of d5..After d5 I did not get a chance to attack on the kingside… What should my plans be in the positions where e6-d5 is played later on in the game.. I face this idea from 80% of the opponents against whom I have used the Grand Prix Attack

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Exactly this is the reason, why ChessMood recommends 3.Bb5 after 2..Nc6.

Actually, Bc4 is not so convincing when Black has the opportunity to play …d5 in one

move. It's something different, when Black plays …d6 and only later tries d6-d5 (= loss of

one tempo!)

See here: https://chessmood.com/course/crushing-all-the-sidelines-of-sicilian/episode/2081

I do highly recommend checking out the advanced Nc6 course.

https://chessmood.com/course/sicilian-defence-part-2
It will become highly unpleasant for your opponents!

Opening Question

Hi, in the Scotch Game Course, I am confused with two different options. 

After 4…Qh4, the course tells you not to play Nc3, but then the PGN file gives 5.Nc3 an exclamation mark.

What should I play?

Thanks 😃

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If Qh4 I think the continuation is Nb5, attacking the c7 square. If Qxe4+, Be2…

The correct and best lien for White to play is indeed 5. Nc3. After Bb4 6. Be2 Qxe4 7. Nb5 now and we get a position. This just avoids some of Blacks annoying defen es.

Scotch Game with 4 ...Nf6, where to castle?

Hello,

 in the Scotch Game with 4….Nf6 it comes to the following position

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e4 Ne4 7.Nd2 Nxd2 8.Bxd2 Be7 9.Bd3 O-O

Why is Avo recommending short castle for White now?

Are there any downsides, when I develop the Queen to e2 or f3 and then long castle?

I think my king is safe on the queenside because I would then start to attack

f3, g4, h4 ….

Thank you for your advice.

Joachim

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Nothing wrong with short castling - It's just that long castling is way more beneficial as you have a space advantage on the center, and with long castling, the a1 rook is developed and the f3, g4 and h4 attack works flawlessly.

In this case, short castle is much better I believe. The black rook has the half open b-file, and can potentially stir something up with the a and c pawns. After short castle, you possess all of the advantages, and black has very little meaningful play (escpecially compared with long castle.).

PGN files

I'd like to ask if the pgn files offer all the lines explained in the opening videos or is it some blank file where your go add your own lines since it says homework and I'm kind of confused. 

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it’s an in between of those things. It has the main moves and some moves leading to variations where you’ll put the moves. not exactly a full analysis but also not a blank pgn.

In each opening course (excluding some, they are working on those courses and files.) there are the pin homework. The homework is a semi filled pgn, where you have to enter what you remember. This is to engage maximum attention.

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

NEW ARTICLE: To Succeed at Chess, Start with WHY

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Nice article on the dreaded (but ever so important) why question!

(Does size matter so much? How big is yours [your why] may not be as valid as the quality of intent of yours? Have you ever seen a "mustard" seed [or any seed] grow into a full size plant? Why does that happen? Does one seed have a greater burning desire than its other fellow seeds? We all want to reach our full potential, but conditions are not always right for some to do so unfortunately.)

Still, this why question, is the bane of all parents at some stage with young children.

When it comes with (or goes with) love though, it is indeed very powerful. Give them roots & give them wings & they will grow up to do great things! I can testify to & verify that to be true. It even applies to chess coaches and chess students!

I am not a good chess player, but as I change my mindset on this & play more I will improve (& my "why" is my own and special), but I was a good sportsman (especially at Squash rackets) in my youth. My son is a very good chess player,  as he learnt good chess by simply playing good chess as a junior (age 8-16yrs). I fondly remember one of my friends, who was a good squash payer, playing many games with me, as squash training & being competitive and encouraging to improve my play & we both had good fun with this and I improved. Later, I took professional coaching, but this was never the same and not as much fun, so even though it was useful, it was quite different.

It would be nice to replicate this "serious, yet fun" mode with some other good chess players for my chess training too, but so far I have found nothing as good, but this site helps! Maybe one day here I may find a kindred spirit to share chess play &  improvement with. I have just started enjoying interacting with one particular good chess player on his Twitch chess stream & I am learning to improve from this which is excellent!

Well, may we all aim for & reach the stars & fulfill our dreams & goals with our own unique special "why", but remember, chess is a game, which we are very blessed to play and study with these fine resources.

Right Mood, Right Move..

COGRO ChessMood family...best wishes and much love to you all  :-)

I started play chess when i am at grade 6. Nobody teach me how to play it..i just watch my grand father when playing..im not talented like other's but i felt fun playing it..one day there's a tournament in our town, i want to participate but my uncle wont allow me because he though im not good at it..that's the start i took a chalenge, i watch every game of some elite chess player in our town and study it before i sleep and after some weeks i defeated those some of the elite and also i defeat my uncle..im now 35 i want to be the number of my town but there is one that i cant defeat badly..it turns that were even or sometimes i have lost to him..when this pandemic come this chess mood appear in my wall, free for 7 days...i only watch some of the video because i dont have computer, i only rent in the computer shop..but in that little time i crush my opponents 10-0...im so happy but after that he study my moves with the computer and i cannot defeat him like the other day because some of the line i did not watch it...and i cant proceed to pro because i dont have any paypal or credit card... My goal is to become number 1 in the city and become a GM someday.. and i want to prove to my family that i will fulfill my dreams without there support.. for now i only solve those puzzle everyday but i cant solve it in the first attemp... Thank you chess mood...someday i will become pro member..thank you so much..sorry for my grammar..

A good teacher teaches and a great teacher inspires!

Thank you Avetik sir for this wonderful article.

Waiting for the next article:)

Amazing article! Start with why and find your why by Simon sinek best books I have ever read.

I liked this article and some of the other articles you have released on lichess and chessmood. I can't afford a coach so this for me helps to work on my chess psychology and just the way I view life in general

The link sends me to 404…

That was a great article! It helped me really understand the mindset I should have not only in chess improvement but in every goal I have in my life. Everyone must ask this question to himself in everything he tries to accomplish in his life.

I am new to this platform and I found it by luck, by a blog posted on lichess about the 10 days where all courses were unlocked. I said to give it a try for these ten days as I have not the money to afford any expenses about chess. It was one of my best decisions in my chess journey. I stayed even after the end of the offer. I have not watched many courses as I can't buy them at the moment but your articles keep me motivated and helped me understand not only the right way to study and improve my chess, but also the reason why I want to do this, the mindset I should have. I hope that one day I will manage to buy a course through mood coins. Thank you for all your help. Keep up the great work!! 

Was it ever said on who was the CFO who became a GM?
Recently one of my students had a goal to become a Grandmaster.
He was a CFO of a big company, had a full-time job and family. In other words, not much time to invest in chess. But he had a very strong WHY.
WHY should he become a Grandmaster?

His dad was very sick… He didn’t know how much time his father had. He wanted his dad to see him becoming a Grandmaster.

He had a very strong WHY and I believed in his WHY.
And we started working… I don’t know which one of us was happier, him, me, or his dad when he made it! He became a Grandmaster! (I’ll reveal his name later, as he asked).
I assume this was Kevin (https://chessmood.com/success-stories/kevin-goh-story), Since their stories are similar enough. But i might be wrong, who knows

Email change

My apologies for a non-chess query, but i want to change my profile's email address. How do i change it?

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Please contact the support team.

https://chessmood.com/contact

positional chess course

are you going to release positional chess course because i am waiting for it a very long time ago 

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Dear Jerome,

Thanks for your interest but we never provide any release date. We take a lot of time in selecting the best examples and this course is going to be very important. We always try to do our best and we expect to publish it this year, but we cannot say the date.
In the meanwhile you can watch the past webinar from Gabu on the same topic if you did not do it yet: 
https://chessmood.com/event/positional-chess-nuances

😄Also in the Classical Commented Games and the Daily lessons there are many, many positional tips and tactics explained all the time, check them out too. 💪
May the Chessmood Force be with You!😁

Course Request

Could there be a Q vs R course as part of the Endgame Mastery Section? It seems simple but I struggle to win 100% of these endings.

Thanks. 😄

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Me too me too me too

How to embed games?

How to embed games? I always see on best games thread, some games are embedded, without a link. How do you do this?

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You must create a .pgn file externally first.

Save it on your computer.

Then click on the symbol left next to the smiley and upload your file via this.

test