Chess forum by Grandmasters

Hi,how can i improve from 2200+

I feel like my chess is stuck, I don't have confidence and I want to know how to improve. I need a supporter who can encourage people, my chess coach thinks my chess is very bad.... Said that my middle game is not planned, the endgame is not good, the opening is not aggressive. I want to know what to do.

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Surely though that's the point of a coach to help you fix your weaknesses. Also to give you more details rather than an overall opinion (though I imagine that's just a summary). What were their suggestions?

what is there to buy in the tactic ninja or endgame roadmap?

hi, I am a new member here, I am rated 1800 on lichess, and I was looking through some courses, and when I checked the tactic ninja, the lifetime access cost 400$, so I check out the unlocked parts, but all the parts were already unlocked, same case with endgame roadmap, 95$ even though everything is unlocked. what extra do I get if I do buy the courses? is it that I only have a limited time / limited number of videos in these courses unless I pay? is it a bug?

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Today and for 5 days all the courses are unlocked to celebrate our 5th anniversary. Enjoy. After these days, tou have to be a member or buy the course to have access to it 🙂

How to deal with Unbalanced Material ?

I recently played a game that on reflection made me realise that there is complete gap in my knowledge. I was playing Black and initally a Benko but via the e3 line I tried the CM version of the Blummenfeld Gambit . I was eager for an Avetik style King-side attack!! I got lots of development for my pawn but then my opponent ( higher graded than me ) sacked a knight for 2 pawns and play. So White had a good pawn structure and passed pawns on the Queen's side. They had 3 pawns against my knight and we both had other minor pieces and a rook. After various exchanged it was 5 pawns,bishop and knight v. my 2 pawns,bishop and 2 knights. . I simply didn't know how to handle this situation, that the computer afterwards had as equal and drifted to a loss. Are there any materials on the site that cover this ? For instance a big pawn majority .v. a piece etc . This lack of equilibrium is difficult without some sense of a technique to deal with it. Thanks Keven 😠

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Bird's Opening 1. f4

Hi, Is there a Black opening (or plans) on how to face 1. f4? Thank you

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I think that the CM-Team said that there will be a separate course against 1.f4. As a Sicilian player with Black I like to play 1...c5 and I transpose after 2.e4 with 2...d5 - or, more likely, after e.g. 2.Nf3 I continue with 2...Nf6 and a g6/Bg7 set-up

How to improve

Hi guys my name is Osborn from south Africa I just joined chessmood beginning of this month ,am not a pro member ,but on 29$ p.m plan. I am almost finishing watching tactic ninja series ,I can analyse the puzzles there but i find it hard to see them in live games ,I expected abit of improvement by far but its like I cant see these patterns in live games ,I wonder if anyone once went through this and how to overcome qnd improve ,my rating in chess.com is 936 on rapid my username is Osb111

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Practice Knowing intuitively what patterns to look for Looking for forcing moves: checks, captures, threats Looking at what your opponent just did (and what they are trying to do / threatening) Being able to calculate 2 or 3 (forcing) moves ahead (e.g. practise mates in 2 on lichess for example) Solving lots of simple puzzles

I will add a couple of things to what David said. I noticed that you're playing quite a lot of blitz at the 5+0 time control. That's probably a bit fast for your current level. I see you also play some 10+0 and I think you'll improve faster if you play more of that time control and less of 5+0. Try to review your games and look for any "obvious" mistakes that you made. Reducing the frequency of those will be your biggest source of rating points. If you play blitz, I would suggest 5+2 or 5+5. On chess.com they show up in the preset time controls if you select the "More Time Controls" option. Also there are many useful ChessMood blog posts about improving various aspects of your game. Be sure to check them out!

You should just concentrate on game. Try finding Tactics and in endgames best moves help and play only when you have mood as right Mood is equal to Right Move.

Practice, of course. But you can practice not only playing, but also solving. If you have chess.com membership you can solve unlimited Puzzle Rush or Tactics. If you do not have membership, you can use www.lichess.org and solve free puzzles there. You can start with Easy puzzles. Based on the time that is available for you - you can do puzzles before each playing session or just decrease number of blitz games, instead do puzzles.

I just started the course Blunderproof and i think it's full of good advices on how to develop a solid awareness and stay focused during the game.

Hi Osborn,

I was waiting a bit to publish the study plans and now you can check and follow the plan. We are sure that if you follow our advices, you will see a big change. 😀

Check them out and in some months, let us know your progress!!! 💪

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NyVJXCzrN6LoiJGZgUhkEeS5almcQbH8JzE2jJETBYA/edit

How do i spend my moodcoins?

It says that i can spend them on buying courses but i don't see where

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On the page of a video course, you should find an option in the top right that says "Get lifetime access". If you click on it, there should be several options regarding your payment method, one of which should be using moodcoins. 
(This is a quote from Peter M. that I am kindly copy and pasting once more, I hope that there are no royalties involved :-) Thanks Peter!)

Reti

Morning guys. Would anyone happen to have any suggestions against the reti opening?

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So I asked ChatGPT about a good response to the Reti opening... and basically, it said since the Reti is so flexible, Black can play anything. :) ``The Reti Opening (1.Nf3) is considered a flexible and aggressive opening for White, as it allows for many different responses and can lead to a wide range of pawn structures. There are several good responses for Black to consider when facing the Reti, and the choice of which one to play will depend on your preferred playing style and the type of pawn structure you wish to achieve. Here are some of the more popular responses: **d4 d5: The King's Pawn Game is a straightforward response that aims to establish a symmetrical pawn structure. ** c4 d5: The Queen's Pawn Game is similar to the King's Pawn Game, but it allows White to play d4 with the idea of c5 at a later stage. **Nc3: The Knight retreat is a flexible move that prepares d4 and allows White to control the center of the board with pieces rather than pawns. **g3: The King's Knight Opening is a solid choice that aims to establish a pawn chain on the kingside. **b3: The Bronstein-Larsen Opening is a slow, flexible move that prepares b4, and it is often used by players who prefer a strategic game. **Bg5: The Bishop's Opening is an aggressive choice that aims to control the center of the board and put pressure on Black's dark-squared bishop. It's worth noting that the Reti is a highly flexible opening and that Black has many options for how to respond. It's a good idea to spend some time studying different responses and understanding the pawn structures that they lead to in order to find the one that suits you best.

Many lines transpose to the English course by Gabuzyan as David explained. Or if you play the Dutch it is covered too via transposition…😀

When The Times becomes your #fail wall

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💪Nice one David! 😀

1. a4 wins material due to the idea of 2. Qc4+, forking the K and QR.

Ethical vs dirty

When dirty is ethical and when it becomes unethical? In the Lost positions section "last chance & dirty" there are some tricks that I would call unethical. Personally I would never put my queen under attack on purpose just to hope that my opponent wont see. I can do this only online if time control is very low (like 3 minutes and below) but never over the board. (Never say never, but still )

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Not sure what your rating is, but I think you'd be surprised how often players don't look at their opponent's last move, or assume their opponent doesn't make terrible blunders. It's obviously a last ditch attempt, and works better in low time, or where the opponent is playing automatically because it's so easy and expects to win. Some opponents might not even capture suspecting something and not confident enough in their own calculation. If it turns out to be a move that gives you chances, then them not capturing is a great thing and you're back in the game. Not sure why you see this as unethical. It's certainly just as unethical as flagging your opponent when they were winning.

Why my lifetime lessons is disappearing?

I had bought 3 lessons with chessmood coins but only one lessons is granted for me to be lifetime.What happen to the other two?If you are asking for prove please check my chessmood coins and also the "ticks" for those lessons which prove that I finish them before already(many months ago i think). The lessons are: Counter the Czech Pirc Counter the Larsen Opening Colorado Gambit The Refutation (i still have the so-called lifetime access for this lesson only) *I never bought chessmood membership as well or watch these videos during the Avetik's birthday unlock.Please help me thanks

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Hi Ko Ko, please use the  
https://chessmood.com/contact

page for this kind of personal questions regarding your account and such.

If you prefer, you can also send an email to [email protected]

and explain your case. (Just copying and expanding a bit on the the above text will be enough.) 
Thanks! 😀

Visualization training

What do you think about specific exercizes for visualization? Are they worth the time or is it better to practice it in tactic or endgame exercizes?

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I've been using "cognitive chess: improving visualization and calculation skills" (book) for this purpose. It's been quite useful and it gets pretty tough! I hope it's ok for me to recommend other books/sources here.

Did you listen to the recent Chess Journeys podcast episode (#82) with Aiden who has a chess improvement startup based around visualization exercises? It was pretty interesting.

how to survive the opening

Im a very weak player, and the strongest player i have defeated was 1700 on chess.com. I know very little about openings except for a handful I use on my friends. I however am in the situation of being committed to a rapid match versus my teacher, a former 2300. I was wondering if anyone could recommend courses or openings to study so as to not be blown out of the water in front of all of my classmates. Thanks :)

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I'm not sure how to answer this question, and I imagine many will not. The problem is realistic expectations. I'm going to assume this match takes place in a couple of weeks time. I can give you two answers. The first is the 'nice' answer, the second a little bit more tough-love and I believe if you take it the right way you'll become a much better chess player in the long term. The 'nice' answer is that you should work on your tactics. The tactic ninja course is very good, but to get the most out of it, particularly if much if it is new, you should do no more than one section a day, and you might need to revisit it. To get good at tactics take a long while, but like anything the more you work at it, the better you get. It will take longer than two weeks, but who knows, you might get lucky. At least that way you're less likely to fall for simple tactics and hopefully will have some sort of game. The tough-love answer is to think about what you're asking and be realistic. Let's assume you're about 1300 (I'm assuming you will not win 400 points above your rating - so that's your best win, but the 'very weak' in the statement would suggest much lower). You're asking how not to get beaten easily by a player approximately 1000+ points above you. It is also sounding like a quick-fix is being asked for given this match is arranged. While I can recommend courses, and tactic ninja would probably be top of the suggestions here for someone of your level, followed by mating matador, it's not a quick fix. The reason for tough-love is a mindset issue. Your teacher is 2300 at rapid, this is possibly the same as saying he's (assumption) around candidate master strength. The chances of a win are more than minimal assuming they do not make a really stupid mistake (not your fault, you've not had years and years of focused chess study). While you should go in with the mindset of you're going to do your best and try to beat them (possibly demonstrating what you're learned), it should be seen more as a learning exercise and a bit of fun. Your teacher is not out to prove they are better than you (there's something wrong if that's the case), but to give you a chance to play them and maybe learn something while having fun. Your classmates should recognise this, although children can be cruel. I suspect few if any of them would fancy their chances so they have no right making fun (aside from a little bit of friendly banter). Maybe one day when you reach 2300 yourself, you could look back at the day and this was a inspiration moment that encouraged you to get better. Focus on a long term plan of improvement, not quick fixes.

How to Contact

Hey, how do we get in contact with the grandmasters? I am looking to potentially purchase lessons and/or opening files.

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You can contact CM support via https://chessmood.com/contact and you usually get an answer within 24 hours - CM support then can either help you or reach out to the GM's

Alternatively you can also write to [email protected]😀 . It is the same thing, but maybe is easier to write an email directly.😁

Maroczy Bind - Missing diagrams

Hi, was just reading the intro to the course (https://chessmood.com/course/maroczy-bind) and noticed no diagrams where is stated: Below are some positions from the course:

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Thanks for reporting this. We'll fix it asap.😅

World Chess Plc ?

I got an email that they were looking to float on the London Stock Exchange. Never heard of them. Anyone know anything about this company? https://www.investegate.co.uk/world-chess-plc/rns/intention-to-float/202210130700047170C/ NB. Not interested in investing, just never heard of the company before.

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This is the group that runs the FOA (FIDE Online Arena) and also is opening a Chess store/cafe/place to play in Berlin. They have been around for a while and were even the organizers of two of the World Championship matches (I think around 2016-ish.) If you pay a small annual fee, you do have the possibility of gaining FOA Titles (ACM, AFM, AIM, AGM) that FIDE recognizes and places an "attachment" page on your FIDE profile page that shows those titles if you achieve them. (Similar to how the USCF has online ratings as well as their OTB ratings.)

How to Handle Painful Blunders

Hey Champions! 
We have this topic in our Blog.
https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-handle-painful-blunders
If you have any questions, comments or you just liked it, feel free to share your thoughts here :) 

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If we keep the Right Mood during the game, we'll not blunder right?, because Right Mood = Right Move

Sometimes blunders are painful but we can't give up. Rather than that we must find forced moves check, capture, threat to create counter attack or draw the game. We can use chessmood saving position course.

Losing streak in OTB chess

Hello guys, Can anyone with some large chess experience tell me if you already had during your chess career long losing streaks in OTB chess and how did you do to overcome them? My doubt is about regaining confidence, chess psychology during the games and so on. Thank you guys, and I wait for your stories and how you did to overcome.

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How are you losing these games? If there is a pattern you can maybe focus on working on that problem. Myself I have problems with concentrating and boardvision, costing me some games or at least costing me some good moves. Going trough the blunderproof course again for that reason, to regain focus and get some help with that.

Opening level

How far Ican use these chess opening, Can I become IM or atleast FM? Or upto what raing level I could beat easily?

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The advanced openings can be used into GM. Beating someone easily is far more than just the opening.

Accelerated dragon

Is there any drawback for playing the move order 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 with black? I read this is the so called "hyper-accelerated dragon" does it transpose or can white get an advantage for this choice?

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The chessmood recommendation is 2...Nc6, allowing the Rossolimo with 3.Bb5 which is playable from both sides. 2...g6 avoids having to deal with the Rossolimo, but it gives White 2 other good options: White can play 3.c3, which is a somewhat annoying option for Black and even more annoying and difficult to play for Black is 3.d4, cxd4 4.Qxd4, Nf6 5.Nc3, Nc6 6.Qa4!

Other than mentioned before, a question would be why are you avoiding it? If it's to avoid the maroczy, then you're going to need to either get it anyway or need to find other replies for different move orders, although it will be the most common sequence at below master. If it's to avoid the accelerated proper (not sure if you can do that) or accelerated sidelines, then consider the sidelines you do pick up with this move order. Another option is to consider the sveshnikov for example (which keeps many of the deviations the same), but that will have more complex positions, and only advisable for stronger players.

new chessable course btw https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-hyper-accelerated-dragon/course/131928/ watched the intro and found interesting move order to avoid maroczy 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6!? 5.Nc3 Nc6 and we're in acc dragon, what do you guys think?

French Attack question

I had a game this evening as black and played French Attack. After 1.e4, e6; 2.d4, d5; 3.e5, Bd7; my opponent played 4.g3, and then fianchettoed his bishop, which ruined my plan to trade the light squared bishops. I don find anything in the BlackMood course about this variation, so it must not be good, but in a blitz game I could figure out how to deal with it. Any suggestions?

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Yes, as you said is not a critical move at all. You can just go c5, Nc6 as usual, or wait with Ne7, Nf5 and then go to the QS and play healthy moves. We cannot follow one plan always, we need to adapt.😀