Chess forum by Grandmasters

yakshit

do any body need help

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☺😚️

French defense - Blackmood

Hi everyone. In the video https://chessmood.com/course/blackmood-openings/episode/3899 , after Bxb5, axb5, coach Avetik says there is no hope for c4 or a4 after Nd7 and Nb6. In my games, my opponents usually try playing some b3, qd3, nd2, and c5. While this kind of maneuver is slow, I find it very annoying once he plays c5, and I have difficulty stopping this idea. Can anyone help? Thanks in advance.

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In that case, after so much effort, even if White plays c4, after many trades, they are being left with the bad pawns on d4 and a2.

During the stream games, we have had such a structure several times, and it's almost always totally good for Black.

Effective Addition to Opening Courses

Dear, Chessmood Team and Coach Gabu 

When I look at the U-2000 opening they have puzzles after every video to train the line they just learnt. It would be really nice if we could do the same for the 2000+ openings because I feel like it is more useful in the 2000+ to refine the line after watching the video and also pretty cool for reviewing. Thank you!

Sincerely, Pawn

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Hey Pawn Bishop,

We might have such a training one day as well, advanced courses are much more complicated and bigger, and it may take hundreds of hours just to create this type of training.

BlackMood

What are some lines that will be covered in Advanced French and Dutch courses that are not in the Black mood course ? Just so I can self-study as now that I have crossed 2000 this is more important.

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Experiment with Rating Range on French/Dutch

Would it be possible to test a series for a new rating range? I prefer the French/Dutch openings (and I heard Avo say the same thing) and was wondering if we try a rating range of say 1800-2300.  I would like to see how ‘experts’ and weak master handle our systems since I am on the cutoff cusp at 2000 rating myself.

Worth a try?

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Hey there,

The idea is interesting - we might give it a try, need to discuss :-) 

Thanks!

I am very disappointed in the decision not to at least extend the 1500-2000 openings to just 2-3 extra sessions to reach 2300 (even 2200) with the French/Dutch opening repertoire.  Not even as an experiment?  (The new event starting in a few days is 1500-2000 again).

I want to see how these openings hold up against stronger opposition.  I do not think they do, at least not with the lines suggested.

I will be moving on from the openings suggested here, though I do think the rest of the site is worth the price of admission.

It is difficult to sit on the cusp of 2000 with my opening indecision being the reason I came to this site many years ago.  I am not a fan of defending the Marcozy as black with a fianchetto.  In the Benko, there are too many lines for white (many sites show these)  that are basically forcing black to play with e6.  This does not give us that Benko luxury ride of endgame pressure down the a+b files.

Grand Prix Attack main courses?

Dear ChessMood instructors, I am currently watching the “WhiteMood Openings-course”. I like this course very much, but I am looking forward to go deeper into the theory.

In the course Avetik says that the additional theory is explained in the main course. Unfortunately there is no such course as the Grand Prix Attack. Is it because there is no continuation for this line or did I oversee something?

Thank you very much in advance

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It’s worded as the Anti Sicilian Parts 1-5 in the Step by Step Section.

anti-sicialian part-3 problem.

After 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.f4 in the course you guys covered the move 3…d5 but what happens when black doesn't play d5 and in the Nf6 line, with or without d5, black can just play Ng4 and after h3 Nh6-Nf5 and if g4, then Black plays Nc6-Nd4, trading the f3 knight and our king side is very weak. There is also a possible idea with f5! where if we play g5 then e5, we would just close the kings side and no attack would happen there. What to do in these scenarios? 

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I didn't get the question very well, but in this structures if Black doesn't play with d5, we usually develop with g3-Bg2 - later on playing with h3-g4-Nce2-Ng3.

BlackMood opening - Dutch attack - White castles on the Queen side

I found BlackMood openings easy to learn and very useful for my level of play. I play BlackMood openings whenever I play black, and I am trying to learn all the details of the opening.

I have a question on Episode 7 (Can white castle to the queen side) of Section 11 (Dutch Attack vs normal development).

The question is in relation to the part dealing with white having played Bd3.

Background: According to the episode, white cannot play g4, as after black plays fg4, the Black Rook will be attacking the white Knight. After, black plays Nc3 to take the Bishop, black can win the knight by Bf3.

My question: When the pawn on f5 and knight on e4 are lifted h7 can be taken with check by the B which is on d3 supported by the queen on c2. Will this help white’s attack on our King? (After, Bh7+,if Kf2; Qg6+, Ke7; Qg7+, Ke8. Bg6+, Rf7; Qf7#. If after Bh7+, Kh8, the King will be vulnerable to attack on an open file.). Have I missed something? Advice from GM Avo will be much appreciated.

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please type all the moves or send a photo. This should be the position wher we begin to calculate and have your question

Bg6 is a typical sacrifice, and even if it isn't, g6 and creating weak squares isn't a good thing, Nf6 instead of g6, at the very least we will have enough material for defense to go for a good endgame instead of attacking power

According to the episode we can win a pawn in the following way after the attached position. 1. …,Nxc3; 2. Qxc3, fxg4; 3. Rxg4, Rxf2.

What would happen if white if after Nxc3, white plays bxc3?

I believe, white will have doubled pawns and the B file will be exposed, but a pawn will not be won. 

Also, fxg4 will not be possible as Bxh7 can happen?

Am I correct?

Also, if white plays gxf5, and we reply with exf5, the f5 pawn can be taken by the white Bishop, protected by the Queen. So, we will have to defend the pawn.

Am I correct?

Have I missed something?

French Attack

Hello again, I am right watching the "BlackMood Openings-Course" and enjoying it very much.

But today I noticed the ranking of this course just reaches the 2000 and I wondered why? I thought French attack is for all levels, as said in the course. Also I noticed that there are no additional courses for this opening, which I don't understand, because it should be the favourite opening according to the BlackMood course.

I think it would be ideal that to have a course, where you learn the absolute basics and one where you learn deeper theory. It might be possible, that I just can't see the additional course, because I am not a Pro Member. Nevertheless I thought it would be useful to give this Feedback. Still, thank you for all your effort!

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I think the BlackMood Openings course is the basic course, which gives you all you need to play the French/Dutch repertoire under 2000 rating. For people who are above 2000 and want to play this, I believe an Advanced French course and an Advanced Dutch course are being recorded (I think there was a forum post asking for questions about French and Dutch for the advanced course some time ago)

How to stay motivated?

i just got 1300 On chess.com a week ago. I know It’s not a huge achievement.

i was 1200 before joining chessmood two months ago.

when I won the game, I cried. i have been studying everyday. reviewing my own games. if it took me so much effort to get to 1300, 1400 seems like a mountain to me. The thought of that made me lose motivation, and I actually stopped studying for a week, I also stopped playing as I didnt want to go below 1300 again, which I know I will…

I would like to begin the climb again, perhaps.

how should I stay motivated?

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Hey, Eric

For me usually when I reach a new milestone I feel even more motivated than before to study and improve. But I get why you would think this way. I am thinking the problem might be burn out where you studied too much  and now don’t feel like doing anything. But, after a week of rest you should be good to come back to working on courses, and as for fear of dropping rating chessmood has two great blogs which I will post down here.

Blogs -

https://chessmood.com/blog/detachment

 https://chessmood.com/blog/the-rating-obsession-ruining-your-progress

Hey Guys,

Pawn Bishop shared the good links!
Rating is a number - stay tuned on your growth :-)

Exchange French Bb5 by white

Hi, Im not sure what to do after e4 e6 d4 d5 exd5 dxe5 Nc3 Nc6 Bb5. i dont know how to react as i can’t with the normal bd6 Qd7 setup in the french attack video as Bd6 hangs d5 pawn. Do I castle kingside or queenside here? Thank you all for any suggestion!

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If possible I would like to bring this question back to life. I've been crushed several times by this pin like an idiot :)

The videos mention Be2 or Be3 as the most popular responses by beginners, but actually what I see from other fellow beginners is that ALWAYS if a knight can be pinned, they will pin it (even with funny consequences in the grand prix attack against the Sicilian). 

So what happens to me all the time is 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 (they play like against e5) 3.exd5 exd5 4. d4 and now, if I play Nc6 their next move is ALWAYS Bb5. 

Should I provoke the exchange, castle short, and keep my bishop pair, or should I delay Nc6 until they moved their light square bishop, so as to avoid this pin?

Thanks! 

Same question here!

BlackMood for ~2000 USCF

Hi, I was wondering if the BlackMood openings are good for the 1800-2000 USCF elo range as I'm not sure if they go into enough depth? I'm looking to switch from the Sicilian Dragon to push to 2000 and I want to choose the French over the Accelerated Dragon as I also want to try the Dutch and not have to watch multiple courses to master the opening as that's a very major time investment. Thank you!

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Anime Puzzle I Spotted in Tactic Ninja!

Hello ChessMood family,

I was watching Classroom of the Elite and spotted a chess puzzle that's literally the same as one from Tactic Ninja (puzzle 20), White to move!

I've attached two screenshots.

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Tactics Ninja test

I don't know where to put this but I just came across a puzzle (#35/777) where the answer didn't make sense to me. I checked it with the engine and I don't think the continuation offered in the puzzle is a mistake. Is there somewhere to report errors like this? 

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what's the answer? 

I see Nxb5 following Bxd5 with Rook trap but that doesn'seem to be the answer

Road To NM

Hello, Coach Gabu 

I am 2000 rated OTB right now and I want to cross 2200 to achieve my NM title. I started chessmood when I was 1700 OTB and 2000 online and then I increased to 2000 OTB and 2300 online. Here is my plan to get there.

Watch rating booster courses at 1.5-2x speed.

Review opening at the end of each month(I already watched all opening courses)

Watch middlegame mastery section.

When I look at Coach Gabu”s Blog “How being rich almost killed my career“ - He shows that in April 2009 he was 2110 and by the end of November 2010 he crossed 2300. So how did you do it coach can you please share and if there is anything you can advice or change from what you did what would it be.

Is there any suggestions you would add or make to help me get there faster and more effectiver because I am trying to become NM by May or June. Thank you.

Sincerely, Pawn

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What I was doing is pretty much the same study plan you have got, watching the courses = learning good chess concepts in different situations, and watching an enormous amount of how strong players execute the ideas = 300 commented games, or in Grandmaster Mind sections.

Chess Stalker v3.0 - Free opponent preparation tool

🥰

Hey everyone, 

I'm David, a solo developer from Spain. I built Chess Stalker to help players prepare against specific opponents - and I wanted to share it with this community.

What does it do?

Enter any username (Lichess, Chess.com, or FIDE) and get a full scouting report:

- Opening repertoire with exploitable weaknesses
- Psychological profile (tilt tendency, time management, resignation patterns)
- Traps they use AND traps they fall for
- "Stalker Score" rating their strengths/weaknesses

What's new in v3.0:

- Twin Bot: Practice against a bot that plays your opponent's REAL openings. It pulls from their actual games and mimics their style. Perfect for tournament prep.
- Self-Analysis: Turn the mirror on yourself. Find your own weaknesses before your opponents do.
- FIDE OTB Database: 11 million classical games indexed
- In-browser Stockfish: Analyze any position instantly
- 10 languages supported

Some stats:

- 76,000+ analyses completed
- Zero advertising - 100% organic growth

Is it free?

Yes, completely free. A PRO version is coming soon with advanced features like unlimited PGN exports and auto-generated anti-repertoires.

I'd love to hear your feedback. What features would make this more useful for your preparation?

David
https://chessstalker.com

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Hey this is really great!  I've been waiting for one of the Chessmood tools to do something like this – show me the places frequently leave repertoire so I can study those lines again (Fixmood sort of does this but only game by game, no pattern analysis, and also for me has stopped altogether since July!)

Its awsome, just a few bugs and problems i found
1. In fide it doesnt show the games of local fide players and some country flags are wrong.
2. In lichess and chesscom it doesnt give a dropdown to select user. personally i would also like it to search with real name if user has also mentioned. also could you mention that hothead and goat even in fide?

great otherwise

It would be cool ifwe could see opening weaknesses for both sides like Nakamura mentioned in his video.

Is it possible to have a function about most common “Tabiya” reaching from games played?

few more bugs i found and improvements which could be done.
1. The progression bar gets full before all games were collected. also some games were ommited
2. In the resignation analysis part I noticed that my resignation level is just about 15% but it says resigns early! And stability isn't 41-60 average, and 61-80 consistent and 81-100 perfect or strong or something? it says 70% average. 50% is unstable?!!?
3.Also perhaps an access to all games?
4.Still local players' games aren't available in FIDE even some 1800s.
5. Comments to players in fide would be helpful, like pheonix etc.
6. In fide in the dropdown if i select a player it should stalk.
7. Also show the recent openings of player seperately.
8. when recommending recomend scotch game to play once not twice because of bc5 line or something or sicilian b00 b001 no use words like main line and grandprix. and make sure every opening has atleast 10 games.
9.also what is this it was at the bottom after opening was finished-Fin de la línea

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1 partida encontrada

thats all for now

hello David, how do you calculate the attack, defense, time, and mental stats ?

Happy birthday chessmood!

wow i did not know that chessmood was eight years old! the journey must've been amazing  ❤️

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Opening addiction

Hi Coach,

I’ve noticed I spend most of my study time on openings because I enjoy them and they feel structured. But my middlegame, endgame, and especially tactical skills are weaker. I’m around 1900 on Chess.com, yet my calculation and visualization don’t feel strong enough.

I think I’m staying in my comfort zone with openings instead of fixing my real weaknesses.

How can I psychologically shift my training focus toward the areas that actually improve my level?

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Dear friend,

Opening is just a little piece of the game, and stronger players will outplay you if you don't improve the other aspects of the game.
I became a GM with a very average repertoire, but better chess skills. On the website, we offer multiple courses on middlegame and endgame topics. Just reduce the time you spend on the openings, and watch the courses on other topics for your level.

Sorry for being straight, but being only an opening guy is not the way to be a good player; you need to get stronger in every direction.
 

against 1.f4 with the advanced repertoire?

Hello,

what is recommended against 1.f4 with the advanced repertoire?

Many thanks and best regards

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1. f4 - Bird Opening doubt - Chess forum by Grandmasters

I play online the HorseFly Defense agaist 1.f4 (you can search in youtube or other sources). I like it a lot, not very expected but interesting.

1.f4 Nh6!

Cheers,

My game (I lose) - Dutch Attack vs Colle-Zukertork

1. Nf3 e6 2. d4 f5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Be2 b6 5. b3 Bb7 6. Bb2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbd2 Ne4 9. Nxe4 fxe4 10. Nd2 d6 11. c4 Bf6 12. Qc2 d5 13. Rac1 c6 14. f3 Bg5 15. fxe4 Bxe3+ 16. Kh1 Nd7 17. Rxf8+ Nxf8 18. Rf1 Ng6 19. exd5 cxd5 20. Bd3 Qg5 21. Nf3 Qh5 22. Bxg6 hxg6 23. Qe2 Bf4 24. Qxe6+ Kh7 25. Qf7 1-0

My opponent with White has 2060 FIDE elo. Myself with Black, 1850 FIDE.

Normal development till 10…d6?! by Black. Dubious move, I think. I have to do something against my e4 pawn (maybe Qe8 - Qg6, thematic in the Dutch), but I realized it very late. d5 in one go would be better, of course. And even that, the maveuvre Be2-Bg4 attacking e6 weak is very annoying.

Maybe the plan with Ne4 in this particular position is not as good. 8…c5 never was in my candidate moves (I was only focused on playing Ne4-d6-Nbd7 and so on). Another options are using the Stonewall formation. 

I hope some comments about that :)

Thanks in advance

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 @ Xavi XXX 

Maybe you can play 6..Ne4 exemple move 7 0-0 Be7 8 c4 0-0 it will transpose to a standard Tabiya.

See videos here and also GM Neiksans Boot Camp #45 - Nimzo Dutch - YouTube

If you like to Play Dutch it is important have ideas from Leningrad Dutch, Stonewall Dutch, Classical Dutch, Nimzo Dutch, Christmas tree variation of Dutch.

The Event Advanced Dutch here on chessmood is very good.

I can recomend you to become pro member.

Take your chess to a higher level and support this excellent site.

@ hungryfoxg

Thank you i like different Dutch variation but very difficult to analyse. I like to play Dutch but i do not know enough about position after move 10.

The middlegame position in every variation of different Dutch is a big adventure.

Not so easy for either black or white. It is important to find heroes in every line like GM Simon Williams in classical Dutch, GM Arthur Neiksans and of course GM Hikaru Nakamura, Gm Malaniuk in Leningrad variation, GM Richard Rapport in Stonewall.

Many of the lines i see computer have difficult to validate positions i can just see it is okey for black to play Dutch.

Maybe that is enough to know and just play thru alot of good games?

I want to understand ideas and patterns. I think it is important to watch commented games and try to understand different setups and moveorders.

To find out Tabiyas.