Chess forum by Grandmasters

French Tarrasch, how to push pawn to e5

Hello ChessMood friends and coachs ! I have a question regarding the French Tarrasch, Guimard defense (3. … Cc6) when white plays the 4. Cgf3 variation.

I was recently outplayed in a french tournament against fide 1900 player because i was not able to find the correct way to push e5 which appears to be the goal according to the course. Here is the line : 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 6. Be2 f6 7. exf6 Qxf6 and i was willing to push e5 but my opponent played 8. Nf1 and i found myself in trouble because pushing e5 would let d5 undefended ! game continued with 8. … Bd6 9. Ne3 0-0 10. 0-0 and i just tried 10. … Ne7 11. Ng4 Qg6 12. h3 c6 but i never could push e5… Instead it is my opponent who took the e5 square and later won the game :-(

My question is : How can i deal with the position after this 8. Nf1 move (or any moves against e5 push) ? what is the best plan and strategy for black here ? 

Many thks and keep the Good Mood since this site is a jewel !!

Replies

Hi Haik, the move 10…Ne7 is not my preference, I would play 10…Qg6 first to prevent Ng4 and freeing the square for the N on d7. Then there are many advanced variations and many moves like 11.b3, or Bd3, or maybe the main line that would be c4. You should check the databases and see how Black plays from here, but the main thing to remember is Qg6 and Nf6… Let's see if the next time you will remember this.

Studying Middle Games and Endgames.

How do I remember middle games and endgame position, and ideas?

Replies

Practice makes perfect, but a good way is to keep track of the positions that you like the most.
As a practical way, the ideas, positions that you move, can be added to a Lichess study as an easy option.

This way all the positions that you think are worth remembering you will have them in one place.
You can create different studies. For example I have one for my mistakes in the games, where I add all the mistakes that I do and the correct move and practice them from time to time playing the right move, of course.
💪Also I have studies on endgames that I review from time to time, or also good ideas in the middlegames that surprised me, this way you can check them from time to time and you will keep track of them too.😀

Missing moodcoin

I didn't get today's mood coin after completing puzzle 

Replies

Are you sure you found the correct answer? I found it and received the moodcoins! 

Yes, we did not have any problem with this feature, it worked normally. You need to find the right solution, not just completing the puzzle… 😀

London question - d4 Nc6

Hi all,

I've just played my second game experimenting with the London opening.  I opened with the usual d4 and black's response was Nc6.

As I saw it, the main options were as follows:

1. Attack the knight with d4 to d5.  This maintains tempo but the opponent is unlikely to allow the knight to be taken and I end up with an undefended pawn completely isolated.
2. I add further protection to the d4 pawn (it is already protected by my queen, of course) with Nf3, e2 to e3, or c2 to c3.  None of these seem terrible and all allow me to continue with the London opening.
3. I continue with the planned Bf4.  This also continues with the London opening and leaves the queen to protect the d4 pawn.

Reviewing the game now I see that Stockfish's preferred options (with not much between them are:

1. d5
2. e4
3. Nf3

Questions:

1.  I'll be honest, I didn't even consider the e4 option.  Is the rationale for this simply that it allows us to take control of the centre?
2. What would your move have been, and why? 

Replies

Apologies for the formatting.  When I type the reply it looks perfect but when I post the reply it doesn't look the same (for example, the numbering disappears) - what am I doing wrong?   

In that position, going with Bf4 and the London System is completely fine.

However, I want to give you some advice.

At your level, I would recommend not focusing too much on openings already 😁.

This is what I did to get to 1000 elo:

Watch the Opening Principles ( https://chessmood.com/course/opening-principles ) course and just  play logical moves (after watching the course you will be able to make them).

Remember you should spend just 2.5% of your time studying openings, the most import thing at your level is playing and learning tactics.

Good luck improving! 😃

P.S. Chessmood recommends to play 1.e4 instead of 1.d4.

1.d4 leads to more closed positions, while 1.e4 leads to more open positions where you can apply your knowledge of Opening Principles and Tactics.

Czech Pirc Defense

Dear Chessmood Team;

Although your site provides repertoires for white and black, this is the second time I find another opening (previous one was French Schlechter variation) where Chessmood provides an opening from the white side while not covering the black side.

“Counter the Czech Pirc” - this is a very good course but It is essential to provide the black side of this opening as Chessmood provides repertoires for both sides.

Would you take this idea of mine into consideration?

Replies

Hi,

the French Schlechter is there for both sides, since we play the French as black.

Czech Pirc isn't recommended for black here, so we only need it for the white side.

download pgn files of videos

do we have pgn files of the videos if so how to download them

Replies

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

In this great article, you'll find the answer and the reason.

• Always focus on developing all of your pieces and connecting the rooks before engaging in tactical operations
• If there is a tactical opportunity before you developed all of your pieces (like the Bc8 in this position), try to calculate properly if it is working or not (I don't know what is your rating but with experience, it will not be too difficult to calculate this variation to the end or to understand intuitively than you don't have time for that as your development is incomplete + king is unsafe)
• In the middlegame, try to make a luft for your king when you don't have any useful/active idea in mind. Like that, you avoid playing a move without purpose by playing one that is useful. Just be careful not to waste time in all of your games to play a move like that as it is not always necessary (I think this also comes with experience but playing h3/h6 in all the games is also a typical mistake by inexperienced players because after falling for this tactic a lot of time, they decide to play this move in all the games to avoid future problems even if it's not necessary for certain positions or if they are wasting time to do that instead of developing a piece actively)
  • You can also focus on this aspect of the game in your daily training for a few days by doing lots of tactics about back rank, for instance by following this link: https://lichess.org/training/backRankMate

  After you worked on this subject for a certain amount of time, your brain will do all the work for you and you will not have to do that consciously during your games to do it! Hoping that will help you :)

  Yeah, like Akiba Rubenstein said, this comes from experience. You have to see these positions often. Working in tactics will often help develop these ideas. In general, these tactics come with repetition. There is a reason grandmasters make their moves so fast and so accurately, its because they have pattern recognition and realize where they have seen these types of positions before. Try to solve more and more puzzles, and remember them by occasionally (if possible) looking back on them. 

  I agree that avoiding these types of blunders comes from experience. Now that you've made this mistake, you will not make it again, as your brain will check if this back-rank tactic is available for your opponent when you are thinking of a move like this. This will apply for other types of mistakes too. Do puzzles and play games to gain this experience. Another thing to do is to never end a calculation on your opponent's move. Always ask yourself what they will do before making your move.

  look if your opponent has a trick or two. Maybe you thought he fell into your trap but you fell in his trap. 

  ;)

  Hi all

  i thought I was making alot of blunder until I created a spreadsheet and discovered I made few blunders but alot of misses which happen to be the same number of inaccurracies. Secondly, after watch the bulletproof and slp courses, I wanted to uses the lessons in pratice. So I made another spreadsheet as well. I amazing discovered how useful the lessons were when analyzing my game. Not only I identify my mistakes but the reason why the mistake was made in the first place.

Happy birthday to this wonderful sportsman and my friend, 
Ray Robson! 

Feel free to share your wishes to him here: 
https://twitter.com/GmAvetik/status/1717186168565964815 

Replies

What a great sport Ray was.  It's a pity that there aren't more like him.  (For what it's worth, there is no way that I'd want to win by forfeit in those circumstances either.  It just wouldn't feel right.)

I've wished him Happy Birthday on Twitter (I refuse to call it X!)

Happy Birthday Ray Robson! 😃🎉

🥳🙃🥳🥳Happy Birthday Ray!!! 🤩🥳 That was very nice of you! 
And Avetik, Nice picture!!! Brother, you look like a blind man with the sunglasses and the cane, I know that you were always wearing sunglasses, but Moscow with snow and Winter time is not so sunny… 🤣😂 

Learning Openings

Is it ok for me to put moves in a lichess study while looking at the opening videos? I always look back like a few seconds after I make the move on the video, then go back to the board. Video, then board, video, then board ,and on. Is this OK for me?

Replies

Hi Sabarish, 

No, it is not the best system, you do not pay attention to the explanations, you are just copying the moves. This makes no sense improvement wise.

Please check this post by GM Avetik where he explains what we think is the best way and why:  https://chessmood.com/blog/the-most-effective-way-to-create-chess-pgn-files

😃

If you want more informations and better explanations on how to turn the bishop pair into an advantage read this article by GM Gabuzyan: https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-use-bishop-pair

Also you can check out this course about the same subject: https://chessmood.com/course/bishop-pair-power

Pratik, when you have time, please watch the course “The Power of the Bishop Pair” 
https://chessmood.com/course/bishop-pair-power
Then you will understand and learn why is an advantage and how to use them…. 😀

If you reach the end of the game if you have two bishops + a king, and your opponent has only a king, it will be easier for you to win, than if at the end of the game you have a knight and a bishop.

Improvement Suggestions

Hello guys My Name is DharM
I am from India
I am 16 years old
I have a FIDE rating of 1647 (present) 1789(peak) 1 year ago
Chesscom rating of 2100(present) 2325 (Peak) Sometime in the pandemic
Now I can't focus myself well in online games
Joined as Pro Member recently
My White openings are Solid. Some of them are Chessmood recomended while some are not like Open Sicilian
WIth Black I play Najdorf and Gruenfeld And follow Chesmood recommendation For the English and other Sidelines
I started doing Blunderproof course as it was suggested by GM Avetik Sir in the Improvement plan
Planning on doing the SLP course next
I think my positional and endgame skills are good for my level
But I think that I don't feel the positions with initiative naturally
Like some positions with attack for a pawn
I prefer Concrete calculation over the positions with attack!
I am also doing Perfect Your Chess for Calculation
Now in my list are Opening repertoire for Black and improving my feel for initiative and attack
I am also trying to learn some classics
At present I have very less Knowledge about classics or Instructive ideas/plans played by the masters
Now I doing the Endgame U2000 course without the video Just thee Quizzes
If I get the Quiz Wrong then only I would watch the videos
Is it ok??
Looking for your suggestions to improve
Thank You
DharM

Replies

Dear Uma,

We think that you are in the right path. If you follow the plan and work consistenly you will improve your play and chess understanding a lot.
The book Perfect Your Chess is very good but very advanced too, it is targeted to FMs so maybe it will be very challenging. 

Other books for you can be found in this link: 
https://chessmood.com/recommendations
Of these books tactics related, if you find Perfect Your Chess too difficult, go for: Chess School 2 by Sergey Ivashchenko, easier at the beginning but increases the difficulty exponentially, simply one of the best!
You should watch one classical game from Avetik course every day and take some notes on the best moves to remember them.
Then Classical Endgames and Attacking games, your classic knowledge with grow very fast…

As for the system that you are working doing the quizzes first, it's ok if you alreday know the positions. You must be effective in your training, it's your mind that we need to entice to work and calculate.
Take it easy with the Repertoire, try to understand the ideas and check the mistakes in your games against your repertoire always, take notes too!
As for in doubt, go back to the Study Plan, everything is layed out for you to follow….
Keep working hard, I know it's not easy to work and improve in chess, but if it is what you like, no one can stop you from becoming the best possible version of yourself as a chess player!
😅🤩