Chess forum by Grandmasters

Rossolimo - 6. Nbd2?

Hi everyone,

Last night I played an OTB classical game at my local chess club as Black.  After 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7, my opponent played 6. Nbd2.   CM explores the main line 6. h3 and explains why 6. Nc3 is a mistake but I could not figure out during the game the downsides of 6. Nbd2.  It seems like a good move as the knight was better posted on c4 eventually than c3 (he eventually anchored the knight with a4, preventing ....b5 kicking the knight.   I will annotate the whole game and check some games in my database later today, but thought I would share this experience with others.   - Sarathi   

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Sarathi - Classical Games (lichess.org)

fyi - I have annotated the Rossolimo game I referred to above with 6. Nbd2.  

Hi Sarathi. 
When you see some knew moves like Nbd2, or a4, our general plan is 0-0, Ne8, Nc7. 
Then whether Ne6,Nd4, or e5 then Ne6. 
Also at some point you can play b5 and start aggression in the queenside, using the B on g7. This you can do when you played without e5.  

HAPPY GURU POURNNAMI CHESSMOOD TEAM

This message is for the chessmood team of teachers,today in india we remember our Guru's(teachers) for all their hardwork,and time they give to their students,i thank each and every chessmood teacher,hope u guys are safe and fine,Avetik is one of my best inspirations,thank you avetik and GM Gabuzyan for helping me undrestand myself in the1 to 1 call,Have a great day and year ahead guys

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Guidance For Chess Improvement

My Name is Shlok Mali. Birth Year is 2012. 

Daily How Many Hours I have to Do practice ? Which Types of Study I have to do ?

Guide me to Improve my Chess Games.

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Hi Shlok,
Based on my experience, everyone has different things they need to work on depending on the time that they can devote to chess. 
There's no one sure shot answer. 

I think for the reasons stated you should arrange to talk to with a coach with your parents present. I'm sure the GMs here have had that conversation many times before and could advise you better than I can.

As much as I don't want to dampen any dreams of being a top player, there are so many up and coming talented players, and only a few will make it. Thus unless exceptional talent is displayed you will need to balance it properly with your education. That way if the chess doesn't work out, you still have a career to fall back on.

INTERESTING SIDE LINE IN SICILLIAN FOR WHITE

HI COACH , TODAY IN THE NATIONALS JUNIORS ONLINE TMT I WAS FACED WITH THIS EARLY D4!? MOVE WHERE WHITE AFTER CAPTURING WITH QUEEN GOES BACK TO QD2 AND PLAYS B3 BB2 AS I HAVE ATTATCHED . THIS WAS PLAYED BY AN STRONG INDIAN IM AND WITHOUT KNOWING THE THEORY , I LANDED UP IN BIG TROUBLE AND LOST. I WAS THINKING THAT U KNOW THIS SIDE LINE TOO SHOULD BE RECORDED IN OUR COURSES AS IT HAS BEEN PLAYED BY CARUANA AND OTHER TOP GMS . I LATER WENT AND CHECKED THE THEORY IN THE DATABASE AND FOUND INTRESTING OPTIONS FOR BLACK BUT I DONT KNOW THE BEST OPTION.

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How to improve the quality of my PNG file

I read all articles (on the blog) about this thematic (how to create a PNG file and how to memorize variations) and I made my own PNG file based on my rating.

I asked my self how could improve the quality of my study adding comments, idea and strategy. This is  my question: How is it important in my PNG file include personal comments, idea, strategies, plans? I think in this way we can enhance memorization and understanding of the positions..I think... but maybe we could get confused and file became a mess! I need a professional help, thank for the support!!

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Buona sera @Furiosi_Alessio Everyone is different and learns in a different way. I always liked to write lots of explanations, but mostly nowadays when I finish a variation, I like to write the possible plan and moves to follow. If you have watched some streams, our GMs always say: in this position we play Nc3, Be3 to f2 transferring to the king side, f5 and we open the position... (Or something similar) This is what it is important, to know the follow up to the middle game and what you should do a bit. Then of course everyhting will depend on the concrete moves. You should try and see, the more practice you have, the less comments you write normally... Remember that this is your pgns, for your study, do what you feel works for you... Also I recommend the use of arrows, marking the squares and the nul move function when doing your files... I hope that this helps... Happy pgns!!

Hi

You can insert diagrams too at critical moments so that we remember the key moves

Idea for moodcoins

Hello ChessMood people! 

I have an idea for moodcoins.  As you know, they are useless to PRO members.  Here's my idea: perhaps, PRO members could have other uses for moodcoins, such as a second study plan meeting with a GM, playing a one on one blitz game with GM, being able to berserk in lichess tournaments, etc.

Tell me what you think, Thanks!

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Problem I find with moodcoins is they are very arbitrarily awarded. If things were standardised more such as best game of the month had some kind of criteria or an open/member vote they would be better.

Generally though given the work the GMs here do, you get a lot for your money so extra freebies might be a tall order.

Certainly some kind of rewards for improvements, effort and contributions (not necessarily those who were able to put in the most hours / buy the best coach) might help motivation though and encourage others to put in the time.

French 3.Bd3 dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6 5.Bf3 Nc6!?

Hi guys,

Had an OTB rapid game againt GM as white: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3 dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6 5.Bf3 Nc6!? hitting d4 and with idea of e5 next. How to play in this position? Imo it's a good practical move for black. Game continued 6.Be3 e5 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.dxe5 Qxd1 9.Kxd1 Ng4 10.Nf3 Ba6 and black gained I would say compensation, initiative.

In the courses I believe something similar 3..Nc6 was covered, the difference is that 4.c3 dxe4 5.Bxe4 Nf6 white has 6.Bg5.

Please add your suggestions after 5..Nc6 for white, txs

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I believe that Ne2 is better than Be3. I had a game like this once...

I would actually go for the doubled pawn position after Bxc6, since we have an extra one, and as well the knights will good at blocking doubled pawns and limiting bishops. I also played few games in that way and pretty much like it.

To computer or not to computer - that is the question...

I want to open a discussion on this as I feel there is a little too much of a hardline against engines.

The prevailing wisdom is that players under (2200 or thereabouts) should avoid engine use or at least do some serious analysis first. There are however I believe several assumptions underlying this:
. That the student has a coach who can answer why a move is good or not if the student is unable to come to a conclusion no matter how many of such positions there are
. That the student has a large amount of time to do such analysis
. That 2200 equates to some kind of level without explaining what the underlying level means
. That bad engine discipline leads to overuse (cf. as using a calculator when you should be learning your times-tables)
. That comments and material in courses and books is always accurate and appropriate for the student's level

. That weaker players will not be able to use the engine appropriately or will misread it
. That it's unnecessary for below 2200 play
. That becoming a Grandmaster is the goal

First my own feeling on this:

If you are using an engine appropriately for your level and you are aware of the limitations of an engine, and you do not have a coach on hand, then some engine use is beneficial, probably more so than not using one at all. It can be used to check your own analysis and assumptions as well as speed up your ability to work through material when time is limited.

I think if you ask the top trainers most would say don't use a computer, but they are already coaching their student and some of their students have many hours each day to spend doing things a computer would short-cut (the should cut might cut out some practice or learning of course). However I think this wisdom doesn't always translate well to the club player with a few hours each week to spend on their chess - plus limited concentration span for study when it's a hobby, hence the discussion.

The limitations of the computer need to be understood:
. Computers are bad at endgames, better now, but still need to improve unless it is a tablebase like or tactical position (I consider tablebase position use databases not engines).
. Computers often do not tell you straight out (without some investigation) why one move is better than another (unless the line clearly shows a tactical error etc). Certainly no explanation is given and the few tools that do are still in their infancy.
. Computers perform better in tactical positions than positional (though this is changing) because of the insufficient evaluation function coupled with very deep search ability.
. Centipawn measurements are a little arbitrary
. Psychological or human difficulty factors are not considered in an evaluation (including gambits) which is why the Benko or Sicilian variations get a hard time
. Sometimes computers need to run for a while to get a true evaluation even in positions that aren't so profound to humans.

What the above shows is it's very easy to misuse/read a computer, which is where a fair bit of the adage of don't use a computer comes from.

Second I take a little bit of disdain to mentioning ratings as if they are levels of skill. A 2200 is something that is on the face of it strong, but there is a big rating difference between a player who got 2200 by playing mostly strong players and the few draws or very occasional win got them there, versus someone who plays in clubs and lower level tournaments and the constant barrage of weaker players which the occasional loss or draw keeps the rating lower. The rating pool (sometimes artificially constructed by choosing which games a player plays) is very important. Similarly one might be 2400 in the Sicilian, but 2000 in the Benko, or 2400 in the endgame and opening, but 2000 in the middle game. They might be 1800 after a day at work, but 2000 on a weekend. The weakest point is probably going to determine the rating more than someone who is all round good. In addition rating does not equate with experience: there are plenty of players in the 1800-2000 range some who are pretty good (just not consistent or hobbled by just playing in a small pool of 1600-2000 players) who have been playing chess for 40 years, and there are plenty of 2200s who have been playing just a few years. The question is what does this 2200 really mean in terms of chess skill or maturity.

I feel the time factor for study really needs to be explored further. As I've mentioned elsewhere there are those who can spend 5 hours a day on chess, whereas some only get 5 hours a week. In the latter case it's 'getting the best bang for your buck'. Spending 15 minutes analysing to get an answer why a move was bad (after spending 15 minutes already looking at in the game but without the hindsight of what happen), is often too much of a task, so soon no analysis takes place at all. Similarly trying to understand master moves in a book of 500 positions/fragments/games will take years for just one book if you take this approach with only 5 hours study available per week - most will give up or not finish the course - and while they are studying it nothing else is getting worked on.

I'm somewhere in the middle for study time and here is where I use an engine:
. As a blunder check after online games, and to understand whether a marked inferior move was inferior and to try to tease why another move was superior.
. When I can't understand why a move was/wasn't played after a bit of thinking
. To check my own analysis
. To check for errors in published material before I commit it to memory (some errors in positional based material aren't necessarily a problem if the pattern is intended to be conveyed not the specific example).
. Openings when looking at the database for what was played as there is usually too much complexity for a non-master to properly make a decision on whether a plan or move was a bad one. Plus just because it's a game in a database played by someone strong, doesn't mean there are not errors.
. New ideas or things to consider in a position that I haven't seen before

Examples of where I would say is bad engine use:
. Studying tactical/analysis material before having a proper go at solving it

. To quibble over a couple of centi-pawns whether one opening move was better than another
. To find deep lines to study in openings so 'you know more' beyond what is appropriate in the games you have been facing
. Before actually playing through a published game at least once to get a feel of what went on
. When your eye is more on the engine than the material itself
. Getting definite evaluations of endgames
. As a substitute for thinking (aka the analogy of using a calculator vs mental arithmetic)

Finally what level would I say is appropriate (beyond blunder and material checks) from my own personal feelings (without the view a grandmaster or a coach has):
. You make few blunders, certainly nothing too serious in longer games
. You understand tactics well
. You understand positional concepts well

At least at this point you have the ability to question a computer evaluation as well as less likely to use it as a first point of call. Whether that is 1700, 2000, 2200 of course depends on the factors I've mentioned as well as the individual.

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Anti-Sicilian Part 1 2...d6 - Move 10. Bb5 or 10. Be3 what do you reccomend

In the last advanced section video 8...e6 at minute 1:00 in the video where Black has just played 10...dxe5, in the main video course you did cover this move earlier where you recommended 11. Bxc5 by White. However, in the advanced video course, you give the line 11. fxe5 by White but this seems to open the board up in Black's favor which is why you recommended the change to 10. Bb5 to avoid this. Is the 11. Bxc5 move instead playable or do you still recommend the change to 10. Bb5? 

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Hello ChessMood family. Could you please provide your thoughts on which move is better so I may research more and update my database accordingly? thank you in advance! 

@Vishnu_Warrier.

Hello dear Vishnu, sorry for the late reply. Gabuzyan is playing the World cup and I may have missed to tag your post. Now I did it but I think that I can reply to your post myself.

The move 10.Bb5 as stated in the Advanced section is to be prefered since you are already watching the advanced videos.  The other move will lead to an equal position with not many chances to overcome your opponent because it will simplify too fast.

This is a favorite line of mine, but I would like to remind you a few key moves and concepts: 

Previously with the move 9.e5 we are leaving the c8 bishop out of the game. Then our plan  including this e5 move, should be the Ne4 follow up, bishop to e3, f2, h4 plan.

e5 is much stronger than Bb3 which is recommended in many books. [Bb5,Bc1-e3-f2-h4 are part of our plan if allowed]

And I wrote it 3 times but many, many people forget the Bishop transfer, keep it in mind when you reach this position...

Hi Vishnu,

I checked out the post and @Chessmood_Odysseus provided a very clear answer! Once again pawn on e6 is killing the bishop on c8 and as well we get space for the kingside game due to pawn on e5.

Early Qb6 in Caro

Hi -- after e4 c6 : d4 d5 : e/d c/d : Bd3 Nc6 : c3 my opponent played Qb6 straight away . This seemed effective, as it stopped Bf4 ( b2 is a tender spot). I was much higher graded, so didn't fancy an early exchange of Queens . Ended up playing Nd2 which didn't give me much. What is the best approach here for White ? 

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I think 6.Qb3 is a good move, exchange of queens favours white in this structure, as white would get open a file and b4-b5 idea misplacing pieces and getting a grip on the position. I know that you dont want to exchange queens :), but gotta play what position requires sometimes

Hi Keven,

I do like how Paulius replied. I would also go Qb3. If black takes we are opening the a file which is great. Otherwise we are going to take and double black pawns on the queenside.

Repertoire against 1. Nf3 2.b3

I would love it if there is a Repertoire against 1. Nf3 2.b3,i know u guys are really working hard and are busy,but please chessmood team,if possible can u recommend a repertoire against the nimzo larsen,which starts with 1Nf3 2b3,repertoire against 1b3 is covered in youtube by GM EUGENE PERELESHTYN,thanks in advance

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This is an easy one @Ritvik_Caringula. Against Nf3 we play always c5 trying to transpose to the Sicilian. Then if b3 is the next move, we go Nc6, Bb2, d6. Our next move is e5 reaching some transposition to the English repertoire.

I play 2...d5. Idea is if 3.Bb2 then f6 idea e5. See Petrosian-Fischer

Hi Ritvik,

I have also got this setup very often a black.

Against these structures as after Nf3 we play c5 I go b3 and d6 preparing e5 and trying to limit bishop on b2. Later on, I developed the pieces as we do in our English courses.

Playing Partners

If anyone interested in playing some training games on specific lines then add me up.

https://lichess.org/@/cat-prep-time

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I would like to play!

Isn't this a winning move?

https://chessmood.com/course/classical-chess-endgames/episode/1919 6 min 37 sec in the video, I noticed that black can take on g2 with the bishop forcing white to play Kg1 (otherwise there will be some discovery), and then playing f3 with a protected passed pawn. Doesn't this work?

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Well in the same timing. 6 min. 37 seconds Avetik says that if Rxg2 the King will go to h3, not back to the first rank, Kh3 is not good for Black. That is why the strong move is Kg4, taking the square h3 away from the King first. Then the capture on g2 is much stronger.

Happy International Chess Day!!

Hello everyone! Happy international chess day! How is Chessmood celebrating?

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Sicilian Dragon opening gave me a good game - Thank you Chessmood!

Hey folks, I just wanted to share a game I played where I was able to implement the Sicilian opening I learned here on Chessmood.

https://www.chess.com/a/odjSGF4AxWdL

I know I am not highly rated, and I missed a tactical opportunity early in the game, but I did have a very nice Rook sac that led to a 6 move forced mate.  I don't think these always happen in games and they are fun to see so I thought I would share here for others to also enjoy. I also almost had a nice smothered mate that was possible because of the opening formation.

Thank you Chessmood team, I am very much enjoying the content!

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Way to go @Leslie_Smith!!!

I can't find the daily puzzle link

Can anyone tell me where can I find daily puzzles sorry but am new so idk how to use this site well.

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https://chessmood.com/daily-puzzle/18.07.2021

It's hidden on the site links at the bottom.

It really should be in the banner menu.

Benko b6?

Hi -- Cannot find how to deal with it when White plays c/b5 then after a6 just simply plays b6. Ideas please .

Thanks Keven 

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Hi Keven, according to my notes this is covered in Section 4, Video #30. I will try to add my pgn-notes here.

And here my notes.

Approach to understanding a position/idea

This is roughly the approach I'm taking when studying a position idea over a number of moves. Ideas / suggestions for improvements welcome.

First I don't have hours and hours to spend on chess (though I do rack up quite a few at the moment as I'm sure my wife will tell you). So wisdom such as treat the position like a long-play game and guess the move 3 mins max a move probably isn't so useful for me. With a book such as Positional Chess Handbook containing just under 500 positions that would take at least a year for me to work through with that approach - fine perhaps if you have 8 hours to study a day and can sustain it, but impractical otherwise (not saying that the technique is bad when you do want to improve calculation skill, but then you wouldn't need to do all 500).

Second it's very easy to get lost in playing or reading the moves which is why I don't like playing from books or moving the pieces on a board, a pgn I can move through with a key press focusing on the game rather than losing sight every time I look away from the position, won't make wrong moves, and going back is a lot easier. It also lends itself to multiple repetition better.

I'm trying roughly the following steps:
Play through the game the first time, try to get the gist of what happens, not worry too much about well what if...
Play through a second time, try to make a narrative: e.g. king centralises, advance pawns, cause a zuzgwang to penetrate further, capture key pawn, force promotion
Play through a third time, check notes, try to answer some what-ifs with a computer if need be, note down positions of interest if any

Move on, only to come back if something is needed to be referenced later (say a similar concept) or to play from the position to test my technique (or lack thereof).

Other supporting ideas:

Between these takes I'll often use what I call 'the detective method' to give it a catchy name. Those who have read novels by Agatha Christie (famous author of murder-mystery books) will know the general format (at least from what I remember from reading them at school) is that there are often several theories and multiple suspects, but not too deep, where it all gets revealed (oh so obvious by the master detective) on the last couple of pages (so much so it's a joke that the best way to spoil such books is to remove or prevent reading of those pages). If you work backwards from the end though (or so I've read long after I read these novels) you'll see all the clues and it will be more obvious (of course you know what to look for and discard what doesn't fit the final narrative - cognitive bias). I sometimes find chess positions like this - go forwards and there are so many ways it could have gone, many things to look out for (often not relevant to the master) as well as questions (well why didn't they play that, what if...) however it can be useful to go from when the position is much clearer and you understand it fine and go backwards into the complications asking how did we get here (easier with pgns). Then you are looking for the key moves and strategies that made just that possible including the mistakes, and not everything else.

Another trick I use, especially from understanding why a computer's move is 'better' is to swap repeatedly between the main line and the computer line. So let's say the computer says Be3 is superior to Be2, okay, so I play Be3, well now what, then perhaps there is a follow up a4 say, well let's see if I play Be2 as in then game then a4 then what. Maybe Be2 then Be3. This might go on several moves deep, but often it turns out that Be3 with a4 was necessary right now because of something the opponent was threatening (or would be given time to defend) that I didn't see. Also I might have discarded a move because of something I saw the opponent had - so try the same technique with the potential replies to find why I was wrong. I find this especially useful on post game analysis (especially auto-analysis of lichess) when the computer alternative is more subtle than just made the wrong decision, or some obvious tactical issue with my move - sometimes these quick checks are wrong of course and my move was better when the computer gets to think for a bit. I use the computer less on games where trying to understand positional ideas (as even if they are tactically unsound where they were played the concept is not). However, sometimes to answer the whatifs or check something the computer needs to get switched on.

Finally there is the mindset that a few positions progress every now and then is better than one or two big attempts and giving up and chop and changing too much between other things (guilty here). I try not to beat myself up (particularly after working all day) if I only get through two positions in an evening (when I first started I tried to get through everything quickly as if the next book would add something more and a few books later I'd be master level - which never happened of course).

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Hi David,

I hear what you are saying as I am also not having enough time to study chess intensely. However, all these shortcuts, especially relying on computer suggestions, cannot replace time invested in  really understanding the chess positions. 

The only shortcut I see that could work is to knowexactly  what are your weaknesses and then you have an efficient method to learn how to work on them.

Otherwise, the amount of time need to invest will remain the same. It will just take you longer to reach the goal when compared with somebody else who has more time for chess daily.

Test your Pawn EndgameS!

It's black to move. share your evaluation with important variations.

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Hello Abhi, can you please shorten the name of the jpg? Rename it to something like; picture.jpg

It looks that the images are not properly displayed with a long name. Thanks!!

Chessmood openings

Do our chessmood openings work at GM level?Why top GMs like Carlsen,vishy anand do not play such openings.plz reply

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Chessmood openings are designed to beat below 2200 players. 

For example Grand Prix. Even if you follow any grand prix theory chessmood ones or other courses the lines are so sharp so its not so easy for below 2200 players to remember all theories and they lose easily.

So in order to beat below 2200 players we need a simple and solid and well presented opening repo. We don't need to remember lines . All we need is to understand ideas and plans and with the help of playing so much training games we also develop the feel of those positions and it help us in real life events.

Chessmood openings are solid, easy to understand and most dangerous for below 2200 to face over the board.

Much of it works (I'd say all at 15 minutes and below).

The problem is it's not deep or subtle enough that you can't get out prepared which will happen as you get to master level in long play games, particularly with hours to prepare. At the top levels technique matters so much so you need subtle difficult positions so as to outplay.

One of the beauties of the repertoire is (as a learner) not only do you need to know less positions because they work together as a whole, not have to constantly keep up to date, nor have to deal with subtle positional play or ultrasharp tactics, but particularly in the GP for example you can play open variations on some of the opponent's replies and not others, easing you into a more master level repertoire.

For now get to 2200 or so, sort out the other aspects of your game, then consider other openings seriously (i.e. to learn and play, not just get experience of other plans and ideas to improve your chess skill).

When you get to be a professional 2600 you might be able to spend hours and hours every week on your repertoire and keeping up to date and finding novelties, but for most of us amateurs with a job and maybe family, low maintenance without learning trappy inferior moves is a good medium.

Well, why not start with the Queen's Gambit Declined and take a look at Quality Chess. And if you want some words of one of the legends - there is an overview by Kasparov availability at ChessBase that I really enjoyed.

Thank you family for all your answers! Deeply appreciated! This question has been very well explained in the different replies. @Dhruvil_Dave But if you are interested in Quality chess books, I suggest that you visit their site, they also have a forum and they will be able to guide you much better. I am saying this because most of us can not follow up with all the new books in the market nowadays because we are working hard on the Chessmood courses.

    I, for one, could not be more grateful for the ChessMood Repertoire as before then, most of my opening "preparation" consisted of random YouTube videos and free Chessable Courses.  Now I have a bulletproof opening repertoire made by experienced GMs and I have confidence going into my games. But to answer your question about what level CM repertoire is good for, I'd personally say around the 1900-2350 rating range, as ChessMood openings are not immortal on the professional level; it is possible to prepare against them.  Hopefully this helps!