Chess forum by Grandmasters

How do you train?

I have played chess my whole life, and I have greatly enjoyed the game and sharing my perspective in this forum. But I confess that I have spent very little time actually studying chess. My only “training” is the occasional practice game or puzzles session, but I have been inspired to actually form some improvement plan.

I've read lots of articles on training plans on Chessmood and elsewhere. But I would also appreciate actual input from my peers. So if anybody would be willing to answer some of these questions, I would greatly appreciate it.

What does your chess training look like, on a daily or weekly basis?
How often do you practice tactics, and what is your source of puzzles?
What training methods do you personally love/hate?
How often do you play training games?

Any level of detail is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Replies

My training plan is a big work in progress. I have played a lot, watch a lot of content on youtube - had my debious gambits phase, fortunately I already had good foundations at this point. At some point I began to make regular puzzles. I do my puzzles on chess.com, integrated with my transports, do also some puzzles with my coffeee in the morning. I do a puzzles streak on lichess before playing seriously. 
Now that I am on chessmood, I try to integrate 12 rapid games per weeks, not always easy to manage with my other activities. 
I watch chessmood courses usually before work and after work. 
I also found a book on endgames and try to do puzzles from that book on a regular basis. It's not that structured, but it's slowly becore a little bit more structured. 

My routine:

3x longer rapid games per week - either 15|10 or 30|0

2x hour long puzzle sessions. Used to be daily but I found I needed to work on other things and not just tactics

Some reading about positional chess

Some research about annihilation tactics for my own interest

Binge play some ultra or hyper while blasting heavy metal music. Swear loudly when I blunder.

These are fun questions.

“What does your chess training look like, on a daily or weekly basis?”

• 100 mate-in-2s every day. (It used to be mate-in-1s, but I graduated)
• Some ChessMood videos on whatever I'm currently working on. I try to do a 2-3 chapters of a course per week.
• Twice a week I play 3 or 4 15+10 rapid games. These I fully analyze and talk about with a coach
• 5+3 blitz until my eyes bleed (almost every day). No analysis, but I have recently been using the new FixMood feature to check I'm not making opening mistakes.

“How often do you practice tactics, and what is your source of puzzles?”

• Every day. For mating patterns, I use Chess Kings. So many mate-in-1 and mate-in-2s there and they are divided up by which pieces are used, so you can focus on just learning how to use rook and bishop well together, for example.
• Other tactics: Still slowly working my way through Tactics Ninja. Finished intermediate moves the other day. Those are very difficult for me. There's lots of good puzzles in that course. I also use Lichess for mixed tactics or specific motifs.

“What training methods do you personally love/hate?”

• I love puzzles and playing games. I use to hate the more difficult tactical puzzles because they were too hard for me, but now that my pattern recognition has improved from all the mating practice, they are getting more enjoyable. Intermediate moves are still very frustrating some times. But no pain, no gain, right?

“How often do you play training games?”

• Don't think I've ever played a training game. Not entirely sure what that is, honestly. 

Okay, back to basics

Well, after making a fool of myself in a game with GM Gabuyzan, it is time for me to take a hard look at what I'm doing. I can't explain all the things that went wrong, but it started quickly in that game. I opened e4, then e5 Nf3 and I'm planning on the Scotch game. He played 2. Nf3. The Petroff. I know this!  But somehow with my illness rattled brain, I said what the heck is this. And played Nc3.  Oh dear. It only got worse :D

He said in the stream that was going to play the Stafford gambit. I would have liked that. Assuming that I could remember the refutation! The good news was that it was a quick game, and I didn't suffer a long time!
 

My slowness at understanding what is happening on the board is really perplexing. So, I've decide to go back to basics. I'm pulling out the speedbag (metaphorically speaking) and going to go back to drilling basics until I can't take it any longer.

So, I've got Laszlo Polgar's book “Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games”, and I'm going to start at the beginning puzzles (mate in 1) and frantically drill myself on these. Then I'll take on the Mate in 2 positions and drill them. My plan is to either develop better board vision, or to exhaust myself trying. I'll check in on occasion and let you know how I'm holding up.

Wish me luck! :D :D

Replies

I feel obligated to say to not be so hard on yourself, everybody has a bad day, blunders are inevitable, etc. 

But if it's a poor game that inspires you to approach your study differently, then that's great! I look forward to reading your updates. Best of luck!

Good luck, Jeff.

To be honest, most of us are going to make fools of ourselves playing against a GM 😉

The best games of September, 2024, and the prizes

Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions! 
Welcome to the "Best games of September, 2024" competition.
Under this post, we invite you to post the best games that you will play this month. 

The Prize fund is 350K MoodCoins which is equal to 350$.  

The 1st prize  - 150K
The 2nd prize - 100K
The 3rd prize-  50K
The 4th prize- 30k
The 5th prize- 20k

Good luck with your games and keep the Right Mood! 
#ChessMood
#Right Mood - Right Move 

P. S.
Here are the winners of August, 2024:

Jake E.
A Guy Who Plays Chess
James L.
Chess Forever
Tony Weir

Replies

https://lichess.org/BAC2rzOJ He don't have any pawn in front of the king at the end of the game ! Can I delete my post and create a new one if I play a better game this month ?

While watching the Rise of Champions videos I remember Avo talking about gambits and how they can be used to potentially wrong-foot opponents who may know the main line of an opening but not the gambit variation.  And besides - they sound like fun!  

I play the Scotch opening for white and so, after a little research, I came across the Scotch Gambit and Haxo Gambit.  Time to put it to the test …

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/daily/695176797?tab=analysis

For those around my level, or just those not familiar with the gambit, the key points are:

• * After 3 … exd4 we do not retake the pawn with 4 Nxd4.  Instead, we move our bishop with Bc4, targeting the f7 pawn.
• * c3 offers black another pawn, which he takes - this opens the d file for our queen
• * Then we sacrifice our bishop with Bxf7+ (and get a brilliant move in the process - I don't get many of those!)
• * Of course this is followed by Kxf7 - we are now down a piece and a pawn.  But fear not …
• * Qd5+ checks black's king while also targeting the bishop on c5
• * Black's king now needs to retreat.
• * After Ke8 we … don't take the c5 bishop!  Here we play Qh5+.  Why?  Because the likely g6 response opens up black's pawn defence and we can still capture the c5 bishop on our next move.
• *  We can then capture black's marauding pawn on c3 and we are back to even in material but in much better shape.  We can now look to castle and attack black's weakened position (note that black can't castle because of the king's movement).
• * After castling on move 12 Stockfish has white with a lead of around +3.

This really was quite a fun game (of course, it may not have felt like quite so much fun if it went wrong and black won the game!).  I had a brilliant move, accuracy of 89.4 (100 in the opening), and a game rating of 1750 - for a sub-1000 rapid player I was very pleased with this.

https://lichess.org/study/6RKYYkrZ/k4HgNODU

previous month i played this game against a 2511 rated IM , my rating was 1449 ( played this game in 61st national championship of india ) and was so close to defeat a player who was 1100 points more rated from me , i just wasn't able to handle the pressure at the end and lost in about 80 move game . i played from black , i didn't watch the advance section of benko and so after a4 made my own plans

https://lichess.org/huzLIzMI/black#0

Nice attack vs sicilian closed systems with 99% accuracy 

Playing against isolated pawn, trying to exchange opponent's good bishop, and finally tactical shot and mating the king without queens on the board.

https://lichess.org/KtocpcTRGKLA

https://www.chess.com/live/game/119151610987
 

found a nice mate at the end !!

https://lichess.org/EKwjqeezcA7x

Guimard leads to French Attack.

Dear Cm family, a good one in the antisicilian with a ks attack https://lichess.org/ujD3ADFz

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119304635441

I won this game in 12 moves to a player above 1100

https://lichess.org/y8su8DJl/white#0
 

scotch Qe7 h4 , with force mate on move 22 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119343015089

creating a mating net in petrov defence

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119364594425

Here is my game featuring the Grand Prix Attack against a Pirc Defense. This game is a great example of how to dismantle a fianchettoed king's position through coordinated pressure, precise pawn advances, and effective use of the open files.

1. Early on, I established a solid pawn structure with 1. e4 and 3. f4, aiming for a quick kingside attack typical of the Grand Prix Attack.
2. Black fianchettoed their dark-squared bishop, but I capitalized on this with rapid development and effective central control, eventually playing f5 to open up lines against Black's king.
3. Notice how 11. f5 immediately disrupts Black's pawn structure, forcing weaknesses and opening the h-file for my queen and rooks.
4. The critical moment comes when I sacrifice the exchange with 22. Qh7+, exposing the weakened g6 square and making it impossible for Black to defend effectively.

This game is highly instructive for anyone looking to learn how to attack in positions with a fianchettoed king and how to use dynamic play to overwhelm the opponent.

[Event "GameKnot Blitz"]
[Site "http://gameknot.com/"]
[Date "2024.09.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "zo4rm5"]
[Black "2dos"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 d6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bc4 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. d3 Bg4 8. Qe1 b5 9. Bb3 Nbd7 10. Qh4 e5 11. f5 Nb6 12. fxg6 hxg6 13. Bh6 Bxf3 14. Rxf3 a5 15. a3 Nh5 16. Bg5 Qd7 17. g4 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. Rh3 Rfe8 20. Rf1 Re5 21. Rxf4 b4 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qxg6 bxc3 24. Rxf7+ Qxf7 25. Qxf7# 1-0

Here is my game featuring the Scotch Game. This game is a powerful demonstration of how to capitalize on passive play by Black and launch a direct kingside assault.

1. The opening with 1. e4 e5 and 3. d4 led to a typical Scotch Game, where I rapidly developed my pieces and gained central control.
2. Black's setup with 6... O-O and 7... Nbd7 showed a bit of passivity, allowing me to maintain the initiative.
3. By move 9. f3 and 10. g4, I was already preparing a decisive kingside attack, aiming to take advantage of Black's lack of counterplay.
4. The breakthrough came with 13. h5 and 14. g6, forcing Black into a critical defensive position. This pawn storm, combined with my piece activity, created too many weaknesses around Black's king.
5. The final sequence with 15. Bxh6 and 16. Qxh6 perfectly illustrates how to punish a passive kingside defense and deliver a checkmate with precision.

This game is highly instructive for players who want to learn how to transition from a strong opening position into a crushing kingside attack, especially when facing passive play from the opponent.

[Event "GameKnot Blitz"]
[Site "http://gameknot.com/"]
[Date "2024.09.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "zo4rm5"]
[Black "mik51"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bf4 O-O 7. Qd2 Nbd7 8. O-O-O Nc5 9. f3 a6 10. g4 b5 11. h4 Bb7 12. g5 Nfd7 13. h5 f6 14. g6 h6 15. Bxh6 gxh6 16. Qxh6 1-0

CM French

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/119424573545?tab=review

https://lichess.org/C8GMH7C7/white

Crushing and Trapping a FM's queen in 19 moves using the French 3.Bd3.

https://www.chess.com/live/game/119471429647

chessmood Opening + mating matador = 🤣🤣🤣 total brutality 

thanks Avi 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119522370687

Crushing my oppoent against Sicilian 2.g6 with AntiSicilian 3.d4

https://lichess.org/lRij790YTYfF

SLP with thematic queen sacrifice checkmate in the end

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119438977731

Here is a neat game featuring a Queen sac, A rook sac, and a bishop sac.
Plus an (almost) perfect conversion.
Pawns matter!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/119622619735

a good gran prix attack vs a pirc which leaded to a material gain (missed the best continuation (Bxf8 instead of cxd4)) but the spirit of the opening is conform: https://lichess.org/o2U33g3u

https://lichess.org/ADaJkPdg/white

Nice 14 move game with a Bishop sac on f7

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119614783489

Scotch, exchange on b6 after blavks a5 makes blacks pawn structure weak.

https://lichess.org/yie1QRoL/white

After so long I am back in chess.

https://lichess.org/O27jVWXcBSfy

this d6 Bg7 line against London is so fun to play and London players hate to see it hahaha.

Crushing pirc with space!

https://lichess.org/fXREStEIhv6O

Destroyed my opponent with a line I love, hope you find it interesting!

Chess: Thiha77777 vs ThankfulBone - Chess.com

Hello I know I am learning the Grand Prix opening but this was a good game for me. Enjoy

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119809890515

A perfect Scotch!

https://lichess.org/vYpT1ynm/white#0.

Dominating The Alapin easily!

https://lichess.org/zSCFRPL2/black#0.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119817034295

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119871600307

Breakthrough with 15…e3!

Here is a nice game I won with the Scotch opening! 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119916001619

https://www.chess.com/live/game/119943591289

My best win ever. I was white 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/119383844933

Attacking The Pirc Defense.

https://lichess.org/HZqp7SIC/white#0.

OTB rapid game, CM Antisicilian my opponent cracked under pressure

Another game from OTB rapid tournament. How often do you give a checkmate with pawn in the middle of the board in Benko ;))

ThankfulBone vs. YujiMoney | Analysis - Chess.com A game that shows that opening prep is just as important as endgame studies, because otherwise the same thing that happened to YujiMoney might happen to you… (yes, it was bullet)

A very volatile Grand Prix attack.

https://www.chess.com/game/daily/696768861

Phase I (moves 1…9): Set up.

Phase II (moves 10…14): Push the pawns.

I wanted to play g4 but the square was unprotected, so 10. Nh4, but then after 12. g4 the knight was loose and Black could win a pawn by 12…Nxe4? (+2.76) (while the engine thinks 12…h6 (+0.70) was preferable. It's amazing to me that the engine finds winning the pawn to be so much worse but the pawn avalanche becomes surprisingly powerful especially after 14. g5! when there is a threat of catching the bishop by e.g. Qh5.

However, the position is already getting very tactical. Engine thinks 15. Nd5 would have been much better (+3.10) than 15. Qh5 (0.00). Also, I get that 17…Rb8 (+2.75) looks slow but still it's surprising that that engine prefers 17…Kh8 (+0.15) by such a great margin.

Phase III (moves 18…23): Mate.

I'm quite happy about finding 19. Ne7+ Kh8 20. Ng6+! when 20…Kg8 fails to 21. Bd5! (21…Qxd5 22. Ne7+) so black has to capture 20…hxg6.

After that it's a simple matter: play fxg6 threatening the queen, check with the queen on the h file and mate on h7. Right?

Well… there's a little move order thing. 21. fxg6? (-3.37) allows black a miraculous save by 21…Ne2+! 22. Kg2 Nf4+! 23. K~ Qf6! when the black knight holds h5 and the queen controls h4, and white has no mate! Fortunately for me, my opponent missed that opportunity.

The sacrifice with 20. Ng6+! was nevertheless correct. White just needed to do the attack in the other order: FIRST check with the queen on the h file, and THEN play fxg6. After 21. Qh4+! Kg8 22. fxg6 black has nothing better than to take twice on f1, after which white threatens mate by Qd8 and ends up winning more material.

To summarize:

• the Whitemood openings strategy against the Sicilian, that is, set up the Grand Prix formation and push pawns, worked very nicely, especially after black got greedy and grabbed a pawn which ended up mobilizing white's pawns
• actually I suspected that there could be some nasty countertactics after 21. fxg6? but I guess I panicked a bit; probably I should have taken a few deep breaths or maybe even sleep over it (this was a correspondence game) as taught on the BlunderProof course, or
• I could have recognized the tactical idea that if a combination does not quite seem to work, try switching the move order (as taught on the Calclman course).

(Of course I understand that computer evaluations are not everything, but in this game it was striking to me how there could be such large swings even after seemingly quiet moves that don't directly drop material.)

https://lichess.org/nZnNCeEY/black#106

My recent win . May be converting was not decent as I played it at 3 am 

What a deadly attack. Time is 3 o6 am 

https://lichess.org/z3kjVruQ/white

OTB 10 min game i' played today, white against Alekhine with nice finish

Dear CM family, please have a look at this game:

OTB 1h30+30s + 30 min after 40 moves. playing a dutch attack with black (stonewall against bg2) hard fight (4 h 30)

https://lichess.org/KzPcHaLy

Dear CM family, 

a good scotch with a strange 6.Ba6 :

https://lichess.org/Bnc1aDbQ#0

Totally demolished him 

https://lichess.org/jmm6dcaI/black#48

https://lichess.org/ZOCjqQRd/white#39

Qe2 Nxf3 gxf3 after that I forgot lines 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/120075037953

WhiteMood vs Sicilian… missed forced mate but fun game!

I just managed to play a clean attacking game, without any mistakes. Unfortunately my opponent resigned just a moment before I could've played Rxh2.

https://lichess.org/k26Dwz1J3fri

DEar Cm family, a black mood opening for black against b3 : with the proposed Bg4 before to play the stonewall setup (f5, e6, d5) which had a great result.

https://lichess.org/JNFcdMA6/black

A bit dirty trick at the end to save a -1 pawn position in a french attack advance

https://lichess.org/KzjwymJc/black

my best game this month (relativeyl high elo of my opponent)

https://lichess.org/vfzaATJR

Dear cm family, in this french, i chosed to play against the isolani. With a bishop against a knight, the position was still venomous in the endgame

https://lichess.org/V89CKvCe/white

Dear CM family, in this french against the isolani, (4.exd5 exd5 5. dxc5) i got finally a bishop against a knight position which was still venomous in the endgame

https://lichess.org/V89CKvCe/white

Decent = game but one mistake by FM and he lost.

https://lichess.org/FDzWOV3lbC7B

https://lichess.org/cVuqzDaP/black

Nice queen sac

https://lichess.org/VyWb7CTV/white

Crazy rook sac on h6!

Dear CM family, in this game i feel a bit sad for my opponent who loose some  time in the opening (Bf1, c4, e2) and get crushed in a nice french attack with a ks pawn storm.

the ne7 was about to take part to the party (nd5) but all was already over.

a nice pawn promotion discovered mate at the end blasting the king head by 3 heavy pieces (sorry for that violence)

https://lichess.org/hajra3Ru/black

Rb8! love it!

https://lichess.org/Js8lJDls/black#48

 https://www.chess.com/live/game/120489000889

The King walk 

https://lichess.org/iRF2x0FJ/white#0

Nice game. The 7th move was really good.

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/120533379313?tab=review&move=39

Check out this #chess game: shareefmoneim vs MTineer - https://www.chess.com/daily/game/704122375

It feels good to play an accurate game!

https://lichess.org/rA16RBi0/black#0.

I guess White wasn't a Chessmood memeber :)

Very happy with the way I weakened some squares, and with the final mating attack.

https://lichess.org/xivgXnQb/black#50

Sicilian 2..e6, it was messy in the end, I missed a few mates but the position from the opening was interesting.

https://lichess.org/KyjRK9Cp/white#36

A perfct Accelerated Dragon.

https://lichess.org/RNvqopWg/black#0.

Very solid game ending in draw. 
 

https://www.chess.com/live/game/120609585941

Some strong tactics in a wiered Scotch!

https://lichess.org/v8OWWRxz/white#0.

a good 8. h4 scotch going in a good knight vs bad bishop ending: https://lichess.org/TiZVcsJz

Attacking The Caro - Kann.

https://lichess.org/bNa8hIs2/white#0.

the hypermobile/active rook from a7 -a4 to h4

https://lichess.org/Fywz2hKS

www.chess.com/game/live/120693636285 A nice miniature!

https://lichess.org/cOgwCJ4f/white#97

A nice rapid game including the Grand Prix Attack, I was having the advantage in the whole game, though the conversion was not the best as it was a tricky position with less time but I would say it was one of the best attacks of my life!

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/120787804187?tab=review&move=41

https://lichess.org/UAwB3Wu6/white#71
relentless attack and saw the mate 

https://www.chess.com/a/2hYfVz3aELrzJ?tab=analysis&move=0

https://www.chess.com/game/live/120801581189

I quickly took down a double fianchetto system

https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/qugtpCJ6 

Look at how it's easy to destroy The Czech Defense!

https://lichess.org/B8oP3r7E/white#0.

Not spectacular but pleased how I kept pressuring my opponent

https://lichess.org/D6vet0on/black#60

Attacking The Alekhine Defense.

https://lichess.org/IHlR2xjF/white#0.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/120861015369

https://lichess.org/YhOI1cOO/black#72

nice Dutch checkmate 

A Sicilian and a mate in 16 moves!

https://lichess.org/o09MNoxA/white#0.

During our University Intramural Games I was able to play someone featuring the territory of Sicillian Grand Prix:

1.  e4 c5
2.  Nc3 e6
3.  f4 Nc6
4.  Nf3 d6
5.  Bb5 Bd7
6.  0-0 Qb6
7.  Bxc6 Bxc6
8.  d3 Nf6
9.  Qe1 Be7
10.  Qg3 0-0
11.  f5 exf5
12.  exf5 Nd5
13.  Bh6 Bf6
14.  Nxd5 Bxd5
15.  Bxg7 Bxg7
16.  f6 c4+
17.  Kh1 1-0

A game played as Black against 1. d4 with some gret tactics!

https://lichess.org/HUx2NkMg/black#0.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/120936705679

https://www.chess.com/game/live/120938457393

the Morphy soul was in me while playing this game just playing like gm Avetik and following his advise if you sacrifice an exchange you should sacrifice another exchange for an attack in this game i realised that i had to open up the position and after long examing the rook sacrifice i go with it there were was one quiet line which was the best one when i checked but i was in attacking mood so i go with the attacking with and opening the king with the bishop sacrifice and going completely 8 down on material for a short time. i liked that variation i don't mind going to bad position any good advice would be appreciated

Pasini strikes again (vs. the Modern), twice!

https://lichess.org/jGNSwLqWO7KL

https://lichess.org/LRpRIqGrCSJW

https://lichess.org/3NF1urjt

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121030210903

try to make a model game for benko gambit following the theory of the benko gambit course

https://lichess.org/OB1Umdrr

Crushed My Opponent

A nice miniature with the French Attack thanks to a beautiful checkmate pattern!

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121084196983

I started at a local chess club and this was my first game. Not the best, a lot of mistakes, but I managed to turn an almost losing position from the start into a win. Very proud of that, as I'm only 600 rated online and everyone there is at least 1200 FIDE :)

https://www.chess.com/a/2C5LUA31x4NXY?tab=analysis

A perfect game against 1. d4 with a sideline.

https://lichess.org/NbBSPe0V/black#0.

Slight mistakes but still decent converting I think.

https://lichess.org/7jDbvdpp/black

Maneuvering very well against a Sicilian with 2. …. Nc6.

https://lichess.org/jNADpJn8/white#0.

Gran prix vs pirc / ks attack:

https://lichess.org/UFKvhZw2/white

Scotch like system vs Philidor. Like the “entry square” concept → rook could invade on it before crushing king side

https://lichess.org/MOXcZ97k/white

Scotch game 💪

Check out this #chess game: MTineer vs shareefmoneim - https://www.chess.com/daily/game/705768721

Bishop trapped

https://lichess.org/NXGp6HZJ

Winning against a caro with bg7 setup equal middlegame, then the king better active makes a slight edge

https://lichess.org/llTKVdqh/white

An intense major-piece endgame with a queen sacrifice

https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/W7azgOCS 

A sicilian played in 10 + 5 game against an even rated player. 

I like to attack like a Viking, if there is one move which is kind of surprising - not for vikings :-) this is 18. e5 to clear the road and “bring the piece”! And my accuracy was 95% which I enjoy alot.

https://lichess.org/TcB8YufwvInS

Great accuracy in a Scotch game:

https://lichess.org/BDm1lA8k/white#0.

https://lichess.org/PhnpqMT3/white#41

Scorch 

https://lichess.org/dU3oFC3Pf5w2

I managed to play very nice endgame in our Schlechter French as white!

Please enjoy!

https://www.chess.com/live/game/121297215103
 

I’ve been getting this constantly and believe I figured it out 

straight forward victory 

https://lichess.org/WSAKgT5Y/black#53

I enjoy modern maroczy more but accidentally played main maroczy. It's a cool game still . White got no play.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121332015137

played stonewall defence first time in the style of judit polgar

French Defense: Schlechter Variation, Attacking game till the end. I made a courageous decision 7. g4 opening my uncastled king. However, decent calculations of attack led to strong position until forced checkmate. 

https://lichess.org/n2Zwhsmi/white#33

<iframe src="https://lichess.org/embed/game/n2Zwhsmi?theme=auto&bg=auto#33"width=600 height=397 frameborder=0></iframe>
 
 

RohanKG11 vs PrajnaG: Italian Game: Paris Defense • lichess.org
My Opponent Fell For this trap.
I Was Not Expecting For This To Happen!!!

SureshKG78 vs RohanKG11: Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit • lichess.org
My Opponent Fell for this Trap.
 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121418390915

grand prix strike again

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121435243479

Nice Grand Prix game in a weird looking but playable 7.Bd3 line

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121440008631

playing like mikhail tal

https://lichess.org/IprBr9kw/black#0

punishing passive play in the sicilian

https://lichess.org/u42hOMMM/black#0

My opponent couldn't do anything 😅 https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/121455625795?tab=analysis&move=0

Interesting antisicilian

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121478981687

💪

https://lichess.org/1f49iAn1/black#74

Despite my opponent has blundered a piece at move 7, he did his best to save his position courageously.
I steadily developed my advantage until I checkmated his king. 

My achievement in a 37-move blitz game was:

0 inaccuracies

0 mistakes

0 blunders

12 Average centipawn loss

99% Accuracy
 
I'm really proud of this game.
 

https://lichess.org/embed/game/1f49iAn1?theme=auto&bg=auto#74
 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121514400959

scotch game with agression and 90% accuracy

Champions, hello!

Thank you for sharing your games. You all have played some excellent chess this month. We not only enjoy seeing your beautiful moves but also appreciate the understanding you show throughout the game. Keep it up!

Onto the prizes:

1st Prize: Samuel Marsden. You really gave White a nightmare in the Rossolimo! Fantastic win in 26 moves with Black. It was nice to see how you built up an attack by targeting the weak spots. The highlight has to be the beautiful sacrifice and the final finish. Excellent game!

https://lichess.org/cVuqzDaP/black

2nd Prize: Ku rt. You showed great understanding of initiative and patience while attacking. The find with e5-Ne4 to exchange an important defender was a cool idea, followed by a nice finish. You always looked in control, and your opponent had no chance. Good game!

https://lichess.org/TcB8Yufw#38

3rd Prize: Arnav Garg. You showed the dangers of gobbling extra material in the opening while ignoring King safety and development. The way you dragged the Black King out and checkmated it on a central square was brutal. Well done!

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121440008631

4th Prize: Aron Bekesi. Great prep. You seized the initiative with Nd5. Then, you grabbed a few pawns for a piece. It seemed your opponent neutralized your initiative but you found a way to press. The final position shows how well your pieces and pawns dominated the board. Nicely done!

https://www.chess.com/game/live/120936705679

5th Prize: Thomas Maes. Pasini would be proud! You just crushed the Modern Defense with such ease, showing the main idea for White and the dangers for Black in the opening. The Queen sac to finish the game in less than 20 moves is a fitting end. Well done!

https://lichess.org/LRpRIqGr#17

Congratulations to all of you.

And thank you once again everyone for sharing your games!

Good luck for the next month’s contest!

https://www.chess.com/game/live/121518590185

crushing with french attack

https://lichess.org/Kyf5usDexAa0

Another nice game (10+5)  in attacking mode, with a fine pawn move, a clearing sacrifice an a rare mate (and accuray of 91%).

To castle, or not to castle, that is the question

Hi all,

I'm just doing an analysis of my last Rapid game and would like some feedback on my decision and on the Stockfish recommendation (and not one of it's usual 20-movers either!).

The game is here: https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/121440623851?tab=analysis&move=21

In summary:

• * I'm ahead in material (+6) - thank you ChessMood Petrov opening!!
• * Black's king has moved and so lost the right to castle
• * I have 1 central pawn and have developed a bishop and my queen
• * Black has no pieces on my half of the board but my king is exposed in the centre
• * It's my move

I considered the following candidate moves:

• * Qb7 - anticipating that black will play Bg7 to attack my queen with the rook on h8
• * Bb5 - pinning the knight on c6 to the queen on d7
• * Nc3 - continue with my development
• * Castle - moving my king out of the centre and contemplating a rook on the open d file

I opted for casting and was happy with this at the time.  Stockfish says that the best move is Bb5 (although I swear it said Nc3 the first time I went through!).  

So, my questions are:

1. Was my rationale for castling reasonable?
2. Would you have castled?  If not, why not?

Replies

I would have played Bb5. You are ahead in material and with Bb5, you can exchange the queens and probably win another piece (computer says it's unavoidable), worst case scenario you simplify (let's say king d6, and then you exchange - it does not work because Nc3 and O-O-O would skewer the king and the queen, but it's easy to miss). After exchanging the queens, you are in an endgame, so you want your king centralized, not castled. And the endgame is very favorable to you because you are 6 to 9 points up material. 
Castling is okay, it's protecting your king and since you decided to keep the queens on the board you want a safe king. But it delays the endgame and keep the game complicated; in consequence, you have more chances to make a mistake and loose your advantage. And also, it's not winning material, and you win material with Bb5. We often hear “don't be greedy”, but here you should definitely be greedy :) 

Hello!

Here is the thing, every move in that position is winning. The differences are little, and anyways we can assume you will win.

There is point of diminishing returns to talk about here. After Bb5, you win the knight, yet you can see by the engine evaluation that it only goes up +1!

Practically speaking, in such situations, castling is always a good move, but here, there isn’t really a reason to not play Bb5.

Dont pay attention to much here, I think this comes down to the fact of you simply missing a tactic (Bb5 pinning and winning the knight). I just wanted to point out the law of diminishing returns. True for economics (as I am currently learning in school!) and chess and many other things. In such situation, if you are not sure, better to just castle.

As for your other suggestions, Nc3 is always a good move, but in such positions, castling is usually prioritizable.

And I understand your idea of Qb7. In an equal position, it makes sense to do this as Black will play Bg7 anyways. However there is also no need to step out of the way so early when you have other moves.

In summary, as always, you should have a basic priority’s that you try to accomplish, keep an eye out for tactics (they really are everywhere!), and just keep in mind the law of diminishing returns.

If it feels safer to get your king to safety, then treat it like a baby.

Hope this helps!

An app for Pro or Pro Lifetime Members

As a member for some time now, I’ve noticed that there still isn’t an app available. It would be really beneficial to have one, especially with the ability to download courses for offline use. When I travel, particularly between chess tournaments, it would be incredibly convenient to access the courses offline on my laptop, computer, or iPad. Having an offline version would be a great addition to the platform. I hope this is something you can consider developing in the near future.

Replies

Dear Steven,

We have also considered this idea, this future may be added one day, but most likely not in the near future.

This takes enormous amount of time and energy, and due to other numerous tasks, our team will have a super hard time also adding the app 🙂

And in general we make some additions on website usually when idea is really good and it’s a good time for it, or too many students are offering the same idea.

Thanks for your understanding and good luck 🙂

Needing a comeback

Hello Chessmood-Family,
I recent times I've been very frustated with my chess,
I'm turning 16, I am rated ~1950 Fide.
About 1,5 years ago I was rated 1960.
since then I've played  A LOT.
Many Opens and one-day-tournaments.
Back then I was considered good, basically 2000 by 14/15.
Since then I've noticed Opponents getting weaker (aka. me getting stronger), but my Rating flactuated a lot.
I'm capable of performances of 1800 , as also 2200 (almost beating (alsmost) German U18 Champion (FM), but drawing and playing on the level of FMs.
But generally my results for some reason have been terrible.
I somehoe manage to hang pieces like a 1000-rated player after 4-5h of play.
Now Children with ages of 13/14 in my club have overtaken me (reaching ELOs of 2200!), I can't stress how frustrated and envios I am.
While I was working my A*s off, reading books, listening about 50h of Podcasts about chess and Neuroscience(for chess, including the Chessmood-podcast of course) , but those Kids keep beating GMs and when I ask them how they train , they answer something like “I don't train at all", “nah, I don't like reading”, seriously, a 14-year old kid rated 2200-fide told me he doesn't chess at all.
Because my chess club now focuses on them, they basically left me behind,
don't support me, treating me like sh*t.

I can't explain it, I'm already feeling that it's late for me, 16 and only ~2000, while I know that I am capable of more.
I have an upcoming tournament in a bit more than a month from now, actully it's 2!  16 Games in one week (7+9) in open tournaments with Titled players and GMs, I want to take a break from chess as I am disgusted, but then I'd like to make a comeback at these tournaments, but I don't know how, what to do before the tournament, should I train? What should I train?
Why should I train this?.

I'd be happy for anyone taking the time to read this post and giving advice.
Thanks in Advance, and have a great Night Chessmood-family
 😁😀😘

Replies

Hello!

I am 13, and rated 1871 FIDE, so consider how seriously you want to take my advice.

How often do you play tournaments? It sounds to me that you may be stressing and tiring yourself out a lot under the pressure of achieving greater results. 

Second, what have you changed since 2-3 years ago? What helped me to cross 1600 was simply playing new openings and picking up different skills from them. If you play tactical openings all this time (or are naturally a tactical player) maybe try some positional openings (and vice versa of course.)

As for the blundering part, I cannot fully answer as I suffer from the same thing myself. What has helped me though, is studying “Noticing your opponents resources” (or something like that) by Dvorestsky.

Fourth, it seems to me that you may be losing your love for chess. I understand your angry, etc, but maybe try and re-kindle that love? The ways that work for me (if you need some suggestions) is solving  beautiful studies, and just playing sacrificial blitz.

Finally, if you want to talk more, you can message me on Lichess “ARMANDAS_130”.

I hope this gives you some new insights, and good luck on your journey and upcoming tournaments 😁.

If you feel at the level of MF in terms of chess knowledge, but you don't improve your rating, you should play fewer tournaments a year. Choose some tournaments a year and prepare well for these tournaments. As for what you should train, you should consult a coach. I recommend playing 6 classical tournaments a year maximum. I tell you this because the same thing happened to me a year ago. I had approximately 2000, I played every month and ended up with the same 2000 due to the fatigue of so many games, although I reached a peak of 2200 in the middle of the year.

Well done on being so open and honest, and sorry you're having a tough time. You're a much more accomplished player than me, so I don't want to give you advice on how to train.

What I would say is that it comes across very clearly from your post that you've sadly fallen out of love with chess. I suspect you're not playing to your full potential currently because you're finding the game frustrating and you're not in a good place in terms of your mindset and mood. I get the feeling you would benefit from a break. 

Perhaps you could consider taking a few weeks away from the game? Make it a clean break - absolutely no playing, studying or puzzling, nothing. Instead, fill your time with something else. Take up running or something. 

After a while, hopefully you'll get the bug again and come back re-energised and your performances might improve as a result.

I would also suggest that when you do return to the game, focus less on your results, more on the process of playing and your performances. If you get the performance right (i.e. you play well) then the results will look after themselves.

Hi,

I don't want to repeat what others said, so I'm just saying two things:

Okay, the first one is actually a blog post: https://chessmood.com/blog/lasting-love-for-chess

The second is that I agree with Philip on taking a short break and everything he wrote. I'd just like to supplement it by saying that it (a short break) can also help to remove bad habits (we all have them).

Try to remember why you loved chess, smile when you remember 🙂

Hi , the main thing seem to be your mood . Comparing yourself with younger promising kids is negative . Everyone is different and you should focus on your weaknesses to improve that specifically. Analysing your games and taking into account all external factors should pointed out the problems . Having a coach to help you do that can be part of the solution . To keep on raising becomes more difficult and we all have plateau at different levels , to overcome that takes time , patience , humility and efficient work . Good luck ! 

Similar to what Denis said below, you need to realise that everyone has their own chess journey.  Focus on your own journey, on your  own enjoyment, on achieving your own goals, and on improving your own knowledge and skills.  At your age and level there are still plenty of great things that you can do in chess should you wish to.

For your upcoming tournament I would recommend the following training:

– solve plenty of tactics, with the vast majority being between easy and moderate difficulty, but make sure you're taking enough care to see all the key lines and get a high percentage correct.    You need to build your confidence and practice accuracy.

– revisit some of the favourite games you've played in the past to remember the feeling of playing well.

– study a few inspirational games by famous GMS.  Perhaps even memorise one or two and then show them to some chess friends.

– do some light opening revision.  Regarding theory, focus mainly on avoiding opening disasters and reaching playable middlegames where you are familiar with the important ideas.

Good luck!

You might be playing to many tournaments without learning from the games. Do the bold-unbold technique https://chessmood.com/blog/bold-unbold-technique and don't start another tournament without unbolding most of the things you learnt from the last tournament you played. I am not 100% if this will help though

I can totally understand the frustration you’re feeling right now. You’ve put in a ton of effort—reading books, listening to podcasts, training—and yet it seems like others, especially younger players, are overtaking you without much effort. This situation can feel discouraging, but it sounds like you’ve fallen into some traps that are blocking your growth, not just in chess, but also mentally.

Trap 1: Comparing Yourself to Others

It’s easy to look at other players—especially younger ones—and feel like you're getting left behind. But this constant comparison is feeding your ego and creating unnecessary frustration. As Avetik says, focus on your own growth rather than measuring your success against others. Just because someone else seems to improve faster doesn’t diminish your potential. Everyone’s journey is unique. Detach from others' progress and redirect that energy toward your own improvement.

Trap 2: Results-Oriented Thinking

You mentioned being stuck around the 1950 rating and feeling like you're plateauing. Ratings can be a helpful tool, but when you focus too much on them, they can overshadow the joy and growth in the game. Like Avetik often says, detach from the result and shift your focus back to the process of learning. Your rating will naturally follow once you let go of this need for quick results. Enjoying the game and building skills will ultimately help you improve faster than obsessing over your rating.

Trap 3: Expecting Perfection and Beating Yourself Up

The anxiety you feel during games that last 4-5 hours and cause you to blunder isn't because you're not capable—it's because your ego is getting too wrapped up in the outcome. This leads to stress, which clouds your focus. Avetik suggests that instead of worrying about what the result means, focus on playing your best moves in the moment. The enjoyment of solving each position should be the reward, not just whether you win or lose.

Mindset Shift: Focus on Growth and the Joy of Chess

What if, instead of feeling the weight of expectations, you saw each game as an opportunity to learn and enjoy? Avetik often says, "Results will follow your growth." The secret to getting to the next level isn’t just more training or pushing yourself harder—it’s learning to love the process, making your blunders and setbacks part of the journey. When you focus on input, like improving small parts of your game or refining your thought process, the output (results) will naturally improve.

Avetik's Approach to Detachment

In one of his articles, Avetik talks about how Kobe Bryant focused not on winning, but on constant improvement. The key was detaching from the results and just focusing on playing his best. If you can bring this mindset into your training, you’ll start seeing chess as something to be enjoyed rather than a stressful task that defines your worth.

TL;DR: Forget the rating, forget the comparison. Focus on your love for the game, enjoy the process of learning, and trust that results will follow. By detaching from the outcome, you’ll relieve the mental pressure and start playing at your full potential. This next tournament could be a fresh start, not because you’re chasing a rating, but because you’re rediscovering the joy of chess.

Good luck, and remember—you’ve got this!

Hi Bd3,

I feel with you! 

I talked about the same issue to GM Noël Studer once. He told me that the problem might be the difference between skill and knowledge.

Your knowledge is more and more increasing according to what you tell. But you could lack the skill to bring it on the chess board. If you are interesed in further investigation: Just google skill+ knowledge+ chess and find many articles on this subject. And find out that you are not alone 😃 Good luck!

French Exchange with delayed c4

I am have a diificult time with the French Exchange where White plays c4 on move 6. Because I have developed my dark squared Bishop to d6, the c4 move opens an attack post for the light squared White Bishop on c4 after the exchange of pawns. I researched this position on some online databases, but I cannot find any example games. Please advise, thanks.

Replies

Hi,

According to the BlackMood course on this (How we should react against 3.c4), exchanging the pawns means a weak d4 pawn for white, and GM_Avetic recommends to do this after white moved their light-squared bishop (losing a tempo). However, if we've already played Bd6… well, I only started to play the Fench attack only a few days ago, but in my understanding move order is somewhat important because of this problem. So, before c4, I'd move my light-squared bishop first (Bg4 instead of Bd6), then the queen and sooner or later white has to play either Nc3 (so no c4 move) or the bishop (then the later c4 can be taken because of the tempo). Thus c5 is no longer a threat (also covered in the course).

So, generally speaking, instead of solving the problem, try to avoid it.

But I'm not sure that not winning that tempo is such a big issue, so you might simply take it as well in this position and start attacking the d4 pawn.

If it's suboptimal, someone wiser please correct me.

Hello!

I do not play the French, but here are my thoughts.

First, allowing c5 (especially with our bishop on d6) is dangerous as now White achieves a space advantage.

In order to counter that (let’s say we have White another move so 7. c5 Be7) we need to use a pawn break. In similar positions those are e5 (to attack d4, the base of the pawn chain) and b6 (attacking the head of the pawn chain.).

B6 is usually less effective as it is on a wing (e5 is central) and it attacks the head of the chain not the base. Since we don’t have an e-pawn, allowing c5 is not good Unless we get another target.

If we want to allow c5, this suggests Bb4+. However after Nc3 Bxc3 bxc3 (we take the knight as otherwise our bishop might get trapped) the resulting positions are not practical and just hard to play for Black. I wouldn’t reccomend this.

This really leaves dxc4 Bxc4. Now you cannot play your setup anymore as Nge7 runs into Ng5. So instead Nf6. Play might continue Nc3 0-0 0-0 Bf5! (Now you want to play Na5 potentially) and you get an interesting IQP game. Objectively equal, but a simple plan is to play h6 (stopping Bg5, pretty important) Ne7, c6 , and Ned5. After that do usual IQP stuff.

Here is the line from the position. 6… dxc4 7. Bxc4 Nf6 8. Nc3 0-0 9. 0-0 Bf5 followed by h6 Ne7 c6 and Ned5.

Sorry for the long post, but I hope this helps. 

Caro-Kann question

When I first joined ChessMood back in June, I noticed that there wasn’t a course on the Caro-Kann, which happens to be one of my favorite openings. I was a bit disappointed to learn this but decided to proceed with my purchase anyway. I’m glad to see that the Caro-Kann course is now available, but I’m curious as to when it was released. I didn’t notice it initially, and only found it after browsing through all the courses again. I looked around the site to see if there was a release date for the course, but I couldn't find one.

Could you please let me know when it became available? Also, if there’s a specific section of the website where release dates are listed, I’d appreciate it if you could point me in that direction. If not, may I suggest adding release date information somewhere on the course page?

Thanks for your help!

Replies

It looks like I got excited to fast! :( your course is about how to defend against the Caro-Kann. This makes me sad some. But I can still use it some. I really hope to see a Caro-Kann Course soon., 

Dear Steven,

Our Caro-Cann course is from White’s side.

And it has been there for several years.

For Black we don’t offer Caro-Cann as we already have our suggested repertoire.

We tried to offer some practical and easy to play positions 🙂

If you are keen to learn Caro for Black, there might be some other sources.

We might add more openings for Black in future, but it’s not decided yet and can’t tell for sure if we will have Caro or not.

Different players - different preferences :-)

I hope even without Caro-Cann you are still en your experience on our website.

Good luck, and let us know if you have any other questions :-)

Ratio of Wins/Draws/Losses

Hi all,

I just accepted an invite to play a daily game on Chess.com.  I don't know the person so thought I'd take a quick look at their profile.  Their ratio of Wins/Draws/Losses for daily games is 156 / 22 / 8.

Is that a suspiciously high amount of wins or just the sign of somebody that chooses to play against lower rated players a lot (I'm around 1100 in daily and they are 1600).

Replies

Logically, few people would have win rates far from 50% because of the elo system and matchmaking. However, my guess is that they are repeatedly playing a friend, which is skewing their statistics.

There could be other explanations, including cheating, but I highly doubt it.

A quick update on this game:

It was a normal opening and then I made a couple of mistakes (not full-on blunders but not ideal) - thinking about it, that's normal for me too!  My opponent seized on these mistakes and I ended up being a piece down.  Nothing unusual there - I'm still learning and I would expect an opponent 500 rating points above me to capitalise on my mistakes.

The game continues and I begin to build an attack.  My opponent fails to spot the threat until it is a mate-in-3 scenario and then very sportingly offers me a draw!  And before I've even finished laughing at the offer of a draw they challenge me to another game.  And then, presumably because my continued laughter meant I didn't respond quickly enough to the new challenge … they sent another challenge!

I declined the draw and both challenges and finished off the game.

Perhaps this is normal behaviour among some chess players (I've seen it twice in the last week) - “I've basically lost this game and my ego is so fragile I'll see if my opponent will accept a draw offer because they a) feel sorry for me, b) accidentally click on the button to accept the offer, c) don't realise that they are way ahead.” - but it seems pretty unsporting to me.  Not the sort of player I'm going to want to play another game against.

What is your experience of this kind of draw offer?  (I'm guessing that it doesn't take place at higher rating levels - I can't imagine Hikaru facing a mate-in-3 scenario against Magnus and offering him a draw!).

King Safety Course?

For Avetik and the GMs:

I have a weakness of king safety and I do not see any material on it so can you guys upload a course on it? 😀

Replies

Hello Yiding Luu!

There is already a course about King Safety under the name “Spartan Shield”: 

https://chessmood.com/course/spartan-shield

If you still struggle with King Safety after the previous course, you can watch this course too:

https://chessmood.com/course/chess-defense

There is also a blog by GM Johan Helssten about it: 

https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-defend-in-chess-8-must-know-defensive-ideas

If you're managing multiple chess accounts or platforms for learning and want to maintain privacy while switching between them, tools like masqad.com can help ensure you're doing so securely and without detection.

Updates on Opening Courses?

Hi , I am a big fan of chessmood content and I can say it helped me a lot in my overall chess skills.  I am coming back to chess after a long break so I am curious to know if chessmood is updating their opening content. As their course is analyzed in 2020 I think and now theory advanced so what new changes coach Avetik did to keep advance players updated!

Replies

Hi Abhi,

Nice to hear you are back. we are planning some updates in future about some openings, however constantly changing the repertoire is required on GM level.

as 99.9 point of our students aren’t GMs we are going to keep the openings as they are super sound on the levels of our student.

Good luck :-)

Anti Sicilian

Hello! This is my first time posting here so sorry if i didn't compose my  discussion correctly 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6… My question is how do you play this line. Do you take the knight right away and then transpose to some line from the course or do i play Nf3? I cannot find this in the course. It doesn't like it is a big deal but if there is some nice advise i am open to listen  🙂

Replies

Hello,

you did everything perfect :-)

After for example 3..e6 we take on c6 crushing black's pawn structure.

Then we continue with d3, f4 and Nf3 getting an improved Rossolimo. That's because 

we can play f4 before Nf3 (in the Rossolimo the Knight is already on f3).

It's mentioned here, start at 1:55

https://chessmood.com/course/sicilian-defence-part-2/episode/780

Pgn of the stream event

Hi , I would like to downloaded the pgn from the games played in the stream events directly on chesscom and I don’t know if it’s possible . I went into profile of different chessmoodracer account and the games are there but I can t use the fonction explorer to visualise them either . I m on iPad , is there anything i can do ?  I wanted to build a data base of all of them . I m trying to figure out the best way to use the knowledge from the event and to be able to get back at some specific game and recorded videos… thank you 

Replies

Denis,

I just got to the games on chess.com on my computer (via Chrome Browser)

I searched for ChessMood_Racer_808 which was the account used for the most recent stream by GM Gabuyzan. That got me to the account stats with all games listed.

Then I tried using the chess.com app.  That is a bit more confusing to me, but I figured it out. Search for the account, then you should see "Recent games". To get the full list of games played, click on “Blitz”, and if you scroll down you will see a list of all the games.

Hope this helps!

Hey Guys,

Since we are playing numerous amount of events, I would recommend you to pay attention to the games we are adding to model games ( for both simplified and advanced openings)

As among many games we are choosing the best ones. 

Thanks

Repeated offers of a draw

Hi there,

I'm currently playing a daily tournament game and my last move forks my opponent's king and queen meaning that he has effectively lost his queen (and is already down 3pts).  He has now twice offered me a draw!

Is there any way to switch off draw offers?

Replies

As agreeing to a draw is an official way to end the game, it dosent make sense for that to exist.

If you are playing on the web, there should be a button under the draw offer that says to hide draw offers for this game.

If not, just ignore them. Don’t accept or decline. If he offers you a third one, politely ask him to stop and report him.

It is annoying yes, but I like to think of it as an advantage, if you blunder, he simply might not notice and you can escape with a draw!

Anybody who only wants to draw should be an artist, not a chess player

He finally makes a move instead of offering a draw, loses his queen, and … offers another draw!!!  What a muppet :-)

Petroff Doubt

In the Petroff Course, I have a question 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nc5 10.h4 a6 11.Ng5 h6 Now here, you have suggested 12.Nxf7 which is a killer blow no doubt and the arising position is very promising but suprising the position becomes 0.0 where as if you play 12.Bc4 the position is a minimum +2.0. I agree that we should not use engine evalutions so much but in the blunderproof course, it was there in one section that upon analyzing the games, if the evalution because like +3 to 0.0 or like+2.0 to 0.0 you should pay some attention to it. Please let me know if I have made any mistake. Thank you ChessMood family!

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I tried to look at this line, but I am not an expert! And I certainly don't speak for Avetik. He is capable of speaking for himself :) 
But here are some thoughts:

1.  There is a small error in the line you gave. On move 6, white recaptures dxc3, not bxc3. 
2.  I don't get the same computer evaluations. What I see is the difference between 12. Bc4 and 12. Nxf7 is 1.6 to 0.3. This is still a significant difference. From nearly winning to a small advantage.
3.  It seems to me that the engine thinks that opening up the h-file by allowing Black to hxg4 and capture the knight is the best plan. 
4. I don't argue with the computer, however humans are incapable of playing with the precision that the computer affords. So, which line is more practical for us to play? That's still going to be a choice. Both lines are tricky, but it's much easier to follow the thread in the Nc7 line. And while opening us the h-file looks great, I kinda like the idea of Nc7 followed by Bxc5 resulting in Black's queen sitting on the open file facing the white rook. That's going to make Black nervous!
5.  You've posed a good question. I hope that what I written makes sense.

Dear Ak chess,

If the difference with a strong engine is so big, than it sounds reasonable to follow it, instead of the suggested move.

May be the offered choice is a practical one, but the move you are suggesting is stronger according to the engine.

Thanks for interesting question, and good luck!

Jeff thanks for your help as well 🙂

Old dog learns new trick!

For those who may not be familiar with it, there is an old saying in English: “You can't teach an old dog new tricks”. This is used to refer to someone who is set in their ways and can't (or won't) change their behavior.

I am thrilled to announce that this old dog (me!) has learned a new trick :D

I spent some time over the last couple of days to finally figure out how to mate with Bishop and Knight. I had avoided it, thought that it was really hard, and made other excuses (I'll never get that position in a game). But I actually always wanted to master this endgame position, and now I'm pleased with myself.

Cheers to everyone. Happy Chess to you all.

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Well done Jeff 😎

Oh very neat!

I've been meaning to try my hand at learning the B+N technique. Did you learn from the chessmood videos, or is there a different resource you could point me to that you found effective? Lots of practice before you felt comfortable, I assume?

Good for you! Even high rated players fail, especially with little time on the clock! 

nice! it liberating to know it. 
As said below, it is explained in the Must-Know Endgame Theory u2000 course on chessmood, section 15. 
I also like Danya's video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRK7XLhGz_c

it's a very detailed explaination, but it also has a very lightening introduction, when he says that it's useful not because it happens often, but because if you don't know it, you might misplay some position because you fear they might result in a k+b mate. Now fearing to go into thoses positions won't be a problem anymore. 

Hey guys any news when Fixmood is coming out 

For some fun, try: https://www.chess.com/endgames/checkmates/bishop-and-knight-mate/challenge

Speak up! Please :)

Everyone that I have interacted with here at ChessMood is pleasant, thoughtful, and helpful. BUT, the forums are too quiet!

We are family, so we should communicate with each other more (my opinion!). So, let me challenge everyone reading this to post to the forums at least 2 times per week. That's not a lot. But take some time to respond to someone else's post, or to share something about what you are doing. 

I'd love to hear more about how you are succeeding. I'd also like to know what challenges you are facing. What's your favorite chess game of all time?  When did you start playing chess? What was the largest tournament you have participated in? What's your favorite color???

So many things that we can all share. It doesn't all have to be from GM Avetick,  GM Gabuzyan,  and the rest of ChessMood GMs and staff. YOU have a voice, and I'd love to hear it.

Be good, people! :D

Jeff

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I couldn't agree more - you can almost hear the tumbleweed some days!  I do my best but I'm a beginner so I can't always offer the most inciteful of comments 😉

• * I'm really enjoying my chess journey so far and making slow but steady progress.
• * The main challenge that I am facing at the moment is reducing my blunders to help me reach my short-term rating target of 1,000 on Chess.com.
• * I haven't studied many classic games so far.  My favourite is probably Morphy vs the Count & Duke in 1858 (the so-called “A night at the opera” game).  Basic develop your pieces, castle early(ish), and finishing with what is now referred to as ‘Opera Mate’. : https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1233404
• * I started playing chess regularly (as much as time permits at the moment anyway) at the end of 2023.
• * I haven't played in any ‘real’ tournaments, I just play in the club tournaments on Chess.com to gain experience against higher-ranked players.
• * My favourite colour is probably green.  Wait, that's not what you meant is it?  I'll say white.

What about you?  How would you answer your own questions?

I'm feeling tilty and ragey because I stupidly hung a knight. Perhaps Kasparov was right and women can't play chess. Sigh.

I am from Quebec, Canada and I m travelling to Greece this week to participate in the  aco world amateur senior championship  ! 

Hi, it's Ervin from Hungary.

I started playing chess at the age of 5 or 6. We had an FM as coach at a local school. Looking back, I've realized that I was lazy and didn't work hard and smart enough, didn't understand the concepts deeply enough, so it gradually became stressful and lost my love for chess and I had a 10-15-year break. Got recently back.

Nowadays the challange I face is that I have other duties (work, family with little kids) and I'm perfectionist, I want to complete all the courses to finally start playing again, and I only have few hours/week (usually early in the morning or late at night) and even that little time can't be fixed. So I feared I'd never find a sparring partner with so chaotic schedule.

Then, from some encouragement from GM_Avetik himself (met him personally for a brief time in the Chess Olympiad last week) and some self-adjustment in my habits I got back my good mood.

Best game? Maybe not the nicest game, but I've defeated a GM in a simultain a few years ago! But I'd like to mention my favourite tactics instead: throwing a bomb. It's beautiful, making the enemy pieces block each other's path.

I like playing as Black, I've always had better results with it (had better/deeper repertoir). Now too, only two ChessMood openings to learn.

Hello!

I am making progress in big jumps, just happens out of nowhere it seems :)

My main challenge is to stop blundering. It is getting really annoying when I do that after playing a neat game!

They would both be mine, one is a double (would be triple!) rook sac!

The other one is a beautiful endgame. 
If you would like, I can post here.

I started playing chess in 2020 Christmas, I got a chesscom membership and a chess board as gifts!

I have participated in the World Open 2023, which featured big learning from me as I ended up 0.5 points from a huge prize (I drew the final round in a winning position :( )

Red or Yellow.

As for chess, I used to be a big fan of Black, but now that I’m trying a new repertoire, I’m more confident with White.

Hi, it's George from Greece!

My chess lately has become some kind of stagnant, but slowly moving upward… nMy main goal is to stop blundering when I am not in serious time trouble. Seems that environment distractions play an improtant role in my performane, so I try to minimize them. Maybe sometimes I lose because I experiment with other opening repertoire that the chessmood one (I joined cheesmood when I was like middle-to-lower intermediate level, so I play 2 variations against most openings, the chessmood and the ‘older’ one). I use chessmood GOLDEN METHOD, except for online arenas.

Usually when I win, it comes from very good use of the bishops, so I avoid exchanging them. I am not that good in closed positions that require a lot of maneuvering, usually I tire up and make some kind of mistake. This is proven by the fact that my favourite chess masters are Kasparov, Tal, Spassky, the old Lasker and on 2nd scale, even the not-so-appreciated Nezhmetdinov. Anyway, lately there is some progress, I am approaching 2000 chess.com rapid and going back up to alomst 2100 lichess rapid.

I am not FIDE rated, but I play high level tournaments in lichess and chess.com to gain experience aginst higher rated opponents. Recently I played in the Crestbook Blitz, even against GM Sergei Shipov, and managed to achieve a winning score against opponents that were mostly 2200 and up, and facing another 2 NMs and 1 FM, apart from Shipov (I drew one of the 4 which is far more decent for my capabilities and ended up with +46 Blitz points in total). This was achieved by mainly solving puzzles, adjusting  their diificulty to at least +300 according to my rating at any time (harder lichess mode healty mix). I am generally better at lower time controls, streams by Zhigalko Sergei have helped me in this, even though I don't know (Bela)Russian.

Finally, to answer to some of your qusetions:

*favourite color: blue (this is always my chess.com chessboard color)

*favourite chesss piece: bishop

*favourite chess game: hard choice, but maybe I will choose the Lasker-Capablanca with the Nh1!

*learnt to "move the pieces" at 6, started taking it more seriously at 2019 and even moree during covid

What about you? How do you mainly succed in chess and how much is your rating?

Hi, this is Joachim

I am a chess beginner and started with ChessMood half a year ago (had a Rating of 900  in a club league). Since then I studied the ChessMood Openings and the Tactic Ninja but on a low level of investing time, roughly 30 min a day. 10 min studying and 15 min playing online in average. And I play one game over the board every second weekend in the club (90+30 min sec)

My resumee so far: I have learned a lot understand better what is going on on the chess board and my rating raised by 200 points. 

Thanks to Avo, Hovhannes and all the chessmood students who answered my questions in the forum.

best

Joachim

Chess as a collaborative game

Hi!

I was watching the chessmood interview with Eric Rosen (one of my favorite streamers). 
It's a very interresting discussion. Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfBY_VZBGhk
There is a segment where Avetik and Eric discuss the competitive personalities of the chess players and how often it gets in the way of learning collaboration between them. Avetik says that it would be the thing he wish chess would not have taught him. 
I've been thinking about that since yesterday, because it relates to discussions I have had with different people through the last year. I often says that chess is a competitive activity during the game and a collaborative one after the game. That is why I like OTB so much, and one of the things I like about playing OTB is that we can discuss and analyze the game with our opponent (and often bystanders too) afterwards. This can create lasting links (it's how I met my sparring partner). There is a lot to say about this collaborative talk after the game. First of all, I like to say that a chess game is a story, and without that talk we only know half of the story, the one that goes in our mind during the game, and miss the other half that goes in our opponent's mind if we don't discuss it afterward. But it's also one of the most instructive moment in the game, when we can analyze lines that were not played, discuss the openings and mistakes that were made on both sides. It's were we see that most chess players are inhabited by that strong problem solving pulsion: we're not competing anymore, we are working together to understand what were the best lines in the game. 

Avetik and Eric discuss very well how competition push us to keep secrets from each others, so we'd have those secrets weapons against our opponents. They are right of course. I also want secrets weapons :) 
But I feel there is also something to be said about all those detailed publications, all those talks, all those courses that the chess community produce. It is within a competitive framework: to make our students, our club, our fellow countrypeople betters than others at the game; also, to make money with it in this competitive frame. But it is also close to how scientist procedes, sometime with a similar language ("this move poses a question", “this move make an argument”, “you have to justify this sacrifice”, “this line is refuted”): all of this create a huge discussion that aim to the holy graal, solving the whole game. Career-wise, scientist are in competition with each other for the funds, for the glory of making some discovery before the others, for tenured jobs, for nobel prizes; but they are all in it for science. And I feel that even if chess players are in strong competition against each others, they very often are in it for chess too. 

I would like to hear your toughts. It is new for you, or have you already felt that chess could be a collaborative activity, if yes how so?

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I love this post, Bernard! What a wonderful analogy you draw between chess players and scientists, how in both cases people are looking out for themselves but they are able to appreciate the efforts of their “competition”.

I remember the first chess tournament I played in, back when I was 15 (wow! that was over 50 years ago). I was unrated and my first opponent was probably rated 1800-2000. I was completely outplayed, of course. When we finished our game my opponent said “Let's go talk about the game.” He proceeded to go through the game giving me pointers and explaining to me clearly what his plans were in the game. It didn't matter if I was some youngster who really didn't play very well, he treated me as an equal and someone who shared an appreciation for chess.

When I am at a tournament, I always try to be gracious in victory and to talk with the opponent about my thoughts on the contest. When I am the loser, I try hard to avoid making excuses and minimizing the win for the other player. “You outplayed me” is what I want to convey. And I can actually be happy for my opponent, understanding the pleasure that they get.

This is something that I find missing in online chess (for the most part).  You login to chess.com or lichess, hit the “Play” button. Play the game and then leave. Most players don't post anything in chat. I almost always post a “Good game” (win or lose). But online chess is (in my opinion) largely dehumanizing. It's nothing like playing over the board.

This is one thing I like about ChessMood. There is a sense of community (or family, Avetik would say). I want to help nourish that sense, which is one reason why I'm trying to post more on the forums and draw people into communicating. Rather than “player xyz34524” I want to know “Bernard Ducharme” - I want to make human connections with others who love chess.

I'm not completely happy with my level of chess. But I'm trying to fall in love again with this game. Like I did when I was a teenager and my friends and I would play chess in class in high school by passing notes!

Again, thank you for sharing your insights!  You have captured some very important ideas in a few paragraphs. Bravo!

Partner for carokann defence, and queens gambotit

If u hav anyone, who knows well about carokann and queens gambit, please partner for my daughter, under 1500 level, refresh for her, helpful for her

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Dear Jovith,

Under this thread on the forum people make friends and partners - here is the link https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/studysparring-partner-1362

Good luck!

marking the watched events

😀

Hey

is it possible to add a feature to the recorded events videos just like the courses in which it marks the ones you watched and resume the ones you havent finished?

for me, I have been away from chess for 2 months almost and I want to see all the missed events but cant rememer which ones I watched and which I havent.

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Dear Zaid,

Thanks for your suggestion, we might consider adding this kind of feature if get the request from many other students as well.

Hope to see you more often during the streams in live mode :-)
Good luck!