Chess forum by Grandmasters

I need some help

Hi guys. Am relatively new to chess. Been playing for a few months and not improving at all. Can you guys suggest for me a way in which I can study chessmood courses suited to My level (700 rated ? I know am shit) . Any advice is appreciated.

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Everyone was 700 rated once, so think of it as a base level rather than being a bit s**t. The good news is you'll rapidly increase that with the right study. 700 honestly is a little low for chessmood (it's the level you know how to move the pieces, but not a lot else), but that's not to say you won't get something out of it. At this level I would focus on the following things: Playing a lot of games, certainly minimum 5 3 speed, but maybe as you progress 10 0, 15 0 or 15 10 so you have more time to think. After opponent's move ask what were they trying to do, did they make a mistake. Try not to overthink, just look for threats, and keep an eye on checks, captures and threats as well as king safety. In the opening try to move each piece once, and the minimum number of pawn moves to control the centre. Work on avoiding putting pieces and pawns on squares where they can be taken or are under defended (count attackers and defenders and check that you don't give away more valuable pieces during the exchange). Be able to quickly see when the opponent is leaving material on en-prise. Work on noticing the actions of the long pieces (bishops, rooks, queens) so that you don't miss what they are attacking at the end of the their line of attack. Work on noticing that there are multiple directions pieces can attack and not to miss attacks because you didn't consider all the options (a lot of this becomes automatic quite quickly). Work on simple tactics and checkmates - the two courses tactic ninja and mating matador are great for this (try to get the gist, many of the puzzles will be too hard for you right now). The openings 101 course and pawn endings (just enough to play K + P vs K from any position), plus start to look at the simplified whitemood and blackmood openings. After you play check against the course to learn if you were doing the right thing. Finally watch the streams, particularly the ones that start from 800 or so and up. Look at what the opponents do wrong and listen to the commentary. Also see how the GM's development, placing of pieces and speed of development compare and try to absorb this. Also outside of chessmood, I would recommend on YouTube Ginger GM's Speedruns which start from about 800. Even though the openings will be different there is a lot of information there on what players of those ratings do wrong (which you can the avoid and punish opponents for). Also if you're a pro-member posting in the pro channel will mean that GMs will be aware of the post and answer. The main channel while open to all is a little hit and miss for replies. Good luck as you start your journey!

Hi friend, 
Once you know how to play chess, you can benefit from the sections "Rating Booster" and "Simplified ChessMood openings," especially the opening principles course. 
However, while we believe that ChessMood is the best solution for 800-2700 level, for below 800 level ChessMood isn't the best...yet! 
We're preparing now step-by-step courses for below 800 players. 
If you have purchased a membership, I would even recommend canceling your membership, and waiting for the email from us, once we upload the courses for beginners. 
If you're in the 30-day period, you can ask money-back too. 
We're not here for making money, but serving and helping the chess players. 
Right Mood - Right Move! 
CoGro (Constant Growth)

Hello fellow Chessmood user. 700 is a pretty good rating for someone who is new to chess, when I started chess I was 400, when I discovered Chessmood I was 1100. Chessmood (in my opinion) is more suited for 800+ because below that level, most of the content may be to advanced. Most beginners will not follow theory (no offense to beginners who do follow theory). So most of the opening courses will be pretty ineffective at beginner level. However, Blunderproof and Tactics Ninja can suffice for your needs. Try to think as your opponent, think about what they want, then try to sabotage their plan. After they have no counterplay, then you should start thinking about what you want. In the opening, if you don't know theory, follow these four rules and you will be fine. 1. Control the centre 2. Develop your minor pieces 3. Keep your King safe 4. Take space without overextending I hope you improve and when you get better, you can rejoin the Chessmood community!

Benko 3rd move deviations: 3. Nf3

Hi guys! Is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 covered? I get this in my games and would like to spice it up... but White does not cooperate!!! Thanks Andrea

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Well I meant 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 I still needed to take my coffee!!! :D

Hi Andrea,

As our members mentioned 3…cxd4 is what we play, and either transpose to Maroczy bind, or positions with Fianchetto setups.

Good luck!

Chessboard awareness

What are some good exercises for better board awareness? Something that will build up brain muscles to spot them quickly, instead of going over the opponent's last move (and other pieces).

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I worked with the book Cognitive Chess: Improving Visualization and Calculation Skills by GM Konstantin Chernyshov and it was very helpful! (Maybe best if you already are 1700/1800+ at least)

Was recommended by GM Shankland - choose some simple to solve tactics, find some way to have the location of the pieces read out to you. Solve the problem in your mind.

The obvious one is to solve a lot of puzzles including studies.

Hi Faik,
 

First of all, you need to be at the top of your concentration. Of course, it's tough always to be 100% focused but keeping numbers like 80+ is real. Once you are in a great focus I believe tactical vision is very important. You need to know some common patterns and as well be able to see the ideas. Our courses Tactic Ninja and Mating Matador will help you in a tactical sense, and blunderproof course can be useful as well.

Rossolimo question

Hi guys! I've a question what is the best reply against 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4 Bxc6 bxc6 5 d4 ? Today i start the open championship of my province(state) of Quebec. I am in excellent chessmood and i will have fun. My goal is to get 6/9 its a strong open so we will see. Tx guys have a great day!

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5.d4 is a strategic mistake. The idea of 4.Bxc6 is to compromise Black's pawn structure and play against Bc8 at the expense of handing them the bishop pair. 5.d4 enables Black to repair their pawn structure with 5...cxd4. It also opens the position, which only helps Black's bishop pair. After 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bg7, Black is already slightly better and can easily finish their development. Good luck with your tournament!

Hi Jonathan,

Peter N provided a very clear explanation. Bishops feel better when a position is opened, and d4 only favors black.

New article: How Quiet Moves can Turn Around a Game

Hello champions! Hello ChessMood family!?
 

Today’s article is written by super GM Pavel Eljanov! 

It’s a super interesting read for players above 2000 rating where Eljanov talks about: 
 

✅The most important skill in chess in his opinion.

✅When should you look for quiet moves.

✅Why it’s hard to notice quiet moves with 2 specific pieces.

…and more. 
 

Check it out here?

https://chessmood.com/blog/quiet-moves-in-chess

After reading, you can share your thoughts under this forum thread.

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Game 2: did I miss the explanation of kh8?

When I think of quiet moves with the King, I'm immediately reminded of Kasparov's Kh2 vs Karpov in the Lyon match way back in 1990. One of my favourite Kasparov games. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty-16QZubRA

Whitemood Opening Games

Hi, Can we please have a Whitemood Openings Games section (simplified version), just like the Blackmood Openings? Rgds, Debasish

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I am sure that in the near future we will do it but it is not a priority in our agenda right now.?

We have other courses in the making but in the meanwhile you can check the games of the streams played by Avetik with the Whitemood and Blackmood repertoires. Also, since almost 90% of the openings are the same as in the advanced White repertoire of the course Rock and Rolling with White were you will find many, many instructive games. 

https://chessmood.com/course/rock-n-rolling-with-white

The Blackmood games was a different case since the repertoire offered in the more advanced course is different.?

chessmood is sufficient ?

if i study all material of chess mood in next 12 to 15 months i will it all definetely right now i am doing the opening course and coureses from rating booster section so my question if finish all material of chessmood and i will play 16 to 20 tournament in next 2 years so can achive 2000 elo from 1403 ?

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Well, that will depend on how well you play. Certainly with the material that we offer, if you study it and understand it, anyone can improve a lot. The rest is up to you, you have to play and win a lot of games in the tournaments that you will play. To learn and deeply understand all the material is not easy but many people have done it with the right studying attitude. 

As for the question if with the Chessmood material is enough, yes the material that we offer will help you to get there, you do not need more sources, we are sure of this but the most important thing is YOU.

You have to study, play, analyze your games, etc… We can provide the best material in the world for you to improve in one site but the rest is up to you.

As an exemple of this fast improvement please check this interview with one promember of Chessmood who went from From 1933 elo to 2400+ in 1 year! only studying Chessmood courses and playing well of course:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRQIvD4agNM

Happy learning and happy improvement Punit!?

Coming Soon "Defense"

Hello, About 2 weeks ago there was "Defense" course in "Rating Booster" section and it was "Coming Soon Aug 17". But suddenly it disappeared. Is there any publish schedule?

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Hello Pan Tsi, ?

The first sections have been published on time.

“Defense” was just a temporary name. The definitive one is Spartan Shield - 7 Key Concepts to Shield your King
 https://chessmood.com/course/spartan-shield

Check it out and happy learning! ?

How to complete 'all' video courses in a year

Hi Y'all Just study them for 60 minutes a day. Minimum. I took out my trusty Excel and with a series of copy -pastes and search-replace, I just discovered that (as of 27/8/22) there is currently: - a total of 61 video courses - with a grand total of 315 hours 40 mins of video learning content. So doing the math of 315.67 divided by 365 gives 52 minutes a day (rounded up to 1 hour) to cover all the content produced so far. Hope this helps someone. Frankie "Durian Defense" Kam Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Haha interesting statistics Frankie,

However, we are on the way to upload a lot of content and new courses )) For example I strongly believe soon it will be a different number at all ??

Good luck!

But why the focus on completion. It should be on getting the most out of it which might take several rewatches, notes, asking questions, testing stuff out. Continuous improvement not quantity of material.

Introduce yourself

ChessMood Family! 
Let's introduce ourselves so we know each other and keep growing together! 

1. About yourself
2. Your chess level
3. Your goal  

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I am Pascal age 61 from France

My Fide elo rating is 2216

My goal is to win 100 points every 100 games : so first step (Fide master)

Hello ChessMood family!

1. My name is Jay Garrison and I am 46 years old.

2. My current rating is 1724 USCF (1816 peak) and I am unrated with FIDE.

3. I will be the first amatuer over 40 to become a GM. Check out my facebook page @thechessambassador for the full story and to follow my progress! and throw me a like to the page while you are there :)

Brad Pevehouse from Texas USA

My online Elo ranges differently from site to site. I guess I'm about 1366 but it fluctuates wildly. So I really don't know. My goal is to reach 1600 standard rating by the end of this year and move toward my ultimate goal of 2000 and keep it there consistently. When I reach 2000 I will set a new goal. Hopefully I can do this in 2 yrs.

I am Guenter from Austria, 55 years, FIDE Rating 1959
Goal --> to develop from a good to a very good trainer ;-) 
and to look towards 2000 Elo

Hi This is Bhabatosh Chowdhury , I am originally from India and lives in Chicago. 

My last known chess rating in USCF is 2016 ( 12 years ago ) , I dont have FIDE rating . 

I have very little tournament experience but make no mistake I am better than my rating , My goal is to improve my chess, I am not worried about Titles and rating . I love this game and want to improve as much as I could and this is my new start @41 . I strongly believe that success always follows hardwork , so rating/titles will come when it has to come.

Hello ChessMood Family ! I'm glad I found you. 

 I'm  from Athens Greece, age 20. 
My FIDE rating is around 1850 - online I am usually between 2000 -2100 . 
My goal is to one day acquire a FIDE title - I'm sure the stuff here will help me :)

1. Hello all, my name is Faik (35y old) from Bosnia. I started playing chess during 2020 2. My rapid rating on chess.com is ~1750 3. Get (any) FIDE title in next 3 years

Taking the upcoming e3 Benko for a spin

Some interesting things from this line looking at the analysis. First we can ignore ?! on 5... g6 - computers don't understand the Benko Perhaps 9... Ng4? was too soon. The computer wants to play Qa5 which isn't our line, so maybe 9... Bxa6 is better here. Move 14 is interesting. While Bxa6?! must be okay here, I completely missed the idea of e5 and if fxe5 then Qh4 is coming. So after e5 Be3 exf4 Bxf4 Qh4+ g3 Qe7 - there is some nice play on the e-file. Finally the prophylactic 18... Nc7 - the knight doesn't do a lot here right now, so the computer offers c4 and doesn't mind losing the c pawn if White attacks it e.g. Qe2 Nc5 Qxc4 Qb4 Qxb4 Rxb4 getting back the pawn.

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9…Qa5 is very interesting and it would be my first choice too trying to wait a bit more. The idea is to develop and try to exchange Queens or exchange on a6 on the right time, there is some Karpov game in the course with the same idea, if White captures with Bxa6 with Qxa6 we stop White castling. Ng4 is too fast since the QS is still undeveloped. Nice game by the way David!?

Nice one, thanks for posting.

Using affiliate link on existing account

I would like to purchase an annual subscription through this link https://chessmood.com/?r=ElCapa. However, as soon as I log in, the 20% discount is no longer available. How can I take advantage of the 20% offer on my current account?

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Dear Manuel,

Please for this kind of technical questions contact our client support directly. They will gladly help you. Here is the link for contacting them: https://chessmood.com/contact

Thanks a lot!?

Stafford gambit

Dear members, I got into a stafford gambit as follow 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nc6 4. Nxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Be2 h5 7. h3 Qd4. Here i went 8. 0-0 and got crushed after 8.. Ng4 I saw that 8. Rf1, is GM Avetik recommendation. But what do you recommend after 8.. Ng4 in my game? Thanks and have a good day.

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8.0-0 is a strong but also risky move. White is winning but needs to defend very accurately - a single mistake can cost the game. I'd recommend to analyze with an engine to familiarize yourself with the concrete attacking and defensive ideas. To answer your question, until now I thought that 9.c3 is the best continuation (I've won many online games with 9...Qd6 10.e5!), but apparently 9.hxg4 followed by g3 and Kg2 is even stronger.

The most important thing to learn is to remember always to play Rf1 and to “never” castle on the king side in the Stafford. That is 8.Rf1 in this move order, next time you will get them!! ??

Anti Sicilian 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nge7

Hello, 

I have a question on the best way to play the following position. I've tried 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qf2 or even Qd2. 

In the stream today 12/7 and in Gabuzyan's webinar back in April (see link below) 

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Hello Vishnu,

I would say that you are right in the first part. Wait for g6 and then often d4 is a good choice.

And my opinion is no need to be worried about 6...d4.

Up to me, you can go 7.Na4. Now, c5 is under attack. Not really clear how to protect it. And after you can play b3-Nb2 bringing the Knight into the game. 
Overall d3 is not that scary, loses too much time. 
I belive Na4 is one of the best options to react.

mating matador quiz, proposal

Dear coaches, the course is nice. I would propose to add some words about the positions where it occurs (from which opening the mate position arose), could be interesting sometimes.

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Dear Marius,

I believe for some part of our auditory this kind of details may be interesting, however, it will not add any learning part and will be very time-consuming. 
Recently all of our time is going on producing new content and as you have seen we added and continue adding more courses.

Thanks for the idea!
Best Wishes ?

Mating Matador Quiz - 56/242

Dear members, the official solution, Qxh6 and Be5# is show-off but Qg6 also does the job, doesn't it ?

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Yes, Qg6 is fine too. I think I've hit a couple cases where only one solution is accepted. PS: I wasn't even aware of the quiz until reading this post. Should be displayed more prominently!

How did you insert/embed an image? Oh never mind. I answered my own question.

Hi Marius. Yes, Qg6 also does the job. The difference between Qxh6+ and Qg6 is that if you play Qg6, it is not a forcing move and Black can play Queen move with check (for example Qf1+) which in this position just delays the mate by one move. Let me put it another way: The Qg6 move is a 'torture my opponent' move. The Qxh6+ move is an 'execute my opponent quickly' move. After Qxh6+ is played, it is FORCED MATE in 1 move - Black has absolutely no chance whatsoever to play another move ,as any other move would be illegal. So the moral of the story is when you see a forced mate sequence, go for it. In another position, if you played a Qg6 non-check move, Black may have a trick up his/her sleeve. Sometimes we miss our opponent's saving trick move, and our smile turns into a frown. It just so happens that in this position, after you play Qg6, Black has no good moves. But why take chances? Just Check! And Mate next move! Regards Frankie Kam

92 doesn't make sense. The trap ..Qe7 could easily be defended against.

Benko - Italian?

Good day chessmoodians! ? I've seen newsletter about the benko improvements coming up and watched the video - great news, looking forward to it. ? I just remember hearing somewhere that there is this variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 a6!? It's kinda like delayed benko? or benoni? ? I heard the term italian defense used as well. This variation looks very cool as a surprise weapon btw. Do you guys know any sources for this opening (I didnt find any books) and will chessmood release something about this in the future? Thanks

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Hey Paulius! 
The idea belongs to our students and our friend Nicolo Pasini. That's why we called it Italian :) 
There are no are sources. 
It's mainly Nicolo, his friends, and Armenians developed it further. 
We might record something about it for 2400+ players. But definitely not now. It is very-very-very advanced. 

Benko course - updated version

Is an update to the Benko course still in the planning? If so, is it possible to know more or less when to expect this course to be ready?

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I've been wondering about when we'll see the Benko course updated too. Ideally the "Wish us lots of energy" thread would be renamed to simply "Roadmap" and the main post would be edited to include things like the Benko update. I don't think a precise day is required - just the month would be fine.

Hey Yair, Peter and everyone!

After lots of meetings and analyzing the games and results of ChessMood students, we saw a very deep gap in the middlegame play...
So, we decided to start from there.

We are always following our principle "To give our students what they need."  Giving what they need, it's much difficult to market, but we want one thing: To see our students succeed. And we wholheartedly believe, that courses like BlunderProof, SLP, WWP and others will improve your results the most. 

About Benko, and other opening courses, we'll let you know when we have an estimated date.

 Of course we will update them, but we are giving priority to the upcoming courses scheduled in the courses page. 
Thanks for your understanding! ?

Hey everyone! 
I'm very sorry for delaying the Benko… 
With Gabuzyan we even prepared the whole material and he was ready to start recording, when we started to analyze our students' games and saw what they were doing in the Middlegames… :( 

Also, I want to be honest and transparent with you. As always was and were with you like a brother first and then coach. 
Friends, you don't see what's going on here, many things… The financial challenges we're facing, how much we're losing every month, how much I'm struggling, how I'm coming to office at 6 AM and leaving and 9 PM, 6 days a week :( 
How my wife haven't time to go the city where her parents live. How I didn't see my parents for 1 month who lives 2 km from me :(  
We have lots of challenges, friends. And if we don't grow, if many new students don't join us, ChessMood will be in big danger :( 

So there is no point, to spend 2 months, record and edit a course, and then declaring bankruptcy and goodbye :( 

Friends, I'm facing lots of challenges, and fighting them. And believe me, time-to-time I have to make unpleasant decisions and choices. I could just stay in Thailand, and enjoy my cozy life… But I'm doing all this for you, for the chess world and I'll keep doing it. 
Once we stay back on our legs, we'll get more time to spend on advanced courses. 
For now, I'm hoping your understanding and support. Even if you're sharing ChessMood with your chess buddies, its already a lot for us! 

Thanks again, 
Your Avetik 

I came up with an idea! 
What if you just write downs in this post all your worries. I mean variations were you feel trouble. 
And Gabuzyan either will record 1 advance section (before recording the full course), or we'll have a webinar. 
What you say? 
If sounds good, go ahead to comment your worries in Benko :) 

All right, champs! 
So, we've added a video in the advanced section of Benko, and we'll hold a webinar to answer all remaining questions. 
Please, take a look and try to attend to webinar, so we'll not need to come to the forum each time for another small question. 

Cheers! 

Profile....

Hi, I must change my e-mail address on my profile but impossible. Nevertheless It's easy to modify rating, name or bearth date....but not e-mail. Thanks for your help.

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Dear Jean-Marie,

Please for this kind of technical questions contact our client support, here is the link https://chessmood.com/contact

Good luck!?

Converting better endings

Hello ChessMood family In the past few games I am not able to convert better endings {Like I was 2-3 pawns } Any advice/suggestions are welcome Thank you in advance

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I found it useful to always tell me: "no need to hurry!" When you're winning by quite a margin it may be tempting to get impacient and give away little things in order to get to the finish line. Like "okay, I give back one pawn but get to trade this annoying piece" or "okay, this gives me a weaknes but I get to advance this pawn"... and so on... One of those "trades" won't harm you but if you start thinking this way it is dangerous that they add up and you may end up with an endgame that is hard to win or even drawn. So I think it is better to keep calm. Even if it takes some time and you feel that you should be winning more quickly, your advantage won't slip away and sooner ot later it will be enough to win. I hope this helps a little...

Know which positions are drawn and try to avoid your opponent getting them: rook's pawn draws, wrong bishop for corner, philidor position in rook endings, well known fortresses...

Practice your endings by trying out the Daily Puzzles. Lately quite a few endings in these puzzles. Very tricky, always with a twist here or there. Plus you get to earn 500 more MoodCoins each time you get the puzzle right all the way.

Hi Pragkya,

Since you are asking about winning positions (2-3 pawns is a huge advantage) firstly I will inform you that the course WWP (Win Winning Positions) is on the way and we will have it in the near future.

On my end I will recommend exchanging the pieces if you have extra material, and if there are dangerous passed pawns be alert and don't let them be advanced too much.