Chess forum by Grandmasters

The winners of September

Hello ChessMood Family! 
We are very excited to see, that each month the quality of the games are becoming better and better. 
Thanks for all the games you've posted! 

The 5th prize goes to @Abhi_yadav for his crushing the Caro Kann. 

The 4th prize goes to @Karl_Strohmaier for crushing the Scandinavian with his nice Nc6! 

The 3rd prize goes to @Ash_Pv for his brilliant game with Modern Maroczy.  The two breakthroughs d5 and b5 and the conversation of  2 bishops advantage was very nice.  The game will be added in the "model games" section of the course.  
(Here is the link: https://lichess.org/mzo41NxE/black#79) 

The 2nd prize goes to @Jaylen_Lenear for his nice positional game which he finished with two knight sacrifices. 

And the winner of this month becomes @Keok_Woltek who sacrificed almost all his pieces :) 

The guy who improved the most, comparing to the previous month is @Aayush_Shirodkar! 
For which he gets 50k. 

Congratulations, winners and everyone who raised their rating improved their game, or enjoyed playing chess this month! 

See you in the next month's competition. 

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Thanks a lot 

Thank You So Much, Sir!

[Book] Defend Like Petrosian

Defend Like Petrosian by Grandmaster Alexey Bezgodov has just been released on ForwardChess: https://forwardchess.com/sample/defend-like-petrosian.  (There are free sample sections to see if you like it.)

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Thanks Hunan, Nice one!! I have many books on Petrosian, my grand father (he taught me chess when I was 4 years old) used to tell me that in chess I defended like a tiger. Now that I am older, I do not know how the tigers defend, but I like Petrosian's style a lot because it is completely opposite at what I do... ;-) Best!

Is there a chess doping, food or drink or capsule, etc? Like in limitless movie?

Is there a chess doping, food or drink or capsule, etc? Like in limitless movie?

We use good coffee for mood buster, before play in tournament.... Is it good?

Thank you. 

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I think yes, there is. But I will never try it. Coffee is always a good and safe idea :)

@Heri_Darmanto

Beta Blockers.

Coffee, mate, tea, maybe even water!

Meditation

Missed a pretty mate!

I was in this position as white, and played gxf6 missing a pretty mate!

Put a + in the comments when you find the mate, but dont give the answer away, so others can have the chance to find it too!

Also let me know if you think you would of spotted it with 29 seconds left on your clock like I had :)

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Unrelated to the question: why not Rxh1?

I found it in 10 sec +

I found the move quickly because I knew there was a mate but it took me more than 30 seconds to make sure it was totally forced. Definetly, I would not have found it in the game. I would have played Rxh1

Chess Mindset

Mindset mind·set (noun) The deeply held beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions we create about who we are, how the world works, what we are capable of and deserve, and what is possible.

 What do you think, ChessMood family, what is a strong chess mindset?

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My mindset is simple because I do not think of a lot things. I am super positive, confident, never give up attitude. My mindset is like I will be champ soon because I am working with amazing chess partners like @Jay_Garrison and @Devansh_Shah. I do not think more. 

I would sum up a strong chess mindset as:

- I believe I can. I know I can if I am committed enough

- I never surrender and rise like the Phoenix from the ashes if necessary

- Mistakes make me stronger (and wiser)

- I am determined to walk the long and winding road to the end

"Never Give Up" Attitude 

We Can Call It a Mindset?

However, This Attitude/Mindset Has Helped Me A Lot in Chess And In My Life!

So For Me, This is a Very Important Attitude/Mindset!

Knight+Bishop mate

The hardest mate in chess is knight+bishop against the king. Many players even grandmasters have missed a win and finished their games draw. Do you know how to win? Has it happened to you?

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I took the time to learn this mating pattern in a video by Var Akobian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OGAiz5p_L4

He makes it easy to remember the pattern.

I have not yet had the opportunity to use this knowledge in a game yet though!

oh hehehe, my story is super funny about this mate. It's so rare mate right? But back in 2013 when I started learning basics of chess from useless resources then I learnt oh B+N can checkmate. I felt so surprised because it was new thing for me. I had no video of mating pattern that time so I tried to checkmate my virtual opponent's king with bishop and knight and I did that but without method so next time when I tired this mate then I failed.  Then I found a new video and I learnt the technique. I called it I V N then W. this way I remembered the final pattern well. And guess what happened? In the very next tournament my opponent gave his final two pawns and said draw because I had bishop and knight and I was also unrated and he was 1450. I said no it's a win. He said do you know this checkmate? I said yeah. Then I checkmated him and due to my victory my team got a draw against a very strong new delhi team. So it's funny but amazing story. Like I learnt something and in the very next event I had the chance to see that over the board. That's why soon     I am gonna learn atleast these two endgames.

1. B+R vs R endgame and Queen vs Rook all defenses. Because I do not know but I feel like I will get those positions in my real life soon. Even though they are so uncommon but I prefer not to give my opponent any chances to hold or win.

I learnt it from a video by Simon Williams and then practiced v stock fish.

I managed to get the mate down under 30 seconds actually!

Its very tricky but once you know the technique its just a matter of practice 

Physical preparation

As it is well known, it's very important to be in a good shape not only with chesswise but physically too.

It's very interesting to ask what kind of sports do you prefer? Is there any that you are doing systematically? 

P.S https://chessmood.com/blog/the-right-way-to-prepare-for-a-chess-tournament Also if You haven't read this article yet, click and correct your mistake :) 

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I don't focus on physical stuffs but I will work on it before the tournament. As I am a heart patient so I dont like any physical games but I like to walk slowly.

Hi master @WIM_Siranush_Ghukasyan if you find time then check out this post which I made and give your opinions. Only one FM is active there but I still need more strong players there so we will reach the conclusion

https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/carlsbad-ideas-lets-debate

Kettlebells!

Well, I do Karate!

The War

Hey Champions!

I've recently been asked a lot, because of the war now Armenia is in, are we going to continue our events and uploading more courses?

Yes, we're going!

I believe that the war is not only on the border with weapons. There are also informational wars, economic wars, cyberwar, and others.

And the best Armenian nation can do now (who is not with the weapons now on the border), to do his job as good, as he had never done.

So, we'll continue all our events, updating and uploading new courses and the rest. 

P.S 
In a few words, what has happened - you can find here: 
https://gagrule.net/armenia-has-no-motive-to-start-a-war-azerbaijan-was-the-first-to-start-thomas-de-waal

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Sorry, please be safe and I hope everything gonna be alright

Botvinnik on Ragozin

Ragozin vs Botvinnik (1930)

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1031740

Fascinating game, but sharing here because of Botvinnik's note at the end.

"[Ragozin]'s chess intuition was phenomenal, and he often saw things which others did not notice. He achieved a lot in his chess career, and would have achieved more had it not been for his gentle character. Well, why beat about the bush, he was a little lazy."

Botvinnik, Half a Century of Chess, Game 10, p.27.

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Morra Gambit

Avetik,

I met this trying to play Sicilian, any advice on how to proceed.  I have copied the game below, which was won when my opponent timed out, having wasted 12 mins or so?!

[Event "Rated Rapid game"]

[Site "https://lichess.org/yDZTYByG"]

[Date "2020.09.28"]

[Round "?"]

[White "rappster"]

[Black "amicusUK"]

[Result "0-1"]

[BlackElo "1716"]

[BlackRatingDiff "+38"]

[ECO "B21"]

[Termination "Time forfeit"]

[TimeControl "900+10"]

[UTCDate "2020.09.28"]

[UTCTime "20:42:18"]

[Variant "Standard"]

[WhiteElo "1679"]

[WhiteRatingDiff "-5"]

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d3 4.Bxd3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.O-O Nc6 7.Bc4 e6 8.Be3 Nge7 9.Ng5 O-O 10.f4 d5 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Bd2 a6 13.Kh1 b5 14.Bb3 Na5 15.Bc2 Nc4 16.Qe1 Nxb2 17.Qh4 h6 18.Qg3 hxg5 19.fxg5 Nc4 20.Bc1 Bb7 0-1

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This is covered in the Sicilian Sidelines course. 

After 1.e4 c5 2. d4 cd 3. c3 we play Nf6. It is all covered quite well by GM Gabuzyan. 

Good Luck!

Fide ratings

How much is your current rating and how much was your highest?

My current rating is 2222. (seems so beautiful, but I think 3333 is more beautiful :D)

The highest was 2261.

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Hi

My current is 1491, highest 1607, a lot to improve.

I am only 1465. This is my highest. I played only 3 rated events. So 1303 then 1423 then 1465. Second tournament I played with some prep so gained 120 elo. Now doing extreme prep to get 200 elo hehehe.

2116 USCF.  Never had a Fide rating!

Mine is 1703

Post your fav. Attacking Game

In this post, all chessmood family members are welcome to post their fav. attacking game. I think attacking is superb if it's well organized. I am learning basics of attacking so this game came in my mind. I chose this game to prove that girls are not losers in chess. I heard from many people who think that chess is only for boys. I know their thinking is so narrow but if anyone in chessmood family think like girls cant be super strong then see how the superb Judit Polgar Crushed one of the greatest attacker Alexi Shirov in style. This game I saw years ago but still I loved it. Because the way in which she crushed him was so great. Or I can say, she crushed him like a melon ( A term I use with my bestie)

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1111195

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Easy to say.This is the best attacking game ever

(Also can you recognize the players?)

Benko Gambit Opening most effective used in Classical Chess, Rapid, Blitz or Bullet Chess?

Benko Gambit Opening most effective as Black againta 1.d4, used in Classical Chess, Rapid, Blitz or Bullet Chess?

Thank you for advice.

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This is just an opinion, may not appeal to someone :D

GM Sam Shankland on Benko Gambit:

I think anyone with half a brain knows that White is objectively better, but of all the lines that Black can choose where he accepts a worse position for practical chances in an unbalanced game, I think the Benko is one of his best options.

-----------------------

Some strong players use openings like Benko Gambit, and Modern defence to confuse and outplay their weaker opponents. If you do a simple search on chess databases, you will find out that strong players use these openings mostly in rapid/Blitz/Bullet games, where their opponents do not have enough time to find out the best moves against their home preparations. In classical games it is rarely played against strong players. 

Strong players have their own analysis and repertoires that is not available to the general public. We will have access to these analysis when these top players use their preparations against their opponents, and thereafter some analysis appears in chess literature. In other words, they profit this lack of knowledge to trick out weaker players, although they know their position is worse.

I do not like to put my energy and time learning something that will be refuted in future...

For example, nowadays, it is rare to see  Alekhine defence at top level. But it was used long time ago by one of the best players ever: Alekhine!

I didn't play Benko in classical chess, because when I studied, It was already covid situation so there were no tournaments, but it really works in blitz, I have very good results.

Post your fav. Chess player's Pic

Post your fav. Chess Pic ever in this post. I love Fischer So I chose his pic. Omg in this pic he looks like I am playing hehehe. Joking. I think his eyes and hair looks like mine hehehe.

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Did you recognize him?

Garry Kasparov. He is irreplaceable for me.

Somehow I can´t copy and paste the pic. So heres the link to the picture, with one of my favourite quotes :) 

Do you know who I´m talkig about? 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_bU8i4WsAEMcNw.jpg

Magnus Carlsen. I like him as a person and of course a incredibly strong player.

My All Time Favourite Player : Mr.Viswanathan Anand

Guess who he is ;-)

Happy pieces

ChessMood family! 
Here is a game for everyone who loves our course "Happy Pieces" 
https://chessmood.com/course/happy-chess-pieces-the-art-of-keeping-your-chess-army-happy

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/5507881040 
Check it out from move 18 to 33. 

Right Mood - Right Move! 

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Nice educational game. Will add this one in my base!

~ Imp. of Classics ~

Today I felt so happy that I recognized some positional things in game analysis. All credit goes to Chessmood's mentors and Jay for his time. Today we reached the diagram position I am sharing in the bottom and I don't know I started to feel like I saw this kind of breakthrough somewhere.  I also told him that I think the pawn formation in that interactive session was h6 g5 but yeah it was h4 in the end. In the end I told Jay that I feel like I saw this kind of position in Chessmood Interactive Lesson about how to win a drawish game. Today I forgot the real title so I felt enthusiastic about checking that lesson. So once I checked that lesson I found the same concept which Capablanca applied in his game. Fixed the kingside pawns and breakthrough in the queenside. I know for an expert it's an easy to recognize but for a player like me I felt so happy that I remembered the takeaways from interactive lesson and I was a bit right about position. Thanks coach for telling me about imp. of classics so I am now slowly but surely started to recognize those patterns in my mind.

For those who missed that wonderful stream can check the link in the bottom and see the recording of that amazing lesson.

https://chessmood.com/event/interactive-lesson-with-gm-avetik

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See those pics

In both pics there is a similarity that kingside is locked and black can do well in the queenside. Also in the end Capablanca also had pawn on h4 and g5 fixing the kingside and winning in the queenside. I am glad that I felt like i saw a similar game or position in past and I did. It was coach who showed us a wonderful game in which all white needed was draw and in the end black who was in must win situation won!

In both diagram in queenside play you can easily see similarities. In the first one it will be simple to imagine ideas such as place the black's king to the queenside and prepare well time a4 or c4. But in the interactive session position black can prepare this with b6 c5 and well time c4 stuffs. So I think its pattern similarity.

What's your opinion guys?

Post your fav. Positional Game

In our studying sessions we see many classical games but there are some game which we love and we feel so happy to see that game. In the current post I want you guys to post any positional game which you think was superb positional masterpiece.,

Here is my one of the fav. game and it's again of Great Karpov. This game not only teaches us how to  play Nd2 well against french but it also explains key ideas of the french Nd2 pawn formations. This game also explains the power of prophylaxis in chess.  Also in the end the final combination was superb. 

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1068410

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Najdorf or Dragon?

I have been concerning this question for a long time. I know to play well this openings, thus not letting my opponents to take the initiative. On the other hand, I have studied many classic games, truly magnificent examples of how to fight them. ( I have to confess that my favourite chess player is Super Nezh).

When it comes to dragon, a significant drawback ia that it has a lot of sidelines and requires huge theoretical knowledge. People who are not helped by their memory would never choose it. In addition, although it is a solid opening with a monster bishop on g7, black's position can get unsafe very wuickly, if the one who's playing black is not able to handle the opponents initiative. Also, black is losing a tempo by playing 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6  3. d4 cxd4  4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 ... because he is playing d7-d6-d5 and not d7-d5 at once as in the accwlerated dragon. Of course, I love ro face the dragon since it leads to a tough battle. 

On the other hand, someone who is playing the Najdorf should be very careful, and set defence as a priority. Furthermore, he should be able to handle potential weaknesses, especially the e6 pawn in Fischer Sauzin attack and english attack. The game is more positional with the closed variations and when black keeps the king on e7 square.

All in all, I have been in this dillema for a long time and I decides to publish it to see what you think. Waiting for your answers guys. ;)

Replies

Hey Giorgos.
Overall, if you are ready to learn lots of complicated lines and you don't have problem with Memory - Najdorf is a good choice.
Accelerated dragon is also a solid and agressive variation. + is that there is not so much thing to remember. Another + is that if White doesn't know the theory, Black can get a big advantage. (This happens a lot during the streams, our PRO Members can confirm my words.) 

So, both are fine. Up to you. 

man I personally prefer Accelerated dragon . Even if you have nice memory I still prefer to use it to learn classics like chessmood recommends and study games and in case of opening as you have AD which is super solid and agressive then there is no need to focus on complicated lines right now . Just enjoy AD.

If you prefer to play Najdorf, you can play it as a lifetime repertoire. but you cannot play dragon beyond 2300 level.  another issue is usually lower-level players will prefer to play closed Sicilian whereas, in master level, players prefer to play open Sicilian. so in the lower level, there is less chance to get the Najdorf even if you wish to play it.

Fischer was one of the greatest Najdorf players ever, let us see what he says about Najdorf and Dragon:

1- Fischer said that a turning point in his career came when he realized that he can play for a win with Black too, even against the strongest players.

2- Fischer's Anti-Dragon recipe: "Pry open the h-file, sac, sac... mate!" (commentary on Fischer-Larsen, Portoroz 1958, "My 60 Memorable Games")

If you enjoy tactical games, both Najdorf and Sveshnikov give you excellent chances to win with Black, at the price that you give excellent chances to White to beat you in an unbalanced position. If you are a positional player and you like manouvering and endgames, Caro-kann. 1-e4-e5, and Taimanov Sicilian are better choices for you. 

Thank you all but as I have solved the problem and I have finished accelerated dragon course I have great results, winning my opponents with crushing attack. I also use Schevenningen and Najdorf in shorter time controls. It is real that I don't have any memory problems. My pgn files are bigger than my level I think, 5 times more than the 1st screen.

Posting game in embeded replayer

Hey guys

If anyone could help me this would be great and its been bugging me all day. I am a bit strange like that I have to know everything!

So I saw in the sept games thread some games posted in a nice looking replayer thats embeded into the site. I can't work out how to do it (tried both lichess and chess.com embed features)

If there is a site people are using or I am just doing it incorrectly it would be great if someone could show me how!

Thanks Jamie

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Hi Jamie,

It is easier than it seems. You just have to click the option "Add New File" and select a .pgn file, and magic works ;-)

PRO Members

I wonder how long have you been a PRO Member and what have you learned during that time? :)

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