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Chess forum by Grandmasters
Scotch Game (4:Qf6)
Dear, Gabu
I hope everything's well! I had this question come up in the scotch game and facing problems even 2300+ opponents are playing it. Please help me on how to continue and what the plans and ideas are.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/2y4K4ZNJ7g/analysis
Sincerely, Pawn
Replies
It looks like after bb4 there is a deadly pin and if I get bd2 my position is getting really passive. I was preparing this line for a tournament and didn't really understand and facing it a bit frequently online now.
Silent Strategy Quizes
Hello everyone😀,
On the end of each chapter of the course silent strategy (a course that I find very insightful), the conclusion says that there should be a test to see how your knowledge has improved through the chapter. However, when I try to find them, they are nowhere to be seen (neither any tests). Does anyone know where to find these tests? If so, please respond.
Thank you😀
Replies
Hey there,
We have section 8 as a test youw knowledge section - the thing is, positional topic isn't always very concrete, and creating quizzes with a single solution is an issue. Depending on the level, it can be a good idea to watch 100 commented strategic masterpieces, as you will see lots of these concepts applied in practice :-)
Well this was an absolute steaming pool of diarrhea
Blundered a one sided win into a draw. Sigh.
Adrenalectomy vs queenchess8686: Italian Game: Giuoco Piano • lichess.org
Replies
I'll analyze your games
Dear Students,
Have games where you are not sure if you played correctly or not?
Were there moments where you always wanted to know the correct plan?
Please post your games with your comments and questions here.
I’ll pick the most interesting ones and we’ll analyze them together during the live event on Dec 3.
You can also vote for others’ games by pressing the thumbs-up button.
Love,
GM Avetik (or Avo as my friends call me)
P. S. Usually, our live events are for PRO Members only.
This one is open for Essential students as well.
See you on Dec 3? 😊
Replies
[Event "Open Lucerne - Catégorie A"]
[Site "Lucern"]
[Date "2025.11.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Bonferroni, Carlo"]
[Black "Zeqiri, Mustafa"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[GameId "2240492377456966"]
[EventDate "2025.10.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Ne2 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nd2 Bf5 10. Nf3 Rc8 11. Re1 Re8 12. Ng3 Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. Nxh5 Nxh5 15. Bh2 a6 16. Qd2 Nf6 17. Ne5 Nd7 18. f4 Ncxe5 19. fxe5 Nf8 20. Re2 Qd7 21. Rae1 Rc6 1/2-1/2
[Event "Spilimbergo - Open B"]
[Site "Spilimbergo"]
[Date "2025.08.14"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Bonferroni, Carlo"]
[Black "Rossi, Gianni"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B03"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[GameId "2210097825267727"]
[EventDate "2025.08.11"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. f4 d6 4. d4 Bf5 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 Nb4 9. Bb3 d5 10. a3 N4a6 11. Ne2 c5 12. c3 Nc6 13. Bc2 Bxc2 14. Qxc2 cxd4 15. cxd4 Rc8 16. Qd3 Na5 17. Nc3 g6 18. Nb5 Qb6 19. b4 Nc4 20. Nc3 Nb8 21. Na4 Qc6 22. Nb2 b5 23. Qb3 Nxb2 24. Bxb2 Qc2 25. Qxc2 Rxc2 26. Rf2 Rfc8 27. Rxc2 Rxc2 28. Rc1 1/2-1/2
(5) Klolberg,Lars (2094) - Logie,Bernard (1822) [A57]
Altea 2025 (7), 14.11.2025
[berna]
1.d4 Pf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.b6 g6 [5...d6 6.Pc3 g6 7.Pf3 Lg7 8.a4 a5 9.e4 Pfd7 10.Lb5 0–0 11.0–0 Dxb6 12.Pd2 La6 13.Pc4 Dd8 14.Ld2 Pe5 15.Pxe5 Lxe5 16.Tb1 Pd7 17.De2 Lxb5 18.Pxb5 Pb6 19.b3 Dd7 (19...f5) 20.De1 c4 21.Lxa5 Tfb8 22.Lc3 cxb3 23.f4 Lxc3! 24.Pxc3 Pxa4 25.Tf3–+ b2 26.Pd1 Da7+ 27.De3 Dxe3+ 28.Txe3 Tb4 29.Ta3 Tc8 30.Ta2 Tc1]
6.Pc3 Lg7 7.e4 d6 8.Pf3 Pbd7 [8...0–0 9.Le2 Pbd7 10.a4 a5 11.0–0 Pxb6 12.Te1 e6 13.dxe6 Lxe6 14.Lg5 h6 15.Lh4 g5 16.Lg3 d5 17.exd5 Pbxd5 18.Le5 Pxc3 19.Lxc3 Dxd1 20.Texd1 Lb3 21.Tdc1 Tfd8 22.Pd2 Le6 23.Pc4 Pd5 24.Lxg7 Kxg7 25.Pe5 Tac8 26.Lc4 Pf4 27.Td1 Td4 28.b3 Tb8 29.Pc6 Txd1+ 30.Txd1 Lxc4 31.Pxb8 Lxb3 32.Ta1 c4 33.Pc6 c3 34.Pxa5 Ld5 35.g3 Pd3 36.Kf1 c2 0–1 Cafolla,P (1908) - Logie,B (1822) 2025 (R 6)]
9.a4 a5! 10.Pd2 0–0 11.Pc4 Pxb6 12.Pe3 e6! 13.Lb5 exd5 14.exd5 Ld7 15.Le2 Te8 16.0–0 Lc8 17.Lb5 Ld7 18.Le2 Kjolberg Lars 2094 - Logie Bernard 1822. R7. ½ - ½
½–½
[Event "Open internazionale \"Città di Biella\""]
[Site "Biella"]
[Date "2025.09.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Bonferroni, Carlo"]
[Black "Vinci, Francesco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[GameId "2228507392578810"]
[EventDate "2025.09.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. Nc3 a6 7. Qe2 d6 8. Be3 Bxe3 9. Qxe3 Nf6 10. f3 Qe7 11. O-O-O Be6 12. g3 O-O-O 13. Bg2 Bxb3 14. axb3 d5 15. Qf2 d4 16. Ne2 Qb4 17. Nf4 Ne5 18. Qd2 Qb6 19. Nd3 Nxd3+ 20. Qxd3 Rhe8 21. Qc4 Re7 22. Rd2 Re5 23. c3 Rc5 24. Qxf7 Kb8 1/2-1/2
Hi!
I played with the black pieces in an over the board tournament and, at some point, I couldn't move. Because of this game, I stopped playing the King's Indian Defense against d4.
Is the live event going to be recorded in case we cannot attend the live session? Thanks a lot!!!
[Event "Orlando Annual Tournament"]
[Date "2025.09.21"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anthony Cipollina"]
[Black "Francisco Goldenstein (me)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/a/edaaVk7Q2LKmp/analysis?move=47"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d6 5. e4 Bg4 6. Be2 O-O 7. Be3 Nbd7 8. O-O
c5 9. d5 h6 10. Qd2 Kh7 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Ne5 13. Be2 Rc8 14. f4 Ned7 15. g4
Ng8 16. Rae1 Nb6 17. Bd3 Qd7 18. b3 e6 19. f5 e5 20. Rf3 g5 21. Qf2 f6 22. h4 a6
23. Qh2 Qe7 24. Ref1 Rc7 25. Ne2 Rf7 26. Kg2 Nd7 27. Rh1 Rc8 28. hxg5 fxg5 29.
Qh5 Ngf6 30. Qg6+ Kg8 31. Rxh6 Nf8 32. Qxg5 N8h7 33. Rxh7 Nxh7 34. Qxe7 Rxe7 35.
g5 Bf8 36. f6 Rec7 37. g6 Nxf6 38. Rxf6 Rg7 39. Ng3 Be7 40. Re6 Bf8 41. Nf5 Rd7
42. Bg5 Bg7 43. Ne7+ Rxe7 44. Rxe7 b5 45. cxb5 axb5 46. Bxb5 Bf8 47. Rh7 Bg7 48.
a4 Rb8 49. Be7 Rb7 50. Bxd6 Rb6 51. Bc6 Rxb3 52. Bd7 *
Beat a GM in this game. Guess whoo (:
https://www.chess.com/game/live/145110940980
https://lichess.org/1YJ9F6Fq/black#0
99.6% accuracy with 3 BRILLIANT MOVES!!
My favorite opening against the caro kann… A perfect game :)
Here's the chess.com review: https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/47SVXsjyhp/review
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. Bg5 Qb6 6. Bd3 Qxd4 7. Nf3 Qg4 8. Bxf5 Qxf5 9. c4 Qe4+ 10. Be3 e6 11. cxd5 Qxd5 12. Qa4 Nd7 13. Nc3 Qd3 14. Rd1 Qg6 15. O-O Ne7 16. Qb3 b6 17. Qa4 Qf5 18. Rxd7 Kxd7 19. Rd1+ Nd5 20. Nd4 Qxe5 21. Qxc6+ Ke7 22. Qxa8 Kf6 23. Nf3 Qf5 24. Nxd5+ exd5 25. Rxd5 Qb1+ 26. Kh2 Qxb2 27. Qc6+ Ke7 28. Bg5+ Qf6 29. Qd7# 1-0
please analyze my game (it is the latest)
[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.11.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "TheTrueDude123"]
[Black "subbutu"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "600"]
[WhiteElo "1862"]
[BlackElo "1859"]
[Termination "TheTrueDude123 won by resignation"]
[ECO "B06"]
[EndTime "6:48:23 GMT+0000"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/145531377166?move=0"]
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. h3 c6 6. Be3 O-O 7. Qd2 a6 8. Bh6 b5
9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. a3 a5 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. O-O Nb6 13. e5 Nfd5 14. Ne4 Nc4 15. Bxc4
bxc4 16. exd6 exd6 17. c3 Nf6 18. Rfe1 Nxe4 19. Rxe4 Be6 20. Rh4 h5 21. Re4 Bd5
22. Re3 Qf6 23. Rae1 Be6 24. Nh2 d5 25. Rf3 Qd8 26. Re5 Qd7 27. Rxh5 Rh8 28.
Rxh8 Rxh8 29. Qg5 Rh5 30. Qf6+ Kh7 31. Ng4 Bf5 32. Ne5 Qe6 33. Qxf7+ Qxf7 34.
Nxf7 Be4 35. Rg3 Rf5 36. Ng5+ Kh6 37. Nxe4 dxe4 38. Re3 Rb5 39. Re2 Kg5 40. g3
Kf5 41. Kg2 g5 42. f3 exf3+ 43. Kxf3 Rd5 44. Re5+ Rxe5 45. dxe5 Kxe5 46. h4 gxh4
47. gxh4 Kf5 48. Ke3 1-0
Dear Avo, here the last round game of the Spanish Veterans Championship, a few days ago.
And this one is from the same tournament, round 7. Perhaps it would be better posting it in the “Dutch Attack” section
[Event "Let\\'s Play!"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.10.09"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Blindluckinc"]
[Black "forking_horse_2000"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "1/604800"]
[WhiteElo "1654"]
[BlackElo "1582"]
[Termination "forking_horse_2000 won by resignation"]
[ECO "B90"]
[EndDate "2025.11.23"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/daily/874597417"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Qd2
Be6 9. Be2 Nbd7 10. O-O O-O 11. f4 Nb6 12. Na5 Qc7 13. f5 Nc4 14. Nxc4 Bxc4 15.
Bg5 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Qb6+ 17. Kh1 Qc5 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Nd5 Rfc8 20. c3 Qa5 21. Qg4
Qd8 22. Rf3 h6 23. Raf1 Rc5 24. Rd3 a5 25. Rff3 b5 26. Rg3 Ra6 27. b3 Kf8 28.
Qe2 Bg5 29. Rgf3 Rac6 30. g3 Qc8 31. Rd1 Be7 32. Kg2 f6 33. Rd2 Bd8 34. Rfd3 Be7
35. Qd1 Qb8 36. Qg4 Bd8 37. Qg6 Qb7 38. h4 Qf7 39. Qg4 Qb7 40. Qf3 Qc8 41. g4
Kg8 42. Qg3 Qb7 43. Kf2 b4 44. c4 a4 45. Kf3 axb3 46. axb3 Ra5 47. Qf2 Ra1 48.
Rd1 Rca6 49. Qe1 Rxd1 50. Rxd1 Qa7 51. Qxb4 Ra2 52. c5 Rh2 53. Qc4 Kh7 54. Nc3
Qa3 55. Ne2 Rh3+ 56. Ng3 Qb2 57. Rh1 Rxh1 58. Nxh1 dxc5 59. Qxc5 Qxb3+ 60. Kg2
Bb6 61. Qc1 Qa2+ 62. Kh3 Qe2 63. Ng3 Qf3 64. Qf1 Bf2 65. Qg2 Qe3 66. h5 Bxg3 67.
Qxg3 Qxe4 68. Kh2 Qe2+ 69. Kg1 e4 70. Qg2 Qc4 71. Kf2 Kg8 72. Qg3 Qc2+ 73. Ke1
Kh7 74. Qe3 Qg2 75. Qe2 Qg1+ 76. Kd2 Qd4+ 77. Kc2 e3 78. Kb3 Kg8 79. Kc2 Qe4+
80. Kc3 Kf7 81. Kb2 0-1
Dear Avo, here is my game from the Leuven Open, OTB standard game where my opponent went into Sicilian with d5:
[Event "36ste Leuven Open"]
[Date "2025.11.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ok, Miro"]
[Black "Pribylla, Amelia"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1781"]
[BlackElo "1691"]
[Annotator "sidar"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "B76"]
[Opening "Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Modern Line"]
[ChapterName "Leuven Open 2025 - Ok Miro-Pribylla Amelia"]
1. e4 { [%eval 0.18] } 1... c5 { [%eval 0.25] } 2. Nf3 { [%eval 0.2] } 2... d6 { [%eval 0.31] } 3. d4 { [%eval 0.22] } 3... cxd4 { [%eval 0.19] } 4. Nxd4 { [%eval 0.18] } 4... Nf6 { [%eval 0.31] } 5. Nc3 { [%eval 0.32] } 5... g6 { [%eval 0.41] } 6. Be3 { [%eval 0.43] } 6... Bg7 { [%eval 0.46] } 7. f3 { [%eval 0.44] } 7... O-O { [%eval 0.58] } 8. Qd2 { [%eval 0.68] } 8... Nc6 { [%eval 0.77] } 9. O-O-O { [%eval 0.54] } 9... d5 { [%eval 0.57] } 10. exd5 { [%eval 0.63] } 10... Nxd5 { [%eval 0.73] } 11. Nxc6 { [%eval 0.62] } 11... bxc6 { [%eval 0.58] } 12. Nxd5 { [%eval 0.36] } 12... cxd5 { [%eval 0.14] } 13. Qxd5 { [%eval 0.37] } 13... Qc7 { [%eval 0.02] } 14. Qc5 { [%eval 0.05] } 14... Qb7 { [%eval 0.01] } 15. Qa3 { [%eval 0.08] } 15... Be6?! { [%eval 0.64] } { Inaccuracy. Bf5 was best. } (15... Bf5) 16. Bd4 { [%eval 0.66] } 16... Bh6+?! { [%eval 1.3] } { Inaccuracy. Bxd4 was best. } (16... Bxd4 17. Rxd4) 17. Kb1 { [%eval 1.2] } 17... Rfd8 { [%eval 1.18] } 18. Be2 { [%eval 1.29] } 18... Qc7?! { [%eval 2.19] } { Inaccuracy. a5 was best. } (18... a5 19. h4) 19. Bc3?! { [%eval 1.59] } (19. Qc5 Qb7 20. Qb5 Qc7 21. Qe5 Qxe5 22. Bxe5 $16) 19... Rxd1+ { [%eval 1.44] } 20. Bxd1?! { [%eval 0.94] } (20. Rxd1 Qxh2? 21. Qxe7 Qf4 22. Rd8+) 20... Bc4?! { [%eval 1.87] } { Inaccuracy. a5 was best. } (20... a5) 21. g3 { [%eval 1.93] } 21... Qd7?! { [%eval 2.63] } { Inaccuracy. Be3 was best. } (21... Be3 22. Ba5 Bb6 23. Bxb6 Qxb6 24. Qxe7 Be6 25. h4 h6 26. h5 g5 27. Qa3) 22. f4 { [%eval 2.49] } 22... Rc8 { [%eval 2.49] } 23. Bf3 { [%eval 2.53] } 23... Bf8 { [%eval 3.13] } 24. Qa5 { [%eval 3.26] } 24... a6 { [%eval 3.21] } 25. g4 { [%eval 2.53] } 25... Rb8?? { [%eval 5.9] } { Blunder. Be6 was best. } (25... Be6 26. Rd1 Qb5 27. b3 h5 28. h3 Bg7 29. Qxb5 axb5 30. Bb4 Kf8 31. Be2) 26. Qe5 { [%eval 5.82] } 26... f6 { [%eval 6.9] } 27. Qxb8 { [%eval 6.83] } 27... Kg7 { [%eval 7.16] } 28. g5 { [%eval 6.97] } { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2025.11.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pablo"]
[Black "N.N"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A26"]
[WhiteElo "1760"]
[BlackElo "2189"]
[Annotator "psfar"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[SourceVersionDate "2025.11.24"]
c4 e5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. g3 f5 6. Bg2 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. Rb1 a5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Nd5 Bg7 12. a3 Nd4 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Nf4 Kh7 15. h4 Re8 16. Bf3 a4 17. b3 axb3 18. Rxb3 c6 19. Qd2 Qe7 20. Qa2 Be5 21. Ng2 d6 22. e3 dxe3 23. Nxe3 Bxg3 24. fxg3 Qxe3+ 25. Kg2 h5 26. Qb2 Qe7 27. Rf2 Qg7 28. Qc1 Ra5 29. Qg5 Rae5 30. d4 Re1 31. Qf4 Qe7 32. d5 c5 33. Rb6 Rd8 34. a4 Qe3 35. Qxe3 Rxe3 36. Bd1 Kg7 37. Re2 Rxe2+ 38. Bxe2 Kf6 39. a5 Ke5 40. Rb3 f4 41. gxf4+ Kxf4 42. Rf3+ Ke5 43. Rb3 Bf5 44. Rxb7 Ra8 45. Rb5 Ra7 46. Kg3 Bd7 47. Rb3 Rxa5 48. Re3+ Kf6 49. Bd3 Ra3 50. Kf4 Bf5 51. Bxf5 Rxe3 52. Bxg6 Rc3 53. Bxh5 Rxc4+ 54. Kg3 Rd4 55. Bf3 c4 56. Kf2 c3 57. Ke3 c2 58. Kxd4 c1=Q 0-1
I played French Attack (BlackMood). The pgn of the game with annotations from Lichess is attached.
Questions:
- It appears that I should have played 17….,Nxd5. The problems on the Queen Side started after this. If I had played 17….,Nxd5 it appears that I would had to put resources to protect the backward pawn, b7 as the file is open, and white could bring his resources to attack it. What resources should I have used to defend this pawn? How would it have affected my planned King side attack.
- Annotation by Lichess suggests that white should have played 12.g4. This was when I was contemplating on keeping the King in the center. What is your view on this, and how should I handle it from Black side if white played 12.g4 and followed up on the plan?
Note: The skills I gained by following your Endgame Roadmap helped me to recover and draw after being 3 pawns down in the middle game.
Ajith Ratnayake
Hey Avo! 😊
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
I’ve just submitted my OTB standard game in an internationally FIDE rated tournament — really excited to hear your thoughts on the critical moments and the plans I might’ve missed.
My question is that how did I even loose that position, and why did my advantage went down like that, Avo I want to know how to keep up the stamina and patience for long hour games, even though I do a lot of exercises daily :-)
Looking forward to the live event on Dec 3! ♟️🔥
Love & Respect,
Kartikesh
https://www.chess.com/game/145910921480
a variation I struggle against
[Date "2021.04.24"]
[Round "9.6"]
[White "Pablo"]
[Black "N.N"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A14"]
[WhiteElo "1763"]
[BlackElo "1934"]
[Annotator "psfar"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2021.01.23"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2022"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2021.10.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2021.10.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. b3 Nf6 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Bb2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. e3 b6 9. d3 Bb7 10. Nbd2 Qc7 11. a3 Rfd8 12. Qe2 dxc4 13. Nxc4 b5 14. Nce5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Qb6 16. Rfc1 Rac8 17. d4 cxd4 18. Rxc8 Rxc8 19. Bxd4 Bc5 20. Rc1 Rc7 21. Qc2 Be4 22. Bxc5 1-0
[Date "2020.12.08"]
[Round "4"]
[White "N.N."]
[Black "Pablo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "1765"]
[BlackElo "1760"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. d4 e5 4. dxe5 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 Nc6 6. Bf4 Bg4+ 7. Be2 O-O-O+ 8. Nd2 Bf5 9. c3 Bc5 10. Ke1 f6 11. exf6 Nxf6 12. Nb3 Bb6 13. Rd1 Rde8 14. Nf3 Be6 15. Kf1 Rhf8 16. h3 Ne4 17. Bg3 h5 18. Nbd2 Nxg3+ 19. fxg3 Bf5 20. Nc4 Bc5 21. b4 Be7 22. b5 Nd8 23. Kg1 Bc5+ 24. Kf1 g5 25. Ke1 Ne6 26. Rd2 h4 27. gxh4 gxh4 28. Nxh4 Bh7 29. Bg4 Kb8 30. Kd1 Ng5 31. Rd7 Bg8 32. Nd2 Bxa2 33. Nhf3 Ne4 34. Nxe4 Rxe4 35. Ng5 Bb3+ 36. Kc1 Ba3+ 37. Kd2 Rf2+ 0-1
[Round "12.6"]
[White "N.N"]
[Black "Pablo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A42"]
[WhiteElo "2303"]
[BlackElo "1757"]
1. Nf3 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. e4 d6 4. c4 e5 5. Nc3 Bg4 6. d5 a5 7. h3 Bd7 8. Be3 Bh6 9. Bxh6 Nxh6 10. Qd2 Ng8 11. c5 Nf6 12. Qh6 Qe7 13. cxd6 cxd6 14. Be2 Na6 15. O-O Qf8 16. Qe3 Nc5 17. Nd2 Qe7 18. f4 O-O 19. fxe5 Qxe5 20. Nc4 Qe7 21. e5 Rfe8 22. Rxf6 b5 23. Nxd6 Qxf6 24. Nxe8 Rxe8 25. Qxc5 Qxe5 26. Bxb5 Rc8 27. Qf2 Bxb5 28. Nxb5 Qxd5 29. Nc3 Qc4 30. Re1 Qc6 31. Re7 Rf8 32. Qd4 Qc8 33. Nd5 1-0
Hi Avo,
Thanks for the opportunity!
I'm playing the chessmood black repertoire (Benko against 1.d4), however when the opponent plays 1.d4 2.Cf3 3.g3 I'm not sure if later I have to play c5 or not. For example in this game 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O I played 5…c5 however seems not 100% correct for the engine due to 6.dxc5 Ca6 7.Ae3 Dc7 8.Cc3 Cxc5 9.Cb5! . I wanted to avoid 5…d5 because I would like to play benoni structure that I know well after the course.
So my question is, how should we play in this sidelines? I searched in the D4 sideline and Maroczy course but seems to be not covered.
[Event "U-17 Nationals 2024"]
[Site "lichess.org"]
[Date "2024.07.23"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Vivaan"]
[Black "Vyom Malhotra"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "1627"]
[BlackElo "1803"]
[Annotator "HP"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. h4 f6 9. c4 Ba6 10. Rh3 O-O-O 11. Qe4 Nb6 12. c5 Bxf1 13. cxb6 Ba6 14. bxa7 Qb4+ 15. Qxb4 Bxb4+ 16. Kd1 Kb7 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Be3 Ba5 19. Bd4 Rde8 20. Nc3 Bb6 21. Bxb6 cxb6 22. Kd2 Rhg8 23. Rg3 Rxg3 24. fxg3 Rg8 25. Ne4 Kxa7 26. Nxf6 Rxg3 27. Rg1 h6 28. h5 d5 29. Ne8 Rd3+ 30. Kc2 Re3 31. Nd6 Re2+ 32. Kc1 Bd3 33. g4 Rc2+ 34. Kd1 Rxb2 35. Rg3 Be2+ 36. Ke1 d4 37. Rg2 d3 38. g5 d2+ 39. Kxe2 d1=Q+ 40. Kxd1 Rxg2 41. g6 Rg5 42. Nf7 Rxh5 43. Ke2 $3 1/2-1/2
A INTERESTING GAME
Hello Avo,
Thanks for the opportunity. For this game, i would like to know the approach in the end game to try to generate an advantage
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Result "*"]
[WhiteElo "2254"]
[BlackElo "2256"]
[TimeControl "600"]
[Termination "Draw by repetition"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bc4 Nc6 6. d3 e6 7. Bb3 Nge7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Qe1 Rb8 10. a4 Nd4 11. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 12. Be3 Bg7 13. Qh4 Nc6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8
15. f5 Bd4 16. Bxd4 Nxd4 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Rae1 b5 19. axb5 Nxb3 20. cxb3 a6 21.
Ra1 axb5 22. Ra7 Rd7 23. Rfa1 Kf7 24. R1a6 Ke7 25. Rxd7+ Bxd7 26. Ra7 b4 27. Na4
e5 28. Kf2 Ke6 29. Ke3 h5 30. h4 Be8 31. Ra6 Ke7 32. Nb6 Bf7 33. Ra7+ Ke8 34.
Nd7 Rd8 35. Nf6+ Kf8 36. Nd7+ Kg8 37. Nf6+ Kg7 38. Nd5 Kf8 39. Nf6 Bxb3 40. Nh7+
Kg8 41. Nf6+ Kf8 42. Nh7+ Kg8 43. Nf6+ Kf8 *
My friends, please! Don't just post the games. Post the games with your annotations, or at least where your question is. Thank you! :)
Hi GM Avo and ChessMood family! 🙌
I would love to submit my games for the Dec 3 live analysis session.
I played the Masters 2025 (Mauritius Classical Chess Championship) where the Top 5 Mauritians qualify for Olympiad 2026. After Round 7, I was 9th out of 10… I needed a miracle. Thank God Jesus, I managed to win my last two must-win games and grabbed the final Olympiad spot! 🙏🔥
I’m sharing all my games here:
🔗 https://lichess.org/study/qA6z7x2R/Ks0WgCgu
I especially want to understand my loss in Round 2, where I played vs the Maróczy Bind. I feel like I misunderstood some key ideas.
Hi Avetik!
Thank you!
I had a game and i got early problems. I could not find about this variation with c3 e5 against Fianchetto.
I guess 7 d6 is better? I was thinking Qa4 check was strong and i will lose my castling maybe it is okey after all for black?
Later 11 Bxe5? i have problem to find move and i thought Nc6 will be problem for me?
1. g3 c5 2. Bg2 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. c3 e5 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 e4 7. Ne5 d5 8. Qa4+ Nd7 9. Bd2 Ne7 10. Ba5 b6 11. Bb4 Bxe5 12. dxe5 O-O 13. Bd6 Nc5 14. Qa3 Be6 15. O-O Re8 16. Nc3 Nb7 17. Rfd1 Qd7 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Qxe7 Rxe7 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Rxd5 Rae8 22. Bxe4 Nc5 23. Bf3 Rxe5 24. Rxe5 Rxe5 25. Rc1 Ne6 26. e3 Nc5 27. Rc4 b5 28. Rc2 a5 29. Be2 f5 30. Bxb5 1-0
Hi GM Avetik and ChessMood Family!
[Event "casual classical game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/GiuRQ69r"]
[Date "2025.11.24"]
[White "Sigma_SarthakDUTTA"]
[Black "ayoub_kar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[GameId "GiuRQ69r"]
[UTCDate "2025.11.24"]
[UTCTime "17:30:21"]
[WhiteElo "1454"]
[BlackElo "1500"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[TimeControl "600+30"]
[ECO "B01"]
[Opening "Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation"]
[Termination "Normal"]
[Annotator "lichess.org"]
1. e4 { [%eval 0.18] [%clk 0:10:00] } 1... d5 { [%eval 0.54] [%clk 0:10:00] } 2. exd5 { [%eval 0.51] [%clk 0:10:28] } 2... Qxd5 { [%eval 0.52] [%clk 0:10:30] } 3. Nc3 { [%eval 0.47] [%clk 0:10:57] } 3... Qd8 { [%eval 0.66] [%clk 0:10:54] } { B01 Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation } 4. Nf3 { [%eval 0.61] [%clk 0:11:23] } 4... Nf6 { [%eval 0.58] [%clk 0:11:23] } 5. Bc4 { [%eval 0.4] [%clk 0:11:51] } 5... Bf5 { [%eval 0.83] [%clk 0:11:49] } 6. O-O { [%eval 0.29] [%clk 0:12:17] } 6... e6 { [%eval 0.29] [%clk 0:12:17] } 7. d3 { [%eval 0.01] [%clk 0:12:40] } 7... c6 { [%eval 0.25] [%clk 0:12:46] } 8. h3 { [%eval 0.25] [%clk 0:12:54] } 8... Bd6 { [%eval 0.27] [%clk 0:13:13] } 9. Bg5 { [%eval -0.15] [%clk 0:12:50] } 9... Qc7?! { (-0.15 → 0.82) Inaccuracy. h6 was best. } { [%eval 0.82] [%clk 0:13:42] } (9... h6) 10. Bxf6?! { (0.82 → 0.10) Inaccuracy. Nh4 was best. } { [%eval 0.1] [%clk 0:12:49] } (10. Nh4 Bg6) 10... gxf6 { [%eval 0.12] [%clk 0:14:10] } 11. Nh4? { (0.12 → -1.00) Mistake. Nd4 was best. } { [%eval -1.0] [%clk 0:12:53] } (11. Nd4 Bg6) 11... Bxh3?? { (-1.00 → 3.04) Blunder. Bg6 was best. } { [%eval 3.04] [%clk 0:14:36] } (11... Bg6) 12. gxh3 { [%eval 2.79] [%clk 0:13:19] } 12... Bh2+?! { (2.79 → 3.67) Inaccuracy. Nd7 was best. } { [%eval 3.67] [%clk 0:15:04] } (12... Nd7 13. Qh5 Nf8 14. Ne4 O-O-O 15. Nxd6+ Rxd6 16. Ng2 Ng6 17. Rfe1 Rd4 18. Re3) 13. Kh1 { [%eval 3.51] [%clk 0:13:44] } 13... Bg3?! { (3.51 → 5.14) Inaccuracy. Nd7 was best. } { [%eval 5.14] [%clk 0:15:28] } (13... Nd7 14. Qh5 Nf8 15. Ng2 Bd6 16. Ne4 O-O-O 17. Nxf6 Nd7 18. Ne4 Be7 19. f4) 14. fxg3 { [%eval 5.08] [%clk 0:13:26] } 14... Qxg3 { [%eval 5.11] [%clk 0:15:55] } 15. Qg4 { [%eval 5.14] [%clk 0:12:08] } 15... Qe3?! { (5.14 → 7.47) Inaccuracy. Qxg4 was best. } { [%eval 7.47] [%clk 0:16:15] } (15... Qxg4 16. hxg4 Nd7 17. Rae1 Rg8 18. Nf5 Rxg4 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Rxe6+ Kd8 21. Ne4) 16. Rxf6 { [%eval 6.55] [%clk 0:12:08] } 16... Nd7 { [%eval 6.51] [%clk 0:16:39] } 17. Rf3 { [%eval 6.03] [%clk 0:12:03] } 17... Qd2 { [%eval 8.1] [%clk 0:17:01] } 18. Bxe6 { [%eval 7.82] [%clk 0:10:55] } 18... fxe6? { (7.82 → Mate in 7) Checkmate is now unavoidable. O-O-O was best. } { [%eval #7] [%clk 0:17:26] } (18... O-O-O 19. Bxd7+ Rxd7 20. Rxf7 Rd8 21. Rxd7 Rxd7 22. Nf3 Qe3 23. Re1 Qc5 24. Ne5) 19. Qxe6+ { [%eval #6] [%clk 0:11:13] } 19... Kd8 { [%eval #6] [%clk 0:17:55] } 20. Rf7 { [%eval #5] [%clk 0:10:39] } 20... Nb6 { [%eval #2] [%clk 0:18:17] } 21. Qd6+ { [%eval #1] [%clk 0:11:01] } 21... Ke8 { [%eval #1] [%clk 0:18:42] } { Black resigns. } 1-0
Hi, I played this game in an Open tournament against an opponent who was 400 Elo points higher than me. Maybe some things can be corrected.
After qd6 on move 16 I didnt know what to do I was just moving pieces my pieces felt great my position felt amazing I didn’t know what to do. Please help!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146085043588
Check out this #chess game: vaiguntham vs jordinho001 - https://www.chess.com/live/game/146104709736
Very frustrated about this game, I played a strong game but my opponent who was 100 rating points lower than me just played that little bit better. I cant even see necessarily where i went wrong
Greetings! That is a game which i have recently played in a tournament as White:
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/5F64DHSuci/review?move=0
Hi Coach Avetik,
I have been a big fan of ChessMood and member for around two years now and I really appreciate all your work. Thanks so much for giving us this opportunity! I would really appreciate if you could analyze my game, I played in a OTB tournament against a 2400 USCF Player. I commit a lot of time to chess weekly, and I feel I am really close to 2200 level, which would mean the world to me if I achieved it and has been my goal ever since joining ChessMood. However, I don't really know what I can improve on and would like guidance. I have linked below a study with all my questions from the game. Thanks so much in advance and again thanks a lot for this opportunity.
https://lichess.org/study/4KY6QftR
Sincerely,
H. L.
Hello Avo!
I have a question about two common positions I am getting when playing against the Sicilian defense. They are similar in the fact the black E pawn has been pushed to e6 which appears to shutdown our kingside attack as described in the simplified Chessmood openings for white against the Sicilia. What strategy would you use to attack in the following two positions?:
r1bq1rk1/pp1pnpbp/2n1p1p1/2p5/2B1PP2/2NP1N2/PPP3PP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 3 8
r1bq1rk1/pp3pbp/2nppnp1/2p5/2B1PP2/2NP1N2/PPP3PP/R1B1QRK1 w - - 0 9
Thanks!
Bill from Colorado!
Hello coach!
This is a recent OTB game, that I played as Black with Dutch Attack:
1.d4 e6 2.Bf4 f5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 b6 5.Nbd2 Bb7 6.c3 d6 7.Bb5+ Nbd7 8.h3 h6 9.Qb3 Qe7 10.0-0-0 g5 11.Bh2 0-0-0 12.Qc4 Bg7 13.Ba6 Rhe8 14.Bxb7+ Kxb7 15.Nb3 Ne4 16.Rhf1 a6 17.d5 e5 18.Nfd2 Ndc5 19.Nxc5+ Nxc5 20.e4 fxe4 21.Nxe4 Nxe4 22.Qxe4 Rf8 23.Bg3 ½-½
Questions:
- I played 6)…d6. Do you think this was a good setup for me if White decided to continue with Bc4 instead of Bb5, followed by Qb3, and targeting the weak e6?
- Was my decision for long caste correct or should I select short castle (especially since White selected long castle, in order to have opposite castles…). Should I be afraid of the diagonal g8-a2 or not?
- Should I have played Nb8 to prevent White to exchange my light-squared bishop? (or is it a very passive place for the knight?)
- White played 17) d5 and I know that in these positions usually we respond with e5 to gain space and also to control d4 square. However the engine didn't like it so much…(?) What would you propose?
- Finally I accepted a draw offer in move 23 because I was rather short on time. Despite the fact that I shouldn't be short of time in move 23, do you think that this endgame was in favor for Black or most probably it would end as a draw…?
Thank you very much in advance!
Here’s I played as black and wanted to go with …Kd7! idea, but something went wrong. Could you please look at this game and tell if there was a way to close the position, or I should have changed my plans and go short castle instead?
https://www.chess.com/live/game/146172090778
After a 20-year break, I started playing OTB chess again five years ago. It was a tough time with little success at the beginning. Since I started training with Chessmood, things have been looking up. Two weeks ago, I had my first victory against a FIDE Master, with a great combination at the end.
I made a few mistakes and gave away my advantage in the middle game. Do you have any practical tips for me? Thank you for your support.
I played this game in the first round of the German University Rapid Chess Championship and it was my first time playing an FM OTB. I was slightly worse out of the opening, managed to fight back and equalise, but lost in the endgame.
I have two questions: How should I have handled the opening (in particular, how should I have reacted to 5. … e6)? And how could I have held the endgame?
Hi Avo,
Thank you for our chat last week. I really enjoyed it!
I am submitting a game that I played in an online tournament for my club. I was paired with a blitz player who had a Chess.com rating of 2700, and despite blundering a piece and having a murky opening, I managed to hold the defence. Unfortunately, I did not realise that I could have captured his rook using a tactic.
How can I defend myself better in such situations and gain the initiative?
The game:
Puracat vs. Matthias_Fürst – https://www.chess.com/game/live/156995850881
If you could analyse my game towards the end of the stream, I would be very grateful. I struggle to make it due to work commitments and will arrive a little later.
Thank you for your time! I very much appreciate your kindness.
All the best!
Matthias
Hello Sir! My game is given below-
You can copy the game and paste it in the PGN section below in Lichess analysis board to view it:-
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. a3 d6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Be2 a6 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 Qc7 (10... Qb6 11. Nf5 Qc7 (11... Qxb2 12. Nxe7+ Nxe7 13. Na4) 12. Nxe7+ Nxe7 13. Qe1) (10... Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5) 11. Kh1 (11. Qe1 Nxd4 (11... b5 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. e5 Nd5 14. Bf3) 12. Bxd4 b5 13. Qg3 Bb7 14. Rae1) 11... Re8 (11... Nxd4 12. Bxd4 e5 13. Be3 b5) 12. Bd3 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 e5 14. Be3 exf4 (14... b5 15. Qf3 (15. f5 Bb7 16. Qf3 Rac8 17. Rae1 Qd8 18. Qg3) 15... Bb7 16. Bd2 Qd7 17. Rae1) (14... Ng4 15. Nd5) 15. Bxf4 (15. Rxf4 Be6) 15... Be6 16. Qf3 Qa5 17. h3 Rac8 18. Ne2 (18. Rad1 Qh5 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Qxf3 21. Rxf3 Bf8 (21... Nxd5 22. Bf5 Nxf4 23. Bxc8) 22. c4) 18... Qh5 19. Nd4 Qxf3 20. Rxf3 Bf8 21. Nxe6 (21. Bg5 Nd7 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Bf4 Nc5) (21. Nf5 Bd7 22. Nxd6 Bxd6 23. Bxd6 Bc6 24. Re1 Bxe4) (21. g4 Bc4 22. Re1 g6 (22... g6 23. g5 Bxd3 24. cxd3 Nh5 25. Bd2 Bg7)) 21... Rxe6 22. Re1 Nd7 (22... Rce8 23. Rfe3 Nh5 24. Bh2 d5 25. R3e2 dxe4 26. Rxe4) 23. Ref1 (23. c3 Be7 24. Bb1 Nb6 25. Ba2 Nc4) 23... Be7 24. Bg3 (24. c3 Bf6 25. Bb1 Ne5 26. Bxe5 Rxe5) (24. Bh2 Bf6 25. g4 h6 26. c3) 24... Bf6 25. b4 (25. b3 b5 (25... Ne5 26. Bxe5 Rxe5 27. a4) 26. c4 Ne5 27. Bxe5 Rxe5 28. Rf5) 25... b5 26. R3f2 (26. a4 bxa4 (26... Rb8 27. axb5 axb5 28. Rf5 Be5 29. Bh4 (29. Rxf7 Nf6 30. Bxe5 Kxf7 31. Bd4) 29... Nf6 30. Bxf6 Rxf6 31. Rxf6 Bxf6) 27. Bxa6 Rxc2 28. Bb5 Nb6 29. Bf2 Nc4 30. Bxa4) 26... Rc7 27. Bh2 (27. c4 Be5 (27... bxc4 28. Rc2 c3) 28. Bh4 bxc4 29. Rc2 c3 30. Rfc1) (27. a4 bxa4 28. Bxa6 a3 29. Bb5 Rxe4 30. Bxd6 Ra7 31. c3) 27... Nb6 28. Rd2 (28. c4 bxc4 29. Rc2 c3) 28... Bc3 29. Rdd1 Be5 30. Bxe5 Rxe5 31. Rf5 Re6 32. e5 (32. c4 Nxc4 33. Bxc4 Rxc4 34. e5 Rc6) 32... d5 33. g4 Rce7 34. Re1 f6 35. Rf2 (35. Ref1 Rxe5 36. g5 Rxf5 37. Rxf5) 35... Rxe5 (35... fxe5) 36. Rd1 Re1+ 37. Rf1 Rxf1+ 38. Rxf1 Re3 39. Kg2 Nc4 40. Rf5 (40. Ra1 Nb2 41. Bf5 d4 42. Bc8 Rc3 43. Bxa6 Rxc2+) 40... Rxd3 41. cxd3 Ne3+ 42. Kf3 Nxf5 43. gxf5 Kf7 44. Ke3 (44. d4 g6 (44... Ke7 45. Kg4 Kd6 46. h4 g6 47. Kf4 Ke7 48. Kg3 gxf5 49. Kf4 Ke6 50. h5 h6 51. Kg3) 45. Kg4 Kg7 (45... gxf5+ 46. Kxf5 Ke7 47. Kg4 Ke6 48. Kf4 Kd6 49. Kf5) (45... g5 46. Kh5 Kg7 47. h4) 46. Kf4 Kh6 47. Kg4 g5 48. h4) 44... Ke7 45. h4 g6 46. Kf4 Kf7 47. d4 (47. h5 d4 (47... gxh5 48. d4) (47... g5+ 48. Kf3 d4 49. Ke4) 48. h6 Kg8 49. fxg6 (49. Ke4 gxf5+ 50. Kxf5 Kf7) 49... hxg6 50. Ke4 Kh7) 47... Kg7 48. h5 Kh6 49. Kg4 g5 50. Kh3 Kxh5 51. Kg3 g4 52. Kf4 Kh4 53. Ke3 g3 54. a4 bxa4 55. b5 axb5 56. Kd3 g2 57. Kc3 g1=Q 58. Kb4 Qxd4+ 59. Ka5 a3 60. Ka6 a2 61. Kxb5 a1=Q 62. Kc6 Qa6+
I am White…. I lost 0-1…. My rating(1703)vs opponent rating(2006) just for an idea….
My questions are- a)Around move 20 how was I supposed to continue b)What did I do wrong after move 20 cause slowly my position started to deteriorate I guess I gave her too much counterplay? c)My bishop didnt work on d3 the whole game did I place it wrong or I missed an opportunity?
Im sorry my annotations commentary couldnt get included for technical issues….. but the variations are there
This game is classical. National SubJunior Girls 2025.
Hope this game gets chosen!!🙏🙏
Thanks in advance!😀
here I played white lastweekend and I was not able to win the point is how to strengthen my attack ?
[Event "Open du Jura"]
[Site "Porrentruy"]
[Date "2025.11.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Bonferroni, Carlo"]
[Black "nn"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Bonferroni carlo"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[GameId "2250593102170249"]
[EventDate "2025.11.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
{[%evp 0,78,21,23,24,6,34,28,40,19,17,1,1,42,24,60,31,33,29,31,25,28,29,-7,43,-11,40,-1,113,29,86,26,38,32,21,21,32,161,41,0,19,-57,43,81,80,-70,46,164,169,1,181,157,169,175,90,176,296,271,297,256,254,271,147,269,310,182,171,159,199,168,96,158,91,182,187,-1,172,173,273,274,279]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. Nd2 e6 9. Ngf3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Rfe1 a5 12. a3 a4 13. Qc2 g6 14. h3 Bf5 15. Bxf5 gxf5 16. Ne5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Ne4 18. Nxe4 fxe4 19. Re3 Kh8 20. f3 f5 21. exf6 Bc5 22. fxe4 Bxe3+ 23. Bxe3 Qc4 24. Bd4 Rf7 25. e5 Rg8 26. Rf1 Rg6 27. Rf4 Qc8 28. Qxa4 Qg8 29. Qc2 Rg3 30. Kh2 Qg6 31. Qxg6 Rxg6 32. Rg4 Rxg4 33. hxg4 h6 34. Kg3 Kh7 35. a4 Kg6 36. Kf4 Rh7 37. g5 h5 38. b4 h4 39. Kg4 Rh5 1/2-1/2
Hey Avo! 😊
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
I’ve just submitted my OTB standard game in an internationally FIDE rated tournament — really excited to hear your thoughts on the critical moments and the plans I might’ve missed. The Game 1 and Game 6 that I have posted here are crucial as I faced loses even after following SLP and one of my clean sacrificial win after that
My question is that how did I even loose that position, and why did my advantage went down like that, Avo I want to know how to keep up the stamina and patience for long hour games, even though I do a lot of exercises daily :-)
Looking forward to the live event on Dec 3! ♟️🔥
Love & Respect,
Kartikesh
A 70+10 OTB rated game I played last night. Actually I was very proud of it because I made some inaccurate decisions early in the opening, but I stayed focused and was determined to fight to create chances. My opponent made positional errors I think, which are interesting. I think this is an example of the power of positive thinking and joy - I actually enjoyed defending and trying to turn this around! 😄
Dear Ave,
hope you are fine.
in this game i play badly with black but : what do you recommend against this strange setup : d4, b3 and Bb2:
1. Nf3 e6 2. b3 f5 3. Bb2 Nf6 4. e3 b6 5. Be2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. c4 O-O 8. d4 Ne4 9. Nc3 d6 10. d5 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 e5 12. Qc2 Bc8 13. b4 Nd7 14. a4 a5 15. bxa5 bxa5 16. Qd2 Nc5 17. Rfb1 g5 18. Ne1 Bd7 19. Bd1 g4 20. f3 Bg5 21. Rb2 Rf6 22. Nd3 Nxd3 23. Qxd3 f4 24. exf4 Bxf4 25. fxg4 Rh6 26. g3 Bg5 27. Bf3 Qe7 28. Raa2 Rf8 29. Rf2 Rxf3 30. Qxf3 e4 31. Qe2 e3 32. Rf1 Qe4 33. Rb2 Bxg4 34. Qxg4 1-0
🙂
Hello Avo,
I enjoyed playing chessmood openings. I crushed much higher level (1800) opponent than me (me 1450) in my company tournament final selection. May be the best game in recent time for me playing as white.
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Result "*"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Ne2 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. a3 cxd4 8. cxd4
Qb6 9. Bc2 Be7 10. b4 O-O 11. Be3 f5 12. Nf4 Nd8 13. g4 g5 14. Rg1 gxf4 15.
gxf5+ Kh8 16. Qg4 *
Opponent resigned
[Event "Gosman_Alivich vs. 7272aaaa"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025-12-03"]
[White "Gosman_Alivich"]
[Black "7272aaaa"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1060"]
[BlackElo "617"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[Termination "فاز Gosman_Alivich بانتهاء الوقت"]
1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. h3 e5 4. e3 Bc5 5. d3 Bf5 6. a3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Qd7 8. b4 Bd6
9. Bb2 a5 10. b5 Na7 11. a4 O-O 12. Nd2 Bb4 13. c3 Bxd3 14. cxb4 Bxe2 15. Qxe2
axb4 16. O-O Rfe8 17. Nb3 Ne4 18. Rfd1 Ng5 19. Rxd5 Nxh3+ 20. Kh2 Qf5 21. Bxh3
Qe4 22. Bg2 1-0
What mistakes did I make in the match? [Event "Gosman_Alivich vs. 7272aaaa"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025-12-03"]
[White "Gosman_Alivich"]
[Black "7272aaaa"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1060"]
[BlackElo "617"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[Termination "فاز Gosman_Alivich بانتهاء الوقت"]
1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. h3 e5 4. e3 Bc5 5. d3 Bf5 6. a3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Qd7 8. b4 Bd6
9. Bb2 a5 10. b5 Na7 11. a4 O-O 12. Nd2 Bb4 13. c3 Bxd3 14. cxb4 Bxe2 15. Qxe2
axb4 16. O-O Rfe8 17. Nb3 Ne4 18. Rfd1 Ng5 19. Rxd5 Nxh3+ 20. Kh2 Qf5 21. Bxh3
Qe4 22. Bg2 1-0
I had a good game after black played passive moves like Rg8, Kf8, and Re8. But I couldn't convert it, and eventually I lost the game. What did I do wrong in the game?
I want to know what to do after the Chessmood opening as White.
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bc4 Nc6 6. O-O e6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nb5 Nge7 9. Bb3 O-O 10. Nbxd4 b5 11. Be3 Rb8 12. c3 Na5 13. Qd3 Nc4 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. Qxc4 d5 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Bc1 Qd6 18. Qc6 Qe7 19. Qa4 Bd7 20. Qc2 Qd6 21. Ne5 Rfd8 22. Qf2 Be8 23. Ng4 Qc7 24. Qh4 Nxc3 25. Nf6+ Bxf6 26. Qxf6 Ne4 27. Qh4 Rxd4 28. f5 exf5 29. Bf4 Qd8 30. Qh6 Rxb2 31. Be5 f6 32. Bf4 Bc6 33. Rac1 Qd5 34. Be3 Rxg2+ 35. Kxg2 Nd2+ 36. Kf2 Qg2+ 37. Ke1 Qxf1# 0-1
What mistakes did I make in the match?
What mistakes did I make in the match? Please tell me, and thank you.
crushing french :
https://www.chess.com/game/live/145589366766
what to do against mccutcheon gambit line?
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.exd5 Bb4 7.Bb5+!
Replies
You can play with c6-dxc6-bxc6 - often after that playing with Bb7-c5 ideas - it depends a lot on what White does as well.
If facing that too frequently, you can check with the engine, but those positions were played for Black even by 2600+ fide players - so it's fine.
What mistakes did I make in the match?
[Event "Gosman_Alivich vs. 7272aaaa"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025-12-03"]
[White "Gosman_Alivich"]
[Black "7272aaaa"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1060"]
[BlackElo "617"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[Termination "فاز Gosman_Alivich بانتهاء الوقت"]
1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. h3 e5 4. e3 Bc5 5. d3 Bf5 6. a3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Qd7 8. b4 Bd6
9. Bb2 a5 10. b5 Na7 11. a4 O-O 12. Nd2 Bb4 13. c3 Bxd3 14. cxb4 Bxe2 15. Qxe2
axb4 16. O-O Rfe8 17. Nb3 Ne4 18. Rfd1 Ng5 19. Rxd5 Nxh3+ 20. Kh2 Qf5 21. Bxh3
Qe4 22. Bg2 1-0
Replies
When to think about "space" during the 7 questions?
Hi,
I just finished the “Space advantage” section of the Silent Strategy course.
But I wonder how I might recall those ideas in a real game, especially all those concepts such as “Expand your space”, “Open at the right moment”, “Preventing the break”…
None of the 7 questions (from the 7 Q methods), is bringing me to think “Yep, that would be a good moment to grab some space”.
Do you guys have a concrete way to include it in your decision/thinking process?
Cheers,
Replies
For me, it mainly happens intuitively.
After all. thats where the strategy comes from!
You learn ideas, add them to your memory bank, and withdraw when you need them.
Eventually you get some you know so well its like you printed a picture of it on your brain :)
I think you should mainly play, get some experience, and eventually it will become automatic.
Besides, grabbing space is like adding to your advantages, you are giving yourself more answers to the questions later!
Hope this helps!
I think the last question, how can I advance, if I recall correctly, would lead you to this answer. But in general, it is very rare that the best move is just simply grabbing space; after all, there are 6 more questions to answer, right? Cheers.
byserygwer
Why repeated?
In section 13 in blackmood, there are 2 quizes, the 2 puzzles in the first are repeated in the 2nd
Replies
Hi Zaheem,
Usually you get a quiz after every video.
At the end of the last video, you get one quiz for that video and another quiz for the entire section.
Bug Zone
I recently started using Bug Zone and I have 97 bugs/incorrect puzzles there. I start doing 10 or so on my phone and then later I go in and it starts from the beginning again with the same 10 puzzles. Do I need to finish all 97 before it will give me credit for the bugs I correct? How should I use this tool?
Replies
For instance, I see 236 bugs on desktop web browser, but only 76 bugs come up when I filter to just Tactic Ninja or filter to All it is still 76. Do some puzzles get put as bugs each time you solve them incorrectly? I see the chess kids king dude here has some helpful tips about solving it correctly once and then after 72 hours to get a puzzle out of the bug zone into the ‘all better now’ bin! So they are here because I made an incorrect answer (or multiple wrong attempts of the same puzzle 😱) at some point, and they are about a third very difficult others I can find it in about 2 to 3 minutes. I never asked for a hint - I remember one time I thought in Tactic Ninja it said if you ask for a hint it will get sent to the Bug Zone? Can I click hint if I simply want one to go to the bug zone even if I get it correct after the hint? I was afraid to ever click Hint before because at the time I don't think I knew what bug zone was, and I didn't want to alert the coding team 😅.
I think it would be helpful for me to do these Bug Zone things in batches of around 10 puzzles. The ones I can't solve, should I make an incorrect gut-feeling attempt or just take picture and chessify it to let engine show me the idea so I can learn for next time (not answer it ‘correctly’ this time with engine help or with brute force guessing since no hint is available and they are tough)? Once I tried doing these as my warmup puzzles before an online 5+3 session and it wasn't great for my mood since they are too difficult!
Maybe a quick explainer and tips for how to use it productively? I think it is a nice tool and good idea, since before I was wondering how I can try to improve just the puzzles that I have had trouble with before.
Sorry you lose
How can I buy courses by mood coins
Replies
Yes, you absolutely can!
Since you currently have a gift membership, you have full access to all courses, so the 'Buy' buttons are hidden (because you don't need them yet!).
Once your gift membership ends, those 'Buy' buttons will reappear on most courses, and you'll be able to use your MoodCoins to purchase them then.
looking for course of anti sicilian position
Hi everyone,
i have watched antisicilian part1-3 so far and i am enjoying to play my new opening weapon against sicilian. altough there is one position i often encounter where i cant find a course for it. this position occours after following moves:
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 a6
black can play this also with a6 first after we reply with g3. but in either course i couldnt find how to play against these setups of black. did i overlook something?
Replies
Hi Alex.
You can find this variation in Anti-Sicilian part 4 🙂
https://chessmood.com/course/4-anti-sicilian-with-nc3-part-4/episode/3449
I am unable to open some forums
I am unable to open some forums. What to do? I was opening Study?Sparring Partner and some other forums but it didn't open up.
Replies
This is what happening. I tried logging out and logging in.
Hi Sidhart,
Sorry for the inconvenience, we are aware of this bug, thanks for reporting it. We will try to fix it as soon as possible.
WhiteMood French
In the French 3.Bd3 course, what do we do after black's 6…e5?
It is 7…e5 but one move later is already explained very well here https://chessmood.com/course/french-defence/episode/929 but it gives black doubled weak c-pawns.
So I was thinking what if black played e5 one move earlier, so we don't have Bc6.
What should I do now? I played a few games against the computer and black was developing fast and 0-0-0 with attacking my king.
Replies
Spelling Mistake
There's a small spelling mistake in the naming of this episode: https://chessmood.com/course/french-defence/episode/932 :)
Replies
GreyMood Openings
Hello All,
Has anyone experienced with the GreyMood openings? I very much like the French Attack and the Dutch Attack for black and wondered how following these opening lines on the white side would be. Can anyone share any insights on this?
Thank you!
Kingman
Replies
Hey Glenn,
I have tried it a few times; there can be a few differences, but tough to mention as it really depends on what your opponent might do.
I think it will be very practical if you are enjoying the BlackMood structures in general.
This is not a personal experience, but I just read this in the August 2025 issue of ChessLife Kids magazine about a game in the Bird's Opening (as Andy Soltis calls it, the ‘bird bind’) on lichess that looks like our Dutch and contains a beautiful attacking idea in this position with 18.Rf6!
Has anyone used the Bird or this particular idea with Rc3! with black or Rf6! with white?
the game: https://lichess.org/rjtWNXrE
Scotch Question
What to do in the Scotch as White after 4…Bc5 6…a5?
Replies
Video
I tried to correct the video speed when watching the course, and every time I reset the speed to normal it will work for that video. But once a new video is up then I go back to the speed setting and change it back normal. Could you check on this please.
Replies
Hi Madison, thanks for letting us know!
It sounds like the playback speed might have accidentally been set to a higher speed. On the video player, you should see a settings icon. If you click that, you can change the speed back to 'Normal'.
Sometimes the player remembers the last speed used. If you change it to 'Normal' but the next video still plays at 2x speed, try this trick:
Change the speed to 1.5x.
Then change it back to 'Normal'.
That usually resets it for all future videos. Let us know if that works!
AVETIK
HELLO ALL
Replies
🥰
Hello, what's the topic
RIDDHESH
hello all GM
Replies
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nf6
Dear CM family,
What to play after 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nf6 ?
because if we play 4. Bc4 as in the anti sicilian part 1: black plays 4. ..e6 and the bishop is not happy.
have a good day.
Replies
Hi, Marius
In this position you play with nf3 the idea being that you don’t show your opponent your cards are you going to play bc4 or if they play e6 will you play with g3. I have made the moves check below -
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/42mGS9uqp/analysis
Its also covered in the course
