Chess forum by Grandmasters

Move Order in Grand Prix

What do you recommend against this? 

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 Ne7

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The 5th move d4 immediately! 

Punishing opponents!

I was waiting for my brother to meet me for a few drinks and played a game from my phone and had to share!

https://lichess.org/P5VLHuIm

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Easy)) 

beating Scandinavian defence

Somehow I dont do well against prepared players with scandinavian defence.

I want to know if g3 would be good to play after 3....Qd8 .

I am copying one bullet game for reference . @GM Avetik do you have plan to show how to play against Pirc and Scandinavian ?

https://www.chess.com/live/game/3775256162

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In one of the live streams, he commented on a system with 3.Nf3 4.Be2 and delaying d4. 

For Pirc, there was a setup with 1.e4 2.d4 3.Nc3 4.Be3 5.f3 6.Qd2 7.0-0-0 8.Nge2 and attack on kingside

I'm agree Agree with Kevin :) 

Yeah, Bhabatosh, we are working now on that 2 courses. 

Daily Commentated Games PGNs

Here are my annotated PGNS from the Daily Commentated Games! :) 

I used arrows and commentary from GM Avetik's explanation. 

Game 1: Winter - Capablanca

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Game 2: Andersson - Qi 

Game 3: Petrosian - Sax 

Thank you Kevin !

Kevin the great! 

That's awesome, cheers Kevin!

Thx Kevin. You are good!

Game 4: Alekhine - Capablanca

Game 5: Reti - Yates

Game 6: Grigoryan - Hovhannisyan

Game 8: Petrosian - Bannik

Game 9: Petrosian - Schweber 

French without ... c5

wrt the French.

Do you have a recommendation if Black refrains from playing c5 as for example

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Mr. Simpson, I didn't find any game in the database... 

Mr. Simpson, after Bd6 I think Nd2 is very strong with Nc4! 
Onischuk, one of the experts of 3.Bd3 line is coming to Yerevan today, to play some tournament, I will try to arrange some webinar with him. 
Let's see :) 

Study Group

Hey fellow Pro Members!

Over the next few months, I am going to be working deeper on our ChessMood openings and filling in my PGN files, so I can remember all the lines better. 

I am looking for anyone who wants to study with me, play these openings together, and discuss the ideas of the opening as we fill in the PGN files. We will work on 1 opening section per day so we don't confuse ourselves. The goal is to know all of our openings inside and out in the next 90 days! Everyone is welcome! Even our GMs, if they have time and want to pop in to give us words of wisdom!

I will be starting each morning at 9 am PST and working till 11 am PST on the ChessMood openings. I will be starting this tomorrow morning, since it is short notice for today, and will be working on this every day at the same time. I know the time wont work for everyone all the time, but I hope some of you will be able to make it once in a while.

If you would like to join me, please download the free voice chat app Discord and join my channel - https://discord.gg/fhZ2SP9 - so we can talk to each other while we work. It is ok if your English isn't the best, no one here will judge you, but it is important to be able to communicate. 

I will be starting with the white openings, and this week will be the Scotch. Please take the time to watch the first section before we start if you can. I look forward to seeing you all over the coming weeks and watching all of us grow in our knowledge!

Feel free to ask any questions about this study group below. I hope you all join me!

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Re: Subscription Options

I have been a monthly Pro-Member since March this year and have been billed for 4 Months (March, April, May and June) thus far. I am considering changing my Subscription Option to Bi-Annually and have two queries:

1. This is now June, if I immediately change my subscription option to the six month one, will I be billed straight away or six months from the date the subscription type was changed.

2. I am currently a satisfied customer, but If for some reason I needed to cancel my subscription, how do I do it. I only ask because I didn't find the answer when I searched the FAQ on the website.

Best Regards,

Kevin D

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Hey Kevin! 
1. Can you please clarify what do you mean?
2. You can write to support@chessmood.com and we will unsubscribe you anytime you wish.

In future, please feel free to send all technical issues and questions not related chess to our customer support mail support@chessmood.com

With best wishes,
Any 

Game 9

White to Move! 
Find Petrosian's move! 

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What about attacking the c-pawn? It's looking for me that this is blacks biggest weakness. Nb3 followed by the Q or the R. And maybe find another weakness to attack? E-pawn?

Your world champion Petrosian is too deep for my mind. His positional play was unbelievable. 

I think I prefer ”my” Tigran Petrosyan. My coach suits me better.  ?

I want to arrange my pieces like that : Bb5-Nc4-Ng3- Rc1-Rc2-b3-Qb2. The idea is to put a Knight on f5 to play against dark square Bishop. If I achieve to exchange all the other pieces, the endgame is easily winning, Black has two weaknesses h6 pawn and my passed pawn on d5. Then the White King enters to opponent's lungs ! As Black want to play Ne8-d6 I start with 1.Bb5 to exchange.

Game 8

Hey, champions! 
Here I have positions for you to think, before watching game 8! :) 

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1) I try to win in force by 1.Be7 Ke7 2. Nd5 Kd8 3.Bh3 (threatening 4.Bd7 Bd7 5.Nf6 but 3...f5 is enough for Black, but not 3...Re8 4.Nf6 Re7 5.Nh7. I have played such positions with Black, and I know the bishop c8 is a good one, and the f1 Bishop isn't, after ...c6. So I want to exchange light squares bishop. Before I will play h4 threatening h5 weakening Black's Kingside. So 1.Be7 Ke7 2.Nd5 Kd8 3.h4 (Black's knight can't move) 3...c6 4.Ne3 Kc7 5.Bh3...

2) I want to go on d7 with my rook. Black can't exchange rooks on the d-file, because b7 is hanging. My plan is Kc2-Kc3-b4-Kb4 and a5. But I found a defense with 1...Re8 and ...Re7. So maybe I do play faster...1.b4 a) 1...ab4 2.a5 Nc4 3.Rd7 Kc8  4.Rb7 Na5 5.Ra7 b) 1...Nc4 2.Rd7 Kc8 3.Rb7 and h7 is a weakness. c) 1...Ra8 2.Ne6 Kb8 (2...Kc8 3.Td8 mate) 3.Rd8 Ka7 (3...Nc8 4.Rh8) 4.ba5 Nc4 5.Ra8 Ka8 6.Nf8 h6 7.Nd7 f5 8.Nb6 Nb6 9.ab6 White is winning in the pawn endgame because Black king is paralyzed...

3) Here is a position where I don't achieve too much with 1.a4 a5 2.Nc5 Re7. In the diagram, Black threaten ...h6 and ...f5. My plan is to play 1.g4 and go with my king on f5. On 1...Nd7 2.Rd7 Kd7 3.Nc5 Ke7 4.Ne6 Ke6 5.Kd2 f5 Black is ok. But I can slowly improve my position with 2.Rd3 and then the king is coming...

4) A different story, I want to play an endgame good Knight vs bad Bishop without any rooks. There is one weakness on f6, I will try to create another one on the other side to achieve the full point. 1.Bb6 ab6 2.Rd8 Rd8 3.g4 Rd4 4.f3 then 5.Rd1. after Rook's exchange, the position I want to achieve is a king on e4 a Knight on a4 and pawns on a3 and b4.

Maroczy Bind 4rd and 5th sections!

Before I edit and upload the videos, I offer you to find the best moves and plans! 
In all the positions black to move! 

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1) I have to defend against Bb6 paralyzing my pieces. I want to exchange Black bishops weakening dark squares. 1...Bb2 2.Rc2 Ba3 3.Bb6 Bb4 4.Kc1 Bd7 idea ...Rc6 and ...Bc5. If White exchanges on c5, I play ...dc5, not allowing my opponent to play b4 one day. I have a strong point on d4 for my rooks and later my king.

2) I want to fight against bishop pair. 1...Bb2 2.Rb1 Ba3 3.Rfd1 Nd7 (3...a4 4.b4 Ne4 5.Rd3) with the idea ...Bc5.

3) TV concept so 1...b5 a) 2.cb5 Ne4 3.Ne4 Ba1 b) 2.Nb5 Ne4 3.fe4 Ba1 c) 2.Rc1 bc4 3.Bc4 Bc4 4.bc4 Rc4 5.Ba7 Qa5 6.Bd4 (6.Be3 Ne4)...Ne4 7.Ne4(7.fe4 Bd4) Rc1...If 6.Qe3 Ng4...

Good Job, Mr. Pascual! 

Just finished watching section 5, high quality stuff as usual and providing much food for thought. Perhaps you could add one more clip covering the following related line which was omitted: 

 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.f3 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 0-0 10.Qd2 Be6 11.Rc1 Qa5 12.Nd5!? This has been recommended by one or two authors as promising for White and is often faced in practice.

I should also mention that Quality Chess Publishing, released a  Repertoire Book for White last year entitled Playing 1.e4. In the book they analyse your alternative to the 7...Nxd4 line given above in some detail. Below is a brief snippet highlighting  the direction of their analysis:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.f3 Bg7 8.Be3 0-0 9.Be2 Bd7 10.Qd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 a5 [11...Bc6 12.0-0-0] 12.h4! Maroczy Bind played in the spirit of the Yugoslav Attack 12...a4 [12...Bc6 13.0-0-0; 12...h5 13.0-0-0 a4 14.g4] 13.h5 Qa5 14.g4 With a promising attack.

The above method of treating the Maroczy Bind for White, that is, aiming to 0-0-0 and launch a mating attack is highly unusual and has not fully caught on yet, but it looks quite dangerous for Black to me and deserves careful study. 

Free Chess Database for training...

Very good free training database chess software

http://scid.sourceforge.net/ you can also get pgn files from 

http://theweekinchess.com/twic and also 

https://chess-db.com/public/index.jsp 

To start your own personal databases. I bought chess king and got Houdini 5 pro and a lot of games I exported from chess kings database for cheap. Just one word of caution the engine works in scid but if you upgrade to chessbase they won’t let you use engine from any place that’s not part of their software so when I upgraded to chessbase I had to keep scid to use my Houdini 5Pro.

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Thanks Brad

Thanks Brad! 

Game 7

Black to move :) 

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A difficult one for me... I believe White want to play g4 gaining space on the kingside, and threatening g5 as the center is closed. I want to play against the c4 pawn with ...Qa4 ...Ba6 and ...Na5. So let's begin with ...Qd7 not allowing g4. If White wants to help me they play 2.h3 Kh8 3.g4 h5 4.g5 Qh3 5.gf6 gf6 threatening ...Rg8. In fact I think about one hour on this position, to conclude I understand possibilities, but I am not able de find any concrete moves.

QD7? keeping an eye on g4 square?

Good job!!! 

Good with a break? What experiences do you have?

Back in Norway. Back in games. Played a ”tournament” on the plane. 5-2 in my favour. Close to 6-2, but lost connection with 1.40 left on time while the opponent had 12 seconds, and good position. I think 14 days break was a good idea ?

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Welcome back! 

It's always a great idea to have some break. 
It opens your appetite :) 

I believe it's true even in relationship :) 
What do you think? 

Short break, go some vacation for a few days and come back to a lovely wife.
It's cool, yeah? )) 

Should I take the challenge?

Just got an invitation to play in Saint Louis robin tournament ?

I didn't play professional chess for 8 years!

Should I take the challenge and crush them with our ChessMood Openings? 

1. Yes

2. No

3. Of course! 

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I would love to see ChessMood openings in action. Who else would be playing and what time control?

Coach! I can tell by your post that you want to play! Do it! And give us all an example of the right mood in action! Follow your heart, and we are all with you!

You go for it, Avetik. I am sure! 

If you can and are feeling the least bit of want to of course you should! We will support you either way! I always dreamed of playing a tournament but I know you have done that already! But if you still feel the drive why not! I know the whole Pro Member group would be cheering for you!

3!

Queen vs Rooks Mamedyarov- Aronian

Champions, what did it remind you g5 move? 

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It's really good to see these endings occur ;)

About our beloved Bishop Pair...

Two days ago, I watched an Armageddon game between Carlsen and Anand... We all know the importance of bishop pair, and the game was 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Nd5 Be7 Can you explain this concept of giving this dark square bishop so early in a relatively open game without damaging pawn structure ?

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As long as Black keeps the pawn structure closed or at least not open, he should be fine. Black often wants to gain space with ...d6-...f5 in this structure so the dark-squared bishop would be bad anyway. 

Queen vs two rooks - Part 2

Dear ChessMood Family, dear friends!
After we learned the most important factors playing in positions queen vs. two rooks, now I am going to offer you an interesting position. 
 

White to move. 
Is it a draw, won or lost?   

If you haven't read the 1st part - here is the link https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/queen-vs-2-rooks 

Looking forward to seeing your comments! 
 

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In this position, White's king is quite safe. White will most likely target Black's a-pawn by doubling up on the a-file. Black is hopeless against this idea because his king is too far away from the action. This means that Black cannot win this position. However, after White wins the pawn, I find it very hard to win as White. One of the rooks have to be on the back rank protecting against any checkmate ideas. If White decides to move any of the pawns in front of his king and get his rooks on the 7th rank to win the f7-pawn, White's king is weak and can be exposed to a lot of checks leading to a draw. 

This position is probably drawn with White fighting for the win and Black fighting for the draw. 

Air for the king. Attack queen with rooks and try to come to the 7. rank with both rooks to attack a-pawn and whites king. Maybe try to take the a-pawn first. And then try to go to 7th rank and attack white pawns and king. 

It's a draw. By doubling rooks white cannot freely move anywhere there should be a rook in 1 St rank for protecting king.

White is probably winning since he will easily win a7 and slowly coordinate on f7 with both his rooks.

Cool! 
Anyone who said it's draw. 
White plan Ra3, Rfa1, Ra7, g3, h4, (preparing space for king on h2) and then Rc7,Raa7 and take the f pawn. If black gives Qd1 check, Kh2! :)
So it's draw or White wins? :) 

So, we should first state that white fights for a win, black for a draw. 

White's plan is to double rooks on the a pawn then on the f pawn, winning them.

However Black advances his pawns on the queenside and weakens white king, threatens mate or perpetual, I played a sample variation just to show it. 

Also if white has pawns on f2 g2 g3, his king will have a shelter on h2, and the rooks win with careful play, black can't really weaken white king.

Also check out Leko-Kramnik 2004 World Championship Match Game 1, where Kramnik won with the two rooks, here is the link: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1306138.

If you have questions with my sample variation, feel free to ask.

1.f4 for Black?

What would you recommend against 1.f4? 

Thanks

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Let’s see if I remember 1.f4 e5 2.f4xe5  d6 3.e5xd6 Bxd6 4.No matter what White plays Black plays Qh4+ 5.g3 Bxg3+ Unless white plays 4.Nf3 Nf6 position is equal 

Just seeing if this is right I know your asking GM Grigoryan...

I didn’t think 1.f4 could be complicated... I was always told it was a huge mistake for White. That being said I’m interested in what the answers for this will be.

You don't need to prepare for it, just play d5, Nf6, g6, Bg7, 0-0, c5, Nc6 and see some games.

Game 5 Find a Plan

Hey Champions! 
White to move. How to continue? 

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That was a hard one. (Don't see the board:)

E4. But Rc1 can not be bad either. 

I have to find places for my heavy pieces. The maneuver Rc1-Rc2-Qa1-Rfc1 is known in the Reti... Maybe it's possible to complete with Nh4 to force ...g6 and then play with f4 at the right time...

Is this Reti v. Yates? This is one of my favorite fames

Yeah Yeah! Reti-Yates :) 

https://chessmood.com/course/daily-commented-games/episode/502 

Rac1-c2, Rfc1 and Queen goes to e2 or a1/b1

Queen vs 2 rooks

Hey ChessMood Family! 
I have a question for you.

What tips would you offer, when playing with queen against 2 rooks, and what tips when playing with Rooks against Queen.
What general rules are there? 

The best answer will be rewarded :) 

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With a Queen vs. 2 Rooks:

The strength of my queen is its superior mobility, so I would keep her centralized as much as possible to take advantage of this. I would then use her to quickly switch attacks from target to target when it would be difficult for the rooks to keep up and defend as quickly. I would also keep my eyes open for fork tactics that my Queen could take advantage of.

With 2 Rooks vs. Queen:

First I would keep my rooks connected, to avaid losing one to a fork by the opposing queen. I would strive to get them both on the 7th rank to generate many threats. By working together, my rooks can generate threats against weaknesses that the queen alone can not defend.

Generally two rooks are equal to a queen, if everything is equal otherwise, the game should be a draw, if noone blunders. So these positions are always situational, never follow general rules without checking the concrete position.

Tips for both sides:

• The initiative is really important. (Maybe even a sacrifice is worth it)
• Don't create any weak pawns (Queens and rooks don't like defending)
• Don't expose your king
• Look for tactics (Queens are tricky)

Playing with the Queen:

• Try to keep as many pieces and pawns on the board as you can. The queen is an attackig piece without supporters (pieces) it will be weaker. About the pawns: rooks need open lines, so don't exchange pawns. Your queen can use the diagonals, rooks can't. Keeping the board crowded will make your opponent more likely to blunder.
• Advancing your pawns to open your opponent's king is really great even if your king becomes open too (but it depends ). You could then save tempis by checking your opponents king and attack faster. 
• If nothing else works go for the perpetual (with a queen you have great chances)

Playing with the Rooks

• Keep your rooks connected. Attack a pawn with both of your rooks and the queen won't be able to defend
• Try to open the position (but not your king)
• Try to exchange pieces, rooks are the strongest in the endgame
• If playing for a win, your king should have a pawn shelter

It's worth mentioning that lonely Queen against rook is difficult to win ('almost' a draw), just imagine another rook, they are menacing in an open board.

Don't forget that playing in the right mood is the most important, you will find theright moves easily.

It is important for both sides to evaluate the position and determine which side is better so they know whether they are supposed to be fighting for the win or playing for a draw. There are many factors that one must consider such as:

- king safety, the quene is either equal or superior to two rook is if the opposing king is exposed due to being able to create a lot of threats 

- pierce coordination, this is a very important factor that can determine whether the side with the queen is superior or not. If the side with the two rooks are not coordinated, this can be extremely troublesome. If you combine this factor with an exposed king, there might be a lot of forks available for the queen. The corrdination between the major pieces with the remaining pieces of the board is also important. It is generally well-known that queens work well with knights whereas the two rooks work well with bishops. 

- weak pawns and squares - the queen is usually superior when she is playing against a side with a lot of weak pawns and squares to attack. The queen is also better in positions where there is play on both sides because the queen can easily play on both sides of the board. 

- piece activity - it is important for both sides to make sure that your pieces are active and not passive. 

Here is some advice stated by Dvoretsky in his book: 

1. Rooks are powerful when they act together. A standard method is doubling the rooks to win, or at least stop, an enemy pawn. Rooks can also create mating threats, particualrly when the opponent's king is cut off along an edge. 

2. The queen has the upper ahdn when the rooks are disconnected or doomed to passivity because of the need to stop an opponent's pawssed pawns or to defend their own pawns. 

- The side with the queen should try to disconnect the two rooks by attacking certain weaknesses forcing the rooks to defend. This can lead to increased chances of forks that the Queen can perform. 

- It is also very easy for the side with the queen to get a draw with perpetual if the side with the rooks is not careful. So if the two rooks is playing for the win, make sure to prevent some ideas. 

- When playing with the queen, it is a good idea to try to avoid trading pieces so you can attack. Two rooks prefer endgames whiles queens prefer attacking positions. 

- Both sides should try to shelter their king but don't be afraid to activate it when the time is right. 

- The side with the rooks should try to connect their rooks and try to create a passed pawn. 

One of my favorite examples that feature this type of imbalance is in the 9.0-0-0 variation of Sicilian Dragon where White decides to be greedy and win a pawn. Even though White is "up in material", Black has a lot of piece coordination in compensation so Black is usuaully better in that variation.

As a general rule, two rooks are better than one queen. The queen = 9 pawns, while the pair of rooks is worth 10. But several factors can influence this imbalance…

In the opening, or middlegame, the queen is much stronger because, it can collaborate with minor pieces and come into play faster. Rooks are waiting for late middlegame and endgame…

Now the endgame ! factors to remember :

• The position of kings. If the side with two rooks has an exposed king, the queen is equal or even superior to the two rooks, since it can easily create threats against the king. Specially if there is a knight with the queen. The rooks cooperate better with bishop…
• Pieces coordination. Two rooks are better than the queen, if they are well coordinated in time. , Two rooks that can’t manage to help each other, will become target of double attacks.

-  The queen is usually better, if there is play on both sides of the board. For a queen, it will be easier to create threats on both wings.

• Piece activity. The queen or the two rooks need to be, above all active !  The rooks need open files. Two rooks on the 7th rank (2nd) are monsters.
• When both sides have passed pawns, tactics will determine who is on top. The degree of progress is often more important than the number of pawns.

Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. The right assessment of a position depends on the nature of details. So keep the right mood !

Please, note that most of the ideas are not mine. I had made a compiled data on internet few months ago.  

Thank you for your great answers, Jay, Mate, Kevin, Arnav, Mr. Pascual! 

I will my summarize and add my notes :)  

• King safety 

• How many pieces are there on the board 

• How many pawns are there on the board  

• Piece coordination

• Pass pawns 

• Is the game on one side or both?  

1. Keep your King Safe 
2. Keep you rooks together  
3. Try to change pieces; Rooks love endgames.
4. Change a few pawns(but not all), and open lines for your rooks. 
5. Create weak pawns in opponent's position and attack them with rooks.
6. Try to get to the 7th (or 2nd rank) and make a horror (terror there) 
7. Be careful, it's very easy to blunder something when playing against Queen (Especially if your King is open)

2. Open opponent's king! If not checkmate there will be lot's of chance for perpetual checks if things don't go great.
3. Avoid having week pawns. Rooks will attack them and your Queen alone can't protect it. She is alone, while rooks are two ?   
4.  Try to keep the game on both sides of the board. Your queen will feel gratitude. 
5. Try not to exchange pawns and open lines for opponent's rook 

6. Never resign! Opponent always can blunder some check-check and you took his rook ? 

In your notes, you said that 

How many pawns are there on the board

 - Rooks favor open lines. 

How do those two relate?

Do you mean something along the lines of less pawn = more files?  

Thanks :)