Chess forum by Grandmasters

WhiteMood Question in 2...e6 3...f4 Sicilian

What to do against 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.f4 d5 4.Nf3 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Qe2 Nh6 8.b3 Nf5 9.Bb2, here, when black plays 9…Be7. This isn't mentioned in the course, and it's the most played move, and it looks logical - not taking immediate action - simply developing.

Also, in here - https://chessmood.com/course/sicilian-defence-part-3/episode/803 , around 04:20, GM Avetik suggests Ng5 as a strong move. However, my engine immediately frowns and shows -1 advantage for black! GM Avo's explanation is that after 14…Nf5, we can play 15.d3, but after 13.Qh8 Nh6 14.0-0, black will play 14…d3 immediately!

Replies

Dear In The Mood,

Please if you are a PRO member, which I believe you are, label this question as for the PRO channel. 
Our GMs give priority to our PRO members always, otherwise you may have to wait for the answers of fellow students… Thanks!!! 😅 

matador png

please, as a newby, regarding the use of Matador PNG. download on Lichess?

tank you

Replies

What do you mean with your post. What are you asking for?

😅

The best games of November, 2025, and the prizes

Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions! 
Welcome to the "Best games of November, 2025" competition.
Under this post, we invite you to post the best games that you will play this month
(up to 5 games per person accepted).

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

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

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

P. S.
Here are the winners of October, 2025:

Vladimir Bugayev
Armandas
Dmytro Shulzhenko
Angelo Sifaleras
Thomas Maes

Replies

Hi,

I am posting for the first time. I liked the move Knight e2 check and queen takes d4 check. Somehow, I felt the tactic was replication of one of the puzzles in tactic Ninja.

Check out this #chess game: YANSHAODONG vs google_vir - https://www.chess.com/live/game/144982575694

After a long run of sloppy games, I managed to put together  another nice Sicilian rout.

https://lichess.org/gBBf40wf/white#1

c3 alapin Bxf7 sac game https://www.chess.com/game/145109761248

knowing the benko ideas https://www.chess.com/game/145110631226

My highlights from Lithuanian blitz ch:

https://lichess.org/study/fP8jYMJQ/HE9eWs7W

https://lichess.org/study/fP8jYMJQ/W4gVJaCg

https://lichess.org/study/fP8jYMJQ/iSFceIqi

Beat a GM in closed Sicilian with a 99.9 accuracy (guess who it is) 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/145110940980?move=0

Wrong sacrifice but still managed to win played as black

https://lichess.org/dZoGrQ6Ky0A6

A Sicilian Alapin game.
https://lichess.org/M3BDBW8M/white

I see it a distinguished example of an attacking game. An inaccuracy of the opponent at the early opening stage was utilized & accumulated till the end.

Nearly every move done by me was a threat had to be responded to, increasing the chance of inaccuracies and mistakes.
Most of the opponent's pieces were paralyzed. Even his last move …Nc4 was a checkmate-in-one blunder, his position was in trouble concerning pieces mobility (Engine gives +6.0 with just a pawn increase in material).
 

A French Attack with the Funky Queenside Pawn Matrix, which has been backfiring for me.  However, this time I managed to entomb my opponent's dark-squared bishop and keep it buried, which gave me great joy and a nice advantage!

https://lichess.org/I0tizkko/black#1

A model game against Caro-Kann !

https://lichess.org/bkRE0XGj

The engine didn't like this game much but I think the ending was quite pretty.

https://www.chess.com/live/game/145227073014

https://www.chess.com/game/145250230600

I saw a game of fischer before playing this, used a few ideas like bad but defending g2 bishop and giving it more scoop by traveling of the e pawn on diagnol.
https://www.chess.com/game/145250703534
 

A Petroff model game 

https://www.chess.com/game/145261515992

https://lichess.org/2SoCN3BE

Win against carokann https://lichess.org/Nflb5obkUD8E played as white 

Hello, this is my attack to a Philidor with a clever queen sacrifice.

Here you go:

https://www.chess.com/game/live/145294556538

Dutch attack with sacrifices mating attack https://lichess.org/MtongWyfw2ub

In this Advanced French Attack, I chose not to pawnstorm the kingside as per the model games, but instead reverted to the original French Plans with my opponent's dark-squared bishop sidelined.  After I drew first blood, my opponent retaliated with full-aggression SLP Mode, but I managed to hold the fort.  

https://lichess.org/yhmYwKwc/black#1

Hi ther, Chessmood family!

It's been a while since my last post, but I wanted to share with you my last game in an OTB tornament against a player that was over 200 Elo points above me (1485 vs 1702). I used my beloved French attack, for which I will be eternally grateful to CM teachers.

https://lichess.org/IdoJwh9m

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/145348124448/review?move=26

Not a Chessmood opening but mate in 15 with 4 brilliant moves in a row-a record for me.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/145361496988
 

mating matador is paying off 

https://www.chess.com/game/145400763804
 

nice mate using the en passant gambit thanks Avo

French attack

https://lichess.org/PeeO66dHqVSc

https://lichess.org/Q820WIES/black#0

A beautiful sacrifice of a rook in a quiet dragon for black.

https://www.chess.com/game/145474076556
 

missed easy tactic in the opening 

but found a nice sac and mate to finish it off 

https://www.chess.com/game/145486743320
 

a model game in the Grand Prix 

https://lichess.org/Ybbr7qjY

3 brilliant moves in a dubious opening.

https://lichess.org/raSN79vh
2 brilliant moves in the Sicilian.

https://lichess.org/YyiSjXSy/black

Not an ideal game, but an epic comeback achieved by trapping the opponent's Queen. Additionally, the highest-rated win in my Rapid history.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/145528171552?move=0

Got home late from a Friday night of enjoyment with friends and I beat the highest rated player that I have ever managed (Lichess 2003) in a Sicilian where they took me out of prep on move 2.  Yes, I missed a fork and a pin, but the good times only got better :D

https://lichess.org/FfwjAWGM/white#1

https://www.chess.com/game/145551642594
 

caro Kahn destroyed by the course!

thanks Avo!!

https://www.chess.com/game/145572130868

Black Champion GAMBIT!!

I played cleanly against my opponent's French with the Schlechter.  This opening variation has won me several games since joining Chessmood.

https://lichess.org/f2Cgiqga/white#1

https://www.chess.com/game/live/145603566898?move=0

Maybe not a brilliancy, but I believe every victory over the despised Jobava London should be celebrated.))

https://lichess.org/gY9eLAzL/black

Defeated a CM rated 200 points higher rated than me in the g3 Benko Gambit. Proud that I was able to execute all of Coach Gabuzyan's ideas including Qa6 and Ng4-e5-d3

After a desastrous OTB game yesterday, glad to be able to win a nice attacking game online today:

https://lichess.org/Gyec9lC9mAKC

Scotch game https://lichess.org/ZSdZUUrjbAGT

- https://www.chess.com/game/live/145683374142
 

Inspired by Jospem at the World Cup:

https://lichess.org/LzbZGyAzfLen

Inspired by Coach Gabu!

https://lichess.org/d5sFnTHJ/white

what is the tournament?

https://www.chess.com/game/145754056166

I am playing the Scotch Game as White (weixinchess) in this game, and my opponent went for 4…Bb4+. I think this is the move I faced the first time. However, my opponent made a mistake a few moves later, and I found the continuation to remove Black castling right and also make him having the ugliest triple pawn. I think from that point onwards, I have a very good endgame to play on.

https://lichess.org/8HwVozAk

loved this game https://www.chess.com/game/live/145806534860

destroying with the vienna https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/145819517610/analysis

https://www.chess.com/game/145801580282
 

missed an early mate but good game 

OTB 70+15. Short and one-sided game in Caro-Kann exchange. Black resigned before the final breakthrough, but his position was hopeless. https://lichess.org/study/Y0hpFcZB/kiJVWeXK

classical game in the last round of chessdojo open classical u1900 - crazy attack, bbeautiful endgame manoeuvre and chessdotcom gave me 3 brilliant !!! 

https://lichess.org/LOR4NjYk

I also played a beautiful alien gambit game 

https://lichess.org/g9ytg4C1#53

https://www.chess.com/events/german-university-chess-championship-rapid-blitz-2025-blitz/03/Wagner_Dylan-Mazurtsova_Margarita

My highest-rated win ever, played OTB in the German University Blitz Chess Championship using the Grand Prix from the WhiteMood openings course against the Sicilian

best game of november

My best caro-cann https://lichess.org/buCDBp5R

Nice dutch attack: https://lichess.org/kUNaVvEK/black#37

Scotch 8. h4 ! https://lichess.org/6lH6RC6C/white#66

French attack no castling https://lichess.org/8fK2zBQC (2350 elo)

A nice d4. counter against a kind of Jobava london: https://lichess.org/KtrEbnG7/black

3 Brilliant Moves: https://lichess.org/1YJ9F6Fq

100% accuracy: https://lichess.org/bze8Cleage64

THE ROOOOOKKK!!!: https://lichess.org/jYoe0bUSHgpF

THE BISHHOOOPP!!: https://lichess.org/sWXHEBQB

Crazy Gameplay but lost on time…: https://lichess.org/khsqgKn4

https://lichess.org/oPy9Y82z6S8c

French advanced with 4 c4 destroyed

Scotch Paul Morphy style:

CosmicKnightmarez vs. cALEB256444 | Analysis - Chess.com

French Attack McCutcheon Gambit

nice little short Grand Prix game just played (26.11.25) in the Lake Geneva Team championship Round 3 

I played this bullet game about two weeks ago and I loved how the game went, especially for my rating.

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/145366575888/review

Finally getting the hang of the French 3 Nd2 line

https://www.chess.com/game/live/146004864332

Over here, I sacrificed the queen to win.

Skak: LTC1864 vs TinaTinzee - 146072806112 - Chess.com

https://www.chess.com/game/146074026694?move=0

I played the Bryne variation and managed to win material in opening but it was hard drilling conversion in to a win, requiring quite a bit of precision in the end. It was played against an IM; casual game online.

Another one played earlier this month on chess.com. Played the Smith Morra as white. Guess what? Trapped the black queen first by sacrificing the knight on d5 then sacking my own queen to win the game.  

https://www.chess.com/game/146093475628

A short game in which my opponent haven't played well, but still I think it was a very good attack ended with two sacrifices.

perfect game no mistakes no miss no blunders

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.11.27"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Glumpkins"]
[Black "UltraChessNoob2025"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]
[WhiteElo "1610"]
[BlackElo "1477"]
[Termination "UltraChessNoob2025 won by resignation"]
[ECO "B10"]
[EndTime "3:32:55 GMT+0000"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/146008113602"]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. e5 d4 5. Ne4 Nd7 6. Bc4 e6 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3
Nxe5 9. Qb3 Nxc4 10. Qxc4 Nf6 11. Ng3 Be7 12. d3 Qd5 13. Qxd5 Nxd5 14. O-O Nb4
15. c3 dxc3 16. bxc3 Nxd3 17. Be3 Nc5 18. Rab1 b6 19. Ne2 O-O 20. Nd4 Rfc8 21.
f4 Bf6 22. Ne2 Ne4 23. c4 Rd8 24. g4 Nd2 25. Bxd2 Rxd2 26. g5 Bd4+ 27. Nxd4 Rxd4
28. Rbc1 Rad8 29. Kf2 Rd2+ 30. Kg3 Rxa2 31. Kg4 g6 32. Ra1 Rdd2 33. Rac1 Kf8 34.
Kf3 Ke7 35. Ke4 Rh2 36. c5 Rhc2 37. cxb6 axb6 38. Kd4 c5+ 39. Kd3 Rh2 40. Rf3
Ra3+ 41. Rc3 Rxc3+ 42. Kxc3 Kd6 43. Kc4 Kc6 44. Ra3 b5+ 45. Kd3 Rxh3+ 0-1

French Exchange. Typical kingside attack.

https://lichess.org/NvKFIBHJ/black

Here are four of my best November games, without any commentary this time (let the chess speak for itself 😜)

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

https://lichess.org/rhiXZ6uw/white#0

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/145678270998/analysis

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146001119162/analysis

https://lichess.org/3dTx38Bq/black#0

https://lichess.org/xC0pRdiy/black#0

Caro-Kann - Knight checkmate https://www.chess.com/game/live/144812662646
GPix Attack - tracking https://lichess.org/ifAshmtI
Model setup 1 Brilliant - https://www.chess.com/game/live/156452023845
Trying Benko 
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146124837922
https://www.chess.com/game/live/145668631368

Here's my game;https://www.chess.com/game/live/146178858796?move=0.I played white and won here.I played the Scotch Game.

 https://lichess.org/73Hs0Fgx

    1. d4 e6 2. e3 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nd2 a6 6. Bd3 Qc7 7. O-O Nc6 8. N4b3 Ne5 9. Be2 b5 10. f4 Ng6 11. f5 Ne5 12. fxe6 dxe6 13. Nf3 Nc4 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. Nbd4 Bc5 16. c3 Bb7 17. Nd2 O-O 18. Qe2 Rad8 19. Rxf6 gxf6 20. Nxc4 Kh8 21. b3 Rg8 22. g3 Rg6 23. Bd2 Rdg8 24. Be1 e5 25. Nf5 Qc6 26. b4 Qh1+ 27. Kf2 Qxh2+ 28. Kf1 Qh3+ 29. Kg1 Qxf5 30. bxc5 Rh6 31. Nd6 Rh1# 0-1

And this one on chess.com, with white

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 c6 5. Bg5 d6 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 a6 8. a4 a5
9. O-O Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. g4 Nxg4 12. hxg4 Bxg4 13. Be2 f6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3 h5
16. Nh2 Bh3 17. Bxh5 Bxf1 18. Qxf1 Bh6 19. Qh3 f5 20. Bg6 Kg7 21. Bxf5 Rf6 22.
Ng4 Qf8 23. Bd3 Nd7 24. Nxf6 Qxf6 25. Ne4 Qg6 26. Nc5 Qe8 27. Ne6+ * 

I like systems involving e6 for black but I often end up being pretty imprecise.

Thanks!

Hello Champions!
How are you?

Thanks a lot for sharing your top games this month!
You demonstrated creative ideas, solid strategic play, and earned some really impressive victories. We found many instructive and valuable moments to learn from.
Great job! And now, let’s get to the prizes!

1st Prize: Jayden Fide
A fantastic Scotch model game!
You gained the Bishop pair right from the opening, and with opposite-side castling, you started a fast, powerful attack. It all culminated in a brilliant Queen sacrifice that led to a beautiful checkmate!
An outstanding performance, especially against such a strong opponent!
Fantastic job!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/145294556538?move=46

2nd Prize: Raj KK
You crushed with the Stonewall!
In the closed structure, you used your Kingside space advantage, mobilized your pieces, sacrificed a Knight, and finished the game with a beautiful checkmate!
Great game!
https://lichess.org/dZoGrQ6K/black

3rd Prize: Thomas Maes
Right from the opening, you built a strong center and began gaining space. With your opponent’s pieces completely paralyzed, you kept the pressure on their King and finished the game with a cute Rook, Bishop-and-Knight checkmate.
Well done.
https://lichess.org/Gyec9lC9

4th Prize: Jioh Park
A good game played with the right attacking principles.
After completing your development, you confidently sacrificed a Bishop to start the attack, and later calmly ignored the hanging Rook to break through against the weakened opposing King.
Fearless Warrior!
https://lichess.org/1YJ9F6Fq#29

5th Prize: James L
You crushed the Jobava Line!
You fought for the center from the very start, developed your pieces to strong, healthy squares, and began targeting the opponent’s weakened dark squares. From there, you launched a powerful attack on the King and finished the game with a stunning checkmate.
Very impressive!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/145528171552?move=59

Congratulations to all of you!

Thank you once again to everyone for sharing your games.
All the best for next month’s contest!

New article: SLP Method - How to save lost chess positions?

What do you think it takes to save lost positions?

Of course, having a deeply-ingrained fighter attitude helps. But saving a lost position (SLP) is also a skill anyone can learn.

We've launched a mini-guide on using this topic where GM Avetik talks about:

✅ The 11 strategies to save lost positions 

✅ Why following normal rules in a lost position doesn’t work

✅ Why playing the engine’s best moves in a losing position might be a bad strategy

✅ The golden question you should ask before resigning

✅ How to train and improve your SLP skills, and much more!

Read it here👇

https://chessmood.com/blog/slp-method-how-to-save-lost-positions

And you can share your thoughts and ideas under this forum thread.

Replies

this game - https://lichess.org/O8VDCbNmudWp

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/86128211857?tab=analysis

Currently a rating of 1700 on chess.com

Played against an even rated opponent. I blundered a piece. Still won it, because of SLP ;)

I was like so broken at this game, as i thought rooks are one of my best strengths when opponent has a queen but this game showed me i'm wrong
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121189271580

same in this one as well
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121168432450

 

An slp position: I succeed (or does my opponent help me) to fight back to slight inferior position, activate my bishop, and finally push my opponent to fault. https://lichess.org/g8P10VZ8/black#0

a nice slp after bad position from opening: https://lichess.org/lkaqXlb1

This one was really a good slp spirit game: after 10…bb6? The black queen is trapped!! So slp, keeping the chess mood: https://lichess.org/kCxHXCuB/black

https://lichess.org/sSfiQxAl/white

Saving the half point one piece down!!

Middlegame planning and strategies

While playing the game, once Opening theory is completed, I get stuck in Middlegame planning and strategies. Please help me in understanding how can I make long term plans and strategies in Middlegame.

Replies

Hey there.

Depending on the level - For U2000, but will be definitely good for players 2000+ - Silent Strategy, 7Q Method - explaining how to find a plan.
 

For 1500+ levels - up to 2600 online.

Courses like Happy Pieces, Speedboat Adventures, and  Power of the Bishop Pair.

And of course - 100 Strategic Masterpieces, and courses of In Grandmaster Mind sections.

Benko 5.e3 advanced early Bg5 without Nf3

Hi Chessmoodteam,

i had this game in benkoline 5.e3 where i thought i played principled like learned in advanced course. But somehow i didnt managed to free myself completely.. Do you have any recommendation where i can improve/change the original plan of playing e6? I felt this Bg5 without Nf3 was bit annoying. Engine also even thinks e6 was a mistake.. :( Thank you! 

Replies

Dear Fred,

I have also come across this specific sequens recently, probably the only line that I didn't in the advanced sections.
Considering adding it.

After the Bg5 move, there is the Qa5 idea, and if Bd2 - Qd8.
But planning to work more concretely on this.

French Attack Advanced

Dear ChessMood students ♥️
You love French attack, but have questions in some variations? 

I’m going to record an advanced French course, but before that, let's get your questions answered during the live event! 

Also, we’ll go a little bit deeper and into some nuances, so you can enjoy French even more! 

Please, post your questions here, and see you during the live event! 

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 4? 😊

Replies

Would like to know something aggressive against 3.Nc3 Nf6 e5 (something playable unlike kinder surprise variation (: )

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bd7 4.Nf3 a6 5.Be2 Bb5 6.0-0 and now white wants Nc3 and force us to capture on e2 and they take Nc3xe2. 

Probably 6..Bxe2 is needed but white is kinda leading in development, their ideas are after 7.Qxe2 Rd1 and maybe c4 how to continue for black, what's the plan? 

Imo this is one of the best ways to play against this Bd7 setup as white.

Can you cover the Steinitz variation?

1.e4 e6
2. Bc4  ….?

Hi Avetik 

Can we have a line for the tricky 1.e4 e6 2.b3? 

Thanks

A year ago, a GM destroyed my “early bishop swap variant” (Chessmood French) singlehandedly…

In the Steinitz, McCutcheon Gambit: 1.e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 h6 5. Bf6: Qf6: 6. ed5: Bb4 7. Bb5+ is much more unpleasant than 7. de6:  How should this be played?

Many thanks in advance

😀

In the Exchange Variant, Monte Carlo Variation, after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. ed: ed: 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nf3 the move is Be7, but with the remark “Bb4+ in the main course”…. Please give us more information about this main course…. Thank you, Avo

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 Nc6 8. 0-0

Would you recommend 8…g5 or 8… a5 here, at 2000+ level? Seems like g5 used to be pretty popular - but doesn't seem like this line is “alive” nowadays…?

Hello Ave, hope you are fine. what do you play is such games when white goes with e4, d3, g2, Bg2 and so on 

https://lichess.org/YpXkcrZ562Py

In BlackMood advance variation, after 1.e4, e6; 2.d4, d5; 3.e5, Bd7, 4.f4,c5; 5.c3,Nc6; 6.Nf3,Qb6; 7.Be2,Nh6; 8.O-O, cd4; 9.cd4,Nf5 the course explains that white cannot defend the d4 pawn. 

Instead of Be2 and O-O, if white played Be3 to defend d4 before Nf5 was played, would white be able to defend the pawn on d4?

Thanks a lot.

In the Mccutheon gambit I don't think we get enough compensation or the plan really works as after 8:nf3 the plan is to go nc6 and castle long, but it doesn't work and is not practical at all maybe a different suggestion. Thank YOU - https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/2Rno2pXiA2/analysis?move=14

please can you cover the idea and explan position of black after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6. exd5 Bb4 7. Bb5+

Hi all and thank you for your excellent effort.

I have a variation for advanced French Attack!!!

1e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Bd7 4 Nf3 a6 5 c3 Bb5 6 Bxb5 ab5 7 O-O Nd7 8 a4 attacking my b5 pawn.

Do you have any suggestions how we continue from this position?

Thank you in advance.

I have some problems with these lines when White can bring their bishop to c2. It might happen like this or through some transposition.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bd7 4. c3 a6 5. Bd3 Bb5 6. Bc2 ,

We often reach this position and I don’t know what plan to follow.
 

I get some trouble after exchange 3…….ed4   he play f4 and what next ?!

Im having trouble with the exchange variation. 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Nc3!? (now, black can't play 5…Bd6 due to 6. nxd5) I tried 5… Bg4 and white plays 6.Bb5 and black can't get the normal set up with Bd6…. how to deal with 5. Nc3!? 

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/5mafhnvdXU/analysis

In exchange French line it looks like we are attacking but whites attack is faster, I have lost so many games like this.

I am not sure what to play if white plays early Bb5, for example: 1. e4, e6, 2. d4, d5, 3. exd5, exd5, 4. Nc3, Nc6, 5.Bb5. This setup is very irritaiting, because if black wants to castle long black can't allow damaging pawn structure by Bxc6. However if we play Qd7 or Qd6 it stands in the way of one of the bishops. If we play Bd7 we can't move the queen to d7, where it usually stands. If we play Nge7 we can't deveop the bishop from f8. Also the fact that the pawn on d5 is attacked by the knight on c3 means that ideally we should play Be6 first and only later Bd6 and Nge7. I tried 2 ideas in this line. One was to ignore Bb5 and if white takes on c6 just to play short castle and later c5, but it isn't as good as these sharp positions we typically get with long castle. The second plan was to play Nge7, develop the queenside and castle long , but then getting the bishop from f8 developed isn't easy and this setup seems a bit too passive.

Thanks so much for doing this! I can't be there live but am looking forward to watching it as soon as I get home from work :)

In an OTB game, I reached 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.ed5 ed5 5.Bg5 with Qd2, 0-0-0, h4 and attack on the kingside.
Can you recommend an effective counterstrategy?

Thank you in advance

I just watched a video with 3. Be3 so called Alapin Gambit. Are you familiar with this line and ideas against the French? Nelson posted a video on it recently, so I am sure to face it soon.

Here are a few of his sample lines/setups:

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Be3 dxe4 4. f3 exf3 (4... Nf6 5. fxe4 Nxe4 6. Bd3 Qh4+ (6... Nf6) 7. g3 Nxg3 8. Bf2 Bd6 9. Qf3) 5. Nxf3 Nf6 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Qe1 b6 9. Qh4 Bb7 10. Bg5 c5

Dear Avo,

I have got some questions one to the Tarrasch Variation (Sd2) and one for Sc3

Sd2: 

how do we continue, if white goes for the Setup Le2, Sf1, Se3, 0-0 and c4?

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Sd2 Sc6 4. Sf3 Sf6 5. e5 Sd7 6. Le2 f6 7. exf6 Dxf6 8. Sf1 Ld6 9. Se3… 

or 6. Sb3 with idea of Lf4

Sc3:

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Sc3 Sf6 4. Lg5 h6 5. Lxf6 Dxf6 6. exd5 Lb4 and now Lb5 for white?

Thank you so much in advance Avo!

Hi Avetik

Can you please explain in the French exchange what to do when white goes for an attack on our king castled on the queenside such as in a blitz game I played today? I seem to lose many games as I don't seem to respond correctly to this.

https://lichess.org/RVQMMn1h/black

thank you.

Not sure if anyone is so well prepared to know this, but 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Ng8 5.a3! is a very strong move: 5…c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.Qg4 seems to yield a very pleasant position.

After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bd7 4.Nf3 a6, I wasn't sure about two reasonable variations:

first, 5.Be2 Bb5 6.Nc3! Bxe2 7.Nxe2 with the standard advanced French ideas (including that …c5xd4 cxd4 …Bb4+ is met by Kf1), I wasn't sure about the postion.

second, 5.c3!? Bb5 6.h4 is quite liked by the computer, although I can tell that it isn't so easy to handle for either side in a practical sense.

in Kinder surprise variation after Ng8,  what do you reccomend after Be3.  Is it best to keep the centre closed and not play C5.  I have seen some ides with nc6, Bb7 Qd7 and castles long with h5 and nh6.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. c3 e5 5. Bb5 dxe4 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. Nxe4 Qd5  i dont fell confortable about this postion pleas explain thos postion

Hi Avetik and everyone, 

I have a question about white attacking the b5 pawn the advance variation of the French Attack. I have had games where white goes c4 in combination with preparatory moves like b3, Nd2, Qe2, Rc1, which breaks through the shield. 

Thanks.

😍

hi avo 

can you cover 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 just the idea and pale for black as you said in the corse you will cover it in the main french cours also  Bb4 early 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 and thanks  as well as this main  line what is the idea if we want to play 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 becous i crouched  in the OTB as i play the recomended move Ng8 back  

�😍😍�

final q 

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6. exd5 Bb4 7. Bb5+    that best c6 or Bd7 and what next 

Thank you GM_Avetik for the French and Dutch Advance Streams. These were very instructive, especially on positions not covered by the course. 

Thank you very much: I watched the live event & this is a great lesson, exactly what I've been waiting for. I've been playing BlackMood for nine months now, and I've already encountered many of these new variations.

I recently got completely destroyed in a French game, but I probably didn't find the right plan:
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bd7 4. Nf3 a6 5. Be2 Bb5 6. O-O Ne7 7. a4 Bxe2 8. Qxe2
Nf5 9. c3 c5 10. Rd1 Nc6 11. Na3 Qb6 12. g4 Nfe7 13. a5 Nxa5 14. dxc5 Qc7 15. b4
Nb3 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. Nd6+ Kd7 18. Rb1 Nxc1 19. Rbxc1 Nc6 20. Nxf7 Rg8 21. c4 Nxb4
22. cxd5 Nxd5 23. N7g5 h6 24. Nxe6 Kxe6 25. Qd3 Qd8 26. Qg6+ Ke7 27. Nd4 Qc8 28.
Nf5+ Kd8 29. Rxd5+ Bd6 30. Qxd6+ 1-0

😢

thanks for the seminar, was great. 

Just last week, I was shocked with the variation in a rapid tournament and misplayed it 

it was:  1) e4 e6 2) c4 d5 3) cxd5 exd5 and instead of 4) Qb3 (discussed in the course and the seminar)   

my 2050 rated player choose 4) Qa4+ ..   (which shocked me) and i lost some time already) and replied Bd7 

and after this 5) Qb3 and again after long time thinking I played Qe7? ( instead of dxe4 Qxb7 Bc6  and Bb5  (did not see that Bxb5 Qxa8 Qd3 would be great for black ..so white should take Qb5+ Nd7 which looked too strange .. )     

what followed was 6) Qb7 Bc6 and well Qc8 Qd8 and Qxd8 and I had lost a pawn .. and after some desperate tries and x moves I lost the game. 

Dutch Attack Advanced

Dear ChessMood students ♥️
You love Dutch attack, but have questions in some variations?

I’m going to record an advanced Dutch course, but before that, let's get your questions answered during the live event!

Also, we’ll go a little bit deeper and into some nuances, so you can enjoy Dutch even more!

Please, post your questions here, and see you during the live event! 

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 5? 😊

Replies

between November 20-30, Essential Members have access too.  how it opend for us ?

or it will be for pro member only?

Awesome we’ve been waiting for this!!

 Always have trouble with f3 variations 

Excellent course, as usual. Could you elaborate a bit if white plays Bf4 before castling in the g3 variation? (1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 d5 5.Nf3 c6 6.Bf4). Thanks in advance! 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/145832339546
 

a disaster out of the opening 

I have trouble when they play e4

😢

The date literally collides with my exams!

https://www.chess.com/game/145910921480
 

Dutch problem for me 

I have some trouble with the nimzo-dutch variation (after 2. c4 f5 3.Nc3 Bb4) in my classical games.

In a recent game my Stonewall was destroyed in the opening after a few moves. I won the game!

Will this be recorded for those of us that cannot attend?

I face the position after White's move 8 with some frequency.  Both players have three attackers of the e5 square.  If I play 8…Ne5, it looks like I'd be a pawn down.  8…d6, which I played in this particular game (https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146004380620/analysis?move=14) , just seems to delay the inevitable regarding the e5 square.  How should Black continue here?  (I have no idea why the uploaded PGN, which has the whole game, is only showing the first seven moves here.)

😍

1. d4 e6 2. Bf4 f5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 b6 5. h3 Bb7 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O Ne4 8. Nbd2  here if i play 0-0  or d6 he will thak Nxe4 and after Bxe4 a lot play Nd2 after Bb7 they play bf3 and the important B gone can you explain this position 

Great dutch attack course! I'm using it in my games, but have couple questions from my practice.

1.Nf3 e6 2.g3 f5 what if white doesn't go for d4, but tries d3 KIA setup to blast our stonewall with e4 later. This is quite a dangerous setup for white (I even play it vs dutch) and hope you'll give some weapons in advanced dutch 👍

Against London you recommend the sneaky line where black can later attack white on the k-side 1.d4 e6 2.Bf4 f5 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nf3 b6 5.Be2 Bb7 6.0-0 d6 not revealing our cards we intend Nbd7,Qe7,Ne4+g5 and k-side storm, but if white goes aggressive with his own q-side play 7.c4! Nbd7 8.Nc3 imo white is better, any improvements here?

Thank you.

I enjoy playing your Dutch systems. In some games, I am passive with black – especially in the main variation with c4/g3/Bg2/Nf3. Can you give me some more strategic ideas on when to play b6/Bb7 or Ba6/c5 or dc4 in the centre? 

Thank you

After white trades their bishop with f6 knight, then brings in their knight to e5 and white queen enters with h5+ or with a4+ (if I've played d6 trying to kick the knight). Perhaps I need revisit the course, but could use insight into how to proceed.

Thank you, Avo!!

https://www.chess.com/game/live/145713432912?move=19

https://www.chess.com/game/live/146127399592?move=25

Dear Chessmood Family,

by playing the Stonewall Dutch I've faced an early Lf4 for some times now where I couldn't find an antidote yet, so I want to ask the Chessmood Family how to encounter it. It was not playing often in the database but the engine loves this idea for white with +0,8 already. So I would like to have some tips or plans playing against it.

For example: 1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Sf3 Sf6 4.g3 d5 5. Sc3 c6 and now not 6.Lg2 as usual but 6.Lf4! (best engine move) restricting us playing 6…Ld6 as we don't want to change the dark square bishop. If I continue with normal Le7 and 0-0, white will play e3 and h4 and not even Lg2 then but Le2, Dc2 Kf1 and Kg2. When I saw this idea for white I was impressed and it restricts me from playing an attacking Dutch Stonewall. So I hope some of you guys have much experience and can help me. Thank you so much in advance!

Hello, my wife is dutch attack enjoyer and she recently played blitz game that follows: 1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. a3 Nf6 4. Nc3 b6 5. Bf4 Bb7 6. e3 d6 7. Nf3 h6 8. h3 g5 9. Bh2 Nbd7 10. d5 e5 11. Be2 Nc5 12. b4 Nce4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Nd2 Nf6 15. Bh5+ Kd7 16. Bf7 … She got pretty bad position and my question is where is the exact moment she went wrong? I know that when you get check on h5 it is bad thing to allow, but where was her first mistake? She just wanted to push g5 in the spirit of dutch attack… Thanks and have a nice day

PS: (this a3 move is pretty anoying, it is just me or it is dutch attack harder to play when i cant put my bishop on b4?)

Hello Avo,
I am Kartikesh from INDIA,
I have certain doubt about its choosing of structure if white plays the late Catalan by not showing the cards early, as BlackMood players would be on crossroads because you only taught us the catalan struture when white shows their cards early…kindly clarify this in the session. :-)
See you in the session…

Hi Avetik,

I have a std. Fide rating of 1976 and most of my Dutch Attack games end up in a Stonewall. Sometimes I end up in trouble on the queen side. The following is a recent OTB game  (90+30) in the League Championship, with a player ca. 200 pts lower rated than myself, where I ended up with a worse position:

1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 c6 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 Qe7 9. a4 a5 10. Ba3 Bxa3 11. Nxa3 Bd7 12. Rfb1 Na6 13. Qd1 Be8 14. Nc2 Ne4 15. Qe1 Nb4 16. Rb2 f4 17. c5 fxg3 18. hxg3 Nxc2 19. Rxc2 Bh5 20. b4 g5 21. b5 Be8 22. e3 cxb5 23. axb5 Bxb5 24. Rxa5 Rxa5 25. Qxa5 Bc6 26. Ne5 Qf6 27. Qa2 Be8 28. Rb2 Nxc5 29. dxc5 Qxe5 30. Rxb7 Qc3 31. Qb2 Qxb2 32. Rxb2 Bc6 33. Rb6 Rc8. 

Game ended in a draw on move 58.

I spent 40 min. on moves 15-19, but still ended up struggling.

Comments on how to best handle a position like this would be welcome. A specific question that I have is if b6, Bb7 is sometimes preferred to keep queenside expansion by White at bay, instead of the normal Bd7, Be8, Bh5 maneuver?

Hi Avo, I have a question regarding Dutch against the London system.

In the course and in the model games, the white knight chills on b1 for the entire opening phase. However, in practice, the opponents usually move it to d2 before I get to play Ne4 (in the Be7 setup), after which I'm no longer sure if the plan is still right.

Take the following sequence, for example, for which I've picked the most common moves for White, according to the Lichess database.

1. d4 e6 2. Bf4 f5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. c3 O-O 8. Qc2

According to the course, the idea is to play 8…Ne4 before 9…d6 so that I can prevent White from playing Ng5 and attacking my otherwise weak d6 square. However, if I do play Ne4 in this situation, White can just trade my knight, and Ng5 is still possible, which will not allow me to play d6.

How should I deal with this or similar setups, where Nbd2 is played before I can play Ne4?

In one of the model games, Ne4 is played even before Be7 and O-O. This move order was not mentioned in the course, but is this the way to go to stay as flexible as possible?

Hi Avo,

One simple line i am not sure if it has been discussed.

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.a3? then how we play as black and where to put our black squared bishop?

Thank you in advance, lf for the course!!!!

😊

Just to say tt I quit playing french and dutch attacks when I reached 2000 rapid rating and moved on to the advanced courses but I like the material of these days so much tt I will start to play a bit of all for black!!

Thanks for these sessions and I noticed that even the parrot got quiet during the dutch attack session!! 

Hey GM Avetik, I watched the lesson, great lesson, do you have any idea when the advance dutch course will be released? 

Weak squares and utilisation

Is there any videos teaching weak squares any books to suggest

Replies

Hey there,

You can find that in the Silent Strategy course - in the Rating Booster section :-) 

New Dutch Lesson

I just watched the New Dutch Lesson for Pro Members.

I had to work and could not watch it live.

This Lesson is Gold!

Thank you!

-Mike

Replies

Thanks for kind words :-)

Will share this with GM Avo :-) 

french problem

To Avo and anyone who is recording the french advanced course. Thank you so much for recording the advanced course on my beloved openings (french and dutch attack.) Please, include how to play against 1.e4 e6 2.e4 e5 3.Nd2 Nc6 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd7 6.Bd3 f6 7.Ng5!

Thank you, 

Eli Se

Replies

Hi Eli,

If in the advanced lines we keep the same continuation, this line, I think, should be included.

Courses

�🥰�

If I just finish a course what should I do next jump to next course or waiting an practicing all information I have learned in the cours  to becom in subconscious mind or what to do please any one answer 

Replies

I, as a 2000 fide rated player , really find it useful to revise and attempt all the things learnt before moving to next course. It really  helps the concept to go deep into the subconscious mind

Issue..

In whitemood i noticed in french section, right after a video finnishes and a quiz starts if we by mistakenly press the forward key for a second GM's voice plays.

Replies

Bro ,Kindly tell exact chapter and name🙂

Can you check if my kid is using Tactical Ninja patterns?

My kid has started Tactical Ninja again. Every day he completes one section and plays nine games. Can you please check whether he is applying what he learned? Here is his Lichess ID: devsai_58

Replies

Dear Devansh,

I am glad your kid is playing the games and trying to use the Ninja patterns, but we are not checking the students' games - and finding such mistakes, as that is a specific coaching approach. We do have thousands of students, and that's impossible on our side.

If you want someone to check the games, finding a coach is a good idea. This article might help you as well https://chessmood.com/blog/find-the-right-chess-coach-guide

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.

Experiment with Rating Range on French/Dutch

Would it be possible to test a series for a new rating range? I prefer the French/Dutch openings (and I heard Avo say the same thing) and was wondering if we try a rating range of say 1800-2300.  I would like to see how ‘experts’ and weak master handle our systems since I am on the cutoff cusp at 2000 rating myself.

Worth a try?

Replies

Hey there,

The idea is interesting - we might give it a try, need to discuss :-) 

Thanks!

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:

1. 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.
2. 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:

1.  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?
2. 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?
3.  Should I have played Nb8 to prevent White to exchange my light-squared bishop? (or is it a very passive place for the knight?)
4. 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?
5.  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.

https://www.chess.com/events/german-university-chess-championship-rapid-blitz-2025-rapid/01/Wagner_Dylan-Buyukasik_Diyap

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.