Chess forum by Grandmasters

Daily puzzle May 14th - error

Today's (May 14th, 2025) Daily Puzzle gives 2.Nf7+ as wrong and suggests 2.Be5+ as the only valid second move. Please fix.

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Was coming here to suggest the same thing. Can confirm, engine agrees 2.Nf7+ should be correct (not that you need an engine to know a free queen is better than giving up a bishop for the queen, but still)

Thank you!
We have fixed the puzzle!

WORLD CHAMPION GUKESH DOMMARAJU GETTING CRUSHED WITH CHESSMOOD OPENINGS!

In the 4th round of the Superbet Chess Classic Romania, GM Maxime-Vachier Lagrave uses the ChessMood line 5…Nb3 against the 4…Bc5 move against the Scotch. Superb performance by MVL, and it proves that ChessMood openings could be useful, even against the world's best.

Link to game: https://www.chess.com/events/2025-gct-superbet-romania-chess-classic/04/Vachier_Lagrave_Maxime-Gukesh_D

As IM Prin Laohawirapap says, when playing the Scotch Game, 80% of the time he has a winning position out of the opening. And indeed, even the most “natural” moves made by Black led to at least +0.7 for white. And in the game mentioned above, even GM Gukesh made a mistake with 8…0-0

Most dominant opening analyzed by ChessMood grandmasters. Huge respect to the ChessMood team!
 

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Yes this was an awesome game for MVL as white! He crusied to victory. Black never had a chance! 

PS I thought I was watching Coach Gabu playing on a stream! 

https://lichess.org/broadcast/gct-2025-superbet-classic-romania/round-4/9gjeUImF/6Ymlka4i

Thank you for sharing this  guys! I have seen some new ideas as well - e.g. not the typical f3 move just after the long castle and a bishop to b5 development. Perhaps an idea the chess mood team picking up these games and commenting on them just like the 100 attacking or endgame classical games. 

Just an idea and let's keep the right mood :-) 

Never give up!

I like to challenge myself by playing against higher-rated players when I get the chance - often through Daily tournaments.

One of the people that I've played against is around 2,000 in Rapid and Blitz (but ‘only’ 1,500 in Daily for some reason).  My Rapid rating is 1,000 (Daily 1,300).  Even when I think that I am playing well he completely out-plays me.  Games played: 5 and Games won: 0!!

Until today!  Despite not playing my best I finally managed to beat this player.  I'm so happy  😁  Perhaps he'd taken pity on me and I was actually playing against his cat!  I don't care - I'm taking the victory anyway …

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Never surrender!  :)

Well done. And it's good that you are enjoying the moment. It's well deserved.

How do you play against the isolated pawn?

Hi there, chessmood family

My question is related with the Schlechter variation against the French defense, in the line with 3…c5: 

1e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3 c5 4.exd5 exd5 

The main course here suggests three possible continuations for white: Nf3, dxc5 or c3, and let us choose which one we prefer.

• What do you usually play in this position? Which one of the three moves is best for white?
• If we choose dxc5, black continues with Bxc5 and in the main course Avo says that we should play against the isolated pawn on d5. How do you exactly do this?What should be the strategy? Anyone can share some model game with this line? 

I'm still trying to realize which of the three suggested moves is best in this position. So far I tried dxc5, and I usually play it against a friend of mine who beats me all the times. So, either I'm not plying the way I suppose to do it or I need to pick another one of the two moves suggested here: Nf3 or c3. In this case, I would also thank receiving advice on these lines too.

Thank you very much in advance for your vauable help

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Passive setup for black in Caro Kann 4..Qc7 and 5..e6

Hi I played today against this:

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 Bd3 Nc6 4 c3 Qc7 5 Ne2 e6 6 Bf4 Bd6 7 Bxd6 Qxd6 i played 8 Nd2. I have ideas like f4 Nf3.

I could not find anything about this when black play passive and black look his lightsquared bishop behind the pawn chain.

What is chessmood aproach against this?

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Dear Erik,

The passive setup is very good for White, and we get an easy game - we do have model games in this type of setup. Also, did you check simplified or advanced repertoires? Because I am pretty sure GM Avetik talks about this kind of setup.

The courses are starting to help!

It's nice to see clear signs of improvement, and today I got a clear indication that the ChessMood courses are really helping me.

I played White against a Caro-Kann and followed the ChessMood variation pretty well (okay, I might have gotten creative on one or two moves!).  The attached image shows the position after my (White) 16th move.

At this point, I looked at the board and thought: “Wow. It's like I actually know what I'm doing”. And I can evaluate this position much better now than I've done in the past, thanks to the Silent Strategy course and some of the other courses.

What's not to like about White's position?  Killer bishop on d3, which is so much better than Black's horrible bishop which is completely blocked in by the pawns.  My knight on e5 is wonderfully placed, and much better than Black's knight. 

During the game I thought at this point that the evaluation would be around +1.5, which is pretty much what the engine says. But regardless of the evaluation, this position was fun to play!  I have lots of ideas about how to proceed, and Black struggles to find any good positions for his pieces.

I'm happy :D

Jeff

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Thank you for sharing this, Jeff.  I am hoping for similar results down the line.  

Thanks to my Silent Strategy lesson today about Weak Pawns, I see big red crosshairs over the backward pawn on a6 as well.

Dear Jeff!

Always great to hear about your growth and good results!
Waiting for more :D

Covering of games with the proposed opening of current super GM's

Dear team,

In the forum someone posted a game in the scotch (Bc5 line) lost by the current worldchampion against MVL. Just and idea - in line with the 100 classical games selection (attacking, strategic and endgames)- to comment on such top level games. Like you do in streaming with the proposed openings but covering some recent games. Again just an idea as not sure how many are interested as this might evidently relate more to the over 2000 ELO.

Keep up the good work and the mood.

Cheers, Edger

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Hi Edger! 

Thanks for you suggestion 😊
We will take an account it!

Borg defense? 1. e4 g5

Hey all, does Avo have a recommendation for white against 1. e4 g5?

I just faced it and managed to win, but am not seeing any videos about it in his Whitemood opening course. Am I missing anything?

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Realizing the name comes from the opposite of Grob, as it's a Grob from White's perspective :)
So I'm guessing the best moves are to just take the center with d4, then support w/ c3, like Avo showed for the Grob.

In the WhiteMood course, Section 21 ("Rubbish Moves") is something that you'll want to see if you haven't already. In particular, Section 3 of that course ("The best setup") gives Avo's preferred development plan if Black doesn't fight for the center.

Attacking a castled king

Hi all,

I often struggle with picking the right moves to break through an opponent's defensive line after they have castled.  In the game below it is white to play - black has just played 18 …Nh7 - what moves would you play and why?

(I'm not looking for a Stockfish says … type of answer but rather what your overall plan is in positions like this and how you implement the plan)

Thanks  😎

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/daily/807067212?tab=review&move=35

Replies

These are my first impressions of the position:
Clearly White is looking to create a big attack on the kingside. The Knight on e5 is fantastic, and a primary goal is to involve more pieces with Rdg1 and somehow transfer the Queen over. As White, I would be looking for a quick win.

The first move I would consider is gxh6, which was also your choice. It opens up Black's King. That is basically the only justification it needs. If Black responds with …g6 we can continue attacking with the move h5 and also consider Nxg6 in the future.

g6 also deserves consideration since it forces Black's hand. The threat is exf7+, so Black probably needs to capture the pawn immediately with fxg6. After 1.g6 fxg6 2.Nxg6 Qf7 followed by …Nf8, I don't see clearly how White is breaking through despite his initiative.

So I would play gxh6. You found this move and it worked perfectly and you played a flawless attack. Your 23.Bh2 in particular would never occur to me, but it's the best engine move. Nice win!

I cannot add much of value to what Jake already said. just a few things however from my perspective:

First, we can kind of tell that the g-file is going to be opened almost no matter what. The g-file is also preferable over the h-file. (Sometimes it is not because teh opponent can quickly play Kh8 and rg8 to challenge the file.)

It dosent make sense to give Black a tempo to try and decide what THEY want on the kingside, we would much rather have the final say. This basically leaves us with 2 moves, gxh6, and g6.

Usually I would be concerned about gxh6 and g6, it could sometimes be really hard to proceed there. However after Rdg1, the threat of h5 is basically unstoppable.

g6 also looks good, although i am not a fan of giving them the f-file for defence (After Nxe5, Bxe5) and the f6 square for the knight. Additionally the knight on g6 blocks the g-file, which means we will have to move it back to e5 (leading to previously mentioned).

I think you played great, gxh6 would also be my move, and I would also like to praise Bh2. It's definnetly not a move that occurs to me quickly as I am trying to attack! Usually I rush in these situations :)

Great game, and I hope to see it in the best games contest (if it isnt already)! 

French exchange variation

how to play 

1 e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5.white play Bb5 instead of Be2 or d3

Replies

Hello.

I consider the best move is 5. Bb5 due to it's the most aggressive way to be prepared against the natural 5. … Bg4

It looks like you have an extra tempo because you can castle in the next move (6. Qd3, with the intention of 7. Ne5 with a big pressure and 6. c4 - 7. cxd5 and 8. Nc3 and 9. Bg5, could be a nice plan).

Following and bumping. I also want to know this.

just develop the f8 bishop to d6, if white trades, all good, the c6 pawn can be defended with Ne7, and Bd7 if need be, and if white doesn't trade and castles, continue with Ne7,Be6 and castles. if c4, you can take and after d5 a6 Ba4 b5 dxc6 bxa4 O-O (Qxa4 Qe7+) the position is about equal according to the engine, although white scores 52% wins: 41% losses after c4, it is not very common below the 2200 level according to the lichess database, only being played in 4% of games. I am by no means a expert In the French, so I suggest doing a deeper analysis, Especially after c4. 

My headche in chess

Hi Coach, I have too much doubt related to expansion on queenside in chess, like when to expand on queenside, when to exploit opponent lack in development and the most frustating is when is the right time to attack in chess. looking forward to get answer of these questions very curiously.

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Okay so of course each question largely depends on position.

For example, you should (almost) never focus on queenside expansion when you arent developed.

For exploiting lack in development, you should always try to aim and use this. In a closed position you may not be able to, but in a semi-open or open position, the best way is to create threats and dont let your opponents pieces come into play.

As for when to expand on the queenside this largely depends on the position. usually when you choose a plan based on the features of a position, you will know when and if you want to gain space on the queenside. Same thing for when to attack.

These things will mostly come as you get better and intuition develops.

How do I use MoodCoins

How do I use MoodCoins. I know it says that it can be used to buy courses but I can't find the option.

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Hi there,

Try this:

1. Go to the Courses page and pick your course
2. Select the option “Or get lifetime access”
3. Select the option “Buy the course”
4. In the right-hand section titled “Choose your payment method” the last option will be MoodCoin.

Remember that $1 = 1,000 MoodCoin.  So, if the course costs $300 that is 300,000 MoodCoin.

Need to earn some more?  Details are here: https://chessmood.com/moodcoin

How to play as black after 1d4 e6 2c4 ...

Dear students, could someone give me a hint, where I find the video for this opening in the French Opening Course. Thank you very much.

Joachim 

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The french only occurs after 1.e4 or 1.d4 2.e4. After 2.c4, the chessmood recommendation is 2…f5, the dutch defence. This is covered in sections 9-15 of the blackmood openings course.

hope this helps, Samuel

Daily puzzle multiple solutions

Today’s daily puzzle have more than 1 solution where Nf4+ Ke4 and white can also play Ne2 attacking the rook and also threatening Ng3+ if black tries Rh1. Black cannot stop h7 and h8(Q)

please correct me if I am wrong.

Replies

Hi Ishaan!
You're right!
Thanks for letting us know. 

 

Double solution in Daily Puzzle

Hello.

I report a second solution (which was taken as wrong).

1. Ng4+ Ke4

2. Ne2 Rf1 / Rh1 loses due to Ng3+. Otherwise, h pawn promotes immediately.

Thank you so much.

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How to train calculation?

How do you train calculation. Besides doing puzzles.

ps I don't mean without puzzles but is there anything else I can do?

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I read somewhere on lichens that the one of the best types of puzzles you can do to improve calculation are actually pawn endgames. This is because instead of something like mate in 5 or so, it only takes 5 moves for checkmate, whereas pawn endgame puzzles take much more moves to solve and require a lot more foresight. (I haven't actually tested it, so don't quote me on it)

another good idea that I'm going to start doing is the woodpecker method (solving a series of puzzles, then doing them again in a couple days) with the chess mood test sections.

I stumbled across this website a few months back. It's a twist on normal puzzles, where a few provided moves must be visualized before the puzzles start. Whether this helps is entirely dependent on your abilities, but it may be worth a try to practice calculation.
https://listudy.org/en/blind-tactics

https://chessmood.com/chess-study-plans

There are tips for each level about what your calculation training should focus on (mainly tactics until a certain level, then a bit of calculation once you reach a certain one) with a list of books, courses to watch here, etc. 

Shout-out to Gabu!

Dear Gabuzyan,

I want to thank you for the thoughtfulness you showed for me during the event earlier today. You took a moment to tell me that you noticed that recently my comments in the chat during the events showed improvement.

Wow! It is really encouraging to get this feedback from you. I feel that I am getting stronger, but getting your assessment that this is true is just fantastic.

You and Avo are a wonderful team and make this a very special place for all of us. There are other people that are great at chess, but both of you are not only great chess players, but you deal with people with great respect and always have words of encouragement.

And all the ChessMood members who show up for the events are rooting for each other. Just fantastic!

Thanks again.

Looking forward to avoiding squats,

Jeff

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Dear Jeff,

Thank you so much for your kindest words!
I appreciate it a lot, this is the best way to end my day - decided to check the forum before going to sleep!

Good luck, my friend :-)

stone wall advice

[Event "2025 1st National Qualifier: Mario Merritt vs Druva Sookraj NQ1 2025"]
[Result "*"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "A13"]
[Opening "English Opening: Agincourt Defense"]
[StudyName "2025 1st National Qualifier"]
[ChapterName "Mario Merritt vs Druva Sookraj NQ1 2025"]
[UTCDate "2025.05.05"]
[UTCTime "08:20:20"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Druveonecanobe"]
[ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/gum1PeBN/Vo8hTz2D"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 d5 5. O-O Bd6 6. Nc3 c6 7. d3 O-O 8. Qc2 Bd7 9. e4 e5 10. exd5 cxd5 11. cxd5 Na6 12. a3 Rc8 13. Nd2 b5 14. b4 Qb6 15. Bb2 Rc7 16. Rac1 Rfc8 17. Qb1 g5 18. Ne2 g4 19. Qa1 Rc2 20. Rcd1 Qc7 21. Nc1 h6 22. Rfe1 Kf7 23. Ncb3 Rxb2 24. Qxb2 Qb8 25. Na5 f4 26. Be4 f3 27. Nc6 Bxc6 28. dxc6 Rc7 29. Qb3+ Kg7 30. Qe6 Re7 31. Qf5 Nxe4 32. Nxe4 Rf7 33. Qxg4+ Kh8 34. Qe6 *

played a strong positional player. I would appreciate any advice on the best approach here.

Replies

Dear Druva,

We are not analyzing student's games in the forum, however if you have a question about any particular position happened from the opening - may be middlegame setup, I would love to help - please just put the position and the question :-) 

Daily Puzzle

Todays daily puzzle has a mistake. There is also a second solution at the second move whether you can play Kb7 before Ne7 on the third move.

Replies

Thanks for letting us know!

struggling in Blitz Seeking Advice!

I'm hoping some of you experienced blitz players can offer some insights. I'm currently around 2200 on Chess.com in rapid, but my blitz rating is stuck around 1800. I know a rating difference exists for most players, but a 400-point gap feels quite large.
I'm not the biggest fan of blitz, to be honest, but I recognize its importance, especially for tournament play. I'm looking for advice on how to  improve my blitz skills.
Is this a common experience for players with a decent rapid rating?
I'm also wondering about the best approach to improve. Should I focus on playing more solid and avoiding risky lines in blitz? Or should I dedicate more time to tactical training specifically for faster time controls? Any specific drills or resources you've found helpful for blitz would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

Replies

Hello!

I am currently 2200 in blitz, so here are some tips for you:

First, I find that playing tactical during blitz is far more effective than positional play. If you struggle playing tactically, I would recommend you go play some 1+0 games for a half or full hour a couple times this week. Just sacrifice whenever, and play only for tactics! And of course ignore rating completely (drop 100 points if you must, you know youve gotten better when you start to easily regain them).This helped me a lot when I started more positional.

Second, try to keep the initiative in blitz. Make threats, put pressure, etc. Attacking openings would go great with this.

Other than that, I would reccomend the bullet thing again if you feel like you play too slow (ideally you would also want to put time pressure on your opponent: even if there Is increment!) and just playing blitz. Only you can find out what works best for you!

Hope this helps!