Chess forum by Grandmasters

New article: I Wasn't Supposed to Share This: The Darkest Chapter of My Life

His chest stopped expanding.
Oxygen — gone.
It was like a grenade exploded inside him.

That’s how GM Avetik describes the beginning of the darkest chapter of his life.

He wasn’t supposed to share it. But he did.

With hope…
That someone might need it, when their darkest chapter knocks on their door.

Read the full story here 👇
https://chessmood.com/blog/darkest-chapter

Replies

Avo,

Thank you for sharing yourself. It is difficult to open up to others, especially about pain and problems that we experience. You show us great respect by doing this.

You are far more than a chess coach. You are a life coach to us as well. Which is splendid, because you don't charge extra for the life coaching  :)

Is it any surprise that we love you??

With love and respect,

Jeff

Hi Avo, I probably already told you about it; I spent dark years where everything was dark, difficult, I didn't see the end of the tunnel.....no light on the horizon; depression...yes, depression, where you don't feel like doing anything, just sleeping, not wanting to get up in the morning to work, a few years ago I found myself in a difficult situation with our company; it can happen after 20 years of activity where a moment of difficulty arrives. And what saved me was going back studying and playing chess, yes chess!!!; then I met you and the chessmood family, amazing, if chess didn't exist they would have to invent it! So going back to your article, life is made up of ups and downs but the important thing is to be able to find the right balance that allows you to move forward and face life day by day even with its obstacles. 
Thanks for sharing this , as Jeff says you also are  a life coach !
(Sorry for my English…nor perfect….may be)

An humble chess player

You are very brave, Mr Avetik.

Dear Avo

Thank you very much for sharing this.  It is so important that people realise that no-one is alone in having turbulent times or thoughts.  It happens to everybody.  The only real difference is whether people reveal it or not.

Someone very close to me has had similar experiences - and I have pointed out to them that the human brain is such a wonderful thing. Especially in people who are so very creative and passionate, the occasional turblence has to be expected.  How could a brain be so full of creative energy and never experience that energy occasionally boiling over?  Such moments are I think the other side of the same coin - the gift of creativity.  

Just like there is no sunshine without the occasional storm, no universe in fact without moments of powerful collisions.  

It sounds like you handle things perfectly - accepting and owning what it means to be a creative human.  Wearing your heart on your sleeve.  And living and observing life in equal measure. 

Thank you for sharing.

Dear Avo, 

Thanks for sharing this. Yes, we are not perfect, but such things doesn't happen because of that - such things happen to people who are on the way of perfection.

Dear Avetik, 

Honestly at the time of budapest, i knew chessmood as email articles but never knew who that person was.

I enjoyed all the videos of budapest right after the event immediately from chessbaseindia. i enjoyed you dancing with full of energy and fun. i was vibing here just by watching. still i did not who that person was in white shirt. 

today, i now realize oh that was you. I just went and watched it again now. enjoyed it even more. for those who are still wondering. enojy -→ https://youtu.be/EC8HQSy2fE8?si=WULtI3geQT24Bhe8

 i dont understand why you felt low after such an enjoyable event. people feel refreshed. anyways, i am glad you are at your best form now. 

hope to see you chilling in the next olympiad with great moves. 

Life is short, enjoy it to the fullest in a controllable fashion. 

--Cheers 

Shravan

Hi Avo,

Very surprised to read this. It shows you that you never know what people are going through even when you meet them. 

I just wanted to share that the highlight of my Olympiad in Budapest was meeting you during the first day. You and your wife were nice enough to spend over 30 mins chatting with us. I was also very close to you during that Bermuda party dance :-) I must say you've got some great moves! (not only in chess)

Thank you for sharing this and for showing us that even in the deepest of moments, you can control the mind to do the right thing.

Keep up the good work and hope to meet you again!

Duncan

I played a local tournament in my hometown. Against a 1903 player I played my best game but with out seeing a mate in one I lost it

Is there any point in analyzing speed chess games?

All I seem to ‘learn’ is tactics, most of which I'd probably have seen at normal time controls. Am I wasting my time analyzing speed chess games?

Replies

Hey Mark!

You might find this helpful:

https://chessmood.com/blog/analyze-blitz-chess-games

Happy Chessing!

Sarah

Opening principles

In the course opening principles a knight sac on move 3 does it work if my opponent defends with the other pawn instead of the bishops pawn.

Replies

😀

Hello Ryan,

to my knowledge you are talking about the knight sacrifice after 2..f6. 
If your question is if the same sacrific works after 2…d6, then no. This idea only works because of the weakened e8-h5 diagonal and the explained tactical follow ups. Be sure to check out the Philidor Defence section in the WhiteMood repertoire! 😀

Why don't you simply post the concrete moves? Or at least the link. You leave us guessing what you mean. 

If you want help from others, just put a little efford in. 

advanced French & Dutch

Advanced French & Dutch when will be released? :) 

Replies

I'm interested in this as well, I love the French and the Dutch attack and I would love more in depth explanations!

Following the Chessmood lines I'm not sure when to switch from 1. ...e6 to 1. … c5 (after 1. e4). I like french attack and the sicilian repertoire for black seems a little bit tricky and time consuming to study…Thus I would also like to see advanced french and dutch :-)

I have the same question for a while, would be very interested to know a rough timeline when we can expect the first sections of these  advanced courses. I am doubting if I wait for these advanced courses, and start learning another course first or to start learning the Sicilian and Benko courses right now. I am currently rated around 2000. 

Possible mistake in 7. Nc6 f4 section of accelerated dragon

in the second last video of the section about 12. Bc4 Avetik suggests 12.Ng4 and the line goes on with 13. Bg1, but 13. Bc5! actually gives an advantage for white. and by the way he says not to play Nf5 (the best engine move) as it allows g4. so what should i play there?

Replies

Daily Lesson with a GM Questions

This is a post for anyone wanting to discuss ideas and questions about the daily lessons with GM Avetik.

Replies

#8: I suppose this is something we need to be careful of in the Dutch attack since we often trade off our K-side bishop (for knight) as early as possible. Do we always try to castle long once traded because of this so we can push P on K-side?

#8 test:
I really wanted to make it work with 1...Nxe4 2.Nxe4 Qxc2 with lots of ideas to either hold the pin, add an attacker with ...exf4 or start both central pawns pushing together. Honestly I have trouble knowing if this is a worthy sacrifice idea or not. But after all maybe White has 2.Rxe4 with no problems? What stopped me from 1...d5 was 2.-- ..dxe4 3.Qe3 but I suppose it isn't easy for White in this position even though the diagonal is temporarily closed. He can't win the pawn back without reopening it and letting it be there is bad for him too.

Great Idea !!!

Pirc Defense

what do i play as white after 1E4,C6

                                                    2D4,G6

Replies

Hi there,

I'm still a novice so take what I say with a pinch of salt!

• * Isn't this a variation of the Caro-Kann defence rather than the Pirc?  https://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=5&n=195&ms=e4.c6.d4.g6&ns=3.31.21.195
• * You have 2 pawns in the centre (which is good!), you should now start to develop your pieces.  Nc3 is a possibility (and is played in the Jobava London) but note that it blocks the movement of the c-pawn, so you may prefer Nd2.

What should the plan be in this position (Caro-Kann Exchange Variation)?

Hello everyone! I hope that this message finds you in good spirits :)

Actually, I recently played a game using ChessMood repertoire (I've recently picked it up so I am still learning it, but it's really fun & effective to use!) and I got a position from the Caro Kann Exchange variation, which arose after

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qb6 8. Qxb6 axb6 9. h3 Bh5 10. Na3 

Of course, this all theory, but here, my opponent played 10…e6. I was a bit confused on how to proceed because during the game, I thought that we should not exchange pieces (especially the bishops and the b5 knight) or give our opponent any kind of play in general, but it started to feel like there were weaknesses in my position (I pushed a4 & b3 at some point) and my opponent started to get some play slowly (it ended in a draw, but I struggled a lot during the game).

It would be really helpful if you could explain this to me. Thank you so much in advance! 

Replies

Yes, but I thought that after black plays …Bg6 & exchanges our light squared bishop, the knight on b5 seems a bit loose, right?

I hope this message finds you in good spirits :)

Actually, I recently played a game using ChessMood repertoire (I've recently picked it up, so I am still learning it, but it's really fun & effective to use!) and I got a position from the Caro Kann Exchange variation, which arose after:

e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qb6

While diving into these strategic moves, I was also reminded of how thrilling it is to make quick decisions, whether in chess or while zooming through levels in https://drift-boss.pro . If you're in the mood for something fast-paced and challenging, give Drift Boss a try – the thrill of the game might just remind you of outsmarting your opponent in those key chess moments!

Just a4. Anyways it is completely fine, I think you are seeing ghosts.

Best Way to Study Opening Courses ?

Hi everyone!

I'm currently working through one of the opening courses (800-2000), and I’m not sure what the most effective study method is. I’d really appreciate your thoughts!

Specifically:

Should I write down all the moves and lines, including how to punish inaccurate responses from the opponent?

Or is it better to focus mainly on understanding the key ideas, typical plans, and patterns?

My goal is to build a strong, long-lasting understanding — not just memorize lines I’ll forget later.

Thanks in advance

Replies

Dear Neev,

Your thoughts are very much right!
No need just only to memorize the lines; it's super important to understand the ideas at first.

I would recommend you to watch the videos, understand the ideas, and at the end, create your PGN files based on the homework PGNs we provide at the end.

Also, I highly recommend checking the WhiteMood and BlackMood model game courses ( you will find them below the theoretical ones)
to enhance your experience and middlegame understanding.

Good luck! 

antisicilian part 2

whats the best response after d4…e6…..

1.e4c5 2.nc3 nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 NxB 5. NxN a6 6. Nc3 b5

7. d4 e6   ?????

Replies

Dear Druva,

I checked the position, and I like 2 options 8. Bf4 and 8. d5 - I would personally choose d5 to take the space advantage in the center.
In both scenarios, White will try to complete the development and bring the pieces for the fight to the center. Of course, it also depends on how Black will continue. 

New Year Streaming Goal

Happy New Year, all.

One of my goals for this year is to stream some of my online playing and OTB analysis sessions. The idea behind this is to have public accountability.

Before posting any links, I wanted to check with the admin/moderators to see if there are any rules against advertising yourself. Or is there a dedicated place to post things like this? Please remove this post if I am in breach of any rules. 

Replies

Happy New Year, dear Michael.

It's fine to do so!

A little advice: If you want to post links, you can create a post on the forum, name it as you wish, and post the links and upgrade, and anything in that forum post.
(instead of adding a forum post every time something happens. )

Does anyone else have those moments...

…where you pull off some cool concept and win your game, and think ‘This should be formally taught’…

And then you realize you got it from Avetik Grigoryan? :D

I did this in a blitz game recently. I was down material and decided to just be as annoying as possible until my opponent blundered. Right on cue after many complications they blundered their queen. I thought to myself ‘Someone needs to teach a ’How to be a pain in the ass' workshop for chess players'…then I remembered I got that skill from Section 1 of SLP 😆😆😆

Replies

Grand prix attack

Hello!

I watched your course on the Grand Prix attack and I decided to try it in a few practise games. In one of the games i was playing against a 2400 fide rated player and the game went: e4 c5 Nc3 e6 f4 d5 Nf3 dxe4 Nxe4 Nc6 Bb5 Bd7 Qe2 a6 Bxc6 Bxc6 f5 as suggested in the course. Despite the fact the he had never seen the position before he immediately felt his king was in danger and played Bxe4 Qxe4 Qd5 Qxd5 exd5 d4 going into the position that the course says it is the best for black and here he played c4. we analyzed a little bit after the game and he said that he thought that black has no problems after this move. he thought that Bf4 was best but then f6 and black was fine, is this really the case or does white have any advantage in this endgame?

would love to hear your thoughts about the position,

with my best regards,

Lourenco

Replies

Feedback on Woodpecker method

Hi, what do the trainers here think of the woodpecker method for improving chess? Going through a large number of puzzles first and then doing it again and again in less and less time. This is supposed to train pattern recognition.

This seems quite different from our usual method of training for tactics, which is to solve a new set of puzzles regularly.

Replies

Dear Luke,

That method, of course, has a point. But in my opinion, chess tactics are so different, and training patterns in the same situations can be a little less effective than solving lots of puzzles and seeing tactical ideas in different scenarios. 

French e5 . Playing b3 against bishop coming to b5.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/137201228812?move=0

Good day guys.

b3 seems like it stops Bb5. 

Whats the best way to play against it?

Replies

Dear Druva,

B3 is actually not a great move for White as it doesn't improve anything but weakens some dark squares on the Queenside.
In the game you posted here, you have actually got a decent position and c5 that you played was the right response :-) 

Crushing d4 Sidelines : London System

A 1650 OTB player, I particularly enjoyed this short course as I face the London System regularly. However, at my level (perhaps because of some YouTube  course!) white often chooses to place his bishop from f4 to g3 after black‘s Nh5, inviting the exchange in the hope of opening the h file (white‘s pawn still being on h2). Normally I wait for white to short castle before trading. Any thoughts on the best way to proceed? The knight / bishop trade must be advantageous for black, so maybe just fall back on the long castle option outlined in your course?

Replies

Dear David,

To be able to properly advise you, I will ask you to put here an image or moves of a concrete position - as the right answer may depend on some specific details.

Thank you! 

Overcoming Tilt??? Any advice?

Hey everyone, 

Needed a place to let things out and hear from people that may have experienced this or that perhaps are currently experiencing it.  

I started playing OTB games about a year ago. Never played in any tournaments USCF, FIDE or otherwise OTB before so I gave it a go.  I was enjoying it.  First tournament I got a preliminary rating of 1120 or so.  Throughout the year I played in a few quads and some weekly club tournaments and slowly made my way up above 1300.  Entered the year with a few tournaments planned and in February I hit a peak of 1431.  I'm about 1800 on Chess.com rapid so kept thinking to myself, alright it shouldn't be to much longer. I'll get up there sooner or later.   OH NO NO NO NO…. March came at me hard.  My last 10 OTB games have resulted in 7 losses and 3 draws.  No wins!!!  5 of the losses and all 3 draws have been to players rated much lower. Some 300 to 400 lower.  

Last night was my most recent loss.  I thought I played a solid opening and I tried not to be negative, but no matter what I've been doing, in all those last few games, I've just doubted everything. All my moves were never good enough.  I talked myself out of sound ideas and good tactics.  Forced tactics, thinking I've gotta make something happen.  Last night I had a mate in 4 and even a mate in 2, but I just couldn't get myself to play it.  Ended up losing the game.  I completely gave up and can't seem to shake it.  

I haven't been playing much online either.  Decided to take a break OTB and just focus on my courses and training, but not sure when I should get back at it.  

Here are the moves from my last game.  Check it out and maybe someone can come give me a good slap in the face so I can snap out of this slump that I'm in.  lol. 
 

Trying for Positive Vibes, but it hasn't been easy.  

All the best to everyone and thanks for reading and giving me a place to “vent.”

Your fellow ProMember, 

GP

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nf3 c4 7. Bc2 h6 8. O-O
Nc6 9. Re1+ Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. b3 b5 12. a4 b4 13. bxc4 bxc3 14. Nf1 Bb4 15.
Qd3 Re8 16. Ne5 Bb7 17. Rb1 a5 18. cxd5 Qxd5 19. Bb3 Qxd4 20. Bxf7+ Kh8 21. Ng6+
Kh7 22. Nf8+ Kh8 23. Qxd4 Nxd4 24. Rxe8 Nxe8 25. Bh5 Be4 26. Ra1 Bxf8 27. Ne3
Nf6 28. Bd1 Nb3 29. Bxb3 Rb8 30. Bc4 c2 31. f3 Rb1 32. Nxc2 Bxc2 33. Rxb1 Bxb1
34. Bb5 Bb4 35. Kf2 g5 36. Bb2 Kg7 37. g4 Bc2 38. Kg3 Bd6+ 39. Kg2 Kf7 40. Bc4+
Kg6 41. Bxf6 Kxf6 42. Bb5 Ke5 43. h4 Kd4 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. Kf2 Kc3 46. Ke3 Kb4
47. Kd4 Bxa4 48. Bc4 Bd1 49. Bd5 a4 50. Ke4 Bf4 51. Kd4 a3 0-1

Replies

Dear Garry,

I read your thread carefully and will try to help.
I noticed that you mentioned at some point that you stopped playing and decided to only focus on trainings, but that is wrong as the right way to grow is the Study - Practice - Fix - Repeat method.
Below, I will post links to several articles that can help you:
https://chessmood.com/blog/5-crucial-steps-to-stop-bad-results-in-chess
https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-handle-painful-blunders
https://chessmood.com/blog/risks-of-playing-chess-when-you-dont-want
https://chessmood.com/blog/things-you-should-give-up-to-enjoy-chess-fully
https://chessmood.com/blog/detachment

Good luck!

What will be our repertoire against White's 1. Nc3 , 2. Nf3?

I played an OTB tournament yesterday, i got crushed using Dutch as Black, i think im doing something wrong. The game was:

1. Nc3 e6 2. Nf3 f5 3. e4 fxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. d3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. Nfg5 b6 8. Bf3 Nc6 9. c3 Bb7 10. d4 Na5 11. Qd3 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Nc6 13. h4 a5 14. Ng5 g6 15. Nxh7 Kxh7 16. h5 1-0

Any suggestion, or should i play French against it instead of Dutch?

Replies

Dear Eric,

Against this setup, I don't recommend 2…f5 - instead, you can play 2…d5! 
No,w if e4 - with Nf6 you will transition to the French.
If White continues with 3. d4, the problem is for White that the Knight on c3 blocks the pawn on c2, and White can't properly fight for the center. You can play there with either e6 - than c5 ideas, or 3…f5 in the Stonewall style. 

Suggestion for Chessmood website

Hi everyone, but especially this post is for chessmood staff.

Although your website is the most amazing chess learning platform in the world, there is one aspect of the technical side of the website which could be improved. That is, it would perhaps be very useful if you could have a ‘dark mode' which changes the background to some darker colour which would be easier on the eyes especially late at night.

Thanks!

Replies

New article: Good Thing, Bad Thing... Who Knows?

What if your worst day…was actually your best?

What if the things you thought were setbacks…were the exact moves life needed to make?

New article is out:

Good Thing, Bad Thing… Who Knows?

It starts with Einstein. Ends with Michael Phelps. 

And somewhere in between… maybe you’ll see life differently.
https://chessmood.com/blog/good-bad-who-knows

Replies

😀

I remeber discovering chessmood on a low , this si relatable .

WOW! I used to play b3, g3 or b6, g6 all the time i mastered it. But it was then that the marathon from 400-800 chess.com rapid had some type of a big obstacle in between. A plateau. At 650. For all that time in a row i didnt even lose 1 game that made an impact. Then white and, first loss, still happy. 2nd white, loss, little dull but more excited that i play bigger rated. 3rd white, loss, i decided that i shouldn't play anymore that day. Next day, white loss. I felt so bad after my 5th loss and still i was white. I calmed, did some puzzles and stopped for the day. next day, came and oops pressed 1+0 instead of 10+0. I was white. i didnt want to resign so i played. I wanted to try push e4. but i only had 45 seconds then. he pushed e5. I instinctively played the scotch game for the first time, my current best opening. queen go long castle… check! check! Mate! since then i changed from fianciatto to french and scotch. looking back, those 2 days were the days to give me courage to try e4. or i would be like, lets play it safe, b3.😭🥺☺️'i see now'

Chess is magical because it is a difficult game to learn and also addictive...

Good article Avo….so glad you have taken the long road to the metaphysical, mindful existence. And the fact that you can weave it into chess discipline. It's certainly very powerful when used and hope that lots of Chessmood students will take advantage of it. 

And a great help in being the best person one can be also!

Thank you and keep the flowing journey continuum!

Thank you for this great article, Avetik!

I once had a “bad” tournament, where I lost games to opponents I'd normally beat. In the moment it felt awful but after analysing my games with a coach I found out that I have problems with positional play which made me work on it more and eventually improve my game a lot (my rating noticed it 😁) . The same was with calculation and WWP. So for me (and probably for most chess players) every bad game or tournament is and opportunity to find “where the leak is” and fix it

By the way, could you please write an article on your chess books recommendations?

Very interesting article - this idea of ‘good thing. bad thing, who knows?’ can be a very comforting thought.

However, I don't think it's the case that the ‘Universe’ is friendly, rather this effect you describe is due to the love of God, who by His divine providence can bring about a greater good through things which may seem bad at the time.

Have a good day all! :) 😀