Chess forum by Grandmasters

What's the Right Way to Prepare for the Chess Game

Hey Champions!
We have this topic in our Blog.
https://chessmood.com/blog/grandmaster-tips-the-right-way-to-prepare-for-the-chess-game
If you have any questions, comments or you just liked it, feel free to share your thoughts here. 

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Great article GM Gabuzyan Hovhannes.

It really helps to share that crucial information...i never prepared before but with this kind of advise..

I see the need really and be well ready for the fight in case you bring a knife to a Gunfight

Stronger Players use Gun type of resources from Opening to Endgame

...thanks so much...

Scotch 8.h4?!

Hi,

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 ed4 4.Nxd4 Nf6! 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. h4?! Qe6 if 9.Nd2 a5 10.g3 Nb4 11.Nf3 Ba6 12 c4 (Vacaturo-sargissian, Helsingr 2019) Nb4 13.h5Qc2 14.Rh4 c5 favors Black slightly and if 9.g3 Nb4 10c4 Ba6 (game is Tomczak-Kramnik), Batumi 2018 11.Bf4 d5 12.a3 Bxc4 13.Qd1 Qf5! 14.Bc4 dxc4 150-0 Nc2 16.Ra2 Rd8 17. Qe2 Rd3 is winning for Black despite the tripled isolated pawns!!  Kaufman writes of 8.h4 (In fashion, don';t ask me why!!)What to play as white??  

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Lesson number 1. Don't follow analysis blindly!!!  any how....

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 ed4 4.Nxd4 Nf6! 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.h4 Qe6 9g3 Nb4 10 c4 Ba6 11.Bf4 d5 12a3 Bxc4 13.Qd1 Qf5!!14.Bxc4 dxc4 15.0-0 Nc2 16Ra2 Rd8 17Qe2 Rd3 is winning for black!! ok so maybe the -1.23 or so that stockfish runs isn't totally winning, but hey you cant take the knight due to Rg3+, very nice (as Borat would say)!!

Now 9.Nbd2 a5 10g3 Nb4 11.Nf3 Ba6 12.Qg6 h5 Qc2 14Rh4 c5 favors black a bit Queens will be exchanged.  No more attack for white and may have to defend  stockfish -.30 or so like 2 bishops vs Bishop and knight advantage.  So0 I guess back to Ruy Lopez or Guicco Piano!!???

Sorry for the errors before!!!

Marc, this opening repertoire is for players below the 2600 level, not for preparing a match against Carlsen :) 
In your level, be sure, that noone will come so deep. 
I am streaming it all the time, playing h4, and you'll not find any game, when any of opponents came so deep. 
Don't go so deep in the theory my friend. Spend more time on Commented Classical games course. It will help you with chess understanding and you'll make easier decisions when you play. 

Tempo and transpositions

I follow normally all super top events like Grand Chess Tour. I do watch live commentary in which GM's explains ideas for both sides but I can't understand one thing that when white is tempo up and when white is tempo down and how to understand that white is playing reversed openings or black is playing white's reversed openings?

Is it advanced concepts? I am just curious. 

Example: Ok it's a reversed King's Indian and white is tempo up so I feel so confused.

2nd question;

How to stop your opponent if he tries to transpose your opening into a new and different opening. For example today I was playing a game. I was black.

Move orders:

e3 c5 

d4 cxd4 

exd4 d5 

Now it's a caro Kann structure. Even though I never studied caro kann I got these structures. I do play caro kann exchange as white so I got good position and played fine minority attack and won. But I am just curious that why it happened?

May be i need to work on basic pawn formations and their general plans so I will atleast handle transpositions like that.

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I think in this position u can play c4 and go for panov attack

c4 Nf6

Nc3 e6

Nope, you did fine.  it's cool book I know. I will again read it in order to improve my isolated pawn play because it;s my weakness and I wanna solve it.

If you are looking for books which explains about IQP strategies, there are so many books

Winning pawn structures by Baburin

Isolani Strategy by Alexander  Beliavsky

Weapons of chess by Pandolfini 

Chess structures by Mauricio Flores Rios

There is a nice chapter on IQP in My System by Nimzowitsch

There is a video course PAWN STRUCTURE MASTERY with IM Mat Kolosowski 

Abhy, I usually get transpositions from one opening to another. Most common is the transposition from frech type strctures to queen's gambit declined, an opening, which I have studied and use extensively. It is useful for me since I use Tartakower-Magagonov system with black.

Another transposition which I face quite often is from queen's to benko gambit with white. Something is going on here :). Anyway, I crush my opponents with this opening. 

Finally, I haven't studied so much Carro Kan defence but I get into good positions. (Have studied Karpov's games).

Abhi, there are many openings that you can get with white with reverse colour. 
About 1.d4 c5 2.e3 better not to take cd4 and open the bishop on c1. 
During our streams and webinar many times I've shown the right way playing with b6,Bb7. 

Importance of Endgames

Hello ChessMood family!

Topic I would like to discuss is importance of endgames. I noticed that many players are learning openings and middlegames with pleasure, but about endgames are not so optimistic.

What do you think, are endgames equally important and why?

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Yes! Endgame study is just as important as other areas of the game. Just knowing some basics (K+R mate, Opposition, King in the square, Triangulation, etc.) can win you many chess games. The more endgame knowledge you master, the better you will become at transitioning from the middle game to a winning position. 

That being said, I find it extremely hard to stay focused when studying endgames. I have not found a method of study that keeps me engaged for a very long time. As a consequence, my endgame play is pretty weak, and needs a lot more work. 

I am eagerly awaiting the endgame courses ChessMood will be producing soon, and hoping it is a much better way for me to study this very important part of the game.

Hello GM Gabuzyan,

I personally believe that most players have weaker endgame than middlegame and opening, because you do not have ro memorise long lines, motifs or tactcs. In addition, engames need better understanding of the position and ideas pf how you can win. For instance, a pawn and rook endgame is difficult for most chess players rated under 1800. 

I have studied many endgame studies, with a preference to Otto Bláthy' s ones, both in the suren channel and in a book I have. Chess is a game of brain, where creativity is the first weapon that you may have. If you aren't creative enough, tou can't reach high ELOs.

I don't have that vast theoretical and opening knowledge (I was helped very much from your courses)( and my ratings around 1750 prove this), but I think I am better in the endgame. Sometimes I also have problems with my endgames, especially in very closed positions. I need to be better in my endgame, waiting for your engame courses ;)

Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a machine. ~ Mikhail Tal

Super!! Guys, we are preparing a big course about endgames. In 2020 it's coming! :) 

Question About opening versus 1 c4 and 1 Nf3

Will you give courses for black versus 1 c4 and 1 Nf3 in the near future

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You can play c5 against either. Playing c5 give opportunities to transpose into either Sicilian or Benko depending upon white's choices. If white simply refuses to transpose then the black pawn structure will still be similar to a Hyper-accelerated Sicilian. If stays along English lines then there is nothing wrong with the symmetrical English for Black.  

yup, it's also giving me trouble so much nowadays.

Yeah, Franck we'll make a course for 1.c4 and Nf3, but for now you can go 1...c5 and mostly it'll be transposed to our courses, especially Maroczy. 
This happens 95% of the times during streams

Big compliment

I Will team chessmood give you an compliment for the call with grandmaster and the level of courses.

you are in one word super!!!

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yup they are amazing.    

Hehe :) Thank you guys :) 

Suggestions?

https://www.chess.com/daily/game/244019022

Kindly check my mistakes and I am not an e5 player. I played unrated against her in order to help her in practice italian because we both dont know it well.

I love accelerated dragon and czech pirc but just wanted to know where I went wrong in this game and what about d5 early in my game?

Rating 1465.

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Rooks on 7th rank.

After a long time I played a game in which I got my both rooks on 7th ranks.

I made many mistakes I know but still fun.

Any suggestions?

https://www.chess.com/live/game/4305479316

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French Bd3!

I really enjoyed it. Once I entered into Advanced section I was a bit confused.

I am Just 1465 but I only studied positional chess and I am a alapin player and I almost studied 300+ games of alapin by heart to understand all the key points of theory and understood many ideas from it.

When I was watching the Advanced e5 section I was confused that why players of 2000+ played this move e5 which looks so dubious to me after Bxc6 and the endgame favours white clearly.

Can you guys explained their mind games or ideas behind playing these kinds of lines because when I first saw the line I felt black will not get enough compensation because of their bad pawns in queenside.

Anyways thanks

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Hey Abhi. The section name speaks for itself. "Advances section". It's a section for advanced players for 2200+. 
Don't overwhelm yourslef with trying to understand it now. Later you can come back when you get 2200 level. 
Me too, I'll not understand anything if I try to analyse advanced math, or advanced coding. 

1.e4! c5!2. Nc3 d6 3.d4!?

Hi all,

Has anyone seen this idea with Qxd4, Q d2 after Nc6 then b3 bb2, 0-0-0 with g4 ect coming??

Marc

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Yes Carlsen played like this last year and since then has appeared in many GM games. Kaufman's new edition of his Opening for black and white book has a section on this as an option for white.

I think this line became Popular thanks to Grandmaster Gashimov.
Then once Carlsen has played. And as a rule, whatever Carlsen plays, that line becomes popular :) 
Our PRO Member Nicolo Passini is an expert in this line! Even my Grandmaster friends were surprised at how deep he has analyzed this line. The line overall is very interesting for white and maybe in future we will offer in our courses as an alternative to GP attack. 

Word is getting out!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all in the right mood today! Some of you know my story and some of you might not yet know, but basically I am working with the guidance of GM Avetik on being the first player over the age of 40 to go from amateur to GM. 

Well, the word of my journey is reaching outside of the chess world, and I was interviewed for a podcast called “Lead, Grow, Innovate” this wee! 

Go listen here and let me know what you think!

https://leadgrowinnovate.com/podcast10-milestone-and-first/

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So, I listened and heard the word. I trust this will spur you onward & upward and goodluck! I also hope you make it happen sometime soon and will watch your progress with interest! If there is any help I can give you, let me know. Best wishes

Good job Jay! 
Keep it going! 

Question About part 56 anti sicilian

Question About part 56 of anti sicilian

is instead of Qe3 rxe4 not possible mostly with the idea qc3 and c5

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Franck, please post the link of the video. It's very unclear what do you mean video 56. 

North American Open

Dear Pro Members,

I am gonna be playing North American Open in Vegas from 26 th Dec. just wondering  if any of our pro members are gonna be playing there?

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I wanted to play, but I couldnt afford a place to stay for the tournament. I hope to play in the National Open in Vegas in June though.

Sounds like a great venue!  I won't be there and the only player I know that is going, is JapaneseTutor (Twitch/chess.com). Goodluck!

Is it a chess open tournament or Poker? :D 

Benko Gambit

I forgot my opening but I won hehehe.

I won because of too much pressure on white.

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/4305537977

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Good game! :) I hope the a5 was a misclick :) 

Another opening versus 1 D4

Do you plan also to recommend other openings versus 1d4

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Modern Benoni for advanced players. But not now. 

Chessmood Stream PGN's?

There are Chessmood stream's on Chess.com that I can watch but cannot replay on board due to lack of PGN's that isn't a problem on lichess. Different GM's are using different handles too. Is there a way we can get access to consolidated PGN's from all Chessmood stream's to download and work OTB?Much like "The Week in Chess" stuff,we can have "The Week in Chessmood" :-)

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Haha :) 
The week in ChessMood :D Nice idea. 
Actually, you can go to chess.com or lichess, search for the nickname and see all the games. There is also a way that you can download the games.

Chess improving 1400-1800

Hi Chess Moods!

My rating (5 minute blitz) has been 1300-1500 all year, despite me trying hard to improve my chess play. Why? Well I have thought about this today and think I have the answer & sharing it might help others at my level here to improve, hopefully it will! Here goes...

At the start of this year, I remember watching GM Hikaru Nakamura playing on his Twitch chess stream and someone in chat asked how to improve to 1800 rating and he replied to do this by getting better at openings & tactics!  What fine advice!

However, the point of this post, is to state that at my low level, I have many other chess playing weaknesses and in general, openings and tactics, are not my main specific chess playing problems.

I also firmly believe it is possible to get to 1800 with a good basic understanding and application of basic opening, mid and end game principles.

In fact, most of my games show my opening play is reasonable and that my main specific problems are that I am weak in mid and endgame play, generally and specifically! There is so much general chess advice available online these days, it is impossible to learn from it all and trying to do so can bog & slow you down, when you would be better learning specific knowledge that applies to the strengths & weaknesses of your own game.

So, from now on, I intend to concentrate on understanding, studying and playing a narrower opening repertoire for both colours, with special emphasis on improving the mid and end games that arise from this more refined, narrower opening repertoire! That is my plan to smash my chess improving for next year! If this applies at all or partly with your chess studying and improving, then I hope my post will help you to think about and find your specific strengths & weaknesses and that you can work on improving too (& with me if you want!).

Happy chess play, study and chess improving all!

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Hey Richard! Thank you for your post and for providing help to others.
I believe the easiest way is to install in our mind new information. New useful information! 
Openings (not going very-very deep before 2200 level) and learning chess classics. 
I hope you are watching our Commented Classical games course and soon you will feel the difference how easier chess became :) 
(https://chessmood.com/course/chess-classical-games) 

Thanks for this secret.

https://chessmood.com/blog/why-you-should-reject-draw-offers

I am glad I know this. I most of the time decline draw offers but I never thought why strong players do draw offers. Now I know the point.

Thanks for wonderful points.

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Super! 

Loses in chess.

How to handle loses?

In past when I had time and I prepared my basics so well with chess puzzles, Kasparov predessors, openings ideas, pawn structures and lot more then I played so well beyond 1600 elo players but yeah at some point idk why I lost a completly dominating positions. But okay I lost then issue is how to prepare your mind to play well in very next round after a lose in a winning and dominating positions. I had always nice time management and I always had an hour left in my clock in a time control of an hr + 30 sec. increment because most of the time I think in my opponent's time and I found quickly all his ideas and plans but still I lost.

Any tip how to handle loses and blunders.

What are the most effective ways to do blunder check practice so one day it will be in my subconscious mind for forever.

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This is my check which worked for a long time, my coach suggested it:

First decide on your move. Then look at the ceiling for a few seconds (assuming you have time). Look back to the board and consider your move with a fresh mind, and you'll find out if you're missing something obvious (mostly forcing moves i.e. checks, captures, threats). If you are, check if it's really that bad. If it is, look for another move and do this process again. If you don't find anything wrong, make your move.

It might be uncomfortable first but when you habitualize it, the result will speak for itself. Remember that one bad move can nullify all your good moves, the main thing is not to blunder. It may be enough to find the second, third or fourth best move in a position, just don't blunder.

Mistakes tend to come in bunches so if you find yourself blundering away the game, refocus, the position is worse than it was, but it could easily be within drawing distances (even winning), fight on! Don't think about 'what if's during the game(what if you made another move, you could've already won and you would be analyzing the game afterwards :) ), then you'll make a bigger mistake and wonder why you lost the game. AFTER the game, you should really find the reason for your mistake (maybe create a list of mistakes), but not DURING the game!!!

Hope this helps, and remember nothing works unless you DO it during your games.

Hello Abhi,

Loosing games and blundering is a part of profession. Usually analyzing and fixing mistakes is a great way for improvement. But, during the tournament it is not the priority and good time of improvement is after the tournament. 

When you lose a game during tournament, most important is to forget it before the next round. So just forgive yourself and accept it. Play the next round like a new tournament , like something completely independent from previous round. Just leave those emotions in yesterday and go ahead!

Hi Abhi

Losing at any game is a test of character! It is the same for chess play, where handling your chess game losses well, by remaining in control of yourself and staying cool,calm and collected will help build your character and as you start a new game can make you a stronger player!

However,if you react badly to your loss and get out of self control (rage and rant), then you weaken yourself as a chess player and a person. You need to take responsibility for your blunder and try your best to understand why it happened, learn from it and try your best not to repeat it. Accept it and get in the right mood to learn from it so you can make the right move next time! Do not take no responsibility and blame everything else for causing the loss or another unhelpful approach is too be hypercritical of yourself.

Losses happen to everyone, even our GM Avetik, has his "hoody blunders". Watch how he deals with them, he steps back for a moment to calm down and regain his composure and then he accepts it, learns from it and gets back to playing his next game with more strength and determination! Right Mood- Right Move!

Goodluck champion, have fun dealing with wins,losses and draws. Enjoy chess and life!

Plans for future

What are the planned courses in the future

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Against 1.e4 Philidor, Alekhine, Petroff and all kinds of gambits like 2...f5 or d5.  
Lots of courses about middlegame and endgame.