Chess forum by Grandmasters

Course about Material inbalances

Someone mentioned it in a video…, is there a course in planning about this. This is such an interesting topic, for middlegame and endgame. Rooks vs Minors or Knight vs Bishop, Queen vs pieces and so on… Keep up the good work 👍

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I am currently doing the Must-Know Endgame Theory Under 2000 course which deals with material imbalances.  They receive a more thorough treatment in the Endgame Mastery section.

Hey there.
Dear Thomas,

We might have a course on that topic. Planning to. Can't mention the dates because Imbalances are quite complicated and in order to creare a high quality course, it will take some time.

I have problems in Caro-Kann Exchange variation 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Nd2 e6 9.Ngf3 Bxf3.

I had some problems in the following variation,I will leave two games below played by me in which I didn't know how I should have played to win.The first one is an online game on chesscom and the second one is a game from a classic fide tournament.I made some mistakes in the middle game but in general I don't know how I should play further after the following line 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Nd2 e6 9.Ngf3 Bxf3.(can beat on f3 later).I looked at the Caro-Kann course and there is a model game but still not sure how I should play.
I would appreciate if I could get an answer.
To the Chessmood team.

(lichess study link - https://lichess.org/study/ihfsWyei/I7rmSKr3)

Replies

Dear Super Pawn,

In those positions, White is aimed to play and attack on the Kingside.
The main plan is to bring the Queen Back - usually c2-e2 - sometimes differently, and try to launch an attack on the Kingside.
Sometimes we spend time on a3 - or Qc2-e2 to make Black's b5-b4 harder.
We do get these structures often during our live lessons. Did you also check Rockn-Rolling for White course? With the Caro model games?

New article: The Complete Checkmate Patterns List (with examples)

Champions,

While working on creating the Mating Patterns pdf, we thought ‘What if instead, we publish it as an article?’

This way, you can easily access all the checkmating patterns, with their definitions and examples. 
So you can simply check this list whenever you want to memorize or quickly refresh your knowledge of a checkmating pattern.

Here, we’ve covered every important mating pattern, including the Queen to the pawn, and also mate patterns involving different pieces.

Click here to check out the complete list of mating patterns👇

https://chessmood.com/blog/checkmate-patterns

Share your thoughts below.

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Nice. Would be useful for a few of these handouts on the openings as well. I do a lot of this work manually and it's time consuming.

When playing-I see a lot of patterns- wondering if if they lead to mate or not, and mostly think that its just risky and leave them be, but now i see they mostly do

I have only just seen this 😢. Very helpful. Thank you.

A very big thank you for all those who worked on that brilliant blog! It has been a big lifesaver!

At what time I should play ?

Hello, I would like to know at what time I should play online to be able to apply what I have learned (I have 2350 blitz chesscom,1950 classic fide) and where would be the best because in the articles written about the right time it says that in general you should play with increment, but at this level (2350) it is not easy to find people who play with increment. Is it a good idea to play only at 3 + 0 ? Or the time is too short to learn something from the game ?

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Hey Super Pawn!
Yeah, it’s true — 3+0 is super popular, and at some point, most players just stick to that. Especially around your level, it’s hard to find opponents with increments unless you’re playing at very specific times.

So if you’re getting good opponents at 3+0 — no problem, just go for it. The only thing I’d suggest is to make sure you review the games afterward. That’s where the real improvement happens.

And if you can mix in some 3+2 or 5+3 from time to time — even better. But don’t worry too much, 3+0 is totally fine for applying what you’ve learned — especially if you stay focused and don’t just flag for fun :)

About the Sicillian course

Recently I found a line in the sicillian course that I didn't find a great continuation for it      1-e4-e5 2-Nf3-Nc6 3-d4-cd4  4-Nd4-g6 5-Nc6-bc6 6-Qd4

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Dear Mohamed, 

Please provide more details and clarify your question, as I am not sure which side you are asking for.
Also, you did say e4-e5 - but wrote Sicilian. I assume you mean e4 c5?

Collaborative YouTube Nelson & Eric

GM Avo & GM Gabu,

The courses and content here are great, I have devoured so much content here and am so grateful for your instruction.   That said, there’s something truly special about the collaboration videos you’ve done with Nelson Lopez and Eric Rosen On YouTub.

The questions they asked and your review of their master level thought process is incredibly instructive.   I honestly think these videos might be better than some of the courses on the site, really incredible stuff.

Kory

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I have never watched Eric Rosen, but I do enjoy Nelson Lopez' youtube channel.  I wholeheartedly agree that the collaboration videos there have been really helpful to growing my understanding of ChessMood openings.  While I wouldn't agree that they are better than the on-site instruction due to not as much detail, they do go a long way for exploring the unusual concepts in the ChessMood repertoire.  It was definitely a great idea!

Ye its amazing to see how even an IM like Eric Roosen could still be improving with the same stuff chess mood teaches us.

Hey guys,

Thanks for your kind words, it's a pleasure to hear that :-) 

I didn’t find it on a quick google search (too many Eric Rosen videos out there). Could someone post a link?

Anti Sicilian part 2

I am playing white, on move 4 for black he doesn't take the Bishop or the Knight on f3 instead he plays e6 or g6. ??

Replies

Hi Madison!
Can you please specify the concrete position? Or put the move sequence that reaches your position. 

Dear Madison, 

The requested variations are covered in Anti-Sicilian Part 2 in the advanced sections.
 

Chess Journeys podcast

I am this week’s guest on the Chess Journeys podcast. The episode dropped today. It’s how I found Next Level Chess which is how I found Chessmood.

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Hey David, 

Awesome to hear that!
Is there a link? 

French Attack vs 3.e5 question

I am a little confused about the “The Knight moves” section. In the video portion, after white plays 5.Nc3 GM Grigoryan goes on to discuss several lines where black can delay taking on cxd4, and instead play Nc6. My confusion with the course discussion is that I am pretty sure he gives black three consecutive moves (c5, Nc6, AND cxd4). I understand it is discussing the general ideas of the position, but that seems like two pretty critical tempe and the makes the following lines where black takes over the center a little unrealistic. Am I missing something or is it just a general strategy discussion? 

Replies

Dear Patrick,

The point is that if White has the Knight on c3, their pawn structure is now disconnected as the pawn on c2 can't protect on d4.
And he is just generally explaining the position, meaning that Black will attack the pawn on d4 and get good control over the center.
Of course, White will be making the moves in that time period - so his explanation goal is to deliver the point that the Knight on c3 is misplaced and prevent the connection of the pawn chain.

Let me know if you have any further questions.
Good luck :-)  

Anti-Sicilian part 3 - No d5

Hello, Coach, Gabuzyan

How to play if black doesn’t immediately play d5 in this line shown below

For example - e4 - c5 - nc3 - e6 - f4

Can we please have another video on the transpositions of how to play if not d5, it is not covered in course, or at least a brief explanation.

In other courses transposition is covered like caro-kann shown below -

In the caro-kann course we have a section where transpositions are possible. In  section 4 of caro-kann it shows that if black plays nf6 first instead of nc6, we play c3 not bf4 as then we allow qb6, and we will have problems with b2 but instead we play c3 and now everything is transposition except if black plays bg4 and have a additional option of qc7 after we go qb3 and then we will play this h3-g4-g5 and the knight will retreat and we can capture the d5 pawn.

Something similar to this. Thank you!

Sincerely, pawnbishop

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Dear Pawn Bishop,

Please post the exact position and your question, so I can provide you with a valid answer.

I got 1600 on my main account too

Think I'll take a little bullet hiatus and focus on theory again because for a 1600 I know absolutely nothing haha. My main assets are speed and reaction time

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Congratulations Voran!

Are you playing bullet chess?
In case you do, read this article, https://chessmood.com/blog/does-bullet-chess-make-you-better 

The Must-Learn Skill to Skyrocket Your Growth in Chess

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Really inspirational article !! for everyone.Thanks for sharing your learning experience.

Great!

I liked your Blog! My goal is to win at least 3rd place in a chess tournament!

Gm Avetik Grigoryan

You told us to :-

Hey Champions!
 

We have this topic in our Blog.
https://chessmood.com/blog/the-must-learn-skill-to-skyrocket-your-growth-in-chess
If you have any questions, comments or you just liked it, feel free to share your thoughts here. 

And told us to say our goals but when I told you happy birthday and my goals at chess.com and lichess.org is so you told me are you joking but I think I may like you and your way at joking and also the very huge benefits for example I played in Egypt a real tournament but not rated I became the second from more than 20 players and it was 10 +5 and there were many people have more rate than me and it is at Chess results site and I feel I could do my goals at chess:-

(1) One of them the other Grandmaster who made live from some days told me not to say them at live and not to tell them at forum but you can find them at the post when I replied and told you happy birthday to you. 

Not the best game of the month but special someways

This was a last second save to a draw in a bullet game.

Check out this #chess game: peterbago vs jonth-alan - https://www.chess.com/live/game/140300544334

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What to do with moodcoins

😀

I have a question. If you have a lot of mood coins, but you already bought the essential/pro lifetime plan what do you do with them:)

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Idk. You can brag about them to show how many puzzels you have solved.

By earning a lot of moodcoins you can buy special courses on this website. Personnaly I haven't bought a course yet, but they look promising(even tough I am 2100 on Lichess and its hard to find good learning material). So keep up the good work, earn a lot of moodcoins, and buy fantastic courses!

Flex to your friends 😀😀

Tactics Ninja - most effective approach when stuck?

900 rated player here (chess.com blitz).

Sometimes I get really stuck on some Tactics Ninja training puzzles, as in I just don't see it for many many minutes and I could probably spend 1h+ trying. Especially towards section 17 Interference, where I am noticing a steeper increase in difficulty.

From an optimal learning rate perspective, it's surely not best to be stuck for too long on a given puzzle, but neither can it be best to give up too quickly.

What is the best approach to make the most of my time - when should I give up on a puzzle and just check the solution or try something?

There has to be some optimal number of minutes I should spend before clicking ‘hint’, and finally giving up if I still cannot see it.

Thank you!

Replies

You could try on that puzzle for max 10mins and then take a hint if you dont see it but when you do take one, try not spending more than 5minutes on it. You should try to calculate all the variations you are on till the end before going on another cause then you might be stuck in loops for a long time… Hope this was helpful:)

Hey, I totally get where you’re coming from. I’m around 900 blitz too and also doing Tactics Ninja — it definitely gets tougher around section 17. Some of those interference puzzles feel like a wall.

What’s been working for me is this: I usually give myself about 3–5 minutes of real focused effort per puzzle. If I’m still not seeing anything, I’ll click the first hint — just enough to get me thinking in the right direction without spoiling the whole thing. Then I’ll give it another 2–3 minutes. If I’m still completely stuck, I’ll check the solution, but I’ll try to actively guess the idea first, like “maybe it was a quiet move” or “was it a rook deflection?” before clicking.

The key I’ve learned is not to just passively look at the solution, but to rewind and play it out myself a couple times, then try to explain to myself why it worked.

Also, don’t be too hard on yourself — the puzzles are designed to stretch your brain. If you’re struggling, that means you’re learning.

Hope this helps

I 😂 from you Armenian Gm and i like your jokes and benefits from 9 ways to increase online

(1) I like your way at writing and your videos and I think you are not only good in everything or most things but very excellent for most people in the world and you will be minimum billionaire and top Gm. 

(2) You told us to post at forum about the online increase about the golden tips about in 6 months some of your students got increase 1000 points. 

(3) I make at the first sessions some disasters but I didn't read all the article at the beggining so :-

(a) At the beggining I didn't continue the 9 games 3 +0. 

(b) Second I got 3 out of 9.

(C) Some times or many times if I lost one or two games I don't continue the tournament. 

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The best games of June, 2025, and the prizes

Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions! 
Welcome to the "Best games of June, 2025" competition.
Under this post, we invite you to post the best games that you will play this month. 

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 May, 2025:

Vladimir Bugayev
Samuel Marsden
Paul Ward
A Guy Who Plays Chess
Norbert R.

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Chessmood Philidor https://www.chess.com/game/live/139172880002?move=0

https://lichess.org/6oTWudyT/white#0

Perfect Caro kann

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

Nice Caro kann using knight outposts

https://lichess.org/Kk22B3M1/white#0

A very decent scotch game from start to finish according to the computer. In line with the chessmood streams!

I played an amazing game with nearly no mistakes, while punishing my opponent for any mistakes he made.

https://www.chess.com/game/139214152660

The king in chess sings-
….If my greatest queen is gone free,
We aren't done for yet!…
https://lichess.org/IuLJcwsy/black#0
 

I have reached a milestone-
https://lichess.org/qx8eB3iS/black#0

https://www.chess.com/game/139296086728

This game is my best game only becuase it is a SLP, as black I blundered my knight in a French Attack, then switched my mood and focus and controlled the game until his resignation. 

WOW! My  life's 2nd brilliant move, and life's first win with brilliant move
https://www.chess.com/game/139348386136
 

Almost no mistakes against high rated
https://lichess.org/PLcnAs4O#0
 

I am watching the classics and this game is surely a consequence of that fact. Putting the pawns on the opposite colour of the bishop in a game starting as an accelarated dragon system

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

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/game/?p=y0/5PUOI5a0sELDK3yjYp+xL2fYc/iNj3PTfNqpAaGwFCmDDpq8+FQZ1NMgy/U6y

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/game/?p=y0/5PUOI5a0sELDK3yjYp5KxvMYcyliElxwyI6e8PR/KX9uaG9oEqVUDV7pep/hd

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/game/?p=y0/5PUOI5a0sELDK3yjYpyunF0CwPsik/R9hl8k0DESrqQgxy5nszMcMpjA4i4IR

Lijumaru vs. larrylegault | Analysis - Chess.com

A 98.8 game against the Pirc 

https://lichess.org/nq3TLMfk

grandprix  gone bad for black from the start

punishing opponents early mistake for a very quick win

https://lichess.org/2Mraop03/black#0

https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/JWbVfOzN

A quick attacking miniature from the Black side

This game shows that it's not a mistake to give up even if you have a losing position.

https://www.c4355.com/analysis/game/live/139204576754?tab=review

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139508989704
found a nice sac exchange with a mate 

I recently switched to the starter BlackMood Openings.  This is only my 4th time playing the French ATTACK, but it worked like a dream.  Although my opponent didn't blunder, they did not seem to come up with any concrete opposition.  I think making my own PGNs as Avo suggests helped a lot!

https://lichess.org/grAHTd1x/black#1

French Tarasch variant played as in  the blackmood openings:
https://lichess.org/IuHVyEnz/black#34
I had in the opening one  inaccuracy e5.

French Tarrasch miniature

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139543899010

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139547316984
 

Hovannes I know youre not going to like this game 

I did not develop my pieces correctly 

but it was fun attacking and sacrificing 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139556370256
 

solid attacking game using a lot of pieces 

scotch where black took the d4 k and let the white queen access to the center: then quite a positional games (with some slight tactical missed wins) but black was quite “defendless” the whole game https://lichess.org/xOAdc4Yv

https://lichess.org/8HrFKYnx02Of

https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/hhoLYzTt

Do Chess960 games count? What if it has a neat queen sacrifice?

A miniature in the Taimanov

https://lichess.org/uocOEKCD9Yv2

Beating an strong IM with Nice attack using ChessMood Opening 😀

https://lichess.org/rphEe7FY/white#48

#Night maneuvering #Rook lift # Night sacrifice # pawn sacrifice 

A large attack on the king with a few sacrifices resulted in checkmate

 https://www.chess.com/game/139657236286

A full chessmood prep mastery No moves thought on my own

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139659643026

All I had to do was know the Ideas and I was Playing crazy good chess

Thanks ChessMood,

I will watch the WhiteMood Openings Tommorow and crush my opponents with White as well😁😁😁😁😁😁

Attacking the king in the center:

https://lichess.org/eqZRxWiplxHk

With my old love, the Pirc.

Queen switches to the attack:

https://lichess.org/fl0ygnlBZVyn

Double threat wins the queen unexpectedly:

https://lichess.org/YDmsSVCjlY8D

Crushing the Modern/Pirc:

https://lichess.org/na8X1EApJLPK

Addicted to Incredibox? https://sprunki-play.online Sprunki Game is the perfect fix! Play now and start making awesome music!

A pretty good one against the Scandinavian defense !

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/139764366434?tab=review

Tough fight, but the king safety became crucial:

https://lichess.org/OJevrxKHBkf4

Power of ChessMood openings :

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/139771197414?tab=analysis&move=22

The game can be cut into dozens of tactical exercises, many of which were hidden in the variations that were not played 

https://www.chess.com/game/139782685592

French with Bd3

Attacking game (slight similar to famous Paul Morphy's Philidor Defense game), every development move comes with a threat ending with a checkmate in middle game.

Willing to view your opinions in this match.

https://lichess.org/vB6qpwXO/white
 

Hi All,

Adding 3 strong games I have played recently - they are not archived, so I attached pgns.

One White Scotch, two Black Sicilian. I hope you like them.

Cheers,
Kamil

Not the best endgame ever, but the game has been quite interesting.

To spice things up I tried to sacrifice an exchange and create an imbalance. Well, it worked!
 

https://lichess.org/oCfh5dpEoxod

OTB game in Nc3 French:

(I was Black)

I played black here.  Several inaccuracies, but I’m positive, if not for the endgame course I completed here, I would have drawn or lost this game.
 

Check out this #chess game: WoodPusherZzz vs Dhoobie - https://www.chess.com/game/139912418724

Chess: shivhareofficial vs Magomed1956m - 139915882984 - Chess.com

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139915882984?move=0

one of my great games in which i sacrificed da rook

btw that bishop knight fork was not missed by me i was in chessmood so i sacrificed it

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139957935464
 

solid game with a nice mate using the power of the bishops 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/139958816022
 

just beat a titled player with the dragon!! 
Avo great course by the way 

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.06.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "MouseSlipKing123"]
[Black "hero1900"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "600"]
[WhiteElo "1390"]
[BlackElo "1375"]
[Termination "MouseSlipKing123 won by resignation"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/139963792720"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d4 Bg4 5. Be2 Nc6 6. c4 Qe4 7. Nc3 Qg6 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Bxf3 e6 10. Qa4 Rd8 11. Be3 Bd6 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 O-O 14. dxc6 bxc6
15. Qxc6 Qd3 16. Qb5 Qc2 17. Qe2 Qg6 18. O-O Rfe8 19. Nb5 Bb4 20. Nxc7 Re7 21.
Rac1 Bd2 22. Rfd1 Bxc1 23. Rxd8+ Ne8 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. Nxe8 Bxe3 26. Qxe3 Qb1+
27. Kh2 1-0

I cannot believe what monsters ChessMood openings are!  I am currently plodding through the starter WhiteMood course.  I learned the Grand Prix Attack literally two days ago and this was my second time playing it.  My higher rated opponent resigned after 18 moves.  The Grand Prix Attack appeared to play itself.  What witchcraft is this?!?

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

is this gg?
https://lichess.org/F6dT0pbY/white#0
 

Sorry im late in uploading my June 20 Birthday Game
https://lichess.org/HbzGdPl0/black#0
 

Viking attack:

https://lichess.org/KVWk5FS26kpA

https://lichess.org/study/Kyd5ogDF/OQ9XJ5Vw OTB Game in which i played Scotch Game.My opponent resigned in 10 moves!

A classic lesson on how to exploit your lead in development combined with the opponent's king stuck in the center!

I sacrificed 2 pawns, a knight and a bishop in this nice 18-move game :D

https://lichess.org/study/ByQW93Nf/mY7D13U9 

(Chapter 8)

https://lichess.org/gWtrr1OHi1G1

very clean scotch game vs long castles setup

😅 Mating the opponent when leaving all his pieces on the board

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/140022132276?tab=review
 

https://lichess.org/ukJ223XuqS8p

https://www.c4355.com/analysis/game/live/140060985336?tab=review

Winning a pretty clean game (apart from blundering the e4-pawn on move 16 which my opponent luckily didn't observe), with a logical and powerful sacrifice

https://www.chess.com/game/live/140061246172

I played online. I played as white. Time control was daily(3days/move).
Opening is Scandinavian Defense.

https://www.chess.com/game/daily/813894834

Using ideas from the various French lines in Blackmood when my opponent doesn't stick cleanly to the book: https://lichess.org/Af1V9ceg/black#1

Granted, opponent's Queen blunder made this one easier to win, but I still had to win the won position.

I think I’ve done this puzzle at least 100+ times in life and got a chance to do it in a real game.  Bishop mate.

Check out this #chess game: Dhoobie vs AbhayThorve - https://www.chess.com/game/live/140105256846

Nice game,ended in 17 moves checkmate.Just finished Fearless Warrior course and got a attack like this!I'm Black.Though I also blundered here,my opponent didn't notice😅:2kr3r/ppp2p1p/1b1p4/4p1N1/4P3/P1PP2Pb/1P1QB1qP/R3R2K w - - 2 18

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/139117614088?tab=review

https://lichess.org/zB7ejgKy/black#0

https://lichess.org/qrpu9p5h11r0

Good afternoon,

I played attacking game in exchange Caro-Kann as white.

Please, enjoy!

Scotch opening. Highly attacking momentum with tactics calculations leading to gaining both material & positional advantages at the same time.
https://lichess.org/J2Sr1q8A/white

Kindly, give me your opinions.

Hello, 

This game is in one of my favourite opening line the London system vs kings indian defense. Very good attack with white in a short game. 

Let me know what do you think. 

And enjoy the game! 

I don't know why but I felt proud after this game!

Ilias_Belhadj vs dkoz: Modern Defense: Standard Defense • lichess.org.

Typical Italian Giuoco Pianissimo opening, where my opponent made a blunder 8.Nd5?? which may be unobservable. Although it's a blitz game, I found the right & single continuation till checkmate.
 

0 Inaccuracies

0 Mistakes

0 Blunders

3 Average centipawn loss

99% Accuracy

https://lichess.org/tGGxjfA7/black

Enjoy this attacking game.

Last day of the month. Not that great, but i feel proud.
https://lichess.org/KFc3r8IX/black#0
 

https://lichess.org/C8HDDZ47/white#63

Thnx for the opening ideas, recently joined but loved it 

Hello, here are my submissions for the month of June:

One classical chess match in the French Defense tricky early Nc6 line: https://lichess.org/dBGZqoDnAMJs

One more classical chess match with a cool endgame: https://lichess.org/0N8lG6rOk9ug

A match in the Maroczy (one of my favorite openings after listening to the course :D) https://lichess.org/zuxvUuWf/black#46

One match with a closed Sicilian attack: https://lichess.org/L0CRRCFE/white#41

Thank you for all you guys do as always!

https://lichess.org/E0J97BVCyZpU

Hello champions! How are you?

Thank you for sharing your games. We enjoyed reviewing them! There were many instructive moments and creative ideas that brought a smile to our faces. Keep it going!

Now, onto the prizes:

1st Prize: Francesco Brighenti. You showed how to attack and win without taking any risks. No sacrifices. Just simple moves that improved your position until you delivered the final blow. Well done!
https://lichess.org/E0J97BVC#49

2nd Prize: JP JP. A very nice victory in the French Nc6 line! With solid opening play, you gained a small material advantage. Converting that into a win while stopping your opponent’s counterplay was great to watch. Good job!
https://lichess.org/dBGZqoDn/black#60

3rd Prize: Thomas Maes. You launched a lightning-fast attack, executed with precision. The Vikings are proud and smiling!
https://lichess.org/KVWk5FS2#45

4th Prize: Tomas Hanak. A brilliant attacking game in the Caro-Kann Exchange. From bringing more pieces into play to breaking open the kingside, you made it look effortless. Nicely done!
https://lichess.org/qrpu9p5h#55

5th Prize: Eyden Zinder. Nice game in the Philidor showing the power of happy pieces. The Nd5 idea landed the knockout punch. Good game!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/139172880002

Congratulations to all of you.
And thank you to everyone for sharing your games once again!

Good luck with the next month’s contest!

1600 WOOHOO!

Look who got a new achievement. Guess the time control. Go on, guess.

Replies

Congrats!!
 

1 minute bullet?

3 minutes?

Nicely done!

Your questions smacks of trickery!  I will guess 15+10 Rapid.

Dutch Attack - weak e6

Hello,

I am getting a lot of bad positions in the Dutch Attack after I play d7-d6. My opponents are getting a lot of pressure against the e6-pawn. I was thinking that an alternative would be to develop the queen's knight to a6 instead of d7, and leaving the d7 pawn in place. Does this seem reasonable? I wonder what I am doing wrong.

Replies

The only two szenarios when I can immagine the e6-pawn becoming weak are in which you either play the wrong moveorder (e.g. vs London Nd7 before Ne4) or let white play e3-e4 and then exchange it with a pawn because the e-file would then be opened. It is quiet important to prevent or counter e3-e4 in all lines which could be done in multipule ways. 

E.g.

• Controlling the e4 square with Bc8 -Bb7, Bf8 - b4, d8/7 - d5 or the tipical Qd8 - e8 - g6
• Putting pressure on the d4 pawn with c7 - c5, Nb8 - c6, etc.
• Blocking e4 with Nf6 - Ne4

Or to counter it with either…

• playing f5-f4 after some preparation
• an attack on the king side

I hope that this message helped you with your problem and please reply to me to clarify what the problem is by showing some of your games.

Query about French Defense course (1800-2600) in the step by step opening repetoire for white section

I am rated 1600 fide . So just doing the main course will be enough or do I need to study the advanced section also .? Gm avetik says that it is enough for u 2000 level but he didn't mention fide or online rating .That's why I had to create this query .

Thank you .

Replies

Under “Note 1” you'll find the answer: All the numbers are based on chess.com blitz rating.

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

Additionally, there is this:

https://chessgoals.com/rating-comparison/

Here you can convert everything. 

To answer your question: The main course is more than enough for you right now.