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Chess forum by Grandmasters
Fixmood with updated Benko course
When I play the new move from the updated Benko Course Fixmood marks it as an error. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Qc2 and 4…bxc4 is marked as an error with the suggestion of 4…b4.
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Dear Pim,
Thanks for the information.
I redirected your inquiry to our technical department, and we will get back to you with the answer :-)
Video Sound
Recently on Chessmood courses, the audio defaults to mute. So for each section I have to unmute. Is there a setting I can make to default to unmute?
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Dear Barney,
I did send your inquiry to our technical team.
Hi Barney!
Thanks for your question. In some cases, if you're using Safari or Mozilla Firefox, those browsers may have autoplay restrictions that cause videos to start muted, or even prevent the next video from playing automatically.
You can adjust your browser’s autoplay settings to allow sound by default, and that should fix the issue.
If you'd like help with how to change those settings, feel free to let me know — happy to guide you! 😊
Could be helpful...
Hello Chessmood, I was preparing for a tournament, but felt some fear. What if I draw too much, what if i win games and lose the ones which are really worth, have I prepared properly, did i miss something and etc. I was wondering if you could publish an article relating to keeping the mindset properly and how to overcome doubt and fear.
Thank You!
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It would be good to have an article like that, if possible.
Lowering your expectation might work to reduce pressure. This may be achieved with easier goals.
For example:
Make your goal instead of: Win the tounament
To: Make all games interresting
I hope that helps.
🙂
I think you should take one game at a time… before every game have the mindset that you have to play your best game
I think the most important thing to remember is that mistakes will always happen: Every now and then you'll draw or lose a game you should have won, and every now and then you will miss something or your opponent will do something you didn't expect. Just make sure you give it your all and do the best you can, and try to enjoy playing (after all, you do this because you enjoy playing chess, right? 😉). Then you have nothing to regret. Also - though it's hard - remember that chess is “just a game”, no matter how competitive or ambitious we are: life goes on whether we win or lose. I recently played the worst tournament of my life, not winning a single game, scoring 1/7 and losing 80 rating points, but life goes on and I managed to get over it, analyze and move on.
What to do in French with white if the opponent e5 instead of 0-0 ?
What to do if the opponent plays e5 ?
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Hey Pawn Bishop,
After 11…e5, one of the possible options is Nf5, and if Black takes recapture with the Queen.
Now the pawn on e5 is hanging, as well as some light squares are weakened.
Week-Long Losing Streak
Dear Chessmoodians,
I only tend to play two or three 15+10 online games per day and have been doing well with them for months. But, suddenly, I've lost my touch. I started blundering regularly, where I would only do that rarely before. I am not so much getting outplayed, but am almost single-handedly losing my games. Has this happened to you? How did you fix it?
I'm thinking to keep playing one or two games per day with no expectations just to keep in touch with chess and focus on my physical health. Get my sleep back in order (it has become irregular of late) and get my body moving. Does anyone have any other suggestions on what else could help? Should I walk away from chess altogether for a week or two?
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Here is what worked for me from my personal experience.
First of all, you have to understand that these things happen. Magnus Carlson during his record-breaking undeafeted classical run (which went for over 100 games!) suffered a ”meltdown” in blitz around the middle of said run. (My source here is the book Magnus Carlsons 60 Memorable Games)
After being on such a run (Magnus’ or yours) often what tends to happen is you lose your sense of danger (i.e. You may play more aggressively for the win and don’t sense when the position becomes worse), something similar happened to Fischer in his 1971 match with Petrosian (See game 2). https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044714
Here also, you may be at a peak rating and are simply playing stronger opponents.
Now for the ‘fix’: I would highly reccomend taking a week off from chess. Limit yourself to daily puzzles and news articles if you must, but no studying, no games, etc. Towards the end of this week, start doing some tactics. This worked well for me, and after some time I was back to ‘normal’.
Anyways I hope this helps, and that all the anecdotes weren’t too boring!
I tried to play blindfold chess, it worked, i began overthinking the board and had to hex-check for blunders and had a good result.
Nice clean annihilation
Black CAN defend this but that requires throwing their bishop down the toilet
1. e4 c6 2. Bc4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bb3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. O-O e6 7. d4 Nf6 8. Bg5
Bd6 9. Qd3 O-O 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Be7 12. c3 a5 13. Nd2 a4 14. Bc2 b5 15. Qd3
Rb8 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Qxh7# 1-0
link: https://www.chess.com/game/142128156810
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That's Nice. Thank you for sharing this site.
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Rb8 is a blunder, i think g6 would be good.
Chess.com Puzzle Algo Change
Recently Chess.com changed it's algorithm for puzzles. Previously, you got puzzles pretty close to your rating, within say 200 pts. So if you're 2000, you'd get a puzzle between 1800 and 2200.
With the change they randomly give you any puzzle rating. If you're 2000, you can see a sequence looking like this 700, 2400, 1365, 1820, 354, 1900, etc.
I have noticed something when I look at my history. I often take more time on an easier puzzle than a hard one. Just today, I starred at a 861 puzzle for over 5 minutes until I realized the solution. The next puzzle was 3000 and I solved it in 12 seconds. That's crazy, but what does it tell me.
I'm curious if the GMs could shed some light on how puzzles are scored. Does this mean anything, can we use this algorithm to push our studies further somehow. Here are links to the two puzzles today:
Easy: https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/1082026
Hard: https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/2038604
KT
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Dear Kory,
I looked at the puzzles.
The easy one is really super easy, but the hard one was super easy as well, just a few forcing moves. This puzzle's rating evaluations are not really objective, and no need to focus or rely on the rating written nearby - just use them to train your tactics.
This is one out of many times, where I am seeing puzzles with a totally unmatchable rating-difficulty level.
Silent Strategy and 7Q Method
Hello! GM Gabu
Is the silent strategy and 7Q method course related or how do they both help each other to make it easier to understand. Thank you!
Sincerely, Pawnbishop
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Hey Pawn Bishop,
It would be nice to watch Silent Strategy before the 7Q method, because in the second one, GM Avo explains through which questions to understand the plans, and the knowledge of Silent Strategy will be very helpful.
New podcast with Sagar Shah: Why Magnus Carlsen is the #1 Player in the World
Sagar Shah joined us for one of our deepest and most spiritual podcasts 😍
He shares how books and an 8-day walk without phone or money by the Narmada River changed his life, why ChessBase India became more than a company, and why Magnus Carlsen is not strict with discipline.
Dive into the full conversation here:
https://youtu.be/vHJE-X-ZspQ
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Some nice new graphics for my chess.com alt
Looooove this skin
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Benko Gambit 6: b3 option white
Hello,
I played this game recently and in a lot of other benko games I face this 6. b3 move. I have placed the game below for reference. Can you please explain the ideas and plans for black. I face lot of trouble in it.
The game: https://www.chess.com/game/live/142169936882?move=0
Thank You So MUCH!!!!
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It's a move given in some very old books, before better ways of dealing with the queenside pressure were found. Normal play is fine.
In this game on move number 6 I liked both c4 and e6 options for Black, playing in the center and on the Queenside.
D4 Sidelines (Anti-Colle variation)
Hello, Coach Gabu
In the d4-sidelines course london system, Jobava line, and trompowsky was covered. But how do we play as black against Anti-Colle variation.
Sincerely, Pawn
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Hi Pawn Bishop,
We are going to have more additions to 1.d4 sidelines.
Transpositions D4-sidelines
Hi,
When playing black against d4 I face lot of sidelines and at times find it hard to understand the transpositions like maybe it goes from London to Jobava. From trompowsy to something else. Please, a explation would help a lot.
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Hi Pawn Bishop,
This question is not clear to be honest, if you can clarify I will be able to help.
Master games analysis in chess training
I have recently been perfecting my chess training plan and wanted to know whether it is OK to include more than one classical game/In Grandmasters mind game into my chess training if I want to get a deep understanding of the core ideas in each game.
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Dear Andrew,
Include a maximum of 2 per day - watching too many can be overwhelming, while in this case, you can focus and learn key ideas and concepts introduced in the games.
What do we play as black against the Bird opening?
Hello
I played in a tournament this weekend and the 1st game was against an expert and he played f4. He played it the entire tournament against other players as well. Can someone help me what to play as black against opening move f4 the Bird opening?
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We play 1…c5, or 1…Nf6 followed by 2…c5 if you prefer.
Dear Henry,
As Chess Player mentioned below we can continue with c5 - and now building our setups with Nc6-g6-Bg7 that should eventually transpose to one of our opening lines.
Hello again Coach and everyone in Chessmood family,
I thought I saw a little segment on the Bird opening in one of our courses. Do you remember which one?
A question about the Scotch Game
I just started the Scotch Game but when it came to the first section, I was a bit confused about Game 1 or Video number 2. In 6:17, what comes next or what is the plan after Bxc5 then Be6+?
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After this trade you:
- created doubled isolated pawns which are obviously weakness
- entered an opposite colour bishop middlegame scenario which favours the side who is attacking in the current moment(which ,luckily, happens to be white)
- Thanks to point 2 you weaken white squares around the enemy king because no enemy piece can control them in return
- You get a monster bishop on e6 which cannot be challenged by another minor piece. Now your plan is not to trade your pieces and attack the monarch: put your rooks on the e-file, consider f4-f5 pushes and bring the queen closer to action.
Scandinavian Defense - 3.c6 option for black
Hello,
How do we play against this 3.c6 move after bb5+, the position is posted below. In course is covered Nbd7 and bd7 but it seems after c6 black gets an okay position, how do you think we continue and what would be our ideas and plans.
Thank you for your time!!
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/24j8QoUcXY/analysis
Sincerely, Pawn
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In this video, GM Avetik also speaks quickly about the 3…c6 move https://chessmood.com/course/10-crushing-the-scandinavian/episode/1077
It is not a dangerous sacrifice, as Black doesn't get enough compensation.
Scotch game question
😞
what to do against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Qe2 Be6 8.Be3 Qf6 9.0-0-0 Nge7 10.h3 10…0-0-0?
I have tried Bxb6 and lost and I don't know what to play here!
after takes b6 axb6 black play Nd7-Nc5 and I lost trying to find a way to attack blacks king.
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Dear Eli,
There is one interesting alternative to 10.h3 - to play 10.Nd5 - where White gets a slightly better position with a space advantage in the center.
Stafford course comment
after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.h3 isn't so simple because if you watch eric's video you will see that there is an amazing and kind of complicated move g5!
The idea is if Be2 there is Qd4! and if Rf1 Nxe4 and black equalizes and if 0-0 then g4 hxg4 h5! and black is better.
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But we are not playing with 5.Nc3 setup Eli - if you check in both simplified and advanced openings, we are playing another way, which refutes the Stafford gambit.
Scotch variation 4...Nf6, 8h4 variation
Hi, in the Scotch game video analysis after this position 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. h4 h6 9. c4 Ba6 10. g3 g6 11. h5 g5 12. Qe4 Nb4 13. Nc3 Bg7 14. a3, we looked at 14…f5, 15Qxf5 Bxe5, 16Be3 and White is up, but what happens after 14….d5, which is also suggested by computer analysis? After 15cd5 Bxe5. White cannot take the Knight because of 16…Bxc3+ winning the White Queen on e4. A sample variation is 16Kd1 Bxf1 17axb4 Bxc3 18Qxe7+ Kxe7 19bxc3, and it looks about equal. How do we get any edge in the line after 8…h6?
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Hey Luke,
After 14…d5 15.cxd5 Bxe5 16. Kd1 is the only move - and there Black has some option - that position is super-super deep and advanced - so if you want to play that probably against some very strong opponents, it will be a good idea to do some work with a strong engine and dive deeper in the lines.
