Chess forum by Grandmasters

How to play as black?🤔 I have no idea😅 Please help

I have a few attacks with white like
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 exd4
4. Nxd4 Nxd4
5. Qxd4 and i have dome center
but with black i fall for my attack myself😅
could you give me a solution please🙏🥺
 

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Have you looked in the courses? The BlackMood course is all about playing the openings as Black.  You probably want to start with the Opening Principles course.

Cheers,

Jeff

Daily Puzzle Confusion

In the 2/27/2025 daily puzzle I'm wondering why Rb7 doesn't work with the point to go Ra7 and after he takes its stalemate.

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That was my “solution” too. But Black is not obligated to take the rook, can just move the king.

Motivation for chess and life

Lets discuss how our mind works during a game and in life! Lets be motivated

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Who have heard that the word “ sweat in peace” well if anyone here has worked for the army i bet he/she know the meaning of that. In army training they give insane training for the soldiers so that the upcoming war is not so challenging for them. Also i have a little story for u guys ..

The story of a young baseball player. 

When he is batting he could not even see the ball!  Ball came in lighting speed and beacause of him his team lost. The next day he is the best baseball batter! Whats the secret i guessed it “sweat in peace” after he lost he asked his dad to throw the ball at maximum speed then the next day arrive and baseball is like crystal clear for him!!   So work hard in peace time and that will pay off in the work time!

“Concentration is the key to success ”  

We need to keep our eyes on the prize i bet everybody heard that but today i'll try to open a inner layer that u before did't see.

a teacher put a piece of wood in a classroom. The piece of wood winch is bigger in lenght but the sides are shorter. Then teacher ask a child to go within the piece of wood without loosing balance the child did it easiliy. But lets imagine that the same piece of wood was placed between two buildings.  Can we still go within the piece of wood whitout falling? Of course not cause we are afraid of falling and that factor stops us from crossing the piece of wood. Make sense?  Not only in chess but also in life we get distracted by many things. What we need to do is only think what we are doing. Not what happen if or the result. THE KEY IS TO THINK ABOUT NOW

SLP Rating climb and more!

Lets discuss our skills in slp!

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My real rating is chess.com 2219 Rapid and my SLP rating is 1842   (madchessdilshan) slp profile and lets analyse our slp games and discuss more

Lets share each other their SLP profiles

Ruy Lopez Puzzle

I recently played a blitz game where my opponent played an interesting sideline in the Ruy Lopez. I ended up getting demolished, but only because I overlooked the best move in a critical position. In the attached diagram, Black has sacrificed a pawn for active pieces. What is White's best move? This is an advanced puzzle, where the goal is not necessarily to win a piece but instead to limit Black's play and achieve a nice position.

Feel free to discuss answers below. I'll post the answer in the comments eventually.

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Simplistically (which I realise probably isn’t what you are looking for!) black’s Nf4 move combines with the bishop on b7 to apply pressure to the g2 square immediately in front of our king. There is no immediate mate threat but white could safely remove the g2 pawn, leaving our king vulnerable.

So, one of my candidate moves would be f3 to block the b7 bishop.

Another would be Qg4, threatening the f4 knight and the g7 pawn which would weaken any castling move in the future and also threaten the h8 rook.

I just realized you have already shared the answer, and I will say that it was my first thought. Intuitevely, allowing a piece on d3 is eh. Basically the whole queenside would be stuck for like 10 moves for just a measly pawn!

Modern Maroczy 11. a4.

Hi coaches!

In Modern Maroczy Bind course, in the first section which is very important we play as it is showed on the coming gif with that idea of pushing 11. …. a4 with 12. ….. Qa5. But what if White has the idea of playing 11.a4 himself blocking our main plan. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't think it's mentioned in the course (I even looked at Maroczy Bind course thinking that it was a transposition to any line there). The problem is that even the engine likes that move and it's not easy for me to find any clear good continuation in the same spirit of our course.

Thanks!

.

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11.a4 seems very anti-positional to me. Black's knight will have a safe home on c5 and white will have lots of weak squares to defend. I would play 11… Be6/12….Nd7/13…Nc5 and look for chances to exchange your light-square bishop for white's knight, getting a nice endgame.

Dear Ilias, 

That idea terribly weakens the squares on b4 - it fixes the pawn on b3 as a static weakness, and Black will be doing great with a Knight transfer d7-c5!

getting better

Hello all. i am 1907 uscf and i am wondering how to get to 2000 uscf. 

Thanks

Joel

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Talk to Your (Happy) Pieces Course?

I heard about a reference to a “Talk to Your pieces” course here on ChessMood via Noel Studer – does anyone know if that course exists?  THANKS I am a new person

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Question on Kinder variation after 5.Be3 Ne7 6.f4!

🏆 Hi ChessMood Team ! 🏆 

I played the “Kinder” variation of the French attack recently (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Ng8!).

In the Blackmood videos, Avo talks about responding to 5.f4 with c5 & Nh6 now that the diagonal is closed).  Or responding to 5.Be3 with Ne7, so that the coming Nf5 hits White's bishop with tempo and allows c5, ruining White's pawns.  

But my opponent played a tricky move order:  5.Be3 Ne7, 6. f4!  This confused me because I was not confident to play a 6.c5 sacrifice.  I played 6...Nf5 anyway, but White's Bishop predictably went to safety on 7. Bf2, and now the c5 push is not so clear.

What do you think is the most thematic French Attack way of handling this move order?  

FWIW, I have come up with the following, which involves sacrificing a pawn on c5.  (In some subvariations Black can win the pawn back on c5, but this full line shows White keeping the c5 pawn) :

5.Be3 Ne7 6.f4 c5! (anyway, saccing the pawn) 7.dxc5 Nd7 (looking to win back the pawn after Nf5) 8.Bb5 (pinning the knight) Nc6!  9. Bxc6 bxc6 10.b4 (finally securing the pawn) a5 11. a3 Ba6 (the point, Black is a pawn down but has solved the light square Bishop) 12. Nge2 (to enable castling) Be7  13.O-O O-O  +/=   

White is up a full pawn in the above but Black has better pieces I think and can look at f6. 🤔 

Is this any good?  Any better ideas? Is there any way to get c5 in without a sacrifice?   It seems that 5.Be3 then 6. f4 are quite logical moves for White so I think this is worth planning for.

Thank you for your thoughts !   😀 🙏

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Dear Ben,

Usually, U2000 this variation of Nc3 happens rarely, and the specific sequence you mentioned is even rarer, however, if you still face it, I would recommend after f4, to play with Nf5 and h5 - if Bd3 - g6 to recapture on f5 with a G pawn. And after that playing with b6-Ba6 ideas. I think it's very practical. 
 

French Attack, Classical, Steinitz, Boleslavsky Variation

In French attack, Classical, Steinitz, Boleslavsky Variation, (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Qd2 O-O 9.Be2 a6 10.O-O)
What is the purpose of 9. ...a6? What would happen if I didn't play this move?

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Dear Yuya,

The variation that you have mentioned is not from our opening repertoire.
I would be very happy to assist you with any questions related to our variations.

What is the difference between deflection and distraction?

In the tactics ninja class, this sentence was said about deflection:  "deflection occurs when a piece is forced away from an important duty that it's performing."

When I review the distraction section of the same course, it seems like distraction is doing the same thing.  For example 7.2 of the same course has an example of a knight defending a bishop and the solution was to attack the knight with a pawn.  So, it seems like the knight is being forced away from the important duty of protecting the bishop.

Does anyone have a way of distinguishing the two tactics?

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I just found that this was already answered here:  https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/deflection-vs-distraction

Can someone check my latest game and rate it

I want to know what course I should try to practice, so can a GM look at my latest 3 games to help me my name is Iusechessmood

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No good white openings to play

I can't find any good ones I just don't what to play

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Well what type of player are you?

Positional or Tactical? Do you have time for theory or do you prefer sidelines?

It depends as to what your “style” is. For example, if you like to attack or defend player, like if you like to play aggressively and take risks. It also matters on what side of the board you like to play on, like kingside and queen side.

Thats for choosing a repertoire, but if you are looking for ones to win with opening preperation and like you said “good ones”, then I would just recommend the chessmood courses. Yes it may take a lot of time to learn, and thats just opening preparation, but I personally feel its better to have opening preparation and understand what I am doing in the opening then just playing based on a little theory I know. Also just want to note, theres an idea of how sometimes the main line is better to learn and play than the sidelines. The idea is that as much the main line could give fighting chances to both sides, and playing sidelines could theoretically win you games, the best option is the main lines as it does give the best opportunity than the sidelines if your opponent knows the theory of the sidelines. That is just an idea though, not an answer.

I reccomand the chessmood opening principles course, or opening avengers to punish random play, it does help against unsound openings, and you might have to change your repertoire if you play unsound openings (or some sidelines) for the better, and these courses provide insight on what the opponent may do to take advantage out of the openings.

New article: SLP Method - How to save lost chess positions?

What do you think it takes to save lost positions?

Of course, having a deeply-ingrained fighter attitude helps. But saving a lost position (SLP) is also a skill anyone can learn.

We've launched a mini-guide on using this topic where GM Avetik talks about:

✅ The 11 strategies to save lost positions 

✅ Why following normal rules in a lost position doesn’t work

✅ Why playing the engine’s best moves in a losing position might be a bad strategy

✅ The golden question you should ask before resigning

✅ How to train and improve your SLP skills, and much more!

Read it here👇

https://chessmood.com/blog/slp-method-how-to-save-lost-positions

And you can share your thoughts and ideas under this forum thread.

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this game - https://lichess.org/O8VDCbNmudWp

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/86128211857?tab=analysis

Currently a rating of 1700 on chess.com

Played against an even rated opponent. I blundered a piece. Still won it, because of SLP ;)

I was like so broken at this game, as i thought rooks are one of my best strengths when opponent has a queen but this game showed me i'm wrong
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121189271580

same in this one as well
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121168432450

 

An slp position: I succeed (or does my opponent help me) to fight back to slight inferior position, activate my bishop, and finally push my opponent to fault. https://lichess.org/g8P10VZ8/black#0

a nice slp after bad position from opening: https://lichess.org/lkaqXlb1

Future Courses Ideas

ChessMood !

The best chess courses site. I have nothing to say. The courses are wonderful, the explanation is the best, the training examples are carefully chosen, the courses ideas are amazing, the user interface is magnificent.

I have only one thing to add (Not a bad thing, just relax 😀 ! ), as previously said in the title of this article, “ Future ideas ”, the courses about openings are numerous, the same goes for the endgame, and the section of “In Grandmaster's Mind” and “Rating booster”. However, for the middlegame section it's the opposite, a few and uncompleted courses, even if the middlegame is far more important than the opening phase, and there is so much course ideas when it comes to the middlegame play and concepts.

“Playing in open and closed positions”, “Improve your middlegame play”, “Crucial middlegame concepts”, "Improve your positional play", “Various middlegame strategies”, and many other courses ideas.

So what I'm asking is focus more on the middlegame courses, without forgetting about the other sections, and complete the unfinished courses.

Nothing more to add about this great, amazing, instructive and fun website.

All my respect, appreciation and love to the creators, coaches and developers  of this website. ❤️ 

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and I hope it was useful. 🙏

                                                                              THANK YOU ! 🙏 

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Check this https://chessmood.com/courses?scrollTo=#middlegame-mastery

More openings

🤔

Please give me more openings like the Ruy Lopez

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Brave Chess

🤔

Hi, I was just watching the ‘Brave Chess’ video in the Blunderproof course. It gives an example where White blundered a mate in one: 1…Qg1 checkmate according to the video.

But actually that move is not even a check because the White king is on h2 and the Black Queen can't move backwards…

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check again

Hi,
good point! I agree.
Maybe the rules should be modified: A check (under normal chess circumstances) must be parried. 
If that is not possible, we define it as a checkmate?! Without the modification …Qg1wouldn't be mate, like

you pointed out.

Course

From where i have to start?

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Ratting booster

YAAAAAAAY

Well my struggle with tilt lately had a happy ending. I made it to 1400 chess.com! Yes that is me on my alt; it's my little arcade purely for bullet and blitz

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Congratulations! 🤩 🥳

Can't win with the Dutch

Hi, I'm a 1400 on Chess.com. I've enjoyed the Chessmood repertoire but can't play the Dutch ATTACK. I often get games with 100% opening accuracy for the Scotch and the French ATTACK. Does anyone have any ideas for why this could be happening? Also, if anyone wants to spar with the Dutch ATTACK, I'm game.

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I must admit I had similar problems when I was 1800ish, and so switched to the Sicilian and Benko (then later KID) which worked much better.

Simply try to understand the ideas, sparring games is always a great idea, and if you want, you can experiment with new openings.