Continue with Google
Continue with Facebook
Chess forum by Grandmasters
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.
Replies
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
Replies
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
Replies
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
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.
Replies
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
Replies
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:)
Replies
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.
Replies
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.
Replies
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
Lijumaru vs. larrylegault | Analysis - Chess.com
A 98.8 game against the Pirc
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.
About the classics and the Evans Gambit
Is it possible to play the Evans Gambit in the classics?
control 90+30
Replies
Absolutely! I was surprised when I checked that the computer only gives black -0.2 after b4, which in my mind means that it is totally playable. Of course, the biggest factor is if you understand the resulting middlegame positions and typical ideas better than your opponent. Some gambits like the Halloween Gambit or the Alien are probably only good for blitz and bullet, but the Evan's is one of the more serious ones.
how do you handle chess nerves?
i have this tournament where I'm feeling really nervous about it.i have a feeling that I didn't prepare well enough for it. i really dont want to mess up my tournament, my parents said this is my last chance to gain 150 points from 3 tournaments (they have really high expectations, its either they expect a lot or won't care at all.) I just lost 40 points from a tournament which my parents spent a lot of money for and they got really mad. i don't really want to disappoint them since this might be the last month that i can pursue my chess career.
Since I'm in the philippines, I have to adjust my sleeping time and it really sucks because I tend to overthink before going to sleep, the thought of losing haunts me every nnight (i dont mean to be dramatic). Every night I wish that I could go back to december-january where I gained about 300 rating points in 1 month (it was because my rating was only 1600) and my parents expect me to do the same again. I just hate feeling anxious, it makes me mess up my games which makes things worse, it makes me feel unconfident. I really need your help please :(
(sorry for the trauma dump)
please give me some tips on how to stop nervousness, and maybe some mental preparation if its okay :)
Hope you have a great day!!
Replies
Managing parental expectations can be really tough! A big part of growing up can be to figure out what you actually want and becoming your own person with your own values and goals. This is often associated with happiness.
You mention that this is the last chance for your chess career, but it sounds like you have a long life ahead of you which chess can be part of or not, as you decide. The number that gets thrown around is 30. That's how many people in the whole world can actually make a living from only playing chess. Everyone else has to do things beside chess to make their way through life. Perhaps tailoring your expectations better and assuring yourself that eventually it will be up to you whether you play chess or not and that, realistically, your life will be much richer than just going from chess tournament to chess tournament may help with the nerves?
I am not sure about your exact circumstances, but I am 49 and my life turned out completely differently than I thought it would when I was young and I am very happy about that!
That sounds really tough, having to handle those high expectations! I think the most important thing is trying to really enjoy what you do, because nerves will only put you down.
Tips:
- Play for yourself, not for your parents.
- Try to find aspects in the game that you know you're really good at aand think about those.
- Do breathing exercises to calm your nerves. Also before going to bed.
- Still your thoughts before bed. Everytime your thoughts go to chess, go back to breathing, meditate until you fall asleep.
- Try to ignore the people around you and just play your best chess.
- If in the worst case you won't get the necessary rating points but really want to keep pursuing chess, try to save up for your tournaments. I know it's incredibly expensive and it will take more time to get where you want to be, but persevere!
French Bd3, Nbd7 and Be7 Line
Recently I played a classical game using Chess Mood Bd3 line and I meet this position. I not sure whether my approach of playing with this line is correct, if yes what is normally white plans after that? Should we play on Queenside with the pawns or play in the center with pieces.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3 dxe4 4. Bxe4 Nf6 5. Bf3 Be7 6. Ne2 Nbd7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbc3 c5 9. Bf4 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Bc5 11. Qc4 e5 12. Bg5 Qc7 13. Be3 Qa5 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 Re8 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Ng3 Be6 18. Qb5 Qc7 19. Na4 Be7 20. Qxb7 Qxb7 21. Bxb7 Rab8 22. Ba6 Bd7 23. b3 Ba3 24. Rab1 h5 25. Nb2 Rb6 26. Be2 h4 27. Nc4 Ra6 28. Nd2 Rd6 29. Nge4 Nxe4 30. Nxe4 Rd4 31. Bd3 Rc8 32. Nd2 Bc6 33. Nc4 Rg4 34. f3 Bc5+ 35. Kh1 Rg5 36. h3 e4 37. Bxe4 Bd7 38. Rfd1 Bxh3 39. gxh3 Rg3 40. Kh2 Re8 41. Rd5 Be7 42. Nd6 Rd8 43. Nf5 1-0
Replies
Dear Soul Chess,
After 8…c5, your Bf4 is possible, and you played the game quite well, making a mistake a little later in the game.
Overall, your strategy was interesting, and I also like pressing on the Queenside. But this position isn't very concrete and hard to advise what to do in general, as that depends on the opponent's moves.
Also, instead of 9.Bf4 - I would invite your attention to 9.Re1, that also seems interesting. Rook comes to a half-open file, often making it harder for the opponent to play with the e5 move.
Thank you Chessmood team!
Just recently hit over 2000 in online rating after applying consistent study, practice and analysis as recommended by the team of awesome coaches here.
Have lesser time to work on chess improvement nowadays because of work and family obligations but even with an hour's worth (at the max according to my schedule) of consistent work as recommended by the coaches really works 😊
Just wanna convey my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the coaching team for always delivering excellent and quality content and instruction that always works 😁
Replies
Dear Shawn,
I want to express big gratitude to you from me and our team for your kind words.
It's the best feeling for us to see a message like this from our student.
Keep going! Keep Growing!
Wishing you the best of luck!
study partners
hello everyone i am 1900 chess com and 2000 lichess ,contact me for being study partnerr
Replies
Hi there,
You'll have more luck if you post in the dedicated thread for study partners here:
https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/studysparring-partner-1362
New article: Wobble Your Way: Advance in Chess Without Knowing it All
When learning a new opening, there’s a mistake many players make.
They try to have the perfect preparation before playing a single game in that line.
And it holds them back.
Why does it happen? How do you fix it?
Learn more in today’s article ⬇️
https://chessmood.com/blog/wobbling
Replies
Just going to go and not play chess until I've read every book in my chess library. LOL!
…and I thought I had preparation anxiety.
Your article is so well written and so timely! I am a professor that teaches accounting and taxes to students at a university. I tell them all the time to sit for the CPA -Certified Public Accountant exam in the USA which is the top accounting designation. I encourage them to invest in themselves after earning a Master's in Accounting degree. Only 1 or 2 out of 10 will do it and when they do they are suprised when they pass it! You do not need to know it all I tell them but you know more than you think you know. It will not be easy but with proper studying you can do it! Yes you will "wobble" but you can succeed! The biggest hurdle in most success is the first step! I further encourage them by telling them that nobody will ask you how many times did you take the CPA exam? The client just wants to know are you a CPA? I am so happy that I found Chessmood and am a part of this family. Keep up the great work!
nice article!!
Hi Ave you are right !!!!!
I'm a member of Chessmood and though I 'm learning following the courses just for a few months
I wobble less and less……..till flying
Cheers
I know the Bishop Opening. I played it all 2019 but I played it with a gambit, the Urusov gambit. After 2.Bc4 mostly you will get the response 2….Nf6. Then 3.d3 and 4.Nf3 transpose to the Giuoco Piano Italian. But the gambit is 3.d4 right away. Here most amateurs are already out of the book and they will play 3….ed or Nxe4. In the first case 4.Nf3 attacking d4 but you also can take directly Qxd4 which will be met by 4…Nc6 attacking the Queen. Is a dubious gambit to play +2000 rated. Or in Nigel Shorts quote when he played the Budapest against Karpov, “is like the WC paper. A one time use.”
About leartning openings I try to memorize the minimum, just what I think is necessary to remember. My method is look for +2700 games and analyze them because these guys understand what they are playing very well so going over their games I think is the best way to “get a feeling” of the Opening in question.
Good luck with your wobbles ;)
Nice article! When are you releasing your book? I assure you I will buy it! I can't wait!
“Go wobble yourself. This was an awful article.”
;)
No, this was not an awful article. I am so glad that i stumbled upon you folks … for a variety of reasons.
For starters, this article hit me right where it counts. That fear of, i’m not sure what? Failure? Sure. Not being perfect? Sure. It is a common refrain in your blog that the point is not elo points, but getting better at chess and enjoying the process of getting better at chess and being curious about the process of getting better at chess.
Which brings me to more general reasons why i am enjoying ChessMood so much: Not only is the content absolutely first rate (which i suppose is the main point, right? :), but there is a humanness here which is impossible to miss. You are not afraid to point out that some of the lessons we learn by learning more about chess are similar to lessons we learn when we are learning about life. Yikes! That was a mouthful, but it’s true. We are living in terrible times, i’m afraid, but eavesdropping on this little community has been nice.
I wish you all peace and kindness.
love The wobble concept, there is another concept that goes along with this called weeble wobble, you can look it up but it’s like you can get pushed down but always try to get back up
Top motivational article GM Grigoryan, sky is the limit!!
In italian we say “Barcollo, ma non mollo”, a sort of “I wobble, but I don't give up”, obviously with a different harmony of the words :)
I think this is the spirit.
You're experimenting with the bishop's opening as an alternative to the scotch? Ok, but what about the king's gambit? I think it is a very underrated opening and maybe it might be a nice alternative to the scotch. Of course, you are a GM and I'm only 1500, so you know much better than me, but I'm just wondering if you considered it.
This article was amazing like all your articles, by the way!
I thought I was running a race but now understand I'm trying to drive a plane, I've made it long while wobbling! So time to make that sharp turn into 1600s to get a little fluent.
