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Chess forum by Grandmasters
The best games of January, 2025, and the prizes
Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions!
Welcome to the "Best games of January, 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 December, 2024:
Samuel Marsden
James L.
Kurt
Sriram M.
Saphira Bond
Replies
A beautiful game turning the Pirc defense into a Grand Prix attack. Enjoy!
https://lichess.org/cTcqOjzn/white
One of my favourite games in which I played pirc defence and launched a same side castling attack.
https://lichess.org/study/zZVXu7AQ
https://lichess.org/1jJnBjYiuyGn
Alekhine rout.
nice game
Check out this #chess game: MTineer vs Amkoya - https://www.chess.com/live/game/129712734821
https://lichess.org/f02rZNMSKywZ
nice attack
https://lichess.org/ksdOC0qH/white#63
You might appreciate this game for its certain kind of beauty if perhaps not for its high quality.
After 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 I tried the WhiteMood suggested gambit but Black declined: 3. f4!? f5?!
Remarkably, for the first nine moves white only moved pawns, and after white’s ninth move all of black’s pieces and pawns were on their starting squares except that the f pawn was on f5, the knight that started on g8 was on b8, and the knight that started on b8 had been lost.
Just a few moves later there’s a beautiful geometrical motif where the white bishop on g5 and white’s connect-four pawn chain a3-b4-c5-d6 dominate the black queen.
I’m adding pictures of the position after white’s ninth move and of the final position after white’s 17th.
https://www.chess.com/game/daily/752225941
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. f4 f5 4. d4 Nc6 5. c4 Ndb4 6. a3 Na6 7. b4 Nab8 8. d5 Nxe5 9. fxe5 e6 10. Nf3 Be7 11. Be2 Bh4+ 12. g3 Bxg3+ 13. hxg3 c6 14. Bg5 Qc7 15. d6 Qb6 16. c5 Qd8 17. Bxd8 1-0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130198727081
Early Queen a5 in Modern
https://lichess.org/IaQoLZGKdJFO
I used everything i learnt from chessmood in this game to practice
I won two pawns in the opening in this Exchange Caro-Kann with a typical temporary bishop sac motif, but had a surprisingly difficult game afterwards, having to defend against my opponent's pressure on the h-file. Luckily for him, I also “managed” to miss a cute mate in one - 31.Ng3#, with only 6 seconds on my clock, but still won the ending comfortably, thanks to the excellent defending job done by my knight.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130252271941
And a hell of an attack in the Grand Prix, with two piece sacks. Kudos to my opponent for not resigning and letting me play until mate
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130254095743
Happy new year to all cm family and team.
a miniature in the french attack: https://lichess.org/VbCPQLwt/black
Beating GM Gabuzyan in the simul
https://lichess.org/YuDw4GFx/black#0
https://lichess.org/gRg47ncS/black
Amazing rook sacrifice on move 22
Good evening,
I played 2 instructive games, in the first game, my opponent got too greedy and lost and in the second one, I saved half point from totally lost position.
Please enjoy!
https://lichess.org/I5I1pEvb/black#86
Power of the Bishops rip through!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130444282221
Hi All,
2 games of a tournament i played this month.
One Benko and one Closed Sicilian.
Hello ChessMood family!
This game was played in classical OTB with 60+30 time control. In this game I used the knowledge from the Benko, Calculation and Blunderproof courses. It really shows the power of the RIGHT MOOD!
To be honest I blundered (after not blundering for 23 games) that after 14.f4 Nd3 he can simply play 15.Nc4 winning a piece… I had been on the point of starting panicking and saying bad words about myself when I recalled GM Avetik's legendary RIGHT MOOD - RIGHT MOVE, used the 5-step method to recover after blunders, smiled, straightened my back and found the beautiful 15…Nxb2! tactic which leaves me pawn up! :)
Thank you a lot for what you share in ChessMood! It's just great!
Nice attack in the Alekhine Four Pawns, after my opponent leaving his kingside undefended. His bishop was especially poorly placed on b4; much better would have been on e7, controlling the dark squares around his king. This way, he allowed me some nice sacrifices with a mating attack.
https://lichess.org/MKJkABii/white
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130536690265
French attack!
I was Black in this one. Nice checkmate in the end
[Event "Live Chess Game: ZanyGentleDaydream vs CuteBetterFirebird"]
[Site "ChessKid.com"]
[Date "2025.01.13"]
[Round "?"]
[White "ZanyGentleDaydream"]
[Black "CuteBetterFirebird"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Rated "Rated"]
[WhiteElo "1391"]
[BlackElo "1486"]
[TimeControl "5|1"]
[Termination "CuteBetterFirebird won by checkmate"]
1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. d4 Bd6 5. Bd3 Bg4 6. Nc3 c6 7. a3 Nd7 8. O-O
h6 9. Re1+ Ne7 10. Be2 Qc7 11. h3 Be6 12. Bd3 g5 13. Bd2 O-O-O 14. Qe2 g4 15.
Ne5 gxh3 16. Nxd7 Bxd7 17. gxh3 Bxh3 18. Bf4 Bxf4 19. Qxe7 Rhg8+ 20. Kh1 Bg2+
21. Kg1 Bh2# 0-1
https://www.chess.com/live/game/130625440515
king hunt in a Scandi
https://www.chess.com/live/game/130668599717
My immortal (no joking). But a nice “french attack” ing game sgaonst the tarrasch
https://lichess.org/26LIjV30/black#40
A good dutch stonewall https://lichess.org/waBlpYdr
And a decent caro kan.
going to be getting my pro membership back very soon! Here is a game I played today https://lichess.org/OBOoLcBJ/black
A game with a nice knight sacrifice for an attack, I still had the upperhand but I won when my opponent blundered his rook
https://lichess.org/jhLAvIi2/black#0
cRAZY eNDGAME
Pin Tactic in OP
https://lichess.org/ipmgGXyg/white#0
https://lichess.org/bMVJa1J0/black#0
Art of Positional Play
https://lichess.org/kXIa8VdL/black#0
Queen vs Rook and Bishop
https://lichess.org/DiyzwGAm/black#0
Skewer saves the game
https://lichess.org/5UO5LvcH/white#0
Checkmate on my king's square
https://lichess.org/01zRFAqP/black#0
SLP!!!
https://lichess.org/OSn7Y3An/black
<iframe src="https://lichess.org/embed/game/OSn7Y3An/black?theme=auto&bg=auto#62" width=600 height=397 frameborder=0></iframe>
Italian opening, in which my play was mainly attacking.
All of my pieces were targeting the opponent's king, except for a knight defending and closing my kingside.
My king side was sufficiently closed and secured.
Accumulation of opponent's inaccuracies starting from 15.fxe3?? up to the catastrophic escape of his king to the other side causing many tactical shots resulting in penetration of my attacking pieces and the promotion of a new queen trading his old one then checkmating him by a pawn move as the defending knight of the kingside participated in limiting the opponent's king (mating net).
Performance:
1 Inaccuracy (Checking engine reveals insignificant evaluation)
0 Mistakes
0 Blunders
18 Average centipawn loss
96% Accuracy
https://lichess.org/rECYyUJz/black
Dutch attack.. Stonewall!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130856415387
French Attack!
Game rating: 1750, 90.1% accuracy. My blitz rating is only 1016. Woo hoo!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122218878304
Opponent threw c5 at me early, which got me out of the opening quickly with a plan to attack their backward d-file pawn, but they left a line to their king open which I took advantage of and applied pressure.
So fun!
Spectacular queen-trap in the Schlechter French (technically not trapping it, because black could save it by moving to g4 or h4, but then he would lose his e7-bishop)
https://lichess.org/FQB34poa/white#31
AntiSicilian .. early g6….. d4!
Fighting game in time pressure! Perhaps some great moves in it.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130940969485
I managed to deliver a beautiful combination in this game with 15…Bxc5! 16.dxc5 Nc3!! Didn't make the time control, hence the draw. I should never ever play a game without increment again, but I think this is the 1000th time I promise this to myself :))
https://lichess.org/J5TvjjF0/black#0
I'm returning after two month break ;)
CM French attack
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/130132714961?tab=review&move=38
CM Antisicilian O'Kelly
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/130127353749?tab=review&move=38
OTB Rapid using CM idea
https://lichess.org/IvE4QXng/white#0
The Defination of Positional Play
https://lichess.org/xbG2DsFn/black
Nice Endgame
A win against a player rated over 900 points higher: https://lichess.org/CspWLlFM Probably more an example of “everyone blunders” than anything, but I'll take the win.
dutch stonewall https://lichess.org/rnssGIPI/black
A smooth Scotch in the main line 4. …. Nf6.
Ilias_Belhadj vs T_Game: Scotch Game: Mieses Variation • lichess.org.
My best Dutch https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/131162389695?tab=review
scotch game https://lichess.org/8SklRDX0
I don't think many will think that this is a great game but i really like what i did here
https://lichess.org/tQOLSb4qxBhC
advanced french Bxb5 https://lichess.org/LfT29iqK/black I was able to punish early opening mistakes and find the right tactics thanks to tactic ninja training. My rating went up 100 points the last 2 days from the endgame roadmap and spending a lot of time on the simplified openings 😅
https://lichess.org/KKYitJbo/black#0
Weird Bishop vs Knight endgame
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131219963563
My best Caro-Kann Exchange https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/131221809433?tab=review
A mating threat combing with a nice tactic in the Modern Maroczy punishing my opponent's inaccuracy.
https://lichess.org/nzRFX7Mb
https://www.chess.com/live/game/131235636929
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131254764809
A game with a brilliant rook sacrifice
Benko SLP
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/131169607153?tab=review
my first game with calculating(i learnt it in the blog)
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131386870487
I got carried away and stopped in between but after i lost the bishop i restarted and i won!
I will never forget this one my first calculate game
Another Grand Prix Anti-Sicilian :)
https://lichess.org/S4faPGVl/white
This dude tossed opening principles out the window along with his king
https://lichess.org/2BpHCdbp12JO
https://lichess.org/leH2EoCP punishing bad opening moves
A game which had 2 Rook sacrifices. 97% Accuracy with only 1 inaccuracy
https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/0KCBJXOt
Probably the shortest game I'll ever submit. Only 5 moves!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131596788917
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131602169725
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131666990861
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131686198783
Happy with this win in the Advanced French
Here's a slow and steady win against a 300+-point-higher opponent playing the Sicilian: https://lichess.org/F1nRSWRY/white
A blunder into checkmate helped, but mostly, I was able to keep improving my position little by little throughout the game. I chuckled that the engine identified 3.f4 as an inaccuracy.
Here's a more dramatic win against 500+-point-higher opponent: https://lichess.org/LfkEh17M/white#39
I'm not going to claim my Queen sacrifice was sound here (the engine calls it a blunder), but it accomplished what I intended, and a later blunder into checkmate sealed the win.
2 good games I played in a tournament on Lichess, the first one I feel good to see the mate in 8 and the second one is one of the most beautiful mates I've ever made.
A nice miniature with a queen sac
https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/OewO00lB
Crazily imbalanced game after opposite side castling in the Exchange French, which otherwise has a drawish reputation!
https://lichess.org/4ds5goYZ/white#43
scotch game bc5 https://lichess.org/BqALQSKq
I felt it was a nice domination with some good tactics against The English.
emnaki vs Ilias_Belhadj: English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System • lichess.org.
https://www.chess.com/live/game/131937553355
Hello everyone! Here is another game of mine. This one was played in classical OTB in 60+30 time control. I found some really nice tactics and it felt great to beat a higher-rated opponent in such a nice way! The ending was clearly not perfect due to time trouble, but I think I made a practical decision by going into 3 pawns vs. Night ending
My best French 3.e5-5.Nc3 https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/132037798667?tab=review
Dominating White in a short Accelerated Dragon. Really proud of that!
edsoncezar vs Ilias_Belhadj: Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon • lichess.org.
This was a very nice OTB game in a recent tournament, that's why I have created a lichess study: https://lichess.org/study/4BF0gfou/3HZzHpcP
I used the ideas of GM Gabuzyan in his great course “Counter the English Opening” (playing 1…c5 / 2…g6), when I turned the good opening position in an attacking game against the opponent’s King and managed to win against an experienced opponent of FIDE 1965, almost 200 points higher than my rating
WhiteMood Scotch Game 1
https://www.chess.com/game/live/131493611331
WhiteMood Scotch Game 2
https://www.chess.com/game/live/132021591527
A nice Alapin to finish the month!
escaqs2021 vs Ilias_Belhadj: Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Smith-Morra Declined • lichess.org.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/132111592537
Hello champions!
How are you?
Thank you for sharing your best games. You played some amazing moves and scored beautiful wins. As always, we found many instructive moments and ideas. Keep it going!
Now, onto the prizes:
1st Prize: Gaspar Veress. Sacrificing two pieces and delivering checkmate is fantastic! You built a dangerous attack. When it came to finishing, it was great to see how you played the intermediate move 17.Qh7+ before Qh5, wrapping up the game quickly. Nicely done!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130254095743
2nd Prize: Tyler Ferland. You executed some of the most important plans in the French Attack, from trading the right pieces to playing on the kingside. After gaining a material advantage, you calmly traded queens, leaving no chance for your opponent to make a comeback. A smooth victory. Good!
https://lichess.org/LfT29iqK/black#60
3rd Prize: Joseph Zaffarese. A Grand Prix Attack miniature! Your pieces got into perfect attacking positions. Soon, there was the classic Annihilation tactic and beautiful checkmate! You made it look effortless. Fantastic, well done!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/130625440515?move=0
4th Prize: Regis H. A great king hunt in the Scandinavian! Your opponent’s slight inaccuracy in development gave you the chance to quickly seize the initiative. Castling on move 26 was a class move to bring your last piece into the crushing attack. Well played!
https://www.chess.com/live/game/130668599717
5th Prize: Marius Cornee. Excellent game in the Dutch Attack! You brought your most powerful pieces to the kingside party. When your opponent tried to defend with their Queen, you found a nice way to trap it and win. Well done!
https://lichess.org/waBlpYdr#0
Congratulations to all of you!
Thank you once again to everyone for sharing your games.
All the best for next month’s contest!
I FINALLY got a chance to use the X-ray tactic!!
Replies
Share goals, inspire others'
Happy New Year Chessmood family!
Everyone has new goals this year and everyone is ready to achieve it.
But for some of us our goals feel impossible.
So to release pressure I have started this discussion.
Put posts based on 2 things,
1. What's your goals this year, why it feels impossible/how confident you are
2. Comments, advice and cheer ups for other people's goals
I hope this discussion helps many players from the chessmood family☺️
Replies
My goal this year is to reach 1500 rapid on chess.com
looking from the mid 800sit seems a little too far😔
My goal is 1650 USCF this year. Currently, I'm around 1250. I'm absolutely 100% confident I can! 🏆
Best wishes to you Zaheem and Sarah with your goals!!!
Mine are to
1) actively try to get better at chess by consistently studying/practicing/fixing
2) learn to play the WhiteMood and BlackMood opening repertoires to perfection 😀
3) consistently avoid 1-2 move blunders in online blitz games
4) train tactics and mating patterns and use them in games.
Ok, 1400 blitz rating on chess.com would be nice too. 🤣
I only do process goals because otherwise I put too much stress on myself.
Biggest goal is just stop tilting so easily and keep making gradual progress.
I read in a recent article that competition helps you get to goals faster because you get the mood that you need to win and that's good as long as you don't stress it
So a chalenge for everyone here the first to reach the goal without stressing out wins and monthly update will be great to share progres
Ready?Set!Goooooo!!!
My goal is to reach 2100 on lichess rapid. I am 1900 now so maybe it is a little bit ambitiuos. But it is always good to be ambitiuos right?😊
New goals are great!
New goal slightly confident because it is to reach 2000 on lichess 30+0
�🤗�
thanks
BlackMood French Exchange
Hi, I am working through the simplified black openings. I am surprised I can see any recommendations for 4.Nc3. When looking at the LiChess database, this is the second most played move after the exchange on d5.
Is this something that will be added in the future?
What would you recommend?
I have had a look at it. It seems that 4…Nf6 is the best response, but would it mean you would need to abandon the main plan of a King-side attack?
Replies
Dear Michael,
This move is not a real danger, and during the interactive lessons, we face it very often. Sometimes I play just with 4…c6 and it develops normally. Sometimes, we still try to apply our strategies with 0-0-0 and attacking ideas. It sometimes interrupts our initial setup ideas, but of we develop similarly our opponent can't also apply the same strategies.
Please let me know if you have any further questions :-)
Preparing for tournaments
How should I prepare for a tournament that I have in about 2 weeks? It is a team tournament, and I am currently at my peak rating. What should I be studying?
Thanks, Sabarish
Replies
Dear Sabarish,
Here are 2 articles that might be helpful https://chessmood.com/blog/the-right-way-to-prepare-for-a-chess-tournament
https://chessmood.com/blog/grandmaster-tips-the-right-way-to-prepare-for-the-chess-game
Good luck!
Sounds when moving pieces
I was just practicing with the training puzzle series in the tactic Ninja course, when I was so happily surprised to hear a sound when moving the pieces!!!!!!
Thank you so much ChessMood teams!!!!
Replies
Happy that you are happy, dear Luc :-)
For tactic ninja could we have some martial art noises ;)
Unauthorized Screenshots
I might be wrong, but I believe when I submitted a bug in the AI Coach that a screenshot was captured. If I'm not wrong, that is really bad. Unauthorized screenshots violate GDPR and are a security issue.
Replies
New course: In GM Kuljasevic's mind
✅Best-selling author of two chess books
✅Former coach of Finland’s national team
✅Host of a chess show on TV
Please welcome GM Davorin Kuljasevic, who just created his first ChessMood course!🥳
Learn from his chess wisdom as he breaks down his best games:
https://chessmood.com/course/davorin-kuljasevic-best-games
Replies
Great course, but it seems to me that the puzzles are out of order in games, for example, the puzzle from game one is on game 4, and there are many like this. Maybe it is just a bug, but it would be great if this is fixed! Cheers.
Analysis Finding
Have you ever had like a bad game and wanted to resign but listened to coaches and stayed in the fight but unexpectedly win the game?
Well many of us had this type and when we go to game analysis it is too complex and go to chess.com review your free reviews are used.
So we will see the games commented in this discussion and tell the good moves, bad moves, brilliant, blunder etc..
Replies
early morning game got some good moves and all of a sudden its rook or queen for knight. i felt so sad i'm a good rook player than a queen with only one rook player. don't know how but i just mated black!
https://lichess.org/QaPtcHgV/white#61
win lose then won!
https://lichess.org/WHkJEWg5
Book recommendation
Hi chessmood family ,
I am 1600 fide rated player .and searching for a book on calculation and visualisation and pawn structure book to get me up to the 2100 fide level .I have few hours everyday to spend on chess .Kindly suggest me some good books on these topics .
Thank you .
Replies
Hi Ar Ray,
this might be helpful:
https://chessmood.com/recommendations
Chess Structures by Mauricio Flores Rios for pawn structures
and Chess School 2 by Sergey Ivashchenko for tactics are brilliant books in my eyes.
How to use moodcoins to buy courses
Does anybody know?
Replies
Hi!
I have some Information for you:
- Go to the Courses page and pick your course
- Select the option “Or get lifetime access”
- Select the option “Buy the course”
- In the right-hand section titled “Choose your payment method” the last option will be MoodCoin.
Remember that $1 = 1,000 MoodCoin. So, if the course costs $300 that is 300,000 MoodCoin.
Need to earn some more? Details are here: https://chessmood.com/moodcoin
Grand Prix Anish Giri's Chessable course
Against our Grand Prix Repertoire Anish Giri recommends 8... a6. 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3. f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.O-O e6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nb5 a6. This move is not in the course and from my own research i've found: 9.Nbxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Nf6. Here you can either go e5 or f5. What are the plans for white or are there any other moves you can play that i've missed?
Replies
Help for this please.
Advanced repertoire with French attack
Hi there, CM family, Happy new year to all of you!!
I know many people has already asked this same question before, but I really would like to know if we Will need to wait still a lot to have the step-by-step French attack repertoire. I'm wondering if I shall start studying the accelerated dragón or wait for the French attack.
Thanks a lot
Replies
I was wondering the same thing. With the Simplified BlackMood Opening Repertoire based around the Dutch and the French it was a surprise to see that the Advanced Courses are based around the Accelerated Dragon and the Benko Gambit.
They are working on those advanced courses.
For right now, you can either go further with self-study, or switch to the main rep (Benko and Acc Dragon).
Later you can choose which you like more.
Up to you!
Silent Strategy Bug
Great course!
I think something is wrong with
Section 4. Weak Pawn / 14. Active vs Passive pieces / Training / nr 2
Replies
Section 4. Weak Pawn / 23.The right capture / Training / nr 4 & nr 5 are the same.
Chess Coaching Advice
Hello Everyone,
I am a senior in High School with a rapid rating of 1746 (chess.com). I am the President of my High School's chess club, and I typically give chess lessons to the club members. Recently, a teacher at my school asked me to coach her son (a 5th grader rated 578), and I agreed to teach him 1-on-1 for an hour each week.
I have never coached individually like this before, and so I was wondering if anyone had any advice.
Thank you!
Replies
Hi Nick,
I'm very much a student rather than a coach but I remembered seeing this post in the blog and thought it may be helpful:
https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-inspire-your-chess-student
Hi! Maybe this book could be helpful to you !
You can find it in here (scroll down a bit): https://chessmood.com/recommendations
$250 For Whitemood and Blackmood opening courses why?
These are really good courses. I just don't understand why they are $250? I would gladly buy them for around 70 to 80 each. I can even see 100 each maybe. I understand they are good courses and take a lot of hard work and time. It just seems a bit unreasonable at these prices for someone that doesn't want to spend money on a membership to the site and just get the opening courses.
Thanks for your time and answers.
Replies
The amount of time that it takes to produce such a course plus you've got GMs producing it justifies the price (for experience + time costs). Unless you can go in with material ready and just go with very little prep and outtakes you're unlikely to be making your time back.
However, given the market is competitive, IMO it's pricing itself out of the market with such prices. If you can't afford a subscription, you could wait until the next time the courses are open or take it or leave it I'm afraid.
I believe the main reasons is 2 things:
First, you can buy them with mood coins. Currently Id say they have a bit too much value though.
Second, CM wants to encourage memberships instead of people buying the courses.
Endgame for 2000
Should one that is 2000 but never really learned endgame start by endgame under 2000 or directly into the step by step endgame mastery ?
Replies
Should you learn build a base first, or go straight to building a skyscraper.
As I believe CM says in the study plan, take the u2000 test first.
If everything is easy, go to advanced.
If not, then watch u2000 course first.
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?
Replies
I just found that this was already answered here: https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/deflection-vs-distraction
Happy birthday, GM Avetik!
Thank you for bringing fun to our chess games, and helping us improve!
Replies
Rare Opening lines Preparation in general.
Hey I know there is a blog on preparation against an opponent that you know you are going to play against. But what about preparation in general, not a specific opponent? Does anyone know if there is a free resource on how to learn it?
For example, like learning how to prepare a very rare opening but having to use databases or engines to prepare, I know those exists, but how exactly preparing with these free resources in general in case if the lines are so rare enough that there is not a video or chessable courses on it. Only hypothetical, but I feel it is important to learn.
