Chess forum by Grandmasters

Too much problem regarding chess visualisation

Dear chessmood community, 

I am good at tactics and mating patterns but when it comes to visualisation I could not even imagine a board or even I would say not one row of the empty chess board .Although when there is a position on the board I can visualise it very little  for 2 moves .I am curious why I can't visualise a empty chess board.i get confused with the squares and the diagonals and it's very problematic for me .I am rated 2200+ rated online on lichess but I am messing up easy winning positions due to this problem.I could almost never visualise more than two moves in a position.Kindly suggest some tips to improve this skill .it's very much required to level up your chess level .I can easily feel that .

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Dear Ar Ray,

Visualizing is a skill that you need to improve through practice - and do it constantly. As more you train it - as better it should become. In the Calclman course I have a section dedicated to visualization - here is the link https://chessmood.com/course/calculation/episode/7223

Just practice, practice, and practice again! It demands time to improve.

Dear friend,

Start from very first steps - just remember the board squares - try to visualize the board blindfolded with remembering which square is dark which is light - just picture a single piece moving around - and in this way advance step by step. It requires constant practice to become better at doing this 🙂

Diagnosing why I'm playing well

The title may be a bit strange. Usually, players want to know why they're playing poorly. I'll try to explain.

I've had two stretches of time in the past few months where I won many more games than I lost, and my Lichess blitz rating increased considerably. I don't want to focus too much on the rating itself because, in the most recent stretch (going from 1040 to 1280 in under a month), that's partly a function of playing more Lichess arena tournaments with much higher-rated opponents. When I lose, I barely lose points, but the few times I win, I win a lot of points. And, I find I learn a lot from analyzing these games regardless of the result.

But, that's not the only way I'm gaining rating points.  In these stretches, I'm winning a lot more than I'm losing against players near my rating.

So, what's the problem?

At some point, the streak ends, and I start losing.  A lot.  And I believe I've crossed that threshold now.  Chessmood has many articles that mention “tilt,” and they all contain solid advice.  But I don't see many articles about the opposite – what happens in a winning streak?  GM Gabuzyan describes a time like that in https://chessmood.com/blog/gabuzyan-3100-top-ten.  Mood matters!   But, while anyone's psychological state may contribute to how they play, the chess moves still happen on the board.  Any GM could be having a lousy day yet handily beat me if we played a blitz game.

So, I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing differently when I'm playing well for a period of time so that I can make sure to keep doing those things.  Ultimately, I'm playing because I want to play, not to chase a rating.  I can have a lot of fun playing even if I'm losing – especially if the games are interesting, if I keep a game against a higher-rated opponent competitive, etc.  But why not win if I can, right?

Any advice here?

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Dear Andrew,

Since you are training and putting effort into chess it is reasonable to see growth :-)

Beating strong opponents is the key to big growth how to become 1300 with only wearing 1100-rated players?

I would recommend that you understand which conditions you play so well. You may be well rested, in a good mood, at a specific time during the day, or after a specific action. It's a great idea to understand what is your personal best playing time during the day and try to follow that!

And as well you have the right attitude! Following the growth and not focusing on the rating is the right thing to do! That allows us to throw away the negative emotions and focus on the game!

Short survey for a research project about online chess

Hi everyone,

I'm conducting a research project about online chess.

If you have a few minutes, it would be great if you could answer to this short survey: https://ludovic200.limesurvey.net/196948?lang=en

Thanks a lot!

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Completed 🙂

Don't forget to come back and share your findings!

Did it!

Mating Matador - Bombardier Mate

Hi all

In example 2 i think after Qxc8 Black has Qe1+ deflecting the rook from the d file. White still has Kf2 winning, but its no more a bombardier mate 

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I mean Re1+

Audio issue on Nightmare of the Rossalimo

Hi The advanced section of Nightmare of the Rossalimo has no audio with the video.

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Oh dear! Mabey you could contact a staff and let them know your issue?

Dear Mitch,

 

Can you share any additional details that can help us? 

I just tried, and on my end it works well on my end.

If the issue still exists for you, I will redirect it to our technical team.

 

Tarrasch French

Hi,

In the French Attack Tarrasch variation, after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Bb5 dxe4, what to play if they take on c6 first with Bxc6? the computer shows it’s advantageous for black but I cannot find a concrete plan to continue.

Thanks,

Kevin

Replies

Dear Kevin,

Could you please post the exact position so I can better advise you? 🙂

GM Simon Williams - Trading Queens in French

I was watching a stream with GM Simon Williams, he noted that because of the kingside development challenges in the French that trading queens is almost always better for Black.

Pushing kingside to attack can make me a bit stressed at times, but going to an endgame with a nice advantage on the queenside sounds comfortable.   Anyone have thoughts on this idea?

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seems logical to me

french defense 2.b3

what should we play here? what's a good and practical answer to this?

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I like 2…d5. After 3.Bb2 not 3…dxe4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Qe2 since this is white's desired setup.
But 3…Nc6! If 4.Nc3 d4! 5.Nce2 e5 playing against the Bb2. After 4.Qe2 you can 
go 4…dxe4 5.Nc3 Nd4! 6.Qxe4 Nf6 and black is fine. Learnt by courses of Plichta and Giri.
I know this line since a teammate of mine plays it and it can be very annoying for black
if they don't know what to do.

French Attack Steinitz Attack

I recently played a game with black using the French Attack and was surprised by a White attack I had not seen before, The Steinitz Attack. I tried to play the game like a generic French Attack and I won after a long close game. But I am troubled by my response to White's play. I wasn't sure what to do so I made it up as I went along. 1e4 e6 2e5 ??? Wasn't sure what to do here. I played d5 and the game continued 3exd6 Bxd6. Did I miss something in one of the French Attack videos? There must be a better way to respond. Any suggestions?  

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Just curious, why would you assume there should be a better way to respond?

I certainly think that this is fine. Just look at what (after 3 moves) both sides have gotten. Black should be at least equal I believe.

Although their might be a better way, but I was unable to find a video on this.

FixMood

Hi all,

I tried using FixMood AI by connecting my lichess account.

After configuring the filters and clicking “Show Games” the program started thinking and downloading stuff but after that, it did not show any games. Please see screenshot.

I know this feature is still in Beta so I just wanted to report this in the hope that you guys can help me  😄

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Hello!
Can you provide your lichens account so we can see exactly what the issue may be?
If there were any deviations (not by you) Fixmood won't show them.

Hello! 

Thanks for your question.

We don’t display games with early deviations (before move 4), assuming they were intentional. If your games aren’t listed, you likely stayed on track or deviated early.

Calculation and aims

I was doing calculation training in Sam Shankland's Chessable course, when I discovered a technique that was improving my ability to.see solutions (or at least most of it). Like in the 3Qs (king, pieces, resources) I asked what are the possible aims (or outcomes for both sides). Often it is things like mate the king, win a piece, save attacked material (it can be defensive), promote a pawn… Even positional things might come under that. It is necessary to ask for both sides since an opponent might ignore your threats or combine their defence with a counter. Not everything is obvious and you might discover more during calculation. Some things are more likely than others, or more valuable which might direct a priority.

Why does this help? First it encourages not to get locked into what you see first (e.g. it must be a checkmate) and makes you consider other ideas avoiding blindness. Secondly more difficult problems might involve switching to a secondary goal which is the real win (e.g. the king isn't mateable but by threatening to do so, another goal can be achieved. Too often one goes down a rabbit hole before looking for other things, whereas having more in mind from the go is more efficient. Thirdly you consider how the opponent might react other than mindlessly defend or recapture.

I think sometimes simple tactics with a single obvious aim (which while good training in other ways) make us over focus on just the obvious thing (or that we'd like to do even if not possible or feasible). Sometimes the not feasible becomes feasible though, hence the need to look at multiple aims.

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Thanks for sharing. Good one.

Hey David!

The technique you're describing is excellent! By identifying goals for both sides (e.g., mating, winning material,  or defense), you avoid tunnel vision, prioritize efficiently, and discover hidden opportunities. It ensures broader calculation and better decision-making. Keep practicing this structured thinking—it’s a powerful skill!

Pricing courses

Hello everyone, I was looking at the price of the courses but I noticed that you cannot buy every course individually. For example: if you want to buy only the scale method course, you find a button with: Access all the courses. Is it meant to be like that or are they working on that? Thanks in advance

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you can actually buy courses individually as the picture attached shows. But they are super expensive that it's better to just buy a subscription

Question about a Scotch variation

Hi everyone,

I've been following the Whitemood opening course and really enjoying it so far. However, a variation came up in a recent game that I don't think is covered in the course or the PGN file (unless I missed it).

The game went as follows:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 exd4
4. Nxd4 Nxd4
5. Qxd4 Nf6

At this point, I played 6. e5, expecting the knight to retreat or go to h5, where I was planning to trap it with g4. To my surprise, Black responded with 6... c5. I then played 7. Qe3, and Black followed up with 7... Nd5, to which I replied with 8. Qe4.

I went on to win the game, but I'm curious if I handled the position correctly or if there was a better approach I could have taken after 6... c5.

Any insights would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

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I think that 7. Qf4 is the best try for white. There is a small trap where white wins after 7… Nd5 8. Qf3 Nb4 9. Bc4! Nxc2+ 10. Kd2 (they can’t take the rook beacuse of Qxf7#) and d5 runs into exd6 en passent and white should win easily.

I think you played the right moves. This looks a lot like those positions in the course where Black plays …c5 to bother the White Queen (but without …Nf6) and White then plays to keep the d-pawn backwards and weak (Nc3, Bc4, O-O-O etc)

Can I ask how your game continued?

Ive actually faced this before and managed to find the best reply.

You play 7.Qf4 and then the knight has to retreat.

4.. Bb4+ 5 c3 Be7 in Scotch

Hi Chessmood! I wonder what is chessmoods recomendation against 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Lb4+ 5 c3 Be7.

So many intresting moves to play but what is your  suggestion and setup etc?

I could not find any information about this.

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Dear Erik, 

I checked this position. The choice is passive for Black and White has a pleasant edge.

I got attracted to 2 types of ideas:

1. 6.Nf5 attacking g7 and challenging the Bishop and if Bf8 - getting the space advantage with c4-Nc3.

2. 6. Bd3 with castling the short side and developing the pieces. 

It a lot depends on the opponent's moves, but difficult to tell you all the middlegame ideas - focus on the fight for the center, and an healthy development of the pieces!

Redoing the done courses of the booster section

Dear chessmood community ,

How to revise the courses that are done ? Today I wanted to solve the quizzes of the how to find a plan in my position course which I had done months earlier and I succeeded in solving all the quizzes of t training section except 2 position.So if I want to revise a course should I just resolve all the quizzes of the course? and if I fail to solve the majority of the quizzes rewatch the course again ?.Am I approaching it the right way or there is a better way ?

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Dear Ar Ray,

That is a good idea!

If after revising the quizzes you are still uncomfortable the topic it could be a good idea to revise the section!

As well during the course in conclusion videos we do summarize the main concepts and ideas - in order to make your revisions even more easi 🙂

1-1 call

Hi, just subscribed the monthly pro plan, in the description there was a 1-1 call with gm, but when i try to schedule it a message keeps appearing saying that it's only for annual subscriptions.
is it a bug? when i signed up the personalize study plan was for annual subscriptions.
Thanks a lot

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Dear Mattia,

Can you please send an email to our client support team so they can better advise you with technical inquiries?

Thank you 🙂

Hyperaccelarated Dragon

What do you feel about playing hyper-accelarated dragon (e4 c5 Nf3 g6) instead of accelarated dragon and later play Nc6? By this way, we can skip the Rossolimo study. Is there any line we should be careful of while playing this? 

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GM Avetik answer it in old post for Pro members!

I play the hyperaccelerated dragon and I think it is a safe way to play as black. If they play 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 is isn't as challenging. Just be careful with the alapin, Smith-Morra and other dangerous sidelines. Of course, I am not a grandmaster so I recommend watching a introduction video on youtube and studying important lines.

Neo Toppinen9 months ago

PRO Members

Why don't we play the hyperaccelerated dragon?

Why do we play 2… Nc6 instead of 2… g6 in the sicilian? We are allowing a Rossolimo, which means more studying for us. Why don't we play 2… g6 and avoid that? I assume there is a reason, because your opening courses have been really good, I'm just eager to know it.

Chessmood Odysseus9 months ago

Hi Neo,

Yes, you are right, we could do that. But we don't focus on playing tricky lines or fast recipes for winning. We want you to develop, to grow as players and Rossolimo is a great battlefield to be tested in. Also the 2..g6 has some very good lines as White along with the initiative, and it is not our cup of tea once you play against a prepared opponent. 
But the main reason is to play a very sound opening that allows you to grow as a player.😃

In my opinion, hyper-accelerated dragon can avoid the Yugoslav Attack, and Black players can skip the Rossolimo study, too. But instead,  the Maroczy Bind (e4 c5 Nf3 g6 c4) is annoying for Black.

Is it the puzzle or is it me?

Hi all, I'm trying to figure out if Sunday's daily puzzle by Kubbel (screenshot attached) is flawed or if it's my understanding that's flawed. Thanks to anyone who can shed light on anything I'm missing. 

The solution goes as follows [spoiler alert] : 1.Bf5 h1=Q 2.c8=Q+ Bxc8 3.Be4+ at which point 3…Qxe4 is a brilliant stalemate trap. However, Qxe4 isn't forced, and instead Black can play 3…Kb8 or 3…Bb7. In either case, after 4.Bxh1 my version of Stockfish at depth 36 shows a -2.9 advantage for Black.

I generally don't think of puzzle solutions as including suboptimal moves, relying on hope chess for the winning idea. Is the point that it's an excellent example of SLP, laying a clever trap to maybe hold an otherwise lost endgame? Or is there some reason this is actually drawn no matter what (maybe with a stronger engine on a higher depth?). I could imagine a scenario in which the bishops somehow get traded off and black loses one of the flank pawns, leading to a drawn king and pawn endgame maybe?

I ended up trying a different move because of not seeing a forced win or draw, ended up losing the puzzle, and was surprised to find out my initial calculation was the “right” answer. Is it the puzzle or is it just me?

Thanks!

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I think that it is a drawish position after both …Kb8 and …Bb7. In the Kb8 variation you take the queen, bishops get exchanged (because otherwise you just move your bishop back and forth and black can't make progress) and it should be a draw since it are rook pawns. In the Bb7 line, things are a bit more complicated because you lose your bishop. But eventually it is a draw (I think) because the promotion square is not a white square so the bishop cant defend it.

I think that I am right but feel free to correct me if I am wrong!

You can play it out against an engine and learn from it :).

The thing is that black can never move the white king from a1 as they have a light squared bishop and whenever the king gets close it will be stalemate. Engines are not so good at evaluating fortresses like this.

Hope this helps

Samuel 

Counter All Sicilian Sideline course PGN

Hey chessmood family, 

I was wondering (as many other students seem to be as well), when we can get the PGN files for the course? 

Thank you! 

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winning

how to win in life?

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Good Question.