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Chess forum by Grandmasters
The best games of April, 2025, and the prizes
Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions!
Welcome to the "Best games of April, 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 March, 2025:
Samuel Marsden
Tony Weir
Thomas Maes
Trying to get Better for real
James L.
Replies
https://www.chess.com/live/game/136910015824
Mating white in the middle of the board after a chaotic Jobava London game
https://lichess.org/0WjDJEBP/black
Amother good N vs bad B endgame. Silent strategy!
https://www.chess.com/live/game/136970196226
Attacking the king:
https://lichess.org/c4SLeTqB4ZtY
https://lichess.org/vI8yIy8i/black#0
Beautiful Queen Sacrifice
https://lichess.org/KPNGhyn6/white#0
Beautiful Rook Sacrifice for attack
https://lichess.org/om2MZbwR/black#0
Positional Chess
lichess id: Anuraghav
https://lichess.org/pf7N8alt/black#60
sacrificing rook to attain checkmate
https://lichess.org/zWoll0Xx/black#38
beautiful tactic to win in middlegame
https://lichess.org/eSZxW6r3/black#81
a beautiful attacking game
I uh, just kind of mindlessly mated the opponent XD
https://lichess.org/aWzTUmY4/white#1
https://www.chess.com/live/game/137024626196
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137062291518?move=0
I was just playing a slow positional strategy against the isolated QP – then my h-pawn went berserk)
https://www.chess.com/game/live/138036043723?move=0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137037733890
Crushing someone rated 400+ higher than me*: https://www.chess.com/game/live/138036043721
*pre-event rating
crushing the Benoni
https://lichess.org/CE65PvfO#37
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/137103604180?tab=review&move=0
Bxh6 was a mistake but position was winning anyways
https://lichess.org/ifklBQxj/black#0
This game is an attacking game where I thought I could attack my opponent's king fast since my king looked safe for me.
https://lichess.org/ilrlNU7C/black#0
This is the other game, it is also an attacking game, but in this game it is same side casting attack.
Philidor, I thought Ne7-g6 was a cute idea to exploit the pins (turns out I could have played it even earlier!)
https://www.chess.com/live/game/137126995044
A game from the ChessMood Schlechter Defense
Chess: ThankfulBone vs Tomboov247 - 137139062430 - Chess.com
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/137161068220?tab=analysis&move=52 a nice french exchange game
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137180487196
https://lichess.org/S6IzRMGA1Nmi
and thanks to Gabuzyan sir for teaching a great opening.
https://www.chess.com/live/game/137233397120
En passant gambit
I played feriocus attacking play in this game!
https://lichess.org/study/zNkAqpm2/EJN2zHUl
poor white king :)
https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/BAR2mXDq
A satisfying attack against a bad …e6 and …g6 setup in an otb tournament
Here is a game I won with the chessmood attack on the king side! Thanks Chessood!
https://lichess.org/Lz6SjXib#41
French Tarrasch, with a good attack in the white king
https://www.chess.com/game/137312948684
Well, this was an SLP gambit. :)
https://lichess.org/wjoyphhs/white#32
My best GPA against the Pirc Defense:
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/137318285468?tab=review
https://lichess.org/BYfL0foD/white#0
Near perfect game punishing opponents slow opening play in the scotch finishing with a nice mate
Hello all, A victory playing the Sicilian Rossilimo as black with a sacrifice!. Enjoy
https://lichess.org/JXpF28nF/black#44
Two minis:
GPA vs. Sicilian - it's a bird… it's a plane… it's the knight on g5!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137214479386
French Attack -- second time someone played 4.c4 and I was ready! Game reviews FTW!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137214410530?move=11
Could be a nice model game for the topic of attacking
https://lichess.org/NSq9Q8Pk/white#0
This is my third game I will upload, I think Bd5 from me was a tricky move (a silent move). I think I also used SLP in this game since I was an exchange down in the opening ( but I felt it is not a problem since I have a double bishop advantage and my opponent's dark squares are weak around his king ).
As per GM Gabuzyan recipe, ‘bring the pieces’
https://www.chess.com/live/game/137444085904
https://lichess.org/FbBq9qXl#55
Playing with someone who is 700 rating more than me. I picked up on how to think fast by the first few moves and I knew that ill get something got by the bishop sacrifice so i did it. so far this month till now I didn't feel any games best or wow. But I love this game and I'll never forget it.
Nice checkmate with bishop and knight
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/137370776674?tab=review
I am not playing often against the Philidor but the attached looks like a smooth win in the Hanham variation.
https://lichess.org/d7NG29yg/white#77
https://lichess.org/0uovt1sa/black#53 I won a piece with a tactic, consolidated and played a saving move at the end against a 2196 elo player on classical lichess
Anothere one is https://lichess.org/Qd132CaYxw94 where I simplified into an drawn rook endgame and kept pressing for a win that I got
Here's a game in Benko Gambit. Super happy that the ideas resulted in a good result.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137410228220?move=0
[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.04.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ukeera"]
[Black "chess_vissu"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]
[WhiteElo "1819"]
[BlackElo "1764"]
[Termination "chess_vissu won by resignation"]
[ECO "A58"]
[EndTime "15:07:31 GMT+0000"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/137410228220?move=0"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. Nc3 axb5 6. Nxb5 Ba6 7. Nc3 g6 8. g3
Bg7 9. Bg2 d6 10. Nf3 O-O 11. O-O Nbd7 12. Re1 Qa5 13. e4 Ng4 14. Bd2 Nge5 15.
Ne2 Qb6 16. Bc3 Nd3 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rf1 Qxb2 19. Rb1 Qxa2 20. Nc3 Qc4 21. Qd2
Rfb8 22. Rfd1 N3e5 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. f4 Nd3 25. Rxb8 Qd4+ 26. Kh1 Rxb8 27. Ne2
Nf2+ 28. Kg1 Nh3+ 29. Kh1 Bxe2 30. Qxd4+ cxd4 0-1
Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank GM Gabuzyan and GM Avetik. Lots of love.
Typical Greek gift in this Exchange Caro-Kann miniature
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/daily/801238345?tab=review
I'll show you two interesting games against the same opponent:
A dark square massacre after making use of his blunder, 18…Qa5?? (earlier on, in the opening, 7.Nbd5 would have given me a winning advantage already, but I sadly missed it)
https://lichess.org/7MN3NYTa/white#0
And a sudden and brutal SLP after losing a piece
https://lichess.org/XxGhRtmh/black#0
Beautiful checkmate using a king, rook, knight, and bishop
Check out this #chess game: ViciousRacoon vs Nahs76 - https://www.chess.com/game/137489190560
some good games of april.
have some good eastern days.
quick sicilian: https://lichess.org/7P0KQU8K
nice (not perfect) dutch: https://lichess.org/0euGzEHc/black
clean french attack winning a central pawn: https://lichess.org/GAjmt95S/black
dutch attack: https://lichess.org/e2BOYuuR/black
french attack against a titled player: https://lichess.org/3d43mOko/black
Lesson i already know keeps getting taught to me again and again. Never Give Up-Miracles Happen
https://lichess.org/xDoQmTUVi3O7
https://lichess.org/2Dd0XcQb/black#0
destroying a 2600's kingside in a bullet game
Titled players aren't invincible: I beat an NM in just 17 moves!
https://lichess.org/9WH6G2Id/white#0
Hello everyone, tactics I learned from coach Gabu! Enjoy the game!
https://lichess.org/5nrpYiBG/black#31
😃
https://www.chess.com/events/2025-faroese-chess-championship-open-group/07/Al_Jay_Zaid-Kosini_Bogi_a
a decent OTB game in the scotch with some instructive moments especially insisting not to exchange the queens when I am attacking. even though I did not win the tournament, but I won the guy who got first place
Quite a few mistakes but managed a mate GP attack. Note time remaining…
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/137537674866?tab=review
some of my best games in the year i am starting to think i have grown my skills above my ratings…
Blitz-
https://lichess.org/CANQT2VoNO9O it was so obvious that i want my rook to support me than my bishop
https://lichess.org/gSnylL6KSRl0 i won in my weak area-endgames because of opponents isolated pawns
Rapid-
https://lichess.org/zDFp79T2pakX all my pieces checkmate the opponent
Finally geting comfortable with Gran Prix opening. Look at the attack but enjoy the checkmate!
https://lichess.org/eGblZlGPbNKU
https://lichess.org/eMKdUN8m/black#0
nice rossolimo game
https://lichess.org/ZLImSCQT/white#0
positional endgame play in the scotch
Based on the Spartan Shield , i applied the good defense and managed to win a nice game in Black French.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137626051958
Thanks GM for the wonderful ideas taught in Spartan Shield course which is all new concepts for 1500 level Chess.com players.
https://lichess.org/rgePlrqZ/white#0
Clean game punishing opponent greedily forking my pieces and opening their king
https://lichess.org/kgvL6rg8/white#35
Pretty finish
Just when everything was lost….still hope!
https://lichess.org/xE1A6zEZ/black#1
I played online. I played as black. Time control was rapid(15min + 10sec).
This is a game which I applied the topics I learned in Multiple ChessMood courses.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137476710044
The opening was the French Attack, Exchange variation, which I studied through the BlackMood Openings.
I made a blander on move 16. But I calmed myself and took a deep breath, and told myself "This is a start of SLP mode!"
I switched into SLP mode from move 17 to move 22. I deployed my pieces for opponent's king.
After gaining material on move 23, I switched into WWP mode and started simplifying the position—like with 26...Qe4.
I made preparation to Bucking Bronco mate on 34 move, and eventually finished the game with a Kill Box mate.
This game felt like it used everything I’ve learned at ChessMood, and I’d say it’s my best game of April.
I couldn't believe I got, in an actual game, the Queen-sacrifice mate-in-8 from the Owen Defense: https://www.chess.com/game/live/137724259238
https://www.chess.com/live/game/137737762746
https://lichess.org/brVMTgTs/black
https://lichess.org/yp6ItuRa/white#46 The Dreev line with Bd6 (loosing a pawn) in the Caro Kann
Elefant gambit
https://lichess.org/1Z5uGdj2/white#0
https://lichess.org/wX3OqLcF/black
https://lichess.org/PaR28TEf41KI
Bullet queen sac
I won by check mate using a strong smothered mate thous it was a blunder because king could take but i still won-
https://lichess.org/WdC7BjjGa1um
https://lichess.org/g1lovdeJ/black#0 Nice mate with d4 sidelines
https://lichess.org/6juZKSiy/white Nice bishop sac with scotch 4 nights novelty bd2 made by coach david!
Punishing opponent's careless play with strong counterattack
https://lichess.org/lAB1QcZy/black#44
https://www.chess.com/live/game/137887631100
still fooling around with the en passant gambit that’s the declined variation 😂
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137890725102
Bought the Maroczy bind course with my MoodCoins, then this happened (OTB 70+15) :-)
https://lichess.org/study/uU4BulVx/CQHGqAHO
Also had this one this month (are we allowed two entries?). OTB 70+15. Sadly my opponent blundered in an interesting position.
https://lichess.org/study/4qjNOhL9/ttNcMnj1
Hello ChessMood familia,
Here is a game I played with the Benko Gambit:
https://lichess.org/VkhDi5A4/black#64
The takeaways I had from this one:
- White's difficulties in developing the c1 bishop in Benko Gambit's leads to mistakes (in this case 13.b3?)
- When one “small” thing for white collapses, the entire queenside collapses in this opening.
- Always sac the queen 😆
- Always mate with a pawn 😜
Crushing Attack in Caro-Kann using Chessmood's lines. I felt so proud to execute a brilliant Rf6 blockade tactic inspired by Bobby Fischer's game to launch a powerful piece sacrifice attack against the black king.
I have attached the Chessbase PGN link below for your reference
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/game/?p=13xApBJIfPQn67xFy31ZSuw+xCpulV9yLh/nDWdMdoEPMh4fj6j0Un0GjvNhaefR
Drawed a FM with the najdorf Qf3 varitation
https://lichess.org/j51He8rO/black#8
when are prizes coming?- or the next month forum?
Hello champions!
How are you?
Thank you for sharing your best games. It was a pleasure to review them. You scored some beautiful wins, and we found many instructive moments and ideas. Now, on to the prizes…
1st prize: Zaid Al-JAY. Great game with several instructive moments! From not exchanging queens when attacking, to playing with all your pieces, to targeting new weaknesses — you played a fine attacking game. Well done!
https://www.chess.com/events/2025-faroese-chess-championship-open-group/07/Al_Jay_Zaid-Kosini_Bogi_a
2nd prize: Edger Schoonhoven. You crushed the Elephant Gambit! The pieces flew into the attack, and the game was over before Black could even develop. The perfect punishment! Very good!
https://lichess.org/1Z5uGdj2/white
3rd Prize: James L. You took advantage of the isolated pawn on d5 very well. With a queenside invasion by the Rook and the h-pawn marching down the board, you created a powerful attack and won. Fantastic game!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/137062291518?move=53
4th prize: Samuel Marsden. A crushing kingside attack! You timed …f5 perfectly to open the lines, and from then on, all your pieces just kept going forward until the game ended in a mate. Good job!
https://lichess.org/2Dd0XcQb/black#1
5th prize: Nathan Eppel. You took advantage of the weakened dark squares and launched a strong attack, even without the Queen! The checkmate with the Bishop and Knight was beautiful. Well done!
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/137370776674?tab=analysis&move=21
Congratulations to all of you!
Thank you once again to everyone for sharing your games.
All the best for next month’s contest!
Caro Kann
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd cxd 4 Bd3 Nc6 5 c3 Nf6 6 Bf4 all known, but then my creative opponent played e5. 7 dxe5 Ng4 8 what is the correct way now?
I played 8 Qe2 Bc5 9 Bg3 o-o (a surprise for me) - only after the game I can see that Nf3 should have been played. But I started to think of Bxh7 + Qh5 + Ng5, forgot blacks Bf5, so in order to follow this I played Nh3 and was rolled over.
(Ncxe5, Bxe5 Nxe5, Bc2 Bg4 ups, Qf1 Re8 ups, Kd2 Nc4 etc…. 0-1 But what is the correct way?
Replies
Hi Erik,
I think this sacrifice is absolutely useless, you should play 8.Nf3 Bc5 9. 0-0 - with a big advantage for White.
New podcast with GM Levon Aronian | The Price I Paid for Ignoring the Truth
Everyone sees the medals.
Few know what’s on the other side.
A rare and honest look behind the titles and victories with Levon Aronian, one of the greatest, creative and joyful Grandmasters of all time 😊
Promise: No one will leave this episode without powerful takeaways and a lasting reminder of what truly matters 😉
https://youtu.be/MeBT-QEp27s
Replies
Attacking the Philidor defense
When you are attacking the Philidor defense what if they instead of trying to develop their dark squared bishop they try to develop the light squared bishop?????
Replies
Please post the specific moves, position, or video (and time), as we have no clue what you are talking about.
i guess because there isn't a good square for the light squared bishop
Beginners Openings?
What openings are good for pure beginners. Let's say a student is working on basics checkmates and going to play a tournament then what is useful opening for him to play. Also imagine he knows basics of openings too.like center control etc.
All suggestions are useful because soon I am going to give private lessons to beginners and below 1500 players.
Replies
With white pieces Colle system is ideal choice.
Against e4 Giuoco Piano is a good choice.
Against d4 King indian defence is a good choice.
Here, Comfortability with opening is also pretty important.
Abhi, we've talked about this topic a lot during the webinars.
Our openings are very good for beginners too.
WHY?
A beginner should play very active chess. It's must to develop active play skills.
I see, Amit offered Cole.
While Cole is a very solid and White wouldn't get checkmate in 10 moves even if they play aginst a GM, systems like Cole are very bad for beginners, as the future growth will be slower.
To summarize 1.e4! for White, Sicilian for Black!
Against d4, there are many good options. I still believe that Benko is the best.
Note: Many chessplayers and even GMs say that the best openings are the openings they play. This is not objective.
However the openings I'm recommending they were never in main opening repertoire, but it's so obvious that one for improving his chess skills should play this openings, that from scratch I started analyze 1.e4!
One hundred people, one hundred opinions.
I just share mine, the rest- up to you.
Great discussion on beginner openings! For newcomers, I recommend starting with simple openings like 1.e4 e5 (Italian Game) or 1.d4 d5 (Queen's Gambit), which promote central control and piece development. It’s important to focus on understanding the ideas behind these openings, rather than memorizing moves, to build a strong foundation.
Well, for pure beginners wanting to begin studying openings, i’d say:
“Go to 'The Rise of Champions,' Sections 3 and 4 here at ChessMood.”
That is a great course. :)
I learn stuff in there all the time. I’m not much of a player, but i’m not a pure beginner.
Look who got a nice new milestone
Replies
Didn't you just recently post about reaching 1300? Your rating is going up fast! Keep up the good work!
French Attack, Steinitz variation
Dear Chessmood family!
I love the chessmood reportoaire and have been playing it for about a year. Lately I am facing a response from white that is new to me (probably some youtuber that recommends it): 1. e4, e6, 2. e5
I checked the opening videos, but could not find any videos about this. In the last video about “dubious moves”, GM Avetik tells us to just follow the development plan, but the annoying pawn on e5 makes it uncomfortable.
According to the opening principles, e5 should not be a good move, but I can't find a way to punish it, at least not in the short term.
Any advice?
Best regards,
Marcel
Lifetime Chessmood brother
Replies
Dear Marcel,
2.e5 indeed is a bad move, and over the years of streaming, I probably faced it just a couple of times. I would recommend 2…d6 to trade the pawn - as if they capture, you can develop the Bishop. This move isn't deeply covered as it's not dangerous and that's why GM Avetik advises to follow general healthy chess principles. Advancing the pawn to e5 just itself, without gaining any tempos, is not a great strategy. As an alternative, you can play with 2…d5 that will sooner or later transition to regular French opening positions that we play.
Add Tactics and Endgames Related to ChessMood Opening Repertoire
Hi ChessMood team, I wanted to share a suggestion that I think could add great value to the Tactic Ninja and Endgame sections. Would it be possible to include puzzles or chapters focused on typical and recurring tactical motifs and endgames that arise from the openings recommended in the ChessMood repertoire? The idea would be to gradually add dedicated chapters that train the tactical ideas and endgame patterns specifically tied to the ChessMood openings. This could help reinforce pattern recognition and deepen understanding of the positions we frequently reach when following the repertoire. Thanks for all the amazing content and guidance you provide!
Replies
Dear HPS,
We thought about it - we might have some for some separate openings, however, there are positions where Endgame transitions are too different, and not really possible to predict. The same situation is about tactics, as in some openings they might be more common, in others they are too different.
Thanks for your great suggestion and your desire to help us improve our materials!
Lost to 8 year old kid in a rated event
Amazed by the way how this kid( fide 1586 spotted my mistake on move 16 and blunder on move 18 how he thrashed me and more importantly he blitzed out all moves (this is 60+30 time control) . Curious to learn how these kids get trained on spotting mistakes which are atleast depth of 7-8 moves.. . Any pointers how to attain that skill set. Btw I am 40 year old with fide of 1500+
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Source "Analyze This App"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Qe2 O-O 8.
Be3 Re8 9. f3 Qe7 10. O-O-O d6 11. g4 Be6 12. h4 Rad8 13. h5 Bxb3 14. axb3 Bxe3+
15. Qxe3 d5 16. g5 d4 17. gxf6 Qxf6 18. Qd2 dxc3 19. Qxc3 Qf4+ 20. Kb1 Rxd1+ 21.
Ka2 Qc1 22. b4 Qa1+ 23. Kb3 Nd4+ 24. Kc4 Qa6+ 25. Kc5 Qc6# 0-1
Replies
Dear Rajk,
We are not analyzing the separate games of students here, you are welcome to ask any questions related to the website content, our courses, blogs, or any other way we can help you :-)
Regarding your question, it sounds like your opponent calculated something quite deeply, and the solution can be to have good calculation skills as well.
New article: I Wasn't Supposed to Share This: The Darkest Chapter of My Life
His chest stopped expanding.
Oxygen — gone.
It was like a grenade exploded inside him.
That’s how GM Avetik describes the beginning of the darkest chapter of his life.
He wasn’t supposed to share it. But he did.
With hope…
That someone might need it, when their darkest chapter knocks on their door.
Read the full story here 👇
https://chessmood.com/blog/darkest-chapter
Replies
Avo,
Thank you for sharing yourself. It is difficult to open up to others, especially about pain and problems that we experience. You show us great respect by doing this.
You are far more than a chess coach. You are a life coach to us as well. Which is splendid, because you don't charge extra for the life coaching :)
Is it any surprise that we love you??
With love and respect,
Jeff
Hi Avo, I probably already told you about it; I spent dark years where everything was dark, difficult, I didn't see the end of the tunnel.....no light on the horizon; depression...yes, depression, where you don't feel like doing anything, just sleeping, not wanting to get up in the morning to work, a few years ago I found myself in a difficult situation with our company; it can happen after 20 years of activity where a moment of difficulty arrives. And what saved me was going back studying and playing chess, yes chess!!!; then I met you and the chessmood family, amazing, if chess didn't exist they would have to invent it! So going back to your article, life is made up of ups and downs but the important thing is to be able to find the right balance that allows you to move forward and face life day by day even with its obstacles.
Thanks for sharing this , as Jeff says you also are a life coach !
(Sorry for my English…nor perfect….may be)
An humble chess player
You are very brave, Mr Avetik.
Dear Avo
Thank you very much for sharing this. It is so important that people realise that no-one is alone in having turbulent times or thoughts. It happens to everybody. The only real difference is whether people reveal it or not.
Someone very close to me has had similar experiences - and I have pointed out to them that the human brain is such a wonderful thing. Especially in people who are so very creative and passionate, the occasional turblence has to be expected. How could a brain be so full of creative energy and never experience that energy occasionally boiling over? Such moments are I think the other side of the same coin - the gift of creativity.
Just like there is no sunshine without the occasional storm, no universe in fact without moments of powerful collisions.
It sounds like you handle things perfectly - accepting and owning what it means to be a creative human. Wearing your heart on your sleeve. And living and observing life in equal measure.
Thank you for sharing.
Dear Avo,
Thanks for sharing this. Yes, we are not perfect, but such things doesn't happen because of that - such things happen to people who are on the way of perfection.
Dear Avetik,
Honestly at the time of budapest, i knew chessmood as email articles but never knew who that person was.
I enjoyed all the videos of budapest right after the event immediately from chessbaseindia. i enjoyed you dancing with full of energy and fun. i was vibing here just by watching. still i did not who that person was in white shirt.
today, i now realize oh that was you. I just went and watched it again now. enjoyed it even more. for those who are still wondering. enojy -→ https://youtu.be/EC8HQSy2fE8?si=WULtI3geQT24Bhe8
i dont understand why you felt low after such an enjoyable event. people feel refreshed. anyways, i am glad you are at your best form now.
hope to see you chilling in the next olympiad with great moves.
Life is short, enjoy it to the fullest in a controllable fashion.
--Cheers
Shravan
Hi Avo,
Very surprised to read this. It shows you that you never know what people are going through even when you meet them.
I just wanted to share that the highlight of my Olympiad in Budapest was meeting you during the first day. You and your wife were nice enough to spend over 30 mins chatting with us. I was also very close to you during that Bermuda party dance :-) I must say you've got some great moves! (not only in chess)
Thank you for sharing this and for showing us that even in the deepest of moments, you can control the mind to do the right thing.
Keep up the good work and hope to meet you again!
Duncan
I played a local tournament in my hometown. Against a 1903 player I played my best game but with out seeing a mate in one I lost it
Is there any point in analyzing speed chess games?
All I seem to ‘learn’ is tactics, most of which I'd probably have seen at normal time controls. Am I wasting my time analyzing speed chess games?
Replies
Hey Mark!
You might find this helpful:
https://chessmood.com/blog/analyze-blitz-chess-games
Happy Chessing!
Sarah
Opening principles
In the course opening principles a knight sac on move 3 does it work if my opponent defends with the other pawn instead of the bishops pawn.
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😀
Hello Ryan,
to my knowledge you are talking about the knight sacrifice after 2..f6.
If your question is if the same sacrific works after 2…d6, then no. This idea only works because of the weakened e8-h5 diagonal and the explained tactical follow ups. Be sure to check out the Philidor Defence section in the WhiteMood repertoire! 😀
Why don't you simply post the concrete moves? Or at least the link. You leave us guessing what you mean.
If you want help from others, just put a little efford in.
advanced French & Dutch
Advanced French & Dutch when will be released? :)
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I'm interested in this as well, I love the French and the Dutch attack and I would love more in depth explanations!
Following the Chessmood lines I'm not sure when to switch from 1. ...e6 to 1. … c5 (after 1. e4). I like french attack and the sicilian repertoire for black seems a little bit tricky and time consuming to study…Thus I would also like to see advanced french and dutch :-)
I have the same question for a while, would be very interested to know a rough timeline when we can expect the first sections of these advanced courses. I am doubting if I wait for these advanced courses, and start learning another course first or to start learning the Sicilian and Benko courses right now. I am currently rated around 2000.
Possible mistake in 7. Nc6 f4 section of accelerated dragon
in the second last video of the section about 12. Bc4 Avetik suggests 12.Ng4 and the line goes on with 13. Bg1, but 13. Bc5! actually gives an advantage for white. and by the way he says not to play Nf5 (the best engine move) as it allows g4. so what should i play there?
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Daily Lesson with a GM Questions
This is a post for anyone wanting to discuss ideas and questions about the daily lessons with GM Avetik.
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#8: I suppose this is something we need to be careful of in the Dutch attack since we often trade off our K-side bishop (for knight) as early as possible. Do we always try to castle long once traded because of this so we can push P on K-side?
#8 test:
I really wanted to make it work with 1...Nxe4 2.Nxe4 Qxc2 with lots of ideas to either hold the pin, add an attacker with ...exf4 or start both central pawns pushing together. Honestly I have trouble knowing if this is a worthy sacrifice idea or not. But after all maybe White has 2.Rxe4 with no problems? What stopped me from 1...d5 was 2.-- ..dxe4 3.Qe3 but I suppose it isn't easy for White in this position even though the diagonal is temporarily closed. He can't win the pawn back without reopening it and letting it be there is bad for him too.
Great Idea !!!
Pirc Defense
what do i play as white after 1E4,C6
2D4,G6
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Hi there,
I'm still a novice so take what I say with a pinch of salt!
- * Isn't this a variation of the Caro-Kann defence rather than the Pirc? https://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=5&n=195&ms=e4.c6.d4.g6&ns=3.31.21.195
- * You have 2 pawns in the centre (which is good!), you should now start to develop your pieces. Nc3 is a possibility (and is played in the Jobava London) but note that it blocks the movement of the c-pawn, so you may prefer Nd2.
What should the plan be in this position (Caro-Kann Exchange Variation)?
Hello everyone! I hope that this message finds you in good spirits :)
Actually, I recently played a game using ChessMood repertoire (I've recently picked it up so I am still learning it, but it's really fun & effective to use!) and I got a position from the Caro Kann Exchange variation, which arose after
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qb6 8. Qxb6 axb6 9. h3 Bh5 10. Na3
Of course, this all theory, but here, my opponent played 10…e6. I was a bit confused on how to proceed because during the game, I thought that we should not exchange pieces (especially the bishops and the b5 knight) or give our opponent any kind of play in general, but it started to feel like there were weaknesses in my position (I pushed a4 & b3 at some point) and my opponent started to get some play slowly (it ended in a draw, but I struggled a lot during the game).
It would be really helpful if you could explain this to me. Thank you so much in advance!
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Yes, but I thought that after black plays …Bg6 & exchanges our light squared bishop, the knight on b5 seems a bit loose, right?
I hope this message finds you in good spirits :)
Actually, I recently played a game using ChessMood repertoire (I've recently picked it up, so I am still learning it, but it's really fun & effective to use!) and I got a position from the Caro Kann Exchange variation, which arose after:
e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qb6
While diving into these strategic moves, I was also reminded of how thrilling it is to make quick decisions, whether in chess or while zooming through levels in https://drift-boss.pro . If you're in the mood for something fast-paced and challenging, give Drift Boss a try – the thrill of the game might just remind you of outsmarting your opponent in those key chess moments!
Just a4. Anyways it is completely fine, I think you are seeing ghosts.
Best Way to Study Opening Courses ?
Hi everyone!
I'm currently working through one of the opening courses (800-2000), and I’m not sure what the most effective study method is. I’d really appreciate your thoughts!
Specifically:
Should I write down all the moves and lines, including how to punish inaccurate responses from the opponent?
Or is it better to focus mainly on understanding the key ideas, typical plans, and patterns?
My goal is to build a strong, long-lasting understanding — not just memorize lines I’ll forget later.
Thanks in advance
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Dear Neev,
Your thoughts are very much right!
No need just only to memorize the lines; it's super important to understand the ideas at first.
I would recommend you to watch the videos, understand the ideas, and at the end, create your PGN files based on the homework PGNs we provide at the end.
Also, I highly recommend checking the WhiteMood and BlackMood model game courses ( you will find them below the theoretical ones)
to enhance your experience and middlegame understanding.
Good luck!
antisicilian part 2
whats the best response after d4…e6…..
1.e4c5 2.nc3 nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 NxB 5. NxN a6 6. Nc3 b5
7. d4 e6 ?????
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Dear Druva,
I checked the position, and I like 2 options 8. Bf4 and 8. d5 - I would personally choose d5 to take the space advantage in the center.
In both scenarios, White will try to complete the development and bring the pieces for the fight to the center. Of course, it also depends on how Black will continue.
New Year Streaming Goal
Happy New Year, all.
One of my goals for this year is to stream some of my online playing and OTB analysis sessions. The idea behind this is to have public accountability.
Before posting any links, I wanted to check with the admin/moderators to see if there are any rules against advertising yourself. Or is there a dedicated place to post things like this? Please remove this post if I am in breach of any rules.
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Happy New Year, dear Michael.
It's fine to do so!
A little advice: If you want to post links, you can create a post on the forum, name it as you wish, and post the links and upgrade, and anything in that forum post.
(instead of adding a forum post every time something happens. )
