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Chess forum by Grandmasters

Tricky Accelerated Dragon line

One that probably should be added as a small video because it is difficult to play against over the board, and/or a candidate for a reboot course: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. c3?! Bg7 7. Bc4!? Nf6 looks a problem here, but it's the best move. Now 7... Nf6 8. e5 Nd5 9. Bxd5 cxd5 10. Qxd5 Ba6! is an advantage to Black, but it's not easy to see over the board. After the 'natural' 7... d6 8. o-o Nf6 9. e5 dxe5 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Rd1 Kc7 the engine says we're good, but with the dsb still on the board, I imagine it's easy to go wrong here. 9. Qf3 O-O 10. e5 Ng4 11. exd6 Ne5 is complications but Black is better. 9. Qb3 O-O 10. e5 Ng4 11. exd6 Qxd6 is messy looking but Black is better I tried 8... Qb6 to avoid these unclear lines to secure c6 from Qf3 ideas, but after 9. Qb3 (don't want to take it as it opens the rook on the a7 pawn) e6 (ugly) 10. Be3 (Qa3 or Rd1 is better) Qb7? (Qc7 is better) if 11. Qa3 White is much better with Rd1 and pressure on d6. Luckily White played 11. Nd2?! and went passive so I went on to win, but it could have been quite nasty for me. White was a 1600 player, so Black needs to know how to defend this. c3 lines (not a great move, but not covered) and the better 7. O-O d6 (now d6 is the right move) are hard work to play against over the board (at least to the point Black is castled and safe), and no doubt a choice of the trappy opponent looking to avoid theory.

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As for the video suggestion, perhaps instead of lines as the 7th move is fairly open, perhaps a section on when White threatens to make our smooth development difficult which would cover e5 threats in various lines, when to play Nf6 and when to play d6 first, or maybe times not to play either.

👍Thanks David, took note of it! 😀

What to do for OTB

I have an OTB tourney that is significant for me in a few days. Any tips on what to remember, do before or during the tourney/games, etc. Anything? Thanks in advance! (BTW I appreciate quick answers as it is pretty soon, but all answers at all times are appreciated!)

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Find a nice routine and stick to it.

You can solve a few easy tactics puzzles before the game. So your brain gets into chess. Then sit down on your board 10 minutes early, calm down, concentrate. I wish you good luck. Oh, and watch "Blunder Proof" if you have the opportunity. There is so much advise. Can't be more precise since I am only beginning with this course but it is gold for sure.

You will find below several articles specifically on tournament preparation: Check them out:

https://chessmood.com/blog/category/tournament-preparation

New article: Legal cheating and my top secret

Hey friends! 

I was afraid to talk about this. 
I’m still afraid. 
But I drank lion’s milk today. 

Many will not understand. 

Many will laugh. 
Hopefully, not you. 

This is my biggest secret of productivity, high focus and achievements.
I use this when I’m low. When I need creativity. When I need to win. 
When I need to perform my A-game.  

Whenever I’m stuck, I do this. 
I cheat.   

I cheat at GYM, at chess, I rob airlines. And I do it E.V.E.R.Y D.A.Y. 

LEGALLY! 

Call the police or click the link below: 
chessmood.com/blog/legal-cheating 

For your growth and fun life, 
Always honest with you, 
Avetik “cheater” Grigoryan 

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The art of visualizing an outcome or situation is excellent sports psychology. Back when I was running competitively at university, our coach would have us close our eyes and "run" the course in our brains before the race. We knew the turns, hills, straightaways, and more inside and out so that when we were "visualizing," we would dream/see ourselves performing with the best possible outcomes. The art of "visualizing" is way more than "fake it till you make it"... it is a tried and true method of preparing our mindsets for positive outcomes with confidence and focus.

Great read. I hear your voice alot when contemplating moves. I find the timing of this article ironic, just this morning I was thinking of your motto of constant growth and my own thoughts invaded with "If youre not improving youre regressing " I think this is true of alot of things, especially chess. Anyway I starting thinking of approaching and overcoming plateaus while working to improve and a Naval quote came mind. Something along the lines of success or improvement being related to scaling a mountain and getting 2/3 of the way up only to find youre on a dead end path and you must go back down and find a new path to the top. I thought Avetik would enjoy Navals thoughts, no surprise you talk to him regularly! Anyway thanks for the article and all you and your teams hardwork. Keep it up!

What a wonderful, creative use of imagination! This is very inspiring and I'll play with this in my own thinking. Thanks so much for writing this beautiful article, Coach Avetik!

Great article! It was rather an unexpected reading for me because, believe me or not, I do the same in chess, but with your voice. It doesn't matter whether I play on Lichess or OTB, I start commenting and thinking in English (even though it's my 3rd language) with your accent intonation and phrases. It's funny and helpful at the same time! I showed Chessmood to some of my friends, and now when I play against them and they make a mistake, I immediately start mocking them by saying "and this was a BLUNDER. Black's position is COLLAPSING now!" Also when they a bad piece (e. g. a knight in the corner of the board), I say (in English and with your intonation) "look at this knight! It is very UNHAPPY!" Or when I get a really strong bishop, I say "now the bishop on g7 is a MONSTER!" All of that irritates them so much and helps me to win 😀 (sorry, I'm a bad friend) And I also speak with Gabuzyan's voice in my head (in my 3rd language, once again) when I calculate complex lines, and it helps me as well! Or sometimes when I get tired of translating the thoughts in my head to English, I imagine I'm my favourite chess caster GM Sergey Shipov and just start calculating and estimating the position like he does I don't know how it works, I thought there's something wrong with me and I should visit a doctor, but now after reading this, I'm calm already 😀 Thank you for the article once again!

This is extremely powerful! You're literally giving away life secrets 😀

Respected GM It is true!. Once I read the book called" Art of Chess by Madison"', and felt as if he was teaching me the opening lines and won a territory Championship in 2008. Kudos R Raman

Hello GM Avetik . I found very interesting this article ( like all the others ) . I was doing an inferior version of it , a little bit unconsciously but now I will try it more seriously to see if I can use it to perform better . I did call the French bishop a monster after the c4 dxc4 variation recently in a post analysis online .. I will try with you and GM Gabuzyan as a start ! I have otb tournaments coming up and I m not fully prepared as learning new material take some time to digest but with my 2 new GM friends in my head , I can only do well ! 🤫

Awesome. Thanks for sharing Avetik, appreciate it!

What are the best openings?

Everyone of us asked this question or got it from someone, right?
​This article will put end to your confusion about this topic and will give you a good understanding which openings to choose. 
https://chessmood.com/blog/what-are-the-best-openings-in-chess ​

If you have any questions, regarding to openings you play, feel free to ask in the comments section of this post. 

For your success,
GM Avetik 

 

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Very good article on a very important chess topic! Thanks coach!

I am a 13-1400 5 minute blitz player (my preferred time control, but I do usually play x1 long play tournament a year to mix it up a little.. :-) LOL!).

On Twitch chess some time ago GM Hikaru Nakamura was asked how to get to 1800 (time control unspecified) and he replied study openings & tactics. So, this is what I need to do to improve, but it is not always that easy, as the main question still exists and that is what openings should I learn and play? Practising tactics is relatively easy to do, as there are good resources online & offline to practice tactical puzzles, so what about those damn openings!?

My first ever chess coach  played the French defence and so I learnt the French defence, which is all good. He hated the Sicilian defence, despite being a very good experienced coach & player and he spent lots of his time looking at non main line ways to play against the Sicilian and never played the Sicilian as black.  So, he never coached me (or anyone) in Sicilian, aside to recommend the Alapin Sicilian for White as an anti Sicilian opening. This was a shame, because only now many years later have I taken the plunge to learn the Sicilian (with both colours, as I feel it is important to know & play your openings with both colours to fully understand them).

For whatever reason, I stopped taking coaching with him and started online coaching with a very good woman chess player (played for Canada in Olympiads) who showed me her main White & Black openings (1.b3 & Sicilian Accelerated Dragon) which I have started to learn and my point is if you ask a coach or look for help online or in a bookstore you will be overwhelmed with the number of openings recommended you learn & play!

This holds true with the wonderful Chess Mood opening repertoires where many openings are different to what I would normally play eg with 1.e4 c6 CaroKann I usually play the Short variation but Chess Mood (as we know) recommends CaroKann Exchange Schleter variation (3.Bd3) and that is only one example. So now I have been trying to learn & play all these new (to me) Chess Mood openings! Phew, very tough!

Right, (if you are still following..I continue :-) ...), my experience with this, leads me to my conclusion that someone of my rating should stick with (learn & play) the following classical openings eg 1.e4/1.d4/1.c4/1.f4/1.Nf3 with both colours and a main line variation of each. I feel that when myself and others of my rating level, have learnt the ideas, plans and chess principles of one mainline variation with both colours this alone will help anyone get to 1800 level (& with tactics practice).

I am actually still struggling to learn the starter course for white here at Chess Mood, let alone any of the more detailed openings. I do know that if I learn that course well, my rating will get to 1800 level. I have followed GM Avetik webinars 800-2400 and have seen that many players up to 1900 have opening weaknesses to be exploited and I am confident I can do that, but my mid & end game play needs to be better to win games to the 1800 level!

To finish this long ramble, I will just add, enjoy your opening study & play and good luck with all your chess improving. I hope this helps any others at my low level of play, as we are just as important to help, as you higher rated players! Best wishes..right mood right move  :-)

Hi guys, as you know, I am a 1750-1850 rated in online chess and have found this article very interesting. Personally, I was wondering which openings fit better against 1.d4 for my hyper aggresive style.

When it comes to the Benko Gambit, I love playing it since my opponents are not properly prepared against this opening. But I also like the king's indian defence, which has a lot of variations (it is easy for me to memorize difficult lines), and same ideas with the benko gambit can be used. In addition, I took up playing the Benko variation of the king's indian 1.d4 Nf6  2. c4 g6  3. Nc3 Bg7  4. e4 d6  5. Be2 c5  6. Nf3 b5? Etc. I don't like the closed variations since my style isn't positional.

Lately I have also started learning the nimzo indian, which is used by many GMs. 

How do you find my options? Looking forward to reading your answers.

I am a 2100-2200 player and I want to get more tactical positions with black against English, Catalan, Reti style opening players. What openings or systems should I learn and use?

hello sir super article.I am a 1500 player and play positional chess.what are the best oppenings for white and black for me

The second question was about me :) ''I am a 2200 player, I like aggressive chess, what openings should I learn?''

I dont know whether I should play the french or 1.e5

Can you give me any advice, cause I looked at both positions and cant decide

Hi GM Avetik, Thank you for the article and for giving us a chance to ask our questions.

I have no problem with my Black repertoire.  I can play 2 systems, I like them, and I trust them:

1-Slav/Semi-Slav/CaroKann

2-NID/QID/Accelerated Dragon/Taimanov


I have a problem with my White repertoire:

I am going to play 1-c4 followed by g3 Fg2 :


1c4 e4 2g3 Reversed Accelerated Dragon

Catalan 

Duch g3

KID g3

Grunfeld g3

Maroczy Bind VS all Benoni/Benko systems!!


MY QUESTION:

What to do against the Slav? Going for the main lines Slav/Semi-Slav?

OR Panov Attack ( 1c4 c6 2e4 etc.),

OR  delaying d4 and playing Reti with e3 , Cf3 ?

OR ...

What is the best answer to 1. - c6? if I start with 1c4

--------------------------

My second question:

If I play 1d4 followed by 2c4, can I prevent all Benoni/Benko family and force black to enter the Maroczy Bind via Cf3 and not adcancing d4 to d5? I prefer playing Maroczy as White instead of playing against all Benoni/Benko family.

--------------------------

Your answer would be a great help

Thank You

Hello Sir,

I am a 1600 player. My main repertoire against 1.d4 is the Grunfeld, but against weaker players I have to play for a win always, so in Grunfeld there are forced draws? So what opening should be good against it, which is little offbeat ( I think its good to use slightly offbeat systems against the weaker opponents) that can be used against them? Another question I would like to ask is that what is the sharpest variation against the Chelyabinsk Sicilian, I think its the Bxb5 sacrifice line but still I am not sure.

I'm a 1702 FIDE rated player. I'm 11 years old and my plan is to become a professional chess player.I spend about 5-6 hours everyday studying chess.My style is very aggressive, love to sac material.I dare playing very risky opening(Scandi Marshall, King's Indian, Budapest Gambit, Scotch Gambit,and stuffs like that...) I can accept allowing my opponent to equalize ONLY if he found an exact sequence.To sum up, I want to avoid mainstream theory, choosing alternative(but complicated and tricky) variation, to force my opponent to think early. What are your recommendation for me, Coach Avetik?

Hello Sir, I am a 1700 rated (lichess) rapid player. I am 35 years old and I have only 1-1.5 hour per day for chess. I am aiming to reach 2000-2100 rapid rating on liches. I have some problems when it comes to play with Black pieces. I prefer to play in positional style. As White I play a London System. But I have no idea which opening I should pick up for studying as Black against both 1.e4 and 1.d4. Could you give me an advice please? Also let me ask here a bit another question. I have an opponent, friend of mine. We play chess a lot against each other. Openings and middlegame stage we play mostly even, on the same level with the same level of understanding how to play these two stages. But I am a bit better in endgames. Could you please advice, which opening and which defense (especially defense) should I pick up against the opponent who is worse in endgames and why? Which defenses could lead to an advantage for Black in the endgame stage? And which overall strategy should I use playing such a games? I was thinking to play this way: pick up and learn some solid opening and some solid defense, then try to make massive piece trades in middlegame in order to transit to endgame as soon as possible and then to outplay the opponent in endgame stage. Is it a good idea or there is a better overall strategy for playing against equal 'opening/middlegame-' but weaker 'endgame-player'? Would be appreciated a LOT for any advices. Your answer would be a great help. Thank You.

Hello Sir, In Your courses, you didn't go into Catalan. I'm an aggressive player, 2600(lichess), 2000(FIDE), what should I play against it?

Hey there! I am a 2,1k rapid player on lichess, and my classical FIDE rating is around 1660, but overrated (I made it in around 2013). I feel that my debut repertoire has heavily stayed behind, while all the chess world has moved forward - back then I was playing stuff like "e4 e5 f4 exf4 Nf3" and winging it. Nowadays, these "trick" openings don't really work, so I am looking to build a proper building repertoire. My lifetime plan is to get the lowest official FIDE title (NM I think) and my preference is for openings that are fairly tactical, but do not require memorizing numerous lines (metaphorically speaking, inbetween London and the Open Sicilian). Hope this is enough information. Thanks so much!

Hello! I am a 1800 chess.com (1860 fide rapid, but only based off one tournament... :/) and I want to play some najdorf/grunfeld type aggressive positions. Would the catalan be a good choice? I don't mind theory at all. Would it be worth to play other openings that aren't so theory heavy?

Hello! I am around 2150 FIDE but have already achieved FM (2700 chess.com biltz). I am pretty good at tactics but I have trouble with opposite-side castling attacks. I have only played solid/positional openings (1. d4 and caro-kann), but maybe I should switch. Which openings do you suggest I take on to progress to the next level? (I can spend 3h+ everyday on chess and I aim to achieve IM in the next 2-3 years).

(e4)For white I like to play the vienna if e5, if c5 I like a3!!!!!🤯(This move is actually pretty good),we all know what to play for d5 For black if e4 then c6, d5 then Nf6(even though I'm bad at it), and if c4 then e5.

The recording of today's stream

I'm wondering why the recording of today's stream (April 8 - Racing from 1502 to 2000, part 4) only includes the first 17:50?

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Hi Randy, yesterday the youtube stream failed it seems. Sorry!!! But we have the raw video, and today we will edit and upload it. Sorry for the inconvenience!

1500 to 2000 Part 4...

I wanted to replay the sus mentioned stream I followed yesterday and unfortunately the video stops in the middle of the 2nd game after 17mn50s ?! It's unusual. Can we get all the stream please which BTW was very interesting ? Thanks😀

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Fixed already. Please check the following thread for more info:

https://chessmood.com/forum/pro-channel/the-recording-of-todays-stream

👍

Problem plz fix

I bought three courses with moodcoins by the prize i got from the best game i published but none of the course is working. plz help.

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I bought the alapin, rossolimo and sicilian sidelines course

Hi Lebuta, please use the  
https://chessmood.com/contact

page for this kind of personal questions regarding your account, payments and such, instead of the open forum.

If you prefer, you can also send an email to [email protected]

and explain your case. (Just copying and expanding a bit on the the above text will be enough.) 
Thanks! 😀

Attacking plan where the king does not reside / queenside

What are the usual ideas and goals for attacking the queenside? I have several ideas and do that often with success, but I wonder if there are some ideas that I may have missed, since I find no good sources about this topic.

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I can list several of my ideas. Maybe the community can help to add further ideas. 1) Advantageous endgame. Since we are attacking the side far from the opponent's king, if we reach an endgame, we may be able to create a passed pawn far from the opponent's king. 2) Undermining the opponent's pieces. By reducing the number of potential attackers to our king, the opponent cannot successfully attack our king. If the opponent cannot attack, they lose initiative and we can then attack. 3) Inserting rooks on the 7th rank. Basically, the long way to attack the opponent's king. 4) Space advantage. As the opponent is likelier to have more pieces on the kingside, we can expand on the queenside without much trouble. Space advantage creates difficulty for the opponent to activate their pieces. 5) A path for the knight to reach the 6th rank. Often the queenside is not heavily guarded compared to the kingside. Jumping around from the queenside to the 6th rank, while avoiding the center is a plausible plan. 6) A natural way to utilize fianchettoed bishop on the kingside. The bishop is aiming at everything on the long diagonal up to the queenside rook. On the other hand, the defense in front of our own's king is quite thick for a frontal attack, due to 3 pawns plus one tall pawn. We can attack slowly on the queenside without weakening our own king's safety. Feel free to add more ideas.

Well, interesting question. I'm not an expert but I have a few thoughts besides what you already said: 1. I think you want to break in and win a pawn-preferrably one that let's you create a passed pawn. 2. If you restrict their movement enough on the queenside, and tie all their pieces down in the queenside, then you can create threats on the kingside. Since all of their pieces are on the queenside and cannot move, they will have to move their pawns. This, however, can be attacked even more easily, and you quickly shift the attack to the kingside. Just my thoughts!

New article: The Risks of Playing Chess When You Don't Want to

Is it a familiar situation?

- You LOVED chess and then HATED it on the same day?  
- Once a month, you lose 100 rating points in a few days? 
- You enter into a negative loop and play horrible chess? 

If you said “No”, congratulations! You’re better than 99,999%. 

And if you said “Yes”, today’s article will help you to get there. 

You’ll also learn some funny stuff like:

✅ How they recruited a Chess Grandmaster into NBA 
✅ What you should do instead of breaking your phone at angry moments, etc.

The article is just out from the bakery and is published on our Blog 👇
https://chessmood.com/blog/risks-of-playing-chess-when-you-dont-want

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Hi GM Avetik . It s so humble of you to share those not so glorious moments ! Everybody here has the chance to learn from you and with you ! I did those mistakes too, especially in short time control , bullet being the worse ( I stopped bullet after joining here ) . Thank you for your honesty , humanity and wisdom . Always a pleasure to read whatever you write on !

Maybe can try playing in 2 different profile which you don't care as much for losing rating :D Good luck.

Feedback on "Attack Like a Viking" course

Today I finished the "Attack Like a Viking" course. I enjoyed this course and learned quite a bit from it. While watching the course, I noticed a few details that could be improved upon in future courses: 1. Ending videos with "Now let's move on to the next video" feels redundant. (The next video even plays automatically.) The same could be said for starting videos with the words "In this video". 2. Except in headings, piece names aren't capitalized. For example, it's "the king", not "the King". 3. "Viking" is pronounced "why king", not "we king". 4. Vikings didn't wear horned helmets. (OK, this one is forgivable.) Now on to "Defend with Honor", which I didn't finish the first time around...

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Viking in English is pronounced as in v-eye king, rhyming with biking and hiking. V is never pronounced as a w. Old Norse is more complicated, but you normally would go with how the word is said in the language you're speaking unless you're trying to emphasise a point. I'm happy for the 3rd language speaking of English to be understandable and clear, which many speakers including those who are native sometimes fail at. Chessmood (its GMs) easily passes that test.

Turns out that "Defend with Honor" handles transitions (#1) excellently.

The initial introduction video got me cracked up! Just hilarious! Great course indeed!

Funny 😎 now please tell me what you learned from the course and will you remember to apply it in a real game? 🤣

Tactics Ninja - Discovered Check ...

8. Tactics with Discovered Check (2:13) 1. Bxg7+ Bxg7 2. Qxg7+ Kxg7 3. Nf6+ Now, what to do after 3. ... Qg3 ? 4. Rxg3 leaves us material up, but without a mate? thx.

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The mating variations are just the justification of winning another pawn with 1.Bxg7 and additionally trading several more pieces with White. Not too many pieces left after 3...Qg3 and especially the queens are off the board. And with them all black's hopes of fishing in the murky.

French - Problems with "recommended" version (3rd)

Hi, Ive been trying to play the french attack with the version that avetik recommends but I really think its clunky and I feel like White can easily ruin the plans by just pushing c4 or Nc3. Example game here: https://www.chess.com/game/live/73320469867 Sure I probably shouldnt have played Bb5 after my opponent had played b3 but then I had already advanced my light squared bishop and blocked my pawn on d5, plus wasted a move on pushing a6. Already after 5. b3 my plans are ruined in this game in particular.. It seems that white never agrees to trade bishops in this line and can too easily counterplay by playing c4, at least on my level thats what tends to happen

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Hi Niklas, 
For what we saw in your game, we would recommend you to watch again the videos and the Model games on these variations, because you are not playing with the right move orders and neither are you applying the concepts explained in them.

We play a6 in order to go Bb5 and exchange our bad bishop for the good one of White's, if they do not take, we take but in your game for example you went c5 instead of following the plan explained.

Then by watching the model games you will get a feeling for the positions. Still you need to be carefull of tactical tricks and possibilites since this is what will make the bigger difference in your improvement. Did you work with the Tactics Ninja and Matador already?😀

Scotch 4... Nf6 (9.Nd2 recommendation)

After the line: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. h4 Qe6 9. Nd2 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Qe4 Bxf1 12. Kxf1. Here Avetik says it's interesting and white seems to have better play. However, I am not quite sure I agree. After 12... Be7 13. b3 (our next move according to the course) 13... f5!? 14. Qe2. Can Black force a perpetual with 14... Nf4 15. Qe3 Nd5 16. Qe2 Nf4?

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Hello,

Let me mention that after Nf4 white could go back to Qe1 in order not to repeat. I find those positions quite interesting and playable for both sides, which makes them a nice practical choice.

As an alternative instead of b3 it's also possible to play 13. Nf3 or 13.h5 or 13.c4. Again, all variations are possible and lead to interesting practical situations.

Good luck!

This line is also now the suggestion in a recently published course on chessable, on the black side of the Scotch, so we can expect to see this line more often.

Moving to Discord

Hey, champions! 

I have good news. 
The last few weeks, we were preparing our Discord channel so our community can hang out there together. 
And it’s ready! 

We’ll keep our existing closed community on messenger chat, but on Discord, there will be more fun. 
We’ve created different channels with different topics. So everything will be more organized. 
 

Here is the link to join:

https://discord.gg/SSDdAnAZ 

(Please, don’t share it with anyone)
 

There are some open channels, but most are for only PRO Members. 

Please join us in the next 48 hours, so you’ll get the “PRO” tag automatically. After 48 hours you’ll need to go through verifications.  
 

There are also channels where you can ask for help. With our team, we’ll do our best so you have a safe landing and meet our ChessMood Family members on Discord. 
 

See you there! 

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I think everyone who joined the Discord has expressed their happiness about it in the Discord itself. In any case, I wanted to say it's super cool just in case there were some Pro members who didn't join yet. Thanks ChessMood!!

Tried to join in (though missed the 48 hour deadline), yet it isn't going through the verification process. Keeps saying "invalid phone number"

Dear Avetik, i m not used to it: what's the goal ? (hoping the question is not a bad one)

I had problems at first when I was using the link on iPad but I had forgotten that I deleted the app a while ago . After reinstalling it , the link finally worked .

Sorry coach - not been following the forum too much, and missed this. How do I get access to the chessmood channel on discord?

London Jabava with f3

What you suggest to play in London Jabava if in aggressive h4 line( h4 h5 ) white plays 6.f3. I played 6...Bf5 even though I understood that e4 would come anyway at some point (Nh3 - Nf2 or d3-Nd2-Ng3 ). During the game I thought I have misplayed something. I was afraid to play C5 because of Nb5 Na6. We never played C5 when black square bishop was alive.

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Please post all moves, otherwise it is very difficult to understand the position. Thanks,😀

Dutch Attack Ne2

I just started to use the Dutch attack and I've ran into this twice set up a couple times now. White is going Ne2 before they castle. I couldn't find this in our courses and I wanted to see the best way to play against this set up. thanks

Replies

Hi Kevin, not much can change in this position. I would go d6, Qe7 and Nbd7 and since we do not know where should our Bf8 go, we can wait a bit longer to see where to put it. Usual h6, g5 is in our plan with KS attack, maybe long castle and our Bf8, can go to g7 in some variations or if the center opens to d6. 😀

Hi Kevin,

So the ideas here change a little in the sense that we can't trade our dark squares, Bishop. In the course, Avetik provides ideas for this type of scenario by playing with d6-Nbd7-Qe7 and possible 0-0-0 options. That as well depends on white's reply. Maybe sometimes black can attack with h6-g5 or Rg8-g5 ideas Keeping King on e8 and long casting whenever required.

Titling

Hello PRO Members! I am titling on chess.com, went from my peak rating of 2632 to 2585 in less than 24 hours... I know that I should stop playing chess, but how much time do you advise for me to stop? I am missing simple tactics, losing a game up a queen, throwing away winning positions. What do you guys want me to do? Thanks in advance, Ashwin

Replies

Hi Ashwin,

This happens to the best of us, don't worry about it. Instead fix it! 😀

I think that you should take a short break and restart when you feel like you want to play again.

Below are Avetik words on this topic and also a very good article by Noel Studer. I hope that their words will help you. 

Happy recovery!!!! 

https://chessmood.com/blog/stop-playing-chess-when-your-body-does-not-want-to

https://chessmood.com/blog/risks-of-playing-chess-when-you-dont-want

https://chessmood.com/blog/dont-break-your-chess-back

https://nextlevelchess.blog/no-more-tilt/

https://chessmood.com/blog/golden-method-to-increase-rating-in-chess

https://chessmood.com/blog/lasting-love-for-chess

https://chessmood.com/blog/a-secret-weapon-for-handling-tough-positions-and-bad-moods

Also below you will find some more inspiration> https://chessmood.com/blog/category/psychology-and-mental-toughness

By the way, don't tell me I already read these articles in the past, because if you did obviously you are not applying the concepts and teachings that are explained… 😜Lots of chess wisdom in the articles!

how and when to submit games ?

how to submit and when to submit games for interactive lesson ?

Replies

Hi Punit, what do you mean “for interactive lesson”? 

We cannot offer game analysis of every member of Chessmood, could you please clarify your question?

Do you mean how to send your game to be considered for one of the best games of the month?😅

Thanks for clarifying! 😀

The first thread in the forum is about the best game of each month.
For example this month>

https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/the-best-games-of-april-2023-and-the-prizes
Here you should post your best games and if selected by our GM team it will appear in the monthly stream about the best games of the month. Easy… We are looking forward to see your games too Punit! 👍
That said, sending the games does not mean that will be commented, there are many games submitted every month and we only choose a few of them. 😅

Maroczy vs Modern Maroczy

Hello, I am looking through the courses and I'm not sure whether to go through the Maroczy or Modern Maroczy. Which one is more challenging for white and better for the serious tournament player? Thank you, Aryan

Replies

It was once mentioned by the chessmood-team, that it would make sense to start out with the Maroczy. Then after a while, when you have a good understanding of these positions, it will make sense to switch over to the Modern Maroczy, which is more difficult to play as Black, but also more challenging for White, and therefore recommended for the more serious tournament player.

Yes, Didi did a great explanation answering this question. Even if you focus on the Modern it is always good to understand the motives in the games and why we prefer the Modern Maroczy.

Course for improving calculation

Hello ChessMood friends ! in TN section 23 - Destroying, vid 14 "improving calculation", Avetik mentions a separate course about calculation with calculation technique and vizualisation improvement. Could you pls kindly advise if this is already available and where i could find it ? Thks a lot !!

Replies

No, this course it is not yet available but it is a project for the near future.😀

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