Chess forum by Grandmasters

French attack vs Schlecter after 4.c3 e5!

Hi ChessMood Family

I have a question on plans after 1. e4 e6  2. d4 d5  3. Bd3 (Schlechter) Nc6  4. c3 e5.

If White develops the knight (5.Nf3 or 5.Ne2, I believe it does not matter for the question), and we then play …exd5, let’s say White declines to gambit and enters the IQP structure with 6.cxd5. 
 

Is the following a consistent plan for Blackmood?  6…dxe4  7. Bxe4. Then get our bishop to b4 with check, to accelerate development and allow Nge7 protecting the other knight, castle and off we go against IQP?

Or is there anything else to consider at U2000 level? And does White’s knight position make any difference to this idea?,  as I am seeing both Nf3 and Ne2 in my games. 
 

Thank you very much in advance for your expert input!

Ben

Replies

Hi Ben,

The difference in the Knight's development to e2 or f3 is not super affecting the position, I would just mention that if the Knight is on f3 sometimes The g3 pin is reasonable. U2000 level you will hardly ever get deep theoretical complications, and the goal here is to develop - locate pieces well in the center, Blockade or attack the IQP.

Good luck :-) 

Puzzles Standardization

Hello,

Why are the puzzles not standardized? For example, the Skewer section of Tactic Ninja. On some puzzles you check the king then the king moves away and you capture the piece behind it (3 ply). On other puzzles you give a check and the puzzle ends (1 ply).

This is not only for tactic ninja, but across the board for all courses I've done so far. It would be nice if the ChessMood team could work on puzzle standardization and let it play out until the end (3 or 4 ply) instead of finishing it with just 1 ply. Or the other way around.

Replies

Would you sacrifice your queen in this position?

Hi all,

It's white's move in the game below.  White is well ahead in material having a queen vs black's rook, and having extra pawns.  Note that white's king is currently trapped by black's h3 bishop, making a rook back-rank mate a distinct target for black.

Do you:

a) Take the rook (black will take the queen) and look to promote a pawn, or

b) Keep the queen and look to win with what you have, or

c) Keep the queen and look to promote, or

d) Something else

Thanks :)

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/daily/731104831?tab=review&move=55

Replies

I would have done exactly what you did, which is defend the bishop with the queen and keep pieces on the board. You probably could have been slightly more precise by playing Qa5-b4-xd4 instead of Qd3, to be ahead as many pawns as possible, but that's being picky.

Even though opposite colored bishop endgames tend to be drawish, I am confident that there would be enough pawns that I could win with the queen sac. But I feel planting the bishop and queen and sending the a- and b-pawns is the simplest. 

Good question, and nice game! Have you been playing the Jobava London a lot?

Sacrifice...

Hi everyone i am studying and randomly see this…

https://chessmood.com/course/calculation/episode/6854

This is very cool sacrifice and this destroy my mind(about caculate)

How about you?😊

Replies

Haha i found a song in a course

Look,this is a video in the course:

Calclman - Calculate Like a SuperHero

And if you watch this video:

https://chessmood.com/course/calculation/episode/6853

At 0:48,he said:concept

Yo it is a concept

Ono,Two,Three,Yeah, she's in love with the concept
As if we're all just how she imagined
'Cause we're in love but just don't know it yet
Well, tell me how I'm supposed to see the magic…

This is a part of XO by Eden

Haha…(idk why i am laughing)…😑

Replies

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: 
https://chessmood.com/blog/legal-cheating

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

Replies

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!

Nice blog

I do this. I let the ‘reptile’ in me take over when playing blitz. I have learned the hard way that if the blue insularis viper in me doesn't want to play…there will be tilt.

Just read this and laughed at Elliott Bisnow. I know Elliott and was previously the Managing Editor of the publication :)

i do imagine you giving me advices Avo when i need to play my A game. i don't have a coach but you are one to me. especially after i watched 365 dailly lessons and 100 classical games with you ( and others gms)

WCC Championship!

The World Chess Championship has been in progress for two weeks. Ding Liren of China just struck back against 18yo D. Gukesh from India to tie the score up 6-6. If they split the last two classical games, they will play a tiebreaker of increasingly faster rapid games.

Any thoughts on the match so far? Is the score what you expected? Who do you predict is the favorite to win the match, at this moment?

Replies

Funny story:

Originally I sided with Gukesh.

However, my heart rooted for Ding, as became apparant in game 1.

Anyways, I predicted (after game 1) a 7.5-6.5 score I'm favor of Ding.

I may still be proven right, but I doubt it.

Game 5 Gukesh-Ding French exchange transpo to CM theory?

https://lichess.org/study/LF4x850G/IAPVNb4a

What do you think guys? 

After 6.c3 we're definitely back into what chessmood recommends, but in OTB/online I had this position many time and 6..c4!? is also played by stronger players, esp before white 0-0, so we dont have Re1+Bf1 idea

In my pgn I have some analysis like 8.Qe2+ like it was played in the game or 8.0-0 + b3 ideas, 

but can someone from chessmood GMs explain how would they play next, what's white's plan, cause I often get very dry and even worse positions as white from here. Thanks

Replies

Anyone?

I also noticed that, I think most people missed your post however (me included.)

I do hope you get a response!

The best games of November, 2024, and the prizes

Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions! 
Welcome to the "Best games of November, 2024" 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 October, 2024:

Thomas Maes
Chips Ahoy
Aron Bekesi
Wendy Woodward
Gáspár Veress

Replies

a good ruy lopez. https://lichess.org/eq9ztRIH/white#0

https://lichess.org/8iyhA7n4/white
 

Insane Comback

https://lichess.org/HMoVQwcs

 Nice Dutch Attack! 

A complicated Sicilian Taimanov game, transposed from Grand Prix.

18. f5 was a strong intuitive break, as it was a blitz game and I wasn't even close to calculate all the possible lines. I didn't play the most precise moves after that, but the position was good enough to win comfortably anyway. The mate at the end is pretty, too.

https://www.chess.com/game/live/124310988931

Slaughter in the Vienna Game

https://lichess.org/bp0VYsKU/white#0

https://www.chess.com/live/game/124384750775
 

KIA

https://www.chess.com/live/game/124385336897

https://lichess.org/LYF6Q0rj

a game where i managed to defeat an IM whos an expert in caro cann.

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/124547335223?tab=review&move=50

I was worse in this game and suddenly out of nowhere I managed to uncork a brilliant combination which made me 13 points down in material but it gave me a mating attack. 

https://lichess.org/UIQtupxP

collateral damage in the french

https://lichess.org/RBL2D2Y6

a clean game against scandinavian

Model game in the Nc6 anti-Sicilian - e6 Bxc6 line with the advanced Qd2 idea (from the e6 course) - opponent lets me punish with a tactic - thanks for the prep.

https://lichess.org/fdxFD7nE/white

Destroying a 2170 opponent, brilliant game https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/124643365599?tab=review&move=19

https://lichess.org/N8Xlbtyp/white#0

nice GPA game with bishop sac

https://www.chess.com/live/game/124711723073
glad I found Bc1!

https://lichess.org/B1BcZY5m/black#0

nice accelerated dragon game

a caro-kan with the g6, Bf5 move where i got the upper hand.

https://lichess.org/Om3Odis8

Missed a few opportunities to win faster, but good attack, still

https://www.chess.com/live/game/124795178453

This is a game in the spirit of Gabuzyan:

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/124840205147?tab=review

The game itself is not a big deal, I just show it for the beautiful checkmate

https://www.chess.com/game/live/124909163559

https://lichess.org/x0Ik1jEQ/white#0

That was a lucky win!

https://lichess.org/sRv4YFRS/black

https://www.chess.com/live/game/125014142893
 

love the en passa gambit my best game in it 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/125092707329

trying to play like tal

Quick checkmate in the scotch, i just finished happy piece and I was glad to apply the rook lift concept to follow the Bishop sac on g6 

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/125118546267?tab=review&move=30

French, opposite side castling

https://www.chess.com/live/game/125138954205

Attack like a viking.

Nice mate!

https://lichess.org/Kyz0i9Wc74UO

A nice short 18-move mate in the opening. 

Play Chess Online for Free with Friends & Family - Chess.com

Elephant Gambit Nf6  😎 ♟️
https://lichess.org/Fy0A9xeF#6

French attack OTB 

https://lichess.org/PnBtCBHo

https://www.chess.com/game/live/124532325563

https://www.chess.com/game/live/124181360615

https://www.chess.com/game/live/125628526925

https://www.chess.com/game/live/126414544407

https://www.chess.com/game/live/126726566401

https://www.chess.com/game/live/124255142503

Also, maybe not a “best” game; I misclicked and played Kf1 instead of 0-0. But I kept the RightMood):

https://www.chess.com/game/live/125645943521

with this gran prix vs a pirc, i really got a clean game, due to a handfree monster on c4.

https://lichess.org/EVL8HzQS

😄

https://chess-results.com/PartieSuche.aspx?art=36&id=5561869

A game played in the Faroese league against a higher rated player with sacrificing the exchange in Dutch.

https://lichess.org/OlbGcCeq/white#45

A nice win in the Sicilian, lots of tactics

Scotch OTB:  https://lichess.org/study/xejALumO/5VuIxHHz

Caro-Kann:  https://lichess.org/WGbuULhdTcaL

Good evening,

I played 2 very nice games, one OTB Scotch game (extremely precise) and 1 Caro-Kann as white.

Please enjoy!

https://lichess.org/study/AfepVYJA/DhOz1tVO

https://lichess.org/study/LXW0GVFA/XtdAV6Xn

Windmills are rare and really demoralizing when they happen to us. This time it was the opponent suffering….

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/125591301799?tab=review

https://lichess.org/l4dTX3YJgCzy

Good evening,

I played very instructive game as black in Queens gambit declined.

Please enjoy!

https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/70YIf4Zu

It feels like it has been a while since I had a clean miniature. Enjoy!

https://lichess.org/TPidAmA5/white#0

Crazy endgame

https://lichess.org/Km5N0Hag/white#0 

Discovery checks are Overpowered

https://lichess.org/dJIRehou/black#0

My opponent sacrificed his queen and almost checkmated me but lost on time

Mate in the Modern:  

https://chessdrop.com/games/b62ad3f9-cdab-436f-b0a8-03349d4e0ff2

French counterattack

https://www.chess.com/live/game/125683133197

https://lichess.org/GFC73INsL9m6

Tactics flow from a superior position🤝

I played a similar position vs the Caro-Kann at our local market last weekend, and my opponent (from our Chess Club), chastised me for chickening out of the g6 sac..  So I started drooling in this game when ..g6 was played :-D

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/125686181321?tab=analysis

No flashy tactics but a good positional effort in the Caro Kann using the ideas from the repertoire

https://www.chess.com/live/game/125742514731

https://lichess.org/NxlemZOL/white#28

Black gets into a lot of trouble in a sicilian 2..Nc6

Dutch

https://www.chess.com/live/game/125834354865

Bishop pair dominating the knight pair in this endgame struggle

https://lichess.org/S0ejHKHU/black#0

This was a crazy Dutch Attack !!

https://lichess.org/W09vdinmRAHa

MacCutcheon gambit surprises White:

https://lichess.org/eysOsiiqQW1u

I checkmated with a pawn :)

https://www.chess.com/game/live/125836157903

😀

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/daily/705495619?tab=review

such a good stafford gambit trap

:)

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/126042567167?tab=review

Nice Benko!

Crazy French with a nice Qg6! To force exchange of queens (refused…)

https://www.chess.com/live/game/126046809575

https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/6sIcKKiC
A funny opening with a cute finish

Some lessons here:

1. When your opponent hangs a knight in response to e5, and you capture that knight, don't get so overjoyed as to blunder your queen on the next move.
2. If you can't follow that advice, as I apparently couldn't, get back in the right mindset after the blunder.
3. SLP doesn't always work, but sometimes it does, and this time, it did.
   
   Not my finest work, I'll admit, but a win nonetheless…
   
   https://lichess.org/TqzIufw8/white#12
    

Aggressive counterattack, not the cleanest though

https://www.chess.com/game/live/126178757529

https://lichess.org/Yr2Gdhy4/black#0

An insane endgame

https://lichess.org/LEz7W3PY/black#0

I sacrificed my knight twice

https://lichess.org/tWiY1smA/black#0

Insane knight sacrifise

https://lichess.org/npchBCJX/white#0

From losing,to drawing,to winning

https://lichess.org/h70RvpOl/white#0

Crazy Game

https://lichess.org/naxtXhlH/black#0

Tactics forever

https://lichess.org/nnDOuKLr/black

Nice example of Modern Maroczy Bind.

https://lichess.org/xqH99ymzEwnW

Good evening,

I played very nice Caro-Kann game as white!

Please enjoy!

https://www.chess.com/game/live/126316202361

https://lichess.org/zGgURVfd/black#0

97% Accuracy !?

https://lichess.org/aUIZGsvl/white

Attack!Attack!Attack!

I was really inspired by Coach Avetik’s interview on Perpetual Chess.  Fun is something that maybe I have been missing out on.

I have been with Chessmood but I do not think that I have fully been a part of the community.  I am very grateful for everyone at Chessmood and I am going to try to have fun in 2025.

I have a lot of learn but am enjoying the process.

A recent blitz game where I can see I have room to improve but have made a lot of progress from where I started.  I am going to learn how to share games as well.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2024.11.26"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Pencil_and_Ink"]
[Black "chip_b88"]
[Result "1-0"]
[CurrentPosition "3q4/r4pk1/p3N1pr/1p3n2/3PpNQ1/2P3P1/PP3P2/5RK1 b - -"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "B13"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Caro-Kann-Defense-Exchange-Rubinstein-Variation-6...g6"]
[UTCDate "2024.11.26"]
[UTCTime "14:32:20"]
[WhiteElo "1494"]
[BlackElo "1541"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[Termination "Pencil_and_Ink won by resignation"]
[StartTime "14:32:20"]
[EndDate "2024.11.26"]
[EndTime "14:37:26"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/126370724807?tab=review&move=46&tab=review&classification=brilliant&autorun=true"]
[WhiteUrl "https://www.chess.com/bundles/web/images/noavatar_l.84a92436.gif"]
[WhiteCountry "2"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/25197534.124b34eb.50x50o.0ed869b53d8f.gif"]
[BlackCountry "17"]
[BlackTitle ""]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Ne2 Bf5 8. O-O
Bxd3 9. Qxd3 a6 10. Nd2 e6 11. Rae1 Bg7 12. Qh3 Ne7 $6 13. Bh6 O-O 14. Bxg7 Kxg7
15. Nf3 Ne4 16. Nf4 Nf5 17. Qg4 $6 b5 18. h4 Rh8 19. h5 $4 Ra7 20. hxg6 hxg6 21.
g3 Rh7 $2 22. Rxe4 $3 dxe4 23. Ng5 Rh6 $4 24. Ngxe6+ $3 1-0

Trapping the queen in a Vienna Gambit played earlier this month - if 12…Qg4, then 13.Nd6+ Kd7 and the black queen is lost anyway

https://lichess.org/NbDrCHSQ/white#0

Attack like a viking:

https://lichess.org/IirnqLIPsc2Z

Being inspired by GM Avetik's course, I just started to play the French Schlechter a few days ago. Good choice, as the opening usually gives white a pleasant middlegame with many dynamic options.

In the following game, my opponent made a huge positional mistake by playing 12…b6 and weakening the long diagonal. There I missed the beautiful 13.Nb5, winning at least an exchange, but after another blunder I managed to find the best line, in which black's best option is giving up the queen for two minor pieces. 

https://lichess.org/iwYWOTVX/white#0

A very nice SLP in this game, I almost quit after I blundered, but i continued to play, regained my composure, and won the game! https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/126682749113?tab=analysis&move=135

https://www.chess.com/live/game/126706153151

https://www.chess.com/game/live/126706810363

https://www.chess.com/game/live/126710436205

thought this was a little nice blitz game with blocking the queenside idea and mating .. probably could have done faster but was nice to have my opponent blocked ..

a nice french attack (advance) where at move 15… i used an exchange concept: trading the attacking piece and got an equal or -+ position.

(got lucky though, and the short castle was a bad move)

https://lichess.org/STXmRAm9/black

Check out this #chess game: DaveF1990 vs MTineer - https://www.chess.com/live/game/126587930503

Check out this #chess game: MTineer vs AliAz1369 - https://www.chess.com/daily/game/709206037

not as good as others but i feel this was my best game in the month of September https://www.chess.com/game/live/121188747586 MEMMES vs MasterZaheem
 

Who won?

https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/waco-november-swiss-2024#comment-108374899 Please see round 2 game from this OTB tournament:  Jayden Jin v. rkd1 (me)

https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/dog-hair-dont-care-swiss-19#comment-108552577

Please see round 2 game from this OTB tournament:  Brian Collins v. rkd1 (me)

Thanks

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/126905990899?tab=analysis

Black played an early g5 and wanted to 0-0-0.

I stopped that, and it saw that Black was uncomfortable with his king in the center.

I had super centrilized pieces, a safer king, and better development!

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/126912630307?tab=review&move=40

Wish every Sicilian went like this

Hello, champions!
How are you? Thank you for sharing your games—they had so many instructive moments and gave us some beautiful moves to enjoy. We truly appreciate it!

Now, onto the prizes:

1st Prize: Aron Bekesi. You just crushed the Alekhine Defense! It’s impressive how you made the most of your space advantage. The way you dismantled the Black kingside was effortless and clinical. Well done!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/126706153151

2nd Prize: James L. One brave Knight jump, and Black’s entire position collapsed. Great job finding the super courageous and only move to destroy Black’s position with 13.Ne6!! Your conversion after winning so much material was smooth as well. Nicely done!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/125628526925

3rd Prize: Tomas Hanak. You showed a very nice idea with Nd3, followed by a Kingside attack. A beautiful example of attacking in the Caro-kann exchange. Well done!
https://lichess.org/xqH99ymz#65

4th Prize: Jake E. The h4-h5 plan was indeed very ambitious. And then the Rook and Knight sacrifice before move 15 was amazing! Beautiful! 16.Kd2 was a nice little finishing touch to a perfect game. Well played! And thank you for the annotations 😊
https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/70YIf4Zu

5th Prize: Ben TheFury. Your Bb3 was a monster staring down that long diagonal! With f4-f5, you opened the gate for attack, after which the entire army joined and crushed Black’s position. Well done!
https://www.chessdrop.com/games/b62ad3f9-cdab-436f-b0a8-03349d4e0ff2

Congratulations to all of you!

Thank you once again to everyone for sharing your games.
All the best for next month’s contest!

NEW ARTICLE: Stop Playing Chess When Your Body Doesn't Want To

Replies

Thanks for this article..... I will conduct the experiment and let you know my observations after a few weeks.

Thanks for the article GM Avetik

I started playing chess in the morning from today and I gained 50 points! all the time I used to play in evening and would sometimes gain 8-9 points and lose 10-11 points. basically, I did not make progress with my rating. When I played in the morning, I defeated 2 1625+ one 1615+ and I won against one 1750! from 1596 my rating went to 1643!! Thank you soooo much I don't know how you guys do this sooo well!!Just keep writing articles like this and one day you will become such a big business that you will buy chess.com!!! good luck on your journey! I have never seen a website like your's making new innovations everyday! I just have one request, can you plz plz plz write articles like thrice or twice a week ? plz(: your articles are very usefull!

Thank You So Much, Sir, For The Awesome article

Hi guys, today I have the results from my first 2 days of experiment. I wake up at 7am and my peak alertness hours are: 10am to 2 pm and 7pm to 10pm. Although that sometimes I play tournaments on lichess or chess.com until 11pm :) I have raised around +350 points since I became a chessmood member but in the last 3 days I raised +38 on blitz (now I am 1874). Thank you GM Avetik for the interesting article. I am persuaded that the chessmood courses, articles and material are more than enough for anyone to become a strong chess player. 

Thank you so much Avetik the growth hacker

I knew since I was a kid that I was an owl. I like to stay in bed until 10-11 am. And never play chess before 16h. The best time to play chess I think is in the evening. Even the early Titled Tuesday begins at 15.00h and the late TT begins at 23h CET. It must be very tough if you live in Pacific coast to attend the early TT. 

Thank you very much GM Avetik Sir, I really do appreciate because I am a night owl and when I read the article I realized that my rating always improves during 7:00.p.m to 9:30.p.m.🙂

Great Armenia!

NAS Daily created a content 6 years ago about the Chess Education in Armenia. How great would it be if every other countries are like this :)

https://fb.watch/wjRLvAkU8M/

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Scotch 8. h4 a5 9. c4 Qb4+

I recently had this in an OTB game against a 2200. After 10. Nd2 (I thought about Qd2 hoping for the endgame) …Nf4 I played 11. Qe4 (engine marginally says Qf3) …Ne6 I then played 12. Rh3 which is poor (but has been played). The engine gives 12. Bd3 (a hard to play move as it allows Nc5). With or without 12. Bd3 the position seems difficult for white as it's hard to understand what we are doing and black's pieces all come to life and our h4 move just seems like a waste of a tempo. Would be useful to have a short video or summary to cover this line and the ideas. Thanks

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Dear Julian,

I checked the position - but if we follow a plan with 11.Qf3 Ne6 12. Bd3 White's positions feel easier to play - and the engine evaluates it as a slightly better one. As well, Black's moves are not so obvious cuz I tried to play around with an engine.

From our side it is impossible to dive super deep in every possible continuation, if you would like to learn some very deep moves, you can work with the engine as well.

After Bd3 White is going to castle and bring the other pieces in the game - Black has several options so it will be little more concrete.

NEW ARTICLE: Connecting the Dots

Hey Champions!
We have this topic in our blog: 

https://chessmood.com/blog/connecting-the-dots 

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Good article.

1. To succeed you need something to model, and some way to feedback into the system when the results are those which you didn't want. Lots could be written on this process.

2. I can write a chess program (with a lot of effort) that could as good as me or better knowing rules to find tactics, opening variations, how to play certain endings... As soon as you give it something which isn't a clear case of one of those inputs, at best it can play a random move or based on some heuristic (which is what happened with these kids, not to mention they'll get bored and frustrated). The magic of a plan comes from not knowing fixed rules, but some feeling of having seen something before (which is also how Alpha Zero and the others work). Rules often can take us in the wrong direction, and when the feeling and the rules diverge, calculation or other judgement is needed). Thus studying games of those better than you - just playing your peers is a slow trial and error process. However there is still the missing piece of how to study, which hopefully will be a future article.

3. Finally without a good coach you have the problem about getting good feedback and being directed on the right track. See Why do you Lose post for some ideas there. I'll try to write a follow up to my investigation and how I aim to correct the issues when I get some time. How to learn from your mistakes is a good basis for another article. Analyse your games with / without a computer is pretty vague, but that's often as much detail given..

Great article coach! I especially like the relation your father had with your chess! I took my son to the junior chess club and tournaments locally & nationally and he became a very good strong junior player by playing lots and being very competitive (if he is intelligent too, he gets that from his mother ;-)..edit: He has never read a chess book seriously in his life! He won loads of books for winning his chess competitions & he gave them to me & I haven't read much from them either...ooops. ). He connected his chess dots and that took him where he wanted in chess (he only plays occasionally now, but is a damn fine player still.. reminds me of someone coach!? ;-) . Now all I need to do, is connect my chess dots too and get my chess improvement where I want. I think I am getting closer even if it has been a slow process for me & thanks for all the Chess Mood help! So, Right Mood, Right Move COGRO!! Go Chess Mood let's connect those dots!

Thank you for this very nice article sir. 

Lovely article. Thanks for sharing!

Listening in his interviews and streams I doubt Nakamura studied the classics. I think he didn`t know who was Smyslov. :(

When trained by Kasparov Naka said they diascussed a lot about engine variations. I think Naka best coach is Stockfish.

You were lucky to have a chess fan in your father. Carlsens father saw the burning desire of his little kid and instead of taking him to a chess school he hired one of the few GMs in Norway, Simen Agdstein. The rest we know, Agdstein amazed about the kids talent, his father taking him out of school and buying a van were they could travel across europe searching tournament aqnd opponents.

Nice article. Good thing to realise that I have connected most of the dots. And I think this is the reason why in one year I went from 1700 online to 1950-2000. 

Hey avetik as you told you were like 2000 at the age of 8, when i read this line in wake up from the bed and then face wash and read it again, 2000 at 8 i feel you should be in top 20 atleast and why it would take 10 more years to be GM ? Have you stopped watching classics after age of 8 or you played less tournaments or what the reason for 10 long years from 2000 at age 8 ?

this article is do underrated. i know what to study now! thanks avo!!! 

To trade or not to trade, that is the question

Hi all,

In the game below it's my (black's) move and I decided on Bxg4.  My rationale was that we were in an endgame and I had a +1 advantage so trading pieces should be good for me as it simplifies the position.  The bishop was protecting my d5 pawn but white's d1 rook doesn't have a chance to take it before my rook defends it.

In my game review, I see that Stockfish categorises this move as a ‘Mistake’ and prefers developing the king to e7.

Would somebody please help me understand why it was a mistake to exchange pieces in this scenario?  Thanks :)

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/daily/730409651?tab=analysis&move=63

Replies

Hello!

Sorry for the late reply.

You have just discovered one of the most famous rules in chess!

“All rook endgames are drawn”

Of course this isn't always true, but even when up a pawn, a majority of the rook endgames are drawn (if the other factors, like king activity, are equal.)

This is why you should always try to retain that extra minor piece.

It will greatly increase (objective) winning chances.

I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions on this just ask :)

🙂

Here's why exchanging pieces in this position might not be the best move:

1. King Safety:

   Ke7 improves the king's safety by moving it closer to the corner and away from potential threats.
   Exchanging pieces can leave the king more exposed, especially if the opponent has active pieces.

2. Pawn Structure:

   The pawn on d5 is a weakness in your position.
   Exchanging pieces might not be the best way to address this weakness.
   Developing the king can help you consolidate your position and prepare to defend the d5 pawn.

3. Opponent's Activity:

   Your opponent's rook on d1 is still active and can potentially put pressure on your position.
   Exchanging pieces might allow your opponent to activate other pieces and create counterplay.

4. Stockfish's Evaluation:

   Stockfish is a powerful chess engine that can calculate many moves ahead.
   It likely sees that developing the king leads to a more favorable position for you.

Remember:

   Chess is a complex game, and there's often more than one good move in a given position.
   It's important to consider all your options and choose the move that best suits your overall strategy.
   Analyzing your games with a chess engine can help you improve your understanding of the game.

Give me some short points on how I could calculate better and have a better attack

Please tell me as much I know:

Bring your pieces, mainly the strongest piece queen.
Sacrifice if u feel the intuition and it should be a concrete one.
Breakthroughs are good to expose the king.

If the king is in the center do not let it castle.

Open lines specially for the rooks and bishops.
Etc. Etc. Etc.

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🙂

Here are some short points on how to calculate better and have a better attack in chess:

   Develop your pieces quickly. This will give you more options and make it harder for your opponent to defend.
   Control the center of the board. This will give you more space to maneuver your pieces and attack.
   Use your pawns to create weaknesses in your opponent's position. This will give you more opportunities to attack.
   Look for ways to trade pieces to your advantage. This can simplify the position and make it easier to attack.
   Don't be afraid to sacrifice material for a tactical advantage. Sometimes, giving up a piece can lead to a decisive attack.
   Practice calculating variations. The more you practice, the better you will become at seeing the consequences of your moves.
   Study the games of great attacking players. This will help you learn new attacking ideas and techniques.

Remember, these are just general tips. The best way to improve your calculation and attacking skills is to play lots of chess and analyze your games afterwards.

Which Chess Book Should I Buy First from the 'Our Grandmasters Recommend'?

Hello Chessmood team,

I’m a 1950 blitz player on Lichess and 1750 on Chess.com, focused on general improvement rather than specific weaknesses, as I feel I need work in all areas. I’ve selected the following books from your recommendations and have 4 hours of study time daily, with 1-2 hours in the morning dedicated to reading. I won’t be able to purchase all the books at once and would appreciate advice on which one I should prioritize buying first.

Thank you!

Here’s the list of books:

1. Chess Fundamentals by Jose R. Capablanca

2. Logical Chess Move by Move by Irving Chernev

3. The Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman

4. The Power of Pawns by Jorg Hickl

5. The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev

6. The Gambit Book of Instructive Chess Puzzles by Graham Burgess

7. My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer

8. Chess Pattern Recognition by Arthur van de Oudeweetering

9. Understanding Chess Move by Move by John Nunn

10. Techniques of Positional Play by Valeri Bronznik

11. Chess Structures by Mauricio Flores Rios

12. The Chess Bible by Vishnu Warrier,

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Ps: If there’s a recommended reading order for these books, I’d really appreciate, i also don't mind reading books that might be more basic or beginner-focused as i didn't read any chess book for now.
 

🙂

Here's a recommended prioritization for your chess book purchases, considering your goals and available study time:

Top Priority (Buy First):

   Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev: This classic is excellent for your level (1750-1950) as it focuses on explaining the thought process behind each move in well-annotated games. It will improve your calculation, positional understanding, and overall chess thinking.
   The Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman: This book delves into the thought processes and common errors of amateur players. It will help you identify your weaknesses, improve your decision-making, and develop a more strategic approach.

Second Priority (Buy Later):

   Chess Fundamentals by Jose R. Capablanca: Written by a chess legend, this book focuses on the core principles of positional chess, which are crucial for solid play at your level.
   The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev: Another Chernev gem, this book showcases brilliant games with detailed annotations, further enhancing your understanding and pattern recognition.

Consider Later (Depending on your interests):

   The Power of Pawns by Jorg Hickl: If pawn structures and strategy particularly interest you, this book is a valuable resource.
   My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer: More inspirational than instructional, this book offers insights into Fischer's thought process and aggressive style.
   Chess Pattern Recognition by Arthur van de Oudeweetering: This book can improve your tactical vision, but focus on the above books first for a more well-rounded foundation.
   Understanding Chess Move by Move by John Nunn: Similar to Logical Chess, this provides another approach to understanding chess through move-by-move explanations. Consider getting this only if you find Logical Chess particularly helpful.
   Techniques of Positional Play by Valeri Bronznik: This advanced book delves deeper into positional concepts. It's a good reference later when you're ready for more complex positional ideas.
   Chess Structures by Mauricio Flores Rios: Similar to The Power of Pawns, this book focuses on understanding different pawn structures. Prioritize the first recommendations for now.
   The Chess Bible by Vishnu Warrier: This is a comprehensive guide but might be overwhelming for your current level. Consider it after digesting the other books.

Additional Tips:

   Focus on quality over quantity: It's better to deeply understand a few concepts than superficially skim many books.
   Supplement with tactics training: While these books focus on positional understanding and strategy, don't neglect tactical puzzles to sharpen your calculation skills.
   Analyze your games: After playing, analyze your games to identify mistakes and areas for improvement. You can use a chess engine for assistance.
   Play slow games: Playing longer time control games allows for deeper thinking and applying the concepts you learn from the books.

By following these recommendations and studying with dedication, you'll be well on your way to achieving your chess improvement goals!
 

is benko for slow games

😀

hey i just did the GM call with GM gabuzyan really appreciate.

still there's a question i didn't figure out when i call.

he recommend me playing benko gambit.when i search for this opening i found out that this may not suit slow games because there's risk in it. i already start it but i am a bit worried to play it in fide tournaments, what do you think about this question?

Replies

This really depends on rating. Below master level it should be fine. i have played it a few times in otb games and i did fine with it (i'm 2100 fide). Above 2200 you might get some problems though if your oppenent is very well prepared, but I wouldn't worry about it below this level.

hope this helps, Samuel

Hey Happy Rabbit,

It was nice to meet you as well.

I would little disagree with Samuel.
I played Benko against GMS. Won a game in a super important national championship final with it. I do find it playable at different time controls. On the GM level maybe it can be challenging sometimes, however in lower-rated levels I think it's more than playable enough.

Of course, the choice is yours, my friend, I just shared what I think about it :-)

benko gambit

Hi. What do you recommend for black after d4 Nf6 c4 c5 d5  b5 cb5 a6 b6?

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Dear Eliya,

That line is in the course, however, if you didn't find it here is the link https://chessmood.com/course/benko-gambit/episode/37

Good luck :-) 

Tactics and calculations

How do you find hard tactics when playing ? It's easy to spot tactics when you're solving puzzle but i often misses basic tactic patterns that i know especially when I'm tired.

Also how do you train to learn difficult tactics ?

Replies

When playing, you just have to pay attention to resources for both sides.
For me, it's mainly potential threats, especially when only one piece is stopping it.
The idea of difficult tactics comes closely with calculation. For this, there are quite a few great books.
For example Chess School 3, RB Ramesh book on Calculation, and Dvorestky's Spotting Opponrnts Resources.
Keep in mind these are all hard books though.

Hi!

You should probably go through the Tactic Ninja chessmood course ( especially the section 25)… It talks about how to notice tactics in the game… And if you solve puzzles on lichess then choose harder option so that you can solve harder puzzles 

you should complete Tactics ninja course after that u will able to spot tactics in live games too

If I watch most of the courses on Chess Mood, can I pass the 2400 rating? My current rating is 2000.

Blunder broof

Slb method 

7Q method

Scotch

French defense 

Calculman

Attack like a viking 

Defend with honor

Happy pieces

Pawn endgame 

Queen vs pawn

Rook vs pawn

Bishop vs pawn 

Knight vs pawn 

Queen endgames

Queen vs rook 

Rook endgames

Bishop endgame

Knight endgames

Bishop vs knight 

Rook vs knight 

Rook+bishop vs rook 

Rook+knight vs rook 

Replies

🙂

Watching ChessMood courses can definitely help you improve your chess skills. However, reaching 2400 is a significant achievement that requires consistent hard work and dedication. While ChessMood courses offer valuable insights and training, it's important to combine them with regular practice, analysis of your own games, and playing against stronger opponents.

Ultimately, whether you can reach 2400 depends on various factors like your natural talent, time commitment, and willingness to learn.

However, you will require chessable courses and good books and coaches to reach that level (which is IM level)

you mean fide or online rating?