Continue with Google
Continue with Facebook
Chess forum by Grandmasters
Preparing Openings vs. Opponents in Tournaments
Hello,
As I am progressing and getting up the rating ladder, more and more people started preparing vs. me in tournaments, especially in local ones where everyone that is basically above 1900-ish OTB level knows each other and prepares opening for the game.
Personally, I am unsure of two things:
1.What to do if someone prepares a surprise against my opening rep? Whenever I play locally, everyone knows basically all my preparation and uses it against me. For example, just in my last tournament, my opponent prepped a weird line in Rossolimo vs me where they go Qe2-Qe4-Qh4, and I couldn't do anything to get an edge, and it was just a painful one-sided game for White the entire time. This happened, although my opponent was a d4 player, he prepared e4 for me. But at the same time, I don't want to have to learn 2-3 really detailed openings, especially for all the sidelines…
2.What is the best way to prepare for the opening before the game? Is it more effective to prepare a surprise if you know someone very well? Or should I just review my preparation beforehand? I feel like I am playing good chess even above my level, but getting out-prepared in almost every single game, and making it much harder to win. Going back to the example I mentioned, I therefore prepared 1.d4 and my response to it (basically just reviewing my lines for 1.d4 and his response to my Black rep.), but of course this was all irrelevant as he surprised me with 1.e4, not 1.d4!
I feel like if I can get this aspect down of playing in chess tournaments I will surely get to the next level.
Thanks in advance
Replies
Hey there,
When you play a repertoire that opponents know, they will often be prepared.
I always played Najdorf, but I knew it so well that it was tough to surprise me, and even if it happened managed to play positions with an understanding of the opening.
And it was a long process of play-practice-fix-repeat cycle.
And about the question of playing a new line based on prep - it's a possible idea, but it depends so much on your chess level.
As if someone 1700 rated used super high-level complex prep - often they might find out that they don't understand the positions at all,
So even if looking for a surprise, try to choose positions that you will be able to play easily and understand easily.
Good luck!
Study/sparring partner
Hey guys im 1850 fide
Can we play training games from certain openings
and analyze or train certain positions
Replies
You will have better chances for finding a sparring partner here - Study/Sparring partner - Chess forum by Grandmasters
scotch problem
How to play against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Qe2 Nf6 8.Be3 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qe7 10.f3 0-0-0!? interesting move where black doesn't trade the bishops
Replies
Hey, Eli Se
This is covered in the course Scotch Game (6. The fantastic plan! Popov I. - Dvirnyy D.)
instead of f3 our line is g3 on move 10 it is explained in the video above.
Chessmood Openings Review
Dear, Coach Gabuzyan
Is it possible to make short review video on all the ChessMood openings so before a tournament we can just watch the videos and it will all stay in our mind fresh because not all Chessmood opening courses have these a few do but it would be much easier and effective to just review all openings and for me I find it easier to watch the videos than look over pgn's. Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely, Pawnbishop
Replies
I completely agree
Hey Guys,
I am not quite certain about this unusual inquiry - what are the short videos about the openings?
How to understand what to include and what to exclude?
Usually, the idea to master the opening is to watch the videos → create PGNs → practice the lines → check the games, and compare with the files → repeat this over and over again until you fully master the variation.
My advice about lines that occur rarely, check the pgns or revise videos if you are forgetting - I am doing it as well with very rare lines.
But creating short videos on courses I don't find reasonable, because we don't make the variations longer - on the contrary, our goal in the courses is to provide the most relevant information.
As well, if you want to prepare for tournaments, here are a few articles that can help - https://chessmood.com/blog/the-right-way-to-prepare-for-a-chess-tournament
https://chessmood.com/blog/grandmaster-tips-the-right-way-to-prepare-for-the-chess-game
Feedback and request
Hi,
First of all, thank you very much for creating this wonderful platform. Special thanks to GM Avetik and GM Gabuzyan. My son is really enjoying the courses!
He is 11 years old and tried ChessMood for 2–3 days before we finally took the annual subscription. As you can see, he had been stuck around the 2000 Chess.com rating mark for the last 10 months. We worked hard together to improve his chess and his rating. He has been taking personal lessons from a retired GM twice a week — now over 80 sessions — which, to be honest, haven’t been very helpful, and we are about to stop those. During the last 10 months, he has also studied many books such as The Amateur’s Mind, Arthur Yusupov’s Training Series (2 books), Silman’s Endgame Course, How to Reassess Your Chess (about 60% done), and My 60 Memorable Games by Fischer (34 games completed), along with watching Sensei by our beloved GM Naroditsky 😭.
He has done all this sincerely, and his understanding of chess has improved significantly over time, but his rating remained stuck, which was quite frustrating. I was in two minds about whether to go for KCT for JA or ChessMood. In fact, I wasn’t very aware of this platform until one day, while listening to a chess podcast, I heard about ChessMood. My son leaned towards ChessMood, and I towards KCT. I’m so glad I listened to him — the results speak for themselves.
He has already completed four courses (Tactics, Mating, Blunderproof, and Calculation Master) and felt very positive about all of them, except the Mating one, which he found a bit too simple for his level. He is currently watching the newly uploaded Naroditsky Games course — with a very heavy heart. We are both deeply saddened by the demise of Naroditsky.
I’ve attached his recent Chess.com progress — almost an 80-point gain! You can see the long plateau where his Elo stayed above 2000 from January 2025 until October 2025. I’m still not sure what exactly these courses have done differently, but they’ve clearly made an impact that all our earlier efforts couldn’t. He says the examples in the courses are great, and he’s already visualizing some of the patterns in his own games, gaining decisive advantages. Whatever it is — it’s working beautifully. Once again, thank you very much!
Now, may I please request something? He is an e4 player with White and has his repertoire ready, which he’ll start adjusting according to your recommendations — which is great. However, we’re a bit stuck with his Black openings. He currently plays the Dragon and the King’s Indian, and unfortunately, these aren’t covered in the current repertoire. My question is: are these openings in the pipeline to be published?
I completely understand it’s impossible to cover every individual preference, but the King’s Indian is a very popular opening, and I’m sure many ChessMood members must be playing it. If not planned, could you please recommend the best alternatives or resources for these openings? He has a repertoire, but I think he lacks clarity about the fundamental aims and objectives of these openings — he tends to play them as far as he can recall, using only basic opening principles.
I have so much more to write, but I’ll stop here for now and will share more feedback on my son’s progress as we go.
Thanks again to the whole ChessMood team — including Lily, who also helped me decide in favour of ChessMood!
Warm regards
Replies
Hey there,
Thank you so much for your kind words. We appreciate it a lot!
We are happy to see your son's progress!
Regarding the mentioned openings, we might have more variations in the future, but we can't really mention when, and what exact opening that might be, as it's not decided, and for now, we are producing the courses in other directions.
About what to recommend, we do have Benko and Accelerated Dragon as our opening choices, which I personally use a lot in my games.
If you want to find the exact openings that you have mentioned, I am assuming there might be some other sources online.
Thanks once again, and wishing lots of luck to your son on his chess path!
I bought this book https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Kings-Indian-Defense-Batsford/dp/0020306210 back in 1990 when I was actively playing the KID and I thought it was a great book. It's not a bunch of memorizing variations (which I don't like to do), it's about the different pawn structures that arise in the opening and the appropriate strategic and tactical plans based on the structures. Maybe the ideas are out of date now, but I think there a PDFs of the book online so it's worth a look.
Opening doubt
🙂
I was looking for a course to play against Reti and couldnt find one. Is it that only I couldnt find it or there really isnt one? If not then can I get an idea how to play in it (fide 1900) cause I have a match tomorrow and though I have been researching I couldnt find something proper.
Replies
1.Nf3 c5 Should turn into the English Opening.
I was looking for a course to play four knights game
A little funny...
i have raised 560 points on chess.com in 16 months! I never noticed! i started at 484 and now 1044!
Replies
Wow, congrats on raising 560 points in 16 months! Going from 484 to 1044 shows amazing dedication and improvement.
�🤫�
Wow
Congrats!
A course against modern defense
😱
Dear GM avetik, every time I want to learn a new opening, I just open my favorite bar and click on chessmood however when I did the same today it was quite different, I came to know there is no course against modern defense. Please create one.
Replies
Hello,
First of all there are some video on how to play against the modern pirc in the simplified version of the white mood openings in the section of the pirc defence. But if you want something more detailed there is a complete course on how to face the modern pirc defence, which is the full name of the opening known as modern defense. Check this out, I believe this is what you are looking for.
Link here: https://chessmood.com/course/modern-pirc
Hope this helps
AI
Curious how your AI development is going?
Replies
Hi Arnie, thanks for asking about our AI development! It's definitely in process. We are actively working on the AI coach and are very excited about it. We'll be sure to share more details with everyone as it progresses. We appreciate your interest!
Reinitialize quizzes
Hello,
Is there a way to reinitialize all quizzes from a course, so thay we can do them again and track our progress?
Replies
Hi Luc,
That's a great question. You are correct, we currently do not have a feature to reinitialize all quizzes in a course at once. As you've probably seen, the only workaround for now is to reset the progress quiz by quiz.
We are planning to add new functionalities and improve this system in the future, and we will absolutely take your suggestion into consideration.
Thanks for your feedback!
french attack exchange line
Dear Cm family,
after
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bd3 Nb4
as proposed in the course : it leads to a delay in development and i m not sure how to solve it.
then what if white goes on without retreating the bishop ?
6. O-O Nxd3 7. Qxd3.
i had an otb game yesterday : https://lichess.org/study/3f19fQ0f/kzvIp6uM
where i made a mistake (19..Rfe8?) but i saved the game by complicating a bit things for my opponent i time trouble and it paid
but honestly i m not sure how to proceed after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bd3 Nb4 6. O-O Nxd3 7. Qxd3 with black.
Replies
Hey, Marius
You should take the bishop and then playing with the followed set up shown below.
This is common set up played in chessmood and you will be problem free and gain lot of tempis develop fast and love your position
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/486EY2asWW/analysis
This set up is good play with c6 in future and get rooks active
This is pointless, but I'd like to dedicate this to Danya.
I just reached 2000 in bullet chess on Lichess.
This is pointless, it won't bring him back, but I would like to dedicate this achievement to Daniel Naroditsky. I was a big fan of his, and I’m heartbroken that he passed.
RIP our wonderful badass speed demon. Here is a little tribute for you.
Replies
tech problem
Are you guys having problems viewing the Maroczy Bind course on vimeo?
Replies
Hi Eli se, I saw your post about having a tech problem with the Maroczy Bind course. To help us investigate, could you please give us a few more details? For example, are you seeing a specific error message, a black screen, or is it just buffering?
Anaeschessic?
A funny true story… This week I had an operation in hospital (nothing serious). While I was under general anaesthetic I had a dream that I was playing, and losing, a chess match. I was playing a Grand Prix attack, but I had left my King exposed to a critical intermediate check, and my position collapsed. I remember thinking how unfair it was that the anaesthetist - my opponent ! - had challenged me to a game while I was unconscious. 😄 I was forced to resign, and I woke up in the recovery room feeling quite frustrated. 😠
I draw two conclusions from this:
1) Chessmood openings are so memorable - and so well explained - that they can even be played when unconscious 😆
2) I need to study Blunderproof.
Replies
Great post. i like it a lot
The best games of October, 2025, and the prizes
Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions!
Welcome to the "Best games of October, 2025" competition.
Under this post, we invite you to post the best games that you will play this month
(up to 5 games per person accepted).
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 September, 2025:
Thomas Maes
Marius Cornee
Armandas_130
Edger Schoonhoven
Romain Parizel
Replies
Bingo win, a small pawn sac trap, and they took it! So I did a mate!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/143800296830?move=0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/143804111832 Check it out,and give your feedback please.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/143733254828 Another game of mine,pls check it out.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/143649578512?move=0
https://lichess.org/hvE2VPmJ/white
I punished his incorrect opening. After Qxe7, I continued with a nice combinations leading to a queen being trapped in the middle of the board.
Hi!
These are my best games today, kind of embarassing because I had a bad day today.
Here:
https://lichess.org/CFytsXxw#83
https://lichess.org/sg6mMbA4#46
https://lichess.org/IO0ywGZj#30
French with a sac on h6
https://lichess.org/KuW6rxFe/white
This is a game from an OTB tournament in which I gained 150 rating points (USCF). I was rated 1360, and in the first two rounds I won against 1800+ and 1500+ players, and then got this draw against a 1900 player, playing a ChessMood French attack line. Not a perfect game, but a very exciting and satisfying result overall (even though I lost in the following round to a 1700 player)!
[Event "Dog Hair, Don't Care #21"]
[Site "Howell home"]
[Date "2025.09.20"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Jason Howell"]
[Black "Randy Dixon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "1908"]
[BlackElo "1360"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Ng8 5. Nce2 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. f4 Nge7 8. Ng3
cxd4 9. cxd4 Bd7 10. Nf3 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qb6 12. Bc3 Ng6 13. Qd2 Bb4 14. Bd3 Bxc3
15. bxc3 Nce7 16. Rb1 Qc7 17. O-O O-O 18. h4 Nf5 19. Nxf5 exf5 20. h5 Ne7 21.
Rb2 b6 22. g3 Be6 23. Rc2 f6 24. Re1 Qd7 25. Qe2 Rae8 26. Bb5 Nc6 27. Kg2 Bf7
28. Rh1 Re6 29. Qd3 fxe5 30. Nxe5 Nxe5 31. dxe5 Qb7 32. Qd4 Rh6 33. Be2 Re8 34.
Bf3 Be6 35. c4 Rd8 36. Rd1 Qf7 37. cxd5 Qe8 38. Qc4 Bf7 39. Qe2 Bxh5 40. Bxh5
Rxh5 41. d6 Rh6 42. Rc7 Re6 43. Qc4 Kf8 44. Rxa7 Qh5 45. Qxe6 Qe2+ {Here a draw
was agreed upon in light of the perpetual check -- for example:} 46. Kg1 Qxd1+
47. Kf2 Qd2+ 48. Kf3 Qd3+ 49. Kg2 Qe2+ 50. Kh3 Qg4+ 1/2-1/2
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. h3 c6 5. a3 Nd7 6. Nc3 e5 7. dxe5 Nxe5 8. Be2
Ne7 9. Nf3 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 O-O 11. Qd3 Bf5 12. e4 dxe4 13. Bxe4 Re8 14. Bxf5
Nxf5+ 15. Ne2 Qxd3 16. cxd3 Nd4 17. Be3 Nc2+ 0-1
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.10.03"]
[Round "-"]
[White "ashok1859"]
[Black "Kenil701"]
[Result "0-1"]
[CurrentPosition "5rk1/pB2ppbp/3r2p1/8/PP3n2/8/5PPP/R4R1K b - b3 0 21"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "B13"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Caro-Kann-Defense-Panov-Attack-4...Nf6-5.cxd5-Nxd5"]
[UTCDate "2025.10.03"]
[UTCTime "07:59:42"]
[WhiteElo "1684"]
[BlackElo "1618"]
[TimeControl "1800"]
[Termination "Kenil701 won by resignation"]
[StartTime "07:59:42"]
[EndDate "2025.10.03"]
[EndTime "08:04:51"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/143844505836/analysis"]
[WhiteUrl "https://www.chess.com/bundles/web/images/noavatar_l.84a92436.gif"]
[WhiteCountry "69"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl "https://www.chess.com/bundles/web/images/noavatar_l.84a92436.gif"]
[BlackCountry "69"]
[BlackTitle ""]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8.
Nf3 Bg4 9. Be2 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Qb5 11. d5 Rd8 12. Qb3 Nd4 13. Qxb5+ Nxb5 14. O-O
g6 15. a4 Nd4 16. Be4 Bg7 17. d6 Rxd6 18. Bf4 Ne2+ 19. Kh1 Nxf4 20. Bxb7 O-O 21.
b4 0-1
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/143911261878/analysis
Benko Gambit!!
https://lichess.org/YAdMRgzr/
Here are a few scotch games:
https://www.chess.com/game/live/153948999025
https://lichess.org/EGrA1EFbq7SU
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/143897933700/analysis?move=21
Theres a reason that Anti-sicilian is the best openinggggggg
FRENCH FOR BLACK
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/143947871184/
https://lichess.org/RIl8mzD9/white
Very good games Congrats to the winners
Being greedy gets punished:
https://lichess.org/V3D3o7Qkf2KG
Here is another Caro-Kann example. Here:
https://www.chess.com/game/144092417122
Here is a Scotch Game.
https://www.chess.com/game/144122153912
I destroyed my opponent when he played off beat openings.
https://www.chess.com/game/144122646842
https://www.chess.com/game/144122830468
https://www.chess.com/game/144168652816
Again and again gran pricks (prix) vs pricks (pirc)
Just a perfect game (Sicilian with 2. …. e6 but not using the ChessMood Repertoire).
https://lichess.org/MUsEcH77/white#0.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144257197560?move=0
A Caro-Comeback ! This was a classical time control OTB game, as part of a Swiss.
As usual! Destroying The Staford Gambit!
https://lichess.org/4GXy4U3e/white#0.
I played this game in the 5th round of last week tournament in Arco (Italy). I was paired against a (for me) strong opponent from Germany who was close to 2300 Elo a few years ago. I already played the Pirc defense twice in that tournament and my opponent came prepared. I think we got an interesting middle game with chances on both side and I was happy how I played the ending.
https://lichess.org/broadcast/47-festival-scacchistico-internazionale-open-citta-di-arco--a/round-5/qkQ0qhqq/k9wKg3sr
https://lichess.org/UMVtKepU/white
An accurate game in the French attack
https://lichess.org/Ihyc1KyW/black#38
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144423417112?move=0
Sicilian Grand Prix Attack
I am White;)
An OTB tournament game. Black against the Maroczy Bind:
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/game/?p=PKi612JjR2UlmeVRLJj2zGIvBxO4N+QXR3ogjlkG0upLhLY3HlLaeO/uG9hRYD8z
english
https://lichess.org/2RfGk5Na/black
Winning the exchange, and by that, the game, with a sneaky tactical sequence
https://lichess.org/gP25Mhdd/black#0
I played OTB. I played as white.
Opening was Caro-Kann Defense. I outplayed my opponent and found a brilliant move.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/2eUnKXmaHC/analysis
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/142976739132/analysis?move=40
Anti-Sicilian part 5
The Siberian trap springs in an opening where I didn't expect it!
https://lichess.org/CWjRS0mVW6Xi
Hiding the rating while playing makes a huge difference(learnt it in a success story here), +20 today, though i dont seem to care now, 97 accuracy is what im happy about.
Winning an interesting same coloured bishop ending against higher rated opponent. One misstep by him - 36…h6?? was enough to break his kingside structure. 48…g5 was a tricky try by him to save the game, as if I carelessly take the pawn, than it could be a draw or even a loss for me!
https://lichess.org/hc0rZLq5/white#0
https://www.chess.com/game/144537801038
Showing how to get a quick initiative against bad openings (against IM)
https://lichess.org/broadcast/2025-delancey-ukcc-challengers-under-12/round-7/mNZwGOBf/OOzu6IOs
Monster pieces
https://lichess.org/QAWLZKn3/black
a complicated maroczy bind win against an gm
These are my two best games of the month so far. They have both been played over the board at my chess club.
Chess Analysis Board and PGN Editor - Chess.com Nathan-White (~1300) Gabe(me)-Black (~1500)
Chess Analysis Board and PGN Editor - Chess.com Gabe(me)-white (~1500) Matthew-Black (~1600)
My first decent game since returning from a 1.5 month hiatus. Getting back on the Dutch horse has proven tricky.
https://lichess.org/DpiFGB1r/black#1
Some experimenting in the opening:
https://lichess.org/uyFyirxFLMnN
a dazzling attack in 4…Nf6 scotch
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/144602320758/analysis
a model game Nxd4 scotch
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/144745126376/analysis
Punishing FM's “creative” play in a very hectic game
https://lichess.org/1eHSpfQu/white#0
I'm playing in World Senior right now with classical control. Today in 3rd round won a good game against IM with CM Antisicilian. I know i know GM Gabyzyan is going to say that i missed checkmate in 4 ;))
In the spirit of Avo's Grand Prix courses, allowing Nxc2, etc
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/144653045204/review
My counter to the Stonewall Attack (I know I missed a double attack):
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144673656386
https://lichess.org/lXpjGLHw/black
A nice Knight sacrifice
https://lichess.org/5niVMbxRyMy0
The game wasn't bad either, but the mate at the end is one of my coolest ever
https://lichess.org/JDAvLMDS/white#71
I have been struggling versus Sicilian, so I spent some time and rewatched all of Avo and Gabu's model games with the Grand Prix Attack. It appears to have been inspirational, as I took this 1960 Sicilian apart like a clock. 99% accuracy.
https://lichess.org/JXcnxz69/white#1
interesting alapin fight (practicing new opening) https://www.chess.com/game/144720079548
knockout in our chessmood french mating matador style https://www.chess.com/game/live/144763357072
A model game against Philidor !
https://lichess.org/o9LseDz4gSm2
An interesting win against Caro-Kann with 5…Qc7.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144757880972?move=1
Checkmate!
https://lichess.org/iILwIGqz/white#39
https://lichess.org/R4tY5Ofx
Meshkovs' gambit:
https://lichess.org/PsPoKypQqiQ2
Another checkmate:
https://lichess.org/fKLzxPPfFtqZ
https://lichess.org/Y9u1OuxG/black
3 brilliant moves in Scandi.
This was my OTB club internal 2025 championship round 13.
this was my nice finish in round 3 of my tournament in Annemasse (France). Unfortunately my opponent didn't allow me to play Nf2++
https://lichess.org/Oabtx0bHWcoI me playing as white
Interesting game in the Queen's Indian
https://lichess.org/Qj9GCXlG/white#0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144850696254?move=0
Prepared a nice tactic with Qe2+
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144482345276?move=70
Caro-Kann Kingside Masterpiece
Ciao Chessmood family :
(1) Sicilian game where black allows the double pawns after white takes the knight on c6. Reason why I like the game is the fact that it's won on the kingside where normally I get good play against the ruined pawns on the queenside. This time black had all it's pieces there resulting in an easy break through
https://lichess.org/oMFZXir1/white#36
(2) Experimented with the backward bishop move in black's fianchetto Caro-Kann resulting in a great attack. The only pitty is that I spotted the attacking plan one move too late - see move on move 19 (Qf3 was better than my Bg2) but the following attack played out really nicely
https://lichess.org/Iu0l2lDE/white#41
Very complicated game. Well played by both players!
https://lichess.org/jfVzJ3I4cDl8
Scotch OTB - opponent broke opening principles…
A beautiful win with Grand Prix Attack
Just slowly building the attack, and then a nice sacrificial finish :)
https://lichess.org/YQuePQeC/white#50
Hi! French Attack!
https://lichess.org/gqKAHfTJ/black
Won another IM in Antisilian in 7th round
https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-world-senior-championship-2025--open-50/round-7/g5vYHi8j/oylKi5Xj
8th round Maroczy bind with black against IM
https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-world-senior-championship-2025--open-50/round-8/Nz1W1BU4/mAzsSCX7
Just a fun little blitz game, love how opponents fall apart in this opening: https://www.chess.com/game/144889036544
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/141851591728/analysis?move=55
97% Benko Gambit
Opponent Got Crushed in the Petrov!!
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/142223530754/analysis
Scotch till endgame https://lichess.org/2ZtegoGhealJ
Scotch https://lichess.org/DaA0GSaBZz2G
Caro-Kann https://lichess.org/hPDGkPyrXWZ1
Caro-Kann https://www.chess.com/game/live/144812662646?move=0
Maroczy short till blunder https://lichess.org/ErgDTizFDW1y
Sicilian AD tacticts-remove defender https://lichess.org/a33Mid6UsTBp
Sicilian AD simplification https://lichess.org/B0DzMRxT6HK9
Alapin->French https://lichess.org/J7Td6gsEFXUs
GPrix https://lichess.org/QNQuvRXASScF
Model setup/Pirc Simplification https://lichess.org/pBGbwkPyzSvG
Dear CMF, this time i tried to not send too much games and to group them in order to help the work of Gabu reviewing them.
here my 5 nicest games for this month:
One benko gambit
bishops diagonals to space advantage to big attack:https://lichess.org/x3PBGV9Q/black
- A scotch where black even being 2000+ took the knight on d4 and got a bad ps . 97% accuracy :)https://lichess.org/3KuYnnOl
- the gran prix against the pirc: always a surprise weapon as black cannot lead the game in known territory : the h1 rook was never taken and was even able to take part in the game https://lichess.org/yU4LpLSd
- A quick win aganist a 2450 player : https://lichess.org/xN9fZjxve83Y
- A GOOD WIN against a 2350 player: https://lichess.org/ljFPVS9mj7vV
Simplifying to winning endgame after crushing attack. Actually, I could have won much faster, but couldn't calculate it in time trouble, hence going for the sure but also lamer solution.
https://lichess.org/GaAa2z3b/black#0
The last one for this month:
https://lichess.org/MWF6DOfR0Axq
Last one this month, my reckless opening(although it has a high success rate), mate him or i lose, i maneaged to win, i know i made some mistakes but this is my first and now still undefeated style in my options.
https://lichess.org/Z22KaEwD/black
And one more GPrix with two brilliant sacrifices
https://www.chess.com/game/live/156184000183?move=0
This is my counter to my opponent's stonewall setup. I used this from a chessable course I used to read.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144945159980
Clean win in French with 98 % accuracy.
https://lichess.org/8aEdL0UB
Hello
Finally getting that Caro to work Took downa CM Enjoy! Thanks coach Gabu!
https://lichess.org/IYQzX3uU/white#34
Hello Champions!
How are you?
Thank you for sending in your best games this month!
You showed creative ideas, strong strategies, and scored some truly impressive wins. We discovered plenty of instructive moments worth learning from. Keep up the great work! Now, let’s move on to the prizes!
1st Prize: Vladimir Bugayev
A fantastic game versus an International Master!
By sacrificing a pawn to distract your opponent on the Queenside, you opened up the files and sparked powerful counterplay against their King. You skillfully coordinated all your pieces, created key weaknesses in the opponent’s camp, and eventually forced their entire position to collapse. A truly impressive performance, especially against such a strong opponent! Fantastic job!
https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-world-senior-championship-2025--open-50/round-8/Nz1W1BU4/mAzsSCX7
2nd Prize: Armandas
You crushed with the GP attack!
The dynamic f5 pawn advance created vital space and pushed away the opponent’s key defenders, paving the way for your attack. You activated all your strongest pieces and shattered the King’s defense with brilliant sacrifices.
Super game!
https://lichess.org/YQuePQeC/white#49
3rd Prize: Dmytro Shulzhenko
A very nice gambit style!
With a pawn sacrifice, you got ahead in development and quickly brought your pieces into the game, while the opponent’s King was stuck in the center. Dream game for every gambit-man! Well done.
https://lichess.org/Y9u1OuxG/black#6
4th Prize: Angelo Sifaleras
Good game with the right attacking principles.
While you developed, castled, and took control of the center, your opponent was slow and passive. You chose the perfect moment to sacrifice the pawn and open up the H file for the attack. While being much behind in the attack with the opposite side castles, your opponent stood no chance to defend. Very consistent and instructive play!
https://lichess.org/o9LseDz4
5th Prize: Thomas Maes
You crushed the unhealthy opening choice!
With the powerful e5 pawn, you secured a fantastic outpost for the Knight on d6. Your pieces completely restricted the opponent’s entire Queenside. Despite the Queen trade, you launched a strong attack on the opponent’s King and delivered a stunning checkmate. Very impressive!
https://lichess.org/fKLzxPPf#39
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: The Andon Spirit - The Courage to Stop
The world said, “Move fast.” Toyota didn’t.
They did something wiser.
What’s the one thing you’ve been ignoring that could take your growth further?
Read our newest article 👇🏼
https://chessmood.com/blog/andon-spirit
Replies
the article says “if some people, lost in their own storms, had paused instead of pushing further and had pulled the Andon earlier?”
Avetik knows things we don't, is he saying here that danya death was at least partially caused by his bully kramnik?
i don't want to speculate.
The Andon Spirit – The Courage to Stop teaches a valuable lesson about knowing when to pause and address issues before they grow bigger. Similarly, students who feel overwhelmed can wisely choose to use a buy assignment service to get timely help and maintain the quality of their work. It’s all about having the courage to stop, seek support, and ensure the best results.
I wrote this couple of days after GM Naroditsky’s tragic passing:
Title: Justice, Not Vigilantism
Chess Must Stay Composed After GM Naroditsky’s Death
The chess world is reeling from the passing of Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky — a player, teacher, and voice who inspired countless others. His loss has left a hole in our community, and amid the grief, anger has flared. Many now call for former world champion Vladimir Kramnik to be banned or stripped of his title for his prolonged public accusations of cheating against Naroditsky.
The pain behind those calls is understandable. But turning grief into public retribution risks repeating the very mistakes that brought us here. The pursuit of integrity in chess must never come at the expense of fairness or humanity.
Kramnik’s campaign against alleged online cheating — stretching for more than a year — turned into a personal crusade. FIDE has rightly referred the matter to its Ethics and Disciplinary Commission. The investigation must be transparent, evidence-based, and free from public pressure. Due process, not mob justice, is what separates a sport from a spectacle.
Institutions, too, must face scrutiny. Both FIDE and Chess.com failed to intervene decisively as online hostility escalated. Their silence allowed a damaging culture of public accusation to take root. Accountability here must go beyond one man — it must reach the systems that allowed such a toxic climate to persist.
Now, more than ever, the chess community must hold two truths at once: that cheating threatens the integrity of our game, and that unproven accusations threaten the dignity of its players. The way forward is not through anger but through structure — independent investigations, clear communication, and a renewed commitment to player welfare.
We must honor Daniel Naroditsky not with blame or division, but by ensuring that no one else in our game is ever tried, judged, and condemned outside the rulebook.
Justice, not vigilantism, will preserve the spirit of chess.
I need to build the machine before i go slow to develop, but ill build slow
Modern Pirc Quiz#7
Hello, Team.
I think there is a small bug in Modern Pirc quiz.
https://chessmood.com/quiz/attacking-modern-pirc-quiz#7
Relevant video.
https://chessmood.com/course/modern-pirc/episode/1463
It only accepts 4.d3 Ne7 5.Bb3 and going to the position in the video which is discussed as the guideline. However after 1:20 it seems like 4.h4 is the recommended move.
This is only a small comment so please delete once it is concluded, correction or not.
Alex A.
Replies
Dear Alex,
Thanks for noticing, you are absolutely right!
I redirected this to our technical team to see if they can fix it.
1.e4 c6 2.d4 Nf6
What should I go for?
Replies
Franco-Benoni/Franco Sicilian
I came across this opening in a Blitz game recently and it really tripped me up.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 c5!?
I enjoy playing our Schlecter and have gotten good results with it but this opening seems to either transpose to a Benoni closed structure like it did in my game (I stopped playing 1.d4 for this very reason) or a kind of open Sicilian for which I don’t know the theory to since we play Anti-Sicilians/Grand Prix.
I know it’s a rare move but does anyone have any setups or insights into this odd opening. I would hate to see it OTB and not know what to do.
Replies
Hey, Justin
I asked this same question and this is the reply coach gave me -
In those positions, we are playing with 3.d5 and obtaining the Space advantage.
The plan is to develop the Knight to c3, the other one usually to f3. Organise the castle and play in the center.
Black can have a couple of developement options; however, in all occasions after 3.d5 White maintains a decent advantage.
Hi Justin!
The main difference between this position and the Benoni structure is that you don’t have to play c4 and take the d5 pawn (after Black plays exd5) with your c-pawn. Because of this, instead of spending a tempo on c4, you can play Nc3 and continue developing quickly.
Just make sure to prevent Black’s …b5 counterplay, usually, after …a6, we respond with a4 to stop it. 🙂
Hopefully this helps you understand the structure a bit better!
french problem
In the blackmood openings, after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 6. Bd3 f6, what to do against strong 7. Ng5! move
Replies
Hi,
Ndxe5 - dxe5 - fxg5 - Qh7 - Kd7 with a complicated position for both sides. This almost never happens U2000 level; you can make the engine work further if you want to dive deeper.
