Chess forum by Grandmasters

when I have an error

I am working on section 2 of Ninja tactics. Ihave a a few-not many- errors on the training positions. I see that I can retry to get a correct answer and I have done that. But I thought that the website stored my errors for  me somewhere so that I could review those positions later. Was my thoought incorrect, or can someone tell me how to navigate to the area that in fact does store my errors? thanks

Replies

If you click on your profile icon on the top right of the screen and select “Profile”, you will go to your profile page with a list of options on the left. Select “AI coach”, and you will find a couple of AI tools. Your mistakes will be saved in the “BugZone”, and you can remove them from there by solving the puzzles again.

Thanks for helping, Dylan :-) 

Anti-Sicilian part 2

Dear Coach,

In the Anti-Sicilian course part 2 this move e6 isn't covered and I really dislike 6:o-o with nc6 and b3 do you have another way of playing which black is uncomfortable in. Please tell me like 4-5 moves after this and the plans and ideas. Thank you so much!

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/HW9JKihtz/analysis?move=9

Replies

Can you please clarify the question? It's for White or for Black?

Fen

does the website provide the Fen for the different positions-for example I am working on Ninja tactics section 2-is there a way to access the Fen of any of those training positions?

Replies

Hey Ronald,

That would be a good addition here (right-clicking on any diagram and getting the FEN).

I’m putting together a pdf with fens and pictures of the positions to help me get through the first few layers of the simplified openings here on CM.

There is a service out there (costs money, of course) that recognizes most diagrams and can even link positions to historical games.

Try doing a web search asking for an app that can recognize chess diagrams and return the fen. i don’t get any commision and i forget the name of it, but i’m thinking i should try to get back to it.

Also, at the bottom of the drop-down menus for most (all?) courses here there are pdfs with lots of good information.

Tell you what … this place (ChessMood) is a gold mine.

Pirc/ Modern Defense Opening Doubt

I have a few questions regarding the Pirc/Modern Defense. 

1. Please let me know when the courses on modern defense will be completed. Also, please add a few model games for modern defense in the lines: 1. e4 g6, 2. d4 Bg7, 3. Nc3 c6, 4. h3 d6, 5. a4—I understand it is similar to the Philidor defense setup, but there the Black's DSB was on e7, and here it is developed to g7, putting pressure in the center. Since the modern defense is a bit complicated, some more explanation could be useful. 
2. How are we continuing after  1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 Nc6 &  1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 Nbd7.
3. How are we continuing after  1. e4 g6 2. d4 c6

If it takes time to complete the course, at least please explain a few ideas for White in this exact setup with Black's DSB on g7 (referring to point 1), and if you could, please share the link to a model game (if any) played by the Chess mood family.

Also, give a brief explanation on how we are continuing after black plays the sidelines (referring to points 2 and 3, and if I missed any, please mention that too). Because the Modern/Pirc is a tricky opening, and they have options to change the move order and trick us into a position outside our chess mood repertoire. 

It would be really helpful if you could provide a brief explanation on how we are continuing until the course is prepared, so meanwhile I can try to work on it by myself until then. 

Replies

Hi Aswin,

We are planning, in general, to have additions to the opening lines that are missed. I will struggle to provide advice where it's not covered, as it's not yet decided where we go in the future courses.

If this is that urgent for you, you can try to follow the games of stronger players in those positions - that's what I usually do.

Opening Doubt - 1.d4 sidelines

Hi Chessmood Family! 

1) Please let me know when the 1.d4 sidelines courses will be completed. I am eagerly waiting for them. I am facing troubles in: 

a) Colle system (1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 with both c3, Bd3 setups and b3-Bb2 setup

b) Some weird (1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. b3 and 3.b4 and 3.Nbd2 —Unable to transpose to our beloved 1. b3, and the move orders for white are confusing me a lot.

c) Also 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 - Torre Attack and 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3—Barry Attack with 4. Bg5. Isn't White tricking us with the move order of what we play against Trompowsky (1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5) and Jobava London? 

d) And finally, 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3—Veresov has some move order tricks against Jobava London and some 3. f3 followed by e4 setups also.

These above mentioned sidelines are not covered in the 1.d4 sideline courses, nor were they mentioned in Benko's revised course in rare sections against 1.d4.

2) Please can you share some Model games for London system and Jobava London System, as they are the most common openings played at the amateur level.

3) In Jobava London, there is a move order confusion—1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nf3 0-0. Now why can't white play 6. h4 since we already castled? Won't the attack be dangerous as mentioned in the Intro chapter? 

Replies

Hey there,

We have mentioned this previously a lot, but you might not have seen. Unfortunatelu we can't provide estimations on the dates, as we are working on the courses in different directions. Some lines you have mentioned are a bit rare, some not. If it's that urgent, my advice is to follow the games of the strong players via the database to understand how to behave in those scenarios.

Once the courses are updated/re-recorded, we will notify our students.

Opening Doubt in Scotch game

Hi chessmood family! 

In Scotch Opening: 

(a) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+ 5. c3 Bc5 6. Be3 Qf6 (In the course, only 6. ...Bb6 is mentioned with the model game of IM Torosyan but after 6. ...Qf6, aren't we transposing to 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3, Another mainline in the Scotch opening, which we don't play?   Yes, he wasted a tempos with ...Bb4-c5 and it is should to play here. Is this tempo worth it? How should white continue? Please let me know, or please add a section in the Scotch explaining how to deal with this situation.

(b) Also, please expand on the 4...Nf6-8.h4 a5 line with some additional theory/model games because I think that is recommended by some coaches/authors. 

In the course after 8.h4 a5 9. c4 Ba6, is mentioned. But many courses suggest 9…Nb6 as an extra option. 

What is the best way for white to continue here?

Replies

(a) - https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/3dSGbWkH8r/analysis?move=19

I love this position with f4 it feels like a sort of Sicilian style and we are making use of black poorly deveoloped pieces maybe in future we will play nc2 and trade off bishops, and continue by putting our rook on f3 and Manuvering the other knight to f1 through d2 and then have a strong mass of pieces on the kingside and start a attack slowly with a careful pawn push. It feels like white is doing awesome and for black it looks so weird even though engine gives white slight advantage for me personally it looks like plus 2.

(b) - I also face trouble 

Hey there,

In the mainline, we have made our choice, and if you want to investigate the other option further, you are welcome.

Regarding 9…Nb6 move, White can play with h5 - sometimes h6 ideas. If Ba6 then b3. If a4 than there are several moves for White - Nd2, Nc3, h6. Those are practical, playable positions for both sides, and you can dive much deeper as you want.

Opening Doubt - Caro Kann

Hi Chessmood family! 

I played a few games recently, and my opponents played early …g6, without committing …Nf6. I got a bit confused at the start because I was not getting our favorite Ne5 ideas in …g6 systems of black as mentioned in the course

However,  I got a decent position from the opening, but I wanted to know how the chessmood team will treat this approach.

The game went the following way: 

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 and here they played 5. …g6. I continued with 6. Bf4 Bg7  7. Nf3 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 - This is the main point. 

In one game, he played  9. …Nf6 10. Nd2 0-0. 

In another game, I faced 9. …Qb6, 

 and then in another game 9. …e5.

How will Chessmood react to this line?

Replies

After Bg4, you can play with Nbd2 - preparing to recapture with the Knight.
After Black trades the Bishop on f2, White is getting a decent positional advantage due to the pair of Bishops.

1. f4 - Bird Opening doubt

Hi chessmood family! 

Please make a course on how to refute 1.f4—Bird's opening, as the line suggested in Chessmood Openings for beginners is a different move order compared to what is recommended in the Step Up Step Opening course. I have noticed with 1.f4, white players have some flexible approach to transpose with 2.d4 3.e3 setup or, they can play 2.b3 but that will transpose to our beloved 1.b3. The problem is when they play 2.Nf3 3.g3, leading to a closed Sicilian g3 system structure, wherein, in the closed Sicilian course, Avetik sir suggested to play ...e6 followed by ...Nge7 against f4 by white, but here our N is already on f6.

Replies

Play c5 against f4, which can often lead to a Sicilian in or close to the repertoire (after e4 and some g3 lines), as well into b3 lines. There are e3 Be2, e3 d4 with or without c3, g3 without e4, c4 and various minor lines to handle. Usually in the independent lines White tries to control e5 with b3 Bb2 or d4, often placing a knight there if d6 isn't played. Some of them are quite tricky.

It's pretty rare despite quite a high profile course on Chessable by GM Raven, but against a strong player who doesn't transpose it can be difficult to win against. Unfortunately been waiting years for a course on f4 here.

If you are playing the simplified repertoire, follow GM Avetik's advice, and if the advanced one, play with 1…c5 - of course, White can play some weird sequences, but it usually transitions either to Sicilian Sidelines, or the 1.b3 Larsen variation course.

Why do top-level players usually avoid the Petroff?

Hi everyone,

I was wondering why the top level GMs mostly prefer 2…Nc6 after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3.  I was trying to find a promising line to prepare with the white pieces and was quite discouraged by what I found when checking the different lines:

3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 is the ChessMood recommendation, and I understand why, but I am searching for an alternative that keeps as much tension in the position as possible (on principle, I was looking for a line that avoids an early piece trade and opening the position because of the possibility that a very well-prepared opponent can prepare very far down the variations)

3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 is the main line it seems, but everything just seems very easy/simple against an opponent who is doing a decent opening preparation.

There are also several surprise lines (like 4.Nc4 or something, for example), but I guess what I'm saying is that I want a line that A) Keeps as much tension on the board as possible and B) Is solid/testing enough that I can repeat it over a long period of time.

For context, I am around 2200 Fide.

I greatly appreciate any advice, thank you all very much!

Replies

Dear friend,

Petroff on top levels is a solid opening, and in many games, top players are applying it.
Our approach is practical and easy to play, if you are searching for some very very deep prep, you need to investigate the theory played by top players, understand the modern lines, and try to come up with fresh engine ideas ( with very strong engines).

That's the nowadays chess at high levels - no advantage - just a practical, surprising approach for each game :-)

Modern Maroczy - Opening trouble

Hi Chessmood family! 

I have studied both Classical Maroczy and Modern Maroczy courses, and I have improved my chess understanding a lot and learned many new ideas. 

But when it comes to practical games, especially against weaker or low-rated opponents in certain lines like:

Dry position in 7.f3 line: 

1. e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.f3 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 0-0 10.Qd2 Be6 11. Be2 Rc8 12.Nd5 (which is not mentioned in the course) 12. ….Nxd5 13. cxd5 Bd7 14. 0-0. 

Dry position in 7.Be2 9.0-0 line: 

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Be2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.0-0 0-0 10. Qd3 Nd7 11. Be3 Nc5 12. Qc2 

(In one game, a lower-rated opponent played 12. Qf3 and I was clueless. According to the machine 12. …b6 is the best move but what is the middlegame plans after that? ) 

Coming back to mainline 12. ….Bxc3 13.Qxc3 Nxe4 14.Qd4 Nf6 - 

In this position, I played couple of games and  I faced 15.Bg5 followed by Bxf6 idea, 15.Bf3, 15.Rfe1, 15.h3 followed by Rac1 and b4 with c5.

I understand all the possible logical moves cannot be included in the course, as it will be a very big course, but if you could, please explain the plans and ideas on how to continue for each of the lines mentioned.

Also, there are a lot of model games for section 1 with Be3 and Qd2; after studying that, I feel confident in playing those positions, but for the remaining sections (in both courses as well as in the black stream games), there are not many model games showing how typical ideas and plans are in playing those positions. Even though the ideas may be a bit similar, there are some nuances in the ideas as the variations change in the remaining section 

(I am saying this from my playing experience and the troubles I have faced while playing against lower-rated players to play for a win.)

Please help me and give your take on these positions and the mindset when you play against lower-rated opponents and why this is not seen in high-level games.

Replies

Dear friend, this is a part of our repertoire, 

I do understand that it can be hard to beat lower-rated guys with this, so you can try to have some side openings as well.
Maroczy is a solid structure, but if White does nothing wrong, they also have a very normal position.

French Nd2

Hi after 1e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4 Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 our plan is to play f6 followed by Qxf6. However if White plays 6. Nb3 he allows his Bishop to get to g5 and gain a tempo on our queen if we follow our normal plan.

Should we then play 6. … f6 7 ef gf or is this opening lines against our king? Without f6 black's position looks rather passive as we lack pawn breaks so f6 looks necessary. Should we play our normal plan but on Bg5 play Qf7,Bd6 and castle kingside?

What should be the plan for black here?

Replies

Hi Norbert! Against 6 Nb3 a5 7 a4 Ncb8 is Avetik recomendation and later with the idea of B6 and Ba6 to exchange the bad Light bishop for  black. Check this video and about 1h:16min

https://chessmood.com/event/french-attack-advanced

You can see alot of game on chessbase from this position.

I try to play this position for black. I find its intresting and when I play this position White can later play H4 -h5 Rh3- Rg3 ideas it looks to me that White have little bit initiative against black position?  This line i guess under masterlevel you will almost never face a White player so updated. So before you check h4-h5 ideas with Rh3-Rg3 ideas like in Machuteon French. You need to study another alternative on move 8 to lern ideas. Cause you can not expect your opponents know rook lift ideas or had checked one good computer line. Thats why i recomend you to see human games and analyse. Study- Practice and fix after every games. Try to analyse   understand common ideas. Analyse more lines but shorter than only one long deep variation. 

You can also play 6.. f6 7 exf6 most common is to play Qxf6 8 Bg5 Qf7 9 Bb5 Bd6 with later 0-0  ans e5 ideas to open lines for your pieces mostly light bishop against White kings position for the price of a pawn sac on d5. It seems okey for black. I find in surprise value GM Avetik advice with 6.. a5 more intresting cause the knight can stand little bit missplaced on b3. A computer move. In online chess is not so common move and I guess not so common in OTB chess. In Corr chess and when people prepare with computer it is a common move. Do not go so deep to understand this line. 

Chess Mood - The French Attack

Hi everyone. I have a tournament coming up. There are a few strong players in there, so I checked their games. While analyzing one player's games, I happened to find that this was the most played line against the French:  1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3. 

While aware that this is the Exchange Variation, I am not very comfortable with this line as the knight's ideal position is on e7(BTW, A similar thing happens in 2 knights variation after 1.e4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.exd5 exd5 and 5.d4). I was not able to see anything on this line. Can anyone tell me the piece placements and other ideas? Thanks in Advance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Vedant

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Dear Vedant,

Here you can play with c6-Bd6 setups, and later on, castling short. The Knight on c3 now is a bit bad, due to the c6-d5 pawns. And it's an easy and equal position to play for Black.

french problem

what to do after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nc6 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.exd5!? where our knight is on f6 and what plan to choose?

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Here you can try to develop with Bd6 - Bf5 or Bg4, the thing is that Nd2 blocks the Bishop on c1 as well.

Chessmood Refutations 😈😈😈😈

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈

I saw my opponent playing chessmood line with white, and played the refutation. I enjoyed his crying heheheheheeheheheehe… He played Grand Prix d4 line…

GMs already know, I played a6 Nd4 Nf6 line.

I will come time to time to haunt the forum.

Stay tuned, and scared…

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈

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YAAAAY HAPPY EXCITABLE PEEING OF PANTS

1700 bullet!

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Funny Comments

Recently I've been learning the WhiteMood Openings.

I import the PGN Homework into Chessbase, then annotate and add lines.

Then I import into Chesstempo for Spaced Repetition. 

However, I've been noticing some ridiculously funny comments that were definitely not written by me, but are showing up in the Chesstempo as I practice the lines, but it shows 0 Comments which means it is a private comment. This means the comment came with the PGN Import into Chesstempo.

However when I go back to Chessbase, I can't find those comments anymore, this is so funny! Maybe a ChessMood Editor threw them in somewhere??

Here are some examples:

1.e4 1...c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nf3 Nxb5 5.Nxb5 d6 6.d4 Nf6 7.Qd3! a6 8.Nc3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 e5 10.Nf5! g6 

Ahahahahahahhahaha!

1.e4 1...c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nf3 Nxb5 5.Nxb5 d6 6.d4 Nf6 7.Qd3! a6 8.Nc3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 e5 10.Nf5! Bxf5 11.exf5 h6 12.f4! 12...Be7 13.Bd2 O-O Time to Aaataaack!

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How should I create my own set of PGN files?

During the 1 on 1 call with GM Gabu, he asked me if I analyzed my games. I replied yes, and I do it with Lichess. He then asked me to read the following article after our session:

https://chessmood.com/blog/the-most-effective-way-to-create-chess-pgn-files

After reading it, and watching GM Avetik's video on the files, I realised I am not analyzing my games in the right way. (In the past, I just enter my OTB games online, and then simply analyze with engine).

I realise now I should have a set of PGN files for my openings (which I do not have).

I have tried to create a set of opening moves for the scotch game below from the whitemood openings (see attachemnt).

But I have no idea if this is what GM Gabu and GM Avetik mean when they say we should create our PGN.

Can somebody confirm if what I am doing is correct?

Replies

Dear Eric,

If you split the variations into different files, adding the moves from the course, explanations ( short) just to understand the ideas, and so on, it looks fine to me - the goal is to have files that help you to revise your lines, and also can compare with the games when you play them. Also can use FixMood for that.

Top 25 Lichess - Between a rock and a hard place.

Long post/story, I'm sorry :-)

I play on Lichess and I have zenmode/hidden ratings activated.

Early november when I went online I saw a Top 50 trophy. 

It is very amazing to have that trophy but ... I also see it with hidden ratings, so I also will know if it is gone.
Trophy pressure/stress has become very real ...

To this day, as I’m writing this, I still hold that trophy — and it feels wrong on multiple fronts. I feel like a fraud. And, if I’m honest, I’m also a little scared of getting banned.

I checked my rating (Yes, I broke my own rule)

I promised myself I wouldn’t look at my rating for a long time. But with the new year coming up, I wanted to check now… and then check again in one year.

Instead of feeling neutral, it made everything worse.

The top 25 problem

Right now, I’m in the top 25 classical players on Lichess.

However…

The deeper I look, the more it feels like I don’t belong there — not because I’m cheating, but because of how I’m getting my games.

I only play 30+20 or longer, usually via Quick Pairing, with my search settings set as wide as possible in both directions.

I know Lichess runs weekly classical tournaments (Friday evenings) with 20+10, but that’s basically never possible for me schedule-wise.

When Quick Pairing takes too long, I’ll sometimes take games through the lobby, but always with a minimum of 30+20.

And here’s an important detail: I can’t see my opponent’s rating when I accept these games. So I’m not selecting opponents — I’m accepting time controls.

It seems like the strongest classical players mostly play:

in those tournaments, or

through other channels (not random matchmaking / quick pairing / lobby)

So while I’m climbing the rankings, I’m not sure I’m actually swimming in the same pool as the people I’m “ranked” alongside.

That’s what makes it feel fake.

My stats (and why they make me feel worse)

I’ve played 61 classical games on my account and when I write this post.

Average opponent rating: 2040.38

Highest-rated win: 2274

Record: W49 – D4 – L8

Because I’m facing that average level, I win a lot — and often pretty convincingly. My analysis stats are usually strong too (accuracy, centipawn loss, blunders/mistakes, etc.).

And that creates a second problem.

I’ve been messaged a lot with accusations:

cheating

sandbagging

rating manipulation

basically every classic one

And even though I’m not doing anything wrong, it still messes with my head. The fear isn’t logical — it’s emotional:

What if too many people report me?

That fear comes from my chess.com experience.

On chess.com, I once had an account meant for tired/unfocused games. It got banned.

Support told me the reason was essentially that I “gave myself a lower rating to start with,” and that this counted as sandbagging.

That felt awful — and it left a mark. I did made a new account, as I was allowed to do so but so far it has only been used for my 3 puzzle/day and a puzzle battle/day.

So now, even if I’m playing honestly, the “what if I get banned again?” thought keeps creeping back in.

The core issue: My rating feels inflated by the pool

Back to Lichess: because I’m consistently matched with an average opponent around ~2040, I keep winning, I keep gaining rating, and I keep climbing the rankings.

But instead of feeling proud, I feel like a fraud.

Not because the games are illegitimate — but because it feels like I’m climbing a ladder that isn’t placed against the same wall as everyone else’s.

If I’m being real, I don’t think I’m “top 25 classical” strength.

I have the feeling I’m more like a 2150–2200 classical player.

And the gap between “what the leaderboard says” and “what I think I deserve” is exactly what’s making this whole thing feel so wrong.

So… what do I do now?
Do I just keep playing the way I play and accept that the system is the system? Or do I actively try to “fix” this by seeking stronger opponents, even if it means fewer games and more losses? I don’t want a fake rank, but I also don’t want to sabotage myself just to feel morally clean.
I also could go for a different time control, 5+3 as is suggested by ChessMood in the multiple blogposts and play a classical game once a week (or a few on a single day) to keep my calculation and all still solid. Going for 5+3 will probably bring back a lot of anxiety (I had major issues starting chess) as I'm absolutely not used to playing “fast”.

In general, I am not in any local chessclub and I also don't have any major plans for chess (it's not like I want to be a titled player or anything, at the moment). I'm thinking about joining an open tournament, close to my home, that is hosted in august but apart from that there are 0 OTB plans.

Should I make 2026 the 5+3 year and see where it leads me?
Any input is very much appreciated. 

Any input?

Replies

Dear Gabriel,

I’ll answer this honestly.

You are not a fraud.
You are playing fair. You accept games blindly. You don’t choose weak opponents. You choose time control. That is completely normal.

The system gives a rating based on wins. That’s it. Sometimes the pool you play in is softer. That can push your rating up. It happens to many players. It doesn’t mean you are cheating or doing anything wrong.

The real problem is not the rating.
The problem is the feeling inside:
“Do I really belong here?”
That stress comes from past bad experiences, not from reality.

Also, online accusations mean nothing. If you play strong, people always complain. That’s normal online noise.

Now, what can you do?

Keep playing the same way if you enjoy it.
Don’t attach your identity to the trophy. It’s just a number.

Add some stronger games slowly.
Once or twice a week, try to play stronger opponents on purpose. Not every game. Just a little challenge to stay honest with yourself.

Try fast chess carefully.
5+3 is good for intuition and confidence, but don’t pressure yourself. Short sessions, no rating stress, just practice.

One OTB tournament is a great idea.
Real chess always shows the truth better than online ratings.

You don’t need to lose on purpose.
You don’t need to prove anything.
Just play, learn, and stay calm.

Chess should feel fun and clean, not stressful.

Help in the French exchange please.

Having trouble getting the long castle setup in the exchange French. I love the French Attack. I just have trouble getting into the setup when white plays nf3. instead of c3. Any advice on this would be very helpful. I have watched all the videos and model games I think there is just something I am missing with this set up.

Thanks for your answers. 

Replies

Just go Nc6, Bd6, Nge7, Bg4, Qd7, f6 & 0-0-0 bro. White cannot really do much about your setup in the French attack, which is great. I’m not exactly sure what problem your dealing with.

Schlecther (GM Colovic claims it is good for black)

GM Colovic in one youtube video suggests that in Schlechter variation black can get good position after 3..de and 5…c5 and 7..Nd5 line (Section 3 in the course), grabbing pawn on g2 with Queen.

https://youtu.be/dW7STAYhkyQ?t=303 

What chessmood thinks about it? 

I had written down all PGNs from the course and in my notes I see thath in the course lines stops after 11.Bf4, thou Colovic continues and claims black is more than fine. Are there some extra lines mentioned after 11.Bf4?

Replies

we just need to know how to use initiative