Chess forum by Grandmasters

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?

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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 ?

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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 

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🙂

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?

Scotch Game / Advice asked

Dear chess friends,

attached you find a game, that I played in a low club league yesterday. I had strong advantage (I think) in the middle game but lost it later. I offered a draw after move 28 and the opponent agreed.

Which was a great success for me because he had a rating 450 points more than my rating.

My question to you is, where did I make serious mistakes?
Thank you for any advice or comments.

Joachim

https://lichess.org/study/D0W3sCWI

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Hi Joachim,

More experienced players than me will hopefully add their thoughts but these are mine:

* After 5…Qf6 I think the recommended moves for white are either Qe3 or Qd1 and then proceed with normal development.  The queen on f6 isn't really threatening anything immediately so there seems little advantage for us in exchanging queens.  That said, I don't think this is a huge mistake.

* I'm not sure why you offered a draw when you did.  What is your endgame play like?  It looked like you had a pawn advantage on the kingside which you could have used to get a passed pawn promoted (I say this theoretically - in practice, I often struggle to execute this plan!).

Hi Joachim,

I think there were two moments that stood out. One of them you can find if you request an analysis on lichess: you’ll see there was a moment where you could have taken a second pawn for free, and this would have made the endgame much easier to win. The second moment was what ShouldveStuckToPoker pointed out - you offered a draw when you were a pawn up in the endgame. To get a better understanding of how to play such positions from a purely chess point of view you can look at the Endgame Roadmap course (one of the best here on chessmood).

But there is also a psychological issue here. Regardless of whether the position is objectively winning, if you are not going to try to beat stronger players when you are a pawn up in the endgame, from which positions are you going to try to beat them? It can be difficult to get into the mindset of believing you can beat stronger players, but achieving such a mindset is key to improving.

🙂

Early Advantage:

-Joachim (White) seems to have built a good advantage early on. Capturing the Black queen (5. Qxd4) and securing the center with pawns (d4, e4) puts him in a strong position.

Middlegame Missteps:

11. g4: This move might be a bit premature. While it opens the long diagonal for the bishop, it weakens the kingside and allows Black to counterattack with ...h5 and ...Nh7.

21. Nf5: This move seems risky, pushing the knight far away from the center and potentially exposing it to attack.

Black's Counterplay:

Black (jogue03) capitalized well on Joachim's positional weaknesses.

11. ...h5: This challenges White's control over the center and opens the h-file for Black's rook.

21. ...c4: This pawn push creates a strong outpost for Black in the center and puts pressure on White's d3-pawn.

23. ...b5: This further weakens White's kingside and opens escape squares for Black's king.

The Ending:

-The game eventually reached a drawn endgame. While Joachim did well to salvage a draw against a higher-rated opponent, there might have been chances to press for more earlier.

Possible Improvements:

-Consider developing pieces more naturally before pushing pawns on the kingside (like g4).

-Focus on solidifying the center control before venturing knights far away.

-When Black plays ...c4, consider maneuvers like exchanging rooks on the d-file or maneuvering the knight back to defend the d3-pawn.

General Advice:

-In the Scotch Game, controlling the center and developing pieces effectively are crucial.

-Be cautious about weakening your kingside too early.

-Pay attention to your opponent's threats and plans, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

I hope this helps and try to analyse with the help of an engine but make plans by yourself and confirm it with any better player/coach and even the engine. And as CHESSMOOD Says:

“Have the RIGHT MOOD play the RIGHT MOVE!” (Maybe, it's not fully accurate but the concept is same!)

Honestly, the only mistakes I see are 8. f3 and 22. Rg1.
You allowed Black to play d5 and spent two tempi just moving your rook.
You were still winning in the endgame too, and it is a good practice to always play things out.
Do you have any specific questions?
Like about certain moves, etc.

Vertical battery/annihilation combo. Quite proud of pulling this off in a bullet game

https://www.chess.com/game/live/126774602897

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Sneaky stallion level 2 puz 5

In the mating course.

I cannot understand why the C3 pawn does not capture the knight when it moves to D4 in this puzzle. What am I missing?

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The pawn is pinned by the Black Queen. If pxN, then QxQ

Where is stone wall

I wanted to ask a question next Wednesday I am going to face a 2150 who plays the stonewall attack and I don't know what to against it even though I have a good repertoire against all the main openings and I didn't find anything on chessmood what should I do

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🙂

To prepare for the Stonewall Attack, study its basic principles and watch games of strong players.Practice your own openings and be flexible in your approach.Don't be afraid to castle queenside, break the center, and be patient. You may try to find in chessable and lichess. Just be confident and calm! It will work!

Precisely how to do training puzzles many times

During my 1-1 call I was given the advice to do the training puzzles many time until I can solve them in about five seconds.

I now did in Tactical Ninja under pin after summary Traning Level 1. Only the first easy one within seconds. What exactly to do now? First repeat all these 20 puzzles right away ? Or wait some time so I don't remember the solutions ? Or continue with Training Level 2 and continue in the course ?

Replies

🙂

Repeat the puzzles a few times, then wait a few days and repeat them again. This will help you learn the concepts and remember the solutions. Then, move on to the next level.

1.d4 as black

Hi everyone, 

Just a little question: 

In the black mood openings course, the response to 1.d4 is 1…e6 (Dutch).

Yet, the benko gambit and d4 sidelines courses seem to assume with start with 1…Nf6. 

Is 1…Nf6 covered somewhere that I would have missed?

Kind regards,

Replies

Hi there,

As I understand it, there are a number of variations of the Dutch Defence.  

The one that starts with 1 … e6, as suggested in the BlackMood opening course, is a variation which avoids some of white's potential anti-Dutch lines (that is, making this version of the Dutch a ‘safer’ version for beginners).

Whereas, the one that starts with 1 … Nf6 is a more common Dutch Defence line.  There is a Chess.com guide here: https://www.chess.com/lessons/key-openings/popular-1-d4-openings-1-nf6-dutch-defense

(PS: I'm not familiar with the Benko course so I may be completely wrong!)

Chessmood reccomends the Dutch for below 2000 players.

The Benko is the advanced opening reccomended for over 2000 players.

New article - 10 Must-Read Non-Chess Books Every Chess Player Should Explore

It's great to add to your knowledge of chess. But don't underestimate the power of a great mindset! 

1 impactful mindset book can have a 10x bigger impact on your chess than 10 chess books combined. It can show you: 

- How to perform at your peak?

- Set the right goals and be objective

- How to find motivation to fuel your dreams?

- How to stay focused when you're constantly bombarded with information and so much more. 

Today, we're sharing 10 non-chess books to help you win your chess and life games!

Discover them here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog/best-non-chess-books

And what are your best non-chess reads that have impacted your game? Share them with us under this thread. 

Replies

I am not sure it's in the same category as the books mentioned in the blog post.

Did you read “Chess Improvement - It's all in the mindset” from Barry Hymer and Peter Wells.

Hi Avetik,
Good List!  There's a few on there I haven't read yet so will do so soon.

Did you know we are only 10% human?  Each of us has trillions of microbes living in the gut that produce things like Serotonin for good mood and many many other things.

For the last 3 months my main topic of reading has been about the Gut Microbiome and how it affects our, health and happiness to an amazing extent.  It's absolutely fascinating stuff and after embracing it I have noticed many good things about my health and from a chess point of view one of them is improved mental clarity and less brain fog.  We are touching on the healthcare of the future here. One book that can help sort your microbiome out is Super Gut but there are many others when you dive into the topic.

Super Gut by Dr William Davis is one I think you might be adding to your list one day.

All the best

Adam

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Super-Gut-Four-Week-Reprogram-Microbiome/dp/1399701819/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1173179829153601&hvadid=73323987886120&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=4960&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-73323898312047%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=3222_2381487&keywords=supergut&qid=1693333669&sr=8-1

Avetik,

At age 60, my biggest goals, other than family, are health and longevity, and in that I'm extremely well read. What I would add is, especially with health, it's important to check your information with major research scientists specialized in the area in question. Google to see if scientists in the area at Harvard, Oxford, etc. agree. It's very easy to terribly misinterpret scientific research and statistical analysis if you don't have the PhD training, and specialization in the area in question. It's far more complex than most people realize.

That said, if you haven't already, I'd look into fasting. There are many potential benefits, but a big one for me, and many people, is that it makes it far easier and more pleasant to stay lean, and I find a boost in productivity. A recent book by a major scientist in this area is, “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance”.

A great book on learning by top cognitive scientists is, “Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning”.

I wish you the very best! 

P.S. Hope your back is fully recovered from your skiing accident; otherwise, I can recommend some things that make my back 100% even in my old age.

Great list of books! Some I have read, others now on my list. Thanks!   

Perhaps we need your 10 must read chess books too!

Hi all, 

just in case I started during my cross country skiing vacation (2 weeks in Austria and the Dolomites) with nice cosy apartments with local small mountain farmers and popular competitions each weekend ..

but well the first week without almost any snow and event canceled. Anyway having a good time and time for reading (so far ⅓ of the limitless book by Jim Kwok)  .. and well less time for learning chess.  So here is my point/comment question.   First I find/found these general methods of learning (and teaching) always very interesting and useful. However, perhaps there is some exaggeration and something more that troubles me about the judgements and the elitism idea.   But this aside.  I read a book several years ago (and started reading it again now in parallel with limitless) 

I can highly recommend it, and well perhaps you have some thoughts about how this influences chess learning curves and so on. As well as “fears” of making certain moves under stress etc etc.   Looking forward to read your thoughts about this. Greeting Michael  

Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious (English Edition) Kindle Edition

English edition by Timothy D. Wilson (Autor) Format: Kindle Edition

See all formats and editions

"Know thyself," a precept as old as Socrates, is still good advice. But is introspection the best path to self-knowledge? What are we trying to discover, anyway? In an eye-opening tour of the unconscious, as contemporary psychological science has redefined it, Timothy D. Wilson introduces us to a hidden mental world of judgments, feelings, and motives that introspection may never show us.

This is not your psychoanalyst's unconscious. The adaptive unconscious that empirical psychology has revealed, and that Wilson describes, is much more than a repository of primitive drives and conflict-ridden memories. It is a set of pervasive, sophisticated mental processes that size up our worlds, set goals, and initiate action, all while we are consciously thinking about        

Hey ChessMood,

I am amazed by this choice of non-chess books and have read a few of them but what chess books would you recommend to have a steady growth for 1900 FIDE rated players like myself?

test

New

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What am I missing in this position?

Hi, new chess player here. I was working on this chess puzzle and when I couldn't figure it out, I checked with an engine and it decided on the move in blue. 
Can someone explain why this is the best next move? I was thinking white could just move the queen down 1 square rather than sacrificing.

Thanks in advance!

Replies

Hello!

This is for several reasons I believe.

First, the engine sees more compensation with 2 pieces for a queen I stead of losing the knight on D2.

Second, (and my calculation may be flawed here), but I believe that Whites queen is close enough to trapped, that White will have to give more material anyway.

The engine is simply trying to minimize it's losses.

Hope this helps!

Dutch Attack - London

Hi. I've just played a dutch vs the London in a rapid game and got into trouble very quickly.

The game went 

1. d4 e6 2. Bf4 f5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bd3 b6 5. Nf3 Bb7 6. Nbd2 d6 7. c3 Nbd7 8. Qb3 Qe7 9. Bc4 and here I reluctantly played the ugly d5 which blocks my bishop on b7 but stops white playing e4. I think this was a mistake. I was thinking of Nd5 but didn't think the knight best placed there. The computer says e5.               

Should I play e5 here and after exchanges castle queenside then follow up with the usual Ne4 g5 attack?

I would be grateful for any insights which show the plans for black.

Replies

Hi Norbert,

The way your opponent played is quite rare.
I looked at the position and e5 followed by 0-0-0 looks quite interesting.

Nc3 sicilian part 4

Hi. what to do after e4 c5 Nc3 a6 f4 e6 g3 and d5?

Replies

Hi Eliya,

We don't want to take on d5 as in that case, we will trade our valuable pawn on e4 with the pawn on e6.
Instead, I believe Bg2 is the right way - and if Black plays 5…d4 than Nce2 followed by d3-Nf3 development.

Rossolimo Question

Hi Chessmood family, 

This is my first time posting but I have a question about the Rossolimo. On move 7 after e4 c5 Nf3 Nc6 Bb5 g6 Bxc6 dxc6 d3 Bg7 h3 Nf6 0-0 c4 what about e5 move? I do not find a reasonable response. 

Thanks

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Yeah that is a playable line for White, Id recommend (especially not to overload on theory) just to continue and try to play the main line with Nd7, e5 etc.

Usability Issue With New Quiz Interface

Recently a new interface has been developed for puzzles. It looks nicer but it has an usability problem. There is no easy way to go to a puzzle in the middle of the set:

On a 50 puzzle set (image below) if I want to go to puzzle 30 I have to press on the right arrow many times. Also if I do just half of the puzzle, when I come back it loads the first puzzle, not where I left off, and I also need to press the right arrow many times to continue where I was. 

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French to Taimanov

The first move after e4 e6 d4 black played c5 and got converted to Taimanov. Do I need to know Taimanov theory or is there anything better to get to closed sicillian?

Replies

Hey there,

After 2…c5 we continue 3.d5!

White gets a quick space advantage and comfortably healthy positions for pieces to develop.