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Chess forum by Grandmasters
Anti-sicilian main line with 8..Bd7 9.Nd7 Nd7 not covered
I think that 8..Bd7 9.Nd7 Nd7 is not covered in the course, but it seems normal move. Opening bishop, moving knight to b6. ELO 1900 player played these moves spending 1 second. [WhiteElo "1926"] [BlackElo "1907"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Qa4 d6 7. e5 dxe5 8.Nxe5 Bd7 9. Nxd7 Nxd7 10. Be3 (10. Bb5 Bg7) 10... Bg7 11. Rd1 O-O 12. g3 Qc8 13. Bg2 Nb6 14. Qb5 Qe6 15. O-O Qc4 16. Bxb6 (16. a4 Qd4) 16... Qxb5 17. Nxb5 axb6 18. Rd7 Rxa2 19. Rxb7 Na5 20. Rxe7 Rxb2 21. Nd6 Rxc2 22. Bd5 Rd2 23. Bxf7+ Kh8 24. Ne4 Re2 25. Bd5 Bd4 26. Rd7 b5 27. Ng5 Bg7 28. Ne6 1-0
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Hi Renate,
The move you are suggesting for Black is possible. What I recommend to play is going 10.Bb5 Bg7 11.0-0 0-0 and 12. Rd1
In my opinion that is a good practical position for white and not so easy for the Black to decide with the Queen.
Good luck!
main courses of french attack
Dear CM coaches, in the french attack course against King's indian attack, we heard GM Avetick says that against, 1.e4 e6 2. d3 d5. 3. Nd2 "while the main move is 3... Nf6, which i will recommend you in the main course" but here you recommend to play 3... e5. my question where is the main course of the french attack ? wish you a good day
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It will be published this year. At the moment we still did not record it.😅
Please check this thread for more info:
https://chessmood.com/forum/threads/french-defense-main-course?reply_id=17616&page=1
Important missing line in Alapin
Today I got surprised by 10.a4!. If I'm not mistaken, this move isn't covered in the course. It's the most popular move in this position and scores well (66%). As I learned the hard way, the plan a4-a5-a6 followed by d4 and Nf3-d4-b5 can be quite dangerous. Allowing this line seems to be the price to pay for choosing the straightforward 8...Be6 over the more complicated 8...c4 (which was offered in the old course). Would be good to have it covered in the advanced section.
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That's an interesting one thanks. The top 3 engine moves are Qd7, a6, and Nd5. All are about equal according to Stockfish. If I faced this in a game I'd probably lean towards Qd7 because it's the move that best solves the problem of our awkward kingside. I'd be looking to followup with e6, Be7 or Bd6, and O-O. Of course the downside is that it allows white to achieve their plan of a5-a6 but you can't have everything :-) a6 is the other move I might play because it stops white's plan. I do find the hole on b6 somewhat ugly though. I would not play Nd5. Not an intuitive move for me although I do understand the prophylactic point of allowing a5 to be met with a6. Something about this position makes me want to keep it simple. What did you play in your game, and what would you play if facing this again?
Hi Peter,
There could be several moves against a4 like Qd7 or Nd5, and since positions are not concrete I tried to explain the main ideas to our auditories, as well since I have seen your notes about the previous lines with c4, of course, you are welcome to make your choice and can try to advance in that variations.
Thank you!
Hastings masters - the post mortem
So I've shared 10 games I've played. All my opponents are reasonable irrespective of grade, as any amateur that enters such a long tournament (aside from a couple of locals) is a good player for their rating. Unlike weekend tournaments no one is going to let you walk over them or be satisfied with a quick draw, so every game must be approached with care. Some of those I lost to/drew with were doing well against strong players as well. I have some ideas on what I need to improve, certainly on average I'm using more time than when I last played there. However given I've shared my games I'd like some opinions on what I should be focusing on to improve and suggested training ideas. If you're less than 2000 while I welcome feedback, please indicate your rating.
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I played through all your games, some more than once, and even followed a few live. Thanks for sharing this experience with us. So far in my return to chess I have not felt ready to play in any big tournaments so this sort of reporting is useful for me in terms of remembering what I'll be in for. I thought you did well to come back from consecutive losses to finish with 1.5/2. I have some thoughts about what you might want to work on but need to figure out how to express them clearly, then I will post them here.
4NCL spring online congress
A good chance to enter an online tournament with prizes for those who want to play tournaments but can't get to where they are being held. https://www.4ncl.co.uk/fide/online/arrangements_spring23.htm (details and entry fees) Games (45 15) are every other Tuesday starting from the 17th between 19:30 and 21:30 UK time on lichess. Open isn't looking terribly strong so chances to win it, entries close 5pm on Tuesday.
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Richter-Veresov Attack
Have I missed something or do we have nothing in the courses against the Richter-Veresov Attack, as per the below? 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. Nc3 (or 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5). What is our recommendation here?
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Hi Yair,
I remember a couple of years ago that I played a wrong plan with QS fianchetto. Avetik told me to go g6 and normal development should do. Many moves tranpose to the d4 sidelines as for example if they play d2.
I will add this to the lines that we need to expand anyways and let Avetik know about it.
Usually I just go 3...Nbd7, and 4...e6, and figure it out from there. Positions tend to be equal.
Anti Sicilian Part 2 ... how to face Bg4 and Qa5
I recently played a game where I was following the Anti Sicilian Part 2 line where my opponent deviated from the ChessMood theory of 9. ... e6 with 9. ... Bg4 followed by 10. ... Qa5 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 Nxb5 5. Nxb5 a6 6. Nc3 d6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 Nf6 9. Bg5 Bg4 10. O-O-O Qa5 Has anyone faced this and how best to respond and why?
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I didn't have this line seems very rare 10..Qa5. Probably the strongest direct 11.e5 with powerfull compenstation d:e 12.Ne5! Bd1 13.Rd1 with threat Bf6 and Qd7X oder 11..Bf3 12. g:f d:e 14. Qd3 with strong compensation and black king in center
Hi Bradley, In my opinion, we can capture on f6 and spoil the pawn structure of the opponent. Even though black gets 2 bishops vs our knights, the center is closed. we are much more ahead in development so white has an advantage.
In same line i want to know how to proceed against 8..... Bg4?
Question
One of the benefits of the PRO members subscription was a 1 on 1 call where we also go over/create a training plan. How do I go about doing this?
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Hi Noah,
It is very easy, just go to Events & more and select “Events”. Or click below:
Then select the 1-1 on call with new PRO members that works with your schedule, there are several options always available.
Click on see more and follow the instructions after pressing the “Book a call” button…
😀If you have any problem, just let us know…💪
How to analyze games ? any course or video ?
Good evening, I really should analyze my games but I don't know how to do it, and when I start looking at my games I get super bored, any tips to help me out ? Is there any chessmood course or maybe a video of one the team members explaining how to analyze games ? I cant thank you enough, stay save !
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If you are looking for how to analyze blitz games, chessmood has a good article titled- Blitz Chess game analysis-Why and how to do it ?
I read online 9 tips to analyze your games- 1.Write down your thought process of the game. 2.Replay the game and look for other options. 3.Use a chess engine. 4.Pay special attention to key moments. 5. Analyze your game with a coach. 6.Visit a chess database. 7. Note down the mistakes 8.Note down the corrections. 9.Draw your conclusions.
**** To Shubhi Kumar from Chessmood Odysseus: We edited this post because it made reference to other webpages that we do not exactly know.
This post from Avetik should help you:
https://chessmood.com/blog/analyze-blitz-chess-games
And also this video too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcwmeoV4Dm0
😀
Nimzowitch Defense with 2.e6
Last week I played a game where my opponent played the Nimzowitsch Defense, the game went like this : 1.e4,Nc6 2.Nf3,e6 i wasnt sure what to play so i just played the most normal looking move 3.d4,d5 4.e5,f6 5.c3,fxe5 6.Nxe5,Nxe5 7.dxe5,Bc5. could anybody tell me what the best approach is against this opening?
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I now found out that playing d4 and the e5 was what GM Avetik recommends, but I am still not sure what i am supposed to play against this early f6 move
Chessmood has an article on the Nimzowitsch Defense- Nimzowitsch Defense-How should you react? You should read that article. It tells you all about this opening. There is also a course on the same.
French attack, section 5 vs Nd2
Dear cm family, i faced after 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd7 6.c3 f6 7.exf6 Qxf6 8.Bb5 and wasn't able to find a good answer. I played 8.. Ncb8? and went on to win but it seemed too passive. What do you recommend? Cheers
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By looking at this position, you can go Bd6 and develop one more piece, there is nothing wrong if they take on c6, our Light square bishop can go to a6 and also we would like to play e5 anyways and open the position with both bishops.
Yes, Bd6 is definetively the move, giving you 4 developed pieces while the opponent only has 3. You can castle in the next move or after e5 too…
😀Ncb8 is way too passive, yes… Develop, develop… You must think how to develop, no going back if no needed… 💪
Alapin: White plays Be3 - to take or not to take?
I get the Alapin in almost every game (it completely boggles the mind why white players willingly opt for this epitome of boredom) and often white plays Be3 when I still have a knight on d5, and the question arises, should I take and when is it optimal to take? This can of course happen through various move orders, but here's an example: 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. c3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd5 6. cxd4 d6 7. exd6 Qxd6 8. Nc3 Bg4 9. Be2 e6 10. O-O Be7 11. Be3 Any general guidelines on how to approach this?
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Often I'd leave it there. Why strengthen the isolated d-pawn you're meant to be attacking and open the f-file for White (unless something concrete such as picking up the e3 pawn after recapture or blockading e4/d5? Have a look at my Hastings round 9 game in the earlier thread which while not quite that exact line, I just build up against d4. That's also the suggestion in the updated Alapin course to play against d4 with all the pieces.
Exactly, like David said, we need to concentrate our attack on d4 and sometimes even b2. After9…e6, our plan should be Be7, 0/0, Rd8 and Rc8. If Ne4 in this position, we play Qc7 supporting a possible Nf4. Also with Qb6 we can attact the d4 and b2 pawns.
As far as the opening is concerned you reached a very good middlegame position with chances for both but I always prefer to attack the IQP on d4, at least I know what I must do… 😀
By the way if you take on the e3 Bishop it is not an IQP anymore, you can do it depending on concrete moves, but if the opponent has a weakness, just attack it.
Question About Sparring/online events
Hey All, Does chessmood organize online classical tournaments? Something in which players play 1 game per week. Much like the league4545 on lichess? How easy is it to find a sparring partner on chessmood? I'm thinking about signing up, but I'm on the fence. Thanks
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Although I am not sure, but chessmood does not have tournaments or sparring partners. Chessmood is a chess educational platform but not a playing platform like chess.com or lichess.com.
Hi Alfred,
At the moment we are not hosting any league or championship for games. We did in the past participate in the Bundesliga but unfortunately there were not enough members to keep the events going.
Maybe in the future it there is enough interest we can try to organize it, but we must understand that we are people from all over the world with very different schedules…
Maybe it can be feasible, we will see how it goes this year… Avetik is preparing lots of things for our Chessmood family and I am sure that everyone will like it… 😀
live tournaments
How to players get matched in live (in person) tournaments? Is it totally random so a GM could play a 1000 rated player? Or do they try to match up via the ratings so the game is more competitive?
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Usually they use the Swiss system which basically tries to match up people with the same number of points. It's more complex than that, and there are minor variations depending on which precise ruleset is used, but that's the general idea. In the first round, the draw is determined by rating such that the top seed plays the player just below the middle seed etc. For example in a 10 player tournament the first round would be: 1st seed plays 6th seed 2nd seed plays 7th seed 3rd seed plays 8th seed 4th seed plays 9th seed 5th seed plays 10th seed. But often the big events are broken up into separate sections (by rating) and each one is run as its own separate tournament.
https://www.chessable.com/blog/how-chess-tournaments-work/ Most online and OTB tournaments use one of three pairing systems: Swiss, round-robin, or knockout. The most common pairing system is "Swiss" (search for "Swiss" in the linked article). In a Swiss tournament, if you're in the lower half of players when sorted in descending order according to rating, you'll typically play a much stronger opponent (sometimes even GM) in the first round. As the tournament progresses, you are ever more likely to get an opponent who's roughly your strength.
Playing black against d4 and king's side fianchetto
To me, unambitious opening play from white with resulting symmetrical structures is quite challenging, as I often feel at loss as what to do. For example, the below: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O If 5.. d5 then 6. c4 and we're out of our lines, and if 5.. c5 then 6. c3 and we're also out of our lines. and in both cases the resulting positions seem quite lifeless. Any advise on how get something interesting from this?
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Hi Yair,
We go 3…c5 instead of Bg7. Check out this thread where Avetik replied 3 months ago:
https://chessmood.com/forum/pro-channel/tricked-by-moveorder-benkostyle
Suggestion
If I can add a suggestion for future content, an interactive drill board where you make the moves shown in the videos can help members solidify their understanding and comprehension of what they're learning. This can be in place of or alongside a training partner.
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Thanks Noah for your input. It is a good idea and we will consider the viability to implement this function.
Nowadays most of the people just open Chessbase alongside the course, altough we recommend watching the video and then work on the pgns to see exactly what we remember.
Please read this article if you haven't yet, maybe it will useful:
https://chessmood.com/blog/the-most-effective-way-to-create-chess-pgn-files
Tactic Ninja course: Difference between "Tactics with X" and "Test" videos
Hi! I'm just doing the Tactic Ninja course. Towards the end of most of the sections, there is a video called "Tactics with XXX" and then a "Test" video shortly after. Is there a difference between the selection of puzzles in these two kinds of videos? For me as a user, it seems like the first kind of video is doing exactly the same thing as the "Test" video -- in both videos I'm just supposed to solve the puzzles, which "tests" me. Would be nice to hear what the intended difference between the videos is and why some puzzles have been put in the first kind, others in the second kind. Hope my questions is clear ;)
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I thought this too. I think the idea was to show more examples (perhaps harder) and then test you. I treated both as a test and tried to solve all. Maybe if you score low in the test section that's the indicator to repeat, not the examples before.
I always try to solve all tactics when Avetik asks to pause the video and think. Tests are the one you should be able to solve after watching the section, tactics are sometimes harder.
Winning Won Positions / Technique / Converting an advantage
Hello everyone, I know a course is coming next month on Chessmood about winning won positions. However, I would like to know if you had some ideas on how to improve this skill, especially in Blitz? Do you know books about this subject? (I'm rated 2300+ online if this can help). Do you have techniques to recommend? For instance, playing certain positions against an engine or a sparring partner? Or is it just practice and time which will help? I analyzed my games a lot and losing won positions is a real pattern, so I really want to improve at this part of the game ? Thank you and have a great day :)
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Because of that, I'm losing my confidence more and more when I have a winning position. Hoping someone will recommend something. Thank you and have a great day everyone :)
There are lots of types of winning positions. Have you narrowed it down to a particular type? Occasionally I'll play out a winning position vs a weakened engine if I'm really annoyed about how I messed it up. Usually level 5 or level 6 on lichess. Another idea is to collect a set of positions where you should have made a particular move and put them into a custom Chessable course.
Hi Yes the new course is coming soon, but there are already some material on ChessMood website on WWP. Have you checked these out already? https://chessmood.com/search?q=winning
Well, I really need this course: https://lichess.org/kcF2hzqt/black have a good day.
How to solve tactics and play faster?
I noticed from Puzzle Racer in Lichess that some people can solve a hard to believe amount of tactics within 3 minutes. This usually transpose to their ability to play Blitz and Bullet. This may be a solution to play better before and during time trouble with 5+3 time control. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.
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I think Avetik alrteady explained everything in this article:
https://chessmood.com/blog/improve-chess-tactics
Please check the blog, it will help you a lot.
💪
What sort of Puzzle Racer scores are you talking about? I hadn't played Puzzle Racer before today as I tend to do Puzzle Rush on chess.com. Gave it a try and got a bit carried away playing it 25 times :-). One thing I like compared to Puzzle Rush is that you're the same colour in every position of the race. Looks like they randomly assign you a colour at the start of the race. On the other hand, with Puzzle Rush you don't have to wait for others to join before you can start. One good thing about these puzzle games is that you can review the puzzles you got wrong at the end. If you do that enough times you might notice patterns in the sorts of tactics you have trouble with, so you can work on improving that.
Today's daily puzzle is the same as few days/months ago
I notice that today's daily puzzle is the same as few days/months ago
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The daily puzzle feature has been going on for a few years already. From a collection of great studies only the best and interesting ones have been chosen, so you can imagine, that there is no unlimited number of puzzles available. Therefore, after a few months puzzles are repeated, which I think is no problem, as it gives us the chance to repeat finding the correct solution or to re-produce the solution, in case we did not solve the puzzle previously.
