Chess forum by Grandmasters

"video feature is live"

Hi, 

I'm Jean-Lou. And i love your website.

I received an email titled "video feature is live". but I don't see what this means on the chessmood site. Where should I go to get this feature?

sincerely

Replies

Hi, 

After some research on the web, I found some explanations on your Facebook and Instagram. The project is under development and already some features appear by going to the profile and "ai coach". I wish you great success with this project.

Sincerely

how to deal with these people

I have a problem with a lot of players that they know all the theory, and just play into some random line that endgame and draw that game and ruin my tournament. They offer a draw every 5 moves and don't try to create any sort of advantage. Their only goal in the game is not winning, but to not lose. I tried to break through so many times but the guy just kept it so tight and I couldn't win. This happens a lot as black. How to play against these people.

Replies

Dear Eli,

Well, sometimes some people who are aiming for the draw and choose some lines where positions are simple, trade off the material and keep it solid, might be able to not give many chances - but that usually happens on like IM+ levels, when they are able to stand solid for a long.

Out of my experience, almost everyone gives some chances, or you can find ideas to outplay them - for that, you need to work on your chess understanding - and over time, as you become stronger, you will be able to better play against such opponents.

How to avoid memorising solutions?

I usually do the Tactic Ninja training puzzles as a warmup for the day, and also, I am currently on the Calclman course, and as many of those puzzles require lots of calculations and tactical vision, I want to redo the puzzles that I have gotten wrong.

However, many times, I often unintentionally memorise the solution. Like when I open a puzzle, I can immediately remember the correct move. I think that is quite bad for my learning, as I won't be able to apply the ideas I have learnt

Is there any way to avoid memorising the solution? Or perhaps, if I happen to remember the solution when solving a puzzle, is there anything I can do?

Replies

I wish I had the same issue with good memory haha :-)

Well, I don't know any ideas to forget the solutions, dear Teddi, but I can advise just to puzzle through other options, in order not to get the same positions over and over again.

It's a good idea as if you train patterns in many different situations, you have better chances of learning them better and applying in the future.

Thanks for a cool question, it made me smile :-)

Dutch Attack against London System

Dear ChessMood family, I recently studied the Dutch Attack course - which is excellent! - and have a question when facing the London system: in the typical London setup (Bf4, Bd3, Nd2, c3, 0-0) should I still play Ne4 if white has already played Nd2, which is usually answered by white with Nd2xe4? If so, should I take back with the Pawn f5xe4, as explained in the chapter ‘a counterintuitive idea’? Thanks for your help!

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ChessMood Family, Welcome to our Forum!

Dear friends, dear chess lover, welcome to our forum! 
This is the first forum in the chess world, where your questions will be directly answered by Grandmasters! 

In our chessmood family, we have cool members, who take value and help others as well the same time! 
We will reward such cool people! 
Ane time your answer to any questions gets 5 "likes", or "best answer" by any of our Grandmaster- you'll be rewarded with 1000 MoodCoins! 

Let's keep constant growing! 
Right Mood - Right Move! 

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In chess during each game the player must be prepared psychologically. After chess training this is in the main place! Not right??

Scotch game 5...Bb4

Hi, I'm a 1300 player.

I am struglging with the 5…Bb4 of the scotch game.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4

I don't do very well in this variation. I am concerned about the doubled pawns on c file and the e4  pawn being attacked eventually. Does the chessmood course cover this variation? i don't seem to be able to find it.

I have looked at the engine, but i can't seem to comprehend it.

Replies

Dear Eric,

In these lines, we play with 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 - you can check in the Whitemood lines how to play :-) 

Here is the link:

https://chessmood.com/course/whitemood-openings/episode/3724

Caro Kann, whitemood repertoire how to create an attack with white ?

I played this OTB game yesterday and I was not able to buil up an attack on either kingside or queeside, what I've I missed ?

Who can give an advice ? As the position will occur again your comments will be very useful. Thnkas in advance for your help

Replies

do you have the pgn of the game?

Dear Carlo,

Indeed, the information is needed; if you can post a picture of the positions, I can see and provide recommendations.
 

As well, we have lots of model games here https://chessmood.com/course/whitemood-openings-model-games/episode/6404

This is the place where we add our best games, and that experience can help you a lot as well :-)

Good luck, hope you will master and enjoy the Caro Kann opening :-) 

what opening should i play

“Hi, I’m trying to choose a main defense vs d4.

I’ve played d5 setups (sometimes Triangle), but I often get passive positions and a bad light-square bishop. I know about breaks like …c5 or …e5, but I struggle with the timing in real games.

I’m also considering the Benko Gambit, but I’m not very comfortable with gambits.

Should I stick with d5 and improve, or switch to something like the Benko? I just want something reliable for tournament games.”

Replies

Well, I love Benko a lot, but!
Opening should be something you enjoy - you like what you get, so I would advise making a choice based on your feelings :-)
I play Benko, as I smile everytime I get it :-)

Why don't you try benoni defense or kings Indian defense or semi slav.

Yes, that'll be good, if you find it too advanced, chessmood dutch is always an option.

Sneaky move in the Alapin 4.Qc2

Hi all I faced this move 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Qc2 which defends the e4 pawn.

I played 4….e5 and opponent immediately played 5.Bb5.

Later he will play d2-d4 and if I exchange the c and e pawns I'll end up with a backward and isolated d-pawn.

If we play 4…d6 then White can play d2-d4 with a strong center since it's defended by the c3 pawn.

Now I know against 4.Qc2 Black should have many choices e5, e6, d6, a6, g6. What can you recommend for us to play following the Chessmood style?

Thanks very much,

Alex

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Interesting Question!
I have never faced it :-)

So many moves are fine for Black.
I liked the most e6, followed by d5.
But it's also possible e5-Bb5-Bd6.
It's also possible to play with g6.

Thanks for the interesting question, it was fun to check it :-)
Let me know which move you liked the most :-) 

openings against d4

😆hello guys and grandmasters, i am struggling against d4 as a 2000 rated player, i play jobava londan and french as black but dont like dutch , kid

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How about Benko?

That's what we advise at 2000 or above level, and it's my most favorite opening :-)

Then why don't you play semi - slav defense it is very solid.

1..Nc6 2..d6 3..Bg4 question

hi all!

Just wondering what the recommendation is after 1 e4 Nc6 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 Bg4 (most popular on Lichess).

Do we try and transpose with 4 Be3 or perhaps 4 Nc3 or perhaps 4 h3 or maybe keep it safe with 4 Be2 or do we try and punish them with the interesting 4 d5!? 

If they go 4..Nb8 we have a good centre but if they go 4..Ne5 (also the most popular) we have the option 5 Nxe5!? it gets very tactical with white potentially sacraficing his queen-see my little study below. 

thanks

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Dear Paul,

I checked the position, and the line with 4.d5 as you posted here leads to an outstanding advantage for White, above +1 - which is super decent.

Great job in analyzing!
Hope you have a wonderful day :-)

White mood french defense 7. Be3 e5

Today in my OTB game I played with the white pieces, and the opening was a franch defense and my opponent played  7. … e5 after my 7. Be3.

How to handle this ? I put the game below,  so someone can give advices end improvements for white to handle this move.

Thanks

---------------------------------

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "ProMember, Carlo"]
[Black "na, na"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Carlo"]
[ECO "C01"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[GameId "2298096329667798"]
[EventDate "2026.04.12"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[SourceVersionDate "2026.04.12"]

{[%evp 0,35,17,22,28,29,21,0,0,-6,-10,-10,32767,32767,0,-12,30,32767,32767,32767,6,35,36,-20,-35,-44,14,-35,-27,-21,-12,-30,-24,-52,32767,-64,-50,-61]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3 dxe4 4. Bxe4 Nf6 5. Bf3 c5 6. Ne2 Nc6 7. Be3 e5 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. dxe5 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Ng4 11. Kd2 Ba6 12. Nbc3 Nxe5 13. Bf4 O-O-O+ 14. Kc1 Ng6 15. Be3 Be7 16. Ng3 Rhe8 17. Nf5 Bf8 18. b3 Ne5 19. Kb2 f6 1/2-1/2

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Dear Carlo,

After 10…Ng4 11.Nd2 is the right continuation, we bring the Knight out; sometimes it goes to f3, sometimes to other squares - it depends a lot on how Black will continue, the position is not very concrete; however, if you want to see more, I advise working a little with the engine.

11.Nd2 is the answer!

Dear Carlo,

I didn't get whether you are asking a question or if it is a statement :-)
Could you please clarify :-))))))))

hahahah - cool than :-)))

Why is this a mistake?

I just finished playing a game, and I am not sure why one of the moves I made was a mistake

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/167477666574/analysis?move=24
After analysing the game, I saw that 24. Bxf6 was a mistake. I found that quite strange as I had watched the first few sections of the piece trading course, and I asked why before I traded. Basically, my logic for trading was that it weakened the pawn structure around the black king, but apparently, that turned out to be a mistake

Can someone explain why?

Replies

The thing is, despite the fact of weakening the King, White gives up a dark squares Bishop, and also doesn't have ready resources on the King's side for a quick attack.

Also, the pawn on e6 is next to the doubled pawns, and they are gaining flexibility with a f5 move in the future.

3D Chessboard

😊

Personally, I think it would be great if Chessmood had a 3D chessboard setting similar to Chess.com's. I hope Chessmood will include a 3D chessboard setting in a future update. 

Replies

Hey there,

Thanks a lot for your interesting suggestion, we might have many different novelties in the future :-)

Can black survive?

Black to move...

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If Qf2 I don't see anything, but I may be wrong

PGN for Benko Gambit

Hey there :)
Is it just me or PGN file for Benko Gambit doesn't open? At least I cannot add it in Lichess study, which I use for opening prep.

Replies

Hey Anastasiia,

Can you please describe your issue a little more in detail, so we can try to advise you :-)

1900-2000 rated player stuck

Hi, I'm a new member and I'm hoping to improve. I reached 2065 a month ago after improving fast after 3 months on chess.com from 1600 but since I'm self taught it feels like I don't have the right foundation. So far I've watched tactics ninja and loved how it simplifies the fundamentals. I'm so excited 😊. 

Replies

Hey there,

Did you check the study plans ?
https://chessmood.com/chess-study-plans 

silent strategy

why can i not buy silent strategy?

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Hi Leo! the course was completed just recently, and we forgot to display the price. Now, with your reminder, we just did. So, please try again 🙂 

Advanced blackmood repertoire for intermediate players

Hi everyone,

I’d really love to see live streams on the advanced Black repertoire for intermediate players, especially those rated around 1600–2000.

This would be super useful for players who are trying to switch from openings like the French or the Dutch to the ones like the Accelerated Dragon and the Benko Gambit. I would also love to see more games on how to beat those annoying London players 😜 on the intermediate level.

I think a lot of improving players would benefit from this. 

Thanks!

Replies

Hey there,

These are the advanced webinars on those topics made by GM Avetik

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

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

I believe this would help.
U2000 level, our repertoire stands quite well out of my streaming experience :-)

Scandinavian. 2... Qxd5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.d4 g6

I have just had a game in this variation against a high rated (2716) online player and I have noticed that some strong grandmasters played it too.

In my game I lost due to the weakness of the center pawns.

[Event "casual blitz game"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2526"]
[BlackElo "2716"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d4 g6 5. c4 Qd8 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Qd2 Bg4 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O-O Nd7 11. Nd5 Nb6 and so on.

This plan is not mentioned in the Chessmood course, so I wonder if I just missed it or any regular plan better than what I did might be ok.

P.S. After a closer look at the game I see that I missed a big tactic there.

Replies

Hey Alexander,

In the game, Bg5 is a mistake.
I checked the position, and there are options with Be2 and 0-0, or playing with h3.
Position can develop differently based on what Black does. My advise would be to follow the games of strong players through the database.
As with the rating of 2500+, you will understand the middlegame ideas much better.