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Please help!
I watched the whitemood course entirely and strated playing but I forgot to download the pdf files. Now I'm out of time and it seems I won't be able to download it for sometime. Can someone please give the pdf files?
Replies
Whats your take?
I'm in a chess group community from our city theres a tournament that I need to play and it cannot be avoided to play against your own team mates, I know we should just play the game and disregard our friendship for a while but what opening should I play? The one in the community or can I get from different groups just like chessmood. I am curious how coaches will feel cuz I only played diff opening specifically for a teammate the tournament not major or so basically just picking the best. Thank you
Replies
ChessMood Scandinavian
I was browsing on Chessable when I happened to find a course about the Scandinavian(The Scandinavian Supercharged!). It had a whole section on 3.Nf3. Upon closer inspection, I found the following line: 1.e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4. Be2 Nc6 5. h3(he calls this an "insipid" move) Bxf3 6. Bxf3 Qe6+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 0-0-0! He says that Grandmaster Avetik surprisingly missed this move and claims that black is certainly not worse in the endgame in the line that follows: 9.c3 e5 10.d3 g6= With Bh6 and f5 coming next, Black is certainly not worse in this endgame. His extra space fully makes up for White's bishop pair. Can anyone help?
Replies
Hi Vedant,
This is a very deep idea; this position is still slightly better for White.
If we talk about super deep engine-level preps, there is no winning advantage in any lines, and all the players tend to find good practical positions.
Help in Sicillian Dragon for black
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 g6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.Nb3 d6 8.Be2 0-0 9.Qd2 Be6 10.Bh6 and they go for h4-h5. I don't know if I'm doing it wrong but when they attack I don't know if I should defend or if there's even something to defend but my game went on and lost. What should I do in this line?
Replies
Search for counterplay on the queenside as fast as you can.
E.g. see Odeev - Motylev (1999)
https://www.365chess.com/game.php?gid=797968
The best games of December, 2025, and the prizes
Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions!
Welcome to the "Best games of December, 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 November, 2025:
Jayden Fide
Raj KK
Thomas Maes
Jioh Park
James L
Replies
5 games where i destroy people with tactics after watching some of tactic ninja
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146227119612/analysis?move=28
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146226654470/analysis?move=37
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146219365896/analysis?move=54
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146219305046/analysis?move=27
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146218902524/analysis?move=115
Hope this one works as its played in Gabuzyan style spirit.
https://lichess.org/4dftjiMl/white
Just finnished blackmood, and here's Greymood Attack:Dutch Variation
https://lichess.org/yqTcVqA3/white
I played white here,played a Scotch Game and won it.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146256986964?move=0
Destroying the Caro-Kann
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146258834392/review?move=52
French attack
https://lichess.org/VxZz6L2x7eS5
Played white here, and delivered checkmate in a impressive way.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146293914208?move=0
I played this game and liked how it went.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146322048248/analysis
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146326620624/analysis?move=55
A strong bishop C5 scotch game !
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146332958790/review?move=7
Dutch attack https://lichess.org/IfKAKDCN5Ucl
I knew the opening better than my opponent (Scandinavian modern), but still he played ok. I felt every move I make has a strong reason (even when engine doesn't approve). So of course I won in the end.
https://www.chess.com/live/game/146333483386
A 2008 Philidor player mated in 12 moves, exactly according to Chessmood training.
https://lichess.org/pQnjK2JE/white#1
On fire tonight! Here is a Stonewall versus an English, smooth as can be.
https://lichess.org/wxKGZayk/black#1
I loved how this game went! Although I didn't see it all, I did have a mate in 8.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146366891830/analysis
https://lichess.org/D9LIdox9xYRC
Though didn't find mate in 2 .. Saw the mate while scarifcing rook
Ok bro I will participate
https://lichess.org/I6JyeMlY 97% accuracy vs @Darkoncrack a well know player in lichess.org that makes various prize tournaments.
Here are two games I played in a recent Rapidplay (I want to remain anonymous, so I will do the same for my opponent), where I won two nice games with WhiteMood Openings. Even though they weren't perfect, I am proud of them.
[Date "2025.12.07"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "B00"]
[Opening "Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation"]
1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. a3 Nf6 7. O-O a6 8. b4 Nxb4 9. axb4 Qxa1 10. Bxd7+ Nxd7 11. Nd4 Nc5 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Qg4+ f5 14. Qxf5+ e6 15. Qg4 h5 16. Qh4 g5 17. Qxg5 Rxd4 18. Qf6 Rg8 19. Qxd4 Nd7 20. Qc4 Rg6 21. d4 Bd6 22. Qb3 Nb6 23. Bf4 1-0
[Date "2025.12.08"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "B00"]
[Opening "Owen Defense"]
1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 e6 4. Qe2 Nf6 5. Nf3 c5 6. d5 Be7 7. c4 exd5 8. exd5 d6 9. O-O O-O 10. Nc3 a6 11. Bf4 Nbd7 12. Rae1 Re8 13. Bc2 Nf8 14. Qd3 Ng6 15. Bg3 Nh5 16. Ne4 Nxg3 17. fxg3 Bc8 18. h4 h5 19. Neg5 Bxg5 20. Rxe8+ Qxe8 21. Nxg5 Ra7 22. Bd1 f6 23. Bxh5 fxg5 24. Bxg6 Qd8 25. Qf3 Qf6 26. Qh5 1-0
Petrov's Defense
https://lichess.org/7Rhw9qlo/white#0
One nice and short game of french kinder suprise variation: https://www.chess.com/game/live/146436040708?move=0
One nice and short win against CM with trompowsky: https://www.chess.com/game/live/146434560658?move=0
French Schlecter (white).
Proud of my play in the game in the French as white.
The French is one of my bogey openings so any win is a delight for me, accuracy was high.
Black played the ..dxe4 and ..c5 line then went 7..Qb6 (see image below), I cannot remember if this is in the course or not.
I think I played it pretty well, his queen got out of play for a few moves, my king got safely castled and I as able to launch an attack on his king.
https://lichess.org/Ymxk2CSu/white
I am a fan of the Queen's Gambit and I decided to see how well I play it in bullet. Although it's not my preferred time, I was pleasantly surprised with my quick instincts, considering my rating.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146522914990/analysis
This was actually the next game I played on Chess.com. 10/5 rapid game.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146523503498/analysis
https://lichess.org/MR0SYAwJ/white#79
A decent game I guess
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146567128468?move=0
Hook, line and sinker!
Easy win in the Dutch 2 nights, Qb3 line.
A 70+10 OTB game. Grand Prix - decent and instructive attack I think, until I made the mistake…. I had got myself into huge time pressure and I lost positivity at the vital moment… 🤔 A good lesson in mindset.
But then gave me a free shot which I took ! 😀 So it was SLP by staying as sharp and positive as possible after the mistake, even with 1 min left on clock.
https://www.chess.com/game/146607034082
https://lichess.org/rJbjlYgX9WXe
French attack knight sacrifice for mate in 2
https://lichess.org/9WcJ5ZUo/black
A great positional game I believe ,Targetting his weak pawns,Putting pressure and in the end a Knight Sacrifice to almost end the game
https://lichess.org/9WcJ5ZUo/black
Restricting him from castling and installing a great kingside attack
https://lichess.org/zJelpP83/black
A tactical one
https://lichess.org/SeTUHtXe/white#0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146645483118
Caro crusher
finally played a good game
been in worst slump ever
3 brilliant moves in Scandi:
https://lichess.org/xYw7nKLe/black
2 brilliant moves in the Modern variation:
https://lichess.org/Ecjy7qwj/black
My highest-rated win in Rapid ever against the English opening:
kaazbe7 vs. dima9419 | Analysis - Chess.com
4 brilliant moves:
3 brilliant moves in French:
https://lichess.org/AGzGSxSy
https://lichess.org/ND1TFBjW/black#0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146270893542 a brilliant queen sac!
All of my best wins and loses of my life in an internationally rated tournament in Kolkata, hope my games get selected 😀
All the games are full of complexity, fearless attacks, and silent positional play, sometimes used SLP mode to save lost positions of mine and grind out my opponent like nothing or sometimes getting vaporized from the opponents attack…
Regards,
Kartikesh
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146723209884/analysis
https://lichess.org/U5PvfT0o/black#66
BTW I’m not an e5 player
Beating the Catalan with a Dardha approved system:
https://lichess.org/O1NtzZptdzXo
caught a strong 2200 player in otb blitz in our CM french Bd3 https://lichess.org/study/fP8jYMJQ/0vTKnxrz
from the same OTB tournament, this time rapid game Jobava attack https://lichess.org/study/fP8jYMJQ/V9MaxWPz
another fun game from the same tournament https://lichess.org/study/fP8jYMJQ/2vH0YRck
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146854320228
A fine scotch game with Qf6
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146864829622/review?move=82
Sacrificing a pawn to activate multiple pieces
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146868012698/analysis?move=42
Good Alapin game for Black
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146868183238/analysis?move=43
This was an opening trap, I found during the game. I did not know it before.
Check out this #chess game: Bida_Bidaa vs peterbago - https://www.chess.com/live/game/146904190874
This game have 2 brilliant moves! (From Chess.com)
My account: KarimVagapov2
https://www.chess.com/game/live/144955288232
Win against englund gambit: https://www.chess.com/game/live/146839185054?move=0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146965555614?move=0
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146982968978/review?move=70
https://www.chess.com/game/live/147016637178?move=0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/147018629754?move=0
December 2025
Nice counter attack in a french attack https://lichess.org/Vh5xyVa2/black
Back door mate https://lichess.org/Re7Hixqz
French schlechter winning a piece and then the king: https://lichess.org/4YtMOIPu
a nice antisicilian attacking as much as possible the e6 weak pawn: https://lichess.org/eULhjpn2
Keeping the material advantage and defending against a 2500 player: https://lichess.org/qLs0yW5k/black#0
wish all of cm members and family good Christmas time.
Nice attack in French exchange (blitz game): https://www.chess.com/game/147029135714
https://www.chess.com/game/147037179042 I couldve defended with honor, but i attacked like a true viking
https://lichess.org/VNNSb4W3wYHK - a smooth caro-kann
https://lichess.org/rHj1MHZzKvEv - tricky 'kinder-surprise' vs 100+ rating
https://lichess.org/P1GlPXA7
An Attacking Masterpiece
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147078141048/review?move=44 a nice grand prix attacking game.
Positional dominance versus Caro-Kann crowned with a queen sacrifice:
https://lichess.org/WylWngVHTNA4
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147078970040/analysis?move=2 nice attacking game in the KID
My opponent gave me a strong e5 square, so i showed its full potential!
https://lichess.org/BFO5JC93/white#0
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147165311366/analysis?move=43 king gets brutally pulled out in the center from the grand prix attack. good attacking stuff
Hello ChessMood family! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.
Here are my game submissions for this month :D
https://lichess.org/n8j612uL/white#71 A win vs an IM!
https://lichess.org/fZ1vXLWn/white#47 Closed Sicilian is a really dangerous opening 😆
https://lichess.org/rPh7BZyh/black#68 One with Black vs the Closed Sicilian
And a couple quieter games with ChessMood openings:
https://lichess.org/NU38Tq0V/white#14
https://lichess.org/0CMmJqNt/black#88
Love you guys!
most chaotic kings indian game Ive ever seen! the engine was crying between winning and losing with multiple rook sacrifices. Please watch this https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147185084804/review?move=0
One of the best games I've ever played.
Please see 24…Bxf3!! Definitely the best move I've ever played.
A beautiful multi- purpose move.
Scotch game https://lichess.org/sYmIQTlv/white#37
As in the opening chesmood videos against the sicilian with a quick g6 (Morphy style) https://lichess.org/xqs5ds91/white#24
After chessmoods latest french attack video I picked the french up (normally iscilian) and played an active game against the Tarrasch variation https://lichess.org/sxONZSAS/black#1
Enjoy the festivities!
Bye, Edger
This is my game, it's attacking but I think it's not inaccurate enough
(By the way the link is a Google share form since I'm using a phone)
Sicilian
https://lichess.org/M0WicT9l/white#57
I was Black.
I'm white :)
last submission for me: a Scotch vs Bb5. I noticed either my concentration/calmness dropped (especially WWP) or the level of online lichess resistance raised this holiday season, bringing me down from 1850 to 1787 lichess blitz. This is the type of execution style I need to maintain. I used many ideas from the streams including building what I now think of as “a quiet solid fortress” 🏰 🙂
https://lichess.org/Yid9hKHG
https://lichess.org/Nm3gEM1U/black#0
Made a blunder or so, I played after so long it took me 2 games in a row to get back in touch, the first 1 I lost on time even though i was winning- 2 rooks 2 minor pieces vs 2 minor pieces, and now this game I won, I just seem to find a sacrifice out of nowhere-mostly bad but i trust my instinct and do it, i seem to win most of them even though they are bad in all levels, This is my favourite game this month so far because it tells me to take the risk and trust myself!
Hello ChessMood family! 🌟
I’m excited to share some of my OTB tournament games in Andhra Pradesh from this month where I tested both the BlackMood and GreyMood openings. Each game reflects my evolving strategies, careful calculation, and the mood-driven approach I strive for at the board. I hope these games showcase creativity, precision, and the spirit of ChessMood!
I scored 6 points out of 8 rounds, and Gabu select the games yourself…hehehe GreyMood was interesting. :-)
Looking forward to feedback, and may the Right Mood guide every move! ♟️🔥
#ChessMood
#RightMoodRightMove
Regards,
Kartikesh
https://lichess.org/SVJ29dyH/white
Attacking french defense building up the advantage upon inaccuracies of the opponent, move after move.
15 Average centipawn loss
95% Accuracy
Closed Sicilian. Crowning the year with my highest rated victory ever. Thank you, ChessMood!
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147404252818/analysis?move=1
Hi,
Here are 5 games I played… OTB in recent tournament. 2 of these are against French and I am grateful to Chessmood for this opening repertoire!
(P.S- Have a look at the sacrifices in game vs Levetin.)
Petrof, not perfect but not bad.
Playing the Dutch, got a great position then made a stupid blunder losing my knight. kept the good mood and focussed.
A good game in the Sicilian but made a silly blunder in the endgame that lead to getting mated https://lichess.org/1LjhVxkc/black#0
A good game in the Sicilian I dominated for the win https://lichess.org/O8OUDY5j/black#0
A nice win with the Queens Indian https://lichess.org/MThIJ5r0/black#0
A nice even game as black but timed out due to poor time management https://lichess.org/Y9c24YY9/black#0
A perfect game against the Italian as black https://lichess.org/Ma7x9lPS/black#0
I played the 2025 Winter Marathon on Lichess and managed to raise my blitz rating 150 points in that 24-hour span (not playing continuously, of course). It helped that I had not played blitz on Lichess for several months. Here are a few games from that event…
I'll start with a loss on time. I did not realize until after the game that my opponent was a CM! I managed not to completely embarrass myself against this much higher-rated player in one of the Caro-Kann lines not in WhiteMood (if I recall correctly). This one was even winnable until I started blundering under time pressure. http://lichess.org/2oNxFB2g/white#1
Here's a win with the French against a player over 500 points higher rated: https://lichess.org/RrEiT4PP/black#1
Here's a win against the Pirc (opponent about 300 points higher rated): https://lichess.org/Wrjec6BE/white#1
This win on time is not from the same event. Mostly, it's notable (to me) because the engine had no complaints about either player. https://www.chess.com/game/live/147209900840?move=1
A quick win in a benko gambit
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147355230218/analysis
And a slightly messy game with a nice ending
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147356507890/analysis?move=0
https://lichess.org/OY55j6JZ/white#0
Benoni with white, pretty one sided game, without any mistakes from my part according to the engine, and a nice mate at the end
https://lichess.org/3TeGkqkQ/black#0
Complex middlegame struggle in my favorite 3…a6 variation of the QGD
https://lichess.org/6crLZ4t5/black#0
This one is probably my best game of this month, a French Steinitz with black. Thematic exchange sac on f3, then resisting my opponent’s attack and counterattacking ferociously
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146660361840/review
A miniature decided within the last 3 moves
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/146803339922/explorer
Middlegame domination, making use of my much better development. Winning material was the logical outcome
Happy New Year to all of you!
A nice win against the French defence
https://www.chess.com/game/live/147373062070?move=0 GPix sacrifices line: Rook, Queen - almost model game ;-)
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146853144848?move=0 GPix means win
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146851765604?move=0 Opening principles, model setup
https://www.chess.com/game/live/147094411714?move=0 Scandinavian
https://www.chess.com/game/live/147167016658?move=0 Caro-Kann
When are results coming?
https://lichess.org/BLqJHv8p/black#0
Not the best game ever but move 31! is pretty instructive.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/147598117758?move=61
I played as Black and won:https://www.chess.com/game/live/147573941086
Beat the Nimzo.
Inspired by Hakobyan's Complete 1.d4 on Chessable, but of course I completely mixed up the lines. Luckily I remembered some ideas.
https://lichess.org/K4r556RUngaS
A not so quiet Exchange Slav:
https://lichess.org/H7vlt2tij3gX
A not so quiet exchange caro!
https://lichess.org/SWnEmytp
Another exchange caro
https://lichess.org/5yOU7i9X
🎉 Hello Champions!
How’s it going?
Thank you for sending your best games of the month!
You showed creativity, strong strategic understanding, and achieved several impressive wins. There were many instructive moments that offered great learning value.
Well done! And now, let’s move on to the prizes!
1st Prize: Yacoub Kassim
A fantastic game in Italian.
You gained the Bishop pair right from the opening, and with same-side castling, you started a fast, powerful attack. It was all so unexpected to see a crushing attack in the endgame leading to a fascinating checkmate!
Fantastic job!
https://lichess.org/Ma7x9lPS/black#54
2nd Prize: Kamil CH
You crushed with Grand Prix!
You brought your pieces to the Kingside, and using the spica advantage, made a typical f5 idea, crushing the opponent’s King defence, and delivering a fantastic checkmate!
Great game!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/146853144848?move=35
3rd Prize: Lucifear twm
Kings Indian masterpiece, love this opening.
In the closed position, you pushed your pawns, brought your pieces, and destroyed the opponent’s King.
Speechless. Well done!
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147078970040/analysis?move=50
4th Prize: Gaspar Veres
Very complex French game.
Sacrificed the exchange to destroy the opponent’s central pawns and kept their King in the middle. Opponent was fighting back, and this battle was really intense.
Nice tactic at the end!
https://lichess.org/6crLZ4t5/black#53
5th Prize: Andrei Gopak
You demonstrated Benko masterpiece.
No complex details. No crazy tactics - a simple, amazing execution of typical ideas - intruded through the weak d3 square and destroyed the opponent’s defence.
Benko Expert!
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/147355230218/analysis?move=35
Congratulations to all of you!
Thank you once again to everyone for sharing your games.
All the best for next month’s contest!
How to get back in shape?
Dear, Coach Gabu
I play good chess than I take a day off or two from playing to spend more time studying chessmood courses but when I come back to play my games are worse, I think the main cause is because I’m not in shape. How to get back in shape into the playing mode. Did you also face this problem in your professional chess career? If so how did you overcome it. Thank you so much! Really appreciate it.
Replies
Hey there,
Bad shape is a thing that happened a lot to me, and happens to everyone.
There could be limitless reasons - you need to understand what the conditions are when you are playing the best chess, and what are when you play badly. Positive habits, positive mindset - good concentration e.t.c.
Trying to research this topic about you might help to understand the conditions when you feel well and confident.
WWP issue or cheating?... Lichess vs Chesscom
I am trying to work on my WWP skills! I have switched to Lichess consistently this last month or two, but I am still having trouble with the 5+3 increment to convert positions. Usually what happens is I get a crushing attack or even up a piece and my opponent is able to hold on without letting me to increase my advantage at all for something like 20 or 30 moves until I finally am very low on time and slip up. Is this normal and I need to work on my WWP, or is this an indicator of cheating? I want to know because I felt like this sort of thing didn't happen on Chesscom as much and my issues were different in WWP there. Here is an example game:
https://lichess.org/CTlmf2Wf/white#26
Replies
Hi Matt I played through your game quickly and the move that immediately stood out to me was 25.Qxa5. For WWP our main priority is to exchange queens - you're already a full rook up so it's not necessary to go after pawns to increase the material advantage further and giving your opponent swindling chances, especially with the queens still on the board. I've been guilty of this myself!
So instead of Qxa5 I think more practical is Qd4 offering to trade queens. He won't accept of course but at least you centralize your queen and get a tempo to move the Rh1 out of the long white diagonal masking that bishop. He can't avoid the queen trade forever (his king is also quite exposed so we can even combine an attack with going after his queen, he can't keep dancing around) then we just win with our extra rook.
Rgds,
Alex
Dear Matt,
Out of my experience, it's overwhelming to think about cheaters :-)))
So try to play your best, and report at the end if someone seems suspicious.
Thanks Alex, for helping as well :-)
How to enjoy my games without pressure?
I really want to enjoy my games like before, but I also get very nervous and anxious and it affects my game and I end up playing not to lose instead to win. I really love this game, I really enjoy playing against very high rated/strong players because only then I can explore new things or experiment without getting scared of losing elo. Because the more I enjoy the game the better I play.
Replies
Hi, honestly I've been experiencing the same problem myself and I've come with few useful things that have helped me go thorough it.
1. Create a second account - Chess.com allows you to open a new account as long as they approve it (and they do approve in most cases). With the new account you can try new things and explore what fits you the best so if you lose ELO, you won't care, at least not as much.
2. Try to play with longer time controls- Time is a very important resource that we should always pay attention to. Time trouble makes you much more stressful, and longer time controls might be a good way to reduce the number of times that it happens.
3. Play unrated games- There are a lot of strong players in the unrated pool, playing against them might help you learning without losing ELO.
Oc that all of the things that I just wrote won't eliminate it completely but you'll feel it much less.
Hey Mr. (Ms?) anonymous,
Try:
https://chessmood.com/blog/detachment
There are a LOT of articles in the blog that address the mental and emotional side of the game. I feel like i should be paying counselling fees!
As far as ELO goes:
Is there any free course?
Is there any free course which I can join?
Replies
There are a couple of free courses: The Opening Principle course and the first three “In Grandmasters' mind” courses (Avetik, Gabuzyan, Danya) are free.
It would be nice if you champion grandmasters covered all these cheeky lines in the course
For Example, as black, after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3 Nc6 4.c3 dxe4 5.Bxe4 Nf6 6.Bf3 e5! 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Qe2 where he only way to not get a worse position is the insane 8…a5! move. I did not find this in the game and I lost a very long endgame being pawn down.
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It is covered in the advance openings ("Step by Step Opening Repertoire for White"). Look in this course in the advanced section. There is one covering 3. … Nc3
Ohhh, I didn't know you were referring to the advanced section, but honestly, I still like the e5 line a bit better because no one really knows that move and I've played it lots of times and barely face problems with e5. But yeah, Avo didn't mention what to do and we just get pawn down middlegame.
Hi Eli,
This line is not covered as we are not playing it for White.
Of course, there are so many interesting lines, but as a course creator, I can tell it's impossible to cover everything; each opening course will be 15h+.
Thanks for understanding, and Happy New Year.
Help with this Dutch game
I lost on time,but what could I have done better ? should I have kept the king in the center ? what about c5 that I played?
any input is appreciated
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Dear Zaid,
Your opponent chose a very specific rare setup - I think in this case you could play with g6-Bg7 and castle short as it feels dangerous for the long castle.
C5 looks also practical to fight for the center.
Tactic Ninja: Pins
Hello all,
Happy New Year! I was wondering if anyone was in a similar situation to me. A little about myself… I am 31 and started playing chess about 3 years ago. I am 1250 rapid rated on chess.com. I completed the rise of champions course and moved on to tactic ninja. I started the pins section and felt it was pretty straight forward until the training level 1 and 2 puzzles at the end. Some I solved and others I was completely clueless on. Is there a way to train more on those puzzles to become stronger?
Thanks,
Vito
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Dear Vito,
The best way to improve tactics is to solve them repeatedly. The Tactic Ninja course just introduces the patterns, but to become better every day, try to solve puzzles for 10-20 minutes, depending on your available time for chess.
SITE DOWN????
IS THE SITE DOWN FOR LAST 4 HOURS VIDEOS ARE NOT LOADING
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Hey there,
It was a temporary issue, fixed now :-)
Hi Chessmood's website is still down for me for the last 2 days, from my laptop. I'm getting the “Connection timed out” Cloudflare error.
Browser (me) working > Singapore (Cloudflare) working > www.chessmood.com (Host) error.
But I have no problems when using my phone or tablet. I'm sending this message using my tablet.
Thanks
Alex
Playing partner
Hi i am 2100+ on chess.com and lichess. I can play practice games and can train. If interested send a request, my id rama-chandra
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What should the puzzle section final score be for us to get the certificate?
Hi guys, I’ve completely finished the puzzles for tactic ninja and mating matador, and I got a certificate at the end of mating matador but didn’t get any at tactic ninja. Does it depend on any minimum score or something?
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I think so, it does say to watch till you understand and can solve the quizes without knowing theme, my tip go through the course again. Get a good score!
Happy New Year!
Hello Everyone!
I became a Pro ChessMood student at the end of October 2025 and I just wanted to express my deepest gratitude and heartfelt thank you to the entire ChessMood team for providing such great chess education. I have been playing chess my entire life (born in '73), but never had access to content such as this…one-stop-shop for all your chess education needs. I have been learning a tremendous amount and having so much fun learning along the way.
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your hard work and effort that goes into ChessMood. You truly have an amazing program! So thank you again!
Happy New Year to all!!
Glenn Turpin
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Dear Glenn,
Thanks for the kindest words!
Happy New Year and lots of luck in 2026 :-)
Accessing PGN files
Good morning. I can't figure out the best way to use the PGN files from the ChessMood openings courses. I can download them, but I'm not able to open them fully in Lichess. Is there another (preferably free) application that I should be using for these? Or is there a way to just interact with them directly on the ChessMood site?
Thanks! And Happy New Year!
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Sicilian or e6? Chessmood vs chessmood?
When learning french and dutch with e6 it was said that it is a lifetime opening, but it seems chessmood recommends sicilian for higher levels, but still said that nc3 grand prix can defeat the sicilian but if chessmood is recommending sicilian then the grand prix must have a way to be defeated. In blackmood grandprix was introduced to defeat sicilian and pirc, but if it has fighting chances for both like nf6 against slechter and the big gambit then the way it was introduced is defeat but changes to fight.please solve. we all have to play black and white and sometimes have to suddenly play against higher level players.
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What is your level?
For Black, I believe the Sicilian is recommended for more advanced players because it is more complex and requires more theoretical knowledge compared to the 1…e6 setups suggested in ChessMood. There’s nothing wrong with either 1…e6 or the Sicilian—both are fully playable—but ChessMood GMs advise starting with 1…e6 and switching to the Sicilian later as your level increases. You need a foundation before you evolve, and the Sicilian can be more complicated for both sides. So if your level isn’t very high yet, it’s easier to get confused in the Sicilian. That’s why starting with 1…e6 ChessMood variations makes sense. Personally, I find the Dutch a bit risky at the 2000+ level, but that’s just my preference. Many IMs and even some GMs still play the Dutch successfully.
If you study any opening course—learn it, watch model games, and play training games—you will get a good position out of the opening. Your main hope is not to “defeat” opponent out of opening, but to get good/normal position you understand better.
In general your main hopes when getting out of the opening phase are:
- Your opponent doesn’t know the theory and makes an early mistake, giving you a “winning” scenario right away out of the opening.
- Your opponent knows some theory, but you know more, so you get a “better or winning” position out of the opening.
- Your opponent knows the theory or finds the right moves over the board (high rated oponeng scenario?!), but you have studied the specific variation more deeply. Even in an equal position, you hope you understand the ideas, plans, and typical structures better because of your practice and studies.
- Your opponent spends more time trying to figure out unfamiliar positions and ends up in time trouble.
Against higher‑rated opponents, your biggest practical chances usually come from points 3 and 4. Of course sometimes 1 or 2 also happens.
None of these openings give a “lost” (as you call “defeat”) position by force. They simply give you fighing chances (as described above). The goal of the ChessMood repertoire—whether Sicilian with Black or Sicilian with White or anything else —is to reach fighting positions. If you know the variations well from both sides, you’ll consistently get good, playable positions.
Eventually, you’ll be at some point out of theory and have to play real chess in an equal or slightly better position.
And at the end it is completly find to switch openings or to have 2 playable openings like 1…e6 or sicilian at some point. Switching between openings can help you broaden your understanding of different structures and improve your overall chess strength.
A question concerning a variation in Trompowsky attack
In this episode
https://chessmood.com/course/crushing-d4-sidelines/episode/422
at 2:35 after white plays d5 then
…b5
Bb3 b4
Ne2 c5 to prevent trading of black's dark bishop.
WHAT IF instead of Ne2, white plays Na4 preventing direct …c5 and intending Nc5 which is impossible to kick the knight out without trading both of the queen and dark bishop and finishing the attack of black?
What should be played then?
Thanks in advance.
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Simply take cd5, and you still have a very comfortable position, as you have a pair of bishops and the position is rather open.
MoodCoins
Hello,
I'm not sure what to do with MoodCoins.
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Depands how much you have.
If you have 100 000 or more you can buy some courses for lifetime.
The main function of Mood Coins is to purchase courses without needing to use actual money. It takes quite a large number of these coins to do so, but you can earn them by referring a friend, solving puzzles, answering questions in the forum, etc.
I hope this helps!
They are the site's currency if you want to purchase a course. You could get the coins by posting in forums, winning the game of the month contest, solving daily puzzles (though very less compartively) and refering ChessMood to friends.
My personal opinion is that this feature needs some changes. Like maybe, they could insert a 3-minute puzzle storm into the site, and your total score of puzzle storm = the number of mood coins you get.
This feature would be great because you ensure that players don't cheat for moodcoins (cheating in puzzle storm is very impractical) and also that the site retains many users and helps them improve their chess.
