Chess forum by Grandmasters

Dutch Attack v English

I have recently played a couple of OTB rapid games (as Black) in the following line:

1 c4 e6 2 g3 f5 3 Bg2 Nf6 4 Nc3 d5 5 d3 Bd6 6 Nf3 0-0 7 0-0 c6

I really struggled to get any active play as my opponent played on the queenside and for e4. Admittedly he was stronger than me 2100 FIDE v my approx 1850.

In subsequent research I have seen plans of omitting c6 but playing dxc4 followed by Nc6 intending e5. This seems to me better than the full Stonewall but I’d be interested in other’s experience or the wisdom of our GM friends

Replies

Can't you also play e5 earlier in this position (now or before) without d4 and get a good center?

Did you consider this? 

black openings

hello in Our different options (chessmood.com) what if black plays Bg5 ? which is more played in this position ?

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bd7 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bd3 Bb5 6. O-O Bxd3 7. Qxd3 Ne7 8. Bg5

Replies

Should play h6 here, kicking the bishop out, and if they retreat, we play g5, kicking them again.

There is a similar continuation in the model games. Here is the video. https://chessmood.com/course/blackmood-openings-model-games/episode/4599

Visualisation

Hi everyone,

Im looking to improve my chess visualisation. In particular improving my ability to (in advance) spot tactics or checkmates or evaluate a position after a sequence of moves.

I’m relatively new to ChessMood so currently working through Tactics Ninja, which is fantastic, before I get onto other courses.

Any help very gratefully received; apologies if it all exists but I haven’t looked in the right place

Replies

Tony, can you please provide more details about your level?

Also, did you already have the 1 on 1 call with a GM included in the PRO membership?😀

Alapin Sicilian cours for White ?

Can i watch  https://chessmood.com/course/counter-sicilian-alapin

As someone who wants to learn the alapin for white and this course is in the black opening section. Ty

Replies

french attack AG variation

hello i have a question. in The Knight moves (chessmood.com) what if the opponent plays Ne2 ?

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bd7 4. Nf3 a6 5. Nc3 (5. Na3 Bxa3 6. bxa3 Bb5) 5... c5 6 Ne2 

also did Avetik skip white turn ?

Replies

I am considering to choose which chessmood opening for black, and need your opinion

I am watch through these two opening and now considering choose which one is main opening for black (chessmood opening)

At the same time, I want to know what you guys playing with the black chessmood opening.

1. sicilian acceleration dragon set up
2.  French & dutch attack 

Replies

It depends on your level.
The blackmood openings (french and dutch) are recommended for players around less than 1800 (2000 onine or similar) rating.
On the other hand, The main openings (benko and sicilian) are recommended for 1800+ players.

The advanced version of the blackmood openings are going to be added soon also.

For me, I play with the blackmood since i aint one of those advanced players (yet!!!!😅😅😅😅😅)

Accelarated Dragon

Dutch & French 

ChessPersonality.com

can i get your opinion on ChessPersonality.com a website that shows your chess personality after answering 20 questions.

i saw it in the chess.com tools section 

Replies

this is amazing,it exactly told me what kind of player i am

A error in the courses

Hi chessmood , today i was looking at the caro - kann course and i found “This is how to play the london" keeps coming and the videos are not in autoplay.Can anyone check it?

Replies

is anybody else facing this issue or is it just me

Seems to be bugging as well - Tactic Ninja also doesn't work

Hi all!
Sorry for the bug! Our tech team is working on it! 😅
Thanks for reporting it!

Hey everyone, 👋🏻
The issue is fixed now 😁

A doubt in the courses

Is the 100 strategic masterpieces and 100 classical games the same course because i can only find the strategic and not the classical one?Please anybody clarify my doubt

Replies

Yes, they both are the same courses as you can also see the word "Commented Classical Games" in the background image i think they just changed the title of the course

question about a blog

I've read in How GMs Memorize Chess Opening Variations - GM Avetik Grigoryan (chessmood.com) that when you have a space advantage, you need to try to keep the pieces on the board. does the word board here means your side of the 4 ranks ?what can happen if you don't follow this principle? also i really liked that article.

Replies

By "keeping pieces on the board" applies to the entire chessboard, not just your side of the four ranks. The reason why we retreat some pieces in our first four ranks, is because generally, thier pieces are too far to attack us. By following to this principle, you aim to:

Maximize Mobility and Coordination: Your pieces have greater mobility and can coordinate attacks more effectively.

Restrict Opponent’s Pieces: Your opponent's pieces are more restricted, limiting their activity and options.

Maintain Pressure: More pieces on the board allow you to maintain and increase pressure on your opponent's position, leading to tactical opportunities and weaknesses in their camp.

Failure to follow this principle can result in:

Loss of Advantage: Exchanging pieces a lot can lead to the loss of your space advantage as the board becomes less crowded.

Reduced Attacking Potential: Fewer pieces mean fewer attackers, making it harder to launch a successful offensive.

Easier Defense for Opponent: With fewer pieces, your opponent's defensive task becomes simpler, and they can regroup their pieces more effectively.

sign in

my friend can't sign in ches mood because of “score threshold not meet”.

what does mean this message

thank you
 

Replies

Please tell your friend to contact support and see what we can do.
Please tell him to explain what is happening in the link below:

https://chessmood.com/contact

Thanks.😀

Chess mood events

For some reason when I try to watch a past event/stream the video always says unavailable. Can anyone help?

Replies

Hi Samuel,
Do you have some kind of Youtube blocker? Or is Youtube blocked with your internet connection?

Because the events are kept recorded on Youtube and there should be no problem to access them… 

Can you verify this first?

Thanks a lot!😊

Just following up on this. 😃

Where you able to solve it on your part? 🤔

Need Help

I started playing chess in November of 2023 and I'm rated 973. Everyone I play says I'm super underrated. If I don't know my playing strength, what/how do I study? 

also, does anyone know how I can find out my playing strength?

-Sarah :)

Replies

Sarah,

If you are 973 now, this means that sometimes you may play like a 1500 sometimes like a 500… That's why everyone think that they are underrated. The elo is the average of your last performances. It does not matter how much knowledge you have or acquire if you keep blundering pieces in one move (typical of 500), which is normally the issue in your level. 
What we would suggest you from Chessmood is to follow closely the study plan for your level: https://chessmood.com/chess-study-plans See if you understand the concepts and you apply them in your games.
Also we are going to release soon another course that will include more fundamentals geared towards players below your level that it may reinforce some concepts. 

But at the moment, please check out the study plan, follow it and improvement will follow soon… 
I hope this makes sense…

Where to continue after WhiteMood and BlackMood Openings?

Dear ChessMood Players

I have now worked through the simplified WhiteMood and BlackMood Openings 
which helped me a lot to improve my openings and get into a good middlegame. I definitely win more chess games :-)
Which course would you recommend me to step into next?
best regards
Joachim

Replies

Did you read the https://chessmood.com/chess-study-plans study plan according to your level?

There you have all the info according to your rating… 

Please check it out😄

Quizzes and Training

Is it just me or are these functions not working tonight?

Replies

Bro quizzes and training are working fine, just restart your laptop and check again

There seems to be a problem on trying to access quizzes and pgns. Both in the blog and in the forum too.

Sorry! There was a glitch in the system but it was restored pretty fast!

😅Still sorry for the trouble and we believe that it should not happen again, (at least this bug, something else may happen… who knows…)😅

Blundered my rook but applied some SLP skills

I stayed cautious and positional and when I saw an opening I dropped everything and went for the king…it worked

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/109380595707?tab=review&move=73

Replies

Nice game

New article: 5 Game-Changing Boosters to Speed Up Your Chess Growth

⚠️ Warning: Missing this article might keep you stuck on the sidelines of success… 

How did Thailand shape the future of their chess and get their 1st International Master? 

Who were the heroes and what were the 5 game-changing boosters behind the success? 

Why are these 5 boosters universal, with every champion having them in common, including Magnus Carlsen?

How can you develop these boosters, or compensate for their absence? 

What’s the ONE booster that is in your hands and how can you use it to speed up your growth? 

Discover in our new article here👇
https://chessmood.com/blog/5-boosters

Replies

You might not want to brag about Prin playing in Russia in 2024 and playing Karjakin, who supports the war of aggression. Imagine you were from Georgia instead of Armenia. Perhaps compassion could be a “booster”.

How is federation supposed to be a booster, any and every federation will support a player who is performing great

What to play as black against the Bird -f4?

Hello everyone, 

I am sorry but I cannot find it in the courses, what/how do we play as black when white opens with f4 the Bird opening? 

Replies

Hi Henry,

😀This is explained in section 22 of the Blackmood repertoire, please check it out. 💪

https://chessmood.com/course/blackmood-openings/episode/6182

Anti Sicilian 3.f4 d5 ...

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.f4 d5 4. Nf3 de4 5.Ne4 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7. Qe2 a6 8. Bxd7 Bxc6 9.f5! according our coach Bxe4 10. Qxe4 Qd5 11. Qxd5 exd5 12 d4 cd4 White must fight for draw!
What I miss here? 

Replies

💪Please, try to evaluate the resulting position without an engine and let's see what conclusions we reach, because I would take White with my eyes closed. Very equal but with clear plans for White… 😅

problem in the exchange caro kann

�🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏�

Hello Chessmood Family !!!

I have used Whitemood reperoires quite successfully for some time now. however, in the Exchange Caro Kann I stumbled upon a " PROBLEM MOVE" [not problematic but dunno how to get Winning chances as White ]

the line as follows

1.e4 c6

2.d4 d5

3.exd5 cxd5

4.Bd3 Nc6 

5 c3 Qc7 

6 Ne2 Bg4

7 O-O Nf6

8 Qe1 e6

9 f3 Bh5

10 Qh4 Rg8!!

“ PROBLEM MOVE ”

PLEASE HELP  

Replies

I'm not sure what the repertoire recommends, but I belive Bxh7 is just a free pawn.

11. Bxh7 Nxh7 12. Qxh5

Position looks a bit uncomfortable but you are just up a pawn. Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Pengcheng

Hi Addheet!

All this is explained in the advanced section, dreev line of the https://chessmood.com/course/caro-kann-defence

Good luck in your games!😀