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Chess forum by Grandmasters
Alapin Question
How should I play against 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cd 5.cd d6 6.Bc4 Nb6 7.Bb5+ Bd7 8.e6
I saw I have some options- fe or Bb5(after which Qh5 is coming and I have Qc7 or Qc8, leading to complex lines)
Request to GM Gabuzyan to add this in the course, as this has become the most popular reply in that position. Attaching position screenshot below-
Replies
Hi Nishant,
I would reccomend playing 8…fxe6 9.Bd3 g6 10.h4 Bc6 and if 11.h5 Bg7 with an idea to give the g6 pawn and put the King on d7 with active pieces and dynamical ideas. White can have many replies, but since positions are very fine to play for black. You can analyze the lines with the engine on your own and get deeper preparation.
But if I remember correctly from the last event, your rating was about 1600 fide and 2050 online, and at this level such a deep preparations may be not the best time investment, and you can try to improve other parts of your game through our courses.
Good luck!
Whitemood, Scotch, 4...Bc5 5. Nb3
Hi - in the Whitemood openings, in the Scotch after 4… Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6, the plan is very clear - Nc3, Qe2, Be3 and O-O-O, after almost all sensible Black moves.
I wondered however, about 4…Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Qe2 0-0 (delaying d6).
Here I notice that the engine scores 8. Be3 (our standard setup) as a slight advantage for Black and prefers 8. Bg5. But I suspect in practical terms the advantage of sticking to the familiar plan makes 8.Be3 still the appropriate move. Would you agree that 8.Be3 still be the best practical way to continue this opening sequence (until exploring more depth above 2000 rating)?
Many thanks.
Replies
Dear Ben,
If you want to evolve and become a better player, you should try to play the best moves.
In the more detailed course on the Scotch, Avetik explains why Be3 is not a good move, https://chessmood.com/course/scotch-game/episode/643 and how to play correctly with Bg5. Check it out and learn it, very easy to understand and to follow.
A couple of recommendations for you:
You should use the engine at this level just to check your blunders, analyze your games, otherwise it can harm your chess understanding.
Do not be fixated in the rating bands, nowadays rating means less than ever because many people play online a lot but not OTB…
Happy learning dear friend!😀
Question to our coaches....
🤔
The Benko being not everyone's cup of tea, which other opening system would you suggest to replace it ?
Thanks to all
Replies
Hello Jean-Marie!
What about learning Dutch attack?
You can find it here: https://chessmood.com/course/blackmood-openings
It starts from section 9.
Hi Jean-Marie,
Since you are already playing Dutch and don't want to do Benko there are numerous openings which you can choose based on style.
Queens Gambit, Grunfeld or some other ones. Our choice is Benko as it's very practical and interesting to play, with lot's of interesting opportunities.
Also depends on the rating U 2000 even 2200-2300 Blackmood should still be great, as in my practice I used it against much higher rated opponents, without any issues.
Good luck!
Lifetime Memberships Poem
Recently we decided for a special price to offer 20 Lifetime Memberships to our earliest and the most loyal students.
And then unexpectedly we got over 200 requests!!!
I had never asked the "Smart friend" to write poems.
So, decided to give it a try.
Look at this genius 😀
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A kingdom of knowledge, ChessMood consumes.
Lifetime memberships, a treasure untold,
For seekers of wisdom, both young and old.
Grandmasters' creation, a site of acclaim,
Where minds are shaped, in pursuit of the game.
Step-by-step courses, a vast chess terrain,
400+ hours of learning, without restrain.
Live training sessions, where insights collide,
Group sessions united, in knowledge we stride.
1-1 games with a Grandmaster's grace,
A chance to challenge, in a masterful chase.
And as the winds whispered, a tale was unfurled,
Over 200 requests, a love that's unfurled.
The joy and gratefulness, words cannot contain,
For the love from students, like a heartfelt refrain.
With every move, with every piece,
ChessMood's legacy, forever increase.
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So raise your pawns, your bishops, your knight,
Embrace the passion, with all your might.
ChessMood's lifetime memberships, a cherished prize,
A journey of growth, where dreams arise.
We thank you, dear students, for your devotion,
For choosing ChessMood, a heartfelt notion.
Together we'll triumph, with every move,
In this grand chess adventure, may we always improve.
Replies
How amazing would it be to have a lifetime ChessMood membership! To be able to immerse oneself in an ocean of chess knowledge of the highest quality until the end of days? This is the stuff that dreams are made of!
You're a poet too, amigo! :)
<2000 elo, Exchange Caro-Kann - Bg4
Hi CM family, I face this Bg4 move more often than I'd like, and it seems to prevent the plans offered by CM. I couldn't seem to find the answer to this. I was wondering what's the recommended response to that move? Thank you :)
Replies
Kyle, can you be more specific? Bg4 happens in the main line of the exchange and it is deeply covered...
Making moves to quick
Hello all, Does somebody has a methode, system, to make sure that you dont play your move to quickly? My problem is that I need to slow down my play. I now sometimes make a move and when I release the piece I suddenly see a better move which I didn't consider while thinking about this move. So either my thoughtproces is faulty or I lash out my move(s) to quickly. So I guess my question is, is there a (good) thoughtproces that makes me slow down my play and come up with the correct move? Tips like "sit on your hands" and "If you find a good move, look for a better one" doesn't seem to help. :)
Replies
Specific advice depends on your level and the time control you are playing.
When I have time to sit on my hand , it usually do the job ! Usually playing with 30 sec increment OTB , I try to always take 10 sec minimum per move, even force one ! . If you re talking blitz game , it s different !
Create a habit of Candidate moves. In each position try to find multiple moves, then narrow your decision to 2 or 3 moves and spend more time for these 2 or 3 moves.
Also you can write down clock time on your scoresheet after each move (it is allowed). Sometimes it helps to remember not to hurry.
Hi Johan.
I had this problem many years ago.
I tried to “5-second method”, I don't know this was my method or I read it somewhere, but it helped me very well.
So create a habit before doing a move to think 5 more seconds.
Hope this technique will help you.
NEW ARTICLE: 5 Easy Steps to Evaluate a Chess Position Like a GM
Hey Champions!
We have this topic in our Blog.
https://chessmood.com/blog/evaluate-chess-position
If you have any questions, comments or you just liked it, feel free to share your thoughts here.
Replies
Nice article. Keep it simple rather than try to remember lots of things, which is better than doing nothing.
Many many thanks to the Author for the article. I want to achieve the state when it will be automatic to me.
Thanks, great article. Anyway the lesson I take is keep your pieces as active as posible.
Very impressive !! Thanks for this article.
Hello!
In that position , if White plays BxRf4, it is inviting trouble by opening the dragon bishop's sluice gate! Right master?
That would make for an interesting pause the video course - look at a position, pause and think about the key elements to consider in the evaluation and decide what your evaluation is and why, and then listen to the GM's thoughts on the position and how they evaluate it. Some of the daily chess lessons with a GM are like this. You might like the book Best Play by Alexander Shashin
I loved this article, I will be implementing the 5 steps to evaluating positions in my games! This could be written in a book or make a good course. Thank you GM Noel Studer!
Very nice article ! It s an easy methot that I have to try to apply . My worse defeats came from neglecting king safety and start an attack too early ! And having gained a structural pawn advantage but still going for too risky attacks .. I could review my silman book( reassess your chess ) and use this methot to check if I can get a better and quicker evaluation of the position. 👍
Caro Kann exchange question
How should I continue after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.ed5 cd5 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.c3 Bg4 6.Qb3 Qb6, should I exchange the queens on b6 or should I give him the option of exchanging. Please tell me the plans in both options. Attaching position screenshot below-
Replies
https://chessmood.com/course/caro-kann-defence/episode/3879 Here it's said that 6… Qb6 will be a transposition. This implies that 7.Bf4 is the suggested move. After 7..Nc6 we are back here: https://chessmood.com/course/caro-kann-defence/episode/151 Avetik will tell you the plans much better than I 😉 In blitz/bullet games online I often don't capture on b6. Not right away at least - perhaps I'll capture after a few moves. I found my results were better this way. The reason is that it gives black a chance to make a mistake and capture on b3, after which we are close to having a significant advantage. And it's amazing how often black will make this capture! If they do, the play is easy for us. Play an early b4 and look to apply pressure down the a-file. Can even try doubling rooks there. I put your position into Stockfish and let it search to depth 50. Top 4 moves were h3, Ne2, Bf4, Qxb6. Scores were all around +0.4. h3 had the highest score but it was some sort of eval glitch because when I played down the line the score became similar to the other moves. If black captures on b3, the score typically jumps to around +0.8.
Adding opening name to the openings avengers course
Hello, I would really appreciate if you could add the names of the openings to the games so it would be easier to navigate when rewatching the course. For example Game 2 hippo/modern defense/ game 22 French
Replies
Not sure the name is so important particularly with the more obscure ones. The aim isn't to learn to play the variation, it's dealing with how to punish transgressions in the opening. I've suggested they should be named or grouped by theme, such as premature queen development, worthless gambit, hippo structure etc. At least then you can find or browse a specific topic.
Accelerated Dragon Be2 with d5
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cd 4.Nd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Be2 d5!
Do I understand correctly that d5 is playable, it is novelty, but it is not yet covered anywere in the courses?
Replies
8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Nxd5 Qxd5 (cxd5 11.Bb5+ is annoying). Here I don't like
black's structure. Because of this Bb5+ option I'd castle first. If 8.0-0, then 8… d5 is fine.
The only move that prevents 8…d5 is 8.Nb3, after which black has a comfortable- in my eyes- classical dragon.
This line is mentioned in Section 2 (Minor lines) 1.7 Be2. Coach Avetik explained that it's not played much by strong players because White has 8.Bb5! then either 8...Bd7 or 8...O-O Black loses the d-pawn. There appears to be many sharp lines to learn in this variation. So more practical is after 7 Be2 O-O as in the course then if 8.O-O we can now play d5. If I understand correctly from the course, in these lines the idea is we can break with d5 if we have already castled so Bb5 doesn't pin the Nc6.
Puzzle Solutions
Are the puzzle solutions online?
Replies
No. Only ones which are are the daily lessons.
The Vienna Game For White:Is it recommended to play?
Hello, in the chess app Magnus Trainer I saw one of the lessons which recommended this set-up(and the whole Vienna). 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 with the set-up Bg2, Nge2, d3, f4 sometimes h3 and attack. There were also some model games which showed the ease of this set-up. My question is should it be considered(and is it good) against serious opposition in a serious classical tournament.
Replies
Well it is a viable option and has been played in Top tournaments too, that depends on your style, your knowledge of the opening, etc.
Here we recommend the Scotch, but if you want to add the Vienna too, why not? Try it and see how it feels…😀
Spassky played that line a few times.
Some inspiration perhaps:
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1082390 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1129081 It also depends on your level. Vienna move order can sometimes be transposed to Italian lines (with Nf3). Ne2 is also interesting with concrete plan to play f4. On high level Black doesn't have much problems but practically on lower levels it is a good option. Black usually are not so well prepared against Vienna. OTB, Elo 2000, I have faced it with black multiple times and each game was absolutely playable for both sides with a lot of play even when both players were somehow prepared.
Should we waste time and try to find the fastest mate or just mate normally
This comes up too much for me in games
Replies
I think rather than finding the fastest mate we should try to find the most forcing mate which doesn't give opponents many options or choices as we will be less likely to blunder in one simple forced variation than in many complicated variations even if they are 5 to 6 moves quicker
Anti-Sicilian Part 1 question
Hello. How should I play after 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 Nc6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 Bg7 6.O-O Nf6 7.d3 O-O 8.Qe1 Bg4 9.f5 Bxf3 10.Rxf3 Nd4 11.Rh3 e6 12.Bg5 h6 ?
Request to add this in the course, as it only mentions 12…Nxc2 move I think.
I am attaching position screenshot below-
Replies
Hi if 12...h6 we just take the pawn? 13.Bxh6 Bxh6 (13...Nxc2 14.Qd2 and white is winning) 14.Rxh6 and we get the open h-file, moreover Black king's pawn shelter is weak. After 14.Rxh6 Black still can't play 14...Nxc2 because of 15.Qh4 and our attack continues and we don't even have to give up Ra1. So Black's best move should be 14...Kg7 to let Rf8 contest the h-file, then 15.Rh3 and Black still can't play Nxc2 because of Qd2. So it seems to me 12...h6 is weaker than 12...Nxc2 because we get the h-file for free, our attack continues (pawn f5 still threatens fxg6) and Ra1-f1 can join in, we don't even lose the Ra1 and c2 pawn.
Dear Nishant,
We can not add all the moves or show all the possible moves in the courses. In this case, just take the pawn with the Bishop, maybe we will not have a straight attack anymore but we are one pawn up and with a good position. 😀
Scotch 4...Bb4+ 5.c3 Bc5 6.Be3 Qf6?!
The line- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bb4+ 5.c3 Bc5 6.Be3 Qf6 is a tempo down for Black compared to the line- 4…Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3.
The course gives 4…Bc5 5.Nb3
In the 4…Bb4+ line, after 6…Qf6 White is tempo up, but can anybody tell me the plans as I am new to Scotch game
Replies
I asked Gabuzyan since we discussed a similar line in a recent conversation, he'll reply soon. Stay tuned😀 In the meanwhile can you tell us your elo? Thanks!
Hi Nishant,
There are 2 good ideas in the position you mentioned. White can choose the development of 7.Be2 - 0-0 - Nc2 with the idea of trading the bishops and getting strong Knight on e3.
Or another option is to play with 7.g3-Bg2-0-0 ideas which will be preventing any d5 options for black in the future. Same Nc2 ideas will be available.
Miniature course: just an idea
Just an idea - maybe it would be usefull to have some course with well known chess miniatures. I think that Clsasical game course is ideal, but it is maybe difficult for beginners. Some miniature games (for instance, Opera game, Legal mate etc.) could be interesting for many beginner players.
This idea come to my mind because I was preparing lesson for kid and was looking for miniatures ;)
Replies
Scotch 4...Qf6 question
How should I play in the position in Scotch after-
4…Qf6 5.Nf3 Bc5 6.Nc3 Nge7 7.Nb5 Bb6 8.Be3 Bxe3. Attaching screenshot below-
Replies
Well, you clearly must take on c7 and take the rook. You do not recapture the Bishop, of course. Happy learning!
But no need for a long explanation here. Please check the video carefully where Avetik explains this variation exactly: https://chessmood.com/course/scotch-game/episode/675
Evaluation course is coming out! Need your help
ChessMood Family🤩
Need your help. We're about to start recording a course about evaluation.
We need a non-standard, fancy, eye-catching name for the course. Any ideas?
Here are a few ideas we have:
Captain Evaluator
Tricky Scale
Evaluation Compass
Any better ones? Thanks!
Replies
Best ones I've come up with so far so far: Knights of the Round Chessboard : Is your position worthy? ...... Pawn broker --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brain storm process: Was it worth it? ..... What's it to you (also means what business is it of yours)? ..... How much is that horsie in the centre? (Play on the song How much is that doggie in the window) ..... Worthy -> test such as pulling Excalibur -> reference to King Arthur/ knights of the round table (e.g. (King Arthur and the) Knights of the Round Chessboard: Is your position worthy?)...... Evaluation -> businessman (deals start to head towards traders / exchanges though) (Pawn broker?) ...... My kingdom for a knight! ..... Sum it up -> sums / (maths) teacher ..... Critic -> theatre / music
The eval is in the details. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_devil_is_in_the_details)
hm STOP (for stop think observe and plan) came to my mind. well, this is for the problem when you get lost in the "wild" and perhaps figuring out how to get out of the mess. But i guess evaluation is also looking for the path towards the best "future".
Decode positions Beyond the Surface From board to mind Evalufier (like evaulation and magnifier)
What s up doc ? Whose playing for a win ?( ref to Bugs bunny favorite quote )
The Golden Scale - Silver Scale - or maybe there should be a judge: The Righteous Judge
Thanks everyone!!
While thinking for a name I thought about the SLP course which I would link to a song to help us have the right mood .. staying alive ! I will sing it in my head next time I need to save a position .
- The critical apprizel
- Judgement call
- The rightious judge
Chess Summit Sherpa
here are some ideas:
"Deciphering the Strategic Symphony"
Enigmatic Horizons of Chess Mastery"
"Unraveling the Chess Cosmos"
"Chess Alchemy: Illuminating the Art of Evaluation"
"Enchanted Chessscape: Mastering the Art of Strategic Evaluation."
"Celestial Chess Oracles: A Majestic Voyage into the Realm of Strategic Evaluation."
Scotch question 4...Bb4+
Hi all, I have a question in the mentioned line, please see the attachment. Thank you.
Replies
Let me be the first to answer my question partially 😅 After 4.. Bb4 we have: a) 5.Nc3 Nf6 - we are tricked as well into Scotch 4 Knights b) 5.Bd2 does not convince after 5...Qe7 like it's said in the course. Since there are no alternatives- except 5.c3 we will be "tricked" either way. I defintely like the transpo after 5.c3 more than the Scotch 4 Knights... So, I am fine with everything given in the course. Question left: What's your recommendation after 6...Qf6 - Bc4 or anything else? I am happy about any opinion, thanks!
ChessMood Black Repertoire: also a White Repertoire ?
Hi everyone for those who play the full ChessMood black repertoire, do you sometimes play 1.a3 and pretend you play the Black Repertoire ? It seems to me that ...a6 is a useful move in most black variations: - Benko: of course - Acc Dragon: most of the time I can't see any main line of the black repertoire that may suffer from a6 Sure, 1.a3 is not very ambitious, agreed. But it can be fun to plan the reverse Benko and reverse Accelerated Dragon Anyone has experienced 1.a3 in this direction ? Laurent
Replies
Sometimes I've played 1. h3!?, but even then I feel that you can enjoy chess a lot more with White while trying to play the ambitious gambits like Evans Gambit, I even prefer the London System to 1. a3 because I can control what my opponent plays instead of the other way around. Interested to hear more opinions on this!
