Continue with Google
Continue with Facebook
Chess forum by Grandmasters
2000 elo in rapid on chesscom , finally !
After a year and a half with chessmood , I finally got the 2000 rapid badge on chesscom ! My successes did not happen as rapidly as others but I kept my faith in the chessmood openings ( except for very few lines ) . I got really close last year after finishing the ninja tactics course but my emotion management was a weakness during games. I followed the advices of GM Avetik and went on reading some Ryan holiday books : « Discipline is destiny » and « Ego is the enemy « . I played often and analyzed most of them . I also used the new AI coach which is helping me pointing out my recurent mistakes . I m doing some tactics exercices everyday and some physical exercices regularly . I also took the next level training of GM Noel Studer this spring . Thank you chessmood for helping me Improved at 58 yrs old ! Next step is getting 2000 otb !
Here is the link of my decisive game to get to 2000 . Not perfect but I m starting to win more regularly with the Dutch !
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/123909018495?tab=review
Replies
Congratulations!
I wish you all the luck in getting to 2000 FIDE!
Congratulations, Denis.
That is a fantastic achievement - I think, based on a video I watched recently, that a 2,000 rating puts you in the top 1% of players! 😎
Awesome! Did you achieve this with French and Dutch courses?
Congrats! - Improving at 58 years old is very inspiring for a lot of people.
Nice use of the White and Blackmood repertoires! Kinda shows how solid these are, even at that levels.
Wish the best on your 2000 otb goal!
I'm curious approximately hour many hours per day did you average on chess? Also, I'm assuming you followed the study play fix method?
Felicitations!!
That's great! I hope to get there too at some point.
nice game too, extracting the king from his castle to kill him in the middle of the board.
Hi again! I'm also curious about Noel's course. What was your experience with that?
IQP
Do we have a course covering how to play IQP positions? Specifically, attacking when you have the IQP in a favourable version. Beyond just the simple ideas one usually sees (black wants to control d5 to blockade the pawn, white wants to push d5 or attack using e5 outpost) - e.g. how to understand when pushing d5 is actually good vs just liquidating to a draw. I thought “Attack like a viking” might have a section on it, but am not seeing it there.
Replies
There are a few games in the commented classical course covering IQP structures
To follow up, here is a position from one of my games. In this position the engine suggests 18…Rae8, which is not the sort of move players at my level (~1950) tend to play. My opponent played 18…Rfe8, aiming to discourage me from pushing d5 and opening the e file, and I had completely the wrong reaction. My thinking was “he is countering d5, let's switch to the other plan” and I played 19.Bc2. Then after 19…g6 the position was equal. After studying with the engine I now know my thinking should have been “undefending f7 must be wrong, let's rip open the diagonal”. After 19.d5! ed 20. Bxd5! black is in trouble due to the weakness of f7 and the lack of co-ordination of the black pieces (in particular the d7 bishop being loose). E.g. if 20…Bf6 21.Bxf7+ white wins a pawn while maintaining the initiative. The same if 20…Rad8: white can increase the pressure with 21.Rfe1, or simply go ahead with 21.Bxf7+! 22.Kxf7 Rxd7! Rxd7 23.Qf5+. Or even if 20…Rf8 (admitting the mistake): Bxf7+!
In the initial position, if black plays 18…Rad8, 19. d5 is again correct, and white has initiative after 19…ed 20.Nxd5, e.g. 20…Rde8 21.Nc7 Rd8 22.Rxd7! Rxd7 23.Ne6! Or: 20…Rfe8 21.Nxe7+ Rxe7 22.Bxf7+! Rxf7 23.Ng5.
This all makes a lot of sense when analyzing with the engine, but I would love to be able to find such moves over the board.
Dutch Defense: Senechaud Gambit
hi all, I've just been hit by this gambit, it's a variation of a London system with an early g4, Iv'e never seen it before. I got destroyed so any help in how Chessmood should play against it.
It goes 1 d4 e6 2 Bf4 f5 3 g4 I played fxg4 4 h3 and now I made an error with ..Nf6.
Maybe I should play .g3 and give back the pawn?
thanks
Replies
Hey Paul,
I Checked that position, and I agree that 4…g3 seems like the most practical choice for Black.
Good luck :-)
Puzzle ratings on Chess.com... question...TY
I'm pretty much a chess rookie. I joined Chess-Mood and I like it.
I also have spent time on chess.com, practicing with the ‘puzzle’ section that they have. They supposedly rate you according to your success with each puzzle. Does that ‘rating’ actually mean anything? Just curious. Thanks.
Brian in Connecticut/USA
Replies
The puzzle rating doesn't mean a lot. The higher the better of course, but puzzle ratings are on a different scale to chess ratings and tend to be much higher. Also, there is no time limit for solving the puzzles, so people who spend more time tend to have higher puzzle ratings.
🙂
The rating you get from doing puzzles on chess.com can be a useful indicator of your chess tactics ability, but it's important to understand its limitations:
Yes, it means something:
Tactics Focus: The puzzle section trains a specific chess skill: tactics. Solving puzzles helps you identify winning opportunities (checks, forks, pins, skewers etc.) on the chessboard. A higher rating indicates you're better at spotting these tactical opportunities.
Skill Improvement: As you solve more puzzles and your rating goes up, it suggests you're getting better at recognizing tactical patterns and calculating variations.
Limitations to Consider:
Not Overall Chess Skill: Chess involves other skills like positional understanding, strategic planning, and endgame technique. The puzzle rating doesn't reflect these aspects.
Focus on Speed: Chess.com puzzles often have time limits, which might not reflect your ability to solve them thoughtfully over longer periods.
Rating Fluctuations: Your rating might fluctuate depending on the difficulty of puzzles you encounter. Don't get discouraged by short-term drops.
I think this may help!
it gives a good indication if you can see différents motifs of tactics . By checking the personalize tab , you can review any past puzzle by clicking the little reverse sign in the upper right . This will help you understand what you missed and you can even select the theme and difficulty if you want to train a particular one .
The higher you get , the better at spotting tactics you will be but it s not an indication of your level of play at all . Tactics is the most important aspect of chess but without the rest , you will be limited .
in chesscom , you will always get minimum of 5 pts if you solve it completely and a maximum of 15 if you execute it under a minimum time which vary with the complexity . In lichess you have no time at all and will either get or lose the points according to the difficulty of the puzzle compare to your rating and you can adjust the difficulty level .
Usually the tactic rating in chesscom is very inflated compare to lichess which is weird as the playing rating in lichess especially under 2000 is the one which is inflated compare to chesscom .
Hi
The puzzle rating on chess.com gives you an estimate of your puzzle solving strength… It Is usually higher than your real game rating…. The higher your rating get, it means that your puzzle solving skills are improving… But you should focus more on finding puzzles in real game 🙂
Coach Gabuzyan's article
What a wonderful, written from the heart article!
A great lesson on not only how to improve one's game at the highest level but more importantly how to express humbleness, point out one's weaknesses as examples and make strong points from personal experience without the fear of “looking weak”.
I would like to recommend Hohvannes' article to all who want to overcome their insecurities( chess included!).
Learn from someone we all look up to who really doesn't mind showing us his weaknesses in order to inspire us.
Thank you coach!
Replies
Dear Ovi thank you so much for these kind words!
Move order
Hey everyone,
When I'm doing puzzles in the courses I find that there are several where I do the moves in the wrong order, and I was wondering if there were any commonalities to look out for. Sometimes you give the check first, and other times you sacrifice a piece first, for example, so I'm struggling to see which to do first. Is this something that gets better with time and experience?
Replies
🙂
Hey there,
It's great that you're working on puzzles to improve your chess skills! It's completely normal to make mistakes when you're first learning. The good news is that with practice, you'll get better at recognizing patterns and making the right moves.
Here are a few tips that might help:
-Take your time.Don't rush through the puzzles. Take a few moments to think about the position and the possible moves.
-Look for the key idea. What is the main idea behind the puzzle? Is it to give checkmate, win material, or create a fork? Once you know the key idea, it will be easier to see the correct moves.
-Practice regularly. The more you practice, the better you'll become at recognizing patterns and making the right moves.
-Don't get discouraged. Everyone makes mistakes. Just keep practicing and you'll see improvement.
As for your specific question about the order of moves, it's important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The best way to determine the correct order is to think about the position and the goals of the puzzle. In some cases, it may be necessary to give check first in order to force your opponent to make a bad move. In other cases, it may be better to sacrifice a piece first in order to create a winning position.
With practice, you'll develop a better sense of when to give check first and when to sacrifice a piece first.
I hope this helps!
Video bar not hiding
Hello, I wonder if other users experience the same. When you start watching a video, and move the mouse away, the progress bar should hide itself after a few seconds. Most of the time it does, but it's not uncommon for it to just stay there.
How often does it happen to me? Basically on every study session. I pause the video many times to take notes, and sometime when I unpause it the progress bar just stays there.
Is this something the development team is aware and working on? If not, could you please consider adding a bug report?
Thank you
Replies
Practice Partner
Looking for some practice games against the Cara Kann. I have a rapid rating of 2000. Reach out if you would like to play.
Replies
Hey Madison,
Under this thread people are finding a sparring partner - https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/studysparring-partner-1362
Can be easier :-)
Good luck!
The best games of October, 2024, and the prizes
Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions!
Welcome to the "Best games of October, 2024" competition.
Under this post, we invite you to post the best games that you will play this month.
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 September, 2024:
Samuel Marsden
Ku rt
Arnav Garg
Aron Bekesi
Thomas Maes
Replies
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121518590185
crushing with french attack
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121531891811
taking an slow advantage out of french
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121543229071
crushing with scotch with almost beating in theory playing like tal sacrifice sacrifice for attack
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/121558215299?tab=analysis&move=145 Very crazy game!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121590598255
crushing with sicilian grand prix taking king out of center is risky
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121591246717
killing with scotch
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121591790661
overing game in theory again with scotch
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/121101042773?tab=review&move=53
a great positional game
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/121530072923?tab=review&move=53
the london trap in action
Just got this Blitz Game (5+0) from our University Intramural Games. I was playing White and features the Closed Sicillian - 2. Nc6 line:
- e4 c5
- Nc3 Nc6
- Bb5 Nb8?
- Nf3 a6
- Be2 e6
- 0-0 g6
- d4 cxd4
- Qxd4 Nf6
- Bg5 Be7
- e5 Nh5
- Bxe7 Qxe7
- Ne4 Nc6
- Nd6+ Kf8
- Qe3 Kg7??
- g4 Nxe5?
- Qxe5 Nf6
- g5 Rf8
- Ne4 d6
- gxf6+ Qxf6
- Qxf6+ Kg8
- Nxd6 Bd7
- Ne5 Rab8
- Nexf7 Rxf7
- Nxf7 1-0
Just got this Blitz Game (5+0) from our University Intramural Games. I was playing White and features the Stafford Gambit:
e4 e5
Nf3 Nf6
Nxe5 Nc6
Nxc6 dxc6
d3 Bc5
Be2 h5
h3 Qd4
0-0 Be6
c3 Qd7
d4 Bxh3
dxc5 Qxd1
Bxd1 Bg4
Bxg4 hxg4
e5 Nd5
c4 Ne7
Nf3 0-0-0
Bg5 f6
exf6 gxf6
Bxf6 Rhe8
Bxe7 Rxe7
Rfe1 Rde8
Rxe7 Rxe7
Kf1 1-0
Just got this Blitz Game (5+0) from our University Intramural Games. I was playing White and features the Closed Sicillian - 2.e6 line:
- e4 c5
- Nc3 e6
- f4 Nc6
- Nf3 d6
- Bb5 Bd7
- 0-0 Qb6
- Bxc6 Bxc6
- d3 Nf6
- Qe1 Be7
- Qg3 0-0
- f5 exf5
- exf5 Nd5??
- Bh6 Bf6?
- Nxd5 Bxd5
- Bxg7 Bxg7
- f6 c4+
- Kh1 1-0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121636180615
crushing with grand prix
Check out this chess game featuring the Closed Sicillian - 2. Nc6 line: ZO4RM5 vs madsonic17 - https://www.chess.com/live/game/119896269141
Check out this chess game featuring how to destroy the Pirc
https://www.chess.com/live/game/120287407147
https://lichess.org/Kyf5usDexAa0
Another nice game (10+5) in attacking mode, with a fine pawn move (e6), another nice move with the bishop (Bd4) a clearing sacrifice an a rare mate (and accuray of 91% :-)
https://www.chess.com/game/live/1217058259
crushing people with french exchange variation
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121720293579
crushing people with stonewall
https://www.chess.com/live/game/121728044005
Walking on GM Avetik steps in a Scotch Game. Just 17 moves!
https://lichess.org/f3AQICo2/white#0.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/121740037383?tab=analysis&move=123
17.Nd5 prepared the mating attack.
https://lichess.org/5AaI2MGZY3kC
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121789815065
crushing with french defence with 90 accuracy in 3||2 71 moves
https://lichess.org/YRATtmNynhbT
Crush the Pirc with Grand Prix Attack!!
The game lasted for just 22 moves and my opponent king was checkmated on d4
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121805930811
crushing with french
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121805427997
crushing with scotch
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121805971159
crushing with scotch
I think it was a great game in a Sicilian against 3. Bc4!
https://lichess.org/CnTRvWUI/black#0.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121847367519
crushing with dutch
Brutal attack in the Grand Prix!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121853388709
french attack : 98%
https://lichess.org/xivgExDF/black
https://lichess.org/study/jfZSQHwf
An okay game containing a queen sac and a (behind the scenes) rook sac.
Playing with extreme accuracy!
https://lichess.org/NCUqsem5/white#0.
Fighting against The hideous London with an upper hand!
https://lichess.org/bMEjaM16/black#0.
Still learning this line in The Sicilian.
https://lichess.org/A7uM8RPI/white#0.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/121978156695
attacking with french
Crushing the QGD with the Janowski variation (3…a6). A lot of good dinamic games could arise from this opening, with attacking chances for both colours, especially when white doesn't exchange on move 4 and allows 4…dxc4.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122023146527
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122034531269
just premoving of thinking of e4 for my shock it was black pieces and it was d5 hopefully opponent play d4 if it was english i was going to be crushed against eungland gambit but i used tarrasch def sorry tarrash attack gambit and crushed my opponent as i had not known theory i made a small in accuracy in the game but other wise i just dissmised him
He fell for the trap:
https://lichess.org/msN8rfN7HJNV
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122047792047
attacking with french people fall again for the bishop sac
anti-sicilian - 7…f5 is strange from black side. finally got an attack but i missed the attack of black c5 pawn by 9…b4! which is to advanced
Some people loves to play passively even with White pieces! What can we do then? Punish them!
https://lichess.org/ktXzAR9s/black#0.
an beautiful mate in french dream variation
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122107125665
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122107787623
a game with scandivian crushing the opponents
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122112535807?username=arnav-dr
crushing with french defence
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122155770895
crushing with anti sicilian
Some good positional play in a closed Sicilian.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122161745375.
Bringing some ideas from The Modern Philidor course even if it's not totaly the same thing.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122166568527.
Dutch attack
https://www.chess.com/live/game/122189960287
A nice victory playing white against the French defense. https://lichess.org/rJ2DN6SpnIg2
Punishing an opening blunder in this miniature
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122242211955
https://www.chess.com/live/game/122251751327
a great game straight from the Grand Prix course. Finally pushed me over 1800!
When oponent is a little careless in a Sicilian.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122308726501.
Interesting antisicilian
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122320772823
Despite an an almost automatic 4 .. e5 move (expecting c3.. )
a relatively quick and nice mate in the French (with black) anti Tarrasch ..
https://lichess.org/cwm8LzZP/black#40
Gran prix against philidoro-pirc.
Positional advantage
https://lichess.org/Z6cOAk7s/white
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122381684531
crushing with french
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122397920887
crushing with slav
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122399145905
crushing with french
Not sure if I should put it there, since my opponent resigned after blunder its queen on move 24 and it feels anticlimactic, but at this point I already had a nice advantage. But what made me happy with this game, even if there is a lot of inaccuracies, is how I came back from a very uncomfortable position after the opening.
I ran into the Mengarini Variation - antisicilian sideline with 2 a3, some kind of weird wing gambit without the gambit. I've seen it a few times but did not took the time to come with any specific preparation - I saw afterward that you have a short video on it in the step-by-step opening for black, and what you suggest make a lot of sense. Anyway, not really knowing what I was doing, I just tried to play normal chess, protecting my pawns and developing my pieces if I can and ended up with a position with very little space to move my pieces. But I managed to slowly manoeuver, exchange pieces, prepare pawns breaks and disentangle my position. The blunder came exactly at the moment where the strong center of the opponent disintegrated, so it might be due to tilt or panic.
And well, even after my bad opening and my inaccuracies, chess.com still give me 88.1 of accuracy and says I played like a 2250 (I don't have a lot of confidence it that feature, but when it gives me such hight scores it's usually for a nice game), so… well, I'll put it there.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122441635315
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122452453125
crushing with dutch good mood and good bishop
nice attack against a dubious opening (owen defense): can you spot the 14th move ?
A nearly perfect bullet game with 1.b3 starts with 13.Nd5 repositioning the knight to a better position on f4 followed by 19.Re6, exploiting the fact that he can't take, and 20.Nxg6+ with the point that after hxg6 Qh6+ Kg8 Qxg7#. On move 23, I played Bh5 seeing the way the game ended, and after Bxe6 I got to follow up with Ne7+! Blocking the queen from defending f6 and if Kxe7, Qg7+ is followed by Qxf7#. Hope you enjoy the game!
A feel good game.
When you play the four knights sicilian, you basically say you want a tricky and tactical game, so the most annoying opponents will force a transition to a sveshnikov, an ultra-positionnal line. But this opponent did not knew how to properly do it: you have to go Bf4, forcing e5 and creating a weakness on d5, and then only go Bg5. Without the weakness on d5, white don't have its main plan. And from there, I punished the positional inaccuracies, the pawn blunder and tactical mistakes. Feel good. :)
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122596493665
alekhine gambit (3.f4) transitioning in a advantageous endgame at move 6.
The opening was bad I agree. Still don't remeber everything. The final blow was fantastic!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122688234621.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122724299291
when you see a game with pasini and try to play it without knowing theory and crushing the opponent
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/122652865819?tab=analysis
An attacking Scotch game! I develop my pieces and, combined with the e and f pawns, gain a reasonable grip on the centre - time to move my queen and castle.
I castled queen-side in order to get a rook on the semi-open d-file. I was also looking to move my queen to g3 and then Nf5 for a fork attacking black's queen on e7 and the g7 square for a potential mate if black castled king-side. There is a slight delay to proceedings after black's Bg4 skewers my queen and rook but it doesn't change the plan (and Stockfish thinks that the queen-side castle leading to the skewer was the ‘best’ move!) - Qg3.
Bxd1 followed by Rxd1 leaves me a rook down but … I still have the rook on a semi-open file and I still have the potential knight fork. The rook on d1 may have motivated black's next move and his eventual downfall. He castled and I made the planned Nf5 move.
To his credit, black attempted to deflect my queen (or perhaps the f5 knight) with Bxe3+ but I had anticipated this and moved the king to the safety of b1. It was basically ‘Game Over’ after that.
Happy to play a high level game with a Maroczy Bind Formation.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122739903943.
And a great Benko!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122747632049.
Accelerated Dragon.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122770506329.
A nice Caro-Kann game https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/122801632161?tab=analysis&move=60
Winning the queen in the opening
Beeing a 3 minute game without increment, I unfortunately lost it on time, but had a winning position all along.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122808268041
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122811287431
crushing in scandivian for not castling
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122811838181
crushing in modern benoni by using pin against fork
Maximum punishment of a begginer mistake in the four knight sicilian with a 98 score of accuracy.
https://lichess.org/9SZystpM/black#0
Positional domination in a weird, slightly misplayed Scotch (by both sides I would say). Unfortunately my 18.f4 blow wasn't any good according to the engine, since after exf4 white has got nothing better then perpetual with Rxg6, but my opponent chose the wrong path and I was able to find the strong 19.f5! after which white is completely winning.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122832940927
I totally dominated a 1600 chess.com rapid elo player in 16 moves against the Scandinavian and I’ve only played chess since April, while also taking 6 weeks off back in August, so only a total time of less than 5 months from a beginner. I was also 800 elo when I joined ChessMood in June.
check the game out https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/122844857243?tab=analysis I played 90% accurate
https://lichess.org/zMEEYnht/white#24
https://lichess.org/bWRRoToP/white
Blackmood - French Attack Game
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/122873080889?tab=review
Attack with the Benko. Danger of leaving the king in the center.
https://lichess.org/GFGijNkdXldg
👍
caro kann with a good advantage the whole game:
https://lichess.org/I0w9MX0n/white#0
Two interesting games I recently played against a friend
https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/aVOXmBNW
https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/uxIh73LH
giving the queen for 3 pieces in a scotch game and getting lucky.
French where black plays c5 and after Nc3, Qxd4 Nb5 black align its queen on the a4-e8 diagonal which is dangerous.
Beautiful king walk and checkmate with Chessmood repertoire against 1.b3 :)
https://lichess.org/Wu19iLkt/black#16
Beautiful game with the Grand Prix Attack https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/32o2BXcAkW?tab=analysis&move=0
French defense: Schelter variation attack, as in the courses
Really fun chasing his king around the board with checks until his demise haha
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123149395229
vs Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange variation
I saw Magnus Carlsen go h3 whenever they play Nf6 (with intentions of playing Bg4), denying this whole line of going Qb3 and such, which I don't like playing against because it's more fun to do these attack set ups.
here I did some intuition sacrifices. Stockfish didn't like my play that much, but it's definitely scary for the opponent when you're in his face like that, and then their chances of blundering is higher
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123163209295
A pretty nice attack with black in the Alekhine Four Pawns.
The star move of the game is 25…Bxg2!! after which white has no defense. Had he played 25. Qa6 instead of Qb5, he would have hold the crucial h6-square in the following variation: 25…Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Rf2+ 27. Kh3 and here I cannot play Qh6+ with mate in 3 to follow.
https://lichess.org/zYRuU9QN/black#0
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123194398219
moving a knight or a knightmare for the opponent
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123234028589
crushing in french
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123270032461
converting a positional game with long term advantage
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123271865529
crushing with french
Oh, I like this one!
One of my best positionnal games so far. Playing against an IQP.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123306625679
96% accuracy against the Benoni, and a really nice mate at the end.
https://lichess.org/vCwJZpDP#61
A nice win against the Petroff,
https://lichess.org/s03Dvt83/white#43
A great game against a Sicilian with 2. …. Nc6.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123447099885.
https://www.chess.com/live/game/123466779641
Feel more and more comfortable when playing The Accelerated Dragon even if it's still not perfect!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123467397567.
This game could honestly be a model game for the french exchange! https://lichess.org/vmfm49iu/black#1
Punishing dubious opening play in Grand Prix/Taimanov
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123489607057
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123531589313
crushing with french
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123586253897
creating a pawn sac in schelter for active development
https://lichess.org/NCby2MxtZEh0
The French with White, disabling the French bishop and the rook, leaving no chance of counterplay.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123591010019
slowly crushing in french
https://lichess.org/kjc9FbLX/white#63
Win in the Sicilian 2..e6 line, it was hard work but got there in the end. My opponent was a decent 2121 lichess rating.
On move 9 black played ..Qc8, see image below, I went for fxe6 and got my knights hopping all over his position.
https://lichess.org/study/SnHlWENo/FHLmJAI6
A miniature with some fun opening prep
Nice sacrifice
https://lichess.org/E0N6tgzXFJAk
The French Attack advanced line.
https://lichess.org/SlwQ93j7/white#73
My best game in the French as white
https://www.chess.com/live/game/123696596315
i played better chess just from watching videos again!
Winning with stonewall attack (against a titled player)
https://lichess.org/qxlIcNpS/black
Another nice stonewall attack. https://lichess.org/SuQ7d3oO/black
My small contribution to this list : https://www.chess.com/live/game/123727840643
Black played a weird opening, but the checkmating attack is cute
https://www.chess.com/live/game/123754244225
https://lichess.org/tqRKZln0/white#45
A nice convincing attack with the Grand Prix against Black's d6-a6 setup.
My opponent didn't play to well in this game, to be honest. For example, he shouldn't give me the exchange with 12.Nxe5; he could play the normal h3 instead and be perfectly fine. I still show you this because a short but tricky line that I managed to calculate and had occurred in the game, starting with 14…Nxe4!? (objectively not the best move but the most spectacular one). The point is that he can't save his knight with 18.Nd7 because after Rd8 I would threaten a back rank mate!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123766810019
One of my most accurate games!
https://www.chess.com/daily/game/717835429
https://www.chess.com/live/game/123824378443
very solid game in the Dutch attack
Nice win against caro-kann.
https://lichess.org/study/cRXxmrSi/wBq3j3Vx#1
Good morning!
I played very nice exchange Caro-Kann from white site.
https://lichess.org/teynzszqvNPm
98% vs 2230
Another wild QGD Janowski game. It was 3 minute chess, so the quality of the last few moves wasn't exactly great :)
https://www.chess.com/game/live/123963650849
https://www.chess.com/live/game/123984578855
nice attack in my favorite course
Total domination in an Accelerated Dragon.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/124026019159.
In Accelerated Dragon lot of opponents think that playing logicaly in the center is safe. They will quickly discover the truth!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/124029626127.
https://lichess.org/gBOLRAMb/white#43
https://lichess.org/QWFdXo5o/white
[Event "PK HSB 20204: Prayan Sai Kumar - Roger van Groesen"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/n0ON71ck/k4HdorWL"]
[Result "*"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "C42"]
[Opening "Petrov's Defense: French Attack"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Psk _Chessmood"]
[UTCDate "2024.10.26"]
[UTCTime "10:52:02"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 Nf6 6. d4 d5 7. Bd3 Bd6 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Bg4 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 12. c3 c6 13. Qc2 Qc7 14. Bg3 Rfe8 15. Rfe1 Bxg3 16. hxg3 Re6 17. Rxe6 Bxe6 18. Nh4 c5 19. Ndf3 c4 20. Bf5 Bxf5 21. Nxf5 Re8 22. Ne3 Qc6 23. Nd2 Ne4 24. Re1 Ndf6 25. Nf3 Nd7 26. g4 b5 27. Nh4 Ndf6 28. f3 Ng5 29. Nhf5 Ne6 30. Qd2 Qc7 31. g3 Ng5 32. Kg2 a5 33. Nxd5 Qd7 34. Nxf6+ (34. Nxh6+ Kh7 (34... Kf8 35. Rxe8+ (35. Nxf6 gxf6 36. Nf5 Kg8) 35... Qxe8 36. Qxg5) 35. Qc2+ Kxh6) 34... gxf6 35. Nxh6+ Kg7 36. Nf5+ Kg8 *
A game with a beautifull combination at the end.
https://www.chess.com/live/game/124119010425
tried the new gambit in rise of champions course made a mistake or 2 but a beautiful attack and Mate!
id like more videos on that opening
https://lichess.org/ckNamDm1/white#0
That was an insane comeback
From completely losing,to drawing,to winning!!!!
https://lichess.org/L73wFgvY/black
Just an insane game,almost lost on time
https://www.chess.com/live/game/124134619737
really enjoying the attacking positions from this new opening thanks Avi
plus a sneaky stallion mating matador
Check out this #chess game: Svasskij vs MTineer - https://www.chess.com/daily/game/703157443
Check out this #chess game: MTineer vs Svasskij - https://www.chess.com/daily/game/703157445
Check out this #chess game: MTineer vs pb905 - https://www.chess.com/live/game/122490229659
This is a training game (30+0) that I played otb between one of my Chess Varsity teammate who happens to use mainly the Pirc Defense:
Padillo, A. - Jumao-as, N.
- e4 d6
- d4 Nf6
- Nc3 g6
- Bf4 c6
- Qd2 Bg7
- Bh6 Bxh6
- Qxh6 Qa5
- Bd3 c5
- d5 Nbd7
- 0-0-0 a6
- Nf3 b5
- e5 dxe5
- Rhe1 b4
- Nxe5 Nxe5
- Rxe5 bxc3
- Qg7 cxb2+
- Kb1 Rg8
- Qxf6 e6
- dxe6 Bxe6
- Rxe6+ fxe6
- Qxe6+ Kf8
- Bc4 Kg7
- Rd7+ Kh6
- Qh3+ Kg5
- f4+ Kxf4
- Qg3+ Ke4
- Bd3# 1-0
a good game
a good game 4rr2/p1q2p1k/1p2bR2/3p2Q1/3P4/3p2P1/PPP3PP/6K1 b - - 3 25
https://lichess.org/giKa3LOz
Weird french gambit
https://www.chess.com/live/game/124199984011
french attack : Qe2 ? -→ winning the queen:
https://lichess.org/7DQwqi9Q/black
Hello, champions!
How are you? Thank you for sharing your games. Every time we go through them, we find many instructive moments and have many reasons to smile.
Now, onto the prizes:
1st Prize: Thomas Maes. Crushing the Pirc! Nice to see how you pushed the pawns on the Kingside to attack, despite having castled on the same side. The Bishop and Knight sacrifice towards the end was a beautiful finish. Well done!
https://lichess.org/5AaI2MGZY3kC
2nd Prize: Chips Ahoy. It’s rare to see the King getting checkmated near the central squares. You showed us that in your game! The 18th move was an absolute stunner. Great win.
https://lichess.org/rJ2DN6Sp#35
3rd Prize: Aron Bekesi. You just destroyed the Philidor Defense. The attack rolled out with so much ease. And the Queen sacrifice and the checkmate at the end? Very stylish. Fantastic game!
https://lichess.org/gBOLRAMb/white#43
4th Prize: Wendy Woodward. Interesting opening choice. It’s great to see how you used extra space and sacrificed an exchange. Your last two moves make the game even more special. Nicely done!
5th Prize: Gáspár Veress. White misplaced his Knight on e2 instead of f3, and you found a nice way to take advantage with a Kingside attack! A very instructive game. Great job!
https://www.chess.com/game/live/122023146527
Congratulations to all of you!
Thank you once again to everyone for sharing your games.
All the best for next month’s contest!
Doubt in benko gambit
Sir, in benko gambit how to continue after
1.d4, Nf6
2.Nf3
Replies
How to be consistent with good results in chess?
This is a thing that I am having problem at. I don't know how to learn the art of consistency.
Replies
😀
you should try to play more precisely with a set of number of games in a day like a tournament. I would recommend you to change according to the tournament you are participating or keep it to 4 to 6. NO matter what happen your play should not exceed than that and you should try to play daily but if not possible you should try to keep the number of games low and playing only number of days in a week
but try to play at least a day or two in a week as not playing would lose your momentum. Next you should play and fix in blitz games as by this your intution would be strong you can find this in more detail in analysing blitz games in chess mood blogs. you should not resign any games. you should try to review a game of grandmaster which you like to adopt game play and understand their idea by checking there own explaination about games there is a section of gm avetik and gabuzyan available for free you can try it or you can do what i did i check the game of magnus carlsen and reading his explaination and trying to think like him on every move what he do when it is not his turn how he check the opponent ideas and then make a plan considering your ideas. but be sure to check only one players game at a time as if you are going through multiple grandmaster this might lead to trouble for ex you are reading kasparov games today and then tommorow you are checking vladamir kramnik and then karpov games and after that you just see the queen sac by mikhail tal this would make every thing clumpsy as all players had different stlye so it would be difficult to understand someone play. you should try to follow only one grandmaster untill you think that you master that style of play.
and after that you would improve consistently but you should knew that you are good in various part of the games already so you would be winning those games which are playing on them for ex you spent your most of the time seeing attacking courses then you would win the position with attack but would struggle in slow games and vice a versa. so untill you practice both part it would be impossible to achieve consistency but if you play almost equally in both cases then you should see that you are in good mood or not.
but i would tell you that the graph of improvement would not be a straight line it will suddenly go up 300 points or can come suddenly come 300 down as you learn a new thing you would had confidence and beat players and find unfindable but when you are losing you suddenly has lost confidence which would let you to lose points but this is just fine. it happens also with magnus carlsen and garry kasprov so you are also human so you tend to make mistake even after reaching a certain level of greatness
sorry for taking too much time
but i think that would answer your question
if not you can tell me
Anything against the Bird Opening?
I don't think I've seen any course on how to play against the Bird Opening on ChessMood, am I right? What do you play against the Bird? because as white I tend to have good success against the Dutch, but the dutch up a tempo (a.k.a. the Bird) gives me trouble.
Replies
Section 22 of the Blackmood Opening course is about the Bird.
I just had yesterday the surprise to have the Bird played against me by the best player of my local club (600 elo more than me, basically an NM save the title). It was surprising, because he has been a d4 player since he decided to build himself a solid repertoire (opening was his main weakness). I had watched the section 22 of the blackmood opening, but I knew that the problem was that the recommandation is to play a dutch-like setup and, since I had not watched the whole course I did not knew about playing the Dutch properly and the middlegames plans. Still, I had no better idea and I decided to give it a go, played e6, then f5. To my surprise, after a short phase were I lacked space, I entered the middlegame with a slightly better position (I think it was slightly better, and he told me after the game he tought it too), especially after he make the choice (inaccurate?) to exchange a knight for a bishop in a very closed position.
I still ended loosing the game after some inaccuracies, long after that moment he ended up finding a way to open the position and I missed a tactic, lost and exchange and from there his conversion tecnic was flawless - the usual with that very strong player. But I got a better position at some point, wich is already kind of rare. Imagine what could have happened if I really knew what I was doing in that opening? ;)
struggling with the dutch attack - need help understanding key ideas
Hi ChessMood family,
I’ve been having a tough time with the Dutch Attack in the Simplified ChessMood openings. I feel like I’m not fully grasping the key ideas, especially around castling and the overall setup. I've been struggling with this opening for a couple of months now, and it’s starting to feel a bit discouraging.
One of my main challenges is understanding when to castle. I know GM Avetik often recommends delaying castling, but I find myself getting into pressure situations before move ten. Opponents will sometimes start early attacks, either with pawn pushes against my center or premature pawn storms. Other times, they’ll attack my light-squared bishop with their queen or their own bishop, and I’m not sure how to respond. I often lose the initiative, get stuck with my king in the center, and end up in poor positions.
I’m not sure when I should be castling kingside or queenside. I’d love some advice on how to handle these situations and better understand the underlying ideas in the Dutch Attack. Are there specific principles or common themes I should be focusing on to help me get more comfortable with this opening?
Replies
Dear Tyler,
Can you please provide 2-3 examples ( like position screenshots).
I do understand your question, but will need more details to able to provide the most convenient answer 🙂
model in game in anti-sicilian 2...Nc6, 9.Qb4!
after 9.Qb4, black went for the most obvious 9…d5 and got crushed.
(got lucky to not end in an equal position 2 times later → have to train my endgame in low time)
https://lichess.org/TnG2YQ9Z/white#127
Replies
Good game!
Despite some troubles in the endgame with 2 extra pawns, you got a crushing position in the opening!
Keep going :-)
Why am I good at short time controls and absolute hot diarrhea at slow ones?
For someone with the lichess name ‘Adrenalectomy’ this is a gigantic irony
Replies
I believe that it might have something to do in what interests you more, and what type of community you are in.
If you like blitz more, you may be more inclined to play it, as opposed to someone who grew up playing long chess.
For me, the senseis of chessdojo and the lichess4545 league heavily influenced me to like classical. Honestly, the only "downside" to this is it takes a ton of time and effort, but maybe that's where you actually grow. As someone who is really busy with life though, it's very very tough to push through this without sacrificing a large part of your time playing and analyzing a single game.
Try doing hard puzzles with a timer of 3-5 minutes each puzzle or something. Immerse in the deep calculation.
Check your moves a minimum of 2 times. (Unless you're in time trouble), Look at the major responses, the potential sacrifices against you, and refutations of your moves.
Honestly, you need to have greater courage towards facing losing positions since you are going to have to play these positions for way longer than you would in blitz. Same can be said towards winnning positions, ALWAYS never let your guard down during these.
Probably a lot more factors too, but thats enough for now. Would be extremely boring to read if i'd continue this
Hi voran . I checked your stats on lichess and you played mainly 1 min bullet games where You use different skills compare to slower chess games . If you really want to improve chess there is a very good article about bullet by GM Avetik .
https://chessmood.com/blog/does-bullet-chess-make-you-better
good luck
Question about statements in Tactic Ninja
In the course Avetik says on various occasions that when we sacrifice we should calculate when they accept it, first. I would like to know the rationale behind that. Why does that matter if we calculate first when they decline it or accept it?
Replies
For example, when you’re giving up a rook, first things first: figure out what happens if they take it. That’s the real test!
If they don’t accept, we’ve already gained something.
What if they do? Well, that’s where it all matters. Skip calculating five random moves, only to realize in the end that if they accept, you’re toast 😁
Bishop and Knight mate
Do we have a course on how to do it? I have seen various resources but it's still not easy to do with low time on the clock, BEFORE the opponent's king is caught in the cage.
Replies
Hey there!
Of course, we have it 😁
It's in the MET (Must Know Endgame Theory) course and here is the link for that exact question https://chessmood.com/course/endgames-you-must-know/episode/5467
Need advice on getting through difficult times in life
Hey ChessMood family,
I’ve been going through some incredibly tough life circumstances recently, which led me to take a six-week break from chess. Even though I’ve returned to the game, these challenges are still ongoing and it’s really weighing me down mentally and emotionally.
I’m looking for advice from anyone who’s been through difficult times and managed to come out stronger. How did you stay focused and motivated when everything felt overwhelming? What helped you keep pushing forward, even when things seemed stacked against you?
I know that the skills we develop in chess—patience, perseverance, and problem-solving—can help us face life’s biggest obstacles, If anyone has insights on how to maintain mental strength, deal with setbacks, or navigate hardship, I’d be grateful for your input and emotional support.
Replies
Tyler,
Focus (as best you can) on where you are headed. There will be challenges but keep your sight on who you are and where you want to be.
It's interesting that you point out that chess teaches us skills that can help us face obstacles in life. True. But, I would suggest that you look through Avetik's blog posts and podcasts. He is actually more than a chess coach — he is a life coach. He shares lots of thoughts about being a human being.
For example, have a look at these blog posts:
https://chessmood.com/blog/thank-you
https://chessmood.com/blog/best-non-chess-books
https://chessmood.com/blog/if-you-want-to-achieve-more-you-need-to-deserve-more
You want to believe, actually know, that you will through the current challenges. And you will be stronger for the experience. Best of luck on your life journey, friend. Be Happy!
Hi Tyler,
no advice from my side since I don't have any. But some emotional support maybe: 2024 has been the most horrible year in my life so far.
I am still down and hope to get on track again (in the further future).
That was it. But in my life it has often helped me to find out, that I am not alone. Many other people are facing hard times just in this moment, too.
All the best !
Hey Tyler!
Thank you for your post. For being open.
I recently went through some difficult times as well.
And accidently, I don't know from where, my friend gifted me a book. He had no idea what was happening in my life, but came up with that book.
Currently I'm reading it, and its healing me, day by day by day……
Its called no mud, no lotus.
This one.
https://www.amazon.com/No-Mud-Lotus-Transforming-Suffering/dp/1937006859
There is a story, about who is this person (he is from the chess world, and who has adviced him this book, etc…)
Later, I'll write about it more, and how to accept the suffering - the mud, and go through transformation.
Meanwhile, check out this book.
With best wishes and love,
Avo
How are you doing, man?
Got better?
My peak rating achieved today
I'm so happy with the games I have played could be better if I brush up my openings a bit more. Thank you chessmood
Replies
Congrats !
Congrats brother!
keep crushing 💪💪💪
good job!
Dutch attack against f3
hi, I recently played an OTB game and was faced by f3 against our Dutch attack (see picture) achieved after 1 d4 e6 2 c4 f5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e3 Bb4 5 Bd3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 b6 7 Ne2 Bb7 8 f3 0-0 9 0-0.
I did not find anything about his variation in the courses. I had difficulties finding a good plan in this position. Does someone has suggestions about how to play?
Thanks a lot !
Cheers,
Julien
Replies
Hey Julien,
In this position, attacking is no longer convenient because the pawn on f3 blocks the diagonal. However, the absence of the Knight on f3 weakens White's control over the central squares. Here, I suggest the strategy of playing d6-Nb7 with the goal of preparing e5, possibly followed by Qe7 and Rae8.
If the pawn on f5 is hanging, it’s safe to play g6 before e5, as Black isn’t concerned about weakening the a1-h8 diagonal due to White's doubled pawns on c3 and c4, which block their dark-squared bishop.
