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Chess forum by Grandmasters
I want to serve you for 12 hours
Hey, Champions!
One day this week (most probably May 20), I want to serve you.
I’m going to have 1-1 calls for 12 hours.
No charge, for free.
For more information, please check out your email inbox.
I’ve sent you details on how we’ll do that.
For your growth,
GM Avetik ❤️
Replies
Hi, not seen any email yet, could you clarify? Is this for members who haven't had a 1-1 before, or for any member who might want to have their progress reviewed? Given the no-charge, is this also for users who don't have 1-1 entitlement? First come, first serve on the appointments i.e. book a slot in advance?
Hey champions! How are you doing?! ?
Seems like we had a technical issue yesterday, as a result of which some of you failed to get the email from us.
So, those of you who haven't received the email can get in touch with us at contact@chessmood.com or give us the email you use at chessmood.com.
Have a great day ❤️
I am interested Avetik please conatct on messenger, I have left you a message
Email received, thanks
Hi Avetik. I also did not receive the email. My email address is sacrat59@gmail.com. Thanks!
life changed with one such call 3 years ago I guess . Thank you for that , and hope many others will get benefit from these calls .
It's our kind monster's day!
Happy birthday, GM Gabuzyan!
Wishing you always to have that cool energy and excitement about life.
Love you, my good friend and brother.
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Happy birthday Gabuzyan. I've enjoyed watching you play blitz - very inspiring.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday coach!
Happy birthday coach ! Your courses and streams helped me improve my chess. Keep being awesome.???
Delayed Wing Gambit?
Hello ChessMood Friends! I have been seeing a line recently which is not so easy to refute and makes it so that we can't play like we usually do against the 2.b4 wing gambit. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. b4 In my game, I played 3...cxb4 4. d4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. c4 bxc3 7.Nxc3 Qa5 and got an uncomfortable position which became equal until I messed up in time trouble. Any thoughts on this line?
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For some of these obscure sidelines I tend to worry less about playing the absolute best move and more about learning something that doesn't require much memorisation and gives easy equality. In this line, 3...e5 looks like a good candidate for that approach. We stake our claim in the centre, get natural development, and are not worried about 4.bxc5 Bxc5 when it's like an Evans Gambit but we seem to be a move or two ahead. I guess 4.b5 would be played and then Nd4 looks fine. Obviously if they take on e5 we have Qe7.
In the delayed Wing gambit, Hovhannes offered to take the b4 pawn with the knight, not with the pawn! Maybe it was in one of the streams or in one of our sessions, I do not remember it but I do have the analysis. Not very long, just the key moves, the rest is good for Black.
I missed this once online in a blitz game and I felt very weird all the game, I forgot to take with the knight! Then it all makes sense.
I am attaching a screenshot of the line. Since then this line happened only once and the opponent missed the 7 move Na3, which is difficult to find for White. After that healthy chess and all the surprise of the 3.b4 goes away, since the gambiteer expects the pawn recapture but we already have equalized the game.
According to the engine, literally the only two moves that give black an advantage here are 3...cxb4 or 3...Nxb4. Anything else is equal at best. However before playing d5, I think e6 would support it a lot better and then you wouldn't have to retake with the queen. I put together a few sidelines using what's common for white in the database, with the help of Stockfish. As Peter said it seems pretty obscure so hopefully it just gives you an idea of what's possible. It looks like you already got a GM reply so my input will be far inferior, but I already put in the work to create the PGN so I may as well share it.?
Hi Brody, There can be several options. I like the most 3...Nxb4 4.c3 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6: Now 7.d5 loses due to Qf6, otherwise you play d5 next move with a healthy extra pawn. Good luck!
Why does our intuition fail us?
Following on to what I said about intuition playing a bigger part than I thought in chess. Classic theory suggests we learn via the levels of competence: . Unconscious incompetence - we don't know about what we don't know . Conscious incompetence - we are aware and start to do something about it (we train), but the results aren't good . Conscious competence - we get good results (our training is producing results), but it requires a lot of focus and effort . Unconscious competence - it now is taken care of automatically freeing up our concentration for other tasks Those of us who do well at very long time controls, but are awful at blitz are probably at the conscious competence level, and getting to unconscious competence I believe is the way to break the 2000 level. One of the things holding us back (me especially) I believe is to want conscious control of the thinking process (overthinking, not hearing/listening to intution etc), as well as studying too many things we never consolidate it. My 3 0 has improved a lot recently, so maybe I'm using more intuition now correctly. However, assuming the training is good (we learn openings, we study master games in the middle-game, endgame, those that are positional and attacking, watch our favourite GMs play, practice and analysis games...), we still make mistakes, sometimes hoodie level ones, experience tilt and so on. So my question is why does our intuition (auto suggested move) get it wrong? There are some patterns to mistakes: . Not having full sight of the board (i.e. focused in on a small area) which means we might have a great tactic, but overlook something out of our field of vision. . Not noticing the opponent's move (i.e. focused on the sequence of moves / plan we intended to make without gathering new observations). . Choice (of plan or tactical) - our neural nets work like a heat map or ripples and the strongest response wins and we become conscious of it. The input (what we noticed on the board) is applied and an answer comes out, though like the illusions duck or rabbit, a wire cube's orientation (and many others) once we're locked on we can't see alternatives easily even if they are obvious to someone else. We need to be aware in situations of choice (and notice them) to make sure all reasonable options are looked at. . Concrete lines (a move looks the right one but isn't or ignores another one due to some concrete line - i.e. the trick is hidden down the line of several moves which can't be seen at the start). . Insufficient training (novel positions or containing ideas we've not seen enough of) and biases (perhaps as a result of insufficient training). . Tiredness, fatigue, insufficient attention, distractions, interruptions from our conscious thought or the environment... Any others? The point is that if conditions in the above list start to come into play (we should look out for that), it is worth using some conscious thought process (calculation and other tricks) to prove our intuition right or wrong (depending on the clock and criticality), as well as consider blunder checks. It also means we can budget our time to these critical moments better, and not on moments where intuition is likely to be right or a calculated answer may not help us or be achievable. Thoughts?
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Interesting post. I think one you missed out is emotional state, AKA right mood. It's related to your last bullet point, but a little different. Obviously tilting can have a big effect, but there are more subtle things too. Like when the opponent plays a very surprising tactical or aggressive move, we might panic slightly or assume we're losing and get negative about things. If instead we react calmly we give ourselves a much better chance to react correctly. A big part of it is taking a moment to properly digest what has changed on the board, which gives our intuition a chance to throw up some decent ideas and candidate moves.
Interesting post. I think it's a bit of everything you mentioned. I know for me, I can get a bit of tunnel vision when I have a plan, and miss what the opponent is doing. I had this recent game, I was doing well overall and thought I had the necessary pieces in position to take the e5 square. Then the opponent played Qh5 and checkmated me on h7. I hadn't even thought of it, I was too focused on my plan. https://lichess.org/cnrcPzyb/black#25
The next upcoming course
Dear champions,
After 3 months of research and preparations with our team, I’m about to start recording the next course, which will be a game-changer for you.
The topic - How to dramatically reduce blunders!
There will be around 15 detailed sections, with lots of examples and actionable advice. I’m finalizing the material next few days, and yeah we go!
Meanwhile, would love to hear from you.
1. What kind of blunders do you make most often?
2. What do you think are the reasons behind your blunders?
3. What do you do to reduce them?
Feel free to comment, and share your suggestions.
For your growth,
GM Avetik
P.S
Would you like me to make a video behind the scenes?
How do we prepare the material, record and etc…?
Replies
GM Avetik, This course sounds fantastic and is definitely much needed! As far as kinds of blunders I make I think I make them all ?. However, the number one problem I feel I have is that I am not spending the time to figure out what my opponent is doing and play to restrict his plans. This of course results in hanging a piece or not calculating correctly. As far as a reason I assume I am not following a correct thought process or if I am I am not doing it consistently. To reduce my blunders I just try to really pay attention. This is perhaps one of the great challenges of chess, paying attention throughout the entire game. Either the time control is too tight, as in blitz, or the game is too long and fatigue sets in. Either way something will slip and a blunder occurs. I think a behind the scenes video would be a huge hit and a lot of fun. It would foster a feeling of closeness and inclusion among your subscribers/members. You may also consider doing a brief, 3-4 minute video, of the ChessMood Tournament later on in the year. You could also use it as a marketing tool to raise awareness and participation of your future events as well as something prospective students could see when they are first visiting the ChessMood website. Thanks for putting together so much awesome material and for facilitating a great community! Leslie
1. My most consistent blunder is blundering a piece by not seeing a Bishop in the last rank attacking it from the behind the pawns 2. Reason: I'm not seeing the whole board 3. What I think I need is a concise checklist I train myself to go through religiously before each move. Haven't come up with a satisfactory one yet that works well under the time constraints of online chess.
I have found, as I continue to take a deep dive into improving my chess game, that my blunders ALWAYS come from a lack of calculation. There are several root causes for this lack of calculation, from time trouble (this is an addiction of mine, though not quite to the Grischuk level hehe), missing a tricky move from an opponent, simply forgetting a piece was moved to a new square, or the worst problem of all, my laziness in my calculations. I am sure if I suffer from these issues in calculation causing blunders, then others are as well, and I look forward to learning how to overcome these missteps, as well as methods to overcome other problems leading to blunders that I may not yet even realize I am doing! Thanks for your continued hard work, you are an example to us all! Jay Oh, and a behind the scenes look is a great idea!
I put together a list of reasons our intuition fails us and leads to blunders which applies to faster time controls and time trouble in this post: https://chessmood.com/forum/pro-channel/why-does-our-intuition-fail-us Choice, complexity, being stuck on a plan, not seeing the whole board, not knowing what to do / inexperience with similar positions, being under pressure (time and/or aggression) all these things and others lead to blunders. Take this example from a league match a few years ago which probably represents my worst blunder in a serious game in recent times: [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.10.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Graham, N."] [Black "Flynn, D."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. f3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. Nc3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. Bc4 Nbd7 8. Qf3 c6 (8... Nxe5 9. dxe5 Nd7 10. Bf4 Bxc2) 9. Nxf7 Bg4 10. Nxd8 Bxf3 11. Nxe6 Bxg2 12. Rg1 Nb6 13. Be2 Ke7 14. Nxf8 Bh3 15. Nxh7 Nxh7 16. Rxg7+ 1-0 White (~1800) plays nothing but the Blackmar-Diemer gambit so is well versed with the tricks. All Black's moves when taken in isolation are fine and normal moves, but c6 was a result of being focused on the attack to the b7 pawn and is a normal move in other lines, thus not seeing the pin that White has just set up. This is the reason such openings survive and score is that there is constant pressure and multiple threats and it can be tough to see them all and navigate the different move orders. If they were all just simple attacks then there would be no point to the opening as Black would simple defend against each and be a pawn up for nothing.
It would be good to clarify what is meant by "blunder". It seems like an overused term these days. To me blunder means: - turning a winning or even position into a losing position - overlooking a fairly obvious/shallow move or threat If you're in an otherwise level position and you miss a tactical shot that would win you the game, is that a blunder? I would say no, but maybe I'm in the minority? The Chess.com review feature obviously doesn't agree with my definition of blunder.
Also I found the concepts in this resource helped (as long as you don't try to follow it like a computer). The idea of hazards is useful (not just loose pieces drop off be keeping an eye on equal attacks and defended for example) http://www.neoneuro.com/downloads/chuzhakinssystem.pdf (referenced by author on chess.com forum so a legitimate download)
Hi Avetik, I think it basically comes down to not paying enough attention to the opponent's resources and not putting as much effort into finding his ideas as much as our own. But why some moves harder to spot than others is a very interesting topic and being aware of several different types could lead to a new set of patterns like Mating and Tactical patterns. That would be awesome! I'm really looking forward to the course! Just working slightly less hard to find opponents moves means we miss many types of moves for him that can catch us out. I've got to work harder on looking for the opponent. For me the most common types are: 1. Backward moves - especially with Knights or Bishops are harder to spot. 2. Forward moves in defence are hard to spot. For some reason, I always think my opponent should be going backwards when he's defending and I'm going forward so I can miss these forward defensive moves that change the result. 3. Quiet moves - I think more effort is needed to find these so if we often don't consider them it leads to blunders as the opponent can make a quiet move that changes everything. 4. Intermediate moves in the combination for the opponent 5. Unexpected exchanges or sudden changes in the pawn structure 6. Blindness of when an opponent can put a piece on a square because the piece I have covering it is pinned. I hope you can cover some of these. Cheers. ps. a behind the scenes video would be cool too to see how you prepare the material.
Hi Avetik! My most common blunder is calculating a sequence, then putting it on the board complete without stopping each move to see if I missed something stronger or missed a resource by my opponent. In one game I made a correct sacrifice of a Rook for two pawns, but didnt slow down enough to find the clear win part way through the sequence. My opponent ended up having a resource that allowed him to draw.
Greeting Avetik! Greatly interested in a behind the scenes video. My blunders are not seeing the board clearly in my mind when calculating a variation. Also, not seeing the whole board, I sometimes will just focus on one part of the board and forget about a distant piece. Bret
A course for reducing blunders sounds interesting, but I'm wondering how much value such a course will have unless it is in the context of a well understood framework for thinking (or "decision making" to use the trendy term) in chess? I guess I'm wondering if a general "how to think in chess" type course might be more useful before a course specifically on reducing blunders. Or maybe that is going to be covered in the reducing blunders course, in which case I think you are underselling the course! Yes I'd like to reduce my blunders, but how is that going to fit into the rest of my thinking process? Is it worth trying to tweak my thinking process to reduce blunders, or should I instead be trying to make big changes to the way I choose a move? For example, I think getting into time trouble is a big source of blunders. Yes, we should move faster to avoid this. But why do we move slowly? What is wrong with our thinking process that causes us to move too slowly? I think it would be useful to have an idea of the "ideal thinking process" so that we can compare ourselves to that, and figure out how to make improvements so that we can move faster and avoid time trouble. I'm not sure if that makes sense. I could write more but it would probably just be babble :-)
Hi ChessMood GM
I was wondering if I could get a study plan ? I was supposed to have a chat with a GM before the price change but was not able to due to work circumstances. I work shift as a nurse and it was difficult to schedule a time. The reason I am asking for help is that I have studied the Scotch and French extensively and I am not seeing the results I hope for. Especially with the Scotch. I promise that I will subscribe in the near future but as of right now I can't afford it. I would really appreciate it if I could get advise/ help to improve my game. thank you! Kamel
Replies
Hi Kamel!
Please contact our support team, they'll assist you.
https://chessmood.com/contact
Course not visible
Where has the course "100 Commented Classical Games" disappeared?
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I can't see it either. I know it was there yesterday!
Caro Kann and d4 sidelines also missing at least.
??Already informed the technical team. I do not understand what is happening here, but solving this issue of the courses disappearing is our first priority. Thanks for reporting it. ?
personal view from course
Just watch the course. Tactic ninja is one of the best content in the chess mood. I just realize in this position, black can try to keep his rook to stand a chance to play rook endgame, it has a chance to secure a draw. No, offend hear ya, just share out my personal point of view on the position. Peace.
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? Thanks for your feedback! We are very happy to know that you enjoyed the course!!!
?
By the way can you tell us the idea that you have in mind in order to draw this position? It will help everyone for sure… Thanks in advance!!!?
French Defense: Tarrasch Variation: 6. Bd3
In the French Attack course, for 2. Nd2, (Tarrasch), the first few moves go like this: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 It has white playing 6. Be2. However, a very common option here seems to be 6. Bd3 which changes things a bit I think. What would you suggest as a continuation here? Most lines from here seem to be pretty good for white and I've definitely run into this move in games.
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f6 is the thematic move there, attacking the white pawn centre. The engine says white has an edge, but looks like it's perfectly playable for black particularly at the under 2000 level. White can try some tricky stuff like Nh4 or Ng5 threatening Qh5+, but it's not the end of the world. You can learn a lot from defending that sort of position.
Keep Me Logged In
The "Keep Me Logged In" feature is not working for me, I am still getting logged automatically after a certain period of inactivity. Is anyone else experiencing this problem?
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Yes, could be because I declined cookies. If it is that probably should be split into essential and others.
I am also experiencing this over the last week or so. I think I accepted cookies though, so I don't think the cookies is the cause.
Thanks for reporting this. I am sharing this with the technical team… ?
Should I do the Tactic Ninja Course?
Hi ChessMood friends! I'm a 2100 USCF with pretty good tactical ability (at least I think so ?) and I was wondering whether the Tactic Ninja course is worth the time. Any thoughts?
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?I think that everyone should do the tactics ninja course, if you have a pretty good tactical ability, it can help you to have an even better tactical ability, maybe you can skip some of the explanations and solve the puzzles. The first ones are easy for your level, but you will find some later on that will surprise you. I remember being stuck with a problem for 25 min one day… I could not solve it and the next day, first thing in the morning in 1 min I solved it… It cannot hurt for sure… ?
Another thing that you can do is the quizz. Try to solve it fast as you have good level, and then decide to watch it or not based on your results…
Simplified Openings for Black
Has anyone come across 1.Nf3 e6 2. e3 f5 3.b3 ? Looking at the recommendations against white's early b3 seems to have playing e5 by black ... but this seems awkward having already committed to 1. ....e6
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Hi Derek, As an option, you can switch the main ideas of dutch playing Nf6-b6-Bb7 and since there is a pawn on f5 we will still try to play on the kingside. White doesn't have any pawn in the center, so probably soon or late they will play d4 and transpose to structures that you might already know from the course. Good luck :-)
Think like a Super GM
Some time ago I proposed to ChessMood to add a feature to the site: comparing game analysis between different strength of chess players, to be able to compare our own analysis with peers and GMs from ChessMood. The answer from ChessMood was that idea is good but it would require more resources, or higher subscription costs, which is understandable. ===== Fortunately there is a now a recently released book by Michael Adams and Philip Hurtado called Think Like a Super-GM, filling this void. https://forwardchess.com/product/think-like-a-super--g-m In the book there are 40 + 8 bonus puzzles, tactical and strategic, from middle games and end games, that were given to 33 players of different strengths from unrated to super GMs. Each was asked to record his own thought process, to choose the move and to provide evaluation of the position after the move. The book invites you to do the same and to compare your thoughts with others from the book, seeing how different players approached the position. There is a also a scoring system, which gives you at the end an estimation of your ELO strength. I only finished the first two puzzles and I can tell you the book is AMAZING. The best ever, at least for me. I knew my calculation skills need improvement, but before I couldn't figure it out in what way. From the first two puzzles I already got three pointers on what I should be working on to improve. ====== Finally, I would like to reiterate my suggestion to ChessMood, this time in a bit different format that would not require additional resources. One week before you publish a full game analysis from the classical master games or classical tactical games or openings model games, just publish the pgn of the game as a forum post and give everybody time to do their own analysis, and to publish it for others to see. And when you will publish your analysis as part of the course, which you have already intended to do so, we will be able can compare it to ours as well. Thanks for taking this into consideration.
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This was mentioned before and could be an event where a GM compares participant analysis (and maybe another GM's analysis) making some kinds of conclusions about the levels and what would benefit study. If the participants record their thinking it could be put all together as a course afterward.
That's for sharing your experience with the book Robert. It will move further up my wishlist now.
Why not start right now with the position below taken from BlackMood Openings. How would you evaluate it, who do you think is better and why, what are some of the plans for both sides etc etc. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that it is White to move in the diagrammed position. Good luck and I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts. ???
I've been pondering your idea Robert. I would change the idea to having a position to analyse rather than a full game. I think that's more focused and would appeal to more people, particularly those with limited time. It could be cool if ChessMood had something like "Position of the week" which would typically be a complex middlegame position for members to analyse. Then publish the analysis at the end of the week. There is already something like that with the Daily Puzzle but often those puzzles are quite easy and can be finished quickly. Also, they are always composed studies which are somewhat different to the sorts of middlegame positions that decide the bulk of amateur games.
Interactive lesson: The Art of Exchanging
Hello champions and future champions! Hello ChessMood family?
Today we’re hosting an interactive lesson on yet another important topic in chess strategy – Exchanges.
Making the right exchanges can improve your position while making the wrong ones deteriorates it.
And through the interactive lesson, you'll be learning:
- How you can identify which pieces to exchange and which to avoid exchanging.
- Use exchanges to your advantage in practical situations like attacking, defending, when one side has a weak square.
- Understanding the role of exchanges when you’re Winning a Winning Position(WWP), Saving a Lost Position(SLP).
GM Gabuzyan will be your host and the lesson will be hosted privately on our Youtube channel.
You can join the lesson at the scheduled time from the events page ?
https://chessmood.com/events
Alternatively, we’ll also share the joining link with you via email.
For more details, please click the link below ?
https://chessmood.com/event/chess-exchanges-interactive-lesson
If you have anything to ask regarding this lesson, please drop it here.
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Great webinar! I recommend 2 good books by Rozentalis on this topic - "To Exchange or Not? (2020)" and "The Correct Exchange in the Endgame (2016)". Been studying them with my student and there are some really good examples/exercises Also wanted to ask about exchanging own good piece for opponents bad one. Is this exceptional situation or seperate topic? Examples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdOFFRH_Pgg&t=5s&ab_channel=ChessMood Fischer - Petrosian Nxd7 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044351
Dutch Attack - Jobava London Move Order Question
Hi, I have a quick question about a move order that I couldn't find covered in the blackmood openings Dutch Attack videos. If white goes for a Jobava London via 2. Bf4 how should I respond? 1. d4 e6 2. Bf4 f4 3. Nc3 ???? How should black play on move 3 against this move order? Thanks, Dave
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I guess 3..Nf6 and if 4.Nb5 d6 (or even 4..Nd5!?) If 4.e4 fxe4 and after 5.f3 Bb4!?
Hi David, I think we need to play Nf6 as this time white's setup is a bit pointless. If they go Nb5 we always have d6. As well our regular Bb4 threat is on the way.
Memorizing the Openings
There are so many openings, I'd really appreciate some ideas for how to effectively study and memorize them. For instance right now I'm mainly focusing on the Scotch for white and the French for black, both from the starter courses. But there are so many sidelines and variations, I'm not sure when's a good time to move on to the next opening. Perhaps just look at them as they come up in games I play? I've mentioned in previous threads I'm very detail-oriented as well as a perfectionist, so I find it very easy to get lost in the multitude of variations just in a single opening, but that means I'm not learning other openings.
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Just enjoy the videos and let the ideas sink in. You'll learn the key lines as you review your games. Did you get a study plan from ChessMood?
Have you read those articles? https://chessmood.com/blog/the-most-effective-way-to-create-chess-pgn-files https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-memorize-chess-openings-variations Once your files are ready, you can create your own private course on Chessable and import everything, like that you will be able to use the spaced repetition ?
Accelerated Dragon is nowhere to be found
It looks like that the Accelerated Dragon class has been removed from https://chessmood.com/courses. ChessMood Team, can you please look into this? Thanks!
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?Yes, it looks that there is a strange glitch. We are asking our developers to look into it. Don't worry, the Dragon is still alive! ?
Fortunately, it has been fixed… Long live the Dragon!
Scotch Game: When Black Plays Bb4+
I just played the Scotch Game against a higher-rated opponent, and they played 4...Bc5, then once I played 5. Nb3 as recommended, instead of 5...Bb6 they played 5...Bb4+. I wasn't sure how to respond. The engine says c3 is best but then I can no longer play Nc3. It totally messed up my plans and I'm not sure the best way to respond to this. I wasn't able to find anything in the course discussing this line.
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See https://chessmood.com/forum/pro-channel/scotch-4bc5-5nb3-bb4-1842 , where GM Avetik promised to discuss this line.
Hey, hey!
There are many options.
1 - g3 with Bg2 plan, playing similar as we did against Philidor.
2 - Bf4
3- f4
Yeah, I wanted to record, but when I made a list of advanced variations, I figured out to record all my analyses will make the course around 50 hours! :)
So, there are some rare variations, which for now, I'll leave you to dive deeper yourself.
Just physically impossible to record all the theory… :(
I took a look at this line. I think the simplest good way to play is 6.c3 Be7 7.f4. Then white will have very natural development. The bishop will come to d3, and you'll try to bring the knight from b1 to f3. The position calls for kingside castling of course. I'd try to keep that space advantage, generally avoid swaps, finish development, and eventually look for attacking possibilities with the e & f pawns. I wouldn't spend much time studying this line as you won't encounter it very often.
Practicing
Hi I became a pro member a couple of months ago and have completed a few courses (tactics ninja, white mood, opening principles) and I'm working my way through others (classical games, classical endgame, endgame mastery, happy pieces etc). It's great content and I'm hoping some of it stays in my brain! This takes up quite a bit of time and I think I've been doing this and not playing enough. I would like some advice as to how much to play so that I can assimilate the opening repertoire and improve my overall game. What time controls to play , how much to play (yes, I read the article about no more than 9 games) and how much time to analyse your games. There seems so much to learn - and so little time to do it all!
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I've fallen into the same trap a bit. I've been learning a lot of openings and have been afraid to practice them in a live game since I haven't memorized them perfectly yet. But I've been trying to overcome that and can confirm you memorize it a lot better when you put it into practice. I met with GM Gabuzyan when I signed up as a pro member and he said there is such a thing as too much play, but also too little. He suggested for me 3 good sessions per week, about 6-8 hours, but of course that was personalized to me so you could be different. I try to mix time controls. I like faster games because it's easier to practice openings without taking a lot of time, so I can practice more often. I like longer time controls because it lets me practice thinking more deeply. But with work it's hard to play longer time controls that often. Correspondence has been great for me to practice this without taking too much time.
Hi Norbert,
I believe that if you keep all the discipline you mentioned is a great work. Just chess is a sport that requires patience. Just keep doing the right things as now. Follow up-to recommendations you get from articles and other our sources. Trust to the process and if you do all correctly, soon you might have a growth in your chess career ?
Jobava London (video 'h3 the difference')
GM Hans Niemann on Chessable gives 0-0 after ...Qa5, sacrificing a pawn. So after 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Qa5 11.0-0 Qxc3 12.Rb1! [White has temporarily sacrificed a pawn but gained significant time. Black's pieces are really not coordinating. The bishop on c8 cannot move because it must defend b7. The knight on a6 is doing nothing and cannot move because of the f4-bishop. The g7-bishop is hitting concrete on d4 and Black's queen is overextended.] A) 12...c5 13.Qc1! [Black's queen is still in danger and it's unclear how Black will complete development. White will activate their pieces and see how Black responds.] B) 12...a5 13.c4! [The initiative continues as Black struggles to coordinate. This is very easy to play for White from a practical perspective.]
Replies
Variation B is 12...Qa5 13.c4 of course
Hello Thomas,
I have checked out the moves you asked for and I can say that white's compensation is not really enough. After 12.Rb1 black has money good moves. I like the idea of Qa5 and if 13.c4 Nc7, overall whites have little activity, but it only compensates absence of the pawn. The reason is that the black king is safe, white doesn't have any concrete plan and big pressure, just a little activity.
Also, this variation is really super-deep and I believe below 2200-2300 online levels will happen super rare. What is your rating ?)
If you are below 2300 I would recommend investing time to learn the principles of the game deeper which we try to share in our opening, middlegame, endgame, and tactical courses.
Good luck!
