Chess forum by Grandmasters
Other Sicilian Defense variations?
While I have nothing particularly wrong with the accelerated dragon, in games I just never do well with it.(Which is, of course, my fault, not ChessMood's) I am looking for some recommendations for OTHER Sicilian variations, such as the Kan, for example. Here are some of my personal tastes so recommendations are more useful:
-rated 1950
-has lots of time to study
-likes sharp but not risky
-likes lower theory openings when possible (but if necessary I'm OK with it.
Replies
Hello Brody,
My other sicilians which I practice are Sveshnikov and 4 Knights Sicilian.
Sveshnikov is very main line and now trendy line 7.Nd5 is rather annoying, but if you're willing to put in work, highly recommend this course https://www.chessable.com/fight-like-magnus-the-sicilian/course/28512/. Also L'ami's course is worth a mention https://shop.chessbase.com/en/products/lami_sveshnikov_sicilian?ref=RF5-TYB55LUOVF
Speaking about 4Ns sicilian, imo it's much more practical as it's not main-line, has very little sources, big surprise value, esp against amateurs white can go down to some tricks really fast.
These courses really helped me:
https://thechessworld.com/supercharge/four-knights-sicilian/
https://www.chessable.com/four-horsemen-the-sicilian-4-knights-defense/course/33443/
I'd recommend to study the Accelerated Dragon in more detail. If you never do well with it, there's a lot to learn left on the table. Before deciding to switch, put in the work.
Hi Brody,
there are several options of course. I personally prefer Najdorf as well. The reason we recommend accelerated dragon is comparing to other lines it's easy to learn, to play, and to try to make it more comfortable for our Pro Members. From a learning perspective, it's easier.
Otherwise, there are several playable lines in Sicilian.
Hi Brody,
From what you say I'd recommend taking a look at the Classical Sicilian. The Dragon is a very principled variation but the problem is it is highly risky with the Yugoslav attack being dangerous. With the Classical Sicilian you can meet all moves that don't fit in with a Yugoslav attack with g6 and play a Dragon. The problem is 6. Bg5, which is stronger than it is against the Najdorf because you normally play Nbd7 in that case. But the position is still rich with lots of possibilities to generate an attack on the Q side with black. There is theory to learn in this line but the fact that you can switch to Dragon setups on quiet moves reduces the theory you need to learn by a lot and fits in with the Accelerated Dragon repertoire so you can play both depending on your mood. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 (threatening Sveshnikov) 5 Nc3 d6 (going for Classical)
6. Bg5 is the line you need to concentrate on theory wise. This is the line that shows the downside of Nc6 versus a6 and it demands quite a theory knowledge from white side too which is unlikely at 2000 level. It leads to an interesting game.
6. Be3 Ng4 is a good line as the Nc6 is better than the a6 you have in this Najdorf line. (and it is quite good there)
6. Be2 play g6 and go for the Dragon setup
6. g3 play g6 and go for the Dragon setup
6. h3 e5 7. Nde2 Be6 and d5 next.
So all in all you can play this sometimes and at other times opt for the Accelerated Dragon by playing 4...g6. I think the two go well together as a good way of varying your repertoire with not too much extra stuff to learn as you will be familiar with ideas in the Dragon.
Ultimately though I think it would be worth spending time sticking with the Accelerated Dragon until your results improve with it because the results are probably not so good because of something you aren't grasping about the position and so it will help your chess overall more if you sort that weakness out first. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Themes for openings
An idea about themes just got in my mind. I thought it will be so fun if you cover themes which comes in CM openings, For example maneuvers such as QB6-Rfc8- Qd8. in maroczy, f4 f5 attack in grand prix, e6 then e5 in grand prix by white. Something like this. Also an idea such as Bb2 Ba3 Bc5 in maroczy.
Like this f you also make some videos of common themes in cm lines then may be it will be useful for everyone.
You can do it apart from model games sections. You can call it may be typical themes sections. It can be endgames or middlegame themes or openings themes
Replies
Time management Training?
Hi, like chessmood provides all types of playing tournament but can you guys also provide the time related events . I mean events like white have 5 mins to win and black have 6 mins to draw. Time pressure training we will do in them,. This kind of events will teach us how to handle real life time pressure and how to find good moves under time pressure
Replies
I think it is not possible to set tournaments like that on chess.com and lichess.
better would be to work with a partner
Hello Abhi,
This may be reasonable, but for players who want to have training like this. You can try to find a sparring partner willing to practice in time trouble conditions.
Personally, I don't think the format you suggest sounds very common from a black perspective to make a draw. It reminds some reversed armageddon rules :)
Pessimist, Optimist, and Chess Journey
There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, “Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,” and an optimist who says, “Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.” Either way, nothing happens. —Yvon Chouinard
I have two questions for you :)
1. Are you a pessimist or an optimist?
2. Are you in control of your chess journey?
Looking forward to seeing your honest answers :)
Replies
1. Have always been a lazy optimist
2. Currently I think I am in charge of my chess journey. Mostly thanks to ChessMood’s advice to plan the journey.
On Calculation vs Intuition
I have just watched Classical Attacking Game #4 (Knorre vs Chigorin)
My question is:
Do you think Chigorin calculated until the end all the variations that GM Avetiks shows us or do you think that he calculated just the most important ones and he trusted in his intuition?
In these attacking games with early sacrifices I always wonder how much is calculation and how much is intuition based on experience and acquired patterns
Replies
I feel like they do not calculate everything. I feel that they calculate at certain level let's say 20 ply or 25 ply then they try to judge that position and due to their chess knowledge, intuition (developed by a lot study of patterns and classics) and playing experience they are able to judge the resulting positions well and they go for sac.
Sergio, no way he calculated all.
Mostly such sacrifices are based on intuition.
How to develop intuition, we'll have a separate article, but in a few words, just analyze a lot.
With becoming a better chess player, your intuition also improves.
How do you think at chess?
In the book 'How to think at chess'. It's suggested one way of training is to look through positions and record your thinking out loud.
I'm wondering if this could be an interesting exercise to try in a group to compare how different players approach games or positions; the aim being to identify improvements or blind spots in the thinking process.
Anyone interested in giving that a go?
Replies
Sure, I will be interested
Me ready.
See the video in the classical games post a few hours ago. I think choosing some games and recording thinking there to compare results as a group is an interesting approach.
I just need some spare time.
I'm also interested in this.
Classical games
Sir can you recommend any method (apart from replay training ) to study classical games so that we can remember it for a long time
Replies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Tw1iNDfas
This can help you a lot! Check it out!
Good way to work through games.
The next question is should you take notes / diagrams to return to, or just keep going through games.
Possibly could do with an article on discovering why your moves were weaker (I work with an engine if there wasn't analysis to flick between my and the computer's lines until I understand the difference). This also is for analysing own games - such as in my post Why do we lose.
Also I think there may be benefit in recording (using free sound capture software) your thinking out loud so that you can better understand how you came to a conclusion and what you missed. As mentioned this could be interesting to compare between players to learn how others think to see your own blindspots. Perhaps this video's method is the way to carry that out.
Qb6 d3 French
E4 E6 ; D4 D5 : Bd3 d/e ; Bx e4 Nf6 : Bf3 C5 : NE2 Nc6 ; BE3 QB6 ( ! ?)
Classic French move Qb6 but what is suggested here now ?
p/s No idea why type-face is so small !!
Replies
Yep, been having some games online when black does play Qb6
Some investigations from my pgn
Hello Keven,
As others mentioned I recommend 8.Nbc3. Taking on b2 is bad, we can simply play Rb1 followed by the castle. Whites compensation will be more than enough, much ahead in development only for a pawn. Otherwise if black doesn't take on b2 Qb6 becomes bit useless.
Question about the Sicilian Defense course
In the attached position
(after 1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 g6
5. Nc3 Bg7
6. Be3 Nf6
7. Bc4 O-O
8. Bb3 Re8
9. Nxc6 dxc6
10. f3 Qc7
11. O-O)
The suggestion is Nh5, but I don't understand why is that.. won't we need to go back after 12. f4? This position is not clear for me at all to be honest.
Thanks!
Regards,
Hugo
Replies
Hello Hugo,
I checked the position you are saying, f4 is not a big issue, but if you want to avoid it you can play with b5 instead of Nh5 trying to obtain a space on Queenside!
French Bd3 3..dxe4 with Nd5 line question and others
Good day!
Learning this amazing Bd3 vs french course and I have a question about section 3 (dxe4) 13 video Nd5.
Though this line with Qxg2 seems dodgy for black to say the least still after entering into my rep pgn and checking with engine, black has this strange 12...f6 move and gets some compensation with very messy position.
Any advise what to do with white? Txs.
Replies
Also while watching 3...Nc6 another question, what if after 4.c3 black takes dxe4 and 5.Bxe4 Nf6 like a delayed dxe4, what then for white? Engine shows something like 6.Bg5, but I'm not convinced and definitely dont want to take 6.Bxc6
HI Paulius!
12...f6 is a messy option for black, which will almost never be faced and is super complex. In real no much to be worried about. Before taking on a8 I liked playing d5 for white giving pawn away in that redaction and only then go after a8 rook.
Scandinavian Defence 2...Nf6 line
Hi ChessMood Family,
I recently faced 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.4.Bc4 b5 5.Bb3 Bg4!? This continuation is not analysed in the courses, and when I checked my database after the game it showed the line to be very playable and scores fairly well for Black. So my question is what is the most promising way forward for White 6.f3, 6.Ne2 or 6.Nf3.
Replies
Hi Kevin, I realized this move order also, when I prepared for a game in our club championship.
The course covers 4. ... Bg4 5. f3 Bc8 6. Nc3. When b7-b5 is included (4. ... b5 5. Bb3 Bg4 6. f3 Bc8), I was not so sure whether 7. Nc3 is good or not because Black might attack the knight with b5-b4. In the game Sveshnikov-Bogdan, 1994, Black did not attack the knight on c3. But this happened in later games quite often. And this attack on the knight also happens in the line 7. Qe2 a6 8. Nc3 b4 9. Ne4 Nxd5.
I guess, I would have played like in the game Van Kampen-Yam, 2013 waiting with Nb1-c3 until Black has taken on d5:
7. d4 Nxd5 8. Ne2 e6 9. Nbc3 a6 10. a4 b4 11. Nxd5
I asked Avetik to take a look at this post. We are on it.
Hey-hey!
Sorry for the late reply.
Just recorded it.
Will be edited and added today. Check out section 9, it'll be video 53 - b5 with Bg4.
Kushal, it was covered.
4.Na3!
I also answered your question about 3...Qd8 in another post.
Please ask your questions in one post.
Defense against d4+f4 Stonewall Attack Course please!
This line is rare but it would be good to see a course on the ideas of fighting against it as black. Thank you!
Replies
Have a look here: https://chessmood.com/forum/pro-members/in-the-opening
Thanks Kevin. That's a nice game. I would like if they also added a course on it w/ some more explanation & sample games. Cheers.
Sicilian sidelines grand prix with 5.Bb5 part 7 improvement for black
Hi guys,
been watching Sicilian sidelines and in my pgn found possible improvement for black in this line. Credit goes to IM Sielecki in his chessable sicilian course if I'm not mistaken
Replies
Yes I like Bb5 but I think the best move is 5. Bc4. The top moves are like this : 5.Bc4 d6 6.d3 e6 7. Bb3 and the position is equal but I rather play black. Also after 5. Bb5 Nd4 the best move for white is 0-0, according to stockfish 12 and Komodo 13!!! . Nice analyze from your lessons !
The four-piece chess puzzle that took me 2 hours to solve
I was reading 'Chess Tests' by Mark Dvoretzky and I was just doing some puzzles when I encountered a deceptively simple puzzle. It was a light-squared bishop and h-pawn versus an active king and, as most know, if the king gets to the corner the game is a draw. I am 1950 USCF and it took me 2 hours to solve. Can you solve it quicker? Tell me your solution!
FEN TEXT: 8/8/8/8/8/2K4B/5k1P/8 w - - 0 1
LINK TO LICHESS:https://lichess.org/177gGP1H
If you want to set it up on the board, There is a white bishop on h3, a white pawn on h2, a black king on f2 and a White king on c3. If anyone knows how to put images in the forum, please tell me how to do so!
Replies
Hi Brody
2minutes .. but I knew the idea that white bishop needed to protect f7 and g6 squares, hence Bd7 and then Be8 :)
This is covered in Bishop endgame course. https://chessmood.com/course/endgame-bishop-vs-pawn/episode/2199
Nice puzzle !
The best games of April 2021 and the prizes
Hello ChessMood family, hello champions and future champions!
Welcome to the "Best games of April 2021" competition.
Under this post, we invite you to post your 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 March:
Avinash,
Keok Woltek
Mateus Damaceno
Karl Strohmaier
Valdemar Rasmussen
Replies
Sicilian Defense
https://lichess.org/OCLdwe6Z/white#0
Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation
https://lichess.org/vEx9J3c3/black#0
Attack Attack and Attack
A game without a mistake or blunder.
An attacking game in berserk mode in 3+0
Winning against 2340 rated opponent.
One of the best move I have ever played.
23 ... Rxg2
https://lichess.org/JTLInLWK/white
French Bd3 Nc6 pawn trap on d4
Mate with Bishop and Knight vs Rook and two passed pawns.
Positional play in Italian Str. Training.
https://lichess.org/sp9mYlM3nCCJ
https://lichess.org/QqfGD5pc/white#49
Cool Knights!
Scotch Game
https://lichess.org/WWA7cNzR36tK
Sicilian Defence
https://lichess.org/YrMaoXeY/black#0
Sicilian Defence
https://lichess.org/ZssPZGFW/white#0
Tactics in Bullet
Again Tactics in Bullet
Found 24 ... Qc2 !! in Bullet.
A win over 2400 with GP
https://lichess.org/tuexbf22sZS2
My best SLP ever against 2500+ titled player
https://lichess.org/aY3r10fJbzvu
No blunders, no mistakes, no inaccuracies, 7 average centipawn loss, I might get banned :)
2 pieces sacrificed for the initiative
https://www.chess.com/a/2JH4nuUD4Knk6
17 move grand prix win
https://lichess.org/Lrar0n3ZlvfK
SLP against 2400
https://lichess.org/XLdxLybGWZGq
Beating the Scandinavian ...Nf6
Black mixes up two plans?!
ThoNoJu vs Henkyhenk: B01 Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation • lichess.org
Saving a lost position and winning against 2120 rated opponent.
Saving a lost position and winning against a 2150 rated opponent.
https://lichess.org/a0AbWTVQlSfE
https://lichess.org/Dtr8yGuhtQTp
May the Pasini be always with you :) (Unfortunately due to possibly the website outages, uploading a PGN file appears to be too bugged to do so at the moment.)
[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2021.04.08"]
[Round "?"]
[White ""]
[Black ""]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo ""]
[BlackElo ""]
[TimeControl "180"]
[EndTime "10:34:54 PDT"]
[Termination "White won by resignation"]
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 a6 4. Be3 d6 5. g4 b5 6. Bg2 Bb7 7. h4 h6 8. g5 hxg5
9. h5 gxh5 10. Rxh5 Nd7 11. Rxh8 Bxh8 12. Qh5 Bg7 13. Bxg5 c5 14. e5 dxe5 15.
Bxb7 cxd4 16. Bd5 1-0
https://lichess.org/cFlrYVHm
Beautiful king hunt leading to checkmate
https://lichess.org/p1BPQVvToKEj
AntiSicilian quick win against 2450
French squeeze
Caro attack
Blundered the bishop with later rook sacrifice
SLP after blundering the whole rook
French Defense squeeze.
Win with Scandi
https://lichess.org/8rErmdsrhgPC
Without Moving My King
https://lichess.org/Yy0st2IB
Modern defence, strong attack after bad start
https://lichess.org/8brsFlvDCoUn
Positional play training so no openings stuffs
https://lichess.org/lFUNZqDPyNvH
https://lichess.org/DMIL2mt29tLM
a fine win in Benko with black :
https://lichess.org/8LzuZYcolsGs
https://lichess.org/VPRUp363xnJB
And SLP in the old sicilian where I saved a position my opponent had +4.7 engine edge. 3 forks to win.
What about a mix of the Taimanov variation with chessmood openings? My mixes of the sicilian variation when I am on the black side have given me about 50 rating points.
https://lichess.org/akdCfNOe/white
Fighting Benko against 2400 strong opponent
Trompowsky for black
Latvian gambit, of course forgot the refutation, just tried to play with normal moves ;))
Alekhine Defense
https://lichess.org/Mw44nsEu/white#0
A perfect game
<iframe src="https://lichess.org/embed/0Pe3jF2K?theme=auto&bg=auto"
width=600 height=397 frameborder=0></iframe>
https://lichess.org/akdCfNOe/white
Bf4 versus the Pirc
https://lichess.org/yF09FVFmWYdg
Caro attack
https://lichess.org/4pCsipMz92vi
Cute mate
https://lichess.org/5uzb5ouJHAfX
Crazy
Crazy AntiSicilian from todays Bundesliga
Sicilian Defense
https://lichess.org/Xk8Gxfuj/black#0
Sicilian Defense
https://lichess.org/IwWQK4Sq/white#0
Sicilian Defense
https://lichess.org/e6A2tjCk/white#0
I knew ideas and forgot line of caro still was able to won against 2500+
https://lichess.org/MwVn4SQcxXbH
https://lichess.org/akdCfNOe/white
So do men play against carokann... ;D. https://lichess.org/AhxGThy8
Typical exchange sacrifice on c3.
Positional squeezing in AntiSicilian with exchange sacrifice
A good match:
https://lichess.org/WZF6m6SjTzaX
An interesting match:
https://chess24.com/en/game/AyrHMg9zQHePWfVzXdBNSQ
Scotch against 2400
Scotch attack against Qh4, missed checkmate in one move though :))
https://lichess.org/DhqE5QqK6AuG
I won by mounting pressure on my opponent until he cracked!!! I also Sacced TWICE!!!
Sicilian Defense
https://lichess.org/s8OutgOn/black#0
Russian Game
https://lichess.org/tZE2JC4k/white#0
Caro-Kann Defense
https://lichess.org/3DP0k9Vn/white#0
Power of Space
https://lichess.org/i2dqZyqAuMHQ
Power of minority attack
https://lichess.org/zV23aC1jNHA7
Power of initiative
https://lichess.org/xNeWL9Y7hUDk
Good french against 2400, ending was bad but managed to win in time trouble
Countering the Scotch ...Qf6
Beating the Alekhine ...Bg4
Beating a weird delayed ...Qd6 Scandinavian
Carlsbad Nd6
https://lichess.org/1Blxn9xDqyLd
Positional play in double fianchetto
https://lichess.org/UxrEJj7HBliQ
Testing double financhetto
https://lichess.org/76xVrx4QMCPD
Attack in stonewall str.
https://lichess.org/0uQwN2z5O0mh
Positional play
https://lichess.org/7Sv1PlGiLTgF
Caro str. win
https://lichess.org/nvo9z3NmmUHz
SLP str.
https://lichess.org/k9nywvmqKpHZ
https://lichess.org/sYGBw4gg
Testing positional play
https://lichess.org/5vgXvxgdKBxV
English opening play!
https://lichess.org/vPR5dljs#65
Grand Prix is fun but I am sad that I mixed up lines I think in game
https://lichess.org/WXogWs9D3d7S
Testing positional play
https://lichess.org/L1ge3gvozAKE
Short kings gambit game
https://lichess.org/study/3dJhG6Ay
Again handled 2400 well positionally
https://lichess.org/89sCE4VlqQJT
A Qb4 Chessmood surprise in the Nc6 Sicilian
Fun finish to this one!
Rubinstein str. training
https://lichess.org/yefg28hw/black#62
Testing positional play
https://lichess.org/67jrIcPElHSK
Catalan pawn str. play
https://lichess.org/aBOIZk6UsAAF
Minority attack!
https://lichess.org/ZXIwm2imZYCv
Power of Space
https://lichess.org/X3PqllRefo0K
Caro crushing win
https://lichess.org/gAFFfcP1ARiM
This game made my day. This game gave me valuable point to reach 2299! My best rating ever and funny thing is that Grand Prix was my first cm opening which I studied. My feeling of this opening is amazing!. My opponent felt like hell during this game facing Rxf6 then facing Bg5 then Bb8!!. I dont know what engine may say but it's one of my best games of my life. Crushing an almost 2400 in style. All credit goes to cm Grand Prix and presentation of coach @GM_Avetik_Grigoryan .My feeling of Grand Prix is superb !!!
https://lichess.org/AEBO7hKdDmzP
Take a look at pawn storming!
https://lichess.org/YNrOyCrz/black#14
Testing my positional play
https://lichess.org/oaqeKx3wH9HS
18 move english win
https://lichess.org/UJuKuVvz4ZQt
Learnt this c5 move against catalan from live commentary and tried to apply it in practice
https://lichess.org/DWtegeuV/black#34
Power of bishop pair
https://lichess.org/zHk45lY4/black#54
attacks in pirc with Bf4-Qd2
https://www.chess.com/game/live/8444585457
https://www.chess.com/game/live/12075220253
https://lichess.org/vSfsATpQaZLW
Attack!!
btw i am white in the game(EighthAccount)
Chess is fun
Achieved highest elo in my life on my second account 2300+ using cm line. This was my last game French Bd3
https://lichess.org/fHt9I2YdX1bL
https://lichess.org/heCudvmn/black
Caro-Kann Defense
https://lichess.org/x360f66W/white#0
Test my catalan str. feeling
https://www.chess.com/game/live/13359233333
Good Game!
Tried to follow chessmood opening & win the match.
https://chess24.com/en/game/94Zoy9n8QNuA9-MBSR8Zvw
Good win.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/12583130567
I’ve begun transitioning from 5 minutes to 10, as I find I need the longer time to really think through the positions. As a result, my rating in the longer games has gotten over 2300.
https://lichess.org/ihLewUnI/white
Stafford Gambit
I usually use a system with 6.Se3, but now I've tried the Avetic weapon.
https://lichess.org/QrE3KWOu#7
Hey, champions!
Thanks for all your posted games.
The 1st place goes to Claudio Thoux for his crazy attack!
https://www.chess.com/a/2JH4nuUD4Knk6
The 2nd place goes to Vladimir Bugaev for killing with Grand-Prix attack
(The game you can find on the 2nd page)
The 3rd place goes to Tiraturyan David for his nice tactic.
https://lichess.org/2oGKGXry#32
The 4th place goes to Abhi Yadav, for his very deep positional game.
https://lichess.org/aBOIZk6U#40
Abhi played another cool attacking game. Here is the link:
https://lichess.org/AEBO7hKd#31
The 5th place goes to Paulius Juknis for crushing the Pirc defense.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/8444585457
Thanks for your participation.
Keep the growth.
Right Mood - Right Move!
See you in May.
Why are you losing?
One thing that is mentioned in Wetzell's "Master at Any Age" is 'getting the best bang for you buck'. That is older players may not have the luxury of being able to spend time everywhere, nor may an experienced player need to. There are usually one or two areas that are causing the most points/games/problems in someone's game and time spent there is going to pay more than on other areas (It's perhaps not so simple as that as sometimes you need to build foundations for later too).
Here's an idea. Go through your last 20-30 standard length games. If you don't have a lot of time, use auto-analysis on lichess or chess.com. For each game irrespective of the result, try to find 3 errors (I also note the move number and url). Move the pieces if necessary to try to understand why the computer marked it as an inferior move. Note the errors, and also if you were in time trouble (difficult to define since go for long enough and time will usually become a problem, but worth noting if the game finished with less than 5 minutes, and your opponent had significantly more time - or if one of your chosen errors happened in low time).
The aim is to look for patterns. I seem to be quite often opening up lines for the opponent's pieces. I also get into time trouble a lot (45 or 60 minutes even with 15 or 5 seconds increment is not a lot for me, so much of this will be less of a problem when going back to over the board chess).
Here's my last 10.
Opponent | Rating | Colour | Result | Link | Opening | Time trouble? | Mistake 1 | Mistake 2 | Mistake 3 |
nigelico | 1931 | White | Loss | https://lichess.org/RQpTof6iL0uN | Pirc GP with e5 | Yes | 45 Weakening own pawn (trying to win) | 9 Tactical blunder (missed opening lines to king for pawn sac) | 51 Tactical blunder – capture clears square for king |
Budapest23 | 1769 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/D2OpEBYlOVfL | Sicilian GP Nc6 | Yes | 16 Gives up strong king placement to swap queens | 13 Choosing inferior move (cutting off calculation too early) | 31 Strategic blunder (lost opportunity to give opponent extra island or get passed pawn) |
dulal66 | 2003 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/Kc4uUBcjxHLF | Siclian GP e6 | Yes | 11 Strategic blunder (opening lines for opponent) | 15 Knight couldn’t be captured (missed strong outpost) | |
MarkTWIC | 2092 | Black | Draw | https://lichess.org/8n893VGYqc7n | Maroczy Bind | Yes | 34 Allowed king to advance (endgame pawn structure) | 35 Allowed king to advance (endgame pawn structure) | 33 Allowed king to advance (endgame pawn structure) |
acsouthall | 2073 | Black | Loss | https://lichess.org/lgbBAogMLbTj | c3 Sicilian | Yes | 8 Wrong pawn structure (target for attack) | 35 Should block structure (capture gives weak pawn each) | 31 Capture gives passed pawn to watch (no good discoveries) |
adrielAU | 2156 | Black | Loss | https://lichess.org/HSOeXKQDTWeb | Benko a4 | Yes | 58 Tactical blunder fork (low time) | 57 Tactical blunder fork (low time) | 21 Wrong slow plan (should undermine centre straight away) |
ranger440 | 1725 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/uz55oiNXbzP8 | Jobava e3 | Yes | 8 Give square to knight by bad pawn advance | 15 Tactical error (should eliminate good knight) | |
easthantsuk | 2005 | Black | Draw | https://lichess.org/IW61KiJvd6Pt | Benko b6 | Yes | 28 Strategic blunder (opening c-file for rooks) | 23 Tactical blunder (exchange opens pin line) | 18-20 Tactical (didn’t fight queenside occupation well) |
thepace | 1475 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/blH3w7XwvSrH | Caro kann ex Qc8 | Yes | 41 Tactical (change target to distract Q to ex weak pawn) | 36 Defending instead of counter-attacking | 30 Defended instead of attack where stronger |
MaxTheMeme | 1803 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/blwBfgL0Wwvi | b3 | No | 10 Tactical blunder (allowed counter-attack when P down) | 18 Allows knight to come to outpost | 5 Opening theory, didn’t weaken kingside with intermediate check |
Replies
Sorry if you need to 'go to specsavers' to read the above post - the editor decided that the whole post should be in a small font.
Opponent | Rating | Colour | Result | Link | Opening | Time trouble? | Mistake 1 | Mistake 2 | Mistake 3 |
nigelico | 1931 | White | Loss | https://lichess.org/RQpTof6iL0uN | Pirc GP with e5 | Yes | 45 Weakening own pawn (trying to win) | 9 Tactical blunder (missed opening lines to king for pawn sac) | 51 Tactical blunder – capture clears square for king |
Budapest23 | 1769 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/D2OpEBYlOVfL | Sicilian GP Nc6 | Yes | 16 Gives up strong king placement to swap queens | 13 Choosing inferior move (cutting off calculation too early) | 31 Strategic blunder (lost opportunity to give opponent extra island or get passed pawn) |
dulal66 | 2003 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/Kc4uUBcjxHLF | Siclian GP e6 | Yes | 11 Strategic blunder (opening lines for opponent) | 15 Knight couldn’t be captured (missed strong outpost) | |
MarkTWIC | 2092 | Black | Draw | https://lichess.org/8n893VGYqc7n | Maroczy Bind | Yes | 34 Allowed king to advance (endgame pawn structure) | 35 Allowed king to advance (endgame pawn structure) | 33 Allowed king to advance (endgame pawn structure) |
acsouthall | 2073 | Black | Loss | https://lichess.org/lgbBAogMLbTj | c3 Sicilian | Yes | 8 Wrong pawn structure (target for attack) | 35 Should block structure (capture gives weak pawn each) | 31 Capture gives passed pawn to watch (no good discoveries) |
adrielAU | 2156 | Black | Loss | https://lichess.org/HSOeXKQDTWeb | Benko a4 | Yes | 58 Tactical blunder fork (low time) | 57 Tactical blunder fork (low time) | 21 Wrong slow plan (should undermine centre straight away) |
ranger440 | 1725 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/uz55oiNXbzP8 | Jobava e3 | Yes | 8 Give square to knight by bad pawn advance | 15 Tactical error (should eliminate good knight) | |
easthantsuk | 2005 | Black | Draw | https://lichess.org/IW61KiJvd6Pt | Benko b6 | Yes | 28 Strategic blunder (opening c-file for rooks) | 23 Tactical blunder (exchange opens pin line) | 18-20 Tactical (didn’t fight queenside occupation well) |
thepace | 1475 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/blH3w7XwvSrH | Caro kann ex Qc8 | Yes | 41 Tactical (change target to distract Q to ex weak pawn) | 36 Defending instead of counter-attacking | 30 Defended instead of attack where stronger |
MaxTheMeme | 1803 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/blwBfgL0Wwvi | b3 | No | 10 Tactical blunder (allowed counter-attack when P down) | 18 Allows knight to come to outpost | 5 Opening theory: didn’t weaken kingside with intermediate check |
cowleyMike | 2039 | White | Draw | https://lichess.org/UwO5iGQSA2KF | French | Yes | 35 Heavy piece ending: Tactical missed defence of pawn by mating threat | 28 Heavy piece ending: Tactical blunder (pawn capture allows mutual attack) | 12 Opening theory: need to counter attack queen |
A971907447 | 1835 | White | Loss | https://lichess.org/D1CTDXTI8rjW | Alekhine | Yes | 47 Rook ending – wrong assignment, rook needs to be more active | 9 Tactical blunder – bad calculation | 24 Tactical blunder – bad calculation |
StaplesN | 1938 | Black | Draw | https://lichess.org/oxKSwq33y4lz | English b3 | No | 34 Failed to see opponent’s opportunity to win | 9 Tactical blunder – cut off too early, didn’t notice rook hangs | 17 Positional – remove strong knight, weaken pawns |
Martenator360 | 1661 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/8dC8joa3d95h | c3 Sicilian | No | 20 Keep two bishops, centralise king | 15 Give up extra pawn for better position | |
SpeedElephant | 1873 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/jafVXnhuvbbk | Benko Qc2 | Yes | 48 Calculation – allowed draw | 46 Heavy pieces – co-ordination | 42 Heavy pieces – co-ordination |
EBChess1390 | 1455 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/H0kYcNFJTYvs | Accelerated | No | 12 Alternative move additional possibilities overlooked (threat of mate) | ||
dulal66 | 1950 | Black | Loss | https://lichess.org/pB2clKoV0WMe | c3 Sicilian | No | 13 Swap pieces to lessen attack | 8 Opening theory | |
bishopbandit | 1999 | White | Loss | https://lichess.org/6lH8ZBjqMR0O | Caro kann Qc7 | Yes | 18 Sacrifice material back to develop | 15 Don’t give opponents tempos | 20 Sacrifice material back to develop |
acsouthall | 1982 | White | Draw | https://lichess.org/QFpevrVUGu0S | French c5 | Yes | 24 Overlooked winning pawn | 11 Forgot theory | |
MaxTheMeme | 1758 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/0e4kiYMMpJpR | French dxe4 | Yes | 55 knight ending: Blunder need to cover square (missed sacrifice) | 48 knight ending: Help bring king into action | 34 knight ending: allowed knight to good square |
pcprinciple | 1826 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/zukYZoUdPCg6 | Benko Qc2 | Yes | 33 Not controlling squares for opponent’s queen entry | 39 Allows king access to pawn | 45 Not preventing breakthrough on kingside |
xPulzify | 1602 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/Ilif5tk9uKon | GPA Bb5 | Yes | |||
BehindBlueEyes | 2116 | White | Win | https://lichess.org/AlMOY6qq6x1P | French dxe4 | Yes | 16 Gives good square to knight via exchanging | 13 Clear c3 to give queen space to move to | 22 Not preventing chasing knight from outpost f4 |
itsthebishop | 1645 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/YfXAXLbSLSDh | Clemenz | No | 13 Tactical blunder – pawn move leaves open line to capture bishop | 11 Castle into attack | 5 Should prevent long diagonal from opening |
PHRchess2020 | 1398 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/yEr1Oe6wH33t | Zukertort | Yes | 21 Bishop bad defender – use pawn | 19 Push bishop to bad square | 14 Outpost better than repairing pawns |
Mircea_Mesesan | 2131 | White | Loss | https://lichess.org/C3dTuZlAtW3A | Sicilian GP Nc6 | Yes | 25 Tactical blunder | 23 Tactical: overlooked exchange and fork | 21 Should develop piece, overlooked undermining defender |
Singhals0987 | 1500 | Black | Win | https://lichess.org/6bNbA7tvUpkn | f4 Sicilian | Yes | 10 Allow double of pawns for outpost | 18 Push back well placed knight | |
David Wilson1980 | 2065 | White | Loss | https://lichess.org/QYVvrkeh5533 | Sicilian GP Nc6 | Yes | 31 Opening line for opponent | 21 Weakened pawns | 11 Open position to get play |
(28 games - going before that would mean non-Chessmood repertoire)
Next step is to find maybe 5 things that need focus. The idea of the large number of games is to find recurring patterns. Note the timetrouble is fairly subjective here, and may be due to time well spent or not, may have contributed to bad decisions or not, plus time-controls are shorter than over the board ones so should be less of a problem there.
Also only up to three errors were found which might hide other things, and not always does the computer evaluation point out the worst problems (some are also not error - playing a variation that makes life more difficult that eventually did lead to errors).
IoI... great job!
Twitch chess Chess Mood course streaming
Hi all
I just finished watching GM Hohvannes Gabuzyhan webinar on Modern Maroczy a few moments ago, which was great (as all Hohvannes webinars) and after this, I went to Twitch chess and to follow some chess streams, where I am seeing a streamer (ChessLifestyle) streaming "Chessable + Chessmood" training and Rook vs Pawn course (by GM H Gabuzyhan). Is this all good & acceptable to ChessMood? Are some ChessMood courses public and available to stream? Are there Chessable & ChessMood courses and these are streamable? What is the Chess Mood policy on any & all of this? (btw I posted on the same issue on the Chess Mood Facebbok group too).
NB Apologies..I tried to upload a screenshot but without success..yet..I will try again!
Replies
wow!! I am sure that is not acceptable!
I'd use the contact us link, you'll get a response faster.
Hey champions!
Thanks for informing :)
These are good guys and are our affiliate partners.
This way they want to introduce others to ChessMood.
They will not stream all our videos :) No worries :)
Who is the strongest Chessmood student?
I was just curious and wondering who is the strongest OTB member of Chessmood (without of course taking into account Avetik et al.)...
I have seen a couple of players over 2200 fide, I wonder if we have an IM or FM between us???
Replies
We have GMs over 2600+ too
Ha, ha, ha... !!
That's a nice question, but I do not think that it will be answered. There are GMs, IMs., WGM, WIM, FM, CM and all kind of FIDE titles between our PRO Members.
Saying
their name publicly would mean an automatic advantage for their rivals. If the
rival knows that you are going to play the line of our repertoire, then he could
become a PRO Member or buy the course and prepare for that line specifically. (Note that they will not easily succeed though...)
We have a blog post for our PRO members to do their introduction to the rest of the family, voluntarily, but many PRO Members did not do it. My guess is that many are trying to avoid this or there can be thousands of reasons for not doing it... Whatever it is, we love you all anyway!!! ;-)
These are
my four cents on this, and if you want to freely introduce yourselves to the
rest of the pro members:
https://chessmood.com/forum/pro-members/chessmood-pro-members
Look here "A super game by our first Grandmaster PRO Member! Sargsayn S. - Kislinsky A."
https://chessmood.com/course/modern-maroczy-bind/episode/475
The 3 Rules....
Hola,
In an article of the blog GM Avetik recommends to follow the 3 rules before asking for recommendation(s) to make progress. So let's go :
1.I'm an adult player (best french Elo 2100) fallen back to 1885 FIDE. My goal : to climb (if realistic to 2200.)
2.I've the chance to enjoy much time and can work on my chess at least 4h / day.
3.My weakest point is probably the opening (I now study intensively the ChessMood Repertoire but before I just browsed some opening books before an important game ?!). Contrary to most chess players I dislike opening study and like much more endgame or middle game study.
My question is :
1.How to organize my chess study time,
2.Which books or sources (aside ChessMood naturally !) could be recommended to attain my goal ?
Many thanks,
Jean-Marie
Replies
Could be interesting to try the exercise I mention in Why do we lose to make sure it's really the opening that is responsible for your problems so you can allot time and focus effectively.
NEW ARTICLE: How to Use the Bishop Pair – 11 Key Concepts
We have this topic in our Blog:
https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-use-bishop-pair
If you have any questions, comments or you just liked it, feel free to share your thoughts here.
Replies
Thanks for sharing very useful & instructive article !!
Avetik- yes that sentence. Now I understand :-)