Monthly Archives: August 2014


New DVD Studies in: The Caro-Kann Defense by IM David Vigorito

Studies in: The Caro-Kann Defense by IM David Vigorito

Recommended for Intermediate Players        More

Content: 2.5 hours of instruction and analysis in a series of 5 lectures.

The Caro-Kann is a solid defense against e4. This opening has seen steady growth in popularity in recent years. Employed by such greats such as Kasparov and Karpov.

Here David examines some sharp and some simple lines as well as a game where he was beaten in the Caro-Kann.

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.43 out of 5     ECO B12, B13, B19   PGN included

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: your lectures are always well analyzed and you manage to explain the games very comprehensibly

IM David Vigorito is the 2007 Massachusetts Champion and has been the state champion of New Hampshire and Nevada. USCF rated at 2479, David was the Champion of the Boylston (Boston) Chess Club. He played in the 2006 U.S. Championship after finishing in a tie for 3rd place at the U.S. Open in Phoenix. David is a successful chess author – his Challenging the Nimzo-Indian is very well received by critics and players alike.

 


New Chess Videos for August 25 – 29

Monday, August 25 IM Valeri Lilov Kramnik’s Endgame Superiority (strategy, endgame)
Most chess players have heard about the brilliant positional and endgame technique of the 14th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik. What was his secret? Following the right principles or planning? Learn more in IM Valeri Lilov’s lecture!

Tuesday, August 26 IM David Vigorito Winning Ugly Openings (openings, tactics)
In this game I get a big advantage against a master and promptly hang a whole piece! The game is instructive however as I consider the psychology of both my and my opponent’s situation. Eventually I build up so much compensation that even the computer favors White with a piece less even though there are no immediate threats.

Wednesday, August 27 FM Dennis Monokroussos Knight of the Living Dead
Just because a piece is on the board doesn’t mean it’s useful, and in this noteworthy game by chess legend Garry Kasparov it is Alexei Shirov’s knight on b7 that becomes an exemplar of the living dead. It’s still on the board, but it is so cut off from the action that it’s only slightly more functional than a captured piece. Ironically, Shirov’s first attempt to bring it back into the action (or rather, to start doing so) wound up giving White a winning edge, though Black was on the precipice already. Kasparov’s idea was a great one both in its particulars and as a general idea, one that we ought to keep in mind for ourselves. Sometimes the best thing we can do is not something positive for our own pieces, but something “negative”; namely, keeping the enemy pieces shut out of the game.

Thursday, August 28 LM Dana Mackenzie Checkmate in the Endgame, Part 1 (endgame)
Checkmate comes up surprisingly often as a theme in complex (i.e., multi-piece or queen) endgames. Usually it is not an end in itself, as in the middle game, but a strategic device that is used to force concessions from the opponent. In this exquisite example, Alexei Shirov sacrifices three pawns (even four in one variation!) to create piece activity and mate threats. This game also shows that when you have an active king versus your opponent’s passive king, it can almost be like having an extra piece

Friday, August 29 GM Bryan Smith How the Closed Position Opens (middlegame, strategy, endgame)
In this middlegame video, GM Bryan Smith shows how to calculate and evaluate the various ways of opening up a closed position – one of the fundamental skills of play in the middlegame.


New Chess Videos for August 18 – 22

IM Valeri Lilov Center vs. Active Pieces (strategy, annotated games)
What is more relevant: Get a better piece coordination or gain space by controlling the center? This key question is quite complex as both of these are quite important, each in its specific way. Find out how to evaluate them in IM Lilov’s lecture!

IM Bill Paschall A New Concept Against the Slav: Sidelines (openings, strategy)
In part two of this series, IM Paschall rounds out his interesting line against the Slav with the sidelines against the Paschall-Teglas Gambit (4.Qc2) where black declines to keep the offered pawn. The play is not as sharp as in part one, but white must be prepared for the various continuations which black can try.

FM Dennis Monokroussos Blitz Miniatures from Dubai: Black Wins (tactics)
Every now and then it’s fun to see great players lose quickly. It’s not so much the schadenfreude, though that’s part of the story, but it’s encouraging in several ways. We see that they’re human too, so we’re better able to forgive our own follies while realizing that under the right conditions, we might be able to beat much stronger players. Errare humanum est! Further, when an elite player loses quickly the cause is often instructive and worthy of our attention. Finally, these games are simply entertaining. Enjoy!

GM Eugene Perelshteyn Instructive Game in the Nimzo Qc2: How to Neutralize the Bishop Pair
In a rare Nimzo Qc2 line, Black goes for the Bogo-like plan of trading his dark square bishop on c3, followed by d6, e5 push. White gets the bishop pair and space, while Black uses quick development to execute a King’s Indian …f5 push. Watch how the battle unfolds with a key maneuver to neutralize the bishop pair: Nd7-b6-a4!

IM David Vigorito Can’t Take Anyone Too Lightly (openings, endgame)
One must play well to win, even against a much lower rated player. In this game I have White against a player a few hundred points lower rated and I quickly find myself in a position that requires a lot of precision just to keep the game alive. It is important to recognize certain critical moments before they pass by. As always, the details are very important.


New DVD The Reti for White by GM Eugene Perelshteyn

The Reti for White

by GM Eugene Perelshteyn 

The Reti for White F  Recommended for Intermediate and Advanced Players

Presented by International Grandmaster Eugene Perelshtyen for ChessLecture.com

The Réti Opening is a hypermodern chess opening whose traditional or classic method begins with the moves: 1. Nf3 d5, 2. c4 Named after Richard Réti (1889–1929), an untitled Grandmaster from Czechoslovakia, this opening is in the spirit of the hypermodernism movement that Réti championed, with the center being dominated by counter attacks from the flanks.

In this DVD Eugene demonstrates two interesting lines for white in the Reti and then gives us an example of the Reti in action with his best game in the 2008 Spice cup.

Content: 87 Minutes of chess theory and discussion, in a series of 3 lectures. ECO: A04, A05

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.58 out of 5

Fans on ChessLecture.com said: An excellent, insightful lecture. Thanks pure sweetness. I like these flexible openings, as i am a beginner player. This is great! Thanks and well done.

GM Eugene Perelshtyen earned his third GM norm after sharing first place in the 2006 Foxwoods Open, giving him the official GM title. He won the Samford Chess Fellowship in 2002, an award that amounts to $64,000, which is awarded to the top American player under 25 years old. Eugene also led the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to several Pan American championships from 1998-2002. Eugene also won the highly prestigious US Junior Championship in 2000. Eugene recently co-authored the books Chess Openings for Black, Explained and Chess Openings for White, Explained.

 


New Chess Videos for August 11-15

Monday, August 11 IM David Vigorito Beating the Berlin (openings, tactics, endgame)
In this game Magnus Carlsen suffers his first loss as World Champion. Few have been willing to take him on in the notorious Berlin endgame, but Caruana is confident and takes advantage of the champ’s careless play and brings home the point with careful technique.

Tuesday, August 12, IM Bill Paschall A New Concept Against the Slav: The Teglas/Paschall Gambit (openings, strategy)
In this lecture, Part 1, IM Paschall introduces a new Gambit Concept for use against the ever popular Slav Defense.

Wednesday, August 13 FM Dennis Monokroussos Blitz Miniatures from Dubai: White Wins (tactics)
Every now and then it’s fun to see great players lose quickly. It’s not so much the schadenfreude, though that’s part of the story, but it’s encouraging in several ways. We see that they’re human too, so we’re better able to forgive our own follies while realizing that under the right conditions, we might be able to beat much stronger players. Errare humanum est! Further, when an elite player loses quickly the cause is often instructive and worthy of our attention. Finally, these games are simply entertaining. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 14 GM Leonid Kritz  A Game That Determined the Super Tournament Winner

Friday, August 15 GM Eugene Perelshteyn  Thematic Maroczy Bind Endgame: How to Use the c5 Outpost (endgame)
Instructive way to handle the Maroczy bind endgame. Watch how Black takes advantage of the output of c5 to fix White’s pawn structure on the kingside. Then, with a quick switch to the f4 output, Black starts the attack on the kingside. Well played game but spoiler alert…Black missed a key move and threw away the win at the end!


New DVD The Exchange Sacrifice on c3 in the Sicilian

The Exchange Sacrifice on c3 in the Sicilian

by GM Bryan Smith

The Exchange Sacrifice on c3 in the Sicilian F

Recommended for Intermediate-Advanced Players  More

An exchange sacrifice occurs when one player gives up a rook for a minor piece. It is often used to destroy the enemy pawn structure. In the Sicillian Defense it is used where Blacks  knight on c3 with a rook to establish a minor piece on a strong square. In this DVD Bryan explains the sacrifices with both the Scheveningen “small center” structure of pawns on d6 and e6 and as well as the Sicilian Dragon.

Content 2 hours of chess theory and discussion in a series of 3 lectures.

ECO: B90, B56, B35    Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.02 out of 5

Fans on ChessLecture.com said: A very instructive video! I found it informative in all facets of the game.

GM Bryan Smith grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and resides in Philadelphia, PA. Some of his accomplishments include clear first in the 2008 National Chess Congress, first place in the 2006 U.S. Masters (qualifying to the 2007 U.S. Championship) and first place in the 2008 King’s Island Open, as well as winning many other Grand Prix tournaments. He was on the national champion UMBC chess team from 1999 to 2001. Bryan is the highest rated player ever from Alaska. Brian became a Grandmaster in 2013.

 


New Chess Videos for September 1 – 5

Monday, Sept 1 IM Valeri Lilov Development vs. Material (openings, middlegame) What is more important: Getting a faster development or winning material? This question is very basic and yet, answering it isn’t simple. Find out the answer by checking IM Lilov’s new lecture!

Tuesday, Sept. 2 IM Bill Paschall An Instructive Grunfeld from Biel (middlegame)

Wednesday, Sept. 3 FM Dennis Monokroussos Battle of Imbalances (strategy) Much of positional play is about imbalances, and in this game they were present in spades. Yannick Pelletier had two knights against two bishops, and had a damaged pawn structure as well. On the other hand, he enjoyed significant pluses both in space and development. As a result, Black needed to play quietly for a while, aiming to keep things under control. This may seem strange, as most of us have imbibed the notion that bishops want an open board while knights want things closed. Ultimately, that’s true, but just because it’s the aim it doesn’t mean that the side with bishops should open the board no matter what. In this game Yusupov opened the position too fast, and as a result his sufferings were increased – and without obtaining any counterplay to compensate. Pelletier won in good style, and his knights were the dominant pieces!

Thursday, Sept. 4 LM Dana Mackenzie Checkmate in the Endgame Part 2 (endgame) In a tense, multiple-piece endgame, Black “plays for three results” — that is, trying to win but at the cost of risking a draw or loss — with catastrophic results. Applebaum, as White, plays a couple of ingenious moves to set up a mating net, while Black (Mackenzie) — who could have escaped — seems unaware of the danger until too late.

Friday, Sept. 5 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Positional Squeeze vs. the Pirc Defense (openings, strategy) Instructive way to handle the annoying Pirc. Key ideas to remember: 1) Meet …a6 or …c6 with a4! 2) Secure e3 square with an early h3 3) Always take on e5 to block the g7 bishop.