Monthly Archives: December 2014

A Tribute to Bent Larsen

By the Masters of ChessLecture.com

Recommended for Intermediate- Advanced Players

• International Master Bryan Smith
• International Master Bill Paschall
• FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos

Jørgen Bent Larsen (1935 – 2010) was a Danish chess GrandMaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play, and he was the first Western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union’s dominance in chess.[1] He is considered to be the strongest player born in Denmark and the strongest from Scandinavia until the recent rise of Magus Carlsen. As a six time Danish Champion and a candidate for the World Chess Championship on four occasions, Larsen reached the semifinal three times. Larsen had multiple wins over all seven World Champions who held the title from 1948 to 1985 including Botvinnk, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer and Karpov.

Content: 1.5 hours in a series of 3 lectures. ECO E39 B70 B00

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.44 out of 5

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: RIP, GM Larsen. IM Paschall, your lecture on the classic Tal v. Larsen from Bled is one of my all time favorite lectures.

Three Lectures New in Box and Just Released!

Monday, December 22  IM Valeri Lilov   The Master Secrets Part 1
Understanding how the masters think has always been a challenge to most players. Chess masters account for about less than five percent of chess players worldwide. The masses are left to guess and wonder what chess masters know and do that others don’t. Check this video to learn what you need to know to be a part of that elite group that is set apart from the rest of the chess world.

Tuesday, December 23  IM Bill Paschall   Bluffing with a Good Image
IM Paschall illustrates the advantage of cultivating a good image as a sound player. Sometimes risky or tricky variations can be employed to gain an opening advantage if the opponent is too “trusting”. This illustrative game shows again how one such bluff has worked time and time again in many games

Wednesday, December 24  FM Dennis Monokroussos   Giving It All Away
We all know and love the old 19th century games where the players sac a queen and a couple of rooks to deliver mate. They’re impressive and entertaining too, even if the level of resistance was pretty low. But such games are a relic of the distant past, right? Not necessarily. The game we’ll see today was played in 1993, featuring GMs who are alive and well today, and outdoes all of the earlier games. The winner, Grigory Serper, sacrifices *every single one* of his pieces – and the sacs are all eventually accepted, too! The whole combination – or series of combinations, really – is sound, and he meets with very decent resistance too. I don’t know if Serper’s feat is unique, but at the very least it’s exceedingly rare.

Thursday, December 25 LM Dana Mackenzie When Flashy is Not Necessarily Best
A recent U.S. Chess League game between GMs Daniel Naroditsky and Conrad Holt featured three stunning sacrifices by Naroditsky, and was named Game of the Week. Yet the game ended in a draw. What went wrong for Naroditsky? Perhaps his youthful exuberance. He repeatedly let his emotions over seeing a “brilliant” combination outweigh calm, patient, objective analysis. Holt’s stubborn defense also deserves credit, and his drawing method in the endgame has to be seen to be believed.

Friday, December 26  GM Bryan Smith Carlsen   Takes the Lead in Sochi
In game two of the 2014 World Championship Match, Magnus Carlsen managed to defeat Anand’s Berlin defense in an interesting game. Here GM Bryan Smith looks at the key moments from that game.

Monday, December 8 IM Valeri Lilov Fischer’s Game Secret, Part 1 (middlegame)
Bobby Fischer is certainly one of the greatest players who ever lived. Yet, many chess players wonder how he was able to play so strongly that his opponents couldn’t even survive his attacks. The secret of Fischer’s play is a subject that may help many to understand the real way to chess improvement!

Tuesday, December 9 IM Bill Paschall Grischuk Dominates Petrosian Memorial (middlegame, tactics)
The Reti Opening (1.Nf3) is becoming increasingly popular, both as a way of transposing to certain 1.d4 openings and to the English while trying to cut out some of Black’s options and as an opening in its own right. As a sort of public service to my beleaguered brethren, I offer what I hope will be a useful idea to those of you who face this opening and need some tools. Specifically, the …c4 pawn sac used in this game and in a companion game by the great Russian/German grandmaster Artur Yusupov gives Black a nice way to fight for the initiative, both strategically and tactically. Have a look, and be encouraged!

Wednesday, December 10 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Useful Idea Against the Reti (openings)
The Reti Opening (1.Nf3) is becoming increasingly popular, both as a way of transposing to certain 1.d4 openings and to the English while trying to cut out some of Black’s ptions and as an opening in its own right. As a sort of public service to my beleaguered brethren, I offer what I hope will be a useful idea to those of you who face this opening and need
some tools. Specifically, the …c4 pawn sac used in this game and in a companion game by the great Russian/German grandmaster Artur Yusupov gives Black a nice way to fight for the initiative, both strategically and tactically. Have a look, and be encouraged!

Thursday, December 11 GM Bryan Smith A Wild King’s Gambit (openings, tactics) 
In the 2013 Tromso World Cup, Alexander Shimanov faced a must-win situation against Gata Kamsky. So he brought out the King’s Gambit, and hilarity commenced. Here we will see this exciting and dramatic game, along with some analysis of the King’s Gambit with 3.Bc4.

Friday, December 12 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Beating the Nimzowitsch Defense and Scandinavian Qa5 & Nc6 Variation  (openings)
Punish the Nimzowitsch defense by transposing into a favorable Scandinavian, where the c6 knight is misplayed. Once you learn the tricky a3,Rb1,b4 plan — Black’s setup is virtually refuted!

Monday, December 1 IM Valeri Lilov Keeping the Potential  (strategy, middlegame)
How to get a good position? Everybody knows that getting a good position isn’t so much of an issue. The problem comes when we try to keep or transform this position into something more. This process needs great delicacy and care, so we don’t end up losing our momentum. Learn how to do it successfully in IM Lilov’s new lecture!

Tuesday, December 2 IM Bill Paschall A Classic Piece Sacrifice in the Slav  (openings, strategy)

Wednesday, December 3 FM Dennis M. Prophylactic Thinking in Practice  (openings, tactics)
Getting into the habit of asking what one’s opponent’s idea is, and trying to prevent it when possible and useful to do so, is a crucial skill in chess. This habit of prophylactic thinking is a powerful weapon that can net a player lots of points, and it proves useful all the way up the food chain. This game is a nice illustration, and while it is marred by an error at one point, it is in general a very good example on the theme.

Thursday, December 4 GM Leonid Kritz An Easy Way to Play Against g3 System in King’s Indian  (openings)

Friday, December 5 LM Dana Mackenzie Trading to Win (and Trading to Lose)  (strategy, middlegame, endgame)
For many players, piece trades are a neutral event, something that doesn’t inherently favor one player or the other. This lecture encourages you to take a more nuanced view of piece trades. They can become an integral part of your strategy. In all positions you should think about what trades are possible, which ones might be favorable to you and which ones should be avoided. I give two examples from a recent tournament. In one of them I “traded to win,” and in the other my opponent “traded to lose.”