Monday, May 25 IM Valeri Lilov Early Middlegame Strategies (strategy, middlegame)
The early middlegame stage is quite important to all kinds of chess players. People often forget that strategy isn’t always about attacking, and there is an important preparatory stage before the late middlegame happens. Check out IM Lilov’s new video to learn more!

Tuesday, May 26 IM Bill Paschall Keres Plays Black – Part 4 (openings, strategy)
Again we see Fischer with problems against the Caro-Kann. This time Keres plays to trade off Fischer’s better bishop and leave him with a useless white squared bishop. Unable to improve since his last loss in this opening, Fischer makes matters worse in the middlegame by weakening his already shaky queenside with the advance 18.b4 ? Keres exploits the situation with an active king, better minor piece and an excellent structure. The final endgame is a masterpiece of coordination and the principle of two weaknesses.

Wednesday, May 27 FM Dennis Monokroussos. The Exchange Queen’s Gambit, Revisited (tactics)
It was quite some time ago when we had a look at the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, and the game we examined was comparatively old. Does it still hold up as a dangerous option for White? In this game we see that it is, and that the thematic plan involving a central pawn roller turns out to be as dangerous today as it was all the way back in Botvinnik’s time. If your opponents don’t play 3…Be7, use it!

Thursday, May 28 GM Eugene Perelshteyn A Fresh idea in the Caro-Kann Exchange Variation (openings)
GM Perelshteyn introduces a fresh idea in the Caro-Kann Exchange Variation with 6.h3! Black has a serious problem to solve on what to do with his c8 bishop. He finds a way to trade it off and castle queenside. However, with a timely pawn sacrifice White gets a strong attack and executes with a cool tactic at the end!

Friday, May 29 GM Bryan Smith The Clear Play of Bobby Fischer, Part 2 (openings)
Only one year after our first video, we see the young Fischer making his international debut at the Portoroz Interzonal, 1959. In this game he wins smoothly in thematic Najdorf Defense style against Raul Sanguinetti.

Black’s Blasting Bishops in the Symmetrical Tarrasch

By FM Dennis Monokroussos

Recommended for Intermediate Players       More                               

Presented by FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos for ChessLecture.com

In this line of the Tarrasch, White forgoes the fianchetto, with its direct play against d5, opting to keep central tension for the moment by playing 4. e3, after which 4… Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 is the normal continuation. Dennis shows us how Black blasts through this and wins the day.

Content: 41 Minutes in a series of 2 lectures.  

 ECO:  D40       PGN Files Included                  

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

FM Dennis Monokroussosis a 3 time Nevada State Champion and won the Indiana State Championship in 2009. Dennis has taught philosophy at several universities including the University of Notre Dame. Dennis currently works as a chess coach for both children and adults both in person and over the internet. He can be contacted through his blog

Monday, May 18 IM Valeri Lilov Piece Domination – Part II (strategy, middlegame)
In the second part of the Piece Domination series, IM Lilov presents a beautiful example on how a great master is able to exploit the advantages of his formation to attack the opponent successfully.

Tuesday, May 19 IM Bill Paschall Keres Plays Black – Part 3 (middlegame)
Keres avoids the dry main lines of the 4 knights game with an early sideline 3…g6, a la Steinitz in his prime. Black keeps tension against the weaker grandmaster and gains ground as Bisguier plays too routinely and concedes the initiative. Black gains a better structure and eventually induces white to weaken the position around his king. Finally white is too tied up to defend. Masterful play by Keres, and a great tutorial on beating a competent yet inferior opponent.

Wednesday, May 20 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Squeeze is On (openings)
Wesley So was in excellent form at the start of the Vugar Gashimov Memorial in Shamkir, and this win in round 4 over Rauf Mamedov put him in first place, half a point ahead of Magnus Carlsen. The game is a wonderful example of the value of a space advantage, and So did a great job of maintaining control from start to finish.

Thursday, May 21 GM Eugene Perelshteyn A Miniature in the Accelerated Dragon Qxd4 Variation (openings)
Watch and learn on how a strong IM gets punished in the opening! In the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon 4.Qxd4 variation, White makes one too many Queen moves and finds himself unable to castle. The end is swift as Black gets to White’s king on the open e-file. The game is over before it begins!

Friday, May 22 GM Bryan Smith The Clear Play of Bobby Fischer, Part 1
In this series, we will be looking at some examples of the clear and purposeful play by the eleventh world champion, Bobby Fischer. This first video covers an early game played against James Sherwin.

Dealing with the Bishop to b5 in the Sicilian

By IM Bill Paschall

Recommended for Intermediate – Advanced Players     

The Rossolimo Variation, 3.Bb5, is a well-respected alternative to 3.d4. Originally criticized by Kasparov but later played by him.

Content: 2 hours of instruction and analysis in a series of 3 lectures.                            

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.5 out of 5  ECO:B30

Fans on Chesslecture.com said:mellow yellow….smooth versed lecture…we like it like that….thanks

IM Bill Paschall currently resides in Budapest, Hungary. Bill was the Boylston Chess Club Champion 2002, finished 1st at the Foxwoods Open 2002, Three-Time New England Open Champion, and has defeated more than 20 IGM’s in tournament play. Bill has extensive experience training both adults and children privately and in the schools. 

Monday, May 11 IM Valeri Lilov Piece Domination – Part I (middlegame)
How do you dominate your opponent’s pieces? The answer to this essential question is the core of any successful plan. IM Lilov’s suggestions can help you learn the secrets of the simple domination with your pieces!

Tuesday, May 12 IM Bill Paschall Keres Plays Black – Part 2 (openings)
Keres surprises Fischer by playing the Caro-Kann instead of the usual main line Ruy Lopez with black. Fischer never did find a suitable line against the Caro, and this game is certainly no exception. Keres exploits dark square weaknesses and a space advantage on the queenside in order to organize 2 rook lifts which serve to both defend and eventually attack Fischer on the kingside in his King’s Indian-type formation. White seemed unfamiliar and planless in the game

Wednesday, May 13 FM Dennis Monokroussos Winning in a “Drawn” Pawn Structure (endgame)
Some pawn structures are extremely solid, sometimes to the point where it seems impossible to defeat them (barring an outright blunder from one’s opponent). White’s pawn structure in this game seems to be of that sort; much of the time, White either uses his space advantage and grinds out a win or else Black neutralizes that edge and makes a draw. A black win looks almost impossible. Not so! As van Wely demonstrates against a very strong grandmaster opponent bent on chasing a draw, Black certainly can attack White’s structure. Poor Schlosser quickly finds himself scrambling to defend, and Black wins an effortless-looking game seemingly from nothing. The good news is that we can learn from van Wely’s model and win with it as well.

Thursday, May 14 IM David Vigorito Best Game Winner from 2015 US Championship (opening, middlegame)
In a topical line of the resurrected Schliemann Variation of the Ruy Lopez, Sam Shankland wins the best game prize in the US Championship.

Friday, May 15 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Wesley So’s Positional Masterpiece in the Ruy Lopez (strategy, middlegame)
Wesley So creates a positional masterpiece vs a strong GM in the Ruy Lopez. Gareev eventually runs out of moves in the middlegame and decides to open up the game. But he’s no match for So in a short tactical melee, when Wesley sacs a queen for a rook and two minor pieces!

Pawn Strategy

       by GM Bryan Smith

UPC 885007551812   MSRP: 19.95   Recommended for Intermediate-Advanced Players

Content 3 hours of chess theory and discussion in a series of 5 lectures.

Bryan takes us through various strategies for using Pawns in your game. Illustrated with real games the lectures cover topes of : Pawns In the attack, Petrosian’s Pawn Artistry, Doubled Pawns and Weak Squares, Break the Rules Sometimes, Breaking Through the Pawn Chain.

ECO: A37, A46, E21, E90, D07

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 3.81 out of 5 .

Fans on ChessLecture.com said: You make it look so easy 🙂 Lecture was fantastic. Can’t wait to see the rest of the series.

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.

Monday, May 4  IM David Vigorito Purely Positional Exchange Sacrifice in the Dragon  (openings)
En route to winning his fourth US Championsip, Nakamura goes all out playing the risky Sicilian Dragon. He sacrifices a full exchange in an endgame and causes White a lot of practical problems.

Tuesday, May 5  IM Bill Paschall Keres Plays Black – Part 1 (middlegame, tactics) 
Keres plays black in his coveted classical Chigorin variation against the Ruy Lopez. Black achieves d5 easily in the opening, thus equalizing the game. Geller slips with the materialistic move 22. Qd2 and the black onslaught begins ! When Keres starts an attack he rarely looks back, and this game is no exception. Virtually computer-like accuracy in a generation well before the inception of chess engines !

Wednesday, May 6  FM Dennis M. A Great Battle in the Semi-Tarrasch  (openings) 
The Semi-Tarrasch is a sort of classical counterpart to the Gruenfeld, and while it’s a little less sharp it can lead to similar battles between White’s proud pawn center and Black’s queenside majority. If White doesn’t manage to create a dangerous central passer or convert his extra space into a successful kingside attack, black’s trumps can prevail. In this game, between two of the absolute heavyweights of that era, we see such a battle. Keres is trying to give mate, and Fine is trying to hold him off while breaking through on the queenside. Who wins? Have a look at this game and the rich clash of ideas therein.

Thursday, May 7  GM Eugene Perelshteyn The Art of Subtle Maneuvering in the Exchange Slav  (strategy, endgame)
Learn how to outplay a strong GM with ease in the Exchange Slav.  Wesley makes small improvements in his position and eventually wins an open file.  Then he wins a pawn, the result is just technique…

Friday, May 8  GM Bryan Smith Match of the (19th) Century: De Labourdonnais – McDonnell, Part 3  (openings)
In the third and last part of GM Bryan Smith’s series on the famous 1834 match between Alexander McDonnell and Charles De Labourdonnais we see a pretty and instructive positional queen sacrifice to claim the initiative.