Monday, September 15 IM Valeri Lilov Smyslov’s Endgame (strategy, endgame)
Vassily Smyslov was one of the greatest chess players of all time. He was also popular for his magnificent endgame technique and brilliant understanding of quiet positions. Let us learn from one of the greatest endgame players of all time!
Tuesday, September 16 IM Bill Paschall A Nimzovichian Struggle from the 2014 Olympiad (openings, middlegame, strategy)
GM Bruzon gives another dazzling positional performance a la Nimzovich. This Sicilian has the flavor of a French and any master with an appreciation for blockade and the fundamental Nimzovichian principles will be happy that the tradition lives on with some younger masters of the 21st century!
Wednesday, September 17 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Wild King’s Indian at the Tromso Olympiad (tactics, endgame)
Last time we looked at some miniatures from the Tromso Olympiad, games in which things went terribly wrong for one side or the other. This time we’ll take a look at some of the best chess on the planet, a battle between two of the best players of our time slugging it out in a wild battle. There are sacrifices and combinations and traps and all manner of complicated tactics, and when the battle finally resolves into an endgame it too is sharp and full of interesting moments. The game wasn’t perfect, but it was well-played and enormously entertaining. See for yourself!
Thursday, September 18 GM Leonid Kritz Storm of Exotic Ideas (tactics, endgame)
This is a game that has a lot of cool ideas in it, starting from the very beginning. The rook endgame is a good example for everybody to study because it looked like Ivanchuk was pretty easily winning by bringing his rook behind the a-pawn, but then he missed this opportunity and ended up sharing the point.
Friday, September 19 IM David Vigorito On the Road Again Part 1 (openings, endgames, tactics)