New Chess Videos for December 1 – 5
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.”