New Chess Videos for September 14 -18
Monday, September 14 IM David Vigorito Dodging Frankenstein and Dracula in 1953
Here I present a highly amusing old game which does not even appear in the main databases. In the opening, we get a peek at the famous ‘Frankenstein-Dracula’ Variation. When Black avoids the critical line (which involves a positional rook sacrifice!) he loses time and must resort to desperate tactics to try to save himself. After queens are exchanged, it is White who sac’s a rook, and a virtual zugzwang arises in a fantastic finish.
Tuesday, September 15 IM Bill Paschall Fischer and the Two Bishops, Part 4
Fischer plays his early favorite , the King’s Indian Attack, this time against the solid French Defense. Black chooses a stodgy, but solid line of defense. Later, he plays inflexibly on the queenside with the pawn advance 12….a4, allowing white to somewhat lock the structure. Black is able to keep the position fairly closed, but is forced to give up his good bishop on g5. Despite the closed nature of the position, Fischer brilliantly exploits the advantages of the bishop pair by maximizing their potential, and creating attacking possibilities on the kingside, ultimately setting up a decisive queen sacrifice.
Wednesday, September 16 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Master of the Semi-Slav Strikes Again
Alexei Shirov is famous for his wild sacrificial play, and he is also renowned as one of the greatest experts on the Semi-Slav, especially with the black pieces. Already in the first edition of his 1997 classic _Fire on Board_ there was a large section with his best games in that opening, and to this day he continues to explore newer and deeper paths in this ultra-sharp opening. In this game with Tal Baron they explore one of the fresher variations, and while I think Baron may have had the better of the theoretical dispute Shirov quickly bamboozles him and wins with a nice attack. Have a look – the game is interesting in its own right and from a theoretical perspective as well.
Thursday, September 17 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Stop Your Opponent from Playing Bb4 in the English
All English players aim for a simple positional game, but lately Bb4 idea with a Grand Prix attack has become so annoying that we have to fight it. Find out a simple way to stop Black’s attacking plans as early as move 5!
Friday, September 18 GM Bryan Smith A Repertoire for White in the Ruy Lopez: Part 6
In this video, GM Smith discusses one of the most complex lines in all of chess, the Chigorin Variation of the Ruy Lopez, which was long considered to be the main line of the whole opening.