ChessLecture News for the week of February 5 – 9
Free Video of the Week
One week ago, Magnus Carlsen wrapped up his 6th victory at the annual Tata Steel super-GM tourney in Wijk aan Zee, and last week, GM Bryan Smith concluded his 5-part series on Magnus’ victory in last autumn’s Isle of Man International – Carlsen in the Open – a rare instance of a world champion playing an event open to literally anyone, rather than an invited group of elite opponents. Magnus shows a side we rarely see from the world’s best, as he lures opponents into imbalanced positions to reduce the chances of yielding draws.
But there is a bonus 6th lecture from Isle of Man, which we bring you as our Free Video of the Week, as our own lecturer GM Eugene Perelshteyn pushes Magnus to the edge of defeat in round 2, then hesitates at the crucial moment, and finally receives a lesson in just how resilient and deadly the best player in the world is:
How to Play with Initiative vs the World Champion Magnus Carlsen
by GM Eugene Perelshteyn
The Ultimate Carlsen Collection e-DVD Exclusive to our subscribers!
ChessLecture masters have been studying Carlsen for years. In this first-ever collection you can view Carlsen’s rise to World Chess Champion as he took over the world of chess. We also feature several never-before released lectures on how Carlsen does it. Learn from the best how to become YOUR best, Carlsen-style.
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Now, on to the new lectures for the week:
This week’s lectures cover openings, middlegame, endgame and tactics. Our lecturers:
IM Vigorito | IM Paschall | FM Monokroussos | GM Kritz | GM Perelshteyn
Monday, February 5
IM David Vigorito An Original Trap in a Catalan Miniature – Tactics
In a game that was coincidentally played on my birthday, I face longtime tournament warrior FM Robby Adamson for the first time. My opponent played a fresh line which I was not so familiar with. After sacrificing a pawn, I found an original novelty that sets a trap. After long though, my opponent spotted my idea, but he saw a counter. Unfortunately for him, there was a second, more devious trap waiting for him!
Tuesday, February 6
IM Bill Paschall Losing Touch With My Intuition – opening, endgame
Sometimes, it is impossible to calculate all the ramifications of a possible situation. In other instances, time simple limits our ability to calculate all the important lines. In such situations, the intuition of an experienced player must bridge this gap, allowing us to make shortcuts and find the right path without relying in absolute calculation. In the game in question, White achieves a massive advantage, but second guesses his own intuition. White could have won this game if he had not doubted this inner voice.
Wednesday, February 7
FM Dennis Monokroussos A Classic King’s Indian Win by a Leading Specialist
Ilya Smirin is a great player whose rating has surpassed 2700, and he’s also a leading expert on the King’s Indian. (How much so? Vladimir Kramnik helped chase Garry Kasparov away from his beloved King’s Indian, and Smirin has a plus score with the King’s Indian against Kramnik!) The game we’ll see here, against Viktor Gavrikov, is by Smirin’s own account one of the two King’s Indian games he’s most proud of, so it is well worth our time to get acquainted with this instructive and attractive gem.
Thursday, February 8
GM Leonid Kritz Peter Svidler’s Opening Tragedy – tactics
This game is interesting because you don’t often see a 2700+ GM losing with white in just 21 moves! Something went very wrong for Svidler in this game, and Mamedyarov found a instructive series of very strong moves to win quickly.
Friday, February 9
GM Eugene Perelshteyn Attack like Aronian!
There’s not a better modern attacking player than Aronian. Watch how he destroys a top 20 chess player in the world with brilliant intuitive attack! Since this is a rapid game, we know that the attack could not be calculated to the end, which proves that Aronian’s intuition is top notch. Sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful attack!