Daily Archives: March 18, 2018


New Chess Videos for March 19 – 23

Monday, March 29
IM Valeri Lilov The Problem of Weaknesses | Strategy

Chess requires that we look for weaknesses in our opponent’s camp while we try to prevent having one. A weakness is simply a flaw in any position that one can exploit. These can vary from anything as an open line to poor piece placement and vulnerable squares. Depending on what stage we are in, the position will set different weaknesses for our opponent. Let IM Lilov teach you more about them!

Tuesday, March 20
IM Bill Paschall Interesting Struggles from Aeroflot 2018, Part 3 | Opening, Strategy

Grandmaster Vladislav Kovalev won the 2018 Aeroflot Open clear first place with seven out of nine. In this lecture we analyze his most interesting win against the super solid Rasmus Svane. Kovalev is a strategic player with great technique who favors quiet strategic lines over complications. This game features the oft underestimated exchange variation of the Caro-Kann. This quiet line contains some poison, and equalizing for Black is not such an easy task

Wednesday, March 21
FM Dennis Monokroussos The Inverse of a Good Rule of Thumb May Be Another Good Rule of Thumb | Strategy

Most of us know the principle that an attack on the flank is often best met by a counterattack in the center. In this game, then-world champion Tigran Petrosian shows that the opposite is sometimes true as well. While David Bronstein is preparing a central break, Petrosian hastens to open lines on the queenside. As we’ll see, the file he opens gives him counterplay, so that while Bronstein is messing around in the center Petrosian is able to outflank him and strike with his own attack, capped off by one of his trademark exchange sacrifices.

Thursday, March 22
GM Nadya Kosintseva The Importance of Active Defense! | Tactics

Sometimes during a game, you find that you don’t like your position. You have an important decision to make: to play defensively, or to defend actively. Everyone likes to attack when their opponent has no counterplay, but when your opponent refuses to sit and defend passively, it can cause discomfort and mistakes. So, defend actively when you can!

Friday, March 23
GM Bryan Smith A Very Sharp Spanish | Strategy, Tactics

In this tense last-round battle, GM Bryan Smith takes on the world record holder for blindfold chess, Timur Gareyev.