New Chess Videos for August 27 – 31
Monday, August 27
IM Valeri Lilov – How to Make Strategic Decisions | Strategy, Middlegame
Make decisions is always quite challenging, especially when there is no concrete target. That is because when people start thinking, they always search for an immediate idea they can utilize. However, there is much more to strategy than finding a target. Study this video to learn more!
Tuesday, August 28
IM Bill Paschall – Botvinnik’s Best Strategic Victories, Part 6 | Opening, Strategy
This game is a typically instructive example of Botvinnik’s strategic understanding. The struggle highlights White’s superiority in the center. One can see parallels with Capablanca in this example , including rook on the seventh rank and the bishops’ superiority against a knight in the endgame. Botvinnik uses fundamental principles to secure the point.
Wednesday, August 29
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Not Another Boring Draw | Strategy
Despite being one of the world’s super-elite, even reaching the #2 spot on the rating list for a time, Wesley So had never defeated Magnus Carlsen in a classical game prior to the Norway Chess tournament in June of 2018. Shortly before the encounter Carlsen told an interviewer that So was a player who makes “boring draws” and with whom he could draw at will. Carlsen is the world champion and the ratings #1, but in this game he was convincingly outplayed in a beautiful game. If anyone is entitled to talk trash it’s Carlsen, but even for him the old adage that one should let one’s moves do the talking seems to apply.
Thursday, August 30
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – A Tricky Caro-Modern System for Black | Opening, Strategy, Endgame
How do you play for a win when so many openings are analyzed till move 20 these days? In this game, GM Perelshteyn shows you a tricky system based on the ideas of three different openings: Modern & Caro-Cann & Pirc. Try to understand the ideas behind each move and the resulting pawn structures. White was under pressure but managed to find accurate move to neutralize Black’s imitative.
Friday, August 31
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Play the Taimanov Sicilian (2…e6), Part 1 | Strategy, Tactics
Today’s lecture starts a series about the so called Taimanov Variation of the Sicilian Defense. The positions of the variation arise after the following moves: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6. To begin the course, I introduce the Scheveningen system that may happen in the case of 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 followed by 7.Be2 and 8.0-0. These positions, perhaps, are not so concrete compared to the queen-side castling when White can easily advance and/or sacrifice the pawns on the king side. However, to succeed Black needs to be familiar with the basic strategic ideas and tactical tricks. We will go over the most popular lines to learn what Black should expect and how can he get a counterplay under different scenarios.