New Chess Videos for November 26 – 30
Monday, November 26
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Beware of Overextension! | Opening, Tactics
13-year-old Magnus Carlsen was already very strong at the time of this game, on the verge of achieving the GM title, but his chess wasn’t as polished as it is nowadays. This game with GM Leonid Yurtaev had its ups and downs, and these only made the game more interesting. The opening is worth attending to, and Carlsen’s tactical trick to net a piece displayed some lovely geometry. But the most instructive moment came in the middle of the game, on two consecutive half-moves. First Carlsen and then Yurtaev had the opportunity to push a near-center pawn, attempting to mobilize a 4-2 pawn majority. That’s a standard technique, but this time it was wrong. Carlsen rightly refrained, but Yurtaev wrongly ran forward…and paid the price.
Tuesday, November 27
IM Bill Paschall – Highlights from the 2018 World Junior, Part 3 | Strategy, Middlegame
The 2018 World Junior featured a very strong field. One of the most promising among the favorites was the very young GM Andrey Esipenko who seems to be tapping the surface of his potential. Esipenko was among the leaders and played convincingly in the event. The following effort is a good sample of his style. Though both sides made some innacuracies, this game conjures up comparisons to the late Akiba Rubinstein. Esipenko still has many years to make a run in the World Junior!
Wednesday, November 28
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Systems for White in the Spanish Game: Part 5 – Facing …Bc5 (Archangelsk) | Tactics
In this lecture we will learn how to deal with the systems when Black brings the dark-squared bishop to c5 compared to the classical Be7. In doing so Black allows white to play d2-d4 with a tempo which seems to be beneficial for White. At the same time, after the bishop retreats White should be accurate defending the center since one more black piece can press on it. Pretty often the main question that arises here is “can white coordinate his pieces in a good way to oppose Black’s attack on the center or not.” To prove his superiority White should carefully plan his game as well as be creative in his moves.
Thursday, November 29
GM Robert Hungaski – Queen’s Gambit Accepted: A Simple System for Black, Part 4 | Strategy
In the previous three lectures we covered each of White’s three main lines in dealing with the QGA. However, this does not mean that White does not have other ways to test our system. In fact, there are a couple of sidelines we must be very careful with.
First we start by looking at White’s attempt to recover the pawn without moving the e-pawn by means of 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qa4+. The point of this move is to establish a Catalan setup by later playing g2-g3 and Bg2. This was a particularly appealing option when Kramnik began his revival of the Catalan some ten years ago, but Black seems to be doing very well after 4…Nc6!
Secondly, we examine one of White’s sharpest lines against the QGA after the moves 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3. White intends to sacrifice a pawn after the moves 4…a6 5.e4 b5 6.a4 and Black must play with great accuracy and understanding to fend off white’s attack. The key line being 6…e6 7.axb5 Bb4!
Lastly, we come full circle to examine some sidelines within the 3.e3 move order. In fact, even though they are not played nearly as much as the lines discussed in the first lecture, I believe them to be even more challenging and expect them to take their rightful place in the opening theory of the QGA very soon.
Friday, November 30
IM Valeri Lilov – How to Handle Complex Positions | Strategy, Middlegame
Pressuring the opponent always feels quite good. Bobby Fischer used to say he most likes the moment where his opponent’s ego is broken due to the huge pressure he has endure. Many players don’t know, but pressure almost always comes out of a complex position. So, how you handle these successfully? Check this video to learn more!