Monday, April 16
IM Valeri Lilov Development vs. Positional Advantage | Strategy, Opening
When it comes down to evaluating development against positional advantage, most chess players find it hard to realize which one is more important. The answer is simple: Development always matters more in the opening. How do we prove that? Check IM Lilov’s video on this!
Tuesday, April 17
IM Bill Paschall Kramnik’s Strong Opening in 2018 Candidates | Strategy, Endgame
Kramnik leads in the first 3 rounds of the Candidates. The close game against Grischuk illustrates how difficult it is to deal with such an opponent who can create winning chances without taking any risks. In his round one victory, Vlad was helped a great deal by Grischuk’s perennial time pressure. Nonetheless, the game is a great example of Kramnik’s current style and ability to win with ultra-safe play and excellent endgame technique.
Wednesday, April 18
FM Dennis Monokroussos The Young Kramnik, Part 1 | Opening, Tactics
Vladimir Kramnik is having an awful 2018 Candidates tournament, so it’s worth taking a step back from the news to remember the kind of chess he was – and is – capable of. Case in point: his powerful attacking win over Nigel Short during the latter’s peak years. While Kramnik was known as an extremely solid positional player during his world championship years, the young Kramnik was a very aggressive player, often sacrificing material and playing for the attack. Short was a Queen’s Gambit specialist, and two years ago had played game after game against Garry Kasparov, probably the greatest attacking player in chess history. Neither his opening experience nor his experience with Kasparov helped: Kramnik bowled him over.
Thursday, April 19
GM Nadya Kosintseva Kramnik Attacks on the Wing | Strategy, Tactics
Today we will see two great examples from the former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. In both games he combines a deep strategic understanding of the position, creativity in finding new, promising ideas, and brilliance of calculation technique. These qualities allowed him to create outstanding games against such strong opponents as Ivanchuk and Aronian, games that are both instructive and at the same time fascinating to watch.
Friday, April 20
GM Bryan Smith An Exciting Attack in the Reversed Dragon | Opening
A new and creative alternative setup for White in the reversed Dragon produces this extraordinary game.