Monday, April 23
GM Eugene Perelshteyn Carlsen Plays 1.h3 and Wins! | Strategy, Endgame
Magnus Carlsen is playing for Norway Gnomes in the Pro Chess League and experiments with 1.h3! Guess what happened? He won rather easily of course. But the key to his victory is not first move, but superior understanding of chess. He teaches us a few lessons about weak pawns, outposts and protected passers. This simple and elegant victory reminds us of Capablanca!
Tuesday, April 24
IM Bill Paschall Bombastic Battles in Batumi, Part 1 | Opening
The 2018 European Individual Championship contains dozens of strong grandmasters. In this series IM Paschall goes over the most striking games from this strong event in Batumi Georgia. Part 1 features the legendary Vassily Ivanchuk, always a crowd favorite because of his original fighting style. In this game, however, Ivanchuk uncharacteristically misplays the opening and is bested by his young counterpart. A major upset which knocks Ivanchuk off the top boards.
Wednesday, April 25
FM Dennis Monokroussos The Young Kramnik, Part 2 | Opening, Tactics
We continue our look back at the chess of the young Vladimir Kramnik, back when his response to 1.e4 was 1…c5! His opponent was another great player in his younger years, Vassily Ivanchuk, and they contested the then very popular Rauzer Variation of the Classical Sicilian. Back in the days when chess engines for personal computers were still very weak (by professional standards), Kramnik prepared a nice idea that more or less buried one of White’s plans in that opening. Sacrificing an exchange and forfeiting castling rights for long-term attacking chances (and no, it wasn’t a …Rxc3 sac – White’s queenside pawns remained intact), Kramnik’s judgment proved correct, and his dynamic handling of the game led to an impressive finale. He almost makes it look easy, but that’s a sign of his talent and ability and not a reflection of the actual level of difficulty.
Thursday, April 26
IM David Vigorito Endgame Breakthrough | Strategy, Endgame
A quiet Catalan gives White the usual slight edge which carries right into the endgame. My opponent misses a standard breakthrough, but then I make a practical mistake and miss a resource from my opponent. Despite the engine’s happy evaluation, life is made more difficult for a human player (me!).
Friday, April 27
GM Bryan Smith Meeting the Advance French | Strategy
In this video, GM Bryan Smith shows a concrete and aggressive way to counter the Advance French.