Monday, December 2
IM Bill Paschall – Highlights from the 2019 European Team Championship, Part 2 | Middlegame
The young rising star Danil Dubov is known for his creativity and energy in attack. In this battle from the European Team Championship he is paired with one of the most correct and solid young Grand Masters of the new generation, Rasmus Svane. Svane must play solidly and also look to cash in if Dubov gambles too much. It’s a match which draws obvious comparisons to Tal vs Botvinnik. The battle itself doesn’t disappoint, with incredible ups and downs and a beautiful finishing theme.
Tuesday, December 3
IM Dennis Monokroussos – Who’s Tricking Whom? | Tactics
Levon Aronian is known as a real trickster, always looking for devious tactical opportunities to sucker his poor, unsuspecting opponents. You wouldn’t think this could happen against his fellow super-elite GMs, but it does. Case in point, his victory over Wesley So in their rapid game from the Grand Chess Tour event in Bucharest in November of 2019. Wesley So had an advantage on the white side of a Giuoco Piano, and thought he found a neat way to win at least a pawn. And he was right: he did win at least a pawn – a full exchange, as it turned out, at the end of a complicated combination that went at least eight moves, maybe even longer. The problem was that he didn’t accurately assess the final position. Although Aronian lacked any obvious and immediate threats and So’s position seemed relatively stable, Black was in fact winning. The game ended quickly, and the sad irony for So was that it was all his own doing: he took the bait, and perished from the meal. Have a look: the idea was attractive and ingenious, and more importantly, learn the lesson: it’s not enough to calculate the variations accurately; the final positions must also be accurately assessed.
Wednesday, December 4
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Win as White with Classic Sicilian Pawn Majority | Opening, Middlegame
When you face the Sicilian Defense you have to understand the classic pawn majority that happens after White plays Nd5 and exd5. What are the plans for both sides? How does White break through on the queenside? Watch this game and find out! Black makes only one mistake but it’s enough to find himself in a strategically lost position! However, he finds some counterplay only to be surprised by a timely sacrifice! Can you spot it?
Thursday, December 5
GM Leonid Kritz – McShane’s Strategic Gem | Strategy
Brilliant strategic game from McShane! It looked like an equal position after the opening, but with the 11.Nd5 trick, White managed to get a clearly better strategic position. Later on, White locked the black bishop on h8 by sacrificing a pawn, and showed the optimal way to convert his positional advantage.
Friday, December 6
GM Robert Hungaski – Queen’s Gambit Accepted: A Simple System for Black, Update #3 | Strategy