All Things Chess

Monday, September 16
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – An Instructive Longterm Pawn Sacrifice vs. the Ragozin Defense | Opening
In this game White employs a longterm pawn sacrifice in the Ragozin Defense. There’s no immediate gain, only somewhat weakened position of Black’s kingside pawns. However, two half-open files on the queenside and opposite-side castling guarantees a fun attack! Khalifman plays like Tal and executes one of the most beautiful combinations of his career by sacrificing the house! Can you find it?

Tuesday, September 17
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Some Old Dogs Learn New Tricks Better than Young Dogs Do | Opening
When I recently covered a game between Botvinnik against Larsen, I noted that Botvinnik used a plan that he had been winning with, in various
versions, for more than a quarter of a century. That might give the impression that Botvinnik was stuck in his ways, using the same hammer to bash in nail after nail throughout his chess career. This is not so. He did have his favorite systems, yes, but he also picked up new lines on a regular basis as well. One interesting and counterintuitive choice was his advocacy of the Pirc/Modern complex late in his career. You might expect a player in his mid-to-late 50s to take up increasingly safe openings, but not Botvinnik: he started playing one of the sharpest and most strategically risky openings in all of chess. We’ll have a look at two of his victories with that opening, games that bear a striking resemblance to each other, and that both demonstrate that even with limited material, opposite-colored bishops can massively favor the side with the attack – even in a position where the defender has no obvious weaknesses. Have a look!

Wednesday, September 18
GM Leonid Kritz – What Price Castling? | Tactics
A very interesting, tactical game where Mamedyarov showed again what a brilliant tactical player he is. The most important, however, are not the combinations, but rather understanding of the importance of castling in situations like this. At some point Black had a chance to hide his king, but he missed it and never got a second chance again. Very important to remember – king safety comes first! Always!

Thursday, September 19
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Facing the Pirc/Ufimtsev/Modern Defenses, Part 2 | Strategy
In this lecture we continue learning the Pirc Defense system that arises after the following move order: 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6. For White it makes sense to continue with 4.Be3 followed by Qd2 to build a battery and be able to trade the dark-squared bishops by means of Bh6. This set-up also allows White to prepare castling queen side that can be a good alternative to more peaceful king-side castling. Similarly to the previous lecture Black usually counter plays on the queen side by pushing the b-pawn but this time instead of …a6 he plays …c6 followed by …b5.

Friday, September 20
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Tal vs Botvinnik Rematch 1961, Part 3 | Openings
After this 8th game, Tal still has hopes of retaining his title. Botvinnik now has to deal with the relatively unexplored wilds of the Advance Caro-Kann. Black actually goes for the modern 3..c5!?, which fell into ill repute for many years largely due to games like this. Black sacrifices the c-pawn – in fact moving the same pawn twice in the first three moves. This idea is controversial even today, but has been steadily increasing in popularity. Black loses this battle as his king is more exposed and his “bishop pair” shows little promise against the two knights in a relatively stable pawn formation. The bishops really need more open lines and passed pawns to thrive.

Monday, September 9
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Tal vs Botvinnik Rematch 1961, Part 2 | Strategy, Middlegame
Already behind by one game, Tal fails to adjust his opening choice with Black and again falls into a system favorable to Botvinnik’s style. White sticks to closed positions and looks for favorable endgames. Tal seems reckless with his choices of 13…g5 and 16…Qxa3 in particular, probably feeling distraught about the result of the opening. In the end, Tal’s King is very seriously vulnerable, and even after Black reluctantly allows an exchange of queens, he is caught in a mating net. Botvinnik leads the rematch by two games after seven rounds, but Tal should still have hope, particularly since Botvinnik has begun the match with the first White.

Tuesday, September 10
FM Dennis Monokroussos – The Pawnroller Flattens Again | Strategy
Mikhail Botvinnik was one of the great pioneers of opening preparation and middlegame theory, and one of his notable contributions was the pawn roller plan he devised in both the Nimzo-Indian and the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined. He won many games with that approach throughout his career, from Jose Capablanca in 1938 to this game against Bent Larsen in 1965. It’s one thing for you or me to win such games at the local chess club, another thing to do so against world-class players like Capablanca (a former world champion) or Larsen (then a top 10, maybe a top 5 player), but Botvinnik did it. Have a look at an attractive, instructive game with a plan you can still use today.

Wednesday, September 11
GM Eugene Perelshteyn- – Beautiful Checkmates: The Ultimate King Hunt! | Strategy, Tactics
Unkown chessplayers can forever be immortalized in the annals of chess history for imaginative attacks. This game stands out as one of the most striking examples of how Black’s king can travel from e8 to e1 and be checkmated in just 18 moves! Can you find all the the key moves for White, including the queen sacrifice? The rest is just fun!

Thursday, September 12
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Facing the Pirc/Ufimtsev/Modern Defenses, Part 1 | Tactics
In this lecture we start learning the Pirc Defense (also known as the Ufimtsev Defense in Russia) from the white point of view that arises after 1.e4 d6 followed by 2…Nf6 or 2…g6. Similarly to the Alekhine and Scandinavian defenses, black does not bring any pawn to the middle from the beginning but rather tries to put the pressure on white’s pawn center. One popular plan for black is to expand on the queen side by means of a6-b5 in order to bring both bishops to the long diagonals and target e4 and d4 squares. For white, it’s important to be vigorous and consider a pawn break through with e4-e5 right after the black’s light-squared bishop leaves the h3-c8 diagonal.

Friday, September 13

Monday, September 2
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Amazing Checkmate Pattern from the World Champ: Carlsen Crushes Anand! | Strategy, Tactics
It’s quite rare to see Anand get checkmated, especially with one of the most beautiful attacking patterns in modern chess history! This blitz gem by Magnus has to be studied carefully as the final checkmate is just wonderful. Anand really only makes one mistake right after the opening and Magnus unleashes a monstrous attack that has to make it to all the tactics books. Make sure to solve the final mating pattern tactic!

Tuesday, September 3
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Tal vs Botvinnik Rematch 1961, Part 1 | Strategy, Endgame
Botvinnik prepared heavily for the 1961 return match with Mikhail Tal. It was favorable for Botvinnik also to begin with the White pieces and start the match with victory in 2/3 games; both players winning the White pieces in the first three battles ! There were many decisive games in this match and very few draws! In part one we take a look at the third game of the match, a very nice strategic victory for Botvinnik which helps to set the tone for a successful rematch.

Wednesday, September 4
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Experimental Chess at the Highest Level | Tactics
Magnus Carlsen is one of the game’s great fighters, not only fighting to the end but willing to take great risks to keep a game going. That’s what we’ll see in his mind-boggling rapid game with Sergey Karjakin from the Lindores Abbey event from this May (2019). After 19 moves heavy exchanges have taken place, and the game seems to be on the way to an insipid draw. Most players would have gone with the game’s inertia, but not Carlsen, who allowed Karjakin to promote a pawn in return for a pair of minor pieces, an impressive queenside pawn majority, and the fog of confusion. Eventually the game still finished in a draw, but it was a barn-burner you’re bound to enjoy. Have a look!

Thursday, September 5
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Facing Alekhine’s Defense | Strategy
In this lecture we will consider how to play against the Alekhine Defense from White’s point of view. This defense is pretty solid but at the same time can be tricky. Black does not bring any pawns in the middle of the board but rather provokes White to advance his central pawns. As a result Black gets a chance to undermine the white center and exchange some pawns there. To get the initiative white should avoid exchanges and simplifications and be vigorous in his pawn play.

Friday, September 6
GM Robert Hungaski – Opening Strategy: Tucking the Bishops Away | Strategy
In this video I will continue my Opening Strategy series with a discussion on how to deal with bishops in the opening. Previously, in my video on The Fianchettoed Bishop, I showed you how to play against and restrict an opponent’s bishop. Here, I will propose a strategy for getting the most out of your bishops. I call this strategy “Tucking the Bishops Away”.

The basic premise we will be relying on is that the opening phase of the game is where the bishops are most vulnerable, either to attack or misplacement. Therefore, our goal will be to place the bishop on an unassuming square from where it will be ready to spring into action when the time is right!

Monday, August 26
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Tal vs Botvinnik World Championship Match 1960, Part 5
Botvinnik trails decisively in the late stages of the match. In this game, his opening choice is good, and Tal misplays the opening to actually give Black good chances for an advantage. As had happened on previous occasions, Botvinnik’s calculation seems lax and he fails to seize the key moments for aggressive and decisive action. Tal basically ensures a match victory with this win, but Botvinnik will be back!

Tuesday, August 27
FM Dennis Monokroussos – A Melee in a Meran Sideline | Tactics
The late Russian GM Yuri Razuvaev was a fine player with an enterprising style, and this game confirms both assessments. Surprised at the board by Vaganian’s play in a Meran sideline, Razuvaev improved on the play of Tigran Petrosian and the extant analysis of the day, correctly assessing the soundness of the piece sac he essayed. He handled the mind-boggling complications extremely well (though not quite perfectly), and won a very good game. He made things a bit more difficult for himself than he needed to, thanks to his time trouble, but never squandered the advantage and was a deserving victor. It’s a great game, and an even better analytical exercise for the brave souls who give it a shot.

Wednesday, August 28
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Destroy White with Petrosian’s Pet Line in the KID! | Opening
It’s rare that a Top Ten player – in this case Anish Giri – gets crushed as White. Watch and learn how Aronian tricks him into a favorable King’s Indian from a Benoni setup! Guess who used to play this setup back in the 50s and 60s? Another Armenian legend, former Tigran Petrosian. Giri plays logical moves and completely falls apart due to one-sided attack. Can you guess Black’s timely sacrifice?

Thursday, August 29
GM Leonid Kritz – Aronian and Carlsen – Strategy and Tactics | Strategy, Tactics
This game is interesting from both strategic and tactical aspects. For a very long time it looked like White has a serious advantage, and I believe that Aronian was indeed better. The plan with a3-b4 is very interesting against the system selected by Carlsen. However, Black found ways to complicate the position, and eventually Aronian made a huge mistake on move 32 when he exchanged queens on g7, entering into a lost endgame. Instead, he had a simple and nice tactical trick to keep the draw, which I hope you will be able to find.

Friday, August 30
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Facing the Scandinavian/Center Counter Defense, Part 2 | Strategy
In this lecture we finish speaking about the Scandinavian Defense, which arises after Black plays 1..d5 to meet white’s 1.e4. After 2.exd5 black can take the pawn back immediately with the queen or can bring the king side knight out for this purpose. In part 1, we looked at variations starting with 2…Nf6, and then with 2…Qxd5, and after 3.Nc3, both …Qd8 and …Qd6. Today, we look at Black’s best queen move, 3…Qa5. Again, we will learn typical plans and tricks for White as well as the most popular counter plays for Black.

Monday, August 12
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Tal vs Botvinnik World Championship Match 1960, Part 3 | Middlegame, Opening
Botvinnik trailed in the match by three games going into game eight! The back and forth struggle in this game is typical for this match, with Botvinnik relying on principles and Tal muddying the waters with risky gambles! Botvinnik seemed unsure and intimidated by Tal’s tricky style. Time pressure undoubtedly played a key role as White goes from winning to losing back to winning again in the final ten moves of this game. IM Paschall does his best to make sense of the complications arising in this pivotal game which allowed Botvinnik to stay alive in the match!

Tuesday, August 13
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – How To Create a Deadly Attack with the Bishop’s Opening | Opening
Bishop’s Opening is not very popular at the top, yet at the club level this could be a deadly weapon! Don’t miss an instructive attack by White that involves a double bishop sacrifice. Sidestep the Petroff and have fun along the way!

Wednesday, August 14
FM Dennis Monokroussos – The “Quiet” 7.Nf3 in the Byrne Attack | Middlegame, Opening
For those who prefer to play more positionally against the Najdorf, the 6.Be3 e5 7.Nf3 line is a good choice. Even elite GMs occasionally go badly wrong, making what might seem to be imperceptible errors. That’s what happened to Jeffery Xiong here. The newest U.S. 2700 faced a new wrinkle from Le Quang Liem, and his natural reply turned a slightly worse position into one that was almost lost. A further error proved fatal, and White won with surprising ease. This line is even harder for Black to cope with at the club level, as White’s plans are conceptually simpler than Black’s ways of dealing with them. Be prepared!

Thursday, August 15
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Meeting 1.d4 with …d6 followed by …e5 – Part 2 | Strategy
Today we will consider another principal continuation for White to meet Black’s unusual move order: 2.e4. On one hand, this move is very logical from a strategic point of view – White can bring another pawn to the middle of the board from the very beginning of the game. On the other hand, some players do not play both d4 and e4 on the first move and so can be concerned about transposition to 1.e4-lines. From the black point of view, it’s important to understand the specifics of the pawn formation and potential ways to attack the center that White occupies. Black seems to be a little bit passive from the beginning, since he does not bring any pawns to the center. However, this set-up allows him to avoid a theoretical discussion and so leads to less forcing play with its own specific ideas.

Friday, August 16
GM Robert Hungaski – Opening Strategy: Establishing a ‘Sheltered Knight’ | Strategy
When we want a safe yet active place to put our bishop, one approach immediately comes to mind: the fianchetto. However, what happens when we ask ourselves the same question regarding the knight? The answer is not so easy, since the considerations we must take into account for knights are very different than those for bishops (so please don’t fianchetto your knights!).

Perhaps the most obvious difference is that knights must be physically close to the center, given their short range. Therefore, it is useful to be familiar with some structures that are conducive to this end. In this lecture I will examine one structure in particular (of course there are several others. In fact, I relied on one in particular for my series on a white repertoire against the Sicilian). This is the b2-c3-d4 (or b7-c6-d5) pawn chain, which creates an ideal post for the knight on d3/d6. Thus, we will review how to reach this structure along with the possible maneuvers that help get our knight to the desired square.

Monday August 5 IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Tal vs Botvinnik World Championship Match Part 2 | Middlegame, Strategy
The upstart challenger compounds his lead with a decisive victory in game 6. Botvinnik plays too routinely in the opening to gain a serious advantage and then fails to take advantage of risks his opponent takes
in playing for the win. Tal sacrifices a piece unsoundly, but both sides err in the complications and finally Tal emerges with a winning endgame. Botvinnik is simply not calculating deeply and accurately enough. Clearly there is a strong intimidation factor for anyone facing the fearsome Mikhail Tal!

Tuesday, August 6 GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Taming the Grand Prix Attack with Bc4 as Black | Opening, Strategy
The Classical Grand Prix Attack is known for the bishop going to c4 and immediate f4-f5 push. This looks scary and taking the f-pawn gives White a powerful attack. However, as GM Perelshteyn reminds us “chess is not checkers”, you don’t have to take the free pawn. Instead with rapid development, Black solves all his opening problems. But ever an nterprising attacking player, Sunil keeps offering material. Again, Black picks and chooses which material to take, only then to give up the exchange at the right moment. Faced with a difficult endgame, White loses on time.

Wednesday August 7 GM Leonid Kritz – How Not to Play the Caro-Kann | Tactics
Whatever you can do wrong in the opening – Black did it perfectly in this game and converted a rock-solid opening into a bunch of holes and weaknesses. Usually, after 20 moves in the Caro-Kann, White has a symbolic 0.25 edge and is very happy about it, but in this case, he gets a 1.5 pawns advantage. The reason is that Black played too optimistically – 7….c5 was a little early, and 15….g5 was suicidal. The game lasted so long only because of mistakes that Smirin made when converting his advantage, but overall it’s a great example how to punish people who want to play actively and select Caro-Kann for this purpose.

Thursday, August 8 GM Nadya Kosintseva – Meeting 1.d4 with …d6 followed by …e5 – Part 1 | Strategy
In this series of two lectures I want to introduce to you a system that arises after 1.d4 d6, from Black’s point of view. On one hand, Black is going to transpose to pawn formations similar to the King’s Indian Defense when he later plays g6 followed by Bg7. On the other hand, he does not hurry to move the king side knight out since his intention is to play e7-e5 before he castles and so the knight can have a choice, going either to f6 or e7 squares. In today’s lecture we will cover 2.c4 e5 as well as 2.Nf3 g6 lines to compare the positions with classical King’s Indian set-ups.

Friday, August 9 FM Dennis Monokroussos – Something New, Interesting, and (Maybe) Unsound in the Dragon | Tactics
Arthur Pijpers’ 10…Qd7 wasn’t a novelty, but it was a breath of fresh air; a very rare move in a well-known position. There does seem to be a narrow path leading to a white advantage, but it’s not easy to stay on it to the very end. Annika Froewis played very well at first, but a single mistake – a very natural one – led to her speedy demise. Dragon players may want to include this in their repertoires, while anti-Dragon players who go for 9.0-0-0 and 10.Kb1 need to be ready for this.

Monday, July 15
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Korchnoi – Spassky Candidates Final 1977-78, Part 4 | Opening, Middlegame
The round 12 battle is one of the most interesting Winawer French games between these two titans. Wonderfully sharp play develops as Spassky leaves his king in the center with 9.Kd1!? The match is suddenly not so one-sided as Spassky narrows the gap with the second win in a series of four games in a row! Unfortunately, Spassky misses a brilliant win and only finally secures the point due to Kortchnoi overstepping the time limit.

Tuesday, July 16
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Learning From the Oldies, Part 1 | Tactics
Test your own attacking instincts throughout this video, as first Emanuel Lasker and then John Nunn hunt the enemy king in classic Sicilian settings! Lasker-Pirc from Moscow 1935 was a very impressive win by the former world champion, not least because he was 67 years old and demonstrating ideas that were ahead of their time. Proof of that came 51 years later, when Nunn poleaxed one of the world’s strongest and hottest players when both more or less followed the earlier game. Both wins were very impressive, and a salutary reminder that the often attractive plan of …Nc6-a5-c4 isn’t always playable.

Wednesday, July 17
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Strategic Lesson on Protected Passed Pawn and Blockade | Strategy, Tactics
Everyone knows about the power of a protected passer and how to blockade it. In this game, we have a classic fight between two former superstars, Beliavsky and Gulko. White reaches a famous structure from the Grunfeld with a protected d5 passer, but can Black bring the knight to d6 in time? As you’ll see, strategy is also about tempi, not just tactics. Black missed an opportunity to execute his idea and as result lost the strategic battle. A nice bonus, can you spot the beautiful tactic by White at the end?

Thursday, July 18
GM Robert Hungaski – A Classical Repertoire vs 1.e4: Facing the Four Knights Game | Strategy
We have already discussed all of White’s most important replies to 1.e4 e5 (Spanish, Scotch and Italian). Now we will turn our attention to one of White’s most underrated options: the Four Knights.

What makes this opening so interesting is its versatility. Depending on the kind of game White is aiming for, he can approach the position in “Scotch style” (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4) or “Spanish style” (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5). I believe the former is the most challenging, since Black’s options are quite limited, so White has a very good chance of entering the positions he wants. Moreover, the arising middle games involve minimal risk for White so it is no surprise that this is a popular choice among solid/positional players.

Friday, July 19
GM Nadya Kosintseva – A Complete Hypermodern Repertoire for White: Play the Reti System – Part 6 | Strategy
In this lecture we will consider Black’s set-up which transposes the game into the closed Sicilian pawn structure. Specifically, Black pushes the c-pawn two squares whereas White plays d3 followed by Nbd2 to prepare playing e4. After White pushes the central pawn to the fourth rank he has a choice. In some variations he can close up the center by means of e5 and focus on a king side attack. Alternatively, White can exchange the central pawns (exd5) in order to make the play more open. In both cases White should take into account Black’s counter play on the queen side and be ready to accept some strategic risks if he gives up the center.

Monday, July 8
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Korchnoi – Spassky Candidates Final 1977-78, Part 3 | Opening, Middlegame
Viktor Korchnoi took a commanding 5-0 lead in terms of decisive games at the beginning of this match, but Spassky awoke and rattled off four straight victories at one point. This game is Spassky’s fourth consecutive win from the match and shows White in command throughout due to his superior control of the center. In the end, it seems it was Black’s king safety that was his undoing!

Tuesday, July 9
FM Dennis Monokroussos – A Brand-New Queen Sac in the Opening | Strategy
We looked at a Murali Karthikeyan game a few months ago, and he’s back again with another very impressive performance. His victim this time is the Iranian super-prodigy Alireza Firouzja, thanks to a remarkable and brand-new queen sacrifice on move nine. Part of what makes the sac so fascinating is that there is no engine consensus: one believes in White’s extra material, the other in Karthikeyan’s long-term compensation. In this game, at least, it was the compensation that won out, and the Indian talent won an impressive, instructive, and attractive game – one with theoretical significance.

Wednesday, July 10
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – How to Win an Equal Endgame Ivanchuk Style! | Endgame
These days, it’s not easy to win in chess. More so in a dead equal symmetrical position vs 2500 GM. Yet, Ivanchuk surprises everyone by making it look easy! How does the Ukrainian genius do it? Well, watch and learn! The key is to be patient, improve your position, take away counterplay and know how to push your pawns! Easier said than done…

Thursday, July 11
GM Leonid Kritz – Pawns Do Not Matter | Tactics
A very nice example of a pawn sacrifice for long lasting initiative! The sacrifice is known to theory; still Svidler demonstrates how to press for maximum in a position where the initiative may run out at any moment. Every move is very important, and even when it looks like Black almost equalized, White exercises pressure on every part of the board and eventually gets the well deserved point.

Friday, July 12
GM Nadya Kosintseva – A Complete Hypermodern Repertoire for White: Play the Reti System – Part 5 | Strategy
We continue learning the lines with black’s Bg4, but this time black plays 3…c6 before he moves the light-squared bishop out. White castles to attack the bishop by means of the move h3 right after it appears on g4. If black decides to exchange the bishop for the knight, white seems to be better with his bishop pair and potential attack on the king side. Whereas in the case of black’s Bh5, he starts preparing e4 by means of d3, Qe1 moves. It can be a way not just to take control over the center but also to limit the h5-bishop, which can be targeted later by Nh4, f4 and g4 moves. The pawn structures can be symmetric but it does not mean that the positions become simple. White still has attacking resources on the king side that black should watch for.

Monday, July 1
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Korchnoi – Spassky Candidates Final 1977-78, Part 2 | Openings, Endgame
Spassky relies on the solid Queen’s Gambit Tartakover variation against Korchnoi’s favorite English opening move order. Korchnoi plays an amazingly accurate game, which is basically flawless. White doesn’t really gain an advantage in the opening but he plays the middlegame and endgame with energy. Spassky overextends with 25…d4, a very tempting move, after which the game is close to impossible to hold. At this early point in this pivotal Candidates Final, Korchnoi was completely shutting Spassky down. The winner will go on to face Anatoly Karpov for the World Championship in 1978.

Tuesday, July 2
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Crush the Benoni Like Ivanchuk! | Opening, Tactics, Strategy
It is always entertaining to observe the creativity of a genius! Ivanchuk doesn’t disappoint and plays a brilliancy vs one of the top Indian GMs, Addhiban. Chucky as we lovingly call him, first introduces a new idea in the Benoni structure with b4!? but then follows it up with a spectacular idea on the kingside. Can you find it? WIth this win, 50 year old Ivanchuk wins Capablanca memorial for the 8th time! What an achievement!!!

Wednesday, July 3
GM Nadya Kosintseva A Complete Hypermodern Repertoire for White: Play the Reti System – Part 4 | Strategy
In this lecture we start learning Black’s schemes of development with an early Bg4. Specifically, this part 4 covers the lines that arise after the following move order: 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bg4. In doing so, Black – similarly to the Bf5-lines – weakens the b7 point, which can be emphasized by White’s typical 4.c4 with the intention to bring the queen to b3. However, compared to the Bf5-variations White does not limit himself to moving the queen to b3: in some variations it can be beneficial for White to bring the queen to a4 with a check instead. Also, White pretty often includes Ne5 move in his plan to bother the Black’s light-squared bishop. In this way, the game can develop dynamically rather than positionally.

Thursday, July 4
Dennis Monokroussos – A Blistering Attack Upends the World’s Second-Hottest Player | Tactics
At least at this point in 2019, there may not be a hotter player in chess than Vladislav Artemiev, with the one very important exception of Magnus Carlsen. He has gained a lot of rating points, approached the world’s top 10, and was on a long undefeated streak. Until this game, against elite Indian GM Krishnan Sasikiran. Artemiev played the Najdorf, Scheveningen-style, and dared Sasikiran to attack. He did, and how! It was a beautiful massacre, reminding us why “Sasi” has been rated over 2700. He may be overshadowed by Anand and Harikrishna among the established players, and some of the up-and-coming prodigies, but he’s a fantastic player as well.

Friday, July 5
GM Robert Hungaski – A Classical Repertoire vs 1.e4: Facing the Vienna and King’s Gambit | Strategy
Now we turn our attention to some of white’s most romantic options against 1.e4 e5. These are the systems that involve a quick f2-f4 pawn advance, mainly The King’s Gambit and the Vienna variations.

Although the popularity of these systems have dwindled over time, they should not be underestimated. In fact, black needs to challenge these setups as soon as possible, as otherwise white will enjoy a comfortable space advantage and good attacking prospects on the Kingside.

The setup that I will be proposing does not set out to “refute” white’s opening, but rather to draw a line in the sand from where white’s initiative should be contained. The setup also has the added benefit with either move order (Vienna or King’s Gambit) will lead to the same position by transposition of moves. Therefore, black’s setup is not only sound, but incredibly practical as well!

Monday, June 24
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Korchnoi – Spassky Candidates Final 1977-78, Part 1 | Opening, Endgame
This series examines critical games from the Candidates Final (1977-78) to determine the challenger to Anatoly Karpov for the World Championship. After a first round draw, Korchnoi comes out swinging with his favorite Winawer French. Black sacrifices a pawn in classic fashion and plays for the initiative. White plays the middlegame with less energy than Black, missing a clear forced draw and eventually blundering in a difficult defensive situation. This game set the tone for Korchnoi’s domination of the first half of this classic matchup.

Tuesday, June 25
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Rehabilitating Levitsky’s Reputation | Tactics
Stepan Levitsky is best known as the victim of …Qg3!! – a move so famous I probably don’t even have to tell many of you where it’s from. (For those who don’t know, watch the video. :)) While he could not be considered an all-time great, Levitsky was a good player, a master who won an early Russian championship and scored a fair number of wins against Alekhine when he was on the cusp of becoming a world-class player. It seemed good, therefore, to let him be seen as a player in his own right and not just as a famous victim, and his win over Freiman from the 1912 All Russian Masters event is worth a look. It does have an extremely embarrassing moment for both players, but the rest of the game was generally well-played, and Levitsky’s final attack was quite impressive. Have a look, both because the game is interesting but also to remember a good player as something more than someone who got “posterized”.

Wednesday, June 26
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Punish 2…Nf6 Sicilian Once and For All! | Opening, Tactics, Endgame
What to do when Black provokes you with 2…Nf6 in the Sicilian? Don’t be afraid to push your pawn and develop quickly! GM Perelshteyn shares simple rules of how to punish your opponent: rapid development and don’t be afraid to sacrifice pawns to open up the game! The attack continues right into the endgame.

Thursday, June 27
GM Leonid Kritz – Positional Illusion | Strategy
After a relatively unambitious opening, White seemed to have a strong attack on the kingside. However, it was rather an illusion – Black played very calmly and showed that White does not have any specific threats. In a position where most players would be scared, Anand shows brilliant understanding of strategic elements of the game.

Friday, June 28
GM Nadya Kosintseva – A Complete Hypermodern Repertoire for White: Play the Reti System – Part 1 | Strategy
We continue considering schemes of development with Black’s Bf5. The beginning moves are the same: 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.0-0 Bf5 5.d3 but then Black plays 5…h6 rather than 5…e6. The idea behind this move order is to be prepared to White’s Nh4 and keep the bishop on the diagonal b1-h7. Since Black delays the development on the king side white starts playing by force – 6.c4 followed by Qb3 aiming at the b7-point. The positions become dynamic and require energetic play from both sides.