Dawn Novarina

Monday, May 23 IM Valeri Lilov The Potential Power (strategy, middlegame)
Many times the success of any plan depends on the proper connection between pieces and pawns. In his new lecture, IM Lilov is explaining the importance of making a better pawn structure and how that influences any player’s plan.

Tuesday, May 24 IM Bill Paschall Selections from the US Championship 2016, Part 2 (middlegame, tactics)
A superior attacking game by the young super-gm Wesley So. Akobian plays the Rubenstein variation of the French, and this is probably not a great decision against such a strong attacking player. In this variation, Black “gives up” his central strong point on d5. White has open lines for attack and the ability to castle on opposite sides. So weakens Black’s kingside spending a tempo on 11. Qc2 then shifts the queen to the more aggressive e2 square. The attack features some original sacrifices that created great practical problems for the defender. Although a computer could perhaps have defended successfully, GM Akobian understandably succumbed.

Wednesday, May 25 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Bad Middlegame Structure Can be Great in the Endgame (middlegame, endgame) 
It is common for Black to have his king in the center in the Rauzer Variation of the Classical Sicilian, hiding behind pawns on d6, e6, f6 and f7. That structure is somewhat precarious, and one of White’s main plans is to pressure e6 (beginning with f4-f5) until something breaks. It is a dangerous middlegame situation for Black, as we all recently saw in the crucial last-round game between Karjakin and Caruana in the Candidates. If, however, the queens come off, it can be a completely different story. In today’s game we see that Alexey Suetin allowed Mikhail Botvinnik to escape to an endgame, and even though Black was a pawn down his fine structure and powerful bishops gave him the advantage. His realization of the advantage was something less than perfect, but the end was amazing.

Thursday, May 26 GM Leonid Kritz When Playing the Najdorf, Do Not Forget the Theory (openings)
A very interesting, sharp game. More or less typical for English Attack of Najdorf variation. However, it is rather a good example of how to punish your opponent if he forgets an opening line. With 13….Be7 Van Wely lost too much time and got into a position that is difficult to defend. He got some chances in the further course of the game, though, and could almost equalize, but made another mistake and lost in a very interesting way.

Friday, May 27 GM Bryan Smith Challenging the Caro-Kann with 2.Ne2, Part 3  (openings)
In the third and final part of his series on 2.Ne2 against the Caro-Kann, GM Smith shows how to meet Black’s alternatives the main lines on move two and three.

Monday, May 16 IM Valeri Lilov The Attacking Cores
Every successful attack requires some key features to become really successful. These features we call “attacking cores”. Learning how to find and determine these cores is essential for any player who wants to improve his attacking skills!

Tuesday, May 17 IM Bill Paschall Selections from the US Championship 2016 Part 1
GM Robson surprises the experienced Alex Onischuk in the opening, playing the London system with white. Gata Kamsky and Magnus Carlsen have shown this quiet system to have some teeth recently, and this game is no exception. Robson takes of advantage of Black’s inexact play to score a full point , based on an advantage in pawn structure and king safety. Black’s 11th move, a6 seems dubious and in the end, he has too many weaknesses and simply cannot avoid the loss of material. An excellent game from Robson, both strategically and tactically.

Wednesday, May 18 IM David Vigorito Carissa’s Pet Line Topples Strong GM
In this game 12 year old Carissa Yip completely outplays a strong Grandmaster. The game shows that knowing your pet line well is often more important than its objective value. After some quick tactics the youngster shows fine technique to deny the GM any chances for a swindle.

Thursday, May 19 GM Eugene P. Danger of Playing Strategically Risky Openings: The Sozin Silician

Friday, May 20, GM Bryan Smith Challenging the Caro-Kann with 2.Ne2, Part 2
In the second part of his series on the offbeat 2.Ne2 against the Caro-Kann, GM Bryan Smith explores Black’s alternatives to 3…c5 – the critical moves 3…d4 and 3…Bf5

Monday, May 9 IM Valeri Lilov Pawn & Piece Power, Part 1
The concept of pawns and pieces working together is widely known to all chess players. However, it is only possible to use that concept in conjunction with a strong plan and precise move candidates. Check IM Lilov’s lecture to learn more!

Tuesday, May 10 IM Bill Paschall Battles from the Aeroflot Open 2016, Part 3 (middlegame, tactics)
Black follows a known line in the Rossolimo Sicilian with the somewhat risky looking 10…g6. Things get interesting as Black allows White’s dark squared bishop to post itself at d6 and then follows up with the very slow and somewhat dubious maneuver Na5-b7. Finally , after the logical, but weakening 15.h5, white embarks on a tactical sequence reminiscent of world champion Wilhelm Steinitz. White simply sacrifices a piece to gain time and trap the black king in the center! The entire sacrifice is sound and black collapses quickly, missing the best defense.

Wednesday, May 11 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Great Win for the Underdog (opening, tactics)
The late Gyula Sax (1951-2014) was a very strong grandmaster who twice qualified for the Candidates. He had an aggressive, attacking style that often proved effective, but in this game against the untitled (but 2410-rated) Hans Kestler his aggression proved his undoing. David-beats-Goliath stories are good for all of us (at least for those of us not named “Magnus Carlsen”), and this was an instructive and impressive game too – especially for those of us who play the Pirc or play exceptionally gung-ho systems against it.

Thursday, May 12 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Danger of Playing Strategically Risky Openings: The Dutch (opening, tactics)

Friday, May 13 GM Bryan Smith Challenging the Caro-Kann with 2.Ne2, Part 1   (strategy)
In this series, GM Bryan Smith shows the unusual – but promising – move 2.Ne2!?, an offbeat way to battle the Caro-Kann. The first video of the series deals with the most critical lines.

Monday, May 2 IM Valeri Lilov (strategy, middlegame)
Piece coordination is relevant in many ways towards a player’s plan and the plan’s efficiency. Setting up two pieces to work together in support of an idea may sound easy, but it can prove more challenging in the different positions. See a beautiful masterpiece by the great Alexander Alekhine to learn more about how to use your pieces to the best of their potential!

Tuesday, May 3 IM Bill Paschall Battles from the Aeroflot Open 2016, Part 2 (middlegame, tactics)
Gata Kamsky was very active in the first half of 2016. In this game he goes to his pet line, the London System as White. Is it possible that Kamsky was the influence that gave Magnus Carlsen the idea to play the London System recently as well? With this solid line, Kamsky avoids having to study main stream theory and transfers the battle to the middlegame and ending. This time, his opponent, GM Goganov , makes the classic mistake of taking pressure off the white center with the pawn push 13…c4. Seen as far back as the early 1900’s this type of position was proved to be favorable for white by the great Akiba Rubinstein. Kamsky goes on the attack on the kingside after 13…c4 and never looks back.

Wednesday, May 4 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Near-Miss For White Against the Modern Benoni (tactics)
Levon Aronian was among the leaders in the recent Candidates tournament until a bad run near the end, and had he managed to defeat Fabiano Caruana in round 5 it might have been him (rather than Sergey Karjakin) on his way to a match with Magnus Carlsen. This game was a very tense Modern Benoni that was well-played by both sides but in which Aronian had a very dangerous attack brewing. Caruana’s 22nd move was an error, and here Aronian had his chance. He found a fantastic line, one that even the computer doesn’t start to appreciate until several moves in, whereupon it is persuaded: White wins! Unfortunately, Aronian lacked faith in his own idea and he played something else, letting Caruana escape with a draw. It is nevertheless an exciting and instructive game, well worth examining.

Thursday, May 5 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Don’t Be Afraid to Sac Pawns for Dynamic Play! (tactics, strategy)
When you can sacrifice a pawn? What about two pawns? Watch and learn what it takes to have dynamic counterplay. Don’t forgot Tal’s wise words that while your opponent is busy taking your pawns, he’s not developing and losing time! Black achieves great position and patiently improves to demonstrate that centralized pieces are more powerful then mere pawns.

Friday, May 6 GM Bryan Smith Logical Progression by Euwe (opening, middlegame)
We will see how Max Euwe transformed the winning of an opening argument to a superior middlegame, and finally showed excellent technique in the endgame to tame the dynamic imagination of Alexander Alekhine.

Monday, April 27  IM David Vigorito   Another Topical Saemisch King’s Indian  (openings, strategy)
Two King’s Indian specialists go head to head. This game is unusual because John Watson was an expert in this opening line before his young opponent was even born! Watson wins what could be the game of his life against the super strong Gawain Jones in a line where Jones could be considered one of the world’s top practitioners.

Tuesday, April 28  IM Bill Paschall   Black with Larsen – Part 4  (openings, tactics) 
Larsen defeats a world class Nimzo expert and author with the Black pieces in a main line variation. Taimanov deviated from theory with his move 10.Rc1. Black plays incredibly creative chess with his risky and dynamic advance 14…g5 and Taimanov goes for a desperate , all-in attacking chance. Larsen shows his skill in cool calculation in refuting the attack and forcing an exchange of queens into a simply winning position.

Wednesday, April 29  FM Dennis Monokroussos   Winning With the Isolani When the Defender Lacks an e-pawn  (middlegame) 
In most isolated d-pawn middlegames, the side facing the isolani generally has an e-pawn. This is not so in the Tarrasch French when White takes on d5 and Black recaptures with the pawn; White’s e-pawn has just been exchanged. This sort of structure can arise via other openings as well, and it’s worth knowing how to play this and to see how it differs from the more usual sorts of isolated d-pawn positions. In this game, Jobava gives a powerful demonstration of the attacker’s chances (that is, the side with the isolated pawn), and we’re also treated to a virtuoso performance on the theme of LPDO, that is, Loose Pieces Drop Off.

Thursday, April 30  GM Eugene Perelshteyn   Tactical Genuis of Tal: Ignore Your Opponent’s Threats When Attacking! (openings, tactics) 
Learn how the magician from Riga approaches chess. You’re attacking me?  I will just ignore it and attack you instead!  This is his motto in this game and an experienced GM Geller falters after defending accurately for a while.  What’s the secret of Tal’s success?  Relentless pressure on his opponents eventually causes them to blunder!

Friday, May 1  GM Bryan Smith   Match of the (19th) Century: De Labourdonnais – McDonnell, Part 2  (openings)
Wild complications with multiple pieces hanging, followed by a beautiful and adventurous endgame with mutual chains of passed pawns make this one of the most exciting battles of the nineteenth century.

Monday, April 25 IM Valeri Lilov The Pawn Structure Value (middlegame)
The importance of pawn structure is often misunderstood by the beginner and intermediate chess player. It is quite clear that pawns are important, but in what way? How could a good pawn structure affect our plan and is there a way to setup one from the very start? In this video, IM Lilov tries to give good answers to these and other questions regarding the pawn structures.

Tuesday, April 26 IM Bill Paschall Battles from the Aeroflot Open 2016, Part 1 (strategy, tactics)
The younger Tigran Petrosian plays much in the style of his namesake. Playing white in a common variation of the symmetrical English, Petrosian encounters a strange move from GM Moiseenko in the form of 12…Nb6. Black allows Petrosian to smash his pawn structure with 13.Bxc6 ! Moiseenko should simply retreat with the usual 12…Nde7 . After the exchange on c6, black goes totally on the attack, but leaves many weaknesses and opportunities for white in his wake. A creative and inspiring game combining attack and defense. White and black both miss some opportunities, but the game remains instructive and entertaining.

Wednesday, April 27 FM Dennis Monokroussos More Problems for Black in the Taimanov Sicilian (openings, tactics)
The Taimanov Sicilian has been a very successful opening for Black for some years now, and White has tried one approach after another searching for an advantage. The latest try, which has been faring quite well, is the system with 7.Qf3. This is not a refutation of the Taimanov, of course, but now it’s Black who is switching from one idea to another trying to find equality. In an earlier video we looked at 7…Ne5; this time we see 7…Nf6 coming up short in our main game. White’s kingside attack breaks through, while he neutralizes Black’s queenside counterplay with relative ease.

Thursday, April 28 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Lessons from Nimzowitsch: Effective Use of Blockade in Practice (strategy)

Friday, April 29 GM Bryan Smith A Masterpiece in the Kalashnikov (opening, tactics)
In this video, GM Smith explores a fantastic sacrificial victory for the black side in the Kalashnikov Sicilian – the game Nunn-Nataf.

Monday, April 18 IM Valeri Lilov Simple Chess (middlegame)
How do play simple and successful at the same time? The answer to this question is the key to the wins of almost every strong master in the modern chess. Check IM Lilov’s new lecture to learn more!

Tuesday, April 19 IM Bill Paschall The Changing of the Hungarian Guard (strategy, endgame)
The top player in Hungary is no longer a Polgar, Leko, or Almasi. Richard Rapport has surpassed the other top Hungarians. Using a creative approach in the openings, a great positional sense, and excellent technique, Rapport is now a top player and a force to be reckoned with. In the following game, facing one of the best players in the world; Levon Aronian, Rapport puts all of his skills on display! White punishes blacks strange setup with 6… Nc6 in the opening and outplays Aronian to win a pawn. After some inaccuracies and some tough defense by Aronian, Rapport converts a beautiful endgame win with bishop vs knight.

Wednesday, April 20 FM Dennis Monokroussos Even White Needs to Develop in the Opening
Sargissian-Li Chao: Even White Needs to Develop in the Opening. (Tags: ) It is a truism that Black especially needs to develop rapidly to stay out of trouble, at least in the Open Games. But while the burden may be less severe on White in the Closed openings, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. In this game between two 2700+ level players, White got himself in trouble as early as move 6. Black had to play brilliantly to prove the advantage, and did so until the last hurdle. White escaped with a draw, but it wasn’t easy!

Thursday, April 21 GM Leonid Kritz A Quick But Effective Tactical Fight (strategy, tactics)
This game went off the traditional paths right away and went into some type of complicated strategic and tactical jungle. It seemed that White should be better, but in fact a couple of brilliant moves by Howell destroyed the whole logic of White’s construction and brought him a fully deserved point.

Friday, April 22 GM Eugene Perelshteyn How To Win In An Equal Endgame When Your Opponent Has No Plan (endgame, strategy)
Are plans important in the equal-looking endgame? This game is a perfect illustration what happens when you play without a plan. Black made logical-looking moves and found himself in a difficult position. Why? Because he failed to anticipate White’s plan and had no plan of his own. As a result he fell apart rather quickly after making two active moves… A must watch for all players who need to improve their endgame skills!

Monday, April 11 IM Valeri Lilov The Two Weaknesses Concept (strategy)
The Two Weaknesses concept is a really good one when it comes down to transforming an advantage. All the great masters in history have had an opportunity to use it, yet it often remains misunderstood in terms of practical application by the majority of intermediate and even some advanced player. How to use it successfully is the major topic in this lecture!

Tuesday, April 12 IM Bill Paschall The Genius of Michael Adams Part 7 (opening, tactics)
A classic Marshall Attack in the Spanish game by Michael Adams as black against a top notch opponent. Polgar plays the fashionable d3 variation of the Marshall Gambit accepted, where she finds Adams is well prepared. White tries a new plan with the idea of 18.Qf3 and Bd1, but is forced to make the extremely weakening move 20.g4. In this relatively early chess computer era, it is possible that Polgar’s preparation was just not strong enough, she didn’t see over the horizon and Adams was able to question the new system with a natural and dangerous attack, typical of the Marshall variation. Perhaps Polgar could have defended with perfect play, but over the board it proved too difficult.

Wednesday, April 13 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Catalan Anti-Sicilian? (middlegame, tactics)
In a recent game I faced the Sicilian, and after a sideline on my part and a rather more unusual reply from my opponent an odd middlegame arose in which White’s play bore an odd resemblance to a Catalan. My opponent focused his efforts on neutralizing my queenside pressure, but it came at the expense of his king, leading to a more typical Sicilian outcome.

Thursday, April 14 GM Leonid Kritz An Interesting Opening Idea in the English
The most interesting part of this game was the opening idea c5 + Bxc6. Black reacted very badly by taking the pawn and getting into a very passive situation. In general, I think that this game shows that Black should not hurry with Nc6, but develop the king side first, and play Nc6 later when no tactical tricks are available anymore.

Friday, April 15 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Positional Domination Requires Tactics To Put Away Your Opponent (strategy, tactics)
Have you noticed that positional factors alone don’t win games? At some point you need to apply tactics to put your opponent away. This game is a perfect example how Black failed to find several tactical ideas that would win the game on the spot. As a result, White was back in the game, and even took over the initiative, but then the White player missed tactics and lost right away. The lesson: no matter how great your positional skills are, tactics are still essential!

Monday, April 4 IM Valeri Lilov Aspects of Attack (strategy, middlegame)
The key aspects of attacking are quite clear. Having good development, strong coordination and opponent’s restriction are just a few of the important features one needs to possess in order to maintain a successful attack. Check out IM Lilov’s lecture to learn more!

Tuesday, April 5 IM Bill Paschall The Genius of Michael Adams Part 6 (endgame, strategy)
Black tries an alternative queen retreat with 6…Qd7 in an open variation of the French Tarrasch. In his favorite setup with white, Adams shows good preparation and plays into a long variation where White has chances against the Black king. Adams keeps black under constant pressure and despite Fridman throwing every defensive trick possible at White, Adams keeps pushing forward for the win. Even when a win seems impossible; down a pawn in a rook ending, Adams pushes black over the edge with his fantastic king position and virtually perfect technique. This game illustrates both Adams’ attacking prowess as well as his ability to transition between different phases of the game to maintain an advantage. Vintage Mickey Adams!

Wednesday, April 6 FM Dennis Monokroussos Not Flawless, But Brilliant (opening, strategy)
One of Hungarian great Lajos Portisch’s calling cards is his 1966 win over Svein Johannessen from the Havana Olympiad. Portisch found a very deep idea revolving around 18.Bxh6, and the result was a beautiful win. Yet there were some missed opportunities by both players, and it’s no discredit to them to see that the computer has only increased the aesthetic value of this game. It’s great fun to analyze, too – enjoy!

Thursday, April 7 GM Leonid Kritz A Strategic Jewel Ends With a Nice Tactical Trick (strategy, tactics)
A very strong performance of MVL against the former world champion. It seems that Anand messed up in the opening, which does not happen too often, and was completely overplayed in the strategic sense. He had some chances later, but failed to use them and, finally, fell to some tactical combinations of his opponent.

Friday, April 8 GM Eugene Perelshteyn How To Identify When Your Position Starts To Slip (middlegame, strategy)
How can a Grandmaster lose with White from a good position? Eugene tries to examine his painful loss to Shabba to answer this question. The lesson: pay attention to position factors such as center pawns, open files, bishop pair. Each concession of a positional factor adds up and eventually tips the game in Black’s favor.

Monday, March 28  IM Valeri Lilov Quiet Moves (middlegame)
Have you ever been carried along in the flow of an attack, relentlessly striking at your opponent, but finding that you are missing just one little thing? Maybe you should stop and think about it, and you may find a quiet move in the position. The quiet moves are the most difficult. The flashy sacrifices and bold attacks that fill chess columns and magazines are a relatively easy part of technique compared with finding the right moves when there are no tactical solutions.

Tuesday, March 29  IM Bill Paschall The Genius of Michael Adams Part 5 (middlegame, tactics)
This gem features a classic Adams attack with White in the Sicilian Defense . Adams’ king is completely safe , whilst it’s counterpart come under a sacrificial attack. Unlike, many players who insist on opposite side castling in the Sicilian, Mickey manages to whip up attacks with little or no risk to his own king. Black wasted some time with the maneuver Na5 and back to c6 in the late opening. This enabled Adams to get in a favorable e5, and the strong sacrificial attack that followed it with 22.f5

Wednesday, March 30  FM Dennis Monokroussos Outfoxing Najdorf Players with 2.Nc3 and 3.Nge2 (openings, opening traps)
When White meets the Sicilian with 2.Nc3 it might mean that he wants to play the Closed Sicilian or the Grand Prix Attack, but there’s a third possibility: it might be a move-order trick aimed at those who prefer certain sorts of Sicilian lines, especially the Najdorf. In this recent game from the Challengers’ event in Wijk aan Zee Jorden Van Foreest played 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nge2 against the Sicilian, and Sam Sevian’s attempts to maintain a Najdorf-style position backfired horribly. He was probably lost within ten moves, and this despite playing all natural and sensible-looking moves. This is an opening trap worth attending to, especially if you’re a Najdorf player!

Thursday, March 31  GM Eugene Perelshteyn Testing a New Idea in the Queen’s Indian Defense (openings, tactics)
Can you play a relatively new idea on move 5 in a position with over 6,000 games? The answer is yes! Watch and learn how to make QID more dynamic with 5…g6!? White reacts well to the new move, but misses an important idea and finds himself struggling for a plan.

Friday, April 1  GM Bryan Smith The Dazzling Tactics of Alekhine (openings)