Chess Lectures

Monday, August 7 IM Valeri Lilov Piece and Pawns (strategy)
Often times the connection between pieces and pawns remains misunderstood by player. Whether it’s because most pawns are exchanged or they can’t carry out a significant role in the play, the average chess player doesn’t quite know how to use the pawns in support of his overall strategy in the game. IM Lilov will show you how to do that in this lecture!

Tuesday, August 8 IM Bill Paschall European Championship 2017, Part 2 (openings, strategy)
Petrosian uses his extra tempo and some creative knight maneuvers to befuddle GM Donner in the opening in a King’s Indian Reversed. Finally white gains clear control of the d5 outpost, as well as white square domination in the middlegame to obtain a clear advantage. The end stage of the battle is decided when Petrosian opens a second front to attack the Black king and create additional weaknesses in Black’s camp.

Wednesday, August 9 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Smooth Win Against the King’s Indian (openings)
The King’s Indian Defense tends to be an exciting opening where Black has lots of tricks, tactical possibilities, and attacking options. Azeri super-GM Teimour Radjabov thrives in such positions and has won plenty of great games with the King’s Indian over the years, but in this game with Hungarian GM Tamas Banusz he got none of that. White played the Fianchetto Variation against the King’s Indian, and after 6…Nc6 7.Nc3 e5 played 8.dxe5. This is very safe, but it also has its drop of poison. White was able to play risk-free chess with good play in the center and on the queenside. White won material and easily neutralized all of Black’s attempts at counterplay. If you’re looking for a low-risk anti-King’s Indian line, this game looks promising for a repertoire based on the Fianchetto System, though it must be remembered that Black can vary on moves 6 and 7.

Thursday, August 10 GM Nadya Kosintseva The Importance of Development in the Openings (openings)
Many beginning chess players get into trouble already in the initial stage of the game because they underestimate the importance of rapid development in the openings. In actual fact, the main goal of openings is placing the pieces in harmonious positions and securing the king. Instead, some players spend their time at this stage of the game for premature attacks or pawn hunting. As a result, the king of such players suffers at the center of the board and often cannot be supported in time by other pieces. In this lecture, I will demonstrate to you the danger of being behind in development from the example of grandmasters’ games as well as an instructive opening gamble for the black side that pays off in the case of White’s avidity for pawns.

Friday, August 11 GM Bryan Smith Coffeehouse Chess, Part 9 (tactics)
A wild 1983 correspondence game tumbles along through various swings in the material balance and possession of the initiative. A must see for fans of the Dragon Sicilian.

Monday, July 31 IM Valeri Lilov Pros and Cons of an Early Attack (middlegame, strategy)
On occasion, we often witness early attacks on a different level. They are sometimes successful, while other times, not. In this video, IM Lilov sets the ground rules and exceptions of an early attack and how to handle it from each side.

Tuesday, August 1 IM Bill Paschall Petrosian on the King’s Indian Attack, Part 1 (opening, strategy)
Petrosian plays the King’s Indian attack against the London System setup of Max Euwe. Black gives up the central strong point at d5 and white is able to gain a significant space advantage. In the middlegame Euwe voluntarily gives up his bishop pair and White converts in the endgame with good technique owing to several factors: space, the two bishops and king safety.

Wednesday, August 2 FM Dennis Monokroussos Counterattack in the Center Game (tactics)
Magnus Carlsen was in great form in the rapid & blitz event in Leuven, Belgium. Even in blitz, he won games that would satisfy almost anyone else if played in rapid or even classical chess. One such example came in his black game against Ian Nepomniachtchi. “Nepo” has occasionally used the Center Game over the years, and this time he tried something new in the opening – 8.Qf4. (Not a novelty, but a rare move and new to his games.) Carlsen rose to the occasion, and at a critical moment when most players would have replied with a purely defensive move, he found an excellent counterattacking idea that put a stop to his opponent’s attacking dreams and seized the initiative. Carlsen won quickly and impressively, and the game has some theoretical value as well.

Thursday, August 3 GM Leonid Kritz Do Not Trap Yourself In Creativity (tactics)
A game in which Black tried a nice-looking idea in a well-known position and was punished according to the best rules of contemporary chess. The moral is simple: in most cases – 99% of the time – whatever line is not played today, it is not played for a reason!

Friday, August 4 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Miniature in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted (opening, tactics)
It is not often that you will see a game in under 25 moves with Black vs a GM-elect! Yet, this is exactly what GM Perelshteyn is able to do in a newly fashionable line of the QGA. Black sacrifices a pawn, then an exchange, then another pawn…and it looks scary. Yet, activity prevails over material as White finds himself with a king stuck in the center and with pretty rook corners the mating attack cannot be stopped!

Studies in: Bishops 2 DVD set

by The Masters of ChessLecture

Recommended for Beginner – Advanced Players

Presented by : GM Jesse Kraai – IM Valerie Lilov – IM Bill Paschall, IM David Vigoritto – FM Dennis Monokroussos

Content: 4 hours and 36 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 12 Lectures.

More experienced players understand the power of the bishop.

Bishops usually gain in relative strength towards the endgame as pieces are captured and more lines become available on the board. A bishop can easily influence both wings of the board simultaneously. In an open endgame, a pair of bishops is decidedly superior to either a bishop and a knight, or two knights. A player possessing a pair of bishops has a strategic weapon in the form of a long-term threat to trade down to an advantageous endgame.

Here our masters outline successful strategies for employing the bishops and show you how to successfully combat two bishops as well..

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.21 out of 5

ECO C23, C00, C42, A14, E10   PGNs Included

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: I’m having a difficult time with this bishop principle and your explanation is very clear. Now I have to remember it and use it to my

advantage. Thanks Jesse

ChessLecture is the world’s largest video archive of Chess Instructional videos by our proven masters and educators.

Monday, July 24 IM Valeri Lilov The Golden Rule of Endgame (strategy, middlegame)
In most times, people have to face a challenging practical endgame. One that involves many pieces, with the exception of queens. Most books don’t really focus on this area, as it is too broad; there are too many different positions and situations a player has to master. Nevertheless, there is one major rule that tops them all. Check out IM Lilov’s lecture to learn what it is!

Tuesday, July 25 IM Bill Paschall European Championship 2017, Part 4 (opening, middlegame)
This high level battle from the European Championship features a hedgehog where black uses a special move order to try to trade pieces in a cramped position. The well prepared Gawain Jones uncorks a new idea of his own 11. Nb5 1? and finds an interesting was to create complications. Black sacrifices the exchange to create serious counterplay, but eventually goes wrong.

Wednesday, July 26 FM Dennis Monokroussos Are You Reti for an Opening Trap? (opening traps)
The Reti is a slow-burn opening, but it doesn’t mean that Black can just do anything against it. The line Black chose with …c6, …d5, and …Bg4 is well known and theoretically sound, but after 5.Ne5 he must play 5…Be6. It’s easy to miss such a move if one doesn’t already know about it, and indeed Black played 5…Bf5. It’s natural, logical, and…bad. White did a fine job of punishing Black, and it’s just the sort of trap that is likely to catch many victims. Reti players should include this in their arsenal, while Black must be sure to learn the 5…Be6 variation if they reach the position after 5.Ne5 in their games.

Thursday, July 27 GM Nadya Kosintseva Opposite-Colored Bishops in the Middlegame (endgame)
You may have heard about the drawish tendencies of the opposite-colored bishops in chess endings. Indeed, sometimes thanks to these bishops the weaker side can build a positional fortress in a situation where he is one, two or even more pawns down. At the same time, in a middlegame, the bishops of opposite colors have one interesting feature. Particularly, very often when one side is attacking the presence of the opposite-colored bishops only increases chances to succeed. Indeed, since one bishop can attack what the other bishop cannot protect, the bishop of the defender plays a minor role in supporting the king and so nominally the attacker has an extra piece. In this lecture, I will show you a few instructive examples that demonstrate how dangerous positions with opposite-colored bishops can be.

Friday, July 28 GM Bryan Smith A Serene Positional Game (tactics)
Rapidly-advancing top player Wesley So won a smooth positional game against Vladimir Kramnik, in the style of Capablanca or Smyslov – or indeed of Kramnik himself.

Monday, July 17 IM Bill Paschall European Championship 2017, Part 3 (opening, tactics)
This lecture features a battle between two rising stars from round 4 of the European Individual Championship 2017. Black employs a rare move order in the Benoni and white counters with ultra aggressive preparation. Black employs a new move with 9…h6, but the depth of his preparation is insufficient. Matlakov has seen deeper and Black’s king is in serious danger.

Tuesday, July 18 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Big Upset in the Fischer Attack (strategy)
Bobby Fischer’s 6.Bc4 against the Najdorf isn’t so popular nowadays, but it hasn’t been played out. Untitled player Vusal Abbasov used it against his near-2700 rated opponent, Anton Korobov, in a recent open event – and crushed him! It was a combination of (presumably) good preparation and certainly good attacking play, and Korobov was overwhelmed. There is still life in 6.Bc4!

Wednesday, July 19 IM David Vigorito A Modern Adjournment (endgame)
In a virtual must-win situation versus a much lower rated player, I end up playing one of the longest games of my career. My opponent rises to the occasion, only faltering on the 92nd move! This game was adjourned – something I have not seen in 25 years.

Thursday, July 20 GM Leonid Kritz Winning A Miniature Out of Nowhere (tactics)
This is a unique game because it seems like the position is so equal that there is nothing to play here, but in reality things turn out to be much more complicated than that. White outplays Black out of nowhere and gets a point in only 25 moves – a truly rare occurrence at this level.

Friday, July 21 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Understanding Pawn Structures from Benoni and Old-Indian Setups (openings, middlegame, strategy)
How well do you understand pawn structures? Watch and learn how a London System can morph into Benoni and then into Old-Indian! GM Perelshteyn teaches you the key concepts and plans for both sides. Can you find the best moves? Prophylactic thinking is the key!

Monday, July 10 IM Valeri Lilov How to Lead a Flank Attack (middlegame, strategy)
Setting up a flank attack sounds like a difficult task. Essentially, it’s all about following the right steps that will lead your pieces and pawns into the correct places to create strong threats against your opponent. Tune in to IM Lilov’s lecture to learn more!

Tuesday, July 11 IM Bill Paschall European Championship 2017, Part 2 (opening, tactics)
The super strong 2017 European Championship naturally featured some upsets in round 1. The young Italian International Master Basso played a rare move 10.g4 in a fairly well known line of the Classical Nimzo. Korobov plays reasonably most of the game, but overlooks a brilliant queen sacrifice by his resourceful opponent.

Wednesday, July 12 FM Dennis Monokroussos Mamedyarov Wins an Instant Classic (tactics)
I don’t want to give any spoilers here, except to say that this is one of the best games I’ve seen in years. Najer plays very well, making only one mistake, but he comes undone after Mamedyarov’s brilliant sacrificial play. Please don’t miss this one!

Thursday, July 13 GM Nadya Kosintseva Positional Draws in Chess (tactics)
Everyone likes to attack. Indeed, it seems to be fascinating seeing how the initiative runs, bringing more pressure and creating new threats. However, to be a good chess player means also to be able to defend worse positions. In this lecture, I would like to speak to you about the “positional draw”, the important defensive technique that can save a player many games even in absolutely hopeless situations. You will watch an instructive study in which the stronger side could not convert his huge material advantage into victory due to creative play of the defender followed by examples taken from my own practice where the defense was based on setting up a fortress or, in other words, building a construction that is difficult to breach.

Friday, July 14 GM Bryan Smith Beating the Alekhine Defense, Part 4 – Main Line Odds and Ends (strategy, tactics)
In Part 4 of his series on beating the Alekhine’s Defense, GM Smith covers various obscure choices for Black, such as 4…dxe5 5.Nxe5 Nd7, 4…Bg4 5.Be2 c6, 4…Nb6, and 4…Nc6.

Monday, July 3 IM Valeri Lilov Coordination and Powerplay, Part 2 (strategy)
In the second video of the series on piece play, IM Lilov is going to teach you some more principles on coordination and powerplay. The idea of powerplay is defined by a player who can align multiple pieces into one point, thus making a powerplay on that area. The strongest level of attack!

Tuesday, July 4 IM Bill Paschall European Championship 2017, Part 1 (opening, tactics)
The young GM Bognanovich seems like a promising young talent. In this game, facing the popular Berlin defense, he plays the quiet 4.d3 – recommended here on Chesslecture by IM Paschall in his own series. Black reacts normally, but weakens his queenside with a6 and b5, and then tries to strike prematurely in the center with 12..d5. The young grandmaster shows a perfect understanding of the situation and dispatches his opponent effortlessly.

Wednesday, July 5 FM Dennis Monokroussos A World-Class Sales Pitch for the Grand Prix Attack (strategy)
The Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian is a perennial favorite in club play, but seems to be past its “sell by” date in grandmaster play. Perhaps it’s time to restock the shelves, as IM Dionisio Aldama wins a beautiful game with it against the strong grandmaster Zviad Izoria. Aldama came up with a fantastic opening idea culminating in 13.a5 Nxa5 14.f5, and while Izoria does just about everything right in response for the next 14-15 moves he still hasn’t managed to shake off White’s attack. All he had to do is make one mistake – a very natural one at that – and the game came to a speedy end. If you play either side of the Grand Prix Attack, you’ll want to take a very close look at this game.

Thursday, July 6 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Lessons from Losing to a Potential Women’s World Champ (middlegame, tactics, strategy)
In this instructive game, follow GM Perelshteyn’s thought process against Indian’s young talent, a 16 year old girl who holds U12 and U14 Girl’s World Championship titles! Black obtains a typical KID structure and with more time on the clock makes an instructive mistake. Don’t miss it and learn how to to avoid it yourself!

Friday, July 7 GM Leonid Kritz Another Crazy Najdorf (openings, tactics, strategy)
This is again one of those typical Najdorf games where nothing is clear until the very end. This game has a lot to offer in terms of tactical and strategic complications, as well as some interesting opening ideas.

Monday, June 26 IM Valeri Lilov Coordination and Powerplay (strategy)
The piece coordination concept is probably the most critical in all middlegame strategy. What is basically means is a way to get our pieces together and set them up towards a target or a plan. Check out IM Valeri Lilov’s lecture to learn more!

Tuesday, June 27 IM David Vigorito Nyzhnyk’s Pet KID Line (opening, tactics)
Facing the Fianchetto Variation in the King’s Indian, Ilia Nyzhnyk wheels out his pet line, an old system named for Simagin, where Black gives up his light-squared bishop. Norowitz grabs a pawn but Nyzhnyk gain a remarkable initiative, conducting an attack on the very light squares that he seemed to concede in the opening.

Wednesday, June 28 IM Bill Paschall Highlights from the 2017 Russian Team Championship, Part 3 (middlegame, tactics)
The creative Nepomniachtchi begins with a typical King’s Indian Attack, but immediately leaves book with the strange 11.Bg5. Black’s play is aggressive and optimistic and as he extends his center, white is coordinating his pieces. Ian actually missed one very interesting combination, but soon embarked on another tactic that created chaos by sacrificing a piece for three pawns. Even with best defense, it would have been difficult, as the coordination of white’s forces is very powerful.

Thursday, June 29 GM Nadya Kosintseva King Activity in the Middlegame (middlegame)
In spite of the fact that the King is the most important piece in chess, it often remains inactive until the game transposes into an endgame. Indeed, in the absence of queens the king feels safer going to the center of the board where it can contribute more, supporting own pieces or bothering opponent’s ones. Although it is the most common scenario, I want to show you some instructive examples from the games of great chess players that illustrate the king at work in the middlegame. You will see how the transfer of the king, in a situation where the weaker side cannot launch a counter attack against it, can help the stronger side to increase his pressure and identify a new target for his attack.

Friday, June 30 GM Bryan Smith Coffeehouse Chess, Part 8 (openings)
In this video we will see some instructive opening play followed by an unnecessarily speculative attack, with the defender’s miscalculations finally punished by an entertaining king hunt.

Monday, June 19 IM Valeri Lilov Pawn Structure Complexities (strategy, middlegame)
The pawn structure is the most valuable part of creating a good strategy. We need the pawns to both open good files and diagonals, as well as provide our pieces with the strong positions to exploit those opportunities. How to create a complex, yet fundamentally successful pawn structure is the topic of IM Lilov’s lecture.

Tuesday, June 20 IM Bill Paschall Highlights from the 2017 Russian Team Championship, Part 2 (middlegame, tactics)
Veteran grandmaster faces super hot super GM Mamedyarov. With white, Najer avoids Shak’s favorite Grunfeld with an early f3, transposing to a type of King’s Indian/Benoni. Black doesn’t seem to know the latest theory, but improvises with a very aggressive setup; offering somewhat dubious pawn sacrifices at seemingly every turn. Najer can’t avoid the Mamedyarov whirlpool of complications and his king gets drawn out with of fluffy of tactics.

Wednesday, June 21 FM Dennis Monokroussos How to Assess and Play Positions with Symmetrical Isolated Pawns (tactics)
Positions where both players have an isolated d-pawn can be boring and lead to a quick draw, but by no means always. GM Aleks Lenderman proved this in excellent style against IM Enkhbat in a recent game, and we can draw some lessons from this Lenderman’s master class that we can use in our own games.

Thursday, June 22 GM Eugene Perelshteyn What Is It Like Playing a SuperGM? (opening, middlegame, strategy)
GM Perelshteyn shares his recent game against his strongest opponent ever, Dutch SuperGM Anish Giri! Giri proves to be the master of openings as he demonstrates a new plan in an obscure side-line. However, his technique to convert an extra pawn is simply superb! Don’t miss this opportunity to learn what it’s like to face one of the world’s best players!

Friday, June 23 GM Leonid Kritz A Strategic Classic from Kramnik (openings, tactics)
A very strong game from Vladimir Kramnik who outplayed Anand in a seemingly very simple position. The main point to note is that Black should have tried to open the game with f6, and not let White slowly increase pressure. In general, it is very difficult to play such positions without any counterplay.

Monday, June 12 IM Valeri Lilov Anand’s Romantic Masterpiece (strategy)
The romantic era of chess is gone since the early 20th century, yet once in a while we can see its brilliant shades in the games of great players. One of the greatest chess players, Vishy Anand, showed this once again in his latest masterpiece against a strong Russian chess master.

Tuesday, June 13 IM Bill Paschall Highlights from the 2017 Russian Team Championship, Part 1 (openings, strategy)
Nepomniachtchi plays the creative b3 variation and is met by a very solid “Hedgehog” type defense from Black. After missing a fantastic sacrificial line, white’s knight is sidelined on a3. The problem piece played a key role in deciding the result. In the end , White’s king suffers due to his attempt to rescue the bad knight. As is often the case , White goes down in flames when his attack flounders in the Sicilian.

Wednesday, June 14 FM Dennis Monokroussos Winning Quickly With the Caro-Kann (openings, tactics)
The Caro-Kann is a very solid opening, but it can be played for a win. In the recent U.S. Championship Yaroslav Zherebukh tried surprising Hikaru Nakamura with a sideline. Had Nakamura responded in the way prescribed by “official” theory he’d have equalized, but in such a way as to have very few chances to play for a win. Doubtlessly well-prepared, he played more sharply, and forced Zherebukh to take some risks if he wanted any chance for an edge. Zherebukh tried to keep the game quiet, but didn’t manage at all. Everything went wrong for him, and Nakamura won in just 21 moves, with White resigning in a position where his choices were to lose his queen or get mated. The Caro-Kann is not an aggressive opening, but it can be played with ambition!

Thursday, June 15  GM Eugene Perelshteyn Big Upset at the 2017 US Chess Championship by Zherebukh (openings, middlegame, strategy)
Who would have thought that a wildcard, a student from SLU Yaro Zherebukh would be tied for first at the USChampionship after 7 rounds.  How did he beat one of the top seeds GM Caruana, who’s over 2800?  Watch and learn his understanding of Ruy Lopez Breyer variation proves superior to a Super-GM.  Caruana never had a chance after an opening inaccuracy and Yaro makes it look easy!

Friday, June 16  GM Leonid Kritz New But Bad – How Not To Play The French Defense (openings)
In this game Pelletier tried to surprise Anand with a rare continuation in the opening. 7….b6 and the sequence Nc6-Nbd7 is as strange looking as it is suspicious. Anand shows very a simple way to play against such “novelties”. The main point to keep in mind here is that after 10 moves Black stayed with the bad bishop forever and the rest is history.