Chess Lectures

Monday, March 27 IM David Vigorito The Dzindzi Indian Repertoire I (opening, strategy)
Long ago, I faced the Dzindzi Indian against Canadian IM Deen Hergott. Under the influence of then IM Igor Ivanov, this system became a Canadian favorite. I played the ‘book’ refutation, and learned some of the secrets that this opening held.

Tuesday, March 28 IM Bill Paschall Essential Strategic Concepts, Part 1 – The Minority Attack (opening, strategy)
White uses the classic minority attack with his pawns on the queenside to weaken Black’s structure and create a target. In desperation, Black also weakens his own kingside and Smyslov easily prevails against black’s weak points on both sides of the board.

Wednesday, March 29 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Two Knights Caro-Kann with 5.gxf3, Part 2 (tactics)
In part 2 of our mini-series we take a look at a couple of my games, focusing on a (rapid) rapid game with super-GM Alexey Dreev while taking a quick look at an amusing blitz game as well. Like the Tal-Botvinnik game from last week, much of the battle was a contest between White’s striving for activity and Black’s attempt to keep everything about the structural features of the position. In the end, White’s structural problems allowed Black to escape with a draw – but just barely.

Thursday, March 30 GM Leonid Kritz Important Theoretical Discussion (opening, strategy)
This line becomes more and more important in modern theory, since people move from the Spanish (Ruy Lopez) to the Italian Game very frequently. The plan that Black chooses is very aggressive and White still wasn’t able to find a clear way to get an advantage. Besides theory, the game is very interesting from the strategic point of view and shows how to organize an attack with a semi-closed center.

Friday, March 31 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Instructive Miniature in the Pirc: The Power of the e5 Push! (opening)
What happens when Black forgets to develop the kingside in the Pirc Defense? Watch a learn a devastating idea for White: e5! followed by e6! This results in a nice miniature win!

Monday, March 20 IM Valeri Lilov   The f3 Sicilian (openings)
The move f3 in the Sicilian Defense is often used as a key preparation for White’s kingside attack. However, there is another use for the f3 move. Often times it is used by White to provide a solid Maroczy bind that can give you a solid grip on Black’s whole development!

Tuesday, March 21 IM Bill Paschall   Tonight: Two Knights! (strategy, openings)
Veselin Topalov gives a good imitation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense while playing the 4.e3 Slav as black! Topalov proves that any sort of variation can become tactical and sharp if creative ideas are put to use and pieces remain on board. In this striking example, Veselin shows the power of two coordinates knights against two bishops. White plays for a central pawn majority, but black keeps him constantly off balance with creative tactical threats.

Wednesday, March 22 FM Dennis Monokroussos   The Two Knights Caro-Kann with 5.gxf3, Part 1 (strategy, tactics)
The line 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.gxf3!? is a sideline and deservedly so, but it leads to interesting, non-standard positions that will take at least some Caro players out of their comfort zone. Tal and his second, Alexander Koblentz, prepared this line for Tal’s first world championship match with Botvinnik, and we’ll see both that game and a training game between Tal and Koblentz. (Some more recent games are also available in the PGN file.) Both games were messy in very different ways, and that’s part of the variation’s charm!

Thursday, March 23 GM Nadya Kosintseva   How To Improve Calculation And Reduce Blunders (middlegame, tactics)
Nobody is perfect – not even Magnus Carlsen. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes – that’s OK. In fact, chess is an appealing game because it cannot be fully mastered. However, to progress one should permanently search for ways of reducing the frequency and seriousness of his or her own mistakes. Thus, in this lecture I am going to demonstrate to you the importance of considering forcing lines for yourself and for your opponent to avoid several miscalculations and oversights in the game.

Friday, March 24 GM Bryan Smith   Long-term Sacrifice (tactics)
GM Bryan Smith shows a game featuring an intuitive piece sacrifice, and discusses the genesis of such a sacrifice.

Monday, March 13 IM Valeri Lilov Attacking in the Sicilian (middlegame)
The Sicilian defense is arguably the most popular opening in chess. Yet, many players don’t have a decent idea how to play it well, especially with white. Given the extra space and attacking possibilities, one should always have some aggressive ideas at his disposal, yet finding these isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Tuesday, March 14 IM Bill Paschall Facing an Angry Ivanchuk (strategy, tactics)
Ivanchuk faces an aggressive young IM in the recent Gibraltar Masters tournament, shortly after losing a winning position in a previous game. Vassily shows his class with his usual creativity; in this game featuring the original plan of Nd4-b3 in a classical Pirc. Black plays both a very aggressive opening and an aggressive and risky line within, using the hypermodern approach 6…a6. Ivanchuk handles this complicated variation with an ingenious exchange sacrifice and wins when black misses his best defense.

Wednesday, March 15 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Great Attack In the Triangle Dutch (openings)
One virtue of the so-called Triangle System or Triangle Slav is flexibility. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 (this is the standard move order, but other move orders are possible – the main game started with 1.c4 e6, for example) Black might head for a Semi-Slav (e.g. 4.Nf3 Nf6), or a Noteboom (4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e3 b5 etc.), or a Dutch of sorts after 4.e3 with 4…f5. (There’s also 4.e4, which leads to completely different positions after 4…dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4.) In this game, Korobov met 4.e3 with 4…Nd7, again remaining flexible, and only after 5.Qc2 a6 6.Nf3 “went Dutch” with 6…f5. It worked beautifully, and he won a brilliant attacking game against a very strong opponent. The Dutch can be dangerous for White!

Thursday, March 16 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Following Fischer’s Footsteps: A Miniature in the Exchange Caro-Kann (opening, tactics)
Is it important to study classics? GM Perelshteyn’s answer is resounding, yes! Watch and learn how knowing the plan from Fischer-Petrosian enabled White to get a nice opening advantage. Black mixed up several plans and got into even worse trouble resulting in a nice miniature.

Friday, March 17 IM David Vigorito Backtracking after an Opening Error (openings)
In this game I play an interesting and somewhat unusual opening line. My opponent is caught a bit off guard, yet I am the one who stumbles out of the gate. Decision making is very important in chess and sometimes it’s better to backtrack than to lunge forward, even if it’s difficult to do psychologically. White can often get away with one mistake after all.

Monday, March 6 IM Valeri Lilov Gaining Momentum II (middlegame)
In the second part of IM Lilov’s lectures on gaining momentum, you will learn how to advance your play after you have already prepared your forces and taken all the right steps towards getting a better middlegame.

Tuesday, March 7 IM Bill Paschall  (tactics)
Playing for a win as black at the Grandmaster level is no easy task. The fact that white is a highly aggressive player made the job easier for Ilya Smirin to win with black in this game using the Modern Defense, 1…g6 . Black gave white room to attack in a complex position,conducting himself like a bull fighter , waving the red flag. Smirin encouraged white with his hyper-modern defense, but then played an incredibly accurate game,picking up the full point when Van Foreest missed his only chance to hold.

Wednesday, March 8 FM Dennis Monokroussos Meet the 3.f3 Gruenfeld with 3…Nh5! (openings)
The young Hungarian GM Benjamin Gledura won a fantastic game last year, and his insanely clever opening idea was part of it. He didn’t invent the 3…Nh5 system, but in this game he plays this rare line to perfection. White may have a path to an edge, but it’s not obvious to someone facing this line for the first time over the board, and it’s not surprising that even a strong grandmaster like Daniele Vocaturo was unable to cope. Gledura parlayed his massive initiative into an attack, and won a great game.

Thursday, March 9 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Typical Counterplay in the Paulsen Sicilian for Black (opening, middlegame, strategy) 
Do you play the Sicilian? If so, this video is a must-see! GM Perelshteyn explains all the key ideas for Black including the prophylactic …Re8 move, the importance of the e5 outpost, queen-side counter-play and many other ideas. Most importantly, remember how to stop White’s attack with a quick counter-play in the center!

Friday, March 10 GM Bryan Smith Dynamics Vs. Structure  (tactics)
This game shows a clear illustration between the battle between an apparent structural weakness and short-term dynamic features.

Monday, February 27 IM Valeri Lilov Gaining Momentum I (middlegame)
The concept of gaining momentum is the most important for any middlegame strategy we choose to implement. How do we build a position strong enough to sustain our plan and bring us success? Check out IM Lilov’s new lecture to learn more!

Tuesday, February 28 GM Leonid Kritz Strategic Battle with Tactical Complications (openings, tactics)
This game is interesting from the very beginning until the end. Aronian goes for a sharp line with 7….d5 allowing White to create pressure against pawn e5, but somehow he gets it all straight and equalizes pretty easily. However, at some point Black overextends and makes some mistakes, allowing White to get a serious advantage and eventually the whole point.

Wednesday, March 1 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Great Win…Almost (tactics)
Young Hungarian GM Richard Rapport is one of the most creative and combative members of the 2700 club, capable of beating anyone on his best day. In this game he plays brilliantly with Black, outplaying world #4 Wesley So and achieving a winning position. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to bring the point home. So defended resiliently, and at a key moment (possibly in time pressure) Rapport may have thought he had a brilliant win. If so, he fell into a devious trap, and when the tactics had ended and the time control was made So wound up with a winning position. Rapport had the flashiest highlights, but So earned the full point.

Thursday, March 2 IM Bill Paschall Better To Be Lucky AND Good! (openings)
Jeffery Xiong surprises Nils Grandelious with the Qd6 variation of the Scandinavian, instead of his usual Najdorf Sicilian. Grandelious plays an interesting and aggressive setup with 5. Bg5 and 6. Qd2 and achieved a winning position, but fails in the key moment. Black counterattacks with amazing energy and coordination to win in brilliant fashion! Perhaps this new idea of Bg5 by Grandelious is a good answer against the popular Qd6 Scandinavian.

Friday, March 3 GM Bryan Smith Berg Slays the French Defense (tactics)
Here we will see a wonderfully creative game by GM Emanuel Berg, where a deeply-calculated and spectacular combination was carried out.

Monday, February 20 IM Bill Paschall Bishop with a Vengeance (tactics, endgame)
A typical Queen’s Indian Petrosian variation is reached, with a pawn structure most typical of the Queen’s Gambit. Exchanging pawns on d5 at move 10, white strives to shut down Reshevsky’s bishop on b7. Shortly thereafter, Evans makes the questionable decision to trade pieces on e4 and the black d5 pawn inches closer, gaining space and more potential for the “bad” bishop on b7. Finally, white allows a devastating exchange sacrifice to clear the entire diagonal and Sammy wraps up this very instructive game by initiating a strong attack in combination with the now lethal b7 bishop.

Tuesday, February 21 IM David Vigorito Changing the Course of the Game (tactics)
A groggy start to a weekend tournament brings me to the brink of defeat in a sharp Sicilian. During the game I was already contemplating my withdrawal from the tournament! A quickly played move from my opponent at least gives me a chance to fight, and then after a second mistake the tables turn completely.

Wednesday, February 22 FM Dennis Monokroussos Something New in the Najdorf (tactics)

Thursday, February 23 GM Eugene Perelshteyn A Simple Way to Build a Maroczy Bind vs. the Najdorf (strategy, openings)
Watch and learn how to build a powerful Maroczy Bind vs the Najdorf using 3.Qxd4!? idea. White plays Bb5+,c4 and gets the dream position. The key is to keep your eye open on …b5 and …d5 counterplay, while building up the position. Black quickly runs out of counter and loses the thread of the game. White’s plan is simple: provoke weaknesses, attack them, using the outposts!

Friday, February 24 GM Bryan Smith Coffeehouse Chess, Part 7 (tactics)
A consultation game that pitted Alexander Alekhine and Ossip Bernstein against Akiba Rubinstein and Alexei Goncharov provides great entertainment, as Team Rubinstein’s Pieces invaded and surrounded Team Alekhine’s king – yet it was Team Alekhine who was winning.

Monday, February 13 IM David Vigorito Magnus the Tactician II (openings, tactics)
Carlsen is known as a positional player and endgame specialist, but he started out as a great tactician. Today’s game shows that he is more than capable of quick and powerful calculation. In the midst of a complicated middlegame with both kings under heavy fire, Carlsen finds all the right moves with amazing speed, reminding us all what he is capable of.

Tuesday, February 14 IM Bill Paschall Bishop with a Vengeance (tactics, endgame)
A typical Queen’s Indian Petrosian variation is reached, with a pawn structure most typical of the Queen’s Gambit. Exchanging pawns on d5 at move 10, white strives to shut down Reshevsky’s bishop on b7. Shortly thereafter, Evans makes the questionable decision to trade pieces on e4 and the black d5 pawn inches closer, gaining space and more potential for the “bad” bishop on b7. Finally, white allows a devastating exchange sacrifice to clear the entire diagonal and Sammy wraps up this very instructive game by initiating a strong attack in combination with the now lethal b7 bishop.

Wednesday, February 15 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Advance Variation Punishes Another Caro-Kann (tactics)
Two shows ago we saw Volokitin crush Fridman in a very attractive Advance Caro-Kann, and now (apologies to Caro fans) we see White give the Caro another pounding. In the earlier game, Black opened the queenside and White took advantage; this time he plays more solidly on the queenside only to get punished on the kingside. Or rather, first on the kingside, then on the queenside, and finally in the center! These are tough times for Caro-Kann players, and White should know how to take advantage while the theoretical trend is in his favor.

Thursday, February 16 GM Leonid Kritz How Not to Play the Italian (openings, tactics)
This is a disastrous game for Topalov in which he loses in just under 30 moves with white, and that happens in seemingly such a riskless opening like Italian. The reason is that White obviously overestimated the safety cushion of his position. So demonstrated a very interesting way of playing this line – with early h6-g5. This is obviously an important variation from the theoretical point of view and will be subject to further discussion.

Friday, February 17 GM Bryan Smith Coffeehouse Chess, Part 6 (openings)
In this video, GM Bryan Smith shows a fascinating correspondence game which features the Sicilian Wing Gambit, a queen sacrifice, and a king hunt.

Monday, January 23 IM Valeri Lilov Mastering the Openings (opening)
Setting up the right strategy in the opening is a top priority task for everyone. While most chess players try to study long book lines to feel better prepared, they often get confused when the opponent chooses a sideline or moves astray from the well-known book lines. How to find the right strategy and what are the keys to a successful opening? Check out IM Lilov’s lecture to learn more!

Tuesday, January 24 IM Bill Paschall A Grand Battle (opening, strategy)
Grandmaster Julio Granda Zuniga is having a resurgence of late. He is known for his lack of theoretical knowledge, but makes up for that with terrific creativity, fighting spirit and technique. In this game he avoids any opening debate with 4.Bd2 against the Nimzo. Granda steers toward a better structure with 10.dc and then showcases his creativity with the elegant and original maneuver Rc3-Rd3-Rb3-Rb4 from where the rook operates perfectly. White gains a positional advantage firstly, and then goes up a pawn to transfer to an ending where he showcases his technique. Grandelius has one chance for counterplay, but misses his shot.

Wednesday, January 25 FM Dennis Monokroussos Refuting the Caro-Kann? (openings, tactics)
The title is an exaggeration, of course, but one of Black’s current options against the Advance Variation of the Caro-Kann has taken a serious hit. Volokitin grabs the initiative early on against the strong German GM Daniel Fridman, and aside from an inaccuracy on move 14 he plays a splendid game, crushing his opponent in a miniature.

Thursday, January 26 GM Leonid Kritz How Not to Play the Nimzo-Indian (openings)
In this game Black got a very comfortable position after the opening, but then instead of playing slowly and positionally, he decided to play sharply and opened the position with 15….d5? This is a typical mistake in such situation because White’s bishops captured the board immediately. The lesson to learn from this game is that depending on the pawn structure fighting for the center may not always be optimal.

Friday, January 27 GM Bryan Smith Kasparov against the Torre Attack (strategy)
In 2015 the retired former world champion Garry Kasparov played a blitz match against his former challenger, Nigel Short. Although these were blitz games, they were of a high quality and Kasparov won in crushing fashion. Here we see one game, where he uses a sharp system against the Torre Attack which could be of great interest to players of the King’s Indian Defense.

Monday, January 16 IM Valeri Lilov Napoleon’s Masterpiece (strategy)
How many of you know that one of the greatest warlords of all time: Napoleon Bonaparte was an avid chess player? Not only that, but he was very strong at chess as well. Some of his games remain the prettiest and most effective lessons on attacking. Check IM Lilov’s new lecture to learn Bonaparte’s methods of attack!

Tuesday, January 17 IM Bill Paschall Besting the Berlin (opening, tactics)
White avoids the drawish Berlin endgame with the now trendy 4.d3. Adams seems to lure Topalov into a quiet line at first with 5.Bxc6 ,a form of exchange variation, but quickly play evolves into a tactical slug fest. It’s clear that GM Adams had prepared the new idea of playing to sacrifice a pawn with 15.e5 !? and establish a knight at e4 with great compensation. Topalov played well but missed the best line to centralize with 16…Qd5 and then later went astray with the passive retreat 24…Qf8. Objectively, the white pawn sacrifice is sound and interesting, but black should be fine with accurate defense.

Wednesday, January 18 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Brilliant Attack by an Unknown Player (tactics)
FM Srdjan Zakic isn’t exactly a household name among chess fans, but if he plays a few more games like this one he will be. Zakic throws the kitchen sink at his higher-rated opponent, and wins in spectacular style. Perhaps the most impressive aspect is that he often switches from spectacular moves to quiet ones, almost always finding the absolute best move in a position much more amenable to computer analysis than human play.

Thursday, January 19 GM Eugene Perelshteyn The Power of a Positional Pawn Sacrifice (opening, strategy)
Nimzo quickly transposes into the Catalan, where White offers a pawn for positional control. Can you find the key ideas for White? Black decides to keep the extra pawn but allows positional concessions. But a logical move leads to a forcing sequence that wins the pawn right back. White takes the game to an instructive endgame using domination! But it’s not easy to make progress, you have to find the winning plan!

Friday, January 20 IM David Vigorito An Unusual Trap in the Najdorf (opening, tactics)
I have been playing the Najdorf Sicilian for over two decades, yet my opponent manages to catch me with an original trap in a rare and generally ineffective sideline. Disgusted, I bear down and manage to hold a miserable pawn down position.

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