Chess Lectures

Monday, October 31 IM Valeri Lilov Pawn Restriction (middlegame)
The restriction in chess is a key topic that everyone should master. How does it work and what are the important aspects of pawn play, when restraining our opponent? These are IM Lilov’s lessons in this lecture.

Tuesday, November 1 IM Bill Paschall Battles from Baku: Part 3 (opening, strategy)
The challenger of the upcoming World Championship match faces a player whose star has been rising in the chess world; Pentala Harikrishna. Pentala plays the Italian Game, which could become more popular for white due to the problems of having to face 3…Nf6 in the Spanish. The move order in the opening is a bit unusual with white playing a very early h3; something of an Indian GM specialty, black then playing the suspicious looking 8…a5. The move a5 restricts white on the queen-side, but seems long on negatives, as it seriously weakens the b5 square. White plays d4 in the center at an opportune moment and simple gains the advantage. In the end, the future challenger simply blundered, but his entire position was short on space and white had a strong king-side attack.

Wednesday, November 2 FM Dennis Monokroussos Technique and Tactics (endgame)
Now retired from tournament play, Judit Polgar was best known for her lively tactical style and for many brilliant attacking games. So to show her winning in an endgame might seem beside the point somehow, like attending a concert to see Yo-Yo Ma play the clarinet. It can’t be denied that her greatest fame will always be due to her middlegame prowess, but to oppose tactics and technique is a mistake: it’s just about impossible to have the latter without the former. Just how great a weapon tactical skill can be in the endgame is put on beautiful display in Polgar’s win over Bu Xiangzhi in the 2010 Olympiad. The game went 58 moves, but Polgar’s brilliant and deep idea way back on move 37 essentially finished the game.

Thursday, November 3 GM Leonid Kritz Theoretical Fight in the Open Spanish Game (strategy)
The Open Spanish is a pretty popular opening today. Many players play it with black not to just equalize, but to get potentially some chances to win. However, against Caruana it is a dangerous choice. In this game, White shows a couple of interesting ideas how to play against Open Spanish and gets an advantage right after the opening. The rest is straightforward – Caruana converts his solid advantage into a relatively easy point and shows his brilliant technique once again.

Friday, November 4 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Instructive Endgame Play: Domination (endgame, tactics, strategy)
Black plays into a forcing line in the Nimzo g3 that goes directly to the endgame. But is it a draw? Not quite, watch and learn how White manages to restrict his opponents pieces with precise play. Classic domination as Black runs out of moves and has to lose material!

Monday, October 24 IM Valeri Lilov Attacking Chess – Open Lines (middlegame)
Some of the greatest players in history proved how important it is to open lines in order to strengthen your attack. Watch IM Lilov’s new lecture to see how Garry Kasparov himself utilizes this concept to punish Vishy Anand in a great style!

Tuesday, October 25 IM Bill Paschall Battles from Baku Part 2 (strategy, tactics)
Kramnik plays a technical and safe type of variation with White, avoiding any sharp complications against a weaker Grandmaster. In the past he had played 10.Nc3 but makes the strange and harmless deviation with 10.c4, which goes unexploited by Vocaturo, who plays rather routinely. Kramnik goes into somewhat interesting complications with the deep and complex move 17.Be7 !? At first Kramnik sacrifices two pieces for rook, and eventually a piece for several pawns to cause serious problems in Black’s coordination. It seems that with perfect play black could hold on, but this would take a superhuman effort and Vocaturo collapses under the strain.

Wednesday, October 26 FM Dennis Monokroussos Giri’s Olympic Adventures with the Najdorf (strategy)
It’s interesting to see when super-grandmasters play their rank-and-file counterparts, as it shows that even “ordinary” grandmasters can be outclassed by the world’s very greatest players. This game is a case in point. Every experienced player knows that the d5 hole is a potential issue for Black in the Najdorf Sicilian, and one would expect an experienced grandmaster like Yehuda Gruenfeld to avoid any
serious problems with it. (An aside: this is not the Gruenfeld of “Gruenfeld Defense” fame. That’s named for Ernst Gruenfeld.) That’s what one would expect, but against Giri it happened anyway, with predictable results. As a bonus, there’s a fair amount of general Najdorf theory included as well.

Thursday, October 27 GM Leonid Kritz The Game That Decided the Olympiad Winner (tactics)
A very interesting game in which Wesley So won and brought the US team the first place in the Chess Olympiad. However, at some point Black could not only equalize, but indeed get a decisive advantage and win this game. Very tough fight, typical for the last round.

Friday, October 28 GM Bryan Smith 5.c4 Against the Paulsen (openings, tactics)
The Paulsen/Kan is one of the trickiest variations of the Sicilian. Here we will see a positionally-sound method of establishing a large space advantage, limiting Black’s counterplay, and beginning an attack.

Monday, October 17 IM Valeri Lilov Attacking Chess: Bringing Pieces (middlegame)
The key to being successful when attacking has always been the ability to bring more pieces in. How to do this timely and successful is the topic of IM Lilov’s new lecture. Tune in and learn from the new lecture on attacking chess!

Tuesday, October 18 IM Bill Paschall Battles from Baku, Part 1 (opening, middlegame)
The following game took place in the 2016 Chess Olympiad in Baku, during a critical test for the Indian team against England. The young GM Sethuraman plays the Scotch game and play is standard until GM Short plays the creative , but objectively dubious 7…h5, breaking from fundamental principles. Black clearly wishes to play aggressively for the win, but ends up with serious problems due to his exposed queen and lost time. White plays well, until one slip with 15.e6 ?! which gives GM Short some practical counter-chances. Despite the black queen being pushed to the edge of the board on h8 in the middlegame, white must be accurate and finally achieves victory in the end due to his superior king safety, and an amazing display of the power of centralization!

Wednesday, October 19 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Power of Regrouping (endgame)
In 1974 Anatoly Karpov had a big obstacle on the way to a hoped-for world championship match against Bobby Fischer; namely, ex-champion Boris Spassky, who seemed to be in very good form. After five games the match was even, and although Karpov was already the higher-rated player Spassky’s experience looked to compensate for his opponent’s youth. Game 6 was crucial. Spassky got nothing from the opening, but then decided to sharpen a level position by creating a passed pawn that could prove to be a strength or a weakness, depending on who handled the position better. At a key moment Karpov found a brilliant regrouping idea, and although Spassky should have saved the game the trend in Karpov’s favor carried him to an impressive victory in the game, and ultimately in the match.

Thursday, October 20 GM Leonid Kritz Nakamura’s Style (tactics)
Another game in which Nakamura shows that certain variations just shouldn’t be played against him. In this sharp line he outplays his opponent in just 28 moves. Black did not understand all the subtleties of the opening and was destroyed in best traditions of tactical play.

Friday, October 21 GM Eugene Perelshteyn What Happens When You Forget To Develop One Piece or The c8 Bishop Blues
Black tries to go for the Hedgehog setup vs the Nimzo g3 but forgets to develop the c8 bishop. Watch and learn an instructive way to punish Black for lack of development. He’s always one move behind and finally when he opens up the game, the tactics are not in his favor. Try to find the winning combination!

Monday, October 10 IM Valeri Lilov Play Against Unfamiliar Openings (strategy, openings)
How to handle unfamiliar openings? Most chess players find it difficult to tackle different opening systems that don’t fit the book lines they studied. Knowing how to play against the sidelines then becomes problematic and sometimes even frustrating. Check IM Lilov’s suggestions on what is key to play vs. any unfamiliar lines in the opening!

Tuesday, October 11 IM Bill Paschall Avoiding the Berlin Defense : Classic Games, Part 8 (openings, middlegame)
GM Torre chooses the sharper 4.Qe2 over our quiet 4.d3. Reshevsky reacts normally at first, with the solid d6 and Bd7, but then diverges from normal lines with the bizarre 7…Qe7. The position transposes into a situation which would normally be found in the King’s Indian defense as white closes the center with 8.d5 and 10.c4. The problem for black is twofold ; he has a relatively passive version of the King’s Indian , and he doesn’t play the King’s Indian! Reshevsky was a Nimzo-Indian expert and finds himself not really at home in this type of position. White plays very originally and aggressively with his plan to castle queenside and black’s play in this game is simply too routine.

Wednesday, October 12 FM Dennis Monokroussos Winning the World Junior Championship (endgame)
15-year-old U.S. Grandmaster Jeffery Xiong just won the World Junior Championship (for players under 20!), and did so convincingly. In today’s game we see the game that clinched the title with a round to spare, a game with good (but not quite perfect) play in the late opening and early middlegame followed by outstanding play in the remainder. Xiong did a terrific job of keeping his opponent’s pieces locked up the entire game, and his endgame technique shows a maturity to his play uncharacteristic of a player his age, no matter how strong. It’s an instructive and lively game worth checking out.

Thursday, October 13 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Instructive Battle in the Accelerated Dragon sideline with Bc4,d3 Plan for White (strategy)
A lot of Accelerated Dragon club players face the annoying Bc4,d3 setup at some point. GM Perelshteyn shows you the antidote using his recent game. Watch and learn how to effectively neutralize White’s attack with a bonus TN improvement for Black!

Friday, October 14 IM David Vigorito Never Relax Against Anyone (middlegame)
In this game I easily reach a winning position after my opponent’s groveling straight from the opening. A pawn up with a better position, the win is all but assured. It only takes a couple of relaxed moves however, and the board burst into flames. So we will see how to avoid such accidents, and how to fight when slipping into trouble.

Monday, October 3 IM Valeri Lilov Original Development (opening, middlegame)
How should we develop our pieces on original, yet solid positions from the start? This is a question that many beginner players don’t know how to answer. They try different ways to be original and only risk their positions more. Check IM Lilov’s new lecture to learn the keys to an original and safe development!

Tuesday, October 4 IM Bill Paschall Avoiding the Berlin Defense : Classic Games, Part 7 (opening, endgame)

Wednesday, October 5 FM Dennis Monokroussos Brilliancy and Blunder: Fighting Chess at the Olympiad (opening, tactics)
Most presentations show model games, where one side does everything perfectly and the other side exists only as a foil. Sometimes it’s worth seeing real games – the games most of us play most of the time, with good ideas alternating with bad ones, in which fighting spirit is every bit as important as one’s opening knowledge and general chess ability. In this game, from the fourth round of the Olympiad, the players take turns showing their excellence and their fallibility. Sebastien Maze starts off brilliantly, completely outplaying Demetrios Mastrovasilis in their round 4 game at the 2016 Olympiad in Baku. At this point, the tide turned, and now Mastrovasilis showed his resourcefulness, first just staying alive and then making everything into a mess. It’s exciting chess, and as instructive in its way as any traditional one-sided textbook massacre.

Thursday, October 6 GM Eugene Perelshteyn An Almost Perfect Attack in the Grand Prix for White! (opening, tactics)
Have you ever played a perfect attacking game? Well, GM Perelshteyn’s student can say this…almost. Watch and learn how White develops a textbook attack, only to miss the killer blow. Can you find this brilliant move? It’s not easy, but a very instructive sacrifice! Unfortunately, White missed it and allowed Black to simplify into the endgame, where two rooks proved too much for the queen.

Friday, October 7 GM Bryan Smith A Sharp Answer to the 4.Qc2 Nimzo-Indian (strategy)
In this video, GM Smith shows one of his games where he met the 4.Qc2 Nimzo-Indian, and used the sharp but classical response 4…d5. This game will focus on White’s move 5.a3.

Monday, September 26 IM Valeri Lilov Pressure and Trades (strategy, middlegame)
Inducing pressure through exchanges is a tough job. One of the reasons if the difficulty to evaluate all the resulting imbalances that come with the exchange. In his new lecture, IM Lilov will teach you how to decide on keeping the pressure and when you should trade pieces in such positions.

Tuesday, September 27 IM Bill Paschall Avoiding the Berlin Defense : Classic Games, Part 6 (opening, strategy)
GM Naiditch uses an older variation played by legends Duras and Bronstein with 5.c4 . This positional line allows white to gain a space advantage and channel positions into lines more similar to the King’s Indian Defense. White uses pawn structure concepts very well in this game and also exploits weaknesses in the Black king position. Of particular note is white’s use of the move 20. a4 , shutting down any counterplay black might have on the queenside. Zaja was given some counter chances, but missed his tactical opportunity. Although 5.c4 is objectively not dangerous, it may lead the Black player into structures where he is not comfortable, and therefore remain a practical choice for White.

Wednesday, September 28 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Typical Battle Over White’s Center in the Gruenfeld (opening, tactics)
Leonid Shamkovich was a Russian grandmaster who came to the USA in the 1970s, while John Fedorowicz is an American grandmaster who was still an international master at the time of this game. With White in a Gruenfeld Fedorowicz built up a big pawn center, and as one expects from this opening Black set siege to it. It was a classic, thematic battle, and the result of this spectacular game…is something you’ll see in the video.

Thursay, September 29 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Accelerated Dragon Repertoire: How To Avoid Smith-Morra Gambit (opening, endgame)

Friday, September 30 GM Bryan Smith A Scheme in the Reti (tactics)
The defense against the Reti involving an early …d5 and …Bg4 is considered to be very solid. Here, however, GM Bryan Smith shows a good method of combating it.

Monday, September 19 IM Valeri Lilov Evaluating the Changes (middlegame)
How to evaluate the possible exchanges in a middlegame? This question is key to many players who often try to find a shortcut to a better game. The truth behind a successful exchange lies within the precise conclusion of the weaknesses and potential threats resulting. Learn more in IM Lilov’s video on the topic!

Tuesday, September 20 IM Bill Paschall Avoiding the Berlin Defense : Classic Games, Part 5 (openings, tactics)
White avoids the main lines of the Berlin with the classical move 4.Qe2. White adopts a flexible setup and plays ala Steinitz by delaying castling. Black aggressively breaks with 7…d5 in the center, but makes a risky decision with the routine move 8…h6, weakening his kingside. White takes his chances with an aggressive attack , using his g-pawn to storm the enemy defenses. In the end, the weakening of the black kingside and a favorable minor piece; in this case a strong bishop versus knight, make the winning attack a certainty. This game features the exploitation of pawn weaknesses, as well as the use of opposite side castling for the purpose of direct attack.

Wednesday, September 21 FM Dennis Monokroussos Glorious Grinding (endgame)
Most of us like to win quickly and spectacularly, but the reality is that many wins are going to be quotidian and slow. When the position is quiet and the advantage is small, one must patiently try this and that, and sometimes the advantage will grow and sometimes one’s opponent will hold on and save the game. In this game, grinding worked. My opponent could have killed the game in the early middlegame, but allowed me to take a very small edge into an endgame that one little bit at a time I was able to grow. The game was largely about finesses, and I do my best to explain some of the keys that helped me come away with an important victory in a recent event.

Thursday, September 22 GM Leonid Kritz A Creative Blunder (tactics)
In this game Topalov played pretty passively and allowed Black to equalize after the opening. The game was moving towards a peaceful end, but then… a blunder by Svidler brought a sudden defeat.

Friday, September 23 GM Eugene Perelshteyn How To Punish White in the Colle System (openings, tactics)

Monday, September 12 IM David Vigorito Smooth Win vs. the King’s Indian (opening, middlegame)
In this game an experienced IM plays the quiet but venomous Petrosian Variation of the King’s Indian against a talented young fighter. Black makes a natural move that looks inaccurate, but a shocking queen sacrifice could have justified Black’s play. When the moment passes by, White scores an easy and thematic victory.

Tuesday, September 13 IM Bill Paschall Avoiding the Berlin Defense : Classic Games, Part 4 (opening, strategy)
Topalov and Nakamura do battle in a topical , modern variation of the 4.d3 Berlin variation. Black played 10…Ng6 where most recently black has used 10…Bg4 with some success. Topalov finds an inventive way to sacrifice a pawn for a powerful and useful pair of bishops. Topalov combines terrific tactics and strategy to gain a clear advantage and regain the sacrificed material. In the endgame , white is to exploit the advantage of the bishop pair and later trade it in for a different advantage, in the form of a powerful passed pawn. This game clearly illustrates several very key strategic concepts ; including the advantage of the two bishops and transferal of advantages.

Wednesday, September 14 FM Dennis Monokroussos Deciding the 1910 World Championship, Part 2 (middlegame)
One of the most closely contested championship matches in chess history was the 1910 battle between Emanuel Lasker and Carl Schlechter. With one game to go, Schlechter, the challenger, led by a point. There’s some dispute over whether he needed to win by two points to take the title, though the current consensus is that a one-point lead would have sufficed. Even if a two-point lead was necessary, however, keeping the title by losing the match by a point would still have been a public relations disaster for Lasker, and he fought majestically for a win in the final game. In part 1 we’ll see how he managed to achieve a winning position with superior play in the early middlegame, only to see Schlechter outplay him in the later middlegame to throw everything into doubt. In part 2, we’ll see Lasker’s gritty defense as he threads the needle between avoiding options leading to a clear draw on the one hand while steering clear of disaster on the other. Eventually this bore fruit, and after missing plenty of chances to at least draw the game Schlechter found himself in a worse endgame that eventually, tragically, lost.

Thursday, September 15 GM Leonid Kritz How to Beat Nakamura (opening, strategy)
A very interesting strategic game from the point of view of White. So plays a line that is considered to be not very dangerous. However, Nakamura gets into the type of position he does not like playing. White creates a masterpiece and strategically destroys Black.

Friday, September 16 GM Bryan Smith Trying Out the Leningrad Dutch (opening)
Sometimes it is good to tryout new openings – in order to surprise your opponent or just for some more variety. In this video, GM Bryan Smith describes his experience playing the Leningrad Dutch for the first time.

Monday, September 5 IM Valeri Lilov Key to Swift Attacks (middlegame)
Many players want to know how to attack successful and fast. The secret to attacking the opponent effectively lies within the ability to set the right piece formation and knowing how to plan the pacing. Learn more in this lecture!

Tuesday, September 6 IM Bill Paschall Avoiding the Berlin Defense : Classic Games, Part 3 (opening)
Chigorin employs the unusual plan of an early exchange on c6 with 5.Bxc6. Black could play safely with 5…bc , when it would be equal for black, as it is too dangerous to win the black pawn at e5. The game goes down a fascinating path, with the pawn sacrifice giving Mortimer adequate compensation in a complicated position. Black however missed his best chances and finally sacrifices the exchange for insufficient compensation. This was an interesting and classic game with chances for both sides.

Wednesday, September 7 FM Dennis Monokroussos Deciding the World Championship, Part 1 (middlegame)
One of the most closely contested world championship matches in chess history was the 1910 battle between Emanuel Lasker and Carl Schlechter. With one game to go, Schlechter, the challenger, led by a point. There’s some dispute over whether he needed to win by two points to take the title, though the current consensus is that a one-point lead would have sufficed. Even if a two-point lead was necessary, however, keeping the title by losing the match by a point would still have been a public relations disaster for Lasker, and he fought majestically for a win in the final game. In part 1 we’ll see how he managed to achieve a winning position with superior play in the early middlegame, only to see Schlechter outplay him in the later middlegame to throw everything into doubt.

Thursday, September 8 GM Leonid Kritz How Not To Play the Berlin Wall (endgame)
This is a good example how Black should not play Berlin Wall. Giri allowed his opponent to get everything possible and got into an endgame without any kind of counterplay – a nightmare for a Berlin player. The final position truly deserves a picture!

Friday, September 9 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Student Game Analysis: Trouble in the Accelerated Dragon (openings, strategy, endgame)
If you play the Accelerated Dragon, this is a must-see video! Eugene analyzes his student’s game where Black makes a mistake in a critical position. Do you understand statics vs. dynamics? Will you make the same mistake? Watch and learn!

Monday, August 29 IM Valeri Lilov Pawn Structure and Plan (middlegame)
What is the key to a successful plan? While there are many things that matter when it comes down to executing a successful plan, the major component which we need is a solid pawn structure. If you can set the right pawn formation, you will be on your way to a successful attack in no time!

Tuesday, August 30 IM Bill Paschall Avoiding the Berlin Defense : Classic Games, Part 2 (openings, tactics)
Steinitz originates a new plan whereby white delays castling and maneuvers his forces to the kingside area with 6.Nbd2 and 7.Nf1. White then attempts to take advantage of the fact that he has not castled kingside, by launching an attack on that flank. Chigorin attempts to counter in the center, when he should have, in fact, shored up his defenses on the kingside. This game would no doubt influence countless future players, including even Fischer.

Wednesday, August 31 FM Dennis Monokroussos  The/A Polish Immortal (tactics)
There are two main candidates for the “Polish Immortal”: this game and Rotlewi-Rubinstein, which is often referred to as Rubinstein’s Immortal Game. Both are spectacular, and as the latter game is well-known it’s worth having a look at the former. Glucksberg plays with fire on move 9, inviting a sham sac in the hopes of catching out his then relatively unknown opponent. (Najdorf would go on to be one of the strongest players in the world from the 1940s through the 1960s.) It didn’t work at all, except insofar as it gave him the sort of “immortality” enjoyed by players like Kieseritzky, Dufresne, and other victims of so-called immortal games. Najdorf’s attack was beautiful, and remarkably involved the sacrifice of all four of his minor pieces. Have a look, and enjoy.

Thursday, September 1 GM Leonid Kritz Rehearsal for a World Championship Match (openings, tactics)
This is a must-see exemplar. Carlsen vs. Karjakin in the current situation is a show in itself, because they are preparing to face each other for the world title in November. Besides, the game was very interesting. Carlsen, as usual, messed up a little bit in the opening, but once offered a chance to come back, he used it with no further chances for Karjakin.

Friday, September 2 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Student Game Analysis: Importance of Pawn Structure and Pieces Left on the Board (strategy)
We all know the famous saying of Philidor, “The pawn is the soul of the chess game.” However, pawn structure is the vital skeleton that defines the position. Understanding pawn structures is key to chess mastery. Watch and learn how Eugene’s student plays great chess only to fall apart in just a few moves because he didn’t pay attention to the pawn structure and the resulting minor pieces on the board.