Chess Lectures

Monday, July 7 IM Valeri Lilov The Balance Between Attack & Defense (strategy, middlegame) Being able to balance between attack and defense is one of the hardest parts for any chess player. Choosing the right pace and timing to strike or simply make a prophylactic move seems way too complicated. The truth is that there are some fundamental principles that can help you to stay on track with your attack while at the same time, you can check your opponent’s possibilities and counterplay. What are the right steps? Study IM Valeri Lilov’s lecture to learn more.

Tuesday, July 8 GM Leonid Kritz Second Loss of New World Champion (tactics) This game is especially interesting because we can observe how the new world champion attempts to take revenge after his loss against Caruana. The strategy Carlsen choose was simple – get out of the way of theoretical variations and try to play a complicated position. With white, not a really good choice. Radjabov equalized after 15 moves and got superior position which he then converted to a full point. Pretty complicated game and a good idea of how to play against 5.Nge2 King’s Indian.

Wednesday, July 9 FM Dennis Monokroussos From Athens with Love (openings, tactics) Unless we’re grandmasters ourselves we probably all dream of beating a grandmaster in tournament play, and while we’re dreaming we might as well add that we should do it in style. For many of us we must accept the dream in attenuated form: maybe a win in blitz or in a simul. For a fortunate few, the dream comes true in all its glory, as it did one day in 2004 for Angelos Tzermidianos. His brother is an IM best known for an excellent book on the Tarrasch French, but Angelos is a good but untitled player. On that one happy day, however, the dream came true, as he unleashed a cavalcade of attractive sacrifices on his poor victim, Grandmaster Dmitry Svetushkin. Tzermiadianos did have a bit of trouble finishing his opponent off, but eventually succeeded, and the game is worth seeing both in its own right and for its inspirational value.

Thursday, July 10 IM David Vigorito Waving a Red Flag at a Bull (opening, tactics) Black is forced to move his king early in an innocent looking Caro-Kann. While the Black position is tenable, it only takes a couple of small inaccuracies from Mamedyrov and Nakamura is all over him. Black’s opening is probably ok, but the margin for error is small.

Friday, July 11 LM Dana Mackenzie Terrific Teens Episode 3: The Next Polgar Sisters? (middlegame, endgame) In the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship, 13-year-old Ashritha Eswaran made a splashy debut with a sensational first-round victory over Viktorija Ni. The game highlights her aggressive counterattacking style, her tactical awareness, and her calm approach to an ultra-sharp position. First she sacrifices a queen to derail Ni’s attack; then she outplays Ni in an exchange-down endgame, with a winning move that even the grandmasters commenting on the game overlooked. And by the way… Eswaran has a younger sister who is progressing at least as rapidly as she did! I’m sure I won’t be the last to compare them to the Polgars.

Monday, June 30 IM Valeri Lilov The Early Attacks (strategy, opening)
Many players wonder if it’s possible to make early attacks and if so, when are they successful. The answer of that question may be difficult as the early attacks are kind of forbidden by the rules of strategy and especially the one suggesting “Don’t engage any attack or complications before you complete your whole piece development”. Nevertheless, every once in a while it’s actually possible to begin an early attack. When? Check out IM Valeri Lilov’s latest lecture to find the answer!

Tuesday, July 1 IM Bill Paschall A Modern Take on Nimzovich Against the French (openings, strategy)

Wednesday, July 2 FM Dennis Monokroussos  Tal the Brilliant Blitzer
Mikhail Tal was an attacking genius, and especially in his early years he took the chess world by storm. His play was unlike anything they had seen in modern times, and they were unable to cope with the furious energy and creativity of his play. So great was his gift that even in blitz games, like the one we’ll see here, he could create something deep and
beautiful, something more than 99.9% of all chess players would be proud to play in a tournament game. Here Tal is on the black side of a King’s Indian and overwhelms his opponent with a series of sacrifices in the seemingly safe Saemisch.

Thursday, July 3 IM David Vigorito  A Beginner’s Move Come to Life (opening)
In a well known Queen’s Gambit Accepted, Black makes a “beginner’s move” with …b5 to hold onto the c4-gambit pawn. He is not so naďve, however, as he has actually prepared a positional exchange sacrifice. Only further testing will determine the correctness of Black’s idea, but in this game is worked out very well.

Friday, July 4 GM Eugene Perelshteyn  How the Sicilian May Transpose Into the Ruy Lopez (opening)
An interesting Sicilian sideline results in Ruy Lopez type of structure where White executes a key idea Nd2-c4-e3 followed up by pressure against the weak d6 pawn. After several inaccuracies in the middlegame by Black, White improves his position with Rd4,b4,Red1,Bb3 plan and wins a nice tactic in the center!

Monday, June 23 IM Valeri Lilov  What is the Key of a Successful Attack? (strategy, middlegame)
In most of their games, chess players try to plan an attack. Planning and executing an attack successfully are two very different things and that’s why many players tend to fail during the actual execution of their attack. What is the key to a successful attack and how do we make sure that our opponent won’t get to us faster? Check out IM Lilov’s latest video to learn more!

Tuesday, June 24 IM Bill Paschall A Look at the US Championship 2014: Winning with No Openings (middlegame, strategy)
Employing one of his unassuming setups with white, Kamsky avoids a theoretical game while displaying his determination, alertness and technique. Erenburg shows why it is that simple routine moves are not good enough. Black misses several opportunities to at least achieve equality and misses every chance. Kamsky does not give second chances.

Wednesday, June 25 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Wash-and-Wear Giuoco Piano (openings)
Some opening lines are theoretically intensive; others allow a bit more flexibility and less precision. The Italian lines where White plays 4.d3 (to which this game transposed) generally fall into the latter camp. That’s not to say that there aren’t any finesses – there are – but what needs to be understood is much more manageable than it is in a sharp Sicilian or Semi-Slav. In this game Tiviakov made a string of very simple-looking moves, with only one small finesse: he refrained from castling kingside. Black played a series of natural moves, but quickly found himself in a very difficult position – White’s kingside attack was natural and powerful. If you’re looking forward to a relatively uncomplicated way to meet 1.e4 e5, Tiviakov’s approach may be just what you’re looking for.

Thursday, June 26 GM Bryan Smith Fighting the Quiet D-Pawn Openings: The London System (openings, strategy)
In the second part of this series, which covers how to get a fighting game against the London Attack, we see a sharp and exciting game by Viktor Kortschnoj.

Friday, June 27 GM Eugene Perelshteyn  An Instructive Miniature on King Safety (middlegame)
White chooses a dubious plan to open up his king with h3,g4,g5 in the Bogo and gets punished with a swift attack by Black.

The Queens Gambit and Friends 2 DVD set

By FM Dennis Monokroussos

Recommended for Intermediate Players

Presented by FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos for ChessLecture.com

Dennis explains this wonderful diverse classical opening with its variations for both black and white. The Queen’s Gambit is one of the oldest known chess openings. In early modern chess, queen pawn openings were not in fashion, and the Queen’s Gambit did not become common until the 1873 tournament in Vienna. As the appreciation for positional play increased and was developed by both Steinitz and Tarrasch the Queen’s Gambit grew more popular. The Queen’s Gambit is still frequently played and it remains an important part of many grandmasters opening repertoires. More

Content: 5 hours and 20 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 12 lectures.

ECO: D59, E12, D36, D31, D35, D13, D10, D33, D27, D41    PGN Files Included

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.91 out of 5

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: I am enjoying this series a lot. It’s always helpful to see how plans evolve out of certain openings and structures.

FM Dennis Monokroussos is a 3 time Nevada State Champion and won the Indiana State Championship in 2009. Dennis has taught philosophy at several universities including the University of Notre Dame. Dennis currently works as a chess coach for both children and adults both in person and over the internet. He can be contacted through his blog.

Monday, June 16 IM Valeri Lilov   Botvinnik’s Powerplay  (strategy, middlegame)
The Powerplay is a concept in chess suggesting the solid combination between pawns and pieces, while they increase pressure against the opponent. While the technique is not very easy to apply, practicing it can help you develop strong habits which certainly matter in practical chess. In this video, you will witness one of the greatest world champions, Mikhail Botvinnik and his delicate way of using Powerplay to smash his opponent effectively!

Tuesday, June 17 IM Bill Paschall A Look at the US Championship 2014: Part 1 (strategy, endgame)

Wednesday, June 18 FM Dennis Monokroussos Meeting the King’s Indian Attack with a French Flair (tactics, openings)
There are many ways French players can meet the King’s Indian Attack, but the approach I will demonstrate in this game might be as new to you as it was to me until recently. New, and compelling! Even a very strong GM like Ehlvest was worse with White in just a dozen moves and lost badly to a considerably lower-rated player in only 26 moves. Two further benefits: this approach can be used by 2…e6 Sicilian players, and for those who use the French the positions are reminiscent of those that can arise in the 3…Nf6 Tarrasch.

Thursday, June 19 GM Bryan Smith Fighting the Quiet D-Pawn Openings: The Torre Attack (strategy, endgame)
In the first of his three-part series on dealing with White’s quiet, non-theoretical d-pawn openings, GM Bryan Smith shows an interesting and dynamic system to deal with the Torre Attack. We also get to see a fantastic game by Vladimir Kramnik with an instructive positional piece sacrifice.

Friday, June 20 IM David Vigorito Trying Too Hard to Prove Your Point? (opening, tactics)
It is dangerous to “go your own way” in complicated theoretical variations. White plays a sideline and Black reacts in the sharpest way. When White tries to justify his play tactically, he gets hammered by a series of attractive tactical blows.

Monday, June 9   IM Valeri Lilov Opening Advantage (strategy,opening) The most important rule of the opening is to always fight for initiative and advantage. Making it real is a matter of two things: The opponent’s mistakes and our ability to exploit them. In order to understand how to fight for opening advantage, one should first learn the differences between a good and bad development, after which comes theconcept of a superior pawn structure. Check out IM Valeri Lilov’s video to learn more about gaining an advantage in the opening!

Tuesday, June 10   GM Eugene Perelshteyn Instructive Endgame Technique: Good Bishop vs Bad Knight (endgame) An instructive game where the bishops dominate the knights in the middlegame, and then an even more instructive endgame of a good bishop vs a bad knight. Black plays passive defense to help create the masterpiece. Learn from Akobian’s patience, endgame strategy & planning. Lessons: Avoid playing automatic moves (retreats & captures) without thinking, always choose an active defense over a passive one.

Wednesday, June 11   FM Dennis Monokroussos Sophisticated Simplification (endgame) Last time we saw some straightforward examples where swapping converted a winning position into an actual win. In this video, we get the man-bites-dog version of simplification: the side that’s down material trades pieces to reach a drawn king and pawn ending – very unusual! Most of the time pawn-up king and pawn endings are the easiest to win; most of the time, but not always. In two of our examples we’ll see ex-world champ and current title contender Viswanathan Anand use this technique to draw two inferior positions from the recent Candidates’ tournament, and then we’ll see a third, surprising example from my junior years.

Thursday, June 12   IM David Vigorito Getting Too Creative Against Classical Play? (opening, tactics) Even 2700 players cannot get anyway with anything in the opening, especially against their peers. It is “difficult” to lose a miniature with White at this level, but the German number one take too many liberties and get duly punishing by Harikrishna’s forceful classical play.

Friday, June 13  LM Dana Mackenzie How to Tell When the Moment is Right (strategy, tactics) One of the toughest challenges in chess is to tell when it’s time to calculate and when it isn’t. Great players don’t waste time on unnecessary calculations when there is a simple way to improve their position. However, they can sense when it is time to hit the tactics. I suggest three questions: Is there a safe, risk-free way for me to build my position? If I give my opponent a tempo, what can he do to build his position? And who benefits more from a building move: my opponent or me?

A Pawn is Worth Three Tempi

by GM Jesse Kraai

Recommended for Intermediate Players

GM Jesse Kraai explains how to use the old Russian rule set to evaluate Tempo in chess. What is Tempi or Tempo in Chess? “The gaining or losing of time and effectiveness relative to one’s continued mobility or developing position, especially with respect to the number of moves required to gain an objective: Black gained a tempo”.

ECO: N/A

Content: 50 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 2 lectures. PGN Included

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.3 out of 5

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: Brilliant lecture! A more sophisticated use of the term tempi then has been my understanding (misunderstanding?). Has given me plenty to think about. I also love the expression, ” the king owes us some time”.

GM Jesse Kraai resides in Berkeley, California. His most notable chess achievements are winning the Denker Tournament of High School Champions in 1989 and 1990, and competing in the US championship from 2002-2006. Jesse received his final GM norm at the Foxwoods Open 2007 and has a Ph.D in Philosophy from the University of Heidelberg. Jesse is an active chess coach and recently released his first book “Lisa, A Chess Novel”.

Monday, June 2, IM Valeri Lilov Petrosian’s Secret (strategy, middlegame)
He was nicknamed “Iron Tigran” due to his almost impenetrable playing style, which emphasized safety above all else. He was the king of closed positions and a brilliant positional player at the same time. The ninth World Champion, Tigran Petrosian is an amazing figure in the history of chess. His profound understanding of strategy and “sense of danger” helped him to achieve incredible results against some of the best Soviet Grandmasters in the 1960’s. What was his secret? Check out IM Valeri Lilov’s new video where he tries to uncover the secret of one of the greatest champions of all time!

Tuesday, June 3 IM David Vigorito Epic Battle Versus Student (opening, endgame)
Here I use an unusual but fashionable line against my own favorite opening. I get a nice advantage but my opponent defends sensibly. An interesting endgame follows and I am able to emerge victorious in study-like fashion.

Wednesday, June 4 FM Dennis Monokroussos Simple and Cynical Simplification (tactics)
One of the most important tools for winning a won game is simplification. Most if not all of us know that, but we may underestimate this tool. Sometimes it’s worth returning extra material or giving up other advantages in order to reach a simpler position, as long as it’s more easily won.

Thursday, June 5 IM Bill Paschall The Not-So-Solid Caro-Kann (opening, tactics)

Friday, June 6 GM Bryan Smith The Best of Lone Pine 1979, Part 6 (middlegame, tactics)

An Anti-Sicilian Line: b3 before d4

By FM Dennis Monokroussos

Recommended for Intermediate Players                                 

Presented by FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos for ChessLecture.com

25 % of all club level games begin with the Sicilian and 17% of all grandmaster games begin with the Sicilian. Dennis gives you tools for dealing with the Sicilian, an essential skill for every serious chess player. More

Content: 87 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 3 concise lectures.

ECO: B40, B50    PGN Files Included

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.6 out of 5

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: Thanks Dennis. Finally!! Great stuff!

FM Dennis Monokroussos is a 3 time Nevada State Champion and won the Indiana State Championship in 2009. Dennis has taught philosophy at several universities including the University of Notre Dame. Dennis currently works as a chess coach for both children and adults both in person and over the internet. He can be contacted through his blog.

Worlds Apart

by IM David Vigorito

Recommended for Intermediate – Advanced Players

Content: 48 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 2 lectures.

IM David Vigorito analyzes the decisions in games of two masters. One master a world class GM and the other an IM and illustrates how a difference of two hundred points in ranking becomes exponential in terms of game play. More

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.5 out of 5 ECO E94, E97

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: Quite an interesting topic and delivered in your usual flawless manner! The difference in rating points may not be a linear effect – but more like exponential. We have all been at one time or another the ‘mouse’ in a cat’s game. Only Ivanchuk is more like a lion! Thanks David! IM

IM David Vigorito was the 2007 Massachusetts Champion. He has been the state champion of New Hampshire and Nevada. David rated at 2479 in USCF and was the Champion of the Boylston (Boston) Chess Club. He played in the 2006 U.S. Championship after finishing in a tie for 3rd place at the U.S. Open in Phoenix. David is a successful chess author – his book “Challenging the Nimzo-Indian” has been well received by critics and players alike.