Chess Lectures

King’s Indian: Main Line 9.Nd2, 9.Ne1, 9.b4 by GM Leonid Kritz

Recommended for Advanced Players, for more info, click here.

Presented by Grandmaster Leonid Kritz for ChessLecture.com

GM Kritz outlines several variations of the King’s Indian including:

—The Mar del Plata variation of the King’s Indian 9. Nd2. No longer as popular as it once was, it is still played rather frequently even at the top levels of chess. The third most popular white move, it has been played by contemporary grandmasters Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand.

—Orthodox, Aronin–Taimanov 9.Ne1 named for Mark Taimanov vs Lev Aronin Moscow 1952. GM Tigran Petrosian said “ for Kings Indian Players, this game made people think that the King;s Indian was at its demise.

—The Bayonet Attack 9. b4 which has many forks in the road.

Content: 2.25 hours of instruction and analysis in a series of 6 lectures.

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

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: Brilliant video. Excellent Video!

GM Leonid Kritz was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984. He started playing chess at age of 4, at Spartak Moscow Chess School. Youth World Champion under 16 in 1999, became grandmaster at the age of 19 years in 2003. Participated at FIDE World Cup in 2004, represented Germany at Chess Olympiad 2004, and European Team Championships 2005 and 2007. Co-winner of SPICE Cup 2008

This is the last week to see Part 1 of Grandmaster Bryan Smith’s series on his final GM Norm. In the Michigan Fall Festival, Smith got his final norm for the grandmaster title. In this series he shows some of the games from that tournament – part 1 covers his game with GM Timur Gareev from the second round.  Smith has been a regular contributor on ChessLecture.com since 2007.

• Matchup: Bryan Smith vs. T. Gareev
• Skill Level: Intermediate
• Category: Strategy; Annotated Games
• ECO: E42
• Opening: Nimzo-Indian Defense; Rubenstein Variation
• Run Time: 00:50:02

If you enjoyed this video by Smith, become a member and see parts 2 through 4!  Just click here: Join

Monday, March 17, IM Valeri Lilov A GM Approach to the Middlegame (Middlegame, Strategy)
The lecture provides some important ideas on how Grandmasters approach the middlegame and planning. Learn by following the play of the great masters!

Tuesday, March 18, IM Bill Paschall A Problem for White in the English Flohr-Mikenas Variation (Openings, Middlegame)

Wednesday, March 19, FM Dennis Monokroussos The Queen’s Gambit and Friends, Part 2: Dynamics Beat Statics (Openings, Tactics)
The game we’ll look at was a Queen’s Indian, but there are such strong Queen’s Gambit motifs (e.g. the hanging pawns and the way both sides developed their pieces) that a careful look at this game will help us better understand the Queen’s Gambit. As in the game featured in part 1, White hoped to enjoy a long-term plus based on the static features of the position, but a pawn sac created a dynamism that White was unable to cope with. Akopian never managed to resolve the shaky situation of his king, and it finally cost him the game.

Thursday, March 20, GM Eugene Perelshteyn Teaching a Young Star a Lesson or Two in the Exchange Slav (Strategy, Tactics, Opening)
White completely outplays the young star, IM Sam Sevian using the classical approach and c5 outpost in the Exchange Slav. Tha game is very instructive from both strategy and tactics, as White needs to find the finishing blow to open up the enemy king. The rest is just massacre.

Friday, March 21 LM Dana Mackenzie The Mike Splane Question (Middlegame, Strategy)

Two Knights Defense by LM Dana Mackenzie

Recommended for Intermediate Players

Bronstein once suggested that the term “defense” does not fit this strategy, and suggested the name “Chigorin Counterattack” as this line is adopted as Black by many aggressive players including Chigorin and Keres. Here Dana takes you through the strategy and how it plays out in real games.

Content: 3 hours and 9 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 4 lectures.

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 3.75 out of 5

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: A terrific lecture! When you see games like these you understand that chess is still an art rather than a skill!

LM Dr. Dana Mackenzie is a USCF Life Master, a PhD mathematician, and an award-winning mathematics and science journalist and author. LM Dana Mackenzie started playing tournament chess during the “Fischer boom” of 1971-72 and never quit. Champion of North Carolina in 1985 & 1987, and became a master in 1988. Mackenzie now lives in Santa Cruz, CA and runs a chess club for kids at the local library. His passion for chess and his enthusiasm for teaching is unmistakable.

Mon March 10 IM Valeri Lilov Carlsen’s Kings Gambit
Every chess player has had the beautiful experience of learning from the incredible attacks of Anderssen, Morphy, Tal and others. Nowadays, it’s not easy to see such magnificent attacks on a high level as the fashion has changed and chess has become a lot more balanced, so positional play is essential for any combination to exist. Check out this video to see how to reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen was able to utilize one of the oldest openings with great success.

Tues March 11 IM Bill Paschall An Instructive Rauzer Endgame

Wed March 12 FM Dennis Monokroussos The Queen’s Gambit (and Friends), Part 1
For reasons that remain mysterious Boris Spassky failed to use the brilliant idea of his second, Efim Geller, in his 1972 world championship match against Bobby Fischer, and got crushed in a beautiful game. Geller therefore played his own novelty a year later and showed what could have been, defeating Jan Timman in great style. His new move and new concept involved a pawn sac for long-term compensation against the white king, stranded permanently in the center. This game, the first in a series on the Queen’s Gambit (with an occasional visit from openings that result in similar structures) offers a first glimpse into the richness of this opening, one of the most popular in chess history and one that remains important to the present day.

Thurs March 13 GM Leonid Kritz Sicilian 2….Nc6.3.Bb5: Rare Continuation by Black, Part 2
This is a continuation of last week’s lecture. We continue with the study of the main line and get to a position that will definitely require some additional analysis on your side. I think, however, that the exchange sacrifice offered in this lecture is very promising.

Fri March 14 GM Bryan Smith The Best of Lone Pine 1979, Part 2
In the second part of his series on the 1979 Lone Pine tournament, Bryan Smith looks at a fantastic ‘flawed brilliancy’ – a king hunt which took place in round three between Edward Formanek and Joseph Bradford.

Queen’s Gambit Declined; Tarrasch by IM David Vigorito

Recommended for Intermediate – Advanced Players

Content: 1 hour and 39 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 4 lectures.

IM David Vigorito gives an overview of a system advocated by the German master Siegbert Tarrasch in which the main line is: 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6. A complete and active system against the Queen’s Gambit

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 3.95 out of 5 ECO D32

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: Great series David. I feel I am learning about the middlegame as well as a specific opening with all your comments about the minor pieces.

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 .

Monday, March 3 IM Valeri Lilov The Small Improvements (Strategy, Middlegame) We have always noticed how the great masters of past and present achieved significant improvements out of completely equal or even symmetrical positions. The secret of their mastery lies within the small adjustments that each master is able to apply at different stages of the game. Understanding how these improvements work can help tremendously one’s game and planning in many positions.

Tuesday, March 4 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Spectacular Queen Sac for Domination (Middlegame, Strategy) In a GM vs GM battle, White plays creatively to sacrifice a Queen for just two minor pieces and a pawn! Black seeks counter-play on the half-open file to keep the game balanced. Seeking more counter-play Black gives up the exchange, however White finds a beautiful way to breakthrough in the center and create a deadly attack. A masterpiece by GM Macieja!

Wednesday, March 5 FM Dennis Monokroussos Baadur’s Budapest Brilliancy (Middlegame, Strategy) Baadur Jobava didn’t win the Challengers event in this year’s Tata Steel chess festival, but he tied for second and played some brilliant games along the way. One of them came against pre-tournament favorite Radoslaw Wojtaszek, and as is usual for Jobava he chose a slightly offbeat opening for the occasion, the Budapest Defense. White generally plays 4.Bf4 (rather than 4.Nf3) when he wants a quiet life, but Jobava’s 4…g5 ensured a tense game. You might think that a 2700 player with the white pieces could keep everything under control, but nothing of the sort happened, and Jobava manhandled him in the middlegame. The game is a fine advert for the Budapest, and a useful reminder that practically all openings have their drop of poison when well-prepared.

Thursday, March 6 GM Leonid Kritz  Sicilian 2….Nc6.3.Bb5: Rare Continuation by Black, Part 1(Openings, Strategy)

Friday, March 7 GM Bryan Smith The Best of Lone Pine, 1979: Part 1  (Openings) In the first part of this series on the 1979 Lone Pine Tournament, GM Bryan Smith looks at a sharp, attacking game in which IM John Grefe used a unique gambit.

Feb 24, 2013 IM Valeri Lilov The Buildup (Intemediate, Strategy, Middlegame)
What is the secret behind a successful plan in the game of chess? The answer to this question is definitely complicated as there are many factors that matter.We have consistency, evaluation, calculation and many others which are key. Nevertheless, the most critical one is the Buildup. Understanding how to get the right buildup to our plan is often vital for its ultimate success.

Feb 25, 2013 LM Dana Mackenzie Double Vision: When Two Knights are Better than Two Bishops (Intermediate, Middlegame, Strategy)
Because bishops tend to be a little better than knights in a lot of positions, it’s natural to assume that two bishops would be much better than two knights. But this is not the case — in fact, two knights can sometimes dance circles around the bishops. Here, a bitterly fought game pits two knights against two bishops, in a position that first favored the knights, then favored the bishops, and then turned back in favor of the knights. I discuss the factors involved in evaluating such positions, such as outpost squares, forks (for the knights) and pins (for the bishops), and targets (for both pieces).

Feb 26, 2013 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Brilliancy vs. the Kan (Intermediate, Middlegame, Tactics)
Young Dutch star Benjamin Bok obtained his final grandmaster norm in this year’s Wijk aan Zee Challengers tournament, and with games like this it’s easy to see why. He unleashes a fearsome attacking masterpiece against the elite young Chinese GM Yu Yangyi, and in addition to the game’s being spectacular we can “borrow” Bok’s anti-Kan line for our own play.

Feb 27, 2013 GM Leonid Kritz Rare but Tricky Line in Spanish (Intermediate, Openings, Endgame)
The line chosen by my opponent surprised me a bit in this game. It looks like Black is doing a lot of strange moves, but surprisingly at the end all of them come together and make sense in an interesting variation. Also, the endgame is worth analyzing since it has many sub-variations that stayed behind the scene.

Feb 28, 2013 IM David Vigorito A Modern Miniature (Intermediate, Opening, Tactics)
Bartel plays an unusual but interesting move order as early as move 2 (!) and Giri chooses plays in romantic style sacrificing pawns left and right for an unstoppable initiative.