Lecturers

New DVD Ideas for Nimzo Indian Players vs 1.c4, then vs 1.Nf3

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Ideas for Nimzo Indian Players vs 1.c4, then vs 1.Nf3 by IM David Vigorito

Recommended for Beginner – Intermediate Players

Content: 46 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 2 lectures.

A clear explanation of a plan for black against both the English and Reti Openings. David guides you into Nimzo-Indian type positions against these menacing Flank Openings.

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 3.55 out of 5

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: excellent lecture really enjoyed it David

IM David Vigorito is 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 Challenging the Nimzo-Indian is very well received by critics and players alike.

Two lectures professionally mastered by the publisher, released today – more details here.

New DVD of the Week – The English Four Knights – For Both Colors

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The English Four Knights – For Both Colors    a 2 DVD set by IM David Vigorito

Content: 142 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 7 lectures.

David is a renowned expert and author on the English opening. The English is a popular choice among beginners and club players. This series takes it to the next level. 

Recommended for Intermediate – Advanced Players

Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 3.65 out of 5

Fans on Chesslecture.com said: A very nice video David looking forward to the other parts some very useful tips on the opening and how to play against the English IM

David Vigorito is 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 Challenging the Nimzo-Indian is very well received by critics and players alike.

 

 

 

New Lectures December 30 – January 3

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This week we have lectures on middlegame, endgame, strategy and tactics. All of these lectures are intermediate. We thank FM Dennis Monokroussos and IM Bill Paschall for summaries of their lectures this week.

This Week’s Lectures
Dec 30   IM Valeri Lilov       How to Exploit a Better Development (Intermediate, Strategy)
 
Dec 31  GM Eugene Perelshteyn     Strategic Battle in the English:  Accumulation of Small Advantages (Intermediate, Middlegame, Strategy)
 
Jan 1     FM Dennis Monokroussos The Hanging Pawns Horror Show (Intermediate, Endgame, Strategy)
Sometimes “hanging pawns” – a pawn island consisting of two adjacent pawns – can be very effective. White pawns on c4 and d4, for example, control a lot of central and near-central squares, while even step-laddered pawns on c3 and d4 can be effective if they keep the center stable while White builds a kingside attack as in a typical isolated d-pawn setting. On the other hand, hanging pawns (e.g) on c3 and d4 can be terribly weak when White has no attack. Then Black can blockade them and use all the weak light squares, notably d5 and c4. That’s what we’ll see in this game, which is a salutary warning to lovers of the hanging pawns that if you don’t have an attack or if it isn’t good enough, your reward can be a strategically lost position.
Jan 2 IM Bill Paschall Polgar Punishes with the Panov (Intermediate, Middlegame, Tactics )
Judit Polgar displays the classic type of game typical for a strong attacking player seeking an open game in the Panov Caro-Kann. White keeps the lines open while using the isolated d-pawn as an influence in the center. Polgar then induces weaknesses in the opponents kingside and pounces at the right moment. An absolute must see game for those interested in the Caro-Kann or any isolated queen pawn positions.
Jan 3 LM Dana Mackenzie An Offer That Should Have Been Refused? (Intermediate, Middlegame, Tactics, Strategy)

Catching the attention of non-chess players

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Several of our lecturers also share their thoughts about chess via blogs, and this week, LM Dana Mackenzie offers up a very interesting thought about how the recent world championship match has caught the attention of many people who don’t play chess:

“I just had a conversation fifteen minutes ago with my next-door neighbor Dave, who has never shown any interest in chess previously but had heard something somewhere about a new world champion. This conversation reminded me of an obvious fact: more than anything else, a world championship catches the attention of non-chess players. It’s the one chance we get to teach the rest of the world a little bit about our game and its history.”

Dana recounts his exchange as an FAQ for all of us to share, and also invites reader input – I think you will enjoy reading it all the way through, at this link: www.danamackenzie.com/blog/?p=2630

Future World Champion

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The world chess championship is underway in Chennai, India, and lecturer LM Dana Mackenzie has written a somewhat tongue-in-cheek blog post looking forward 25 years to a potential future world champion: http://www.danamackenzie.com/blog/?p=2620

Seriously, though, Dana honors one of his most successful former students, longtime ChessLecture.com member Elizabeth Spiegel (née Vicary), who herself is one of the United States’ most successful scholastic chess coaches ever, on the birth of her newest student. Congratulations, Elizabeth! (And watch out, Magnus?!)

For members who coach, or who wish to encourage their own or other children, there is a great documentary about the success of the inner-city Brooklyn (New York, US) kids who Elizabeth coaches, called Brooklyn Castle. Here is a great description from PBS, which showed the movie on national TV in the US last month: http://www.pbs.org/pov/brooklyncastle/. At one point, the junior high team even wins the US scholastic national championship for *high schools*.

Congratulations to IM Valeri Lilov

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We want to congratulate our lecturer, Valeri Lilov for attaining his International Master Title, which was confirmed and awarded to him at last week’s FIDE Congress in Talliinn, Estonia. You can read more about his achievement in his blog, http://www.tigerlilov.com/how-i-became-international-master. Valeri, who turned 22 last summer, writes: “From now on, I will be fighting for the three Grandmaster norms and 70 ELO rating points that are keeping me away for the highest title in chess! Once more, thank you to all for the support on my road to mastery.”

Standing on their shoulders

 in Chess History / Chess Lectures / Lecturers by

I would like to share with you something which a great chess trainer – the Chilean IM Victor Frias – told me about a key aspect of studying chess. Victor, who trained a world junior champion, a US champion, and a Chilean GM, advised that one study the games of the great players, in the order in which they appeared and played. The reason for this is simple: each stood on the shoulders of those who came before him.

FM Dennis Monokroussos has done great work in developing an extensive series of lectures that tells this story through two selections from the games of each of the world champions, from Steinitz through Anand. And as the holiday season approaches, we’ve gathered those lectures into one holiday bundle that includes all three collections – Volume 1, the Classical Era 1886-1946, Volume 2, the Soviet Era 1948-1972 and Volume 3, the Modern Era 1972-2013. Members can find all of these lectures here, but this makes a great holiday gift for your favorite chess enthusiast and it’s now available in our store for just $129.95 (less your member discount, of course – 20% for bronze members, 30% for silver, and 40% for gold and platinum subscribers. To take advantage of your discount, enter your subscription type – e.g., silver if you’re a silver subscriber – in the coupon code box in your shopping cart).

For the same reason, I would also highly recommend World Champion Garry Kasparov’s tremendous five-volume series of books, My Great Predecessors, which takes readers through chess history in the same way, and very deeply as well as broadly – delving deeply into each champion, and also discussing the contributions of the other leading players in each era, too. These books may well provide the most rewarding reading of anything in chess literature nowadays.

Nuke the Sicilian

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Over the years, we’ve been able to bring you a wide variety of lectures, and I would like to mention one of the most colorful subjects we’ve ever covered: LM Dana Mackenzie’s “Nuke the Sicilian” presentations.

Fellow subscriber Michael Goeller, an excellent blogger, wrote the following about Dana’s first lecture in this series, back in 2006, “One of the better recent lectures at ChessLecture.com (see review below) is Dana Mackenzie’s amazing ‘Nuke the Sicilian! How to Sac Your Queen on Move Six and Win‘ (October 20, 2006).” You can read his whole review here:
http://www.kenilworthchessclub.org/kenilworthian/2006/10/nuclear-option-in-sicilian-grand-prix.html

Lisa, a new chess novel

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This week, I’d like to update you on GM Jesse Kraai, who has been on sabbatical from chess for about two years now. He has been working on a novel, involving chess (including the fascinating personality of the late GM Igor Ivanov). The novel, “Lisa”, is being published next week – on October 14th – and he is now doing a book tour and giving readings to promote it.

Please check it out on his new web site, at www.jessekraai.com. We’re proud to see his progress, and are looking forward to his forthcoming return to chess.