Monday, May 4 IM David Vigorito Purely Positional Exchange Sacrifice in the Dragon (openings)
En route to winning his fourth US Championsip, Nakamura goes all out playing the risky Sicilian Dragon. He sacrifices a full exchange in an endgame and causes White a lot of practical problems.
Tuesday, May 5 IM Bill Paschall Keres Plays Black – Part 1 (middlegame, tactics)
Keres plays black in his coveted classical Chigorin variation against the Ruy Lopez. Black achieves d5 easily in the opening, thus equalizing the game. Geller slips with the materialistic move 22. Qd2 and the black onslaught begins ! When Keres starts an attack he rarely looks back, and this game is no exception. Virtually computer-like accuracy in a generation well before the inception of chess engines !
Wednesday, May 6 FM Dennis M. A Great Battle in the Semi-Tarrasch (openings)
The Semi-Tarrasch is a sort of classical counterpart to the Gruenfeld, and while it’s a little less sharp it can lead to similar battles between White’s proud pawn center and Black’s queenside majority. If White doesn’t manage to create a dangerous central passer or convert his extra space into a successful kingside attack, black’s trumps can prevail. In this game, between two of the absolute heavyweights of that era, we see such a battle. Keres is trying to give mate, and Fine is trying to hold him off while breaking through on the queenside. Who wins? Have a look at this game and the rich clash of ideas therein.
Thursday, May 7 GM Eugene Perelshteyn The Art of Subtle Maneuvering in the Exchange Slav (strategy, endgame)
Learn how to outplay a strong GM with ease in the Exchange Slav. Wesley makes small improvements in his position and eventually wins an open file. Then he wins a pawn, the result is just technique…
Friday, May 8 GM Bryan Smith Match of the (19th) Century: De Labourdonnais – McDonnell, Part 3 (openings)
In the third and last part of GM Bryan Smith’s series on the famous 1834 match between Alexander McDonnell and Charles De Labourdonnais we see a pretty and instructive positional queen sacrifice to claim the initiative.