Monday, April 15
IM Bill Paschall – Crushing the Caro-Kann, Part 10 | Opening, Middlegame
Grischuk faces a solid approach from Black,who develops the pieces without trying for a direct c5 break. The system with 5…Nd7 and 6…Bg6 seems slow,however, and allows White to gain space on both sides of the board. White’s restraining play with Nb3 and a4-a5 is typical and effective. Eventually the space and Black’s exposed king position allow White to tactically pounce !
Tuesday, April 16
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Surprising the Opponent in his Favorite Line | Opening, Strategy
In the mid-to-late ’00s, no one was more proficient with the Marshall Gambit than Levon Aronian, while Vladimir Kramnik was not even a native 1.e4 player. And yet in this theoretically significant game from 2007, Kramnik found and developed a plan against the Marshall Gambit that was almost completely unknown, and posed problems that even as great player and especially great Marshall gambiteer like Aronian was unable to solve. As was often the case with Kramnik’s wins, it was a model game, one that could still be used today against an unwary opponent.
Wednesday, April 17
GM Leonid Kritz – The Titanic – Revisited | Opening
This game is particularly interesting because of the idea Black played on move 7. This idea is often seen in other openings, too, and should be in every player’s arsenal. However, it also must be said that Aronian played so badly that it almost looked like Howell could have done anything and still would win – well, things happen even to the strongest players….
Thursday, April 18
GM Nadya Kosintseva – A Nimzo-Indian Repertoire for Black, Part 6 – Meeting 4.f3 | Opening, Strategy
In this lecture we will learn 4.f3, which in Garry Kasparov’s opinion, is the best set-up from White’s point of view. White wants to occupy the center and thus prepares e4. Black should prevent it and so plays 4…d5. Next, white gets Black’s dark-squared bishop by means of 5.a3. Right after Black exchanges the bishop for the knight, he bring another pawn to challenge White’s center: …c5. The positions that arise in this variation are concrete and require energetic play from Black. If he hesitates to attack, White finishes his development and opens up the center to activate his bishop pair. Pawn sacrifice is one common tool that Black uses to fight for the initiative in this variation.
Friday, April 19
GM Robert Hungaski – A Classical Repertoire vs 1.e4: Steinitz Defense vs the Ruy Lopez, Part 3 | Opening, Strategy
In this final installment of the Steinitz Variation against the Ruy Lopez, we will discuss the positions that arise after white decides to play for quick development, but unlike the previous video, decides to castle kingside in order to avoid black´s play along the b-file.
This is an important idea that should not be underestimated since black is likely to embrace the worse pawn structure and should white be able to trade off the dark-squared bishops by means of Bh6, then black will face a slightly worse but very unpleasant position.
Therefore, at the core of black´s opening strategy will be some basic tools that will allow us to avoid these potential road bumps. Nevertheless, black´s strategy will remain largely unchanged. Black will still play along the b-file and use the powerful g7 bishop to put pressure along the a1-h8 diagonal. Particular attention should be paid to the Shabalov-Dzindzichashvilli game.