Monday, February 18 IM Valeri Lilov Punish Your Opponent in the Opening (Intermediate, Strategy, Openings)
Have you ever been in a position where you know that your opponent is breaking the principles of development, but you aren’t certain on how to continue and punish him for his mistakes? That situation arises quite often in the games of players from any level. The correct approach in these positions mainly depends on a few concepts and proper steps you need to follow.
Tuesday, February 18 IM Bill Paschall The Key Square in the Sicilian (Intermediate, Opening, Middlegame)
Wednesday February 18 FM Dennis Monokroussos Remembering Vugar Gashimov (Intermediate, Middlegame, Strategy, Tactics)
Vugar Gashimov died earlier this month (January 2014) from a brain tumor at the early age of 27.. He had suffered from related health problems for almost a decade and a half, but despite this and the interruptions and challenges it presented he still became one of the world’s very best players when he was healthy, reaching a peak rating of 2761 shortly before his forced retirement in early 2012. He had a very lively and dynamic style and was capable of beating anyone and everyone, and he did. Here’s a sample win, a miniature, against the very strong, experienced and solid Boris Gelfand.
Thursday, February 20 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Instructive Positional Squeeze in the Scandinavian (Intermediate, Strategy, Endgame)
You won’t see any fireworks in this game. Black uses the better pawn structure in a closed position to outplay White. Inch by inch, square by square, Black squeezes White to passivity and with a timely pawn push wins material.
Friday, February 21 GM Leonid Kritz New Direction in French Defense (Intermediate, Openings, Tactics)
This is an interesting game that demonstrates a relatively new way of playing against French Defense 3.Nc3 Nf6. White chose a rare line, and black decided to counter it right away with a piece sacrifice. The game developed very dynamically thereafter and both sides had their chances.