Monday, February 28
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Interesting Idea vs.the Quiet Hedgehog Setup | Opening
Sometimes the Symmetrical English positions can be boring or transpose to a super solid Hedgehog. Check out this fresh idea from GM Perelshteyn to spice up the boring Hedgehog and start a quick kingside attack. The famous engine, Houdini, tries to defend black and of course he does it with “only moves.” Yet, even a draw against a top engine is a big achievement in this game! But the attack is absolutely devastating – if only White played all the moves perfectly. Can you find them?
Tuesday, February 28
IM Bill Paschall – The Genius of Leonid Stein, Part 2 | Middlegame
Leonid Stein was one of the most feared attacking players of his generation. Equally capable of winning whether White or Black, he played many aggressive systems such as the King’s Indian Defense and the Sicilian. In this battle we see Stein using the “solid” and dependable 1…e5 and just as much playing for the win! Lutikov plays listlessly and Black sacrifices a queen and a rook to go for mate!
Wednesday, February 28 – FM Dennis Monokroussos – Rising Star 1, Legend 0 | Strategy
Battles between rising stars and those who are well-established in the firmament have long been a source of special interest to chess fans. Will the veteran’s experience (and strength, of course) suffice against the hungry youngster, or will the energy of youth prevail? In this case, it was no contest. Veselin Topalov, the former FIDE World Champion, one of the world’s best players from the mid-90s to the present day, was defeated handily by 14-year-old Indian super-talent Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Had it been Topalov on the white side of this game, it would have been much less surprising, but to see the veteran manhandled (boyhandled?) was a shocker. The game is also of theoretical significance, and shows that while the French Steinitz lines with …b6 are well-motivated, they are also very dangerous for Black.
Thursday, February 28
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Facing the Closed Sicilian for Black | Strategy
Friday, February 28
GM Robert Hungaski – Blunting the Catalan Bishop, Part 4 | Strategy
In this video we’ll explore the Classical Main Line that has recently fallen out of favor, greatly due to the efforts of Israeli GM Boris Avrukh and his magnificent publication on the Catalan. Even though Avrukh’s recommendations have breathed new life into White’s position, Black is still very much alive. And very solid, actually. By making some very logical moves, we can easily put White in a tough position where in order to fight for an advantage he will have to make some very unnatural moves.