Monday, January 27 IM Valeri Lilov Good and Bad Attacks (Intermediate, Middlegame, Strategy, Tactics)
When do we know that an attack is good or bad? Understanding whether a particular attack is going to be successful is a very hard thing to do. In this lecture, IM Valeri Lilov introduces some critical ideas on how you can recognize if a given attack has a better potential of being successful or not.
Tuesday, January 28, LM Dana Mackenzie When the Brilliant Move Isn’t the Best Move (Intermediate, Middlegame, Tactics, Strategy)
“In an earlier lecture, ‘Winning With Jedi Mind Tricks,’ Dana broke down an opponent’s fortress with patience and with a timely sacrifice. In this game, the formula didn’t work quite as well — he had too little patience and his sacrifice was not quite correct. However, the Force was still with him…”
Wednesday, January 29, FM Dennis Monokroussos Black’s Blasting Bishops in the Symmetrical Tarrasch, Part 2 (Intermediate, Middlegame)
In a game played just a few days ago, no less a player than recently dethroned world champion Viswanathan Anand fell prey to a similar sort of error to Rotlewi’s (see part 1 of this series). Maybe his loss wasn’t quite as spectacular as Rotlewi’s, but it was still a pretty one-sided defeat, especially for a player of his caliber. Again we see that in a highly symmetrical position with rampaging bishops the player whose attack gets going first can wind up with an overwhelming advantage. Our main game shows it, especially at the end, and the included game between me and Eric Cooke offers further confirmation. Do not underestimate the bishop pair in an open position!
Thursday, January 30, GM Eugene Perelshteyn What Happens When You Violate One of the Opening Principles (Intermediate, Openings, Strategy, Tactics)
In the Bg5 Exchange Slav, Black loses valuable time by moving the Queen out too early. If that was not enough, he also loses two tempi with the bishop. The punishment comes swift with a direct attack on the king. Surprisingly, Black has no defense after 13.Qh5! The Pin against the king is deadly.
Friday, January 31, GM Leonid Kritz Suffer the right way through the Stonewall, Part 2. (Intermediate, Openings, Strategy)
Another game using the Stonewall, but this time the play is more typical. The position of Black seems to be very passive throughout the game. However, once White does not find any forced way to come to a feasible advantage, Black gets his chance to counter. Unfortunately, lack of precision leads to a small mistake which gives White a chance to draw immediately.