Monday, January 6
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Young Indian GM Gukesh Dominates in the Reversed Benoni! | Opening, Strategy, Tactics
We have seen a number of quite talented kids come up from India. Yet, Gukesh is something special. At only 12 he already has a deep positional feel akin to Rubinstein & Petrosian. Watch and learn how he sacrifices a pawn for longterm compensation vs. a solid French GM – and then proceeds to outplay him with subtle maneuvering. It is unclear where Black went wrong! Is this a young Karpov or Carlsen in the making?
Tuesday, January 7
IM Bill Paschall – Playing Dynamically with Opposite Colored Bishops | Opening, Strategy
Most chess amateurs understand that opposite colored bishops are well known for their “drawish” nature in endgames. This is the case if only the bishops remain, but it is certainly not true if other pieces remain on the board. In the following game, IM Paschall prepared a pawn sacrifice in the opening which was based on the concept that opposite colored bishops can create serious chances for counter-play on one color complex. In the following game even some weaker masters could be forgiven for not fully appreciating Black’s compensation! To the uninitiated it looks as if Black is simply down a pawn and with less space! The presence of opposite colored bishops increases the dynamism of the given position. Material is not as important in this sort of situation and one pawn is often insignificant.
Wednesday, January 8
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Blinding Tactics in the Poisoned Pawn | Tactics
Especially in his early career, Mikhail Tal’s chess was explosive in its energy, and few players could withstand the tension. In this game from the last round of the 1956 USSR Championship, Alexander Tolush – a strong GM in his own right – discovered this to his downfall (as he would three more times in his career, going 0 for 4 against the Rigan magician). Tal throws everything at Tolush, including the kitchen sink, and does it with such style and imagination that even a great attacker like Tolush was unable to cope. Note: This game was covered on ChessLecture a decade or so ago, but the game is so rich – and the improvement of chess engines so great – that a fresh look is merited. Have a look and see for yourself!
Thursday, January 9
GM Leonid Kritz – Don’t Stop Halfway! | Tactics
What looked like a pawn sacrifice for White turned out to be a pawn win. But only because Black was not brave enough to follow through with the main line and give up an Exchange in return for keeping a strong pawn on b2. The moral of the story is that if you start taking on risk, you should not stop halfway, but be brave enough to go until the end; otherwise it’s always a disaster.
Friday, January 10
GM Robert Hungaski – Playing the Exchange Caro-Kann, Part 1 | Strategy
In this video I will continue the discussion that began when I addressed the strategic theme of the Sheltered Knight. On that occasion I used the Exchange Caro-Kann as a jumping off point. This time around the focus will be on the opening itself.
I will begin by discussing the classical main line where Black plays 5…Nf6 followed by 6…Bg4 7.Qb3. Here Black has two main choices to defend the b7-pawn. He can play 7…Qd7 or 7…Qc8. The latter is the more ambitious (and riskier) move and will be the topic of the current video. Black’s idea is to play a quick …Bh5-g6 and trade off the light-squared bishops. After this trade White’s attacking prospects on the kingside will drastically diminish. So the question is, can White do anything about it?