Monday, September 30
GM Eugene Perelshteyn – Dreev’s Disregard for Pawn Weaknesses Pays Off In Style! | Opening, Strategy
GM Dreev walks into a known bad line in the Caro-Kann. He has his pawn structure totally ruined… and wins easily! How is this possible? Well, Alex Lenderman probably underestimates his experienced opponent, who outfoxed the young American GM. It turns out that Dreev’s opening prep was much deeper! After all, he’s a world-renowned expert in this opening. Can you figure out all the queen traps that Dreev found?
Tuesday, October 1
IM Bill Paschall – Great Matchups: Tal vs Botvinnik Rematch 1961, Part 5 | Middlegame, Endgame
Botvinnik essentially dominates the rematch by mid stage and Tal is beyond salvation. Tal’s idea to use a more active approach with black by playing the King’s Indian is too late and his preparation is simply insufficient compared to Botvinnik’s. The fifteenth game is perhaps one of the best positional and strategic demonstrations of the match by Botvinnik and worthy of careful study. The themes of the backward pawn at d6, and the bishop pair along with White’s space advantage prove too much for even the dangerous Mikhail Tal to overcome.
Wednesday, October 2
FM Dennis Monokroussos – Little Known Fact: Development is Useful | Strategy, Tactics
Gyozo Forintos, then an IM and a few years later, a GM, was a very strong player in his own right, but this game proves that even very strong players can be punished severely for violating the fundamental principles of the game. In this game, two principles were flouted by Forintos, and when facing a former world champion like Vasily Smyslov (still in the absolute elite at the time of this game) that’s bound to lead to severe punishment. Forintos neglected the development of his kingside, and (relatedly) the long-term safety of his king. You will see the results below, and the game is also of theoretical interest, at least to demonstrate what White should *not* do.
Thursday, October 3
GM Leonid Kritz – Long Strategic Battle | Strategy
A very interesting game from a strategic point of view. White played the opening very casually, without ambitions, but Black reacted in a sub-optimal way by putting his bishop on g7, and throughout the rest of the game White was pressuring, but did not find Bb6-c7 idea at the end and missed out on the full point. A good example how to play against a bad bishop, and also a nice illustration of a French pawn structure where White lost his light-squared bishop.
Friday, October 4
GM Nadya Kosintseva – Facing the Scotch Game | Strategy
In this lecture we will consider the opening that arises after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 moves, where White opens up the center to start dynamic play from the beginning of the game. For Black I recommend to proceed with 4..Bc5 which forces White either move the d4-knight again or at some point play c3 taking the square away from his queen side knight. The variations of the opening are pretty tactical and require accurate reactions from Black who should be ready to counter attack sacrificing a material or accept the sacrifices from opposing side.