Monday, September 7 IM Valeri Lilov Tal’s Pressure (openings, tactics)
Mikhail Tal is definitely the greatest chess player of all time, his excellent attacking style and sacrifices are creations of a genius. Watch him pressure and attack like never before!
Tuesday, September 8 IM Bill Paschall Fischer and the Two Bishops, Part 3 (middlegame,strategy)
Fischer plays his favorite setup, the King’s Indian Attack , this time when facing a Caro-Kann from a relatively unknown Turkish master. Black makes some serious positional mistakes in the opening, and despite some simplification, is left facing the two bishops and having to defend a weak d5 square in the center. Fischer, as is his custom, is able to make the 2 bishops have maximum value in this relatively closed position. Particularly important is the creation of two weaknesses in the ending phase. Fischer ties white down to queenside weaknesses and then shifts to create a second “front” on the kingside. Black quickly collapses due to the numerous weaknesses and passivity of his pieces
Wednesday, September 9 FM Dennis Monokroussos Botvinnik’s Pawn Roller Strikes Again! (tactics)
I’ve discussed the power of Botvinnik’s pawn roller plans against the Nimzo-Indian and in the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit; here’s another illustration of the latter from one of my recent games. The plan with f3 and e4 proved very effective, but one must play with energy. If White hesitates or gets too careful, Black can blow up White’s hanging pawns in the center. If, however, White fights for and keeps the initiative, Black will have a very difficult defensive task, and that’s how things went in this game. Black made only one error in this game, and it was a logical move in a position that was already getting unpleasant. Queen’s Gambiteers, take notice!
Thursday, September 10 GM Eugene Perelshteyn Instructive Concepts in the Nimzo Qc2 Nc6 Variation: Why Every Tempo Matters (opening, strategy)
This game shows how this variation of the Nimzo is played just like the Bogo. Black needs to play actively to compensate for the bishop pair and lack of space. One loss of tempo could be the difference between a good position and long torturous defense. Watch how a strong GM Lenderman takes advantage of Black’s mistake and finishes the game in a beautiful zugzwang.
Friday, September 11 GM Bryan Smith A Repertoire for White in the Ruy Lopez: Part 5 (openings)
The Moller Variation is one of Black’s most aggressive counters to the Ruy Lopez, and in this video we will see how to meet fire with fire!