Monday, January 16 IM Valeri Lilov Napoleon’s Masterpiece (strategy)
How many of you know that one of the greatest warlords of all time: Napoleon Bonaparte was an avid chess player? Not only that, but he was very strong at chess as well. Some of his games remain the prettiest and most effective lessons on attacking. Check IM Lilov’s new lecture to learn Bonaparte’s methods of attack!
Tuesday, January 17 IM Bill Paschall Besting the Berlin (opening, tactics)
White avoids the drawish Berlin endgame with the now trendy 4.d3. Adams seems to lure Topalov into a quiet line at first with 5.Bxc6 ,a form of exchange variation, but quickly play evolves into a tactical slug fest. It’s clear that GM Adams had prepared the new idea of playing to sacrifice a pawn with 15.e5 !? and establish a knight at e4 with great compensation. Topalov played well but missed the best line to centralize with 16…Qd5 and then later went astray with the passive retreat 24…Qf8. Objectively, the white pawn sacrifice is sound and interesting, but black should be fine with accurate defense.
Wednesday, January 18 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Brilliant Attack by an Unknown Player (tactics)
FM Srdjan Zakic isn’t exactly a household name among chess fans, but if he plays a few more games like this one he will be. Zakic throws the kitchen sink at his higher-rated opponent, and wins in spectacular style. Perhaps the most impressive aspect is that he often switches from spectacular moves to quiet ones, almost always finding the absolute best move in a position much more amenable to computer analysis than human play.
Thursday, January 19 GM Eugene Perelshteyn The Power of a Positional Pawn Sacrifice (opening, strategy)
Nimzo quickly transposes into the Catalan, where White offers a pawn for positional control. Can you find the key ideas for White? Black decides to keep the extra pawn but allows positional concessions. But a logical move leads to a forcing sequence that wins the pawn right back. White takes the game to an instructive endgame using domination! But it’s not easy to make progress, you have to find the winning plan!
Friday, January 20 IM David Vigorito An Unusual Trap in the Najdorf (opening, tactics)
I have been playing the Najdorf Sicilian for over two decades, yet my opponent manages to catch me with an original trap in a rare and generally ineffective sideline. Disgusted, I bear down and manage to hold a miserable pawn down position.