Monday, June 13 IM Valeri Lilov How to Play Endgames Better (endgame)
Endgames are always challenging as there is very small amount of attacks and little to no tactics that actually work. Nevertheless, there are some other aspects which could make playing endgames a unique and brilliant experience. Listen to this video to learn more!
Tuesday, June 14 IM Bill Paschall Young Guns at the Polish Championship 2016, Part 2 (middlegame, strategy)
Overall, the following game is a masterful positional game by the rising star Wojtaszek. Black took chances playing very aggressively with the plan of Re8, Bf8 and later the very risky Nh5 idea. Black missed some tactical opportunities, and that is the problem, because as a human it is difficult to play sharp positions perfectly. Although perhaps somewhat lucky black missed his chances; Wojtaszek played strategically throughout. White created a powerful passed pawn on the queenside and balanced this with defensive moves on the other flank. The stronger player comes out on top as black’s counterplay never materialized
Wednesday, June 15 IM David Vigorito Upending a Strong GM in the Midst of Bad Tournament (middlegame)
In the middle of an awful tournament, I manage to beat a strong grandmaster. I had a pessimistic attitude during the game, but if you try hard and calculate, upsets are always possible.
Thursday, June 16 GM Leonid Kritz A Duel Between Two World Champions (endgame, tactics)
A very good game played by Hou Yifan against the world’s strongest chess player! Even though she lost, the position was equal almost until very end. All Hou needed was to keep the queens on board and not to enter this “drawn” pawn endgame that turned out to be lost. This game showed once again, by the way, that there is no real weapon against the Petroff Defense today. Carlsen choose the unambitious line 5.Nc3 and did not get any advantage after the opening. All Black needed was to keep concentration until the end, which Hou unfortunately did not do. But maybe next time..
Friday, June 17 GM Bryan Smith A Repetoire Against the Pirc With 4.Be3, Part2 (openings)
In the second part of his series on meeting the Pirc with 4.Be3, GM Smith shows how to meet 4…c6 with the sneaky move 5.h3