Monday, May 29 IM Valeri Lilov Punishing a Bad Opening (opening, middlegame)
What do you do when your opponent plays a bad opening? Most players try to punish him right away with some early and unprepared attacks, while others rely on a simple approach to finish their development faster. The best approach stands somewhere in the middle. Let Valeri Lilov teach you more in this lecture.
Tuesay, May 30 IM Bill Paschall Lecture Learning from My Losses 2017, Part 2 (middlegame, strategy)
One of the most important ways to improve at chess is to analyze your own games, and perhaps one’s losses are the most instructive of all. IM Paschall takes a deep look at a game he lost in a recent event. In this video not only moves and ideas, but psychological factors are considered as well.
Wednesday, May 31 FM Dennis Monokroussos A Finesse for Black in the London System (strategy, tactics)
I’ve covered the London System in a number of shows, and in most of them I’ve shown neat finesses that White has used to cause Black some problems. In this video it’s Black who gets the helping hand, thanks to Levon Aronian. Black’s 6th move looks docile at first sight, but it is motivated by a couple of subtle ideas that appear to give Black full equality. In this variation, the ball is back in White’s court.
Thursday, June 1 GM Leonid Kritz A Crazy Najdorf (tactics)
This is a very interesting game in the Najdorf Variation. White chose a line with h3 and seemed to have lost a move time in a very sharp position. However, after 16.b4!?!?! the game gets totally out of control and we witness fire on the board, with many mistakes on both sides – a game in which the winner is the one who does not make the last mistake.
Friday, June 2 GM Bryan Smith Beating the Alekhine Defense, Part 2 – The Old Main Line (tactics)
In Part 2 of his series on the Alekhine Defense, Bryan Smith shows how to meet the old main line, 4…Bg4 followed by 5…e6.