Friends,
I am beyond excited to make a big announcement!
My dream is to share passion for chess with more people, so I am now launching group lessons, lectures, and more!
See more at
Use the coupon “chesspunks10” for next 2 lectures!”
#chesspunks
I have tremendous respect for Vasif and a ton of his opinions, but I strongly disagree with this one.
Freedom of speech, at least in the US, means there are no consequences from the government for your speech.
It doesn't mean you get to walk into someone's house and say what
Kramnik's accusations were mostly incorrect, and he was not qualified to conduct his statistical analysis.
However, I don’t believe his account should have been muted. It's not up to corporations to dictate which voices are heard, even if we disagree with their arguments.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CALCULATION AND BE DELIBERATE ABOUT IMPROVEMENT
In this post, I'd like to cover how to be more detailed and goal-oriented while working on your calculation.
Often, you are not deliberate because you never defined your exact goal.
If you ask most chess
After publishing 4 courses in 2020, and none in 2021, I am happy to announce that the project that took over a year, a full 1.Nf3-based repertoire with more model games and pawn structures coverage than any other repertoire, as well as less theory, is coming out this Monday!!
HOW TO APPROACH PICKING CHESS OPENINGS AS A BEGINNER/CLUB PLAYER
Without a doubt, this is one of the most discussed topics. There are many courses, books, articles, engine evaluations, and novelties. But that's not the point of this post!
You can divide openings into a few
A quick note for club players on "drawn positions".
One thing I keep hearing from my individual students, as well as students of my Chessable courses, is the complaint that "some positions are too drawish".
I would like to address that and put some of you guys at ease.
Now,
Jon Ludvig has a lot of interesting opinions, but I strongly disagree with this one.
For example, take evaluation. Engine shows 0.00. What does that mean?
1. The position is equal, but complicated (say, a complex Sicilian);
2. The position is simple equality (a boring drawn
I'm seeing a lot of people wanting broadcasts without engines. For a niche market (ex.
@chessdojo
), I think it's fine - but the big broadcasts should always use engine assistance imo:
My take on the last round:
Fabi or Naka winning (including the title) will be best for chess.
Gukesh - decent impact.
Nepo - terrible.
So, I am rooting for my American players!
ABOUT CHESS KNOWLEDGE AND THE FEELING OF MAKING PROGRESS
A lot of my students have the exact same problem. They subconsciously want to feel like they studied a lot since that creates a feeling of "feeling good" and knowing "a big rating jump is right around the corner".
ABOUT IMPROVING YOUR STRATEGIC UNDERSTANDING AND WHY NUANCES MATTER
One problem I notice all the time with the club level players is that they tend to observe some pattern/idea, and then immediately slap an assessment on it.
X? That's a good thing!
Y? That's a bad thing!
Some
@chess24com
It's no longer either possible or needed to understand if he is a pathological liar or a delusional propaganda-driven idiot, or both. In either case, supporting the war so blatantly and shamelessly should get him banned from everything chess-related forever. This has to end.
Hell, yes! I got my final IM norm. All the games have been so interesting and fighting, the last one was a total mess Now, my live rating is 2398, gotta work a bit more :) Thanks everyone for your endless support!!
ABOUT THE USE OF CHESS BOOKS AND HOW SOME GREAT AUTHORS AREN'T WELL-KNOWN
Today, a fan of my Chessable courses reached out asking if I know good sources on a certain Sicilian and it awakened a pretty funny memory.
I would love to write a course about it, and in the meantime, I
ABOUT CALCULATION PROBLEMS
I have noticed that there's a very common issue with calculation, especially among the players who are in the beginning of their improvement journey.
A lot of you guys firmly believe that your two main problems are visualization and ability to see
Elaborating more on Duda refusing to shake hands with Khismatullin:
1) In theory, sports and chess should involve handshakes. However, that's because it's assumed you compete with athletes.
What happens if you need to compete with someone supporting the genocide of your
1/Hi
#chesspunks
, a small initiative here. I am going to offer five hours of FREE lessons to people who show their interest. One condition: I would like you to donate ANY amount to ANY chess charity you choose. Can be a local club, buying chess sets, paying some kid's entry fee.
ABOUT THE CONNECTION OF MIDDLEGAME AND ENDGAME, ONE OF FAVORITE PAWN STRUCTURES, THE IMPORTANCE OF PAWN STRUCTURES OVERALL AND WHY STRUCTURES ARE LIKE A LANGUAGE
The chess fans who study my
@Chessable
courses have undoubtedly noticed how much time I devote to the pawn
WHY NON-OPTIMAL WAYS TO IMPROVE ARE SOMETIMES OPTIMAL AND HOW TO AVOID BURNOUTS IN CHESS
In hindsight, when I started coaching 8 years ago, I was a pretty good coach. Passionate, knowledgeable, hardworking. But there was one really important piece missing. I couldn’t give it to
Nonsense.
World Champion and world’s best player can be two different people. But Ding Liren is the legitimate world champion. To say otherwise is to laugh at the cycle as well as Women’s, Junior Champions, etc. None of those are strongest players, but all are world champions!
One of my students, rated 1720 FIDE and 1990 USCF, has been trying to break 2000 for a while. Yesterday he beat a 2000-FIDE player, and today...a 2274! a 550 points higher-rated opponent! Insane! I am so proud of him! More details to come when the tournament ends :)
How to deal with time trouble in chess?
Time trouble is a massive issue that ruins so many amazing positions. Some players are very repeat offenders and it's costing them endless rating points, norms, and prizes!
A few things to discuss:
1) Budget! Just like you would budget
Why do club players struggle converting their advantage?
Had a lesson with one of my favorite students today. A brilliant kid, super smart, very passionate about chess, very diligent.
He got to the position on the diagram below.
Black is a pawn up, White's king isn't great,
Here’s the thing about FIDE, rules and lack of such.
In my experience, people might like or not like all kinds of rules. Dress code, handshakes, flags, disqualifications, rating calculations, norms, access to amenities - you name it.
But generally, most people would be
My 10th
@chessable
course is out!
There is not a single other course that offers a complete Black repertoire against every single attempt White can throw at you in just 100 trainable lines!
To write 10 courses took thousands of hours. Dozens of mistakes, learning
Cannot believe this is happening! For the first time in two years(!), I am going to play an OTB event - a blitz one, but still, at
@BoylstonChess
. Losing less than 50 rating points would be a success!
Andy posts a lot of great things. But I firmly disagree with this opinion.
Here’s why.
1. Opportunity cost.
Accomplishments have cost. Time/effort or money, you’re still paying.
Say it takes me 3,000 hours to get fluent in Spanish on my own, or 1,500 hours with a tutor,
Never spend money on chess.
Aren't the Courses Great? - They're Amazing.
Don't you learn a lot from courses? - Of Course.
But are there not a million free tutorials out there enough to get 1800+? Yes.
(PS: can't wait for the comments on this post)
About the feeling of "getting value" and "scarcity" in chess training
In this post, I'd like to address the topic that I see a lot of people struggle with.
We are surrounded by so much information these days, and when you want to get better at X, often it seems like processing
Big learning hack most of you ignore:
After every lesson, there should be a verbal conclusion.
“In this game, White lost because he never solved the problem of his bishop.”
You should have a verbal logical takeaway or else you didn’t learn anything!
Try making yourself
A lot of chess improvers see the value of private lessons only in learning new things from a coach.
1 hour of instruction = 1 hour of learning new stuff.
The reality is, when done right, 1 hour of instruction = setting you up for spending 10-20 hours on your own correctly!
One of the biggest mistakes learners make (not just in chess) is overestimating their knowledge of basic principles you build further knowledge upon.
I regularly come across situations when a 2000 rated player doesn’t know something simple known by most 1400 players.
And that’s
The FIDE election is an embarrassment.
It’s not about a Ukrainian candidate. Why do small federations with no rated players have one vote, like huge countries?
Why did so many Western(!), presumably “non-corrupt” countries vote for a high Russian government ex-official?
WTF?
/1
I recommend just taking their money.
I mean, rating points.
The thing is, many players feel like 1.a4 or 1…g5 is a “slap in their face”.
The way I recommend my students approach it: your chances just went from scoring 50% to scoring 80%! Great for you!
Just recorded a podcast with
@64Podcast
this morning. We talked about the current situation in Ukraine, and at the end some chess, too. I really appreciate everyone in the chess community for their contributions to all the good causes and the Ukrainian army! 🇺🇦
Finally a good move by a FIDE arbiter. A really good one.
Games like Dubov-Nepo show chess in a terrible light, are very unprofessional, and this behavior shouldn't be tolerated.
If anything should be fined, it's not sneakers but this. Start at $10K per player and use this
My latest
@Chessable
course "The Dynamic Italian" is out. It has all anyone needs: the fun Evans Gambit backed up by latest engines, top-notch 3...Nf6 4.Ng5 theory and a chapter for beginners. And a bit of Ukrainian charm :) Grab it now on sale!
@monthlyworm
First of all, he is not just a Russian player. He is someone who openly supports killing Ukrainians.
Secondly, Israel, just like Ukraine, is defending itself from terrorists who want it to stop existing.
God bless the state of Israel, and Jews all over the world who are
Very pleased to announce my first course with
@chesscom
is out, check it out at ! As the World Championship is about to start, I've hand-picked my top 5 positional games from the World Championships of the past, hope you enjoy the strategic themes covered!
The World Championship has been super fun to watch!
Cannot stand this crap “the winner won’t be seen as WcH”. Carlsen made his choice. Look at all youth Europe and World events - strongest kids never play, so what?
World Champion doesn’t need to = strongest player!
One thing a lot of chess improvers (and people studying everything else) get wrong is not trying to maximize their time.
"Will this book help me?" is the question they ask. Really, there's a 90% chance anything will "help.
The better question to ask is "Is this what I need the
First reviews of my latest
@chessable
course coming in.
This gentleman is 2040 FIDE, which is of course a very strong player. In just a few hours of studying, he felt very comfortable with my suggested QGD for Black and did great versus 2300-2500 chess com competition!
All
There is a very powerful way of learning many people ignore. What is it called? Storytelling. You are likely to not forget the concept if there's a story attached to it!
In my latest course, I include two model games that I remember so well because of the story I learned
Massive congratulations to my student Anthony Lapsley on sharing 1st at the Las Vegas National Open U1500! 109 participants; 6/7 without losses. His passion for chess and work ethic is incredible. P.S. a shoutout to all improvers - hard work DOES pay off!
The amazing
@chessable
team and I have been working hard to release the new course - the Simplified Black Repertoire.
It'll come out soon, and in the meantime, here's a little exercise. What would you suggest Black should do and why?
#chesspunks
The situation with the World Championship cycle is extremely disappointing.
While it’s never obvious what’s the best solution, it’s obvious there are many loopholes and possible awkward situations that needed to be taken care of and addressed a long time ago.
For example,
The observation here is correct.
But one note I'd make is that this isn't really "modern chess" in a sense the author likely means :)
What he means is that in the last decade, pushing the h and a-pawns became super common in so many positions where people never did it before.
I find it so interesting that in many Advance French positions, the idea of h4-h5 is THAT strong
For example 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Ne7 5.Nf3 Nec6 6.Bd3 b6
Best is 6.h4! which gives white almost +1 compared to 6.0-0 which leads to approximate equality
✨Modern chess✨
This is a true labor of love! 195 000 words, 30 model games, 35 examples of typical pawn structures, plans, and ideas. A course that you would love! Now go give it a shot :)
**NEW RELEASE**
Understand and conquer the Sicilian, French, and Caro-Kann with Part 2 of Lifetime Repertoires:
@KrykunYuriy
's 1.e4 - out now on Chessable!
How to increase your rating fast and without effort?
Clickbait? There's no winning without effort!
But, here's the lowest-hanging fruit:
Sleep well;
Play focused and rested;
No distractions;
Discipline - don't lose 10 in a row, stop.
And you're unstoppable!
#chesspunks
What an incredible game today. This World Championship has been very thrilling so far, it's a bummer many people only care about the entertaining decisive games and fail to appreciate the depth of world's very best chess, as well as the fact it's the pinnacle of players' careers!
@Nickvisel
Super interesting, but a bit surprising too.
I would be surprised if a 2300-rated player could beat a 2700 once in a hundred games OTB (of course, ignoring the "the opponent doesn't remember what happened) part.
Simplified Black Repertoire
@chessable
- Post 1
I haven't published a new course in a while. But I wasn't procrastinating!
I have been working on 3(!) new courses. And one of them is ready - others are almost ready too!
It's a full repertoire for Black based on QGD and Scandi.
HOW TO SEE IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE POSITION WELL IN A MINUTE?
Here is a very simple piece of advice/rule of thumb to help you understand what to work on next.
Look at many normal, balanced positions from your repertoire.
Divide them in the following categories:
1) Hell yes! I
Looks like Hikaru followed my
@chessable
course to beat Fabi today.
Is it a good thing because the lines are so great, or a bad thing because the course wasn’t given credit? :)
@kamrynheidi
Depends on a specific player in question, but really, everything.
Just think about it - a 2200 scores 90% versus 1800. 9/10 just to maintain their rating - 8 wins and 2 draws at all times.
That's a massive gap.
@nova_chess_guy
That’s a great question and I explain this in my French course on
@chessable
White will be able to access the c3-square with his knight. That is very useful, since he can reinforce the d4-pawn with Ne2, or Na4!, kicking the queen out from b6 and killing Black’s counterplay
Was very honoured to be on
@Bennyficial1
's amazing Perpetual Chess Podcast yesterday. The interview should could out in some 10 days, it's been a very interesting conversation! Hope to catch up sometime soon again.
Lichess removed all coaching reviews.
This is incredibly unfortunate. If there were people who abused them somehow, that’s wrong and should be punished, but now, it’s harder for the established teachers to stand out…
@lichess
, you are so great. Any better solutions?
Here is how we are learning chess at
@chessable
with my latest course. Black abandoned his kingside and now Qg4! will hurt him a lot. But if White's knight had already been on f3, Black's kingside would have been safe!
Understanding subtle nuances and ideas is how you get better!
@natesolon
Playing OTB is just a different world.
You commit. You sacrifice time, money, effort. You care a lot more!
So you improve MUCH faster than with meaningless online games.
I think a lot of people just enjoy their comfort zone! Plus, for adults, it’s often hard to make time.
Biggest mistake a lot of chess improvers make?
Burn out. “I will study 6 hours a day” > “I don’t feel progress and am frustrated” in 3 weeks.
Don’t start something that’s unsustainable. Slower but steady approach always wins. And is more fun.
#chesspunks
#chess
#lichess
Starting to teach 4 of the Chesspunks’ finalists event this week!
4 people, 4 lessons with each. Cannot wait to enjoy seeing what they are capable of!
#chesspunks
#chessable
#chess
Super excited to announce now Chesskid is available in Ukrainian, too! Thanks to
@chesscom
@ChessKidcom
and Anna Muzychuk it became possible. I am glad to have been able to translate the captions, and Anna presented the videos - more coming soon! /1
Reminder to all chess improvers: events like World Championship provide tremendous unmatched entertainment value, but for club players, zero to NEGATIVE improvement value.
Work on the regular things you need if the goal is improving your chess!
#chesspunks
@Chessidharta
You live in era with infinite opportunities to make money with chess. As a top GM you can teach, write, and make a lot of money. Instead you choose to take bloody war money, and when confronted, resort to whataboutism?
Neal always asks good questions.
"Opening" is a bit broad.
For example, in the Exchange Caro-Kann for White, 3 to 6 games is enough depending on their level.
In the Sicilian for Black? Oh boy.
I would say your entire repertoire for White and Black combined needs 20-30 model
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Happy New Year to everyone! This is a great time to relax, spend time with your loved ones, and also reflect on the passing year, and make plans for the upcoming one.
With that in mind, I can't help but write about chess improvement
@Chessidharta
Being a Ukrainian IM, I think I am not random to talk about Ukraine. Being a coach and author, I also know a bit about making money in chess.
Sanctioned or not, how about seeing thousands of civilians killed by russia, seeing Kajrakin support it and not playing? You starving?
@Chessentials_
A very effort-consuming, but the most useful advice I know of (that helped me get the decisive boost to IM):
take positions +1 to +2, find a training partner. Try to convert, then analyze together. Switch colors, try to defend. Repeat 5-6 times, you play this position perfectly.
Today is Ukraine’s Independence Day.
I have never been as proud of my homeland as I am now. My country and my people are suffering. Endlessly. We are defending ourselves and the whole world from true evil.
And I know we will win. Happy birthday, my homeland!
On improvement and maximizing your effort
The one big problem I see with chess improvement is that many people think “Will doing X help me?” as opposed to a much more productive thought “What’s my biggest problem right now and how do I solve it?”.
Time is limited! No matter if
@Bennyficial1
@NewInChess
You might or might not be aware, but you yourself are a giant and a trailblazer...of the chess podcasting.
Congratulations, great job! :) Totally deserved.
@natesolon
I had already explained why French is brilliant.
3.Nc3? Blocks the c-pawn. 3.Nd2? Blocks the queenside pieces. 3.Bd3? results in a huge waste of time. 3.e5? takes too much space and creates a loose position. 3.exd5 exd5 is a zugzwang.
Delighted to share a few pieces of news!
1)I finished filming the Italian course for Chessable. Cannot wait to see it out!
2)My 1.e4 e5 Black repertoire book with Thinkers is out!
3)I am back in the US!
4)About to start filming free instructive YouTube content, join my channel :)
For strong (1800+ FIDE) players: I just found out a new book "Rock Solid Chess" by Tiviakov came out. Read the preview and ordered it. Looks like a gem. I would be testing it out with my stronger students and hope chess Twitter shares their opinions too!
@gmjlh
Absolutely.
You are a better player than me. But I think everyone has a very hard time addressing bias.
White sacrifices a piece. Is he winning or was it unsound? If I know it's -4 now, I might still think "scary", but it's harder to justify his reasoning, etc. Don't you think
1/ Not the first day I notice this, but it’s very disappointing how polarized the US became. Today Biden visited Ukraine and half comments on Twitter about this say “stay there”, “traitor”, etc. It seems hating the other party means more to many people than caring what’s right.
My latest passion! The French is a very underrated opening - and one club players can use to confuse the opponents and get them out of book very fast. And, of course, it is second to none when it comes to teaching you about the pawn chains and ideas in closed positions! Enjoy!
The Unexplored French Defense is out!
@KrykunYuriy
's latest course covers some unique & unusual setups in the French, with a heavy focus on plans & ideas.
Out & on sale now:
@PHChess
I played so many National Youth Championships at that Kherson club. Now the poor city residents are shelled and tortured.
So many countries, federations, players are shamefully quiet about the terrorist state of Russia. Disgusting.
Thanks for your honest and brave stand, Peter!
These are the photos of my alma mater in Kyiv. The very center of the capital today. Dozens of people wounded, harmed, and dead. All over our country. The terrorist state needs to be isolated, disarmed and put to its knees.
@SmilingPawn
I do not own , therefore I don’t need to know all the rules. Probably you will find the answer in Terms and Conditions,
But my guess would be making public accusations and ruining people’s reputation.
Funny you say that. I was so hopeful to get my first IM norm, came close...then had a horrible tournament and lost 50(!) rating points. Next one? Zero expectations, upset with myself, 7/9 and the first norm!
A specific example to supplement yesterday's post.
When I would prepare for blitz tournaments, I'd often solve puzzles meant for someone 500-600 rating points weaker than me.
For example, as a 2400, I'd solve 1800-rated puzzles. But a lot of them! Say, 100 in an hour?
How does the chess world ever hope to grow by being so dependent on dirty money?
How are these countries not ashamed of voting for a person who can be under sanctions? Why can someone from a terrorist-acting state even run?
Why did Dvorkovich not step down? Oh well. Disgusting.