Openings
The French is among the most popular defenses against 1.e4 and for a good reason. It is a very solid choice, but at the same time quite aggressive. Black’s counterplay on either wing (this depends on the specific variation) offers him an opportunity to unbalance the game and take white into a very sharp and double-edged battle right from the very first moves.
For most of the 1.d4 players, the Nimzo-Indian defense is one of the toughest defenses to get an advantage when playing against. It is a defense that has remained a solid, flexible, and active weapon throughout the years, surviving the test of openings trends every time. Many grandmasters consider this defense the best choice against 1.d4 because of its strategic foundations.
The Benko gambit (also called the Volga gambit) is one of the most popular choices against 1.d4 in modern practice. It gives the second player the opportunity of setting up a strategic battle mixed with tactical elements that turns out to be successful very often. Although this opening never became a main weapon at the highest level, top players like Veselin Topalov, Alexei Shirov, Michael Adams, and Evgeny Bareev employed it quite often, producing very exciting and double-edged games.
In today’s article WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos conclude the detailed discussion of Sicilian Najdorf. We will focus on the most common middlegame structures that arise in the Sicilian Defense. In order to be proficient in this opening and be able to play it on a high level, you need to be familiar with these structures.
Today WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos continue their discussion on beating the Najdorf Sicilian for white. Previously, we have looked at 10…Nbd7 variation. This time we are focusing on what happens if black responds with 10…b5.
In today’s lesson, WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos will take a look at one of the most common Black’s responses after 1. e4 – 1…c4. The opening will be looked at from the white’s perspective, featuring the most common and successful plans in defeating the Najdorf without playing sharp variations and risking losing the game.
In today’s article, WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos will teach you the fundamentals of the King’s Indian Defense, one of the most popular opening systems played against 1.d4 on virtually all levels from novice players to Super Grandmasters. We will primarily focus on one of the most solid lines that white has: the fianchetto variation (with g3). Let’s begin!
Today we will talk about the most common opening mistakes that many chess players around the globe are making subconsciously, without realizing that they are doing something wrong. These mistakes are easy to spot and fix, but you need to know what to look for. Here they are:
Many chess players have a wrong idea about opening preparation, how it should be done and what you should expect from a good opening repertoire. They think that by memorizing a few lines in some opening they would be able to win game after game easily.
They think that the cause of all their failures is the opening preparation, when in fact it is their tactical vision (or lack of it). However, on the higher level opening starts playing a much more important role. In fact, on Grandmaster’s level, it often becomes the most important part of the game.
There are three most important factors in chess that every player needs to take into account. These are material, space, and time. Most chess players know what the material is: pieces and pawns. Each of the pieces has a relative pawn value that can be assigned to it. For example, a minor piece is equal to 3 pawns, while a pawn is equal to roughly 3 tempos. That means if you sacrifice a pawn without any material gain, you better get at least three tempos ahead.
