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“What should I play today” is one of the most common questions among chess players.  Even if you have a clear repertoire, it always happens to find that one opponent who plays exactly the line you feel most uncomfortable with.

It would be ideal to be prepared for this kind of situation and have a back-up plan – an opening that you can play from time to time and take your opponent on your own ground. An opening that can bring the element of surprise at the board and get you on comfortable grounds.

Studying the pawn structures and understanding the typical plans in each one of them is one important step to improving your chess level.

It will help you find the best plans in the position easier, you will already know where the pieces go, what you should be looking for, what to avoid and what your opponent usually wants to do. This will, first of all, save you time on the clock, but will also give you a certain trust in the position and in the moves you are about to play.

The concept of weakness is the most basic part of positional chess. Weak squares and weak pawns are ideas that you must juggle with throughout the whole game. The choice of a correct plan is most of the time based on correctly identifying targets of attack in the opponent’s position.

One of the most important steps for a chess player is deciding on a reliable repertoire that will become their trusted weapon in future games. There are so many things to address – where to start, how do I know which opening is best and most suitable for me?

Also, do you want a solid opening choice or do you want an immediate open, aggressive game? All these questions play an important part in the selection process and you’ll need to answer them objectively.

The Tarrasch Defense is one of the most ambitious replies to white’s 1.d4 and usually arises after the moves 1.d4-d5 2.c4-e6 3.Nc3-c5, although the same set-up can be ultimately achieved from other move orders.

Black is fighting for the initiative right from the start by occupying the center, gaining space and harmoniously developing his pieces. It often results in positions with an isolated pawn, but its inventor, Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch, believed that the mobility black obtains in this opening is more than enough to compensate for it and achieve favorable positions.

Are you familiar with general endgame concepts, but don’t know where to take it from here? That’s where many club players are at, not knowing… what’s next?

You are in luck because GM Jacek Stopa is talking ‘advanced endgame concepts’. All those concepts are extremely useful for practical players, and you’ll definitely learn something new for yourself, improving your endgame understanding throughout the course.

Sacrifices are usually known as the main tactical mean of getting an immediate advantage. The concept is clear – you momentarily sacrifice material in order to get bigger gains or deliver mate a few moves later. Except for the intuitive sacrifices that usually give great initiative and a strong attack, sacrifices can usually be calculated almost until the end. 

In this course for intermediate and advanced players, GM Jacek Stopa will deep dive into some of the most important Rook Endgames.

Rook endgames are some of the most common and complex type of endings in chess. If you master Rook Endgames, not only your overall level will improve, but you will also feel a lot more confident converting and defending these endings in your games.

Chess studies and mating problems are composed of positions – they have been made up and have not actually happened in a game, as most puzzles – where you will need to discover the only way for white (usually) to win or make a draw.

It is always intriguing following the games of players like Petrosian and Topalov. They are well known for precise positional exchange sacrifice and a superb understanding of material imbalances.

At the same time, ‘Material Imbalances’ is a difficult topic to grasp for most 1600-2000 rated-s.