Lectures on Strategy from GM Ben Finegold

Finegold-lectures are probably the best on the internet. Not that Finegold only is a grandmaster in comparison to others he also has a very good understanding of how to teach it to people.

Here is one of his great lectures on a positional sacrifice.


 However, we need a more systematic listening of what he offers. I am particularly interessted into his strategic ideas.

Calrsen agains Kamspky
Queensgambit, declined, block an attack and defend well
Value 8/10 Understandability: 9/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbLZAqvMIj4

Strategic Ideas, keep the center closed against strong bishop
Tactical Ideas: Overloaded Queen, Moreover some ideas about RookEndgames
Value:7/10 Understandability: 9/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du3PwgeKBRM

Strategic ideas for Sicilian, and accepted QueensGambit
Value 6/10 Understandability: 8/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQQkBdNOROc

Basic Pawn Endgames
A little too rudimentary, however, for beginners well done
Value: Depends Understandability: 9/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnrMMktlpJo


The U.S. at the world cup
Value 3/10
Strategic Ideas for  Tactics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iELWZ2_rXc

Tactic Analysis, The only Move,
Value: 3/10
only tactical variations, but funny as always
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXEse9IIjwI

The games of Paul Morphy
Value 3/10
only tactical variations, interessting though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbRkqqawcTo

How to create an attack
Value 5/10
Tells some strategical ideas that can be used for attacks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iELWZ2_rXc

Blocked Center positions
Value 5/10
Does not really give you strategical ideas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=049NnoR1LGE


To be continued

First game of Boring Chess - Anand vs. Carlsen

The first game between Carlson and Anand has happened 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 c6 5. O-O Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bf5 8. c4 Nbd7 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. bxc4 Nb6 11. c5 Nc4 12. Bc1 Nd5 13. Qb3 Na5 14. Qa3 Nc4 15. Qb3 Na5 16. Qa3 Nc4 1/2-1/2

So the first game was a very boring game. The rule is: Safety first. Maybe it was just about testing the opponent? Kasparov once noted that Anand is a boring player, I am not good enough to decide this. Here is a grandmaster analysis, but he did not have to analyze very much.
 

So we did not learn very much. Maybe that the queen should not take on b7 as always?

Norman Schultz

How to deal with fianchettoed bishops and a general lesson about BAD bishops

Perhaps there are no general rules in chess, since the truth of chess is its completeness of possible moves that lead necessarily to a win. It is unclear whether there is a rule that applies to all possibilities of winning. There might be more exceptions than rules if we discover the real chess.

However, the only way we can understand chess is by understanding rules, even though the final godlike version of rules might obey to the particularity of the game instead of our generalized way of thinking. Since our cognition has to work with regard to rules (which is the way concepts are structured), we have to focus on rules if we want to learn something (one could also call this pattern recognition, however, how can a pattern be understood if not by rules?).

In the following lesson the grandmaster Smirnov presents how we can evaluate the strength of bishops. This is related to the pawn structure and what we usually know as the "Bad Bishop". Usually a black bishop controls the same fields as the pawnchain which tremendously limits the scope of its action. See the examples in the following lesson: Difficulty 2/10 Information value 8/10
  
Moreover, here is another very instructive example from GM Smirnov. The most common mistake to him is to make immediately possible exchanges. Patience pays of. In his instructive examples it is actually possible to gain positional advantages merely by waiting.
Difficulty 2/10 Informationvalue 9/10
 
Please comment and give hints to common grammatical mistakes I make and how to provide better information.

Norman Schultz

What you should not do in a game

I do not see any lectures on the internet that are that clear as the lectures of Igor Smirnov. Most important he teaches strategy and I do not see that any other grandmaster teaches that well. Here he teaches you mistakes that are commonly done.

1) you should not spend so much time on tactical puzzles (it should be only a secondary part of your studies), instead you should invest your time into critical thinking, since chess is still a thinking game

So Smirnov interesstingly enough teaches you Thinking

2) Analysis of GM games is a mistake is insufficient, however, what do you get out, when somebody analyses a game?

3) Obscure theories, instead of focusing on 1000 rules you should focus on less rules. Less are better, because you can make better desicions.



 Unfortunetly Smirnovs books are really expensive, since I think these are probably the best lessons we can learn.

Why chess is intrinsically a strategical game and how you play against tactical players

Here is another great Video of the GM Smirnov who teaches you how to win:

He provides the analysis of a typical chess player, who plays according to two basic characteristics

1) an Attack
2) Tactical Tricks

The question Smirnov asks is: How to beat this player? His idea is simple: Take away all what they can attack. So they will have no tactical ideas, they do not know what to do, and you will win by strategy.

This works, since chess is intrinsically a strategical game. Of course you must always keep an eye open for tactical possibilities, but the goal is to learn how to outplay any opponent by strategy.

To demonstrate you this skill, Smirnov will analyze this with regard to a grandmaster game, while out of a Kings-Indian attack Black makes serveral mistakes.
Game: Value: 7/10, Difficulty 3/10
 

Grandmaster smashes some lower rated players - Sicilian Wing Gambit, Caro Kahn

The first game is certainly interessting, because you see how the grandmaster evaluates the endgame and pushes a pawn through by building up an advanced pawn position without great calculation. The second game is a caro-Kahn variation with severe positional considerations on defense. However it is less instructive since he loses on time.

4 principles of chess - Horrible English, valuable Chess lessons

Besides the horrible English, these might actually be the most valuable chess lessons on Youtube. It is not like in other youtubevideos that it is endless talk, and an endless presentation of moves (and I know my English is also akward). These are the insights of a grandmaster who leads you quickly to the important moments of a game. This video asks general questions about the game:

1. How long do you have for a move in a single game? (Such questions should be asked)
2. When do you think longer?
four principles
a) In the opening you should play quickly, develope pieces quickly
b) At the end of the opening you should develope a concrete plan - This means that you save time for later moves

There are some examples provided

c) Variations should be calculated in tactical positions, in strategic positions you should think generally
d) When is it time to calculate: When there is contact to the pieces of your opponent, or when you plan to make such a contact.

Kasparov (Championship for players under 18 (Kasparov at the age of 13)

Includes some tactical tricks, I don't know whether you learn any strategy from this. It shows how you can built a mating net.

Understandability: 8
Informationvalue: 2