Standard Chess

The Sicilian line at issue in this game - 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 followed by 3.Bc4 - is often seen in online play. This line is not at all dangerous for Black, but the second player should have a general setup in mind in order to combat it. For me, it's ...e7-e6, ...Ng8-f6, ...Bf8-e7 and an eventual ...d6-d5, breaking in the center!

[@tomerschwimmer9015]

Thanks John for your videos! they are so instructive, perhaps one day I'll be able to implement some of it to my games and stop blundering every other move :)

[@Alpha1Bravo1Charlie1]

John your videos and your explanations are fantastic. Even when I'm busy and I can't pay full attention to the video, I just let it run in the background because I find your analysis interesting and your voice soothing. Thanks for the hard work.

[@kellmano1]

Excellent stuff as always.On the time management I think you underestimate how exceptionally good you are at playing quickly. If ratings roughly transfer between 15 minute and 5 minute this guy is about as good as me, but at our level a 10-3 lead in time (say) is well worth a couple of pawns in a position that is fairly tactical.

[@afghanrebel]

bishop c4 because we are all magnus carlsen

[@SyncChrome]

+Afghanrebel Doesn't Carlsen play bb5+?

[@hungiayera5552]

Move 28, I would have played axb5 and after RxNb3 29. bxa6 and see if I could promote the pawn but if black takes pawn on move 28, just Resign.

[@jasonrawls6959]

Speaking of pawn breaks, how do you decide when and where to play them? Its a confusing subject for me because its often said that pawn moves can weaken your position.

[@circleviii1801]

+Jason Rawls That's an almost impossible question to answer simply but if you see a benefit to a certain pawn break (such as having the bishop pair vs. knight pair in a closed position, you will want to simply "open" the position) then you want to play it... sometimes they are obvious, eg; you want to break wherever there may be a pin. Sometimes they are much less obvious. There are no simple answers in chess... almost everything is double-edged but good players always look to gain more 'value' than they give away with each move... this idea of value will be strengthened with experience and study.

[@chrislaguna8390]

Came for the chess but left with "ensconced" in my vocabulary. (16:27)