*proceeds to perform 20 consecutive pre-moves while predicting and responding perfectly the opponent's delaying checking moves, mating the opponent as a result* Yup, plenty of time left.
khattab if he didn’t deserve to be an IM, he wouldn’t be an IM. But he is, soo... 😁 also, keep in mind he’s making a video while playing so he’s multi-tasking.
So good at time management. Never a sweat. Still talking when your clock is under 30s and your opponent has 2.5 minutes. I'm just screaming at TH-cam; the clock John, THE CLOCK!
This is the most helpful series I've ever watched! John, you have contagiousness when explaining things in such a clear way, giving us clarity. I have certainly improved as a chess player and so far I have gone up from 650 to 900 ELO in just a week! I will make sure to devour the rest of your videos in climbing up the ladder.
Thanks a lot for watching - I'm really pleased these videos have helped you!! Best wishes for your chess improvement - you've already made a lot of progress :)
@@dabulls1g Canadians don't all have a "canadian accent", and there are many regional accents. Central Canadian here (right above Minnesota) and I'd say everyone in a culture similar to John's (e.g. not ) in western/central canada basically sounds like John (i.e. excluding indigenous, etc). Further east in Canada is where you'll get more regionally based accents
Just starting chess, these videos have been the most helpful thing ever! Don’t know if you can see this comment John. But you’ve been amazing and the videos have been a real and true learning experience
I have skimmed through ton of channels and this series has been the most helping. Thanks a ton. Not because you know a lot of chess. But because you give the right lessons and predict well where amateurs must feel lost. That is a good teacher. These lessons have been invaluable. God bless you man.
It's 2 am here so I won't be able to watch this until tomorrow, but I'm so excited to see this video! The Chess Fundamentals and Climbing the Rating Ladder series have been so helpful and instructive. Thanks John!
John, it's time to add another video to this awesome series!!! How about a video on "creating a plan"? Or, "knowing the key moment in a game"? "Creating weaknesses on enemy camp"? You are an awesome teacher! Thank you, for all you do. Also, thank you for CHESSABLE! I never had the patience to read through chess books. You found an amazing solution for it!
Super greatful for this in-depth look at when trades are good and when they aren't. I also really liked this note: "When down material, you usually have to play dynamically. Try to seize the initative. Otherwise you're just a sitting duck. Your opponents gonna gradually convert the material." Glad I finally finished your fundamentals course, so I can start trying to chew through the concepts one main focus point at a time, and hopefully turn them into long-term habits. Now then, *cough*, back to getting salty when I realize I'm still a human who is gonna overlook stuff often.
John, like many others have said before me, you are an incredibly talented teacher. If there were ELO points for teaching, you'd truly be in a league of your own. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thank you so much for this series. Incredibly useful for a beginner like myself - i'm having so much more fun now playing. And I have without a doubt gotten better and a overall better understanding of the game. I've never commented on youtube before, but a heartfelt thank you was definitely in place.
There us just something about the way that you teach. Plenty of people can play talented chess but being able to also give that information to another person is rare. Out of all the chess resources on youtube, this is the only person I will share to others when they are wanting to learn. Also picking up a lot of poker terms too.
Thank you so much - I truly appreciate this great feedback. Really pleased to hear my teaching has resonated with you! Best wishes for your chess improvement, and I appreciate you sharing my videos with you friends and acquaintances, too.
Dear John, you are the kindest and nicest chess player-coach-commentator-teacher I have come across on TH-cam. I want you to know that your good character is appreciated. Apart from this, your coaching methods have helped me to realize the little details in my game that needs to be improved. As an average player, I usually think like an amateur and this situation is keeping me from developing into a better player, maybe a master in the future. In terms of thinking like strong players, I benefited a lot from your videos. Many thanks pal. You have earned a friend. Whenever you pass by Oxford UK, just let me know.
Getting back into chess after 20 years away from the game. This series has ignited my interest to learn to improve my game. Excellent series and teaching style. Thanks, John.
Thank you, John. I've played chess for many decades, am not a rated player, and have only occasionally read or watched analyses, but have watched all five of your videos in this series (plus some others of yours) and have benefitted greatly. I like your approach to playing, thinking out loud as you play. There is much to be learned from a strong player who sees things so much more transparently than the rest of us. You're very easy to listen to. I hope to hear more of your videos in the future.
YES! Chess Fundamentals are back! My favourite series, and not because of lack of enjoyment in all the other knds of videos in the channel. Thanks for your videos!
Just stopping by to give a massive thank-you for this series. After a few viewings of each in this series, I am so grateful for the lessons and the thought/time you have put in. Some highlights in this last video were the moments in game 3 where you showed me how to assess and deal with opponent pressure in my own camp, and also the Spider-Queen at the end of game 4, defending four pieces, setting up for the checkmate...truly exemplifying all of the principles you have scaffolded into this masterpiece of a series. Thanks John!
Super Video again. Learning Chess for a few days now, don't really know why someone taught me the mindset of "do not lose any figure". Helped me a lot !
Hi John! Amazing video as always! Just something I realized. At 25:10 you mention how your brain works and your thought process when it comes to calculating. You are 100% right! There is a book called "thinking fast and slow" by Daniel kahneman that makes exactly this statement about your brain having one automated process that computes thing which gets better if you train consciously. I highly recommend it to everyone! I Wish you all the best
Just worked through this series- one of the clearest and most helpful series I've seen, especially the first 2 parts- thanks John. If you add to the series, how about something on how to spot and respond to your opponents potential plans and tactics?
John I discovered your videos recently and you helped me tremendously improve my game. Your videos are the most useful ones on TH-cam for beginners, thanks a lot and can't wait for the next one
Thanks a lot John! It's like I have now the whole picture of the puzzle instead of only the pieces as before your fundamental serie! I can already see the difference in my games! All the best to you!
Dear John, I have completed watching the 5 chess fundamentals, Thanks, because applying your suggestions I expect my playing will improve. Yours sincerely, Hilton (Retired civil engineer, South Australia).
23:45 I'm working on a CS degree (although I'm only in my first year) and I here's my insight. Chess engines have the possibility to analyze a position just like humans do by having some rules like checking the material and just threats and such. The threats however are computed as follows. Literally every possible move is played and checked, then every response to that is calculated as well. This makes for many many different positions and there's likely ways to reduce that number by quickly identifying that a particular move loses a piece and you're not getting that back any time soon so we abort that. There's also probably some algorythm that favors some standard moves. The thing is that most likely you're just unable to check everything like an engine does so we just check what comes to mind.
I just stumbled across these videos and have seen a huge improvement in my ability to see the board. I'm still only rated approximately 1000 but feel like I'm going to continue gaining. This type of teaching style is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks!
You’re a really great presenter of these concepts, and hearing you talk through the games is really instructive. I feel like so much of these fundamentals videos are able to concretely explain concepts I had trouble figuring out on my own, or from book study. This series is an awesome resource and I’ve been recommending them left and right.
Hey John thanks for the instructive video! One thing I was hoping you would get to in this video was the elements of Queen trades - I've noticed from your other videos that the characteristics of the position are quite different with Queens on/off the board, and it would be great to get some insights about how to decide when to offer/accept/decline Queen trades. Btw the dark-squared bishop retreat back to d2 in the last game was especially insightful. Also, I commented on one of the previous chess fundamentals videos about wanting to see some end-game fundamentals, so big thanks to you to starting the end-game fundamentals series! Glad you clearly listen to and respond to feedback from us viewers!
These concepts are so helpful. I would love to see more games with live commentary. Repetition is so important and it’s beneficial to see different positions while talking about these same fundamental concepts.
22:32 -> Had black played Bc6, my immediate response (as white) would have been pushing the pawn to d5 - not capturing on e5, as shown in the "post mortem" analysis.
John, I really appreciate what you are doing with this series. This has been the most help I've ever had in learning about chess. I like the way you have broken up the subject and also the insight you offer as you play the games. Great approach, thx!
At 1:50 John talks about the advantage of having that knight stationed on the center square. On the next move why wouldn't black have gone e5 instead of e6 to force the knight to either retreat or move toward the side of the board (where it also could be threatened by another black pawn)? I suck at chess so I usually think in the short term like this but I miss be missing something more subtle.
Playing e5 is quite common in many Sicilian variations. The downside to playing e5 is that black gets a backwards pawn on d6 that might be difficult to defend. If you haven't already watched John's "Chess Fundamentals #4: Pawn Play" video I highly recommend it.
It's less about the d6 pawn being weak and more about the d5 square being weak. A good plan for White would be to exchange the dark squared Bishop for the Knight of f6 and then play Nd5.
I liked your rant around 24:00 about subconsciously finding the right moves to look at (at least in simple positions). Makes sense! But what about tactics -- do you find that the right move in a tactical situation also jumps out semi-unconsciously? How much of your thought process is devoted to calculating specific lines? Perhaps you spend 90% of your time calculating lines and 10% on strategical thought, for instance? I'd be curious to hear if you can introspect about this part of your thought process.
Hi John, just found your videos and watched nr3 and started to play 10mins normally do not do well but with your instruction ringing in my head I won 2 straight games against somebody rated bit higher than me, simple instruction but very effective. Thank you for doing the live games this is a great tool to watch as somebody with similar rating to me playing and watching how they play and how I would play compared with how you see the game , brilliant idea to teach this way. Thank you Kind regards BB
Watched all 5 videos best intuitive chess fundamental video's on the internet helped me go from 800 to 1100 a great coach and most of all a lovely guy thankyou
Would just like to say thanks. Today I managed to play my first game on chess.com with no blunders and only one minor mistake. Great video series. Thanks again.
Hey John, I would love to see a video of this kind on how to punish lack of development or control over the centre. I sometimes find myself having everything I want out of the opening, while acknowldeging that my opponent did quite a bad work, but I struggle creating a plan and most of the time I'll end up moving pieces without any purpose and not using my advantage. Thanks!
What an excellent series! I think I will watch them each again. Really good stuff. I especially appreciate hearing the why of each move made in an actual game. I would really love to have even more instruction on pawn moves as it still feels a bit mysterious at times for me as to when & why to move a pawn. I was a little sad at first when I realized I had finished them all and then I checked your playlist... No worries you have another 1100 or so videos for me to learn from! Thank you my friend!
I would be another who benefits greatly from hearing your thought processes. All of your videos provide that to one extent or another. And that's great, and very helpful. I know I have benefited from listening. Thanks very much!
I've watched all the chess fundamental videos several times, I love them every time! As I climb a little higher, I see a little more each time I watch.
In the recap against Lahoy @19:20, would moving your bishop to B5 and checking Black's king have put you up 2 points by gaining a minor piece? If they block or move, you trade your bishops for theirs and end up with their E4 knight. If I'm missing something someone let me know :)
I feel like I haven't learned as much as I used to from this series, which is good thing because it means I've learned these strategic and positional concepts through my own chess growth!
Well... I have just seen the video and I try to apply John's suggestions about taking or not pieces... it works! You need some time to think of every possible advantage or disadvantage of taking or not a piece (or refuse that your own piece could be taken), but I was really impressed how sometime opponent's plan collapse just by refusing a capture. Or, then he has to think about a new plan and that consumes his time too =). I mean players around 1800-1900, so not really the worst ones. But it worked also with a 2100 =). Thanks!
It's amazingly instructive to watch these fundamentals videos. John, you have a great way of explaining your thought process! I would love to see more from this series ;)
At around 54:00 I feel like you should have taken with the pawn because it would allow you to advance, trade pawns in the center, and then you'd be left with two very strong center pawns.
4:00 My thought after ...Nxe4, Bxe7, Nxc3, Bxd8, Nxd1,Kxd8, Rxd1... is white better since, even though down a pawn, black lost the ability to castle? Or is that less of a problem than I make it out to be?
Thanks so much for this series! Every video so far has really helped me to improve my game.... Don't normally comment on TH-cam vids, but felt thanks were necessary! I especially like the way you narrate games and talk about the motives behind your moves and your opponents moves... helps a lot to understand how a good chess player thinks!
At 27:14 you say you want your black knight permanently planted on d4. Is it because that’s the empty square or would any of the four centre squares be a good option if empty?
1:10:45 -- It seemed like h3 would have resulted in Nh6, Bxh6 resulting in the desired trade you talked about. Is the ensuing trade and development really worth that strategic edge you would have gotten otherwise?
At 37:24 when Whites Rook on E1 takes Johns pawn on E5, why didn't John move his Rook from C4 to C1 with check, then when Whites A1 Rook takes back, John could take again on C1 with check, then Whites only move is Queen D3 to D1, then John takes Queen on D1 with check, then Whites last and only move is to move his D5 Rook to D1, and then John moves Queen D1 to E1 with a checkmate. Am I missing something? Is there a reason John didn't do this?
Hey John, At 42:41 why did you play 16...Bc5? (note the question mark is used to denote a question, not a mistake lol). Was it to prepare ...c6 without having to worry about white playing b6, hitting the bishop? Thanks
at 38:07, why didn't white take with bishop???? I don't see how John would have recovered from that??? Bxf3 allows white to attack the black rook, which leads to black losing either a rook or a bishop. Am I missing something??
Hey John! I just want to let you know I'm a USCF registered player and I really have you to thank for giving me a bit more confidence in my game. Today I have my first ever tournament with my school. I hope I could maybe use the Scandi one game as a tribute to you!
+John Bartholomew I fought valiantly and even sacked a piece one game but there were too many high-rated players. One was a 2087 and the other was a 1900+ and they were both way out of my league but I did win one game and it was my first ever. Can't wait to play another tournament soon and watch more of your videos. Thanks for commenting!
Hey John, when you said chess engines are programmed to weigh bishops more than knights at 3:25, did you mean chess engines are hard-programmed that way or they just learned that?
I just discovered your channel this last few days and I cannot emphasize how much your video is being so helpful to my chess skills.How I wish I could have discovered you earlier.If it's okay could you talk more about the endgame especially with minor pieces?That's where I mostly have a problem and I have watched your chess endgame fundamentals so I have a little bit of knowledge on rook endgames.Still I like the fact that you are taking your time teaching us chess and I like the way you do it. Thumbs up for you!
John: Love your videos! They have been very, very, helpful hope you keep producing them. Thanks to you, I have gotten better at chess. I now find myself looking for unguarded pieces, better trades, etc. As a matter of fact, yesterday I won four out of four games. Keep up the good work. James Fox
Please John, continue this series!!! This series effortlessly beats out any other chess tutorials for me
Time: 0.0023 left
John: Gotta watch my time just a little bit....
LOL
Nahhhh! Plenty of time!
*proceeds to perform 20 consecutive pre-moves while predicting and responding perfectly the opponent's delaying checking moves, mating the opponent as a result*
Yup, plenty of time left.
@@TheOneWhoHasABadName
if he can't do that vs low rated players he doesn't deserve to be im
khattab if he didn’t deserve to be an IM, he wouldn’t be an IM. But he is, soo... 😁 also, keep in mind he’s making a video while playing so he’s multi-tasking.
I'm watching in 2020 and really enjoying the fact how calm and nice John is.
Yeah, it's amazing how he can be so relaxed and talk so calmly with 10 sec left on the clock.
Same!
We call that minnesota nice 👌
You betcha!
@@austinjacobson2572 gotta visit that place one day!
So good at time management. Never a sweat. Still talking when your clock is under 30s and your opponent has 2.5 minutes. I'm just screaming at TH-cam; the clock John, THE CLOCK!
ha,ha, I found myself doing the same thing!
This is the most helpful series I've ever watched! John, you have contagiousness when explaining things in such a clear way, giving us clarity. I have certainly improved as a chess player and so far I have gone up from 650 to 900 ELO in just a week! I will make sure to devour the rest of your videos in climbing up the ladder.
Thanks a lot for watching - I'm really pleased these videos have helped you!! Best wishes for your chess improvement - you've already made a lot of progress :)
Me, when my opponents clock is running out: "Huahuahua yes!"
John when his opponents clock is running out: "That's unfortunate."
Canada
@@codeforest9027 I thought he was Minnesotan. Kind of similar in a number of ways, though.
oicfas4523 he lives in St. Paul Mn I believe. Not canada, listen to his voice. Definitely not a Canadian accent
@@dabulls1g Canadians don't all have a "canadian accent", and there are many regional accents. Central Canadian here (right above Minnesota) and I'd say everyone in a culture similar to John's (e.g. not ) in western/central canada basically sounds like John (i.e. excluding indigenous, etc). Further east in Canada is where you'll get more regionally based accents
Legend says elm2007 is still waiting for his turn to play with John.
Lmao can I play next?
elm2007: john can we play now
elm2007: can we play?
elm2007: what about now
elm2007: CAN WE?
LOL
Lol
woah elm2007 is now the second best under 12 player in Israel. That’s funny
Just starting chess, these videos have been the most helpful thing ever! Don’t know if you can see this comment John. But you’ve been amazing and the videos have been a real and true learning experience
I have skimmed through ton of channels and this series has been the most helping. Thanks a ton. Not because you know a lot of chess. But because you give the right lessons and predict well where amateurs must feel lost. That is a good teacher. These lessons have been invaluable. God bless you man.
Outstanding. I really appreciate the insight that you give in and the respect that you give all of your opponents - it is really refreshing.
Thanks, B-Tox!
I agree。
John still waiting for the next installment. Loving the series on chess fundamentals. Please keep it going.
This series should have at least 100 episodes... I love it!
It's 2 am here so I won't be able to watch this until tomorrow, but I'm so excited to see this video! The Chess Fundamentals and Climbing the Rating Ladder series have been so helpful and instructive. Thanks John!
It's 4:41 and idgaf I'm going in
6:00 am and I haven't even slept yet.
John, it's time to add another video to this awesome series!!! How about a video on "creating a plan"? Or, "knowing the key moment in a game"? "Creating weaknesses on enemy camp"?
You are an awesome teacher! Thank you, for all you do. Also, thank you for CHESSABLE! I never had the patience to read through chess books. You found an amazing solution for it!
At the position of the Dutch game, Stockfish evaluates +1.2 for Bxe7 and +0.8 for Bd2. Thanks for the awesome videos John!!
Interesting! :D Stockfish doesn't like my idea so much :)
@@JohnBartholomewChess its ok. Its an Alpha Zero move
Super greatful for this in-depth look at when trades are good and when they aren't. I also really liked this note: "When down material, you usually have to play dynamically. Try to seize the initative. Otherwise you're just a sitting duck. Your opponents gonna gradually convert the material." Glad I finally finished your fundamentals course, so I can start trying to chew through the concepts one main focus point at a time, and hopefully turn them into long-term habits. Now then, *cough*, back to getting salty when I realize I'm still a human who is gonna overlook stuff often.
Very helpful! The “if you can’t describe why you are making a trade, don’t do it” advice made me better right away!
In the raul_melano game, Stockfish preferred 6. Bxe7 over 6. Bd2 for a while, but kept vacillating between them.
John, like many others have said before me, you are an incredibly talented teacher. If there were ELO points for teaching, you'd truly be in a league of your own. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thank you so much for this series. Incredibly useful for a beginner like myself - i'm having so much more fun now playing. And I have without a doubt gotten better and a overall better understanding of the game. I've never commented on youtube before, but a heartfelt thank you was definitely in place.
Agreed
There us just something about the way that you teach. Plenty of people can play talented chess but being able to also give that information to another person is rare. Out of all the chess resources on youtube, this is the only person I will share to others when they are wanting to learn. Also picking up a lot of poker terms too.
Thank you so much - I truly appreciate this great feedback. Really pleased to hear my teaching has resonated with you! Best wishes for your chess improvement, and I appreciate you sharing my videos with you friends and acquaintances, too.
Dear John, you are the kindest and nicest chess player-coach-commentator-teacher I have come across on TH-cam. I want you to know that your good character is appreciated. Apart from this, your coaching methods have helped me to realize the little details in my game that needs to be improved. As an average player, I usually think like an amateur and this situation is keeping me from developing into a better player, maybe a master in the future. In terms of thinking like strong players, I benefited a lot from your videos. Many thanks pal. You have earned a friend. Whenever you pass by Oxford UK, just let me know.
Yes, completely agree! Learned more from this series then anywhere else! Great Work.
Getting back into chess after 20 years away from the game. This series has ignited my interest to learn to improve my game. Excellent series and teaching style. Thanks, John.
What an amazing, eye-opening series for somethings I took for granted. More please!
Another chess fundamentals? This day has gone from normal to fantastic!
Thank you, John. I've played chess for many decades, am not a rated player, and have only occasionally read or watched analyses, but have watched all five of your videos in this series (plus some others of yours) and have benefitted greatly. I like your approach to playing, thinking out loud as you play. There is much to be learned from a strong player who sees things so much more transparently than the rest of us. You're very easy to listen to. I hope to hear more of your videos in the future.
YES!
Chess Fundamentals are back!
My favourite series, and not because of lack of enjoyment in all the other knds of videos in the channel.
Thanks for your videos!
(BTW, play the Najdorf Sicilian with Black, please?)
Your insight into play being intuitive and experienced based and not an extreme mental calculus is also very encouraging.
Just stopping by to give a massive thank-you for this series. After a few viewings of each in this series, I am so grateful for the lessons and the thought/time you have put in. Some highlights in this last video were the moments in game 3 where you showed me how to assess and deal with opponent pressure in my own camp, and also the Spider-Queen at the end of game 4, defending four pieces, setting up for the checkmate...truly exemplifying all of the principles you have scaffolded into this masterpiece of a series.
Thanks John!
Super Video again. Learning Chess for a few days now, don't really know why someone taught me the mindset of "do not lose any figure". Helped me a lot !
Hi John! Amazing video as always!
Just something I realized. At 25:10 you mention how your brain works and your thought process when it comes to calculating. You are 100% right! There is a book called "thinking fast and slow" by Daniel kahneman that makes exactly this statement about your brain having one automated process that computes thing which gets better if you train consciously. I highly recommend it to everyone!
I Wish you all the best
This series has been great I would really enjoy another addition.
I would love to see a fundamentals of time management video!
I don’t know why I think I’m a grandmaster when I checkmate my opponent in 80 moves ,
Yes I’m at 540
Update : 450
Rip bro I can’t play right online
RIP
F
5 mistakes, 6 blunders, 2 missed wins
Bruh...
Just worked through this series- one of the clearest and most helpful series I've seen, especially the first 2 parts- thanks John. If you add to the series, how about something on how to spot and respond to your opponents potential plans and tactics?
John : "my opponent is killing me with clock right now"
Also John : "let's use the clock to discuss the move" 😅
John I discovered your videos recently and you helped me tremendously improve my game. Your videos are the most useful ones on TH-cam for beginners, thanks a lot and can't wait for the next one
For intermediate and some advanced players too. Heck, I have a 2000 daily rating and I'm learning a lot from these videos.
Thanks a lot John! It's like I have now the whole picture of the puzzle instead of only the pieces as before your fundamental serie! I can already see the difference in my games! All the best to you!
Dear John, I have completed watching the 5 chess fundamentals, Thanks, because applying your suggestions I expect my playing will improve. Yours sincerely, Hilton (Retired civil engineer, South Australia).
23:45 I'm working on a CS degree (although I'm only in my first year) and I here's my insight. Chess engines have the possibility to analyze a position just like humans do by having some rules like checking the material and just threats and such. The threats however are computed as follows. Literally every possible move is played and checked, then every response to that is calculated as well. This makes for many many different positions and there's likely ways to reduce that number by quickly identifying that a particular move loses a piece and you're not getting that back any time soon so we abort that. There's also probably some algorythm that favors some standard moves. The thing is that most likely you're just unable to check everything like an engine does so we just check what comes to mind.
I just stumbled across these videos and have seen a huge improvement in my ability to see the board. I'm still only rated approximately 1000 but feel like I'm going to continue gaining. This type of teaching style is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks!
These videos John are GOLD, extremely useful and helpful! Please more topics and more videos akin to the past 5 in this beautiful series
thanks John! I'm pretty sure you're the biggest reason I've gone up 500 rating points in less than 2 years.
Great to hear, Nabium. Keep climbing.
You’re a really great presenter of these concepts, and hearing you talk through the games is really instructive. I feel like so much of these fundamentals videos are able to concretely explain concepts I had trouble figuring out on my own, or from book study. This series is an awesome resource and I’ve been recommending them left and right.
Hey John thanks for the instructive video! One thing I was hoping you would get to in this video was the elements of Queen trades - I've noticed from your other videos that the characteristics of the position are quite different with Queens on/off the board, and it would be great to get some insights about how to decide when to offer/accept/decline Queen trades.
Btw the dark-squared bishop retreat back to d2 in the last game was especially insightful. Also, I commented on one of the previous chess fundamentals videos about wanting to see some end-game fundamentals, so big thanks to you to starting the end-game fundamentals series! Glad you clearly listen to and respond to feedback from us viewers!
Have seen many videos of chess, but you really explained in detailed.. Even any beginner can understand it. Thank you bro
John, keep these chess fundamentals videos coming. You explain this stuff very well. Very, very helpful!!
These concepts are so helpful. I would love to see more games with live commentary. Repetition is so important and it’s beneficial to see different positions while talking about these same fundamental concepts.
Watching this series in 2020, and it has made me more conscious and clinical when playing! Thank you so much for these vids
22:32 -> Had black played Bc6, my immediate response (as white) would have been pushing the pawn to d5 - not capturing on e5, as shown in the "post mortem" analysis.
It’s amazing how much he sees. Granted I’ve been playing for 1 month, but I always win games after watching him! 🤣🤣🤣
John, I really appreciate what you are doing with this series. This has been the most help I've ever had in learning about chess. I like the way you have broken up the subject and also the insight you offer as you play the games. Great approach, thx!
Thanks John! Very clear commentary and helping me a lot as I'm learning the game. I also appreciate your respect for your opponent.
At 1:50 John talks about the advantage of having that knight stationed on the center square. On the next move why wouldn't black have gone e5 instead of e6 to force the knight to either retreat or move toward the side of the board (where it also could be threatened by another black pawn)? I suck at chess so I usually think in the short term like this but I miss be missing something more subtle.
Playing e5 is quite common in many Sicilian variations. The downside to playing e5 is that black gets a backwards pawn on d6 that might be difficult to defend. If you haven't already watched John's "Chess Fundamentals #4: Pawn Play" video I highly recommend it.
It's less about the d6 pawn being weak and more about the d5 square being weak. A good plan for White would be to exchange the dark squared Bishop for the Knight of f6 and then play Nd5.
rtt19 Bb5+ and Black is in some trouble. The d5 square is also up for the taking by White.
I liked your rant around 24:00 about subconsciously finding the right moves to look at (at least in simple positions). Makes sense! But what about tactics -- do you find that the right move in a tactical situation also jumps out semi-unconsciously? How much of your thought process is devoted to calculating specific lines? Perhaps you spend 90% of your time calculating lines and 10% on strategical thought, for instance? I'd be curious to hear if you can introspect about this part of your thought process.
Hi John, just found your videos and watched nr3 and started to play 10mins normally do not do well but with your instruction ringing in my head I won 2 straight games against somebody rated bit higher than me, simple instruction but very effective. Thank you for doing the live games this is a great tool to watch as somebody with similar rating to me playing and watching how they play and how I would play compared with how you see the game , brilliant idea to teach this way. Thank you Kind regards BB
Thanks for your ample generosity in sharing for not only free but very “user friendly” teaching.
I hope I can start to think like you soon. 😇
Appreciate the fundamental videos, John. My daughter and I are just starting in chess, and they have been wonderful.
Watched all 5 videos best intuitive chess fundamental video's on the internet helped me go from 800 to 1100 a great coach and most of all a lovely guy thankyou
Would just like to say thanks. Today I managed to play my first game on chess.com with no blunders and only one minor mistake. Great video series. Thanks again.
Hey John, I would love to see a video of this kind on how to punish lack of development or control over the centre. I sometimes find myself having everything I want out of the opening, while acknowldeging that my opponent did quite a bad work, but I struggle creating a plan and most of the time I'll end up moving pieces without any purpose and not using my advantage. Thanks!
How have you improved since then?
What an excellent series! I think I will watch them each again. Really good stuff. I especially appreciate hearing the why of each move made in an actual game. I would really love to have even more instruction on pawn moves as it still feels a bit mysterious at times for me as to when & why to move a pawn. I was a little sad at first when I realized I had finished them all and then I checked your playlist... No worries you have another 1100 or so videos for me to learn from! Thank you my friend!
I would be another who benefits greatly from hearing your thought processes. All of your videos provide that to one extent or another. And that's great, and very helpful. I know I have benefited from listening. Thanks very much!
I've watched all the chess fundamental videos several times, I love them every time! As I climb a little higher, I see a little more each time I watch.
I am on #5 & was considering watching them all again. Your comment swayed me. I need the help anyway haha 👍
After watching this series...
Any idea which series to watch next to improve my game.?
In the recap against Lahoy @19:20, would moving your bishop to B5 and checking Black's king have put you up 2 points by gaining a minor piece? If they block or move, you trade your bishops for theirs and end up with their E4 knight.
If I'm missing something someone let me know :)
I feel like I haven't learned as much as I used to from this series, which is good thing because it means I've learned these strategic and positional concepts through my own chess growth!
Well... I have just seen the video and I try to apply John's suggestions about taking or not pieces... it works! You need some time to think of every possible advantage or disadvantage of taking or not a piece (or refuse that your own piece could be taken), but I was really impressed how sometime opponent's plan collapse just by refusing a capture. Or, then he has to think about a new plan and that consumes his time too =). I mean players around 1800-1900, so not really the worst ones. But it worked also with a 2100 =). Thanks!
Another very helpful video with take aways that will improve my play right away.
It's amazingly instructive to watch these fundamentals videos. John, you have a great way of explaining your thought process! I would love to see more from this series ;)
Thanks, Edwin! :D
At around 54:00 I feel like you should have taken with the pawn because it would allow you to advance, trade pawns in the center, and then you'd be left with two very strong center pawns.
4:00 My thought after ...Nxe4, Bxe7, Nxc3, Bxd8, Nxd1,Kxd8, Rxd1... is white better since, even though down a pawn, black lost the ability to castle?
Or is that less of a problem than I make it out to be?
Thanks so much for this series! Every video so far has really helped me to improve my game.... Don't normally comment on TH-cam vids, but felt thanks were necessary! I especially like the way you narrate games and talk about the motives behind your moves and your opponents moves... helps a lot to understand how a good chess player thinks!
At 27:14 you say you want your black knight permanently planted on d4. Is it because that’s the empty square or would any of the four centre squares be a good option if empty?
Hey John, it would be best if you made part 6 of this series a follow-up.
LOVE THIS SERIES THANKS FOR MAKING THIS BROTHER
Thanks John for this chess fundamentals series. Extremely helpful.
1:10:45 -- It seemed like h3 would have resulted in Nh6, Bxh6 resulting in the desired trade you talked about. Is the ensuing trade and development really worth that strategic edge you would have gotten otherwise?
The way he sees all the possible moves, crazy
🙏
I love listening to you I feel like I can really soak in your information and your play style how you analyze the board
I wish for more parts to this Chess Fundamentals series... Great series !
at 37:28 is it not mate in 3moves??his back rank is covered by only one rook
if Rc1 then white's e rook can interpose I think?
Rc1 is met by Re1 and white is fine.
I've loved watching this entire series and it's definitely had a positive impact on my game. Thank you!
hello john/ i am an 11 year old kid who loves playing chess. i find your videos very enriched in knowledge of chess. keep it up!
Stoked to hear that, Allen! Good luck with your chess improvement :)
Another extremely useful video, thanks, John. "Chess Fundamentals" really is an amazing series so far!
Thank you so mutch for making these videos, they're really helping me to get better, will you ever make a video about the openings?
At 37:24 when Whites Rook on E1 takes Johns pawn on E5, why didn't John move his Rook from C4 to C1 with check, then when Whites A1 Rook takes back, John could take again on C1 with check, then Whites only move is Queen D3 to D1, then John takes Queen on D1 with check, then Whites last and only move is to move his D5 Rook to D1, and then John moves Queen D1 to E1 with a checkmate.
Am I missing something? Is there a reason John didn't do this?
Never mind, just noticed White could just block with his E5 Rook moving it back to E1 lol
Think u are right. He could block with the Q though loosing a lot of material in stead.
John please continue doing fundamentals videos, best instructive chess videos in youtube, thanks
Hey John,
At 42:41 why did you play 16...Bc5? (note the question mark is used to denote a question, not a mistake lol). Was it to prepare ...c6 without having to worry about white playing b6, hitting the bishop?
Thanks
Yes, and to activate my rook against the pawn on a4.
22:33 Why not d5
Probably to open up the center and attack the king with rooks
@@reubenthomas4981 No it is tactical mistake. You win piece after e4, dxc6. Black have to take this pawn because Rb7+ is annoying.
Watched all five Chess Fundamentals videos. Great instruction, thank you!
at 38:07, why didn't white take with bishop???? I don't see how John would have recovered from that??? Bxf3 allows white to attack the black rook, which leads to black losing either a rook or a bishop. Am I missing something??
This guy deserve a 1M views! Thank u sir for your dedication! More power!
Hey John! I just want to let you know I'm a USCF registered player and I really have you to thank for giving me a bit more confidence in my game. Today I have my first ever tournament with my school. I hope I could maybe use the Scandi one game as a tribute to you!
Awesome, Sammy! Be sure to comment back and let me know how it goes. Good luck, and have a great time!
+John Bartholomew I fought valiantly and even sacked a piece one game but there were too many high-rated players. One was a 2087 and the other was a 1900+ and they were both way out of my league but I did win one game and it was my first ever. Can't wait to play another tournament soon and watch more of your videos. Thanks for commenting!
Success! Now you know what tourney chess is like. Motivation for the next one :)
Hey John, when you said chess engines are programmed to weigh bishops more than knights at 3:25, did you mean chess engines are hard-programmed that way or they just learned that?
I just discovered your channel this last few days and I cannot emphasize how much your video is being so helpful to my chess skills.How I wish I could have discovered you earlier.If it's okay could you talk more about the endgame especially with minor pieces?That's where I mostly have a problem and I have watched your chess endgame fundamentals so I have a little bit of knowledge on rook endgames.Still I like the fact that you are taking your time teaching us chess and I like the way you do it. Thumbs up for you!
at 27:05, why not bishop d4 to pin the b2 pawn and if knight takes, then knight can retake and hop into d4?
Very interesting series. Maybe I should start playing chess now that I've seen all 5 videos. John is just really good at keeping things entertaining.
Hey what's your rating now?
John:
Love your videos! They have been very, very, helpful hope you keep producing them. Thanks to you, I have gotten better at chess. I now find myself looking for unguarded pieces, better trades, etc. As a matter of fact, yesterday I won four out of four games.
Keep up the good work.
James Fox