this is for me Beginners 00:38 White --> London System 02:00 White --> Stone Wall 02:37 White --> e4 Nf6 04:34 Black --> King's Indian Setup 05:35 Black --> Scandinavian Defense 06:34 Black --> Sicilian Defense (Dragon Sicilian) Intermediate 08:10 White --> The Vienna Gambit 08:31 White --> Vienna Copycat Variation 08:50 White --> Closed Sicilian 10:31 Black --> Highly recommended: Caro-Kann Defense 11:06 Black --> Against any but e4, The Dutch 12:26 Black --> Traxler 13:11 Black --> Stafford Gambit Advanced 14:10 White --> The Trompowsky Attack 14:43 White --> Trompowsky Raptor Variation 15:00 White --> Catalan 15:20 White --> The English 16:20 Black --> e4 e5 (Ruy Lopez or Italian) play g6 system 17:17 Black --> trickier sicilians, not main line (Nimzowitsch, Two-Knights Sicilian) 18:05 Black --> e6 b6 setups thats it!
I have never played a single game of chess, so this feels like I’ve sat down in the wrong lecture in college but am too nervous to leave so I just sit and listen
Play! I haven't played for well over a quarter of a century, but have slowly re-developed an interest because my son (will be 6 soon) is now at the age where I can introduce him, and I've sold out of Magic the Gathering. I grew up in the 70s when chess matches were shown on network TV, and there wasn't a lot else by way of diversions (no home computers, mobiles, modern hobby boardgames, and RPGs were just in their nascent form) hence a lot of kids learned and played chess. My dad taught me and developed my interest, which was poignant because he and my mum had split up early; so I saw him at various times at weekends, staying at my grandmothers, etc. He passed me his copy of Chernev and Harkness' 'An Invitation to Chess: A Picture Guide to the Royal Game' (which is sat open next to me as I type), and I had a basic plastic figure chess set. We then played chess games via post i.e. sending our moves on post-cards to each other re: no computers, mobiles, modern communication. I would recommend the book principally because (1) it is aimed as new / novice players and teaches how to play and the basic principles, and (2) illustrates principles and concepts through actual pictoral illustrations and chess notation of games played by chess GMs. The latter is pure genius because not only can readers see and play out games without setting up a chess board, but these were actual games played at high level, yet allows novice players to understand and anticipate specific boardgame states. TL;DR learn to play chess. Focus less on rote memorisation of openings and more on principles behind chess, and how openings (and defences) implement these principles. Don't immediately worry about winning or losing - just learn, play and enjoy yourself!
Excellent video Gotham :) I am learning a lot from you :) I think you are becoming the major force of TH-cam, and a great credit to you for your huge consistent efforts and passion. I guess you may be a fan of British Grandmaster Julian Hodgson - he won the British chess championship a few times with the Trompovsky as a key weapon of choice. I am also a fan of the Leningrad Dutch but had a heartbreaking loss with it once and didn't play it so much after. Your analogy with the reversed Closed Sicilian is encouraging. I am also a fan of the Vienna game :) We do seem to share some favorites. Cheers, K
For Beginners (00-1100) : ===================== With White : 1 - the London system 00:58 2- the stone wall 01:58 3- kings pawn opening ( Italian + fried liver ) 02:38 With black : 1- kings Indian setup 04:34 2- the Scandinavian defence 5:36 3- the Sicilian defence dragon variation 6:37 (P.s: i think pric defence is good too) For intermediate ( 1200-1800) ========================= With white : 1.Danish gambit 2.Kings gambit 3.The Vienna 8:11 4.Closed Sicilian 8:50 ( play against Sicilian ) 5.The smith Morra gambit ( play against Sicilian ) 9:23 6.The wing gambit 9:30 7.Two knights (against the French) 8.advance caro kann 10:19 With black : 1- Caro kann ( against e4) 10:30 2-The Dutch defence ( against d4 or c4 or nf3) 11:18 3-The traxler 12:28 4-stanford gamebit 13:14 For advanced level (1800+) =========================== With white : 1. trompowsky 14:15 2. the catalan 15:00 3- the english 15:22 With black : 1. Caro kann 16:15 2- ruy lopez bird's defence 16:42 3- Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation17:24 4- Van Geet Opening: Sicilian Two Knights Variation 17:35 5- pin variation sicilian 6-e6 b6 setup 18:08
@@shadowyzephyr no 1800 rated players aren't that good.... I mean i am rated around 1930 and i sometimes do a blunder with some mistakes so do my opponents. I think players rated above 2000 are advanced.....
Beginner openings: London System - 0:43 Stonewall - 1:59 Potential gambits and aggressive tricks - 3:09 (Black) Kings Indian Defence - 4:33 Scandinavian Defence - 5:36 Dragon Sicilian Defence - 6:39 Intermediate openings: Gambits and new theory with e4 - 7:26 Vienna - 8:12 Vienna Gambit - 8:26 Closed Sicilian Defence (if they play Sicilian) - 8:49 Smith Mora Gambit (if they play Sicilian) - 9:23 Wing Gambit (if they play Sicilian) - 9:29 London System against the KID variations - 9:43 (Black) Caro Kann - 10:33 Dutch Defence (any move that is not e4 or g4) - 11:16 Traxler Trap - 12:33 Staffordshire Gambit - 13:16 Advanced openings: Trampowsky - 14:13 Catalan - 15:03 English - 15:23 (Black) Caro Kann -16:16 Bird Variation - 16:43 Tricky Sicilians - 17:16 e6 b6 setup for positional mastery and tricks - 18:06 That's it.
As a 2000 rated player here are some of the openings that worked for me at different rating levels: Unr-1200 - The Stonewall Attack for white got me many easy wins, lots of easy attacking ideas and I was always ahead on the clock because my moves are typically the same. As black the Nimzowitch (1.Nc6) worked really well as I met 2. d4 with with 2.d5 and typically got easy development and met 2. Nf3 with f5 (the Colorado gambit) which most of my opponents didn’t know so I ended up with even material and a big center From around 1100-1700 I started to switch to the London and it worked really well. It’s a lot more flexible than the Stonewall yet still shared some of the same attacking ideas As black I started to play the 2 knights Sicilian. It’s tricky as in the main lines if white plays in the style of the English Attack (Be3) or classical (Be2) black is set up to play Bb4 and d5 with a good position. 1700-Now I stopped playing the London as my main weapon as it really doesn’t challenge a well prepared opponent and moved onto the Queens Gambit. Obviously it would take a lot to go into what lines I like, but typically I liked setups involving an easy f3 and e4 against the Nimzo, Kings Indian, Gruenfeld etc As black, the Caro Kan Tarktakower variation has served me with easy plans against players who can’t really claim to use my doubled f pawns as an advantage. Just some thoughts, cheers Levy
@@AmanSai-lm9ul it took me around 4 years. I started playing in 9th grade (14 years old) and got to 2000 in 12th grade (I had just turned 18) I am now 19 and rated 2064. This is uscf btw so I’m around 1900 Fide. I was able to go up so much because I was young when I trained and I practiced basically everyday
I'm like 1500 blitz and 1650 or so slower. I play a lot of ruy lopez, Italians, Sicilian etc so I guess I'm doing it wrong. Idk, Fischer played e4, ima play e4 too lol.
“English opening relies on your solidity and long term strategic planning” Oh.. maybe that’s why I suck at the English. Been using it since I was 1000 and now at 1700 I still have no idea what I’m doing😂😂😂 I take it I only win because my opponent also has no idea what I’m doing.
I’m bout 1300 and haven’t been able to figure out the kings Indian lmao. I have only won with it because my opponent has no clue what’s going on either. I’ll think I finally figured it out with a great win and I’ll check the game report and it’ll be like 40% accuracy to like 20 lmao
@@djLagwayEnjoyer you just have to memorise the english opening. There's nothing there to it. You'll probably beat a lot of opponents too because at 1300 it's not uncommon to attack without proper planning. But then it won't be that fun because you're literally playing moves from memory and not using your own intelligence
Thank you so much for this. Starting with some solid openings has really eased my early-game anxiety about unnecessarily exposing my side to attacks. I think I’ve watched the first half of this like 20 times.
Hey levy, just wanted you to know that watching you and Hikaru has brought my rating up from a 750 to almost a 900 already and it’s only up from here. Just played a game where I used the London and ended up using the Queen and king checkmate I learned from you. Thank you sir!
My rating is in the high 900s. I just started with these openings about 8 or 9 games ago and I've lost only once. You're exactly right; these openings set up the board very nicely. I'm not even going to over complicate it and look at the intermediate or advanced openings until I get my rating up. You've got a new subscriber out of me.
My personal favourite is the King's Indian Defense. There's many ways to use it, the opening creates a great defense for your King, and it's overall just a great setup to play off of.
The number 1 opening that gave me the most wins as a beginner was the italian. I think it’s great for controlling the center and it’s also has a great attacking potential, especially when the black castles kingside
you said it so many times (study openings to get better)... simply enough, playing the same opening everytime now (with small variations), I feel I have home field advantage at every game! I know and "master" the lines, I catch everytime when someone hangs a piece... best tip ever! choose an opening based on your level, study it, play it many times, quality games! thanks Levy!
Im a beginner and levy mentioned literally the two openings i decided to learn the london and the kings indian Edit: was planning to learn the caro-kann as well and levy just assured me to go ahead and learn it
The King's Indian is something I see against the English when I play it. If you learn it and can develop the positional feeling for it - it can be good at 1800+ even.
Try the blackmar diemer gambit if you play d4 it is a very powerful gambit for white, Gotham has a video on it. i climbed up the rating ladder from 740 to 823 (i reached 840 yesterday then i lose) i used to play the london but its a little bit passive. And i give you a trick keep putting pressure on your opponent offers draw and if they declined it obliterate them and sure enough they will regret that decision
I love your videos, I love all the explaining and detail and I’ve been browsing around a lot of chess TH-camrs but you’re my favorite. Keep doing great things man
@@original_recipes_ I mean i sort of get what you mean because yt is not the place for this sort of thing but what's wrong with it if you have other reasons
When i was becoming an intermediate level player in scholastic tournaments I learned the caro kann and literally made a (i think suboptimal) Vienna from scratch. So my chess journey ultimately included your two favorite openings for this by complete chance.
My favorite opening as white is the Jshlatt. Play pawn f3. Next play pawn to g4. Next you don’t play anything because queen to h4 was played and it’s checkmate.
Levy: "Over my years, I've probably taught openings to close to a thousand people" No Levy, you have taught at least 2.5 Million people from this video
I am happy that you mentioned the King’s Indian, that is pretty much the only thing I play with black because people always take out their queen early and I just don’t know what to do. I am planning on watching your how to stop early queen attacks video though.
As an 1800 I've been loving the Petrov. It's similar to the Trompowsky in that it usually takes your opponent out of their comfort zone (plus the theory is relatively easy to learn)
Bro stonewall is far superior because of the open rook and super op attack on kingside. I used to play london as white all the time. I was successful for a while. But the issue is castling. And how very situational it is. The dark squared bishop trade is so annoying. But playing the stone wall and castling kingside with the open rook is so damn good.
I've been playing the London for a while and despite watching lots of videos on it it doesn't work for me at the moment. I went back to the queen's gambit which seems to work best for me.
@@rheetythepiggy6337 Really? I tried Evans gambit (only few attempts) and I realized that I am not able to achieve something here and I am a pawn down and after some simplifications (opponent always want to trade pieces because he Is a pawn up)I am almost lost or I have to work hard for a draw And it is not what you want.
@@petrambrus5963 Just make sure you get a strong pawn centre as soon as possible with a move like d4 (play it either straight away or after casting if the bishop can nag your king). From then on, try and and force his pieces into permanently uncomfortable positions with tempo (with moves such as e5) and get nice diagonals for your bishops (get your dark-square bishop to a3, preventing castling briefly, or eventually to b2, and keep your light-square bishop where it is). Then just attack with all of the pieces that you have, get your queen to g3, advance that f pawn, maybe lift a rook, and when you think your attack is strong enough, involve your knights. If you do everything that I say, there will be no time for Black to offer trades, and you will get consistently strong attacks game in, game out. Don't worry about the pawn you gave away for free, as you'll almost certainly get back at least it (if not something more significant) if you are good at attacking.
@@maxkho00 I am not good attacker,I prefer solid and calm play and this Is maybe a reason why this opening and gambits don't serve me well.Only gambit that I like Is Queen's gambit.
Look into h5 after Bishop f4. It's a really cool London trap. Eric Rosen did a video about it. And a must know if you play the London as white yourself.
I’m 1500 now and still play it as my main opening against e4. It’s nice because people generally don’t know a lot of theory for this opening, while I’ve been playing it since 400 rating so the first few moves flow like water to me.
i must say the London has helped me a lot. if you are a beginner struggling in the opening i would recommend the london. great video level keep up the great work (:
On all levels: - play a line that you like/love. Having fun is more important then anything - maybe trying out some throw away games (where you don't care you loose) and try out both 1.e4 and 1.d4 as white, and well this also goes for any other new crazy opening - then a little later study the opening you love well - do you like gambiting several pawns and pieces and crush the opponent in 20 moves ? - do you like slow strategic games about structure and a winning end game? - 1.e4 has a huge opening theory, in general is more tactical. Often more for younger people, but surely not always. - 1.d4 also has a huge opening theory is in general more strategic and more closed (but not all). At a young age, I played a lot of Queens gambits, and once I had a game where after 1.d4 my opponent was thinking for 15 minutes (!) never seen that Great video!
I'm a beginner too. The first two openings I've learnt after a quick internet enquiry are White: Ruy Lopez (wrong choice, very complicated but many chess sites say it's good for beginners, which it's not), and Black: French (very good choice, solid, simple to learn and you avoid all the weird opening nonsense such as Fried Liver, etc.).
My opening strategy tends to rely on knowing moves in situations my opponent doesn't, and the Ruy Lopez just doesn't provide that kind of advantage because the depth and complexity of the opening allows most people to equalize. With white I play the English and the Vienna, and with black, I generally play the Sicilian, Dutch, and KID. After I learned those, I started learning trap gambits/openings like the Orthoschnapp and the Tal Caro-Kann
Don’t know if you’ll see this but just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve taught me about chess especially the Vienna gambit, I’ve gone from a 400 beginner to a 1300 rated player since watching
I may not be a master (I haven't even played for many years) but I LOVE the English opening, in fact it is the only opening I used to play when I was more active. Your King is protected, you apply pressure at the center and it is very solid.
I go for the Vienna, and I never really get it. It’s like the saddest thing ever, everybody always plays a Bishop move or Sicilian. When I do get the Sicilian I always play A3 With black pieces I play Caro-kann (I’m like 1400)
avoid playing very popular opening. People nowadays look for whats relevant and strong. Vienna is a classic and has been studied for centuries, and even weak opponents know a lot of stuff about it. Caro-Kann is fine. Start playing with white some Gambits and whit black learn Grunfeld. Honestly Gambits work vs every 2000 or lower rank player, and your main goal is just to become decent at chess so that you play 2000+ opponents. Its then that chess becomes very wild and every move can change the course of the game.
I'm at the advanced level and I think the hypermodern type openings are really good. What ends up happening is if your opponent plays passively then you can simply occupy the center and crush them with your well placed pieces or they play aggressively and you can punish them when they overextend. I wholeheartedly agree that the english and catalan are great. I would like to add that in order to avoid things like the grunfeld, it is often best to delay playing Nc3 and instead play Nf3. It completely nullifies any grunfeld or nimzo indian prep. The hypermodern openings are also good because it gives your opponent a lot of chances to make a mistake and often times the refutation of dubious moves is to strike at the center.
7:03, isn't that the hyper accelerated dragon or did I mess something up? Anyways I love the video, it was super helpful and I am researching quite a few of those openings.
This channel has risen a lot, I don't know if that is the explanation or it is just "bad luck", but I decided to play the Vienna with white and the scandinavian defense with black, when possible. I played 5-6 times after watching this video and in none of them I got the main lines you show here. Anyways, I won them and I made it to 900 ELO. Time will tell if all this is just a coincidence or if I play better with these openings even if I am responded with weird combinations. It is the first time I plan to learn a combination of moves, besides fried liver and that kind of stuff. I'm curious to see if i'll really improve or not.
The best part about the scandy early on is that you'll typically get a free pawn every 2 or 3 games because people develop aggressively and don't pay attention to the queen on a5. It allows players with a weaker grasp on opening principles to put themselves in a bad spot.
Beginner: White - London; Stonewall; If you play e4 - c3 and d4 ideas, Fried liver if possible Black - King’s Indian, Scandinavian, Sicilian Dragon Intermediate: White - GAMBITS (Danish, King’s); Vienna; Against Sicilian - Closed Sicilian, Smithmora and Wing gambits; Advanced London system setups; Side lines of main openings - 2 knights against French, Advanced Caro Kann Black - Caro Kann, Dutch defense for anything else (except g4), Traxler against fried liver, Stafford gambit Advanced: White - Put people out of main openings - Vienna; Trumpowski (also Raptor variation); Catalan; English (Botvonik style) Black - Caro Kann still; g6 systems or bird variation against Ruy Lopez; tricky Sicilians (Nimsowitch, 2 knights Sicilian, pin variation, etc); e6 b6 setup; overall play sidelines of main openings Everyone: look at opening databases as well as the moves you play in matches to strengthen weak openings
I went from ELO 900 to 1100 by switching from Queens Gambit to London and Sicilian to Scandinavian, now on a 12 win streak, advice was right to the point ! Thank you Levy !
As a beginner, i really love your videos, I sometimes need to watch them multiple times to really understand everything :D but it helps a lot. Thank you for the great work, keep it going
I've just started learning how to play chess properly since watching the Queens Gambit show, obviously I'm super basic. I was losing majority of my games, but after watching this video a few times over and memorising an opening for both black and white, I've won the last 3 games I've played by resignation because my opponent freaks out. I'm like a loser at 400, so everyone I play is either less than me or just above me. So if they haven't watched this video or even done a little bit of research, they don't know what hit them 😂
Any advice in playing the dutch middle game? I feel very weak playing this opening and they attack me before i can start the pawn push and i somehow always lose
Just wanted to stop by and give you a quick "Thank you." I'm just over 1100 now and started playing the Dutch with Black, following your recommendation. Amazing opening for my level. Don't get me wrong, this being the first week of me playing it, I'm making tons of mistakes but I can see the potential. It feels good and seems to fit my playstyle. So again: Thanks :). Keep em coming, champ.
Hi Levy, really grateful for the informative videos. You obviously care a lot about what you do and helping people to improve their chess, at all levels. Keep up the good work my friend - it's much appreciated!
I like what you said at the end about figuring out if you enjoy the opening. I had to learn that with the KID. I'm a 600 player and was looking for a setup-based opening to get me a solid stance in the middle game, so the KID seemed like the right choice. The problem is, I hate the games that opening creates. Win or lose, half the game feels claustrophobic, they all seem repetitive, and I don't like having to worry about the light-squared bishop sliding in to eat my lunch. I switched to the Sicilian Dragon and later to Karo Kan (by your recommendation in other videos) and have been much happier ever since. You tricked me into studying theory! 😩 In all seriousness, thanks for another great video. I'm enrolled in both your beginner and intermediate courses and have been enjoying them a lot. I've picked up chess a few times but never stuck with it because I was afraid of studying theory. Your TH-cam videos got me over that fear, and your courses gave me a great avenue to pursue once I got serious. I'm really enjoying the game now, and the only difference between this and all the times I dropped it in the past has been your content.
As a beginner of chess, the London System is my favorite as White, and the King's Indian Defense is my favorite as Black. Very easy to understand, and you get a very quick development.
Something I've always wondered: when you recommend openings based on rating, are you going based off longer or shorter time controls? For instance, my blitz rating is about 400 points lower than my daily or 15|10 rating (not rated irl)
8:41 I don’t get it you go for the rook by taking the g7 pawn but isn’t that easily defended against with g8 then leaving you susceptible to an attack with pawn to d5?
Many years ago, when I was young and learning to play, I picked up a book by Horowitz and Reinfeld called “How to Think Ahead in Chess.” Probably the best book for my very modest successes as an unrated amateur. For white they recommend the Stonewall, and against e4 they recommend the Sicilian dragon variation. Plus ça change!
All I want and need is the Beginner. *White* London System (0:40), Stonewall (1:53), e4 principles/Fried Liver (2:37) *Black* Kings Indian (4:18), Scandinavian Defense (5:32), Sicilian Dragon (6:34) I dislike Fried Liver, because it's too difficult. I would like to learn only one opening for both sides.
Chess is one of the best inventions created for man to occupy his time with. Imagine if people played chess instead of playing war with other countries. Civil and eloquent. To enjoy Mr Levy here with his wit, humor and usable material here I feel blessed to have this knowledge available. Thank you so very much Sir Levy.
And once you become a Super GM, it's time to play the Bong Cloud.
and Jerome Gambit
nahhhhh you play the dn opening :)
I think Botez Gambit is better though.
The bong cloud opening is e4 e5 and king e2
Bongcloud got playes by super grandmaster jeffrey xiong vs super grandmaster hikaru nakamura
I would like but this has 888 likes
this is for me
Beginners
00:38 White --> London System
02:00 White --> Stone Wall
02:37 White --> e4 Nf6
04:34 Black --> King's Indian Setup
05:35 Black --> Scandinavian Defense
06:34 Black --> Sicilian Defense (Dragon Sicilian)
Intermediate
08:10 White --> The Vienna Gambit
08:31 White --> Vienna Copycat Variation
08:50 White --> Closed Sicilian
10:31 Black --> Highly recommended: Caro-Kann Defense
11:06 Black --> Against any but e4, The Dutch
12:26 Black --> Traxler
13:11 Black --> Stafford Gambit
Advanced
14:10 White --> The Trompowsky Attack
14:43 White --> Trompowsky Raptor Variation
15:00 White --> Catalan
15:20 White --> The English
16:20 Black --> e4 e5 (Ruy Lopez or Italian) play g6 system
17:17 Black --> trickier sicilians, not main line (Nimzowitsch, Two-Knights Sicilian)
18:05 Black --> e6 b6 setups
thats it!
U wrote the entire video man
🐐
Dankeschön
Thanks lol it's all important but thanks for sorting it❤
Thnx bro
Appreciate
I am convinced levy has a folder filled with faces of him for thumbnails
Now that you mention it...
i'm pretty sure basically every youtuber does
@@martim2810 Yeah lol
Is it pronounced le-vi or livai
@@capybara8836 Le-vee, yes. The first one.
eginner White : London System (0:40), Stonewall (1:53), e4 principles/Fried Liver (2:37)
Beginner Black : Kings Indian (4:18), Scandinavian Defense (5:32), Sicilian Dragon (6:34)
Intermediate White : Gambits (7:23), Vienna/Vienna Gambit (8:10), Closed Sicilian (8:45), Advanced Caro-Kann (10:08)
Intermediate Black : Caro-Kann (10:28), Dutch Defense (11:04), Traxler+Sneaky stuff (12:23), Stafford Gambit (13:12)
Advanced White : Straying away from/not allowing mainline theory, applying pressure (13:43), Trompowsky (14:11), Catalan (14:59), English Opening (15:18)
Advanced Black : e4 e5 sidelines/g6 systems (16:18), Nimzowitsch/2 Knight Sicilian (17:10), e6,b6 setups (18:02)
This right here is exactly what I needed. Thank you!
Thanks
can't thank you enough
Wow. Thanks so much.
+
best 2700+ opening:
e4
ke2
it has a 0% loserate
Can confirm this also works in 500 rated 5 minute matches
Why do I hear boss music?
*Hears Hikaru's Bongcloud speedrun intro playing faintly with increasing volume in the background*
I tried this in a match where I have 30 minutes and they have 2 seconds and won, it’s confirmed, bongcloud has a 100% win rate
Bongcloud opening plays
Yeah but only 1 person at 2700+ Plays it.
Hikamura Nakaru
I have never played a single game of chess, so this feels like I’ve sat down in the wrong lecture in college but am too nervous to leave so I just sit and listen
Lol i was the same at first but i studied the london on my own and every thing else started to click
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@asar9192 sameee
Play!
I haven't played for well over a quarter of a century, but have slowly re-developed an interest because my son (will be 6 soon) is now at the age where I can introduce him, and I've sold out of Magic the Gathering.
I grew up in the 70s when chess matches were shown on network TV, and there wasn't a lot else by way of diversions (no home computers, mobiles, modern hobby boardgames, and RPGs were just in their nascent form) hence a lot of kids learned and played chess.
My dad taught me and developed my interest, which was poignant because he and my mum had split up early; so I saw him at various times at weekends, staying at my grandmothers, etc. He passed me his copy of Chernev and Harkness' 'An Invitation to Chess: A Picture Guide to the Royal Game' (which is sat open next to me as I type), and I had a basic plastic figure chess set. We then played chess games via post i.e. sending our moves on post-cards to each other re: no computers, mobiles, modern communication.
I would recommend the book principally because (1) it is aimed as new / novice players and teaches how to play and the basic principles, and (2) illustrates principles and concepts through actual pictoral illustrations and chess notation of games played by chess GMs. The latter is pure genius because not only can readers see and play out games without setting up a chess board, but these were actual games played at high level, yet allows novice players to understand and anticipate specific boardgame states.
TL;DR learn to play chess. Focus less on rote memorisation of openings and more on principles behind chess, and how openings (and defences) implement these principles. Don't immediately worry about winning or losing - just learn, play and enjoy yourself!
@@asar9192 where did you study the London? Here in the States?
When you see that the first opening is for 1100s
*cries in 280*
I think at 280 play something solid like the London system and focus on just not blundering pieces, i.e. giving them away for free.
Honestly at 280 people blunder so much that openings almost don't even matter lmao
Yeah, I'm crying in 600
Crying in 220
how are you watching chess videos if your 280?
Excellent video Gotham :) I am learning a lot from you :) I think you are becoming the major force of TH-cam, and a great credit to you for your huge consistent efforts and passion. I guess you may be a fan of British Grandmaster Julian Hodgson - he won the British chess championship a few times with the Trompovsky as a key weapon of choice. I am also a fan of the Leningrad Dutch but had a heartbreaking loss with it once and didn't play it so much after. Your analogy with the reversed Closed Sicilian is encouraging. I am also a fan of the Vienna game :) We do seem to share some favorites. Cheers, K
Wow im the only like to you i always watch you on twitch and ytb
British grandmasters really don’t seem to care much at all for opening conventions, and I rather love them for it.
wait aren't u a GM? Why r u watching an IM?
@@rjjhh443 he's a CM
@@nickgleeson8498 oh thx for replying
"like begginers", nice it's for me
gothamchess: begginers are for 1100
me being 500 :(
ima begginer begging for at least one win
@@ЗубастыйКацёнок Just checkmate your opponent
Don't study openings yet. Just learn opening principles and checkmate patterns and you can climb to 1000+
according to chess.com? Don't you begin at 1200?
@@helvete_ingres4717 no u begin at 400
8:15 Vienna opening (intermediate)
10:37 Caro-Kann (intermediate)
15:00 the catalan (Advanced)
Thank youuuu
Cheers
@@Deliokuz Why would he say that he's 1500 on lichess, that's your starting rating tf? I'm proud I'm at my starting rating
He is smart 🤓. How what 12345678910 levles
English variant 15:30
this guy makes the best chess content, love how passionate he gets when talking about the vienna.
For Beginners (00-1100) :
=====================
With White :
1 - the London system 00:58
2- the stone wall 01:58
3- kings pawn opening ( Italian + fried liver ) 02:38
With black :
1- kings Indian setup 04:34
2- the Scandinavian defence 5:36
3- the Sicilian defence dragon variation 6:37
(P.s: i think pric defence is good too)
For intermediate ( 1200-1800)
=========================
With white :
1.Danish gambit
2.Kings gambit
3.The Vienna 8:11
4.Closed Sicilian 8:50 ( play against Sicilian )
5.The smith Morra gambit ( play against Sicilian ) 9:23
6.The wing gambit 9:30
7.Two knights (against the French)
8.advance caro kann 10:19
With black :
1- Caro kann ( against e4) 10:30
2-The Dutch defence ( against d4 or c4 or nf3) 11:18
3-The traxler 12:28
4-stanford gamebit 13:14
For advanced level (1800+)
===========================
With white :
1. trompowsky 14:15
2. the catalan 15:00
3- the english 15:22
With black :
1. Caro kann 16:15
2- ruy lopez bird's defence 16:42
3- Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation17:24
4- Van Geet Opening: Sicilian Two Knights Variation 17:35
5- pin variation sicilian
6-e6 b6 setup 18:08
Calling 1800 intermediate is a bit weird... I'd say 0-1000 is beginner, 1000-1500 intermediate, 1500+ advanced
Thank you so much
@@shadowyzephyr no 1800 rated players aren't that good....
I mean i am rated around 1930 and i sometimes do a blunder with some mistakes so do my opponents.
I think players rated above 2000 are advanced.....
thank youuu
Beginner openings:
London System - 0:43
Stonewall - 1:59
Potential gambits and aggressive tricks - 3:09
(Black)
Kings Indian Defence - 4:33
Scandinavian Defence - 5:36
Dragon Sicilian Defence - 6:39
Intermediate openings:
Gambits and new theory with e4 - 7:26
Vienna - 8:12
Vienna Gambit - 8:26
Closed Sicilian Defence (if they play Sicilian) - 8:49
Smith Mora Gambit (if they play Sicilian) - 9:23
Wing Gambit (if they play Sicilian) - 9:29
London System against the KID variations - 9:43
(Black)
Caro Kann - 10:33
Dutch Defence (any move that is not e4 or g4) - 11:16
Traxler Trap - 12:33
Staffordshire Gambit - 13:16
Advanced openings:
Trampowsky - 14:13
Catalan - 15:03
English - 15:23
(Black)
Caro Kann -16:16
Bird Variation - 16:43
Tricky Sicilians - 17:16
e6 b6 setup for positional mastery and tricks - 18:06
That's it.
I think it’s trompovsky but I’m not sure
Not all heros wear capes
12:15 "Who has the advantage? Me. Because you're watching my video." Very Finegoldesque , Levy
As a 2000 rated player here are some of the openings that worked for me at different rating levels:
Unr-1200 - The Stonewall Attack for white got me many easy wins, lots of easy attacking ideas and I was always ahead on the clock because my moves are typically the same.
As black the Nimzowitch (1.Nc6) worked really well as I met 2. d4 with with 2.d5 and typically got easy development and met 2. Nf3 with f5 (the Colorado gambit) which most of my opponents didn’t know so I ended up with even material and a big center
From around 1100-1700 I started to switch to the London and it worked really well. It’s a lot more flexible than the Stonewall yet still shared some of the same attacking ideas
As black I started to play the 2 knights Sicilian. It’s tricky as in the main lines if white plays in the style of the English Attack (Be3) or classical (Be2) black is set up to play Bb4 and d5 with a good position.
1700-Now I stopped playing the London as my main weapon as it really doesn’t challenge a well prepared opponent and moved onto the Queens Gambit. Obviously it would take a lot to go into what lines I like, but typically I liked setups involving an easy f3 and e4 against the Nimzo, Kings Indian, Gruenfeld etc
As black, the Caro Kan Tarktakower variation has served me with easy plans against players who can’t really claim to use my doubled f pawns as an advantage.
Just some thoughts, cheers Levy
Thank you for taking the time to write this, finding masters like you and Levy sharing their knowledge and insights is gold to me! Cheers :)
Best comment
Thank you very much
How long did u take to reach 2000 ratings
@@AmanSai-lm9ul it took me around 4 years. I started playing in 9th grade (14 years old) and got to 2000 in 12th grade (I had just turned 18) I am now 19 and rated 2064. This is uscf btw so I’m around 1900 Fide. I was able to go up so much because I was young when I trained and I practiced basically everyday
Me : at 900, complete beginner
Also me : thinks he has big brain by only watching and playing the 1800+ openings
just play as many openings as possible so you diversify your knowledge
@@brycew6675 Nope, imo you should stick to one and practice that first, so you get practice in middle and endgame and not just loose
i’m 800 lol been playing the kings indian and london but my middle game sucks
@@tommydunn4239 play long time controls, like 15 or 30min
I'm like 1500 blitz and 1650 or so slower. I play a lot of ruy lopez, Italians, Sicilian etc so I guess I'm doing it wrong. Idk, Fischer played e4, ima play e4 too lol.
“English opening relies on your solidity and long term strategic planning” Oh.. maybe that’s why I suck at the English. Been using it since I was 1000 and now at 1700 I still have no idea what I’m doing😂😂😂 I take it I only win because my opponent also has no idea what I’m doing.
I’m bout 1300 and haven’t been able to figure out the kings Indian lmao. I have only won with it because my opponent has no clue what’s going on either. I’ll think I finally figured it out with a great win and I’ll check the game report and it’ll be like 40% accuracy to like 20 lmao
@@djLagwayEnjoyer kid is very theoretical
@Vihaan Kembhavi lmao
@@djLagwayEnjoyer you just have to memorise the english opening. There's nothing there to it. You'll probably beat a lot of opponents too because at 1300 it's not uncommon to attack without proper planning. But then it won't be that fun because you're literally playing moves from memory and not using your own intelligence
I had to use the telugu man, english is hard
Thank you so much for this. Starting with some solid openings has really eased my early-game anxiety about unnecessarily exposing my side to attacks. I think I’ve watched the first half of this like 20 times.
Hey levy, just wanted you to know that watching you and Hikaru has brought my rating up from a 750 to almost a 900 already and it’s only up from here. Just played a game where I used the London and ended up using the Queen and king checkmate I learned from you. Thank you sir!
I know this is a year on but what’s your rating now I’m curious
@@finnmac_ 1200:)
My rating is in the high 900s. I just started with these openings about 8 or 9 games ago and I've lost only once. You're exactly right; these openings set up the board very nicely. I'm not even going to over complicate it and look at the intermediate or advanced openings until I get my rating up. You've got a new subscriber out of me.
Gotham:- Go for the Fried Liver
Traxler Counter Attack:- Hold my *Dark-Squared Bishop*
The traxler is not great if white knows what they’re doing
I see you are a cuber
@@neal3914 true
@@nourganouni yes! What is your average in 3x3 if you cube too?
I average around 15 seconds, but on a good day l could average like 12
My personal favourite is the King's Indian Defense. There's many ways to use it, the opening creates a great defense for your King, and it's overall just a great setup to play off of.
This is an awesome video. Each time I rewatch it, I’ve gone on 9, 6, 8 match winning streaks.
What is your rating?
ur rating??
@@aleksworld547 probably 250
oh wow I've gone on 9, 6, 8 match loosing streaks.
@@swaggerlee90 I feel you
The number 1 opening that gave me the most wins as a beginner was the italian. I think it’s great for controlling the center and it’s also has a great attacking potential, especially when the black castles kingside
"Developing here super simple"
Me when play chess: "Hey, that's ilegal"
that thumbnail alone earns a like.
I dunno, made me suicidal
Great video nonetheless
you said it so many times (study openings to get better)... simply enough, playing the same opening everytime now (with small variations), I feel I have home field advantage at every game! I know and "master" the lines, I catch everytime when someone hangs a piece... best tip ever! choose an opening based on your level, study it, play it many times, quality games! thanks Levy!
8:11 I watched Levy's Vienna video, it's one of the only openings I've used since. The Vienna is incredible and I love it so much. Learn it, please.
Im a beginner and levy mentioned literally the two openings i decided to learn the london and the kings indian
Edit: was planning to learn the caro-kann as well and levy just assured me to go ahead and learn it
No nobody learn the london system, it's my secret weapon.
lol i always play london and kings indian, SOMETIMES fried liver, the first two are really just solid and is not having tons of drama
The King's Indian is something I see against the English when I play it. If you learn it and can develop the positional feeling for it - it can be good at 1800+ even.
@@descendency I agree, Hikaru plays the kings Indian in serious games and he is a super GM.
Try the blackmar diemer gambit if you play d4 it is a very powerful gambit for white, Gotham has a video on it. i climbed up the rating ladder from 740 to 823 (i reached 840 yesterday then i lose) i used to play the london but its a little bit passive. And i give you a trick keep putting pressure on your opponent offers draw and if they declined it obliterate them and sure enough they will regret that decision
I love those daily uploads. So educational and also interesting to watch :)
I love your videos, I love all the explaining and detail and I’ve been browsing around a lot of chess TH-camrs but you’re my favorite. Keep doing great things man
*cries in 800*
I know this is a 2 year old comment but you look pretty
@@mr3loshyt162bro ain't no way you said that on a youtube comment i'm dead💀
@@original_recipes_ I mean i sort of get what you mean because yt is not the place for this sort of thing but what's wrong with it if you have other reasons
@@mr3loshyt162literally wearing a mask 💀
*cries in 182*
When i was becoming an intermediate level player in scholastic tournaments I learned the caro kann and literally made a (i think suboptimal) Vienna from scratch. So my chess journey ultimately included your two favorite openings for this by complete chance.
Glad to see another video, thanks for the uploads gotham!
0:05 after quit teaching, u taught millions wow
Levy: For advanced people only.
Me A noob at chess: Yes, that's easy.
My favorite opening as white is the Jshlatt. Play pawn f3. Next play pawn to g4. Next you don’t play anything because queen to h4 was played and it’s checkmate.
Levy: "Over my years, I've probably taught openings to close to a thousand people"
No Levy, you have taught at least 2.5 Million people from this video
"But Boyan DOES not always have to fall for our traps!"
WHAT
Wow, another bulgarian
@@_.spi_mi_se but make sure to subscribe tho
I am happy that you mentioned the King’s Indian, that is pretty much the only thing I play with black because people always take out their queen early and I just don’t know what to do. I am planning on watching your how to stop early queen attacks video though.
teaching the London and the Stafford - Levy has been spending too much time with Eric
Lol.
As an 1800 I've been loving the Petrov. It's similar to the Trompowsky in that it usually takes your opponent out of their comfort zone (plus the theory is relatively easy to learn)
i hate playing the petrov
Levy you and hikaru are the best online teacher/entertainer. Kudos for making chess much fun to learn
Watched this, then went and tried the London opening and won 3 straight games, very good opening for low level players!
Bro stonewall is far superior because of the open rook and super op attack on kingside. I used to play london as white all the time. I was successful for a while. But the issue is castling. And how very situational it is. The dark squared bishop trade is so annoying. But playing the stone wall and castling kingside with the open rook is so damn good.
@@Chris-kl3zy no offense but you are saying that cos ur 600
@@clashofmagic6672 true London is way more flexible
@@hawkyt3532 London is better but stonewall is much easier to learn
I've been playing the London for a while and despite watching lots of videos on it it doesn't work for me at the moment. I went back to the queen's gambit which seems to work best for me.
Usually its best to stick with what works,
Same
3:10 When I saw Bc5, i was literally yelling EVANS GAMBIT at the screen lol.
yeah, 'take the centre' but with tempo and multiple lines of attack for the price of a flank pawn - why wouldn't you?
I’m 1600 and I’ve been playing Evans gambit since 900. Such a good opening
@@rheetythepiggy6337 Really? I tried Evans gambit (only few attempts) and I realized that I am not able to achieve something here and I am a pawn down and after some simplifications (opponent always want to trade pieces because he Is a pawn up)I am almost lost or I have to work hard for a draw And it is not what you want.
@@petrambrus5963 Just make sure you get a strong pawn centre as soon as possible with a move like d4 (play it either straight away or after casting if the bishop can nag your king). From then on, try and and force his pieces into permanently uncomfortable positions with tempo (with moves such as e5) and get nice diagonals for your bishops (get your dark-square bishop to a3, preventing castling briefly, or eventually to b2, and keep your light-square bishop where it is). Then just attack with all of the pieces that you have, get your queen to g3, advance that f pawn, maybe lift a rook, and when you think your attack is strong enough, involve your knights.
If you do everything that I say, there will be no time for Black to offer trades, and you will get consistently strong attacks game in, game out. Don't worry about the pawn you gave away for free, as you'll almost certainly get back at least it (if not something more significant) if you are good at attacking.
@@maxkho00 I am not good attacker,I prefer solid and calm play and this Is maybe a reason why this opening and gambits don't serve me well.Only gambit that I like Is Queen's gambit.
5:29 I like the "you can play the king's indian against anything"! :)
Why am I watching this at 4am, I shouldn't be activating my budding chess brain at 4am
Hahahaha, maybe you are an addict.
The one dislike is just mad there is no london system declined
Maybe g5 would be London system declined lol
Nah, e5 is better!
Look into h5 after Bishop f4. It's a really cool London trap. Eric Rosen did a video about it. And a must know if you play the London as white yourself.
The dutch defense is the best london declined
you can't decline the london system, it is inevitable
My favorite opening when I was a beginner was the Petrov's defense lol.
I’m 1500 now and still play it as my main opening against e4. It’s nice because people generally don’t know a lot of theory for this opening, while I’ve been playing it since 400 rating so the first few moves flow like water to me.
@@zainrafiq2693 Didn't know about it until very recently
i must say the London has helped me a lot. if you are a beginner struggling in the opening i would recommend the london. great video level keep up the great work (:
On all levels:
- play a line that you like/love. Having fun is more important then anything
- maybe trying out some throw away games (where you don't care you loose) and try out both 1.e4 and 1.d4 as white, and well this also goes for any other new crazy opening
- then a little later study the opening you love well
- do you like gambiting several pawns and pieces and crush the opponent in 20 moves ?
- do you like slow strategic games about structure and a winning end game?
- 1.e4 has a huge opening theory, in general is more tactical. Often more for younger people, but surely not always.
- 1.d4 also has a huge opening theory is in general more strategic and more closed (but not all). At a young age, I played a lot of Queens gambits, and once I had a game where after 1.d4 my opponent was thinking for 15 minutes (!) never seen that
Great video!
As someone who is Catalan, gota love we have such a balanced opening :D
can't believe Levy will be posting 2 vids everyday until Christmas, what a christmas present widepeepoHappy
One of the best chess streamers, explains everything easily, funny and in non-complicated way! Like your videos
I'm a beginner too. The first two openings I've learnt after a quick internet enquiry are White: Ruy Lopez (wrong choice, very complicated but many chess sites say it's good for beginners, which it's not), and Black: French (very good choice, solid, simple to learn and you avoid all the weird opening nonsense such as Fried Liver, etc.).
My opening strategy tends to rely on knowing moves in situations my opponent doesn't, and the Ruy Lopez just doesn't provide that kind of advantage because the depth and complexity of the opening allows most people to equalize. With white I play the English and the Vienna, and with black, I generally play the Sicilian, Dutch, and KID. After I learned those, I started learning trap gambits/openings like the Orthoschnapp and the Tal Caro-Kann
All my homies love the Sicilian dragon. Easy 1500 rating on gosh
Based
I'm on 100elo I swear no one blunders. I checked my overview after the game and I didn't blunder too
Don’t know if you’ll see this but just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve taught me about chess especially the Vienna gambit, I’ve gone from a 400 beginner to a 1300 rated player since watching
I may not be a master (I haven't even played for many years) but I LOVE the English opening, in fact it is the only opening I used to play when I was more active. Your King is protected, you apply pressure at the center and it is very solid.
I go for the Vienna, and I never really get it. It’s like the saddest thing ever, everybody always plays a Bishop move or Sicilian.
When I do get the Sicilian I always play A3
With black pieces I play Caro-kann
(I’m like 1400)
avoid playing very popular opening. People nowadays look for whats relevant and strong. Vienna is a classic and has been studied for centuries, and even weak opponents know a lot of stuff about it. Caro-Kann is fine. Start playing with white some Gambits and whit black learn Grunfeld. Honestly Gambits work vs every 2000 or lower rank player, and your main goal is just to become decent at chess so that you play 2000+ opponents. Its then that chess becomes very wild and every move can change the course of the game.
@@beerbatov okay thanks dude
I recommend alapin Sicilian! Most people our level don’t play Nf6 and just let you push d4 and take the center. You’ll have some easy games with it.
I’m 1200-1400 (depending on how much I play) and for black I use the Pirc, you can play it into almost any white opening, it’s great to learn!
I personally love the closed Ruy Lopez as black and white where I get to play it like Karpov. I am an intermediate.
5:18 I have doubts
*_Timestamps:_*
[+] - His most recommended opening at the level.
(0:37) *= BEGINNERS (
This is very complete bro, thanks
This is exactly what I needed in my life PogU
Bj
I'm at the advanced level and I think the hypermodern type openings are really good. What ends up happening is if your opponent plays passively then you can simply occupy the center and crush them with your well placed pieces or they play aggressively and you can punish them when they overextend. I wholeheartedly agree that the english and catalan are great. I would like to add that in order to avoid things like the grunfeld, it is often best to delay playing Nc3 and instead play Nf3. It completely nullifies any grunfeld or nimzo indian prep. The hypermodern openings are also good because it gives your opponent a lot of chances to make a mistake and often times the refutation of dubious moves is to strike at the center.
My favourite opening with black is the Dutch and my favourite opening in white is danish gambit
7:03, isn't that the hyper accelerated dragon or did I mess something up? Anyways I love the video, it was super helpful and I am researching quite a few of those openings.
Damn levy is just the best he is such a good teacher I hope to 1 day make him proud
I learned one thing in chess "Be patient and take your time to think" which I still can't do
This channel has risen a lot, I don't know if that is the explanation or it is just "bad luck", but I decided to play the Vienna with white and the scandinavian defense with black, when possible. I played 5-6 times after watching this video and in none of them I got the main lines you show here. Anyways, I won them and I made it to 900 ELO.
Time will tell if all this is just a coincidence or if I play better with these openings even if I am responded with weird combinations.
It is the first time I plan to learn a combination of moves, besides fried liver and that kind of stuff. I'm curious to see if i'll really improve or not.
I LOVE MODERN SCANDINAVIAN. A CLASIC SCANDINAVIAN IS SUCH A WIPE ATRACTER TO THEY BOTH.
The best part about the scandy early on is that you'll typically get a free pawn every 2 or 3 games because people develop aggressively and don't pay attention to the queen on a5. It allows players with a weaker grasp on opening principles to put themselves in a bad spot.
5:40 your mic starts to clip. Add a limiter ☺️ also thank you so much for the insight 💜
I'm new but I'm looking forward to being good and with you as my teaching I think I will be good one day thanks Gotham :)
that pawn exchanged locations 9:59
Beginner:
White - London; Stonewall; If you play e4 - c3 and d4 ideas, Fried liver if possible
Black - King’s Indian, Scandinavian, Sicilian Dragon
Intermediate:
White - GAMBITS (Danish, King’s); Vienna; Against Sicilian - Closed Sicilian, Smithmora and Wing gambits; Advanced London system setups; Side lines of main openings - 2 knights against French, Advanced Caro Kann
Black - Caro Kann, Dutch defense for anything else (except g4), Traxler against fried liver, Stafford gambit
Advanced:
White - Put people out of main openings - Vienna; Trumpowski (also Raptor variation); Catalan; English (Botvonik style)
Black - Caro Kann still; g6 systems or bird variation against Ruy Lopez; tricky Sicilians (Nimsowitch, 2 knights Sicilian, pin variation, etc); e6 b6 setup; overall play sidelines of main openings
Everyone: look at opening databases as well as the moves you play in matches to strengthen weak openings
This is literally the video I was needing
When you're a
So early Gotham hasn't pinned a mean comment yet
in the last video i saw he pinned hikaru so this is very accurate.
When you’re a
Aaand it’s happened
@@wyraph When you’re a
when he says he recommends the Sicilian dragon does it include accelerated dragon and hyperaccelerated dragon?
i think he means hyper accelerated because that’s what he used in the example but i’m not sure
I went from ELO 900 to 1100 by switching from Queens Gambit to London and Sicilian to Scandinavian, now on a 12 win streak, advice was right to the point ! Thank you Levy !
As a beginner, i really love your videos, I sometimes need to watch them multiple times to really understand everything :D but it helps a lot. Thank you for the great work, keep it going
I've just started learning how to play chess properly since watching the Queens Gambit show, obviously I'm super basic. I was losing majority of my games, but after watching this video a few times over and memorising an opening for both black and white, I've won the last 3 games I've played by resignation because my opponent freaks out. I'm like a loser at 400, so everyone I play is either less than me or just above me. So if they haven't watched this video or even done a little bit of research, they don't know what hit them 😂
would love to know if you still play chess from time to time, what is your rating now if you do?
Any advice in playing the dutch middle game? I feel very weak playing this opening and they attack me before i can start the pawn push and i somehow always lose
dont play it. In fact avoid everything that transposes to Kings Indian .
Start e6 then f5 against d4 and play into a classical line. Will give you more solidity whilst you learn the Dutch.
And once you hit 3865 like Hans, the chess will speak for itself.
Just wanted to stop by and give you a quick "Thank you." I'm just over 1100 now and started playing the Dutch with Black, following your recommendation. Amazing opening for my level. Don't get me wrong, this being the first week of me playing it, I'm making tons of mistakes but I can see the potential. It feels good and seems to fit my playstyle. So again: Thanks :). Keep em coming, champ.
Hi Levy, really grateful for the informative videos. You obviously care a lot about what you do and helping people to improve their chess, at all levels. Keep up the good work my friend - it's much appreciated!
I played London and became 1200.Levy is the best thing I found in lockdown
I could spend the rest of my life studying ideas presented in this video. Thanks for the free chess lesson!
Is this an alternate reality where EVERYONE plays the Caro Kann
I like what you said at the end about figuring out if you enjoy the opening.
I had to learn that with the KID. I'm a 600 player and was looking for a setup-based opening to get me a solid stance in the middle game, so the KID seemed like the right choice. The problem is, I hate the games that opening creates. Win or lose, half the game feels claustrophobic, they all seem repetitive, and I don't like having to worry about the light-squared bishop sliding in to eat my lunch. I switched to the Sicilian Dragon and later to Karo Kan (by your recommendation in other videos) and have been much happier ever since. You tricked me into studying theory! 😩
In all seriousness, thanks for another great video. I'm enrolled in both your beginner and intermediate courses and have been enjoying them a lot. I've picked up chess a few times but never stuck with it because I was afraid of studying theory. Your TH-cam videos got me over that fear, and your courses gave me a great avenue to pursue once I got serious. I'm really enjoying the game now, and the only difference between this and all the times I dropped it in the past has been your content.
As a beginner of chess, the London System is my favorite as White, and the King's Indian Defense is my favorite as Black. Very easy to understand, and you get a very quick development.
Something I've always wondered: when you recommend openings based on rating, are you going based off longer or shorter time controls? For instance, my blitz rating is about 400 points lower than my daily or 15|10 rating (not rated irl)
I think if not specified otherwise he means ur classical elo rating, but usually that’s not too far off from ur rapid online rating
I wanted to ask this too. FIDE elo is not the same as USCF, let alone chess.com rating.
Levy is still a chess teacher. He’s teaching 300000+ people now
800,000+ now :)
8:41 I don’t get it you go for the rook by taking the g7 pawn but isn’t that easily defended against with g8 then leaving you susceptible to an attack with pawn to d5?
Many years ago, when I was young and learning to play, I picked up a book by Horowitz and Reinfeld called “How to Think Ahead in Chess.” Probably the best book for my very modest successes as an unrated amateur. For white they recommend the Stonewall, and against e4 they recommend the Sicilian dragon variation. Plus ça change!
All I want and need is the Beginner.
*White*
London System (0:40), Stonewall (1:53), e4 principles/Fried Liver (2:37)
*Black*
Kings Indian (4:18), Scandinavian Defense (5:32), Sicilian Dragon (6:34)
I dislike Fried Liver, because it's too difficult. I would like to learn only one opening for both sides.
Managed to rank up to 1000 after being stuck in 800s after watching this video, thanks man!
Chess is one of the best inventions created for man to occupy his time with. Imagine if people played chess instead of playing war with other countries. Civil and eloquent. To enjoy Mr Levy here with his wit, humor and usable material here I feel blessed to have this knowledge available. Thank you so very much Sir Levy.
I dunno. Look at current (December 2021) kerfuffle with many prominent Russian GMs attacking fellow Russian Dubov.