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At 6:12 asking about our moves. For white, I originally thought pawn to g4 looked good. Blocks the queen's attack, and opens white queen to protect pawn on h3. If knight takes, pawn takes back. If queen takes, knight g1 to protect h3 check. Then play chess from there. If knight doesn't take, it's For black's move in the puzzle, I think the best move is knight h2 check. Opens queen to come down into the position, and knight f3 also looks unpleasant for white.
Im this in reverse. I play instant, too fast , blunder and then start to focus. Then im playing from a defensive/losing position for the rest of the game
I made a different blunder on the first question that may be instructive to others. I saw that the knight was threatening the pawn on h3 and immediately decided on Ng1 to "protect" it. It was only after I started the video again and Igor pointed out that the Queen was also attacking h3 that I realised my mistake. I think the lesson I should learn from this is that when I see one threat I shouldn't react until I've finished the process of scanning the board for other threats.
@@bryanshawcpasc Yes, i think so, because they will take with the knight anyway and when you recapture with your knight they take it with the Queen leaving you a pawn down and in check.
Yeah, but you can't play anything else other than Ng1. I think my move [Kg2] was a more accurate way of illustrating your point, because it is an actual blunder. To back this up, Stockfish suggests Ng1 and says that the position is equal after that.
summary: evaluate forward-moving moves. that is those moves which move into the opponents half of the board (both your own, and those of your opponent). Usually these are the one's you need to worry about. This fits in with a main theme in Igor's lessons which is: the best moves are forward-moving, attacking moves. These moves challenge your opponent and further your plans.
Block check with Knight. Bishop takes, Check - Kh1 Can't take Rook and promote since Queen snipes it from a6. Can't promote to queen on e1 because of the Rook. And now, the Rook is under attack as well.
Trying to solve the daily puzzle @5:59 First I opted for the move Qa7 to put pressure on f2 with the threat of mate: 1. ... Qa7 2. Nd4 exd4 3. Bd1 Nxe4 4. Bxg4 d3, but 5. Qf4! Now I've realized that I didn't calculate the line after 1. ... Nh2+ when I saw that the king could get out of check. But it's mate in 3: 2. Kg1 Nhf3 (Ke1 Ngf3#) 3. Kg2 Qh3#
The move I picked at 0:29 after careful consideration was g4 to doubly protect h3, since I saw it was being attacked twice, once by Ng5, and once by Qd7. I haven't finished watching the video yet, but the move seems sound from what I can see. I'm thinking Ng1 as a follow-up move since my primary concern right now is king safety.
When you present me with a position or a puzzle I know it is somehow significant and that makes it way easier for me to properly evaluate the situation. My problem is recognizing on which positions I should think a bit longer in the first place.
Great video! One observation I have from watching Magnus Carlsen banter blitz videos is he spends quite some time on positions where there are so many obvious moves. In those positions I would have spent like 2 seconds deciding if I did not watch how Carlsen decides moves
The last question and its answer remind me of an Evans Gambit game I saw recently. A game began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 d6 7.dxe5 Nxe5? 8. Nxe5 dxe5 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Ba3+. Presumably the player who resigned when checked from d4 would also resign here - but by interposing with "discovered defense" Black can leave White with only a modest advantage.
Thank you. I am trying desperately to make this kind of thinking habit. As an adult improver, i have developed many bad habits. You have mentioned this concept many times about always thinking about moving into opponents half of the board...and conversely, thinking about your opponent moving into your half. I have the underlying ability to play good chess...i have drawn titled players and have even had major winning positions...and i have beat a decent number of 2000+ players. But thats when im not hanging blatant pieces. I just lost to a 1100 in a casual game by hanging a blatant mate in 1. It makes me sooooo angry at myself. And its the sole reason im stuck below 2000
It took me like 40 seconds to find the defence for that last puzzle, you block with the knight, freeing the queen's diagonal, then if bishop checks, you move the king back to h2, if pawn takes rook, you take with the queen, if the pawn promotes, you take with the rook and win since the bishop is attacked and black rook is also attacked at the same time
Puzzle: Knight h2 check there is 2 lines: First line : king g2- Queen h3 check - king g1- knight H f3 check mate second line: king g1 - knight H f3- Queen h3 check mate
14:22 Ke3 , Be2+ Check Rf2 , e1 promotes to queen Qf1 which then leads u to a promoted Pawn which turn into a queen and then itsjust winning for white It took me like 10-15 seconds to realise theres not a forced mate if theres Ke3 which stops check
By YouSum Live 00:02:20 Blunders are common, especially below 1600 rating. 00:04:57 Focus on opponent's forward moves to prevent blunders. 00:08:22 Enhance positional understanding to reduce blunders significantly. 00:10:52 Avoid tunnel vision by considering the entire board. 00:12:36 Playing on after blunders can lead to opponent mistakes. 00:12:50 Remember Guk's advice: "Nothing to lose, something to gain." 00:13:59 Stay resilient and capitalize on opponent errors post-blunder. By YouSum Live
I'm not a strong player but I did find g4 right off in the first example. Looking at this as you explain and I am relaxed I see things easily. It is when I am playing in a game I have this anxiety level that I believe aids in my blunder making. Instead of resigning white should move Ne3 on the last puzzle, cool video lesson, thanks.
Another interesting video. In the first puzzle, I didn’t see the Queen on d7… talk about tunnel vision… this is the struggle in my game right now to avoid this tunnel vision. Learning chess seems to me to be like peeling an onion. There is no point in going very deep into my knowledge of chess. Play games, look for the most recurring mistake; the first peel; look for how to correct it best, play games, when it is relatively corrected, look for the new skin and apply the same principles. This allowed me to go from 900 to 1500 in rapid games in the last 2 years. Of course, it also takes many hours of studying theory and principles to get there. Igor has been the one who has helped me the most in my learning. I don’t know how far I will go with my 62 years old, but I will continue to play this game until the day, perhaps, when I realize that I can’t go any further. Reaching 1800 in rapid games would be a very good achievement for me. Thank you Mr. Igor!
@@ValRoyD More specifically, pay attention to the whole board, not just the center of attention. ESPECIALLY pay attention to queens and bishops, since they really like to pull surprise attacks from across the whole board.
He never said it, but I think the idea is calculating multiple moves, and what your opponent has in response. I’ve won multiple games off of this thought process, and I’ve just adopted it.
For the final puzzle: Ne3 to open up the queen's vision to the e2 pawn. Bishop takes knight check,Kh1, exf1=Q+, Qxf1 and now its bishop and rook vs queen so maybe a victory
Korchnoi was such a great character. I once saw him in a running competition (before the matches in the Interpolis chess tournement). And when most of the (younger) contestants (all chess players) finished before him, Korchnoi just would run another lap, and then claim his victory.
In the final scenario, I'd move Ne3. Bc you've got to get the Knight out of the way of your Queen if you have any hope of thwarting the attack. Then after BxN+, Kh1. White can rebuff any attack and is poised to promote a pawn and take material advantage.
Answer to the last question Ne3, Bishop takes knight, Rf2, if Bishop takes rook, king takes bishop and promotes next no matter what, if Pawn promotes to a queen, Qf1 and its kind of an equal position
Kight on C4 to B3 blocking check and opening A6 F1 diagonal for Queen protection of F1 rook . Bishop takes Knight , King to H1and white will win with extra material.
You keep surprising me with your thinking processes and steps etc. but I keep just playing my same old crappy style. One day I hope to break 1500 by actually following by your methods meticulously. Keep it up.
One thing I learned from our unfortunately deceased coach is to play with minimal risk preventing most threats and easily winning / drawing the endgame even against higher rated players. Or with others words from my former teammate: "You have to solve the problems before they arise!" So dont leave your chess pieces uncovered or exposed to threats. If you can't calculate the outcome of a move just play a good safe move. Good moves are only good moves if they are part your plan. You should always have a plan and your game should have a clear red thread. A bad plan is better than no plan. Your pieces must all work together. Even if you blunder a piece / pawn, often it means the opponent has to make several moves to get there. So sometimes you get compensation and the initiative. I am 43 year old and playing chess since i was 6. In my youth i had especially endgame training and a bit of middle game training. 2010 i had reached almost 1900 rating. Than in 2015 my rating dropped to 1750. Now I am at 1933 and getting every year better even without training, just by playing and winning slowly. It's so satisfying, if you blunder a pawn in the beginning and win after 6 1/2 hours, crushing your opponent piece by piece psychologically.
One thing that helped me a TON is investigating/analyzing my opponents knights moves MUCH more closely than other pieces. If an opponent moves a knight on my side of the board, or near my pieces, I immediately search for forks, and other potential dangerous situations. The human brain (at least mine) recognizes straight lines very easily. And, diagonals are easy too, unless they are like the ENTIRE LENGTH of the board. Then, you can BLUNDER to queens/bishops because of "out of sight, out of mind."
I did choose h4 but for another reason - I saw an opportunity to attack the knight without losing protection of my queen. I also checked all of my pieces for protection first, and this pawn being unprotected did not go unnoticed for me, BUT I somehow paid no attention to it being under attack by queen...
After h3 and Ng4, white can play Qb6, and whatever Balck plays , white can sac his knight and push his e4 pawn so that it opens bishop diagonals. Then whatever Balck plays we can play Qb8 and queen blocks check and then after white will kill queen and ####mate. Bishop and queen mate. Brilliant knight sac!!
6:05 1st puzzle Nh2+ then king comes to (g1) or (g2) coz if it goes to (e1) then its a blunder then after Kg2 black (Qh3) white (Kh1) and then black (nf3) mate
there are three key aspects to consider: where the attacks are happening, where pieces are idling, and the reserves. First, identify the attack. Then, check if any idling pieces can contribute to the attack. These are typically pieces that have moved from their original starting squares but appears as if they are not contributing to the attack. Finally, consider the reserves, which are pieces that have not moved at all. Determine if these reserve pieces can support the attack within one move or so. By doing this you'll be aware of what is happening around the board instead of focusing on where the opponent is attacking, you can effectively improve your rating from 1300 to 1900 in 3 to 10-minute games. I'm a 1500 player but I can reach 1900 if I do it this ways, but I enjoy trap positions and they work well around the 1500 rating range 😅😅
Nothing to lose and something to gain is a very good advice. When i played the c-open in the karlsruhe grenke something like this happened. First game on the last day and out of exhaustion und tiredness i ran into a fried liver and a rook right in the beginning. I pulled myself together after the shock and played on. The opponent played very hastily as if he is absolutely sure that he will win and spend basically no time of his 90 minutes. Well a few moves later he tried an interesting fork with his queen on my king and queen :D And i was just sitting there lighting up. It was just awesome. If you are below 1600 there is never really a reason to give up on the spot. Most children in the chess clubs in our region are taught to never throw the game and play until mate. Really very good advice. Let the opponent prove that he can win. (unless you are 1900 and up then its just annoying and probably flagging)
14:23 Ne3. If ...Bxe3, Kh1. Now the rook and the other promotion square are both protected, and white now has enough play to ward off black's attack and win
Puzzle at 6:03: NH2 1. if KE1: NG5 to NF3 is mate 2. if KG2: QH3 check and the king has to go either G1 or H1, where both NH2 to NF3 is mate 3. if KG1: QH3 check (protected by the knight on g5). king must move g1 or h1. 3A. if KG1: check with NH5 to NF3, king is forced to move to h1, move the knight on H2 and win with a discovered check 3B. if KH1: NH2 to NF3 wins with discovered check
1. Ne3 Bxe3+ 2. Kh1! Black must capture the rook on f1 which is now covered by the queen in order to maintain initiative and avoid White's promotion, which thwarts Black's attack and ends the exchange with white still up his queen with a brutal e7 pawn. It looks like it leads to promotion for white in all lines that aren't rook sacrifices because if we go Qf6, the kingside diagonal is directly covered by the queen and the queenside diagonal is indirectly covered by 4. ...Bc5 5. Qg5+! Kf8 6. Qxc5. Since both diagonals are covered black just becomes a sitting duck here. They could instead try to counterplay by inviting the pawn to promote and trying to threaten back rank but then white plays h3 there's nothing left and the pawn is still on e7.
Example 4 is a trap because Qxf3 seems to have a lot going for it such as (1) the queen looks well placed on the f3 diagonal, (2) Qxf3 seems to develop a piece, and (3) Qxf3 prepares a queen-side castle. You might also consider and reject gxf3 because you were told not to double pawns.
Lesson from final puzzle: Never resign even when I think I should (at least wait a few extra moves) so I won't miss Ne3 which actually wins for white. Black regains a rook and a piece but white should fairly easily win (queen and three pawns vs rook and bishop)
Wow, this is probably my favourite video of yours, absolutely amazing. Blunders are my Nr. 1 Problem (lack of sleep, stress etc.). I'm regularly rising into the 1300s just to fall back into the 1000s, my highest ever was 1400 for 1-2 games lol. Why? Because of stupid blunders. Your basic strategy to reduce blunders is to abide by the core principles and focus on most important areas of the board, so you don't waste your time calculating irrelevant stuff. In another video you said if you start out correctly, like moving pieces to the middle, castling etc., you automatically reduce blunders. Do you have any other tips to biologically improve memory / board awareness ?
Ne3 is the only move that doesn't lead to Mate in 1 to a pawn promotion. I'm thinking Ne3, Bxe3 then Kh1 allowing for exf1=Q to be captured with Qxf1 since the knight would no longer be blocking the queen from the f1 square. If they try Rd1, then you can play e8=Q forcing Kg7 allowing Qexe2 or Qaxe2 so you can really protect your rook. You can even take the e2 pawn with Qxe2 the moment they play Rd1.
for the position at the end, white has to sacrifice the knight and when the bishop takes it with another check, the king has to move to h1 and when that happens, if black tries to make a queen while taking the rook, white takes with the queen and at the end of that trade white is left with a queen and 5 pawns which ads up to 14 points and black is left with a bishop, rook and 2 pawns which adds up to 10 points. Based on material, I think white is still up. I'm not up to 1000 elo so correct me if I'm wrong.
The final puzzle, I'll write down the 2 possible lines Note: Black Bishop checks the King 1. Kh1 e2xf1 promotes to Queen and delivers checkmate 1. Rf2 e1 promotes to Queen and again delivers checkmate 1. Ne3 Bxe3 again the previous to lines are the continuation
my answer to the first question was to brute force g4. as it protects all of my pawns and doesn't lose on the spot. but I don't like my position very much. (after seeing that he agreed i am glad) with the second example (after seeing that i would have hung my rook as well) I looked at knight c4. similar idea, but worse execution. as it doesn't come with threats of forced trades. looking at the third starting position, my first idea was castles, but that doesnt work due to the tactic, so the only move I saw working was bishop b3. but in the position after h3 the only move was g3. but I dont like the doubled pawns there. puzzle at the end, first impression looks like instant death. but the move is knight e3. opening up the queen to help save the king. my issues tend to be positional, give me a tactic and I will often find it, but a slow complicated game is a nightmare for me. that and being rusty has made 1/10 of my moves borderline random sometimes.
So true about not giving up after a blunder. After all in blitz I actually lose most games after I've won my opponent's queen believe it or not. My opponent usually ahs the initiative and more pieces after losing their queen and they press forward with confidence and my Queen gets kicked around and has few other pieces to coordinate with.
My first thought was to attack the e5 with queen at c5 to free up the bishop. My very first instinct of course was to attack the knight. But I've got manage to get just past 500 elo by always reconsidering. After seeing the check I think it maybe best to avoid the check with knight on g3.
White: Ne3 Black: B takes on e3 with Check White: Qh1 If P takes Ruck f1 and promotes it King or Rukh with a check, white can take King with Kf1 If Black play Rd1 white should play, King takes e2 White will be in a better position, rukh and Bishop under attack
In that first board, I never even saw the diagonal queen attack. I considered f4, to attack the knight, but decided it was bad that it blocked white's queen's mobility. I considered h4, but before I even thought about Nh3 I saw Qd1+... shamefully I was completely blind to the bishop on c2 the whole time. But the move I chose was Ke1, intending to protect against Qd1+ which never would have happened. Coincidentally, though, it would have dodged Qxh3+ so I don't think I would have *blundered* per se (except the pawn, I guess), but I pretty much wouldn't ever have chosen g4.
Yep. H4 is what i picked to put pressure on the knight from 2 angles, preventing a queen capture/check. If they chose to use their turn get the knight out of danger, my next move would be pawn to G4 to block a check. If the queen took it. it would be a loss but not a check. Not sure if that's wise. I'm typing this with the video paused and haven't seen his answer yet. >.
White wins with Ne3 Bxe3+, Kh1 and now after … Rd1, Qxe2 and white gets another queen or after … exf1, Qxf1 and white has a winning position with queen and pawn on e7 whicht forces the rook to stay behind (e.g. … Re8, Qf6 or … Rd8, Qe1 )
For the final question: You end up with your Queen versus their bishop on the right line: 1) Ne3 Bxe3 2) e2xf1=Q Qxf1 3) If Re8 to block promotion and threaten pawn then Qd3 attacking bishop and threatening check/retake rook if rook takes pawn 3) if Rook leaves the rank it is on, then simply promote pawn, so it is forced to keep rook on that rank. So is rook moves anywhere on that rank, then simply Qd3 anyways. Always attack that bishop and take that open file for check. SO either way here you'll probably be taking that bishop back because if bishop moves, now you can slide up to d7 with your Queen, which will threaten to simply capture the rook if it doesn't move. If the rook is on a different file on the same rank and the bishop did not move to protect d8, simply push queen up to check on d8, and force rook to take, then promote that pawn back to queen. I think white ends up better here no matter what, but I'm probably missing something
Thanks Igor, I really like your videos, and agree with the other comments. I bought your 2000 Elo class but unfortunately I keep making mistakes and blunders - have progressed only from about 900 to about 1100. So any principles to further avoid blunders are more than welcome...
I think long and hard about a specific move, and don't like some positions that I might get 6 moves later, so then a look at a different move and instantly go "yeah, looks good" and hang the piece in one move, because I subconsciously consider my "time thinking" quota met.
Kh1. Maybe your opponent will push the wrong button and promote to a night or bishop. Or, just move all the possible moves. If that does not make your opponent run out of time, then just wait until you have 2 seconds left. Your opponent might offer you a draw somewhere, or just leave their device alone, thinking you did the same. If it is a face to face game, you unfortunately have no option but to loose, even though you waste as much time as you like.
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Why are u so fking smart you predict my every move
Great video Igor :)
😎😏😉
At 6:12 asking about our moves.
For white, I originally thought pawn to g4 looked good. Blocks the queen's attack, and opens white queen to protect pawn on h3. If knight takes, pawn takes back. If queen takes, knight g1 to protect h3 check. Then play chess from there. If knight doesn't take, it's
For black's move in the puzzle, I think the best move is knight h2 check. Opens queen to come down into the position, and knight f3 also looks unpleasant for white.
My biggest problem is the instant move. I start slow & methodical, get into a winning position, then Insta-move & lose on the spot 😭
sammmmmmmmmme
Try taking up something more your speed like "Chutes and Ladders".
history of my life
Im this in reverse. I play instant, too fast , blunder and then start to focus. Then im playing from a defensive/losing position for the rest of the game
@@stevelenores5637says the d-bag with probably a 600 ELO. STFU 🤣
Answer to last question:
Ne3 ,
if bxe3, Kh1
1) if e2xf1 and promote to queen with check , then white Qxf1
2) Calculate for other lines.
What about Qxe3?
@@LarryLikesChess where
I saw this too.
You you sac the knight to open up the line for the queen to nullify the promotion threat.
It would be helpful if you put the time on your reply if there are multiple questions asked. I was at this point 5:59 and your answer made no sense.
I made a different blunder on the first question that may be instructive to others. I saw that the knight was threatening the pawn on h3 and immediately decided on Ng1 to "protect" it. It was only after I started the video again and Igor pointed out that the Queen was also attacking h3 that I realised my mistake. I think the lesson I should learn from this is that when I see one threat I shouldn't react until I've finished the process of scanning the board for other threats.
Is Ng1 a blunder? It stops the Knight and the Queen is she sails in?! I thought it was the proper solution.
@@bryanshawcpasc it's not extremely bad, but you blunder the pawn. Ng1 Nxh3 and if Nxh3 Qxh3+ , so you have to move the Knight from g1
@@bryanshawcpasc Yes, i think so, because they will take with the knight anyway and when you recapture with your knight they take it with the Queen leaving you a pawn down and in check.
Yeah, but you can't play anything else other than Ng1. I think my move [Kg2] was a more accurate way of illustrating your point, because it is an actual blunder.
To back this up, Stockfish suggests Ng1 and says that the position is equal after that.
lol...I used the king on G2 to prevent same
summary: evaluate forward-moving moves. that is those moves which move into the opponents half of the board (both your own, and those of your opponent). Usually these are the one's you need to worry about.
This fits in with a main theme in Igor's lessons which is: the best moves are forward-moving, attacking moves. These moves challenge your opponent and further your plans.
Your first 1 minute 50 sums up my whole chess career
I swear
Me too. From “you hope that the knight will just go away” to “you pray your opponent will not notice this move*
These short videos are very helpful! You really do provide ways to think that can be applied without major mysteries.
Block check with Knight.
Bishop takes, Check - Kh1
Can't take Rook and promote since Queen snipes it from a6.
Can't promote to queen on e1 because of the Rook. And now, the Rook is under attack as well.
Yep same thing. And not only do you save yourself but you are in a fairly good position :D
These lessons are great. Informative yet straight to the point without waffling on. 👍👍👍
Trying to solve the daily puzzle @5:59
First I opted for the move Qa7 to put pressure on f2 with the threat of mate: 1. ... Qa7 2. Nd4 exd4 3. Bd1 Nxe4 4. Bxg4 d3, but 5. Qf4!
Now I've realized that I didn't calculate the line after 1. ... Nh2+ when I saw that the king could get out of check. But it's mate in 3: 2. Kg1 Nhf3 (Ke1 Ngf3#) 3. Kg2 Qh3#
4. Kxh3?
@@zbo1 the knight on g5 is guarding h3.
Ahhh
This is one of your best videos. Love the honesty.
I think it is very good video - my ELO 1600. Maybe for somebody having bigger ELO than me it is not good video, I can admit.
The 2nd puzzle is Ne3 clearing path for queen to defend Bxe3+ Kh1 exf1=Q+ Qxf1
Well done you open my eyes to a new world 🥹
right! i also found that move
@reicoree wow good for you! What a good, good boy you are 😁
@@reicoreenice. I only solved it because I remember it from one of Ben finegolds lectures.
I am new at this game. How the white bishop capture e3 if it is as black spot
The move I picked at 0:29 after careful consideration was g4 to doubly protect h3, since I saw it was being attacked twice, once by Ng5, and once by Qd7. I haven't finished watching the video yet, but the move seems sound from what I can see. I'm thinking Ng1 as a follow-up move since my primary concern right now is king safety.
Ne3 blocks the bishop and opens path for White queen to help in defence of F1 Square
Bishops takes knight then your back in check.
@@jacksteal4792That's fine, then you just move the king out of check
We want a rating climb... Appreciate the content 👏
I don't think Igor has anything to prove by doing a ratings climb. You're not going to learn much from a GM beating a
@@mrnelgin its not about him proving anything we want to learn from him how to approach games in different situations 🙂
Agreed, hope he does it.
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When you present me with a position or a puzzle I know it is somehow significant and that makes it way easier for me to properly evaluate the situation. My problem is recognizing on which positions I should think a bit longer in the first place.
all of them..
Got this notification at the end of watching a video or yours on positional chess. Love the videos keep it up!
Great video! One observation I have from watching Magnus Carlsen banter blitz videos is he spends quite some time on positions where there are so many obvious moves. In those positions I would have spent like 2 seconds deciding if I did not watch how Carlsen decides moves
If true this will improve my blunders from 8 to 4 per game. Huge!
The last question and its answer remind me of an Evans Gambit game I saw recently. A game began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 d6 7.dxe5 Nxe5? 8. Nxe5 dxe5 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Ba3+. Presumably the player who resigned when checked from d4 would also resign here - but by interposing with "discovered defense" Black can leave White with only a modest advantage.
3:26 Of course I chosed that move
7:52 NC4
10:49 Bishop to B5
The best move for black in first puzzle is Kh2
And white does any move it's forced checkmate
Thank you. I am trying desperately to make this kind of thinking habit. As an adult improver, i have developed many bad habits. You have mentioned this concept many times about always thinking about moving into opponents half of the board...and conversely, thinking about your opponent moving into your half. I have the underlying ability to play good chess...i have drawn titled players and have even had major winning positions...and i have beat a decent number of 2000+ players. But thats when im not hanging blatant pieces. I just lost to a 1100 in a casual game by hanging a blatant mate in 1. It makes me sooooo angry at myself. And its the sole reason im stuck below 2000
It took me like 40 seconds to find the defence for that last puzzle, you block with the knight, freeing the queen's diagonal, then if bishop checks, you move the king back to h2, if pawn takes rook, you take with the queen, if the pawn promotes, you take with the rook and win since the bishop is attacked and black rook is also attacked at the same time
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Puzzle: Knight h2 check there is 2 lines:
First line : king g2- Queen h3 check - king g1- knight H f3 check mate
second line: king g1 - knight H f3- Queen h3 check mate
14:22 Ke3 , Be2+ Check
Rf2 , e1 promotes to queen
Qf1 which then leads u to a promoted Pawn which turn
into a queen and then itsjust winning for white
It took me like 10-15 seconds to realise theres not a forced mate if theres Ke3 which stops check
By YouSum Live
00:02:20 Blunders are common, especially below 1600 rating.
00:04:57 Focus on opponent's forward moves to prevent blunders.
00:08:22 Enhance positional understanding to reduce blunders significantly.
00:10:52 Avoid tunnel vision by considering the entire board.
00:12:36 Playing on after blunders can lead to opponent mistakes.
00:12:50 Remember Guk's advice: "Nothing to lose, something to gain."
00:13:59 Stay resilient and capitalize on opponent errors post-blunder.
By YouSum Live
Alright ill just watch this video twice
Underrated comment😊
🙀 blud thinks he him
That would still only be 75% even if it worked
I'm not a strong player but I did find g4 right off in the first example. Looking at this as you explain and I am relaxed I see things easily. It is when I am playing in a game I have this anxiety level that I believe aids in my blunder making. Instead of resigning white should move Ne3 on the last puzzle, cool video lesson, thanks.
Another interesting video. In the first puzzle, I didn’t see the Queen on d7… talk about tunnel vision… this is the struggle in my game right now to avoid this tunnel vision. Learning chess seems to me to be like peeling an onion. There is no point in going very deep into my knowledge of chess. Play games, look for the most recurring mistake; the first peel; look for how to correct it best, play games, when it is relatively corrected, look for the new skin and apply the same principles. This allowed me to go from 900 to 1500 in rapid games in the last 2 years. Of course, it also takes many hours of studying theory and principles to get there. Igor has been the one who has helped me the most in my learning. I don’t know how far I will go with my 62 years old, but I will continue to play this game until the day, perhaps, when I realize that I can’t go any further. Reaching 1800 in rapid games would be a very good achievement for me. Thank you Mr. Igor!
Puzzle one best move is ..Nh2+. Black cannot move 2. Ke1 otherwise Ngf3#. 2. Kg1 Nhf3+ 3. Kf1 / Kg2 / Kh1, Qh3# else 2. Kg2 Qh3+ 3. Kg1 / Kh1, Nf3# cornered!
Wait, so what's the 1 key rule?
I was hoping you’d tell me, now I had to watch the video.
I think it boils down to…
#1 DON’T BLUNDER!
That’s what I got out of it, anyway.
@@ValRoyD More specifically, pay attention to the whole board, not just the center of attention. ESPECIALLY pay attention to queens and bishops, since they really like to pull surprise attacks from across the whole board.
He never said it, but I think the idea is calculating multiple moves, and what your opponent has in response. I’ve won multiple games off of this thought process, and I’ve just adopted it.
@@ValRoyD😅 2:22
How can my opponent go to my side of the board and attack something is the key rule I think
Last Puzzle: Ne3, Bxe3+, Kh1, exf1=Q, Qxf1. There's a pawn ready to be promoted, its bishop and rook against queen endgame..
For the final puzzle: Ne3 to open up the queen's vision to the e2 pawn. Bishop takes knight check,Kh1, exf1=Q+, Qxf1 and now its bishop and rook vs queen so maybe a victory
Final puzzle: Ne3 Bxe3+, Rf2 e1=Q+, Qf1 Bxf2+, Kh1 Qxf1#
Puzzle 1 ans- Nh2 check K f1, Ng3#mate
Ans to 1st puzzle it's pawn to G4
My issue is losing morale after making mistakes, I definitely play more carefree after. Thanks for the motivation.
6:03 Nh2+
If Kg1, Nhf3+ Kf1/Kh1 leads to Qh3#
If Ke1, Ngf3#
If Kg2, Qh3+, Kg1/Kh1 leads to Nhf3#
Last example solution: 1.Ne3,Bxe3+ 2.Kh1,ef=Q+ 3.Qxf1,Re8 4.Qf6 etc
Korchnoi was such a great character. I once saw him in a running competition (before the matches in the Interpolis chess tournement). And when most of the (younger) contestants (all chess players) finished before him, Korchnoi just would run another lap, and then claim his victory.
For the last puzzle, white is +4 in material after blocking the check with the knight and taking the promoted pawn with queen.
In the final scenario, I'd move Ne3. Bc you've got to get the Knight out of the way of your Queen if you have any hope of thwarting the attack. Then after BxN+, Kh1. White can rebuff any attack and is poised to promote a pawn and take material advantage.
ALWAYS , ALWAYS scan the whole board before making a move.
Always counter threats with bigger threats if possible.
Make your pieces work together.
Answer to the last question
Ne3, Bishop takes knight, Rf2, if Bishop takes rook, king takes bishop and promotes next no matter what, if Pawn promotes to a queen, Qf1 and its kind of an equal position
Last puzzle answers Ne3 , bxe3, re2, pawn prmotion check to the king Qf1
After bxe3 You can go to h1 if he take your rook you take his queen with yours
Kight on C4 to B3 blocking check and opening A6 F1 diagonal for Queen protection of F1 rook . Bishop takes Knight , King to H1and white will win with extra material.
You keep surprising me with your thinking processes and steps etc. but I keep just playing my same old crappy style. One day I hope to break 1500 by actually following by your methods meticulously. Keep it up.
One thing I learned from our unfortunately deceased coach is to play with minimal risk preventing most threats and easily winning / drawing the endgame even against higher rated players. Or with others words from my former teammate: "You have to solve the problems before they arise!" So dont leave your chess pieces uncovered or exposed to threats. If you can't calculate the outcome of a move just play a good safe move. Good moves are only good moves if they are part your plan. You should always have a plan and your game should have a clear red thread. A bad plan is better than no plan. Your pieces must all work together.
Even if you blunder a piece / pawn, often it means the opponent has to make several moves to get there. So sometimes you get compensation and the initiative.
I am 43 year old and playing chess since i was 6. In my youth i had especially endgame training and a bit of middle game training. 2010 i had reached almost 1900 rating. Than in 2015 my rating dropped to 1750. Now I am at 1933 and getting every year better even without training, just by playing and winning slowly. It's so satisfying, if you blunder a pawn in the beginning and win after 6 1/2 hours, crushing your opponent piece by piece psychologically.
One thing that helped me a TON is investigating/analyzing my opponents knights moves MUCH more closely than other pieces. If an opponent moves a knight on my side of the board, or near my pieces, I immediately search for forks, and other potential dangerous situations.
The human brain (at least mine) recognizes straight lines very easily. And, diagonals are easy too, unless they are like the ENTIRE LENGTH of the board. Then, you can BLUNDER to queens/bishops because of "out of sight, out of mind."
Appreciate you for being here💛
1. Ne3 Bxe3+
2. Kh1 exf1=R+
3. Qxf1
I saw this puzzle on other channels.
I wouldn't be surprised to be easy.😏
This is just the best strategy ever. Thank you for helping us to join you on a master level :)
I did choose h4 but for another reason - I saw an opportunity to attack the knight without losing protection of my queen. I also checked all of my pieces for protection first, and this pawn being unprotected did not go unnoticed for me, BUT I somehow paid no attention to it being under attack by queen...
After h3 and Ng4, white can play Qb6, and whatever Balck plays , white can sac his knight and push his e4 pawn so that it opens bishop diagonals. Then whatever Balck plays we can play Qb8 and queen blocks check and then after white will kill queen and ####mate. Bishop and queen mate. Brilliant knight sac!!
6:05 1st puzzle Nh2+ then king comes to (g1) or (g2) coz if it goes to (e1) then its a blunder then after Kg2 black (Qh3) white (Kh1) and then black (nf3) mate
First puzzle: First Ne3+, if Ke1, then Nf3#. If Kg1, then Nf3+, Kh1 (Forced), then Qh3#...
Awesome Video!! This dropped right when I needed it.
just got notification after brutally losing a game 😭
Had a brutal day aswell lol. Yt knows what we need
That's why we're here brother. The brutally losing squad 😂
I got a brutal week lol, got 3 wins and 5 losses
@@jenniferli8971 im chilling at 20% win rate this week 👍
@@jenniferli8971i got 3-4 wins and around 15-20 losses this week. i was doing well until this week (dropped in 120 points of elo)
Your tips have really helped me to become better at the game of chess
there are three key aspects to consider: where the attacks are happening, where pieces are idling, and the reserves. First, identify the attack. Then, check if any idling pieces can contribute to the attack. These are typically pieces that have moved from their original starting squares but appears as if they are not contributing to the attack. Finally, consider the reserves, which are pieces that have not moved at all. Determine if these reserve pieces can support the attack within one move or so. By doing this you'll be aware of what is happening around the board instead of focusing on where the opponent is attacking, you can effectively improve your rating from 1300 to 1900 in 3 to 10-minute games. I'm a 1500 player but I can reach 1900 if I do it this ways, but I enjoy trap positions and they work well around the 1500 rating range 😅😅
I had a game with a brilliant move, also a mate in 3, didn't see it, blundered it, lost the game. Thank you for this video.
Thank you Igor for your great instructive chess videos. You quickly became my favorite chess youtuber!
Glad you like them!
6:06 Knih2+, if kg2 then Qh3 mate in 2, if ke1 then Knif3 mate, If kg1 then black play Knih2 to Knif3+ mate in 2 with queen
Knight is N
I appreciate you and your channel. Many grandmasters don't explain things in such detail.
For the black pieces puzzle, I think Night h2+ gives you check mate in 2 or three moved
Nothing to lose and something to gain is a very good advice. When i played the c-open in the karlsruhe grenke something like this happened. First game on the last day and out of exhaustion und tiredness i ran into a fried liver and a rook right in the beginning. I pulled myself together after the shock and played on. The opponent played very hastily as if he is absolutely sure that he will win and spend basically no time of his 90 minutes.
Well a few moves later he tried an interesting fork with his queen on my king and queen :D And i was just sitting there lighting up. It was just awesome. If you are below 1600 there is never really a reason to give up on the spot. Most children in the chess clubs in our region are taught to never throw the game and play until mate.
Really very good advice. Let the opponent prove that he can win. (unless you are 1900 and up then its just annoying and probably flagging)
Great example themes and games!
14:23
Ne3. If ...Bxe3, Kh1. Now the rook and the other promotion square are both protected, and white now has enough play to ward off black's attack and win
Puzzle at 6:03:
NH2
1. if KE1: NG5 to NF3 is mate
2. if KG2: QH3 check and the king has to go either G1 or H1, where both NH2 to NF3 is mate
3. if KG1: QH3 check (protected by the knight on g5). king must move g1 or h1.
3A. if KG1: check with NH5 to NF3, king is forced to move to h1, move the knight on H2 and win with a discovered check
3B. if KH1: NH2 to NF3 wins with discovered check
1. Ne3 Bxe3+ 2. Kh1!
Black must capture the rook on f1 which is now covered by the queen in order to maintain initiative and avoid White's promotion, which thwarts Black's attack and ends the exchange with white still up his queen with a brutal e7 pawn. It looks like it leads to promotion for white in all lines that aren't rook sacrifices because if we go Qf6, the kingside diagonal is directly covered by the queen and the queenside diagonal is indirectly covered by 4. ...Bc5 5. Qg5+! Kf8 6. Qxc5.
Since both diagonals are covered black just becomes a sitting duck here. They could instead try to counterplay by inviting the pawn to promote and trying to threaten back rank but then white plays h3 there's nothing left and the pawn is still on e7.
POTD: 1....Nh2+! If 2. Ke3, then Nf3#
Or 2. Kg2 Qh3+ 3. Kg1 Nf3+ 4. Kh1 Nf1#
Or 2. Kg1 Qh3 (protecting the N) 3. Kh1 Nf3 4. Ng1 Nxg1 5. Qxg1 Nf3+ 6. Qh2 Qxh2#
Example 4 is a trap because Qxf3 seems to have a lot going for it such as (1) the queen looks well placed on the f3 diagonal, (2) Qxf3 seems to develop a piece, and (3) Qxf3 prepares a queen-side castle. You might also consider and reject gxf3 because you were told not to double pawns.
Lesson from final puzzle: Never resign even when I think I should (at least wait a few extra moves) so I won't miss Ne3 which actually wins for white. Black regains a rook and a piece but white should fairly easily win (queen and three pawns vs rook and bishop)
Wow, this is probably my favourite video of yours, absolutely amazing. Blunders are my Nr. 1 Problem (lack of sleep, stress etc.). I'm regularly rising into the 1300s just to fall back into the 1000s, my highest ever was 1400 for 1-2 games lol. Why? Because of stupid blunders. Your basic strategy to reduce blunders is to abide by the core principles and focus on most important areas of the board, so you don't waste your time calculating irrelevant stuff. In another video you said if you start out correctly, like moving pieces to the middle, castling etc., you automatically reduce blunders. Do you have any other tips to biologically improve memory / board awareness ?
Ne3 is the only move that doesn't lead to Mate in 1 to a pawn promotion.
I'm thinking Ne3, Bxe3 then Kh1 allowing for exf1=Q to be captured with Qxf1 since the knight would no longer be blocking the queen from the f1 square. If they try Rd1, then you can play e8=Q forcing Kg7 allowing Qexe2 or Qaxe2 so you can really protect your rook. You can even take the e2 pawn with Qxe2 the moment they play Rd1.
for the position at the end, white has to sacrifice the knight and when the bishop takes it with another check, the king has to move to h1 and when that happens, if black tries to make a queen while taking the rook, white takes with the queen and at the end of that trade white is left with a queen and 5 pawns which ads up to 14 points and black is left with a bishop, rook and 2 pawns which adds up to 10 points. Based on material, I think white is still up. I'm not up to 1000 elo so correct me if I'm wrong.
The final puzzle,
I'll write down the 2 possible lines
Note: Black Bishop checks the King
1. Kh1 e2xf1 promotes to Queen and delivers checkmate
1. Rf2 e1 promotes to Queen and again delivers checkmate
1. Ne3 Bxe3 again the previous to lines are the continuation
my answer to the first question was to brute force g4. as it protects all of my pawns and doesn't lose on the spot. but I don't like my position very much. (after seeing that he agreed i am glad)
with the second example (after seeing that i would have hung my rook as well) I looked at knight c4. similar idea, but worse execution. as it doesn't come with threats of forced trades.
looking at the third starting position, my first idea was castles, but that doesnt work due to the tactic, so the only move I saw working was bishop b3. but in the position after h3 the only move was g3. but I dont like the doubled pawns there.
puzzle at the end, first impression looks like instant death. but the move is knight e3. opening up the queen to help save the king.
my issues tend to be positional, give me a tactic and I will often find it, but a slow complicated game is a nightmare for me. that and being rusty has made 1/10 of my moves borderline random sometimes.
So true about not giving up after a blunder. After all in blitz I actually lose most games after I've won my opponent's queen believe it or not. My opponent usually ahs the initiative and more pieces after losing their queen and they press forward with confidence and my Queen gets kicked around and has few other pieces to coordinate with.
My first thought was to attack the e5 with queen at c5 to free up the bishop. My very first instinct of course was to attack the knight. But I've got manage to get just past 500 elo by always reconsidering. After seeing the check I think it maybe best to avoid the check with knight on g3.
White: Ne3
Black: B takes on e3 with Check
White: Qh1
If P takes Ruck f1 and promotes it King or Rukh with a check, white can take King with Kf1
If Black play Rd1 white should play, King takes e2
White will be in a better position, rukh and Bishop under attack
1:Ne3!! Bxe3 2:Kh1 exf1 3:Qxf1 Re8 4:Qd3 Bb6 5:Qg3 Kh8 6:Qe5 Kg8 7:Qg5 Kh8 8:Qf6 Kg8 9:Qxb6 Rxe7 10:Qd8+ Re8 11:Qxe8++
Great advice, i am now a grandmaster, thanks to this short tutorial
In that first board, I never even saw the diagonal queen attack. I considered f4, to attack the knight, but decided it was bad that it blocked white's queen's mobility. I considered h4, but before I even thought about Nh3 I saw Qd1+... shamefully I was completely blind to the bishop on c2 the whole time. But the move I chose was Ke1, intending to protect against Qd1+ which never would have happened. Coincidentally, though, it would have dodged Qxh3+ so I don't think I would have *blundered* per se (except the pawn, I guess), but I pretty much wouldn't ever have chosen g4.
Igor explained the right thing 😊
i would play the following White= Ne3, Black= Bxe3, White= Kh1, Black= exf1, White= Qxf1
Yep. H4 is what i picked to put pressure on the knight from 2 angles, preventing a queen capture/check. If they chose to use their turn get the knight out of danger, my next move would be pawn to G4 to block a check. If the queen took it. it would be a loss but not a check. Not sure if that's wise. I'm typing this with the video paused and haven't seen his answer yet. >.
For the end: block with knight. He takes with check with the bishop. Move king to h1, now Queen can take the queened pawn on after it takes your rook.
1.Ne3-Be3+.2.Kh1.e×f1+.3.Q×f1
Up to minute 2 - you described exactly my thinking process and its result 😂
White wins with Ne3 Bxe3+, Kh1 and now after … Rd1, Qxe2 and white gets another queen or after … exf1, Qxf1 and white has a winning position with queen and pawn on e7 whicht forces the rook to stay behind (e.g. … Re8, Qf6 or … Rd8, Qe1 )
For the final question:
You end up with your Queen versus their bishop on the right line:
1) Ne3 Bxe3
2) e2xf1=Q Qxf1
3) If Re8 to block promotion and threaten pawn then Qd3 attacking bishop and threatening check/retake rook if rook takes pawn
3) if Rook leaves the rank it is on, then simply promote pawn, so it is forced to keep rook on that rank. So is rook moves anywhere on that rank, then simply Qd3 anyways. Always attack that bishop and take that open file for check. SO either way here you'll probably be taking that bishop back because if bishop moves, now you can slide up to d7 with your Queen, which will threaten to simply capture the rook if it doesn't move. If the rook is on a different file on the same rank and the bishop did not move to protect d8, simply push queen up to check on d8, and force rook to take, then promote that pawn back to queen.
I think white ends up better here no matter what, but I'm probably missing something
Thanks Igor, I really like your videos, and agree with the other comments. I bought your 2000 Elo class but unfortunately I keep making mistakes and blunders - have progressed only from about 900 to about 1100. So any principles to further avoid blunders are more than welcome...
1. Don't worry about moves that don't pose u a future danger
. Improve positionsl understanding
Very instructive. Thumbs up.
I think long and hard about a specific move, and don't like some positions that I might get 6 moves later, so then a look at a different move and instantly go "yeah, looks good" and hang the piece in one move, because I subconsciously consider my "time thinking" quota met.
love the way you explain. Thank you
Kh1. Maybe your opponent will push the wrong button and promote to a night or bishop. Or, just move all the possible moves. If that does not make your opponent run out of time, then just wait until you have 2 seconds left. Your opponent might offer you a draw somewhere, or just leave their device alone, thinking you did the same. If it is a face to face game, you unfortunately have no option but to loose, even though you waste as much time as you like.