GM Akobian is the best teacher of intermediate level chess i have found anywhere on youtube. His timing, problem depth and strategic reminders are a huge help to former players like me. Thankyou for these lectures.
GM Akobian's lectures are always a pleasure to watch and very instructive... I like how he emphasises logical thinking and simplicity, and yet always demonstrates several hard-to-spot subtleties (e.g. regarding move order) in a way that makes them seem obvious. BTW, taking back with the pawn seemed the most intuitive way to me; and I was lucky enough to find R1c7 quickly, then dismiss it, then find it again, then become overjoyed when he confirmed it :-) But I have to say that knowing that there is a brilliant move is a huge hint by itself!
Excellent Lecture. Lets you get inside the head of one of America's strongest players... I appreciated how even though the ideas were complex and deep, they also had straightforward and easily explicable goals. Very helpful for a Class-A player like me who wants to make expert and beyond!
Very instructive. Always fascinating watching GMs explain their every move. Akobian also very talented in chess instruction, explaining strategy and tactics very well.
Love this guy, he is practical and backs up his decisions with logic and concrete analysis rather than 'feeling' and puts emphasis on the critical points in the game no matter how subtle they are and really shows how cutthroat and precise you have to be in chess, even the most insignificant and inaccurate moves can lead to your eventual downfall.
At 36:21, what about Qe8+ and after Bf8, then white can follow up with Bh6. I'm not seeing how black can stop it. Qd6 is looking like it could stop it actually after looking at it more closely.
You’re correct, except instead of Bh6 white should play Bxb4 winning. The black queen won’t be able to play Qd6, thus black loses the bishop on f8 to a decisive attack. White is definitely winning in that continuation.
Hi, at 44:08 for the "brilliant move" of white rook to C7, how about black Bishop to E7, blocking the white rook attacking F7 poaw, still guarding F8 and F6 queen (preventing white queen go G8) , and itself is guarded by knight and queen.
I'd be thankful if someone answer my question here. During the first moves, black was pursuing e5 and that was nicely addressed, but at 4:13, black could simply do e5, why isn't that a good move?
Var, outstanding lecture...Congrats..! By the way, I'm pretty sure You, Petrosian, Karpov and maybe even Carlsen, you all play under the inspiration of...Capablanca...!
Hi GM Akobian, I have a question, about when you contemplated 0-0 vs 0-0-0: you said castling queenside was bad because of a6, b5. Why, then, is 0-0-0 considered a logical move in the Saemisch variation of the King's Indian Defense, where the queenside structure is very similar?
The structure is not similar there, In Saemisch white has a chain of pawns e2-f3-e4-d5-c4, which restricts black play through the center. The only similar thing there is the white pawn on c4 and black fianchetoed bishop. You should always look the whole pawn structure, not just one side of it.
Var seems like a good guy and teacher but I have to say I love the way he says "the pair of the bishops" I am too lazy to look on Wikipedia anyone know where he is from??
Gor TM It looks like Armenia has a very strong chess tradition, especially when you consider its size. And all Armenians I've ever met (offline and online) happened to be very likable guys :)
He said he wasn't sure about that position, so that's why he missed it. I'm more surprised that he didn't see Rc7 at the end, it's not that difficult to find.
Andrew Soane right that thing😂😂😂 I’d still try bh6 but it’s pretty easy to see what’s going on...I think I looked at it after he moved the B but the Q wasn’t on the right square at that point...
Salve Bernard! A pawn island are every pawns on a neighboring file, till the next pawnfree file. In this example Mr.Akobian has three pawn islands because of the pawns on a2,b2, that means one pawn island, the pawn on d4 is another pawn island and then the four pawn from the f to the h file is evenso one pawn island. Hope I could help you. :)
Hey thanks,learn basics about 10 years ago but never really taught the game and the language,so i just started back after 10 years.i'm trying to get a deeper understanding of all facets of this awesome game..thanks a lot.
Hmm... I think exf3 instead of gxf3 is better. I think the only downer to exd4 is that the pawn is taking away from the center. But as mentioned, it allows the bishop to move out and quick castle after. If the g pawn takes, the h pawn is now isolated and castling there doesn't make as much sense anymore. If you castle queenside the king has to schooch one square over for cover. I'm talking like I'm good at chess, but I'm not. XD Those are my thoughts anyways.
Stockfilsh like g3, but perhaps not deep enouph calculated but after your created passed pawn stocki sees the position bader then after rooktake cause auf nd7, but perhaps not so much deep calculated.
Leave this all aside.All these lectures and all that.Simply put Paul Morphy was the greatest chess player of all time. We do not find him either in the chess players or the chess annotators of today.
GM Akobian is the best teacher of intermediate level chess i have found anywhere on youtube.
His timing, problem depth and strategic reminders are a huge help to former players like me.
Thankyou for these lectures.
I agree completely- really enjoyed.
GM Akobian's lectures are always a pleasure to watch and very instructive... I like how he emphasises logical thinking and simplicity, and yet always demonstrates several hard-to-spot subtleties (e.g. regarding move order) in a way that makes them seem obvious.
BTW, taking back with the pawn seemed the most intuitive way to me; and I was lucky enough to find R1c7 quickly, then dismiss it, then find it again, then become overjoyed when he confirmed it :-) But I have to say that knowing that there is a brilliant move is a huge hint by itself!
He provides very clear explanations - pleasure to watch
more active Claudio! more active!! haha :) best teacher ever
excellent .. Love Akobians lectures ..
one of the best chess lesson i've ever seen, big thanks to the uploader SLCC
The best teacher out there on TH-cam! I love how he explains even the opening ideas and the alternatives so well. Thanks a lot!
Thank you for the great lecture Var, i've watched many chess lecures but few as informative for my play as this one
Excellent Lecture. Lets you get inside the head of one of America's strongest players... I appreciated how even though the ideas were complex and deep, they also had straightforward and easily explicable goals. Very helpful for a Class-A player like me who wants to make expert and beyond!
I so enjoy the lectures by Mr. Akobian! Very instructive. Bis bis!
He is a perfect teacher because English is not his first language ,explaining deep stuff in simple straight forward words, brilliant
English is extremely east. He sounds simple and straightforward because he understands chess and is a great teacher.
A well-paced lecture and a nice look at strategic thinking.
Wow. Rc7 is just incredible. It's easy to see the mate threat, but the double deflection for winning the queen is pure beauty.
Great teacher. Based on the sample of his own games that he lectures us on, I came to the conclusion that he is the undefeated champion.
Really is the best teacher by far in terms of getting into the proper mindset and engaging the students
Very instructive. Always fascinating watching GMs explain their every move. Akobian also very talented in chess instruction, explaining strategy and tactics very well.
Thank you technology that I got an opportunity to learn from this master grandmaster..
Thank you sir akobian.
Love this guy, he is practical and backs up his decisions with logic and concrete analysis rather than 'feeling' and puts emphasis on the critical points in the game no matter how subtle they are and really shows how cutthroat and precise you have to be in chess, even the most insignificant and inaccurate moves can lead to your eventual downfall.
This guy´s a legend
POSITIONAL MASTERPIECE!!
addicted to his lectures right now :D He slightly reminds me of Kasparov in a way - the way he talks and gesticulates
+Vjekoslav Vacenovski Same state :D Anatolian people share certain cultural features^^
+Vjekoslav Vacenovski Exactly same situation here xD
He is better teacher than Kasparov. He is patient, calm and explains the moves thoroughly. Kasparov is too hyper when he explains something lol
Keep replaying 14:08 and it’s hilarious at his reaction to this amateur move suggestion lol
Reaction at 43:50 is classic too. xD
Top Video from Var................
At 36:21, what about Qe8+ and after Bf8, then white can follow up with Bh6. I'm not seeing how black can stop it.
Qd6 is looking like it could stop it actually after looking at it more closely.
You’re correct, except instead of Bh6 white should play Bxb4 winning. The black queen won’t be able to play Qd6, thus black loses the bishop on f8 to a decisive attack. White is definitely winning in that continuation.
You are a real teacher
Hi, at 44:08 for the "brilliant move" of white rook to C7, how about black Bishop to E7, blocking the white rook attacking F7 poaw, still guarding F8 and F6 queen (preventing white queen go G8) , and itself is guarded by knight and queen.
this was really good
Var you are the best!
36:01 Why not Qe8 check, Bf8, Bh6?
+Andy Malanca He can defend with his queen i guess..
You're right. Bxb4 seems much stronger.
The Best teacher...
Powerful opponent.. Great Game!
Brilliant
What are pawn islands
After d3, isn't qe8+ bf8 bg6 winning?
I'd be thankful if someone answer my question here. During the first moves, black was pursuing e5 and that was nicely addressed, but at 4:13, black could simply do e5, why isn't that a good move?
7...e5 is very committal. 7...c6 is a lot more flexible and black has several ideas. I think Vovsha didn't want to play anything super committal.
31:20 engine actually says it's the best move :)
Var, outstanding lecture...Congrats..! By the way, I'm pretty sure You, Petrosian, Karpov and maybe even Carlsen, you all play under the inspiration of...Capablanca...!
Why not pawn g5 , forking the queen and king? I cant see it :S
Hi GM Akobian, I have a question, about when you contemplated 0-0 vs 0-0-0: you said castling queenside was bad because of a6, b5. Why, then, is 0-0-0 considered a logical move in the Saemisch variation of the King's Indian Defense, where the queenside structure is very similar?
The structure is not similar there, In Saemisch white has a chain of pawns e2-f3-e4-d5-c4, which restricts black play through the center. The only similar thing there is the white pawn on c4 and black fianchetoed bishop. You should always look the whole pawn structure, not just one side of it.
Var seems like a good guy and teacher but I have to say I love the way he says "the pair of the bishops" I am too lazy to look on Wikipedia anyone know where he is from??
never mind the answered later in the lecture A big thank you the saint Louis chess club for all these vids by the way
Gor TM It looks like Armenia has a very strong chess tradition, especially when you consider its size.
And all Armenians I've ever met (offline and online) happened to be very likable guys :)
17:25 Ba6 gives black a potential fork, but I'm sure he didn't mean to do it right away.
Why is the action going to happen on the queen side? Isn't it better to just try to attack the opponent's king? Btw perfect lessons!
I'm wondering... instead of r1c7, does Bxg6 work?
This speaker : i like to highlight most of the tiles green
PLANT IT IN!
Strange that a GM missed at 36:00 variation , that he had Qe8+, followed with Bh6 with a very good position, and instead gone after the d3 pawn.
*****
Yep, Bb4, its even better than Bh6, because it doesnt allow the Queen to protect the bishop on f8.
He said he wasn't sure about that position, so that's why he missed it. I'm more surprised that he didn't see Rc7 at the end, it's not that difficult to find.
You are completely wrong, black has Qe7 and in the end d3 pawn is very dangerous...
38:25 rock take night with threatening checkmate
36:00 qe8 checkmate 🥇
What about bf8?
Andrew Soane right that thing😂😂😂 I’d still try bh6 but it’s pretty easy to see what’s going on...I think I looked at it after he moved the B but the Q wasn’t on the right square at that point...
Can you please explain Coach
Can someone explain "pawn islands" please, i'm knew to the terminology? thanks
Salve Bernard! A pawn island are every pawns on a neighboring file, till the next pawnfree file. In this example Mr.Akobian has three pawn islands because of the pawns on a2,b2, that means one pawn island, the pawn on d4 is another pawn island and then the four pawn from the f to the h file is evenso one pawn island. Hope I could help you. :)
Hey thanks,learn basics about 10 years ago but never really taught the game and the language,so i just started back after 10 years.i'm trying to get a deeper understanding of all facets of this awesome game..thanks a lot.
Claudio has a bright future in chess :) 90% of the right moves I couldnt figure out :(
42:39 something BRILLIANT :D
Hmm... I think exf3 instead of gxf3 is better. I think the only downer to exd4 is that the pawn is taking away from the center. But as mentioned, it allows the bishop to move out and quick castle after. If the g pawn takes, the h pawn is now isolated and castling there doesn't make as much sense anymore. If you castle queenside the king has to schooch one square over for cover. I'm talking like I'm good at chess, but I'm not. XD Those are my thoughts anyways.
not only move Qa4, because if he took the pawn, you took with the rook, he with the queen and then b took jb4 bamm
i like it ,,,,
Stockfilsh like g3, but perhaps not deep enouph calculated but after your created passed pawn stocki sees the position bader then after rooktake cause auf nd7, but perhaps not so much deep calculated.
Regards from INDIA
AAron Nimzovitch invented prophylactic moves.
Found rc7 in 5 seconds, proud of myself :D
ILUNDS ILUNDS!!!
I thought rook c7 but gave up bcoz it had 2 defences😂😂
36:00
Qe8 checkmate!
b tweet?cup
He drinks so much like magnus
Leave this all aside.All these lectures and all that.Simply put Paul Morphy was the greatest chess player of all time. We do not find him either in the chess players or the chess annotators of today.
What are pawn islands