castle

blunder (losing pieces for free)

tactic mistakes
no queen out early
endgame knowledge
too many pawn moves

King's Indian Defense

- Kasparov: Various lines as both Black and White.
- Carlsen: Occasionally plays as Black.
- Tal: Often employed as Black.

Sicilian Defense:
- Kasparov: Najdorf Variation, Dragon Variation, and others.
- Carlsen: Open Sicilian, Najdorf Variation, and others.
- Tal: Various lines including Scheveningen and Dragon variations.

Queen's Gambit Declined:

- Kasparov: Played as Black.
- Carlsen: Prefers solid defenses.

Ruy Lopez:
- Kasparov: Closed Ruy Lopez, Marshall Attack.
- Carlsen: Solid and flexible setups like Berlin Defense.
- Tal: Enjoyed sharp and tactical lines.

Gruenfeld Defense:
- Kasparov: Played as Black.
Nimzo-Indian Defense:
- Kasparov: Classical and modern variations.
- Carlsen: Handles strategic battles.
- Tal: Played as Black, adept at sharp tactics.

English Opening:
- Kasparov: Played occasionally as White.
- Carlsen: Plays as both White and Black, adaptable.

King's Gambit:
- Tal: Occasionally played as White.

Petrov's Defense, Four Knights Game, Italian Game (Two Knights Defense), Ruy Lopez
Opening, Modern Defense. Sicillian Defense Dragon Variation. Nimzowitsh Defense.
Philidor Deference. Giuco Piano

Sure, here's a suggested order to learn these openings:

1. Queen's Gambit Declined - This opening teaches solid pawn structures and positional play.
2. Ruy Lopez (including Closed Ruy Lopez, Marshall Attack) - Essential for understanding
central control and classical opening principles.
3. Sicilian Defense (including Najdorf Variation, Dragon Variation, and others) - Offers
diverse pawn structures and sharp play.
4. Nimzo-Indian Defense (including Classical and modern variations) - Focuses on pawn
structure dynamics and strategic maneuvering.
5. King's Indian Defense - Teaches aggressive pawn structures and counterattacking
principles.
6. Gruenfeld Defense - Involves dynamic pawn play and tactical ideas.
7. English Opening - Provides flexibility and diverse pawn structures.
8. King's Gambit - Offers sharp tactical play but requires understanding of counterplay.
9. Petrov's Defense - Known for its solid and symmetrical structure.
10. Four Knights Game - Teaches classical development and positional play.
11. Italian Game (Two Knights Defense) - Focuses on early development and pawn structure.
12. Modern Defense - Offers unorthodox pawn structures and counterattacking ideas.
13. Sicilian Defense Dragon Variation - Specifically focuses on sharp and tactical play.
14. Nimzowitsch Defense - Provides unique pawn structures and positional ideas.
15. Philidor Defense - Teaches solid pawn structures and defense principles.
16. Giuoco Piano - Known for classical development and strategic maneuvering.

This order is based on a progression from simpler, foundational openings to more complex
and specialized ones, considering both strategic and tactical aspects.

Mistakes, not trading middle game queens, opening with attacking pawn instead of
developing knight
fianchetto with rook infront of rook
instead of taking with piece already developed, see if u can take with pawn
Insights
Rook Accuracy
Bishop Moves
Hanging Pieces
Lessons
Rooks on Seventh
Bishop Pair
Trapped Piece
Puzzles
Rooks on Seventh
Bishop Pair
Trapped Piece
1600 puzzles lichess
50 openings variations - gambits
midgames
Van Geet Opening Battenberg Variation
Anderrsons Opening
Urusov Gambit
Scandanevian defence in bullet

Petrov's Defense, Four Knights Game, Italian Game (Two Knights Defense), Ruy Lopez
Opening, Modern Defense. Sicillian Defense Dragon Variation. Nimzowitsh Defense.
Philidor Deference. Giuco Piano

Learn opening traps so that you can avoid them. Solve puzzles, that will help improving End
Game. I suggest playing against human rather than a Computer. Play online games. Play a lot.
Don’t play Blitz if you are a beginner. Play long duration games, take your own time to think.
Try to predict the opponent’s moves.

It’s always good practice to watch other’s games. Watch Paul Morphy and Laskar games on
YouTube (Fischer, Tal, Kasparov and Carlsen games are very hard to understand). Pause the
video and try to predict and analyze moves.

IMHO these are the few things you could follow to become a good Chess player. Although I
believe that there is no standard way to learn Chess properly other than joining a Chess
School. Last but not least, don’t expect to be a Grand Master, Learn & Practice as hard as you
can, you will become a Grand Master one day. Good Luck!

10 sec per move

1. Desperado: A piece that is already doomed seeks to inflict maximum damage before being
captured.
2. Decoy: Luring an enemy piece to a specific square where it can be ambushed or captured.
3. Underpromotion: Promoting a pawn to a knight, bishop, or rook instead of a queen to
achieve a specific tactical objective.
4. Overloading: A piece is given too many responsibilities and cannot defend all its tasks.
5. Rooks on the Seventh: Placing rooks on the seventh rank to attack pawns, cut off the
enemy king, and coordinate threats.
6. Discovered Attack: Moving one piece to uncover an attack by another piece.
7. Fork: A single piece attacks two or more of the opponent's pieces simultaneously.
8. Smothering: Sacrificing material to force the opponent's pieces into positions where they
block the king's escape.
9. Clearance: Sacrificing a piece to open up a square, file, rank, or diagonal for another piece.
10. Pawn Breakthrough: Sacrificing pawns or pieces to create an unstoppable passed pawn in
the endgame.
11. Pin: Attacking a piece that cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it.
12. Skewer: Attacking a more valuable piece that, when it moves, exposes a less valuable
piece behind it.
13. Windmill: A tactic involving a rook and bishop where the rook swings back and forth
capturing material.
14. Mating Net: Restricting the king's movement to make delivering checkmate easier.
15. Perpetual Check: Continuously checking the opponent's king with no escape, resulting in
a draw.
16. Zwischenzug (In-between Move): Inserting an unexpected move within a seemingly
forced sequence.
17. Deflection: Forcing a piece away from an important square or duty.
18. Interference: Interposing a piece between an enemy piece and its defender to disrupt
protection.
19. X-ray: An attack where a piece indirectly attacks another piece through an intervening
piece.
20. Undermining (Removal of the Guard): Capturing a defensive piece to leave another piece
undefended.
21. Passed Pawn: Using a pawn with no opposing pawns to stop its promotion as a winning
weapon in the endgame.
22. Zugzwang: A situation where any move a player makes will worsen their position.
23. Stalemate: When a player has no legal moves and the king is not in check, resulting in a
draw.
24. Double Check: A king is put in check by two pieces with a single move, and the only
escape is to move the king.
25. Battery: Aligning two or more pieces on the same file or diagonal to exert pressure on a
specific square.
26. Back Rank: Exploiting an opponent's vulnerable back rank to gain material or deliver
checkmate.
27. Counter Threat: Responding to an opponent's threat with a threat of your own, often more
immediate or severe.
28. En Passant: A special pawn capture when a pawn moves two squares forward and lands
beside an opponent's pawn, which can capture it as if it moved only one square.
29. Sacrifice: Intentionally giving up material to achieve a larger goal, such as checkmate or a
decisive advantage.
30. Simplification: Exchanging pieces with your opponent to make the game less
complicated, especially useful when ahead in material.
31. Attraction: Forcing a piece, often the king, to a particular square where it can be attacked
or checkmated.
32. Double Attack: Creating two threats simultaneously, often with a single move.
33. Discovered Check: A discovered attack where the hidden attack is a check on the
opponent's king.
34. Intermezzo: A surprising intermediate move that changes the expected outcome of a
sequence.
35. Quiet Move: A non-checking move that sets up a deadly threat.
36. Space Clearance: Creating space for pieces to maneuver by moving or sacrificing pieces.
37. Luft: Creating a space for the king to escape from a back-rank mate threat.
38. Pawn Storm: Coordinated advance of pawns to attack the opponent's king or gain space.
39. Hook: Using a pawn or piece to provoke a weakness in the opponent's position.
40. Domination: Restricting the movement of an opponent's piece to create tactical
opportunities.
41. Boden's Mate: A checkmate pattern involving two bishops attacking along intersecting
diagonals.
42. Arabian Mate: A checkmate pattern involving a rook and knight.
43. Anastasia's Mate: A checkmate pattern involving a rook and knight with the opponent's
pieces blocking escape squares.
44. Legal's Mate: A checkmate pattern involving a queen sacrifice followed by a knight
checkmate.
45. Morphy's Mate: A checkmate pattern named after Paul Morphy involving a queen and
bishop.
46. Blind Swine Mate: A checkmate pattern involving two rooks on the seventh rank.
47. Greco's Mate: A checkmate pattern involving a bishop and pawn.
48. Hikaru's Trap: A tactical sequence used by Hikaru Nakamura involving a queen sacrifice.
49. Légal's Trap: A famous opening trap that ends with a quick checkmate.
50. Fishing Pole Trap: An opening trap involving a knight sacrifice to lure the opponent's
king into danger.
51. Queen Sacrifice: Sacrificing the queen to achieve a checkmate or significant material
gain.
52. Pawn Sacrifice: Sacrificing a pawn to gain a positional or tactical advantage.
53. Interposing: Placing a piece between an attacking piece and its target to block the attack.
54. King Walk: Moving the king across the board to participate in the attack or escape danger.

These tactics cover a wide array of strategic themes and patterns that can help improve your
chess game.

Creating an aggressive and elegant style of play that stands out as original involves selecting
openings and tactics that surprise your opponents and lead to dynamic, tactical positions.
Here are some suggestions for both white and black openings, as well as tactics to utilize:

### White Openings

1. **King's Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. f4)**

- **Aggressiveness**: Sacrifices a pawn early to open lines and launch an attack against
the black king.
- **Elegance**: Known for sharp and complex positions, requiring deep calculation and
creativity.

2. **Vienna Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3)**

 - **Aggressiveness**: Can transpose into the Vienna Gambit (2. ... Nf6 3. f4), an
aggressive pawn sacrifice similar to the King's Gambit.
- **Elegance**: Allows for flexibility and preparation for powerful attacks.

3. **Bird's Opening (1. f4)**

- **Aggressiveness**: Aiming for rapid control of the e5 square and potential king-side
attacks.
- **Elegance**: Less common, leading to unique and unorthodox positions.

### Black Openings

1. **Sicilian Defense (1. e4 c5)**

- **Aggressiveness**: Counter-attacks right from the opening, aiming for dynamic play.
- **Elegance**: Leads to rich, complex positions where precise tactics are rewarded.

2. **King's Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6)**

- **Aggressiveness**: Allows for counter-attacks and aggressive pawn breaks (e.g., ...e5 or
...f5).
- **Elegance**: Harmonizes piece activity with deep strategic ideas.

3. **Nimzowitsch Defense (1. e4 Nc6)**

- **Aggressiveness**: Provocative and invites white to overextend.
- **Elegance**: Leads to unusual and tricky positions, catching many opponents off guard.

### Tactics to Utilize

1. **Sacrifices for Initiative**:

- Look for opportunities to sacrifice material (especially pawns and pieces) to gain a tempo,
open lines, and create attacking chances. For example, in the King's Gambit, the pawn
sacrifice on f4 aims to open the f-file for the rook and create attacking possibilities.
2. **Piece Coordination**:
- Ensure your pieces work together harmoniously, creating threats from multiple angles.
Coordination between knights and bishops can create powerful attacking formations, such as
the "Bishop's Battery" or knight outposts.

3. **Pawn Storms**:
- Launch pawn storms against the opponent's king, particularly in opposite-side castling
situations. For example, in the Sicilian Defense, advancing the b and a pawns can be highly
effective against a white king castled on the queen-side.

4. **Combination Play**:
- Look for tactical combinations that involve multiple motifs, such as forks, pins, and
discovered attacks. Combining these elements can lead to devastating attacks. For instance, a
common tactic in the King's Indian Defense involves sacrificing a piece on h3 to break open
the opponent's king-side defenses.

5. **Decoy and Deflection**:

- Use decoy tactics to lure enemy pieces into vulnerable positions, and deflection to force
key defenders away from crucial squares. This can create opportunities for sudden
checkmates or significant material gains.

6. **Positional Sacrifices**:
- Sacrificing material not just for immediate tactical gains but for long-term positional
advantages, such as controlling key squares or opening lines for your pieces. An example is
the famous "exchange sacrifice" (sacrificing a rook for a minor piece) to gain control of
important squares.

By integrating these openings and tactics into your repertoire, you can develop a distinctive
style that is both aggressive and elegant, surprising your opponents and creating beautiful,
memorable games.

Here are three top players from different periods who exemplify elegance and aggressiveness
in their play:
### 1. **Paul Morphy (1837-1884)**
- **Period**: 19th Century
- **Elegance**: Known for his crystal-clear logic and the beauty of his combinations,
Morphy's games often featured smooth, flowing attacks.
- **Aggressiveness**: Morphy was renowned for his aggressive opening play and his
ability to launch powerful, direct attacks against his opponents. His famous Opera Game is a
prime example of his style.

### 2. **Mikhail Tal (1936-1992)**

- **Period**: Mid-20th Century
- **Elegance**: Tal's play was marked by imaginative sacrifices and deep, tactical
combinations that left his opponents and spectators in awe.
- **Aggressiveness**: Known as the "Magician from Riga," Tal's games were filled with
relentless attacks and daring sacrifices, often turning seemingly quiet positions into a
battlefield.

### 3. **Garry Kasparov (1963-)**

- **Period**: Late 20th Century to Early 21st Century
- **Elegance**: Kasparov's games are characterized by precise calculation, strategic depth,
and a keen sense of timing, making his attacks both beautiful and effective.
- **Aggressiveness**: As one of the most dominant players in chess history, Kasparov's
aggressive opening repertoire and his dynamic, attacking style consistently put his opponents
under immense pressure.

These players' games provide rich examples of how to balance elegance and aggression,
creating masterpieces on the chessboard that are studied and admired to this day.

 lots of tactical exercises,

 studies are used as a training tool to improve both calculation and imagination
 endgame training comes before opening study in overall chess education,
 both tactics and endgames are trained in a structured (ie. thematic) way,
 study of Russian world champions classical games is highly recommended,
 opening study is expanded by playing out thematic early middlegame positions or
endgame positions in quick games,
 practice of sports (endurance - swimming, jogging) is a complement to the technical
chess training.
A lot of information is available in books (see Dvoretsky, Yusupov, Yermolinsky...), and a lot of
training materials are available too - for example, many ChessOK's materials are recycled Russian
training manuals (Bloch, Panchenko, Ivashenko, Golenishev...), and the famous Yusupov series is a
pure product of the Russian chess school.

For more information, I would recommend you appoint a Russian chess coach (look here) and ask
him to educate you further on this topic.

Here's an interview with Bronstein in 2003 in which he explained that Botvinnik's training system
was based on opening preparation and modern chess had been reduced to a struggle to control
the squares of the fourth and fifth ranks.

However, these claims are only intellectual conclusions about chess. They don't shed any light on
the actual training methods of the Soviet School

BTW -- that's an excellent three-part interview with Bronstein, if somewhat dispiriting. Worth
reading by any serious chess student.
'd run across the Ruy Lopez emphasis earlier. I've also heard that talented young Soviet players
have endgames drilled into them from the start instead of when they get around to it, as most
Westerners do.

Does anyone know anything about Sergey Ivashchenko, author of The Manual of Chess
Combinations, vols. 1 and 2?

I'm a beginner, so take what I say lightly, but I just checked a few of your games and I really don't
think on a move by move basis you and I are much different skill-wise.

I started playing in November and I'd say a few things have helped me get from 600-1100/1200
in blitz / 1200 rapid:

1. I've watched a ton of John Bartholomew's videos. Especially his Fundamentals of Chess series
and Climbing the Rating Ladder series. That was my first huge help, it's much easier than reading
a book for a beginner. He walks you through how he thinks about moves, what to consider, how
he sees threats, etc. It's all excellent.

2. I know they say don't study openings, but I noticed a pretty good improvement after I decided
to stick to 3-4 openings and try and know them as well as I can versus changing it up all the time.
I have a set opening or two as white, one vs d4/c4 and one vs e4. Learning the positions I get in
and how to deal with them, (trying to) understand the pawn structures that arise, etc., feels like I
have more control of the game. I also see similar tactics arise and similar defenses. When I make
a mistake, it's often one that I can learn from and immediately apply in the future.

3. The above posts are all also super helpful and I agree.

4. I do really hammer the tactics trainer. I don't think it's as helpful as playing as many long
games as possible, but it's helped my "chess vision' tremendously. At my rating I often win/lose a
game because of a tactic/missed tactic. People are always making mistakes still at my beginner
level so recognizing them is huge.
5. End game knowledge is massive. At least know how to convert king/pawn endgames.

6. Hanging pieces. Just adding this in here because it's obvious but also the most important.
None of the above matters if you are hanging full pieces to be taken. I really think my rating got
better just by not hanging pieces even if my moves weren't great. Esp at that rating range.

Happy to play with you any time and hopefully climb together.