Category Archives: OPENINGS

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, CHESS SOFTWARE, OPENINGS, TRAINING

LIFE BEYOND CHESSBASE?

Since the late 1980s, Chessbase has been considered essential software for serious players. Using it, instead of books and magazines, took chess study and preparation to a whole new level. There have been alternatives, such as Chess Assistant and SCID vs PC, but they've never been considered quite as good.

Is Chessbase still so essential today? There are many players who would say that it is, but to my mind there are now some excellent alternative approaches. My favourite chess database is now HIARCS Chess Explorer Pro, which if used with its opening book and a good engine (for example a cloud engine from Chessify) is difficult to beat as far as working out opening lines is concerned. You don't need to include lots of games in your files, you just need to see what's been played and have a powerful engine running. This represents a fundament departure from the old method of studying openings, which was founded on copying the moves of strong players.

As far as preparation is concerned, Chessbase certain gives you access to a lot of games, though these tend to be the games of notable players. Here too there are alternatives such as Yotta Base and Opening Tree, the latter being particularly scary for anyone whose Lichess or Chess.com handles are known. Basically my advice would be to keep them private or have an alternative opening repertoire for your online games, you don't want people knowing exactly what you play, if this can possibly be avoided.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in Queen's Pawn Games, the London System (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 c5) and Torre Attack  (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 c5).

Sunday July 13th at 5pm UK Time: London System

Sunday July 13th at 6.15pm UK Time: Torre Attack
 

Video Discounts

This week's discount is on my Crafting Your Own Opening Repertoire series, you got 40% off its purchase (not rental) by using the code 'july11to19'. This series covers all aspects of creating an opening repertoire, from opening selection, to choosing sources and assembling your lines.

Last week's discount was for the Black Queen's Gambit Declined Repertoire, you got 40% off its purchase (not rental) by using the code 'july4to12'. Based around the Queen's Gambit Declined Tartakower Variation, and the Semi-Tarrasch, it represents a straightforward but high quality repertoire against 1.d4 and Flank Openings.

My Upcoming Events

There's still nothing new from last week and I have a new project that I'll start work on from September. I will keep playing, but it will move down my list of priorities for a while.

Here is how things look now:

July 31 - August 10 2025: British Championships
As mentioned I've gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 23 - 30 2025: San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife

This looks like a great event and I'm really looking forward to it. Travelling back is a bit tricky because the direct flights were very expensive, finally I found a flight back to Glasgow from where I can take a train!

September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress

I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs. You can find details here:

I'll be looking for things after September, not sure when or where!
 

Chess Questions Answered

I'll just be posting my Chess Questions Answered videos on Tigerchess from here on, though I might be putting some of them on Youtube in due course. I don't think I'm cut out to be a streamer, for one thing I don't have time and for another I'm not beautiful enough!

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

ARTICLES, OPENINGS, PSYCHOLOGY, TIGER CHESS THEMED TRAINING TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

MANAGING EMOTIONS

Magnus Carlsen's table banging was quite amusing for the general public, but it can also be a symptom that he struggles to manage his emotions. Clearly this will be a difficult remit when the eyes of the chess World are forever upon him. Yet the 19-year-old World Champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, seems to manage OK, and so does his young compatriot, Arjun Erigaisi.

The issue of managing emotions is not unique to chess, tennis players have also struggled at times. It goes without saying that John McEnroe struggled, especially when he felt that some line calls were wrong. Yet not everyone knows that Roger Federer struggled to control his anger on court as did Bjorn Borg. The emotions were still there, they just learned to manage them in a way that they did not affect their careers.

It would be impossible to argue that Carlsen's career has been nothing but amazing, yet he quit the World Championship and may now also quit classical chess. Would he take such decisions if he could manage his emotions like a Federer or a Borg? Somehow I don't think so.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the Petrosian Variation of the King's Indian Defence, the line I recommend in the White 1.d4 Repertoire:

Sunday June 8th at 5pm UK Time: KID Petrosian with 7.d5 a5

Sunday June 8th at 6.15pm UK Time: KID Petrosian with 7.d5 Nbd7 

My Upcoming Events

There's still nothing new from last week.I'm still thinking about playing in the World Senior Championships in Gallipoli in October, if I win enough money to fund it.

Here is how things look now:

June 13-15 2025: South Lakes Congress
I've added this one to my schedule, mainly as a warm-up for Cesme. You can find details here.

June 23-29 2025: 11th Cesme International Open
This strong open event, in Izmir in Turkey, promises to be a real challenge. I'll be going a couple of days early because I can get a cheap flight, but the city looks very interesting and well worth a visit.

July 31 - August 10 2025: British Championships
As mentioned I've gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 23 - 30 2025: San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife
This looks like a great event and I'm really looking forward to it. Travelling back is a bit tricky because the direct flights were very expensive, finally I found a flight back to Glasgow from where I can take a train!

September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress
I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs. You can find details here:

I'll be looking for things after September, not sure when or where!
 

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel will have new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, OPENINGS, POSITIONAL PLAY, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT AT CLUB LEVEL

One of the problems with many chess products is that they are pitched at the wrong level for the intended audience. Club players, for example, fall largely in the 1400 to 2000 bracket, with some outliers on either side of this. The authors, on the other hand, fall largely in the 2300 to 2700 bracket, again with some outliers on either side. This kind of gulf is obviously going to be a problem unless the authors have a very good understanding of what their audience needs. It should be clear that it isn't 30 moves of theory, but all too often that's what their books and videos contain.

I am also guilty, at least to some extent. When commissioned to write books, for example, I've often gone beyond what the target audience needs. Yes I try to provide explanations and present simpler lines where possible, but I know only too well that I'm not addressing the lines that club players will face in their games. In the Sicilian, for example, it's rare for club players to play the open lines with 2.Nf3 and 3.d4. Far more likely is the Grand Prix Attack, with 2.Nc3 and 3.f4, or maybe the Alapin with 2.c3. The 3.Bb5 lines have received a lot of coverage in different opening repertoires, so these are also played quite a lot.

What will you find in the books? Well my new book on the Accelerated Dragon (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6) was devoted mainly to the open lines (2.Nf3 and 3.d4) but just a few pages to 2.Nc3 and 3.f4 and the other sidelines. What's my excuse for this imbalance? Well actually it's unusual to devote any space to sidelines, readers will usually be directed to another book. I'm also guilty of presenting some long variations in my section on the Maroczy Bind (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4), but I'd argue that Black's best defence demands this level of coverage. Not that any of this will happen in club games.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the French Defence, one of the most solid defences to 1.e4 which also offers chances of counterplay:

Sunday June 1st at 5pm UK Time: QGD 5.Bg5 Be7

Sunday June 1st at 6.15pm UK Time: Meran 5.e3 Bd6

My Upcoming Events

There's nothing new from last week.I'm still thinking about playing in the World Senior Championships in Gallipoli in October, if I win enough money to fund it.

Here is how things look now:

June 13-15 2025: South Lakes Congress
I've added this one to my schedule, mainly as a warm-up for Cesme. You can find details here.

June 23-29 2025: 11th Cesme International Open
This strong open event, in Izmir in Turkey, promises to be a real challenge. I'll be going a couple of days early because I can get a cheap flight, but the city looks very interesting and well worth a visit.

July 31 - August 10 2025: British Championships
As mentioned I've gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 23 - 30 2025: San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife
This looks like a great event and I'm really looking forward to it. Travelling back is a bit tricky because the direct flights were very expensive, finally I found a flight back to Glasgow from where I can take a train!

September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress
I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs. You can find details here:

I'll be looking for things after September, not sure when or where!
 

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel will have new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

CHESS SOFTWARE, OPENINGS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

THE DEATH OF CERTAIN OPENINGS

The dawn of high power computers has meant that opening theory has been revolutionized. One of the main effects is that some openings that were previously thought to be playable are now in deep trouble.

One of the highest profile victims is the Benko Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5), in which Black may no longer get compensation for his pawn. It goes without saying that gambits such as the Latvian (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5) and Elephant (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5) are doomed, but it seems that even the venerable King's Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4) is in some trouble. Top players have been moving away from it in their longer time limit games, though it is played quite frequently in rapid chess and blitz.

It goes without saying that humans may not be able to learn and remember the engine refutations, but playing a dubious opening can eat away at your self-confidence. What if one of your opponents has actually learned and remembered a highly effective line? Will you be able to overturn things in a practical game? And is it worth investing time and effort in finding new resources that keep it alive?

Personally speaking, I would prefer to play openings which are still considered sound, but offer chances to outplay an opponent. There are plenty of lines left which fit the bill, for example most of the Queen's Gambits (Accepted, Declined, Slav etc) together with the Nimzo-Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4) and Gruenfeld (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5). Against 1.e4 there seems to be little immediate danger to 1...e5, the French, the Caro-Kann and most lines of the Sicilian.

How can you tell which lines are still healthy? A good indicator can be the games of top over-the-board and correspondence players, if they're still being played then probably they're in decent shape. If not then beware, many openings are dying because of high-powered engine analysis.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the French Defence, one of the most solid defences to 1.e4 which also offers chances of counterplay:

Sunday May 25th at 5pm UK Time: French Steinitz with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7

Sunday May 25th at 6.15pm UK Time: French Rubinstein with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4
 

My Upcoming Events

I've now added the South Lakes Congress to my schedule because I'd like to get some more games in before going to Izmir. Here is how things look now:

June 13-15 2025: South Lakes Congress
I've added this one to my schedule, mainly as a warm-up for Cesme. You can find details here.

June 23-29 2025: 11th Cesme International Open
This strong open event, in Izmir in Turkey, promises to be a real challenge. I'll be going a couple of days early because I can get a cheap flight, but the city looks very interesting and well worth a visit.

July 31 - August 10 2025: British Championships
As mentioned I've gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 23 - 30 2025: San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife
This looks like a great event and I'm really looking forward to it. Travelling back is a bit tricky because the direct flights were very expensive, finally I found a flight back to Glasgow from where I can take a train!

September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress
I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs. You can find details here:

I'll be looking for things after September, not sure when or where! But if I manage to play well enough to win sufficient funding, I might go for the World Senior Championships in Gallipoli in October.
 

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel will have new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel!

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, OPENINGS, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, TRAINING

MOVE ORDERS

Move orders in the opening are a big issue that is often underestimated at amateur level. Players can be attracted to the Sicilian Najdorf (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6) but face a problem against 2.Nc3 because 2...d6 can be met by the dangerous 3.f4. Playing the Gruenfeld against 1.d4 (1...Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) can similarly seem like a great idea, but what if White plays 1.c4 or 1.Nf3? You can play 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 (2...g6 3.e4), 3.cxd5 Nxd5, but this is not the same thing because White has not committed himself to d2-d4.

There are some openings which are relatively free of move order issues, for example the Queen's Gambit Declined (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6) can be used against flank openings too. The King's Indian is also quite adaptable, against 1.Nf3 you play 1...Nf6 2.c4 g6 and 1.c4 can be met by 1...g6. On the other hand there will be no Benko Gambit against 1.c4, and no Queen's Gambit Accepted either.

It's important to consider such things when constructing an opening repertoire, you need to have everything covered. For this reason I tend to believe that some slightly less sexy choices may be more appropriate for most players.

To give you an example, the Classical Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6) seems to me to be a better practical choice than the Najdorf because you have better options against the Anti-Sicilians. If White plays 2.Nc3 you can merrily play 2...Nc6 (part of your set-up) without having to worry about White reverting to an Open Sicilian with 3.Nf3 and then 4.d4. Similarly I'd recommend the Queen's Gambit Declined to players who want to be solid, not get move ordered by flank openings and do not want to study a lot.

If you want to create move order issues for your opponent, then meeting 1.d4 with 1...e6 can be a nice idea, then if they play 2.c4 you have annoying options such as 2...Bb4+, 2...b6 and even 2...c5. All these moves can take White out of his usual schemes and into territory he might not have studied too much.

These are just a few examples, there are countless move. Happy move-ordering!
 

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the Scandinavian Defence, an opening in which White is a:

Sunday May 18th at 5pm UK Time: ZOOM Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6

Sunday May 18th at 5pm UK Time: Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.d4 Nc6 

My Upcoming Events

The latest development is that I've been invited to a strong international open in Tenerife, at the end of August. I had been hoping to be asked to play in Maia at this time, but I hadn't heard anything when this came in. 

Here is how things look right now:

June 23-29 2025: 11th Cesme International Open

This strong open event, in Izmir in Turkey, promises to be a real challenge. I'll be going a couple of days early because I can get a cheap flight, but the city looks very interesting and well worth a visit.

July 31 - August 10 2025: British Championships
As mentioned I've gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 23 - 30 2025: San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife

This looks like a great event and I'm really looking forward to it. Travelling back is a bit tricky because the direct flights were very expensive, finally I found a flight back to Glasgow from where I can take a train!

September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress

I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs. You can find details here:

I'll be looking for things after September, not sure when or where! But if I manage to play well enough to win sufficient funding, I might go for the World Senior Championships in Gallipoli in October.
 

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel will have new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

OPENINGS, PATTERN RECOGNITION, PAWN LEVERS, TRAINING

SEEKING STRONG OPPOSITION

One important aspect of chess improvement is in the strength of the opposition you play against. Strong opposition will stimulate the desire to do things better, if you don't you're going to get beaten. On the other hand looking to play weaker opponents, in order to get minor glory, will lead to a gradually deterioration of you game.

Because of this, my feelings about playing in senior chess events have been rather mixed. On the one hand it's nice to meet up with old acquaintances, on the other there's an element of avoidance to it, steering clear of strong young players, who are using modern learning methods and are often underrated. It may seem more comfortable, but at the same time it avoids the kind of challenge that leads to growth.

The desire to play strong opposition is one of the reasons I've chosen to play in the British Championship itself, rather than the 50+ or 65+ sections; there's just one game a day so tiredness shouldn't be a factor. I've also accepted an invitation to a strong open tournament in Izmir in Turkey, and have already started preparing. 

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange Variation, which I believe is a very useful structure for learning positional play due to the clear planning and use of pawn levers. The two tournaments are as follows:

Sunday May 11th at 5pm UK Time: QGD Exchange with 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5

Sunday May 11th at 5pm UK Time: QGD Exchange with 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 c6 6.Qc2 Be7 7.Bg5 0-0 8.e3 Nbd7 9.Bd3 Re8 10.0-0 Nf8 

My Upcoming Events

I decided against playing in Nottingham, partly because it would be too hectic a schedule and partly because I'm working on some new openings which are simply not going to be ready. Meanwhile I've added the Cesme International Open in Turkey, but unfortunately this clashes with the Ilkley Congress.

Here is how things look right now:

June 23-29 2025: 11th Cesme International Open
This strong open event, in Izmir in Turkey, promises to be a real challenge. I'll be going a couple of days early because I can get a cheap flight, but the city looks very interesting and well worth a visit.

July 31 - August 10 2025: British Championships
As mentioned I've gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 21 - 30 2025: Maia Chess Festival (?)
I'm hopeful that I'll be asked back, but haven't heard anything so far.

September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress
I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs. You can find details here:

I'll be looking for things after September, not sure when or where!
 

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel will have new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, FRENCH DEFENCE, OPENINGS, TRAINING

LEARNING NEW OPENINGS

I am currently trying to learn some new openings, as well as reinvigorate some of those that I've used in the past. This is vital work for competitive chess players, especially in this day and age. A good opening repertoire fosters one of the most important attributes for competitive chess, self-confidence.

How am I going about it? Essentially I'm following the advice I gave in Crafting Your Own Opening Repertoire, though I'm also consulting expert sources that make extensive use of powerful engines. This is not really needed at amateur level, but above 2200 FIDE there's no escaping its importance.

Which openings am I working on? Unfortunately I have to keep that private, though generally speaking I'm sticking to things I've played before. This is because I'll have a better understanding of the positions they lead to than if I went to something new. If you do play a new opening, it makes sense to play training games with it prior to launch, against a friend, coach or by playing the first 10-15 moves against a computer.

Will it work? Yes, I think so, but only as long as I do the job properly. If you do a half-baked job, and you know that you haven't been thorough enough, it still won't develop the self-confidence that is one of the major goals.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the French Defence, the King's Indian Attack and 2.b3.The French has been my main recommendation for those who want a solid and economical defence against 1.e4 and is covered in the Building an Opening Repertoire course as well as The French Defence.

Sunday April 27th at 5pm UK Time: King's Indian Attack with 1.e4 e6 2.d3 c5 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.Nf3 Be7 6.0-0 0-0

Sunday April 27th at 6.15pm UK Time: French with 1.e4 e6 2.b3 d5

My Upcoming Events

I'm currently playing in the English Senior Championships, meanwhile there's nothing new on the horizon. I'm still hoping to invited to Maia in August but I've yet to hear back.

Here is how things look right now:

May 10 - 11 2025: Nottingham Congress
I've entered this one because they offer free entry for GMs, plus if I take a bye in the first round I can get away with one night in a hotel. You can find details here.

June 21-22 2025: Ilkley Congress
As with Nottingham this is just two days, I was given a free entry and I can take a first round bye. So I'll manage to keep my costs down to one night in a hotel and petrol for getting there, this stuff is important. You can find details here.

July 31 - August 10 2025: British Championships
As mentioned above I've entered without an invite. I've also gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 21 - 30 2025: Maia Chess Festival (?)
I've played in the last couple of events and I'm hopeful that I'll be asked back. The dates are now out.

September 5-7: Hull 4NCL Congress
I'm a big fan of 4NCL Congresses because they are played in nice venues, they're invariably well organized and they offer free entry and accommodation to GMs. You can find details here:

I'll be looking for things after September, not sure when or where!

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel will have new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

COACHING, OPENINGS, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING, UPDATES, WHITE 1.d2-d4 REPERTOIRE

PUBLIC RELATIONS

This is not often talked about with regard to chess achievement, but being well thought of can be as important for a chess career as in more orthodox fields. There are countless examples of players being overlooked because they were thought to have the potential to misbehave, for example in the former USSR there were a number of very talented players who never got to play abroad because they indulged in the national passtime of drinking to excess. As a more recent example I think that Hans Niemann's lack of invitations is not because of the false accusations of cheating, it may stem from things he's said and done, for example trashing a hotel room. I think that Christopher Yoo will have similar difficulties when his ban has ended.

It's important, therefore, to present yourself well so as to avoid being thought of as a potential liability. Some players are very good at this and they tend to get a disproportionate number of invites, others are not so good and will tend to get sidelined. Sometimes someone is just so good that they can't be ignored, and Bobby Fischer was a prime example of this. When you're the best in the World at something you can get away with things that mere mortals can not, though even then it's probably better not to test the boundaries too much. 

What should someone do if they have a bad rep? Basically they need to get their act together and then keep it together through thick and thin. If I had to advise Niemann I'd suggest that he should consider learning some form of anger management and then think very carefully about how he interfaces with chess authorities, the media and social media. He's clearly a very talented and passionate player, and his work ethic looks like something that could take him to the top. But it would help him a lot if his PR was better.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the Colle, which features in two of my courses, the White 1.d4 Repertoire and Building an Opening Repertoire. White can basically opt for two different set-ups, the Zukertort set-up (including b2-b3) or the Koltanowski set-up (without b2-b3):

Sunday March 30th at 5pm UK Time: Colle with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 d5

Sunday March 31st at 6.15pm UK Time: Colle with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 b6

My Upcoming Events

I try to plan tournaments in advance but sometimes it's difficult.The most recent development is that I've stopped waiting for invitations from the ECF, for example to the British Championships or English Senior Championships. I don't think it's because of poor PR, or that my relations with chess authorities have been bad, it might be more a case that the ECF are strapped for cash. So I've entered the British Championships anyway, as I can travel to Liverpool from home, the English Seniors is not something I want to do without getting the standard GM arrangement of the hotel being paid for.

This is how things look right now:

April 4-14 2025: European Senior Team Championship

I'll be in the 50+ 1st team, apparently on board 3 of a team that includes Michael Adams, John Emms, myself, Steve Dishman and Graeme Buckley. Hopefully I can continue the good form from the World Senior Team Championships and help the team to one of the top places.

May 10-11 2025: Nottingham Congress

I've entered this one because they offer free entry for GMs, plus if I take a bye in the first round I can get away with one night in a hotel. You can find details here.

June 21-22 2025: Ilkley Congress

As with Nottingham this is just two days, I was given a free entry and I can take a first round bye. So I'll manage to keep my costs down to one night in a hotel and petrol for getting there, this stuff is important. You can find details here.

July 31st - 10th August 2025: British Championships
As mentioned above I've entered without an invite. I've also gone for the Championship itself rather than one of the old folks sections. Obviously this will be full of underrated juniors, I'll just have to play better against them this time! You can find details here.

August 2025: Maia Chess Festival (?)

I've played in the last couple of events and I'm hopeful that I'll be asked back. There are no details as yet, but I'll definitely play if I get invited.

This should be enough to stay 'match fit' through to September, though trying to play seriously also involves quite a lot of time and expense on training.

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel will in theory have new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays and another weekly coming soon. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

MIDDLEGAMES, OPENINGS, POSITIONAL PLAY, TIGER CHESS THEMED TRAINING TOURNAMENTS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

THE EASTERN CLAMP ANTI-SICILIAN

This week I published a first series of videos on of a new set of 1.e4 openings for White. I had previously balked at the idea of doing so as I felt that 1.e4 was too chaotic to allow the assimilation of positional ideas and too theoretical for amateurs to play with confidence. I changed my mind after discovering 1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.f4, which I've dubbed The Eastern Clamp Anti-Sicilian. 

What's the idea behind this line? There are several. In the late 1980s I used to play 1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.g3 in order to get a Closed Sicilian but without White's knight on c3. However I struggled against 3...d5 4.Nd2 Nf6 5.Bg2 e5 6.Ngf3 Be7; White's position is playable here but he's certainly not better. Reluctantly I gave it up and started using 1.d4 and Flank Openings instead, but I wish I'd taken a closer look at 3.f4. Yuri Balashov, a Closed Sicilian aficionado, was already playing this in the 1980s and it was also being advocated by Mikhail Shereshevsky, a famous coach. White takes central space, and the onus is on Black to try and offset this somehow.

From an amateur's perspective the advantage of this line is that it does not require a lot of theoretical knowledge, or any updates of such knowledge on an ongoing basis. It can be played mainly with ideas and plans, and the one sharp line looks rather dubious for Black. There are other low maintainance lines with 1.e4 and I will be covering more of these over the coming months. As an example, the Caro-Kann (1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5) can be met with 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3, the strategically clear Exchange Variation.
 

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments feature the Eastern Clamp Anti-Sicilian, with two major branches from Black:

Sunday February 16th at 5pm UK Time: Eastern Clamp Anti-Sicilian with 1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.f4 d5

Sunday February 16th at 6.15pm UK Time: Eastern Clamp Anti-Sicilian with 1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.f4 g6

My Upcoming Events

Here's my schedule over the coming months, though it is subject to change. I often don't know until fairly late in the day:

February 16-27, 2025: World Senior Team Championship
I've accepted a place in the 50+ second team which means I'll play a much stronger field than on bottom board of the first team. Although this diminishes my chances of winning a medal I'm looking forward to the challenge.

April 4-14 2025: European Senior Team Championship

I finally got confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ 1st team, apparently on board 3 of a team that includes Michael Adams, John Emms, myself, Steve Dishman and Graeme Buckley.

April 24-28 2025: English Senior Championships

I'm hoping to be invited to these and may now be eligible for either section. You can find details here. 

July 31st - 10th August 2025: British Championships
These have now been confirmed for Liverpool on these dates, you can find details here. If I get invited to play in the main Championships, I'll probably accept. Otherwise I'm eligible for both the 50+ and 65+ sections, and should have a chance of doing well in either.

There will probably be one or two events between April and the end of July, it's important to keep playing in order to maintain good form.

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel has new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays and another weekly coming soon. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

OPENINGS, TACTICS, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING, Uncategorized

ENERGY, FOCUS & CALCULATION SKILLS

It was good to see that Arjun Erigaisi recovered somewhat in the Tata Steel Masters, in the process inflicting the first defeat on Gukesh Dommaraju in a classical game, since he became World Champion. I'm quite sure that this will be just a blip on a great career for Erigaisi, that might well include becoming World Champion himself.

I have been looking at some Erigaisi games of late, partially in an attempt to understand the young generation players who almost effortlessly storm the ranks. From what I can tell they bring together a potent combination of energy, focus and calculating skills. If you play against a good calculator you are under tremendous pressure to avoid mistakes, one slip can be the end of you.

One of Erigaisi's interesting choices on the opening has been the ZOOM Scandinavian, and a couple of his games appeared in the webinar devoted to the Tigerchess.com Themed Training Tournaments. I think he sees it as a line that gets White thinking early on, with the pawn structure offering him chances to outplay his opponent. This series is on special offer this week and it also features in the training tournamets.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments feature the French Defence, and the basic positions in the Classical and Tarrasch Variations:

Sunday February 9th at 5pm UK Time: ZOOM Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6

Sunday February 9th at 5pm UK Time: ZOOM Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.d4 Nc6

My Upcoming Events

Here's my schedule over the coming months, though it is subject to change. I often don't know until fairly late in the day:

February 16-27, 2025: World Senior Team Championship
I've accepted a place in the 50+ second team which means I'll play a much stronger field than on bottom board of the first team. Although this diminishes my chances of winning a medal I'm looking forward to the challenge.

April 4-14 2025: European Senior Team Championship

I finally got confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ 1st team, apparently on board 3 of a team that includes Michael Adams, John Emms, myself, Steve Dishman and Graeme Buckley.

July 31st - 10th August 2025: British Championships
These have now been confirmed for Liverpool on these dates, you can find details here. If I get invited to play in the main Championships, I'll probably accept. Otherwise I'm eligible for both the 50+ and 65+ sections, and should have a chance of doing well in either.

There will probably be at least one or two events between April and the end of July, it's important to keep playing in order to maintain good form.

Twitch Channel

My new Twitch channel has new shows every Monday ('Chess Questions Answered), the Webinar on training tournaments and games is up on Fridays and another weekly coming soon. Please follow it if you'd like to get updates etc, all the shows will be available to Premium members in the Tiger Chess members area, even when they are no longer available on Twitch.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel