Category Archives: TOURNAMENTS

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LONDON

In my Chess Questions Answered video this week, I looked at some developments in the London System since the days of my Chessbase videos on it. As with all openings, the exposion of information and analytical methods, most notably strong engines, has changed and developed the theory quite a bit. What used to be a nice way to get a playable position is now littered with theoretical mines.

This is also the case with other solid openings, but there are usually ways to just get a playable position. In one way the effect of high powered engines has been good, as the most ambitious openings are petering out to a draw or dull equality, why not have play something in which you just trundle your pieces out?

Are there top players who are using this approach? Well Magnus Carlsen is for starters, and he's played some really oddball stuff, especially at faster time limits. An example of this is his choice of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a4 in a couple of games, another is 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 intending 3.e5 Nh5. One thing we need to watch out for are chess products on these lines in which the publisher claims they're Magnus Carlsen's secret weapons. They're not, but they do get his opponents on their own resources.

Training Tournaments

Here are the latest scheduled events:

Sunday March 1st, 5pm UK King's Indian Attack

Sunday March 1st, 6.15pm UK French Alapin

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off buying Surviving Computerized Opening Preparation using the code 'feb27mar7'. Drawing on my experience as a player and coach, I shows different ways in which the effects of computer preparation can be mitigated so that players can just sit down and play a chess game.

Last week's discount was 40% off the Eastern Clamp Sicilian using the code 'feb20to28', and this is valid until tomorrow. This is a non theoretical approach to beating the Sicilian based on a clamping strategy, pioneered by Canadian IM Lawrence Day. It also features a refined move order developed by Mikhail Shereshevsky, a famous coach, and adopted by his students together with GMs Yuri Balashov and Victor Kupreichik. More recently it has been adopted by a new generation, including Hrvoje Stevic and Alexei Fedorov.

Upcoming Events

This is how things look right now and there's nothing new since last week. I'm hoping to get invites to the British Championships (August), European Senior Team Championships (late August) and English Senior Championships (October), but there's nothing definite as yet.

March 22nd: Manchester Rapidplay, Bolton
A local event for me with pretty good prizes. You can find details and enter here.

April 3 - 6: 4NCL Easter Congress, Daventry

I try to make most of the 4NCL Congresses because I like them so much. This one is 7 rounds, and played over Easter weekend.

April 18 - 29: World Senior Team Championships, Durres, Albania
I've had confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ first team for this one.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

WHY THE FOUR KNIGHTS IS A GREAT CHOICE

In this week's Chess Questions Answered video, I showed why the Glek Four Knights is a great choice for White, and not only as a way of meeting the annoying Petroff Defence. It can also enable White to meet Alekhine's Defence (1.e4 Nf6) with 2.Nc3, which will lead to a Four Knights after 2...e5 3.Nf3 Nc6.

Another thing I like about the Four Knights is that White has several other choices on his fourth move, besides Glek's 4.g3. The Scotch Four Knights, with 4.d4, has been shown to contain a lot of poison and 4.Bb5 is another popular choice. White has also tried a lot of unusual moves such as 4.Be2, 4.a3 and 4.h3, all of which require Black to know what he's doing.

Generally speaking I think it's good to be the one with the choices in the opening. There are some perfectly sound lines where this is not possible, making it easier for your opponent to prepare and risking having to learn a whole new opening should something bad happen to the only way of playing it.

Training Tournaments

Here are the latest scheduled events:

Sunday February 22nd, 5pm UK London System

Sunday February 22nd, 6.15pm UK Catalan

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off the Eastern Clamp Sicilian using the code 'feb20to28'. This is a non theoretical approach to beating the Sicilian based on a clamping strategy, pioneered by Canadian IM Lawrence Day. It also features a refined move order developed by Mikhail Shereshevsky, a famous coach, and adopted by his students together with GMs Yuri Balashov and Victor Kupreichik. More recently it has been adopted by a new generation, including Hrvoje Stevic and Alexei Fedorov.

Last week's discount was 40% off Positional Play with 1.e4 using the code 'feb13to21', which is still valid until tomorrow. 1.e4 is often associated with tactical play and heavy theory, but it can also be played in a positional fashion using lines such as Bishop's Opening, Sicilians with 3.Bb5 and the King's Indian Attack. In this series of videos I outline this method of play and show some wrinkles from my own games.

Upcoming Events

I'm going to enter the Manchester Rapidplay in March, in addition to the 4NCL Congress over Easter and the England 50+ first team in the World Senior Team Championships at the end of April.

March 22nd: Manchester Rapidplay, Bolton
A local event for me with pretty good prizes. You can find details and enter here.

April 3 - 6: 4NCL Easter Congress, Daventry

I try to make most of the 4NCL Congresses because I like them so much. This one is 7 rounds, and played over Easter weekend.

April 18 - 29: World Senior Team Championships, Durres, Albania
I've had confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ first team for this one.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

CHESS OPENINGS FOR JUNIORS

In this week's Chess Questions Answered video, I explained that there can be chess openings which are good for juniors. I dug out some lines that I showed my son Sam during our chess project, and these would often take his opponents by surprise.

These were different to the standard fare of aiming for Scholar's mate (1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#) or the Fried Liver Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7) because those tend to be well studied at junior level. Sam also made considerable progress when he stopped meeting 1.e4 with 1...e5, as that tended to walk into the evil schemes of result orientated junior coaches.

I'm thinking about producing a recommended repertoire for juniors based on some of the lines I suggested to Sam, 1.e4 would certainly be the first move followed by some simple plan based approaches. I won't be giving everything away right now, but the Closed Sicilian would probably be among the recommended choices. For those who can't wait, a decent option is my Positional Play with 1.e4 series, which is discounted this week (see below).

Training Tournaments

Here are the latest scheduled events:

Sunday February 15th, 5pm UK Fort Knox French

Sunday February 15th, 6.15pm UK QGD Exchange

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off Positional Play with 1.e4 using the code 'feb13to21'. 1.e4 is often associated with tactical play and heavy theory, but it can also be played in a positional fashion using lines such as Bishop's Opening, Sicilians with 3.Bb5 and the King's Indian Attack. In this series of videos I outline this method of play and show some wrinkles from my own games.

Last week's discount was 40% off buying The Why and How of Chess Annotations using the code 'feb6to14', which is still valid until close of play tomorrow. Annotating games can be a powerful improvement method if done in the right way. With this video you will learn how to use a reflective process to improve how you play, going beyond computer annotations.

Upcoming Events

I've now signed up for a 4NCL Congress over Easter, and will be playing for the England 50+ first team in the World Senior Team Championships in April. I might look for another weekend event in March.

April 3 - 6: 4NCL Easter Congress, Daventry

I try to make most of the 4NCL Congresses because I like them so much. This one is 7 rounds, and played over Easter weekend.

April 18 - 29: World Senior Team Championships, Durres, Albania
I've had confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ first team for this one.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

MAKING NOTES IN TOURNAMENTS

In this week's Webinar I spoke about my training schedule before Nova Gorica, which went quite well. I also made some notes about things I want to do to improve still further, something that has been a long standing habit for me. Taking notes during tournaments tends to keep things realistic, back home in the armchair we can have all kinds of fancy and misguided ideas, particularly with regard to the openings we want to play.

What were my conclusions? One of the main ones was that conserving energy seems like a good idea, I tried to sleep more and prepare much less and I managed to concentrate quite well throughout the event. Daily tactical and endgame puzzles also seemed to work well, my calculation was sharper that it's been in years. What is on my 'to do' list? Basically to know any opennings I play well enough that I don't have to prepare too much.

What should be in your tournament notes? Essentially this is a reflective exercise which is meant to capture your thoughts and feelings when going into games. What are you worried about? Have you noticed any weak points to your game? What would you like to be able to do better? There was a time when I had a special notebook for my reflections, these days I keep the notes online. The don't need to be extensive, quality and relevance is much more important than quantity.

Training Tournaments

There have been some changes since I handed over the organization of these. Here are the ones that are currently scheduled:

Sunday February 8th, 5pm UK Queen's Gambit Declined

Sunday February 8th, 6.15pm UK Time: French Defence

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off The Why and How of Chess Annotations using the code 'feb6to14'. Annotating games can be a powerful improvement method if done in the right way. With this video you will learn how to use a reflective process to improve how you play, going beyond computer annotations.

Last week's discount was 40% off Mastering Key Pawn Structures: ZOOM Formations using the code 'jan30feb7', and this is still available until close of play tomorrow. This video series will consider ZOOM formations, which typically arise from the Gruenfeld Defence and Catalan Opening, and which were covered by Stefan Zeuthen and Bent Larsen in the classic book 'ZOOM 001: Zero Hour for Operative Opening Models'.

Upcoming Events

I've now signed up for a 4NCL Congress over Easter, and will be playing for the England 50+ first team in the World Senior Team Championships in April. I might look for another weekend event in February or March.

April 3 - 6: 4NCL Easter Congress, Daventry

I try to make most of the 4NCL Congresses because I like them so much. This one is 7 rounds, and played over Easter weekend.

April 18 - 29: World Senior Team Championships, Durres, Albania
I've had confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ first team for this one.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

BORROWING GRANDMASTER OPENING RESEARCH

In this week's Chess Questions Answered video, I explained how we can borrow ideas from great players by paying close attention to their games. They'll often devote a lot of time and energy to solving particular opening problems, so it's well worth seeing what they play in positions which might have given us cause for concern. A related approach is to copy the opening repertoire of a player whose style we like, watching for any new games that they play.

I've never been someone who has played topical and critical lines, but I have borrowed ideas from players I've admired. I have used many Paul Keres ideas, particular as Black in the Ruy Lopez. In many cases it has been lesser known players who played something that appealed to me, and the advantage there is that it might not be as fashionable.

One opening that I've played quite a lot is the Torre Attack, but only after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 and now 3.Bg5. Keres played this and Smyslov too. It probably doesn't give White anything if Black plays well, but the same is true of many sharp main lines. In my Torre studies I will look for other players who specialize in it and take careful note of the lines they play.

A good place to start with this approach is to find a player whose games you like. Can you also play some of their openings? If you can then give it a go!

Training Tournaments

Richard is doing a great job of running these, introducing a slightly longer time limit and starting some of them from the initial position or just a single first move. Here are the ones that are currently scheduled:

Sunday February 1st, 5pm UK Time Colle System

Sunday February 1st, 6.15pm UK Time: Torre Attack

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off Mastering Key Pawn Structures: ZOOM Formations using the code 'jan30feb7'. This video series will consider ZOOM formations, which typically arise from the Gruenfeld Defence and Catalan Opening, and which were covered by Stefan Zeuthen and Bent Larsen in the classic book 'ZOOM 001: Zero Hour for Operative Opening Models'.

Last week's discount is 40% off Learning from the Greats: Mikhail Botvinnik using the code 'jan23to31'. Botvinnik was a great master of the endgame and introduced a number of new methods including deep research into different opening systems. These insights would later to transmitted to one of his students, the formidable Garry Kasparov.

Upcoming Events

The final round of the HIT Open in Nova Gorica took place today, so I'm coming home tomorrow. I've signed up for a 4NCL Congress over Easter, and now understand that I'll be playing for the England 50+ first team in the World Senior Team Championships in April. I might look for another weekend event in February or March.

April 3 - 6: 4NCL Easter Congress, Daventry

I try to make most of the 4NCL Congresses because I like them so much. This one is 7 rounds, and played over Easter weekend.

April 18 - 29: World Senior Team Championships, Durres, Albania
I've had confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ first team for this one.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

OPPOSITE COLOUR BISHOPS

The former World Champion, Boris Spassky, once described his marriage to his first wife Larissa as 'like opposite colour bishops'. In the chess World this picturesque metaphor became a way of describing marital estrangement, the opposite colour bishops move on different colour squares and in no way interact.

From the perspective of chess strategy, opposite colour bishops have some interesting features. Pure pawn endgames are notoriously drawish because opposite colour bishops can help blockade otherwise dangerous passed pawns. Yet when you start to add more pieces, such bishops tend to favour the side with the initiative because they help a player attack things that cannot be defended.

In a tournament in Budapest, in 1987, I witnessed a game between Stefan Kindermann and Mikhail Gurevich which made a deep impression on me. At first sight it seemed that White had the better game, but then Black brought his pieces to bear on the vulnerable f2 pawn and eventually even won. At the time of this game Gurevich was not widely known, but within a few years he became recognized as one of the best players in the World.

This and two other opposite colour bishop games were included in this week's webinar, which can be viewed by Tiger Chess standard and premium members. Premium members also get access to the complete archive.

Training Tournaments

Richard is doing a great job of running these, introducing a slightly longer time limit and starting some of them from the initial position or just a single first move. Here are the ones that are currently scheduled:

Sunday January 25th, 5pm UK Time King's Indian Attack French

Sunday January 25th, 6.15pm UK Time: French Classical

Sunday February 1st, 5pm UK Time Colle System

Sunday February 1st, 6.15pm UK Time: Torre Attack

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off Learning from the Greats: Mikhail Botvinnik using the code 'jan23to31'. Botvinnik was a great master of the endgame and introduced a number of new methods including deep research into different opening systems. These insights would later to transmitted to one of his students, the formidable Garry Kasparov.

Last week's discount was 40% off Learning from the Greats: Anatoly Karpov using the code 'jan16to24', which is still valid until tomorrow. Anatoly Karpov is widely acknowledged as having been one of the greatest players in history, in this series of videos I examine Karpov's style and strengths, showing what can be learned from him.

Upcoming Events

I'm currently playing in Nova Gorica, in Slovenia shortly, one of my favourite tournaments in one of my favourite countries. I've also signed up for a 4NCL Congress over Easter, and now understand that I'll be playing for the England 50+ first team in the World Senior Team Championships in April. I might look for another weekend event in February or March.

January 23-30: Nova Gorica

A very nice and well organized event that starts today! Details can be found here.

April 3 - 6: 4NCL Easter Congress, Daventry

I try to make most of the 4NCL Congresses because I like them so much. This one is 7 rounds, and played over Easter weekend.

April 18 - 29: World Senior Team Championships, Durres, Albania
I've had confirmation that I'll be in the 50+ first team for this one.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

KARPOV AND PAWN ISLANDS

During my chess career I've experienced a number of revelations, as things gradually became clear to me. One of these was an understanding of Anatoly Karpov's playing style, which at one time I didn't understand at all. Eventually I started to see that one of his main strengths was a very subtle handling of pawn structures, gradually gaining the better position despite his opponents' apparent activity.

One of the moments of revelation was when I was watching his Candidates final game against Andrei Sokolov back in 1987. I was amazed at how he allowed Sokolov to get his pieces so active whilst gradually building the better pawn structure. Finally it became clear that Karpov's position was clearly better and he went on to win.

After this I took a renewed look at his games with just pawn structure in mind, and found that this was highly characteristic of his play. At first sight it would seem that he was doing very little, but as the game progressed he would achieve the better structure. This would then be converted in the late middlegame or endgame.

I was not very successful in implementing such techniques myself, I think I came to them rather too late. Having said that, Karpov's example helped me become more patient and at least try to play for long term advantages. I also started to realize when my opponents were doing this to me.

Training Tournaments

Richard is doing a great job of running these, introducing a slightly longer time limit and starting some of them from the initial position or just a single first move. Here are the ones that are currently scheduled:

Sunday January 18th, 5pm UK Time: Slav 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

Sunday January 18th, 6.15pm UK Time: 1.e4 Only

Sunday January 25th, 5pm UK Time King's Indian Attack French

Sunday January 25th, 6.15pm UK Time: French Classical

Sunday February 1st, 5pm UK Time Colle System

Sunday February 1st, 6.15pm UK Time: Torre Attack

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off Learning from the Greats: Anatoly Karpov using the code 'jan16to24'. Anatoly Karpov is widely acknowledged as having been one of the greatest players in history, in this series of videos I examine Karpov's style and strengths, showing what can be learned from him.

Last week's discount is 40% off buying my flagship Building an Opening Repertoire course using the code 'jan9to17'. This course is built around using the moves 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and 3.e3 as White together with a similar formation as Black against pretty much everything. Whilst the early moves are quite simple there is still the opportunity for an interesting game, and a great many plans and ideas.

Upcoming Events

I'm playing in Nova Gorica, in Slovenia shortly, one of my favourite tournaments in one of my favourite countries. I'm also hoping to play in the World Senior Team Championships in April, but would need to be selected. Apart from that I might take part in a few local weekend events.

January 23-30: Nova Gorica

A very nice and well organized event, details can be found here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

THE JOYS OF SIMPLICITY

This week I briefly presented the 3...h6 Queen's Gambit Declined (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 h6) in the Chess Questions Answered video, having been asked about a simple defence against 1.d4. This line fits in with my other recommendations for club players, who often have limited time to study and should probably focus on the basics (tactics, strategy and endgames) rather than burden themselves with intricate opening lines.

This Queen's Gambit line is just one good example, others include the Fort Knox French and indeed my entire Building an Opening Repertoire course. The latter series has proven to be very popular with players who were just fed up with the intricacy of most opening videos and courses. I have also struggled to get to grips with many of today's offerings, and I don't believe it's because I have a particularly poor memory or ability to learn.

Are there other suitable openings? Yes indeed, for example the London System (1.d4 followed by 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4 or even 2.Bf4) is a long-time favourite at club level and can be played in a no frills way. On the other hand it has become so popular that a large body of theory has build up around it, with some variations going well into the middle game.

Training Tournaments

Richard is doing a great job of running these, introducing a slightly longer time limit and starting some of them from the initial position or just a single first move. Here are the ones that are currently scheduled:

Sunday January 11th, 5pm UK Time: Catalan 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3

Sunday January 11th, 6.15pm UK Time: Standard Position

Sunday January 18th, 5pm UK Time: Slav 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

Sunday January 18th, 6.15pm UK Time: 1.e4 Only
 

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off buying my flagship Building an Opening Repertoire course using the code 'jan9to17'. This course is built around using the moves 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and 3.e3 as White together with a similar formation as Black against pretty much everything. Whilst the early moves are quite simple there is still the opportunity for an interesting game, and a great many plans and ideas.

Last week's discount was 40% off buying my Creating an Improvement Plan series using the code 'jan2to10', but this is still valid until close of play tomorrow. Many players would like to improve but have little idea how to do it. In this series of videos I draw on decades of coaching experience to show how players can diagnose their strengths and weaknesses, then target the most important areas to make the most effective use of their efforts.

My Upcoming Events

I'll be playing in Nova Gorica, in Slovenia shortly, one of my favourite tournaments in one of my favourite countries. I'm also hoping to play in the World Senior Team Championships in April, but would need to be selected. Apart from that I might take part in a few local weekend events.

January 23-30: Nova Gorica

A very nice and well organized event, details can be found here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

HABITS INSTEAD OF RESOLUTIONS

This week's Chess Questions Answered video addressed the issue of framing New Year resolutions. In fact it's well documented that resolutions are normally dropped after a few weeks, so instead I suggest the adoption of well crafted habits.

I recently started a few daily chess related habits that I hope will have a beneficial effect on my game. Basically it's solving a few tactics positions, a few endgames, doing some opening work and playing a few blitz games. Most days the blitz games are online, today I had a few games with my son Sam. He thought that I had become much sharper tactically, which confirms my sense about how things are progressing.

How should habits be formulated? Basically they should be doable on a daily basis, so using a phone for tactics and endgame exercises is a good start. There are various habit trackers around if that helps, I prefer keeping a mental note to keep my admin duties down to a minimum. I also make the tactics and endgame puzzles a priority and see the blitz games and opening training as an optional extra.

Training Tournaments

As I want to spend more time on content creation, writing, teaching and playing, I've handed the running of the training tournaments over to a couple of team members who regularly participate. You can find details of any events here

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off buying my Creating an Improvement Plan series using the code 'jan2to10'. Many players would like to improve but have little idea how to do it. In this series of videos I draw on decades of coaching experience to show how players can diagnose their strengths and weaknesses, then target the most important areas to make the most effective use of their efforts.

Last week's discount is 40% off Endgame Mastery using the code 'dec26jan3'. In this series of videos I show how you can improve your endgame play and use this stage of the game to notch up valuable points.

My Upcoming Events

I'll be playing in Nova Gorica, in Slovenia this month, one of my favourite tournaments in one of my favourite countries. I'm also hoping to play in the World Senior Team Championships in April, but would need to be selected. Apart from that I might take part in a few local weekend events.

January 23-30: Nova Gorica

A very nice and well organized event, details can be found here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel

GETTING MORE FROM READING CHESS BOOKS

It's not enough to read a chess book, you also need to engage! I've previously recommended using any games presented as a 'guess the move' exercise, this week's Chess Questions Answered video explained another approach. Essentially you try to supplement any material presented with extra games, making you a kind of co-author. This should considerably enhance engagement and attention levels.

In the run up to getting the Grandmaster title in 1993, I did this with Mikhail Shereshevsky's Endgame Strategy. I looked for supplementary games for the different themes and noted them down at the end of every chapter. Wherever possible I would use my own games, though mainly they were examples from annotated games collections of great players.

What was the result? Well around this time my play improved a lot, and in particular my endgame play. This in turn had an effect on how I played the middle games, essentially I became more patient and was OK with exchanging pieces. Working on your endgame can produce great dividends, and I should add that Jonathan Hawkins, who tragically died this week, reported using such an approach in his book From Amateur to IM.

Training Tournaments

Sunday's training tournaments are in the Meran Variation (first of all 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 c6 5.e3 Bd6), which is one of the recommended lines for Black in the Building an Opening Repertoire course. The second features the move 5...a6, which I think is an interesting and less explored options.

Sunday December 28th at 5pm UK Time: Meran with 5...Bd6

Sunday December 28th at 6.15pm UK Time: Meran with 5...a6
 

Video Discounts

This week's discount is 40% off Endgame Mastery using the code 'dec26jan3'. In this series of videos I show how you can improve your endgame play and use this stage of the game to notch up valuable points.

Last week's discount was 40% off Mastering Key Pawn Structures: ZOOM Formations, using the code 'dec19to27', and is still valid until tomorrow. This video series will consider ZOOM formations, which typically arise from the Gruenfeld Defence and Catalan Opening, and which were covered by Stefan Zeuthen and Bent Larsen in the classic book 'ZOOM 001: Zero Hour for Operative Opening Models'.

My Upcoming Events

I'll be playing in Nova Gorica, in Slovenia this coming month, one of my favourite tournaments in one of my favourite countries. I'm also hoping to play in the World Senior Team Championships in April, but would need to be invited!

January 23-30: Nova Gorica

A very nice and well organized event, details can be found here.

Have a good weekend.

Nigel