Category Archives: TRAINING

PSYCHOLOGY, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING, WHITE 1.d2-d4 REPERTOIRE

STEPPING UP TO OTB CHESS

The advent of internet chess has led to many players who just playing online. Some of them then want to step up to over the board (OTB) chess and play in clubs and tournaments. This can be harder than it sounds, so let me address some of the issues.

The first thing to understand is that ratings on Chess.com and Lichess tend to be higher than OTB ratings, which can give us the impression of being better than we are. So keep an open mind about where you might stand in the OTB heirarchy, in order to avoid disappointment.

The second major issue is that most of the chess played on the internet has very fast time limits in which fast moves can be more efffective than good moves. It can take some time to adjust to slow time limits, and it might be worth starting out in a halfway house such as rapid play tournaments (typically 30 minutes per player per game).Here you will have a clock to press after each move, if you forget you might lose on time. After a while the process will become automatic, but at first it may seem unfamiliar.

In events with a standard time limit, you will also be required to write down the moves, which sounds easy in theory but can be stressful in practice. I suggest trying a few training games in which you write the moves down and press the clock, in this way you will soon get used to it.

Another major difference is that you will be playing against real people rather than internet accounts, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The chess scene is known for having weird and wonderful people, the likes of which may not have appeared in your life any earlier. I feel fortunate in that I have some lifelong friends in the chess scene, people I've known for half a century. There are also some that I'd prefer to avoid, or at least not have to spend too much time with.

Good luck if you decide to take the plunge, personally I enjoy playing OTB chess and have only played a few training games online.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the Slav Exchange, focussing on the two main moves for Black (after1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4) which are 6...a6 and 6...Bf5:

Sunday July 20th at 5pm UK Time: Slav Exchange, 6...a6

Sunday July 20th at 6.15pm UK Time: Slav Exchange, 6...Bf5
 

Video Discounts

This week's discount is on the White 1.d4 Repertoire, you get 40% off its purchase (not rent) with the code 'july18to26. The idea behind this course is to help players develop a real 1.d4 repertoire with c2-c4 coming in many lines. At the same time the lines are kept as simple as possible and lead to important position types.

Last week's discount is still valid until tomorrow, you get 40% off the purchase of my Crafting Your Own Opening Repertoire series 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.
 

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

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

PSYCHOLOGY, QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

GOOD NUTRITION FOR CHESS

What should chess players eat so as to maximize their performance? This is something that has intrigued strong chess players for many years, can eating well give them an edge?

The area in question is termed nutritional psychiatry, and has been the subject of a lot of research and numerous studies. A growing awareness of the importance of eating well has led to a number of basic guidelines.

The consensus is that refined sugars are not good for your brain, besides impairing the regulation of insulin they can promote inflammation, oxidative stress and worsen symptoms of mood disorders such as depression. As the brain burns through a lot of calories during a chess game, it should therefore derive these from complex carbohydrates that are found in various whole grain foods, legumes, vegetables and fruit.

Such foods also provide a source of tryptophan, which our brains can subsequently convert into the mood hormone serotonin. This then acts on various parts of the brain to promote obviously useful things such as sleep and memory.

This is a field that's well worth looking into, not least because it has real life benefits beyond playing better chess.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the Queen's Gambit Declined (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5), and now the Semi-Tarrasch (4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5) and the Tartakower Variations (4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 h6 6.Bh4 b6). These lines were covered in my series on the Black Queen's Gambit Declined Repertoire.

Sunday July 6th at 5pm UK Time: QGD Semi-Tarrasch

Sunday July 6th at 6.15pm UK Time: QGD Tartakower
 

Video Discounts

This week's discount is on my 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.

Last week's discount was for Learning from the Greats: Aaron Nimzowitsch. Nimzowitsch was one of the most influential players and thinkers, who contributed new insights towards our understanding of chess strategy. To get 40% off, use the code 'june27july5' when you buy this series.

My Upcoming Events

There's 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

BOOKS, BUILDING AN OPENING REPERTOIRE, FRENCH DEFENCE, HOW TO, MIDDLEGAMES, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

STUDYING THE GAMES OF GREAT PLAYERS

One of the things I did a lot as a teenager was to study the games of great players. I have literally dozens of biographical games collections and have been through the vast majority of them. I did not have the opportunity for formal chess lessons but these books provided a unique and valuable alternative.

How did I go through them? It wasn't just a case of playing through the moves, I would cover up the winners moves with a piece of paper and try to guess what he did. Sometimes I would stop at a particular position and use it as an analysis exercise, as explained in Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov. To this day I think this is a great approach to learning and training.

Which players did I choose? Paul Keres was my favourite, also Mikhail Botvinnik, Bent Larsen, Leonid Stein, Tigran Petrosian, Mikhail Tal, Efim Geller, Boris Spassky, Jose Raul Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine and many others. Sometimes I went through tournament books, for example Emanual Lasker's book on St. Petersburg 1909 is one that I went through from cover to cover. Sometimes books on chess strategy were also good for this purpose.

Are there technology based ways of doing something similar? Not really, sitting down with a book and chess set has some unique attributes which can't be emulated on a computer screen. Computers and other technology might seem convenient, but they also fall short in certain respects.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the French Defence (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5), both the Advance (3.e5) and the Exchange Variation (3.exd5). These lines were covered in two of my video series, Building an Opening Repertoire and French Defence:

Sunday June 29th at 5pm UK Time: French Advance
Sunday June 29th at 6.15pm UK Time: French Exchange 

My Upcoming Events

There's 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!
 

Twitch Channel

My Twitch channel has new content 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, HOW TO, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

KNOW YOURSELF

Working on your chess can involve a lot of naval gazing. The times I've made a giant leap forward, for example in the early 1990s, were built on periods of reflection and then doing things differently.

What did I do differently in the run up to gaining the GM title? Essentially I realized that I had to play in a more classical manner, always playing flank openings, and going 1...g6 as Black, had hobbled my approach to chess in that I had very little space and was always looking for a counter attack. This might have been useful in weekend tournaments, but it was far from optimal in international tournaments. Not only did I change my openings, I also had to change the way I thought about chess strategy in order to interpret them reasonably well.

Playing in a classical style was not altogether new to me, having taught myself largely from books I had a decent foundation in the classics. The problems started when I took the King's Indian Attack from Leonard Barden's Guardian Chess Book and picked up on the 1980s craze for 1...g6. I thought I was saving myself from learning a lot of theory, and this was kind of true. On the other hand I was storing up problems for the future.

Which openings did I switch to? I met 1.e4 with 1...e5, met 1.d4 with the Nimzo-Indian and started playing 1.d4 as White. This cost me a lot of work but the turnaround in my results was remarkable.

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments return to the King's Indian Petrosian System (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.d5) and which was covered in the White 1.d4 Repertoire. There are two main alternatives for Black, 7...a5 and 7...Nbd7:

Sunday June 22nd at 5pm UK Time: KID Petrosian with 7...a5
Sunday June 22nd at 6.15pm UK Time: KID Petrosian with 7...Nbd7 

My Upcoming Events

There's 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:

June 23-29 2025: 11th Cesme International Open
This strong open event, in Cesme (Izmir province) in Turkey, promises to be a real challenge. I'll be going a couple of days early because I can get a cheap flight.

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, TOURNAMENTS, TRAINING

WHY COMPETITIVE CHESS IS GOOD FOR YOU

One of the ways in which competitive chess is good for you is that it can cause you to strive to be a better version of yourself. Since I've gained a renewed enthusiasm for touraments, I've found myself doing regular aerobic exercise. Our brains need a free flowing blood supply, so any improvement in its circulation can only be a good thing.

Shouldn't someone do this anyway, to stave off things like death? Well yes, but when goals are framed so negatively they become less appealing. A major key to motivation is to frame goals that are attractive, and what could be more appealing to chess enthusiasts than winning tournaments and improving their rating?

The allure of success in tournaments has also caused me to do other stuff. I previously reported doing regular tactics and endgame practice, and I have a couple of apps that make this convenient. Meanwhile I've started the process of refurbishing my opening repertoire, mainly with lines I've played before but got scared to play them because I hadn't kept up-to-date with theory. 

Training Tournaments

This week's training tournaments are in the Colle vs the King's Indian and Gruenfeld, as presented in my flagship Building an Opening Repertoire course. 

Sunday June 15th at 5pm UK Time: Colle vs KID

Sunday June 15th at 6.15pm UK Time: Colle vs Gruenfeld
 

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

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