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GM Josh Friedel makes it look easy today! Breaking down black's toughest defense (the "3rd Rank Defense") with style! The Queen vs Rook Endgame "evolved" and became much harder to win once computers figured out this approach, even stumping Super GM Nigel Short once or twice! But Josh explains the key thing to understand about this puzzle, and recommends using our Computer Tools to practice it yourself! | Watch video
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GM Josh Friedel continues with his June Featured video series by covering the "next step" towards mastering the Queen v Rook Ending. He breaks down the "2nd Rank Defense" in a systematic way, offering both exact refutations for black's moves as well as practical advice. Advice such as "keeping the Queen operating on the long diagonals is always a good approach if you don't see an immediate win". Take notes and enjoy. | Watch video
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Grandmaster Josh Friedel makes his return as a Chess.com Video Author this month with a "mini-series" on one of the most difficult endgames to learn for any level of player. Combine Josh's instructive breakdowns of the critical positions in Queen vs Rook this month with GM Shankland's practical breakdown of the position and you should be good to go! We start with the Philidor Position... | Watch video
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Magnus Carlsen made it to #1 in the world... without ever having a game of his featured in a chess.com video lesson! Part of the reason is no doubt the speed of his meteoric rise as a mere teenager. GM Friedel is here to rectify this problem, with incisive analysis of a recent Carlsen-Kramnik clash. | Watch video
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GM Friedel takes an example from his own recent tournament practice to illustrate the role of the initiative when in a bad position. An indifferent opening prompts his opponent to try to finish off him at the very beginning. However, Josh finds a hidden way to grab the initiative, muddling the issue, and giving chances to save the game or win... | Watch video
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GM Friedel analyzes what could be a very difficult endgame. But with the application of the principle of zugzwang, he is able to make everything clear. This is one of the most fundamental concepts of endgame play, so be sure to learn this lesson! | Watch video
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GM Friedel talks about how Grandmasters approach decisions about sacrificing pawns. He analyzes a game of his against Gata Kamsky from the recently concluded World Open, featuring a controversial defensive pawn sacrifice, followed by a tense middlegame. | Watch video
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GM Friedel continues in the vein of "How *not* to Play in your Opponent's Time Trouble" 1 and 2, offering good practical advice for situations where both you and your opponent are in time pressure. This lecture covers a very instructive segment of his 2009 Toronto Open game with GM Perelshteyn. | Watch video
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GM Friedel became an expert in R+B v. R through repeatedly being asked to explain it by friends. Not only will you learn the proper defense for the weak side in this video, but you will also learn more about the interaction between rook, bishop, and king. | Watch video
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GM Friedel analyzes the decisive phase of the last round win that brought him a 5-0 first place finish in the 2009 Toronto Open. Though on the surface it looks like a crushing and beautiful victory, Friedel's purpose is to show us the faultiness of his general strategy in the opponent's time pressure: creating maximal complications and tension. | Watch video