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Today Melik continues his series on the different process and approaches one can take to "solve" tricky, critical positions. He focuses on how to calculate logically and use "process of elimination" calculation techniques to arrive a the correct answer. He first reviews an interesting game with fellow author WGM Abrahamyan, and then moves onto a few puzzles that illustrate his points. Enjoy! | Watch video
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Enjoy this instructive example of why you must always calculate accurately, and not let the emotions of "who you are playing" have any role in your evaluations or approach. GM Lenderman is back as a featured author this month, and he starts off by reviewing an amazing, back and forth struggle between his coach (GM Kacheishvili) and a rising star you might have heard of before... Take notes on Alex's practical advice, as well as the Rook Ending! | Watch video
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It's been a while, but IM Daniel Rensch is back today with a Live Session for your viewing pleasure! Danny plays into the black side of a well-known variation of the Hedgehog System, patiently striving to achieve equality for a long time. When he eventually does, it doesn't seem to take long for his opponent to falter. His patience in many of the critical moments teaches us that you can't play for a win in chess until you achieve an equal position first... | Watch video
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To bring his debut series to an end, GM Mikahlevski reviews his win over GM Akobian that led to him earning a Best Game Prize at the Gibraltar tournament in 2011. Once again, Victor makes a "long term" sacrifice, with compensation stemming from the uncoordinated pieces in the opponent's camp, and his ability to seize the initiative to be in the "right place at the right time". Enjoy! | Watch video
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In the exciting conclusion of this monumentally important game for the young Sam Shankland's career, we get to see white slowly work his way back from a slightly worse ending, to one of equality, to an endgame where his opponent is fighting for a draw, to eventually, well, you'll have to watch to see! Take notes on Sam's excellent defensive technique, and his "practical poise" in seizing the moment to go for it! | Watch video
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FIDE Master Kavutskiy brings his contribution to the Beauty & Entertainment series to a close today with a video lecture that includes many practical solutions, and logical reasoning skills. He highlights what the correct "thought process" is in a position to clearly establish what your opponent's issues are, what their resourceful chances might be, and how to properly exploit them! The positions are, of course, beautiful and entertaining... | Watch video
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At the crucial stage in his career, Capablanca and his predecessor weren't getting along that well, but their chess games were a cooperative creation of beauty! Here we see a classic battle between these two legends, in the typical fashion of the era. A Queen's Gambit Decline in which black does not make the necessary early equalizing breakthroughs (e5 and c5) and finds himself dominated by the young Cuban! | Watch video
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In part 2 Grandmaster Kaidanov gives his recommendations for facing black's 2nd and 3rd most popular moves against the Panov-Botvinnik Attack. He discusses 5...g6 and 5...Nc6, suggesting the slightly "less traveled roads" for white in both cases, but stressing that more space and active development make those positions very easy to play, and put tactical pressure on black at an early stage of the game. | Watch video
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IM Rensch breaks down this well-known, theoretically driven opening (The Sicilian Dragon) not by focusing on all the complex variations available, but rather, explaining the evolution of those lines by revealing the patterns and repeating ideas within the pawn structure. Danny reviews the "stem game" Karpov-Kortchnoi, Moscow 1974 and he shows how Karpov changed white's approach in the Yugoslav forever, which inevitably led to black's modern approach (The Chinese Dragon)... | Watch video
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In perhaps the defining moment of his career (or at least one of them) a young Sam Shankland took down one of the world's top talents to claim a tie for first at the 2008 World Youth Chess Championships. Here he reveals all that was in a sharp, 9.0-0-0 Yugoslav Attack Dragon Sicilian. He highlights the in-depth variations both he and his opponent calculated, and instructs on the basic ideas of the line for players of all levels. Enjoy! | Watch video