What YOU can learn from Sindarov - Esipenko

Have you ever had trouble reviewing Grandmaster games? 

Chess is extremely complex, and going over Grandmaster games is one of the best ways of improving. However, sometimes it be very difficult to understand the moves and ideas. In my new series, I breakdown Grandmaster games and give you some easy-to-understand lessons. 

To watch the full video, click here

Here is a common position from Sindarov - Esipenko Candidates Rd 1 that students make mistakes in:

Black just played 33... Qc5. White is winning, and has been winning for the past 2 moves. In winning positions, the most important thing to do is to stop your opponent's counterplay. We are NOT looking for a winning plan.

Black last move should give us some hints. It becomes clear their plan is to move the knight and attack f2 creating mate threats or perpetual check threats.

Sindarov's next move is the fantastic 34. Qg6!

While this move looks like it may be aggressive, note that it is actually mainly prophylactic (aimed to stop your opponent). The queen assists the rook to attack the bishop on b6. Note that if 34... Nc6, we will meet that with 35. Rxb6! winning material. 

Thanks for reading and see you in the next episode!