In this game I chose a KIA setup while Black went for a c5-d5-e5 pawn center. After a calm opening my opponent weakened his king and overlooked an interpolation I had, which gave me a winning position. I simplified, exchanged queens and created pa...
In this game I went for a safe setup with White - with the idea to first secure my king and only afterwards play at the middle of the board. I was to quickly castle kingside and then react to Black's pawn center or, given the opportunity, create o...
In the Opening: 1. Develop your pieces.2. Control the center.3. Move every minor piece.4. Don't move a piece to a position where it will trouble other pieces' development.5. Don't move a developed piece unless necessary.6. Don't move pawns aimles...
This game was full of misplays on both players' parts. Nevertheless it was interesting to play - the positions were sharp, the advantage kept reversing its direction and the outcome was determined by a tactical combination.
This game was in the Modern Defense. I (playing White) had more pawn influence and space in the center. Black was in turn playing to undermine it without occupying it, with the idea to later blow up the position to get sharp attacking options as i...
In this game I had the White pieces. My opponent played tactically well, but allowed me to gain too much central control and space and weakened his pawn structure, which gave me a better middlegame. The positions were sharp and there were interest...
This game was rather imbalanced as I was a pawn up from the opening but White had compensation in center control, space advantage and more active pieces. The middlegame was very dynamic. We exchanged a series of mistakes in sharp positions, while ...
In this tactical game I played Black. The queens were exchanged early, but the play was very sharp as the center was open and the minor pieces actively positioned. I managed to get the bishop pair and double and isolate two white pawns on the e fi...
This game was very tactical and useful for practicing variation analysis. It was short but both my opponent and I went for agressive play from early on. At the end I lost due to miscalculating. In a position that offered mutual chances I went for ...
In this game my opponent played White very well. I made some weak moves in the opening and he got a small advantage, which he managed to gradually develop during the middlegame into a winning position. Then I made a decisive oversight and resigned...
This is a short game I lost with Black. In a King's Indian Defense White played 5.h3 which looked a bit passive (though it is actually fine). That's where I started to look for a way to exploit what I thought was an inaccuracy. But I was looking f...
This game is an example of how playing a suboptimal line can be useful if you get your opponent out of the positions he's comfortable with. After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 with White I decided to avoid the most-studied Sicilian lines, but I also gave Blac...
In this game I played White. In the opening my plan was to gain kingside space and keep the center closed so that I can attack on the kingside. Black kept his king in the center for a long time, and I decided to try to exploit that by opening line...
One has to be always aware of the extent to which not-so-obvious misplays can affect a game. I've come to this conclusion after drawing a second King's Indian Defense within a week and looking through it. The play was a bit defensive, and during t...
My opponent, playing White, started with the English Opening. Later the game transposed into the King's Indian Defense. Although this opening could offer tactical possibilities, the play we chose was relatively slow-paced and defensive from both s...
In this game I played the Ponziani with White. My aim was to get center control and kingside space without opening the center early, and then attack Black's king. My opponent played a bit passively in the opening and missed some opportunities to e...
This is one of my recent games with Black. My opponent played the opening a bit passively. I could get the initiative, gain center control and space advantage and attack White's king, but I miscalculated a move which let my opponent turn the table...
In this Sicilian Defense game I've played White, using the KIA system. I've delayed Nf3 to use f2-f4 in an appropriate time first, without having to relocate the knight blocking the pawn. f2-f4 is one of White's most common plans in the KIA, while...
