Dear chess friends,I am looking for three new private students rated 2000+ FIDE! As part of this launch, I have released a free 1-hour training video, where I present some of my material specifically tailored for 2000+ FIDE players. Enjoy:For...
In the position below, is it better for Black to play 8...Bg6 or 8...Nxg4? Read until the end for the answer!The BackstoryTo understand the story behind this game, we need to go back to the 'Fastrain' Chess Tournament of 2001, where I...
Why Aussie GMs Love The Scandinavian Dear chess friends,Today I will share with you why Australian Grandmasters (especially, Rogers, Smerdon and myself) love the Scandinavian Defence against 1.e4! We'll see a lot of fun example...
Dear chess friends,Would you like to know how to defeat players rated below 2200, when they play 1.e4 as White?Then you have come to the right place In this blog, you'll discover:- The opening setup that is a POINT MACHINE against players below 22...
Dear chess friends,I am very excited to share with you ten of the most crushing wins in 30 moves or less for Black in the Scandinavian Defence! Something that all of these wins (with one exception) have in common is that White was rated 2700+...
Dear chess friends,Would you like to know my favourite gambit vs. 1.e4?It may not be what you expect...Other Gambits vs. 1.e4I can tell you that it is not:- The Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6);- The Elephant Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5...
Why does classical ballet training in Russia emphasize developing perfect technique from a very young age (3-5 years old)? I pondered this question as I started a workout at my local gym - my first workout in far too long - following through on ...
Today's post is all about a new 2nd move for White against the Sicilian Defence, which has recently been used by some strong GMs, including Morozevich and Kasimdhanov!And no, it's not the move 1.e4 c5 2.a3, that Russian GM Alexey Bezgodov wrote a ...
Hello, Chess.com friends!For today's post, I'll share with you two games I played today on Chess.com, where I achieved a 95+% CAPS (engine accuracy) score in bullet games against a nearly 2500-rated opponent!While I don't work on my own game anymo...
In this post, I'll share with you the sixteen openings I'm most excited about playing in 2025. For the selection, I focused on systems that I haven't played relatively as often as shown in the databases, and also openings with several fresh i...
Happy October to you, chess friend! A new month is an opportunity to set fresh goals and move things in a new and better direction!Earlier today, I played my first over-the-board blitz games in a year. They were just friendly games, but that ...
Hello chess friends,I am back with a new training video on Pragg & Hikaru's new blitz weapon in 2024!15-20 years ago, I noticed that my chess trainer, GM Ian Rogers, had played the Trompowsky (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) in many of his games with excellen...
Hello, chess friends!In today's video, I'll share how a 13-year-old defeated a 2600+ GM (and former World Junior Champion) in just 14 moves! You'll also get to enjoy the PGN below the video so you can follow along .This game was played betwee...
Hello, chess friends!I am back with three more annotated games I played on Chess.com. These games and notes can help you discover some interesting opening ideas and see how I outplayed players rated between 2100 and 2450 Bullet. When searchin...
Over the last month, I've played over 2000 games on Chess.com.In this post, I'll share six of my most instructive games from this selection, with ideas I used to defeat players rated between 2000 and 2350 Bullet on Chess.com. To ensure a high...
Do you spend time each day trying to improve your chess, only to be frustrated by your lack of progress?If you're keen to get the chess results you deserve from the effort you're putting in, this post is for you. Be sure to watch this short traini...
IntroductionLike many of you, I was once a 'theory hound', delving into all the opening books and theories with fervour...However, after my tournament days, I discovered a different path that significantly impacted my results... So I always feel s...
Do you need help to convert your advantages into wins in your games?If so, this short training video will help you show considerably better technique This example is the first one in the classic work 'Endgame Strategy' by Shereshevsky. ...
Easy Guide To The Grachev SicilianAre you looking for a chess opening that mirrors the Najdorf but with a significantly reduced amount of theory? The Grachev Sicilian is your answer. It's a practical alternative that allows you to play like the Na...
Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of embarking on a shared journey with countless chess players, each unique in their struggles and aspirations. This is one of the most effective ways to solve a chess or mental game struggl...
Discover the four main things that stop players converting their winning position into a win! About My Free Live Training As you can see from the image above, I am hosting a live chess training session on Thursday from 12 to 1 pm GMT+10 (Sydn...
Discover the deeper meaning behind this quote, and understand your 'Hero's Journey' in the chess world. Introduction 'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.'We've all heard this quote before, but have you ever wondered about it...
Hello, chess friends!At 12-1pm Sydney time on Thursday, 9th May (that's Wednesday night for those for you in the US), I will be covering the most requested topic of 'How To Develop An Effective Middlegame Plan', exclusively in my free Facebook gro...
Do you want to learn the correct lessons from each chess game you play?If so, you've come to the right place!One of the main reasons that a chess player fails to improve is that they repeat the same mistakes in their chess games. Analyzing ou...
A big part of the ‘mental game’ is learning how to manage our emotions, so that we control our actions rather than being a ‘slave’ to our emotions. The influence of our emotions is well summarised by the ‘Law ...
