King Safety
Never forget to protect your most important piece, the king. A material advantage doesn't matter if there's checkmate. Be...
Chess Video Library
Weak Targets: f2 and f7
The f2 and f7 pawns are only defended by the king in the starting position, so it can be subject to attack. If you can attack...
Back Rank Checkmates
Castling is a good idea, but if the king is on the back rank without other pieces to defend it, it may be vulnerable to a...
Don't Just Check
Attacking the king is great - but it's not always the right move. Be patient. Make sure that a check accomplishes a goal,...
Checkmate in 2 Moves
It's helpful to look at all of the checks for each side and see if there are checkmates or other tactics available on the...
Pawn Race
When both sides only have kings and pawns it's essential to count how many moves each side will take to promote. Usually...
Learn From The Best: Leela Chess Zero's King Hunt
How should one tackle the Dutch Defense? Leela Chess Zero shows an incredible set of attacking ideas coming from the Staunton...
Leela vs the Newcomer
Join NM Sam Copeland as he breaks down an electrifying game between the new engine Stockfish NNUE and Leela Chess Zero, from...
Learn From The Best: Leela Chess Zero The Troll
International Master Daniel Rensch reviews a strikingly human game in more ways than one (played by Lc0 (more commonly known...
Learn From The Best: Leela Chess Zero's Pawn Storm
Leela Chess Zero won the 13th season of the Computer Chess Championship 106-94 against Stockfish 11. The Neural Network did...
Learn From The Best: Leela Chess Zero's Amazing Sacrifice
It's not often you see a brand new piece sacrifice on move eight! How did Lc0 crush Stockfish with a mind-bending sacrifice...
My Best Game: NM Jeremy Kane
How do you score a quick win against a higher rated player without any flashy sacrifices? You need to stop all of your opponent's...
My Best Game: IM Tuan Minh Le
IM Tuan Minh Le, one of the strongest online blitz players in the world, isn't so bad over the board either! He demonstrates...
My Best Game: GM Romain Edouard
Grandmaster Romain Edouard brings you his best attacking game ever! When the strong Grandmaster Vladislav Tkachiev surprised...
My Best Game: GM Dejan Bojkov
Grandmaster Dejan Bojkov demonstrates his best game to date! It's a positional masterpiece against the Indian Grandmaster...
My Best Game: GM Georg Meier
How do you beat a World Champion like Vladimir Kramnik? GM Georg Meier knows from experience! Watch as he explains every...
How To Avoid Mistakes: Be Objective
Often our mistakes in chess come from fear. Even Grandmasters can be intimidated by higher rated opponents! GM Romain Edouard...
How To Avoid Mistakes: Stay Focused
Often we make mistakes because of time pressure, or just a lack of concentration. GM Romain Edourard explains how to stay...
How To Avoid Mistakes: Make Concrete Concessions
When you have a good position, it's easy to sit back and try to avoid risk. However, often good positions require precise...
How To Avoid Mistakes: Have A Fighting Spirit
When a game looks drawish, don't just agree to a draw! You learn more by playing on, and often there's a chance to win in...
How To Play The Catalan: A Master Class With Levon Aronian
GM Georg Meier walks you through the most popular defense against the Catalan among top players. Meier shows you how one...
How To Play The Catalan: Dubov's Sharp Variation
How does GM Meier like to play when he's on the Black side of the Catalan? He tries a deep check on b4 to sideline White's...
Skewers
A skewer occurs when one piece attacks an opposing piece, that has a less valuable piece behind it, that can be captured...
How To Play The Catalan: Caruana's Brilliant Catalan
What's the best move order to reach a Catalan? What should you do if Black aims for an e5 break instead of a c5 break? GM...
How To Play The Catalan: The Closed Catalan
Grandmaster Georg Meier is back with another installment in his world class coverage of the Catalan. See how he built up...