Chess
Sinquefield Cup 2015: Anish Giri vs Alexander Grischuk (Grand Chess Tour – Video)
Aug 23, 2015
Description:
This is a round 1 game from the 2015 Sinquefield Cup between Anish Giri of the Netherlands and Alexander Grischuk of Russia. The Sinquefield Cup is held at the Saint Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center in Missouri, USA. This tournament acts as the 2nd of three tournaments of the Grand Chess Tour. This round 1 game features a Catalan where the struggle is between Giri’s white pawn center and space versus Grischuk’s material plus. There are a couple pop quiz questions in this video that key in on the middle game. Will you be able to come up with a good idea/plan in each of the two cases?
The Legend: Tigran Petrosian – Lecture By GM Varuzhan Akobian (Video)
09.01.2015
Description:
Grandmaster Var Akobian pays tribute to his countryman, former World Champion Tigran Petrosian. “Iron Tigran” didn’t attack often, but when he did, his opponents were in trouble. Akobian recommends re-watching the two games; see if you can recall the moves.
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian vs Viktor Korchnoi, Curacao Candidates (1962): A31 English, symmetrical, Benoni formation
Petrosian vs. Rodriguez Vargas: D45 Queen’s Gambit Declined semi-Slav, Stoltz variation
The Legend: Richard Réti – Lecture By GM Ben Finegold (Video)
Published on Jun 8, 2015
Description:
Grandmaster Ben Finegold profiles the great problem composer Richard Réti. Check out these winning games for white from the Czech legend.
Richard Reti vs Karoly Sterk, Vienna (1910): C66 Ruy Lopez, closed Berlin defence, Bernstein variation
Reti vs Savielly Tartakower, Vienna – (1910): B15 Caro-Kann defence
Reti vs Arthur Dunkelblum, Vienna (1914): C46 Three knights game
(post-game fantasy) Reti vs H L de Leeuw, Amsterdam simul (1919)
Reti vs Jose Raul Capablanca, New York (1924): A15 English opening
Reti vs Max Walter, Bratislava (1925): A35 English, symmetrical, four knights system
The Legend: Leonid Stein – Lecture By GM Ben Finegold (Video)
May 26, 2015
Description:
Grandmaster Ben Finegold profiles three-time USSR Champion Leonid Stein, one of the greatest ever to never become world champion. See great games played by this brilliant attacker.
Stein-Kwiatkowski, 1959: D20 Queen’s Gambit Accepted, 3.e4
Leonid Stein vs Semyon Abramovich Furman, Olympiad URS (1959): B44 Sicilian defence
Stein-Sakharov, 1960: B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Nimzovich-Rossolimo, Moscow) attack
Stein-Zurakhov, 1960: B66 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer, Rauzer attack, 7…a6
Stein vs Isaak Iosifovich Lenchiner, Ukranian Ch (1960): B98 Sicilian, Najdorf variation
Stein vs David Bronstein, USSR Championship 1961a (1961): B06 Robatsch (modern) defence
Stein vs Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, USSR Championship 1961a (1961): C19 French, Winawer, advance, poisoned pawn variation
The Legend: Viktor Korchnoi – Lecture By GM Ben Finegold (Video)
Fischer vs Kortchnoi at the Candidates in Curacao, 1962
Jun 2, 2015
Description:
Grandmaster Ben Finegold profiles arguably the strongest non-World Champion ever, Viktor Korchnoi. A game from every decade the Soviet defector played strongly is featured.
Viktor Korchnoi vs Vladimir Zak, Leningrad (1951): D00 Queen’s pawn, Chigorin variation
Vladimir Mikhailovich Liberzon vs Korchnoi, USSR Championship (1960): B43 Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3
Korchnoi vs Arturo Pomar-Salamanca, EU-chT Kapfenberg (1970): A00 Benko’s opening
Korchnoi vs Karoly Honfi, Baden-Baden 32/127 (1981): A62 Benoni, fianchetto variation
Korchnoi vs Artur Yusupov, Cologne (1990): A18 English, Mikenas-Carls, Flohr variation
Korchnoi vs Pavel Kotsur, 34th Olympiad (2000): C02 French, advance, Wade variation
Anatoli Karpow and Viktor Kortschnoi in Meran, 1981
The Legend: Paul Morphy – Lecture By GM Ben Finegold (Video)
19.12.2014
Description:
Grandmaster Ben Finegold pays tribute to his favorite player ever, former unofficial World Champion Paul Morphy. See how the first great American player outclassed his opponents, all while sacrificing pieces and starting a rook down.
Morphy vs Charles Le Carpentier, New Orleans (1849): C44 Scotch gambit
Morphy vs James McConnell, New Orleans (1849): C40 Greco defence
James McConnell vs Morphy, New Orleans (1850): C02 French, advance variation
Morphy vs. NN, ? (1850): C57 two knights defence, Fegatello attack, Polerio defence
Morphy vs Charles Maurian, New Orleans (1857): C37 King’s Gambit Accepted, Ghulam Kassim gambit
Morphy vs Thomas Herbert Worrall, New York (1857): C37 King’s Gambit Accepted, Ghulam Kassim gambit
The Legend: Anatoly Karpov – Chess Lecture By GM Varuzhan Akobian (Video)
Jan 16, 2015
Description:
Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian shows two games played by former World Champion Anatoly Karpov. Karpov achieves strong positions out of the opening and quickly dispatches his opponents. Akobian recommends re-watching the two games; see if you can recall the moves.
Anatoly Karpov vs Wolfgang Unzicker, Milan (1975): C97 Ruy Lopez, closed, Chigorin defence
Anatoly Karpov vs Alexander Beliavsky, Linares (1994): E06 Catalan, closed, 5.Nf3
The Legend: Garry Kasparov – Lecture By GM Yasser Seirawan (Video)
Feb 9, 2015
Description:
Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan celebrates Garry Kasparov by analyzing one of his most famous games: The Brisbane Bombshell. After you see this, you’ll realize what an “Octopus Knight” really is!
Anatoly Karpov vs Garry Kasparov, Karpov – Kasparov World Championship Match (1985): B44 Sicilian, Szen variation, Dely-Kasparov gambit
The Legend: Vasily Smyslov – Chess Beginners’ Lecture By GM Ben Finegold (Video)
07.12.2014
Description:
Grandmaster Ben Finegold pays tribute to one of the original grandmasters, former World Champion Vasily Smyslov. This is a new beginners’ lecture that features a legend each week.
Smyslov vs Zoltan Ribli, London (1983): D42 Queen’s Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 7.Bd3
Smyslov vs Anatoly Karpov, USSR Championship (1971): D41 Queen’s Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch with e3
Paul Keres vs Smyslov, Zurich Candidates (1953): A17 English opening
Finegold vs Smyslov, London Lloyds (1988): E34 Nimzo-Indian, classical, Noa variation
Alexandar Tsvetkov vs Smyslov, Moscow (1947): B08 Pirc, classical system, 5.Be2
Norway Chess 2015 – Vishy Anand vs Magnus Carlsen – Round 4 (Video)
Jun 20, 2015
Description:
This is a round 4 game from Norway Chess 2015 between Viswanathan Anand and World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen. This tournament is being held in Stavanger, Norway. The 2015 edition of Norway Chess is the first event of the Grand Chess Tour. Anand and Carlsen enter the highly strategic closed Ruy Lopez where careful attention to the queenside, center, and kingside is mandatory. Only one player survives. Will it be Anand or Carlsen?
Norway Chess 2015 – Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen – Round 2 (Video)
Jun 17, 2015
Description:
Daniel King analyses the game Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen from Round 2 of Norway Chess 2015.
Norway Chess 2015 – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Levon Aronian (Video)
Jun 17, 2015
Description:
This is a round 1 game from Norway Chess 2015 between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian which is being held in Stavanger, Norway. The 2015 edition of Norway Chess is the first event of the Grand Chess Tour. After just a dozen moves out the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Ragozin variation Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s (white) pawn structure is severely compromised. However as compensation Vachier-Lagrave has a slight lead in development and piece activity, whereas Levon Aronian enjoys better king safety due to his slightly better pawn structure.
Garry Kasparov vs Nigel Short – Battle of the Legends – 10 Games (Video)
26.04.2015
Description:
Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short revisit to play a 10-game series consisting of both rapid and blitz play in Saint Louis, Missouri, the chess capital of the United States. This chess exhibition match, pegged “Battle of the Legends”, was held at the Saint Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center on April 25th & 26th of 2015. Kasparov and Short played 22-years prior, in the 1993 World Chess Championship with Kasparov winning the match 12.5 to 7.5. Would it be Garry Kasparov or Nigel Short who is victorious in 2015?
Best Chess Puzzle Ever? – ‘Mitrofanov’s Deflection’ (Video)
07.02.2015
Description:
This chess composition by Leopold Adamovich Mitrofanov is his most celebrated chess study. It was awarded first prize in 1967 out of 250 entries. Chess Master Tim Krabbé said of this composition, “It would be my candidate for ‘study of the millennium’.” This great masterpiece of a chess composition is pegged “Mitrofanov’s Deflection”. Do you think it is the best chess puzzle ever?
Magnus Carlsen vs Hou Yifan – World Chess Champion vs Women’s World Chess Champion – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2015 (Video)
18.01.2015
Description:
A classical game played between two current World Chess Champions is extremely rare. This happened however in the 7th round of the 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2015. The current World Chess Champion and world #1 Magnus Carlsen was paired with the current Women’s World Chess Champion and world #70 Hou Yifan. What happens when Carlsen and Hou enter a great positional struggle in the Kalashnikov variation of the Sicilian Defense?