The Chess Mind

It's not meant as a serious theoretical treatise, so if you watch the video, play the line I cover and still lose to Mssrs. Carlsen, Nakamura or Baburin, it's your fault, not mine. That said, I think you'll be entertained by the games presented and might find a useful weapon for blitz and other quick games.

The show's free and can be viewed on demand, but why wait?

For the casual readers of this blog, remember that I do two wholly distinct chess audio programs each week. One is on the Fritz/ChessBase/Playchess.com server; that takes place every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET. (That's about 2:15 from now, and you can read more about this week's show here, with directions on how to watch it (for free if you watch it live; for a nominal fee later on in the archives) in this post.)

The second weekly program is completely different. No special software is required - it's pretty much covered by a normally functioning web browser like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. This second show, which is also weekly, can be accessed for free, on-demand, on ChessVideos.tv. This week's show, which features yours truly on the White side of a Najdorf Sicilian, can be accessed here, and to judge from the viewer comments so far it's a show worth watching. Best of all, the ChessVideos' admins write that "[t]he opening of the game is relatively peaceful, but the analysis is a hoot." How can you top that? It's clearly chess tv worth watching.

One of the most eventful games I've played in the last month or two was the battle with Aleksander Stamnov from the 11th North American FIDE Invitational in Chicago about three weeks ago. I was faced with an unfamiliar opening but played very well and achieved a significant, probably decisive advantage in the early middlegame. Soon afterwards, however, I slipped up and let him escape, after which I had to scramble to stay alive. Eventually I reached an ending where I had very good drawing chances, then a guaranteed draw, then the better half of the draw...and then won! Crazy chess - but that's how it goes with mere mortals, this side of eternity. My preference, both for myself and as a fan, is for clean victories featuring beautiful combinations or logically consistent positional play, but there's something to be said for a good scrap, too.

So have a look here - it's free, requires no software and is available on demand - and you'll find an exciting game with some very well played moments, a little interesting opening analysis, and some psychological comments that may prove helpful to some of you. My hope is that you'll find it instructive, but even if you don't you're bound to find it entertaining. See for yourselves.

Now that the USCL Game of the Year countdown is complete, it's back to more free-wheeling topics with my weekly ChessVideos.tv shows. In my latest presentation, I offer a recent miniature - not because the game is so magnificent, but because one position early on is incredibly rich. If you start watching, and then stop the recording after White's 7th move and then start analyzing on your own (and for a long time!), I believe you will benefit greatly from the exercise. But whether you put a lot of time into it or a little, or just watch for entertainment, I think you'll be fascinated by the ideas present in that position. Here, once more, is the link: the show is free, requires no special software, and can be watched on-demand. Enjoy!