The Chess Mind

Last week's ChessVideos show (still available this week, and probably for as long as that enterprise remains in business) was part one of a two-part series exploring the interesting anti-French line 1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Qb3. I tried in that presentation to make the line look as attractive as possible, and that wasn't hard to do. In practice, especially in quick games, Black often falls apart quickly, and not necessarily due to any overt blunder. Sometimes Black makes the most natural moves, only to discover it's time to throw in the towel by move 20.

Still, that's far from the end of the story. If it was, then everyone would play this against the French, all of you would have already known about it, and the French would be considered a dubious opening. So as a matter of principle, there simply must be a solution - and there is. Or rather, are: Black has many ways to achieve a good game, but they require some mental and psychological agility. It's not a bad exercise to try to come up with some replies on your own before watching this week's show or switching on your computer. Once you're ready to compare answers, you can have a look at my presentation for this week (free, available on-demand, and requiring no special software). And if you've found some promising ideas I haven't mentioned there, for either side, please comment it here and/or there.

It's a line I've covered on the blog and its predecessor, but that was long, long ago. The variation, invented, as far as I know, by German FM Stefan Bücker, begins 1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Qb3. That was all I knew about it when I learned of its existence, and over the years I worked out some interesting ideas that proved quite dangerous, at least in games with short time controls. Objectively, it's dubious in the extreme, but practically speaking, it can be a rather nasty weapon. To see how it works and what makes it as effective as it is, tune in here and see for yourself. (Next week will be part 2.) The show is free, available on-demand, and requires no special software; the main requirement is an alert mind. Enjoy the show and give the line a try!

Upon writing the title, I wonder: is there a rook ending I wouldn't describe as instructive? Probably, but it's not all that likely to occur in a real game. In any case, the ending I cover in this online lecture is instructive (trust me!), and it also shows how slippery they can be. Check it out - it's free and available on-demand - and let me know what you think.

We all associate the Najdorf Sicilian with rook endings, right? Okay, maybe not, but in the game covered here, play rapidly went from a very early middlegame almost directly into a pure rook ending. The opening was of interest, but the focus of the show - or rather, its follow-up - will be on the ending.

The show stops at the start of the ending, and the viewer is challenged to spend some time working on it for himself before part 2 is posted. So watch part 1 for the entertainment, put in some elbow grease, and then return to part 2 next week for the instruction. Rook endings may not be as much fun as a game full of sacrifices, but knowing how to play them is a must for every tournament player. Consider this an invitation to eat your veggies; I'll do what I can to make them palatable.

(Reminder: my ChessVideos shows are not only free, but available on demand.)