Monday, April 20, 2009

Crack The Chess Endgame Code: Guide to Free Endgame Resources

A modern painted art piece featuring a chess endgame scenario with only pawns and kings of both colors, abstract elements blending into the background, dynamic brushstrokes, and vibrant hues. [painting, conceptual art]"
"The endgame is where the brilliancies are." - Savielly Tartakower



Free Endgame Mastery
Your Ultimate Guide to Chess Endgames

The endgame is often referred to as the "soul of chess." While the opening and middlegame set the stage and create tactical opportunities, the endgame is where the battle truly comes down to strategy, precision, and technical skill. Mastering endgame principles allows you to:

  • Convert winning positions: Even with a material advantage, if you don't know how to checkmate your opponent, victory can slip away.
  • Salvage losing positions: Skilled endgame play can sometimes turn a seemingly lost game into a draw.
  • Recognize and exploit weaknesses: Understanding endgame techniques helps you identify and exploit your opponent's weaknesses, leading to a winning advantage.

This comprehensive archive offers a treasure trove of FREE resources to elevate your endgame skills, from basic checkmates to advanced strategies. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned player, you'll find valuable tools to sharpen your endgame technique and secure those crucial victories.


Books (Free)


Internet Archive

Chess Endgames - 171 types in 4560 positions - Lazlo Polgar  - 1165 page PDF - A comprehensive guide covering 171 types of endgames with thousands of positions, ideal for in-depth study and mastery of endgame strategies.

Monster Your Endgame Planning Vol.1 by Efstratios Grivas  -  A strategic approach to endgames, focusing on planning and execution, presented in a detailed format across 379 pages.

A Guide To Chess Endings by Max Euwe, David Hooper  -   A concise yet informative guide to chess endings authored by Max Euwe and David Hooper, providing essential knowledge in 252 pages.

Practical Chess Endings - Chirnov -  A practical handbook on chess endings, offering valuable insights and techniques through 317 pages of analysis and instruction.

Domination In 2,545 Endgame Studies by Ghenrikh M. Kasparyan -   An extensive collection of endgame studies, totaling 2,545 positions, aimed at enhancing tactical skills and strategic understanding across 544 pages.

Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual by Mark Dvoretsky  -  A revered manual authored by Mark Dvoretsky, renowned for its depth and clarity in explaining endgame concepts and strategies over 408 pages.



FREE Chessable Endgame Courses - Sharpen Your Skills

Chessable offers a fantastic platform to learn endgames for free. Here are some excellent courses to kick-start your endgame mastery:

Basic Endgames - 181 Endgames (Very Nice in-depth Instruction) (This course was made by a chess-coach for his students and put up here for FREE)     (This alone is worth trying Chessable for Free)

Endgame Bootcamp with John Bartholomew - Learn the Basics(Learn 10 Basic pawn , and Rook & Pawn Endgames) 

Essential endings: Mating with B+N - Conquer the Chessboard's Trickiest Checkmate!  - Learn this Endgame  - Here we go - winning the most complicated basic ending. I will teach you an easy to learn way, wasting very few moves, but keeping the path smooth. There are practicing variations and lots of explanations.

Essential Endings: Playing R+B vs. R - Key Strategy's - I present some key positions and strategies to either win (if possible) or draw (if possible) this ending.

Essential R+P vs. R Endings - IM John Bartholomew - I present some key positions and strategies to either win (if possible) or draw (if possible) this ending.

Winning Chess Endings: Free Lesson - Some techniques by GM Yasser Seirwain - With only 9 trainable variations and 25 minutes of instructive videoWinning Chess Endings: Free Lesson is light in workload...but heavy in game-changing instruction.

Johan Hellsten: Free Endgame Lesson - Endgame Techniques (10 Lessons)
Chess master Johan Hellsten teaches a crucial endgame skill: piece domination.

Learn the "magic distance" for different piece combinations and use this knowledge to:  Win material,Create winning opportunities and Enhance your overall chess strategy.    This free lesson includes a video lesson and practice exercises. 

Silman's Complete Endgame Course: Free Lesson 
Master overkills, opposition, & rook pawn wins (42 mins video and 21 MoveTrainer Drills.)

Magnus Carlsen: Free endgame Lesson - Uncover the secrets behind the endgame mastery of a chess legend with lessons from Magnus Carlsen himself!

Free Lesson: The Principle of Two Weaknesses -  GM Sam Shankland - 42 Variations w/62 Min Video. Master a key endgame strategy from legendary coach Shereshevsky.

Rook Endgames: Free Lesson -  GM Ivan Sokolov & by GM Efstratios Grivas -  32 min Video w/20 Variations - A free Lesson on Smashing Fortresses in Rook Endgames.

The Queen vs. Rook Endgame - Extensive Free Course
- This course is tailored to intermediate players up to experts and is a comprehensive course on such positions. It is broken down into three courses of different lengths: an ultra-short course (around 50 trainable lines), a short course (around 70 trainable lines), and the full course (around 130 trainable lines). All are included in this course and you can work your way up based on your needs.

Chessable offers a freemium model, allowing you to explore these courses for free. Consider creating an account to track progress and unlock additional features.

By utilizing these free Chessable resources, you can lay a strong foundation for mastering chess endgames and elevate your overall chess game!


 Endgame Lessons (Articles)


8 Endgame Chess Principles To Always Follow (for Beginners and Experts) - Nice Guide 

Logical Chess Endgame Lessons -  Links all at bottom of page

Complete Guide to Chess Endgames (From Beginner to Master) - Really Nice Site !
           -  Articles broken down into each ELO Group (Over 100 articles covering each endgame type)

Logical Chess - Learn how to play chess well with tactical exercises, strategy and endgame lessons. 98 Endgame Lessons here.  (Nice Site)

Bishop's Bounty Exploring Endgames:
A Guide to Hidden Treasures on Chess.com
- Blog Posts on Chess.com . All the Lessons and Posts are about Endgames. 45 Posts By GM's and other Titled  Players.


Chess Endgame Blogs 


Chess Endgame Studies by Árpád Rusz - Nice Site with 30+ Endgame Books for Download

Chessable Blog

Yes, that sounds perfectly fine! "Explore the intricacies of chess endgames with Chessable course examples and insights


Endgame Archive at TheChessWorld
Articles By WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

15 Must-Know Chess Endgame Patterns - Article with 40 Min Video embeded
10 Reasons to Learn Endgames in 2021 -  Article with 55 Min Video embeded
3 Must-Know Ideas in Pawn Endgames - Article
Rook Endgames: 3 vs. 2 on the Same Flank - Article
Rook and Knight versus Rook and Bishop Endgames - Article
The Importance of Piece Activity in Rooks Endgames - Article



Chess Endgame Video Lessons

Endgame Course - 17 Video Playlist  (From Chess Vibes)

Chess Endgames - 38 Video Playlist (From Hanging Pawns)

Complete Chess Endgame Course - 30 Video Playlist (ChessDiagnostic)


Endgame Essentials Lecture by GM Ben Finegold  - 60 Min


Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Atlanta
(over 60 hrs of Video Lessons here)


PGN Game Downloads & Annotated Databases

 

Dive into a Sea of Chess Games:

 Top PGN Download Sites

Chess players rejoice! This comprehensive guide equips you with a treasure trove of websites offering PGN (Portable Game Notation) downloads. Whether you're a seasoned strategist or a budding beginner, having access to a vast library of games can significantly enhance your chess journey.


Major International PGN Download Sites

 FICS Games Database 

  Giant Database with intricate search functions.

363,829,838
games counted
260,741,991
games stored
583,627         
players stored
1,531 computers stored
18,515 tournaments
 
FICGS correspondence chess database - 85,000 Game PGN  Download


IECC - International E-mail Chess Club  - PGNs of Games from 1995 -2021

International E-Mail Chess Group - 1995-2010  166,000 Games   PGN       CBV

Chess Mail - Correspondence Chess - 2005 - 2007  40,400 Games  PGN (Zipped)
 
Brunos
Grandmaster games (8k games) and a hand full of Openings (17k games) here with game downloads.
 
 
Small Chess  - Thousands of games (Many Recent)
 
15 Million Game Database -Database is categorized into 6 parts, to learn which one you need please browse all files and read description.
In addition a huge collection of opening books for chess engines and Arena.
As well as other chess resources, to download separate packages please browse "all files


Encyclopedia of Chess Openings - Click any ECO code link here and download a PGN of games of that opening ranging in size from 2000-20,000 games. (From Bookuppro.com)
 
FIDE Tournaments Archive - Pick a country and a month to see a list of Tournaments. Click INFO tab and many Tournaments Bring back a PGN download Link.  
 
OLIMPBASE - The Encyclopedia Of Team Chess  (Team Chess Events from around the World have their Games Stored here. )  Olympiads, Leagues , Club Championships (Lots)
 
LiChess Elite Database -  (standard) games from lichess by players rated 2400+ against players rated 2200+  (Millions of Games Here)

LiChess.org Open Database  -   Over 4.1 Billion Standard rated games  (Also Variants and Puzzles located here as well)

PGN Mentor  - Organized PGN Files By Opening, Players or Events  (One of the Best Sites around)

Lumbra’s Giga Base - 13.2 Million Games - Updated monthly (2500+ vs 2300+) is the Low limit. The week in chess, Lichess Elite database. All Curated w/ no duplicates or games under 10 half moves. (Top Free Resource)


Periodicals with Free Game Downloads.

 
   The Week In Chess - Daily Chess News and Games. Weekly digest for download. By Mark Crowther. Started back in 1994   A year of PGN Game Files
   
 USCF  Chess Life Magazine Each Monthly Issue Has All the Games and Puzzles in a Free Download Going back Quite a ways.  Many of these Games are Highly Annotated by Top GM's.
 



National PGN Download Sites


Australian Chess Games Archive  -  43,000 Games From Chess Tourneys All Over Australia 2000- 2022 (Very well Organized)
South Australian Chess Association -  PGN Downloads  Tourneys 1864  to 2023 
Chess Association Western Australia - PGN Downloads (Tourneys  1906 - 2023)


British   - National Archive of British Games (Pre-1920's -2010)
              - BritBase - (Everything British is Here!! )
Canada -  National Archive of Canadian Games (1873-2013)  169,000 Games
       ----British Columbia - Archive  of Games 20k British Columbia Chess Federation Page
Denmark - Danbase - a collection of Danish chess games - 116,000 Games (Very well Organized)    
Finland - Well Organized Database (By Year and Tourneys)
France - French Download Page (In French) 
Germany -  200,000 Games from High Ranked German Leagues
Greece - 1984-Today Download Games from Greek Tourney and play

Italy -  Italian Chess Federation -Well organized Intensive Game Archive
Netherlands -  1800-2002 Database of Tourneys  (51,000 Games)
Norway -  1989 - 2015 Games 
PolandGames from Cuiavia Region -  1999- 2010
Russia - Huge Organized Database of Everything Russian (Start at bottom of page and click on a chapter your interested in)
          ---- Chess Siberia - Download Page
Scotland -  Large Scottish Tourney Download Page (Games from 1893 - 2016)
Slovakia
Games from team tournaments in Slovakia, opens and more.
          ---- Correspondence Chess Tourney Downloads.  (Some Annotated)
Ukranian - Downloads of Championships  1924 - 2009

United States
   --- CalChess  - 36,000 Games   California
   --- Dallas Chess Club - PGN and CBV (w/Fritz Annotations) Texas Tournaments
   --- The Massachusetts Chess Association - 10,000 Games from 1999 - 2003
   ---  Metro West Chess Club - PGN and CBV  (1983 - Present)  (New England - Boston)
   ---  Southern California Chess Federation - Tourneys and Games 2003 - 2022
   ---  United States Correspondence Chess Championships (USCCC) - 2004-2008

 

Annotated Chess Games


Anglefire Archive  -  Over 4000 Annotated Games


 
Picture of Computers with Binary numbers lit behind a row of chess pieces.



Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Scandinavian Defense (Center Counter Defense) (B01) - Opening Theory

 

Scandianavian Defence (Center Counter Defense) Resources

Wikipedia Page 

The Scandinavian Defense, also known as the Center Counter Defense, is a chess opening that begins with the moves 1.e4 d5. It is a hyper-modern defense, meaning that it aims to control the center with pieces rather than pawns. This defense is characterized by the move d5, which aims to support the pawn on e5, and it is a good choice for players who like to play aggressively and counterattack.

The main idea of the Scandinavian defense is for Black to gain space in the center and try to attack the white pawns on e4 and d4. Black's pawn on d5 also aims to exert pressure on e4, which could become a weakness if not properly supported.

The most common continuations for Black after 1.e4 d5 are 2.exd5 Qxd5 and 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4. The first move allows Black to develop their queen early and apply pressure on e4, while the second move allows Black to develop their knight and gain control of d5.

The Scandinavian Defense can be a solid choice for Black, but it also requires a good understanding of the middle game and the ability to counterattack, as it can lead to complex and tactical positions.


BOOKS & Courses (Free)

Internet Archive

Center Counter Defense: The Portuguese Variation - 98 Page PDF


Chessable Courses (Free)

IM John Bartholomew's Scandinavian (FREE version) - (Teaches 56 Lines and you can use the Movetrainer to practice them.)

Short & Sweet: Scandinavian - 13 Lines w/37 Min Video - IM Robert Ris 

Short & Sweet: Scandinavian for White - 10 Lines w/ 53 Min Video - IM Miodrag Perunovic


Scandinavian Defense Chess Articles

Scandinavian Defense - Simplify Chess - Nice Article with the what, why and moves explained.
Beating The Scandinavian Defense – Beginner Chess Openings - Thorough Article with Several Embeded Videos. (Good read if you face this opening a lot)

Centre-Counter Tutorial - Chesscorner.com
The Anti -Portuguese System -by Michael Goeller
Annotated Recent Game Article - from Chess Publishing

CHESS PIECE: SCANDINAVIAN SECRETS - Blog post Refuting the Qa5 line of the Scandinavian by Bobby Ang
Scandinavian Defense – Kadas Gambit  - Remote Chess Academy Article w/embedded Videos
How To Play The Scandinavian Defense: 3…Qa5 - Hercules Chess Guide


Scandinavian Defense – How to Play As White and Black - Chessable Blog Opening Guide (Nice Guide)

Scandinavian Defense LiChess Studies 

Comprhensive Study Scandinavian - 15 Chapter Study  (400 hearts)
Scandinavian Defense (Traps for White) - 12 Chapter Study
Scandinavian opening traps  - 29 Chapter Study  (150 Hearts)
The scandinavian defence - 11 Chapter Study  (Just Showing all the Variations)
Scandinavian Defense (White)  - 13 Chapter Study 


LiStudy Scandinavian Page -  6 Studies (At Bottom of Page) Set up to use the Movetrainer here to Learn or Practice opening. Can also Play opening Against Computer.

GAMES DATABASES

Miniatures in the Scandinavian - 16 Games
Annotated Recent Game Article - from Chess Publishing


365Chess.com

B01: Scandinavian (centre counter) defence 1. e4 d5 - 62,000 Games ( Broken down to 13 Sub Variants) 

Chessgames.com

Scandinavian (B01)  - 36 Annotated Games

chesstempo.com

Scandinavian Defence, General, B01  - 19,500 Games


Scaninavian Defense Video Lessons

Lessons

Scandinavian Defense Opening Theory -6 Video playlistHanging Pawns  (About 3 hrs)


How to Play the Scandinavian Defence | Grandmaster Repertoire - 32 min GM Moulthun
How To CRUSH Opponents with the Scandinavian Defense! - 33 Min IM Rozman
Play Scandinavian Defense - 33 Min  - IM Marcin Sieciechowicz

Playing Against

Crush the Scandinavian Defense - 10 Min IM Rosen
Finally! An Answer to the Scandinavian Defense by GM Bryan Smith - 36 Min
Hacking the Scandinavian - GingerGM's Spicy Openings and Gambits - 18 Min
PUNISH THE SCANDINAVIAN DEFENSE | IM Miodrag 'The Butcher' Perunovic - 106 min
This ONE Move CRUSHES The Scandi | Dojo Lessons feat. DeanG - 14 min
How to beat the Scandinavian Defense-Part-1  -  10 Min GM Arun

Three POWERFUL Attacking Ideas to CRUSH the Scandinavian Defense - 16 Min - GM Jose Gonzales -
The strategies presented in this video are well-known to strong players. Adopt these powerful lines to effectively counter this solid defense. (New 5/29/24)


St Louis Chess Club

The Scandinavian Defense: Solid, Sharp, or Suspect? - Chess Openings Explained - 48 Min
Fallout from Scandinavian Defense Tournament - Beginner Breakdown - 38 Min


Scandinavian Opening Traps

7 Best Chess Opening Traps in the Scandinavian Defense - 28 Min 
op 5 Chess Opening Traps in the Scandinavian Defense [White & Black] - 16 Min
Traps against the Scandinavian defence aka "Center-Counter" opening -12 Min


Scandinavian Game Videos (W/analysis)

Scandinavian defense - 17 Video Playlist - Agadmantor
Scandinavian Defense - 33 Video Playlist - Chess School
PLAY ALL Scandinavian Defence (Center Counter) - Chess Opening - 74 Video Playlist - kingscrusher

Magnus Carlsen Plays His Old Favourite Blitz Opening; Scandinavian Defense 
Scandinavian Defense - 33 Video Playlist - Chess School
PLAY ALL Scandinavian Defence (Center Counter) - Chess Opening - 74 Video Playlist - kingscrusher


Magnus Carlsen Plays His Old Favourite Blitz Opening; Scandinavian Defense - 7 Min
Dmitry Andreikin vs Fabiano Caruana 2014 - 30 Min
Vishy Anand vs Loek Van Wely - Tata Steel (2013) - Scandinavian Defense (B01) - 33 Min


GM Naroditsky

How To CRUSH The Scandinavian Defense | The Sensei Speedrun |- 16 Min
Attacking The Scandi Kingside | The Sensei Speedrun  - 16 Min
Natural Developing Moves | Scandinavian Defense: Modern | - 30 Min
The Risks of Queenside Castle | Scandinavian Defence | The Sensei Speedrun - 37 Min
Master Class | Scandinavian Defense | Chess Speedrun - 38 Min
Master Class | Scandinavian Defense | Chess Speedrun  - 40 Min


IM John Bartholomew (Well Annotated Games)

Recent Theory Practice in the 3...Qd8 Scandinavian - 47 Min
 GM Z-Integrator vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 21 Min
IM Bartholomew vs. TOuchlighter (Scandinavian Defense) - 28 Min
Aruminos vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 18 Min
hek vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 36 Min
Belalugosi vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 36 Min
GM Humpy Koneru vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 44 Min
SnapCracklePop vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 48 Min
IM MWeston vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 18 Min
alakhine101 vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 45 Min
Twin Ports Open [Round 1]: Pratik Nehete vs. IM Bartholomew  - 28 Min
NM Andrew Titus vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 78 Min
GM Stefan Kristjansson vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 19 Min
GM Eric Lobron vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 16 Min
GM narkissos vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 15 Min
IM Luca Shytaj vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 20 Min
stalyansky vs. IM Bartholomew (Scandinavian Defense) - 37 Min


PGN Game Downloads

scand-pg.zip -(1.e4 d5) - 4905 Games (U.of Pitt Archive)

Monday, April 6, 2009

Mastering the Halloween Gambit - Unleash the Spooky Surprise!  (C46)

An eerie chess match between a gaunt, Victorian-era chess player and a menacing pumpkin-headed ghoul wielding a scythe. The dimly lit room features an old wooden chess board with pieces arranged in starting positions. Wisps of fog and deep shadows create an unsettling atmosphere, with the white pieces emitting a faint glow and the black pieces absorbing the limited light. The supernatural opponent's glowing eyes and the player's intense concentration heighten the sense of impending doom in this haunting Halloween-themed chess scene.
"Chess is a fairy tale of 1001 blunders." - Savielly Tartakower 


 

Beyond the Pawn Gambit
 The Halloween Gambit's Knight Sacrifice

The Halloween Gambit isn't your typical chess opening. Instead of a pawn, White offers a knight early on for a single pawn in the Four Knights Game. This aggressive gambit aims to shock opponents and gain a lasting advantage in development and control of the center.

Overview

White initiates the Halloween Gambit by sacrificing a knight on move four (4.Nxe5). This bold move aims to chase away Black's knights and gain significant space for White's pieces. Typical continuations for White after 4...Nxe5 include 5.d4 and 5.f4, striving for a quick development lead and central control.

The gambit remains a popular choice at club level, where it can lead to extremely complicated and difficult to calculate positions.

Explore the Halloween Gambit's Dark Secrets


Books (Courses) Free

  • Surviving the Halloween Gambit - Free Chessable Course - 9 Trainable Lines - equips you with 9 trainable lines to handle the Halloween Gambit with confidence.

  • Thematic Tactics: Halloween Edition - Free Chessable Course -  16 Tactical Lines - Inside this free little mini-course there are 13 Halloween themed tactics puzzles



Halloween Gambit Articles

Delve into the theory, history, and key variations of the Halloween Gambit.



Halloween Gambit LiChess Studies

Explore interactive training tools to solidify your understanding of the opening's concepts.


LiStudy Page. (LiChess Movetrainer Page)


New to Lichess studies? These interactive tools allow you to explore chess concepts and variations move-by-move, perfect for testing your understanding and deepening your knowledge.



Games Databases

Analyze real-life games featuring the Halloween Gambit and see how it's played in practice.

Chessgames.com (Collections)

ChessTempo.com


Four Knights Game, Halloween Gambit (C46) - 172 games

365Chess.com


C46: Four knights, Schultze-Mueller gambit 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 -53 Games 



Halloween Gambit Chess Videos

Learn from chess masters in video tutorials that explain the Halloween Gambit's key ideas and strategies.


Reverse Halloween Gambit


GM Ben Finegold Demonstrates the Reverse Halloween Gambit - 9 min - Ben Claims it is the most Unsound opening ever and he invented it.


Refuting Halloween Gambit


Game Videos w/Analysis


IM Eric Rosen


Hikaru plays the Halloween Gambit👻 - 64 Min GM Nakamura

Magnus Carlsen SHOCKED his opponent with the Halloween Gambit! - 12 Min

Toughest Game Yet!! Danya Is Sweating?!! | Halloween Gambit | The Sensei Speedrun | GM Naroditsky - 39 Min

Winning in 12 moves with the Halloween Gambit - 5 Min - Johnathan Schrantz - Blitz game


PGN Game Downloads 

HWeen-pg.zip - 3308 Games (U Pitt FTP Server)