The Bishops Bounty

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Bird's Opening Page Update

Bishops Bounty Bird's Opening Page

Added New Free Chessable Course ( 480 Line Course ) The Classical Bird for Club Players

Added GM Eric Hansen Bird Speedrun - 12 Videos (400- 2600) 9 Hours Worth

Added Link to New From's Gambit Page

Sunday, August 6, 2023

Chess Prophylaxis: Preventive Strategies

Stop Your Opponent Before They Start
Master Chess Prophylaxis

Feeling overwhelmed by your opponent's threats?
Wish there was a way to shut down their plans before they even get off the ground?

This guide introduces you to Chess Prophylaxis, a powerful strategy used by top players to think ahead and make moves that prevent your opponent from attacking or gaining an advantage.

Learn from articles, puzzles, and video lessons by Chess Masters, and discover how to control the flow of the game with proactive thinking. Take your chess to the next level and become a master of prevention!

The term prophylaxis comes from the Greek προφύλαξις, profýlaxis, "guarding or preventing beforehand".

Chess Prophylaxis Wikipedia Page - Just a General Description

Prophylaxis Chess Articles

The Art of Prophylaxis in Chess - Nice Chessable Blog Article - w/Embedded Johan Hellston Video - Examples of Opening, Middlegame and Endgame Prophylaxis w/ Model game.
Prophylaxis – Learn from Anatoly Karpov - Nice article w/example games - GM Swapnil Dhopade Blog on LiChess
Prophylaxis - Chessworld Article by WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos - How it works w/ 3 Detailed games.

Prophylaxis LiChess Studies
Explore interactive training tools to solidify your understanding of the concepts.

PROPHYLAXIS - 11 Chapter study (120 Hearts) - Examples in the Opening, Middlegame and Endgame.
Endgame Tactics Prophylaxis - 24 Chapter Study (Use the Computer to solve Positions)
Prophylaxis - 10 Chapter Interactive Study (Looking at Opening, Middle game and Endgame Examples)

Chess Prophylaxis Video Lessons

IM Andrey Ostrovskiy

Improve your Chess with Prophylaxis | Part 1 | Prophylactic Thinking | IM Andrey Ostrovskiy - 18 Min - Dive into the topic of prophylaxis. Prophylactic thinking in chess
Improve your Chess with Prophylaxis | Part 2 | Prophylactic Thinking | - 17 Min - This time we draw our attention to the importance of the active prophylaxis.
Improve your Chess with Prophylaxis | Part 3 | Prophylactic Thinking | - 15 min - Will focus on how prophylactic thinking helps to reduce your opponent’s resources and at the same time increases your advantage.

GM Sune Berg Hansen.

Prophylaxis in Chess - The Prevention Strategy - A GM Tool - 21 min - GM Talks - Sune gets to play a nice prophylactic game in the Swedish League against a strong IM. Nice Carlsbad Pawn Structure Lesson as well.
The Hidden Art of Prophylaxis: Transform Your Game With This Strong Chess Tool - 22 min - GM Talks - The various prophylactic moves are explained in depth in this video from the highest level. Nepomniachtchi, Ian vs. Ding, Liren
Use Prophylaxis As Your Weapon Of Dark Empathy To Destroy Your Opponents - 20 min - GM Talks - Another World Championship Game.
Magnus Carlsen dominated Hikaru Nakamura with a strong concept: Prophylactic Thinking! - 20 Min -GM Talks - This is a small masterpiece and very instructive.

St.Louis Chess Club

Prophylaxis and Dynamics | Grandmaster's Choice - GM JJ Ali Marandi - 56 min - Prophylaxis is the prevention of your opponent's ideas. See JJ's own games that demonstrate prophylaxis.
Prophylaxis: Chess Prevention | Strategy Session - WGM Sabina Foisor - 53 min - Shows examples of prophylaxis, which like medicine, is preventive care in chess. See moves that stop an opponent from following through with a plan.
Chess Prophylaxis | Strategy Session with Jonathan Schrantz - 26 Min - Prophylactic moves preventing the opponent from taking action somewhere on the board w/ 4 Example Games.

Grand Master RB Ramesh - Learn Chess the right way! - Prophylactic thinking and Prophylaxis - 2hr 7 Min - Live Stream with one of the top Chess Coaches in the World.

Understanding Prophylaxis - Play Like a Master! - IM Valeri Lilov - 60 Min

Defense Mastery with IM Mat Kolosowski - Chapter 1 Prophylaxis - 26 Min

How to Think in Chess: 🤔 Prophylactic Thinking with GM Artur Yusupov & GM Jan Gustafsson - 24 min - Takes two excellent games of GM Sergey Dolmatov to explain the details behind the way of thinking that will catapult your chess knowledge.

Prophylaxis against Pawn Levers - Strategic Planning | Chess Middlegame | GM Alex Lenderman - 20 Min

Live Stream: Chess Prophylaxis - Chess Strategy with IM Valeri Lilov - 23 Min - , IM Valeri Lilov will teach you how to think prophylactically. Ask yourself every move "what does my opponent want to do?” is only the first step. Next, you need the ability to find a good move that prevents the opponent from carrying out that plan!

Chess Strategy: Prophylaxis - 12 Min - Chess website

Destroy Your Opponents With the Magic of Chess Prophylaxis - 7 Min

Chess Lesson # 82: Prophylaxis - 15 Min - NM Rober Ramirez - We are going to start with a few positions to make sure you understand prophylaxis in its simplest form and then we are going to analyze one of Capablanca’s games where he took this idea to a whole new level.

Chess Strategy: Prophylactic Thinking - 17 Min - Remote Chess Academy - Manuel Ocantos will show you some examples of prophylactic moves in the chess openings Benoni Defense and the Ruy Lopez. He also shows you a couple of interesting games played by Karpov, Kasparov, and Nimzowitsch.

Pro Chess Training - GM Surya Ganguly explains Importance of Prophylaxis - 26 Min

Svitlana's Smart Moves - The prophylactic moves - 50 min - ChessBase - Svitlana shows us the smartest moves in difficult situations, and explains how to approach a rough position like this.

Chess Stream #108 A Lesson in Prophylaxis - 91 Min - GM Simon Williams - A lesson from a stream with Bjorn (about 1700 ELO) in 'prophylaxis'. Prophylactic moves are aimed at not just improving one's position but preventing the opponent from improving their own.

GM Alex Lenderman: Prophylactic Thinking | U.S. Chess School - 41 Min - intro to Prophylactic Thinking and 10 Examples.

Online Chess Survival! : Prophylaxis as a way of surviving on the chess board as long as possible! - 15 min - kingscrusher

Instructive Prophylaxis discussion! King Safety moves such as Kh1 and Kb1-a1 - 14 min -kingscrusher

Back to our favorite theme, prophylaxis - 12 Min - GM Irina Krush

CTCA Advanced - Prophylactic Thinking - 88 Mins - Cape Town Chess Academy - Recording of CTCA Advanced session presented by Dione Goredema. 17/6/2021

Geometric painting of a warrior Kneeling in a defensive stance on a chessboard in cool blue colors.

Friday, August 4, 2023

Grunfeld Defense (D80-D99) Opening Theory

The Grunfeld Defense:
Dynamic Play from the Start!

Tired of dull chess openings?

The Grunfeld Defense injects excitement into your games!

Black strikes back immediately! Unlike some passive openings, the Grunfeld Defense allows Black to fight for the center from the get-go. This creates an open and dynamic battlefield, perfect for players who love tactical battles and strategic maneuvering.

This curated list equips you to:

Master the Grunfeld's core ideas:
Learn key variations and strategic concepts to navigate the Grunfeld's complexities.
Sharpen your tactics:
The Grunfeld is a tactical minefield, and this guide provides resources to hone your tactical skills.
Dominate the chessboard:
Unleash the Grunfeld's full potential and surprise your opponents with this aggressive opening!

Is the Grunfeld Defense right for you? If you're a player who enjoys sharp positions and tactical battles, then the Grunfeld Defense is a great opening to explore!

Grunfeld Wikipedia Page

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5.

Grunfeld Defense

Books & Courses (Free)
Fantastic free resources available online to delve into the Grunfeld Defense!

FREE Chessable Courses

Short & Sweet: Grünfeld Defense - 55 Trainable Lines w/ 3+hr Video - GM Peter Svidler
Short & Sweet: Grünfeld Defense - 10 Trainable Lines w/ 48 Min Video - IM Alex Astaneh
Short & Sweet: The Hybrid Grünfeld-Slav - 11 Trainable Lines w/ 39 Min Video - FM Christoph Kuberczyk
Short & Sweet: The Harry Attack - 12 Trainable Lines w/59 min Video (Beat the Gruenfeld) GM Simon Williams

Grunfeld Chess Articles

Opening Guides

Grunfeld Defense – The Definitive Guide To A Dynamic Chess Opening - ichess Opening Guide (Indepth w/ embedded Video) Step by step Instruction, Most Important Variations (Archived Article)

Grunfeld Defense – How to Play (as White & Black) - Chessable Blog Opening Guide (In-Depth) Idea & Strategies with most of the Variations Covered with a bit of History.

How To Play The Grunfeld Defense: For The Attacking Player - Hercules Chess
Grünfeld Defense - Opening Guide - IM Alberto Chueca - Nice Guide with Opening Variations, Example games, Talk about Pawn Structures and a few Embedded Videos.

Variation Articles

Grunfeld Defense: Exchange Variation Classical Bc4 Analysis. - ichess Article (Archived)

A Lazy Counter To The Grunfeld - Lichess Blog Article - GM Max Illingworth - See how to stop Black employing his usual Grunfeld plans with an annoying check

Gruenfeld LiChess Studies

The Grunfeld Defense - 9 Chapter Study ( 600+ hearts)
Grünfeld Defense - 16 Chapter Study
Grunfeld Defense - 22 Chapter Study (Can go to Listudy and do this Course below)

Grunfeld, Three Knights Variation (Black) - 11 Chapter Study

LiStudy (Study and Practice Moves from lines here)

Grunfeld Defense - 16 Chapters to learn and Practice
Grunfeld - 21 Chapters to learn and practice
lichess grunfeld - 22 Chapters (Course from above)

Grunfeld Games Databases

Grunfeld Chess Puzzles

wtharvey.com

Grunfeld (ECO D80) - 7 puzzles
Grunfeld, 4.Bf4 (ECO D82) - 8 Puzzles
Grunfeld Gambit (ECO D83) - 8 Puzzles
Grunfeld (ECO D85) - 9 Puzzles

Lichess Tactics (Grunfeld Tactics Puzzles A bit over halfway down page)

Grünfeld Defense: 2,692 Puzzles
Exchange Variation: 1,073 Puzzles
Three Knights Variation: 960 Puzzles
Stockholm Variation: 209 Puzzles
Brinckmann Attack: 100 Puzzles
Russian Variation: 77 Puzzles

Grunfeld Chess Video Lessons

Grünfeld Defense Opening Theory - 7 Video playlist - Hanging Pawns

Grunfeld Defense Theory Taught by Super GM Peter Svidler! - 20 Min

Master The Grunfeld with US Chess Champion Sam Shankland - 80/20 Tactics Multiplier - 42 Min

The Grünfeld Defence - Chess Openings Explained - 39 Min - St.Louis Chess Club

GRANDMASTER EXPLAINS: Grunfeld Chess Defence - 21 Min - GM Eric Hansen

The Complete Gruenfeld Defense with New Secrets and Novelities 1 - 2hr 6 Min - GM Roman Dzindzichashvili
The Complete Gruenfeld Defense with New Secrets and Novelities 2 - 51 Min - GM Roman Dzindzichashvili

Learn the basics of Grunfeld Defence - GM Markus Ragger (Elo: 2656) - 104 Min - Chessbase India
Basics of Grunfeld by GM Abhijeet Gupta | (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5) - 86 Min - Chessbase India

Grunfeld Defense Opening Traps

Bonus video - Opening trap in the fianchetto Grunfeld - 15 Min - Jims Chess Channel
Chess Opening Traps in The Grunfeld Defence - 5 Min

Grunfeld Defense Game Videos (w/Analysis)

Grunfeld - 107 Video Playlist- kingscrusher
Grunfeld Defense - 16 Video Playlist - Jazarov's Chess Channel
Grunfeld Defense - 50 Video Playlist - Chess School
Grunfeld Defense - 45 Video Playlist - agadmantor

GM Naroditsky

IM John Bartholomew

PLAYING THE GRUNFELD DEFENSE - 25 min - GM Eric Hansen
Nakamura vs. Karjakin | Gruenfeld Defense - GM Varuzhan Akobian - 2013.10.03 - 37 Min - St.Louis CC
Akobian vs. Hansen | 2010 Las Vegas | Gruenfeld - GM Varuzhan Akobian - 43 Min - St.Louis CC

Chess Poster art of Chess pieces and Images of people in a black and white monocrome look

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Sharpen Your Chess Vision: Essential Methods for Spotting Chess Tactics

AI Created Colorful Chess Image in a Bold Poster Style of a knight and Pawn.

"Chess is 99% tactics." - Richard Teichmann

See What Your Opponent Misses
Methods for Identifying Chess Tactics

Chess is a battle of wits, and tactics are the sharp weapons you need to dominate the board. Spotting winning opportunities and exploiting your opponent's weaknesses are essential skills for any chess player. This comprehensive guide equips you with the essential methods for finding tactics, along with valuable resources to elevate your tactical vision.

Here are some key reasons why you should sharpen your tactical skills:

Win More Games: Tactics are the most common way to win chess games, especially at the beginner and intermediate levels.
Develop Sharper Thinking: The process of identifying tactical opportunities trains your brain to analyze positions critically and efficiently.
Become a More Feared Opponent: When you consistently find tactics, your opponents will become wary and hesitant to make risky moves.

By the end of this guide, you'll have a toolbox of tactics-finding methods and a wealth of resources to practice and improve your skills. Let's dive in!

What Are Chess Tactics?

Chess tactics are the short sequences of moves that exploit weaknesses in your opponent's position and result in a material gain (capturing a piece), checkmate, or other significant advantage. These weaknesses can come in many forms, like unprotected pieces, poor pawn structure, or a vulnerable king.

By recognizing these weaknesses and calculating the tactical sequences that exploit them, you can gain a decisive edge in the game.

Unveiling Tactical Weaknesses:

To execute a tactic, a player must identify weaknesses in their opponent's position. These weaknesses can come in many forms, and recognizing them is an essential skill for any chess player.

Hanging (undefended) pieces: Pieces that are left unprotected or undefended are vulnerable to attack.
Under-defended pawns and pieces: Pawns and pieces that are not adequately protected can be targeted by the opponent.
Vulnerable king position: A king that is exposed or in a poor position can be a significant weakness.
Pawn weaknesses: Pawns that are isolated, doubled, or backwards can be targeted by the opponent.
Backward pawns: Pawns that are pushed too far forward can be weak and become an easy target for attack.
Weak squares: Squares that are undefended or can't be protected by pawns or pieces are potential targets for tactics.
Unprotected pieces: Pieces that are left undefended or that can be taken without any consequences for the opponent can be exploited.
Overloaded pieces: Pieces that are responsible for protecting multiple squares or pieces can be a weakness if they are forced to move.
Space advantage: Having more space can be a major advantage in chess, and can be exploited with tactics such as forks and pins.
Trapped pieces: Pieces that are trapped or unable to move can be a weakness for the player.

The more of these weaknesses you can identify in your opponent's position, the more opportunities you have to launch a tactical attack. Keep in mind that exploiting these weaknesses requires both knowledge and practice, so keep practicing and analyzing these concepts to improve your chess tactics.

Finding Tactics Chess Articles

5 Grandmaster Tips To Improve Your Tactics - GM Eugene Perylshteyn -Sharpen your tactical eye with these practical tips from a Grandmaster.

Finding the Tactic in Chess Games - ichess Article w/ 40 Min Embedded Anna Rudolph Video (Real Nice) (Archived)

Spotting And Avoiding Tactics - NM Dan Heisman - Develop a well-rounded game! National Master Dan Heisman emphasizes the importance of consistent safety checks alongside identifying tactical opportunities to avoid blunders.

How to Improve Your Tactical Vision - GM Avetik - Lichess Blog Article -Elevate your tactical thinking! Grandmaster Avetik shares 3 key strategies to improve your ability to spot tactics on the board.

LiChess Studies

Spotting Tactics - 5 Chapter Interactive Study - Master the fundamentals! This interactive study covers 5 key tactical themes: loose pieces, exposed king, weak back rank, forks, and overloaded pieces. (Great for beginners!)

Beginner Tactics - 9 Chapter Study (540 Hearts) Dive deep into tactics! This series offers a structured approach to learning tactics, with multiple studies containing hundreds of Lessons (Highly rated by the Lichess community!)

Beginner Tactics 1 - 30 Chapter Study - Get started with the basics!
Beginner Tactics 2 - 59 Chapter Study - Build upon your foundation!
Beginner Tactics 3 - 6 Chapter Study - Challenge yourself with more advanced Lessons!
Beginner Checkmate Patterns - 50 Chapter Study - Deliver the final blow! Learn how to recognize and execute winning checkmate patterns in this 50-chapter interactive study.

(Real Nice Beginner Resource)

New to LiChess studies? These interactive tools allow you to explore chess concepts and variations move-by-move, making them a perfect way to test your understanding and solidify your tactical skills.

Chess Tactics Video Lessons

General Lessons In Spotting tactics

Playlist

Squarology's "7 Signs of Tactics" Series - 11 Video Playlist - (1.5hr) Chess.com ( IM Daniel Tapia ) - Learn the 7 key signs that indicate a tactical opportunity is present on the board.

How to Find Chess Tactics in Quiet Positions? - 20 Min - IM Asaf Givon will explain to you how to find tactics in quiet positions, with some really great examples.

How To Spot "Hidden" Tactics In Your Games - Tricky Chess Tactics Lesson - 15 Min - NM Nelson Lopez - The lesson emphasizes the need to consider major pieces, undefended pieces, and potential threats to the king when evaluating positions for tactical possibilities.

Recognizing Tactics in your Games | Road to 2000 - 55 Min - NM Caleb denby - See how tactics unfold in real games! Analyze real-world examples from beginner to elite levels.

Tactical Vision | Grandmaster's Choice - GM Akshat Chandra - 49 Min - St.Louis CC -
Emphasizes the importance of exploiting weaknesses, creating threats, and maintaining piece activity.(New 5/29/24)

NM Dan Heisman

Safety and Tactics - 44 Video Playlist - (Really Great Tactics Playlist) - Master both sides of the coin! This extensive playlist by NM Dan Heisman explores tactics alongside safety principles.

Finding Tactics Videos Below
Chess Tactics - Seeds of Tactical Destruction - how to spot tactics! - 28 Min
Chess Tactics: More Seeds of Tactical Destruction - 28 Min
Using Seeds of Tactical Destruction to Spot Chess Tactics - 29 Min
The Geometry of Chess Tactics - 29 Min

Chess Forcing Moves (Checks, Captures, Threats)

How to find tactics in chess | Using forcing moves to improve your chess thinking - 26 Min - Zibbit - We look at proven method to improve your chess thinking. Look at the forcing moves, checks, captures and threats!

Chess Tactics 101: Introduction - Forcing Moves - 14 Min - Im Kostya Kavutskiy - Covers identifying key tactical elements, understanding common tactical motifs, and applying them in practice through exercises.

Forcing Moves | Beginner Breakdown - 65 Min - St. Louis Chess Club Lesson
Forcing Moves Revisited | Beginner Breakdown - 61 Min - St.Louis Chess Club - Alex Moellering talks about "forcing moves" in chess. This includes checks and captures, which force an opponent to respond in a specific way.

Paul Morphy's Forcing Moves & Initiative | Kids' Class - GM Josh Friedel - 27 Min St.Louis Chess Club - Shows a classic Paul Morphy game where white took the initiative early and black had to respond to white's forcing moves.

Learn Chess: The Forcing Moves - Checks, Captures & Threats - 28 min - NM Dan Heisman -Identify the building blocks! NM Dan Heisman defines forcing moves (checks, captures, threats) and their role in tactics.

Did you calculate correctly? | Checks, Captures & Threats Method - Exercise Solution - * Min - IM Alax Astaneh

Positions To Know

A Crucial Chess Principle About Tactics - 7 Min - NM Nelson Lopez

Unprotected Pieces
Identifying and exploiting unprotected pieces is a fundamental tactical skill.

Chess Tactics: The Signals of Undefended Pieces! - 7 Mins - Chess.com Video
How to identify Hanging Pieces | Chess Fundamentals | IM Alex Astaneh - 14 Min - IM Alex Astaneh - Based on practical examples you will learn how to identify unprotected and hanging pieces and by use of the counting method you will learn how to win these weak pieces.
How to identify and attack unprotected Pieces and Pawns | Chess Fundamentals | IM Alex Astaneh - 16 Min - IM Alex Astaneh - IM Alex Astaneh is teaching you how to identify unprotected points and how to win unprotected pieces using the counting method.
Fundamentals #3: Undefended Pieces by Max Warmerdam - 66 Min

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