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ChessExcellence
Rooks are terrible defenders.
Look at Black's two rooks tied to the c6 pawn, then look at White's two rooks attacking it. They are not equal, and they never were. A queen forced to defend still carries threats. A bishop forced to defend still sits on a diagonal. A rook nailed behind a pawn does nothing at all, and that is where the tactics come from.
So make your rooks active and give them targets. Then ask which of your pieces is only standing there to hold something.
From Pillsbury against Mason, Hastings 1895.
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11 hours ago | [YT] | 0
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ChessExcellence
Where is your opponent's weak pawn?
A weak pawn is a pawn that no other pawn can protect. Black's pawn on c6 is exactly that, so Pillsbury stacked his rooks on the c file and asked Black to hold it. It is also a hanging pawn: it stands next to its own friends, yet the only way it could ever win pawn protection is to march forward.
That is positional play in one sentence. Find the pawn that no pawn can defend, then pile up on it.
From Pillsbury against Mason, Hastings 1895.
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15 hours ago | [YT] | 0
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ChessExcellence
White to play.
Black's king is still on e8, his pieces are stacked on the first two ranks, and he is one move from castling to safety. How does White keep him in the middle?
Pause, find the move, then watch me show the answer. Tarrasch against Kurschner, Nuremberg 1889.
Put your move in the comments.
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1 day ago | [YT] | 0
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ChessExcellence
Two steps against a king stuck in the middle.
Step one, trap it. Make sure it cannot castle. Tarrasch played d6, and after Bxd6 came Bxf7 check. The king had to move, and castling was gone forever.
Step two, bring as many pieces to the party as possible, and open as many lines as you can, files and diagonals. Bg5 pinned the knight, castling long dropped a rook onto the open d file, and the rest followed.
Notice the center in the final position. No pawns in the middle at all. When the center is open, the king does not belong there.
From Tarrasch against Kurschner, Nuremberg 1889.
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1 day ago | [YT] | 0
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ChessExcellence
Before you open the position, count the pieces.
White had four pieces in the game. Black had only three, and they were all sitting on the back two ranks. The side that is better developed benefits when the middle of the board opens, because more of your pieces get to use the new lines.
So Tarrasch struck with d5. The pawns came off, Black's bishop was pushed back to d7, and every black piece was left cramped and slow.
Count your developed pieces, then decide whether to open the game or keep it closed.
From Tarrasch against Kurschner, Nuremberg 1889.
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2 days ago | [YT] | 1
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ChessExcellence
Do not get greedy in the opening.
Black accepted the Queen's Gambit, and many players would now play b5 to hold the pawn. White answers a4. After c6 axb5 cxb5 the b7 square is empty, the long diagonal is open, and the simple Qf3 wins the rook on a8.
Good players have fallen for this. Grabbing pawns in the first few moves costs you time, and time is what puts your pieces in the game.
From Tarrasch against Kurschner, Nuremberg 1889.
Want the whole series? The free Logical Chess course walks through all 33 games: forms.gle/nEt1DWY5pKGq7T3n6
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2 days ago | [YT] | 0
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ChessExcellence
White to play.
Black's king is stuck on f7, and ...h6 attacks the bishop that guards your knight. Can White ignore it? Pause and work it out, then put your move in the comments (Alekhine vs Poindle, 1936).
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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1
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ChessExcellence
White to play and win.
Black's king is stuck on f7 and can no longer castle. Black has just played ...h6, hitting the bishop on g5 that protects the knight on f6. Pause and work it out, then put your move in the comments (Alekhine vs Poindle, Vienna 1936).
Full game on the channel. Free Logical Chess series: forms.gle/nEt1DWY5pKGq7T3n6
#chess #chesspuzzle #chesstactics #logicalchess #chessexcellence
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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ChessExcellence
The point count looks fine. The king says otherwise.
After Alekhine's combination, Black had a rook, a bishop and a pawn for the queen. On a simple count, that is good compensation. But the black king was still exposed, so Alekhine gave it no time: Qxc7, then c4 to bring his rook to the open e file (Alekhine vs Poindle, a simultaneous in Vienna, 1936).
His rule: if you are up material, your first target should be the enemy king. Use that material to get to it.
Full game on the channel. Free Logical Chess series: forms.gle/nEt1DWY5pKGq7T3n6
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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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ChessExcellence
Attacking a king in the center? Step one is to stop it from castling.
It would be careless to invest a lot of material against a king that can simply castle away. So Alekhine played Qh5: Qxf7 is mate, and if Black castles, Qxh7 is mate. After ...g6, the queen went to h6 and castling stayed off the table (Alekhine vs Poindle, a simultaneous in Vienna, 1936).
Full game on the channel. Free Logical Chess series: forms.gle/nEt1DWY5pKGq7T3n6
#chess #chessstrategy #logicalchess #chesscoach #chessexcellence
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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