Efstratios Grivas (30.03.1966) is a highly experienced chess trainer and chess author. He has been awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) the titles of International Chess Grandmaster, FIDE Senior Trainer, International Chess Arbiter and International Chess Organiser.
His main successes over the board are the Silver Medal Olympiad 1998 (3rd Board), the Gold Medal European Team Championship 1989 (3rd Board) and the 4th Position World Junior Championship U.20 1985. He has also won 5 Balkan Medals (2 Gold - 1 Silver - 2 Bronze) and he was 3 times Winner of the International ‘Acropolis’ Tournament. He has also in his credit the 28 times first position in Greek Individual & Team Championships and he has won various international tournaments as well. He was also been awarded six FIDE Medals in the Annual FIDE Awards (Winner of the FIDE Boleslavsky Medal 2009 & 2015 (best author) - Winner of the FIDE Euwe Medal 2011 & 2012 & 2017 (best junior trainer) - Winner of the FIDE Razuvaev Medal 2014 (Trainers’ education) and has been a professional Lecturer at FIDE Seminars for Training & Certifying Trainers. He has published a large number of Books & DVDs in Arabic, English, Greek, Italian, Spanish & Turkish languages. Since 2009 he is the Secretary of the FIDE Trainers’ Commission and since 2012 the Director of the FIDE Grivas Chess International Academy (Athens).
5/18/2024 – Two years ago Eftratios Grival, grandmaster and international chess trainer, published a large volume (520 pages, Thinkers Publishing), called ‘The Grivas Anti-Sicilian Bible’ – a necessary companion to ‘The Modernized Grivas Sicilian' (512 pages). In the 7th Sharjah Masters-Challengers Grivas had an opportunity to test his Sicilian – against a 15-year-old from India. A highly instructive battle ensued, one you'd do well to study.
5/17/2024 – It is a great way to study chess: follow the notes of a world-class coach, analysing an exciting game from a running event, click on the notation to get a special replayer, where you can start an engine that will assist you in your own analysis, and study the strategy that brought about the final result. Here's an example by GM Efstratios Grivas analysing a stunning upset that occurred in the 7th Sharjah Masters, after a top seed player misjudged his opponent’s attack.
5/8/2024 – Currently the ‘Dubai Police Global’ event that is being held in Dubai (03-13.05.2024), with a total of 361 players from 42 different countries – 37 from the UAE, 109 from India. Our friend and frequent new page contributor, international chess trainer GM Efstratios Grivas, is the lone Greek player. After a bad start, he played a very instructive game in Round 3, which he has extensively commented for us. You would do well to study his use of the Classical Attack.
5/4/2024 – In 1988, at the Chess Olympiad, a young Greek IM won two notable games. Both games weren’t in line with modern and long opening fashion analysis. Old and tricky openings were applied by the black players, which can be rather annoying. What can we learn from them? If you study the ideas and then try to apply healthy set-ups, you are already in the right track.
4/23/2024 – During the endgame, stalemate is a resource that can enable the player with the inferior position to draw the game rather than lose. In more complex positions, stalemate is much rarer, usually taking the form of a swindle that succeeds only if the superior side is inattentive. Chess Trainer GM Efstratios Grivas shows us how a "mad rook" can complicate matters for the superior side.
4/10/2024 – The highlight game of round 5, in my opinion, was the game between the leader Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) and Ramesh Praggnanandhaa (India). A fierce and interesting game with mixed strategical and tactical motifs, quite typical of the form of chess nowadays! It was a very interesting battle and one deserved to study!
3/30/2024 – At first sight it looks scary, but Black also gets his portion of chances. Very often a complicated fight arises, where all results can be possible. If you want to study this opening, it would be well to follow the didactic analysis of a world-class trainer, who played successfully against it on his 32nd birthday.
3/24/2024 – Nowadays when we talk about Bullet Chess definitely we refer to timing, and we mean a one-minute game. But there were times when this term could have a completely different meaning! ...
3/19/2024 – The centre of the chessboard is a crucial area that significantly impacts the game. The centre consists of the four squares in the middle of the board: d4, d5, e4, and e5. Control over the centre often provides a decisive advantage in chess. Why? Because every piece (except the rook) controls more squares when it is centralised. Remember, whoever dominates the centre often gains an advantage. So, keep an eye on those central squares during your games!
3/9/2024 – It is certainly one of the most famous games in chess history: the 13-year-old future FIDE World Champion Bobby Fischer played a spectacular combination against IM Donald Byrne, one that has been shown and analysed by generations of chess players and writers. Today on what would have been Bobby's 81 birthday, GM Efstratios Grivas gives us a comprehensive summary of all available analysis, including those of Garry Kasparov and GM Karsten Mueller of ChessBase. Many other sources were taken into account to make sure that no blind spots are remaining!
3/4/2024 – A battery is a formation that consists of two or more pieces on the same rank, file, or diagonal. In a more detailed way, a battery refers to a configuration of heavy pieces (rooks or queens) that occupy the same file. It can also refer to long-range pieces (queens and bishops) that occupy the same diagonal. Learn more about the strength of the chess battery in part two of a mini-series by chess trainer Efstratios Grivas.
3/3/2024 – Do you need special batteries to play chess? No, a battery in chess refers to piece formation! A battery is a formation that consists of two or more pieces on the same rank, file, or diagonal. In a more detailed way, a battery refers to a configuration of heavy pieces (rooks or queens) that occupy the same file. It can also refer to long-range pieces (queens and bishops) that occupy the same diagonal. Learn more about the strength of the chess battery from chess trainer Efstratios Grivas.
2/14/2024 – Development and piece activation are well-known assets that every decent player seeks during his game. So, centralisation is the key-word which comes to our thoughts when we are talking on the above subjects. But there are cases where the de-centralisation can be the alternative option! Well, of course we talk about ‘healthy’ ideas, which can help us to improve an inferior or better position, depending on the circumstances. Our internationally famous trainer explains.
1/23/2024 – The 9th European Team Championship was played in Haifa, Israel, 35 years ago. There are many reasons why it was a notable landmark in history. It was the last time the unbeatable team from the Soviet Union took part. And it was the first time in over 25 years that they set foot on Israeli soil. They won Gold, but in the third round were surprised by the Greek team, consisting of five IMs and one FM. Efstratios Grivas, at the time a lowly IM, describes the match.
1/20/2024 – Top players have a rather developed sense of danger; an asset that protects them from awkward moments. In the following game from round four of the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee we can observe how the great Indian talent Gukesh felt comfortable in his game against top-ten grandmaster Anish Giri, completely missing the so much needed sense of danger. The very experienced chess trainer GM Efstratios Grivas takes us meticulously through the very instructive game. | Photos: Lennart Ootes
1/15/2024 – The term was first used by Fred Reinfeld and Irving Chernev, in 1933. It is a chess tactic in which a player, instead of playing the expected move (commonly a recapture), first interposes another move posing an immediate threat that the opponent must answer, and only then plays the expected move. Leading chess trainer and analyst, GM Efstratios Grivas, tells us how this tactical manoeuvre works.
1/2/2024 – A rising star is the 17-year-old Srilankan Susal De Silva, who won the recent U18 category in the Asian Youth Championship 2023, which was held in Al Ain (United Arab Emirates). No wonder: he is a student of world-class trainer Efstratios Grivas, who tells us that "a Gold Medal is mostly welcomed, but hard work is in need and opening preparation is a value part of the success!"
12/21/2023 – It is totally accepted that the 20th FIDE World Champion Magnus Carlsen makes any ending look like a piece of cake! And this is simply based on good knowledge and understanding, two great assets that are wrongly interpreted as intuition and sometimes, even magic! A world leading chess trainer and analyst, GM Efstratios Grivas, shows us how Magnus handles the endgame. You can learn from it!
I give promising mainlines for white against all black’s main replies to 1.d4 d5 that are engine-proof, easy to learn and can be played almost instantly.
Prague Chess Festival 2024 with analyses by Abdusattorov, Navara, Pragg and many more. Opening videos by Felix Blohberger, Christian Bauer and Nico Zwirs. 11 repertoire articles from Reti to King's Indian and much more.
In this video course we’ll have a look at the Queen’s Indian after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. We’ll explore the ins and outs of the possible White setups against this rock-solid opening.
This video course includes GM Anish Giri's deep insights and IM Sagar Shah's pertinent questions to the super GM. In Vol.1 all the openings after 1.e4 are covered.
Videos: Nico Zwirs on the Vienna Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 c6 5.f4) and part 2 of “Mikhalchishins miniatures”. “Lucky bag” with 53 commented games by Romain Edouard, Michal Krasenkow, Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, Gabriel Sargissian, Nodirbek Yakubboe
I give promising mainlines for white against all black’s main replies to 1.d4 d5 that are engine-proof, easy to learn and can be played almost instantly.
Prague Chess Festival 2024 with analyses by Abdusattorov, Navara, Pragg and many more. Opening videos by Felix Blohberger, Christian Bauer and Nico Zwirs. 11 repertoire articles from Reti to King's Indian and much more.
In this video course we’ll have a look at the Queen’s Indian after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. We’ll explore the ins and outs of the possible White setups against this rock-solid opening.
This video course includes GM Anish Giri's deep insights and IM Sagar Shah's pertinent questions to the super GM. In Vol.1 all the openings after 1.e4 are covered.
Videos: Nico Zwirs on the Vienna Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 c6 5.f4) and part 2 of “Mikhalchishins miniatures”. “Lucky bag” with 53 commented games by Romain Edouard, Michal Krasenkow, Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, Gabriel Sargissian, Nodirbek Yakubboe
€14.90
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