1/6/2022 – Svitlana is back, and in her first episode of 2022, she shows us a couple of beautiful, and memorable games of 2021. Players like Firouzja, Caruana, and Kosteniuk had some magnificent games, and it always delightful to check them out again. What was your favourite game with the smartest moves of 2021?

12/17/2021 – Sometimes, it is not about attacking the king, or winning a piece, but getting an overwhelmingly strong position. And this can be achieved in several different ways. Svitlana picked out a way of gaining advantage through positional sacrificing. The 18-year-old coach, shows us two examples of Botvinnik, and Anand. Viswanathan Anand's game against Levon Aronian is an example of pure beauty.

12/9/2021 – In today's episode, Svitlana wants to give some hope to all the Nepo fans out there. The Canadian WIM shows us some beautiful games of former World Chess Champions, who managed remarkable comebacks in World Championship matches. We are talking about players like Wilhelm Steinitz, Alexander Alekhine, and Bobby Fischer. All three of them were trailing in World Championship matches and all three of them could turn the tables around. Nepo, it ain't over, until it's over.

12/3/2021 – World Champion Magnus Carlsen is currently playing in Dubai to defend his title, but in this episode of "Svitlana's Smart Moves" we will talk about another World Champion: Garry Kasparov, Svitlana's favourite player. With two fine games by Kasparov - against Anand and against Bareev - Svitlana shows us why good old gambits are still a powerful weapon in modern chess, and why activity is often more important than material.

11/24/2021 – Probably one of the most anticipated events will take place in just a couple of days, and for this special episode, Svitlana took a closer look at some games between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi. The viewer, and Arne, have to guess as many correct moves and tactics as possible. If you can get all of them correct, maybe you should participate for the world championship in 2022!?

11/16/2021 – Svitlana's Smart Moves started roughly half a year ago, and we made twenty episodes so far. The work with Svitlana is always a blast, and we are happy, that so many people follow the weekly show regularly. The Canadian WIM, not only produced a "Lazy Sicilian" opening course, but her newest Fritztrainer "Understanding Material Imbalances" has launched yesterday. Can there be any better time, than purchasing the products today, for 25% less? Back to the episode for today: Knight endgames can be very tricky, and Svitlana explains what to look out for in two examples.

11/10/2021 – If you have a favourite book, or a favourite film, our guess is, you have read or watched them more than once. Without a doubt, one of the greatest chess games ever played is the one between Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov from 1999 in Wijk aan Zee. A game which you probably looked at more than once already. But how well do we know this game by heart? Svitlana gives us the chance to guess the correct move in eleven crucial moments of the game. How many can you guess?

10/28/2021 – Using a fine game by Alexander Alekhine, Svitlana shows how to play against two weaknesses, an important strategic motif in middlegame and endgame. Svitlana and Arne also discuss how to pronounce "Alekhine", and wonder whether the German Master Friedrich "Fritz" Saemisch (1896-1975), name-giver of several popular opening lines, inspired developers to call their chess engine "Fritz".

10/21/2021 – Recently, Svitlana came to Hamburg to record her new Fritztrainer: "Understanding Material Imbalances". The DVD will appear soon, probably in a couple of weeks. But this is a good opportunity for a preview, including some recent examples of the themes Svitlana presents, e.g. the entertaining topic of "Material Imbalances". At the US Championship 2021 that just ended in St. Louis Sam Shankland and Fabiano Caruana played a fascinating game with material imbalances - it ended in a draw when the queen was unable to win against two minor pieces.

10/14/2021 – Svitlana is fascinated about the psychological aspects of chess. But the more chess is discovered, and theory knocks in, the more the things like the daily mood, or a posture for the next game are important. The Canadian WIM with the FIDE rating of meanwhile 2285 (2089 when we started), shares a personal story about the winning mindset, and how it improved her games. Furthermore, we dive into a decisive game between Xiong and Nakamura.

10/7/2021 – Congratulations to Svitlana, who just turned 18 years old. Since she is a year older now, maybe we rename the format to "Svitlana's Smarter Moves"? But not much has changed luckily, and it is time to make some bold sacrifices, and figure out, if they are even working. Svitlana shows us a famous example by Emmanuel Lasker, and an interesting variation in the Caro-Kann.

9/29/2021 – This episode is about the very interesting subject of how to "swindle" your way out of lost positions. Probably, you have managed to turn a game around once, or twice already? And likely, an opponent has done the same? Even a top player is not safe, as Svitlana can demonstrate in one of her played games against a Grandmaster.

9/15/2021 – Svitlana's Smart Moves conquers some easier, advanced, and even high level examples for getting better at chess. Sometimes it is good to take a huge leap back, and start with the absolute basics. Probably everybody has heard of the "Philidor Position" and "building a bridge", and some players might even know these positions by heart. Unfortunately, Arne is confronted with these postions for the first time in his life, and fails miserably. This episode is especially for people who have trouble with rook endings as they will learn and never forget these important concepts.

9/8/2021 – Ask your chess friends or colleagues, “What is the most difficult part for you to understand in chess?” The answer is often: middlegames. Once you have reached the middlegame, it is difficult to make a plan. But luckily, we are blessed with some of Svitlana’s Smart Moves once again. Today we try to figure out how to hold the tension in the middlegame, why to hold it, and how to break through with your pawns in the right moment.

9/1/2021 – The Scandinavian opening is controversial. Some hate it, others love it. But if Magnus Carlsen and many other Grandmasters play this opening occasionally, it wouldn't harm to take a closer look at it. Especially the "Portuguese Variation" is worth discovering. This tricky line is full of tactics, and heavy development on Black's side. Furthermore, Svitlana teaches us some more ideas from a blindfold match between Gelfand and Morozevich. After all, it is a great idea to try out openings you have never ever touched before, to get the most out of this beautiful game called chess.

8/10/2021 – Svitlana sets up a classic position between Nigel Short and Jan Timman. But before we start with the famous position, we derail a bit to the Alekhine Opening. It turns out, Svitlana Demchenko has a genuinely good score when playing the Alekhine Defense as Black. After the popular example, Svitlana shows us a similar technic from one of her own games, which she played in her chess club in Ottawa.

8/3/2021 – After analysing her first game of the World Cup in the last episode, today Svitlana Demchenko takes a more in-depth look at the second game. The game starts with the Petroff, which is considered one of the most drawish opening choices out there. After most of the pieces have been exchanged, a couple of pawns, two knights and two kings remain on the board. Now the endgame is very difficult for Svitlana. But luckily, we all know, she has some smart moves in her repertoire.

7/27/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko is back to present us her smart moves, especially after playing chess constantly in the last couple of weeks. The 17-year-old WIM left Canada, to travel to Serbia, Sochi, Moscow, and finally to Mykolayiv, Ukraine. She competed in the Serbian Open, and fought hard in the World Cup in Sochi, against a more than 300 rating points stronger opponent. Finally, she is playing a tournament in the Ukraine. Nonetheless, she made some time for a new episode, in which we take a look at her whole travel experience, her World Cup game, and play three blitz games against each other. | Photos: Svitlana Demchenko

6/29/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko is a 17-year-old, Canadian WIM, and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the female international master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.

6/9/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko is a 17-year-old, Canadian WIM, and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the female international master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.

5/25/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko is a 17-year-old, Canadian WIM, and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the female international master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.

5/19/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko is a 17-year-old, Canadian WIM, and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the female international master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.

5/12/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko is a 17-year-old, Canadian WIM, and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the female international master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.

5/4/2021 – Svitlana Demchenko is a 17-year-old, Canadian WIM, and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the female international master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.