.jpeg)
Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
After beating R Praggnanandhaa in round 2 of the Norway Chess tournament, Ding Liren suffered four losses in a row, making uncharacteristic blunders while looking visibly uncomfortable during the games. His colleagues expressed concern about the world champion’s well-being, mentioning that going through tough times is something professional chess players have to deal with from time to time — as Anna Muzychuk did during round 7.
Fortunately, the Chinese star has recovered from the losing streak, as he got good positions almost in all his games in rounds 7-9. Moreover, after losing in Armageddon twice, the world champion managed to beat an in-form Hikaru Nakamura in their tiebreaker on Thursday.
Nakamura, the only player who remains undefeated in classical chess in Stavanger, now stands 1½ points behind sole leader Magnus Carlsen, who got the better of Alireza Firouzja with the black pieces in their round-9 rapid chess confrontation.
Improve your pieces - a winning system you need to know
In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.
Going into the final round, three players still have chances of winning the tournament. Carlsen is clearly the favourite, but Nakamura and even Pragg might still catch up with him. In the deciding round, Carlsen will play white against Fabiano Caruana — who beat Pragg in Armageddon on Thursday — while Pragg will play white against Nakamura.
At the Norway Chess super-tournament, a win in classical chess is worth 3 points, a win in Armageddon is worth 1½ points, while a loss in Armageddon grants 1 point.
Standings after round 9
| Rk | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts |
| 1 | Magnus Carlsen | NOR | 2830 | 16 |
| 2 | Hikaru Nakamura | USA | 2794 | 14.5 |
| 3 | R Praggnanandhaa | IND | 2747 | 13 |
| 4 | Alireza Firouzja | FRA | 2737 | 12 |
| 5 | Fabiano Caruana | USA | 2805 | 10.5 |
| 6 | Ding Liren | CHN | 2762 | 6 |
Still with an outside chance of winning the super-tournament in Norway — Praggnanandhaa | Photo: Stev Bonhage
Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.1 - 9
In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.
Ding Liren making the last moves of the Armageddon encounter | Photo: Stev Bonhage
Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
