Pragg's devastating loss - The Underdog

by Arne Kaehler
11/7/2024 – In the European Club Championship, some lower rated players faced some GM superstars, Like Erigaisi, Gukesh, Abdusattarov, or Praggnanandhaa. And in the very first round, Pragg had to deal with IM Francois Godart from Belgium, rated 2377. In the Sicilian Rossolimo, Godart had a pawn less, but furious counterplay. And sometimes, the moves are just playing themselves easily. Robert Ris, analysed the game for us in detail.

Calculation Training for 1000-1400 players Calculation Training for 1000-1400 players

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

More...

The Underdog!

with IM Robert Ris

We all love stories where a vastly underrated player surprises everyone by beating a much stronger player. Fortunately, we are all human.

But how do these things happen? What are the moves that lead to success? And what can we learn from these examples for the times when we face a stronger opponent?

Dutch IM Robert Ris presents us with real-life examples of such encounters from the past month. Together with his co-host Arne Kaehler, they look at the tactics and strategies that led to the upset victory.

Robert Ris has authored plenty of FritzTrainers for ChessBase — these are his newest, and perfect for every "Underdog"

Calculation Training for 1000-1400 players

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

Calculation Training for 1400-1600 players

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

_______________________________

Links:

<< Chennai Masters R2: Tabatabaei joins the lead
Chennai Grand Masters - Live! >>
Topics: Robert Ris, Underdog
Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors

See also

Cabralis Olympiad upset against Yakubboev! - The Underdog

10/3/2024 – Round 1 was the main source for Robert Ris to find plenty of Underdog upsets at the Olympiad in Budapest. One game in particular was not only a big surprise result, but also interesting in many ways. Yakubboev, Nodirbek vs. Cabralis, Quinn! Roughly 500 rating points difference, didn't scare the man from Trinidad & Tobago, and he pursued a fabulous game against his opponent of the Bronze Medal-winning team.
More...
 1

See also

The overdog? Alireza Firouzja is back at the top - The Underdog

9/12/2024 – Obviously, Alireza Firouzja cannot be considered an Underdog, right? But who would have guessed that he could play so brilliantly against one of the best players in the world with the Black pieces? Fabiano Caruana is still considered one of the best prepared players ever, and just like Magnus Carlsen, can rarely be beaten, when leading the White pieces. Robert Ris presents an unusual Underdog, which can rise back to his "overdog" status, end of 2021!
More...
 1

Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.