Mastering Pattern Recognition in the Opening
Pattern recognition is an important tool in modern chess, as it helps you to understand better the characteristics of a position. Particularly when you have been confronted with a surprise opening system played by your opponent, it helps when you can just
Last Saturday the new season of the Dutch League started after a one and a half year hiatus. As Black, I managed to win in quite a nice attacking style in the English Four Knights Variation.
The line with 4.e3 Bb4 is currently very popular at the highest level, as it might lead to an unbalanced middlegame in which White gives up the right to castle for the bishop pair. However, as the present game shows, Black obtains tremendous attacking chances and has good chances to exploit the deficiencies of White's setup.
Exercise: Black to play
You can move the pieces on the live diagram!
Strategy Training: How to Make a Plan
In every game of chess, there comes a moment when one is confronted with the question: what should I do now?
Special attention will be paid to Intermediate Moves, Quiet Moves, Sacrifices on Empty Squares, Mating Patterns, Ignoring Opponents Threat, Calculation in Defence and Method of Comparison. Plus 50 interactive examples to test your knowledge.
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