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
Thanks to the Armageddon format used in the Norway Chess Tournament we finally got to see the good old King's Gambit again at the highest level when Ian Nepomniachtchi tried it against Alireza Firouzja.
It's well-known that Black has various reasonable options to deal with this romantic opening. Firouzja's choice of 3...Nf6 is considered to be one of those continuations, but soon the position became very sharp and Firouzja, who in Norway climbed to the top-ten in live-ratings, blundered.
Exercise: Here, Firouzja played 10...Be6 which is already a decisive mistake. Do you see what's wrong with this move and what Black should play instead?
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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