Robert Ris' Fast and Furious: Saemisch Variation of the King's Indian

by Robert Ris
11/3/2026 – In his last tournament before the World Championship match later this month, Javokhir Sindarov showed great form by winning Clutch Chess in Saint Louis. My favorite game was his spectacular victory with the black pieces against Nakamura. In a Saemisch Variation of the King's Indian, Nakamura used his pet line with 6.Bg5 which he has been using frequently playing against his own favorite opening he's had great successes with over the years. Interestingly up till move 17 the players were following an earlier blitz game played in Saint Louis back in 2016 between two KID specialists Nakamura and Kasparov! Despite the short time control (10 min + 5 sec) the young Uzbek superstar considered this game as ''one of his best games with the King's Indian'', so it's an absolute must-see!
This video course offers you a complete, clear repertoire for Black against the moves 1.Nf3 and 1.c4. The recommended variations are easy to learn and not difficult to remember, but also pose White serious challenges.

In his last tournament before the World Championship match later this month, Javokhir Sindarov showed great form by winning Clutch Chess in Saint Louis. My favorite game was his spectacular victory with the black pieces against Nakamura. In a Saemisch Variation of the King's Indian, Nakamura used his pet line with 6.Bg5 which he has been using frequently playing against his own favorite opening he's had great successes with over the years. Interestingly up till move 17 the players were following an earlier blitz game played in Saint Louis back in 2016 between two KID specialists Nakamura and Kasparov! Despite the short time control (10 min + 5 sec) the young Uzbek superstar considered this game as ''one of his best games with the King's Indian'', so it's an absolute must-see! 

This video course features the ins-and-outs of the possible setups Black can choose. You’ll learn the key concepts and strategies needed to add this fantastic opening to your repertoire. An easy-to-learn and yet venomous weapon.

Exercise: Black is winning in any case, but can you see Wei Yi's elegant solution?

Feel free to move the pieces on the live diagram!

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Topics: Fast and Furious
Robert is an International Master who mostly spends his time training and coaching talented youngsters. On the PlayChess server The Fast and the Furious is a popular show where he explains sharp opening lines for a wider audience. He is also a well-known ChessBase author who produced numerous DVDs and regularly contributes to ChessBase Magazine as well. Since 2015 he is the organizer of the Dutch Rapid Championships in his home town Amstelveen. He has started a YouTube channel with chess analysis as well.
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Robert Ris' Fast and Furious: Keymer System

10/15/2026 – This week we have a look at another masterpiece by Wei Yi he played in the 8th round of the Olympiad. With the Black pieces he came up with an aggressive setup dealing with the Keymer System (1.Nf3 d5 2.e3) and soon both kings were placed on opposite wings. With very precise play the Chinese top player managed to keep the position closed on the queenside, neutralizing all White's attacking attempts before launching an initiative on the other side of the board. In this episode, we'll have a look at some other examples on how to balance attack and defense. Make sure to check out the game Mendonca-Praggnanandhaa as well, another true modelgame form Black's perspective.
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Robert Ris' Fast and Furious: 7.b3 in the Anti-Meran system

10/9/2026 – I have a look at one of the most spectacular games played at the Olympiad. In the final round game between Uzbekistan 2 and China, Black won a fantastic game in Abdisalimov-Wei Yi. White opted for the move 7.b3 in the Anti-Meran system, usually leading to calm type of play. However, Wei Yi had different ideas in mind by playing 8...e5 and 9...e4!?, investing a pawn for some control on the light-squares, and to keep the initiative going a second pawn sacrifice followed as well. In the ensuing middlegame, White struggled finding a safe place for his king. With the help of all the major pieces and presence of opposite-coloured bishops Black had been enabled to launch a powerful attack against the white king.
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60m English A practical repertoire against the scotch

For a long time the Scotch opening was considered harmless and rarely played. This changed in 1990 when Garry Kasparov successfully employed the Scotch opening in his World Championship match against Anatoly Karpov. But that was 25 years ago. Now, there is no need to panic if you want to play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 and need a line against the Scotch. On this 60 Minutes renowned and successful coach Adrian Mikhalchishin gives simple practical tips how to neutralize and counter the Scotch.

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