Svitlana's Smart Moves - How to analyse a game you lost

by Arne Kaehler
2/25/2025 – Svitlana Demchenko is sharing a game from the Canadian University Chess Championships, where she faced International Master Nicholas Vettese from the University of Toronto. Despite a strong start and some exciting tactical moments, the game ended in a loss. Svitlana walks through key moments, including her opening choices, the decision to play aggressively or defensively, and the importance of managing time and evaluating critical moments. Reflecting on the game, she highlights areas for improvement and emphasizes the valuable lessons learned from this loss.
The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.

Svitlana's Smart Moves - Episode 111

With Svitlana Demchenko and Arne Kaehler

Svitlana Demchenko is a 20-year-old, Canadian WIM and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and everything else chess-related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the Women's International Master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video on our chessboard.

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 most popular continuation. 5...Bb6 6.Qe2 d6 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Bg5 8.Be3 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qe7 8...h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Qe7 11.h4 g4?! 11...Rg8 12.hxg5 hxg5 13.0-0-0 Be6= 11...Bg4 12.f3 Nh5 13.Bf2 Be6= 11...gxh4 12.Bxh4+- 12.h5! With the idea of Bh4 and Nd5. Nd4 12...Bd7 13.Bh4 Qe5 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 13.Qd3 13.Nxd4 Bxd4 14.0-0-0 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Nxe4 16.Bh4 Ng5 17.Qd2!± was good for White, but hard to foresee. 13...Nf5 Preventing Bh4. 14.Bf4 Bd7 15.0-0-0 Ng7 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 0-0-0 18.Qc3 Nf5 18...f5 was another option. 19.Re1 Qf8 20.Bd3 Bxf2! 20...Qg7?? 21.Bxf5+- 21.Ref1 21.Bxf5 Bxf5 22.Ref1 Bb6 23.Bxd6 Qxd6 24.Rxf5= 21.Re2 g3 21...Bb6? 22.Bxf5 Bxf5 23.a4+- 22.Bxf5 Bxf5 23.Bxg3 Bxg3 24.Qxg3 Rg8= 21...g3 22.Na5 Bb6 23.Nc4 Bd4 24.Qa3 Kb8?! 24...Qg7 25.c3 Bc5 26.b4 is not an issue because of: Bf2 27.Rxf2 gxf2 28.Qxa7 Qxc3+ 25.Bd2 More straightforward for White was: 25.Bxf5 Bxf5 26.Bxd6 cxd6 27.Rxf5 25...Ne7 26.Rh4 Bc5 27.b4 Bf2 28.Ne3 f5 29.Kb1 f4 30.Nd1 f3! 31.Be4 31.Rf4 fxg2 32.Rxf8 Rdxf8-+ 31.gxf3 g2-+ 31...Bb5 32.Rfh1 Bc4 32...fxg2 33.Bxg2 Rh7 33.Bxf3 Bxd5 34.Rf4 Qe8 35.Nxf2 Bxf3 36.Qxf3 gxf2 37.Qxf2 White's plans: keep pieces active, push h & g pawns. Black's plans: start an attack on White's weak king using the Queen-Knight duo. Nd5 38.Rf5 Nb6 39.Qd4 Qe2 40.Rf2 Qb5 41.Qd3 Nc4 42.Bc3 Rhg8 43.a4 Qa6 44.Re1 d5 45.a5 Qb5 46.Bd2? b6 47.Qb3 Rg4! 48.Bc3 d4! 49.Rd1 Ne3 50.Rd3 c5? 50...dxc3! 51.Rxd8+ Kb7 52.Kc1 Rxb4 53.a6+ Kxa6 54.Qxc3 Rb1+ 55.Kd2 Nc4+ 56.Ke2 Nb2+-+ The king is really weak and Black can often regain the exchange if needed. 50...Rh4 50...Nc4 51.bxc5 Qxb3+ 52.cxb3 bxc5 53.Bd2 Nxg2 54.Rf7 Re8 54...a6= 55.Rdf3 Re2?? 55...Ne3 56.a6 Rg1+ 57.Kb2 Rg2= 56.a6 Rg8 57.Rb7+ Kc8 58.Rxa7 Kb8 59.Rff7 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vettese,N2328Demchenko,S21161–02025C45Canadian University Chess Championship5.1

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If you like Svitlana's Smart moves, you will certainly enjoy her video lectures about "Surprising your opponents with the Lazy Sicilian", her first Fritztrainer "Understanding Material Imbalances", and her brand new Fritztrainer "The Scotch Game". Her newest Entry is the "Leningrad Dutch Defence"!

Some Pictures of the Canadian University Chess Championships 2025

Svitlana top female prize (1)

Svitlana vs Nicholas

UOttawa team picture

In just 60 minutes, you will be well-equipped with a surprise weapon, which will take most of your opponents out of book right from the start.

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.

The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.

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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.

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