Svitlana's Smart Moves - The Catalan

by Arne Kaehler
3/17/2023 – Svitlana shows us the basics of the open and closed Catalan. This opening is often played by some world class players, like Magnus Carlsen, or Vladimir Kramnik. It can either get sharp, or super positional. The model game was played by Alekhine, and the most powerful weapon of the Catalan, the bishop on g2, is exchanged rather quickly. But there are more threats, than only the bishop!
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.

Svitlana's Smart Moves - Episode 62

With Svitlana Demchenko and Arne Kaehler

Svitlana Demchenko is an 18-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 anything 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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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,166,62354%2421---
1.d4947,29855%2434---
1.Nf3281,60256%2441---
1.c4182,10256%2442---
1.g319,70256%2427---
1.b314,26554%2427---
1.f45,89748%2377---
1.Nc33,80151%2384---
1.b41,75648%2380---
1.a31,20654%2404---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d395450%2378---
1.g466446%2360---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c343351%2426---
1.h328056%2418---
1.a411060%2466---
1.f39246%2436---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Qa4+ Bd7 6.Qxc4 Bc6 7.Nf3 Bd5 8.Qd3 c5 9.Nc3 Bc6 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Rd1 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Be7 14.Qf3 Qb6 15.Be3 0-0 15...Qxb2? 16.Ncb5 0-0 17.Rdb1+- 16.Nf5 Bc5? 16...Qd8 17.Na4 Qa5 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.Nxg7! 19.b4 Qxb4 20.Rab1 Qa5 19.Nh6+ Kh8 19...Kxg7 20.Bd4 Nce4 20...Ncd7 21.Bc3! 21.Qxb7? Qd5+ 21.Qxe4 Qf5 22.Qxf5 exf5 23.Rac1 Rfe8 24.Rc7 Rxe2 25.Rxb7 Kg6 26.Bxf6 Kxf6 27.Rd6+ 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Alekhine,A-Rabar,B-1–01942E02Europa-Meisterschaft10

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".

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.

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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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