3/10/2025 – What is the Ultimate Underdog chess game, ever played? This is obviously a very difficult question to answer, and moreover, very subjective. Nonetheless, one game would probably be set in the top 10 list - Adams vs. Torre from 1920. In this game, which is suspiciously beautiful, Adams tries really hard to sacrifice his queen several times, against the Mexican super talent Torre. Apparently, Adams was unknown, and not that strong of a chess player after all. Even if it was simply a brilliant analysis, it remains brilliant, and worthy to appear on this show.
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Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!
We all love stories where a vastly underrated player surprises everyone by beating a much stronger player. Fortunately, we are all human.
But how do these things happen? What are the moves that lead to success? And what can we learn from these examples for the times when we face a stronger opponent?
Dutch IM Robert Ris presents us with real-life examples of such encounters from the past month. Together with his co-host Arne Kaehler, they look at the tactics and strategies that led to the upset victory.
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1.e4
1,166,623
54%
2421
---
1.d4
947,298
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
281,602
56%
2441
---
1.c4
182,102
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,702
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,265
54%
2427
---
1.f4
5,897
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,801
51%
2384
---
1.b4
1,756
48%
2380
---
1.a3
1,206
54%
2404
---
1.e3
1,068
48%
2408
---
1.d3
954
50%
2378
---
1.g4
664
46%
2360
---
1.h4
446
53%
2374
---
1.c3
433
51%
2426
---
1.h3
280
56%
2418
---
1.a4
110
60%
2466
---
1.f3
92
46%
2436
---
1.Nh3
89
66%
2508
---
1.Na3
42
62%
2482
---
Please, wait...
Die Partie ist ähnlich berühmt wie die "Unsterbliche" oder Botvinnik-Capablanca, AVRO 1938. Dabei ist ihre Quellenlage sehr umstritten und als wahrscheinlich gilt, dass die Partie anders endete und der Verlierer, der damals 15-jährige und hochbegabte Carlos Torre, die feinen Varianten zum Schluss nach Beendigung der Partie gezeigt hat.1.e4e52.Nf3d63.d4exd44.Qxd4Nc65.Bb5Bd76.Bxc6Bxc67.Nc3Nf68.0-0Be79.Nd5Bxd510.exd50-011.Bg5c612.c4cxd513.cxd5Re814.Rfe1a515.Re2Rc8?Nach diesem Fehler nutzt Weiß die Chance zum klassischen Spiel gegen die geschwächte Grundlinie schlechthin.15...h616.Rae1Qd717.Bxf6Bxf617...gxf6Der Zug verwandelt die schwarze Bauernstellung in eine strategische Ruine, ist aber gleichwohl besser, da er nicht zwangsläufig verliert. Fritz spielt so, wenn man ihn lange genug rechnen läßt. Außerdem stellt der Zug eine Falle:18.Rxe7?(18...e7 19.e7 e7 20.4+)18.b3f519.Qf4±18...Qxe7!Pikant ist, daß nun Weiß an der Grundlinienschwäche zugrunde geht.19.Rxe7Rc1+-+18.Qg4!Qb518...Qxg419.Rxe8+18...Qd819.Qxc8!19.Qc4‼Qd720.Qc7‼Qb520...Qa421.Re4h621...Qb522.Qxb7Hauptvariante22.Qxc8!Qxe423.Qxe8++-21.a4!Die Dame wird gnadenlos gehetzt.21.Qxb7?Qxe222.Rxe2Rc1+-+21...Qxa422.Re4!Qb522...Qxe423.Rxe4+-23.Qxb7!1–0
Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!
Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!
Arne KaehlerArne 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.
2/27/2025 – Recently, Marc Andria Maurizzi was performing like a super GM at the Djerba Open, with 7.5 points out of 9 games. His performance was close to 2900! It was also a meeting of the two youngest GM's in French history - the youngest is Maurizzi, against the second-youngest Etienne Bacrot. The higher rated Bacrot didn't stand a chance against the underdog. Robert Ris analysed this crazy game.
1/29/2025 – The first Underdog of 2025 has been chosen by Robert Ris. It is IM Lu Miaoyi. Currently, she is playing formidable at the Tata Steel Chess Festival tournament. She is second worst rated in the Challengers group, but could already gather 4.5 out of 8 points. One favourite to win the Challengers in Wijk aan Zee is Frederik Svane, who advanced to Germany's second-best player behind Vincent Keymer. Frederik Svane played as Black in the French exchange variation, against Lu Miaoyi, and the board was on fire quickly.
The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.
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Videos by Nico Zwirs: Nimzo-Indian with 4.e3 b6 and Robert Ris: French Advance Variation with 6.Na3. Alexander Donchenko analyses his winning game against Fabiano Caruana from the Saint Louis Masters 2024. “Lucky bag" with another 43 analyses by Edouard,
The Black Sniper is back – sharper and deadlier than ever! This dynamic system (1...g6, 2...Bg7, 3...c5 against 1.e4, 1.d4 and 1.c4) creates unpredictable, high-pressure positions, leaving opponents struggling to adapt.
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