.jpeg)
Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
To improve, young, talented players should measure themselves against strong opponents. In the past, talents from the Netherlands were given the opportunity to travel to Russia to play in tournaments against Russian players. This often was not easy but those who did make it - even under sometimes miserable circumstances - turned out to be good enough to compete with the world's best.
One of the great talents in the Netherlands is Jorden van Foreest. At the age of 16 he surprisingly became champion of the Netherlands. But was he good enough to compete with the elite?
By winning - very surprisingly - the Tata Steel Tournament 2021 in Wijk aan Zee (ahead of players such as Carlsen, Caruana or Giri) Jorden answered this question with a resounding "yes". But how did Jorden get this far? By competing against top players!
In 2015, at the age of 15, Jorden made his first GM norm in the Aeroflot Open in Moscow. A demanding tournament. One of his opponents was Ian Nepomniachtchi, who in 2021 challenged Carlsen for the World Championship.
After the opening Jorden had a reasonably good position, but he then was outplayed in the middlegame. It is instructive to see how "Nepo" turns his advantage into a win. In the diagrammed position the contours of the white actions on the a-file are still visible. However, it is not easy to see how White can make progress. But the maneuver that "Nepo" had in mind is downright beautiful. What did he play and what was his idea?
This week’s show (for Premium Members only)
