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        "Welcome to ICC’s super video collection! Scroll down to discover over 3,000 hours of video instruction at your fingertips! Sign up and unlock all premium and bonus videos!"  -GM Larry Christiansen

 

Learning Center Chess Courses

NM Dan Heisman's Improve Your Chess: Amateur Mistakes
FM Charles Storey's "Super Human Chess Engine"
GM Davorin Kuljasevic's "Mastering Closed Position"
FM Storey's 40 Tactics and Military Metaphors
GM Susan Polgar Chess University
GM Petrov's Attack the King!
GM Misa Pap's "Make the Right Decisions in Critical Positions!"
GM Davorin Kuljasevic's "Develop Your Counter-intuitive Thinking!"
IM Valeri Lilov's Openings for Attacking Players
FM Charles Storey's "Positional Chess Skills"
GM Petrov's Sicilian Dragon
GM Misa Pap's "Volga Benko Gambit"
Play the Pap Attack!
GM Petrov's Pirc defense
GM Yermo Teaches You Openings!

 

GM Yermolinsky's "Every Russian Schoolboy Knows"

March 1, 2020 
 
    

Former World Champion and legendary chess teacher Mikhail Botvinnik was the originator of the “Every Russian schoolboy knows” chess aphorism, which alluded to the fact that thousands of unknown schoolboys back in Russia - due to the intense training methods they received from a young age - likely knew more about the game than most professionals did in the West. 

One player who came through that legendary Soviet training camp is former U.S. Champion GM Alexander Yermolinsky.  And each Sunday in his hit show, “Every Russian Schoolboy Knows”, Alex will explain and expand on all the top tips and tricks gleaned from those famed training methods. 

Today's show is: Endgame Curiosities - Part 3

Video 3 takes the viewer back to the second Rapid game from the 2016 World Championship match between Carlsen and Karjakin. The defending Champion had an overwhelming advantage of the two bishops versus challenger's rook, and looked certain to win. However, despite being very low on time Karjakin managed to save the game. That, and some other monumental defensive efforts earned Sergey a moniker of 'Minister of Defense', while the importance of the game was somewhat overshadowed by Carlsen winning the next two to retain his title. Now, it is time to answer the question, was White winning? One obscure game from the recent Aeroflot Open could have come to the near same position...

 

   

GM Joel's Chess Week Recap

February 17, 2019 
 
    

 

The Prague Masters boasts an impressive roster of grandmasters. Indian grandmaster Vidit has stormed out of the gate with 4/5, starting with a win over our own Sam Shankland, who seemed a bit jag-lagged on that day. David Navara also started slowly as a number of strange decisions left him with an ugly position against J.K. Duda. Humpy Koneru won the second Cairns Cup with a score of 6-3. That in itself wasn't a huge surprise, but if we go back to a moment in time in the seventh (third from last) round, it appeared a certainty that co-favorite Ju Wenjun would take first place.

Download Joel's annotated games HERE!

 

   

Learn How to Win with GM Boris

  December 26, 2019 
 
    

Nowadays, everyone is super prepped up in openings, you might be too, and you're likely getting good positions out of them, but it's in the middle game where battles are decided. In this magnificent video series, GM Alterman (ELO 2611) carefully takes you through all the key aspects and secrets of middlegame play.

Exploiting open Files - Part 5

One of the things that Steinitz made clear was the importance of controlling the open file: "Move your rook to an open file! Controlling an open file is one of those little positional advantages which could decide the whole game". Rooks are more powerful on open files and often this factor decides the outcome of a game. This is because the side that controls the file has a natural invasion route for their pieces down the file. A common strategic objective for a rook or queen on an open file is to reach its seventh or eighth rank (or for Black, its second or first rank). As we already studied, controlling the seventh rank (or second rank for Black) is generally worth at least a pawn, as most of the opponent's pawns will usually reside there. Aaron Nimzowitsch, writing in his famous book "My System" said that the main objective of a rook or queen on an open file is "the eventual occupation of the 7th or 8th rank". However, seizing an open file is not easy, as your opponent can try to trade off the heavy pieces or take control over the 7th and 8th rank, preventing your rooks from reaching those targets. Control in this instance means the ability to keep your opponent from trading off the heavy pieces, and leaving the file under your control. Typically, this is done through doubling the rooks on the open file, and in some cases, "tripling" on the file with your Queen. This can have the effect of forcing your opponent into a "passive" defense since if the rooks are able to penetrate to the seventh rank, the attack or the transition into the end game will almost always be favorable for you and result in a won game. Don't miss this new and formative series by our GM Boris Alterman!

 

   

 

GM Larry Christiansen's "Attack with LarryC!"

December 7, 2019 
 

 

    

GM Larry Christiansen is a three-time U.S. Champion and one of the most dangerous and respected attacking players of his generation. He is a feared competitor and attacker who authored two popular books that showcase his aggressive style: Storming the Barricades and Rocking the Ramparts. Each week on the show, Larry will feature various attacking motifs and themes and showing you how best to play for mate.

Today's show is: Anand: Attack and Defense
 

GM Larry Christiansen, in this week's episode of his sow, offers us two pearls from the former world champion Vishy Anand. Two rather famous games, in which Anand demonstrates his prowess in defending difficult positions and his precision when it comes to attacking the enemy King.

 

   

 

NM Dan Heisman's "Improve Your Chess IV"

April 16, 2019
 
   

National Master Dan Heisman is a name that is synonymous with excellence in chess coaching and teaching. Dan authors the award-winning Novice Nook column (winner of three Chess Journalists of America "Best Instruction" awards), aimed at improving adults, for chesscafe.com that are clearly written and offer very practical advice and tips on how to improve your game. More info about Dan can be found here.

Amateur Mistakes: What are ALL the things that move does? #2

NEW VIDEO SERIES!

Coach Dan Heisman is back to help average players step up and raise their level of play. In this new series, Dan shows us the most common mistakes that, typically, an amateur makes during a chess game. Time management, wrong openings, outright blunders, and many more mistakes that can plague a chess game are tackled by Coach Heisman, with suggestions on how to avoid them. While the series is aimed at amateur players, Dan's advice can be useful for every chess player! 

Today's show: This video shows two games with the same errors in each game: asking "Why did he make that move?" instead of "What are ALL the things that move does?". Also features some sneaky pins

 

 

   

 

Tricks and Traps in the Opening - with IM Watson

July 27, 2018 
 
    

Tricks 'n Traps in the Opening
How many tricks and traps are there in the sea of opening theory? From the simplest ones to the more advanced, IM John Watson in this amazing video series shows you how to fool (or not be fooled by!) your opponent, who might not know the intricacies of an opening.
The course is organized by general opening, and in 15 videos our opening guru IM John Watson provides you with tools that will make your opponents exclam "How did this happen?".
This series is aimed at everyone, from the club player to the master. 
John shows, statistics at hand, that even simple tricks and traps have caught out of guard FMs, IMs and GMs, some of which rather famous! 
By watching this video series, you'll sharpen your tactical sense, 
understand better your favorite opening, and broaden your general knowledge about openings.
Tricks and traps are everywhere: IM Watson shows how once you've learned how a trap works, it can apply not only to the opening phase of the game but also in the middlegame and even in the endgame!
In other words, learn how to use your tricks in the opening, and you'll become a better player all-around.

English Opening

 

   

 

 

GM Ronen Har-Zvi's Opening Series

March 30, 2018 

    

With this series, GM Ronen guides us through the secrets of the Alapin Sicilian

The Alapin Sicilian - Part 6

For many players not having the time or inclination studying the never-ending labyrinth of mainline Sicilians, such as the Najdorf, Dragon, Taimanov and Sveshnikov, the Alapin with 1. e4 c5 2. c3 has proved to be a very popular alternative. It is named after the Russian master Semyon Alapin (1856-1923), and today it is one of the most solid and respected Anti-Sicilians, championed by many club players and leading grandmasters, such as Evgeny Sveshnikov, Eduardas Rozentalis and Sergey Tiviakov.