Opening: D39: QGD: Ragozin - Vienna Variation
Player(s): Yermolinsky, Speelman, Baburin
It is no secret that chess players, from the club level to 2700 Grandmasters, put a lot of emphasis on studying openings. The question is, how to do it right?
A good 80% of books on the market have always been opening monographs, and the newfangled source "Chessable" is likely to exceed that number. Lots of big names in its stable of authors. The product offered is a "complete opening repertoire," essentially made of examples of high-profile games decorated by computer evaluations.
While I cannot deny such works a certain degree of usefulness, mainly when it comes to helping already established players further advance their opening knowledge, I doubt they can serve as a good starting point in obtaining said opening repertoire.
I have long been advocating a different approach to the problem. Instead of studying opening moves, one should study the resulting middlegame (and sometimes, even endgame) positions, at least at the initial stages.
What to play on the first move is not an easy question to answer. Some self-searching can help one choose wisely. A typical 1.e4 player values the initiative above everything else and is ready to go after the enemy king's first chance.
A 1.d4 guy is a different animal. His values lie in a better pawn structure, and he is mentally prepared to spend the first 15-20 moves "defending," which in reality means thwarting Black's wild attempts at much-needed counterplay.
In due time I plan to show some examples of such play when we get to the Benkos and the Benonis, but a proper way to start is to address the most classical defense of them all, the Queen's Gambit Declined.
Teacher's library (628) D39 Yermolinsky Speelman Baburin opening
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Added on 05.28.2022
C51 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd12: Attacking the King in the Center
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A30 Charles Storey’s “Positional Chess Skills” - Assessing your Position
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D20-D42 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd11: The Queen’s Gambit
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Charles Storey’s “Positional Chess Skills” - Introduction
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D15 GM Yermolinsky - Remembering Viktor Kupreichik - Part 1
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C50-C59 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd10: The Italian Game
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E18 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - g3 - Vd 2
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GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd9: The Dutch Defense
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E18 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - g3 - Vd 1
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A07, C13 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd8: Play against Doubled Pawns
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A37 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 12
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E12 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - Vd 6
Added on 04.23.2022
C62 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd7: Doubled Pawns
Added on 04.19.2022
A29 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 11
Added on 04.17.2022
E12 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - Vd 5
Added on 04.16.2022
A56 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd6: Benoni strategies
Added on 04.12.2022
E68 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 10
Added on 04.10.2022
E12 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - Vd 4
Added on 04.09.2022
C02, B12 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd5: Open Files
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E54 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 9
Added on 04.04.2022
E32, C26, C67 GM Joel Benjamin recaps the finals of the 3rd FIDE GP
Added on 04.03.2022
E12 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - Vd 3
Added on 04.02.2022
B32 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd4: Counterattack
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D36, E21, A05, D00, A15, E94 GM Joel Benjamin recaps the semifinals of the 3rd FIDE GP
Added on 03.29.2022
E15 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 8
Added on 03.27.2022
E12 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - Vd 2
Added on 03.26.2022
E60 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd3: KID Structures
Added on 03.22.2022
D45 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 7
Added on 03.21.2022
E12 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Queen’s Indian - Vd 1
Added on 03.19.2022
B08 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd2: Pirc Structures
Added on 03.15.2022
B03 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 6
Added on 03.14.2022
E54 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Nimzo - Vd 2
Added on 03.13.2022
C47, D31 GM John Burke recaps the finals of the 2nd GP
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B85 GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Vd1: Sicilian Structures
Added on 03.11.2022
B40, D87, A48, C24, B46 GM John Burke recaps the semis of the 2nd GP
Added on 03.08.2022
C11 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 5
Added on 03.07.2022
GM Petrov’s New Strategies in the Middlegame - Introduction
Added on 03.06.2022
E57, E54 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - Nimzo - Vd 1
Added on 02.28.2022
D27 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - QGA - Vd 4
Added on 02.22.2022
B15 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 4
Added on 02.20.2022
D27 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - QGA - Vd 3
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GM Petrov’s Complete Caro-Kann - Video 10
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C88, C50 GM John Burke recaps the final match of the 1st FIDE GP 2022
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C96 GM Davorin Kuljasevic - The Importance of Modern Middlegame Tabiyas - Video 3
Added on 02.13.2022
D20, D36 GM Pia Cramling recaps the Semifinals of the 1st FIDE GP 2022
Added on 02.13.2022
D27 GM Yermolinsky - What it takes to be a complete 1.d4 player - QGA - Vd 2