NEW SERIES: Chess Steps! 

Great series! I gained 300 ELO, lost 20 lbs, and my children love me again! Thank you Levy!

Do people understand how difficult it is to teach Chess at every level from 200 to 2000 ?? Like the way you teach a 200 is so different than a 2000 but Levy does both effortlessly and every rating in between. That's actually the real skill in my opinion. Very impressive.

Honestly that first 200 player was amazing

1st day learning chess and I feel I have stumbled to the best channel for it

Dude I love the “You shouldn’t do this, BUT IMMA DO IT!” moves and the instruction that goes with them. More please.

Gotta say yogadad played well. If Levy analyzed that game as part of guess the elo, he would've given him at least 600-700

Love the series. So many tell you what to do but not why. The “why” actually teaches. The “what” merely shows.

50:18 "to go forward, go backwards" levy also dropping some philosophical knowledge all the while teaching me to not lose games. mans a legend

First 13 minutes of the video: That has got to be the strongest 200 ELO player I've ever seen. I think he deserves an honorary GM title for that segment.

This series will be great for players just getting into chess but also players who are stuck at a rating, thanks Levy!

YogaDad is not 200 player. His rapid is 596, but in my experience he was playing at atleast 700+ level. He saw the checkmate threats while coming up with his own ideas. Sure he didn't see the pawn forking the K and B, but come on, I have seen 900+ players blunder lot worse! Dont know how he dropped from 900+ to 596. 200-300 games blunder pieces and queens not just pawns. You dont need to fork them to win their pieces. They just give them to you.

I love the "I'm going to make this mistake so you won't" parts because as the game goes on we get to see how a move that didn't seem bad at the time could be really dangerous for us later on in the game. You're an amazing teacher Levy great video

This is basically an hour free coaching lesson. Loved every second of it

Yes Yogadad… straight in with the 200 elo Caro… get in can’t wait to see it.

The best thing on this series was Levy trying not to cringe and die on the errors of weaker players, and rather understanding them and making a "natural" move. Very good. Thank you, Gotham!

As a very casual but frequently hyperfixated player these catch up tutorials are so nice. Sometimes I will spend a month just grinding chess and learning everything I can and then life will get in the way and I'll spend months not thinking about this game. It's amazing to catch up with levy this way and jump back into the game.

Me: *"Pawns are stupid, they block my rooks!"* Levy: *"Pawns are so lethal, they take so much space."* Alphazero: *"Pawns are stupid, they block my rooks!"*

Feedback: I really love how you're making the mistakes as you go, showing us how you can get out of a sticky situation in chess. I personally find this the most helpful!

that was the strongest 200 ive ever seen

*Game 1* 10:34 interposing attack 11:40 improvement of the piece 13:20 game 1 review *Game 2* 18:35 capture chain 19:46 interposing attack 21:08 continuity 21:40 rock 24:30 game 2 review *Game 3*

15:20 If a check can be blocked by a pawn, it's a bad check 20:20 avoid trading queens when you're down material 23:30 this whole lesson about making sure you don't stalemate 36:19 if your rook isn't participating in the game, is it really worth it's 5 points? 43:13 when and why to attack knights with pawns early see THESE are the kinds of tips i'm looking for as a low elo player, thank you so much Levy

As a ~900 who has lost his last ten games in a row online and is feeling pretty down about my play, this felt really good, like a reminder that there are so many principles I've already learned to get to where I am. I'm really looking forward to the next few episodes to see what I can learn going forward.

23:15 That's important. In many games I've seen even champions resort to a drew by stalemate so they don't lose

I love this series idea. Absolutely loved you “playing down” and then teaching through the mistakes. Because your mistake moves are totally the moves I make.

I honestly thought this video would not be helpful after seeing the rating window. But having the fundamentals broken down like this was still super informative.

I love how slow you take this and how you play “blunders”. I think that this is like a superior version of your win at chess series. I’d love it if you also referred people to your other content and courses at the end for them to learn from until they get to the next video.

Purposefully playing poorly and rooting for your opponent is so meta

you made me return to chess after nearly 25 years...im not sure yet to thank you for that : )

The fact that Levy doesn't advocate for the Caro advance variation, but rather the exchange because it's easier for beginners, shows how much he cares. Going against his own creed to help the first steps of another. Levy: great chess player, great chess teacher, but also great human

I am genuinely impressed by the 200s play. Ive played more blunders and im 700

Opponent: Why is the enemy taking so long to move?? Meanwhile, GothamChess:..................

“Free stuff is good. You should take free stuff” Always good advice 👌🤓

This is absolutely your best video for beginners. I, as a beginner can say that. Please continue making this. The good thing about it is that you actually try to think like a beginner! Keep up the good work

New years resolution: Watch more Gotham and play more chess.

Yogadad is prob a 200 bc he has to resign 80% of his games bc his kids are fighting over who gets to put a screwdriver into the tire to make the minivan faster

I started learning chess much later than most people and I appreciate your instructional videos. When you describe the senseless moves often made by novice players, there is a simple explanation why someone makes these moves: we focus on one part of the board and forget to look at the rest of it, and how a move might impact pieces that we aren't focused on. It's human nature to focus on one specific task and ignore others. If you didn't perform this trick in everyday life, you would never be able to understand someone speaking in a crowded room. How to train myself to avoid such tunnel vision in chess is what I will work on. Perhaps it is a much easier task as a pre-teen or teenager, than when you are middle aged. Will see.

This reminds me of John Bartholomew's Chess Fundamentals videos. He takes a specific concept like undefended pieces and plays lower rated players to highlight how this happens, and how to play better. As a new, lower rated player, breaking down these concepts are really helpful. Great work Levy! This video was very helpful. Looking forward to more. Maybe more "fundamental" teaching/overviews before jumping into the games, and then highlighting those things would help understand some practical uses for those subjects. Love the content!

Looks like a great series, really interested in the higher rated games yet to come!

I am a sort of full time chess teacher/coach and I love this! I actually use chess steps by the Dutch method (Scholastics) Thank you Levy.

No way that guy was actually 200, I was 200 for about 3 weeks and could barely figure out the way the pieces moved

This is the perfect series for me. I'm a 500-600 beginner, and all other chess guides started at like 800. Much appreciated!

THIS IS THE BEST! specially for people who getting into chess

I gotta say that this is one of the best educational videos I've ever seen of chess. The way you talk about the game, the moves, the concepts, and how you share your knowledge in such an excited and passionate way really makes me appreciate the game more and want to become better! When I get discouraged in my skill after losing a few games in a row, your videos always give me new ideas and in a way, hope that this is just a game you can learn from. Thank you!

Gotham - Excellent video. I have watch several of your vids and learned things in everyone, but this one really brings those learnings together and has really made me think differently about the space on the board and projecting power. I am definitely going to watch the rest of this series.

This was actually very nice to watch as a 1500. You sometimes take these principles for granted, which leads to laziness. Hearing how to play good chess keeps me sharp. Thank you Levy!

I've been waiting for content like this! Feels like a revisit to the Gotham Guide, and I can't wait to see what I can learn from this!

This was so helpful! I'm 600 and it's so useful to see you play more like a lower rated player and point out the things that are reasonable for me to see and key things to know. Thank you.

I love how you do bad choices because you are into a player of 500 elo. Best way to understand what happens after ! Best video to learn. Keep going.

I just want to see a guess the ELO with one of these games and see if Levy remembers it

It is beautifull that every speedrun or climbing on the ladder, reaching high elo from different content creators are based on the same concept: explaining the logic and thoughts behind the moves, discussing about the plans and ideas in a chess game etc. But somehow these kinds of serieses from different creators are like being in different worlds. Chess is just stunning.

Dude it is absolutely insane how much I've improved just from attacking center early with pawns and moving c and f pawns before the knights. Thank you so much for the tips

Thank you so much for this, I am currently stuck in the 500's and really need to understand fundamentals before I improve. Looking forward to this series - yes there are players in the 200 to 500 range, if your in the 1700's then this section may not be for you. IMO - This is very helpful and appreciated. Thank you sir!

There is something so frustrating about levy showing good moves and not playing them xD still like the idea of this new series though :)

this is my level and it’s rare to find content for beginners that isn’t condescending or rude! i’m so thankful for you since you make videos that don’t make fun of us and don’t make beginners feel bad for… being beginners, lol. i learned a lot! thank you! edit: LADDER MATE FINALLY MAKES SENSE

You are the best chess instructor I have seen. You talk in simple terms and actually get into our heads at our level. Kudos!

Fantastic work! Loved to see progressions and slow introduction to more advanced concepts!

Im actually so early for the first time... i love u Levy! Keep up the good work😀

Really enjoyed this... You have so much content where you play lower ELO players as an IM and just make suggestions and comments on the game, but I absolutely loved how you played moves that someone at that level would conceivably play. I feel like it makes the educational aspects much more realistic since you aren't just bulldozing them, and also shows people how to get out of issues once you inevitably make mistakes.

As a beginner chess player I can say that this has immensely helped me in my journey to becoming a better player. The move by move analyzation of not only your own pieces, but the opponents as well are SO helpful. Also the simple tips throughout about basic chess theory and idle pieces having a future role based on good board placement has broadened my perspective a lot. I definitely feel like I understand how to build a better strategy and have a more structured approach to each game. Thank you Levy!

Levy, As someone that gets home after a long shift, plays a few games tries to learn a bit. This series will help me get better and have some insights as well. Plus the time limit is perfect both for the matches and video.

why is levy so nice in this video? it's almost like he has two personalities that switches between platforms 😂😂

Really appreciate the open & continuous dialogue. The description of the strategic outline & tactical options Vs a Vs your own and students position. Great humour wonderful curiosity as to how your student will respond to challenges - with suspense & humour plus a whole glossary of chess terms. Thank you

Wow. Fabulous job! Your comments are really my thoughts sometimes because I'm a low level player and you are great at showing mistakes these thoughts lead to! Subscribed)

Looking forward to this series. Played chess for fun with my Dad as a kid, didn’t know anything except for what the pieces did and now at 52 want to get playing again and was wondering the best way to get better and develop understanding and strategy

John Bartholomew’s “Climbing the Rating Ladder” is very similar to this format if anyone is looking for more. IMO a highly underrated chess channel.

Absolutely love the fact that you're intentionally playing inaccurately. This has immense instructional value even for a 1300 like myself. Learning how to fix mistakes or how to recover from a losing position is something that is very hard to practice.

I love this. Thank you so much for this type of content. Your explanation of higher-level play while "playing down" enhances the video in my opinion. Love all of your content.

Wtf, levy is so kind when his opponent makes a mistake.. 2022 starts weird as f*ck

I would recommend playing 10 minute games. It's what Naroditsky does in his learning series and it gives more time to go to scenarios and explain which moves are mistakes from the opponent.

I've checked out quite a few chess instructors. Levy is the best and I'm now hook on chess. Hardly played before last week and now I'm just binge watching his videos and playing online every spare minute. Great content and great delivery. Thanks a million.

Giving me that sweet sweet Canadian lockdown content. My chess about to go off. Thanks Gotham.

This series is brilliant! Understanding the thought process as the game develops is something that no chess book seems to address effectively. Thanks Levy

Very very nice series!! Awesome format and your commentary are on point ... letting me know what I need to study. Episode 1 is excellent! Cheers.

Sometimes we should listen a lot more than we talk… Great job GothamChess… This channel is for everyone not just for those who think they are better than anyone else. Kids and new players want to learn the ‘Beloved’ game too! And a little refresher is good for everyone. So don’t criticize… That’s why most devices have two knobs on them… One for turning it on and off and the other for changing the channel. Even I… Have left this channel a couple of times. But I always come back :-) Thanks! Got Them!

I am so impressed by Levi's 'realisations' as he makes mistakes and highlights not only my thought process and gameplay - but delves into the consequences! Thanks!

I haven’t watched this yet but I’m already on board and sure it will be dope.

as a person who literally started chess last week, this was immensely enjoyable to watch! excellent work :)

Same principles as DotA (and other positional-based games) here: if you want to skill-shot a player, you cannot shoot where they are right now, you shoot _where they are going to be_ by the time the shot reaches them, so: >With High-rated players, it's all mindgames. They will try to trick you into shooting one way, and move differently every time. >Mid-rated players tend to be the easiest to hit. They choose to smartly try to dodge your attack, but they always dodge in the best possible direction in any situation. All you need is to judge what is the best place for them to dodge towards, and shoot there. >Low-rated players don't know where to dodge to. They cannot read the situation correctly, so they may dodge erratically, or not dodge at all. This makes them _the hardest_ to hit, ironically. There's no mindgames, it's pure random. You need to know the low-elo player mentality, but even then, they'll throw you off sometimes. As weird as it seems, only a true grand-master can master the low elos.

This is the most informative video I’ve watched from you, and I’ve watched many. You brought yourself into many positions that I’ve seen before, and explained the thought process. As a 600 player, it’s easy to get stuck watching educational content that is geared towards higher players without explaining the root problems/motifs a given position is solving. Bottom line, this series explained the ‘why’ behind the decisions a low player will face. Thank you so much for doing this.

This is amazing, yesterday my mum asked me to teach her chess, and she barely knows how pieces move, I am gonna use this video to teach her a lot of basic concepts, thank you gotham

Great series, Im a beginner and it's really nice to see the line of thought behind a game. Thak you

I really love this serie! I learned a lot.

this honestly feels like the exact kind of content that I had originally subscribed for. Glad to see stuff like this coming back, Levi's a great educator when he puts his mind to it.

As someone who only started playing chess a few weeks ago this is extremely helpful! I started straight from ranked and dropped all the way to 200 elo by making those mistakes so thanks for covering those. Something that I am yet to learn how to defend is when the opponent activates their queen on move 2 or 3 max, and they start attacking all my pawns and pieces. It feels like what they're doing is super fluid movement giving checks and attacking multiple pieces (my rooks and deep pawns) and I just can't do anything about that. Not sure if that would be interesting to cover or it's just me being low elo and bad.

Watching this was actually very interesting i just started really getting into chess... always just kinda messed around but now its actually super fun and challenging to get better and make better moves

Queen c7 in the first game. Levy is describing why that is a good move and stuff. Allow me to put you in the mind of that player when he made that move: "I am attacking a rook here this seems good"

I finally hit 1660 in rapid. Thanks Gotham!

At 6:05 when the rook is attacked I think the best move is to take the knight with the bishop. You defend the rook still, and if he takes back you can take the pawn on H7 with your other bishop, with forced mate if he takes back, forcing him go to H8, being down a full piece with his king being brutally attacked in the corner.

I really love this format, i'll start looking if you have others like it. it's great!

Wow this was amazing to watch and very much helpful and alot of tips especially when it's relatable to my games that I blunder, make mistakes or miss opportunities like this. This video taught me alot and like gave me a nice hint on what to do in tough situation like that in chess. 10/10❤❤Love ur videos gothamchess

I absolutely loved this video. Levy is once again pulling out masterpiece video ... You are jovial (I always enjoy your jokes, breaking the wall), incredibly smart in terms of chess and showing fundamentals like this is just ... pure masterpiece. Keep your hard work and I can not wait to see more.

I love this idea! I’ve been through the entire series from Chessbrah where they did the similar thing, I love seeing you do similar content now, I know it’s going to be useful!

Beautiful explanation. I don't know if I will be able to actually execute such thinking, but the way you decipher everything is phenomenal.

I am a beginner player and have trouble understanding the strategy behind certain moves. Your step-by-step explanations as to why one move is better than another are little nuggets of gold and are me a better player. Really enjoy listening to Gotham chess!!

This is my 3rd time watching the same video :D I'd appreciate to have season 2

This is such a great concept. I'm super impressed you can play like lower rated players, identify what they do wrong at what rating, and so calmly explain it all the while. I guess your training from guess the elo was useful for this. 8-)

This is the first video I saw on your channel and it's treally helpful, I learned a lot, thank you.

This is awesome. Looking forward to the next steps!! Thanks.

This was a fantastic video. As a struggling 600 level, this was just as instructive as your Beginner Bootcamp, thanks.

00:00 🎮 Introduction to new chess series and playing against subscribers. 02:00 ♟️ Opening principles, pawn placement, and handling threats. 05:00 🏰 Middle game planning and piece coordination. 08:00 🗡️ Recognizing tactical opportunities and utilizing pins. 11:00 🤔 Flexible and patient play, adapting to opponents. 14:00 ♗ Evaluating pawn structure, breaks, and closed positions. 19:17 ♟️ Opposite side castling strategy and handling threats. 20:14 🧙‍♂️ Managing material advantage and converting it. 21:35 ♟️ Rook usage and understanding pawn continuity. 23:15 🏰 Promoting pawns to Queens for a checkmate. 24:37 📚 Learning from opening mistakes and tactics. 26:16 ♟️ Importance of opening principles and piece development. 28:25 🏞️ Navigating closed positions and piece activity. 32:05 🧐 Evaluating positions, piece activity, and trades. 35:54 🤯 Handling complex middle-game decisions. 40:26 ♟️ Discussing a weak King, perpetual check, and Queens. 42:23 ♙ Explaining Queen's Pawn openings and center control. 43:31 ♗ Attacking and defending Knights in the center. 46:37 ♘ Advancing pawns and piece coordination in endgames. 51:48 ♛ Promoting pawns and achieving checkmate.