Real Chess Begins Only When You Solve This... 

Homework position: After White's move 1.Qf3, the N on e4, which had been safe (attacked zero times, defended once) is now "loose" (i.e., attacked once, defended once). White can remove the defender by 2.g4 Bg6 3.Nxg6 fxg6, and voila, that poor N on e4 is now hanging (attacked once, defended zero times), and White gobbles it up with 4.Qxe4. Is this the correct solution? It's fascinating to watch the hapless N's safety status transition from safe, to loose, to hanging, to captured in a simple forcing three-move combination. For me, that elevator is more like an escalator (or a rickety staircase! ), but at least I'm going up!

Very interesting, this psychological analysis of the thougt processes.

Thank you, Dr Can. Whenever I see a nasty discovery looming, I try to remember it. This doesn't always work. As far as the homework is concerned - Black is at a disadvantage, as White's Bishops and Queen are aiming at the Kingside, and his Knight is in our territory. We can advance or retreat to respond. ... Nf6 This is a tame move, and the squares g4 or d5 afterwards aren't very potent. It traps the Bishop on e7 as well. No. ... Bg5 The Queenside is locked out to our dark square Bishop, thanks to White's pawn chain. White's Bishop on c1 will fall one way or another. We would like our Queen to land on g5 to threaten Nd2 or Qd2+ at some point. He might counterattack with g4, but we can play Bg6 if we don't have a tempo. ... f6 The Knight is really annoying, but not worth the effort yet. No. After all of that, Bg5, because we break White's attack.

In the Caro Kann, very often in bullet or Blitz games I let my Bishop get attacked by pawns, opponent thinks I'm just reacting. But in reality I am positioning my Bishop to a direct checkmate threat. Very similar to the position at 10:32 - A lot of people fall for it. But then again, when someone does something like that to me, I very sadly also fail to see it very often. The homework: took me a while! But I believe it's g4 Bg6 Nxg6, removing the defender of the black knight. So black should play something like h6 to give the Bishop a square.

On the last one… after f5 there is Qc7 unpinning and hitting our lose N on d7. That leaves us down a piece. But it’s still winning due to activity and kingside threats, but it’s not entirely obvious. That outcome led me instead to look at Rg6 f3 f5 Qc7 fxg4 Qxd7 g3 where I thought the thorn pawn was lethal. Unfortunately I missed a white resource - instead of Qc7 he has Qh2. One lesson though… once you’ve identified your opponent’s threat, never assume there isn’t another less obvious threat.

I can hardly wait for your next course to be released. All of your previous courses are great! IMO, you are the best teacher of middlegame principles on the Internet...keep up the great work!

Thank you so much for these videos! These are so much more helpful than all the videos about openings.

Wow. Your videos have helped me elevate my THINKING so much.

Dr Can, thank you for the video as always very instructive! Re: Homework: "if I don't make a move", white will push g4, threatening black bishop (attacking the sole defender of the black knight) and if bishop drops back, white will do Nxg6 forking rook and other black bishop forcing a recapture, and on the recapture either hxg6 or fxg6, white queen picks up the knight with Qxe4, winning a piece. Bringing the bishop back to g6 proactively will not work because knight will just capture as described above and white will win the black knight as described above. Bringing the black queen Qd5 to defend the knight will also not work because white will push c4 and when white queen retreats, then they will proceed with the g4 plan described above because it will now be their turn! So it seems black best defensive options are to move the knight away to g5, d6 or f6. Clearly it cannot stay where it is or it will soon be chopped... for free.

For me the problem of usual puzzles is that I know that I should find something. I don't know whether you have this in mind or not but my suggestion would be to also incorporate a fair amount of puzzles to your course, where there is no threat and the player can continue with his move normally. That would help to mimick a real game a little bit more I think :) Also thanks for the video. I'm trying to make the threat check a habit for myself so this reinforced the importance of doing this. And also the idea to use it to prepare traps for the opponent - it didn't occure to me before 😁

homework spoiler - no engine If black makes a passive move, such as developing a piece, Qc7, then white will play b4 Bg6 Nxg6 hxg6 Qxe4 Or b4 Ng5 Bxg5 Bxg5 gxf5 White will be up a piece and black will have no compensation.

Part of the psychological process is the inability to pull away from the dynamics of the game in progress, you get caught up in the excitement of the back and forth as it happens. Some of this (speaking personally) is a disappointment in having to break the rhythm of that movement of the game, and having to stop and think. It seems like going against the flow of things, the grain. It requires a reframing of a definition of the game away from the dynamics of move versus move, over to the things you are talking of -- where you are required to step back, look, etc, break the hold of the immediate. (Integrating the "step back" into one's definition of the game seems to be the critical "step forward".)

Hi Doc, thanks for another great video, it’s particularly interesting to hear about the psychology; It’s a whole other level beside tactics - perhaps an even more interesting one! I want to know more chess psychology. I hope I can learn to use it in my games, that would be so interesting. Qf3 allows Pg3 attacks f5 B, which has no safe square (and is e5 N’s only defender, so N retreat forced as only defence is Qd5, which can be pushed back by Pc4). Black best Nd6. After Pg4, Be4 pins Q to R! Thanks again 🙏🏼 🌞

Good Evening...he's exactly on point I've lost games and positions because of this, to hear it verbally made me a better player TODAY...now I will be aware....I've also invested in another one of your courses...Thank you for the knowledge...

I have gone every one of my games, both wins and losses, after I play them. I make blunders constantly, though I am getting a 'little' better. I have noticed that I have a short attention span and I get frustrated with calculation and end up making a move that I think looks good, only to discover the threat after it is too late. The other day, I had a crushing attack, a material advantage, and the king near the center of the board running for his life. I knew there was a discovered attack on my queen with my opponent's pawn capture, but I kept that at bay with more and more pressure on the king. Until the pressure abated and my opponent had a chance to make that pawn capture. Well at the beginning of my calculation, I was looking where to move my queen to get in better position. As I analyzed (my weakness), I actually forgot the initial threat of my hanging Queen and made some other move. Well I lost my Queen and had to play the rest of the game from behind. I managed to defend to the bitter end, but as time pressure hit me I made more blunders and ended up running out of time. I manage to make one critical mistake in almost every game I play and I can't train it out of myself. I am trying to be more careful and deliberate with my moves, but a blunder is almost a given. Your content is helping, though. I am slowing down a bit and trying to see the board better. It's taking time, though. :)

In the homework position white is threatening to kick and then capture the defender of the e4 knight.

In the last puzzle white can now play g4 forcing the black bishop to g6 where it is threatened by the white knight. So perhaps play h7 make a hole for the bishop but white still has attack after that.

There are countless "ii's" (invaluable insights) in your videos! They provide us with a reliable framework for our journey towards better understanding of chess.

I really like your videos more and more recently! In this one, definitely, the concept that blunders often happen when the other side makes a reactionary move like a recapture or a retreat is very prevalent in many games. Problems were a bit too easy this time though, compared to earlier videos:)

9:01 - I found that move for all the wrong reasons. You said problems on recapture, so I saw white Bishop could threaten our Queen on g5 supported by their Knight, so I had the same answer: our bishop to e7.

Such a fun crucial video. Homework answer. Threat is on the loose horsey on e4. ...g4, take the bish. Take the knight. H6 would do it.

Enjoyed this episode, homework position I see two threats following Qf3 and they are Bd3 attacking the knight twice and g4, how to deal with thus from Blacks perspective I'm not sure but I'm looking at Nd6 as the option I'd choose, it certainly stops g4 due to Be4 skewering the white queen and rook, it also leaves the option for f6 to push the white knight out of our territory, I also like the look of Bg5 counter attacking before white plays either move which would iliminate the dark square threat around our king but this one ive found very difficult to come up with a solid defence against the threats

Hard problem for me. Descriptive analysis: Board is relatively balanced. White Knight on e5 is strong. Black's minor pieces are threatening White's King-side, but are not working together and cannot bring an attack. Black Bishop on f5 is vulnerable (no good escape from a g4 attack). MAIN Conclusion: Seek to improve Black's position. …h6 would give Black an escape, but I don't like it because it does not improve Black's position. So, I would play …Nf6. Guards against g4. If things work out, I would then play …Nd5, a position I like very much. This took me a long time to think through. Your analysis-instruction videos are simply the best.

the threat is pawn to g4 trapping the bishop.

So true. I had a game today where my queen was threatened, I moved it back and it just so happened to form a battery on the king. My opponent thought for 15 seconds and played his advance... allowing mate in 1. Lol. It was fun. I feel that sloooow games are required to automatize the process. I've been loving them lately.

I’d swear you are looking at my games as hitting exactly the errors I make. Tunnel vision and not asking what changed in the positions. Will be a good course I’m sure

In the homework position, if it was white to move, g4 seems very strong. Bg6 is the only move that protects the loose e4 knight, but after Nxg6 hxg6 Qxe4 white should be winning. Perhaps Nf6 immediately is good for black.

Candidate moves are ... Ng5, ...f6 and ... Nd6. ( ... Bf6 2 g4 doesn't work.) Too lazy to notate my thought process, but I am leaning towards ... Nd6 (allowing ... Be4.)

Pawn recaptures give new files or diagonals. I will jot this down in my Tal's book. Thank you Prof.

Hi Dr. Can. For the home work, white is threatening g4 and Nxg6 to capture the defend of e4 Knight. So I think h6 is better for black to provide a shelter for light square Bishop. Thanks!

Nf6 to prevent entrapment of Bishop. leading to losing the N on e4

I would have moved my queen to C4 attacking f7 pawn and checkmate after you capture the pawn on E5, you can also threaten the white bishop with your bishop after C4 and the knight on E5. The answer is no you should move your queen also this is why you don’t need to get your queen out so fast you actually start to lose advantage when you keep having to move your queen form being captured, you also end up with poor positional tactics because you don’t get to open up your piece for defense and attacking. The best way to trap a queen is to just develop your pieces which you can take control of the center of the board and stop their development while also taken all the space for the queen to move they will end up putting their queen in bad spot one great way is to force a queen trade you really see if they are that aggressive and either their fine losing their queen or they are scared to lose their queen. If they want take then I force the trade. I don’t need a queen to win also with the development you get its most likely you will end up with past pawn and get your queen back. C4 also allows you to get your queen back to better positional place

In the homework position i think the threat is g4 and maybe trap the bishop or take the bishop on g6 and destroy the pawns in front of the black king. But i also calculate after Nxg6, fxg6 the Queen is attacked by the rook on f8, so i am not sure if g4 is the main threat or maybe i am missing something here

Position 4 after g4 allows us to take on c1 with a rook and then take a knight with a queen, I would say it is still very playable at least!

After g4, black loses either B or N.

The legend with another video

Thank you.

👍

To be honest I don't see a threat, but I am not that good anyways.

I just discovered your great videos. I think the threat from white is g4 Bg6 Nxg6 hxg6 Qxe4 winning a piece