Akobian vs. Hansen | 2010 Las Vegas | Gruenfeld - GM Varuzhan Akobian

[@brabhamfreaman166]

Akobian's style is so logical and deceptively simple...*so* straightforward. When a student offers an inaccurate move suggestion his reply is simply the best refuting move. He seems to have infinite patience with weaker/less experienced students and this is an enormous strength for a GM. Especially because he expects the highest standards of the students and pushes them to reach them. It's the sign of a natural player, lacking vanity and though it may not always seem like it, he seems to *love* sharing knowledge, pressing the most important principles at every turn. I’ve yet to see a bad Akobian lecture!

[@groussac]

Right! We might add that he's quietly aggressive. He gives the impression of slowly building a position, which is true, but he's ready to pounce when it's time. Another strength he has is anticipating his opponents intentions.

[@akshaysvnit91]

When he says think, don't rush.. Think of a better move.. I actually come up with a better move and before that I made the wrong move.. He makes our mind work.. The best way of teaching is helping students brainstorm themselves.. He does exactly that.. It need patience. Thank you yet again.

[@dandiaz19934]

Akobian is such a good teacher!

[@adomaskuzinas2137]

33:40 NIAUWWW Var is so awesome :)

[@STLChessClub]

Oops. No, it was a typo. It has been corrected. Thanks for pointing it out!

[@abdulmunimkhanchowdhury3809]

Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis thank you for thes videos! he is an excellent teacher. is there any way to contact him to say thank you personally? and is there any recent classes of him uploaded here?

[@postnubilaphoebus96]

At 10:40 he skips over the intermediate move Bxg5+. I suppose it's still better for white because of space advanatage and a control of key squares, but as an amateur I would need to think about this option carefully. Unfortunate that he didn't mention it.

[@jasonbuczyna3135]

When watching this video with my daughter, I assumed that ...Bxg5+ there would be played, and so we analyzed based on that. It indeed still seems better for white, but this seems like a tougher test than what was played in the game.

[@rahulpnair24]

Really cool video. Great analysis GM Akobian!!

[@Rtoizzae]

You don't have to put one person down to give another a compliment.

[@adamrubinson6875]

Excellent lecture. Some really cool puzzles at the end

[@Pifischer]

Thanks Daniel, I knew Julien had potential. Watch out for him next World Open.

[@rainerausdemspring894]

Regarding the endgame at 20:43: My first idea was 1. g5+. However, Black does not take the pawn - which loses. Black moves Ke6!

[@FootballForLife987]

I think GM Finegold has a really unique way of lecturing and it really suits well to make the players understand his lectures.

[@rajsha333]

I love you Akobain.. your comments are so cute.... specially in this one "you are playing for white"

[@lucila5466]

'What can you do heer?...Tink..'

[@horacemoon7454]

lol, he is so funny and a great teacher

[@atableinthewilderness680]

Heersh

[@amo9773]

At 39:30 can white queen go to f3? (Threating mate , and also keeping the pawn on b7 pinned, moving the king to b8 dosnt work also)

[@tippy3210]

No, he can sack his bishop on f7 and you've lost the pin.

[@GamePerFrame]

The first study I don't get.. What happens after g5, Kxg5(?) a5

[@skakofilsanonims4434]

Not Kxg5 but Ke6 holds everything, bishop will go to e5. Kxg5 I think loses.

[@Pifischer]

I'm curious about how strong Julien is from the audience. He makes a lot of comments in these lectures, seems like a future titled player?

[@GamePerFrame]

Thanks!

[@amolm7943]

Sir your teachings method unique

[@mikedavid5071]

Develope,push,push,push,take,take,sac,sac,mate. Love it.

[@troymanners6395]

at 16:16 cant you just play a3 to threaten the rook, then rook c1?

[@dickmann1979]

yes, this is not bad, but rd1 is even better.

[@sfirokefalos]

in the third example can we play queen f3 ?

[@GeorgeLocke]

black responds Bf7. you need to keep the Q on the long diagonal to prevent b6, but black can just jog along and stop the queen wherever she goes. I was looking at Qg2 but that also loses: black responds with anything besides the bishop so that it protects g8.

[@Felix-rc4wv]

This was a good question to point out and Akobian hadn't gone over the reason. the reason that won't work is because the queen needs to sustain the threat of a back-rank checkmate. Qf3 looks like it'll work, but it won't if the King is still on h4. Here's why: 1. Qf3, Bf7 Now 2. Qg4?? this won't work because black responds Kb8. Queen cannot go g8 check because of bishop. That's why white king MUST go to g5 to open the h-file and allow the queen to get to h3. With the white queen on h3 with h file open, b6 won't work as shown in the video but also Kb8 won't work because of back-rank checkmate. If you had gone queen f3 first, there would not be the threat of back-rank checkmate because the bishop guards the g8 square. Akobian didn't mention this part

[@Felix-rc4wv]

George Locke Eventually you'll need to get your queen off the diagonal anyways. The only way to checkmate here would be either a back-rank mate or getting the queen on the c8 square. obviously, queen on c8 is the answer to king's escape square c7. Black can stop that by playing Kb8. That is why the queen had to be on h3 with an open h file. The reason g2, f3, e4 all do not lead to mate is because after queen moves to a square to attack c8 for mate...black's response would be Kb8.

[@incorporatedfx]

Why can't you do 1.Qf3 for the last problem? If Bf7, then Qh3. If Be6, then Qc8#..

[@pavelkisel1667]

Brilliant lector

[@jindrichzapletal5822]

In the opening, he omits one point: Black can avoid losing his right to castle by playing Qd2 h6! (instead of ed). Then it seems that the best bet for White is Nh3 ed Nf4 c6 e3 Bf5 Bd3 Bxd3 Qxd3 with some sort of Carlsbad structure which in fact looks kind of bad for Black

[@azncool7229]

@incorporatedfx: I thought the same thing but Qf3 does not work. black has Kb8. the importance of Kg5 is that white can have two mate threats with Qh8 and Qc8

[@funwitharishaandaayan5465]

For your last exercise why not Qf3., then Qf8+

[@VikingII]

People always overestimate what they know in chess. Everybody thinks 1800's are good but they're not. They will lose an advantage every time if it's not a material advantage and they will always self destruct in maneuvering positions with no obvious moves.

[@Bartekdex]

interesting

[@Xrayballer88]

Ratings basically just give a generally idea of how accurate a player is. Everyone will blunder at some point. I'm a 1450-1550 bullet player but recently checkmated a 1785 because he hung his queen within the first ten moves.

[@pijusgreicius7025]

I think you're somewhere in that range

[@Pifischer]

This lecture seems somewhat advanced, perhaps for over 1600?, that's about where I'd guess young Julien falls rating wise. If he's still under 12 he'll definitely make NM. I enjoy Akobian's positional style: "wait, wait, slow down...what to do?" most other lecturers are focused on showing the variations and tactics instead of the ideas.

[@tomaswellevit5851]

exelent tutorial.tnx alot

[@srenmikkelandersen4654]

I meant, incase of suggestion from you of Bb2 whits advance of king to b7 looks winning to me, but Bh2 instead of suggested Kb8 draws easily

[@zelkenwasla1601]

At 18:52 the black's only saving move is Rd4!! Why did you analyze the blunder Rxh4??Try to analyze Rd4 then the game will last longer.

[@dogaphract383]

Zelken Wasla,maybe because Rf7 is mate.

[@GamePerFrame]

5:00 ''And now my opponent plays an inaccuracy - Kh7'' Inaccuracy because its actually Kg7? :)

[@tom.derksen]

I'm guessing he is about 1300-1400, given the suggestions he, and others, make - fairly bad ones, made to quickly and without much thought (but at least they make some move suggestions). It is clearly a beginner class. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, but to think they might be future titled players any time soon is rather optimistic.

[@DanielSousa08]

If you check the STLChessClub website, you'll see that he's rated 1800+ in the club ladder. saintlouischessclub (dot) org (slash) climb-club-ladder

[@medicca]

After Qh3, Kb8 prevents mate!

[@srenmikkelandersen4654]

At exactly 23:16 , in the bishop versus 2 pawn endgame, you suggest to go Bb8 to stop the a-pawn, but then white could go Kd5 and advance pawn to b7 - ain't you in trouble then ? On the other hand, utilizing the skewer with Bh2, intending a7- Bg1 check is easy draw. This is surprising for me, as you also had another study where you emphasized as deffender in bishop endgames to take longest posssible deffensive diagonal, and then you take the short one b8-a7 istead of the long g1-a7 one

[@PticaLetit]

If 1.g5 then Ke6 I guess, and black king is in A pawn's square

[@markphc99]

More likes people!

[@smwg4187]

audience is so unbearably terrible in this one, but good lecture otherwise

[@danilogallardo6806]

bxn

[@natekhing4234]

Why do I feel as if Akobian is trying a little too hard to be like mr. Y. Seriywan?!

[@amandadowd9531]

Nate Khing Both are great teachers with great lectures, Var I believe is slightly stronger than Serrawan and is also more humble teacher.

[@mehdielnino4096]

He explains better than Seirawan

[@Goldname1]

FIRST DISLIKE HA!!!!!