Chess Lesson Series: David Pakman | Openings & Middlegame

[@rcosent]

I agree with him. You started popping out a couple weeks ago for me and you are by far one of the best teachers, imho, available in youtube / twitch etc. Teaching chess is not only about your rating strength, but how do you convey your line of thought and overall intentions with every move - which you do a great job. Again, my opinion, but you and John Bartholomew are by far the best in conveying the information in a digestible way for everyone - high to lower ratings. Hats off to you, Levy, I learned A LOT already. Thank you!

[@Limbaugh_]

I recently saw him on hikaru’s channel

[@lomiification]

I'd guess it's the 4 player games

[@anshluthra941]

Exactly. Him and John Bartholomew genuinely help me understand things.

[@TRXSTA38]

ChessCoach Andras also does an amazing job, if you haven't checked him out before. :D

[@MCWaffles2003-1]

chessnetwork was the first good teacher I found. His beginner to chess master series is great

[@jomoorigotto]

This was your most useful video! Feels like sometimes unaccompanied you can get into fast talking through positions, but talking through with another beginner/intermediate level player who has the same questions we all do watching is fantastic

[@chaosawaits]

Not only is he an intermediate player with some good foundational knowledge of the game, but he's a very well-spoken person who is able to articulate what he knows and doesn't know with a greater honesty than most people would have. This video is so helpful and I really applaud both Levy and David for making this!

[@Victor-by1um]

i mean , i guess at the start of every sentence gets annoying tbh, other than that.. fantastic content

[@anthonymort5202]

Yeah of course he's well spoken do you not know who david packman is

[@jasongent4088]

I've got to say, Levy...this is easily the best course of lessons I've ever seen. I've been playing since I was around six or seven, and I've recently set out on a mission to try to compile a list of the best free material to learn the game and play it well. Believe me when I tell you that I've looked at a *lot* of free chess content, and this is absolutely some of the best help available. Well done, sir. 👏

[@kirikouthemightyandstrong3183]

Any other recommendations ?

[@jasongent4088]

@@kirikouthemightyandstrong3183 It depends how strong you are and which part of your game you're trying to improve. Assuming you're at a beginner to intermediate level, I couldn't say enough good things about Eric Rosen. He has a lot of good KZbin videos, and if you watch him play on Twitch, he comments on his games while he's playing, so you know his thought process, what he's looking at and what his plan is. It's a huge help in learning to look at chess in the right way and learning how to "think like a chess player." If you look at the KZbin channels of the CCSC, both Saint Louis and Atlanta, they have a series of videos geared toward specific rating levels (1200 and under, 1400 and under, etc), but most of those are taught by GM Ben Finegold, whom a lot of people don't care for. I think he's a great teacher, but some folks just don't like him. And if you want to learn some lesser known openings or gambits that are unknown (and therefore less likely to be familiar to your opponent), I would recommend Jonathan Schrantz. Those are just a few from my list, but they'll definitely get you started. And that's in addition to Levy's series of videos, of course; they're all great, too. Good luck and happy playing.

[@kirikouthemightyandstrong3183]

@@jasongent4088 Very helpful. Much appreciated. Thank you and have a nice day!

[@jasongent4088]

@@kirikouthemightyandstrong3183 Happy to help.

[@rahuldev2785]

Can u tell me how I can get better? I’m stuck at 700. Should I focus on openings?

[@upperom]

This was one of the most instructional and easy to follow beginner chess lessons I've seen so far. I will for sure forget all of it and blunder my third move in my next game.

[@Oldlard]

Teach David 1. d4 - he’s more comfortable on the left.

[@davidpakman7151]

nice one

[@OffPHwnr]

Fitting since he's center left

[@DaveLH]

I admit I'm a Bernie guy, so I like to play the Orangutan Opening. :)

[@duggme]

@@DaveLH isnt that trumps opening?

[@YellowSpaceMarine]

@@DaveLH Not even the a pawn?! Establishment shill!

[@antivenom6336]

Im sure this is gonna be such a useful guide for amateurs like me . This helps me analyse all my thought processes, as an amateur , with the help of an experienced IM . It's literally like you stepping into our boots , correcting our sometimes senseless ideas . Thanks a lot @gothamchess. Please do make lots of series like this 🤝

[@ZwaanAfghan]

Of course Levy’s teaching method in this tutorial is excellent. I appreciate how David openly asks things which crosses almost every beginner/mid-level chess players.

[@richardbryanesq]

' Yes I a gree that the questions are what make this an excellent tutorial. -

[@ajayjoshi9256]

Im levy rozman i am subscribed to almost all the gm channels out there n they do continuous streaming n puzzle rush n sub battle n all but none of them try n teach a lesson or two on basics or intermediate game play. Thanks for this experience of learning from an IM itself. keep up the grt work man .

[@jamesknochen2834]

i felt like i learned much more in this video than in any other video ever. Its not just do this do that, but it is great in showing why other things wont work as well

[@GeminisArising888]

perfectly said

[@briankanda8500]

I just watched this video a few minutes ago and it has really improved the way I think while on the chess board, I’ve not lost any game so far. Thanks man

[@Tikorous]

How many games did you play in the "few minutes" between watching it and commenting?

[@Whyteyy]

Hi Levy, you've got 10k subs in under a week keep up the amazing content my dude

[@SELFMADE300]

xqcL

[@shadrsabirov6412]

xqcL haHAA

[@snuffflakes4942]

I wished my father explained chess like this. I am totally addicted, so much info. Love this content. Counter Strike 3000 years ago.

[@Eat_My_Brick]

Around 2:00 he says he has some questions about the chess+KZbin algorithms, noting that you started popping up a few weeks ago. That's about the time i stumbled on your channel too! Definitely some great content to be explored.

[@freeEnd_]

I got gotham through hikaru :)

[@AvelinoTiago]

yeah, i found gotham from nothing ( i dont even play chess haha )

[@johannesweisser6058]

Very instructive to see a live lesson like this. Great style of teaching from Levy with just the right level of depth to be able to comprehend and improve. Helps having a very smart student like David ;-)

[@francoisleger-belanger6350]

@GothamChess is quickly becoming my favorite educational chess content on youtube. Teaching systems instead of showing/memorizing a ton of lines is so much better for beginners!

[@TheTedder]

After watching this video, a lot of the chess concepts you talk about in other videos actually started to make sense to me.

[@Wryyyyyyyyy21]

One of the best guide videos(both part 1 and 2) ive ever watched now, its 2024 and its been 4 years since this video is uploaded. I rarely watched old videos and especially this analysing things. But the main benefits is you can not only learn best moves, but also you can know common problems that 1000 made. Im 1000 btw. So its really helpful.🎉🎉

[@jothello9162]

I'm so happy to see a detailed guide for the vienna, especially with the fianchetto variation against the sicilian. Great video, I'd like to see more content of this style.

[@adriancuibus8781]

Man, you helped me a lot in my development in terms of chess, I'm sure with the study of these videos I reach the threshold of 1300. As many such posts as possible. I appreciate. 👍

[@gerhardhauptfleisch5021]

This is the most helpful series on improving chess. I believe the reason for is it the speed of instruction, it follows a good rhythm to learn and doesn't go too fast.

[@surajnaik4913]

You have been posting awesome videos so far. Thank you so much for that. I started playing Vienna game and the gambit because of you. It is really working out for me, winning many games after watching your videos!

[@kelea4198]

Interesting to see David here. I believe I saw in an interview somewhere (Joe Rogan... 1 hr 25 mins) where David said he enjoyed watching chess videos to unwind. It's really good to see him here.

[@darrenfleming7901]

he's also playing in pogchamps 2 btw

[@joshua17111]

@@darrenfleming7901 Do you know who else will be in pogchamps 2?

[@ChampionJan]

When is this pogchamps 2?

[@darrenfleming7901]

@Joshua Chandra ​ @Janai Shelton when Pakman announced he was participating he said the tournament was somewhere next month. The participants aren't locked in yet but I saw that Hikaru also invited Imaqtpie on twitter.​

[@thegiftedteacher]

I knew I’d see someone else who picked that up from his Rogan podcast

[@hasmituchil5214]

1100 is perfect for me! Please do a 100 of these

[@verycoolpan]

Hey Levy, one of the best chess lessons for beginner/intermidiate players i`ve seen so far. B ig fan, keep it up.

[@samcatsam]

Levy this was a rad video, thanks a trillion for the free lesson.

[@mathgod]

Levi is one of the best chess teachers on the Internet. I like your interactive style.

[@ddandymann]

As someone transitioning from beginner to intermediate this is probably the most useful video I've come across.

[@zaaxi7424]

I play Vienna game because of you! I love the gambit when they bring the knight out on F6. I also like the white fiancetto bishop on g2, knight on e2. Although there isn't much info on the Vienna game online thanks for this :)

[@alexhogg1364]

What are some good videos to learn with? Any idea what the other video Pakman refers to the Vienna in is?

[@m_p_finess6213]

He actually breaks down everything thanks bro big help 💯💪🏾

[@sweet3rr]

I premoved the like button while the ad was still playing, definantly the best premove I've ever made

[@Zephirum37]

I'm sure Pakman will be great at gobbling up the opponent's pieces in chess...

[@TuequoiseQueso]

damn

[@monkas3968]

I don't get it

[@TuequoiseQueso]

Monka S pacman yo, nomnomnom

[@Zephirum37]

@@TuequoiseQueso @Monka S Not my best ngl

[@sidarthur8706]

because of that wide mouth he's got

[@thomasrowley6643]

This chess lesson was very interesting and I learned a lot of useful ideas about the Vienna system that I will try out in my games. As a French player, I have never liked playing the Exchange variation as Black and White. I find the game can be a bit boring and unexciting. But the point Levy made about getting the knight and bishop out and castling early is very valid.

[@danusiaspock9253]

The exchange French is pretty unexciting; white just plays it to avoid getting bogged down in all the memorized lines that the typical French player seems to have stored up, just play chess. Similar to playing Vienna - fewer people knowing theory (especially at David's level), so he can just play chess. So I agree with the advice to David in this video. When he's focusing on improving his general chess, he doesn't want to get sidetracked learning reams of theory for just one opening. Nobody is forcing anyone to play the ugly 1 ... e6 in the first place -- if they get bored in the exchange French, they should play a different defense. The moment you follow up with d5, there's no way to prevent the exchange.

[@thomasrowley6643]

@@danusiaspock9253 I recently watched a video lecture by Bryan Tillis. He gave some really good advice about playing the French Exchange - go for imbalances e.g. meet Nf3 with Bg4, reply to Bd3 with Nc6. What is key is not to imitate White's play and play a boring, drawish game.

[@Fatallskillz1]

As a person who is familiar with chess but never properly learned it, like I know how all the pieces work but not how to develop and make them work together to get the upper hand. This is good stuff. I try to learn by just playing but its so hard when you dont really know how to play, specially in the mid - endgame.

[@mpatcas]

Hi Levy , thank you for your chess lesson series. I have now a better understanding of my weaknesess and I try very hard to internalize your thoughts. Wishing you all the best from Switzerland and looking forward to your other lessons.

[@vaibhavpandey9100]

This is going to be the killer series for all the 1000-1300 rated players. It reall give some clear cut ideas about e4 opening..

[@stevesidare2493]

Although I might need an extra cup of coffee to keep up with you verbally, it's very instructive! You go a bit deeper and point out WHY. Learning ideas is what advanced beginners need!

[@lenloving]

Yup, your channel popped up on my radar about three weeks or more ago. Really digging your style of delivery and the light theory you bring into the positions. Really accessible for a lot of us lower ELO players :)

[@B33fisGud]

Great video! David does a great job explaining his reasoning, which makes Levys coaching all the clearer. Thank you!

[@gnpar]

a3 to open a square for the bishop (around 17:00) has proven to be a major improvement for my games.

[@g1ka30]

At 37:30, once the knight moves to f2, why not just castle? (The knight blocks the bishop so castling is now allowed)

[@DaveLH]

2:08 -- That's funny because I started getting Gotham's vids popping up suddenly about a week ago too... I didn't know who he was before that.

[@davidrobertson1980]

Interesting Dave, I did a "quantum shift" about 4 weeks ago to save someone (@20) I thought was on the verge of suicide, she didn't... and then Levy started appearing 2-3 weeks ago.... trouble is I've been watching chess for about 5-6 years on here and hey well... maybe he didn't exist on the other timeline....? Coz I'd never seen him before either, now he's everywhere and knows everyone and everyone (in chess) knows him! Glad he appeared tho, he's a good guy and a good teacher. Sadly this CoVert ain't any better than the one I left behind (I think), but we may be progressing! Strange thoughts indeed.... but feasible.

[@noahburke1533]

Awesome video Levy, please more videos around this rank, there are so many players like me around here that want to get better!

[@teriyakipuppy]

You're such a good teacher. People would pay well for coaching

[@mattroxursoul]

Weird tonight was the first time I had ever seen you. I have watched quite a bit of agad talking about games. He seems like one of the nicest people around. Glad I bumped into it though.

[@ebon8853]

@18:30 Engine: taking is best move, pushing is blunder Levy: Yeah i guess taking is a little bit better.

[@irenesch.5818]

Now that is exactly what I was looking for. 🙏 so so helpful!

[@happycontents407]

Exellent content Levy! Continue growing fast

[@station-rpg]

Dear Gotham, That shit you said at 20:40 was deep af Sincerely

[@sunnythegreat9312]

12:49, if queen g3, then other than fork there is knight e4 sacrifice to bring the bishop to h4 right, cause I would do that if I was playing with black pieces.

[@muratcanbahar4052]

@12.36 there is knight d4 sacrifice with followin by the bishop to h4

[@fredjohnson3183]

I also just started seeing your videos pop up and I watch David Parkman all the time

[@ams_designer_18]

Hey Levy , nice video again.! I gotta thing to ask, at 41:00 Ts, i checked with the engine, and it suggests Bg5 is good +2, and then because i think even if Nf2 , we can move the queen say Qd1 , and we are still attacking his queen , 1 tempi extra i guess. And if the black side is not careful , there is potential for pawn f6!! +4 i think, with mating nets. Now , your thoughts on this.???

[@sergiotoro26]

Thank KZbin this just appeared in my algorithm… was in need to see some variation on the Vienna

[@aaronjohn6586]

Thank you so much for this, really good for a rank beginner. Also pointing out what does and doesn't work was very instructive.

[@Cappinator]

This was amazingly informative! Thanks @GothamChess!

[@InfiniteQuest86]

Yes, you just started popping up in my youtube too! Best find ever!

[@kegkkego8991]

Gotham, at 24:48 you suggest pushing the pawn to C3 is okay. How would you feel about trading the bishop for the knight on D4 in this scenario? I feel like that gets some of the pressure off of your queen to guard and would be worth it.

[@csparkle]

Why no one talks about the modern variation of Scandinavian?This is one of my favourite ways to play against e4

[@ChampionJan]

Which variation is that? Is that the Portuguese variation with 2. Nf6?

[@csparkle]

@@ChampionJan e4 d5 exd5 Nf6 If your opponent doesnt know theory perfect,he will have a lot of trouble

[@SumNutOnU2b]

Sshhhh… it's a secret. I play it too, we don't want other people learning what to do now, do we? 😜😆

[@ChampionJan]

Marko Sobol Ah ok I see. I enjoy playing against it tbh. I rarely see it though. Usually the original variation.

[@SumNutOnU2b]

The hardest line to play is the one after 1 e4 d5 2 ed Nf6 3 Bb5+ Use an engine to work out the best few variations for that and everything else comes pretty easily. Also you need to be willing to play a gambit if white tries c4, but it's such a strong Gambit that you almost never see it.

[@garybaker7219]

I'm new to chess; what a superb lesson

[@mattroxursoul]

At 9:05 in this position you have also dictate which side to castle on as well. This is a terrible spot for black to be in. I love Queen side castling because i love chaos on the board.

[@nelsonalva]

I have the same rating on Lichess as David, so this lesson fits me like a glove. Very thanks!

[@mohammedazad7243]

YOU Are the best chess teacher i have ever seen on youtubr

[@coreyburton8]

You are almost at 100k ! Great teaching thanks 😊

[@GeminisArising888]

i wish you were my life coach n teach me why my life aint working the way its supposed to advance on perfect squares,one move at a time

[@tristanlafleur9282]

At 27:30 is Nf5 good ?

[@yoavattias2072]

What a great and relevant video for my level!

[@sledzeppelin]

Oh cool! I've been listening to David for years and only discovered Gotham recently.

[@Joemamahahahaha821]

What are the chances? Do you remember me from highlight reel community posts?

[@sledzeppelin]

@@Joemamahahahaha821 OMG.

[@gonzachambi3937]

Perfect and great as always Levi. First time I saw you was playing with Hikaru 4 chess player. Wonderful lesson!

[@hogmuncher]

I hope he teaches the wooden shield!

[@santiagoozcariz5190]

The most helpful video you have done yet!

[@eitansoussan8158]

Sorry if it s wrong but is nt moving the knight at the very end 53:30 hanging the d pawn ? ^^(thx for the course !)

[@richmond3083]

Woah, I wasn't really paying attention, I didn't read the description or the text that says "Teaching David Pakman ~1100 elo" on the screen. I genuinely thought he was another GM or titled player helping Levy teach. He carries himself really confidently, I was waiting for him to start taking over and explaining a concept until I realized that he was the one being taught.

[@GeminisArising888]

Greetings GC. I Have learnt so much from this lesson. I vow to watch all your others before i dare play anyone online. Jeez....the mistakes i see now with my games is crazy. Wishing you a happy new year and to all of your subscribers too. Godbless. My fav being the fried liver in white but doesnt work with advanced players....else its a killer.

[@kajuanweaver1607]

You really did just start popping up out of nowhere💀

[@Chase_spelled_like_Jimi]

"What are they attacking before you look at what youre attacking"

[@mattroxursoul]

Damn this is cool. I have watched Davids show for a very long time. Had no clue he was interested in playing chess.

[@ishansukul2952]

Man, this was super helpful and informative

[@ImCalebRosengard]

At around 27:30, why isn’t Qh5 an option?

[@ashscott6068]

With a name like Paknam, maybe he'd be better suited to a different game...like Donkey Kong Jr

[@deepsgnips]

Wow. Great format, so instructive

[@dawnsmith1476]

This is so great to watch! How do you decide to whom you offer lessons?

[@dejanl6360]

very nice lesson. thanks guys

[@JakeLYT]

David Parkman has such a good grasp of concepts that haven't even been formally introduced to him yet that he'd likely be at least an FM if chess were his main focus.

[@FedererBG]

Love your channel, mate. Currently watching your videos where you play guys starting 1000 rating and up. All of your videos are like a professor 😂😋

[@karlweyenberg]

Yes, please make more videos like this!!

[@hailongnguyen7176]

37:35 what about castling? Its legal, right?

[@ethan073]

He's surprisingly perceptive for his rating.

[@anuragsinha2013]

Watching David pakman trying to play chess is like a camel trying dance around in roller skates.

[@bricefleurance3019]

Thanks so much! That s so valuable!

[@borjasanz1673]

Great content as always! Looks like a promising series.

[@williamcarrington4960]

This is great! More of this!

[@TonyViper]

been trying this a couple times and i got smashed but when i finally got this down.. oh wow such an great add on to my game!

[@aakashsharma200]

At 37:34 castling is a legal move. Wouldn't it be a good move. Though it would lead to discovered checks be blacks knight but there is no defenitive advantage there for black.

[@copywrite9396]

Aakash Sharma No, it leads to a windmill tactic for black Ex: O-O, Nxd3+ Kh1, Ng2+ Kg1, Nxe4+ Kh1, etc. Black would win 2 pawns, a clear advantage

[@warrygold]

What Pakman said is true I just started seeing Gotham videos about two weeks even the ones he did months ago, it really surprised me the first day I saw his video that he has 8 months ago.

[@Darren_S]

The French defense is my favorite.

[@ciao_abhi]

levy is an amazing teacher

[@sayantanguha707]

Pakman would make a great chess player. He really knows how to stay at the center.

[@mros9254]

best chess professor ever thank you

[@deepskywest3633]

Agreed...Gotham came outta nowhere for me. Have won 3 times with white stonewall. Thanks.