CHESS STEPS #4 (1400-1600)

[@theafricanmask8513]

Ur so condescending and arrogant bullying lower rated players

[@God-yr9rs]

Good evening

[@danieljackson2878]

pin of shame

[@josepharifin1037]

Pin of ur mom

[@adamgangji8930]

Pin of shame

[@TidakDiket23]

Pin of S.H.A.M.E

[@alexandremccormack8598]

This is by far my preferred series. Such a pity you stopped pursuing these videos

[@jimmywhite7828]

Agreed. Will you continue at some point?

[@Hakeem9495]

yeah unfortunately it dosent pull in the big views so he probably wont do it much

[@friarcisco8717]

@gothamchess please keep doing these. They’re so helpful. Perhaps it needs a better title to get more views. But as you can see from the comments these are highly constructive and appreciated.

[@digitig]

Where could he go with it? He's already come up close to his own rating, so if he carries on he's going to end up against stronger players than himself and *they'd* have to do the explaining. :)

[@Wishuk112]

​@@digitig you gotta be joking, there's still 1000+ elo worth of content left, Which is a lot. As he climbs , he can make climbs for ranges of 100 elo instead of 200 like this one

[@ianemory5800]

As someone in the 1550 range, I think your point about this level just playing solidly is spot on. The difference, though, is when higher rated players start taking risks, it's that they know how to unbalance a position while not blundering. This can throw or level into mistakes that'll cost us the game.

[@ChaoticDude]

I agree. I meet these strong players who are like these conmans and entice me with pieces and all but in reality they are literally conning me out of the game. And I am sitting there watching myself getting mated and rethinking my life decisions... Honestly I have just taken a break from chess cuz if i were to continue im pretty sure i will be driven mad by these strong players *sigh*

[@louistheoret7242]

Fairly accurate as someone in the 1800 range who was stuck around 1550 for a while, a big part of what got me going up the rating ladder is knowing how to correctly complicate the position, usually with pawn play/breaks

[@desmondfitzgeraldlara343]

Were just good enough that we can understand a good move after its played

[@hiddenint]

@@desmondfitzgeraldlara343 Agreed. I just made it to 1600 and am moving up, but I often can evaluate my opponent's moves better than my own.

[@manawearblack]

Yeah exactly, aggressive players at our rating are just freelo 99% of the time

[@danielshriver5491]

After finding your channel, you got me back into chess after more than 10 years. Big thank you!

[@martynamery3244]

Same for my, but 5 years

[@youtubeviolatedme7123]

Awesome! Don't forget to give yourself some credit too. If you didn't want to return to chess, you wouldn't have, so it's good you still have the aptitude.

[@rudradwivedi434]

@@youtubeviolatedme7123 Really true

[@SchoolBusGraveyardRocks]

Holesome

[@dhruvyadav7715]

your life must be a waste then 🥴

[@hudsonkruse9313]

I would love it if you continued this series. I've really learned a lot from this

[@Tiguiso]

We need more content for us 1500+ folks trying to improve our game. This is just fantastic! Thanks gotham!

[@aryamanak]

Same thing

[@sathyaiyer3657]

100% agreed! Thanks for creating these videos, Levy :)

[@jackfirestone5072]

as someone rated around 1600-1650, i think we are at the very top end of this sort of intermediate range. advanced players still can consistently beat us because of their prep and tactics, but we are past the point of blundering anything serious and i feel right around 1600-1700 is where the game really goes from intermediate to advanced. can’t wait for your advice on how to beat 1700-1900s 👍🏼

[@markorji8411]

agree with you as an 1800 noone blunders all the funny stuff any more maybe one in 20 games or something

[@royalredbird9717]

As a 1697, I agree.

[@vanya6110]

What's your rating rn?

[@jackfirestone5072]

@@vanya6110 i’m 1717 at the moment, so not too much progress in the last year 😂. Peak rating is 1741.

[@MrDanielfff777]

​@@jackfirestone5072 how did you get to that rating

[@_v2.0]

21:42 This is one of the most important lessons in the video imo. It shows why it's important for players to understand how to both play aggressively w/ the initiative, and solidly w/ emphasis on making principled moves. As someone who has been on both ends of the style spectrum, I can confirm that those skill ceilings are very real when you're too biased and inflexible towards a particular way of playing.

[@jaytessier3317]

As a 1400 - 1600 I learned a lot from this video. What I do well and what I do poorly. I never comment or like anything. But felt compelled to say thank you for the informative content.

[@AlloAnder]

Same

[@TruthLivesNow]

Agree!

[@spytrek]

And here I am with 2000+ rating, totally enjoying watching the last game and going wtf about the havoc black almost created on the white king. Looking forward to watching the 2000 elo episode when it comes out

[@Seven-ez5ux]

Nah come on that was relatively okay. Even during the game i was kinda skeptical as to why Levy didn't go for Nh4 to block the pawn and slowly use the over extension against black (which was ultimately the engine recommendation) but maybe that's just the wild and aggresive non-titled player spirit I have in me haha. Definitely a good game though for sure! Props to dupre1231. Can definitely see them becoming 1700+ soon.

[@Money4Nothing]

3:59 "Against queen's pawn it's hard to create crazy complications." Benoni says HI

[@_v2.0]

Albin Counter-gambit: Hold my beer.

[@haveaniceday3128]

King’s Indian Defense (like the actual opening with theory) anybody?

[@haveaniceday3128]

Or even the Dutch

[@jeremyjacoby4754]

I'm ~1580 and I love the benoni, some positions can look super scary though (if the opponent plays f4 before developing the g1 knight). The different journeys the b8 knight can make is super fun and leads to key tactical skirmishes.

[@jeremyjacoby4754]

@@nguyenthinh5594 i agree, but fabi played it with black in the candidates in like 2016, i think he drew with it but there were certainly chances of him getting mated on the board, but his opponent wasn't completely confident in his attack.

[@jarrodthekidder1]

That last London game was SO educational for me. Playing with my friends, we're all between 900 and 1300 and the problem with me and my prep is they do either aggressive moves that messes up my setup or they do unorthodox moves that put me in a bind. Thank you for playing the London and for this series. I am going to rewatch that game a few times to learn a few things.

[@cheesiechess3656]

I'd recommend not playing the London and instead play the queens gambit. Levy said himself Queens gambit is one of the best openings, very popular among GMs too. London is very predictable and you learn much more chess with a more flexible opening like queens gambit, Sicilians etc.

[@J4Gameing]

In that game at 50:39 I thought black was going to push his pawn to d5 and keep up that amazing attack by opening his Queen attacking the pawn and the pinned bishop.... I don't know my elo did you see that move?

[@LK25278]

@@J4Gameing cant white just play e5?

[@J4Gameing]

@BlueScreen hmmm I feel like there is something there this is what I love about chess you think you find something I could look at the same position for an HR sometimes it feels like I make an amazing discovery to be shut down lol and other times it goes perfectly it's small things that mess me up but I feel as if I'm pretty good if I don't play timed

[@KavsLockedOut]

@@J4Gameing 600 hundo then 💀

[@elhombrevolador4015]

As a 1500, I'm proud Levy called me a 'strong player'

[@LM-rs1co]

Technically speaking 1500 is roughly the top 5% of the site, so... =)

[@drew7311]

haha me too

[@ppmpyae1152]

As a 500, I hate you all. :)

[@umwxntedsxul393]

@@LM-rs1co wait what lol guess we geniuses

[@lred1383]

@@LM-rs1co I suspect that this statistic is misleading, since there are numerous dead accounts from people who tried online chess, didn't really like it and moved on. As a 1400-1500 myself, i suspect that i am in the top 20% or so of actual players. People below me in rating are the majority, but there is still a significant amount of 1500+ people Edit: upon further consideration, i think i overestimated this rating and it's more like top 30-35%

[@DivineTiming8888]

Levy is disguising his own moves by making them 1500 😂 loving the content! It’s very instructional and easy to follow.

[@yassenmirheg6730]

The first guy is going to remember his draw for the rest of his life

[@RyanW1019]

I saw someone suggest a new series called Guess the Eval in the comments of another one of your videos, where the idea is subs send you positions from their games and you have to try to guess the Stockfish evaluation of the position. I think that would be cool if you are looking for new ideas.

[@weareafteryou3975]

Lol

[@bislama1]

@@amadeus3075 cringe

[@haveaniceday3128]

So I’m only 2 games in the video but I feel that this already represents my life; it’s storeytime lol. So basically I’ve made this chess club at my high school and am kind of in my own tier in terms of rating. There’s a bunch of people who are 1000 to 1400 (I’m like a 1600) and then 3 people who are 1800 or higher. Usually, I play like the first game and slowly extract one of my opponents weaknesses but against those 2 Titans I play like the second guy because I realize I have no shot of winning in the endgame against them. Although I still win like 80 percent of the time against the lower rated players I’ve only won like 1 of 10 games against the higher rated guys and they keep telling me that my opening prep can take me over 2000 if I just played more solidly and didn’t try to leap at the first sign. I just played 3 solid games in the pool and went 2-1 where I hung a knight in the one loss.

[@MrDavidGlu]

I miss this series and Win At Chess so much. I don't care for the professional world of chess, but I love playing and these series feel more like let's plays of chess and are so informative.

[@dalewier9735]

it is a rare privilege to get to hear the inner thoughts of someone so studied and proficient. Thank you

[@ripstott]

Love both this series and 'how to win at chess'. I think I'm struggling with an uneven game, I'm stuck at 500 blitz ranking but I'm comfortable with 1800-ish puzzles.

[@ngawangr5324]

Just reached 1400, proud to be an intermediate player

[@yelsewteste8257]

The first oponent played really well in his rating, without making real mistakes he's going to get a lot more rating, just based on the oponent mistakes, if he keeps playing like that that is

[@Mentaljedi]

Yeah he held it together in the endgame which was impressive

[@andreitiberiovicgazdovici]

I play as black the open slav, and Levy's opponent as White was great for his rating

[@chess7259]

I am 1520 and I was almost 1600 people in that rating usually maje mistakes and not blunderes and a lot of time 1500 rated players are making mistakes but not big but when they do I don't know how to punish these mistakes for example I attack my opponent and I am locking all of his pieces in a cage and I don't know what to do next that's my problem so what to do to stop it? do I need to think about something specific?

[@russellscott1151]

Some of the best instructional 1500 games I’ve seen on Gotham. Great games and great lessons.

[@jasperaers8211]

game 1, after Levi explains why to not put 2 bishops on the same rank due to his Rook X-raying 2 bishops, he puts his own two bishops on the second rank where the opponent could X-ray them with his rook

[@louisboylan7623]

Most practically useful video. Really clear to see how to create the weaknesses for the opponent which will go on to cost them the game. I have understood like 'double pawns bad' / 'isolated pawn bad' for a long time but this video allowed me to actually implement that concept into games.

[@RealityCheck1]

@ 49:24 I have seen Nakamura play the same position as black in a blitz game many times. His aim was to target pieces in front of your short-castled king. Then go for an easy end-game. Lower rated players fell for the trap most.

[@DanielSodkiewicz]

I have some of your courses and watching your channel a lot, and this was one of the most educational video I remember. Just wow. Great content.

[@Devilfish6666]

That first dude played a really nice game!

[@johnstevenson9956]

I learn at least a little something from everything you put up, but I learn more when you're doing something more like this. And man, I really have a lot to learn!

[@dimitristill]

Thank you for your hard work Lewis!

[@drakeeoll2559]

PLEASE DO THE NEXT STEP. I NEED IT

[@anirbanghosh1888]

19:23 with great power (of a space advantage) there must also come great responsibility (of protecting the e5 pawn)😂

[@garvitjindal248]

Nice one😂

[@anirbanghosh1888]

@@garvitjindal248 thnx 😂

[@tarunashok8446]

Happy Valentine's to my only constant the past year - GothamChess ❤

[@joshgiguere4700]

I wish he made more than 4 of these. They’re so helpful and informative!

[@JeffNoel]

Game 1 endgame was super interesting! As someone watching the series in order, it's nice to see him start to question the start and look for more advanced moves. I'm like 400 top but I'm still learning something every video!

[@rsabreadking]

Thank you Levy. Thank you.

[@rbcdelta6561]

Outstanding episode in a great series!! Instructive without the confusing discussion of multiple opening lines and defensive response lines. Instead, strategy when facing (or playing) 'normal' chess at this level. Very helpful for us 800s trying to get better: basic goals of the position, how to be solid, how not to get distracted, etc... Thanks for the great content!

[@veronicahsidwell]

Yay! I got your e4 course and your Caro course, and I bounced from 1200 to mid 1400s, so I’m excited to see this point in the series!

[@danielkeis8388]

This is perfect since I am floating around 1450-1500 and it seems like an ELO wasteland trying to push beyond this threshold!

[@georgerenton4187]

I'm just below at 1300 can't crack 1400, wonder what the main difference between our play would be .

[@rishigoyal6307]

@@georgerenton4187 im in your position, highest rapid i got was 1390 but not floating at like 1330. Big difference is capitilizing on mistakes as they're more tactical and can start to recognize whats a winning vs losing position

[@lassih4709]

@@georgerenton4187 Daniel Naroditsky makes very instructive chess videos.

[@jacobwalker8730]

Right there with you. I recently rocketed up to 1480 and plummeted back down to 1350 before ever making it to 1500. Have been floating around here for months.

[@EGH9701]

@Rishi Goyal I’m 1410, I found 12-1300 very easy but 1400 is rough now, I went from 1200-1400 in less than 2 months.

[@StartingChess]

Watching you play and analyze games against normal players (as opposed to masters) is most entertaining and instructive. I hope you continue with this series

[@lily91556]

11:33 It's actually funny because it's not just that mate combination, after Bxa2 white actually just has Re2, the exact same x-ray technique that black would've done. That move's just filled with savagery

[@thechickennoob5449]

Shoutout to the last person who played e6b6, been trying to implement it in my games as a 1300 and that game was really instructive

[@katis999]

Thanks, Levy! Where is part 5 by the way...?

[@rolettuce9654]

Glad this series hasn't gone away

[@JeffNoel]

With how formidable this episode was, I definitely need some popcorn for episode 5. This was awesome.

[@brandonmjohnsonphotography]

I love this series! You get SO excited. I needed this today. Thank you!

[@EnriqueNuesch]

Hi, Levy! Found your channel some days ago, and already had improvements with my vision of the board. You are the greatest instructor in YT. Thank you very much!

[@blizzard2376]

We need a 1700-2000 step. This is the hardest part of chess, please do it

[@seantimmons5900]

Because you didn't ask... A fun series would be to show best games by rating. Like - ask players with ratings up to 800 to send the best game they ever played. Then go up the ladder. So instead of the fun bashing of a player, we can have fun rooting for the player to pull off the miracle.

[@matukoli2240]

I'm stuck in 1500/1600 for many weeks This video is just perfect

[@Classified141]

I'm stuck between 1000 and 700. Yes, I'm really that inconsistent..

[@nathangay1746]

Absolutely love this series! Even as a lower rated player these videos stay really instructive for me. I’d love to see more

[@fruchtlack]

Bring this back dawg Awesome playlist!

[@shampooner]

I appreciate that in this series you not only study the moves the opponent makes, but the style of play that they have. This gives an interesting insight into the mind of a 1400-1600

[@kennyfa2874]

Hi Gotham, I've been a subsciber for a while. I want to thank you for all the great content you have provided, especially guess the elo. I always watch your videos at the end of my day and it never fails to lift my spirits. :)

[@fencserx9423]

I really like the meaningful blunders. It’s actually very helpful

[@odielarson]

So glad you are bringing back this series. Thank you Levy.

[@rickiespanish8422]

This series helped me like no other. Unreal in how it opened up my eyes

[@zacharybeaudoin3624]

Its crazy you're putting these tips on KZbin for free, I think we all are saying a very enthusiastic thanks Levy!

[@Àdhamh_Fife]

Great series Levy, enjoyed it, thanks 😎 Very useful as a player in the 1300-1400 range, loved it 👍

[@therealmorty7158]

These are the best series. Perfect rating group too. Can learn a lot here

[@mckinziea97]

Game 3 was super educational and it gave me an idea for a new video series. You should do a serious about beating different openings. “How to beat the Sicilian Defense” “How to beat the London” etc. Openings are always shown from the “Title Opening” perspective but it was super informative to learn how to attack the Caro from whites perspective. I know counterplay is touched on in most opening videos but to see the ideas evolve into a winning endgame really hits the ideas home

[@goldenlion3184]

These episodes are GREAT! More Please!

[@achijatheizzetbard]

I would just like to lend my voice to the requests for episode 5. I love this series, I don't play much chess but I love watching it and the principles apply to other tactical games quite well.

[@jomochess1501]

This is my favorite series so far!! Hoping there are future parts and it doesn’t end here

[@mora-lessgodofmora3814]

Thanks! Gothamchess with the best content as always. I'll be sure to use this tips to beat Levy Rozman

[@maulhaque894]

It feels wired to tell in this comment section but this video not only taught me how to play chess, but helped me on how to take decisions about my career in real life. I KNOW NOBODY WILL READ THIS, but saying if 000001% chance someone read this or I my self read this after 5 or 10 years, I wanna watch this video again from 20:45 (approx) minute or you too who is reading this. I got an understanding about how to make decisions in my life. Should I sacrifice my current job to get a new higher paying job having the risk of losing it by being aware of what makes me to lose the job or I should stay in my current job having less salary but increased my work experience. Which road should I choose that will help me to be on the top ceiling. Thank you Gotham 💖 love you from India.

[@DontKnowHowToSayNo]

Love the amount of effort and generosity in your videos. Thank you!

[@RonyCruz]

This is the best episode on "how to play" you've done.

[@waiifii22]

Would love it if you continued this series!!

[@AlloAnder]

Finally, that's exactly what I needed

[@sparkygtynes]

Do you think a similar series on just endgames would be popular? Like, endgames you can win/save at different levels and common tricks based on player level. Maybe even like situations where you can convert into a winning/better endgame. Personally that’s the weakest part of my game at ~1450

[@ILoveYou-qe9vo]

For endgames just download an app Chess endgame training. It's completely free and has over 1000 endgame situations of all kinds.

[@WindyNight114]

This is the episode I was waiting for! Thanks so much!

[@malavikaa2168]

Why did you stop doing these videos ? They are so good. I binged on the entire series and even took notes !

[@mridgaf3233]

In my very first USCF tournament, I played a guy named Ralph that was like 1540 who was very solid for a guy that stayed in the 1400-1550ish range for life. We drew that game and I'll always remember how solid he played when compared to a 1900s player I beat (to win the tournament) with a Scandinavian. The #1 thing about these players is that you can't underestimate them even though they DO still make very basic mistakes both in tactics and positional play

[@vanshbharadwaj]

I admire the consistency of posting the videos. Good job!

[@potatoo2137]

I cant wait for chess steps for ppl my level!

[@lookatme808]

I've played overly aggressive players, and just staying solid and keeping with fundamentals I have won much more games than lost. They usually resign once their tactics are exposed. I am a beginner so doesn't really say much.

[@Jimemy]

There are many 1400 that does unsound piece sack. Like they sack a piece to open up king but they dont mate if oponent plays good moves. Like usally a forced queentrade and then you play a piece up in the end game. While your opponent is up one or two pawns. I have sadly lost games in endgames up a piece vs two pawns because I failed to do the correct moves to stop the pawn. But you live and learn. But I bet they learn to over time, for when a sacrifce is good or unsound.

[@aluminiumknight4038]

70% of my losses come from games where I knew I had a very good position, those losses feel very bad.

[@Ahmad4544_]

I'm 1606, I guess I'm going to wait until the next episode

[@Jon_Blake]

Im glad you are still posting this series!

[@Abell_lledA]

Narrative of Self is the result of a feedback loop between “Separate Self” & Cosmos.🎈

[@salvadorsempere1701]

This episode it´s pure gold for me!!!

[@kaidoChess]

Finally!! 🔥

[@WQQDS]

Thank you I enjoy these very much as I'm learning

[@N0Xa880iUL]

That 1540 elo player is the more accurate representation. They are that good.

[@LolitzmeDwyne]

Im studying the queens gambit like every theory and lines and I like that the first video is a queens gambit

[@jdcampbell7090]

I think all of your content is great but I really enjoy chess steps. I would love to see additional steps from wyere this left off and see you move from the 1600 up to the 2000 or so range.

[@ghawitechnology2535]

You are simply the best with your fast explanations for every move and possibility and using arrows so we can see .. 👍😊

[@jeffreyrosas1784]

12:17 “be careful stacking your bishops . . .” 12:25 stacks his bishops “

[@treemaninatree2841]

when i first started chess i was horrible and my first move would be h5 ( when I'm playing black) but when i found Gotham chess, it changed my chess life! thankyou

[@raghavsrivastava2016]

Very Very Interesting video....it made motivate to continue playing chess....

[@janbartek-videoeditor592]

Thank you gotham! Really instructional

[@mahdisanatkar245]

Thank you levy for your good contents

[@peterclerkin906]

Thank you, amigo! Your hard work is not unappreciated.

[@ThunderTalk]

We need more of this

[@ngawangr5324]

1400-1600 the land of the intermediate . 1700-1900 advanced, 2000-2200 experts. And you know the rest

[@zah936]

Thank you . I am so grateful for this channel.

[@rickdynes]

Thank You, Levi!! LOVE These ideas/concepts you have for these series!!

[@stolenhandle]

Great one! Really instructive. Very much appreciated.

[@jonathanyork3636]

Incredibly good instructional content here!!!!