Climbing the Rating Ladder: 1200-1400

This is a series where I play lower-rated players and comment on optimal chess strategy both broadly and specifically to the rating level in question. Here we rise another rung and tackle players in the 1200-1400 rating range on Chess.com.
Part 1 (Up to 1000): kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2PLpomcZtFni6c
Part 2: (1000-1200): kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJi8qmWHjrZghZY
Links to games:
Game 1 vs. ismaellr: www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=1265543460
Game 2 vs. Akhileshrajbhar: www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=1265566504
Game 3 vs. McConville01: www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=1265587456
Game 4 vs. santiagomagno15: www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=1265600017
♚ My 100 Endgames You Must Know Course ➡️ www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/
♝ My London System (1.d4 and 2.Bf4) Course ➡️ www.chessable.com/the-london-system-essential-theory/course/15820/
♜ The Checkmate Patterns Manual (with CraftyRaf) ➡️ www.chessable.com/the-checkmate-patterns-manual/course/17841/
♛ FREE 1.d4 Repertoire for White (1,000+ reviews, 4.7/5 avg. rating) ➡️ www.chessable.com/im-john-bartholomews-1-d4-repertoire-for-white/course/102/
♟️ Add me as a friend on Chess.com ➡️ www.chess.com/member/fins0905?ref_id=1761842
Disclaimer: If you purchase a course or membership via the above links, I will earn a commission. I only recommend courses and sites I use myself. Thank you for supporting my channel!
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[@thebirdhasbeencharged]

Many years later I'm watching these in place of netflix. You have a knack for teaching, the pace is perfect and the content is top tier.

[@mightybazooka]

you definitely have a gift for teaching, economy of language, pace, everything makes sense and is easy to understand.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+mightybazooka Thanks, mightybazooka! :)

[@Krnmustang11]

I'm get crushed by 1300's and John makes it seem so obvious on how to beat them.

[@fictitiousforce9048]

Aaron Park and then he crushes 2000 rated players

[@isaiahsias3818]

How is your game now?

[@dylanm3181]

seems like we got the same username xD. Yeah. im also in your similar range. cant seem to get to 1250 now. I'm stuck around 1200. Hope your chess got better!

[@agnelaaron1728]

Oh man I’m 1312 on chess.com and I’m getting crushed by 1400’s So I guess it never changes lol

[@blahtoausername]

@@agnelaaron1728 maybe it's the mind set? Chess.com is my "serious" account and I can't break 1200. Lichess is my "don't care" account and I'm beating 1600's.

[@j.6230]

Your knowledge combined with your eloquence makes you such a good teacher! Thanks as always and keep it up!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Jordy van Ekelen Thanks, Jordy :)

[@nathanielpeter3296]

+John Bartholomew How should I avoid my blunders ? I have reached 1200 mark couple of times but it becomes hard to stay in that zone. My aim is to reach 1600. How much time will it take to reach there ? Should I spend less time playing chess and more time watching chess videos ?

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Nathaniel Peter No, you should definitely spend the vast majority of your time playing chess. At 1200 you still need to accumulate a lot of practical playing experience, and the only way to do that is with active learning. Playing longer games (15-minutes or more) plus studying tactics should be your bread and better!

[@Nick374a]

+John Bartholomew Do you do private lessons online? Could really use some to get started. Currently about 1200 elo. Anyhow, I really appreciate your videos! They're by far the best out there.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Nick374a Hey, Nick! Feel free to send me a message here on KZbin.

[@DustyFlapjack]

One thing I've noticed about how these higher skilled players move: Whenever possible make your moves do two things at once. I haven't heard many masters explicitly state this, but listening to their commentary (John included) you can pick up on how this is important. Listen to how John talks about his moves. He will often say something like: This attacks X but also threatens Y. Or this defends X and also attacks Y. Since you can only move one piece per turn in chess, I think learning to make your pieces do multiple things at once is a very useful skill. Hope this helps all you beginners. I definitely fall within the rating of this video and I'm still trying to work out how to make every move doubly useful.

[@mattrocde]

This is called "playing with tempo" and if your masters haven't *drilled this into your head* as being important, they probably either weren't really teaching anything, or didn't understand how to impart that knowledge. You are absolutely correct in it being important. Chess, even though it is turn based, is the most time critical strategy game ever created.

[@user-un-known]

@@mattrocde He said nothing about "his" masters. In fact, he said nothing about having a master. I judge he's self taught, and hasn't encountered playing with tempo idea being drilled into everyone's head in free tutorials available on internet. Even John doesn't explicitly state this. At least not in this video.

[@ingers.4653]

It's also called double attack you should do more puzzles to get this idea drilled in

[@jamesrawlings5781]

@@mattrocde I'm a bit confused. I thought I understood playing with tempo, and I thought I understood the idea of trying to make moves that do more than one thing (one move that develops a piece, defends a piece and allows your rooks to link up would be three things in one move). I never heard this idea described as playing with tempo though. What am I missing?

[@mattrocde]

@@jamesrawlings5781 Playing with Tempo is a term to describe playing a move that basically "wins" you an extra turn. The most common example that can be found in lower levels is developing either knight to a position that attacks your opponents overextended queen. You played a strong development move - pushing up your knight - and in the process you have forced your opponent to move his queen to save it. This means that your opponent had to save a piece, rather than continue to push his own onto the middle of the board. Ergo, you "won a tempo" or gained an extra turn, essentially. Chess is a *very* time critical board game, and I'm not talking about real minutes and seconds here. White already has a slight advantage due to starting one turn ahead of black, Imagine if you could either remove that advantage, or push it further by playing with tempo? Tl;DR - Playing with Tempo is playing a move in Chess that forces your opponent to waste time doing things he didn't want to do. This, in effect, allows you to gain more useful turns than your opponent. Even if you aren't winning any material, doing this whenever you can will ultimately lead to won material, or checkmate.

[@DJJOHN92]

Game against santiagomagno15. John Bartholomew: "I think I misplayed a little bit". Stockfish 6 analysis: 0 inaccuracies, 0 mistakes, 0 blunders and a 7 centipawn loss.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Johan Irvall Wish that happened every time I thought I misplayed something :)

[@nischay4760]

JB = AlphaZero

[@mizofan]

credit to santiagomagno too then :)

[@pavelivanov5091]

@@mizofan I just checked his profile on chess.com, he has over 2000 score on blitz so he might give John some real trouble now.

[@zelandakhniteblade5436]

​@@pavelivanov5091, sounds rather like he is using computer aid to me but sure, maybe he is a very fast learner...

[@perezfranco]

This has got to be the best series of instructional chess videos I've seen for people in my level (1300). Thanks so much!

[@nurneues1662]

@@kingdomseekers1973 Do you play on lichess? My rating is also ~1300

[@nurneues1662]

@@kingdomseekers1973 My lichess ist chess-exe, if you want to play some time. I don't have a chess.com account, sorry.

[@ricky1990rg]

John Lawson was o

[@ricky1990rg]

John Lawson it is a good day I wanna is is that your time for for y’all tomorrow night Mech lol haha is haha a time for y’all lol I love gotta you have to be friends for ya bro haha haha was day day and I wanna see ya ya in a good day day ya know bro ya know ya ya we know ya ya bro lol lol ya ya bro man lol ya qya is life fun and I love ya ya know ya lol ya ya know ya ya ya bro ya know ya ya know what you wanna ya ya know bro well bro lol lol bro y’all ya ya know ya ya bro lol ya know ya bro lol ya bro bro bro haha was a good day night lol haha is the time tqto rcome be a great day day for ytme y’all have have fun tonight haha rwqbro y’all rare lol wo was the day I the wrtqtoo for ya bro lol uqihaha haha day eqwas this last last night I was wondering how y’all were feeling and what to you ever oother tuis I say you wanna was your your

[@ricky1990rg]

John Lawson u you know ya know how awhat is your life and what you’re gonna life is to be a a bit t I just want wanted you know please call ya me t you are ya know know how much people have been in there’s no one more than you know that I don’t have a any right day ptI yI is that good time to go do you want to go to get together to to hang yo man you gotta gotta is the time dry I wanna is a time day day today haha was we going all day today haha was a a good good day day to you haha haha was is a good time to come home and get some some things going done today haha is the wway day I gotta gotta is

[@davehumphreys1725]

Yours has to be one of the most nerve wracking chess channels on KZbin!!! There you are, calmly explaining your ideas; verbally reviewing previous games, in a 5 MIN GAME!!, and your clock goes down, down, down.....and I'm sitting here screaming at you to make a move like......NOW!!! I'm currently trying to climb said rating ladder, and I'm struggling against players rated 1350 - 1400, yet you make it look ridiculously easy to beat them. But, I enjoy listening to your running commentaries, showing what it is the masters look for in positions. Its a shame not more masters do the same thing. Many thanks.

[@happy_labs]

I like the idea of repeating this series on other websites! It would give a chance to cover a lot more ground

[@roxastidus4109]

Big rated chess players be like : Ok let's freeze the time and speak a bit about the theories all the possible threats and how to defend against them. Me be like, ok I have 5minutes left ... I'm GONNA LOOOSE !!

[@patszer8314]

As I watch John play I realize that I move way too fast.

[@michaeld6178]

This series is awesome. Keep it up John!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Michael D Will do!

[@kangaroochess7097]

je I didn't knew that you were going to post that game in youtube ( I am santiagomagno15), anyway I have improved, now I am a 1960 player and I am looking for the rematch but maybe I am going to need more practice, good game anyway

[@stephaniebarnhill8389]

santo 1616 I thought someone said you cheated

[@elherre965]

how did you improve 600 points in a year??

[@bennettdavid904]

@Samuel Feinberg I want you to post a video to prove it. Because you are a liar. At the moment you haven't posted a video and you are a GM? Yeah right

[@olopaxx]

@Samuel Feinberg no one asked, no one gives a shit

[@maleperson2449]

@Samuel Feinberg My rating is 25400

[@jamesmcconville4928]

Good game John, wish I could have give you a better game. Was using Microsoft Edge at the time and it kept reloading page. Did have a chuckle that I went for the Scandinavian against you. haha love these videos too

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+James McConville Haha - good game, sir.

[@JarrettBrad]

@@JohnBartholomewChess I'm confused why black doesnt take the pawn on C2 with his bishop in this opening?

[@JamJatthews]

John Smith I believe Bo meant right after queen moves to E2. After that the C2 pawn seemed to be undefended for a few moves

[@nowheretosit]

It's amazing how dramatic and interesting the game becomes with this running commentary. Well done.

[@fakecubed]

My advice, and granted I'm nowhere close to being an IM, is if you're playing at this level and you're facing a lot of Sicilian players, get familiar with the Dragon, because it's very popular with players climbing the ratings (it doesn't require quite as much theory as the Najdorf, so a lot of players will start by learning the Dragon... it's also pretty fun IMO where you're basically on a race attacking each other's opposite-corner castles). You'll probably see it a lot. Then, when you do start running into Najdorf players, learn the Moscow Variation. You're gonna eventually have to learn the Najdorf yourself, but if you haven't learned it yet and you're up against players who are more familiar with it than you are, it's a quick shortcut you can make to just take Najdorf/Dragon players out of their comfort zone. It basically rejects Black's whole gameplan and takes you out of the theory world.

[@lobserionia]

What do you mean with dragon?

[@fakecubed]

Midnight the Sicilian Dragon opening.

[@jacobmarshall5391]

Great advice

[@fakecubed]

Later on, when you’ve decided to take the plunge and get good, I like the English Attack (or its equivalent, the Yugoslav Attack in the Dragon) for the major Sicilian variations. There are exceptions but by the time you’re likely to run into them you will probably know what they are already. Anyway, just a hint to those moving on up.

[@timothydelacy9571]

I play the anti Sicilians to avoid the theory and just play a solid middle game. Check out the Alapin variation.

[@blupulse1638]

John, I think you should organize your series into playlists so that people can easily go through a certain series to look for a video they want to watch :)

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+PulseDesigns I $3 Intros! Done: kzbin.info/aero/PLl9uuRYQ-6MCBnhtCk_bTZsD8GxeWP6BV

[@LocoCioco]

John, would love if you mention some resources for each level: what books to read, how much time to spend on tactics .. etc Great series, keep them coming

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+LocoCioco Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. I might do a "study plan" series where the goal would be to provide the viewer with a rough plan for improvement appropriate for their level.

[@LocoCioco]

+John Bartholomew that would be awesome. thanks in advance

[@perezfranco]

+John Bartholomew That would be great. Thanks!

[@ClutchGen]

+John Bartholomew I would greatly appreciate this, thanks John!

[@thequeensconquerer316]

+John Bartholomew Did you make the study plan series?

[@ryanfurton2]

John, I come back to this series every time I get back into chess. Love the way you play and explain your decisions in a calm, understandable, manner.

[@freedomiseverything2682]

This has to be the most informative, easy to listen to, KZbin Chess channel that I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. What a legend 👌

[@distantv0ice]

Please consider making multiple videos for this level. This is the most helpful video I've ever watched. Explaining things while playing real games against real opponents is so much more helpful than videos that just rattle off the best lines without showing what to do once your opponent makes a mistake.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+distantv0ice "This is the most helpful video I've ever watched." - Love to hear that :) My plan is to climb the ladder on other sites too (and possibly Chess.com again), so you can expect further videos at the various rating levels. Thanks for watching!

[@ianallen738]

Hey man. Your videos are even more informative than Eric Rosen's, which are excellent. Love your stuff, hope you are still actively posting.

[@knightf8648]

Problem with eric rosen is that he doesnt upload on youtube regularly. His content is only for twitch viewers.

[@OregonMikeH]

John a quick time out for me even though I have mentioned on other climbing the ladder Videos. Your insight, explanations, and comparative move orders are so enlightening & helpful! Yvor Host Demeanor is always so pleasant. Constant tactics ideas, my man it's just flat out enjoyable. Grand thanks to YA from many in your Audience for sure. Appreciate learning of retreating moves as well. Simply Splendid insights and instruction that always prove greatly appreciated. .. Thank you Big John!! Blessings from Oregon, .. Mike. If I may give a little something back, please enjoy my Y.T. offerings. Respectful Regards, ... Mike.

[@uchihamadara6024]

the good thing about this series is that it teaches you how to crush players of every rating level. Good work john

[@squashaddict4529]

47:04 "He always has one square he can go to". John bro you left me hangin'. I was waiting for a lesson in marine biology and octupi and slipperiness and escaping through holes in boats! Really disappointing.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Squash Addict Someone is an avid follower of my videos! :)

[@bristolchronic4eva]

These videos are so fucking good. You really spell things out, and explain what would otherwise be totally complex thought, in a way that is super straightforward. Bring these vids back. Hope the guy that makes these vids is still crushing it.

[@rahulprabhu1783]

This is one of the best videos for folks like me stuck in the 1200 to 1400 range. I often wondered about the thought process for higher ranked players and you do a great job of walking through the thinking in your mind after each move. Super helpful!

[@angoor101]

I just found your videos and started watching from below 1000 level and find it most interesting method of learning. I started playing at around age 6 and was a good player at 11 and by the time Fischer vs. Spassky came along. I don’t really know my skill level and don’t know much about openings and theories but apparently discovered them naturally over time. I seem to be comfortable with 2000 score level on chess.com and thank you very much for making your videos available especially for an older retired 59 year old man like me. Thanks much.

[@fishklm]

I started watching these a year ago and I've improved significantly since then. This series of videos was a big part of that

[@TC-yo1zx]

I'm loving these videos. John, you totally got a natural teaching gift as well as playing. Always calm, without ego, and you make it so clear to follow. I'm a total beginner, and these are inspirational. Thank you!

[@fakecubed]

French is a lot of fun. Sadly nobody ever plays it against me when I'm white, and I prefer to go into other defenses myself when I'm black. Still it's nice to know a little of the theory behind it for that once-in-a-blue-moon French game.

[@rawrimadinasour8401]

hey john.. i have been a subscriber to your channel for quite some time now..and i must say that your videos has teach me a lot about chess.. just want to tell you how much i appreciate your efforts.. im loving this new series..cheers

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+rawr i'm a dinasour Awesome to know. I appreciate you watching!

[@tanujb]

Thank you John for calmly explaining the details.

[@SureshBabu-yo8vb]

I am a big fan of your videos. Being a newbie to chess, I learned so much from the detailed explanation you provide. Thanks a lot for the videos and keep up good work.

[@James-oj6ck]

You mentioned that with a new opening you might lose some. I take that idea as part of using a new opening or variations of an opening. I consider it a part of truly learning that line. In learning the Caro-Kann I had some brutal losses, but kept at it and I now have confidence in using it against anyone. I really like this series. It has some valuable information.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+James Ickes Absolutely the right attitude, James. I've had some rough blitz games recently in 1.e4 (which I hardly ever play anymore but am trying to pick back up!), but learning is totally worth the loss(es).

[@KeepChessSimple]

Really really like these longer (thematic) videos! Best youtube chess channel atm

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+De Doevert Thank you :)

[@victorhaland5474]

Been watching a lot of your videos lately! Gotta say - they are absolutely amazing :) Im a 1450 blitz player trying to reach 1500, så its great to have this kind of video, as it becomes clearer what one does wrong. It seems to me that at my level, most mistakes/blunders start to happen under time pressure in complicated positions that warrants calculation..

[@Phoenix-ox2jr]

Just as a friendly tip, in English så is actually spelled so. I understand it can be hard going from Swedish to English. Other than that I think your English is probably better than mine!

[@andyprentice]

I was reviewing this video before chess club tonight and faced a Sicilian like in the first game and got to play f4. Pleased to say it was a sharp attacking game that I ended up winning! Cheers John!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Andy Prentice Congrats on the win! Cheers :)

[@davidbai3543]

I improved so much watching your videos. Before I was studying openings but wasn’t improving much so I decided to use the lessons in chess fundamentals and have won many games simply playing sound chess.

[@natekeating8255]

Best coach in chess I've come across. Very clear and to the point. No extra BS.

[@octb1921]

Great series John, loving it!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+marc toral Thanks, marc :)

[@adamcunningham8248]

I can't say I feel strongly one way or the other about the cam, but I do very much like that you kept it out of your instructive videos. It feels right that its in your tournaments but not in this.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Adam Cunningham Agreed. Thanks for the feedback!

[@311djr]

These videos are awesome. Getting back into chess again. I was winning all games playing Lichess Stockfish at level I and II (ELO 800 and 1100), but level III (ELO 1400) was killing me. Lucky to win 1/10. Re-watched your Climbing Ladder 1200-1400 again, and paying better attention, and won last 3 out of 3. Woo-Hoo!! Thanks. You explain things very well.

[@mauricedegraaf1344]

Thanks John for putting up these awesome videos. Taking us through your analyses live is just extremely valuable!

[@PedoneRosso]

Happy for your intention about playing multiple "ladders" on different chess servers! Thanks for your videos

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Pedone Rossi My pleasure!

[@lochwinnoch]

Just want to say thank you for the time & effort you put into explaining your game. It is helping me enormously & you ask nothing in return, so thank you. I vow to pay it forward.

[@zaaxi7424]

I'd say he makes it look easy but I'm really impressed by the strength of his opponents!

[@Ariehofman11]

Hey John, i really am enjoying the Rating Ladder climb. I especially liked the last gane with Santiago. Its good to watch and learn classical chess. Excited to follow the rest of the ladder climb vids. Keep it up

[@Ariehofman11]

Would love to see you stream on twitch one day as well.

[@waveexistence5742]

These videos are fantastic! Thank you so much for posting these you're as good a teacher as you are a chess player. Which is to say phenomenal. This series might actually get me from patzer to novice. ;) Needless to say I liked and subscribed.

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Wave Existence Thanks, wave. Appreciate you watching/subscribing.

[@badDogma04]

"If all goes well I might climb the ladder on other chess sites like lichess or ICC". Please do this, this is a really insightful and helpful series. Would be great to see some more.

[@zyaego7993]

Thank you for making this series! I really like seeing the thinking process and ideas in action and the tips are very good!

[@projectryan88]

I like the instructional concepts and ideas that you pointed out. Like not taking the knight in some of the open Sicilian defense variations. Very instructive, Great games and well played! Loving the series, keep up the great work John! :D ~Cheers Mark

[@ktcoleman]

I would love it if you re-created this series on different sites! The more the merrier, these are super helpful!

[@patrikaxelsson4439]

I don't remember if it was in this video, but I gotta thank you for introducing (although not recommending) the Garbage gambit as a response to the Giuoco piano! It was quite the satisfaction to use, I tell you that :) That is the nice thing about playing in the lower-rated segment; you can actually get away with not so intelligent moves such as 3 ... Nd4. Keep up the good work John and continue inspire chess players worldwide, it means alot!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Patrik Axelsson Ha, no problem, Patrik :) Yes, I would not recommend 3...Nd4 at all, but it's nice to be aware of it (and maybe even trying it in a one-off blitz game). Coincidentally, Simon Williams just published a video where he was trying to catch people in this "gambit" on Chess.com.

[@COCOLEAF1169]

Love the video series John thank you for posting these. It really helps me out to watch someone play and discuss what is going on during a live game. I'm a new player under 1000. I am going to keep watching, learning, and playing to improve my game. O and I also like the times when you ask the question which move should you make gets the viewer involved which I find is very helpful in making decisions in my own game. Cheers

[@kgee2111]

About 46 minutes into the video you moved your queen to e2 undefending your c pawn. you never mentioned it. Why didn't his bishop on f5 capture your c pawn? What am I missing? Thanks. BTW, I follow you on chess.com.

[@v1das007]

I was waiting for black to take the c pawn as well :). But maybe that's just too risky to start pawn grabbing, considering that black is behind in development.

[@StrategicGamesEtc]

I'm curious about this as well.

[@openyoureyestothelies8784]

I was wondering the same

[@BeckyBoop]

I wondered the same as well, would really love to see an answer to this!

[@BeckyBoop]

Nevermind, it's answered in another comment. "Long story short, his queen was too vulnerable. There was actually a variation, which I'm not sure he calculated all the way too, but if 9... Bxc2 10. Rac1 Bg6 (or Bf5) 11. Nd5 Qa4 12. Bb5 and the queen is trapped. Stockfish actually says that after 9. Bxc2 10. Rac1 to give up the bishop to get the queen out of danger."

[@MAMP]

Its so helpful hearing how you think. You mention ideas that I've just not considered myself ever.

[@avtandilmiqadze4233]

I’m constantly watching your videos and my rating increased with 200 points just watching you. I watched many videos for over 2 years but you are the first who really helped me. “Undefended peace’s” was best video for me thx a lot for everything. P.S. I would really like to play with you and if you could make video about my mistakes it would most helpful for me thx again for everything.

[@Ghanzo]

At 48:21 can he take the c2 pawn with the bishop?

[@danieldixon8351]

I imagine Bg5 f6 Bxf6 g/Nxf6 Qxc2 could get the pawn taken back?

[@abyssalAnalyst]

@@danieldixon8351, fair enough. But the pawn was already hanging after Qe2, at 45:47. I don't see a consistent way of winning it back from the initial position. Guess it was actually a blunder.

[@Ireon85]

@@abyssalAnalyst so I asked on reddit about it since it was bugging me, ArtikelAudio replied :

[@enricopallazzo3244]

These videos are incredible and extremely useful. Thanks my good man!

[@K0bbii]

These are great to watch really enjoy these , what i've found to be a strong tactic in the 1250 range is playing sacrifice chess it really catches alot of people off guard when you give them a minor piece in order to move their king better players will punish you but when everyone is caught up in doing their openings i love throwing pieces at them and break all theory

[@lochvids108]

this is absolutely fantastic. This really gets you into the routine of checking postions, and stops you from over thinking! I just beat a 1294 i was 1193, i just waited for the mistake to come and tried to improve my postion and it worked. Awesome! EDIT - btw i play 15 / 5 u can too if u are beginning but whatever works for you

[@iminatx3879]

At 26:25 I thought "Hmm, I would probably have retreated the bishop to e6, I wonder why he didn't do that?" Only to hear JB say a minute later, "Maybe should have retreated the bishop to e6." Nice to know my instincts are good!

[@TheBuddhaBilly]

Really enjoy these videos! The explanations are very clear. For myself, I don't like the fact that I'm stuck at 1650-1700 for such a long time. Therefore, looking forward to more videos :)

[@NateLeeLLC]

I’m finally in a rating range where this video is relevant for me! Can’t wait to watch the rest.

[@coreydallmeyer67]

I appreciate these videos. I'm seeing Improvement in my game as a result. Thank you

[@Mirrodin82]

I love your commentary man, very concrete and instructional :)

[@digocr]

15:40 I always wanted to understand sicilian white d4 giving up a central for a flank pawn , and loved the straight forward explanation "it's simply known to end up being better". Nice.

[@ashiro638]

I like how I see people in my level playing and learning how to actually play correctly and watch out for opponent's chance for counterplays

[@tarvik9467]

Love this series! Great work, John!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+AlphaStrike Thanks!

[@peterdicarlo5869]

Thanks john for these great instructional videos , they really help my play & think deeper about positions

[@andrewscott1268]

These are fantastic vids! I really appreciate them. Thank you. Every time I watch one I get a surge in rating .. which gradually wears off. When I fall back towards 1200, I watch this video and subconsciously absorb something that takes me just over 1300. Then I slide back and watch it again. Interesting but strange!

[@andrewfletcher6320]

Fantastic series, thanks so much for doing this.

[@SIMS6]

Thank you so much for this and others videos! Love and peace :)

[@notallgarbage]

Good job! I'm a 2050 FIDE player. I find that you explain the important stuff for the purpose of the illustration you are attempting. Of course you played solidly and safely, kind of waiting for your opponent's mistake. Weaker players self-destruct, basically, to stronger players. It is true for any huge rating discrepancy. I would self-destruct to any 2600+, and it's "only"a 550 points gap.

[@jeffrey4357]

my fav series for falling asleep at night

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

Thanks for watching!

[@FordyHunt]

Fascinating video, you're producing some great content

[@fanuzzucampo3102]

Excellent instructional video John. I recently started playing chess and am rated in the 800's on Chess.com. This video is very clear and easy to understand by any chess player. The advice you give builds and provided me with a clear plan of how to open, develop, protect and decide how to manage middle and end game play...This helped me more than anything I've see so far. Thanks @John Bartholomew

[@WayleSange]

In the last game, there was an interesting counter-intuitive move 27.Bxc4! instead of 27.Bg4. The point is, to my view, is to either distract black queen or any pawn, and to invade with Qxe6+ following a quick mate in several moves. And yes, you are completely right when not taking a queen exchange on f4, in the view of zwischenzug Nxc3, winning a pawn. In the position which would follow, it is actually Black who stands better leading with two pawns in material. Thank you, very instructive play and explanations!

[@Txpilot84634]

John, I love your teaching, and watch your videos and games on chess.com. Question is: In college I was around 1500/1600 and was thought of as very good. (But that was in Arkansas) I picked the game back up after a 30 years. I am struggling my butt off to stay at 1050. What is the deal? The last 3 months I have played over 300 games. Half chess.com, half my tablets program. I do tactics 5 hours a week both chess.com and books. Just wondering if you have ever seen a player with a 30 year absence get there game back? If so how? And thank you for your teaching.

[@michaelbennett4568]

IMHO find the study methods that work for YOU. use a combination of methods e.g. tactics on chess.com and game studies on chessgames.com, john on youtube. Don't go off on a tangent and introduce more than three or four training methods. IMHO.

[@simeyD]

I wish you could do more 1200 upwards as I find myself learning a lot from your lessons and games. Good work buddy, thank you.

[@sloanketterer]

fantastic video, would love to see another. thanks for the content

[@serbansamuel9147]

Best teacher ever Dude! Learned so much out of this videos. ❤️

[@fathom3882]

@10:12 there was a really nice configuration of pieces instead of Knie2, starting with F5- multipurpose of allowing you to cut off the queen from protecting on the King's side, as well as prepping, after black plays something like Bd6, of QH5 looking for Rd3-->RH3 mating unstoppable.

[@stefanholbek2449]

45:15 One of your followers playing the Scandinavian against you ... You must feel like a proud father by now, John! ;O) And approaching 11,6K subscribers (end January 2016 ...) Have been following this closely the last few weeks: It's a little less than 50 new subscribers per day!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Stefan Holbek Someone on reddit.com/r/chess just posted today that they're frustrated about facing the Scandinavian a lot recently. They attributed it's rise in popularity to my videos - ha :)

[@stefanholbek2449]

+John Bartholomew There you go !!! ;O)

[@autumn4442]

I've always had trouble against the Ruy Lopez, because I couldn't find a defending move for black. I never knew about that Qd4 move!

[@anshluthra941]

Using the engine for analysis after a game is really helpful

[@fabricelealch]

There goes Harry the H the pawn!!! 1:00:27

[@jonaskoelker]

At 19:48 about playing h3, I think f5 might be better prophylaxis here: it stops Bg4 by blocking the Bishop's path, but it simultaneously cuts off black's Queen from g5 and h5. In particular you can safely do Qh5 next move. Additionally h3 blocks the (admittedly slow) rook lift Rh1-f1-f3-h3. The flip side: a knight on d5 is subject to fishy tactics with something like 1. -, Bxf5 2. ef Qxd5 if your Queen is out of the way; black regained a pawn, simplified and weakened your center. Just some random thoughts :-)

[@eliherstik8500]

i fucking love these videos. your lessons r really helpful. love the small tips you give and how in-depth you go. really appreciate it. also super easy, fun, and nice way to learn chess.

[@leedsmanc]

One thought that I had when it comes to openings is, no matter what rating someone is, if they've memorised the first ten or so moves to an opening, and you don't know how to specifically counter them, you're not playing someone of their rating, you're playing Karpov, you're playing Fisher, wait until they've run out of memorised moves before thinking about getting a big advantage. I don't know if that will always work, but it stopped me being arrogant against lower rated players.

[@Kayaanistaki]

I would love to add subtitles in spanish to all chess fundamentals and this series, they are such a great resource

[@zeNUKEify]

53:31 John misses Qe5+ followed by Ba5. If king moves out of the check Ba5 skewers the queen and rook. If queen defends the check the bishop skewers queen and rook, after opponent plays Qxe5, taking the queen back with the pawn dxe5 forces black to drop the knight.

[@jordan75212]

after watching some of these, they really help. thanks

[@pauldelfranco78]

John, I'm really enjoying this series. Can you do a little more "If you want to win at this level do a, b, c." And some, "Here's the weaknesses of these rating level players, and how to exploit it."? Also, personally I find the webcam distracting, especially for bullet. Can't help but look at someone when they're talking, and then I miss 3 moves and have to play catch up all the time. The webcam is great for longer time controls and instructional videos where the focus is what you're saying, not the high speed action on the board. Thank you for posting such great content!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Paul Del Franco Hey, Paul - thanks! I might do a "study plan" series where I outline a recommended course for improvement that is appropriate for the different levels. Regarding the webcam, most people have said the opposite, actually: they prefer it in bullet since those are more "pure entertainment" videos, whereas standard (for instance) is more serious and instructive (thus a webcam may be distracting).

[@hickorydragon8114]

Why take with rook at 34:40? Isn't it better to have rook than bishop? Your explanation was : in the interest of simplification. Thanks. Great vids!

[@1001bcohen]

Trying to figure this out too!

[@jamesnguyen9399]

Thank you so much! This video let me know more and clearly about my rating 1300~1400Elo. Bravo! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@michaelgilbert9781]

Great Video. I learned a lot. Thanks John!!

[@michaeltmcbride]

Love these videos John. Thanks for posting them. Once you get up to 2200 or so, will you go back down and start over?

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

+Mike M. Hey, Mike - thanks for watching. I'll likely be climbing the ladder on different sites, e.g. ICC and lichess.org.

[@12321dantheman]

lol at 1:09:00 where your like 'hmm he must be calculating 4 moves in advance and seeing that my knight move isn't actually a threat' nope he just hadn't seen it XD neither had i

[@2goldapples]

I really enjoy these videos! Do you plan on doing anything on the Sinquefield cup that's wrapping up?