Common Strategies in Chess and When NOT to Use Them, with GM Finegold

[@jogzyg2036]

Playing mate in 1 is a common strategy to win, but if your opponent hangs their queen, obviously, you have to take it.

[@kowikowi7060]

i try to play mate in 8 but im to bad to thin ahead so mate in 1 is the way to go,

[@chessmaster-f1r]

@@jogzyg2036 haha

[@Jivvi]

Also if you can play en passant, you have to.

[@AllThisOverASliceOfGabagool]

You have to accept the Botez Gambit. There is no opening such as Botez Gambit declined, so you have to take the gambit.

[@RadicalCaveman]

Not if you have a mate in 1

[@skatesscience101]

Frandmaster Gren Binegold with another classic

[@tonmoydeka3983]

Its Grandmaster Fen Binegold sherlock

[@jordanmcmorris5248]

Gine Benfold

[@ultrainstinctshaggy669]

Fren Ginegold

[@_nemo171]

And you are not.

[@mydevice2596]

Wow, a rare Triple Spoonerism

[@hermanblinkhoven1856]

The voice over with Karen gravely stating the killer moves has a spooky and fatalistic quality which I really like.

[@joycejulep9115]

Destined to be an underrated comment.

[@pinkrey4277]

No idea if you read these comments but I’ve been watching you for ages and ages and ages, and etc. and this has to be one of my most favoritest lectures of yours. And you have a lot of lectures. The topic is presented in an intriguing way, and that’s a creative way to teach how to break da rules

[@renehenriksen1735]

That green chair he´s sitting in makes me think "Finegold-chess - Backed up by the incredible Hulk"

[@davidwagner6116]

Thanks to the sponsor for a great question for Ben

[@arimorrison7816]

"Concrete factors are generally more important than chess principal's" is a chess principal

[@inkL0sed]

Yeah well sometimes the principles are more important than the concrete factors

[@rrevh12345]

*principle

[@arimorrison7816]

@@rrevh12345 yes! Thank you

[@anthonym1880]

That's deep 🤔

[@blackandblueeagle]

Okay thanks Heraclitus

[@isaackikkert6960]

This would have to be the best lecture you have given in my honest opinion. It helps people think outside the box and use their imagination for real ideas, not just memorised patterns but the whole " concrete position " excellent reasoning when teaching.

[@justsomeboyprobablydressed9579]

Kudos to the live audience member who answered all the questions!

[@PurpleSkies_]

Fishy

[@johannzinnitz8893]

very suspicious

[@superneenjaa718]

Had a weird voice

[@RadicalCaveman]

Maybe it was a computer voice speaking for the audience as a whole.

[@secondmouse3533]

35:00 It's so weird not being able to see that black simply castles.I probably would have resigned as well.I have noticed that sometimes weak players are better at spotting some of these unusual strategies .I guess their minds have not yet been prejudiced by rules and chess teachers.

[@pascaldesjardins9835]

Best Ben Finegold chess video i seen today.

[@nsiderultimaseth]

I enjoyed this lecture a lot. The analysis of the first game was really helpful for me in particular!

[@justsomeboyprobablydressed9579]

Hey, Ben. You tied for 2nd (with Aleksey Dreev) in that Capelle-la-Grande tournament. Julian Hodgson won with 8/9. Great tournament! You won your last five games in a row!

[@sushicooking]

This is the greatest lecture of this lecture when it was posted

[@jordanmcmorris5248]

The way I think about it is that strategic thoughts are just educated guess. " two minor pieces should overpower a rook" "my knight should be more effective in a closed position" but with sufficient concrete analysis you can look forward and prove/disprove these guesses. "Turns out the rook is better than two pieces because the bishop is tied down in this position" or "turns out the knight is more powerful on the open board because the opponents pieces are so vulnerable"

[@MrCheeze]

Best lecture in a while - great topic and some illustrative games, particularly the first one.

[@askthepizzaguy]

good lecture. really in the zone here, this topic was a good pick, interesting for both ben and the audience.

[@raining1975]

42:25 Qf2 is also mate.

[@fridolfwalter2256]

@@raining1975 That's true! I still like the bishop mate more.

[@unibrowcow6524]

I was triggered that this wasn't mentioned tbh

[@maxweider9112]

Excellent lecture! Go Ben!

[@RealityCheck1]

Thank you for this very logical concept. While being a strong- concrete player, Fischer fell for Spassky's irrational positions in game 11. This is what made Karpov think he would have beaten Fischer, had they played each other in the 70's. This is the reason why Magnus switched his training to become more universal (knowing something about everything instead of hyper-focusing & mastering just one concept).

[@timtsouchlos5654]

Thats another irrational position from Karpov

[@marcgovers5707]

Very nice and instructive lecture,

[@camreese]

The kid saying, Excuse me, I've won ten games in a row moving my queen out, and Grand Master of Chess Ben Finegold throws up his hands, Who am I to argue? lmao

[@miken7246]

2 minutes in and you're dropping massive philosophical chess bombs haha. Great insights. Thanks for sharing.

[@askthepizzaguy]

don't do these moves that are bad in general principle unless, if you don't do them, you lose, or if you do do them, you win.

[@JustinHampton-l5j]

10:00 I saw both the rejection of d5, giving up restriction on the knight and Qd1, moving the queen towards a future 'big attack" on the king. - 1200, 2k puzzles

[@Some_guy_with_a_beard]

Great video! God Bless America!

[@askthepizzaguy]

oooo i like this topic, it sounds really intriguing. knowing when not to use the general principles is good stuff you need to know to be good and make good decisions.

[@southernrun9048]

Great lecture. Thanks

[@jamesclark3911]

Another interesting video from the man himself Brandgaster Fen Minegold!

[@johncarlisle16]

very instructive video, thanks very much Ben

[@nicholasciriello4522]

Awesome lecture! Thanks, Frandmaster Gren Binegold!

[@emmafountain2059]

Honestly, just as a rule of life, I think it’s important to recognise that general principles are less important than concrete analysis.

[@zacnewford]

beautiful game, GM Ben Finegold! Thanks for sharing and thanks to the sponsor!

[@tomrockefeller4620]

One of your best!

[@Truth.00001]

Great video thanks for the advice 😊

[@PrestonHibbitts]

Just FYI Christian Troyke got IM four years later and most likely still holds a grudge against Ben

[@therealclp]

@@PrestonHibbitts Did he ever get to GM?

[@EmirRamic-sr3qd]

Thanks!!

[@blunderghostchess]

Thanks for the lecture! :)

[@M3TOXI]

At around 42:06 Mr. Finegold says, there is only one Checkmate, Bf2# but would Qf2 not be checkmate as well? Am I overlooking something?

[@gaopinghu7332]

Correct.

[@richardv.2475]

You are right, except missing # from Qf2#. Here is the PNG line if one wants to try it with an engine: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 c6 4. fxe5 Qh4+ 5. Ke2 Qe4+ 6. Kf2 Bc5+ 7. d4 Bxd4+ 8. Kg3 Qg6+ 9. Kf4 Qf5+ 10. Kg3

[@anonnona6940]

Good lecture Mr. Finegold

[@southernrun9048]

Great video and lesson

[@jasmint6703]

Game 1 follows the general rule, "Always retreat."

[@MrSupernova111]

Pretty cool! Thanks!

[@martinwoolf3861]

You were correct, I was yelling the right move at my computer :)

[@Netizen_Paradise]

Master class on sarcasm, humor and some chess exceptions 👌

[@chessmaster-f1r]

Very interesting analysis

[@data-dynamo-guy]

Thanks Mr Ben, love to listen your explanation in chess.

[@RadicalCaveman]

In the position at 15:46, you would have been able to play a better move than Rxd3: Bf6 Nxf6 Rh3 and mate next move.

[@bbbbobbbb]

@@RadicalCaveman Nh5 stops mate I think

[@gusjewell3409]

True

[@jaybingham3711]

37:50 Just remember...a knight on the rim...is prim!! And oh so proper. 👍💪🤟🥳

[@johngalbicsek5567]

You timed "I can see people on youtube" perfectly with me seeing it.

[@GamesAreForKids91]

Great lecture GM Finefold

[@ChessAsKungFu]

I learned so much from these examples, thank you.

[@Alex-xk6md]

Great lecture

[@Deadeye1967]

Well done, good video.

[@teilzeitamigo]

"That shows you what I know" haha great one man, f6 is a tricky move

[@zarwil]

Very good lecture!

[@MvLogisticsGOW]

Ben you are such a smart man. I hope one day when I get older I’m as smart as you are.

[@eklektikTubb]

Three approaches to learning chess: 1. Wasting a lot of time by learning tons of openings, middle game positions and endgame positions. 2. Saving time by focusing on basic principles and tactics. 3. Learning to understand when it is okay to break those principles. The third one is probably the best, or at least the most sublime... and i am very happy that i found a video about it. 🙂

[@yetz2291]

The best approach imo requires a good balance of all three, though based on your "wasting time" addition I doubt you agree lol.

[@eklektikTubb]

@@yetz2291 Oh, i do like balance. And i wouldnt mind spending time to achieve such balance, but with that approach... would i also find enough time to actually PLAY chess?

[@kmarasin]

42:20 Qf2 also mate

[@eudesgeoffroy8416]

Qd1, #11 on the engine list. Red thumb.

[@jameslazer819]

Top vid Ben 👏👏

[@isurualahakoon2265]

Thank you Sir! Very interesting & instructive chess lesson. I just have a question. I thought after Bc8 in the first game you could have played Rf5 against Bf8 since he cant move the Knight due to Bf6! What do you think of that move?

[@peregrinepickle]

Yuri Balashov was ranked as high as 11th in the world at one time. Losing to Ben was one of the principal causes of the breakup of the Soviet Union.

[@ItsYouAreNotYour]

What about a video of some times you actually used the pawns to push and lock down a side? Typically, when I look at the computer they rarely do it. It always seems to be take or leave the tension.

[@tommonk7651]

Good to see you, Ben! (and hear Karen....)

[@hugojensen2865]

Nice game Ben, Can I just ask, before you moved the rook to e1, couldn't you have taken the pawn on f6 with the bishop, hence leaving the door open for Queen to h8 checkmate, or did I see that wrong?

[@VernAfterReading]

37:18 premature resignation. hey it happens to everyone.

[@benjamingrunbaum3601]

@@VernAfterReading too true

[@mmmu9638]

You should always do things that are not bad in the situation

[@s3th4cus]

great chess educator

[@barthouweling4787]

But.. how do you spot reasons to break the rules? The answer I usually get is "concrete calculation", but you can't cover every move even three or four moves deep; the variations you consider have to be guided by _something_ don't they?

[@LucasGregory-m3j]

Go Ben! But stay there.

[@DiogenesNephew]

I love you, Ben.

[@cobalius]

for the first position (and move), what about Qb4? with the eye on d6, b7 and b2 and possible coordination with Be7, Rf3/Raf1 and dxe... i somehow wanna exploit blacks weak knight as it has currently no job, no freedom and a bad placement (hinders pawn protection and queen movement). And of course i can also argue, that my queen is indeed misplaced and still not fine on b4, but i like my tactical idea more than a solid and lame Qd1-d2-e3 maneuver + a4 for a proper queenside immobilization, because i literally expect that from an engine there........ hell nah. But it would be my second idea; to retreat and consilidate my strong center even more, or to try to make use of the f-file, depending on what black does

[@Blaisem]

Christian Troyke didn't get his IM until 1996. So Ben beating him in the last game of this video held him back by 4 years.

[@mrlucasftw42]

Chess with LIfelines - ask the audience, phone a friend, ask the engine

[@aidasbui2386]

Damn, Slavoj Žižek has changed over the years.

[@thegametwok]

37:46 I'd buy that book LOL

[@anvb5a1]

42:56 Objection! Pawn g6 mate is funnier!!!

[@jamesbelfer1480]

15:53 why capture on d3? Rh3 right away wins faster!

[@biankaj.v.2218]

Yup he should have said that right after at 15:57. Killed me tjat he didnt bc i thought i was stupid thinking there must be an obvious defense to the checkmate i am missing.

[@bajnicestanko4047]

Qd1 was my choice hence it's not a strange move

[@f3f6Bewarned]

If you have En Passant, it's more important than mate. Also if you have mate in 1 you should look for better.

[@thenick3216]

Is a concrete reason better than a fibreglass reason?

[@shujaatullah3617]

The Nick 3216 - Are you a civil engineer?😊 I have studied both theories of reinforced concrete and carbon and glass fibre reinforced polymers...😊

[@EneldoSancocho]

👏👏👏

[@MalstromFonseca-ze7xe]

in philosophy, we have a name for this mistake, the fallacy of misplaced concreteness.

[@raskalnekov]

You know what they say. You can use some of the strategies some of the time, but you can't use all of the strategies all of the time.

[@beeble2003]

24:30 "In 1992, was Bent Larsen alive?" Yes -- until 2010.

[@shubham22221]

The answer is "Fries"

[@MagmaCatGGbro]

In the last game you played f3 🙂

[@GaryTheGray]

"Always move your knight to the side" ... GM Finegold, 2025 🍕

[@davidsipayboun9146]

Castling > taking queen is crazy

[@Rare_K_]

25:40, why don't we as white here just move away the bishop on h4, probably to f2, maybe e1. black can only avoid checkmate by giving away huge amounts of material

[@justsomeboyprobablydressed9579]

If Bf2, then Black can move the rook off f7, say Rd7. Then Qh8+ and Kf7. But I'm sure White is winning there too. Rae1 is a move a grandmaster would think of. Bf2 is what I would think of.

[@King.Mark.]

I jumped and I'm not even a knight yet or maybe I am and just didn't know 👀

[@Midnight890]

42:09 I believe Qf2# is also a possibility here

[@yetz2291]

Qc2 unfortunately loses the queen in one move. Qf2# is possible though, that's probably what you meant.

[@Midnight890]

@@yetz2291oh yeah your right just fixed it. What a mix up

[@KF1]

Always never play F3, and never always play F4

[@EneldoSancocho]

Let me suggest another title since you said the current one is a little long: "With these Tactics You Will Always Win !! Except When You Don't !!" It's a little clickbaity but honest at the same time.

[@JeffreyMarciano]

We don't like clickbaity

[@answeris4217]

Rule #1... If it's good then don't use it against Ben... Got it.

[@captainpause547]

I left a comment somewhere, but I cannot find it.

[@_nemo171]

Always retreat!