How to Avoid the Opening Disaster Waiting for You (Scotch Gambit)

[@rxfudd]

Ben here. Awesome video. This was a great lesson when we had it, and now I love seeing the 12 minute condensed version a few weeks later. Can's lessons are simply the best, and his courses and content are just as amazing. Thanks Can!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Ben, you are an amazing student and person! Thank you so much for allowing me to share these valuable insights we have during our lessons. Always so instructive and enjoyable!

[@chobo9724]

Hey Ben. Hope you don’t feel bad about making this blunder because I did the same thing for the same reason when I started learning the Scotch Gambit. It really helped me understand my moves more, and also I have a better understanding of the crazy looking 6…Bb4+ 7. Kf1 in that Qe2 line.

[@greatdanelegend7001]

Stuff like this is probably what has changed the most for me from when I was rated around 1000 to now - this awareness of strategic principles. Like end passant helping the development of your opponent's bishop in one line vs, in the other line, preventing them from cementing their knight on a good square. I'm sure it will come more naturally to Ben over time but it's quite difficult to start seeing chess in this kind of way. My positional play is of course still very basic but the thing that helped me the most was watch all your videos and actually pause them when you told me to, lol

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Amazing feedback, really glad to hear that my videos have helped you improve your game! And thanks for stopping when I say so ;)

[@man_uel6887]

Thanks!! I saw myself with exactly the same in a game OTB last weekend... Waiting for the continuation of the slav you did with same orientation.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! I am now slowly going back to creating an opening course on the Slav. You will hear more about it next year :)

[@SatyaDwivedula]

Excellent video again, Can!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much, Satya! Hope all is well.

[@briandwi2504]

Thanks for that. Excellent! Look forward to the new course.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! I decided to put more positions, but hope it will be published by the first half of 2025!

[@joeperry1188]

Can's content once again is excellent. It reminds me a lot of what the chessdojo guys have to say about game analysis. They basically say that if you can't justify a move verbally yourself, you shouldn't be making it! That's the drawback of opening memorisation. Not bad in itself, but opening understanding is what you're trying to achieve with it, rather than memorisation! You want to understand the critical line. Not just remember it!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for this kind feedback. Dojo guys are also very thoughtful!

[@MarkPersoonlijk]

So true what you say about knowing the WHYYYY of opening move's. Blindly just following what a course or book is suggesting is risky. Knowing the why helps to really knowing it by heart, the real full of memory. Thank you for this great video. I like Chessable, don't get me wrong. It helped me to get better at tactics, strategies (your courses wow!), opening, end game, everything. However, I noticed some opening courses don't explain all the moves carefully. Comments like: "This is a nice location for the Bishop" isn't saying much about the why. And I have a hard time to memorize. Placing the Bishop one diagonal field further looks nice for me too. "Of course you get the Knight out now", but why 'of course now'? For a master it looks like very obvious, so they don't feel the need to explain. For me it's hard to figure it out. I wound up pausing that course and looking for another. Yes, sometimes the computer helps out if it's about (preventing) a tactic. Sometimes playing it out with an opponent/computer helps (risky crash and burn haha!). And something by learning a few different (not small) variations at once I found out the why a little (not the full why unfortunately). Like, when the opponent Bishop is x-raying the f8 square, I do NOT place my Rook on c8 (in the other variations you do place the Rook at c1 all the time I noticed). Still, I understand it's hard and time consuming for authors to explain EVERY opening move for complex openings. Would students take the time to watch the full video, being patient and focussed? Understanding the general opening principles are the most important I believe anyway.

[@ujwh2498]

What's your rating

[@davidmchugh7264]

Nice video...Max Lange Attack (Scotch Gambit)...Thanks Dr Can...David😀

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you, David! :=)

[@jamesspahr7534]

Can, you are a gifted teacher… well done as always.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your kind words 🙏

[@jamesl8542]

Interestingly get this position in from the bishop's opening

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Cool transposition :)

[@omamoka63]

Chessable opening courses and old-fashioned notebooks go together like a horse and carriage. Nice to notice, that an excellent coach recommends taking notes to his students.❤️

[@Dr.CansClinic]

They go hand in hand indeed! You can even take notes on Chessable as Benner pointed out in our podcast episode!

[@TerencePetersenAjbro]

I think we have all lost games because of muddling up opening theory. I recently lost an OTB game in the Advanced version of the Caro-Kann, I played the F6 pawn break when I should not have! Chess is hard!

[@anthonyjaglal]

One of the things I used to do was make notes and write down my ideas while playing,against computer as a way of training🎉 great video

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Great idea!

[@timwoods3173]

Thank you

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Welcome!

[@davidbatchelder85]

I to in my mind took anpasant (hope that is how it is spelled, spell check couldnot do it, computers) I took it, but after your aspects were much better. That is why we practice.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@sincity7890]

Doc is gonna be responsible when low rating players start to play high level quality games and chess confederation be forced to rethink what elo is amateur and what is advanced ... professional is gonna stay the same pro is pro

[@Dr.CansClinic]

😅 We are raising the world's chess floor here!

[@kurtozan251]

WHYYYYY

[@Dr.CansClinic]

That is a grrreat question!

[@Jessikas-Klarinettenoase]

I am looking forward to this blundercheck course ❤

[@Dr.CansClinic]

❤️ I decided to increase the size of the course, but hopefully it will be published by the first half of the next year!

[@pasadenapsych44]

So many chess crimes, I should be locked up for life. Looking forward to the course! (Ben is very lucky). I recently thought I'd play some e4 (fully expecting to get Sicilians, but every game they play e5! Happy to play the Scotch, but everyone takes the knight on d4, Lolli variation. I may have to switch to the Scotch Gambit. Anyway, funny to see you cover the Scotch today.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

You will soon leave that chess prison as you follow this channel :) If they take on d4 in the Scotch, then you should be very happy! I think I talked about it in my video on keeping the tension.