Pawn Breaks to Facilitate Tactics | Standard Chess

In this Hyper Accelerated Dragon Sicilian encounter (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6), I set up a Maroczy bind formation (pawns on c4/e4), which affords White the "happy marriage" of knight/c-pawn, and a strong grip on d5. My opponent offers the customary exchange of dark-square bishops, but a timely f3-f4 creates some problems with Black's knight on h5. Black's position remains cramped, and with deliberate preparation I'm able to land a pawn break that leads to favorable tactical play.
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[@MrClenz]

My toddler is also a hyper accelerated dragon

[@lukemperez]

Yours and mine both, amigo.

[@williamsmith9510]

Same lmao

[@johntatum1951]

Great comment...:)

[@juliansexton8668]

Thank you for continuing these slower games despite their lower view count! All instructive streamers preach longer games but it's so helpful to actually see the thought process through these longer games as well as the post game analysis. Keep them coming and congrats on the 150k!

[@redfoxvoice]

*"It's not about who won or lost, it's about the truth in the position."* I really liked that one John, words to live by!

[@edmis90]

I love how constructive these longer games are.

[@blahtoausername]

Constructive or instructive?

[@edmis90]

@@blahtoausername Instructive, my bad, thx.

[@siLence-84]

How does a comment with such an awful grammar mistake get 100+ likes lmao 🤣

[@aimchess]

Hey John, this is 150k of us guys 🎉!

[@ahmadaliraja7426]

Congrats

[@josiahbrush4324]

👍🏻😎💃🏻🕺🏻🍻♟

[@kelea4198]

wow! 150k! I hadn't even noticed that! nice!

[@jamesgarberson9231]

It’s too bad that standard doesn’t get the most views, these are by far the most instructive. Thank you for everything John

[@siLence-84]

This is rapid... not standard

[@APDvader]

the longer games are awesome!

[@swedishvideos5481]

For me u are the best chess instructor out there, there are a lot of good ones like danya and levy but you are so good at explaining how players are abstracting about their moves

[@jonathanhart8730]

These videos are so helpful and by far and away my favorite! Always thrilled to see a new Standard out- I've already dug through the archives haha

[@jonshive5482]

There's so many once you've run through them you can start over a second or third time. You'll probably see something you missed or forgot every time!

[@yugeshkekre]

So happy to see you uploading regularly again!

[@stefanturcu6547]

Hey John, this is Stephen. :)) just wanna to say that longer games are awesome. i really enjoy them. keep up the good work.

[@perritohiker]

Yes, these are your best videos. You are a natural teacher. Thanks for helping all of us fish!

[@Sauerpower76]

This is clearly the most instructive format ... thank you very much!

[@nathanmermilliod3135]

Hey John, you have been an inspiration to me on my chess journey. Recently I hit 1500 rating, which is a big milestone for me. I started watching you about a year ago when I was about 1000. Thanks for all the instructive chess videos and great content you always put out. Never stop! -Nathan

[@lukemperez]

When I started watching John’s longer videos I heard his comments about playing longer games. I’m sure he’s said it a 1000 times on his blitz videos, etc., but I don’t think I registered it. Started playing almost exclusively 10-0 and 15-10 games in Sept-ish and have gone from ~1390 to ~1550 in just a few months.

[@nathanmermilliod3135]

Update! I just hit 1800. I’m studying more theory to maybe get to 2000 one day!

[@billiebuggs3370]

I LITERALLY learned how to play chess watching these standard videos.... I've watched all of them. Some several times during his Chessable startup and the uploads came to a holt. Il went from 800 to 1300 standard rating solely by implementing what I learn from these videos. Lol....I literally play with John's commentary in my head🤣🤣 I know I'm not the only one. Most instructional chess videos on KZbin. FOR FREE!!!... Thanks John..

[@connormonday]

Billie Buggs WWJD (What would John do?)

[@billiebuggs3370]

@@connormonday lol right, that's exactly how I approach each move

[@dustinbrody]

Hey John! Your standard game videos are my favorite. I appreciate you continuing to make them. Thanks!!!!

[@KaySeeyen]

Your videos are the most instructive I've found , thanks for making them!

[@bradenstewart6270]

ChessNetwork and John uploaded at basically the same time? Is this a dream?

[@alekdoumitt7725]

So true tho. Ny favorite chess video makers

[@alexwastakenwastaken]

I don't have to play JB's videos at 1.5x speed though!

[@alexband7207]

It's my favorite format actually. I feel like hearing your thought process helps me improve mine. So thank you for doing it!

[@alekdoumitt7725]

Amazing, loved this video because hearing john study a few lines is very helpful. Very great game to study too

[@laurencoogs]

The analysis is by far the most useful part of the videos. Love the standard. These are the best videos!!

[@nomad_manhattan]

I just started with chess and found your channel has good, beginner friendly content! I like how you breaking down your process, move by move. Please keep it coming!

[@bjcoogan]

Never comment, but since you do these standard videos despite their lack of overall popularity, I appreciate that. Thanks man! Super instructive and helpful.

[@musicguitar]

These longer videos are my absolute favorite because I learn soooo much from them. Love the way you explain things. So clear and concise. Excellent as always. Take care.

[@EnglishroG]

Really enjoy these longer games - plenty of time for John to explain his thought process and candidate moves. Really good, John, thank you.

[@rgqwerty63]

Just wanna say youre an all round great guy. Excellent teacher, respectful to your opponents and obviously a very skilled chess player. So glad I found your channel

[@lvengineerable]

Your long format ones are my favorite! Keep it up!

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

Thanks for your feedback - cheers!

[@brianjones4047]

Thank you John !! Been watching you for 3+ years !! Love the longer game format and especially love your example of how we should analyze our own games !!

[@petercourt]

Love the standard videos and really thankful you make them despite them not being the most viewed. Thanks John! Happy Holidays :)

[@alexwastakenwastaken]

Thanks for this 15 minute game. (I no longer watch any

[@srchernik4030]

Congrats on the 150k subs John! I remember seeing just a few days ago 143k. You are definitely getting a really deserved growth!

[@KF1]

When John sips his coffee it's not the pinky finger that sticks out but the index. His opponent can feel that.

[@BeisballPlayer]

Thanks for making these longer time control videos John, they really help me improve my game!

[@Jack-rs1wt]

Thanks for the great video, John! This was a super interesting game. Interesting to see how big of a difference rook activity ended up making. You mentioned at the very end the possibility of making a video on the Lichess study feature. I would love to see that, since I'm somewhat overwhelmed by the options there! Thanks :)

[@jonshive5482]

As a hard-core fan and long-time mediocrity (around 1850 rapid/blitz at Chess.com) just wanna say how great your rapid videos are. Each game is a story and you tell it with wit and panache. Your advice, analysis, insight and instruction are top quality. While the vast majority of us can only dream of being Masters--let alone IMs or GMs, ha!--your presentations inspire us to continue studying and playing this most fascinating, challenging pastime. Thanks and keep on truckin'!

[@zacharynohre]

150k John! Love seeing how much the chess community has grown. Thanks for the upload 😊

[@1982gonzocontroli]

This is the only series I watch from John and boy is it excellent!

[@MarkDavidBuckles]

I found Bxf6 to be one of the most interesting parts of the sequence with f5. Once you see it, it makes great sense with all the threats from the knight on d5, but it's an easy move to miss because it seems counterintuitive to capture the knight in the first place. Great game!

[@jiaxiangyang8081]

I love these standard games! I feel like I always learn so much more with these games

[@7inrain]

I agree with my fellow commentators. Keep those longer games coming. They are the most instructive. (Certainly a lot more instructive than watching a Bullet game by two GM's which as a non-master feels like a cat watching Takeshi's Castle on TV.)

[@greenUserman]

Love this series! Thanks for doing it despite the relatively low view counts!

[@teddythegod1919]

Congrats on 150k John been here since 30k!

[@noahhouston8960]

Same

[@bweiner89]

I remember when John hit 10k and it seemed so huge at the time!

[@borderjumper232]

Always appreciate the long videos John, definitely inspiring

[@christopherjenness3322]

Hi John, I completely agree that these longer videos are my favorite and most educational. These were the first videos I watched when I got back into chess recently, and I think it put me on the right path. Now, I only play 15+5 and I analyze all my games as much as I can before turning on the engine. I think mostly due to things I learned from you, I've gone from 1450 on lichess to 1600!!!!! I'm so proud of that, and hope to get to 1700 by the end of 2021. One question I've always had is how to better analyze my games, given I'm not very good at chess. When you analyze your games, everything makes so much sense because you know so much. But since I don't know very much, it's basically just going over my blunders and looking for new variations maybe I didn't see, but often I can't find much. The best way to approach this as a beginner would be very helpful. Thanks again for all these really good videos.

[@nickd5422]

Great video John. It's eye opening to see how deeply and patiently you analyze these middle game positions. This is something that would improve a lot of players, but people are lazy!

[@docfrayon]

Congratz for the 150k teach' ! Your deserve them all. And thank you for another standard... Yes we do appreciate these :)

[@mtd-hobbies]

Loving these types of videos!!!

[@smhdpt12]

Classical games are the best!! Thank you, John!!

[@josiahbrush4324]

It’s 3:00 am and here I am awake (no coffee) and really appreciating your content. Nice to slow things down a bit and go for a deep dive. Thanks for all you do John! 👍🏻

[@ngc5195]

I’m glad you still make these despite them getting less views. I think 15+10 is even better.

[@DejonghMaarten]

John: sets up a super intricate and devious plan with his pawns Computer: inaccuracy followed by a mistake!

[@bweiner89]

John your standard videos are my favorites! Its interesting and helpful to see how effective strategies lead to good tactics in critical moments of a game. Bullet is like eating junk food while standard time control is like a healthy meal

[@TerencePetersenAjbro]

Very instructive game John! What an exciting middle game too! Pawns are truly the soul of chess!

[@eliasparker5113]

I love these long plays man, thank you

[@joejitsu034]

I’m a fan of a few Chess streamers but your educational videos are the best. I hear your voice when I play my own games lol 👍

[@larsqvist6566]

I love the longer games! (Also, I love when there is no disturbing Twitch chatt)

[@connorlong3553]

I love these types of videos, I've found them very helpful

[@tradurrrr]

So glad you're posting more on youtube! I'm in China and can't watch you streaming, so this is super awesome!

[@thecore69]

Hi John, been watching since 2016, the standard games are by far my favourite. You're doing a great job!

[@platinumtrophymontages3749]

John you have helped me get so much better at chess. I started playing chess in lockdown this year and went from a 300 ELO that got checkmated in 4 moves to a 1050 rated player. Your videos have helped me get so much better at chess and I just want to thank you I hope you have a great Christmas and 2021!

[@TheN00bPolice]

This was a truly fantastic video.

[@benradical6179]

Congratulations on 150k! Always love your content :)

[@ducluongdo8012]

John, i just want you to know that you revive my love for chess again. Thank you for teaching me the mentality of stopping after 5 games. It really help lessening my frustration after losing.

[@topoisomerace]

The part where you reviewed the engine analysis was very interesting. Actually, the entire video was interesting. Appreciate the upload!

[@s.j9116]

Congrats on 150k John! 🎉 And this standard videos are so awesome

[@danielgatos2366]

Great job! The Standard Chess series is one of my favorites on youtube, love the long videos and how you show your complete line of thought and analysis!

[@siLence-84]

This be rapid yo, not standard.

[@hthought]

I am an espresso aficionado John and I can tell you that the slightest parameter, even the temperature of the coffee machine can be the different between drinking mud and ambrosia.

[@LeoSkyro]

We need someone to dedicate their life to coming up with new Dragon variations so that we can keep giving it increasingly goofier names. "yeah, I'm kind of an expert in the Ultra Turbo Hyper Accelerated Dragon myself" XD

[@ritenger87]

"Oh, the Ultra Turbo Hyper Accelerated Dragon? That's a little slow for my taste, I prefer the Mega Stardust Blitzed Ultra Turbo Hyper Accelerated Alakhine Dragon variation, myself."

[@JordanNexhip]

"I summon the Hyper Accelerated Dragon in attack mode!"

[@adammcg7115]

Been watching a lot of your Titled Tuesday videos. You're so calm and composed when you blunder/lose. Wish I had that quality😂

[@davidrobins1021]

Agreed. I'm pretty calm and chilled generally, but when I lose a game of chess through some stupid blunder, I can go off on a rage big time. Need to work on controlling my emotions when it comes to chess.

[@isaacgonzalez4472]

Hey John, started watching your videos a couple of years ago. Recently hit 2300 on Lichess, and love these standard videos best!

[@Suho1004]

Just wanted to make sure to add my note of appreciation here for the longer format!

[@peerzadatahamajidshah3502]

actually these are real instructive games to learn, please continue uploading these videos

[@vaibhavarora3389]

Very instructive video's John ! Hope these become even more popular than your other ones god bless 👍👍

[@ahmadaliraja7426]

Positions like this remind me of Daniel Naroditsky's streams. Crush the king. Nicely explained. Thanks John

[@JohnBartholomewChess]

Love Danya! :D

[@davidalejandrofigueroa2374]

Marvelous pawn f5 advance! It made me remember the beauty of chess :)

[@kani5014]

Love the longer games John!

[@matiasiozzia9547]

love this series Sir John! keep up the great work

[@ZachBonnell]

Very fun to watch the analysis. Looking forward to a video on the Lichess study feature.

[@robertpatat7130]

great job again John a really appreciate your standard games and your analysis :)

[@dkol2000]

I will miss the fan noise ( also I love longer play videos, thanks for doing them despite less views)

[@matthewg4882]

Love vids like this, learned a lot, thanks

[@extrakuhar]

Another fun game to watch. I love the long games. Also, Stockfish makes your computer sound like a team of lumberjacks felling a tree with chainsaws.

[@iztoknovak261]

great content John...keep the good work :)...love your vids, especially this series

[@btdmartin]

Great video John. Watched to the end. 😁👍. Wonderful stuff!

[@buzzbain3348]

Definitely learn more in this format. Great stuff!

[@davidvizgan4491]

John I just wanna say I am almost 1900 rating on chess.com because of this series alone, thank you so much

[@JacksonPriceSonder]

Love your standard games 🙌 making my way through the archive

[@nilsleder2957]

Hi John, thank you for this great video! As always, your love for playing and explaining chess is very inspiring. One comment to the game: While watching I wondered if instead of 26 Qd1 you could play 26 Qxd6 where Rxd6 fails to 27 Re8+ Qg8 28 Rxg8+ Kxg8 29 Nxd6. I briefly checked with the engine and 26... Rxc8 seems to be best. Although not very important (the position is won anyway), I thought the "queen sacrifice" is aesthetically pleasing. Anyway, keep up the great work! You are amazing.

[@Tripeq]

These videos are very instructive. Thank you!

[@999-t3t8b]

The slower games have helped me more than any content on any chess channel lol

[@jorgemartinez1335]

Keep up this great work sharing what you've learned. Thanks for that.

[@TeamGreenHQ]

Long format = best format. Most instructive for me.

[@SaurabhXDD]

Congrats John on reaching 150k subs 🎉🎉 I'm watching you since 2016 when you has around 35k subs if I'm right 🤗

[@taiyibureau9963]

Everyone wanting to improve. Take to heart what John said in the end. Analyze your own games afterwards! As a rule of thumb invest as much time into the analysis as you did playing the game itself. Try to find ideas/improvements on your own, before checking with the engine. Improving in chess is work, but it will pay off in the long run.

[@ThomasArellano8]

Always love watching these John :)

[@garycarter2953]

I love these games because your thought process is so different to mine, the f5 and Qg5 was my first instinct but I would have never gotten that position because I would have thought trading dark square bishops would be good for white. So much to learn

[@igorhiller5596]

Hi John, thank you so much for the time and energy you've put into online instruction. I've learned so much already, and I'm just beginning. Question for you, if you have a moment: Is there a course on Chessable that you would recommend for a beginner seeking to learn the "Chess Fundamentals," like the ones you illustrate in your 5-part KZbin series? Trying to figure out how I can most efficiently practice and study the fundamentals.

[@connormonday]

20:53 how do you spend a few seconds in that position when you're doubling up an IM on time?

[@k9ishere]

Love you John. You're the man!

[@kelea4198]

"this is some delicious coffee that I'm drinking at 10:45pm..." nice! =D I love watchin' these videos... cheers!