Master Class | French Defense | Chess Speedrun | Grandmaster Naroditsky

16:45 Analysis
- Follow Daniel on Twitter at / gmnaroditsky
- Daniel streams regularly on Twitch at / gmnaroditsky
- Daniels Discord / discord
#speedrun #grandmaster #chess

[@otterhead10]

Above and beyond chess, this series made my days brighter and was a strange source of meditative comfort and familiarity. Thank you for being one in a constellation of people that make my world better.

[@Temax6]

100% agree, same for me

[@MrWebbtang]

I was about to leave a comment in this vein, but you said way better than I could brother

[@MicahBirdman]

I love how Danya actually cares and wants to improve the skill of his viewers :) Of course other content creators do care for the fans but in my opinion, as of right now Danya is probably one of the best KZbinrs for improving and learning more about chess.

[@saiashwin26]

I honestly don’t think most others actually care. They just want the views. I don’t wanna name the creators but there is a reason why most of their followers are under 1000 despite following them for so long, cuz it’s entertainment focused more than educational.

[@landon8952]

Does anyone else come close? I’m looking because I’ve watched. Pretty much all of Danya’s videos

[@saiashwin26]

@@landon8952 there are some smaller channels that are really good but in terms of big ones, St. Louis and Chessbase India have really good stuff. They are a bit more advanced though.

[@larskerkhof8835]

@@landon8952 I really like hanging pawns, especially for openings

[@majesticfalcon6402]

@@saiashwin26 I don't think it's fair to assume someone is purely making decisions around viewer count, just because they make content focused on entertainment over education. Both are perfectly valid themes in their own right

[@krishras23]

This would be the perfect channel for the Khan Academy of Chess, just because you make everything so clear!! Thank you Danya, it's been a great journey.

[@natepace2173]

I second this

[@kylebierly1639]

I, for one, welcome Danya Academy.

[@omniyambot9876]

Haha sal khan! The man who made me obsessed with calculus!

[@KaktoPredi4e]

Yeah Danya is the man

[@fossiltortoise]

Caro kann academy

[@Morill128]

I've learnt much more from you than any other chess content creator (including the 2 big ones), you are a great teacher which helps understanding some concepts for beginners and your non-bullshit approach is also somewhat entertaining. You fully deserve 1M subs.

[@gen_jose3380]

Thank you for this series Danya. I watched every single video religiously. I was new to chess when I watched many months ago and now feel like a dragon. 🐉 The Naroditsky School of Chess lives on.

[@GMBethHarmon]

Really looking forward to the openings course. Yes, plenty of other resources for them, but no-one teaches like Danya. :)

[@flyingpenguin2229]

Then you should perhaps consider marrying him.

[@petergriffin8767]

@@flyingpenguin2229 oh man I wish

[@samanthaprog1443]

@@petergriffin8767 I as well ☺️

[@mouwersor]

Of all the chess channels I know this is definitely the best one. So informative(!) yet entertaining as well.

[@malburian]

This is the best chess learning channel I found so far (~2 years), and more so Danya has a great personality and his teaching style is nothing less than amazing. The paradox is I found abut him from Levy's channel which I can't watch since.

[@ignacypaderewski2685]

Best chess teacher on KZbin, hands-down. I hope this was not the last speedrun but I am looking forward to other types of content.

[@clutchraptor7269]

Thank you for the speedrun and the quality content. Everyday before I go to sleep I can just watch a thrilling video where I learn and have fun. Thank you Danya!

[@gone6597]

THNX FOR THE SPEEDRUN DANYA.... YOU'RE THE GOAT

[@samuelmanni582]

You have a great way of explaining ideas and are a great person! Thank you for this precious content. I personally hope there will be another speedrun, since there is always so much to learn from a game and from you, but I'll of course enjoy every other content you'll create. Thank you!

[@user-un-known]

This is how I want to play. Accumulate pressure to unleash devastating attack. Always struggling with premature aggression and especially hasty pawn moves. If I can imitate even a bit of this, my win rate will skyrocket as I do tend to get very favorable positions even against people 300~500 points above me in rating (online rating). Which I then throw down the drain...

[@henrychess3]

This is how I play. I accumulate pressure little by little, before launching a mega attack. But unlike Danya, I often miss stuff and hang pieces, which relinquishes my pressure and with that, my game. 🥲

[@user-un-known]

@@henrychess3 We the same. My coach told me just other day that "Sometimes you go berserk, start ripping your shirt on the chest, throw pieces at the opponent, push the pawns into doom, and all that just because you sense your position is better. Which it is. But not to the extent of justifying going loco." Also told me sometimes I play black as if I got the white pieces and am multiple tempi up. Gotta be patient...

[@kurisuwing]

Thanks for the great series! Though my chess result hasn't improved much, but my thought process and chess understanding definitely have Wish you the best reaching your 1M sub goal!

[@rafaelrafaelrafael]

This series were amazing. Your channel is probably the best chess channel out there. Regarding new content, as a 1000 player, I would really like a few games where you’d always methodically go through all the moves you dismissed. Eg.: I look at all my pawns, but due to X and Y I don’t see a reason to consider pawn movements, I don’t want to move the knight in b1 due to Z, I don’t want to move the bishop next to it because of Z’ and so on. I feel like being able to focus on the right things is very important. After you say which piece to move I can usually follow, but how do you get there? I don’t know how to do that and not being super boring, but it’s something to think about maybe.

[@tijlbluf]

I have enjoyed every video you have made in the speedrun. Very clearly explained, on every level. You have done something quite amazing Daniel. Sad it ends, but if you ever restart count on me to watch again.

[@Not3xactly]

My favorite series on youtube. Looking forward to another speedrun and the rest of the content you have planned. Thank you!

[@dmintz2]

PLEASE PLEASE Danya make Chessable courses on openings and strategy !!! This will enable us to gain from your entire deep thought process around a specific topic (e.g. Ruy Lopez). You are the BEST chess online instructor in the entire world, in my opinion. Dan

[@TylerWx]

I'm so happy that the speedruns didn't end here.

[@ronborneo1975]

Long time Gotham chess sub here but I have to admit that this been the most education chess content on KZbin and it’s not even close. Keep it up Danya! More subs to come and for us (hopefully) more elo to come.

[@NemesMik]

What a journey, the speedrun was an AMAZING content for youtube, I was waiting for a new video daily, so thank you so much for the effort you make in creating quality contents! Greetings from Italy!

[@yilun11]

Most addicting series ever! Thoroughly enjoyed watching all your games. It’s given me a passion for chess during this awful pandemic.

[@coffeeandchessonly]

Best Chess KZbin content by far!! Learned so much!!

[@pablourosa1443]

I don't know if you read these Danya, but as an avid chess intermediate player that wants to improve himself to an advanced level, I have found your videos to be ones of the most useful ones to learn chess. My only issue with this is that your videos don't follow a certain structure in terms on what to learn, but that isn't to say they aren't useful. If I want to learn something of the Alapin Sicilian I can just browse the video titles and go ahead to it. As it is a speedrun journey, some aspects of certain topics are covered and some others are not, for example Alapin Sicilian game in speedrun will only cover the variation of what the other player has played, and it often isn't the main line. They are still really useful videos and valid to learn. You are one of the best chess teachers out there and you defintely can reach 1 M subs.

[@Nytequiller]

I think for now he's just trying to build up a base of people who regularly watch his videos. He probably has many things he plans on going into detail on later

[@jisooya7878]

Goodluck Danya, this channel is amazing already with lots of instructive stuff. It's kinda underrated though. You're a great teacher. Really excited to see the new vast content coming up in the future.

[@annalundh8448]

Thank you Danya! Thanks to you I have developed from 800 to 1600. I tell people who comment my progress that I have a teacher called Daniel Naroditsky. You truly are a marvel❤️

[@marr5845]

Your explanatory ability along the whole phases of the game is unmatched by the rest of youtubers I follow. I was happy everytime youtube proposed another video of your speed run and afterwards i was eager to aply your teachings in my games. Cheers

[@NebbyG69]

Easily my favorite series on KZbin. Such instructive and entertaining content! Loved it all so much thank you for this so much Danya

[@gregbillenness5973]

Thanks for a great series, unbelievably informative. Looking forward to your next project.

[@hovhadovah]

Fantastic series! Grats on securing the win. I've improved a ton by following along and am looking forward to more tactics and puzzles.

[@bluemerlin271]

Excellent speed run Danya! Super instructives compared to other channels. We learn a lot and there is great interaction and explaination on the moves. No click bait, just real meat for the chess players. Well done!

[@lucmar6867]

I am so happy you made this series. This is my favourite one by far! The way you talk us through the games is really educational, and you show us that with simple ideas you can play very well and win tough games. Here are a couple of thoughts about your vids: - Thank you thank you thank you for talking in a language that I can understand. I'm not talking about english, I'm talking about not-super-duper-high-level-chess-speak. It makes it much more enjoyable when you simplify so I can follow along. - The emphasis you put on openings and positional ideas really made me rethink how I should approach certain positions, how instead of rushing into an idea that may not work with my position collapsing, I should take it slow and notice when my opponent has to opportunity to push certain ideas of his own. - On the technical side, sometimes it sounds like you're hitting your mic, and though it's not bad enough to click away it certainly needs addressing - As for the end of the series, I'm sad it's ending but I'm glad you're working towards making your channel a chess education hub. Every end is a new beginning! Thank you a ton!

[@disarp]

This is the best series to learn chess on KZbin. Thank you Danya! You are the best

[@negativerainbow]

Thank you so much for doing both of these speedruns! Watching you teach charlie is what got me into chess, and these speedruns really helped improve my play! Can't wait to see what other content you make!

[@stoutlager6325]

This was great content, Daniel. Several of the videos related to my openings were very helpful. Thank you.

[@pagnedaman3777]

Congratulations Danya! You are THE man! Love watching the early episodes as I am ranked somewhere between 600-1200 depending on time controls, so thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@zachhouse1057]

Thank you for all of your hard work during this endeavor. I hope I speak for everyone trying to improve, that this has been super helpful and looking forward to more educational content in the future.

[@matthewrigby6089]

Thanks Danya! You're the best teacher because you make everything understandable as opposed to others who just want to impress us so they explain way too fast and not concretely.

[@ashbash9103]

I can't wait for your opening videos. I hope you'd take them in a new direction compared to what already exists out there. I would love to see you combine real-time games in the learning process, and going depth-first with the variations rather than breadth-first which many other content creators tend to do. The best way to learn is to take in information in small bites and have fun in the process! Your speed run videos achieve exactly that and that's why I love them so much!

[@TheMarksT]

Congrats on a great Chess Speedrun course! I hope you felt it was as much as a success as I did -- in providing a great resource to improve at this incredible game!

[@pavlos712]

Rook f2 was just so genius. I would never have thought of that. Thanks so much Daniel.

[@csterlingjohnson1]

Thanks Danya for all of the incredible content! I know it's cliche to say this in the comments but my blitz rating is up +200 and my rapid is +400 (I'm hunting for 1900 in rapid, which I NEVER thought possible). I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for all of the enjoyment you've brought me!

[@frederickschulze8014]

I realized that a big reason why I watch this series and will miss it is because I love seeing how he plays openings that I play or want to play against various responses by his opponents. I know he sometimes explains opening theory at the end of these videos, but if he made a series on opening theory, I'd love to watch it.

[@grzesiek7358]

A speedrun and overall channel content is phenomenal. There is - and I hope will be - a lot to explore and to go back to after some time. That's quality work and great personality (sorry for this vaseline, I had to!). You deserve 1Msubs like no other Daniel. All the best Mr. Naroditsky and thank you sir.

[@chrisopherneidecker8009]

Thank you Danya for teaching me chess and improving my rating by at least 500-600 points. This is the end of an era but the beginning of new one. I’m really look forward to your future videos!

[@zarkopijanovic6123]

Such a great teacher.. Great vision, accuracy, positional play and understanding of the game. Explains everything! Respect sr!

[@George_Bland]

I really like the lack of click bait and the seriousness of the videos. I think it’s the way to gain the most loyal subscribers.

[@emirpasic]

Thanks Daniel for making these series which are very instructional and helped us improve our decision-making in chess.

[@bradleylummus5931]

i absolutely adore danya’s idea of a whole chess database of lessons & knowledge in this channel. i’m sure he will reach 1mil quicker than he expects

[@saiashwin26]

I think if he reaches 1 million then we can surely as chess has become popular, because there might be other chess related chess with higher sub count but many of them are entertainment focused than educational.

[@ctaz9000]

Danya thank you for this speedrun. It’s like your favourite tv series coming to a end. Nothing on youtube comes close to teaching good chess like this series. You are a wonderful teacher and may you get the success and recognition you deserve.

[@RG001100]

Yeah, I think Daniel's good enough that he doesn't need clickbait titles and other dignity-sacrificing techniques. :) Looking forward to more educational content on the channel.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

I don't get the hate for "click-bait" titles. For people who are already fans/subscribers we're going to watch regardless of the title. Click-bait just helps draw in more people who are curious, which helps get you recommended by the algorithm, which draws in more people, which ultimately means more subscribers who will watch anything. Think of KZbin content creation itself as a game of chess: why would you NOT learn and make use of techniques that help you to win?

[@ScoffMathews]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 so what you're saying is that mocking clickbait is akin to going to a chess club in the 1920s to mock the hypermodernists that did not fight for the center with pawns?

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

@@ScoffMathews I don't know if you can stretch the analogy that far, but it kinda works. I think the general idea is that for anything you attempt to succeed in there are going to be techniques you need to learn and master to do that. KZbin content creation is no different. Provocative titles and thumbnails help your content stand out from the billions of other videos out there. I also don't understand the argument that click-bait is dignity/soul-sacrificing or whatever. Is it immoral? Is it hurting anyone? No? Then what's the problem?

[@RG001100]

​@@jonathanhenderson9422 I think agadmator's titles and thumbnails are tastefully appealing, but GothamChess' thumbnails are appalling (& crafted to the algorithm). Levy seems like an okay guy. He very clearly puts a lot of work into his KZbin account. I trust he knows that his thumbnails look like garbage, even if they are effective at getting viewers. -- I guess it's that crafting a thumbnail which doesn't substantially represent what's in the video doesn't seem honest.

[@tuhaggis]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 Some content creators benefit from it sure, but when you are trying to create a body of work which people can use as a reference guide, it fucking sucks. Imagine if the index of a reference manual was all vague & sensational? "You won't believe this happened! .... p25". Useless. Don't defend the rationalisation of it just because the very same people who stand to financially gain from the practice say it's a good thing. It has its place, but this isn't it and thankfully Danya has the integrity and intelligence to see that. Not everything in life is about making as much money and spreading as much influence as possible. Sometimes it's nice to be proud of what you've done without using financial compensation as a guide to its success.

[@LordMirdur]

Daniel, I would like to thank you for your videos. Your patience and ability to teach are impressive. The way you explain how to better understand the game and teach has helped me to improve a lot. Please continue with the great work!

[@MuftiRahman11]

Amazing stuff! Sad to see this end! Best of luck for your future endeavors Danya!

[@boomerbomb1]

Love this series, hope you make another one soon. My chess skills are growing thanks to you

[@ollivier75]

Hi Daniel, first i want to thank you a lot for this amazing content. Imho you shouldn't stop making speedruns videos. We learn so much from a whole game, ideas for the opening, the middlegame and the endgame with you're thought process, very pedagogic and clear, i love it so much and wait for every video like a chrismas present. I've been watching chess contents all year since the queen gambit got me into chess and this type of videos is the best imo. Levy had a "how to win at chess" serie that was great but he doesn't do it anymore, blitzstream for french people has a pedagogic game serie that is great too. But you're speedrun series are the best, highest level of chess combined with highest level of clarity is just the greatest. As a london player a speedrun with more D4 games would be greatly appreciated. An opening serie could be great too with tricky ideas etc. Thanks again for everything Daniel, wish you the best.

[@chiroo2]

Really nice content! Especially so that we beginners also understand it! You have a new subscriber, and I don't subscribe that easily anywhere

[@DarthVader-wk9sd]

I really appreciate this series, I have been inspired to start coaching recently because of this series, Daniel Naroditsky is a real king

[@geesuehah5280]

The best chess youtuber if you really want to improve your chess. Love every video, so much information that I have to watch multiple times. I believe in you Danya!

[@RaptureReady2025]

1M subs is in the cards Danya… IMO this is the BEST YT channel!! A DayuM GurrrrrL!! 👏👏👏👏

[@paullai5607]

I love the speedrunn series so so much

[@1996rakib]

Loved the whole speed run series. Watched all the episodes. Hope you will make videos live explaining your play against title players. Maybe not this as detailed as this as you would need to focus more on the match but as much as you can.

[@BM-hj6lq]

Thank you Daniel for this epic Speedrun. It was a pleasure to watch them all. Every morning I am used to open KZbin hoping a new Speedrun video is out. Please start another one perhaps with a slightly different flavour.

[@jeffronas9122]

Gonna miss this series a lot. This series basically has contributed to 90% of my improvement. I guess I'll have to rewatch the episodes ;D

[@DivinePlant]

“Various sacrifices are very seriously on the cards here…” goddamn I love you Danya lol

[@rukminibaruah1323]

Last time I commented here I was 950 and frustrated Now I crossed 1200 Here are some tips that helped me to improve: 1. I changed my opening from e4 to d4( e4 is just prone to so many traps) London is not that great but it does help beginners 2. Atleast 25 puzzles daily 3. Analyse every game (don’t be lazy here) 4. When you lose 2 games in a row just stop playing before the tilt sets in. Do something else like puzzles or maybe play in a different site. 5. Last but not the least: watch Danya’s educational streams/videos, I watched the speedruns, puzzle videos and opening videos. Hope this helps

[@frostypotatos180]

d4 makes the game so boring why :(

[@timklymenko9888]

Great tips thanks!

[@csparkle]

Tip 6: don't watch gothamchess

[@hunter-tm2kl]

getting trapped is a valid way to learn

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

I'd recommend beginners stick with e4. Great way to learn from mistakes (like opening traps) while practicing tactics in open games. d4 games tend to be more positional, which is a fine skill to learn too, but many positional subtleties are going to be lost on beginners.

[@leulayalew4490]

Thank you Danya. Best chess teacher of all time IMO.

[@douggieharrison6913]

Truly heartbroken this is the end. This channel helped me thru some tough times. Hope his new content is equally as good, as I'm sure it will be. By far my favorite chess content creator.

[@davewestner]

Geez, 219K subs.....I joined this when it was only a low 5 digit number. Congrats and keep up the good work. This is the kind of no-nonsense channel I enjoy watching. And I don't even play chess aside from a very occasional casual game. I just love to learn about how highly skilled people think in a variety of subjects, and chess is a pretty interesting subject.

[@amaarquadri]

Loved this series, but also looking forward to the other content you have coming!

[@horplesmoff]

i've been watching since episode one and i'm sad to see the series end but i've learned so much. i can't wait to see what other ideas danya has in store for content, i will always be here supporting and watching. keep up the good work danya!

[@flavio5046]

Thanks for not clickbaiting us. I feel treated as a child, like the person is trying to lure me and I'm gonna fall for it.

[@gianlucaliberatore106]

This has been my routine for months now. Thank you, Danya. It's been amazing! Looking forward to more instructive content

[@CodyOwnedU]

Danya, thank you for your videos and not being a super obnoxious youtuber. I hope you hit that 1mill. You deserve it

[@BasedGob]

Standing ovation. Danya has given us all a true gift with this series

[@ProMeerder]

Chess is beautiful, I am glad I discovered it last year. But no-one can show that beauty as beautifully as DN. These videos are top.

[@groovybuddha667]

Your popularity is growing Daniel, and you're pumping out some of the most concise and deployable opening and gameplay strategies. I know you'll reach a million someday.

[@Force95042]

Congrats Danya! Glad we made it through this speedrun without cheaters too!

[@ryanboyd4770]

A fantastic speedrun- thanks Danya - loved it. Good luck with the next idea.

[@keniag5]

Please do not stop producing content. This is by far the best chess teacher I've ever listened to. I'm a horrible player and I've actually learned so much from "the prophet"

[@IAmTehAg]

Daniel Naroditsky is a fucking prophet Best chest series ive seen, ty definitely gonna keep following

[@dcthereal1]

It's been a pleasure watching your Speedrun videos, I haven't missed 1 since you started releasing them. I'm sad to see it go but I'm sure whatever you do next will be just as great! Thanks Danya!

[@stanciutg]

thanks Daniel for the speedrun ! your videos are highly appreciated !

[@animeshsingh3123]

Danya would still be underrated at a million subs. Rooting for you man. You'll get there soon

[@DejonghMaarten]

Thanks for all the great content! If you decide to create videos about openings, maybe you can choose an opening, explain the attacking ideas, common traps etc and then play that opening 3 times: once against a 1200+, once against a 1800+ and once against a 2100+.

[@acgpotter]

Danya, you deserve 10 million subscribers. Thank you for all you've done for the chess community!

[@gelatinousjoe7979]

As an intermediate player only two years of playing chess, this series has been invaluable with information. Thank you so much for being such a genuine and articulate teacher. I love the videos.

[@alanjohnson901]

Thank you Daniel! Great series 💪🏼💪🏼

[@DavidBergeron87]

Hey @Daniel, I just started watching your KZbin videos a month ago. I like the master class series, you're a beast. You even did a video on my fav opening, King's Gambit, even though it is not the best opening. Stay original and if you keep putting out great content, you'll get big!

[@IlluviumGaming]

I love whenever you talk about history.

[@chuckg4812]

Hope you get to 1M subs here...its the most instructive chess page online by far.

[@rickysmith6041]

"The Kahn Academy of Chess" never gonna happen, I have never once seen a sexy teacher on Kahn Academy

[@mathias.arseneau]

Thank you for the great content as always. I would love to see more chess studies/puzzle solving on your channel moving forward!

[@Tiger35T]

Wow what a journey, thank you Danya for such a great series.

[@SławomirGóra]

You have the best content ever. 200% of respect.

[@pianoforteadorecchio9596]

great content. Keep up the good work Daniel. Your classes are the best, thanks for sharing your thought process

[@stuvius]

Amazing series and I think I watched every single episode. Best teacher there is

[@shaneta4557]

Thank you so much for this speedrun! Beautiful last game to cap the series off with! I cannot wait for your new series!

[@liamvictor]

Thank you. I love the way you present the ideas and explain moves.

[@Diffusion8]

Great speed run Danya! Thanks for educating us! Looking forward to what you have in store for us, you’re a great guy!

[@TheBuddhaBilly]

Danya, thanks for this speedrun! I learned a lot and had many hours of entertainment. Looking forward to the next episode!