My FAVORITE Chess Opening

[@paystar6016]

"Sometimes you have to play chess" is the perfect line for those beginners who want to find some "win in 1 move" opening. Absolutely raw line

[@tcr7]

Yeah, I absolutely love chess until I actually have to play it. :-/

[@bogdanbusui5249]

Levy: this opening has 80% win rate. Us: wanna see it get cut in half?

[@iamcolor]

underrated comment

[@ailogo4191]

😂😂😂

[@dastardlydelinquent]

Omfg 💀

[@TaylorStreet-z4n]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@bogdanbusui5249]

2 comments in the same day after a year. Damn

[@mirelazmihuda6969]

Hey Gotham. I just wanna thank you for everything that you've taught me. I got third prize in my university chess tournament and all the credits goes to you. Thank you man. Keep up the work

[@annalisajohn]

Donate 2000 dollars

[@zigz2091]

Donate a kidney

[@invincibleanik]

Donate a Lamborghini

[@tylerkoepp]

Donate knowledge

[@satyammanna2375]

Donate a GM norm…

[@stefanpopescu5686]

Hello guys!There is a chess tournament in my school and I went on and win a couple of games and now I'm in the semifinal!Wish me luck! Edit:I sadly lost in the semifinal.He was my level , pretty deserved win , although I'm very sick right now and my brain is kind of dead because of the head pain , but still I didn't deserve to make the final.I just want to wish good luck to everybody that is currently reading this comment in whatever they want to do.And also , if you think you've ever embarrassed yourself , or will embarrass in the future , just remember about this comment lmao.

[@shors5841]

GOOD LUCK!!

[@miregalweiss1496]

Nope

[@kiraff7002]

Same bro

[@Justaplebxd1998]

Good luck, you got this champ

[@Metalhead121396]

good luck kiddo!

[@hrlincoln9873]

Excited to try the Portuguese gambit! *Gets the white pieces five games in a row*

[@divyanshupratik826]

e4 d5 e5

[@saberscorpion6142]

Just play the portuguese opening instead: e4 e5 Bb5

[@thebishopchess]

As an e5 player, the Portuguese gambit does seem appealing, might have to consider switching to the dark (d5) side

[@yzfool6639]

When people start playing 3 Nf3 against you, forcing a transposition into the Scandi main line, you will understand why Jedi don't switch from 1 e4.

[@tameshrew469]

stick with sound chess it will be better for you in the long run

[@ChadTanker]

disgusting. i only play the grob :)

[@FlareiOS]

@@tameshrew469 the Portuguese gambit is sound chess

[@mikhailjordanov5863]

The knight is better than you

[@rbcdelta6561]

"I'm mindblown!!" Always like the gambits openings episodes as they reveal the dangers of blitzing out "lazy, normal moves". They also emphasize the importance of calculating threats early in the game. Thanks for the great content!

[@Jaikney]

Love seeing the practice games! Have you ever considered doing a How To Win At Chess-style series but you arrange to play only one opening for five games or so? Five Games In The Caro-Kann, for example. :)

[@monkebrainedfish3130]

Underrared Comment tbh

[@gavinmcintyre9553]

He does have a few videos of 'climbs' in which he plays a games with few openings revolving around similar setups, ascending in elo. There's a 1.d4 climb where he plays the London, Stonewall, etc. There's a King's Indian climb, a few more as well

[@rubenvardumyan9661]

Levy: - 5 according to stockfish means dead lost Hikaru: are you sure about that?

[@hussain1720]

Yeah Hikaru Would easily beat levy in a -5

[@wesleyb1458]

Hikaru be -7.5 vs GMs in the RCC and somehow draws lol

[@fizzywizzy0]

@@hussain1720 it depends, in blitz Hikaru would definitely have good chances

[@noahsvirsky9962]

@@wesleyb1458 hikaru be -7 in a classical otb game against a super gm and still drawing

[@wesleyb1458]

@@noahsvirsky9962 KEKW yeah that did happen didn’t it?!? I forget who it was against but I think was in the Grand Prix

[@aldairvaldez3906]

Perfect timing, recently I was preparing against the Scandinavian and checked Smerdon's book. He covered the Portuguese Gambit, so I studied its refutation. After f3 Bf4, g4! is the way to go. If you're an intermediate or advanced player, I recommend to analyze this move before adding this opening to your repertoire. Keep grinding, love. ✌🏼

[@Ivan-Shved]

Great job! Watching the video I had impression that this gambit is simply too nasty to exist. The tempo won by 8.g5! is crucial)

[@yangmingmeng5414]

To be honest, I prefer the Icelandic gambit. But the portuguese gambit has the advantage that you don't depend on your opponents to play into the icelandic

[@ranjanasharan4051]

@Cricket Fan🏏 this is a chess channel mate i know levy's second most watched viewers are indians but this is just idiotic

[@ak42069]

@Cricket Fan🏏 no one asked

[@666Kaca]

@Cricket Fan🏏 Who?

[@epicwolves125]

Your opponent has to play c4

[@tonybarfridge4369]

I like the tropical. Put the heat on right away

[@luminica_]

2:20 The main idea of f3 is g4, so eventually g5 kicks the knight from defending d5 and why the whole idea doesn't work. 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. g4 Bg6 6. c4 e6 7. Nc3 exd5 8. g5 Nfd7 9. Nxd5 After Nc6 white is in a position where they are clearly better but must play very precisely to keep the advantage.

[@kugelblitzingularity304]

8. ... Nh5 is more accurate but yeah

[@maciekj.358]

I would not have balls to play g4 and c4 as white because of weak king. Where will white castle in this variation?

[@luminica_]

@@maciekj.358 Generally white doesn't castle and plays Kf2 at an opportune time. Sometimes white is given the opportunity to castle short though it depends on the position. Objectively white is winning but black has good practical chances.

[@maciekj.358]

@@luminica_ thank you

[@saad.f101]

@@kugelblitzingularity304 8...Nh5 9.f4 how are you going to be stopping Be2-Bxh5 or just f5

[@iksbob_]

“You can also mate with the queen, but it’s much cooler to mate with a bishop” nice

[@gageyounger5527]

I’ve literally been playing this with black for months and my rapid went from 1005 to 1278 and only vienna with white it’s so simple and you never get busted out of the opening

[@Euruzilys]

Your teaching is your best content on this channel imho. I’m happy it’s becoming more frequent again.

[@quinntjon3332]

I played against the icelandic gambit without being aware, and won with the move D4 after Nxd5

[@southmage4350]

okay. btw do u eat pizza?

[@LiftedGamingLoL]

@@southmage4350 lol

[@aondutta325]

Suggestion: Create a youtube video which briefly goes through EVERY gambit in chess and show the optimal position of the gambit.

[@kevin-7091]

FYI: after Kxf7, Stockfish evaluate the position as equal (depth ~40)

[@Cohenchess]

this is true but white must find several only moves to not lose

[@karibrimacombe8710]

Ok, but you're not playing anyone even nearly as good as stickfish on depth 40

[@kevin-7091]

@@karibrimacombe8710 I'm aware that white is going to mess up most of the time. The purpose of the comment is to point out that black has enough compensation for the pawn sacrifices

[@randyreilly2031]

I haven't gotten the exact checkmate you've gone over but this position has helped me get my opponents in super weird unfamiliar positions and I've had some good success with it so far... thank you!

[@AdmiralFerret]

This is awesome, the Scandinavian (Modern Variation) is one of my favorite openings, so adding weapons (options) to it is great.

[@Overkill9991]

I just destroyed a person with this in a matter of 17 moves with 99.7% accuracy. This is a very powerful weapon

[@christopherperez8296]

Hey levy, big fan and just wanted to say I love your content

[@CreeperSilau]

Pin of proud

[@tugs8689]

Pin of proud

[@beluthomas7186]

Dude, you are that kind of guy that's a really good friend and always feel good around you. Just looking at your courses changes my day. in a good way. Keep it going my friend

[@SeekAndDestroyTM]

Wherever I hear about new openings, I love to hear a bit about "good play" from the opponent. From this and the Stafford, I have to go online and find other resources to learn the refutations. It's really ok to show both sides =)

[@masterofdisaster1911]

The Siesta in the Modern Steinitz variation of the Ruy Lopez is kinda crazy, yet very hard to get on the board (e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bb5 a6 Ba4 d6 c3 f5!?)

[@noThankyou-g5c]

i dont know if i’ve seen a single opening video of yours about a gambit where the practice games looked anything like the theory you covered past move 3. Like if you’re tailoring the video for an audience of 1500 and below why spend 10 minutes on white d4 doubling their pawns. I dont think you will ever see that below 1200 and only in like 20% of ur games in 1200-1500. And then maybe 10% of those games will even follow the main line up to move 4. I feel like itd be more helpful to see what the common responses are at lower and intermediate ratings and what are the fundamentals/themes to follow. I dont mean to bring up a competitor but if you did the same kind of format as Aman did in the “building habits series” but with your style of presentation/organization etc you wouldn’t just be the most entertaining chess youtuber but the most effective educational chess channel. I watch your videos a lot and don’t mean to hate. I know you make more income from selling courses where the “real” information is but I always come out of these feeling like I havent learned anything except the name of an opening and a reminder of the basic opening principles lol

[@b4ljxsh]

You shouldn’t expect someone that’s talking to 100,000 people to explain an opening in every single detail. Unless you have an ACTUAL Chess coach YOU are supposed to GO and study YOURSELF. Being able to watch instructional videos like this is a blessing, you should be thankful people like him even exist. If they didn’t, you’d be sitting at a database all day getting no progress whatsoever.

[@noThankyou-g5c]

@@b4ljxsh I mean I specifically reference a youtube series in the comment you’re replying to that I think does a good job of teaching openings to thousands of people by giving simple and good advice for their elo range based off of fundamental principles. the way any subject should be taught. I mean its like a math teacher. you can easily spot the difference between a teacher who goes over the curriculum and a teacher that sets their students up for long term success and a fundamental understanding of the material theyre learning. If you dont want to reread my parent comment I think its worth checking out chessbrah’s building habits series. in the 2nd tier rule set he starts covering openings and does it in the perfect way imo. The only problem is that they arent organized and easily accessible (the series is almost 100 hrs long and not indexed so its very tough to go back and rewatch something about a specific concept you wanted to restudy). Otherwise I think theyd be the greatest resource for chess beginners of all time. better than any popular chess course Ive come across

[@noThankyou-g5c]

@@b4ljxsh to reiterate my problem is that there are other creators who are stronger players, and who provide more information with better explanations for free. what gotham brings to the table is entertainment value and presentation, both of which are very important. But he honestly doesnt provide anymore information than an openings database actually would besides I guess curating his favorite gambits. Im still not trying to make this be a hate comment though. I think hes in a good position to be the most effective chess educator of all time. Id like to see him fulfill that potential so Im giving my honest opinion as somebody in his market demographic and someone who used to teach for a living

[@ThomasLiljeruhm]

I agree 100%

[@infernalflamezz7480]

I love how the first practice game gives quite a nice refutation and poses some problems for Levy

[@Sevenigma777]

I find it hard to believe that white would double their pawn that often

[@cum4611]

ok? ur names dan?

[@thegamingmind1245]

As in play 2. exd5? It will happen a lot because its the regular move for white to initiate the Scandinavian Defense. If you mean playing 3. d4 I’m not sure but the database supports it. It “gives up” the pawn but it would be equal still.

[@Cardguy18]

What? You mean to play 2.exd5? It's one of the most common replies the Scandinavian defense lol. That "you find it hard" doesn't mean anything when reality proves you wrong.

[@litomayez5050]

levy literally yesterday: "it's too hot so i'm wearing a tank top" *wears a sweatshirt today*

[@aayushsharma8170]

i love how levy makes every chess opening the " best " :) . Caution : Bongcloud sentiments were taken into consideration while writing this comment xD .

[@Singh-qj3ox]

YOOOO I ASKED IN LAST COMMUNITY POST FOR VIDEO ON PORTUGESE GAMBIT AND LEVY MADE IT **RESPECT**

[@KthW]

As a native from Portugal this is an honour. And I feel complied to learn this opening that I didn't even know existed, I am glad. Thank you, Levy for sharing this.

[@giorgosomas1354]

Finally Portuguese gambit! I was waiting for this a long time from Levy thanks man 💯

[@Piqqies_OwO]

I'm moved to tears...

[@Level-Up_learner]

Thanks Levy. This video has added more method to my collection. I came to leave a comment immediately after destroying an opponent 3-0. Two wins I played black and I employed this technique. It went exactly as your video prepared me for. For those wondering, I'm a 2000 rated player on Lichess. I just want to say thanks. There are hundreds of masters out there. Some may even be better at chess than you, but you, Levi and Eric Rosen are my favorite. You teach good technique and Eric Rosen teach tricks. What a combination! Please teach advance opening and techniques so I can further improve

[@ashsequeira7126]

LETS GO I WAS WAITING FOR THIS

[@armwrestlingfan6804]

problem is they almost never play mainline d4. they defend the pawn with Nc3 most times

[@MagisterOW]

What should you do after nc3?

[@armwrestlingfan6804]

@@MagisterOW prolly take it. The pawn

[@Barking_Pikachu]

Good thumbnail totally got me with it, now I am stuck watching this boohoo. Love the content though tyvm

[@ssshhhhivam]

Hey levy.. i came back to this video after almost 6-7 months.. i learnt this gambit but never got a chance to play coz opponents never played accordingly.. but finally i played it today and got 97.4 percent accuracy (first time ever) and specially it was over stronger opponent.. just wanted to share my joy and thank you❤ more power to you 🙏😊

[@aditgupta3562]

9:16 levy saying sorry for us having to play chess in chess is the funniest thing ever😂😂😂

[@haleysettembre]

257th day of translating Levy's titles into Neapolitan: "Impar a miglior apertur e scacc"

[@gryph0n116]

I was wondering when the Portugese Gambit would get a separate video , happy that it is finally here :)

[@AaronWoodrow1]

Whyyyy are you teaching MY favourite opening?! Now everyone's going to know my tricks! :p

[@alexanderjohannesgibbert8906]

Hey Levy, first thanks for the last 3 openings videos they're really interesting and refreshing. I was wondering if you're ever going to look over the Dutch and the Leningrad, just a little idea. Thanks for everything and Keep up the good work!!

[@carldubcats3385]

There is a dutch and Leningrad video from Levy. It's in the 10 min chess openings videos that he did a long time ago. Levy used to play the Leningrad but I think he stopped.

[@alexanderjohannesgibbert8906]

@@carldubcats3385 yeah I remember seeing it, but seeing as Levy has redone some of those ten minute video into longer ones (London, Caro etc) I wanted to suggest a dutch "remake".

[@salamon9114]

@@alexanderjohannesgibbert8906 I think he said in a video a few months ago he said that Dutch defense is "garbage " and he would rather sell his bathwater than make a video on it

[@alexanderjohannesgibbert8906]

@@salamon9114 🤣😅🤣Ok stuff that idea then

[@alexanderjohannesgibbert8906]

@@salamon9114 PS: are you sure that wasn't the bird opening(1.f4)?

[@13thCharacter]

28:00. Legal here in Vermont. Call it the Vermont defense.

[@robertmagnuszewski9370]

probably trivial, but, 8:03 - isn't that walking into d5? what's the threat to white that it wouldn't just fork two figures ? engine gives +1.84. Probably it was a thought shortcut, right?

[@BlackkPool3869]

2:59 The face

[@wyatthumphreys4046]

I love how Levy’s hair gets taller and taller. Keep going it’s sick!

[@Mathijs_A]

"Levy... this is the seventh week in a row you've shown the best chess opening in class"

[@alphanoobster1999]

Levy has such a big channel that from now on we will see this gambit more often now due to this video

[@sahu4022]

I'm loving these 2019 gotham style videos. Especially with the 2019 gotham style thumbnails

[@jessesifuentes540]

8:03 Levy says move knight to c6. Can anyone explain how moving knight to c6 doesn't blunder pawn push to d5 forking knight and bishop? I put this position into the analysis board and it has it has +4.2 if pawn push and fork.

[@flatterswhite]

you can attack the queen with Ng4, after the queen moves you can move the bishop with discovered check, blah blah move the other knight yaknow? I hope that makes sense

[@jonahmcconnell8053]

Great video leivey

[@bernard00g]

Thank you! This is a great video!! Very instructive!

[@asansfakeaccound5466]

funfact, my stockfish on depth 25 says that not sticking to the pawn and giving random bishop check is the best for white (or literally going for catalan setup if black retakes), but back to the topic i really enjoy playing the portuguese since i learned it during hikaru's tricks only speedrun. it is my second favourite response to e4 after paulsen sicilians, especially when i'm tilted and want to win some games quickly.

[@Roma-kg9ld]

By random bishop check I assume you mean e4 d5 exd5 Nf6 Bb5+? That, while seems like a random bishop check, is an interesting line that is super fun to play as white. One example line that I'll share with you which I find incredible is e4 d5 exd5 Nf6 Bb5+ Bd7 (natural move, c6 would lose a pawn) Bc4 b5 (second most played, very natural) Bb3 a5 a4! (novelty, leads to an incredible line) bxa4 Rxa4! (exchange sac) Bxa4 Bxa4+ Nbd7 Nf3 g6 (Black has no moves, the only way to try to develop and get castled is a kingside fianchetto) Ne5! Bg7 Nc6! Qc8. Black, while seemingly up in material, is just stuck. White can keep doing whatever he wants while black literally cannot get their pieces out. Black can't castle due to fork on e7, after say 12. c4 stockfish literally recommends black to just play Kf8 while giving +2,2 for white (who is again, down an exchange), that's how terrible black's position is. The position after 11... Qc8 has been reached 30 times in online play with white winning a majority of the time. This Rxa4 sac line is such a fun novelty that I found while studying with the engine, it looks so ridiculous due to black's structure seeming solid enough that a rook sac on the a-file shouldn't do anything at all but it's still an engine approved line that, instead of quick wins with traps, plays for a totally crushing position where black simply can't find playable moves. Especially in blitz or rapid this can be great because I promise, by the time black has played their twelfth move (assuming they have survived that long) you will have triple their time remaining

[@asansfakeaccound5466]

@@Roma-kg9ld didn't read everything in the comment, but i already know i agree because that random check line became my favourite since i analysed it

[@Roma-kg9ld]

@@asansfakeaccound5466 I would highly recommend you to read the line I mentioned in the comment, you might have not analyzed it and if you are anything like me, it'll become your favorite opening line :P

[@FloatingSunfish]

Levy: I'm sorry, but you have to play chess sometimes. Tricks-only Player: Aww, but I don't *_wanna_* play chess!

[@anilaogria5726]

The problem with the Portuguese Gambit is, white playing d4 on move 3 looks so awkward that most non-professionals wouldn't consider it. So, your chances of running into it is slim.

[@ThomasLiljeruhm]

exactly what I'm thinking too

[@gaudnorm]

This is crazy. I'm right now working to learn their cousin openings. The Modern Scandinavian main line, the 3.Bb5+ variation and the Scandinavian Gambit (savage). I thought the Portuguese Variation was too tactical for me. It seems it's promising too...

[@hal3265]

"Sometimes you have to play chess". Proceeds to accidentally play all of the best engine moves

[@Rakkoonn]

It's not really playable at lower levels since 3. d4 is rare. Only at higher ratings does it become the most common move.

[@andrewweaver6961]

Really appreciate the instructional vids Levy! I know they don't do as well as "Guess the ELO", but they're such good content and are invaluable resources. So, thank you!

[@roylu9290]

This actually helped

[@aluminiumknight4038]

17:28 is often a case of how an IM coverts his advantage against a 900 rated player

[@Abhishek-fe3zs]

At 8:07, if you play that knight move you walk into a fork, do you not? Edit - nvm I see now you can go nb4 and threaten the queen

[@parthavvari2384]

OMFG I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO FOR SUCH A LONG FUCKING TIME THANK YOU GOTHAM

[@notyou4011]

I was wondering: Who ,in the history of chess, has the highest rating COUNTING the elo you granted people by teaching them? I feel like it HAS TO BE Gotham because of all the people he's introduced to chess thanks to his colabs and videos 🤔

[@DaddyOho]

Definitely Gotham and Naroditsky, for me and everyone else who came in on the Twitch Boom, I'd say

[@Pablo360able]

honestly I think it might be someone like Siegbert Tarrasch

[@krivi4557]

KZbin.

[@sankey_r3]

Think of all the elo that the opponents of Gotham subscribers lost

[@Pablo360able]

@@krivi4557 my favorite human being, youtube

[@magmapagliaesopravvalutato6838]

I wanted so much this video, ty mr gotham

[@nightmaerd]

4:35 He sacrifices THE ROOOOK

[@darrelpetrie8793]

This is the second time you`ve shown this and I still havn`t had anybody play into it.

[@aquaa75]

Thanks for doing opening videos ❤🥺

[@florentchif4551]

I played scandinavian defense for like 10 years, online nearly nobody knew about it (at my level of course) so I had a big hedge when I was playing black. I did not play during covid. I started playing again not so long ago, and I don't have an edge anymore as everybody is prepared for scandinavian defense. STOP TEACHING CHESS TO PEOPLE

[@puttyinf]

Everybody gangsta till you forget the winning move.

[@helmetmcbaron]

That's actually an insane strat most people do e4 so that works real well

[@thewirerabbit]

Just checked and I've played Portuguese over 6000 times on cdotc. I love that you love the Portuguese.

[@MaxTheFireCat]

I have waited for this video for such a long time

[@RayT70]

What to do about 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Bb5+

[@33.044]

I saw someone pin my pawn on e6 but then i castled and pinned their queen. Very satisfying uno reverse card.

[@niclash]

"...then I am really sorry, you have to play chess some times."

[@sleeponthefloor9622]

I love chess, but am stuck at 40ish percentile. I'm fairly certain it's because I never really found the time or discipline to learn an opening properly. I just sort of wing it. Levy has inspired me to study and apply the PG. Curious to see if this helps me make progress.

[@IrradiatedMuon]

I'd learn another system, lots of D4 players and the gambit will be a lot of chaos. learning a structure you can see more frequently will help

[@sleeponthefloor9622]

@@IrradiatedMuon Thanks. Any suggestions? I'm thinking something especially flexible in the intermediate world might be helpful.

[@bakaaa165]

We all now this isn't levy's favourite opening

[@b4ljxsh]

exactly all true fans know it’s the caro kann

[@josephbishop3231]

Thought this was suggested because I started searching openings, but I guess you just released it.

[@lul.t.6831]

Tried it. The first two games I played white moved 2. Qf3 and it was confusing. Still won but I bet those games could be featured in a Gotham episode (for how inaccurate my play is…)I still won all my games, only one of them was a draw and made it to 500 ELO. So… fun even tho nobody played into the gambit. Thanks Levy!

[@Sams-ch1jg]

Hi there , what's ur elo now I'm curious.

[@hetaljpatel]

yooo thank you levy for uploading this beautiful opening on my birthday, 17th May :))

[@brocksmith5314]

What about a line for 3.Bb5+ ? That’s quite common right?

[@utuba3510]

Hey Gotham, would love more How to win at Chess vids.

[@electricaltempest6326]

Great video

[@szymonwysokinski7640]

8:11 why are we walk in to d5? Isn’t it a loss of a material?

[@braidos.k3657]

7 minutes ago? food just finished cooking? *truly a blessing*

[@Tea-lw9bj]

what a plot twist 💯

[@mohamedahmedsidiya7153]

8:04 NC6 loses to d5

[@lucasborja3797]

Finally the PORTUGUESE GAMBIT, THE GOAT OF OPENINGS

[@walfiee]

He looks like the long lost brother of the "Da Vinki" twins.

[@almirosalmiros5036]

30:24 first time I caught Levy cutting a clip off a video

[@michamizinski584]

28:01 in the 2nd game - wasn’t there a move to capture a pawn on b5 (threatening mate) to then develop a rook to d3 defending a pawn on a3? Why this doesn’t work?

[@robertehrenworth3310]

Instead of c4, white has B-b5+ which messes up Black’s coordination

[@EGH9701]

I have the course, I’m now just gonna watch this for pure Gotham entertainment.

[@justinjohnson443]

You should do another "Top Chess Openings for each Elo Range" type video...it's been a while since the last one

[@inspiration3364]

I LOVE HOW GOTHAMCHESS IS BEGGING FOR MONEY

[@bilboswaggings]

When are you making a vod channel or opening vods to non subs?

[@7aSsOon13]

I have series suggestions: common endgames, middle game strategies..