Queen's Gambit Declined | The Sensei Speedrun | Grandmaster Naroditsky

00:00 Intro
23:30 Analysis
- Follow Daniel on Twitter at / gmnaroditsky
- Daniel streams regularly on Twitch at / gmnaroditsky
- Daniels Discord / discord
#speedrun #grandmaster #chess

[@Force95042]

It's really nice to see a positional win like this rather than just winning because your opponent hangs a piece - much more instructive :)

[@elg7365]

That is facts. The purpose is what you mention

[@cunucky]

Gotta give it to his opponent for playing solid (i.e. not hanging pieces) im around the same rating and blunder pieces still all the time!

[@susanmcallister4912]

@@cunucky well his opponent isn’t a bumbling doofus :)

[@infomatters.]

"1476 we got a serious opponent" - The Prophet

[@7applause653]

One of the best speedrun videos so far. I was just marveling at how frustrating this must have been for White to play, especially if they don't realize they're playing against a smurf account. Just denying them all at counterplay again and again.

[@stoutlager6325]

I'm the same rating as the opponent in this one. It would be frustrating but less so when I start to get cheat vibes from the game, and I absolutely would get those vibes playing someone like danya using an 1100 rated account. But anyway yes it really sucks to get all your ideas shut down before they even start.

[@ryanoneal8480]

Yea, I'm not sure the benefits of the speedruns out weigh this

[@anmax]

@@ryanoneal8480 He beats 50 players to teach 80 thousand people

[@jbram63]

@@ryanoneal8480 And they get their points refunded. Honestly would be cool to get a message that you played against a GM on a smurf acct.

[@ryanoneal8480]

@@jbram63 that's a weak argument. I was well aware that they get their points back before I criticised this unfair play

[@mickeymcintyre6156]

"Rook ac1! Yeah... aimless." Always hilarious, always instructive, always inspiring, Danya

[@cemtoregokcam3584]

Danya in the past speedrun was calling everyone "better than their rating" for not immediately blundering their pieces, whereas now he is grinding down 1400s who actually play very solid games throughout and calling their rare passive moves trash. Big change in character lately lol

[@Andy-pw8tm]

@@cemtoregokcam3584 constructive criticism

[@shmurfy4971]

@@cemtoregokcam3584 this wasn’t a rare passive move. this 1400 played an aimless game start to finish and gave danya a total of zero problems

[@willhblob1171]

@@shmurfy4971 well said

[@meltedsnowman9637]

@@shmurfy4971 Ridiculous. Danya is a grandmaster, so of course a 1500 isn't going to cause Danya real problems. Danya's opponent actually played way above his rating and was often playing moves in the spirit of the position and moves to take the sting out of Danya's moves. But obviously no one under 2000 is going to cause any real trouble for Danya.

[@mjl22]

There is something so satisfying about watching someone who is REALLY good at something do it seemingly effortlessly and enjoyably. I'm terrible at chess, but love watching you play!

[@LeTtRrZ]

The only real path to skill in chess is one of pain and suffering.

[@AntoniGawlikowski]

I have to say I am super impressed by Daniel's opponent here. Obviously he had no real chance of winning but this game was really good for his rank, kudos!

[@willhblob1171]

imo the opponent played way too passively and let themself get punched in the face over and over again by danya without making any real threats

[@meltedsnowman9637]

@@willhblob1171 Not really. That's because Danya was denying him any counterplay. Considering how hard the position was to find good moves for white, the opponent actually did an extremely good job for a 1500 at finding purposeful moves that try to take the sting out of Danya's moves and have a clear sense of purpose. He definitely played well above his rating. But obviously since Danya is a grandmaster, Danya could easily find moves to deny the opponent counterplay and counteract his opponent's ideas. But this is going to be the case for anyone Danya faces under 2000. It doesn't mean his opponent didn't play well above his rating (which he did).

[@Macca15]

@@willhblob1171 He's a 1400 playing a 2600+ GM. Don't be "that guy". You'd get wrecked by Danya.

[@jere3604]

@@willhblob1171 try to play aggressively as a 1500 vs a GM or even a NM

[@eliasvonbrille]

Yeah. White played really well. Admittedly Danya took his time and essentially tortured him a bit by playing as patiently and accurately as possible but the fact alone that they didn't blunder anything is already well above the average 1500 player. When I play 1500s they usually throw away their Queen on move 5. I would say this guy played at least on 1700 lvl here.

[@kellachhaelan]

I feel like I've had a hard time understanding how to use pawn moves to create a positional advantage until this video. Danya's explanations in this game really helped me understand what I need to be thinking about when moving pawns in the middle game.

[@chrisbeaudoin9818]

Yeah the f6 h5 idea to not let the knight get back into the game is really smart and never would have come up with that

[@mikecantreed]

You won’t recognize a) what your opponent is trying to do and b) which squares you should keep him out of

[@highground3403]

@@chrisbeaudoin9818 Yeah, you need to examine alternative move orders for every sequence you calculate. When I was looking at the position I wanted to play h5 immediately until I saw Ne5 f6 Nc4. It didn't even occur to me to switch the move order with f6 first

[@aoe2sfgt184]

this is one of the most helpful videos I've seen, since a lot of people just like to play solidly while waiting for a blunder (I'm around 1400 and this is really common). My issue in these positions always comes down to patience where i try to start an attack too early. Thanks Danya!

[@BlastS01]

At 19:15 I somehow immediately saw the tactic and must I say it is very satisfying to find a tactic at the same time as danya and connect with him.

[@michaelwhinnery164]

😗

[@julianbassk]

you see it even with the second pawn and double fork? that was pretty cool

[@emvv3784]

really impressive game from his opponent for 1500. definitely a player that will be climbing towards 2000 in the future.

[@squareclemathematics1218]

love your speedruns, you always explain complex things simply. Keep up the good work!!

[@DSB42]

Highlight of my nights when there are uploaded.

[@_zedd1552]

love the positional and solid theme you're taking with this speedrun. its very instructive to a beginner like me. and how you explain your thoughts and ideas is second to none

[@tenzinlee6393]

23:19 "I'm looking for mate in 2. It's not so easy to find." I count 9 moves that are mate in 2. I know he meant to say "I'm looking for a move that is a check and leads to mate in 2." But just thought it was a funny position with a striking number of solutions. Moving the Queen on e1 to a1, b1, c1, f1, e2, e3, e6, e7, or e8 all lead to mate in 2.

[@kruksog]

Just put it in my veins. I live for this.

[@jimgu2578]

I’ve gained some elo playing QGD after watching the speed run. It’s nice that in these games with longer time control Danya is sometimes explaining what a strong response from the opponent can be. It’s like I’m learning two games at once.

[@JonathanS344]

Things like this are why Dany is simply unmatched in chess educational content.

[@TheInfernoJesus]

Great game! One of my favourites so far in your speedrun series

[@gteche]

This was incredibly instructive. Thank you.

[@rahulvignesh2775]

Amazing positional game, Danya! Thank you. Enjoyed every minute of it!

[@matthewhernandez5981]

Best episode yet!! Beautiful game

[@himanshukuril950]

This was really good thanks Danya!

[@connorjohanning9604]

This has been one of your most helpful videos to me, I always get tied up and don’t know how to progress and you showed very clearly how to “weather the storm”

[@cobeferraro3464]

Great video on the QGD and typical plans in it for both sides! Also, nice positional/attacking win.

[@AdrianWan]

Thank you for these videos!

[@emerald_ocean]

Very literally my favorite videos to see in my subscription feed

[@LingtonTV]

This was quite easily one of the best speedrun videos yet - thanks Danya

[@ujaan99]

Learnt a lot from this one, great game! Thank you :)

[@95Bloulou]

Thank you for all the great explanations !

[@tuhaggis]

This is exactly how I try to play, thank you so much for the educational content even if it does come at the cost of the interest of some of your viewers. Please know that at the very least, this is precisely the kind of chess content I seek out.

[@ignacypaderewski2685]

Awesome game and a great video. Thank you Danya

[@Possessed2k9]

That final combination of moves, while fairly obvious, was still absolutely beautiful. Another brilliant and instructive game, thank you Danya.

[@christopherv5655]

Love this series, because you are discussing popular and solid openings! I would love to see a Sicilian/Najdorf video :) Keep up the great work 👍

[@ajarnray4115]

Awesome video thanks for all the clear explanations

[@michaelwhinnery164]

Keep posting content like this and I'll keep watching. This is worth every add you tub can throw at me. Thank you Sensei

[@Mike072]

Fascinating. Everything is spot on

[@arpitrohilla285]

Very very beautiful sequence

[@omibuddyy]

Amazing game and narrative!

[@joe1657]

Thanks as always

[@stoutlager6325]

That tactical sequence leading in to the endgame was a beauty.

[@obscurelines]

Converting a positional advantage without undue risk is one of the key skills of chess. Sharp play suits some players but for most this kind of care, and not allowing the opponent any counter play is super instructive.

[@thisisitchriss]

The way his hair moves at 27:35 is magnificent

[@OregonMikeH]

Excellent instructional explanations. Your outstanding at being very helpful in putting the instructional Icing on the cake! Thanks Big Dan, Blessings from Oregon, .. Mike.

[@nathanmermilliod3135]

These videos are some of the most instructive chess content. Reminiscent of John Bartholomew in old chess KZbin. Thank you Prophet!

[@ajaybenjamin3087]

My go to opening sensei. Thank you

[@alexf0101]

very instructive

[@carterwilliams4716]

I love this episode a lot

[@pascalpays-bas6557]

Nice game! Thanks. 🙂

[@mishaerementchouk]

35:13 there’s a cute tactics here starting with the repeated check: 1. … Qg3+ 2. Kh1 Nxe3 3. Bf1 Nxc2 (white has to give up the rook because of the mate threat) 3. Qxc2 Qh4+ 4. Qh2 Qxh2 5. Kxh2 f5. Black has four (!) connected passing pawns for the bishop.

[@rahuldonde1352]

Great vid

[@maxmorozov725]

You have an intelligent way of explaining things. Best chess channel on youtube

[@ryans9094]

Best video so far. Not just of Danyas videos, but of all educational chess videos. This is a masterclass in prophylaxis even if it is only against a 1400.

[@lancetschirhart7676]

ALLLLL videos? Damn, gurl

[@erichadlock4490]

that was a great instructive game. i realized im not very familiar with minority attacks and how to make them work so now i have that on my list of things to study. thank you! also, that fork tactic with the intermediate move in between was beautiful.

[@tuhaggis]

Chess Vibes recently did a video on the Minority Attack, he's not at the same level as Danya (who is!) but still, another decent player putting out educational content from time to time.

[@FellowHuman18]

This is probably my favorite one ever. Kudos to the opponent!

[@IronWolfie]

thank you king 🙏

[@malcolmwebster7948]

I've been struggling for a few months now to play against the queens Gambit .. Thank you Daniel for this very instructional video .. Always enjoy your content and would love to catch one of these speed runs live ...

[@shmurfy4971]

not sure if you’re aware but he streams on twitch and you can actually go on there and see a backlog of all his streams over the past month, roughly 50 hours worth of streams. usually he’ll stream for a couple hours and then towards the end he’ll play one of these speedruns and you can join the chat to ask questions

[@malcolmwebster7948]

@@shmurfy4971 Thanks very much , I unfortunately don't have twitch but will ask my son if he can help me set it up :)

[@thecoolring6431]

This was a beautiful game 👍

[@iliasmoysidis363]

Daniel thank you so much for your content. I am a 600 player and the pins make all the difference at that level. It's like having an extra pawn against your opponent!!! You're the best. I bought your book (Giannatos, Naroditsky).

[@grzesiek7358]

Thanks! :-)

[@juangamazo5781]

I definitely like this speedrun more because positional play is much harder to understand and you make it easier to learn. Although the gambit speedrun was a lot of fun.

[@goals6588]

I agree with your logic i need more 🔥

[@scheimong]

QGD exchange looks so similar to Carokann exchange reversed. I've played the latter on and off but have always struggled to get any meaningful advantage out of it. This game you played is pretty instructional in the sense that it gave me some ideas to use in another opening.

[@Commando23414221998]

I was just thinking the same - the Caro exchange felt quite similar, with inverted trades - White traded the c pawn for black's e pawn.

[@michaelf8221]

They are in fact the same structure. It's often called the reverse Carlsbad just to highlight that the plans are the same, but for reversed colors.

[@acsu96]

I found the Ne4 and dxe4 followed by rerouting the other knight to d5 quite instructive. I can't say I've played many ideas like that in similar positions and as a result felt stuck. Was also struck by the patience of slowly clamping down on whites knight with the kingside pawn push rather than rushing to bring the rooks over. I'll have to keep both in mind for the future.

[@lymeregis4354]

I love the Sherlock Holmes reference at the end

[@shawn2763]

Daym Daniel

[@jackfrosterton4135]

I loved this game

[@martin-eden]

19:15 Danya looks at the stockfish on the ceiling.

[@MokeTheGeniusDog]

Thank you.

[@StarburstExpress]

This guy was born to be a teacher

[@michaelfortunato1860]

OUTSTANDING. Nimzovitch's prophylaxis came alive in this game.

[@westonwheeler2311]

Really needed this today. Just got destroyed in the QGD as black. I really struggle playing with black unfortunately

[@mikul9204]

I recommend QGA. More open, easy to play position and if they misplay it you can hold onto an extra pawn

[@caffeinator1849]

Try the Nimzo-Indian if your opponent allows it, that opening is a guaranteed equal position for black

[@topoisomerace]

Pushing white's knight back to h2 twice in this game is some great middlegame instruction. That f6 move would not have occurred to me, but it makes perfect sense now and helps change a drawn position into a winning one.

[@iAmUzaar]

That tactic that began the endgame was insane

[@MasterJack2]

I need more.

[@emregeylani]

This positional game was really informative. I like playing positionally but usually miss the time when I need to cash back my investments. Thanks Danya.

[@queenbrynja]

This was very calm and relaxing actually, watched it before going to sleep :) Pozzzzitional chess

[@lancetschirhart7676]

lol

[@queenbrynja]

@@lancetschirhart7676 can't hear you, im asleep...

[@hyghostgamer9495]

how was your sleep

[@queenbrynja]

@@hyghostgamer9495 better than reality

[@shelly.618]

I went from 500 to 632 in a few days from listening to your logic thank you man, you are a very good teacher I hope you see this.

[@laeb08]

This was informative for a low elo player like me. I'm always learning a lot from the Prophet

[@Kokurorokuko]

This shows how applying constantll pressure wins you the game. Opponent played well, though. Great video!

[@bongcloud]

Thank you Danya Sensei U are the most loved chess mentor in my universe. Second to none!!!

[@natasdabsi1138]

Nice

[@sl7v11n]

And the rest "Elementary my dear Watson" 😂😂

[@sietsedegroot5198]

Great video about how to play the carlsbad structure

[@jeancena3556]

Thank You SenSei

[@claxmma9570]

I was about to pass out. I guess I got 42 more minutes 😂

[@iqthion]

Thanks for your series. I stuck at 920 ish and now im 1000

[@ligmamale4389]

Kudos to the 1400, great game.

[@andrewwade785]

whenever I watch a gm explain a game I go "ah of course that makes sense, yes that's a good move" and then I when I play its just blunder blunder blunder

[@banzaiburger9589]

"there is no algorithm for...' This is why I follow Danny

[@milesrout]

cool video

[@frequensea9434]

My middle game plans have been STRUGGLING. But somehow everything you said made so much sense to me. It’s almost like you were playing checkers and just preventing your opponent from being able to play anything

[@nbeqo]

Exchanging light-squared Bishops in Carlsbad helps White (according to GM Arkell anyway)

[@GK-il3fn]

It would be really cool to do a video about when and how you should manoeuvre minor pieces (particularly knights) on the 1st or 8th ranks. I find these manoeuvres difficult to find, yet they often seem to be critical elements in several main lines. If anyone sees this comment, please feel free to recommend any content on this subject.

[@martinnimcevic565]

amazing video

[@thetransferaccount4586]

gg x2

[@andrewcosta2760]

The comforting thing is that if a player 300 points lower rated than me beats me easily, I can have comfort knowing it might be a GM on a speedrun.

[@thetransferaccount4586]

gg

[@Ervalo]

I love these games with Black. Danya is obviously very good(near perfect) but it always improves my lower rated games.

[@cpf2566]

I really want to see that summary of defending against the minority attack in a carlsbad structure :( this was one of the best games/episodes imo but it would have been even better with that kept in.

[@machomano207]

Really interesting to watch this game toe into lines of the Caro Kann! Might be aimless to ask here, but is the Caro Kann viable moving into the 1800+ elo areas?

[@evanlewis2349]

The Caro Kann was used by Magnus Carlsen in his world championship matches. It’s an extremely solid openings for all levels of play! :D

[@self-righteousideologue9398]

You should have played in the Rapid and Blitz championship, Sir Danya of Charlotte