Raven takes Kevin to Bird School

[@Mowie666]

Wife wanted a date tonight, said no hunny, bird session is on!

[@gmraven]

Good call! 🤗

[@Alekhine01]

I remember when I was a young player in the 80s-90s, at the lower levels I ran into every weird opening, but never the main limes.

[@Alekhine01]

Everybody played something off beat of they were under 1600.

[@sjefke7206]

Im a B3 player and interested in F4/ bird. Ive heard someone argue that the leningrad bird is better due to playing E4 in 1 move because you need to play it anyway

[@Alekhine01]

By the way, I like the information gathering aspect of your lessons. People will say waiting moves or noncommittal, but really we are searching for information. It is a more direct description of what we are really doing.

[@gmraven]

That's definitely true, thanks!

[@mattod12]

Great video! Enjoy the chemistry between you two!

[@mattod12]

Amazing editing! Loved the aircraft carrier interlude!

[@gmraven]

You´re the first to notice it!

[@matthewhull9415]

Best chess content out there from the Birdmaster!

[@gmraven]

birdmaster in the building!

[@Dharmaku56]

Detailed and clarifying. Thank you GM Raven

[@gmraven]

You are so welcome

[@ReverseDutchRulz]

I'm a student of Bird School - It's called LTRBO and let me tell you: it is one HELLUVA school that teaches the Bird 😃👍. Great school, I highly recommend it!

[@mannylokzzz]

It’s so nice picking something up that people don’t really have pet lines against.. the Bb4 lines in the jobava London were really starting to irritate me so this is great! By the way Mr. Raven, deny it all you want but we know you treasure this opening because your name is Raven 🐦‍⬛

[@gmraven]

I chose to do the course because of my name! 😂

[@pandaro3622]

The last couple videos made me try the bird, which says a lot because as white i've exclusively played the ponziani from the beginning to my current elo (pretty hardstuck at 1900-1950). You can definitely tell that people are still completely clueless starting from move 1. Played 7 bird games so far and won all of them. You play your first 10 moves, boom 1.5+ eval. And it's quite deceiving because it doesn't feel like 1.5+. Some of these positions feel so easy to play it's like the game plays itself to the endgame while black is trying to hold onto their dear life. The main thing which confuses me the most though is when people don't give you the opportunity for Bb5, Bxc6 because then the structure and game feels completely different. No doubled pawns so all the c4 shenanigans to fix the structure feels weaker. Also stuff like Be2 and d3 feel quite timid. Definitely a new experience for me since i've been going for the immediate centre in pretty much every opening i play. Also when people send the a-pawn down the board i get a little confused because on one hand i don't want to allow it, so a4 seems like my gut reaction, but then whenever you play c4 (or if you have already played it) you create a backwards pawn on b3 which feels very weak and definitely not correct.

[@gmraven]

A lot to address here but largely yes, be2 and d3 is timid and generally there are more aclive strategies. c4 is almost never an effective idea as your d3 square is weak in the structure. Happy the bird is working for you.

[@carloslopes2256]

This video was very elucidative and funny 🤣 thanks

[@gmraven]

You're welcome!

[@survivaloftheidiots6239]

the thumbnails never disappoint

[@gmraven]

Agreed!

[@mattod12]

New Bird nickname? The Intimidator. Everyone aborts my games when I play it.

[@gmraven]

it happens!

[@paulgoogol2652]

the g3 Bird would be just a worse kings indian attack. I tried playing it with early f4 but it sucks. my lesson was: never play an early f4

[@gmraven]

Agreed!

[@chessimple]

I'm in! The Bird, classical dutch and french. Life is simple and good. Well, I started out Down a dirty road Started out All alone And the sun went down As I crossed the hill And the town lit up The world got still I'm learning to fly But I ain't got wings

[@gmraven]

That's a nice song

[@talonsflamed6693]

Have you played the bird OTB yet? And when is the bird course coming out? I can't wait!

[@orips]

i dont understand this, i can follow along perfectly and find all the right moves almost instantly but am still stuck at 1000

[@uzfnjzubtfjzbd]

It's remarkable how rarely the Bird is played. I think I played about 1000 games and never faced it. Guess one of the famous players could make it fashionable..

[@gmraven]

Its a rare gem, a diamond in the rough!

[@exuviumisopods]

6:54 95% of the time, when I have wight I play the Bird's opening to learn it. I like it. But here queen takes our queen and we are left with a white King exposed in the open...

[@gmraven]

You've gotta riscuit for the biscuit 🍪

[@22gregory22]

You need to play Eric Hansen. Love your content btw. I have an account dedicated to the bird. This is the best theory content that I have found on YT.

[@gmraven]

Cool, thanks! I played Eric many times when he was in Montreal

[@Alekhine01]

I shall be an expert in 1. e3! Somehow, I think it will end up transposing into something not so great anyway.

[@gmraven]

Yeah it might transpose

[@Alekhine01]

@@gmravenI was just kidding. I only said it because you said 1 e3 was no good, so that therefore meant it was the new frontier of dubious moves that could turn good!

[@paulgoogol2652]

when the trainee asked for the "idea" and "positional goal" ya be sayin that there are 2 goals: chop on c6 and play Ne5. it is the same goal however. you are playing to control the e5 square, not allowing an e5 push and rather plonking some own piece in there. just like in the Nimzo indian you play against the e4 square. the d5 Bg7 setup was a little different because black can get some control over e5 but even then with the stonewall setup you can do the e5 plonking. i like the c4 idea however just chipping away at the centre. very typical for d4 players. which I dont like but thats a different story.

[@gmraven]

they are quite different my good sir. Chopping on c6 involves playing on the weaknesses on the c5-square and c6-pawn with na4 Rc1 and c2-c4. Ne5 might happen to target c6 but as a main idea Ne5 is meant to stop e6-e5. it fails to attack the c-file in any way if the chop has not already weakened things there.

[@hugovaz777]

Played the bird for the first time at 1200 blitz and ripped open my opp king side easily. Opp was in the tank on his clock the whole time xD

[@gmraven]

That's normal when the bird pounces the opponent thinks his time away

[@ThisIsTBChannel]

When the Chessable course will be out?

[@gmraven]

They have not told me!

[@addisonmigash8227]

🐦🧠

[@gmraven]

Tru!