Why Beginners Should NOT Play This Opening

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

💡 Register to GM Igor Smirnov's FREE Masterclass "The Best Way to Improve at Chess INSTANTLY" - chess-teacher.com/masterclass 💲 Join the RCA Affiliate Program, promote our courses, and get 50% commission - chess-teacher.com/partnership/

[@yuyooyuzi6427]

what about the alekhines defense

[@olivercsaki5748]

you look like Elliot Rodgers

[@louismuller8724]

%❤

[@MyBiPolarBearMax]

The takeaway here is once you’re at a level where you can stop obviously blundering your pieces, dont worry about specific openings as much as ideas and concepts. Have a mindset of aggression and attacking, even as black. Every move should present a problem for your opponent to have to deal with and pressuring your opponent with position and “time” (not the clock but the number of moves to respond to something) can easily outweigh minor “material” imbalances (the combined worth of your pieces). A pawn is nothing if sacrificing it allows you to continuously keep your opponent under pressure and responding to your moves rather than able to formulate their own ideas. Like in all sports, offense beats defense except occasionally at the very very highest level. Love the channel Igor, Best Chess teacher on YT! ❤

[@tim.martin]

Tempo

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

True! When it comes to attacking, be like a pawn in love - willing to sacrifice

[@andreasconstantinou2578]

I get good positions but I usually end up in time trouble and lose all my advantage and then the game. not sure what to do there

[@Janto001]

Offense wins games, Defense wins championships: definitely applies to chess! Your attacks will beat average players until serious opposition; playing Nakamura in Rapid for example. He’s likely to see through all your plans and your likely going to have to defend. If you do accurately maybe you earn 1/2 pt as black. But it’s something.

[@darrylkassle361]

Definitely one of the best chess educators. He would be in the top 3 in particular for improvers. I think it would be hard to name the very best without specific criteria . But you know for sure he is one of the best.

[@iankemp1131]

When I learnt chess nearly 60 years ago, I had an oldish book called How to Play Chess by Cunnington, and he recommended playing the Kings Gambit and its variants because he said they provided excellent practice in tactics and how the pieces coordinate. You can then carry that into your general play and gradually add more strategic elements. I remember trying the Caro-Kann and finding that I got slowly squashed against stronger payers and couldn't develop any advantage against weaker ones. One comment from a 1960s openings book; "Most masters couldn't warm to its dullness until Botvinnik fashioned it into a precision weapon for his matches against Tal". I moved on to the French and got much better results, though more attacking players would prefer the Sicilian. The snag with 1 e4 e5 at higher levels is that White has so many possible tactical lines of play which can suddenly give a big advantage if Black doesn't know how to deal with them.

[@smithyq6335]

I remember learning the Scandinavian with 2...Qxd5 as my main weapon, thinking it would stop White's early attacks. And it did! However, I frequently got dull positions where neither side could do much, and it wasn't that much fun. Certainly White wasn't under any pressure, and so White blundered less often. Conversely, when I played openings like the Kan or the Dragon that put some pressure on White, blunders happened much more often. The downside, of course, is that I can blunder more as well! I think it comes down to mindset, "playing to win" vs "playing not to lose." My winrate and my enjoyment peak so much more when I'm doing the first one.

[@shinywarm6906]

Yes, the difference is playing the Scandinavian with 2....Nf6 instead, with 3.....e6 (the Icelandic Gambit) if White tries to hold the pawn 3. c4. Most White players under 1800 are immediately out of their prep and it's great fun

[@indigochild2.098]

your by far one of my fave chess streamers your extremely knowledgeable and have a sense of humour, u have helped go from 100elo to 530 in 2-3weeks. think ud be a great coach ! luv ur channel fan from the UK!

[@CloverAugustus]

Wait he streams? What's his channel?

[@SRADracer]

You’re

[@tim.martin]

​@@SRADracer now correct the entire paragraph, including punctuation!

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Means a lot! Good luck with reaching 4 digit ELO soon.

[@lonewolf5238]

Great video, as always, entertaining and informative. I favor the Pirc. It's deceptively passive at the outset, but can unleash some devastating counterattacks fairly quickly. Not a ton of people familiar with it either, which is a big plus. My $0.10 worth anyway

[@tobiass3540]

As a beginner I randomly picked an opening. I played only Nc6 as reply to e4. Was enough to reach 1800 and more. My first OTB game was against a 1800 Fide rated player. I had black and the game went e4-Nc6-Nf3-f5. I went on to mate mate my opponent in 26 moves. So if I as a beginner could beat 1800's OTB in classical chess by playing this, you can certainly also play the Caro-Kann. I think the reason, why people don't improve further, is because they stick to the one thing they learned and don't learn anything else. My Black repertoir against e4 now, is e5/c5/e6/c6/Nc6. I think you can start with anything, but once you got the one thing down, you gotta expand your knowledge and learn to play different positions

[@victorkao1472]

Same. Saying “better master one opening than learning multiple openings” is simply not true at all. Learning multiple openings helps you learn different concepts and attacking ideas. Mastering 1 opening makes you stiff

[@victorkao1472]

@Calen Crawford I know what bongcloud is. I also know Hikaru reached 3000 with bongcloud. I still think playing diverse openings is better than playing 1 opening

[@SasuPlaying]

@Calen Crawford but in reality you don't have infinite time to always think is your move the best or is there anything better from move one. So it's always more convenient to come to the game with "something", at least basic knowledge about your opening to not waste that time

[@vharmi.]

Oh hey, more Colorado players. I even played it in a simul against a GM and was slightly better after he blundered a fork around move 20. Of course he then proceeded to do GM things and I couldn't hold the win :(

[@tonygilpin7810]

Another Brilliant video. You just described my entire chess life. Lost my confidence with e5, then played the French for many years with good results. I even played 1.a3 for many years so I could play the French for white. This year has been a huge leap forward with the help of your instructional videos. My game after e4 is very much centered around the Italian/scotch and Halloween. I am slowly moving from French and Caro Khan in favour of an e5 repertoire. What has led me to this is that I've been playing top board for my chess club and our league states that the home team plays black on odd boards. So, players have been playing very solid and uncommittle chess which has caused problems finding attacking solutions when playing the French or the Dutch. Thank you so much for your time and renewing my appetite and enthusiasm for our incredible game

[@iankemp1131]

Indeed it's an awkward challenge for an attacking-minded player with Black - finding an opening that gives good tactics without being completely unsound, especially if White opens 1 d4 which is a bit more solid.

[@tiagomoraes1510]

im a sicilian player, but if i was going to recommend a beginner a practical opening i would deff recommend the french. As a e4 player i despise french player but i cant deny that the opening is annoying, sound, and there are way less theory than the other black answers.

[@Arthas30000]

Omg YES. Same. I HATED playing the French - it would just crush me most of the time. Almost no one plays it anymore at my level - shame really.

[@MyBiPolarBearMax]

The problem with the French is its the same thing as he’s talking here with the Caro-Kahn. Its a solid, defensive-minded set up. So if you have issues with blundering pieces, sure go for it, but the whole point of this video is counter attacking and aggression even as black, and is probably geared more toward mid-level players trying to get to the next level.

[@ecarte931]

​@@MyBiPolarBearMax french is not defensive setup. In french, black has a positional drawback(light square bishop) but a huge pressure on d4 pawn and attacking white. French setup makes game somewhat "closed", but it does not mean there is no attack

[@iankemp1131]

@@ecarte931 But it is a slower positional game so you don't learn much about attacking mating tactics. It's White who has all the interesting lines with sacrifices on h7 etc. And I speak as a long-term French player, but I needed to get quite good before I dared adopt it as Black.

[@ecarte931]

@@iankemp1131 In fact, I agree with you. :)

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

► Chapters 00:00 1 Key Skill Most Chess Players Don't Know 00:20 How to counter 1.e4 as Black? 01:36 The problem with the Caro-Kann Defense 03:39 What's the point when you can't attack? 05:29 So, what to play against 1.e4 as Black? 06:15 Countering your opponent's early opening tricks 08:05 How to counter the Fried-Liver Attack?

[@captainmurphy4720]

00:21 WHERE THE SUBTITLES SAY YOU ARE GRANDMASTER RIGORUS BERNOFF

[@Arthas30000]

I find Scandi to be solid, but not particularly attacking. Great option for any level imo. Really forcing lines, especially early on. And opponent being unable to knock you out just has to be frustrating beyond belief for some people.

[@Arthas30000]

@@prithvisinghpanwar6609 I mean, chances of Botez gambit is just high in general 😂

[@OcteractSG]

The Caro-Kann leads to aggressive middle games for black most of the time. While there is a fair amount of defensive play in the opening, that is when players are still in their prep. The Exchange Variation in particular is the most boring, as it’s just a positional game centered around the Reverse Carlsbad pawn structure. Each player just needs to try different openings for while to see if they like the types of positions they get.

[@simondewitt7161]

All beginners should learn the Pirc as black. It automatically stops early attacks (if you remember e6 vs the fried liver) and is like the Sicilian with training wheels. Its got a built in queen-side attack against white players who castle opposite side and the bishop on g7 is a magic invincible piece under 1000 rating. I tell my students if your bishop is still alive checkmate is impossible. Plus you can learn f5 variations against same side casting and can play it against just about anything white wants to play. I have also found that playing c6, sliding the queen to c7 and castling queen-side can work very well up until the 1800ish area. Its flexible, easy and repeatable.

[@Dearbornification]

You’re not wrong Igor. I started to play the Caro Khan and it did help me reach 1200 but I am now stuck between 1250 - 1290. I think I will learn to attack like you said and learn a new opening to improve my attacking skills.

[@TheRomanianWolf]

1250-1290??? I thought 1400 was the minimum...you people really don't understand ANYTHING, do you?

[@ethansmusic9898]

​@TheRomanianWolf Do you understand how to not be rude sir?

[@iankemp1131]

At that level you may as well play the classical lines with 1 e4 e5 and develop all the classic tactical skills, learning as Igor points out to combat the most common opening traps. There are a variety of other tricky lines for White, but only players about 1800+ will know of them and use them correctly. By that stage you have developed your skills and can consider other openings.

[@PavlosPapageorgiou]

Kind of agree. I like the Caro Kann for avoiding all these traps but then all my games look the same as black and are very slow. Queenside attacks don't seem to do much. Kingside it's very complicated and I feel maybe I'm learning tactics but it's not easy.

[@dragonore2009]

I like the refutation you proposed for the Fried Liver Attack. Probably wouldn't happen, but if white does know that refutation, they can do the Polerio, Bishop Check, Bogoljubov Variation, which as y'know is really tricky.

[@mikekeenan8450]

Al Horowitz said that, for the beginner, the best policy is: If you're White, play 1. e4. If you're Black, and White plays e4, then play e5, because you learn the principles of development more quickly in king pawn openings. I'm inclined to agree. And his frequent collaborator Fred Reinfeld said, of the Caro-Kann, that it's a good opening for someone who wants to avoid complications and is satisfied with a draw. Of course, as you point out, if you're Magnus that doesn't apply.

[@doomakarn]

I am currently rated 980 and I have a W/L of 13-4 when playing as black using the caro-kann, I've found great success using it and my ELO is rapidly rising especially right now. This video is not particularly convincing because I see a multitude of attacking opportunities for black in the exchange caro-kann position you have provided.

[@T0X1CSPIKES]

Yeah but that's because you're 980. At that level, simply not blundering will win you games and give you attacking opportunities because your opponent will eventually start to blunder themselves. I'm at 1700 right now and the Caro Kann is starting to peter out due to the reasons mentioned in this video. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing opening, but you need to be really good and outplay your opponent in a longer game with lots of quiet, positional moves to ensure victory. In the Caro Kann, a good attacking opportunity will usually net you a single pawn at best and will require a lot of calculation.

[@tobias4411]

The last setup, when white tries fried liver I would also recommend the awesome and dangerous Ponziani Steinitz gambit. Nxe4. Most players dont know the only correct move Bxf7, they usually play Nxf7 or Nxe4 I would say 8/10 games this happens. The most fun is when the play Nxf7 and forks.

[@ezekielmy545]

A netx informative video tnx....I have learned that in the bishop opeing, and italian opeing ..black pawn to (d5) is a strong defense and its very hard for white to respond most time white can lose.

[@DJ-Art-Morris]

This was a great video in my 800-900 range seems like I’ve finally got past there constant early queen attacks but are definitely spamming the fried liver in this range and I’ve worked out a refutation line starting with Nxd5 that works out maybe 50-60 percent of the time at best, that is when they don’t play Nc3 after Qf3 i can attach their queen with my knight but if Bxd5 ignoring the queen and fork threat I’ll often get in trouble. So this looks way more promising since it does seem like i run into ppl who have the answers to my refutation quite often. Sub well deserved goodsir 🙌🏼.

[@JumpNMustang]

I am a player who is ~2000. I have followed GM Smirnov since I was 1800. In my experience, you don't actually need to know any opening theory at all even past 2000. I might even question if you need all that much theory up to 2350 even 2400. What you need is familiarity with rules of the opening. There is like three. And then You need to study the ideas of basic strategic chess. :-) Of course they sell the courses through this, and I AM an affiliate. However that is not my purpose. You study the strategy, The strategies themselves help guide you to the correct ideas. But when it comes to the openings themselves, the best way to learn them is to go by the pawn formations. And you choose the easiest ones to learn. For example: The Ruy Lopez. Everyone and their grandmother think that the Ruy Lopez is not a good opening for beginners. But in reality it is one of the best openings for beginners. And the reason why is, not only does it have huge theoretical body and it can be extremely complex, but at the same time there are ideas in the Ruy Lopez that even a beginner can grasp well enough to play even with only knowing 3-5 ideas. And from those 3-5 ideas, when you start to get comfortable with those ideas, you can "expand" from there to grow with the opening. Forgive me for saying this, but some people have said, "Such and such opening helped me get to 1200." That is good. I would be proud of any rating that you feel made you accomplish something. However, when the chips are handed in and you have to be honest with yourself, the opening shouldn't even be a factor at 1200. You can play 1. e3 and 2. d3 and then play normal chess and achieve a 1200 rating. The reason people have problems with their rating at 1200 isn't the opening. It's their thought process and how they address the position in front of them. Technically this is a large topic and I can explain details better with questions. So if you have questions you can reply here or even send me a private message. I can explain in detail anything that pertains to the ideas presented here and the even answer questions about the Remote chess academy. Sometimes getting to know a real person beside the "author" or testimonials helps with understanding things, and I don't mind helping with simple questions.

[@Your_creative_plug]

GM Igor is by far the greatest chess teacher on these streets, like he actually TEACHES... before i started following his tutorials i used to watch all these random chess channels and all they did was make me even more confused and helpless, but my chess life became simple when i watched just one video of GM Igor some years back that said "To take is a mistake" i saw that he actually explained why it was so instead of making me dizzy with variations and lines,,, and later along the line i was opportune to study his courses " 7 keys to victory" and "the grandmaster's positional understanding" and it was like my 3rd eye was activated lol,,, i'm currently 2000+ and climbing (no cap),,, to every beginner out there the secret to steady improvment in chess, is to understand the basic principles of the chess game and the rest will come to you naturally...keep up the good work GM Igor,,,you're the best

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Thanks! Good luck to being a titled player soon.

[@johnstevenson9956]

I've seen you do several variations on the Fried Liver. Do you prefer the main line with the Knight to the A file, or the trickier B Pawn sacrifice?

[@saimon174666]

This was exactly my journey - e4e5, then caro-kann, then hey, if you push c6 is caro later anyway, why not sicilian? I'm still learning the accereted dragon, mixed results, but a lot to discover

[@tastethem]

lol I love the dig against Levy. His caro-kann video has so many views, there's only one thing you need to know about that: Smirnov's fantasy variation explanation against the caro-kann.

[@MehmetSarkd]

3:04 I was playing caro-kann every game and falling to same situation where I just don't know how to attack. Thank you for this video

[@salehinshahriar6762]

this is not just a wrong approach but also a big obstacle for any chess player to not play an opening just because it leads to an equal/dry position. I am a chess teacher and I think what you say is partially true that caro cann won't give you instant win/massive attack but that's where beginner/intermediate players need to improve by playing equal positions.It helps you understand the intricacies of positional maneuvering and endgame skills. No one can improve their chess without delving deeper into playing equal positions. That's where your true chess skills come to play instead of some opening tricks. Of course, you can win games against lower-rated opponents with tricky/attacking openings, but I have seen more often than not that when you face a stronger opponent who knows how to defend, weaker players suffer. Play Caro cann and develop your positional understanding and endgame ideas. Even if it results in a draw/loss, you will get some invaluable lessons on how to maneuver your pieces in the middlegame and endgame. One of my students, rated around 1900, used to complain that Caro cann offered him no advantage in the opening. So I started analyzing his games and taught him how he could improve his pieces in the middlegame and endgame. After a year of playing Caro cann, his chess understanding massively improved, and he started winning those equal games. He's now 2100, and despite his slow growth in the initial years, he now understands chess at a much deeper level and got a lot of ratings in the last few months playing the same caro cann that he despised.

[@borysthecuber7339]

8:50 I personally go Nd4 Fritz trap CHECKMATE

[@connortilson7141]

Mate you are brilliant. 👍

[@spectruth]

I love your videos. I am definitely older and enjoying learning chess.

[@alexanderstelmakh8906]

Absolutely agree!

[@cherrycherry-zq7jg]

What about the London system sir? What do you suggest in this line?

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Here is a video about the london system kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4G7c3qsetaKjqM&pp=ygUibG9uZG9uIHN5c3RlbSByZW1vdGUgY2hlc3MgYWNhZGVteQ%3D%3D

[@jalsiddharth]

I used to do the exact thing with the Fried Liver situation because to me, it "seemed" logical. I recapture with the knight, block the bishop and stop that double attack on my pawn. Is the core idea here then that if I calculated further, I'd have seen that nd5 fails? I know no opening theory beyond 2-4 moves for typically played openings.

[@SasuPlaying]

As a 1500 who plays French and London, I'd disagree. If you pick Scandi or some other opening that is basing on gimmicky tactics in first 10 moves, then if your opponent refutes it, you often end up with bizarre positions that are not easy to play for people at my level. That's why i prefer to play more principled chess in the opening and then try looking for attacking chances from there. But as I said it's only my opinion

[@TheRomanianWolf]

What can a 1500 understand from London????

[@garysturgess6757]

@@TheRomanianWolf Perhaps that punctuation doesn't stack? :)

[@SasuPlaying]

@@TheRomanianWolf having relatively low rating doesn't mean that I know nothing apart from 5 moves in the opening. I spent many hours studying middlegame plans or alterations of London against different setups

[@trailerpark948]

Thankyou

[@Axiomatic75]

Never played the Caro-Kann myself, just learned a bit of theory if I face it with white. Another opening I stay away from is the Sicilian. Way, way too complicated.

[@brewtalityk]

the beauty of the Sicilian is that as you study it and learn more lines, your opponent is more and more likely to make mistakes you can take advantage of.

[@yzfool6639]

@@brewtalityk And then avoid the main lines entirely.

[@crystallized1676]

Against Caro you play Tal variation and against c5 dxc5. If you learned anything other re-learn ;p Just piece of good advice.

[@Axiomatic75]

@@crystallized1676 I'll look into it. So far I've been playing mostly the fantasy variation against the Caro and against the Sicilian I always play the Alapin.

[@crystallized1676]

@@Axiomatic75 Alapin is very good and fantasy I would rank as 2 or 3 best response (prob 2). You play good stuff :) Tal though is hands down the best under 2,3-2,4k ;p Surviving into middlegame against white who knows theory is accomplishment at club lvl on its own ;d

[@walterbrownstone8017]

On one hand, the Caro feels so safe. On the other hand, if you learn 5 moves of a some more trappy openings, you'll have quite a few laughs watching opponents fall into traps.

[@GWoldstuff]

Enjoy learning from your video's. Thank YOU

[@jasondeblou6226]

How to counter the counter fried liver attack?

[@joshualandry3160]

I don't know why but scholar's checkmate attempts seem popular at the 1500 level all of a sudden.

[@hichamanf794]

like before watching. I finde my own opening againts e4 and any other opening: Philidor def . i have seen all your video "after e4" which helped me to improve my level and my tactics. tramadous thanks.

[@МирославКръстев-с7и]

the philidor is bad, sorry to tell you that. french is much better if you like a structure similar to that of the philidor and is far more forcing, because after e4, white can play almost anything and put you in trouble pretty quickly

[@hichamanf794]

@@МирославКръстев-с7и try to play the Black Lion system :you ll win 99% . I won against great rated players.

[@zelandakhniteblade5436]

@@МирославКръстев-с7и You should probably update your theory a little. There are several extremely sound and popular systems around that are essentially a Philidor through transposition, with perhaps the most notable for beginners being the Adams Pirc, which is characterised by the set-up of ...d6, ...Nf6, ...c6, ...Nbd7 and ...e5. The French is an excellent opening for players that like to counter-attack and was recommended to me as a junior, although I preferred to stick with the Sicilian that I picked up from my very first chess book. The big issue for the French at social/club comes in the form of the Exchange Variation, in which it is just very difficult to play for a win. For this reason, some players who use the French as their primary defence also have some alternative systems available for playing against much weaker opponents. The other issue for the French that turns up at much higher levels is that there are a gazillion promising gambit lines to play against it and without very good prep it is easy to fall into a dubious position. Despite these minor flaws, I personally like it a lot more than the Caro or Scandi, despite both of those seemingly being much more popular right now.

[@jotarokujo5132]

@@МирославКръстев-с7и the Philidor that gets played at Master level is bad ? you are clueless, lol

[@HSCobb]

thanks big gm igor

[@Joel-vw9mo]

Switching from the caro to the french was crucial for me to hit 2000

[@mechantl0up]

Beginners should only play open games and gambits. Chess is 99% tactics at that level, and the mistakes beginners make are always tactical. They never lose because of strategy. That has never happened. When you play open only, and gambits where you attack aggressively, you lose or win quicker and as a result of more obvious tactical mistakes, which help you improve. Closed positions only bog the game down and make it unclear why you lost or who played better. When you improve, you can try closed openings as well. And the tactical eye developed by learning to attack and defend will actually come into use. Play Italian, Evans gambit, etc. no Carocannn or French for beginners.

[@christophkuntz8523]

I guess, the intro is so true... so true :D

[@Atilolzz]

Polerio defense plays itself, you should play it

[@benvigs]

This is exactly the trouble I was having playing the CK, converting a solid opening into an attack. @GMIgorSmirnov Would you say the same about The French?

[@MyBiPolarBearMax]

The French and Carl-Kahn are geared more towards stability and defense. Its great for lower level players but this idea of aggression is really suited to taking you to the next level once you stop blundering pieces left and right. If youve ever played a higher level player and it feels like theyre “leaning on you” its this same concept. Theres always an attacking idea with every move and you always feel like youd be fine if you could just get *one more* move in but never get the opportunity.

[@benvigs]

@@MyBiPolarBearMaxThanks for the input. I know Im definitely missing opportunities , and probably being a bit too ambitious at times as black, as a Draw against a strong White is a victory in and of itself.

[@iankemp1131]

Unfortunately as Black it's very difficult to find aggressive openings if White doesn't want to play ball. That's why a lot of good players use the Sicilian - it's unbalanced and gives Black chances, but it's a different sort of activity. White can often whip up a strong K-side attack; playing the Sicilian against Fischer in the 1960s was known as "Sicilicide"!

[@benvigs]

@@iankemp1131 Great insight, thanks! Need to add a basic Sicilian to my arsenal.

[@bladmorane7613]

TRUE STUFF AS ALWAYS, YOUR BIG CANADIAN RUSSIAN BORN FAN

[@BKNeifert]

If someone ever puts me into a fried liver, I go for the Traxler Counter Attack. But I'd never be in that position to begin with, because I don't open King's Pawn against King's Pawn. Maybe I should, as I can crush a Fried Liver Attack. But that's more my style. But, caro kann is good, but Sicilian is the highest rated opening for Black. Just saying, learn a sicilian, and you'll usually have good playing against white. King's pawn isn't really my issue. It's more Queen's pawn, or English systems that give me trouble. Because no matter what, you're kind of screwed. Like, my usual for Queen's pawn, is usually hyper modern because I'm a passive player. I like to build fortresses, and slow down my opponent. I do the same in RTS games like AOE. I also like Indian Defenses. Like, I usually play from the periphery. I tried the usual, Semi Slav and Slav openings for Queen's Pawn---I don't do Gambits, because again, I'm a control player, and don't like giving my opponent options, but will play an occasional benoni---but I don't like playing against Queen's Pawn or English systems. They're always up tempo, and probably the best openings in Chess. King's Pawn is an inferior chess opening, because it gives black too many advantages.

[@iankemp1131]

The Traxler / Wilkes-Barre is incredibly complicated, Black sacrifices a lot of material and if he doesn't get it right, he simply loses. I studied it a lot once but it never came up, probably just as well. The Two Knights with Na5 just sacrifices a Pawn and gives Black good counterplay even if White knows enough to play Be2 instead of Ba4.

[@BKNeifert]

@@iankemp1131 I know, but I love it!

[@BKNeifert]

@@iankemp1131 I'm unorthodox. I play positional chess more than attrition. Kind of like the Eastern Strategy of war. Putting pressure on the King, and trying to checkmate.

[@dragonore2009]

The reason I'm not going to advance in chess, is because I only two openings really well. I know other openings, but not well. The two openings I know well is the Vienna as white and Caro Kann as black, basically every variation. I'm too afraid to play anything else.

[@TheRomanianWolf]

That's not the reason you don't advance in chess. It's the lack of tactics, strategy (with positional puzzles, bet you didn't even heard of them) and endgames.

[@aboalabas8971]

Can you explain about Scandinavian for black 🤍

[@crystallized1676]

1-0

[@gavasiarobinssson5108]

I play Italian and two knights.

[@albertdeckel9429]

Thank you for, as always, a great lesson that focuses exactly in the area(s) I am weakest in. Can't tell you just how much your videos have helped my chess playing!

[@yzfool6639]

That is wise advice for ambitious players, Igor. Caro Kann players don't attack. Like their London System playing fathers before them, they don't like to calculate. They play for opening traps, at best.

[@iankemp1131]

And there aren't even many opening traps for Black in the Caro-Kann.

[@ethansmusic9898]

Just the opposite sir. The tartakower variation of the caro kann is all about attacking the white king. And king's pawn openings while they can be aggressive they can also end up with black having to defend and maneuver their pieces.

[@iankemp1131]

@@ethansmusic9898 What I meant as that Black can't spring any traps with the Caro-Kann if White just does normal moves. The Tartakower variation 3 f3 is about White attacking Black. Obviously Black can't use it if White plays one of the more normal continuations like 3 Nc3.

[@danhayes1306]

It all depends on the player, you will certainly get players who play the caro in a more tame fashion, but you can easily choose the opposite likewise if youre playing the nf3 exchange as white against the caro, youre only contributing to the problem, play the panov or advance tal if you want crazy attacking Go look at an alireza game and tell me there are no attacking chances My caro games have often ended in under 30 moves at the 1900 rapid range Comparing the caro to the london is straight disrespectful the main issue with the london is that you get the exact same structures nearly every game so you will have little experience in anything else when it comes time to develop into stronger openings, or if youre faced with novel positions in the caro you are learning the carlsbad, scandi, iqp, closed french/caro pawn structures just to name a few this is also why I think the scandi is probably not the greatest beginner recommendation either (in addition to breaking fundementals)

[@charlessanders1851]

grandmaster Smirnov what are your cheapest rates for one-on-one lessons?

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, GM Igor does not offer private lessons anymore. That's why he has created a variety of Chess courses. You can find Igor's courses here online.chess-teacher.com/

[@leocilliers4346]

or the Petrov, it refutes all Italian bishops.

[@lucaspanto9650]

The opening will shape the entire game. If you play a defensive opening like the London, the game will probably be boring and end in a draw. If you play a more aggressive line like the Halloween gambit, then the game will have much more action and you will get many more chances to attack, but so will your opponent

[@TheRomanianWolf]

London boring??? You are a WEAK player below 2100, right??? Like WAY below!!!

[@jeanjasinczuk7543]

The London system is deceptive, it looks quiet but it can leads to very quick attack against the black king. Look at the London game in the last world chess championship, was it a dull game?

[@lucaspanto9650]

@@jeanjasinczuk7543 I didn't watch the last chess championship but I remember looking at a few London games and they were all quite dull

[@Unndecided]

What about the Traxler for the fried liver attack

[@iankemp1131]

The Traxler / Wilkes-Barre is incredibly complicated, Black sacrifices a lot of material and if he doesn't get it right, he simply loses. I studied it a lot once but it never came up, probably just as well. The Two Knights with Na5 just sacrifices a Pawn and gives Black good counterplay even if White knows enough to play Be2 instead of Ba4.

[@hamzahhussain3206]

It always feels like your talking about me 😅😅 Thank you for your help 😊👍

[@tomtoss2463]

Black's e5 opens you up to too many openings for white which requires too much memorization for all the various traps.

[@TheRomanianWolf]

That's why I play the accelerated dragon.

[@alexanderying1558]

Interesting, Daniel Naroditsky always says that the Scandinavian is not a good opening for beginners because you do not learn to play “normal” positions and therefore do not learn the basic principles as quickly. What do you think about that?

[@chleb7326]

From my experience scandi turns into a normal position very quickly just with the queen out early. the main line essentially ignores the fact that the queen is out for several moves. if you're using it as a kind of trick opening i agree but it is an actual solid opening

[@yzfool6639]

@@chleb7326 It is not normal for your Queen to be out early, so you aren't learning anything other than how to play the Scandinavian.

[@crystallized1676]

@@chleb7326 Because, no offence, you suck. Qxd5 Scandi is terrible. Any decent player over 1500 just tries to slaughter you and you have to defend and play very accurately. 1 misstep and you are in a really poor position. Nf6 is totally okay as people don't know how to exploit it but Qxd5 stinks big time. @Alex Generally speaking from the most popular Scandies the order (best to worse) goes: Nf6, Qd6, Qa5, Qd8. Nf6 is totally fine, Qd6 is dodgy but you can try, Qa5 is dodgy as fuck and Qd8 is unplayable.

[@tiagomoraes1510]

@@yzfool6639 thats a very reductionist and simplist affirmation

[@michaeltellurian825]

@@tiagomoraes1510 Also dialectical materialist.

[@MacMashPotato]

I love it when they try to use scholars mate, so many ways to punish them.

[@handletemplate]

anyone who uses the scholar has the full right to quit chess entirely

[@MacMashPotato]

@@handletemplate Ill admit it has caught me off guard a couple times because i was not expecting anyone 1200 over to use it, but ALOT of people use it, always be ready for it.

[@n0_one218]

Man today I just learnt the caro kann😢

[@Unknown06696]

You still can play caro Kann but he is right my attack sucks 😢

[@chleb7326]

I started playing the scandinavian defense this month because i disliked the theory of the carro... feeling very smart now

[@crystallized1676]

For love of God I hop you play Nf6 ;p Otherwise you exchanged crap for even bigger crap ;p

[@disclaimer5911]

Im a Scandinavian guy but i turn it into a jobova London attack as if i was white and im like 600 idk what to do

[@wingman2h]

after i watched this video i legit didnt encounter e4 for 8 games

[@dja1344]

He forgot Qf3 leaving the rook hanging

[@BobChess]

If you are beginners, I recommend you to not play the Sicilian and Ruy Lopez, because they literally have like 20 lines and you have to learn them all and the plan is not that clear.

[@ShaddyJerome-sw4yi]

But sometimes I try to invite fried liver for defence training to improve my def skill

[@bantanwacono8456]

Feel like GM Igor Smirnov Made this video for me

[@slartiste]

This video is literally the story of my very young chess life. It's almost scary.

[@ShaddyJerome-sw4yi]

I play Bc5 in fried liver

[@Veneer22]

"What happens is people get stuck in the 1200 hundred range or whatever you newbs are at." 🤣🤣🤣

[@JohnS-il1dr]

"If you play the Caro Kann when you are young, what will you play when you are old?" --Bent Larsen

[@knight3001]

Latvian Gambit 😂

[@darren8269]

I'm an absolute beginner. I have subscribed. See you in the comments section 🙂

[@mountainking2737]

opening theory really doesn't matter up to about 2200 elo OTB. You can play anything. I saw many games where GM beaten IM,FM,CM with moves out of theory, mocking them. You can see Magnus beating GMs with bongclouds and other strange openings. Let's be honest - average player, even 1800+ elo knows opening to some extent. Sometimes up to 10th move some opening only up to 4 moves. 99% people will blunder sooner or later and get out of theory lines. Opening theory really matter on top level

[@SasuPlaying]

if often hear it from high rated players but from my point of view i disagree. If you pair two 1400 rated players with one having some basic knowledge about his opening and the other one having no idea about it apart from basic opening prinicples, the first one is probably gonna come out of the opening with an advantage. I don't say they won't blunder as the game goes forward, but how is it bad to work on building up your advantage from opening?

[@mountainking2737]

@@SasuPlaying 1400 has basic knowledge of principles. You can avoid most tricks as well just by sticking to general rules ie. not accepting opponent's "strange sacrifices". Of course it's better to know theory but amateur just doesn't comprehend why should we play in certain way. It's memorizing without knowing what stands behind moves. And amateur players very quickly sidestep from main lines. Amateur many times can't take advantage of better development too. Recently my opponent played english game. I didn't know how to play against this opening (except knowing it's ok to repeat opponent's moves to some point). I won thanks to sticking to standard principles. And I lost many times although I played opening where I know some theory, concepts and side lines

[@mountainking2737]

@@SasuPlaying in short - main problem is: for example you know basics opening theory regarding sicilian acc dragon. And you try to stick to this opening although opponent plays diffrently. It's easy to blunder because you just see how opponent should play and what you should play. For beginner it's better to learn to think, stick to general rules. You can make 2000+ elo without any opening theory

[@SasuPlaying]

@@mountainking2737 I don't believe that your last statement is true, especially when we talk about online chess with no classical time controls, you just need to have some foundation on what to play in the opening instead of contemplating every single opponent's move. Out of curiosity, what's your online rating?

[@TheRomanianWolf]

I won a game OTB against a 2450 (me being 2280) using opening theory in London...so, it's important!

[@ngtecksen7298]

Sincerely GM Igor, are you able to read my mind? Everyday when I wake up and wondering how to improve my chess, your email are suddenly there and telling me to watch your video, and guess what. I did improve a little bit day by day, just as GM mentioned in this video. I am no idea why I suddenly cannot improve when i am in a certain level. Maybe I need more advice from GM Igor. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@GMIgorSmirnov]

Hey! Maybe.

[@hata6290]

gotham in shambles rn

[@donjuan782]

I’m 474 rated so 1200 sounds great.

[@garysturgess6757]

The journey of a thousand ELO points begins with a single game - and if you're watching Igor, you're already on the path. Good luck!

[@eamonwilkinson2333]

Lol Levi he's good fun though

[@ahmedmedhat2894]

If you love theory play Sicilian :)

[@Ducksaregreat]

Nah if you love theory the Ruy Lopez is better

[@GasolineLicker]

oh wow someone share this with gothamchess 💀

[@AhmadMuslim-cx9zb]

My favorite opening is Caro kann 🙅🙅🙅

[@bjverslues]

Please avoid using profanity in your videos. It's frustrating because I am teaching my own kids and I don't want them to hear this. I also can't use this content for my chess team if it includes inappropriate language. It's part of the reason I have avoided Gotham chess lately. I personally will still benefit from the content, but I can't utilize it with my students. Thanks for understanding.

[@belagajdan]

What's wrong with my man on the thumbnail?

[@mayankrai8077]

Eyes??

[@belagajdan]

@@mayankrai8077 umm yeah

[@ayomidea-s]

Second comment! I don't seem to be able to even get past 1400... And I don't seem to know where I'm headed with this game.

[@ruthxk7844]

:D :D :D

[@grizleyy_bearee6]

first

[@Cladman3001]

I am not a good player, 500 level. When I try your plays, the opponent does not follow your example.

[@michaeltellurian825]

Yeah, that's a problem.

[@tastethem]

That's probably because your opponents are also playing sub-optimal moves lol

[@TheRomanianWolf]

You mean 1500....NOBODY is that weak to be below 1000!!!

[@iankemp1131]

The answer is to learn the general principles, the tactical traps like forks, pins and skewers, the way pieces coordinate together, the basic endings. Then you have a solid foundation that you can use in any position against any opponent. You can begin to work out plans, spot their threats and defend against them. Otherwise you don't know what to do when they deviate from your "prepared" line.

[@michaeltellurian825]

@@TheRomanianWolf Well, I've been playing and studying chess for many years, read dozens of books, watch several chess videos every day, and play everyday. I never lose against Stockfish levels 1-3, about 80% on level 4, and 50% on level 5. I almost always come out of the opening with a plus at any level, although sometimes it's slight, but rarely negative. My endgame play is very good and I've spent considerable time studying that part of the game, probably a less than I have for openings. And yet, my rating at Lichess is about 1060. So either a lot of people cheat online or the rating system is messed up. I guess one way to test what's going on is to play in live tournaments, which I've never done. The whole thing's discouraging though and I get why he is frustrated.