I use to play the Semi-Slav but had issues with the whtie squared bishop as you alluded to. Your old colleague Jonathan Schrantz had a really nice series on the STL Chess Club youtube years ago that is still up. Worth watching for those interested in learning more
Wow! As a beginner I enjoy your lectures on past games Ben. So far my favourites are Karpov's games (cool, calm, collected). But based on this first game you talk about I've created a spreadsheet to keep memory of my favourite games. I enjoyed the immense tension in the first game and the bishop in the last game. Not an opening for a beginner to attempt.
Um, no the semi-slav is a fantastic beginner opening. (As is its white counterpart, the Colle-Koltanowski.) It's one of the best lower level responses to d4. The disadvantage in the opening (the bishop) is a longer term disadvantage that lower to mid level players are rarely able to exploit.
The Semi-Slav is all about piece activity, at least in the games you present. I always thought that for the Bc8 to be bad, the position had to be mostly blocked off. These games show that the rest of the board can be wide open, as long as there's pawns on c6-b5. I would've liked to see a game where white manages to get black in a bind. Svidler almost had one, but Karjakin struggled mightily to break out and Svidler had to play actively to keep the advantage.
21:50 "get the knight to f5" 21:55 "knight g3-knight f5" 22:01 "defending against knight f5" 22:13 "knight f5 is winning" 22:18 "The queen can't defend the bishop if you play knight f5" 22:23 "g6 stops knight f5" It's pronounced "KNIFE f5". Who are you and what have you done to GM Ben Finegold?
very nice lecture with the focus on a single piece. this structure helps players like me who can't count well beyond one (piece up)
Venerus was very generous.
Much more so than Ellen DeGeneres.
May he not ever be penniless.
Venerous? I hardly knew ‘er
I use to play the Semi-Slav but had issues with the whtie squared bishop as you alluded to. Your old colleague Jonathan Schrantz had a really nice series on the STL Chess Club youtube years ago that is still up. Worth watching for those interested in learning more
Unbelievable game 1. Great lecture
Ben Finegold sounds like a Water Buaffalo with all his sounds he makes! RAWR!
I watch water buffalos religiously!
A nice idea for a lecture is the Ekstrom Variation in the Botvinnik Semislav for White, recomended in Ben's Chessable course.
Thanks, Ben! Hopefully this lecture will help me out when I play a related opening, the Semi-Blunder Slav.
So, the white squared bishop for black is either very good or VERY bad... Just like my games 🥲
Wow! As a beginner I enjoy your lectures on past games Ben. So far my favourites are Karpov's games (cool, calm, collected). But based on this first game you talk about I've created a spreadsheet to keep memory of my favourite games. I enjoyed the immense tension in the first game and the bishop in the last game. Not an opening for a beginner to attempt.
Um, no the semi-slav is a fantastic beginner opening. (As is its white counterpart, the Colle-Koltanowski.) It's one of the best lower level responses to d4. The disadvantage in the opening (the bishop) is a longer term disadvantage that lower to mid level players are rarely able to exploit.
great stuff, never played the semi but I like the setup
I think I've learned something, but I probably forget it before the next game I play.
Excellent, thank you!!
Bd6 is inaccurate because white gets his center pawns rolling with e4, e5? 6:45
The Semi-Slav is all about piece activity, at least in the games you present.
I always thought that for the Bc8 to be bad, the position had to be mostly blocked off. These games show that the rest of the board can be wide open, as long as there's pawns on c6-b5.
I would've liked to see a game where white manages to get black in a bind. Svidler almost had one, but Karjakin struggled mightily to break out and Svidler had to play actively to keep the advantage.
How do you draw blue arrows in ChessBase? 29:16
too many mates..! 😓
threatening the knight.. but not really.🤫
(That Anand game was so good)
Too many mates like an English introvert
21:50 "get the knight to f5"
21:55 "knight g3-knight f5"
22:01 "defending against knight f5"
22:13 "knight f5 is winning"
22:18 "The queen can't defend the bishop if you play knight f5"
22:23 "g6 stops knight f5"
It's pronounced "KNIFE f5". Who are you and what have you done to GM Ben Finegold?
Hail, Venerus! But remain in that place 😜
this guy is the Lewis Black of the chess world, amirite?
mixed with don rickles, yeah
lewis black is the ben finegold of whatever dumb thing you're talking about
28:30 ke7 looks legal
True, Ben missed that. Ke7 Be5+ seems like a simple refutation tho, so the position is hopeless in any case
If you want to play the slav here you play bf5 here instead of e6 4:13
I want something else to get me through this semi-slav kind of defense.