Here's a great tool for learning openings: chessbook.com/hanging-pawns Chessbook allows you to import and practice your repertoire. It focuses on moves people actually play as well as your mistakes. Connect it to your lichess or chess com accounts to correct the biggest gaps in your repertoire!
Here I sit in a cozy Starbucks, with a free smoking butterscotch coffee sample in my hand and headphones on with max volume, when 15:00 happens. I swear, this coffee nearly went airborne. 😂 I love the Semi-Slav videos, by the way! The analyses are amazing and always get me fired up about using the Semi-Slav against Queen's Pawn openings whenever possible. Thanks!
I started my interest in Chess far too late I can say. But for what it's worth my comment as a beginner I have to say that your explanation is like an open book. I have found this channel and I am going to use it as much as I can. Thanks a lot for your contribution, I have passed hours noting down the position and the comments to train and understand. thank you again for your effort and great work!
Love all the work you put into these videos and i've learnt a lot for sure. If there is one thing I'd say though it's that you sometimes skim through lines as if the moves are quite obvious and these are going to happen every time whereas in reality there are some weird moves that people will not usually play, so the position you evaluate at the end of the line is a little abstract to me in practice. Thank you though for the videos they're great!!
If you take with the queen at 25:10 (1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 Qxf6), you are even more in trouble after 13.Bg5 which immediately traps the black queen. :)
Great series Stjepan! Very informative - a good starting point for anyone who is interested in Chess. I also recently listened to your 2019 Perpetual Chess podcast - I hope you are making progress with your goals. Stay focused, you are not only helping yourself, but many new chess players like myself as well.
9:26 white is threatening b:e6 and if you take, the knight is (still) forking the q and r on e6, losing f and e pawns is weaking your king side and white f5 pawn is coming
Analyse 30 moves deep? ...I struggle with 14 white/14 black Ruy Lopez.. Steph you are a genius. Love your work . Respect from the U.K. (If all else fails you could become Brad Pitts stunt double!!)
Hello Stephan great video. I have an idea in the move order,how about delaying the develpoment of the c pawn,(I want to play c7-c5 in one go) What i mean is this 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nbd7!?5.e3 a6!? 6.Bd3 dxc4 follow up with Bb7 & c5 What do you think?
Thank you for the videos, they've helped me alot. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. Nf3 Ng6 4. Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.d5, most people play 10...c4. The engine suggests 10...Bb7 and the stats show black does better with this move. Which do you recommend and why? I have a problem with obsessively trying to find the best move and when the engine and GM's recommend different moves my brain melts.
Long complicated lines in your videos, very difficult to remember. But very nice deep explanations from you as always. At 21:43 Why should not white exchange queens? After Qxd7, Nxd7, Bxd4, exd4, Rxd4. To me it looks very dificult for black... white is infiltrating with rooks and black have trouble to castle short because of the pesky knight on h6. And can't castle long because its not legal with a rook in d file. Ah sorry, the bishop on g7 is opened and protects d4 after queen exchange 😄 thats why.
I know this is a bit late but you could but it probably wouldn’t be as challenging as other lines against the london since white puts a pawn on c3 instead of c4 so you cant really pull off the cxd4 motif
I have question about playing slav defence not the semi slav. In slav, we have a chance to develop our light square bishop( from f5, g5 or sometimes b7).but ın semi slav, we can face some difficulties for the development of light square bishop. My question is that why we try to play semi slav instead of slav defence
In the semi slav your light square bishop will often become in the best piece on the board. Instead in the slav defense that bishop will surely be exchanged very very fast. And you have to be careful to develop it too soon. Semi slav defense is more aggressive than the slav.
@@misterr3653 thanks for the feedback. Apart from our light square bishop being best piece on the board in the semi slav, it will be the worst piece on the board. So this means that the game will become amazing and risky
What if after 4...e6, white advances the c pawn to c5? This is a very common move I see at my elo and usually leads to a weakened queen side pawn structure for black. Any thoughts on how to handle this?
After 5.c5?! the undermining move 5...b6 is common in all QGD derivatives. If 6.cxb6, you are happy to have a half-open a-file. If 6.b4 then keep undermining with 6...a5 and the queenside will open up favorably for black. For these reasons 5.c5?! is premature to say the least.
Here's a great tool for learning openings: chessbook.com/hanging-pawns
Chessbook allows you to import and practice your repertoire. It focuses on moves people actually play as well as your mistakes. Connect it to your lichess or chess com accounts to correct the biggest gaps in your repertoire!
I used to hate playing against d4 ... This has Changed my thinking.
At 12:00 black isn't down a piece but is actually up an exchange. The problem with the line is that after Qb3 the newly-born black queen is trapped.
I was going to say this, but you beat me by 4 years.
5:13 Bb3
12:55 a6 after Be2
18:36 a6 after Bd3
20:10 d5 Reynold's Variation
22:30 e5 Old Variation
24:55 main move axb5
Here I sit in a cozy Starbucks, with a free smoking butterscotch coffee sample in my hand and headphones on with max volume, when 15:00 happens. I swear, this coffee nearly went airborne. 😂 I love the Semi-Slav videos, by the way! The analyses are amazing and always get me fired up about using the Semi-Slav against Queen's Pawn openings whenever possible. Thanks!
My heart jumped
I started my interest in Chess far too late I can say. But for what it's worth my comment as a beginner I have to say that your explanation is like an open book. I have found this channel and I am going to use it as much as I can. Thanks a lot for your contribution, I have passed hours noting down the position and the comments to train and understand.
thank you again for your effort and great work!
Again, a Massive excellent explanation going even further in the middle game to understand fully the reach of play of this Semi-Slav Defence, Meran .
4:15 bb3, 10:38 be2 , 15:24 bd3 = pr
Thank you for the excellent content!
Thank you so much for making this series, you're such a good teacher.
Love all the work you put into these videos and i've learnt a lot for sure. If there is one thing I'd say though it's that you sometimes skim through lines as if the moves are quite obvious and these are going to happen every time whereas in reality there are some weird moves that people will not usually play, so the position you evaluate at the end of the line is a little abstract to me in practice. Thank you though for the videos they're great!!
Excellent video as always from Stjepan!
If you take with the queen at 25:10 (1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6
5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 Qxf6), you are even more in trouble after 13.Bg5 which immediately traps the black queen. :)
13...Bb4+ 14.Kf1 or Ke2
Great series Stjepan! Very informative - a good starting point for anyone who is interested in Chess. I also recently listened to your 2019 Perpetual Chess podcast - I hope you are making progress with your goals. Stay focused, you are not only helping yourself, but many new chess players like myself as well.
I don't understand why 8. Be2 is met by Bb7, and Bd3 by a6. What makes the difference ?
9:26 white is threatening b:e6 and if you take, the knight is (still) forking the q and r on e6, losing f and e pawns is weaking your king side and white f5 pawn is coming
Such a valuable series
thank you
I am sure this is the most fun opening for you to cover
Yup!
We can see you love it!
you are a great teacher. , thanks!
Analyse 30 moves deep? ...I struggle with 14 white/14 black Ruy Lopez.. Steph you are a genius. Love your work . Respect from the U.K. (If all else fails you could become Brad Pitts stunt double!!)
You have a talent for turning simple things into a complex sandwich!
Hello Stephan great video.
I have an idea in the move order,how about delaying the develpoment of the c pawn,(I want to play c7-c5 in one go)
What i mean is this
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nbd7!?5.e3 a6!? 6.Bd3 dxc4 follow up with Bb7 & c5
What do you think?
Thank you for the videos, they've helped me alot. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. Nf3 Ng6 4. Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.d5, most people play 10...c4. The engine suggests 10...Bb7 and the stats show black does better with this move. Which do you recommend and why? I have a problem with obsessively trying to find the best move and when the engine and GM's recommend different moves my brain melts.
stepjan reccomends a6 instead of be7
bb7*
Could you make a video for when white plays 6. c5 too?
thanks ❤
Hi Stjepan can you do a pgn of this please?
i dont think an 1170 like me can learn the semi slav in 5 hours before a chess tournament 0-0
you can see you enjoy this opening, good for you haha! would love to play a game against you :)
Long complicated lines in your videos, very difficult to remember. But very nice deep explanations from you as always. At 21:43 Why should not white exchange queens? After Qxd7, Nxd7, Bxd4, exd4, Rxd4. To me it looks very dificult for black... white is infiltrating with rooks and black have trouble to castle short because of the pesky knight on h6. And can't castle long because its not legal with a rook in d file. Ah sorry, the bishop on g7 is opened and protects d4 after queen exchange 😄 thats why.
Is the semi slav playable against the London ?
I know this is a bit late but you could but it probably wouldn’t be as challenging as other lines against the london since white puts a pawn on c3 instead of c4 so you cant really pull off the cxd4 motif
when are gonna start the endgame series again
I have question about playing slav defence not the semi slav. In slav, we have a chance to develop our light square bishop( from f5, g5 or sometimes b7).but ın semi slav, we can face some difficulties for the development of light square bishop. My question is that why we try to play semi slav instead of slav defence
Because it's more solid and it restrains white's plans because black creates a pawn triangle which is hard to break. More info in the Slav series:)
In the semi slav your light square bishop will often become in the best piece on the board.
Instead in the slav defense that bishop will surely be exchanged very very fast. And you have to be careful to develop it too soon.
Semi slav defense is more aggressive than the slav.
@@HangingPawns Ok, then this means that being a semi slav opener is more beneficial than slav. And I will also waiting for the slav series😊😊
@@misterr3653 thanks for the feedback. Apart from our light square bishop being best piece on the board in the semi slav, it will be the worst piece on the board. So this means that the game will become amazing and risky
What if after 4...e6, white advances the c pawn to c5? This is a very common move I see at my elo and usually leads to a weakened queen side pawn structure for black. Any thoughts on how to handle this?
After 5.c5?! the undermining move 5...b6 is common in all QGD derivatives. If 6.cxb6, you are happy to have a half-open a-file. If 6.b4 then keep undermining with 6...a5 and the queenside will open up favorably for black. For these reasons 5.c5?! is premature to say the least.
Great
can i play with u
b4 after Bb3 6:55
a6 after Be2 12:55
By
By
You do a good job,however these variations are way too complicated for me and I'm around 2300-2400 in most time controls in lichess