Event Courses (143)

The first volume of a new six-month project, and it begins where the French itself begins: the Advance Variation and the archetypal pawn chain of d4 and e5 against d5 and e6, from which almost every strategic idea in the opening can be traced — the ...c5 break at the base, the pressure on d4 with ...Qb6 and ...Nc6, and the long-standing question of the light-squared bishop. GM Grigor Grigorov devotes two full lectures to the structure itself before any concrete line, then turns to the closed positions after 6.a3 c4 and the sharp gambit lines after 6.Bd3 cxd4. Theory is kept intentionally light — the aim is to enter the middlegame knowing what you are playing for, not to memorise sequences.

The final volume of the six-month Réti project, and the one that completes the system. Where Theoretical Knowledge, Part 1 answered everything Black tries with ...d5, Part 2 takes on the whole remaining field: the Réti Slav and the Tarrasch Defence, the Hedgehog and double fianchetto, the Dutch in both its Leningrad and Stonewall forms, the Symmetrical English and the Wedberg System, the King's Indian Fianchetto — and the ...g6 setups, met with a clear decision to play 2.e4. Theory is given where theory is required, but always on top of the structures built across the first four months, which is why it can be absorbed quickly rather than memorised painfully.

More than almost any other opening, the French is defined by its endgames — the middlegames flow again and again into the same recurring family of positions, and the player who understands them holds a lasting edge over the one who merely reaches them. Across four lectures, GM Ioannis Papaioannou covers the typical endings of the Advance, Tarrasch, Winawer and Exchange variations: the isolated-pawn structures and the critical light-squared bishop trade, the d4/e5 pawn chain, and the doubled c-pawns of the Winawer and MacCutcheon.

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6, most White players face a choice they have made a hundred times: play 3.c4 and step into the vast, well-mapped territory of the Queen's Gambit and the Nimzo-Indian, where the opponent's preparation is usually waiting. This course is built on a different third move. With 3.Bg5 — the Torre Attack — White sets the strategic agenda at once, sidesteps the heavily prepared mainstream, and steers the game into positions where understanding decides far more than memorisation.

Most players who open 1.d4 accept an unspoken bargain: in exchange for a sound, ambitious first move, they agree to meet whatever their opponent has prepared — the Nimzo-Indian, the Grünfeld, the King's Indian, the Queen's Gambit Declined, each with its own library of theory. This course is built on refusing that bargain. With 2.Bg5, White sets the strategic agenda from the second move, sidesteps the heavily prepared mainstream defences, and steers the game into positions where understanding matters far more than memorisation.

After four months of studying the fundamental structures of the 1.Nf3 complex — Réti and Catalan-type formations, King's Indian and Grünfeld structures, English Opening positions with symmetrical setups, Hedgehog formations and Maróczy-type structures — we are now ready to translate that understanding into concrete theoretical preparation.
In this phase, theory is no longer kept light. We look at concrete move orders and specific variations, where precise theoretical knowledge is required. The bet the whole project has been making is cashed in here: with the typical ideas and structures already familiar, the theory is absorbed quickly rather than memorised painfully.
This first half of the theoretical part covers all Black setups involving the move ...d5.
The material is based on the camp of the same name and is now transformed into a complete digital product, including full video recordings of all lectures, a structured PGN file following the logic of the training sessions, and extensive theoretical analysis for deeper study.

The Opening Builder – Réti for White: Fundamental Structures after 1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 is the fourth part of our six-month Réti project. It continues the work started in the first course on the structures after 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3, the second on 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3, and the third on 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3.
This part addresses what happens when Black meets our move order with the most independent try of all — 1...c5, steering the game into the English Opening complex. These are among the most flexible and strategically rich positions in modern chess: symmetrical setups, Hedgehog formations, and Maróczy-type structures, all of which are central to a 1.Nf3 repertoire and all of which reward deep structural understanding rather than concrete preparation.
The material is based on the camp of the same name and is now transformed into a complete digital product. It includes full video recordings of all lectures, a structured PGN file that follows the logic of the training sessions, and additional model games and theoretical examples for further study.

Most players who face 1.Nf3 d5 reach for the classical 2.g3 Réti or transpose with 2.c4 — GM Ioannis Papaioannou offers a third path with 2.b3, keeping all the flexibility of the Réti while sidestepping its most analysed theory. Built from his camp on the system, the course meets every Black setup — ...Bf5, ...Bg4, ...e6, ...g6 and ...c5 — with clear plans built on long-range pressure from the b2-bishop, the well-timed light-squared-bishop trade, and a principled d2–d4. The result is a complete, low-theory repertoire for White that poses real problems from the very first moves — preparation your opponents are rarely ready for.

This course is the next step in our series offering a complete 1.e4 e5 repertoire for Black, following two related projects: Italian Game for Black — Deep Understanding and The Spanish Arkhangelsk with Early ...Bc5 — Deep Understanding. With the Scotch Game, the series now completes one of the most important parts of the 1.e4 e5 universe.
For many players, the Scotch is one of the most unpleasant openings to face. It often leads to irrational positions, where standard plans do not apply and concrete understanding becomes critical — exactly the type of position where preparation based on memorisation breaks down. This course offers a solution built on deep understanding of the arising structures, plans, and practical decisions.

The second part of our six-month Réti project, covering everything after 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3. A complete repertoire against the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Queen's Indian Defence, and the Hedgehog, built on understanding pawn structures rather than memorizing variations.