Grivas Chess Lab - Strategic and Tactical Education 

Grivas Chess Lab – Strategic and Tactical Education

The Culmination of a Chess Philosophy

Every great chess thinker has a system—an internal architecture that explains how the game truly works. For GM Efstratios Grivas, that system has unfolded step by step through his lifelong mission to connect classical wisdom with modern understanding.

The first two courses of the Grivas Chess Lab series—Endgames with Opposite-Colored Bishops and The Principle of the Two Weaknesses—established the foundation: technique, conversion, precision.
Now comes the course that unites them all. Strategic and Tactical Education represents the core philosophy of Grivas’s work—a comprehensive framework that transforms fragmented chess knowledge into a single, coherent method of thinking.

The Architecture of Chess Understanding

In 1927, during his World Championship match against Alekhine, José Raúl Capablanca placed a knight on d6—a move that looked ordinary but revealed profound strategic logic. It was not just a good square; it was the right square for that specific structure, preventing the minority attack while preparing active play.

This example illustrates what GM Efstratios Grivas calls the architecture of chess understanding—the systematic relationship between strategic ideas and tactical execution. From Nimzowitsch’s prophylaxis and Dvoretsky’s “superfluous piece” to Kosikov’s “worst-piece principle” and Prokeš’s geometric endgame concepts, Grivas shows that these ideas form a unified system rather than isolated principles.

Throughout his decades of coaching, GM Grivas has focused on helping players internalize these structural patterns instead of memorizing countless positions. This course presents ten interconnected frameworks—from strategic prevention to tactical recognition—that explain why good moves work and how strong players think.

A Laboratory Approach to Classical Concepts

What makes this course unique is its laboratory methodology. Instead of presenting isolated examples, GM Grivas dissects ten classical concepts through a structured, scientific lens.

The material is divided into three main sections—Strategy, Endgames, and Tactics—featuring more than 170 annotated examples that demonstrate how these ideas manifest across all phases of the game.

Part I: Strategy

• Strategic Prevention (Prophylaxis) – based on Nimzowitsch’s principle that “neither attack nor defense is the essence of positional play, but prophylaxis.”

• The Capablanca Maneuver – optimal knight placement in the Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange structure.

• The Superfluous Knight – Dvoretsky’s insight into over-concentration on key squares.

• The Worst-Piece Principle – Kosikov’s concept emphasizing the activation of the least active piece.

Part II: Endgames

• Queen & Rook vs Queen & Rook with Three Pawns (Same Side) + Passed Pawn – understanding coordination and timing.

• The Chekhover Ending – exploring the geometry of knight versus bishop endings.

• The Prokeš Maneuver – a timeless defensive technique allowing the rook to draw against two advanced pawns.

Part III: Tactics

• The Pearl of Poznań – a legendary 1931 endgame combination with lasting instructional value.

• Trapping a Piece – systematic ways to exploit lack of mobility.

• Centralized Safe King – recognizing when a king can remain in the center as a strategic asset.

The Authority Behind the Analysis

GM Efstratios Grivas combines competitive success, academic rigor, and decades of training experience.

Career Highlights

• Olympic Silver Medalist (1998)

• European Team Champion (1989)

• World Senior Champion (2023)

• Six FIDE Trainer Awards, including two Boleslavsky Medals (2009, 2015)

• Author of over 150 publications in nine languages

As a long-standing FIDE lecturer and theoretician, Grivas has helped shape modern chess education. His analytical style bridges the gap between classical principles and modern engine precision.

Course Contents

This 10-chapter course provides a complete multi-format learning experience:

• 170+ deeply annotated examples;

• Full video lectures covering all key frameworks;

• Downloadable PDF reference for structured study;

• Interactive PGN database in English.

Connecting the Series

This course is the third part of the Grivas Chess Lab series, following:

• Endgames with Opposite-Colored Bishops

• The Principle of the Two Weaknesses

Together, these courses form a complete program for advanced players—covering endgame precision, conversion technique, and the strategic-tactical frameworks that define modern chess mastery.

Conclusion

Strategic and Tactical Education unites decades of classical wisdom under a modern, practical framework. Through Grivas’s systematic approach, players learn to connect prophylaxis, activity, and calculation into one coherent method of thinking.

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