Courses (751)

Strategic Calculations and Positional Sacrifices  Discounted 

GM Swapnil Dhopade's October Tactical Thursday course examines two interconnected aspects of advanced chess understanding: strategic calculations and positional sacrifices. This four-part study addresses a common gap in player development—the ability to calculate not merely for tactical gain, but to verify the soundness of long-term positional ideas.

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6h PGN Download Interactive Tests Video Content

Pawn Majorities - From the Opening to the Endgame  Discounted 

GM Ioannis Papaioannou's latest Strategy Wednesday course addresses one of chess's most fundamental yet frequently misunderstood strategic concepts: pawn majorities. This four-part examination traces how pawn majority advantages are established in the opening, exploited through the middlegame, and converted in the endgame.
The course synthesizes practical examples from diverse opening systems—the Caro-Kann, Colle System, Nimzo-Indian, Modern Benoni, French Defense, Catalan, and Réti—demonstrating that pawn majority patterns transcend specific repertoires. Each structure presents distinct strategic challenges: when to advance your majority, when restraint proves superior, and how to transition positional advantages into technical wins.

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6h PGN Download Interactive Tests Video Content

Jobava London According to Jobava - Part 1 - 2025 Edition 

When GM Baadur Jobava first introduced 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 in 2013, he compared the opening to "a lady I had fallen in love with." For years, he guarded his secrets jealously, watching others publish courses that relied on engine evaluations rather than capturing the opening's true spirit. In 2024, he finally shared his complete vision with Modern Chess. Now, just one year later, the Jobava London returns—not as a static system, but as a living, breathing organism that continues to evolve with modern chess.

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10h and 13min PGN Download Memory Booster Interactive Tests Video Content

Grivas Chess Lab - The Art of Exchanges - Part 2  Discounted 

There's a paradox at the heart of chess mastery that GM Efstratios Grivas confronts directly in the second part of his exploration on exchanges: the decisions that seem most mechanical—trading piece for piece—are often the most consequential. While beginners learn arithmetic values and apply them rigidly, strong players understand that the real value of pieces fluctuates with every move. Grivas builds his teaching on a deceptively simple principle: "Only exchange pieces for a good reason." This course examines the intricate logic behind when to trade and, perhaps more critically, when to refrain from exchanges.

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2h and 5min PGN Download Video Content

English Opening for Black - 1.c4 e5 

Blohberger's approach centers on 1...e5 followed by the modern 2...Bb4, steering play toward concrete positions rather than White's preferred maneuvering schemes. The repertoire addresses three critical branches: against 2.Nc3, Black employs the topical 2...Bb4 3.Nd5 a5—a practical surprise weapon that sidesteps theoretical highways; against 2.g3, the author recommends 2...c6, adopting Alapin-style structures with 3.Nf3 e4 or meeting 3.d4 with 3...Bb4+ and dark-square control; and against Keymer's fashionable 2.d3, Black counters with 2...Bb4+, disrupting White's Reversed Najdorf ambitions. Each variation reflects Blohberger's competitive testing through the Autumn Challenge, where practical considerations guided theoretical choices.

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1 hour and 52 minutes PGN Download Memory Booster Interactive Tests Video Content

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Italian Game for Black - Deep Understanding  Discounted 

The Italian Game has long presented Black players with a dilemma: face the mountain of sharp theory in the main lines, or navigate White's quieter setups that promise a nagging long-term advantage. GM Ioannis Papaioannou's Italian Game for Black - Deep Understanding offers a third path—one built on strategic frameworks rather than endless preparation. This isn't another repertoire demanding memorization of 30-move sequences. Instead, Papaioannou teaches how to think in these positions, providing the conceptual tools to handle White's numerous setups with confide

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10h and 30min PGN Download Video Content

Semi-Slav Defense - Arsenal for Black 

The Semi-Slav has earned a reputation as one of the most principled and strategically rich answers to 1.d4. GM Alexey Dreev’s flagship course Semi-Slav Defense According to Dreev established the main-line foundation of the entire 5.e3 complex. However, modern chess demands more. Opponents increasingly try to surprise early with fifth-move sidelines—positions that are theoretically independent and require concrete preparation.

With Semi-Slav Defense – Arsenal for Black, GMs Alexey Dreev and Vladimir Malakhov finally complete the system. This course provides Black with a full, deeply analyzed arsenal against all deviations from the main lines, delivering both theoretical clarity and practical understanding through model games, thematic examples, and strategic patterns.

Sequence:  Semi-Slav Defense According to Dreev  »

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5h and 18min PGN Download Memory Booster Interactive Tests Video Content

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Neo-Catalan for Black - Top-Level Repertoire 

The Neo-Catalan—a hybrid system where White delays d4 after fianchettoing the kingside bishop—has quietly evolved from a sideline into a weapon of choice for elite players seeking to sidestep theoretical Catalan debates while maintaining strategic pressure. Unlike the main-line Catalan where Black's d5-pawn becomes a focal point immediately, the Neo-Catalan allows White to choose when and how to engage the center, creating unique positional tensions. For Black players facing this subtle system, the challenge has been clear: how do you seize the initiative when White postpones the central confrontation?

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2h and 4min PGN Download Memory Booster Interactive Tests Video Content

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Caro-Kann Defense for White - 3.e5 Bf5 4.g4 

When Mikhail Tal and Alexei Shirov attacked the Caro-Kann with 4.g4, they created unforgettable tactical fireworks. Then the engine era arrived, and conventional wisdom declared the line "harmless if Black knows the theory." But what happens when you combine modern computer analysis with creative human intuition? GM Baadur Jobava and IM Dragos Ceres demonstrate that this aggressive system has been quietly revolutionized—particularly after Nepomniachtchi's 2017 idea 6.e6, which changed the evaluation of the entire variation.

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3h and 10min PGN Download Memory Booster Interactive Tests Video Content

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The Eternal Ragozin Defense - Part 1 

The Ragozin Defense offers something different—a synthesis that feels almost too good to be true. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4, Black develops naturally, pins the c3-knight, and maintains constant tension in the center. The position breathes with possibilities: tactical strikes with ...c5 or ...dxc4, strategic maneuvering around the isolated queen's pawn structures, and endgames where Black's activity compensates for any positional drawbacks. It's a system where understanding the character of positions matters more than memorizing computer lines—precisely the kind of opening that rewards players looking for practical variations to play.

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2h and 50min PGN Download Memory Booster Interactive Tests Video Content

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