Courses (1099)

When GM Gata Kamsky began employing 1.d4 Nc6 against the London System, he demonstrated a fundamental truth: positional systems can be turned against their practitioners. IM Kushager Krishnater takes this concept further in his latest course, Jobava London Reversed – Complete Repertoire for Black, presenting 2...Nc6 as Black's weapon against 1.Nf3 and g3 setups. The leitmotif here is elegant in its simplicity—White's comfortable development scheme becomes Black's tool for seizing early initiative, transforming a typically solid opening into fighting, dynamic positions where Black dictates the character of the struggle.

The Queen's Gambit Declined has always been a fortress of classical chess—solid, principled, and theoretically demanding. But what if you could sidestep the theoretical marathons of the countless variations while maintaining all the strategic richness? GM Szymon Gumularz and GM Pier Luigi Basso propose exactly that: 4...Nbd7, a flexible system that deliberately avoids the main theoretical highways while delivering complex, ambitious middlegames.

The Steinitz Variation occupies a fascinating niche in the French Defense landscape. While classical French players navigate the complex tactical waters of the Winawer (3...Bb4), the Steinitz presents a fundamentally different strategic proposition: Black accepts the advanced e5-pawn and prepares systematic counterplay against White's center. This course by GM Petar Arnaudov, GM Michael Roiz, and IM Nikola Nikolovski examines the Steinitz through a practical lens—not as a passive defensive system, but as a serious repertoire weapon built on understanding typical structures rather than memorizing endless variations.

The course's distinguishing feature lies in its approach to White's entire spectrum of fourth-move options. While 4.Nc3 can be White's most irritating try, demanding precise handling, Dreev introduces a revolutionary new idea that neutralizes it completely. The trendy 4.g4 receives a fresh practical solution. Modern systems like Rapport's 6.h4!? in the 4.Nd2 lines are met with concrete responses. Even the ambitious 4.c4, leading to the modern 4...e6 5.Nc3 Bb4, is explored with flexible, independent thinking that challenges established approaches. Each variation receives treatment proportional to its practical importance, organized from most frequent to rarest.

The Ruy Lopez has always been defined by Black's choice of defense. The Berlin offers structural resilience, the Marshall brings immediate tactical complications, the Breyer provides strategic maneuvering room. But one system stayed outside mainstream consideration for years: 3...Nge7, the Cozio Defense.
Developing the knight to e7 looked unnatural—classical principles insisted on quick development to active squares. What changed? Players like Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Hikaru Nakamura, and Levon Aronian recognized something essential: this disrupts White's standard regrouping plans from move three.

When GM Felix Blohberger began searching for a practical weapon against the Grünfeld and King's Indian Defense, he wasn't looking to compete with mainline theory. Instead, he identified a subtle move order shift that changes the entire character of the position: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nbd2. By developing the knight to d2 rather than c3, White sidesteps decades of established theory while maintaining concrete advantages in the resulting structures.

When Captain William Davies Evans introduced his gambit in 1827, he couldn't have imagined that nearly two centuries later, elite players like Hikaru Nakamura would employ the same ideas at the highest level. The Evans Gambit—4.b4 against the Italian Game—represents one of chess history's most audacious concepts: sacrificing material for rapid development and central control. Now, IM Kushager Krishnater revives this romantic weapon with modern precision in Italian Game for White - Evans Gambit, offering a complete repertoire that balances classical aggression with contemporary theoretical rigor.

For decades, Sveshnikov specialists have been the hunters—armed with sharp preparation, steering opponents into forcing lines where concrete knowledge decides the game. But what happens when you're sitting on the Black side of a Rossolimo and White is the one avoiding your preparation? GM Baadur Jobava and IM Dragos Ceres reverse the script in Anti-Sveshnikov Sicilian - Top-Level Repertoire for Black, presenting 3...e5 as Black's answer to the Rossolimo: a move that sidesteps White's most rehearsed plans and shifts the battle back to understanding over memorization.

The repertoire is structured around 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5, meeting White's main continuation 5.Bg5 with the flexible 5...c6. From there, Krishnater maps out responses to every significant White system—from Sarana's 5.Bf4 and Erigaisi's 5.Nf3, to the aggressive 9.Nge2 setup that once troubled Black until modern engines revealed reliable defenses.

Inside Your Games – Edition 2 is not a course about perfect moves.
It is a course about real thinking, in real games, under real conditions.
As GM Ioannis Papaioannou explains, the goal of this project is simple but rare:
to show how a strong player evaluates positions, forms plans, and makes decisions — not how a chess engine assigns numbers to moves.