Dynamic Play and Initiative
The camp Dynamic Play and Initiative is already a digital product. This product includes all the videos from the camp as well as the PGN file related to the training sessions. Overall, the material consists of 9 hours of video and a PGN database, which includes 65 files!
You will find the following lectures:
✅ Fight for Initiative - Put Objective and Psychological Pressure - GM Ioannis Papaioannou
✅ Find Your Way in Dynamic Positions - GM Alexey Dreev
✅ Critical Moments for Seizing the Initiative - GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko
✅ Psychological Aspects in Dynamic Positions - GM Pier Luigi Basso
✅ The Importance of Time in Chess - Practical Guide - GM Dejan Bojkov
✅ Modern Attacking Strategies - GM Grigor Grigorov
Now, we shall take a look at the different lectures.
Rook Endgames - Important Theoretical Positions
In many positions, the best move from an objective point of view is not the strongest one practically. In this lecture, you will learn how to put psychological and objective pressure on your opponent by fighting for the initiative. You will also understand the importance of time and get a feel for dynamic positions. As usual, GM Ioannis Papaioannou provides you with subtle insights that will remain forever in your memory.
SAMPLE EXAMPLE
Find Your Way in Dynamic Positions
In this lecture, we are going to deal with 4 very complex and irrational test positions. The explanations in the video, as well as the comments to the PGN file, will help you structure your decision-making process in complex dynamic positions.
In order to get most of the lecture, you should work in the following way:
1) Think 10-15 min on each test position (unless you have participated live in the camp)
2) Listen to the video explanations from the recordings
3) Check all the analysis in the PGN file
SAMPLE EXAMPLE
Maybe some of our students who play the French Defence know about this position, even if we are very deep into a principled line. Here Black needs to find a very accurate defence. Can you spot it?
Critical Moments for Seizing the Initiative
In order to become a strong dynamic player, you should develop a natural feeling of the initiative. The most difficult is to sense which are the critical moments for seizing the initiative. In this lecture, we will examine three high-profile model games. Each one of them features more than one critical moment in where dynamic play is required. Hopefully, after studying the material, you will have a better intuition for seizing the initiative.
SAMPLE EXAMPLE
How should White handle this position?
Psychological Aspects in Dynamic Positions
In this lecture, we will learn how to navigate dynamic positions from a psychological point of view. The lecture consists of 4 extensively annotated games that GM Basso has played with the black pieces. In the comments to each one of them, he describes the psychological context and the reasoning behind his decisions. Also, Basso shares some of the typical psychological mistakes that you need to avoid in dynamic positions.
SAMPLE EXAMPLE
The Importance of Time in Chess - Practical Guide
When we speak about dynamic chess, there is nothing more important than time. Very often, even very strong grandmasters, fail to keep the momentum in dynamic positions. In positions in which dynamic play is required, the price of every move is very high. Therefore, you should play extremely energetically. Hopefully, the examples discussed in this lecture will help you improve in maintaining the initiative.
SAMPLE EXAMPLE
Modern Attacking Strategies
In this lecture, GM Grigorov will explain how modern engines and top-level practice have changed our understanding of attacking in chess. The true revolution began in 2018, when AlphaZero crushed Stockfish in a match. From that point on, modern engines based on neural networks have added new layers to our chess knowledge.
In the past, players focused on attacking as quickly as possible, making time the most important concept in attacks. Nowadays, due to the influence of modern engines, we often see beautiful, slow attacks that feature many prophylactic moves. While analyzing engine games, I’ve noticed an important trend: before initiating an attack, modern engines often aim to secure some kind of long-term asset—such as a space advantage, a weak square complex, or a strong square near the opponent’s king. These long-term assets make the attack more sustainable over time, allowing it to be developed gradually by combining aggressive moves with prophylactic ones.
GM Grigorov divided this lecture into the following sections:
1) Attacking with a Pawn on h6
2) Attacking Strategies in the Carlsbad Structure
3) Attacking with a Space Advantage
4) Color Complexes
5) Exchange Sacrifices