GM Ioannis Papaioannou returns this December with a topic that can fundamentally reshape how you understand modern chess openings — the transition from the opening to the endgame.
A major part of this camp will focus on opening lines that are structurally and conceptually linked to specific endgames. GM Papaioannou will demonstrate that to truly understand an opening, you must also understand the types of endgames you are aiming for. This gives you a clear methodological framework for improving your decision-making from the earliest phase of the game.
One of the key concepts highlighted in this edition is simplification into an endgame — an essential opening technique that strong players use purposefully, and club players often overlook. You will learn when to simplify, why to simplify, and how elite players transform favourable structures into winning endgames long before the actual endgame begins.
Throughout the camp, GM Papaioannou will show you:
• Which exchanges improve your long-term chances
• Which trades damage your structure or reduce your winning potential
• How to steer the game toward endgames that suit your style
• How to evaluate long-term imbalances early
• How openings “contain” the endgames they are heading toward
This training will not only improve your opening repertoire — it will strengthen your overall strategic understanding, giving you clarity, confidence, and more consistent results.
Strategy Wednesday will take place over two Wednesdays — 10.12.2025 and 17.12.2025 — with two sessions per day. After each training day, participants will receive 10 test positions designed to reinforce the concepts introduced during the lectures. All positions will be included with solutions in the final PGN file.
All sessions are part of the Modern Chess Academy, meaning Academy members receive free access to the live lectures and to the complete digital product released afterward.
🛠 Technical Details
✓ Dates: 10.12.2025 and 17.12.2025
✓ Platform: Zoom
✓ Coach: GM Ioannis Papaioannou
📅 Program
10.12.2025 – Paris | New York
🕒 17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Transition from the Opening to the Endgame – Part 1
🕒 19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Transition from the Opening to the Endgame – Part 2
17.12.2025 – Paris | New York
🕒 17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Transition – Part 3
🕒 19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Transition – Part 4
🕒 21:00 – 21:30 | 15:00 – 15:30 – Q&A with GM Grigor Grigorov & GM Petar Arnaudov
🎁 Participants Receive:
• Recordings of all lectures
• PGN files with all material (2-3 weeks after the event)
• Final digital product based on all four lectures
• Free access for Academy members
🔥 What You Will Gain
• A deeper understanding of openings through the lens of endgames
• The ability to choose the right exchanges at the right moment
• Confidence in guiding positions toward favourable structures
• A stronger sense of strategic direction from move one
• More stable and consistent practical results
This camp will help you understand not just how to play your openings — but what you are playing toward. It is a complete strategic upgrade for every ambitious player.
This event is completed.