GM Swapnil Dhopade leads the June 2026 edition of Tactical Thursday with a paired theme that addresses the foundation of high-level calculation — Calculation in Defense and Improving Visualisation.
In this camp, the focus shifts to two skills that strong players practice continuously but most club players never train deliberately: the ability to calculate accurately under defensive pressure, and the underlying visualization skill that makes deep calculation possible. These are not separate topics — visualization is the foundation, defense is where it matters most.
A central idea of this edition is that defense demands sharper calculation than attack. When you are attacking, several moves usually work; when you are defending, often only one does. The margin for error is smaller, the line is narrower, and the consequences of a single miscalculation are immediate. GM Dhopade will show how strong players approach defensive positions — slowing down at critical moments, calculating opponent threats two and three moves ahead, and finding the hidden resources that hold positions that look lost.
The second core theme of the camp is visualization. This is the underlying skill behind all calculation: the ability to see the position clearly in your mind after several moves, to hold piece coordination accurately, and to compare candidate lines without losing the thread. Most calculation errors at the club level are not errors of evaluation — they are errors of visualization. The player simply loses the position in their head. This camp trains exactly that capacity, with methods that strong players use to develop it systematically.
GM Dhopade will demonstrate how strong players:
Tactical Thursday is part of the Modern Chess Academy, meaning Academy members receive free access to all lectures and the final digital product.
🛠 Technical Details
✓ Dates: 11.06.2026 and 25.06.2026
✓ Platform: Zoom
✓ Coach: GM Swapnil Dhopade
📅 Program
11.06.2026 – Paris | New York
🕒 17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Calculation in Defense and Improving Visualisation – Part 1
🕒 19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Calculation in Defense and Improving Visualisation – Part 2
25.06.2026 – Paris | New York
🕒 17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Calculation in Defense and Improving Visualisation – Part 3
🕒 19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Calculation in Defense and Improving Visualisation – Part 4
🕒 21:00 – 21:30 | 15:00 – 15:30 – Q&A with GM Grigor Grigorov & GM Petar Arnaudov
🎁 Participants Receive:
🔥 What You Will Gain
This camp will help you defend accurately when it matters most, see what others miss, and develop the visualization that underlies all strong calculation. A key step toward becoming a more precise and complete player.
This event is completed.