Chess Moves 2 Seminars

TACTICS, ENDGAMES, AND OTHER FUN STUFF

Tactics, Tactics, Tactics (Level I)

Speaker: GM Susan Polgar (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1200–1400

The famous saying by S. Tarrasch goes "Chess is 99% tactics". That maybe an exaggeration but it certainly is one of the most crucial parts of the game. All combinations will be 1-3 moves and even some 4 movers. We shall see numerous examples of:

Tactics, Tactics, Tactics (Level II)

Speaker: GM Susan Polgar (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1400–1600

This class on tactics is for the more advanced player. You shall practice your calculation skills in two ways: To calculate long (3-8 moves), straight forward variations, as well as short (2-5 moves) but complicated ones. We shall see examples of combinations with:

Understand Positional Play!

Speaker: GM Alex Stripunsky (half day)
Audience: Player Rating 1600–1800

While tactics are very important all throughout a chess game, when there are no fireworks in the position, one has to try to slowly gain and accumulate small advantages. Positional play requires (among other things) patience, long-term planning, maneuvering, improving our own piece's positions, and trying to limit our opponent's pieces as much as possible.

Practical Rook Endgame Hints

Speaker: GM Alex Onischuk (half day)
Audience: Player Rating 1400–1700

It is known that Rook endgames are the most common out of all endgames. Therefore, it is very useful to know as much as possible about them. In this class, you will learn important winning and saving techniques which are typical in Rook endgames.

Practical Pawn Endgame Hints

Speaker: GM Alex Stripunsky (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1500–1800

The basic of all endgames are the Pawn endgames. Potentially all endgames may end up being Pawn endgames. Therefore, it is a must for anybody wanting to improve their endgame knowledge to start with these basic endgames. Although as you will find out in this class, in Pawn endgames, things are not always as simple as they seem even when there is only minimal material left on the board.

Making a Chess Plan

Speaker: GM Alex Onischuk (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1500–1800

One of the most difficult tasks in chess is to make a plan. To pick the right plan is even harder. In chess, there are short and long term plans. This class will give you the knowledge of what hints to look for in different types of positions based on the Pawn structure and other variables.

Forming Endgame Strategies

Speaker: GM Alex Onischuk (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1700–1900

One of the main differences between professional chess players and amateurs is that they have more long range view of an opening and understanding of the potential endgames which can arise. In this class, which will rely on the Sicilian Defense for its examples, you will get a peek into a Grandmaster's mind on how that works.

Chess Brilliancies

Speaker: GM Susan Polgar (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1200+

This class is for anyone who likes all the beautiful and fun things in chess. GM Susan Polgar will share with you her all-time favorite jewels of chess history. This class is certainly enjoyable for all levels.

The New World Champion: Veselin Topalov

Speaker: FM Paul Truong (half day)
Audience: Player Rating 1700–1900

There was a lot of excitement at the 2005 World Championship in San Luis, Argentina. This spectacular event crowned a new world champion, the Bulgarian super-grandmaster Veselin Topalov. In this fun class, you shall see some of his games from the past year as examples of his fearless fighting spirit. You'll see

Pattern Recognition in Chess

Speaker: FM Paul Truong (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1300–1400

Pattern recognition is one of the most important skills in chess. This class will show you, how you can use certain ideas in totally different positions.

How to Avoid Blunders in Chess

Speaker: FM Paul Truong (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1400–1800

One of the big problems for many club players is how to avoid blunders. It is impossible for anyone to avoid them completely but anyone can certainly reduce the quantity and frequency of blunders. This class will give you a guideline and what to look out for to avoid falling into traps.

The Art of Attack

Speaker: GM Alex Stripunsky (half day)
Audience: Player Rating 1300–1800

This class is geared toward intermediate players who wish to sharpen their attacking skills and increase their understanding of tactics. In this class, we will go over two different types of attacking methods:

Exploiting Endgame Advantages

Speaker: GM Alex Stripunsky (half day)
Audience: Player Rating 1400–1800

This class will discuss two types of endgames: technical and tactical. In the first part of this session, you will see practical examples of how to convert material or positional advantage to a win. In the second part, you will find out that even in the endgame there are many tactical opportunities. We shall learn about:

Winning Won Games

Speaker: GM Alex Stripunsky (quarter day)
Audience: Player Rating 1200–1700

Getting to a "winning position" is a big achievement, but it is just as important to know how to end the game. This class is designed to show you ways how to minimize counter chances of your opponent when you already almost "have the game". Learning this skill is essential for the complete chess player.