CarlsenTheGOAT-2889

The High Elo Society

85 Members

The Other Club

462 members

My blog: https://www.chess.com/blog/CTGTEEN

1) https://www.chess.com/blog/CTGTEEN/choosing-the-right-opening-a-complete-guide-for-beginners-and-intermediates - 156 views

If you were curious, yes, my profile picture has a picture of every World Championship that Magnus has won, namely, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021. 

"If you want to be a part of that 1%, you're gonna have to do what the 99% don't" - Magnus Carlsen

"Some people think that if their opponent plays a beautiful game, it's OK to lose. I don't. You have to be merciless" - Magnus Carlsen

If you want to get to the top, there's always the risk that it will isolate you from other people" - Magnus Carlsen

"Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at something" - Magnus Carlsen

"You work for a long period of time and the results don't really show, but at some point everything just comes together and you start to play better, or get more confidence." - Fabiano Caruana

"The single most important thing in life is to believe in yourself regardless of what everyone else says." - Hikaru Nakamura
"I don't have the tendency to downgrade myself" - Ian Nepomniachtchi 

"The self is every person's true enemy" - Ding Liren

My favorite Chessable courses along with my reviews: (UNDERGOING UPDATES)

1: Lifetime Repertoires: Giri's 1.e4 - Part 1:- 

Key features:

- Clear and concise explanations which make you feel the position

- Good and practical recommendations avoiding massive theory blocks

- Counters repertoires fighting against this one with good lines

- New recommendations which are approved by the modern engines

- One of the cons I would say is that the support level is COMPLETELY FAKE. I'd rate it as a medium, and this has also been mentioned in the course reviews. 

- Another thing to mention is that this course lacks annotated model games and reference games, which I believe is 100% necessary for any course. I don't if this was just missed or what but neither is included in this. The two above points lose about 1 rating.

Type of course: This course is an opening course from the White side which covers 1.e4 e5 from White. It covers mostly all major responses, and it dwells around the Slow Italian (Guico Pianissimo). The lines are amazing and I still use them and probably will for a good amount of time.

It is recommended for players of Intermediate (1200-1600 [I assume this is FIDE rating]), Advanced (1600-2000), Expert (2000-2200) and Master (2200+) rated players.

Rating of the course: 4/5

2: The Grand Toolbox: Fighting Flank Openings

Key features:

- The perfect repertoire against flank openings designed for Slav and Queen's Gambit Declined players (separate recommendations for both).

- Clear and concise explanations, traditional Nils explanations

- Fighting and practical lines avoiding massive theory blocks and dodging some lines covered by other authors from white while maintaining a good position

- New recommendations approved by engines

- Thematic exercises based upon the lines learnt 

- Annotated model games 

- A very good support level

- To be honest, there are basically no cons for this course! Well, at least I didn't spot any! It patched up what all I mentioned in Giri's course that was missing! The only one thing is that too many references are made to his other course, and sometimes it is just annoying but this is not major.

Type of course: This course is a course from the Black side which is a practical toolbox designed to counter flank openings except 1.e4 and 1.d4 and is designed for Slav and Queen's Gambit Declined players. The recommendations are fun to play and new, which can surprise your opponent. I have used these recommendations with good results (the only lines I don't frequently use are the English lines), because some options like 2.Nc3 aren't covered. And 1.d3 is also not covered, even though it is becoming popular nowadays, but it's not huge and you can use a database to prepare.

It is recommended for players of Intermediate, Advanced, Expert and Master level rated players. 

Rating: 4.8/10

Last updated: 16-11-2024

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT USE MY PHRASES, QUOTES OR ANYTHING IN MY PROFILE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.