Ideas Behind the Openings – Lilov Chess Institute – Vol 02
With this new, 16 hour course, IM Valeri Lilov sets out to solve one of the biggest problems for club players: how to improve their openings.
Instead of presenting a never-ending stream of computer-recommended variations, Valeri describes the strategic aims of each side. Things like where to place each piece, which side of the board to attack on and which exchanges benefit you.
Armed with this knowledge, you can be confident in finding strong moves and making progress even when your opponent plays something unexpected – as they inevitably will!
IM Lilov has chosen openings based on 3 factors:
- Popularity – it’s no good knowing how to play an opening that never appears on the board!
- Winning chances – we’re not playing for a draw here. Our openings must give us a way to create dynamic opportunities.
- Systematic approach – each opening should fit a clearly identifiable strategy. There will be exceptions we need to remember but this approach saves a huge amount of time – and reduces the risk of critical errors – compared to rote memorization. It also teaches you far more about chess!
Regardless of whether you’re a 1.e4 or 1.d4 player – or if your major opening issues comes with the Black pieces- IM Lilov is ready to show you how to navigate the opening phase with the calm confidence that comes from knowing what you’re doing.
Each chapter is labelled to help you quickly find the information you need to learn. With over 16 hours of material, it could become overwhelming, but not if you start with the videos related to the opening you play most often. Once you’ve absorbed the ideas behind this, move on the next one.
Ideas Behind the Openings comes with an invaluable course summary to help you refer to the main points quickly and practical tests to make sure you’re 100% ready to use your new knowledge in competitive play!
Chapter Outline:
Opening Repertoire for White
- Sicilian Scheveningen
- Scotch 4…Bc5
- Classical Pirc
- Classical Pirc II
- Pirc Defense – Austrian Attack
- Pirc Defense – Qd2 and f3 variation
- Scandinavian Defense with 3…Qa5 or 3…Qd6
- Scandinavian Defense 3…Qd8 or 3…Nf6 I
- Scandinavian Defense 3…Qd8 or 3…Nf6 II
- The Ultimate Scandinavian Trap
- Vienna Game with 2…Nc6 and Bc5
- Vienna Game with 2…Nf6
- The Four Knights
- The Four Knights Endgame
- English Opening
- Botvinnik Variation with Bc5 I
- Botvinnik Variation with Bc5 II
- The Catalan
- The Catalan (vs e6 and c6)
- Nimzowitsch f3 variation
- Nimzowitsch Qc2 variation
- Nimzowitsch Rubinstein I
- Nimzowitsch Rubinstein II
- Destroying the Dutch
Opening Repertoire for Black
- Caro-Kann – Typical ideas for Black
- Caro-Kann – White plays c4-c5
- The French Defense
- Sicilian Najdorf
- Scandinavian Defense – 3…Qa5 variation
- The Italian Trap
- Catalan Opening
- Chigorin Defense
- Chigorin Defense with Nc3 and Nf3
- Nimzowitsch Opening
- Play the Stonewall
- The Black Knights Tango