2 BAD Habits That Ruin Your Chess Progress

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In this video lesson, GM Igor Smirnov shares 2 golden rules that will help you improve in chess much faster.

In his 15 years of coaching experience, GM Smirnov has encountered many people who got into chess. Unfortunately, a common story often unfolds like this: someone gets interested in chess, learns the fundamentals, and initially progresses quickly, climbing up to a rating of 1200 ELO to 1400 ELO.

However, after reaching this point, they hit a plateau and get stuck. Their ratings fluctuate, but they never make a breakthrough in chess. It's not that they lack a significant amount of chess knowledge, but they miss just a few critical ideas. They keep making the same mistakes, which are very easy to avoid if they knew these key concepts.

GM Smirnov shares those 2 key ideas that will transform your chess thinking system and help you find the best moves easily. These principles will also help you prevent blunders and ensure you don't let a winning advantage slip away

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► Chapters

00:00 2 Chess Rules To Improve Faster
00:05 Example-1
00:54 How most chess players think
02:37 Rule-1
03:53 Example-2 (Puzzle of the day)
04:08 Example-3
05:29 Rule-2
07:24 Test your knowledge

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#IgorNation #ChessRules #ChessStrategy #ChessMistakes #ChessImprovement

[gabrielcastelo]

More Igor videos to get me addicted to chess

[BobChess]

3:56 the puzzle solution is Rc6! Idea is if black takes our rook. We will have Qxc6+ and we force a mate, but we also now threatening Ra3 then Qc3! Our rook is also pinning a e6 pawn so black queen is helpless. Black can try Rhc8 but you will have Qa5+ Ba7 and Ra6! Threatening Rxa7 and funny enough white king is surprisingly safe. If black takes our rook we can just recapture it with our queen and in unexpected event. Black can stop this simple mate on a7. He can try Rc1+ but our king is completely safe

[kreur]

1. Rc6 seems to be best solution, just make sure to calculate it to the end after imho best defense 1. ... Rhc8 (see my solution bellow) First I thought 1. Rc3 is best, because it threatens Ra3 - Rxa7 - Qa5# so black might play e5 or Ba7 after which you can play Ra3 forcing black to play other move of those two and play 3. Qc5 and after b6 you can finish with Qd5+. Problem with Rc3 is that black can play 1. ... b4 which defends threat and you can still follow with 2. Rc6 making it virtually same as Rc6 in first move. So back to solution - 1. Rc6 Rhc8 (1. ... bxc6 2. Qxc6 Rb7 3.Qxb7#, 1. ... Ba7 2. Ra6 with threat of Rxa7+ followed be Qa5#, 1. ... g4 or something similar 2. Ra6+ bxa6 3. Qc6+ Rb7 4. Qxb7#, 1. ... e5 2. Qa5+ first and grab the queen, followed by Qxb5) now back to main line - after Rhc8 Ra6 does not work because black defends a7, b7 and c6. But you have sick rook sacrifice option... 2. Qa5+ Ba7 3. Ra6 threatening Rxa7 so black neend to take 3. ... Rxa6 and after 4. Qxa6 black can only delay checkmate by few checks. Note that black queen is so badly positioned that h6 is literally only square on board that does not allow black any defense.

[SvenGoldberg]

Damn this puzzle, I spent a good hour on it. Rc6 seems to me the best idea. Black cannot take with the pawn 1. Rc6 bxC6, 2. Qa5+ Ba7 and you can then mate with the queen or rook on a7. The other defence with 1. Rc6 Rhc8 also leads to a mate with 2. Qa5+ Ba7, 3. Ra6 bxa6, 4. Qxa6 at this point black can give a couple of checks, but you gonna mate on a7 after the checks are over. Generally it seems, that the only fair defence after 1. Rc6 should be either Ba7, 2. Ra6 e5, which leads to winning the black queen or after 1. Rc6 e5, 2. Qa5+ Ba7, 3. Rxh6 again winning the black queen.

[helberta]

Puzzle solution: Qa5+, Ba7 Rc3 (defending h3). If black plays Qxh3, gxh3 Rxh3, Rxh3. That way black losses queen and rook. Otherwise white plays Ra3 and mate after black plays any other move.

[AcapachVideo]

This is teaching me how to improve my THOUGHT PROCESS! I am currently on my 2200 ELO Journey, and my expert level thinking is hindering my potential. Now, I know WHY I must avoid tunnel vision.

[alexkill]

Thank you for this video, this is exactly what I was struggling with for the past few weeks. Now I feel like I can start making progress again

[joeoleary]

In the realm where pieces glide and fight,
Where strategy turns darkness into light,
There stands a beacon, shining so bright,
Igor, the sage of chess's night.

On YouTube's stage, where lessons bloom,
He dispels the shadows of the chessboard’s gloom,
With every move, each calculated spell,
He crafts a tale, where victory dwells.

From pawns to queens, and knights in flight,
He weaves the patterns, sharp and right,
With a touch of wisdom, and a guiding hand,
He turns the game into a grand stand.

His voice, a melody of calm resolve,
In every lecture, mysteries dissolve,
Complex positions become clear and true,
As Igor’s insights lead us through.

Beginners cheer, and masters nod,
For in his teachings, all find the laud,
From opening gambits to endgames tight,
Igor’s brilliance brings the game to light.

No other tutor shares such grace,
No other channel matches his pace,
With each new lesson, each brilliant take,
He crafts a path for all to make.

So here’s to Igor, in his chess domain,
A guiding star in a grand refrain,
For every move, and every plan,
He teaches the world, as only he can.

[aminnemesis]

We go rook to c5 to block Black's dark squared Bishop from blocking the checkmate and after that, no matter what black does it's checkmate

[dr.deepakgore]

Great ideas, fantastic coaching, thanks GM sir ❤🎉🎉

[asteriondeltoro]

Rc5. If black does not respond with Bxd5, continue with Qa5#. If he does, Qxd5, and then Black cannot stop mate. Qxh3 continues gxh3, Rxh3, Kg2, and black cannot continue the attack. g4 gives away Qa5#, and most other moves can't block Qa3#. b7 does not save the king because it gives the rook on f7 control of a7 and b7, meaning Qa3 is still mate. Rb8-c8 is a nice try, but white can respond Qb6, and there's no way to stop Qxb7#. Rc7 fails to Rxc7, and Rc1+ is easily countered by Kh2.

[lanezpop]

Rook C3, if Bishop takes then QA5 is mate, if he doesn’t take it protect pawn in front of own king and then can move to A3 to force a check mate

[donovancaldwell]

1st Puzzle worked against 3 different bots: Rc6, Ba7 cRa6, hRc8 aRa7 checking the King, King has to take a7R, then Qa5 for Checkmate. It worked against 3 good bots. Black couldn't stop the Checkmate. It was basically mate in 4 each time.

[namedperson]

Intuition on the puzzle says Queen A5, then rook lift to C7 since black queen can't deliver any checks. Probably missing something though.

[dingobabym]

c3, BxR; Qa5 mate. if c3, R ( either one)c8, Ra3 mate

[eclecticexplorer]

Rc6! If black plays bxc6, then Qxc6+, Rb7, Qxb7#, If black plays some other move like Rhf8, white plays Ra6+, and if bxa6, Qc6+, Rb7, Qxb7#. Black's best response to Rc6 is Ba7, and after Ra6, e5, sacrificing the queen, or white can play e5 immediately after Rc6, again sacrificing the queen. Either way, after Rxh6, Rxh6, the immediate mating opportunity is gone, but white has won the exchange.

[indigochild.]

Puzzle:
Rc5 is a great move if bishop doesnt take its checkmate, but if Bxc5, Qxc5 looking for Qa3# checkmate, black has the dirty e5, opening up the 6th rank for the Queen to defend the mate with Qa6. or am i wrong? good find none the less.
I think Rc6 might be the better plan, if pawn takes bxc6 you have Qa7# mate,
if Rc6, Ba7, then Ra6 with the same mate idea, then if he plays another move Qa5, bxa6, Qxa6, then no matter where black moves i believe its mate on a7 or b7 depending on blacks response, here e5 will not help back as the Rook on c6 and a6 x-rays the queen.
probably wrong but thanks the puzzle enjoyed it and your vid!

[Zamiroh]

I see two combos that could win. Qa6, rc3, ra3, qa2. The second rc5, ra3, qa2. That's probably the quickest. The first one happens right before you get mated yourself, but I didn't calculate long.

[thimrajgupta]

Guruji, with gratitude and with high respect 🙏

[tigerreaction]

your vedios are very informative and i would love a vedio about how to learn from your mistakes with analayzing as when i analyze i feel like i didnt learn much speachely when its not clear what i did wrong