Get GM Igor Smirnov’s best collection of premium videos for FREE!

In recent times many of my students had requested for me to provide them (and also you) with instructive video lessons. As some of you might know, I’ve a busy schedule and that’s why I was not able to prepare video lessons regularly for you. However, I’m doing my best to coordinate with our guest coaches and give you high quality lessons.

Meanwhile, in an effort to fulfil the requests of some of my students I’ve decided to do something special. I’m providing everyone with an opportunity to get some of my best collection of premium videos, the “GM Smirnov’s Bundle” for FREE! 

Yes, we’re conducting a “Like and Comment“ contest on our RCA Facebook page. So how does this contest work and how do you participate to get my premium video collection for FREE?

About the contest

The contest rules are very simple. All you need to do is:

1) ‘Like’ and ‘comment’ on the Contest Post
2)  Send us a private message (to our RCA Facebook page)
3) And, get “GM Smirnov’s Bundle” for FREE!
Note: if you don’t know how to send us a private message on Facebook, you’re welcome to check the FAQ here.

What’s a Contest Post?

The Contest Post is like a message posted on our RCA Facebook page. For your convenience, we’ve pinned the post to the top of our page, so you can easily find it on our Facebook page. Below is the screenshot of the Contest Post.

All you need to do is ‘Like’ the Contest Post and ‘comment’ something like “I’m in!” to participate and then send us a private message on Facebook.

After sending us a message, our Support Team will reply to you and provide you with the prize, the “GM Smirnov’s Bundle” within 24 hours!  If you face any issues or have any doubts, feel free to report to us by writing in the comments below or by sending an email to support@chess-teacher.com.

<< ‘Like’ and ‘Comment’ on the Contest Post now >>

Let me inform you that “GM Smirnov’s Bundle” contains five of my premium videos:

1) The Art of endgame ($20)
2) How to win a won game? ($20)
3) Press your opponents like Carlsen ($20)
4) Play like Nakamura ($20)
5) The art of Defense in Chess

The Bundle price is $39 USD – so you get a prize that is really worth it by participating in this contest and that’s really, really MASSIVE! Moreover, all of these videos contain very useful information and they can really help you improve your chess progress. 

4 typical chess mistakes in defense you should never make!

We are humans and we make mistakes, this is normal. There are some typical cases in which chess players make the same mistake(s) repeatedly. In this lesson about defense, you will recognize and understand those mistakes. It will help you avoid those mistakes in your future games and it will drive you in cloud nine! 

Mistake #1 – Underestimating opponents’ threats

White to play

When we are playing a game, our opponent sits opposite to us and he/she wants to win as much as we want to. Don’t forget that we are not the only one playing the game, and what is more important we are not the only ones who are playing to win. Thus, we should pay attention to our opponent’s threats and we should ask ourselves: what does she/he have in mind?

Topalov who plays with the White pieces in the game above, played Nd2. This was the decisive mistake because after 35…dxc3 White has huge problems. Two connected passed pawns are very strong and Black managed to win the game afterwards. The game continued: 36.Nc4 Re8 37.Rxb7+ Qxb7 38.Qxe8 Qb1+ [38…Qb1+ 39.Qe1 c2–+] 0–1

Mistake #2 – Blunders

Black to play

A blunder is like a slipping on a banana peel. Sometimes, even the TOP grandmasters can make such terrible mistakes. It is not something they intend to do; it is simply a mistake, an error. After the blunder, the position immediately collapses.

Adams who plays with the Black pieces is forced to move his King. The correct reply is Ka7 in order to protect the Knight on b6. Instead, he played Ka8 and lost a piece after the forcing variation: 34.Rxd8+ Rxd8 35.Qf6

Black to play

This is a double attack to both the unprotected d8-rook and b6-knight. White won the game afterwards. 35…Nc4 36.Qxd8+ Ka7 37.Qd3 Nxb2 38.Qf5 Qa1+ 39.Kd2 Nc4+ 40.Ke2 Qxc3 41.Qxc5+ 1–0

Suggestion: You may like to read about “Two chess opening mistakes you should never make”

Mistake #3 – Counting on your opponent to play not in the best way

Black to play

In the above game, Nakamura played the move 13.Ne2 very quickly. Perhaps he confuses his opening preparation or he just would like to confuse his opponent. Please let me remind you that he is one of the best blitz players in the world. Unfortunately, Blitz is very different from classical chess.

After the forcing variation: 13…Nxe4 14.Bxd8 Nxd2 15.Be7 Rf7 16.Bxc5 Nxf1 17.Rxf1 b6 18.Bb4 Ba6 we are getting to the following position:

White to play

White has strategically lost the position because the pawn on c4 is a very weak one and Black’s plan is very simple. Black will double his rooks on the c-file and they will capture the weak pawn. Black won the game easily.

Mistake #4 – Play without castling

Black to play

The most dangerous strategy is to leave your King in the center of the board, because the center usually can be opened easily. Thus, my advice is to castle as soon as possible and keep those pawns snug (f2,g2 and h2) right in front of your king.

Many chess players leave their King in the center for long time, and because of that they lose their games. I hope that you will not make this mistake and will secure your King. 

P.S. Did you like this article? Feel free to write your thoughts in the comments below. Also please do share it with your friends. 

Release of the “Defending Champion” chess course

The day has finally come – today we’ve released our new chess course “Defending Champion”! If you want to strengthen your defensive skills and stop losing games under pressure, then this course is for you.

As promised, we’re providing you with a massive 35% discount (save about USD $40) on this course. Simply use the coupon “defend35” when purchasing this course. If you don’t know how to use a discount code, please see here. This is a limited-period offer: it will be valid from today till Wednesday, 4 Jan. (inclusive).

<<Grab the course now>>

Why defense?

Defense is a very important chess skill. In at least 50% of chess games, we need to defend. In some games, we play with the Black pieces and White makes the first move; for that reason, White has the opportunity to start the attack/initiative. On some other occasions, one will make a mistake and be forced to defend. Thus, defense is as important as attack.

Many players struggle to get out of hard positions and they crumble under pressure. If you study the course carefully, then you will be able to defend correctly against all level of players.

Is this course right for you?

This course is suitable for beginners and intermediate-level players, but it will be helpful for advanced players, too. Even if your ELO is 1900+, this course will help you improve your defensive skills and you’ll learn some new things.

Key topics covered in the course

• How to defend in the opening?
• Stop losing material
• How to evaluate a position?
• Simplification in chess
• Economic defense
• How to consolidate and save a lost position?
• Active defense and counterattack
• A fortress
• Psychology of defense
• Dealing with gambits
• Three main methods
• Eliminating errors

The course also contains powerful practical tasks: it is necessary to put the received knowledge into practice. There are nine practical tasks (over 100 games) in this course, which will help you to understand and remember the ideas presented in the course better. The training program has a detailed explanation of WHAT and HOW exactly you should perform the practical tasks.

<<Grab the course now>>

P.S. We’re also celebrating this holiday season – if you would like to study other RCA courses, this is the perfect time: you can get a huge 30% discount on all our courses till 31st Dec. Simply use coupon “holidays30”. Find more details here.

GM Igor Smirnov’s Holiday spirits Part-2

Our new chess course “Defending Champion” has been released today. If you want to strengthen your defensive skills and stop losing games under pressure, then this course is for you. You can grab this course with a huge 35% discount (save about USD $40!). Simply use the coupon “defend35”. You can find more details here.
This is the second part of the ‘Christmas special article’, where I’ll share my Holiday spirits with you.  If you missed the first part, you can read it here.

Nowadays people still use large chess sets….
In Salzburg (Austria), you can play chess on the ground. Salzburg is famous as the home town of genius composer Mozart.

Mozart’s room became a museum

Sometimes Magnus Carlsen is called the ‘Mozart of chess’, highlighting the similarity between these two prodigies.

It was interesting to know that Mozart’s father was a music teacher and wrote a famous book about the art of violin-play. The ‘genius’ results of his son are not so mysterious… they were a combination of proper teaching and hard work.

Christmas is a time of wonders.
Who is this alien behind me? Did he land on Earth with this massive UFO?
Not quite.:) The architectural construction around me is the Olympic stadium in Munich (Germany). It’s very futuristic though.

Nevertheless, even a gigantic opponent can be defeated, as painted on the wall in Regensburg (Germany).
If you want to know how, study my new course “Defending Champion”.  On a serious note, this image showcases the Bible story about David and Goliath.

May this holiday season bring joy and happiness to you and yours! I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays once again, and a very Happy New Year in advance. 

P.S. Don’t forget to celebrate the holidays with us – grab our courses with a huge 30% discount. Use coupon “holidays30”. You can find more details here and shop now.

RCA chess courses are effective: proven!

Today is the LAST chance for you to grab our special offer in honour of the World Chess Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin. Get our RCA comprehensive and middlegame courses with a huge 40% discount.

Use coupon “40off” when making your purchase. If you don’t know how to use a discount code, please see here. Save as much as a huge USD $464, which is the total discount on all the courses belonging to these two categories!

<<RCA Comprehensive courses>>         <<RCA Middlegame courses>>

These courses are of HIGH QUALITY – you can find numerous feedback comments from our students who have already studied them and made great progress in their chess career.

Today, I’d like to share some of these comments with you. 

Read detailed review by former world no. 5 player, GM Jaan Ehlvest!

Mujun Yu from China – about “GM’s Secrets”

Igor Teplyi – about “Calculate Till Mate”

Durgesh from India – about “GM’s Positional Understanding”

Read detailed feedback from Zoltan and his experiences here.

Sahapol, Secretary of the Thailand Chess Association, about “How to beat Titled Players”

Pawel Panas – about “Your Winning Plan”

Dr Randall K. Julian, Jr. (Randy)

“After working through my first RCA lesson (“Self-taught GM”), I have been interested in how GM Smirnov came to his viewpoint on how chess should be studied and played. He has an unusually direct and honest approach in his lessons, something that is rare in a world where everyone wants to sell you a silver bullet or magic pill”.

You can also read detailed feedback from Randy about my books Champion Psychology and A Promoted Pawn: My Chess Journey – see here.

P.S. Well, these are just some of the numerous testimonials from thousands of our students. It’s now time for you to act, grab the 40% discount, improve your games and create your own ‘success story’ – good luck! 

Magnus Carlsen’s immortal chess game (and his birthday)!

First, let me remind you of the special offer we’re providing you with, in honour of the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin. You can get a really massive 40% discount on our comprehensive and middlegame courses till Friday, 2 December. Use the coupon “40off” when making your purchase. You can find more details here.
Today, 30 November 2016, the chess prodigy from Norway, Magnus Carlsen, is celebrating his 26^th birthday – the Remote Chess Academy (RCA) wishes this great player a very Happy Birthday! 
I’ve prepared a very interesting video lesson for you – it’s “Magnus Carlsen’s immortal chess game”! I’ve selected the best game ever played by Carlsen; at least, it has to be one of his best games. It’s a really beautiful and instructive game.

He played this game against Judit Polgar, which is interesting because it was played between, arguably, one of the best male and female chess players of all time. Moreover, it was a blindfold game; they were playing without a chessboard, which makes it even harder to play.

You can watch the video below:

VIDEO

Now let’s look at some of the interesting photos of Magnus Carlsen, because it’s ‘party time’! 

Little Magnus gets going. Here he is at nine months… (source: Hun on Chess)

and here he is at one and a half years old (source: Hun on Chess)

Magnus Carlsen vs Håvard Vederhus in 1999 (source: Hun on Chess) 

And he was determined at a very young age!   (source: Hun on Chess)

Let’s not forget his amazing talent at blindfold chess (source: Hun on Chess) 

He beat Vishy Anand in Chennai and became the World Chess Champion in 2013 …

And he successfully retained his title in 2014, in Sochi

Can he retain his title, on his birthday, against Sergey Karjakin?  You can watch the tie-break games LIVE here.

P.S. You’re welcome to send your own wishes to Magnus Carlsen in the comments below.  Also, don’t forget to grab our World Championship Special Offer here.