Winning Chess Tactics - Benoni Defense

The Benoni defense is a modern opening against white queen pawn openings and is known for it's aggressive, tactical and almost reckless nature. Black obtains active pieces and a queen-side pawn majority at the cost of allowing white to expand.

The Dutch Defense - Stonewall Variation

One of the better fighting defenses that black has at its disposal against 1. d4 is the Dutch Defense.
When white starts the game by playing d4, it is many times signaling that it is looking to play a more positional game than if it began with a move like e4.

Black has an opening like the Sicilian Defense (a variation of it will be discussed in the post below) to try to play a more tactical game against a player beginning the game with e4. And it has a opening like the Dutch Defense to try to play a more tactical game against a player beginning the game with d4.



Here is a video that shows the Stonewall variation of the Dutch Defense.

Sicilian Defense - Najdorf, English Attack

One of the best defenses black has against e4 is the Sicilian defense. It also happens to be one the most complicated and tactical variations of all of the defenses that black could choose. Some of the many variations of this defense are the Najdorf, Dragon, Classical, Scheveningen and the Accelerated dragon variations, just to name a few.

Here is a terrific video that explains the Najdorf variation of Sicilian defense. (The ECO code for the Sicilian Defense Najdorf is B90.)

Winning Chess Tactics Leading To Checkmate

Speaking with many beginner to intermediate level players, I hear the area they want the most help with is chess tactics. One can memorize an opening and study the reasons behind the opening moves but once a players gets into the middle game they are more, "on their own" than they are in the opening. And coming up with a plan or finding winning moves such as tactics are not something one can memorize.

This is why studying chess puzzles is often seen as one of the most helpful things a player can do to improve their ability to see tactics for themselves. Puzzles help with pattern recognition, meaning that even though you probably won't see a position in one of your games that will match a tactic or puzzle you studied, it will look familiar enough that it will help you determine what to play.

Here is a very nice chess tactics video that show a number of ways this particular game could have been won. Can you find the combinations that win?

The Power Of Opposition - Chess Endgame Study

Here is another great chess video, this time covering the power of opposition in the endgame. Understanding this key tactic can help you win the closest king and pawn endgames or maybe even pull a draw from a seemingly lost position. This video covers simple opposition when the kings are a square apart as well as how to determine the opposition when the kings are separated by six or seven squares across the board.

Chess Strategy - How To Checkmate With A Bishop And Knight

Checkmating your opponent when you have only a bishop and knight against his lone king is one of the toughest checkmates to master. This video shows you how to do it.

Chess Opening Theory - Scandinavian Defense

Here is a chess video that covers many facets of the Scandinavian Defense. It takes a look at the book lines played by black and explores a number of different variations. This video also includes a grandmaster game between Karpov and Larsen.