Video

Chess videos – progress or disaster?

Every chess player, not only competitive ones, has surely noticed how much the educational ‚concept‘ on websites has changed over the last 2 to 3 years. Expert articles are disappearing before our eyes, while videos are increasing almost geometrically.

I will not in this introduction to the VIDEOS section analyse the benefits or conversely the harm of videos as such, but I will allow myself to suggest at the outset a parallel article versus video a novel versus film. If a film based on a book is brilliantly made, most viewers appreciate it. But where is the analogy broken?

If we see a well-made film story based on a book, there are quite a few intelligent viewers who then ‚additionally‘ get the book and read it. Where does the parallel end? Imagine if Hollywood decided to cram a novel bestseller like Styron's Sophie's Choice into a film lasting – say – 20 minutes (today many Americans would no longer be surprised even by a cartoon version or the even more likely portrayal of the main heroine as African American, as already happens in film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet or Henry VIII). But unfortunately, this is exactly what happens with most videos!

So I will dare to advise visitors to these websites: If, for example, you are preparing to study a new opening or variation thoroughly, never rely only about training videos!

Horrors of the present

A shocking example I witnessed is the following video titled (translated) „Learn the Scotch in 10 minutes“

I remember that when I was a young lad in the second half of the 70s teaching the same opening, studying it took me rather 10 weeks than 10 days.

Here I dare, forgive me - I simply cannot resist inserting a short segment from an American comedy (unlike the almost comical chess video, successful) There's Something About Mary (1998) with the beautiful Cameron Diaz in the leading role.

In the place of IM Matvej Galčenko, I would seriously worry whether someone, using even faster speech and omitting even more essential variations, could manage to explain the problems of the Scotch Game in nine minutes...

Let us now look carefully, at what significant points the author in his 10 minutes omitted and neglected even from the perspective of not very experienced chess players.

Czech videos

Let's venture into Czech realms: somewhat higher quality videos are offered on Youtube by the chess school ‚Robert and Petr‘. Dear readers, devote those 14 minutes. We certainly cannot deny the author's effort for a thorough analysis of one of the ways to defend against the London System…

…but after  1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6

the author deals with the variation 5.c3, which has not been relevant for at least 5 years (at the highest level it is only played in blitz or rapid). The crucial point is the order of moves 5.Nbd2. If you then use Mr Koutný's recipe, that is 5...Qb6,

you will most likely lose the game against a prepared opponent. After 6.dxc5 (1/2 /33/ Carlsen,Magnus /2863/ - Ding,Liren /2791/ online rapid 2020) completely different positions arise in character, but above all deep knowledge of specific variations is required! Yes, Black can after 5.Nbd2 use a different move order and play 5...cxd4 6.exd4 and only now 6...Qb6, even then these are positions that are worlds apart from those shown in the video. So, what is this video actually for? You watch it, use the variation, and… most likely 5.Nbd2 you can at best remember the author's unfinished work with resentment. The video simply does not follow a concept, in other words ‚video for video‘. Well, this is quite typical for today's obsession with chess videos. Because in the vast majority of cases we cannot for example study an opening continuously!

Quality study material

I will allow myself to insert a link here to an article a true chess theoretician GM Alexey Kuzmin. Those of you who understand Russian will surely appreciate the difference in the work of the two authors! When you study Kuzmin's article, you gain a truly perfectly honed and modern weapon against the London threat. It requires only one thing – diligence!

London System c5-Nh5 Kuzmin A

Nevertheless, there are beautiful conceptual as well as entertaining videos. However, the work demands honesty!

Here I list some websites and thus videos that I visit most often (outside platforms)

Chess Vibes (NM Nelson Lopez)

ChessBase India

Шахматы Для Всех; Šachmaty dlja vsjech (Alexej Puchač)

Levitov Chess

Crestbook Шахматы (GM Sergej Šipov)