Before starting this lesson, I’d like to remind you of the special offers on my new book, A Promoted Pawn: My Chess Journey. I’ve provided you with a huge 25% discount (you save about $12) – use the coupon “pawn25” when making your purchase. Learn how to use a discount code here.
Additionally, the first 50 buyers will have the opportunity to send in their questions to me about the book; the next 100 buyers (in addition to the first 50) will receive the answers to those questions. As I have informed you already, we’ve already reached the first 50 buyers.
Hence, while there is only limited opportunity to receive the answers to the questions about my book – yes, you still have a chance to be in the top 150. But today (Fri. 2 October) is the last chance to take advantage of this offer and the discount on the book!
“I’d love to see Igor Smirnov’s story as a chess prodigy and becoming a Grandmaster in a book or video. An autobiography of GM Smirnov’s chess development, witty advice that worked for advancement, remarkable games and encounters with the Champions (directly or indirectly).”
I thought that this was a nice idea, as you’d be able to get the most powerful techniques from my 20+ years of chess experience in one book! Therefore, firstly I’d like to thank all the students who motivated me to write this book and provided their questions.
It took several months of a hard work for me to prepare exactly what you asked for. In this book, I describe honestly the ups and downs of my chess career, the challenges I faced, and the solutions I discovered. You’ll learn some of the most powerful lessons and techniques I have never shared before.
Let me make a few notes about the book to keep everything clear:
1. Although this is an autobiography-type book, my goal was NOT to describe my life in great detail. I focused on the main lessons I’ve learnt. My goal was to share with you the best ideas I discovered about chess and training. I’m showing you how I came to those conclusions and why they are so. Hence, you’ll be able to digest the most powerful techniques for chess training/playing and use them in your own practice.
2. The first book I wrote, Champion Psychology, is focused on chess psychology. It doesn’t contain much chess analysis. I used the chess games only as an example for the ideas described. My goal was to write a book you could read without the necessity to have a chess board with you. Hence, the quantity of variations provided was minimal.
The current book, A Promoted Pawn: My Chess Journey, is very different. It does contain a lot of chess games with corresponding analysis. Thus, you will need to have a chess board with you and can review the variations there. Well, if you have outstanding visualization skills, you may avoid using a real chess board – but I would not recommend that.
The current book, A Promoted Pawn: My Chess Journey, is very different. It does contain a lot of chess games with corresponding analysis. Thus, you will need to have a chess board with you and can review the variations there. Well, if you have outstanding visualization skills, you may avoid using a real chess board – but I would not recommend that.
3. Although I do include games with analysis, I do NOT provide an extensive quantity of computer variations. I think it’s important to understand chess and to calculate variations only as long as it’s really necessary. I focus on chess ideas and principles. Therefore, if you prefer the Kasparov / chess informant / Dvoretsky style – with pages of long variations – my book is NOT for you. By the way, I’m not criticizing those authors: it’s just that my style is different.
4. Besides using chess games and rules, I explain the general ideas and provide you with tips for effective training. If you belong to that group of people who think that chess is all about specific openings and tactics, while all other tips are ‘useless fluff’, then my book is NOT for you either.
5. If you consider yourself to be an expert and think that you don’t need any advice, or that ‘you know everything better’, again, please do NOT buy my book.
5. If you consider yourself to be an expert and think that you don’t need any advice, or that ‘you know everything better’, again, please do NOT buy my book.
6. Let me also make a few comments about the price of the book. It’s hard to find one that will satisfy everyone.
- Some people say something like: “Your courses/books are overpriced. For instance, the book of this GM… is way cheaper”.
- Other people send me messages like: “Your lessons have revolutionized my chess. They are worth much more and you should sell them for a higher price, because I don’t want everyone to have them”.
For me, it took thousands of dollars spent on chess coaches, and many years of struggle, to discover the techniques I’m sharing with you in this book. Now you can get all of this in a single book, for a price that is a LOT less than what I myself have paid to obtain this knowledge.
After all, I always provide a money-back guarantee on my products. Hence, you can test it risk-free and decide on your own if it’s worth the price.
I hope that everyone who found themselves described in items 3-5 above stopped reading this. And now, let us move on to the sweetest part. 
Fabiano Caruana – Igor Smirnov (blitz)
Black to play
Initially, I planned to include this game in my new book but then rejected it. It’s just a blitz game, and I’ve found more instructive examples for the book. Anyway, this example demonstrates a few important chess rules. If you have studied my lessons carefully, you’ll find the following moves easily, won’t you?
How would you play here as Black? Of course, your task is not just to guess a move. Think about Black’s plan and calculate the variations for a few moves ahead. Then you are welcome to compare your solution with the actual game: LINK
P.S. I don’t want to damage Caruana’s reputation. This was only a blitz game, after all, and he certainly did not play up to his usual performance level, which is of an extremely high standard!
