This course will help you understand what to do after the opening is over.

The openings played in this course are from the suggested opening repertoire from the “Understanding chess openings” course. I also used the tactical method from the “Understanding chess tactics” course to deliver the winning combinations.

You will benefit from the course even if you have not studied my openings&tactics courses before. I will be explaining all the concepts again in this course. If you want to get a deeper understanding of the concepts (for example, a concept of a semi-protected piece), feel free to check out my previous courses about tactics and openings.

This course consists of 25 thoroughly commentated games that I recorded while playing. You will see and hear the ways that grandmasters are thinking. You will also see my mistakes since I will be analyzing the games immediately after they are finished. You will also find a direct link to lichess where you will be able to play through the game or even analyze it with the best chess engine in the world. You will also have free access to the online database there.

By the end of the course, you will learn typical combinations that were not covered in the tactics course, get a clear understanding of how to convert your material advantage, discover the typical plans for the main openings, and much more. You will also learn what to do with your pawns and pieces AFTER the opening is over.

Learn and Master Chess Middlegame with a Successful Grandmaster

• Learn what to do AFTER the opening

• Discover typical ideas for the main openings for both colors

• Understand how to implement the algorithm from “Understanding chess tactics” in a real game

• Study an effective “boring” way of converting your material advantage

• Get an honest inside look into the grandmaster’s mind

This course will boost your opening, tactical, and middlegame play to the next level

The course is for chess players of all levels. You will find 16 games with white pieces (All those games start with 1.e4!) and 9 games with black pieces (1.e4 is met with 1…e5! and 1.d4 is met with 1…d5!). Throughout the course, I am doing my best to follow the guidelines that you can learn in my "Understanding chess openings" course. You will also learn how to use the tactical signs from the “Understanding chess tactics” course in a real game. Sometimes I was able to MANUFACTURE a tactical combination based on the signs that I discover. Between the opening and the winning combination, I will explain what to do with your pieces and pawns after the development. Once I get a winning advantage, I would teach you the proper way of thinking, and the proper sets of priorities, when it comes to big material advantage. Many chess players do not know what to do AFTER they win some material and how to convert it into a full point. You would NOT be one of those players, once you study this course!

The course consists of 4 sections,

Section 1 | Introduction: You will learn what this course is all about. There will be a link to the opening repertoire, which I will be using in all the games. The opening repertoire is from the “Understanding chess openings course”. You will also understand my motivation to create the course.

Section 2 | Games with white pieces: I will show you all the games played with white pieces. First, there would be the games that start with 1.e4-e5 (5 games), then 1.e4-d6 (3 games), 1.e4-c5 (2 games), 1.e4-c6 (2 games), 1.e4-d5 (2 games), 1.e4-g6, and 1.e4-e6. You will learn the idea for white in Petrov defense, Italian game, Philidor defense, Pirc, Sicilian, Caro Kann, Scandinavian, and French defense! The games would be useful to watch even if you do not play the openings yourself. I will be teaching some universal ideas that do not necessarily connect to a particular opening.

Section 3 | Games with black pieces: You will see all the games that I played with black pieces. First, you will see 6 games that start with 1.e4, and then you will see 3 games with 1.d4. You will learn Petrov’s defense, Italian game, and Queen’s gambit declined. There will also be one game when we enter an equal endgame (the opponent was a very decent player). You will take a glimpse into how to think in the endgame as well.

Section 4 | Conclusion: You will receive a short summary of the course and my thoughts about the future.

Who this course is for:

- Beginner/hobby chess players who want to play good chess from the very first moves

- Chess enthusiasts that studied my previous courses about tactics and openings and want to know more

- Anyone who is interested in improving their middlegame play

- Chess players that want to have harmonious play from the start to the end of the game