John Bartholomew

Spoiler: I may *not* have been able to use the clock as a weapon in these games 😂 Nevertheless, my goals in this series are to 1) stay even or ahead of my opponents on the clock, and 2) trust my decision-making. Follow along as I try to avoid perfectionist tendencies and apply pressure with the ultimate equalizer in competitive chess: the clock! #Chess #BlitzChess … [Read more...] about Dealing with a Super Fast, Aggressive Opponent | Using the Clock as a Weapon #35

In this Hyper Accelerated Dragon Sicilian encounter (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6), I set up a Maroczy bind formation (pawns on c4/e4), which affords White the "happy marriage" of knight/c-pawn, and a strong grip on d5. My opponent offers the customary exchange of dark-square bishops, but a timely f3-f4 creates some problems with Black's knight on h5. Black's position remains cramped, and … [Read more...] about Pawn Breaks to Facilitate Tactics | Standard Chess #292 (Hyper Accelerated Dragon)

G'day, (check)mate! 😁 This video features an impromptu three game match versus a faster, tricky Australian player. My goals in this series are to 1) stay even or ahead of my opponents on the clock, and 2) trust my decision-making. Follow along as I try to avoid perfectionist tendencies and apply pressure with the ultimate equalizer in competitive chess: the clock! … [Read more...] about Mini Match vs. Tough Aussie | Using the Clock as a Weapon #34

Chessable Black Friday sale: 230+ courses discounted Nov. 20 - Dec. 1 https://www.chessable.com/courses/ In this continuation of the "Climbing the Rating Ladder" series I take on players of various ratings levels while pointing out typical mistakes and spots for improvement along the way (possibly my own!? :)). Here I commentate a 5+5 game against a player rated 1801 on … [Read more...] about Creating Alignment & File Control Opportunities | Climbing the Rating Ladder vs. bmh449 (1801)

In this instructive game from my Nov. 22, 2020, Twitch stream, a Scandinavian Defense leads to a somewhat better rook ending for me where White suffers from several isolated/doubled pawns. My opponent's rook becomes imprisoned on the e4 square, whereupon careful technique is needed for Black. Review this game on lichess.org: https://lichess.org/M8VGdZ3PAfYe Support the … [Read more...] about Imprisoning a “Super Rook”