John Bartholomew

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”

A 1.e4-heavy session, featuring a pair of Alapin Sicilian games (2.c3) against IMs, and a memorable finish out of the Caro-Kann! 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 Powerhouse Pawns | Using the Clock as a Weapon #33

In this 3+0 blitz game played on my Twitch stream on Nov. 15, 2020, I stumble into a Classical Sicilian line from the white side that I recently had as Black in my "Sicilian Patience" video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8rB5lIUnnU). Saddled with a pair of knights and a damaged pawn structure, I'm forced to do the only thing you can in such situations: fight for counterplay! … [Read more...] about Sharp Calculation in the Classical Sicilian