Sort of a sequel to my December 13 lecture, covering things like entry squares, the eighth rank, and minority attacks, but most of all emphasizing the coordinated power of two rooks. Examples this time were all from my own games.

This is a very little-known idea that can sometimes help you spot unexpected combinations. When you're analyzing a line where Move A seems to come "naturally" before Move B, stop yourself and ask whether it might work even better to play Move B first, then Move A.

My reformulation of Jeremy Silman's system of imbalances, packaged in an easy-to-remember mnemonic device. With some great illustrations from the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defense. This lecture turned out to be very popular, and I have rewritten it as an article that will appear in Chess Life in 2008.

The variation in question is the Marshall Defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined (1. d4 d5 c4 Nf6), a move so unorthodox that some opening books don't even mention it. But I've had some very interesting games with it -- including draws against two grandmasters.

A listener requested a lecture on the Traxler Variation of the Two Knights Defense. But first I just had to talk about the line I actually play in my own games, the Fritz Variation. It's exciting, dangerous, and little-explored. What more could you want?

Here I finally responded to the listener request. It was fun, because I had never carefully studied the Traxler Variation before. My conclusion: after White's move 6. Bb3, it's really the "Toothless Traxler," because White can get a risk-free advantage.

Another listener suggestion -- why not show a game between two ChessLecturers, with comments from both? This game was a real back-and-forth struggle between me and Josh Friedel. The lecture was a little bit chaotic. Well, more than a little, because neither Josh nor I knew what the other was going to say.

Sometimes you get stuck in a mental rut. In a strategic, maneuvering game, you overlook some tactical possibilities. Or in a tactical, sacrificial position, you forget to think strategically. Good players (including computers) can think both ways at the same time.

If you play the Two Knights Defense for very long, you'll find that most White players don't play the greedy 4. Ng5 (as in my first two lectures) but play the much more sensible 4. d4. Here's a pet line of mine for dealing with that move.

I conclude my series on the Two Knights by talking about what I think is the best and most thematic line for both sides, the Modern (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 ed 5. e5). White's strategy, in particular, is very Nimzovichian, which accounts for the subtitle.

Two games from former world champion Alexander Alekhine illustrate most of the classical themes of rook play: open files, half-open files, pawn breaks, doubling rooks, the seventh rank, and rook lifts.

The King's Gambit Declined is less familiar for a lot of players than the King's Gambit Accepted. Who better to learn from than Grandmaster David Bronstein, the former world championship candidate? I analyze a 1970 game between Bronstein and Jerzy Kostro.

A lot of ChessLecture subscribers have been requesting more basic instructional material, so I started a series on the nuts and bolts of chess -- the tactical motifs everyone should know. This lecture focused on forks in the opening.

Continuing the previous lecture with examples of forks in the middlegame. One of the examples, incidentally, features another lecturer on the website, International Master Bryan Smith.

More basics. Examples from Kasparov, Kasimdzhanov, Chigorin, the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer," and a couple of my own games.

Carlos Torre's famous "windmill" combination against world champion Emmanuel Lasker, a modern-day version of the windmill by Jerry Hanken, a smothered mate by Jan Timman, etc. Also I rant against "Armageddon" playoffs. (This had no relevance to the main topic.)

After seeing my article in Chess Life, life master Stephen Tomporowski sent in two games of his own in a very similar opening variation. Not quite the same but close enough to be its twin. In this lecture I analyze both games.

A suggestion from a listener. "Zwischenzug" sounds like a Scrabble word, but actually it's a very important way to surprise the opponent and seize the initiative. You can listen to this lecture for free by clicking on the link!

Tactical Motifs 201: Trapped Pieces

In this lecture I talk about typical ways to trap a knight, a bishop, a rook, and a queen. The examples get progressively more difficult. The last one (from a game between me and National Master Renard Anderson) involves some really cool computer analysis.

I decided to start a new series with a lecture about a question that always bothered me when I was a beginner. I contrast an amateur game, with a much too early bishop chase, to a Bobby Fischer game where Fischer times it just right.

Here I debunk a couple myths about early queen trades -- that they are drawish and they favor the weaker player. The last example is especially nice, a game where Grandmaster Gregory Serper demolished me by using a queen trade as a surprise weapon.

What an awful pon! In this lecture I go over a key game from the 2007 U.S. Championship between Hikaru Nakamura and Julio Becerra. Nakamura played the seldom-seen Ponziani Opening, and Becerra was more than ready for it.

After the last lecture I felt bad about picking on Nakamura, so I devoted this lecture to a fascinating game he played in the National Open against Renier Gonzalez. This was a must-win game for Hikaru, and just from looking at his face, I never doubted that he would win it.

This is a question asked by a subscriber, and I think that it's a frustration everyone has felt after reading an opening book and then not being able to apply it to real games. Basically, my answer is that you have to understand the book moves, not just memorize them.

Nuke the Sicilian! How to Sac Your Queen on Move Six and Win

In my first lecture for ChessLecture, I present the game with International Master David Pruess where I first played the Queen Sac Variation. I also explain five principles to playing the variation successfully.

Nuke the Sicilian, Part II

I continue the series by showing two games with the computer that helped me understand the ideas behind the Queen Sac Variation. One game against Fritz 9, one against Crafty 19.19.

A favorite game from 1994, where I managed to draw against International Master Timothy Taylor in spite of being three pawns behind. In this game I first grasped the principle that in a losing position you should look for small ways to improve your position, not try to save the game all at once.

A neat little tactical trick that remains surprisingly little known, perhaps because it didn't have a catchy name. Now it does! This was my first attempt at a really short lecture, and apparently it worked because it is my second most popular lecture, after Nuke the Sicilian!

Here I present my analysis of a game I played against Belle, the world computer chess champion, in 1983. I compare its analysis with that of Fritz, currently one of the world's best commercially available chess programs. Conclusion: Belle and Fritz aren't very different! Fritz just runs on better hardware.

Some ideas on how to play the Bishop's Variation of the King's Gambit, using a 1992 game between Grandmaster Heikki Westerinen and Jukka Pakkanen as a guide. This opening is a favorite of mine.