John, it's great that you're shifting focus back to a longer - format games. They are so much more insightful than just playing blitz. I hope you will continue to play rapid, especially your excellent "climbing the rating ladder" series. Thank you!
Always loved that you keep the focus on education and improvement rather than playing for the youtube algorithm. The King's Indian is so elusive to me -- I always end up in a passive position. It's fun to watch someone better than me play and explain it.
Hi John, I wanted to leave you a comment not necessarily about this video but about your renewed effort to upload to RUclips. Since I don't have twitch, RUclips is how I watch all your videos. Thank you so much for all the time and work you put into sharing your knowledge of chess with the world! I love the chess history and how you know all the names of each variation and I definitely missed the uploads when you stopped. I think you definitely deserve the title of most wholesome chess RUclipsr! The internet needs more people like you. Like many others I really love the standard format although I've been playing 3-0 blitz a little bit, but it's overall just too insanely fast for me. Again, Thanks! And... Happy 2023 🎉
I just started trying to learn the KID, and 10 minutes in I already feel like I've learned a ton. Complex positions for sure, and good to see thought processes instead of rushing to take a free pawn! I also always struggle with what pawn to take with if I have to in front of my king. I really appreciate the clear explanations!
I really appreciate the extended discussion of whether to meet hxg6 with f takes or h takes since it's such a common dilemma in fianchetto setups. Gave me a much better idea of how to think through those positions. Reassuring to see it's not an easy question for titled players either!
29:06 I love that - ‘paint the canvas of the chessboard to your liking’. I think most of my games end up looking like a Jackson Pollock if that’s the case!
In your absence, John, I've been dying for more long-form instructional games and we've gotten that from Daniel. I'm thrilled to see you back and focusing on this type of content. You two are the only chess youtube content creators that I'm excited for and will watch every video from. It's helped me so much. Thanks for doing what you do.
Thanks for going in for the complications. This game highlighted just how much stronger you are in the static positions from the Slav vs the wild and crazy position you got here. But during the game I felt like you played all the strongest moves to fight for the initiative, even if you looked at a lot of other candidates first.
Love the dip into more combative openings. Very interesting to see how a more conservative player handles these positions. Thanks for all the recent videos, John. Also, I know you weren't happy about it, but I found it encouraging to see you find tactics piecemeal by calculating several lines. Particularly the part where you only noticed the bishop guarding g4 after going into a more complicated line--that happens to me all the time, except I don't always realize I can simplify the line as a result. Seeing how you handle those small, human errors is very instructive Speaking of combative openings: I would *love* to see you try your hand at a Sicilian Sveshnikov sometime!
Great climbing the rating ladder, watching your videos is always a good reminder of the value of playing games with longer time control. This installation of 'climbing the rating ladder' was in my rating range and my main opening for black! Although I admittedly don't know any of the theory like you recommend. Thanks for the videos, keep it up!
It's so challenging playing against a good King's Indian player, it's nice to see you play from that position and see what their priorities are. Thanks for another amazing game!
I really love these standard videos. It’s nice to watch while working. I don’t like the TikTok/Shorts trend. So it’s nice that there are still videos like this that respect those who really like to learn. It also helps you have a nice voice! And clear way of explaining stuff. But why is John attacking my 1200 rating in the morning? 😅
this video gave me an idea for some fascinating content: ask Danya to prepare a "high-level lesson" aimed at enhancing your game in some specific way (eg. along the line you're talking about here, tactical opportunities to transform a positional advantage, or whatever). He seems really good at choosing material, so it could be super interesting for both your audiences....
Pretty proud that I saw the Nd3+ deflection during the game. Not that I saw more than you did - there were plenty of other moves that I would have screwed up.
Have you noticed how good a chess commentator John is?! He's really one of the few chess streamers - along with Danya and GingerGM - who knows how to add a healthy dose of fun while keeps being educational👏
Also hope John is never discouraged by the “tiktok-ification” of the internet. Danya and John are the only ones making educational content like this really. Most other people focus on showing dubious openings/traps then show bullet games against players 1/3rd their rating to prove it. Its just not educational compared to this long form content.
I completely missed Rxf3 as well. And I don't think I would've found ...Nd3 either, I probably would've just scooped the rook on h4, traded queens, and played 2 pawns up. Obviously not the best but this is good calculation practice indeed. Keep up the good work JB!
I'm low rated and the king's indian is great because no other low rated players know any theory against it. The games get crazy. When I just play D5 even the low rated players know all the best moves and it just feels like they have more of an advantage.
Huge fan of all your content. Really digging the longer formats. As a middling player I always wonder what kind of psychos are just looking for IM seeds when searching for game?!
I must admit it is reassuring to know that even IM's will miss the control the long range pieces provide! The amount of times i've missed a Bishop tucked into the corner....
Danya: OK and now well he's just giving us a free pawn, John: Hmmm I'm not sure that white is going to have enough compensation for that pawn here but lets see.
16:30 you said "Nxf2, what about Qd2 then? Maybe Nxd4 etc..", sorry but, I mean, Nxf2, Qd2, Rxf3, Bxf3, Qxh4, Qxf2, Qxc4 and you're up 3 pawns.. isn't that the best variation for you?
OMG, John Bartholomew playing a KID!! What could happen next in this 'upside down' world? Maybe Danya playing a "boring" Slav?? Love your vids, John, so glad you are making them regularly again!
CASTLING, this game and many others can point to the fact that not CASTLING early can lead to disaster. Had WHITE castled early enough the mess he got into would have been avoided, and a entirely different game would have developed. What are the three fundamental aspects in the opening stage that each player should perform ? When you gamble your KING's safety, or simply ignore his importance, the end always seems inevitable. Even if you can throw up defences for the KING and he manages to survive, his army has lost the immediate initiative and must devote time in reorganizing. It seems Castling may be seen as a defensive, or weak move, and a ' ' waste ' ' of time. An attitude I still find myself struggling with. [[ Rule # 1 . . . Eat your Vegetables]]
Love these vids! If you see a blunder or a tactic (like at 14:05), could you pause for a second longer? Or throw in a prompt to pause the video? I try to do this but I'm not always fast enough with the pause before you start explaining it. Thanks John!
Do you have a video about situations where you could take either way with pawns and what typical things to factor in like in this game. I often get into time burning just trying to commit to one way to re-capture
I did see Knight to G4 but when you didn't mention it for a while I wondered, what am I missing? I still have trouble finding breakthroughs when everything is locked up in the middle game.
Regarding h x g versus f x g: If h x g, shouldn't black feel concerned about Bh6, forcing a bishop exchange, removing a powerful and threatening fianchettoed bishop, and weakening the black squares around the king?
Thanks for the videos- probably the best on YT To anyone, at 24:20, why is Rxf3 a great move? Doesn’t he, at minimum, have Kd2 (to avoid #), if/when Qh1 (assuming that’s the idea)? Just trying to see the tactic..not being a critic. I imagine I’m missing something. Edit: even had he gone Qd2 instead of Qc2, I still, tragically, don’t see it.
John are you acting like you aren't seeing these ideas life rook f3? I feel like you could be even better if you weren't so hesitant with your moves. Either way I love the content. Cheers from America
17:20 “Sorry Danya I kinda failed you”. I find myself apologizing to an imaginary John and Danya while I’m playing too often as well 😅
John, it's great that you're shifting focus back to a longer - format games. They are so much more insightful than just playing blitz. I hope you will continue to play rapid, especially your excellent "climbing the rating ladder" series. Thank you!
I'm super happy to have these long form videos from you again! Thank you
When John plays a move, sits back, and sips his tea, you know he's just played something brutal.
Always loved that you keep the focus on education and improvement rather than playing for the youtube algorithm. The King's Indian is so elusive to me -- I always end up in a passive position. It's fun to watch someone better than me play and explain it.
Hi John, I wanted to leave you a comment not necessarily about this video but about your renewed effort to upload to RUclips. Since I don't have twitch, RUclips is how I watch all your videos. Thank you so much for all the time and work you put into sharing your knowledge of chess with the world! I love the chess history and how you know all the names of each variation and I definitely missed the uploads when you stopped. I think you definitely deserve the title of most wholesome chess RUclipsr! The internet needs more people like you. Like many others I really love the standard format although I've been playing 3-0 blitz a little bit, but it's overall just too insanely fast for me. Again, Thanks! And... Happy 2023 🎉
Thanks JB, love watching your vids
I love this longer formats. I have time to see lines I wouldn't normally see and to hear your vision of the same situation is invaluable to me :)
I just started trying to learn the KID, and 10 minutes in I already feel like I've learned a ton. Complex positions for sure, and good to see thought processes instead of rushing to take a free pawn!
I also always struggle with what pawn to take with if I have to in front of my king. I really appreciate the clear explanations!
I really appreciate the extended discussion of whether to meet hxg6 with f takes or h takes since it's such a common dilemma in fianchetto setups. Gave me a much better idea of how to think through those positions. Reassuring to see it's not an easy question for titled players either!
Completely agree!
The longer formats with your thoughts and variations are priceless. Thanks.
29:06 I love that - ‘paint the canvas of the chessboard to your liking’. I think most of my games end up looking like a Jackson Pollock if that’s the case!
In your absence, John, I've been dying for more long-form instructional games and we've gotten that from Daniel. I'm thrilled to see you back and focusing on this type of content. You two are the only chess youtube content creators that I'm excited for and will watch every video from. It's helped me so much. Thanks for doing what you do.
Thanks for going in for the complications. This game highlighted just how much stronger you are in the static positions from the Slav vs the wild and crazy position you got here. But during the game I felt like you played all the strongest moves to fight for the initiative, even if you looked at a lot of other candidates first.
Always educational and I appreciate the longer format - it allows for more in-depth analysis and thought process!
What a gift to get new Climbing the Rating Ladder videos - thank you John ! Love this series.
Loving your recent series of videos lately. I've been a fan of climbing the rating ladder for years.
I like to watch games with 2000+ elo opponents as its more educational for me. Still i never miss any of your uploads nowadays. Great work john👍
@4:34 john really guilted me into watching the whole video 😂
I love the clear explanations of all moves played. That and a thorough analysis makes these the best chess improvement videos I've seen on RUclips!
Love the dip into more combative openings. Very interesting to see how a more conservative player handles these positions. Thanks for all the recent videos, John. Also, I know you weren't happy about it, but I found it encouraging to see you find tactics piecemeal by calculating several lines. Particularly the part where you only noticed the bishop guarding g4 after going into a more complicated line--that happens to me all the time, except I don't always realize I can simplify the line as a result. Seeing how you handle those small, human errors is very instructive
Speaking of combative openings: I would *love* to see you try your hand at a Sicilian Sveshnikov sometime!
Oh wow! I thought this climbing the ladder series was finished. So happy to see another instalment. Thank you,I learn so much from these.
Just coming back from a two-week trip abroad and trying to catch up on all this awesome content!
Welcome back!
Great climbing the rating ladder, watching your videos is always a good reminder of the value of playing games with longer time control. This installation of 'climbing the rating ladder' was in my rating range and my main opening for black! Although I admittedly don't know any of the theory like you recommend. Thanks for the videos, keep it up!
if it's educational, you get our attention. but it's also how you explain it that keeps our attention, suddenly time just flies by
Very valuable lesson here -- thanks! An IM working without much theory is very valuable for us to watch.
It's so challenging playing against a good King's Indian player, it's nice to see you play from that position and see what their priorities are. Thanks for another amazing game!
I really love these standard videos. It’s nice to watch while working. I don’t like the TikTok/Shorts trend. So it’s nice that there are still videos like this that respect those who really like to learn.
It also helps you have a nice voice! And clear way of explaining stuff.
But why is John attacking my 1200 rating in the morning? 😅
32:33
"John's bishops said hi."
-GM Eric Hansen (probably)
Hi John I love these longer game videos thank you so much!
Dude the internet is awesome. I am getting a free lesson from an awesome IM. I am so grateful.
I love the Benoni! And I love transpositions!
I love these longer videos, please keep it up
Love these videos ! Nice and calm to listen to and very educational
Bartholomew AND Naroditsky in the same video? (ok, not really, but spiritually, yes) .... 'tis a good day, chess fans. tis a good day, indeed.
Hey Joe
I look forward to every one of these videos!
this video gave me an idea for some fascinating content: ask Danya to prepare a "high-level lesson" aimed at enhancing your game in some specific way (eg. along the line you're talking about here, tactical opportunities to transform a positional advantage, or whatever). He seems really good at choosing material, so it could be super interesting for both your audiences....
-27 F outside, drinking hot coffee inside, watching a new Minnesota Fins video, life is good!
Dig these uploads!
Thanks for the consistency! That's the key.
Best wishes!
We are getting spoiled with these uploads! Great content
Great video as always, it is a treat to have you back on youtube so frequently.
And nice to see you have fixed white balance of your webcam.
Pretty proud that I saw the Nd3+ deflection during the game. Not that I saw more than you did - there were plenty of other moves that I would have screwed up.
Very nice explanations
Have you noticed how good a chess commentator John is?! He's really one of the few chess streamers - along with Danya and GingerGM - who knows how to add a healthy dose of fun while keeps being educational👏
Beautiful game! Well played, John!
Also hope John is never discouraged by the “tiktok-ification” of the internet. Danya and John are the only ones making educational content like this really. Most other people focus on showing dubious openings/traps then show bullet games against players 1/3rd their rating to prove it. Its just not educational compared to this long form content.
Haha! I always watch the whole video. I can't imagine stopping somewhere in the middle.
I'm usually apologizing to a hypothetical Danya or Jon Bartholomew just for my preferred openings (English, Pirc, Old Benoni).
when you said „lots of variations but I can only choose one“ I immediately thought :In 5D chess you don‘t :D
Great game John! Love trying out the opening! Maybe we'll see a Grunfeld next?
Thank you! Yes, I'll work in a Grunfeld soon against 1.d4.
Great video, John :)
HECK YES another CTRL Vid!
Watch out! No one in the 15+10 pool is safe!
I completely missed Rxf3 as well. And I don't think I would've found ...Nd3 either, I probably would've just scooped the rook on h4, traded queens, and played 2 pawns up. Obviously not the best but this is good calculation practice indeed. Keep up the good work JB!
First John is having marriage problems and then he finds out the kid is not his. :(
"Sorry for those screaming at the screen at 17:15" lol no problem
I'm low rated and the king's indian is great because no other low rated players know any theory against it. The games get crazy. When I just play D5 even the low rated players know all the best moves and it just feels like they have more of an advantage.
Huge fan of all your content. Really digging the longer formats. As a middling player I always wonder what kind of psychos are just looking for IM seeds when searching for game?!
I know I am definitely not an authority on the subject, but this attack was a masterpiece, John!
I must admit it is reassuring to know that even IM's will miss the control the long range pieces provide!
The amount of times i've missed a Bishop tucked into the corner....
Man it really hurt how long it took you to think of Rxf3
I'm sorry 😅
Danya: OK and now well he's just giving us a free pawn, John: Hmmm I'm not sure that white is going to have enough compensation for that pawn here but lets see.
Thanks to Arkadia82 and John for a sharp instructive gameplay
Haha I'm so proud of myself that I was one of the people screaming at the screen that the knight could get out by the bishop covered g4!!
16:30 you said "Nxf2, what about Qd2 then? Maybe Nxd4 etc..", sorry but, I mean, Nxf2, Qd2, Rxf3, Bxf3, Qxh4, Qxf2, Qxc4 and you're up 3 pawns.. isn't that the best variation for you?
OMG, John Bartholomew playing a KID!! What could happen next in this 'upside down' world? Maybe Danya playing a "boring" Slav?? Love your vids, John, so glad you are making them regularly again!
John is the only person in the world without a single hater. This comment section is too wholesome
John the new K.I.D. on the block Bartholomew
Really like these games that are 1500+
Love this guy
Cheers! 😀
John please keep saying why you made a move if you can it helps me a lot. Love your videos.
Thanks for the video!
Best chess content.
CASTLING, this game and many others can point to the fact that not CASTLING early can lead to disaster. Had WHITE castled early enough the mess he got into would have been avoided, and a entirely different game would have developed. What are the three fundamental aspects in the opening stage that each player should perform ?
When you gamble your KING's safety, or simply ignore his importance, the end always seems inevitable. Even if you can throw up defences for the KING and he manages to survive, his army has lost the immediate initiative and must devote time in reorganizing. It seems Castling may be seen as a defensive, or weak move, and a ' ' waste ' ' of time. An attitude I still find myself struggling with. [[ Rule # 1 . . . Eat your Vegetables]]
Love these vids! If you see a blunder or a tactic (like at 14:05), could you pause for a second longer? Or throw in a prompt to pause the video? I try to do this but I'm not always fast enough with the pause before you start explaining it. Thanks John!
I have a university tournament today and my team's calling for practice... But I'm like, "hey John just posted a standard video, forget practice" :)
Thanks John this series really advanced my game! are all these books behind you chess books :)
love this content
Do you have a video about situations where you could take either way with pawns and what typical things to factor in like in this game. I often get into time burning just trying to commit to one way to re-capture
What would you recommend for beginners to play against 1. d4 as black?
I like Queen's Gambit Declined for beginners. Fundamental, classical opening; pretty solid and easy to grasp.
I did see Knight to G4 but when you didn't mention it for a while I wondered, what am I missing? I still have trouble finding breakthroughs when everything is locked up in the middle game.
Hey John, could you perhaps collaborate with Danya for a few videos?
Would love to! Maybe I can convince him to do a dual commentary Standard game or two sometime
Hey, you're actually playing this in the daytime for once! There's sunlight behind you lol. This should be an interesting video for sure.
Regarding h x g versus f x g: If h x g, shouldn't black feel concerned about Bh6, forcing a bishop exchange, removing a powerful and threatening fianchettoed bishop, and weakening the black squares around the king?
Don't forget to show some love to GM Aman Hambleton's King's Indian Speedrun as well :)
ruclips.net/video/VY8ASpIIHYw/видео.html
Hope you and GM danya can play an instructional game.
Heck ya
KID is always nice
Thanks for the videos- probably the best on YT
To anyone, at 24:20, why is Rxf3 a great move? Doesn’t he, at minimum, have Kd2 (to avoid #), if/when Qh1 (assuming that’s the idea)?
Just trying to see the tactic..not being a critic. I imagine I’m missing something.
Edit: even had he gone Qd2 instead of Qc2, I still, tragically, don’t see it.
all these lines are given at 51:06 in the evaluation. Neither of them result in an immediate chk-mate, but lose white a lot of material...
I also want a kid from danya.. what?
John are you acting like you aren't seeing these ideas life rook f3? I feel like you could be even better if you weren't so hesitant with your moves. Either way I love the content. Cheers from America
Me mindlessly playing KID on black every time I can at 12-1300
At 21:02, would Bg5 been a good move for white?
so at 17:45 rook takes N f3 is so stupid it wasn’t considered as a candidate move ?😂 also at 32:15 g5 is not good?
#TeamScandi
Somebody stop him, his RUclips schedule is too powerful!
Around 25 mins when John moved Bf5, is that not hanging the knight on f2?
oh nm white looses their queen :)
Apology accepted. 1200 here.
John if you’re going to play the KID you need to work on a Danya impression to combat his “man man man” impression of you.
Danya is the king of impressions, but John is the master of April Fools
Bartholomew's Beatdowns. Please and thank you.
4 knights scotch ??