Me: Analyses 20 moves of theory for one variation of one line Opponent: Plays one different move Me: And it was in this position, we have a completely new game
that's why you should first of all understand the ideas and plans behind your openings so if your opponent plays anything offbeat you still know what to do.
I find the London the easiest to play against using a Kings Indian style system while also fianchettoing the other Bishop helping to control more central squares.
I play the Dutch. People play as white Catalan structures and London structures. But white can do almost anything, black can play classical Dutch, Stonewall Dutch, or Leningrad Dutch and that is about it. Dutch has very little control over what white does until the middle game.
Unless you are a high rated player, you kind of need to lose to see your mistakes and improve. Every loss is a chance to get better, like most things. You just have to be big enough to acknowledge your mistakes and fix them.
Agreed. Just so annoying when people do this. I wonder whether they are actually hoping to get a quick mate, or if they're expecting the opponent to successfully defend it, but just don't know any other openings. Bit of both, maybe.
Have you tried The Anakin Skywalker? It goes something like: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Qd2 d5(or d4) 5.Bh6 O-O 6.Bxg7 Kxg7 7.O-O-O The namesake, Anakin Skywalker, is because it's a hyper aggressive attack against KID. It takes black completely out of their comfort zone. Your plan from there should be obvious. Usually you play f3 at some point to set up for g4 g5 ideas. Bishop usually goes to e2 and the Kingside pawns march in. Like any other "good" opening the Engine will give you zeroes or one tempi advantage for either side, but the point is that it's super aggressive and pulls the KID player completely out of their autopilot style game plan. They tend to melt like a Padawan getting struck down by a lightsaber.
@@yzfool6639 the meme name makes it seem like it's no good, but it is very strong. I and a few other people I know IRL use it now and we all have very good win rates against KID players online because of it. I'm surprised it's not more popular.
if that makes sense. my point is that knowing how complex an opening is and using a hyperbole to express it doesn't mean the dude ain't a genius in the damn game.
He has always said this, he is not willing to study the ammount needed to become a gm. We basically dragged him back in and he accepted xD I mean, it's not like he's not doing it of his own free will, but he has said he doesn't really expect to become a gm
I’m guessing that this video is not only for interesting content but to throw off future opponents. They’ll ask Does Levy really hate these openings or is he trying to lure me into playing them? Brilliant strategy actually.
This is actually super informative, but the thing is, and I've seen this with a few of my students when we're studying openings and how to play against them, at a lower ELO, people generally don't play moves that an experienced (2000+) player would consider normal. To that extent, while I can go on about what you should do when they play a normal move that any master level player would play, they may play something completely different, which usually confuses their opponents, whether or not the move may be good. I think you should explore this a bit more in your videos, but still, you're a super helpful coach and entertaining creator.
I started playing chess like a 1 year ago, after a lifetime of only knowing the basic. I decided that I wanted to specialize in just 1 opening for each color, so I picked any random openings that was played in the next professional chess matches that I seen at the time, thinking that will lead to opening with room to improvement. That lead me to focus in Ruy Lopez and Sicilian defense ... I deeply regret it.
It’s absolutely so amazing that so many creators and influencers a supporting team Seas. I have zero doubt that the goal will be reached and it will be thanks to incredible people like Levy for sharing the message and spreading word of it’s importance. And thank you to anyone who donated.
When I was young, my mom enrolled me in chess classes. She took me out shortly after and I was too young to really remember what I learned, except for one thing: an opening. I didn't remember the name, i just remembered the first 3-4 moves. And I've played this exact same opening every time I play chess ever since, thinking that it was good since I learned it in class. Today I remembered that, I went to an openings catalogue and identified it. I decided to look it up to see if it was actually good or how to follow it up. It took me to this video. It is the Ruy Lopez. I've been annoying my chess opponents for 20 years without knowing. I'm so sorry.
Playing against the London feels like having a conversation with someone who is not interested in what you're saying. "d4" "Hi, how are you?" "Bf4" "What have you been up to?" "Nf3" "By the way, guess who I saw this morning" "e3" "Are you even listening??" "c3" "Oh well, f'you" "Nbd2"... An opening is supposed to be negotiated, you observe what the other side does, and conversely you try to influence their options through move orders. If someone tries to play the London against me, I got to the point where I just try to disrupt their setup as aggressively as possible, even at the cost of material. At the intermediate level that tends to work, because if they don't manage to get their "setup", they often have no idea what to do
@@colmivers at least at the lower levels, you can base your strategy against this system on the observation that it is being played out of laziness, and that taking the opponent out of their comfort zone is more effective than playing objectively better lines... of course that doesn't work at Levy's level
the funny thing about the london is at my level (1700 lichess) the same thing always happens whenever it’s played against me: the position is incredibly dry for 20+ moves and my opponent gets a winning position, then i make the most elementary threat to win their queen or go for mate and they miss it every time because they have no actual tactical awareness. i always feel vaguely disgusted after the game
I play the immediate c5 against d4. So many London players don’t know how to play against it at the 1200-1400 level. And even when they do know to push they aren’t used to the structures and themes of the position.
lol, I've tried some sideline stuff originally against the Benko too. Half-Accepted variations especially (taking the first pawn, but not taking on a6). After deeper study, I have nothing to fear about it and play the Fully Accepted lines!
I think the Scandi is the most obnoxious opening. It's like, "HuHEA!! - I am so clever for making the most aggro move possible." I always respond with Tennison Gambit now just to mess with them.
Interesting. Although it seems confrontational at first, all the time wasted moving the queen around usually results in passive positions for black, where they try to trade everything. I enjoy the Leinhardt gambit against Scandi.
@@marcofrey2903 Thanks, I will learn that defense too. Even with conventional defense I am beating Scandi almost 60% of the time. But anything that throws an immediate wrench into black's cro-magnon attack plans is gratifying for me -- even if it puts white at a disadvantage according to the engine.
Leningrad Dutch is and always will be my favorite defense. It's a damn shame hardly anybody plays the Dutch at the top level considering how wild and potentially devastating it can be to a player not expecting it.
I have gotten my king and rook forked so many times that i know the optimal way to play with an uncastleable king, which often time requires fianchettoing it
I’ve been dealing with my existential crisis post covid and every time I thought about ending it all I’d watch your videos to play chess aggressively and for fun! Keep helping me from ending it all and make a new fried liver video!! Let’s study garbage theory! Much love ❤️ You’re an inspiration
I can proudly say that I’m subscribed to this amazing channel that has donated a big amount to the #teamseas cause. It was really cool seeing this channel on the list! Thank you Levy&Team for stepping up!
As a 1 D4 player #1 has to be the Englund Gambit. I got so annoyed by it I went and looked up how to crush it then learned that, and now I brutally roast opponents who play that against me as I dismantle them, which things like 1. "Nice Development" 2. "Is that book?" when they hang their queen 3. "Hey Nice Gambit" before mate" 4. "Why so bad?" and a slew of other subtle insults.
Playing as anon on lichess... White plays 1.e4 2.Qh5 3.Bc4... After a few moves White realizes his Queen is lost or his position is lost... Then White makes an outrageous YOLO move, spam some commands, then leaves his tab open on background so he loses on timeout. No other thing can piss me off more than this.
Ah, my lost years of playing Ruy Lopez. When I was young, Fischer was the thing and lots of people were playing the Ruy and Sicilian, so I as a beginner took it up. BIG MISTAKE. Both of those openings are so chock full of theory that you can be 25 moves into the game and still be playing a known line! Since then, I did what I should have done and took up highly tactical openings which have honed my tactics. I still can play those closed openings if I have to.
Hey Levy, I appreciate your content. It's entertaining, informative, and dynamic. I watch it at different times throughout the day. My favorite thing is that you constantly put out content and that you have an authentic vibe. Good job!
I used to be intimidated by the theory of Ruy Lopez as white, playing Vienna (migrated from King's Gambit) or Italian. Then at 1900 I just started playing it with no theory beyond vague recollections of GM games and was performing better.
The game plan for the position in 5:26 might be pawn minority attack. The steps are following: 1) Eliminate the white's black square bishop 2) Fix the semi week field c4 (pawns a7-a6, b7-b5, Knight-->d6) 3) Play b5-b4 an take on c3. C3 pawn becomes weakness 4) Block weal pawn on c3 by knight 5) Play on open vertical or do a pawn majority attack on center... Possible white counter plays: Premature attack c3-c4 leads to isolated pawn on d5; b2-b4 leads to weak pawn on c3, You can put a Knight on c4, but white will put a knight on c5. Watch for forks and don't be forked (especially in blitz ;) ) b4 pawn might be attacked with a5, which can lead to weak pawns on c3 or a3. A3 is a spectacular target when Knight is on c4. Don't give up open a vertical and push on semi open verticals c (when knight on c5 isn't present) or a. When position queen side is blocked do a pawn majority attack on center. Such attacks were played a lot by Botvinnik, Smislov and Tal in their time.
I really enjoyed watching you diss the openings in a nice way Dear Levi, I was actually wondering if you could consider (some day) doing the video on illegal moves in chess played in tournaments? I'm not sure if there's enough of content tho
Most annoying to play or most annoying to play against? For me to play: Sicilian (I almost always go Alapin as white) To play against: Birds or Borg equally annoying to me.
If you suspect your opponent is going to do the London, the best thing to do is take their middle pawn as QUICKLY as possible. When I do the London, that is the most disruptive thing an opponent can do.
it made me smile the fact that i like the catalan, i want to learn the benko and also hate the ruy lopez. funny to see 3 openings i have strong feelings about showcased on a "annoying openings videos". Lovely video Levy.
the benko is such a funny opening, like levy says you can be completely lost but find a way to win using your piece activity and queenside pressure. I stopped playing it because no-one I played against walked into a main line, they'd either play the anti benoni english or decline the gambit in a weird way so I switched to the semi-slav Still a fun opening tho
How to completely avoid these openings; London: Play the Old Benoni Catalan: Play the Old Benoni Ruy Lopez: Play the Caro-kann Benko: Play 1.e4 instead of 1.d4 Semi-Slav: Play 1.e4 instead of 1.d4
I got to 2206 USCF 30 plus years ago and never studied the Ruy because I thought it was boring from both sides, but I was taken by your comments about the Bird's variation which you dismissed (kind of) and yet in speed I've found that strong players (Masters) are troubled by it and I usually I manage equality against Experts and often a substantial edge versus players rated below 2000 even now (I'm 76). Also the variation you mentioned in the Benko where White simply responds with Qc2 to Pal's bold attempt at sacrificing the b pawn is easily defanged by Qc2 which I first saw In a book by Alex Yermolinsky called the "Road to chess improvement." Still I played both sides in 1 US Open ('76 in Virginia just outside of DC (George Mason University.) I scored better with Black possibly because it was before computers took over the game. I love your analysis of the openings. You are the Frances Tiafoe of chess teaching via the internet and (coming on strong).
19:12 "Nobody plays the Bird seriously" Hey, bird can be a lot of fun. I have won a ton of games with people not realizing I lined my bishop and my queen to their king
Back in the late 70s-80s, when I was playing tournament chess, I stopped playing double king pawn as black, because there were too many annoying opening traps and gambits white could play. I also stopped playing E4 because of the Sicilian. I hated if someone played the Grunfeld or the KI against me, though it rarely happened. I guess there were a lot of openings I hated!
The standard Catalan is reached after d4, Nf6, c4, e6, and g3 right away. One of the purposes of which is to discourage the queen's indian (though the setup is still playable if you do something with your dark squared bishop before b6 and wait until white commits to Nf3). The move order shown in the video is the Catalan *variation* of the QGD, since it's also reached after d4, d5, c4, e6, Nf3, Nf6, g3. But the straight "Catalan Opening" is the immediate g3. I play the lines as both white and black.
I heard that a certain GM (I don't remember the name, I think peak obout 2650) once said that one of the main ideas in the Spanish is to make black play a6 and later b5 (so his knight won't be pressured) and white can undermine the pawns with a4
Hey levy I am struggling to find a really good opening consistent at all levels and many people suggest I play the catalan. I have no prob learning all this theory I just thought if you could make a videon on it cause it's easier to learn it with these interactive lessons you provide us with
Its good because it teaches beginners a lot of basic principals. Like controlling the center, developing logically and creating pawn play. But it's too damn complicated
I find the petroff quite annoying as Well when I play 1.e4 as White. Even IF you play the nimzo (Nc3) to create some inbalances it's Still very simetrycal and kinda Hard to create some attack.
Hey Gotham, I think your donatiom and mr. Beast's initiative is a great Idea. But $30.000.000 would get rid of 1/600th of the amount of plastic that lands in the ocean every year. Don't you think it would be more effective to donate the money to a company or foundation trying to develop a more efficient way of cleaning the ocean? Like new technologies or systems. I know it's probably not in your control, but we really want to solve this problem. Just curious about your thoughts. Maybe I'm wrong.
Donating to ocean cleanup companies is great but getting as many people involved in the actual work is important too. People will attract others and the word will spread online and through conventional media. Research is interesting on a certain level but folks like to see others involved in the actual work.
I just started playing 3 weeks ago. The only opening I play on white is London… cause Levy told me to, lol. I want to try the Colle, it looks pretty similar from my beginner eyes 🤷
I constantly end up in Ruy Lopez and Chigorin games as black...as a Belgrade or Italian player as white and a four knights leading to full development (then queenside castle) as black, man it was annoying when the bishop went for my knight. Played it enough times to know what works at my level know, but initially it was an absolute pain in the ass. Used to trade knights but then that bishop would stay there and not let me develop...a really tough opening with what seems like hundreds of variations. The London also always used to get me before I played c5, but it can still be annoying (1200 rated in rapid and blitz currently). At master level I can imagine it being a nightmare
How to beat the London System: When you get to a position at 5:10 move your queen to b6 and try to either attack the b2 pawn, check the king or pin the knight. This will make white put more pieces on the queens side to defend and counter, then try to make a kings side attack.
The top 3 most annoying at my infimus level (1206) are: 1. The French: usually my opponent closes everything and I am not good enough yet to find the right break out or even if i do i lose on time because i thought too much to find a response. 2. Scandinavian: from move 1 your opponent decides what you are going to play. It's not hard at my level but still having that power on my decision making on move 1 is very annoying. 3. Smith-Morra: no one plays the truth smith morra they just recapture with the queen on move 3 and i feel like playing a scandinavian again but vs white.
Big thumbs up 👍. Fianaly a Ruy Lopez. Have been playing it for 40 years. Bought several courses from Chess Base. I know they have a United States 🇺🇸 store but I get mine from Germany 🇩🇪. You need to do a separate video for it. It’s complicated. My opponent usually plays the closed position and doesn’t take my pawn on E4. The next move is to defend the pawn with the rook once castled. Could also use a Sicilian, and please no Bishop to G7 Sicilian. Classical or Najdrf. Thanks again for the great content. And I always watch your videos to end. No matter how long. I actually prefer the longer videos. You are not as sharp with makes for better content. I skip the beginning of Win at Chess. I meant anyone under 1500 tends to blunder and they know they are playing you and it’s going to be on RUclips. So they are nervous. Nerves are a huge part of the game. It’s why GM retire after a certain age. Takes stamina to be at the board for six hours. You might get your GM norms but you do know you have to be over 2500 to become a GM. Once a GM always a GM. Good luck.
I know you might not see this but could you do a vid on the Nimzo? Your videos are very well explained and I remember the lines better when watching your opening vids
I play the King's Indian setup against the London. It's objectively a good system to play against it, fits well with my regular mainline KID, and mixes things up a little. You get a straightforward plan and can often still attack on the kingside. Trying to play "principled" with some kind of early c5 stuff has met with a dead end for me. White has defended the d4 point far too many times for black to hope to undermine the center from the wings like he would in a Grunfeld, where white's center is more fragile. I've also been a long-time Ruy player with the white pieces. It's often said that the Ruy is the opening you really should play if you want to enhance your strategic chess, because the kind of twisted, closed positions you get in the main lines (Chigorin, Breyer, Keres, Flohr-Zaitsev) reward the player who is better at coming up with long-term strategic concepts. If you need a good reason to play the Ruy with white, look no further than Kasparov's games at the 1990 WCC. All three Ruy games won by Garry (Games 2, 18, and the famous 20 where he showcased his insane calculations) were masterpieces in some way and highlighted a different aspect of the opening. The Ruy is a fascinating battleground that I really enjoy trying my hand at in my own games.
I hate any game that begins with either 1.b4 or 1.g4 because I try too hard to prove to my opponent that he is playing an unsound opening and usually lose. Oftentimes, players who play these openings know them pretty well and they've seen just about every attempt on Black's part whereas Black is usually just shooting from the hip.
With regards to playing against the semi-Slav, you say, "You've got to study 50 moves of theory." Nah! Because even the Slav player does not know 50 moves of theory.
Re the Benko Gambit... at a weekend chess congress in the UK many, many years ago, my opponent unleased a barrage of loud swearing at me, got up from the board and disappeared as soon as he saw b5. I sat there for over an hour until the arbiter eventually ruled that he had resigned the game. I guess he really didn't like facing the Benko gambit.
With due all respect levy your perspective is intermediate and not professional before anyone get fooled
first on the pin of shame
Chat, repeat after me: PIN OF SHAME
On god speaking so much facts my bro💯💯💯💯💪
Shame Shame Shame
(Game of thrones) 😉
@@davecroes3086 Seems sarcastic
Me: Analyses 20 moves of theory for one variation of one line
Opponent: Plays one different move
Me: And it was in this position, we have a completely new game
I felt that... and also spoke it in Levy's voice.
😂😂😂
Bro, I feel that so hard
I'm just trying to study the Catalan, but no. My opponent had to play that one different move.
that's why you should first of all understand the ideas and plans behind your openings so if your opponent plays anything offbeat you still know what to do.
levy: hates london
eric: smilling but with silent evil laugh
I find the London the easiest to play against using a Kings Indian style system while also fianchettoing the other Bishop helping to control more central squares.
I play the Dutch. People play as white Catalan structures and London structures. But white can do almost anything, black can play classical Dutch, Stonewall Dutch, or Leningrad Dutch and that is about it. Dutch has very little control over what white does until the middle game.
Still Levy teached us it so we can try it ^^
Caro-Kann, more like Caro-Kann't deal with these openings anymore
me too and scandinavian
hey what you saying about me huh
I'm sorry... But i mostly win with it 🥲
blackmar DONE with this crap
*laughs in alapin*
Plot twist: Levy are preparing these openings so hard to place a trap for his future opponents. Outplayed.
Exactly what i was thinking...
lol this is exactly my thought ...looool
Ez clap
Was Gorbachev’s first name Vladimir?
pssst. der feind hört mit.
3 days ago, after losing multiple games in a row, I told myself that I won't play chess anymore and here I am. Hi, friends!
hi
🤣🤣🤣
When your rating goes down you win more :)
Levy quit early in his last tournament, but he’s still going at it
Unless you are a high rated player, you kind of need to lose to see your mistakes and improve. Every loss is a chance to get better, like most things. You just have to be big enough to acknowledge your mistakes and fix them.
GM Levy 5 years later: "Ok, guys, lets celebrate 10kk subs with an hour long overview of my main opening, Ruy Lopez"
Hello from the future. He now has 5 videos on why he's not a GM
@@LivingHuman_Nathaniel he will make the vids saying why Im not a GM
Update from the farther future HES COOKING
The most annoying chess opening is the scholars attempt for sure, it's so frustratingly disrespectful lol
Just defend the scholars attempt successfully and make White lose tempo trying to save the early development of the Queen 👸
@Aeroplaneeee everyone? I don't even know what xqc is
@@martinpaddle XQC is a streamer who basically just screams a lot idk. He played in the 'Pog champs' chess championship which was held over twitch
@@anewfuture How is it free rating points when it produces incredibly drawish positions? It doesn't give Black any advantage whatsoever.
Agreed. Just so annoying when people do this. I wonder whether they are actually hoping to get a quick mate, or if they're expecting the opponent to successfully defend it, but just don't know any other openings.
Bit of both, maybe.
Plot twist Levy loves playing against these openings he is just manipulating future opponents into playing certain systems
Myself I resign against bong cloud
Verified and only 20 likes?
Levy : 5 most annoying opennings
e4 players : D4
d4 players : e4
Yess, my main is London and I get so annoyed when they play the englund gambit lol
@@Jinx.Kly_459 lmao ikr
Just play e3 or d3 :)
@@user-cn3ss1th1s ewwwww
Im not bullet player XD
as a chad d4 player, I love when my opponent goes e4. cuz if they go d4, oh ffs! xD
Alternate Title: “Levy Dunks on my Opening Repertoire”
Well that's good isn't it? If your repertoire is hard to play against.
@@rob9086 Well, when you put it that way, yes! And I really enjoy the positions that come out of the Catalan and the Benko, so it’s a win-win for me.
Playing E4 to not go into a KID-system and then black going for a Pirc makes me cry everytime
Have you tried The Anakin Skywalker? It goes something like: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Qd2 d5(or d4) 5.Bh6 O-O 6.Bxg7 Kxg7 7.O-O-O
The namesake, Anakin Skywalker, is because it's a hyper aggressive attack against KID. It takes black completely out of their comfort zone.
Your plan from there should be obvious. Usually you play f3 at some point to set up for g4 g5 ideas. Bishop usually goes to e2 and the Kingside pawns march in.
Like any other "good" opening the Engine will give you zeroes or one tempi advantage for either side, but the point is that it's super aggressive and pulls the KID player completely out of their autopilot style game plan. They tend to melt like a Padawan getting struck down by a lightsaber.
The Pirc? I call it the Wooden Indian. Apply some heat, and it goes up in flames.
@@RadishAcceptable I LOVE this idea.
@@yzfool6639 the meme name makes it seem like it's no good, but it is very strong. I and a few other people I know IRL use it now and we all have very good win rates against KID players online because of it. I'm surprised it's not more popular.
I just play the austrian attack against it and win like 70% of my games
Not throwing shade, but…
Levy: I want to be a grandmaster
Also Levy: I will never understand the Ruy Lopez.
the more you know about smth, the more you know that you actually don't know shit.
if that makes sense. my point is that knowing how complex an opening is and using a hyperbole to express it doesn't mean the dude ain't a genius in the damn game.
He has always said this, he is not willing to study the ammount needed to become a gm. We basically dragged him back in and he accepted xD I mean, it's not like he's not doing it of his own free will, but he has said he doesn't really expect to become a gm
I’m guessing that this video is not only for interesting content but to throw off future opponents. They’ll ask Does Levy really hate these openings or is he trying to lure me into playing them? Brilliant strategy actually.
I still gave a "like", but to his defense, he doesn't really need to know the Ruy Lopez if he doesn't play 1. e4 e5 with Black xD
"THE MOST ANNOYING AND TOUGHEST OPENING TO DEAL IS THE LEGENDARY *BONGCLOUD*
It's so true. Whenever you see a bongcloud played by your opponent, you just don't have a right to lose, and it's so stressful.
@@HmmHmm-ve7ou 😂
@@HmmHmm-ve7ou Unless it's Hikaru playing🌚
You just need to remember Ke7 not that tough to deal with
@@PJ_enjoyer true
This is actually super informative, but the thing is, and I've seen this with a few of my students when we're studying openings and how to play against them, at a lower ELO, people generally don't play moves that an experienced (2000+) player would consider normal. To that extent, while I can go on about what you should do when they play a normal move that any master level player would play, they may play something completely different, which usually confuses their opponents, whether or not the move may be good. I think you should explore this a bit more in your videos, but still, you're a super helpful coach and entertaining creator.
I play the grunfeld as black and the London is literally the most annoying opening in the world. It kills all the fun.
Relatable
Yup. If they play nf3 im stuck with a KID setup
Yes, finally someone I can related on.
Random knight manoeuvres and queenside pawn push time lol.
Brave for you to play something that is considered to be GM's only ground
I started playing chess like a 1 year ago, after a lifetime of only knowing the basic. I decided that I wanted to specialize in just 1 opening for each color, so I picked any random openings that was played in the next professional chess matches that I seen at the time, thinking that will lead to opening with room to improvement. That lead me to focus in Ruy Lopez and Sicilian defense ... I deeply regret it.
Haha, it's okay. You can always learn some more adventurous openings and then go back to those solid ones.
Yes bro....I feel like Sicilian defense is just hopeless everytime I play najdrof or dragon I am just in the verge of losing
It’s absolutely so amazing that so many creators and influencers a supporting team Seas. I have zero doubt that the goal will be reached and it will be thanks to incredible people like Levy for sharing the message and spreading word of it’s importance. And thank you to anyone who donated.
stacy ... my sentiments as well ... sending a few $ to ocean cleanup is good all around ...
Actually this Levy bluffing his next tournament opponents to destroy them
When I was young, my mom enrolled me in chess classes. She took me out shortly after and I was too young to really remember what I learned, except for one thing: an opening.
I didn't remember the name, i just remembered the first 3-4 moves. And I've played this exact same opening every time I play chess ever since, thinking that it was good since I learned it in class.
Today I remembered that, I went to an openings catalogue and identified it. I decided to look it up to see if it was actually good or how to follow it up. It took me to this video. It is the Ruy Lopez. I've been annoying my chess opponents for 20 years without knowing. I'm so sorry.
Playing against the London feels like having a conversation with someone who is not interested in what you're saying. "d4" "Hi, how are you?" "Bf4" "What have you been up to?" "Nf3" "By the way, guess who I saw this morning" "e3" "Are you even listening??" "c3" "Oh well, f'you" "Nbd2"... An opening is supposed to be negotiated, you observe what the other side does, and conversely you try to influence their options through move orders. If someone tries to play the London against me, I got to the point where I just try to disrupt their setup as aggressively as possible, even at the cost of material. At the intermediate level that tends to work, because if they don't manage to get their "setup", they often have no idea what to do
What do you do to sacrifice against the London system
This dude gets tilted by the London system LMFAOOO
OP get's it 😂
@@colmivers at least at the lower levels, you can base your strategy against this system on the observation that it is being played out of laziness, and that taking the opponent out of their comfort zone is more effective than playing objectively better lines... of course that doesn't work at Levy's level
the funny thing about the london is at my level (1700 lichess) the same thing always happens whenever it’s played against me: the position is incredibly dry for 20+ moves and my opponent gets a winning position, then i make the most elementary threat to win their queen or go for mate and they miss it every time because they have no actual tactical awareness. i always feel vaguely disgusted after the game
every chess opening is annoying if you lose
I play the immediate c5 against d4. So many London players don’t know how to play against it at the 1200-1400 level. And even when they do know to push they aren’t used to the structures and themes of the position.
I play the KID vs London . London and KID are Arch-Rivals.
Levy: London system is the most annoying opening ever!
Me: Okay I'll start playing it.
Hey Levy, I just saw you donated 10000 dollars to teamseas and wanted to leave a big thumbs up for that.
This video was really just an outlet for Levy.
Apparently he get's angsty against the Benko.
lol, I've tried some sideline stuff originally against the Benko too. Half-Accepted variations especially (taking the first pawn, but not taking on a6). After deeper study, I have nothing to fear about it and play the Fully Accepted lines!
I think the Scandi is the most obnoxious opening. It's like, "HuHEA!! - I am so clever for making the most aggro move possible."
I always respond with Tennison Gambit now just to mess with them.
After I started following Levys line I have done quite well against the scandinavian. Before that, not so much
This is literally me whenever I see a Scandinavian player
A drunk Blackmar Diemer appears with 2.d4
Interesting. Although it seems confrontational at first, all the time wasted moving the queen around usually results in passive positions for black, where they try to trade everything. I enjoy the Leinhardt gambit against Scandi.
@@marcofrey2903 Thanks, I will learn that defense too. Even with conventional defense I am beating Scandi almost 60% of the time. But anything that throws an immediate wrench into black's cro-magnon attack plans is gratifying for me -- even if it puts white at a disadvantage according to the engine.
16:53 "Incredibly fascinating variation... If you like watching paint dry" got me lmao
Leningrad Dutch is and always will be my favorite defense. It's a damn shame hardly anybody plays the Dutch at the top level considering how wild and potentially devastating it can be to a player not expecting it.
mine too
I have gotten my king and rook forked so many times that i know the optimal way to play with an uncastleable king, which often time requires fianchettoing it
Now this is getting serious. All of RUclips is coming together. Every channel is uniting to clean our oceans. This is a big step. Love you, Levy. ♥
You didn't even watch the video how are supposed to show your support
Y'all repeating same thing over and over again
@@bluemoon3779 no
I’ve been dealing with my existential crisis post covid and every time I thought about ending it all I’d watch your videos to play chess aggressively and for fun! Keep helping me from ending it all and make a new fried liver video!! Let’s study garbage theory! Much love ❤️ You’re an inspiration
Take care, Eddie
When they randomly exchange everything quickly and try to beat you on time opening is a bit annoying.
Sounds like sub 1000
I can proudly say that I’m subscribed to this amazing channel that has donated a big amount to the #teamseas cause. It was really cool seeing this channel on the list! Thank you Levy&Team for stepping up!
As a 1 D4 player
#1 has to be the Englund Gambit. I got so annoyed by it I went and looked up how to crush it then learned that, and now I brutally roast opponents who play that against me as I dismantle them, which things like
1. "Nice Development"
2. "Is that book?" when they hang their queen
3. "Hey Nice Gambit" before mate"
4. "Why so bad?"
and a slew of other subtle insults.
When he said the Vienna it was like some enlightenment word by god for a 900 elo player 20:01 lol
I always play Vienna as white. Didn't know the name, now I can look it up on the internet I guess.
Playing as anon on lichess... White plays 1.e4 2.Qh5 3.Bc4... After a few moves White realizes his Queen is lost or his position is lost...
Then White makes an outrageous YOLO move, spam some commands, then leaves his tab open on background so he loses on timeout. No other thing can piss me off more than this.
If you don't play on anon, your rating will increase till you don't play those kinds of idiots.
Ah, my lost years of playing Ruy Lopez. When I was young, Fischer was the thing and lots of people were playing the Ruy and Sicilian, so I as a beginner took it up. BIG MISTAKE. Both of those openings are so chock full of theory that you can be 25 moves into the game and still be playing a known line! Since then, I did what I should have done and took up highly tactical openings which have honed my tactics. I still can play those closed openings if I have to.
Who the hell are you playing that knows 25 moves of theory? Carlsen?
Hey Levy,
I appreciate your content. It's entertaining, informative, and dynamic. I watch it at different times throughout the day. My favorite thing is that you constantly put out content and that you have an authentic vibe. Good job!
I have a book on the Ruy Lopez. This is one of my fav openings in my repotoire, and can't wait to play it against you Levy!
It would never happen because he’d just play the caro against you lol. That or the bong cloud.
So many unspoken questions I had are clearly answered in on this video. Gaps of years are fixed. Thank you so much for this brilliant lesson .
Day 219 of translating Levy's titles to Russian: "5 самых НАДОЕДЛИВЫХ шахматных дебютов! #TeamSeas"
I used to be intimidated by the theory of Ruy Lopez as white, playing Vienna (migrated from King's Gambit) or Italian. Then at 1900 I just started playing it with no theory beyond vague recollections of GM games and was performing better.
You're 1900 rated? Where did you start initially? Were you always a chess player?
Thank you for that Vienna video, it’s literally all I play lol
At 03:05 whats the Problem of 3...Be7? You avoid exchange variations with Bg5 and Nge2. Thx for your content! Regards from germany
A recommendation for you: I would love to see a video on the best games played by Mikhail Tal.
The game plan for the position in 5:26 might be pawn minority attack.
The steps are following:
1) Eliminate the white's black square bishop
2) Fix the semi week field c4 (pawns a7-a6, b7-b5, Knight-->d6)
3) Play b5-b4 an take on c3. C3 pawn becomes weakness
4) Block weal pawn on c3 by knight
5) Play on open vertical or do a pawn majority attack on center...
Possible white counter plays:
Premature attack c3-c4 leads to isolated pawn on d5;
b2-b4 leads to weak pawn on c3, You can put a Knight on c4, but white will put a knight on c5. Watch for forks and don't be forked (especially in blitz ;) )
b4 pawn might be attacked with a5, which can lead to weak pawns on c3 or a3. A3 is a spectacular target when Knight is on c4.
Don't give up open a vertical and push on semi open verticals c (when knight on c5 isn't present) or a.
When position queen side is blocked do a pawn majority attack on center.
Such attacks were played a lot by Botvinnik, Smislov and Tal in their time.
I really enjoyed watching you diss the openings in a nice way
Dear Levi,
I was actually wondering if you could consider (some day) doing the video on illegal moves in chess played in tournaments?
I'm not sure if there's enough of content tho
Against London: play modern g6 with d6, Nd7, e5, Nh6, Qe7 set-up - crush London players every game.
Most annoying to play or most annoying to play against?
For me to play: Sicilian (I almost always go Alapin as white)
To play against: Birds or Borg equally annoying to me.
i think "the from gambit" is good against the bird's opening but i never tried since no one plays the bird
Well the Alapin sucks so that's why
@@bc_7644 what do you play after c5?
@@WarBringerRedBeard I don't play e4, (but I play the Sicilian as black) but I would go for the mainline which is nf3 and d4
@@bc_7644 guess I'll have to watch another video or two and hope I get it. Thanks.
If you suspect your opponent is going to do the London, the best thing to do is take their middle pawn as QUICKLY as possible. When I do the London, that is the most disruptive thing an opponent can do.
If you’re talking about openings you can’t avoid, where’s the Caro-Kann?
He likes the Caro.
For me, the most infuriating thing is a noob playing some idiot move that by some miracle throws both my plan and position into chaos...
Levy's glasses, shirt, facial hair, and cheekbones go a long way to establishing his credibility. He also knows how chess pieces move.
I am an 1800 Elo and advanced player who hates playing against1.E5 2.Nc6, London System, 3.Bc4 Sicilian, Scandinavia Defence, and Dutch Defense
it made me smile the fact that i like the catalan, i want to learn the benko and also hate the ruy lopez. funny to see 3 openings i have strong feelings about showcased on a "annoying openings videos". Lovely video Levy.
the benko is such a funny opening, like levy says you can be completely lost but find a way to win using your piece activity and queenside pressure. I stopped playing it because no-one I played against walked into a main line, they'd either play the anti benoni english or decline the gambit in a weird way so I switched to the semi-slav
Still a fun opening tho
How to completely avoid these openings;
London: Play the Old Benoni
Catalan: Play the Old Benoni
Ruy Lopez: Play the Caro-kann
Benko: Play 1.e4 instead of 1.d4
Semi-Slav: Play 1.e4 instead of 1.d4
All of Levi's opponents rn: WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN.
Blackburne Shilling, Blackburne Shilling, Blackburne Shilling, Blackburne Shilling, and Blackburne Shilling.
levy will never be able to play chess again now that this video is public.
I got to 2206 USCF 30 plus years ago and never studied the Ruy because I thought it was boring from both sides, but I was taken by your comments about the Bird's variation which you dismissed (kind of) and yet in speed I've found that strong players (Masters) are troubled by it and I usually I manage equality against Experts and often a substantial edge versus players rated below 2000 even now (I'm 76).
Also the variation you mentioned in the Benko where White simply responds with Qc2 to Pal's bold attempt at sacrificing the b pawn is easily defanged by Qc2 which I first saw In a book by Alex Yermolinsky called the "Road to chess improvement."
Still I played both sides in 1 US Open ('76 in Virginia just outside of DC (George Mason University.) I scored better with Black possibly because it was before computers took over the game. I love your analysis of the openings. You are the Frances Tiafoe of chess teaching via the internet and (coming on strong).
19:12
"Nobody plays the Bird seriously"
Hey, bird can be a lot of fun. I have won a ton of games with people not realizing I lined my bishop and my queen to their king
Well think maybe when you actually get better people will realize your bishop and queen are lined up
Back in the late 70s-80s, when I was playing tournament chess, I stopped playing double king pawn as black, because there were too many annoying opening traps and gambits white could play. I also stopped playing E4 because of the Sicilian. I hated if someone played the Grunfeld or the KI against me, though it rarely happened. I guess there were a lot of openings I hated!
The standard Catalan is reached after d4, Nf6, c4, e6, and g3 right away. One of the purposes of which is to discourage the queen's indian (though the setup is still playable if you do something with your dark squared bishop before b6 and wait until white commits to Nf3). The move order shown in the video is the Catalan *variation* of the QGD, since it's also reached after d4, d5, c4, e6, Nf3, Nf6, g3. But the straight "Catalan Opening" is the immediate g3. I play the lines as both white and black.
I heard that a certain GM (I don't remember the name, I think peak obout 2650) once said that one of the main ideas in the Spanish is to make black play a6 and later b5 (so his knight won't be pressured) and white can undermine the pawns with a4
Love that you decided to team with team seas as well. Hopefully every philanthropic youtuber follows suit.
Hey levy I am struggling to find a really good opening consistent at all levels and many people suggest I play the catalan. I have no prob learning all this theory I just thought if you could make a videon on it cause it's easier to learn it with these interactive lessons you provide us with
I love how many people say the Ruy Lopez is a good starting opening.
I fookin hate this opening, idk who likes this
Lopez made me commit full time to the Scandinavian as black
@@Schmoqyyy only the high rated players actually like it. Most noobs just play it because it's the most natural opening in E4.
Its good because it teaches beginners a lot of basic principals. Like controlling the center, developing logically and creating pawn play. But it's too damn complicated
Actually even tho i play italian, i can just say Ruy Lopez is the best opening you can play against 2. ...Nc6
I find the petroff quite annoying as Well when I play 1.e4 as White. Even IF you play the nimzo (Nc3) to create some inbalances it's Still very simetrycal and kinda Hard to create some attack.
Hey Gotham, I think your donatiom and mr. Beast's initiative is a great Idea. But $30.000.000 would get rid of 1/600th of the amount of plastic that lands in the ocean every year. Don't you think it would be more effective to donate the money to a company or foundation trying to develop a more efficient way of cleaning the ocean? Like new technologies or systems. I know it's probably not in your control, but we really want to solve this problem. Just curious about your thoughts. Maybe I'm wrong.
Half of the money goes to a company that created autonomous boats to clean up rivers, so it is going towards more efficient clean up too.
@@chris_harvey Thanks! That's good to know.
I think doing something is better than nothing, and this way you'll immediately see some results
You want to watch Mark Rober video on the question. It's exactly why this project is so cool.
Donating to ocean cleanup companies is great but getting as many people involved in the actual work is important too. People will attract others and the word will spread online and through conventional media. Research is interesting on a certain level but folks like to see others involved in the actual work.
Me: Just watched Levy’s Catalan video
*watches this*
Me: And now I choose Levy or Eric’s side
You know you've made it when you say stuff like "I'll be donating 10K" casually.
They say theoretically chess is a draw. I can only assume that the reasarchers began and ended their study with the Ruy Lopez.
10 thousand dollars? you're incredible Levy, never change.
The most annoying opening is when your opponent does a stupid opening and you end up losing
This video literally just tells Levy's opponents what to play against him
No, it doesn't. Most of Levy's recent opponents have been playing to win.
I can say that Ruy Lopez and QGD (Even Slav) are the most annoying Chess openings for me.
Proud of how far you have come. Using your success to spread awareness and even donating such a large amount of money is admirable.
I just started playing 3 weeks ago. The only opening I play on white is London… cause Levy told me to, lol. I want to try the Colle, it looks pretty similar from my beginner eyes 🤷
"the London system is unique because it can be just played by white"
Thank you for that absolutely brilliant observation
Not really. The Caro Kann is basically the London with black. Levy is a secret London fan.
I constantly end up in Ruy Lopez and Chigorin games as black...as a Belgrade or Italian player as white and a four knights leading to full development (then queenside castle) as black, man it was annoying when the bishop went for my knight. Played it enough times to know what works at my level know, but initially it was an absolute pain in the ass. Used to trade knights but then that bishop would stay there and not let me develop...a really tough opening with what seems like hundreds of variations. The London also always used to get me before I played c5, but it can still be annoying (1200 rated in rapid and blitz currently). At master level I can imagine it being a nightmare
57th day of translating Levy's titles into Neapolitan: "E 5 apertur chiù fastidios re scacc"
How to beat the London System: When you get to a position at 5:10 move your queen to b6 and try to either attack the b2 pawn, check the king or pin the knight. This will make white put more pieces on the queens side to defend and counter, then try to make a kings side attack.
The top 3 most annoying at my infimus level (1206) are:
1. The French: usually my opponent closes everything and I am not good enough yet to find the right break out or even if i do i lose on time because i thought too much to find a response.
2. Scandinavian: from move 1 your opponent decides what you are going to play. It's not hard at my level but still having that power on my decision making on move 1 is very annoying.
3. Smith-Morra: no one plays the truth smith morra they just recapture with the queen on move 3 and i feel like playing a scandinavian again but vs white.
u gotta hate it when a bishop kills so many peices and u got nothing to counter it
Big thumbs up 👍. Fianaly a Ruy Lopez. Have been playing it for 40 years. Bought several courses from Chess Base. I know they have a United States 🇺🇸 store but I get mine from Germany 🇩🇪. You need to do a separate video for it. It’s complicated. My opponent usually plays the closed position and doesn’t take my pawn on E4. The next move is to defend the pawn with the rook once castled. Could also use a Sicilian, and please no Bishop to G7 Sicilian. Classical or Najdrf. Thanks again for the great content. And I always watch your videos to end. No matter how long. I actually prefer the longer videos. You are not as sharp with makes for better content. I skip the beginning of Win at Chess. I meant anyone under 1500 tends to blunder and they know they are playing you and it’s going to be on RUclips. So they are nervous. Nerves are a huge part of the game. It’s why GM retire after a certain age. Takes stamina to be at the board for six hours. You might get your GM norms but you do know you have to be over 2500 to become a GM. Once a GM always a GM. Good luck.
I know you might not see this but could you do a vid on the Nimzo? Your videos are very well explained and I remember the lines better when watching your opening vids
I play the King's Indian setup against the London. It's objectively a good system to play against it, fits well with my regular mainline KID, and mixes things up a little. You get a straightforward plan and can often still attack on the kingside. Trying to play "principled" with some kind of early c5 stuff has met with a dead end for me. White has defended the d4 point far too many times for black to hope to undermine the center from the wings like he would in a Grunfeld, where white's center is more fragile.
I've also been a long-time Ruy player with the white pieces. It's often said that the Ruy is the opening you really should play if you want to enhance your strategic chess, because the kind of twisted, closed positions you get in the main lines (Chigorin, Breyer, Keres, Flohr-Zaitsev) reward the player who is better at coming up with long-term strategic concepts. If you need a good reason to play the Ruy with white, look no further than Kasparov's games at the 1990 WCC. All three Ruy games won by Garry (Games 2, 18, and the famous 20 where he showcased his insane calculations) were masterpieces in some way and highlighted a different aspect of the opening. The Ruy is a fascinating battleground that I really enjoy trying my hand at in my own games.
When I'm playing against the London I'm hoping to get E5 in to back that Bishop back to g3.
I used to hate the Elephant Gambit. That crap is brutal haha (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5)
I hate any game that begins with either 1.b4 or 1.g4 because I try too hard to prove to my opponent that he is playing an unsound opening and usually lose. Oftentimes, players who play these openings know them pretty well and they've seen just about every attempt on Black's part whereas Black is usually just shooting from the hip.
unpopular opinion:i love facing the London and have a 75% winrate vs it
Definitely the London system at the 1000ish level. I make it my mission to beat it at all costs
With regards to playing against the semi-Slav, you say, "You've got to study 50 moves of theory." Nah! Because even the Slav player does not know 50 moves of theory.
There's a book (actually, at least two) with a similar title: _How To Survive and Beat Annoying Openings_ by Eric Schiller and John Watson.
Re the Benko Gambit... at a weekend chess congress in the UK many, many years ago, my opponent unleased a barrage of loud swearing at me, got up from the board and disappeared as soon as he saw b5. I sat there for over an hour until the arbiter eventually ruled that he had resigned the game. I guess he really didn't like facing the Benko gambit.
I hate Spanish, Fried Liver and Catalan openings.
wow, I just cleaned an area near my school that had a lot of trash on it, prolly picked up around 700 kilo's of trash
The most annoying opening is an attempt at scholar's mate when you forgot how to punish it properly.
Pls can you do a video about crushing d4 from d5 move