Apart from which it works! Yes, sorry. Loss of concentration. I saw your solution afterwards, Rd7. Very nice.

b7 Qc6
Rd6 Qxd6
b8=Q

I am less confident of this though, and feel it isn’t right.

b5 Kb6
Rd6+ Qxd6

b5+ Ka5
b6+ Kxb6
Rd6+ Qxd6

b5

Qxh4+

Nf2+ Bxf3+ Qh2#

Hmm, maybe not the design!

I am not sure there is a better value purchase in chess improvement than a Chess Tempo subscription #chesspunks

I sometimes wonder if I should be less anti the French defence. But then I realise how long people, and dogs too perhaps, have disliked it. Here is hatred from 1822. The pre-Victorian prose is hard (for a dog) to get your head around, but the sentiment is clear. Down with the French!

I disapprove of d4 on principle. My owner plays it though 🙄.

I have a new haircut. I think I can guess the inspiration.

My owner donated to @marktwic.bsky.social for his fab TWIC database and the first thing he does is this. Oh dear.

Thanks Maurits. I do have a coach, who I am seeing later.

Hey #chesspunks. I need help. I consistently play passively OTB. I make moves knowing that they are too passive or create weaknesses. Last night I lost a 🇫🇷 Tarrasch by eschewing obvious exchanges & weakening myself in the process. This habit must be a psychological thing. How do I stop it?

My owner lost an OTB club game tonight. He was up material but lost a rook, after which a Q & pawn endgame saw 4 promotions, 2 each side! A final mistake allowed his opponent to promote a 3rd time! My owner is shell shocked; he should have won. I tell him chess is a cruel game & offer sympathy.

Of course, the Old Testament of QGD books, to which all must look, is GM Matthew Sadler's. This is a fabulous book; according to my owner, I should stress. And Neil McDonald’s book is good too, especially for explaining some ideas (less good for pawn structures though).

Grooten is the most useful, most informative & user friendly. If you want just one book to learn the QGD to a good level where you can play and enjoy, this is the one to get (but see next post on GM Sadler).

Polugayevsky - despite the title, this covers more than the Orthodox (aka Rubinstein). Includes Tartakower, Lasker, Cambridge Springs, etc. Lots of theory & relatively little explanation. But valuable to check lines & explore. Useful if you really want to specialise & get expert in some lines.

2/5 Grooten - brilliant in covering all main QGD variations, explaining lots of ideas, with good use of diagrams & detailed exploration of pawn structures & plans. Lots of model games, some annotated, & some puzzles based on full games. No Slav, semi-Slav & QGA though.

Bertie reviews books, QGD, 1/5 #chesspunks

Burgess & Pedersen - great as 1 stop shop for d4 d5 c4 repertoire, covering every variation you can ask for, with lots of lines & theory (QGA, Slav and Semi Slav included). Limited explanation, but chatty & even funny at times, & nothing missing.

@almurray.bsky.social Your WHW podcast series on Auschwitz is very good, and obviously terrible at the same time. The final episode with Rob Rinder is truly fabulous, so moving and humane. Thank you. (This is Bertie’s owner, I should say, not the cocker spaniel himself.)

#chesspunks

It's Queen's Gambit study today. I fear this will be heavy going. I made a start by eating Ntirlis, which didn't help, apparently. My owner is confused whether ...h6 should be played in the Orthodox QGD. Opinion seems divided. @gmalexcolovic.bsky.social says yes, to support ...c5 (Kramnik's line).

#chesspunks, obvs 🙄🐶

My owner is getting patriotic and learning the English Defence, and trying to be more assertive and aggressive in openings. V important in hyper modern openings like this. As I tell him, and then ably demonstrate.

My owner is learning the Nimzo Indian as white. He has settled on 4. e3, the Rubinstein variation. The tension in this position unsettles him. I tell him I manage tension like that all the time, see me vs Oreo. (I do usually run away eventually, though).

Rxh2+ Kxh2 Rh8+ Bh6 Rxh6+ Kg3 Qg4#

Tip of the day - pawn storms need momentum to inflict damage and cause weaknesses in your opponent’s position. Like I do here. #chesspunks ♟️🐶

My friend’s owner teaches chess in prisons. He uses prisoners to stand in the way of a knight, showing how it must move sideways at the end. I taught my friend Lula how the knight can jump over pieces by lying in his way.

Yep. Just mention my name, and it will be fine.