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Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Episode 18

by Ankit Rajpara - 18/11/2024

Welcome back to the “Strategic Mastery” series, brought to you by the collaboration of ChessNeurons and ChessBase India. In this episode, Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara will lead you through the next step in your chess journey. Our goal is to deepen your positional and strategic understanding through a series of meticulously crafted puzzles and clear, insightful explanations. In Episode 18, Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara delves into a sophisticated chess concept: Prophylaxis. It means recognizing your opponent's plans and taking steps to prevent them from succeeding. Photo: Ankit Rajpara

Solutions to Episode 17 Puzzles:

First, let’s reveal solutions to the puzzles from Episode 17 in which we discussed puzzles of Restricting Pieces. Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara walks you through the solutions with a detailed video breakdown. Watch the video for in-depth insights and explanations. You can find the positions here:

Strategic Mastery Series Episode 17: Restricting Pieces | Video: Ankit Rajpara

If you would like to solve the positions in episode 17 in an interactive format

New Puzzles for Episode 18: 

In chess, success often comes not just from advancing your own plans, but from anticipating and preventing your opponent’s ideas. Prophylaxis in chess means recognizing your opponent's plans and taking steps to prevent them from succeeding. By employing prophylactic moves, you can limit your opponent’s options and maintain control over the game. This episode will teach you how to identify potential threats and use proactive measures to neutralize them, turning this thoughtful strategy into a strong asset in your play.

Prophylaxis is often subtle but game-changing. The following puzzles will challenge you to spot your opponent’s plans and find the best preventative moves.

Puzzle-1:

White to play

Puzzle-2:

Black to play

Puzzle-3:

Black to play

Puzzle-4:

White to play

Puzzle-5:

White to play

These puzzles emphasize the importance of forward thinking and foresight, key components of strong prophylactic play. Solutions and in-depth explanations will be provided in Episode 19, where Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara breaks down each position to help you master this advanced concept.

Stay Tuned:

As we continue our Strategic Mastery series, each episode takes you one step closer to chess mastery. Tune in next week for solutions to these puzzles and five more thought-provoking positions to challenge your skills.

Engage with us in the comments below and share your thoughts and strategies. Remember, every puzzle solved sharpens your skills and prepares you for victory!

Feel free to submit your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future episodes through this Google Form.

What Makes ChessNeurons Unique?

ChessNeurons.com, created by GM Ankit Rajpara, is your go-to platform for improving positional chess skills. While many websites focus on tactical puzzles, ChessNeurons offers something unique—puzzles that sharpen your strategic understanding and decision-making. This will set you on the path to becoming a more well-rounded chess player.

Some standout features of ChessNeurons include:

Daily New Grandmaster-Curated Positional Puzzles: Every day, you get access to fresh, handpicked puzzles by Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara, helping you continuously challenge and improve your chess skills.

Identify Blunder Puzzles: Hone your ability to spot mistakes with thousands of puzzles designed to help you identify blunders and improve your decision-making.

Weekly Grandmaster Videos: Each week, enjoy a new video where GM Ankit Rajpara explains the most important puzzles, providing deep insights into key positions.

Video Library: Gain access to hours of grandmaster-guided video lessons, covering essential strategic concepts and puzzle solutions.

Grandmaster Explanations for All Puzzles: Every puzzle comes with a detailed explanation from Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara, ensuring you understand the reasoning behind each move.

Player Performance Profile: Monitor your growth with a detailed player profile, which tracks your performance and highlights areas for improvement.

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