Hey Reader, Quick Pricing Update:I've been doing some digging into the data and realised that there's a lot of people interested in grabbing a single opening trainer, a bundle, or some other product, but not as many follow through to checkout and purchase. Or in short, I've been gatekeeping files behind a higher price for no reason. So, good news - there will be a whole lot of price reductions. Same (improved) products, cheaper price. Here's a quick summary of what's changing: - Individual...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, Important note for our openings quiz:Some people have had issues receiving their free opening trainers when their opening was one that had an accent or diacritic (eg the Réti, Grünfeld, or potentially apostrophes). This has now been solved. This does not affect the guides in any way. Thank you to everyone that flagged it - it's with feedback like this that we're able to improve. If this is an issue you encountered and didn't receive your opening trainer, please get in touch and...
16 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Welcome back to the return of Chess Openings Tuesday! Just a quick re-introduction. Last year, we sent weekly emails with a comprehensive breakdown on a certain chess opening. It proved to be too much work and got little interest, so we cancelled it. But with the release of our new Chess Opening Trainers, we figured it's worth starting up again with a slight difference. The goal now is to help you figure out which of the many openings are appealing, and to help you build your...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, I wanted to share a quick story and testimonial from Jim. Jim's not your average chess player... he's over 70 years old and still playing the game! Recently, Jim picked up our full library of chess resources and is blown away by the resources found inside. In his own words, "I can't imagine a more comprehensive collection of information at such a reasonable price" His words, not mine! Whether you want to look at openings, or understand endgame concepts, or drill yourself crazy...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
How To Master The Mikenas Defense Most chess openings stress about which pawn to move first and how far. White played d4, which pawn move puts me in the best position? Well, what if you just... developed a piece. With Nc6 in the Mikenas Defense, Black develops a piece and targets the central e5 square, keeping pawn options open. In this week's email, let's take a look at how this opening works. P.S. If you like daily chess puzzles and guessing opening names from board positions, you should...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hold My Beer... How To Master The Duras Gambit Most chess players have learned that the f7 square is sacred. It's the Achilles' heel of Black's position, vulnerable to the Scholar's Mate, protected only by the King and not to be touched lightly. Then along comes the Duras Gambit, which takes one look at conventional wisdom and says, "You know what? Hold my beer. Let's throw that pawn forward and see what happens." And in today's email, you're gonna learn what the hell is going on and how you...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
How To Master The Van't Kruijs Opening If you want to confuse your opponents from move one without a truly offbeat move, then this week I've got the opening for you. The Van't Kruijs Opening is an unusual opening that catches most players off guard, where they'll spend half their turn trying to figure out what you're doing. While most players are clashing in the center with pawns, the Van't Kruijs takes a much more chill approach, making a deceptively modest move that offers a range of...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
How To Master The Benko Gambit Tired of boring, slow chess games where nothing happens for 20 moves? Then you need to read this email. This week I'm covering the Benko Gambit - an aggressive opening that essentially says, "Here, take my pawn... if you dare!". It's the chess equivalent of starting a bar fight. Chaotic, exciting, and definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you come out on top... man, the pride is something else. Not to encourage bar fights... unless there's a chess board...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read
How To Master The Catalan Opening Think that chess openings have to be all-out attacks or boring defensive slogs? Think again! This week we'll look at the Catalan Opening – a sneaky system that combines the best of both worlds. It's solid like a fortress, but flexible like a gymnast, and it's been a favourite weapon of world champions for decades. So what's the deal with it? Let's take a look at how you can use the Catalan Opening to level up your game. Catalan Opening1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read