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Sharpen Your Strategic Skills with ChessNeurons - Episode 13

by Ankit Rajpara - 14/10/2024

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. This episode will focus on positions from the tournaments where Gukesh achieved his grandmaster norms, marking his ascent to one of the youngest grandmasters in history. Each puzzle from these events showcases the sharp strategic understanding and composure Gukesh displayed during these formative stages of his career. By studying these positions, you’ll not only enhance your chess skills but also gain insight into what it takes to achieve the title of Grandmaster.

Gukesh's journey to become a Grandmaster - Part 2

This episode will focus on positions from the tournaments where Gukesh achieved his grandmaster norms, marking his ascent to one of the youngest grandmasters in history. We will delve into the pivotal moments from three key events:

1. Bangkok Open 2018 – where Gukesh earned his first GM norm,

2. Paracin Chess 2018 – the tournament where he secured his second GM norm, and

3. Delhi Open 2019 – where Gukesh clinched his third and final GM norm.

Each puzzle from these events showcases the sharp strategic understanding and composure Gukesh displayed during these formative stages of his career. By studying these positions, you will not only enhance your chess skills but also gain insight into what it takes to achieve the title of Grandmaster.

But first, let’s reveal solutions to the puzzles from Episode 12 in which we discussed puzzles from the earlier part of the career of Gukesh.

Solutions to Episode 12 Puzzles:

Grandmaster Ankit Rajpara will walk you through the solutions and provide a detailed video breakdown. Watch the video for in-depth insights and explanations. You can find the positions here:

Strategic Mastery Series Episode 12 by GM Ankit Rajpara

New Puzzles for Episode 13: 

Now, it's time to challenge your strategic acumen with five new puzzles, each from the tournaments where Gukesh Dommaraju earned his grandmaster norms. In this article, there is a bonus position at the end as well. These positions highlight the critical moments that shaped his path to becoming a grandmaster. By solving these puzzles, you will experience the kind of deep positional thinking and awareness that Gukesh demonstrated in these high-pressure situations. Dive in and see if you can find the key moves that helped him secure his norms and rating to get the GM title!

Puzzle-1:

Nourie, A vs Gukesh D - Bangkok Open 2018

Black to play

Puzzle-2:

Gukesh, D vs GM Krysa,L - Bangkok Open 2018

White to play

Puzzle-3:

 Gukesh, D vs Krishnater, K - Paracin 2018

White to play

Puzzle-4:

Gukesh, D - GM Savic, M - Paracin 2018

White to play

Puzzle-5:

Gukesh, D - Bommini, M - Delhi Open 2019

White to play

Bonus Puzzle:

The last position is not exactly a strategic one, but it holds special significance. By winning this game, Gukesh became the second youngest Grandmaster in history at the time, achieving the title at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days. He found an elegant idea in this position to seal the victory.

Gukesh, D - Sharma, D - Delhi Open 2019

White to play

Put your chess knowledge to the test with these puzzles. Solutions will be revealed in the next episode, where GM Ankit Rajpara will provide an in-depth analysis of each position to help you enhance your strategic decision-making.

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. Remember, every puzzle solved sharpens your skills and prepares you for victory!

Do let us know in the comments below whether you were able to solve these puzzles. Feel free to submit your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future episodes through this Google Form.

What Makes ChessNeurons Unique?

ChessNeurons 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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