Welcome to the Garry Kasparov Masterclass Chess Series, your complete guide to mastering the game like a world champion! 🏆 Learn the legendary strategies, openings, and tactics used by Garry Kasparov, one of the greatest chess players in history.
In this series, we break down Kasparov’s most famous games, strategic thinking, positional play, and winning mindset — perfect for beginners, intermediate players, and advanced chess enthusiasts who want to elevate their game.
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Garry Kasparov’s opening preparation and attacking style
Grandmaster-level middlegame tactics and strategy
Endgame techniques and positional understanding
Psychological mastery and decision-making under pressure
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đź“š Perfect for: Chess learners, competitive players, and anyone who wants to think like a world champion.
00:00Double attack is a pretty simple concept, but it could be deadly. It could decide the game.
00:19And we first should look at a few situations where double attack leads to winning a material.
00:27So let's start with a position with black rook on c4, black knight is on e6.
00:35And now if we place our bishop, consider we're playing white, on d5, so it attacks both the rook and the knight.
00:44And unless other black pieces can come to rescue, material loss is inevitable.
00:50We can have another situation.
00:52So this is now, we can look at the rook. Rook in the center, for instance, let's put it on d5 again,
00:59attacks two light pieces, black pieces, knight on a5, bishop on h5, they're all, you know, on the edge of the board.
01:08And again, unless something else happens, the material loss is inevitable because rook attack attacks both of them.
01:15But, of course, every other piece can also make a double attack.
01:27And most picturesque is a pawn and the knight.
01:31And let's look what happens, you know, when we have a pawn powered by the knight and pieces that are being attacked is a king and a queen.
01:44So king on b6, black queen is on d6, and pawn on c4 now moves to c5.
01:50And it's a check, and you can see it's a fork, attacks the king and a queen, knight protects the pawn, and material loss is inevitable.
02:00Black loses her queen.
02:05But we can make it a little bit more complicated and even more interesting.
02:10So if white knight is on, not on b3, but on c3, it does not support the pawn any longer.
02:18So if pawn moves on c5, it's a sacrifice.
02:22But it's not a real sacrifice because by sacrificing this pawn, white forces one of the black pieces to move to the c5 square, thus create an opportunity for a knight's fork.
02:39So if queen takes his pawn and knight goes on a4, and we could see it's a fork.
02:45Now, if black king takes this pawn, then knight goes on e4, and it's another fork.
02:52Just as a rule, you should always remember that if two pieces, your opponent's pieces, are standing at the squares of the same color and close to each other,
03:09there's always an opportunity for your knight to cause damage by forking them.
03:15But double attack is not the end of the world.
03:21So we look at the attacking motion, but we also think about defense.
03:27The pawn is the least valuable piece.
03:29Though I would warn you against underestimating the value of each pawn, stronger you are getting, you know, more important each pawn is.
03:37And while we analyze endgames, you will see, you know, how much power, you know, pawn can demonstrate in some endgames and how complicated these endgames.
03:50But when we are looking at some dynamic situations, obviously pawn could be a good tool to bring the opponent's pieces in an awkward situation where the rest of your army can go after them and cause real damage.
04:08In chess, I would be very cautious in evaluating everything in material values because sometimes, you know, the spirit prevails.
04:16And that's why we will see later positions where a pawn or another light piece could dominate much more powerful pieces, much more powerful army of the opponent.
04:32So that's why you always have to look at every concrete situation, you know, analyzing the opportunity of sacrificing material in order to gain advantages.
04:41In our case, when we look at double attack, it's about winning material.
04:45Though, of course, you know, there are more complicated sacrifices, which we will call positional sacrifices, where you just gain long-term strategic advantages for some of your material losses.
04:58A double attack can happen against two pieces, but it could happen against a piece and a square.
05:05And one of the forms, it's an attack against a piece and the king, an indirect threat of mate, which is, you know, the end of the game.
05:17And we could look at these specific situations and whether there are chances to defend against both threats simultaneously.
05:28Let's have a look at, again, simple examples.
05:39So we have black king in the corner with two pawns in front of it and a bishop on b1 far away.
05:48And let's put white's rook on b5.
05:51So we could see the rook attacks bishop, but also it attacks the king indirectly.
05:59It threatens rook b8, which is mate.
06:01Now, if black is panicking, it will run away with the king from this corner, like a king g8, but then it loses the piece.
06:11And it depends on the rest, you know, of the pieces at the board, but that's a big loss.
06:20So can we move the bishop, but also defend against mate?
06:25Yes.
06:25In this case, we're lucky because bishop can go on a2, short move.
06:32But what's important that if now rook goes on b8, it's no longer mate.
06:36It's just check.
06:36Because bishop, remember, bishop can go on diagonal and it can jump from one side of the board to another side of the board.
06:45So it goes to g8 and now king is protected.
06:48So we save the bishop, we protected the king.
06:50If you are on the double attack, you don't have to panic.
06:55By the way, you don't have to panic, period.
06:57So if you panic, you lose the game.
07:00And double attack could be deadly for the beginners, for amateur players.
07:06Sometimes even for very strong players, because you see the visible threat and this is you, in our case, it's a mate, you know, that ends the game.
07:15And you just try to stay in the game, not looking for an opportunity to defend against both threats.
07:23Sometimes you cannot defend against both threats.
07:25Just for instance, you know, if we have the same position, but if we have black extra pawn on f7, and there's no longer, you know, black bishop can go from a2 to g8 because this pawn is actually blocking the way.
07:42And in this case, black loses bishop and it has to think about escaping, you know, maybe just opening, you know, a square for a king by playing h6 or d6.
07:55But you have to evaluate the situation and to find out whether there are options for you to escape from double attack without losing material.
08:04Sometimes it's more difficult to see double attack if it's not, if not opponent's piece attacking two of your pieces, but also creates other threats.
08:20Because the threats are not of the same level, and obviously for beginners, for amateurs, it's more complicated.
08:28Though advanced players, they immediately recognize what is the most lethal threat in this situation.
08:38But it may not be only just double attack.
08:41Sometimes if your opponent uses more powerful pieces like queen, it could be even triple attack.
08:48It could have multiple threats, and then you have to think how to defend against them because some extraordinary measures could be required.
09:01So let's just have the situation with black's queen on d5.
09:07And we do understand, of course, that black queen or white queen, any queen in the center controls most of the squares,
09:14and it could cause tremendous damage because it looks all over the board.
09:19So black king is on d2.
09:22Now we have white king is on a3.
09:26Put black pawn on a4.
09:28And then we have two white rooks.
09:30Two white rooks on a8 and h1.
09:34Now let's assess the situation.
09:36So black queen attacks rook on h1.
09:39It also attacks rook on a8.
09:42If we have nothing else, forget about our king, rooks can easily defend each other at the open board by just, you know, getting together.
09:52So rook can go h8, either rook from h1 or rook from a8.
09:56But our problem is that a part of threatening two-hour rooks, black queen also threatens mate, mate in one,
10:06because pawn on a4, you know, creates these mating threats.
10:09So white can do.
10:10There's only one way to escape from all the threats, is to create a bigger threat.
10:17In our case, it's a check.
10:18Rook h2, check.
10:20By giving a check, we force our opponent to move the king.
10:26So nothing else can happen.
10:28So the king moves on d1.
10:30And now there's still two threats, you know, taking the rook on a8 and mate on b3.
10:35We take this pawn by just, you know, eliminating both threats.
10:39Again, our rook escapes and takes the pawn.
10:42And there's no more mate here.
10:44It seems for a moment that we could be in danger because black makes another double attack.
10:50Queen from d5 goes to d6.
10:52Remember, queen could attack on both sides of the board.
10:56Queen d6 is check, but also rook is hanging now.
10:58But now we use the power of our rooks.
11:01We protect against this check.
11:03Rook goes on b4.
11:04And if black loses its guard and it grabs the rook,
11:16then suddenly, you know, we use a new theme that we'll learn later.
11:20It's a skewer.
11:21Or we give a check.
11:23King moves to the second rank.
11:25And then another check.
11:27And now you see black's king and black's queen.
11:30And then the same line, the same row.
11:33And we're winning the queen.
11:35So that's why, you know, black in this situation should be cautious
11:38and just keep checking, you know, accepting draw as an inevitable result.
11:43So even for very strong players, it's sometimes very challenging to actually look at your own tactics,
11:52but also to be on guard about opponent tactics.
11:55That's one of the key tests.
11:57And even professional, top professional players, grandmasters,
12:01they have to be aware that when you try to do your tactics,
12:05there's always a chance that opponent will have a counter shot.
12:09And missing it is quite easy because that's the way our mind works, you know.
12:13We can be caught with our own combination.
12:17And that's a warning.
12:18So if you're looking for your combinations, remember, it's not, you know,
12:21it's not a game for one person.
12:24You have another opponent.
12:25And, of course, you know about all the resources that your opponent can use to cause you harm.
12:32Tess is 100% transparent game.
12:34But you don't know how he or she can use it, can employ these resources to create counter threats.
12:43So that's why you always should be on guard about your opponent's intentions.
12:48And you should look, though I understand, psychologically it may not be easy,
12:52since you could be absorbed with your own combinations.
12:55You may say that chess is similar to real life,
12:57because when we are overwhelmed with our own ideas and plans and projects,
13:04we tend to forget that there's always a competition.
13:07But in real life, you know, the competition may not be as stiff because it's for some reasons.
13:14In chess, it's always your opponent who makes the next move.
13:18So in chess, the rules are very strict.
13:21And if you're no longer on guard, if you are overwhelmed with your ideas,
13:29and if you pay no attention to your opponent's plans and abilities to cause you harm at the chessboard,
13:38you'll be in trouble.
13:39When you're under multiple threats,
13:42you should look for the most effective way of preventing immediate threats,
13:47but also creating sort of a solid configuration between your pieces.
13:52So that's why the first instinct is just to bring rooks together.
13:57Because when rooks are defending each other, they are unbeatable.
14:01Queen cannot do any damage to them.
14:03So that's why bringing rooks together on the same line, the same row,
14:07it's a first instinct.
14:09But then we should remember that it's not just about two rooks,
14:13it's about our king.
14:14And that's the most important lesson, because at the end of the day,
14:17the game of chess ends when the king is mated.
14:20So that's why no matter how much material you can win in the process,
14:24if your king is in trouble, you could lose everything.
14:28So that's why we should look at all these threats,
14:31and while we recognize that our king is in trouble,
14:33we have to do something very dramatic, which in our case is check.
14:38Because when we check opponent's king, at least we win some time.
14:42And it's in this situation, it's very important to remember that
14:45we do with each move, we actually do two functions.
14:50So it's check, but it's also removing rook from an attack.
14:54And then second move is removing this rook from the attack,
14:58we also take the pawn and eliminate mating threat.
15:00There is no strict rule that if you are under attack,
15:04whether you try to consolidate your position and just to defend the pieces
15:09and to have rock-solid structure, or you want to do counterattack.
15:16You have to make an assessment.
15:18And that's the beauty of the game, that's the mystery of the game of chess,
15:23that in many situations you have to make your own adjustments.
15:27You know the basics, but at the end of the day,
15:30it's very important that you make the decision based on very concrete factors.
15:36In our case, if you look at this position,
15:39check is the only way to survive.
15:41Obviously, when you have rooks and they are in the open,
15:46check is a natural option.
15:49But I know that some of the amateurs, they like checks.
15:52They want just to make too many checks,
15:54and I have to warn them against using checks all the time
15:58because it may not be the best way of protecting your position.
16:03Sometimes checks could make it worse.
16:05But looking at the check as a first counter option,
16:11if you are under double attack, that can be recommended.
16:20I think maybe I just have my own game.
16:25It's a game against a famous grandmaster, Alexander Beliavsky.
16:32That was a game played in 1991 in the Super Tournament of Linares.
16:40I played white.
16:42And it was a tough tournament.
16:45I didn't do well at the start.
16:49And Beliavsky had this great start.
16:52He was leading, he was point and half ahead of me before that game.
16:59So that's why winning the game was kind of a must for me
17:05if I wanted to stay in the tournament,
17:12fighting for the first prize.
17:15I set up this position so at the very end of the game,
17:19as we could see that, you know, I did it well in the opening.
17:22My piece is dominating.
17:24But domination is not the end of the game.
17:27So you have to finish your opponents off.
17:29And here I just made a move that created multiple threats.
17:33That's like talking about double attack.
17:35My knight went on c7.
17:37And it forced the exchange of the rooks
17:39because, you know, black rook is in the attack.
17:42And then everything is hanging now.
17:45Pawn on b7 hanging, bishop on e6 hanging.
17:47So black position totally collapsed.
17:48So it's a simple example, but, you know,
17:52it shows, you know, how you can convert your positional advantage
17:55into material advantage by using these double attacks.
17:59When your opponent's pieces are discoordinated
18:02and your pieces are well positioned to deliver the final blow.
18:07And again, it's a memorable game.
18:09So I won the game and it put me back in the contest for first prize.
18:19And it was a shocking defeat for Believski.
18:21But it ended up not with me, but with Vasily Ivanchuk winning the tournament.
18:26Though I did well.
18:27So I recovered from a poor start.
18:31There is no strict rule that you have to stop
18:33accumulating positional advantages and to move on to tactics.
18:37This is something you have to feel.
18:39So you always look for an opportunity.
18:42So that's important, you know.
18:43Never stop searching for an opportunity to create threats,
18:47to win the material.
18:48So there are always chances,
18:50especially if your pieces are well positioned,
18:51they control the center
18:52or they're messing up against opponent's king.
18:55So look for tactical opportunities.
18:58But, you know, that's what makes the difference
19:01between good players and the very good players
19:04and the top players because, you know,
19:07you know this is the right moment.
19:10It's very hard to explain.
19:11But, you know, this is the moment where you have to
19:13use your positional advantages,
19:16your dominant pieces,
19:20to convert it into a material,
19:24the size of material advantage.
19:26So this is knight c7.
19:27For me, it's a case of double attack,
19:32more likely triple attack
19:33because it attacks almost everything,
19:35you know, black's position.
19:37But it has a discover element.
19:39But there's one recommendation
19:42or I wouldn't call it warning,
19:45but while we look at certain positions
19:48and tactical elements,
19:50highly unlikely there will be only one theme
19:52because a good tactical combination
19:54includes few components.
19:56So that's why, you know,
19:57while we emphasize double attack,
20:00there could be other things there.
20:02As we saw, for instance,
20:03in the position with a queen and two rooks,
20:05there could be a mixture of themes
20:07because it's, while defending its position,
20:12white also employed, you know,
20:13a combination that included skewer,
20:16which is a different theme.
20:18That's why it's very important to know
20:19as many patterns as you can learn
20:22because you never know which one
20:24could be most useful in certain situations.
20:27And also, you know,
20:28don't try to be too dogmatic.
20:30So it's not just about, you know,
20:31one move for another.
20:33It's not about one pattern or another.
20:35There are always variations.
20:38And that's why being comfortable
20:39with different patterns always helps.
20:43The multiple patterns,
20:44they could create very different configurations.
20:52That's why I'm always very cautious
20:54in being very specific,
20:56saying this is, you know,
20:57this is the right way of learning the game of chess.
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