One of the best ways to improve at chess is to look at games by the masters of the past! This course gives you access to some of the most amazing classics.

How would you recapture the knight on d3?

How should Black fight back in this position?

How would you continue here as White?

How would you continue here as Black?

An important moment. How should Steinitz continue here?

Sellman is expecting Steinitz to attack. How would you continue here as White?

White to play.

How to keep the White strategy going?

Steinitz has a lot of pressure on Black. Help him tighten the noose!

White to move.

What did Steinitz do here, that was really a strong move?

Are you tactically alert? White to play..

Steinitz vs Sellman, 1885 | Excellent Positional Understanding

3...g6 is clearly off the beaten track. What would be a principled response for White here?

Rosenthal played the best move here, which is Nxd4. But 5.Nd5 Bg7 6.Bg5 is a tricky continuation, and in this position, how do you think should Black defend his queen?

Black's pieces look slightly passive, and White has more space. What would you say is a good move here for White?

With 9.f4 White's intention is clear: he simply wants to pile up his space advantage. But the question is how does Black counter?

In the game, Rosenthal retreated his bishop to d3. However, here's a question for you: how should White continue after 9...Na5 10.Be2 d5?

First question for points: What should Black play here?

Black played Rd8 with the idea of pushing c7-c5 next and capturing on d3. But after Qc2, should Black still continue with c5? If not c5 then what should Black play?

  Black now has the bishop pair... What should be a good move here?

Black to play... You've kicked out the knight. What do you do next?

 What should black play?

Your move for the sixth point: How should Black continue?

Is Black's kingside suddenly compromised? How do you meet f5?

The bishop is attacked! What should you do?

White stops Bxa2, he doesn't want to lose one more pawn, and here's the penultimate question for you: What should Black play? (Be careful!)

Final question, final point: What should Black play

Rosenthal vs Steinitz, 1873 | Power of Bishop pair

What should White play in this position?

Both sides have castled. How should White continue now?

Black played ...b6 in the last move - slightly unusual, the main moves are ...Nxc3, ...Bf6, etc. How should White continue?

White to play. There are more than one good move in this position. What do you think would be the best?

White to play. What should be the best move in this position?

Black went ...Ra7. How should White continue here?

Black has played ...Rf7-f8, offering an exchange! What should White do?

White to play. Black's seventh rank is irreparably weak, so he tries to stir up counterplay on the kingside. Botvinnik finds a brilliant plan here!

White to play. The penultimate question of the exercise!

Black has pushed ...f5-f4, he is not willing to allow Nf4 at all. What should White play here?

Botvinnik vs Alekhine, AVRO 1938 - Art of creating weaknesses

How did Petrosian continue here? White to play.

Black's last move Nc6-d4 was not a good one. How did Petrosian punish it?

The queen on b6 is a bit shaky. How does White continue?

How should White recapture the knight on b3?

White to move. What would you do here?

What should White do in this position?

Petrosian played Re4 in the game, but it was not the best move. What should he have done?

It's time to justify your queen sacrifice. White to play.

Petrosian vs Pachman, 1961 | Baiting the King

Black has pushed h7-h6, and the bishop on g5 is en prise. Where should White move his bishop?

With b6, Spassky has opted for the Tartakower-Makagonov-Bondarevsky variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. What should White play here?

What should White play? This is an interesting moment in the game.

It seems Black has solved all his problems here with the move c7-c5. The knight can now develop on d7, the rooks will then be connected, and all will be good. So, What did White play here to keep the pressure going?

With Bb5, White now seems to be in the driver's seat. A crunch moment for Black. What is the best move?

What will you do here as White? Fischer played an uber-cool move here. Let's see if you can do the same!

Nf6 would have been the best move for Black. Spassky played Qf8 instead. What did Fischer play here? Careful, the knight on d4 is en prise!

And what did Fischer play now? There's a little tweak he found that gives his minor piece on e2 a surprising impetus.

White to play. Fischer has kept everything under control so far but now it's time to strike!

Black is striving to survive... but Fischer played a punishing move here. Can you find it too?

How did Fischer finish off the game? (Part 1)

How did Fischer finish off the game (part 2)

Fischer vs Spassky, WCC 1972 Game 6 | Sheer Brilliance

11.Be2 followed by castles would've been a good way to continue for White here. However, 11.Bg5 is a big mistake. So here's our first question of the exercise: How did Fischer respond here?

Byrne of course didn't capture the knight on a4. He went 12.Qa3 and now after Nxc3 bxc3, can you find the only move in the position that preserves Black's advantage?

What do you do after Bxe7?

But what happens after Bxf8 Bxf8 Qc1? White has the c3 pawn guarded!

In the game, White played Bc4. Taking on f8 was obviously not making much sense, so White was hoping here to castle quickly. What did Black play?

Now a very interesting question. After Ke1-f1, both Black's queen and knight are en prise. What does he do?

What has Fischer achieved with Ne2-Nd2-Ne2-Nc3 maneuver? It's Black to play

The queen is attacking the bishop. What should Black play? Be accurate!

What did Fischer do here? Find the neatest way to convert.

How do you finish White off? There are two ways to checkmate the king in 5.

Byrne vs Fischer, 1956 | Game of the Century

What is the best move for Black in this position?

What should Black play in this position?

How should White recapture the bishop on b3?

How should Black recapture on f4?

All the 8 pawns are on the board. How should Black do something active here?

With which piece would you recapture on f5 as Black - Queen or Rook?

It's an important moment of the game. What would you do here as Black?

This position if understood well will help you learn a very important theme. Black to play.

A small detour. This is the game Piket vs Kasparov. What is the move that Garry played here as Black?

Find the winning move for Black here.

What should play here as Black?

How would you continue with White here?

This is a deep one. Black to play. How would you proceed?

How would you continue here as Black? This is White's final attempt at counterplay.

The final accurate move of the game needs to be played. Black to move.

Janowski vs Rubinsten,1907 | What a manoeuvre!

What should Black recapture the knight with?

How did Anand continue in this position as Black?

Perhaps the most important point of the game. Black to play.

Black to play. How do you continue here?

How should Black continue here?

This is quite a tricky moment. How would you continue as Black here?

What is the next step in Black's plan? Black to play.

White has just moved the rook to f5. How should Black continue.

Anand was not comfortable with this position as Black. But black has an excellent move here. Can you find it?

The final question of the game. How did Anand finish the game?

Ivanchuk vs Anand, Linares 1992, Non standard positional decisions

Black to play. What is the best move? There's a clear best move in this position.

Black to play. What do you think is the best way to continue?

White has carried out his usual plan of advancing his pawns on the queenside. How should Black continue here?

Bf3 would have been the best way to defend against Re3. In the game, Nf3 was played. How should you continue from here?

Qxb5 was pretty much forced. How did Black continue?

White's king was under check, so he played Kh2!? - a clever move, Rxe2 Rxe2 would've let up the complications. How did Black continue now?

White has just played Rc4. How should Black continue?

White has played Bg2. What would you do here as Black? A complicated position this is!

White's last move was Kh3-h2. How should you continue with Black? There are more than one good move, but try to find the best.

Final question of the day and an easy one. Black to play, find the winning tactic.

Reti vs Alekhine, Baden-Baden 1925, Re3!!

1. What would play as White?

2. 0-0 is a good move. What's the better move for White?

3. What's the best move here for White?

3.2 Best move for White?

5. How to take an advantage with White?

6. White to move and find the best move here.

7. How to continue as White?

8. What should White play here?

9. Critical moment where your opponent does mistake, White to play and find the best move?

10. Final moment, only 2 moves helps to win. White to play.

3.3. What will you play with White?

11. White to play and finish him off.

12.What would you play as White?

Smyslov vs Reshevsky, 1948 | Appearances can be deceptive

How should Black recapture the pawn on d5?

Analysis Variation: If White takes on h6 how do you continue as Black?

What you should play in this position as Black?

How you would continue with Black in this position?

What is the move that Morphy played which stunned the world?

What will you play in this position with Black?

Black to play and find the best move.

White to move. What did Pillsbury play in this position?

How should White continue in this position?

What is the move that Black should have played here?

What is the most accurate move for White here?

9. What do you play as Black?

Black to play and win.

What is the only move which holds the game? Black to play.

10. What do you play as Black?

11. Black to play and mate in 2

Harry Pillsbury vs Emanuel Lasker, 1896 | The dreaded a3 square

How did Black find the best way to equalize in this position?

What would Black play here? Any Ideas?

Black to play. Bishop needs a good house(square), can you find a best one?

Black to move. Punch where it hurts. Can you see the Weakness?

What White should play here?

A closed position. White to play.

White to play and find best continuation.

Black king is unsafe. White to play. How to speed up an attack?

White to play and find a winning move.

Smyslov vs Rudakovsky, 1945 | The d5 outpost

1. White to play | What should be Symslov's idea?

2. White to play. A critical moment in the game.

3. Symmetrical Position | White to play, how to continue?

4. How to continue here from White? 

5. White to play. How to improve the position?

6. Why is a6 a mistake? White to play.

7. Tactics! White to play and find a winning move.

9. The best move for Black? 

11. What to move as Black?

12. White to play and take initiative.

13. White to play | To take with the rook or the knight?

14. White to play and win.

8. White to play and find the best move.

10. Black has just attacked your knight. Can you find best move for White?

Smyslov vs Benko, 1969 | Keep the flame burning

Black to move. How do you get the Nimzo Indian Defence here?

White has just played Ba3 and is putting some pressure on the diagonal. How do you deal with it as Black?

White intends to place his bishop on the long diagonal with Bg2. How do you meet it with Black?

Black gave a check on b7, White has played Kg1. How do you continue here as Black?

White has just played his queen to b5. How do you respond here as Black?

A very critical moment in the game. Find a move for Black that gives him a decisive advantage.

How should you recapture the pawn on c5 as Black?

It's time to finish off your opponent. White to play.

What did Nimzowitsch play in this position as Black, that led to his opponent resigning.

Course - Chess Classics You Must Know