Teach on Udemy

Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.

Learn More

Your cart is empty.

Keep shopping

Understanding chess middlegame

Name: Understanding chess middlegame
Rating: 4.7 (352 reviews)

Learn to play middlegame with a GM | This course is standing on the shoulders of my courses about tactics&openings

Created byMykhaylo Oleksiyenko

Last updated 9/2021

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Learn what to do AFTER the opening is over
Discover typical ideas for ALL the openings from "Understanding chess openings" repertoire
Understand how to implement the tactical method from "Understanding chess tactics" course in real games
Study “boring” effective way of converting the material advantage
Get an inside look into how a grandmaster is thinking

Course content

4 sections • 27 lectures • 5h 24m total length

Introduction | What this course is all about8:45
Understand the chess middlegame by developing pieces, creating threats, and converting a winning advantage through tactics, an opening repertoire, and 25 recorded games.

1.e4-e5 2.Nf3-Nf6 (Petrov's defense | Stafford gambit) | Pin11:04
Analyzes Petrov's defense and the Stafford gambit, showing center control, rapid development, tactical pins, and how to convert a material advantage through exchanges and endgame planning.
1.e4-e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 (Italian game) | False Bxh2/h7 “combination”16:08
Explore the italian game from e4-e5 to d4, covering central control, development, the poisoned pawn motif, and practical ideas to convert advantages through exchanges and open files.
1.e4-e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6 (Italian game) | Checkmate through the center17:49
Explores the Italian game with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6, analyzing center control, development, and tactical ideas that lead to pressure and checkmate through the center.
1.e4-e5 2.Nf3-Nf6 (Petrov's defense | Stafford gambit) | Typical Petrov's pin6:46
Explain middlegame ideas in the Petrov defense against the Stafford gambit, emphasizing central pawn play, queen activity, pins, and long castling to create a winning attack.
1.e4-e5 2.Nf3-d6 (Philidor defense) | Converting an extra pawn8:44
Explore a Philidor defense with 2...d6, seizing the center, converting an extra pawn through active piece play, timely development, castling, and queen activity leading to decisive attack.
1.e4-d6 (Pirc) | One peculiar win in a Queen_vs_Pawn endgame23:31
Develop central control with two knights and rapid bishop development in a Pirc, and navigate tactical exchanges to win material. The video also demonstrates a practical queen-versus-pawn endgame technique.
1.e4-d6 (bad Pirc with 2...Bd7?) | When you get EVERYTHING in the opening9:18
Punish a weak Pirc with rapid center expansion, full development, and swift castling, then open files and diagonals to pressure the exposed king.
1.e4-d6 (Pirc) | Checkmate in the endgame12:50
Develop your middlegame strategy in the pirc setup by rapid development, center control, and open-file play, culminating in a tactical sequence that leads to checkmate in the endgame.
1.e4-c5 (Sicilian) | Typical Scheveningen tactics with the bishop on g28:35
Explore Sicilian middlegame themes in the Scheveningen with the bishop on g2, focusing on development, timely castling, and sharp tactical ideas like Bc6 and rook activity on open files.
1.e4-c5 (Sicilian) | Develop pieces and attack the weakness!12:54
master a sicilian setup with 1.e4 c5, develop pieces to the center, and press an open file to attack weaknesses like d6 and e6 while coordinating knights and bishops.
1.e4-c6 (Caro-Kann) | Defending the king with tactics11:32
Develop and defend the king with tactics in the Caro-Kann 1.e4 c6, fight for the open file, and use a tactical sequence to win material.
1.e4-c6 (Caro-Kann) | Winning a semi-protected piece15:14
Explore midgame ideas in the Caro-Kann: develop pieces, control the center, and activate the bishop on g5. Exploit a semi-protected piece through tactical sequences to win material.
1.e4-d5 (Scandinavian) | Pin&Checkmate11:40
Develop quickly in the Scandinavian: control the center with d5, develop knights and bishop, and castle early. Use pins and open files to push for material advantage and checkmate.
1.e4-d5 (Scandinavian) | Attack (different castles + different-colored bishops)14:57
Explore middlegame ideas against the Scandinavian defense, focusing on quick center expansion, piece development, and aggressive play with different castles and bishop color dynamics.
1.e4-g6 2.d4-Nf6 (Norwegian defense) | Winning just with the pawns9:25
Examine how neglecting center pawns in the Norwegian defense allows aggressive pawn pushes to win material, with tactical sequences and pawn play driving the initiative.
1.e4-e6 (French defense) | Surprising tactics in the opening8:08
Analyze the 1.e4 e6 French defense and its tactical openings, tracing bishop outings, rook on the open file, and forks that win material before counterplay appears.

1.e4-e5 2.g3 | X-Ray12:18
Follow a middlegame arising from 1.e4 e5 2.g3, emphasizing rapid development, center play, and tactical motifs like pins and exchanges to convert material advantage.
1.e4-e5 (Italian) | False Ng5+h4 “combination”15:35
Explore the Italian game in 1.e4 e5 and the Ng5+h4 combination, highlighting quick development, early castling, and tactical sequences with knights, queens, pins, and checks.
1.e4-e5 2.h4? | Advantage in development13:02
Develop quickly by centralizing pieces and castling early, then open the position to exploit your development lead, pressure the center, and convert it into a decisive attack.
1.e4-e5 2.Nf3-Nf6 (Petrov's defense) | Boring way to convert material advantage11:30
Understanding chess middlegame focuses on converting a material edge in Petrov's defense by prioritizing development, timely castling, central d5 push, and precise exchanges to simplify toward a win.
1.e4-e5 2.Nf3-Nf6 (Petrov's defense) | Typical Petrov’s tactics7:15
Analyze the Petrov defense with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6, exploring typical tactics, center control, knight pins, and how to convert advantages through precise development.
1.e4-e5 2.Nf3-Nf6 (Petrov's defense) | Two-bishop advantage12:21
Learn the Petrov defense 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6, seize the center with tempo, develop quickly, and convert a two-bishop advantage by controlling open files and pressuring weaknesses.
1.d4-d5 (Queen's gambit declined) | Correct Bxh2+ combination14:33
The lecture demonstrates middlegame play in a queen's gambit declined, develops pieces to the center, executes a Bxh2+ combination, and converts with timely castling and rook activity.
1.d4-d5 (Queen's gambit declined) | Playing an equal endgame16:48
An in-depth look at the Queen's Gambit declined in the middlegame, highlighting center control, development, open files, weak squares, and transitioning to an equal endgame before a king-side win.
1.d4-d5 (Queen's gambit declined) | Hanging pawns7:37
Develop a central control plan in the queen's gambit declined with hanging pawns, pushing d4 and c5 while developing pieces toward the center.

Requirements

You should know how chess pieces work | You would benefit the most if you have studied my previous courses about openings and tactics

Description

This course will help you understand what to do after the opening is over.

The openings played in this course are from the suggested opening repertoire from the “Understanding chess openings” course. I also used the tactical method from the “Understanding chess tactics” course to deliver the winning combinations.

You will benefit from the course even if you have not studied my openings&tactics courses before. I will be explaining all the concepts again in this course. If you want to get a deeper understanding of the concepts (for example, a concept of a semi-protected piece), feel free to check out my previous courses about tactics and openings.

This course consists of 25 thoroughly commentated games that I recorded while playing. You will see and hear the ways that grandmasters are thinking. You will also see my mistakes since I will be analyzing the games immediately after they are finished. You will also find a direct link to lichess where you will be able to play through the game or even analyze it with the best chess engine in the world. You will also have free access to the online database there.

By the end of the course, you will learn typical combinations that were not covered in the tactics course, get a clear understanding of how to convert your material advantage, discover the typical plans for the main openings, and much more. You will also learn what to do with your pawns and pieces AFTER the opening is over.

Learn and Master Chess Middlegame with a Successful Grandmaster

Learn what to do AFTER the opening
Discover typical ideas for the main openings for both colors
Understand how to implement the algorithm from “Understanding chess tactics” in a real game
Study an effective “boring” way of converting your material advantage
Get an honest inside look into the grandmaster’s mind

This course will boost your opening, tactical, and middlegame play to the next level

The course is for chess players of all levels. You will find 16 games with white pieces (All those games start with 1.e4!) and 9 games with black pieces (1.e4 is met with 1…e5! and 1.d4 is met with 1…d5!). Throughout the course, I am doing my best to follow the guidelines that you can learn in my "Understanding chess openings" course. You will also learn how to use the tactical signs from the “Understanding chess tactics” course in a real game. Sometimes I was able to MANUFACTURE a tactical combination based on the signs that I discover. Between the opening and the winning combination, I will explain what to do with your pieces and pawns after the development. Once I get a winning advantage, I would teach you the proper way of thinking, and the proper sets of priorities, when it comes to big material advantage. Many chess players do not know what to do AFTER they win some material and how to convert it into a full point. You would NOT be one of those players, once you study this course!

The course consists of 4 sections,

Section 1 | Introduction: You will learn what this course is all about. There will be a link to the opening repertoire, which I will be using in all the games. The opening repertoire is from the “Understanding chess openings course”. You will also understand my motivation to create the course.

Section 2 | Games with white pieces: I will show you all the games played with white pieces. First, there would be the games that start with 1.e4-e5 (5 games), then 1.e4-d6 (3 games), 1.e4-c5 (2 games), 1.e4-c6 (2 games), 1.e4-d5 (2 games), 1.e4-g6, and 1.e4-e6. You will learn the idea for white in Petrov defense, Italian game, Philidor defense, Pirc, Sicilian, Caro Kann, Scandinavian, and French defense! The games would be useful to watch even if you do not play the openings yourself. I will be teaching some universal ideas that do not necessarily connect to a particular opening.

Section 3 | Games with black pieces: You will see all the games that I played with black pieces. First, you will see 6 games that start with 1.e4, and then you will see 3 games with 1.d4. You will learn Petrov’s defense, Italian game, and Queen’s gambit declined. There will also be one game when we enter an equal endgame (the opponent was a very decent player). You will take a glimpse into how to think in the endgame as well.

Section 4 | Conclusion: You will receive a short summary of the course and my thoughts about the future.

Who this course is for:

- Beginner/hobby chess players who want to play good chess from the very first moves

- Chess enthusiasts that studied my previous courses about tactics and openings and want to know more

- Anyone who is interested in improving their middlegame play

- Chess players that want to have harmonious play from the start to the end of the game

Who this course is for:

Beginner and club level players

Understanding chess middlegame

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 9min

Games with white pieces16 lectures • 3hr 19min

Games with black pieces9 lectures • 1hr 51min

Conclusion1 lecture • 6min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: