25 Commments

  1. Hi David
    I am very interested in publishing a foto of Nieman and Carlsen on the beach. I believe you may have taken it or might at least know who did. I wd like to get permission. Can you possibly help? Thanks

  2. Hi David,
    Recently picked up both your books, haven’t started on ‘Swindler’ yet but am really enjoying the Scandanavian opening, it really fits with my personal preference for gambits, and playing for a win with black even if it’s not always 100% solid. Was wondering if you had any suggestions for similar-style openings I could look at against d4? Currently I play the Old Benoni to try and throw white off from the start, but the 2. d5 lines can get a bit of a drag… thanks!

  3. Dear David,

    In your wonderful ‘The complete chess swindler’ on p. 82 you talk about the great escape Carlsen concocted against Kramink in the London chess Classic 2010. I watched the game live and remember distinctly Carlsen with a smile saying he deployed a bit of gamesmanship after 61… Rc5: He sighed and was shaking his head, representing the disillusionment of missing the simplification to an easily winning endgame. It could have been the final nudge for the former world champion not to critically investigate the ending.

    Interestingly, Kramnik doesn’t mention this ploy when he can finally talk about this game he would draw ‘only one in a million times’ 12 years later. https://mobile.twitter.com/chess24com/status/1380934252733333508/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1380934252733333508&currentTweetUser=chess24com

    Unfortunately, I can’t find the original broadcast anymore and this detail is not mentioned in reports I can still find. For example, https://en.chessbase.com/post/london-che-claic-carlsen-pulls-a-houdini and for chess.com I could only find the report of a round later https://www.chess.com/news/view/magnus-carlsen-wins-london-masters-5521 moreover, the at the time excellent chessvibes is completely gone. With these missing reports and unavailable pictures in the ones I do find, I appreciate physical books like yours more. I love your light hearted but very correct presentation style and hope you’ll trust me or find a source and add this detail in the next print of your sportful book.

    I wonder if you’ve seen this as well and if you think this gamesmanship ventures too much into actively influencing the psychological state of the opponent. You’re probably already very aware how master psychologist Giri gently enabled Shankland to resign in a drawn ending in Wijk aan Zee a few years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnK4ye-aPCc&ab_channel=TataSteelChessTournament

    Lastly, I am more of a positional player and an inspiring teammate of mine scores much better on resourcefullness. I do however have one swindle I think you’ll like:

    1r2r1k1/6p1/1n5p/1R1PP3/p7/1p4P1/P2N3P/2R4K w – – 0 40

    [Event “KNSB 2A”]
    [Site “?”]
    [Date “2021.09.18”]
    [Round “1”]
    [White “Bakker, Jouke”]
    [Black “Taal, Rieks”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “B40”]
    [SetUp “1”]
    [FEN “1r2r1k1/6p1/1n5p/1R1PP3/pp6/6P1/P2N3P/2R4K b – – 0 39”]
    [PlyCount “65”]
    [EventDate “2021.??.??”]

    39… b3 {Not objectively the best move, but this pawn is what’s good about
    black’s position} 40. axb3 axb3 41. Rb1 Rxe5 42. Rxb6 Rxb6 43. Nc4 Rxd5 44.
    Nxb6 Rb5 45. Nc4 Rb4 46. Ne5 Kf8 {Not to give the impression the King would go
    any other way..} 47. Nd3 Rb5 48. Nc1 b2 49. Nd3 Rb3 50. Nxb2 Kg8 {Now it’s
    actually drawn! Although we both missed an oppertunity for white later.} 51.
    Kg1 Kh7 52. Kf2 Kg6 53. Ke2 Kh5 $2 (53… h5 $1 54. Kd2 h4 55. Kc2 Re3 56. Rg1
    Re2+ 57. Kc3 Rxh2) 54. Kd2 Kg4 55. Kc2 Re3 56. Rd1 g5 57. Rd2 h5 58. Nd3 h4 59.
    Nf2+ Kf3 60. g4 (60. gxh4 gxh4 61. Nh3 {Only winning move, stopping the
    bridging Re2}) 60… Re1 61. h3 Kg3 62. Kd3 Re8 63. Re2 Rf8 64. Nd1 Rd8+ 65.
    Kc2 Kxh3 66. Re4 Kg3 67. Re3+ Kxg4 68. Nf2+ Kf4 69. Rc3 Rd5 70. Nh3+ Kg4 71.
    Nf2+ Kf4 {Unfortunately a full point swindle is just not in the cards} 1/2-1/2

  4. Hi.
    I finished your chessable course, and looking forward to read Scandinavian book. I just wanted to know if a chessable course is possible or in planning for the same?

  5. Hi Steven. I am not entirely sure what line you refer to. Certainly in the main line,
    1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.dxe6 Bxe6 5.Nf3 Qe7 6.Qe2 Nc6,
    …White can’t get away with a quick fianchetto (7.g3? 0-0-0 8.Bg2?? Bxc4).
    The only other line I can think of is something like 5.g3 Nc6 6.d3 (the pawn on c4 needs defending) 6…Bc5, and now 7.Bg2?? Ne5 is already resignable for White.

  6. Hi David, really enjoying your book on the Scandinavian defence!

    I had a question regarding the Icelandic Gambit. I’ve found when I play the Scandinavian as Black it comes up in a huge number of my games.

    One tricky way I am finding is after Bxe6, White defends by fianchettoing kingside to try and get their king out of the centre fast.

    Do you have any recommendations/ general plans against such a line?

  7. Hi Igor. I never took the idea any further than that research proposal. I like the idea of network analysis, but to be honest, from a chess-politics perspective I think it’s important that any tie-break system be easily understood by the chess public. What I would like to see more of is quantitative testing of which tie-break system does best. This actually is quite easy to do, involving running a horse-race of different systems to predict the final-round results. But I haven’t seen it done yet.

  8. Hello David! Recently I’ve been looking for more information about tiebreakers in Swiss and Round Robin tournaments, and I found your article from 2012 about a tiebreaker using the directed network of wins. I found it extremely interesting and I was wondering if there was any follow up on that? Were you able to find good deltas for different numbers of players in a tournament?

    I’m also currently working on a non-chess related project, but it does involve Swiss tournaments so I would like to do a research on which tiebreakers would be the best to use. In this competition, draws are very unlikely or even non-existent, due to the nature of the competition. However, players are more likely to leave the tournament while it’s happening and ruin Buchholz Score of players they faced while they were in it. There are usually 20-100 players and 5-7 rounds (5 rounds for 17-32 players, 6 rounds for 33-64 players, 7 rounds for 65-128 players).

    So far, I feel like Buchholz Cut 1 would be the best choice for the first tiebreaker, because it would make it a bit more fair towards players whose opponents left the tournament. Buchholz Cut 2 would probably cut too many results, especially in a tournament with only 5 rounds. What would you recommend in this case? Would a directed network of wins be a good solution, considering the fact that the number of draws converges to 0?

    Thank you very much for your time and for everything you’re doing!

  9. Dear GM Smerdon:

    I have just seen a game you played White against an unnamed player and it impressed me a lot. It is a Petroff Defence and first you squeeze Black’s Queen Wing completely, after which you procedd to attack the Black King and gives it a checkmate in move 44. Would you please tell me where can I find the moves of this game? Thank you very much.
    Yours,
    Gustavo Silva

  10. Please contact New in Chess (the publishers). There is already a German edition.

  11. Hello. I would like to publish in Italian your work The complete chess swindler. Can you contact me for arrangements ?
    Thank you,

    Marco Saba

  12. Hi David, I was watching a video from a lecture you did at the Melbourne Chess Club and you mention a “pieces in the box” historical chess game. I’ve looked just about everywhere and can’t find any mention of this game anywhere. I was wondering if there was a direction you could point me? Thanks.

  13. Hi David,
    I have pretty much enjoyed reading your latest book and as a gesture of thank you, I’d like to share with you a little swindle gem of mine that i am little bit proud of.
    The thing took place in France back in 1996; i was playing for my company’s team (by that time Alcatel, a telecom equipment manufacturer) in a team tournament where we were playing the railways team of Austerlitz station in Paris. Both myself (playing black) and my opponent (Thierry Simeone) were in our 1800’s rating ; so by no means a GM level but still it was fun.
    As i can’t attach a picture here is the position in the old fashioned string notation from rank 1 to 8 (capital letters are for white pieces) and for each rank from a to h:
    – – – – R – K – /- – – B – P – – / P – – – – – P -/ p – r – – – k P/ – – – – P – – -/ – – – – q – p -/ – – – – – p – Q/- – – – – – – -/
    In this position it was my turn (black) to play and i was dead lost. After a long thought (we were just past the 40th move) i saw a little swindle idea
    1….Qd5!! (The two exclamation marks are in accordance with your book convention ; by no means an engine’s first move – of course at the time i couldn’t check it – My queen is hitting the d2 Bishop and eying the long diagonal in association with Kh3 ideas)
    2. Qh6?? (My opponent simply protected the B throwing away the win; the comp’s suggestion of Re3 wins outright) Kh3! (Now it is level but although i saw my next i wasn’t yet fully certain that it was indeed a draw; needless to say my opponent was far away from realizing it as he confidently played)
    3. Kf1 (what else) Rc1+!! (This took my opponent completely by surprise)
    4. Be1?? (Now he is losing; Bxc1 was necessary whereby after Qd1+ Re1 Qd3+ it is a draw) Qf3!! (Now my opponent and his bewildered teammates started to realize what’s going on and after a 10 minutes thought he played)
    5. Re3 Qh1+
    6. Ke2 Qxe1+
    7. Kf3 Qd1+ And resigned (black’s king will be mated)
    0-1
    Regards
    Souheil MARINE
    Lebanon

  14. Hi David,

    I wanted to reach out to you to see if you’d be interested in converting your book on the Scandinavian into a trainable Chessable format. I think it could provide some nice income for you while also making it much easier to train the concepts in your book. If you’d be interested in this, feel free to reach out to me at eb11web@gmail.com

  15. Hello Kwatschewsky. Thanks for the nice link (and review!). It’s an interesting question about online swindling. You are right that things like body language play less of a role. On the other hand, I think Hikaru recently said that his choice of a move was based in part on Magnus’ body language on his webcam! I think the main difference with online chess is that it’s usually at a much faster time control, so things like berserk attacks are even more effective.

  16. Thanks, David, for writing such a brilliant and much needed book! My local chess club just published a short review in German (http://schachklub-landau.de/index.php/213-das-schachbuch-des-jahres). To be honest, it’s not exactly a review but plain praise 😉

    One question: As “The Complete Chess Swindler” came out just before COVID-19, we are wondering how a “Swindling Online” Chapter would have looked like. Would you say swindling online is just the same as otb minus reading the body language (cf. your prime example Giri-Shankland!) or are there any specifics in trying to trick an opponent online? Many thanks in advance!

    All the best,
    Kwatschewsky

  17. Hi Crisanto. Thanks for the nice words!
    Best regards from Brisbane,
    David

  18. Hi Uwe. My preference is 3.Ng5 e5! 4.Nxe4 f5!. Just be careful that after 5.Nbc3 you shouldn’t capture on e4 immediately because of Qh5+. Play 5.Nbc3 Nc6! and Black is better.

  19. Hi, I’m from Rome, Italy. I’ve a brother who lives in Sydney.
    I want estimate your book about Swindles like one of my favourite. I’m a federal instructor of chess and great reader (700 chess books at my home). In my club I create interesting good level courses and the one in preparing is quite about traps. Your work will be very valuable for me, I’ll take some exemples from yours.
    Finally I think your pages are a great masterpiece in chess literature. Very deep and tasty, it cover a large blank of teoricians.
    Thank!
    Crisanto Crisanti

  20. Dear David,
    i am just beginning to play your Scandi. Mostly in Blitz / Bullet. Believe it or not quite often I get 1.e4 d5 2. Nf3 ?!. This must be bad, but after dxe4 3.Ng5 it is not so easy as I thought. What is the best method to refute it?
    Best regards
    Uwe
    BTW i would say I am an club level player altough I quit playing in a club long ago. Now only internet chess.

  21. I am reading and very much looking forward to playing Smerdon’s Scandinavian. I used to play The French (very stodgy) and The Najdorf but at club level you more often than not get to defend an anti Sicilian.
    Now if Mr Smerdon would offer a repertoire for White… and for Black against 1.d4/1.c4, we would have a complete Smerdon’s Repertoire! Is that being too greedy?

  22. Hi Smerdon.This is the chess comedian and would like to remind you to quote my name (Irungu Brian -10812199 fide id )in you website. I also wish that you cite my very exceptional mastery of play in chess. Thank you in advance.

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