If you’ve always wanted to learn how to play chess but never got around to it, online learning can be a more convenient, user-friendly way to learn and possibly even become skilled in the game.
Garry Kasparov, a chess grandmaster, offers a
What’s the Garry Kasparov
But is it worth purchasing this
Who Is Garry Kasparov?
Garry Kasparov is a Soviet-born chess master. In 1985, he became the world chess champion and was the youngest champion to win at just 22 years old.
He was also the first world chess champion to be defeated by a supercomputer in a competitive match. This defeat felt like physical pain, as Garry has expressed in his
Garry started playing chess when he was six years old. By 13, he had already become the Soviet youth chess champion. A few years later, when Garry was 16, he won his first international chess tournament.
Garry has a dynamic chess-playing style based on his strong intuition and ability to problem-solve in complicated positions. He’s known for his preparation and aggressive play.
Since he retired from chess in 2005, Garry has written several books, including Kasparov on My Great Predecessors (2004-2006) and Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins.
Garry has also done a
Overview of the Class
In Garry Kasparov Teaches Chess, Garry gives members insight into his favorite chess openings, tactics, and philosophies that could help them become better chess players.
The course contains 29 video lessons, with a total of seven hours and 20 minutes of content.
Are you interested to learn more? Here’s what you can expect from the course, as it contains a blend of philosophy, game strategies, psychology, workshops, and personal anecdotes.
Philosophy
Garry teaches you how a World Chess Champion thinks and shares his chess philosophies with the world. He applies the game of chess to real-life situations, such as when he explains that chess is similar to life.
“When we are overwhelmed with our own ideas, and plans, and projects, we tend to forget that there’s always a competition,” he says. “In chess, it’s always your opponent who makes the next move.”
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Game Strategies
Garry teaches interesting chess tactics he’s learned, such as the Double Attack, along with practical examples.
He also provides an in-depth analysis of specific strategies, such as skewers and how to make the most of your weak positions to gain an advantage when playing.
A significant focus is put on endgames and openings. Garry provides information about the endgame, where trading pieces take on greater significance and can give you an advantage.
There are also many video lessons focused on openings, with Garry providing advice on how to deal when your opponent plays your opening.
Understanding One’s Opponent
Garry explores the psychology of the game of chess, providing information and insight into how to disrupt your opponent and identify their target.
Personal Anecdotes
Some of Garry’s personal stories are included in these video lessons, which enrich them with color and personality. Garry shares stories about how he grew his repertoire and how he was introduced to chess as a child and gives you a behind-the-scenes view into some of his career highlights.
Some notable examples include when Garry analyzes his opening against his opponent Vishy Anand in 1995 and when he shares the pain of losing to chess computer Deep Blue and reflects on the defeat.
He also shares his chess tactic that once caused his opponent to literally jump from his seat during a chess game.
Workshops
In some video lessons, you’ll see Garry play against opponents. He also critiques some players’ games so that you can learn by seeing others in action.
Pros and Cons
Let’s explore some of the pros and cons of this
Pros
- This
MasterClass contains a good balance of theory and practice. - If you’re a Garry Kasparov fan, you’ll love his dissections of some of his most noteworthy chess games.
- The video lessons can be pretty technical, which can help you to learn more about the game and how to play better.
- The workshops help you see other people’s play styles and see how Garry improves on their strategies.
- The video lessons are inspiring, such as when Garry talks about how he’s overcome the pain of his mistakes. His advice and stories can encourage everyone, as they’re not limited to the game of chess.
- The course includes an 86-page workbook that you can download. It serves as a companion to the lessons. It’s useful because it contains practices so you can test your knowledge of what you’ve learned.
Cons
- If you’re not a chess fan, you might find some parts of this course too technical.
- The video lesson in which Garry plays opponents could be boring for some people. It has no dialogue.
- The course is not focused on chess beginners as the strategies and tactics often appeal to more advanced players.
Who Is This Class For?
You’ll benefit from taking this
- You love the game of chess.
- You want to learn the strategies and techniques of the game.
- You’re hoping to improve your chess game by learning from a pro.
- You’re a fan of Garry Kasparov.
- You’re looking for an online chess course that features technical information and strategies.
How Much Does This Course Cost?
If you want to take Garry Kasparov’s
You can’t purchase the course alone, which can make
However, a
You’ll be able to learn a variety of things, such as how to train your dog, how to become a better singer, how to take better photographs of people, and how to produce music, to mention just a few courses on offer.
MasterClass is an online learning platform that features famous, renowned instructors and gives them a chance to teach you what they’ve learned and let you go into their lives and careers behind the scenes.
To find out more, read our “MasterClass Review“. Once you’ve subscribed to the platform, make sure you check out “Best MasterClass Courses“.
Users’ Experience
If you’re still unsure if you should purchase a
- “The course is just over 7 hours long, and my opinion is that the course has about 4.5 [hours of] useful material for beginners and perhaps intermediate players. The rest of the course, about another three hours, is just [Garry] holding a simul (plays three people at once) and some pep talks towards the end, which I didn’t find very useful”.
- “I felt like everything… was pretty easy to understand. The videos on forks explain the concept very simply so that you can understand and then immediately move to more advanced examples”.
- “I’ve watched maybe four hours out of seven and didn’t find it useful, and I am far from professional… He tells us to watch out for pins, and look for discoveries, etc, but doesn’t teach thinking, in my opinion”.
- “Honestly, it’s more introductory than a super in-depth course that will solve all your problems, but at the same time, the actual examples and studies chosen are really excellent”.
Conclusion
If you love chess and want to improve your game, you should consider taking the Garry Kasparov
Once you have a
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