Chess superstar Levon Aronian has recently moved to America. Get to know his history and games with help from his childhood chess coach, GM Melik Khachiyan.
GM Melik Khachiyan shows you the best work of today's top young players. Learn from the amazing games of Alireza Firouzja, Jeffery Xiong, and Nihal Sarin.
The Carlsbad pawn structure can be reached from many openings, most frequently the Queen's Gambit Declined and related systems. It has been played from both sides by many world champions and is even a favorite of the super chess engine AlphaZero! Join GM Melik as he demonstrates some of the lesser-known, but essential plans for both sides in this dynamic structure.
Learn how Grandmasters prevent their opponent from getting pieces to good squares before going in for the checkmate. GM Melik demonstrates multiple top level games in the Ruy Lopez, which provide a good understanding of how to play that opening, as well as two of his own games, which he needed to win to contend for top prizes in tournaments.
Want to see how a Grandmaster and famous chess coach like Melik Khachiyan approaches his own tournament games? Join Melik as he demonstrates his thought process on his way to winning an open tournament. Melik demonstrates the importance of in-between-moves and other surprising tactics that can make the difference between winning and losing key games.
Get to know the chess pieces and how to set up the board.
Learn the basic rules of chess and how to play a full game.
Get an advantage in the first few moves
Turn your advantage into checkmate.
Keep your eyes open and capture more pieces.
Win the game by focusing your attack on the vulnerable king
Learn about the most common book chess openings and their main ideas
Explore the strengths and weaknesses of each piece
Know what to do when most pieces are off the board
Surprise your opponents with powerful winning moves
Control the game by calculating a few moves ahead
See the whole board so you can decide on the best plan
Understand what makes the most popular openings great
Train yourself to discover the right plans and ideas
Make the most of each piece by finding its best square
Improve your endgame play with these winning techniques
Set your sights on the king and overwhelm his defences
Win more games with beautiful chess combinations
Learn the critical themes to win more games in the end