1400 - Beginner To Master | Chess Speedrun

Themes

Each number is a game; it opens the move where he explains the idea. Open a theme to read what it is about.

The method of comparison, in both directions
A move is right or wrong for a reason. Compare it with a position where it was the other way round, and the reason shows.
03 07 08 11 18 20
Bank the material when the option is there
Offered a promising attack or a clean extra piece, take the piece. It is still there if the attack fizzles.
01 03
Compare the captures, do not take the flashy one
With more than one way to capture, compare where each leaves the pieces. The flashy one, a fork or a check, is often not the best.
03 08 09 15
Make one move do two jobs
When a task can be done in a way that also does something else, do it that way. Do not tie a piece to one job if another can do it and keep working.
01 03 05 06 10 11 12 14 15 18 19 22 23

Castling is a developing move, not only a safety move
Castle for what it does for the pieces, such as a rook on a file about to open, not only because the king feels unsafe.
01 03

Defend a pawn with a pawn
A pawn defending a pawn costs nothing, where a piece doing it is a piece out of the game.
02 03

Restrict the bishop, or pay to remove it
A strong bishop has to be dealt with: take away its best square, shut it in behind pawns, or pay something to trade it off.
02 03 04 23
Identify the one piece that matters
Work out which single piece the position runs on, and be willing to pay to remove it, or to keep it.
03 04 10 24

Spend a move to make the natural move work
When the natural move is one quiet move away from working, play the quiet move first.
02 03 04 07 15 24
A piece up, convert by improving
A piece ahead, finish developing rather than hunting for more material, and look for the trade that turns the advantage into a win.
03 11 16 20 21