GM Gawain Jones on Killer Chess Training

GM Gawain Jones and GM Jacob Aagaard will be live on “Thinking Aloud”, this Thursday at 16:00 UK time on Killer Chess Training. This class is one of the favourites in the chess academy: Two people. Six positions. Real-time solving. 


Join them for a small preview of the second volume of Gawain’s Coffeehouse Repertoire 1.e4, which will be out in August (the first volume will be out in June).


This class is free for the members of Killer Chess Training, but I have set aside a few places for Quality Chess readers. You can join either by sending me a message on the Facebook page or on the KillerChessTraining (a) gmail.com email.



45 thoughts on “GM Gawain Jones on Killer Chess Training”

  1. All these distractions are holding up Lifetime Repertoire: The King’s Indian. We may have to lock Gawain in the basement until he finishes one of these projects.

  2. Jacob Aagaard :
    @Topnotch
    Based on locking John up in the dungeon for the King’s Gambit book, I am not sure it is the best process…

    Lock up both Jones and Negi in the same cell, and tell them the first to produce an editable book gets to leave. That might get some results.

  3. Is the plan to have the 4 early June releases on the same day? I note Forward Chess advertises the Taimanov book on the 1st, and the rest on the 9th. Normally this would suggest the physical versions as being the 8th and 16th, but perhaps something has changed and not all books will go on FC a week before physical release?

  4. @Paul H
    Nah Paul, those Lifetime Repertoire Courses are typically 20 hrs of video plus text files, so quite comparable in content to written books. Moreover their stable of authors include 1 or 2 top 10 players as well as quite a few other strong GM’s providing cutting edge theory. There is one drawback though, and it’s a big drawback, the video content is quite pricey. Another drawback is they don’t provide offline content as far as I know.

  5. @Topnotch
    Yes the videos are expensive. But my view is the trainable variations comprise but a small fraction of a book. And I’m not overly impressed by some of the top names offerings – if you are a top 10 player what is your motivation for explaining/ analysing what you really consider to be the top lines. Eg I think Vigorito on the Najdorf is a much better “book” than Giri, who is constantly pushing h5 and a5 etc, presumably as he does not want to talk about what he considers the best moves. Just my opinion though.

  6. Paul H :
    @Topnotch
    Yes the videos are expensive. But my view is the trainable variations comprise but a small fraction of a book. And I’m not overly impressed by some of the top names offerings – if you are a top 10 player what is your motivation for explaining/ analysing what you really consider to be the top lines. Eg I think Vigorito on the Najdorf is a much better “book” than Giri, who is constantly pushing h5 and a5 etc, presumably as he does not want to talk about what he considers the best moves. Just my opinion though.

    @Paul and @J Johnson

    You guys do make some interesting points but consider this:

    1) The lockdown is more than partly responsible for big names being able to find the time to do courses.

    2) Giri, Shankland, Wesley So, Gustafsson, L’Ami, Sethuraman, Harikrishna have all impressed me tremendously with the quality of their work. In fact in many cases some of them have exceeded my expectations, especially Wesley So and L’Ami. To be honest combined I have never seen or imagined anything like the quality of what Chessable has already published.

    3) Regarding the Giri vs Vigorito comparison, two things: A) The Najdorf is a very rich opening with very few established best moves or lines, and if Giri wants to keep 1 or 2 alternatives to himself for competitive reasons so be it, it does not mean that what he is offering is inferior though. B) While Vig is a very good and respected author, his book on the Najdorf is more or less a collection of the ideas of what the top GM’s are doing, don’t you think it is well worth its weight in gold to have one of these same top GM practitioners allow us into their Opening Laboratory and share their thought process with us?

    4)@John A Johnson – Point of fact, Wesley So used his Chessable Repertoire exclusively to win his match…

  7. Cont’d:

    4)@John A Johnson – Point of fact, Wesley So used his Chessable Repertoire exclusively to win his match over Magnus in one of the recent online Rapid finals. In fact had So remembered his own Course analysis in one of the critical lines against the Two Knight’s Defence, his margin of victory would have been wider. Indeed So’s analysis against TKD was so convincing that I was forced to abandon the following trendy line for Black:

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Nd5 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 f5 12.Nxe5 Qf6 13.Nf3 g5

    After viewing some of the courses from a few of the authors mentioned I have to say I have a new found respect for these top GM’s and the depth of their Opening Prep.

  8. @Paul and @John A Johnson

    You guys do make some interesting points but consider this:

    1) The lockdown is more than partly responsible for big names being able to find the time to do courses.

    2) Giri, Shankland, Wesley So, Gustafsson, L’Ami, Sethuraman, Harikrishna have all impressed me tremendously with the quality of their work. In fact in many cases some of them have exceeded my expectations, especially Wesley So and L’Ami. To be honest combined I have never seen or imagined anything like the quality of what Chessable has already published.

    3) Regarding the Giri vs Vigorito comparison, two things: A) The Najdorf is a very rich opening with very few established best moves or lines, and if Giri wants to keep 1 or 2 alternatives to himself for competitive reasons so be it, it does not mean that what he is offering is inferior though. B) While Vig is a very good and respected author, his book on the Najdorf is more or less a collection of the ideas of what the top GM’s are doing, don’t you think it is well worth its weight in gold to have one of these same top GM practitioners allow us into their Opening Laboratory and share their thought process with us?

    4)@John A Johnson – Point of fact, Wesley So used his Chessable Repertoire exclusively to win his match over Magnus in one of the recent online Rapid finals. In fact had So remembered his own Course analysis in one of the critical lines against the Two Knight’s Defence, his margin of victory would have been wider. Indeed So’s analysis against TKD was so convincing that I was forced to abandon the following trendy line for Black:

    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Nd5 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 f5 12.Nxe5 Qf6 13.Nf3 g5

    After viewing some of the courses from a few of the authors mentioned I have to say I have a new found respect for these top GM’s and the depth of their Opening Prep.

  9. Hi Jacob
    Not trying you tell you what to publish but have you considered a book such as Kuljasevic’s “How to Study Chess on you own”?
    You provide lots of good materials through your books but not a structured program as I’m sure you have for your students. Kuljasevic’s book provides adaptations according to ability Though you may say your new Academy is the solution I think your Killer Chess Academy is just too difficult for me having had a view of the videos and seeing how you and guests eg Sam breeze through variations in seconds I find hard to find in hours. At least with a more book based structured program eg what % time spent on playing/watching elite games/tactics/calculation/endgames/strategy etc I would progress more efficiently even though I may never approach the elite level.

  10. @JB – Would the Yusupov series not be the answer? It is a structured 10-book program, specifically built to have you do the Orange books first, then the blue, then the green, and not targeted at the 2400 to elite, but rather where it sounds like you are.

    QC Editors, correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to recall there being no specific order for the books, just Orange first, then Blue, then Green, but I don’t seem to recall anything like “Build Up …” being 1st vs 2nd vs 3rd. Obviously for the Orange, the test book would be 4th, but the other 3 order doesn’t matter, right?

  11. Also, aren’t a lot of their books already like a “structured” mini-series?

    Aagaard’s Grandmaster Preparation (6 books)

    Aagaard’s Attacking Manual (2 books)

    Gelfand’s Decision Making in Chess (4 books – I’m currently reading this, on 1 of 4)

    Polgar’s 3 book series

    Shankland’s 2 books

    Axel Smith’s 2 books that go together (Pump up and the subsequent Woodpecker Method from one of Pump Up’s chapters)

    The Classics series, which has got to be nearing 10 by now.

    Etc.

  12. @Patrick
    Appreciate the input but as I mentioned, these are not really structured more sets of books with useful material. If I look at your list what would I be prioritising and in what order? And is it equally applicable whatever my strength. Is the saying about club players bias it much more towards tactics good advice to follow. I have almost all the books but it’s more a case of picking up a book and doing half an hour’s worth study where I think I need to get stronger in a poorly organised way rather than a structured program

  13. Jacob Aagaard

    I bought Giri’s course on the French, but found it rather shallow compared to my personal needs. I understand that his audience is different. The video I did not really get anything out of. I prefer reading stuff anyway.

    Regarding an independent study plan: I actually do think that the books I have published are just that. Start in the beginning and get going. That’s it. You do not need an elaborate study plan. You need to start on page 1 and go to the last page and then take another book. Learning to work on chess, or anything, is a process in itself. I have thought about writing something like that.

    The material in the academy is for a very wide level. We have more members under 2100 than over. Looking at Sam is not giving a correct impression of what the academy offers. On the contrary. While the level is high, so is the explanation of things and the time spent to explain them. We have many 1600s and lower who are getting a lot out of it.

    Contact our admin and see if you can get a few days trial out of her, maybe you will change your mind 🙂

  14. JB :
    Hi Jacob
    Not trying you tell you what to publish but have you considered a book such as Kuljasevic’s “How to Study Chess on you own”?
    You provide lots of good materials through your books but not a structured program as I’m sure you have for your students. Kuljasevic’s book provides adaptations according to ability Though you may say your new Academy is the solution I think your Killer Chess Academy is just too difficult for me having had a view of the videos and seeing how you and guests eg Sam breeze through variations in seconds I find hard to find in hours. At least with a more book based structured program eg what % time spent on playing/watching elite games/tactics/calculation/endgames/strategy etc I would progress more efficiently even though I may never approach the elite level.

    Sounds like you would benefit a lot from a book structured along the lines of Jeremy Silman’s ‘Silman’s Complete Endgame Course – From Beginner to Master (2007)’ Probably his best work in my opinion and in exactly the format you are looking for.

    1. Jacob Aagaard

      Obviously, I recommend http://www.killerchesstraining.com to all.

      Regarding how to study chess on your own: To me it is usually just something people ask, because they lack confidence or will to get going. Get a good book and start on page 1. You cannot do anything really wrong. If you know you are bad at something; make sure you study it. Thinking Inside the Box deals with a lot of these things.

  15. @JB

    In your case, if I understand your rating correctly (Under 2000), probably the series to go with first would be the Yusupov Series. Again, Orange first! Which Orange book you do first doesn’t matter, just all the Orange first before you start any blue or green.

  16. According to Quality Chess themselves, there is an order within the coloured bands.

    The colours are orange (Fundamental), then green (Beyond The Basic) with the blue series (Mastery) last. Within the colour bands themselves the book order is Build, Boost, Evolution then exam.

    Check the Yusupov Challenge thread from February 2017.

  17. Edit: The colours are orange first, then blue, then green (having just looked at the books themselves)

  18. @James2
    Maybe this was answered some time ago but why was there never a Review and Exam follow up book for the green and blue series, just for the Orange ones?

  19. I don’t know JB. I think all of the books came out first, then there was a break until the orange Exam book was released a few years ago. After that, I don’t think anything else has been published regarding blue and green exam books.

  20. Hi to all. Any ETA about the PDF excerpt of Coffeehouses Repertoire by Jones?
    Thank you very much as always

  21. Hi

    Will the Coffeehouse apear earlier in Forward Chess?

    As a curiosity I noticed in the abridged index that the move 9…Qd7 doe sot appear listed
    in the main line of the 4PA. Is it mentioned but doe snot deserve a subsection or it is completely ignored?
    The reason why I asked is that although I am not convinced it is a good choice, it is not clear what is the good/best main option for White. In a similar recent repertoire from a “sister” editor, I think some of the recomendations simply fail

    thank you for your time

  22. @Luis Gouveia

    Yes, Coffeehouse will be on Forward Chess, probably a week in advance of Quality Chess. I am slightly vague on this as I am always wary of printing or shipping delays.

    Yes, 9…Qd7 is covered in depth – looks about 7 pages on it. It is not mentioned in the Index as it is covered in the illustrative game Kotronias – Short.

  23. John

    Many thanks; looking forward to the book

    by the way, is it known what G. Jones recommends against 1…e5?

  24. After 1.e4 e5 Gawain has some excellent and thoroughly researched ideas, more details of which will be available when we publish the excerpt for Volume 2.

  25. @Andrew Greet
    My memory is Jones says on the video on the book’s page on your website what he recommends here. I think he said Scotch Gambit (this bit my memory is hazier£

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