Keeping Up With Melik
While most coaches emphasize the importance of their students games, GM Melik Khachiyan also believes there's a lot you can learn from his own matches. In the series, you'll get the opportunity to review some of GM Khachiyan's most entertaining games, while learning a little on the way.
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Keeping up with Melik: Victory Vs GM Ramirez! He plays in so many tournaments, continuously creates one instructive moment for his Chess.com Students to enjoy after another, and always does so with style! Who is he? GM Melik Khachiyan of course! We decided to create a new series designed to "keep up" with Melik and his journey, and here he takes on recent Death Match runner up, and Chess.com Ambassador, GM Alejandro Ramirez.
Keeping Up with Melik: Victory Vs IM Kiewra! In one of his most recent tournaments, GM Khachiyan faced off against a fellow Chess.com video author to create a dynamic, classical Spanish struggle! International Master Keaton Kiewra took the white pieces into this main line Lopez, but when Melik engineered the threat of a d5-pawn break, Keaton was forced to concede the advantage and found himself slowly outplayed into the late middlegame/endgame.
Keeping Up With Melik: Top Defense Today GM Melik thanks the Chess.com members for providing him with the needed encouragement and support to keep playing actively and to strive further, and always for improvement! Without that, we would never have had the pleasure of the current spectacle! Melik takes on an aggressive, and surprisingly well prepared opponent. He quickly finds himself on the defensive. Is he resourceful enough to "wiggle away" to does he falter to black's kingside attack?
Keeping Up With Melik: Consistency! Here GM Khachiyan reviews a big win he had as black at a tournament he won over President's Day weekend. In his own words, winning this event was a "recession buster", and Melik talks about his philosophy both on and off the chess board going into his game against Matamoros. He ultimately finds a way to convert a better pawn structure into a winning Knight vs Bishop ending, and as usual, he provides great advice on the techniques used to beat his opponent.
Keeping Up With Melik: Battle Of Minds! Fans of the Budapest Gambit will appreciate GM Melikset Khachiyan's treatment of a topical anti-Grunfeld variation. Melik shows how his savvy preparation, with the help of his trusty sidekick Houdini, netted him an outpost deep in White's territory. As white ran low on time, the grandmaster showed once again how knights can compete with bishops.
Keeping Up With Melik: Positional Struggle! GM Melikset Khachiyan plays an old foe and gives a clinic on how to slowly pick apart the "Stonewall" pawn formation. He also gives sage advice on what to do when you are surprised out of the opening. The methodical effort includes play on both sides of the board, and involves both knights retreating to the first rank! The final zugzwang idea is a picturesque and fitting finish to this tense positional struggle.
