NM Dan Heisman's archive

Dan has released four highly-rated instructional "Improve Your Chess" video series for ICC Chess.FM, bringing you his innovative teaching methods on how to play better chess. Dan also hosted the "Ask the Renaissance Man" live radio show for many years on Chess.FM.

To see shows by release date, with a free 5 minute preview of each show, please click here.

Thought Process and General Improvement:

1. Introduction to Pawns
2. Introduction to Thought Process
3. Thought Process (2): Analytical and Non-Analytical Positions
4. Theory of Chess Improvement
5. Introduction to Time Management
6. Evaluation Criteria
7. Common Evaluation Misconceptions
8. Break Moves
9. Guide to P-R3
10. The 20-minute Exercise
11. The Maung Lesson
12. Introduction to Mobility and Activity
13. It's a Different Game When You're Way Ahead
14. More pawns in the middle is good
15. The margin for error
16. Strategy Based on Central Pawn Structure
17. Examples of Chess Logic
18. A key Part of the Thought Process
19. 20-minute Exercise #2
20. The Most Important Strategic Decisions
21. Dan vs Computer: Live & Verbalized
22. Avoid the Common Quiescence Error
23. Dan vs. Computer #2 - Slower Game (Part 1)
24. Dan vs. Computer #2 - Slower Game (Part 2)
25. The 3 Types of Chess Vision
26. Initial and Final Candidate Moves
27. 20 Minute Exercise #3
28. Dan vs Computer #3 - Part 1
29. Dan vs Computer #3 - Part 2
30. Identifying Candidate Moves
31. 20-minute exercise #4 
32. Dan vs. Computer #4 (Part 1)
33. Dan vs. Computer #4 (Part 2)
34. Pawns: Majority Rolls and Bishops in the Opening
35. Using Computer Engine to Analyze on ICC
36. 20-minute exercise #5
37. The mythical Capture with the Least Valuable Piece principle

Tactics and Safety:

1. Introduction to Safety and Counting
2. Is It Safe?
3. The Seeds of Tactical Destruction
4. Tempos and Threats
5. Removal of the Guard
6. The Loman Series*
7. When is a King Safe?
8. The Safety Table
9. Five Ways to Make A Piece Safe
10. AWL: Attack it with something Worth Less

Openings and Opening Tabiyas:

1. Learning Tabiyas: The Closed Ruy Lopez
2. Tabiyas 2: King's Indian Defense Main Line
3. Tabiyas 3: Sicilian Dragon, Yugoslav Attack
4. Tabiyas 4: Two Knights Defense: Fried Liver/Lolli
5. Tabiyas 5: Sicilian Sveshnikov
6. Using Openings to Improve
7. Tabiyas 6: French Winawer
8. Tabiyas 7: Sicilian Najdorf
9. Tabiyas 8: Slav Defense
10. Tabiyas 9: Open Ruy Lopez
11. Queen's Gambit Declined & Slav Defenses
12. Tabiya 10: French Defense (Tarrasch Variation)
13. Tabiyas 11: Avoiding the Exchange Gruenfeld
14. Tabiyas 12: The Trappy Cambridge Springs Defense
15. Tabiya 13: Queen's Gambit Accepted
16. Tabiya 14 - g3 English
17. Gambit Overview
18. Teach Me Something About Openings

Endings:

1. King and Pawn vs. King (1)
2. King and Pawn vs. King (2)
3. King, Pawn and ? vs King
4. Queen vs. Pawn on the 7th Rank
5. Rook vs. Connected passed pawns
6. King and Two Pawns vs. King and Pawn
7. Instructive Amateur King and Pawn Endgame
8. Trading Pawns When Ahead
9. King and Pawn vs. King and Pawn
10. Endgame Techniques

Amateur Games

1. An Amateur Game (part 1); An Amateur Game (part 2)
2. Doubled Isolated Pawns can Sometimes be Nice
3. Don't Close off your Attack
4. Considering All Threats
5. Rushing Critical Moments
6. Save Time for Critical Moves
7. Play on and Try to Win
8. Handling Complexities
9. Any One Move Can Lose the Game
10. Playing a Sacrifice
11. It Helps to Understand the Opening
12. Dance on the Weak White Squares
13. Too Bad - Too Fast
14. A Million Ways to Win
15. Interesting in Every Phase
16. Don't Acquiesce (part 1); Don't Acquiesce (part 2)
17. Technique (part 1); Technique (part 2)
18. It's Not How You Start
19. Losing Material Doesn't Always Lose
20. Get Those Pawns Rolling
21. Parting With The Lady - This video's title is in memory of the late master Jerry Hanken
22. Closed Maneuvering
23. Instructive Rooks
24. Avoid Purposeful Errors
25. Endgame See-saw
26. Weak Squares and Majorities
27. King's Indian Complexities
28. Aggression Pays Off
29. Winning the Exchange is not Always Enough
30. The Imbalanced Sicilian
31. Passive Play When Ahead
32. Throw the Kitchen Sink
33. King and Pawn Endgames are Tricky
34. Flexible Opening - Opposite Side Castling
35. One Bad Move...Upset!
36. Missing That Opening Opportunity
37. Instructive Mistakes
38. Dan Isn't That Bad Any More
39. Strategic Misunderstandings
40. Tactical Oversights
41. The sense of danger
42. Playing fast in slow games is silly
43. Danger picking off pawns when way ahead
44. Sometimes Doing Nothing is Good
45. Opening Gambit Pays off
46. Playing Fast in a Clear Position
47. Double blunders
48. Random Game Usually Instructive
49. Another Instructive Endgame
50. Famous Opening Trap
51. Doubled Pawns Not Consequential
52. Back and Forth Flow
53. Frittering Away the Advantage
54. Want to Improve -- Learn this
55. Fine Combination not Consumated
56. One Bad Move in the Opening
57. Down a Piece? Fight Back!
58. Strong Amateurs in a Closed Game!
59. Making Critical Decisions Way Too Quickly
60. One Mistake in Time Trouble
61. A Tal-Like Sacrifice
62. Active King overcomes Bishop Opposite Color
63. Solid Game, Critical Mistake
64. Avoid the Just Play it Out Attitude
65. How Not to Play When Way Ahead - And Still Win
66. Ever Young Imbalanced Game
67. Openings vs. Opening Systems
68. Up Two Pieces Doesn't Win - Yet
69. Simul Game Victory
70. Play Too Fast - No Win
71. Without a Clock is a Different Game
72. A Ton of Instructive Ideas
73. How did the e-pawn Survive
74. See-saw Game Ends in Upset
75. Fast Play Throws Away Upset Vs FM
76. My First Game Against a Master
77. Exception - R&P OK vs. B&N
78. Win Thrown Away Twice
79. A difficult "Resigns" Position vs. an IM
80. Instructive King's Indian
81. Learning from a missed checkmate
82. Complicated Game Played Super-Fast
83. Wild Game with Big Mood Swings
84. Castling Opposite Sides - Fun Game
85. Monstrous Positional Blunder Seals Loss
86. Too Fast or Too Slow - Similar Problem
87. This King Exposure Was Fatal
88. Another Quickly, Badly Played Endgame
89. Two Big Blunders Even Out
90. Instructive King & Pawn Endgame (Again)
91. Black's Early Advantage Fades Away
92. This Story's Ending has Twists 
93. Well-known Opening Tactical Pattern
94. Played Well for a While Then Fell Apart
95. Doubleheader: Tactical Games
96. Too Quickly Played Positional Battle
97. Piece Against Two Pawns Early
98. A Cautionary Tale
99. This Time Fast Play Not Punished
100. It Doesn't Take Much to Lose
101. Well Played Slow Game 
102. Marshall Attack becomes Open Ruy
103. Wacky, Complicated Game
104. King's Indian Attack Had One Chance
105. Pretty Correspondence Finish
106. One Big Mistake Takes Down the 2200
107. Two 1900s on a Roller Coaster
108. Immortal Coulda Traded Queens Game 
109. Another Kingside Attack
110. Two Weaker Players Play Short Instructive Game
111. Rooks in the Openings
112. Amateur Correspondence Game Close Battle
113. Unsafe play - throws away 500 pt upset
114. Tough Rook and Pawn Endgame Not Held
115. Beating the Lower Rated Player with Kingside Attack
116. Playing Aggressively Vs Opponent 500 Points Higher
117. Strong Player, Weak Move
118. Sharp Opening, One Mistake: Fast Game
119. Minor Strategic Errors Add Up
120. Crazy Fast Play keeps Players Weak
121. Exciting Game - Both Sides Missed Chances
122. White misses one idea, Black misses one move
123. Lower Level Commentary to Aid the Needy
124. Upset Missed by Cashing in Chips for Too Little
125. The Sneaky Pin Double Blunder Game
126. Keeping Your Cool in Critical Positions is Key
127. What Happens When Break Move Unplayed
128. White Wins First Half, Black Wins Second
129. Book Knowledge Loses Value if you Blunder
130. Game with Instructive Counting Tactics
131. Two 1800s in a See-saw Battle 
132. Sharp Line Leads to Dangerous Defense
133. The Great Quiescence Error Game
134. Throwing the Kitchen Sink Failed
135. Little Mistakes Add up - Then Subtract
136. Strong Player's Fast Play Not Punished

To see shows by release date, with a free 5 minute preview of ea

ch show, please click here.

Dan Heisman on Watson's "Chess Talk"

Sept 30, 2008: Joining John Watson on Chess Talk is award-winning author, columnist, coach and Chess.FM's "The Renaissance Man" Q&A show host, Dan Heisman. Preview | Watch (members only) | NM Dan Heisman

Ask the Renaissance Man" Archives

National Master Dan Heisman is known for his excellence in chess coaching and teaching. Check out his audio archive clips from "Ask the Renaissance Man" Q & A show. Click here to view archive list