Online Chess Platforms or Chess Promotion Sites:
Lichess.org
The French reference, free, ad-free, with a simple and pleasant design, where I spend most of my time playing chess, doing tactical exercises, and studying. My username is “AACtrl” (don’t be upset if I don’t reply within the hour).
Lichess4545 League
The online chess league for long games (3-4 hours), played in teams, associated with Lichess, which I’ve been part of since the lockdowns. A friendly and very active community, but exclusively English-speaking.
Chess Tempo
Originally a site specialized in tactical exercises. Its originality lies in providing a “comments” feature so users can explain solutions and share their analyses. It offers other tools (opening training, watching games by masters or digitized books), but the outdated interface puts me off. I still visit daily for its endgame exercises (two per day in its free version, which is more than enough). I recommend selecting the “benchmark” set and the “easy” difficulty level.
YouTube Channels:
Blitzstream
As its name doesn’t suggest, this is a French-speaking channel. Very popular, with high-quality content that’s accessible to all, and a “young and energetic” presentation. It’s this last point that annoys me, but don’t let my opinion stop you.
Progresser avec Marc Quenehen
“Educationel games”, primarily aimed at beginners, commented on by a “calm old man” with a refined way of speaking. I enjoy it!
Julien Song
Courses and game commentaries with a style that’s undeniably more modern.
Saint Louis Chess Club
Chess lessons from grandmasters, available to everyone! My recommendation, given the wide variety of content: click on the magnifying glass and type “Akobian”.
PowerPlay Chess
Games by grandmasters commented on by GM Daniel King. The format is short, the tone is calm, and the explanations are clear and concise. His English is easy for a non-native speaker to follow, and at the same time, his vocabulary is sufficiently varied to avoid repetitive phrasing. This is a trap that drives me crazy with other YouTubers. That, and begging for money…
Daniel Naroditsky
Another very popular and pedagogical grandmaster.
ChessNetwork
His analyses of grandmaster games, his own games commented on, and his lessons for beginners, delivered in a calm and measured tone, are excellent. I’m less keen on his multi-hour blitz sessions.
ChessCoach Andras
The channel of Andras Toth, a coach and International Master. I particularly recommend his “Inside my head” series, where he comments on blitz games live, with humor and pedagogy.
John Bartholomew
Similar to the previous one. A large and varied range of content, good diction, and a pleasant attitude. I regularly visit his channel to familiarize myself with new openings (click the magnifying glass and type the name of the opening). He has a solid and positional style.
The Butcher
The channel of Miodrag Perunovic, a coach and International Master. He can be a bit arrogant, but he has all the qualifications to back it up! When I need a “surprise” opening and only have twenty minutes to prepare, this is my go-to source. Complementary to the previous channel, as he opts for more spectacular and risky lines.
Melbourne Chess Club
This is starting to date, but FM Grant Szuveges’ lessons on openings, especially on the Nimzo-Larsen and the Gurgenidze System, have had a strong influence on my repertoire.
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