Shark Learning Outcomes

The Shark academy program is designed for players between 150 and 450 rating points.

By the end of the "Shark" program you should expect to have learned:

Foundation

Foundation Principles

Understand and implement foundation principles for the whole game, the opening, middlegame and the endgame.

  • Platinum Rules - Whole Game Principles (Consistently not losing any pieces and learning to fight for the win)
  • Golden Rules - Opening Principles (Controlling the centre, getting your army out and keeping your king safe)
  • Silver Rules - Middlegame Principles (Getting your pieces active, knowing when to exchange pieces and improve your bad pieces)
  • Bronze Rules - Endgame Principles (Using your king, winning pawns and queening pawns)

Opening

Openings & Middle-Game

Understand and implement typical middle-game plans and the key strategies for both White and Black in the following openings:

  • Four Knights Game
  • Italian Game
  • Giuoco Pianissimo

Tactics

Tactical Motifs

Understand the following tactical motifs and use them in their own games to win pieces and checkmate their opponent:
  • Double Attack
  • Knight Fork
  • Decoy
  • Deflection
  • Discovered Attack
  • Discovered Check
  • Double Check
  • Pin
  • Skewer
  • Clearance
  • Overloading
  • Back Rank
  • Queen Sacrifice
  • King Hunt
  • Destroying the Defences
  • Mate in the endgame
  • Lethal Long Diagonal
  • Pawn Promotion mates
  • Deadly Doubled Rooks
  • The Zwischenzug
  • Stalemate

Endgame

Endgames

Have a thorough practical understanding of King and Pawn endings, the basis of all chess endings:

  • Fundamentals
  • Two Pawns
  • Shoulder Barge
  • Extra pawn
  • Extra pawn on the same side
  • Outside passed pawn
  • Protected passed pawn
  • King Geometry
  • Pawn Breakthrough
  • Distant Opposition
  • Triangulation
  • Reserve Tempi
  • Queen Ending Switch
  • Endgame Studies

Heroes

Chess Heroes

Learn about the greatest players in Chess History:

  • Peter Svidler
  • Louis Paulsen
  • Adolf Anderssen
  • Frank Marshall
  • Artur Yusupov
  • Alexander Alekhine
  • Alexei Shirov
  • Anatoli Karpov
  • Vasily Smyslov
  • Boris Spassky
  • Xie Jun
  • Gary Kasparov
  • Teimour Radjabov
  • Akiba Rubinstein
  • Emanuel Lasker
  • Richard Reti
  • Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
  • Alexander Grischuk
  • Bobby Fischer
  • Paul Morphy
  • Efim Geller
  • Mihail Tal
  • Mikhail Chigorin
  • Vassily Smyslov