The Opening Secrets Most Chess Players Miss | Jaan Ehlvest's Grandmaster Opening Preparation

In this video, IM Thomas Engqvist examines Grandmaster Opening Preparation by Estonian-American Grandmaster Jaan Ehlvest, published by Quality Chess in 2018. Unlike most opening books, this work is not primarily about finding the objectively strongest engine line. Instead, Ehlvest explores how players should choose openings and variations according to their age, playing strength, style, practical needs, and competitive ambitions. The book also discusses the changing nature of opening preparation from the pre-computer Informator era to today's engine-driven chess world. Why is memorisation more important than ever? How should modern players choose between good and bad variations? And how can club players, coaches and titled players build an effective opening repertoire? A major focus of this video is Chapter 2, which examines the Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP) from both strategic and historical perspectives. We look at how great players such as Siegbert Tarrasch, Paul Keres, Anatoly Lein, Boris Spassky and Garry Kasparov handled these positions, particularly through the Tarrasch Defence in the Queen's Gambit. Whether you are a club player, tournament competitor, coach or aspiring master, this discussion offers valuable insights into opening preparation, endgame planning and the practical realities of modern chess improvement. Topics covered: • Grandmaster Opening Preparation by Jaan Ehlvest • Opening preparation in the computer era • The Informator era vs the engine era • The Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP) • Isolated pawn strategy • The Tarrasch Defence • Queen's Gambit • Sicilian Defence • Opening repertoires • Chess training and improvement • Middlegame planning • Practical opening choices for tournament players