It’s that time of year again. That’s right, it’s time to start voting for the 3rd edition of the Chessable Awards, the Oscars of chess courses.
In 2022, there was plenty to be excited about at Chessable. With over 250 courses released, this might be the toughest year yet to choose which were the best.
Some really big names made their debut on Chessable last year, such as U.S. Olympian Levon Aronian, coach of the highly successful young Indian team Ramesh R.B., and beloved chess commentator Maurice Ashley.
That’s just a few of the standout authors who created courses for Chessable last year. Chess lovers from all walks of life authored so many great courses. From hobbyists to some of the world’s top ten, there were loads of courses to pick from, which makes this year’s competition quite fierce. But hey, that’s what we want to see, right?
So we’d like to ask you as a trusted Chessable user what you think the best courses of 2022 were.
How It Works
From Thursday, February 2nd until Monday, February 13th, you will have the opportunity to vote on what you think the best courses were in a number of categories.
The winners of the awards will be announced to users in a blog post and through our newsletter.
Each category will have a list of nominees for you to choose from. All you have to do is pick which one you thought was the best by filling out this form.
The categories for this year are:
Course of the Year (Your Favorite Course)
It’s time to jump in and cast your vote for which course you felt was the best overall course in 2022. Of course, with so many good options, that’s easier said than done.
The nominees are:
- Understanding Chess Openings: 1. e4 – Part 3 by Vladimir Kramnik
- The Master’s Hand: Capablanca’s Endgame Technique by Alex Colovic
- Grind Like a Grandmaster by Magnus Carlsen & David Howell
- Alex Banzea’s London System
- Lifetime Repertoires: Jobava London by Hans Niemann
- Shankland’s Chess Calculation Workbook by Sam Shankland
- Lifetime Repertoires: Nimzo/Semi-Tarrasch – Part 2 by Surya Ganguly
- Keep It Simple 1. e4 – 2.0 by Christof Sielecki
- Improve Your Chess Calculation by Ramesh R.B.
- Lifetime Repertoires: Plichta’s French Defense by Kamil Plichta
- The Secrets of Chess Geometry by Maurice Ashley
- The Beginner’s 1. e4 Repertoire by Andras Toth
- Endgame Strategy (Revised and Expanded Edition) by Mikhail Shereshevsky & Presented by Sam Shankland
Best New Author
Year after year, new authors continue to come to Chessable to produce high-quality chess courses for users of all levels. Last year was no exception, and we were so fortunate to have some fresh faces debuting courses on Chessable. We had Olympic legends and one of the most respected chess commentators in the world joining our star-studded roster this year.
Now it’s up to you to choose between the best new chess talent on Chessable.
The nominees are:
- Angelika Valkova
- Ivan Saric
- Hans Niemann
- Ramesh R.B.
- Maurice Ashley
- Roeland Pruijssers
- Ivan Cheparinov
- Rustam Kasimdzhanov
- Midas Ratsma
- Benjamin Gledura
- Aleksandr Rakhmanov
- Levon Aronian
Best Presenter
A new category in this edition of the Chessable Awards is “Best Presenter”.
Sometimes an author’s delivery and presentation are what makes a course stand out and the text that much clearer. So for this category, we’re highlighting the authors who go the extra mile in their video presentations.
The nominees are:
- Can Kabadayi
- Alan-Safar Ramoutar
- Andras Toth
- Pepe Cuenca
- Maurice Ashley
- Kamil Plichta
- Judit Polgar
- Azel Chua
- Matthew Sadler
- Sam Shankland
- Surya Ganguly
- Christof Sielecki
- Simon Williams
Best Opening Course for White
This year, we’ve decided to break down the best opening courses by color instead of overall opening courses. It makes the job of choosing between so many fantastic opening courses a little easier, we hope!
The nominees are:
- The Beginner’s 1. d4 Repertoire by IM Andras Toth
- Lifetime Repertoires: Gajewski’s 1. e4 – Part 2 by GM Grzegorz Gajewski
- The Killer Colle-Zukertort System by GM Simon Williams
- Lifetime Repertoires: Jobava London by GM Hans Niemann
- Lifetime Repertoires: Giri’s 1. e4 – Part 2 by GM Anish Giri
- 1. d4 for Ambitious Chess Improvers by Angelika Valkova
- 1.Nf3: The Reversed Queen’s Indian by IM Yuriy Krykun
- Lifetime Repertoires: Adhiban’s 1. e4 by GM Adhiban Baskaran
- Attacking Repertoire for Club Players: 1. e4 by FM Midas Ratsma
- Tame the Sicilian: The Alapin Variation by GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov and GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly
- Lifetime Repertoires: Sahaj and Srinath’s London System GM Sahaj Grover and GM Srinath Narayanan
- The Beginner’s 1. e4 Repertoire by IM Andras Toth
- The Open Sicilian: A Champion’s Guide by GM Ivan Saric
- Alex Banzea’s London System by IM Alex Banzea
- Keep It Simple 1. e4 – 2.0 by IM Christof Sielecki
- Lifetime Repertoires: Krykun’s 1. e4 – Part 1 & 2 by IM Yuriy Krykun
Best Opening Course for Black
Continuing with the theme of the last category is the Best Opening Course for Black.
The nominees are:
- Unexplored French Defense by IM Yuriy Krykun
- Lifetime Repertoires: Peter Svidler’s Grünfeld – Part 2 by GM Peter Svidler
- The Classy Semi-Tarrasch Defense by GM Lenier Dominguez
- Lifetime Repertoires: Cheparinov’s Najdorf by GM Ivan Cheparinov
- Lifetime Repertoires: Sethuraman’s Semi-Slav by GM S.P Sethuraman
- Lifetime Repertoires: Plichta’s French Defense by FM Kamil Plictha
- Lifetime Repertoires: Triangle Slav by GM Erwin L’Ami and IM Christof Sielecki
- Lifetime Repertoires: Nimzo/Semi-Tarrasch – Part 2 by GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly
- Lifetime Repertoires: Kan Sicilian by GM Arturs Neiksans and GM Igor Kovalenko
- Lifetime Repertoires: Alekhine Defense by GM Roeland Pruijssers
- The Hippopotamus Defense by New in Chess & Presented by GM Simon Williams
- Understanding Chess Openings: 1.e4 – Part 3 by GM Vladimir Kramnik
Best Tactics Course
In 2022, Chessable diversified its catalog more than ever, and that includes a whole slew of tactics courses.
The nominees are:
- Play Winning Chess by GM Yasser Seirawan
- Calculation: A Workbook for Tournament Players by CM Azel Chua
- Accelerate Your Chess by GM Simon Williams
- Shankland’s Chess Calculation Workbook by GM Sam Shankland
- Evaluate Before You Calculate: A Step By Step Guide by FM Viktor Neustroev
- The Secrets of Chess Geometry by GM Maurice Ashley
- How I Became an International Master by IM Alan-Safar Ramoutar
- World Champion Calculation Training – Part 2 by GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko
- The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal by Everyman Chess & Mikhail Tal & FM Kamil Plichta presented by GM Simon Williams
- Improve Your Chess Calculation by GM Ramesh R.B.
Best Strategy Course
Tactics may decide 99% of games at the sub-2000 level, but ultimately tactics arise from good strategic and positional play. And teaching strategic concepts is no easy task.
So let’s take a look at the contenders for best strategy courses in 2022.
The nominees are:
- Essential Pawn Structures by IM Ekaterina Atalik
- Grandmaster Training: Advanced Chess Fundamentals by GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov
- Micro-Plans II: Mastering Piece Productivity by GM Swapnil Dhopade
- Stop ‘Em Cold! A Guide to Prophylaxis by GM Pepe Cuenca
- The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement by Matthew Sadler & New in Chess
- Levon Aronian’s Beauty of Chess – Vol. 1 by GM Levon Aronian
- Light & Dark Magic – Color Complexes in Chess by GM Axel Smith
- Winning Chess Middlegames by GM Ivan Sokolov
- Everyone’s First Strategy Kit by WIM Tijana Blagojević
- Fundamentals of Chess Strategy by GM Georg Meier
Best Endgame Course
Ah, endgames. One of the most neglected parts of the game for improving players, yet one of the most important to study. After all, it was José Raúl Capablanca who said “In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame.”
Like strategy, it can be difficult to make an endgame course come alive. So let’s see who made the extra effort in developing engaging endgame courses.
The nominees are:
- The Master’s Hand: Capablanca’s Endgame Technique by GM Alex Colovic
- Master Your Endgames with Judit Polgar (3 parts) by GM Judit Polgar
- Arkell’s Endings by GM Simon Williams and GM Keith Arkell
- Endgame Strategy by Mikhail Shereshevsky and presented by GM Sam Shankland
- Grind Like a Grandmaster by GM Magnus Carlsen
- Yermolinsky´s Practical Endgames Volume 2 by GM Alex Yermolinsky
- The Master’s Hand: Fischer’s Endgame Technique by GM Alex Colovic
- 1001 Chess Endgame Exercises for Beginners by IM Thomas Willemze
And there you have it. Now on to cast your votes for your favorite courses of 2022. Remember to finish your ballot by Monday, February 13th so it is counted. Happy voting!
