Gm Igor Smirnov All 9 Chess Courses New May 2026
GM Igor Smirnov , the founder of the Remote Chess Academy, is widely known for his systematic approach to chess improvement, often bundling his courses into comprehensive training systems.
While he has authored over 30 individual courses, your query likely refers to a specific 9-course "new" bundle or the core curriculum often highlighted in his popular "Super Pack". Core Comprehensive Courses
The following nine courses are frequently considered the pillars of his training method for those looking to reach master-level understanding:
GM Igor Smirnov , the founder of the Remote Chess Academy (RCA)
, offers a wide range of chess courses designed around his unique "thinking system". While his total library includes over 30 courses, he often groups his "New" or core flagship courses into specific bundles for rapid improvement. TheChessWorld The "New" Flagship Course: Level Up Your Chess
One of the most recent and comprehensive additions to his catalog is Level Up Your Chess gm igor smirnov all 9 chess courses new
(released/updated around 2025). It is marketed as a complete system where each individual section is enough to raise your level. Remote Chess Academy Target Audience : Advanced beginners to intermediate players. Key Sections
: Blunder prevention, opening principles, middlegame strategy, endgame techniques, and a structured study plan. Remote Chess Academy The "Core 9" Recommended Courses Based on Smirnov's recommended order of study
and popular "Super Pack" bundles, these nine courses form the essential foundation for mastering his system: chess-teacher.net GM Igor Smirnov's Super Pack - Remote Chess Academy
The Philosophy Behind The "New" 9 Courses
Before diving into the list, you must understand GM Smirnov’s core teaching axiom: Don’t memorize moves; understand the logic.
The "new" versions of his courses abandon the old "openings, then middlegame, then endgame" linear model. Instead, they are built on Universal Chess Principles. The update includes: GM Igor Smirnov , the founder of the
- High-definition 4K video re-recordings.
- New PGN workbooks integrated with modern database software.
- Practical task simulations (where the video stops and forces you to solve before moving on).
- Removal of outdated theoretical lines (post-2024 opening updates).
When you search for GM Igor Smirnov all 9 chess courses new, you are looking for a closed ecosystem that replaces Chessable, YouTube, and your local library. Let’s see if it holds up.
Course #1: The Grandmaster’s Positional Understanding (New Edition)
Format: 12 hours of video | 350 exercises The Hook: Most club players calculate well but choose terrible plans. This course fixes what to calculate.
In this updated version, Smirnov introduces the concept of "The 3 Pillars of Positional Play":
- Piece Activity (not just material).
- Pawn Structure Dynamics (isolated, doubled, backward—but taught through dynamic play, not static rules).
- Prophylaxis for Amateurs (thinking like Petrosian without the headache).
New Feature: The "Silent Move" detector. The course highlights the five positions where the best move is a quiet, non-capturing, non-checking move that completely paralyzes the opponent.
Ideal for: 1400–1800 FIDE players stuck in a rating plateau. The Philosophy Behind The "New" 9 Courses Before
The Core Trinity: The "Must-Have" Foundation
In the new suite of 9 courses, three are considered the absolute bedrock. Without these, the other six will not work.
2. The Secret of Chess Calculation
- Focus: Visualization and candidate move selection.
- Key Takeaway: The “Calculation Cycle” method—how to calculate variations without hanging pieces or missing opponent’s resources.
- Best For: Tactical players who blunder in long variations.
The "Smirnov Methodology"
Before diving into the specific courses, it is important to understand the teaching style. Unlike many platforms that rely on memorizing opening lines or solving thousands of tactical puzzles in a vacuum, GM Smirnov focuses on conceptual understanding and psychology.
His courses are built around the premise that chess improvement comes from understanding general principles, typical patterns, and the logic behind moves, rather than pure calculation. The production quality is generally high, featuring video lessons with graphical overlays that highlight key squares and pieces, making complex ideas easier to visualize.
The "All 9 Courses" Matrix: How They Work Together
Let’s look at a practical example of how GM Igor Smirnov All 9 Chess Courses New create a synergy no single course can match.
The Scenario: You are playing a tournament. You are Black against a 1900 player.
- Course 3 (Opening): You play the Bamboo setup. You survive the opening with a solid structure.
- Course 1 (Positional): You spot the "Square of Scarcity" and realize their bishop has no good moves.
- Course 5 (Sacrifice): You calculate a positional exchange sacrifice to trap that bishop (using the Candidate Moves filter from Course 2).
- Course 6 (Middlegame): You push the correct lever (c5) to open the file for your rooks.
- Course 4 (Tactics): You see a "Silent Move" checkmate pattern.
- Wait! You miss it. You blunder a rook.
- Course 9 (Psychology): You reset your mental timer, take 3 deep breaths, and do not resign.
- Course 7 (Endgame): You force an exchange into a Rook endgame that is a theoretical draw (The Fortress).
- Course 8 (Bootcamp): You use the "10-Minute Game" time management to bleed your opponent dry until they blunder back.
- Result: Draw (or win) vs. a likely loss.
You see? It is a closed loop. Missing any one of the nine breaks the chain.
Part 1: The Strategic Foundation (The "Russian School" Method)
4. Calculate Till Mate
Tactics are the backbone of chess, but calculation is the skill that finds them.
- Focus: This is not just a puzzle book; it is a training course on the mechanics of calculation. It addresses how to calculate variations without losing track of the board in your head.
- Key Takeaway: The differentiation between "forcing" and "non-forcing" moves, and how to organize calculation trees efficiently to avoid blunders.