Beyond Material by GM Davorin Kuljasevic

But as the material system of values takes roots in our brains we become dependent on it. We put it over other positional factors. Hence it obscures our thinking and keeps us from seeing things as they really are.

Understanding that material is only one part of the chess equation is a trait of strong chess players. To free you from materialist thinking: that’s the goal Grandmaster Davorin Kuljasevic set for this course.

GM Kuljasevic is a successful coach, author, editor of renowned chess magazines and former host of a chess TV show in his native Croatia. Beyond Material was his first book, published by New in Chess in 2019 with rave reviews. Now adapted to Chessable, it offers you a unique learning experience.

A unique course to unleash your inner master

Materialism is barely covered in chess literature and a rather subjective topic. With concepts like positional combinations and ‘seeing through the Matrix’ Davorin makes the study insightful.

He also covers practical and psychological matters connected with the topic which no doubt will be very helpful for tournament players.

Here are the main course topics:

🔨 Attachment to material: Learn why we overrate material and what ‘breaks’ the material equation. Also, take a look at some psychological traps of materialistic thinking that may be affecting your play.

🔨 Relative value of material: The point system is part of our DNA but the true value of the pieces fluctuates according to circumstances. Understand what makes it change to start making better decisions

🔨 Relation with time and space respectively: Explore concepts like initiative, attack, compensation, pawn structure, and their relation to material. At this point, you’re unfolding the matrix.

🔨 Psychology of non-materialism: You have no control over your opponent’s mistakes but you can lure them into making them and non-materialistic thinking can help you to do so.

🔨 Is it good to be greedy in chess? It depends! You’ll see cases of holding on to material, seeking material gains, and the very interesting example of an opponent giving up material too happily.

Two very important features

The course comes with nearly twelve hours of video sync with GM Kuljasevic explaining how to approach every position. This is a unique opportunity to see a strong player’s thought process in dynamically complex positions.

Then, practice what you learned! The test chapters exercise your evaluation skills in situations with imbalanced material. Explore your ideas, anticipate the defense, calculate the follow-ups and come up with an accurate assessment of the arising position