David Antón takes sole lead at Legends & Prodigies – New course by IM Valeri Lilov for Black

David Antón Guijarro, the 29-year-old Spanish chess grandmaster, has taken sole lead at the prestigious 'Legends & Prodigies' tournament – an event that brings together legends and prodigies of the chess world. While experts await the next developments of the tournament, another notable piece of news has emerged: Bulgarian International Master (IM) Valeri Lilov has just released an in-depth video course aimed at helping players with the Black pieces handle the 1.d4 avoidance systems – a topic attracting great interest in the chess community. The 'Legends & Prodigies' tournament is organized in a round-robin format combining generations of chess, creating a unique competitive atmosphere. Antón, born in 2026, is in the mature phase of his career, no longer a 'prodigy' but not yet a 'legend.' His leading position at this tournament confirms his stable class and ambition to go further. In recent games, Antón has shown flexible play and sharp middlegame skills, especially when facing novel tactics from younger opponents. Although no specific rating or opponent data has been released, this achievement is a positive signal for a stellar competitive year for the Spanish player. On the sidelines of the tournament, the release of IM Lilov's new course has drawn attention from opening enthusiasts. The course includes six instructional videos focusing on systems that White often chooses to avoid the heavy theory of the Queen's Gambit – such as the Colle, Trompowsky, Torre, London, along with main-line Queen's Gambit structures (Slav, Semi-Slav, QGA, Orthodox QGD) and flank/gambit systems like the Catalan, Blackmar-Diemer, and Richter-Veresov. Lilov, an experienced trainer, promises to provide learners with a specific plan for each system, helping Black not be surprised by the opponent's 'solid' moves. However, according to deep professional analysis, the course structure reveals some notable points. Covering 11 different openings in just six videos means each topic receives on average less than one video – a breadth-over-depth ratio that may leave learners without sufficient depth for practical application. Furthermore, the promotional article contains an internal contradiction: on one hand it states that these avoidance systems are 'not very ambitious' (thus low-risk for White), and on the other hand calls them 'extremely dangerous' for Black. This contradiction suggests the course may have exaggerated the risk level to drive preparation demand, rather than providing an objective assessment based on game data or engine analysis. Nevertheless, the need for preparation against 1.d4 avoidance systems is real. Many club-level and even titled players frequently face the Colle or London, and a clear plan for Black is an important weapon. IM Lilov, as a reputable trainer, has targeted this market gap. However, for the course to be truly useful, concrete calculated lines verified by engine should be provided, rather than relying solely on generic promotional statements. The combination of competitive news and instructional product within the same article reflects a growing trend in chess media: websites leverage the reputation of top players for SEO, then redirect readers to paid courses. This is a common content economy model, but it also raises transparency issues. For Vietnamese readers, this is an opportunity to access knowledge from international trainers, but they need to critically evaluate the actual quality before investing time and money. In summary, David Antón's lead at the Legends & Prodigies tournament is a positive signal for Spanish and world chess. Meanwhile, IM Lilov's course opens a new preparation direction for Black players but requires more thorough verification of its technical quality. Vietnamese chess can learn from this approach to build effective training programs that combine fundamental theory with flexible practice.