A32: English

The starting position for the variation examined by GM Zoltan Ribli arises after the moves 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.g3 Qc7 6.Nc3 a6 7.Bg2 Qxc4 8.0-0

From the diagram, Black has two main continuations: 8...Nc6 and 8...Qc7 (the continuation 8..Bb4 is also possible, but 9.Bf4! Bxc3 10.Rc1 0-0 11.Rxc3 offers White strong compensation, whilst after 8...d5 White can gain compensation by 9.Bg5 Nbd7 10.Re1 Bc5 11.Nb3 Ba7 12.Rc1).

A68: Modern Benoni (Three Pawn Attack)

This is a continuation of Jerzy Konikowski’s investigations of the “Three Pawn Attack” in the Modern Benoni. This time he introduces us to a variation after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.cxd5 Nbd7:

Konikowski writes: “The unmistakeable aim of Black’s last knight move is a strengthening of his control over the e5-square, in order to counter White’s advance e4-e5. In doing so, Black can rely on the fact that an immediate 10.e5 hardly helps his opponent, since after 10...dxe5 11.fxe5 Ng4 12.Bg5 Qb6 13.0-0 Ndxe5 or 12.e6 Nde5 Black's piece play is not to be scoffed at.

B03: The Voronezh Variation

This variation starts with the moves 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 (5...exd6 is another story) 6.Be3 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.Rc1 0-0 9.b3

9...e5. The main line, and this article concentrates on the positions after it. Black has many other moves, but none has ever attained the popularity of 9...e5.

10.dxe5. The only real try. 10.c5, 10.Nf3 and 10.d5 are covered in Chernyshov,K-Varga,Z ½-½.

10...dxe5 11.Qxd8 (11.c5 N6d7 is a rarer alternative). 11...Rxd8 12.c5. This is the idea: 12.Nb5 is covered in Chernyshov,K-Freisler,P ½-½, but this move is out of favour and likely to stay that way.

12...N6d7.Forced as 12...Nd5?? 13.Rd1 Be6 14.Bc4 loses a piece, and really the bad position of this knight on d7 is in a way the entire point of the Voronezh.

13.Bc4. 13.Nf3 Nc6 14.Bc4 is another order. Here 14.Ne4 is unusual but possible: a try to refute it went badly wrong in Tindall,B-Dive,R 1-0.

13...Nc6 14.Nf3.

This position is the tabiya of the variation. 14...Na5 is the best move in my view, although Black has tried a lot of other moves. 14...h6 15.Ne4 Na5, and 15....b6, as Black’s best tries in the main line of the Voronesh. 14...Nf6.

B33: Sveshnikov Sicilian

The basic position of the variation being examined arises after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.c3 Bg7 13.Nxb5 axb5 14.Bxb5

GM Dorian Rogozenko The plans involving ...Kh8, ...Re8 and eventually ...f6 (in order to prepare ...Ne7) have proved to be the most reliable for the second player. It is curious that such a plan for Black was demonstrated in the very first game with the present variation, see Timman,J-Dieks,D 0-1. I also want to draw attention to the rare, but in my opinion promising additional possibility 15...Nb8.”

C10: French Defence

“Going for the Silent Kill?!” is the title of this article GM Alex Finkel. He introduces us to the following variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 d:e4 4.N:e4 Nd7 5.g3

GM Finkel’s recommendations. Подробнее ... смотреть.

C40: Elephant Gambit (Part 3)

In ChessBase Magazine 102 and 103 Peter Leisebein looked at the opening 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 and reached the conclusion that White achieved little with the continuation 3.Nxe5. Both 3...Bd6 and even perhaps the spectacular 3...dxe4 give Black playable positions. But what happens when White takes the pawn on d5? This time the author considers a third line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5!? Qxd5?!

Note: The much more frequently encountered white continuation 3.exd5 Bd6!? will be looked at in the next issue of ChessBase Magazine!

E32: Nimzo-Indian

The subject of GM Alik Gershon’s survey is the hot line of the last couple of years: the Qd3, Ne2 idea in the Nimzo-Indian Defence 4.Qc2 line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 Bb7 8.e3 d6 9.Ne2 Nbd7 10.Qd3

After White got fed up with the drawish endings, and massive exchanges in various f3 lines, Evgeny Bareev came up with this line at the end of 2002: Bareev,E-Karpov,A ½-½ and then again in 2003: Bareev,E-Karpov,A ½-½ and Bareev,E-Leko,P ½-½. Although he drew all three games, the idea seemed to be fresh enough, and soon found many followers from the elite, reaching even Garry’s lab, in his spectacular win over Grischuk, in the end of 2003: Kasparov,G-Grischuk,A 1-0.