A63: Benoni Fianchetto
Albert Kapengut calls part two of his series “The alternative
plan in the Fianchetto System of the Modern Benoni [A63]” and deals with
the position that arises after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3
exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.g3 Bg7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.a4 Nbd7 (the
move order may be different):
Now White has the choice between the knight’s pirouette Nf3-d2-c4-(a3)
or, if he wants to avoid the loss of time caused by this maneuver, to complete
his development in various ways.
There are a number of plans, but the author limits this article to the key
moves Bf4 for White and Qe7 for Black, including
different moves orders. His previous article with Qc7 for
Black was published in CBM 98 and there the author promised to prepare this
material.
So the variation starts from the position after 11.Bf4 Qe7.
In CBM 107 the author paid attention to the different plans of White. In the
second part he has now analyzed games which include the waiting move h3, which
prevents the useful maneuver Nf6-g4-e5. The article contains 78 annotated games,
in 17 of which the author added something to the existing comments, and 61
games he commented himself. The reader can also use a detailed key created
by the author.
Kapengut’s conclusion at the end of his study: “In my opinion,
Black sometimes underestimates the necessity of the precise move order, which
depends on various apparently insignificant details. The author urges the reader
who wants to include this variation to his own repertoire to go beyond the
numerous game references in my comments and turn to the original game for a
comprehensive understanding of the precise move order. The author hopes that
some of his recommendations will pass the test of time. My first article about
this plan was published more than 25 years ago, and I hope I will continue
to write more articles about this topic.”
B33: Sicilian Sveshnikov
Dorian Rogozenko analyses the variation that 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.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 0-0 12.Nc2 Rb8 13.h4 Be7
Lately in the main lines of 9.Nd5 White has found many new interesting ideas,
and that forced Black to seek for other safer possibilities. The examined variation
represents such an option. It gained some popularity about 5-6 years ago, when
players like Khalifman, Lautier and McShane successfully used it. In 2005 other
connoisseurs of the Sveshnikov Sicilian started to play 13...Be7 (e.g. Leko,
Volokitin, Filippov, Moiseenko) and nowadays it became one of the main weapons
against the line 9.Nd5.
Black’s idea behind 13...Be7 is to arrange his pieces in the following
way: ...Be6, ...Qd7, ...Bd8 and ...Ne7. This is a clear plan to fight for the
square d5, and White can do little to prevent that. In case of the usual development
(such as for instance g3, Bg2 and 0-0, or Be2, a4, h5 and 0-0) Black will complete
his plan and achieve equality. Only recently, mainly thanks to the efforts
of young star Sergey Karjakin, White did manage to find new possibilities.
The main plans for White are:
-
playing on the queenside by means of a2-a4, or a2-a3 followed by Ncb4.
This is a safe plan, but it has little chances to bring any sensible opening
advantage, since it often leads to the exchange of all queenside pawns;
-
playing on the kingside by advancing the g-pawn. Then at some moment White
can play Nf5, or g5 and Qh5, with ideas to sac the knight on f6. This is
an ambitious, but double-edged plan that can easily backfire, since meanwhile
Black will seize an initiative on the queenside and eventually in the center;
-
increasing control in the center by arranging the pieces in the following
way: Nce3, Bd3-c2-b3, Qf3 and Rd1. This approach often secures White a
stable, though only slight advantage.
Rogozenko’s conclusion: “In the present variation White’s
position is very solid and Black is mainly fighting for equality, with relatively
few chances to win. His goal is to neutralize White’s control over the
square d5 and (or) transfer the bishop on the diagonal a7-g1. Usually with
precise play Black is able to achieve that task at least partially. Therefore
many Black players are content to choose the examined variation – with
patient defence Black can hold the position without big difficulties.
In order to have chances for success White must first of all keep his better
control in the center, which almost always secures an edge. Besides, for the
first player it is advisable to avoid the exchange of all queenside pawns.
The game Karjakin,S-Moiseenko,A 1-0 showed clearly that with a more active
bishop White has good prospects even with reduced material. The recent results
in practice also demonstrated that a small edge in such types of positions
(with limited counterplay for Black) is often worth for White no less than
a potentially bigger advantage in sharp, but double-edged positions.”
The attached database contains 41 games, 26 carefully annotated by the
author.
B90: Sicilian Najdorf (English Attack)
Jerzy Konikowski’s article begins with the position
after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3
e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0
This is a sharp position. Black now has several moves at his disposal, leading
to positions with mutual chances. In Polish chess circles, currently the continuation
10...a5!? is very popular. Black plans a5-a4 to chase away
the knight from b3 and then to weaken the dark squares in the white king’s
camp with a4-a3. The best reaction is 11.Bb5!? – White
develops his bishop and doesn’t permit a5-a4. 11...Nbd7
This is the favourite move of the young Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek. The
idea is to quickly play the rook from a8 to c8, and then to sacrifice it on
c3 on the first occasion. This plan gives Black good counterchances. However,
Konikovsky thinks that after 12.Kb1 or 12.Qf2 Rc8 13.Kb1 White still has the
better perspectives, which he wants to prove with his analyses.
The attached database contains five surveys and eight annotated sample
games.
Автор Alexander Finkel подробно рассматривает новые идеи в
дебютной линии
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Nf3
h6.
В предыдущем выпуске CBM107 мы рассмотрели 8. B:f6 линия и пришли к выводу, что этот ход
сейчас не обещает белым реального дебютного преимущества. Я был не единственным,
кто имел чувство, что белые должны искать другие способы получить лучше в
дебюте. Теперь, некогда боковые линии варианта, выходят на первый план в
практическом испытании и ставят перед чёрными некоторые проблемы.
В этом обзоре CBM108 мы рассмотрим линии 1) 8. Bf4, 2) 8. Bd2 и 3) 8. Be3, как
альтернативу за белых на 8-ом ходе. Главная линия, это 8. Be3, поскольку 2
других варианта едва опасны для черных, однако я не мог игнорировать в анализе и
линии 8. Bf4 и 8. Bd2.
Последние игры, играемые в этой линии показали, что ни игроки, использующие этот
вариант сталкиваются с многочисленными вариациями этого продолжения. Так разный
порядок ходов делает мой обзор несколько трудным, но в то же самое время более
интересным!
Я надеюсь, что этот обзор прольет свет на преимущества и недостатки
теоретического курса и поможет Вам получить лучшее понимание возникающих
позиций. В любом случае, ход 8. Be3 весьма многообещающий способ проверить
навыки обороны черных в варианте Рубинштейна!
Содержание базы данных:
1) 88 игры играли в этой линии. За белых Вы найдете таких сильных игроков, как
Polgar, Svidler, Bologan, Almasi, Aronian, Nisipeanu, Lutz и много других. За
черных также довольно много экспертов French defence: Ivanchuk, Bareev, Gurevich,
Van Wely, Akopian, Radjabov и другие.
2) 30 аннотируемые игры (15 из них аннотируются для этой базы данных).
3) Очень глубоко opening key, KeyLink разработанный для базы данных, чтобы
делает изучение более эффективным.
Заключение:
Очевидно, что единственный способ поставить перед черными дебютные проблемы -
является 8. Be3. Черные имеют разнообразие вариантов, чтобы встретить этот ход,
но ни один из них не обещает черным полного равенства. По моему мнению 8... Bd6
более предпочтителен, чем 8... Nd5 начиная с 9. Qd2, который, кажется, довольно
неприятным. По моему мнению один из самых безопасных способов встретить 8. Be3,
это играя 8... Bd6 9. Bd3 Bd7 10. Qe2 Bc6 11.0-0-0 B:f3 12. Q:f3 c6
сопровождаемый 13... 0-0-0.
В любом случае 8. Be3 - это лучшая попытка за белых, чем 8. B:f6. Я уверен, что
скоро мы увидим много интересных игр в этой теоретической линии. И это
произойдёт в самом ближайшем будущем!
C40: Elephant GambitIn part five of his Queen’s Pawn Counter Gambit series Peter
Leisebein looks at the variation that starts with the moves 1.e4
e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 Bd6 4.Bb5+!?
The author writes: “This bishop check is possibly more unpleasant than
previously thought. White develops his bishop with tempo, trying to castle
quickly. Black faces an uncomfortable choice:
1. to sacrifice a pawn with 4...c6
2. to part with one of his “elephants” with 4...Bd7
3. to block his bishop with 4...Nbd7.
1. 4...c6. The most frequent option. Black sacrifices a pawn
to quickly develop and possibly start an attack on the king. After all, there
threatens the pawn advance e4!? The position is somewhat similar to the gambit
variation of the Two Knights Defence, which is introduced by the knight sortie
5.Ng5!?. Like there, Black again gets a desolate pawn position on the queenside
and a pawn minus. In my experience, this weighs more!
2. 4...Bd7. Some players do not like the above mentioned
disadvantages of Black’s position, that’s why the Hungarian correspondence
IM G. Halasz resorted to the countermove 4...Bd7?!. On pages 31 and 32 the
book authors quote game samples and criticize this reply! I can only agree,
since this way Black can hardly justify his gambit play.
3. 4...Nbd7. Maybe this is why the answer 4...Nbd7!? might
be the “golden mean” for Black!? After all, Black doesn’t
destroy his pawn position and retains the possibility of gaining back the pawn
on d5. Also, no important attacking piece is exchanged. White, in return, won’t
give up his bishop pair with Bxd7. For the time being, the white bishop is
quite useless on b5. So the whole thing appears quite logical!?
In ChessBase Magazine 109 I will turn to less frequent moves after 3...Bd6,
i.e. all continuations except 4.d4! and 4.Bb5+!?”
The attached database contains 42 games, 13 annotated by the author.
C83: Open Ruy Lopez
Evgeny Postny deals with the variation that arises after
the following moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4
6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Be3 Be7 10.c3 Nc5 11.Bc2 Nd7
Black makes the fourth move with his knight, which may seem illogical, but
has the concrete idea to attack White’s overextended pawn e5. Until very
recently, this move was not very popular, compared to the more common continuation
11...Bg4. Strong players and experts of the Open Variation, like Kortschnoj,
Jussupow, Kaidanov, have used 11...Nd7 only sporadically. However, the recent
game Kotronias-Motylev gave the whole variation a new impulse. It turns out
that Black has hidden dynamic resources that may change the initial evaluation
of the whole line.
There are 51 selected games in the attached database, nearly 40% of them are
annotated. The database includes all fresh practical material, up to September
2005. There is a deep opening key specially developed for this variation.
The author’s conclusion is that at the moment the variation is undergoing
a certain renaissance thanks to Motylev’s discovery 17...Bc5. It appears
that Black’s dynamic chances should not be underestimated and may well
compensate for Black’s seeming problems: inferior structure, unsafe king
position, etc. It’s too early yet to make a final verdict on the merits
of the variation, but the ball seems to be on White’s court now and the
burden of proof is on White. The position is obviously extremely complicated
and double-edged; there is a lot of room for independent research and further
investigation.
D39: Vienna Variation
Zoltan Ribli examines the variation that arises with the
moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.e5 cxd4
8.Nxd4 Qa5 9.exf6
Black must avoid the continuation 9...Qxg5?? which loses
to 10.Qa4+ Nc6 11.Nxc6 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Bd7 13.Qb4 (13.Qa5 also
wins). This variation has been known since the game Piket,J-Karolyi,T, 1-0,
but interestingly enough, other people have still gone down the same path.
After 9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Qxg5 the continuation is 11.fxg7
(11.Qa4+ Nd7 12.fxg7 Qxg7 13.Qb4 a5 14.Qd6 Qe5+ leads to a level game).
Now Black has two continuations, 11...Rg8 and 11...Qxg7. The rook move 11...Rg8
is not played often, its great disadvantage being that Black can no longer
castle short. More natural and better is the continuation 11...Qxg7, after
which White has two main continuations: 12.Qf3 and 12.Qd2.
At the end of the article Ribli concludes: “The variation with 8.Nxd4
has once again become a popular line against the Vienna Variation, and it is
quite dangerous for Black. There are a lot of concrete variations in which
Black must find some only moves to reach equality. After 9...Bxc3 10.bxc3 Qxg5
11.fxg7 the variation 11...Rg8 is, in my opinion, not so good; so Black must
continue with 11...Qxg7. In that case, 12.Qd2 appears stronger to me than 12.Qf3
and the critical line for the whole variation is 12...0-0 13.Bxc4 Rd8, when,
with very precise play, Black has chances of equality.”
The attached database contains 19 key games, twelve annotated by the author.
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