CHESS BASE MAGAZINE 168.pdf

EDITORIAL Analysis tool Let‘s Check Working with engines is nowadays part of the basic knowledge required for a chess player. But how can one really squeeze out the maximum for one’s preparation for and post mortem of a game? One of the tools is Let’s Check, now almost 4 years old and still slightly under-estimated by many. Here is how it works. Users all over the world analyse positions, the results are taken into the “LiveBook”, with deeper analyses replacing those which were generated rapidly; only the three best results are shown. This happens automatically and in the background. During top games which are broadcast on playchess.com, one can have live access to the latest “Let’s Check” results; I no longer need to look at my own engine. In the subsequent days most of the positions are submitted to even longer analyses so that the quality of the analysis continues to rise. Every user of Fritz 13/14 or any new ChessBase engine has access to these results. So they save time and also you are not obliged to have the most up-to-date computer. A special titbit is to be found in the game Navara-Wojtaszek, Biel 2015 (annotated on the DVD by Igor Stohl, Navara’s second). Navara’s king march will go down in the history of chess. The evaluations lay around 0.0, that means everything ok, a draw is the probable result. But 12 days later the evaluation of 24...¥d3 suddenly cropped up as -1.64 in Let‘s Check. The user calvinahobbs had set his engine “Deep Fritz 14” to analyse to a search depth of 33 (see cover). Just two days previously the evaluation had been 0.0, because his engine had “only” reached depth 29. A check on the move, or “delving into” the variations, rapidly proved that White is lost. First and foremost Let’s Check is an enormous store of knowledge with evaluations of positions which have already been played. You can, for example, look at any WCh game and you will find for every move analyses going to enormous depths. Even less well known classical games have been extremely well analysed. But Let’s Check is even more. In the field of openings too, thousands of analyses of positions which have not yet been played are stored. On page 10 you will find the description of the openings article by Milos Pavlovic. In it the following position crops up. Pavlovic analyses the move exclusively played in practice 7.¤xd4. In Let’s Check, however, the first move is 7.¥f4. The variation 7...e5 8.¤xe5 g5 is then defused with 9.e3 ¤e6 10.¤xf7!. Let’s Check prefers 7...¤e7 8.¤xd4 cxd4 9.¤b5 e5 10.¤d6+ ¢f8 11.£b3! ¤f5 12.¤xf5 gxf5 13.¥d2. Whether White really has a slight plus here still requires to be proved. But for the important moves a search depth of over 20 is standard, sometimes it is greater than 30. Moves such as 7.¥f4 are well suited to being used as a surprise for one game. In this way you can check your own repertoire with Let’s Check and systematically search for innovations. Your Rainer Knaak ChessBase Magazine #168 | 3 . During this time period three high-class matches were taking place.d6 Havasi: Queen’s Gambit . Mokal. Krasenkow.5:2..Ne2 Ris: Scotch 5. one of which was his own immortal game with a king march to h8. Gupta. The latter’s early lead did not last. Roiz.Nxc6 bxc6 Illingworth: Ruy Lopez Anti-Berlin 4.e6 Berg: French Winawer 4. Roiz. Illingworth. from p. In addition you can also find on the DVD ten “Games of the day” by Daniel King. Levon Aronian had started with a magnificent win against Caruana and also continued to play strongly. Wojtaszek and Vachier-Lagrave. Mokal. Stohl. Postny. 8) Karolyi: Reti Opening Stohl: English 1. Pavlovic. Other players have annotated their games from various events: including Adhiban.d3 d6 Max Illingworth relies on numerous games by Aleksej Aleksandrov (Photo) in his examination of 4. On top of that all nine daily roundups by Daniel King have been included in the report on the DVD.Bf5 Postny: Queen’s Gambit Ragosin Szabo: King’s Indian Fianchetto Kuzmin: King’s Indian Classical 9. Undefeated and with three victories he won the tournament with a lead of one point.c4 Nd7 Schandorff: Caro-Kann Advance Variation In Svidler-Jobava. Rustam Kasimdzhanov and even Maxime Vachier-Lagrave himself. Shahkriyar Mamedyarov lived up to his role as favourite and defeated Markus Ragger in Vienna by 3. Other tournaments: The Russian Championship was once more super-strong. providing extensive notes. Pavlovic. Navara.Chessbase Magazine Contents of the DVD TOP TOURNAMENTS Biel: The traditional tournament in Biel came down to a battle between three players. Sutovsky.Nf3 Bg4 3.d4 d6 2. Tbilisi 2015.Qc2 in the Classical King’s Indian. f6. The new champion has annotated for us his game against Bukavshin. Krasenkow.c4 e5 2. 4 | ChessBase Magazine #168 OPENINGS (see also booklet.. Marin..Qc2 Pavel Eljanov (Photo) has made known the rare 9. In his home town of Szeged Peter Leko had to bow to the Chinese player Li Chao (2:4). For the first time Evgeny Tomashevsky was able to write his name into the list of winners. On the other hand. with Veselin Topalov again being the spoilsport.5. Szabo and Wagner. Previously in Wenzhou Ding Liren had won against Boris Gelfand by 3:1. Tiviakov and Wagner. Szabo and Wagner. Shah.. but the best final sprint was that of Vachier-Lagrave. Stohl.. Other commentary has been provided by Ftacnik.. The Czech began with 3 out of 4. Once again Magnus Carlsen had a miserable start. Edouard. Lars Schandorff has investigated the idea Krasenkow: Sicilian Rossolimo 3. On the DVD you will find annotations by Illingworth. Alexey Kuzmin explains the ideas . Marin. the Georgian played the surprise 6.. Sinquefield-Cup: The second tournament in the “Grand Chess Tour” was even stronger. Both the French and the Polish players have each annotated a game for us.g3 Pavlovic: English Symmetrical Variation Marin: Owen Defence Schipkov: 1. In the second flight of games Wojtaszek took the lead at first. The article begins with a video in interactive format.g3 Bb4+ Mihail Marin: Classical King’s Indian Ris: Reti Opening 2. In addition the endgames expert from Hamburg has recorded two endgames in interactive format. Complete booklet in PDF format Nicholas Pert is still a relatively new ChessBase author.c4 dxc4 Service New products with videos of the DVDs by Breutigam. 26 annotated endgames. In our interactive video format you have the opportunity to find the correct moves. 25) Tiviakov: Queen’s Indian 4. but has created for himself a large fanbase with several DVDs Overview of previous openings articles Endgames 24 Nine endgame exercises to solve Overview of previous video openings articles Openings videos introduced 25 ChessBase Magazine #168 | 5 . Gormally. but does so from the viewpoint of Black. Marin: Strategy – Against the minority attack In his column Mihail Marin looks into minority attacks. Williams. Openings videos (see also p. Editorial 3 Contents 4-5 Top-tournaments Biel. New York 1857. many training questions and five classical videos. Sinquefield Cup 6-7 Rogozenco: The Classic In the Classic video the German federal trainer Dorian Rogozenco shows us the unusual game Paulsen-Morphy. Reeh: Tactics – “Capture – but correctly!” Oliver Reeh’s article contains 27 games studded with numerous training questions and an introductory text with links to all the games. He has also added a section in which the student is tested with numerous classical training questions. In addition to that our tactics expert has recorded two of his favourites as a video in interactive format.October/November Booklet DVD COLUMNS Williams: Move by Move This time Simon Williams has chosen the recent game Aronian-Caruana (Saint Louis 2015) for training.g3 g6 3. Clap on the shoulder – Rex Sinquefield congratulates Aronian after his win over Nakamura Openings Introduction to the DVD articles 8-21 Impressum 12 Tactics 22 Nine combinations to solve Nicholas Pert: ChessBase author introduced 23 Knaak: The Opening Trap Rainer Knaak’s opening trap (including a Fritztrainer video) contains five topical traps. Müller: Endgames – “Rook against pawn” Karsten Müller’s column contains two introductory texts. ¥xh3 a6 19. equal on points.exd5 ¥xh3 17. but never- With three wins in the last three rounds VachierLagrave put the opposition in its place ations of the Grünfeld Defence with the early 4. MVL bet everything on a single card with a pawn sacrifice and defeated the Czech with an impressive attack. This year he was not the Elo favourite at the start.. but then lost the thread – a draw and thus the way was open theless he managed to win the GM tournament for the third year in succession after 2013 and 2014.Top Tournaments Biel: hat-trick for “mvl” Good things come in threes! Maxime VachierLagrave (“MVL”) obviously feels good at the Chess Festival in Biel.¥f4 followed by 7.¤bc3).¥h6) his opponent made the decisive strategic mistake. So. sometimes even sensational games (see the editorial) and tension till the very last round. . The Pole first of all reached a winning position against Navara. After six out of ten rounds MVL. the Polish player decided the game in his favour and was the first to lead the field. The French player has taken part every year since 2009. but Black does not get sufficient compensation. Before the final round MVL and Wojtaszek were in front. Wojtaszek made a start with his victory over MVL. Anand’s second avoided the main vari- 6 | ChessBase Magazine #168 for MVL! Against the indisposed Rapport he required only a clean win on technique to take victory in the tournament. In good Biel tradition the spectators were again treated to a lot of hotly contested. In the penultimate round against Navara.c4-c5..¥xe5 ¦xe5 18. His plan of forcing the French player into unusual structures worked.. Wojtaszek shows in the analysis of the game on the DVD that in the transition to the middlegame (14. thanks to having free play on the queenside. David Navara and Radoslav Wojtaszek were leading the pack with +1 each and struggled for victory in the return rounds..d5 (followed by 16. The diagram above shows the critical moment: in typical fashion Rapport sacrificed a pawn with 15. MVL annotates the game on the DVD and explains to you how he won it. For example. which would lend the Armenian wings. But this time the world champion found a better pace and after 6 rounds he was leading the tournament with Aronian.. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 7 . Levon Aronian defeated Fabiano Caruana with hand-to-hand combat.Top Tournaments sinquefield cup: aronian back on track In the second stage of the “Grand Chess Tour” in Saint Louis things started with a bang: all five games in the first round had a decisive result. on the other hand. The previous year’s winner opened up the position seen in the diagram with 20. The decision came in round 7: Carlsen wanted to win the endgame against Grischuk and overreached himself. After 21.. Aronian. Once more he had to congratulate Topalov on a victory.¥c4+ ¢g7 24.fxe4 ¦a5 22. two draws were enough for the Armenian to decide a top tournament in his favour after a long drought. took advantage of Nakamura’s bold choice of opening and outplayed the American positionally.exf5 ¤xf5 23.dxe4 at just the wrong time. Things were quite different for Magnus Carlsen: the world champion’s start to the tournament was less dramatic than in Stavanger (CBM 167) but just as unsuccessful.£h5! Aronian conducted a crashing attack with a rook sacriCongratulations from Rex Sinquefield to Aronian after the latter’s win against Nakamura fice and a quiet knock-out blow. An early conclusion – after that.d5 ¦e8 25. A dream start.¤e4!! ¤d4 26. d3 is somewhat more popular.¤f3 ¥g7 6.h5! immediately puts White under pressure. 6.d4 ¥f5. Perhaps it is even the most rarely played 6. Then every reply has its disadvantages. In practice things have not looked good for White. B) So 5.d4 c5 2.¤f3 d5 2.0-0 e4 6. a3 and ¦b1 White can get in the thrust b4..g3 ¤c6.¥g2 e5. we now have his once more thorough article on 3.¤e1 our Hungarian author also analyses 6. . but the knight does not belong here. even the improvements suggested by Karolyi result in no more than equality for him.¥d2 optimal.c4 d4 In CBM 166 Tibor Karolyi had already looked into 3. but Black plays similarly to the Schmid Benoni (1. but that does not mean that he gets an advantage with it.. b3.. Conclusion: Black has no need to fear 3. Nor is 6. with ¤b1-a3-c2.¤bd2 may be played often.. for White it is actually a struggle for equality. but the pawn sacrifice introduced in 2005 by Radek Wojtaszek with 6.e4 d6 5. In an overwhelming number of cases the continuation is 4.¤fd2 which is the lesser evil.d3) the check on b4? Radek Wojtaszek: strong pawn sacrifice 8 | ChessBase Magazine #168 A) After 5.¥b4+.g3 ¤c6 3.¤c3 g6 4. since the typical thrusts b4 and e3 are not supported..c4 d4.c4.d5 ¤f6 3. White is now faced with a difficult decision – should he allow e5-e4 or (after 5.c4 d4 3.¥b5+) 5.Opening actually a fight for equality Tibor Karolyi introduces the Schmid Benoni Attack Reti Opening A09: 1.¤f6.. In it the position in the diagram arises much more frequently via 2. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 9 .c4 e5 2..¥g2 d5 4.f5 White will try to follow up with d2-d4.¦e8 9.¤h3 “ a single-shot weapon”.. Whether that suffices for an advantage is another question. this strategy also comes to an end with 8.e3 is not new.. A) After 6.¦c1 is more valid. Jones-Edouard.b3 ¥d7 12.... Now there are two principled lines. However..d3 ¥e7 the Slovakian grandmaster considers 7.. London 2014: no advantage.¤f3 ¤c6. A critical position arises after 6.. 7.¤f3 ¤c6 has to be played anyway.¤xf4 White will go on to play d4 and possibly e4. but the move was first introduced at GM-level in 2011 by Vadim Zvjaginsev.a5 11. which may have been successful in GrischukHammer. Most strong players have preferred 9. Conclusion: After both 6..d4 was played and although White did not have a proper advantage.f6 and after 10.¥e3 0-0 8. if Black decides on a line which would have sought to avoid this in the event of the immediate 6.cxd5 ¤xd5 5. After 9.¤f3. Stavanger 2015.. B) 6.d3 and 6.¤c6 7. his position was probably more pleasant to play. As soon as Black plays .. but a more pleasant game In Jones-Edouard. but “straightforward development gives Black good counterplay” (Stohl). there follows ¥xc6 ruining Black’s pawn structure.a3 ¥f8 10.£c2!? h6– when 11. but theory has developed to an extraordinary extent without really promising White anything. in order to see which setup Black adopts. exf4 10. An important element in this variation is to leave the diagonal for the ¥g2 open. London 2014 10.¤c6.g3 ¤f6 3.¤c3 ¤b6 In the Sicilian Dragon with reversed colours the usual continuation is 6.¤ge2 ¥e7 8. White first plays ¤f3.e3 many questions remain open.0-0 0-0 9.f4. Often.Opening many open questions Igor Stohl analyses new trends in the English Opening English A22: 1. In his article Igor Stohl examines the still relatively new trend of deviating from the main variation early on – either by delaying ¤g1-f3 or by finding another way of developing the g1-knight. 0-0 or 6. The setup with .c4 c5 2. Black can hold his own in both cases.¥g2 ¥g7 4..¥f4 represents an improvement needs to be tested.Nfxd4 did not worry the Hungarian 10 | ChessBase Magazine #168 Conclusion: Black is “very close to equality” (Pavlovic).e6 is popular. after . Tashkent 2012: the rare 9..g3 g6 3..d4 – in most cases a temporary pawn sacrifice. But there is as an alternative the aggressive 6. Although Black almost always develops his knight to e7..Opening very close to equality Eröffnung Milos Pavlovic examines a sharp English variation English A37: 1. .. 9..¤d2 constitutes the better choice.¤bxd4..exd5 is safer...¤fxd4!? was.¤ge7 and also 9.. After the usual 6. played – White then has a knight on b5 instead of standing passively on f3. then sooner or later Black will play .¤c3 ¤c6 5.¤b5 d5 8. B) Probably 8.£a5+ forces White into a decision – interpose with the knight or with the queen.d5 and have very good chances of equality. But Leko replied 9...As things appear. namely 9. occupy the c3-squarefrom where it directly attacks d5.d3).. There is some evidence that 9.¤f6...cxd4 7. but 6. Now 6...d4 A) The clearly more popular 8. If White now plays solidly (for example.¤bxd4 or first castled and then gone on to take on d4 with the b-knight.0-0 0-0 11.¤g4...e6 has become less popular for the moment.cxd5 Black is faced with a decision. Then ¥e3 was played and the ¤b5 can.. 6. Gelfand-Leko.¤f3 e6 6.¤xd4 is hardly played any more. though it is not clear that White then really obtains an advantage.¤ge7) and after 10. Tashkent 2012. Whether11.... however. when White has mostly continued with 9. Pavlovic also analyses one of his own games..¤f6 (instead of the usual move after 9. In Gelfand-Leko.d4 is probably nevertheless the reason why 5. which he won in impressive fashion..a6.. Milos Pavlovic thinks: “On account of its reputation as a flexible and rock-solid system it continues to be considered as one of the best variations against the English Opening”. in his article on the DVD Pavlovic also looks into both 9.¥e3 he had 11. d4 e6 2.£h4+) 8...£h5+ g6 7. a) 6..fxe4 to extensive exchanges and equality.£c2 Black should react energetically in order to equalise: 5.¢f1! (8.e4 ¥b7. and less for the Owen Defence itself..¥f4 (otherwise 8.¥d3! and after 4.¥b4+.f5 White has a choice.¤c3.f3 too..Opening In hypermodern spirit Mihail Marin completes his repertoire with 2..¥b4+ 3.exf5) 9.¤c3 b6 4..f5 6. In fact in practice most players cannot resist the temptation. also gives White nothing. Black has to attack the white centre immediately: 5... c) The most popular is 6.£g4 ¤f6 12. it is sometimes useful) 6..£a4+ ¤c6 and as the analyses on the DVD show. After 8.fxe6 ¤f5! 8.. Black can also hold his own against 10..£h5 (8..¤c3 has been replaced by 4.¤f3 and his attack becomes much too strong (and 10.fxe4 8.£e2 is really the same. White simply replies 10.bxc3 ¤xe4. whereas the position in the diagram occurs very frequently in practice.. Starting from the position in the diagram above. Mihail Marin’s new article also deals with the analysis of 3.Bb4+ Owen Defence A40: 1.e4 ¥b7 C) The clearly most frequently played move is 5... In the original Owen Defence after 1. but that is more of a marginal issue.dxe6 9..¥d2! and 5.. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 11 .d5 fxe4 7.£h4 6.f3..¤f6 and then 7. with which White is also setting an opening trap.¥f2 e5! Black obtains a typical Nimzo-Indian blockading structure.£g4 9. But in 7.¤c3 b6.bxc3 £g4!) 8.d5 which has been successful in practice.£e2 (6..¥b4+ White would have both 5.¢f1! instead of 5.¥xf3 ¤f6 8..£h5+ g6 11.. on the contrary.c4 ¥b4+ 3.¥xg6+! also works).bxc3 fxe4 10. of which the most important are presented here in brief. because g6 does not represent a weakness.. the Romanian grandmaster analyses five continuations.exf5 ¤h6! 7..¤f3 ¥xc3+ 8.g3 £h5 leads to a pawn structure which is unfavourable for him...¥xe4 and now he has a nice game after 10.¥d3 and after 5.¥g5 leads after 7.¥e3 f4 9.¤c6! B) After 5.¥f3 ¥xc3+ etc.h3 £g6 10.d4 e6 2.fxe4 ¥xc3+ 9..e4 ¥b7 nowadays 4.¥d3 f5 and then 7. Thus the position in the diagram is important above all for Marin’s 2.c4 b6 3. A more ambitious try is 7..¤c6! he has a far better continuation at his disposal.¤d2 b6 4. b) 6. Conclusion: Mihail Marin does not see any danger to his repertoire for Black and thinks that “the Owen variations with the pinned queen’s knight offer him excellent counterplay in the purest hypermodern spirit“.. Marin’s intention is to complete his repertoire after 2.. Because if Black now accepts the pawn sacrifice with 7. A) After 5...f3 £h4+! 7. Fax: (+49)40 .com Editor in chief: Rainer Knaak Advertising editor: Dr Steffen Giehring Editorial board: Dr.50. Conclusion: The setup with . 9. must include the full name and location of the publisher as the source. 19).d6 and . Price: EUR 12. since there is no need for White to worry about d4.¤d7 is somewhat more flexible. 7.. Tel: (+49)40 . Rainer Woisin Layout: Rainer Knaak Translations: Ian Adams. 168.. Thomas Stark.99 per issue.. Amruta Mokal (p. Reproduction. Our Russian author sees for White “a tiny advantage.¥xf3 hardly sets White any problems.g.¤c3. 10.¤f3 ¥g4 3..£xd4 the queen is well placed in the centre. In the previous issue we saw that 3.6301282 E-Mail: magazine@chessbase. 5. However. Osterbekstrasse 90a.¤h4 too. though it is nevertheless the most played move) 6.. ..¤xf7 ¢xf7 7. The annual subscription costs EUR 51.70. 6.£b3 and 4... Then 4. 22083 Hamburg.0-0 (but not 9. Steffen Giehring. 18. for the annual subscription EUR 99.. Pascal Simon.¤gf6 6.. All prices include 19% European VAT.g3.¥g4 has lost popularity for good reason.¥e2 to Old Indian positions in which Black has played . if he plays correctly”. 12 | ChessBase Magazine #168 and here Schipkov recommends 9. The price for an individual volume is EUR 19. which leads after 5. In his contribution on the DVD Boris Schipkov analyses four replies for White: 4. A more principled move is 5..e5 quickly.¥xf3 ¥e7 ChessBase Magazine Nr. 14. White obtains the possession of the bishop pair) 8.e3 is an option. Reproduction: No material contained in this issue of ChessBase Magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher. where allowed.¤g5! shows exactly what the problem was..¤gf6 6.. 8.h6 6..g6 is a mistake.. but above all Black wants to be able to play .¥g4.¥h5 8. that is 4. Black mostly plays 4.e4.. which may be deducted for foreign orders. But what he recommends is the main move.... Now 5. 3.exf3 exd4 7.¥xf3 (to which Schipkov attaches ?!. Subscriptions: ChessBase Magazine is published six times per year on DVD. A better move is 5.... e.95.c4 ¤d7 4..h3 with very pleasant play for White. After 5.d5 or even 9. ChessBase Magazine Extra consists of six additional CDs. 15. he can even obtain an advantage in various ways. Pascal Simon (pp.e5. 17) Printing: Druckhaus Leupelt GmbH.. 13. Oliver Reeh Photos: internet press photos (pp. 4. 24976 Handewitt Exclusion of liability: The publishers of this magazine cannot be held liable for the accuracy or completeness of the information and especially not for the chess analysis contained in it. represented by managing directors Rainer Woisin and Matthias Wüllenweber. October / November ISSN: 1432-8992 Published by: © ChessBase Schachprogramme Schachdatenbank Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.e4?!) with a slight but longlasting advantage.639060-0.. Dean Hall. André Schulz. 16. though it is only rarely exploited: 5. but Black can obtain sufficient counterplay.d5.h3 ¥xf3 (after 7.Opening losing Popularity Boris Schipkov introduces you to an unusual opening Wade Defence A41: 1.¤c3. With simple moves White can secure himself a secure advantage..d4 d6 2. 21).¥g2 c6 7. e4 c6 2. Here White has tried 11.£c7 8. Defending the e5-point is counter-productive. pressure on the white centre is the main idea....¥d3 ¥d6 White can play 9.f6 tends to be linked to the French Defence.. After 7.£e6+). Lars Schandorff first deals with a few secondary moves.. but 9. but in higher class games 9.¥f4 ¤e7 8.cxd5 cxd5.c4! was played in the important game Svidler-Jobava... He already has his own king in a safe place so it is natural to try to blow open the position Conclusion: The opening system presented here has not yet become really popular..f6! successfully and thereby demonstrating that the advance of the f-pawn is a genuine theoretical question. but Baadur Jobava is now even playing 5.fxe5 8.¤h4 etc.d4 d5 3.e5 ¥f5 4. But 7. setting a trap (9. After 7. In addition.¤f3 e6 5..¤bd2 is quite interesting. of which above all 7. though without much success..¤e7 on account of 10..¥xf5 exf5 11. Based on more than 100 computer games.¤d4.c4! was played The advance . 7. After 7.¤c3 a6! (not 9. Whether he should look for improvements here or earlier is the question. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 13 .exf6 gxf6 10. while Black is still struggling with his development”. Tiflis 2015 and appears to be setting Black the greatest problems. After 7. but why should it not also be played in the Advance Variation of the CaroKann? Of course the liberation of the ¥c8 does not play any role here..¥e2 ¤d7 6.£e2.0-0 f6 Svidler-Jobava: an important game in which 7.0-0? 10.Opening almost like the french Lars Schandorff fancies another Jobava idea Caro-Kann B12: 1.dxe5 ¥c5 the development of the b1-knight to d2 also comes into question.¥e3 and 11. one gets away from the closed type of positions.¦e1 ¤g6 9.¤gxf6 8. Our author thinks: “White puts the black centre under attack..¤e4 equalises... which also fits in well in this opening.¥g3 fxe5 Black’s position is already preferable.¤a4) was played: 10.exf6 has been seen relatively often in practice..¤b3 ¤e7 9. ¤f3 ¤c6 3. above all with Fabiano Caruana whose played it several times.¥b5 e6 4..dxc3 with equality.. however. Bazna 2013 (1-0)... Naturally 8.d5 9.Opening 3.¤xd4 £c7 with a nice Paulsen position for Black...... A) 8. the immediate 5.cxd4 ¤xd4 is really dangerous for White.d4 cxd4 11.d4!? 14 | ChessBase Magazine #168 Conclusion: White has nothing to fear in the Rossolimo with 3.¤g6 10.¤a3 b4 with the same evaluation. The analyses of the Polish grandmaster prove that Black can be satisfied with the positions he achieves.¥c2 ¥b7 Here White has a wide choice of moves.¥e4 ¤d5! and 11.a6 6.g. whereas 11...0-0 ¤ge7 White. So the most frequently played move is 9.¦e1 – prepare d2-d4.a4.¥b3 ¦xc1! 12.cxd4 ¤b4! or 9..b4 10..d4 cxd4 6. After 5. Two of these – 5. The positive results for There are several moves for White. the ROSSOLIMO — part 2 Michal Krasenkow reveals secrets from his repertoire Sicilian Defence B30: 1. ..¦e1 ¦c8! with the point 9..cxd4 and Black has 10.. e.. is taken up with the continuation 5.£b6.d4 is premature on account of 8.¤bd2 ¤a5 with equality or even 9.¥a4 b5 7.£e2 is followed by the quite different move 8..e5 d4! 10. Michal Krasenkow analyses five continuations on the DVD. though he should “be prepared for a long positional struggle” (Krasenkow). had little to do with the opening. Paris 2013 (1-0).. However.¤b4 11. whereupon Krasenkow gives two replies: 9.¤xd4 is also relatively popular. So in both cases 5.. Most of the space in grandmaster Krasenkow’s investigations..¤d4 should be played.e4 c5 2.£xc1 ¤d3=.e6. Two other lines are more usual. and Caruana-Radjabov. Paris 2013: one of Caruana’s wins with 5. Caruana-Gelfand.cxd4: 9.d3 is followed by 11. Caruana-Gelfand.¤c3 and 5. so Black should immediately force the exchange on c6 with 6. B) 8. Naturally ¥b5 does not then fit well into the position.d4?! cxd4 10.c3.e6 vs.cxd4 d5 12. which is not quite typical of the Sicilian.. which according to Berg is the best move.dxe4 5. Berg’s answer is 6. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 15 .. For Berg himself 4..¤a4 0-0.. but it is represented by three high class duels involving Hector vs.¤c6 was the reason for giving up the variation with 4.f6.¦b1 (9.¤ge7!..e4 e6 2..¤e2 ¤c6 Nowadays one does not often meet 4. no matter whether one plays the older 5. Montpellier 2015.Opening an ambitious continuation Emanuel Berg offers a building block for your repertoire French Defence C15: 1. C) 6.g3 brought White surprising success after the over-aggressive 8... since it does not make sense to delay them.¤e2...... Here Jonny Hector first tried 9. But the analyses by our author on the DVD prove that even then Black can also keep things on a level keel with 9. B) 6. after which White’s e4-e5 can be met with .. Hector-Berg: three high-class duels in the same variation Conclusion: In 4.a3 line.....e5 may not be the most played move. In their third meeting 9. However...c3. In addition the Swedish grandmaster has also dealt with the subject in detail in his book “Grandmaster Repertoire 14 – The French Defence”..¤e2 as White. In each case it was followed by 6. which has the additional advantage that there is not yet a lot of theory around it.¥e3 sets Black the problem of where to develop his g8-knight.b4 ¥b6 8.e5! is obvious and easily allows Black to equalise immediately. was finally played. He considers the moves 5.¤c3 ¥b4 4.¥b2 ¤ge7 8.¤c6 it is possible to avoid the majority of theory though the move can no longer be considered a secret weapon.b5 (9..b4 ¥b6 7. who are well versed above all in the 4. With 4..¤f5) and then 9. but if so then one is usually up against specialists in this variation.h5?! in the game Solodovnichenko-Giri. the improvement 8...¥e7.d4 d5 3..f6!. Berg...¥xc3+ or the more modern 5. Several times Emanuel Berg has had the position in the diagram on the board with both colours.¥a5+!).¤c6 Black has at his disposition an ambitious continuation.. Then three sub-variations come into question: A) 6.a3 ¥a5 to be automatic.¤ge7 7. since after the exchange of the bishops Black’s position is quite comfortable. In his article Robert Ris mainly examines 6. but to also fight for more than equality.. which may be played quite infrequently.. It is met with 6.£e2 was followed in CarlsenCaruana..¤xc6 bxc6 In the Scotch with 5.¤e7 and although Black came out of the opening well.. As a result of his analyses Ris comes to the conclusion that both the natural 8.0-0 and also 8. But 9.£f6 was for a while played automatically (at least by stronger players).g.bxc6 not only allows one to avoid the heavily analysed lines. Not so much on move 6 or 7 (though nevertheless this is also investigated by Ris on the DVD). but 7.£d2 dxc6 are very particular ones. Our author’s recommendation is 6....g3 £h5 10.£f3.0-0 ¥xh3! with equality..h3 runs into 8.. Ris rec- Carlsen-Caruana...0-0 ¤f6 8. After it White can have no great hopes with 8.¤f3 ¤c6 3. However.£f6 lead to known variations. though few of the players had elevated Elo ratings.. Biel 2011 with 7.£h4. 8.¥d3. and it can be supposed that most of them did not even suspect that instead of recapturing on c6 they could also have played an intermediate move.exd5+ ¢d8! 10...¥d4!? are very playable.Opening play the natural move Robert Ris stands up for an unpopular variation Scotch C45: 1. The natural reply 5...£xh5 ¤xh5 brings White no advantage either.¤f6.£f3 d6 and e. Biel 2011: victory for White 16 | ChessBase Magazine #168 ommends 7..d5! The main idea consists of 9. Conclusion: 5.d4 exd4 4.£g3 £g6..e4 e5 2. .¤xd4 ¥c5 5. which is the most frequently played move.¤xc6 the move 5. However.¥e3.. there was soon an endgame.. White was able to win in the long run. Finally the Dutch international master also takes a look at 6. B) But the first player can also put his queen on f3. Moscow 2012. which Magnus Carlsen conducted in the style of Capablanca and won. the alternative 8..¤c3.£f6 7..¤f6 and 6.bxc6 has been played in numerous games. but especially the positions after 6... In the game Radjabov-Carlsen. it nevertheless enables interesting transpositions: both 6. A) The popular 7. 0-0).d5 ¤e7 8.h3 if he wants to meet 11. according to Max Illingworth. Therefore 5.c4 will leave Black missing his light-squared bishop in this King’s Indian type of position.. The following standard moves lead to a tabiya of the variation: 7..g6.¤g3 ¥f8.g6 until White has played c3.e4 e5 2.¦e1!? Then 6.g6 is a major subject in in Illingworth’s article on the DVD. All in all. For.d6.d4! and his analyses of this almost unknown position do not reveal any equality for Black. but when Black has more in mind than simply aiming for equality and a possible draw.¤e7 with 12. It will come as no surprise that Arkadij Naiditsch is well represented in the database on the DVD. Conclusion: According to Max Illingworth Black can really obtain more exciting positions with 4..¦e1 with 6...¤f3 ¤c6 3. White should now play 11. the other move 4.. A little later he issues a warning which one might call a rule: do not play ... Aleksandrov. But White has a not very well known trick: 6. Then 6.¥a4! ¥f8 10. but White tends to get more of an advantage than after 4..Opening still an ace up your sleeve Max Illingworth gives deep insights into an ambitious variation Ruy Lopez C65: 1.. who likes to meet 5.g6 may be playable.¥xc6?! in Anderssen-Steinitz.d4! ¥d7 7.¥b5 ¤f6 4..¤f1 h6 10.¤bd2 ¦e8 9. but in principle 7.. 5... London 1866..c3 with 5.d3 d6 6.g.... then. In the games involving top players the move 4. e.d4! then works when followed by d5 and the exchange of the light-squared bishops.¥a4 ¤e7 12. with an even greater expert being the Belarussian Aleksej Aleksandrov. always reacts to 6.¥c5 is totally dominant. one can say that Black is okay..¥e7.c3 0-0 8. In both cases Black can be content.¥c2.d6 comes into question.0-0 g6?! But our author still has another ace up his sleeve for White: 9..¥d7 is the correct reply (to 5. Aleksej Aleksandrov: greatest expert of the variation Our Australian author begins his article with a classic game: 5.¥c5.c3 (as is usually played) 6..¥xd7. Or else he rescues his bishop with 11.. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 17 .¥xd7+ ¤xd7 9.. but this time without White having an extra tempo.c6. Grischuk also included the move 4. Conclusion: Perhaps the early development of the bishop is more playable than has been thought up till now.cxd5 exd5 7.¤f6 in his repertoire. It is considered to be level.. after which 5. but this judgement is based above all on 4..¤f6.. Now 5.¥xf6 £xf6 7..¥b4 and backs up his choice with analyses..c4 e6 4.¥g5 leads to a variation of the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Next comes 5. as is so often the case. The new development first started with the game Landa-Morozevich.¥f4! £c8 leads to a position which we know (with reversed colours) from the London System.c5 £c7 and now White actually has no better use for his ¥g5 than 8. But what is decisive is an important discovery after the main move 5. After 5..£c7. According to old theory. But Havasi suggests the as yet never played 5. Gergö Havasi also clears up another evaluation. which brought Bacrot victory over Chatalbashev (Baden-Baden 2013).c6 6..¤f3 ¥f5 3. a new variation does not become popular until a top player take it up.¤h4.. So what hope is there left for White? Perhaps 5. But this evaluation appeared to be too optimistic. Eilat 2012.£b3 £b6 6. after Morozevich..£b3 £b6 7. There had previously been games by Chatalbashev...c5 £c7 7. but.e6.¤c3 ¤f6 Alexander Morozevich: new development reached the position after 7.¥f4 £c8.£b3 ¤c6! 6. however.Opening Theory revised Gergö Havasi makes some surprising discoveries Queen‘s Gambit D06: 1. But there is a major difference: in our position Black has not yet played . Moscow 1925.. White gets an advantage.. and even Marshall-Torre Repetto.. so White is a tempo up and that means that he is better placed. 18 | ChessBase Magazine #168 was considered advantageous to White in line with the game Stangl-Dautov 1994. after which we reach the aforementioned London System.d4 d5 2. It is actually desirable to first develop the ¥c8 and only then to play .£b3 £e7 After 4.¥g5... .¤f6! things are somewhat different.¥g5 c6 the line 6. ¥f5 gets into a variation in which the insertion of . ChessBase Magazine #168 | 19 .¤e4.hxg3...¤b6.£a4 and 8. but Postny thinks that Black equalises with 11. but he must logically follow the plan with .g5 (and not . After 8. the world champion shocked his opponent with 11.e3 once more 8.d4 ¤f6 2. But there is a good reason for the plan .. but mainly on a g7-g5 push.c5 is inexact.e3 £a5 10.¤c3 ¥b4 5. So 8... here Black is usually not counting on a standard c7-c5 advance.h6 ¥h4 is unfavourable for him. A) The move 8...g5 9... eliminating the dark-squared bishop. but in his article Postny shows that after 9.¤d2 ¤xg3 .¥d3 c4 11.£c2.c5?!. White has several promising replies..¤d2 ¤xg3 11.fxg3 So the trend now appears to be towards 10. followed by ¤f6-e4.¥h4 ¤bd7 Evgeny Postny writes in the introduction to his article on the DVD: “Compared to other lines of the Ragosin Defence.. B) After 8.¥g5 h6 7.hxg3 either..g5 and .fxg3.... the reason for this being the same as above.. but of those 8. According to Postny thorough preparation is required. whereupon 10. But in Carlsen-Aronian.¥g3 ¤e4 White can play 10..g6 later. The final result (1-0) certainly had nothing to do with the opening and also no one else has taken up the idea of 11.. White can probably not get an advantage with 11.. Conclusion: The variation is very playable for Black. because then he cannot easily play . However.c5).Opening the other Ragosin Plan Evgeny Postny deals with recent developments Queen’s Gambit D38: 1.¤f3 d5 4.. but if Black defends precisely he can maintain the balance.See diagram above right - and now one of course expects the recapture with the h-pawn.fxg3.¤d2 are of lesser importance....” The Israeli grandmaster presents a total of four replies for White.¥g3 ¤e4 10.. Carlsen-Aronian: shocked his opponent with 11.h5 has shown itself to be necessary.c4 e6 3.cxd5 exd5 6.g5 9.£c2 is most frequently met with 8. Stavanger 2014. .0-0 e5 8.b5.Nxe4! 7.Kf6 = 4.Bxc4 Qf5! -+) 21.£xd6 b4 15..  22. they leave the ¤c3 momentar- Solutions to the combinations  1.Kg6 Bf1 88..¤c3 d6 6..Kd6!! =) 56. .a4 stops any play by Black..  32.c5!! bxc5 55.   73.. 74...Qc3+ Ka2 105. But after 13.. but in the long run this can only be guaranteed by a2a4.c5 and ..  38.axb4 Qa4+) 0-1 2..Nxg6?? (33.. Most frequently seen has been 13.a5 -+ 9..c4 g6 3..Rh1 Rf1? 75.¤xd4 ¦e8 10.  67....Bc5! 68.  13.Kf2 f4 0-1 3. After 13.Kf5 Kd4 -+ 3.Ng6+! Kd7 27.  77.b4!! axb4 53.  86.Rxe3 Bb6 40.Ndc5! 14.h3 a6 11. e....Rd4 -+) 74. The decisive advantage of this move order lies in the fact that Black’s typical plan when he played 10.d4 ¤f6 2.  79.Qxd7 1-0 28..Nxe5! 20.¤a4 ¤xe4 16.¥xa1 nor 16.Kg5? (54.£c2 ¥d7 14.f4 is ambitious.e4 exd4 9.Kxd3 Kxh4 54. But moving the rook pawn weakens the b4-square and limits White’s options on the queenside.  28.gxf4 f5 -+) 55...Kg4! 55.Nxc4! 21.a7! +2..  59.Rh4 Rc4 -+.Ne5+ 1-0 4.  19..Nd8 Bb6? (69.Kg6 56.Ke5 f4! 56..Bb5+! Bc6 28.b3! The two moves for White are not exactly obvious.Rg1?! (73..Ra7 Kg2 81.   15..¥g2 0-0 5.Ke5 Rg1 61. but there is no clear promise of any advantage.¦xe4 is sufficient.Nc6 Kd5 69.Be3! Bg2 87.Rxe3! 39. B) Many fianchetto players act quite typically: the prudent 13.¤ed7 White has gained time and space.Nxf4! 16.  52..Qxd7 29...Ke1? (79. For a main line Szabo analyses 12...¥e3! ¦b8 12.Bxe5+ Kh7 30..¥xe4 neither 16.Rg4! 74.Nf7 = 20 | ChessBase Magazine #168 ily unprotected.g. which again intends .Bxe7 e3! 21.Rf8! 80.c5 and ..c5 13...Ra1 Rf4!! -+) 80.Qe2 Bb5! -+ Endgame solutions  1... but Szabo proposes 13......¤f3 ¤bd7 7..dxc5 Nxc5 15. Conclusion: The white setup prevents “for a moment” the typical .Kh8 +8..Rxf1 Bxf1 76.g3 ¥g7 4.Opening only a4 works long term Krisztian Szabo on the state of the Gallagher Variation — Part 2 King’s Indian E68: 1...Rh1+ +5..¤de2 b5?! is bad.Rf1+! 60.¦ad1 (or immediately 14.¥d7.   103.¥e3! In the second part Krisztian Szabo examines the strongest white setup with 11..a6....exf4 Nxc4! 17...Rxd4+! Kxd4 78.a5 +6.Bxc4 Qe8+! -+ 8.Ka4 = 5..Qf8! +-) 33.  20. in several correspondence games Black has had little trouble keeping things on an even keel.b5. as.¤fd7.Rxc1+! 23...¤c5.Kf6 = 9...Qb4 (21..Be4+! g6 33. The second most frequently played move is 12..Nb7 Bb6 -+) 70..Qc2+! Ka1 104...   54.Rxc1 Qb3 (24.  26.b4) it is not so easy for Black to obtain his usual queenside counterplay.Bd4! 70...Qd2 Qxb5 -+ 6. A) 13. namely 12.¤e5.Ke5! Kg4 (55.Rf7 = 7. after 14. The ideas around 9..h6 is even worse (than 10. After 10.£c2 many ideas do not work.¤e8 is the most precise.¦d1.... then he hopes that Black will play .h6. B) 9.¤e1.. ¤e1 and one gets positions similar to those after 9.¤h4 on account of 11.£c2 were developed in Ukrainian chess circles. whereupon his opponent should have played 12.. The move 9.¤h4!?. such as ¦f8-f6-h6.¤h4! ¤f6 13. 12. Pavel Eljanov has played the move from time to time.c5.. after which Kuzmin’s analyses show an advantage for White.b4 ¤e8 variation – £c2 and ¦d1 fit in very well.¤xd5! (this time the §c7 is protected).d4 ¤f6 2. less so .. This would give White the opportunity for ¤g5 followed by ¤e6.Qc2 only as a surprise should first play . since White plays 11.g3 f5 12.Opening the Ukrainian Variation Alexey Kuzmin presents a surprise weapon King’s Indian E97: 1.a5. Now.¤h5 10.g.. they are as follows.f5 without a preparatory ... 10.¤c3 ¥g7 4. Just how useful ¦d1 is remains to be seen. according to Kuzmin. but his main weapon remains 9.£c2 still represents a good surprise weapon. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 21 ... A) 9... e. White almost always plays 10.exf5! etc.¤f3 0-0 6.h6.¦d1 h6 allows the unplayed 11.h6 is followed.¦d1.¤d2 would result in a position similar to a 9... after which the setup with £c2/¦d1 develops its full potential. After 11..0-0 ¤c6 8.h6.¤d7 10...b4..¤e8 is played relatively rarely. Conclusion: For the moment 9.d5 ¤e7 9.e4 d6 5.f5)..£c2 is still a rarity in the Classical King’s Indian. In the diagram on the left Black has various knight moves.¦d1 h6 White does not have 11. So Black Pavel Eljanov: 9.¤f6 13... Instead of ¤e1 White also likes to follow a plan with b4... by.c4 g6 3. and then advance the f-pawn.b4 f5 Eljanov has played 12. In brief. It then turns out that . ..h6 is the waste of a tempo.. this can also be seen from the fact that the best move 9. C) 9... Alexey Kuzmin explains in detail his preferences in the introduction to his article on the DVD.¥e2 e5 7.. Shankland How can Black win material? 6. Antonsen . You will find the solutions on page 20 or in detail in the tactics column on the DVD 22 | ChessBase Magazine #168 .Harvey How would you continue here as White? 7.Burmakin White to play and win. Das . Verstraeten .Lubbe Start a nice assault for Black. Chabanon .Ekeberg How can White win quickly? 5.Zwardon Which combination with several moves wins Black material? 8. Roeder . Karas .Mozharov How can Black mate in four moves? 2. Stets .Pechac How would you continue with Black? 3. 4. Feldtmann . How? 9. Blahynka .Tsaknakis Here too Black wins material.Tactics 1. He won the British U20 national championship three times. Pert lives with his wife and their two small daughters near London.ChessBase Author Nicholas Pert – grandmaster because of a lack of snow The English GM Nicholas Pert has already gathered for himself a large community of fans with his DVDs which have been published by ChessBase. Thus Jonathan Hawkins. Their parents had taken them to Sweden to go skiing. But in the homeland of “fair play”. he was coached together with his twin brother Richard by Kevin O’Connell. A victory would have assured him of at least a shared first place. however. but there was no snow so they taught their two sons the game of chess. “Our games always finish as draws. At the latest British championship Nick Pert. Nicholas and Richard had learned to play chess as five year olds. but spends most of his time giving chess lessons in a series of schools and to some private pupils. Elsewhere Nicholas Pert: chess instead of maths that is how the game would have been decided in “pragmatic” fashion. After the openings DVDs on the French Defence. became British champion. Nicholas Pert turned out to be somewhat keener than his twin brother. Twins are used to sharing. In 2006 Pert represented England at the Chess Olympiad in Turin. was not so very exciting and so he decided he would prefer to earn his living as a chess trainer. born in 1981. That has already cost me so many Elo points“. still takes part from time to time in some attractive tournaments. Pert was left sharing the runner-up spot. That. taking advantage of mistakes by his opponent Keith Arkell. commented Nick Pert. grew up in Ipswich where. he also teaches up and coming English players. the Slav Defence to the Queen’s Gambit and his repertoire for White with fianchetto systems (“Safe and Solid against the wild Indians”) his DVD “Typical mistakes by 1600-1900 players” was particularly well received by chess players. In addition. as one of the four leading players in the final round. after he demonstrated his talent. shrugging his shoulders. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 23 . and that not only between twin brothers. as the youth trainer of the British Chess Federation. After leaving school Nick Pert studied mathematics and statistics and worked for a time in a firm of actuaries. the game finished in a draw. just had to come up against his twin brother Richard. Nicholas Pert. achieved good results in international youth championships and in 1998 became U18 world champion. however. Between 2008 and 2010 he remained undefeated in 52 successive games. who was active in England in the chess in schools project and who also lived in Ipswich. Navara .Injac Can the black rook escape the perpetual pursuit? 5.Endgame 1. Saranya .Sarkar Black to play and win. Hasangatin . 3. Schachinger .Ni Shiqun How did Ni Shiqun start the hunt for the knight? You will find the solutions on page 20 or in detail in the endgame column on the DVD 24 | ChessBase Magazine #168 .Kunal How did White continue? 6. 7.So How did Navara stop the passed pawns? 9.Sermier How did Schachinger win? 8. Bjorksten .Gomes How did White cash in on his passed pawn? 2.Grandelius How should the extra pawn be exploited? 4. Liu Manli . Ros Alonso . Tari . Dinev .Goganov Black to play and win. Sergei Tiviakov knows the Queen’s Indian well.¥e3 f5 11.g3 in the Queen’s Indian. in order to then go on and open up the kingside himself with g3.c4 g6 3. On his ChessBase DVD “No fear of 1. both players followed for a long time a topical line of the Mar del Plata Variation.d4 ¤f6 2.¥e2 e5 7. Actually that is where Black is active.c4 dxc4 Robert Ris has an interesting suggestion against the Reti Opening: 2.¥f2 g5 13.g6. Romanian Robert Ris: Reti Opening 1. China 2015.d4 ¤f6 2.d4! Vol. The main idea is that the ¤g8 has not yet been developed.¥b4+ is the strongest move against White’s 4..g3 g6 3.¤e1 ¤d7 10. but thanks to two Carlsen-Anand games from the WCh match of 2013 the move became really popular.¤d3 In the game Lysyj-Wan Yunguo. Then White surprised his opponent with an unusual plan.c4 dxc4 is more critical and thus the topic of our Dutch author who presents his investigations in a total of 6 video clips.¥g7 and . but 3. Mihail Marin: King’s Indian 1.¤f3 0-0 6...g3 ¥b4+ grandmaster Mihail Marin analyses the game extensively and suggests improvements for both sides.. ChessBase Magazine #168 | 25 . which allows .¤c3 ¥g7 4. It is not new.0-0 ¤c6 8.e7-e5 – naturally only if White takes no steps against it. As a bonus the database contains 35 games from among his own.Opening Videos This time the “Openings Videos” column contains eight videos by three authors.. Now with his latest video he goes into recent developments and in doing so leans heavily on his own games.¦g1!? (see diagram above right). But an advantage in space and the slightly better development make this possible. The Dutch grandmaster is convinced that 4.¤f3 b6 4.c4 e6 3.. Sergei Tiviakov: Queen’s Indian 1. The most played moves are 3.¤f3 d5 2.. he showed how to get very playable positions on the board with Black. In a position with his king on h1 he played 17.d5 ¤e7 9.e4 d6 5.f3 f4 12..¥g2 ¥g7. 1 – Catalan and Queen’s Indian”.