No.
82, July 28, 2010
OPENINGS
what’s hot and what’s not?
XIIIIIIIIY
More power chess 9r+l+-trk+0
9zppwq-+pzpp0
9-+n+-sn-+0
by Ponomariov 9+-zp-zp-+-0
9-+LzP-+-+0
9zP-zP-zPN+P0
9-vL-+-zPP+0
9tR-+Q+RmK-0
By IM Merijn van Delft & IM Robert Ris xiiiiiiiiy
In this issue we are dealing with the second half of Frequency
the Dortmund tournament (round six through ten).
Ponomariov retained his excellent shape, surviving
three Blacks and adding another good win. The
youngsters in Biel played significantly less theoretical.
what’s hot?
Score
Until the very end of the tournament Le Quang Liem's Caro-Kann did a
very good job (adding up to one win and two draws) and in the last round
the Vietnamese even created winning chances with it in his last attempt to
keep Ponomariov from the title. Kramnik tried to play for a win with the Pirc
against Naiditsch, but lost track in the complications and lost.
Ponomariov kept changing his opening as White and scored another
impressive victory (compare last week), with the 4.e3 Nimzo-Indian against
Naiditsch, again making it to Game of the Week. In the diagram position
Black played 12...e4. Last week's popularity of the Catalan continued in the
second half of the Dortmund tournament, although all four games ended in
a draw (see PGN file). Rodshtein scored another victory with the Catalan
though, against Giri.
With 5.£a4!? and 8.£d1!? Mamedyarov tricked Naiditsch out of his Vienna
into a Meran. With 9...¥b7? the latter erred immediately, but then profited
from a dramatic case of chess-blindfullness in timetrouble. The very next
day Mamedyarov hit back by beating Leko from a Symmetrical English.
More Mamedyarov: see below for his amazing 5.g4!? versus the QGD. Source: Megabase + TWIC, 2500+ only
With Black Ponomariov was surprisingly comfortable with the classical (¥b7) Queen's Indian versus Kramnik. Mamedyarov strangely lost
without a fight though, in a known line from the Ragozin against Kramnik. In this same last round it became clear that Naiditsch' Vienna
didn't make it bullet-proof until the end of the tournament. We have said it before: 1.d4 ¤f6
2.c4 e6 is not such an easy ride for Black these days.
what’s Not?
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ChessVibes OPENINGS what’s hot and what’s not? No. 82, July 28, 2010
Keeping the target moving
After beating Kramnik with the Catalan and Mamedyarov with the 4.£c2 Nimzo, Ponomariov
again kept the target moving by effectively switching to a third repertoire against 1.d4 ¤f6
2.c4 e6 and beating Naiditsch with the 4.e3 Nimzo.
26...¤b5 27.¥a5 wins a pawn (but not
game of the week 27.£xc5? ¦c7).
27.£xc5 ¦b5 28.£c7
Ponomariov, R (2734) - Naiditsch, A (2684) 14.£e2 had been seen once before in Liang Threatening 29.¥b4.
Sparkassen Chess Meeting (Dortmund), Chong-Yuan Jun, Suzhou 2001. Ponomariov’s 28...¦b7 29.£c6 ¤b5
23.07.2010 E59, Nimzo-Indian, 4.£c2 plan to open the diagonals for his ¥s is more in Black seems to get rid of the pressure by
the spirit of the position though. trading £s, but Ponomariov has calculated the
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 ¥b4 4.e3 14...¤a5 15.c4 cxd4 lines very accurately.
Since the Classical Variation (4.£c2) is 15...¥f5 16.d5 would lead to similar play as 30.£xh6 gxh6 31.¤e4 f5 32.¤f6+ ¢g7
running out of resources, White is focussing indicated in the note to 13...b6. 33.¥e5!
his attention again on the Rubinstein Variation. 16.¥xd4 33.¤d5+? ¤xc3 34.¤xc3 ¦b3 35.¦fc1 ¥e6
4...0–0 5.¥d3 d5 6.¤f3 c5 7.0–0 ¤c6 16.exd4?! a6 leaves c4 en prise. and Black retains good drawing chances.
The other main line 7...dxc4 8.¥xc4 ¤bd7 16...£e7 XIIIIIIIIY
seems to be under pressure, as discussed in 16...a6 17.¥a4 ¤xc4 18.¤xc4 £xc4 19.¦c1 9-+l+-tr-+0
earlier issues. £e6 20.¦c6 gives White the initiative. 9+r+-+-mkp0
8.a3 ¥xc3 9.bxc3 dxc4 10.¥xc4 £c7 XIIIIIIIIY 9p+-+-sN-zp0
In CVO 75 we expected Black players to return 9r+l+-trk+0 9+n+-vLp+-0
to this classical approach. 9zp-+-wqpzpp0
11.¥b2 e5 12.h3 e4?!
9-+-+-zP-+0
9-zp-+-sn-+0 9zP-+-zP-+P0
Releasing the tension seems premature.
9snL+-+-+-0 9-+-+-+P+0
Alternatives:
a) 12...b6 13.¥a2 ¥a6 14.¦e1 ¦ad8 15.e4!
9-+PvLp+-+0 9tR-+-+RmK-0
cxd4 16.cxd4 exd4 17.e5 didn’t serve Black
9zP-+-zP-+P0 xiiiiiiiiy
well in Lugovoi-Naiditsch, Moscow 2005. 9-+-sN-zPP+0 33...¦xf6 34.¦fc1 ¥d7
b) 12...¥f5 leaves the most solid impression. 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 34...¤a7 35.¦ab1 ¦xb1 36.¦xb1 ¤c6 37.¥xf6+
Now 13.¥b5!? has been the regular choice xiiiiiiiiy ¢xf6 38.¦b6 ¥d7 39.¦xa6 is very difficult for
of GM Potkin. 13...¦fd8 (13...e4 14.¤d2 a6 17.c5! Black as well.
15.¥xc6 £xc6 16.c4 cxd4 17.¥xd4² Potkin- This temporary pawn sacrifice aims to distract 35.¦ab1 ¦a7
Hernandez Carmenates, Havana 2010.) Black’s development. There is no time to get rid of the pin by 35...¢f7
14.£e2 (14.¥xc6 exd4!; 14.¦c1 e4 15.¤d2 ¥g6 17...a6 18.¥a4 bxc5 19.¥c3 ¤b7 since after 36.¥xf6 ¢xf6 37.a4 ¤d6 38.¦xb7
16.¥xc6 £xc6 17.c4 cxd4 18.¥xd4 ¤d7 19.£b3 19...£d8 allows 20.¤xe4! ¤xe4 21.£xd8 ¦xd8 ¤xb7 39.¦c7 White wins a piece.
¤c5 20.£b5 ¦ac8 21.¥xc5 £xc5 22.¤b3 22.¥xa5±. 36.a4 ¤d6 37.¥d4
£xa3 23.¦a1 £b2 24.¦xa7 £e2 25.¤d4 20.¥c6 ¦a7 21.£b1 Also possible is 37.¦b6 ¤e8 38.¥d4! ¦a8
£xc4 26.£xc4 ¦xc4 27.¦xb7² led to a quite 21.¥xf6!? £xf6 22.¥xe4 ¤d6 23.£c2 is 39.¥xf6+ ¤xf6 40.¦c7.
unpleasant ending for Black in Potkin-Ortiz another line worth considering. 37...¦a8 38.¦d1 ¤e4 39.¦b7 ¦d8 40.¥e5!
Suarez, Havana 2010.) 14...e4 15.¤d2 ¤a5 21...£c7 The final touch. After fine manouevring, White
(15...a6 16.¥xc6 bxc6 17.c4 ¥g6 18.dxc5 ¤d7 In case of 21...¤d6 22.£b6 ¦c7 23.¥xf6 gxf6 finally picks up the ¥.
19.¥d4 £a5 20.¤b3 £a4 21.¦fb1² Potkin- 24.¦ac1 White regains his pawn with interest. 40...¢g6 41.¦dxd7 ¦xd7 42.¦xd7 ¦c6 43.g4
Kiselev, Moscow 2008.) 16.c4 cxd4 17.exd4 22.¥xe4 ¤xe4 23.¤xe4 £c6 24.¤g5 £h6 ¦c1+
¥g6 18.¦ac1 ¦ac8 19.d5 was very promising 24...£g6 25.£xg6 hxg6 26.¦fd1! seems to 43...¤f6 44.¥xf6 ¦xf6 45.¢f2 followed by
for White in Potkin-Corrales Jimenez, Havana paralyse Black’s position, though after 26...¦d8 46.gxf5 when a hopeless ending remains.
2010. 27.¦xd8+ ¤xd8 28.¥a5 ¤e6 29.¤xe6 ¥xe6 44.¢g2 ¦c2+ 45.¢f1
13.¤d2 b6 30.¥b6 Black has better prospects fighting for It was still not too late committing a blunder:
A model game from White’s perspective went a draw than in the game. 45.¢f3?? ¦f2#.
13...¤a5 14.¥a2 ¥f5 15.c4 ¦fe8 16.d5 ¤d7 25.f4 ¤d6 26.£b6 ¦b7 45...¤d2+ 46.¢e1 1–0
17.f4! exf3 18.£xf3 ¥g6 19.h4! h5 20.¥b1 £d6
21.¥c3 b6 22.¤e4± Kramnik-Tiviakov, Wijk
aan Zee 2001.
14.¥b5
Ponomariov - naiditsch
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ChessVibes OPENINGS what’s hot and what’s not? No. 82, July 28, 2010
this week’s harvest
Caro-Kann, Exchange 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.¥d3 ¤c6 5.c3 ¤f6 6.h3 £c7 7.¤f3 g6 8.0–0 ¥f5 9.¦e1 ¥xd3 10.£xd3 ¥g7
XIIIIIIIIY 11.¤bd2 0–0 12.¤b3 e6 13.a4 ¦fe8 14.g3 ¤e4 15.¥f4 £d8 16.h4 h6 17.¢g2 g5 18.hxg5 hxg5 19.¥e3 f5
9r+-wqr+k+0 The situation before the last round in Dortmund was as follows: Ponomariov was leading a full point ahead of Le
9zpp+-+-vl-0 Quang Liem (and Mamedyarov, who was facing Kramnik with Black). The whole tournament Ponomariov had
9-+n+p+-+0 been playing amazing chess with the white pieces, winning all games. In the last round we believe he made a
typical psychological mistake by choosing a quiet, unprincipled sideline: 3.exd5 followed by 4.¥d3 versus the
9+-+p+pzp-0
Caro-Kann. If you want to avoid big risks against the Caro-Kann the traditional main line with 3.¤c3 is perfectly
9P+-zPn+-+0 fine and in fact an excellent choice. Healthy piece development, no weaknesses. As Jan Gustafsson once stated
9+NzPQvLNzP-0 half-jokingly: the best way of getting a draw is by playing for a win. With 8...¥f5! Le Quang Liem got rid of his so-
9-zP-+-zPK+0 called bad bishop and after 12 moves Black looks perfectly healthy. With the very brave 17...g5! and 19...f5! he
9tR-+-tR-+-0 even took the initiative going for an final attempt to catch Ponomariov in the standings. The latter seemed to get his
xiiiiiiiiy act together just in time and managed to reach a draw, learning an important psychological lesson in the process.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.¤c3 ¥e7 5.g4 QGD
There is an increasing amount of opening lines in which White goes for an early push with his g-pawn. An XIIIIIIIIY
old Dutch chess anecdote has it that someone once fixed GM Van der Wiel's g-pawn to the board with strong 9rsnlwqk+-tr0
glue, since he was known for such early g-pawn attacks. A very good example of a relatively new opening line 9zppzp-vlpzpp0
involving g4 is the Latvian Attack 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.¤c3 e6 5.e3 ¤bd7 6.£c2 ¥d6 7.g4!? developed 9-+-+psn-+0
by players like Shirov and Shabalov. Or what about 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 ¤f6 4.¤c3 ¤bd7 5.g4!?, introduced
9+-+p+-+-0
in 2003 by, who else, Shirov. Just when you think things cannot get more extreme, 5.g4!? versus the Queen's
Gambit Declined was played in Mamedyarov-Ponomariov. Strictly speaking it was not a novelty, but it was hardly
9-+PzP-+P+0
ever seen before and definitely not at grandmaster level. With the first new move 7.£c2!? Mamedyarov made a
9+-sN-+N+-0
real gambit out of this fresh attacking variation, obviously followed by castling queenside. Actually we believe that 9PzP-+PzP-zP0
Black should be fine in this whole line (we are talking about the QGD!) and the game indeed ended in a draw, 9tR-vLQmKL+R0
but of course more practical tests are welcome. xiiiiiiiiy
Ragozin 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 d5 4.¤c3 ¥b4 5.¥g5 ¤bd7 6.cxd5 exd5 7.e3 c5 8.dxc5 £a5 9.¦c1 ¤e4 10.£xd5 ¤xc3
XIIIIIIIIY 11.bxc3 ¥xc3+ 12.¢d1 0–0 13.¥c4 ¤f6 14.¥xf6 ¥xf6 15.¢e2 b5 16.cxb6 £xd5 17.¥xd5 ¥a6+ 18.¥c4 axb6
9-+-+r+k+0 19.a4 ¥b2 20.¦c2 ¦fc8 21.¤d2 b5 22.axb5 ¥xb5 23.¦b1 ¥xc4+ 24.¦xc4 ¥f6 25.¦xc8+ ¦xc8 26.¤e4 ¦e8 27.f4
9+-+-+pzpp0 Carelessly copying earlier games is always a tricky business, but now Mamedyarov knows as well. Obviously he
9-+-+-vl-+0 had intended to improve Ponomariov's play, as has been suggested in CVO 46. Kramnik, though, had evidently
a more critical look at his own game and improved with 16.cxb6!, transforming the game into a dry ending.
9+-+-+-+-0
Engines evaluate the arising positions approximately with just 0.25 in White's favor, believing that holding a draw
9-+-+NzP-+0 shouldn't be a big deal from Black's perspective. Kramnik on the other hand illustrates that matters aren't that
9+-+-zP-+-0 simple. Despite Mamedyarov managed to limit actions to one wing, the presence of ¤ against ¥ is clearly an
9-+-+K+PzP0 additional trumph for White. With 27...¥d4? the Azeri committed his final mistake, since after 28.exd4! White's
9+R+-+-+-0 d-pawn proved to be way too strong. After two important victories for Kramnik, Novikov's treacherous 8.dxc5!?
xiiiiiiiiy might finally get its credits it deserves to have. As earlier deviations didn't give Black a satisfactory result either,
x the Ragozin might be considered under pressure.
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.¤c3 d5 4.cxd5 ¤xd5 5.e4 ¤xc3 6.bxc3 ¥g7 7.¥c4 c5 8.¤e2 ¤c6 9.¥e3 0–0 10.0–0 ¤a5 11.¥d3 Grünfeld, Exchange
b6 12.£d2 e5 13.¥h6 cxd4 14.¥xg7 ¢xg7 15.cxd4 exd4 16.f4 f6 17.f5 ¤c6 18.¥b5 ¤e5 19.¤xd4 gxf5 20.exf5 ¢h8 XIIIIIIIIY
The Grunfeld with 7.¥c4 still hasn't reached its limits. In CVO 58 we concluded that after 19.¤xd4 White has the 9r+lwq-tr-mk0
better chances. This evaluation was proven right until now, as in Giri-Bok, Dutch Championship 2010 Black didn't 9zp-+-+-+p0
obtain the desirable counterplay. However, So comes up with an interesting new concept by voluntarily opening 9-zp-+-zp-+0
the g-file with 19...gxf5!? 20.exf5 when after ¢h8, the ¢ has found a safe residence in the corner. In fact it's
9+L+-snP+-0
White who has to be careful, as Black has a clear plan. Black's idea is to put a ¦ on g8, while the £ and ¥ are
doing their job on the long diagonal. Black's pieces are co-operating in a harmonious way, while it's not entirely
9-+-sN-+-+0
clear what White is striving for. Black's only weakness on f6 is well protected and can't hardly be undermined.
9+-+-+-+-0
Moreover, in the analysis you will find some variations where massive exchanges will lead to a favorable ending 9P+-wQ-+PzP0
for Black due to his potential outside passed pawn. A success for Black in a critical line! 9tR-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
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ChessVibes OPENINGS what’s hot and what’s not? No. 82, July 28, 2010
it's your move
XIIIIIIIIY XIIIIIIIIY
O9r+-tr-wqk+0 O9r+l+-trk+0
9zp-+l+-+-0 9zppwq-+pzp-0
9-+n+p+pzP0 9-sn-+-vl-zp0
9+p+pzP-+p0 9+-+-+-+-0
9-+pzP-+-+0 9-+PtR-+-+0
9zP-zP-vL-+N0 9+N+-+-zP-0
9-+P+QzP-+0 9PvLQ+PzPLzP0
9tR-+-mK-+R0 9+R+-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy xiiiiiiiiy
last week's solutions
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+r+-+k+0 Le Quang Liem-Ponomariov, Sparkassen Chess Meeting (Dortmund) 2010
9zpl+-wqpvl-0 In a Grunfeld Black has a reasonable position at the first sight. Though, Ponomariov's last move (18...h5) is a
9-zp-+-+p+0 serious error, which is immediately punished by a gifted tactician as Le Quang. 19.¤xg6! ¤xg6 20.¥d6! £e8
9+-+Lsn-+p0 Other moves aren’t anything better: 20...£xd6 21.¥xf7+ ¢xf7 22.¦xd6; 20...¥xd5 21.¥xe7 ¥xe4 22.¥g5 ¥xb1
23.¦xb1. 21.£xe8+ ¦xe8 22.¥xb7 and White is a clear pawn up.
9Q+p+PsN-+0
9+-zP-+-vL-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0
9+R+R+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
XIIIIIIIIY
Pashikian-Matlakov, Lake Sevan 2010 9r+-+-tr-+0
We have discussed this theme before: a major disadvantage of playing ...b5 with Black in the Chebanenko Slav 9+-wqnzpkvlp0
is that a positional piece sacrifice on b5 is always hanging in the air. In the diagram position Pashikian prepared
9-+p+-snp+0
this idea with 18.a4! axb4 and now grabbed his chance with 19.¤xb5! cxb5 20.axb5 and these connected
passed pawns are clearly worth a piece, while the black pawn on b4 is obviously doomed. White went on to win
9zppzPp+p+-0
a nice game.
9-zP-zP-zP-+0
9zP-sNLzP-+-0
9-+QvL-+PzP0
9tR-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
www.chessvibes.com/openings
ChessVibes Openings is a weekly PDF magazine that covers the latest news on chess openings. Which openings are hot in top level chess?
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