[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.06.25"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Novelty by Jacob Aagaard"]
[Black "for reprint"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.c4 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Be2 Nbd7 8.O-O Ne4 9.g3
    (9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.d5 {was the recommendation in the
first print, but this idea suffered a big blow in a number of games and Boris
noted it down as the one recommendation from this book that should certainly
not be followed.} 12...Bd6! 13.g3 c5! 14.Qa4 Qe7 15.Bb5 O-O-O 16.Bd2 Nf6 17.Qxa7
    Bb8 18.Qa3 Rxd5 19.Rfc1 Ng4 20.Ba5 Nxh2 21.Rd1 Qe6 22.Rac1 Nf3+ 23.Kf1 Rh1+
    24.Ke2 Nd4+ 25.exd4 Qg4+ 26.Kd2 Rxd1+ 27.Rxd1 Rxd4+
    {0-1 Hillarp Persson-Malakhov, Denmark 2009.} )
9...Nd6 {This was Shirov's idea. It is hard to see any other reason to play
8...Ne4. After 9. ..Be7 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nxe4 (12.f3!?+/=)
12...dxe4 13.d5 small edge. White has a good version of Boris's original idea,
Schlosser - Marusenko, Pardubice 2009.} 10.c5!? $146
    (10.b3 {was played in Inarkiev - Shirov, Poikovsky 2008. Black won a
beautiful game.} 10...Be7 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Qc2 Nf6 13.Rd1 Qc7 14.Bf1 O-O-O 15.Bg2
    Rh5 16.c5 Nf5 17.h3 Rdh8 18.e4 dxe4 19.Bf4 Qd8 20.g4 Rxh3 21.gxf5 Rxc3
    22.Qxc3 Nd5 23.Qc1 gxf5 24.Kf1 Rh4 25.Be5 Qh8 26.Ke1 Rg4 27.Bf1 Rg1 28.Qc4
    Qh4 29.Ke2 Bg5 30.Rdb1 f4 31.Rb2 f3+ 32.Kd1 e3 33.Ke1 e2 34.Rxe2 Rxf1+
    {0-1.} )
10...Nf5 11.Ng2 {11.Nxg6?! looks dangerous, but White could also try 11.Nxf5
Bxf5 12.f3 with complicated play.} 11...Be7
    (11...e5?!
    {was recommended by Maxim Notkin in Chess Today, but it is refuted by} 12.g4
    Nh4 13.f4 {and White will end up with a superior structure on both flanks:}
    13...exd4 14.exd4 Nxg2 15.Kxg2 f5 16.Re1! Be7 17.g5 $16 )
12.Nf4!? {We like this idea best, as it is most critical. 12.b4 0-0 13.Nf4 is
another idea. Black might try to break in the centre with 13/\e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5,
but after 15.Bb2 Bf6 16.Qb3+/= White is probably a bit better.} 12...e5
    (12...O-O 13.h4 $14 )
13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.h4 d4!? {This seems to be the most logical move. 14...f6 is a
computer idea, which is met with: 15.Qa4! Bf7 (15/\b5? is punished by 16.Nxb5!
cxb5 17.Bxb5+ Kf7 18.Rd1+/- with a strong attack) 16.e4! dxe4 17.Rd1 Qc8
18.Nxe4 0-0 19.b3+/= 14...h6 might be the best move. We think White is better
after: 15.b4!? d4 (15...a5 16.Bb2!+/= axb4? 17.Ncxd5+-) 16. Ne4! Nxe3
(16/\dxe3? 17.Bb2!+/-) 17.fxe3 Bxe4 18.Bb2!+/= White keeps the initiative and
control of the centre.} 15.exd4 Nxd4 16.Nxg6 hxg6 17.Bf4 Bf6 18.Re1 O-O 19.Bxe5
Bxe5 20.Bc4 $14 {White has some interesting attacking ideas on the light
squares. After 20/\Re8 21.Ne4 White has many threats and ideas with h4-h5 and
Qg4 can be dangerous.} 20...g5 21.Ne4 Qe7 22.Qg4 Nc2 23.Nxg5 Nxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf6
25.Re3 {White has a winning attack.} *


[Event "4th Kings Tournament"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2010.06.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ponomariov, R"]
[Black "Wang Yue"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2010.06.14"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[ECO "D10"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bg4 9.h3
Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Nbd7 11.Rd1 e5 12.d5 e4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Nb6 15.Rb1
    (15.Bb3 Nxd5 16.Bxd5 cxd5 17.Rxd5 Qb6 18.Qd3 Rfe8 19.Rb1 Rad8 20.Bd2 Rxd5
    21.Qxd5 Rd8 22.Qa5 Qxa5 23.Bxa5 b6 24.Be1
        (24.Bb4 Rc8 25.b3 Rc2 26.Rd1 Bf6 27.Rd2 )
    24...Rc8 25.a4
        (25.b3 )
    25...Rc2 26.b4 Bc3 27.Bxc3 Rxc3 28.b5 Rc4 29.Ra1 f5 30.Kf1 Kf7 31.Ke1 Ke6
    32.Kd2 h5 33.Kd3 )
15...Re8 16.Qc2 cxd5 17.Bb5 Re6
    (17...Rf8 )
    (17...Re7 )
18.Qb3 Qh4 19.Bd2 d4 20.Bf1 Rd8 21.g3 Qe7 22.Bg2 Qe8 23.exd4 Bxd4 24.Bc3
    (24.Bg5 Rd7 25.Bf3 )
24...Bxc3 25.Rxd8 Qxd8 26.Qxc3 Qe7 27.Rd1 h5 28.b3
    (28.Bxb7 Na4 29.Qc8+ Kg7 30.b3 Nc5 31.Bf3 h4 )
    (28.h4 Na4 )
28...h4 29.g4 Rd6 30.Rxd6 Qxd6 31.Bxb7 Nd7 32.Qc8+ Kg7 33.Qd8 Qe6 34.Kg2 Ne5
35.Qd4
    (35.Qxh4 Qb6 36.Be4 Qd4 37.f3 )
35...Qf6 36.b4
    (36.Qxa7 Nd3 37.Qe3 Nf4+ 38.Kg1 )
36...g5 37.a4
    (37.Qxa7 Nd3 38.Qe3 Nxb4 39.a4 Nc2 40.Qd2 Nd4 41.Qb2 )
37...Ng6 38.Qxf6+
    (38.Qxa7 Nf4+ 39.Kh2 Qc3 40.Qe3 Qc7 )
38...Kxf6 39.b5 Nf4+ 40.Kf3
    (40.Kh2 Ke5 41.a5 Kd6 )
40...Ke5 41.a5 Kd6 42.Ke4 Nxh3 43.Kf5 Nxf2 44.Bf3 Kc7 45.Kxg5 h3 46.Kf6 h2 47.g5
h1=Q 48.Bxh1 Nxh1 49.Kxf7 Ng3 50.g6 Nh5 51.Ke7 Ng7 52.Kf6 Nh5+ 53.Kg5 Ng7 54.Kf6
Nh5+ 55.Kf7 Kd7 56.Kf8 Kc7 57.Kg8 Nf4 58.g7 Ne6 59.Kf7 Nxg7 60.Kxg7 Kd6 61.Kf6
Kc5 62.b6 axb6 63.axb6 Kxb6 1/2-1/2


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan 4...c5 5...?d5 line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "1996.08.??"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rnbqkb1r/ppp2ppp/4pn2/3p4/2PP4/5N2/PP2PPPP/RNBQKB1R w HAha - 0 4"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5
    (6...exd5 {would transpose to Tarrasch.} )
6.Bg2 cxd4 7.O-O {Now the main continuation is} 8...Be7 {The alternative is}
    (8...Bc5 8.Nxd4 O-O {And now I believe White's best line is} 9.Nb3
    {Not so clear is}
        (9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Nd7 {Dlugy-Taylor, New York 1985} )
    10...Be7 {, or}
        (10...Bb6 {The only chance for an advantage is} 10.Nc3! Nxc3 11.bxc3
        {Just one game has reached this position and it continued:} 12...Qf6
        {This was Zhelesny-Khasin, Ozery 1997, and now White overlooked a
strong idea:} 12.a4! $146 {White is threatening the unpleasant a5-a6.} 13...Rd8
        {In the case of}
            (13...Qxc3? 13.a5 Bc7 14.a6!
            {Black faces serious problems, for example:} 15...Nc6 15.Bd2 Qb2
            16.axb7 Bxb7 17.Rc1 $18 {Black loses material.} )
        13.Qc2 a6 14.Nd2! Nc6 15.Ba3 {White has serious positional pressure.} )
    10.Bd2 Nc6 11.Nc3
    {In my opinion White retains positional pressure in every line:} 12...Bf6
    {Other options are:}
        (12...Nxc3 12.Bxc3 Bd7 13.Rc1 Rc8 14.Nd4 $14 )
        (12...Nb6 12.Ne4 {With idea of meeting 12...Bd7 with 13.Nec5.} 13...Na4?
        {Black misses White's idea.} 13.Na5!
        {White was clearly better in Bistric-Topalovic, Kastav 2002.} )
    12.Rc1 a5 13.Nc5 {A calm move, but}
        (13.a3!? {also comes into consideration.} )
    14...Bd4 {This position was reached in Reshevsky-Bronstein, Amsterdam 1964,
and now the simple} 14.Nxd5 exd5 15.Qc2 Bf6 16.Bc3
    {would leave White with a pleasant positional edge.} )
8.Nxd4 O-O {Now in my opinion the strongest move is} 9.Qb3!
    (9.Nb5!? {is also worthy of consideration, while the attractive} )
    (9.Nf5 {in fact doesn't promise White any advantage.} 10...Bf6 10.e4 Nb4
    11.Nd6 {This was Kachiani Gersinska-Wagner Michel, Germany 2006, and now
the natural} 12...N8c6 12.a3 Nc2 13.Qxc2 Qxd6 {would lead to an equal game.} )
10...Nd7 {Other options:}
    (10...Na6 10.Rd1 Nc5 11.Qc4 {This just transposes to the position that will
be examined after 9...Nd7.} )
    (10...Nc6 10.Rd1 {Not so clear is}
        (10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.Qc2 Ba6 {with double-edged play.} )
    11...Na5 11.Qf3 Qb6 12.Nc3
    {White keeps pressure, as was proven in the following encounter:} 13...Nxc3
    13.Qxc3 Bb4 14.Qd3 Bc5 15.Be3 e5 16.Nc2 Bxe3 17.Nxe3 Be6 18.Nd5
    {White had a clear edge in Koerholz-Kargoll, Germany 2002.} )
10.Rd1 Nc5 11.Qc4! {An important nuance, as after the natural}
    (11.Qc2 {Black has} 12...Nb4! 12.Qc4 e5 $13 {with unclear play.} )
12...Nb6 12.Qc2 Qe8 {Not much better is}
    (13...Bd7 13.Nc3 Qc8 14.Bf4! f6 15.Nb3 Nca4 16.Na5! $16
    {Sorokin-Van Riemsdijk, Boca 1997.} )
13.Nc3 Bd7 14.b3 Rc8 15.Bb2 {It may look as if Black has managed to complete
his development and should be alright, but his poorly placed knight on b6,
together with his lack of space, makes White's chances clearly preferable. The
following game is a good example of what can happen from this position:} 16...f6
16.e3 a6 17.Rac1 Rc7 {This was Todorov-Genocchio, Cutro 2001, and now} 18.a4 Nc8
19.Qe2 $16 {would keep a clear advantage.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan 4...c5 5...?d5 line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "1996.08.??"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rnbqkb1r/ppp2ppp/4pn2/3p4/2PP4/5N2/PP2PPPP/RNBQKB1R w HAha - 0 4"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5
    (6...exd5 {would transpose to Tarrasch.} )
6.Bg2 Nc6
{Other options are less popular, but still definitely deserve attention:} 7.O-O
Be7 8.dxc5 {I definitely prefer this move, while}
    (8.Nc3 O-O {would lead to another theoretical tabiya.} )
9...O-O {This is considered to be Black's best move order, as}
    (9...Bxc5 {allows White an extra option:} 9.Qc2
    {This looks rather promising, for example:}
        (9.a3 {would transpose to our main line.} )
    10...Be7 10.Rd1 Bd7 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.Qxc3 O-O 13.Bf4 Rc8
    {This happened in Bjork-Wedberg, Sweden (ch) 1979, and now the simple}
    14.Qe3! Bf6 15.Rac1 {would have given White an obvious advantage.} )
9.a3 {White has other options as well, but the text seems best.} 10...Bxc5
{Black has to regain the pawn, as after}
    (10...a5? 10.Qc2! {White keeps a healthy extra pawn.} )
10.Qc2 {The alternative}
    (10.b4 Be7 11.Bb2 {is also considered to be promising.} )
11...Qe7 {Black has also tried other moves:}
    (11...Bb6 11.Nbd2 Qc7 12.b4 Bd7 {I also examined}
        (13...a5 13.b5 Nd4 {but after} 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Qxc7 Nxc7 16.Rb1 $16
        {White's pressure looks annoying. As always, Black's problem is that he
cannot neutralize White's light-squared bishop.} )
    13.Bb2 Rac8 14.Rac1 Ne5 15.Qe4 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Qd8 17.Nc4 $16
    {With a pleasant edge in Damljanovic-Estremera Panos, Mancha Real 2000.} )
    (11...Be7 {This looks rather passive.} 11.Rd1 {Also quite strong is}
        (11.e4 Nf6 12.Rd1 )
    12...Bd7 {Clearly better for White is}
        (12...Qc7 12.e4 Nf6 13.Bf4 Qb6 14.Nc3 {For example:} 15...Bd7 15.Bg5
        Rfd8 16.e5 Ne8 17.Be3 Qc7 18.Qe4 $16
        {Tkachiev-Vachier Lagrave, Cergy Pontoise 2003} )
    12.e4 Nb6 13.Nc3 Rc8 14.Qe2! {The most accurate move. If instead}
        (14.Bf4 Qe8 15.Qe2 {Black creates reasonable counterplay after} 16...Na5
        16.Ne5 Ba4 17.Nxa4 Qxa4 )
    15...Na5 {After}
        (15...Qe8 {White has a pleasant choice between} 15.e5 {and}
            (15.Be3 Na5 16.Rac1 $14 )
        16...Na5 16.Nd4 Ba4 17.Rd3 {with the advantage.} )
    15.Ne5 Nac4? {This is the decisive mistake. Black should have played:}
        (16...Nb3 {, though here after} 16.Be3! Bc5 17.Rab1
        {White keeps a clear edge.} )
    16.Rxd7! Nxd7 17.Nxc4 $18
    {White had a decisive advantage in Kirov-Estevez Morales, Sochi 1976.} )
11.b4 Bb6 12.Bb2 Bd7 13.Nbd2 Rac8 {The obvious alternative is}
    (14...Rfc8 14.Qd3!? {This move looks interesting, as in this case Black
does not have an f8-rook to put on d8. White easily outplayed his opponent in
the following encounter:} 15...a5 15.e4 Nf6 16.Nc4 Bd8 17.Nd6 Rcb8 18.b5 Na7
    19.a4 {White has a huge positional advantage, Ftacnik-Moehring, Strbske
Pleso 1978.} )
14.Qb3 Bc7 {This position was reached in Lerner-Lputian, Moscow 1987, and now:}
15.e4 Nf6 16.e5
    (16.b5 Na5 17.Qb4 Rfe8 18.Ne5 $14 {This also deserves serious attention.} )
17...Nd5 17.Ne4 Rfd8 18.Rac1 $14 {Following up with Rc2 and Rfc1 will gain
White a small but stable positional advantage.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan 4...c5 5...?d5 line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "1996.08.??"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rnbqkb1r/ppp2ppp/4pn2/3p4/2PP4/5N2/PP2PPPP/RNBQKB1R w HAha - 0 4"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5
    (6...exd5 {would transpose to Tarrasch.} )
6.Bg2 Be7 7.O-O
    (7.dxc5 O-O 8.O-O Bxc5 {leads to the same position.} )
8...O-O 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.a3 {White not only prepares b2-b4, grabbing more space on
the queenside, but by taking control of the b4-square the e2-e4 advance becomes
an important option, as now Black's knight cannot jump to b4 to use the
weakness of d3. I believe White has a pleasant edge, and the following two
examples are typical:} 10...a5
    (10...Be7 10.e4 Nb6 11.Qe2 Nc6 12.Rd1 Qe8 13.Nc3
    {White has a clear edge, thanks to his obvious space advantage.} 14...e5?!
        ( {Somewhat better would have been} 14...f6 {, but even here after}
        14.e5 {White's advantage is beyond any doubt.} )
    14.Nd5! $16
    {White had a clear advantage in C. Horvath-Hmadi Budapest 1996.} )
    (10...Nc6 {would transpose to the main line.} )
10.e4 Ne7 11.Nc3
    (11.Qc2 {looks quite promising as well.} )
12...Nbc6 12.Qe2 {Creating the unpleasant idea of 13.Rd1. Less convincing is}
    (12.Bf4 Ng6 {Berkes-Ehlvest, Panormo 2002.} )
13...e5 13.Rd1 Nd4 14.Nxd4 exd4?! {Stronger was}
    (15...Bxd4 15.Be3 Nc6 16.Qb5 $14
    {, although White has a pleasant positional advantage.} )
15.Bg5 {White was clearly better in Huzman-Ehlvest, Panormo 2002.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan 4...c5 5...?d5 line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "1996.08.??"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rnbqkb1r/ppp2ppp/4pn2/3p4/2PP4/5N2/PP2PPPP/RNBQKB1R w HAha - 0 4"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5
    (6...exd5 {would transpose to Tarrasch.} )
6.Bg2 Nc6
{Other options are less popular, but still definitely deserve attention:}
    (7...Be7 7.O-O
        (7.dxc5 O-O 8.O-O Bxc5 {leads to the same position.} )
    8...O-O 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.a3 {White not only prepares b2-b4, grabbing more
space on the queenside, but by taking control of the b4-square the e2-e4
advance becomes an important option, as now Black's knight cannot jump to b4 to
use the weakness of d3. I believe White has a pleasant edge, and the following
two examples are typical:} 10...a5
        (10...Be7 10.e4 Nb6 11.Qe2 Nc6 12.Rd1 Qe8 13.Nc3
        {White has a clear edge, thanks to his obvious space advantage.}
        14...e5?!
            ( {Somewhat better would have been} 14...f6 {, but even here after}
            14.e5 {White's advantage is beyond any doubt.} )
        14.Nd5! $16
        {White had a clear advantage in C. Horvath-Hmadi Budapest 1996.} )
        (10...Nc6 {would transpose to the main line.} )
    10.e4 Ne7 11.Nc3
        (11.Qc2 {looks quite promising as well.} )
    12...Nbc6 12.Qe2
    {Creating the unpleasant idea of 13.Rd1. Less convincing is}
        (12.Bf4 Ng6 {Berkes-Ehlvest, Panormo 2002.} )
    13...e5 13.Rd1 Nd4 14.Nxd4 exd4?! {Stronger was}
        (15...Bxd4 15.Be3 Nc6 16.Qb5 $14
        {, although White has a pleasant positional advantage.} )
    15.Bg5 {White was clearly better in Huzman-Ehlvest, Panormo 2002.} )
    (7...cxd4 7.O-O {Now the main continuation is} 8...Be7 {The alternative is}
        (8...Bc5 8.Nxd4 O-O {And now I believe White's best line is} 9.Nb3
        {Not so clear is}
            (9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Nd7 {Dlugy-Taylor, New York 1985} )
        10...Be7 {, or}
            (10...Bb6 {The only chance for an advantage is} 10.Nc3! Nxc3 11.bxc3
            {Just one game has reached this position and it continued:} 12...Qf6
            {This was Zhelesny-Khasin, Ozery 1997, and now White overlooked a
strong idea:} 12.a4! $146 {White is threatening the unpleasant a5-a6.} 13...Rd8
            {In the case of}
                (13...Qxc3? 13.a5 Bc7 14.a6!
                {Black faces serious problems, for example:} 15...Nc6 15.Bd2 Qb2
                16.axb7 Bxb7 17.Rc1 $18 {Black loses material.} )
            13.Qc2 a6 14.Nd2! Nc6 15.Ba3
            {White has serious positional pressure.} )
        10.Bd2 Nc6 11.Nc3
        {In my opinion White retains positional pressure in every line:}
        12...Bf6 {Other options are:}
            (12...Nxc3 12.Bxc3 Bd7 13.Rc1 Rc8 14.Nd4 $14 )
            (12...Nb6 12.Ne4 {With idea of meeting 12...Bd7 with 13.Nec5.}
            13...Na4? {Black misses White's idea.} 13.Na5!
            {White was clearly better in Bistric-Topalovic, Kastav 2002.} )
        12.Rc1 a5 13.Nc5 {A calm move, but}
            (13.a3!? {also comes into consideration.} )
        14...Bd4 {This position was reached in Reshevsky-Bronstein, Amsterdam
1964, and now the simple} 14.Nxd5 exd5 15.Qc2 Bf6 16.Bc3
        {would leave White with a pleasant positional edge.} )
    8.Nxd4 O-O {Now in my opinion the strongest move is} 9.Qb3!
        (9.Nb5!? {is also worthy of consideration, while the attractive} )
        (9.Nf5 {in fact doesn't promise White any advantage.} 10...Bf6 10.e4 Nb4
        11.Nd6 {This was Kachiani Gersinska-Wagner Michel, Germany 2006, and
now the natural} 12...N8c6 12.a3 Nc2 13.Qxc2 Qxd6
        {would lead to an equal game.} )
    10...Nd7 {Other options:}
        (10...Na6 10.Rd1 Nc5 11.Qc4 {This just transposes to the position that
will be examined after 9...Nd7.} )
        (10...Nc6 10.Rd1 {Not so clear is}
            (10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.Qc2 Ba6 {with double-edged play.} )
        11...Na5 11.Qf3 Qb6 12.Nc3
        {White keeps pressure, as was proven in the following encounter:}
        13...Nxc3 13.Qxc3 Bb4 14.Qd3 Bc5 15.Be3 e5 16.Nc2 Bxe3 17.Nxe3 Be6
        18.Nd5 {White had a clear edge in Koerholz-Kargoll, Germany 2002.} )
    10.Rd1 Nc5 11.Qc4! {An important nuance, as after the natural}
        (11.Qc2 {Black has} 12...Nb4! 12.Qc4 e5 $13 {with unclear play.} )
    12...Nb6 12.Qc2 Qe8 {Not much better is}
        (13...Bd7 13.Nc3 Qc8 14.Bf4! f6 15.Nb3 Nca4 16.Na5! $16
        {Sorokin-Van Riemsdijk, Boca 1997.} )
    13.Nc3 Bd7 14.b3 Rc8 15.Bb2 {It may look as if Black has managed to
complete his development and should be alright, but his poorly placed knight on
b6, together with his lack of space, makes White's chances clearly preferable.
The following game is a good example of what can happen from this position:}
    16...f6 16.e3 a6 17.Rac1 Rc7
    {This was Todorov-Genocchio, Cutro 2001, and now} 18.a4 Nc8 19.Qe2 $16
    {would keep a clear advantage.} )
7.O-O Be7 8.dxc5 {I definitely prefer this move, while}
    (8.Nc3 O-O {would lead to another theoretical tabiya.} )
9...O-O {This is considered to be Black's best move order, as}
    (9...Bxc5 {allows White an extra option:} 9.Qc2
    {This looks rather promising, for example:}
        (9.a3 {would transpose to our main line.} )
    10...Be7 10.Rd1 Bd7 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.Qxc3 O-O 13.Bf4 Rc8
    {This happened in Bjork-Wedberg, Sweden (ch) 1979, and now the simple}
    14.Qe3! Bf6 15.Rac1 {would have given White an obvious advantage.} )
9.a3 {White has other options as well, but the text seems best.} 10...Bxc5
{Black has to regain the pawn, as after}
    (10...a5? 10.Qc2! {White keeps a healthy extra pawn.} )
10.Qc2 {The alternative}
    (10.b4 Be7 11.Bb2 {is also considered to be promising.} )
11...Qe7 {Black has also tried other moves:}
    (11...Bb6 11.Nbd2 Qc7 12.b4 Bd7 {I also examined}
        (13...a5 13.b5 Nd4 {but after} 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Qxc7 Nxc7 16.Rb1 $16
        {White's pressure looks annoying. As always, Black's problem is that he
cannot neutralize White's light-squared bishop.} )
    13.Bb2 Rac8 14.Rac1 Ne5 15.Qe4 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Qd8 17.Nc4 $16
    {With a pleasant edge in Damljanovic-Estremera Panos, Mancha Real 2000.} )
    (11...Be7 {This looks rather passive.} 11.Rd1 {Also quite strong is}
        (11.e4 Nf6 12.Rd1 )
    12...Bd7 {Clearly better for White is}
        (12...Qc7 12.e4 Nf6 13.Bf4 Qb6 14.Nc3 {For example:} 15...Bd7 15.Bg5
        Rfd8 16.e5 Ne8 17.Be3 Qc7 18.Qe4 $16
        {Tkachiev-Vachier Lagrave, Cergy Pontoise 2003} )
    12.e4 Nb6 13.Nc3 Rc8 14.Qe2! {The most accurate move. If instead}
        (14.Bf4 Qe8 15.Qe2 {Black creates reasonable counterplay after} 16...Na5
        16.Ne5 Ba4 17.Nxa4 Qxa4 )
    15...Na5 {After}
        (15...Qe8 {White has a pleasant choice between} 15.e5 {and}
            (15.Be3 Na5 16.Rac1 $14 )
        16...Na5 16.Nd4 Ba4 17.Rd3 {with the advantage.} )
    15.Ne5 Nac4? {This is the decisive mistake. Black should have played:}
        (16...Nb3 {, though here after} 16.Be3! Bc5 17.Rab1
        {White keeps a clear edge.} )
    16.Rxd7! Nxd7 17.Nxc4 $18
    {White had a decisive advantage in Kirov-Estevez Morales, Sochi 1976.} )
11.b4 Bb6 12.Bb2 Bd7 13.Nbd2 Rac8 {The obvious alternative is}
    (14...Rfc8 14.Qd3!? {This move looks interesting, as in this case Black
does not have an f8-rook to put on d8. White easily outplayed his opponent in
the following encounter:} 15...a5 15.e4 Nf6 16.Nc4 Bd8 17.Nd6 Rcb8 18.b5 Na7
    19.a4 {White has a huge positional advantage, Ftacnik-Moehring, Strbske
Pleso 1978.} )
14.Qb3 Bc7 {This position was reached in Lerner-Lputian, Moscow 1987, and now:}
15.e4 Nf6 16.e5
    (16.b5 Na5 17.Qb4 Rfe8 18.Ne5 $14 {This also deserves serious attention.} )
17...Nd5 17.Ne4 Rfd8 18.Rac1 $14 {Following up with Rc2 and Rfc1 will gain
White a small but stable positional advantage.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan ...Bd6 System"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[ECO "E01"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 Nbd7 6.O-O Bd6 {I don't rate this
system very highly, but obviously it deserves some attention.}
    (6...dxc4 {has been analysed in my book.} )
7.Nc3! {This is the difference: with Black's bishop on d6, White can develop
his knight to c3. Here we approach the main crossroads in this variation.}
7...dxc4 {Another line is}
    (7...O-O 8.Nd2! {A very strong move that allows White to carry out a quick
e2-e4 advance, which underlines the vulnerable position of Black's dark-squared
bishop. In my opinion White has a very promising position, so let's have a look
at a few typical examples:} 8...Bb4
        (8...Bc7 9.e4 dxe4 10.Ndxe4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 e5 {Black tries to create some
counterplay, as otherwise White is much better positionally.} 12.d5! cxd5
        13.cxd5 {White's passed d-pawn secures his advantage, as in this good
example:} 13...h6 {After}
            (13...Bb6 {in Informator 100 Gleizerov gives the following line}
            14.d6 h6 15.Be3! Bxe3 16.fxe3 $16 {and White is clearly better.} )
        14.Be3 f5 15.d6! Bb6 {This position is from the game Gleizerov-Rodin,
Saratov 2007, and now I believe White should play:} 16.Nc3! $146 Nf6 17.Qb3+ Kh8
        18.Bxb6 axb6
            (18...Qxb6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.Rfe1 e4 21.Rad1 Rd8 22.f3 exf3
            23.Bxf3 $16 {This doesn't bring relief either.} )
        19.Rad1 $16 {and White is much better.} )
        (8...Re8 9.e4 dxe4 10.Ndxe4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Be7 12.Bf4 Nf6 13.c5! {This is
typical play in this variety of Catalan position: the text underlines the
passivity of Black's light-squared bishop.} 13...Nd5 14.Bd6 b6 15.Qa4 b5 16.Qc2
        a5 17.Rfe1
        {White had a pleasant edge in Ivanisevic-Ascic, Zupanja 2007.} )
        (8...Be7 9.e4 dxc4 10.Nxc4 b5 11.Ne3
        {White's knight has a perfect square on e3.} 11...b4
        {Black activates his light-squared bishop.} 12.Na4 Ba6 13.Re1 {Black is
pretty much in the game, but practice has proven that this position is much
easier to play with White. Here is a recent example:} 13...Nb6 14.e5 Nfd5
        15.Nc5! Bxc5 16.dxc5 Nd7 17.Nxd5 cxd5 18.Qg4
        {Threatening not only 19.Qb4, but also 19.Bh6.} 18...Kh8 19.Qxb4 Qc8
        20.Be3 Nxe5 21.Qc3 Nc6 22.Bf4 $16 {In Antic-Radulski, Serbia 2006,
White had a clear edge, thanks to his two bishops and potentially strong
c5-pawn.} )
    9.e4 {Instead of the text White has also tried 9.a3 and 9. Qb3 but I do not
see anything wrong with the straightforward 9.e4.} 9...e5
    {Clearly in White's favour is}
        (9...dxc4 10.Nxc4 c5 11.e5 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Nd5 13.Bd2 N7b6 14.Nd6 $16
        {with a nice positional advantage, Nogueiras Santiago-Gamboa, Santa
Clara 1999.} )
    10.dxe5 {I believe this is most principled reply.} 10...Nxe5 11.cxd5 Bxc3
    12.bxc3 cxd5 13.exd5 Nxd5 {Opening up the position is clearly in White's
favour, thanks to his two bishops. And now I would recommend following
Lautier's recommendation in Informator 81.} 14.Nb3! {A serious alternative is}
        (14.Nc4!? Nxc4 15.Qxd5 {, as seen in Filippov-Tunik, Novgorod 1995} )
    14...Nb6 {Obviously the c3-pawn is untouchable:}
        (14...Nxc3?? 15.Qe1 Qc7 16.Bb2 $18 )
        (14...Be6 {is met strongly by} 15.Nc5
        {and again Black cannot take on c3} 15...Nxc3? 16.Qe1 Qd4 17.Nxe6 fxe6
        18.Bb2 Rac8 19.Rc1 Rf3 20.Kh1 Rd3 21.f4 $18 {and White wins.} )
    15.Bf4 {Lautier now recommended}
        (15.Nd4 $14
        {with some pressure, but I believe 15.Bf4 is much stronger.} )
    15...Nd3 {Another line is}
        (15...Nbc4 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.Nc5 Rb8 18.Rfd1 {with serious pressure.} )
    16.Be3 Nc4 17.Bd4 Nde5 18.Re1 Qc7 19.Nd2! $16
    {White's advantage is beyond dispute.} )
8.Bg5 {As often happens in the Catalan, White is in no rush to regain the pawn.
Now I investigated three possible continuations for Black:} 8...h6
    (8...O-O 9.Qc2 h6 {Black has to break the unpleasant pin along the h4-d8
diagonal. He has also unsuccessfully tried}
        (9...Qc7 10.Nd2 b5? 11.Nxb5 cxb5 12.Bxa8
        {White was just an exchange up in Adrian-Crouan, France 2002.} )
    10.Ne4 Be7 {If}
        (10...hxg5 $146 11.Nxd6 Nb6 12.Nxc8 Rxc8 13.Rfd1 g4 14.Ne5 {White
regains the pawn, keeping the better prospects due to the superiority of his
bishop over Black's knight.} )
    11.Nxf6+ {Not so clear is}
        (11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.Qxc4 Qe7 {and Black is ready to push
...e5 next, Romanishin-Velikov, Turin 1998.} )
    11...Nxf6 12.Bf4 $146 {I believe White should avoid exchanging on f6.}
        (12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Qxc4 Qe7 {transposes to the aforementioned game.} )
    12...Nd5 {A natural reaction. Also after}
        (12...b5 13.Ne5 Bb7 14.Nxc6 Qe8 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.e4 Rfd8 17.Rad1 $14
        {White has better prospects, thanks to his strong centre and two
bishops.} )
    13.Qxc4 Nxf4 14.gxf4 $14 {I believe White's chances are higher in this
complex position, as it will be very difficult for Black to neutralize the
Catalan bishop.} )
    (8...Nb6 {Black holds onto the c4-pawn, but allows White to seize control
of the centre.} 9.e4 h6 {And now I like the calm} 10.Be3! $146 {, while}
        (10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.e5 Be7
        {was pretty double-edged in Lputian-Bologan, Poikovsky 2001} )
    10...Be7 {The following line doesn't work:}
        (10...Ng4 11.Bc1 e5 {in view of the simple} 12.h3
        {and Black loses material.} )
    11.Ne5 O-O 12.Qe2
    {White regains the c4-pawn, keeping a clear positional advantage.} )
9.Bxf6 Qxf6 {This position might also arise from the Moscow variation in the
Semi-Slav Defence. Another recapture is}
    (9...Nxf6 10.Nd2 {Not so clear is}
        (10.e4 Bc7! {keeping control of the e5-square.} 11.Qe2 b5 12.a4 b4 )
    10...e5 11.d5 cxd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Nxc4 Bc7
    {And now White should have played} 14.Bxd5 {, as}
        (14.Qxd5 Qxd5 15.Bxd5 Ke7 16.Rac1 Rb8 {led to a quite defendable
position for Black in Poluljahov-Lunev, Briansk 1995} )
    14...O-O 15.Qd3 Rb8 16.Rac1 Qf6 17.Rfd1 $14 {with definite pressure.} )
10.Ne4 {White has tried some other moves, but the text seems to me to be best.}
10...Qe7 11.Nfd2 {White also gained a slight advantage after}
    (11.Qc2 O-O 12.Nxd6 Qxd6 13.Qxc4 e5 14.Rad1 exd4 15.Nxd4 Qc5 16.Qxc5 Nxc5
    17.Rd2 $14
    {, but Black's position should be defendable, Ruck-L'Ami, Heraklio 2007.} )
11...Nb6 {Black could have played}
    (11...Bc7 12.Nxc4 O-O {, but after} 13.Rc1 Rd8
        (13...e5 {is met strongly by} 14.d5! cxd5 15.Qxd5 Nb6 16.Qc5 Qxc5
        17.Nxc5 {with serious pressure.} )
    14.Qc2 {White has gained a typical Catalan plus, as Black cannot push}
    14...e5?! {in view of the strong} 15.d5! cxd5 16.Ne3
    {with a serious advantage.} )
12.f4!? $146
{White stops Black's idea of playing ...e6-e5. This is my improvement over}
    (12.Rc1 {This was played in Lybin-Volodin, Frydek Mistek 1996, and now I
believe Black missed the proper moment to play} 12...e5! {with equal play.} )
12...O-O 13.Rc1 Rd8 {Clearly in White's favour is}
    (13...c5 14.Nxc4 Nxc4 15.Rxc4 cxd4 16.Nxd6 Qxd6 17.Qxd4 $16 )
14.Nxc4 Bc7 15.Qd3! $14 {This prevents any ... e6-e5 ideas, as now White is
ready to recapture with the queen if 15...Nxc4. I believe White has a small but
long-lasting edge, as Black has failed to carry out either of the freeing
advances, ...e6-e5 or ...c6-c5.}
    ( {Less accurate is} 15.e3 Nxc4 16.Rxc4 e5! 17.fxe5 Bxe5
    {when Black gets a normal game.} )
*


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan ...Bd6 System"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[ECO "E01"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 Nbd7 6.O-O Bd6 {I don't rate this
system very highly, but obviously it deserves some attention.}
    (6...dxc4 {has been analysed in my book.} )
7.Nc3! {This is the difference: with Black's bishop on d6, White can develop
his knight to c3. Here we approach the main crossroads in this variation.}
7...dxc4 {Another line is} 8.Bg5 {As often happens in the Catalan, White is in
no rush to regain the pawn. Now I investigated three possible continuations for
Black:} 8...O-O 9.Qc2 h6 {Black has to break the unpleasant pin along the h4-d8
diagonal. He has also unsuccessfully tried}
    (9...Qc7 10.Nd2 b5? 11.Nxb5 cxb5 12.Bxa8
    {White was just an exchange up in Adrian-Crouan, France 2002.} )
10.Ne4 Be7 {If}
    (10...hxg5 $146 11.Nxd6 Nb6 12.Nxc8 Rxc8 13.Rfd1 g4 14.Ne5 {White regains
the pawn, keeping the better prospects due to the superiority of his bishop
over Black's knight.} )
11.Nxf6+ {Not so clear is}
    (11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.Qxc4 Qe7
    {and Black is ready to push ...e5 next, Romanishin-Velikov, Turin 1998.} )
11...Nxf6 12.Bf4 $146 {I believe White should avoid exchanging on f6.}
    (12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Qxc4 Qe7 {transposes to the aforementioned game.} )
12...Nd5 {A natural reaction. Also after}
    (12...b5 13.Ne5 Bb7 14.Nxc6 Qe8 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.e4 Rfd8 17.Rad1 $14
    {White has better prospects, thanks to his strong centre and two bishops.} )
13.Qxc4 Nxf4 14.gxf4 $14 {I believe White's chances are higher in this complex
position, as it will be very difficult for Black to neutralize the Catalan
bishop.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan ...Bd6 System"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[ECO "E01"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 Nbd7 6.O-O Bd6 {I don't rate this
system very highly, but obviously it deserves some attention.}
    (6...dxc4 {has been analysed in my book.} )
7.Nc3! {This is the difference: with Black's bishop on d6, White can develop
his knight to c3. Here we approach the main crossroads in this variation.}
7...dxc4 {Another line is} 8.Bg5 {As often happens in the Catalan, White is in
no rush to regain the pawn. Now I investigated three possible continuations for
Black:} 8...h6
    (8...Nb6 {Black holds onto the c4-pawn, but allows White to seize control
of the centre.} 9.e4 h6 {And now I like the calm} 10.Be3! $146 {, while}
        (10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.e5 Be7
        {was pretty double-edged in Lputian-Bologan, Poikovsky 2001} )
    10...Be7 {The following line doesn't work:}
        (10...Ng4 11.Bc1 e5 {in view of the simple} 12.h3
        {and Black loses material.} )
    11.Ne5 O-O 12.Qe2
    {White regains the c4-pawn, keeping a clear positional advantage.} )
9.Bxf6 Qxf6 {This position might also arise from the Moscow variation in the
Semi-Slav Defence. Another recapture is}
    (9...Nxf6 10.Nd2 {Not so clear is}
        (10.e4 Bc7! {keeping control of the e5-square.} 11.Qe2 b5 12.a4 b4 )
    10...e5 11.d5 cxd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Nxc4 Bc7
    {And now White should have played} 14.Bxd5 {, as}
        (14.Qxd5 Qxd5 15.Bxd5 Ke7 16.Rac1 Rb8 {led to a quite defendable
position for Black in Poluljahov-Lunev, Briansk 1995} )
    14...O-O 15.Qd3 Rb8 16.Rac1 Qf6 17.Rfd1 $14 {with definite pressure.} )
10.Ne4 {White has tried some other moves, but the text seems to me to be best.}
10...Qe7 11.Nfd2 {White also gained a slight advantage after}
    (11.Qc2 O-O 12.Nxd6 Qxd6 13.Qxc4 e5 14.Rad1 exd4 15.Nxd4 Qc5 16.Qxc5 Nxc5
    17.Rd2 $14
    {, but Black's position should be defendable, Ruck-L'Ami, Heraklio 2007.} )
11...Nb6 {Black could have played}
    (11...Bc7 12.Nxc4 O-O {, but after} 13.Rc1 Rd8
        (13...e5 {is met strongly by} 14.d5! cxd5 15.Qxd5 Nb6 16.Qc5 Qxc5
        17.Nxc5 {with serious pressure.} )
    14.Qc2 {White has gained a typical Catalan plus, as Black cannot push}
    14...e5?! {in view of the strong} 15.d5! cxd5 16.Ne3
    {with a serious advantage.} )
12.f4!? $146
{White stops Black's idea of playing ...e6-e5. This is my improvement over}
    (12.Rc1 {This was played in Lybin-Volodin, Frydek Mistek 1996, and now I
believe Black missed the proper moment to play} 12...e5! {with equal play.} )
12...O-O 13.Rc1 Rd8 {Clearly in White's favour is}
    (13...c5 14.Nxc4 Nxc4 15.Rxc4 cxd4 16.Nxd6 Qxd6 17.Qxd4 $16 )
14.Nxc4 Bc7 15.Qd3! $14 {This prevents any ... e6-e5 ideas, as now White is
ready to recapture with the queen if 15...Nxc4. I believe White has a small but
long-lasting edge, as Black has failed to carry out either of the freeing
advances, ...e6-e5 or ...c6-c5.}
    ( {Less accurate is} 15.e3 Nxc4 16.Rxc4 e5! 17.fxe5 Bxe5
    {when Black gets a normal game.} )
*


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan ...Bd6 System"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[ECO "E01"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 Nbd7 6.O-O Bd6 {I don't rate this
system very highly, but obviously it deserves some attention.}
    (6...dxc4 {has been analysed in my book.} )
7.Nc3! {This is the difference: with Black's bishop on d6, White can develop
his knight to c3. Here we approach the main crossroads in this variation.}
7...O-O 8.Nd2! {A very strong move that allows White to carry out a quick e2-e4
advance, which underlines the vulnerable position of Black's dark-squared
bishop. In my opinion White has a very promising position, so let's have a look
at a few typical examples:} 8...Bb4
    (8...Bc7 9.e4 dxe4 10.Ndxe4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 e5 {Black tries to create some
counterplay, as otherwise White is much better positionally.} 12.d5! cxd5
    13.cxd5
    {White's passed d-pawn secures his advantage, as in this good example:}
    13...h6 {After}
        (13...Bb6 {in Informator 100 Gleizerov gives the following line} 14.d6
        h6 15.Be3! Bxe3 16.fxe3 $16 {and White is clearly better.} )
    14.Be3 f5 15.d6! Bb6 {This position is from the game Gleizerov-Rodin,
Saratov 2007, and now I believe White should play:} 16.Nc3! $146 Nf6 17.Qb3+ Kh8
    18.Bxb6 axb6
        (18...Qxb6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.Rfe1 e4 21.Rad1 Rd8 22.f3 exf3 23.Bxf3 $16
        {This doesn't bring relief either.} )
    19.Rad1 $16 {and White is much better.} )
    (8...Re8 9.e4 dxe4 10.Ndxe4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Be7 12.Bf4 Nf6 13.c5! {This is
typical play in this variety of Catalan position: the text underlines the
passivity of Black's light-squared bishop.} 13...Nd5 14.Bd6 b6 15.Qa4 b5 16.Qc2
    a5 17.Rfe1 {White had a pleasant edge in Ivanisevic-Ascic, Zupanja 2007.} )
    (8...Be7 9.e4 dxc4 10.Nxc4 b5 11.Ne3
    {White's knight has a perfect square on e3.} 11...b4
    {Black activates his light-squared bishop.} 12.Na4 Ba6 13.Re1 {Black is
pretty much in the game, but practice has proven that this position is much
easier to play with White. Here is a recent example:} 13...Nb6 14.e5 Nfd5
    15.Nc5! Bxc5 16.dxc5 Nd7 17.Nxd5 cxd5 18.Qg4
    {Threatening not only 19.Qb4, but also 19.Bh6.} 18...Kh8 19.Qxb4 Qc8 20.Be3
    Nxe5 21.Qc3 Nc6 22.Bf4 $16 {In Antic-Radulski, Serbia 2006, White had a
clear edge, thanks to his two bishops and potentially strong c5-pawn.} )
9.e4 {Instead of the text White has also tried 9.a3 and 9. Qb3 but I do not see
anything wrong with the straightforward 9.e4.} 9...e5
{Clearly in White's favour is}
    (9...dxc4 10.Nxc4 c5 11.e5 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Nd5 13.Bd2 N7b6 14.Nd6 $16 {with a
nice positional advantage, Nogueiras Santiago-Gamboa, Santa Clara 1999.} )
10.dxe5 {I believe this is most principled reply.} 10...Nxe5 11.cxd5 Bxc3
12.bxc3 cxd5 13.exd5 Nxd5 {Opening up the position is clearly in White's
favour, thanks to his two bishops. And now I would recommend following
Lautier's recommendation in Informator 81.} 14.Nb3! {A serious alternative is}
    (14.Nc4!? Nxc4 15.Qxd5 {, as seen in Filippov-Tunik, Novgorod 1995} )
14...Nb6 {Obviously the c3-pawn is untouchable:}
    (14...Nxc3?? 15.Qe1 Qc7 16.Bb2 $18 )
    (14...Be6 {is met strongly by} 15.Nc5 {and again Black cannot take on c3}
    15...Nxc3? 16.Qe1 Qd4 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Bb2 Rac8 19.Rc1 Rf3 20.Kh1 Rd3
    21.f4 $18 {and White wins.} )
15.Bf4 {Lautier now recommended}
    (15.Nd4 $14 {with some pressure, but I believe 15.Bf4 is much stronger.} )
15...Nd3 {Another line is}
    (15...Nbc4 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.Nc5 Rb8 18.Rfd1 {with serious pressure.} )
16.Be3 Nc4 17.Bd4 Nde5 18.Re1 Qc7 19.Nd2! $16
{White's advantage is beyond dispute.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "QGA  7 ?b3 b5  9..cxd4"]
[Black "12...?c6"]
[Result "*"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn1qkb1r/1b1n1ppp/p3p3/4P3/PpNp4/1B3N2/1P3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 b h - 0 13"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

13...Nc6 13.Bg5 Qc7 14.Rc1 Nc5 15.Ba2 h6 {This move is recommended in
Rizzitano's book on the QGA. In my opinion Black's position is dangerous and
this move doesn't change the evaluation. The line I like most is} 16.Bf4
{, though}
    (16.Bh4 g5 17.Bg3 Ne4 18.Nfd2! {is quite promising as well.} )
17...g5 {If instead}
    (17...Rd8 {White can play the calm} 17.Re1
    {and Black experiences definite problems finding useful moves.} )
17.Nd6+ Bxd6 18.exd6 Qb6 19.Bg3 Ne4 {I also examined:}
    (20...b3 20.Bb1 Nd7 21.Re1 {It is not clear where Black can hide his king,
as he cannot castle short in view of:} 22...O-O 22.Nxg5! hxg5 23.Qh5
    {With a decisive attack.} )
20.Re1! {This natural move is very strong.}
    ( {Instead} 20.a5 Qxa5 21.Nxd4 {leads to messy play.} )
21...Nxg3 21.hxg3 Rd8 {The point is that}
    (22...O-O {still runs into} 22.Nxg5! hxg5 23.Qh5 {with a winning attack.} )
22.Bxe6! Rxd6 {The bishop is untouchable, as after:}
    (23...fxe6 23.Rxe6+ {Black loses quickly either after} 24...Kd7
        ( {, or} 24...Kf7 24.Qb3 Kg7 25.Qd3 $18 )
    24.Qb3 Rde8 25.Rxe8 Rxe8 26.Qf7+ Kd8 27.a5! $18 )
23.Qd3 Ne7 {One again the bishop is untouchable:}
    (24...Rxe6 24.Rxe6+ fxe6 25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Qf6+ Kg8 27.Qxe6+ Kg7 28.Ne5 $18 )
24.Bb3 Qd8 {White decides the game with an elegant attack:} 25.Rxe7+! Kxe7
26.Qf5 Bd5 27.Bxd5 Rxd5 28.Ne5 Rf8 29.Re1 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Slav 4...a6"]
[Black "The rare 5...dxc4"]
[Result "*"]
[EventCountry "YUG"]
[ECO "D11"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 1 - 1.d4 Vol One"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Bd3 dxc4
{A relatively rare continuation, nevertheless it deserves some attention.}
6.Bxc4 e6
    ( {Black can also start with} 6...b5 7.Bd3 e6 {The immediate}
        (7...c5?! {looks very suspicious.} 8.dxc5 Nc6
        {Otherwise White just holds onto his extra pawn, for example}
            (8...e6 9.b4 $16 )
        9.a3!
        {Not only preparing 10.b4 , but also preventing a possible ...Nb4.}
        9...e5 {The only possible play.} 10.Qc2
        {Black was threatening 10...e4.} 10...Qe7
            (10...Qd5 {leads to the same postion.} )
        11.Nc3! $146
        {This move (suggested by Atalik in CBM 84) is much stronger than}
            (11.Nbd2 Qxc5 12.Qxc5 Bxc5 13.Ne4 Be7 {White was only slightly
better in S. Porat-Buchicchio, Spain 2002.} )
        11...Qxc5 12.b4 Qb6 13.Bb2 {White has a distinct initiative with ideas
such as Ne4, Rc1, or Ng5-e4, while Black's pieces lack coordination.} )
    8.O-O {transposes to a position from the main line.} )
7.O-O b5 {If instead}
    (7...c5 {the game transposes to a normal QGA, which is covered in my book.} )
8.Bd3 Bb7 {Only this move leads to an independent line. Black temporarily
delays the ... c6-c5 advance, nevertheless it remains Black's main positional
idea and he intends to execute it after completing development. Again:}
    (8...c5 9.a4 {leads to lines that are covered in the book.} )
9.a4 {A very important move: White creates some pressure on the queenside, thus
complicating the ... c5-advance. Another natural continuation is}
    (9.e4 {After} 9...c5 {this leads to a complex line that has been tested in
many games. It is usually reached from a normal QGA (7.e4 b5 8.Bd3).} )
9...Nbd7 10.e4 Be7 {Black is not ready to play}
    (10...c5? {After} 11.axb5 axb5 12.Rxa8 Qxa8
    {The following line doesn't change the evaluation:}
        (12...Bxa8 13.Bxb5 Bxe4 14.Ne5! {and if} 14...Bxb1 {then} 15.Bg5
        {is immediately decisive.} )
    13.Bxb5 Bxe4 14.Ne5 {White's lead in development starts to tell.} 14...Qb7
    15.Nc3 Bxg2 {This is Grebionkin-Geller, Ishevsk 2005, and now the simple}
    16.dxc5 Bxf1 17.Bxd7+ Nxd7 18.c6 $18 {would decide the issue immediately.} )
11.Qe2 {This seems to me to be the critical continuation, but more popular is:}
    (11.Bg5 {However, this allows Black a wide choice. For example, quite
interesting looking is} 11...h6 12.Bh4 g5 13.Bg3 Nh5
    {With a complex battle in Tregubov-J. Geller, Krasnodar 2001.} )
11...O-O {Black's second choice is}
    (11...b4 {The following line looks pretty convincing to me:} 12.Nbd2 c5
    13.e5 Nd5 14.Nb3 cxd4 {Clearly favourable for White is}
        (14...h6 15.Bd2 Qb6 16.a5 Qa7 17.Rac1 cxd4 18.Nfxd4 Rd8 19.Nc6 Bxc6
        20.Rxc6 Nb8 21.Rc4 $16 {White was clearly better in Agdestein-Cosma,
Cappelle la Grande 1999.} )
    15.Nfxd4 O-O 16.Bd2 {Less clear is}
        (16.Qe4 g6 17.Bh6 Re8 )
    16...a5 {Understand ably, Black wants to remove his rook from defending the
a6-pawn, but the text weakens the b5-square. This position happened in Wang
Rui-Wang Hao, Beijing 2005, and now the simple:} 17.Qe4 g6 18.Bh6 Re8 19.Bb5 Ba6
    20.Bxa6 Rxa6 21.Rac1 {would leave White with a pleasant edge.} )
12.e5 Nd5 13.Qe4 g6 14.Bh6 Re8 15.Qg4 {I believe this is the best option, as
White should remove his queen from the e4-square. Not so clear is}
    (15.Nbd2 Qb6 {Followed by ...c5 next move.} )
15...Qb6 $146 {I believe this to be the critical continuation. In both games
that reached this position Black opted for the dubious}
    (15...Bf8?
    {White is clearly better after the exchange of dark-squared bishops.}
    16.Bxf8 Nxf8 17.Nbd2 f5 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Qg5 $16
    {Borchgrevink-Bentsen, Moss 2006} )
16.h4! {White starts immediate action, not spending a tempo on Nbd2.}
    (16.Nbd2 c5 {looks very unclear.} )
16...Nb4! {Luckily Black has this resource. In the event of}
    (16...c5 17.h5 {Black's king looks very vulnerable.} )
17.Be4 c5 18.dxc5 Nxc5 {White is clearly better after}
    (18...Bxc5 19.Nc3 )
19.Bxb7 Nxb7 20.Nc3 {I believe White's chances are preferable, as he keeps good
attacking prospects thanks to the slightly weakened position of Black's king.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dutch missing chapter"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2009.06.29"]
[ECO "A90"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 2 - 1.d4 Vol Two"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 {There is one relatively rare line, which I forgot to consider
in second Volume. It might occure also via}
    (2...Bb4+ 3.Bd2 Bxd2+ 4.Qxd2 f5 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 O-O {etc. Black of course
can play other 4th moves, but you cannot analyse everything.} )
3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Bb4+ {This is some kind of hybrid between Classical Dutch and
QueensIndian. Black gets rid of his dark-squared bishop(main line) getting more
space, but it's hardly promise him equal game.} 5.Bd2
{Here Black has a choice:} 5...Qe7 {Other possibilities:}
    (5...Be7 {Well-known idea, Black tries to prove, that White's bishop
misplaced on d2 (resembles Catalan Bb4-e7 variation).} 6.Nf3 O-O 7.O-O
    {Now Black can try Classical Dutch} 7...d6 {, as well as StoneWall}
        (7...d5 {Here I like} 8.Qb3! {, as this somewhat justifies our bishop
on d2, obviously White wants Bb4 next trading dark-squared bishop.} 8...a5 {By
this Black stops White's main idea, but on the other hand makes his queenside
more vulnerable. In case he allows dark-squared bishop's swap White retains
pleasant edge, here is one illustrative example}
            (8...c6 9.Bb4 Ne4 10.Nbd2 Nd7 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Rac1 Kh8 13.Qe3 Ndf6
            14.Ne5 Nxd2 15.Qxd2 Bd7 16.a3 Be8 17.Qe3 Kg8 18.Nd3
            {and White enjoys pleasant game Flohr-Bondarevsky, USSR 1939} )
        9.Nc3 $146 {I think this natural move stronger than}
            (9.Bc3 c6 10.Nbd2 b5! 11.cxb5 a4 12.Qc2 cxb5 {and Black achieved
normal game in Sosonko-Bronstein, Hastings 1976} )
        9...a4 {I suppose this might Black's point, since after normal}
            (9...c6 10.Rac1 Na6 11.a3 {White retains comfortable pressure.} )
        10.Nxa4 dxc4 11.Qc2 Bd7
        {If not this manoeuvre Black would be seriously worse.} 12.Nc5 Bxc5
        13.dxc5 Bc6 {, but even here after} 14.Rfd1 Bd5 15.Ng5!
        {White retains better chances, thanks to the following line} 15...Bxg2
        16.Kxg2 Qd5+ 17.Kg1 h6 18.Be3 Qc6 19.Nf3 $16 {and c4-pawn is falling.} )
    8.Nc3 Qe8 {We reached Classical Dutch with White dark-squared bishop placed
on d2 instead of c1. Hard to say whether it's useful for White, or not , I just
think , that in general White has better chances in this opening, as Black's
set-up here too passive.} 9.Qc2 Qh5 {As always another option}
        (9...Qg6 10.d5! {This concrete idea works very well here.} 10...e5
        11.Nh4 Qg4 {In case of}
            (11...Qh5 {White reach better position by} 12.Bf3 Ng4 13.h3 g5
            14.Nxf5! Bxf5 15.hxg4
            {Even Queen sacrifice deserve serious attention}
                (15.Qxf5!? Rxf5 16.hxg4 Qh3 17.gxf5 Qxf5 18.Kg2 {following by
Be4 and Rh1. White's position looks pretty promising.} )
            15...Bxg4 16.Bxg4 Qxg4 17.Qe4 Qh3 18.Qg2
            {White has better chances, thanks to control over e4-square.} )
        12.h3 $146 {Natural improvement over}
            (12.Nb5 Ne8 13.Bf3 Qh3 14.Bg2
            {and draw was agreed in Mickevicius-Survila, Vilnius 1996} )
        12...Qxc4 13.b3 Qa6 14.Nxf5 Bxf5 15.Qxf5 Nbd7 16.Rac1
        {White seems to me enjoys a pleasant edge.} )
    10.e4 e5 {After}
        (10...fxe4 11.Nxe4 Nc6 12.Rae1 {White has very nice position, while
Black failed to prove, that there is any drawback of White's bishop on d2.}
        12...e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 {this position has been occured in Lehner-Mahia,
Dos Hermanas 2004, now I found very strong novelty} 14.Neg5! $146
        {and it looks like Black is unable to defend e5-pawn, for instance}
        14...h6 15.Nxe5! $16
        {and Black's dark-squared bishop is hanging on e7.} )
    11.exf5 $146 {A tempting novelty. Black has fantastic score after}
        (11.dxe5 dxe5 {and no wonder, as after} 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.cxd5 Bd6
        {Black obtains very promising position, with attacking chances.} )
    11...Bxf5 12.Qb3 {The point behind White's novelty.} 12...Nbd7 {This looks
like best chance, since Black has no time to defend b7-pawn and also}
        (12...Nc6 {leads to White clear advantage after} 13.Qxb7 Nxd4 14.Nxd4
        exd4 15.Nd5! )
    13.Rae1 {I like this move more than}
        (13.Qxb7 {in this case Black has definite counterplay by means of}
        13...Rab8 14.Qxc7 Rxb2
        {, although White seems to me has better chances.} )
    13...Rab8 14.h4! {A very elegant decision, actually now White threatens
e5-pawn, since now Ng4 is not so deadly threat.} 14...Ng4 {I also examined}
        (14...Bg4 {n this case very strong would be} 15.Ng5 h6 16.c5+ Kh8 17.f3!
        hxg5 18.hxg5 Nh7 19.cxd6 Bxd6 20.fxg4 Qxg4 21.Ne4 {and White has
serious positional advantage, due to poorly placed Black knight and exposed
king, for instance} 21...exd4 22.Nxd6 cxd6 23.Rf4! Rxf4 24.gxf4 Nc5 25.Qf7 Rf8
        26.Re8 {with decisive advantage.} )
    15.Nd5 Bf6 {After}
        (15...Bd8 {White react in the same way} 16.c5! Kh8 {or}
            (16...Be6 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.Ne7+! Kf7 19.d5 $16 )
        17.cxd6 cxd6 18.Bb4 {with clear advantage.} )
    16.c5 Kh8 {White's task is even easier after}
        (16...Be6 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.Ne7+! Kf7 19.d5 {with big advantage.} )
    17.cxd6 cxd6 18.Bb4 e4 19.Nxf6 Ndxf6 20.Ng5 Rbd8 21.f3 exf3 22.Bxf3 h6
    23.Ne6 Bxe6 24.Rxe6 $16
    {White is obviously better and Black starts to lose material.} )
    (5...Bxd2+ 6.Qxd2 O-O 7.Nc3 d6 8.Nf3 Nc6 {Now 8...Qe7 would evantually
transpose to our main line 5...Qe7, the only serious alternative is}
        (8...Ne4 9.Qc2 Nxc3 10.Qxc3 Qf6 {Another option is}
            (10...Nd7 11.O-O Nf6
                (11...Qe7 {would transpose to 8...Ne4 variation in main line.} )
            12.Nd2 e5 {it looks, like Black achieved his main goal, but as has
been proven in the following encounter his center appears to be vulnerable}
            13.dxe5 dxe5 14.e4! f4 15.Nf3 fxg3 16.hxg3 Nxe4 17.Qxe5 Nd6
            {Polugaevsky-Makarichev, Reykjavik 1990 and now} 18.c5! $146 Nf7
            19.Qc3 c6 20.Rfe1 {would leave White with pleasant edge.} )
        11.O-O Nc6 12.b4! e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 {The point behind White's 12th move
we can see from the following line:}
            (13...dxe5 14.b5 Nd4 15.Nxd4 exd4
            {Gurevich,D-Karklins, Philadelphia 1998 and now natural} 16.Qd3 $146
            Rd8 17.Rfd1 $16 {following by e2-e3 in suitable moment leaves Black
with difficult position.} )
        14.Nd4!? $146 {As I always mention in my book , this kind of
pawnstructure is always advantageous for White, so here is not an exception}
        14...c6 15.f4 Nf7 16.Qd3! {and White can combine two ideas b4-b5 on the
queenside and e2-e4 in the center, his chances are obviously higher.} )
    9.Rd1! {Preventing immediate 9...e5.} 9...Qe7
    {Now I believe White should play natural} 10.O-O {and not to rush with}
        (10.d5 Ne5 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.d6 cxd6 13.Qxd6 Qxd6 14.Rxd6 Kf7
        {with defendable position Johannessen-Berelowitsch, Germany 2002} )
    10...e5 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.cxd5 Nxd4 {, or}
        (12...Nd8 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.Qc3! $16 {Cvek-Dobrovolsky, Kunzak 2001} )
    13.Nxd4 exd4 {Collett-Svenn, Sweden 1996 and now White missed strong}
    14.Rc1! {that should allow him to reagain pawn and to stay with long-term
edge, thanks to his better pawnstructure.} )
    (5...a5 {Here I didn't find much sense in this move.} 6.Nf3 O-O 7.O-O Bxd2
    {Black played other moves in this position, but I didn't find any which
deserves our attention.} 8.Qxd2 d6 9.Nc3 Qe7 10.Rfe1! {White naturally prepares
11. e4 and ready to meet 10...e5 with 11. e4 , in this case the opposition of
Black's queen and White's rook makes Black life pretty difficult.} 10...Nc6
    {Another option}
        (10...Ne4
        {that has been occured in Dankert-Reddmann, Hamburg 1994. Here I like}
        11.Qd3!? $146 {, which seems to me stronger than}
            (11.Qc2 Nxc3 12.bxc3 {, as in this case Black can play} 12...e5
            {immediately, while with queen on d3, it's impossible , due to
check on d5.} )
        11...Nxc3 12.bxc3! {after Black commited his position on the queenside
by advancing his a-pawn , recapture with b-pawn makes a lot of sense.} 12...Nc6
        {In case of}
            (12...Nd7 13.e4 f4 14.e5 $16 {White is clearly better.} )
        13.e4 e5 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.Qe2 Rae8 17.Nh4 Bc8 18.Rab1
        {and White has nice positional edge.} )
    )
6.Nf3 O-O 7.O-O Bxd2
{I think Black is foced already to swap dark-squared bishop, since after}
    (7...Ne4?! {White can simply move his bishop away from exchange} 8.Be3!
    {and Black lands in difficult position, for example} 8...c6 9.c5 Ba5 10.Nbd2
    Nxd2 11.Nxd2 Bc7 12.Nc4 b6 13.Qd2 Ba6 14.Bg5 Qf7 15.Nd6 Bxd6 16.cxd6
    {with huge positional advantage Basin-Linn, Lansing 1993} )
8.Qxd2 d6 {Almost equally played}
    (8...Ne4 9.Qc2 d6 {A few games saw}
        (9...Nc6 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.Qxc3 d6 {Now I like most} 12.b4 {also}
            (12.d5 Nd8 13.dxe6 Nxe6 14.Nd4 {slightly better for White.} )
        12...Bd7 {After}
            (12...e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Rad1 $14 {White has pleasant game.} )
        13.Rae1 {White is ready to play e2-e4 next.} 13...Rae8
        {Black cannot play}
            (13...e5 {in view of} 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 dxe5 16.Bxb7 )
        14.e4 fxe4 15.Rxe4 Qf6 {Doesn't change much}
            (15...d5 16.cxd5 Qxb4 17.Qxb4 Nxb4 18.Rb1! $16 )
        16.b5 $16 {White was clearly better in Epishin-Simon, Paris 1999} )
    10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.Qxc3 Nd7 12.b4! {White cannot prevent coming e6-e5, but he
can seize the space on the queenside.} 12...e5
    {Black can refrain from e5 advance and try}
        (12...Nf6 {the following encounter saw} 13.a4 Qe8 {Black struggled to
find reasonable plan, while White's initiative play itself} 14.b5 Qh5 15.c5 f4
        16.cxd6 cxd6 17.Qc7 $16
        {White was much better Matveeva-Manakova, Kstovo 1998} )
    13.dxe5 dxe5 14.c5 e4 15.Nd4 Ne5 16.f3!
    {The right moment to get light-squared bishop into the play.} 16...Ng6
    {Maybe good practical decision, since after}
        (16...exf3 17.exf3 {Black is in serious trouble.} )
    17.fxe4 f4 {Thal-Lisek, Germany 1992 here was a right moment to clearify
situation and to change character of position by means of} 18.Nf5! $146 Bxf5
    19.exf5 Rxf5 20.e3! {The point. After} 20...f3 21.Rxf3 Rxf3 22.Bxf3 c6
    23.Rf1 $16 {Black doesn't have much for the pawn.} )
9.Nc3 Nc6 {Even more popular}
    (9...c6 {then I think the best to force Black to play StoneWall type of
position by means of} 10.Rfe1 d5 {Other options are clearly worse}
        (10...Ne4 {, as happened in one game can be met by} 11.Nxe4!? $146 fxe4
        12.Ng5 d5 13.f3
        {and opening up the position clearly in White's favour.} )
        (10...e5 {also suspicious in view of} 11.e4
        {Black tried to get compensation for the pawn after} 11...f4 12.gxf4 Nh5
        {but this attempt failed short after} 13.f5 $16
        {Dlugy-Shirazi, Las Vegas 1993} )
    11.Qc2 Ne4 12.e3 {We reached thematic StoneWall position. I believe White
maintains long-term advantage, especially after dark-squared bishop's swap.
Here is good illustrative example} 12...Bd7
        (12...Nd7 13.Ne2 Kh8
        {occured in Anelli-Giardelli, Buenos Aires 1978 and now natural}
        14.Rac1 $146 {would help White to retain better chances.} )
    13.Ne2! {Thematic manoeuvre in this structure White knight is heading for
d3 via f4-square.} 13...Be8 14.Nf4 Nd7 15.Nd3 Ndf6?!
    {Not the best decision, but even after the best}
        (15...Bh5 16.Nfe5 $14 {White retain better chances.} )
    16.Nfe5 Rc8 17.b4 $16 {White has finished his regrouping and now he starts
his play on the queenside, while Black is lack of reasonable ideas
Kharitonov-Ovetchkin, Moscow 1998 Certainly it's important, that White is ready
to meet} )
    (9...e5 {by means of} 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Nd5! Qd6
    {and the simpliest way would have been} 12.Nxf6+ {I believe}
        (12.Rfd1!? $146 {worthy of consideration.} )
    12...Rxf6 13.Qxd6 cxd6 14.Rfd1 {The arising pawnstructure promises White
small but stable edge , here is one example :} 14...Nc6 15.Rd2 Be6 16.b3 Rd8
    17.Rad1 Bf7 {Magerramov-Laketic, Cheliabinsk 1991 and now} 18.Ng5 h6 19.Nxf7
    Kxf7 20.Bd5+ Ke7 21.f4! {would allow White to retain obvious pressure.} )
10.Rac1 {This simple move seems to me the best solution for White.} 10...Bd7
{White is appears to be ready for}
    (10...e5 {after} 11.Nd5 Qd8 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Rfd1 e4 14.Ng5!
    {he keeps better chances. Certainly cannot be good} )
    (10...Nd8?! {in the following encounter White achieved decisive advantage
with help of natural moves} 11.Rfe1 Nf7 12.e4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 fxe4 14.Rxe4 e5?!
    15.dxe5 Bf5 16.Re3 dxe5 17.Nxe5! Nxe5 18.Qd5+ $18
    {1-0 Stahlberg,G-Spielmann,R/Stockholm 1933/EXT 1999 (49)} )
11.d5 Nd8 12.dxe6 Nxe6 13.Nd5 Qd8 {This position occured in Dautov-Ruban, Minsk
1988 I improved White's play with} 14.Nd4 $146 c6 {, or}
    (14...Ne4 15.Qe3 $14 )
15.Nxf6+ Qxf6 16.Nxe6 Qxe6 17.Rfd1 Rf6 18.Qb4 b6 19.e3 $14
{White retains a very pleasant advantage.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2009.02.16"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Stonewall"]
[Black "Update"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2009.07.20"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/p2n2pp/2pbp3/1P1p1p2/1P1P4/2Q2NP1/P3PPBP/1RB2RK1 b - - 0 13"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "GM Rep 2 - 1.d4 Vol Two"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

13...cxb5 13.Bg5 {This is my change to compare with what I recommended in the
book. After my book recommendation}
    (13.Qc6 $146 {One of the "unknown" chessplayers pointed out on QualityChess
blog a very strong improvement over 13...Qb6, that I considered in the book}
    14...Nb6! {This positional sacrifice appears to be very strong and I didn't
manage to find any chances for advantage , here is an illustrative line} 14.Qxb5
    Nc4 {Black's knight is very strong on c4 and allows Black full compensation
for small material deficit.} 15.Qa4
    {White's biggest problem, that he cannot play}
        (15.Bf4? {due to} 16...Bxf4 16.gxf4 Na3 {and Black wins exchange.} )
    16...Bd7 16.Qb3 Rb8
        (17...a5!? )
    17.Bg5 Qc7 18.Qc3 Rfc8 {with nice compensation.} )
14...Qb6 {Black refrains from}
    (14...Qc7 {n view of} 14.Qxc7 Bxc7 15.Rfc1 {with initiative.} )
14.Qe3! $146 {This is my imporvement over the game}
    (14.Rfc1 Bb7 15.Qe3 Rfe8 16.Bf4 Bxf4 17.gxf4 Qd6 18.Ne5 Rac8
    {Black equlaised easily Kerek-Horvath,C Aggtelek 1997} )
15...Nf6 {Another important line}
    (15...Re8 15.Ne1! {A key move. White's knight is heading for c5 via
d3-square, on the way creating threat of Bxd5.} 16...Bb7 {In case of}
        (16...h6 {White can simply grab central pawn} 16.Bxd5! Rb8 17.Bf4 $16 )
    16.Nd3 a5 17.a3 axb4 18.axb4 Ra3 19.Rfc1 $14 {and White seems to me have a
comfortable edge, he will prepare Nc5-move under favourbale circumstances(for
example Bf4 would be nice positional manoeuvre), while I don't see any
constructive ideas for Black.} )
15.Bxf6! {I like this positional idea. White trades his bishop for the knight
before he jumps to e4, also the close type of position favours this exchange.}
16...Rxf6 {Looks pretty interesting}
    (16...gxf6 {covering e5-square, but in this case White follows-up with}
    16.Ne1 a5 17.a3 axb4 18.axb4 Bd7 19.Rb3! $14
    {and White's knight transfers surely to c5. A serious inaccuracy would be}
        (19.Nd3?! Ra3 20.Qc1 Rxd3! 21.exd3 Qxd4 $45
        {with definite compensation.} )
    )
16.Ne5 {White maintains positional pressure, for example} 17...a5 17.a3 axb4
18.axb4 Rf8 19.Rfc1 Qa7 20.Nd3! {Heading for c5.} 21...Qe7 21.Qd2 Bd7 22.Ra1 $14
{and I believe White has a long-term advantage, as he has clear plan of
improving his position: his knight comes to c5, then light-squared bishop
transfer to f1-a6 diagonal by menans of e3, Bf1 attacking b5-pawn.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.08.10"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Caro-Kann advance"]
[Black "4.h4 h5 5.Bg5"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.08.10"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.Bg5 {In GM7 we missed this idea. It is not
especially dangerous, but this is not why it was left out :-).} 5...Qb6 6.Bd3
Bxd3 {This is the safest option, but it is not clear to me that it is too risky
to take on d4. Here are some quick notes.}
    (6...Qxd4!? 7.Nf3 Qxb2 8.Bxf5
        (8.Nbd2 $146 Nh6 9.Rb1 Qxa2 10.Ra1 Qb2 11.Rb1 Qa3 12.Rxb7 Bxd3 13.cxd3
        Nd7 14.O-O $13 )
    8...Qxa1 9.e6 Nh6 10.exf7+ Kxf7 11.Bc8?
        (11.Bh3 $13 )
    11...Na6! 12.Bh3
        (12.Bxb7 Rb8 $19 )
    12...e5 13.O-O Bd6 14.Nfd2 Ng4 15.Bxg4 hxg4 16.Qxg4 Nc5 17.Nb3 Qxa2 18.Qf5+
    Kg8 19.Nc3 Qa6 20.Nxc5 Bxc5 21.Qe6+ Kh7 22.h5?
        (22.Qf5+ $10 )
    22...Qc4?
        (22...Raf8! $19 )
    23.h6? Rhg8?
        (23...Raf8! $19 )
    24.Qf5+ Kh8 25.Qh3 g6??
        (25...Rgf8 $10 )
    26.Bf6+ Kh7 27.Qd7+ {1-0 Kislinsky-Krutul, Warsaw 2006.} )
7.Qxd3 e6
    (7...Qxb2 8.e6! {has a 4-0 score for White and seems risky. Still it can be
analysed, of course.} )
8.Nd2 c5 9.Ne2 Nc6 10.O-O
    (10.c3 Nge7 11.dxc5
        (11.O-O $146 cxd4 12.cxd4 Nf5 $10 )
    11...Qxc5
        (11...Nxe5!? $146 12.Qg3 Qc7 13.Nd4 N7g6 $13 )
    12.Qg3? Nf5 13.Qf4 Qb6! $17 14.O-O Nxe5 15.Nd4
        (15.Qxe5 Bd6 16.Nc4 Bxe5 17.Nxb6 axb6 $17 )
    15...Ng6 $19 {0-1 G. Smith-Roberson, Great Yarmouth 2007.} )
10...cxd4! $146
    (10...Nh6 11.c4 cxd4?!
        (11...Qa6! $146 {=} )
    12.cxd5 Nb4 13.Qb3
        (13.Qc4! $146 )
    13...Nxd5 14.Qa4+ Qc6 15.Qxc6+ bxc6 16.Nxd4 $14
    {Dmitriev-Buchnicek, Mlada Boleslav 1993.} )
11.Nf3 Bc5
    (11...Nh6 12.Nexd4 Ng4 $10 {[%draw full,e5,green]})
12.a3 Qc7! $133 {[%draw full,e5,green]} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.08.23"]
[Round "?"]
[White "5.f3 I"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.08.23"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.f3 e5 6.Nb5 a6 7.N5c3 Be6 8.Nd5
{Without this move, White's play makes no sense to me. I expect White players
wants to follow up with c2-c4 here.}
    (8.Nd2 b5 9.Nb3 Nbd7 10.a4 b4 11.Nd5 Bxd5 12.exd5 Be7 $10
    {looked like a normal Najdorf before strange things started happening.}
    13.a5 Qc7 14.Be3
        (14.Ra4 Nc5! $10 )
    14...O-O 15.Qd2 Rfc8 16.O-O-O? Nxd5! $19 {Feller-Edouard, Lyon 2008.} )
8...Nxd5 9.exd5 Bf5 10.Bd3 Bg6!?
    (10...Bxd3 11.Qxd3 Be7 $10 {looks simple.} )
11.O-O Be7 12.c4 Nd7 13.Nc3 O-O 14.Be3 Bg5 15.Bxg5 Qxg5 16.Bxg6 Qxg6 17.Qd2 Rac8
18.b3 f5 19.f4 e4 20.Ne2 Nc5 21.Rac1 Rfe8 22.Rc3 Qf6 23.Qd4
{½-½ Fine-Eliskases, Semmering 1937.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.08.23"]
[Round "?"]
[White "5.f3 II"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.08.23"]
[ECO "B55"]
[Variation "Prins Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.f3 e5 6.Bb5+ Nbd7 7.Nf5 d5 8.exd5 a6
9.Bxd7+
    (9.Ba4 b5 10.Bb3 {} {I prefer the flexible approach here:} 10...a5! {This
has only been played in 3 out of more than a hundred games, but it looks like
the best move to me.}
        (10...Nb6 11.Ne3 Bc5 12.Nc3 O-O 13.O-O Bf5 14.Kh1 Bg6 $45
        {is known to score greatly for Black and can also be recommended.} )
    11.c3
        (11.a4 Nc5 12.Ne3 Nxb3 13.cxb3 b4 $15 )
        (11.d6 a4 12.Bd5 Ra6! $45 )
    11...Nb6 12.Ne3
        (12.Qd3 {is probably best.} 12...a4 13.Bc2 Nbxd5!?
            (13...Qxd5 $10 )
        14.Qxb5+ Bd7 15.Qe2 Qc7 16.O-O Bc5+ 17.Kh1 O-O $45 )
    12...a4 13.Bc2 Bc5 14.Qe2 O-O $15 15.Nd2 Nbxd5 16.Nxd5 Nxd5 17.Ne4 Bb6
    18.Nf2 Ba6 19.O-O a3 20.Bd3 axb2 21.Qxb2 Nxc3 22.Qxc3 Bd4 23.Qb3 Bxa1 24.Ba3
    Bd4 25.Bxf8 Qxf8 26.Kh1 Bc8 27.Bxb5 Ra3 28.Qd5 Be6 29.Qb7 Rxa2 30.Ne4 h6
    31.Bd7 Ra7 {0-1 Stoppel-Huebner, Athens 1969.} )
9...Qxd7 10.Ne3 b5 $45 11.Nc3
    (11.a4 Bb7 12.axb5 axb5 13.Rxa8+ Bxa8 14.Qe2
        (14.O-O Bc5 15.Kh1 {Ginsburg-Kuczynski, Germany 1995.} 15...Nxd5 $146
        16.Nxd5 Bxd5 $10 )
    14...Be7
        (14...Nxd5 $10 {seems most natural.} )
    15.O-O O-O 16.Rd1 Bc5 17.Nc3 b4 18.Ne4 Bxe3+ 19.Bxe3 Nxd5 20.c4 bxc3 21.Nxc3
    Nxc3 22.bxc3 Qe6 23.c4 e4 {½-½ Bodnar-Andreev, Alushta 2005.} )
    (11.O-O Bc5
        (11...Bb7 12.Nc3 b4 $10 {looks ok as well, the same can be said for
12...Rd8 here. But Black plays solidly for development.} )
    12.Nc3 O-O 13.Kh1 Bxe3 14.Bxe3 b4 15.Ne4 Nxd5 $10
    {Ioseliani-Womacka, Germany 2000.} )
    (11.Qe2 Bc5 12.c4 O-O 13.Nc3 bxc4 $15 {looks very uncomfortable for White:}
    14.Bd2 Bd4! 15.O-O-O? Rb8 16.Be1 Qb7 17.Nxc4 Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Qxd5 19.Bc3 Be6
    20.b3 Rfc8 21.Bxd4 exd4 22.Rd2 Qd6 {0-1 De Graaf-Cipolli, e-mail 2002.} )
11...Bb7 12.O-O
    (12.Qd3 b4 13.Ne4 Nxd5 $10 {Papageorgopoulos-Atalik, Aegina 1996.} )
    ( {On} 12.a3 {then} 12...O-O-O {seems koo-koo. 12...Rd8 surely is safer.}
    13.Qd3
        (13.Qe2!? )
    13...Nxd5 14.Nexd5 {½-½ Ghaem Maghami-Moradiabadi, Dresden 2005.} )
12...b4 13.Ne4 Nxd5 14.Nxd5
    (14.c4 bxc3 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Nxc3 Bc5+ 17.Kh1 Bc4 $15
    {Reichstein-Wojtkiewicz, Fredericksburg 1999.} )
    (14.Nc4 Qc7 15.Qe2 {Gamsa-Soffer, Tel Aviv 1990.} 15...Be7 $146
    {is at least equal.} )
14...Bxd5
    (14...Qxd5 15.Be3 {½-½ Khachiyan-Wojtkiewicz, Los Angeles 2005.} )
15.Nf2
    (15.Be3 Be7 16.Rf2
        (16.Bc5 Bxe4 17.Qxd7+ Kxd7 18.Bxe7 Kxe7 19.fxe4 Rhc8 $15 )
    16...Qc6 17.c4! Bxe4!?
        (17...Be6 $10 )
    18.fxe4 Rc8! {and it is not so easy to solve the problems.} 19.Qd5 Qxd5
    20.cxd5 Rc4 $15 )
15...Bc5 16.Qe2 O-O 17.Be3 Be7 $15 18.Nd3 f6 19.Bc5 Bxc5+ 20.Nxc5 Qa7 21.Qf2
Rac8 22.Nd3 Qb7 23.a3 bxa3 24.Rxa3 Rfd8 25.b3 e4 26.fxe4 Bxe4 27.Ne1 f5 28.Ra4
Rd6 29.Rd4 Rdc6 30.Rd2 a5 31.Qd4 h6 32.Rff2 Rc5 33.Qd6 Kh7 34.h3 R8c6 35.Qf8 Rc8
36.Qd6 R5c6 37.Qd4 Qb8 38.Qa1 Qa7 39.Qd4 Qc7 40.Qa1 Rc3 41.Qd1 Qc5 42.Rd7 Re3
43.Qa1 Rc3 44.Qd1 Rc7 45.Rd8 Re3 46.Rdd2 Re7 47.Kh2 Qe5+ 48.Kg1 Qc5 49.Kh2 Qc7+
50.Kg1 Qg3 51.Rf1 f4 52.Rdf2 Rxe1 53.Qxe1 Bxg2 54.Rxg2 Qxe1 55.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 56.Kf2
Rh1 57.Kf3 g5 58.Rd2 Rxh3+ 59.Kg4 Rc3 60.Rd7+ Kg6 61.Rd6+ Kg7 62.b4 axb4 63.Rg6+
{0-1 Manolov-Sakaev, Elenite 1994.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.08.23"]
[Round "?"]
[White "5.f3 III"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.08.23"]
[ECO "B55"]
[Variation "Prins Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.f3 e5 6.Nb3
{This is the fashionable move.} 6...Be7
    (6...d5 7.Bg5 Be6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.exd5 Qxd5 10.Qxd5 Bxd5 11.Nc3 Be6 12.O-O-O
    Nd7 13.Nb5 Ke7 14.Nc7 Rc8 15.Nd5+ Bxd5 16.Rxd5 {as in for example
Varga-Antal, Nagykanizsa 2003, looks ok for Black, but he is only playing for
two results and the endgame could be long and uncomfortable.} )
7.c4
    (7.Nc3 O-O 8.Be3 Be6 9.Qd2 a5!?
    {compared to the Najdorf, Black has not spent any time on ...a6.} )
7...a5!? {Quite an aggressive positional idea. Black wants to play ...a4,
...Qa5 and ...Bd8-b6.} 8.Be3
    (8.a4 {weakens the dark squares too much far most players liking.} 8...Nc6
    9.Be3 O-O 10.Nc3 Nd7 11.Nd5 b6
        (11...Bg5 $146 12.Bf2 b6 $10 )
    12.Be2 Nc5 $10 {Nyzhnyk-Hamitevici, Chotowa 2010.} )
8...a4
    ( {Another idea is:} 8...O-O 9.Be2 a4 10.N3d2 Nh5!? $146
        (10...Qa5 11.O-O Bd8 {is another way to equalise. Black is hoping to
exchange bishops and weaken the dark squares in the white position.} 12.c5 d5
        13.exd5 Nxd5 $10 {Szczepkowska Horowska-Wojtaszek, Wroclaw 2010.} )
    11.Nc3 Bg5 12.Bxg5
        (12.Bf2 Nf4 13.O-O Nc6 $133 )
    12...Qxg5 13.g3 Nc6 )
9.N3d2 Qa5
{The bishop goes to d8 and b6, where White will have to exchange it.} 10.Qc2
    (10.Be2 Nc6 11.O-O O-O 12.Nc3
        (12.Na3 Be6 13.Nb5 Bd8 14.Kh1 Bb6 $10
        {Rublevsky-Gelfand, Moscow (blitz) 2007.} )
    12...Nd4!
        (12...a3?! 13.Nb3 Qb4 14.Rb1! axb2 15.Qd2
        {looks a bit risky. The black queen is not well placed.} )
        (12...Bd8?! 13.Kh1 Bb6 14.Bxb6 Qxb6 15.Nxa4 Qb4 16.b3 )
    13.Bd3 Qb4 14.Rb1 Bd7 15.Kh1 Bd8 $10 16.f4 a3 17.fxe5?! dxe5 18.Qc1
    {Varga-Berkes, Kazincbarcika 2005.} 18...Ng4! $146 19.bxa3
        (19.Bg1? Ba5! $19 )
    19...Qxa3 $15 )
10...Nc6 11.Qc3 Bd8 12.Be2 O-O 13.Kf2 Nd4 14.Rc1 Qa7 $13
{Black is in no way worse.} 15.Na3 Bb6 16.Nb5 Nxb5 17.cxb5 d5 18.Bxb6 Qxb6+
19.Qc5 Qa5
    (19...Qd8! $10 )
20.b4 Qd8 21.Qc7 dxe4 22.Qxd8 e3+ 23.Kxe3 Rxd8 24.a3 Be6 25.Nc4 Nd5+ 26.Kf2 Nf4
27.Bf1 f6 28.Nb6 Rd2+ 29.Kg1 Rad8 30.Nxa4 Bf5 31.Nc5 b6 32.Ne4 Bxe4 33.fxe4 Ne2+
34.Bxe2 Rxe2 35.Rd1 Rxd1+ 36.Rxd1 Ra2 37.Rd8+ Kf7 38.Ra8 Kg6 39.Ra7 h5 40.h4 f5
41.exf5+ Kxf5 42.Rxg7 Rxa3 43.Rg5+ Kf4 44.Rxh5 e4 45.Rh8 Ra1+ 46.Kh2 e3 47.Re8
Rb1 {This position is drawish, but White blunders as much as you can...}
48.Kh3?? Rh1# {Ivanchuk-Gelfand, Moscow (blitz) 2007.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Closed Sicilian - 6.?h3"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.08.23"]
[ECO "B25"]
[Variation "Closed Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Nh3 {This peculiar move is
apparently not in GM6 either. It does not intimidate... Here is a suggested
treatment.} 6...e6 7.O-O Nge7 8.Be3 O-O 9.Qd2 Nd4 10.Bh6
    (10.Kh1 Rb8 11.Bh6 b5 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.f4 b4 14.Nd1 d5 15.e5 Bb7 $15
    {Tkachiev-Gelfand, Groningen 1997.} )
10...Bxh6 11.Qxh6 f6 12.Qd2 e5 {The structure shoulde be absolutely fine for
Black. The knight on h3 is not in the way, but is also out of play.} 13.f4 Qb6
14.Rab1 c4 15.Kh1 cxd3 16.cxd3 {The question here is if White is even equal.
The engines do not think so, but on the other hand, White has decent practical
results from here.} 16...Bd7
    (16...Be6 17.Rf2 Kg7 18.Rbf1 Rac8 19.Ng1 Qc5
        (19...exf4 20.Rxf4 Nec6 $15 )
    20.Nf3 Nxf3 21.Rxf3 b5 $10 {Balashov-Timman, Rio de Janeiro (itz) 1979.} )
17.Rf2 Kg7 18.Rbf1 Rac8 19.Ng1 Be6 20.Nf3 Nxf3
{Around here Black loses his way.}
    (20...Qa5!? )
21.Rxf3 Nc6 22.f5 Bg8 23.h4 Nd4 24.R3f2 gxf5 25.exf5 Nb5 26.g4 Nxc3 27.bxc3 h6
28.g5 $14 Bf7 29.g6 Be8 30.Qb2? Qxb2 $10 31.Rxb2 b6 32.c4 Rc5 33.Be4 Bd7 34.Kg2
Rfc8 35.Kf3 h5 36.Ke3 Ra5 37.Rff2 Ba4 38.Bd5 Bd7 39.Kd2 Ra3 40.Ke3 Ba4 41.Ke4
Rc7 42.Rf1 Rc3 43.Ke3 Bc2 44.Be4 Ba4 45.Kd2 Ra3 46.Rc1 Bd7 47.Rcc2 Rc5 48.Ke3
Ba4 49.Rc1 Bd7 50.Rf1?? Rxc4 51.Rb3 Rxb3 52.axb3 Rc7 53.b4 a5 54.bxa5 bxa5 55.d4
Rc3+ 56.Kd2 Rc4 57.Ke3 Rxd4 58.Rc1 d5 59.Bd3 Rxd3+ 60.Kxd3 Bxf5+ 61.Kd2 Kxg6
62.Rc5 d4 63.Rxa5 Bg4 64.Ra1 Kf5 65.Rf1+ Ke6 66.Kd3 Bf5+ 67.Kc4 Be4 68.Ra1 Bf3
69.Kd3 Kf5 70.Ra6 Bg2 71.Rd6 Bf1+ 72.Kd2 Bc4 73.Rc6 Bf1 74.Rd6 Kg6 75.Ke1 Bc4
76.Kd2 Kf7 77.Rc6 Bd5 78.Ra6 Ke7 79.Kd3 Bg2 80.Rb6 Bf3 81.Rb5 Bc6
{0-1 Shchekachev-Goldin, Berlin 1993.} *


[Event "4th NH Chess Tournament"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "2010.08.16"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Giri, A"]
[Black "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.08.12"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[ECO "D78"]
[Variation "Bogoljubov Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 O-O 5.Bg2 c6 6.O-O d5 7.b3 dxc4 8.bxc4 c5 9.Bb2
Qb6 10.Qb3 Ne4 11.e3 Nc6 12.Ne5 Nd6 13.Nd2
    (13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.dxc5 Qxc5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Nd2 )
13...Be6
    (13...cxd4 14.exd4 Be6 15.Rfc1
        (15.Rfe1 Bh6 16.d5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Bxd2 18.Re2 Qxb3 19.axb3 Bxd5 20.Rxd2
            (20.Bxd5 Bb4 )
        20...Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Rfd8 22.Rad1 Rac8 )
        (15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Qxb6 axb6 17.Nxc6 Rfe8 )
    15...Rfc8 16.Qxb6
        (16.c5 Bxb3 17.cxb6 Ba4 18.bxa7 Rxa7 )
    16...axb6 17.f4 Nxe5 )
14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.dxc5 Qxc5
    (15...Qxb3 16.axb3 Nb7 17.Ra2 Rfc8 18.Rfa1
        (18.Nd3 )
    18...Nxc5 19.Rxa7 Rab8 20.R1a3 f6 21.Nef3 )
16.Bd4 Qa5 17.Nxc6 Qc7
    (17...Qxd2 18.Rfd1 Bxc4 19.Rxd2 Bxb3 20.Nxe7+ Kh8 21.Bxg7+ Kxg7 22.axb3 )
18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Qc3+
    (19.Nd4 Bxc4
        (19...Bh3 20.Rfc1 )
    20.Rfc1 Rfc8
        (20...Bxb3 21.Rxc7 Bd5 22.Rxe7 )
    21.Nxc4 Nxc4 22.Rc3 Rab8 23.Qa4 Qc5 24.Rac1 Qb4
        (24...Rb4 25.Qa6 e5 26.Nb3 )
    25.Qxb4 Rxb4 26.Nb3 Ra4 27.Nd2 Nxd2 28.Rxc8 Rxa2 29.Kg2 Ne4 30.R1c2 )
19...Kg8 20.Na5 Rab8 21.Rfc1 Rfc8 22.Qe5 Bh3 23.Nab3 Rb4 24.c5 Qb7 25.f3 Nb5
26.Kf2 Be6 27.Rc2 Na3 28.Rc3 Nb5 29.Rc2 Na3 30.Rc3 Nb5 31.Rd3 Qa6 32.Ne4 Nd6
33.Nxd6 Qxd3 34.Nxc8 Bxc8 35.Re1 Rc4 36.Nd4 Ba6 37.Qxe7 Rc1 38.Qd8+ Kg7 39.Ne6+
1-0


[Event "97th ch-GBR"]
[Site "Canterbury"]
[Date "2010.07.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Adams, Mi"]
[Black "Summerscale, A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.07.26"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[ECO "B12"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2428"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7 8.Nd2 Nbc6
9.N2f3 Be4 10.O-O Ng6 11.Bb5 Qd7?
{The queen is misplaced here for a few, obvious and less obvious, reasons.}
    ( {Lars Schandorff simply gives} 11...Qc7
    {. If we compare with the game, we can see that the d7-square is useful.}
    12.Ng5 Nxe5 13.f4 Nd7! $13 14.Nxe4 $140 dxe4 15.f5 e5 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Bc4
    Nf6 $10 )
12.Ng5! Ngxe5 13.f4 Ng6 14.Nxe4?!
{White is of course doing well in the game, but even stronger was:}
    (14.Qe2! Bd6 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.f5 exf5 17.Bxc6 bxc6 18.Nxf5 Be5 19.Rad1 Qc7
    20.Bc5 $18 )
14...dxe4 15.f5 exf5 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Nxf5 $14 Qxd1 18.Raxd1 Ne5 19.Rf4 f6
20.Rxe4 g6 21.Nd6+ Bxd6 22.Rxd6 O-O 23.Bh6 Rf7 24.h3 Re8 25.Rxc6 g5 26.b3 Rfe7
27.Rxf6 Nf7 28.Rxe7 Rxe7 29.Rc6 1-0


[Event "97th ch-GBR"]
[Site "Canterbury"]
[Date "2010.07.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Greet, A"]
[Black "Ledger, D"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.07.26"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[ECO "E62"]
[Variation "Fianchetto Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2451"]
[BlackElo "2233"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 c6 7.O-O Qa5 8.e4 Bg4 9.h3
Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Nbd7 11.Qe2 Ne8 12.Rd1 c5 13.dxc5 Bxc3 14.cxd6 Nxd6 15.Rd5
    (15.bxc3 Ne5 16.Bg2 Nexc4 )
15...Qa4
    (15...Nc5 16.bxc3 Qxc3 17.Rb1 Rac8 18.Bh6 Rfd8
        (18...Rfe8 19.Bg4 Ne6 20.e5 Nxc4 21.Rxb7 Nb6 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.Rd2 )
    19.Rbd1 Ne6 20.Bg4 )
16.bxc3 Nb6 17.c5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Nf5 19.g4 Ng7 20.Rb1 Rac8 21.Be3 Rc7 22.Bd4 Rd7
23.Rb4 Qa5 24.Qb2 Qc7 25.c4 Ne8 26.Qa3 Qf4 27.Qe3 Qc7 28.Rb5 a6 29.Rb6 Ng7
30.Be5 Qc8 31.Qa3 f6 32.Bf4 Qd8 33.Qb4 Qc8 34.c6 bxc6 35.Rb8 1-0


[Event "97th ch-GBR"]
[Site "Canterbury"]
[Date "2010.07.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Rudd, J"]
[Black "Greet, A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.07.26"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[ECO "A56"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2236"]
[BlackElo "2451"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Nbd7 6.g3 g6 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.Nf3 O-O 9.O-O
Ne8 10.Rb1 f5?! 11.Ng5 Nc7 12.exf5 gxf5 13.f4 e4 14.g4 Nb6 15.gxf5 Bxf5 16.Bxe4
Bxc3?
    (16...Qf6 $13 )
17.bxc3 Qf6?
    (17...Qd7 $14 )
18.Rb2! $16 Rae8?
    (18...Kh8 19.Rg2 Rg8 $16 {was the last chance.} )
19.Rg2 Kh8 20.Nxh7!! Bxh7
    (20...Kxh7 21.Qh5+ Qh6 22.Bxf5+ $18 )
21.Bxh7 Kxh7 22.Qd3+
    ( {Another way to mate was} 22.Qh5+! Qh6 23.Qxh6+ Kxh6 24.Rf3! )
22...Qf5 23.Qg3! Qf6 24.f5 Re4 25.Bf4 1-0


[Event "NH Chess Tournament"]
[Site "Amsterdam/The Nederlands"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "7.3"]
[White "Giri"]
[Black "Gelfand"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Bc4 Qb6 8.Bb3 e6
{It has been mentioned on Chess Publishing that our coverage of this variation
was a bit "thin". It is always a question on where you should expand your
efforts in a book on 432 pages. Wherever you consider the lines to be
unimportant is exactly where people are going to think you did not do enough
:-). But ok, let us have a short review.} 9.Bxf6!? {An interesting positional
idea. White wants to play on the light squares. It is necessary to take on f6
before playing f4, so that Black cannot take back with the bishop. Other ideas
are:}
    (9.f4 Be7 10.f5 Nc5
    {has a good reputation for Black. White's most recent try has been:} 11.Qf3
    Nxb3 12.Nxb3 Qc7 13.fxe6
        (13.Nd4 Bd7 14.O-O-O O-O 15.g4 b5 $15 16.Rhg1 b4 17.Nce2 Rac8 18.Kb1?
        e5 $19 {Savchenko-A. Kovacevic, Budva 2009.} )
    13...fxe6 14.O-O O-O 15.Qg3 b5 16.a3 Bd7 17.Rad1 Nh5 18.Qh4
        (18.Qe3 {½-½ Gashimov-Karjakin, Kallithea 2008.} )
    18...Qb6+ 19.Kh1 Rxf1+ 20.Rxf1 Nf6 21.e5 dxe5 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.Rxf6 Qd8!
    24.Ne4 Bc6 25.Qg4 Bxe4 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Rf1 Qg5 $15
    {Kurnosov-Areshchenko, Budva 2009.} )
    (9.Be3 {was apparently suggested by Shirov in a video annotation to his
game with Dominguez. It is impossible for us to watch every DVD coming out
these days, and we must admit that we missed it. However, the idea itself does
not look too dangerous:} 9...Qc7!? $146 {I prefer this move order.}
        (9...Nc5 10.Qf3!? )
    10.g4 h6 11.f3 b5 12.Qd2 Nc5
    {By transposition we have ended in existing games.} 13.O-O-O
        (13.Rg1 Bb7 14.h4 Nfd7 15.O-O-O b4 16.Nce2 Rb8 $13
        {Fierz-Herb, Switzerland 1999.} )
    13...b4
        (13...Bd7!? 14.h4! $146
            (14.a3 a5! $15 )
            (14.Kb1 b4 15.Nce2 a5 $15 {Kraus-Jedlicka, Hradec Kralove 2010.} )
        14...b4 15.Nce2 a5 16.g5 Nh5! {I generally don't like the knight in
such a spot - but here it is weighed up by the troubles of the bishop on b3.}
            (16...a4 17.Bxe6! fxe6 18.gxf6 b3 19.Kb1 gxf6 20.Nf4 $14 )
            (16...Nfxe4? 17.fxe4 Nxe4 18.Nxe6! fxe6 19.Qd3 d5 20.Nf4 $16 )
        17.gxh6 gxh6 18.Kb1 Rb8 $13 )
    14.Na4 Bd7 15.Qxb4 {Kerstens-Vink, Leiden 1998.} 15...Rc8! $146
    {This leads to very forced play. Maybe this is the main line:} 16.Ne2 Nxb3+
    17.Qxb3 Rb8 18.Qc3
        (18.Bb6 Qc6 19.Nec3
            (19.Rd4 Be7 20.Rb4 O-O 21.Nd4 Qa8 $15 )
        19...Be7 $45 )
    18...Qd8 19.Qa3 Qa5 20.Nec3 d5 21.Bc5 dxe4 22.fxe4 Bxa4 23.Bxf8 Rxf8 24.e5
    Nxg4 25.Rd4 f5 26.exf6 Qg5+ 27.Rd2 Nxf6 28.Qxa4+ Kf7 $10 )
9...Nxf6 10.f4 e5!
    (10...Be7 11.f5!
    {[%draw full,d5,green] would give a lot of problems with the d5-square.} )
11.Ba4+ Ke7! $146 {Technically this is a novelty, although we get back to a
known position be transposition.}
    ( {White might be a bit better after} 11...Bd7 12.Bxd7+ Nxd7 13.Nde2 Rc8
        (13...exf4 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.Qd4 $40 {was dangerous for Black in
Timman-Klein, Dieren 2009. Probably it was from this game Giri got the idea.} )
    14.Nd5
        (14.Qd2 $146 Nf6 15.O-O-O Be7 16.f5 O-O {does not work out well for
White. He theoretically controls d5, but he cannot occupy it, while Black can
get powerful play down the c-file.} )
    14...Qxb2 15.O-O Qa3 16.Kh1 Be7
        (16...b5 $146 17.Ng3 $44 {[%draw full,f5,green] [%draw
arrow,f5,d6,green] [%draw arrow,f5,g7,green] [%draw arrow,f1,f7,green]})
    17.Rb1 b5 18.Rb3 Qa5 {Here I think} 19.a4! $146 {looks good for White.}
        (19.Rg3 g6 20.f5 Bd8 $13 {Tukhaev-Borovikov, Kavala 2010.} )
    19...Bd8 20.axb5 O-O $14 )
12.Nde2 exf4 13.Bb3
    (13.Nxf4 Qe3+ 14.Nfe2 Be6 $10 )
13...Be6 14.Nd4
    (14.Nxf4 Qe3+ 15.Nfe2 g6 16.Rf1 Bg7 $10 )
14...g6 15.Qd2 Bh6 $146
    ( {I actually prefer} 15...h5 16.O-O-O Bxb3 17.axb3 Bh6 18.Kb1 Kf8 19.Rhf1
    {, as played in Naiditsch-Sjugirov, Moscow 2009. Black was fine in the game
too, I think, but here the easiest equalizer was:} 19...Re8! $146 20.Nde2
        (20.Qd3 Qc5 21.Nde2 Qe5 $15 )
    20...Nxe4 21.Nxe4 Rxe4 22.Nxf4 Kg8!
        (22...Kg7? 23.Qc3+ $18 )
    23.g3 Qc6 24.Qg2 Kg7 25.Rxd6 Qxd6 26.Qxe4 Bxf4 $10
    {and it is only White that needs to be careful in this ending.} )
16.O-O-O Bxb3 17.axb3 Rhc8?!
    ( {I think Black could have done better with the immediate} 17...Kf8! $146
    18.h4
        (18.g3 Re8 19.Rhe1 Kg7 20.gxf4 Qc5 $133 {looks ok to me.} )
    18...Kg7 )
18.h4!! {A great move by Giri, putting Gelfand under serious pressure. With
good defence Black manages to draw the game.} 18...Rxc3!
    (18...Kf8? 19.h5! {is horrible for Black, based on} 19...Nxh5 20.g4
    {, winning a piece.} )
19.Qxc3 f3+ 20.Kb1 fxg2 21.Rhe1 $14 Bf4 22.Qh3 Be5 23.Nf3 Qf2 24.Rg1 Qg3 25.Qxg3
Bxg3 26.Rxg2 Bf4 27.Re1 Nd7 28.c3 h5 29.Kc2 Ne5 30.Nd4 Ng4 31.Kd3 Re8 32.b4 Be5
33.Rh1 Bf6 34.Ne2 d5 35.exd5 Kd6 36.Rf1 Bxh4 37.Rxg4 hxg4 38.Rxf7 b5 39.Rf4 g5
40.Rxg4 Kxd5 41.Rd4+ Kc6 *


[Event "NH Chess Tournament"]
[Site "Amsterdam/The Nederlands"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "7.5"]
[White "Nakamura"]
[Black "van Wely"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qb6!? {This line
is quite interesting. In Experts vs. the Sicilian, we were not believers, but
as can be seen, there is a case to answer.} 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.Bxf6
{This is the principial move.} 10...Nxf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Nd7?
{This appears to be the losing mistake.}
    ( {Correct was:} 12...Ng4 13.Nd5 Qc5 14.Nb3 Qc6 15.Na5 Qd7!
        ( {In Experts vs. the Sicilian we only gave} 15...Qc5 16.Nxb7 $18 )
    16.Nc4 e6! 17.Ndb6 $146
        (17.Ncb6? Qc6 18.Nxa8 exd5 19.Be2 b5 $17 {B. Smith-Laznicka, USA 2010.} )
    17...Qxd2+ 18.Kxd2 Rb8 19.Be2 Nh6
        (19...h5 20.Rhf1 Bc5 21.h3 Nh6 22.Bxh5 $14 )
    20.Nxc8 Rxc8 21.Rxb7 Bc5 22.Bd3 $14 {The endgame does look a bit more
pleasant for White, but it is nothing special.} )
13.Nd5 Qc5 14.Nb3 Qc6 {When the computer does not think preventing Nc7+ is the
best option, something has gone wrong.} 15.Na5 Qc5 16.Nxb7 {And Black loses -
Van Wely in New in Chess Magazine, not yet published at the time of the game -
but certainly written.} 16...Qc6 17.Rb6! {Black resigned. After} 17...Nxb6
18.Nf6+ {he is mated.} 1-0


[Event "Staunton Memorial 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.08.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "2.f4 I"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "B21"]
[Variation "Grand Prix Attack"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5! 3.Nc3 {The so-called toilet variation, because the inventor
made it up while sitting on the toilet, having played 2.f4, wondering what to
do against this modern 2...d5 nonsense.} 3...d4
    (3...dxe4 {is also ok, but White gets better play, it seems to me.} )
4.Nce2
    (4.Nb1 Qc7!? $146
        (4...Nf6 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Qe2 Qc7!? $146 7.Bxd7+ Nbxd7 8.e5 Nd5 9.d3 g5!?
            (9...e6 $10 )
        10.Nh3 gxf4 11.Nxf4 Nxf4 12.Bxf4 Bg7 13.O-O Bxe5 14.Bxe5 Qxe5 15.Qf3 Nf6
        16.Na3
            (16.Qxb7 Rb8 $15 )
        16...Qd5 17.Qh3 $13 )
    5.Bb5+ Nc6 6.Bxc6+
        (6.Nf3 Qxf4 7.d3 Qc7 $15 )
    6...Qxc6 $10 7.d3 f5!? 8.Nf3! fxe4 9.Ne5 Qa6 10.dxe4 Nf6 11.Qd3
        (11.Nd2 g6 $15 )
    11...Qxd3 12.cxd3 g6 $10 )
    (4.Bb5+ Bd7 5.Bxd7+ Qxd7 6.Nce2 d3 7.cxd3 Qxd3 8.Nc3
        (8.b4 Qxe4 9.Nf3 cxb4 10.a3 e6 $17 {Waddingham-Kuczynski, Oakham 1986.} )
    8...Nc6 9.Nge2 {Cubas-Matsuura, Brasilia 2002.} 9...e6 $146 10.O-O
    O-O-O!? $15 {Black is at least equal, I would think. With this control over
the centre, I find it unbelievable that Black should get mated.} )
4...Nc6 5.Nf3 g6!?
{I like this move, with the aggressive idea of attacking f4.}
    ( {Another interesting idea is:} 5...Bg4 6.Ng3 Qc7! $146
        (6...e5 7.fxe5 Nge7!? $146 8.Bc4
            (8.Bb5 a6 $10 )
        8...Ng6 $10 )
    7.d3
        (7.h3 Qxf4 8.Ne2 Bxf3 )
        (7.e5 g5 8.fxg5 h6 9.Bb5 O-O-O $37 )
    7...e5 8.fxe5 h5 $133 )
6.d3
    (6.Ng3?! Bh6 7.d3 Nf6 8.h3 Be6 9.Be2 Qc7 10.e5
        (10.Qd2 $15 )
    10...Nd5 $17 {Tamashiro-Altea, e-mail 2000.} )
6...Nf6 7.g3
    (7.Ng3?! Bh6! {transposing to Tamashiro-Altea.} )
    (7.h3 Bg7 8.g4 {Reefschlaeger-Kovalev, Gausdal 1990.} 8...O-O $146 9.Bg2 b6
    10.O-O Bb7 $13 )
7...Ng4 8.Bg2 Bg7 9.O-O Qb6 $133 *


[Event "Staunton Memorial 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.08.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "2.f4 II"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "B21"]
[Variation "Grand Prix Attack"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5! 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Bb5+ Bd7
{The main move, but not necessarily the best.} 5.Bxd7+ Qxd7 6.c4 e6 7.Qe2 Bd6
8.f5?! {This like looks suicidal.} 8...O-O 9.fxe6 fxe6 10.dxe6 Qc7 11.Nf3
    (11.Nc3 Nc6! $146
        (11...Bxh2 12.Nf3 Bg3+ 13.Kd1 Nc6 14.d3 Rad8 15.Bg5 Nb4 16.e7 Rxd3+
        17.Nd2 Re8 18.Qe6+ Kh8 19.Bxf6 Bf4 20.Ne4 Bxd2 21.Nxd2 gxf6 22.Qxf6+ Kg8
        23.Qe6+ Kg7 24.Qh6+ Kf7 25.Qxh7+ Ke6 26.Rh6+
        {1-0 Sulskis-Ringoir, Dresden 2007.} )
    12.Nb5 Qe7 13.Nf3 a6 14.Nc3
        (14.Nxd6 Qxd6 15.O-O Rae8 $37 )
    14...Nd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Nd1 Nh5!! 17.Qxh5 Qxe6+ 18.Ne3
        (18.Qe2 Qg6 $19 )
    18...dxe3 19.Qd5 exd2+ 20.Kxd2 Qxd5+ 21.cxd5 Rf5 $15 )
11...Nc6 12.Nc3
    (12.O-O Nd4 $41 )
12...Rae8 13.d3
    (13.O-O Nd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Nb5 Bxh2+ 16.Kh1 {Kahn-Horvath, Budapest 2008.}
    16...Qg3! $146 17.Nxd4 Ne4!! 18.Nf3 Qg4 19.Kxh2 Rxe6 20.d3 Ng5 $19 )
13...Nd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.Nb5 Bb4+ 16.Bd2 Bxd2+ 17.Kxd2 Qb6 18.Qe5 Rxe6 19.Qxd4?!
    (19.Qc7 Nd5 20.Qxb6 Rf2+ 21.Kc1 Nxb6 $15 )
19...Ne4+! 20.Kc2
    (20.Kc1 Nf2 $17 {Chernov-Bouaziz, Bucharest 1992.} )
20...Rf2+ 21.Kc1 Nc5 22.b4
    (22.Kb1 Nxd3 23.Qxd3 Ree2 $19 )
22...Nxd3+ 23.Qxd3 Ree2 24.Kd1 Qf6 25.Qd5+
    (25.Rb1 Rf1+ {Suta-Schoen, Budapest 1994.} )
    (25.Qd4 Rd2+ 26.Qxd2 Qxa1+ 27.Qc1 Qxa2 28.Nc3 Qb3+ 29.Ke1 Rc2 30.Qe3 Qxc3+
    31.Qxc3 Rxc3 32.Kf2 Rxc4 33.b5 Rb4 34.Ra1 Rxb5 $17 )
25...Kh8 26.Rc1 {Wheeler-Emms, West Bromwich 2005.} 26...Rxa2 $146 27.Re1
Rf1! $19 *


[Event "Staunton Memorial 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.08.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "2.f4 III"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "B21"]
[Variation "Grand Prix Attack"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5! 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Bb5+ Bd7 5.Bxd7+ Qxd7 6.c4 e6 7.Qe2 Bd6 8.d3 O-O
9.dxe6 fxe6 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.O-O Rae8 12.Nc3 e5 13.f5 Nd4 14.Qd1 Nxf5 15.Bg5 e4
{After having looked for a bit of time, I think this is the safest option.}
    (15...Ng4 16.Qd2
        (16.Nd5 h6 17.Bd2 e4 18.dxe4 Rxe4 $15 {Zubov-Averjanov, Kharkov 2005.} )
    16...Nd4
        (16...e4!? 17.dxe4! $146
            (17.Nxe4?! Nd4 $41 {as in a few games.} )
        17...Nd4 18.Kh1 {is maybe compensation, but I find that the
responsibility lies on Black's shoulders.} )
    17.Ne4 Be7 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Rae1 b6 $10 {Janse-Tikkanen, Stockholm 2007.} )
16.dxe4 Nxe4 17.Nxe4 Rxe4 18.Qd5+ Qe6 $10 19.Rad1?
    (19.Qxb7 h6 20.Bd2 Qxc4 21.Rac1 Qe6 $13 )
    (19.Qxe6+ Rxe6 20.Rae1 Rxe1 21.Rxe1 Nd4 22.Nd2 $10 )
19...Qxd5 20.Rxd5 h6 21.Nd2 Re2 22.Rfxf5 Rxf5 23.Rxf5 hxg5 24.Rf2 Bxh2+ 25.Kf1
Re6 $15 26.Re2 Rf6+ 27.Ke1 Rf5 28.Kd1 Bd6 29.Ne4 Bf8 30.Kc2 g4 31.Kd3 Kf7 32.Nc3
Be7 33.b3 Bf6 34.Ne4 Be7 35.Nc3 Rf1 36.Nd5 Bf6 37.Ne3 Rf4 38.Nd5 Rd4+ 39.Kc2 Bg5
40.Nc7 Rd7 41.Nd5 Kg6 42.Nc3 Bf6 43.Nd5 Kg5 44.Re4 Bd4 45.Ne7 Rd6 46.Nd5 Rd7
47.Ne7 Rd8 48.Kd3 Rf8 49.Re2 Rf7 50.Nc8 b6 51.Nd6 Rd7 52.Ne4+ Kf4 53.Kc2 Bf6
54.Re1 Rd4 55.Nc3 Kg3 56.Re2 Kh2 57.Nd5 g3 58.Ne3 Rf4 59.Kd3 Bd4
{0-1 Shkuro-Kryvoruchko, Alushta 2008.} *


[Event "Staunton Memorial 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.08.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "2.f4 IV"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "B21"]
[Variation "Grand Prix Attack"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5! 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Bb5+ Bd7 5.Bxd7+ Qxd7 6.c4 e6 7.dxe6!
{This is by far the critical try.} 7...Qxe6+
    (7...fxe6 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Ne5! {might be good for White.} )
8.Qe2 Nc6
    (8...Qxe2+ 9.Nxe2 Nc6 $45 )
9.Qxe6+ fxe6 10.Na3 O-O-O!
{The play in the following comes close to perfection.}
    (10...Nb4 11.Nh3
        (11.Ke2 O-O-O 12.Nf3 Nd3 13.g3 g6 14.Nc2 e5 15.fxe5 Ng4 )
    11...Nd3+ 12.Ke2 O-O-O 13.Nc2 e5 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.b3 Bd6 16.Bb2 Rhe8 17.Ne3
    Nfg4 18.g3
        (18.Rad1 Nc6 $45 )
    18...Nxe3 19.dxe3 Ng4 20.Kf3 Nxe3
        (20...h5 21.Rae1 Be5 22.Bc1 $14 {Kharlov-Senff, Amsterdam 2005.} )
    21.Rhe1 Nc2 $146
        (21...Nf5?! 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.Rd1 $14
        {Kharlov-Tyomkin, Saint Vincent 2005.} )
    22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.Rd1 Be5! $10
    {Tyomkin. Black secures equality with the d4-square.} )
11.Nf3 Bd6 12.d3
    (12.g3 Rhe8 13.O-O e5 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Nc2 Ng4 16.Rb1 Bd4+ 17.Ncxd4 Nxd4
    18.Nxd4 Rxd4 19.b3 Rd3 20.b4 Ne5 21.bxc5 Nf3+ 22.Kg2 Nxd2 23.Bxd2 Rxd2+
    24.Kh3 h5 25.Rf7 g5 26.Rh7 Re5 27.Rh8+ Kc7 28.Rh7+ Kc6 29.Rh6+ Kd7 30.Rh7+
    Ke6 31.Rh6+ Kf7 32.Rf1+ Kg7 33.Rxh5 Rxc5 $10 )
12...e5 13.O-O Rhe8 14.Nb5 Bb8
    (14...exf4 $146 15.Nxd6+ Rxd6 16.Bxf4 Rxd3 $10 )
15.fxe5 Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Rxe5 17.Bf4 Re2 18.Nc3
    (18.Bg5 Rxd3 19.Rae1 Rxe1 20.Rxe1 a6 21.Nc3 Bd6 $10 )
18...Rxb2 19.Na4 Re2 20.Bxb8 Kxb8 21.Nxc5 Re5 22.Ne4 Nxe4 23.dxe4 Rxe4 24.Rf7
Rxc4 25.Rxg7 Rc7 26.Rxc7 Kxc7 27.Rc1+ Kb6 {½-½ Sulskis-Bucher, Geneve 1999.} *


[Event "Staunton Memorial 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.08.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "2.f4 V"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "B21"]
[Variation "Grand Prix Attack"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5! 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Bb5+ Nbd7! {I actually personally prefer this
move slightly. It leads to equality too, but the positions are more
interesting.} 5.c4
    (5.Nc3 a6 6.Bxd7+ Qxd7 7.Nf3 Nxd5 8.Ne5 {Pirisi-Fancsy, Hungary 2007.}
    8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 Qc7 10.O-O g6 $10 )
5...a6 6.Ba4
    (6.Bxd7+ Bxd7 7.Nf3 e6 8.dxe6 Bxe6 9.d3 Be7 10.O-O O-O 11.Nc3 Re8 $45 12.Ne5
    Qd4+ 13.Kh1 Rad8 $10 14.Qf3? Nd7! 15.Nxd7 Bxd7 $15 16.Be3 Qxd3 17.Rad1 Qxc4
    18.Qxb7 Bg4 19.Rde1 Bh4 20.g3 Rxe3 21.gxh4 Rxe1 22.Rxe1 Qxf4 23.Qe7 Bf3+
    24.Kg1 Qg4+ 25.Kf2 Rd2+ {0-1 Janse-Wang Hao Taby 2007.} )
6...b5 7.cxb5 Nxd5 8.Nf3 {Hodgson-Yrjola, Tallinn 1987.} 8...c4! $146 9.Nc3
    (9.O-O axb5 $17 )
    (9.d3 axb5 10.dxc4 Rxa4 11.Qxd5 Rxc4 $13 )
9...Nxf4 10.O-O Nd3 11.bxa6
    (11.Kh1 e6 12.Ne1 Nxe1 13.Rxe1 Bd6 $10 )
11...e6!
    (11...Rxa6 12.Bb5 Qb6+ 13.Kh1 Nf2+ 14.Rxf2 Qxf2 15.Ne4 Qb6 16.Bxc4 Ra5 $10 )
    (11...Qb6+ 12.Kh1 Nf2+? 13.Rxf2 Qxf2 14.d4 cxd3 15.Qxd3 $18 )
12.Kh1 Bc5
    (12...Be7 $10 )
13.Ne4
    (13.Bc6 Ra7! $15 )
13...O-O $133 *


[Event "Staunton Memorial 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.14"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Jones, Gawain C"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "B23"]
[Variation "Closed Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2554"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter August 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Bc4 Nc6 7.O-O e6
    (7...Na5 8.Be2 Nf6 9.d4
        (9.Qe1 O-O 10.d3 Nc6 )
    9...cxd4 10.Nxd4 O-O 11.Kh1 Rc8 12.Bf3 Nc4 13.b3 Qa5 )
8.d3 Nge7 9.f5
    (9.Qe1 Nd4
        (9...O-O 10.Qh4 Nd4 11.f5 )
        (9...a6 10.f5 gxf5 11.Qh4 b5 12.Bb3 Qb6 )
    10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.Ne2 d5 12.Bb3
        (12.exd5 exd5 )
    12...dxe4
        (12...a5 13.a4 O-O 14.f5 exf5 15.exd5 )
    13.dxe4 Qb6
        (13...Bc6 14.f5 gxf5 15.exf5 Nxf5 16.Rxf5 exf5 17.Ng3+ Kd7 18.Qf2 )
    14.Qf2
        (14.Kh1 O-O 15.Qh4 Rae8 )
    14...Bb5
        (14...Rd8 )
    )
9...exf5 10.Bf4 Ne5 11.Bxe5
    (11.exf5 Nxf5 12.Re1 O-O 13.Nxe5 dxe5 14.Bxe5 Bxe5 15.Rxe5 Qf6 )
11...dxe5 12.Ng5 O-O 13.exf5 Nxf5 14.Nce4 Be8 15.Qg4 h5 16.Qh3 b5 17.Rxf5 bxc4
18.Qf3 cxd3 19.cxd3 Rb8
    (19...f6 20.Ne6
        (20.Nxf6+ Bxf6 21.Ne6 Qe7 22.Nxf8 gxf5 23.Qxa8 Kxf8 )
    20...gxf5 21.Nxd8
        (21.Ng3 Qc8 22.Nxg7 Kxg7 23.Nxf5+ Kh7 )
    21...fxe4 22.dxe4 Rxd8 )
20.Nf6+ Bxf6 21.Rxf6 Rb6 22.Rf1 Qe7 23.Qf2 Kg7 24.Ne4 Bc6 25.Nd6 Bxg2 26.Rxf7+
Rxf7 27.Qxf7+ Qxf7 28.Rxf7+ Kh6 29.Rd7 Bh3 30.Nf7+ Kg7 31.Rxa7 Kf6 32.b3 Rb4
33.Nd6 Rg4+ 34.Kf2 Rg2+ 35.Kf3 g5 36.Ne4+ Kg6 37.Ra6+ Kg7 38.Ng3 h4 39.Nf5+ Kf7
40.Nd6+ Ke7 41.Nf5+ Kf7 42.Nh6+ Kf8 43.Rg6 Rxh2 44.Rxg5 Bd7 45.Rxe5 Rxa2 46.Nf5
h3 47.Rxc5 h2 48.Ng3 Ra1 49.Kg2 Ra2+ 50.Kf3 Rd2 51.Rh5 Rxd3+ 52.Kf4 Rd2 53.Ke3
Rb2 54.Nf1 Bh3 55.Nxh2 Rxh2 56.Kf4 Kf7 57.Kg3 Rb2 58.Rxh3 Rxb3+ 59.Kg4 Rxh3
60.Kxh3 1/2-1/2


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anders Eriksson"]
[Black "Peter Vas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "E05"]
[Variation "Open Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.O-O Be7 5.d4 O-O 6.c4 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2
Bb7 10.Bd2 Be4 11.Qc1 Bb7 12.Bf4 Nd5 13.Nbd2 Nxf4 14.gxf4 Qd6 15.Nb3 Nd7 16.Rd1
Rfd8 17.Na5 Bd5 18.Ne1 Bxg2 19.Nxg2 Qb6 20.Nc6 Re8 21.Qc2 Bf8 22.Rac1 Rac8
23.Qe4 Nf6 24.Qf3 Nd5 25.a3 a5 26.e4 Ne7 27.e5 Nxc6 28.Qxc6 Red8 29.Ne3 Qxc6
30.Rxc6 Rd7 31.Kg2 Rcd8 32.Nc2 Be7 33.Kf3 Kf8 34.Ke4 g6 35.Rd3 Bh4 36.Ke3 Rb8
37.Rdc3 Rb7 38.Ra6 a4 39.Nb4 Kg7 40.Nd3 Be7 41.Rcc6 Kh6 42.Ra8 Kh5 43.Rh8 h6
44.f5! exf5 45.e6?!
    (45.Nf4+ Kg5 46.h4+! Kxh4 47.Rxh6+ Kg5 48.Rcxg6+! fxg6 49.Rxg6+ Kh4 50.Rh6+
    Kg5 51.Rh5+ Kg4 52.f3+ Kg3 53.Rh3# )
45...fxe6 46.Nf4+ Kg5 47.Rxe6 Rb6 $16 48.h4+ Kg4 49.f3+ Kg3 50.Rxb6 cxb6 51.Rxh6
Bd6
    (51...Bg5! 52.hxg5 Re7+ 53.Kd2 Kxf4 54.Rxg6 Kxf3 {is less clear.} )
52.Rxg6+ Kxh4 53.Ne6 b4 54.axb4 Bxb4 55.Kf4 Bd2+ 56.Kxf5 Bc1 57.Rg2 Rd5+ 58.Ke4
Rb5 59.Nf4 Bxf4 60.Kxf4 Kh3 61.Rd2 Rd5 62.Ke4 Rd8 63.d5 b5 64.Ke5 Kg3 65.Rd3 Kf2
66.f4 Ke2 67.Rd4 Ke3 68.Rb4 Re8+ 69.Kf6 Rd8 70.Ke6 Re8+ 71.Kd6 Rf8 72.Kc6 Rf5
73.d6 Rf6 74.Kc7 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anders Pettersson"]
[Black "Jonathan Westerberg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "A85"]
[Variation "Queen's Knight Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Bb4+ 5.Nc3 O-O 6.Nf3 b6 7.Nd2 c6 8.O-O Qe7 9.Qb3
d5 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Nxd5 cxd5 12.Bxd5+ Nxd5 13.Qxd5+ Kh8?
    (13...Qe6! 14.Qxa8 Nc6 $17 )
14.Qxa8 Bb7 15.Qxa7 Ba5 16.d5! Na6 17.Nc4 Ra8 18.d6?!
    (18.Bg5! $18 )
18...Qf7?
    (18...Qe4 19.f3 Qc6 20.Rd1 Nb8 21.d7 Nxd7 22.Nxa5 Qc5+ 23.Kf1 Rxa7
    24.Rxd7 $14 )
19.Rd1!! Rxa7 20.d7 Qxc4 21.d8=Q+ Qg8 22.a3! $18 Nc5 23.b4 Bxb4 24.Qxb6 Ra8
25.Qxb4 Qc8 26.Be3 Qc6 27.f3 Na6 28.Qb6 Qe8 29.Rd3 Nb4 30.Qxb4 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.07.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Critical line for GM6 I"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "B80"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.g4
b4 10.Nce2 h6 11.O-O-O Qc7 12.h4 d5 13.Bf4 Qa5
    (13...e5 14.Bh2 Nb6 15.g5 Nc4 16.Qe1 Nd7 17.gxh6
        (17.g6 Ne3
            (17...Bb7 18.exd5 O-O-O 19.Nc6 )
        18.gxf7+ Kxf7 19.Rd3 Nxf1 20.Rxf1 Bb7
            (20...Nc5 21.Rd1 Bd6 22.Qg3 )
            (20...a5 21.Kb1 Ba6 22.Rd2 )
        21.Qg3 Rc8 22.Kb1 Nc5 23.Rd2 dxe4 24.fxe4+ Kg8 )
        (17.Ng1 Bb7 18.exd5 Bxd5 19.Bxc4
            (19.Nf5 Be6 20.Nd4 Bd5 )
        19...Bxc4 20.Qe4 Rc8 )
    17...g6
        (17...Ne3 18.Rd3 Nxf1 19.Rxf1 )
        (17...Rxh6 18.Nf4
            (18.exd5 Ne3 19.Rd3 Nxf1 20.Rxf1 Bb7 21.Nf5 Rf6 22.Ne3 )
        18...Qa5 19.Nxd5 Qxa2 20.Bxc4 Qxc4 21.Kb1 Bb7 22.Nf5 Rc6 23.Nfe3 Qb5
        24.Qg3 O-O-O 25.Qg4 )
    18.Nf4 Bxh6 19.exd5 O-O 20.Nc6 Ncb6 21.Ne7+ Kg7 22.d6 Qc5 23.h5 )
14.Kb1 dxe4 15.fxe4
    (15.Bg2 Bb7 )
15...Nxg4
    (15...Bb7 16.Nb3
        (16.Ng3 e5 17.g5 hxg5 18.Nb3 Qc7 19.Bxg5 Bc6 20.Bh3 a5 )
    16...Qb6
        (16...Qd8 17.Ng3 e5
            (17...Nxe4 18.Nxe4 Bxe4 19.Bg2 Bxg2 20.Qxg2 Rc8 21.Qb7 Rc4 22.Na5 )
        18.Be3 Be7 19.Bh3 )
    17.Ng3 e5 18.g5 exf4 19.gxf6 Nxf6 20.Qxf4 Rc8 21.Bh3 Qc7 22.Qf2 )
    (15...Nxe4 16.Qe3 Bb7 17.Bg2 Ndc5 18.Nb3 Qb6
        (18...Qb5 19.Rhe1 )
    19.Rhe1 Nc3+ 20.Nxc3 Bxg2 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.Rxd5 Nd7
        (22...Rc8 23.Qd4 Na4 24.Qe5 Rd8 25.Ra5 Qc6 26.Nd4 )
    23.Qf3 Rd8 24.g5 )
16.Bg2
    (16.e5 Qc7
        (16...Bb7 17.Nxe6 Ndxe5 18.Bh3 fxe6 19.Bxg4 Bd5 20.Qxd5 exd5 21.Bxe5 h5
        22.Bf5 Rh6 23.Nf4 d4 )
    17.Bg2 Bb7 18.Ng3 O-O-O )
16...Nge5
    (16...Qb6 17.e5 Ra7 18.Ng3 )
17.Bxe5
    (17.Nf3 Be7 18.Ned4 Bf6 )
17...Nxe5 18.Nc6 Nxc6 19.e5 Nxe5 20.Bxa8 Be7 21.Rhg1 g6 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.07.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Critical line for GM6 II"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "B80"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.g4
b4 10.Nce2 h6 11.O-O-O Qc7 12.h4 d5 13.Bf4 Qa5 14.Kb1 dxe4 15.fxe4
{Here we shall consider a second viable option to meet Khalifman's ideas.}
15...Qb6!? $146 {The idea behind this move is to actually threaten ...e5, as
there is no Nb3 hitting the queen anymore. In this way it is not possible for
White to coordinate his pieces as well as in Khalifman's lines.} 16.e5
    (16.Bg2 Bb7
        (16...e5 17.Nf5 Nxg4 18.Bf3 Ndf6 19.Bxg4 Nxg4 20.Qd5 exf4 21.Qxa8 Qb7
        22.Nd6+ Bxd6 23.Qxb7 Bxb7 24.Rxd6 f3 25.Ng3 $14 )
    17.g5 Nxe4 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.gxh6 gxh6 20.Rhe1 O-O-O $13 )
    (16.Ng3 e5! $17 )
16...Ne4 {In general I would not want to open up the position, but this is not
the only move.}
    (16...Nd5 17.Bg2 Bb7 18.Nf5 Rd8 19.Nd6+ Bxd6 20.exd6 O-O 21.g5 h5 22.Rhg1
    Rc8 $14 )
    (16...Nxg4!? 17.Ng3 Ndxe5 18.Bg2 Ra7 19.Qe2 f6
    {looks risky, but where is the refutation?} 20.Nc6!? Nxc6 21.Qxg4 Kf7 22.Nf5
    Ne5
        (22...Qb5 23.Nxg7 h5 24.Nxh5 Qxh5 25.Qxh5+ Rxh5 26.Bxc6 $14 )
    23.Bxe5 exf5 24.Bd5+ Be6 25.Qxf5 Bxd5 26.Rxd5 Qe6 27.Qh5+ g6 28.Qf3 Be7
    29.h5 g5 30.Qe4 f5 31.Rf1 Rf8 32.Rxf5+ Kg8 33.Rxf8+ Bxf8 $13 {White looks
better, but nothing concrete is apparent, and the endings are dodgy for White.} )
17.Qe3
    (17.Qe1 Ndc5 18.Rh3 Bb7 19.g5 hxg5 20.hxg5 Rxh3 21.Bxh3 g6 $10 )
17...Bb7 18.Rh3 Ndc5 19.g5 hxg5 20.hxg5 Rxh3 21.Bxh3 g6 {Black looks quite
solid and is about to play either ...Rd8 or ...0-0-0, in both cases probably
with complete equality.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.07.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Critical line for GM6 III"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "B80"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.g4
b4 10.Nce2 h6 11.O-O-O Qc7 12.h4 d5 13.Bf4 e5
{This line we felt was a bit shaky, as said in the book.} 14.Bh2 dxe4 15.g5 exf3
16.Nxf3
    (16.gxf6 fxe2 17.Qxe2 gxf6 18.Bh3 $44 {is what we considered to be the
critical line - and still is, but the Khalifman idea is quite good too.} )
16...Ng4 17.Nf4! {We missed this interesting new idea by the Russians.}
17...Bb7!? $146 {The only sensible reply.}
    ( {Their main line is a bit helpful:} 17...Nxh2? 18.Rxh2 Bb7 19.Bh3!
    {This nice move is not possible if Black had not played ...Nxh2.} 19...Rd8
    20.Nd5 Qd6 21.Re2 $16 )
    (17...Nb6 18.Bg2 Bb7 19.Qe2 $16 )
18.Nd5 Qc5
    (18...Bxd5 19.Qxd5 Rc8 20.Rd2 $14 )
19.Bh3 Qxd5
    (19...h5 20.Nf6+ Ndxf6 21.gxf6 $40 )
20.Qxd5 Bxd5 21.Rxd5
    (21.Bxg4 Bxf3 22.Bxf3 Ra7 23.Rhe1 f6 $13 )
21...Nb6 22.Rd2 Nxh2 23.Nxe5! Bc5 24.Rdxh2 O-O
{and White's advantage seems to be minimal.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.07.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Critical line for GM6 IV"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "B80"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 b4 9.Na4
Nbd7 10.O-O-O Qa5 11.b3 Bb7 12.a3 Qc7 13.axb4 d5 14.Kb1 dxe4 15.b5 Be7 16.b6!
{This was apparently played in the game A. Schmidt - Filipchenko, corr. 2008 -
a game we do not have in our databases. It looks critical.} 16...Qc8 17.Bc4
    (17.Be2 Bd8
        (17...O-O 18.c4 )
    18.Qa5 Nd5 19.Nf5 O-O 20.Nd6 Qb8
        (20...Qc6 21.Rxd5 exd5 22.Nxb7 Qxb7 23.Rd1 Nf6 $13 )
    21.Nxb7 Qxb7 22.Rxd5 exd5 23.Rd1 Nf6 24.g4 Qc6 $10 )
17...exf3 $146
    (17...Ne5 18.Be2 O-O 19.c4 a5 20.Qb2 Ng6 $146
        (20...Nd3 21.Bxd3 exd3 22.Bf4 Nd7 23.Nb5 Nc5 24.Bd6 Bf6 25.Qa2 Nxa4
        26.bxa4 $16 {was apparently this corr. game.} )
    21.Ka2 $14 )
18.gxf3
    (18.Nxf3 O-O 19.Rhe1 Bc6 $15 )
18...Ne5 19.Be2 O-O 20.c4 Ng6 $13 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Daniel Skoog"]
[Black "Johannes Frimodig"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "D33"]
[Variation "Tarrasch Defence"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Be6 8.Bg2 Bc5
9.Nb3 Bb4 10.O-O Nge7 11.e3 O-O 12.Ne2 Bd6 13.Ned4 Rc8 14.Bd2 Ne5 15.Bc3 a6
16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Nd4 Qd7 18.Bh3 Rf6 19.Nxe6! Rh6!
    (19...Rxe6 20.f4 Nf7 21.Qd4 Rxc3 22.Qxc3 $16 )
20.f4 Rxh3 21.fxe5 Qxe6?
    (21...Bxe5 22.Nf4 Bxc3 23.Nxh3 Bxb2 24.Rb1 Bf6 25.Nf4 $16 )
22.exd6 Qxd6 23.Qg4 Qh6 24.Rf6
    (24.Bxg7! )
24...Qxe3+ 25.Kg2 Rc4?
    (25...Rh6 26.Re6 Nf5 27.Rxh6 Qxc3 28.bxc3 Ne3+ 29.Kh3 Nxg4 30.Rb6 $16 )
26.Qxh3 gxf6 27.Re1 Qg5 28.Rxe7 Kf8 29.Qxh7 Qg8 30.Re8+ 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "David Nygren"]
[Black "Stefan Bryntze"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "C42"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nc4 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be6 7.Bf4 Be7 8.Bd3 Nd7
9.Qf3 Nc5 10.Be2 Qd7 11.O-O h5
    (11...O-O $10 )
12.Qe3 O-O-O 13.b4 g5 14.Bg3 f5?
    (14...h4 $13 )
15.bxc5 f4?
    (15...Bxc4 16.Bxc4 f4 17.Qe2 d5 18.Bb5 c6 19.Bxc6 Qxc6 20.Qxe7 $16 )
16.c6! bxc6 17.Qxa7 Qe8 18.Nb6+ cxb6 19.Ba6# 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Eric Nordin"]
[Black "Josip Vrabec"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "B23"]
[Variation "Closed Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.f4 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 d6 6.d3 Nf6 7.f5 gxf5 8.Ng5 Ne5 9.Bb3
h6 10.Nf3 Nxf3+ 11.Qxf3 fxe4 12.Nxe4 Qb6 13.O-O Rf8 14.Bxh6!! Bxh6
    (14...c4+ 15.Be3 $16 )
15.Nxf6+ exf6 16.Ba4+
    (16.Rae1+!? )
16...Bd7
    (16...Kd8 17.Qxf6+ Kc7 18.Qxh6 )
17.Rae1+ Kd8 18.Qxf6+ Kc7 19.Re7 Rad8 20.Qxh6 $18 Rg8 21.Qh3 f5 22.Qxf5 c4+
23.Kh1 Qxb2 24.Rxd7+ Kb8 25.Rxd8+ Rxd8 26.Qf6 Qb6 27.Re1 a6 28.Qxd8+ Qxd8 29.Re8
Qxe8 30.Bxe8 b5 31.dxc4 bxc4 32.h4 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Jens Altnäs"]
[Black "Johnny Myrberg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "C42"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bc4 O-O 5.O-O c6 6.d4 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Nxe4 8.dxe5 d5
9.exd6 Nxd6 10.Bg5 Qd7 11.Bd3 f6 12.Bf4 Nf7 13.Qd2 c5 14.Rad1 Qa4 15.Rfe1 Nc6
16.Re4 Qa5 17.Bc4 Bf5 18.Ree1 Rad8 19.Bd6 Kh8 20.Bxf7! Rxf7 21.Bc7!!
    (21.Qd5!? Bg6 22.Bc7!! )
21...Qxc7 22.Qxd8+ 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Jimmy Mårdell"]
[Black "Joel Eklund"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "B82"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Qc7 6.Bd3 Nf6 7.O-O d6 8.f4 b5 9.Kh1
Bb7 10.e5!? dxe5 11.fxe5 Qxe5 12.Bf4 Qc5 13.Be3 Be7 14.Qd2 Qc7 15.Rae1 O-O
16.Bg5 Nbd7 17.Nf5 Bd8 18.Bf4
    (18.Nxg7!? )
18...Qb6 19.Nd6 Bc6 20.Re3 Nd5 21.Bxh7+!! Kxh7
    (21...Kh8 22.Rh3 $18 )
22.Rh3+ Kg8 23.Bh6!! Bf6
    (23...g5 24.Bxg5 $18 )
24.Rxf6
    (24.Nxd5 Bxd5 25.Rxf6 $18 )
24...N7xf6 25.Bxg7 Ng4 26.Bf6! Nf2+ 27.Qxf2! Qxf2 28.Rh8# 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Magnus Wahlbom"]
[Black "Kaj Andersson"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "D19"]
[Variation "Dutch Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Nbd7 8.O-O Bb4
9.Qe2 O-O 10.e4 Bg4 11.Bf4 Qa5 12.Qe3 Nh5 13.Ne5 Nb6 14.Bb3 Nxf4 15.Qxf4 Bxc3
16.bxc3 Qxc3 17.a5 Qxb3 18.axb6 Be2 19.Rfb1 Qc2 20.Rc1 Qb2 21.Rxa7 Qxb6
22.Qxf7+!! Kh8
    (22...Rxf7 23.Rxa8+ Rf8 24.Rxf8+ Kxf8 25.Nd7+ $18 )
23.Rxb7! Rxf7 24.Nxf7+ Kg8 25.Rxb6 Kxf7 26.Rbxc6 Rd8 27.Rc7+ Kf6 28.e5+ Kg6
29.R7c6 Rxd4 30.Rxe6+ Kf5 31.Re7 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Simon Ottosson"]
[Black "Peter Holmgren"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "D05"]
[Variation "Closed Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nbd2 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.exd4 Bd6 8.O-O O-O
9.Qe2 Bd7 10.Ne5 Rc8 11.f4 g6 12.Ndf3 Ne8 13.Ng5 Ng7 14.Qg4 Be7 15.Nxh7!! Nxe5
    (15...Kxh7 16.Nxf7! $18 )
16.fxe5 Kxh7 17.Rxf7! Bg5 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Rxg7+ Kxg7 20.Qxg6+ Kh8 21.Qh7# 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.06.25"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Slav novelty"]
[Black "for reprint"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.06.25"]
[ECO "D12"]
[Variation "Delmar Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.c4 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Be2 Nbd7 8.O-O Ne4 9.g3
    (9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.d5 Bd6 13.g3 c5 14.Qa4 Qe7 15.Bb5
    O-O-O 16.Bd2 Nf6 17.Qxa7 Bb8 18.Qa3 Rxd5 19.Rfc1 Ng4 20.Ba5 Nxh2 21.Rd1 Qe6
    22.Rac1 Nf3+ 23.Kf1 Rh1+ 24.Ke2 Nd4+ 25.exd4 Qg4+ 26.Kd2 Rxd1+ 27.Rxd1 Rxd4+
    )
9...Nd6 10.c5
    (10.b3 Be7 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Qc2 Nf6 13.Rd1 Qc7 14.Bf1 O-O-O 15.Bg2 Rh5 16.c5
    Nf5 17.h3 Rdh8 18.e4 dxe4 19.Bf4 Qd8 20.g4 Rxh3 21.gxf5 Rxc3 22.Qxc3 Nd5
    23.Qc1 gxf5 24.Kf1 Rh4 25.Be5 Qh8 26.Ke1 Rg4 27.Bf1 Rg1 28.Qc4 Qh4 29.Ke2
    Bg5 30.Rdb1 f4 31.Rb2 f3+ 32.Kd1 e3 33.Ke1 e2 34.Rxe2 Rxf1+ )
10...Nf5 11.Ng2 Be7
    (11...e5 12.g4 Nh4 13.f4 exd4 14.exd4 Nxg2 15.Kxg2 f5 16.Re1 Be7 17.g5 )
12.Nf4 e5
    (12...O-O 13.h4 )
13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.h4 d4 15.exd4 Nxd4 16.Nxg6 hxg6 17.Bf4 Bf6 18.Re1 O-O 19.Bxe5
Bxe5 20.Bc4 g5 21.Ne4 Qe7 22.Qg4 Nc2 23.Nxg5 Nxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf6 25.Re3 *


[Event "4th Kings Tournament"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2010.06.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ponomariov, R"]
[Black "Wang Yue"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2010.06.14"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[ECO "D10"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bg4 9.h3
Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Nbd7 11.Rd1 e5 12.d5 e4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Nb6 15.Rb1
    (15.Bb3 Nxd5 16.Bxd5 cxd5 17.Rxd5 Qb6 18.Qd3 Rfe8 19.Rb1 Rad8 20.Bd2 Rxd5
    21.Qxd5 Rd8 22.Qa5 Qxa5 23.Bxa5 b6 24.Be1
        (24.Bb4 Rc8 25.b3 Rc2 26.Rd1 Bf6 27.Rd2 )
    24...Rc8 25.a4 Rc2 26.b4 Bc3 27.Bxc3 Rxc3 28.b5 Rc4 29.Ra1 f5 30.Kf1 Kf7
    31.Ke1 Ke6 32.Kd2 h5 33.Kd3 )
15...Re8 16.Qc2 cxd5 17.Bb5 Re6
    (17...Rc8 18.Qb3 Re6
        (18...Re7 )
    19.Be2 h5 20.Bf3
        (20.Bd2 )
    20...Rd6 21.Qd3 Rd7 22.b3 d4 23.Bb2 dxe3 24.Qxe3 Bxb2 25.Rxd7 Qxd7 26.Rxb2 )
18.Qb3 Qh4 19.Bd2 d4 20.Bf1 Rd8 21.g3 Qe7 22.Bg2 Qe8 23.exd4 Bxd4 24.Bc3 Bxc3
25.Rxd8 Qxd8 26.Qxc3 Qe7 27.Rd1 h5 28.b3 h4 29.g4 Rd6 30.Rxd6 Qxd6 31.Bxb7 Nd7
32.Qc8+ Kg7 33.Qd8 Qe6 34.Kg2 Ne5 35.Qd4 Qf6 36.b4 g5 37.a4
    (37.Qxa7 Nd3 38.Qe3 Nxb4 39.a4 Nc2 40.Qd2 Nd4 41.Qb2 )
37...Ng6 38.Qxf6+
    (38.Qxa7 Nf4+ 39.Kh2 Qc3 40.Qe3 Qc7 )
38...Kxf6 39.b5 Nf4+ 40.Kf3 Ke5 41.a5 Kd6 42.Ke4 Nxh3 43.Kf5 Nxf2 44.Bf3 Kc7
45.Kxg5 h3 46.Kf6 h2 47.g5 h1=Q 48.Bxh1 Nxh1 49.Kxf7 Ng3 50.g6 Nh5 51.Ke7 Ng7
52.Kf6 Nh5+ 53.Kg5 Ng7 54.Kf6 Nh5+ 55.Kf7 Kd7 56.Kf8 Kc7 57.Kg8 Nf4 58.g7 Ne6
59.Kf7 Nxg7 60.Kxg7 Kd6 61.Kf6 Kc5 62.b6 axb6 63.axb6 Kxb6 1/2-1/2


[Event "Dortmund"]
[Site "Dortmund GER"]
[Date "2010.07.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Naiditsch, Arkady"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.07.15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[ECO "E04"]
[Variation "Open Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2684"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c5 6.O-O Nc6 7.Qa4 Bd7 8.Qxc4 cxd4
9.Nxd4 Rc8 10.Nc3 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Bc5 12.Qh4 O-O
    (12...Bc6 13.Rd1 Qb6 14.Bxc6+ Rxc6 15.Bh6 )
13.Bxb7 Rb8 14.Bf3 Rb4 15.Qg5 Bd4 16.Qd2 Qc7 17.Nd1
    (17.Rd1 Rfb8 18.Qd3 Qc5 19.e3 Be5 20.Ne4 Nxe4 21.Qxd7 Nf6 22.Qc6 Qxc6
    23.Bxc6 Bxb2 24.Rb1 g5 25.Bd2 R4b6 26.Bf3 g4 27.Be2 Be5 28.Bd3 Nd5 29.Ba5
    Rxb1 30.Rxb1 Rxb1+ 31.Bxb1 Nc3 32.Bxc3 )
17...Rfb8 18.a3 Rc4
    (18...Ra4 19.Nc3 Rc4 )
19.Ne3 Ra4
    (19...Bxe3 20.Qxe3 e5 )
20.Rb1 e5 21.b4 a5 22.Qc2 Qxc2 23.Nxc2 Bf5
    (23...Bc3 )
24.Nxd4 Bxb1 25.Nc6 Re8 26.Nxa5 Be4 27.Bb2 Bxf3 28.exf3 e4 29.fxe4 Rxe4 30.Rd1
h5 31.Rd8+ Kh7 32.Kf1 h4 33.f3 Re7 34.g4 Rc7 35.Ke2 Nd7 36.Kd2 f6 37.f4 Nc5
38.Rd4 Kg6 39.Kc3 Kf7 40.f5 Ne4+ 41.Kb3 Nc5+ 42.Ka2 Na6 43.Rc4 Rxc4 44.Nxc4 Nc7
45.Na5 Na6 46.Kb3 Nc5+ 47.Kc4 Ne4 48.Kb5 Nc3+ 49.Bxc3 Rxa3 50.Kc4 Ra2 51.b5 1-0


[Event "Scottish Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.07.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shaw"]
[Black "Green"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.06.14"]
[ECO "B04"]
[Variation "Modern Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 c6 6.Nd2 Nd7 7.Ndf3 g6 8.Bc4 Bg7
9.O-O O-O 10.Re1 Nxe5 11.dxe5
    ( {I thought} 11.Nxe5 Be6 {looked very solid for Black; in fact it turns
out to be main line theory.} )
11...Bg4 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 e6 14.a4 Qc7 15.Qe4 Rfd8 16.h4 Rd7 17.h5 Ne7
    ( {Perhaps} 17...Qd8 {to stop Bg5.} )
18.Bg5 c5 19.c3 Nc6 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.Bf6 Na5 22.Bxe6!! {A rather obvious sac to
analyse, but I took some time to convince myself that it was sound.} 22...fxe6
23.Qxg6 {The plan is a rook lift to e3 (or e4) and then turn right to the g- or
h-file. It seems a little slow, but Black cannot arrange a defence.} 23...Qc6
{Black had too many defensive tries for me to analyse them all before
sacrificing. A couple of fun lines I figured out after the game are:}
    (23...Nb3 24.Re3!? Nxa1 25.Rh3 {and White wins.} )
    (23...Nc6 24.Re3 Rf7 25.Rh3 Ne7 26.Rh8+! Kxh8 27.Qxf7 Bxf6 28.Qxf6+ Kh7
    29.Qf7+ Kh8 30.c4! {And Ra3-h3 is a good swinger.} )
24.Re3 Rf8 25.Rh3 Rc8
    ( {After} 25...Rff7 {I planned Bxg7 when Black cannot recapture due to mate
on e8, but also good is} 26.Qh7+ Kf8 27.Qh8+ Bxh8 28.Rxh8# )
26.Qh7+ Kf8 27.Rg3 {Black resigned, as mate is unavoidable.} *


[Event "Sparkassen GM"]
[Site "Dortmund GER"]
[Date "2010.07.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Leko, P"]
[Black "Le Quang Liem"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.07.15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[ECO "B12"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2681"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7 8.c4 Nbc6 9.Qa4
a6 10.Na3 Qa5+ 11.Qxa5 Nxa5 12.O-O dxc4 13.Nxf5
    (13.Nxc4 Nxc4 14.Bxc4 Be4 15.Rac1 Bd5 16.Be2 Rc8 17.Rxc8+ Nxc8 18.Rc1 Kd7 )
13...Nxf5 14.Bb6 Bxa3 15.bxa3 Nc6 16.f4 g5 17.Bxc4 gxf4 18.Rae1 Ne3 19.Rxf4 Nxc4
20.Rxc4 Rg8 21.Bc7 Ne7 22.Bd6 Nd5 23.Rh4 Rg7 24.Rc1 Kd7 25.g3 Rh8 26.a4 a5
27.Rhc4 h5 28.Rc5 b6 29.Rc6 h4
    (29...Rg4 30.Ba3 Rb8 )
30.Ba3 Rd8 31.Kf2
    (31.R1c4 hxg3 32.h4 )
31...hxg3+ 32.hxg3 Rg4 33.Rd6+ Ke8 34.Rh1 Rxd6 35.Bxd6 Rxa4 36.a3 Nc3 37.Rh4 f5
38.Rh8+ Kf7 39.Rf8+ Kg7 40.Re8 Ne4+ 41.Ke1 Ng5 42.Rb8 Rg4 43.Rxb6 Rxg3 44.Ra6 f4
45.Rxa5 Rg1+ 46.Kf2 Nh3+ 47.Kf3 Rg3+ 48.Ke4 f3 49.Bc5 f2 50.Bxf2 Nxf2+ 51.Kd4
Kg6 52.Ra8 Rd3+ 53.Kc4 Rd5 54.Rg8+ Kf7 55.Rg3 Ne4 56.Rh3 Nc5 57.Kb5 Nd7+ 58.Ka6
Nxe5 59.a4 Nc4 0-1


[Event "Wroclaw"]
[Site "Wroclaw"]
[Date "2010.06.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Dobrowolski, Piotr"]
[Black "Fridman, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.26"]
[ECO "B19"]
[Variation "Classical"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2397"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3
Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.O-O-O Be7 13.Qe2 Rc8
    (13...c5 14.dxc5
        (14.Rhe1 O-O )
    14...Qc7 )
    (13...O-O 14.Nf1 )
14.Kb1 O-O 15.Nf1
    (15.Ne5 c5 )
15...c5 16.g4 c4
    (16...cxd4 17.g5 )
17.g5 hxg5 18.Bxg5 c3 19.Rg1 Qa5
    (19...cxb2 20.Bh6 Ne8
        (20...Nxh5 21.Ng3 )
    21.Bxg7 Nxg7 22.h6 )
20.Ne5 Nxe5
    (20...Rfd8 21.Re1
        (21.Nc4 )
    21...Nxe5 22.dxe5 Nd5 23.Qg4 Nb4 24.a3 Rd4 25.Qxd4 Nxc2 26.Kxc2 cxb2+
    27.Kxb2 Bxa3+ 28.Kb3 Bf8 )
21.dxe5 Qb4 22.b3 Ne4 23.Bc1 Nc5 24.Rg4 Qa5 25.Qe3 Rfd8 26.Rxg7+ Kxg7 27.Qh6+
Kg8 28.Nd2 Ne4 29.Rg1+ Ng5 30.Nf3 Rd1 31.Nxg5 Rxc1+ 32.Rxc1 Bxg5 33.Rg1 1-0


[Event "ch-SWE"]
[Site "Lund SWE"]
[Date "2010.07.06"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Berg, E"]
[Black "Hillarp Persson, T"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.07.03"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "B19"]
[Variation "Classical"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2612"]
[BlackElo "2538"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3
Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.O-O-O Be7 13.Qe2 c5 14.Rhe1 O-O 15.Nf5 Re8
16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.Kb1 $146
    (17.c4 cxd4 18.Nxd4 Qc5 19.Bc3 a6 20.Kb1 Rac8 $17
    {Lonnqvist-Novik, Jyvaskyla 2004.} )
    (17.d5 Qd6 18.dxe6 Rxe6 19.Be3 Qc6 $15
    {Papp-Schneider Zinner, Austria 2008.} )
17...Rac8 {After this move it is not so easy to equalise with Black as one
could imagine. Probably it is possible, but subtleties or serious analysis
might be needed.}
    (17...Rad8! $146 {is the correct move it appears.} 18.Rg1
        (18.Qb5 Qd6 19.Be3 a6 20.Qb3 Nd5 $10 )
    18...e5! {is better here. White is the one looking for equality. The main
difference over this option on the next move in the game is that after} 19.dxe5
    Nxe5 20.Qxe5 Qxe5 21.Nxe5 Rxe5 22.g4 {Black has} 22...Nxg4! 23.Rxg4 Rxd2 $17
    )
    (17...cxd4 18.Nxd4 Qc5 19.Be3! Qxh5 20.Qxh5 Nxh5 21.Nb5 $14 )
18.Rg1!?
    (18.g4 Nxg4 19.Rg1 f5 20.Ne5 Ngxe5 21.dxe5 Kh7 $13 )
18...cxd4
    (18...e5! 19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.Qxe5 Qxe5 21.Nxe5 Rxe5 22.g4
    {is not 100% equal, but maybe 99%.} )
    (18...Qd6!? )
19.Nxd4 {It appears that White is a bit better here, although more practical
tests are needed.} 19...Nd5?
    (19...Qc5!? 20.Bc1!
        (20.c3 Qxh5 21.g4 Qe5 $13 )
        (20.Be3 Nd5 21.Nb5 Nxe3 22.fxe3 Re7 23.Nd6 Rc6 24.Ne4 Qc4 $10 )
    20...Qxh5
        (20...Nb6 21.g4 Nfd5 22.g5 Na4 23.Ka1 $16 )
    21.Qxh5 Nxh5 22.Nb5 $14 )
20.c4 N5b6?!
    (20...N5f6 21.g4 $14 )
21.b3 $16 Nc5 22.g4 f6 23.Bb4 a6 24.Rge1 Qf7 25.Bxc5 Rxc5 26.f4 e5 27.Nf5 Nc8
28.Rd2 Qf8 29.Rd7 Ne7 30.Nd6 Rb8 31.b4 Rc6 32.fxe5 Nc8 33.c5 Nxd6 34.exd6 b6
35.Qe4 1-0


[Event "27th USSR Championship"]
[Site "Leningrad"]
[Date "1960.??.??"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Black "Petrosian, Tigran"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "1960.??.??"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "E54"]
[Variation "Gligoric Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O dxc4 8.Bxc4 b6 9.Qe2
Bb7 10.Rd1 Nbd7 11.d5 Bxc3 12.dxe6 Ba5 13.exd7 Qc7 14.e4 Nxd7 15.Ng5 Rad8
16.Bxf7+
    (16.Qh5 Nf6 17.Bf4 Qxf4
        (17...Qe7 18.Bxf7+ Kh8
            (18...Rxf7 19.Rxd8+ Qxd8 20.Qxf7+ Kh8 21.Qxg7+ )
        19.Qh3 Rxd1+ 20.Rxd1 Rxf7 21.Nxf7+ Qxf7 22.Rd8+ Ng8 23.Be5 )
        (17...Nxh5 18.Bxc7 Rd4 19.Rxd4 cxd4 20.Rd1 )
    18.Qxf7+ )
16...Rxf7 17.Ne6 Qc8 18.Nxd8 Ba6
    (18...Qxd8 19.e5 Qe8 20.e6 Rf6 21.exd7 Qxe2 22.d8=Q+ Rf8 23.Be3 Rxd8
    24.Rxd8+ Kf7 25.Rd7+ Kg6 26.Rxb7 Bd2
        (26...Qxb2 )
    )
19.Qe3 Re7 20.Qb3+ c4 21.Qa3 Nc5 22.Be3 Rxe4 23.Bxc5 Qxc5 24.Qf3 1-0


[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Gusev"]
[Black "Averbakh, Yuri L"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4q1kr/p6p/1prQPppB/4n3/4P3/2P5/PP2B2P/R5K1 w - - 0 24"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "K. Eckler & J. Aagaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.22"]

24.Qxe5 fxe5 25.Rf1 Rc8
    (26...Rc7 26.Bd1 Re7 27.Bb3 b5 28.Bd5 a5 29.b3 b4
        (30...a4 30.c4 axb3
            (31...bxc4 31.bxc4 )
        31.axb3 bxc4 32.bxc4 Qc8 33.Rf7 )
    30.c4 Qd8 31.Rf7 Qe8 32.Rxe7 Qxe7 33.Kh1 )
    (26...Qe7 26.Bd1 Rc4 27.Bb3 b5 28.h4 a6
        (29...a5 29.a4 )
    29.a4 Qe8 30.axb5 axb5 31.Ba2 Qe7 32.b4 Qe8
        (33...Qa7+ 33.Rf2 )
    33.Bxc4 bxc4 34.b5 )
26.Bd1 Rc4
    (27...Qxe6 27.Bb3 Qxb3 28.axb3 a5
        (29...a6 29.b4 )
    29.Rf3
        (29.Kf2 Kf7 )
    30...Re8 30.Kf2 Rc8 31.Ke2 Rd8 32.Rf1 Re8 33.Kd3 Rc8 34.Kc2 b5 35.Kb1 Rb8
        (36...g5 36.c4 )
    36.Ka2 a4
        (37...Rc8 37.c4 )
    37.bxa4 Ra8 38.Kb3 bxa4+ 39.Ka3 )
27.Bb3 b5 28.Bxc4
    (28.h4 Qe7
        (29...a6 29.a4 Qd8
            (30...Qa8 30.axb5 axb5 31.Ba2 Qa7+ 32.Kh2 Qe7 33.Kg2 )
        30.axb5 axb5 31.Ba2 Qe7 32.Kg2 Qg7
            (33...g5 33.Kh2 g4 34.Kg3 )
        33.Bxg7 Kxg7 34.Bxc4 bxc4 35.Rf7+ Kh6 36.e7 Re8 37.Kf3 g5 38.hxg5+ Kxg5
        39.Rf5+ Kg6 40.Rxe5 Kf6 41.Rc5 )
    29.a4 a6 30.axb5 axb5 31.Kg2
        (31.Ba2 )
    32...Qe8
        (32...Qd8 32.Ba2 )
        (32...g5 32.Kh2 )
    32.Ba2 Qa8
        (33...Qd8 33.b4 Qa8 34.Bxc4 bxc4 35.Kg3 )
    33.Kh2 Qd8 34.Kg1 Qe7 35.b4 )
29...bxc4 29.b3 a5
    (30...cxb3 30.axb3 a5 31.b4
        (31.c4 Qe7 32.Kg2 Qa3 33.Rf3
            (33.Rf7 Qb2+ 34.Kg3 Qxb3+ )
        34...Qb2+ 34.Kg3 Qa3 35.Kg4 Qe7 36.Kg3 Qd6 )
    32...a4 32.b5 a3 33.b6 a2 34.b7 Qb8 35.c4 g5
        (36...a1=Q 36.Rxa1 Qxb7 37.Rf1 Qe7
            (38...Qa7+ 38.Kg2 Qe7 39.Rf3 )
            (38...Qb6+ 38.Kg2 )
        38.Kg2 g5 39.Rf5 g4 40.c5 g3 41.Rf3 )
    36.c5
        (36.h4 a1=Q 37.Rxa1 Qxb7 38.Rf1 Qe7 39.Kh2 Qd8 40.c5 g4 41.Kg2 g3 42.Rf7
        Qf6 43.Rxf6 )
    37...a1=Q 37.Rxa1 Qxb7 38.Rf1 Qe7 39.c6 Qc5+ 40.Kg2
        (40.Kh1 Qb4 )
    41...Qc2+ 41.Kg3 Qc5 42.Kg4 Qd6 43.c7 Qxe6+ 44.Kg3 Qg4+ 45.Kxg4 )
30.bxc4 a4
    (31...Qe7 31.Kg2 Qa3 32.Rf7 )
31.Kg2 a3
    (32...Qe7 32.c5 Qxc5 33.Rf7 Qa3 34.Kg3 Qxc3+ 35.Kg4 )
32.Rf2 Qe7 33.Rf1 g5 34.Rf5 g4 35.c5 Qd8 36.c6 Qe7 37.c7 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.10.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qc7 update"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.11.17"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 h6
9.Bh4 g5 10.fxg5 hxg5 11.Bxg5 Qc5
    (11...Ne5 12.Qe3 Nfg4 13.Qd2 Nxh2 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.Qc3 Rb8 16.O-O-O Bg4 17.Be2
    Qc8 18.Qg3 Bxe2 19.Nxe2 Qg4 20.Nc7+
        (20.Qxe5 dxe5 21.Nc7# )
    20...Kd7 21.Qxe5 Rh5 22.Nd5 Rxg5 23.Qc3 Rxd5 24.exd5 Bh6+ 25.Kb1 Qxe2
    26.Qh3+ Ng4 27.Rde1 Qc4 28.b3 Qd4 29.c3 Qg7 30.Rhf1 Qg6+ 31.Kb2 Rc8 32.Re2
    Bg7 33.Rf3 Rh8 34.Qg3 Rh1 )
12.Be3
    (12.Qe3 Ng4
        (12...Nh7 13.Nd5 Nb6
            (13...Nxg5 14.b4 Qa7 15.Nc7+ Kd8 16.Nxa8 )
        14.Nxb6
            (14.b4 Nxd5 15.bxc5 Nxe3 16.Bxe3 dxc5 17.Nf3 Bg7
                (17...Nf6 18.e5 Ng4 19.Bxc5 Be6 )
            18.O-O-O
                (18.Rb1 Bc3+ )
            18...Nf6 19.Bd3 b6 )
        14...Qxb6 15.Nb3 Qc7 16.Bf4
            (16.Bh4 Qxc2 17.Qd4 e5 18.Qd3 Qxb2 )
        16...e5
            (16...Qxc2 17.Rc1
                (17.e5 )
            17...Qxb2 18.e5 Bg7
                (18...Be6 19.exd6 Nf6 )
            19.exd6 )
        17.Bg3 Qxc2 18.Be2 Be7 )
    13.Qd2 Bg7 14.Nb3 Bxc3
        (14...Qa7 )
    15.bxc3 Qe5 16.Bd3 Rxh2 17.O-O-O Rxh1
        (17...Qh8 18.Rxh2 Qxh2 )
    18.Rxh1 Nf8
        (18...b5 19.Nd4 b4 20.Qf4
            (20.Rh5 Bb7 )
        20...bxc3 21.Ne2 Nc5 )
    19.Bf4
        (19.Nd4 )
    19...Qg7 20.Bc4 Ng6 21.Bg3 N4e5 22.Na5 Nxc4 23.Nxc4 Be6
        (23...b5 24.Nb6 Rb8 25.Nd5 Bb7 )
    24.Nb6 Rd8 25.Qd4 Kf8
        (25...Ne5 )
    26.Bf2
        (26.e5 )
    26...Kg8 27.Qd2 Bxa2 28.Bd4 e5 29.Be3 Qf8
        (29...Be6 30.Bh6 Qh7 )
    30.Bg5 f6 31.Rf1 Nf4 32.Bxf4 exf4 33.Qxf4 Be6 34.Rf3 Re8 35.Qh4 Re7 36.Rxf6
    Qg7 37.Rf3 Qh7 38.Rg3+ Kf8 39.Qf6+ Bf7 40.Rh3 )
    (12.Bxf6 Nxf6 13.Nf5
        (13.Nb3 Qe5 14.Be2 Bg4 15.Qd3 Rxh2 )
    13...Nxe4 14.Nxe4 Qa5+
        (14...Qxf5 )
    15.c3 Bxf5 16.g4
        (16.Ng5 Bg7 17.Bc4
            (17.Nxf7 O-O )
        17...Qe5+ )
    16...Be6 17.Bg2 Qe5
        (17...Bh6 18.h4 Qb6 19.Qe2 d5 20.g5 dxe4 21.gxh6 O-O-O )
    18.b3 f5
        (18...d5 19.Qg3 Bg7 )
    19.gxf5 Qxf5 20.Qxf5 Bxf5 21.Ng3 Bd7 22.O-O Rg8 )
12...Ne5 13.Qe2 Neg4 14.Bg1 Bh6 15.Nb3
    (15.Ndb5 Qc6 16.Nd4 Qc7
        (16...Qb6 17.Rb1
            (17.Ndb5 Qa5 )
        17...Qc7 )
    17.h3 Bg5 18.Qc4 Qa5 19.Nf3 Bf4 20.b4
        (20.Bd3 )
    20...Bg3+ 21.Kd1 Qd8
        (21...Qh5 )
    22.Kc1 Be6 23.Qd3 Rc8 24.Nd5 Bxd5 25.exd5 Rh5
        (25...Ne5 )
    26.Kb2
        (26.Nd4 )
    26...Ne5 27.Nxe5 Bxe5+ 28.Bd4 Nxd5 29.a3
        (29.Bxe5 Nxb4 )
    29...Qb6 30.Bxe5 Rxe5 31.c4
        (31.Rc1 Rc3 32.Qh7 Rxa3 )
    31...Qf2+ 32.Qc2 Qd4+ 33.Ka2 Nc3+ 34.Kb2 Ne2+ 35.Ka2 Rxc4 )
15...Qg5
    (15...Qc7 16.Qc4 Qxc4
        (16...Qd8 )
    17.Bxc4 e6
        (17...Ne5 18.Bf1 Bd7 )
    18.Bd3 Bd7 19.Ke2 Ke7 20.h3 Bg5 21.Bd4 Ne5 22.Bxe5 dxe5 23.a4 Nh5 24.Kf3
        (24.Rhg1 Nf4+ 25.Kf2 Rh6 )
    24...f5
        (24...Rh6 )
    25.Na5 Raf8 26.exf5 exf5 27.Bc4 e4+ 28.Kf2 Bh4+ 29.Kg1 Ng3 30.Nxb7 Nxh1
    31.Nd5+ Ke8
        (31...Kf7 32.Kxh1 Rb8 )
    32.Nc7+ Ke7 33.Nd5+ Ke8 34.Nc7+ )
16.Nd2 Ne5 17.Nf3 Qh5
    (17...Qg6 18.h3
        (18.Nxe5 dxe5 19.Qc4 Bg4 )
    18...b5 19.Bh2 Bb7 20.Rd1
        (20.Nxb5 Rc8 )
    20...Bg5 21.Rd4 Rc8 )
18.Nxe5 Qxe5 19.g3 b5 20.a3 Bb7 21.Bg2 Rc8 22.Be3 Rxc3 23.Bxh6 Rxh6 24.O-O-O Rc4
25.Qd2 Rh5 26.Bf3 Bxe4 27.Bxh5 Bxc2 28.Bxf7+ Kxf7 29.Qxc2 Rxc2+ 30.Kxc2 Qe4+
31.Kc1 d5 32.Rhe1 Qf5 33.Rf1 Qg5+ 34.Kb1 Ke8 35.Rf2 Ne4 36.Re2 e6 37.Ka1 a5
38.Rd3 b4 39.Re1 Nc5 40.Rf3 Qd2 41.Ref1 Nd3 42.Kb1 Ne1 43.Rb3 Qc2+ 44.Ka2 a4 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.11.17"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anti dutch"]
[Black "Update"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.11.17"]
[ECO "A10"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "M. Marin"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.c4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.d3 O-O 6.e4 d6 7.Nge2 {I first became
interested in this variation long time before starting the work on the English
trilogy. The Leningrad Dutch has always attracted me from Black's point of view
and I have been keeping it in my repertoire as a surprize weapon. When one of
my friends asked for more psychologic details, I answered that I tend to use
this opening when I am in desperate need to win or to make a draw, without
realizing that this covers the whole area of a chess player's ambition.
(Indeed, who would desperately need to lose?). One of the virtues of the
Leningrad Dutch is that it can be played against different white setups and
against all initial moves with the exception of 1.e4, of course. However, I did
not feel comfortable against the Botvinnik triangle and certainly had no
intention of transposing to a 1...e5 English by playng 1...e5 at a later stage.
What if I would keep my king's pawn on the initial square and take over the
control of the d4-square with ...c5 instead? I understood rather soon that}
7...fxe4 {has some important drawbacks: it clears the d-file for the white
major pieces and unblocks the white f-pawn in view of the thematic advance to
f5.}
    ( {This is how I came to the conclusion that} 7...c5 {is to be preferred,
but when working on the second volume I discovered a way to an advantage for
White:} 8.exf5! gxf5 9.O-O Nc6 10.Bg5 {(See Vol 2, Chapter 28, page 404).
Curiously, I forgot to insert the line with a previous exchange on e4 and I
fulfil my duty by doing it now.} )
8.dxe4 c5 9.O-O Nc6
    ( {Black does not gain much by hurrying with the advance of the e-pawn:}
    9...e5 10.f4 {10...Nc6 would transpose below, while other moves tend to
lead to even bigger problems.} 10...Be6
        (10...exf4 11.Bxf4 $16 {leaves the d6-pawn vulnerable.} )
    11.b3 Qd7
        ( {Once again, releasing the tension is inadequate:} 11...exf4 12.Bxf4
        Ne8 13.e5 $16 )
    12.f5! {Despite Black's efforts, the advance of the f-pawn is possible. If
delayed for one move, it would become problematic because of ...Nc6.} 12...gxf5
    13.exf5 Bxf5 14.Bxb7 Qxb7 15.Rxf5 $16 {Black has chronic weaknesses on
light squares and may be left with a bad bishop in the endgame.} )
10.f4 {White has to hurry with this move, in order to be able to meet ...e5
with f4-f5, before Black gets to play ...exf4. Just a few days after I had
written this update, the game Garcia Palermo-Bonafede was played (see the next
game), demonstrating how strong White's attack is after f4-f5.} 10...Be6
{The most flexible approach.}
    (10...e5?! {is strongly met by} 11.f5 Nd4 12.Qd3 $16 {Black can do little
against the systematic kingside plan based on h3, g4, Bg5, Rf2, Raf1, etc.} )
    ( {Preparing the queenside counterplay with} 10...a6 11.h3 Ne8 12.Be3 Nc7
    {delays the development too much and leaves White with free hands in the
centre.} 13.e5 $14 {Soffer-Grinshpun, Israel 2003} )
    (10...Bg4 {does not lead anywhere after} 11.h3 Bxe2 12.Nxe2
    {followed by Be3, Qd2, Rad1 and g4.} )
11.Nd5 Qd7 12.Qd3 Bh3 {Hoping to weaken the white king's defence.}
    (12...Bg4 {was tried in Gorbatow-Genocchio, Cutro 2000} 13.Ne3! $146
    {The bishop has problems maintaining stability.} 13...Bh3
        (13...Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Nd4 15.Qd3 $14 {leaves Black with chronical problems
on light squares, which are only partly compensated by his central knight.} )
    14.Bd2 Bxg2 15.Kxg2
    {Planning Rad1 followed by Bc3, with pressure in the centre.} 15...e5 {This
attempt to make use of the slight advance in development is unsound
strategically and does not work out well tactically.} 16.f5 Nd4 17.Nc3 gxf5
    18.Nxf5 Nxe4 {Black has been aiming for this trick; otherwise, he would
have had to endure passive defence, with a bad bishop ending in perspective.}
    19.Nxe4 Rxf5 20.Rxf5 Qxf5 21.Rf1 {After the forced exchanges, it is White
who is better developed already. Black cannot prevent the enemy rook's
intrusion through the sixth or seventh rank.} 21...Qg6
        (21...Qe6 {places the queen on a vulnerable square:} 22.Ng5 Qg6 23.Qxg6
        hxg6 24.Rf7 b5 25.Rd7 bxc4 26.Rxd6 Rb8 27.Bc3 $16 {Black's extra pawn
is irrelevant and his counterplay has been stopped.} )
        (21...Qd7 {allows} 22.Rf6 )
    22.Nf6+ Bxf6 23.Qxg6+ hxg6 24.Rxf6 $14 {White retrieves the pawn and keeps
the better structure and the more active rook.} )
13.Bd2 {The quickest way to complete the development.} 13...Bxg2 14.Kxg2 Rad8
{So far, we have followed Gelfand-Kindermann, Biel 1995.} 15.Bc3! $146
{Anticipating Black's answer.} 15...e6 {What else? Black has no other useful
moves at his disposal, while White still disposed over ways of increasing his
pressure with Rad1 followed by Rd2.} 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Bxf6 Rxf6 18.Rad1 $14
{White has space advantage and the d6-pawn needs constant care. White can
combine plans based on Rd2 with the advance of the kingside majority. One
important thing to be taken into account is that ...e5 needs to be answered
with f4-f5 in most of the cases.} *


[Event "1st GM"]
[Site "Danzhou"]
[Date "2010.06.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wang Hao"]
[Black "Zhou Jianchao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.06.11"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[ECO "E81"]
[Variation "Sämisch Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nc3 O-O 6.Be3 Nfd7 7.Qd2 c5 8.d5 Qa5
    (8...a6 9.Nh3
        (9.a4 Ne5 10.h3 f5 11.f4 Nf7 12.exf5 gxf5 13.Nf3 e5 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Be2
        Nc6 )
    9...b5 10.cxb5 axb5 11.Nxb5
        (11.Bxb5 Qa5 12.Be2 Ne5 13.Nf2 Ba6 14.O-O Nbd7 15.Rfc1 Rfb8 )
    11...Ne5 12.Nf2 Ra4 13.b3 Rb4 14.Nc3 Ba6 15.Bxa6 Nxa6 16.O-O c4 17.Ne2 )
9.Bh6
    (9.h4 h5 )
9...Bxh6 10.Qxh6 b5 11.h4
    (11.cxb5 a6 12.h4 Nf6 13.h5 axb5 14.Bxb5 Ba6 15.Ba4 )
11...bxc4
    (11...f6 12.cxb5 )
    (11...b4 12.h5 Nf6 13.Nce2 b3+ 14.Nc3 Na6 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.e5
        (16.a3 Nb4 17.Rd1 Na2 18.Ne2 Ba6 19.Rh4 Rf7 )
    16...dxe5 17.Bd3 Rf7 18.Bxg6 Rg7 19.Bb1 Nb4
        (19...Qxc3+ 20.bxc3 b2 21.Bxh7+ Rxh7 22.Qxh7+ Nxh7 23.Rb1 Rb8 24.g4 )
    20.a3 Ba6 )
12.h5 Nf6 13.O-O-O Qb4
    (13...g5 14.e5 dxe5 15.d6 Nbd7 16.dxe7 Re8 17.Qxg5+ Kh8 18.Rxd7 Nxd7 19.h6
    Rg8 20.e8=Q )
    (13...Nbd7 14.Nh3 g5 15.Qxg5+ Kh8 16.Bxc4 )
14.e5 dxe5 15.d6 e6
    (15...exd6 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.hxg6 )
    (15...Nbd7 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.hxg6 N5f6 18.dxe7 Re8 19.a3 Qb5 20.Rxd7 fxg6
    21.Rd8 Kf7 22.Qf8+ Ke6 23.g3 )
16.Nh3 Nbd7 17.Ng5 Rb8
    (17...gxh5 18.Rxh5 Re8 19.Rh1 )
18.Rd2 1-0


[Event "70th ch-ITA"]
[Site "Siena"]
[Date "2010.11.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Garcia Palermo, C"]
[Black "Bonafede, A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.11.23"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[ECO "A10"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2310"]
[Annotator "M. Marin"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.e4 fxe4 7.dxe4 O-O 8.Nge2 c5 9.O-O
Nc6 10.h3?! {This is an inaccurate move order.}
    ( {We can consider the game as relevant with the (not actually played) move
order} 10.f4 e5 11.f5 a6 12.h3 )
10...a6?!
    ( {As explained in the previous game,} 10...e5
    {was necessary, in order to meet} 11.f4 {with} 11...exf4
    {, leading to unclear play.} )
11.f4 e5 12.f5 Nd4 {This knight seems to have a great position, but does not
cross White's attacking plans in any way.} 13.g4
{Threatening to burry the bishop alive with g5 followed by f6.} 13...Ne8 14.Nd5
Rb8 {Little by little, Black loses his threat completely.}
    (14...b5 {would have been more active, although after} 15.Qd3
    {the character of the game would have remained the same:} 15...Rb8 16.Nxd4
    exd4 17.g5 $16 {with huge space advantage.} )
15.a4 b6 16.Nxd4 cxd4?! {Hard to understand.}
    (16...exd4 {would at least have cleared the e5-square for the bishop,
although the plan based on Qd3 and g5 would have remained very strong.} )
17.Qd3 g5 {The only way to prevent g4-g5, but now White gets a comfortable
target on g5.} 18.h4 h6
    (18...gxh4 19.g5 $16 )
19.hxg5 hxg5 20.Qd2!! {This slightly unnatural move is the most rapid way of
regrouping the forces for the final attack. The pressure against g5 is
strengthened and the third rank is cleared for the rook's transfer from one
wing to the other.} 20...Bh6 21.Ra3 Nf6 22.Rh3 Nxd5 23.exd5! {Unlike Black,
White chooses the best capture in the centre. The e4-square is cleared for the
bishop, although White would have had a a winning position without this detail,
too.} 23...Rf6 24.Be4 b5 25.Qh2 Kg7
    (25...Kg7 {and, not waiting for} 26.Bxg5 Bxg5 27.Rh7+
    {, winning the queen, Black resigned.} )
1-0


[Event "Catalan team championship, Division de"]
[Site "Barcelona"]
[Date "2010.02.20"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Marin, Mihail"]
[Black "Movsziszian, Karen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.01.24"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[ECO "A26"]
[Variation "Sicilian Reversed"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "M. Marin"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.c4 g6 2.g3 Bg7 3.Bg2 e5 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Nc6 6.Nge2 f5 7.d3 Nf6 8.O-O O-O 9.Nd5
Be6 10.Bg5 Qd7 11.Qd2 Rf7 12.b4 Raf8 13.b5 Nd8 14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.d4
    (16.Nxf6+ Rxf6 17.d4 exd4
        (17...e4 18.Nc3 Re6 19.Rae1 Qe7 20.Re2 Nf7 21.Rfe1 Ng5 22.Nd5 Qd8 23.h4
        Nh3+ 24.Kh2 )
    18.Nxd4 Bh3 19.Bxh3 Qxh3 20.Rae1 Ne6 21.Nxe6 Rxe6 22.Qd5 Re8 23.Rxe6 Qxe6
    24.Re1 Qxd5 25.Rxe8+ Kf7 26.cxd5 Kxe8 27.f4 Kd7 28.Kf2 c6 29.dxc6+ bxc6
    30.a4 cxb5 31.axb5 Ke6 32.Ke3 Kd5 33.g4 )
16...Bg7 17.dxe5 Bxe5 18.Rad1 Bh3 19.Qe3 c6
    (19...Bxg2 20.Kxg2 c6 21.Qxe5 dxe5 22.Nf6+ Rxf6 23.Rxd7 )
20.bxc6 bxc6 21.Nb4 Bxg2 22.Kxg2 Qb7 23.Qb3 c5+ 24.Nd5 Qxb3 25.axb3 Rb7 26.f4
Bg7 27.Rf3 Nc6 28.Rdd3 Rfb8 29.Rfe3 Na5 30.f5 Be5 31.fxg6 hxg6 32.Nef4 Kf7
33.Rf3 Rxb3 34.Nc7 Rb2+ 35.Kh3 Nxc4 36.Nfd5+ Kg7 37.Ne6+ Kh6 38.Rf7 a5 39.Ne7 a4
40.Nf8 Rxf8 41.Rxf8 a3 42.Ra8 a2 43.Ra7 Kg5 44.Nc6 Bf6 45.Rd5+ Kh6 46.g4 Rb3+
47.Kg2 Ne3+ 0-1


[Event "FIDE GP"]
[Site "Astrakhan"]
[Date "2010.05.18"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Mamedyarov, S"]
[Black "Alekseev, Evgeny"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.05.10"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[ECO "E15"]
[Variation "Fianchetto System"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 c6 7.Qc2 O-O 8.O-O b6 9.b3
Nbd7 10.Rd1 Ba6 11.a4 Rc8 12.a5 c5 13.axb6 Qxb6 14.Qa2 Bb7 15.Ba5
    (15.b4 cxb4 16.c5 Nxc5 17.dxc5 Bxc5 18.e3 Ne4 19.Be1 Ra8 20.Ne5 Nf6 21.Qa5 )
15...Qa6
    (15...Qd6 )
16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.b4 Nce4 18.c5 Ng4 19.Nd4 e5
    (19...Nexf2 20.b5 Qxa5 21.Qxa5 Nxd1 22.Nb3
        (22.Nc3 Bxc5 23.Rxd1 e5 )
        (22.c6 Bc5 23.Qd2
            (23.Ra4 Ba8 24.Qd2 Nde3 25.Kh1 Nc4 26.Qf4 Nge3 27.Qh4 )
        23...e5 24.Ra4 Bxc6 25.bxc6 Nge3 26.Bh3 f5 27.Nc3 Nxc3 28.Qxc3 Bxd4
        29.Rxd4 exd4 30.Qxd4 Rfe8 31.Qc5 a6 )
    22...Rxc5 23.N1d2
        (23.Bf3 Bd8 24.Qa4
            (24.Qxd8 Rxd8 25.Nxc5 Rc8 26.Nxb7 Rc1 27.Bxg4 Ne3+ 28.Kf2 Nxg4+
            29.Kg2 h5 )
        24...Bb6 25.Nxc5 Bxc5+ 26.Kh1 Nge3 27.Nd2 Nf2+ 28.Kg1 Nh3+ )
    23...Ngf2
        (23...Nge3 24.Nxc5 Bxc5 25.Qc7 Bb6 26.Qxb7 Nc2+ 27.Qxb6 axb6 28.Rxd1 )
        (23...Bd8 24.Qxd8 Rxd8 25.Nxc5 Nc3 26.Nxb7 Rb8 27.Rxa7 )
    24.Kf1 Bd8
        (24...Ng4 25.Rxd1 Ne3+ 26.Ke1 a6 27.Nxc5 Bxc5 28.bxa6 Nxg2+ 29.Kf1 Ne3+
        30.Kf2 Nxd1+ 31.Ke1 )
    25.Qa4
        (25.Qxd8 Rxd8 26.Nxc5 Ba8 27.Rxa7 Ng4 28.b6 Nxh2+ 29.Kg1 Ng4 30.Bf3 Ne5
        31.b7 Bxb7 32.Rxb7 g6 )
        (25.Qb4 Rc8 26.Rxa7 Bb6 27.Rxb7 Ne3+ 28.Kxf2 Nc2+ 29.Rxb6 Nxb4 30.Nd4
        Rb8 31.Rd6 Rbd8 32.Rxd8 Rxd8 )
    25...Rc2
        (25...Rc7 26.Qxa7 )
    26.Qxa7 Bf6 27.Rxd1 Nxd1 28.Qxb7 Bc3 29.Qa7 Bxd2 30.Nxd2 Rxd2 31.Ke1 Rb2
    32.Kxd1 Rxb5 )
20.Nf5 Qf6
    (20...Bxc5 21.bxc5 Qf6 22.f3 Qxf5 23.Rf1
        (23.Bh3 h5 24.Bxg4 hxg4 25.fxe4 Qxe4 26.Nc3 Qe3+ 27.Kf1 d4 )
    23...Qg5
        (23...Nxc5 24.fxg4 Qxg4 25.Nc3 )
    24.fxe4 Qe3+ 25.Kh1 Nf2+
        (25...d4 26.Nd2 )
    26.Rxf2 Qxf2 27.exd5 Rxc5 28.Nc3 Rfc8 29.Rd1
        (29.Rf1 Bxd5 30.Nxd5 Rc1 31.Ne3 Rxf1+ 32.Nxf1 Rc1 33.h4 Rxf1+ 34.Kh2 )
    29...Rxc3 30.Bxc3 Rxc3 31.Qb2 Rc7 32.Qxe5 Qc5 33.Qe8+ Qf8 34.Qa4 )
21.Nxe7+ Qxe7 22.f3 Qg5
    (22...Ne3 23.fxe4 Nxd1 24.Qd2 Rxc5 25.Qxd1 )
23.Qb3 Nxg3
    (23...Qe3+ 24.Qxe3 Nxe3 25.Rd3 Nxg2 26.fxe4 dxe4 27.Rd7 Bc6 28.Rxa7 Ne3
    29.Nc3 )
24.hxg3 Ne3 25.Nd2 Nxd1 26.Nf1 f5
    (26...Ba6 27.Rxd1 Bxe2 28.Rxd5 Bxf1 29.Kxf1 Qxg3 30.b5 )
27.Rxd1 f4 28.Bh3 fxg3
    (28...Rb8 29.Bd7 fxg3 30.c6 )
29.Bxc8 Rxc8 30.e4 Rf8 31.exd5 e4 32.f4 Qxf4 33.Qxg3 1-0


[Event "Romanian team ch"]
[Site "Baile Herculane"]
[Date "2010.09.12"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Marin, Mihail"]
[Black "Manolache, Marius"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2010.09.04"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[ECO "A10"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2540"]
[Annotator "M. Marin, V. Stoica"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 d6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 c5 6.Nge2 Nc6 7.O-O O-O 8.d3 e5 9.a3
    (9.h3 Be6 10.f4 Qd7 11.f5
        (11.g4 exf4 12.Nxf4 Qd8 )
    11...gxf5 12.Bg5 )
    (9.f4 Bg4 10.f5 gxf5 11.exf5 Qd7 12.Bg5 )
9...a6 10.Rb1 Bd7
    (10...Rb8 11.b4 cxb4 12.axb4 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.h3
        (14.Be3 Ng4 )
        (14.f4 Bb7 15.f5 gxf5 16.Bg5 Qb6+ 17.Kh1 Ne7 18.Qd2 d5 )
    14...Be6 15.f4 Ne7
        (15...Qd7 16.f5 )
        (15...exf4 16.gxf4 Ne7 )
    16.f5 gxf5 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bh4 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 d5 20.exf5 Bxf5 )
11.b4 b6 12.h3 Nd4 13.a4 cxb4 14.Rxb4 Bc6 15.Bg5 Ne6 16.Be3 Nd7 17.d4 exd4
18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.Bxd4 Bf6 20.Qd2 Rc8 21.Rfb1 Ba8 22.Nd5 Bxd4 23.Qxd4 Bxd5 24.cxd5
Rc5 25.Bf1 Qc8 26.Kg2 Re8 27.h4 h5 28.Be2 Rc2 29.Bd3 Rc5 30.Be2 Rc2 31.Bd3 Rc5
32.Be2 1/2-1/2


[Event "Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2010.11.14"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2010.11.05"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[ECO "A87"]
[Variation "Leningrad Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.O-O O-O 6.b3 d6 7.Bb2 {From this starting
position there is a lot of transposition between the lines mentioned by Boris.}
7...c6 8.Nbd2 a5 9.c4 Na6 10.Qc2 Qc7 {This particular position was not covered
in GM2. You just cannot cover all positions, not only when the opponent has
made only natural moves as in this one.} 11.a3 Re8 12.e4
{I don't like this move much. It seems too early.}
    (12.Rfe1 e5 13.c5 e4 14.cxd6 Qxd6 15.Ne5 Be6 $10
    {Koskinen-Kauppinen, Finland 1986.} )
    (12.Ne1 e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 $15 {Szabo-Hera, Budapest 1995.} )
    ( {I would suggest.} 12.Rad1!? Kh8 13.e4
        (13.c5!? )
        (13.Rfe1!? $146 {looks good as well.} 13...e5 14.c5 e4 15.cxd6 Qxd6
        16.Ne5 Be6 17.f3 exf3 18.exf3 $14 {[%draw arrow,d2,c4,green] [%draw
arrow,e5,d3,green] [%draw arrow,d3,c5,green]})
    13...fxe4 14.Nxe4 Bf5 15.Nh4 Bxe4 16.Bxe4 Nxe4 17.Qxe4 $14 c5
        (17...e5 18.Rfe1 $14 )
    18.Nf3 e6 19.h4 a4 20.bxa4 cxd4 21.Bxd4 e5 22.Be3 Nc5 23.Bxc5 dxc5 24.h5 Qf7
    25.hxg6 Qxg6 26.Qxb7 e4 27.Nh4 Qg4 28.Qd7 Qxd7 29.Rxd7 Rxa4 30.Nf5 Bf6
    31.Rb1 e3 32.fxe3 {1-0 Rodgaard-Grimaldi, Thessaloniki (ol) 1988.} )
12...fxe4
    (12...e5 13.c5! $14 {Bosboom-Timmerman, Netherlands 1992.} )
13.Nxe4 Bf5! $146 {The bishop has problems finding a role in this structure, so
it makes sense to exchange it.}
    (13...Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Bf5 15.Qe3 $14 {Ikonnikov-Timmerman, Huy 1993.} )
14.Nh4
    (14.Nfd2 Qb6 15.Rad1 Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Bg4 17.Rb1 e5 18.dxe5 dxe5 $133 )
14...Bxe4 15.Bxe4 Nxe4 16.Qxe4 e5 $10 {Black is at least level.} 17.dxe5 Qb6
    (17...Nc5 18.Qe3 Bxe5 19.Bxe5 Rxe5 20.Qc3 Rae8 $133 )
18.Qc2 dxe5 19.Bc1 Nc5 20.Rb1 Ne6 21.Be3 Nd4 22.Qe4 Qc5 23.a4 Qb4 24.Kg2 Re7
25.Nf3 Nf5 26.Rfd1 Nxe3+ 27.fxe3 Rf8 28.Rf1 Qa3 29.h4 Ref7 30.Qc2 Qc5 31.Rbe1
Bh6 32.Qe4
    (32.Qd3 $10 )
32...Qb4! $17 33.Rb1 Qc3 34.Rbd1 Qxb3 35.Rd3 Qc2+ 36.Rf2 Qb1 37.Rf1 Qc2+ 38.Rf2
Qxa4 $19 39.h5 gxh5 40.Rd6 Bg7 41.Kh3 h6 42.Rg6 Qb4 43.Nh4 Qe7 44.Rd2 Rf6 45.c5
Qe6+ 46.Kg2 Rxg6 47.Nxg6 Ra8 48.Qb1 Qf7 49.Rf2 Qd7 50.Kh2 Qe6
    (50...e4 51.Qxe4 Re8 $19 )
51.Qxb7 $17 Re8 52.Nh4 Rf8 53.Rxf8+ Bxf8 54.Qa8 Qa2+ 55.Ng2 Qd5 56.Qxa5 Qxc5
57.Qa8 Kg7 58.Nh4 Qc2+ 59.Kh3 Qe4 60.Qb7+ Kf6 61.Kh2 Be7 62.Qa8 Kf7 63.Qb7 Qc4
64.Qc7 Qe2+ 65.Ng2 Qb5 66.Nh4 Qb2+ 67.Kh3 Qc1 68.Kh2 Qd2+ 69.Kh3 Qd6 70.Qb7 Ke6
71.Nf3 Bf6 72.e4 Qd7 73.Qb8 Kf7+ 74.Kg2 Qe6 75.Kh2 Kg7 76.Qc7+ Kg6 77.Qb8 c5
78.Qf8 c4 79.Qc5 h4 80.Nd2?
    (80.Nxh4+ Bxh4 81.gxh4 Kh5 $17 )
80...Qg4! 81.Nxc4 Qe2+
    (81...hxg3+ 82.Kg2 Qh4 $19 )
82.Kh3 Qxe4 83.Kh2 Qe2+ 84.Kh3 Qf3??
    (84...hxg3 85.Kxg3 Kh5! 86.Kh3 Bg5 )
    (84...Qe1! 85.gxh4 Qh1+ 86.Kg3 Bxh4+ 87.Kg4 h5# )
85.Nxe5+ Bxe5 86.Qxe5 Qh1+ 87.Kg4 Qd1+ 88.Kh3
    (88.Kxh4?? Qh1+ 89.Kg4 h5+ 90.Kf4 Qf1+ 91.Ke3 Qe1+ 92.Kf4 Qxe5+ 93.Kxe5
    Kg5 $19 )
88...Qh1+ 89.Kg4 Qd1+ 90.Kh3 Qh1+ 1/2-1/2


[Event "Torneo de Campeones"]
[Site "Benasque"]
[Date "2010.07.11"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Marin, Mihail"]
[Black "De La Villa Garcia, Jesus Maria"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.07.08"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[ECO "A29"]
[Variation "Four Knights System"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2597"]
[BlackElo "2496"]
[Annotator "M. Marin"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nc3 Nb6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.O-O Be7 8.a3 O-O
9.b4 Be6 10.Rb1 f6 11.d3 Nd4 12.Nd2 c6 13.Nde4 Bf7 14.Nc5 Qc7 15.e3 Ne6 16.N3e4
Nxc5
    (16...f5 )
17.Nxc5 Rfd8 18.Qc2
    (18.Bh3 Bxc5 19.bxc5 Nd7 20.Qc2 b6 )
    (18.Bd2 a5 19.Nxb7 Rxd3
        (19...Qxb7 20.bxa5 )
    20.Nxa5 Rad8
        (20...Rxa5 21.bxa5 Nc4 22.a6 Rxd2 23.Rb7 Qa5 24.Qg4 )
    21.Rb2 Qd7 22.Bxc6 Qd6 23.Qc1 Rxd2 24.Nb7 Qe6 25.Rxd2 Rxd2 26.Qxd2 Qxc6
    27.Na5 Qf3 28.Qd1 Qa8 29.Qe2 )
18...a5 19.e4
    (19.Bh3 axb4 20.Ne6 Bxe6 21.Bxe6+ Kh8 22.axb4 Qd6 23.Bf5 g6 24.Be4 f5 25.Bf3
    Qxd3 26.Qxd3 Rxd3 27.b5 e4 28.bxc6
        (28.Be2 c5 )
    28...exf3 29.cxb7 Rb8 30.Rxb6 Rd7 31.e4 fxe4 32.Re6 )
19...axb4 20.axb4 Nd7 21.Be3 Ra2 22.Qc3 b5 23.Rfd1 Nxc5 24.Bxc5 Bxc5 25.Qxc5 Qd6
26.Qxd6 Rxd6 27.Bf1 g5 28.Ra1 Ra4 29.Be2 h5 30.f4 gxf4 31.gxf4 exf4 32.Kf2 Kg7
33.Kf3 f5 34.Kxf4 fxe4 35.dxe4 Rf6+ 36.Ke3 Rxb4 37.Rg1+ Bg6 38.Bxh5 Rxe4+ 39.Kd3
Rd6+ 40.Kc3 Kh6 41.Rxg6+ Rxg6 42.Bxg6 Kxg6 43.Kd3 Rc4 44.Rf1 Kg5 45.Rf8 c5
46.Rc8 Kg4 47.Rg8+ Kf5 48.Rh8 Rd4+ 49.Ke3 Ke6 50.h4 b4 51.Rc8 Kd5 52.Rd8+ Kc4
0-1


[Event "ch-ESP"]
[Site "El Sauzal ESP"]
[Date "2010.09.09"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Vassallo Barroche, M"]
[Black "Recuero Guerra, D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.09.04"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "A29"]
[Variation "Four Knights System"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2422"]
[BlackElo "2457"]
[Annotator "M. Marin"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nc3 Nb6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.O-O Be7 8.d3 O-O
9.a3 Be6 10.b4 f6 11.Rb1 Nd4 12.Nd2 c6 13.Nde4 Bf7 14.Nc5 Qc7 15.e3 Ne6 16.N3e4
Nxc5 17.Nxc5 a5 $146 {Recuero is a pupil of Jesus De la Villa and the present
game was played two months after Benasque. Apparently, they both came to the
conclusion that attacking b4 is better done at once, before White gets to play
Bd2. I must confess that I had a similar train of thoughts: after the summer
tournaments I had analyzed this move without knowing that it had actually been
played!} 18.e4?! {Same plan, same problems...}
    ( {In this concrete situation, when Black has no pressure along the d-file
yet,} 18.Bh3! {is the correct reaction. Apart from creating the threat of Ne6,
White prevents ...Nd7, which is an essential element in Black's general plan.}
    18...axb4 19.axb4 Rfe8 20.e4 $14 {To be followed by Be3. This is an
improved version of my plan against De la Villa, since the king's bishop is
more active while Black's minor pieces are restricted.} )
18...axb4 19.axb4 Rfd8 20.Qc2 {We have transposed back to the previous game
now. White lost even quicker this time.} 20...Nd7 21.Be3 b5 22.Nxd7 $146 Qxd7
23.Rfd1 Ra4 24.Qc3 h6 25.Rd2 Rda8 26.d4 Bxb4 27.Rxb4 Rxb4 0-1


[Event "ch-NED"]
[Site "Eindhoven"]
[Date "2010.06.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Van Wely, L"]
[Black "Spoelman, W"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.06.11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[ECO "D11"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2580"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter November 2010"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.Nc3 e6 6.h3
    (6.Qb3 Qb6 7.Nh4 )
6...Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Nbd7 8.Bd3 Bb4
    (8...Bd6 9.cxd5 exd5
        (9...cxd5 10.O-O O-O 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Nf6 14.Qxb7 )
    10.g4 )
9.Bd2 O-O 10.a3 Ba5 11.O-O Re8
    (11...Nc5 12.dxc5 dxc4 13.Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.Rfd1 )
12.cxd5 exd5 13.b4 Bc7 14.b5 Nf8 15.bxc6 bxc6 16.Rfc1
    (16.Qd1 Ne6 17.Qa4 c5 18.Nb5 Bb6 )
    (16.g3 Ne6 17.Qg2 Ng5 18.f3 Rb8 19.Na4 Ba5 20.h4 Ne6 21.Bxa5 Qxa5 )
    (16.Rfd1 Ne6 17.h4 Rb8 18.g3 c5 )
    (16.e4 Ne6 17.Be3 Bb6 18.exd5 Nxd4 )
16...Ne6 17.h4
    (17.Na4 Ng5 18.Qd1 Qd6 19.f4 Nge4 20.Bb4 Qe6 21.Qc2 a5 22.Be1 c5 23.dxc5 d4 )
17...c5
    (17...Rb8 18.Bf5
        (18.Rab1 Qd6 19.g3 Rxb1 20.Rxb1 Qxa3 21.Qd1 Qd6 22.Qa4 Bb6 )
    18...g6
        (18...Qd6 19.g3 c5
            (19...Rb2 )
        20.Rab1 Rxb1 21.Rxb1 cxd4 22.Nb5 Qd7 23.Nxd4 Nxd4 24.exd4 )
    19.Bxe6
        (19.Bd3 c5 20.dxc5 Nxc5 21.Nxd5 Be5 )
    19...Rxe6 20.Rcb1 Rb6 )
18.dxc5
    (18.Nb5 Bb6 19.dxc5 Nxc5 20.Bc2 Nfe4 21.Bb4 Qxh4 22.Bxc5 Nxc5 23.Nd6 Rf8
    24.Nf5 Qf6 25.Nd4 Qxf3 26.Nxf3 Rad8 27.Nd4 g6 28.a4 Rc8 29.Rd1 Bd8 30.Rab1
    Bf6 31.a5 Rfd8 32.Nb5 Rd7 33.g3 Bd8 34.Ra1 Rb8 35.Nd4 Bf6 36.Rab1 Rxb1
    37.Bxb1 Bxd4 38.Rxd4 Ne6 39.Rb4 d4 40.exd4 Nxd4 41.Be4 Ne6 42.Kg2 Kg7 43.Bc6
    Rc7 44.Bd5 Kf6 45.a6 Nc5 46.Bc4 Ke5 47.Be2 f5 48.Rb8 Ne4 49.Rb7 Kd6 50.Rb2
    Rc1 51.Rb7 Rc2 52.Kf1 Rc7 53.Rb2 Nc5 54.Kg2 Re7 55.Kf1 Kc6 56.Bf3+ Kd6
    57.Be2 Nd7 58.Rd2+ Ke5 59.Bb5 Nb6 60.Be2 Rd7 61.Rb2 f4 62.Bf3 fxg3 63.fxg3
    Rd6 64.Bb7 Nc4 65.Re2+ Kf6 66.Re8 Nb6 67.Rf8+ Kg5 68.Rf7 Rf6+ 69.Rxf6 Kxf6
    70.Ke2 Ke5 71.Kd3 h5 72.Ke3 Nc4+ 73.Kf3 Nd6 74.Bc6 Nc4 75.Be8 Kf5 76.Bd7+
    Ke5 77.Be8 Kf6 78.Bb5 Nd6 79.Bc6 g5 80.Bd7 Nf5 81.g4 hxg4+ 82.Kxg4 Nd6
    83.Bc6 Nc4 84.Bb7 Ne5+ 85.Kg3 Kf5 86.Kf2 Kf4 87.Ba8 g4 88.Kg2 g3 89.Bb7 Nd3
    90.Bc6 Ne1+ 91.Kg1 Nc2 92.Bb7 Ne3 93.Bc6 Ke5 94.Bb7 Kf4 95.Bc6 Nf5 96.Bb7
    Nh4 97.Bc6 Ng6 98.Bb7 Kg4 99.Bc8+ Kh4 100.Bb7 Nf4 101.Bc8 Kg5 102.Bb7 Kf5
    103.Bc6 Ke5 104.Bb7 Kd4 105.Bc6 Kc5 106.Bb7 Kb6 107.Kf1 )
18...d4
    (18...Nxc5 19.Nxd5 Be5 20.Bb5 Nb3 21.Bxe8 Nxd2 22.Nxf6+ Bxf6 23.Qe2 Bxa1
    24.Rxa1 Qf6 25.Bxf7+ Kxf7 26.Rd1 Rd8 27.Rxd2 Qa1+ 28.Kh2 Rxd2 29.Qxd2 Qxa3
    30.Qd5+ Kf8 31.e4 a5 32.e5 a4 33.e6 Qe7 34.g3 g6 35.Kg2 a3 36.h5 gxh5 37.f4
    Qf6 38.Kf3 Qc3+ 39.Ke4 Qc2+ 40.Ke5 Qc7+ 41.Ke4 Qc2+ 42.Kf3 Qc3+ 43.Kg2 Qf6
    44.Qa8+ Kg7 45.Qa7+ Kh6 46.e7 Qe6 47.Kf2 a2 48.e8=Q Qxe8 49.Qxa2 Qe4 50.Qe2
    Qd5 51.Qe5 Qxe5 52.fxe5 Kg5 53.Ke3 Kf5 54.Kd4 Ke6 55.Ke4 Ke7 56.Kf5 Kf7
    57.e6+ Ke7 58.Ke5 Ke8 59.Kf6 Kf8 60.e7+ Ke8 61.Ke6 h4 62.gxh4 h6 63.h5 )
19.Ne4
    (19.exd4 Nxd4 20.Qd1 Nb3
        (20...Qe7 21.Be3 Qe5 22.g3 Rad8 23.Bxd4 Qxd4 24.Nb5 Qxd3 25.Qxd3 Rxd3
        26.Nxc7 )
    21.Qxb3 Qxd3 22.Qc2
        (22.Bg5 Ng4 )
    )
19...dxe3 20.Nxf6+ gxf6 21.Qxe3
    (21.Bxh7+ Kxh7 22.Bxe3 )
    (21.Bc3 Qxd3
        (21...exf2+ 22.Kxf2 Nxc5 23.Qg4+ Kh8 24.Bc2 Qd6 25.Qf5 Qf4+ )
    22.Qxf6 exf2+ 23.Kh1 Kf8 24.Qh8+ Ke7 25.Qf6+ Kf8 )
21...Ng5 22.Rd1
    (22.Qxe8+ Qxe8 23.hxg5 Rd8 )
22...Rxe3 23.Bxe3 Ne6 24.Bxh7+ Kxh7 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Kf1 Kg6 27.Ke2 Nd4+ 28.Bxd4
Rxd4 29.Rb1 Rxh4 30.Rb7 Be5 31.g3 Ra4 32.Kd3 Rxa3+ 33.Kc4 Rf3 0-1


[Event "111th US Open"]
[Site "Irvine USA"]
[Date "2010.08.01"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Khachiyan, M"]
[Black "Kleist, F"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.07.31"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1b1q2k/1p4pp/p3p3/2b1p3/4PN2/P6Q/B4PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 28"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2522"]
[BlackElo "2114"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

28.Rd8! {Resigns} 29...Qxd8 29.Ng6+ Kg8 30.Qxe6+
    (30.Bxe6+ )
31...Bxe6 31.Bxe6# 1-0


[Event "11th EICC Men"]
[Site "Rijeka CRO"]
[Date "2010.03.15"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Salgado Lopez, I"]
[Black "Najer, E"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.03.06"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "D14"]
[Variation "Modern Exchange Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4 Bf5 7.e3 e6 {<en> While
preparing to face an Exchange Slav at the Olympiad, I spotted a flaw in the
recommended line given in "Play the Semi-Slav".} 8.Qb3 Bb4 9.Ne5 {<en> This
move scored 2/2 for White in the recent Olympiad. Vigorito, in "Play the
Semi-Slav", was not impressed with White's idea:} 9...O-O?!
{<en> This was the recommended move, but Black must do better.}
    (9...Qe7 10.Bb5 Rc8 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Ba6 Rd8 13.O-O O-O 14.Ne2 $14 {White
went on to win in Morovic Fernandez-Ragger, Khanty-Mansiysk (ol) 2010.} )
    (9...Qb6!? {This is my suggestion for Black's best reply, when the play is
surprisingly lively. Perhaps "Winning with the Exchange Slav" is a future
title?} 10.f3 $146
        ( {More tranquil was} 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Be2 Ne4 12.f3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Be7 $10
        {<en> Tkachiev-Fressinet, France (ch) 2010, was a fairly quick draw.} )
        (10.Be2 {<en> is also sensible} )
    10...Nh5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bh4 e5 14.O-O-O!
    {Exciting stuff for an Exchange Slav.}
        (14.g4?! {is excessively greedy:} 14...exd4 15.exd4 Qxd4 16.Bf2 Qe5+
        17.Kd1 Qf4!? $45 )
    14...Nf6 15.Bd3 Bxd3 16.Rxd3 Rb8
        (16...Nd7 {looks safe and secure} )
    17.Qc2 Nd7 18.Bg3 Qa6 19.Bxe5 Nxe5 20.dxe5 O-O 21.Na4 $13
    {White won a messy game in Vl. Georgiev-Cubas, Khanty-Mansiysk (ol) 2010.} )
    (9...Qa5 {<en> was Vigorito's secondary suggestion.} 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.a3
    Bxc3+
        (11...c5!? 12.Rc1 Bxc3+ 13.Qxc3 Qxc3+ 14.Rxc3 c4 15.f3 O-O 16.b3 cxb3
        17.Rxb3 $14 )
    12.bxc3 O-O 13.Qb4 $14 {<en> Again, White has a slight niggling edge; just
enough to be annoying.} )
10.Nxc6 Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 bxc6 12.Qa3! $16 {<en> This clever move effectively
refutes 9...0-0. White has the bishop pair and the better structure. He plans
Ba6 and then a rook to c1. The f4-bishop is safe from harassment: the
traditional ...Ne4 no longer wins a tempo, so it would be answered by f2-f3. Or
...Nh5 would be hopeless as Bd6 is strong.}
    ( {<en> The old line, as given by Vigorito, was:} 12.Qxc6 Rc8 13.Qa6 Rc2
    {<en> Black has plenty of play for the pawn.} )
12...Qb6
    (12...a5 13.Be2 Qb6 14.O-O Rfc8 15.Rac1 )
13.Ba6 Ne4 {Black provokes a weakness on e3 to add force to his later ...e6-e5
break. However, White is in control; Black must look for real improvements
earlier.} 14.f3 Nf6 15.Rc1 Nd7 16.Rc3 e5 17.dxe5 c5 18.Be2
    (18.Rb3!? )
18...d4 19.Rc1 Rfe8 20.e4 Bg6 21.O-O Rac8 22.Qa6 Nb8 23.Qxb6 axb6 24.b4 h6
25.bxc5 bxc5 26.Rfd1 Kh7 27.a4 Nd7 28.Bb5 Red8 29.a5 Nf8 30.a6 Ne6 31.Bd2 Rb8
32.Bc4 Rb2 33.Rb1 1-0


[Event "21st Czech GM Open"]
[Site "Pardubice CZE"]
[Date "2010.07.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Korobov, Anton"]
[Black "Smith, Axel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.07.23"]
[EventCountry "CZE"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1b2r2/p1q3kp/1p2Rp2/5P2/3p1N1Q/3B4/P5PP/6K1 w - - 0 27"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2657"]
[BlackElo "2416"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

27.Nh5+!
    (27.Qg3+ Kh6 28.Rxf6+ Rxf6 29.Qh4+ Kg7 30.Nh5+ Kf8 31.Qxf6+ Qf7 32.Qh6+ Ke8
    33.Qc6+ Kd8 34.Qxa8 Qxh5 35.Qd5+ Bd7 36.Qxd4 $16 )
28...Kh8
    (28...Kg8 28.Nxf6+ Rxf6 29.Qg5+! Rg6
        (30...Qg7 30.Re8+ Kf7 31.Re7+! )
    30.Re8+ Kf7 31.fxg6+! Kxe8 32.gxh7 $18 )
28.Qxf6+!! Rxf6
    (29...Kg8 29.Bc4! )
29.Re8+ Rf8 30.Rxf8# 1-0


[Event "39th Olympiad Men"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2010.09.28"]
[Round "7.10"]
[White "Alsina Leal, D"]
[Black "Feller, S"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.09.21"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/2p3pp/2p3q1/P1B1P1b1/N2Pb3/6Q1/1P4PP/R5K1 b - - 0 24"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2523"]
[BlackElo "2649"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

24...Be3+ 24.Kh1 Rf2! 25.Qxg6 hxg6 26.d5
    ( {White has no defence:} 26.Rg1 Bxg2+! 27.Rxg2 Rf1+ 28.Rg1 Rxg1# )
27...Rxg2 {White resigned. It is mate on the next move.} 0-1


[Event "39th Olympiad Men"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2010.09.28"]
[Round "7.9"]
[White "Corrales Jimenez, F"]
[Black "Stellwagen, D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.09.21"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4r1k1/p4Npq/2p1p2p/7P/2pPQ3/b1P1KR2/Pr3PP1/4R3 b - - 0 29"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2599"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[WhiteTeam "CUB 2010"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

29...Re2+!! {Resigns.} 29.Rxe2 Bc1+ 30.Rd2 Bxd2+ 31.Kxd2 Qxe4 0-1


[Event "39th Olympiad Men"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2010.09.28"]
[Round "7.29"]
[White "McNab, C"]
[Black "Djukic, Ni"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.09.21"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[ECO "D76"]
[Variation "Margate Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.d4 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.O-O Nb6 8.Nc3 Nc6
9.e3 Re8 10.Re1 a5 11.Qe2 Be6 12.Rd1 Bc4 13.Qc2 Nb4 14.Qb1
    (14.Qd2 a4 )
14...e5 15.b3
    (15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.b3 Bd3 17.Rxd3
        (17.Qb2 Bg7 18.a3 Bc2 19.Rd2 Bf5 20.axb4 axb4 )
    17...Nxd3 18.Qxd3 c5 19.Nb5 Qd7 20.Ba3 cxd4 21.exd4 Rad8 )
    (15.h3 exd4 16.Nxd4 Bd3 17.Rxd3 Nxd3 18.Qxd3 c5 )
15...exd4 16.exd4
    (16.bxc4 dxc3 17.Rxd8 Raxd8 18.Nd4
        (18.Qb3 c2 19.Nd4 Rxd4 20.exd4 Re1+ 21.Bf1 Bxd4 22.a3 Bxa1 23.Bh6 Bg7
        24.axb4 Bxh6 25.Qxc2 axb4 )
    18...Rxd4
        (18...Bxd4 19.exd4 Re1+ 20.Bf1 Nxc4
            (20...Rxd4 21.Qb3 Rxc4 22.a4 )
        21.Qb3 Nd2 22.Bxd2 cxd2 23.Rd1 Rxd1 24.Qxd1 Rxd4 25.Be2 c5 26.Qa4 Nd5
        27.Qe8+ Kg7 28.Bd1 )
    19.exd4 Re1+ 20.Bf1 Bxd4 21.a3
        (21.Bh6 Rxb1 22.Rxb1 Nd7 )
    21...c2 22.Qb3 Bxa1 23.Bh6 Bg7
        (23...c1=Q 24.Bxc1 Rxc1 25.axb4 axb4 26.Qxb4 Nxc4 27.Kg2 Nd6 28.Qa3 Rd1
        29.Qa5 Rc1 )
    24.axb4 Bxh6 25.Qxc2 axb4 26.c5 Rc1
        (26...Nd5 27.c6 bxc6 28.Qxc6 Rd1 29.Kg2 )
    27.Qe4 Nc4 28.Kg2 Nd2 29.Qxb7 Nxf1 30.Qxb4 Nxg3 31.hxg3 Bf8 )
16...Be6 17.Bf4 Bf5 18.Qb2 Nd3 19.Qd2 Nxf4 20.Qxf4 a4 21.bxa4
    (21.b4 )
21...Nxa4 22.Nb5 c6 23.Nd6 Nc3 24.Kh1 Nd5 25.Nxf7 Kxf7 26.Ng5+ Kg8 0-1


[Event "39th WCO"]
[Site "0:22.31-1:23.09"]
[Date "2010.09.30"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Leitao, Rafael"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[ECO "D76"]
[Variation "Margate Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.e3 O-O
9.O-O Re8 10.Re1 a5 11.Qe2 Be6 12.Rd1 Bc4 13.Qc2 Nb4 14.Qb1 e5 15.a3
    (15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.b3 Bd3 17.Rxd3
        (17.Qb2 Bg7 18.a3 Bc2 19.Rd2 Bf5 20.axb4 axb4 )
    17...Nxd3 18.Qxd3 c5 19.Nb5 Qd7 20.Ba3 cxd4 21.exd4 Rad8 )
    (15.h3 exd4 16.Nxd4 Bd3 17.Rxd3 Nxd3 18.Qxd3 c5 )
15...exd4 16.axb4
    (16.Nxd4 Bd3 17.Rxd3 Nxd3 18.Qxd3 c5 )
16...dxc3
    (16...axb4 17.Rxa8 Qxa8 18.Ne4 Qa4 19.Re1 Ba2 20.Qd3 Bc4 )
17.Rxd8 Raxd8 18.Qc2
    (18.bxc3 Rd1+ 19.Bf1 Rxf1+ 20.Kg2 axb4 21.Qxb4 Rd1 22.Nd2 Bd5+ 23.e4 Bc6
    24.f3 Na4 25.Rxa4 Rxc1 26.Ra2 Rxc3 )
18...axb4 19.Nd2 cxd2 20.Bxd2 Ra8 21.Rxa8
    (21.Qc1 Rxa1 22.Qxa1 Ra8 23.Qb1 Ra2 24.Bc1 b3 25.Bf1 c5 )
21...Rxa8 22.Bxb7
    (22.h3 Ra1+ 23.Kh2 b3 24.Qe4 Bxb2 )
22...Ra1+ 23.Bc1
    (23.Kg2 Bf1+ 24.Kf3 Nc4 25.Bxb4 Bd3 )
23...b3 24.Qd1
    (24.Qd2 Be6 25.Kg2 Nc4 26.Qd1 h6 27.e4 Kh7 )
24...Bxb2 0-1


[Event "Chinese Chess League"]
[Site "Shenzhan CHN"]
[Date "2010.06.09"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Wang Yue"]
[Black "Yu Ruiyuan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.05.23"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3k3/1p2bp1r/2p1pQ1p/p3P2P/P6R/4B1P1/1P1R1PK1/1q6 w a - 0 30"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2749"]
[BlackElo "2309"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

30.Rg4!! {Resigns} 31...Bxf6 31.Rg8+ Ke7 32.Bc5# 1-0


[Event "Line 1"]
[Site "Sofia BUL"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.04.24"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventType "match"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn2brk1/5ppp/2pqp3/pp1P4/Pnp1P1N1/N5P1/1P1Q1PBP/R2R2K1 b - - 0 17"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

17...exd5 17.Ne3
    (17.exd5 f5 18.Ne3 f4 19.gxf4 Qxf4 20.dxc6 N8xc6 21.axb5 Rd8 22.Nd5 Nxd5
    23.Bxd5+ Rxd5 24.Qxd5+ Kh8 25.Nxc4
        (25.bxc6 Qxf2+ 26.Kh1 Qf6 )
    26...Nb4 26.Qd4 Qg5+ 27.Kh1 Bxb5 28.Ne5 Nc6 29.Qc5 Qf4 30.Nd3 Qf3+ 31.Kg1
    Qg4+ 32.Kf1 Qh3+ )
18...f5
    (18...N8a6 18.exd5 Nc5 19.dxc6 Qxd2 20.Rxd2 Nb3 21.Rad1 Bxc6
        (22...Nxd2 22.axb5 Nb3 23.c7 Rc8 24.b6 )
    22.Bxc6 Nxc6 23.Rd6 b4 24.Naxc4 )
18.Nxf5
    (18.exf5 bxa4
        (19...N8a6 19.axb5 cxb5 20.Nxd5 )
    19.Naxc4 Qc7 20.Na3 N8a6 21.Nac2 Qb6 22.Rxa4 Nxc2 23.Qxc2 Nb4 24.Qd2 Bf7
    25.Rda1 )
19...Qc5
    (19...Qf6 19.Ne3 dxe4 20.axb5 cxb5 21.Nxb5 Bxb5 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.Qxd5+ Kh8
    24.Qxb5 Nc6 )
19.axb5 cxb5 20.Qd4 Qc7 21.Bh3 dxe4
    (22...Ra6 22.exd5 Raf6 23.Re1 Qd8
        (24...Kh8 24.Re7 Qb6 25.Qxb6 Rxb6 26.Bg2 )
        (24...Bd7 24.Re7 Kh8 25.Nxb5 Qd8 26.Nbd6 Bxf5 27.Nxf5 Nc2 28.Qh4 Nxa1
        29.Rxg7 h6 30.Rg5 )
    24.Re7 R6f7 25.Rae1 )
    (22...Rf6 22.exd5 Qd8 23.Qg4 g6 24.Nh6+ Kg7 25.Qg5 Nd3 26.Ng4 Rd6 27.Qe3 h5
    28.Ne5 Nxe5 29.Qxe5+ Kh7 30.Be6 Na6 31.Nc2 Nc5 32.Nd4 Raa6 33.f4 )
22.Nd6 Qe7 23.Bg2 N8a6
    (24...N8c6 24.Qxe4 Qxe4 25.Bxe4 Bh5 26.Rd2 Bf3 27.Bxf3 Rxf3 28.Naxb5 )
24.Naxb5 Bxb5 25.Nxb5 Qc5 26.Rxa5 Nd3
    (27...Rab8 27.Qxc5 Nxc5 28.Nd6 Nbd3 29.Nxe4 Nxe4 30.Bxe4 Rxb2 31.f4 Nf2
    32.Rb1 Nh3+ 33.Kh1 Nf2+ 34.Kg2 Rxb1 35.Bxb1 Ng4 36.Ba2 Rc8 37.h3 Nh6 38.Kf3 )
27.Bxe4 Rad8 28.Qxc5 Naxc5 29.Bc6 1-0


[Event "Line 2"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.04.24"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventType "match"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn2brk1/5ppp/2p1p3/ppqP4/Pnp1P3/N3N1P1/1P1Q1PBP/R2R2K1 b - - 0 18"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

18...Nd3 18.b3 Nxf2 {was given by Giri. Here I gave:} 19.Kxf2 cxb3 20.axb5 cxb5
21.e5 $14 {"and it is hard for me to believe that Black has equal chances. He
is not active enough."} {After} 22...a4 {Giri does not understand this
evaluation - and neither do I. I have no defence.} 1-0


[Event "Line 3"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.04.24"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventType "match"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/q4pp1/n1bNp2p/p7/pn2P1N1/6P1/1P1Q1PBP/2RR2K1 b - - 0 23"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

23...f6 23.Rc4 Rad8 24.e5 Bxg2 25.exf6 h5 26.fxg7 Qxg7 27.Kxg2 Nd5 28.Nh6+ Kh7
29.Nhf5 Rxf5 30.Nxf5 exf5 31.Qxa5 Qb7 32.Kh3 Rd6 33.Rdd4 f4 34.Qe1 Qd7+ 35.Kg2
Qf5 36.Qd1 h4 37.g4 Qe5 38.Rxa4 Nc5
    (39...Nac7 39.Ra7 f3+ 40.Kg1 Re6 41.h3 Re7
        (42...Qe1+ 42.Qxe1 Rxe1+ 43.Kh2 Kg6 44.Ra3 Re2 45.Rxf3 Rxb2 46.Kg2 )
    42.Rd3 Qxb2 43.Rxf3 Kg7 )
39.Ra5
    (39.Ra7+ Nd7 40.Ra6 f3+ 41.Qxf3 Qxd4 42.Qf7+ Kh6 43.Rxd6+ N7f6 44.Qf8+ Kg6
    45.Qg8+ Kh6 46.Rxf6+ Nxf6 47.g5+ Kh5 48.gxf6 Qe4+ )
40...f3+ 40.Kf1 Kg7 41.Rxc5 Qxh2 42.Qxf3 Rf6 43.Rc7+ Qxc7 44.Qxd5 Qc1+ 45.Rd1
Qf4 46.Qd7+ Kh6 47.Qd4 Qf3 48.Rd3 Qh1+ 49.Ke2 Qc6 50.Qd5 1-0


[Event "Line 4"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.04.24"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventType "match"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/q4pp1/n1bNp2p/p7/pn2P1N1/6P1/1P1Q1PBP/2RR2K1 b - - 0 23"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

23...Nc5 23.Rc4
{This was Giri's line, but here Black can improve with my move:} 24...Ncd3!
{Here Giri thinks that} 24.Qc3!? {is a better move that 24.Bf1, which leads to
a close to winning ending. I am not sure if it is better, but it is equally
viable - only not in the way he analyses it.} 25...Qd7?!
{This is Giri's main move, but it does not hold.}
    ( {I had a look at} 25...Rab8 25.Bf1
        (25.Rxd3 Nxd3 26.Qxd3 Bb5 27.Nxb5 Rxb5 $14 )
    26...Rfd8
        (26...h5 26.Ne3 Rfd8 27.Rxc6 Nxc6 28.Rxd3 Qc7 29.Ndf5 exf5 30.Nxf5 Qe5
        31.Rxd8+ Rxd8 32.Qxc6 $18 )
    26.e5
        (26.Rxd3 Nxd3 27.Qxd3 Be8 28.Qd2 h5 29.Ne3 Qb6 30.e5 Qxb2 31.Qxb2 Rxb2
        32.Nxe8 Rxe8 33.Rxa4 Ra8 $14 )
    27...h5 27.Nh6+!
        (27.Ne3 Nxf2 28.Kxf2 Nd5 29.Qd4 Rxb2+ 30.Be2 Qxd4 31.Rdxd4 Nb4 32.Rc5 a3
        33.Rxa5 a2 34.Rxb4 Rxb4 35.Rxa2 h4 {with drawing chances, or at least
more than the ending I was proposing.} )
        (27.Bxd3!? hxg4 28.Be2 $16 )
    28...gxh6 28.Bxd3 {with a very strong attack.} )
25.Rd4?
    ( {It is worth noting that the computer's first love:} 25.Rxd3!
    {does indeed win:} 26...Nxd3 26.Rxc6 Rab8 27.e5 Rb3
        (28...Nxb2 28.Be4 Qd8 29.h4 Rb4 30.Qe3 $18 )
    28.Qd4!
        (28.Qxa5? a3!! 29.Rc3 Qd8 30.Qa6
            (30.Qxd8 Rxc3!! 31.Qxf8+ Kxf8 32.bxa3 h5 33.Ne3 Nxe5 34.Nb5 Rc1+
            35.Bf1 Nf3+ 36.Kg2 Ne1+ 37.Kh3 Ra1
            {and it is not easy for White to make serious progress.} )
        31...Rxc3 31.bxc3 Qg5 32.Ne3 Qxe5 33.Qxa3 Qc5 34.Qxc5 Nxc5 $14 {This
ending is not easy for Black - but it is also not without hope. If he gets the
king out quickly, he will probably hold with accurate play.} )
    29...h5
        (29...Qe7 29.Bf1 Nb4 30.Nf6+ Kh8 31.Rc5 $18 )
    29.Nf6+ gxf6 30.exf6 e5 31.Qe3 Qg4 32.h3 $18 )
26...e5
    (26...Rab8 {does not work.} 26.Nf5!
        (26.R1xd3? Nxd3 27.Qxd3 Rxb2
            (28...Rb4 28.Nc4 Qe7 29.e5 Bxg2 30.Nf6+ )
            (28...Qc7 28.e5 Bxg2 29.Nf6+ gxf6 30.Rg4+ Kh8 31.Qd2 )
        28.Ne5
            (28.e5 Bb5!
                (29...Bxg2 29.Nf6+ )
            29.Nf6+ gxf6 30.Rg4+ Kh8 31.Qe3 Rb1+ 32.Bf1 Rxf1+ 33.Kg2 Qc6+ 34.Kh3
            Qc2! )
        29...Qc7 29.Qc3
            (29.Qc4 a3 $19 )
        30...Rb1+
            (30...Qb6 30.Nxc6 a3 31.Qxa3 Rb1+ 32.Bf1 Qxc6 )
        30.Bf1 a3 31.Qxa3 Bb5 32.Nec4 Bxc4 33.Rxc4 Qb6 34.e5 $14 )
    27...exf5 27.Rxd7 Bxd7 28.Ne3 f4 29.gxf4 Nxf4 30.Qc7 Ne2+ 31.Kh1 Bb5 32.Nf5
    Kh7 33.Re1 Nc6 34.Bf1 Ned4 35.Bxb5 Rxb5 36.Rg1 Nxf5 37.exf5 Nd8
        (38...Nb4 38.f6 $18 )
    38.Rd1 Rxb2 39.Rxd8 Rxd8 40.Qxd8 a3 41.Qxa5 a2 42.Kg2
    {White should win here, and if not, then somewhere else.} )
    (26...h5 26.Nf5 Qa7 27.Rd7 exf5 28.Rxa7 Rxa7 29.Ne5 Nxe5 30.Qxe5 Bxe4
    31.Bxe4 fxe4 32.Qxe4 g6 33.Rd6 $18 )
    (26...Qc7 26.e5 h5 27.Nf6+ $18 )
    (26...f5 26.Nxf5 Qc7 27.R4xd3 $18 )
26.Nxh6+ gxh6 27.R4xd3 Nxd3 28.Rxd3 {"and objectively as well as practically
White has a large advantage." Practically, yes, but objectively, I am not so
sure.} 29...Rfd8
    (29...Bb5 29.Rd5 Bc6 30.Rd2 Qc7
        (31...Rfd8 31.Qxe5 Qe6 32.Qf4 Ra7 33.Bf3 $16 )
    31.Nf5
        (31.Qxe5 Bd7 32.Qh5 Qc1+ 33.Rd1 Qg5 34.Qe2 Bg4 35.f3 Qc5+ 36.Kh1 Be6 $13
        )
    32...Rac8 32.Rc2 Rfe8 33.Bh3 Re6 34.Ne3 $16 )
29.Qxe5 Qe6 30.Qf4
    (30.Qc5 Rab8! $133 31.Qxc6? $140 a3! 32.Rxa3 Qxd6 $17 )
31...f6! {I think that after this move it will be very difficult for White to
prove a winning advantage.}
    (31...Ra7 31.Bf3 Qg6 32.h4 Rad7 33.Nf5 Kh7 34.Rxd7 Bxd7 35.Ne7 Qg7 36.Nd5
    Be6 37.Nf6+ Kh8 38.e5 $16 )
31.h4! $14
    (31.Bf1 Qe5 32.Qg4+
        (32.Qxh6 Qg5
        {gives Black counterchances because of the counterplay against b2.} )
        (32.Qd2 Rab8! {is also ok for Black.} )
    33...Kf8 33.Nf5 Rxd3 34.Bxd3 Rb8 35.Nxh6 Be8 36.Nf5 Bb5 37.Bb1 Bc6 $10 )
32...Rab8
    (32...Qe5 32.Qg4+ Kf8 33.Nc4 Qe7 34.Rc3 Bd7 35.Qh5 Kg7 36.e5 Ra6
        (37...Rab8 37.Be4 Qf7 38.exf6+ Qxf6 39.Rf3 Rb5 40.Bd5 Rxd5 41.Qxd5 Bc6
        42.Rxf6 Bxd5 43.Rd6 Rxd6 44.Nxd6 Kf6 45.f4
        {and White looks on his way to victory.} )
    37.Rd3 Rf8 $14 )
32.Nf5 Rxd3 33.Qxb8+ Be8 $14 34.Nxh6+ Kh7 35.Nf5 Qe5 36.Qa7+ Rd7 $14 {Black is
hanging on, but if he can save the endgame or not is hard to determine.} 1-0


[Event "Page 208"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.10.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "10.g4"]
[Black "Missing in GM6"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.10.07"]
[ECO "B85"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.O-O Be7 8.f4 O-O 9.Be3
Qc7 10.g4!? {This dangerous move was forgotten by Ftacnik, mainly because of a
move order issue (he went 9.Kh1). Luckily a remedy exists.} 10...d5! {Classical
chess. An attack on the flank is met with a strong reply in the centre.} 11.e5
    (11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 exd5 {looks very safe for me. The d5-pawn might be a
bit soft, but White's king is open and there are no longer any dangers to
Black's monarch.} 13.Bd3
        (13.Bf3 Nc6 14.Qd2 Re8 15.Rad1
            (15.c3 Bd7 16.h3 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 Bb5 18.Rf2
            {Polzin-Rotstein, Austria 2005.}
                (18.Rfe1 Bd6 19.f5 Bg3 $10 )
            18...Bc6!? $146 19.Be5 Qd7 20.Kg2 Rad8 $10 )
        15...Bd7 16.Rfe1
            (16.Nb3 {½-½ Cardelli-Nimtz, corr. 1999.} )
        16...Rad8 $10 {Baches Garcia-Paunovic, Andorra 2002.} )
    13...Nc6 14.Qf3 {Odd plan.} 14...Bc5 15.Qh3 h6!? $146
    {I don't fully believe in White's attack. For example:}
        (15...g6 16.Nf5 Bxe3+ 17.Nxe3 d4 18.f5! dxe3 19.Qh6 gxf5!
            (19...Nd4 20.f6 Ne6 21.Rf3 e2 22.Rh3 Qc5+ 23.Kg2 $18 )
        20.Qg5+
            (20.gxf5!? f6 21.Bc4+ Rf7 22.Qxf6 Qe7 23.Qxe7 Nxe7 24.f6 Ng6 25.Rae1
            Bd7 26.Rxe3 Bb5 27.Bxf7+ Kxf7 $13 )
        20...Kh8 21.Qf6+ Kg8 {½-½ Graf-Vouldis, Fuerth 2002.} )
    16.c3
        (16.Nf5 Nb4! $17 )
    16...Qb6 17.Nc2 Re8!
        (17...Bxg4 18.Qxg4 Bxe3+ 19.Kh1 $44 )
    18.Bxc5
        (18.Rae1 Bxe3+ 19.Nxe3 Bxg4 $17 )
    18...Qxc5+ 19.Rf2 d4 $15 )
11...Ne4 {This is the big main move, but I actually prefer the lesser tested:}
    (11...Nfd7! 12.g5 Nc6 13.Nb3 Rd8
        (13...b5!? $146 14.a4
            (14.Bf3 Nb6 $15
            {[%draw arrow,b6,c4,green] [%draw full,b2] [%draw full,e3]})
        14...b4 15.Nb1 a5 $10 )
    14.Bf2 b5 15.a3 {Arias Duval-Rios, corr. 2003} 15...Nb6 $146 {[%draw
arrow,b6,a4,green] [%draw arrow,b6,c4,green] I cannot back this up in the same
way, but this is what I would play.} )
12.g5! {This looks like the most dangerous to me.}
    (12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.c3 b6 14.Qe1 Nd7 $13 15.Qg3 Re8 16.Rad1 Bf8 17.g5 Nc5 18.h4
    Bb7 19.h5 Nd3 20.Rd2 b5 21.a3 Rad8 22.g6 fxg6 23.hxg6 h6 24.Bg4 Bd5 25.Qh3
    Qe7 26.Rg2 Rd7 27.f5 Nxe5 28.fxe6 Nf3+ 29.Nxf3 exf3 30.Rd2 Rdd8 31.Rfd1 Be4
    32.Rxd8 Rxd8 33.Rxd8 Qxd8 34.Bxf3 Bxg6 35.Qg2 Qd3 36.Bf4 Kh7 37.Bd5 Qd1+
    38.Kh2 Qh5+ 39.Kg3 Bf5 40.Kf2 Qd1 {0-1 Dineley-Kunte, Bled (ol) 2002.} )
    (12.Bd3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nd7! {An important point. 13...Qxc3 is suicidal. We
are going for the d3-bishop and a long-term advantage because of a better pawn
structure.} 14.g5 g6 15.Rf3 Nc5 16.h4 Bd7
        (16...Nxd3 17.Qxd3 h5 18.gxh6 Bxh4 19.Rh3 Be7 $13
        {0-1 Suran,J (2391)-Spirin,O (2404)/Czechia 2007/EXT 2009 (48)} )
    17.Kg2 Rac8 18.h5 Nxd3 19.Qxd3 Qxc3 $17 {Phillips-Almasi, Heraklio 1997.} )
    (12.Qe1 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nd7 14.Rf3 Nc5 15.Rh3 Ne4 16.Bd3 g6 17.Ne2 f6 $15
    {Milagrosa-Roca, Makati 2002.} )
12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Qxc3!? {Certainly not forced.} 14.Rf3 Rd8 15.Bf2 Qc7 16.Bd3 g6
17.Rh3 Nd7?! {Allowing a dangerous combination. I don't like this decision much
on practical grounds.}
    (17...Nc6 $146 18.Qg4 Nxd4 19.Bxd4 b5 $13 )
18.Nxe6!!
    (18.Rxh7 Nxe5
        (18...Kxh7 19.Nxe6 $18 )
        (18...Nc5!? 19.Rh3 Nxd3 20.cxd3 $13 )
    19.fxe5 Kxh7 20.Qh5+ Kg8 21.Bxg6 $10 )
18...fxe6 19.Rxh7 Nf8
    (19...Nxe5 20.fxe5 Qxe5 21.Rh3 Bxg5 22.Bxg6 $40 )
20.Rh6! Kg7?
    (20...Bc5 21.Bxg6 Bxf2+ 22.Kxf2 Nxg6 23.Rxg6+ Kf7 24.Rh6 Qc5+ 25.Kg2 Rg8
    {seems to hold, but Black is on shaky ground.} )
21.Qg4 Bc5
    (21...Qc3 22.Rd1 Qb4
        (22...Bc5 23.Qh4 $40 )
    23.Qh4 Kf7 24.Rh8 Ke8 25.c4 $40 )
22.Qh4 Bxf2+ 23.Kxf2 b5 24.Rh8 Qc5+ 25.Kf3 Kf7 26.Bxg6+! Ke7 27.Rh7+ {1-0
Ganguly-Hernandez Carmenates, Sabadell 2008. Two days later Ganguly had the
chance to repeat this game again - against me - but decided to play quietly,
but fell into a slightly worse position and accepted a draw.} *


[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Sofia BUL"]
[Date "2010.04.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.04.24"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[EventType "match"]
[ECO "E04"]
[Variation "Open Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter October 2010"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.15"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 a5 7.Qc2 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 c6
9.a4
    (9.Ne5 b5 10.Nxc6 Qc7
        (10...Qb6 11.Ne7 Bb7 12.Nc8 )
    )
9...b5 10.Na3
    (10.axb5 cxb5 11.Qg5 O-O 12.Qxb5 Ba6 )
10...Bd7
    (10...Ba6 11.Ne5 Nd5 12.Nxc6 Nxc6 13.axb5 Bxb5 14.Nxb5 )
11.Ne5 Nd5 12.e4 Nb4
    (12...Nf6 13.O-O O-O 14.d5 )
13.O-O O-O 14.Rfd1 Be8
    (14...Qe7 15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.d5 Rd8 17.Qe2
        (17.Qg5 h6 18.Qh5 Nd3 19.b3 )
    17...Nd3 18.b3 )
15.d5 Qd6
    (15...Qb6 16.Ng4
        (16.dxe6 fxe6 17.Bh3 Qc5
            (17...Nd3 18.Bxe6+ Kh8 19.Naxc4 )
        18.Bxe6+ Kh8 )
    16...Nd3
        (16...f5 17.Ne5 )
    17.dxc6
        (17.Ne3 Nc5 18.dxc6 Nxa4 19.Naxc4 bxc4 20.Rxa4 Nxc6 21.Rxc4 Rd8 )
    17...Nxc6 18.axb5 Ncb4 19.Nxc4 Qc5 20.e5 Qxc4
        (20...Rb8 21.Nd6 f5 22.exf6 Qxd6 23.fxg7 Kxg7 24.Be4 Bg6 25.Qh6+ Kf7
        26.Bxg6+ hxg6 27.Rxa5 )
    21.Nf6+ gxf6 22.exf6 Kh8 23.Bxa8 Bxb5 24.Rxa5 )
16.Ng4
    (16.dxc6 Qxe5 17.axb5 N8xc6
        (17...c3 18.bxc3 N4xc6 19.bxc6 Bxc6 )
    18.bxc6 Bxc6 19.Nxc4 Qc5
        (19...Qc7 20.Nxa5 )
    20.Qc3 )
16...Qc5
    (16...exd5 17.Ne3
        (17.exd5 f5 18.Ne3 f4 19.gxf4 Qxf4 20.dxc6 N8xc6 21.axb5 Rd8 22.Nd5 Nxd5
        23.Bxd5+ Rxd5 24.Qxd5+ Kh8 25.Nxc4
            (25.bxc6 Qxf2+ 26.Kh1 Qf6 )
        25...Nb4 26.Qd4 Qg5+ 27.Kh1 Bxb5 28.Ne5 Nc6 29.Qc5 Qf4 30.Nd3 Qf3+
        31.Kg1 Qg4+ 32.Kf1 Qh3+ )
    17...f5
        (17...N8a6 18.exd5 Nc5 19.dxc6 Qxd2 20.Rxd2 Nb3 21.Rad1 Bxc6
            (21...Nxd2 22.axb5 Nb3 23.c7 Rc8 24.b6 )
        22.Bxc6 Nxc6 23.Rd6 b4 24.Naxc4 )
    18.Nxf5 Qc5 19.axb5 cxb5 20.Qd4 )
17.Ne3 N8a6
    (17...Ra7 18.dxc6 bxa4 19.Naxc4 N8xc6 20.Nd6 )
    (17...Nd3 18.b3
        (18.Qc2 Ne5 )
        (18.axb5 cxb5 19.b3 Nxf2 20.Qxf2 cxb3 21.Rd3 a4 22.Qb2 )
        (18.dxc6 Nxc6 19.axb5 Nce5 20.Nexc4 Nxc4 21.Qxd3 Nxa3 22.Qxa3 Qxb5
            (22...Qxa3 23.Rxa3 Bxb5 24.e5 Ra7
                (24...Rad8 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Rxa5 Rd1+ 27.Bf1 Rxf1+ 28.Kg2 g5
                29.Rxb5 Rb1 )
            25.h4 )
        23.Rac1 )
    18...Nxf2 19.Qxf2
        (19.Kxf2 cxb3 20.axb5 cxb5 21.e5 )
    19...cxb3 20.Rd3 bxa4 21.Qb2 )
18.dxc6 bxa4
    (18...Bxc6 19.axb5 Bxb5 20.Naxc4 Bxc4 21.Rac1 )
19.Naxc4 Bxc6 20.Rac1 h6
    (20...Qe7 21.Nd6
        (21.Nxa5 Bb5 22.Nac4 Rfd8 23.Nd6 Rab8 )
    21...Rfd8 )
21.Nd6 Qa7
    (21...Qh5 22.f4 Rad8 23.Qf2 Bd5 24.exd5 Rxd6 25.Bf3 Qg6 26.Nc4 )
    (21...Qg5 22.h4 Qe7 23.Nec4 Nc5 24.Nxa5 Rxa5 25.Qxb4 Qa7 )
22.Ng4
    (22.Rc4 Rad8 23.Qc3 Qb6 )
    (22.Qc3 Nc7 23.Qe5 Rfd8 24.Qf4 Rd7 )
22...Rad8
    (22...Qe7 23.Ne5 Be8 24.Qd4 Qa7 25.Qc4 )
    (22...Kh7 23.Rxc6 Nxc6 24.e5 Ne7 25.Be4+ Ng6 26.h4 Nc5 27.Bb1 Nb3 28.Qe2 h5
    29.Nh2 Nd4 30.Qxh5+ Kg8 31.Ng4 Rad8 32.Rxd4 Qxd4 33.Ne4 Rfe8 34.Nef6+ Kf8
    35.Bxg6 fxg6 36.Qh8+ Kf7 37.Nh6+ gxh6 38.Qh7+ Kf8 39.Qg8+ Ke7 40.Qg7# )
    (22...Nc5 23.Rc4 Ncd3
        (23...Nb3 24.Nxh6+ Kh7 25.Qf4 gxh6 26.e5 Bxg2 27.Nf5 exf5 28.Qxf5+ Kh8
        29.Qf6+ Kh7 30.Rh4 )
        (23...f6 24.e5 f5
            (24...Bxg2 25.exf6 Bd5 26.fxg7 )
            (24...Nb3 25.Qc3 Bxg2 26.Rc7 )
        25.Nf6+ gxf6 26.exf6 Ne4 27.Nxe4
            (27.Bxe4 fxe4 28.Qxh6 Qh7 29.Qg5+ Kh8 )
        27...Bxe4 28.Qxh6 Nd5 29.Qg5+ Kh8 30.Bxe4 fxe4 31.Rxe4 Nxf6 32.Rh4+ Nh7
        33.Qe5+ Qg7 34.Qxg7+ Kxg7 35.Rd7+ )
        (23...Rfb8 24.Nxh6+ )
        (23...Nd7 24.e5 Bxg2 25.Nxh6+ )
    24.Bf1 Rad8 25.e5
        (25.Rxc6 h5 26.Qc3
            (26.Nh6+ gxh6 27.Bxd3 Nxc6 28.Qxh6 Rxd6 )
        26...Nxc6 27.Rxd3 Nb4 )
    25...f5 26.Nxh6+ gxh6 27.Bxd3 Nxd3 28.Qxd3 Bb5 29.Qd4 Qxd4 30.Rcxd4 Rb8
    31.Rc1 Be2 32.Rxa4 Rxb2 33.Rxa5 Bf3 )
    (22...f6 23.Rc4
        (23.e5 Bxg2 24.exf6 Bd5 25.Nxh6+ Kh8 26.f7 Kh7 27.Qf4 Rad8 28.Ng4 Rxd6
        29.Qxd6 Qxf7 )
        (23.Qe2 Nc5 24.e5 f5 )
    23...Rad8
        (23...Rfd8 24.e5 Bxg2 25.exf6 Bf3 26.Nxh6+ )
    24.e5 Bxg2
        (24...Bd5 25.Bxd5 Nxd5 26.Nxh6+ gxh6 27.Qxh6 Qh7
            (27...Qg7 28.Qh4 Qh7 29.Qg4+ Kh8 30.Qe2 )
        28.Rg4+ Kh8 29.Qd2 Qa7 30.h3 )
    25.exf6 h5 26.fxg7 Qxg7 27.Kxg2 Nd5 28.Nh6+ Kh7 29.Nhf5 Rxf5 30.Nxf5 exf5
    31.Qxa5 Qb7 32.Kh3 Rd6 33.Rdd4
        (33.Rxa4 Nac7 )
    33...f4 34.Qe1
        (34.gxf4 Qd7+ 35.Kg2 Nxf4+ 36.Rxf4 Rg6+ )
    34...Qd7+ 35.Kg2 Qf5 36.Qd1 h4 37.g4 Qe5 38.Rxa4 Nc5 39.Ra7+ Nd7 40.Ra6 f3+
    41.Qxf3 Qxd4 42.Qf7+ Kh6 43.Rxd6+ N7f6 44.Qf8+ Kg6 45.Qg8+ Kh6 46.Rxf6+ Nxf6
    47.g5+ Kh5 48.gxf6 Qe4+ )
23.Nxh6+ gxh6 24.Qxh6 f6 25.e5 Bxg2
    (25...Be8 26.Bh3 f5 27.Qg5+ )
26.exf6 Rxd6 27.Rxd6 Be4 28.Rxe6 Nd3
    (28...Qh7 29.Qg5+ Kh8 30.Rxe4 )
29.Rc2 Qh7 30.f7+ Qxf7 31.Rxe4 Qf5 32.Re7 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 1"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B32"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.N1c3 a6 7.Na3 Be6 8.Nc4 {Page
219 after "7...Be6 8.Nc4" insert in brackets "Rabjabov's latest try, at the
Turin Olympiad 2006, was} 8...Rb8
{Perhaps the simplest plan now, instead of 9.a4 as in the game, was} 9.Ne3 Nf6
10.g3 {with the usual edge."} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 1"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B60"]
[Variation "Richter-Rauzer Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Bd7 7.Be2 Qa5 8.Bxf6 gxf6
9.O-O Nxd4 10.Qxd4 Rc8 11.a4 Qc5
    ( {Page 118 note e32. Add in brackets after 11...Qc5: The move-order}
    11...a6 {,as once played by Dreev, now seems inaccurate because of} 12.Qa7!
    {as in Dembo-An. Stojanovic, Turkey 2006. 12...Qc7 or 12...Qb4 are both
strongly met by 13.Nd5,while} 12...Bc6 {allows White's positional dream-move:}
    13.Bb5! )
12.Qd2 a6 13.Nd5 Qxc2 14.Qe3 Bh6 15.Qxh6 Qxe2 16.Nb6 Rc7
    ( {Page 118 note e323 after 16...Nc7, in brackets add: Perhaps Black should
try} 16...Rd8!? {with the idea that} 17.Qg7 Rf8 18.Nxd7 {can now be met by}
    18...Kxd7 )
*


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 1"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B27"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 b6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bb7 5.Nc3 a6
    (5...Nf6 {Page 264 Add after sentence ending "and soon won." Mr Limp
continues to keep the faith with 5...Nf6, with a couple more tries in Sao Paulo
2005. In Round 5 after 6. Bg5 he tried 6...e6 against Van Riemsdijk, whose
7.Ndb5 only succeeded in reaching a funny Sveshnikov. Repeating the line
against Leitao in Round 6 was a step too far:.} 6.Bg5 e6 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3
    Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.h4
    {and Black was already in deep trouble. 1-0 in 22 moves...} )
6.Bg5 Qc7 7.Nd5 Bxd5 8.exd5 Qe5+ 9.Be3 Qxd5 10.Be2 {Page 265 Add after sentence
ending "excellent compensation for the pawn." This line recently had a
successful test against super-GM opposition. Rahal-Bauer, France 2006,
continued} 10...e5 11.Nb3 Qb7 12.O-O Nf6 13.f4 e4 14.c4 Be7 15.g4!? {and White
had a powerful initiative for the pawn. Later White should have won, but only
drew. Perhaps this line is strong, but unlucky.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 2"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B66"]
[Variation "Richter-Rauzer Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.O-O-O h6
9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Bf4 d5 11.Qe3 Qa5
    (11...Be7 12.Be2 Nd7 13.h4 e5 14.Bxe5 Nxe5 15.exd5 Qc7
        (15...Qd6 16.Ne4 )
    16.f4 )
12.Be2 Bb4 13.Be5 Bxc3 14.Bxc3 Qxa2 15.Bd3 dxe4 16.Qg3 exd3 17.Qxg7 Ne4 18.Qxh8+
Ke7 19.cxd3 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 2"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B28"]
[Variation "O'Kelly Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c4 d6 4.d4 Bg4 5.dxc5 Bxf3 6.gxf3 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 Qxc5
    (7...dxc5 8.Qb3 )
8.Be3 Qc6 9.Bg2 Nd7 10.Rc1 Ngf6 11.O-O g5 12.e5 dxe5 13.f4 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 2"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B32"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.N1c3 a6 7.Na3 b5 8.Nd5 Nf6 9.c4
b4 10.Nxf6+ Qxf6 11.Nc2 Qg6 12.Ne3 Be7 13.g3 {Add the following on page 225. In
the bracket after the sentence ending "Alexei Federov." "GM Sveshnikov recently
found a clever way to strengthen Black's play:} 13...Nd4!? 14.Bg2 Bb7 15.Nf5
    ( {Bologan claimed that} 15.Nd5!? Bxd5 16.cxd5 O-O 17.Be3
    {was an edge for White, but it doesn't look like much after} 17...f5 )
15...Qxf5! 16.exf5 Bxg2 17.Rg1 Bf3 18.Qa4+
    ( {Or} 18.Qd3 Be2 {is also level.} )
18...Bc6 19.Qd1 {Draw agreed in Klovans-Sveshnikov, Latvian Championship 2005.}
*


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 3"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B67"]
[Variation "Richter-Rauzer Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.O-O-O Bd7
9.f4 b5
    (9...h6 10.Bh4 g5
        (10...Nxe4 11.Qe1 Nf6 12.Nf5 Qa5 13.Nxd6+ Bxd6 14.Rxd6 Qc7 15.Rd2
        {Page128, after 15...Qxf4?!, add ( perhaps in square brackets) In
Izoria-Avrukh, Athens 2005, Black played the tougher} 15...O-O-O {After} 16.Bxf6
        gxf6 {Avrukh suggests} 17.Qh4 {as promising.} )
    11.fxg5 Ng4 12.Be2 Nge5 13.Nf3 Be7 14.Rhg1 b5 15.Rdf1 b4 16.Nd1
    {page 128 after 16... Rb8 add in brackets: The recent trend has been for}
    16...hxg5 {The following sequence is almost forced.} 17.Bxg5 Bxg5 18.Nxg5
    Qa5 19.Kb1 b3! 20.Qxa5 bxc2+ 21.Kxc2 Nxa5 {This position has been reached a
few times, including Senff-Baklan, Cappelle la Grande 2006. The results suggest
Black has just enough compensation to draw.} )
10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Kb1 Qb6 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.f5 b4
    ( {page 130, new paragraph at end of note to move 13. Kozul, the main
specialist in this line, has recently favoured} 13...h5 {The idea is} 14.fxe6
    fxe6 15.Qf4 Qc5 16.Qxf6 Rh6 {as in Svetushkin-Kozul, Turkey 2006. Black
certainly has some dark-squared compensation but his king position is also
somewhat insecure.} )
14.Ne2 e5 15.Ng3 h5 16.h4 Bh6 17.Qxd6
    ( {page 131 note to move 16, add at end of note. This was tested, without
any clear conclusion, in G. Guseinov-Kotronias, Moscow 2005:} 17.Qe2 Ke7 18.Nxh5
    Qb7 19.Re1 b3!? {with an unclear position that was eventually drawn.} )
17...Rd8 18.Qxd8+ Qxd8 19.Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.Nxh5 {page 131 in note to move 16 after
20...Bxe4 add in brackets: Black also had enough compensation after} 20...Ke7
21.Bd3 Be3 {in Bologan-Kotronias, Warsaw 2005.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Game 4"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2006.06.22"]
[ECO "B66"]
[Variation "Richter-Rauzer Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.O-O-O a6
9.f4 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 b5 {In main text of Game 26 delete "10.f4"} 11.Be2 Bb7 12.Bf3
Qc7 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.f5 h5
{page 136/137 in note to move 15 delete "the untried"} 15.Kb1 Qc5 16.Qxc5 dxc5
17.fxe6 fxe6 18.Ne2 h4 19.Nf4
{and at end of same sentence add "as in Herrera-Fernando, Havana 2003."} *


[Event "Dos Hermanas"]
[Site "Dos Hermanas"]
[Date "2006.04.02"]
[Round "?"]
[White "GM_Spraggett"]
[Black "GM_delaVilla"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[ECO "B29"]
[Variation "Nimzovich Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2578"]
[BlackElo "2461"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Ne5 Bxb5 7.Qf3 f6 8.Nxb5 Na6
9.Qh5+ g6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Qxh8 Qd7 12.Nc3 Qe6+ 13.Kf1 Nab4 14.Qh4 Qa6+ 15.Kg1
Nxc2 16.Rb1 Nd4 17.h3 e6 18.d3 O-O-O 19.Qg4 Qxd3 20.Qe4 Qc4 21.Qe1 Nxc3 22.bxc3
Nc2 0-1


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.06.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Gelfand line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2005.06.01"]
[ECO "B96"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 Qc7
9.O-O-O b5 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.Rhe1 Qb6 12.Nd5 Qxd4
    (12...exd5 13.Nc6!! Bxc6 14.exd5+ Be7 15.dxc6 Nc5 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Bf5 $16
    {Chiburdanidze-Dvoirys, Tallinn 1980.} )
13.Bxf6
    (13.Nc7+ Kd8 14.Nxa8 Bxa8 15.Bxb5 $13 {Hauchard-Beran, Paris 1990.} )
13...gxf6
    (13...Qc5 14.Bh4 Rc8 15.Kb1 $14 {Chumfwa-Hailu, Abuja 2003.} )
14.Bxb5 Qc5 15.b4!?
    (15.Nxf6+ Kd8 16.Nxd7
        (16.Bxd7 Be7 17.Qb3 Bxf6 18.Bxe6 fxe6 19.Qxb7 Rc8 20.c3 $13 )
    16...Qxb5 17.Nxf8
        (17.Qc3 Kxd7 18.Qxh8 Qh5 $15 )
    17...Rxf8
        (17...Ke7? 18.Nxe6 fxe6 19.Qg3 $16 {Hanssen - Velden, corr 2000.} )
    18.Qa3 Rc8 19.Qxd6+ Ke8 20.c3
        (20.Re3 Qc6
            (20...Rg8? 21.Rc3 Bc6 22.f5 $18
            {Kosten-Kr. Georgiev, Saint Affrique 2005.} )
        21.Qd2 Ke7 22.Qb4+ Kf6 {and it is dubious if there is any advantage.
Maybe the perpetual is the correct choice.} )
    20...Qc6 21.Qb4 a5! 22.Qxa5
        (22.Qd4 f6 $15 )
    22...Ra8 23.Qg5 f6 $13 {Nakamura-Gelfand, Biel 2005. It does not seem that
the optimism from the first edition was justified. Black is ok in all lines.} )
15...Qxb5 16.Nc7+ Ke7
    (16...Kd8 17.Nxb5 axb5 18.Qh5 $16 {Janetschek-Wallner, Austria 1992.} )
17.Nxb5 axb5 18.Qd3 Ra6 19.Qxb5 Rb6
{=/+ - Gelfand. But this seems to be more of an emotional evaluation.} 20.Qd3
Bh6 21.g3 Ra8
    (21...Ba6 22.Qf3 Rc8 23.Qh5 Bf8 24.a3 Ke8 25.Rd2 Rc3 26.Kb2 Rbc6 27.a4 Nb6
    28.Ra1 Rc7 29.a5 Nc8 30.Ra3 Rxa3 31.Kxa3 Rc4 32.Kb3
        (32.f5 $18 )
    32...d5 33.c3 Rxe4 34.Rd4 Re2 35.f5 Re5 36.Qg4 h5 37.Qd1 Rxf5 38.c4 Bxc4+
    39.Rxc4 dxc4+ 40.Kxc4 Re5 41.Qa4+ Kd8 42.Qd1+ Kc7 43.Qc2 Na7 44.Qf2 Nc8
    45.Qxf6 Rf5 46.Qd4 Rd5 47.Qf2 Rf5 48.Qe3 Bd6 49.Qe4 Bxg3 50.Kb3 Bd6 51.a6
    Rf4 52.Qb7+ Kd8 53.a7 Nxa7 54.Qb6+ Ke7 55.Qxa7+ Kf8 56.Qa8+ Kg7 57.Qd8 Rxb4+
    58.Kc3 Bf8 59.Qg5+ Kh7 60.Qxh5+ Kg8
    {1/2-1/2 Mnatsakanian,E-Georgiev,K/Yerevan 1982/MCD} )
22.a3 e5
    (22...Kf8!? 23.Re3 Ba6 24.Qc3 e5 25.Rf3 $14 )
23.Qf3 f5 24.Qh5 Bg7 {1/2-1/2 Nataf - Lalic, Salou 2004.} 25.Qxh7 Bf6 26.Rd3
    (26.fxe5!? {was Nataf's other suggestion, but it probably does not give a
chance for an advantage.} )
26...Rba6 27.Qxf5 Rxa3 28.Rxa3 Rxa3 29.Kd2!
    (29.Kb2 Rf3 30.Ka2 Rf2 $41 {Nataf.} )
29...exf4 30.e5 dxe5 31.Qxf4
    (31.gxf4 Rf3 32.Re3 Rf2+ 33.Re2 Rf3 34.c4 Kd8 $13 )
31...Rf3 32.Qc4 $14 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Najdorf"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2005.06.01"]
[ECO "B99"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7
9.O-O-O Nbd7 10.Bd3 b5 11.Rhe1 Bb7 12.Qg3 b4 13.Nd5 exd5 14.exd5 Kd8 15.Nc6+
Bxc6 16.dxc6 Qxc6 17.Bxf6 Bxf6
    (17...Nxf6 18.Qxg7 Re8! 19.Qxf7
        (19.Rxe7 Kxe7 20.Re1+ Kd7 21.Qxf7+ Kc8 22.Re6 Rxe6 23.Qxe6+ Kc7 24.Qxf6
        Qc5 $13 {Palliser.} )
    19...Ra7 20.Rxe7 Raxe7 21.Qxf6 Kc7 22.Qd4 Qb6 23.Qxb6+ Kxb6 24.Kd2 {The
question is whether or not White is better in this endgame. The fact that he
lost it has little to do with the actual evaluation. Navara - Shirov, Prague
(blitz) 2005.} )
18.Be4 Qa4 19.Bxa8 Qxa2 20.Rxd6 Qxb2+ 21.Kd1 Qb1+ 22.Ke2 Qxc2+ 23.Kf1 Qc4+
24.Rd3 Re8 25.Rd1 Kc7
    (25...Re7 {leads to unclear play according to Richard Palliser, but maybe
White is still better all the same?} 26.Qf3 {looks strong.} )
26.Bd5 Qb5 27.Kg1 $14 {I. Rogers and Z. Zhao.} *


[Event "Arco 2005"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.10.27"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Isonzo, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2005.10.22"]
[ECO "B37"]
[Variation "Maróczy Bind"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2452"]
[BlackElo "2337"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nc2 Bg7 8.Be2 Nd7
9.Bd2 O-O 10.O-O Nc5 11.b4 Ne6 12.Rc1 a5 13.a3 axb4 14.axb4 Ned4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4
16.Be3 e5 17.Nb5 Nxb5 18.cxb5 Be6 19.b6 Qh4? 20.Bf3! Rfd8 21.Rc7 Rab8
{Aagaard - Isonzo, Arco 2005. Here I should have played} 22.Qd2! h6 23.g3 Qf6
24.Bg2 Kh7 25.Ra1 Rd7 26.Ra7 Qd8 27.Qc2 $16 1-0


[Event "Arco 2005"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.10.27"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Isonzo, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2005.10.22"]
[ECO "B37"]
[Variation "Maróczy Bind"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2452"]
[BlackElo "2337"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nc2 Bg7 8.Be2 Nd7
9.Bd2 O-O 10.O-O Nc5 11.b4 Ne6 12.Rc1 a5 13.a3 axb4 14.axb4 Ned4 15.Nxd4 Nxd4
16.Be3 e5 17.Nb5 Nxb5 18.cxb5 Be6 19.b6 Qh4?
    (19...f5 20.Rc7!?
        (20.f3 Ra3 21.Qd2 $13 )
    20...f4
        (20...Rf7 21.Bc4 Bxc4 22.Rxc4 f4
            (22...d5 23.Qxd5 f4 24.Bc5 Qxd5 25.exd5 Rd7 26.d6 Bf8 27.Re1 $14 )
        23.Qd5! Kf8 24.Bd2 Qxb6 25.Rfc1 $44 )
    21.Bc1
        (21.Bd2 Rf7 22.Bg4 Bxg4 23.Qxg4 Rxc7 24.bxc7 Qxc7 25.Qe6+ Qf7 26.Qxd6
        f3 $10 )
    21...Rf7 22.Qc2 Ra2 23.Bb2 Qf6 24.Rd1 $14 )
20.Bf3!
    (20.Qxd6 Rfd8 $10 )
20...Rfd8 21.Rc7 Rab8 22.g3?
    (22.Qd2 h6 23.g3 Qf6 24.Bg2 Kh7 25.Ra1 Rd7 26.Ra7 Qd8 27.Qc2 $16 )
22...Qf6 23.h4 h6 24.h5 gxh5! {I had completely overlooked this opportunity.}
25.Bxh5 d5 26.exd5 Rxd5
    (26...Bxd5 $13 )
27.Qf3 e4 28.Qxf6 Bxf6 29.Be2 Be5 {I did not think that I had any advantage
here, so I took the chance to enter these complications with gratitude.}
    (29...Bg5 $10 )
30.Bc4 Rd6 31.Bc5 Rc6??
    (31...Bxc4 32.Bxd6 Bxf1 33.Bxe5 Be2 34.f4
        (34.Re7 {was my plan, but Fritz comes up with} 34...Kf8! $10 )
    34...e3 35.Rc3 Ra8 36.Rxe3 $14 )
32.Rxc6 Bxc4 33.Rc1 Be6!?
    (33...bxc6 34.Rxc4 f5 35.Be3 Kf7 36.Rxc6 $18 )
    (33...Bd5 34.Bd6 bxc6 35.Bxb8 Bxb8 36.b5 $18 {was my plan.} )
34.Rxe6??
    ( {Walking home after the game it only took me a few seconds to work out
that I win rather easily here with} 34.Bd6! bxc6 35.Bxb8 Bxb8 36.Rxc6 $18
    {The last move had for some reason slipped my mind. I had only seen}
        (36.b5 cxb5 37.b7 Kg7 38.Rc8 Bd6 39.b8=Q Bxb8 40.Rxb8 Bc4 $10 {I think
the reason is simple. Even though I knew this was the critical moment where
everything had to be calculated accurately, I was not able to concentrate. It
is positions like this that costs me points way too often.} )
    )
34...fxe6 35.Be3 Rd8 36.Rc4 h5 37.Rxe4 $16 Rd5 38.Rc4 Rd7 39.Rh4 Rh7 40.Re4 Bc3
41.Rxe6 Bxb4 42.Re8+ Kf7 43.Re4 Bd6 44.Kg2 Rh8 45.Kh3 Ra8 46.Rh4 Ra5 47.Rc4 Ke6
48.Rc8 Kd7 49.Rh8 Rb5 50.Rh7+ Be7 51.Bd4 Ke6?
    (51...Ke8 52.Rh8+ Kf7 53.Be3
        (53.Rb8 Rd5 54.Bc3 Rd7 55.Be5 Bc5 56.Bc7 Bxf2 57.Kh4 Kg6 58.Rxb7 Rd4+
        59.Kh3 Rd2 60.Rb8 Bg1 61.g4 hxg4+ 62.Kxg4 Bxb6 $10 )
    53...Rd5 $16 )
52.Rh8?
{I had a great idea here. The correct was actually not too difficult. After}
    (52.f4 Rf5 53.Be5 Kd7 {I just had to look at} 54.Kg2! $18 {for a few secon
ds, and I would have won the game. I used 8 minutes on my move, but I can only
say that they passed rather randomly.} )
52...Rd5 53.Be3 Bd6 54.Rg8 Be7 55.Rb8 Rd7 56.Rc8 Bd8 57.Bc5 Rd5 58.Be3 Rd7
59.Kg2 Rd5 60.Rb8 Rd7 61.Kf3 Kf5 62.Ra8 Rd5 63.Rc8
    (63.Ra7 Rd7 64.Ra5+ Kg6 65.Ke4 Rd6 66.Rd5 $16 )
63...Rd1??
    (63...Rd7 64.Rc5+ Kg6 65.Ke4 Rd6 66.Rd5 Re6+ 67.Kd3 Bxb6 68.Rg5+ Kf7 69.Bxb6
    Rxb6 70.Rxh5 $16 )
    (63...Ke6 64.Rb8 Rd7 65.Ke4 Kf7 66.Rc8 Ke6 67.Rc5 Rh7 68.f4 $18 )
64.Rc7 1-0


[Event "Arco 2005"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.10.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Schacher, Gerd"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2005.10.22"]
[ECO "B98"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2452"]
[BlackElo "2258"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qa5
9.O-O-O Bd7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Bg5+ 13.Kb1 Nc6 14.Ne4 Qxe5!?
{Dominguez.} 15.Nf5! exf5 16.Nxg5 Qe7
    ( {The alternative is} 16...Qf6 {when White again should reply} 17.Bc4!!
    {Nr. 6 on Fritz 8's list of recommendations. Black now should transpose by
taking the knight. Alternatives such as} 17...Ne5
    {are met very violently indeed.} 18.Bxf7+! Qxf7
        (18...Nxf7 19.Rhe1+ Ne5 20.Rxd7! $16 )
    19.Qxb7 Bc6 20.Nxf7 $16 {White has an extra pawn in the endgame.} )
17.Bc4!! {Thomas Luther. This is the surprise Dominguez does not include in his
analysis in the Informant. Now a forced line leads to a slight White plus.}
17...Qxg5!
    (17...Ne5 18.Bxf7+! {and Black is in trouble.} )
    (17...O-O 18.Qh5 h6 19.Nxf7! {is even worse.} )
18.Rhe1+
    (18.Bxf7+ Kxf7 19.Rxd7+ Ne7! {and Black defends.} )
18...Be6
    (18...Kd8 19.Qd5 Nb8 20.Qxb7 {and White wins.} )
19.Bxe6 O-O!
    ( {There is no choice. Black would face a lot of suffering in the endgame
after} 19...fxe6 20.Rxe6+ Kf8
        (20...Ne7 21.Rde1 $16 )
    21.Rd7 Re8
        (21...Ne7 22.Rexe7 Qxe7 23.Rxe7 Kxe7 24.Qxb7+ Kf6 25.c4 $16 )
    22.h4 Rxe6 23.hxg5 Re1+ 24.Rd1 Rxd1+ 25.Qxd1 $18 )
20.Qxf5
    (20.Bxf5!? $14 )
20...Qxf5 21.Bxf5 $14 {This was the end of my preparation. White is a little
better in the endgame, as he is better developed and has bishop against knight.
This is maybe not enough to win objectively, but as far as the opening goes, it
has been a disaster for Black. This position holds no chances for a win, and
the draw is not as close as it would have been if he had played a passive
variation of the Petroff.} 21...Rfe8
    (21...Rad8 22.Bd7! Nb8 23.Bg4 {with the idea of Bf3-d5 with a slight plus.} )
22.c4?! {With the idea to put a bishop on d5. Maybe it is too comittal to give
away the d4 and b4-squares. Now I prefer}
    (22.Be4! $14 )
22...Rxe1!
    (22...Rad8 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Be4 $14 )
23.Rxe1 g6?! {This does not really help the Black position, but no easy route
to equality does not exist. I think the best chance was}
    (23...Kf8 {with the idea to play} 24.Bd7 h5!! 25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Kc2 Re8
    27.Rxe8+ Kxe8 28.Kc3 Kd7 29.Kb4 g5 30.Kc5 f5
    {and the endgame should be a draw. The main point comes after} 31.b4 h4
    32.b5?? cxb5 33.cxb5 axb5 34.Kxb5 g4 35.Kc4 f4 36.Kd3
    {when Black wins with the classic pawn break-through} 36...f3! 37.gxf3 g3
    38.hxg3 h3 $19 )
24.Bd7! Kf8 25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Kc2 $14 {The rook endgame is clearly better for
White, but not necessarily clear better, if that makes any sense. Black needs
to defend passively and hope that the white passed pawn on the queenside does
not queen. Instead my opponent tried his luck in the pawn endgame, where no
luck was to be found.} 26...Re8?
    (26...c5 27.Re5 Rc8 28.Kc3 Rc6 29.a3 f6 30.Rd5 Ke7 31.b4 $14 )
27.Rxe8+ Kxe8 28.Kc3 Ke7
{This made things easier for me, but White is winning anyway after}
    (28...Kd7 29.Kb4 f5 30.Kc5! {I do not see any alternatives for Black to}
        (30.Ka5? g5 )
    30...g5 31.b4 f4 32.b5! cxb5 33.cxb5 axb5 34.Kxb5 $18 {This is a classic
example of the distant passed pawn ensuring victory. Black is exactly one tempo
short of queening his passed pawn.} )
29.Kb4 Kd6 30.Ka5 f5
    (30...Kc5 31.Kxa6 f5 32.a4 f4 33.a5 g5 34.h3 h5 35.Kb7 g4 36.hxg4 hxg4 37.a6
    f3 38.gxf3 gxf3 39.a7 f2 40.a8=Q f1=Q 41.Qa7+ Kd6 42.Qd4+ $18 )
31.Kxa6 g5 32.b4 f4 33.b5 cxb5 34.cxb5 g4 35.b6 1-0


[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Analysis on the pin"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[ECO "B40"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.e5 Nd5 7.Bd2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Ba5
9.Qg4 O-O 10.Bd3 d6 11.Nf3 g6 12.h4 dxe5 13.h5 f5 14.Qg3
    (14.Bxf5 exf5 15.Qc4+ Kg7 16.hxg6 f4 17.Rxh7+ Kxg6 18.Qe4+ {In the first
edition I gave a hopeless line here, which was later corrected by a reader.}
    18...Bf5 {The improvement.}
        (18...Rf5?? 19.Rh3 Kf7
            (19...Kf6 20.g4 fxg3 21.fxg3 $18 )
        20.g4! {Phil Taylor.} 20...fxg3 21.Qc4+ Kf6 22.Rxg3 Qe8 23.Ng5! $18 )
    19.Qxb7 Nd7!?
        (19...Bd7 $10 )
    20.Rxd7 Bxd7 21.Nxe5+ Kg7 22.O-O-O Qc7 $13 )
14...Qf6 15.hxg6 Qxg6 16.Qxe5!?
    (16.Qxg6+ hxg6 17.Nxe5 Nc6 18.Nxg6 Rd8 19.Ke2 $14 )
16...Nc6 17.Qh2 {Now I think White has a persistant initiative.}
    (17.Qe2 Qf6 $14 )
17...Rf7 18.O-O-O Rg7 19.Bh6 Re7 20.g4 $16 *


[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dworakowska"]
[Black "Areshchenko"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nc6 8.e5 h6 9.Bh4
g5 10.fxg5 Nd5 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.exd6 Bxd6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Qd4 Qe7+ 15.Be2 Be5
16.Qa4 Qd6 17.Bg3! {Gives by Thomas Luther in the first edition with a few
lines. In 2005 the Polish WGM playing White here got the chance to prove that
White is really in the driving seat, not once, but twice.} 17...Bd7
    (17...O-O!?
    {is an interesting attempt for an improvement. White should probably play}
    18.gxh6
        (18.O-O-O Rb8 {does not seem appealing.} )
    18...Bxg3+ 19.hxg3 Qxg3+ 20.Kf1 Bf5 21.Qd4 {Now Black played} 21...Rae8?
    {which should have lost in one move to 22.Bg4!! in Dworakowska, Calotescu,
Gothenburg 2005. Better is}
        (21...Kh7 {when White is better after for example} 22.Bd3 Bxd3+ 23.Qxd3+
        Qxd3+ 24.cxd3 $14 )
    )
18.Qh4 Rb8 19.O-O Bxg3
    (19...Rxb2 20.g6 fxg6 21.Bxe5 Qxe5 22.Bxa6 $16 )
20.hxg3 Qe5
    (20...Qc5+ {is the only move according to Fritz, but White has a
sensational attack after} 21.Kh2! Qxc2
        (21...Qe3 22.Rae1 Qxg5 {is objectively better, but the endgame after}
        23.Bg4+ Kd8 24.Bxd7 Qxh4+ 25.gxh4 Kxd7 26.Rxf7+ Kd6 $16
        {is still a pawn up for White - not a bad result of the opening!} )
    22.Rae1 {and Black has no defence:} 22...Be6 23.gxh6 Kd7 24.Bg4 f5
    25.Qf6 $18 )
21.g6! fxg6
    ( {Black has various chances to go into endgames as this one:} 21...Qe3+
    22.Kh2 O-O 23.Rxf7 Rxf7 24.gxf7+ Kxf7 25.Rf1+ Kg8 26.Rf6 Qg5 27.b3
    {Objectively Black is just lost, but in practice he might score between 10
and 20%.} )
22.Rae1 $16 {The outcome of the opening is clearly in White's favour. Without
having sacrificed anything she has a strong attack against the completely naked
black king, and many weak black pawns to attack.} 22...g5 23.Qa4 Kd8 24.Bg4!
{Eliminating an important defender.} 24...Qxb2
{What else? My electronic companion is silent.} 25.Bxd7 Kxd7 26.Rf7+ Kd6
{The only move, though not a nice move to play.}
    (26...Kd8 {is killed off with} 27.Qg4! Rb7 28.Rxb7 Qxb7 29.Qe6! {and there
is no defence against the various White threats, such as Qd6+ and Qf6+ to start
with.} 29...Qb4 {loses elegantly to} 30.c3! )
27.Rfe7! {Young Dworakowska is a very determined attacker.} 27...Kc5 28.Kh2
    ( {White has many ways to keep the pressure. One is to ruthlessly target
the c6-pawn:} 28.R1e3!?
    {Here Fritz suggest the somewhat meaningless at first sight} 28...h5 {which
is ac tually a deep move. The idea is that the White king should not be allowed
to hide on h2, as it can in many lines. Here White has various strong ideas.
One being} 29.R7e6 {and I cannot see a defence.} 29...Rhc8 30.Qa5+ Qb5 31.Rc3+
    Kd4 32.Rd3+ Kc5 33.Qd2! {and the game could finish something like} 33...Qb1+
    34.Kh2 Qxa2 35.Rc3+ Kb6 36.Qd4+ Kb7 37.Rb3+ Ka8 38.Re7
    {and mate can only be postponed, not prevented.} )
28...Qb4 29.Qxa6 Ra8 30.Qe2 Rhf8 31.Qe6
    (31.Qe5!? )
31...Rad8 32.a3
    (32.c4!? )
32...Qd4?
    (32...Qc3
    {was necessary, to keep an eye with c6. Still the position is dreadfull.}
    33.Rc7 $16 )
33.Rb1?? {And with one move White loses all the fruit of her hard work. After}
    (33.Rd7! {with the threat of Qe7+, Black has to play} 33...Rxd7 34.Qxd7
    {and there is no defence against Re6 or/and Qb7, both with murder in mind,
as well as the trivial Qe7+.} )
33...Qe4! {Now the exchange of queens cannot be prevented, and Black is at
least fine in the endgame, where the activity of his king suddenly becomes a
plus.} 34.Qxe4 dxe4 35.Rxe4 Rd2 36.Re6 Rff2 37.Rg1 Rd6 38.Rxd6 Kxd6 39.Kh3 h5?!
    ( {We are getting into time trouble territory, where mistakes are common
wildlife. Better was} 39...Rxc2 {when after} 40.Kg4 Ra2 41.Rh1 Rxa3 42.Rxh6+ Kd5
    {the game should be a draw, but White is the one who has to prove it. In
the game White should be able to make a draw as she pleases.} )
40.Rd1+ Ke5 41.a4 Rxc2 42.Ra1 Kd6 43.a5 Kc7 44.a6 Kb8 45.a7+ Ka8 46.Ra6
    (46.Ra5 c5 47.g4 hxg4+ 48.Kg3 Rc4 49.Ra6 Re4 50.Rc6 c4 51.Rc7 Rd4 52.Kh2
    {and it is not possible for Black to make progress.} )
46...Rc1 47.Kh2 g4
{This dominates the White king, but unfortunately it does also stalemate it.}
48.Ra4
    ( {The easiest way to force a draw was} 48.Ra1 Rc5 49.Rc1 Rf5 50.Rxc6 $10 )
48...Re1 49.Ra6 c5 50.Rc6
    (50.Ra5 Rc1 51.Ra1 Rc4 52.Rc1 $10 )
50...Rc1 51.Rc7 c4 52.Rh7 Re1 53.Rc7
    (53.Rh8+ Kxa7 54.Ra8+ Kb7 55.Rb8+ Kc6 56.Rc8+ Kd5 57.Rd8+ Kc5 58.Rc8+ $10 )
53...Rc1 54.Rh7 c3
    (54...Rc2! {was already strong here, but Areshchenko was probably not
concerned about his opponent finding the stalemate, when she had failed so many
times.} )
55.Rc7?!
    ( {This was the last chance for} 55.Rh8+! Kxa7 56.Ra8+ Kb6 57.Ra1! Rc2
    58.Rc1 $10 )
55...Rc2! {Really great endgame play. Black is changing the scene and making
progress. The endgame is still drawn with the best defence, but this was not so
easy to find anymore.} 56.Kg1 h4! 57.gxh4? {After this it is just bye bye.}
    (57.Kh2! {would have kept the balance. The great plan is that after} 57...h3
    58.Kh1! Rxg2
        (58...hxg2+ 59.Kg1
        {with a mutual zugzwang, where it is Black's turn to move.} )
    59.Rxc3 {The endgame is still a draw, as either Black removes his rook from
g2 and White attacks the g4-pawn, or Black lets the rook stay there, and White
draws with} 59...Kxa7 60.Rc7+ Kb6 61.Rc6+ Kb5 62.Rc5+ Kb4 63.Rc4+ Kb3
    64.Rxg4 $10 )
57...g3 58.Kf1 Rf2+ 59.Kg1
    ( {White could also try to give his king a chance by sacrificing the g-pawn
to get the square. But Black still wins by a tempo.} 59.Ke1 c2 60.h5 Rxg2 61.Kf1
    Rd2 62.Kg1 Rd1+ 63.Kg2 c1=Q 64.Rxc1 Rxc1 65.Kxg3 Rc4! {The only winning
move. The king has to be cut off at the 4th rank, not later.} )
59...c2 60.h5 Rd2 61.Kf1 Rd1+ 62.Ke2 c1=Q 63.Rxc1 Rxc1 64.Kf3 Kxa7 65.Kxg3 Kb6
66.Kf4 Kc7 67.Kf5 Kd7 68.g4 Rc6 69.g5 Ke7 70.h6 Kf7 0-1


[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.01.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "John Shaw"]
[Black "Krishnan Sasikiran"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[ECO "B27"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2657"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 b6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bb7 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5!? Qc7 7.Nd5 Bxd5 8.exd5 {I
recently had a chance to test this analysis against world class opposition.
Shaw - Sasikiran, Gibraltar 2005 continued} 8...e5?! 9.dxe6 fxe6 10.Qf3 Ra7
11.O-O-O g6 12.Qe3! {With the idea of Nxe6!. White's advantage is already
decisive and only an only an idiotic blunder allowed Black to win. This
confirms that 8...Qe5+ is necessary, but even here Sasikiran thought White had
excellent compensation.} 0-1


[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "missing lines"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[ECO "B54"]
[Variation "Open Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6
    (2...d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 a6 )
    (2...e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Qb6 {Bengt Svensson.} )
3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6
    (5...g6 )
6.Bg5 Bd7 7.Be2 Qa5 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.O-O Nxd4 10.Qxd4 Rc8 11.a4 Qc5 12.Qd2 a6
13.Nd5 Qxc2 14.Qe3 Bh6 15.Qxh6 Qxe2 16.Qg7
    (16.Nb6 {In the first edition Peter Wells missed} 16...Rd8! 17.Qg7 Rf8
    18.Nd5
        (18.Nxd7 Kxd7 19.Qxh7 Qg4! {and Black is not worse.} )
    18...Bc6 {with a less than clear game ahead.} )
16...Rf8 17.Rac1 Rxc1 18.Rxc1 Bc6 19.Nc7+ Kd7 20.Qxf8 Qxe4 21.Nd5!? Qxd5 22.f3
Qd4+ 23.Kh1 Qe3 24.Rg1 Bxf3 $10 *


[Event "Liberty Bell Open"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Improvement to Delchev"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2005.12.25"]
[ECO "B48"]
[Variation "Taimanov (Barnes) Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.O-O-O {The
practical problem with playing this system is that it does not well too well
with playing 6.Bg5 against the Najdorf, as there are some overlapping
variations with 6.Be3 if Black plays an early ...d6.} 8...Bb4 9.f3 b5 10.Nb3 Ne5
11.Qf2! {This is a completely new idea and should be investigated.} 11...Bxc3
    (11...Nc4 12.Bc5 Qf4+ 13.Kb1 Bxc3 14.bxc3 d5
    {was Delchev's recommendation, but it looks simply suicidal. After} 15.Ka1!
    {with the idea of Bxc4 and Na5 it is impossible to see how the Black king
shall ever find safety.} )
12.bxc3 d6 13.Bb6 Qb8 14.Ba5 Nc6 15.Qg3
    (15.Bb4 Nxb4 16.cxb4 O-O $10 )
15...O-O 16.Qxd6 Nxa5 17.Nxa5 Qa7 18.Nc6 Qe3+ 19.Kb1 Bb7 20.Qd4 Qh6 $13 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2004.10.25"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Acc Dragon"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2004.11.22"]
[ECO "B36"]
[Variation "Maróczy Bind"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 {This
variation is simply missing. I am sorry about this. The right way for White to
playis} 8.Bg5 Bg7 9.Qd2 O-O 10.Bd3! $14
{as seen in some old games Beliavsky lost with Black.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Najdorf 16...Nb6 line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2004.11.22"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2k3r/2qnbppp/p1Pp1n2/6B1/1p3P2/3B2Q1/PPP3PP/2KRR3 b - - 0 17"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

17...Nb6!? 17.Bh4 Rg8 18.Qf3? {18...d5 19.g4 Qxc6 lead to a victory for Black
in the internet blitz game Luther - Belov, 2004, played after the first edition
of this book was published. However White can play a lot stronger as an
afternoons analysis proves. After}
    (18.Rd2! {there does not seem to be an adequate defence for Black.}
    19...Nbd5 {Here White has several promising continuations, but I quite like
the direct}
        (19...Ra7 {is as always met with a strong sacrifice.} 19.Bxh7!
            (19.Rde2 Nbd5 {is less promising.} )
        20...Rh8 20.Qxg7 Rxh7 21.Qxf6 Nc8 22.Rxe7! {This wins the queen, but
the main point is probably that a lot of pawns follow.} 23...Qxe7
            (23...Nxe7? 23.Rxd6+ Kc8 24.Rd7 $18 )
        23.Rxd6+ Ke8 24.Rd8+ Kxd8 25.Qd4+ Ke8 26.Bxe7 Rxe7 27.f5! f6 28.Qxf6
        {though this is by no means a trivial win, White will have four to five
pawns against the three black pieces and should be able to secure the full
point.} )
        (19...d5 19.Bxh7 Rh8 20.Rde2 Ne4
            (21...Nc8 {loses out right to} 21.Qxg7 Qxf4+ 22.Kb1 Rxh7 23.Rxe7!!
            Nxe7 24.Qf8+ Kc7 25.Qxa8 $18 )
        21.Bxe7+ Kxe7 22.Bxe4 dxe4 23.Qxg7 Kd6 24.Rxe4 $16 {gives White a
strong attack and eventually four to five pawns for the piece.} )
    19.Bxf6! Nxf6
        (20...Bxf6 20.Bxh7 Rh8 21.Rxd5 Rxh7 22.Qd3 Rh8 23.Rxd6+ Kc8 24.Re4
        {gives White a winning attack.} )
    20.Rde2 d5
        ( {Black has nothing better than to give up the queen. After} 21...Bf8
        21.Qg5 Qxc6 22.Qa5+ Qc7 23.Re8+!
        {it is lost under worse circumstances, and} )
        (21...Re8 {is met with} 21.Qxg7 Qxc6 22.Qxf7 Qd5 23.Re6! $18 {. In the
long run there is no defence against Rxf6 with a winning endgame.} )
    21.Rxe7 Qxe7 22.Rxe7 Kxe7 23.f5 Rgc8 24.Qe5+ Kf8 25.Qd6+
    {with excellent winning chances.} )
*


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Page 250 Nimzo-line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2004.11.22"]
[ECO "B29"]
[Variation "Nimzovich Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Ne5 Nf6 7.Qf3 Qc7 8.O-O e6
9.Re1 a6 10.Nd5! {Being less sure first time around, I am now certain that this
is the right move - but for different reasons than what I had originally
thought.} 10...Nxd5! {Only try.} 11.Bxd7+ Nxd7 12.Qxf7+!!
{Incorrectly dismissed in the first edition.}
    (12.Nxf7 N7f6 13.Nxh8 O-O-O 14.Qh3
    {was what I gave in the first book, but after} 14...Kb8! $45 {as pointed
out by two young French readers, Black is doing "very fine". I admit freely
that the evaluation I gave was superficial. I have done so much work on the
sharper lines, and also quite a bit here, but somehow I followed the computer
more than my own intuition. This is of course always a danger. But this time
around I have the lines some real thought.} )
12...Kd8 13.Qxe6 Nxe5 14.Qxd5+! {The move I "overlooked" in the first edition.}
14...Nd7
    (14...Bd6 {was suggested by Kasten Müller. Now after} 15.Rxe5 Qd7
    {White should probably just follow Fritz with} 16.d3
        (16.d4!? Bxe5 17.Qxe5 Qxd4 18.Qg5+ Kc8 19.Be3 Qd7 20.Qxc5+ {is also
good for White, but it strikes me as a poorer version of the lines with 16.d3,
as White should benefit from having fewer open lines for the time being.} )
    16...Bxe5 17.Qxe5 b6 18.Be3 {and a clear advantage. Materially White is
doing fine, and positionally he is doing excellently.} )
15.Re6! {This move is a very nice example of persistent initiative. White is
better because his domination of the light squares and sixth rank completely
paralyses Black.} 15...Be7 {I see no oth er sensible moves here. If White has
time for b3 and Bb2 Black will be unable to get his kingside into play.}
    (15...h6 16.b3! $16 )
    (15...Ra7 16.b3
        (16.d4!? $16 )
    16...Qf4 17.Bb2 Kc7 18.Rae1 {with a lethal attack. e.g.} 18...h6 19.Re7 Bxe7
    20.Rxe7 Rd8 21.Be5+ $18 )
16.d3!
    (16.d4?! {would be weaker because of} 16...cxd4 17.Bd2 Qc5!
    {where Black is allowed to dismiss the queen from her dominant position.}
    18.Qxb7 Ra7 19.Qe4 Nf6 20.Qd3 $13 )
16...Bf6
    (16...Ra7 17.g3 Rf8 {with the idea of Rxf4.}
        (17...b6 18.Bf4 Qb7 19.Rc6 $16 )
    18.Bd2! Rf6 19.Rae1 Rxe6 20.Qxe6 Qd6 21.Qg8+ Nf8 22.Qxg7 $16 )
    (16...Re8 17.g3 $16 )
17.g3 Qc8 18.Bf4 a5 19.Rae1 Ra6 20.Rxa6 bxa6 21.Re6 Re8 22.Rd6 $16 {and ideas
su ch as Bd2-a5 secures White a lasting and deadly initiative. I do not think
that a clear plus for White in too harsh an evaluation.} *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2004.10.23"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Taimanov Chapter"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2004.11.22"]
[ECO "B43"]
[Variation "Kan (Paulsen) Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 b5 6.Bd3 Bc5!? 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Qg4!? Nf6!
{This move is rejected by Hansen. However:} 9.Qxg7
    (9.Qg3!? {might in the long run give White a slight advantage.} 9...Bb7
    10.e5 Nh5 11.Qh3 g6 12.O-O Qc7 13.f4 d6 14.exd6 Bxd6 15.f5 exf5 16.Re1+ $40 )
9...Rg8 10.Qh6 Nc6 $45 {is obviously compensation as can be seen by two games
by Bosboom, one against the amnesiac editor!}
    (10...Rxg2? 11.e5 $18 )
11.Bd2
    (11.f4!? d6 12.O-O $14 )
11...Ne5 12.f4
    (12.Be2 Bb7 13.f4 Nc4 14.Bf3 b4 15.Ne2 Rg6 16.Qh3 Bxe4 $15
    {Aagaard - Bosboom, Hafnarfjordur 1999.} )
12...Nxd3+ 13.cxd3 b4 14.Ne2 Rxg2 15.Qh3 Rg6 $13
{Tiviakov - Bosboom, Hoogeveen 1999.} 1-0


[Event "Calvia ol"]
[Site "Mallorca"]
[Date "2004.10.18"]
[Round "4.18"]
[White "Ibraev, Nurlan"]
[Black "Kulaots, Kaido"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2004.10.15"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[ECO "B96"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2476"]
[BlackElo "2597"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 Qc7
9.O-O-O b5 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.Rhe1 Qb6 12.Nd5 Qxd4 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Bxb5 Qc5 15.Nxf6+
Ke7 {Thomas only considers 15...Kd8.} 16.Bxd7 Bg7 17.Nh5 Bxb2+ 18.Kxb2 Kxd7
19.Re3
    (19.Ka1!? )
19...Rhc8 20.Rc3 Qxc3+ 21.Qxc3 Rxc3 22.Kxc3 Rc8+ 23.Kd3 f5 24.exf5 exf5 25.Ng3
    (25.Rd2! $14 {would leave Black a pawn down as} 25...Be4+ 26.Kd4 Bxc2
    27.Nf6+ Ke7 28.Nxh7 {is much better for White, and 26...Rxc2? loses a piece
to 27.Nf6+ and 28.Nxe4.} )
1/2-1/2


[Event "Norway"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.01.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Black "Lie, Kjertil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2004.12.27"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[ECO "B37"]
[Variation "Maróczy Bind"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2474"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.Nf3 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 O-O 6.Be2 c5 7.O-O cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6
9.Nc2 Nd7 10.Bd2 Nc5 11.b4 Ne6 12.Rc1 Ned4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Be3 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 b6
16.Rfd1 Bb7 {A proof that Peter believes his preparation. This game was played
2 months after the English edition was published, just before the Italian
edition came out.} 17.Bd4 Rc8? 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.e5! {White now wins a pawn.}
19...Qe8 20.exd6 exd6 21.Qxe8 Rfxe8 22.Nb5 $18 1-0


[Event "Tripoli"]
[Site "Tripoli"]
[Date "2004.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Radjabov"]
[Black "Dominguez"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2004.06.19"]
[EventCountry "LBA"]
[ECO "B98"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qa5
9.O-O-O Bd7 {This variation was one of the knightmares left over from the first
edition of this book. Thomas Luther gave a recommendation that was contradicted
by Dominguez in Informant accompanied by sound analysis. Only at the end of
2005 did I realise what Radjabov has planned to play against the best possible
Black defence. As far as I can see this line leads therefore by force to an
advantage for White.} 10.Bxf6! Bxf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Bg5+
    (12...Bc6 13.Nxc6 Bg5+ 14.Kb1 Nxc6 15.Ne4 {gives White an advantage. Black
will have to accept a White pawn on d6/d7, clearly not what he was intending
only a few minutes ago. The critical line goes:} 15...Be7
        (15...Nxe5 16.Nd6+ Kf8 17.Qxb7 Rd8 18.Bxa6 $16 Be7 19.b4 Qa3 20.Nc8! $18
        )
    16.Nd6+ Bxd6 17.exd6 Rd8 18.d7+ Kf8
        (18...Rxd7 19.Rxd7 Ne5 20.Re7+ Kxe7 21.Qxb7+ Nd7 22.Bd3 Rb8 23.Qxa6 $14 )
        (18...Ke7 19.Be2 $36 )
    19.Bc4 Ne5 20.Qf4 Nxc4 21.Qxc4 h5 22.Rhf1 Rh6 23.Qf4 f5 24.h3 $40 )
13.Kb1 Nc6 14.Ne4!
    (14.Qg4 {can be disregarded alone on account of the following line given by
Dominguez.} 14...Bh6 15.Ne4 Qxe5 16.Nf3 Qf4 17.Nd6+ Ke7 18.Qh5 Be8! 19.Qc5 Qb4
    20.Nxb7+ Qxc5 21.Nxc5 {and Black is at least not worse.} )
14...Nxe5! {Contrary to Dominguez I think this is clearly the best move in the
position, as the alternative}
    (14...Qxe5 {, as given by Dominguez in Informant 91 (as leading to a slight
edge for Black after the nonsense move 15.Nb5) is less promising than it
appears at first sight. It is clearly a Fritz evaluation. Reality is somewhat
different, as I am sure Radjabov knew very well...} 15.Nf5 exf5 16.Nxg5 Qe7
        ( {The alternative is} 16...Qf6 {when White again should reply} 17.Bc4!!
        {Nr. 6 on Fritz 8's list of recommendations. Black now should transpose
by taking the knight. Alternatives such as} 17...Ne5
        {are met very violently indeed.} 18.Bxf7+! Qxf7
            (18...Nxf7 19.Rhe1+ Ne5 20.Rxd7! $16 )
        19.Qxb7 Bc6 20.Nxf7 $16 {White has an extra pawn in the endgame.} )
    17.Bc4!! {This is the surprise Dominguez does not include in his analysis
in the Informant. Now a forced line leads to a slight White plus.} 17...Qxg5
        (17...Ne5 18.Bxf7+! {and Black is in trouble.} )
        (17...O-O 18.Qh5 h6 19.Nxf7! {is even worse.} )
    18.Rhe1+
        (18.Bxf7+ Kxf7 19.Rxd7+ Ne7! {gives White even chances at best.} )
    18...Be6
        (18...Kd8 19.Qd5 Nb8 20.Qxb7 {and White wins.} )
    19.Bxe6 O-O! {Forced. Now White can choose freely between}
        ( {There is no choice. Black would face a lot of suffering in the
endgame after} 19...fxe6 20.Rxe6+ Kf8
            (20...Ne7 21.Rde1 $16 )
        21.Rd7 Ne7
            (21...Re8 22.h4! $18 )
        22.Rexe7 Qxe7 23.Rxe7 Kxe7 24.Qxb7+ Kf6 25.c4 $16 )
    20.Bxf5 $14 {and}
        (20.Qxf5 $14 {when Black cannot avoid the unpleasant endgame.} )
    )
    ( {After the passive} 14...Be7 15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.exd6 Nxd4 17.Rxd4 $14 {White
is a tiny bit better. Black will have to defend for the rest of the game. It is
impossible for him to round up the d-pawn, and at the same time White can
carefully advance on the kingside and try to create weaknesses. It does not
seem likely that Black can create serious counterplay without creating
additional weaknesses for White to play on.} )
15.Nd6+ Ke7 16.Qb3! {Again not on the initial list of recommendations from
Fritz, but as Black cannot take the knight on d6 he is in desperate need of an
alternative.}
    (16.Qf2 Bf6 )
16...Rhb8!
{This must be the critical move. Now I cannot find anything better than}
    (16...Kxd6? 17.Qxb7 Ke7 18.Nc6+ Nxc6 19.Rxd7+ Kf6 20.Rxf7+ Kg6
        (20...Ke5 21.Bc4 Nd8 22.Qxa8 Nxf7 23.Qb7 Rf8 24.b4 $18 )
    21.Bd3+ Kh6 22.Qxc6 $18 )
    (16...Qa4? 17.Qb6!
    {The threat of 18.Qc5 is impossible to meet satisfactory.} 17...Rhc8
    18.Nxc8+ Rxc8 19.Qxb7 Qa5 20.Bxa6 Rc7 21.Qb8 Qc5 22.Rhe1 Bf6 23.c3 Qa7
    24.Qxa7 Rxa7 25.Bb5 Bxb5 26.Nxb5 Rb7 27.a4 )
17.Nxb7
    (17.Qg3 Bf6 {does not seem to lead anywhere.} )
    (17.Be2 Bc6
        (17...Kf8 18.Rhf1 Bf6 19.Ne4 )
    18.Nf3
        (18.Rhf1 Bf6 19.Nxc6+ bxc6 20.Nb7 Qc7 21.Qa3+ Ke8 )
        (18.Nxc6+ bxc6 19.Nb7 Qc7 20.Qa3+ Ke8 21.Nc5 Qb6 )
    18...Nxf3 19.Bxf3 Bf4 20.Nc4 Qc5 21.Nb6 Ra7 22.Rhf1 Bb5 23.Be2 Bxe2 )
    (17.Nf3 Nxf3 18.Qxf3 Bf6 19.Nc4 Qc5 $15 )
17...Qa4!
    (17...Qc7 18.Qa3+ Kf6 19.Nd6 {with a decisive attack.} )
18.Qg3!
    (18.Qxa4 Bxa4 19.Nc5 Be8!
        (19...Be3?!
        {initiates a long forced line that Black cannot be happy with. After}
        20.Nxa4 Rb4 21.Nf5+ exf5 22.Nc3 Kf8 23.Nd5 Re4 24.g3 {it is already
clear that things have gone less well than could have been anticipated. Now
after} 24...Bc5 25.Bg2 Rd4 26.Rxd4 Bxd4 27.Rd1 Bc5 28.b4 Rb8 29.a3 $16
        {White has serious winning chances in the endgame.} )
    20.Nxa6
        (20.Bxa6 Ng4 21.Bb7 Ra7 22.Bc6 Nf2 23.Bxe8 Kxe8 24.Nc6 Rxb2+ 25.Kxb2 Rc7
        26.Rd6 Nxh1 27.Ne4 )
        (20.Re1 Rd8 21.c3 Nc6 $45 )
    20...Rb6 21.Nc5
        (21.Nc7 Rab8 22.b3 Ng4! {gives Black good counterplay.} )
    21...Ng4
        (21...Be3 22.Be2 $14 )
    22.Re1
        (22.Ne4 Bh6 23.Re1 )
    22...Rd8 23.Ncb3 {Fritz likes to think that the position here is equal,
which I am somewhat sceptical about.} 23...Be3 24.c3 Nf2 25.Rxe3 Nxh1 26.Re2 f6
    27.g3 Bg6+ 28.Kc1 Bd3 29.Re1 Nf2 30.Nc5 Bxf1 31.Rxf1 Ng4 32.a4 $44 )
    (18.Qb6 Kf8 19.b3
        (19.Qc5+ Be7 20.Qxe5 Rxb7 21.b3 )
        (19.Qc7 Bf6 20.Nc5 Qb4 21.Ndb3 Bb5 22.Bxb5 Qxb5 23.Rhe1 Rc8 24.Qd6+ Kg8
        25.Ne4 Rab8 26.Nxf6+ gxf6 27.Qd4 $13 )
    19...Qa3 20.Qc5+ Qxc5 21.Nxc5 Bc8 $10 )
18...Bf6!
    (18...f6 19.Nc5 Qb4 20.Ndb3 Bc6 21.Rd4 Qb6 22.Bd3 $14
        (22.Qh3 f5 23.Bd3 Bf6 24.Re1 Kf7 25.Rd6 Re8 26.g4 Kg8 27.gxf5 Nxd3
        28.Qxd3 exf5 29.Rf1 $14 )
    )
19.Nc5 Qb4 20.Ndb3 Bc6 $13 21.Nxa6? Qa4 22.Nxb8 Qxa2+ 23.Kc1 Rxb8 $17 1-0


[Event "corr."]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2004.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Elburg, John"]
[Black "Knebel, Wilhelm"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2004.11.22"]
[ECO "B27"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

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.c3 Bg7 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.Nc2 O-O 14.Nce3 Be6 15.Bd3 f5
16.O-O Kh8 17.Qh5 Bf7 18.Qh3 e4 19.Bc2 Ne5 20.Rfd1 Qg5! $146 21.Qxf5 Nf3+!
22.Kh1!
    (22.Kf1 Nxh2+ 23.Ke1 Qh6 24.Qf4 Bxd5 25.Qxh6 Bxh6 26.Nxd5 Ng4 $37 )
22...Qh4 23.Qf4
    (23.gxf3 Be5 24.f4 Bxd5 25.Qg4 Rxf4 26.Qxh4 Rxh4 27.Nxd5 Rxh2+ 28.Kg1 Rg8+
    29.Kf1 Rf8 $10 )
    (23.h3 Qxf2 24.Rf1 Qd2 25.Nc7 Qxe3 26.Rxf3 Qh6 27.Qxe4 Bg6 28.Qd5 Rxf3
    29.Qxf3 Rf8 30.Qe2 Bh5 31.Qe1 b4 $10 )
23...Bxd5 24.Qxh4 Nxh4 25.Rxd5 Rxf2 26.Rh5 Nxg2 27.Bxe4 Re8 28.Ng4 Re2 29.Bg6
R8e7 30.Rxh7+ Kg8 31.Rf1 Ne3 32.Nh6+ Bxh6 33.Rxe7 Bf4 34.Bf7+ Kh8 35.Rxe3 Bxe3
36.Rf3 Bc1 37.b4 Re3 38.Rxe3 Bxe3 39.Bd5 Bd2 40.Bb7 Bxc3 41.Bxa6 Bxb4 42.Bxb5
Ba3 43.Kg2 Kg7 44.Kf3 Kh8 45.Ke4 Kg7 46.Kf5 Kh8 47.Kg6 Kg8 48.h4 Kh8 49.Bc4 d5
50.Bxd5 1/2-1/2


[Event "12th Najdorf Memorial"]
[Site "Buenos Aires"]
[Date "2001.09.12"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Felgaer, Ruben"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2001.09.04"]
[EventCountry "ARG"]
[ECO "B38"]
[Variation "Maróczy Bind"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2664"]
[BlackElo "2471"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 O-O 8.Be2 d6
9.O-O Bd7 10.Nc2 a6 11.f3 Rc8 12.Rc1 Re8 13.Qd2 Qa5 14.Rfd1 Ne5
    (14...Red8 15.b4! Qh5
        (15...Nxb4 16.Nxb4 Qxb4 17.Rb1 Qa5 18.Bb6 $16 )
    16.Nd5 $14 )
15.b4
    (15.c5! $16 {would have left Black in deep trouble based on} 15...dxc5 16.f4
    Neg4 17.e5 {winning a piece.} )
1-0


[Event "Kharkov"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2001.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Eljanov"]
[Black "Zubarev"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2001.04.18"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[ECO "B37"]
[Variation "Maróczy Bind"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.e4
    (5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nc2 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Qa5 {with a tempo less. It is clearly worth a
try, but probably White should enjoy a slight edge with his extra tempo.} )
5...Nc6 6.Nc2 Qb6!? 7.Nc3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Nf6
    (8...Qa5 9.Bd2
        (9.Qd2!? Nf6 10.f3 d6 11.Ne3 Nd7 12.Nd5 O-O 13.Rb1 $14 )
    9...Nf6 10.f3 d6 11.Be2 Be6 12.Ne3 Rc8 13.Rb1 $14
    {Cebalo-Bilobrk, Pula 1997.} )
9.Bd3 d6 10.Ne3 O-O 11.O-O Ne5 12.Nd5 $14 Nxd5 13.cxd5 Qa5 14.Be2! Qxc3 15.Rb1
Qc7 16.f4 Nd7 17.Bb2 $44 *


[Event "Paks"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sipos"]
[Black "Torma"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]
[ECO "B40"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.e5 Ne4?! 7.Qg4 Qa5 8.Qxg7
Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qxc3+ 10.Ke2 b6 11.Qxh8+ Ke7 12.Ba3+! Qxa3!? 13.Qxc8 Qb2 14.Nb3
    (14.Ke3! {is the only winning move here, and still it is not easy.} )
14...Nc6
    (14...Qxe5 {looked to be an outright winning novelty, but after} 15.f4 Qxf4
    {White can apparently defend with the stunning} 16.Qc4!!
    {Phil Taylor, when Black should have reasonable chances after}
        (16.c4 Qf2+ 17.Kd3 Nc6 18.Qxa8 Nb4+ 19.Kxe4 f5+ 20.Ke5 d6# )
    16...Nc6 17.Qd3 Qf2+ 18.Kd1 Qh4 19.g3 Nf2+ 20.Ke2 Qf6 21.Qe3 Nxh1 22.Bg2
    Nxg3+ 23.hxg3 $13 )
15.Qxa8 Qxc2+ 16.Ke3 Qxf2+ 17.Kxe4 Nxe5 18.Qf8+!! Kxf8 19.Kxe5 Qe3+ 20.Kd6 Ke8
21.Kc7 {1-0. Schatzle - Filartiga, corr 1974.} 1-0


[Event "Vlissingen"]
[Site "Vlissingen"]
[Date "2000.07.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van der Wiel, John"]
[Black "Lammens, Tijs"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2000.07.29"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[ECO "B40"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2531"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Qb6 {The Gaw-Paw.} 6.e5! Bc5 7.Be3!
    ( {Interesting, but unnecessary, is} 7.Ndb5!? a6 $8
        (7...Bxf2+? 8.Ke2 Ng4 9.h3 Nxe5 10.Qd6! Qxd6 11.Nxd6+ Ke7 12.Nxc8+ Rxc8
        13.Kxf2 $18 )
        (7...Nd5? 8.Ne4 O-O 9.c4 )
    8.Nd6+!?
        (8.Qf3!? )
    )
7...Nd5
    ( {Not} 7...Ng4? 8.Qxg4 Qxb2 9.Kd2! $18 {For example,} 9...Qxa1 10.Qxg7 Rf8
    11.Nb3 Bxe3+ 12.fxe3 Qb2 13.Nb5 )
8.Nxd5 exd5 9.Nb5!
    ( {The mainline} 9.Nf5 Qxb2 {is very messy.} )
9...O-O
    ( {The critical try must be} 9...Bxe3 10.fxe3 Nc6
        ( {If} 10...Qxe3+ 11.Qe2 Qxe2+ 12.Bxe2 $16
        {with a clear advantage, or maybe just winning.} )
        ( {Or} 10...O-O 11.Qd4 $16 )
    11.Nd6+ Ke7 12.Be2! {and White has a strong initiative.} )
10.Bxc5 Qxc5 11.Qd4! Qxd4 12.Nxd4 Nc6 13.O-O-O
    ( {Or} 13.Nb5 {with similar play.} )
13...Nxe5 14.Nb5 Ng4 15.Rd2 $16 {Material will soon be level, but Black will
still have a weak d-pawn. White has excellent winning chances.} 15...d6 16.f3
Ne3 17.Nc7 Rb8 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Rxd5 Rd8 20.Bd3 Be6 21.Rd4 Rbc8 22.Rd1 Bxa2
23.Ra4 Be6 24.Rxa7 Rb8 25.Bb5 Kf8 26.Rd4 Bd7 27.Bd3 Bc6 28.b4 Ke7 29.b5 Bd7
30.Rc4 Rdc8 31.Rxc8 Bxc8 32.Kd2 Kd8 33.b6 Be6 34.Ke3 Bd5 35.Bb5 Rc8 36.Kd4 Rc5
37.c4 Kc8 38.Ra8# 1-0


[Event "Chicago"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nimzoline"]
[Black "Boleslavsky analysis"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[ECO "B29"]
[Variation "Nimzovich Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "aylor"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 d6 7.Bb5+ Nc6 8.O-O Be7
9.c4 a6 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.dxc5 Qxc5 14.Be3 Qb5 15.Nd4
Qxb2 16.Nc6 Bf6 17.Qxd5 Be6 18.Qd6 Qb7 19.Rfd1 Qd7 20.Qc5 Qc7
    (20...Bxa1 21.Rxd7 Kxd7 22.Bf4 Bf6 23.Qd6+ Ke8 24.Nb8! $18 )
21.Rac1 Rc8 22.Bd4 Bxd4 23.Rxd4
{and White is of course absolutely winning. Analysis by Phil Taylor.} *


[Event "Chicago"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rauser lines p 138"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[ECO "B64"]
[Variation "Richter-Rauzer Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "haw"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.O-O-O O-O
9.f4 h6 10.Bh4 Qb6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 Ne4 14.Nxe4 Bxh4 15.Qf4 Be7
16.Bd3 Rb8 17.b3 Qb4 18.Rhf1 a5 19.Kb1 a4 20.Rf3 axb3 21.cxb3 Qa3 22.Rg3 Kh8
    (22...Rd8 {from Wapner - Pavasovic, Bled 1996 was maybe treated a bit too
harshly by Peter, though his recommendations were correct. Here after} 23.Rf1!
        (23.Rd2 Ba6 24.Bc2 Rxd2 25.Qxh6 {looks very fancy, but Black has}
        25...Rxb3+!! 26.Rxb3
            (26.axb3 Rd1+ 27.Bxd1 Bd3+ 28.Bc2 Qxb3+ 29.Ka1 Qa3+ 30.Kb1 Bxc2+
            31.Kxc2 Qxg3 32.Nxg3 gxh6 $17 )
        26...Rd1+ 27.Bxd1 Bd3+ 28.Ka1 gxh6 29.Rxa3 Bxa3 {with a better endgame.
White can play 25.Qxd2, but then there is no advantage to speak of.} )
    23...Kh8 {The only move. And now White should play} 24.Bc2!
    {with an attack.}
        (24.Qxf7 {leads nowhere, as after} 24...Rxb3+ 25.axb3 Qxb3+ 26.Kc1 Ba3+
        27.Kd2 Bb4+ {White should probably hope for a draw.} 28.Ke2 Qb2+ 29.Kf3
        Qxe5 {forces him to find} 30.Nd6 Bxd6 31.Qg6 {with a probable draw.} )
        (24.Qg4 )
    )
23.Rh3! {Suggested by Phil Taylor.}
    (23.Qg4 Rg8 24.Rf1 $16 {as suggested by Wells is also very strong, but the
forcing line should be more attractive on principle.} )
23...Rd8
    ( {Fritz claims that} 23...Ra8 {gives Black equal play, but a little bit of
human help makes the machine understand that} 24.Rxh6+! Kg8 25.Nf6+ Bxf6 26.exf6
    {is facing a faith worse than death, whatever that is supposed to mean...} )
    (23...Kg8 24.Nf6+! {just wins.} )
24.Qxf7 {Now White can just cash in.} 24...Ba6 25.Qxe6 Bxd3+ 26.Rhxd3 Rxd3
27.Rxd3 {and White has a great advantage.} *


[Event "Gausdal Int"]
[Site "Gausdal"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kengis, Edvins"]
[Black "Murugan, Krishnamoorthy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "1991.08.??"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[ECO "B81"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2395"]
[Annotator "A. Ziegler"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 Nc6
    (6...h6 7.h4 a6
        (7...Be7 8.Qf3 Nc6 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.g5 hxg5
            (10...Nd7 11.gxh6 gxh6 12.Bf4
                (12.Bd2 Bxh4 13.O-O-O Qe7 14.Qf4 Bf6 15.Rxh6 )
            12...e5 13.Be3
                (13.Bd2 Bxh4 14.Qh5 Bf6
                    (14...Be7 15.Bc4 Rh7 16.O-O-O )
                15.O-O-O Nb6 16.Rg1 Be6 17.b3 Qe7 18.Ba6 )
            )
        11.hxg5 Rxh1 12.Qxh1 Ng4 13.Be2
            (13.Qh3 Qb6 )
        13...Ne5 14.Qh8+ Bf8 15.Be3 )
        (7...Nc6 8.Rg1 d5
            (8...h5 9.gxh5 Nxh5 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.Rg3 )
        9.Bb5 Bd7 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.Be3 Qxh4
            (12...Be7 13.Qd2 Bxh4
                (13...O-O 14.Nf5
                    (14.Be2 Bxh4 15.O-O-O Re8 16.Nf5 Bg5 17.Bxg5 Qxg5 18.Qxg5
                    hxg5 19.Bf3 )
                14...d4 15.Bxh6 Re8
                    (15...Bb4 16.c3 dxc3 17.bxc3 Ne5 18.Be2 Re8 19.Be3 )
                )
            )
        13.Qd2 a6 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.O-O-O )
    8.Bg2
        (8.Rg1 Nfd7 9.g5 hxg5 10.Bxg5
            (10.hxg5 )
        )
    8...Nc6 9.g5 hxg5 10.hxg5 Rxh1+ 11.Bxh1 Nd7 12.f4 Qb6 13.Nde2 g6
        (13...Nc5 14.a3 )
        (13...Be7 14.Bf3
            (14.a3 f6
                (14...e5 )
                (14...Nf8 15.Qd3 Bd7 16.Be3 Qc7 17.O-O-O O-O-O )
            15.gxf6 Bxf6 16.Kf1 Bh4 17.Kg2 Qf2+ 18.Kh3 e5 )
        14...Nc5 15.a3 a5 16.Be3 a4 17.Kf2 )
    14.b3 )
7.g5 Nd7 8.Be3 Be7
    (8...Nb6 9.h4 d5 10.Bb5 Bd7 11.exd5 Nxd5
        (11...exd5 12.Qe2 Be7 13.O-O-O O-O 14.Nb3 )
    12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Qe2
        (13.Qd2 )
    13...Be7 14.O-O-O O-O 15.f4 Re8 16.Qd2 Qc7 17.Kb1 Bd6 18.c3 Re7 )
9.Rg1 O-O 10.Qh5 g6
    (10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 e5
        (11...Ne5 12.Rg3
            (12.O-O-O g6 13.Qh6 f6 14.gxf6 Bxf6 15.Be2 Bg7 16.Qd2 )
        12...g6 13.Qe2
            (13.Qh6 Bxg5 14.Rxg5 Qxg5 )
        13...Bxg5 14.Be3 )
    12.Be3 Nb6 13.O-O-O Be6 14.f4 exf4 15.Bxf4 )
    (10...a6 11.O-O-O Re8 12.Rg3 )
    (10...Re8 11.O-O-O Nf8 12.f4 )
11.Qh6 Nde5 12.O-O-O f6 13.gxf6 Bxf6 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Be2 Nf7 16.Rxg6+ Kh8 17.Qh5
Rg8 18.Rxg8+ Qxg8 19.f4 Qg6 20.Rg1 Qxh5 21.Bxh5 Nh6 22.f5 Bg7 23.f6 Bf8 24.Be8
Bb7 25.f7 1-0


[Event "10...Sc6"]
[Site "Lone Pine"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Analys i Keres"]
[Black "6...a6"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "1972.03.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[ECO "B81"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "A. Ziegler"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 a6
    (6...Nc6 7.g5 Nd7 8.Be3 )
7.g5 Nfd7 8.h4 b5 9.a3 Bb7 10.Be3 Nc6 11.h5 Be7 12.Rg1 g6 13.Rh1 Bxg5 14.hxg6
    (14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.hxg6 Bxe3 16.gxf7+ Kxf7 17.Qf3+ Qf6 18.Qxe3 )
14...Bxe3 15.gxf7+ Kxf7 16.Qh5+ Ke7 17.fxe3 *


[Event "Lone Pine op"]
[Site "Lone Pine"]
[Date "1972.03.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karklins, Andrew"]
[Black "Commons, Kim S"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "1972.03.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[ECO "B81"]
[Variation "Scheveningen"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "A. Ziegler"]
[Source "Experts vs the Sicilian"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.01"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.g4 Be7 7.g5 Nfd7 8.h4 a6 9.Be3
b5 10.a3 Bb7 11.Qd2 Nb6 12.Nxe6
    (12.h5 N8d7 13.O-O-O Rc8 )
12...fxe6 13.Qd4 Nc4
    (13...Na4 14.Qxg7 Kd7 15.Nxa4 bxa4 16.Bg2 Qa5+ 17.Bd2 Qe5 18.Qxe5 dxe5
    19.O-O-O Nc6 {and black has no problems.} )
14.Qxg7 Kd7 15.Bxc4 bxc4 16.O-O-O Qf8 17.Rxd6+ Kxd6 18.Qd4+ Kc7 19.Qb6+ Kc8
20.Qxe6+ Nd7 21.Rd1 Qd8 22.Na4 Bc6 23.Qxc6+ Qc7 24.Qxa8+ Qb8 25.Qxa6+ 1-0


[Event "TCh-TUR 2011"]
[Site "Konya TUR"]
[Date "2011.07.08"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Can, Emre"]
[Black "Guliev, L"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2011.06.28"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[EventType "team"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3kb1r/1bq2p1p/p2p1P2/1p2p3/n3P2B/P4N1B/1PP1Q2P/1K1R3R b ha - 0 21"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2487"]
[BlackElo "2459"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

0-1


[Event "TCh-TUR 2011"]
[Site "Konya TUR"]
[Date "2011.07.08"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Can, Emre"]
[Black "Guliev, L"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2011.06.28"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[EventType "team"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3kb1r/1bq2p1p/p2p1P2/1p2p3/n3P2B/P4N1B/1PP1Q2P/1K1R3R b ha - 0 21"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2487"]
[BlackElo "2459"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

21...Qc3!! 21.bxc3 Nxc3+ 22.Kb2 Nxe2 $17 23.Nxe5!? dxe5! 24.Bd7+ Kd8 25.Bg4+ Kc7
26.Rd7+
    (26.Bxe2 Bxe4 $19 )
27...Kc6 27.Rxf7 Nf4 28.Bd7+ Kb6 29.a4 Bc5 30.Bf5 Bc8 31.Rd1 bxa4 32.Bxc8 Raxc8
33.Rdd7 Kc6 34.Be1 Rhd8 35.Rxd8 Rxd8 36.Rxh7 a3+ 37.Ka2 Ne2 38.Ba5 Rb8 39.Rc7+
Kd6 40.Re7 Rb2+ 41.Ka1 Nd4 0-1


[Event "ch-UKR semi-final"]
[Site "Alushta UKR"]
[Date "2011.05.07"]
[Round "5.12"]
[White "Aveskulov, V"]
[Black "Shabala, S"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.05.03"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3k2r/q4p2/p7/1pbpN2p/4n1pP/1P4B1/1PP2PP1/R2QR1K1 w ha - 0 22"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2526"]
[BlackElo "2362"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1-0


[Event "ch-UKR semi-final"]
[Site "Alushta UKR"]
[Date "2011.05.07"]
[Round "5.12"]
[White "Aveskulov, V"]
[Black "Shabala, S"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.05.03"]
[EventCountry "UKR"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3k2r/q4p2/p7/1pbpN2p/4n1pP/1P4B1/1PP2PP1/R2QR1K1 w ha - 0 22"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2526"]
[BlackElo "2362"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

22.Rxe4! dxe4 23.Rxa6! 1-0


[Event "European Club Cup, Plovdiv"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.10.21"]
[Round "5.10"]
[White "Hunt, Adam"]
[Black "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.10.17"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r1k2r/2q3bp/p2pB3/8/1p2P3/8/PPPQN1PP/2KR4 b h - 0 21"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2437"]
[BlackElo "2661"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

0-1


[Event "European Club Cup, Plovdiv"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.10.21"]
[Round "5.10"]
[White "Hunt, Adam"]
[Black "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.10.17"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r1k2r/2q3bp/p2pB3/8/1p2P3/8/PPPQN1PP/2KR4 b h - 0 21"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2437"]
[BlackElo "2661"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

21...Bh6 0-1


[Event "IX Gyorgy Marx Mem"]
[Site "Paks"]
[Date "2011.06.27"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Salgado Lopez, Ivan"]
[Black "Acs, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.06.17"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r2rk1/1q3p1p/n2bp3/p2pNpP1/2P2P1B/8/PP4QP/1K1R3R w - - 0 25"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2606"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1-0


[Event "IX Gyorgy Marx Mem"]
[Site "Paks"]
[Date "2011.06.27"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Salgado Lopez, Ivan"]
[Black "Acs, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.06.17"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r2rk1/1q3p1p/n2bp3/p2pNpP1/2P2P1B/8/PP4QP/1K1R3R w - - 0 25"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2606"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

25.g6! fxg6
    (26...Bxe5 26.gxh7+ Kxh7 27.fxe5
        (27.Bf6 Qxb2+ $19 )
    28...Rg8 28.Qh3 Rg6 29.Bg5+ Kg8 30.Bf6 Kf8 31.Rhg1 Rxg1 32.Rxg1 Ke8
    33.Qh7! $18 )
26.Nxg6 Qg7
    (27...hxg6 27.Qxg6+ Qg7 28.Qxe6+ $19 )
27.Qe2!! hxg6 28.Qxe6+ Kh7 29.Qxd6 $18 Nc5 30.cxd5 Rfe8 31.Qf6 Re2 32.Rhe1 Qxf6
33.Bxf6 Rxe1 34.Rxe1 Ne4 35.Rxe4 fxe4 36.d6 e3 37.d7 e2 38.dxc8=Q e1=Q+ 39.Qc1
Qe4+ 40.Ka1 1-0


[Event "Schachbundesliga 2010-11"]
[Site "Aue"]
[Date "2011.04.10"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Gharamian, Tigran"]
[Black "Slobodjan, Roman"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.10.08"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1n1r2k1/r3qppp/p5b1/3QN2P/6P1/4P3/P4PB1/2R1K2R w H - 0 23"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2658"]
[BlackElo "2556"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1-0


[Event "Schachbundesliga 2010-11"]
[Site "Aue"]
[Date "2011.04.10"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Gharamian, Tigran"]
[Black "Slobodjan, Roman"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.10.08"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1n1r2k1/r3qppp/p5b1/3QN2P/6P1/4P3/P4PB1/2R1K2R w H - 0 23"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2658"]
[BlackElo "2556"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

23.hxg6! Rxd5 24.gxh7+ Kh8 25.Nxf7+!
    (25.Rc8+?? Qd8! $14 )
1-0


[Event "TCh-TUR 2011"]
[Site "Konya TUR"]
[Date "2011.06.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nyzhnyk, I"]
[Black "Mirzoev, A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.06.28"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[EventType "team"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1qr2k1/1b1n1ppp/pp2pn2/8/PbBN4/2N1PPB1/4Q1PP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 19"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2583"]
[BlackElo "2481"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1-0


[Event "TCh-TUR 2011"]
[Site "Konya TUR"]
[Date "2011.06.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nyzhnyk, I"]
[Black "Mirzoev, A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.06.28"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[EventType "team"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1qr2k1/1b1n1ppp/pp2pn2/8/PbBN4/2N1PPB1/4Q1PP/2RR2K1 w - - 0 19"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2583"]
[BlackElo "2481"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

19.Nxe6!! fxe6
    (20...Re8 20.Ng5 Rf8 21.Nce4 $18 )
20.Bxe6+ Kh8 21.Ne4! Qxc1
    (22...Bc5 22.Nd6! $18 )
22.Rxc1 Nxe4 23.fxe4 Nc5 24.Bd5 Bxd5 25.exd5 Ne4 26.Be5 Bf8 27.Qg4 Nc5 28.Rf1
Ra7 29.a5 bxa5 30.Bd4 Rb7 31.Qg5 Re8 32.d6 Ne6 33.Qd5 Rbb8 34.d7 1-0


[Event "London Chess Classic FIDE Open"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sreeves, C"]
[Black "Gupta, Ab"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[ECO "A11"]
[Variation "Caro-Kann (Anglo-Slav) Defence"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2104"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.O-O Nbd7 6.Na3 Nb6 7.Qc2 Qd5 8.Ne1 Qf5
    (8...Qh5 9.Nxc4 Nbd5 10.e4 Nb6 11.Nd3
        (11.d4 )
    11...Nxc4 12.Qxc4 e5 13.Qc3 Bd6 14.f4 Bh3 15.Bxh3
        (15.fxe5 Bxg2 16.Kxg2 Qe2+ 17.Nf2 Nxe4 18.Qd4 )
    15...Qxh3 16.Nf2 Qh5 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.d4 Bc7 19.Qb4 Bb6 20.Bf4 O-O-O 21.Rad1
    Rhe8 22.Be5 Rxe5 23.dxe5 Rxd1 24.exf6 Bxf2+ 25.Kxf2 Qxh2+ 26.Ke3 Qxg3+
    27.Rf3 Rd3+ 28.Kxd3 Qxf3+ 29.Kc2 Qxf6 30.Qf8+ Kc7 31.Qb4 Qe5 32.Qc4 Qe6
    33.Qd4 g6 34.b3 h5 35.Kd3 )
9.e4 Qh5 10.Nxc4 Bh3
    (10...e5 11.b3
        (11.Ne3 Ng4 12.Nxg4 Bxg4 13.Nd3 Be2 14.Re1 Nd7 )
        (11.Nf3 Nxc4 12.Qxc4 Be6 13.Qc3 Bd6 14.d4 Nxe4 15.Qe1 f5 )
        (11.d4 exd4 12.Nd3 Nxc4 13.Qxc4 Ng4 14.h3 Ne5 )
    11...Nxc4
        (11...Bg4 12.f3 Nxc4 13.bxc4 Bc5+ 14.Kh1 Be6 15.Rb1 Rb8 16.Nd3 Bd6 17.f4
        )
    12.bxc4 Bd6
        (12...Bg4 13.Rb1 )
    13.Bb2 Be6 14.c5 Bc7 15.Nf3 O-O 16.d4 )
11.Nf3 Nxc4 12.Qxc4 Bg4
    (12...e6 )
13.Qb3 O-O-O 14.Re1
    (14.d4 e6
        (14...Nxe4 15.Ne5 Nd6 16.Be3 )
    15.Bf4 )
14...e5 15.d4 exd4 16.Ng5
    (16.e5 Ne8 17.Re4 Be6 18.Qa4 Bc5 19.Rh4 Qf5 20.Nxd4 Bxd4 21.Rxd4 Rxd4
    22.Qxd4 )
16...d3 17.Bd2 Bc5 18.Rac1 Nd7 19.e5 Bb6 20.Nxf7 Rhf8
    (20...Rdf8 21.e6 Nc5 22.Qb4 Nxe6 23.Nd6+ Kb8 24.Be3 Qa5 25.Qxg4 d2 26.Bxd2
    Qxd2 27.Rcd1 Qc2 28.Kh1 Rxf2 29.Rc1 Qxb2 30.Nc4 Qxa2 31.Ra1 Qc2 32.Rac1 Qa2 )
21.e6
    (21.Bxc6 bxc6
        (21...Kb8 22.e6 bxc6 23.e7 )
    22.Rxc6+ Kb8 23.Nxd8 Qxh2+
        (23...Rxd8 24.e6 Bf3 25.e7 Re8 26.Qe6 Bxf2+ 27.Kxf2 Bxc6 28.Qxc6 Qxh2+
        29.Qg2 Qxg2+ 30.Kxg2 )
    24.Kxh2 Rxf2+ 25.Kg1 Rf1+ 26.Kxf1 Bh3# )
21...Nc5 22.Qb4 Nxe6 23.Nxd8 Rxf2 24.Be3
    (24.Kh1 Rxg2 25.Kxg2 Qh3+ 26.Kh1 Bf3# )
24...Rxg2+ 25.Kxg2 Qd5+ 26.Kg1 Bh3 27.Qd2 Ng5 28.Nxc6 bxc6 29.Rxc6+ Kd7 30.Rc7+
Kxc7 31.Bxb6+ axb6 32.Qf4+ Kb7 33.Re7+ Bd7 34.Rxd7+ Qxd7 35.Qxg5 d2 0-1


[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Oehmichen, Jan"]
[Black "Rasmussen, Morten"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[ECO "A12"]
[Variation "Caro-Kann (Anglo-Slav) Defence"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "1868"]
[BlackElo "1840"]
[Annotator "M. Rasmussen (trans. J. Aagaard)"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.b3 d4 4.g3 c5 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.O-O e5 7.d3 Be7 8.Na3 Bf5 9.Nc2 h5
10.Bd2 h4 11.Rb1 hxg3 12.fxg3 Qd7 13.b4 Bh3 14.b5 Bxg2 15.bxc6 Qh3 16.cxb7 Bxf3
17.bxa8=Q+ Bxa8 18.Rf2 Qxg3+ 19.Kf1
    (19.hxg3 Rh1# )
19...Rxh2 20.Rxh2 Qxh2 21.Be3
    (21.Rb8+ Kd7 22.Rxa8 Qh1+ 23.Kf2 Bh4# )
21...Qh1+ 22.Bg1 Bg2+ 23.Ke1
    (23.Kf2 Bh4# )
23...Qxg1+ 24.Kd2 Bg5+ 25.e3 Qf2+ 26.Kc1 Bf3 27.Qe1 dxe3 28.Rb8+ Kd7 29.Qa5 Qd2+
0-1


[Event "12th ch-EUR"]
[Site "Aix-les-Bains FRA"]
[Date "2011.03.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Reinderman, Dimitri"]
[Black "Rublevsky, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.03.22"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[ECO "A29"]
[Variation "Four Knights System"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2601"]
[BlackElo "2678"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5 Bc5 6.Bg2 d6 7.O-O Nxd5 8.cxd5 Nd4
9.Nxd4 Bxd4 10.e3 Bb6 11.a4 a5 12.d3 O-O 13.Bd2 Bd7 14.Qc2 c6 15.Qb3 Rb8 16.f4
Bc5 17.Rac1 Qe7 18.Kh1 cxd5 19.Bxd5 Bc6 20.e4 exf4 21.Rxf4 Bxd5 22.Qxd5 Qe6
23.Qxe6 fxe6 24.Rxf8+ Kxf8 25.Bxa5 Ra8 26.Rf1+ Ke7 27.Bc3 Rxa4 28.Bxg7 Bd4
29.Bxd4 Rxd4 30.Rd1 Kf6 31.Kg2 Rb4 32.Rd2 Ke5 33.Kf3 Kd4 34.g4 d5 35.g5 e5 36.h4
Rb3 37.exd5 e4+ 38.Kf4 exd3 39.h5 Kxd5 40.g6 hxg6 41.h6 Rb4+ 42.Kg5 Ke4 43.h7 b6
1-0


[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[ECO "A37"]
[Variation "Ultra-Symmetrical Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.O-O Nh6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Bxh6 Bxh6
9.Nxd4 Ne5
    (9...Nxd4 10.Qxd4 O-O 11.Rfd1 Bg7 12.Qe3 Bxc3 13.Qxc3 Qc7 14.Rac1 Be6 15.Qe3
        (15.c5 Qxc5 16.Qxc5 dxc5 17.b3 Rad8 18.Bxb7 Rxd1+ 19.Rxd1 c4 20.Bd5 Bxd5
        21.Rxd5 cxb3 22.axb3 Rb8 )
    15...Rac8 16.Rd4 Qb6 17.b3 Rc7 18.Qd2 )
    (9...Bd7 10.c5 Bg7 11.Nxc6 Bxc6 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qa4 Bxc3 14.Qxc6+ Kf8
    15.bxc3 Rc8 16.Qa4 Rxc5 17.Qxa7 Qc7 18.Qxc7 Rxc7 19.Rfb1
        (19.Rfc1 Kg7 20.a4 Ra8 21.Ra3 Rc4 22.a5 Ra6 )
    19...Kg7 20.a4 Ra8 21.Ra3 Rc5 22.Rb4 Kf6 23.Kg2 Ke6 24.h4 h5 25.Kf3 Rac8
    26.Rbb3 Rf5+ 27.Ke3 Rcc5 28.f4 Rfd5 29.Rb7 Ra5 30.c4 Rd1 31.Rb5 Ra6 32.a5 f5
    33.c5 dxc5 34.Rxc5 Kf7 35.Re5 Ra7 36.Rb5 Ra6 37.Rb6 Ra8 38.a6 Rd7 39.Rc3 Rd5
    40.Rcc6 Rg8 41.Rb7 Ra5 42.Kd4
        (42.a7 Ra2 43.Rcc7 Re8 44.Kd4 Ra4+ 45.Kc3 Ra3+ 46.Kb2 Ra6 47.Rc3 )
    42...Rd8+ 43.Ke3
        (43.Kc4 Rd2 )
    43...Ra3+ 44.Kf2 Rd4 45.a7 Re4 46.Rc3 Ra2 47.Re3 Kf6 48.Kf3 Raa4 49.Rc7 Kf7
    50.Rd7 Kf6 51.Rb7 Kf7 52.Rc7 Kf6 53.Rb3 Kf7 54.Kf2 Ra2 55.Re3 Kf6 56.Rxe4
    fxe4 57.Ke3 Ra4 58.Kd2 e6 59.Kc3 Kf5 60.Kb3 Ra1 61.Rc5+ Kf6 62.Rc7 Kf5
    63.Kb4 Kg4 64.Rc5
        (64.Kb5 Kxg3 65.Kb6 Rb1+
            (65...Kf2 66.Rc5 )
        66.Kc6 Ra1 67.Kb7 Rb1+ 68.Kc8 Ra1 69.Kb8 Kxh4 70.a8=Q Rxa8+ 71.Kxa8 Kg3
        72.Kb7 Kxf4 )
    64...Rxa7 65.Rg5+ Kh3 66.Kc4 Ra4+ 67.Kb3 Ra1 68.Kc2 Ra2+ 69.Kd1 Kg2 70.Re5
    Ra4 71.Rxe6 Kxg3 72.Rxg6+ Kxf4 73.Ke1 Ra1+ 74.Kf2 e3+ 75.Kg2 Re1 76.Rf6+ Kg4
    77.Rg6+ Kf4 78.Rf6+ Ke4 79.Re6+ Kd4 80.Rd6+ Ke4 81.Re6+ Kf4 82.Rf6+ Kg4
    83.Rg6+ Kf5 84.Rh6 Rxe2+ 85.Kf3 Rh2 86.Rxh5+ Kg6 87.Rg5+ Kh6 )
10.Qb3 O-O 11.Rfd1 Nd7
    (11...Bd7 12.Qxb7 Rb8 13.Qxa7 Rxb2 14.c5 )
12.Qa3
    (12.Qc2 Bg7 13.Rac1 a5 14.Na4 Nb6 15.c5 )
12...a5 13.b4
    (13.e3 Nc5
        (13...Ra6 14.Na4 )
    14.Nb3 Nxb3 15.axb3 Ra6 16.c5 Bg7 17.cxd6 exd6 18.Rd5 Rc6 19.Rxa5 Bxc3
    20.bxc3 Rxc3 21.Qb2 Qc7 22.Ra7 Rc2 23.Qd4 Rc1+ 24.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 25.Bf1 Qc7
    26.h4 )
13...Ra6
    (13...Nb6 14.c5 Nc4 15.Qb3 Nd2 16.Qc2 axb4 17.Nd5 e6 18.Ne3 dxc5 19.Qxc5 e5
    20.Rxd2 exd4 21.Rxd4 Qa5 22.Qxa5 Rxa5 23.Rxb4 Bg7 24.Nc4 Ra7 25.Rd1 Rxa2
    26.e3 )
14.b5 Ra8 15.e3
    (15.Nc6 bxc6 16.bxc6 Nb6 )
15...a4 16.Rab1 Bg7 17.Ne4 Qb6
    (17...Qa5 18.Rbc1 Re8 )
18.Nc6 Re8
    (18...bxc6 19.bxc6 Qa5 20.cxd7 Bxd7 21.c5 Bg4 22.Rdc1 dxc5 23.Nxc5 )
19.Nb4 f5
    (19...Qa5 20.Nd5 Nb6 21.Nxb6 Qxb6 22.c5 dxc5 23.Qxc5 )
20.Nc3
    (20.Nd5 Qd8
        (20...Qa5 21.b6 fxe4 22.Rb5 Qa6 23.Nc7 )
    21.Ng5 Nc5 22.b6 Rb8 23.Nc7 Rf8 24.Rb5 )
20...Qc5
    (20...Qa5 21.Rbc1 e6 )
21.Nxa4 Qa7 22.Na6 bxa6 23.b6 Nxb6 24.Rxb6 Rb8 25.c5 Be6
    (25...dxc5 26.Qb3+ c4 27.Qxc4+ Kh8 28.Rxb8 Qxb8 29.Qf7 Rf8 30.Qxe7 Qe5 )
26.Rdb1 dxc5
    (26...Qc7 27.c6 )
27.Rb7 Rxb7 28.Rxb7 Qa8 29.Nxc5 Qc8 30.Qxa6 Bf7 31.Bc6 Rd8
    (31...Rf8 32.a4 )
32.Nd7 Rxd7
    (32...Be6 33.Qb6 Bxd7 34.Bxd7 Qc1+ 35.Kg2 Rf8 36.Be6+ Kh8 37.Rb8 h5 38.Rxf8+
    Bxf8 39.a4 )
33.Bxd7 Qc1+ 34.Qf1 Qxf1+ 35.Kxf1 Bc4+ 36.Kg1 Bxa2 37.Ba4 e5 38.f3 Bh6 39.Bb3+
1-0


[Event "ICC 3 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2010.11.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Xzibit"]
[Black "Sergey82"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[EventCountry "NET"]
[ECO "A37"]
[Variation "Ultra-Symmetrical Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2134"]
[BlackElo "2177"]
[Annotator "Xzibit"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.d3 Nge7 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bd2 d5 9.a3 b6
10.O-O Bb7 11.Rb1 O-O 12.b4 cxb4 13.axb4 dxc4 14.dxc4 Rc8 15.Qc1 Kh7 16.Rd1 Qc7
17.Nb5 Qb8 18.Nd6 Rc7 19.Nxb7 Rxb7 20.b5 Nd8 21.Bb4 Re8 22.Bd6
    (22.Ne1 )
22...Qc8 23.Ne5 Nf5 24.Bxb7 Nxb7
    (24...Qxb7 )
25.Nxf7 Kg8 26.g4
    (26.e4 )
26...Kxf7 27.gxf5 gxf5 28.Bf4 Rg8 29.Kf1 Nc5 30.Bxh6 Qb7 31.f3 Bf6 32.Bf4 Ke8
33.Bg3 Qg7 34.Qf4 Kf7 35.Qc7+ Kg6 36.Qxg7+ Rxg7 37.Rd6 Rh7 38.Rbd1 Bg5 39.Kg2
Kf6 40.Bf2 Bf4 41.Bxc5 Rxh2+ 42.Kg1 bxc5 43.Rd7 Rh6 44.Rxa7 Be3+ 45.Kg2 Rg6+
46.Kh3 Rh6+ 47.Kg3 Rg6+ 48.Kh2 Rh6+ 49.Kg2 Rg6+ 50.Kh1 Rh6+ 51.Kg2 Rg6+ 52.Kh3
Rh6+ 53.Kg3 Rg6+ 54.Kh4 Rh6+ 1/2-1/2


[Event "Glasgow League"]
[Site "Aix-les-Bains"]
[Date "2011.04.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Bryson, Douglas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.03.22"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[ECO "B01"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2350"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4 6.f3 Bf5 7.Bd2 Qb6
    (7...Nc6 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.Bxa5 Ne3 10.Qd2 Nxc4 11.Qf4 )
8.Nge2 e6
    (8...Nc6 9.Na4 )
9.g4
    (9.a4 c6
        (9...a5 10.g4 Bg6 11.h4 h5
            (11...h6 12.Nf4 Nc6
                (12...Bh7 13.g5 hxg5 14.hxg5 Bxc2 15.Rxh8 Bxd1 16.gxf6 gxf6
                17.Rxd1 Nd7 18.Nfd5 )
            13.Nxg6 fxg6 14.Nb5 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 Qxd4 16.Qe2 Qxb2 17.Qxe6+ Kd8
            18.Rd1 Bd6 19.Bb5 Ra6 20.Qc4 )
        12.g5 Nfd7 13.Nf4 Nc6 14.Nb5 Nxd4 15.Nxg6 fxg6 16.Bc3 Nf5 17.Qe2 O-O-O
        18.O-O-O Bc5 19.Qxe6 c6 20.Na3 Bb4 21.Qxg6 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Qc5 23.Kb2 Ne3
        24.Rd4 )
        (9...a6 10.a5 Qd6 11.Bf4 Qd7 12.d5 exd5 13.Bxd5 )
        (9...Nc6 10.a5 Qxb2 11.Nb5 O-O-O
            (11...Bxc2 12.Qc1 Qxc1+ 13.Rxc1 O-O-O 14.Rxc2 a6 15.Nbc3 )
        12.Ra2 Bxc2 13.Rxb2 Bxd1 14.Kxd1 a6 15.Nbc3 )
    10.a5 Qc7 11.Ng3 Bg6 12.Nge4 Be7 13.O-O O-O 14.Be1 )
9...Bg6 10.h4 h6 11.Nf4 Bh7
    (11...Nc6 12.Bb5
        (12.Nxg6 fxg6 13.Ne2 e5 14.c3 exd4 15.Qb3 Qxb3 16.Bxb3 )
    12...O-O-O 13.Bxc6 Qxc6 14.Nxg6 fxg6 15.Qe2 Kb8
        (15...Nxg4 16.Rg1 Nf6 17.O-O-O Rxd4 18.Nb5 Ra4 19.Rxg6 )
    16.O-O-O Rxd4 17.Bxh6 Rd7
        (17...Ba3 18.Nb1 )
    18.Bg5 Bd6 19.Kb1 e5 20.Rhe1 Rf7 21.Qd3 Nd7 22.Qxg6 Qxf3 23.Re3 Qf2 24.Ne4
    Nf8 25.Qxd6 cxd6 26.Nxf2 Rxf2 27.Be7 d5 28.Rxe5 Ng6 29.Bd6+ Kc8 30.Rexd5
    Rxh4 31.Bg3 )
12.g5
    (12.d5 e5 13.Qe2 Nbd7 14.O-O-O O-O-O 15.Nd3 Qd4 16.Nf2 )
12...hxg5 13.hxg5 Bxc2
    (13...Qxd4 14.Bxe6 Qe5+
        (14...fxe6 15.Qe2 e5 16.O-O-O )
        (14...Bxc2 15.Rxh8 Bxd1 16.Bxf7+ Kxf7 17.Rxf8+ )
    15.Qe2 Qxe2+ 16.Kxe2 fxe6 17.gxf6 gxf6 18.Rh5 )
    (13...Nc6 14.g6
        (14.gxf6 Nxd4 )
    14...O-O-O
        (14...Nxd4 15.gxh7 Rxh7 16.Rxh7 Nxh7 )
    15.gxh7 Rxh7 16.Rxh7 Nxh7 17.Be3 Nxd4 18.Kf2 Qxb2 19.Bxd4 Bc5 20.Bxc5 Rxd1
    21.Rxd1 Qxc3 22.Nxe6 Qxc2+ 23.Ke1 Qc3+ 24.Kf2 Qc2+ )
14.Rxh8 Bxd1 15.gxf6 Qxd4
    (15...gxf6 16.Rxd1 Nd7 17.Nfd5
        (17.d5 e5
            (17...O-O-O 18.dxe6 fxe6 19.Bxe6 Re8 20.Rxf8 )
        18.Ng2 O-O-O 19.Ne3 )
    17...exd5 18.Nxd5 Qe6+
        (18...Qd6 19.Bf4 Qe6+ 20.Kf2 O-O-O 21.Bxc7 Qc6
            (21...Re8 22.Nb6+ )
        22.Bb3 Re8 23.Bf4 Kd8 24.Rc1 Qa6 25.Bc7+ Kc8 26.Bg3+
            (26.Nf4 Qb5 27.Rc3 )
        26...Kd8 27.Bc4 Qa4 28.Bc7+ Kc8 29.Bf4 Kd8 30.Nc7 Re7 31.Nb5 )
        (18...Qc6 19.Rc1 O-O-O 20.Rxf8 Qe6+ 21.Ne3 Qh3 22.Rxd8+ Kxd8 23.Ke2 )
    19.Kf2 O-O-O 20.Ba5 Qf5
        (20...Ne5 21.Nb6+ axb6 22.Bxe6+ fxe6 23.Bc3 )
    21.Rxf8 Qc2+ 22.Rd2 Qxd2+ 23.Bxd2 Nxf8 24.Bc3 )
    (15...g5 16.Nh5 Nc6 17.Ng7+ Kd7 18.Rxd1 Nxd4 19.Bxg5 )
16.Rxd1 Nd7
    (16...g5 17.Nb5 Qe5+ 18.Ne2 Nd7 19.Bc3 Qc5 20.Nxc7+ Qxc7 21.Bb5 O-O-O
    22.Bxd7+ Kb8 23.Ba4 )
    (16...Qxf6 17.Ne4
        (17.Nb5 Na6
            (17...Qe5+ 18.Ne2 Na6 )
        18.Nxc7+ Nxc7 19.Bb4 )
    17...Qxb2 18.Bxe6 fxe6 19.Nxe6 )
    (16...gxf6 17.Rxf8+ Kxf8 18.Nxe6+ )
17.Nb5 Qe5+
    (17...Qg1+ 18.Ke2 Qc5 19.Nd3 Qxc4 20.Nxc7+ Qxc7 21.fxg7 )
18.Ne2 O-O-O
    (18...g5 19.Bc3 Qc5 20.Nxc7+ Qxc7 21.Bb5 O-O-O 22.Bxd7+ Kb8 23.Ba4 )
19.Nxa7+ Kb8 20.Bc3 Qg5 21.Rxd7 Rxd7 22.fxg7 1-0


[Event "70th ch-ITA"]
[Site "Siena"]
[Date "2010.11.30"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Rombaldoni, Ax"]
[Black "Dvirnyy, D"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.11.23"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[ECO "B01"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2471"]
[BlackElo "2492"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.d4 Bf5 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bd2 Bb4 8.O-O
    (8.a3 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Qb6 10.O-O Nc6 )
8...Nc6 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 Qb6 11.b4
    (11.a4 a5 12.Bb5 O-O 13.Nd2 Nb4 14.Nc4 Qa7 15.Ne3 Bg6 )
    (11.Qe1 O-O 12.b4 Be4 13.Ng5 Bf5 14.Nf3 Be4 15.Nd2 Bxc2 16.Be2 a6 17.Nc4 Qa7
    )
11...O-O
    (11...Ne4 12.Bb2 O-O 13.Be2 Rfd8 14.c4 a6 15.Qc1 Ne7 16.Re1 )
12.b5
    (12.Re1 Bg4 )
12...Ne7
    (12...Ne4 13.bxc6
        (13.Bb2 Na5 14.Bd3 Nd6 )
    13...Nxc3 14.Qe1 Nd5 15.cxb7 Qxb7 16.Rb1 Nb6 )
13.Bb4 Rfe8 14.Qe1
    (14.Ne5 c6 15.a4 Ned5 16.Bc5 Qc7 )
14...Nd7 15.a4 a5
    (15...c5 )
16.bxa6 bxa6 17.a5 Qa7 18.Bb3
    (18.Bxe7 Rxe7 19.Qe2 c5 20.d5 Nf6 )
18...c5 19.Bc3 Rec8 20.Ba4 Nd5 21.Bxd7 Qxd7 22.Bb2 c4 23.Qe2 Qb5 24.Ba3 c3
25.Qd1 Qa4 26.Ne1 Qxa5 27.Nd3 Bxd3 28.Qxd3 Qb5 29.Qg3 Qe2 30.Rac1 Qe4 31.Bd6 a5
32.Rfe1 Qg6 33.Qf3 Ra6 34.Ba3 Rb6 35.g3 h6 36.Re5 Rcb8 37.Qd1 a4 38.h4 f6 39.h5
Qe8 40.Re4 Qd7 41.Qe2 Nc7 42.Kh2 Rb1 43.Re1 Qd5 44.Qd3 Qxh5+ 45.Kg1 Qd5 46.Bc1
Nb5 47.Qe3 Rb6 48.Rg4 g5 49.Kh2 Kg7 50.f4 Qf5 51.d5 Nc7 52.fxg5 Qxg4 53.gxf6+
Kf7 54.Qxh6 Qg6 55.Qf4 Qxc2+ 56.Kg1 Nxd5 0-1


[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ove Weiss , Hartvig"]
[Black "Martin , Haubro"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[ECO "B43"]
[Variation "Kan (Paulsen) Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2219"]
[BlackElo "2022"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.g3 b5 7.Bg2 Bb7 8.O-O
    (8.a4 )
8...e6 9.Re1 Qc7
    (9...Nbd7 10.e5 Bxg2
        (10...dxe5 11.Bxb7 exd4 12.Bxa8 Qxa8 13.Qxd4 )
    11.exf6 Bb7 12.Nxe6 fxe6 13.Rxe6+ Kf7 14.fxg7 Kxg7
        (14...Bxg7 15.Rxd6 )
    15.Qg4+ Kf7 16.Qf5+
        (16.Bg5 )
    16...Kg8
        (16...Nf6 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.Rxf6+ Qxf6 19.Qxd5+ )
    17.Nd5 Ne5 18.Rxe5 )
    (9...Qd7 10.a4 b4 11.Na2 a5 12.Nb5 Nc6 13.c3 )
10.a4 bxa4 11.Nd5 exd5
    (11...Nxd5 12.exd5 e5 13.Rxa4 )
12.exd5+ Kd8 13.Bg5
    (13.Rxa4 )
13...Nd7 14.Qe2
    (14.Nc6+ )
14...Kc8
    (14...Qc5 15.Nc6+ Kc7 16.Be3 Re8 17.Qd2 Rxe3 18.Rxe3 Bxc6 19.Rc3 Bb5
    20.Rxc5+ Nxc5 )
15.Ra3
    (15.Rxa4 )
15...Kb8 16.Rxa4 Nb6 17.Bxf6 gxf6
    (17...Nxa4 18.Qe8+ Bc8 19.Qxa4 gxf6 20.Qb4+ Qb7 21.Nc6+ Kc7 22.Qc3 )
18.Qe8+
    (18.Rb4 )
18...Qc8 19.Qxf7 Qc7
    (19...Qd7 20.Qe8+
        (20.Qxf6 Bg7 )
    20...Qxe8 21.Rxe8+ Bc8 )
20.Re8+ Bc8 21.Nc6+ Kb7 22.Nd8+
    (22.Na5+ Kb8 23.Rxc8+ Nxc8 24.Rb4+ Nb6 25.Rxb6+ Qxb6 26.Nc6+ Kc8 27.Bh3+ f5
    28.Bxf5# )
22...Kb8 23.Rb4 Ra7
    (23...Qxf7 24.Nxf7 Rg8 25.Rxb6+ Ka7 26.Rb3 Bb7 27.Nd8 )
24.Qh5 Bg7 25.Nc6+ Kb7 26.Re7 Bd7 27.Rxg7 Raa8 28.Bh3 Kc8 29.Rxb6 Qxb6 30.Rxd7
1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.04.27"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bologan comparison"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.11.15"]
[ECO "B51"]
[Variation "Moscow (Canal-Sokolsky) Attack"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "A. Greet"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.O-O
    (4.Bxc6+ bxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3
        (6.c3 Nf6 7.d3
            (7.Re1 )
        )
    6...Bh5 7.e5 dxe5 8.g4 e4 9.gxh5 exf3 10.Nc3 Nf6 11.Qxf3 Nd5
        (11...Qd7 12.d3 g6 13.h6 Nd5 14.Ne4 Qf5 15.Qg2
            (15.Qxf5 gxf5 )
        )
        (11...Rc8 )
    )
4...Bd7 5.Re1 Nf6 6.c3
    (6.h3 g6 7.c3 Ne5 8.Bxd7+ Nfxd7 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.d3 Bg7 11.Be3 O-O 12.Nd2 Qc7
    13.Qb3 Rfd8 14.Rad1 a6 15.a4 Rab8 16.Qa3 b5 17.axb5 axb5 18.Ra1
        (18.c4 )
    18...e6 19.c4 )
6...a6 7.Ba4
    (7.Bf1 Bg4 8.d4 )
    (7.Bxc6 )
7...b5 8.Bc2 Bg4 9.d3 e6 10.Nbd2 Be7 11.h3 Bh5 12.Nf1 O-O 13.Ng3 Bg6 14.Nh4 d5
15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.e5
    (16.f4 d4 17.a3 Qc7 18.e5 Nd5 19.c4 bxc4 20.dxc4 Nb6 21.Bd3 Bh4 22.Kh2 a5
    23.Qg4 Bxg3+ 24.Kxg3 )
16...Nd7 17.d4 b4
    (17...Rc8 18.Ne2 b4 19.Bd3 bxc3 20.bxc3 Qa5 21.Bd2 cxd4 22.cxd4 Bb4 23.Bxb4
    Nxb4 24.a3 Nxd3 25.Qxd3 Rc4 26.Reb1 Nb8 27.Rb3 Nc6 28.Rab1 Rc8 29.g3 Na7
    30.Kg2 Nb5 31.R1b2 Ra4 32.Qf3 Rcc4 33.h4 Qd8 34.Qe3 Qc7 35.Qd3 Qc6 36.Kh2
    Qc7 37.Kg2 Qe7 38.Qe3 Rc8 39.Nc3 Nxc3 40.Rxc3 Rac4 41.Rbc2 Qc7 42.Rxc4 dxc4
    43.Rc3 Qc6+ 44.Kh2 Qd5 45.Rc1 Kf8 46.Qc3 a5 47.Rb1 Rd8 48.Rd1 g5 49.hxg5 Ke7
    50.Kg1 Rh8 51.f3 g6 52.Rc1 Rc8 53.Kf2 Qb5 54.Rc2 Kf8 55.g4 Kg7 56.Kg3 a4
    57.Rb2 Qd5 58.Rb4 Qc6 59.Kg2 Kg8 60.Kg3 Kg7 61.Kg2 Kg8 62.Kf2 Kg7 63.Kg3 )
18.Ne2 Qc7 19.a3 bxc3 20.bxc3 Rfc8 21.Bd3 cxd4 22.cxd4 Qa7 23.Be3 Bd8 24.Rc1 Nb6
25.Nf4 Ne7 26.Qg4 Rxc1 27.Rxc1 Rc8 28.Rxc8 Nbxc8 29.Bxg6 fxg6 30.Qxe6+ Kf8
31.Nxg6+ Nxg6 32.Qxc8 Qc7 33.Qxa6 *


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.06.14"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Moscow Variation"]
[Black "5...?g4"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2010.11.15"]
[ECO "B52"]
[Variation "Moscow (Canal-Sokolsky) Attack"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "A. Greet"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 Qg4 6.O-O Qxe4 7.d4 cxd4
    (7...Nd7 8.Nc3 Qc6 9.d5
        (9.Re1 )
    9...Qb6 10.Re1 h6
        (10...Ngf6 11.Rb1 )
    11.Rb1 g6 12.b4 cxb4 13.Be3 Qa5 14.Nb5 Kd8 15.a3 bxa3 16.Ra1 a6 17.Rxa3 axb5
    18.Rxa5 Rxa5 19.Qd2
        (19.Bb6+ Nxb6 20.Qd4 Nd7 21.Qxh8 Ngf6 22.cxb5 Rxb5 )
    19...Ra8 20.Qb2 Ngf6 21.Qxb5 )
    (7...Qc6 8.Re1
        (8.Nc3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxc4 )
    8...cxd4
        (8...Na6 9.Nc3 Qd7 10.Nb5 Nc7 11.dxc5 Nxb5 12.cxb5 dxc5 13.Qb3 Nf6
        14.Bf4 e6 15.Rad1 Qc8 16.Qa4 b6 17.Ne5 Be7 18.Nc6 Qb7 19.Nxe7 Qxe7
        20.Bd6 Qb7 21.Qc4 )
    9.Nxd4 Qxc4
        (9...Qd7 10.Nb5 e5
            (10...e6 11.Bf4 )
        11.N1c3 a6 12.Qa4 Nc6 13.Nd5 Rc8 14.Nb6 )
    10.Na3 Qc8 11.Bf4 Qd7
        (11...e5 12.Bxe5 dxe5 13.Rxe5+ Ne7 14.Nab5 Qd7 15.Nf5 Nc6 16.Nfd6+ Kd8
        17.Nxf7+ Kc8 18.Qxd7+ Kxd7 19.Rd1+ Kc8 20.Re6 g6 21.Nxh8 )
    12.Nab5 e5 13.Bxe5 dxe5 14.Rxe5+ Be7 15.Rd5 Qc8 16.Nf5 Kf8 17.Nxe7 Kxe7
    18.Re5+ )
8.Nxd4
    (8.Re1 Qg4 9.h3 Qd7 )
8...Nc6 9.Nb5 O-O-O 10.Be3 a6
    (10...b6 11.Qa4 Kb7 12.N1c3 )
    (10...Nf6 11.Nxa7+
        (11.Bxa7 )
    )
    (10...Qxc4 11.N1a3 Qb4 12.Rc1 )
    (10...Kb8 11.Qa4
        (11.Nd2 )
    11...a6 12.N1c3 Qh4 13.Rad1 )
11.N1c3 Qxc4 12.b3 Qh4
    (12...Qb4 13.a3 Qh4 14.Na7+ )
13.Na7+ Kb8
    (13...Nxa7 14.Bxa7 Nf6 15.Rc1 Kd7 16.Nd5 )
    (13...Kd7 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Qd3 )
14.Nxc6+ bxc6 15.Qd3 Kb7 16.Ne4 Nf6
    (16...e5 17.Bg5 )
    (16...Qh5 17.Nc5+ )
17.Nc5+ Kc7 18.Nxa6+ Kd7 19.Rac1 *


[Event "Dutch Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.02.12"]
[Round "6.4"]
[White "Bezemer, A"]
[Black "Burg, T"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2010.09.18"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2318"]
[BlackElo "2455"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Bc4 Qb6 8.Bb3 e6
9.Qd2 Be7 10.O-O-O Nc5 11.f3 O-O 12.Kb1 Qc7 13.g4 b5 14.a3 Bd7
    (14...Rb8 15.h4 Bd7
        (15...Nxb3 16.Nxb3
            (16.cxb3 b4 17.axb4 Rxb4 18.Nf5
                (18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.exd5 Rb6 )
            18...exf5 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Nd5 Qc5 21.gxf5 Rxb3 22.Nxf6+ Kh8 23.Rhg1
            Bxf5 )
        16...Rd8
            (16...Bd7 17.e5 )
        17.h5 h6
            (17...b4 18.axb4 Rxb4 19.h6 g6 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Nd5 )
            (17...a5 18.h6 b4 19.axb4 axb4 20.Nd5 exd5 21.hxg7 Bb7 22.Bxf6 Bxf6
            23.Rxh7 Bxg7 24.Rdh1 f6 25.g5 Rd7 26.Qh2 )
        18.Bh4 d5 19.e5 Qxe5 20.Ne2 Qd6 21.g5 hxg5 22.Qxg5 )
    16.h5
        (16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.g5 Bd8 18.h5 a5 19.g6 Bf6 )
    16...a5
        (16...h6 17.Bxh6 gxh6 18.Qxh6 )
    17.h6
        (17.Be3 b4 18.axb4 axb4 19.Na2 e5 20.g5 exd4 21.Bxd4 Nxb3 22.cxb3 Nd5
        23.g6 h6 24.gxf7+ Rxf7 25.Rhg1 Bg5 26.Rxg5 hxg5 27.Qxg5 Nf4 28.h6 Ne6
        29.Qg6 Nxd4 30.Rc1 Bc6 31.h7+ Kh8 )
    17...g6 18.Nf5 gxf5
        (18...exf5 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.Bxe7 Nxb3
            (20...Nxe7 21.Qd4 )
        21.Qxd5 )
    19.Bh4 Kh8 20.Qg5 Rg8 21.Qxf6+ Bxf6 22.Bxf6+ Rg7 23.hxg7+ Kg8 24.Rxh7 Kxh7
    25.gxf5 exf5 26.Bxf7 )
15.h4 Qb7
    (15...Rfb8 16.h5
        (16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.g5 Be7 18.h5 Nxb3 19.Nxb3 Be8 )
    16...a5
        (16...h6 17.Be3 a5 18.g5 hxg5
            (18...b4 19.Ncb5 Bxb5 20.Nxb5 Rxb5 21.gxf6 Bxf6 22.a4 Rb6 23.Bxh6
            Kh7 24.Bf4 Rd8 25.Bg5 )
        19.h6 g6 )
    17.h6 g6
        (17...Nxb3 18.cxb3 b4 19.Nd5 exd5 20.hxg7 Qd8
            (20...bxa3 21.Bxf6 Bxf6 22.Rxh7 )
        21.Qh2 h5 22.Bf4 )
    18.Nf5
        (18.Qf4 e5 19.Bxf6 exf4 20.Nd5 Bxf6
            (20...Qa7 21.Nxe7+ Kf8 22.Bd5 )
        21.Nxc7 Ra7 22.Nd5 Bg5 )
    18...gxf5 19.Bh4 Kf8
        (19...Nxb3 20.Qg5+ Kf8 21.Qg7+ Ke8 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.Qxf6 Qd8 24.Qg7 fxg4
        25.cxb3 )
        (19...b4 20.e5
            (20.Qg5+ Kf8 21.Qg7+ Ke8 22.Bxf6 bxc3 23.Bxe7 Kxe7 24.Qg5+ Ke8
            25.gxf5 Bb5 )
        20...dxe5 21.Qg5+ Kf8 22.Qg7+ Ke8 23.Bxf6 Bf8 24.Qh8 bxc3 25.Bxe5 Qxe5
        26.Qxe5 a4 27.Bc4 Rxb2+ 28.Ka1 Rxc2 29.Rb1 )
    20.Qg5
        (20.e5 Nxb3 21.Qg5 Ke8 22.exf6 Bf8 23.Nd5 Qb7 24.gxf5 b4 )
    20...Ke8 21.Qg7 b4 22.Qh8+ Bf8 23.Bxf6 bxc3 24.exf5 Rxb3 25.cxb3 c2+ 26.Kxc2
    Bc6 27.Rhf1 Qb7 28.Kb1 Bxf3 29.Rxd6 Be4+ 30.Ka1 Nxb3+ 31.Ka2 Bd5 32.fxe6
    Nd2+ 33.Ka1 Nb3+ 34.Ka2 fxe6 35.Bg7 Nd2+ 36.Ka1 Nb3+ 37.Kb1 Nd2+ 38.Kc2 Bb3+
    39.Kxd2 Qg2+ 40.Ke1 Qe4+ 41.Kf2 Qf4+ 42.Kg2 Qxg4+ 43.Kh2 )
16.h5 a5 17.h6 g6 18.Nf5 gxf5
    (18...exf5 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.Bxd5 Bxg5 21.Qc3 )
19.Bh4
    (19.gxf5 Kh8 20.Qxd6 )
19...Nfxe4
    (19...Kh8 20.Qg5 Rg8 21.Qxf6+ Bxf6 22.Bxf6+ Rg7 23.hxg7+ Kg8 24.Rxh7 Kxh7
    25.gxf5 exf5 26.Bxf7 )
20.fxe4
    (20.Nxe4 Nxb3
        (20...Nxe4 21.fxe4 Bxh4 22.Rxh4 )
    21.cxb3 f6 22.gxf5 Kh8 23.Rhg1 exf5 24.Nxd6 Qxf3 25.Rde1 )
20...Nxb3 21.cxb3 f6 22.gxf5 b4 23.Qg2+
    (23.fxe6 Bxe6 24.Nd5 Kh8
        (24...Bxd5 25.Qg2+ Kf7 26.Qg7+ Ke8 27.exd5 )
    25.Nxe7 Qxe7 26.Qxd6 Qxd6 27.Rxd6 Rae8 28.Rg1 )
23...Kf7 24.Qg7+
    (24.fxe6+ )
24...Ke8 25.fxe6 bxc3 26.exd7+ Kd8
    (26...Kxd7 )
27.Qg2
    (27.Rd3 )
27...Qxb3
    (27...Rb8 )
28.e5 c2+ 29.Qxc2 Qxc2+ 30.Kxc2 dxe5 31.Rhg1 Ra7 32.Rg7 Rxd7 33.Rxh7 Rxd1
34.Kxd1 Ke8 35.Be1 Rg8 36.Rg7
    (36.b4 )
36...Rh8 37.h7 Kf8 38.Rg8+ Rxg8 39.hxg8=Q+ Kxg8 40.Bxa5 Kf7 41.Bd2 Ke6 42.b4 Kd5
43.a4 Kc4 44.a5 Kb5 45.Ke2 f5 46.Kf3 Bf8 47.Bc3 Bd6 48.Ke2 Bc7 49.Kd3 Bb8 50.Ke2
Kc4 51.Bd2 Ba7 52.Be3 Bb8 53.a6 Kxb4 54.a7 Bxa7 55.Bxa7 Kc4 1/2-1/2


[Event "European Championship"]
[Site "Aix-les-Bains FRA"]
[Date "2011.03.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gharamian, Tigran"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.03.22"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 h6
9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.f5 Qc5
    (10...g5 11.fxg6 fxg6 12.O-O-O
        (12.Qg3 Rg8 13.O-O-O e5 14.Nb3 Be6 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 h5 17.Bd3 Bh6+
        18.Kb1 O-O-O 19.Bxg6 Kb8 20.Qd3 Qg7 21.Bf5 Qxg2 22.Na5 Rg7 )
    12...Bg7
        (12...Bg4 13.Nd5 )
    13.Nd5 Qa5 14.Kb1 Nxd5 15.exd5 Rf8 16.Qe4 Bf5 17.Nxf5 gxf5 18.Qc4 )
    (10...e5 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.g3
        (12.O-O-O Bd7
            (12...Be7 13.g3 O-O 14.Bh3 Nd5 15.Nxd5 exd5 16.Bf5 Qc4 17.Qb3 Qxb3
            18.axb3 dxe4 19.Bxe4 )
        13.g3 O-O-O 14.Bh3 Re8 15.Nce2
            (15.Rhe1 Nh7 16.Qe2 Ng5 17.Bg4 g6 18.h4 h5 19.hxg5 hxg4 )
        15...Qc4
            (15...Kb8 16.Nf4 e5 17.Bxd7 Qxd7 18.Ng6 Rg8 19.Nf5 )
        16.Kb1 )
        (12.Bd3 Bd7 13.e5 dxe5 14.Bg6+ Kd8 15.Nde2 Kc8 16.O-O-O Kb8 17.Ng3 Bb4
        18.Nce4 Nd5 )
    12...e5
        (12...Qe7 13.O-O-O )
    13.Nf5 g6 14.Ne3 Bg7 15.O-O-O O-O )
    (10...Bd7 11.O-O-O Rc8 12.Kb1 Qc5 13.Nd5 )
11.O-O-O g5 12.e5 Qxe5
    (12...dxe5 13.Ndb5 e4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 Bg7
        (15...axb5 16.Rd5 )
    16.Nd6+ Kf8 17.Nxc8 Rxc8 18.Rd7 )
    (12...g4 13.Qg3 Qxe5 14.Bb5+ axb5 15.Qxe5 dxe5 16.Ndxb5 e6 17.Nc7+ Ke7
    18.Nxa8 exf5 19.Rhe1 e4 )
13.g3 g4
    (13...Bg7 14.Bg2 Qc5 15.Rhe1 )
14.Qf2 h5
    (14...Qc5 15.Bg2 Bd7 16.Rhe1 h5 17.Qe2 O-O-O 18.Ne4 )
15.Kb1
    (15.Bg2 Bh6+ 16.Kb1 Be3 )
15...Bh6
    (15...h4 16.gxh4 Bh6 17.Re1 Qf4 18.Qe2 Qe5 19.Qf2 Qf4 )
    (15...Qc5 16.Bg2 Bd7 17.Rd3
        (17.Qe2 O-O-O 18.Ne4 Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Qb6 20.Rd3 Bg7 )
    17...Bh6 18.Re1 Rb8 19.Qe2 O-O )
16.Re1 Qc5 17.Bg2 Bd7 18.Qe2 O-O 19.Nb3 Qxf5
    (19...Qc7 20.Qxe7 Bg7 21.Ne4 Nxe4 22.Bxe4 )
20.Rhf1 Qg5
    (20...Qg6 21.Qxe7 Rae8 22.Qxd6 Bc8 )
21.Qxe7 Rae8 22.Qxd6 Rxe1+
    (22...Bc8 )
23.Rxe1 Re8 24.Rxe8+ Bxe8 25.Bxb7 Qe3 26.a4 Qg1+ 27.Ka2 Bg7 28.Qe7 Bd7 29.Nd5
Qf2 30.Qd8+ Kh7 31.Nxf6+ Qxf6 32.Qxf6 Bxf6 33.Nc5 1-0


[Event "Swedish Championship"]
[Site "Vasteras SWE"]
[Date "2011.07.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Hector, J"]
[Black "Berg, E"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.07.16"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2568"]
[BlackElo "2604"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 h6
9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.f5 Rg8
    (10...Qc5 )
11.O-O-O g5 12.e5 dxe5 13.Ndb5 axb5 14.Nxb5 Qb8 15.Qc3 Bd7 16.Nc7+ Kd8 17.Nxa8
Qxa8 18.Bb5 Qc8 19.Qa5+ Qc7 20.Qa8+ Qc8 21.Qa4 Kc7 22.Rd3 Bxf5 23.Rc3+ Kb8
24.Rxc8+ Bxc8 25.Rf1 g4 26.Qc4 Be6 27.Qc5 h5 28.Qxe5+ Ka8 29.Kb1 Bg7 30.Rf4 Ka7
31.Qc7 1-0


[Event "Schachbundesliga 2010-11"]
[Site "Essen"]
[Date "2011.04.09"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Hector, J"]
[Black "Volokitin, And"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2010.10.08"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2661"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 h6
9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.f5 Qc5 11.O-O-O g5 12.fxg6 Bg4 13.gxf7+ Kxf7 14.Qd3 Bxd1 15.Nxd1
e6
    (15...h5 16.g3 Rc8 17.Bh3 Ng4 18.e5 Qxe5 19.Bg2 )
    (15...Rc8 16.g3
        (16.Ne3 Qe5 17.Qb3+ e6 18.Bc4 d5 19.exd5 Qxd4 20.dxe6+ Ke8 21.Rd1
            (21.e7 Bxe7 22.Bf7+ Kf8 23.Bg6 Rh7 24.Bxh7 Nxh7 25.Qe6 Re8 26.Qxh6+
            Qg7 27.Rf1+ Bf6 )
        21...Qe4 22.Qc3
            (22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.Bxd5 Qf4+ 24.Kb1 Rc7 )
        22...Be7 23.Bb5+ Kf8 24.Qxc8+ Kg7 25.Nf5+ Qxf5 26.Qxb7 Qxe6 27.Qxa6 Qe3+
        28.Kb1 Rd8 )
    )
    (15...Qe5 16.Nc3
        (16.Qb3+ d5 17.Nf3 Qxe4 18.Bd3 Qf4+ 19.Kb1 e6
            (19...b5 20.Qc3 )
        20.Qxb7+ Be7 21.Re1 Qb4 22.Qc7 Qd6 23.Qc3 Nd7 )
    16...Bg7
        (16...Rc8 17.g3 e6 18.Bh3 Re8 19.Rf1 Qc5 20.Nce2 )
    17.Nf3
        (17.g3 Nd7 )
    17...Qe6 )
16.g3 Bg7
    (16...Re8 17.Bh3
        (17.Nc3 )
    17...Qh5 18.Nf2 Bg7 19.Qb3 )
17.Bh3 Rae8 18.Rf1 Re7 19.Ne3 Rhe8 20.Ng2 Qe5
    (20...b5 21.c3 Qc4 22.Qxc4 bxc4 23.e5 dxe5 24.Nc6 )
21.Nf4 Qxe4 22.Qxe4 Nxe4 23.Bxe6+ Rxe6 24.Nfxe6+ Bf6 25.Rf4
    (25.Nc7 Re5 26.Rf3 )
25...Nc5 26.Nxc5 dxc5 27.Nf3 Re2 28.Kd1 Rg2 29.a4 Ke7 30.b4 Bc3 31.bxc5 Rf2
32.g4 Kd8 33.h4 Kc7 34.g5 hxg5 35.hxg5 Rg2 36.Rc4 Ba5 37.Re4 Kc6 38.Re5 Bc3
39.Re2 Rxe2 40.Kxe2 Kxc5 41.Kd3 Bh8 42.c3 b5 43.axb5 axb5 44.Nd4 Kb6 45.g6 Ka5
46.Nc6+ Ka4 47.Kc2 Ka3 48.Nb4 Bg7 49.Nd3 Bf6 50.Nc5 Bh8 51.Na6 Bg7 52.Nb4 Bh8
53.Kd3 Kb3 54.Nc2 Ka4 55.Nd4 Bf6 56.Ke4 Bh8 57.Kd5 Bg7 58.Kc5 Bf8+ 59.Kc6 b4
60.cxb4 Kxb4 61.Nf5 Kc4 62.Kd7 Kd5 63.Ke8 1-0


[Event "GRENKE Rapid WCh"]
[Site "Mainz"]
[Date "2010.08.07"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Milov, Leonid"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2010.08.07"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2562"]
[BlackElo "2719"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Qe2!?
{This way of playing has lately become fashionable.} 7...h6
    ( {White certainly had some chances in this game:} 7...Qa5 8.h4 h6 9.Bd2 Qb6
    10.Nb3 e6 11.g4 Ne5 12.f4!?
        (12.Bh3 $14 )
    12...Nexg4 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Qc7 15.exf6 Qg3+ 16.Kd1 Nf2+ 17.Kc1 Nxh1
    18.Ne4 Qxh4 19.Qc4 g5?
        (19...Qh2 20.Nbc5 Nf2 21.Nxf2 Qxf2 22.Qa4+ b5 23.Bxb5+ axb5 24.Qxb5+ Kd8
        {leads to a perpetual check} )
    20.Nbc5 Ng3?
        (20...b5 $8 21.Qd4 Qh2 22.a4! $16 )
    21.Qa4+ b5 22.Bxb5+ axb5 23.Qxb5+ Kd8 24.Ba5+ Rxa5 25.Qxa5+ Ke8 26.Qb5+ Kd8
    27.Qb6+ Ke8 28.Nd6+ {1-0 Vallejo Pons - Papaioannou, Aix-les-Bains 2011.} )
    ( {The entire point of White's play is to go for} 7...e6 8.f4 {with a
transposition to fashionable stuff. However, also 8.0-0-0!? is interesting.} )
8.Bh4 Qc7
    (8...g5 9.Bg3 e5 {has been played, but looks absolutely wrong.} )
    (8...e5 9.Nf5 g6 10.Ne3 Be7 11.O-O-O b5 12.f3 Bb7 13.a3 Rc8 14.Be1 Nc5
    15.Kb1 Ne6 16.h4 $14 {N. Kosintseva - Bodnaruk, Moscow 2010.} )
9.O-O-O g5 10.Bg3 e6 11.h4 Rg8 12.hxg5 hxg5 {Is this playable for Black?} 13.Qd2
    (13.Kb1 Ne5 {Fercec-Mazi, Zadar 2010} 14.Nf3!?
    {was suggested by Van Delft and Riis. After} 14...Bd7 15.Qd2 Nxf3 16.gxf3
    Bc6
        (16...e5 17.Bh3 Be6 18.Qe3 Be7 {Black might be ok!?} )
    17.Qd4
        (17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Qxd6 Bxd6 19.Rxd6 Ke7 20.Rd1 Rh8 $45 )
    17...Nd7 18.Be2 Be7 {Rybka thinks that White is better, but that does not
make a lot of sense to me.} )
13...Ne5 14.f3 Bd7 15.Kb1 Rb8 16.Bd3 b5 17.Nce2 Qb6 18.Ka1 Be7 19.Rb1
{Strange.} 19...Rc8 20.Bf2? Nxd3 21.Qxd3 e5 22.Rh6 Qc7 23.Nb3 Qxc2 $15 24.Qe3
Qc7 25.Rhh1 Qb8 26.Rbc1 Bd8 27.Rxc8 Bxc8 28.Rc1 Be6 29.Qc3 Kf8 30.Rd1 Kg7 31.Qd2
Ne8 32.Ng3 Rh8 33.Nf5+ Bxf5 34.exf5 Qc8 35.g4 Rh2 36.Rc1 Qb7 37.Qe3 Nc7 38.Bg1
Rg2 39.Rd1 Qc6 40.Qd3 Bf6 41.Rc1 e4 42.Rxc6 exd3 0-1


[Event "5th Kings Tournament"]
[Site "Medias/Romania"]
[Date "2011.06.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.f4 e5 {This is not
in GM6, but I found this game quite interesting and thought I had a bit to
add.} 8.Nf5 Qb6 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Be2
    (11.Bd3 h6 12.Bh4 exf4 13.O-O
    {also appears to be quite interesting. Probably best is 13...Qa5!?N.}
    13...g6 {Matejovic - Hoelzl, Zadar 2009.} 14.Rxf4! $146 b5
        (14...g5 15.e5! $13 )
    15.Bxb5 axb5 16.Nxb5 Qxa2 17.Re1 g5 18.Nfxd6+ Bxd6 19.Nxd6+ Kf8 20.e5 gxf4
    21.exf6 Ba6 22.Bf2 Kg8 23.Qxf4 $44 Nf8 24.Qg4+ Ng6 25.c4 Bxc4 26.Nxc4 Kh7
    27.Be3 Ra6 $10 )
11...h6!
    (11...Qc5 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Be3 Qc7 14.O-O Nc5
    {Kanovsky - Dydyshko, Frydek Mistek 2011. Here White missed a great shot:}
    15.Nxg7+!! $146 Bxg7 16.Rxf6 $16 Bxf6 17.Nd5 Qd6
        (17...Qd8 18.Bxc5 Be6 19.Bb6 $18 )
    18.Rb6 Nxe4 19.Rxd6 Nxd2 20.Nc7+ Kf8
        (20...Ke7 21.Rxd2 $18 )
    21.Rxf6 $18 )
12.Bh4 exf4
    (12...g6 13.Ne3 exf4 14.Ned5 Nxd5?
        (14...g5! $146 15.Nc7+ Kd8 16.Bf2 Rb8
            (16...Kxc7 17.Rb3 $16 )
        17.e5 dxe5 18.Bb6 Qd6 19.N7d5+ Ke8 20.Bc7 Qc6 21.Bxb8 Nxd5 22.Nxd5 Nxb8
        23.Rb6 Qc5 $10 {is a computer line that needs to be checked. I feel
Black is living a dangerous life here; but it might be right that White has no
improvements.} )
    15.Nxd5 Bg7 16.Nc7+ Kf8 17.Rb3 Qxa2 {Espinosa Aranda - Idani, Porto Carras
2010. Here, instead of the (reasonable) capture of the rook on a8, White could
have gone for the kill with:} 18.O-O! $146 Rb8
        (18...Be5 19.Nxa8 $16 )
    19.Qxf4 Ne5 20.Bf6 Qxc2 21.Bxe5 Qxb3 22.Nd5 Be6 23.Bxd6+ Kg8 24.Bxb8 Bxd5
    25.exd5 Qxd5 26.Rd1 Qb3 27.Rd7 $18 )
13.O-O $146
    (13.Bf2 Nc5
        ( {The critical line here might be:} 13...Qa5 $146 14.O-O g6 15.Nxd6+
        Bxd6 16.Qxd6 Qxc3 17.Bd4 Qxc2
            (17...Qc6 18.Qxf4 $44 O-O?! $140 19.Qxh6! Re8 20.Rf4 Rxe4
            21.Bc4!! $40 )
        {For example:} 18.Rfc1 Qxe2 19.Rb2 Qxe4 20.Rbc2 Qxd4+ 21.Qxd4 O-O $13 )
    14.O-O Bxf5 15.exf5 Be7 16.Bd4 O-O 17.Rf3
        (17.Qxf4 $44 )
    17...Qa5 18.Qxf4 Rae8 19.Rg3 Kh7 20.a4 Bd8 21.Qxd6 Nxa4 22.Ne4 Be7 23.Bxf6!!
    Bxd6 24.Rxg7+ Kh8 25.Ng5 Bxh2+ 26.Kh1
    {1-0 Ganguly - Spoelman, Wijk aan Zee 2011.} )
13...g6 14.Rxf4 g5 15.Rb3 Qa5 16.Nxd6+ Bxd6 17.Qxd6 gxf4 18.Ra3 Qb6+ 19.Qxb6
Nxb6 20.Bxf6 Rg8 21.Rb3 Nd7 22.Nd5 Rg6 23.Bd4
{Apparently this is where Nakamura's preparation stopped.}
    (23.Nc7+ Kf8 24.Bb2 Ra7 25.Ba3+ Kg7 26.Ne8+ Kh7 27.Nd6 Ra8 28.Bh5 Rg7
    29.Bxf7 Ne5 30.Bd5 f3 31.g3 Bh3 32.Bb2 Rf8 33.Nf5 Re7 34.Bg8+ Kh8 35.Bd5
    Kh7 $10 )
23...Rc6 24.c4?!
    (24.c3 $13 )
24...b5! 25.cxb5 axb5 26.Nc3?
    (26.Rb2 Ra3 27.Kf2 Ba6 $15 )
26...Ba6 27.Kf2 Rd6?
    (27...b4! 28.Rxb4 Bxe2 29.Kxe2 Ra3 30.Rb3 Rxb3 31.axb3 Nf8 $17 )
    (27...Nc5!? $16 )
28.Rb4 f6 29.Kf3 Rc8 30.Nxb5 Bxb5 31.Bxb5 Ke7 1/2-1/2


[Event "Danzhou"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.05.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Wang Yue"]
[Black "Zhou Jianchao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.05.15"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Variation "Najdorf Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2636"]
[Annotator "A. Greet"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

{In this game White succeeds with a hyper-aggressive approach which was not
considered in Lubomir Ftacnik's "Grandmaster Repertoire 6" book on the Sicilian
Najdorf. The game was annotated for ChessPublishing by Richard Palliser, who I
have referenced where appropriate.} 1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3
a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 {Recommended in Chapter 22 of GM 6.}
    ( {Ftacnik also considered} 6...e6 {in Chapter 21.} )
7.Bc4 Qb6!?
    (7...e6 {is the other big move.} )
8.Qd2!?
    ( {The book mainly focused on} 8.Bb3 {, but this 'Modified Poisoned Pawn'
variation must be White's most ambitious approach. I should mention that at the
time when GM 6 was published, this whole line was pretty experimental, so it is
hardly surprising that many new ideas have surfaced. The GM Repertoire books
tend to be at the cutting edge of present theory, and in some cases they have
even influenced subsequent theoretical trends as prominent players sought to
test and refine the authors' recommendations.} )
8...Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.O-O e6 {This was proposed as a novelty in GM 6. It has
since been tested in four games (including the present one), with Black scoring
a mere half point!}
    ( {Zhou Jianchao decided to try the text move after suffering an unpleasant
reversal with} 10...Qc5 {the previous month:} 11.Bd5 Nxd5
        ( {Palliser mentions} 11...Nb6!? {as a possible improvement although
Black's position looks risky in any case.} )
    12.Nxd5 f6? 13.Ne6 Qc4 14.Rb4 Qxa2 15.Nec7+ Kf7 16.Nxa8
    {1-0 Li Chao - Zhou Jianchao, Xinghua Jiangsu 2011.} )
    (10...Qa5 {was mentioned in GM 2, where it was noted that White had the
option of forcing a draw:} 11.Nd5
        (11.Bd5!? {Lagarde - Guttulsrud, Batumi 2010.} )
    11...Qxd2 12.Nc7+ Kd8 13.Nde6+ fxe6 14.Nxe6+ Ke8 15.Nc7+ Kd8 16.Ne6+ Ke8
    {½-½ Luther - Bischoff, Austria 2002.} )
11.Bxe6!? {Repeating an idea which had previously been used by Cheparinov.}
    (11.Rb3 Qa5 $15 {was mentioned in GM 6.} )
    (11.Kh1 Be7
        (11...Nc5!? )
    12.f4 b5
        (12...Nc5!? {is mentioned by Palliser.} )
    13.Bb3 Nc5 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.e5
    {led to wild complications in Andriasian - Raykhman, Kalamaria 2010.} )
11...fxe6 12.Nxe6 Qa5
    (12...Kf7!? {may be playable although it looks a bit fishy.} 13.Nd8+ Ke8
    14.Nxb7 Bxb7 15.Bxf6 gxf6
        (15...Nxf6 16.Rxb7 $44 )
    16.Rxb7 Rb8 17.Rxb8+ Nxb8 18.Nd5 $44 {(analysis by Palliser) White has
ongoing compensation, and I can't imagine many players lining up to take
Black's side of this position.} )
13.f4 Kf7 14.e5! {Surely the most dangerous and consistent move.}
    ( {In a previous game, which reached this position via a different opening
sequence, White went for a slower approach:} 14.f5?! Be7 15.Qe3 Re8 16.Qg3
        (16.Nd5!? Nxd5 17.exd5 Nf6 18.c4 {Palliser} )
    16...Nc5 17.Nxg7 Rg8! 18.Ne6 h6
    {White's attack ran out of steam, Robson - So, Lubbock 2010.} )
14...Kxe6 15.Kh1!? {How to assess this move? Wang Yue certainly scores top
marks for coolness, tucking his king into the corner while two pieces behind,
even if the idea was prepared at home. Still, I cannot help but feel sceptical
about White's play, and I would be surprised if he repeats it.}
    ( {First, it should be noted that} 15.exf6?! {is premature, and after}
    15...Nxf6 16.Qd3 Kf7 17.Bxf6 gxf6
    {White's compensation is dubious, as pointed out by Palliser.} )
    ( {Cheparinov preferred} 15.Rbe1! {and after} 15...Kf7 16.Kh1 {the same
position was reached - see the note to Black's 16th move below. It seems to me
that Cheparinov's move order is the better one, as Black is denied the option
mentioned in the note to the next move.}
        (16.e6+!? Kg8 17.e7 {is another idea;} 17...h6 {looks like the right
response. Maybe this will prove the most important direction for future
investigations...} )
    )
15...Kf7
    (15...dxe5
    {was another way to question White's idea. There are two main replies:}
    16.fxe5
        (16.Bxf6 gxf6!
            ( {Palliser gives} 16...Nxf6 17.fxe5 Nd7
                ( {Palliser mentions that} 17...Ne4? {is dangerous due to}
                18.Qf4! Qxc3 19.Qxe4 Qxe5 20.Qd3 $40 )
            18.Rbd1 {and questions White's compensation. He may well be right,
but the text move looks even better.} )
        17.fxe5 Rg8! 18.exf6 Rg5! {Despite the exposed king position Black
seems to be doing well, for instance} 19.Qd3 Kf7! 20.Qxh7+ Ke8
        {White does not have enough for the two pieces.} )
    16...Ne4!
        ( {but not} 16...h6? 17.exf6 hxg5 18.Rbe1+ Ne5 19.Qxg5
        {with a strong initiative} )
    17.Qf4 Nxg5 18.Ne4!!
    {A fantastic shot, but ultimately even this is insufficient.}
        ( {Palliser mentions} 18.Qf5+ Ke7 19.Qxg5+ Ke8 $19
        {when Black should win relatively easily} )
    18...Nxe4! 19.Qf7+ Kxe5 {White has two ways to win the enemy queen, but
Black's four(!) extra pieces ensure him of the better chances, despite his
'active' king position!} 20.Qf5+
        (20.Rf5+ Kd6 21.Rxa5
            (21.Rd1+ Qd2! $19 )
        21...Nec5 {Black has good winning chances.} )
    20...Kd6 21.Qxa5 Nec5 {The powerful knights control enough important
squares to enable Black to survive. Here is one possible line:} 22.Rb6+ Kc7!
    23.Rbf6+
        (23.Rxa6+? b6 $19 )
    23...Kb8 24.Rxf8 Rxf8 25.Rxf8 b6 26.Rxc8+ Kxc8 27.Qe1 Kb7 $17 )
16.Rbe1 {White can regain one piece at any time of his choosing, so it is
logical to bring another piece into the attack and keep Black guessing.}
16...h6! {Improving over a previous game.}
    (16...Nb6? 17.exf6 gxf6 18.Bxf6! Rg8
        (18...Kxf6?? 19.Ne4+ )
    19.Bd4 Na4? {A mistake in a difficult position.} 20.Qe2! Bd7
        (20...Bf5 21.Nxa4 $18 Qxa4? 22.Qh5+ {with mate to follow.} )
    21.f5 {Black has no good defence against Qh5+.} 21...Rxg2
        (21...Rg5 22.Ne4 $18 )
    22.Kxg2 Nxc3 23.Qh5+ Kg8 24.Qg5+ Kf7 25.Qf6+ Kg8 26.Qh8+
    {1-0 Cheparinov - Kadric, Aix-les-Bains 2011.} )
17.Bh4 Nb6?
    ( {Palliser quite rightly points out that} 17...dxe5!
    {would have put White's compensation in doubt.} 18.fxe5
        ( {or} 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.fxe5 Nxe5
        {- see 18.fxe5 Nxe5 19.Bxf6 gxf6 below} )
    18...Nxe5 19.Bxf6
        (19.Rxf6+!? gxf6 20.Bxf6 Nf3!
            (20...Kxf6?? 21.Nd5+ $18 )
        21.gxf3 Rg8 {Black should be able to win with his extra material, as
shown by Palliser's analysis.} )
    19...gxf6 20.Rxf6+ Kg7 21.Ref1
        (21.Qf4 Qxc3 22.Rf1 Qc7! 23.Rf7+ Nxf7 24.Qxc7 Be6
        {Black has too much for the queen - Palliser.} )
    21...Be7 22.Qf4 Bf5!! 23.Rxf5 Raf8
    {Black keeps an extra piece and should go on to win.} )
18.exf6 g6 {Objectively the position is still unclear, but over the next few
moves Black's position goes downhill. The remainder of the game is not so
important for our study of the opening, so I will limit myself to a few brief
coments.} 19.Qe3
    (19.Bf2!? {may have been better.} )
19...Bd7 20.f5 g5?!
    ( {Black should have preferred} 20...gxf5!? 21.Qf3 h5! {- Palliser} )
21.Bf2! g4? 22.Qg3!
    (22.Qe4!? Re8
        (22...Qxc3 23.Bxb6 Qc6 24.Qxg4 )
    23.Qxg4! Qxf5 24.Qxf5 Bxf5 25.Rxe8 Kxe8 26.Bd4 {was given by Palliser as
better for White, but the game continuation is even stronger.} )
22...Rc8?
    ( {Black had to try} 22...Re8 {although} 23.Rxe8 Kxe8 24.Qxg4 Qxc3 25.Bd4
    {should win for White.} )
23.Bxb6
    (23.Qxg4! {was a quicker route to victory:} 23...Qxf5 24.Re7+! Bxe7 25.Qg7+
    Ke6 26.Qxe7# {Palliser} )
23...Qxc3 24.Qxg4 Qxf6 25.Bd4 Qg5 26.Qe4 Be7 27.Bxh8 Rxh8 28.Qd5+ Kg7 29.Rxe7+
{To conclude, the theoretical jury is still out on 11.Bxe6!?. Black missed at
least one opportunity (17...dxe5!) to obtain the advantage in the present game,
although White also has other avenues to explore, such as 15.Rbe1 Kf7 16.e6+ as
noted at move 15.} 1-0


[Event "8th World Teams"]
[Site "Ningbo"]
[Date "2011.07.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Aronian, L"]
[Black "Sutovsky, E"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.07.17"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[ECO "D85"]
[Variation "Exchange Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Nc3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5 8.Be3 Qa5
9.Nd2 cxd4 10.Nc4!? {Avrukh said that this move was found after the writing of
the Grunfeld books - "or it would of course have been in there." Furthermore it
was only good for one game in his opinion. It is a bit sad that he then failed
to get great benefit as White, when he introduced it, and that his player lost
subsequently against it in the World Team event, where Avrukh is present as a
second for the Israeli team.} 10...dxe3?!
{Typical Sutovsky, but not very practical. Black is playing for a draw only.}
    (10...Qd8 11.cxd4 f5! {seems best.}
        (11...O-O 12.Rb1! f5 {is probably a bit less accurate.} 13.exf5
            (13.Ne5!? $146 f4 14.Bc4+ Kh8 15.Bc1 Qc7 16.Qd3 Bxe5 17.dxe5
            Rd8 $133 18.Qc2 Be6 19.Bb3 Qxc2 20.Bxc2 b6 $10 )
        13...Bxf5 14.Rxb7 Nc6 15.d5
            (15.Ne5!? Nxe5 16.dxe5 Qxd1+ 17.Kxd1 Bxe5 18.Bc4+ e6 19.Rxa7 $14 )
        15...Bc3+ 16.Bd2 Nd4! 17.Ne3 Qa5 18.Bxc3 Qxc3+ 19.Qd2 Qa1+ 20.Qd1 Qc3+
        21.Qd2 Qa1+ 22.Qd1 {½-½ Avrukh - Kovchan, Mulhouse 2011.} )
    12.Rb1 fxe4 13.Be2 O-O 14.O-O b6 15.Ne5 Be6 16.Qa4 Bd5 17.f3 {The question
is if White has a slight advantage here or not. My guess is that if there is an
advantage, it is very slight.} 17...exf3 18.Bxf3 Bxf3 19.Rxf3 Rxf3 20.Qc4+ Kh8
    21.Nxf3 Qg8 22.Qc7 Qe8 23.Qb7 Nd7 24.Re1 Qc8 25.Qe4 Bf8 26.Rc1 Qd8 27.Bg5
    Nf6 28.Qc6 Bg7 29.h3 h6 30.Bxf6 exf6 31.d5 Qe8 32.Kf1 Kg8 33.Nd4 Rd8
    34.Qxe8+ Rxe8 35.Rc7 f5 36.Ne6 Bf6 37.Rxa7 Rc8 38.Nf4 Rc1+ 39.Ke2 Rc2+
    40.Kd1 Rf2 41.g3 g5 42.Nh5 Bc3 43.Rc7 Be5 44.Re7 Bc3
    {½-½ Deep Fritz 12 T4 - Deep Rybka 4 x64 T4, Antalya 2011.} )
11.Nxa5 Bxc3+ 12.Ke2 Bxa5 13.Kxe3 $14 {It seems to us as if Black is struggling
to find compensation here. The computer says White is a bit better; but
probably it is over-valuing Black's counterplay. The king seems to be safe.}
13...O-O 14.Bb5 a6 15.Ba4 b5 16.Qd5 Ra7 17.Bb3 Bg4 18.Qg5 Bb6+ 19.Kf4 Be6?
20.Bxe6 fxe6+ 21.Kg3 $16 Nc6 22.Kh3 Nd4 23.Rhd1 Rc7 24.Rac1 Rxc1 25.Rxc1 Ne2
26.Qe5 Bd4 27.Qxe6+ Rf7 28.Rc8+ Kg7 29.g3! $18 Ng1+ 30.Kg2 Rxf2+ 31.Kh1 Nf3
32.Qxe7+ Kh6 33.Qf8+ Kh5 34.Rc5+ Ng5 35.Rxg5+ Kxg5 36.Qd8+ Bf6 37.Qd3 Kg4 38.Qe3
1-0


[Event "Biel ACCENTUS GM"]
[Site "Biel SUI"]
[Date "2011.07.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2011.07.18"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[ECO "D87"]
[Variation "Classical Exchange Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2694"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.e4 Nxc3 5.bxc3 g6 6.d4 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6
9.Be3 O-O 10.O-O Qc7 11.Rc1 b6 12.Qd2 Bb7 13.Bh6 Rad8 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.f4! {This
aggressive move was not covered in GM9 and certainly requires accurate
preparation. There should be several playable moves for Black, but the Rybka
favourite 15...Qd7 looks a bit dodgy.} 15...Qd7?!
    (15...Na5 $146 16.Bd3 Qd6 17.f5
        (17.Qe3 e6 18.f5 exf5 19.exf5 Rfe8 $133 20.f6+? Qxf6! )
    17...Nc6 18.Rf3 cxd4 19.Rh3 h5 20.cxd4
        (20.Ng3 Rh8 21.fxg6 fxg6 22.Qg5 Kf8 23.Rf1+ Ke8 $13 )
    20...Nxd4 21.Nf4 Rh8
        (21...h4 22.Nh5+!! $18 )
    22.fxg6 Bxe4 23.gxf7 $40 )
    (15...cxd4 $146 16.cxd4 Qd6 17.d5 Na5 18.Bd3 e6 19.Nd4! exd5 20.e5 Qe7
    21.f5! Qxe5 22.f6+ Kh8 23.Qh6 Qxd4+ 24.Kh1 Rg8 25.Rf3 Qg4 26.Rh3 Qxh3
    27.Qxh3 $14 )
    (15...Qd6! $146 {looks best - in the spirit of Avrukh.} 16.d5
    {looks most dangerous.}
        (16.Rcd1 cxd4 17.cxd4 Qb4! $10 )
    16...f5!? 17.Bb5
        (17.e5?! Qc7! )
    17...fxe4 18.c4 Kg8 19.Qe3 Nd4 20.Nxd4 cxd4 21.Qxe4 d3 22.Qxd3 e6 23.Qe3
    exd5 24.c5 bxc5 25.Rxc5 d4 $133 )
16.Bb5! {Securing that the correct material is left on the board.} 16...Qe6
    (16...a6 17.Bxc6 Qxc6 18.d5 Qc7 19.c4 $14
    {Degardin - Giroyan, Montlucon 2011.} )
17.f5! Qd6
    (17...Qxe4 18.Rf4 Qe5
        (18...Qd5 19.Rh4 h5 20.Rxh5! gxh5 21.Qg5+ Kh7 22.Nf4 $18 )
    19.Ng3! cxd4
        (19...f6 20.Re1 $16 )
    20.Bxc6 Bxc6
        (20...dxc3 21.Qxc3 Qxc3 22.Rxc3 Rd1+ 23.Kf2 Rc8 24.Bf3 Rd2+ 25.Ke3 Rxa2
        26.Rxc8 Bxc8 27.fxg6 hxg6 28.Rc4 Be6 29.Rc7 $14 )
    21.cxd4 Ba8
        (21...Bb7 22.Rc2! Qd5 23.Rh4 $18 )
    22.Rc2 Qf6 23.fxg6 Qxg6 24.Nf5+ Kh8 25.Nxe7 Qe6 26.Rc7 Rd7 27.Rxd7 Qxd7
    28.Qe3 f6 29.Rf2 $14 )
18.Bxc6
    (18.Rf3!? {Golubev.} 18...Kh8
        (18...cxd4? 19.Rh3 h5 20.Ng3! Rh8 21.fxg6 fxg6 22.Qg5 Bc8
        {With a clear edge for White - Golubev.} 23.Rxh5 dxc3 24.Rxh8 Rxh8
        25.Bxc6 Qxc6 26.Qxe7+ Kh6 27.Qe5 Rf8 28.Rxc3 Qe6 29.Nf5+! gxf5 30.Qxe6+
        Bxe6 31.Rc6 $16 )
    19.Bxc6 Bxc6 20.d5 gxf5 21.Rxf5 Bd7 22.Rh5 Bg4 23.Rh4 Rg8 24.Rf1 Rg7 $14 )
18...Bxc6 19.d5 Bd7 20.c4 Qe5 21.Rc3 $14 Rh8 22.Rh3 f6 23.Qf4 b5 24.Qh6+ Kf7
25.Nf4 Rdg8 26.Ne6
    (26.Re3 Ke8
        (26...Qd4 27.Ne6 $18 )
    27.cxb5 Bxb5 28.Rc1 $36 )
26...bxc4 27.Ra3 Qxe4 28.Ng5+?
    (28.fxg6+ Rxg6 29.Ng5+ Rxg5 30.Qxg5 Rg8 31.Qh5+ Kf8 $13 )
28...fxg5 29.fxg6+ Ke8 $19 30.Rxa7 hxg6 31.Ra8+ Bc8 32.Qxg5 Kd8 33.d6 Qd4+
34.Rf2 Qd1+ 35.Rf1 Qd4+ 36.Rf2 Qd1+ 37.Rf1 Qxd6 38.h3 Qd4+ 39.Kh1 Rf8 40.Re1 Rf6
41.Qg3 Rhf8 0-1


[Event "Dutch Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Giri"]
[Black "Swinkels"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.06.25"]
[ECO "D98"]
[Variation "Russian Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 O-O 7.e4 Nc6 8.Be2 Bg4
9.d5 Na5 10.Qb4 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 c6 12.O-O Qb6 13.Qa4 Nd7 14.Rd1 Rfd8 15.g3 Rac8
    (15...Nc5 16.Qc2 Nc4 17.Rb1 Qb4 18.Bg5 )
16.Bg4 Nc5 17.Qc2 e6 18.Bg5 Re8 19.Na4 Nxa4 20.Qxa4 cxd5 21.exd5 Nc4 22.dxe6
fxe6 23.Rac1 Ne5 24.Be3 1-0


[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "improvement according to"]
[Black "Giri-Swinkels 2011 game"]
[Result "*"]
[EventDate "2011.06.25"]
[ECO "D98"]
[Variation "Russian Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[Annotator "vrukh"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 O-O 7.e4 Nc6 8.Be2 Bg4
9.d5 Na5 10.Qb4 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 c6 12.O-O Qb6 13.Qa4 Nd7 14.Rd1 Rfd8 15.g3!? {<en>
White makes useful move, waiting for Black activity. Here my recomendation will
be} 15...h5 $146 {<en> In my opinion quite useful move, Black covers g4-square
and ready to continue with Rac8. In the game Black continued with natural}
16.Qc2 {<en> I don't see what White can benefit from insertion of g3, h5 to
compare with lines I examined in the book after}
    (16.Be2 Nc5 17.Qc2 Qb4 18.Be3 Bxc3 19.Rac1 b6
        (19...Qb6 )
    20.Bxc5 Qxc5 21.Qxc3 Qxc3 22.Rxc3 cxd5 23.Rxd5 Rdc8
    {<en> and this endgame looks pretty much the same like in my book.} )
16...Rac8 17.Be3 {<en> Black has nothing to worry about after}
    (17.Bg5 cxd5 18.exd5 Re8 {<en> , or}
        (18...Bf6 )
    )
17...Qc7 18.Rac1 cxd5 19.Qa4 {<en> In this line I found some difference to
compare with position without g3, h5 moves.} 19...Nc5
{<en> Black has some problems after}
    (19...d4 20.Nb5 Qb6 21.Rxc8 Rxc8 22.Nxd4 Nc5 23.Qc2 $14 )
20.Bxc5 Qxc5 21.Nxd5 {<en> This idea is possible , since White has a lift for
his king, thanks to g3-move, but this hardly pose Black any big problems}
21...Qxc1 22.Nxe7+ Kh7! {<en> Black also make use of h5-move, Black king is
more comfortable there to compare with h8-square, as he shouldn't worry about
check on backrank.} 23.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 24.Kg2 Nc4
{<en> Most probably Black should hold also after}
    (24...Nc6 25.Nxc6 bxc6 26.Qxa7 Rd2 )
25.Nd5 {<en> In case of}
    (25.Be2 {<en> Black has beautiful} 25...Rd2! 26.Bxc4 Rcc2 {<en> and now
according to machine the only move, which allows White to escape} 27.Kf3 Rxf2+
        (27...Bxb2!? )
    28.Ke3 Rcd2! 29.e5 Bxe5 $10 )
25...Ne5 26.Qxa7 Rdc8! $45
{<en> and Black activity is fully compensates his material deficit.} *


[Event "ch-DEN"]
[Site "Odense DEN"]
[Date "2011.04.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Antonsen, M"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jen"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2011.04.16"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[ECO "E32"]
[Variation "Classical Variation"]
[TimeMode "normal"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "2436"]
[Annotator "agaard"]
[Source "Newsletter July 2011"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.29"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 e5 8.Bd3 Nc6
9.Ne2 b6 10.O-O Nd7 11.Be3 Ba6 12.Ng3 Na5 13.Qe2 Qe8 14.f4 f6 15.Nf5 Kh8 16.Rf3
g6 17.Ng3 c5 18.dxe5 dxe5 19.f5 g5 20.Nf1 Qf7 21.Nd2 Rfd8 22.g4 Kg7 23.h4 h6
24.Rh3 Nf8 25.hxg5 hxg5 26.Rf1 Rd6 27.Rff3 Rad8
    (27...Qd7 28.Qh2
        (28.Bxg5 fxg5 29.Qh2 Nc6 30.Rh8 Bb7 31.Rfh3 Rxd3 32.Rxd3 Qxd3 33.Qh6+
        Kf7 34.Rxf8+ Rxf8 35.Qe6+ Kg7 36.Qg6+ )
    28...Rxd3 29.Rh8 Rxe3
        (29...Bxc4 30.Qh6+ Kf7 31.Bxg5 Rd6 32.Be3 )
    30.Rxe3 Bxc4 31.Reh3 Bg8 32.R3h6 Qd3 33.Qh5 Qxd2 34.Rg6+ Kf7 35.Rgxg8+ Ke7
    36.Rg7+ Kd6 37.Qf7 Qe1+ )
28.Qh2 Rxd3
    (28...Qg8 29.Bxg5 fxg5
        (29...Nh7 30.Bh6+ Kf7 31.Rfg3 )
        (29...Kf7 30.Bh6 )
    30.Qxe5+ Kf7 31.Qh2 )
29.Rh8 Qd7 30.Rfh3 1-0

[Event "Mitropa Cup"]
[Site "Merlimont"]
[Date "2011.10.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Brunello, S."]
[Black "Brunner, N."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2569"]
[BlackElo "2466"]
[Annotator "S. Brunello"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2011.10.08"]
[EventType "team-"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeam "Italy"]
[BlackTeam "France-1"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{It still pays off to study Marin's books on the English. Enjoy Sabino's quick
comments to his great win.} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2
Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 a5 12. b5 Nd4
13. Nd2 Bd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bb2 a4 16. Ba1 $1 {a deep idea, forcing Black's
queen to reposition herself to a less favourable square before exchanging
Black's strong d4-knight. However, I can't receive any praise for that, as I
was copying it from GM3 by Mihail Marin} Qd7 17. Bxd4 exd4 18. Qc2 Kh8 $146 {
From here I couldn't remember what Marin's analysis was, but the positional
ideas are very clear: White is playing for light-square domination.} (18... Rf7
19. Qc4 c6 20. bxc6 bxc6 21. Ra1 f5 22. Rfc1 Rd8 23. Rc2 Bf6 24. Qxa4 Nc3 25.
Qc4 Nxe2+ 26. Kf1 Nc3 27. Bxc6 Qd6 28. Ba4 Rdf8 29. Qc6 Qxc6 30. Bxc6 Rc7 31.
Bf3 Rb8 32. a4 Ra7 33. Nc4 Rxa4 34. Rxa4 Nxa4 35. Nd6 Nc3 36. Nxf5 Rb6 37. g4
g6 38. Ng3 Be5 39. Kg2 Kg7 40. Rc1 Rb1 41. Rxb1 Nxb1 42. Bd5 Nc3 43. Bc4 Kf6
44. h4 h6 45. h5 Bxg3 46. Kxg3 g5 47. f4 Ne2+ 48. Kf3 Nxf4 49. Ke4 Nh3 50. Ba6
Nf2+ 51. Kf3 Nd1 52. Ke4 Nf2+ 53. Kf3 {1/2-1/2 Marin,M (2551)-Moldovan,D (2434)
/Predeal 2007}) 19. Qc4 Nc3 20. Bxb7 Nxb1 21. Rxb1 Bxa3 {Black decides to give
back the exchange as Black's rook doesn't look stronger than the light-squared
bishop.} (21... Ra7 22. Bc6 Qd6 23. Ra1 $16 {Marin, The English Opening,
volume one, p.325.}) 22. Bxa8 Rxa8 23. Ra1 Qe7 24. Qc2 {To my surprise, it is
only here the game deviated from the book! The given line is} (24. Qc6 Rg8 ({
Black couldn't find a better square for his rook, for instance} 24... Rd8 25.
Nc4 Bc5 26. Rxa4 Qxe2 27. Qxc7 {and the rook is attacked}) 25. Nf3 {with a
clear advantage. Microsoft: 'Marin'}) 24... h6 25. Nc4 Bc5 26. Rxa4 Rxa4 27.
Qxa4 Qxe2 28. Qa8+ Kh7 29. Qd5 {In spite of a slight inaccuracy, White retains
a dominating position. Black didn't find any plan and the rest of the game was
a matter of technique.} Qe7 ({Probably Black's best try was} 29... Qe1+ 30. Kg2
Qb4 {with a depressing position after} 31. Qc6 $16) 30. h4 Kh8 31. h5 Kh7 32.
Kg2 Kh8 33. Kf3 Qf8 34. g4 Ba7 35. Qb7 Qc5 36. Qc8+ Kh7 37. Qf5+ Qxf5+ 38. gxf5
Kg8 39. Ke4 Kf7 40. Kd5 Ke7 41. Kc6 Kd8 42. Nd2 Bb6 43. Nb3 Kc8 44. f3 Kd8 45.
Nc1 Kc8 46. Ne2 Ba7 47. Nf4 Bb6 48. Ne6 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.11.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Move orders in the Tarrasch"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A34"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2011.11.12"]
[EventType "team-"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{The Tarrasch book starts with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6, but on our blog I was asked to
talk a bit about move orders. This is what I came up with:} 1. c4 (1. Nf3 d5 2.
g3 (2. c4 e6 3. g3 (3. d4 c5) 3... Nf6 4. Bg2 c5 5. O-O Be7 $1 ({It is
imprecise to play} 5... Nc6 6. d4 Be7 {because of} 7. dxc5 $1 Bxc5 8. a3 {and
after} dxc4 9. Qxd8+ Nxd8 10. Nbd2 {we have a position similar to the Catalan.
It would be better to take back with the rook on d8.}) 6. b3 Nc6 7. Bb2 d4 8.
e3 e5 {looks like a move order Marin would not have allowed?}) 2... Nf6 3. Bg2
e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d3 c5 {Because we have not come from the Sicilian, White has
not been able to play those annoying systems with Qe2 followed by either c3 or
e5 and c2-c4 with Nc3.} 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. e4 O-O 8. Re1 b5 {this is known to be
ok for Black if he knows what he is doing. It will be interesting to see if
Avrukh recommends this in his book.}) (1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. c4 {in
this position it seems sensible to play} a6 5. Nc3 c5 {to enter a main line
from the book. After 4...c5 then mabe 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bb5+. Black is not worse,
but maybe don't want the position much either.}) 1... e6 2. Nc3 (2. Nf3 c5 3.
Nc3 (3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 d5 5. b3 {this is of course the English.}) 3... Nf6 4. e3
(4. e4 Nc6 {transposes again.}) 4... d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. d4 a6) 2... c5 {I like
this move order for specific reasons:} (2... d5 3. d4 c5 {is possible, but the
other move order disallows some of White's most challenging systems, based on}
4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. dxc5 $1 {.}) 3. e4 $5 (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4
d5 {is a line with good play for Black, actually covered in the book.}) 3...
Nc6 (3... Ne7 4. Nf3 d5 5. exd5 exd5 6. d4) 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Be2 (5. d4 cxd4 6.
Nxd4 Bb4 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5 $6 (8. Bd3 e5 9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Bxc3 $1 11. bxc3
d6 $11 {Kasparov.} 12. h3 Be6 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 Qb6+ 15. Kh1 Qc5 16. Bc2
Rad8 $15 {Chandler - Emms, Hastings 2000.}) 8... Ne4 9. Bd2 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 O-O
11. a3 Qa5 12. Be2 Be7 13. f4 Rb8 14. Rd1 f6 15. Ne4 Qxd2+ 16. Rxd2 fxe5 17.
fxe5 Rf5 $1 18. Nd6 Rxe5 19. Nxc8 Bg5 $1 20. Rxd7 (20. Rc2 $17) 20... Rxb2 21.
Rf1 Rexe2+ 22. Kd1 Rxg2 {0-1 Lilja - Aagaard, Copenhagen 1992.}) 5... d5 (5...
Qb6 $5 6. O-O Be7 7. a3 {is another interesting line possible here.}) 6. e5 Nd7
7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bb5 {and we have a complete main line from the Sicilian or
English. Personally I like Black fine.} *

[Event "Politiken Cup"]
[Site "Helsingor DEN"]
[Date "2011.08.02"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hector, Jonny"]
[Black "Fridman, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2568"]
[BlackElo "2659"]
[Annotator "Hector"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2011.07.30"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{In chess sometimes you can be lucky and sometimes you can be very lucky. This
happened to me in my game against Daniel Fridman in the Politiken Cup this
year. In my preparation I happened to stumble on an interesting position very
early in the opening. Although neither of us had ever entered the exact line I
still thought  it might be possible to reach it ... and guess what happened.} 
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 {If I had to give this move a Informant-symbol I would
probably award it ?! . I clearly feel it is not the best move in the position,
but on the other hand few games consist of only the best moves available.  The
main point of the move, when I am playing it, is that it can easily transpose
to a non-typical position for a Caro-Kann player. I have only used it in a
handful of games and after Fridman's next move we have a position that neither
of us have ever had before, at least not to my knowledge.} Qb6 ({In one of my
games in this line I was outplayed and lost without much fight to Peter Heine
Nielsen. It was only afterwards when the computer had a look at the game that
it became amazing. Or at least one particular position occurred that deserves
to be mentioned.} 3... e6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Be3 dxe4 6. fxe4 Bb4 7. Qf3 Qa5 8. Nge2
c5 9. d5 exd5 10. exd5 Bg4 11. Qg3 Bxe2 {Most of my pieces are hanging. I
tried to hold the position together with Qe5+ followed by Bxe2 but it was all
in vain. The position is simply not healthy - at least not for humans. Being a
piece down already and with more pieces around the board also in danger, the
computer comes up with a "stunner":} 12. Bh6 $3 {And says the position is
equal! And as if that were not enough, it now suggests that one of Black's
best answers is} Bd3 $1 {Chess today is a very different game than when I
learned to play.}) {Back to the game. I had found four games in which Daniel
had had to meet 3.f3. In all of them he came up with a new answer but so far
never 3...Qb6; so I guessed it was time for that. 3...Qb6 is also the move
that has chosen lately by what you might call the more theoretical Caro-Kann
players. Friedman is of course also very strong in the opening but his style
is more to accept a slightly worse position and then slowly outplay his
opponents, rather than to know everything ever played.} 4. Nc3 {The experts in
this line prefer to push the a-pawn here.} dxe4 {This together with the next
move is the plan initiated with ...Qb6, but I am not sure it is a good idea.
Whenever I play this line the pawn on f3 usually ends up irritating me because
it is a bit in the way of rapid development . Now the position changes and
White knows what to do; he has to hit quickly before his weak squares start to
tell. By playing 3.f3 White wishes to keep a big centre, but the next best
thing is actually when the centre disappears altogether. Now it will all be
about rapid development, open lines and diagonals.} 5. fxe4 e5 6. Nf3 exd4 7.
Nxd4 Nf6 8. e5 Ng4 9. e6 $1 {Thematic, but not in the usual way since when the
bishop takes the pawn White cannot recapture.} Bxe6 10. Bc4 $1 {For me this is
the most beautiful move of the game. The black bishop was forced to develop
and now it can be attacked. White exchanges the bishop on f1 for one of the
few developed black pieces.  This is where I was lucky. Firstly I had looked
at this in my preparation. But when you look at maybe twenty different
positions during two hours of preparation, even if you find yourself in that
very position, you do not always remember how you should continue; it can be a
mess. A move like 10.Bc4 however sticks out. Furthermore my opponent had used
quite some time after 9.e6. When he is then hit by the bishop move after forty
seconds it is a heavy blow to his morale. That is when you know that you are
in trouble. It is also a problem in that situation that you realize that you
have to find the best moves to stay in the game, but on the other hand if you
do then your opponent will still continue to play his prepared (computer)
moves.} Bxc4 11. Qxg4 Nd7 $2 ({The computer, cold as ever, says that} 11... Na6
{is the right move. The queen check on e5 will hurt, but it is more important
to have the d7-square for the king than to have the knight to hide the king
behind. It seems likely that the computer is right. Finally I had to start
playing the game on my own, but now I was on a roll and the moves came easily.}
) 12. Qe4+ Kd8 13. Bg5+ f6 14. O-O-O {To me the position felt like a Sicilian
by now - a good place to end up against Caro-Kann players.} fxg5 15. Nf3 $5 ({
The engine prefers} 15. Ne6+ {with the line} Bxe6 16. Qxe6 Qc7 17. Rd3 {I saw
this, but I was then frightened by} Bd6 18. Rhd1 (18. Rxd6 Re8) 18... Re8 {I
thought that I would get his queen and a couple of pawns for my two rooks.
Sometimes that wins, but not always if the defender can get his troops
organized. Now I understand that it may not be necessary to ever take on d7;
instead White can maintain the pin on the d-file.  However the way I play I
could see that the attack would continue.}) 15... Kc7 ({The only try was} 15...
Qc5 {when I would have to choose between promising continuations} 16. Ne5 (16.
Rd4 {is also good, but after analysing some variations I prefer the knight move
}) 16... Be6 17. Rxd7+ Bxd7 18. Rd1 Be7 19. Rxd7+ Ke8 {and now simply} 20. Rxb7
{when the natural} Rd8 {can even be met by} 21. Qxc6+ Qxc6 22. Nxc6 Rd7 23.
Rb8+ Bd8 24. b4 {Black has a lot of headaches, but at least the game would
still be going on.}) 16. Qxc4 Qc5 17. Qd3 $1 (17. Qf7 {felt tempting, but it
is much better to keep it simple and let Black keep his problems. Now it will
soon be time for my knights to enter the fight.}) 17... Nf6 $2 {Black's
positon is going from bad to worse. But in difficult positions it is hard to
come up with good moves, especially when the defending player has already been
in trouble for almost three hours.} 18. Nd4 Qe5 ({When playing his previous
move, Daniel had planned} 18... Re8 {but now realized that} 19. Ne6+ {leaves
the d8-square inadequately defended. For the rest of the game Black will be
forced to play moves that he does not want to make.}) 19. Rhe1 Qxh2 20. Ne6+
Kb6 21. Qd4+ Ka6 {Of course black is now losing. Still, I had some problem
finding a clear-cut line. Fortunately I could reason with myself, and the fact
is that while Black is defending with a bishop and two pawns, White is
attacking with queen, two rooks and two knights; this made me optimistic about
my chances.} 22. Qc4+ Kb6 23. Na4+ Ka5 24. Nac5 b5 25. Nb3+ Kb6 26. Qd4+ Ka6
27. Nbc5+ Bxc5 28. Nxc5+ Kb6 29. Nd3+ Kc7 30. Re7+ Kc8 31. Qc5 Qxg2 32. Qd6 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.07.26"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Newsletter Caro Analysis"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "B19"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw & K. Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2011.11.12"]
[EventType "team-"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{We had a look at a line that has been suggested a few times, just to see the
value of it. It should interest Caro-Kann players, we think.} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3
10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qd3 O-O
16. g4 Nxg4 17. Rhg1 ({Two games have been played after the timid} 17. Qe2 {.}
Kh8 18. Rhg1 (18. c4 f5 19. Rhg1 Qe8 20. Bf4 Rd8 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. Bxe5 Rf7 23.
Rg6 Kh7 24. Rdg1 Bf8 25. Qf3 Re7 26. c5 Rd5 27. Qg3 Qf7 28. Bd6 Rd7 29. Bxf8
Qxf8 30. Rxe6 Re7 31. Qg6+ Kg8 32. Rge1 Rdd7 33. a3 Qf7 34. Rxe7 Rxe7 35. Rxe7
Qxe7 36. Qxf5 Qe1+ 37. Kc2 Qe2+ 38. Kc3 Qe1+ 39. Kc2 Qe2+ 40. Kb3 Qd1+ 41. Kc3
{1/2-1/2 Negi - Adhiban, New Delhi 2010}) 18... Nf6 19. Ne5 Qd5 20. Qe3 Qe4 21.
Qg3 Nxh5 22. Qh2 Qh4 23. Qxh4 Bxh4 24. Rh1 g5 25. Nf3 Ng7 26. Nxh4 gxh4 27.
Bxh6 Rg8 28. Bg5 Nf5 29. Bxh4 Nxh4 30. Rxh4+ Kg7 {1/2-1/2 So - Vidit, Mashhad
2011.}) 17... Nxf2 $146 {Analysed a lot but never played. The analysis by Sasa
Veliskovic in his comments to the game Leko-Topalov, Nice 2009, 105/39
suggests grabbing on f2 leads to a draw.} (17... f5 {is the only move played
and is the main recomendation in Lars Schandorff book, Grandmaster Repertoire
7, The Caro- Kann.} 18. Qe2 Kh7 19. Ne5 Nxe5 {this exchange was suggested by
Schandorff as an improvement instead of 19...Qd4} 20. dxe5 Rf7 21. Bxh6 Qa5 22.
Qc4 Qxe5 23. Rge1 Qf6 {in the game Kulaots-Schroll, 2011, White played} 24. Bd2
$5 ({Schandorff analyses} 24. Rxe6 Qh4 25. Qxh4 Bxh4 {with equality.}) 24... e5
({Better is} 24... Rd8 {bringing the last piece into the game.} 25. h6 g5 26.
Qb3 e5 27. Rxe5 Rd7 28. Rde1 Bd8 29. Bc3 Qd6 $11 {rybka 4}) 25. f4 $1 {with
the advantage for White} b5 26. Qb3 a5 27. fxe5 a4 28. Qg3 Qe6 29. Kb1 Rd8 30.
Rg1 Kg8 31. h6 Bf8 32. hxg7 Bxg7 33. Qh4 Rd5 34. Bf4 Rxd1+ 35. Rxd1 Rd7 36. Rg1
Qc4 37. Qg3 Qe2 38. Bc1 Qg4 39. Qe1 Qe4 40. Qg3 Qg4 41. Qh2 Qe4 42. a3 b4 43.
axb4 Qxb4 44. Rh1 Qe4 45. Qh7+ Kf8 46. Rf1 Rf7 47. Bh6 Qxe5 48. Qh8+ Ke7 49.
Bg5+ Kd6 50. Qd8+ {1-0 Kulaots,K (2601)-Schroll,G (2449)/Aix-les-Bains FRA 2011
}) 18. Qe2 ({Interesting alternative, not mentioned by Veliskovic, is} 18. Qe3
{once more is sufficient only for a draw} Nxd1 19. Qxh6 Bf6 20. Bf4 $1 Bxd4 21.
Be5 Be3+ 22. Qxe3 Nxe3 23. Rxg7+ Kh8 24. Rxf7+ Kg8 (24... Qf6 $2 25. Bxf6+ Kg8
26. Rg7+ Kh8 27. Rg6+ Rxf6 28. Rxf6 $14) 25. Rg7+ $11) 18... Nxd1 19. Bxh6 Bf6
({Inferior is} 19... Kh7 $6 {due to} 20. Bxg7 Rg8 21. Qe4+ f5 22. Qxe6 Rxg7 23.
Rg6 $1 $16) 20. Bxg7 (20. Qxd1 $2 Kh8 $1) 20... Bxg7 21. h6 Qf6 {White can
easily draw but the win remains elusive.} 22. Rxg7+ (22. Qh2 {Black has to
find four only-moves to draw:} Qxf3 23. hxg7 Qe3+ 24. Kb1 Nc3+ $1 25. bxc3
Qxg1+ 26. Qxg1 Rfe8 $11 {Various other moves by the f8-rook will also be level.
}) (22. hxg7 {Probably dubious, but it's a winning try:} Qh6+ $8 23. Kb1 Rfd8
24. Qxd1 Rd5 $5 25. Ne5 Rad8 26. Qf3 f5 27. c3 Rxe5 $5 28. dxe5 Rd2 $13 {Messy,
but Black is fine and may take over the initiative.}) 22... Kh8 23. Ng5 Qxh6
24. Rh7+ Qxh7 25. Nxh7 Kxh7 26. Qh5+ Kg7 27. Qg5+ $11 {Black looks safe in
this line.} *

[Event "Politiken Cup"]
[Site "Helsingor DEN"]
[Date "2011.07.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Meier, L."]
[Black "Rostgaard, T."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "1980"]
[BlackElo "2184"]
[Annotator "Meier, Lars"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2011.07.30"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{The following game won the u2200 Best Game Prize at Politiken Cup.} 1. e4 c5
2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 d6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bc4 Nb6 8. Bxf7+ {This
move is usually marked with a  "?" in the books - if it is mentioned at all!
According to theory, it is supposed to be inexact or just bad.} Kxf7 9. e6+ $1
({In my opinion this is  a better sequel to the sacrifice than} 9. Ng5+) 9...
Kg8 10. d5 $1 {Black has an extra piece, however he has paid a high price! The
rooks on  a8 and h8 cannot be developed, and the bishops on f8 and c8 can
hardly be developed either.} Ne5 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Nc3 h6 $5 {An interesting
move in the position; Black's plan is to play ...Kh7, ...g6 and ...Bg7.
However the move weakens the h5-e8 diagonal.} 13. O-O {Preparing to open the
f-file with f2-f4.} Nc4 14. Qh5 {The weakness of the h5-e8 diagonal becomes
very obvious now.} Nd6 15. f4 exf4 {This helps White to develop his pieces
very quickly.} (15... e4 {would be followed by} 16. f5 {with an unclear
position, because Black cannot control g6 any longer and   therefore has big
problems with his development.}) 16. Bxf4 Kh7 17. Bxd6 exd6 18. Rf7 {White
threatens Qf5+ followed by Rf1, which is the reason for Black's next move.} Rg8
19. Raf1 Be7 20. Ne4 Bg5 {Black tries to prevent Qf5+ followed by Qg6.} 21. h4
$1 {White insists on forcing through Qf5+ and Qg6 in order to keep up the
pressure.} Bxh4 22. Qf5+ Kh8 23. Qg6 Qb6+ {Black makes some final attempts to
counter the white attack, but they are not successful at all.} 24. Kh1 Bxe6 25.
dxe6 Qd4 26. g3 d5 ({After} 26... Bd8 27. e7 {White wins a piece.}) ({White
can meet} 26... Bxg3 {with} 27. Nf6 $3 Qh4+ 28. Kg2 Qh2+ 29. Kf3 {and Black is
soon mated.}) 27. Nd6 Bg5 28. R7f4 {The threat of Nf7# means that White wins
the queen and the game.} 1-0

[Event "27th European Club Cup 2011"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "2.25"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Delchev, Aleksander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B65"]
[Annotator "K. Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. f4 Qa5 11. Bc4 b5 $6 ({Kotronias in the second
chapter of his book ''The Grandmaster Battle Manual'' discusses this
continuation in detail. His general assessment that this move cannot be
recommended was proved in the present game.} 11... Bd7 {is the main line.}) 12.
Bxb5 {Described as the most principled and best capture by Kotronias.} Rb8 13.
e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Rxb5 15. exf6 Rb4 16. Qe3 Bc5 17. Qg3 Bf2 18. Qxf2 Qxg5+ 19.
Kb1 ({In the book Kotronias analyzes his game against Kasimdzhanov and gives
the facinating insights of what is going on in grandmaster's mind during the
game and the preparation before the game.} 19. Rd2 Rd8 20. Rhd1 Rbd4 $4 (20...
gxf6 21. b3 Rbd4 22. Nb1 Bb7 23. g3 Kg7 24. Kb2 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 Qe5+ 26. c3 Ra8
27. Na3 Bd5 28. Re2 Qh5 29. c4 Bf3 30. Re3 Bc6 31. Qd2 f5 32. Qd4+ Kg6 33. h4
Qg4 34. Qxg4+ fxg4 35. b4 Kf5 36. Nc2 e5 37. b5 Bf3 38. a4 Rc8 39. Re1 Be4 40.
Ne3+ Ke6 41. Kb3 f5 42. Kb4 Bf3 43. c5 Kf6 44. Nc4 f4 45. c6 Bxc6 46. bxc6 Rxc6
47. Nxe5 Rb6+ 48. Kc5 Kf5 49. Nc4 Re6 50. Rf1 f3 51. Kd4 Kg6 52. Ne3 Rb6 53.
Rc1 h5 54. Rc5 Rb4+ 55. Rc4 Rb1 56. Rc6+ Kf7 57. Rc5 Rb4+ 58. Kc3 Rxa4 59. Rxh5
Ra3+ 60. Kd4 Ra4+ 61. Ke5 Ra5+ 62. Nd5 Ra3 63. Rf5+ Kg6 64. h5+ Kh6 65. Rf6+
Kh7 66. Rg6 {1-0 Lindberg - Kotronias, Sweden 2008.}) 21. Ne4 Qh6 22. g4 R4d5
23. c4 R5d7 24. g5 Qg6 25. Rxd7 Rxd7 26. Rxd7 Bxd7 27. Qxa7 h6 28. Qb8+ Kh7 29.
fxg7 {1-0 Kasimdzhanov - Kotronias, Germany 2007.}) 19... Qxf6 20. Qc5 ({The
exchange on f6 is considered to be best by Kotronias.} 20. Qxf6 gxf6 21. Rd3)
20... Rb7 21. b3 ({Another game went:} 21. Rd2 Qe7 22. Ne4 Qxc5 23. Nxc5 Re7
24. Re1 e5 25. b4 f5 26. g3 Rfe8 27. h4 Kf7 28. Rd6 e4 29. Re3 Be6 30. Kb2 g6
31. a4 Kf6 32. Kc3 Ke5 33. Rc6 Rc8 34. Ra6 Bd5 35. Kd2 Rec7 36. Ra5 Rd8 37. Rc3
Rf7 38. Re3 Rc7 39. c3 Bc4+ 40. Ke1 Rd5 41. Kf2 Rd2+ 42. Ke1 Rd5 43. Kf2 Rf7
44. Re1 a6 45. Ke3 h6 46. Rh1 Kd6 47. Rh2 Re7 48. Rf2 h5 49. Rb2 Rd1 50. Rc2
Kc6 51. Nxa6 Rd3+ 52. Kf2 Rf3+ 53. Kg2 Bf1+ 54. Kg1 e3 55. Nc5 Bc4 56. Kg2 e2
57. Rxe2 Bxe2 58. Ra8 Rxc3 59. Rc8+ Kd5 60. Rd8+ Kc4 61. Rd2 Kxb4 62. Nd7 Rd3 {
0-1 S. Sjugirov - Vidit, Kemer 2007.}) 21... Qe7 22. Qe3 h6 23. Rd3 Rd7 24.
Rxd7 Qxd7 25. Rd1 Qc7 26. g3 {Despite the computer's assesment of this
position as equal, White went on to win the game in an instructive manner.
According to Kotronias, Black's disadvantages in this variation with 11...b5
are long term: by steering the game towards the endgame White will enjoy
slightly better chances as he will often have a 3-1 pawn advantage on the
queenside, granting him an easier game.} Ba6 27. Kb2 Rc8 28. Rd2 Bf1 29. a4 a5
30. Nb5 Qe7 31. Nd6 Rd8 32. Qe5 Rd7 33. Ne4 Rxd2 34. Nxd2 Bg2 35. Nc4 Bd5 36.
Nxa5 Qa7 37. Qc3 Qf2 38. Nc6 Kh7 39. Ne5 f6 40. Qd3+ f5 41. h4 Be4 42. Qc3 Qe2
43. Nd7 e5 44. Qc7 Qf2 45. h5 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup 2011"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2011.08.28"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Fier, Alexandr"]
[Black "Wang, Yue"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2566"]
[BlackElo "2709"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2011.08.28"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 c5 8. e4 Bg6
9. Be3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Bxd4 Nfd7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bxc4 Rc8 14. Bb3 $146
{There is not a big reason for us to feature this (based on our own books and
so on), but it looks like a major novelty in this famous line, so we wanted to
include it none the less.} (14. Bb5 {was played in the match between Topalov
and Anand, while the main line is}) (14. Ba2 {.}) ({Another example is:} 14.
Be2 a6 15. Rc1 f6 16. O-O Bc5 17. Bxc5 Nxc5 18. Bc4 Ke7 19. b4 Nd7 20. Be2 Rhd8
21. a5 Be8 22. b5 Nb8 23. bxa6 Nxa6 24. Na2 Nc5 25. Nb4 Nb3 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27.
a6 bxa6 28. Bxa6 Rb8 29. Nc2 Nc5 30. Bc4 Bd7 {1/2-1/2 Grischuk - Wang Yue.
Ningbo 2011.}) 14... a5 15. Ke2 Rg8 16. Nb5 Bc5 17. Bc3 b6 18. Be1 $1 {
Challenging Black's plan of ...Ke7 and ...f7-f6.} Ne5 19. Bh4 Bh5 20. Rhd1 g5
21. Bg3 Nc6 (21... g4 22. f4 (22. Bxe5 gxf3+ 23. gxf3 Rg2+ 24. Kd3 Bxf3 25. Re1
Rd8+ 26. Nd4 Rxb2 27. Rab1 Bxd4 28. Bxd4 Rxh2) 22... Nd7) 22. Nd6+ Bxd6 23.
Bxd6 {Since and including the novelty, all White's moves have been Rybka's
first choice - excellent computer-aided prep.} g4 24. Kf2 $16 (24. Bc4 $5)
24... gxf3 25. gxf3 Rg6 $6 (25... Nb4 $16) 26. Bc4 $1 Rf6 27. Ra3 Na7 28. Rc1
e5 29. Bxe5 Rfc6 30. Rac3 Ke7 31. Bd5 Rxc3 32. Rxc3 Rxc3 33. Bxc3 f6 34. Bd4
Nc8 35. Bb7 Nd6 36. Ba6 Be8 37. Bxb6 Bxa4 38. Bxa5 Bb5 39. Bxb5 Nxb5 40. Kg3
Kf7 41. Kf4 h5 42. e5 Ke6 43. exf6 Kxf6 44. Bc3+ Kg6 45. Be5 Na7 46. b4 Nb5 47.
Ke4 1-0

[Event "European Club Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.??.??"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Vitiugov, Nikita"]
[Black "Ostenstad, Berge"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D70"]
[Annotator "K. Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. O-O-O f5 10. e5 Nb4 11. Nh3 Be6 12. Kb1 Qd7 13. Nf4 Rfd8 $146 {Avrukh
suggested this new idea, as he believes that Black is facing some problems
after 13...Bf7. ''The Grunfeld Defence'', volume one, p.35} 14. h4 Bf7 {
Transposing to a position that has been played before.} 15. a3 $146 ({The
improvement over previously played} 15. Bb5 c6 16. Be2 c5 17. e6 (17. Qc1 {
allows Black to play a strong sacrifice:} Nxa2 $1 18. Nxa2 Bxa2+ 19. Kxa2 Qa4+
20. Kb1 cxd4 21. Bf2 Rac8 22. Qd2 Bh6 23. g3 Rc5 $1 24. Qd3 Rxe5 $36) 17...
Bxe6 18. dxc5 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Qa4 20. Qxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rxd8+ Kf7 22. Rf8+ Kxf8 23.
Nxe6+ Kg8 24. cxb4 Qxb4+ 25. Kc2 Nd5 26. Bd2 Qa4+ 27. Kb2 Nb4 28. Bxb4 Qxb4+
29. Kc2 Kf7 30. Ng5+ Kg7 31. Kd3 Qa3+ 32. Kd4 Qxa2 33. Bc4 Qd2+ 34. Ke5 Qc3+
35. Kd5 h6 36. Ne6+ Kf6 37. Nd4 e6+ {0-1 Salem - So, Olongapo City 2010.})
15... a5 16. Qc1 Bb3 17. Rd2 e6 ({I think Black had to play} 17... Nc4 18.
Bxc4+ Bxc4 {when the interesting} 19. b3 {is met by} Nd5 $1 20. Ncxd5 Bxd5 21.
Nxd5 Qxd5 22. Qc4 Qxc4 23. bxc4 c5 $11) 18. Nd3 ({White can start an attack on
the kingside} 18. h5 $5 g5 19. Nd3 Nxd3 20. Rxd3 h6 21. Bxg5 $1 hxg5 22. Qxg5
Kf7 23. h6 Bh8 24. h7 Bc4 25. Rh6 $1 {it looks like White has sufficient
compensation for the sacrificed material if not more.}) 18... Nxd3 19. Bxd3 Nc4
20. Bxc4 Bxc4 21. h5 b5 $6 {Black could prevent the opening of the h-file by
taking on h5.} (21... gxh5 22. Rxh5 b5) 22. hxg6 hxg6 23. Bg5 Rf8 24. Na4 Qd5
25. Nc5 Kf7 26. Qc2 (26. Nd3 $1 {was promising an advantage.} {If Black replies
} a4 {then} 27. Nf4 Qc6 28. d5 $1 {is very strong} exd5 29. e6+ Kg8 30. Qe1 $18
) 26... a4 27. Nd3 Rh8 28. Rc1 c6 29. Nf4 Qd7 30. g4 Bh6 31. Bxh6 Rxh6 32. gxf5
gxf5 33. Rh2 Rah8 34. Rxh6 Rxh6 35. Qg2 Qd8 36. Rg1 Qh8 37. Kc1 Ke8 38. Qg5 Rh1
39. Kd2 Rxg1 40. Qxg1 Kd7 41. Kc3 Kc7 42. Qg5 Qh2 43. Qe7+ Kb6 44. Qd8+ Kb7 45.
Qd7+ Kb6 46. Nxe6 Bxe6 47. Qxe6 Qf4 48. Qg8 Qe3+ 49. Kc2 Qe2+ 50. Kb1 Qxf3 51.
Qb8+ Ka6 52. Qa8+ Kb6 1/2-1/2

[Event "French Championship"]
[Site "Caen FRA"]
[Date "2011.08.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Fressinet, L."]
[Black "Feller, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D76"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2666"]
[Annotator "K. Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2011.08.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{Avrukh's books on 1.d4 have been read by many, but not all...} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2.
c4 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Nb6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. e3 e5
(9... Re8 {is more popular.} 10. Re1 {is Avrukh's choice in Grandmaster
Repertoire, volume 2.} a5 {this move continues to be fashionable} 11. Qe2 {
despite a couple of crushing defeats by White in this line at the last
Olympiad, Gelfand employed this move on two occasions this year.} Be6 ({
However his opponents did not risk to try the critical 11...Be6, instead it was
} 11... Bg4 12. h3 Be6 13. b3 a4 14. Rb1 axb3 15. axb3 Qc8 16. Kh2 Ra5 17. Rd1
Rh5 18. Nh4 Bf6 19. f4 Rd8 20. Qf2 Bxh4 21. gxh4 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Rhxd5 23. Bb2 Rb5
24. Qe2 Rh5 25. e4 Bxb3 26. Rdc1 Na5 27. d5 b6 28. Be5 c5 29. dxc6 f6 30. Ba1
Rc5 31. Rxc5 bxc5 32. Qb5 Qc7 33. Rxb3 Nxc6 34. e5 Nd4 35. Qc4+ {1-0 Gelfand -
Grischuk, Kazan 2011.}) (11... Bf5 12. Rd1 a4 13. d5 Na5 14. Nd4 Nac4 15. Nxf5
gxf5 16. Qc2 Nd6 17. Rb1 Ra5 18. e4 fxe4 19. Nxe4 Qc8 20. Bf4 h6 21. Rbc1 Rb5
22. b3 axb3 23. axb3 Qg4 24. Qd3 Rb4 25. Bf3 Qg6 26. Nxd6 cxd6 27. Qxg6 fxg6
28. Bg4 g5 29. Be6+ Kf8 30. Be3 Rxb3 31. h4 Bf6 32. hxg5 hxg5 33. Kg2 Rb4 34.
Rh1 Kg7 35. Rh5 Rh8 36. Rxh8 Kxh8 37. Rh1+ Kg7 38. Rh5 Nc4 39. Bxg5 Kg6 40. f4
Kxh5 41. Bf7+ Kg4 42. Be6+ Kh5 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand - Topalov, Monaco 2011.}) {
Nyzhnyk suffered a defeat following the Leitao-Caruana game, 2010 Olympiad.}
12. Rd1 Bc4 13. Qc2 Nb4 14. Qb1 e5 15. a3 exd4 16. axb4 dxc3 17. Rxd8 Raxd8 18.
Qc2 axb4 19. Nd2 cxd2 20. Bxd2 Ra8 {Here Nyzhnyk deviates with} 21. Rd1 {but
Black is still better after} Ra2 22. Bc1 b3 23. Qd2 Be6 24. Bf1 Na4 25. Qb4 Ra1
26. Be2 c5 27. Qb5 Ra8 28. Kg2 Nxb2 29. Bxb2 Bxb2 30. Rxa1 Bxa1 31. Qxc5 Bg7
32. Bd3 b2 33. Qb5 h5 34. Qxb7 Rd8 35. Be4 Bf5 36. Bxf5 gxf5 {0-1 Nyzhnyk -
Mecking, Bahia Feliz 2011.}) 10. d5 Na5 11. e4 c6 12. Bg5 f6 13. Be3 cxd5 14.
Bxb6 Qxb6 15. Nxd5 Qd8 16. Rc1 Rf7 ({Main move is} 16... Nc6 {as in Laznicka -
Salem, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010}) 17. b4 Nc6 18. b5 Na5 19. Nc7 Qxd1 $2 $146 (19...
Rd7 20. Nxa8 Rxd1 21. Rfxd1 Qf8 22. Nc7 $16 Kh8 23. Rc3 b6 24. Nd5 Be6 25. Rc7
Qb8 26. Re7 Bg8 27. Bh3 f5 28. exf5 gxf5 29. Ne3 f4 30. Ng4 Nc4 31. Red7 h5 32.
Rd8 Qc7 33. Nh6 Bxh6 34. R1d7 Qxd7 35. Bxd7 {1-0 Tatenhorst,V-Zylla,J/Germany
1993/Corr Nr. 1}) 20. Rfxd1 $18 Rb8 21. Rd8+ Rf8 22. Ne8 $1 {All as predicted
by Avrukh in his Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4, volume two, page 324.} Nc4 23.
Rxc4 Be6 24. Rxb8 Bxc4 25. Bf1 Bxa2 26. Nd2 Kh8 27. Bc4 Bh6 28. Bxa2 Bxd2 29.
Bd5 a6 30. b6 Ba5 31. Bxb7 Bxb6 32. Bxa6 Bd4 33. Rc8 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup 2011"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2011.08.28"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter"]
[Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D80"]
[WhiteElo "2641"]
[BlackElo "2669"]
[Annotator "K. Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2011.08.28"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 dxc4 7. e3 Be6 8.
Nf3 Bg7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O c5 11. Rb1 {This line was successfully used by
Gelfand against Kamsky in the Candidates matches.} b6 ({Avrukh recommends} 
11... cxd4 {as a path to equality.} 12. Nxd4 Bd5 13. f3 (13. Qc2 Qd7 14. Rfd1
Bxd4 15. cxd4 Qe6 16. Bf3 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Nd7 18. Qe4 b6 19. Rdc1 Rac8 20. Rb4 c3
21. Rb3 Nf6 22. Qxe6 fxe6 23. Bxf6 {1/2-1/2 Gelfand - Kamsky, Kazan 2011.})
13... b6 14. e4 Bb7 15. Bxc4 Nc6 16. Bd5 {Vuckovic - Sanikidze, Aix-les-Bains
2011.} Qe8 $1 $146 {with the idea ...Rd8 solves all problems.} 17. Nb5 (17.
Nxc6 Bxc6 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. Bxe7 Rfe8 20. Bb4 a5 $11) 17... Rd8 18. Qb3 Rd7 {
preparing for moves like ...Qc8 or ...Na5 with a better structure.}) 12. Qc2
Nc6 13. Rfd1 (13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Ng5 Bf5 15. e4 Bd7 16. Bxc4 Ne5 ({The
alternative way to play is} 16... Rb8 $5 $146 17. f4 h6 18. Nf3) 17. Bd5 {An
unbalanced position can arrise after} h6 $5 $146 (17... Bc6 {Kazhgaleyev - De
Jong, Wijk aan Zee 2011.} 18. Bxc6 $5 $146 Nxc6 19. f4 $14) 18. Bxa8 (18. Nxf7
Nxf7 19. Bxa8 Qxa8 20. Bxe7 Rc8 21. Qd3 Qc6 22. Qe3 Be6 $15) (18. Nh3 Bxh3 19.
f4 Be6 20. Bxa8 Nc4 21. Bd5 Ne3 22. Qb3 Bxd5 23. exd5 Nxf1 24. Rxf1 $11) 18...
hxg5 19. Bxg5 Qxa8 20. Bxe7 Rc8 {with approximately even chances. For example:}
({Very complicated is} 20... Re8 21. Bxc5 Qc6 22. Bxa7 Qa6 23. Bd4 Bb5 24. c4
Bxc4 25. Rb6 Qa5 26. Rd1 Bd3 27. Qc3 Nf3+ $5 (27... Qxc3 28. Bxc3 Bc2 $11) 28.
gxf3 Qg5+ 29. Kh1 Be2 (29... Bxd4 30. Qxd4 Be2 31. Rb3 Qh5 32. Rc1 Bxf3+ 33.
Rxf3 Qxf3+ 34. Kg1 Qg4+ 35. Kf1 Qh3+ 36. Ke1 Qxh2 $11) 30. Bxg7 Qh5 31. Rb3
Bxd1 32. Kg2 $1 (32. Ra3 Qh3 $19) 32... Qg5+ 33. Kf1 Bxb3 34. axb3 Qb5+ 35. Kg2
Qg5+ $11) 21. f4 Ng4 22. Qd2 Qc6 23. Rbd1 Be6 24. e5 Re8 25. Bd6 Nh6 26. Qf2
Rc8 27. h3 Bc4 28. Rfe1 Nf5 29. g4 Nxd6 30. Rxd6 $13) 13... cxd4 14. cxd4 Bf5
15. e4 Bg4 16. d5 Na5 17. d6 Bf6 18. Bxf6 exf6 19. Nd4 Bd7 20. Nb5 Rc8 21. Nc7
(21. Nxa7 $142 Rc5 22. a4 $11) 21... Nb7 22. Rd4 Nxd6 23. Na6 Qe7 24. Rbd1 Bb5
25. Nb4 Ne8 26. Nd5 Qa3 27. Bxc4 Kg7 28. Qd3 Qxd3 29. Bxd3 Nc7 30. Nxc7 Bxd3
31. Rd7 Be2 32. Re1 Bg4 33. Re7 Rfd8 34. h3 Kf8 35. Nd5 Bd7 36. g4 b5 37. Kg2
Rc2 38. a3 a5 39. Kg3 Rc5 40. Re3 b4 41. axb4 axb4 42. Rxd7 Rxd7 43. Nxb4 f5
44. gxf5 gxf5 45. f3 Rd4 46. Nd5 Rcxd5 0-1

[Event "FIDE World Cup 2011"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2011.08.28"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Ortiz Suarez, Isan Reynaldo"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2556"]
[BlackElo "2711"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2011.08.28"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Nd7 8.
Be3 c5 9. Rc1 O-O 10. Nf3 Qc7 11. Be2 {This was not covered by Avrukh in his
book. He only covered 11.Bd3.} e5 (11... a6 12. O-O b5 13. Qa3 Bb7 14. d5 Rac8
15. c4 b4 16. Qa4 Nb6 17. Qc2 a5 $13 {Litinskaya - Veroci, Subotica 1991.}) ({
My recommendation would be} 11... Nf6 $1 $146 12. e5 (12. Bd3 {does not make a
lot of sense:} b6 13. O-O Bb7 $11 14. d5 c4 $1 15. Bc2 e6 $15) 12... Nd5 13.
Bd2 Bd7 14. Qb3 Nb6 {with good play for Black.}) 12. O-O b6 13. Rfd1 Bb7 14. d5
$14 a6 15. Qb3 Nf6 16. Nd2 Bc8 17. a4 Bd7 18. d6 $5 (18. f3 Rfb8 19. Qa3 Ne8
$13) 18... Qxd6 19. Nc4 Qb8 20. Rb1 $6 (20. Nxb6 $1 Bxa4 21. Qxa4 Qxb6 22. Rb1
Qc7 23. f3 $44) 20... b5 21. Nd6 Be6 22. Qa3 Nd7 (22... Rd8 23. Bxc5 Bf8 $13)
23. Bxc5 Qc7 24. Be3 bxa4 25. Qxa4 Rfd8 26. Rb7 Qxc3 27. Rc1 Nc5 28. Qc6 Rxd6
29. Qxc5 Qxc5 30. Rxc5 h5 31. Ra5 Bf6 32. h3 Bd8 33. Rxe5 a5 34. Reb5 Rc6 35.
Rb8 Rc8 36. Rxc8 Bxc8 37. Rb1 Be6 38. Bc5 a4 39. Ba3 Bb3 40. Bd1 Rb8 41. Bxb3
Rxb3 42. Ra1 Bf6 43. Ra2 Rb1+ 44. Kh2 Ra1 45. Rxa1 Bxa1 46. Kg3 Bg7 47. Kf3 Bf8
48. Bb2 a3 49. Bc3 f5 50. e5 Kf7 51. Ke3 Ke6 52. h4 Bc5+ 53. Ke2 f4 54. Kf3 Kf5
55. g3 fxg3 56. Kxg3 Bf8 57. f4 Bh6 58. Kf3 Bxf4 59. e6 Bd6 0-1

[Event "European Club Cup"]
[Site "Rogaska Slatina SLO"]
[Date "2011.10.01"]
[Round "7.7"]
[White "Koch, Thomas"]
[Black "Areshchenko, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2439"]
[BlackElo "2672"]
[Annotator "K. Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2011.09.25"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "SLO"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Bd7 ({This is also Avrukh's
recomendation as an alternative to the well known} 11... Na5) 12. Rb1 Qc7 13.
Bf4 Qc8 14. d5 Na5 15. Bd3 e6 $146 ({New idea in this position. Black
challenges the White's pawn centre. Avrukh in his book ''The Grunfeld
Defence'' volume two, p.227, is suggests} 15... e5 16. Be3 c4 17. Bc2 b6 18. f4
f6 19. Ng3 Nb7 20. Ba4 exf4 $146 (20... Bxa4 21. Qxa4 Bh6 22. Rbe1 Nd6 {Ivanov
- Koziak, La Roda 2007.}) 21. Bxf4 Re8) 16. c4 ({After} 16. Be3 exd5 17. exd5 {
Black can play} Re8 18. Qd2 b5 $5 19. Ng3 c4 20. Bc2 f5 {restricting the white
knight and planning ...Na5-b7-d6.}) 16... exd5 17. exd5 b5 $1 $11 18. Qc1 (18.
cxb5 c4 19. Be4 Qc5+ 20. Kh1 f5 21. Bc2 Bxb5 $11) 18... a6 (18... bxc4 19. Bxc4
a6 $14) 19. Bh6 Bxh6 20. Qxh6 Qc7 ({Areshchenko avoids} 20... bxc4 21. Nf4 cxd3
22. Nh5 $11) 21. Kh1 $6 (21. Nf4 Qe5 $1 $15) (21. Qd2 Nxc4 22. Bxc4 bxc4 23. d6
Qc6 24. Rbc1 {was possible the best way to stay in the game.}) 21... Nxc4 22.
Bxc4 bxc4 23. Ng3 f5 $1 $17 {The knight is dominated and Black is a pawn up.}
24. Rfe1 Rf7 25. Qc1 Qd6 26. Rd1 Ba4 27. Rd2 Re8 $5 (27... Bb5 $17) 28. Qxc4
Bb5 29. Qc2 Rfe7 30. Rdd1 Re3 31. Kg1 c4 32. a4 Qc5 33. Kh1 Bd7 34. Rbc1 (34.
d6 c3 $19) 34... Qb4 35. Rf1 Bxa4 36. Qf2 Rd3 37. h4 0-1

[Event "44th Magistral"]
[Site "Mislata ESP"]
[Date "2010.08.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Cabrera, Ale"]
[Black "Matnadze, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2527"]
[BlackElo "2413"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2q1rk1/2pn1pp1/1p1p1n2/p2P1N2/2bBpPpQ/2P5/P3P1BP/R4RK1 w - - 0 18"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2010.08.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

18. Nxg7 $1 Nh7 (18... Kxg7 19. Qg5+ Kh8 20. Qh6+ Kg8 21. Bxe4 Re8 22. Bh7+ Kh8
23. Bf5+ Kg8 24. Bxd7) 19. Qh6 Ndf6 20. Nf5 Ne8 21. Qg6+ 1-0

[Event "44th Magistral"]
[Site "Mislata ESP"]
[Date "2010.08.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Cabrera, Ale"]
[Black "Matnadze, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2527"]
[BlackElo "2413"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2q1rk1/2pn1pp1/1p1p1n2/p2P1N2/2bBpPpQ/2P5/P3P1BP/R4RK1 w - - 0 18"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2010.08.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

18. Nxg7 $1 Nh7 (18... Kxg7 19. Qg5+ Kh8 20. Qh6+ Kg8 21. Bxe4 Re8 22. Bh7+ Kh8
23. Bf5+ Kg8 24. Bxd7) 19. Qh6 Ndf6 20. Nf5 Ne8 21. Qg6+ 1-0

[Event "European Rapid Chess Championship"]
[Site "Warsaw POL"]
[Date "2010.12.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Movsesian, Sergei"]
[Black "Piorun, Kacper"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2721"]
[BlackElo "2513"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1q1r1k1/pb1nbppp/1pp1pn2/4N1B1/2PP4/2N2B2/PP2QPPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 15"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2010.12.18"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{White to play and win}  1-0

[Event "European Rapid Chess Championship"]
[Site "Warsaw POL"]
[Date "2010.12.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Movsesian, Sergei"]
[Black "Piorun, Kacper"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2721"]
[BlackElo "2513"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1q1r1k1/pb1nbppp/1pp1pn2/4N1B1/2PP4/2N2B2/PP2QPPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 15"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2010.12.18"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

15. Nxf7 Kxf7 16. Qxe6+ Kf8 (16... Kg6 17. Bc1 Nc5 18. Bh5+ Kxh5 19. Re5+ Kg6
20. Rg5+ Kh6 21. Qf7) 17. Bh5 $3 Ne5 (17... Nxh5 18. Bxe7+ Rxe7 19. Qxe7+ Kg8
20. Ne4 $1 Qd8 (20... Qe8 21. Nd6 $18) 21. Nd6 $18) 18. Qxe5 1-0

[Event "Queenstown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2009.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Johannessen, Leif"]
[Black "Ker, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3kn1r/pppq2bp/3n4/4p2p/4N1P1/4BP2/PPQ2P2/2KR1B1R w kq - 0 16"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2009.01.15"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "NZL"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{White to play and win}  1-0

[Event "Queenstown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2009.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Johannessen, Leif"]
[Black "Ker, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3kn1r/pppq2bp/3n4/4p2p/4N1P1/4BP2/PPQ2P2/2KR1B1R w kq - 0 16"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2009.01.15"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "NZL"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

16. Rxd6 $3 {Black resigned because of} cxd6 17. Bb5 $1 Qxb5 18. Nxd6+ {and
the double attack decides.} 1-0

[Event "Spanish Championship"]
[Site "El Sauzal ESP"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hernandez Leon, S."]
[Black "Gonzalez Cruz, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/ppp2ppp/3p1q2/2b2b2/2P3n1/1PN1PP1P/P2QBP2/R1B1K2R b KQ - 0 12"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2010.09.04"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{Black to win}  0-1

[Event "Spanish Championship"]
[Site "El Sauzal ESP"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hernandez Leon, S."]
[Black "Gonzalez Cruz, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/ppp2ppp/3p1q2/2b2b2/2P3n1/1PN1PP1P/P2QBP2/R1B1K2R b KQ - 0 12"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2010.09.04"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

12... Bxe3 $1 {White resigned in the view of} 13. fxe3 Qh4+ 14. Kd1 Nf2+ 15.
Ke1 Nxh1+ 16. Kd1 Nf2+ 17. Ke1 Nxh3+ 18. Kd1 Nf2+ 19. Ke1 Ne4+ 0-1

[Event "5th XtraCon Open"]
[Site "Borup DEN"]
[Date "2010.09.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kulaots, K."]
[Black "Antonsen, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2471"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4r1k/bbp2ppp/8/1p1nN2N/1n1P3q/1B5P/1P3PP1/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2010.09.03"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

{White to win}  1-0

[Event "5th XtraCon Open"]
[Site "Borup DEN"]
[Date "2010.09.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kulaots, K."]
[Black "Antonsen, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2592"]
[BlackElo "2471"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4r1k/bbp2ppp/8/1p1nN2N/1n1P3q/1B5P/1P3PP1/R1BQR1K1 w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2010.09.03"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]

21. Rxa7 $1 Rxa7 22. Bg5 $3 {Resigns.} Qxg5 23. Nxf7+ Rxf7 24. Re8+ 1-0

[Event "Schachbundesliga 2010-11"]
[Site "Aue GER"]
[Date "2010.10.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Bischoff, Klaus"]
[Black "Meijers, Viesturs"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2553"]
[BlackElo "2502"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2rr4/1b1q1pkp/1p4p1/p7/1nBPpN1P/2R1P3/1P3PP1/2RQ2K1 w - - 0 23"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2010.10.08"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeam "SF Katernberg"]
[BlackTeam "SV Nickelhuette Aue"]

{White to win}  1-0

[Event "Schachbundesliga 2010-11"]
[Site "Aue GER"]
[Date "2010.10.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Bischoff, Klaus"]
[Black "Meijers, Viesturs"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2553"]
[BlackElo "2502"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2rr4/1b1q1pkp/1p4p1/p7/1nBPpN1P/2R1P3/1P3PP1/2RQ2K1 w - - 0 23"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[EventDate "2010.10.08"]
[Source "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.18"]
[WhiteTeam "SF Katernberg"]
[BlackTeam "SV Nickelhuette Aue"]

23. Be6 $3 Rxc3 (23... fxe6 24. Rc7 $1 Rxc7 25. Rxc7 Qxc7 26. Nxe6+) 24. Bxd7
Rxc1 25. Qxc1 Rxd7 26. Qc4 Ba6 27. Qc3 Bb7 28. Qc4 Ba6 29. Qc3 Bb7 30. d5+ Kg8
31. Qe5 Kf8 32. d6 f6 33. Qxf6+ Kg8 34. Ne6 1-0

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.23"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2811"]
[BlackElo "2826"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8.
Qd2 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nc6 10. Rd1 O-O 11. Nf3 Bg4 12. Be2 Rc8 13. O-O Qa5 14. h3
Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Qxd2 16. Rxd2 Na5 {The simple plan of bringing the knight to c4
offers Black good counterplay- Avrukh, the Grandmaster Repertoire 9, page 142.}
17. e5 $146 {Anand deviates from the 17.Bg5, as was played previously in all
three games that reached this position.} (17. Bg5 Nc4 18. Rd3 {... 1/2-1/2
Melkumyan,H (2582)-Areshchenko,A (2670)/Rijeka 2010.}) 17... Nc4 {It feels
natural to exchange one of the White's bishops.} 18. Rd3 Nxe3 19. fxe3 Rc7 $11
20. Be4 ({One attempt to complicate the position could be to attack Black's
pawns on the queenside} 20. a4 b6 21. a5 bxa5 22. Ra1 {However Black can
counter-attack White's pawn weeknesses.} Rfc8 23. Rxa5 Rc3 24. Rxc3 Rxc3 25.
Rxa7 Bh6 $1 $11) 20... Rfc8 21. Rb3 b6 22. Kf2 f6 23. exf6 Bxf6 24. Ke2 Kg7 25.
Rd1 Rc3 26. Rd3 Rc2+ 27. Rd2 R2c3 28. Rd3 Rc2+ 29. Rd2 R2c3 1/2-1/2

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D97"]
[WhiteElo "2811"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 a6 {This
move is a most popular choice. Avrukh in his book recommends 7...Nc6 as a
viable alternative to the more common lines.} 8. Be2 b5 9. Qb3 Nc6 {It was
very interesting listening to Sutovsky's comments on the tournament website.
At this moment he predicted that Black on the next move can offer three pieces
for a queen. The exeptance may lead to very complicated and unbalanced
position with mutual chances. Some players prefer to have a piece play, when
the others, including computers like to keep the queen.} 10. e5 Be6 11. Qd1 ({
The World Champion agrees with the computer's assesment and prefers to keep
his queen on the board. The alternative} 11. exf6 Bxb3 12. fxg7 Kxg7 13. axb3
Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. O-O Qb4 {is unclear.}) 11... Nd5 12. O-O Nxc3 13. bxc3
Bd5 14. Be3 Na5 15. Nd2 c5 {It looks like Black managed to solve his opening
problems and now equalises comfortably.} 16. Bf3 cxd4 17. cxd4 Nc4 18. Nxc4
bxc4 19. Rc1 e6 20. Qa4 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Qd5 22. Rxc4 Qxf3 23. Rfc1 Qg4+ 24. Kh1
Qe4+ 25. Kg1 Qg4+ 26. Kh1 Qe4+ 27. Kg1 1/2-1/2

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.24"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D93"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 c5 6. dxc5 Qa5 7. Rc1 dxc4 8.
Bxc4 O-O 9. Nf3 Qxc5 10. Bb3 Nc6 11. O-O Qa5 12. h3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Ne4 14. Nxe4
Bxe4 15. Rfd1 Qh5 16. Bc2 (16. Rd7 {given as a main line by Avrukh.} Rac8 $1)
16... Bxc2 ({I was very surprised to find on the page 217 in Avrukh's book the
quote to my own game.} 16... Bxf3 {this well-timed exchange completely solves
Black's opening problems, according to Avrukh.} 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Rad8 19.
Be4 Bxb2 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rc2 Ba3 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Rxc6 f6 24. e4 a5 {1/2-1/
2 Portisch,L (2595)-Arakhamia Grant,K (2420)/Roquebrune 1998. However in his
comments after the game Aronian points out that Svidler played all the right
moves until maybe move 19.}) 17. Qxc2 Qb5 18. a4 Qb4 19. Ne1 e5 20. Bg3 Rfd8
21. Nd3 Qe7 22. Qc5 Rd6 {Aronian describes this move as overly ambitious. He
is suggesting instead 22...f6, first restricting white's bishop and maybe
exchanging queens on c5 next.} 23. b4 Rad8 24. b5 Rd5 25. Qc2 e4 ({Maybe it
was better to play} 25... Na5 26. e4 Rd4 27. Nb2 b6 $11 (27... Bh6 28. Rxd4
exd4 $11)) 26. Nf4 $14 Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28. Qxd1 Nb4 29. Qc1 Bf6 30. Qc8+
Kg7 31. Qb8 a6 32. b6 (32. Nxg6 $6 Kxg6 33. Bd6 Qd8 34. Qxd8 Bxd8 35. Bxb4 axb5
36. axb5 Kf5 37. Kf1 Ke6 38. Ke2 Kd5 39. Kd2 Kc4 40. Bd6 Kxb5) 32... Nc6 33.
Qc8 h5 34. Ne2 Nd8 35. Bc7 Qe6 36. Qb8 Qd7 (36... Qa2 $1 37. Nf4 Qxa4 38. Bxd8
Qd1+ 39. Kh2 Bxd8 40. Qxb7 Qd6 $11) 37. Be5 Ne6 38. Nc3 Qc6 39. a5 h4 40. Bxf6+
Kxf6 41. Qh8+ Kf5 42. Qxh4 Qxc3 43. g4+ Ke5 44. Qh8+ f6 45. Qb8+ Kd5 46. Qxb7+
Qc6 47. Qb8 Nc5 48. Qg8+ Qe6 49. Qxg6 Kc4 50. h4 Kd3 51. h5 Ke2 52. h6 Qc4 53.
h7 Ke1 54. Qxf6 1-0

[Event "18th European Teams"]
[Site "Porto Carras GRE"]
[Date "2011.11.11"]
[Round "9.8"]
[White "Banikas, Hristos"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2011.11.03"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Greece"]
[BlackTeam "Italy"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GRE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ITA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8.
Be3 Qa5 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. Rb1 a6 11. Rc1 Bg4 12. d5 Rd8 13. Be2 O-O 14. O-O e6 ({
Avrukh believes that move to be inferior to the recommended by him in the
Grandmaster Repertoire 9} 14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 e6) 15. Rfd1 ({The point is that
White has a strong reply here} 15. Bg5 {GR 9, p.119,} f6 ({in case of} 15...
Rd7 16. Qf4 Bxf3 {White has an intermidiate capture} 17. dxc6 $1) 16. Bf4 {and
White has a better chances.}) 15... Bxf3 16. Bxf3 exd5 17. exd5 Ne5 {Now games
transposes into a variation given by Avrukh on page 120.} 18. Be2 c4 {
According to Avrukh that move gives Black a good play.} 19. Rb1 b5 20. a4 Nd3
21. axb5 axb5 22. Bxd3 {Draw was agreed as the following exchanges lead to
more simplifications and equality.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Schachbundesliga 2011-12"]
[Site "Muelheim GER"]
[Date "2011.10.15"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Braun, Arik"]
[Black "Naumann, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D98"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2546"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2011.10.14"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "SC Eppingen"]
[BlackTeam "SG Solingen"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Nc6 8.
Be2 {In the Grandmaster Repertoire 8, Avrukh discusses this line in a chapter
number 28!} Bg4 9. Be3 Bxf3 10. gxf3 e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Qb5 Nh5 13. Rd1 Qh4
14. Qxb7 Rab8 ({Attacking the queen is a good option, but looks like Avrukh's
recommendation on page 330 is even sronger} 14... Nf4 $1 15. Bxf4 Qxf4 16. Qd5
Rab8 17. Qd2 Nxf3+ 18. Bxf3 Qxf3 19. O-O Be5 $19) (14... Qh3 15. Qxc7 Nxf3+ 16.
Bxf3 Qxf3 17. O-O Rae8 18. Qd7 Nf6 19. Qd3 Qg4+ 20. Kh1 Qf3+ 21. Kg1 {1/2-1/2
Kaufman,L (2427)-Winer,S (2306)/Washington DC 1999.}) 15. Qxc7 Rxb2 16. Nd5 h6
$6 ({Black missed the opportunity to get the overwhelming advantage with} 16...
Qh3 17. f4 Ng3 $1 $19) 17. Rd2 {White now is in time to neutralise Black's
initiative} Rb1+ ({Black could try to play on with} 17... Qh3 {but he does not
have sufficient resources to carry out successful attack.} 18. Rxb2 Nxf3+ 19.
Bxf3 Qxf3 20. Rb4 Qxh1+ 21. Ke2 $11) 18. Rd1 Rb2 19. Rd2 Rb1+ 20. Rd1 Rb2 21.
Rd2 Rb1+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.24"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B52"]
[WhiteElo "2826"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 {Experts on Anti- Sicilian
p.122, 142. Commentating after the game Carlsen mentioned that he did not get
anything special out of opening.} Nc6 {Greet considers 5...Nf6 to be the more
accurate move order.} 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 g6 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Be3 Nf6 10. h3 {This
way White avoids Agdestein's move discussed on p.142.} (10. f3) 10... O-O 11.
O-O a6 (11... Rfc8 12. b3 a6 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Bxd4 16. Qxd4
b5 17. Rfe1 bxc4 18. bxc4 Rc7 19. Qh4 Rac8 20. Re4 Qf5 21. Rae1 Qf6 22. Qg4 h5
23. Qe2 Qc3 24. Rxe7 Rxc4 25. Re3 Qf6 26. Qf3 Rf4 27. Qe2 Kg7 28. g3 Rf5 29. h4
Rc5 30. Rd3 Re5 31. Qd2 Rxe1+ 32. Qxe1 Rc2 33. a3 Qf5 34. Rd4 Qf3 35. a4 Re2
36. Qf1 Ra2 37. Qe1 a5 38. Rf4 Qxd5 39. Qc3+ Kg8 40. Rd4 Qe5 41. Kg2 Kg7 42.
Qc4 Ra1 43. Rf4 d5 44. Qa6 Rd1 45. Qa7 Qe6 46. Kh2 d4 47. Rxd4 Rf1 48. Kg2 Ra1
49. Qxa5 Qc6+ 50. Qd5 Qxd5+ {1/2-1/2 Howell,D (2611)-Anand,V (2804)/London
2010.}) 12. a4 Rfc8 {More often Black develops the a8-rook on c8.} 13. b3 e6
14. Rc1 d5 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. e5 Ne8 17. f4 ({White has an interesting resource
} 17. a5 $5 {sacrificing a pawn and hoping to win an exchange in return.} Bxe5
{Black has to accept the pawn, otherwise he will be struggling for space.} 18.
Na4 d4 (18... Bc7 19. Nb6 Qd6 20. f4 Bxb6 21. axb6 Qe7 22. c5 {The strong
passed pawn and weakened dark squares around Black's king guarantee
compensation for the pawn, perhaps more.}) 19. Nb6 Qd8 20. Bd2 c5 21. Nxa8 Rxa8
22. b4 cxb4 23. Bxb4 {Black definitely has some play for the exchange but it
will take time to coordinate his pieces. White must play precisely but it
seems to me that White's position is preferable.}) 17... a5 18. Ne4 Bf8 19. Rf3
Qd8 20. Nc5 Rcb8 21. Bf2 Nc7 22. Qe2 Rb4 23. Kh2 Be7 24. Rc2 Qf8 25. Nd7 Qd8
26. Nc5 Qf8 27. cxd5 Nxd5 28. g3 Qc8 29. Be1 Rb6 30. Rc4 Rab8 31. Qd1 Bxc5 32.
Rxc5 Qf8 33. Qc2 Nb4 34. Bxb4 Rxb4 35. Rxa5 $11 ({White can try taking a
different pawn} 35. Rxc6 $14 Rd4 36. Qc5 Rd2+ 37. Kg1 Qd8 $5 (37... Qxc5+ 38.
Rxc5 Rb2) 38. Rd6 Qe7 39. Rc3 Rb2 40. Rc6 Rd8 {Black has sufficient recourses
to hold the position.}) 35... Qd8 36. Rc5 Rxb3 37. Rxb3 Rxb3 38. Qxb3 Qd2+ 39.
Kh1 Qe1+ 40. Kg2 Qe2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2826"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O {In this position Avrukh, The Grandmaster
Repertoire 9, page 212, recommends two main options for Black 10...Bg4 and the
little-explored line 10...Qc7 11.Rc1 b6.} b6 {Despite been played very rarely,
this continuation came to the attention after being employed by Anand in his
World Championship match against Topalov in 2010. Next time it was Grischuk
who tried it against Aronian in the Candidates matches, 2011. Since Grischuk
and Svidler are good friends it is safe to suggest that this variation would
have been analysed by them in depth.} 11. dxc5 {The most principled reply.
Topalov choice was less commital 11.Qd2.} Qc7 12. f4 $146 ({Carlsen accepts
the challenge and deviates early with his own novelty. The other above
mentioned game continued} 12. Nd4 Ne5 13. Nb5 Qb8 14. Be2 bxc5 15. f4 Ng4 16.
Bxc5 a6 17. Na3 Qc7 18. Bd4 e5 $1 19. fxe5 Nxe5 $13 {After an intence battle
the opponents shared a point on move 70,  Aronian,L (2808)-Grischuk,A (2747)/
Kazan 2011}) 12... bxc5 13. Rb1 Rd8 14. Qa4 Na5 ({Also possible is} 14... Bd7
15. Rb5 (15. Qa6 Na5 16. Bd5 Rab8 17. f5 Rxb1 18. Rxb1 Bc8) 15... Nd4 16. cxd4
Bxb5 17. Bxb5 cxd4 18. Rc1 Qb7) 15. Bd5 Bd7 ({Deserves attention} 15... Ba6 16.
Rfe1 (16. c4 Rxd5 17. exd5 Nxc4 18. Qxa6 Nxe3 19. Rfc1 Nxd5 $44) 16... Rab8 17.
Rxb8 Rxb8 18. f5 Bb5 19. Qc2 Nc4 20. Bf4 Be5) 16. Qa3 Rac8 17. f5 e6 18. Bf4
Be5 19. fxe6 ({White had an interesting alternative to sacrifice a piece with} 
19. Bxe6 $5 fxe6 (19... Bxf4 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21. fxg6+ Kg7 22. Nxf4 Rf8 23. Nd5
$18) 20. fxg6 {In my analyses after the accurate defence Black can equalise,
but maybe there is an improvement for White or both sides. Anyway somehow
intuitively I feel that White's position is very promising. (Although
obviously Carlsen is not sharing this opinion since in the game he retreated
with his bishop.)} Nc4 {is the best defence} (20... hxg6 21. Bxe5 Qxe5 22. Qxa5
$14) (20... Bxf4 21. gxh7+ Kxh7 22. Nxf4 Nc4 23. Qc1 {White queen gets quickly
sent to the kingside where black king is feeling rather vulnerable without the
pawn cover. Black pieces are helpless against White's attack. For example} Rg8
24. Rf3 Qe5 25. Rh3+ Kg7 26. Nd3 Qf6 27. Rb7 $18) (20... Bc6 21. gxh7+ Qxh7 22.
Ng3 Bxf4 23. Rxf4 Nb7 24. Qb3 Re8 25. Rbf1 $18 {White mobilises all his forces
to achieve the overwhelming attack on the kingside.}) 21. Qa6 (21. gxh7+ Kh8
22. Qa6 Nb6) 21... Bxf4 (21... Rf8 22. Rb7 Qc6 23. gxh7+ Kh8 24. Qxc4 Rxf4 25.
Nxf4 Bxf4 26. Rbb1 $16) (21... Nb6 22. Qd3 $16) 22. Nxf4 Ne5 23. gxh7+ (23.
Nxe6 Bxe6 24. Qxe6+ Kh8 25. gxh7 Re8 26. Qf6+ Qg7 27. Qxg7+ Kxg7 28. Rb7+ Kh8
$11) 23... Kh8 24. Qe2 Rb8 25. Qh5 ({The idea of keeping more pieces on the
board with} 25. Rbc1 {looks a bit too slow, but probably is not so bad, but
still after} c4 $5 26. Qh5 Be8 27. Qg5 Bf7 {Black holds the position.}) 25...
Rxb1 26. Rxb1 Be8 27. Qg5 Bf7 28. Rf1 Kxh7 {Unfortunately I can't find
anything more that to take the perpetual with} 29. Nxe6 Bxe6 30. Qh4+ Kg8 31.
Qg5+ Kh7 $11) 19... fxe6 20. Bb3 Nxb3 21. axb3 Rf8 22. Qc1 c4 23. b4 Qb6+ 24.
Kh1 Bg7 {Black keeps two bishops and has a comfortable position.} 25. e5 Bc6
26. Nd4 Bd5 27. Ra1 Qb7 28. Qc2 Rc7 29. Bg3 Rcf7 30. Rxf7 Qxf7 31. Qe2 g5 32.
h3 h5 33. Kg1 h4 34. Bh2 Qg6 35. Rd1 g4 {Feels like Black is overextending.
White's resources should not be underestimated, especially when it is Carlsen
who plays with white pieces. At this tournament we had few opportunities to
witness his incredible resilience and creativity, just think of his game
against Kramnik!} 36. hxg4 Qg5 37. Nf5 $1 exf5 ({After} 37... h3 {Black does
not achieve much when White replies corectely} 38. Rd4 {with the idea to play
Bf4} (38. Nxg7 Qxg7 39. Rxd5 exd5 40. gxh3 Qg6 {Black is winning due to an
exposed situation of White's king and awkwardly placed bishop on h2.}) 38...
exf5 (38... hxg2 39. Bf4 Qd8 40. Rxd5 $1 exd5 41. e6 $16) 39. Rxd5 fxg4 40. Bg3
$1 $11) 38. Rxd5 fxg4 39. Kh1 h3 40. gxh3 gxh3 41. Rd4 (41. Rd1) 41... Qc1+ 42.
Rd1 Qxc3 43. e6 Qb2 44. Qe4 Qg2+ 45. Qxg2 hxg2+ 46. Kxg2 Re8 47. Rd6 Bf8 48.
Rc6 Bxb4 49. Rxc4 a5 50. Rc6 Kg7 51. Kf3 Kf6 52. Ke4 Rxe6+ 53. Be5+ Kf7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Schachbundesliga 2011-12"]
[Site "Solingen GER"]
[Date "2011.04.11"]
[Round "5.6"]
[White "Galyas, Miklos"]
[Black "Naumann, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D90"]
[WhiteElo "2458"]
[BlackElo "2546"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2011.10.14"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "SG Trier"]
[BlackTeam "SG Solingen"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qb3 dxc4 7. Qxc4 O-O 8.
Bf4 Na6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 Be6 ({Avrukh considers only} 10... Nh5 {in his first
volume on page 96, followed by} 11. Be3 cxd4 12. Qxd4 Bc6 13. Be2 Qa5 14. O-O
Bxf3 ({The decision to give the dark squared bishop to win a pawn did not
succeeded in the following game. Despite losing the game White had an
advantage out of the opening.} 14... Rfd8 15. Qh4 Bxe5 16. b4 Qc7 17. Nxe5 Qxe5
18. b5 Qxc3 19. bxc6 Qxc6 20. Bf3 $16 Qd6 21. Rab1 Rac8 22. Bxh5 gxh5 23. Rb5 (
23. Rxb7 $142 f6 24. Qxh5 $16) 23... h6 24. Rxb7 {.... 0-1 Zhukova,N (2443)
-Mikhalevski,V (2584)/Aix-les-Bains FRA 2011.}) 15. Bxf3 Bxe5 16. Qd5 Qxd5 17.
Nxd5 Rfe8 18. g4 $5 {This move mentioned by Avrukh as a possible improvement
over previosely played} (18. Rac1 {... 1/2-1/2 Sokolov,I (2695)-Van Wely,L 
(2654)/Belgium 2003.})) 11. exf6 ({Black has a comfortable play if White
decides to keep a queen.} 11. Qa4 Nd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Bxa6 bxa6 14. dxc5 Qxc5
15. O-O Qb5) 11... Bxc4 12. fxg7 Kxg7 ({In the only other game that reached
this position Black mistakenely captured the bishop on f1} 12... Bxf1 13.
gxf8=Q+ Qxf8 14. Kxf1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qc8 ({It is better to play} 15... Nc5 16.
Nde2 Nd3 17. h4 {but White's chances are still preferable}) 16. Nde2 Qf5 17.
Rd1 e5 18. Be3 Nb4 19. h4 $16 {... 1-0 Horvath,C (2546)-Flumbort,A (2493)/
Budapest HUN 2004.}) 13. Bxc4 cxd4 14. Rd1 Qa5 ({The move played in the game
is stronger than} 14... Qb6 {suggested by Ftachnik in his analyses of the game
Horvath,C-Flumbort,A} 15. Be5+ f6 16. Bxd4 Qxb2 17. O-O Rac8 18. Rb1 $36 {
Ftacnik}) 15. Be5+ (15. Rxd4 {leads to exchange of one pair of rooks but the
queen and a pawn still are stronger than three pieces. Black has no weeknesses
and his king is safe.} Rad8 16. O-O Rxd4 17. Be5+ f6 18. Bxd4 Rc8 19. Be6 Rd8
$15) 15... f6 16. Bxd4 e5 17. Be3 Rfd8 18. O-O Nb4 19. a3 Nc2 20. Bd2 Nd4 21.
Nxd4 Rxd4 22. Be2 Rad8 23. Be3 (23. b4 $5 Qxa3 24. Nb5 Qb2 25. Nxd4 Rxd4 26.
Be3 Rxd1 27. Bxd1 Qxb4 $15 28. Bxa7 $6 b6 29. Bf3 Qa5 30. Bb8 b5 31. Rd1 b4 $19
32. Rd7+ Kh8 33. Bc7 Qa4 34. Rd6 e4) 23... Rxd1 24. Bxd1 b5 25. Na2 Rd2 $1 26.
b4 (26. Bxd2 Qxd2 27. Nb4 Qxb2 28. Nc2 a5 $19) 26... Qd8 27. Bb3 (27. Bxd2 Qxd2
28. Bb3 e4 29. Nc1 Qb2 $19) 27... Rd3 28. Nc1 Rxe3 $1 29. fxe3 Qd2 $19 30. Rd1
Qxe3+ 31. Kf1 e4 32. Bd5 f5 33. Ne2 Qxa3 34. Bc6 Qxb4 35. Rd7+ Kf6 36. Rxa7 e3
37. Ra1 Qd6 38. Bxb5 Qxh2 39. Ra3 Qb8 40. Rb3 h5 41. Bc4 Qe5 42. Bd3 h4 43.
Rb6+ Kg7 44. Rb4 h3 45. gxh3 Qd5 46. Nd4 f4 47. Kg1 f3 48. Nxf3 Qxf3 49. Rb2
Qxh3 50. Rg2 Qd7 51. Bc2 Qd4 52. Kf1 Qf4+ 53. Ke2 g5 54. Bb3 g4 55. Be6 Qf3+
0-1

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D91"]
[WhiteElo "2744"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 dxc4 7. e3 Be6 8.
Nf3 Bg7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O c5 11. Rb1 b6 {This continuation was already played
by Nepomniachtchi previously, all but in the blitz game, never the less no
doubt Gelfand was prepared for it.} ({The immediate capture on d4 is
recommended by Avrukh} 11... cxd4 12. Nxd4 Bd5 13. Qc2 Qd7 14. Rfd1 Bxd4 15.
cxd4 Qe6 {in a later game White has tried a different plan of preparing to
advance his central pawns} 16. Qc3 ({Gelfand continued} 16. Bf3 Bxf3 17. gxf3
Nd7 18. Qe4 b6 19. Rdc1 Rac8 20. Rb4 c3 21. Rb3 Nf6 22. Qxe6 fxe6 23. Bxf6 {1/
2-1/2 Gelfand,B (2733)-Kamsky,G (2732)/Kazan RUS 2011}) 16... Nd7 17. f3 Nb6
18. Rb5 f5 19. Rdb1 Rac8 20. Bd1 Na8 21. Bc2 Nc7 22. Ra5 a6 23. e4 fxe4 24.
fxe4 b5 ({I am not sure Black had to give the piece just yet, but also after} 
24... Qg4 25. Qe1 Bc6 26. d5 Bb5 27. Bxe7 {White has an advantage.}) 25. exd5
Qg4 ({after} 25... Nxd5 26. Qe1 Qb6 27. Ra3 Qxd4+ {may have three pawns for a
piece, but White's pair of bishops is very strong in this position.} 28. Bf2
Qf6 29. Be4 $16) 26. Bg3 Nxd5 27. Qd2 c3 28. Qd3 Rc4 29. Bb3 c2 30. Bxc2 Rxd4
31. Bd1 Qf5 32. Qxf5 gxf5 33. Bb3 e6 34. Rxa6 Re8 35. Ra7 f4 36. Bf2 Rd2 37.
Re1 f3 38. Bxd5 {1-0 Kazhgaleyev,M (2618)-Vakhidov,J (2348)/Tashkent UZB 2011.}
) 12. Ng5 $146 ({Previousely White tried Qc2 and capture on c5. For example} 
12. dxc5 Nd7 13. c6 ({In case of} 13. cxb6 Nxb6 14. Nd4 Bd7 {looks like Black
equalises.}) 13... Nf6 14. Nd4 Bd5 15. Bf3 Rc8 16. Bg3 ({Deserves attention} 
16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. e4 Be6 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. e5 Qxd1 20. Rfxd1 Bxe5 21. Rd7 Rc7
22. Re1 Bxc3 23. Rxe6 {despite being a pawn down White has some chances in the
ending.} ({or} 23. Rc1 Be5 24. Rxc4 Bd6 25. Ra4 a5 26. Rd4)) 16... Ne4 17. Nb5
(17. c7 $5 Qe8 18. Rb4 Nxg3 19. Bxd5 Bxd4 20. hxg3 Bc5 21. Rb1 Rxc7 22. Bxc4
$11) 17... Nxg3 ({why not to take the c6 pawn} 17... Rxc6 18. Qc2 f5 19. Nxa7
Rc5 $17) 18. hxg3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 a6 20. c7 Qe8 21. Nd4 e5 22. Nc2 e4 23. Qf4 b5
24. Nd4 Qe5 25. a4 Qxf4 26. gxf4 Bxd4 27. exd4 Rxc7 28. axb5 axb5 29. Rxb5 Ra8
$11 {although White went on to win the game, 1-0 Delchev,A (2625)-Le Roux,J 
(2512)/France 2010}) 12... Bd5 13. e4 Bb7 14. d5 ({Closing the centre looks
stronger than entering the complications after} 14. Bxc4 cxd4 15. cxd4 h6 16.
Nxf7 Rxf7 17. Qg4 g5 18. Bg3 Nd7 19. Bxf7+ Kxf7 20. d5 Nf6 $13) 14... h6 ({The
alternative was to take a pawn on c3 and hope to survive White's initiative.} 
14... Bxc3 15. Bxc4 Bf6 16. f4 $44 h6 ({Reducing the number of pieces on the
board doesn't solve all the Black's problems.} 16... Ba6 17. Bxa6 Nxa6 18. e5
Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Qd7 20. f5 $1) 17. Nf3 Bxh4 18. Nxh4 e6 19. Nf3 exd5 20. exd5 Nd7
(20... Qd6 21. f5 g5 22. f6 $5) 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. fxe5 Qh4 23. Qd3 {White has a
compensation for a pawn,but Black shold be able to hold.}) 15. Nf3 g5 16. Bg3
f5 17. exf5 Qxd5 18. Qa4 Qxf5 19. Bxc4+ Kh8 20. Rbe1 {This is a very
interesting position. Black managed to illuminate White's strong pawns centre,
but fall behind in development. White's pieces are controlling the centre and
Black's king's weakened position offers him good chances for an attack.} Nc6 (
20... Bc6 21. Bb5 (21. Qb3 Bxf3 22. Be6 Qg6 23. gxf3 Nc6 24. Bd5) 21... Qd7 22.
Ne5 Bxb5 23. Qe4 Bc6 24. Ng6+ Kg8 25. Nxe7+ Kh8) (20... Bxf3 21. gxf3 Bf6 22.
Re3 Qd7 23. Bb5 Qb7 24. Bd3 $18) 21. Re3 Rad8 ({in case of immediate} 21... e5
{White starts dangerous attack after} 22. Bd3 Qd7 23. h4 $16) 22. h4 ({
Stronger is} 22. Bc7 $5 Rde8 23. Be6 Qg6 24. Rfe1 Ra8 25. Qg4 $16) 22... e5 {
The point here is that White doesn't have Bd3 now and is unable to stop e5-e4.}
23. hxg5 e4 24. Nh4 (24. gxh6 Bxh6 25. Nh4 Qh7 26. Rfe1 (26. Re2 Bg5 {and
suddenly white knight has nowhere to go.}) 26... Bxe3 27. Rxe3 $13) 24... Qxg5
25. Bb5 ({Black is fine after} 25. Rxe4 Bxc3 26. Re6 Rf6) ({It was better to
exchange the lightsquare bishops} 25. Ba6 Bxa6 (25... Ba8 {is bad  becouse
White just takes the e4 pawn with the queen.} 26. Qxe4) 26. Qxa6 Rfe8 27. Qe2
Qd5 28. Re1) 25... Na5 26. Rfe1 c4 {Just in a few moves the assesment of the
position changed. It is now Black who has an initiative.} 27. Bxc4 Bc6 28. Qb4
Nxc4 ({White could find himself in the difficulties after} 28... Rf6 {
treatening Bf8-c5.} {The best for White could be to give an exchange now but
he would not have sufficient compensation.} 29. Rxe4 Bxe4 30. Rxe4 Bf8 31. Qb2
Nxc4 32. Rxc4 Bc5 $17) 29. Qxc4 Bd5 30. Qa4 Rf7 31. Rxe4 {I am not sure if it
was already nessasary to take such measures, as I don't beleive that White has
full compansation for an exchange.} Bxe4 32. Rxe4 Qd5 33. Kh2 b5 34. Qc2 Qh5
35. c4 bxc4 36. Rxc4 Rfd7 37. Rc5 Rd5 38. Rxd5 Rxd5 39. Qc8+ Kh7 40. Qc2+ Kg8
41. Qc8+ Bf8 42. Kh3 Qf7 43. Qa6 Rd4 44. Kh2 Rb4 45. a4 Re4 46. a5 Re6 47. Qc8
a6 48. Nf3 Qh5+ 49. Kg1 Qe8 50. Qc4 Qc6 51. Qb3 Bg7 52. Bf4 Kh7 53. Be3 Qe4 54.
Bd4 Re7 55. Bxg7 Rxg7 56. Qc3 Qb1+ 57. Kh2 Qf5 58. Kg1 Rd7 59. Qe1 Rb7 60. Kh2
Rg7 61. Nh4 Qc2 62. Qe6 Qc7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D82"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2826"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "147"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 c5 6. dxc5 Qa5 7. Qb3 Na6 ({
According to my database this move has been played only twice before. Avrukh
in the Grandmaster Repertoire 8, on page179, considers} 7... dxc4 {to be
Black's best continuation.}) 8. cxd5 Nxc5 9. Qb5+ Qxb5 10. Bxb5+ Bd7 11. Rd1
Nh5 12. Bxd7+ Kxd7 13. Bg3 ({Why not just develop the knight?} 13. Nf3 $5 {it
is not clear to me if Black has sufficient compensation for a pawn.} Nxf4 14.
exf4 Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 f6 16. Rd4 $14) 13... b5 $1 14. d6 e6 15. Nf3 b4 16. Nb5
Nxg3 17. hxg3 Rab8 18. Nbd4 h5 19. Rh4 f5 20. Ne2 e5 (20... Ne4 21. Nd2 Nxd2
22. Rxd2 Rhc8) 21. Rc4 Rhc8 22. Kf1 Ne4 23. Rc7+ (23. Rcc1 $142) 23... Rxc7 24.
dxc7+ Kxc7 25. Nd2 Nxd2+ 26. Rxd2 a5 $15 27. b3 a4 28. bxa4 Ra8 29. Nc1 e4 30.
Ne2 Rxa4 31. Nf4 Bc3 32. Rc2 Kd6 33. Ke2 g5 34. Nxh5 Kd5 35. f3 g4 36. Nf4+ Kc4
37. Ne6 Ra6 38. Nf4 Rh6 39. fxg4 fxg4 40. Rc1 Ra6 41. Rc2 Rh6 42. Rc1 Rd6 43.
Rc2 Ra6 44. Kf2 Rh6 45. Ke2 Rh1 46. Ng6 Re1+ 47. Kf2 Ra1 48. Nf4 Rb1 49. Ne6
Rd1 50. Nf4 Rd6 51. Ke2 Rc6 52. Rc1 Kb5 53. Nd5 Rc5 54. Nf4 Rc6 55. Nd5 Rc5 56.
Nf4 Ka4 57. Ne6 Rd5 58. Rc2 Ka3 59. Nd4 Rc5 60. Nb3 Rd5 61. Nd4 Bxd4 62. Rd2
Bc3 63. Rxd5 Kxa2 64. Kd1 b3 65. Rb5 Kb2 66. Rb8 Bf6 67. Kd2 Bc3+ 68. Kd1 Bf6
69. Rf8 Bc3 70. Re8 Ka2 71. Ra8+ Kb1 72. Ra4 b2 73. Ra6 Ba5 74. Rxa5 1/2-1/2

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D80"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 {Quiet continuation, although in Ivanchuk's
hands just as dangerous.} Bg7 5. Qb3 e6 6. Qa3 a5 7. Nf3 Nc6 ({Avrukh is
suggesting a different route for a knight via a6. He plays first} 7... c6 {to
defend the a5 pawn.}) 8. Bd2 Nb4 {Svidler's idea seems very sensible since
sometimes Black wants to play c7-c5.} 9. Qa4+ (9. Qb3 c5 10. a3 Nc6 {was
played in the game Suba-Shirov, 2001}) 9... Bd7 10. Qb3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Bc6 ({
The pawn sacrifice deserves the attention} 11... c5 12. dxc5 Bc6 13. Nb5 O-O
14. Bxb4 axb4 15. Qxb4 Nd7 {two bishops and lead in development compensate two
missing pawns} 16. Be2 Qe7 17. O-O Qxc5 18. Qxc5 Nxc5 $44) 12. a3 $146 ({Most
principled as it is challenging a bishop on c6 strait away. Previously played} 
12. Be2 O-O 13. O-O Nbd5 14. Ne5 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Ne4 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Rad1 {1/
2-1/2 Farago,I (2507)-Ftacnik,L (2579)/Hamburg 2004}) 12... Nbd5 ({After} 12...
Bxf3 13. gxf3 Nbd5 {White can maybe even take a pawn} 14. Qxb7 O-O 15. Nxd5
Nxd5 16. Qc6 $14) 13. Ne5 $14 O-O 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qc2 {White has a slight
long term advantage of two bishops and better pawn structure.} Qe7 16. O-O c5
17. Ne2 cxd4 18. Nxd4 c5 19. Nb5 Rfc8 20. Rfd1 ({It is tempting to push the
d5-knight from his central square, but than the other knight might be heading
for the d4 square} 20. e4 Nc7 21. Nc3 Ng4 22. h3 Ne5 23. Be2 Nc6 $11) 20... Ng4
21. h3 Ne5 22. Be2 c4 23. Rac1 h5 24. Nc3 Nb6 25. Ne4 Nd5 26. Nc3 Nb6 27. Ne4
Nd5 28. Be1 Rab8 29. Kh1 Nd7 30. Rb1 Nc5 ({I am not sure why Svidler decides
to give a pawn, he could still continue manoeuvring after} 30... a4) 31. Bxc4
Nb6 32. Bb5 Nd5 33. a4 Na6 34. Qe2 Nab4 35. Rbc1 $16 Rc7 36. Nc3 Rbc8 37. Nxd5
exd5 38. Rxc7 Rxc7 39. b3 Bc3 40. Rc1 Qf6 41. Qf3 Qe5 42. Qg3 Qxg3 43. fxg3 Be5
44. Rxc7 Bxc7 45. Kg1 Nc2 46. Bd2 Bb6 47. Kf2 d4 48. e4 d3+ 49. Kf1 Ne3+ 50.
Ke1 Nxg2+ 51. Kd1 h4 52. gxh4 Nxh4 53. b4 axb4 54. Bxb4 Nf3 55. a5 Bd4 56. Be7
f5 57. exf5 gxf5 58. Bd8 Kf7 59. Bb6 Ke6 60. Bxd4 Nxd4 61. Bxd3 1-0

[Event "16th ECC w"]
[Site "Rogaska Slatina SLO"]
[Date "2011.09.29"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Javakhishvili, L."]
[Black "Cmilyte, V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2464"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2011.09.25"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "AEM Luxten Timisoara"]
[BlackTeam "AVS"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8.
Nf3 Qa5 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. Rb1 a6 11. Rc1 Bg4 12. d5 Rd8 13. Bh6 $146 {According
to Avrukh this move was suggested by Krasenkov, but if I can trust my database
has not been used in practice prior to this game.} Bxh6 14. Qxh6 Bxf3 15. gxf3
Nd4 16. Bg2 e6 $1 17. Qd2 ({It must be too dangerous to take a pawn on h7 when
white king remains in the centre and position is likely to open.} 17. Qg7 Rf8
18. Qxh7 exd5) 17... Nc6 (17... Nb5 {is the continuation suggested by Avrukh,
on page 116 of the Grandmaster Repertoire-9, followed by} 18. O-O ({I think
White should play the ending after} 18. c4 Qxd2+ 19. Kxd2 Nd4 20. f4 Ke7 21. e5
b6 22. Rb1 Rb8 23. h4 f6 24. h5 {and White has his own pluses like passed
d-pawn and centrally placed king.}) 18... O-O $15) 18. Qe3 ({The difference
between knight's reatrears is prominent in case of} 18. c4 {Black has an
option of keeping queens on the board} Qa4 19. O-O Nd4 20. f4 O-O {dominant
knight in the centre and queen coordinate very well and offer Black better
chances.}) ({If White is castling that Black can relocate the knight to a
blockading d6-square after} 18. O-O O-O 19. f4 exd5 20. exd5 Nd4 21. Rfe1 Nf5)
18... Ne5 19. O-O O-O 20. c4 Nd7 ({Deserves attention the attempt to eliminate
white's strong pawn centre} 20... b5 $5 21. cxb5 (21. dxe6 fxe6 22. cxb5 Nd3
$15) 21... axb5 22. Rxc5 Nd7 23. dxe6 (23. Rc2 exd5 24. Qd2 (24. exd5 Nb6 $15)
24... b4 25. Rb2 dxe4 26. fxe4 Qe5 $11) 23... Nxc5 24. e7 Ne6 25. exf8=Q+ Rxf8
26. Rb1 Qxa2 27. Rxb5 Qa1+ 28. Bf1 Rc8 $11) 21. f4 ({White could try a pawn
sacrifice} 21. e5 $5 Qxa2 22. Rfd1 $14 {I think White has an initiative thanks
to mobile pawn centre and better coordinated pieces.} exd5 23. cxd5 Rfe8 24. f4
) 21... b5 22. f5 gxf5 (22... exf5 23. e5 Rfe8 24. e6 Qb6 25. cxb5 axb5 26.
Rfd1) 23. exf5 (23. Rfd1) 23... exf5 24. Kh1 ({At a first sight the immediate
check with the queen looks stronger, but Black should be able to hold} 24. Qg5+
Kh8 25. Qxf5 Qb6 26. Rb1 b4 $11) 24... Qb6 25. Rg1 Kh8 26. Qc3+ Qf6 27. Qxf6+
Nxf6 28. cxb5 axb5 29. Rxc5 b4 30. Rd1 Rfe8 31. d6 Re6 32. Rxf5 Rexd6 33. Rxd6
Rxd6 34. Bf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "3rd London Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2011.12.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Nd5 8.
Bxb4 Ndxb4 9. O-O Rb8 10. Na3 O-O 11. Qb5 b6 12. Qxc4 Ba6 13. Nb5 Qd5 14. Qxd5
Nxd5 15. a4 Na5 16. Ne5 Rbd8 17. Nxa7 Nb4 {That move was Kramnik's choice when
he played this position with black pieces. Avrukh also examines this
continuation in the first volume of the Grandmaster Repertoire, page 146, but
gives 17...Nb3 as a main line.} 18. Rac1 Rxd4 19. Nb5 (19. Rxc7 Bxe2 20. Rfc1
f6 21. Nec6 Naxc6 22. Nxc6 Nxc6 23. R7xc6 Rfd8 24. h3 R8d6 25. Rxd6 Rxd6 26.
Rc6 Rxc6 27. Bxc6 e5 28. f4 exf4 29. gxf4 Kf7 30. Kf2 Bc4 31. b4 g5 32. fxg5
fxg5 33. h4 gxh4 34. a5 {1/2-1/2 Anand,V (2800)-Kramnik,V (2780)/Bilbao 2010.})
19... Bxb5 20. axb5 {Avrukh comments that White's light-squared bishop gives
him an edge.} f6 21. e3 Rdd8 22. Nf3 Rf7 {Nakamura seems to be following
Romain Edouard's analyses to the Anand- Kramnik game. In his comments Edouard
mentions that variation as an improvement over previously played 21...Rd2 in
the game Prohaszka-Csonka 2010.} 23. Bh3 Re7 24. Rc3 Kf7 25. Ra1 Rd3 $11 26.
Bf1 Rxc3 27. bxc3 Nd5 28. c4 Nc3 29. c5 Rd7 30. Nd4 Ne4 31. cxb6 cxb6 32. Rc1
Nc5 33. f4 Ke7 34. Nc6+ Nxc6 35. bxc6 Ra7 36. Rd1 Rc7 37. Bg2 e5 38. fxe5 fxe5
39. Rb1 e4 40. Rxb6 Kd6 41. Rb4 Kd5 42. Rd4+ Ke5 43. Rc4 Kd5 44. Rd4+ Ke5 45.
Rc4 Kd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "European Team Championship"]
[Site "Porto Carras GRE"]
[Date "2011.11.11"]
[Round "9.3"]
[White "Leko, P."]
[Black "Topalov, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2768"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2011.11.03"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{This line of the Grunfeld was not included in Avrukh's repertoire, but is
fascinating in its own right. It seems to us that Leko won a good game here.} 
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8.
Rc1 Qa5 9. Qd2 O-O {Avrukh recommends to take on d4 and exchange queens in his
book.} 10. Nf3 Rd8 11. d5 e6 12. Bg5 f6 13. Be3 Nc6 14. Bd3 exd5 15. exd5 c4
16. Bxc4 Be6 17. Rd1 Ne7 18. dxe6 Rxd2 19. Rxd2 Qxc3 (19... Nf5 20. Rd3 Kh8 21.
O-O {is untested and also a bit uncomfortable for Black.}) 20. Bb3 Qc1+ (20...
Qa1+ 21. Bd1 Nf5 22. O-O Qc3 23. Bb3 $18 {Lupulescu - Bukavshin, Aix-les-Bains
2011.}) 21. Rd1 Qc3+ 22. Rd2 Qc1+ 23. Rd1 Qc3+ 24. Ke2 a5 {It seems to me that
this move brings Black in trouble. The solution has already been played.} ({
Previously played was:} 24... Qb4 25. Rd3 (25. Rd4 $1 $146 {is my guess of
what Leko was intending. After} Qb5+ 26. Bc4 Qc6 {the computer gives} (26...
Qa4 27. Rhd1 Re8 28. R1d3 $14) 27. Rc1 Rc8 28. Rd3 Qe4 29. Bd5 Nxd5 30. Rxc8+
Bf8 31. Rxd5 Qxd5 32. e7 Qb5+ 33. Ke1 Qb1+ {as equal, but the feeling is that
everything is very dangerous for Black around here, and any improvement (or
just deviation from what you remember) could be catastrophic.}) 25... a5 26.
Rc1 a4 27. Rc4 Qb5 28. Rc5 Qb4 29. Rc4 Qb5 30. Rc5 Qb4 {Here White should take
the draw.} 31. Bc4 $2 Rb8 $2 (31... Bh6 $3 32. a3 Qb2+ 33. Bd2 Bxd2 34. Nxd2
Rb8 $17) 32. Rd7 Bf8 33. Rcc7 b5 (33... Qb2+ 34. Nd2 b5 $11) 34. Bd3 Qa3 35.
Nd2 (35. Rc2 $14) 35... Qxa2 36. Rxe7 Bxe7 37. Rxe7 a3 38. Bd4 Kf8 39. Bc5 Kg8
40. Bd4 Kf8 41. Bc5 Kg8 42. Ke3 $2 f5 $2 (42... Qa1 $1 $19) 43. Bd4 Kf8 44. Bc5
Kg8 45. Bd4 Kf8 46. Bf6 Rb6 47. Rf7+ Ke8 48. Re7+ Kf8 49. Rf7+ Ke8 {1/2-1/2
Pashikian - Cornette, Aix-les-Bains 2011.}) 25. Rd7 a4 26. Rc1 Qb2+ 27. Rc2 Qb1
28. Nd2 axb3 29. Nxb1 bxc2 30. Nc3 Nf5 31. Bd2 h5 $6 {Only this is new, but
already here Black is worse.} ({White also has a lasting pressure after} 31...
Re8 32. Kd3 (32. Rxb7 Nd4+ 33. Kd3 Nxe6 {is not so bad, thus the move order.})
32... b6 33. g4 Nh6 34. h3 Rxe6 35. Kxc2 f5 36. g5 Nf7 37. Nd5 Ne5 38. Rb7 Nf3
39. Ne7+ $1 $146 (39. Be3 Rd6 40. Nxb6 f4 41. Rb8+ Kf7 42. Rb7+ Kg8 43. Rb8+
Kf7 44. Rb7+ {1/2-1/2 Potkin,V (2646)-Svidler,P (2722)/Moscow 2010/CBM 140})
39... Kf8 40. Bb4 Ke8 41. Nd5 Rc6+ 42. Kb3 Bd4 43. Re7+ Kd8 44. Rxh7 Bxf2 45.
Be7+ Kc8 46. Rg7 Bg3 47. Ka4 Bd6 48. Bf6 Nd2 49. Bc3 b5+ 50. Ka5 Nc4+ 51. Kxb5
Rc5+ 52. Kb4 Rc7+ 53. Kb3 Rxg7 54. Bxg7 Nd2+ 55. Kc2 Nf3 56. Bf6 $16) 32. Kd3
$16 b5 33. e7 Re8 34. Nd5 Kf7 35. Kxc2 Rc8+ 36. Nc7 Nxe7 37. Bb4 Bf8 38. Kb3
Rb8 39. Nd5 Ke6 40. Rd6+ Ke5 41. f4+ 1-0

[Event "3rd London Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2011.12.12"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C36"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 {The choice of the opening would not come as a surprise to
Adams, because of Nakamura's reputation as a very original player and the fact
that he played the King's Gambit before.} exf4 3. Nf3 d5 ({It is actually
great to see the romantic openings played by top players in our pragmatic age.
In the following game we see Shirov in action behind the white pieces.} 3... h6
4. Nc3 d6 5. d4 g5 6. g3 Bg7 7. gxf4 g4 8. Rg1 Kf8 9. Be3 Nc6 10. d5 Nb4 11. a3
gxf3 12. axb4 Qh4+ 13. Rg3 Nf6 14. Qxf3 Nh5 15. Be2 Nxg3 16. hxg3 Qd8 17. Kd2
Bd7 18. e5 dxe5 19. f5 b6 20. d6 Be8 21. f6 Bxf6 22. Rf1 Bg5 23. Bc4 Qxd6+ 24.
Ke2 Bxe3 25. Qxa8 Qd2+ 26. Kf3 f5 27. Qc8 Kg7 28. Qxc7+ Kf8 29. Qxe5 Bh5+ 30.
g4 Bxg4+ 31. Kg3 Qd4 32. Qb8+ Kg7 33. Qc7+ Kg6 34. Qf7+ Kg5 35. Qe7+ {1-0
Shirov,A (2709)-Alekseev,E (2673)/Lublin POL 2011/The Week in Chess 863}) (3...
g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7. c3 Nc6 8. O-O g4 9. Ne1 Qxh4 10. Bxf4 Nf6
11. e5 dxe5 12. dxe5 g3 13. Bxg3 Qxg3 14. exf6 Bf8 15. Nd3 Bd6 16. Qh5 Bg4 17.
Bxf7+ Kf8 18. Qg6 Qh2+ 19. Kf2 Qg3+ {1/2-1/2 Nakamura,H (2733)-Ivanchuk,V 
(2754)/Cap d'Agde FRA 2010/CT-3646/[Mikhail Golubev (www.chesstoday.net)]}) 4.
exd5 Nf6 5. Bc4 ({Nakamura deviates from his own game where he gave a check on
b5.} 5. Bb5+ Nbd7 6. c4 Qe7+ 7. Qe2 Qxe2+ 8. Kxe2 a6 9. Bxd7+ Bxd7 10. d4 Nh5
11. Kf2 O-O-O 12. Nc3 h6 13. Ne5 Be8 14. g4 fxg3+ 15. hxg3 f6 16. Nf3 g5 17.
Bd2 Bg6 18. g4 Ng7 19. Rae1 Re8 20. Rxe8+ Nxe8 21. c5 {1/2-1/2 Nakamura,H 
(2701)-Ivanov,A (2516)/Ledyard 2009/CBM 129 Extra}) 5... Nxd5 6. O-O Be6 ({The
other popular continuation is to quickly finish development of the kingside,
for example like in the next encounter on the top level:} 6... Be7 7. Bxd5 Qxd5
8. Nc3 Qd8 9. d4 O-O 10. Bxf4 Bf5 11. Qe2 Bd6 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Nb5 Qd8 14. c4
a6 15. Nc3 Nd7 16. Rad1 Bg6 17. Qf2 Re8 18. h3 Rc8 19. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 20. Rxe1 c6
21. d5 Nf6 22. Qd4 cxd5 23. Nxd5 Nxd5 24. cxd5 Qd6 25. Ne5 Re8 26. Re3 Rd8 27.
Nc4 Qf6 28. Re5 h6 29. d6 Bf5 30. Nb6 Be6 31. d7 Kh8 32. a4 g6 33. Qc3 Kg7 34.
a5 h5 35. h4 Rxd7 36. Nxd7 Bxd7 37. Qd4 Bc6 38. b4 Bb5 39. Kh2 Ba4 40. Rd5 Bc6
41. Qxf6+ Kxf6 42. Rc5 Ke6 43. Kg3 f6 44. Kf2 Bd5 45. g3 g5 46. g4 hxg4 47. h5
Be4 48. Rc7 f5 49. h6 f4 50. h7 g3+ 51. Ke1 f3 52. h8=Q f2+ 53. Ke2 Bd3+ 54.
Ke3 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2813)-Wang Yue (2752)/Medias ROU 2010.}) 7. Bb3 c5 ({More
common is} 7... Be7) 8. Kh1 ({The attemt to complicate the game. The
alternative} 8. d4 {may lead to the following simplifications} cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bc5
10. Kh1 Bxd4 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Bxd5 Nc6 13. Qxf4 Qxd5 14. Nc3 {as in the game
Lyell,M (2187)-Haslinger,S (2468)/Great Yarmouth 2007, where Black went on to
win, although not because of the opening.}) 8... Nc6 (8... Be7 9. d4 O-O 10. c4
Ne3 11. Bxe3 fxe3 12. d5 Bg4 13. Qd3 Nd7 14. Bc2 g6 15. Qxe3 Bd6 16. Nbd2 {...
1/2-1/2 Fier,A (2471)-Saralegui Cassan,M (2196)/Turin 2006}) 9. d4 c4 $5 ({The
move in the game is stronger than the capture on d4. Maybe this option escaped
Nakamura's attention when he played his 8th move.} 9... cxd4 10. Nxd4 Ne3 11.
Bxe3 fxe3 12. Qh5 Qa5 $11) 10. Ba4 ({If bishop takes the c4 pawn, White loses
the exchange without the reasonable compensation.} 10. Bxc4 Ne3 11. Bxe3 Bxc4
12. Bxf4 Bxf1 13. Qxf1 Bd6 $15) 10... Bd6 {Black succeeds in finishing his
development and still keeps his extra pawn for a little while without
compromising his position. In fact the f4- pawn greatly restricts White's from
harmoniously developing his pieces.} 11. b3 c3 12. Qd3 O-O 13. Bxc6 ({In case
of immediate capture on c3 White loses c2-pawn due to the open c file.} 13.
Nxc3 Ncb4 14. Qd2 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Rc8 $19) 13... bxc6 14. Nxc3 Re8 15. Nxd5 Bxd5
16. c4 Be4 17. Qc3 a5 18. a3 f6 19. Bb2 Ra7 20. Rad1 Rae7 21. b4 axb4 22. axb4
Kh8 23. Qb3 Rb7 24. Bc3 Qb8 25. b5 cxb5 26. c5 b4 27. Bd2 Bf8 28. Rde1 g5 29.
Qc4 g4 30. Nh4 f3 31. d5 fxg2+ 32. Nxg2 Bf3 33. Kg1 Rc8 34. c6 Rb5 35. Nf4 Bc5+
({Stronger is to push the passed pawn now} 35... b3 {since, if} 36. Qc3 {like
in the game, Black still has the bishop on f8 sufficiently defending his king.}
b2 37. Ne6 Be7 $1 $19) 36. Be3 Bxe3+ ({The unfortunate mistake by Adams, who
played really well until now. Although it is not losing the game yet, as it
often happens, it is followed by even bigger error. Black keeps his advantage
with} 36... Qb6 37. Qc1 Bxe3+ 38. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 39. Rxe3 b3 $17) 37. Rxe3 Qb6 38.
Rfe1 b3 $2 ({More resilient is} 38... Ra5 39. Kf1 Ra1 40. Re7 Rxe1+ 41. Rxe1
Bxd5 $5 {transposes into an ending where White has an extra piece but reduced
number of pawns suggests that Black might have some practical chances.} 42.
Nxd5 Qxc6 43. Qxc6 Rxc6 44. Nxb4 Rd6) 39. Qc3 Rf8 40. Ne6 b2 41. c7 1-0

[Event "6th Tal Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2011.11.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Bd7 12. Rb1 Qc7 13. Bd3 Rfd8 $146 ({At
the press conference Svidler avoided explaining his choice of the rook move.
Avrukh suggests to develop the queen's rook.} 13... Rad8 14. d5 Ne5 15. c4 f5
16. Bf4 e6 17. Qb3 Bc8 18. exf5 gxf5 19. Nc3 Qe7 20. Rbd1 Ng6 21. Bg3 e5 22.
Bc2 Qg5 23. Kh1 h5 24. Ne2 h4 25. Bf2 b6 26. Rde1 Qh5 27. f4 exf4 28. Ng1 Ne5
29. Nf3 Ng4 30. Bxh4 Rde8 31. Be7 Rf7 32. Bd6 Re3 33. Rxe3 fxe3 34. Kg1 Qh6 35.
Bb8 Rb7 36. Bg3 f4 37. Bh4 Ne5 38. Nxe5 Bxe5 39. Qd3 Rg7 40. Qe4 Qh5 41. Bd1
Bg4 42. Bxg4 Qxg4 43. Bg3 e2 44. Re1 fxg3 45. Qxe5 gxh2+ 46. Qxh2 Qd4+ {0-1
Antonsen,M (2438)-Avrukh,B (2641)/Helsingor DEN 2009.}) 14. Qd2 {The natural
developing move. In the Avrukh's book it is met by the bishop's retreat to c8,
applying pressure on the pawn centre. However since Svidler left a rook on a8
to play bishop d7 to c8 now looks odd. Instead retreating bishop to e8 seems
to be a reasonable option.} a6 (14... Be8 $5 15. Rfc1 e6 16. f4 b6 $13) 15. f4
e6 16. dxc5 Na5 17. Nd4 e5 18. fxe5 Qxe5 19. Qb2 ({White can take advantage of
black's 13...Rfd8, by moving a queen from the d-file to f2 with tempo,
attacking on f7 and indirectly defending the c5 pawn.} 19. Qf2 Qe7 ({in case of
} 19... Be8 {White regroupes his knight on to d5} 20. Rbd1 Rac8 21. Ne2 Nc6 22.
Nf4 {with the advantage.}) 20. h4 Be8 21. h5 ({winning the exchange cannot be
recommended since Black gets a good compensation for it} 21. Bg5 Qxc5 22. Bxd8
Rxd8) 21... Rac8 22. Rb6 $5 Rc7 23. Be2 Rdc8 (23... Qxe4 24. h6 Bf8 25. Ne6 $1
$16) 24. h6 Bh8 (24... Be5 25. Ne6 $1 Rc6 26. Nf4 Bxf4 27. Qxf4 $16) 25. Bg4
$14) 19... Rac8 20. Qb4 ({Nakamura underestimates Black's next move. He could
play} 20. Rbc1 Be8 ({Neither of the pawn captures works for Black now} 20...
Rxc5 21. Qf2 {with a double attack on f7 and c5} Qe8 22. Nf5 $1) ({in case of} 
20... Qxc5 21. Nf5 Qf8 22. Nxg7 Qxg7 23. Bb6 $16 {Black will suffer without
the dark-square bishop.}) 21. Nf3 Qe7 22. Bd4 Nc6 23. Qf2 {White still is
holding on to his extra pawn and keeps a slight advantage.}) 20... Qxc5 $1 21.
Qxc5 Rxc5 22. Ne2 ({Maybe Nakamura was planning to play} 22. Nf5 Rxc3 23. Bb6
Nc6 24. Nxg7 {and noticed too late that Black doesn't have to recapture on g7
and just moves the rook} Rc8 $1 $15 {as the knight is now trapped on g7.})
22... Rc6 23. Bb6 Rxb6 24. Rxb6 Bc6 $44 {All black's pieces are harmoniously
placed, even the knight is useful on a5 restricting the d3 bishop.} 25. Rf3 ({
I wonder if White should admit his oversight and immediately return the
exchange} 25. Rxc6 Nxc6 26. Bc4 Ne5 27. Bd5 {he is maybe still slightly worse
but active bishop and the different colour bishops promise good chances to
equality, in my opinion.}) 25... f5 26. Rb4 ({also possible here} 26. Rxc6 Nxc6
27. Bc4+ Kh8 28. Rd3 Re8 29. Bd5) 26... Bf8 27. Rd4 Bc5 28. Re3 ({More
resilient} 28. Rf4 {but White is still facing ungrateful task of defending in 
a worse ending} fxe4 29. Bxe4 Bb5 30. Kh1 Bxd4 31. Nxd4 Bc4 $15) 28... Re8 $1
$17 29. e5 Bd5 30. Kf2 Bxa2 31. Ra4 Bxe3+ 32. Kxe3 Rxe5+ 33. Kf4 Bb3 34. Kxe5
Bxa4 35. Kd6 Bc6 36. g3 Kg7 37. Nd4 Be4 38. Bxe4 fxe4 39. Nc2 Nc4+ 40. Kd5 Nd2
41. Kc5 Kf6 42. Kb6 Ke5 43. Kxb7 Kd5 44. Ne3+ Kc5 45. Kxa6 Nb1 46. Kb7 Nxc3 47.
Kc8 Kd4 48. Ng2 Ke5 0-1

[Event "5th SPICE Cup GpA"]
[Site "Lubbock USA"]
[Date "2011.10.22"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Robson, Ray"]
[Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B96"]
[WhiteElo "2583"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2011.10.15"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 h6 8. Bh4
Qb6 {Ftachnik in the Grandmaster Repertoire 6 concentrates his attention on 8..
. Be7. But recently the move with the queen, reminiscent of the Poisoned Pawn
variation became fashionable.} 9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. f5 (11. e5 dxe5 12.
fxe5 g5 13. exf6 gxh4 14. Be2 Qa5 15. O-O Nd7 16. Kh1 Qg5 17. Rf4 e5 18. Nd5
exd4 19. Qxd4 Kd8 20. Rd1 h3 21. g3 Bd6 22. Re4 Re8 23. Nb6 Rxe4 24. Qxe4 Qc5
25. Nxa8 Nxf6 26. Qd3 Ke7 27. Bf3 h5 28. Qe2+ Be6 29. Bxb7 Ng4 30. Rf1 h4 31.
gxh4 Nxh2 32. Rg1 Kf8 33. Rg5 Qb4 34. Qe4 Qb1+ 35. Rg1 Nf1 36. Qc6 Ng3+ 37. Kh2
Nf1+ 38. Kh1 Qd1 39. Qf3 Qd2 {0-1 Nisipeanu,L (2673)-Wojtaszek,R (2711)/
Aix-les-Bains FRA 2011.}) 11... Be7 12. fxe6 fxe6 13. Bc4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Bxh4+
15. g3 Bg5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. c3 $146 ({Robson deviates from previously played
capture on e6, but unfortunately very quickly goes wrong. The other game that
reached this position continued} 17. Nxe6 Bxe6 18. Bxe6 Qxg3+ 19. hxg3 Rxh1+
20. Ke2 Rh2+ 21. Ke1 Rxd2 22. Kxd2 Ra7 23. Bd5 Nd7 24. Rxb7 Rxb7 25. Bxb7 Nc5
26. Bf3 Kd7 {1/2-1/2 Vallejo Pons,F (2698)-Morozevich,A (2700)/Reggio Emilia
ITA 2011]}) 17... Qc5 18. Bxe6 Qe5+ 19. Kf2 $2 ({The other king's retreat is
not any better} 19. Kd1 Qe4 $19) ({Instead White can offer the queen exchange
where chances are about equal.} 19. Qe2 Nc6 20. Bd5 Qxe2+ 21. Kxe2 $11 Nxd4+
22. cxd4 Rb8 23. h4) 19... Bxe6 $19 20. Rbe1 O-O+ 21. Kg1 Bh3 0-1

[Event "5th SPICE Cup GpA"]
[Site "Lubbock USA"]
[Date "2011.10.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Robson, Ray"]
[Black "Le, Quang Liem"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B99"]
[WhiteElo "2583"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2011.10.15"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 h6 8. Bh4
Be7 9. Qf3 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. Be2 b5 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. e5 Bb7 14. Qg3 dxe5
15. fxe5 Nd5 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Qg6+ Kd7 18. Bg4 Qxe5 19. Nxd5 Qg5+ 20. Qxg5 ({
To understand what was happening in the opening stage of this game one must
really read the chapter 18, variation D32 of Grandmaster Repertoire 6. Here
Ftacnik thinks that White's best chance to fight for the advantage is} 20. Ne3+
Kc7 21. Qxe6 Bc5 22. Rd7+ Kb8 23. Rxb7+ Kxb7 24. Re1 Kb8 25. b4 Bxe3+ 26. Rxe3
Qf6 27. Qxf6 gxf6 28. Bf3 Ra7 29. Re6 a5 30. a3 {Ftacnik} ({I was curious
about this position and wondered if White can try} 30. a4 $5 bxa4 31. b5 a3 32.
Kb1 Rd8 33. Rxf6 Re7 34. Ra6 (34. Rb6+ Kc7 35. Rxh6 Rd6 36. Rxd6 Kxd6 37. b6
Re1+ 38. Ka2 Rc1 39. b7 Rxc2+ 40. Kxa3 Kc7 $11) 34... Rd2 35. b6 Rb7 36. h4 a2+
37. Kxa2 Rxc2+ 38. Kb3 Rc5 39. Ka4 h5 40. g3 {and most likely it will be a draw
}) 30... axb4 31. axb4 Ra4 32. Rb6+ Ka7 33. Rxb5 Rb8 34. Rxb8 Kxb8 35. b5 Kc7
$11) 20... Bxg5+ 21. Kb1 Bxd5 22. Rxd5+ Kc7 23. Rc5+ (23. Re5 Rhe8 24. Rhe1
Rad8 25. Rxe6 Rxe6 26. Rxe6 Rd6 27. Re4 Bf6 28. Bf3 Rd2 29. c3 a5 30. a3 Rf2
31. Re2 Rxe2 32. Bxe2 b4 33. cxb4 {1/2-1/2 Hansen,T (2423)-Nguyen Huynh Minh,H
(2477)/Budapest 2008.}) 23... Kb6 ({Keeping the king central and defending the
week e6-pawn looks like a more natural reaction} 23... Kd6 24. Rc3 Rac8 25. Ra3
Rc6 26. Bf3 Rb6 27. Rd1+ Ke5 28. Rd7 Rd8 29. Rxg7 Rd2 30. Rc3 b4 31. Rb3 Rb5
32. a3 bxa3 33. Rxa3 Rc5 34. c3 Rb5 35. Ra2 a5 36. Rb7 Rxb7 37. Bxb7 Bd8 38. h3
Rf2 39. Bf3 Kf5 40. Ra4 e5 41. Rg4 Bg5 42. Ra4 Bd8 43. Rc4 Be7 44. Rc7 Bf6 45.
Ra7 Bd8 46. Rd7 Bg5 47. Rd5 Rf1+ 48. Ka2 Kf4 49. Rxa5 e4 50. Ra4 Rxf3 51. gxf3
Kxf3 52. c4 e3 53. Kb3 {1/2-1/2 Balutescu,M (2213)-Evans,D (2413)/ICCF 2010})
24. Re5 Rhe8 25. Rhe1 Rac8 {White will win the pawn, but with the
opposite-coloured bishops Black's drawing chances are high.} 26. Bf3 Rc7 27. a4
Rce7 28. Bh5 Rc8 29. Bf3 Rce8 30. Bh5 Rc8 31. Rxe6+ Rxe6 32. Rxe6+ Rc6 33. a5+
Kc5 34. Re4 Rc7 35. c3 Re7 36. Rd4 Bf6 37. b4+ Kc6 38. Bf3+ Kc7 39. Rd5 Re5 40.
Rd3 Re8 41. Kc2 Re5 42. Kb3 Re1 43. Bg4 Re4 44. Bf5 Rf4 45. Be6 Re4 46. Bf5 Rf4
47. Bh3 Rc4 48. g3 Re4 49. Rd7+ Kb8 50. Rd6 Rc4 51. Rd3 Re4 52. Bf5 Re5 53. Bg4
Kc7 54. Rd7+ Kc6 55. Rd3 ({It is interesting to notice that all the white
pawns are placed on the dark squares (opposite colour of his own bishop) and
if in the middle game and closed structures that what we are told to do, here
it works to White's disadvantage! In the endgame with the opposite-coloured
bishops that rule almost could be reversed. In that case bishop can defend his
pawns better! We can see that clearly after} 55. Ra7 Re3 {Black attacks the
base of the dark-squared pawn chain and the light-squared bishop can't defend
it.} 56. Rxa6+ Kc7 $11) 55... Kc7 56. Kc2 Re4 57. Rd7+ Kb8 58. Bf5 Re2+ 59. Kb3
Rxh2 60. Rd6 Rf2 61. Be4 Re2 62. Bd3 Rd2 63. Rb6+ Kc7 64. Be4 Re2 65. Bd3 Rd2
66. Be4 Re2 67. Bd3 Rd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "3rd London Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2011.12.10"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Short, Nigel D"]
[Black "McShane, Luke J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C34"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 {In this position Black has a choice of few options
like 3...g5, 3...d5, 3...d6, 3...Be7, 3...Nf6. The continuation in the game is
not played as often, but has been tried on the top level as well.} h6 4. d4 g5
5. Nc3 d6 6. g3 fxg3 ({It is amazing to see that White can sacrifice a piece
for a pawn if Black decides to return the pawn at once.} 6... Bg7 7. gxf4 g4 8.
Rg1 (8. Be3 $5) 8... Kf8 9. Be3 Nc6 ({If Black accepts the sacrifice the
position remains unclear and very sharp. However I suspect that players have
agreed that it is more difficult to defend it with black pieces, since White
has a clear plan of mobilising all his forces, doubling rooks on the open
g-file and advancing his central pawns. It is interesting that engines
indicate that White is doing fine here despite the material deficit.} 9... gxf3
10. Qxf3 $13) 10. d5 Nb4 11. a3 gxf3 12. axb4 $13 {... 1-0 Shirov,A (2709)
-Alekseev,E (2673)/Lublin POL 2011}) 7. hxg3 ({We have few games where White
played} 7. h4 {It is probably not the best but dos look very brave.}) 7... Bg7
8. Be3 ({The other game on the top level continiued} 8. Bc4 Nf6 9. Qd3 Nc6 10.
Bb3 Bg4 11. Rf1 Na5 12. Ba4+ Nd7 13. Nd5 c6 14. Ne3 Be6 15. c3 b5 16. Bc2 Nc4
17. b3 Nxe3 18. Bxe3 Nb6 19. Kf2 d5 20. e5 Bf8 21. Kg1 Be7 22. Rf2 Kd7 23. Ne1
h5 24. Qf1 h4 25. g4 h3 26. Bf5 Qg8 27. Kh2 a5 28. Nd3 Kc7 29. Qe2 a4 30. Raf1
axb3 31. axb3 Ra3 32. Bc1 Ra1 33. Rf3 Nd7 34. R1f2 Qa8 35. Bb2 Ra2 36. Nc1 Ra7
37. Qd3 Ba3 38. Bxa3 Rxa3 39. Bxe6 fxe6 40. Qg6 Qg8 41. Qc2 Qh7 42. Qb2 Rha8
43. Rf7 Qe4 44. Qd2 Qxg4 45. Rg7 Ra1 46. Rff7 Rd8 47. Rxg5 Qe4 48. Rf4 Qb1 49.
Rg1 Rda8 50. Rf7 Qe4 51. Qf2 Rd8 52. Re1 Qg6 53. Rg1 Qe4 54. Re1 Qg6 55. Rg1
Qe4 {1/2-1/2 Morozevich,A (2748)-Leko,P (2725)/Frankfurt 2000}) 8... Nf6 9. Qd3
$146 (9. Qd2 Nc6 10. O-O-O Ng4 11. Bg1 O-O 12. Be2 a6 13. Re1 Bd7 14. Bd3 b5
15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Ne3 Re8 17. Rf1 Ng6 18. Nxg4 Bxg4 19. Be3 Bxf3 20. Rxf3 c5 21.
c3 Rc8 22. Bc2 b4 23. Bb3 Re7 24. Rhf1 bxc3 25. bxc3 c4 26. Bc2 Qc7 27. Rf5 Rb8
28. Qe2 Rb7 29. a4 Rb6 30. Qf3 Qb7 31. Rd5 Rd7 32. Qe2 Ne7 33. Ra5 Rc7 34. Qf2
Nc6 35. Rd5 Rb2 36. Rxd6 Ra2 37. e5 Qb2+ 38. Kd1 Qxc3 39. Bc1 a5 40. g4 Qh3 41.
Qf5 Rxc2 42. Kxc2 Bf8 43. Rg6+ Kh8 44. Rxc6 Qb3+ 45. Kd2 Rxc6 46. Ke1 Qc3+ 47.
Ke2 Rc7 48. e6 Re7 49. d5 Bg7 {1/2-1/2 Nightingale,D (2506)-Marczell,I (2559)/
ICCF 2009}) 9... Ng4 10. O-O-O c6 11. Re1 ({Why not to save the bishop first} 
11. Bg1 {and then slowly build up the pressure, since the Black weaknesses are
more of the long term.}) 11... Nd7 12. e5 dxe5 13. Bh3 ({Deserves attention to
simply take back on e5} 13. dxe5 Nxe3 (13... Ngxe5 14. Bd4 Qe7 15. Qe3 f6 16.
Bc4 $13) 14. Qxe3 Qb6 15. e6 Qxe3+ 16. Rxe3 fxe6 17. Rxe6+ $44) 13... Nxe3 14.
Rxe3 ({Maybe the best option for White now is} 14. Bxd7+ Bxd7 15. Rxe3 Be6 16.
Nxe5 O-O {Black manages to consolidate his position, but White also has some
play for a pawn.}) 14... O-O 15. Ne4 (15. Bxd7 {is met with} exd4 $1 16. Bxc8
Rxc8 $17) 15... Nf6 ({Black had a nice move available here} 15... g4 $1 16.
Bxg4 exd4 17. Bxd7 (17. Ree1 Nc5 18. Nxc5 Bxg4 $17 {The position simplified a
little. Two bishops, two extra pawns and relatively safe king  suggest that
Black is close to having a decisive advantage.} {For example} 19. Ne5 Qg5+ 20.
Qd2 Qxd2+ 21. Kxd2 Bc8 $19) 17... Qxd7 ({also possible is} 17... dxe3 {even if
the position around the black king looks a bit worrying} 18. Neg5 f5 19. Qb3+
Kh8 20. Bxc8 Rxc8 21. Ne6 Qd5 $19) 18. Ree1 Qd5 $19 {White does not has
sufficient compensation for two pawns}) 16. Bxc8 ({More resilient is} 16. Nxf6+
Qxf6 17. dxe5 Qg6 18. Bxc8 Raxc8 {Black is better, but White has some
practical chances.}) 16... exd4 17. Bxb7 dxe3 18. Bxa8 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Qb6 20.
Ne5 Rxa8 $19 21. Qxc6 Qxc6 22. Nxc6 Re8 23. c3 Re6 24. Nxa7 Be5 25. Nb5 e2 26.
Kd2 Bxg3 27. Re1 Bxe1+ 28. Kxe1 h5 29. Nd4 Ra6 30. a3 h4 31. Kxe2 g4 32. c4 h3
33. Kf2 h2 34. Kg2 Rh6 35. Kh1 g3 36. Nf5 g2+ 0-1

[Event "18th European Teams"]
[Site "Porto Carras GRE"]
[Date "2011.11.04"]
[Round "2.14"]
[White "Thorfinnsson, Bragi"]
[Black "Borisek, Jure"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D76"]
[WhiteElo "2421"]
[BlackElo "2541"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2011.11.03"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Iceland"]
[BlackTeam "Slovenia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SLO"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3
O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Re1 a5 11. Qe2 {Despite the turbulent time White
experienced recently in this line Avrukh, according to our sources, stands by
his recommendation and believes this move is still very much playable.} Be6 12.
Rd1 Bc4 13. Qc2 Qc8 $146 ({The most principled here is} 13... Nb4 14. Qb1 e5 {
and now the critical try would be Caruana's suggestion} 15. Nxe5 (15. a3 exd4
16. axb4 dxc3 17. Rxd8 Raxd8 18. Qc2 axb4 19. Nd2 cxd2 20. Bxd2 Ra8 21. Rxa8
Rxa8 22. Bxb7 Ra1+ 23. Bc1 b3 24. Qd1 Bxb2 {0-1 Leitao,R (2624)-Caruana,F 
(2700)/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2010.}) 15... Bxe5 16. b3 Bd3 17. Rxd3 Nxd3 18. Qxd3
{where the opinions divide, some players believe that White has sufficient
compensation and maybe even more, whilst others disagree.}) 14. e4 ({The
following alternatives may offer White a slight edge} 14. b3 Nb4 15. Qb2 Ba6
16. a3 Nd3 17. Qc2 Nxc1 18. Raxc1 c6 19. Ne4 $14 {with some pressure on the
queenside.}) ({Also deserves attention} 14. a3 a4 15. Nxa4 Rxa4 16. b3 Bxb3 17.
Qxb3 Qf5 18. Bd2 $14 {White has two bishops and can slowly improve his
position.}) 14... Ba6 ({Black can play more actively} 14... Nb4 $5 15. Qb1 a4 {
with equal chances.}) 15. d5 $14 Nd8 16. Be3 Nc4 17. Bd4 f6 18. Ne2 ({Stronger
is} 18. b3 Nd6 19. Be3 Qd7 20. Rac1 Rc8 21. Nd4 $16) 18... e5 19. dxe6 Nxe6 20.
Bc3 c5 21. b3 ({It is possible to stop the knight from retreating to e5} 21.
Nf4 {but White compromises his pawn structure.} Nxf4 22. gxf4 b5 23. e5 fxe5
24. Nxe5 Nxe5 25. Bxe5 Ra7 $13) 21... Ne5 $11 22. Nf4 Nxf4 23. gxf4 Nc6 24. Rd5
Qg4 25. f5 gxf5 26. exf5 Re2 (26... Rad8 $11) 27. Qd1 Rae8 28. h3 (28. Rxc5 $5
Kh8 29. h3 Qf4 30. Rd5 Rg8 31. Qc1 $13) 28... Qf4 {It looks to me that the
position is still too complicated to agree a draw, but I suppose the team
competition has its own strategy.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Sofia BUL"]
[Date "2010.05.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2010.04.24"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SLO"]

{Karsten Muller wrote to us to point out that Kotronias missed out on a win
for Topalov in the following game, given on page 264 in THE GRANDMASTER BATTLE
MANUAL. Kotronias did not really study the game seriously and was more
focussed on an earlier chance to get an advantage, but still it is interesting
for us to check (and had Vassilios known about it, he would definitely have
included it).} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7.
f3 c5 8. e4 Bg6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Bxd4 Nfd7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bxc4
Rc8 14. Bb5 a6 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7 16. Ke2 f6 17. Rhd1 Ke8 18. a5 Be7 19. Bb6 Rf8
20. Rac1 f5 21. e5 Bg5 22. Be3 f4 23. Ne4 Rxc1 24. Nd6+ Kd7 25. Bxc1 Kc6 26.
Bd2 Be7 27. Rc1+ Kd7 28. Bc3 Bxd6 29. Rd1 Bf5 30. h4 g6 31. Rxd6+ Kc8 32. Bd2
Rd8 33. Bxf4 Rxd6 34. exd6 Kd7 35. Ke3 ({The surprising} 35. Kd2 $3 {would
have prevented the black regroupment by dominating the bishop and thus won.
Timman gives the following main line:} e5 ({There is also} 35... Bb1 36. Kc3
Ke8 37. b3 $1 {Prophylaxis aimed against delaying ...Bc2-a4-d7, making it
possible for the White king to make it to f6 "quickly.} Kf7 38. Bg5 Ke8 39. Kd4
Bc2 40. Ke5 Bxb3 41. Kf6 Kd7 42. Bf4 Bc2 43. Be5 h5 (43... Bd3 44. g4 Bc2 45.
g5 Bd1 46. Kg7 Bxf3 47. Kxh7 Bh5 {Black is hanging on, but will inevitable end
up in a deadly zugzwang.} 48. Kg7 Kd8 49. Kf8 Kd7 50. Kf7 Kd8 51. Kf6 Kd7 52.
Bg3 $18) 44. g4 Bd3 45. Kg5 Ke8 46. gxh5 gxh5 47. Kxh5 Kf7 48. Kg5 Be2 49. h5
Bxf3 50. h6 Be4 51. Bf6 Ke8 52. Bc3 Kf7 53. Kf4 Bh7 54. Ke5 Bg6 55. Bb4 $18)
36. Bxe5 Ke6 37. g4 Bb1 38. Kc3 Ba2 39. b3 Bb1 40. Bg3 Kd7 41. Kd4 Ke6 42. Kc5
Kd7 43. Kd5 Bd3 44. Ke5 Be2 45. Kf6 Bxf3 46. g5 {White wins the h7-pawn and
will win through zugzwang once again.}) 35... Bc2 36. Kd4 Ke8 37. Ke5 Kf7 38.
Be3 Ba4 39. Kf4 Bb5 40. Bc5 Kf6 41. Bd4+ Kf7 42. Kg5 Bc6 43. Kh6 Kg8 44. h5 Be8
45. Kg5 Kf7 46. Kh6 Kg8 47. Bc5 gxh5 48. Kg5 Kg7 49. Bd4+ Kf7 50. Be5 h4 51.
Kxh4 Kg6 52. Kg4 Bb5 53. Kf4 Kf7 54. Kg5 Bc6 55. Kh6 Kg8 56. g4 Be8 57. g5 Bc6
58. Bg7 Be8 59. f4 Bc6 60. g6 hxg6 61. Kxg6 Be8+ 62. Kf6 Bc6 63. Kxe6 Kxg7 64.
d7 1-0

[Event "18th European Teams"]
[Site "Porto Carras GRE"]
[Date "2011.11.05"]
[Round "3.6"]
[White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2696"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2011.11.03"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "France"]
[BlackTeam "Israel"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ISR"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4
g5 15. Bg3 a5 {Here we have Sutovsky trying to improve on Avrukh!} (15... Nc6
16. d5 Rad8 17. Rxb7 e6 {is the variation studied in the Grandmaster
Repertoire 9, p.196.}) 16. Rxb7 a4 17. h3 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Nc6 19. e5 ({The
alternative} 19. d5 {is analysed by Dominguez in his comments to his game
against Van Wely.}) 19... Qc4 20. Rb2 Nxd4 21. Bxa8 Rxa8 22. Rd2 Nf5 $146 ({
Here comes the novelty.} 22... Ne6 {was played in Van Wely,L (2625)-Dominguez
Perez,L (2717)/Wijk aan Zee 2009.}) 23. Qf3 Qc8 24. e6 ({Interesting is} 24.
Rfd1 $5 {with the idea of transferring the game into an ending after} e6 25.
Qxa8 Qxa8 26. Rd8+ Qxd8 27. Rxd8+ {with a clear advantage for White.} Kh7 28.
Ra8 $18) 24... fxe6 25. Bc7 Qa6 ({Black can try} 25... Nd6 $5 {to prevent
White's bishop from returning to e5 later.}) 26. Qe4 a3 27. Be5 Bxe5 28. Qxe5
Qc6 29. Ra1 Kf7 30. Kh2 ({Black's harmoniously placed pieces and far advanced
a- pawn compensate for the exchange.} 30. Rda2 $5 Ra4 31. Kh2 Nd6 32. Qh8 Nf5 {
Black manages to defend his passed pawn with the tactical means and his knight
provides a good cover for the king against the attacks of the somewhat lonely
white queen.}) 30... Ra4 31. f3 {Objectively the position is well balanced,
but I can't help feeling that the game finished prematurely. It would be great
to learn how to play such non-standard position from the top level players.  I
am not sure if Sutovsky's idea will find many followers. One thing I am
certain that he prepares thoroughly and his novelties usually have a long life.
That makes me to believe that he has some improvement after 24.Rfd1.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL 2011-12"]
[Site "Staverton Park ENG"]
[Date "2011.11.12"]
[Round "1.15"]
[White "Williams, Si1"]
[Black "Jones, G."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B10"]
[WhiteElo "2513"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[EventDate "2011.11.12"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Jutes of Kent"]
[BlackTeam "White Rose"]

1. e4 c6 2. Bc4 d5 3. Bb3 dxe4 4. Qh5 g6 5. Qh4 Bg7 6. Nc3 a5 7. Nxe4 a4 8. Bc4
b5 9. Be2 Nh6 10. g4 $6 a3 11. Rb1 Qd5 12. Nc3 (12. Bd3 Qxa2 13. c3 Nxg4 $19)
12... Qxh1 13. Kf1 Be5 14. Bf3 (14. Qxh6 Bxh2 $19) 14... Qxh2 15. Nh3 Nxg4 16.
Bxg4 Bf6 0-1

[Event "XLI Rilton Cup 2011-12"]
[Site "Stockholm SWE"]
[Date "2012.01.02"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Tikkanen, Hans"]
[Black "Solak, Dragan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2586"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Keti Arakhamia-Grant"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2011.12.27"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Be2 Nbd7 8. O-O
Ne4 9. Nxg6 hxg6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. d5 Bd6 13. g3 c5 ({Not
surprising it is also a first choice of the computer. Avrukh  in his book
Grandmaster Repertoire 1, 1.d4-volume 1, on the page 336 considers} 13... Nf6 {
suggesting that White is better due to Black's week pawns and White's pair of
bishops after} 14. dxc6 bxc6 15. Qa4 {which is a fair assessment.}) 14. Qb3 ({
In the following example Black won a spectacular game, all but White's 15th
move is a clear mistake.} 14. Qa4 Qe7 15. Bb5 O-O-O 16. Bd2 Nf6 17. Qxa7 Bb8
18. Qa3 Rxd5 19. Rfc1 Ng4 20. Ba5 Nxh2 21. Rd1 Qe6 22. Rac1 Nf3+ 23. Kf1 Rh1+
24. Ke2 Nd4+ 25. exd4 Qg4+ 26. Kd2 Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxd4+ {0-1 Hillarp Persson,T
(2596)-Malakhov,V (2707)/Helsingor DEN 2009}) 14... Qg5 $5 {An imaginative
pawn sacrifice.} ({Safe alternative of defending a pawn with a queen is also
seems to be playable, although personally I would prefer more active
continuation in the game.} 14... Qc7 15. Bd2 O-O 16. Rac1 Rfe8 {White has two
bishops, however the position is relatively closed at the moment and I think
Black is fine.}) 15. Qxb7 Rb8 16. Qa6 ({Another retreat is not promising for
White either} 16. Qc6 Ke7 ({The main point is that in case of} 16... Qh6 {like
in the game, after} 17. h4 g5 18. h5 {the knight is pinned and Black can't
play Ne5.}) 17. Qa4 f5 {nevertheless Black has sufficient treats on the
kingside to compensate the material deficiency. Also White has diffuculties
with developing his queenside. For example} 18. Qd1 Rh3 19. Kg2 Rbh8 20. Rh1
Qh6 21. Qg1 {White pieces look very sad, all on the back rank.}) ({If White
takes a second pawn} 16. Qxa7 {Black's attack on the king develops very quickly
} Qh6 17. h4 g5 18. h5 g4 $1 19. Bxg4 Nf6 20. f3 Qg5 21. Rf2 O-O $1 {despite
missing three pawns harmoniously placed pieces give Black an upper hand.})
16... Qh6 ({Deserves attention} 16... Ke7 17. Qc4 f5 18. Bd2 Qh6 19. h4 g5 20.
h5 Ne5 $13) 17. h4 g5 18. h5 g4 19. Bxg4 Ne5 20. Qa4+ Kf8 21. Qd1 Nxg4 ({The
ending that happened in the game seems favourable for Black, but I think he
also has an alternative of keeping position more complicated by means of} 21...
Qg5 22. Be2 c4 23. Kg2 Nd3 $13) 22. Qxg4 Qxh5 23. Qxh5 Rxh5 24. Rd1 Ke7 25. Bd2
Rxb2 $17 26. Bc3 Rc2 27. Rdc1 Rxc1+ 28. Rxc1 Rxd5 29. Bxg7 f6 30. Rc4 Rh5 31.
g4 Rh7 32. Rxe4+ Kf7 33. Bxf6 Kxf6 34. Kf1 Rb7 35. Ra4 Rb4 36. Rxa7 Rxg4 37. f4
Rg3 38. Kf2 Rh3 39. Ra6 Ke7 40. Ke2 Kd7 41. Ra4 Ke6 42. Ra6 Kd7 43. Ra4 Kc7 44.
Ra6 Rh6 45. Ra7+ Kb6 46. Rf7 c4 47. e4 Rh2+ 48. Kd1 0-1

[Event "Panormo zt"]
[Site "Panormo"]
[Date "1998.10.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karapanos, Nikolaos"]
[Black "Nadanian, Ashot"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A90"]
[WhiteElo "2245"]
[BlackElo "2415"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1998.10.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.01.01"]

{This was the fourth round game of the Panormo 1998 Zonal tournament. I had 1
out of 3 and very much wanted to improve my tournament situation with win over
Nikolaos Karapanos, who was almost 200 Elo points lower than me.} 1. d4 d5 2.
c4 e6 3. Nf3 c6 4. g3 f5 5. Bg2 Nf6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Bf4 Bxf4 8. gxf4 O-O 9. Qc2
Ne4 10. Nbd2 Bd7 ({Now I would prefer} 10... Nd7) 11. Qb3 $1 {Immediately
using weakening of the b7 square.} b5 12. a4 $2 ({This nice looking move does
not work. It was better to play} 12. Nxe4 fxe4 13. Ne5 {It seems Black has
nothing better than} bxc4 $1 14. Qb7 Qb6 15. Qxa8 Bc8 {Now white's queen is
traped, but instead they will have two rooks after} 16. Bh3 g6 (16... Bb7 $4
17. Bxe6+ Kh8 18. Nf7+) 17. b3 $1 Bb7 18. Qxb8 Rxb8 19. Nd7 Qd8 20. Nxb8 Qxb8
21. e3 {I think White has better prospects here.}) 12... bxc4 $1 13. Qb7 Qb6
14. Qxa8 $6 ({This leads to very difficult position. The lesser evil was} 14.
Qxb6 axb6 {and Black has advantage due to a better pawn structure.}) 14... Nxd2
15. Nxd2 Na6 16. a5 Qc7 17. Qxf8+ Kxf8 18. e3 Nb4 19. Rfc1 Nd3 20. Rc2 Qb8 $2 (
{Correct was} 20... c5 $1 {and only after} 21. Nf3 Qb8 {with a good winning
chances. In particular Black threatens to play 22...Ba4!! 23.Rxa4 Qb3.}) 21.
Bf1 $2 ({Missing an exellent opportunity to solve all problems:} 21. b3 $3 c5 (
{Not better} 21... cxb3 22. Rc3 (22. Rb1 $2 bxc2 $3 23. Rxb8+ Ke7 24. Nb3 c5
25. dxc5 Ba4 $19) 22... b2 23. Rb1 c5 24. dxc5 Bb5 25. Bf1) 22. dxc5 cxb3 23.
Rc3 b2 24. Rb1 Nxf4 $5 {An interesting attempt to improve, but with presise
defence White can hold:} 25. exf4 Ba4 {With the idea 26...Qb4.} 26. Nb3 $3 Qb4
27. Rc2 Qxb3 28. Rcxb2 Qc3 29. Rb8+ Kf7 30. R1b7+ Kg6 31. Rg8 Qc1+ 32. Bf1 Qxf4
33. Rgxg7+ Kf6 34. a6 (34. Rxa7 Qc1) 34... d4 35. Rxa7 Qc1 36. Rab7 Bc6 37. a7
Bxb7 38. Rxb7 Qg5+ 39. Kh1 Qc1 {with a draw.}) 21... Qb4 $6 ({Black again
misses} 21... c5 $1 22. Nf3 ({Or} 22. Bxd3 cxd3 23. Rxc5 Qxb2 24. Rd1 Ba4)
22... Ba4 $3) 22. Nf3 (22. Rb1 c5 $19) 22... Nxb2 $6 ({Black had a very strong
prophylactic move} 22... Be8 $1 {And if now} 23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. fxe5 {then} {24..
.} f4 $1 25. exf4 Bg6 26. Re2 Bd3) 23. Rb1 c3 24. Ne5 Be8 25. a6 c5 $1 ({
Nothing promises} 25... Qb3 26. Rbc1 Na4 27. Nd3 {With the idea 28.Nc5}) 26.
dxc5 Ba4 $4 ({A blunder. After the correct} 26... Qxc5 {Black is better.}) 27.
c6 $3 $18 {A brilliant move, which sudenly turn the tables.} Qa5 ({After} 27...
Bxc2 28. c7 {the c-pawn is unstopable, since} {28...} Qc5 {is meet by} 29. Nd7+
) 28. Rcxb2 cxb2 29. Rxb2 Bxc6 30. Nxc6 Qc3 31. Rb8+ Kf7 32. Rb7+ Kg6 33. Nxa7
Qa1 34. Nc6 {Black is totally losing and his desperate attemt to survive is
easily refuted by Karapanos.} d4 35. Nxd4 e5 36. fxe5 f4 37. a7 fxe3 38. fxe3
Qa3 39. Rb6+ Kh5 40. Be2+ Kh4 41. Nf5+ Kg5 42. Ra6 {1-0. This offensive defeat
spurred me and in the remaining 5 games I scored 5 points and nearly failed to
qualify for the Las Vegas 1999 FIDE World Championship.   Although Nikolaos
was very happy with a nice combination, he probably felt a little bit guilty.
Anyway, I recall an amusing incident. After one of the rounds I walked around
the city and suddenly came across Karapanos chatting with his friends. He
warmly greeted me and told me that I can safely walk the city and if someone
will bugg me, then he, Karapanos, will punish the offender.   A few years
later I learned with sorrow of the death of this talented chess player and a
great person.} 1-0

[Event "FSGM February"]
[Site "Budapest HUN"]
[Date "2012.02.07"]
[Round "4.6"]
[White "Lizak, P."]
[Black "Varga, Zo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2418"]
[BlackElo "2452"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2012.02.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.02.13"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. O-O {This line has had a revival
lately, not least because of Marin's work on it in the Grandmaster Repertoire
series.} Nbd7 6. Na3 Nb6 7. Qc2 Qd5 8. b3 $5 {The new trend.} (8. Ne1 {was
Marin's move, which GM Jan Timman (see below) also considers promising.}) 8...
cxb3 9. axb3 {It looks very likely that White has sufficient compensation for
the pawn here. Why not?} Qf5 ({A wonderful recent game by Timman (as White)
continued:} 9... Be6 10. b4 $146 Qb3 11. Qxb3 Bxb3 12. b5 c5 13. d3 $44 {White
doesn't need a queen to build an attack...} Nfd7 ({In New in Chess, Timman
suggested} 13... g6 {but then} 14. Ng5 {looks promising. e.g.} h6 $6 (14... Bg7
15. Bxb7 Rb8 16. Bc6+ Nfd7 17. Bf4 Rc8 18. Rac1 $14) 15. Bxb7 hxg5 16. Bxa8
Nxa8 17. Nc4 $1 $16 {For the moment, White has only a rook for two minor
pieces, but with g5 and a7 hanging, some pawns will soon be added to the kitty.
In particular, Black is in trouble on the queenside where the
soon-to-be-passed b5-pawn is a monster.} {Note that} Nc7 $6 18. Bxg5 Nxb5 $6
19. Rfb1 Nd4 20. Rxa7 $18 {is crunching.}) 14. Nd2 Bd5 15. e4 Be6 16. f4 f6 17.
e5 Bd5 18. e6 $1 {Beautiful; losing the e-pawn is the key idea.} Bxe6 19. Bxb7
Rb8 20. Bc6 g6 21. Nac4 Nc8 22. Ne4 Kf7 23. Ne5+ $1 {Exploiting the vacated
e5-square.} Nxe5 (23... fxe5 24. Ng5+) 24. fxe5 Bf5 25. Nxc5 Bg7 26. d4 Rd8 27.
Rxf5 $1 gxf5 28. e6+ Kg6 29. Nd7 Nd6 30. Nxb8 Rxb8 31. Rxa7 Nxb5 32. Rxe7 Bh6
33. Be8+ {1-0 Timman - S.Ernst, Wijk aan Zee 2012.}) 10. d3 e5 11. Bb2 $14 Bd6
$6 {Stepping in front of a pawn roller is A Bad Idea. As Marin mentions in his
books, 1.c4 may be a flank opening, but White would still love to slam his d-
and e-pawns straight through the middle (Mihail probably phrased it more
elegantly).} ({Safer was} 11... Nfd7 12. e4 $36 {but White still has plenty of
play.}) 12. e4 Qh5 13. d4 $16 Nfd7 {Black goes into full grovel mode, as} (
13... exd4 14. e5 Bxa3 15. Bxa3 {traps his king in the centre.}) 14. d5 cxd5
15. Nb5 Bb8 16. Ba3 {The black king now has the same problem as in the
previous variation, but at least he has two pawns for the trouble. Now there
is some pressure on White not to botch his winning attack; he passes the test
with plenty to spare.} dxe4 17. Qxe4 Nf6 18. Qb4 $1 $18 Nbd5 19. Qc5 Be6 20.
Rfe1 {Everything wins:} (20. Rad1) (20. Nc3) (20. Nd2) 20... a6 21. Nfd4 ({A
punchy finish was} 21. Nxe5 $1 Bxe5 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Rad1) 21... Ba7 {Now
it's all over at once, but it was going anyway. e.g.} (21... axb5 22. Nxe6 fxe6
23. Qc8+ Kf7 24. Qxh8 $18) 22. Nc7+ (22. Nc7+ {Black resigned as} Kd8 23. Qd6+
Bd7 24. Nxd5 {wins a few pieces and then mates.}) 1-0

[Event "Bunratty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Short, N."]
[Black "Jones, G."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B20"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2011.11.12"]
[EventType "team-"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{"The last couple of times I've played Nigel he has chosen the English but
this time he reverted to 1.e4. I responded with the Sicilian and he surprised
me with 2.b3. I couldn't really remember any theory on this other than a line
recommended by Peter Heine-Nielsen in the Experts vs the Anti-Sicilians book.
Therefore I chose 2...g6 and we had a crazy game! I was lost at various points
but with little time Nigel failed to find the most convincing path and in the
end I managed to grovel a draw in another rook and pawn endgame a pawn down."
GM Gawain Jones on his blog gawainjones.co.uk} 1. e4 c5 2. b3 g6 3. Bb2 Nf6 4.
Qf3 Bg7 $146 {A novelty suggested by GM Peter Heine Nielsen in Experts on the
Anti-Sicilians.} 5. e5 Ng8 6. e6 Nf6 7. exf7+ Kxf7 8. g4 h6 9. Nc3 ({The line
in the book continued:} 9. h4 Nc6 (9... d5 {might also be interesting}) 10. g5
hxg5 11. hxg5 Rxh1 12. Qxh1 (12. gxf6 Bxf6 $1) 12... Nh5) 9... d5 10. h3 {With
g4 defended White looks to be threatening Nxd5.} e6 (10... Nc6 $2 {allows the
trick:} 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. Bc4 {Black is not quite dead, though after} Be6 $8
13. Bxd5 Bxd5 14. Qe2 Bxh1 15. f3 $16) (10... Bd7 $5 {is a logical try,
planning} 11. O-O-O Bc6 $13) 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. Re1 Nd4 (12... Rf8 $5) 13. Qg2
Bd7 14. Nf3 Nxf3 15. Qxf3 Bc6 16. Bd3 Qd6 17. h4 g5 18. Qe2 a6 19. f4 gxf4 20.
g5 Ne4 $2 ({A better defence was} 20... hxg5 21. hxg5 Rxh1 22. Rxh1 Ne8) {
Short has played superbly, and now has his first big chance:} 21. g6+ {Good
but not best:} (21. Qh5+ $1 Kf8 22. gxh6 Rxh6 23. Nxe4 $1 $18) 21... Ke7 ({The
ugly} 21... Kg8 $16 {was required}) 22. Nxd5+ $1 {Now Black's position should
be falling apart; Jones holds it together with will power.} Bxd5 23. Bxg7 Ng3
24. Qg4 Nxh1 25. Be5 Qd8 26. g7 (26. Qxf4 Rf8 27. Qxh6 $18) 26... Rg8 27. Qxf4
Kd7 28. c4 Bc6 29. Be4 (29. Bf5 $1 Qe7 30. Bc3 $18) 29... Qe7 30. Bxc6+ Kxc6
31. Rg1 (31. d4 $1) 31... Qd7 32. Qf3+ Kb6 33. Qxh1 Rad8 34. Qh2 Qf7 35. Qe2
Qf5 36. h5 Rd7 37. Rg6 Ka7 38. Rxh6 Rdxg7 39. Bxg7 Rxg7 {A nasty decision for
move 40: can White take on e6?} 40. Qe3 ({The answer is "Yes". The white king
escapes after} 40. Qxe6 $1 Rg1+ 41. Kb2 Qb1+ 42. Ka3 Qc1+ 43. Ka4 {Black has a
clever try but it's not enough:} Rg8 $1 44. Qxg8 Qxd2 {With threats on b4 and
h6:} 45. Rxa6+ $1 Kxa6 (45... bxa6 46. Qf7+ Kb6 47. Qe6+ Ka7 48. a3 $18) 46.
Qe6+ Ka7 47. a3 $18) 40... Rg5 41. Rxe6 Rxh5 42. Kb2 Rh1 43. Ka3 Rh3 44. Qe5
Qxe5 45. Rxe5 Rh2 46. Rd5 Kb6 47. b4 cxb4+ 48. Kxb4 Kc6 49. a4 b6 50. a5 b5 51.
Rc5+ Kb7 52. Kc3 (52. cxb5 Rxd2 53. b6 {looks passive for Black, but White has
no way to improve his position:} Rd4+ 54. Kc3 Rd7 {The black rook "passes" by
chosing semi-random squares on the 7th.}) 52... bxc4 53. Rxc4 Rh5 54. Kb4 Rd5
55. d4 Kb8 56. Ka4 Kb7 57. Rb4+ Kc7 58. Rc4+ Kd7 {Don't be fooled by all the 
(computer-assisted) improvements above: both players fought brilliantly,
especially considering the rather quick time control.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival 2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.01"]
[Round "9.22"]
[White "Molner, Mackenzie"]
[Black "Parligras, Mircea-Emilian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. f4 Qc7 8.
Qf3 h6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. f5 Qc5 11. O-O-O g5 12. e5 $5 {This pawn sacrifice
continues to interest the masses.} Qxe5 13. g3 g4 14. Qd3 h5 $2 {This is too
slow. It was necessary to violate all known principles in order to fight for
the h1-a8 diagonal.} (14... Nd5 $1 $146 15. Nxd5 (15. f6 Nxf6 16. Bg2 Bg7 17.
Rhe1 Qg5+ 18. Kb1 d5 $13 {looks better for Black, but needs further
investigation.}) 15... Qxd5 16. Qa3 $1 {Protecting a2 and preparing Bb5+.} Rb8
17. Qb4 (17. Be2 h5 $15) (17. Bb5+ axb5 18. Qa7 Qc5 19. Qxb8 Bg7 20. Nb3 Qe3+
21. Kb1 O-O 22. Qc7 Bxf5 23. Rhe1 Qa7 $1 $15) 17... Qc5 18. Qxc5 dxc5 19. Nb5
Bd7 20. Nc7+ Kd8 21. Ne6+ Kc8 $5 (21... Ke8 $11) 22. Nxf8 Bc6 $1 23. Nd7 Bxh1
24. Nxb8 Bf3 25. Rd7 Kxb8 26. Rxe7 Rd8 $11) 15. Bg2 Bh6+ 16. Kb1 Be3 $6 (16...
Qc5 $14) 17. Nc6 $1 Qc5 $6 {Better, but entirely unattractive in practice was:}
(17... bxc6 18. Bxc6+ Kf8 19. Bxa8 Bxf5 20. Qxa6 Kg7 21. Rhe1 $16) 18. Nxe7 $6
({White missed his chance to win the game quickly with:} 18. Na4 $1 Qxf5 (18...
Bxf5 19. Nxc5 Bxd3 20. Nxd3 {and wins.}) 19. Qxe3 bxc6 20. Bxc6+ Bd7 21. Bxa8
Bxa4 22. b3 O-O 23. Rhf1 {and the rest is over.}) 18... Kxe7 19. Rhe1 Bxf5 20.
Rxe3+ Kf8 21. Qxd6+ Qxd6 22. Rxd6 $16 {White still has big chances in the
ending.} Ne8 23. Rd4 Rb8 24. Re5 Be6 25. Ne4 (25. Ne2 $1) 25... b6 26. Ng5 Rh6
27. h3 gxh3 28. Bxh3 Bxh3 29. Nxh3 $14 Rb7 30. Nf4 Re7 31. Rxe7 Kxe7 32. Nd5+
Kf8 33. c4 Ng7 34. Kc2 (34. Rf4 $5) 34... Nf5 35. Rd3 $11 Rc6 36. b3 b5 37. Kc3
bxc4 38. bxc4 Nd6 39. Nf4 Nxc4 40. Rd8+ Ke7 41. Rh8 Nd6+ 42. Kd3 Nf5 43. Nxh5
Rg6 44. Ke4 Nxg3+ 45. Nxg3 Rxg3 46. Rh2 Ke6 47. Kf4 Ra3 48. Rd2 Ra4+ 49. Kf3
Ke5 50. Re2+ Kf5 51. Rc2 Ra3+ 52. Kf2 Kg4 53. Rc4+ Kg5 54. Rc2 f5 55. Kg2 Kg4
56. Kf2 f4 57. Kg2 a5 58. Kf2 a4 59. Kg2 Rd3 60. Kf2 a3 61. Ke2 Rh3 62. Kf1
Rh1+ 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "www.qualitychess.co.uk/blog"]
[Date "2012.01.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "From the blog"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D12"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{One of our blog readers shared the following game he won as Black.} 1. d4 d5
2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 (4... Bg4 5. Nc3 e6 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. Nh4 Bh5 8. h3 {
is an Avrukh main line, which since has been played 100s of times.}) 5. Nc3 e6
6. Nh4 Bg4 $6 {This mixes up two ideas and leads to an inferior position.} 7.
Qb3 Qb6 8. h3 Bh5 9. g4 {White is a tempo up on the Avrukh line and should be
said to have won the opening battle, but certainly not the game!} Bg6 10. Nxg6
hxg6 11. g5 {Apparently this is what Avrukh gives. I think it is a bit too
direct, but there you go. We think differently.} (11. Bg2 {is a bit more
flexible and would be my choice, but the text move is the favourite of the
computer.}) (11. Be2 {is not liked by R4, but would probably be my choice over
the board. I want to play h4-h5 and when gxh5 comes, I want to play g5 and
Rxh5. This is just a plan and probably not best. I am just sharing my spur of
the moment thoughts.}) 11... Nh5 {The knight cannot easily rejoin the game
here, but White also no longer has any h4-h5 plans. This is one reason I would
not have advanced the g-pawn too early. It loses flexibility.} 12. c5 {Again I
don't like this move. It was better to keep the options open with} (12. Bd2)
12... Qc7 13. e4 {White is neglicting his development - and weakening the
f4-square.} Nd7 14. exd5 exd5 15. Ne2 $6 {Finally White is losing it. When are
the pieces supposed to get out. The position might still be equal, but Black
has taken over the initiative with his next move.} b6 $1 16. Qe3+ $2 {Who does
this check help?} Be7 17. b4 $6 {Creates another aim for the black attack.
White is handling his pawns awfully.} (17. cxb6 axb6 18. Bd2 {was more prudent.
A typical positional idea here is: What is the worst placed piece? For Black
it is the king, but castling is not easy. So we need to protect the bishop.
This can be done with two ideas. ...b5 and ...Nb6 or ...Nf8-e6. Our other
positional question - where are the weaknesses? - would help us decide there.
The knight should be at e6 to target d4 and f4 as well as prepare ...c5. On
the other hand the advance of the b-pawn would ruin the flexibility of the
black pawns and make c6 a weakness.   R4 is not much help here. After some
minutes it is still rating ...Qd6 and the two other options within 0.07 of
each other, all with even chances. In reality ...Nf8! should be the best move
for positional reasons, and the position already greatly in Black's favour.})
17... a5 $1 {Black is better. White's pawn structure is falling apart.} 18. b5
bxc5 19. bxc6 $6 (19. Bg2 {was better. Why should White clarify the situation
in the centre?} cxb5 $6 20. Nc3 $1 Nb6 21. O-O {would give White some activity
and a chance to fight for equality.}) 19... Qxc6 20. Ba3 $6 (20. Bg2 {was
better, but Black has a clear advantage already. Note that White is made a
fool of after} O-O $1 {because of} 21. Qxe7 $2 Rae8 {trapping the queen.})
20... Qe6 $1 {Black is now a pawn up and White's position is falling apart.}
21. Bg2 cxd4 $5 {Objectively this is the best move, but Black would have been
better off playing safe with} (21... Qxe3 22. fxe3 Bxg5 23. Bxd5 Rc8 {and
Black should win with his extra pawn.}) 22. Qxe6 $6 {This enters a plea of
no-contest.} (22. Qxd4 $1 {would have demanded Black play accurately to keep
his advantage.} Bxa3 $1 23. Bxd5 Ne5 $3 (23... Qa6 $6 24. Qe4+ Kd8 25. Bxa8 Re8
26. Bb7 Qd6 $1 {and ...Nf4 is also better for Black, but not to the same
extent.}) 24. Bxa8 (24. Qe4 f5 25. gxf6 Nxf6 26. Qa4+ Qd7 27. Qxd7+ Kxd7 28.
Bxa8 Rxa8 {and Black should win}) 24... Bb2 25. Qd5 Bxa1 26. O-O Qxh3 27. Rxa1
Nf4) 22... fxe6 23. Bxe7 Kxe7 24. Nxd4 Nf4 25. Bf1 e5 {Black is just winning.}
26. Nf3 Rab8 27. Rd1 Rhc8 28. a4 Rb2 29. Bb5 Rcc2 30. Nd2 Nc5 31. h4 Ncd3+ (
31... Nb3 $1 {was a nice finish, but the game is quite simple of course.} 32.
Nxb3 Ng2+ 33. Kf1 Rxf2+ 34. Kg1 Ne3 35. Rh3 Rg2+ 36. Kh1 Nxd1 {and wins
everything.}) 32. Bxd3 Nxd3+ 33. Ke2 Nxf2 34. Kxf2 Rxd2+ 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.01.31"]
[Round "8.8"]
[White "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D23"]
[WhiteElo "2704"]
[BlackElo "2603"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{This game reminded me of Chess Tactics from Scratch and the work we did for
it on candidate moves and calculation. There is a very nice tactical moment
that Howell calculated accurately and won a pawn. Subsequently Laznicka did
not play the best way and drifted into a worse position.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3.
Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 Nbd7 8. e3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10.
Rd1 Ne4 11. Qe2 Qb6 12. Nc3 Rfd8 13. Ne1 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bg6 15. e4 c5 16. Be3
Qa5 17. Nd3 Qxc3 18. dxc5 Rac8 19. Rab1 {This is the moment I was thinking of.
Black would love to take on c5, but there appears to be various variations
with Rc1, attacking the queen and winning material. However, Howell looked
deeper and saw the refutations to both of them.} Nxc5 $3 20. Rbc1 {Played
without full control of the tactics, it turns out.} (20. Nxc5 Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1
Bxc5 {gives us another important moment. Here White apparently is winning after
} 22. Rc1 $2 {, but Black has a brilliant riposte in} Qxe3 $3 {, winning a
piece. Instead White can exchange on c5 and take on b7 with a quick draw.
Probably this was the way he should have played.}) 20... Na4 $3 21. Nf4 $1 (21.
Rxc3 $2 {would give White a worse position after} Nxc3 22. Qe1 Nxd1 23. Qxd1
Rc3 $1 {where the two rooks are better than the queen, not to speak of the
extra pawn.}) 21... Qb4 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Nxg6 $6 ({Laznicka starts drifting.
The way to prove compensation for the pawn was to penetrate with the queen to
c7. For my book on calculation I am working on the method of comparison, among
others. Here it appears that the Qc2-c7 manoeuvre is worse when there are no
back rank mate ideas.} 23. Qc2 $1 {was the strong move (candidates!). The
threat of Rb1 helps create sufficient counterplay. The amusing best play of
both seems to be:} Nb6 24. Qc7 Na8 25. Qc2 Nb6 $11) 23... hxg6 24. e5 $6 ({
White was still in a position to play} 24. Qc2 Nb6 25. Qb3 $1 {with the idea
of exchanging queens and then take on b6 to enter a drawish ending a pawn down.
Notice that} (25. Qc7 {is no longer very good. Black takes the initiative
after:} Rc8 26. Qxb7 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Qe1+ 28. Bf1 Bc5 $1 $15)) 24... Bc5 $15 25.
Bg5 Rd7 26. Qc2 b5 27. h4 a6 28. Bf3 Rd4 29. Qb3 Qa5 30. Kg2 Qb6 31. Rh1 Rb4
32. Qd3 Rb2 33. Kh3 Rxf2 34. Be4 Qc7 35. h5 Qxe5 36. Qd8+ Bf8 37. Rd1 f6 38.
Bxg6 fxg5 39. Rd7 Rf3 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.01"]
[Round "9.4"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Akobian, Varuzhan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D34"]
[WhiteElo "2747"]
[BlackElo "2617"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "207"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{When I was playing the European Team Championship in Greece I talked to a
friend about the Tarrasch. He was very surprised that we had relied on ...
h6-lines instead of "his" ...Qa5 move, which he found to be fully ok. We both
had some concrete reasons (given in the book) and a bad feeling in general.
The following game is the kind of thing I did not want to experience with
Black - nor convince others that they should endure.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3
c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 c4 10. Ne5
Be6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. b3 Qa5 (12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. bxc4 dxc4 15. e3 Qa5 {
is the main line from Grandmaster Repertoire 10 - The Tarrasch Defence.}) 13.
Qd2 Bb4 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Rfc1 Rad8 (15... Rac8 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. a3 Bxc3 18.
Qxc3 Qxc3 19. Rxc3 Rfd8 20. e3 c5 21. d5 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 Rxd5 23. Rxc4 $14 {Zhou
Jianchao - Akobian, Beijing 2008, is probably something Black should draw,
even if it is a bit uncomfortable.}) 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. e3 c5 (17... f5 $6 {has
a bad reputation:} 18. Bxc6 f4 19. a3 fxe3 20. Qxe3 Bxc3 21. Rxc3 Rd6 22. Be4
Rfd8 23. d5 Bxd5 24. Qg5+ Kf8 {So - Akobian, Wijk aan Zee 2010.} {Here So for
some reason did not play:} 25. Rxc4 $1 $16) 18. d5 Bxc3 19. Rxc3 $1 {The
ending is more dangerous for Black with the queens on the board.} Bxd5 20. Bxd5
Rxd5 21. Qc2 Rb8 22. Rxc4 Rb4 23. Rb1 Rxb1+ 24. Qxb1 Qb6 25. Qc2 $14 f5 {This
is the position Black has been happy to enter. I am not really sure about the
last move. Personally I would never advance the f-pawn unless it was
absolutely forced. Still I think it is fair to say that White is a bit better
and can press on for another 79 moves should he think so.} 26. Rf4 Qc6 27. h3
h6 28. Kh2 a6 29. a4 Kg7 30. a5 Qe6 31. Qc3+ Qe5 32. Qc4 Qe6 33. h4 Kg8 34. Qc2
Kg7 35. e4 fxe4 36. Rxe4 Qf5 37. Qb2+ Rd4 38. Rxd4 cxd4 39. Qxd4+ f6 40. Qb6 h5
41. Kg1 Qd3 42. Qb7+ Kg6 43. Kg2 Qc4 44. Qb1+ Kg7 45. Qf5 Qc6+ 46. Kh2 Kh6 47.
Kg1 Qc1+ 48. Kg2 Qc6+ 49. Qf3 Qd6 50. Kf1 Kg6 51. Qe4+ Kg7 52. Qf5 Qc6 53. Kg1
Kh6 54. Kh2 Qd6 55. Kh3 Qc6 56. f3 Qc3 57. g4 hxg4+ 58. Kxg4 Qb2 59. Qf4+ Kg7
60. Qc7+ Kg6 61. h5+ Kh6 62. Kf5 Qb5+ 63. Kxf6 Qg5+ 64. Ke6 Qe3+ 65. Kd7 Kxh5
66. f4 Kg4 67. Kc8 Qb3 68. Qe5 Qb4 69. Kc7 Qb3 70. Kc6 Qb4 71. Qg5+ Kf3 72.
Qh5+ Kg3 73. Qg5+ Kf3 74. Kc7 Qb3 75. Qf6 Qb4 76. Qe5 Kg4 77. f5 Kg5 78. Kc6
Qb3 79. Qc5 Qb8 80. Kd7 Qb7+ 81. Ke6 Qb3+ 82. Kd7 Qb7+ 83. Kd6 Qb3 84. Kc7 Qf7+
85. Kb6 Qe8 86. Kxa6 Qa8+ 87. Kb6 Qb8+ 88. Kc6 Qc8+ 89. Kd5 Qd7+ 90. Kc4 Qa4+
91. Kc3 Qa1+ 92. Kb4 Qb2+ 93. Ka4 Qa2+ 94. Kb5 Qb3+ 95. Kc6 Qa4+ 96. Kc7 Qf4+
97. Kb7 Qe4+ 98. Ka7 Qe8 99. Qd5 Qe7+ 100. Kb8 Qe8+ 101. Kc7 Qe7+ 102. Kc8 Qa7
103. f6+ Kxf6 104. Qd8+ 1-0

[Event "Glasgow League"]
[Site "New in Chess"]
[Date "2012.01.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "McKay, Roddy"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D34"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{The following game was played on board one in the local league where I live.
Rod is a talented IM who decided to just play for fun on rare occasions. Many
times I have been in trouble with him, just to make up for it in time trouble.
Recently I seem to have gotten the best of him. The game was played with 1
hour for 30 move and another 15 to the end. I played a bit fast while Roddy
got into time trouble, accelerating his downfall. Most of the game it was just
unclear, I think.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. d4 Nf6 5. O-O e6 6. c4 Be7
7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Be3 c4 10. Ne5 Bf5 (10... h6 {is interesting, in
order to play ...Bf5, but I was ready for the main line a moment ago and I am
ready now. Such options are more important for people who wants to play 9.Bg5
cxd4. The main point is to avoid}) (10... Be6 $6 11. Nxc4 $1 dxc4 12. d5 $14 {.
}) 11. Bg5 Be6 12. e3 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. f4 Ne7 15. Rf2 {This has been
played twice in the database. My response is obvious, but still a novelty.
Knowing the typical ideas of the positions helped me a lot during this game.} (
15. g4 {is Khalifman's idea, but is neutralised with:} b5 $1 $146 {as can be
seen in Chapter 4 of Grandmaster Repertoire 10 - The Tarrasch Defence.}) 15...
Rb8 $1 $146 16. Qh5 g6 $1 ({I could not resist the temptation of hitting the
queen back and playing this standard regrouping. Especially after calculating
the consequences of Qxh6 accurately. However, in the cold light of day, one it
tempted to ask what the White idea is after} 16... b5 {. Maybe it was} 17. f5 {
planning  planning 17...Bc8 18.Ng4. But what about} Bxf5 18. Rxf5 g6 {. Here
the computer gives the amazing line:} 19. Nxd5 $5 Nxd5 $1 (19... gxh5 20. Nxf6+
Kh8 21. Rxh5 Kg7 22. Rf1 {with compensation.}) 20. Nxg6 Nxe3 21. Rf3 Qxd4 22.
Nxf8 Rxf8 23. Rb1 {and allegedly the position is equal - though I prefer Black
in a practical setting.} Nd1+ 24. Kh1 Re8 25. Qf5 Re1+ 26. Bf1 Kg7 $44) 17. Qe2
(17. Qxh6 $6 {is refuted by} Nf5 18. Qh3 Bxe5 $1 {The move order is important.}
(18... Nxd4 $6 19. Ng4 $1) (18... Nxe3 $6 19. g4 Bxe5 $2 (19... Nxg4 $1 $13)
20. Qxe3 $16) 19. fxe5 Nxe3 $15 20. g4 $2 Nxg4 21. Rf4 Nxe5 22. Qh6 Ng4 $1 $17)
17... Bg7 18. g4 f5 {This is not how you normally play and here it is just a
bit inaccurate I think.} ({I played quite quickly throughout the game, not
wasting time on seeing that} 18... b5 {was ever so slightly more accurate and
that White did not have} 19. f5 gxf5 20. gxf5 {because of} Nxf5 $1 21. Nc6 Qg5
$36 {.}) 19. h3 {A bit slow.} (19. gxf5 $1 Bxf5 20. Qf3 (20. e4 $5 dxe4 21.
Qxc4+ Kh7 $13) 20... Be6 21. Qg3 Bf5 22. Qf3 $11) 19... b5 20. Bf3 b4 $5 {
Preparing to sacrifice the exchange, if allowed.} (20... Qd6 21. Rg2 $13) 21.
Na4 Rc8 22. Rg2 (22. Nc5 Rxc5 23. dxc5 Bxe5 24. fxe5 Qc7 $44) 22... Bxe5 23.
fxe5 f4 (23... Qa5 24. b3 c3 $13 {was also possible. The computer says Black
is just better, but I personally find the position rather unclear. I was only
too happy to protect my queen a bit.}) 24. Qd2 (24. Nc5 $2 {certainly does not
work now. After} Rxc5 25. dxc5 fxe3 26. Qxe3 d4 $17 {White's position is
unbearable.}) 24... Qd7 {I quite liked this move, even if the details were
lost on me. There are other good moves such as} (24... c3 $5 {, but the main
question is of course why I did not play}) (24... Qa5 {. What I saw was that
my usual idea does not work here:} 25. Nc5 Rxc5 26. dxc5 fxe3 $2 (26... g5 $5
$44) 27. Qxe3 d4 {fails to get compensation on account of} 28. Qxd4 $1 Rxf3 29.
Qd6 Kf7 30. Rf1 $16 {and White keeps his extra exchange without having to face
an avalanche of pawns.}) 25. b3 ({I did not have full control over} 25. Qxb4
fxe3 26. Rf1 Nc6 27. Qc3 Nxe5 28. dxe5 Qxa4 29. Qxe3 Kh7 $15 {, but Black is
doing ok here.}) (25. Nc5 {is still met with} Rxc5 26. dxc5 fxe3 27. Qxe3 d4
$44 {, although the position is not nearly as clear as I imagined during the
game (and I still found it pretty unclear). The main point is that it is
unpleasant for White.}) 25... c3 26. Qe1 $2 ({I expected} 26. Qd3 {which I
found stronger because of the ...Ne7-h4 manouevre. It was to become apparent
that my opponent had not anticipated this idea at all.}) 26... g5 $1 {The
attraction of putting the knight on h4 is just too great to miss.} (26... Nc6
$5 $17 {with the point of} 27. Nc5 $6 Nxe5 $1 {was something I did spot during
the game, but I did not see the point of it. The point is to play ...Qe7-g5,
force White to take on f4 and with the d4-pawn. Too deep for my wrists I must
say.}) 27. a3 {Seeking counterplay.} (27. h4 $2 Ng6 28. hxg5 hxg5 {would only
favour Black as he is the one on the attack.}) 27... bxa3 $5 ({I refrained
from playing} 27... Ng6 $1 $17 {, because I did not see what to do after} 28.
axb4 $2 Nh4 29. Rf2 Nxf3+ 30. Rxf3 Bxg4 31. hxg4 Qxg4+ 32. Kf2 fxe3+ 33. Qxe3 {
Admittedly I did not look very hard either. Or I would have seen} Rxf3+ 34.
Qxf3 Rf8 {winning at once. Again I was a bit restless and playing too fast.})
28. Nxc3 {Maybe there is some difficult improvement here, but practically
there was nothing better for him with 40 seconds on the clock.} Ng6 $17 29.
Rxa3 $2 $138 ({After} 29. Bd1 Nh4 30. Rf2 {my intention had been to play 30...
Qe7, which is actually quite a good move it turns out. But even stronger would
have been} h5 $1 31. exf4 hxg4 {with a devastating attack.}) 29... Nh4 30. Be2
({I was expecting} 30. Rf2 Nxf3+ 31. Rxf3 Bxg4 32. hxg4 Qxg4+ 33. Kf2 fxe3+ 34.
Qxe3 {Here I had looked at ideas such as ...Qxf3 and ...Rxc3 afterwards, but
the computer points to a simple solution I would have found for sure, had I
gathered my thoughts.} Rxf3+ $1 35. Qxf3 {and now either 35...Qxd4+ or} Rf8 {
, but winning.}) 30... Nxg2 (30... f3 {also won of course, but I saw a simple
way to win a rook and went with it.}) 31. Kxg2 f3+ $1 32. Bxf3 Qf7 {White
resigned. The point is of course that after} 33. Be2 {Black wins with} Rxc3 $1
34. Qxc3 Qf2+ 35. Kh1 Qxe2 36. Ra1 Rf2 {and mate is near.} 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "New in Chess"]
[Date "2012.01.30"]
[Round "?"]
[White "The Kaufman Repertoire"]
[Black "for Black and White"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D34"]
[Annotator "J. Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{"The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White" was published by New in Chess just
a few days ago. The book has some interesting features in it, but also some I
doubt that have come to stay (here I specifically talk about having a front
page in each end, so you have to turn the book over to read the 'other' half
of the book. Beyond the first 10 seconds light appreciation of this gimmick, I
just found the idea annoying.). We quite like his approach to the repertoire,
based on simplicity, which we think a lot of readers will like. This is also
what we are aiming for in our Playing 1.d4 and Playing 1.e4 books out this
spring.    I would personally be a bit afraid to play some of the very sharp
lines he recommend with only 1-2 games in my memory database. But for many
this is exactly the place to start.     Obviously the most interesting aspect
for us is how the book reacts against our recent publications. It was with
delight I noticed that we were clearly ahead when it comes to the Tarrasch.} 1.
d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. a3 $1 {Nikos and I suggested this move as the most
dangerous in our book: Grandmaster Repertoire 10 - The Tarrasch Defence. We
also came up with a very interesting and non-compliant way to meet it:} {
Kaufman's main attantion is drawn to the following line:} Be6 $2 {This is a
very passive move. I am surprised that Kaufman did not realise that this is
not how Black wants to play this opening.} (10... Ne4 $1 {was our reaction.
The fight for the e4- and d4-squares are in general the positional topics of
this opening. If Black takes on d4 without controlling the square, White
appears to be better. And in this line (as other places), White will be better
if he controls the e4-square comfortably, as it prevents activity.} 11. Qxd5 (
11. Nxd5 $146 Be6 12. Nc3 {is the other critical variation. We claim that
Black has enough compensation for the pawn in more than one way. This has yet
to be tested it seems.}) 11... Nxc3 12. Qxc5 Nxe2+ 13. Kh1 Nxc1 14. Raxc1 Qf6
15. b4 (15. Rc3 Re8 16. Qb5 {Tokarev - Bezgodova, Kazan 2010.} h6 $1 17. Rd1
Rb8 $11) 15... Bg4 16. Ng5 Rad8 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. f3 Bf5 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. fxe4
Qb2 $132 {1/2-1/2 Hiarcs 13.1 T4-Thinker 5.4D x64 T4, Antalya 2010.}) 11. b4
Be7 12. Bb2 Rc8 {I cannot remember exactly what we had against Kaufman's
suggestion} 13. Rc1 ({because we ditched the entire variation for Black on
account of} 13. Qb1 $3 $16 {, which controls the e4-square. Only one game was
played with this and it was a pure smacking:} Qd7 14. Rd1 Rfd8 15. Ng5 d4 16.
Nb5 Bf5 17. Qa2 $16 Nd5 $2 18. Nxd4 $18 Bxg5 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 20. Rxd5 Rxd5 21.
Qxd5 Qxd5 22. Bxd5 b5 23. f4 Bf6 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Rc1 Ne7 26. Rxc8+ Nxc8 27.
Kf2 f5 28. Ke3 Kf8 29. Kd4 Ke7 30. Kc5 Nd6 31. Bc6 a6 32. Kb6 Nc4+ 33. Kxa6
Nxa3 34. Bxb5 Nc2 35. Ka5 Ne3 36. Bd3 Nf1 37. Bxf5 {1-0 Wieczorek - Olenderek,
Suwalki 1999.}) 13... h6 ({The other line given by Kaufman is:} 13... Qd7 14.
e3 Rfd8 15. Ne2 Ne4 16. Nf4 a6 17. Qe2 Bd6 18. Nxe6 $5 $146 ({The computer's
suggested improvement on} 18. Rfd1 Bxf4 19. exf4 $14 {Mikhalchishin - Halkias,
Terme Zrece 2003, though it should be said that White was close to winning
this game as well.}) 18... fxe6 {Slightly unnatural to me, I would take with
the pawn, but it is fair to say White is a bit better anyway.} 19. Nd4 $14) 14.
Nd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 $14 a5 $2 16. Nxd5 $1 $16 {and so on, Hera - Kostic, Graz
2011.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.02.29"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Catalan analysis"]
[Black "GM Rep 1"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "E04"]
[Annotator "J. Shaw"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2011.11.12"]
[EventType "team-"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{It was pointed out to us that the following line is less clear than was first
thought in Grandmaster Repertoire 1 - 1.d4 Volume 1.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3
Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 b5 6. a4 c6 7. axb5 cxb5 8. Ne5 Nd5 9. Nc3 f6 {The
critical move, though more common is} (9... Bb4 {when White scores heavily
after} 10. O-O) 10. Ng4 Bb7 11. e4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Be7 (12... Bd6 $5) 13. Nh6 {
Avrukh's spectacular idea.} ({White could play in simple dull style with} 13.
O-O O-O 14. Ne3 {and plausibly claim his centre compensates for the missing
pawn.}) 13... a6 14. Qh5+ Kd7 $1 $146 {A wild idea that makes sense the more
one looks at it: the king steps away, creating the threat of ...Qe8,
exchanging queens.} (14... g6 {is the move mentioned in the book} 15. Qe2 e5 $5
{A new idea suggested by a reader, but...} 16. O-O $1 {White should keep the
centre open and thus avoid d4-d5. The question is: what happens if Black grabs
the pawn?} exd4 (16... Nd7 17. Rd1) 17. cxd4 Qxd4 (17... Nc6 18. Rd1 $44) 18.
Bf4 $44 {Black's passed queenside looks impressive, but his king will face the
wrath of White's entire army. We shall offer a few lengthy but sensible sample
lines:} Nd7 (18... Qd3 19. Qg4 Qd7 20. Nf5 Qc8 21. Rad1 Kf7 22. Qh4 gxf5 23.
Qh5+ Kg8 24. Bh3 $1 Bxe4 25. Rfe1 $18) 19. Rfd1 $1 {The other rook is needed
to take on a6 in some lines.} (19. Rad1 Qb6 (19... Qa7 20. Rxd7 Kxd7 21. Qg4+
Ke8 22. Qe6 Qd4 23. Bf3 $1 $18) (19... Qc3 20. Rxd7 Kxd7 21. Rc1 Qa3 22. Rd1+
Ke8 23. e5 $18) 20. e5 (20. Nf5 Ne5) 20... Bxg2 21. exf6 (21. Rxd7 Kxd7 22.
exf6 Qxf6 23. Rd1+ Ke8 24. Rd6 Bf3 25. Qxf3 Bxd6 26. Qxa8+ Qd8 $11) 21... Qxf6
22. Kxg2 O-O-O 23. Rxd7 Rxd7 24. Qf3 Ra7 25. Re1 $132) 19... Qb6 20. e5 Bxg2
21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Kxg2 Kf8 23. f3 Re8 24. Qb2 Qc6 (24... Kg7 $2 25. Rd7) 25.
Rxa6 (25. Rd6 c3 26. Qb3 Qc4 $15) 25... Qxa6 26. Rd6 Qxd6 27. Bxd6 Kg7 28. Ng4
Rhf8 29. Bf4 $14) 15. Ng4 {Saving the knight allows Black to play
chase-the-queen, but sacrificial ideas simply do not work:} (15. Bh3 gxh6 16.
O-O (16. Qf7 f5 17. d5 Qg8 18. dxe6+ Kd8 $17) 16... Kc7 17. Bxe6 Bd6 $17) (15.
Nf7 Qe8 16. d5 g6 17. Qh3 Qxf7 18. Be3 Bd8 $19) 15... Qe8 16. Qh3 h5 17. Ne3 g5
$1 {Two large pieces could be in trouble: the white queen and the black king.
One "star" move could change everything, but so far it seems roughly level in
a messy difficult position.} 18. f3 {The best defence.} ({The problem with} 18.
g4 hxg4 {is that recapturing looks bad:} 19. Qg3 (19. Qxg4 $6 Rh4 {and ...Bxe4}
) 19... Nc6 $17) (18. Ba3 $2 {allows Black to demonstrate his threat:} g4 19.
Qh4 Bd8 $19) 18... Kc7 $1 19. Qxe6 (19. O-O Qg8 (19... Bc8 $5) 20. f4 Nd7 {
slightly favours Black.}) 19... Bb4 20. Qxf6 $1 {White must go for it.} ({The
simplifying} 20. Qxe8 Bxc3+ 21. Bd2 Bxd2+ 22. Kxd2 Rxe8 {leaves White "just" a
pawn down, but it's a big pawn.}) 20... Bxc3+ 21. Ke2 Bxa1 {White has decided
to be a rook down rather than a pawn down, and yet he seems to be equal this
way!} 22. Bd2 $1 {This leads to a draw. I tried and failed to find a win with
two alternatives. I will mention the troublesome defences in case someone else
can do better:} (22. Ba3 Bc3 23. Bd6+ Kc8 24. Qxg5 Bc6) (22. Nxc4 bxc4 23. Bxg5
Bc6 24. Rxa1 Nd7) 22... c3 ({There is no time for} 22... Bb2 $4 23. Ba5+ Kc8
24. Bh3+ g4 25. Nxg4 hxg4 26. Bxg4+ Nd7 27. Qd6 $18) 23. Qxg5 cxd2 24. Qc5+ Nc6
$8 25. Nd5+ Kb8 26. Qd6+ Ka7 27. Qc5+ Kb8 $11 {A dull and disappointing draw...
} *

[Event "Sakkelet"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bakshi, Gyorgy"]
[Black "Mate in 3"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "n7/B2p3K/2PP3R/1P1k1p2/3N1P1p/1P1RpP2/3r4/4nbbQ w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{White to play: mate in 3}  *

[Event "Chervony Girnik"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Berezhnoi, Yuri"]
[Black "Selfmate in 2"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/5p1p/2p2Ppr/2P3Pp/5RnK/2Q2BNP/5k1b w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{White to play. Selfmate in 2   (that is, White forces Black to mate him,
while Black tries to avoid mating White)}  *

[Event "Sakkelet"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bakshi, Gyorgy"]
[Black "Mate in 3"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "n7/B2p3K/2PP3R/1P1k1p2/3N1P1p/1P1RpP2/3r4/4nbbQ w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{It is natural to look for some way to use the set-up on the d-file. This will
involve White moving the knight with discovered check, in reply Black captures
the checking rook, and then the knight delivers mate. There are three obvious
routes for the knight: e2-c3 or c2-b4 or f5-e7. However at present all of
these fail: 1.Ne2+ Rxd3 defends c3; 1.Nc2+ Nxd3 defends b4; and 1.Nxf5+ Bxd3
pins the knight. But if White can entice one of these three black pieces away..
.} 1. Qg2 {White threatens 2.Qg8#.} Bxg2 {The other variations are} (1... Nxg2
2. Nc2+ Rxd3 ({or} 2... Bxd3) 3. Nb4#) (1... Rxg2 2. Ne2+ Nxd3 3. Nc3#) (1...
Nc7 {Many solvers failed to include this defence against Qg8# in their
solutions, thereby dropping a point.} 2. Ne6+ Rxd3 (2... Bxd3) (2... Nxd3) 3.
Nxc7#) (1... Nb6 2. Qg8+ Kc5 3. Qc4#) 2. Nxf5+ Rxd3 ({or} 2... Nxd3) 3. Ne7# *

[Event "Chervony Girnik"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Berezhnoi, Yuri"]
[Black "Selfmate in 2"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "C. McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/5p1p/2p2Ppr/2P3Pp/5RnK/2Q2BNP/5k1b w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "4"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{Many players have difficulty getting their heads around this type of problem,
in which White's task is to force Black to deliver mate, while Black tries to
avoid doing so.  Here Black's only move with the bishop, 1...Bxg2, would be
mate, so White's aim is to somehow force that. Black has just three other
legal moves (with the knight), although currently White is ready for them.
After any of 1...Ne2 2.Qd3 or 1...Ne4 2.Qxe4 or 1...Nxf5 2.Rxf5, Black is
forced to play 2...Bxg2#. However, there is no white first move which
maintains these variations. Instead, after the solution, the response to each
of the three knight moves is changed.} 1. Re3 Ne2 (1... Ne4 2. Rxe4 Bxg2#) (
1... Nxf5 2. Qxf5 Bxg2#) 2. Rxe2 Bxg2# *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.04.18"]
[Round "?"]
[White "2.d4 does not work..."]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C21"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "20"]
[EventDate "2012.04.18"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 {This was suggested as a repertoire idea for White
in the Playing 1.e4 books on our blog. But it does not work.} Bb4+ 4. c3 (4.
Nbd2 Nc6 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Nf6 7. Nxd4) 4... dxc3 5. Nxc3 Bxc3+ (5... Nf6 $2
6. e5 Ne4 7. Qc2 $44 d5 8. Bd3 Nd7 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Ndc5 11. c4 $1 $14 c6 (
11... Bf5 12. cxd5 Nxd3 13. Qxd3 Ng3 14. Qb5+ Bd7 15. Qb2 Nxf1 16. Bg5 Qc8 17.
Qb4 $18) 12. Ba3 Qa5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Bxe4 (14. Bxc5 Nxc5 15. Rfb1 Nxd3 16.
Qxd3 a6 17. Rb2 O-O 18. Rd1 f6) 14... Nxe4 (14... dxe4 15. Nd2 $18) 15. Qb3 b6
16. Bb4 Qb5 17. Nd4 Qc4 18. Qb2 Nc5 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. Nb5 O-O 21. Nc7 $18) 6.
bxc3 Ne7 7. Bc4 (7. e5 Nbc6 $146 8. Ba3 O-O 9. Bc4 d5 10. exd6 cxd6 11. Qxd6
Bg4 $15) 7... O-O $8 (7... d6 $2 8. Ng5 $18 {1-0 Burckhardt,K (1831)-Rose,H 
(1668)/Bad Sooden 2002/EXT 2006 (29)}) (7... d5 $2 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O $16 Bg4
10. Ba3 a6 11. Re1 Re8 12. Qe2 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Qd7 14. d6 Nbc6 15. Qxf7+ {1-0
Hurt,J-Lowe,W/corr 1981/Corr 2000}) (7... Nbc6 $6 $146 8. Ng5 Ne5 9. Bb3 h6 10.
f4 hxg5 11. fxe5 Nc6 12. O-O Nxe5 13. Bxf7+ $3 Nxf7 14. Rxf7 d5 $1 (14... Kxf7
15. Qd5+ Kg6 (15... Kf8 16. Bxg5 Qe8 17. Rf1+) 16. Qf5+ Kh6 17. h4 d6 18. Bxg5+
Kh5 19. g4#) 15. Rxg7 Qd6 16. Qxd5 $1 Qxh2+ 17. Kf2 Rf8+ 18. Ke3 Qg3+ 19. Kd4
$16) 8. O-O (8. e5 Nbc6 $1 (8... d5 9. exd6 Qxd6 10. Qxd6 cxd6 11. Ba3 $11 {
1-0 Viard,D (2472)-Chan,D (2396)/ICCF email 2004/Telechess CBM 122 (55)}) 9.
O-O d5 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. Qxd6 cxd6 12. Rd1 d5 $15) (8. h4 d6 9. Ng5 {1-0
Petrovic,M (2016)-Rajcevic,S (2146)/Belgrade 2006/CBM 110 ext (28)} h6 $1 10.
Qh5 Qe8 $1 $19) 8... d6 (8... Nbc6 9. Rb1 $5 $146 (9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 d6 11. Nd4
Qe8 $15 {1/2-1/2 Malysheva,P (2094)-Stjazhkina,O (2310)/St Petersburg 2001/EXT
2002 (36)}) (9. e5 d5 10. exd6 Qxd6 $15 {1/2-1/2 Velimirovic,D (2558)-Motylev,
A (2552)/Herceg Novi 2000/EXT 2001 (34)}) 9... d6 10. Nd4 (10. Re1 Bg4 $1)
10... d5 11. Bd3 Nxd4 12. cxd4 dxe4 13. Bxe4 Bf5 $1 $15) 9. Rb1 $5 (9. Ba3 Bg4
10. h3 (10. e5 Nbc6 $1 11. exd6 cxd6 12. Qxd6 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Ng6 $15) 10... Bxf3
(10... Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Qb3 Qc8 13. Ng5 Rf6 {0-1 Auer,H-Horelik,L/
Mehlingen 1998/EXT 2001 (32)} 14. f4 $1 $146 Nbc6 15. f5 $16) 11. Qxf3 Nbc6 12.
Qg3 Na5 13. Bd3 Nec6 14. f4 f6 $15) (9. Bg5 Nbc6 10. Bd5 (10. Qe2 Bg4 11. Rab1
Bxf3 12. gxf3 {1-0 Campbell,J-Sheffield,E/Canada 1983/Corr 2000 (53)} Rb8 $17)
10... Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qd7 $15 {0-1 Blazkova,P (2214)-Navabi,S (2107)/
Mallorca 2004/CBM 102 ext (50)}) 9... Nbc6 10. Re1 {1-0 Konnyu,J (2077)-Bakos,
N (1884)/Budapest 1999/EXT 2004 (20)} Bg4 $1 $15 (10... b6 11. Nd4 Bd7 12. Bg5
h6 13. Bh4 Ne5 14. Bb3 N5g6 15. Bg3 Nc6 16. f4 $13) *

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.4"]
[White "Papadopoulos, I."]
[Black "Berg, Emanuel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C06"]
[WhiteElo "2417"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{Emanuel Berg shows his preparation in a sharp game in one of the most
critical variations of the French.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5.
Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. O-O Bd6 11. Nf3 Qc7
12. g3 O-O 13. Bf4 Ng4 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Nc3 e5 {Black has to go forward (or
backwards) as after} (15... Bd7 $2 16. Bxh7+ $1 {he just lose.}) 16. dxe5 Qh6 (
16... Ngxe5 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Be4 $1 $16) 17. h4 Ngxe5 18. Ng5 d4 $1 ({I am
quite sceptical about Black's chances after} 18... Bg4 $6 {. The two critical
lines go:} 19. Be2 $1 (19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Qxd5 (20. Qb1 $2 {Heedt - Jurek, Biel
2000, could have lost immediately, had Black played} Nd4 $1 $146 {followed by .
..Nf3+, winning.}) 20... Rad8 21. Qc5 g6 $44 {was Losev - Moskalenko, Moscow
1995. The critical line now seems to be} 22. f4 Nd3 23. Qe3 Rfe8 24. Nce4 Qg7
25. Rad1 $1 $14) 19... Bxe2 20. Qxd5+ Kh8 21. Nxe2 $14 {Haslinger - Berg,
Liverpool 2007. Black drew, but the position is not comfortable.}) 19. Bxh7+ $1
$146 {The main line, but I am a bit out of my depth here :-).} (19. Ne2 {was
played in Kudrin - Ryan, Port Erin 1999. Here Black is at least equal after}
Bg4 $1 $13 {.}) 19... Kh8 20. Nce4 (20. f4 $5 Ng4 (20... Bg4 21. Qc2 $1 $14
Nf3+ 22. Nxf3 Qxh7 23. Qxh7+ Kxh7 24. Ne4) 21. Nb5 Ne3 22. Qb3 Nxf1 23. Rxf1
$13 {is another interesting variation that Berg has no doubt analysed deeply.})
20... Bg4 21. Qa4 {So far we are following Houdini's recommendations.} Rad8 $5
(21... Be2 22. Rfe1 d3 $44 {is also worth more analysis. For example:} 23. f4
Rxf4 $5 24. gxf4 Qxh4 25. fxe5 Qg4+ $11) 22. f4 Nf3+ 23. Rxf3 $2 (23. Nxf3 Qxh7
24. Neg5 {would have forced Berg to show his preparation. I personally believe
Black is ok, but White should White not be so as well?}) 23... Bxf3 24. Qb3 d3
$1 25. Kh2 $2 {This fails tactically in quite a number of ways.} (25. Nxf3 {
was forced, but after} Qxh7 26. Nfg5 Qh5 $17 {White will struggle for a draw.})
25... Rxf4 $1 {A nice shot. The bishop on h7 is truly far away from the action.
} 26. gxf4 Qxh4+ 27. Nh3 Nd4 28. Qxd3 Qxh7 29. Nef2 (29. Re1 Qg6 $1 {and White
cannot both defend the knight and the g2-square.}) 29... Qh4 {Preparing ...Bc6
and ...Nf3+.} 30. Re1 (30. Rg1 Bc6 31. Rg3 {would probably have forced Black
to win the queen with} Nf3+ 32. Rxf3 Rxd3 33. Rxd3 {, when some technical
challenges remain.}) 30... Bc6 (30... Bg4 $1 {with the idea} 31. Re3 Nf5 {is
brilliant computer chess.}) 31. Re3 Qh5 $1 {It is not even necessary to win
the queen; the attack is thus much to be prefered.} 32. Rg3 Rd7 $2 {Black's
reluctance to not win the queen is understandable, but puts some demands on
him. Here he had to find} (32... Rd6 $1 {, which after} 33. Qe3 Nf3+ 34. Kg2
Rg6 $1 {would have carried the attack to its conclusion.}) 33. Qa3 a6 $6 (33...
Kg8 $1 $17) 34. Rg5 $4 {A sad end to an interesting game. After} (34. Qf8+ Kh7
35. Re3 $15 {would not be so easy to refute.}) 34... Nf3+ 0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "2.16"]
[White "Istratescu, A."]
[Black "Khetsuriani, B."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2636"]
[BlackElo "2336"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÍÏ ÊÁËÁÌÁÔÁÓ "]
[BlackTeam "ÓÁÓ ÊÏÑÙÐÉÏÕ"]

{Today's two annotated games comes a bit late; I apologise, as there were
technical problems in getting the games to me (in PGN form - going through
everything on the live site of a Greek website is beyond my patience, I fear)
I suddenly had to cook for two ungreatful scoundrels, who were later sent
early to bed...} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O Qc7
7. Qe2 d6 8. c4 Be7 9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 b6 11. Nd2 Bb7 12. f4 Nc6 13. N2f3 $1 (
13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Kh1 Nd7 {and ...Bf6 is Black's plan. But White does not have
to be so compliant.}) 13... Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Nd7 $1 $146 {I find this move
pleasant and natural.} ({A previous game continued} 14... g6 15. Nc2 d5 16.
cxd5 exd5 17. e5 Ne4 18. f5 Rae8 19. Kh1 $14 {Palac - Martorelli, Formia 1994,
but probably there were improvements for both players along the way.}) 15. Rad1
Rfe8 {This move looks very standard, but I suspect that this is an inaccuracy.
As we shall see the rook might still have a function on f8, so 15...Bf6 with
something like equality was probably better.} 16. Kh1 Bf6 17. Bb1 Rad8 18. Rd3
g6 {It is already not so easy to suggest good moves for Black.} (18... e5 $6
19. Nf5 Nc5 20. Rg3 $16) 19. Rg3 $1 {Istratescu eyes the weakness of the e6/f7/
g6 constallation; a typical example of what I once called "the missing bishop"
(Bb7 is out of this part of the game).} Bg7 (19... Kh8 20. Rh3 Kg8 21. Qd2 Bg7
22. f5) 20. f5 {It is obvious that White's play is easier at this point.} Be5
$6 (20... Nf6 $1 {was better, but I do not feel that Black has solved all of
his problems.}) 21. fxe6 fxe6 22. Rgf3 $14 Re7 {Black has a lot of poisoned
chalices to drink from.} (22... Bg7 {can be met with an very nice combination
leading to a preferable rook ending:} 23. Nxe6 $1 Rxe6 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Rf7+
Kg8 26. Qf3 Rde8 $1 27. Qc3 Re5 28. Qh3 Rh5 29. Qxd7 Qxd7 30. Rxd7 Bxe4 31.
Bxe4 Rxe4 32. h3 $14 {and White has serious winning chances in the endgame.}) (
22... Nc5 $2 {is just bad because of} 23. b4 $1 $16 {.}) 23. Qf2 Rde8 (23...
Qc5 {is bad for a number of reasons. The human line goes:} 24. Qh4 Rde8 25.
Nxe6 Rxe6 26. Rf7 h5 27. Bxe5 Qxe5 28. Rxd7 $16 {and White has won a pawn.})
24. Bc1 $1 $40 {I like this regroupment quite a bit, even if a computer might
not pick it for the best possible continuation.} (24. Qh4 $5 {was another idea,
but I do not see a direct kill after} Rg7 $14 {.}) 24... Bg7 (24... d5 25. Bh6
$1 $16 {is very unpleasant for Black He has to find 25...Qd8!, where 26.Qe3
and 26.Rf7 still favours White. The main point is} Qc8 26. exd5 exd5 27. Nf5 $3
$16 Re6 (27... gxf5 28. Bxf5 $18) 28. Bg5 $1 dxc4 29. Nh6+ Kh8 30. Rf7 Bc3 $8 (
30... cxb3 31. Rxd7 Qxd7 32. Qf8+ $1 $18) {and now either} 31. Ng4 $1 {or[%cal
Gf2h4]} (31. Qg3 Bb2 32. Qh4 $1 {with the threat Rxh7+, winning.})) 25. Bg5 Ne5
(25... Qc5 26. Bxe7 Rxe7 27. Qh4 g5 28. Qh5 {also gives White a winning attack.
}) 26. Bxe7 Nxf3 27. Nxe6 $3 {The great tactical point of White's play up to
this point.} Qxe7 28. Nxg7 Kxg7 ({The continuation of the desperado sequence
fails to work after} 28... Nxh2 29. Nxe8 Nxf1 30. Nf6+ Kg7 31. Nd5 {, when the
black knight is in trouble. For example:} Bxd5 32. cxd5 Qf8 33. Kg1 Qxf2+ 34.
Kxf2 Nh2 35. Kg3 Nf1+ 36. Kf4 {and the threat of Bd3, trapping the knight and
attacking the a6-pawn forces Black to play} g5+ 37. Kxg5 Ne3 {, which seems to
be quite unrealistic after} 38. g3 {.}) 29. gxf3 $16 {White's extra pawn
constitutes a significant advantage. The next ten moves did not change much,
but Black failed to demand a sign of technique for White by losing on time.}
Qc7 30. Qd4+ Kg8 31. Rd1 Re6 32. Bd3 Qc5 33. Be2 Qxd4 34. Rxd4 g5 35. b4 Kf8
36. Kg2 Ke7 37. Kg3 Kf6 38. f4 gxf4+ 39. Kxf4 Ke7 40. Bg4 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.02"]
[Round "4.6"]
[White "Postny, E."]
[Black "Rapport, R."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2651"]
[BlackElo "2577"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 c4 11. dxe6 fxe6 12. Bc2 {This is of course a main line in
modern theory, but the next move has been played only a handful of times
throughout the 20th century.} Nc5 $5 {The reason why this is not wildly
popular is immediately clear. White can exchange the queens and Black is left
with three pawn islands in the endgame. But on the other hand he is quite
active, so the evaluation of this endgame is not immediately clear.} (12... Qc7
{is the big main line.}) 13. Qe2 $2 $146 {A horrible reaction to the surprise.
Black immediately takes over the initiative.} ({White needs to find an
improvement after} 13. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {, when one game continued:} 14. Be3 Ke8 15.
Rd1 Bb7 16. Ng5 Nfd7 {Averbakh - Szabo, Hamburg 1965. White won this game, but
his position is nothing special at this point.}) 13... Nd3+ $1 14. Bxd3 (14.
Kf1 {was possible, but Black is of course a lot better already.}) 14... cxd3
15. Qe3 b4 $5 {Black fights for the iniatiative constantly.} (15... Bb7 $15 {
seems a bit more natural to me; Black will be able to play ...Bc5 at some
point.}) 16. Nd1 $2 {But of course if this is the reaction, Black should be
very happy with his last move. I am not really sure why Postny did not play} (
16. Na4 $15 {with ideas such as Nb6 and Nc5. And against} Bb7 17. Ng5 {would
muddle the waters somehwat.}) 16... Bb7 17. Ng5 Qd7 $17 {Black is in control.}
18. e5 ({After} 18. O-O Rc8 19. Qh3 Bd6 {Black would keep control. White has
no strong way to gain counterplay; for example:} 20. e5 Bxe5 21. Re1 Rxc1 $1
22. Rxc1 d2 23. Rc8+ Qxc8 24. Rxe5 Bd5 {and Black wins.}) 18... Ng4 19. Qh3 (
19. Qf4 Nh6 20. O-O Nf5 {and ...Nd4 would also secure a close to winning
advantage.}) 19... h5 20. Bd2 {White does not want to lose a piece, but this
is even worse.} ({White does not have enough compensation for the piece after} 
20. O-O d2 21. Bxd2 Qxd2 22. Ne3 Rh6 23. Nxe6 Qd7 24. Nxf8 Kxf8 $17 {, but 20..
.Be7 might be even stronger!}) 20... Be7 21. O-O Rc8 22. Nf3 Rc4 {Black has
many ways to win the game at this point.} 23. Ne3 (23. b3 Re4 24. Ne3 {is
refuted by} Nxe3 25. Bxe3 g5 $3 (25... Qd5 {with the idea ...g5 is also very
strong}) 26. Bxg5 Bxg5 27. Nxg5 Rg4 28. Nf3 {Black can win however he wants
here; but nicest is:} Qd5 29. Kh1 Rxg2 $1 {and White is mated.}) 23... Rf4 $6 (
{Black could have won immediately with} 23... Nxe3 24. Bxe3 (24. fxe3 Rc2 25.
Rad1 Rxb2 {is quite clear cut as well.}) 24... g5 $1 25. Bxg5 Bxg5 26. Nxg5 Rg4
27. Nf3 {and eother 27...Rhg8 or} Qd5 {again.}) 24. Ne1 $6 {After this White's
last hope is gone.} ({White could fight on a bit with} 24. Nxg4 Rxg4 25. Ne1 {
, although his position is greatly unpleasant.}) 24... Nxe5 25. Qg3 g5 {
Patient play, ignoring the tactics.} ({Also possible was} 25... O-O $5 26. Nd5
Qxd5 27. Bxf4 h4 28. Qe3 Nc4 {and Black wins a piece.}) 26. h4 Ng6 27. hxg5 Bd6
28. Nd1 Rg4 29. Qh3 (29. Qe3 Nf4 {and White wins.}) 29... Rh4 30. Qxd3 Bh2+ 31.
Kh1 Qxd3 32. Nxd3 Bf4+ 33. Kg1 Bxd2 0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.7"]
[White "Navara, D."]
[Black "Svetushkin, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E54"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2597"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. d4 {Just a nice little ending that I enjoyed.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3
O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Qe2
Nbd7 12. Ne5 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qc7 14. Nxd7 Qxd7 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Rad1 Kh8 17. d5
Rg8 18. Qf3 f5 19. g3 Qc7 20. Bb3 Rad8 21. Rd4 Qe5 22. Rfd1 Rd7 23. Qh5 Bxd5
24. Bxd5 exd5 25. c4 Rgd8 26. Rh4 Qg7 27. Qxf5 Qg6 28. Qxg6 fxg6 29. Rhd4 Kg7
30. cxd5 Kf6 31. f4 Ke7 32. g4 Kd6 33. Rc4 Ke7 34. Re4+ Kd6 35. Kf2 Kc5 36. Ke3
Rxd5 37. Rxd5+ Rxd5 38. Re7 h5 (38... a5 39. Rxh7 b5 40. g5 a4 41. h4 b4 42. h5
gxh5 43. g6 Rd8 44. f5 $18) 39. g5 a5 (39... Rd1 40. Rxa7 h4 41. Rc7+ Kd6 42.
Rg7) 40. Re6 Rd6 41. Rxd6 Kxd6 42. a4 $18 h4 43. Ke4 Ke7 44. f5 gxf5+ 45. Kxf5
b5 46. axb5 a4 47. b6 a3 48. b7 a2 49. b8=Q a1=Q 50. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 51. Kxe5 Kf7
52. Kf5 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Macieja, B."]
[Black "Hammer, J."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2614"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8.
bxc3 b5 9. a4 c6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Ne5 a6 12. g3 Bb7 13. Bg2 Qe7 14. O-O O-O
15. f4 Re8 16. Qb1 f6 17. Qg6 Ra7 18. Be4 f5 19. Bf3 Rd8 20. g4 c5 21. axb5
Bxf3 22. Nxf3 fxg4 23. Qxg4 cxd4 24. Nxd4 axb5 25. Rxa7 Qxa7 26. Qxe6+ Kh8 27.
e3 Qa5 28. f5 Rg8 29. Rc1 b4 30. cxb4 Qxb4 31. Qxc4 Qa3 32. Rc3 Qa1+ 33. Rc1
Qa3 34. Qc3 Qa8 35. Qc7 Qe4 36. Kf2 Na6 37. Qd6 Qh4+ 38. Ke2 Qg4+ 39. Kf2 Qh4+
40. Ke2 Qg4+ 41. Kd3 Ra8 42. Rb1 Re8 43. Qc6 Re5 44. Kd2 {Here White had a
computer solution.} (44. h3 $3 Qxh3 (44... Qg3 45. Qxa6 $18) 45. Qxa6 Qxe3+ 46.
Kc4 Re8 47. Qc6 Rd8 48. Qc5 $16) 44... Qh3 45. Re1 Nc5 46. Kc2 Ne4 47. Kb2 Nf6
48. Qa8+ Re8 49. Qf3 Qxh2+ 50. Re2 Qc7 51. Qc6 Qa5 52. e4 Ra8 53. Nb3 Qa3+ 54.
Kc2 Rb8 55. Nc1 Qb2+ 56. Kd1 Qd4+ 57. Ke1 Qg1+ 58. Kd2 Rd8+ 59. Kc2 Qd1+ 60.
Kb1 Qd4 61. Nb3 Qd3+ 62. Qc2 Qb5 63. e5 Nd5 64. Rd2 Rb8 65. f6 gxf6 66. Kb2 Ne3
67. Qc3 Nc4+ 68. Kc1 Nxd2 69. Nxd2 Qxe5 0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.6"]
[White "Lubbe, N."]
[Black "Rapport, R."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B54"]
[WhiteElo "2410"]
[BlackElo "2577"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÓÏ ÐÁÔÑÙÍ"]
[BlackTeam "ÐÁÍÉÙÍÉÏÓ ÃÓÓ"]

{The second game by Rapport to be annotated during this event. Again he showed
great aggressive positional play with Black and won a good game.} 1. e4 c5 2.
Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 {Not a very aggressive variation
as the best of times.} b5 7. Bg2 Bb7 8. O-O Be7 9. Re1 (9. Qg4 {is the type of
move I would naturally gravitate towards here. But Black has a reasonable
resource in} h5 $1 10. Qe2 {Barczay - Mueller, Balatonbereny 1995. And now} h4
$5 $146 {with good counterplay.}) 9... Nc6 10. Nxc6 (10. a4 {seems the most
normal reaction.} b4 11. Na2 a5 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. c3 bxc3 14. Nxc3 Qd7 {was
played in Rublevsky - Dominguez Perez, Poikovsky 2005. Interesting is now} 15.
Nb5 $5 $146 {,with the idea} Bxb5 16. axb5 Qxb5 17. Bf1 $1 Qd7 18. Qb3 $44)
10... Bxc6 11. Qd4 {I am not sure what the queen is supposed to achieve here?}
Nf6 12. Bg5 Qc7 13. Rad1 Rc8 {A very slight inaccuracy.} (13... O-O {was the
right move. Black has no problems.}) 14. Re3 $2 {An odd move. This usually
makes sense when the rook can go to g3 or h3 only.} ({White had a chance to
improve his only misplaced piece with} 14. Nd5 $1 {, forcing Black to play}
Bxd5 (14... exd5 $2 15. exd5 Ba8 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Qxf6 Rf8 18. Bh3 Kd8 19. Qf5
$18 {gives White a devastating attack.}) 15. exd5 e5 16. Qd2 {,when I would
rather have the two bishops. The tactical point is that} Qxc2 17. Rc1 Qf5 {
gives White} 18. Rxc8+ Qxc8 19. Rc1 $14 {and Rc6 with pressure.}) 14... O-O {
White is slightly oddly placed and has probably already missed the chance to
be equal. If I saw this position for the first time, I would consider Ree1...}
15. Bxf6 {The question is if this makes things better or worse?} Bxf6 $1 {
Obviously; Black is happy to give up his only weakness for black squared
control.} 16. Qxd6 Qb7 {No endgame at this point.} 17. Qf4 (17. a3 {is maybe
better, not to have a weak a-pawn later on.} a5 18. Red3 {with the idea} b4 19.
axb4 axb4 20. Na2 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 Qxe4 22. Qxb4 Qxb4 23. Nxb4 Bxb2 {and White
has reasonable drawing chances here.}) 17... b4 18. e5 (18. Ne2 Qe7 $15 {also
points to the e3-rook being badly placed.}) 18... Bg5 $1 19. Bxc6 (19. Qxg5
Bxg2 20. Ne2 Rxc2 {and White's position is falling apart faster than the
austerity economies.}) 19... Qe7 $1 {Black picks up a fully earned material
advantage.} 20. Qe4 Bxe3 21. Na4 Qc7 (21... Rfd8 $1 {was slightly more
accurate:} 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 $15 {based on} 23. fxe3 $2 Qd1+ 24. Kg2 Rd8 $1 $19 {.
}) 22. Bb7 Rb8 23. Bxa6 $2 {The final mistake. White is also worse after} (23.
Bc6 Bb6 24. Rd7 Qc8 $15 {, but a bit of hope exists.}) 23... Bxf2+ $1 24. Kg2
Ba7 25. Kh3 f5 26. exf6 Rxf6 27. Bd3 Rh6+ 28. Kg2 Qa5 29. b3 Qh5 30. Rh1 Qh3+
31. Kf3 Rh4 $1 {A nice but unnecessary trick shot, leading to mate in 13!} 32.
Qxh4 Rf8+ 33. Qf4 Qh5+ 0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Caruana, F. (2770)."]
[Black "Macieja, B. (2614)."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B48"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 Nf6 8.
O-O-O Be7 9. f3 O-O 10. g4 b5 11. g5 Nh5 12. Kb1 Nxd4 $5 {This is a novel
approach. The main line has for some time been:} (12... Ne5 13. f4 Ng4 14. e5 {
, when equality is a bit elusive.} Bb7 (14... b4 $6 15. Ne4 Bb7 16. Bg2 d6 17.
Nf6+ $1 Bxf6 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. exf6 $14 {Quesada Perez - Laznicka, Havana 2012.
}) 15. Rg1 Nxe3 (15... b4 16. Rxg4 bxc3 17. Qxc3 Qxc3 18. bxc3 Rfc8 19. c4 g6
20. Ka1 Rab8 21. Rb1 d6 22. Be2 Ng7 23. Rgg1 dxe5 24. fxe5) 16. Qxe3 b4 (16...
g6 17. Bg2 Bxg2 18. Rxg2 d5 19. exd6 Qxd6 20. Nf5 Qc5 21. Nxe7+ Qxe7 22. Rgd2
$14 {N. Kosintseva - Munguntuul, Nalchik 2011.}) 17. Ne4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 d5 ({
Believe in the classics. Black's best chance probably arises after} 18... g6 $5
19. Be2 Ng7 $13 {Erdogdu - Miladinovic, Skopje 2002. It would have been
interesting to see what the opening expert Motylev had prepared here.} 20. h4 (
20. Qd3 Bc5 21. Rge1 Rac8 22. Nb3 Rfd8 23. Nxc5 Qxc5 24. Rd2 d6 25. exd6 Nf5
26. d7 Rc7 27. Qxa6 Rdxd7 28. Red1 Rd5) 20... d5 21. Qd3 Bc5 22. h5 Rfc8 23.
Rc1) 19. exd6 $1 (19. Qe3 $2 g6 20. Be2 Ng7 $15 {Inarkiev - Movsesian, Rogaska
Slatina 2011.}) 19... Bxd6 20. f5 $14 exf5 21. Nxf5 Rfe8 22. Qf3 Bc5 $2 23. Rg4
$1 $16 {Motylev - Laznicka, Poikovsky 2011.}) 13. Qxd4 g6 (13... Rd8 14. Qb6
Qxb6 15. Bxb6 Bxg5 16. Rg1 Be7 17. Bxd8 Bxd8) 14. Qd2 $146 {I find it hard to
believe that this slow manoeuvre is going to put Black theoretial problems,
but of course there are some practical problems to pay attention to.} (14. Bh3
b4 (14... Nf4 15. Bg4 Ng2 16. Bc1 Bc5 17. Qd3) 15. Ne2 (15. Na4 $5) 15... d5
16. exd5 Rd8 17. Qb6 Qxb6 18. Bxb6 Rxd5 19. Rxd5 exd5 20. Bg4 Ng7 {lead to
equal chances in Saric - Movsesian, Porto Carras 2011.} (20... Bd6 21. Bxh5 (
21. Rd1 Bxg4 22. fxg4 Re8 23. Nc1 Nf4) 21... gxh5 22. Rd1 Bxh2 23. Rxd5 Bb7 24.
Rd3 Re8 25. Nc1 h4)) 14... Rd8 $5 {I do not particularly like the rook here,
there are later problems with Bb6. But it has its plusses as well.} (14... Rb8
$1 {is probably an improvement here. Black awaits} 15. Ne2 (15. Qf2 {, against
which he can play} Bb7 $11 {with the idea of ...b4 and ...d5.}) 15... d5 16.
Ng3 Ng7 17. e5) 15. Qf2 Rb8 16. Bd3 {White has seemingly not achieved much,
but Black is not forced to come up with a plan.} d5 $1 {The only move that
makes sense out of the last few Black moves.} (16... Rf8 {is a Houdini
suggestion. The point is to play ...Bb7 and then ...Rfc8.}) 17. exd5 b4 $1 (
17... exd5 18. f4 $14) 18. d6 $5 ({I think Black would have found it harder to
meet} 18. Na4 Rxd5 19. f4 {, although his position is only marginally worse.}
e5 20. fxe5 Be6 21. b3 Rxe5 22. Bb6 Qc6 23. h4) 18... Rxd6 19. Ne4 Rd7 20. Rhe1
Bb7 (20... Nf4 $5 {makes sense too. Get the bad night to d5 and let it control
the board.}) 21. Bb6 Qf4 22. h4 Rc8 23. b3 Bf8 24. Bd4 {Black is ok, but he
cannot really do much. The same is the case with his opponent. The important
thing is therefore not to hang anything.} Rcd8 $2 {But this is exactly what
Black starts to do!} (24... Rd5 $5 $11 {is a pleasant looking non-doing sort
of move, which covers the c5-square as a bonus.}) 25. Bf6 $1 Be7 ({Black
should maybe consider the exchange sacrifice} 25... Bxe4 $5 26. Bxd8 Bxd3 27.
Rxd3 Rxd3 28. cxd3 Qd6 $14 {, where Black can fight for a draw with a real
chance of success.}) 26. Bxe7 Rxe7 27. Qb6 $6 {This shows how difficult chess
is. White wins a pawn and gets winning chances. Of course the Italian no. 1
goes for it. But actually there was a much stronger move:} (27. Bxa6 $3 $16 {
The b4-pawn is still exposed after this blow. The main point to it is that}
Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Bxa6 $2 {fails to} 29. Rd8+ Kg7 30. Qd4+ f6 31. Rd7 $1 {with
mate in not too many moves.}) 27... Red7 $2 {A further blunder; one mistake is
a rare sight, they usually travel in pairs.} (27... Qc7 {was necessary. After}
28. Qxb4 Red7 {White has won a pawn, but still have some structural problems.
Winning this is not going to be easy; for example:} 29. Be2 Bxe4 30. fxe4 Rxd1+
31. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 32. Bxd1 Ng3 33. Kb2 Qf4 $14) 28. Nc5 $1 {White just wins
material. What did Black miss?} Bxf3 29. Nxd7 Rxd7 30. Rf1 $5 ({Even simpler
was} 30. Be2 $1 {on account of} Rxd1+ 31. Rxd1 $1 Bxe2 32. Rd8+ Kg7 33. Qc5 {
with mate.}) 30... Qg3 31. Rd2 e5 32. Qxb4 Bg4 33. Bc4 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.05"]
[Round "7.2"]
[White "Kotronias, V."]
[Black "Kapnisis, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÓÁ ÊÏÑÉÍÈÉÁÓ "]
[BlackTeam "ÅÏÁÏ "]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Bb7 8. d3
d6 9. Nc3 Na5 10. Ba2 b4 11. Ne2 b3 {A common idea in various lines, but in
this case I don't believe Black gets enough compensation.} ({Black has various
alternatives, but one sensible option is} 11... Rb8 {planning to meet} 12. c3 {
with} b3) 12. Bxb3 Nxb3 13. cxb3 O-O (13... h6 {avoids the nasty pin that
occurs in the game, but I still prefer White. For example: Hagarova -
Skripchenko, Halle 1995, continued} 14. Ng3 O-O 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. fxe3 $14) 14.
Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 g5 $6 {Black is unafraid, but maybe he should be. However, the
pin was a major irritation.} 16. Nxg5 {White will immediately have three pawns
for the piece, plus a vicious pin, a beautiful outpost for the knight on f5
and an exposed king to fire at. It should be enough...} hxg5 17. Bxg5 {A major
decision point for Black.} d5 {This feels right.} (17... Kg7 {is also
plausible, heading for g6, but Black is just trying to hang on, not refute
White's sacrifice.}) 18. Ng3 Qd6 $2 {Unpinning but now Black loses by force.} (
{A tougher defence was} 18... Be7 {For example:} 19. Nf5 (19. f4 $5 Bc8 20.
fxe5 Ng4) 19... Bc8 20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 {Now White has various ways to grab more
material but the black king is less likely to get quickly mated.} {One good
way to start is} 21. Qc1 $16) 19. Rc1 $1 $18 {All the action seemed to be on
the kingside, but Kotronias plays across the whole board. Black's pawn sac on
move 11 opened the c-file which is now highly relevant, much more so than the
weakness of White's doubled b-pawns.} Bb6 {This bishop is performing a vital
role pinning the f2-pawn (thus stopping f2-f4) and defending the c7-pawn. When
one notes that this double role is only possible from b6, an idea springs to
mind...} 20. a5 $1 {A clever deflection. To end the game White just needs to
get one of his rooks near the enemy king, and there are various ways to do
that. For example:} (20. Nf5 $5 Qe6 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Qg4+ Kh7 23. d4 $1 {
Planning Rc3-h3.} Bxd4 24. Rxc7 $18) 20... Bxa5 ({Also hopeless is} 20... Ba7 {
as c7 eventually drops after:} 21. Nf5 Qe6 22. Bxf6 Qxf6 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Qh5+
Kg8 25. Rxc7) 21. Nf5 Qe6 22. Bxf6 Qxf6 23. Qg4+ Kh8 ({Of course} 23... Qg6 {
allows} 24. Ne7+) 24. f4 $1 {Black resigned, as he has no answer to Rf3-h3,
and White has other threats also.} (24. f4 Qg6 {fails simply to} 25. Qh4+ Kg8
26. Ne7+) 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.14"]
[White "Vlahos, K."]
[Black "Hadzimanolis, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2243"]
[BlackElo "2290"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/p3pp2/6p1/1pnN2N1/2B1P3/8/Pb3PP1/R2Q1K1R w - - 0 18"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{White to play and win!}  1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.14"]
[White "Vlahos, K."]
[Black "Hadzimanolis, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2243"]
[BlackElo "2290"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bq1rk1/p3pp2/6p1/1pnN2N1/2B1P3/8/Pb3PP1/R2Q1K1R w - - 0 18"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

18. Nf6+ $1 {Threatening Bxf7+.} (18. Nxf7 $5 Kxf7 19. Rh7+ Bg7 20. Qf3+ Ke8
21. Qg3 Qd6 $1 $14) 18... Kg7 19. Nh5+ $3 gxh5 (19... Kh8 20. Nxf7+) 20. Qxh5
Qb6 21. Qh7+ Kf6 22. Qh6+ Ke5 23. Nf3+ 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.3"]
[White "Videnova, I."]
[Black "Socko, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2313"]
[BlackElo "2484"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1rbq1rk1/p3b1pp/1nnNp3/3pP1B1/2pP4/5N2/PPPQ2PP/2KR1B1R b - - 0 14"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÓÁ ×ÁÍÉÙÍ"]
[BlackTeam "ÓÁ ÊÏÑÉÍÈÉÁÓ "]

{Black to play.}  1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.3"]
[White "Videnova, I."]
[Black "Socko, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2313"]
[BlackElo "2484"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1rbq1rk1/p3b1pp/1nnNp3/3pP1B1/2pP4/5N2/PPPQ2PP/2KR1B1R b - - 0 14"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÓÁ ×ÁÍÉÙÍ"]
[BlackTeam "ÓÁ ÊÏÑÉÍÈÉÁÓ "]

14... Na4 $2 (14... c3 $3 15. bxc3 (15. Qe3 $142 cxb2+ $19) 15... Bxd6 16. Bxd8
(16. exd6 Qxd6 $19) 16... Ba3+ 17. Kb1 Nc4+ 18. Ka1 Bb2+ 19. Kb1 Na3#) 15. Bxe7
Qxe7 16. b3 $14 Nb4 17. Kb1 Qc7 18. a3 Nxc2 19. Kxc2 Rxb3 20. Rb1 Qb6 21. Rxb3
Qxb3+ 22. Kc1 Qxa3+ 23. Kd1 Ba6 24. Qc1 Nb2+ 25. Ke2 Qa2 26. Ke3 Rb8 27. Be2
Na4 28. Re1 Rb3+ 29. Kf2 Rb2 30. Qg5 h6 31. Qg6 Nc3 32. Qxe6+ Kh7 33. Qf5+ Kg8
34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. Qf8+ Kh7 36. Ng1 Nxe2 37. Qf5+ Kg8 38. Qf7+ Kh8 39. Rxe2 c3
40. Qf8+ Kh7 41. Qf5+ Kg8 42. Qf7+ Kh8 43. Nf5 Rxe2+ 44. Nxe2 Qxe2+ 45. Kg3
Qd3+ 46. Kh4 Qe4+ 47. g4 Qe1+ 48. Kh5 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.3"]
[White "Kalaitzoglou, P."]
[Black "Nikolaidis, I."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2154"]
[BlackElo "2557"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/6p1/2b2p1p/1p2pP1P/1P2k1P1/P3B3/5K2 w - - 0 55"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{White to draw, but how?}  0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.3"]
[White "Kalaitzoglou, P."]
[Black "Nikolaidis, I."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2154"]
[BlackElo "2557"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/6p1/2b2p1p/1p2pP1P/1P2k1P1/P3B3/5K2 w - - 0 55"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

55. Bd1 $2 (55. Ke1 $1 Bd4 56. Kf1 Bc3 57. Bd1 $11 Kd2 58. Be2 e3 59. Ba6 Kd1
60. Be2+ Kc2) 55... Kd2 56. Be2 Bg1 $3 57. Bc4 Bh2 (57... e3 $5) 58. Bf7 e3 0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "2.11"]
[White "Guramishvili, S."]
[Black "Sarandos, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2408"]
[BlackElo "2241"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1rb2rk1/3n1pnp/p3p1p1/2p3PP/4N3/qB2PN2/P1QP1P2/R3K2R w KQ - 0 20"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÓÌÓ ÅËÅÕÓÉÍÁÓ"]
[BlackTeam "ÓÏ ÉÊÁÑÉÁÓ "]

{White is better surely, but what is the strongest move?}  1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "2.11"]
[White "Guramishvili, S."]
[Black "Sarandos, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2408"]
[BlackElo "2241"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1rb2rk1/3n1pnp/p3p1p1/2p3PP/4N3/qB2PN2/P1QP1P2/R3K2R w KQ - 0 20"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÓÌÓ ÅËÅÕÓÉÍÁÓ"]
[BlackTeam "ÓÏ ÉÊÁÑÉÁÓ "]

20. Ne5 $3 f5 21. Nxd7 Bxd7 22. Nf6+ $18 Rxf6 23. gxf6 Nxh5 24. Rxh5 gxh5 25.
Qxf5 Kf7 26. Qxh5+ Kxf6 27. Qh4+ 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "	Zawadzka,  Jolanta"]
[Black "Papadopoulou, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2361"]
[BlackElo "2189"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/1bqnbppp/p3p3/2ppP3/5P2/1PNB4/PBP1Q1PP/4RR1K w - - 0 16"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÅÓ ÈÅÓÓÁËÏÍÉÊÇÓ"]
[BlackTeam "ÐÓ ÐÅÑÉÓÔÅÑÉÏÕ"]

{How should White proceed?}  0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "	Zawadzka,  Jolanta"]
[Black "Papadopoulou, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2361"]
[BlackElo "2189"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/1bqnbppp/p3p3/2ppP3/5P2/1PNB4/PBP1Q1PP/4RR1K w - - 0 16"]
[PlyCount "2"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÅÓ ÈÅÓÓÁËÏÍÉÊÇÓ"]
[BlackTeam "ÐÓ ÐÅÑÉÓÔÅÑÉÏÕ"]

16. f5 exf5 {With you so far, but how were you planning to continue?} 0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.01"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "	Zawadzka,  Jolanta"]
[Black "Papadopoulou, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2361"]
[BlackElo "2189"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/1bqnbppp/p3p3/2ppP3/5P2/1PNB4/PBP1Q1PP/4RR1K w - - 0 16"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "ÅÓ ÈÅÓÓÁËÏÍÉÊÇÓ"]
[BlackTeam "ÐÓ ÐÅÑÉÓÔÅÑÉÏÕ"]

16. f5 $1 exf5 17. Rxf5 $4 {Hopefully not like this?} (17. e6 $1 fxe6 18. Qxe6+
Kh8 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Nf6 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Qxf5 $18) 17... Bf6 18. Na4 $4
{And certainly not like this!!} (18. Be4 $1 dxe4 19. exf6 Nxf6 20. Na4 $14)
18... d4 $19 19. c3 Rxe5 20. Rxe5 Bxe5 21. Bf5 dxc3 22. Nxc3 Bf6 23. Qd3 Nf8
24. Be4 Bxe4 25. Qxe4 Qa7 26. Qc4 Rd8 27. Ba3 Ne6 28. Ne4 Bd4 29. Rd1 Qb6 30.
Rc1 Be3 31. Rf1 Qb5 32. h3 Qxc4 33. bxc4 Rd3 34. Bb2 h6 35. Be5 f6 36. Bc7 Nxc7
0-1

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Socko, M."]
[Black "Moser, E."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A84"]
[WhiteElo "2484"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5r1k/2r3p1/3p3p/1p1P1P2/1P1QnP1q/4R3/1BR4P/6K1 b - - 0 36"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{How would you play as Black?}  1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Socko, M."]
[Black "Moser, E."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A84"]
[WhiteElo "2484"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5r1k/2r3p1/3p3p/1p1P1P2/1P1QnP1q/4R3/1BR4P/6K1 b - - 0 36"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

36... Rfc8 $3 {Only this! But now let us turn the tables: What is White's only
move?} 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Socko, M."]
[Black "Moser, E."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A84"]
[WhiteElo "2484"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5r1k/2r3p1/3p3p/1p1P1P2/1P1QnP1q/4R3/1BR4P/6K1 b - - 0 36"]
[PlyCount "12"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

36... Qxf4 $4 (36... Rfc8 $3 37. h3 $3 {The only move as you can see in the
following variations:} (37. Rxe4 Qg4+ 38. Rg2 Rc1+ 39. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 40. Kf2 Rc2+
41. Ke1 Rxg2 $19) (37. Ree2 Qg4+ 38. Rg2 Qxg2+ $3 39. Kxg2 (39. Rxg2 Rc1+)
39... Rxc2+ 40. Kh3 Nf6 {with the threat of ...R8c4-+.} 41. Ba1 Ra8 42. Qg1
Ra3+ 43. Kh4 Rc4 $1 44. Bxf6 (44. Qf1 Nxd5) 44... Rxf4+ 45. Kh5 Rxf5+) 37...
Qxf4 38. Rxc7 (38. Rxe4 Qg3+) 38... Qf2+ 39. Kh1 Qf1+ 40. Kh2 Qf2+ 41. Kh1 Rxc7
42. Rxe4 Qf1+ 43. Qg1 Qxh3+ 44. Qh2 Qxh2+ 45. Kxh2 Rc2+ 46. Kg3 Rxb2 47. Re6
$11) 37. Rxe4 Qxf5 38. Rf2 Qg6+ 39. Rg2 Qf5 40. Re1 Re7 41. Rd1 Rf6 42. Qg4 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Miton, K."]
[Black "Kapnisis, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E16"]
[WhiteElo "2622"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4r2/1b2qpkp/p2p1np1/1ppPn3/4P2Q/2N3P1/PP1N1PBP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

{A more strategic position. How should White continue?}  1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Miton, K."]
[Black "Kapnisis, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E16"]
[WhiteElo "2622"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4r2/1b2qpkp/p2p1np1/1ppPn3/4P2Q/2N3P1/PP1N1PBP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

21. f4 Nd3 22. e5 Ng8 23. Qxe7 Nxe7 24. exd6 Nf5 {Ok, you might have made it
this far, but what was your plan?} 1-0

[Event "40th Greek Team Championship 2012"]
[Site "Porto Rio Hotel"]
[Date "2012.07.04"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Miton, K."]
[Black "Kapnisis, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E16"]
[WhiteElo "2622"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4r2/1b2qpkp/p2p1np1/1ppPn3/4P2Q/2N3P1/PP1N1PBP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2012.06.30"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]

21. f4 $1 Nd3 22. e5 Ng8 23. Qxe7 Nxe7 24. exd6 Nf5 25. Re7 $1 {A powerful
move; White is edging on winning.} Rab8 26. b3 Nxd6 27. Nde4 Nxe4 28. Bxe4 c4
29. Bxd3 cxd3 30. Rxd3 Rfe8 31. Rxe8 Rxe8 32. Kf2 Kf8 33. d6 Rd8 34. Ke3 Bc6
35. Rd4 f5 36. Nd5 Rxd6 37. Nc7 Rf6 38. Rd8+ Ke7 39. Rh8 h5 40. Nxa6 Re6+ 41.
Kd4 Re2 42. Nb4 Bd7 43. h4 Kd6 44. a3 Rg2 45. Ra8 Be6 46. Ra6+ Ke7 47. Nc6+ Kf8
48. b4 Rxg3 49. Ne5 Ke7 50. Kc5 Bc4 51. Nxg6+ Kd8 52. Ne5 Bf1 53. Ra7 Rg2 54.
Kd6 Rd2+ 55. Ke6 Rh2 56. Nc6+ Kc8 57. Kd6 Rd2+ 58. Kc5 Bg2 59. Kb6 Bxc6 60.
Kxc6 1-0

[Event "Scottish Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.07.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Thorfinnsson, Bragi"]
[Black "Sengupta, Deep"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2548"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{My good friend Donald Holmes was awarded the best game prize at the Scottish
Championship, but although I was happy for him, this game was my favourite.} 1.
d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bb4 6. e3 b5 7. Bd2 a5 8. axb5 Bxc3
9. Bxc3 cxb5 10. b3 Bb7 11. bxc4 b4 12. Bb2 Nf6 13. Bd3 Nbd7 14. O-O O-O 15.
Nd2 h6 16. Bc2 $146 {A relatively harmless improvement on theory. Black is
fine here.} (16. Qc2 Qc7 17. e4 e5 18. c5 exd4 19. Bxd4 Rfc8 20. Rfc1 Ng4 $15 {
was Akshat - Sengupta, Canberra 2012.}) 16... Qc7 17. f3 Rfe8 18. Kh1 e5 19. d5
Ba6 $6 (19... Nb6 $1 $13) 20. Ba4 Re7 21. f4 $1 $14 {Opening up for the
b2-bishop.} exf4 22. exf4 Qb6 (22... Re3 $5 23. Rc1 Rc8 24. Bc6 $14) 23. Bc6
Bb7 $2 {A blunder that allows White to conclude the game with a nice
combination.} (23... Rd8 $14) 24. c5 $3 {Using the overloaded status of the
black queen.} Nxc5 (24... Qa6 25. Bxb7 Qxb7 26. c6 $18) 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Qg4+
Kf8 27. Qh4 Kg7 (27... Bxc6 28. Qxh6+ Ke8 29. Nc4 Qa6 30. dxc6 Qxc6 31. Ne5 $18
) 28. Rf3 Rg8 (28... Qd8 29. Rg3+ Kh7 30. Bxb7 Nxb7 31. Qg4 Qh8 32. Qf5#) 29.
Rg3+ Kh7 30. Rh3 1-0

[Event "119th Scottish Chess CH 2012"]
[Site "Glasgow"]
[Date "2012.07.15"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Hebden, Mark L"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2506"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]
[EventCountry "SCO"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{By winning this game I took the 119th Scottish Championship title - and
shared 1st-5th place in the event.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {It was a few
days after the event that I realised that I played the Scotch to win the
Scottish!} exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Ne4 7. Be3 Qe7 $146 {A new move.
After 7...d5, we had prepared 8.Nd2 with a slight edge for White.} (7... Rb8 {
is another interesting untried move. Here White could try} 8. Nd2 $5 Nxd2 9.
Qxd2 Rxb2 10. a3 {, when the pressure against a7 and the general lead in
development could lead to an edge for White:} Be7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O c5 13.
Qc3 Rb6 14. Bxc5 Rc6 15. Bxe7 Rxc3 16. Bxd8 Rxd8 17. Rfb1 $14) 8. Qd4 $1 {
White has to accept the exchange of queens or be worse.} Qb4+ {I expected this.
} ({After} 8... Nc5 9. Nd2 Ne6 10. Qe4 $14 {I like White.}) 9. Qxb4 Bxb4+ 10.
Nd2 {Black exchanges his good bishop and has for this reason logically lost
the opening battle. Best was} ({Maybe White is better off playing} 10. Ke2 $5 {
, when the threats against the black knight force} Be7 11. Nd2 Nxd2 12. Kxd2
$14 {, which is probably a bit better for White, although it is not much.})
10... Bxd2+ $6 (10... Nxd2 11. Bxd2 Bc5 12. f4 d6 13. O-O-O $14 {when White's
advantage is very minimal.}) 11. Bxd2 {To my shame I offered a draw here, just
wanting to escape from a "drawish" ending. Stupid and lazy. Mark was clearly
disgusted with me and just refused. My only defence is that I did not come up
with ...Qe7-b4, exchanging queens...} Nxd2 12. Kxd2 Rb8 13. b3 $14 {White's
chances should be slightly better here, although I fear that top class players
will expect to draw this with Black every time.} d6 14. Re1 Be6 15. Bd3 Kd7 16.
f4 (16. Re4 $5 {was my other idea, but I wanted to put pressure on his bishop
after his last move.}) 16... c5 17. Rhf1 {Preparing before acting; basic
strategy.} f5 $2 {Black cracks under the pressure. It was better to play} (
17... Rhe8 $14 {.}) 18. exf6 $6 {Quite a natural reaction, creating split
pawns and the possibility of an advantage with Bf5+. But White had a fantastic
move here:} (18. exd6 $3 {This is absolutely deadly if Black accepts a Re1-e5
with full control. And after} cxd6 19. Re3 {he will lose material. The main
point is} g6 20. Rfe1 Rhe8 21. a4 $1 {and there is no defence against Bb5(+).})
18... gxf6 19. Rf2 $1 Bf7 $2 {This looks like a total blunder. The correct
defence was} (19... Rbe8 20. Rfe2 Bf7 21. Rxe8 Bxe8 {and Black is worse, but
White is not penetrating his position as easily as in the game.}) 20. Bf5+ Kc6
21. Re7 {I felt sure that the position was winning here.} Rbf8 22. Rfe2 Bg6 {
I sort of expected and not expected this move. I could not see other active
moves for him and thus expected it, but at the same time I had something
strong prepared against it, that I did not think he would allow. In the end 
(which came soon after the beginning) he made this move without too much
consideration.} 23. Bd7+ $1 (23. Be6 {was of course also attractive, but I did
not want to allow him to play the passive looking} f5 {, when the f4-pawn is
at least stopped. The computers might love it, but they do not see the long
term patterns.}) 23... Kb6 24. f5 Bf7 (24... Bh5 25. R2e4 {with the idea Rh4
should win for White as well. For example:} Rfg8 26. g3 Bf3 27. Rf4 Bc6 28. Be6
Rf8 {Otherwise the f6-pawn falls.} 29. Rg4 $1 {and the appearance on g7
secures White complete domination. Soon he will bring his king to f4 and
create a passed f-pawn. Or win something on the 7th rank. It all depends on
how Black reacts.}) 25. Be6 Bxe6 (25... Be8 {is not working. White plays
Re2-e3-g3 and is winning.}) 26. fxe6 Kc6 27. Ke3 $1 h5 28. Kf4 h4 29. Rf7 Re8
30. Rxf6 Rh5 31. Kg4 Rh7 32. Rf7 $5 (32. c4 $18) 32... Rxe6 33. Rxc7+ Rxc7 34.
Rxe6 Rg7+ 35. Kh3 Rf7 ({During the game I wondered if Mark was going for} 35...
Rh7 36. Re4 Rf7 {, when I was planning to take on h4 with the rook and win the
race. But of course I could keep things simple by just playing} 37. Re2 {,
transposing to the game.}) 36. Re2 Rf4 37. g4 hxg3 38. Kxg3 {For some reason
Mark wrote hxg3 on his scoresheet without looking up. I definitely want the
pawn as far away from the black king as possible. Actually I was surprised
that he did not simply resign here. As far as I could see his position was
hopeless.} Rf8 39. h4 Kd5 40. h5 Kd4 41. c4 $5 {I wanted to fix his pawn on d6
and not allow his king to be strong on c3. But actually it would be weak and
the d-pawn cannot advance without being exchanged anyway. I was clearly being
too superficial at this point and decided to slow down. An easy win would have
been achieved by} (41. Kg4 {and a simple march up the board.}) 41... a5 {Here
I thought for maybe 40 minutes to get my head around everything. I was sure
that I was winning, but not that the margin was as great as it actually is.
The main thing is to avoid that Black wins the b3-pawn.} 42. Kg4 a4 43. h6 {
This is a simple human way to play. The king supports the h-pawn and the
tactics gets minimised.} Kc3 44. Re3+ (44. Kg5 $2 axb3 45. axb3 Kxb3 46. Re4 {
does not win. Black manages to make a draw with} Rd8 $1 {, when he will get
his passed pawn quite soon.}) 44... Kb2 45. Kh5 (45. bxa4 d5 {was too messy
for me, even though I felt sure that pawns on d7 and h7 against a rook (with
the black king lost in the far corner) was enough to win. One of the things I
did not want was to allow queen against rook; won in theory, but not always in
practice.}) 45... d5 (45... a3 46. Re2+ Kb1 47. h7 {also wins easily for White.
I had calculated a long line, but easiest is just Rh2 and go with the king to
take the d6-pawn.}) 46. cxd5 Kxa2 ({I had actually missed the idea of} 46...
Rf5+ 47. Kg6 Rxd5 {, but it is not providing a lot of resistance. I quickly
found} 48. h7 Rd6+ (48... Rd8 49. bxa4 c4 50. Rh3 {and White is many tempos
ahead.}) 49. Kf7 Rd7+ 50. Re7 Rd8 51. bxa4 {and the a-pawn(s) will be glorious
assets at the end of the line.}) 47. bxa4 c4 ({On} 47... Kb2 {I had calculated
the following line:} 48. d6 c4 49. d7 c3 50. Re8 c2 51. Rxf8 c1=Q 52. d8=Q {
and the white king will hide from the checks on h8 with Qd8-f6 to defend it. I
really liked the geometry of this, but of course there are a lot of other
solutions.}) 48. Rc3 $1 {Not the computer's favourite, but it kills all need
for calculation, so for the practical player this is the right move.} Rf5+ 49.
Kg6 Rxd5 50. Rxc4 Rd6+ 51. Kg7 Rd7+ 52. Kf8 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.08.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Modern Benoni discussion"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Nikos Ntirlis"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2012.08.09"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nf3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bf4 {advocated
by Aronian and caused a lively discussion at the QC blog} a6 $1 (7... Bg7 8.
Qa4+ (8. h3 O-O 9. e3 a6 {transposes to 7...a6 according to the Greek CCIM 
(Corr chess IM) Kostas Oreopoulos and it seems indeed like a practical way for
White to avoid the complications that follow, but of course Black doesn't have
to go with ...a6}) 8... Bd7 9. Qb3 b5 10. Bxd6 Qb6 {this line was examined in
some detail by GM Marin in his chessbase annotations and also at the November
issue of Chess Evolution at the annotated Game Gelfand-Jobava by GM Kamil
Miton.} (10... c4 {(proposed by tony in the blog) is met by} 11. Qa3 Qb6 12. e4
{according to Kostas Oreopoulos who gives the line} a5 13. Qc5 Qxc5 14. Bxc5 b4
15. Nd1 Nxe4 {and now Houdini proposes} 16. Bd4 {with a healthy edge for White}
) 11. Be5 O-O 12. e3 c4 (12... b4 13. Nb1 (13. Ne2) 13... a5 (13... Bf5 14.
Nbd2 Nbd7 15. Nc4 Qd8 16. d6 Be6 17. Bg3 Nb6 18. Qc2) (13... Bc8 14. Nbd2 Nbd7
15. Nc4) 14. a4 $14 {Gelfand-Gashimov, Linares 2010.} Bg4 (14... Bf5 15. Nbd2
Nbd7 16. Bb5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Ne4 18. Nxe4 Bxe5 (18... Bxe4 19. Nd7 Qd6 20. Nxf8)
19. Ng3 Qf6 20. Rc1 Bxb2 21. Rxc5 Bc3+ 22. Ke2 Rfd8 23. Bc6 (23. Rc1)) 15. Nbd2
Nbd7 16. Bb5 Rfd8 17. Bg3 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Qa7 19. O-O Nxd5 20. Bc6 c4 21. Nxc4
Nc5 22. Qc2 Rac8 23. Bxd5 Rxd5 24. Nd6 Rc6 25. Rad1 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Qa6 27. Nb5
Ne6) 13. Qd1 b4 {this is an improvement according to Miton and also Kostas
Oreopoulos} (13... Na6 14. a4 $1 {led to an impressive vicotory for White in
Gelfand,B (2746)-Jobava,B (2712)/Rogaska Slatina SLO 2011}) 14. Ne2 (14. Nb1
Rc8 15. Be2 Bf5 (15... Qc5 {is analysed by Miton in CE but let's see how
Kostas Oreopoulos deals with this line at the blog:} 16. O-O Qxd5 17. Qxd5 Nxd5
18. Rc1 c3 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. bxc3 bxc3 21. Ne5 Be6 22. Bf3 Kf6 23. Bxd5 Bxd5
24. Ng4+ Kg7 25. Nxc3 {"and white goes to an endgame a pawn up. Winning? Its
not easy at all, but its so easy to play as white" (K.Oreopoulos). Probably Mr
Oreopoulos meant that is is not so easy to play as Black!}) 16. O-O $1 Nbd7 17.
Bd4 Qa5 18. Nh4 {is a suggestion for White by Miton with the idea} Be4 19. Nd2
Bxd5 20. a3 $14) 14... Bb5 15. Ned4 (15. Nf4 Nbd7 16. Bd4 Qb7 {and now} 17. Rc1
{creates some (at least practical) problems for Black according to Miton})
15... Nbd7 16. Nxb5 Qxb5 17. Bd4 Qxd5 18. Be2 Nb6 (18... Rfc8 19. O-O c3 $13 {
Miton}) 19. O-O Rac8 20. Rc1 Rfd8 21. Qe1 $14 {Aronian,L (2805)-Gashimov,V 
(2761)/Wijk aan Zee NED 2012}) 8. a4 $1 (8. Nd2 $6 b5 9. a4 Nh5 10. Be3 b4 11.
Nce4 Nd7 12. Nc4 (12. g3 Ndf6 13. Nxf6+ Nxf6) 12... Ndf6 13. Nxf6+ Nxf6 14. g3
a5 15. Bg2 Ba6 $15 {/=}) (8. e4 b5 9. Qe2 Be7 {is established as fine for
Black. Some sample lines:} 10. e5 (10. Qc2 {(with the idea a4)} O-O 11. a4 b4
12. Nd1 Re8 (12... b3 13. Qb1 Re8 14. Be2 $14 {is given by "john" at the blog})
13. Bd3 Nh5 {'<=>' Ntirlis,Nikos.} 14. Be3 (14. Bh6 Bf8 15. Bg5 f6 16. Be3 f5
17. exf5 Nf4 18. fxg6 Nxg2+ 19. Kd2 Qf6 $36) 14... Nd7 $11) 10... dxe5 11. Bxe5
Nbd7 12. Bg3 O-O 13. d6 Bxd6 14. Bxd6 Re8 15. Ne5 b4 16. Na4 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Qa5
18. b3 Ng4 {wins!}) 8... Bg7 9. h3 (9. e4 Bg4 $1 10. Be2 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 O-O 12.
O-O Qe7 13. Qd2 Nbd7 14. Rfe1 Rfe8 15. a5 {and now Black's plan is} h5 16. h3
Nh7 17. Be2 Qf6 18. Ra4 g5) 9... O-O 10. e3 (10. Nd2 {is mentioned by Kostas
Oreopoulos but this transposes to the main line} Re8) 10... Re8 (10... Nh5 11.
Bh2 f5 12. Be2 f4 13. O-O $14 {was proposed by Watson but it is correctly
pointed out by Kostas Oreopoulos (and Kaufman) that White is just better here})
(10... Qe7 11. Be2 ({White often plays Nf3-d2 intending Nc4 at some point, but
he must be carefully not to play it prematurely and allow counterplay. For
example,} 11. Nd2 Nh5 $5 12. Bh2 f5 $1 13. Be2 f4 $1) 11... Nbd7 12. O-O (12.
Nd2 {is again met by} Ne5 $1 {and here} 13. Bxe5 $6 {was an instructive
mistake, giving up the dark-squared bishop for no good reason.} Qxe5 14. Nc4
Qe7) 12... b6 13. Nd2 Rb8 (13... Ne8) 14. Qb3 Ne8 15. Nc4 f5 {and now i propose
} 16. Bh2 {in order to fight against Black's idea of ...g5-f4} (16. Rfe1 {is
also good}) 16... g5 17. f4 $5 $14) (10... Ne8 11. Be2 Nd7 12. O-O Qe7 {and} (
12... Ne5 {are mentioned at the blog by Kostas Oreopoulos who gives a strong
line against each of these}) 13. Nd2 Ne5 14. a5 Rb8 15. Qb3 Qc7 16. Qa3 {
Oreopoulos}) 11. Nd2 Nbd7 12. Be2 (12. Bxd6 Nb6 13. Bxc5 Nfxd5 14. Bxb6 Nxb6 {
comp}) 12... Ne5 13. O-O (13. a5 {may be White's best with a small edge} Nfd7
14. O-O {is given by Kostas Oreopoulos} (14. e4) 14... f5 (14... Rb8 15. Qc2 f5
16. Ra3 $16 {(Kostas Oreopoulos) but as i said there is also the move 14...
b5!? to be considered}) (14... b5 15. axb6 Qxb6 {gave Black counterplay in
Kosteniuk,A (2448)-Cmilyte,V (2503)/Tbilisi GEO 2012 but the machines love
White's position and White won in this game.}) 15. Qc2 b5 16. axb6 Nxb6 $132 {
but it is true that Black has counterchances}) 13... Nfd7 (13... b6 $5) 14. Qc2
(14. e4 b6 {planning ...g5!+Nf8 and ...Ra7!}) 14... f5 15. Bh2 $1 {is
recommended by Kaufman but you cannot expect such a book to be so deep and not
to miss important resources. Take this one for example:} b6 16. b3 Bb7 17. Nc4
Qe7 18. Rab1 {or Rac1 makes no difference. Black follows the same plan played
in Khairullin,I (2642)-Grigoryan,A (2614)/Rogaska Slatina SLO 2011} Rf8 $1 {
with the plan ...Rae8-h5!-h4-Nf7 and start an attack against the King and if
here} 19. b4 $6 {then} Nxc4 20. Bxc4 cxb4 21. Rxb4 Rac8 $15 {Of course this is
not a complete discussion on this subject and we should expect the GM Rep book
to go much deeper and find other resources for Black as well.} *

[Event "Politiken Cup 2012"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2012.08.02"]
[Round "7.11"]
[White "Colpe, Malte"]
[Black "Schandorff, Lars"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2284"]
[BlackElo "2516"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2012.07.28"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{At the Politiken Cup Lars Schandorff had the unpleasant experience of facing
an opponent who had used his book to prepare with! So, he was clearly facing
his own repertoire, but was lucky in that his opponent forgot to include a4
and a6, which makes a big difference.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6
5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bg7 10. e5 Nh5 11. Ne4 $6 {
This is weaker without the inclusion of a4 and a6. In a number of lines Black
benefits from a strong knight on b6, supported by the a7-pawn! In other lines
the king has a great square on a2 to hide (see the notes to move 21).} O-O 12.
Nfxg5 Nxg3 13. hxg3 hxg5 14. Bxc4 {"This is hardcore" Lars' opponent said
after the game, quoting the book.} Qe7 {Lars was trying to work out the
differences at the board, but had no real chance to do so. Actually, Black
should take the piece:} (14... bxc4 15. Qh5 Re8 16. Qh7+ (16. O-O-O c3 $1 {and
I believe White is going to be late}) 16... Kf8 17. Rh5 f6 18. exf6 Bxf6 19.
Rxg5 Bxg5 20. Qh8+ $11) 15. Qh5 Rd8 16. Qh7+ $2 (16. Bb3 $1 $13 {was the
correct move, I believe. My analysis run like this:} Rxd4 (16... a5 17. O-O-O
a4 18. Bc2 a3 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. b3 Nd7 21. Rh5 f5 22. Rdh1 $18) (16... Nd7 17.
Nxg5 Nf8 18. O-O-O c5 19. d5 Bxe5 20. Nxf7 Qxf7 21. Qxe5 Qg7 22. Qh5 $44) 17.
Nf6+ Bxf6 18. Qh7+ Kf8 19. exf6 Qxf6 20. Qh8+ Qxh8 21. Rxh8+ Ke7 22. Rxc8 $44
Rd8 23. Rc7+ Rd7 24. Rc8 $11) 16... Kf8 17. O-O-O bxc4 18. f4 g4 $2 {This is
very slow.} (18... c3 $3 $19 {is generally the answer to everything. White's
kingside is opened or weakened.}) 19. Rh6 $2 ({White had a chance to create a
winning attack with} 19. Rh4 $1 {, when the following line is forced:} f5 20.
exf6 Bxf6 21. Nxf6 Qxh7 22. Rxh7 {and White is more or less winning.}) 19...
Nd7 {Good enough, but} (19... c3 $1 {is still strongest.}) 20. Rdh1 (20. Nd6
Nb6 21. Rh4 Rxd6 {also wins for Black.}) 20... Qb4 $1 {The only winning move,
but not too difficult.} (20... Rb8 $2 {allows a nice draw:} 21. f5 $1 exf5 22.
Qxg7+ Kxg7 23. Rh7+ $11) 21. Nf6 (21. f5 {does not work here. The reason is
quite nice:} exf5 22. Qxf5 Bxh6+ 23. Rxh6 Qe1+ 24. Kc2 Qe2+ 25. Kc1 Qe3+ {and
Black wins.}) 21... c3 22. Qg8+ Ke7 23. Nd5+ cxd5 24. Rxe6+ Kxe6 25. Rh6+ 0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2012.07.30"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Cheparinov, Ivan"]
[Black "Danielsen, Henrik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2511"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{In my opinion this was the greatest game of the tournament. The fact that
Cheparinov later won it only adds to this impression.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3
Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. a4 e6 6. g3 dxc4 7. e4 Bb4 8. e5 Nd5 9. Bd2 b5 10. Bg2 Bb7 11.
Ng5 {I do not want to come with a survey of this opening, let us just say that
White has compensation here, but nothing is decided.} Nd7 12. Qh5 g6 13. Qh6
Bf8 14. Qh3 Nxc3 (14... b4 15. Nce4 Be7 16. Qh6 $40 Bf8 17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. exd6
Qf6 19. Bxd5 cxd5 20. Bxb4 $16) 15. bxc3 Be7 16. Ne4 h5 17. O-O Kf8 {Black's
position is already difficult.} (17... O-O 18. g4 $1 hxg4 19. Qh6 $1 $16) 18.
f4 (18. Nd6 $1 $14) 18... Nb6 19. Ng5 {White's attacking stance is very
energetic. Maybe Black can defend better, but at this point it is not a great
surprise that White managed to win the game.} Qd7 $6 ({After} 19... Kg7 {I am
a bit unsure about the evaluation of the position:} 20. g4 $44) 20. f5 $3 {A
fabulous break-through.} exf5 (20... gxf5 21. g4 {does not look any better.})
21. g4 $3 Bxg5 {A big concession, but Black's structure is falling apart.} (
21... fxg4 22. Rxf7+ $18) ({Maybe Black could have put up more resistance with
} 21... Bc8 22. gxf5 gxf5 23. Rae1 Bxg5 24. Bxg5 Nd5 {, but I don't trust his
position at all. White plays} 25. Qh4 {with the idea Rf3-g3 with a strong
attack.}) 22. Bxg5 fxg4 23. Qh4 Re8 24. Rf6 Re6 25. Raf1 Nd5 ({A typical
breakthrough would look like this:} 25... Kg8 26. Rxe6 Qxe6 27. Rf6 Qe8 28. e6
fxe6 29. Be4 {and Black is torn to bits...}) 26. Bxd5 {Black resigned. The
rook comes from f1 to d6 and decides the game.} 1-0

[Event "Politiken Cup"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2012.07.31"]
[Round "5.8"]
[White "Burmakin, Vladimir"]
[Black "Svane, Rasmus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2367"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{In the following game, the ethnically Danish, German junior beat a rushed GM
with some nice tactics. It was rewarded with the best game prize at the
Politiken Cup.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bg4 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 e6
7. d3 Bd6 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 O-O 10. c4 dxc4 11. dxc4 Qe7 12. Qc2 e5 13. Bg2
Rad8 14. a3 Rfe8 15. b4 e4 16. c5 Bb8 17. Nc3 h5 {It is time for White to play
e3, but no...} 18. h4 (18. e3 h4 19. g4 Qe5 20. Rfd1 Qh2+ 21. Kf1 $14 {was a
possible continuation. The e4-pawn is just weak.}) 18... e3 $5 19. f4 Nf8 20.
Rad1 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 $6 (21. Nxd1 $14) 21... Bxf4 $5 22. gxf4 Ng4 {Suddenly
Black has a lot of play on the dark squares.} 23. Ne4 $2 ({White could have
held the position together with:} 23. Qe4 $1 Ne6 $5 (23... Qxh4 24. Qxe8 $11)
24. Qf3 Qxh4 25. Ne4 Qh2+ 26. Kf1 Nxf4 27. Qg3 $13) 23... Qxh4 24. f5 $2 ({Not
good, but better, was} 24. Qc3 Qh2+ 25. Kf1 Qxf4+ 26. Bf3 Ne6 $17) 24... Rxe4
$1 {Burmakin was playing too fast and had obviously missed the point of this.}
25. Qxe4 Qf2+ 26. Kh1 Qh4+ 27. Kg1 Qf2+ 28. Kh1 Qxe2 {There are too many
threats. Black wins.} 29. Qd4 (29. Rf1 Qxb2 $19) 29... Qxd1+ 30. Qxd1 Nf2+ 31.
Kg1 Nxd1 32. Bc1 e2 33. Bd2 Ne3 34. Be4 Nc4 35. Be1 Nxa3 36. Kf2 Nb5 37. Kxe2
Nd7 38. Ke3 Nf6 39. Bd3 Kf8 40. Kf4 Nd5+ 41. Ke5 a6 42. Bf1 Ke7 43. Bh3 Na3 44.
Ke4 Nc2 45. Bf2 Ndxb4 46. f6+ gxf6 47. Bc8 a5 48. Bh4 a4 0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup 2012"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2012.08.04"]
[Round "9.2"]
[White "Aabling-Thomsen, Jakob"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2331"]
[BlackElo "2506"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2012.07.28"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 Nf6 $1 {With an iffy stomach and a dangerous book
just out, there was no way I was going to take the risk of accepting the Morra!
} 4. e5 Nd5 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 Nb6 7. Bb3 dxe5 8. Nxe5 e6 9. O-O $1 ({Against} 9.
cxd4 {then} Be7 {is apparently very rare, but unless there is a direct problem,
this seems more natural to me than the immediate 9...Nc6. Maybe it is a
question of transpositions leading back to normality that boosts 9...Nc6
popularity here, rather than actual choices in this this position.}) 9... Nc6 {
Black gets an isolated pawn as well, but rids himself of the only attacking
asset White has. The future is quite safe now! Besides, Black's isolated pawn
is not as weak as White's at the moment, as Black can force an exchange of
them with ...c5, a liberty White does not have.} 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. cxd4 Be7 {
The opening is over and it is time to lay a plan for the middlegame. From
Black's perspective, it is all about solving problems one by one. Get good
squares for the bishop on c8 and the knight on b6 and put pressure on d4; so
simply it can be put. I decided to put the bishop on d5 and the knight on f5
around here, rejecting all early ideas of ...c5. The downside of this plan is
that the bishop on d5 could be in the way, but then I am not trying to prove
anything, just to put my pieces on decent squares and see how my opponent
decides to react. You don't beat many grandmasters like this, but you get to
the level of GM, which many people failed to do even after years and years of
trying.} 12. Nc3 ({White had the chance to play} 12. Qf3 {, leading to an
exchange of pawns after} O-O {. The position is equal, but White will have to
give up all ambition to play like this. Maybe it was something he should have
considered!?}) 12... O-O 13. Qf3 Ba6 {By having castled, Black is given an
extra option. The regrouping starts.} 14. Rd1 (14. Re1 {was more logical in
some way, to place the other rook on d1, but the computer points out that} Qxd4
15. Qxc6 Rac8 16. Qf3 Rfd8 {is nice for Black.}) 14... Rc8 15. Bc2 Bc4 $1 {The
bishop goes to d3 before White has time to play b3.} 16. b3 {Played to
dominate the knight, but also weakens some squares. All moves are a bit like
that.} Bd5 17. Qh3 g6 18. Bh6 Re8 19. Rd3 {One of my three universal questions
are: which is your worst placed piece (and where would it like to be placed)?
Here the b6-knight belongs on f5. And the rook on c8 on d7, putting pressure
on the d4-pawn.} Rc7 $1 20. Rad1 {Jakob is starting to lose his way. It was
time to play} (20. Bf4 Bd6 21. Be5 $1 {forcing some kind of concession. In
this way the struggle would have stayed tense, probably with no worse chances
for Black.}) 20... Rd7 21. Qg4 {To deliver mate you usually need something
extra; a very solid centre, a nice pawn or knight on e5 or maybe a serious
weakness of the kingside. Here there are none of those things, so White's
attacking pose is over-optimistic.} Nc8 {The knight is coming to f5.} 22. Rg3
Bf6 $1 {I did not want to think too much about the possible pawn structure
after} (22... Nd6 23. Nxd5 cxd5 {, which is probably good for Black.}) 23. Ne2
$6 {Clearly losing the touch. After} (23. Bf4 Ne7 24. Be5 Nf5 25. Rh3 Bg7 {I
like my position, but I am not sure I am really better. But now White's
position disintegrates.}) 23... Nd6 $15 24. Nf4 $2 (24. Bg5 {was the last
chance to keep things together.}) 24... Nf5 $1 25. Rh3 {Now we had a clear
moment, where it makes sense to calculate. Black can take on h6 and have a
very nice and safe advantage. But there is also the pawn on d4. From afar I
was sure that I could take on d4, but I still checked everything carefully,
looking for plausible faults, but found nothing at all.} (25. Bxf5 exf5 26.
Qxf5 {I was planning the simple 26...Be4, followed by taking on e4. But even
more accurate is} Bxd4 $1 {with a winning position. The obvious threat is ...
Be4 and ...Bxf2+, but we should also notice} 27. Rf1 Bxf2+ $3 {and White can
only resign.}) 25... Nxd4 $1 26. Bxg6 {White has to do something.} ({Looking
for possible ideas, I also saw} 26. Nxg6 fxg6 27. Rxd4 Bxd4 28. Qxd4 {, which
looks not too silly, but where Black can win by both taking on g2 and the move
I had planned:} Be4 $1) 26... fxg6 27. Nxg6 hxg6 {Simplest; eliminating the
attacker.} (27... Bf3 28. gxf3 Ne2+ 29. Kg2 Rxd1 {looked promising, but unlike
computers, I find the position quite unclear!}) 28. Qxg6+ Bg7 29. Bg5 {Jakob
was running out of time and could find nothing.} ({On} 29. Rxd4 {I had found
the only winning move at move 23:} Be4 $3 {Here I found} (29... e5 30. Rxd5
cxd5 31. Bg5 {and White actually has a real attack going, which Black will
have to defend accurately against to survive.}) 30. Qg3 {to be the most
challenging (30.Rxd7 is objectively better, but by force leads to an endgame
where Black has a great bishop against two weak pawns), but after some time I
found} Qf6 $3 {, winning.}) 29... Be4 $1 {Easiest against everything.} 30. Rh8+
Kxh8 31. Qh5+ Kg8 32. Bxd8 Rexd8 {With four pieces for the queen, the victory
will be easy.} 0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup 2012"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2012.08.02"]
[Round "7.15"]
[White "Jensen, Michael Agermose"]
[Black "l'Ami, Alina"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2113"]
[BlackElo "2372"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.07.28"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{The following game gives a fresh take on one of the critical lines in the
Morra Gambit, referred to on page 214 in Mayhem in the Morra.} 1. e4 c5 2. d4
cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Bf4 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5
10. g4 $5 (10. Qb3 $1 {is Marc's main recommendation here.}) 10... Bg6 11. Qe2
$1 $146 {I am not fully convinced that White has more than adequate
compensation here, but certainly I like the idea behind this better than
Marc's 11.e5, leading to a drawish endgame.} e5 {This looks necessary. Black
has to do something to solve his problems immediately.} (11... b5 12. Bd5 Rc8
13. Rfd1 $14) 12. Rfd1 $1 {The critical position. From here on the analysis
are a bit concrete in nature.} Nd7 $6 (12... exf4 $6 13. e5 Be7 (13... Qe7 14.
Rxd6 Nd7 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Rxc6 $3 bxc6 17. e6 fxe6 (17... Bd6 18. exd7+ Kxd7 19.
Ne5+ Bxe5 20. Qxe5 cxd5 21. Rd1 Qb8 22. Rxd5+ Kc6 23. Qd4 Qb4 24. Rd7 Be4 25.
Qxe4+ Kxd7 26. Be6+ fxe6 27. Qxb4 $16) 18. Qxe6+ Be7 19. Nxf4 Qc7 20. Nxg6 hxg6
21. Rd1 $16) (13... Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Be7 15. g5 $1 Nh5 16. Nxg6 (16. Bxf7+ Bxf7
17. Nxf7 Kxf7 18. Qxh5+ g6 19. Qf3 Bxg5 20. Qxb7+ Qe7 21. Qd5+ Kg7 22. Re1 Qd8
23. Re6 $14) 16... hxg6 17. Re1 Kf8 18. h4 $14) 14. exd6 (14. exf6 gxf6 15. Nd5
h5 16. gxh5 Bxh5 17. Nxf6+ Kf8 18. Nxh5 Rxh5 19. Qe4 Qd7 20. Qxf4 Qf5 $11)
14... O-O 15. dxe7 Qxe7 16. Qxe7 Nxe7 17. Ne5 $40) ({I think the critical line
might be} 12... Qc8 $1 13. Bg3 {(13.Bg5!?)} Be7 14. Rac1 Qb8 $13) 13. Bg5 Be7
$2 (13... Nf6 {does not repeat the position (although this is White's
prerogative. But after} 14. Bd5 $1 $14 {Black has constant problems to solve.
Still this was to be preferred.}) 14. Rxd6 $1 {A nice combination, but not too
difficult.} Bxg5 15. Rad1 Ncb8 $2 (15... Be7 {was better, but the position
after} 16. Rxd7 Qxd7 17. Rxd7 Kxd7 18. Bd5 $16 {is rotten.}) 16. Nxe5 $18 Bf4
17. Rxd7 Nxd7 18. Nxd7 Rc8 19. e5 Qc7 ({Or} 19... Qg5 20. Ne4 Bh2+ 21. Kg2
Bxe4+ 22. Qxe4 Qf4 23. Bxf7+ $1 Qxf7 (23... Kxf7 24. Qd5+) 24. Qxb7 Qc4 25.
Kxh2 $18) 20. Bb3 Bg5 21. e6 f5 {Clear desperation.} 22. Nd5 Qc6 23. Qe5 Rg8
24. gxf5 Bh5 {In this "anything wins" position, White finds a way that does
not.} 25. f6 $4 {As said (almost) anything wins:} (25. Nb8 $1 Qc5 26. Ba4+ b5
27. Nxa6 Qc4 28. Bxb5+ $18) (25. Qg3 h6 26. f6 gxf6 27. N7xf6+ Kf8 28. e7+ Kg7
29. Nxh5+ Kh8 30. Kh2 $18) 25... gxf6 26. Qg3 Rg6 27. N7xf6+ $4 (27. Re1 $13)
27... Bxf6 28. Nxf6+ Rxf6 29. Qg8+ Rf8 30. Qxh7 Bxd1 $1 31. Qg6+ Kd8 32. e7+
Kxe7 33. Qg7+ Kd6 0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup 2012"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2012.08.05"]
[Round "10.7"]
[White "Glud, Jakob Vang"]
[Black "Malakhov, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2498"]
[BlackElo "2712"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r3k1/5p2/q7/p2p2p1/5nP1/2B1RPK1/P4Q2/8 b - - 0 41"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.07.28"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{After having survived miraculously against Burmakin in the last round, I went
to the commentary room to find out if I had really been as lucky as I believed.
It took only a few minutes to confirm this. Then we turned to this position
where my team mate from the Danish national team has just played 41.Bxc3!?. We
felt sure that Black had something decisive, but what?}  0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup 2012"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2012.08.05"]
[Round "10.7"]
[White "Glud, Jakob Vang"]
[Black "Malakhov, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2498"]
[BlackElo "2712"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r3k1/5p2/q7/p2p2p1/5nP1/2B1RPK1/P4Q2/8 b - - 0 41"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.07.28"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

41... Qh6 $6 {With this move Malakhov looks towards a promising ending. He did
so because he could not make the following combination work:} (41... d4 42.
Bxd4 Qh6 $2 43. Qh2 Rc2 $4 {, where Black would win instantly, was it not for}
44. Re8+ $18 {.}) ({White's clever tactical point was that} 41... Rxc3 $2 42.
Re8+ Kg7 {is met nicely with} (42... Kh7 $2 {is even worse:} 43. Qh2+ Kg6 44.
Rg8+ Kf6 45. Qh6+ Ng6 46. Qg7+ Ke7 47. Qxc3 $16) 43. Qd4+ $1 f6 44. Qxc3 Ne2+
45. Rxe2 Qxe2 46. Qxa5 $11 {.}) ({After looking for some minutes I found the
solution to the problem. It is all about prophylaxis! With} 41... Qd6 $3 {
White is forced to block the diagonal:} 42. Be5 {And now Black wins as
programmed with} (42. Qd2 {is a computer like defence, but it has a simple
refutation:} d4 $1) 42... Qh6 43. Qh2 Rc2 $3 {and White is mated in three
moves if he starts doing stupid things, or otherwise after 44.Qxh6 Rg2# or} 44.
Qxc2 Qh4# {.}) 42. Qh2 Qxh2+ 43. Kxh2 Kh7 {Black won the game and this sort of
confirms his strategy as adequate; but for me it does not make sense
exchanging the a-pawns.} (43... a4 $1 {is the move I have been schooled to
choose in such a position.}) 44. Bxa5 Rc2+ 45. Kg1 $6 (45. Kh1 $1) 45... Rxa2
$2 {Missing a tactical chance:} (45... d4 $1 46. Re7 Rxa2 47. Bc7 Nh3+ 48. Kf1
Rf2+ 49. Ke1 Rxf3 $19) 46. Bc7 d4 47. Rb3 Ne6 48. Be5 Re2 49. Bd6 Rc2 50. Rb5
Kg6 51. Rd5 f6 52. Kf1 Kf7 53. Ke1 Ra2 54. Kf1 Ke8 55. Ke1 Rc2 56. Kf1 Rb2 57.
Ke1 Ra2 58. Kf1 Ra7 59. Bb4 Rd7 60. Rxd7 $6 (60. Ra5 $17 {was a better defence.
}) 60... Kxd7 61. Ke2 Nf4+ 62. Kd2 Ke6 63. Ba5 Ng6 64. Kd3 Kd5 65. Bd8 Ne5+ 66.
Ke2 Ke6 67. Bc7 d3+ 68. Ke3 d2 69. Kxd2 Nxf3+ 70. Kd3 Kd5 0-1

[Event "119th Scottish Championship"]
[Site "Glasgow"]
[Date "2012.07.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "McNab, Colin"]
[Black "Bryson, Douglas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A14"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2350"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2012.07.07"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SCO"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. b3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c5 7. e3 Nc6 8. Bb2 d4
{This line is covered in Chapter 23 of Mihail Marin's Grandmaster Repertoire 4.
} 9. exd4 cxd4 10. Re1 Ne8 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Rxe5 f6 13. Re1 e5 {Marin comments:
"Once Black has safely blocked the long black diagonal, White is willing to
spend another tempo to exchange his passive bishop. The last move also pursues
a long-term plan: in certain cases, the white knight may reach the d6-square,
where it will be supported by the c-pawn.} 14. Ba3 Bxa3 15. Nxa3 Nc7 16. Rc1
Kh8 $6 (16... Rb8 17. c5 Be6 {Manouck - Colin, Chartres 2005, and now Marin
gives} 18. Qe2 $1 $146 {leading to an advantage for White.}) 17. c5 Nd5 18. Qe2
Rb8 19. Nb5 Nb4 20. Qc4 Nc6 21. Nd6 {Following the plan outlined by Marin has
given White an overwhelming position.} Qc7 22. b4 a6 23. a3 Nd8 24. f4 Be6 25.
Qe2 Nc6 26. Qf3 Bd7 27. Qd5 Be8 28. fxe5 Nxe5 (28... fxe5 29. Rf1 {also leaves
Black helpless, for example} Bg6 30. Nxb7 $1 $18) 29. Qxd4 Bc6 30. Re3 Rbd8 31.
Bxc6 Qxc6 32. Rxe5 $5 {Forcing an easily won rook ending.} fxe5 33. Nf7+ Kg8
34. Nxd8 exd4 35. Nxc6 bxc6 36. Kg2 Re8 37. Kf3 Kf7 38. Rc4 Rd8 39. Ke4 Re8+
40. Kd3 Re1 41. Rxd4 Ra1 42. Rd6 Rxa3+ 43. Kc4 a5 44. bxa5 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.07.29"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Esserman"]
[Black "Kim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "26"]
[EventDate "2012.07.29"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{The following game was played in a Simul by Marc and puts one of the
"missing" lines in the grave. The thing is that the lines were of course not
missing. Marc did not aim to be comprehensive in his book and anticipate all
moves. In this case the idea is bad and easily refuted.} 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3.
c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Bf4 e5 {This is the idea.
But there is a problem...} 9. Ng5 $1 Be6 $2 (9... exf4 $1 {is critical, but I
favour White.} 10. Nxf7 Qd7 {This looks the most dangerous; in some lines
there are ...f3 and ...Qg4.} 11. Nxh8 Ne5 $1 {This is the critical line. But
White looks better to me.} 12. Be2 (12. Qb3 f3 $1 (12... g6 13. Rfc1 Qg7 14.
Nd5 $16 {looks completely hopeless.}) 13. Rfd1 Be7 $1 $13) 12... g6 13. Rc1 (
13. Qd2 f3 $1 $13) 13... Qg7 14. Na4 $1 (14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. Qxd5 Rb8 $1 $13) (14.
Qa4+ Bd7 15. Bb5 Rb8 16. Bxd7+ Qxd7 $13) 14... Rb8 (14... Nfd7 15. Qd5 $1 $14
Qxh8 16. Rc7 $36) 15. Nb6 Bd7 16. Qd2 (16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Qd2 Nxe4 18. Qxf4 Bc6
19. Rxc6 bxc6 20. Qxe4 Rxb6 21. f4 $14) 16... Bc6 (16... f3 17. gxf3 Qxh8 18.
f4 Nc6 19. Rfe1 $40) 17. Qxf4 Qxh8 18. Qe3 $14) 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. Nxe6 Qd7 12.
Nd5 $5 $14 (12. Nxf8 Rxf8 13. Be3 $16 {seems more clean cut to me.}) 12... Nxd5
13. exd5 Nd8 {You can debate how big the advantage is at the moment, slight or
large? Anyway, Marc won the game quickly after 12.Nd5.} 1-0

[Event "Netherlands"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Stuart"]
[Black "Soltau"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2455"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2012.07.29"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{Page 72 of from Mayhem in the Morra. This is the famous "missing line", which
is little more than another reasonable option against the Morra (which despite
rumours to the contrary, does not win by force).} 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3
dxc3 4. Nxc3 d6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 a6 ({The line that Marc included in the book
went like this:} 6... Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. Qe2 Nf6 9. Rd1 Bd7 {and here he said
that 10.Bf4 e5 11.Be3 was a sort of transposition to Esseman - Bartell, (page
68); which was not entirely true. So Andrew and I inserted the following
improvement, not understanding that Marc wanted to deal with two positions in
one go:} 10. Nb5 $1 Qb8 11. Bf4 Ne5 12. Nxd6+ Bxd6 13. Rxd6 Qxd6 14. Nxe5 Qe7
15. Rd1 O-O 16. Nxd7 Nxd7 17. Bd6 $14) 7. O-O Be7 8. Qe2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Bd7 {This
position is therefore not covered in the book. Marc does not consider it a
main line at all, as he has only faced it 1-2 times in 1000s of his own games.
However, it is a "reputable line" as he told us. White simply has compensation
for the pawn, but maybe nothing more.} 10. Bf4 (10. a3 $5 Nf6 (10... Rc8 11.
Ba2 $5) 11. Bf4 e5 12. Be3 $44 {makes sense to me as well. I like to have the
a2-square for the bishop early on.}) 10... e5 11. Be3 Nf6 12. Rac1 O-O 13. a3
b5 14. Bd5 (14. Ba2 {is more natural to me.} Rc8 (14... b4 $2 15. Nd5 bxa3 16.
bxa3 $14 {looks like a disaster for Black.}) 15. Nd5 (15. Bg5 $2 Bg4 $15 {
Schmeisser - Atanasov, Wunsiedel 1990. Here the best move might be to return
to e3 with the bishop!}) 15... Nxd5 16. Bxd5 $44) 14... Rc8 15. h3 h6 (15... b4
16. axb4 Nxb4 17. Bb3 $44) 16. b4 Qe8 17. Ba2 Be6 {Black is certainly ok here,
but not more. Now White blundered.} 18. Qd3 $2 (18. Nh4 Nd4 $5 19. Bxd4 exd4
20. Rxd4 Bxa2 21. Nxa2 d5 $11) 18... Bxa2 19. Nxa2 d5 $1 20. exd5 e4 21. Qf1
Nxd5 (21... exf3 22. dxc6 Rxc6 $17) 22. Rxd5 exf3 23. Rcd1 fxg2 24. Qxg2 Kh7
25. Nc3 f5 26. Ne2 Rf6 27. Qf3 Rd8 28. Nf4 Rfd6 29. Bb6 Ne5 30. Qc3 R8d7 $4 {
A horrific blunder.} (30... Rxd5 31. Rxd5 Rxd5 32. Nxd5 Nc4 $19) 31. Qxe5 1-0

[Event "Politiken Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.07.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Skovgaard, Ib"]
[Black "Brorson, Jacob"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B95"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2012.07.29"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{Best game prize for U-2200 at the Politiken Cup, sponsored by Quality Chess.} 
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd3 b5 8. f4
Nbd7 9. O-O-O b4 10. Nd5 Nc5 11. Qe3 Bb7 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nxb4 Qa5 14. a3 Bxe4
15. Nxa6 Nxa6 16. Bb5+ Kd8 17. Qxe4 Nc5 18. Qc6 Bh6 19. Nxe6+ fxe6 20. Qxd6+
Kc8 21. Qxc5+ Kb8 22. Qd6+ Ka7 23. Rd4 Rad8 24. Qe7+ Kb8 25. Bc6 Bxf4+ 26. Rxf4
Qd2+ 27. Kb1 Qxf4 28. Qb7# 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.08.14"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Question on the blog"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D43"]
[Annotator "Nikos Ntirlis"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.16"]

{We were asked about this line on the blog. Nikos investigated it deeper than
Schandorff did in his recent book as an answer.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 e6 4.
Nc3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 b4 10. Na4 Nxe4 11. Be5
Nf6 12. Nc5 c3 13. bxc3 (13. O-O $5 g4 14. bxc3 gxf3 15. Bxf3 {is mentioned in
a footnote in Dreev's book. He claims good compensation for the piece. The
great man is probably correct despite the disaproval by the machines. Of
course Black has alternatives at move 13}) 13... bxc3 14. Qb3 $5 {One of the
possible attractive options in White's disposal. The position is probably
unclear but White has the more dangerous play} Nbd7 (14... Bxc5 15. dxc5 Nbd7
16. Bxc3 {"with more than enough compensation" is given by Dreev} O-O 17. h4 g4
18. Ne5 Nd5 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Be5 h5 21. O-O a5 {and now a bunch of promising
moves} 22. Rab1 (22. Rfd1) (22. Bd6) (22. f3 {are just some of them. White has
good play and definitely an edge})) (14... g4 15. Nb7 Qd5 16. Bxf6 Rg8 17. Nc5
{is very promising for White according to Dreev but things are not so simple.
For example} Nd7 18. Nxd7 gxf3 19. Nxf8 fxe2 20. Qxc3 (20. Qb4 c5 21. Qxc3 Kxf8
(21... Rxf8 22. Qxc5 {it is a worse version of the same endgame for Black
because his Rook doesn't capture the g2 pawn}) 22. Qxc5+ Qxc5 23. dxc5 Rxg2 24.
Kxe2 Bb7 25. Rhg1 Rxg1 26. Rxg1 Rc8 27. Be5 Ke7 28. Bd6+ Kf6 29. Ke3 {and I
think that White is a bit better in this unclear endgame due to the power of
the passed pawn}) 20... Rxf8 21. Kxe2 Rg8 22. Qa3 Qd7 23. g3 {but after} Rg6
24. Be5 {or} (24. Bh4 {Black plays ...f6 and the situation is still unclear}))
15. Nxd7 (15. Nxe6 {is the only move examined in Dreev's book, leading to a
draw}) 15... Bxd7 16. O-O Be7 17. Qxc3 {and White has slightly the more
pleasant position despite the pawn deficit} Nd5 18. Qc2 f6 19. Bg3 Kf7 {is
Houdini's top choice. After} 20. Rab1 {most of you would agree that White's
compensation looks real and promising. Still, not so easy but we cannot
complain} *

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.08.29"]
[Round "2.23"]
[White "Idani, P."]
[Black "Shaw, J."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2477"]
[BlackElo "2424"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.03"]
[WhiteTeam "Iran"]
[BlackTeam "Scotland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IRI"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SCO"]

{The following game was not my best effort from the Olympiad, but it is
directly relevant to one of our books.} 1. e4 {My opponent was a young Iranian
IM who, our team captain told me, had recently won a silver medal at the World
U16 event. He also recently won a big Open ahead of many strong GMs, including
a last round win over Tiviakov. A solid opening was called for.} d5 2. exd5
Qxd5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. d4 {The main tabiya of the ...Qa5 Scandinavian.
In the main lines Black plays ...c7-c6 at some point, but I had noted that in
Play the Scandinavian, Christian Bauer mentioned a line where Black omits the
pawn move and gains the option of a later ...Nc6 (coverage starts on page 122
for those of you who have the book). It seemed convincing and certainly was
easy to learn; a few minutes of pre-game reading and I was ready to play.} Bf5
6. Bc4 (6. Bd2 e6 7. Ne5 Qb6 8. Qf3 {is another line, but Bauer mentions
various ideas for Black here.}) 6... e6 7. Bd2 Bb4 8. a3 ({Black also seems
fine after} 8. Qe2 O-O ({but} 8... Bxc2 $2 {allowing} 9. d5 {is a bad idea,
and a typical trick in various Scandinavian lines.}) 9. a3 Nc6) 8... Bxc3 9.
Bxc3 Qb6 {This is the key position where White has to find something.} 10. Nh4
$146 {A novelty made up over the board, but it looks unlikely to find any
followers.} ({A critical line is:} 10. d5 Nbd7 {Now White cannot even inflict
a pawn weakness on his opponent. For example:} 11. Qe2 O-O 12. dxe6 Bxe6 13.
Bxe6 Rae8 $1 {1/2-1/2 Istratescu - Bauer, Rogaska Slatina 2011. A convincing
equalizer for Black, but this is the only downside I can see with the 5...Bf5
move order - White can kill the game to a deadly dull drawing position.}) (10.
Ne5 Nc6 {is also comfy for Black.}) 10... Be4 $1 {The bishop escapes and the
knight looks rather silly on h4.} 11. Qe2 Nc6 12. O-O-O ({I had to be ready for
} 12. d5 {so I planned:} Bxd5 13. Bxd5 ({If} 13. Bxf6 {then simply} gxf6 {as}
14. Bxd5 Qa5+ {recovers the piece.}) 13... Nxd5 14. Bxg7 Rg8 15. O-O-O O-O-O
16. Bh6 {I guessed Black should have enough activity to off-set my weakened
structure. This is correct, but I came nowhere close to anticipating the best
continuation:} Qc5 $1 {Let's see a "nothing move" from White just to
demonstrate the idea:} 17. g3 $2 ({The computer suggests} 17. Be3 $1 Nxe3 18.
fxe3 {when Black has a nominal edge}) 17... Nd4 18. Qd3 ({or} 18. Qe4 Nf6 19.
Qd3 Qh5 $1 {threatens the bishop and ...Ne2+}) 18... Nc3 $1 19. bxc3 Nb5 $19)
12... O-O-O 13. Qe3 {The instant pressure on d4 forces White to make this
awkward move; Black is at least level.} h6 {I spent an absurd amount of time
deciding on this overcautious move. I was paranoid about my bishop being
trapped. How? I have no idea.} (13... Rd7 {was natural, simply preparing ...
Rhd8.}) 14. Rhe1 Rd7 {Not bad but now the game gets more interesting than I
wanted.} ({Blockading the d4-pawn with} 14... Bd5 {was logical and sound. After
} 15. Bd3 {it would be very difficult for White to arrange c2-c4 without
dropping the d4-pawn or allowing some other calamity.}) 15. Qg3 Rg8 16. d5 $5 {
Highly principled. White opens the game for his bishop pair and in particular
his unopposed dark-squared bishop.} Bxd5 17. Bd3 {This move may not be best
but I had not considered it at all, and reacted badly to the surprise.} ({I
had been looking at the forcing} 17. Bxf6 Bxc4 18. Rxd7 Kxd7 {and reckoned
Black was level at worst. True.}) 17... Ne8 $2 {A hellishly ugly and unnatural
way to stop the threat of Bxf6} (17... Rdd8 $15 {was good simple chess when I
think White lacks full compensation for the pawn.}) 18. Nf5 $1 {Naturally I
had missed this too. With my time ticking away I decided to bale out into a
position with two bishops versus two knights. I thought it should be bad for
me but fairly easy to play with little time.} exf5 19. Bxf5 Be6 20. Rxe6 Rxd1+
21. Kxd1 Kb8 22. Re3 g6 23. Bd3 Nd6 24. Qf4 h5 {Clear advantage to White or
just an edge? I am not sure but my position is solid and all the nasty tactics
have gone away.} 25. Kc1 Qc5 26. Kb1 a6 27. h4 Qd5 28. g3 Kc8 29. b3 Kb8 30. a4
Kc8 {I'm not too proud to shuffle.} 31. Bb2 Qc5 32. Be2 Qf5 33. Qxf5+ Nxf5 34.
Re4 Nd6 35. Rf4 Re8 36. Bf3 Re1+ 37. Ka2 f5 38. Bc3 Rf1 39. Bg2 Rg1 40. Bd5 Kd7
{The time control and nothing has dropped off.} 41. Kb2 Rd1 42. Bf3 Rf1 43. Be2
Rg1 44. Bd3 Ne7 45. Bd2 Rd1 46. Bc3 Nd5 47. Rd4 Nxc3 48. Kxc3 Re1 49. Kd2 Re7
50. b4 Ke6 51. c4 Nf7 52. f4 {I found an effective way to blockade and kill
the game.} c5 $1 53. bxc5 Rd7 54. Kc3 Nd8 55. Be2 Rxd4 56. Kxd4 Nc6+ 57. Kc3 a5
58. Bf3 Kf6 59. Bd5 Ke7 60. Bxc6 bxc6 61. Kd4 Ke6 62. Kd3 Ke7 63. Kd4 {This
vital half point enabled Scotland to avoid a 4-0 defeat against Iran.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.06"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "McNab, Colin A"]
[Black "Arias Santana, Mauricio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2446"]
[BlackElo "2326"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Scotland"]
[BlackTeam "Costa Rica"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SCO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CRI"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. g3 e5 4. Nc3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d3 Nge7 7. Bg5 f6 8. Bd2
d6 9. a3 a5 {It may be more accurate to wait with this until White plays Rb1.}
10. O-O O-O 11. Ne1 Be6 12. Nd5 Rb8 13. b4 axb4 14. axb4 cxb4 15. Nxb4 Nxb4 16.
Bxb4 b5 17. cxb5 Rxb5 18. Qa4 Rb8 (18... Qb8 $2 19. Bxd6 $18) 19. Qa3 {The
weakness of the d6-pawn gives White a slight initiative.} Nc8 20. Nc2 Rf7 21.
Ne3 d5 22. Rfc1 Rfb7 23. Bc5 Qd7 24. Qa6 Bf7 25. h4 f5 26. Kh2 e4 27. dxe4 $1
Bxa1 $2 (27... dxe4 28. Rd1 Qe8 29. Rac1 {is more sensible, and White is only
slightly better.}) 28. Qxa1 dxe4 (28... fxe4 29. Bh3 {followed by either Ng4
or Qf6 is winning for White.}) 29. Rd1 Qe8 {#} 30. h5 $2 {Missing two
different wins. There is the spectacular} (30. Bxe4 $1 Qxe4 (30... fxe4 31. Ng4
$18) 31. Rd8+ Be8 32. Nd5 Rb1 33. Nf6+ Kf7 34. Nxe4 Rxa1 35. Ng5+ $40 {and
even after the exchange of queens, the black king is in trouble.}) (30. Qf6 $1
{is simple and strong. I thought Black might be able to defend with} Rb6 {but
after} 31. Qg5 $1 {he has no anwer to the threats of Rd8 and Nxf5.}) 30... Na7
31. h6 Bb3 32. Rb1 Qf7 33. Bxe4 $1 {This sacrifice now seems to be good enough
only for a draw.} fxe4 34. Ng4 Qf5 35. Rxb3 Qxc5 (35... Qxg4 36. Bxa7 Qxe2 37.
Bxb8 Qxf2+ 38. Kh1 e3 $1 39. Rxb7 Qf3+ 40. Kh2 Qe2+ $1 {leads to perpetual
check.}) 36. Nf6+ Kf7 37. Rxb7+ Rxb7 38. Nxe4 Qh5+ $2 (38... Qf8 39. Qe5 Qxh6+
40. Kg2 Rd7 41. Ng5+ Kf8 42. Qh8+ Ke7 43. Qe5+ Kd8 44. Ne6+ {is another
perpetual check.}) 39. Kg1 $1 Qd5 {#} 40. Qg7+ Ke6 41. Qxb7 $1 Qxb7 42. Nc5+
Kf5 43. Nxb7 Kg5 44. Nc5 Kxh6 45. Ne6 Nc6 46. Kg2 g5 47. f4 g4 48. f5 $1 {With
the black king trapped on the edge of the board, the win is easy.} Kh5 49. e4
Ne5 50. Kf2 Nf7 51. Ke3 Ne5 52. Nf8 h6 53. Ne6 Nc4+ 54. Kf4 {Now 54...Kh6 55.
Kg4 costs Black the g-pawn, whereas 54...h6 55.Ne6 Nd4+ 56.Kf4 is mate next
move.} 1-0

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.01"]
[Round "5.18"]
[White "Brunello, S."]
[Black "Takyrbashev, B."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2586"]
[BlackElo "2195"]
[Annotator "Sabino Brunello"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Italy"]
[BlackTeam "Kyrgyzstan"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "KGZ"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8.
Rb1 Be6 9. b4 f6 10. b5 Nd4 11. e3 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Bc4 $2 (12... Rb8 13. d4 exd4
14. exd4 (14. Rd1 dxc3 15. Rxd8+ Rxd8 $44) 14... O-O 15. Re1 Bf7 16. Bf4 $14)
13. Qxb7 (13. Rd1 Bd3 (13... Rb8 14. d4 $16) 14. Qxb7 Bxb1 15. Nxb1 $14) 13...
Bxf1 14. Kxf1 (14. Bxf1 O-O 15. a4 Rb8 16. Qc6 Kh8 17. a5 Nc8 18. Nd5 Bd6 19.
Bb2 Ne7 20. Nxe7 Qxe7 21. d4 $14) 14... Qd3+ (14... O-O 15. a4 Rb8 (15... Qd3+
16. Kg1 $1 Kh8 (16... Rad8 17. Qxa7 $18) 17. Qa6 Rad8 18. Qxa7 $16) 16. Qxa7 f5
17. a5 Na4 18. Nd5 Bd6 19. b6 $16) 15. Ke1 Kf7 (15... O-O 16. Qc6 $1 (16. a4
Rad8 17. Be4 (17. a5 Na4 18. Be4 Nc5 19. Bxd3 Nxb7 20. Bc4+ Kh8 21. a6 Nd6 22.
Ba2 Nc8 23. Nd5 $14) (17. Qxa7 Ba3 18. Be4 Qd6 19. Bxa3 Qxd2+ 20. Kf1 Qxc3 $13)
17... Qd6 18. a5 Nc8 19. Bf5 $5 $14) 16... Kh8 (16... Rad8 17. Qe6+ Rf7 18. Be4
Qc4 19. Qxc4 Nxc4 20. Bd5) 17. Be4 Qd8 18. Qe6 Rb8 19. Qh3 f5 20. Bxf5 $16) 16.
a4 Rhd8 17. Be4 (17. a5 Rab8 (17... Na4 18. Be4 Nc5 19. Qxa8 Rxa8 20. Bxd3
Nxd3+ 21. Ke2 $16) 18. Qc6 Na8 19. Bf1 (19. Bd5+ Rxd5 20. Qxd5+ Qxd5 21. Nxd5
c6 22. Nc3 cxb5 23. Rxb5 Rxb5 24. Nxb5 a6 25. Na3 $16) 19... Qd7 20. Qa6 Kg8
21. Qxa7 $16) 17... Qc4 (17... Rab8 18. Qxa7 Qc4 19. Bf3 $3 Bb4 20. a5 Bxc3 21.
axb6 Rxb6 22. Be2 Bxd2+ (22... Qc5 23. Qa2+) 23. Bxd2 Qc2 24. Rd1 Rbd6 25. Qa5
$18) 18. a5 Rab8 (18... Na4 19. Bd5+ Rxd5 20. Qxd5+ Qxd5 21. Nxd5 Bd6 22. Nb4
$16) 19. Qc6 (19. Qxb8 Rxb8 20. axb6 Qc5 21. Na4 Qd6 22. bxa7 Rd8 23. a8=Q Rxa8
24. Bxa8 $18) 19... Qxc6 20. bxc6 Na8 21. Rb7 $16 a6 (21... Bb4 22. Rxa7 $18)
22. Nd5 (22. Ra7 Bb4 23. Rxa6 Ke6 24. Ke2 f5 25. Bc2 g6 26. f3 $16) 22... Bd6
$6 (22... Bc5 $8 23. g4 g6 24. f4 $16 exf4 25. Nxf4 Bb4 26. Bd3 Bxa5 27. Bc4+
$18 Ke8 28. Ne6 Rdc8 29. Ba3 Nb6 30. Ng7+ Kd8 31. Bf7) 23. Bd3 Ke6 24. e4 $6 (
24. Bc4 Bc5 (24... Rxb7 25. cxb7 Kd7 26. Bd3 $18) 25. Nxc7+ Kd6 26. Nxa6 $18)
24... Bc5 25. Bc2 $4 {Panic, I actually had enough time on the clock to check
the lines carefully} (25. Bxa6 Kd6 26. Bb5 (26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. Bb7 $18 {is easy
and should have been my choice}) 26... Rxb7 27. cxb7 c6 {This is what I had
missed earlier. The win is hard but it exists} 28. d4 Bxd4 29. Ba3+ Bc5 30. a6)
25... Kd6 26. Ba4 f5 $2 (26... Rxb7 27. cxb7 Nb6 28. axb6 cxb6 29. Bb3 Rb8 30.
Ne3 Bxe3 31. fxe3 Rxb7 32. Ba3+ Kd7 33. d4 $11) 27. d3 $16 fxe4 28. dxe4 Rf8
29. f4 Rbe8 30. f5 g6 (30... Rxf5 31. Nxc7 Nxc7 32. exf5 Rf8 33. g4 h5 34. h3
hxg4 35. hxg4 Rh8 36. Bg5 $18) 31. f6 h5 32. h3 $18 Rb8 33. Ke2 Bd4 34. Bh6 Nb6
35. axb6 cxb6 36. Rd7+ Kc5 37. c7 Rbc8 38. Bxf8+ Rxf8 39. Rd8 Rxd8 40. cxd8=Q
b5 1-0

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.05"]
[Round "8.2"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Hansen, Torbjorn Ringdal"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2517"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Denmark"]
[BlackTeam "Norway"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "DEN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NOR"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8.
c4 Ba6 9. Nd2 {I was following recommendations from John's coming book. I also
did this in round 2, but there I forget the whole point of the preparation!} g6
10. Nf3 Bg7 11. Bg5 Qb4+ 12. Qd2 Qxd2+ 13. Bxd2 Ne7 $2 {This looks like a very
natural square, but the critical line is} (13... Nb6 {followed by an immediate
fight against the white centre.}) 14. O-O-O {Suddenly Black finds himself
without moves.} Bb7 15. Bc3 Rd8 16. Nd2 c5 17. Nb3 $6 ({I wanted to play} 17.
Re1 {with the idea Nb3. It was a simple reversal of moves compared to the game;
or at least this is what I thought. Had I realised that the only move would be}
Rg8 {, then I would have played like this, and now} 18. Ne4 $1 $16 {.}) 17...
d6 18. Re1 Rg8 {Somehow I believed that 19.exd6 would win immediately. Now I
realised that 19...cxd6 was sound. Not the greatest tactical mistake of the
year, but still a rather stupid mistake.} 19. h4 $1 {But the game goes on and
the rook is needed in the game. Black has to block the h-pawn immediately.} h5
$1 {Black needs ...Bh6 in some lines.} 20. Rh3 Bc8 21. Rd3 (21. Rhe3 $2 Bh6 $1
{would be unfortunate.}) 21... Be6 (21... Bf5 22. Rdd1 Be6 {could be seriously
considered. The white rook is better on the third rank.}) 22. Nd2 Nc6 23. exd6
cxd6 (23... Bxc3 24. d7+ $1 {would keep some advantage.}) 24. Bxg7 Rxg7 25. g3
$14 {I think Black should have aimed to solve the problem with the poorly
played rook here, instead he allowed me to exchange his best pieces.} Nd4 $6
26. Nb3 Nxb3+ 27. Rxb3 Rd7 $2 {This loses a pawn by force.} (27... Kf8 28. Rb7
Rd7 29. Rb8+ Ke7 30. Re3 {gives White a real edge, but if it will lead
anywhere, is hard to tell.}) 28. Bh3 Re7 29. Rb8+ Kd7 30. Ra8 f5 (30... Kc6 $2
31. Bg2+ Kb6 32. Re3 $1 {and White has a winning attack. The key threat is
Rb3+ and then Rab8! with mate to follow.}) 31. Rxa7+ Ke8 $2 {A blunder, but} (
31... Kd8 {would most likely only postpone defeat.}) 32. Rxe6 1-0

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.05"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Black "McNab, Colin A"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2446"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r4r1/3bqp1k/p2p1n1b/1ppPpP1p/1PP1P1pP/Q1BB2P1/P4RNK/4R3 b - - 0 39"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Switzerland"]
[BlackTeam "Scotland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SUI"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SCO"]

{Black to play and force an advantage}  *

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.05"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Black "McNab, Colin A"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2446"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r4r1/3bqp1k/p2p1n1b/1ppPpP1p/1PP1P1pP/Q1BB2P1/P4RNK/4R3 b - - 0 39"]
[PlyCount "17"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.11.14"]
[WhiteTeam "Switzerland"]
[BlackTeam "Scotland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SUI"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SCO"]

39... a5 $3 40. bxc5 (40. Qxa5 Ra8 41. Qb6 Rgb8 42. Qc7 Rc8 43. Qb6 (43. Qb7
Qd8 {followed by ...Rcb8 traps the queen.}) 43... bxc4 44. Bxc4 cxb4 {and
Black wins a piece.}) 40... b4 41. Qxa5 $2 ({The critical line is} 41. cxd6
Qxd6 42. Qxa5 bxc3 43. c5 {#} ({after} 43. Qxc3 Rgc8 {White's pawns are
blockaded and do not provide enough compensation for the bishop}) 43... Rb5 $3
44. Bxb5 Qxc5 {Various white pieces are hanging and the c-pawn is dangerous.}
45. Rc2 Qxb5 46. Qxc3 Rc8 47. Qb2 Qxb2 48. Rxb2 Rc4 {and the edngame is
unpleasant for White.}) 41... dxc5 $1 $19 {Aiming to trap the white queen} 42.
Bxe5 {If the bishop retreats, Black plays 42...Qd6 and the threat of ...Ra8 is
decisive.} Qxe5 43. Qxc5 Rgc8 44. Qa7 Ra8 45. Qb6 Rcb8 46. Qc5 Ra3 47. Rd1 {#}
Qxg3+ $3 {Not the only move to win, but a nice way to finish the game.} 0-1

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.01"]
[Round "5.54"]
[White "Flaquer, L."]
[Black "Shaw, J."]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2297"]
[BlackElo "2424"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bqr1k1/pp2bpp1/2pp1n1p/4n3/P2QP2N/2N4P/BPP2PP1/R1B1R1K1 b - - 0 12"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.03"]
[WhiteTeam "Dominican Republic"]
[BlackTeam "Scotland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "DOM"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SCO"]

{Black to play. Find the best move.}  *

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.01"]
[Round "5.54"]
[White "Flaquer, L."]
[Black "Shaw, J."]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2297"]
[BlackElo "2424"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bqr1k1/pp2bpp1/2pp1n1p/4n3/P2QP2N/2N4P/BPP2PP1/R1B1R1K1 b - - 0 12"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.03"]
[WhiteTeam "Dominican Republic"]
[BlackTeam "Scotland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "DOM"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SCO"]

12... Bxh3 $1 {This never crossed my mind as a candidate move.} ({I played} 
12... Nh5 {and later drew.} 13. Qd1 {I missed this but} (13. Nf5 {was also
fine.}) 13... Bxh4 14. Qxh5 {Black had not gained anything by this swap.}) (
12... Nh7 {was my only other candidate, but White seems OK after} 13. Nf5) {
The point of the bishop sac is:} 13. gxh3 Nh7 $1 {The potential fork on f3
means Black regains the piece and wins a pawn.} (13... Nfd7 $1 {is also
possible, with similar ideas. One fun point is} 14. Rf1 {can be met very
coolly by} Bf8 $1) 14. f4 Bxh4 15. Rf1 Ng6 $17 {The game is not yet decided,
but Black would have been happy with recent progress.   For about a decade I
coached juniors for the Scottish chess federation. I always told them "Examine
all checks and captures." I should listen to myself more often.} *

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.04"]
[Round "7.51"]
[White "Shaw, J."]
[Black "Fonseca Cabrera, E."]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2424"]
[BlackElo "2211"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3k2r/1p3ppp/p3p3/4P1BQ/4b3/1P4R1/P1q2PPP/4R1K1 w kq - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.10"]
[WhiteTeam "Scotland"]
[BlackTeam "Nicaragua"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SCO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NCA"]

{White to play and win}  *

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.09.04"]
[Round "7.51"]
[White "Shaw, J."]
[Black "Fonseca Cabrera, E."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2424"]
[BlackElo "2211"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3k2r/1p3ppp/p3p3/4P1BQ/4b3/1P4R1/P1q2PPP/4R1K1 w kq - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.10"]
[WhiteTeam "Scotland"]
[BlackTeam "Nicaragua"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SCO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NCA"]

21. Qh4 $1 {With all the white pieces massed on the kingside, the key idea is
a quick shift to the left.} (21. Qg4 {is also good but not quite as accurate,
because} h6 {delays the inevitable.}) 21... Bg6 (21... Bd5 {would last longest,
but} 22. Be7 $1 {is killing. For example:} Qc7 23. Bd6 Qd8 24. Qh5 g6 25. Qh6
$18 {and the black king will soon be forced on the run.}) 22. Qb4 $1 {The
threat is crude and obvious, but tough to meet.} Qc7 23. Rc3 Qd7 24. Rec1 a5 {
At least this ends the suffering.} (24... f6 {does not help at all after} 25.
exf6 gxf6 26. Bxf6) 25. Rc8+ {It will soon be mate on e7.} 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Grunfeld omission"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D97"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "44"]

{"Ray" at the blog mentioned that in Schandorff's Indian Defences book there
have been two omissions in two popular openings. Both of the moves not
mentioned may be rather rare but they were played by 2700+. So show them now
some more respect...} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6.
Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Be6 $5 {this is not mentioned by Schandorff} 8. d5 $1 {this is
what Black wants (obviously!) but it seems that there is no better way for
gaining an edge} (8. Qb5 Bd7 9. Qc5 (9. Qb3 {is met by} c5 $1 {with
counterplay for Black}) 9... b6 10. Qg5 $6 (10. Qc4 c5 11. dxc5 (11. d5 {is
met by} e6 $1) 11... Be6 12. Qd3 Nc6 13. Qb5 Qc8 14. cxb6 $6 axb6 $15 {is
typical Grunfeld play for Black}) 10... c5 $1 11. dxc5 Bc6 12. Qh4 bxc5 13. Be2
e6 {[%csl Ge4][%cal Gf6e4]} 14. Bg5 (14. Qf4 $5 Nbd7 {[%cal Gd8b8]}) 14... h6
$1 15. Bxh6 Nxe4 16. Qf4 Nxc3 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. bxc3 Qf6 $11 {Morozevich (2770)
-Giri (2696), Biel 2012. A game that may give a boost of popularity of this
line for Black.}) 8... Bc8 {Black wants to undermine White's center[%cal Gc7c6,
Ge7e6]} (8... Bg4 $4 9. e5 $18) 9. Be2 {proposed by Krasenkow in the latest
CBM (issue 150)} c6 10. O-O cxd5 11. exd5 {and White has a small edge in all
lines as it seems:} Ne8 {[%cal Ge8d6]} (11... b6 12. Qh4 Bb7 13. Rd1 {White
has a strong pawn at d5 and easy play after Bg5 followed by Rac1[%csl Gd5]
[%cal Gc1g5,Ga1c1]} Nbd7 14. Bg5 a6 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Nd4 {now Nd4-Ne6 is a big
threat![%cal Gd4e6]} Qe8 17. Re1 (17. a4 {is interesting} e6 (17... Nxd5 {is
met by} 18. Bxa6) 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Bf3 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 {[%csl Ge6]}) 17... Nxd5
18. Bxa6 Bxa6 19. Nxd5 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 f6 21. Bh6 $36 {Bendana Guerrero -Odeev,
email 2005}) (11... e6 12. dxe6 (12. d6 $5 {is more ambitious}) 12... Bxe6 13.
Qb4 Qc8 14. Bg5 {was Novichkov (2415)-Odeev (2430), Moscow 1998} (14. Qh4 $5
$36 {with the idea Bg5 and Rac1[%cal Gc1g5,Ga1c1]}) 14... Nc6 $132) 12. Re1 (
12. Rd1 Nd6 13. Qf4 Nd7 14. h3 Nf6 15. Be3 Nf5 16. Bc5 $14 {is the main line
offered by the new addition of the collection of analytical tools of Quality
Chess (this is Houdini 3)}) (12. h4 {is also not stupid at all. In general
Black is under a bit of pressure here}) 12... Nd6 13. Qa4 (13. Qb3 $5 Nd7 14.
Be3 Nf5 15. Bf4 {is offered by Krasenkow. White seems a bit better here also})
13... Nd7 14. Bf4 Nb6 15. Qb3 Bg4 16. Ne5 (16. Rad1 {was better}) 16... Bxe2
17. Rxe2 Rc8 18. Rd1 Nd7 {Black has equalised} 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Be5 Bxe5 21.
Rxe5 b5 22. Rde1 Rfe8 $132 {Gordon (2539)-Howell (2620), North Shields ENG 2012
} *

[Event "26th Summer Universiade"]
[Site "Shenzhen CHN"]
[Date "2011.08.16"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Wang Hao"]
[Black "Vovk, Andrey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E81"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2011.08.15"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2011.08.21"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 c5 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. d5
Na5 {this move was played twice by Grischik in 2012 against Vitiugov and Dreev
but he never faced} 9. Ng3 $1 {White's idea is} a6 10. Qd2 b5 11. Bh6 {and now
we see clearly that with the Knights placed at a5 White has the chance to
start a ferocious attack against Black's King with h4-h5. Computers aren't
convinced but it seems that the Chinese Super-GM had made some home
preparation[%cal Gh2h4,Gh4h5]} e6 {it makes sense to produce central
counterplay in order to make the flank attack less appealing, but there is
way-back for White already} (11... Nxc4 12. Bxc4 bxc4 (12... Bxh6 13. Qxh6 bxc4
14. h4 {transposes}) 13. h4 {looks very dangerous for White. I didn't go deep,
but at least i refuter my PC's first choice} Bxh6 14. Qxh6 Rb8 15. O-O-O Kh8
16. h5 Rg8 {this is how the PC wants to defend but} 17. hxg6 Rxg6 18. Qh4 Qf8
19. e5 $1 dxe5 20. d6 $1 h6 21. f4 $1 {leads to an irresistable attack}) 12. h4
Nxc4 13. Bxc4 bxc4 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. dxe6 Bxe6 16. O-O-O Rb8 17. h5 Qb6 18.
Nge2 (18. Nf5+ Bxf5 19. exf5 {looks even stronger but in any case Black's
position is beyong repair already. White only needs adequate attacking
technique}) 18... Rb7 19. Nf4 Rfb8 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Nxe6+ fxe6 22. Qh6+ Kf7
23. Rd2 Qa5 (23... d5 24. Qf4 Kg7 25. g4 {wins quickly[%cal Gd2h2]}) 24. Qe3 {
[%cal Ge4e5]} d5 25. exd5 exd5 26. Qe5 Re8 27. Qf4 Kg7 28. Nxd5 Nh5 29. Qxc4
Ng3 30. Rhd1 Nf5 31. g4 Nd4 32. Qxd4+ Kf7 33. Qf6+ Kg8 34. Qxg6+ Kf8 35. Qh6+
Rg7 36. Qd6+ Kf7 37. Qf4+ Kg6 38. Qf5+ 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "The beginning of the story..."]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D10"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "18"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 {What should a Classical Slav player do in
this position? This was a question that troubled me for years, untill i
finally studied the Semi-Slav for the Black side, so the answer to my problem
was obvious: "just play 4...e6". Soon i discovered that this was just the
answer to my personal problem and not the answer to the original question.} Bf5
$1 {Of course! This move should be in the blood of every Slav player, right?}
5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 {OK, so we have a problem now. Everybody plays the Bishop
back to c8 now and this exchange-variation type of position has been proven to
be unpleasant for Black in practise. This has been shown for years. But while
i was looking to this position i noticed that my engine was running at the
background and its first choice was leading to a gambit of a pawn. My first
reaction was typical. "Stupid machine. Always useless in analysing early
opening positions. But lets try and refute its evaluation, it will be a good
training exercise for my students...."} Nc6 7. Qxb7 Bd7 $1 {"Nice one indeed,
now the Queen has few squares to go, but where is the compensation after...."}
8. Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 {and of course i was hit with..} e5 $1 {and after trying for
literally hours, the "stupid" machine always found a way to prove dangerous
compensation for Black. "Maybe this is something new? Maybe i don't have to
re-invent the wheel. Lets open the database..."} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Becoming the"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D10"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2qkb1r/pQ2pppp/2n2n2/3p1b2/3P4/2N1P3/PP3PPP/R1B1KBNR b KQkq - 0 7"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]

7... Bd7 $1 {After my "discovery" i needed some GM confirmation. So, i emailed
the line to John Shaw and Jacob Aagaard and they gave it some attention during
one of the working days at their office in Glasgow, in the heart of the
headquarters of Quality Chess. After the "bosses" approved then it was the
time some GM practice. I shared the analysis to one of the GMs i work with,
the Italian GM Sabino Brunello. Now we had to wait for our first "victim"....}
*

[Event "corr Luciano Camara memorial B"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2008.01.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Grifoll Miro, Joan(ESP)"]
[Black "Glinz, Adolfo Gustavo(ARG)"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2434"]
[BlackElo "2422"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]
[EventType "corr"]
[Source "Opening Master"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.05"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 $1 {so actually
this has been played in a quite serious corr game! And the game was really
exciting! Lets see...} 7. Qxb7 {the White player correctly accepted the
gambited pawn. Soon after having studied this line i had some training games
were my opponents were a bit sceptical and refused the gift} (7. Bb5 e6 (7...
Rc8 {and}) (7... Rb8 $146 {are also easily equal}) 8. Nf3 {is a position that
is probably in Black's favour. He can play in two ways} (8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Qb7
Qc8 {is better for Black}) 8... h6 {is what i tried in a training game} (8...
Bd6 {not fearing} 9. Nh4 (9. Ne5 O-O 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bxc6 Rb8 12. Qd1 Ne4 {
seems dangerous for White}) 9... Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. g4 {because after} Bg6 (
11... Ne4 {is also a typical move leading to some advantage for Black}) 12.
Nxg6 hxg6 13. Bd2 a6 14. Be2 g5 {only Black can be better}) 9. Ne5 Rc8 10. Qa4
Qb6 {gave me a reasonable and quite active position}) 7... Bd7 $1 (7... Qc8 $6
{was played by Paraskeui Mourouti (a former team-mate of mine!) but after} 8.
Qxc8+ {Black cannot claim enough compensation for the pawn. So this leads me
to believe that Paraskeui simply just blundered the pawn.} (8. Ba6 {is also
quite strong here}) 8... Rxc8 9. Bb5 Bd7 10. a3 Na5 11. Bxd7+ Nxd7 12. Rb1 Nb3
13. Nf3 Nb6 14. Nd2 Nxd2 15. Bxd2 e6 16. Ke2 Be7 17. Rhc1 Nc4 18. Na2 O-O 19.
Bb4 Bxb4 20. Nxb4 a5 21. Nd3 {and in the game Georgiadou (1670)-Mourouti (1640)
, Greece 2001 Black's Benko-like compensation was not enough to draw the game.}
) 8. a3 {The basic idea of this pawn sacrifice seems to me correct because
White has to allw the position with the Queen losing 3 tempi to get back to
its initial square where Black opens favourably the position, or else he HAS
to play a3 and if he HAS to play such a move then Black should be able to find
adequate compensation somehow. In this game the strong corr player found the
only but the very effient way to do so} (8. Nb5 {seems winning because White
has the double threat of Nc7+ and Qxa8 followed by Nc7, but when Black finds
the only defence} Rc8 {White has to justify moving again a developed piece
while already behind in development} 9. Bd2 $1 {accurate but not sufficient} (
9. a3 Na5) (9. Nxa7 Qa5+) 9... e6 {followed by Rb8 and Ne4 with more than
enough comp, and if} 10. Nxa7 Nxa7 11. Qxa7 Ra8 12. Qb7 Rb8 13. Qa7 Ne4 {
Black's position seems very promising}) (8. Nf3 Rb8 9. Qa6 Nb4 10. Qe2 Bf5 $17)
(8. Qa6 Rb8 9. Qe2 {seems entirely unnatural but it was something i tried
against my machine when i was first investigating this gambit continuation.
After all, it causes no surprize the fact that the machine was keep beating me.
..} (9. Qd3 Nb4 10. Qb1 Qc8 {is again very strong for Black}) 9... Bf5 10. a3 (
10. Qa6 Nb4) 10... Na5 {and Black has again at least enough compensation.}) (8.
Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 e5 {is examined in some detail next}) 8... Rb8 9. Qa6 e5 $1 {
opening the position when White is behind in development} 10. dxe5 {no good
alternative exists} (10. Nf3 Rb6 11. Qe2 {places the Queen in a stupid square
giving Black even more time} Bd6 12. h3 (12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nd4 O-O 14. Qc2 Nc6
15. Be2 Nxd4 16. exd4 Qb8) (12. g3 Bg4) 12... O-O 13. g3 {this logical way of
trying to continue development can be punished in an instructive way} exd4 14.
Nxd4 Nxd4 15. exd4 Re8 16. Be3 Qb8 17. b4 Bxg3 {winning!}) 10... d4 11. exf6 (
11. Na4 {is met by the very impressive} Nb4 12. axb4 Bxb4+ 13. Bd2 Bxd2+ 14.
Kxd2 dxe3+ 15. Ke1 (15. Kc1 Ne4 16. Nf3 O-O $40) 15... exf2+ 16. Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.
Kg3 Nxe5 18. Nf3 O-O {and with such a King at g3 Black can even sac a whole
piece just like that!} 19. Nxe5 Qg5+ 20. Kf2 Qh4+ 21. g3 Qd4+ 22. Kg2 Qe4+ $17)
(11. Bb5 Rb6 12. Qa4 dxc3 13. exf6 Qxf6 14. Rb1 Qg6 $19) 11... dxc3 12. bxc3
Qxf6 13. Ne2 (13. Bd2 {is very unnatural but cannot be punished. Without
analysing deep the position in think that Black has adequate play after} Qg6 {
with some sample lines:} 14. Ne2 (14. Rd1 Rb6 15. Qe2 Bxa3) (14. Qd3 Bf5 15.
Qc4 (15. Qd5 Be4) 15... Ne5 16. Qd4 Bd6 17. Nf3 Nxf3+ 18. gxf3 O-O $44) 14...
Rb6 15. Nf4 Rb1+ 16. Bc1 Qc2 17. Rxb1 Qxb1 18. Nd3 Ne5 19. Kd2 Qa2+ 20. Ke1 Qc2
21. Bd2 Be7 22. Be2 Qb1+ 23. Nc1 O-O $36 {again, this is mainly
"hand-analysis". It is so fun spending time at the club with friends analysing
beautifull complicated positions like this and when returning home and the
computer gives another move as more accurate i prefer leaving the "human" move
in my analysis when the assesment is not different.}) 13... Bc5 $1 14. Nd4 O-O
15. Be2 {White is ready to go safe after castling, so Black strikes hard!} Nxd4
16. Qxf6 Nc2+ 17. Kd2 gxf6 18. Kxc2 Rfd8 {and now White faces difficult
problems! I have strong doubts if this could be help over the board. In corr
chess it proved possible.} 19. Bb2 (19. c4 Ba4+ (19... Bf5+ 20. Kc3 Bb6 {is
another beautifull idea})) (19. Kd2 Bb6 20. Ke1 Ba5 {winning}) 19... Bf5+ 20.
Kc1 Rxb2 21. Kxb2 Rd2+ 22. Kb3 Rxe2 23. Ra2 Be6+ 24. c4 Rxa2 25. Kxa2 Bxc4+ {
i would say that Black has a slight advantage but the game continuation
probably proves that it is just a draw. Anyway, reaching such an endgame with
Black right from the opening (because i believe that both sides played the
best moves after that a3 approach) is something i would very much like in
every game!} 26. Kb2 Be6 27. Rc1 Bd6 28. g3 Kf8 29. Rc6 Ke7 30. Ra6 Bc5 31. Ra4
h5 32. Re4 Kd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "TCh-ITA 2012"]
[Site "Arvier ITA"]
[Date "2012.05.01"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Horvath, Cs1"]
[Black "Brunello, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2509"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2012.04.28"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ITA"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.07"]
[WhiteTeam "L'Arrocco A di Roma"]
[BlackTeam "Scavolini Datagest Pesaro"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. Qxb7 Bd7 8.
Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 e5 $1 {Exactly what we had analysed! Sabino was very kind to
say in his analysis of this game in an Italian magazine that he played an idea
that i showed him some time ago and he liked so much as to give it a try
against a solid GM. Luckily for those that don't read Italian, Sabino was
generous enough to give a lecture during the Greek team championship this July
where he shared with us some of his analysis and thought during this game. You
can find his lecture here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJZwUtlG7Q4. I am
not familiar with Sabino's analysis in the Italian magazine, but i'll try to
enrich Sabino's comments from the above video lecture with analysis of my own}
10. dxe5 (10. Nf3 {and some other minor lines are examined in our last game})
10... Nxe5 11. Be2 {a solid move} (11. Nge2 Bc5 {gives Black good compensation
as can be shown in the following lines} 12. Nd4 (12. Nf4 O-O 13. Be2 (13. Nd3
Nxd3+ 14. Bxd3 Bg4 $1 15. f3 (15. Qc2 {is met by} d4) 15... Bd7 16. O-O Re8 {
with obvious counterplay}) 13... Bc6 14. O-O Re8 {and it is not easy to find a
decent plan for White. If he tries to simplify with} 15. Nd3 {then} Nxd3 16.
Qxd3 Qc7 $5 {with Red8 coming next, Black keeps the bind[%cal Ge8d8]}) 12...
O-O 13. a3 $6 (13. Be2 {is best and after} Qe7 14. O-O Rfc8 {we have simply
transposed to our main game}) 13... Ne4 $1 {it is time to jump!} 14. Be2 Qh4 $1
15. Nxe4 (15. O-O {is met by the typical} Rb6 {and White is lost![%cal Gb6g6,
Gb6h6]}) 15... dxe4 $15 {Black has attacking chances}) (11. f4 $6 {seems bad
and simply is bad} Ng6 12. Nf3 (12. a3 Bc5 13. Nxd5 (13. b4 Bb6 14. Na4 O-O 15.
Nxb6 Qxb6 16. Nf3 Rfe8 $15) 13... O-O 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. Qxd7 Nxf4 16. Ne2 Rfd8
$15) 12... Bc5 13. Bd3 (13. Be2 O-O 14. Nxd5 Bc6 15. b4 Nxd5 16. bxc5 Re8 $17)
13... O-O 14. Bxg6 hxg6 15. O-O Qc7 16. b3 Rbc8 {and here after} 17. Nxd5 Nxd5
18. Qxd5 Rfd8 {Black keeps pressure}) (11. a3 {is not something special} Bd6
12. Nge2 (12. f4 Ng6 13. Nf3 O-O 14. g3 Bc5 $132 {[%csl Ge3][%cal Gf6g4,Gf8e8]}
) 12... O-O 13. Nf4 Bc6 14. Be2 Nc4 $132) (11. Nxd5 Nxd5 (11... Bc6 $5) 12.
Qxd5 Bb4+ 13. Bd2 Bxd2+ 14. Qxd2 Qf6 $36 {is fine for Black according to
Sabino. The main idea is that the b2 pawn is in danger after Rxb2 because Qxb2
is not possible because of the discovered check from the Knight.[%csl Gf6]
[%cal Gb8b2,Gd2b2,Gf6b2]}) 11... Bd6 12. Nf3 O-O (12... Qc7 $5 {is seen
briefly in the comments of the following game}) 13. O-O (13. Nxd5 $6 Nxd5 14.
Qxd5 Bc6 $40 {[%cal Gd6h2,Gc6g2]}) 13... Qe7 14. Nd4 Rfc8 {"Black's
compensation is in the style of Benko Gambit" says Sabino. Houdini 3 gives a
modest plus to White's position and an evaluation of "=". From a human
perspective White's position is difficult to play and quite sensitive because
a single mistake can give Black a big advantage.} 15. Ncb5 (15. h3 {might be a
better try, but in a recent Bundeslinga game the usually quite well prepared
Ragger played} Rb6 $5 {and comfortably drew (althought not without some
adventures!). Here is the whole game for you to see and work} 16. a4 Bb4 17. a5
Rbb8 18. Bd2 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Rxc4 20. Nce2 Bxd2 21. Qxd2 Ne4 22. Qd3 Rxb2 23. Nf4
Qd6 24. Qa3 Qxa3 25. Rxa3 Nf6 26. Rd1 g6 27. Raa1 Kg7 28. Nd3 Rb8 29. Ne5 Rc5
30. Rdc1 Rbc8 31. Rcb1 R8c7 32. Rb8 Be8 33. g4 h6 34. Kg2 Rc3 35. a6 Re7 36.
Nef3 Ne4 37. Rd8 Bd7 38. Ra8 Bc8 39. Ne1 Nd6 40. Ra5 Rec7 41. Nef3 Nc4 42. Ra2
Ra3 43. Rxa3 Nxa3 44. Ne5 Bxa6 45. Nec6 Nc2 46. Nxc2 Rxc6 47. Rxa7 Rxc2 48.
Rxa6 Rd2 49. Rd6 Kf8 50. Rd8+ Kg7 51. h4 Kf6 52. Kf3 Rd1 53. Kf4 Rh1 54. Kg3
Rg1+ 55. Kf3 Rd1 56. Rh8 Kg7 57. Rd8 Kf6 {1/2-1/2 Melkumyan (2649)-Ragger 
(2655), Forchheim GER 2012}) (15. Ba6 Rc5 {is a move that its points were
explained exceptionally well by Sabino in his lecture. In the future, after a
Knight jump to e4 this Rook might suddenly find a route to White's King side
after Nxe4 dxe4. Also the Bishop is unprotected on a6 and can fall victim of a
trick like Bxh2+ followed by Qd6[%csl Ga6][%cal Gf6e4,Gc3e4,Gd5e4]} 16. Nb3 {
can be met by 16...Rc7 and White's pieces don't make much sense but also the
tactical solution} Nf3+ {seems strong} 17. gxf3 (17. Qxf3 Bg4 {traps the Queen}
) 17... Bxh2+ 18. Kxh2 Ne4 {and White's King is helpless...}) 15... Bc5 16. Bd2
$2 {this is a clear mistake but you only need one in this positon to be
suddenly lost} (16. b4 {is "the equalising" move according to Sabino} Bxd4 (
16... Bxb4 17. Nxa7 {is White's idea. Now the a-pawn is passed. Even here
Black is not worse[%csl Ga2]} Rc5) 17. Nxd4 Qxb4 {and White the two Bishops
but Black is active and the presense of the strong outpost at c4 improves the
vlue of the Knights. Black can actually play here something like Ne8-Nd6 to
have even more control over c4. Sabino would prefer Black and my engine
supports his preference.[%csl Gc4][%cal Gf6e8,Ge8d6]}) 16... Nc4 17. a4 Nxb2
$17 18. Qe1 Ne4 19. Ba5 Nc4 20. Nb3 $6 a6 (20... Nxa5 {leads to a beutifull
win as Sabino's PC showed him after the game} 21. Qxa5 Bb6 22. Qe1 Nxf2 23.
Rxf2 Qxe3 24. Nd2 Rc2 25. Rd1 {and it looks like White has survived but after}
a6 {is the typical little move which is difficult to see at the end of the
combination and it is this little push White needs to collapse here}) 21. Nxc5
Rxc5 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. f3 axb5 24. fxe4 Rg5 25. Bc7 Rc8 {"a bit lazy",
Brunello. Quicker was} (25... Bc6 $1) 26. Bf4 Rg6 27. axb5 Qxe4 28. Bg3 Bxb5 {
but this is still winning. Note that Black now is a pawn up! So the gambit
proved to be a good investment after all! The rest is self-explanatory} 29. Qc3
Bc6 30. Ra2 h6 31. Rd2 Re6 32. Re1 Ba8 33. h3 Rg6 34. Kh2 Rc5 35. Qa3 Rxg3 36.
Rd8+ Kh7 37. Qxa8 Rxg2+ 38. Kh1 Qxa8 39. Rxa8 Rd2 {Ntirlis,Nikos: '0-1 Horvath,
C (2509)-Brunello,S (2587)/Arvier ITA 2012'} 0-1

[Event "40th Olympiad Open"]
[Site "Istanbul TUR"]
[Date "2012.08.31"]
[Round "4.37"]
[White "Winants, L."]
[Black "Shaw, J."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2543"]
[BlackElo "2424"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "287"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.03"]
[WhiteTeam "Belgium"]
[BlackTeam "Scotland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "BEL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SCO"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. Qxb7 Bd7 8.
Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 e5 {"I played your Slav Gambit" said to me John during the
"book signing" even at the Olympiad. While some meters away Polgar, Marin,
Flear, Schandorff and many other Quality Chess authors were signing books to
the happy chess funs that were around at the official book store of the
organisers, me, John and Jacob were discussing this exact line!} 10. Nf3 $5 (
10. Nge2) (10. Bb5) (10. a3 {and other silly moves are just waiting to be
tried. Most or them should be met simply by ...Bd6. Black cannot kill White
just yet. He needs some development to do so.}) 10... e4 {"I probably should
have played just ...Bd6 here" John said} (10... Bd6 {was in fact tried in a
very serious encounter between two 2700 opponents} 11. dxe5 (11. Be2 {is
possible, but now ...e4 comes under better circumstances because the Knight
cannot jump to e5, but also 11...O-O is possible which will certainly
transpose to lines we have seen or will see in a while}) (11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12.
dxe5 Bxe5 {must be fine for Black. The pressure will mount after Qc7 at
White's King side[%cal Gd8c7,Ge5b2,Gc7c3,Gb8b2]}) 11... Nxe5 12. Be2 Qc7 $5 {
another interesting way to play the position. We can assume with some
certainty that a close to 2700 player has seen this position before in his
"home-lab"} (12... O-O 13. O-O Qe7 {transposes to the Brunello game}) 13. Nd4
O-O 14. h3 $5 (14. O-O Nc4 {leads to the following complications} 15. b3 Bxh2+
16. Kh1 Nd6 17. Ba3 Qa5 18. Ncb5 Nxb5 19. Bxf8 Be5 20. Be7 Nc3 21. Qc2 Nfe4 {
and Black is better! I don't know if this line is forced or not, but it is
certainly attractive from Black's point of view!}) 14... Ne4 (14... Nc4 15. Qc2
Rfc8 {must give Black great compensation also}) 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. b3 Qc5 {
there are many interesting possibilities here and i believe that this is not
the most accurate for Black, but still i couldn't prove it wrong} (16... Qd8 {
going to f6 must be investigated with detail[%cal Gd8f6]}) 17. Bb2 (17. O-O Ng6
(17... Nf3+ 18. Bxf3 Qe5 19. g3 exf3 20. h4 Bh3 21. Re1 {looks scary for WHite
but the cool-headed PC sees nothing and prefers White}) 18. f4 exf3 19. Nxf3
Bc6 20. Qd4 Rbd8 21. Qxc5 Bxc5 22. Kh2 Rfe8 23. Rd1 Rxd1 24. Bxd1 Ne5 {leads
to equality according to Houdini 3. As i said, i don't trust this line entirely
}) 17... Qa5+ 18. Kf1 Rfc8 19. g3 Rb6 20. Kg2 h5 (20... Bb8 $5) 21. h4 Ng4 $6 (
21... Qd5 $5) 22. Rc1 $1 {and White had some edge in Wojtaszek (2713)-Wang Yue
(2691), Poikovsky RUS 2012, a game that ended a draw nevertheless. Another
success story for the "Glasgow Kiss" gambit and certainly lots of virgin
ground to investigate!}) 11. Ne5 $14 Bd6 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Bb5 (13. Be2 {may
be even better and was a choice of a Quality Chess GM author, the "tactimania"
Glenn Flear. The first time i met Flear was during the European Team
Championship in Porto Carras 2011 when during my army service i managed to get
some free days to go and help the Danish team during the event. Flear was the
captain of the English team and was having a chat with the reserve player of
the team for that day, GM Pert. Pert is writting a book for Quality Chess, a
GM Repertoire on the Classical Slav! So you can imagine me promoting "my line"
to the two Englishmen the first minutes i introduced myself to them despite
Jacob's warning that i shouldn't begin talking to everybody using chess
variations! Both are known Slav Defense funs and both showed a level of
scepticism to this gambit. To be honest, i also was sceptical during that time.
Now i can state with some confidence that i am pretty sure that the gambit is
sound!} h5 14. a3 a5 15. f3 exf3 16. Bxf3 Qc7 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Ne7 19.
Ba2 Bxh2 20. Qf3 f6 21. e4 Bg3+ 22. Kf1 h4 23. Qe2 Qb6 24. Qc4 Rc8 25. Qa4+ Kd8
26. Bd2 Rh5 27. Rc1 Rxc1+ 28. Bxc1 Nc6 29. Bd5 Rxd5 {Oups! White was winning
for some time in this game, but suddenly it is 0-1 (Flear,G (2459)-Arjun,B 
(2210)/Lille FRA 2012)}) 13... O-O 14. O-O Rfc8 15. f3 Qe6 16. Ba4 Na5 17. Bc2
Bb4 18. fxe4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Ba4 g6 21. a3 Bd6 22. b4 Nc4 23. Bb3 Rb7 (
23... a5 {was better but still tough. Now White is winning but John managed
not to spoil the good percentages of the gambit and gained the half point!})
24. Ra2 Qd5 25. Rc2 Rbc7 26. Qe2 Qb5 27. Bd2 a6 28. a4 Qh5 29. Qxh5 gxh5 30. b5
axb5 31. axb5 Nxd2 32. Rxd2 Rb8 33. Rb1 Kg7 34. Bd5 f5 35. b6 Rc3 36. Re2 h4
37. b7 Ra3 38. Rc1 Ra5 39. Bc6 Kf6 40. Rb1 Ke7 41. Reb2 Ra3 42. Rb3 Ra6 43. Bd5
Ra5 44. Rb5 Ra3 45. Bb3 Ra7 46. Rxf5 (46. Bd5 {was much much much better.
White mistakenly simplyfied and the opposite-coloured Bishops proved their
reputation}) 46... Raxb7 47. Rf7+ Kd8 48. Rxb7 Rxb7 49. Bc2 Rc7 50. Bxe4 Re7
51. Bf5 Rxe3 52. Bxh7 Re2 53. Rd1 Rb2 54. Bf5 Ke7 55. Bh3 Bf4 56. Re1+ Kd6 57.
Re4 Rb1+ 58. Kf2 Bxh2 59. Rxh4 Bg1+ 60. Ke2 Kd5 61. Bf5 Rb2+ 62. Kd3 Rb3+ 63.
Kc2 Rg3 64. Be4+ Kxd4 65. Bf3+ Ke5 66. Kd3 Ba7 67. Re4+ Kf6 68. Ra4 Rg7 69.
Ra6+ Ke5 70. Ra5+ Kf4 71. Bd5 Kg3 72. Ra6 Bg1 73. Rh6 Ba7 74. Bf3 Kf4 75. Rf6+
Ke5 76. Rf8 Rg3 77. Rf7 Bg1 78. Kc4 Bb6 79. Re7+ Kf6 80. Re8 Bg1 81. Kd5 Rg5+
82. Ke4 Bh2 83. Rf8+ Kg7 84. Ra8 Re5+ 85. Kd3 Bg3 86. Be4 Kf6 87. Ke3 Rg5 88.
Kf3 Rg7 89. Ra6+ Ke5 90. Ra5+ Kf6 91. Rb5 Ke6 92. Rb6+ Ke5 93. Bg6 Be1 94. g4
Bd2 95. Bf5 Bg5 96. Re6+ Kd4 97. Re4+ Kd5 98. Re8 Kd4 99. Be6 Bc1 100. Ba2 Bg5
101. Re4+ Kc5 102. Re5+ Kd6 103. Rd5+ Ke7 104. Bb1 Kf6 105. Rf5+ Ke7 106. Rb5
Kf6 107. Rb6+ Ke5 108. Bf5 Bc1 109. Re6+ Kd5 110. Ra6 Bg5 111. Be6+ Kd4 112.
Bb3 Bc1 113. Ra5 Bg5 114. Be6 Bh6 115. Rd5+ Kc3 116. Ke4 Rg5 117. Bf5 Rg7 118.
Rc5+ Kb4 119. Rc6 Bg5 120. Kd5 Be3 121. Rc2 Bg5 122. Ke6 Re7+ 123. Kd5 Rg7 124.
Be6 Bf6 125. Rc4+ Kb5 126. Rf4 Bg5 127. Rf3 Kb4 128. Kd4 Kb5 129. Bd5 Kb4 130.
Rb3+ Ka4 131. Rf3 Kb4 132. Ke5 Kc5 133. Rc3+ Kb4 134. Rc2 Kb5 135. Be6 Kb4 136.
Bf5 Kb5 137. Be4 Kb4 138. Rc8 Kb5 139. Kf5 Kb4 140. Bd5 Bd2 141. Be6 Be3 142.
Rd8 Kc5 143. Kf6 Bg5+ 144. Kxg7 {I have no more to say on this gambit. The QC
team did everything they could to warn you. This gambit exists and can kill
you. Which side do you want to be? Happy hunting!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Cuadrangular UNAM 2012"]
[Site "Mexico City MEX"]
[Date "2012.11.25"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Carlsen, M."]
[Black "Polgar, Ju"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E90"]
[WhiteElo "2848"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2012.11.24"]
[EventType "k.o. (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "MEX"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O {The King's Indian has been
one of Judit's favourite openings since 1988. As Judit mentions in "How I Beat
Fischer's Record", she started studying it with the great opening expert
Laszlo Hazai.} 6. h3 e5 7. d5 Na6 8. Be3 ({Also frequently seen is} 8. Bg5 {
with the idea that if} h6 9. Be3 {White might gain a tempo attacking h6. On
the other hand, if Black plays 8...Qe8 then play may be similar to the game.
In fact, several games with 8.Bg5 follow our game with the bishop dropping
back to e3, leaving White a full tempo down on Carlsen's play.}) 8... Qe8 9. g4
Nc5 10. Nd2 a5 11. Be2 c6 12. Rg1 {A new move.} ({Known was} 12. g5 Nfd7 {as
in Loxine (2399) - E. Paehtz,(2461), Dresden 2012. I am no expert on the KID,
but instead of the game's subtle 13.Qc2 I would be reaching out to play the
direct} 13. h4) 12... Kh8 13. h4 Ng8 14. Qc2 Bd7 15. O-O-O cxd5 16. Nxd5 Ne6
17. h5 g5 {It is all looking great for White. The KID bishop is dead, while
the d5-knight is dominant. Nothing can possibly go wrong...} 18. Kb1 Ba4 19. b3
Bc6 20. Nb6 Rd8 21. Qc3 Nf4 22. Bf1 h6 23. Qxa5 f5 24. gxf5 ({It makes sense
to avoid} 24. exf5 e4 {when the g7-bishop is resurrected.}) 24... Qxh5 25. Re1
Nf6 26. Nd5 Ra8 27. Qb4 Rfd8 28. f3 $4 {Everything turns - from winning to
lost - on one natural-looking move.} (28. Nxf6 Bxf6 29. f3 {would keep total
control.}) 28... Qh4 $1 {The queen hits the e1-rook but that threat can easily
be met, so what's the big idea? In fact, Black has a second threat of taking
twice on d5, exploiting a well-hidden potential pin between h4 and b4. I found
this difficult to spot (there are so many pieces in between!) but Judit is
exactly the sort of razor-sharp player who sees this in an instant.} 29. Rc1
Bxd5 (29... N6xd5 30. cxd5 Nxd5 {looks an even better option.}) 30. cxd5 (30.
Bxf4 {was a chance to lessen the damage, but Black is still very happy after}
Qxf4 31. cxd5 Nxd5 32. Qc4 Ne3) 30... N4xd5 31. Bxg5 Qxg5 $1 (31... hxg5 {
loses most of Black's advantage after} 32. Qxb7 $1) 32. Rxg5 Nxb4 33. Rg2 d5 {
Now Black simply has an extra piece; Judit finished efficiently.} 34. exd5
Nfxd5 35. Ne4 Ne3 36. f6 Bf8 37. Rh2 Rac8 38. Bc4 Nxc4 39. bxc4 Kg8 40. Rb2 Rc7
41. c5 Nd3 42. Rd2 Rcd7 43. c6 bxc6 44. Rxc6 Kf7 45. Rb6 Nc5 46. Rxd7+ Rxd7 47.
Nf2 h5 48. Rc6 Rd2 49. Nh3 Ne6 50. a4 Rh2 {British football commentators have
an annoying habit of saying "It's like a game of chess out there" when the
match they are watching is bogged down in a midfield "stalemate". Well, this
was like a game of football: White had all the possession, but Black took her
only chance and buried it in the back of the net.} 0-1

[Event "72nd ch-ITA 2012"]
[Site "Torino ITA"]
[Date "2012.11.02"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Brunello, S."]
[Black "Garcia Palermo, C."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2481"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2012.10.30"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 (5... c6 {This is a move
order suggested by IM Cox in his QDG book and may well be indeed the most
accurate here. Schandorff in his book advocates the move order with 6.Qc2, but
there may be a potential important new idea for Black here} 6. Qc2 (6. e3 {
allows the "Short-Spassky endgame" after} Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6
gxf6 {I think that a nice way to play against it with White is the well known}
10. Nf3 Nd7 11. Nh4 Be7 12. g3 Nb6 13. f3 a5 {(13...Nc8 may be better, but in
this case the move ...a5 by Black can be met by b3! and this fact may be
relevant)} 14. Kf2 a4 15. Rc1 (15. Rd1 $146 {may be a serious idea here. The
main point is that after[%cal Gf1d3]} Nc8 16. Bd3 Nd6 {White can play} 17. e4 {
followed by Rhe1. If this is really better for him requires deep analysis to
figure it out, but to me it looks at least slightly uncomfortable for Black
[%cal Gh1e1]}) 15... Nc8 16. Be2 Nd6 17. Rhd1 O-O (17... b5 $5 {has been
played in a high-level corr game and I would be a liar if I say that I really
understand what is going on...}) 18. Bd3 {we are following Van Wely- Short,
Corus 2005. White won this game in a nice style although at this point lots of
people (including Cox) have suggested that Black's best is} Bxd3 19. Rxd3 f5 {
with a close to equal game. I think that indeed Black is fine, so probably
special attention should be given in the suggested improvement 15.Rd1}) 6... h6
$5 7. Bh4 Be6 $1 8. e3 Nbd7 $1 9. Bd3 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 $1 {was suggested by the
Greek IM Frentzas in the chesspub forum as perfectly acceptable and equal for
Black. The only "over the board game" I have in my database (I have several
recent corr games here as well) continued} 11. Nf3 Nxg3 12. hxg3 Bg7 13. Rb1
Qe7 14. b4 Rc8 15. Ne2 h5 16. Bf5 Bf6 17. Kf1 Kf8 18. a3 Kg7 19. Nd2 b6 20. Bd3
c5 {and Black had taken over the initiative in Arencibia Rodriguez,W (2548)
-Campora,D (2506)/Cali 2001. Certainly food for thought....}) 6. e3 c6 7. Qc2
Nbd7 8. Bd3 Nf8 9. Nge2 Ne6 10. Bh4 g6 11. O-O {You'll find this line analysed
briefly by Schandorff in page 21 of his "Playing the Queen's Gambit" book, but}
Nh5 {was not mentioned. You cannot blame the author though. This move is rare
as well as weak. Let's see how Sabino deals with it} 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. e4 $1
$146 dxe4 14. Bxe4 {Excellent. White's idea is simply to play d5[%cal Gd4d5]}
Nf6 15. d5 $1 {which he does! Black is certainly at least slightly worse after
this and it gets more frightening soon...} Ng5 16. Ng3 Ngxe4 17. Ngxe4 Nxe4 18.
Nxe4 Bf5 $6 {You cannot blame Black for trying to castle queenside.
Unfortunately for him this idea simply doesn't work} (18... cxd5 {of course is
bad due to} 19. Qc3 {but better would have been}) (18... O-O {although after
both} 19. d6 {and} (19. dxc6 {Black's position is unpleasant and those weak
dark squares "smell" like disaster in the near future. The computer cannot see
one coming very soon, but a human player correctly cannot feel safe in the
long term.[%csl Gf6,Gg7,Gh6]})) 19. Qc3 $1 O-O-O 20. Ng3 Bd7 21. Rfe1 Qd6 22.
Ne4 Qxd5 23. Rad1 Qxa2 24. Qe5 $16 (24. Ra1 Qd5 25. Rxa7 {was much quicker})
24... Be6 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26. Qxh8+ Kc7 27. Rxd6 Kxd6 28. Qb8+ Ke7 29. Qxb7+ {
Sabino will win the exchange up endgame. It required some patience, but the
result was never in doubt. Especialy as there are pawns on both sides of the
board.} Kf6 30. Qb8 Qa5 31. Qh8+ Kf5 32. Rc1 h5 33. Qd4 Bd5 34. h4 Ke6 35. Rc3
Qb6 36. Re3+ Kd7 37. Qc3 a5 38. Rd3 Qb4 39. Qxb4 axb4 40. Rd4 b3 41. f3 Ke6 42.
Kf2 f6 43. Ke3 g5 44. g3 Ke5 45. Rb4 Kf5 46. Rb8 gxh4 47. gxh4 Be6 48. Rh8 Bf7
49. Kd4 Kg6 50. Ke4 Bd5+ 51. Kf4 Be6 52. Rd8 Bc4 53. Rc8 Bd5 54. Rc7 Kh6 55.
Kf5 Bxf3 56. Kxf6 Bd5 57. Rg7 Be4 58. Rg3 Bd5 59. Rg6+ Kh7 60. Rg5 Kh6 61. Re5
Bg8 62. Re8 Kh7 63. Re7+ Kh6 64. Rc7 Bd5 65. Rc8 Kh7 66. Kg5 Bf3 67. Rc7+ Kg8
68. Kg6 Be4+ 69. Kxh5 Kf8 70. Kg5 Ke8 71. Kf4 1-0

[Event "72nd ch-ITA 2012"]
[Site "Torino ITA"]
[Date "2012.11.07"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Brunello, S."]
[Black "Altini, N."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2354"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2012.10.30"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8.
Ne5 a5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 e6 11. e4 Bh7 12. f3 Be7 13. Bf2 O-O 14. Be2 Nfd7 15.
Nd3 Rc8 16. O-O c5 {So far everything went well; we are still in preparation!}
17. dxc5 $6 {but now we underestimated a resource from Black which Schandorff
warned us about in his book} (17. Nb5 $1 cxd4 18. Nxd4 $1 {This is what
Schandorff recommends instead in page 132 of his QG book. Indeed, this line
looks better for White.}) 17... Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. Bxc5 Rxc5 20. Qxd8 Rxd8
21. Rfd1 Rcc8 22. Rab1 {We had in mind this pleasant endgame which was seen in
Gelfand- Felgaer, 2005. It looks grim for Black, doesn't it? What is he going
to do about his Bishop at h7? The next move solves the problem in a very
effective way:[%csl Ge4,Gf3,Gh7][%cal Gh7e4]} f5 $1 {Schandorff had this move,
originally played by GM Kuzubov two years after the Gelfand game, mentioned in
his book. Black solves his problems.} 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. b4 fxe4 25. bxa5 exf3
26. Rxb6 fxe2 27. Rxe6 Bd3 28. Nxe2 Ra8 29. Nf4 Bc4 30. Re5 Bb3 31. Nd5 Bxa4
32. Nb6 Re8 33. Rc5 Bc6 34. Kf2 Rf8+ 35. Kg3 Rf6 36. Nd5 Rg6+ 37. Kf2 Kh7 38.
Ne3 Rd6 39. Ke2 Be4 40. Nf5 Re6 41. Nd4 Rd6 42. Nf5 Re6 43. Nd4 Rd6 44. Nf5
1/2-1/2

[Event "72nd ch-ITA 2012"]
[Site "Torino ITA"]
[Date "2012.10.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Brunello, S."]
[Black "Godena, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2526"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2012.10.30"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Be3 {
Following Schandorff!} (7. Ne2 {After the text game, Sabino decided to play
another line when faced again with the same defensive system in order to avoid
possible preparation from his opponent. Schandorff also mentions the 7.Ne2
move in his book, so by following this game and some comments you can also add
this line in your repertoire with a bit of extra work.} Bg4 8. f3 Be6 9. Nbc3
Qd7 10. Ne4 Bd5 11. Nc5 Qc8 {I have pleasant memories of this line. In the
recent Olympiad, the Danish team faced Georgia in the important last round and
one of the Georgian players fell victim of the well prepared GM AS Rasmussen
and quickly had a totally lost position with White after the opening.} 12. Bd2
$5 {"I'll not lose my Queen today", said Sabino just before the game.} (12. a3
e6 13. Qc2 Bxc5 14. Qxc5 Qd7 15. O-O a6 $1 {A sneaky move!} (15... Nc4 16. Bxc4
b6 17. Qb5 {wins for White but now the b5 square is covered, so the Knight
jump is threatened}) 16. Bg5 $4 (16. Qc3 {is what White is usually advised to
play here. Black has a solid position though.}) 16... Nc4 17. Bxc4 b6 {Oups!
Now the Queen is lost.} 18. Bxd5 bxc5 19. Be4 Nxd4 20. Bxa8 Nxe2+ 21. Kh1 c6
22. Rfd1 Nd4 23. Rac1 Qa7 24. Rxd4 cxd4 25. Bxc6+ Kf8 26. f4 Qb8 27. b4 f6 28.
Bh4 Kf7 29. Be4 Rc8 {Nice and instructive play by Black here. It happens very
often such positions in club level to be played very passively and not won at
the end. Look how the Grandmaster makes sure that all his pieces will play so
that his material advantage will tell at the end.} 30. Rd1 fxe5 31. fxe5 Qxe5
32. Re1 Qf4 33. g3 Qf2 34. Rg1 Qe3 35. Bb7 Rc1 {0-1 Sanikidze,T (2585)
-Rasmussen,A (2496)/Istanbul TUR 2012. Good game and a nice convincing win for
Denmark in the last round who finished 18th (sadly a bit behind Sweden but
still got a silver medal in the relevant group)}) 12... e6 13. Rc1 Nd7 (13...
Bxc5 {Seems obligatory, but Black is in bad shape after} 14. Rxc5 Qd7 15. b4 $5
Ne7 (15... Qe7 16. O-O Nd7 17. Rxd5 exd5 18. b5 Nd8 19. Qb3 c6 20. f4 {and
White seems to be having excellent compensation for his exchange[%cal Gf4f5]})
16. Qc2 c6 17. a4 {and White is pressing all over the board}) 14. Ne4 Nb4 15.
Bb1 Bc6 16. O-O a5 17. Qe1 Qb8 18. a3 Nd5 19. f4 g6 20. Bxa5 {in Brunello,S 
(2591)-Jonkman,H (2421)/Wijk aan Zee NED 2012 White had already won a pawn and
still had all the other good things in his position he had before winning the
material. He won that game without too many problems.}) 7... Nb4 8. Be4 f5 9.
exf6 exf6 10. Nc3 f5 11. Bb1 N4d5 12. Nf3 Nxe3 {Godena finds a line that
Sabino couldn't find in Schandorff's book because it is simply not there! You
cannot blame the Italian GM. This move has a fantastic score in the database
based on very few games played. But is it sound? I doubt it. Sabino, once
again shows the correct way} 13. fxe3 Qe7 14. O-O Be6 (14... Qxe3+ $2 15. Kh1 {
would be really bad for Black[%cal Gf1e1]}) 15. a4 $1 a5 $146 (15... Nc4 {was
seen in Tikkanen,H (2570)-Stevic,H (2614)/Istanbul TUR 2012 but Godena was
probably right not to follow this example. After the Houdini suggested line:}
16. Qd3 {[%cal Gb1a2]} Nd6 17. d5 Bd7 18. Qd4 {Black is certainly worse.}) 16.
e4 fxe4 17. Bxe4 O-O-O 18. Ne5 {White is better after this and Godena's
opening experiment proved to be a failure. Sabino offered another great game
for Schandorff's third edition of his well received QG book!} Qb4 $6 {Black
needs an improvement here in order to be able to use this line in future games
but I am not sure if there is a really satisfactory one for him.} 19. Nb5 $1
Kb8 20. Qc2 Bd6 21. Bxb7 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Qc4 23. Qf2 Rhf8 24. Bf3 {Sabino is
just a huge pawn up here and totally winning.} Qb4 25. Qc2 Bc4 26. Rfd1 Qc5+
27. Kh1 Qxe5 28. b3 Bxb5 29. axb5 Rxd1+ 30. Rxd1 Re8 31. h3 Qxb5 32. Qxh7 Qxb3
33. Qg6 Qa4 34. Rb1 Re7 35. Qd3 Kc8 36. Bg4+ Kb7 37. Qd5+ Ka7 38. Qc5 Rf7 39.
Be6 Rf4 1-0

[Event "Cultural Village 2012"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2012.11.22"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Brunello, S."]
[Black "Van der Lende, I."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E46"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2169"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2012.11.19"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 $5 {Following Schandorff once again} O-O (
4... d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c6 {Was seen in another recent game of Sabino
against a very solid GM.} 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 b6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Qe2 Bb7 11. Bb2
{we started as a Nimzo, but ended up as a QGD, so the owners of the "Indian
Defences" book by Schandorff will not find this line in his second book, but
in the first one (The "Queen's Gambit" one) at page 310.} Qc8 {[%cal Gb7a6]} (
11... Nc6 12. O-O Na5 13. Nd2 $14 {Schandorff}) 12. c4 $6 {a bit too rushed} (
12. Rc1 Ba6 13. c4 $14 {is given by Schandorff}) (12. a4 {is another solution
offered by Sokolov in his "Strategic Nimzo" book. The point is that after the
intended} Ba6 {White plays} 13. Bb5 {an idea also known from some variations
of the French Defense}) 12... dxc4 13. Bxc4 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Qxa6 15. Qxa6 Nxa6 16.
Ke2 Rfc8 17. Rhc1 Ne4 18. Ne5 f6 19. Nd3 Kf7 20. a4 Nd6 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rc1
Rxc1 23. Nxc1 e5 24. dxe5 Nc4 25. Bc3 Nxe5 26. Nb3 Nc7 27. f4 Nd5 28. Bd2 {1/
2-1/2 Brunello,S (2591)-Rozentalis,E (2592)/Wijk aan Zee NED 2012}) 5. Nge2 c5
6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Nxc3 b6 {Another line not mentioned by Schandorff for the
simple reason that White's set-up is designed to make those lines bad for
Black. Once again I should say that an author simply cannot put everything in
a book and we are lucky that we can follow Sabino once again!} 8. d5 {Very
typical. Black is playing a bad Benoni.} d6 9. Be2 exd5 10. cxd5 (10. Nxd5 Bb7
11. Nf4 {was probably better}) 10... Ba6 11. O-O Re8 12. e4 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 b5 $2
{This creates some tactical problems for Black} (13... Nbd7 {was better, but
after} 14. f3 {White has a bit more comfortable game, although nothing
decisive can happen soon[%cal Gc1e3,Ga3a4,Gb2b4]}) 14. Qxb5 Nxe4 15. Re1 a6 16.
Qa4 Nf6 17. Bf4 Nbd7 18. Qc6 Ne5 19. Bxe5 dxe5 20. Rad1 Qc8 21. Na4 Qxc6 22.
dxc6 Rac8 23. Rd6 Re7 24. Nxc5 Ne8 25. Rd7 Kf8 26. Nxa6 Rxc6 27. Rxe7 Kxe7 28.
Nb4 {A typical "GM vs Amateur" game. Now only decent technique is required and
a 2600 GM like Sabino will never face problems winning here.} Re6 29. a4 Nc7
30. a5 f6 31. Rc1 Kd7 32. Nd3 Rc6 33. Rd1 Rd6 34. Kf1 Na6 35. Ke2 Kc6 36. f4
exf4 37. Nxf4 Rxd1 38. Kxd1 Kb5 39. Nh5 Kxa5 40. Nxg7 Nc7 41. Nh5 Nd5 42. Ke2
Kb4 43. Kd3 Kc5 44. g4 Kd6 45. Ke4 h6 46. Ng7 Nb6 47. Nf5+ Kc5 48. Nxh6 Nc4 49.
Kf5 1-0

[Event "22nd WSCC Open"]
[Site "Kamena Vourla"]
[Date "2012.11.17"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Sveshnikov, Evgeny"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2507"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2012.11.13"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. e4 Nf6 (1... c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 e6 6. cxd4 d6 7. Nc3
Nxc3 8. bxc3) 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5 Nd5 5. Nc3 e6 6. d4 d6 7. cxd6 cxd6 8.
Nf3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. Qb3 Nc6 11. Bf4 d5 $5 (11... dxe5 12. Bxe5 Nxe5 13.
Nxe5 a6 14. Qa4+ Bd7 15. Qxd7+ Qxd7 16. Nxd7 Kxd7 $11) 12. Bd3 Bd7 13. O-O h6
14. a4 Na5 15. Qc2 Be7 16. Rfc1 Nc4 17. Nd2 Nxd2 18. Qxd2 Bc6 19. Qe2 Qd7 20.
Be3 a6 21. Bc2 b5 22. Qg4 g6 23. h4 h5 24. Qg3 bxa4 25. Bg5 Bxg5 26. Qxg5 Qe7
27. Bxa4 Bxa4 28. Rxa4 Qxg5 29. hxg5 1/2-1/2

[Event "22nd WSCC Open"]
[Site "Kamena Vourla"]
[Date "2012.11.18"]
[Round "6.4"]
[White "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Black "Zhelnin, Vladimir V"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2429"]
[BlackElo "2459"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2012.11.13"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 d6 2. e4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 Ng4 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 c6 8. h3
Nf6 9. Nf3 d5 10. Bd3 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 $14 Nd7 13. O-O Nf6 14. Bd3
g5 $6 (14... O-O $14) 15. Bg3 Nh5 16. Be5 Bxe5 17. Nxe5 Nf4 18. Bc4 Be6 19.
Bxe6 Nxe6 20. c3 (20. Rad1 $14 Qd5 $2 21. c4 $16) 20... Qd5 21. Qc2 $1 Nf4 22.
f3 f6 23. Ng6 Nxg6 24. Qxg6+ Qf7 25. Qf5 Qd5 26. Qg6+ Qf7 27. Qe4 Qd5 (27...
O-O-O $5 $14) 28. Qe3 Kf7 29. Rae1 Rae8 30. b3 (30. f4 $14) 30... a6 (30... e5
$1 31. dxe5 Qxe5 32. Qxa7 Qxe1 33. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 34. Kh2 Re7 $13) 31. f4 $1 gxf4
$2 (31... Rhg8 $14) 32. Rxf4 h5 33. c4 Qd6 34. Qf3 Rd8 35. Kh1 Rd7 36. Rh4 Kf8
37. Ree4 $18 Rg8 38. Qxh5 e5 39. Qf5 Rdg7 40. c5 $6 (40. Rh6 Rf7 41. Qc8+ Kg7
42. Rg4+ $18) 40... Qd8 41. Rh6 Rf7 42. Rg4 $6 $16 (42. Qf2 $1 $18) 42... Rxg4
43. Qxg4 Qxd4 44. Qc8+ Ke7 45. Qxb7+ Qd7 46. Qxa6 e4 47. Rh4 (47. Rh8 $5) 47...
Qd5 48. Qe2 $2 (48. Qb7+ Ke6 49. Qc8+ Ke7 50. Rh8 $18) 48... f5 49. Qe3 Qe5 50.
Qf4 Qxc5 $2 (50... Qxf4 51. Rxf4 Ke6 52. g4 e3 $3 (52... Ke5 53. Rxf5+ Rxf5 54.
gxf5 Kd4 55. f6 e3 56. f7 e2 57. f8=Q e1=Q+ 58. Kg2 $18) 53. Kg1 (53. Kg2 fxg4
54. Re4+ Kd5 55. Rxe3 gxh3+ $11) 53... Rh7 54. Rf3 f4 55. Rxf4 Ke5 56. Rf5+ Kd4
57. Kg2 Rxh3 $1 58. Rf4+ Kd3 59. Rf6 Rh4 $132 60. Rd6+ $1 (60. Kg3 Rh1 $11)
60... Ke4 61. Rxc6 Rxg4+ 62. Kf1 Rf4+ 63. Ke1 Rh4) 51. Rh6 Qd4 52. Qc7+ Kf8 53.
Qc8+ Ke7 54. Re6# 1-0

[Event "22nd WSCC Open"]
[Site "Kamena Vourla"]
[Date "2012.11.19"]
[Round "7.2"]
[White "Balashov, Yuri S"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A90"]
[WhiteElo "2475"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2012.11.13"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. Nf3 d5 5. O-O Bd6 6. c4 c6 7. b3 Qe7 8. Nc3 O-O
9. e3 Nbd7 10. Ne2 b6 11. Bb2 Ba6 $11 12. Rc1 Rac8 13. Nf4 Ne4 14. Ne5 $1 Bxe5
$6 (14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Bc5 16. a3 $1 $14) (14... Bb7 $1 $13) 15. dxe5 Rfd8 16.
Qc2 $14 b5 17. cxd5 cxd5 18. Qe2 Ndc5 19. b4 Na4 20. Bd4 Rc4 21. Nd3 $5 (21. f3
$1 Nec3 22. Qd2 Rdc8 23. Nd3 $14) 21... Rdc8 22. f3 Nec3 (22... Rxc1 23. Rxc1
Rxc1+ 24. Nxc1 Nec3 25. Qc2 Qxb4 26. Nb3 $44) 23. Qd2 R8c6 24. h4 $6 (24. Rfe1
$1 Qc7 25. Bf1 $16) 24... Qc7 25. Kh2 (25. Rfe1 Ne2+ 26. Rxe2 Rxc1+ 27. Nxc1
Rxc1+ 28. Bf1 Bc8 $13) 25... Bc8 26. a3 h6 27. Bh3 $2 Nb1 $5 (27... Ne4 $1 28.
Qd1 Rxc1 29. Nxc1 Rc2+ 30. Bg2 Rd2 31. Qb3 Nec3 $19) 28. Qe1 Rxc1 29. Nxc1 Rc2+
$6 (29... Nd2 $1 $19) 30. Ne2 Nxa3 $17 31. Rf2 Nc4 32. Bg2 Nxe5 33. Nf4 Rxf2
34. Qxf2 Nc6 35. e4 Qd6 36. e5 Qxb4 0-1

[Event "22nd WSCC Open"]
[Site "Kamena Vourla"]
[Date "2012.11.21"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Black "Okhotnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2429"]
[BlackElo "2433"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2012.11.13"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Bd2 c6 7. Ne4 Qd8 $6 (
7... Qc7) 8. Nxf6+ gxf6 9. Be2 e6 10. O-O Bd6 11. Re1 Nd7 12. c4 O-O 13. d5 $5
(13. Nh4 Bg6 14. Qb3 Qc7 15. g3 $14) 13... cxd5 (13... Qc7 $14) 14. cxd5 e5 $2
(14... Nc5 15. dxe6 fxe6 16. Bh6 Rf7 17. Nd4 $18) 15. Nh4 Bg6 16. Bg4 Re8 17.
Nf5 $16 Bf8 18. Qf3 e4 $5 19. Rxe4 Rxe4 $2 (19... Ne5 20. Qb3 Nxg4 21. Rxg4 Qd7
22. Qf3 Rad8 23. Ne3 f5 24. Rc4 Re4 25. Rac1 $16) 20. Qxe4 Nb6 21. d6 $5 (21.
Bc3 Qxd5 (21... Nxd5 22. Rd1 $18) 22. Ne7+ Bxe7 23. Qxe7 $18) 21... Bxd6 (21...
Nc8 $16) 22. Bc3 h5 $2 23. Bxh5 $1 Be5 (23... Bxh5 24. Qh4 $18) 24. Bxe5 Bxh5
25. Qh4 fxe5 26. Qxh5 Qf6 27. Rd1 Rc8 28. h3 Rc6 29. Rd3 (29. Qg4+ $1 Kf8 30.
Qg7+ Qxg7 31. Rd8#) 29... Re6 30. Qg4+ Kf8 31. Qb4+ Ke8 32. Nd6+ Rxd6 33. Qxd6
Qxd6 34. Rxd6 Ke7 35. Rxb6 1-0

[Event "22nd WSCC Open"]
[Site "Kamena Vourla"]
[Date "2012.11.22"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Vaisser, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A53"]
[WhiteElo "2540"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2012.11.13"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. e4 e5 5. d5 g6 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. f3 h6 8. Be3 Nh5
9. Nge2 f5 10. Qd2 Qh4+ 11. Bf2 Qe7 12. Ng3 Ndf6 13. Nxh5 Nxh5 14. O-O-O $14
O-O 15. Kb1 (15. exf5 gxf5 16. Kb1) 15... a6 16. c5 Nf6 17. cxd6 cxd6 18. Bd3
b5 19. Be3 b4 20. Na4 fxe4 21. Bxe4 (21. fxe4 Ng4 22. Nb6 $14) 21... Nxe4 22.
fxe4 Rb8 $2 (22... Qh4 $1 $11) 23. Nb6 Qh4 24. Qd3 Bf6 $2 (24... a5 25. Rc1 $14
) 25. Rc1 $1 Bg5 26. Rc6 $16 a5 27. Bxg5 Qxg5 28. Qg3 $2 (28. Rhc1 $1 Bg4 (
28... Bb7 29. Nd7 $18) 29. h3 Qd8 30. Qe3 $18) 28... Bg4 $6 (28... Qxg3 29.
hxg3 Kg7 $16) 29. Rxd6 Rf4 30. h4 $4 (30. Nd7 Rd8 31. h4 Qh5 32. Qxf4 exf4 33.
Nf6+ Kf7 34. Nxh5 Rxd6 35. Nxf4 Rf6 36. g3 $18) 30... Qh5 $13 31. Rc6 (31. Nd7
Bxd7 $1) 31... Rxe4 32. d6 Rd4 33. Rhc1 Qf5+ 34. Ka1 Qf6 35. Nc4 Bd7 $2 36.
Qxe5 $2 (36. Rc7 Bf5 37. Qe3 $16) 36... Rf8 37. Qxf6 Rxf6 38. Rc7 Be6 39. Nxa5
Rxd6 40. R7c6 Rxc6 41. Nxc6 b3 42. Nd4 Bd5 43. Nxb3 Bxg2 44. Nc5 Kf7 45. b4 g5
46. hxg5 hxg5 47. b5 g4 48. Rg1 Rf1+ 49. Rxf1+ Bxf1 50. b6 Bg2 51. Nd3 Ke7 52.
a4 Kd6 53. a5 Bb7 1/2-1/2

[Event "22nd WSCC Open"]
[Site "Kamena Vourla"]
[Date "2012.11.23"]
[Round "10.1"]
[White "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Black "Jansa, Vlastimil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D94"]
[WhiteElo "2429"]
[BlackElo "2451"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2012.11.13"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. e3 O-O 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bc4 Nb6 8.
Bb3 c5 9. O-O cxd4 10. exd4 Bg4 11. d5 N8d7 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Rc8 14. Bg5 h6
15. Bh4 Nf6 16. Rfe1 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18. Bg3 b5 19. Rad1 b4 20. Qd3 Rc8 21.
Ne4 $14 Qd7 22. Nxf6+ Bxf6 23. Be5 Bxe5 24. Rxe5 Rfd8 25. Qe3 $1 e6 26. Qxh6
exd5 27. Rd4 Rc4 28. Rd3 Qc7 29. f4 Qb6+ (29... Re4 $1 $11) 30. Kh2 Qf6 $2 (
30... Re4 31. Rh5 Qf6 32. f5 $1 Qg7 33. Qxg7+ (33. Qg5 $5) 33... Kxg7 34. fxg6
fxg6 35. Rhxd5 Rxd5 36. Rxd5 Re2 $14) 31. Rdxd5 $16 1-0

[Event "22nd WSCC Open"]
[Site "Kamena Vourla"]
[Date "2012.11.24"]
[Round "11.1"]
[White "Cebalo, Miso"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A26"]
[WhiteElo "2403"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2012.11.13"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 d6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. d3 f5 6. e4 Nc6 7. Nge2 Nh6 8. h4 Ng4
9. Bg5 Qd7 10. f3 Nf6 11. Qd2 Nh5 12. Bh6 (12. O-O-O h6 13. Be3 Nxg3 14. Nxg3
f4 15. Bxf4 exf4 16. Nge2 O-O 17. Nd5 $14) 12... O-O 13. O-O-O Nd4 14. Nxd4 $6
(14. Bxg7 Qxg7 15. exf5 gxf5 16. Qg5 Nxe2+ 17. Nxe2 $14) 14... exd4 15. Ne2 $6
(15. Bxg7 Qxg7 16. Ne2 fxe4 17. dxe4 c5 $11) 15... fxe4 16. dxe4 (16. Bxg7 e3
$17) 16... d3 $1 17. Nc3 (17. Bxg7 dxe2 $17) 17... Nxg3 18. Rhe1 Ne2+ (18...
Nh5 $1 $15) 19. Nxe2 dxe2 20. Rxe2 Bxh6 21. Qxh6 Qg7 22. Qxg7+ Kxg7 1/2-1/2

[Event "TCh-BEL 2012-13"]
[Site "Belgium BEL"]
[Date "2012.11.18"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Roos, Ad"]
[Black "Zaragatski, I."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A41"]
[WhiteElo "2199"]
[BlackElo "2471"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2012.09.23"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BEL"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]
[WhiteTeam "Zottegem"]
[BlackTeam "Amay"]

1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 Bg4 {The Wade variation.} 3. c4 Bxf3 4. exf3 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6.
Be3 Nd7 7. Qd2 c6 8. Be2 Ngf6 9. g4 {The line recommended by GM Boris Avrukh
in 'GM Repertoire 2'.} Qa5 $146 10. O-O-O O-O 11. Kb1 Rab8 12. h4 {Playing to
open the h-file is the natural plan.} ({Another standard method with a similar
aim is} 12. g5 {planning h2-h4-h5 if the knight retreats. The key question is
if instead} Nh5 {is a solid blockade? After} 13. f4 $1 {the answer is that the
blockade is very shaky indeed.}) 12... Rfc8 13. h5 b5 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Bh6 Bh8
16. Bg5 Bg7 17. Bh6 Bh8 {A draw is on offer. Since White is heavily-outrated,
this might already be considered a successful test, but White's position is
much too strong to just stop here.} 18. Nd5 {Rightly playing on, but with the
wrong move.} (18. Qg5 $1 {pins the b5-pawn and creates a deadly kingside
attack. It can lead to some fun lines. For example:} Qb4 {Trying to open the
b-file to create threats on b2.} ({If the d7-knight moves, then White has a
standard anti-Dragon trick.} 18... Nb6 $2 19. Bf8 $1 Rxf8 20. Rxh8+ Kxh8 21.
Qh6+ Kg8 22. Rh1 Nh5 23. gxh5 $18) 19. cxb5 $1 (19. c5 $5 Nxc5 20. Bf8 Rxf8 21.
Rxh8+ Kxh8 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. dxc5 $1 $40 (23. Rh1 $2 Nh5 {is just a draw after
24.Rxh5 as instead} 24. gxh5 $2 {allows a "lucky" defence:} Qxd4 25. hxg6 Qg7))
19... Nd5 (19... cxb5 20. Bd3 $1 Rxc3 21. Bxg6 $18) 20. Qxd5 $1 Qxc3 $8 (20...
cxd5 21. Nxd5 Qa5 22. Nxe7+ Kh7 23. Bf8#) 21. Qg5 $1 $18 {White's attack gets
there first. e.g.} Qb4 22. a3 $1 (22. Qh4 Bxd4 {would threaten mate and slow
things down just a move.}) 22... Qb3 23. Qh4 Bf6 24. Bg5 Kf8 25. Bxf6 Nxf6 26.
Qh8+ Ng8 27. Rh7) 18... Qd8 $8 19. Nf4 {Now it's a real mess.} bxc4 $6 20. Bxc4
d5 21. Bd3 Qb6 (21... Qe8 {was essential but White is doing well after either}
22. Bf5 $5 ({or} 22. Rde1)) 22. Bxg6 $1 fxg6 23. Nxg6 {Not bad but not best.} (
23. Qc2 $1 {forces} Qxb2+ 24. Qxb2 {when White will have an extra exchange,
and should win.}) 23... Kf7 24. Ne5+ (24. Rde1 $5) 24... Nxe5 25. dxe5 Nd7 {
The game swung back and forwards a few more time in fine entertaining style. I
will not try to cover every twist:} 26. f4 Nc5 27. f3 Na4 28. b3 Qb4 29. Qc2
Nc3+ 30. Ka1 Nxd1 31. Qh7+ Ke8 32. Qxh8+ Kd7 33. e6+ Kc7 34. Qe5+ Kb7 35. Rxd1
a5 36. f5 a4 37. Bd2 Qb5 38. Qg7 axb3 $2 (38... Qe2 $1) 39. Qxe7+ Rc7 40. Qb4
Qxb4 41. Bxb4 Ra8 42. Kb2 (42. e7 $18 c5 43. Re1) 42... c5 $1 43. Kxb3 cxb4 44.
Rxd5 Kc6 45. Rd4 $2 (45. Rd1 {and who knows what happens next. Maybe it's a
draw?}) 45... Ra3+ 46. Kc4 Rxf3 47. Kxb4 Rb7+ 48. Kc4 Ra7 49. Kb4 Rfa3 50. Rc4+
Kb6 51. Rc2 R7a4# {A sad end for White, but the opening was a great success.}
0-1

[Event "16th Unive Open"]
[Site "Hoogeveen NED"]
[Date "2012.10.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Grant, J."]
[Black "Potze, R."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2217"]
[BlackElo "2124"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5r1r/1p6/3p2kp/p1p3pN/qnPpP1P1/3P3R/1Q1K4/7R w - - 0 37"]
[PlyCount "17"]
[EventDate "2012.10.19"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

{White to play and still be dead lost.   When should one resign? White in this
game is Jonathan Grant, a former non-playing captain of the Scottish Olympiad
team. Jonathan is noted in Scotland for not resigning just because everything
seems hopeless - he usually plays to the bitter end. The following game shows
he is right - once in a long while this will pay off.} 37. Ke2 {As good or bad
as anything else. White is three pawns down with an exposed king.   Which
moves win for Black? Almost anything, but most to the point is doubling on the
f-file, so  37...Rf7 or 37...Rh7. In either case, the engines say "minus nine".
Instead, Black sees a forking tactic:} Rf2+ $4 38. Kxf2 {Clearly the idea was
38...Nxd3+ but there is a defending rook hidden on h3. Black has my sympathy:
I once did something similar in a winning position against Sasikiran, who
later told me he was going to resign against any sensible move.} Rf8+ 39. Kg2
Qd7 40. Qe2 a4 41. Ng3 Rh8 42. Nf5 h5 43. Rxh5 Rxh5 44. Rxh5 Kf6 45. Rh6+ {And
the lesson is: It's better to resign too late 50 times, than too early once.
Or as Jason Nesmith would say "Never give up. Never surrender."} 1-0

[Event "American Open"]
[Site "Los Angeles"]
[Date "2012.11.25"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Yankovsky, Roman"]
[Black "Kretchetov, Alexandre"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2474"]
[BlackElo "2306"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bqk2r/1pp2p2/p1np3p/2b1p1pn/2B1P3/2PP1NB1/PP1N1PPP/R2QK2R w KQkq - 0 10"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.11.22"]
[EventRounds "8"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

{White to play and get a clear advantage}  *

[Event "American Open"]
[Site "Los Angeles"]
[Date "2012.11.25"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Yankovsky, Roman"]
[Black "Kretchetov, Alexandre"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2474"]
[BlackElo "2306"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,Jacob"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bqk2r/1pp2p2/p1np3p/2b1p1pn/2B1P3/2PP1NB1/PP1N1PPP/R2QK2R w KQkq - 0 10"]
[PlyCount "19"]
[EventDate "2012.11.22"]
[EventRounds "8"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]

10. Nxe5 $1 Nxg3 11. Bxf7+ Kf8 12. Ng6+ Kg7 (12... Kxf7 13. Nxh8+ Qxh8 14. hxg3
$16) 13. hxg3 Rh7 14. Qf3 Qf6 15. Be8 Qxf3 16. gxf3 Kf6 17. f4 Bg4 18. fxg5+
Kxg5 19. Bxc6 1-0

[Event "4NCL 2012-13"]
[Site "Sunningdale ENG"]
[Date "2012.11.03"]
[Round "1.155"]
[White "Mason, D."]
[Black "Smerdon, D."]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A56"]
[WhiteElo "2222"]
[BlackElo "2498"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/4RNb1/1q1p2p1/3Pp2p/4P3/6P1/1r2b1BP/2Q2R1K w - - 0 29"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.11.03"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]
[WhiteTeam "Warwickshire Select 1"]
[BlackTeam "Guildford 1"]

{White to play and win}  *

[Event "4NCL 2012-13"]
[Site "Sunningdale ENG"]
[Date "2012.11.03"]
[Round "1.155"]
[White "Mason, D."]
[Black "Smerdon, D."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A56"]
[WhiteElo "2222"]
[BlackElo "2498"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/4RNb1/1q1p2p1/3Pp2p/4P3/6P1/1r2b1BP/2Q2R1K w - - 0 29"]
[PlyCount "2"]
[EventDate "2012.11.03"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.26"]
[WhiteTeam "Warwickshire Select 1"]
[BlackTeam "Guildford 1"]

29. Nh6+ $4 (29. Qh6 $3 $18 Bxf1 {Inviting White to show his threat.} ({
Obviously the queen cannot be taken:} 29... Bxh6 30. Nxh6+ Kh8 31. Rxf8#) 30.
Qh8+ $1 Bxh8 31. Nh6#) 29... Bxh6 ({After} 29... Bxh6 {it all falls apart:} 30.
Qxh6 Rxf1+ 31. Bxf1 Bf3+ 32. Bg2 Bxg2#) 0-1

[Event "4th London Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2012.12.09"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain C B"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. b3 {In his preparation for this game Kramnik had noticed that in
the English Opening Jones always played lines with an early ...g6, so Kramnik
selected a move order aimed against that.} d5 ({It is interesting to speculate
what Kramnik had prepared in the event that Black nevertheless played} 2... g6
3. Bb2 Nf6 {Perhaps} 4. e4 $5 ({or} 4. Bxf6 exf6 5. c4)) 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb2 e6 5.
g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 {Play has transposed into a line of the
English that Jones had not played before. It is covered in Chapter 22 of
Marin's Grandmaster Repertoire 4.} b6 9. Nc3 Bb7 10. cxd5 exd5 (10... Nxd5 11.
Nxd5 Qxd5 {is the main line.}) 11. d4 Ne4 {"This seemingly active move is
premature." - Marin} 12. dxc5 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 bxc5 14. Qe2 ({Marin quotes the
old game} 14. Qd2 Qb6 15. Qb2 f6 16. Nh4 $14 {Miles,A-Kosten,A/Torquay 1982})
14... Re8 15. Rfd1 Bf8 16. Qb5 Qb6 $2 {Hoping to defend the d5-pawn tactically,
but it does not work.} (16... Rb8 {had to be tried.}) 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Rxd5 $1
Nd4 {Otherwise Black is just a pawn down.} 19. Nxd4 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 cxd4 21. Bxd4
Ra5 22. e4 {With two pawns for the exchange and a totally dominant bishop on
d5, White's position can be assessed as winning.} Bc5 23. Bc3 Ra3 24. Bb2 Ra7
25. a4 Rc7 26. Ra2 h6 27. Kg2 Kh7 28. f4 f6 29. Kf3 Rd7 30. a5 bxa5 31. Rxa5
Rc8 32. Rb5 Rd6 33. Rb7 Rb6 34. Rf7 Rf8 35. Rc7 Bd6 36. Rd7 Ra6 37. Bd4 Bb8 38.
Bc5 Re8 39. Kg4 Ra2 40. h4 Rc8 41. b4 Ra3 42. h5 Rc3 43. Bd4 R3c7 44. Rxc7 Bxc7
45. Kf5 Bd6 46. b5 Rc1 47. b6 Bb8 48. Ke6 Rh1 49. Bc5 1-0

[Event "4th London Classic Open"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2012.12.01"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Shaw, J."]
[Black "Jyothilal, N."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2435"]
[BlackElo "2038"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 c5 2. f4 {My latest anti-Sicilian repertoire. I reckon I could fit my
total knowledge of it on the back of a postage stamp. When we finish the
'Playing 1.e4' books I will finally have a real repertoire against the
Sicilian.} d5 {The only move I really know about. All the rest are supposed to
be inferior anyway.} 3. Bb5+ $5 {The fine concept, which I borrowed from a
game by Sarunas Sulskis. Sarunas was Scotland's non-playing captain at the
Istanbul Olympiad so I asked him about this move. It seems I like his move
much more than he does.} (3. exd5 Nf6 {is big theory where Black is usually
attacking.}) 3... Bd7 {Again the only move I had really considered.} 4. Bxd7+
Qxd7 5. d3 {Now the point becomes clearer: I like to exchange queens and this
offers Black a tempting opportunity to swap.} dxe4 6. dxe4 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 {End
of my "theory".} Nc6 8. Be3 e6 9. Nf3 Nf6 10. Nbd2 Be7 11. Ke2 O-O-O 12. c3 h6
13. Rhf1 Rhf8 14. h3 Nh5 15. Rg1 f5 16. e5 Ng3+ 17. Kf2 Ne4+ 18. Ke2 Ng3+ 19.
Kf2 Ne4+ 20. Ke1 {Of course I am not better.} Ng3 21. Rd1 Rd5 22. Nf1 Nxf1 23.
Rxf1 Rfd8 24. Rxd5 exd5 25. g4 d4 $6 ({Maintaining a kingside blockade with} 
25... Rf8 {was much more logical.}) 26. cxd4 cxd4 27. Bd2 fxg4 28. hxg4 Rd5 {
Now White's correct plan is obvious...} 29. Ke2 g5 30. Kd3 gxf4 31. Ke4 Rd8 $2
({Staying active with} 31... Rb5 $16 {was essential}) 32. Bxf4 Bf8 33. Rd1 Bg7
34. Nxd4 Ne7 $2 {The game was lost anyway, but now it is over at once.} 35.
Rc1+ Kd7 36. Nf5 1-0

[Event "4th London Classic Open"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2012.12.05"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shaw, J."]
[Black "Stachanczyk, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2435"]
[BlackElo "2265"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 c5 2. f4 {Another test of my new weapon.} e6 {Time for me to start
thinking.} 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bb5+ Nc6 5. Bxc6+ {Not forced but I saw a chance to
play in Nimzo-Indian style, with colours reversed.} bxc6 6. d3 Nf6 7. e5 Nd7 8.
c4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Nc3 $14 {I would call this an opening success. Black's
c-pawns may prove weak and his bishops are constrained.} Nb6 11. b3 ({Maybe} 
11. Qe2 {was better, not giving the isolated a7-pawn a hook to latch onto.})
11... a5 12. a4 Nd7 {Planning a hop of b8-a6-b4.} 13. Ba3 Nb8 14. cxd5 {Wildly
anti-thematic but I did not like the trend and wanted to change the position.}
cxd5 15. d4 Ba6 16. Rf2 Nc6 (16... Nd7 {is much simpler and perhaps a little
better for Black, which suggests my play in moves 11-15 was fishy.}) 17. Bxc5
Bxc5 18. dxc5 Qe7 19. Rc1 Qxc5 $2 {As Black planned, but a major oversight.} (
19... Rab8 {was still OK for Black.}) 20. Nxd5 $1 $18 Qxd5 21. Qxd5 exd5 22.
Rxc6 Rfb8 23. Nd4 {Black's slip cost much more than a pawn; White has a
dominant knight and control of the only open file.} Bd3 24. Rf3 Be4 25. Rfc3 g6
26. Kf2 Rb4 27. Ke3 Bxg2 28. Rc8+ Rxc8 29. Rxc8+ Kg7 30. Rc5 {Black's
resignation was totally justified.} 1-0

[Event "4th London Classic Open"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2012.12.07"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Shaw, J."]
[Black "Jackson, J."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2435"]
[BlackElo "2222"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 c5 2. f4 {And a third go...} d5 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. d3 e6 {
Avoiding the ending. So time to make something up.} 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Qe2 O-O-O 8.
O-O f6 9. Na3 Bd6 10. c3 Nh6 11. Nc2 Bc7 12. Be3 Bb6 13. h3 Nf7 14. Rad1 d4 15.
cxd4 cxd4 16. Bd2 f5 17. b4 Nd6 {So far so good, but now I demonstrate my
grasp of tactics.} 18. Ne5 $4 {There is a good reason my rating is what it is.}
(18. e5 {or}) (18. exf5 {were both good for an edge.}) 18... Nxe5 19. fxe5 Nxe4
$1 $19 {Good grief. Scottish FM Neil Berry was on the next board and tells me
I sighed in dismay. I believe Neil completely but I have no memory of this;
it's bad behaviour to make noises at the board. I think my brain had melted.}
20. Be1 {Of course I can't take on e4 due to ...d4-d3+.} Kb8 21. Kh1 Nc3 22.
Bxc3 dxc3 23. d4 g6 24. Rf3 Rc8 25. Rdd3 Qd5 26. a4 a6 27. Rxc3 Rxc3 $2 (27...
Bxd4 $1 {was crushing. The trick is that the pinning} 28. Rcd3 {fails to} Qxe5
$1) 28. Rxc3 Rc8 29. Qd3 Rc6 30. Kh2 g5 31. Rxc6 Qxc6 32. a5 $6 {I was lunging
in search of a saving cheapo, but maybe my position was not so bad.} (32. b5 $5
axb5 33. axb5 Qd5 34. Qa3 $13) 32... Ba7 33. g4 $6 Qe4 $3 {This should be the
winning move.} 34. Qxe4 fxe4 35. h4 {Desperation.} ({A better try was:} 35. Kg3
Kc7 36. Kf2 Kc6 37. b5+ $5 {A clever way to avoid the zugzwang seen below. I
had seen similar ideas, but not assessed them as serious.} (37. Ke3 $2 Kd5 {is
zugzwang}) 37... Kxb5 (37... axb5 $2 38. Nb4+ Kd7 39. Ke3 $14) 38. Ke3 Kxa5 39.
Kxe4 Kb6 $1 40. d5 exd5+ 41. Kxd5 Kc7 {Black should win but he had to find
some good moves to get here.}) 35... gxh4 (35... Kc7 {or}) (35... h6 {should
also work}) 36. Kh3 e3 {Not bad but clearer was} (36... Kc7 $1 $19 {when the
king steps up to d5 and ends the debate.}) 37. Kxh4 e2 38. d5 $2 {Yet another
desperate unsound punt.} ({On the other hand there were no great moves
available as} 38. Kg3 Bxd4 39. Kf3 Bxe5 40. Kxe2 Kc7 {felt like it would win
without much drama, but maybe it is not so easy.}) 38... Be3 $2 {Missing at
least a couple of wins.} (38... e1=Q+ 39. Nxe1 Bf2+ {calls the bluff:} 40. Kg5
Bxe1 41. dxe6 Kc7 42. Kf6 Kd8 43. Kf7 Bxb4 $19 ({or} 43... Bh4 $19)) ({Or} 
38... Bf2+ 39. Kg5 exd5 40. e6 Kc7 41. Kf6 Bh4+ 42. g5 Kd8 $19) 39. dxe6 Kc8 (
39... Bf2+ {is now too slow:} 40. Kg5 Kc7 41. Kf6 Kd8 42. Kf7 Bh4 43. Ne1 $11)
40. Kg3 Bd2 41. Kf2 e1=Q+ 42. Nxe1 Bxb4 {I seem to be almost OK again, but I
had another go at losing it.} 43. Nd3 $6 ({The right move seems to be} 43. Nf3
{For example:} Kd8 44. Ke3 Ke7 45. Kd4 Bxa5 46. Kd5 {White will shift the
knight to f5 and probably draw.}) 43... Bxa5 44. Kf3 Bd8 45. Ke4 Be7 46. Nf4 a5
47. Nd5 Kd8 48. Nf6 a4 49. Kd3 h6 50. Nd5 ({Bizarrely, I had planned} 50. Ng8
$2 {somehow overlooking the obvious and winning} Bg5 ({My idea was} 50... Bf8
$2 51. e7+ Bxe7 52. Nxh6)) 50... b5 51. Kc2 b4 (51... Bf8 $1 {would have been
a better try. I am not sure if White can hold.}) 52. Nb6 $11 a3 53. Kb3 Bc5 54.
Nd5 Ke8 55. Ka2 Kd8 {I will admit this was not the soundest game played at the
London Classic, but there were plenty of fun lines.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bizovac op 15th"]
[Site "Bizovac"]
[Date "2008.02.22"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Jurkovic, Ante"]
[Black "Nevednichy, Vladislav"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2318"]
[BlackElo "2538"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2008.02.21"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]

{A typo in 'Play the Scandinavian': We do try to catch all typos before a book
is printed. When we fail, we have to hope that the error is trivial and
obvious enough not to confuse readers. The worst possible typo is one that
recommends the wrong move. For example:} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4.
Be2 Nc6 5. d4 O-O-O 6. c4 Qf5 7. Be3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nxd4 9. Bxd4 Qe6+ 10. Be2 c5
11. Nc3 ({What follows is not so important, because Christian Bauer correctly
pointed out in his book that} 11. Qa4 {is the best move. Then it appears to be
a draw, whereas my "main line" is better for Black.}) 11... cxd4 12. Nd5 Qd6
13. Qxd4 e6 14. Qxa7 exd5 15. c5 {When preparing for my game against Peter
Roberson in the London Classic Open, I saw this position in 'Play the
Scandinavian'. I knew at once that the recommended move in the book could not
possibly be right...} Qxc5 ({The book move NOT to play is:} 15... Qe7 $4 {
Given as a ! and a Novelty in the book. It is true it is a novelty, but it
loses directly. It is a shocker of a typo - the author clearly meant 15...Qd7.}
16. Rc1 $1 $18 {Castling and c5-c6 (the order depends on Black's reply) will
quickly end the game.} ({The weird} 16. Kd1 {also wins}) 16... Re8 17. O-O Qxe2
18. c6) (15... Qd7 $5 {does indeed look promising but also rather risky, so I
would rather play 15...Qxc5 and be a safe pawn up in a dull ending (see below)}
16. b4 $5) 16. Qxc5+ Bxc5 17. Rc1 b6 18. b4 {Given as equal in the book - I
will disagree there also.} Kd7 {Now it is dead equal.} ({The tempting} 18...
Kb7 {is also level if White is precise:} 19. bxc5 Rc8 20. O-O Rxc5 (20... bxc5
21. Rb1+) 21. Rxc5 bxc5 22. Rb1+ Kc7 23. Rb5 $11 {With the point} Kc6 $2 24.
Rb8 {is a repulsive pin}) (18... Rd6 $1 {is the way to stay a pawn up. For
example:} 19. bxc5 Rc6 20. Ba6+ (20. O-O bxc5) 20... Kb8 21. O-O Rxc5 $15) 19.
bxc5 bxc5 20. Rxc5 {This was later drawn in the original game.} Kd6 21. Rc2 Nf6
22. O-O Rc8 23. Rd2 Rc5 24. f3 Ra8 25. Bd1 Rc1 26. Bb3 Rxf1+ 27. Kxf1 g5 28.
Kf2 h5 29. h4 gxh4 30. Rd4 h3 31. g3 Rc8 32. Rh4 Rc1 33. Rxh3 Rb1 34. Ke3 Ke5
35. Rh2 Rg1 36. Kf2 Rc1 37. Ke3 Rc3+ 38. Ke2 Rc8 39. Rh1 Kd6 40. Ke3 Ke5 41.
Re1 Rg8 42. Kf2+ Kd6 43. Rd1 Ke5 44. Re1+ Kd6 45. Rd1 Re8 46. Re1 Rh8 47. Rh1
Rc8 48. Re1 Nd7 49. Rh1 Nf6 50. Re1 Rc3 51. Re3 Rc5 52. Re1 Rc8 1/2-1/2

[Event "4th London Classic Open"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2012.12.06"]
[Round "6.11"]
[White "Roberson, P."]
[Black "Shaw, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2350"]
[BlackElo "2435"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 ({Peter had played} 3. Nf3 {in every game in the
database, which was why I was looking at that chapter in Play the Scandinavian.
}) 3... Qa5 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. d3 {I couldn't remember anything about this line so
I made something up, or so I thought...} c6 6. Bd2 Qc7 7. Qe2 g6 $5 8. Nf3 Bg7
9. O-O O-O 10. Rfe1 e6 {This is mentioned in Bauer's book as a secondary
option against White's system; the assessment is just a small edge for White.
I guess it was filed away somewhere in my brain.} 11. Rad1 $146 (11. a4 b6 {
was the book line.}) 11... b5 12. Bb3 Nbd7 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. dxe4 a5 ({I never
even considered} 14... Bxb2 {Probably a wise decision.}) (14... Ne5 {was
suggested by Jonathan Grant after the game. It is a good way to reduce Black's
cramp and level the game.}) 15. c3 e5 16. Be3 a4 17. Bc2 {We now have a
Spanish-style position where Black should be almost level.} Nb6 18. b3 f6 {An
accidental pawn sac.} (18... axb3 {was simple and safe.}) 19. Bxb6 Qxb6 20.
bxa4 {There is a painful check on c4 if I recapture.} Be6 $2 (20... Kh8 $1 $13
{would have made more sense of my "sac".}) 21. Bb3 Bxb3 22. axb3 bxa4 23. Qc4+
Kh8 24. bxa4 Qa6 25. Qxa6 Rxa6 26. Rd6 $16 {A grubby ending, at least from my
side of the board.} Bh6 27. g3 Kg7 28. Ra1 Rfa8 29. Rd7+ Kg8 30. Rb1 Rxa4 31.
Rbb7 Ra2 32. Rxh7 Rb2 33. Rxb2 Kxh7 34. Rb7+ Kg8 35. Rc7 Ra1+ 36. Kg2 Ra2 37.
Nh4 Be3 38. Nxg6 Rxf2+ 39. Kh3 Rc2 40. Kg4 $1 Rxh2 41. Ne7+ Kf8 42. Kf5 {I
really felt like resigning here, but played on in search of a miracle.} Bg5 43.
Nxc6 Rf2+ 44. Kg6 Ke8 45. Re7+ Kf8 46. Rd7 Rd2 47. Rxd2 Bxd2 48. Kxf6 Bxc3 49.
Nxe5 Be1 50. g4 Bh4+ 51. g5 Ke8 52. Nc4 Bf2 53. Nd6+ Kf8 54. Nf5 Be1 55. g6
Bc3+ 56. e5 {In this tournament Peter Roberson won a well-deserved IM norm. I
also lost a shocker of a game in the final round to Andres Guerrero of
Venezuela (2206) who thereby also earned an IM norm (my opponent offered a
draw - I declined and unleashed a series of blunders). My other loss of the
event was with Black against the top seed, Hrant Melkumyan (2649) who jointly
won the tournament (I was a pawn up in an ending, ran short of time and got
mated). In short: beat me, win a prize.} 1-0

[Event "16th Bad Zwesten Open"]
[Site "Bad Zwesten GER"]
[Date "2013.01.02"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Weber, Andre1"]
[Black "Meijers, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "1862"]
[BlackElo "2479"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2013.01.02"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]

{White in this game is a German amateur player who tells us that he is a fan
of Marc Esserman's 'Mayhem in the Morra'. The book inspired Mr Weber to defeat
a Latvian GM who out-rated him by over 600 points.} 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3
dxc3 4. Nxc3 d6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Nf6 $6 {Not the most challenging defence.} ({
More respectable options include} 6... e6) ({and} 6... a6) 7. e5 $1 dxe5 $2 ({
Black should try} 7... Ng4 {but White still has good play after} 8. exd6) 8.
Qxd8+ Nxd8 9. Nb5 $1 {This move seems easy to miss, perhaps because taking on
e5 is an obvious option.} ({However} 9. Nxe5 {is feeble after} a6) 9... Rb8 ({
Marc mentions that he has had several games finish} 9... Kd7 10. Nxe5+ Ke8 11.
Nc7#) 10. Nxe5 e6 {Now Marc gave two good lines for White.} 11. Nc7+ (11. Bf4
$1 {was the other strong move.}) 11... Ke7 12. Be3 b6 13. O-O-O {A dream
position for an amateur to have against a GM after just 13 moves.} ({Marc gave
} 13. O-O {which is also strong.}) 13... Nd7 $2 {Tougher was} (13... Rb7 {but
Black is still in trouble after} 14. Nb5) 14. Bf4 $1 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Nc6 ({If} 
15... Rb7 {then White could chase the rook with 16.Ba6 but I think the move
Marc would like is} 16. Rhe1 $1 {The feeble rook on b7 is going nowhere, so
just complete development. White should win.}) 16. Bd6+ Kd7 17. Be5+ Ke7 18.
Bd6+ Kf6 ({If Black had repeated with} 18... Kd7 {then best is} 19. Bg3+ Ke7
20. Rhe1 $18 {with a killing attack. The threats include Bh4+, Nd5+ and no
doubt a few more.}) 19. Ne8+ Kg6 20. Bxb8 Bc5 ({No better was} 20... Nxb8 21.
Rd8 Ba6 {The only way to save the piece. Now simplest is} 22. Bxa6 ({though
also good enough is} 22. Rxb8 Bxc4 23. Nc7) 22... Nxa6 23. Nd6 {and Black will
never escape the pin.}) 21. Bg3 Rxe8 22. Bb5 {One last pin ensures the victory.
} Bb7 23. Rd7 a6 {At least this ends his suffering.} ({A slower but equally
sure death would result after} 23... Ba8 24. Rc7 Re7 25. Rxc6 Bxc6 26. Bxc6)
24. Bd3+ {A rout from start to quick finish.} 1-0

[Event "Danish League"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.01.12"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Brynell, Stellan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C06"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2013.01.03"]

{Although I have quit tournament chess, I still play the odd league game, for
my local club in Glasgow or for Bronshoj in the Danish Championship. In a
recent visit to Denmark I won two technical games.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 {
Here we have a small snap-shot of John's coming 1.e4 book. Nikos has worked a
lot on the draft already and internally we have been able to use it for the
better part of the last year. I have won two nice games with 3.Nc3 against
Stellan, where I walked my king from b1 to g1 with a decisive advantage. But
unfortunately, opponents have a tendency to change their game too.} Nf6 {
Stellan plays all lines, so I was entirely unsure about what he was going to
play.} 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10.
O-O Bd6 11. Nf3 O-O (11... Qc7 {is probably more critical, but we believe in
White.}) 12. Bf4 {In my opinion this line leads to a very slight plus. Players
such as Adams and Tiviakov are prepared to play this again and again with
White, but this only underlines that it is not very ambitious. However, it is
quite practical and unpleasant for Black, who will only rarely win a game
against a well-prepared opponent.} Nh5 $6 {This is a new line that makes no
sense to me.} ({Look at a not very serious line:} 12... Qc7 $6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 {
Black has simply lost a tempo as far as I am concerned. One game here
continued:} 14. Qd2 e5 (14... Ng4 15. h3 Rxf3 16. hxg4 Rf7 17. f4 $14 {is also
nice for White.}) 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 $14 {Korneev - Heyman, Metz 1998.
}) (12... Bxf4 13. Nxf4 Ne4 {is of course the serious line. White does not
achieve a lot, but there is always a slight nagging edge. Perfect for players
that like to combine pressure and control; matching the philosophy of the rest
of John's 1.e4 lines.}) 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Qc2 Nf6 ({The following game shows
how bad things can go:} 14... h6 15. Bb5 Ne7 16. Ne5 Nf4 17. Rad1 $16 Qb4 18.
Nxf4 Rxf4 $6 19. Nd3 Qxd4 20. Qc7 $1 {The rest is simply fantastic, even if a
computer is unimpressed.} Ng6 21. Be8 Qc4 22. Qd6 Rf7 23. Qg3 Nh8 24. Ne5 Qb4
25. Bxf7+ Nxf7 26. Rc1 Nd6 27. Rc7 Ne8 28. Rf7 b6 29. Qg6 Qd6 30. Ng4 {1-0
Tiviakov - Reinderman, Wijk aan Zee 2012.}) 15. Rac1 {In the end I went with
general principles here. I decided that if I was to be better, it would be
through the time gained.} (15. Qd2 $5 {would take us to the Korneev game.})
15... Bd7 16. Qc5 (16. Rfe1 $5 {was also possible, but then I have given up
using my lead in development to make a small positional advantage.}) 16... Qxc5
17. Rxc5 Rac8 $146 {Not a surprising novelty.} (17... Nb4 18. Bb1 Ne4 {was
Black's attempt in Fluvia Poyatos - Moskalenko, Spain 2004. Here White would
have gotten a substantial advantage after} 19. Rc7 Bb5 20. Re1 $16) (17... Be8
18. Ng5 $1 Bd7 19. Bb5 $14) 18. Rfc1 {It is obvious that White has had a
successful opening. He has a good bishop against a bad bishop and a real
chance of occupying the e5-square. But Black will of course not go down
without a fight and will find some way to get active play.} Nb4 19. Bb1 Rxc5
20. Rxc5 Rc8 21. a3 {Quite ambitious. I was not sure White has much after} (21.
Rxc8+ Bxc8 22. Ne5 Nd7 23. f4 $14 {.}) 21... Rxc5 22. dxc5 Nc6 23. b4 a6 ({
Maybe Black's best option was} 23... e5 {, when my original idea did not work
out. So White has to play} 24. b5 Na5 25. Nxe5 Bxb5 26. Nd4 Be8 27. f3 $14 {,
when his position is pleasant, but the advantage has been kept to a minimum.})
24. Ned4 Nxd4 25. Nxd4 Kf7 ({During the game I was expecting} 25... e5 26. Nf3
e4 27. Nd4 $14 {, when White is better, but Black achieves an exchange of his
e-pawn and is one step closer to a draw.}) 26. f4 {From this point on I
believed I would win the game and not just pose symbolic pressure.} h6 27. Bd3
Ne8 28. Kf2 Kf6 29. Nf3 Nc7 30. Ke3 Bb5 31. Bc2 g5 32. g3 gxf4+ 33. gxf4 Bc6
34. Ne5 d4+ {From around here I clearly lost control.} 35. Kd2 (35. Kxd4 Nb5+ {
I did not consider seriously. After} 36. Ke3 Nxa3 37. Bd3 $1 {White has a
serious edge. He is likely to exchange bishop for knight. For example:} Bh1 38.
Ng4+ Kg7 39. Kd4 $16) 35... Bg2 36. Ng4+ Kg7 37. Kd3 Bh3 38. Bd1 ({Here I
missed a simple way to win the game.} 38. Nf2 Bf5+ 39. Ne4 $1 $18) 38... Nb5
39. Bf3 Bf1+ 40. Ke4 $5 {I was sure that king activity was very important.} d3
41. a4 $1 (41. Ke3 Be2 {I did not consider seriously. But after} 42. Bxb7 Bxg4
43. Bxa6 Nxa3 44. Kxd3 {White wins a pawn, but after} Kf6 45. b5 Bh3 46. Kc3
Nxb5+ 47. Bxb5 e5 {I think a draw is realistic.}) 41... Nc3+ 42. Kd4 $1 {
Keeping the king active is the goal.} Nxa4 43. Bxb7 d2 44. Nf2 Kf7 $1 {Stellan
came up with this move after a lot of thinking. Black needs his king in the
defence.} 45. Ke3 Bb5 ({We both seriously considered} 45... a5 46. c6 axb4 47.
c7 Nb6 48. Kxd2 {White should win, but there are not many pawns left.}) 46. c6
$5 {Trying to find something clear cut, I made a tactical oversight.} ({
Simpler was} 46. Kxd2 {, when Black is lost after} a5 47. c6 axb4 48. c7 Nb6
49. c8=Q Nxc8 50. Bxc8 $18 {and we have the same technical challenge as before.
}) 46... Nb6 47. c7 Bd7 48. Kd4 $6 (48. Kxd2 Ke7 49. Ne4 {was something I had
seriously considered. It would have been better.}) 48... Ke7 ({My plan was
rather elegant. After} 48... Bc8 {the computer takes some time to understand
that White is completely winning:} 49. Kc5 $1 Bxb7 50. Kxb6 Bc8 51. Ka7 Kg6 (
51... Ke7 52. Kb8 Kd7 53. h4 $18 {is zugzwang.}) (51... e5 $5 52. fxe5 Ke6 53.
Kb8 Bd7 54. c8=Q Bxc8 55. Kxc8 Kxe5 56. Kb7 {and White is in time.}) 52. Kb8
Bd7 53. Kb7 $1 (53. c8=Q $2 Bxc8 54. Kxc8 Kf5 $11) 53... Kf5 54. Kxa6 Kxf4 55.
b5 {White wins.}) 49. Bxa6 $1 ({Only now I realised that} 49. Kc5 $2 {is met
with} Na4+ $1 {, when I was unsure if we would be repeating or if Black had
improved his position. It is a repetition, but why seek it?} 50. Kd4) 49... Kd6
50. c8=N+ Nxc8 $2 {Sune Berg Hansen says that Swedes all suffer from the same
complex: they think it is ok to have a bad bishop. Here Black would have
retained drawing chances if he had gone for the knight ending with:} (50...
Bxc8 $16 {. Maybe I should let our biggest PC calculate it for a full 24 hours
to get a final conclusion!?}) 51. Bxc8 Bxc8 52. Ne4+ Kc6 53. Nxd2 Kb5 54. Kc3
$1 (54. Ke5 Kxb4 55. Ne4 {also wins, but it is good technique to keep the
pawns on as long as possible.}) 54... Bb7 55. Nb1 {If I had more time, I would
have gone via c4.} Bd5 (55... Bf3 56. Na3+ Ka4 57. Nc2 $1 {also wins.}) 56.
Na3+ Ka4 (56... Kc6 57. Nc4 {and wins eventually.}) 57. Nc4 Kb5 58. Nd6+ Kc6
59. Nf7 {A good tempo to win.} h5 60. Kd4 Kb5 (60... Kd7 61. Ng5 Kd6 62. Ne4+ {
and the king penetrates.}) 61. f5 $1 {A nice game, but not flawless.} 1-0

[Event "Danish League"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.01.13"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hansen, Soren Bech"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2013.01.03"]

{Sune Berg Hansen likes to talk about chess in the style of accountants. You
collect small assets and slowly pile them up to win the game. It has never
been my natural style of play, but at times it is important to be able to play
like this as well. In this game I definitely played a bit too fast in the
ending, but all in all I am very happy with my play. I think it shows quite
well how to win games against clever guys with about 2300 in elo. I did not do
it on imagination or deep play, but by understanding how to react to basic
ideas and concepts. My main advantages in the game were static, so I killed
the dynamics and give him the responsibility of proving a defence. Short on
time, he was never close to doing so, even if I made a few mistakes in the
ending. Part of the narrative that the computer can never understand is how it
felt playing that phase of the game. Soren basically collapsed, short of time,
weakened from a cold and a Sunday morning game and offered no resistance. I
felt it at the board and did not concentrate enough. Very unprofessional, but
then I have retired from that stuff! I think the game can be very useful for
those studying Grandmaster Preparation - Positional Play. The three questions
can be used at move 10-12 and 14 and 20 with good effect.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6
3. c3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d6 7. Be2 $2 {This move is not working.
The thing is, seen from a strategic point of view, that the pawn on e5 gives
White attacking chances in the middlegame, because it limits Black's defensive
options and might even support the attack to some degree. However, if we are
talking about the endgame, then the pawn is too far advanced and is a
potential liability. Also, the d5-square is of limited use relating to play on
the kingside, but can be useful as a stronghold once dynamic features subside.}
(7. Bc4 {is the main move and 7.a3 is maybe the best move.}) 7... Nc6 8. O-O
Be7 (8... dxe5 9. dxe5 Qc7 {achieves nothing; White plays} 10. Re1 {.}) 9. Re1
O-O 10. Nbd2 $6 {White's play is not so easy, but he should not give away the
two bishops this easily.} dxe5 11. dxe5 Nf4 {Black does not hesitate to take
the two bishops, even if it costs a bit of time. A few other games have been
played here:} 12. Bf1 {White correctly choses to keep the good bishop. Given
the choice Black would rather put an unchallenged bishop on d5 than feel
irritated with the Ne4+Bg5 option, which takes away the two bishops.} (12. a3
Nd3 13. Bxd3 Qxd3 14. b4 $2 (14. Ne4 Rd8 $11) 14... a5 $1 15. bxa5 Rxa5 16. Bb2
Rd8 $15 {Vlassov - Kengis, Polanica Zdroj 2000.}) (12. Qb3 Nxe2+ 13. Rxe2 $15 {
Truszkiewicz - Kasperek, Krynica 2001.} b6 $1 $146) 12... Nd3 ({This is the
only sensible move. Black takes the bishop and leaves such things as winning
the game till later. Someone tried to play for more with} 12... Ng6 $6 $11 {in
Fuck-Quintiliano Pinto, Catanduva 2010, but ended up with no advantage at all.}
) 13. Re3 Nxc1 $146 {I was stunned when I realised that this was a novelty!} (
13... Nxf2 $2 {What?? After} 14. Kxf2 Bc5 15. Qe2 Bxe3+ 16. Qxe3 $16 {Black
deservedly lost in Wierzbicki - Leszczynski, Wloclawek 2006. You cannot attack
without developed pieces.}) 14. Rxc1 {Let us talk three questions: The main
important one is not weaknesses or the opponent's idea, but the development of
the worst placed piece, the bishop on c8. It belongs on b7, but ...b6 does not
work at the moment. At the same time the knight on c6 is not ideally placed,
so I decided to regroup it.} Nb4 $1 15. Qb3 b6 16. Ne4 Bb7 17. Rd1 $6 {Here
there was one of the tactical moments I might have looked for if I had
approached the game with a different mindset. But I was mentally looking only
toward the endgame and hoping that the two bishops would count. This is
clearly a limitation of the accountancy mindset!} Nd5 $6 $15 ({Black could
have forced White to make a very difficult choice after} 17... Bd5 $1 18. Qa4
a6 $1 $17 {, when the white queen is in desperate need of a square and the
a2-pawn is likely to be lost.}) 18. Rc3 Rc8 19. Rxc8 Qxc8 20. a3 Qc7 {I was
not sure where the rook should be. d-file? c-file? So, giving myself
flexibility, I decided to just put pressure on the weak e5-pawn.} 21. Bd3 Nf4
$1 {Starting a forced sequence that gives a better endgame.} 22. Bb1 Rd8 $1 {
I did not want to complicated things. With the heavy pieces off the board
White lacks active counterplay and the two small advantages of the bishops and
the weak e5-pawn will start to be major advantages.} 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 24. Qd1 Be7
25. h3 Ng6 $1 {Forcing White to take the queens off the board.} 26. Qc2 (26.
Neg5 Bd5 $1 {would prevent all tricks and give Black a clear edge.}) 26... Qxc2
27. Bxc2 Bd8 $1 {Putting pressure on the e5-pawn and forcing White to make
another concession.} 28. Ned2 (28. Nd6 Bxf3 29. Bxg6 hxg6 30. gxf3 Bc7 {and
Black just wins.}) 28... Bc7 29. Bxg6 hxg6 30. Kf1 Ba6+ 31. Ke1 Kf8 $17 {I am
sure that in the hands of a strong endgame player, this is simply winning, no
matter who defends the white position. But in my hands there were a few
inaccuracies. I played a bit too fast for sure, waiting for something to
calculate on before I was going to go deeper. Obviously this was wrong; I
should have been deeply prophylactic in my thinking.} 32. Kd1 Ke7 (32... Bd3 {
was my plan, but after} 33. Ne1 $1 {I have achieved very little. It might
still have been worth it, as the bishop is a bit better placed on b5 in some
lines. But I actually preferred not to do anything complicated.}) 33. Kc2 f6
34. b4 (34. h4 $1 {should have been played. Now, and later.}) 34... Bb5 (34...
g5 $1 {should have been played. This is what I intuitively wanted to play, but
instead I went for something a bit more abstract. It worked well in the game,
but was objectively weaker.}) 35. Kc3 ({Here the computer comes up with} 35.
Kb3 $5 {with the strange idea} a5 $6 (35... g5 $1 $15) 36. a4 Be2 37. Nd4 $1
Bd1+ 38. Ka3 fxe5 (38... Bxe5 $2 39. Nc6+ Kd6 40. Nxe5 $1 {and 41.Nc4+ and
White is playing for a win}) 39. Nb5 Bd8 40. Nc3 Bc2 41. Kb2 Bd3 42. Kb3 axb4
43. Kxb4 {and after Nc4 White does not look worse at all.}) 35... Be2 {Again
the computer does not like this much. My opponent was short on time and the
tactics the computer comes up with are so far beyond me that I don't really
care about them.} 36. Kd4 b5 37. Ke3 $6 ({White is losing his chances. Maybe
he would have drawn had he played:} 37. Ke4 Bb6 38. Nd4 Bc4 39. g4 Bd5+ 40. Kd3
a6 41. f4 {and White's pawns are well structured at last.}) 37... Bd1 38. Kf4
$2 (38. Nd4 $1 a6 39. Ne4 $1 {was something neither of us were close to seeing.
After} fxe5 40. Nc6+ Kd7 41. Na5 Bc2 {I think Black is a bit better, but it is
not much.}) 38... g5+ 39. Kg3 $2 (39. Ke4 {was the last chance.} Bc2+ 40. Ke3
Bb6+ 41. Ke2 Kd7 $17 {and the game goes on.}) 39... Kf7 {I anticipated the
game finish when I played this move. Maybe this is why I did not discover the
other direct win:} (39... Bxf3 40. Nxf3 f5 $1 {White is in zugzwang, a concept
I did not consider at this stage of the game. Black wins a pawn after} 41. Nxg5
Bxe5+ 42. Kf3 Bb2 43. Ke2 Bxa3 44. Nf3 Bxb4 45. Nd4 Bc5 46. Nxb5 Kd7 {and wins
the game easily.}) 40. Kh2 (40. Ne4 {was the best chance according to Komodo.
I am happy after} Bxf3 41. Kxf3 Bxe5 {. The extra pawn will win.}) 40... Kg6 (
40... Bxf3 41. Nxf3 Bxe5+ 42. Nxe5+ fxe5 43. Kg3 {was not entirely clear to me.
} e4 $1 44. Kg4 Kg6 {and White runs out of moves. I played the way I did in
the game to take away the g4-square. It is just simplest.}) 41. g4 (41. Kg1 {
would give Black two tempos over the previous line and was not something I
feared.}) 41... Bxf3 $1 {Time to liquidate.} 42. Nxf3 Bxe5+ 43. Nxe5+ (43. Kg2
Bb2 {and Black picks up another pawn. Winning takes a bit of time, but I got
time.}) 43... fxe5 44. Kg3 e4 (44... Kf6 45. Kf3 Ke7 46. Ke4 Kd6 {also wins,
but this is simplest. Domination.}) 45. h4 Kf6 46. Kh3 (46. hxg5+ {I was
considering to answer with} Ke5 {to get the king to f4.}) 46... Ke5 47. hxg5
Kf4 48. Kg2 g6 0-1

[Event "(analysis)"]
[Site "Ankara"]
[Date "2012.09.22"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ju, Wenjun"]
[Black "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r4k1/R3Qp1p/4BR2/1p5b/1P6/6PP/5P1K/3r1q2 w - - 0 33"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]

{White to play and win}  1-0

[Event "(analysis)"]
[Site "Ankara"]
[Date "2012.09.22"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ju, Wenjun"]
[Black "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r4k1/R3Qp1p/4BR2/1p5b/1P6/6PP/5P1K/3r1q2 w - - 0 33"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]

33. Rg6+ $3 ({After} 33. Bxf7+ $4 Kh8 {it is White who will be mated.}) 33...
Bxg6 34. Bxf7+ Kg7 35. Be8+ Kh6 36. Qe3+ Kh5 37. Rxh7# 1-0

[Event "20th Fajr Open"]
[Site "Tabriz IRI"]
[Date "2012.01.17"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Nigalidze, Gaioz"]
[Black "Kotanjian, Tigran"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2460"]
[BlackElo "2533"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r1r1qk1/1p3ppp/p1b1pn1Q/P1NnN3/1P1P4/6R1/5PPP/1B1R2K1 w - - 0 25"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.01.12"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IRI"]

{White to play and win}  1-0

[Event "20th Fajr Open"]
[Site "Tabriz IRI"]
[Date "2012.01.17"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Nigalidze, Gaioz"]
[Black "Kotanjian, Tigran"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2460"]
[BlackElo "2533"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r1r1qk1/1p3ppp/p1b1pn1Q/P1NnN3/1P1P4/6R1/5PPP/1B1R2K1 w - - 0 25"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2012.01.12"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IRI"]

25. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 26. Bxh7+ Nxh7 27. Qxe6+ 1-0

[Event "Wch U20"]
[Site "Zagan"]
[Date "1997.07.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Pedersen, Nicolai Vesterbaek"]
[Black "Pereyra Arcija, Diego"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E93"]
[WhiteElo "2300"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2b1qrk1/1p4b1/r2p3p/p2Pp2Q/4N2N/4R3/PP3PP1/5K1R w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1997.07.14"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "POL"]

{White to play and win}  1-0

[Event "Wch U20"]
[Site "Zagan"]
[Date "1997.07.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Pedersen, Nicolai Vesterbaek"]
[Black "Pereyra Arcija, Diego"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E93"]
[WhiteElo "2300"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2b1qrk1/1p4b1/r2p3p/p2Pp2Q/4N2N/4R3/PP3PP1/5K1R w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[EventDate "1997.07.14"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "POL"]

21. Nf6+ $1 Bxf6 22. Rg3+ Bg7 23. Qxh6 Rf7 (23... Rxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qf8+ 25. Ke1
$18 {[%cal Gh1f1]}) 24. Nf5 $1 {Black resigned.} Kf8 25. Qh8+ Bxh8 26. Rxh8#
1-0

[Event "Aeroflot Open Rapid Qualifier 2013"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2013.02.13"]
[Round "7.15"]
[White "Shomoev, Anton"]
[Black "Ganguly, Surya Shekhar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2557"]
[BlackElo "2626"]
[Annotator "John Shaw and Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2013.02.12"]

{The following game revealed an amazing novelty in the King's Indian.} 1. c4
Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 4. d4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O exd4 8. Nxd4 Re8
9. f3 c6 10. Kh1 Nh5 11. g4 Nf6 12. Bf4 h5 {A reasonably well known King's
Indian position; it had been reached over 50 times with White always choosing
13.g5 or 13.h3.} 13. Nf5 $3 $146 {A stunning novelty. It would be hard for
Black to meet in any case, but in a rapid game it is devastating.} gxf5 14.
gxf5 {So far White has just a pawn for the piece, but the open g-file is a
huge threat to the black king, while d6 and h5 are both weak. I doubt many
Black players will want to defend this position, so they will be looking for
deviations at move 12 or earlier.} Nbd7 ({Eight days later a second game was
played in this line. My guess is that Black was surprised. The game continued:
} 14... Kh8 15. Rg1 Nh7 16. Bxd6 Nd7 17. Qd2 Be5 18. Bxe5+ Rxe5 19. f4 Re8 20.
Bxh5 {That's the third pawn for the knight, with the black king still in
trouble.} Qe7 21. Qg2 Qf8 {In D. Antic - M. Markovic, Pozarevac 2013, White
played 22.Rad1 and was much better but later only drew. If he had played} 22.
Qh3 ({or} 22. e5 {then White would have been winning.})) 15. Rg1 Kh8 {Stepping
aside is natural.} ({If instead} 15... Ne5 {then} 16. c5 d5 17. Qf1 $40 {and
Black's situation is becoming desperate.}) 16. Qe1 $1 {Heading for the king is
the most ambitious and best.} ({The materialistic} 16. Qxd6 Nf8 17. Qa3 $14 {
is only enough for an edge.}) 16... Ne5 {Now it all falls apart.} ({The
toughest defence was} 16... Rg8 {but Black's position is probably beyond
saving. For example:} 17. Qh4 Nh7 18. Qxh5 Bd4 19. Rxg8+ Kxg8 20. Bh6 Qf6 21.
Rd1 Nc5 22. f4 $40) 17. Qh4 $18 {Against quiet moves White would double rooks
on the g-file.} Nh7 18. Qxh5 Qe7 19. Rg3 Nd7 20. Rag1 {Simple and strong.} ({
White could also have struck immediately with:} 20. Rxg7 Kxg7 21. Bh6+ Kh8 22.
Rg1 Rg8 23. Rxg8+ Kxg8 24. Qg4+) 20... Ndf6 21. Qh4 (21. Qh3 $1 $18 {would
have cut out Black's try in the game.}) 21... Nxe4 (21... Rg8 {was hopeless
after} 22. Bg5 Bd7 23. Rh3) 22. Qxh7+ {No choice.} Kxh7 23. Rxg7+ Kh8 24. fxe4
Bxf5 25. exf5 Rg8 {Black is defending brilliantly but is still lost. The rest
of the game gets a little messy; it was a rapid game so time must have been
running low.} 26. R7g3 (26. Bg5 $1 $18 {with the point} Qe5 27. Rxf7 Raf8 28.
Bf6+ Qxf6 29. Rxf6 Rxg1+ 30. Kxg1 Rxf6 31. Bg4 {and White would win the ending.
}) 26... Rxg3 27. Rxg3 Rg8 28. Rh3+ Kg7 29. Bh6+ Kf6 30. Re3 Qc7 31. Bd3 Qb6
32. Ne4+ {Black had almost made a miraculous escape but now he no doubt was
almost out of time, and steps forward into a mating net.} Kxf5 $2 ({After} 
32... Ke7 {Black could play for a win (if he had any time).}) 33. Ng3+ Kg4 34.
Bf5+ Kh4 35. Re4+ 1-0

[Event "FIDE Women's World Teams"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2013.03.06"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Foisor, C."]
[Black "Nakhbayeva, G."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A14"]
[WhiteElo "2401"]
[BlackElo "2344"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2013.03.03"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "KAZ"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.12"]
[WhiteTeam "ROU"]
[BlackTeam "KAZ"]

{The following game is interesting for a few reasons. Firstly, White had the
chance to play an untested suggestion of Mihail Marin (GM Repertoire 4, page
297) but either chose not to or was unaware of it. Later the game had many
entertaining tactical moments.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. Bg2 Bb7 4. O-O e6 5. c4
Be7 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 d5 8. e3 c5 9. Nc3 Nbd7 10. Rc1 ({Marin's preferred move
order is:} 10. Qe2 Rc8 11. Rfd1) 10... Rc8 11. Qe2 Re8 12. Rfd1 Qc7 13. cxd5
exd5 14. d4 Bf8 {Now is the moment where Marin suggested a new idea.} 15. Qc2 {
Which was not this.} (15. Ng5 {was Marin's suggestion and it remains untested.
The idea is Nh3-f4 increasing the pressure on Black's centre.} {One possible
continuation is} c4 16. Nh3 Qb8 17. Nf4 Qa8 18. bxc4 dxc4 19. d5 {when White's
centre must outweigh Black's queenside pawns.}) ({Kortchnoi - Adianto, Novi
Sad 1990, continued} 15. Bh3 {but after} Rcd8 16. dxc5 bxc5 17. Na4 Ne4 {Black
was OK.}) 15... Bc6 16. Ne2 Qb7 17. Nf4 Bd6 18. Qf5 Bxf4 19. gxf4 c4 20. bxc4
$2 {Kicking off a forcing line that almost works, but has one vital flaw.} ({
Instead} 20. Ne5 {was stronger with a roughly balanced game.}) 20... dxc4 21.
d5 ({Of course White did not open the long white diagonal just to play the
feeble} 21. Qh3) 21... Bxd5 $1 ({Avoiding the trap} 21... Nxd5 $2 22. Rxd5 $1
Bxd5 23. Ng5 g6 24. Qxd5 $18) 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. fxe5 Bxg2 24. exf6 g6 25. Qg5
Bh3 $2 {Black misses the refutation. Now it's White to play and win:} (25...
Bh1 $1 $17 {was essential when White is in deep trouble.}) 26. Qg3 $2 {Now
Black escapes.} ({The winner was:} 26. Rd5 $1 {Blocking the mate threat on g2
and so preparing Qh6. Now we can see the point of 25...Bh1! still covering d5.}
Kh8 27. Qh6 Rg8 28. Rcd1 {Spot the threat?} c3 {Blocking the long dark
diagonal at least delays the end.} ({A 'nothing' move will show White's threat:
} 28... -- 29. Qg7+ $3 Rxg7 30. fxg7+ Kg8 31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Rxd8#) 29. Bc1 $18
({And not} 29. R1d4 $4 {threatening Qxh7+ when Black gets her queen sac in
first with} Qxd5 $1 $19) {Black has no time to save her bishop as} 29... Be6 {
allows} 30. Rd8 $1 {and mate will quickly follow.}) 26... Bf5 27. Bd4 b5 {The
rest of the game is not so interesting; White cannot create any real threats
on the kingside so Black's queenside pawns roll straight through.} 28. f3 b4
29. Qf4 Kh8 30. Qh6 Rg8 31. e4 Be6 32. h4 c3 33. Kf2 a5 34. Rg1 Qd7 35. Be3 Qd6
36. Rg5 Bxa2 37. Rcg1 a4 38. Rb5 b3 39. Rb6 Qf8 40. Qf4 b2 41. e5 Rb8 42. e6
Bxe6 43. Qxa4 Rxb6 44. Bxb6 Bf5 45. Qb3 Qb8 46. Kg2 b1=Q 47. Rxb1 Bxb1 48. Qxb1
c2 0-1

[Event "Spens Cup Semifinal"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.10"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Walsh, P."]
[Black "Shaw, J."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B07"]
[Annotator "John Shaw"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SCO"]

{My first game of the year and played in March, so a little rust was likely.
My opponent is rated about 1750.} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. dxe5 dxe5 5.
Qxd8+ Kxd8 {I was happy. About equal with Black in 5 moves, and the queens are
gone, so fewer nasty tactics to confuse me.} 6. Bg5 c6 7. Bc4 Ke8 8. O-O-O Nbd7
9. f3 h6 10. Be3 a5 11. a3 a4 12. Nge2 Bc5 13. Bxc5 Nxc5 14. Rd2 Ke7 15. g3 Bh3
16. Rhd1 h5 17. Ng1 Bc8 18. Nge2 h4 19. g4 Nh7 20. Rf1 Ng5 21. Nd1 b5 22. Ba2
Be6 23. Bxe6 fxe6 {All is going smoothly. I have more space on both sides of
the board and a target on f3.} 24. Ng1 {This knight is dismally passive but it
has a surprisingly great future.} Rhf8 25. Rdf2 Rad8 26. Nc3 Rf6 $17 27. f4 $2
{Most players lash out when under pressure, even if sitting tight was the
right course.} ({After something solid such as} 27. Na2 {, planning Nb4, I
would still have to work hard to break through.}) 27... Rdf8 ({Also winning was
} 27... Ngxe4 28. Nxe4 Nxe4 29. Re2 Rd4 $19 {but my rook felt a little awkward
when I visualized the position, even though it seems completely fine in
reality.}) 28. f5 Ncxe4 29. Nxe4 Nxe4 30. Re2 exf5 $19 31. Rfe1 {I am two
pawns up, and there are various ways to return one and reach an ending that I
should win.} g6 $6 {I am still better after this move, even though it is
probably not in the top 6 moves available.} (31... Ng5 $1 32. Rxe5+ Kd6 $19) (
31... Nc5 $5 32. Rxe5+ Re6 $17) (31... g5 $5 32. gxf5 Nc5 $17) (31... Kd6 $5
$17) (31... Kd7 $5 $17) (31... Kd8 $5 $17) 32. Nf3 {Here it comes...} Re6 $2 {
I did not spot that h4 was under attack.} ({One of the various ways to keep an
advantage was:} 32... h3 33. Nxe5 Kd6 $15 {with the point that Black is close
to winning after} 34. Nxg6 $6 Rxg6 35. gxf5 Rg2 36. Rxe4 Rxf5) 33. Nxh4 $11 {
I now saw that White was going to take twice on f5 and there was little I
could do about it. Well, I could make it much worse...} Kf6 $4 {A horror story.
} (33... Kd6 {was about level after} 34. gxf5 gxf5 35. Nxf5+ Rxf5 36. Rxe4 $11)
34. gxf5 gxf5 35. Nxf5 Ng5 {The best try.} ({I had planned} 35... Kxf5 $2 {
expecting a level rook ending after 36.Rxe4, but of course White would play}
36. Rf1+ $18) 36. Rf1 Kg6 37. Nh4+ Kg7 38. Rxf8 Kxf8 39. Rxe5 $1 {White's
born-again knight continues to plague me.} Rh6 {Still losing, but the only
move to offer any hope.} (39... Rxe5 {is trivially lost after} 40. Ng6+ {and
41.Nxe5. In general, when trying to draw an ending a pawn down, choose a rook
ending not a knight ending.}) 40. Rxg5 Rxh4 41. Rg2 $2 {White had seized his
chance superbly but now he makes one passive move in the rook ending and the
win is gone.} (41. Rc5 $1 Rxh2 (41... Rh6 {also looks dreadful. For example:}
42. h4 Ke7 43. h5) 42. Rxc6 Rh5 43. Re6 Kf7 44. Re2 {I think this is probably
winning. A pawn down with the king cut off, I would have been in search of a
miracle save.}) ({Or} 41. Rg6 $1 {would probably transpose to 41.Rc5 after
taking on h2 as instead} Rc4 {gives White a few strong options, including} 42.
h4 $5) 41... Ke7 $11 {Now I expected to hold, and did so safely enough.} 42.
Rd2 Ke6 43. Kd1 c5 44. c3 b4 45. cxb4 cxb4 46. axb4 Rxb4 47. Kc2 Rh4 48. Kd1
Rh3 49. Ke1 a3 50. bxa3 Rxa3 {White offered a draw. Normally I say "Please
make a move" but I made an exception in this case.     Summary: During moves
1-30 and 34-50 I played reasonably well. Moves 31-33 were freakishly awful.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Danish League"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.10"]
[Round "9.2"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Palo, Davor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A87"]
[WhiteElo "2517"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "24"]

{Sometimes you are just not yourself. Sunday morning for example. In the last
round of the Danish league I was utterly distant. Not surprisingly I lost my
worst game since the last round of Copenhagen Open 1992.} 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3.
Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. c4 O-O 6. b4 $5 {Surprised by my opponent's inspiration
at the board, I decide to go slightly off-beat as well. As it turned out, this
was a bad idea.} d6 7. O-O $6 {A clear sign that I was not all there. I
intended to play} (7. Bb2 e5 8. dxe5 {, when Davor wanted to play} Nfd7 9. O-O
Nc6 10. Qb3 Ndxe5 11. Nbd2 $14 {I like White. For example: Chuchelov - Wiersma,
Belgium 2007.}) 7... e5 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Qb3 e4 10. c5+ $4 {I just wanted to
include this before I played Rd1. I never actually considered that he would do
anything else than move the king!} (10. Rd1 {with even chances has been played
a few times.}) 10... Qd5 $1 {And suddenly it is already all over.} 11. Ne5 (11.
Nd4 Qxb3 12. axb3 Nd5 13. Rd1 Nxb4 {is also hopeless.}) 11... Qxb3 12. axb3 Ng4
{After the game Davor said: "I cannot believe my own eyes either!"} 0-1

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.02.24"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Greet, Andrew"]
[Black "Webb, Laurence"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D94"]
[WhiteElo "2438"]
[BlackElo "2285"]
[Annotator "Andrew Greet"]
[PlyCount "111"]

1. e4 c6 {My opponent had mainly been playing the French of late, so when he
played this move all my preparation went out the window.} 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5
4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Nf3 Bg7 7. Be2 {I decided to try playing a Tarrasch
Defence with an extra tempo, which I reckoned ought to provide me with pretty
good chances of equalizing.} O-O 8. O-O dxc4 ({I was slightly concerned about} 
8... Nc6 {as I wasn't sure how best to use my free tempo.} 9. Re1 (9. h3 {is a
useful move, but after} dxc4 10. Bxc4 Na5 {Black is playing Avrukh's line in
reverse, and since this usually involves developing the bishop to e6 (or e3
for White) in any case, I couldn't see much benefit to the h2-h3 move.} 11. Be2
(11. Bd3)) 9... Bg4 {Following the GM 10 recommendation with} 10. c5 ({White
can consider} 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. h3 {with a genuine extra tempo over a standard
Tarrasch line. The problem is that the variation in question is rather
unpromising, so I'm not sure I would want to play this even with the free Re1
move.}) 10... Ne4 11. Be3 b6 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 bxc5 15. dxc5 {
leads to a position where ...Bxc3 (either immediately or in a move or two) may
expose the extra Re1 move as less than useless.}) 9. Bxc4 Bg4 10. h3 {(33)} ({
After} 10. Be3 Nc6 {the free Be3 move is not the most useful, for instance:}
11. d5 (11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Nxd4 13. Qxb7 Nc2 14. Rad1 Qc8 15. Qxc8 Rfxc8 $11)
11... Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Ne5 13. Qe2 {Black has slightly more freedom here as the
e5-knight is not attacked, but even if he simply plays} Nxc4 14. Qxc4 {, the
e3-bishop should normally be developed more actively on f4 or g5 in such
positions.}) (10. Re1 $5 {is a flexible move which makes reasonable sense.})
10... Bxf3 {(9)} 11. Qxf3 Nc6 12. Rd1 Rc8 13. Bb3 ({Maybe I should have kept
the option of retreating this bishop to f1 or e2.} 13. Be3 a6 {1/2-1/2 Garcia,
G (2485)-Gamundi Salamanca,A/Palma de Mallorca 1992/TD (23)} 14. Rac1) 13...
Na5 $146 (13... Ne8 14. Be3 Nd6 15. d5 Ne5 16. Qe2 Qa5 17. Bd4 Nec4 18. Bxg7
Kxg7 {1-0 Berberich,C (2025)-Kampmann,L (2156)/Leverkusen 1997/CBM 060 ext (32)
} 19. Rac1) 14. Be3 Nxb3 15. axb3 Qb6 {My position isn't a disaster by any
means, but with three weak pawns and an oddly-placed rook on a3, I wasn't wild
about it either. At the same time there's something oddly liberating when you
realise you've utterly failed to obtain an advantage with the white pieces,
and instead of trying to prove something you simply focus on playing good
moves.} 16. Ra3 a6 17. d5 Qc7 (17... Qb4 {is another idea, against which I was
planning} 18. Rd4 Qd6 19. Qd1) 18. Ra4 (18. d6 $2 exd6 19. Bg5 {, intending
Nd5-e7+ after the black knight moves away, fails due to} Qc6 $1 {defending f6
indirectly.}) 18... Qd7 19. Rc4 {This move is nothing special, but I was
pleased to be able to put the doubled pawns to good use by creating this
tension along the c-file, which I knew my opponent would not want to resolve
by exchanging.} Ne8 20. Qg4 {(1:00)} Qxg4 {(1:08)} 21. hxg4 {I was also happy
to force this exchange. Indeed, 'capturing towards the centre' becomes the
principle theme of the game from here on.} Nd6 22. Rc5 Rxc5 23. Bxc5 Rc8 24.
Bb4 ({I spent some time looking at} 24. Bxd6 $2 exd6 25. Ne4 {, but it's too
early for these exchanges:} Be5 $1 26. g3 f5 $1 27. gxf5 gxf5 $17 {White is in
trouble as his pawn weaknesses are by far the more serious.}) 24... Kf8 25. f3
(25. Kf1 {is more accurate, for reasons that will become apparent in the next
note.}) 25... Ke8 ({Black could have taken over the initiative with:} 25... h5
$1 26. gxh5 gxh5 {Neither myself nor my opponent paid much attention to this
idea at the time. I pretty much filtered it out of my list of candidate moves
on account of the damage to Black's pawn structure, but after} 27. Kf2 Nf5 {
with ...Nd4 to follow, it becomes obvious that Black has benefited from the
change in the position.}) 26. Kf2 Kd7 27. Ke2 h6 28. Kd3 {I was becoming
happier with my position with every passing move. Having improved my king I
can now start thinking about attacking his.} Rh8 29. Na4 Kc7 30. Ba5+ {(1:32)}
Kb8 {(1:50)} 31. Re1 Re8 (31... Nc8 {is more resilient.}) 32. Bc3 Bxc3 (32...
Bf6 $5) 33. bxc3 $16 {This is pretty much the scenario I was dreaming of back
on move 15. White has now made three captures towards the centre: axb3, hxg4
and now bxc3. Now it's all about pushing those queenside pawns while
maintaining control over the rest of the position.} Kc7 34. c4 b6 35. Nc3 Kd7
36. Rh1 Rh8 37. Kd4 (37. b4 $2 {is premature due to} Rc8) 37... Kc7 $2 {A
mistake in time pressure.} (37... a5 {was necessary to hold up the queenside
pawns.}) 38. b4 Nb7 39. c5 bxc5+ 40. bxc5 {(1:41)} h5 {(1:59)} 41. Ne4 a5 42.
Nc3 Rg8 43. Nb5+ Kc8 44. Re1 Kd8 45. c6 Nd6 46. Nxd6 exd6 47. g5 Rf8 48. Rb1 $2
{This doesn't throw the win away, but it was a stupid decision all the same. I
was in a hurry to finish the game and went straight after the d6-pawn.} ({Of
course the simple} 48. Ra1 f6 49. Rxa5 Kc7 50. Ra7+ {kills the opponent's
passed pawn and still enables me to pick up the d6-pawn.}) 48... Kc8 49. Rb7 f6
$2 {Fortunately it seems my opponent had pretty much given up by now.} (49...
a4 {,}) (49... h4 {and}) (49... Re8 {would all have made life slightly more
complicated, although White should still win.}) 50. Rd7 {(2:07)} fxg5 {(2:20)}
51. Rxd6 g4 52. fxg4 Rf4+ 53. Kc5 Rxg4 54. Rf6 Rg5 55. Kd6 Kb8 56. Rf8+ 1-0

[Event "El Ajedrez Espanol"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1964.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Gambin, M."]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5B2/r1r2pRR/1qBp1k1N/1N2bP2/QP3p2/4PP2/8/1K6 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

{White to play and mate in three}  *

[Event "El Ajedrez Espanol"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1964.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Gambin, M."]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5B2/r1r2pRR/1qBp1k1N/1N2bP2/QP3p2/4PP2/8/1K6 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]

1. Rg8 {By moving this rook out of the way, White threatens 2.Rxf7+ Rxf7 3.
Rg6#. The only way Black can defend against this is by moving his bishop from
e5 to give his king a square. However each of the bishop's four possible
squares interferes with a potential check from one of the black major pieces,
allowing White to defend the f5-pawn and then play Ng4 mate.} Ba1 (1... Bb2 2.
Nxd6 {and 3.Ng4#}) (1... Bc3 2. Be4 {and 3.Ng4#}) (1... Bd4 2. e4 {and 3.Ng4#})
2. Qc2 {and 3.Ng4#. 12 out of the 35 competitors solved this problem,
including all the titled solvers except the unfortunate Jonathan Mestel, who
knew the correct answer but accidentally wrote down 1.Rg1 instead of 1.Rg8.} *

[Event "Problem-Skak"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn1K4/1k1B3R/p7/4p3/1qP1P3/1N6/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]

{White to play and win}  *

[Event "Problem-Skak"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rn1K4/1k1B3R/p7/4p3/1qP1P3/1N6/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]

1. Bc8+ Kc6 (1... Kb6 2. Rb7+ Kc6 3. Rxb4 $18) 2. Rh6+ (2. Rc7+ $2 {wins the
queen but not the game:} Kd6 3. c5+ Qxc5 4. Nxc5 Nc6+ 5. Rxc6+ Kxc6 6. Nxa6 Ra7
$11) 2... Qd6+ 3. Rxd6+ Kxd6 4. c5+ Kc6 {#After a few introductory moves the
point of the study is reached.} 5. Bb7+ $3 Kxb7 6. Na5+ Ka7 7. Kc7 $1 {Black
is in zugzwang and must move his knight, allowing 8.N(x)c6 mate.} *

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B03"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. exd6 exd6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. h3
Bh5 9. Be2 Bg6 10. O-O O-O 11. Be3 Bf6 12. Rc1 Re8 13. b3 a6 14. Qd2 d5 15. c5
Nc8 16. Nh2 Nc6 17. Ng4 Be7 18. Bf3 Bf8 19. Nxd5 N8e7 20. Nxe7+ Bxe7 21. d5 Na7
22. Bf4 Bf8 23. d6 cxd6 24. cxd6 Nc6 25. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Bf5 27. Ne5 Nxe5
28. Rxe5 Qd7 29. Rc5 Re8 30. Rc7 Qb5 31. Rxb7 Qc5 32. Qd5 1-0

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Pedersen, Nicolai V."]
[Black "Skytte, Rasmus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D46"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. b3 a6 8. a4 e5
9. cxd5 cxd5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nd4 Bb4 12. Bb2 Ne4 13. Bxe4 dxe4 14. O-O Nd3
15. Nxe4 Nxb2 16. Qc2 Nxa4 17. Rxa4 Be7 18. Rd1 O-O 19. Ne6 Bxe6 20. Rxd8 Rfxd8
21. Rd4 Rdc8 22. Qd3 Rc1+ 23. Qf1 Rxf1+ 24. Kxf1 Rd8 25. Ra4 Bxb3 26. Ra1 Bc4+
27. Kg1 b5 28. h4 Bf6 29. Rxa6 h5 30. Rb6 Bd3 31. Nc5 Bc4 32. f3 Rd1+ 33. Kh2
Bxh4 34. Ne4 Bf6 35. Kg3 h4+ 36. Kf4 Kh7 37. Kf5 Be6+ 38. Kf4 Rg1 39. Rxb5 Rxg2
40. Rh5+ Kg6 41. Rc5 h3 42. Rc1 h2 43. Rh1 Bh4 44. Ke5 Bf2 45. f4 Bg1 46. Ng5
f6+ 47. Kxe6 fxg5 48. f5+ Kh6 49. e4 g4 50. e5 g3 51. f6 gxf6 52. exf6 Rf2 53.
Ke7 g2 54. f7 gxh1=Q 0-1

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 e6 5. O-O d5 6. b3 d4 7. e3 e5 8. exd4
exd4 9. Re1+ Be7 10. d3 O-O 11. Bg5 Re8 12. Na3 Be6 13. Nc2 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6
15. a3 a5 16. Rb1 Rb8 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 b5 19. cxb5 Rxb5 20. bxc5 Rxc5 21.
Nd2 Be7 22. Ne4 Ra5 23. Nf6+ Bxf6 24. Bxc6 Rf8 25. Nb4 Qd6 26. Bg2 Rc5 27. Qa4
Rc3 28. Be4 Rfc8 29. Qa6 Qxa6 30. Nxa6 g6 31. Nb4 Kg7 32. Rb2 Be7 33. Reb1 Bh3
34. Na2 R3c7 35. Bg2 Bf5 36. Rd1 Rc2 37. Rxc2 Rxc2 38. Nc1 Bg4 39. f3 Be6 40.
Bf1 Ba3 41. Ne2 Bb3 42. Rb1 Ba2 43. Ra1 Bc5 44. Nf4 h5 45. Re1 Bb4 46. Re4 Bd2
47. Ng2 Bc3 48. Re7 Be6 49. Nf4 Ba2 50. Rc7 Rb2 51. Ra7 Bb1 52. Rc7 Bd2 53. Nd5
Rb5 54. Rd7 Ba2 55. Nc7 Be3+ 56. Kg2 Rb2+ 57. Kh3 Rb7 58. Ne8+ Kf8 59. Rxb7
Be6+ 60. Kg2 Kxe8 61. Rb6 h4 62. Be2 h3+ 63. Kf1 g5 64. f4 g4 65. Ke1 0-1

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Skytte, Rasmus"]
[Black "Pedersen, Nicolai V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A22"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. e3 Be7 7. Nge2 O-O 8.
O-O Nc6 9. d4 exd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. exd4 Bf6 12. d5 Nc4 13. Qb3 Nd6 14. Bf4 a6
15. Rac1 Bf5 16. Rfe1 b5 17. Bxd6 cxd6 18. Ne4 Be5 19. Re2 Rc8 20. Rec2 Rxc2
21. Qxc2 Qa5 22. b3 h6 23. Nf6+ Bxf6 24. Qxf5 Qd2 25. Rc8 Qe1+ 26. Bf1 Bd4 27.
Rxf8+ Kxf8 28. Qc8+ Ke7 29. Qc7+ Ke8 30. Qc8+ Ke7 31. Qc7+ Ke8 32. Qc8+ Ke7 33.
Qc7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Pedersen, Nicolai V."]
[Black "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 a6 6. c5 Qc7 7. b4 Nbd7 8. Bb2 e6
9. Nh4 Bg4 10. Qc2 Be7 11. h3 Bh5 12. g4 Bg6 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Bg2 e5 15. dxe5
Nxe5 16. Ne2 a5 17. a3 Nc4 18. Bd4 axb4 19. axb4 Rxa1+ 20. Bxa1 b5 21. Nd4 O-O
22. O-O Ra8 23. Bc3 Nd7 24. e4 dxe4 25. Qxe4 Nde5 26. Nxb5 Qb8 27. Nd4 Ra3 28.
Rc1 Bf6 29. Nxc6 Nxc6 30. Bxf6 gxf6 31. Qxc4 Nxb4 32. c6 Nxc6 33. Bxc6 Rxh3 34.
Bg2 Qh2+ 35. Kf1 Ra3 36. Qc8+ Kg7 37. Qc7 Qxc7 38. Rxc7 Rd3 39. Be4 Rd4 40. f3
Rb4 41. Ke2 Ra4 42. Ke3 Rd4 1-0

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Skytte, Rasmus"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A01"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. b3 d5 2. Bb2 c6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bg4 5. c4 e6 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. O-O Bd6 8. d3
O-O 9. Nbd2 Qe7 10. a3 Rfe8 11. Re1 a5 12. Qc2 Qd8 13. e4 dxe4 14. dxe4 e5 15.
Nh4 Bf8 16. Ndf3 Qc7 17. Nf5 g6 18. Ne3 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Rad8 20. Bc3 Nc5 21. Rad1
Ne6 22. Ng4 Nxg4 23. Bxg4 Rxd1 24. Qxd1 Bxa3 25. Qa1 Bb4 26. Bxe5 Qe7 27. Rd1
Ng5 28. Bh8 f6 29. Bxf6 Qxe4 30. Bh8 Qe1+ 31. Kg2 Qe4+ 32. f3 Qe2+ 33. Kh1
Qxd1+ 34. Qxd1 Re1+ 35. Qxe1 Bxe1 36. Bf6 Nf7 37. Be6 Kf8 38. Kg2 Bb4 39. f4 b5
40. cxb5 cxb5 41. Bd7 a4 42. bxa4 bxa4 43. Bxa4 Be7 44. Bxe7+ Kxe7 45. Bb3 Nd6
46. Kf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Black "Pedersen, Nicolai V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 c5 4. e3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bb5+ Nc6 7. O-O Bd6 8.
dxc5 Bxc5 9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 Be6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qc2 Ne4 13. Nc3 Bb6 14. Nxe4
dxe4 15. Qxe4 Qd5 16. Qh4 Bf5 17. Rfd1 Qe4 18. Qg3 Bg6 19. h4 h5 20. Rac1 Rad8
21. Qe5 f6 22. Qxe4 Bxe4 23. Nd4 Rfe8 24. f3 Bd5 25. Kf2 c5 26. Nf5 c4 27. bxc4
Bxc4 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Bxf6 Rd2+ 30. Kg3 Bxa2 31. Bd4 Bxd4 32. Nxd4 a5 33. Rc8+
Kf7 34. Ra8 Rd3 35. Kf4 Bd5 36. Rxa5 Bc4 37. Ra7+ Kf6 38. Rc7 Bf7 39. Rc6+ Ke7
40. Nf5+ Kd7 41. Ra6 g6 42. Ra7+ Ke6 43. Nd4+ Kf6 44. g4 hxg4 45. fxg4 Rd2 46.
g5+ Kg7 47. Nf3 Rf2 48. Kg3 Re2 1-0

[Event "Danish Blitz Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Skytte, Rasmus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A04"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 Nf6 4. e5 Ne4 5. c4 d5 6. exd6 cxd6 7. Bd3 Qa5+ 8.
Nbd2 Bf5 9. Qb3 O-O 10. O-O Nxd2 11. Bxd2 Qb6 12. Qxb6 axb6 13. Bxf5 gxf5 14.
Bc3 Nc6 15. Rfe1 Rfe8 16. a3 Na5 17. Bxa5 bxa5 18. Re3 e6 19. Rb3 Rec8 20. Rc1
Rc7 21. Rb5 Bf6 22. a4 Rac8 23. b3 Ra8 24. Kf1 Kf8 25. h3 Ke7 26. Ke2 f4 27.
Kd3 Rg8 28. Rg1 Ra8 29. Ke4 d5+ 30. cxd5 exd5+ 31. Kxd5 Rd8+ 32. Ke4 Rc3 33.
Rxb7+ Kf8 34. Rd1 Rc2 35. d5 Rxf2 36. Kxf4 Rxg2 37. d6 Re2 38. d7 Re7 39. Rd5
Kg7 40. Nd2 h6 41. Nc4 Bg5+ 42. Kg4 Kg6 43. Kf3 f6 44. Rd3 Kf7 45. Nxa5 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Andersen, Mads"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E97"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. Be3
Ng4 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bc1 f5 11. Bg5 Qd7 12. d5 Nd8 13. Nd2 Nf7 14. Bh4 Nf6 (14...
Nxh2 $5 15. Kxh2 g5 16. Bg3 f4 17. Bh5 Nh6 18. Kg1 fxg3 19. fxg3) 15. f3 (15.
exf5 $5 gxf5 16. Qc2) 15... Nh5 16. Bf2 Qe7 17. Re1 Nf4 18. Bf1 Ng5 19. Rc1 Bh6
(19... fxe4 20. Ncxe4 $14) 20. Kh1 (20. c5 dxc5 21. b4 cxb4 22. Nb5 fxe4 23.
Bc5 Qf6 24. Bxf8 Bxf8 25. Nxe4 Nxe4 26. fxe4 Qb6+ 27. Kh1 c6 $13) 20... Bd7 21.
Be3 $1 $14 Qg7 22. c5 Nf7 23. Nb5 $2 (23. Qb3 Rab8 24. cxd6 cxd6 25. Rc2 $16)
23... Bxb5 24. Bxb5 a6 25. Bf1 Nh5 26. Bxh6 (26. Qb3 $1 $13) 26... Qxh6 27.
cxd6 cxd6 28. Rc7 Ng5 29. Kg1 (29. Rxb7 fxe4 30. fxe4 Rf2 $1 31. Rb3 $8 (31.
Re2 Nf3 $3 32. Nxf3 Rxe2 33. Bxe2 Ng3+ 34. Kg1 Qe3#) 31... Raf8 $15) (29. exf5
Ng3+ 30. Kg1 Nxf5 31. Rxb7 Qh4 32. Ne4 $14) 29... Rf7 30. Rxf7 Nxf7 31. Nc4 (
31. exf5 gxf5 32. Nc4 $13) 31... Rc8 32. Na5 fxe4 33. fxe4 Rc7 $1 $15 34. Qd3
Qg5 35. Qe3 Nf4 36. g3 Rc2 $1 37. Qb3 (37. Qf3 Qd8 38. Nc4 Ng5 39. Qb3 Nfh3+
40. Kh1 Qf8 $3 41. Qxc2 Nf2+ 42. Kg1 Nf3+ 43. Kxf2 Nd4+ $19) (37. Nc4 Qg4 38.
Kh1 Ng5 39. Nd2 Nfh3 $17) 37... Nh3+ $1 38. Kh1 (38. Bxh3 Qd2 $19) 38... Qd2
39. Re2 Qd1 40. Qf3 (40. Kg2 Rxe2+ 41. Bxe2 Qxe2+ 42. Kxh3 Ng5+ 43. Kh4 Qh5#)
40... Nfg5 41. Qg2 Rc1 0-1

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.23"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Palo, Davor"]
[Black "Pedersen, Christian Kyndel "]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[BlackElo "2443"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. e4 d5 6. e5 Nfd7 $2 {A horrific
move. The knight should go to e4, but Pedersen had been surprised by his
opponent's decision to try out 5.e4 for the first time.} 7. a3 $1 {Not under
pressure, White strengthens his structure.} Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 $16 f6 {If White had
to take this, Black would maybe be ok.} 9. Nf3 $1 dxc4 $6 {Already in great
difficulties, Pedersen commits another inaccuracy.} (9... fxe5 10. Ng5 $1 {
would win material.}) 10. Bxc4 {This bishop is getting into the game in one go.
} Nb6 11. Ba2 Nc6 (11... f5 {is painful to look at, but might have been a
better chance. Now White starts a nice attack.}) 12. exf6 $1 gxf6 (12... Qxf6
13. Bb1 Qf5 14. Qe2 Qa5 15. O-O {looks like a winning attack as well.}) 13. Bh6
Rf7 14. O-O Ne7 15. Nh4 $1 {Preventing Black's only active option.} Qd6 16. f4
{With ideas of f4-f5.} c5 {With the idea of ...c4 to block the diagonal.} (
16... Nbd5 17. f5 exf5 18. c4 Nb6 19. Kh1 {also wins.}) 17. Qe2 $1 {Palo
exploits the poor position of the rook on f7. In the commentary room we ended
with 17.Kh1 with a big attack. But this is of course decisive.} (17. f5 c4 {is
bad for Black, but the game continuation is fantastic!}) 17... f5 {This does
not help, but then again, nothing does.} (17... Nbd5 18. Qg4+ Kh8 19. Qh5 {and
White wins, on account of} Kg8 20. Rf3 {and a check on g3.}) 18. Rf3 Kh8 19.
Rg3 Ned5 (19... Ng8 20. Qh5 Nxh6 21. Qxh6 {and Black is quickly mated.}) 20.
Qh5 Qe7 (20... Qd7 21. Ng6+ hxg6 22. Qxg6 {also leads to mate.}) 21. Ng6+ $1 {
Other things win as well, but this is quite cute.} hxg6 22. Bg7+ $1 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Black "Akdag, Dara"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A08"]
[WhiteElo "2566"]
[BlackElo "2251"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O d5 5. d3 e5 6. Na3 Be7 7. e4 d4 8. Nc4
Qc7 9. a4 O-O 10. Nh4 Re8 11. f4 Nd7 12. Nf3 Bf8 13. f5 b6 14. g4 a6 15. g5 Rb8
16. b3 b5 17. Nb2 Na5 18. Bd2 c4 $5 {Dara is clearly the weakest player of the
tournament, having qualified from the B-group last year. However, he is not
here on holiday and has fought hard in the first few rounds, including
declining a draw a pawn down in round three.} 19. dxc4 bxc4 20. Bxa5 Qxa5 21.
Nxc4 Qc5 22. Kh1 {Black probably does not have full compensation.} Nb6 23. Nb2
a5 24. Nd3 Qc7 25. g6 hxg6 26. fxg6 fxg6 27. Nh4 Kh7 28. Qf3 Qd6 29. Qg3 Nd7
30. Bh3 $1 {A very nice attacking move. The threat is Nxg6!.} Bb7 31. Rae1 Nf6
32. Qxg6+ Kg8 {Black has set a nice trap, however, it is not working.} 33. Bg2
$5 {Just avoiding it, but} (33. Nf5 $1 Nxe4 $1 34. Qf7+ $3 {just wins!} (34.
Nxd6 Nf2+ 35. Kg1 Nxh3#)) 33... Qc7 34. Rxf6 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Pedersen, Christian Kyndel "]
[Black "Ziska, Helgi Dam "]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2443"]
[BlackElo "2461"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "214"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. f3 h5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. Kb1 Qc7 12. g3 b5 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bf5 15.
Bd3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Qc4 $6 {This leads to an unpleasant endgame.} (16... Rc8 {
gives Black a decent game.}) 17. Qxc4 bxc4 18. Na5 Rc8 19. b3 cxb3 20. axb3 h4
21. c4 $14 {With the c6-square and the better pawn structure, I favour White.}
Nb8 {Awkward. Should have lead to great problems.} 22. Kc2 Bd8 23. Nb7 Bc7 24.
b4 (24. c5 $5 {was an interesting tactical trick:} dxc5 25. d6 Bb6 26. d7+ Nxd7
27. Nd6+ Ke7 28. Nxc8+ Rxc8 29. Rd5 $14) (24. g4 $1 {feels right. Black does
not have great counterplay. And after} Nd7 25. Ra1 $14 {White keeps the
pressure on the queenside.}) 24... Nd7 25. c5 dxc5 26. bxc5 Nxc5 $1 {A nice
defensive resource.} 27. Bxc5 Bb6 28. Kd3 $5 {Winning a piece, but not
necessarily the game.} ({In the commentry room FM Per Andreasen (my
co-commentator) convinced me that White is better after} 28. Nd6+ Kd7 29. Nxc8
Rxc8 30. Kd3 Rxc5 31. Ke4 {. I still think Black has good drawing chances here,
but maybe this made more sense than the game? Hard to decide without deep
analysis.}) 28... Bxc5 29. Rc1 hxg3 30. Nxc5 Rxh2 (30... gxh2 $5 31. Ke4 Ke7 {
and the White advantage is very much in doubt.}) 31. Rhg1 g2 $2 {After this
move the rook is very passive on h2.} 32. Ke3 Rh1 33. Kf2 $16 a5 34. Rc3 $1
Rxg1 35. Kxg1 Rd8 36. Rd3 Rc8 37. Nb7 Kd7 38. Nxa5 Rc2 39. d6 $2 (39. Nb7 $1 {
with the idea d6, Rd5 and Nc5 would have won. It does not help to play} Rc7 40.
Rb3) 39... Rc5 40. Nb3 Rc6 41. Kxg2 $4 (41. Rd5 $1 Rxd6 42. Rxe5 {would still
be very close to winning.}) 41... Rxd6 {Now Black draws.} 42. Nc5+ Ke7 43. Re3
Rd5 44. Nd3 f6 45. Kg3 Kf7 46. Nf2 f5 47. Ra3 g5 48. Ra6 Rd2 49. Nh3 g4 50.
fxg4 Rd3+ 51. Kh4 Rd4 52. Ng5+ Ke7 53. Re6+ Kd7 54. Rxe5 fxg4 55. Ne4 Rd1 56.
Kxg4 Rg1+ 57. Kf5 Rf1+ 58. Kg6 Rg1+ 59. Ng5 Rf1 60. Re6 Rd1 61. Re2 Rf1 62. Ne4
Rf4 63. Kg5 Rf3 64. Nc5+ Kd6 65. Ne6 Ra3 66. Kf5 Rf3+ 67. Nf4 Rf1 68. Ke4 Rd1
69. Ra2 Re1+ 70. Kd4 Rd1+ 71. Nd3 Rh1 72. Ra6+ Ke7 73. Nf2 Rh4+ 74. Ne4 Rh1 75.
Ng3 Rd1+ 76. Ke5 Re1+ 77. Ne4 Kd7 78. Rd6+ Ke7 79. Rd4 Ra1 80. Rc4 Ra5+ 81. Nc5
Ra1 82. Rc2 Rh1 83. Re2 Rh5+ 84. Kd4+ Kf7 85. Nd7 Rh4+ 86. Ke5 Rh5+ 87. Kf4 Rd5
88. Ne5+ Ke6 89. Nc4+ Kf6 90. Ke4 Rc5 91. Ne3 Re5+ 92. Kf4 Ke6 93. Ra2 Rh5 94.
Ng4 Rh1 95. Ra6+ Kd5 96. Nf6+ Kc4 97. Ke5 Re1+ 98. Ne4 Rh1 99. Rc6+ Kb5 100.
Rc2 Rh5+ 101. Kd4 Rh4 102. Rb2+ Kc6 103. Rb1 Kc7 104. Kd5 Rh5+ 105. Ke6 Rh6+
106. Nf6 Kc6 107. Rc1+ Kb5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.25"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Schandorff, Lars"]
[Black "Pedersen, Christian Kyndel "]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[BlackElo "2443"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 b5 11. Be2 Qc7 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Be7 14. Qf4 $5
$146 Qxf4 15. exf4 c5 $6 (15... Bb7 {with the intention ...c5 would have
equalised. Now it goes all wrong.}) 16. dxc5 Bxc5 (16... Nxc5 17. Ne5 Re8 $1 {
was possible, but both awkward to play and hard to find. The point is that
after} (17... Bb7 $2 18. b4 $1 Ne4 19. Rd7 {White wins a piece. Black has a
bit of counterplay, but nowhere near enough.})) 17. Nd2 $1 {This creates most
possible problems for Black.} Bb6 (17... Bb7 18. Nb3 Bd5 $1) 18. Bf3 Ra7 19.
Ne4 Nf6 $2 {I do not like this simplification. Black is not doing well with an
inferior structure in a bishop ending.} (19... Rc7 20. Nd6 Rd8 {was maybe not
so bad. White is starting to be slightly preferable, but it is certainly not
critical yet.}) 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Be3 Bxe3 22. fxe3 $14 {I think the engines
underestimate the extent of the White advantage.} Rc7 23. Rac1 Rxc1 24. Rxc1
Rd8 25. b4 $5 {Fixing the a6-pawn as a weakness.} (25. Rc7 $16 {was maybe a
bit more natural, but Lars likes to make things as simple as possible. Add to
this that Christian is good at calculating and fighting, but you can do
neither in a bishop ending.}) 25... e5 26. Rd1 Rxd1+ 27. Bxd1 {This ending is
unpleasant even if Houdini believes it is easy to draw.} exf4 $6 {This looks
unnecessary. Lars said there were arguments for this decision as well, but to
be honest, I do not see them.} 28. exf4 Be6 29. a3 Bd5 {With his last two
moves Black lost valuable time. I have a strong feeling that everything should
be over now.} 30. Bg4 (30. Bf3 Bxf3 31. gxf3 {draws.}) 30... Bb7 31. Kf2 Kf8
32. Bf5 $1 {Lars found a wonderful way to exploit the two weaknesses.} ({But
it is a bit more surprising that} 32. Bf3 Bxf3 33. Kxf3 f5 $1 34. Ke3 Ke7 35.
Kd4 Kd6 {holds without efforts. White has better pawns and a more advanced
king. But Black is not in zugzwang.}) 32... h6 (32... h5 33. Kg3 Kg7 34. Kh4 {
should also win. For example:} Bxg2 (34... Kh6 35. g3 {is just zugzwang}) 35.
Bc8 Kg6 36. f5+ Kh6 37. Bxa6 Bc6 38. Bc8 Be8 39. Bb7 Bd7 40. Be4 Be8 41. Bf3 {
and wins.}) 33. g4 $1 {The king comes to h5 and ties down Black.} Ke7 34. Kg3
Kf8 35. Kh4 Kg8 36. Kh5 Kg7 37. h3 {Black is in zugzwang. The rest took time
and careful checking, but in the end there was no defence.} Bf3 38. Bc8 Bc6 39.
Bxa6 Bd7 40. Bb7 Kh7 41. Bd5 Kg7 42. f5 Be8 43. Ba8 Bd7 44. Bh1 Be8 45. Bd5 Bd7
46. Kh4 Be8 47. Kg3 Kf8 48. Kf4 Ke7 49. Ke3 Kd7 50. Kd4 Kd6 51. Bf3 Bd7 52. Be4
Be8 53. Bd5 Bd7 54. Bxf7 Bc6 55. h4 Bf3 56. Be8 Bxg4 57. Bxb5 Bxf5 58. a4 Bg4
59. a5 f5 60. Bd3 f4 61. Ke4 f3 62. Ke3 Kd5 63. Be4+ Kc4 64. a6 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.25"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Palo, Davor"]
[Black "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D10"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 e6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. Nf3
Nh5 9. Be5 Nf6 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Be5 Nf6 12. O-O O-O 13. Rc1 Nxe5 (13... Bd7 $5)
14. dxe5 Nd7 15. Qc2 g6 16. Rfd1 $14 Qa5 (16... Nb6 17. e4 Bd7 $14) 17. a3 a6
18. h4 Kg7 19. h5 Qc7 20. Qa4 $1 $16 Nc5 (20... Nxe5 21. h6+ $3 Kg8 22. Nxd5
Nxf3+ 23. gxf3 Qd6 24. Nxe7+ Qxe7 25. Qf4 e5 26. Rc7 $1 $16) 21. Qf4 Nxd3 22.
Rxd3 Bd7 $2 (22... Qb6 $16) 23. e4 $18 Rac8 (23... dxe4 24. Nxe4 Bc6 25. h6+
Kh8 26. Nf6 Rad8 27. Nd4 $18 Qb6 28. Nxc6 bxc6 29. Rd7 $1) 24. exd5 exd5 25.
Rcd1 Be6 26. Nxd5 Bxd5 27. Rxd5 Rcd8 28. Ng5 Rxd5 29. Rxd5 Qc6 30. h6+ Kg8 31.
Rd1 f6 32. Ne4 fxe5 33. Qxe5 Rf7 34. g3 Qc8 35. Qd5 Qf5 36. Qxb7 Bxa3 37. Rd8+
Bf8 38. Qa8 Qe5 39. Re8 Qd4 40. Qxa6 Qxb2 41. Qc4 Qb6 42. Qd5 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.25"]
[Round "3.4"]
[White "Akdag, Dara"]
[Black "Andersen, Mads"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 g6 8. Bd3
Bg7 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Qd8 11. c5 O-O 12. Nd6 $6 (12. O-O $1) 12... Nd7 (12...
b6 $1) 13. O-O e5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Bc4 Qf6 17. Qd2 b5 18. Bb3
Bxb2 19. Rad1 $44 Be5 20. f4 Bxd6 21. Qxd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Bf5 23. g4 $5 (23.
Rxc6 $11) 23... Be4 24. f5 Kg7 $2 (24... gxf5 25. gxf5 Kg7 $11) 25. Rf4 $2 (25.
f6+ $1 Kg8 26. Re1 Bd5 27. Bxd5 cxd5 28. c6 $16) 25... Rae8 (25... gxf5 26.
gxf5 Rae8 $13) 26. Rd7 $2 g5 (26... gxf5 $1 27. gxf5 Kf6 $17) 27. Rf2 $15 a5
28. a4 $2 (28. f6+ Kg8 29. Re2 Bg6 30. Ree7 a4 31. Bd1 Be4 $15) 28... bxa4 29.
Bc4 Rd8 (29... Bb1 $1 $19) 30. f6+ Kh7 31. Re7 Bd5 32. Bd3+ Kg8 33. h4 a3 34.
hxg5 a2 {White lost on time.} 0-1

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Black "Ziska, Helgi Dam "]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A49"]
[WhiteElo "2566"]
[BlackElo "2461"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. d4 c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. Nxd4
d5 9. c4 dxc4 10. Na3 $5 (10. bxc4 Qb6 11. Qb3 {is a well known line, as
advocated by Avrukh in GM Repertoire 1.}) 10... cxb3 11. Qxb3 Nc6 {In the
commentry room we liked the clarity of this move and predicted it.} 12. Rfd1 (
12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bxc6 Be6 14. Qa4 Bd7 {and Black equalises.}) 12... Nxd4 13.
Bxd4 Qa5 14. Nc4 Qh5 15. Ne5 Qxe2 $2 (15... Ng4 16. Nxg4 Qxg4 $1 (16... Bxg4
17. Qxb7 Bxe2 18. Bxg7 Bxd1 (18... Kxg7 19. Qb2+ $16 Kg8 20. Re1 Bf3 21. Re5
Qg4 22. h3 $18) 19. Bxf8 Rxf8 20. Qxa7 $14) 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. e3 $11) 16. Re1
Qh5 17. Nxf7 $1 e6 $1 (17... Rxf7 18. Rxe7 g5 19. Rae1 Bg4 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21.
Rxf7 Qxf7 22. Bd5 $1 $18) 18. Re5 $1 g5 $5 (18... Qg4 19. f4 $1 {also wins for
White.} (19. Bb2 {was Sune's idea. White is much better even though Black
saves the queen with} a5 20. Ng5 Qb4 $16 {.})) 19. Nxg5 $2 (19. Nd6 $1 Ng4 (
19... Bd7 20. Rc1 Rad8 (20... Ng4 21. Rxe6) 21. Rc7 $18) 20. Rxe6 Bxe6 (20...
Bxd4 21. Rg6+ Kh8 22. Qg8+ Rxg8 23. Nf7#) 21. Qxe6+ Kh8 22. Bxg7+ Kxg7 23. h3 (
{In the commentary room we gave up the line after} 23. Nf5+ Rxf5 24. Qxf5 Qxh2+
25. Kf1 Ne3+ $1 $19 {and never returned. I should have trusted my intuition!})
23... Nxf2 (23... Nf6 24. Rc1 $18) 24. Qe7+ Kh8 25. Qe5+) 19... Ng4 $132 20.
Nxe6 (20. Rxe6 $1 Bxe6 21. Qxe6+ Rf7 $1 (21... Kh8 22. Bxg7+ Kxg7 23. h4 Nf6
24. Rc1) 22. Nxf7 Bxd4 23. Rb1 Bxf2+ 24. Kf1 Nxh2+ 25. Kxf2 Qxf7+ 26. Qxf7+
Kxf7 27. Rxb7+ Kf6 28. Rxh7 $14) 20... Qxh2+ 21. Kf1 Nxe5 $1 ({Sune had full
control on} 21... Bxe5 22. Nxf8+ Kxf8 23. Qb4+ Kg8 24. Bd5+ Be6 25. Bxe6+ Kh8
26. Bxe5+ Nxe5 27. Qf4 Qh1+ 28. Ke2 Qh5+ 29. f3 {and White wins.}) 22. Nxg7+ ({
On} 22. Nxf8+ {we found nothing, but Helgi saw deeper:} Nf7 $1 23. Bxg7 Bh3 24.
Bxh3 Qh1+ $1 25. Ke2 Qxh3 {with excellent compensation for the piece. The game
most likely ends in a draw after} 26. Re1 Re8+ 27. Kd2 Rxe1 28. Kxe1 Kxg7 29.
Ne6+ Kf6 30. Nf4 {and so on.}) 22... Nf7 (22... Rf7 $5 23. Ne8 $3 (23. Ne6 $2 {
was the reason we did not like this, but Black wins!} b6 $3 24. Bxa8 Ba6+ 25.
Ke1 Qg1+ 26. Kd2 Nc4+ 27. Kc2 Rxf2+ 28. Bxf2 Qxf2+ 29. Kc1 Qd2+ 30. Kb1 Na5 {
and Black wins.}) (23. Bd5 $6 Bh3+ 24. Ke1 Rd8 $1 25. Nh5 Be6 $3 (25... Rxd5
26. Qxd5 Nf3+ 27. Ke2 Nxd4+ 28. Qxd4 Bf1+ 29. Rxf1 Qxh5+ $15) 26. Bxe6 Rxd4 27.
Bxf7+ Kf8 28. Rd1 Re4+ 29. Kd2 Qxf2+ 30. Kc1 Qc5+ 31. Qc2 Qxc2+ 32. Kxc2 Kxf7
$15) 23... Bh3 (23... b6 24. Nf6+ Kg7 25. Qb5 $1 $18) 24. Nf6+ Kg7 25. Bxh3
Qxh3+ 26. Kg1 Kxf6 27. Bxe5+ Kg6 28. Rd1 Rd7 29. Qc2+ Kh6 30. Qc1+ Kg6 31. Qc2+
$11) 23. Ne6 Bxe6 24. Qxe6 Qh6 {White's compensation for the exchange is not
entirely obvious here.} 25. Qb3 (25. Qxh6 Nxh6 26. Rb1 {was maybe most
accurate.}) 25... Rad8 26. Rd1 Rd7 27. Bc3 Rxd1+ 28. Qxd1 Rd8 29. Qg4+ Qg6 30.
Qxg6+ hxg6 31. Bxb7 Nd6 32. Bd5+ $15 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Akdag, Dara"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2251"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. b4 c6 10. Be3 Nh5 11. Nd2 Nf4 12. f3 f5 (12... Bh3 13. gxh3 Nexd5 14.
Nxd5 Qg5+ 15. Kf2 cxd5 16. Bxf4 exf4 17. Nb3 dxe4 18. fxe4 a5 19. bxa5) 13. Re1
Kh8 14. Nb3 (14. Bf1) 14... cxd5 15. cxd5 fxe4 16. fxe4 Ng8 17. Bf3 Nf6 18. Kh1
h5 19. Rc1 a6 20. Na5 $1 (20. Na4 Bg4 $13) 20... Ng4 21. Bg1 g5 22. Bxg4 $2 (
22. Na4 $1 $14) 22... Bxg4 23. Qd2 Nxg2 $1 24. Kxg2 Bf3+ 25. Kf1 Qd7 26. Re2
Qh3+ 27. Ke1 Bxe4 $2 (27... Bxe2 28. Qxe2 Bh6 29. Kd2 Rf3 $17) 28. Qe3 Bf3 29.
Kd2 (29. Ne4 Qh4+ 30. Bf2 Qxh2 $15) (29. Nxb7 Qg4 30. h3 Qxb4 31. Rb1 Qf4 32.
Qxf4 exf4 33. Rc2 $13) 29... Rf4 $1 30. Qb6 Bxe2 $2 (30... Rd4+ $1 31. Bxd4
exd4 32. Rf2 Re8 $19) 31. Nxe2 Rf3 32. Rc7 (32. Be3 $13) 32... Raf8 (32... Ra3
$1 $19) 33. Be3 Qf5 $2 (33... Qh4 $15) (33... Rf1 $1 34. Rxg7 Qh4 $3 35. Qxd6
R8f6 36. Qd7 (36. Qd8+ Kxg7) 36... Qe1+ 37. Kd3 Qb1+ 38. Kc3 Rd1 39. Rh7+ Qxh7
40. Qd8+ Kg7 41. Qe7+ Kg8 42. Qe8+ Rf8 43. Qe6+ Qf7 44. Nxb7 Rxd5 $19) 34. Nc4
Qb1 35. Nc3 Qf1 36. Ne2 $2 (36. Kc2 $1 e4 37. Rxg7 Qxc4 38. Bd4 Qd3+ 39. Kb3
Qd1+ $11) 36... e4 $2 (36... Rh3 $3 37. Rxg7 (37. Bg1 Rff3 $19) 37... Rxh2 $19)
(36... Qa1 $5 37. Nc3 e4 38. Rxg7 Rf1 39. Nxe4 Rd1+ 40. Ke2 Qb1 41. Ne5 Qb2+
42. Nd2 Rxd2+ 43. Bxd2 Qxe5+ $19) 37. Rxg7 Kxg7 38. Qxd6 Qb1 39. Qe7+ R8f7 40.
Qxg5+ Kf8 $4 (40... Kh7 41. Qxh5+ Kg8 42. Qg4+ Rg7 43. Qe6+ Rff7 $11) 41. Bc5+
Ke8 42. Qe5+ 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Rasmussen, Allan Stig"]
[Black "Ziska, Helgi Dam "]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2511"]
[BlackElo "2461"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "78"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Na6 8. Be3
Ng4 9. Bg5 Qe8 10. Re1 exd4 11. Nd5 c6 12. Ne7+ Kh8 13. Nxc8 Rxc8 14. Nxd4 Nf6
15. f3 Qe5 16. Be3 d5 17. cxd5 $6 (17. Qb3 $5 $13 c5 18. Nb5 dxe4 19. Rad1 Rcd8
20. Nxa7 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 exf3 22. Bxf3 Ne4 23. Re1 f5 24. Qxb7 Qxb2 25. Qxb2 Bxb2
26. Bxe4 fxe4 27. Nb5 Re8 28. a3 Rd8 29. Bf2 Re8 30. Re2 Bc1 31. Be3 Bxe3+ 32.
Rxe3 Nb8 33. Nc3 Nc6 34. Rxe4 Ra8 35. Nb5 Nd4 36. Re7 Nc2 37. Re2 Nd4 38. Nxd4
cxd4 39. Ra2 Ra4 40. Kf2 Kg7 41. Ke2 Kf6 42. Kd3 Ke5 43. h3 g5 44. Ra1 h5 45.
Ra2 h4 46. Ra1 Kd6 47. Kxd4 Kc6 48. Ra2 Ra5 49. a4 g4 50. hxg4 Rg5 51. a5 Rxg4+
52. Ke5 Kb7 53. a6+ Ka7 54. c5 Rg5+ 55. Kf4 Rxc5 56. Kg4 Rc4+ 57. Kh3 Rb4 58.
Ra5 Rc4 59. Rh5 Kxa6 60. Rxh4 Rc3+ 61. g3 Kb6 62. Rd4 Kc5 63. Rd8 Ra3 64. Kh4 {
1-0 Jakovenko,D (2726)-Bojkov,D (2552)/Plovdiv 2010/CBM 139}) 17... Nxd5 18.
Bf2 Nf4 19. Bxa6 Qg5 $5 $146 (19... bxa6 20. Qc2 Qg5 21. Be3 c5 22. Nb3 c4 23.
Nd4 Qe5 24. Bxf4 Qxd4+ 25. Kf1 Qxb2 26. Qxb2 Bxb2 27. Rab1 Bg7 28. Rbc1 h6 29.
Bd6 Rfd8 30. e5 Rc6 31. Rc2 Kg8 32. Rb1 Rdc8 33. Rb7 f6 34. f4 g5 35. g3 fxe5
36. fxe5 Bf8 37. Rd7 Bxd6 38. exd6 Rf8+ 39. Ke1 c3 40. Rc7 Rxd6 41. R7xc3 Kg7
42. Rc7+ Kg6 43. R2c6 Rxc6 44. Rxc6+ Rf6 45. Rc4 Rb6 46. Ra4 Kf5 47. h3 h5 48.
Kf2 Rc6 {1/2-1/2 Jovanic,O (2527)-Saric,I (2566)/Rijeka 2009/CBM 128 Extra})
20. Bg3 Rcd8 21. Qc1 $1 Bxd4+ 22. Kh1 Be5 23. Bxb7 $5 (23. Bf1 $11) 23... h5
24. Rg1 $2 (24. Re2 $1 Rb8 25. Bxf4 Bxf4 26. Qxc6 Qh4 27. g3 Bxg3 28. Qc3+ Kh7
29. Bd5 $14) 24... h4 $17 25. Be1 (25. Bxf4 Bxf4 $17) 25... Rb8 26. g3 (26.
Bxc6 Rfc8 $17) (26. Ba6 Rxb2 27. Bc3 Rfb8 $1 28. Bxb2 Rxb2 29. Bf1 Bd4 $19)
26... hxg3 27. Rxg3 Qh5 28. Bc3 (28. Qxc6 Ne2 29. Rg2 Qxf3 30. Bc3 Nxc3 31.
bxc3 Rfd8 $19) 28... Kg8 29. Bxe5 (29. Ba6 Ne2 $19) 29... Qxe5 30. Rg4 Nd3 31.
Qe3 (31. Qd2 Qd4 $19) 31... Rxb7 $2 (31... Rfd8 $1 32. Ba6 Rxb2 $19) (31...
Qxb2 $5 32. Rf1 Ne5 $19) 32. Qxd3 Rxb2 33. f4 Qh5 $5 (33... Rxh2+ $15) 34. h3
Rd2 35. Qg3 $2 (35. Qb3 $1 Rfd8 36. f5 $1 $11) 35... Rfd8 36. Rg5 (36. Rf1 R8d3
37. Rf3 Rd1+ 38. Kh2 R3d2+ 39. Rf2 Qc5 40. Kg2 Qd4 $19) 36... Rd1+ 37. Rxd1
Rxd1+ 38. Kg2 Rd2+ 39. Kh1 Qd1+ 0-1

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "31.12.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Palo, Davor"]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "143"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Nge2 c6 7. Be3 a6 8. c5
Nbd7 9. Qd2 b6 10. cxb6 Nxb6 11. b3 a5 12. Rc1 Bb7 (12... Ba6 {followed by ...
Qd7 and ...Rfc8/b8 is no issue for Black. But people over 60 from the West
often get bad bishops!}) 13. Nd1 Nbd7 14. Nf2 e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nc3 d5 17.
Be2 dxe4 18. Nfxe4 Nxe4 (18... Nd5 19. Nxd5 cxd5 20. Nc5 Bc6 21. O-O d4 22. Bf2
Re8 $11) 19. Nxe4 Qxd2+ 20. Bxd2 a4 $2 {The whole piece sacrifice idea is
flawed. Obviously Black could still change his mind, but after this he played
the next few moves immediately. The error was thus made on this move.} (20...
Bc8 $1 {with the idea a4 and ...Be6-d5 would have fully equalised.}) 21. bxa4
Rxa4 22. Nc5 Rxa2 23. Nxb7 Rb8 24. Nc5 Rbb2 25. Ne4 f5 ({In the commentary
room we did not find the refutation of} 25... Bh6 {, but Houdini is ruthless!}
26. Bxh6 $1 Rxe2+ 27. Kd1 Rxg2 ({Our idea was} 27... Nd3 {, but White wins
immediately with} 28. Rxc6 f5 29. Rf6 $1 $18) 28. Nf6+ Kh8 29. Re1 Rxh2 30. Ng4
Rxh6 31. Nxh6 Nd3 32. Re8+ Kg7 33. Rc2 {and the extra rook should save the day.
}) 26. Nc3 Rxd2 27. Nxa2 Rxa2 28. f4 Nf7 29. Rxc6 $18 Ra1+ 30. Bd1 Bf8 31. O-O
Rb1 32. Be2 Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Nd6 34. g3 Kf7 35. Kg2 Be7 36. Bd1 Ne4 37. Bb3+ Kg7
38. Rc7 Kf8 39. Rc8+ Kg7 40. Rg8+ Kf6 41. Bd5 Nc3 42. Bf3 Nb5 43. h3 h5 44. Bc6
Nd6 45. Be8 Nxe8 46. Rxe8 Kf7 47. Ra8 Bc5 48. Kf3 Bd4 49. Ra6 Bc5 50. Rc6 Bd4
51. Rc4 Bb6 52. h4 {Another plan was to get the king to e6 and then put the
rook on g2 and play g4. But this is in all the books and is just winning.
Without the f-pawns it is of course a known dead draw.} Kg7 53. Ke2 Kf7 54. Rc3
Bd4 55. Rd3 Bf6 56. Ke3 Kg7 57. Rd7+ Kf8 58. Kd3 Ke8 59. Rb7 Kf8 60. Kc4 Kg8
61. Kd5 Bc3 62. Rb3 Ba1 63. Ke6 Bd4 64. Rd3 Bb2 {White is ready and it is time
to work it out. Someone had this at mate in 55 on their engine!} 65. g4 $1 {
This is in all the books. After a bit of time speaking nonsense, I remembered
it too. Basically when Davor played h4 it started to dawn on me that White
just wins.} hxg4 66. h5 Kg7 67. hxg6 Kxg6 68. Rd5 Bf6 69. Rxf5 Bh4 70. Ra5 Bf6
71. Ra8 g3 72. f5+ 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "31.12.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Pedersen, Christian Kyndel "]
[Black "Andersen, Mads"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2443"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "137"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 g6 8. Be2
Bg7 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Qf4 11. Qc2 O-O 12. c5 $1 $146 (12. O-O c5 13. dxc5 Bd7
14. b4 $2 (14. Rad1 $14) 14... Bxa1 (14... Bc6 15. Ng3 Bxa1 16. Rxa1 Na6 17. a3
Rad8 $15) 15. Rxa1 Bc6 16. Nd6 Nd7 17. Qc1 Qf6 18. Rb1 g5 19. Qe3 Rad8 20. Nd4
a6 21. Re1 Ne5 22. h3 Ba4 23. Qa3 Nc6 24. Nf3 Bc2 25. b5 axb5 26. cxb5 Ra8 27.
Qc1 Nb4 28. Qd2 Qf4 29. Qxf4 gxf4 30. Nxb7 Rxa2 31. c6 Rfa8 32. Nd6 Bd3 33.
Bxd3 Nxd3 34. Rf1 Rc2 35. Nd4 Rc5 36. b6 Nb4 37. c7 Rf8 38. Rb1 Na6 39. N4b5
Rc6 40. b7 Nxc7 41. Nxc7 Rxd6 42. b8=Q Rxb8 43. Rxb8+ Kh7 44. Rb4 Rd1+ 45. Kh2
e5 46. Ne8 f5 47. Rb7+ Kg6 48. Rg7+ {1-0 Gelfand,B (2738)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2684)
/London ENG 2012/The Week in Chess 935}) 12... b6 (12... Nd7 13. O-O e5 14. g3
Qf5 15. Nh4 Qh3 16. Bc4 $16) 13. O-O bxc5 (13... Ba6 $14) 14. dxc5 $1 (14. Nxc5
Nd7 $11) 14... Ba6 15. Rfd1 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 a5 17. g3 $5 (17. Rd6 Na6 18. Rxc6
Nb4 19. Rd6 $14) (17. Rd2 Na6 18. Rc1 Nb4 19. a3 Nd5 $11) 17... Qc7 18. Rd6 Na6
19. Rad1 Nb4 20. a3 Nd5 21. Nd4 Qb7 (21... Rab8 $5 22. Rxc6 Qd7 23. Ra6 Qa4 24.
b4 Ra8 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 $11) 22. Nxc6 (22. Rd2 Be5 $1 $13) 22... Qxb2 23. Qf3 $2 (
23. Qd3 $1 a4 24. Rb1 Qa2 25. Rd7 $16) 23... a4 24. h4 Rae8 25. h5 g5 ({During
the game I could not understand why Black did not play} 25... gxh5 $1) 26. Qd3
Qb3 27. Nd4 $1 Qxd3 (27... Qb2 $1 $13) 28. Rxd3 Rb8 29. Kg2 Rb2 $6 (29... Rfc8
$1 $11) 30. Ra6 Rc8 $5 (30... Bxd4 31. Rxd4 Rc2 32. Raxa4 f5 33. Rd2 Rc1 $11)
31. Rxa4 Bxd4 32. Raxd4 f5 $2 (32... Rc2 $1 $11) 33. Nc3 Rc2 34. Nxd5 exd5 35.
Rxd5 R2xc5 36. Rxc5 Rxc5 37. Rd6 $2 (37. Rd8+ $1 Kg7 38. Rd7+ Kg8 39. Ra7 $18)
37... Kg7 $2 (37... Ra5 38. Rxh6 g4 $14) 38. Ra6 Rc3 39. a4 Ra3 40. a5 g4 41.
Rg6+ Kh7 42. a6 Ra2 (42... Ra5 43. f4 $1 $18) 43. Rf6 Kg7 44. Rxf5 Rxa6 45. Rf4
Ra5 46. Rxg4+ Kh7 47. Rh4 Kg7 48. g4 Kf6 49. Kg3 Ra3+ 50. f3 Kg5 51. Rh1 Ra4
52. Rb1 Rc4 53. f4+ Kf6 54. Rb6+ Kg7 55. Rb7+ Kg8 56. g5 Rc5 57. g6 Rxh5 58.
Kg4 Rh1 59. Kf5 Ra1 60. Rh7 Ra5+ 61. Kg4 Ra1 62. f5 Rg1+ 63. Kf4 Rh1 64. Ke5 h5
65. Kf6 Ra1 66. Rxh5 Ra6+ 67. Kg5 Kg7 68. f6+ Kg8 69. f7+ 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "31.12.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Antonsen, Mikkel"]
[Black "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2446"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "150"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 10. Bb3 h6 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Nf6 13. Qc2 exd4 14. exd4 Nd5
15. Bxd5 cxd5 16. Ne5 Qb6 17. Rd1 Be6 18. Bf4 Rac8 19. Qb3 Qxb3 20. axb3 a6 21.
Rdc1 g5 22. Bg3 Rxc1+ 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. Ng4 Be7 {This type of
ending is a bit better for Black. I remember Ochsner - Nielsen, Esbjerg 1997,
where Black won it. There White did not have doubled pawns.} 26. Ne3 Be6 27.
Bc7 h5 28. Kf1 Kf8 29. f4 gxf4 30. Bxf4 Ke8 31. Ke2 Kd7 32. Kf3 Bf6 33. Be5
Bxe5 34. dxe5 d4 35. Nc2 Bd5+ 36. Ke2 Ke6 37. Nxd4+ Kxe5 38. Nf3+ Kf4 39. b4
Ke4 (39... Bxf3+ 40. gxf3 Kg5 41. Ke3 Kh4 42. Kf2 Kh3 43. Kg1 {and Black
cannot win.}) 40. Kd2 f6 41. Ne1 Bb3 42. Nd3 b6 43. Nf2+ Kd4 44. Nh1 {White is
on the verge of defeat.} Bf7 (44... h4 $5 45. Nf2 Bd5 46. g3 hxg3 47. hxg3 Be6
{and Black wins the b-pawn.}) 45. Ng3 Bg6 46. b3 Bf7 47. Ne2+ Ke5 48. Kc2 Bd5 {
A sign the players are getting tired. Here Black could have tried} (48... Ke4
49. Kd2 Bxb3 50. Ng3+ Kf4 51. Nxh5+ Kg5 52. Ng3 Bd5 {and probably the extra
pawn will lead to an extra point.}) 49. g3 Kf5 50. h3 Kg5 51. Nf4 Bf7 52. Kc3
Kf5 (52... h4 $1 53. Ne2 hxg3 54. Nxg3 f5 55. Kd4 Kf4 {would have won for
Black.}) 53. Kd4 h4 54. Ne2 Bxb3 (54... hxg3 55. Nxg3+ Kf4 56. Ne4 f5 57. Nd6
Bg6 {was the last chance. The feeling is that White can force a draw with:} 58.
b5 $1 a5 59. Kd5 Kg3 60. Nxf5+ Bxf5 61. Kc6 a4 62. bxa4 Bc2 63. Kxb6 Bxa4 64.
Kc5 Bxb5 65. Kxb5 Kxh3) 55. gxh4 Bf7 56. Ng3+ Ke6 57. h5 f5 58. h6 Bg8 59. Nh5
Kf7 60. Nf4 Kf6 61. h4 Ba2 62. Ke3 Bf7 63. Kd4 Bg8 64. Ke3 a5 65. bxa5 bxa5 66.
Kd4 a4 67. Kc3 a3 68. h7 Bxh7 69. Kb3 Ke5 70. Nh3 Bg8+ 71. Kxa3 Ke4 72. Kb4 Kf3
73. Kc3 Kg3 74. Ng1 Bf7 75. Ne2+ Kxh4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Black "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[BlackElo "2566"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. Ne5 e6 6. e3 Nbd7 7. f4 c5 (7... dxc4
8. Bxc4 b5 9. Bb3 Qc7 10. Qf3 Bb7 11. Qh3 Nxe5 12. fxe5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14.
Bd2 Be7 15. O-O O-O 16. Rac1 Qb6 17. Bc2 g6 18. Bd3 a5 19. Rf3 b4 20. Rcf1 Kg7
21. Be1 f5 22. exf6+ Bxf6 23. Rxf6 {1-0 Rubinstein,A-Vajda,A/Budapest 1926/EXT
1999}) 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bc4 N7b6 10. Bb3 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. e4 Nxc3 13. bxc3 f6
14. Nf3 Qc7 15. Qe2 c4 16. Bc2 Bd7 17. a4 a5 18. Nh4 f5 19. exf5 Bxh4 20. fxe6
Be8 21. Qe4 g6 22. f5 Bf6 23. Ba3 (23. Bh6 gxf5 (23... Bg7 24. e7 Rf6 25. fxg6
Bxg6 26. Qe2 Bf7 (26... Be8 27. Rxf6 $18) 27. Rxf6 Bxf6 28. Qe4 $18) 24. Rxf5
Bg6 25. Qg4 (25. Raf1 Bg7 26. e7 Bxf5 27. exf8=Q+ Rxf8 28. Rxf5 Rxf5 29. Bxg7
Qf4 30. Qxf5 Qxf5 31. Bxf5 Kxg7 32. Bc2 Nd5 33. Kf2 Nxc3 34. Ke3 $14) 25... Bg7
26. Rc5 Qe7 27. Bxg6 hxg6 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Rb1 Nxa4 30. Rxc4 Rf5) 23... Bc6 (
23... Be7 24. Bxe7 Qxe7 25. Qe5 gxf5 26. Bxf5 Bg6 27. Bxg6 hxg6 28. Qe4 $14)
24. Qg4 g5 25. Bxf8 Rxf8 26. Be4 Nxa4 (26... Nd5 27. Bxd5 Bxd5 28. Rf2 $14) 27.
Bxc6 Qxc6 28. h4 $1 (28. Qh3 b5 $13) 28... Nxc3 29. hxg5 Bxd4+ 30. Kh1 Ne4 31.
Rad1 Qd5 (31... Be5 32. f6 (32. Rf3 c3 33. e7 Qa4 $3 $19) 32... Ng3+ 33. Kg1
Nxf1 34. Rxf1 Kh8 35. Kh1 $18) 32. e7 Qe5 33. exf8=Q+ Kxf8 34. Rf4 Nf2+ 35.
Rxf2 Bxf2 36. Qxc4 Bb6 37. Qc8+ Qe8 38. Qxe8+ 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "2013.03.30"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Andersen, Mads"]
[Black "Antonsen, Mikkel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E06"]
[BlackElo "2446"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qc2 {Kramnik's new idea.} e5 12. Rd1
Bb7 13. Qxc4 $2 {But this is not Kramnik's concept at all!} (13. Nc3 $1 Rad8
14. dxe5 {would have led to an advantage. Now White has to play accurately to
get equality.}) 13... Qd7 $1 14. f3 (14. d5 Bxd5 15. Qh4 Qe6 $11) 14... e4 $1
15. Rf1 $2 {Dreadfully passive.} (15. Bg5 $1 exf3 16. Bxf6 fxe2 17. Re1 gxf6
18. Nc3 Rfe8 19. d5 $11) 15... a5 $1 16. Qc5 exf3 17. exf3 Ba6 $4 {Antonsen is
an accomplished technical player, but I have found that he has a weak grasp of
dynamics. Otherwise he would have been a grandmaster already twenty years ago.
Here he wastes this bullet too quickly; before taking direct action, like
deciding that this bishop belongs on this diagonal, he needed to include more
pieces in the attack. This is Chapter 1 of the Attacking Manual! But at the
same time I have to say that it is not easy to see the tactical points that
lead to an advantage. Admittedly, we only spent a few moments on this position
in the commentary room and we were trying to explain things at the same time.
But we did not find the right continuation. Looking at it now, it seems quite
simple actually.} (17... Rfe8 $1 18. Nc3 Ba6 (18... Bxf3 19. Rxf3 Qh3 {is a
tempting idea, but White defends "easily" with} 20. Be3 Ng4 21. Rf2 Rxe3 22.
Nd5 $3 $11 {The last move is sensational; all it does is protect the e3-square,
which is essential for keeping the balance. Black retreats and the position is
equal.}) 19. Rd1 Be2 $1 {This is the killer blow, which both Per and I would
have found if we had had more time to do so.} 20. Bg5 (20. Nxe2 Rxe2 21. Rd2
Re1+ 22. Kg2 Rae8 {obviously does not work.}) 20... Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Ra6 $17 {
White should lose with correct play.}) 18. Rf2 $14 Rfe8 19. Bd2 Rab8 20. Qxa5
Qxd4 21. Qxa6 Rxb2 22. Qf1 Nd5 23. a4 Ne3 24. Bxe3 Rxe3 25. Nd2 $1 Rd3 (25...
Rxd2 26. Rxd2 Qxd2 27. Rd1 $18) 26. Ne4 $5 (26. Re1 f5 27. Qe2 $3 $18) 26... f5
27. Re1 $2 {This still wins, but immediately winning was} (27. Qc1 $3 $18)
27... fxe4 28. Rxe4 Qxf2+ {Black has nothing better.} (28... Qc5 29. Kg2 {
should transpose.}) 29. Qxf2 Rxf2 30. Kxf2 Ra3 (30... Rd2+ 31. Re2 Rd5 32. Ra2
$18) 31. Rf4 $4 {A horrible move, showing that Mads was in a poor form in this
event. What is the point of cutting off the king in the f-file? It is already
cut off in the e-file. Instead White should have moved a pawn away from the
2nd rank. We did not get a chance to look deeper at this, but my instant
feeling during the game was that Black should have given a check on the next
move, cutting off the king at the first rank, which is serious.   White could
have had a won endgame here by playing 31.h4 or 31.g4 and the king can go to
the third rank easily. Especially 31.h4 feels correct.} h6 $4 ({just draws:} 
31... Ra2+ 32. Kg1 (32. Ke3 Rxh2 33. a5 Ra2 $11) 32... c5 33. Rc4 Kf7 34. h4
Ke6 35. Rxc5 Rxa4 $14 {and the torture is easily endurable.}) 32. h4 $18 {Now
White wins.} g6 33. Ke2 Kg7 34. g4 c5 35. g5 hxg5 36. hxg5 Ra2+ 37. Kd3 Rg2 38.
Kc4 Rxg5 39. a5 Re5 40. a6 Re1 41. Kxc5 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "31.12.29"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Pedersen, Christian Kyndel "]
[Black "Dara Akdag"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2443"]
[BlackElo "2251"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. a3 Bc5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. e4
b6 9. Be2 Ba6 10. Bf4 O-O 11. O-O d6 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. f3 Ne5 14. Nb5 Bxb5 15.
cxb5 Ng6 16. Be3 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Bf2 Rxc1 19. Nxc1 Bg5 20. Nb3 Qf6 21. Qd4
Rc8 22. Bd1 Ne5 23. h4 Bf4 24. Qe4 Nc4 25. Bc2 g6 26. Rb1 Nce3 27. Bd3 Nf5 28.
Nd4 Nxh4 29. g3 Bxg3 30. Bxg3 Qxd4+ 31. Kh1 Nf5 32. Be5 Qf2 33. Rg1 Qh4+ 34.
Qxh4 Nxh4 35. Be4 Ne3 36. Bb7 Rc2 37. Be4 Rc8 38. Bb7 Rc4 39. Re1 Nhf5 40. Re2
Rc5 41. Bb8 h5 42. Kh2 g5 43. Bc6 g4 44. fxg4 hxg4 45. Bxa7 Rc1 46. Bb8 Rc4 47.
Kg1 f6 48. Kf2 Nd1+ 49. Ke1 Nde3 50. Kf2 Nd1+ 51. Ke1 Nde3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "31.12.29"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ziska, Helgi Dam "]
[Black "Kristiansen, Jens"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2461"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. Bh6 Bxh6 7. Qxh6 Qa5 8.
Bd3 c5 9. Nf3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nc6 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. O-O-O a6 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Rhe1
Qh5 15. Qxh5 Nxh5 16. e5 d5 17. Na4 Nf4 18. g3 Ne6 19. Nxe6 Bxe6 20. Nc5 Kd8
21. Re3 Kc7 22. Rd4 Rhb8 23. Ra3 a5 24. Rf4 g5 25. Nxe6+ fxe6 26. Rf7 Kd7 27.
Rxh7 Rf8 28. Rb3 Ra7 29. f3 Rf5 30. Rh5 Rxe5 31. Kd2 Rf5 32. g4 Re5 33. Re3 Kd6
34. Ke2 Rb7 35. b3 a4 36. Rxe5 Kxe5 37. Rxg5+ Kf6 38. Rg8 axb3 39. axb3 Ra7 40.
Rc8 Ra1 41. Kf2 Ra6 42. h4 e5 43. h5 d4 44. Ke2 Kg5 45. Rg8+ Kf4 46. h6 1-0

[Event "Danish Championship"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Date "31.12.29"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Antonsen, Mikkel"]
[Black "Rasmussen, Allan Stig"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2446"]
[BlackElo "2511"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Nf3 b6 7. Bf4 O-O 8.
Rd1 Bb7 9. e4 Nh5 10. Bc1 f5 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. a3 Nd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 14. Be2 Bxc3+
15. Qxc3 Qh4 16. Rxd7 Bc6 17. Rc7 Rfc8 18. Rxc8+ Rxc8 19. Qe5 Re8 20. O-O Bxe4
21. f3 Bb7 22. Rd1 Qe7 23. b4 Nf6 24. Bb2 Rc8 25. Rd6 Kf7 26. Bd1 Ba6 27. c5
Ne8 28. Ba4 b5 29. Bb3 Nxd6 30. cxd6 Qf6 31. Qe3 Qh6 32. Qxa7+ Kg6 33. f4 Rg8
34. Bxe6 Qh4 35. Qe3 Rf8 36. d7 Bb7 37. h3 Bc6 38. Kh2 Kh6 39. Bd4 Rd8 40. Bxf5
Bxd7 41. Bxd7 Rxd7 42. Qe6+ g6 43. Qxd7 Qxf4+ 44. Kh1 1-0

[Event "FIDE Candidates"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2013.03.29"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Aronian, L."]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D42"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2013.03.15"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 Nc6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. a3
O-O 9. Qc2 cxd4 10. exd4 f5 11. O-O Bf6 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Be3 b5 14. Qe2 Bb7
15. Rac1 a6 $1 (15... f4 16. Rc5 Qd6 17. Rxb5 fxe3 18. Rxb7 exf2+ 19. Kh1 $14
Nxd4 $2 20. Nxd4 Bxd4 $2 21. Qh5 $1 $18) 16. Rfd1 f4 17. Rc5 Qd6 18. Qc2 $6 (
18. Bxf4 $1 Qxf4 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 20. Rh5 h6 21. Nh4 Ne7 (21... Ne5 22. Rxe5 Bxh4
23. Qg6 Qxf2+ 24. Kh1 Qxg2+ 25. Qxg2 Bxg2+ 26. Kxg2 Rf2+ 27. Kh3 Bf6 $11) 22.
g3 $1 Qxd4 23. Qxe7 Qxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Bxe7+ 25. Kg1 Bf6 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Nxf8 Bf3
28. Rd2 Bxh5 29. Nd7 Bg5 $15) (18. Bd2 $5 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Qxc5 20. Qxe6+ Rf7 21.
Bxh7+ Kxh7 22. Qxf7 Qxd4 23. Qxb7 Rd8 $15) 18... fxe3 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. fxe3 (
20. Rh5 Nxd4 $3 (20... exf2+ 21. Kf1 Nxd4 (21... Rad8 22. Qe4 $1 {[%cal Gf3h4]}
Rf7 (22... Na5 23. Qg4) 23. Nh4 Ne7 24. Ng6+ Nxg6 25. Bxg6+ Kg8 26. Bxf7+ Kxf7
27. Qxb7+) 22. Nxd4 Bxd4 23. Be4+ Kg8 24. Bxb7 Rad8 25. Qg6 $13) 21. Be4+ Kg8
22. Bxb7 Rad8 23. Nxd4 Bxd4 24. Bf3 (24. Qg6 e2 $19) 24... exf2+ 25. Kf1 Qf4
$17) 20... Ne7 $4 (20... Rac8 $17 21. Rh5 Nxd4 $3 22. Qd3 Bxf3 23. gxf3 Nxf3+
24. Kg2 Qxd3 25. Bxd3+ Kg8 26. Kxf3 Bxb2+ $17) 21. e4 $2 (21. Rh5 $1 Rac8 {
Kramnik expected this to be just winning for Black.} (21... Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rac8
23. Qg2 $1 {With the threat Bg6+ and Rh8+.} g5 24. h4 $16) 22. Qe2 $1 ({
Kramnik saw that there was a draw after} 22. Ne5 Bxe5 23. dxe5 Qb6 24. Qd3 Rcd8
25. Qxd8 Qxe3+ (25... Rxd8 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Bf5+) 26. Kh1 Bxg2+ $11) 22...
Bxf3 {Black does not seem to have an alternative.} (22... Ng8 $2 23. Be4+ $18)
(22... g6 $2 23. Bxg6+ Kg7 24. Bb1 Kf7 25. e4 $16) 23. Qxf3 Bg5 (23... Ng8 {
was an idea Kramnik wanted to work repeatedly. It doesn't.} 24. Bd3+ Nh6 25.
Qe4 Kg8 26. Rxh6 $18) 24. Bd3+ Kg8 25. Qh3 Bf6 (25... Bh6 26. g4 $40) 26. Rh8+
Kf7 27. Qh5+ g6 28. Qh7+ Ke8 (28... Bg7 29. Bxg6+ Nxg6 30. Rf1+ $18) 29. Rxf8+
Kxf8 30. Rf1 Nf5 31. Qxg6 Ke7 32. Bxf5 exf5 33. Qh7+ Kd8 34. Qxf5 $14) 21...
Rac8 $2 (21... Qf4 $1 22. Rh5 g6 23. Bxg6+ Kg7 $19) 22. e5 Bxe5 23. Nxe5 Rxc5
24. Ng6+ Nxg6 25. dxc5 Be4 $3 (25... Qe5 26. Bxg6 Qe3+ 27. Kh1 Bd5 $11) 26.
Rxd6 Bxc2 27. Bxg6 Bxg6 28. Rxe6 Bd3 $17 {To my surprise this ending is not
that clear!} 29. h4 a5 30. c6 $2 (30. Rd6 Bc4 $17) 30... Rf1+ $2 (30... Rc8 $1
31. Kf2 Bc4 32. Rd6 Bf7 $19) 31. Kh2 Rc1 32. Re3 $1 Bb1 33. Rc3 $1 Rxc3 34.
bxc3 Kg8 35. c7 Bf5 36. Kg3 Kf7 37. Kf4 Bc8 38. Kg5 Bd7 39. h5 Be6 40. g3 a4
41. g4 {Kramnik had a feeling that this was a zugzwang position, but actually
this is not really the case. White's best move would be Kf4, after which Black
has to play as in the game.} Kf8 42. Kf4 Ke7 43. g5 Kd7 44. Ke5 $5 ({Kramnik
was horrified when he realised that White would draw in this line:} 44. h6 Bg8
45. Kf5 Kxc7 46. Kg6 gxh6 47. gxh6 Bc4 48. Kf6 $1 {For some reason Kramnik had
only thought about 48.h7?, which obviously loses.} Bd3 49. Ke5 Kc6 50. Kd4 Bh7
51. c4 {and White draws because it is the wrong bishop.  The big question is
then: Why did Aronian not play this? The answer is the tournament standings.
He was not as such playing for a win, he was just hoping that a win would
miraculously emerge. He simply looked conflicted at the press conference about
everything.}) 44... Bg8 45. c8=Q+ (45. h6 $2 Kxc7 (45... gxh6 46. gxh6 Kxc7 47.
Kd4 Kd6 48. c4 bxc4 49. h7 {and White draws.}) 46. hxg7 Kd7 $19 {Kramnik.}) (
45. Kd4 Kxc7 46. Kc5 Kd7 {would transpose to the game.}) 45... Kxc8 46. Kd6 (
46. Kf5 {still draws easily.}) 46... Kd8 47. Kc6 Ke7 $1 {Creating a final few
problems.} (47... Bc4 {forced White to play} 48. h6 gxh6 49. gxh6 Bd3 50. h7
Bxh7 51. Kxb5 {with a draw.}) 48. Kxb5 Ke6 49. Kxa4 Kf5 50. g6 $4 {This just
shows how tired everyone was getting at the end of the tournament.} (50. h6 g6
51. Kb5 Kxg5 52. a4 Kxh6 53. a5 g5 54. a6 g4 55. a7 Bd5 56. c4 Ba8 (56... Bf3
57. c5 $18) 57. c5 g3 58. c6 g2 59. c7 g1=Q 60. c8=Q Qxa7 61. Qa6+ Qxa6+ 62.
Kxa6 $11) (50. Kb5 $2 Kxg5 51. a4 {also loses, but Black has to find an
accurate idea:} Bf7 $3 {Not the only winning move; Black can move the king
closer first and then play ...Bf7. But the concept is the same.} 52. c4 Bxh5
53. c5 Kf6 54. c6 Ke6 55. Kb6 Bf3 {and so on.} 56. Kc5 g5 57. a5 Be2 58. Kb6
Kd6 59. c7 Ba6 {winning.}) 50... Kg5 51. Kb5 Kxh5 52. a4 Kxg6 53. a5 Kf6 54. a6
(54. c4 Ke5 (54... Ke7 55. a6 Bh7 {Kramnik.}) 55. a6 Kd4 56. c5 Bc4+ 57. Kb6
Bxa6) 54... Bd5 55. c4 Ba8 56. Kb6 Ke5 57. Kc7 g5 58. Kb8 Be4 59. Kc7 g4 60. a7
g3 61. c5 Ba8 62. Kb8 Bc6 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "GM Rep 12 Omissions"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A76"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "23"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 {Quality Chess recently published the 12th volume
of the "Grandmaster Repertoire" series dedicated to an opening called the
"Modern Benoni", written by the Bulgarian GM Marian Petrov. This opening is
always lots of fun, as Black is playing active chess right from the start. The
main idea is that after White pushed d4-d5, Black has a wonderful diagonal for
his dark-squared bishop. Of course, Black has paid a price for this, as the
d5-pawn gives White a space advantage. So, it is this "give and take" which
creates asymmetry so early in the game and this is exactly what Black needs in
order to declare emphatically that he is playing for a win!} 4. Nc3 exd5 $1 {
This move makes the the Benoni variation "Modern".} (4... d6 {allows White to
play} 5. e4 {and whenever Black takes on d5 White has the option to take back
with the e-pawn keeping his space advantage while not giving Black more
targets for counterplay. This is the "Old Benoni".}) 5. cxd5 d6 {In this
newsletter I am going to examine several continuations that were not included
in the book. In every case these omissions had to do with rare lines, but as
some of our readers pointed out, this doesn't mean that they don't have some
sting. Here is an overview of the lines I am going to examine:} 6. Nf3 g6 7. e4
(7. Bf4 Bg7 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qb3 Qc7 10. h3 {, see Velichko - Peresipkin}) (7.
Qa4+ {see Graf -Fier}) 7... Bg7 8. Be2 (8. h3 O-O 9. Bd3 b5 10. Nxb5 Re8 11.
O-O Nxe4 12. Re1 a6 13. Nc3 {, see Fressinet - Iturrizaga}) 8... O-O 9. O-O Re8
10. Qc2 Na6 11. Bf4 Nb4 12. Qb1 {, see Donner - Robatsch} *

[Event "Hoogovens"]
[Site "Beverwijk"]
[Date "1962.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Donner, Jan Hein"]
[Black "Robatsch, Karl"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A76"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1962.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 g6 6. Nf3 d6 {The biggest hero
of the Modern Benoni was the great "Magician from Riga" Mikhail Tal. The
opening suited his aggressive style excellently, It is always a good idea if
you take up a new opening to study the games of the "big heroes" of the
opening regardless if these are at present theoretically relevant.  If you
want to do this, I can warmly  recommend that you study the Modern Benoni
chapter from "Advanced Chess Tactics" by the Benoni expert (author of the
respected, but quite old "The Complete Modern Benoni") GM Lev Psakhis. In this
wonderful chapter you'll find the well known Tal brilliancy:  Gurgenidge - Tal,
1957, but also Birbrager - Tal, 1953, among other instructive games of course.
In general, the Modern Benoni fans will find excellent material in the Psakhis
book and not only in the chapter devoted to this opening.} 7. e4 Bg7 8. Be2 O-O
9. O-O Re8 10. Qc2 {All the "real" Modern Benoni fans know that here Tal played
} Na6 $1 {against Averbakh in Riga 1958 (URS-ch). In this famous game White
was crushed after} 11. Bf4 Nb4 12. Qb1 {and now Tal famously sacrificed a
knight at e4 followed by the pin ...Bf5 and so on... In the recently published
book "Grandmaster Repertoire: The Modern Benoni" by GM Marian Petrov this
famous game naturally entered the introductory chapter. We all know today that
Tal's sacrifice was not fully correct, but sadly, in the theoretical section
of the book the correct continuation for Black was not discussed. But what I
discovered few days ago, is that there is nothing in the publications that
seriously improves Black's play. It seems that the impact of Tal's victory was
so great, that White didn't want to repeat this line again, so there was no
need to improve on Black's play!} Qe7 $1 {After applying the method of
elimination, I am of the opinion that this move is Black's best and solves his
opening problems, because if you believe the publications, then yes, Black has
problems in this very rare and forgotten line!} (12... Nh5 {is suggested by
ECO as satisfactory for Black (and this seems to be also Tal's suggestion) but
I fear that this is not true.} 13. Bg5 f6 14. Bh4 $1 {This is correct. White
has to stop ...f5[%cal Gf6f5]} Nf4 (14... g5 15. Bg3 f5 {is Houdini's first
choice, but I like White after} 16. Nd2 $1 g4 17. exf5 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Rxe2 19.
Qd1) 15. Bc4 Rb8 16. a3 Na6 $11 {Eperjesi - Forintos, Budapest 1967 (as given
by ECO)} 17. Re1 Nc7 18. a4 a6 19. a5 b5 20. axb6 Rxb6 {So far we are
following the game quoted by ECO and now} 21. e5 $3 {would have been really
strong. I don't trust Black's position after 12...Nh5}) (12... Bg4 $5 13. a3
Na6 14. Re1 (14. Bb5 $1 {intending Nd2 next is problematic once more for Black
[%cal Gf3d2]}) 14... c4 {(Dar. Gliksman - Matulovic, Sarajevo 1976)} 15. Bxc4
Bxf3 16. gxf3 Nh5 17. Bg3 $44 {Keene (ECO). But as I pointed out, 14.Bb5!
keeps the better chances for White.}) (12... Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Bf5 14. Nfd2 Nxd5
15. Bxd6 $4 {As Marian Petrov (and lots of others) have pointed out, a better
move is 15.Bg3! and White keeps the better chances.} Nf6 16. Bf3 Nxe4 17. Nxe4
Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Qxd6 19. Qc2 Re7 20. Bf3 Rae8 21. Rad1 Bd4 22. a4 b6 23. b3 Re5
24. Rd2 h5 25. Re2 Rxe2 26. Bxe2 h4 27. Kh1 Qf4 28. g3 Qf6 29. Qd1 Rd8 30. Bg4
Bxf2 31. Qe2 Rd2 32. Qe8+ Kg7 33. gxh4 Qd4 34. Bh3 Qd3 35. Bg2 Rd1 {0-1
Averbakh,Y-Tal,M/Riga 1958/URS-ch}) 13. Nd2 (13. Re1 {Here ECO stops claiming
a "clear advantage for White" but today we can easily turn around those
assessments by consulting a strong chess engine like Houdini.} Bg4 $1 14. Bb5 (
14. a3 Nxe4 $11) (14. h3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c4 16. Be2 Nxe4 17. Bxc4 Nxc3 18. bxc3
Qxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Rxe1+ 20. Rxe1 Bxc3 $11) 14... Bxf3 15. Bxe8 Nh5 16. Bg3 Bxg2
$44 {I'd even prefer to be Black here.}) 13... Nfxd5 $1 14. exd5 Bf5 (14...
Bxc3 $1 15. bxc3 Nxd5 {and Black is fine in the following lines:} 16. Be3 Nxc3
(16... Nxe3 17. fxe3 Qxe3+ 18. Rf2 Qxc3 19. Qc1 Qxc1+ 20. Rxc1 Rb8 {[%cal
Gb7b5]}) 17. Qd3 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 b6 {[%cal Gc8b7,Gd6d5]}) 15. Qd1 $2 (15. Qc1
Bxc3 16. bxc3 Nxd5 17. Be3 Nxe3 18. fxe3 Qxe3+ 19. Rf2 Re7 $13) 15... Bxc3 16.
bxc3 Nxd5 17. Bb5 (17. Be3 Nxc3 18. Qe1 d5 $17) 17... Nxf4 18. Bxe8 Rxe8 19.
Re1 Nh3+ 20. gxh3 Qg5+ 21. Kh1 Rxe1+ 22. Qxe1 Bxh3 23. Qe4 Qxd2 {Black
prevailed using his 3 pawns for the exchange!} 24. Qf3 Bf5 25. Kg1 d5 26. Rd1
Qg5+ 27. Qg3 Qe7 28. Qe3 Qxe3 29. fxe3 Be4 30. Rd2 b5 31. Rb2 Bd3 32. a4 bxa4
33. Rb8+ Kg7 34. Rc8 a6 35. Rxc5 Bc4 36. e4 a3 37. Ra5 dxe4 38. Kf2 a2 39. Ke3
f5 40. Kd4 Bb3 41. c4 e3 42. Kxe3 Bxc4 43. Kd4 Bg8 44. Rxa6 Kh6 45. Ke5 Kg5 46.
Ra3 f4 47. Ke4 Be6 48. h3 Bg8 49. Ra5+ Kh4 50. Kxf4 Kxh3 51. Kg5 Kg3 52. Kh6
Kf2 {So, in this suprisingly neglected line, White has done well to avoid it
as Black is having all the fun, but finding the best continuation was not a
trivial case.} 0-1

[Event "Gibraltar Open"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2012.01.28"]
[Round "5.28"]
[White "Graf, Felix"]
[Black "Fier, Alexandr"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A61"]
[WhiteElo "2367"]
[BlackElo "2603"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2012.01.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.29"]

1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. Qa4+ {"A
troublesome check!" This was the title chapter that featured this line in
"Dangerous Weapons: Benoni and Benko".} Nbd7 {Best, according to John Emms} 8.
Bf4 a6 9. e4 Rb8 {[%cal Gb7b5]} 10. Bd3 (10. e5 {is met by} b5) 10... b5 11.
Qc2 Nh5 12. Bg5 Qc7 (12... Be7 {is fine, but Black cannot avoid a repetition
of moves if White wants to draw and frankly, I don't know many Modern Benoni
players who play this opening to draw.} 13. Bh6 Bf8 14. Bxf8 Kxf8 {And I think
that Black is fine after putting his king to g7 next. It seems illogical to
exchange the powerful dark-squared bishop, but this is actually a good theme
in the Benoni: control of the dark squares.[%cal Gf8g7]}) 13. O-O (13. b3 Bg7
14. Rc1 O-O 15. O-O {and now according to Emms in the DW book Black is fine
after} Re8 $146) 13... Bg7 14. a4 {This is the most critical idea White has in
this line and Emms only mentions this in passing. I think that the way Black
played provides a complete solution for Black's problems} c4 15. Be2 O-O 16.
axb5 axb5 17. g4 (17. Be3 {with the idea to put the knight to d4 is met by
[%cal Gf3d4]} Nc5 18. Nd4 Bxd4 19. Bxd4 Nb3 20. Rad1 Nxd4 21. Rxd4 Nf6 {and
once again we have the theme of the "dark squares". Black plays ...Re8 next
and stands fine.[%cal Gf8e8]}) 17... Nhf6 (17... b4 $1 $146 {This is probably
best.} 18. gxh5 bxc3 19. bxc3 Nc5 $132 {White is full of weaknesses, so
Black's pawn minus if not a big deal.[%cal Gb8b3]}) 18. Nd4 b4 19. Ncb5 b3 (
19... Qc5 $6 {is met by} 20. Be3) (19... Qb6 $6 {and now the same} 20. Be3) 20.
Qxc4 Qxc4 21. Bxc4 Ne5 (21... Nxe4 $1 22. Be7 Re8 23. Bxd6 Rb7 24. Rad1 Nb6 25.
Bxb3 Bxd4 26. Rxd4 Bd7 27. Nc7 Nxd6 28. Nxe8 Bxe8 29. Rb4 Bb5 30. Rc1 Nd7 {
This seems about equal.}) 22. Bxb3 (22. Bxf6 $1 {This was White's only chance.}
Bxf6 23. g5) 22... Nxe4 23. Be7 Re8 24. Bxd6 Nf3+ 25. Nxf3 Rxb5 26. Ba4 Nxd6
27. Bxb5 Nxb5 28. Ra8 Nc7 (28... Nd6 $1 {keeps winning chances.}) 29. Rxc8 Rxc8
30. Rc1 Bxb2 31. Rc6 Ba3 32. Nd2 Rd8 33. Rxc7 Rxd5 34. Ne4 Kg7 35. Kg2 Re5 36.
Kf3 h5 37. h3 Rb5 38. Rc3 Bb2 39. Rc7 Ba3 1/2-1/2

[Event "IV AD San Juan GM"]
[Site "Pamplona ESP"]
[Date "2010.07.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Fressinet, Laurent"]
[Black "Iturrizaga, Eduardo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A70"]
[WhiteElo "2697"]
[BlackElo "2614"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2010.07.24"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2010.07.30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. h3 Bg7 8. e4
O-O 9. Bd3 b5 {For me the Modern Benoni was always an excellent over-the-board
weapon and when I played it I didn't really care about theoretical evaluations.
When I wanted to play something "correct" I played the Slav. But after reading
Marian Petrov's analysis in several critical continuations, I am starting to
think that the Benoni actually is a theoretical challenge for White! For
example, against this very topical and critical theoretical position, the
conclusion of Petrov is that Black is equal!} 10. Nxb5 $5 {This is regarded
today as an interesting sideline, but nothing more.} (10. Bxb5 Nxe4 11. Nxe4
Qa5+ {is the big theoretical line where White cannot easily claim an edge as
GM Marian Petrov shows.}) 10... Re8 11. O-O $1 (11. Nd2 Nxd5 12. Nc4 Re6 $1 $11
) 11... Nxe4 12. Re1 a6 {We are at page 121 of the GM 12: Benoni book and here
the author examined the two most popular moves 13.Na3 and 13.Qa4,} 13. Nc3 $5 {
This is White's third most popular move in this position and it has been
tested in only a handful of games, but by really strong players, so certainly
it deserves a bit of attention.} Nxc3 (13... Nf6 $6 {can be seen as at least
inaccurate due to the model play by White in the following encounter:} 14.
Rxe8+ Nxe8 15. Bg5 Bf6 16. Qd2 Nd7 17. Re1 Bb7 18. Qf4 $16 {Dreev - Damia,
Cento ITA 2011.}) 14. bxc3 Bxc3 {Why not take the pawn? If not White will
enjoy a good version of the Averbakh Variation of the KID. After the pawn grab
White definitely has some compensation but with sensible play Black can easily
neutralise it.} 15. Rxe8+ Qxe8 16. Rb1 Nd7 17. Qa4 {This is Houdini's first
choice and the only move tried in practice so far.} (17. Qc2 $6 $146 Bg7 18.
Bf4 Bf8 $15 {gives White not enough compensation for equality.[%cal Gd7f6,
Gc8d7,Ga8b8]}) 17... Qd8 18. Qc6 (18. Bf4 Ne5 $1 19. Nxe5 (19. Bxe5 $146 {
should be met by} Bxe5 20. Nxe5 dxe5 21. Qc6 Bd7 22. Qxc5 Qg5 $132) 19... dxe5
{didn't give him anything even after} 20. Bg5 $1 Qxg5 21. Qc6 Bb7 22. Rxb7 Bd4
{in P.San Segundo Carrillo-A.Espinosa Aranda, Spanish Championship, El Sauzal
2010}) 18... Rb8 19. Bf4 (19. Qxd6 $6 Rxb1 20. Bxb1 Qb6 21. Qxb6 Nxb6 22. d6 f6
{followed by ...Kf7-e6 can only favour Black.[%cal Gg8f7,Gf7e6]}) 19... Rxb1+
20. Bxb1 Nf6 {A solid move, but I quite like another one.} (20... Nb8 $5 $146
21. Qxd6 Qxd6 22. Bxd6 Nd7 {followed by ...Bb7 and maybe sometimes ....Nb6 and
I dare to say that the d5-pawn is weaker than d5 and I can dream that Black
could win this on a good day![%cal Gc8b7,Gd7b6]}) 21. Bd3 Qd7 {IM Palliser
suggests two moves here for Black:} (21... a5 $5 22. Bxd6 Bb7 $1 {and}) (21...
Ne8 22. Bxa6 Bxa6 23. Qxa6 Kg7 {, meeting} 24. a4 {by activating the queen:}
Qe7 25. a5 Qe4) 22. Bxd6 Bb7 23. Qxc5 Nxd5 {Understandably Black wants to take
the pawn back now that he can, but Houdini prefers another way.} (23... Qc8 $5
{And in fact the pawn doesn't go anywhere after} 24. Qa7 a5 $11 {although,
still there are annoying little problems for Black to solve here and thus he
should prefer one of the earlier recommended improvements.}) 24. Qa7 (24. Bxa6
$5) 24... Qxd6 (24... Qc6 $1) 25. Qxb7 Nc7 26. Bxa6 {From a pawn down in the
opening, White emerged a pawn up!} Ba5 27. Qb8+ Kg7 28. Qb2+ f6 29. Bc4 Bb6 30.
Qe2 Qc5 31. Nh2 Qa3 32. Qd2 Qa4 33. Bb3 Qe8 34. Ng4 Qe7 35. h4 Bc5 36. h5 {
White is winning with a direct attack against the vulnerable king and we all
know that an attack with opposite-coloured bishops on the board usually means
attacking with a piece more.} gxh5 37. Qh6+ Kh8 38. Qxf6+ Qxf6 39. Nxf6 h4 40.
Ne4 Bd4 41. Kh2 Ne8 42. Kh3 Nf6 43. Nxf6 Bxf6 44. Kg4 Kg7 45. a4 Bd8 46. Kf5
Bb6 47. f3 Kh6 48. Kg4 Bd8 49. Bc2 Kg7 50. Bf5 h6 51. Kf4 Kf6 52. Bh3 Ba5 53.
Ke4 Ke7 54. Kd5 Bd2 55. Kc6 {A nice game for White, but objectively Black is
fine in this line.} 1-0

[Event "URS"]
[Site "Soviet Union"]
[Date "1984.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Velichko, Andrey P"]
[Black "Peresipkin, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A61"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1984.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "URS"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.11.30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. Bf4 {We have
already discussed this continuation in a previous newsletter after a heated
debate in the forum and this really seems like a very critical continuation.
Surprisingly, I'd say, GM Petrov provides 3 ways for Black to achieve a
satisfactory position in his book.} Bg7 {This is usually considered to be
risky, but it seems that Black is doing quite fine after all.} (7... a6 {is
also discussed by Petrov, who examined two different plans for Black.}) 8. Qa4+
Bd7 9. Qb3 Qc7 10. h3 {This is the move that Petrov didn't consider in his
book but was recently given as really strong in New In Chess Yearbook 106. It
is the third most popular move in the position and there are only a few games
with it, but it is true that it is quite dangerous and critical.} O-O 11. e3
Na6 {With d7 covered it makes sense to develop the knight to this square.} 12.
Nd2 (12. Be2 {is met by} b5 $1 $132) 12... Rab8 $5 {I find this move logical,
but maybe there is somethig better.} ({Looking at Black's problems in the Main
Line seen below, I had a thought about} 12... Rfb8 $146 {instead. I don't know
if this is a complete solution to Black's problems here, but certainly it is
an interesting move to try in a practical game and of course analyse at home!}
13. Bb5 {This seems like a problem in the Main Line seen below, but now Black
can play a promising idea:} (13. a4 {can be met by} Nb4 14. Nc4 Bf8 15. Qd1 Re8
16. Be2 Bf5 17. Rc1 Be4 {according to Houdini}) 13... Nb4 14. Bh2 a6 15. Be2 b5
16. a3 (16. O-O a5 {seems fine for Black as well}) 16... c4 17. Qxb4 Ne8 $132 {
and due to the threat of ...a5 Black has excellent counterplay while being a
full piece down! This is actually a remarkable example of what Black optimally
wants to achieve on the queenside![%cal Ga6a5]}) 13. a4 (13. Bb5 $1 {This
might be a problem and I will let the Quality Chess readers analyse it in
depth and make up their own minds. Here} Nb4 {[%cal Gb4d5]} 14. Bh2 ({Black's
idea is shown after} 14. O-O Nbxd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd7 Nxf4 $17) 14... a6
15. Be2 b5 16. a3 c4 17. Qxb4 Ne8 {Black poses problems once more, but this is
a worse version than the one seen in the comment to move 12 and at least
according to a quick analysis with the help of my PC White holds the advantage.
[%cal Ga6a5]}) 13... Nb4 14. Nc4 Ne8 {Again, seeing the comment at move 12 it
comes to mind that at least having the option of putting the bishop on f8 is a
plus for Black. Nevertheless, Black is fine here.} 15. Rd1 a6 16. a5 Bb5 $1 17.
Nxb5 axb5 18. Nb6 Ra8 19. Nxa8 Qxa5 {Black plays for an amazing concept and
the PC needs some time to find the point.} 20. Rd2 c4 $1 21. Bxc4 (21. Qd1 {is
met by} Bxb2 $17 {among others.}) 21... bxc4 22. Qxc4 {At this point best for
Black seems to be something else from what was played in the game.} Na6 (22...
b5 $146 23. Qb3 Na6 24. Qa3 Qxa3 25. bxa3 Bc3 26. Nb6 Nf6 $15 {When I dare say
that Black has the edge, as after the rook comes to b8 the b6-knight seem to
be in trouble.[%cal Gf8b8]}) 23. Qb3 Nc5 24. Qa3 Qb5 25. f3 Bxb2 26. Rxb2 Nd3+
27. Kd2 Nxb2 28. Kc2 Qe2+ 29. Kb1 Nc4 30. Qc3 Nf6 31. Nc7 Ra8 32. Nxa8 Nxd5 33.
Qc1 Nb4 {So, it doesn't seem that 10.h3 can pose great theoretical problems
for Black, or at least it cannot deny him his share of fun over the board!} 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Grandmaster Repertoire 11"]
[Black "updated line"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A48"]
[Annotator "Boris Avrukh"]
[PlyCount "28"]
[EventDate "2010.06.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCategory "14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 O-O {In this popular position White has
a choice of three different continuations:} 5. e4 {I believe Black shouldn't
wait and see if White can benefit something from refraining from immediate 5.
c3 , but to strike first with principal} d5 $1 6. exd5 {Instead there are
three other options:} Nxd5 {Samoe sereznoe sdes} 7. c3 h6 8. Bh4 {Here I like}
c5 (8... Nd7 9. Bc4 N5b6 10. Bb3 c5 11. O-O cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nc5 13. Re1 $146 Re8
14. N2f3 Bg4 15. Qc2 {, or} (15. h3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Nxb3 17. axb3 Qd7 {with idea
18...e5}) 15... g5 (15... Nxb3 16. axb3) 16. Bxf7+ $1 {propustil v knige} (16.
Bg3 e6 {with very complex and double-edged play.}) 16... Kxf7 17. Ne5+ Bxe5 18.
Rxe5 Rh8 19. f3 $40) 9. dxc5 Qc7 {Here we have two games:} 10. Bg3 ({Another
encounter saw:} 10. Bc4 Qxc5 11. O-O {and I believe Black should have played}
Nf4 $146 ({In the game Black opted for} 11... Rd8 {Blazquez Lopez-Gofshtein
Dos Hermanas 2003 and despite successful outcome of the game, Black would be
in trouble with development of his queenside after} 12. Qb3 $1) 12. Bg3 {I
also examined} (12. Re1 Nc6 13. Bg3 {then we can play} Nh5 {with reliable game,
for instance:} 14. b4 Qb6 15. Be5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 e6 $11) 12... e5 {Worse} (12...
Nh5 13. b4 Qb6 14. Be5 Nc6 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Re1 $14 {and White maintain some
pressure.}) 13. Bxf4 exf4 14. Qe2 Qc7 15. Rad1 Nc6 {and I believe we reached
approximately balanced position, when bishop's pair fully compensate Black
problems with pawnstructure.}) 10... Nf4 $1 ({The natural} 10... Qxc5 {runs
into} 11. Nb3 Qc6 12. Be2 {and Black pieces are lack of coordination.}) 11.
Bxf4 {In my opinion giving up dark-squared bishop so easily is obvious
consession. Others moves were more challenging, but I didn't manage to find
where White can pose Black problems:} (11. Nc4 Na6 12. Qc1 e5 13. b4 Rd8 $1 {
Black has a lot of compensation for the  pawn, with main point being} 14. Nd6
Nxc5 $1 15. bxc5 Qxc5 16. Ne4 Qc6 17. Ned2 Bf5 $36 {with strong initiative for
material deficit.}) (11. Nb3 Rd8 12. Qc1 e5 13. Bxf4 exf4 14. Be2 a5 15. a4 {or
} (15. O-O a4 16. Nbd4 g5 $1 {and Black will regain pawn with nice game.})
15... Na6 16. O-O {In case of} (16. Bxa6 bxa6 $1 17. O-O Rb8 {Black has nice
compensation for being pawn down.}) 16... Be6 17. Nfd4 Bd5 (17... Bxd4 18. Nxd4
Nxc5 {also not worse for Black.}) 18. Bf3 Nxc5 {with balanced position.}) 11...
Qxf4 12. Be2 {this has been occured in  Simic-Paunovic,D Belgrade 1989, Black
could have try} Qc7 $5 $146 13. Nb3 a5 14. a4 Na6 $15 {with better game.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.06.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "12.a4 Benko"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A59"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "85"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. e4 Bxf1 8.
Kxf1 d6 9. Nf3 Bg7 10. g3 O-O 11. Kg2 Nbd7 12. a4 $1 {This variation has
become very topical today. I discovered this idea some time ago and i showed
it to my friend GM Sabino Brunello. Sabino played it and drew against the
super- GM Fabiano Caruanna at the 2011 Italian Championship, but sadly forgot
the analysis quite early in the game and didn't get a real advantage, only a
slightly more comfortable position. Shortly after that game the book "The
Kaufman's Repertoire" by the American GM Larry Kaufman got published where he
offered some analysis of this continuation. From that time the popularity of
this move really went on top. Despite this, the recently published Benko books
from GMs Aveskulov and S.Kasparov not even mention this possibility. Also,
you'll not find this as well in GM Alterman's "Black's Gambits" book published
by QC, even though Alterman's intentions was primary to teach the ideas and
not focous on theoretical continuations.} (12. Re1 $6 Ng4 $1 13. Nd2 $1 Nge5
14. Qe2 $1 Nb6 {is found in Alterman's book. Black played excellently and had
a fine game after} 15. f4 Ned7 16. Nf3 Na4 17. Nd1 Qc8 {in the game Yusupov
-Baklan, Germany 1998. We can see clearly White's intention of an improvement
over this game with the move 12.a4! After 14...Nb6 in the above game White
would like to have the a4-a5 move! At least, this was my idea, when i showed
this line to Sabino. Also, the Rook may prove to be extremely usefull at the
h-file. For example is Black starts his Knight tour with Ne8-Nc7, maybe h2-h4!
would be dangerous.}) {Sadly, i cannot offer a reliable, bullet-proof solution
to the 12.a4 problem for Black. All i can do is to give an idea i found quite
difficult to break down.} 12... Ra6 $5 {This move is usually connected with
the plan of Qa8 and e7-e6, but here it is more of a preparation to double, or
even triple Rooks at the a- or b-file in order to put pressure at the
"prematurely" advanced pawns at the Queenside.} (12... Ne8 {is the only move
that has good statistics for Black in my database, albeit in only a handfull
of games. I quite like here} 13. h4 $1 h5 14. Bg5 Nc7 15. Qd2 {as played by
the Danish no 1 PH Nielsen with White. Nielsen's game is very instructive, so
i decided to offer a few more moves} Ne5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Bf4 Bh8 18. Rhe1 Rb8
19. e5 {and in Nielsen -Zaragatski, Baden Baden GER 2012 White was better and
eventually won.}) 13. Qc2 {This is by far the most popular move in practice.}
Qa8 14. Nb5 {White's plan is in motion. If he manages to create a solid
blockade at the Queenside he will have a free hand to create an attack at the
other side of the board, the side he is superior.} (14. Ra3 Rb8 15. Nb5 Rb7 $1
{Compared to the main game, Black is in place to defend c7 with the Rook
rather than the Queen and this seems like a small gain.} 16. Re1 Nb6 17. b3
Nbd7 18. Qa2 Ne8 19. Nd2 Ne5 20. Nc4 Nd3 21. Rd1 Nxc1 22. Rxc1 Nf6 23. Re1 {
and a draw was agreed in Mikheev -Verhoef, ICCF 2012. White definately doesn't
like to have his Bishops exchanged for the Knight. He has created now the
blockade he planned at the Queenside, but any attempt of creating an attack at
the other side is doomed to fail because Black has an unchallenged
dark-squared Bishop. This position seems like a positional draw, so both
players called it a day.}) 14... Qb7 15. Bg5 {White has to find a more
convincing continuation at this point in my opinion} (15. Ra3 {is a typical
idea in this variation but after} Rfa8 16. Bd2 Nb6 17. Nc3 $6 {was seen in
Coves Tomas -Martinez Lopez, Burjasot 1995} (17. b3 $1 $146 {is definately
more critical, but after} Nc8 18. Bc3 Na7 19. Nxa7 R6xa7 {Black's solid
position is very difficult to be broken down. This might be White's best. I
guess that he is a bit better, but i still have to find a way to prove that
White's edge can cause somekind of harm to Black. On the other hand as Black i
woudn't be worried much.}) {Here} 17... Nc4 $1 $146 {was the obvious move with
enough counterplay for claiming dynamic equality}) 15... h6 16. Bxf6 {The same
concesion as we saw before, but this time White is mainly playing for central
pressure.} (16. Bd2 {on the other hand can be met by} e6 $5 17. dxe6 fxe6 18.
Rhe1 g5 $1 $132 {[%cal Gd6d5] planning ...d5 next and it seems that Black's
counterplay is real and dangerous.}) 16... Nxf6 17. Rad1 e6 $6 (17... Rfa8 $146
18. b3 Ne8 19. Rhe1 Nc7 20. Nxc7 Qxc7 21. Nd4 Bxd4 22. Rxd4 Rb6 23. Rb1 Qb7 24.
Rc4 Rb8 {looks like a draw to me, unless i am missing something}) 18. b3 exd5
19. exd5 Re8 20. Qd3 Re4 21. Rhe1 Rb4 22. Kg1 (22. Nd2 $1) 22... Bf8 23. Nh4
Qd7 24. Ng2 Qf5 25. Ne3 Qf3 26. h3 Ne4 27. Rf1 Ng5 28. Nc4 Rxb3 29. Qxf3 Nxf3+
30. Kg2 Rxa4 31. Nbxd6 Nd4 32. Ra1 Rbb4 33. Rxa4 Rxa4 34. Rb1 Rb4 35. Ra1 Nf5
36. Ra8 Nxd6 37. Nxd6 Rd4 38. Ne8 Kh7 39. Ra7 Kg8 40. Rc7 c4 41. Rc6 Bb4 42. d6
c3 43. Rc8 {1/2-1/2 Cmilyte,V (2525)-Rasulov,V (2515)/Konya TUR 2012.  So,
this seems like a good variation for further investigation for the ambitious
Benko player. I wish i could offer more than that. If something comes to our
attention we'll certainly let you know!} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.06.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dreev vs... Petrov!"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A70"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "52"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. h3 Bg7 8. Bd3
O-O 9. Nf3 {A few days ago I received the book "Dreev Vs the Benoni" published
by Chess Stars and, as you guessed, with Dreev being the author. The book is
nice, well structured, packed with critical analysis in a critical variation
and covering not only the Modern Benoni but also other "Benonis" like the
Czech for example. It was quite natural for me to see what Dreev has in mind
against the lines given by GM Marian Petrov in GM Rep vol 12 The Modern Benoni.
In this position Petrov seems to offer to "solutions" for Black: 9...b5 the
Main Line and 9...Nh5!? as an alternative which leads to positions where Black
has counterplay. In all other lines covered by Petrov, Black cannot expect
equality if his opponent is well prepared} b5 (9... Nh5 {is actually covered
by Dreev via a move order difficult to follow in his book if on the other hand
you hold Petrovs! After} 10. O-O Nd7 11. Bg5 Bf6 12. Be3 Re8 13. Re1 Ne5 14.
Be2 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Ng7 16. Qd2 Be5 {we find this position in page 143 of GM
Per 12, but this is not covered in Dreev's book at all! He is examining though
the similar position with the pawns already at a4 (White) and ...a6 (Black).
In this position, Dreev's proposal seems to be} 17. Bg5 $146 (17. Bf4 a6 18. a4
b6 $132 {[%cal Ga8a7,Ga7e7] is given by Petrov}) 17... Qc7 18. Bf4 {this line
is not seen in Petrov's book. If Black plays here 18...a6 we'll transpose to
Dreev's book, but i think that better is} Bd7 $1 {[%cal Gb7b5]} 19. a4 {
(otherwise ...b5)} Bxf4 $1 20. Qxf4 Re5 $132 {[%cal Ga8e8,Gf7f5] Black has
taken advantage of not playing ...a6 and now has good chances of counterplay.
Both ...Rae8 and ..f.5 are ideas. I don't think that Black is any worse here.})
10. Bxb5 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Qa5+ 12. Nfd2 Qxb5 13. Nxd6 Qa6 14. N2c4 Nd7 15. O-O Ne5
16. Nxc8 (16. Nxe5 Qxd6 17. Nc6 Bb7 {is given as equal by both Dreev and Petrov
}) 16... Raxc8 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Re1 (18. Qf3 Rfe8 (18... Rfd8 $1 {the exclam
by Dreev} 19. Bg5 Rd7 {and according to Dreev's analysis Black equalises}) 19.
Rd1 c4 {this is the "solution" offered by Petrov. Dreev here gives a novelty}
20. Rb1 $1 $146 {but according to him, after} Rcd8 {Black equalises}) 18...
Rfe8 (18... Qd6 19. Qa4 $146 {another novelty suggested by Dreev which
naturally Petrov couldn't have predicted. After} Qxd5 20. Bh6 Rfd8 21. Re2 $14
{Dreev suggests that White is better, although he admits that it is not much.})
19. Bg5 Bd4 20. Bf4 $146 {Only this novelty can give traces of an advantage
according to Dreev, but frankly it is nothing in my opinion} Bxb2 {This is not
mentioned by Dreev} 21. Rb1 (21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Rb1 Qxa2 23. Qc2 {and here the
point is} Re2 $1 24. Qxe2 Qxb1+ 25. Kh2 Qf5 {and Black is equal}) 21... Bc3 22.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Be3 c4 24. Qe2 Bf6 25. Rc1 Rc8 26. d6 Qc6 $11 {There is no
reason that White is any better here.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Problems in the Tarrasch?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D34"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "45"]

1. d4 {An idea played by Giri threatens our Tarrasch Repertoire presented in
GM Rep 10. I was certain that something new will come there as many strong
players have adopted the Tarrasch Defence recently, so White had to find some
promising ideas, otherwise...} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6.
g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. a3 $1 {We made a good case for
this move in GM Rep 10 and we think that we have influenced lots of people} Ne4
{and this was our proposed novelty} (10... Bb6 11. b4 Re8 12. Bb2 a6 13. Rc1
Ba7 14. Na4 Ne4 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. bxc5 Be6 17. Nd4 Bd7 18. Nc2 Be6 19. Nb4 Rc8
20. Qd3 Ne7 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. Qxe4 Nc6 23. Qf4 Qe7 24. e4 {was seen in
Brunello -Mekhitarian, Wijk aan Zee NED 2013. It is known that Sabino won this
event with an amazing score and part of his success was this game.}) (10... Bf5
{was the choice of two well prepared IMs, so i wouldn't like to discard this
option so easily, even though i currently don't believe in it} 11. b4 Be7 12.
Nd4 (12. Bb2 d4 13. Nb5 d3 14. Nbd4 dxe2 15. Qxe2 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Bg4 17. Qb5 Rb8
18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Qxf5 Qd7 20. Qxd7 Nxd7 21. Rac1 Nb6 22. Be5 Rbd8 23. Bxb7 Rd3
24. Rc3 {was Horvath -Carlstedt,J Budapest 2011. White ia much better of
course, but Carlsedt is a player to follow in the Tarrasch. I had the chance
to play with him (and achieve a well played draw!) at the Odense tournament a
year ago. I did the wrong choice to trust my roommate (Jacob Aagaard) who told
me that i am playing against him with White, so i had the unpleasant task to
prepare something against the Tarrasch. After i arrived at the board i saw
that actually i am playing with Black (!) and didn't really know how to feel.
On the one hand i was completely unprepared with Black against a fairly strong
opponent, but on the other hand i wouldn't have to test my ideas with White
against the Tarrasch with him. Not that i had something very strong, but i'd
certainly go 10.a3!}) 12... Bg6 13. Be3 a5 14. b5 Ne5 15. Qb3 Nc4 16. Bg5 Nb6
17. Rad1 a4 {and in Zhao Xue -Georgiadis, Caleta 2013 Black had an edge!}) 11.
Nxd5 Be6 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qxd1 (13... Re8 {was a "sophisticated" idea
that I used when testing this position against my co-author, Jacob Aagaard in
some blitz games at the old office in Glasgow. Black wants to play ...Bc4 next.
} 14. Qa4 (14. Qd3 {stopping ...Bc4 is another critical line}) 14... Qa5 15.
Qxa5 Nxa5 16. Nd4 Bc4 {In Greenfeld -Swinkels, Amsterdam NED 2013 Black won,
but at some point he was worse. I guess that at this point Black has decent
compensation here and is close to being equal. So, if the main line is not
repaired somehow, it is may be time for going back to my "sophisticated" idea?}
) 14. Rxd1 Rfd8 {This is not what we proposed in GM Rep 10} (14... Rad8 15. Bf4
Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Bxa3 {and now Giri's} 17. Nd4 {can be met by} Nxd4 18. cxd4 b5 {
without the Rook being at a8. I am not sure what is going on to be honest. I'd
like to have a couple of weeks to analyse....} 19. Bc6 b4 20. d5 Bf5 21. Bd6 {
[%csl Gd5][%cal Gd6e7] with the idea of playing Be7 and pushing the d-pawn
looks critical to me. I'd certainly like to be White here, but maybe Black has
just enough to hold the balance? Difficult to tell without deep analysis.
Anyone who would like to offer some help? :)}) 15. Bf4 Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Bxa3 17.
Nd4 $1 {This idea seems very strong} Rd8 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Ra1 Bc5 20. Nxc6 Rc8
21. Nd4 Bc4 22. e4 Bd3 23. f3 {and in Giri -Kopylov, Germany 2012 White was
simply a pawn up for insufficient compensation and won the game.} *

[Event "4NCL 2012-13"]
[Site "Hinckley ENG"]
[Date "2013.05.05"]
[Round "10.113"]
[White "Howell, D."]
[Black "Berry, N."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C83"]
[WhiteElo "2634"]
[BlackElo "2247"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2012.11.03"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2013.05.06"]
[WhiteTeam "Wood Green, Hilsmark Kingfisher"]
[BlackTeam "Barbican 4NCL"]

{The following game tested a line recommended by Victor Mikhalevski in "GM
Repertoire 13: The Open Spanish".} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5.
O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 12.
Nb3 d3 13. Bb1 Nxb3 14. axb3 Bf5 15. Bf4 $146 {A novelty and not mentioned in
GM Repertoire 13.} Qd5 {The thematic move in this line.} 16. Re1 O-O 17. Ba2 $6
({I would prefer} 17. b4 {but Black has no problems.}) 17... b4 $1 $15 {Now
Black has an edge; to be better after 17 moves is good going when facing a
Super-GM with Black.} 18. Nd2 Nd8 {Not bad but maybe a bit too sophisticated.
Simpler was} (18... Rfd8) ({or} 18... a5) 19. Be3 f6 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. cxb4 Nc6
(21... Bxb2 $5) 22. Bc5 Nd4 {A creative exchange sac.} ({The more materialistic
} 22... Bxb2 $1 23. Rb1 Bd4 {looks great for Black.}) 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. Bb1
Ne2+ $2 ({The last chance to stay in the fight was} 24... Nc2 {when after} 25.
Ra5 Qd7 26. Rf1 {White has an extra exchange and pawn for the moment, but his
b-pawns are weak and his pieces feeble.} Be7 $5 $44) 25. Rxe2 $1 dxe2 26. Qxe2
$16 {And White won in the end.} Bxb2 27. Bxf5 Qxf5 28. Rxa6 Kh8 29. Re6 Bc3 30.
Re8 Bxb4 31. Rxf8+ Qxf8 32. Ne4 h6 33. Qc4 Qe7 34. h4 Bd6 35. g3 Be5 36. Qd5
Kh7 37. h5 Kh8 38. Kg2 Kh7 39. b4 Kh8 40. b5 Kh7 41. Nc5 Bd6 42. Ne6 Kh8 43.
Kh3 Qf6 44. Kg2 Qe7 45. Nd4 Qe5 46. Qxe5 Bxe5 47. Nf5 Kg8 48. Kf3 Kf7 49. Ke4
Ke6 50. Nd4+ Kd6 51. Nf5+ Ke6 52. Ne3 Bf6 53. Nd5 Bd8 54. f4 Kd6 55. Kd4 c6 56.
bxc6 Kxc6 57. Ke5 Kd7 58. Kf5 Ke8 59. Kg6 Kf8 60. f5 Bg5 61. f6 gxf6 62. Nxf6
Bd2 63. Ne4 Be3 64. Nd6 Bf2 65. g4 Be3 66. Nf5 1-0

[Event "ch-SWE 2013"]
[Site "Orebro SWE"]
[Date "2013.07.09"]
[Round "4.5"]
[White "Smith, Ax"]
[Black "Hector, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2461"]
[BlackElo "2509"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2013.07.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.15"]

{A test for the Glasgow Kiss. White won, but I believe Black is still OK if he
improves at move 17.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6.
Qb3 Nc6 {The Glasgow Kiss as it was dubbed by Nikos in a previous newsletter.
Axel Smith is the author of the forthcoming "Pump Up Your Rating" but he was
unaware of the newsletter. Jonny Hector was well aware of the newsletter.  The
first thing Axel did after the game was subscribe to this newsletter. (Hello,
Axel!)} 7. Qxb7 Bd7 8. Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 e5 10. dxe5 (10. Nf3 {was Winants - Shaw,
Istanbul 2012, as covered in a previous newsletter. I should have played} Bd6)
10... Nxe5 11. Be2 Qc7 {Not the only path.} (11... Bd6 {and ...0-0 is also
possible, when the queen might go to e7 (as GM Sabino Brunello has played).})
12. Nf3 Bd6 13. Nd4 O-O 14. O-O Nc4 15. b3 Bxh2+ 16. Kh1 Nd6 17. Bb2 {This is
where Axel unknowingly diverged from Nikos's analysis.} (17. Ba3 {was the line
mentioned by Nikos in the original newsletter.}) 17... Be5 {Now White can
consolidate with a safe positional edge.} ({I would recommend:} 17... Nc4 $1
18. Nxd5 (18. Bxc4 dxc4 {Black is OK. For example:} 19. f4 Ng4 20. Nd5 Qd6 21.
e4 Rfd8 22. Qf3 Rb6 $5 $13) (18. bxc4 Rxb2 {Seems level. For example:} 19. Qc1
Qb8 20. g3 Bxg3 21. fxg3 Qxg3 22. Qxb2 Qh3+ $11) (18. Bc1 Nd6 {repeats.}) 18...
Nxd5 19. Bxc4 (19. Rc1 Qd6 20. Rxc4 Be5 21. Bh5 $8 (21. Kg1 Qh6 {is good for
Black, especially as} 22. g3 $2 {allows} Nxe3 $19) 21... Rbd8 $44) 19... Rb6
20. Bxd5 Rh6 21. Re1 (21. Nf3 Bg4 $5 $40 (21... Bg3+ 22. Kg1 Bh2+ $11)) 21...
Qd8 $11 {Black has enough compensation to hold the balance. In fact. White is
the one who has to be more careful.}) 18. Rc1 $1 Qd8 ({Perhaps} 18... Qb7 {but
White still has an edge after} 19. Nf3 Bxc3 20. Bxc3 Nfe4 21. Be5 $14) 19. Nf3
Ng4 $6 {Black understandably wants some play against White's king, but nothing
works.} (19... Bxc3 20. Bxc3 $14) 20. Kg1 $1 Bxc3 21. Bxc3 Bb5 22. Bxb5 Nxb5
23. Bb2 $16 Re8 24. Qd3 Qd6 25. a4 Nc7 26. Qd4 Nf6 27. Qxa7 $18 {Axel mopped
up efficiently.} Na6 28. Be5 Rxe5 29. Nxe5 Qxe5 30. Qxa6 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32.
Rxb8 Ng4 33. g3 Qh5 34. Kg2 Qh2+ 35. Kf3 Qh5 36. Qc8 Ne5+ 37. Kg2 Qf3+ 38. Kg1
Qe4 39. Qf8+ Kf6 40. Rb6+ Kg5 41. Qd8+ 1-0

[Event "Scottish Chess Championships"]
[Site "Helensburgh"]
[Date "2013.07.11"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "McNab, Colin A"]
[Black "Strikovic, Aleksa"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A37"]
[Annotator "Colin McNab"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2013.07.??"]
[EventCountry "SCO"]

1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Nh6 7. d4 $1 {As
recommended by GM Mihail Marin in Chapter 3 of Grandmaster Repertoire 5.} cxd4
8. Bxh6 Bxh6 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. c5 $1 Bg7 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. Qa4 $1
{Still following Marin's line. White can put pressure on Black's c- and
d-pawns, and has some advantage.} Qd7 14. cxd6 exd6 15. Rac1 O-O 16. Rfd1 ({
Perhaps I should have tried} 16. Nd5 Rac8 17. Rxc6 $5 {I was afraid that} Rfe8
{would give Black counterplay, but} 18. Rfc1 Rxc6 19. Rxc6 $1 Rxe2 20. Qc4 {
gives White a strong attacking position.}) 16... Rfd8 17. e3 d5 18. b3 h5 19.
Ne2 Rac8 20. Nf4 {Threatening Nxd5!} Qb7 21. Rc2 c5 22. Qa5 d4 $5 {A sensible
practical decision.} (22... Bf8 {looks very passive.}) 23. Rxc5 Qf3 24. Re1 ({
The computer likes} 24. Rdc1 $5 {but it looked scary to me over the board.})
24... dxe3 25. fxe3 Bf8 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. Qd2 Bc5 {Black's activity provides
compensation for White's rather sickly extra pawn.} 28. Qe2 Qe4 29. Qd3 Qf3 30.
Qe2 Qe4 31. Qd3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Politiken Cup 2013"]
[Site "HelsingÃƒ,r "]
[Date "2013.07.29"]
[Round "4.5"]
[White "Brunello, Sabino"]
[Black "Mikkelsen, Nikolaj"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A71"]
[WhiteElo "2593"]
[BlackElo "2418"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2013.07.27"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. Bg5 Bg7 8. e4
O-O $6 ({In GM Repertoire 12, GM Marian Petrov warns against giving White the
chance to get this set-up.} 8... h6 $1 9. Bh4 a6 $1 (9... g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11.
Bb5+ $1 $16) 10. Nd2 (10. a4 g5 11. Bg3 Nh5 $11) 10... b5 11. Be2 O-O $13) 9.
Nd2 Nbd7 10. Be2 Qe7 11. O-O h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. Bg3 Ne5 14. Re1 $14 Ne8 15. Nf1
Ng6 16. Bg4 $5 Bxg4 17. Qxg4 Bd4 18. Ne3 Bxe3 19. Rxe3 Ng7 20. Qe2 Rae8 21. Re1
Qf6 22. Qb5 Ne5 23. Bxe5 Qxe5 24. Qxb7 $5 Rb8 25. Qxa7 Rxb2 26. h3 $6 (26. Qa6
$1 $16) 26... Rfb8 (26... Rc2 $5 27. Nb5 $1) 27. a4 R8b3 28. Qa5 $2 (28. Nd1 $1
$14) 28... Kh7 $2 (28... Rc2 $1 29. Nd1 (29. Nb5 Rxe3 30. Rxe3 Qb2 $1 31. Rf3
Rc1+ 32. Kh2 Qe5+ 33. Rg3 Qf4 34. Nxd6 Qxf2 $19) 29... Rb1 30. Rf1 Rcc1 31.
Ree1 Qa1 32. Qd2 c4 $1 $19) 29. Nd1 $1 Rxe3 30. Nxe3 Qxe4 31. Qc7 (31. Qd8 Qf4
32. Rf1 $16) 31... Qf4 32. Rf1 Nh5 $1 33. a5 $1 $16 Ra2 34. Ng4 $4 (34. Qb6 $3
Kg7 (34... Qe4 35. Qxd6 Nf4 36. Qf6 Kg8 37. d6 $18) (34... Ra4 35. Qb1+ Kg7 36.
Nf5+ Kf6 37. Ng3 Ng7 38. Qh7 $18) 35. Qb1 Rxa5 36. Nf5+ Kf6 37. Nxh6 $18) 34...
Kg7 35. Re1 $4 (35. Qb6 Nf6 36. g3 Qf3 37. Qxd6 Nxg4 38. hxg4 Rxa5 $11) 35...
Nf6 $1 36. Rf1 Ne4 37. Qb6 h5 (37... Nd2 $1 38. Re1 h5 39. Ne3 Nc4 $19) 38. Qb3
Re2 39. g3 Qd2 40. a6 {White resigned.} hxg4 41. a7 Rxf2 $19 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 2012-13"]
[Site "Berlin GER"]
[Date "2013.02.03"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Mons, Leon"]
[Black "Naiditsch, Arkadij"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2339"]
[BlackElo "2704"]
[Annotator "Morra Gambit (Aagaard)"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2012.10.20"]
[Source "Chess Today"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.05"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. Nf3 g6 6. O-O Bg7 7. c4 d6 8. h3
Nf6 9. Nc3 Nd7 10. Be3 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qa5 12. Qd2 Nc5 13. Bc2 Be6 14. Nd4 Ne5
15. Nxe6 Nxe6 16. Qd5 Nc5 17. Rab1 Ned7 18. e5 $3 Nb6 19. Rxb6 $5 (19. Qd1 $1
O-O-O (19... Nxc4 20. exd6 Nxe3 21. fxe3 O-O-O 22. Rxf7 Rxd6 23. Qg4+ Kb8 24.
Rxe7 Qxc3 25. Qg3 Qf6 26. Re5 Rc8 27. Rf1 Qd8 28. Rd5 Rcc6 29. Qe5 b6 30. Rf7
$18) 20. exd6 exd6 21. a4 Rhe8 22. Qd4 Ne6 23. Qh4 $18) 19... axb6 20. exd6
O-O-O (20... O-O 21. dxe7 Rfe8 22. Bd4 $16 Rxe7 23. Qg5 Re6 (23... Rd7 24. Qf6
Rxd4 25. cxd4 Qc3 26. Bf5 $16) 24. Qh6 f6 25. a4 Nd7 26. f4 Qh5 27. Qxh5 gxh5
28. c5 $1 $16) 21. Qxf7 exd6 22. Bd1 Kb8 23. Bd4 $6 (23. Bg4 $16) 23... Rd7 24.
Qd5 Rhd8 25. Bg4 Rc7 26. Re1 Nd3 27. Re3 Qxd5 28. cxd5 Nc5 29. Bf6 Rf8 $4 30.
Be7 $18 Rxe7 31. Rxe7 h5 32. Bd1 b5 33. Be2 Rf5 34. Bxb5 Rxd5 35. Be8 Rg5 36.
Rg7 Nd3 37. Rxg6 Re5 38. Bf7 Re1+ 39. Kh2 Nxf2 40. Rg8+ Ka7 41. Bxh5 Rh1+ 42.
Kg3 Ne4+ 43. Kf4 Nxc3 44. Bf3 Kb6 45. Kg5 d5 46. h4 d4 47. h5 Kc7 48. h6 d3 49.
Kg6 Ne2 50. h7 Nf4+ 51. Kf5 1-0

[Event "Ishtmia Open"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.06.02"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Federchuk"]
[Black "Markidis"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "User"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1bqr1k1/1p5p/4p1pB/p2pP1b1/Pn6/R5N1/1P3PPP/1B1QR1K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "9"]

1. Bxg6 (1. Nh5 $5 Bxh6 2. Nf6+ Kg7 3. Rh3 $2 (3. Rg3 Rg8 4. Qh5) 3... Nc6 {A
stronger defence.} (3... Rf8 $2 4. Qd2 $1 g5 5. Qxg5+ $1 {was my intention.})
4. Qg4 Rh8 5. Qh4 (5. f4 {followed by Qh4 is another win.}) 5... Bd2 6. Bxg6 $3
(6. Qg3 Ne7 {is not entirely over.}) 6... hxg6 (6... h6 7. Be8 $1 Nxe5 8. Nh5+
{winning the queen.}) 7. Ne8+ $3 {Black is mated.}) 1... Bxh6 (1... hxg6 2. Qg4
Bxh6 3. Qxg6+ Bg7 4. Nh5) 2. Bxe8 Qxe8 3. Nh5 Kh8 4. Nf6 Qf7 5. Rh3 1-0

[Event "Correspondence"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1955.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Diemer"]
[Black "Kotek"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2q1r2/p1pbppbk/1p3npp/n2P2B1/7Q/2NB1N2/PPP3PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "17"]

1. d6 $6 (1. Ne5 $18) 1... cxd6 2. Rxe7 Qxe7 3. Nd5 Qe6 $2 (3... Nxd5 $1 4.
Bxe7 Nxe7 5. Qxe7 Be6 $16) 4. Nxf6+ Bxf6 5. Bxf6 Qe3+ 6. Kh1 {Resigned.} Kg8 7.
Ng5 $6 (7. Bd4 $1) 7... h5 (7... Qxg5 $1 8. Bxg5 hxg5 9. Qxg5 Rae8 $18) 8. Qxh5
gxh5 9. Bh7# *

[Event "Sanxenxo"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.06.23"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Teleman, Peter"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B30"]
[PlyCount "32"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Nxd4 (5. O-O a6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Re1
g5 $3 {with good play for Black is a personal favourite of mine.}) 5... cxd4 6.
Ne2 Nf6 7. Ng3 $2 {This just looks wrong.} a6 8. Ba4 h5 $1 {On the way to
great things!} 9. O-O h4 (9... Ng4 $6 10. d3 Qh4 {also looked tempting, but I
felt it was too complicated. Indeed after} 11. h3 Bd6 12. Qe1 $1 {White has
good play.}) 10. Ne2 h3 {Simple chess. The weaknesses are permanent.} 11. g3
Nxe4 12. Nxd4 Qf6 $6 (12... b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 {is simple and better for Black.})
13. Nf3 $2 (13. c3 Bc5 $6 {was my intention, but now 14.d3! and} 14. Qg4 $1 {
would have turned the tables, giving White a slight edge even.}) 13... b5 14.
Bb3 Bb7 15. Ne1 $2 (15. d4 Bd6 {looks great for Black, but had to be tried.})
15... Nxg3 $1 16. hxg3 h2# 0-1

[Event "Sanxenxo"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.06.30"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NÃ¸rh, Finn"]
[Black "Outeiro, Heilado"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[PlyCount "65"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7. Nb5 Bc7 8. f4 Bd7
9. Nxd4 Ne7 {White has not played the opening correctly and Black has good
chances.} 10. Ngf3 Nbc6 11. Be3 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Nc6 (12... g5 $1 $15) 13. Bd3
Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Bb6 15. Bb2 a6 16. Qg4 g6 17. Qe2 Rc8 18. O-O-O Qc7 19. Kb1 Ba4
20. Rc1 O-O 21. h4 Qc6 $6 (21... Bb5 $1 $13 22. Bxb5 $6 axb5 23. Qxb5 $2 Be3 $1
$19) 22. h5 Bb5 23. Rh3 $1 $40 (23. hxg6 fxg6 24. Rxh7 $5 Bxd3 25. cxd3 Kxh7
26. Rxc6 Rxc6 27. Qf3 $14) 23... Bxd3 24. cxd3 Qb5 (24... Qe8 25. Rch1 Rc7 26.
Qd2 $1 {would leave Black with no counterplay. White continues g4 and f5, with
a winning attack.} Qd8 $5 27. g4 a5 28. hxg6 fxg6 29. f5 $1 gxf5 30. bxa5 Bxa5
31. Qh6) 25. Rch1 Rc7 26. Qg4 (26. f5 $2 exf5 27. e6 g5 $1 $14) 26... Qe8 (
26... Qc6 27. Ka1 d4 28. Qg5 Qe8 29. Rg3 $3 Qe7 (29... a5 $2 30. Qf6 Qe7 31.
hxg6) 30. Qh6 Ba7 $8 (30... a5 31. hxg6 fxg6 32. Rxg6+ hxg6 33. Qxg6+ Qg7 34.
Qxe6+ Qf7 35. Qxb6 $18) 31. Rg5 $1 a5 32. hxg6 fxg6 33. Rxg6+ hxg6 34. Qh8+ Kf7
35. Rh7+ Ke8 36. Rxe7+ Rxe7 37. Qh6 $18) 27. Qg5 a5 28. Qh6 $2 {When you fall
in love... Finn had seen the end; but needed a bit of cooperation.} (28. f5 $1
exf5 29. Qf6 {was the correct winning line. White threatens e5-e6 and after}
Rc6 $6 (29... Qe6 30. hxg6 $1 {gives a winning ending.}) 30. e6 d4 31. h6 $1 {
Black is checkmated.}) 28... axb4 29. Rg3 (29. axb4 Qa4 $1 $19) 29... bxa3 $2 (
29... Qb5 $1 30. Qxh7+ Kxh7 31. hxg6+ Kg7 (31... Kg8 $2 32. g7 $1 $18) 32. Rh7+
Kg8 33. g7 Qxd3+ $1 34. Rxd3 Rfc8 35. Rdh3 bxa3 36. Bxa3 Bd4 37. Rh8+ Kxg7 38.
R8h7+ $11 Kg6 $4 39. g4 $18) 30. Qxh7+ $1 Kxh7 31. hxg6+ {Black resigned.} Kg8
32. gxf7+ Kxf7 33. Rh7# 1-0

[Event "Sanxenxo"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.06.30"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NÃ¸hr, Finn"]
[Black "Outeiro, Heilado"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[PlyCount "65"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7. Nb5 Bc7 8. f4 Bd7
9. Nxd4 Ne7 {White has not played the opening correctly and Black has good
chances.} 10. Ngf3 Nbc6 11. Be3 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Nc6 (12... g5 $1 $15 {and I
already prefer Black slightly.}) 13. Bd3 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Bb6 15. Bb2 a6 16. Qg4
g6 17. Qe2 Rc8 18. O-O-O Qc7 19. Kb1 Ba4 20. Rc1 O-O 21. h4 Qc6 $6 (21... Bb5
$1 $13 {would give OK counterplay. White should not drift into} 22. Bxb5 $6
axb5 23. Qxb5 $2 Be3 $1 $19 {and Black wins}) 22. h5 Bb5 23. Rh3 $1 $40 {A
nice attacking move.} (23. hxg6 fxg6 24. Rxh7 $5 Bxd3 25. cxd3 Kxh7 26. Rxc6
Rxc6 27. Qf3 $14 {is only a bit better for White.}) 23... Bxd3 24. cxd3 Qb5 (
24... Qe8 25. Rch1 Rc7 {Exercise 1  Now the prophylactic} 26. Qd2 $1 {would
leave Black with no counterplay. White continues g4 and f5, with a winning
attack.} {Black's only try is} Qd8 $5 {but} 27. g4 {gives White a strong
attack. This is a possible way for everything to go wrong for Black:} a5 28.
hxg6 fxg6 29. f5 $1 gxf5 30. bxa5 Bxa5 31. Qh6 {and wins}) 25. Rch1 Rc7 26. Qg4
(26. f5 $2 exf5 27. e6 g5 $1 {is not entirely clear.}) 26... Qe8 ({A funny
line arises after} 26... Qc6 27. Ka1 d4 28. Qg5 Qe8 {EXERCISE 2} 29. Rg3 $3 Qe7
(29... a5 $2 30. Qf6 Qe7 31. hxg6) 30. Qh6 Ba7 $8 ({The only move as after} 
30... a5 31. hxg6 fxg6 32. Rxg6+ hxg6 33. Qxg6+ Qg7 34. Qxe6+ Qf7 {White has}
35. Qxb6 $18 {winning}) 31. Rg5 $1 a5 32. hxg6 fxg6 33. Rxg6+ hxg6 34. Qh8+ Kf7
35. Rh7+ Ke8 36. Rxe7+ Rxe7 37. Qh6 $18) 27. Qg5 a5 {Exercise 3} 28. Qh6 $2 {
When you fall in love... Finn had seen the end; but needed a bit of
cooperation.} (28. f5 $1 exf5 29. Qf6 {was the correct winning line. White
threatens e5-e6 and after} Rc6 $6 (29... Qe6 30. hxg6 $1 {gives a winning
ending.}) 30. e6 d4 31. h6 $1 {Black is checkmated.}) 28... axb4 29. Rg3 (29.
axb4 Qa4 $1 $19) 29... bxa3 $2 {A collaborative blunder. Black is fine after
something like:} (29... Qb5 $1 30. Qxh7+ Kxh7 31. hxg6+ Kg7 (31... Kg8 $2 32.
g7 $1 $18) 32. Rh7+ Kg8 33. g7 Qxd3+ $1 34. Rxd3 Rfc8 35. Rdh3 bxa3 36. Bxa3
Bd4 37. Rh8+ Kxg7 38. R8h7+ $11 {with a perpetual} {Please avoid} Kg6 $4 39. g4
$18 {with mate}) {Exercise 4} 30. Qxh7+ $1 Kxh7 31. hxg6+ {Black resigned.} Kg8
32. gxf7+ Kxf7 33. Rh7# 1-0

[Event "Cork Masters 2013"]
[Site "Cork"]
[Date "2013.04.20"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Williams, Simon Kim"]
[Black "Collins, Sam"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2511"]
[BlackElo "2483"]
[Annotator "User"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5
Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bf6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd4 Qxd4 14. Nxd4
Bd7 15. f3 {Let us have a three-questions-based strategic look at this
position:  a) the weaknesses are the d5-pawn and the c-file. The e3-pawn and
the b3-squares might look a bit weak, but it is unrealistic that you can
attack the with the pieces left on the board. So, all the pieces are on the
black side of the board.  b) The worst placed piece is probably the rook on f8,
which is not only without a function, but is in the way of the rook on g8. 
(From this follows the logical question of where the rook actually belong. A
deeper look at weaknesses would suggest that one rook needs to be in the
c-file, which includes the weak c7-square.)  c) The opponent's idea. White
wants to get his king to d4 and exchange into a bishop ending, if possible. He
would also like to expand slowly on the kingside and create a second weakness.
I believe there are several acceptable ways for Black to play this position
and eliminate the very minimal pressure he might feel at the moment. Kramnik
did a good job in the following game: [15...Rfc8 Game].} Rfe8 $6 {What is the
rook doing here? This is what I call an aesthetic move; it looks right (rook
to the open file and so on), but it is not actually achieving anything. The
e-file is not an arena of combat; the c-file is.  It is thus no surprise that
the correct way to prove equality is to take the rook to the c-file.} (15...
Rfc8 $1 16. Kd2 Ne6 {This is by no means the only way to play, but the
thinking is easy to follow. Black wants to take the d4-squares away from White,
by putting a white pawn there.} 17. Bd3 (17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Bd3 e5 {leaves
Black with three pawn islands against two. But the pawns are no longer weak
and the bishop is no longer bad. White could try ideas with f3-f4, but I doubt
they will really work in practice. It is not full equality, but it is very
close...}) 17... Nxd4 18. exd4 {White's advantage is very marginal. Good
bishop vs bad bishop, but with no real targets.} f6 {Preparing ...Kf7 to cover
the e7-square.} 19. h4 g6 20. Rac1 Kf7 21. Rc5 b6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. h5 Kg7 24.
f4 Bf5 $1 {and a draw was agreed in Kasparov Ã¢ (+) Kramnik, Moscow 2001.}) 16.
Kd2 Rad8 $2 {Again this looks logical. Rook to the centre! But again, what is
the function of this move? Is the c-file not still the place where it should
happen?} (16... a5 $5 17. Bd3 a4 {is an interesting idea. Basically Black
would decide not to exchange the knights after all and simply protect it with .
..b6 and hold the position like this. Does White have an advantage with a slow
kingside expansion? Perhaps, but it should not be too dramatic.}) 17. Bd3 Ne6
18. Rac1 Nxd4 19. exd4 Rc8 {This position might look quite harmless for the
untrained eye, but actually it is starting to get rather unpleasant for Black.
White can fight for the c-file, he has a better bishop and the black king is
still on g8, far away from the action.} 20. Rc5 $1 {From this moment I would
say that White has an advantage.} Rxc5 $2 {But it is only after this move that
the advantage is really significant. With a pawn majority on the queenside and
the ability to attack the d5-pawn from d4 with the king sometime in the future,
Black is structurally struggling. And his pieces are inferior as well.} ({
Black should have played} 20... Be6 {, when White can try to annoy Black with
21.Bb5!? or} 21. Rhc1 {, though Black is not seriously worse after} Kf8 $1 22.
Rc7 Rxc7 23. Rxc7 Re7 {, when the bishop's ending is a draw and the pressure
after} 24. Rc5 {is very minimal.}) 21. dxc5 Rd8 {In order to meet 22.Kc3 with
22...d4+. Not that this is clearly the wrong track for White, but at least it
offers a bit of resistance from Black.} 22. b4 Kf8 23. Re1 {Simple chess. Keep
the king away. Black cannot exchange the rooks anymore as White would march
the king to d4 and win the bishop's ending with his outside majority.} h6 24.
f4 {White's advantage is significant and it is really hard to suggest a move
for Black. But this does not justify:} b6 $2 {A famous strategic concept goes:
"Don't move pawns on the side of the board where you are weaker." True, these
are not universal rules (even though people at times have presented them as
such; before explaining how naive they are...), but still they are valid for a
reason. Here Black opens the c-file for White to come in and attack the weak
a-pawn.} 25. Rc1 $1 bxc5 (25... Rc8 26. Ba6 {does not improve things   , but
Black should maybe have tried}) (25... Ke7 $5 {, though is position is very
suspecious.}) 26. Rxc5 {White's advantage is quite substantial now. All his
pieces are preferable, the a7-pawn is weak and White will make a passed pawn
on the queenside sometime for sure.} Be8 27. Rc7 Ra8 28. Kc3 (28. b5 $1 {
fixing the a-pawn would have been even stronger, but White wins all the same.})
28... a6 29. Kd4 Bb5 30. Bf5 a5 $5 {Desperation. But Black is lost after} (
30... Re8 31. Rc8 $1 {as well.}) 31. Rc5 $1 {Winning a piece is of course
attractive and I am sure that Simon just checked that this won. But a more
technical player would have played} (31. Rc8+ {and win the bishop ending
easily.}) 31... axb4 32. Rxb5 bxa3 33. Rb1 Ra4+ 34. Ke5 a2 35. Ra1 f6+ 36. Ke6
d4 37. Bd3 g5 38. fxg5 fxg5 39. Kd5 Kg7 40. Bc4 h5 41. Kxd4 g4 42. Rxa2 Rb4 43.
Kc3 Rb1 44. g3 Rg1 45. Kd4 h4 46. gxh4 g3 47. hxg3 Rxg3 48. Be2 Rb3 49. h5 Rb6
50. Ke5 Rc6 51. Bf3 Rb6 52. Kf4 Rb4+ 53. Be4 1-0

[Event "Sunningdale e2e4 op 07"]
[Site "Ascot"]
[Date "2013.07.07"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Pert, Nicholas"]
[Black "Collins, Sam"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2543"]
[BlackElo "2465"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Qc7 7. Bd2 e6 8.
Bb5+ Nc6 9. O-O Bd6 10. Bb4 O-O 11. Bxc6 Bxb4 12. Qxb4 Qxc6 13. Ne5 Qb6 14.
Qxb6 axb6 15. Nc3 Rfd8 16. Rfc1 Ne8 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nb5 Rac8 19. Rc3 Rxc3 20.
bxc3 f6 21. Nxg6 hxg6 22. Kf1 Kf7 23. h4 Ke7 24. Ke2 Nd6 25. Nxd6 Kxd6 26. h5
Rh8 27. Rb1 gxh5 28. Rxb6+ Kc7 29. Rxe6 Kd7 30. Rb6 Kc7 31. Rb5 h4 32. Kf1 Kc6
33. Rc5+ Kd6 34. c4 dxc4 35. Rxc4 b5 36. Rc5 Ra8 37. Rxb5 Rxa2 38. g5 h3 39.
Kg1 h2+ 40. Kxh2 Rxf2+ 41. Kg3 Rf1 42. Kg2 Ra1 43. Rb7 fxg5 44. Rxg7 1-0

[Event "Cappelle op 26th"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande"]
[Date "2010.02.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Hammer, Jon Ludvig"]
[Black "Lalic, Bogdan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B93"]
[WhiteElo "2627"]
[BlackElo "2494"]
[PlyCount "205"]
[EventDate "2010.02.13"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.03"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 e5 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. Be3
Be7 9. Qd2 exf4 10. Bxf4 Nc5 11. Bc4 O-O 12. O-O-O Ncxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qd4
Ng5 15. Bxd6 Bxd6 16. Qxd6 Qxd6 17. Rxd6 Nxf3 18. gxf3 b5 19. Bd5 Ra7 20. Re1
g6 21. b3 b4 22. Kb2 a5 23. a4 Bf5 24. Re5 Rc8 25. Bc4 Kf8 26. Rdd5 Rca8 27.
Rc5 Rd8 28. Red5 Rxd5 29. Bxd5 Ke7 30. Be4 Be6 31. c3 bxc3+ 32. Kxc3 Kd6 33.
Rb5 Bd7 34. Rd5+ Kc7 35. Kd4 f5 36. Rc5+ Kb6 37. Bd5 Be8 38. Rc8 Re7 39. Rb8+
Ka7 40. Ra8+ Kb6 41. b4 Bxa4 42. bxa5+ Kb5 43. f4 Rc7 44. Ke5 Kc5 45. Rd8 Bb5
46. Bg8 Kb4 47. Ra8 Kc5 48. h4 Bc6 49. Rf8 Ra7 50. Kf6 Kd4 51. Rf7 Ra6 52. Kg5
h6+ 53. Kxh6 Ke3 54. Rf6 Kxf4 55. Bd5 Rxa5 56. Bxc6 Kg4 57. Kxg6 Kxh4 58. Bd7
Kg4 59. Bc8 Rc5 60. Bxf5+ Kg3 61. Kg5 Kf3 62. Rd6 Re5 63. Rd4 Re3 64. Rh4 Kg3
65. Be4 Re2 66. Rg4+ Kf2 67. Kf4 Rd2 68. Rg3 Re2 69. Rh3 Rd2 70. Rh1 Re2 71.
Bd3 Rd2 72. Ke4 Kg2 73. Ra1 Rf2 74. Ra6 Rf8 75. Ke3 Rf3+ 76. Kd4 Kf2 77. Be4
Rb3 78. Ra2+ Kg3 79. Ke5 Rb5+ 80. Bd5 Rb1 81. Rg2+ Kh3 82. Rg7 Rb4 83. Be4 Rb8
84. Kf4 Rf8+ 85. Bf5+ Kh2 86. Rg5 Rb8 87. Be4 Rf8+ 88. Ke3 Kh3 89. Bf3 Kh4 90.
Rg4+ Kh3 91. Kf2 Rb8 92. Rg5 Rb2+ 93. Be2 Rb4 94. Bf3 Rb2+ 95. Ke3 Rb4 96. Be4
Kh4 97. Rg7 Kh5 98. Kf4 Rb6 99. Ra7 Rf6+ 100. Bf5 Rb6 101. Ra1 Rb4+ 102. Be4
Kh6 103. Ra7 1-0

[Event "Hastings Masters op"]
[Site "Hastings"]
[Date "2006.01.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Erenburg, Sergey"]
[Black "Lalic, Bogdan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2582"]
[BlackElo "2490"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "2005.12.28"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.03.10"]

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 Bg5 12. Nc2 O-O 13. h4 Bh6 14. Nce3 Bxe3
15. Nxe3 Be6 16. Be2 Ne7 17. Bf3 Qb6 18. a3 Rfd8 19. O-O Rac8 20. Qd3 Bb3 21.
Rfe1 Qc5 22. h5 h6 23. Bd1 Bc4 24. Qc2 Be6 25. Bg4 Bxg4 26. Nxg4 d5 27. exd5
Rxd5 28. Qe2 f6 29. Rad1 Rcd8 30. Ne3 R5d6 31. Qc2 Kf8 32. Rxd6 Rxd6 33. Rd1
Rxd1+ 34. Qxd1 f5 35. Qd7 e4 36. g3 f4 37. gxf4 Qxh5 38. f5 Qg5+ 39. Kf1 Qh5
40. Kg1 Qg5+ 41. Kf1 Qh5 42. Qe6 Qh1+ 43. Ke2 Qb1 44. f6 Qxb2+ 45. Kf1 gxf6 46.
Qxf6+ Ke8 47. Qxa6 Qxc3 48. Qxb5+ Qc6 49. Qxc6+ Nxc6 50. Nd5 Kd7 51. Nf6+ Ke6
52. Nxe4 Kd5 53. Nd2 Kd4 54. Ke2 h5 55. f4 h4 56. Kf3 Kd3 57. Nf1 Nd4+ 58. Kg4
Kc3 59. Nh2 Nc2 60. Kxh4 Nxa3 61. f5 Nc4 62. f6 Nd6 63. Kh5 Kd4 64. Kg6 Ke5 65.
Nf3+ Ke6 66. Nd4+ Ke5 67. Nc6+ Ke6 68. Nd4+ Ke5 69. Nb5 Nxb5 70. f7 1-0

[Event "Cappelle op 28th"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande"]
[Date "2012.03.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Radulski, Julian"]
[Black "Lalic, Bogdan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B96"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2012.03.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.04.24"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 Qc7 8.
O-O-O e6 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 Nb6 11. g4 O-O 12. e5 dxe5 13. Nxe5 Nfd5 14. Nxd5
Nxd5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qe4 b5 17. Bd3 g6 18. g5 f5 19. gxf6 Qxf6 20. Rdf1 Ra7
21. h4 Nxf4 22. Ng4 Nxd3+ 23. Qxd3 Qg7 24. h5 Rxf1+ 25. Rxf1 Rf7 26. Rxf7 Kxf7
27. h6 Qf8 28. Qd4 e5 29. Nxe5+ Ke8 30. Qe3 Qe7 31. Kd2 Qb4+ 32. Ke2 Be6 33.
Nd3 Qe7 34. Kd2 Bc4 35. Ne5 Bxa2 36. b3 a5 37. Kc3 a4 38. Kb2 axb3 39. cxb3
Bxb3 40. Kxb3 g5 41. Qe4 Qe6+ 42. Kb4 g4 43. Qa8+ Ke7 44. Qb7+ Kf6 45. Qg7+ Kf5
46. Qxh7+ Kxe5 47. Qc7+ Ke4 48. h7 Qf6 49. Qc2+ Kd5 50. Qg2+ Kd6 51. Qh2+ g3
52. Qxg3+ Ke7 53. Qc7+ Ke8 54. h8=Q+ 1-0

[Event "Cappelle op 29th"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande"]
[Date "2013.03.02"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Lalic, Bogdan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A13"]
[WhiteElo "2581"]
[BlackElo "2478"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[Source "Chessbase"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.08"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. Qc2 Bd6 8.
O-O b6 9. Ne5 Nd5 10. Nc4 Be7 11. Nc3 Bb7 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. b3 Bxg2 14. Kxg2
O-O 15. Bb2 Bf6 16. Rfd1 Qc7 17. Kg1 Bxb2 18. Qxb2 e5 19. Rac1 Rfe8 20. d3 Re6
21. Nd2 a5 22. a3 Qd6 23. Rc4 h6 24. Rdc1 Qe7 25. Ne4 Nf6 26. Nxf6+ Qxf6 27. b4
cxb4 28. axb4 Qd8 29. R1c3 axb4 30. Rxb4 Qd5 31. Rcc4 Ra5 32. f3 b5 33. Rc8+
Kh7 34. Qc1 Ra4 35. Rc5 Rc6 36. Rbxb5 Qd4+ 37. Kg2 Ra2 38. Rxc6 Rxe2+ 39. Kh3
Qf2 40. Qh1 Qd4 41. Rb7 Qd5 42. Rcc7 Qe6+ 43. g4 h5 44. Rxf7 hxg4+ 45. Kg3 1-0

[Event "Navalmoral op 17th"]
[Site "Navalmoral"]
[Date "2011.12.07"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shanava, Konstantine"]
[Black "Lalic, Bogdan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "2576"]
[BlackElo "2454"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.03"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Qb3 Nb6 9. d5 Bxf3 10. gxf3 Nd4 11. Bb5+ Nd7 12. Qa4 Nxb5 13. Qxb5 g6 14. O-O
Bg7 15. Re1 O-O 16. Bg5 Bxc3 17. bxc3 f6 18. Bf4 b6 19. Re3 Rc8 20. Rae1 Rf7
21. c4 Ne5 22. Bxe5 fxe5 23. Rxe5 Qd6 24. Qb3 Qf6 25. R1e4 b5 26. cxb5 Rc1+ 27.
Kg2 Rb1 28. Qe3 Rxb5 29. Re6 Qa1 30. Rxe7 Rb1 31. Re8+ Kg7 32. Qd4+ Qxd4 33.
Rxd4 Rd7 34. Re6 a5 35. a4 Rb4 36. Rxb4 axb4 37. Rb6 Rxd5 38. Rxb4 h5 39. Rb5
Rd3 40. Rb8 Kf6 41. Ra8 Rd4 42. a5 Ra4 43. a6 Ra1 44. a7 Kg7 45. h4 Ra2 46. f4
Ra3 47. f5 gxf5 48. f4 Kh7 49. Kf2 Kg7 50. Ke2 Ra4 51. Kd3 Kh7 52. Kc3 Kg7 53.
Kb3 Ra1 54. Kc4 Ra5 55. Kb4 Ra1 56. Kc5 Kh7 57. Kd6 Kg7 58. Ke6 Ra5 59. Rd8
Ra6+ 60. Rd6 Rxa7 61. Rd7+ 1-0

[Event "Norway Supreme Masters Blitz 2013"]
[Site "Stavanger NOR"]
[Date "2013.05.07"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2868"]
[Annotator "Active Defence"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4r1k1/2R2p2/4q2p/1pQ3pB/2p5/2P1n2P/1P4P1/6K1 b - - 0 40"]
[PlyCount "4"]
[EventDate "2013.05.07"]

40... Rf8 $2 (40... Qe4 $1 41. Bxf7+ Kh8 42. Qc6 Qb1+ (42... Qxc6 $14) 43. Kh2
Nf1+ $11) (40... Qf6 41. Rxf7 Qe5 42. Rf8+ (42. Qb6 Qe6 43. Qb7 Qe5 44. Bg6)
42... Kg7 43. Qa7+ Re7 44. Rf7+ Rxf7 45. Qxf7+ Kh8 46. Bg6 Qg7 47. Qe8+ Qg8 48.
Qe5+ Qg7 49. Qb8+ Qg8 50. Qd6 Qg7 51. Be4 $1 $18) (40... Kh8 41. Rxf7 Qd5 42.
Rf8+ $18) 41. Re7 $1 Qf5 42. Qxe3 1-0

[Event "Politiken Cup 2013"]
[Site "HelsingÃƒ,r "]
[Date "2013.07.29"]
[Round "4.11"]
[White "Smerdon, David"]
[Black "Aabling-Thomsen, Jakob"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2521"]
[BlackElo "2370"]
[Annotator "Prophylaxis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rkr/p6p/1p3Bp1/2p5/6N1/4R2P/PPP3b1/2K5 b - - 0 27"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[EventDate "2013.07.27"]

27... h5 $2 (27... Rxf6 28. Nxf6+ Kf7 29. Ng4 Re8 $19) 28. Re7 Rh7 29. Nh6+ $1
Rxh6 30. Rg7+ Kh8 31. Rf7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Biel (var)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.07.29"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "Pawn Endings"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r5/2P3pp/3k4/5K2/2R4P/6P1/8/8 b - - 0 42"]
[PlyCount "17"]
[EventDate "2012.07.22"]

{If White had tried 42.h4, Black would have had to find this draw.} 42... Rf8+
43. Kg5 Rc8 44. h5 Rxc7 45. Rxc7 Kxc7 46. h6 g6 $3 {The point of it all.} 47.
Kf6 Kd7 48. Kg7 Ke7 49. Kxh7 Kf7 $1 50. g4 g5 $11 1/2-1/2

[Event "Gibraltar Masters"]
[Site "Catalan Bay ENG"]
[Date "2004.01.30"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Seel, C."]
[Black "Ganguly, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A31"]
[WhiteElo "2380"]
[BlackElo "2541"]
[Annotator "Active Defence"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2r2k1/pp3ppp/1qnP1n2/1Nb1p3/6b1/2N1P1P1/PP1B1P1P/R2QKB1R w KQ - 0 12"]
[PlyCount "24"]
[EventDate "2004.01.27"]
[Source "ChessPublishing"]
[SourceDate "2010.01.22"]

12. f3 $2 (12. Qxg4 $1 Nxg4 13. Na4 Qa6 14. Nxc5 Qb6 15. Na4 $11) (12. Na4 Bxd1
13. Kxd1 $1) 12... Bxe3 13. fxg4 a6 $1 14. Na4 (14. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 15. Qe2 $15)
14... Bf2+ 15. Ke2 Qxb5+ 16. Kxf2 Qd5 $3 17. Bg2 Nxg4+ 18. Qxg4 Qxd2+ 19. Kg1
Rxd6 20. Bxc6 Qe3+ 21. Kg2 Rd2+ 22. Kh3 Qh6+ 23. Qh4 Qxc6 0-1

[Event "Altensteig"]
[Site "Varna"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Polak"]
[Black "Frolich"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Endgames with Queens"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/q6k/P2p2p1/1Pp1p2p/8/6P1/5P1P/R5K1 b - - 0 3"]
[PlyCount "20"]
[EventDate "1962.09.16"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]

3... e4 $1 4. b6 Qg7 5. Rb1 e3 $1 (5... Qf7 $5 {also draws.}) 6. b7 exf2+ (6...
Qd4 7. b8=Q exf2+ $11) (6... Qf7 7. fxe3 Qe6 $1 $11) 7. Kf1 Qd4 8. b8=Q Qd3+ 9.
Kg2 Qd5+ 10. Kxf2 Qd2+ 11. Kf3 Qd3+ 12. Kf4 Qd4+ 13. Kf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "14th Karpov GM"]
[Site "Poikovsky RUS"]
[Date "2013.09.03"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Bologan, V."]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, I."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E60"]
[WhiteElo "2672"]
[BlackElo "2723"]
[Annotator "Prophylaxis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3r1q1k/R7/2pP2p1/4p1PP/4Prp1/5p2/PP1R1Q2/1K6 b - - 0 48"]
[PlyCount "18"]
[EventDate "2013.08.28"]

48... Rxe4 $4 (48... g3 $1 49. Qxg3 f2 50. Rxf2 Rxf2 51. Qxe5+ Kg8 $11) 49.
hxg6 g3 50. Qb6 $1 (50. Qxg3 Qf5 51. Rh2+ Kg8 52. Ka1 $1 Qg4 53. g7 Rd7 54.
Rxd7 Qxd7 55. Rh1 $18) 50... Re1+ 51. Kc2 Qf5+ 52. Rd3 Rd7 53. Rxd7 Qxd7 54.
Qc7 Re2+ 55. Kc3 Qg7 56. Qd8+ (56. Qc8+ Qg8 57. Qh3+ Kg7 58. Qh6#) 56... Qg8
57. Qf6+ 1-0

[Event "4ncl"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.11.17"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shaw, J."]
[Black "McClement, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[Annotator "Shaw,John"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2013.11.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCategory "15"]

1. e4 c5 2. f4 Nc6 (2... d5 $1 $11) 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Nc3 Qd8 6. Bb5
Bd7 7. O-O Nf6 8. Ne5 Nd4 9. Nxd7 Nxd7 10. Bc4 e6 11. b3 Be7 12. Bb2 O-O 13.
Ne2 Nxe2+ 14. Qxe2 Bf6 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 {Black offered a draw. It is equal, but I
like to play to the death. This is partly because my strongest phase is the
endgame, but I also dislike premature draws - just play the game.} 16. Rae1
Qd4+ 17. Qe3 Qxe3+ 18. Rxe3 {With rooks on the e- and f-files, a bishop on c4
and a pawn on f4, there can only be one threat: f4-f5!} Rfd8 $2 {As Andrew
explained in the post mortem, he saw the threat, but thought: "I attack d2,
White defends it, then I stop f4-f5 with ...g6."   I often make the same error:
treating a threat as though it is a check and cannot be ignored.} (18... g6 $11
{was safe and solid.}) 19. f5 $1 {My threat's bigger than your threat.} Rxd2 ({
Also unpleasant is} 19... exf5 20. Re7) 20. fxe6 Rxc2 $2 {Played quickly, but
a losing mistake. There is a Bobby Fischer quote that goes something like:
"It's never the first mistake you make that kills you. It's the second mistake
that happens because you were thinking about the first mistake."} (20... fxe6 {
would limit the damage. After} 21. Bxe6+ {White meets either king move with
g2-g4 with a promising initiative, but the fight continues.}) 21. e7 $18 {The
new e-pawn wins the game. The pressure on f7 makes the knight more of a
spectator than a defender.} a6 (21... Re8 {loses to most sensible moves. For
example:} 22. Bb5 ({or} 22. Rd1) ({or} 22. Bd3 Rxa2 23. Rxf6 gxf6 24. Bb5) ({
The only one to avoid is} 22. Rxf6 $2 Rxc4 $1)) 22. Rxf6 gxf6 23. e8=Q+ Rxe8
24. Rxe8+ Kg7 25. a4 Rb2 26. Rb8 1-0

[Event "4NCL 2013-14"]
[Site "Hinckley Island"]
[Date "2013.11.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "D'Costa Lorin AR"]
[Black "Gantner, Matthias"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2406"]
[BlackElo "2251"]
[Annotator "Robot 8"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "GBR"]
[WhiteTeam "bar"]
[BlackTeam "wro"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nd5 Bc5 6. e3 O-O 7. Ne2 Re8 8. O-O
a5 9. f4 exf4 10. Nexf4 Nxd5 11. cxd5 Nb4 12. a3 Na6 13. b3 Bf8 14. Bb2 d6 15.
Qc2 {White has a slight advantage after the opening, but Black needs to be
careful. His kingside is awfully weak.} Bd7 $2 {This looks natural, but
ignores White's supremecy on the kingside entirely.} (15... Qg5 $5 {and Black
is just a bit worse.}) 16. Be4 $1 h6 (16... g6 {is killed off with either} 17.
Nxg6 {or} (17. Nh5 {.})) 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Nh5 $1 {Attacking f7.} (18. Bg6 fxg6
19. Nxg6+ Kg8 20. Qc3 $1 Re7 $1) 18... Re7 {This opens up for a great stroke,
though it is not necessary for winning the game.} (18... Qg5 19. Rxf7 Qxh5 20.
Rxd7 {is a simply pawn up for White. Still this was all Black had.}) 19. Rf6 $3
{Attacking the unprotected pawn on h6. The Black king is in big trouble.} Bg4 {
There is no defence.} 20. Rxh6 f6 {The only way to prevent the mate.} (20...
Bxh5 21. Bg8+ Kxg8 22. Qh7#) 21. Qg6 {I saw the position at this point and
knew instantly that I would put it on the blog.} Bf3 (21... Bxh5 22. Bg8+ Kxg8
23. Qh7+ Kf7 24. Rxf6+ $1 {leads to mate as well.}) 22. Bg8+ $1 gxh6 23. Bxf6+
{Mate on h7 follows.} 1-0

[Event "4NCL 2013-14"]
[Site "Hinckley Island"]
[Date "2013.11.18"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Longson"]
[Black "Aagaard"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C00"]
[Annotator "Home,Jacob"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "GBR"]

1. e4 e6 2. Qe2 d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. dxe4 e5 5. Nf3 Nd7 6. g3 Ngf6 7. Bg2 Bc5 8.
O-O O-O 9. Nbd2 Re8 10. Nc4 b5 11. Na5 c6 12. Bd2 b4 $5 (12... Qc7 $1) 13. a3
$1 (13. Nb3 $6 a5 $1) 13... bxa3 $2 (13... Qxa5 14. axb4 Qb6 (14... Qb5 15.
Qxb5 Bxf2+ 16. Rxf2 cxb5) 15. bxc5 Qxb2 16. Ba5 Rb8 $1) 14. b4 $14 *

[Event "4NCL Division 1b"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.01.12"]
[Round "4.154"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Buckley, Simon T"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E42"]
[WhiteElo "2513"]
[BlackElo "2348"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2014.01.12"]
[WhiteTeam "Wood Green HK 1"]
[BlackTeam "White Rose 1"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Nge2 cxd4 6. exd4 O-O 7. a3 Be7 8. d5
d6 9. dxe6 fxe6 10. Nf4 Qa5 11. Qe2 Qf5 12. g3 g5 13. Bh3 g4 14. Bg2 Nc6 15.
Be3 Ne5 16. h3 Nf3+ 17. Kf1 Ne5 18. Re1 Ng6 19. hxg4 Qxg4 20. Bf3 Qf5 21. Nxg6
Qxg6 22. Kg2 e5 23. Rh6 Qg7 24. Rh4 Rf7 25. Reh1 Bf5 26. b4 h5 27. Bxb7 Raf8
28. Bf3 Ng4 29. Rxh5 e4 30. Rh8+ Qxh8 31. Rxh8+ Kxh8 32. Bxg4 Bg6 33. Nd5 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.01.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sowray, Peter"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E00"]
[WhiteElo "2338"]
[BlackElo "2518"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[SourceDate "2014.01.11"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bh4 b6 5. Nc3 Bb7 6. f3 Be7 7. Bg3 d5 8. cxd5
exd5 9. e3 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. Nge2 Bd6 12. Bf2 Re8 13. O-O Na6 14. g4 Nc7 15.
Kg2 c4 16. Bc2 b5 17. Ng3 Bc8 18. Qd2 a5 19. Rad1 a4 20. h4 Nxg4 21. fxg4 Bxg4
22. Nge2 b4 23. Nxa4 Qd7 24. Bg3 Bxg3 25. Kxg3 Bh5 26. Rf5 Bg6 27. Nc5 Qd6+ 28.
Kh3 Bxf5+ 29. Bxf5 Rxa2 30. Nf4 Rxb2 31. Qxb2 Rxe3+ 32. Kg4 Ne8 33. Nd7 g6 34.
Rg1 Ng7 35. h5 0-1

[Event "4NCL Division 1b"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.01.12"]
[Round "4.153"]
[White "McNab, Colin A"]
[Black "Speelman, Jon S"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2457"]
[BlackElo "2495"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "2014.01.12"]
[WhiteTeam "White Rose 1"]
[BlackTeam "Wood Green HK 1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. b3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Bb2 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. e3
Nbd7 9. Nc3 a6 10. Rc1 Bd6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Ne2 Re8 13. Nf4 Ra7 14. d4 a5 15.
Qc2 a4 16. Ne5 Qa8 17. Nc6 axb3 18. axb3 Ra2 19. Nd3 Ba6 20. Ncb4 Bxb4 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL 2013-14"]
[Site "Hinckley Island"]
[Date "2014.01.12"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Paehtz, Elizabeth"]
[Black "Greet, Andrew"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C19"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "GBR"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 h6 8. a4
O-O 9. Bd3 b6 10. Be3 Nf5 11. Bxf5 cxd4 12. Nxd4 exf5 13. Qf3 Qc7 14. O-O Nc6
15. Nxc6 Qxc6 16. Bd4 Ba6 17. Rfe1 Qe6 18. Qe3 Bc4 19. Qc1 Rfb8 20. Qa3 a5 21.
Reb1 b5 22. axb5 Rxb5 23. Rxb5 Bxb5 24. Rb1 Qc6 25. h4 Kh7 26. Re1 Qe6 27. Rb1
Qc6 28. Re1 Qe6 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL 2013-14"]
[Site "Hinckley Island"]
[Date "2014.01.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Greet, Andrew"]
[Black "Tan, Justin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D11"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "GBR"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bg4 5. Qb3 Qb6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Nh4 Bh5 8. h3 g5
9. Nf3 h6 10. Ne5 Nfd7 11. Nd3 Be7 12. h4 gxh4 13. c5 Qc7 14. e4 Bg5 15. f4 Be7
16. Be3 Bg4 17. Nf2 h5 18. f5 b6 19. cxb6 Nxb6 20. Nxg4 hxg4 21. Qc2 Qg3+ 22.
Bf2 Qf4 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Bd3 g3 25. Bg1 Bg5 26. Qe2 N8d7 27. Kd1 Rf8 28. Kc2
O-O-O 29. Re1 Nf6 30. exd5 Nfxd5 31. a3 Rfe8 32. Ne4 Be7 33. Nc5 Bxc5 34. dxc5
Qa4+ 35. Kc1 Nd7 36. Qe4 Qa5 37. Rxh4 0-1

[Event "4NCL Division 1b"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.01.11"]
[Round "3.156"]
[White "Eden, Tomer"]
[Black "Shaw, John K"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2212"]
[BlackElo "2427"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[WhiteTeam "e2e4.org.uk 1"]
[BlackTeam "Wood Green HK 1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. e4 b5 6. b3 cxb3 7. axb3 e6 8. Bd2
a5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. O-O Be7 11. Rc1 h6 12. Nc3 Na6 13. e5 Nb4 14. exf6 Nxc2 15.
fxe7 Qxe7 16. Rxc2 O-O 17. Ne4 c5 18. dxc5 Rfd8 19. Nd6 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Qf6 21.
Rac1 Qxf3 22. Be4 Qg4+ 23. Kh1 Ra7 24. f3 Qh3 25. Nxb5 Rad7 26. Nd6 f5 27. Bc6
Rxd6 28. cxd6 Rxd6 29. Bxa5 Rxc6 30. Rxc6 Qxf3+ 31. Kg1 Qe3+ 32. Kf1 Qxb3 33.
Bc7 Qf3+ 34. Kg1 Qe3+ 35. Kh1 e5 36. Bb6 Qf3+ 37. Kg1 Qg4+ 38. Kh1 f4 39. R6c2
Qe6 40. Bf2 e4 41. Be3 fxe3 42. Re1 Kf7 43. Rce2 Kf6 44. Rxe3 Kf5 45. Kg2 Kf4
46. R1e2 Qd5 47. h3 Qg5+ 48. Kf1 Qg6 49. Kf2 Qb6 0-1

[Event "4NCL Division 1b"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.01.12"]
[Round "4.156"]
[White "Shaw, John K"]
[Black "Townsend, M Paul"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2427"]
[BlackElo "2241"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2014.01.12"]
[WhiteTeam "Wood Green HK 1"]
[BlackTeam "White Rose 1"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Nb3 Nc6 9. Nbxd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Be2 O-O-O 13. c4 e5 14.
Nb3 Kb8 15. f4 e4 16. h3 h5 17. Be3 h4 18. Rad1 Be7 19. Kf2 Nh5 20. Nc5 Bc6 21.
Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. Rd1 Ng3 23. Nd7+ Kc8 24. Ne5 Be8 25. Rd2 f6 26. Bg4+ f5 27. Bd1
g5 28. c5 Bc7 29. Kg1 Bxe5 30. fxe5 f4 31. Bg4+ Kc7 32. Bd4 e3 33. Rc2 Bg6 34.
e6 Rd8 35. Be5+ Kc6 36. Bf3+ Be4 37. Bf6 Re8 38. e7 Kd7 39. Bg4+ Kc6 40. Rc4
Bd5 41. Rd4 f3 42. gxf3 Ne2+ 43. Kf1 Nxd4 44. Bxd4 Rxe7 45. b3 e2+ 46. Ke1 Be6
47. Bf6 Re8 48. Bxg5 Bxg4 49. fxg4 Kxc5 50. Bxh4 Kb4 51. Bf6 Re4 52. g5 Rh4 53.
g6 Rxh3 54. g7 Rg3 55. Kxe2 Ka3 56. Kf2 Rg6 57. Ke3 Kxa2 58. Ke4 Kxb3 59. Kf5
Rxg7 60. Bxg7 b5 61. Ke4 a5 62. Kd5 a4 63. Kc5 b4 64. Kb5 a3 65. Bf6 a2 66. Ba1
Ka3 67. Kc4 b3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2014.01.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Yu Yangyi"]
[Black "Brunello, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2602"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[SourceDate "2014.01.04"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. O-O c5 7. c3 Nec6 8. a3 Nd7
9. b4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Rc8 11. Bb2 Be7 12. Nbd2 O-O 13. Rc1 Nb6 14. Bc3 Rc7 15.
Qb3 Qd7 16. Bb2 Rfc8 17. Rc3 a6 18. Rfc1 Na7 19. Bd1 Rxc3 20. Rxc3 Rxc3 21.
Bxc3 Qc6 22. h3 Nb5 23. Bb2 Nc4 24. Be2 Nxb2 25. Qxb2 Nc3 26. Nb3 Nxe2+ 27.
Qxe2 Qc3 28. Qe3 Qxe3 29. fxe3 b6 30. Ne1 Kf8 31. Kf2 Ke8 32. Ke2 Kd7 33. Kd2
Kc6 34. Nd3 Kb5 35. Nb2 a5 36. bxa5 bxa5 37. Nc5 Bxc5 38. dxc5 Kxc5 39. Kc3 f6
40. exf6 gxf6 41. h4 e5 42. Na4+ Kd6 43. Nb2 Bd7 44. Nd3 Bb5 45. Nf2 Ke6 46. g3
Kf5 47. Kc2 Kg6 48. Kd2 Kh5 49. Kc2 f5 50. Kc3 f4 51. exf4 exf4 52. gxf4 Kxh4
53. Nd1 Kg4 54. Ne3+ Kxf4 55. Nxd5+ Ke5 56. Ne3 h5 57. Kd2 Kf4 58. Nd5+ Kf3 59.
Nc7 Bc4 60. Kc3 h4 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2014.01.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Zhao Xue"]
[Black "Brunello, S."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2567"]
[BlackElo "2602"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. g3 dxc4 6. Bg2 b5 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Ne5
Nxe5 9. dxe5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Nd5 11. a4 b4 12. Ne4 a5 13. Be3 Nxe3 14. fxe3 Ra7
15. Rac1 Ba6 16. Kf2 c5 17. Nd2 Rc7 18. Ne4 Ra7 19. Nd2 Rc7 20. Ne4 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh Women 2015"]
[Site "Sochi RUS"]
[Date "2015.03.18"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Guo Qi"]
[Black "Pogonina, N."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2443"]
[BlackElo "2456"]
[Annotator "Flores Rios, Mauricio"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2015.03.17"]

{It's already been a while since I finished writing Chess Structures, but I
liked the topic so much that I keep coming back to it, just thinking how it
impacted my understanding of chess. I follow games on Chessbomb pretty much
daily and I really enjoy when I see a nice structure-concept being applied.
Oftentimes these games reproduce ideas shown in the book almost identically,
while sometimes there are small ( yet very important! ) differences. So I
thought, why not start a blog in which I will, once in a while, post a game
which builds upon those ideas I tried to share with the readers of my book.
Since the hardest point of starting a blog is having any readers at all, John
offered his help, allowing me to post a couple of guest blogs here. The
permanent location of my blog will be chess-structures.com, though it will
take me about 4-5 days to set it up properly, since I am a complete beginner
as far as websites go.  Now let's get started with some chess. As you may have
realized, almost every game in my book was a decisive game (not a draw), since
drawn games (especially agreed draws) are like an unfinished story, and people
just don't like to read stories without an ending... Anyway, the only
exception to this rule is the game Onischuk-Dominguez from the World Cup of
2013. Their game was a Carlsbad structure (Chapter 5) which I thought was very
instructive, as it shows how Black may completely neutralize White's queenside
plans.   Few days ago, as I was following the Women's World Championship in
Sochi, I finally found a great example which pretty much takes off where
Dominguez left off, and brings home the full point. The contenders: young star
Guo Qi from China against World finalist Natalia Pogonina. Let's see the game:
} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 {It's already been a while since I
finished writing Chess Structures, but I liked the topic so much that I keep
coming back to it, just thinking how it impacted my understanding of chess. I
follow games on Chessbomb pretty much daily and I really enjoy when I see a
nice structure-concept being applied. Oftentimes these games reproduce ideas
shown in the book almost identically, while sometimes there are small ( yet
very important! ) differences. So I thought, why not start a blog in which I
will, once in a while, post a game which builds upon those ideas I tried to
share with the readers of my book. Since the hardest point of starting a blog
is having any readers at all, John offered his help, allowing me to post a
couple of guest blogs here. The permanent location of my blog will be
chess-structures.com, though it will take me about 4-5 days to set it up
properly, since I am a complete beginner as far as websites go.  Now let's get
started with some chess. As you may have realized, almost every game in my
book was a decisive game (not a draw), since drawn games (especially agreed
draws) are like an unfinished story, and people just don't like to read
stories without an ending... Anyway, the only exception to this rule is the
game Onischuk-Dominguez from the World Cup of 2013. Their game was a Carlsbad
structure (Chapter 5) which I thought was very instructive, as it shows how
Black may completely neutralize White's queenside plans.   Few days ago, as I
was following the Women's World Championship in Sochi, I finally found a great
example which pretty much takes off where Dominguez left off, and brings home
the full point. The contenders: young star Guo Qi from China against World
finalist Natalia Pogonina. Let's see the game:} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c6 7. Qc2
Nbd7 8. e3 Nh5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Be2 Nhf6 {Diagram [#]} 11. Nd2 $6 {White
deviates from theory, possibly to prevent 11...Ne4 !? This is a little
imprecise since moving fast with b2-b4-b5 should be the priority} ({normal was
} 11. O-O {to follow with Rab1, b2-b4-b5, and in case of} Ne4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13.
Nd2 Nf6 14. Rab1 $5 $14 {we have transposed to Chapter 20, the French type II 
(colors reversed) where White's prospects are good, since the break b4-b5 is
easy to carry out, and Black lacks material (and moves) to create serious
kingside threats}) 11... Nb6 12. O-O O-O 13. Bd3 ({If} 13. Rab1 {then} Bg4 $1
14. Bd3 Bh5 {similar to the game}) 13... Bg4 14. Rab1 Bh5 $1 {Black is aiming
to trade light squared bishops, a good idea} 15. b4 a6 {a standard reply, to
trade off a-pawns, getting rid of a potential weakness} ({in case of} 15... Bg6
16. Bxg6 hxg6 17. b5 $5 {typically this would give problems to Black, since
both a7 and c6 pawns can become weaknesses, however White's play has been
imprecise, and after} Rfc8 18. bxc6 Rxc6 $1 {Black's got good counterplay} (
18... bxc6 $2 $14)) 16. Na4 ({in case of} 16. a4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 {the
standard} 18. b5 $6 {is met strongly by} cxb5 19. axb5 a5 $1 $15 {where Black
has a passed pawn, making White's entire enterprise a failure}) 16... Nxa4 17.
Qxa4 Bg6 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Qc2 {My favorite moment in the game, Pogonina is
doing well, but how should she proceed to stop a4 and b4-b5?} Ne8 $1 20. a4 Nd6
$15 {Diagram [#] The position we have obtained is almost identical to the game
Onischuk-Dominguez (annotated in Chapter 5). White's queenside play is no
longer dangerous. The big difference between this game and the one in the book
is that here Black's h-file is open, meaning better prospects for kingside
play. Let's see how the game unfolded} 21. Rfc1 {White continues a futile
attempt for queenside play} ({in case of} 21. Rfe1 {trying to simplify with
e3-e4, then} Rfe8 $1 {and White is unable to escape his inferior position})
21... Rfe8 22. Qd3 Rac8 23. Nb3 g5 $1 {Black begins with kingside action!} 24.
Nc5 g6 25. Re1 g4 {Black has a very easy plan, Kg7, Rh8, Qh4 and a checkmate
attack, has White made any queenside progress?} 26. Qe2 Qh4 {Diagram [#]} 27.
f4 $6 {White neutralizes the kingside attack, at the cost of a permanent
weakness on e4} ({More solid was} 27. g3 Qg5 28. f3 gxf3 29. Qxf3 Kg7 $15)
27... Kg7 28. g3 Qh3 29. Qg2 Qh5 30. Rb2 ({It does not help} 30. e4 $2 dxe4 31.
Nxe4 Qd5 $1 32. Nxd6 Qxd4+ 33. Kh1 Qxd6 $19) 30... Re7 31. Qf1 Nc4 32. Rbe2
Rce8 33. Qf2 a5 $1 $17 {Diagram [#] White's forces are tied, and Black creates
a second front of attack. As it turned out, only Black was able to create
queenside threats... The rest of the game bears less relevance to the topic,
so I leave it almost no comments.} 34. bxa5 Qf5 35. Nb3 Qd3 36. Nc5 Qf5 37. Nb3
Kf8 38. Nc5 Nxa5 39. Rb2 Kg7 40. Rb4 Kg8 41. Re2 Qc8 42. Nd3 f6 43. Nb2 Qc7 44.
Qe1 b6 45. Qc3 Kg7 46. Kf2 Nb7 47. Nd1 Nd6 {Diagram [#] All of Black's dreams
come true and a diagram is in order =)} 48. Qd3 c5 49. dxc5 bxc5 50. Rbb2 Ne4+
(50... c4 $1 $19) 51. Kg1 Qc6 52. a5 d4 53. Rb6 Qd5 54. a6 Rd7 55. Reb2 Nd6 56.
Rf2 Nf5 $1 $19 57. Re2 ({or} 57. exd4 Re1+ 58. Rf1 c4 $1 59. Qd2 Rxf1+ 60. Kxf1
Qh1+ {forced checkmate}) 57... c4 $19 {Black's central pawns begin to roll,
deciding the game nicely} 58. Qb1 d3 59. Ra2 Nxe3 60. Nc3 Qd4 61. Rb7 Nd5+ 62.
Kf1 {White resigns.   I don't know about you, but finding this game just made
me really happy =)   To remember: 1.- A tiny structural difference (the
capture hxg6) gave Black good kingside prospects completely risk-free.  2.- To
nobody's surprise, placing a knight on d6 to stop White's queenside play
proved effective again.  Expect a post within a week, with another example of
"Chess Structures in practice".} Nxc3 {White resigns.   I don't know about you,
but finding this game just made me really happy =)   To remember: 1.- A tiny
structural difference (the capture hxg6) gave Black good kingside prospects
completely risk-free.  2.- To nobody's surprise, placing a knight on d6 to
stop White's queenside play proved effective again.  Expect a post within a
week, with another example of "Chess Structures in practice".} 0-1

[Event "MT-Vayser (RUS)"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2014.01.25"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Martynov, Aleksandr Stepanovi"]
[Black "Rogos, JÃ¡n"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2376"]
[BlackElo "2508"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]

{The Semi-Slav is one of the most fascinating openings in modern chess. It is
the opening that helped Vladimir Kramnik to climb the mount Olympus as a
youngster and make his appearence among the best players in the 90s and today
it is Vishy Anand's most trusted weapon. It helped him to get his first
undisputed world title in 2007 and of course who can forget his amazing
performance at the 2008 world championship match against Kramnik when the
Indian scored who amazing wins with Black in the Meran variation! Of course
Anand is still the man to watch for developments in the opening as he is still
unleashing opening bombs like in his game against Aronian in Wijk aan Zee
2011!  We can imagine that such a popular opening complex to be well covered
in modern bibliography and this is true. David Vigorito's "Play the Semi-Slav"
(Quality Chess, 2008) is still surprizingly relevant in many lines despite
being now 7 year old and other experts like Dreev and Sakaev have also
presented well respected works on the opening. Still, the last couple of years
have been outstandingly rich regarding developments of many key lines for both
sides and what is worse, the Semi-Slav has become so deeply and widely
analysed that the typical club player will feel lost trying to navigate
himself in the complexities of this minefield of modern chess.   In my humble
opinion, it is very difficult to find a better author on this subject than
Lars Schandorff. Schandorff's other works for Quality Chess like "Playing 1.
d4- The Queen's Gambit" and "Playing 1.d4- The Indian Defences" as well as the
slightly older "Grandmaster Repertoire - The Caro Kann" have proved that he
has a special talent to present complex opening lines in a very
reader-friendly way. Another thing is also at least as important. Lars is a
true expert of the Semi-Slav who has vast experience by defending the opening
succesfully against strong opposition for many years (a look at the database
will convince you!) and thus he has acquired deep understanding.  So, what the
reader can expect from this work is fascinating chess, deep analysis and
reasearch and a very friendly presentantion of the latest developments of this
very important member of the modern chess openings many of those cannot be
found in other works simply because 2-3 years back many lines were not even
known! This is one such example:} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 {
This is the starting position of the book} 5. e3 {One of the two big main lines
} (5. Bg5 {is the other big brunch were Lars analyses} h6 {as well as the
fascinating} (5... dxc4)) 5... Nbd7 6. Bd3 {The Meran Variation} (6. Qc2 {
is another popular move which leads to more positional play and is presented
in the book as well of course}) 6... dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O a6 10.
e4 c5 11. d5 Qc7 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. Bc2 c4 {So far so good. We have now one of
the most well analysed tabiyas of the whole opening theory, the "Classical
Meran". Still, in such a well known position new ideas can be found.} 14. Ne2
$5 {A move that was not considered anything special untill Eljanov's
convincing victory over Gelfand at Moscow 2010. It was untill quite recently
that Black found a convincing way to deal with it.} O-O-O $1 (14... e5 {
was tried by Gelfand in the aformentioned game against Eljanov. After} 15. Ng3
Bc5 16. b3 $1 {White allows Black to put a pawn at c3, but this is something
that was part of White's spectacular idea. Starting from this position many
analysts recommended that Black should not push the pawn and simply let White
take at c4, but the resulting positions are not that attractive for the second
player. Lars' suggestion is much more fun as well as theoretically more sound!}
) 15. Qe1 $6 {I have a personal experience here. I saw this move played live
by GM Banikas against the young IM Antonis Pavlidis at the Greek Team
Championships of 2012. Christos Banikas is always well prepared and so he
unleashed this move almost immediately! Still, according to Lars another move
is more critical} (15. Ned4 {and now Lars analyses} Qb6 16. a4 e5 17. Nf5 Nxe4
{in quite some depth concluding that Black is fine.}) 15... Bc5 $1 (15... e5 $6
{was seen instead at the aformentioned game Banikas -Pavlidis, Rion 2012 where
White got the upper hand and won rather easily.}) 16. b4 {White has to attack
at the queenside} (16. a4 {is met by} b4 {according to Lars, and}) (16. Bd2
Nxe4 17. Ba5 Bb6 18. Bxb6 Qxb6 19. a4 Ndc5 $15 {is not especially attractive
for White either}) 16... Bb6 $1 17. Bb2 (17. a4 Rhf8 $1 {followed by putting a
knight at e5 is analysed by Lars with the conclusion that Black has a very
dangerous initiative}) 17... Rhf8 18. Ned4 Rfe8 19. Bc3 g6 20. Qb1 e5 21. Ne2
Nb8 $1 {White's play has been very slow and he is still to produce a real
threat at Black's queenside. With Black's last the knight arrives at d4 and
the Senior Correspodence Internatinal Master shows who is the boss in the
position} 22. a4 Nc6 23. Ng3 Nd4 24. Bd1 h5 {White was so much disgusted with
his position that he went as far to resign the game! So, 14.Ne2 O-O-O is one
of those recent developments that have changed dramatically the opening the
last 2-3 years and you can find all of these presented in the upcoming
"Grandmaster Repertoire: The Semi- Slav" by Lars Schandorff.} 0-1

[Event "Correspondence"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.12.13"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Visser, Anton P"]
[Black "Waller, Anthony"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2226"]
[BlackElo "2238"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2015.04.15"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.04.15"]

{We always enjoy hearing success stories from our readers. One such message
came in last week from Anton Visser, who tested Parimarjan Negi's repertoire
against the Najdorf in a correspondence game. Anton's verdict on Negi's
analysis is that it was "better than the computer my opponent used." Here is
the game:} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4
Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 dxe5 11. fxe5 Nfd7 12. Ne4 h6 13. Bh4 Qxa2
14. Rd1 Qd5 15. Qe3 Qxe5 16. Be2 Bc5 17. Bg3 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Qa5+ 19. Rd2 O-O 20.
Bd6 Rd8 {We are deep into one of the crazy main lines of the Poisoned Pawn.
Parimarjan (or "Pari", as we call him) analyses it in Chapter 15 of 1.e4 vs
the Sicilian I.} 21. g4 $3 {Pari describes in the book how he discovered this
move in 2006, and was able to introduce it as a novelty four years later.
White throws his entire army into the kingside attack.} Nc6 22. g5 hxg5 23. Rg1
Nf6 (23... f6 {is Negi's main line, but of course he analyses the text move as
well.}) 24. Rxg5 Qa1+ 25. Rd1 {Now Black must give up his queen but he gets
more than enough material for it, so everything depends on White's attack.}
Qxd1+ 26. Kxd1 $1 (26. Bxd1 {led to an eventual victory for our hero in the
original game, Negi - Huschenbeth, Chotowa 2010, but he gives the text move as
the most precise continuation in the book.}) 26... Nxe4 27. Qxe4 Rxd6+ 28. Kc1
{Black has a rook, knight and three pawns for the queen, but he struggles to
hold his kingside together. This is one of the countless examples in the 1.e4
books where the engine rates everything as 0.00, but Pari has correctly judged
that Black has real problems.} e5 ({There was one previous game in this line,
where Black was crushed:} 28... Nd4 29. Bh5 Nf5 30. Qe5 Rd7 31. Bg4 Rd5 32. Qf6
Kf8 33. Qc3 g6 34. Bf3 Rb5 35. h4 $40 {(Pari cuts off the line at this point)}
e5 36. Qc7 Be6 37. Bxb7 Re8 38. Bxa6 Rd5 39. h5 Re7 40. Qb8+ {1-0 Ulbig -
Fortune, corr. 2013.}) 29. h4 {Pari notes on page 280 that White has a strong
attack here - and indeed, Black's kingside soon falls apart on the game.} Kf8
30. Qh7 Ke7 31. Rxg7 Be6 32. Bg4 Rf8 {Black has avoided being mated in the
short term, but he is unable to cope with the passed h-pawn. The rest is
relatively easy, especially at correspondence level.} 33. h5 Bxg4 34. Rxg4 Rf6
35. Qg7 Nd4 36. Re4 Nc6 37. Re1 Rd8 38. Rh1 Nd4 39. Qg5 Rd5 40. h6 Ne2+ 41. Kb2
Rb5+ 42. Ka3 Ra5+ 43. Kb4 Rb5+ 44. Ka4 Nc3+ 45. Ka3 Ra5+ 46. Kb4 Ne4 47. Qh4
Rb5+ 48. Ka3 Nd2 49. h7 Nf3 50. Qa4 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 2a"]
[Site "Birmingham, ENG ENG"]
[Date "2016.01.23"]
[Round "3.241"]
[White "Povah, Nigel E"]
[Black "Asenov, Pavel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2304"]
[BlackElo "2237"]
[Annotator "John"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2016.01.23"]
[WhiteTeam "Guildford 3"]
[BlackTeam "Brown Jack Witney"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 c5 3. d5 Qb6 4. Nc3 Qxb2 5. Bd2 Qb6 6. e4 e5 7. f4 d6 8. Rb1 (
{Pert's move order was} 8. Nf3 {, transposing to this game after} Nbd7 9. fxe5
dxe5 10. Rb1) 8... Qc7 9. fxe5 dxe5 10. Nf3 Nbd7 11. Nb5 Qb8 {Quite possibly
Asenov was still in his "prep" as this line was recommended for Black by Dembo
in "Fighting the Anti-King's Indians", as Richard mentioned. IM Nigel Povah
has been playing the Trompowsky consistently for at least 20 years, so it is
unlikely that the promising young English player playing Black was surprised
by the choice of opening.} (11... Qb6 {is safer.}) 12. d6 $1 {A novelty when
Richard suggested it in 2013. It was played in a correspondence game in 2014.}
Bxd6 13. Ba5 Nxe4 {"I think it unlikely that Black would play this in
tournament play." Richard Pert} ({The correspondence game continued} 13... Ke7
14. Ng5 Nb6 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Qxd6+ Kxd6 17. Nxf7+ Kc7 18. Nxh8 Be6 19. a3 Rxh8
20. Bd3 $14 {when Black was a little worse, as he has only a pawn for the
exchange, and White has the bishop pair, but Balutescu - Seben, ICCF 2014, was
eventually drawn.}) 14. Ng5 Ndf6 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qd5 a6 $1 17. Nxd6+ Nxd6 18.
Rd1 $5 {Finally varying from our book.} (18. Qxc5 Nf5 19. Bc7 Qa7 20. Rb6 $14 {
"leaves the queen shut out."}) 18... Ke7 $4 {Trying to hang on to the knight,
but sacrificing his king. Black had to give up the piece with one of the lines
below. They all look advantageous for White, but at least the black king is
not getting mauled.} (18... b6 19. Bc3 Bg4 20. Rd2 O-O 21. Qxd6 $14) (18... Be6
19. Qxd6 Qxd6 20. Rxd6 Bxa2 $14) (18... O-O 19. Qxd6 $14) 19. Qxc5 $18 {
With Bc7 in mind.} b6 20. Bxb6 Kd7 21. Bd3 {White could win by moving the
f1-bishop to any not-en-prise square, so also e2 or c4 or even 21.g3 planning
Bh3+.} e4 22. Bxe4 Re8 23. Qc6+ Ke7 24. Rxd6 Bb7 25. Rd7+ Kf8 26. O-O {
Everything was winning but this is fastest and the most stylish.} Bxc6 27.
Rfxf7+ (27. Rfxf7+ {Black resigned rather than play out} Kg8 28. Rxg7+ Kh8 29.
Rxh7+ Kg8 30. Rdg7+ Kf8 31. Bc5+ Qd6 32. Bxd6+ Re7 33. Bxe7+ Ke8 34. Bxc6#) 1-0

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2016"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2016.02.04"]
[Round "10.5"]
[White "Yu, Yangyi"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain C B"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B77"]
[WhiteElo "2747"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "John"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2016.01.26"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {Showing his faith in the
Dragon.} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. Bb3 Rc8 11. O-O-O Nxd4
12. Bxd4 b5 13. e5 {Gawain was not worried about this one: "The immediate
central break does not put much pressure on Black."} dxe5 14. Bxe5 Bc6 15. Qxd8
{Chapter 9, variation B2 of Volume 1, if you want to check it out yourself.}
Rfxd8 16. Ne2 {Finally varying from the book, but with a rather harmless move.
But the alternatives were not threatening either:} (16. Rxd8+ {and}) (16. a4 {
were the moves mentioned by Gawain.}) 16... Bh6+ 17. Kb1 Nd7 {Black is
comfortably equal. I will not analyse the rest in any depth.} 18. Bd4 a5 19. a3
b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. Rhe1 e5 22. Bf2 Nf6 23. Bg3 $2 {Missing a trick.} (23. Bh4
$11) 23... Bd2 $1 $15 24. Rg1 e4 25. Be5 exf3 26. gxf3 Bxf3 27. Bxf6 Bxe2 28.
Bxd8 Rxd8 29. c3 Bxd1 30. Rxd1 Rb8 31. Kc2 Bf4 32. Rd7 Rf8 33. h3 bxc3 34. bxc3
Kg7 35. Bd5 g5 36. c4 Kg6 37. c5 h5 38. c6 f5 39. c7 Rc8 40. Kd3 g4 41. hxg4
hxg4 42. Bb7 Rxc7 43. Rxc7 Bxc7 {Whatever the merits of White's moves just
before the time control, this is still a draw.} 44. Ke3 Kg5 45. Bc8 $4 {
Yu Yangyi missed something, or perhaps he thought his position was losing
anyway.} ({The tablebase knows} 45. Kf2 $1 {was the only drawing move.} {
After, say,} f4 46. Kg2 {Black needs to support the ...f3-advance with his
king, as otherwise White sacrifices his bishop for the last two pawns. 
(Endgame tip: this position is much simpler to draw if the bishop is on e2 or
d1, but Yu Yangyi did not have that option.) But when Black moves his king
around, White is just in time by attacking the g4-pawn. For example:} Kf6 47.
Bc6 Ke5 48. Bb7 Kd4 49. Bc8 f3+ 50. Kf2 $11) 45... f4+ (45... Bb6+ {was also
winning.}) 46. Ke4 Kh4 47. Kf5 g3 {The Dragon equalized convincingly against a
2747 player, and then Gawain did the rest.} 0-1

[Event "Helsinki"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1959.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ojanen"]
[Black "Ridala"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "R7/P4k2/8/8/7K/8/r7/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]

 *

[Event "Hou Yifan vs. Nigel Short"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.10.17"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[Annotator "User"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Netherlands"]
[BlackTeam "Netherlands"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NED"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NED"]
[WhiteClock "0:57:21"]
[BlackClock "0:15:55"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Nb6 7. Bf4 Be7 8.
O-O-O Nxc4 9. Qxc4 O-O 10. Rhe1 Be6 11. Qf1 Qc8 12. Nd4 Bd7 13. f3 Rb8 14. g4
b5 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. Qh3 b4 17. Ne2 Qa6 18. Kb1 Be6 19. b3 Rb5 20. Be3 d5 21.
Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Bh6+ Kg8 23. Bxf8 Kxf8 24. Qh6+ Ke8 25. Nd4 Ra5 26. Nxe6 fxe6 27.
exd5 e5 28. Rxe5+ Kd7 29. Re6 1-0

[Event "Hou Yifan vs. Nigel Short"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.10.20"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[Annotator "User"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Netherlands"]
[BlackTeam "Netherlands"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NED"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NED"]
[WhiteClock "0:05:17"]
[BlackClock "0:02:38"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. dxc5 e6 6. a3 Bxc5 7. b4 Bb6 8. Bd3
Nge7 9. O-O a5 10. b5 Nd4 11. Re1 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Ng6 13. Bb2 Qg5 14. Qg3 Qxg3
15. hxg3 h5 16. Nd2 h4 17. gxh4 Rxh4 18. g3 Rg4 19. Kf1 Bd7 20. Ke2 a4 21. Rh1
Ke7 22. Rh5 f5 23. exf6+ gxf6 24. Rh7+ Kd6 25. Bxg6 Rxg6 26. Nc4+ dxc4 27. Rd1+
Kc5 28. Rhxd7 Kxb5 29. R1d6 Rc8 30. Rxe6 c3 31. Bc1 Rc7 32. Rd5+ Kc4 33. Rf5
Bd4 34. Re4 Rg8 35. Be3 Rd7 36. Rxf6 b5 37. g4 b4 38. Bxd4 Kd5 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 1"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C45"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2016.11.07"]
[SourceDate "2016.11.07"]

{It is a bit hard to work out from the contents page of Key Concepts from
Gambit Play, so we have assembled a short list of what this means in practice.
} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5
8. c4 Ba6 9. b3 Qh4 10. a3 Bc5 11. g3 Bxf2+ 12. Qxf2 Qe4+ 13. Kd1 Qxh1 14. Nd2
*

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 2"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C50"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d4 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 3"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C48"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 3 part II"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C47"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 4"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C89"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "16"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 5"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C14"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 (6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. f4 {
[%cal Gg1f3]}) 6... Bxg5 7. hxg5 Qxg5 8. Nh3 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 6"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D41"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Bc4 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Nxc3 11. bxc3 b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. h4 Bxh4 (13... Bf6
14. Ng5) 14. Nxh4 Qxh4 15. Re3 {[%cal Ge3h3]} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 7"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D38"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "22"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3
Ne4 9. Nd2 Nxg3 10. hxg3 c6 11. e3 Be6 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 8"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D20"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "19"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 b5 4. a4 c6 5. axb5 cxb5 6. Nc3 a6 7. Nxb5 axb5 8.
Rxa8 Bb7 9. Ra1 e6 10. f3 {[%cal Gf7f5,Gb8c6,Gf8b4]} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 9"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D45"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 10"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D43"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "16"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 dxc4 8. e4 b5
*

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 11"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "E17"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 (4... Ba6 5. Qc2 c5 6. Bg2 (6. d5 exd5
7. cxd5 Bb7 8. Bg2) 6... Bb7 7. d5 exd5 8. cxd5) 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. d5 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 12"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "E29"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "10"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 (4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3
Nc6 8. e4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. e5 Qa5+ 11. Kf1) (4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3
c5) 4... c5 5. d5 b5 (5... d6 6. e4 b5) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 13"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D85"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8.
Rb1 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Chapter 14"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "E81"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "20"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 c5 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. Qxd8
Rxd8 9. Bxc5 Nc6 10. Nd5 Nd7 $1 {[%csl Re7]} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Key Concepts of Gambit Play"]
[Black "Since 2004"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C41"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{The final chapter is a selection of gambits developed since the Russian
version of the book. One of these is:} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7
5. g4 *

[Event "Greek Rapid Championships"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Barbis"]
[Black "Halkias"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3k2r/1bq1bp2/p3p3/1p1pn2p/2pN3P/P1P1PQB1/1PB3P1/R4RK1 w kq - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[EventType "rapid"]

1. Bxe5 $6 (1. Qxf7+ {is the obvious move, but WHite simply gets his pawn back
and Black can continue the fight after} Nxf7 2. Bxc7 Rg8 $5 {with the point
being} 3. Nxe6 $2 ({White has to find the very difficult move} 3. Bd1 $3) 3...
d4) (1. Qf4 $1 Bd6 (1... O-O-O 2. Qxe5 Bd6 3. Qg7 $1 Bxg3 4. Rxf7 Qe5 5. Qxe5
Bxe5 6. Nxe6 $16) 2. Qg5 $3 (2. Qf6 {is also good but there are some
complications after} Rf8 3. Nxe6 fxe6 4. Qxe6+ Qe7 {and now White has to find
the accurate moves} 5. Rxf8+ Kxf8 6. Rf1+ Ke8 7. Rf6 Qxe6 8. Rxe6+ Kd7 9. Bf5
$1) 2... Rf8 (2... Qe7 3. Qg7 {[%csl Re5,Rh8]}) 3. Bxe5 Bxe5 4. Nxe6 fxe6 5.
Rxf8+ Kxf8 6. Rf1+ Ke8 7. Bg6+ Kd7 8. Rf7+) 1... Qxe5 2. Qxf7+ Kd7 3. Nxe6 Rae8
(3... Rh6 $3 $15 4. Nd4 Rf8 5. Qxf8 Bxf8 6. Rxf8 Rf6 7. Rxf6 Qxf6) 4. Nd4 $16 *

[Event "WC35/ct01"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2015.09.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lecroq, Michel"]
[Black "Galanov, Sergey Igorevich"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2606"]
[BlackElo "2468"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]

{I decided to take a look at thelast month's ICCF archives to find interesting
stuff there related to modern theory} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7
5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 (6... Be7 7. Be3 b6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. h4 Nc6 10. Bb5 Qc7 11.
O-O-O a6 12. Bd3 f5 13. g4 c4 14. gxf5 $5 $16 {Kramnik -Buhmann, Dortmund 2016}
(14. Ng5 $5) (14. Bxf5 $5)) 7. Be3 Be7 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Qd2 Qb6 10. Bxc5 Nxc5
11. O-O-O O-O {Statistics in corr games give Black the edge! White though
plays very nicely and achieves a big edge} 12. Nd4 Bd7 {Black's statistic grow
bigger after this move!} 13. h4 $1 Rac8 14. h5 Rfd8 15. Rh3 $1 Be8 16. Nxc6
bxc6 17. h6 Rb8 18. b3 g6 19. Qe1 Qb4 20. Qh4 $16 {White already has a big
edge, but the engines say that Black is fine} Qa3+ 21. Kb1 f5 {Black realised
too late that he has to play this ungly move and suffer} (21... d4 {is the
engine top choice, but due to the horizon effect before you actually play this
move and investigate a bit further they don't see the dangers larcking} 22. Qf6
Kf8 23. Qg7+ Ke7 24. f5 exf5 25. Qf6+ Kf8 26. e6 Nxe6 27. Ne2 {[%csl Re6][%cal
Ge2d4]} Kg8 {[%cal Ga3f8]} 28. Nf4 Qf8 29. Nxg6 fxg6 30. Qxe6+ Bf7 31. Qxc6 $16
{[%csl Rd4]}) 22. exf6 Bf7 23. Rd4 a5 24. Qf2 Rb4 25. Rxb4 Qxb4 26. a4 Rb8 27.
Na2 Qb6 28. g4 Ne4 29. Qxb6 Rxb6 30. Kb2 Nxf6 31. g5 Ne4 32. Bg2 Nc5 33. Ka3
Be8 34. Nc1 Kf7 35. Rc3 Nd7 36. Nd3 Ke7 $16 37. Bf1 Kd6 38. Ne5 Nc5 39. Ng4 Nd7
40. Rf3 Rb4 41. c3 Rb7 42. Re3 Rb8 43. b4 c5 44. Bb5 Nf8 45. bxc5+ Kxc5 46. Bd3
Kd6 47. Nf6 Rc8 48. Ba6 Rb8 49. Re1 Bd7 50. Rd1 Bc6 51. Bd3 Bd7 52. Ng4 Rc8 53.
c4 Rb8 54. Ne5 Rb4 55. Bc2 Bc6 56. Rb1 Rxb1 57. Bxb1 d4 58. Nxc6 Kxc6 59. Be4+
Kb6 60. Kb2 Kc5 61. Kb3 d3 62. Bxd3 Kd4 63. Bb1 1-0

[Event "VWC8 /pr 3"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2015.09.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Posp?sil, Ludv?k"]
[Black "Franz?n, Thomas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2503"]
[BlackElo "2159"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 cxd4 8.
Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qc7 10. Ne2 dxc3 11. f4 Nbc6 12. Qd3 d4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4
Bd7 15. Rg1 Nf5 16. Qf2 Qc6 17. Bd3 Qd5 18. Rb1 Bc6 19. Rb3 O-O-O 20. Rxc3 Kb8
{In this very well researched position, White comes up with a nice idea that
maybe poses some problems} 21. Bd2 $5 {[%cal Ge1d1,Gd1c1]} Qa2 {[%cal Re1d1]
Played with the idea not to let White realise his dream} ({A sample variation
that shows what can happen is White goes with his king towards a safe heaven
at a1 and be allowed to win at the other side of the board. White is two pawns
up, so in the process of achieving his dream, can easily give one back!} 21...
b6 22. Bc4 Qe4+ 23. Kd1 Nd4 (23... Rxg2 24. Rxg2 Qxg2 25. Qxg2 Bxg2 26. Ke2)
24. Kc1 Ba4 25. f5 $1 $14 {[%cal Gf2f4] The key move after which White is in
the driver's seat}) 22. Kf1 $1 {[%cal Gg2g4]} (22. g4 Rxg4 $1 23. Rxg4 Qb1+ 24.
Ke2 Nd4+ 25. Ke3 Nf5+ $11) 22... Nd4 23. g4 Nf3 (23... Rxg4 24. Rxg4 Qb1+ 25.
Qe1 {this shows the idea behind Kf1}) 24. Rg3 Nxd2+ 25. Qxd2 Rd4 26. Ke2 Qd5
27. Qe3 Rd8 28. h3 $16 {White has consolidated and now it is a matter of
bringing the point home} a5 29. f5 exf5 30. gxf5 Re8 31. Kd2 Rxe5 32. Rg8+ Ka7
33. Qg1 b6 34. Rg4 Rxd3+ 35. Rxd3 Qa2 36. Rgd4 Rc5 37. Qd1 Rxf5 38. Qe2 Rc5 39.
Rd7+ Bb7 40. Rxb7+ Kxb7 41. Qe4+ 1-0

[Event "MT-Borzenko (RUS)"]
[Site "ICCF"]
[Date "2015.09.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nadeev, Sergey Vladimirovich"]
[Black "Telepnev, Igor Viktorovich"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2426"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]

{The hero of my Breyer chapters in the "Playing 1.e4 e5" book is the Senior
International Master (a title in corr chess that IMHO would make great sense
as well in regular chess) Igor Viktorovich Telepnev from Russia. In this game
however he stays clear from an older model game of his which featured in my
book and suffers a big defeat. Does Black have problems in this line? I think
not, but maybe the White players can investigate this further} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 d6 9. c3 Nb8 10.
d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4 c5 16. d5 c4 17.
Bg5 Nc5 $1 (17... h6 18. Be3 Nc5 19. Qd2 h5 20. Bxc5 dxc5 21. Qe3 (21. Reb1 $5
{followed by b2-b3 is the reason i didn't like this line in P1e4e5 based on
the game: Adams - Baramidze, Dortmund 2014}) 21... Nd7 22. Nf1 {[%cal Gf1d2]
Kokarev- Svidler, Russian Superfinals 2016}) ({A model game for White to be
studied:} 17... Bg7 $6 18. Qd2 Rb8 19. Nh2 Bc8 20. Ng4 Nc5 21. Nh6+ Bxh6 22.
Bxh6 bxa4 23. Ra2 a3 24. bxa3 Nfd7 25. f4 a5 26. Rf1 f6 27. f5 $16 {Anand -
Carlsen, Stavanger 2015. Anand won in good style inside Magnis home!}) 18. Qd2
Be7 19. Be3 (19. Bh6 Nfd7 20. Nh2 Nxa4 21. Bxa4 bxa4 22. Rxa4 a5 {[%csl Gc5]
[%cal Gb7a6,Gd7c5] the main line in P1e4e5}) 19... Nfd7 20. Rf1 Qc7 21. Nh2 {
The suggestion in the old Khalifman series for White} bxa4 $6 (21... h5 $1 {
Main Line in P1.e4e5 based ont he following game:} 22. Bg5 Bxg5 23. Qxg5 Qd8
24. Qh6 Qf6 25. Nf3 Qg7 26. Qe3 Nb6 27. a5 Nbd7 28. Ng5 h4 29. Ne2 f6 30. Nf3
g5 31. Nh2 Nf8 32. Nc1 Ng6 33. Na2 Rf8 34. Nb4 Nf4 35. f3 Bc8 36. Ng4 Nh5 37.
Rfd1 f5 38. exf5 Bxf5 39. Bxf5 Rxf5 40. Re1 Ng3 41. Rad1 Rf4 42. Nf2 e4 43.
Nxe4 Ncxe4 44. fxe4 Re8 45. Qd4 Qg6 46. Qd2 Rfxe4 47. Rxe4 Nxe4 48. Qe3 Ng3 49.
Qf3 Re4 50. Kh2 Qg7 51. Nc6 Rf4 52. Qe3 Nf1+ 53. Rxf1 Rxf1 54. g3 Qf6 55. Kg2
g4 {0-1 (55) Cvetnic,V (2301)-Telepnev,I (2466) ICCF email 2012}) 22. Ng4 Rf8
23. Bh6 a5 24. f4 $40 Qb6 25. Kh1 exf4 26. Rxf4 f6 27. Bxf8 Rxf8 28. Bxa4 Nxa4
29. Rxa4 Nc5 30. Ra2 Nb3 31. Qe3 Qxe3 32. Nxe3 Ba6 33. Nc2 $18 Bd8 34. Ne2 Re8
35. Ned4 Kf7 36. Nb4 g5 37. Rf1 Nxd4 38. cxd4 Bb5 39. Nc6 Bb6 40. e5 dxe5 41.
dxe5 Kg7 42. Na7 Bd7 43. exf6+ Kf8 44. Nc6 Bxc6 45. dxc6 Re6 46. Ra4 Rxc6 47.
Rc1 Rxf6 48. Raxc4 Rf2 49. R4c2 Rf7 50. Rc6 Rb7 51. R1c3 Bd8 52. Rc8 Rd7 53. g4
Kg7 54. R3c6 Kf7 55. b3 Be7 56. R8c7 Rxc7 57. Rxc7 Ke6 58. Ra7 Bb4 59. Rxh7 Ke5
60. Kg2 Kd6 61. h4 gxh4 62. Kh3 Be1 63. g5 Ke6 64. Kg4 Bf2 65. g6 Be1 66. Rb7
Bc3 67. g7 Bxg7 68. Rxg7 Kd6 69. Rg5 Kc6 70. Rxa5 1-0

[Event "ICCF email"]
[Site "ICCF email"]
[Date "2012.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pedersen, Soren"]
[Black "Baumann, Walter Jr"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn (corr)"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.17"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 (4... Qb6 5. Be3 Qxb2 6. Nd2 $44) 5.
Nb5 (5. Be3 d6 6. Nc3 {is probably an equally good move order.}) 5... Qb6 (5...
Nf6 6. e5) 6. Be3 $1 Bxe3 7. fxe3 Qxe3+ $2 (7... Ke7 8. Qd3 $14) 8. Be2 Na6 9.
N1c3 {White has 14-0 from this position.} Nh6 10. Nd6+ Ke7 11. Nc4 Qc5 12. e5 {
There is a long prose section on why Black is OK in the 2015 book "The Lazy
Man's Sicilian." Only very little analysis. Turn on your engine and see that
it is all lost.} f5 (12... f6 {as suggested in the book, simply transposes.}) (
12... Nf5 {is the other suggestion. White wins with:} 13. g4 $1 Nd4 14. Qd2
Qxc4 15. Qg5+ Ke8 16. Qxg7 Nxc2+ 17. Kd2 Qd4+ 18. Kxc2 Nb4+ 19. Kb3 Rf8 20. Nb5
Qe3+ 21. Kxb4 {and there is no compensation.}) 13. exf6+ gxf6 14. Qd2 Qg5 15.
Qd6+ Kd8 16. h4 Qg7 17. Rf1 Nf7 18. Qd4 Nb4 19. O-O-O Nc6 20. Qe3 d5 21. Nxd5
exd5 22. Rxd5+ Bd7 23. Rfd1 Nfe5 24. Nxe5 Nxe5 25. Bb5 Re8 26. Rxd7+ Nxd7 27.
Qf3 Qh6+ 28. Kb1 Ke7 29. Rxd7+ Kf8 30. a4 Rad8 31. Qa3+ Kg8 32. Rxb7 Re1+ 33.
Ka2 Re4 34. Rxa7 Rxh4 35. a5 Rh5 36. Rb7 Kh8 37. a6 Qd2 38. c4 Rg5 39. a7 Rgg8
40. Bc6 Qd4 41. Rb4 h5 42. a8=Q Rxa8 43. Bxa8 Rg7 44. c5 Qe5 45. Bf3 Qe6+ 46.
Rb3 Rc7 47. c6 Kg7 48. Qc5 h4 49. Ka3 Qe5 50. Qxe5 fxe5 51. Rb7 1-0

[Event "European Club Cup"]
[Site "Novi Sad SRB"]
[Date "2016.11.08"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Levon Aronian"]
[Black "Richard Rapport"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D07"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2016.11.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 e5 6. dxe5 Bb4 7. Bd2 Nxc3 8.
bxc3 Ba5 9. e3 O-O 10. Qa4 Bb6 11. Qf4 Qe7 12. h4 f6 13. exf6 Rxf6 14. Qc4+ Kh8
15. Bd3 Bf5 16. Bxf5 Rxf5 17. Ng5 Ne5 18. Qe4 Qd7 19. O-O Re8 20. Qc2 h6 21.
Ne4 Rh5 22. Ng3 Rxh4 23. Rad1 Rf8 24. Bc1 Qg4 25. Rd5 Qg5 26. Qe2 c6 27. Rd4 {
[#]} Rh1+ $1 28. Kxh1 (28. Nxh1 Nf3+ 29. Qxf3 Rxf3) 28... Bxd4 29. f3 (29. cxd4
Qh4+ 30. Kg1 Ng4 31. Re1 Qh2+ 32. Kf1 Qxg3) (29. exd4 Qh4+ 30. Kg1 Ng4 31. Re1
Qh2+ 32. Kf1 Qxg3) 29... Bb6 30. Ne4 Qh5+ 31. Kg1 Bc7 $17 (31... Rf4 $1 {
[%cal Gf4h4]}) 32. Kf2 Qh2 33. Ke1 Rd8 34. Bd2 Nd3+ 35. Kd1 Qe5 36. g4 Qb5 37.
Qg2 Nb2+ 38. Kc2 Nc4 39. Bc1 Rd5 40. g5 Na5 41. Bd2 Qd3+ 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Neiksans, Arthurs"]
[Black "Inarkiev, Ernesto"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A26"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/1r6/3k3p/3n2p1/3B2P1/4pP1P/4R2K w - - 0 52"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2016.11.21"]

52. Rxe2 $2 (52. Bxe2 $3 Re6 53. Ra1 Rxe2 54. Ra5+ Ke4 55. Kg2 Nf3 56. h3 Ne5
57. hxg4 hxg4 58. Ra4+ Kf5 59. Rf4+ Kg5 60. Ra4 Nf3 61. Ra5+ Re5 62. Ra4 Re1
63. Rxg4+ Kxg4 $11) 52... Nxe2 53. Bxe2 Rb2 54. Bd3 Rxf2 55. Bg6 h4 56. Kg1 Rb2
57. Bf5 Rb4 58. gxh4 Ke5 59. Bd7 Kf4 60. Kf2 Rb2+ 61. Kg1 Rb6 62. Kg2 Rh6 $2 (
62... Rb3 $1 63. h5 Rh3 64. Be8 Re3 65. Bc6 Re2+ 66. Kg1 Re5 67. h6 Rh5 $19)
63. Bc8 (63. h3 g3 64. Bg4 Rxh4 65. Kg1 $11) 63... Rxh4 64. Bb7 Rh6 65. Bd5 Rd6
66. Bb7 Rd2+ 67. Kg1 Kg5 68. Ba6 Rd6 69. Bb5 Rb6 70. Bc4 Rc6 71. Bb5 Rb6 72.
Bc4 Kf4 73. Bd5 Rd6 74. Bb7 Kg5 75. Bg2 Kh4 76. Be4 Rd1+ 77. Kg2 Rd2+ 78. Kg1
Kh3 79. Bf5 Rg2+ 0-1

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championsh"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.14"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/4R3/8/N4k1K/1p5p/1P6/8/7r w - - 0 72"]
[PlyCount "14"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Norway"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

72. Rb7 $2 (72. Rf7+ $1 Ke6 (72... Ke4 73. Kg4 Ra1 74. Nc6 Rb1 75. Rf4+ {and
White wins the pawn with check on the next move!}) 73. Rf2 $3 h3 (73... Ra1 74.
Nc4 Rb1 75. Rf3 Rh1 76. Kg4 {and the pawn is under control.}) 74. Kh4 $1 h2 75.
Ra2 $3 (75. Kh3 $2 Ra1 $1 {and Black makes a draw.}) 75... Kd5 76. Kg3 {White
wins the h-pawn and in the long run also the b-pawn and then in the even
longer run, the game.}) (72. Re2 Kf4 73. Nc6 Rd1 74. Nxb4 h3 75. Kh4 Kf3 76.
Rb2 Rd8 $11) 72... Ra1 73. Rb5+ Kf4 74. Rxb4+ Kg3 75. Rg4+ Kf2 76. Nc4 h3 77.
Rh4 Kg3 78. Rg4+ Kf2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championsh"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.23"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/2bqnp1p/6p1/8/2BP3R/3Q1P2/3B1PKP/r7 w - - 0 39"]
[PlyCount "24"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Russia"]
[BlackTeam "Norway"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NOR"]

39. Qb3 $5 (39. Bxf7+ Kxf7 40. Qc4+ Kg7 41. d5 Nf5 $1 42. Bc3+ Kf8 43. Bxa1
Nxh4+ 44. Qxh4 Qxd5 $14 {1/2-1/2, 74.}) 39... Nf5 $1 40. Bxf7+ Qxf7 $1 41.
Qxf7+ Kxf7 42. Rxh7+ Ke6 43. Rxc7 Rd1 $5 (43... Nxd4 $2 44. Rg7 $1 Kf5 (44...
Ra2 45. Bc3 Ne2 46. Rxg6+ Kf7 47. Rc6 $18) 45. Bc3 Ra4 46. Rf7+ Ke6 47. Rf4 $18
) (43... Nh4+ $5 44. Kg3 Nf5+ 45. Kf4 Nxd4 46. Rg7 Rg1 $14) 44. Bc3 $6 (44. Bg5
Rxd4 45. f4 $14 {Is this a fortress? It seems very likely.}) 44... Nxd4 45. Rg7
(45. Bxd4 Rxd4 $11) (45. Bb4 $5 $14) 45... Ne2 $3 46. Rxg6+ (46. Bb2 Nf4+ 47.
Kg3 Nh5+ $11) 46... Kd7 47. Rg7+ Ke6 48. Rc7 Rc1 49. Ba5 Rg1+ 50. Kh3 Rg5 $1
$11 1/2-1/2

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championsh"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.30"]
[Round "14.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "167"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Norway"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:31"]
[BlackClock "0:00:29"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. a4 a6 7. c3 d6 8. Re1
Ba7 9. h3 Ne7 10. d4 Ng6 11. Nbd2 c6 12. Bf1 a5 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Qc2 Be6 15.
Nc4 Qc7 16. b4 axb4 17. cxb4 b5 18. Ne3 bxa4 19. Rxa4 Bxe3 20. Bxe3 Rxa4 21.
Qxa4 Nxe4 22. Rc1 Bd5 23. b5 cxb5 24. Qxe4 Qxc1 25. Qxd5 Qc7 26. Qxb5 Rb8 27.
Qd5 Rd8 28. Qb3 Rb8 29. Qa2 h6 30. Qd5 Qe7 31. Qe4 Qf6 32. g3 Rc8 33. Bd3 Qc6
34. Qf5 Re8 35. Be4 Qe6 36. Qh5 Ne7 37. Qxe5 Qxe5 38. Nxe5 Ng6 39. Bxg6 Rxe5
40. Bd3 f6 $2 (40... h5 41. Kg2 g6) 41. Kg2 Kh8 42. Kf3 Rd5 43. Bg6 Ra5 44. Ke4
Rb5 45. h4 Re5+ 46. Kd4 Ra5 47. Kc4 Re5 48. Bd4 Ra5 49. Bc5 Kg8 50. Kd5 Rb5 51.
Kd6 Ra5 52. Be3 Re5 53. Bf4 Ra5 54. Bd3 Ra7 (54... g5 55. Be3 gxh4 56. gxh4 Kg7
57. Bc5 h5 58. Be4 Ra4 59. f3 Ra5 60. Be3 Rb5 61. Bf4 Ra5 62. Bd5 Rb5 63. Ke6
Ra5 64. Bd6 Rb5 65. Be7 Rb6+ 66. Kf5 Ra6 67. f4 Rb6 68. Bc4 Rc6 69. Be6 $18)
55. Ke6 Rb7 56. Kf5 Rd7 (56... Kh7 57. Kg4+ Kg8 58. Kh5) 57. Bc2 Rb7 58. Kg6 $2
(58. Be3) (58. Be4 Rb4 59. f3 (59. Bd5+ Kh7 60. Ke6) 59... Kh7 60. Kg4+ (60. h5
) 60... Kg8 (60... g6 61. Kh3 f5) 61. Kh5) 58... Rb2 59. Bf5 Rxf2 60. Be6+ Kh8
61. Bd6 Re2 62. Bg4 $2 (62. Kf7 $1 Rc2 63. g4 Rc1 64. Bf8 Rc7+ 65. Kg6 f5 66.
gxf5 h5 67. f6 (67. Bf7 Rc6+ 68. Be6 Rc7) 67... gxf6 68. Bf7 $18) 62... Re8 63.
Bf5 Kg8 64. Bc2 Re3 65. Bb1 Kh8 66. Kf7 Rb3 67. Be4 Re3 68. Bf5 Rc3 69. g4 Rc6
70. Bf8 Rc7+ 71. Kg6 Kg8 72. Bb4 Rb7 73. Bd6 Kh8 74. Bf8 Kg8 (74... Ra7 75. h5
Kg8 76. Bc5 Ra5) 75. Ba3 (75. Bc5 $3 Kh8 76. Be6 Rb8 (76... Rc7 77. Bf8 Rb7 78.
Bf7) 77. h5 Ra8 (77... Re8 78. Kf7 Rb8 79. Bf8 Rb7+ 80. Kg6 Ra7 81. Bf7 $18) (
77... Rb5 78. Bf8 Rg5+ 79. Kf7 Rb5 80. Bxg7+ Kh7 81. Bf8 Rb7+ 82. Kxf6 $18) 78.
g5 $3 hxg5 (78... fxg5 79. Bd4 $18) 79. h6 gxh6 80. Be7 Rg8+ 81. Kxh6 $18)
75... Kh8 76. Be6 Rb6 77. Kf7 Rb7+ 78. Be7 h5 $1 79. gxh5 f5 80. Bxf5 Rxe7+ $11
81. Kxe7 Kg8 82. Bd3 Kh8 83. Kf8 g5 84. hxg6 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-Cup 17th"]
[Site "Panormo"]
[Date "2001.09.29"]
[Round "7.3"]
[White "Luther, Thomas"]
[Black "Gustafsson, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2604"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2001.09.22"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 084 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.10.26"]
[WhiteTeam "Graz Merkur"]
[BlackTeam "Hohenems"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "AUT"]
[BlackTeamCountry "AUT"]

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 Bg7 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. c3 f5 14. Nc2 Qb7
15. f3 f4 16. Nb4 O-O 17. Bc2 a5 18. Nd5 Be6 19. g4 Qa7 20. Kf1 Rac8 21. a3
Bxd5 22. exd5 e4 23. Bxe4 Qc5 24. Qd3 b4 25. axb4 axb4 26. Bxh7+ Kh8 27. Kg2
bxc3 28. bxc3 Qxc3 29. Ra2 Qf6 30. Be4 Rc3 31. Qd2 Re3 32. Rf1 Qh6 33. Kh1 Be5
34. Qg2 Bf6 35. Rg1 Bd4 36. g5 Qh4 37. Qg4 Qxg4 38. Rxg4 Re1+ 39. Kg2 Kg7 40.
Kh3 Rh8+ 41. Rh4 Rg1 42. Rxh8 Kxh8 43. Kh4 Kg7 44. Rc2 Bc5 45. Rb2 Bd4 46. Rc2
Bc5 47. Kh5 Bd4 48. h4 Rg3 49. Rc7 Kg8 50. Rc6 Be5 51. Rc8+ Kg7 52. Rd8 Rh3 53.
Bf5 Rxf3 54. Be6 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2017.01.15"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E62"]
[WhiteElo "2667"]
[BlackElo "2612"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "United States"]
[BlackTeam "Netherlands"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NED"]
[WhiteClock "0:29:58"]
[BlackClock "0:25:04"]

1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. O-O Bf5 8. d5
Na5 9. Nh4 Bd7 10. Qd3 c5 11. Bd2 a6 12. b3 b5 13. Rab1 Rb8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15.
Bxe4 e5 16. dxe6 Bxe6 17. Bd5 Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Qb6 19. Qd3 Nc6 20. Ng2 a5 21. Bf4
Rfe8 22. Rfd1 Nd4 23. e3 Nf3+ 24. Kh1 Ne5 25. Bxe5 Bxe5 26. Kg1 Qc6 27. Rbc1 a4
28. Rc2 bxc4 29. bxc4 Rb4 30. Ne1 Reb8 31. f4 Bg7 32. Qxd6 Qxd6 33. Rxd6 a3 34.
Kf1 Rb1 35. Ke2 h5 36. Rd1 R1b2 37. Rd3 Ra8 38. Kd2 Bf6 39. e4 Rb1 40. Rc1 Rbb8
41. Ke2 Bd4 42. Nf3 Rb2+ 43. Rd2 Bf6 44. Ne1 Bd4 45. Nf3 Bf6 46. Ne1 Bd4 47. e5
Rb4 48. Nf3 Bb2 49. Rcc2 Raa4 50. Rd8+ Kg7 51. Rd7 Kg8 52. Ng5 Rxc4 53. Rxc4
Rxc4 54. Nxf7 Bd4 55. e6 Bf6 56. Nh6+ Kh8 57. Nf7+ Kg8 58. Ne5 Rc2+ 59. Kf3
Rxa2 60. e7 Bxe7 61. Rxe7 Rxh2 62. Ra7 a2 63. Nxg6 c4 64. f5 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hanging Pawns"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D58"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "56"]

{As our knight in these lines is at d7, entering a hanging pawns position with
all the minor pieces on the board might be somewhat unpleasant for Black.But,
if we exchange one minor piece, either a knight or e4 or a bishop at c3, all
those positions become playble for Black. Of course, one should study the
hanging pawns in detail from the strategic manuals available (my
recommendations can be found in the bibliography) but in this section i am
going to show a particular idea which appears often in our repertoire lines
and those manuals might not give it a lot of attention. This is the idea of
playing for a timely ...f6!} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6
6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. O-O Bb7 10. Qe2 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Ne4 12. Bg3
Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nf6 14. Rfd1 Ne4 15. Rac1 Ba3 16. Rc2 Bd6 17. Ba6 Qc8 18. Bxb7
Qxb7 19. c4 Bxg3 20. hxg3 c5 21. Ne5 Qc7 22. Qf3 Nf6 23. Qf4 Rad8 24. Rcd2 cxd4
25. exd4 Rfe8 {[#]} {This is almost the optimal scenario for Black in the
hanging pawns as only one pair of minor pieces remain on the board. There is
no bishop at b2 which will be unleashed after d4-d5 and the other bishop also
has been exchanged. But Black should not stand still! White has the plan of
g4-g5 and a rook swing to g3 or h3. The strong knight on e5 assists all these
kind of brutal plans. So, how to make progress as Black? Kazimdzhanov shows us
the way} 26. Rd3 Nh7 $1 {Black is about to play ...f6. The e6-pawn might
become weak, but not so as the d4 and c4 pawns as it closer to the Black camp.}
27. c5 $5 {White anticipates the echange of the queens and thinks that in that
case he'll have at least a passed c-pawn} Nf6 $1 28. Rc1 (28. g4 {Can be met by
} Nd5 29. Qf3 f6) 28... Nd5 {Black is better, but White defended carefully and
drew the game in Rogozenco - Kasimdzhanov, Germany 2004} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hanging Pawns II"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D58"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2000.10.14"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Qe2 c5 11. Bg3 cxd4 12. exd4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Bb4 14. Rac1
Bxc3 15. bxc3 Ne4 16. Bh4 Ndf6 17. Bd3 Rc8 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Ne5 {Black now
starts taking into control the squares at his kingside} g5 $1 20. Bg3 Bf5 21.
Rfd1 Ne4 22. c4 Qe7 23. Qf3 f6 24. Ng4 Kg7 25. h3 Bg6 26. Bh2 h5 27. Ne3 Rfd8 {
White was struggling in Schaefer - Graham, email 2010 as there is no strong
enough counterplay against the Black to compensate the weakness of the pawns.}
*

[Event "Paul Keres Memorial 2017"]
[Site "Tallinn EST"]
[Date "2017.01.14"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Fridman, D."]
[Black "Kovalenko, I."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2594"]
[BlackElo "2684"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rnr3k1/1bqp1ppp/p1p1pn2/1p1P4/2P2N2/1QN3P1/PP2PPBP/R4RK1 w - - 0 15"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]
[EventType "swiss"]

15. Rac1 $3 bxc4 (15... e5 16. Nd3 d6 17. cxb5 c5 $5 $14) 16. Qxc4 cxd5 (16...
exd5 17. Qb3 $3 $18 (17. Ncxd5 $16)) 17. Qxc7 Rxc7 18. Ncxd5 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Rxc1
20. Rxc1 Bc6 (20... exd5 21. Rc7 Ra7 22. Bxd5 $16 Nc6 23. Rxd7 $18) 21. Nb4 Kf8
22. Rc3 Ke7 23. Bxc6 Nxc6 24. Nxc6+ dxc6 25. Rxc6 Kd7 26. Rc4 Rb8 27. b3 Rb5
28. Kf1 Ra5 29. Rc2 Rh5 30. h4 Ra5 31. e3 h6 32. Ke2 g5 33. hxg5 hxg5 34. g4
Kd6 35. Kd3 Rd5+ 36. Kc3 Rc5+ 37. Kb2 Rd5 38. Kc1 Ke5 39. Rc4 f5 40. gxf5 exf5
41. f4+ gxf4 42. exf4+ Kd6 43. Kc2 Ke7 44. Kc3 a5 45. a3 Ke6 46. Rc6+ Kd7 47.
Rf6 a4 48. b4 Kc7 49. Kc4 Rd2 50. Kb5 Rd5+ 51. Kxa4 Kd7 52. Kb3 Rd3+ 53. Kb2
Rd5 54. Kc3 1-0

[Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2017.02.16"]
[Round "15.4"]
[White "Buksa, Nataliya"]
[Black "Guramishvili, Sopiko"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B09"]
[WhiteElo "2300"]
[BlackElo "2370"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/8/8/6nk/6r1/R7/5K2 b - - 0 123"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Ukraine"]
[BlackTeam "Georgia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GEO"]
[WhiteClock "0:01:38"]
[BlackClock "0:03:10"]

123... Ne3+ 124. Ke1 Rg1+ 125. Kf2 Rg2+ 126. Kxe3 $4 (126. Ke1 Rxa2) 126...
Rxa2 0-1

[Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2017.02.19"]
[Round "21.1"]
[White "Ju, Wenjun"]
[Black "Girya, Olga"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D23"]
[WhiteElo "2583"]
[BlackElo "2458"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3rr1k1/pp3ppp/4n3/q1pR4/4P3/PP2Q1PP/5PB1/R5K1 b - - 0 24"]
[PlyCount "10"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "China"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[WhiteClock "0:07:02"]
[BlackClock "0:09:10"]

24... Nd4 $4 25. Qxd4 cxd4 26. Rxa5 d3 27. Rd1 d2 28. Bf3 Rd3 29. Kg2 1-0

[Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2017.02.12"]
[Round "2.22"]
[White "Khurtsidze, Nino"]
[Black "Zhukova, Natalia"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A84"]
[WhiteElo "2383"]
[BlackElo "2447"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Georgia"]
[BlackTeam "Ukraine"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GEO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "UKR"]
[WhiteClock "0:01:31"]
[BlackClock "0:35:19"]

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bd2 b6 6. g3 Bb7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O
a5 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Bxc3 a4 11. Rc1 d5 12. Ne5 Nbd7 13. Bb4 Re8 14. Qc2 c6 15.
Rfd1 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd7 17. Bd6 Ba6 18. cxd5 cxd5 19. Bc7 Qe7 20. Qd2 Rec8 21.
Bxd5 $1 exd5 22. Qxd5+ Kh8 23. Qxd7 Qxd7 24. Rxd7 Bxe2 25. e6 (25. f4 $1) 25...
Re8 26. Be5 Rxe6 27. Bxg7+ Kg8 28. Bd4 h5 (28... Bf3 29. Rg7+ Kf8 30. Rxh7) 29.
Rg7+ Kf8 30. Rh7 $2 (30. Rcc7 Bf3 31. Bc3 Rd8 32. Bb4+ $1) 30... Bf3 31. Rh8+
Ke7 32. Rh7+ Kf8 33. Rh8+ Ke7 34. Rh7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.02.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Calculation challenge"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Ntirlis,Nikos"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/pp6/5k2/3p2p1/8/3B1K2/PP6/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "27"]

1. Kg4 $5 {After this move, try to hard to calculate untill you reach a
definite conclusion. Is this a win or no?} (1. Ke3 $1 {The correct technique!
No variations needed!} Ke5 (1... g4 2. Kf4) 2. Be2) 1... Ke5 2. Kxg5 Kd4 3. Bg6
Ke3 4. Kf6 d4 (4... Kd2 {This doesn't work as well} 5. Ke5 Kc1 6. b4 Kb2 7.
Kxd5 $1 (7. a4 $2 Kb3 $11) 7... Kxa2 (7... Kc3 8. Kc5) 8. b5 $1 $18 Ka3 (8...
a6 9. b6 {[%csl Rb7][%cal Gd5c5,Gg6e4]}) 9. Kc5 {[%cal Gg6e4]} b6+ 10. Kc6 Kb4
11. Bd3 {[%cal Gc6b7,Gb7a7]}) 5. Ke5 d3 6. b4 d2 7. Bc2 $18 b5 (7... Ke2 8. Kd6
d1=Q+ 9. Bxd1+ Kxd1 10. Kc7 Kc2 11. Kxb7 Kc3 12. b5 Kb4 13. Ka6 Ka4 (13... Ka3)
14. a3) 8. Kd5 a6 9. Kc5 d1=Q 10. Bxd1 Kd2 11. Bb3 Kc3 12. Be6 Kb2 13. Kb6 Ka3
14. Ka5 *

[Event "1st prize 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Slumstrup Nielsen=S"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3NQ3/2kB4/2pr4/8/K2p4/8/4Nq2/3n4 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Ne6+ $1 Rxe6 2. Qc8+ Kb6 (2... Kd6 3. Qxc6+ Ke5 4. Qxe6#) 3. Qb8+ Kc5 4.
Bxe6 {(5.Qb4#)} Nc3+ (4... Qxe2 5. Qb4#) 5. Ka5 ({thematic try} 5. Nxc3 $2 Qc2+
$1 $11) (5. Kb3 $2 Nb5 {/Pd5=}) 5... Nd5 6. Nc3 $3 {Umnov} Qd2 (6... dxc3 7.
Qa7+ $18) (6... Qe1 7. Qf8+ Kc4 8. Qb4+ Kd3 9. Bf5+ Ke3 10. Nxd5+ $18) (6...
Kc4 7. Qb4+ Kd3 8. Bf5+ $1 Qxf5 (8... Ke3 9. Nd1+ $18) 9. Qb1+ $18) 7. Qb4+ $3
Nxb4 8. Ne4# 1-0

[Event "2nd prize 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Afek=Y"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "k7/r7/P1P5/4P3/1N6/P7/5p1K/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Kg2 Rf7 2. Kf1 Re7 3. c7 $1 {clearing the thematic square} Rxc7 4. e6 Rc6 $1
(4... Re7 5. Nd5 Rxe6 6. Nc7+ $18) 5. e7 ({thematic try} 5. Nxc6 $2 {stalemate}
) 5... Re6 6. Nc6 $1 {Umnov} (6. Nd5 $2 Ka7 {/Re5} 7. Kxf2 Re5 8. Kf3 Kxa6 9.
Kf4 Rxe7 $1 10. Nxe7 Kb5 {/Ka5} 11. Nd5 Ka4 $11) 6... Re1+ 7. Kxf2 Re3 $1 (7...
Re2+ 8. Kf3 Re3+ 9. Kf4 Re4+ 10. Kf5 $18) 8. a7 $1 $18 (8. a4 $2 Rf3+ $1 9. Kg2
Rg3+ 10. Kf2 Rf3+ 11. Ke2 Re3+ 12. Kd2 Rd3+ 13. Kc2 Rc3+ 14. Kb2 Rb3+ $11) 1-0

[Event "3rd prize 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pervakov=O"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/b3p3/4p3/n1r5/2P1N1k1/1q4p1/3BRP2/1BR2K2 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Bc2 $1 (1. Nxc5 $2 g2+ 2. Kg1 Qh3 3. f3+ (3. Re4+ Kh5 4. Re5+ Kh4 $11) 3...
Kg3 $1 4. Be1+ Kf4 $11) (1. Re3 $2 Nxc4 $1 2. Rxb3 Nxd2+ 3. Nxd2 Rxc1+ 4. Kg2
gxf2 $11) 1... g2+ (1... Nxc4 2. Bxb3 Nxd2+ 3. Rxd2 Rxc1+ 4. Bd1+ Kf4 5. Nxg3
$18) 2. Kg1 Qh3 (2... Qxc4 3. Nxc5 Qxe2 4. Bd1 $18) 3. Ng3 Qxg3 $1 (3... Rxc4
4. Bd1 $18) 4. fxg3 (4. Bd1 $2 Kh3 $1 5. Re3 Qxe3 6. Bxe3 Re5 $1 7. c5 Rxe3 8.
fxe3 Bb8 9. Bf3 Bh2+ 10. Kf2 Bg3+ 11. Ke2 Kh2 12. Bxg2 Kxg2 13. c6 Bc7 $11)
4... Re5+ 5. c5 $1 (5. Be3 $2 Rxe3 $19) (5. Rf2 $2 Kh3 $1 6. Bd1 Bxf2+ 7. Kxf2
Rf5+ $1 8. Bf4 (8. Bf3 Nb3 $11) 8... e5 9. Bf3 exf4 10. Bxg2+ Kg4 $11) 5...
Bxc5+ (5... Rxe2 6. Bd1 Kh3 7. Bxe2 $18) 6. Be3 (6. Rf2 Kh3 $1 $11) 6... Rxe3 (
6... Bxe3+ 7. Kxg2 Bd4 8. Rxe5 Bxe5 9. Re1 Bxg3 10. Bd1+ $18) 7. Bd1 $1 ({
thematic try} 7. Rxe3 $2 Bxe3+ 8. Kxg2 Bxc1 $19) 7... Rc3+ $1 8. Re3+ $1 {Umnov
} (8. Rf2+ $2 Kh3 $1 $11 9. Rxc3 $4 Bxf2+ 10. Kxf2 Kh2 $19) 8... Kh3 $1 9.
Rcxc3 Nc4 $1 10. Bg4+ $1 (10. Rxc4 $4 Bxe3#) 10... Kxg4 11. Rxc4+ $18 1-0

[Event "hm 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pervakov=O"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "K4B2/P1k5/6p1/8/n6P/5P2/3b1N2/5N1n w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "25"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Bd6+ $1 (1. Bc5 $2 Nxc5 2. Ne4 Na4 $19) 1... Kc8 2. Bc5 $1 {Main A} Nxc5 ({
Main B} 2... Nxf2 3. Nxd2 $1 ({try} 3. Bxf2 $2 Nc3 $1 4. Nxd2 Nd5 $19 {
(bN c3-d5)}) 3... Nxc5 4. Nc4 Nd7 5. Nd6+ Kc7 6. Nb5+ $1 (6. Ne8+ $2 Kc6 $19)
6... Kc6 (6... Kb6 7. Nc3 $11) 7. Nc3 $1 (7. Nd4+ $2 Kb6 $19) 7... Nd3 8. Nd5
$1 {(now wN c3-d5)} N3c5 9. Nb4+ $1 (9. Ne7+ $2 Kd6 $1 10. Nxg6 Kc7 $19) 9...
Kd6 10. f4 $1 Kc7 11. Nd5+ Kc6 $1 (11... Kd6 12. Nb4 $11) 12. Nb4+ Kd6 13. f5
$1 gxf5 14. h5 Kc7 15. Nd5+ Kd6 16. Nb4 {positional draw 2} (16. h6 $2 Kxd5 17.
h7 Kc6 18. h8=Q Nb6+ 19. Kb8 Na6# {(d7)})) (2... Bb4 $5 3. Bd4 $1 Nxf2 4. Bxf2
Ba5 5. f4 $1 Bb6 6. Ne3 Nc3 7. Be1 $1 $11) 3. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 4. fxe4 Bf4 (4... Bb4
5. Ne3 $1 (5. e5 $2 Bc5 $19) 5... Bc5 6. Nd5 Ng3 7. e5 Nf5 8. e6 Ng7 9. e7 Ne8
10. h5 $1 gxh5 11. Nb6+ Kc7 12. Nd5+ Kc6 13. Nf4 h4 14. Kb8 $11) 5. h5 $1 gxh5
6. e5 Ng3 $1 (6... Bxe5 7. Ng3 $1 h4 8. Nf5 $11) 7. e6 $1 ({thematic try} 7.
Nxg3 $2 Bxg3 8. e6 Bf2 $1 9. e7 Kd7 10. Kb7 Bxa7 $19) 7... Nf5 8. Ng3 $1 {Umnov
} (8. e7 $2 Nxe7 9. Ne3 Nc6 $19) (8. Ne3 $2 Bxe3 9. e7 Kd7 $19) 8... Nd6 (8...
Ne7 9. Nf5 $1 Nd5 10. Ne7+ Nxe7 $11) (8... Bxg3 9. e7 Kd7) 9. Nf5 $1 Nb5 10.
Ne7+ Kd8 11. Nf5 $1 (11. Ng6 $2 Be3 $1 12. Kb7 Nxa7 $19) 11... Kc8 12. Ne7+ Kd8
13. Nf5 {positional draw} 1/2-1/2

[Event "1st prize 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Slumstrup Nielsen=S"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1Q6/8/2p1B3/K1kn4/3p4/8/4Nq2/8 w - - 0 6"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

6. Nc3 $3 {Umnov} Qd2 (6... dxc3 7. Qa7+ $18) (6... Qe1 7. Qf8+ Kc4 8. Qb4+ Kd3
9. Bf5+ Ke3 10. Nxd5+ $18) (6... Kc4 7. Qb4+ Kd3 8. Bf5+ $1 Qxf5 (8... Ke3 9.
Nd1+ $18) 9. Qb1+ $18) 7. Qb4+ $3 Nxb4 8. Ne4# 1-0

[Event "2nd prize 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Afek=Y"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "k7/4P3/P3r3/8/1N6/P7/5p2/5K2 w - - 0 6"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

6. Nc6 $1 {Umnov} (6. Nd5 $2 Ka7 {/Re5} 7. Kxf2 Re5 8. Kf3 Kxa6 9. Kf4 Rxe7 $1
10. Nxe7 Kb5 {/Ka5} 11. Nd5 Ka4 $11) 6... Re1+ 7. Kxf2 Re3 $1 (7... Re2+ 8. Kf3
Re3+ 9. Kf4 Re4+ 10. Kf5 $18) 8. a7 $1 $18 (8. a4 $2 Rf3+ $1 9. Kg2 Rg3+ 10.
Kf2 Rf3+ 11. Ke2 Re3+ 12. Kd2 Rd3+ 13. Kc2 Rc3+ 14. Kb2 Rb3+ $11) 1-0

[Event "3rd prize 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pervakov=O"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/4p3/4p3/n1b5/6k1/4r1P1/2B1R1p1/2R3K1 w - - 0 7"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

7. Bd1 $1 ({thematic try} 7. Rxe3 $2 Bxe3+ 8. Kxg2 Bxc1 $19) 7... Rc3+ $1 8.
Re3+ $1 {Umnov} (8. Rf2+ $2 Kh3 $1 $11 9. Rxc3 $4 Bxf2+ 10. Kxf2 Kh2 $19) 8...
Kh3 $1 9. Rcxc3 Nc4 $1 10. Bg4+ $1 (10. Rxc4 $4 Bxe3#) 10... Kxg4 11. Rxc4+ $18
1-0

[Event "hm 10th ARVES Jenever Ty"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Pervakov=O"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "K1k5/P7/4P3/5n1p/5b2/8/8/5N2 w - - 0 8"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

8. Ng3 $1 {Umnov} (8. e7 $2 Nxe7 9. Ne3 Nc6 $19) (8. Ne3 $2 Bxe3 9. e7 Kd7 $19)
8... Nd6 (8... Ne7 9. Nf5 $1 Nd5 10. Ne7+ Nxe7 $11) (8... Bxg3 9. e7 Kd7) 9.
Nf5 $1 Nb5 10. Ne7+ Kd8 11. Nf5 $1 (11. Ng6 $2 Be3 $1 12. Kb7 Nxa7 $19) 11...
Kc8 12. Ne7+ Kd8 13. Nf5 {positional draw} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Jurgen Stigter 64 JT"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.12.29"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Jacob"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6Q1/Kp2r3/4P3/k3P3/1n6/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{White to play and win}  1-0

[Event "Jurgen Stigter 64 JT"]
[White "Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen"]
[Black ""]
[Site ""]
[Round ""]
[Annotator "Jacob"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Date "2016.12.29"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[Setup "1"]
[FEN "6Q1/Kp2r3/4P3/k3P3/1n6/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]

1. Qd8+ b6+ (1... Kb5 2. Qd7+ $1 (2. Qxe7 Nc6+ 3. Kxb7 Nxe7 4. Kc7 Kc5 5. Kd7 Nf5 $1 6. e7 Ng7 $1 $11 )Nc6+ 3. Kxb7 Rxd7+ 4. exd7 Kc5 5. Kc8 $3 (5. Kc7 Nd4 $11 )Kd5 6. Kc7 $18 )2. Qd7 $1 (2. Ka8 Ra7+ 3. Kxa7 Nc6+ 4. Ka8 Nxd8 5. e7 Ne6 $11 )Nc6+ 3. Ka8 $1 (3. Kb7 Kb5 4. Kc8 Rxd7 5. exd7 Kc5 $11 )Rxd7 4. exd7 Nd8 (4... Kb5 5. e6 $18 )5. Kb8 Ne6 (5... Kb5 6. Kc8 Ne6 7. d8=Q $18 )6. Kc8 $1 (6. Kb7 Kb5 $11 )b5 (6... Kb5 7. d8=Q $18 )7. Kb7 $3 b4 (7... Kb4 8. Kb6 Kc3 9. Kc6 b4 10. Kd5 b3 11. Kxe6 b2 12. d8=Q $18 )8. Kc6 b3 (8... Nd8+ 9. Kc7 Ne6+ 10. Kd6 Nd8 11. e6 $18 )9. Kd5 $1 (9. Kd6 $2 Nd8 10. e6 Nb7+ 11. Kc7 b2 12. e7 b1=Q 13. d8=Q (13. e8=Q Qb6+ 14. Kb8 Nd6+ 15. Ka8 Qb7# )Nxd8 14. exd8=Q Qb6+ 15. Kc8 Qxd8+ 16. Kxd8 $11 )Nd8 (9... b2 10. Kxe6 b1=Q 11. d8=Q+ $18 )10. e6 b2 11. e7 b1=Q 12. exd8=Q+ $18 1-0

[Event "Sunway Sitges International"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2017.12.22"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Eggleston, David J"]
[Black "Gascon Del Nogal, Jose Rafael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2389"]
[BlackElo "2479"]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r2kb1r/1b1n1pp1/p6p/Q3B3/P3p1P1/3q3P/3N1PB1/2R1K2R b Kk - 0 22"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{Black to play and win}  0-1

[Event "Sunway Sitges International"]
[White "Eggleston, David J"]
[Black "Gascon Del Nogal, Jose Rafael"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Round ""]
[Annotator "Jacob Aagaard"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Date "2017.12.22"]
[WhiteElo "2389"]
[BlackElo "2479"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[Setup "1"]
[FEN "1r2kb1r/1b1n1pp1/p6p/Q3B3/P3p1P1/3q3P/3N1PB1/2R1K2R b Kk - 0 22"]

22... e3 $1 (22... Qa3 $2 23. Ra1 $18 )23. fxe3 (23. Bxb8 exd2+ 24. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 25. Kxd2 Bb4+ 26. Ke3 Bxg2 27. Rhd1 Ke7 $19 )Bf3 $2 (23... Bxg2 $2 24. Bxb8 Nc5 25. Rxc5 Qxe3+ 26. Kd1 Qxc5 27. Re1+ Kd7 28. Qxa6 $15 )(23... Bb4 $2 24. Qxb4 Qxe3+ (24... Bf3 25. Qxb8+ Nxb8 26. Bxf3 $14 )25. Kd1 Bf3+ 26. Bxf3 Rxb4 27. Bd6 $1 $16 )(23... Qxe3+ $1 24. Kd1 Qxe5 $1 25. Re1 Qxe1+ 26. Kxe1 Bxg2 27. Kf2 (27. Qxa6 Bb7 28. Qd3 Be7 29. Rc7 Bc8 30. Qe3 Kd8 $19 )Ba8 28. Re1+ Be7 29. Qc7 {Sam did not like the look of this. But Black has a great
move that kills all the counterplay.} Bd5 $3 $19 )24. Rc8+ $4 (24. Bxf3 $1 Bb4 25. Qd5 Bxd2+ 26. Kd1 Qxd5 27. Bxd5 Nxe5 (27... Bxc1 28. Bxb8 )28. Kxd2 $11 )Rxc8 25. Bxf3 Rc5 26. Be2 Qxe3 27. Nc4 Rxc4 0-1

[Event "DEN-ch"]
[White "Rasmussen, Allan Stig"]
[Black "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Round "7"]
[Annotator ""]
[Result "1-0"]
[Date "2012.04.06"]
[WhiteElo "2505"]
[BlackElo "2522"]
[PlyCount "115"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Bg5 c4 10. Ne5 Be6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. b3 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. bxc4 dxc4 15. e3 Qa5 16. Rc1 Rac8 17. Qa4 Qxa4 18. Nxa4 Be7 19. Nb2 Ba3 20. Rc2 Bxb2 21. Rxb2 Rc7 22. Rc1 g5 23. Rd2 Rd8 24. h3 Kg7 25. g4 h5 26. gxh5 Kh6 27. Bf3 f5 28. Kh2 f4 29. e4 Rcd7 30. Bg4 Bxg4 31. hxg4 Rxd4 32. Rdc2 Rd2 33. Rxd2 Rxd2 34. Kg2 Rd4 35. e5 Re4 36. Kf3 Rxe5 37. Rxc4 c5 38. Re4 Rd5 39. Re6+ Kh7 40. Re7+ Kh6 41. Rc7 Rd6 42. Ke4 Rd4+ 43. Kf5 Rd5+ 44. Ke6 Rd4 45. f3 c4 46. Rc6 Kh7 47. Kf6 Rd5 48. Rxc4 Kh6 49. Rc6 Ra5 50. a4 Kh7 51. Rd6 Kh6 52. Re6 a6 53. Rd6 Kh7 54. Rc6 Kh6 55. Re6 Rxa4 56. Kf5+ Kg7 57. Kxg5 a5 58. h6+ 1-0

[Event "Dresden ol (Men) 38th"]
[White "Avrukh, Boris"]
[Black "Sveshnikov, Evgeny"]
[Site "Dresden"]
[Round "1"]
[Annotator ""]
[Result "0-1"]
[Date "2008.11.13"]
[WhiteElo "2657"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[PlyCount "116"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Be7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Bb2 b6 9. Nc3 Bb7 10. Qc2 Rc8 11. Rad1 c5 12. cxd5 cxd4 13. dxe6 Bxf3 14. exd7 Rxc3 15. Bxc3 Bxd1 16. Rxd1 dxc3 17. Qxc3 Qb8 18. Bf5 g6 19. Bh3 Ne4 20. Qc6 Qe5 21. Bg4 Nf6 22. Bf3 Rd8 23. Qb7 Nxd7 24. Qxa7 Nc5 25. Rxd8+ Bxd8 26. g3 Qf6 27. Qa8 Kg7 28. Qd5 Be7 29. Be2 Qd6 30. Qxd6 Bxd6 31. Bc4 Ne4 32. a4 f5 33. Kg2 Bc5 34. Bd5 Kf6 35. Kf3 g5 36. h3 h5 37. Bg8 Ke7 38. Bd5 Kf6 39. Bg8 Nc3 40. Bc4 Bb4 41. Bg8 h4 42. g4 Ne4 43. gxf5 Nd6 44. e4 Ke5 45. Bd5 Nxf5 46. exf5 Kxd5 47. Kg4 Bd2 48. b4 Bxb4 49. Kxg5 Ke5 50. f6 Bd6 51. Kxh4 Kxf6 52. Kg4 Bc5 53. f4 Bf8 54. Kf3 Kf5 55. Ke3 Bd6 56. Kd4 Bxf4 57. Kd5 Bd2 58. Kc6 Ba5 0-1

[Event "Politiken Cup 30th"]
[White "Aagaard, Jacob"]
[Black "Berg, Emanuel"]
[Site "Helsingor"]
[Round "7"]
[Annotator ""]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Date "2008.07.24"]
[WhiteElo "2531"]
[BlackElo "2592"]
[PlyCount "64"]

1. e4 e5 {Emanuel is a big expert in the French, but decided to surprise me
with this move. He had read Marin's book, something I intuitively guessed,
which made it a perfect joke in my head to accomodate the blog readers and try
their "dangerous" idea.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 Nxe4 5. d5 Ne7 6. Nxe5 Ng6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 {} 8. Nd2 $5 {The move Marin had not covered. Black
probably has a number of ways to equalise here.} Nxd2 (8... Nf6 9. Nc4 Bc5 10. b4 Qe7+ 11. Be2 Bxf2+ 12. Kxf2 Ne4+ 13. Kf1 Ng3+ 14. Kf2 Ne4+ )9. Bxd2 Be7 (9... Bc5 $1 {was fine for Black.} )10. Bd3 {White is a little better.} d6 11. Qe2 0-0 12. 0-0-0 Bf5 13. Bxf5 $5 (13. h4 $1 $14 {was better for White.} )gxf5 14. g4 Re8 $1 15. gxf5 Bg5 16. Qh5 (16. Qg4 $5 $14 {and Black still has
to prove compensation for the pawn. He is probably fine, but let him show it.} )Bxd2+ 17. Rxd2 Qf6 $2 (17... Re4 $1 18. Rg1 Rh4 {was necessary to keep
the balance.} )18. Rg1 $2 {Throwing the advantage away.} (18. f4 $1 Re4 19. Rg1 Rae8 20. Rg4 $3 {would have given White a strong attack. Also, the extra pawn
is not easily removed.} )Re5 19. Rg5 g6 $1 20. f4 Rxf5 21. Rxf5 Qxf5 22. Qxf5 gxf5 23. Rg2+ Kf8 24. Rg5 Ke7 25. h4 Rh8 26. h5 f6 27. Rg7+ Kd8 28. h6 Rxh6 29. Rg8+ Kd7 30. Rg7+ Kd8 31. Rg8+ Kd7 32. Rg7+ Kd8 1/2-1/2

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Playing the French addition"]
[Black "Exchange Variation line"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C01"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[EventDate "2011.06.28"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.11.14"]
[SourceQuality "2"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bf4 (5. Bd3 Bd6 6. Nge2 Ne7 7. Bf4
Bf5 $11) (5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Bd3 Ne7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Ng6 $5 (8... Bf5 9. Ne2 Nd7
$11) 9. h3 Nd7 10. a4 a5 $11) 5... Bd6 6. Qd2 (6. Bxd6 Qxd6 7. Nf3 Ne7 8. Bd3
O-O 9. O-O Bf5 $11) 6... Nf6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nge2 Re8 9. O-O-O Bf8 $1 $146 10. f3
b5 11. g4 Nbd7 12. Ng3 Nb6 $15 13. g5 Nfd7 14. h4 b4 15. Nce2 Nc4 16. Qe1 c5
$17 (16... a5 $17) *

