Download PGN of January ’26 1 e4 e5 games
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Vienna Game 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd3 [C26]
We start with a sideline which is certainly a good choice at faster time controls or to unbalance against lower-rated players. White achieves an ideal position after the most popular 5...Bb4 6.Bd2 0-0 7.0-0-0:
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Black should really prefer 5...Bc5 to keep an eye on the f2-pawn, whilst here White gets an ideal attacking setup. There were many adventures to follow however in Christiansen, J - Castro Salgado, P.
Giuoco Piano 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 d6 7.c3 a5 [C50]
Continuing from last month, another game in the critical Bg5 Italian lines. Following 8.Nbd2 Ba7 9.0-0 g5 10.Bg3 0-0, White deviated with 11.a4!? in Demchenko, A - Vijayakumar, R:
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Playing without Re1 certainly changes the plans Black should go for, as I explain in the notes. The game saw a lot of typical and very interesting themes before the higher-rated player eventually came out on top.
Spanish 3...Nge7 4.Nc3 Ng6 5.h4 [C60]
We already saw one critical game in this sideline last year, and this was more of the same. This time 5...Nd4 was met by 6.h5!? Nf4:
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Here 7.Bf1?! was not the most critical in Garcia Pantoja, R - Jacobson, B although there were still several instructive moments on the coming moves. Instead 7.Nxd4 is better, with a very interesting resulting position.
Spanish, Anti-Berlin 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 [C65]
An interesting execution of a known idea occurred in Tari, A - Calderin Gonzalez, R. In the common position after 6.Nbd2 Nd7 7.Nc4 0-0:
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Aryan went for the direct 8.Rg1!? with plans of Ne3/g4, but Black had a good chance to exploit the move order after 8...Nb6! 9.Ne3 with 9...f5! leaving White’s king precariously placed in the centre. In the end he still had good chances to hold the game before a one-move blunder turned it in White’s favour.
Spanish, Deferred Steinitz 5.0-0 Bd7 6.c3 g5!? [C72]
An even more aggressive sideline was Brandon’s next choice in Bruzon Batista, L - Jacobson, B. White has several options after 7.d4 g4 8.Ne1 h5:
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I quite like 8.d5!? here whilst the 8.Be3 of the game also led to a very sharp fight where White had the better chances, before eventually resulting in a draw.
Yurtaev Variation 7.c3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.Re1!? [C78]
This semi-waiting move aims for Bg5 lines, which the game fully shows the dangers of for Black. Perhaps more practical therefore is not to castle yet, whilst after 9...0-0 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 in Sulskis, S - Hobson, K:
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Already 11...g5?! 12.Nxg5! is a very dangerous version of this typical sacrifice which led to a quick demise in the game. Therefore I would recommend a safer option such as 9...h6 or the engine-approved 10...Rb8!? to investigate.
Spanish, Moller Defence 6.c3 0-0 7.d4 Ba7 [C78]
This rare line seems like a good surprise option for Black to me, and continued down the main path with 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 exd4 in Gonzalez Vidal, Y - Huschenbeth, N:
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Here Gajewski’s recommendation of 10.Re1!? seems sensible to avoid some of the crazy lines that follow after 10.cxd4 d6 11.Bxc6 dxc6 12.Nbd2 Re8. White has an interesting choice here, but nothing I find it easy to recommend, and he was lucky to salvage half a point in the game after spending all of it on the back foot.
Spanish, Breyer Variation 10.d4 Nbd7 11.c4!? [C95]
This has always seemed like an interesting option against the Breyer to me, to avoid the automatic moves that generally follow after 11.Nbd2. Both sides made small move order errors in the sequence 11...Bb7 12.Qc2 h6 13.Nc3 c6 14.a3:
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The resulting position is instructive however as exactly what White is aiming for, and he played a model game for a while before slipping up in the endgame in Zhalmakhanov, R - Meshkovs, N.
Until next month! Harry
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