Download PGN of May ’24 1 e4 e5 games
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Petroff: 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 [C42]
Nepo’s favourite Petroff came under fire in consecutive games here, but he weathered the storm to hold the draw in both cases. First, following 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 c6 we saw 9.Re1 Bf5 10.Qb3 Qd7 11.c5 Bc7 12.g3!? in Nakamura, H - Nepomniachtchi, I::
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This hints at playing Nh4 followed by Bxe4 and Qxb7 now that the c7-h2 diagonal has been blocked. The preparation extended to move 21 where Ian went astray, but was soon able to sacrifice two pieces to force a perpetual in an exciting encounter.
Two rounds previously, Praggnanandhaa, R - Nepomniachtchi, I saw instead another main line, 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Bf5 12.Bg5 Qa5 13.Nh4 Be6 14.Bxe6 Qxg5 15.Nf3 Qa5 16.Bh3!?:
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Again the theory extends even further but it was Ian who struggled to defuse his young opponent’s preparation, reaching a very dangerous position where Pragg could have obtained serious winning chances with the beautiful 28.Bb1!, 29.Qa1! that was shared widely in analysis after the game. Instead play simplified to an ending where Black held without too many difficulties.
Petroff: 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nf6 [C42]
The third and final Petroff came from the Women’s section, in the violent encounter Vaishali, R - Salimova, N. In this still often-seen position, Vaishali came up with the rare 10.Bd4!?:
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I don’t think the move itself is anything special, but what followed certainly was as the defensive task proved too much for Salimova and White landed a thematic and crushing kingside attack.
Spanish, Anti-Berlin: 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.h3 [C65]
One of the promised games - the stunning Nakamura, H - Vidit, S from as early as Round 2. The main line of the 4.d3 Anti-Berlin quickly turned wild as following 7...Ne7 8.d4 c6!?N, Nakamura was tempted into grabbing the pawn with 9.Bd3 Bb6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Nxe5, swiftly met with the counterblow 11...Bxh3!:
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A beautiful piece of preparation which Hikaru was unable to deal with over-the-board, resulting in a rare Berlin win for Black in under 30 moves.
Spanish, Deferred Schliemann: 4...f5 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 [C70]
It’s probably fair to say that this is not an opening many people would have predicted to be seen during the most important tournament of the year, but in Vidit, S - Praggnanandhaa, R we saw Black’s bravery being rewarded in a double-edged game. Following 6...b5 7.Bb3, the rare 7...Na5!? was Black’s idea:
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This is definitely a sounder approach than the main move 7...Bb7 and deserves more practical tests, as I’m sure it will receive following a great win from the Black side.
Spanish, Open Variation: 6...Be7 7.Re1 b5 8.Rxe4 d5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Rxe5 bxa4 [C84]
I have always thought of this sideline on move 6 as a slightly passive but solid option for Black, but it turns out the game can still catch fire if both sides are willing! Following the critical line 11.Qe2 Be6 12.f4 Kf8 13.Nc3 Bd6 14.Nxa4!?:
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In Muzychuk, A - Vaishali, R, White offered this known exchange sacrifice with strong positional compensation on the dark squares, but failed to find a good setup for her pieces and Black gradually took over to win one of her incredible five games in a row.
Spanish, Open Variation: 9.c3 Be7 10.Bc2 Bg4 11.Qe1 [C83]
Following on from a line which I touched on two months ago, which also satisfies a subscriber request. White’s 10th move seems to be increasingly trendy, and Firouzja, A - Praggnanandhaa, R saw the deviation from my previous analysis with 11...Nc5:
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This was a well-played game throughout with incredible accuracy despite the level of complications in the position, eventually resulting in a hard-fought draw.
Spanish, Marshall 10.d3 [C89]
A very rare choice was seen in Vaishali, R - Lagno, K to allow the Marshall but then refuse to accept the pawn with 10.d3. Black has many decent options in response, including Lagno’s choice of 10...Bb7 11.a4 b4 12.a5!?:
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I like White’s follow-up and she could have obtained a promising version of an IQP, but in the game her higher-rated opponent took over with the black pieces and scored the full point.
All the best, Harry
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