Download PGN of October '07 1 e4 e5 games
Scotch Game [C45]
4...Bc5 still looks like the perfect answer to the Scotch Game:
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Following 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 Ne5 Morozevich tried his 8. Bb3 move again a few days after his Svidler game (see last month), but after 8...Qg6 9. 0-0 d5! Black was again very comfortable in Morozevich, A - Leko, P.
In Ni Hua-Kunte,A the Chinese GM resurrected 8. Be2 Qg6 9. O-O d6 10. Kh1!?, a favourite of Zelcic, and soon achieved a winning position, before blundering and losing.
However, Black played 14...Qd3?! here, rather than the critical 14...Qf5!:
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This line is supposed to be fine for Black, so what did Ni Hua have up his sleeve?
Archangel [C78]
A post on the Forum alerted me to the interesting line 6...Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. c3 d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. a5!? which has been scoring well for White:
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Black should probably retreat his bishop to a7 when play continues 11. h3 (11. Be3!? is seen in Zhigalko, S - Golubenko, V, but is likely to transpose) 11...O-O 12. Be3 and now the point of the variation is seen: the black dark-squared bishop is no longer defended by a pawn and so Black has to take measures against White's threat of capturing on e5. I think the best move is now 12...Ra8, see Aagaard, J - Godena, M, as the time Black loses with his bishop and rook is compensated by the fact that White has given up his pressure on b5, and can no longer open the a-file. However, the critical, and fun line goes 12...exd4!? 13 cxd4 Nxe4 14 Qc2! Qe8 15 Nc3!:
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With a massive initiative, see the brilliant game Timofeev, A - Halkias, S.
Marshall Gambit
In Anand, V - Svidler, P the soon-to-be World Champion tried the 13. g3 variation, and reached the following key position a few moves later:
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Black doubled rooks on the e-file and seemed to have lots of compensation, but White simply brought his knight to g2, and his bishop to f3 to defend his kingside, then opened the a-file and won - very instructive!
I think that Black should either prefer one of the 18th move alternatives, or simply play 13...Qd7 14. d4 Qh3 with transposition to the Marshall mainline.
Zaitsev Variation
This is another line that attracted some comment on the Forum, and fortunately one of the sharpest mainlines was examined in some depth in two games from the RYBKA - ZAPPA match.
Both times White won the black queen and lots of pawns in exchange for his rooks and a bishop, and both times a dynamically equal position was eventually reached.
Chigorin Mainline
English GM Mark Hebden's 1 e4 e5 games are always worth following and I noticed that he has recently added 13...Rd8 to his repertoire:
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See Kotronias, V - Hebden, M. Incidentally, Black missed a great chance to save half a point at the end of this game:
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Black to play and draw!
Till next month, Tony
Please post your Kingpawn Opening queries on the 1 e4 e5 Forum, or subscribers can write to tonykosten@chesspublishing.com if you have any questions.