Download PGN of October '11 1 e4 e5 games
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Marshall Gambit [C89]
Karjakin, S - Onischuk, A 12th Karpov international 2011, saw an important line of the Marshall:
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Up to this point the players had followed the game Leko, P - Jakovenko, D Dortmund 2009. Here Onischuk improved upon Jakovenko's 24...Bf8?! with my recommendation of 24...Kf8 and soon equalized the game. A well-played game by both players, which leaves the ball in White's court. So far the line with 15...Bd7 looks ok for Black.
Open Variation [C83]
In the game Efimenko, Z - Caruana, F 12th Karpov international 2011, the players followed the old game Anand,V-Greenfeld, Haifa 2000 (rapid) for the first 22 moves and reached the following position:
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Now White deviated with 23.Ke2, instead of Anand's 23.Rac1, but obtained no advantage and Black equalized without visible problems. A relatively easy draw for Caruana, so White needs a good idea in this line in order to set any problems.
Schliemann/Jaenisch [C63]
Anand, V - Ivanchuk, V 4th Final Masters 2011, saw Ivanchuk surprise Anand with the Schliemann/Jaenisch system of the Spanish, which is gaining popularity mainly thanks to Radjabov's efforts.
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Even though this position was already tested more than 20 times it has never been seen at the GM level. Here Vishy came with the interesting 12.Be3!? (instead of 12.Bh6), but Vasily reacted well, equalized quickly and even won the game after White's later miscalculations, and despite a long resistance. A good technical win from Ivanchuk, though Anand wasn't at his best. The opening line chosen by Vishy doesn't seem to set Black serious problems, and anyway, White should have tried 10.Nh4.
This section wouldn't be complete without Radjabov's win over Adams. So the game Adams, M - Radjabov, T 4th Final Masters 2011, featuring the 7.Qd3 line instead of Anand's 7.Nc3, is yours to enjoy.
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In the diagram position Radjabov played the uncommon 7...Nd4, which he had already tested earlier this year against Nisipeanu (the main line used to be 7...d6). A complex position with Black's king in the centre and the a and b-files open saw Adams suddenly and unnecessarily switching to defense and coming under pressure. A well-played game by Radjabov. White can try to set problems by means of 14.Ng3.
Scotch 4...Bc5 5.Nxc6 [C45]
Morozevich, A - Eljanov, P Governor's Cup, Saratov 2011, saw the 5...bxc6 line, which continues to gain popularity.
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In the diagram position given above White applied the rare 7.Nc3. Later Black should have played 16...f5, but after the inaccurate 16...Rae8?! he came under pressure. A well played game by Morozevich who nicely outplayed his opponent. Nevertheless the line with 7...Ne7 deserves further practical tests.
Scotch 4...Bc5 5.Be3 [C45]
Morozevich, A - Tomashevsky, E Governor's Cup, Saratov 2011, featured the 5.Be3 line this time. White played his favorite 7.Nc2 and after 8.Nxe3 the following position occurred:
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Tomashevsky played 8...0-0, instead of the 8...Qe5 which was introduced by Tarrash(!) and later picked-up by Anand and Aronian. Black equalized with some accurate play and a draw was agreed after 31 moves in a roughly equal position. The ball is back in White's court. Probably 7.Nc2 doesn't promise opening advantage.
Bishop's Opening [C24]
The game Karjakin, S - Efimenko, Z 12th Karpov international 2011, saw an interesting line with 5...Bb4+. After the most challenging 7.Bg5 the diagram position given below arose:
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Efimenko reacted with 7...dxe4, while in the recent game Shirov, A - Roiz, M Governor's Cup, Saratov 2011 Black played 7...Be6 instead. The first inaccuracy already came on the 9th move, 9...Qe7?!, when instead, 9...h6 was better. White started to set problems with 10.Nh4! and soon Black committed two more mistakes 12...Nxb3?! and 14...Qe6? and quickly collapsed after 15.Bh6! An unexpectedly easy win for White, which is especially surprising as it was achieved in such a quiet opening line. Nevertheless, the objective evaluation of the line is full equality, and 9...h6 looks like an obvious improvement.
>Bishop's Gambit 3.Bc4 [C33]
For the dessert we have the blitz game Short, N - Kasparov, G Your Next Move Blitz 2011.
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This position, which is not very popular, has been known since the game Spielmann-Bogoljubow, Maehrisch/Ostrau 1923. Garry played the natural 8...Nc6 here, which turned out to be a novelty - the main line is 8...0-0. After some logical play the players exchanged mistakes on move 19, and then, since Black was the last to err, White seized the initiative and led the game to a win. A well played game by Short especially considering the time rate. Despite his loss in this game Black's opening strategy proved to be rather safe.
Enjoy.
See you next month, Victor.
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