What's New (April 2003 update)
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Hi Everyone! Here's where we take a look at the most exciting Nimzo, Queen's Indian and Modern Benoni games from last month. |
Remember, if you have any opinions, ideas or questions, please either make yourself heard at the Forum (the link above on the right) or email me at JohnEmms@ChessPublishing.com.
To download the April '03 Nimzo and Benoni games directly in PGN form, click here: 
Nimzo Indian Classical Variation (4 Qc2)
We begin this month with a look at one of the main lines, if not the main line in the 4 Qc2 Nimzo. The game Gurevich - Kosten, French League 2003 begins normally enough with 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 0-0 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 Qxc3 b6 7 Bg5 Bb7 8 f3 h6 9 Bh4 d5 10 e3
            
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and here Black played 11...Re8, a rare move which Kramnik has played recently (although Tony Kosten was unaware of this during his game). A few moves later Black plays a brave piece sacrifice, but excellent resourcefulness on Gurevich's part proved the sacrifice to be unsound. I must thank Tony Kosten for providing the notes to this game (I supply a few additional comments marked with JE).
Nimzo Indian Leningrad Variation (4 Bg5)
Doug Schwetke, New Jersey, writes:
«I am interested in more information on the gambit line (declined) in the Leningrad Nimzo-Indian after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Bg5 h6 5 Bh4 c5 6 d5 b5 7 e3. Also, is there a significant difference in this line when Black doesn't play ...h7-h6?»
Check out my thoughts and a brief survey of this line in Leningrad Nimzo 4...h6 5 Bh4 c5 6 d5 b5 7 e3.
Nimzo Indian 4 e3 b6
Mchedlishvili - Sakaev, Dubai 2003 begins 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 e3 (the game starts as a 4 e3 Queen's Indian but soon transposes to a ...b6 Nimzo) 4...Bb7 5 Nc3 Bb4 6 Bd3 Ne4 7 0-0 f5 8 Ne2!?
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This move certainly has some logic to it. Black was likely to play ...Bxc3 next move, but now his bishop is rather stuck out on a limb on b4. However, in this game White makes an early miscalculation and the punishment handed out by Sakaev is quite instructive.
Nimzo Indian Sämisch
In the game N.Pedersen-Schandorff, Danish Championship 2003 we once again take a look at the main line of the Sämisch Nimzo: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 0-0 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 c5 7 Bd3 Nc6 8 Ne2 b6 9 e4 Ne8 10 0-0 Ba6 11 f4 f5 12 Ng3 g6
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All the key moves and deviations up to here have been explained before on this website (see, for example, Yusupov-Karpov, Linares 1993 - ECO code E29). In this game White decides to open the position as much as possible, trying to obtain some much-needed scope for those bishops with 13 exf5 exf5 14 dxc5 bxc5.
Queen's Indian 4 a3
Dreev - Tiviakov, Dos Hermanas 2003 begins 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 Bb7 5 Nc3 d5 6 cxd5 Nxd5 7 Bd2 Nd7 8 Nxd5 Bxd5!?
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8...exd5 is more solid - see Akopian-Polgar, Merida 2000 (ECO code E12). Tiviakov follows an earlier game in this line between Dreev and Karpov, but on move fourteen Dreev comes up with a powerful novelty which very much puts Black on the back foot.
Tkachiev - Pelletier, French League 2003 sees an aggressive approach by White: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 Bb7 5 Nc3 d5 6 Qc2 dxc4!? 7 Bg5!? a6 8 e4 b5
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Black keeps his pawn but White's central control gives him good compensation. In the game Black allowed a powerful piece sacrifice and was unable to find a solution to his problems.
Modern Benoni 7...a6
We finish this month with another look at the line 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 c5 4 d5 d6 5 Nc3 exd5 6 cxd5 g6 7 e4 a6 8 a4 Bg4 9 Qb3!?
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We also saw this move last month (Crouch - Povah, code A70). Results suggest that Black has found a good antidote to this sharp line, but it would be premature to say that it's unplayable for White, as the analysis in Papp-M.Hoffmann, Budapest 2003 shows.
Till next time,
John Emms