Download PGN of August ’22 Nimzo and Benoni games
>> Previous Update >>
Nimzo-Indian: 4 Qc2 d6 [E32]
4 Qc2 d6 5 e4!?:
             |
5 e4 is the move that Black’s 4...d6 move order is supposed to discourage, but things are not completely clear cut. A recent game saw 5...c5! 6 a3 Qa5!? 7 e5 Nfd7:
|
|
and now 8 axb4! Qxa1 leads to extremely sharp play - see Dardha, D - Deac, B for analysis.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 Qc2 0-0 5 Nf3 [E32]
4 Qc2 0-0 5 Nf3 d5 6 cxd5 exd5 7 Bg5 h6 8 Bh4 c5 9 e3:
|
|
Black has numerous options here, but 9...cxd4! was previously suggested on this site as a clean way to equalise, something that Wesley So did comfortably in a game against Andreikin. See Andreikin, D - So, W for details of this move and alternatives.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 Nge2 [E41]
4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 Nge2 dxc4 7 Bxc4 c5 8 0-0 cxd4 9 exd4 Nc6 10 a3:
|
|
This IQP, while still interesting, is probably one of the less theoretically challenging ones for Black in the Nimzo-Indian. 10...Be7 is certainly playable, and previously we’ve considered 10...Bd6. At the Olympiad, Wesley So demonstrated that the third option 10...Bxc3!? is also perfectly okay for Black - see Mastrovasilis, A - So, W for analysis.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 a3 [E49]
4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 a3 dxc4!?:
|
|
6...dxc4 is a new move for this site. Instead of exchanging on c3, Black intends to keep the bishop. After 7 Bxc4 (7 Bxh7+ is also possible), Black’s bishop normally retreats to d6, but 7...Be7, as chosen by the Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo in Chennai, also has its merits. See Giri, A - Maghsoodloo, P for details.
After 6 a3, 6...Bxc3+ 7 bxc3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 c5 is the main line, and here there’s been some recent interest in 9 Ne2 Qc7 10 Bd3, thanks at least in part to the efforts of Alexey Sarana. The usual continuation here is 10...e5 11 0-0 Nc6. Instead 10...Nc6 invites a transposition after 11 0-0 e5, but it gives White the extra option of 11 f4!?, as played in the recent game Duda, J - Sevian, S.
|
|
White’s central pawn control means that Black needs to be very careful here to avoid getting squashed!
Nimzo-Indian: 4 f3 d5 [E20]
4 f3 d5 5 a3 Be7 6 e4 dxe4 7 fxe4 c5 8 d5 exd5 9 exd5 0-0 10 Be2:
|
|
This line continues to attract attention, and it seems that 7...c5 has at least temporarily overtaken 7...e5 as Black’s most popular choice at grandmaster level. Previously we’ve covered 10...Re8 11 Nf3 Bg4 12 0-0 Nbd7 13 d6!, most recently in Nepomniachtchi,I-Karjakin,S/Moscow 2020. At the Olympiad, Dominguez Perez instead tried 10...a6!?, which prepares ...Bd6 by preventing Nb5, and certainly got a reasonable position from the opening before going wrong later on - see Erigaisi, A - Dominguez Perez, L for details.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 a3 Bxc3+ 5 bxc3 c5 [E24]
4 a3 Bxc3+ 5 bxc3 c5 6 f3 Nc6 7 e4 d6:
|
|
The Saemisch Variation continues to enjoy something of a revival, and recently it seems to give the impression of scoring better than its theoretical status suggests it should!
From the diagrammed position, 8 Be3 has been White’s most popular choice, while Carlsen preferred 8 Ne2!? (see the notes to Carlsen,M-Keymer,V in the May 21 update.)
At the Olympiad, the Italian GM Lorenzo Lodici instead played 8 d5!?. This is a rare move which has scored poorly in the past. However, it certainly worked well in Lodici, L - Hammer, J, and given that today’s players tend to be extremely well prepared, it’s dangerous to reject ideas out of hand.
Till next time, John
>> Previous Update >>
Feel free to share your ideas and opinions on the Forum (the link above on the right), while subscribers with any questions can email me at JohnEmms@ChessPublishing.com.