Download PGN of May ’24 Nimzo and Benoni games
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Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3 0-0 5 Nf3 d5 6 Bd2 [E51]
4 e3 0-0 5 Nf3 d5 6 Bd2 Nbd7 7 a3 Be7 8 cxd5 exd5 9 Bd3 c6:
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The diagrammed position doesn’t look at all threatening for Black - isn’t this some sort of Carlsbad with White’s dark-squared bishop shut inside the pawn chain? However, experience should have taught us by now not to dismiss these Bd2 lines so lightly. Instead of castling, White can play more ambitiously with 10 Qc2 Re8 11 Ne5!:
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This is the idea behind 10 Qc2. The knight jumps into its usual post, ready to be supported by f2-f4. An exchange on e5 would mean that White wins the h7-pawn. However, 11...Nxe5! 12 dxe5 Ng4 is in fact the critical response. Sacrificing the h-pawn gives Black considerable counterplay. See Anton Guijarro, D - Niemann, H for analysis.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd2 [E46]
4 e3 0-0 5 Bd2 d6:
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We haven’t covered this move previously. The plan with ...d6 and ...e5 is well known of course, but it’s rarely played against an early Bd2. The Bd3/Nge2 set-up looks like the most promising response by White, so 6 Bd3! e5 7 Nge2 is logical. Here 7...Re8 has been Black’s most popular choice, but in a recent game Black headed for an IQP with 7...exd4 8 exd4 d5!:
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The loss of tempo with the two-step ...d6 and ...d5 is at least partially offset by the fact that White’s dark-squared bishop no longer belongs on d2. Still, this should be a fairly favourable IQP for White, although not as favourable as it turned out in Ghosh, D - Tarhan, A where White won a crushing miniature.
Nimzo-Indian: Botvinnik-Capablanca Variation [E49]
4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 cxd5 exd5 7 a3 Bxc3+ 8 bxc3:
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Via a slightly unusual move order (Black normally plays 7...Bd6) we’ve arrived at the Botvinnik-Capablanca Variation. Black normally plays 8...c5 here, but ...b6 is part of Black’s plan and after 8...b6 a transposition is likely. However, a recent game continued 9 Ne2 Ba6 10 0-0 Qc8 (10...c5 transposes to the main line)
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This move is unusual, even if the idea of ...Qc8 is well known. Its merits and drawbacks are discussed in David, A - Hjartarson, J.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 f3 c5 [E20]
4 f3 c5 5 d5 d6 6 e4 0-0 7 Nge2 b5 8 Nf4:
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This is a key position from the 4 f3 Nimzo, which we’ve considered a few times before. 8...exd5 is likely the most critical line, and we’ve also looked at 8...a6. In a recent game, Black instead played 8...e5. This move has some attraction because Black gains time by forcing the knight to retreat. However, White can argue that the closing of the centre favours him as it releases the pressure and White can enjoy a pleasant space advantage. See Di Berardino, D - Bachmann, A for analysis.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 f3 d5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 c5 [E25]
4 f3 d5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 c5 7 cxd5 Nxd5 8 dxc5 Qa5 9 e4 Nf6 10 Be3 Nfd7:
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This line remains one of Black’s more solid options against 4 f3, and suitable for players not inclined to jump into the sharp and theory-heavy 4...c5 lines.
Even though ...Nfd7 is very much part of the strategy, Black normally castles on the tenth move. However, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with this move order. Indeed, with many different ideas to be considered it might even confuse White, and it succeeded in doing so in a recent game. After 11 Kf2 0-0 12 Qb3?! Qc7! suddenly Black was better. See the notes to Conquest, S - Lekic, D for details and an update of the critical lines.
Bogo-Indian: 4 Nbd2 [E11]
4 Nbd2 0-0 5 a3 Bxd2+ 6 Qxd2:
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Pragg has played the Bogo-Indian on numerous occasions over the past few months. We’ve already seen what he does against 4 Bd2, and now we can see his intentions against 4 Nbd2. In a recent blitz game against Magnus Carlsen, he avoided the main line 5...Be7 6 e4 in favour of an exchange on d2.
For Black, the natural set-up of ...b6, ...Bb7, ...d6 and ... Nbd7 is understandably the most popular choice here, but Pragg preferred to make contact in the centre with 6...d5!?. A typical sequence from here is 7 e3 b6 8 b3 Bb7 9 Bb2 Nbd7 10 Be2:
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White can claim that the bishop pair promises slight edge, but Black’s position remains pretty solid. Here Pragg released the tension here with 10...dxc4. In all earlier games, White had responded by recapturing with the b-pawn, but Carlsen instead chose 11 Bxc4. See Carlsen, M - Praggnanandhaa, R for analysis of this line.
Till next time, John
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