Daring Defences for January 2003
GM Glenn Flear |
To download the January '03 Daring Defences games directly in PGN form click here: 
Dutch
We start the year with a couple of model Dutch games illustrating play in the Classical main line. Game One illustrates Black's attacking potential whereas in Game Two White obtains a positional plus in the centre and never lets go.
Grünfeld
Virtually all the remaining games cover the Grünfeld which I rather neglected last time.
Games 3-5 feature the g3-systems often known as the Neo-Grünfeld. In each case the opening phase was tense but adequate for the second player.
Game Three was a chaotic affair, but Black's opening plan has been doing well recently.
In the following position:
            
|
from Jankovic-Palac Black played 22...Bxd4. it seems reasonable to ask the question: What's going on? See the full game to find out!
In Game Five Luke McShane was punished for underestimating the danger to his sidelined knight.
Agdestein introduced a novelty on move 15 in Game Six but his less-experienced opponent handled it well, only cracking in time trouble.
In November's Daring Defences I showed a good counter in White's Bd2 Exchange Variation featured in Game Seven. Here we see how NOT to play as Black!
In Game 8 we see a sharp line that has been known for many years but still remains pretty unclear.
|
|
White's best try is 17 Rxe6 as in the game. Has he really enough compensation for the exchange and a pawn? Most commentators say yes! The game Ernst-Nijboer ended in a draw but the exchange sacrifice still needs further tests.
White obtained the better chances in the opening in both Game 9 and Game 10 only to see Black obtain the upper hand in the latter stages. There again, as we saw in November, Svidler makes ...Bd7 look easy for Black throughout the whole of the following Game.
Karpov - Kasparov encounters are generally noteworthy. In the following position
|
|
Kasparov introduced the new move 9...Bg4 but despite having to work everything out over the board, Karpov managed to keep an opening edge.
A few moves later,
|
|
he made an interesting positional exchange sacrifice with 20 Rxc4. Despite losing the game Karpov had somewhat the better of it until near the end.
If sharp theory doesn't appeal then Black can play the solid alternative featured in Game 13, despite it's slightly passive appearance White hasn't anything concrete.
In our final Grünfeld, Simon Knott took on Korotylev in a theoretical line that is far from clear. The young Russian came out on top but along the way there are plenty of potential improvements for Black.
St.George
Finally, Game 15 features a wild queen sacrifice in the St.George sent in by a subscriber. Although this fine game must have given great pleasure to the winner I have to put a dampner on things pointing out that the sacrifice had been played before and isn't that convincing against a more stubborn defence!
Keep the questions rolling in, you may find an idea that I've missed!
Write to Glenn_Flear@chesspublishing.com.