Download PGN of August '13 Flank Openings games
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Anti-Grünfeld/KID [A16/E94]
The first game we start with is Howell, D - Gormally, D, featuring an Anti-Grünfeld that transposes to a sort of KID.
I played inaccurately in the opening with 8..Re8?!, forcing a move that White wanted to play in any case, when 8..d6!:
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instead should have been played, with the idea of bringing the knight around from f6 to c5, and then freeing the Black position with ...f5. Later on I missed a nice idea with ...Nh5, with a possibility of forcing a perpetual check, and then I was completely outplayed.
Four Knights 4 g3 Bc5 [A29]
Another very interesting game was Jones, G - Gormally, D, where one of the main lines of the English was discussed, the Four Knights with 4...Bc5, a favourite of Karpov. It is my belief that Black is more than ok in the line that occurred in the game, and probably I should have played 10...Bf5!:
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As played by Tomashevsky, after which Black has very nice chances. In the game I played slightly worse and had to suffer a little.
I decided to add another game in this line to consider 7 d3 (instead of the 7 e3 and 8 d4 played by Gawain), Flores,D-Vallejo Pons,F, played just a few days ago in the World Cup.
Four Knights 4 g3 Nd4 [A29]
A game which was really a nice result for me over the summer was the game Gormally, D - Gretarsson, H as I beat a very promising, up and coming player. A rare result for a 'past it' gm like myself.
That game also featured a hot theoretical debate where we saw the line with 4...Nd4!?:
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Where Black tries to exchange pieces to take the sting out of the position. As I explain in my notes, instead of the usual 7.Qb3 (which I've also examined in the sharp game Williams,S-Van Kampen,R) or my 7.0-0, I like the possibility of 7.d4!:
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Where I think White has very good chances. This is rather similar to what happened in the game, although I missed a chance to gain an advantage in the opening.
2...Bb4 [A21]
A line that has gone out of fashion these last twenty years, but still gets played from time-to-time, is 3 Qb3, attacking the bishop and avoiding doubled pawns:
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I (TK) played it against Ivan Sokolov in our match in 1992, but soon realised that Black gets easy play with straightforward development. So it was a slight surprise to see Moro play this a couple of days ago (although this was a quick game), I guess he just wanted to play some chess, see Morozevich, A - Vitiugov, N.
Pure Symmetric 5 Nf3 d6 [A31]
After seeing Danny's summer of English Openings I (Tony Kosten) thought I might as well do the same, and annotate all 3 of mine from the British Championships. The main game features the unusual Pure Symmetric line 1 c4 c5 2 g3 g6 3 Bg2 Bg7 4 Nc3 Nc6 5 Nf3 d6 6 O-O and now 6...Bf5!?:
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I'd never seen this move before, but it is not bad at all, see Kosten, A - Gordon, S (my other two games, both Botvinnik Systems, are in the notes).
Anyway I hope you enjoy this report and I modestly hope it improves your understanding of the English! Danny.
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