Download PGN of March ’25 Flank Openings games
>> Previous Update >>
Larsen’s Opening 1...e5 2 Bb2 Nc6 3 e3 Nf6 4 Bb5 e4 [A01]
I've noticed an awful lot of quick games from Nakamura these last few months where he played 1 b3, and so I thought I'd have a look to see which lines he is currently favouring and if there were any earth-shaking novelties. In Nakamura, H - Gokerkan, C I first look at the reply 1...e5.
The opening continued 2 Bb2 Nc6 3 e3 Nf6 4 Bb5 e4 and here Nakamura played his current preference, 5 f3:
             |
Later White played a novelty, but it wasn't any improvement on previous play, to say the least, and he was soon quite a bit worse. However, he actually won quite easily! In fact, I get the impression that he was worse in a lot of the openings included in the notes, but being such a very strong blitz player and with such excellent understanding of these structures, Nakamura often won anyway!
Réti Opening: 2 g3 g6 3 b3 Bg7 4 Bb2 c5 [A05]
I'm always on the lookout for lines to play against King's Indian setups that avoid having to memorise lots of theory, and 3 b3 is one of them. Artemiev, V - Stribuk, A continued logically 3...Bg7 4 Bb2 c5 5 Bg2 d5 6 c4 d4, but now White can play the thematic Benoni flanking blow 7 b4 immediately:
|
|
I remember being impressed by this line ten years ago when I annotated Kramnik,V-Svidler,P, where White managed to undermine Black's centre and then construct his own. Instead, in this current game White successfully fought for the c5 and then b4 squares before exploiting the open b file to good effect.
Bluebaum System 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 g3 e6 3 Bg2 d5 4 0-0 Bd6 [A13]
On to the Bluebaum System, and one of the advantages of this setup is it can be played against a wide variety of White plans.
Firstly, should White go for a King's Indian Attack by 5 d3 0-0 6 Nbd2 Nc6 7 e4 then Bluebaum plays 7...dxe4 8 dxe4 e5 9 c3 a5:
|
|
and he often follows-up with ...b7-b6 and ...Ba6 which eyes d3 and f1 and will make it difficult for White to play Nc4.
Another possibility is 5 d4 0-0 6 c4 Nc6 7 Nc3 with a Catalan, but here Black can get good play by 7...dxc4, and if 8 e4 Black's pieces are perfectly placed to counter in the centre by 8...e5:
|
|
Anyway, this month we are mostly concerned with the lines 5 c4 0-0 6 b3 Nc6 and 5 b3 0-0 6 Bb2 Nc6 7 c4:
|
|
Here Black plays 7...d4! which works tactically and gives Black a good position, have a look at Shuvalova, P - Bluebaum, M where I round-up the latest ideas.
Probably White's strongest move after 5 c4 0-0 6 b3 Nc6 is 7 d4 returning to Catalan-like waters. Here Black's main plan is again 7...dxc4 8 bxc4 e5:
|
|
However, White should play 9 c5! Be7 10 dxe5 as in Sharif, M - Kosten, A where my opponent hit me with a powerful innovation which left me reeling on the ropes!
Although there was no way my opponent could have known I was going to play this line, as I'd never played it before, it seems that he had already looked at it with the intention of playing it himself, as Black, and then found this annoying move for White, which put him off the line. I guess I was just unlucky with my opening choice here. Anyway, this line will soon be tested again, no doubt.
The Adhiban Gambit 4...c6 5 Ngxe4 Nxe4 6 Nxe4 d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 Ng3 h5 9 h4 [A22]
This gambit is still a real problem for White, as despite losing its surprise value Black still has a useful plus score. Instead of the 9 e3 which David examined many times before, allowing Black to kick the knight back to e2, what if White stops the black h pawn dead in its tracks with 9 h4:
|
|
Black should reply 9...Bg4!, pinning the e pawn and making it difficult for White to continue his development. In.Soto, C - Christiansen, J Black then played a strong, if fairly obvious, novelty and won a powerful attacking game, although White didn't help his cause by grabbing some hot pawns.
Symmetrical, Double Fianchetto 9...Na6 10 Rd1 [A30]
Another b2-b3 against a KID setup involving 2...g6 reached a Double Fianchetto Hedgehog in Vitiugov, N - Kovchan, A:
|
|
In this position Black played 9...Na6 and White replied with the aggressive 10 Rd1 and 11 Qh4 followed by g3-g4. I've played this way myself in similar positions in the past without much success so I was curious when I saw such a strong GM play this way. Indeed, White won with a crushing attack, but objectively Black was doing very well out of the opening.
Symmetrical English, Four Knights 4 e3 a6 [A34]
In Polak, T - Grandelius, N, instead of the obvious and 'normal' 8 d4, White played the unusual sideways move 8 Na4, taking aim at the c5 pawn, to reach the following position:
|
|
In fact, apart from the obvious threat of building-up on the c5 pawn with Rc1, there is also a neat hidden tactical point involving Bxf6 and after ...Qxf6, Na4-b6xd5, but in reply Black played a clever novelty which not only 'falls for the trap', but actually forces White to play it! However, at the end of the line it becomes clear that Black gets plenty of compensation.
I was very impressed by the standard of play in this game, both players played almost perfectly, and Black, in particular, showed excellent understanding.
Pure Symmetrical 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 Nc6 4 Nc3 g6 5 b3 [A36]
Erigaisi, A - Ingebretsen, J features another b2-b3 line against Black's KID setup, and as in Carlsen's game from January White again developed his king's knight to the side of the board with 8 Nh3, which is actually a novelty in this precise position:
|
|
The idea is to play Nh3-f4 to control the d5 square, but there is a second plan, White refrained from castling kingside and instead played 11 h4, broke open the kingside and only castled queenside on move 21 when he already had a strong, and soon decisive, attack.
Until next month, Tony.
>> Previous Update >>
To contact the author please go to the Flank Openings Forum, or subscribers can write directly to Support@chesspublishing.com.