Download PGN of October ’25 Flank Openings games
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Réti, Nimzovich-Larsen Attack: 1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 Bg4 3.Bb2 Bxf3 4.exf3 [A06]
1.Nf3 d5 2.b3 Bg4 3.Bb2 Bxf3 4.exf3 Nf6 5.f4 g6 6.d4!:
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In Dardha, D - Kollars, D White started tightening the central grip early on with 6...Bg7 7.Nd2 Bg7 8.g3:
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Here Black missed his chance to liberate himself with the active 8...c5! Instead. after 8...Nbd7 9.Bg2 a5 10.c4 c6 11.0-0 the opening ended with a definite success for White, who controls the centre, limits Black’s activity and directs the further course of the game.
Reversed Grunfeld: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 cxd4 5.0-0 h6 [A07]
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 cxd4 5.0-0 h6 Via the Queen’s Pawn Opening move order, a position more commonly reached via a Reti (1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 4.d4 cxd4 5.0-0 h6) arose in Nihal, S - Mendonca, L After 6.Bf4 Black chose a dynamic pawn sacrifice: 6...g5!?, offering a fresh contribution to the variation's theory:
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White accepted the offer with 7.Bxb8 Rxb8 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.Qxa7 Qc7 when Black obtained convincing dark-squared compensation and later even got a winning position, but eventually spoiled it and went on to lose.
Réti Opening: 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.c4 [A09]
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.c4 dxc4 4.Na3 Bg7 5.Nxc4 c5:
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Less popular than 5...Nc6, but an equally viable way of fighting for the centre. Richard Rapport demonstrated a convincing way of posing Black small, but clear problems until late in the game Rapport, R - Dardha, D, 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.b3! 0-0 8.Bb2 Nc6 9.Nfe5! Nxe5 10.Bxe5:
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White’s powerful central pieces demand neutralization from Black: 10...Ng4! 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Qc1! The queen begins an infiltration that doesn’t let Black achieve effortless equality: 12...Rb8 13.Qc3+ Kg8 14.h3 Nf6 15.Qe5!:
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With an interesting game, where Black is objectively fine, but White keeps a practical initiative.
Réti Opening 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 d5 4.Bb2 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.g3 [A13]
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 d5 4.Bb2 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.g3 Be7 7.Bg2 h5!?:
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Frederick Svane uncorked this aggressive h-pawn advance, which introduces a whole new way of playing a variation with a previously calm reputation, in Gumularz, S - Svane, F
Réti Opening, Reversed Benoni: 3...e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.b3 [A14]
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.b3 The tournament saw two important games for the development of this line. First, after 6...c5 7.d3!? Nc6 8.e3 d4:
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Black accepted the invitation for the Reversed Benoni in Rapport, R - Suleymanli, A, which continued 9.exd4 cxd4 10.Re1 Nd7 11.Na3 Bb4 12.Re2 e5 13.Nc2 f6 14.Nxb4 axb4 15.a3:
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The game saw White developing an initiative by undermining Black’s pawn structure, but then White strangely accepted a threefold repetition in a position where he could have played for more.
6...d4 7.e3 c5 8.Ne5!?:
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White took the opportunity to play this topical move in Mendonca, L - Niemann, H, instead of transposing to the standard Reversed Benoni. The game continued 8...Qc7 9.f4 Nfd7 10.cxd4 cxd4 11.Nd3 Nc5 12.Nxc5 Bxc5 13.Ba3 Bxa3 14.Nxa3 Bd7!:
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Black took an accurate equalizing path, trading the bishops with ...Bd7-c6 as soon as possible.
Anti-Grunfeld: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.h4 c5!? [A16]
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.h4 c5!? 6.h5 Nc6 7.hxg6 fxg6:
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Black presented a variation of the Anti-Grunfeld still in its nascent stage of development in Vidit, S - Mishra, A. After 8.g3 Bg7 9.Bg2 Bf5 White opted for 10.Nh4 when it is unclear why Black’s didn’t simply react 10...Be6, with a perfectly good game. After 10...Nxc3 11.dxc3, White was slightly for choice in the endgame, but missed his best chance and the game ended with a safe draw.
Symmetrical English, Rubinstein's Variation Mainline, 11.f4 [A33]
After 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nc7 in Robson, R - Dardha, D, White went for the old main line with 7.d3 e5 8.Nd2 Bd7 9.0-0 Be7 10.Nc4 f6 and showed the correct way to put Black under opening pressure with 11.f4!:
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White continued with the most promising follow-up 11...b5 12.Ne3 exf4 13.Nf5! and won a convincing game after Black’s hesitation to push the f-pawn one square forward later on, which allowed White to push f4-f5 himself at the right moment.
Until next month, Lukasz.
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