What's new in the French Defence
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Welcome to the June Update. In this update you will find examples of everything that it takes to be a top player- deep, accurate calculation [the Kiriakov game], fantastic technique [Grischuk], imagination [Goloshchapov] and killer opening novelties [Todorovic]. |
To download the June '03 French games directly in PGN form, click here: 
So let's get moving with the Tarrasch Variation.
Tarrasch 3...Nf6
I always keep my eyes open for attempts by strong GMs to bust the lines given by John Watson in his great work 'Play the French'. It says something for the durability of Watson's ideas that these attempts are rarely successful. Through the years a lot of attention has focused on the line 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6!? 8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6
            
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Now Michael Adams and others have made a strong case for 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.b3!? giving White a slight edge. See for example the game given in the November 01 update Adams-Rojo Gomez.
This month GM Vysochin has come up with a completely different way to attack 7...Qb6. It is difficult to know if this is just a 'one game wonder' or sets Black genuine problems, but it is certainly tricky and would be a nasty surprise for someone who gets all their theory from Watson's book. Check out Vysochin - Hassan.
Instead of 7...Qb6 above a lot of players these days prefer to put the queen on c7. An absolutely critical position in the 3...Nf6 Tarrasch is reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Nf3 Qc7 12.Bg5 0-0 13.Bh4 Nh5
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Here White has a key choice to make. The older move 14.Nc3!? still causes Black some problems. This month I have selected a game in which Black makes a highly instructive mistake in the opening and suddenly finds himself positionally busted. Check out Mamedov - Hanley.
After the alternative 14.Qc2! a really fierce theoretical battle is raging. The verdict on some moves has been changing from '?' to '!' and then back again!
But the first word here goes to subscriber Antonio Noan from Brazil who sent me the following email entitled an 'excellent game!':
«While reading Malcolm Pein's column at arts.telegraph.co.uk, I came across with the following game. I really liked this game, after all it isn't every day that you see a player sacrifice an exchange, both bishops and the queen to mate the opponent! Would you please analyse this game and put it on your French Defense site?»
Well here is the game Antonio refers to. It is indeed a very attractive attacking game by White and what's more it appears to contain a lethal novelty which completely destroys a variation for Black. Enjoy Todorovic - Kraai.
Well that was a lot of fun for White and you might be thinking that Black is dead and buried after 14.Qc2. In fact he is alive and well as long as he chooses a key alternative at move 18. For analysis have a look at Hoffmann - Stellwagen.
Advance Mainline 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6
Here rather than the automatic 7.b4 Dvoirys has tried to play in the style of the Milner-Barry Variation with 7.Bd3. The question then arises: who does the addition of the moves 6.a3 and 6...Nh6 most favour? You can find out by looking at Dvoirys - Lputian.
Winawer 7.Qg4 0-0
It points to the strength of an opening idea when a player wins in convincing style against a much higher rated player with Black. Here there has been another great success for Black in the 8.Bd3 f5 line with the ...Qb8!! motif examined in the Shirov-Timman game in the December Update.
To see Black's dynamic chances in this line, check out Van den Doel-Delemarre.
Classical Variation 4.e5
Subscribers to this site will tend to recall Grischuk inflicting extreme violence on our favourite opening rather than displaying brilliant technique. But of course no one gets to be number six in the world without being good at all aspects of the game. Grischuk's victim this month might have thought that he had escaped the worst when he exchanged queens but he was completely outplayed.
Theoretically, this is a game of some importance as Black tried an improvement recommended in the March Update to the game Kramnik - Radjabov. Incidentally, this game Kramnik-Radjabov, played at Linares, won the poll for the 'Game of the Month' in March, which suggests that the notorious game Kasparov - Radjabov, which won the Best Game Prize at Linares, wasn't even the best French Defence game played in the tournament, let alone being the best game overall!
Anyhow check out Grischuk - Iljushin.
McCutcheon Variation.
Here Goloshchapov has championed the variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Be3!? as White.
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As you will see through looking at this month's game, Black has to make a critical decision at move 12. GM Volkov misjudges the position and is then beaten by a splendid positional sacrifice. Have a look at the excellent game Goloshchapov - Volkov.
Fort Knox
Finally, here is the perfect illustration of why it is useful to be familiar with all the ins and outs of your opening repertoire. Victor Korchnoi tries an opening experiment but nevertheless just ends up in the mainline Fort Knox. I assume he has never studied this opening as he makes a strategical error which curiously has gone unpunished in previous Grandmaster games! Not all Korchnoi's vast general knowledge of chess could guide him to safety when he was in unknown waters.
Of course, the fact that he was playing Michael Adams, a man who exploits positional blunders perfectly, didn't help. Have a look at Adams - Korchnoi.
Wing Gambit
It is by no means pleasant to play against an opponent who has studied a sharp off-beat variation in great detail. That is why I am impressed with the way Russian GM Peter Kiriakov takes on the gambit line 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4. He responds patiently with a series of solid moves, but then, just when it seems that White has gained enough positional play for the pawn- bam! The GM shows his tactical powers. Here is Tate - Kiriakov.
Well that's all for now. Goodluck with your chess and see you next time!
Best Regards,
Neil