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Advance Variation ...Nh6 [C02]
The main 6 a3 Nh6 line of the Advance can lead to this familiar position:
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Black hopes that his activity will compensate him for his damaged pawn structure. In Zherebukh - Bartel, Lublin 2012, he takes the opportunity to sacrifice the exchange by 11...Rg4 12 h3 Rf4 13 g3 Rxf3 14 Bxf3 Qxd4. This leads to balanced play which turns slightly in White's favour. After restoring full equality and then some, Black misjudges the position and loses a well-played game.
I can't resist using a game by our erstwhile French columnist. In Hamdani - Goh Wei Ming, Zaozhuang 2012, Kevin essays upon 5...Nh6 in the Advance and is rewarded by an inaccurate but instructive move order. White plays 6 Bxh6 and 7 dxc5, which don't go well together because White's centre disintegrates too rapidly. See this position:
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Already White's has difficulties, and really never recovers from his poor opening.
Again in the main 6 a3 Nh6 line of the Advance, White has played a number of games with 9 Be3 recently (perhaps frustrated with his prospects after 9 Bb2):
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Stevic - Galic, Sibenik 2012, is an example with 9...f6 (another of this month's games with 9...Bd7 is examined in a note). White plays a new 11th move and lands in early trouble, but recovers to gain a positional advantage and win.
Tarrasch Variation - 3...Nf6 & ...Qc7 Mainline [C06]
The main line of the 3...Nf6 Tarrasch with ...Qc7 is featured in my book, and Studer - Zhang Xiaowen, Albena 2012, enters into an important sideline which isn't as popular as others but makes a direct positional challenge to Black's strategy:
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Normally 13...Ng4 is played and wild complications can easily arise. But in this general structure Black can almost always play slowly without taking upon himself a serious disadvantage (if any), and the game features 13...Bd7 with positional manoeuvring.
Winawer Variation - 7 Qg4 0-0 8 Bd3 f5 [C18]
With seven games in the ChessPublishing Archives by Apicella using the 7 Qg4 0-0 8 Bd3 Nbc6 main line of the Winawer, it's particularly interesting seeing him defend the variation with 8...f5 in two games versus highly-rated opposition this month, drawing both and even achieving advantages. Landa - Apicella, Belfort 2012, reaches this familiar main-line position:
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Here Landa plays 15 Qc1 and a double-edged battle results.
In Naiditsch - Apicella, Belfort 2012, White had already played 0-0 and the position transposed to the one in the diagram with 15 0-0 included (due to Black's arguably better move order). Both games are instructive and I've tried to indicate the most important alternatives. Potentially this is a good way for Black to establish a safe and playable position in the 8...f5 line.
Portisch-Hook Variation 6...Qa5 [C18]
The Portisch-Hook, as I call it (not necessarily fairly, but names are always a bit arbitrary and subject to argument) continues to do well in master play. Yu Yangyi-Iskandar, Zaozhuang 2012, arrived at this now-standard position:
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It's true that White outrates Black by 600+ points in this game, but we see how he can create chances in this main-line variation, as well as how Black, who plays very competently in the opening, can dig up his own ways to progress.
The position after 6...Qa5 7 Bd2 Qa4 8 Nf3 b6 has done very well for Black over the years. Periodically the natural continuation 9 c4!? is re-tested:
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This attempt to liquidate White's doubled pawns and open lines is logical and sound, but properly answered, shouldn't be considered a threat to Black's position. Votava - Vavra, Kouty nad Desnou 2012, illustrates one approach for the second player, which is sound, if not terribly active. After some inaccuracies, White gains an edge, only to slip up a couple of times and ultimately lose the game. I give an earlier course of play for Black which I think solves any potential worries for him.
Classical Variation - Steinitz 7...a6 [C11]
Bogdan Lalic contributes the game Inarkiev - Lalic, Melilla 2011, from last year, which features a normal-looking but rare move. In the Steinitz Variation with 7...a6, White plays 9 Nd1:
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This seldom-used move of Grischuk's (not played in the multitudinous games in the Archives with 7...a6) is a good practical weapon. Black can get an acceptable position, but White will always have interesting ideas, and in the game White wins a nice thematic victory. I've lightly annotated the opening, but left Lalic's other extensive notes intact.
Till next month, John
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