Download PGN of August ’24 Open Sicilian games
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Kan 5.g3 [B41]
We start with Teclaf, P - Carlsen, M, where White went for a relatively rare line to confuse his great opponent. In the rare theoretical position after 12.Rb1:
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Magnus came up with an ambitious novelty, 12...d4, offering an interesting pawn sacrifice. White reacted passively with 14.Bc1, but soon accepted a dubious version of the pawn sacrifice. Even so, Teclaf's position remained acceptable, and only the impulsive 25.f3? let Black score a win.
Kan 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Ba7 [B42]
The next game, Zhalmakhanov, R - Yu, Y, saw the players enter a theoretical position that previously occurred in a few correspondence games:
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White went for the ambitious 15.f5?! but it was connected with a miscalculation - and his next move 16.Nbd4? is already a losing one! Even so, Ramazan could have saved the game with beautiful tactics that both players missed at the end.
Taimanov 6.Be2 Be7 [B47]
The game Dominguez, L - Nepomniatchi, I saw Ian deviate from known paths with 6...Be7, and after 7.Qd3!?:
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the players entered completely unexplored paths. Black reacted with the risky 7...Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bf6, and it was fully justified because Leinier let Black liquidate into a comfortable endgame. The approximate balance was kept till the end, when 40.Ke4? is the main reason for White's loss.
Despite such a victory we will hardly see many followers in Ian's footsteps because Leinier's play can easily be improved.
Taimanov 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0-0-0 [B48]
The next game, Grischuk, A - Vokhidov, S, saw White demonstrate a fresh and deep idea. Alexander played the new move (for out site) 13.Bd3!?, and it was followed by 17.Nb6! - a novelty that is connected with a piece sacrifice:
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After capturing the knight Black's king came under strong pressure in view of the f5-f6 advance. It isn't surprising that Shamsidding didn't manage to defend calmly, and 20...Bf8? let Alexander quickly develop a crushing attack. At the end there was a tactical blunder by Alexander, but Black didn't take his chance.
Najdorf 6.Be3 e5 7.Nf3 Be7 [B90]
In So, W - Aronian, L the players entered a long theoretical line with the fashionable 8...Be6. In the position after 17.Qg3:
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Levon came up with a creative innovation 17...Rac8, sacrificing a pawn. Wesley decided to call it a day with 21.Rd3 that invites Black to force major simplifications with 21...d5. The game ended in a draw after decent play by both.
In general, 8...Be6 still seems a good practical solution.
Najdorf 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Nbd7 [B96]
The next game, Sychev, K - Nepomniatchi, I, saw White introduce an early innovation, 10.Nf3!?:
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It definitely doesn't refute Black's setup, but sets some practical problems. In fact, the inaccurate 19...Qf4+?! made Ian's position rather shaky. White soon returned the favor with 23.Ne2?!, but the real blunder came just before the end. A lucky win for GM Nepomniatchi!
Najdorf 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Qb6 9.a3 [B96]
We have 2 games that featured this fashionable position. First, in Beerdsen, T - Indjic, A Aleksandar chose the less common 9...Nc6 and it worked well for Black - in the critical position after 11...e5:
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Thomas went for the dubious 12.Nf5?! that allows Black to take over the initiative. Black quickly obtained a much better position, but his eventual win was lucky - it could have gone either way.
The other encounter Firouzja, A - Abdusattorov, N saw the most common 9...Be7, but Nodirbek still managed to deviate from the main paths with the rare 11...e5!?
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Alas, he probably messed something up in his preparation, because the impulsive 13...d5?! led Black into a difficult endgame. The further interesting play was full of mutual mistakes, where Alireza's eventual win still seems well-deserved. I expect more practical tests in both lines.
See you next month, Michael
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