Download PGN of December ’22 Open Sicilian games
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Kan 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Qc7 [B41]
In Tari, A - Neiksans, A Aryan played 5.a3!?, but it actually transposed into one of the key positions with 5.c4. After 7...b6:
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Aryan employed the fresh and aggressive plan with 8.f4!? and quickly obtained a promising setup after 14.0-0-0! It felt really dangerous for Black's king, so Artur's attempt to fight for the initiative with 14...b5! was the best practical decision. Aryan failed to handle this complex position properly, and after 19.e5?!, followed by 21.Rd4? White's king came under a stunning attack. The further play was full of mutual mistakes and ended in a draw to Aryan's satisfaction.
At the moment 8.f4!? looks very attractive for White, so I expect to see more practical tests soon.
Kan 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Ba7 [B42]
In the next game, Brunello, S - Moroni, L, the players entered a complex theoretical position after 9...Nf6:
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Sabino deviated from Duda - Carlsen with 10.Bxa7 Rxa7 11.Qe3, that doesn't seem to pose Black any problems. However, after passive play by Black (especially 16...Qc7?! and 28...Rad8?) Sabino was very close to winning the game. The really critical moment came on move 26, when he rejected the correct 36.f6 and let Black's king escape. Moreover, the impulsive 40.c4? led White to a quick collapse. A very exciting struggle!
The Four Knights 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 Bb7 [B45]
An interesting theoretical discussion in the line with 8...Bb7 took place in Shirov, A - Guseinov, G. In the position after 13...Nd5:
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Alexei played the 14.Rf3!?, that was recently successfully employed by GM Sandwani. It looks like Gadir was well-prepared for it, though.and after 14...Be7! 15.Qc2 f5! Black managed to obtain a solid position. Moreover, the impulsive 17.Ng5?! put White's king in big danger. Luckily for GM Shirov, his opponent returned the favor with 17...0-0?!, letting White force a draw.
Still, 14.Rf3!? is worthy of attention and we need to see more practical tests of it.
The Four Knights 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 Qc7 9.f4 Qb6 [B45]
Another important novelty was introduced in Kadric, D - Ivic, V. In the sharp position after 16....Rc8:
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Denis deviated from the previously covered Nguyen - Ivic with 17.Qc5. This move is rare enough, but Velimir still demonstrated his deep knowledge of this line with 17...Qb6! 18.b4 d5! and easily solved all the problems. A well-played game by both players.
Classical Sozin Attack 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.0-0 [B57]
In the next game, Santos Ruiz, M - Mamedov, R, Miguel went for the long-forgotten line with 7.Nxc6, followed by 9.Qe1!?:
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It looks like this opening choice was somewhat unpleasant for Mamedov's playing style. In fact, the careless 15...Nf6?!, followed by 16...Be6?! quickly put Black on the verge of collapse. The further play was full of mistakes by both sides, but White's eventual win is definitely well-deserved.
This game illustrates that Sozin's attack is still on fire!
Classical Richter-Rauzer 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 Be7 9.f3 [B63]
The game Naiditsch, A - Babula, V saw Arkadij play the relatively rare 13.Bd3:
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that was already seen in a few of his previous games. Vlastimil reacted well with 13...Qc7, followed by 15...d5!? The dynamic balance was kept till move 18, when 18...Qb6? allowed White to quickly develop a crushing attack by transferring the knight to h5.
Despite such a quick defeat, 13.Bd3 is hardly that dangerous: as we can see, Black has several ways of improving Vlastimil's play.
Najdorf 6.Bd3 e5 7.Nde2 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 [B90]
In the next game, Sindarov, J - Xu, X , Black played 10...Nxd5!?:
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In my opinion, 10...Nxd5!? might be an easy solution in this line, but 14.Nf5!? still needs to be checked.
Najdorf 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Re1 Be6 10.Be3 [B92]
The last game, Nepomniatchi, I - Vachier Lagrave, M, saw Ian play 12.a5:
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which he already employed successfully in his earlier game vs Anish Giri. MVL naturally reacted with 12...Rc6, followed by 13...Qc7. However, his ambitious idea involving a sacrifice on c3 didn't work well. In general, Ian's play in this game was very precise and strong till move 29. Had White played 29.h4! it would be very hard for Maxime to stay in the game. Instead, Ian blundered with 29.Nxe5??, missing 29...Qd2! with a quick collapse.
See you next month, Michael
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