Download PGN of April ’25 Open Sicilian games
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Sveshnikov 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 9.a4 [B33]
We start with Prraneeth, Vuppala - Ivic, V where Velimir went for the rare and somewhat risky 11...Bf5:
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instead of the usual 11...Nd7. White reacted well with 12.Be3 and soon obtained a better middlegame with decent prospects on the queenside. The first serious mistake was 20.Raxf4? that allowed Black to take over the initiative with 20...Bg5! Even so, it wasn't easy for Velimir to convert his slight positional advantage into a full point, and only his opponent's further mistakes, especially 49.Kf3?? allowed it to happen.
The Four Knights 6.a3 Be7 [B45]
The game Lodici, L - Gurel, E saw Ediz come up with an interesting novelty that managed to confuse his lower-rated opponent, 11...Qb6!?:
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White reacted passively with 12.Nd1?! and quickly found himself in an unpleasant position. The further play was full of mutual mistakes, but only 35...Rc4? let Lorenzo eventually score half a point.
Najdorf 6.Bd3 g6 [B90]
In the next game, Gandelius, N - Kosakowski, J, the players entered the theoretical position after 10...b5:
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that was previously covered in Vaishali - Sethuraman. Nils went for the quiet 11.0-0 which doesn't seem to offer White anything special. Indeed, Black had acceptable play till move 22, when the careless 22...Nxe4? practically killed the intrigue in the game.
Najdorf 6.h3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Be3 Be7 9.f4 [B90]
The game Chigaev, M - Bronstein, O saw an interesting discussion between 2 well-prepared opponents. It looks like Maksim's rare 13.Bf2!? came as a sort of surprise for Or, although he reacted well with 14...e4, followed by 15...Qc7:
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As often happens in such sharp positions, this game was decided by one inaccurate move - 19...Qd3? - which let White quickly develop a crushing attack.
In general, at the moment it looks like both 11...d5 and 11...Nb4!? seem to solve Black's issues in this line.
Najdorf 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7, 12.g5 b4 13.Ne2 [B90]
In Santos Latasa, J - Kosakowski, J the players entered the sharp and well-known position after 18.Bh3:
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Here Jakub correctly deviated from Shankland - Duda with 18...Rxa2! The consequences were undoubtedly known to both players, and resulted in a slightly inferior endgame that should be easily held by Black. Indeed, Jacub did his defensive job well, so a draw was very close. However, the careless 43...Bf4? could have spoiled everything. Luckily for him, Jaime returned the favor at the last moment.
Najdorf 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 h5 9.Nd5 Bxd5 10.exd5 Nbd7 11.Qd2 g6 12.0-0-0 [B90]
In the next game, Volokitin, A - Aizenberg, B, Black went for the rare and inaccurate 15...Be7 in one of the most researched lines:
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Benny's opponent didn't react properly, but the timid 17...Kf8? made Black's position critical. Untypically for him, Andrei didn't take a few attacking opportunities (such as 19.f5!), and eventually it was White who had to struggle for a draw.
Undoubtedly, 15...Nbd7 is the real test. At the moment, it looks acceptable for the second player.
Najdorf 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qf3 h6 [B95]
In the game Abasov, N - Dotzer, L White improved over the previously covered Esipenko - Salem with 10.Bd3!?:
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I don't think that Black should face any serious problems after it, but there are some questions to ask. In fact, Lukas's 10...b5?! was premature and let White benefit from his superior development. After 11.a4! Black wasn't brave enough to sacrifice a pawn, and 12...d5?!, followed by 13...Nxd5?, led to a quick collapse.
Black's defeat in this game proves that 7.Qf3 should be tested more often.
Najdorf Poisoned Pawn 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd3 [B97]
The last game, Navara, D - Rodshtein, M, saw Maxim demonstrate his deep knowledge in the relatively uncommon line with 8.Qd3 - 11...Bxe6! seems the easiest way to solve all Black's issues:
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David chose the most challenging way, where White sacrifices an exchange, and later came up with the novelty 18.c4. It was wasted by the impulsive 19.Nxg7? that could have led to a quick loss, but Black soon returned the favor with 21...Kc7? A short, but exciting game.
As you can see in the notes, there are a few attempt to improve on David's play, but Black should be fine everywhere.
See you next month, Michael
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