Download PGN of July '09 Open Sicilian games
The Lowenthal
Vallejo hasn't made recent use of his occasional weapon 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e5 5 Nb5 a6 6 Nd6+ Bxd6 7 Qxd6 Qf6, but it remains in fairly good health. These days White often chooses the simple approach: 8 Qxf6 Nxf6 9 Nc3 Nb4:
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and now either 10 Kd2 or 10 Bd3. The latter is probably more critical and should not be met by 10...d5?! as it was in Al Qudaimi-Turov - one expects better from a Russian grandmaster!
In my view all of 8 Qd1, 8 Qc7 and 8 Qa3 are more critical tries than the queen exchange, and we round up developments after all three in Llaneza Vega - Exposito Amaro. There White plumped for Spassky's variation, but after 8...Nge7 9 Nc3 Rb8 10 Be3 b5 11 Nd5 Nxd5 12 exd5 Ne7! 13 Rd1 (only with 13 0-0-0 can White hope to pose any problems) 13...d6 Black was pretty comfortable with ideas of ...Qg6 and/or ...Nf5:
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The Sveshnikov: 9 Nd5
Black has a few decent options after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bg5 a6 8 Na3 b5 9 Nd5 Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3. In all cases White can arguably achieve a nominal pull in a quiet position, but against a strong opponent he very rarely manages to make any real progress. This month we examine developments after all of 11...0-0 12 Nc2 Rb8, 11...Bg5 12 Nc2 Ne7 and 11...Bg5 12 Nc2 0-0. Carlsen employed the last two named in Dortmund, and the second of those saw him hold without too much difficulty in Naiditsch - Carlsen. Indeed, on the current evidence 13 a4 bxa4 14 Rxa4 a5 15 Bc4 Bd7!?:
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just looks like a good alternative to the more theoretical 15...Rb8. Might this turn out to be the definite equalizer which will finally send white players back towards 9 Bxf6?
The Taimanov
Returning to the Dangerous Weapons fold, 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Be3 a6 7 Be2 Nf6 8 a3!? was essayed in a key last-round game from the Hilversum Open:
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As revealed by the notes to Haslinger - Spoelman, it's not so easy for Black to equalize with Taimanov-like play. Indeed, I suspect that he does best with 8...d6, whereas Spoelman's 8...Bd6?! 9 Qd2 Nxd4 10 Bxd4 Bf4 11 Qd3 already left him short of a good continuation.
The Scheveningen
Ivanchuk has shown a recent liking for the set-up 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 f4 Be7 7 f4. An important line is debated in Ivanchuk - Nisipeanu, but after 7...0-0 8 Qf3 e5 9 Nf5 Bxf5 10 exf5 Nbd7 11 Bc4:
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I'm not entirely convinced by Black's novelty, and would prefer the more solid and thematic 11...exf4 to 11...Rc8.
There have also been developments in the Classical variation, 6 Be2 Be7 7 0-0 0-0 8 Be3 Nc6 9 f4 a6, as we'll see in Anand - Mamedyarov. There White tries the sideline 10 Kh1, but after 10...Bd7 11 a4 Rc8 12 Bd3 e5 Black equalizes without difficulty:
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The Najdorf: 6 h3
A decent way to surprise even quite an experienced Najdorf exponent is 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Qf3!?, as recently employed with some success by Nigel Short. After 6...Nbd7 7 Be2 g6 8 Be3 Bg7 9 h3 Ne5 10 Qg3 b5 11 f4 Nc4 12 Bxc4 bxc4 matters were hardly clear in Short - Grandelius, but White managed to win in quick fashion with a brutal kingside attack:
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A couple of subscribers have wondered about my thoughts on 6 f4 e5 7 Nf3 Nbd7 8 a4 Be7 and now not the usual 9 Bd3, but rather the more active 9 Bc4!?:
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This is rarely tried nowadays, but might make for a decent surprise weapon. That said, after 9...Qa5 I believe that Black shouldn't face any difficulties as we'll see in Isik - Yilmaz.
That's all for now. I'll try to be back in touch while in Torquay for the British Championship.
Until then, Richard
e-mails
Please feel free to share any of your thoughts with me, whatever they are, suggestions, criticisms (just the polite ones, please), etc. Drop me a line at the Open Sicilians Forum, or subscribers can write directly to richard@chesspublishing.com