Download PGN of July ’24 Open Sicilian games
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Sveshnikov 8...Be6 [B33]
We start with Firouzja, A - Gukesh, D, where Dommaraju went for the dubious 9...b5?!:
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I am not sure if he messed something up in his preparation, but Black found himself in a completely lost position very soon! This game is a rare case of an opening disaster at the very top level.
The Four Knights 6.a3 Be7 [B45]
The game Pranav, V - Mohaved, S saw White employ an interesting novelty 11.Na4!?:
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Sina reacted well, but the passive 14...Qe8?! could have led to a difficult position, where Black's queenside is sort of paralyzed. Luckily for the young IM his higher-rated opponent returned the favor with 16.Nd3?, and eventually the game ended in Black's victory after an exciting struggle.
The Four Knights 6.Ndb5 Bc5 [B45]
In the next game, Anand, V - Bellahcene, B, the players entered a fashionable theoretical position after 12...Ne7:
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White chose the very rare 13.Nf3 that doesn't offer any advantage, but quickly took his opponent out of the book. Bilel reacted properly, and after 16...f5! Black could have seized the initiative had he found 18...h6. Instead, Bilel went astray with 18...Qe8?! followed by 25...Rxh1?! allowing White to take control of the f-file. Even so, only 26...Qc7? eventually cost Black a full point.
The Four Knights 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.e5 Nd5... 12.Nf2 [B45]
The game Nasuta,G - Badisavljevic, L saw Grzegorz follow in Esipenko's footsteps with 16.Qa4:
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It looks like Luka wasn't well-prepared for this, so he made the same mistake as Abasov with 19...0-0?!. The innovation 21...Rac8 didn't really change the unfavorable route of the play, and Black was doomed to passive defense in a difficult position. In general, Grzegorz's victory was well-deserved, although 43.Qe1? could have spoiled a lot.
Najdorf 6.Qd3 Nbd7 [B90]
In the top-level game Caruana, F - Giri, A White quickly deviated from known paths with 7.g3:
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Anish didn't get confused by this novelty, and the resulting middlegame a-la Sheveningen looked comfortable for Black. Moreover, after the inaccurate 11.b3?! White faced definite problems, and Fabiano's aggressive play with 14.g4 didn't help White in solving his issues. The further interesting play was full of mutual mistakes, where Anish's tactical mistake at the end decided this struggle.
Najdorf 6.Bd3 g6 [B90]
The game Radovanovic, N - Sarana, A saw Alexey demonstrate a fresh weapon against the fashionable system with 6.Bd3. Black played 7...Nc6!?, intending to stabilize the centre after an early exchange on d4.
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Nikola responded with 8.Nxc6, but this change of pawn structure doesn't seem to bother Black either. The balance was kept till move 32, but Alexey's higher class did its job in the endgame.
Najdorf 6.Bd3 e5 7.Nde2 Be6 [B90]
The next game, Vidit, S - Nepomniatchi, I, saw White deviate from the previously covered Svidler- Shankland. In the position after 10...Ne5:
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GM Vidit played 11.Kh1 that led to a long struggle in a balanced position. At some point he managed to outplay his strong opponent, and the really critical moment came on move 28. Instead of the 28.Rh4! which would have won on the spot, he threw it away with 28.Rxf6?? - a lucky win for GM Nepomniatchi.
Najdorf 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Qe2 [B94]
In our last game, Kotronias, V - Nasuta, G, Black was trying to confuse his experienced opponent by choosing the rare and dubious 7...Qa5?!, followed by 8...h5:
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Vasilios correctly reacted with 10.Kb1!, when 10...b4? put Black on the verge of a collapse. It was a short, but exciting struggle, when Grzegorz should be happy to share a point, although at the very end he could even have pushed for more.
See you next month, Michael
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