Download PGN of October '14 Open Sicilian games
>> Previous Update >>
Sveshnikov 9.Nd5, 11.c3 Rb8 [B33]
We will start with the important novelty which was introduced in Dominguez, L - Grischuk, A here after 18.Nc3:
            |
Alexander's new move 18...d5! (instead of 18...Qb6, which leaves Black with a somewhat passive position) seems a convincing way to solve Black's strategic problems. Grischuk managed to win the pawn back after 23 moves, when the position was equal. Surprisingly enough, following that a top player like Dominguez was completely outplayed after committing several small mistakes. Brilliant endgame technique in the rook ending at the end! No doubt the ball is definitely in White's court now in this line.
The Taimanov with 5...a6 6.Nxc6 [B46]
Our next game, Naiditsch, A - Grachev, B, illustrates Black's troubles with his king in this fashionable line well. The players were following the nice game Caruana, F - Svidler, P, and Grachev's novelty comes on move 14:
 |
I have already analysed this move in my notes to the above mentioned game, and the outcome wasn't good for Black. However, Arkadij's 18th move looks even stronger, and Black was completely lost for a long time. Had White played 25.Qb4 or 26.Bh6, it would have been a logical end to such a nice attack, but Arkadij was a bit unlucky on this day. In general this line looks extremely dangerous for Black due to Caruana's idea, so Taimanov players should look for an early deviation.
The Classical Richter-Rauzer with 9.f4 h6 10.h4! [B64]
The game Shirov, A - Greenfeld, A saw another theoretical discussion in one of the most popular lines of the Rauzer. Somehow the aggressive 10.h4! wasn't examined on our site before, but it definitely looks like Black's main problem at the moment. In fact, in the Diagram position after 12.Qe3! Black is often coming under a strong attack:
|
|
Greenfeld's novelty 12...Ng4 doesn't really change that impression. Shirov's reaction was correct, and it would then be very difficult for Black to stay in the game had he played 18.e5! (Instead of 18.Rd3?). However, unluckily for Alexei, his further mistakes led him to a quick disaster.
The Classical Richter-Rauzer 8...Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Be7 10.h4 [B66]
Out next Rauzer battle, Inarkiev, E - Baryshpolets, A has a significant theoretical value as well. First of all, 10.h4!? seems a promising alternative to the main lines with 10.f3 and 10.f4. According to my analysis, it would not have been easy to neutralize White's initiative had he played 11.e5! In fact, in most games so far Black has experienced problems either with his king or with the development of the Bc8. Instead of this the game's 11.f3 just transposes to a well-known theoretical position, which was tested on our site before. It seems Black wasn't familiar with this particular line, and the critical moment of the game came on move 17:
|
|
As usually happens in such dynamic positions, one mistake may change the evaluation drastically, so instead of getting a strong attack with 17.g4!, Ernesto allowed Black to solve all his problems after 17.h5? d5!, and only 2 further serious mistakes enabled him to win the game.
The Scheveningen with an early 8.g4 [B84]
The game Shaposhnikov, E - Bukavshin, I is a nice example of how Black should react to White's early k-side activity. The temporary pawn sacrifice 8...d5! seems the most convincing way to equalize in this particular line. In fact, the same approach was earlier chosen by such strong players as Ivanchuk, Gelfand and others. The position which arises after 12...fxe6! offers Black decent dynamic play and can hardly suit White players in the future.
|
|
Still, in the Diagram position, after 15...Nd5, Evgeny could have avoided a worse position had he played 16.Re1, instead of exchanging the strong light-squared bishop. As a result of this mistake Black was able to develop an enormous attack quite soon.
Najdorf with 6.Be3 Nbd7 7.g4 [B90]
Our next game, Molner, M - So, W saw a rather rare line with 6...Nbd7!? It seems that 7.g4 in reply is not really a refutation of Black's tricky 6th move, as after 7...h6! the second player gets quite a flexible position. Wesley could have transposed the game to known paths after 10....e6, but his novelty 10...Bd7!? may definitely find followers in the future:
|
|
The position was very complicated and balanced till move 15, when Molner's 2 mistakes in a row led to a quick disaster. No doubt White should look for some other ways to fight against Black's original set-up.
Najdorf with 6.h3 e6 7.g4 Be7 [B90]
The game Ponomariov,R-Vallejo Pons,F saw an original opening idea - Ruslan's novelty 9.Nce2!?, followed after 9...Nc6 by 10.c3 is aimed at restricting Black's q-side counterplay:
|
|
The real test of this innovation would be the complex position which could arise after 10...0-0 11.0-0 Qc7, while the game's 11....h5?! seems too provocative. Ponomariov's play in this game is a nice mix of strategical ideas and tactical shots, and he was able to exploit Black's numerous mistakes in an elegant way.
Najdorf with 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Qe2 [B94]
Our last exciting game of this update is Yilmazyerli, M - Kuzubov, Y, where the players entered into an extremely sharp and popular line. White tried to improve on Hou Yifan's play against Anand, (which was covered on our site earlier) with the interesting novelty 13.Nd5!?:
|
|
The critical moment of this game comes on the 18th move, when Kuzubov failed to find the correct idea of castling long, which was connected with a pawn sacrifice. As a result, White was able to develop a strong attack by means of a beautiful sacrifice (19.Rxf7). After missing some tough defensive resources the Ukrainian Grandmaster found himself in a lost position, but, luckily for him, the lower-rated player wasn't precise in the technical part of the game.
Enjoy!
See you next month with more fun, Michael
>> Previous Update >>
Please feel free to share any of your thoughts at the Open Sicilians Forum, or subscribers can write directly to support@chesspublishing.com