Download PGN of January ’18 Anti-Sicilian games
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2.a3/Wing Gambit [B20]
I can’t bring myself to give this move a “!?” annotation, but it was chosen in Carlsen, M - Inarkiev, E. Black played a logical looking but sub-par response with 2...Nc6 3.b4 cxb4 4.axb4 Nxb4 5.d4 d5 6.c3 Nc6:
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and here 7.exd5! Qxd5 8.Na3 led to an unpleasant position for Black.
Rossolimo Variation - Tiviakov Grand Prix: 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nf3 [B23/B30]
This system was successfully used by Alexander Grischuk in several games from the Huaian IMSA tournament.
Grischuk, A - Mamedov, R featured the line with 3...Nd4 4.Nf3 a6 5.Bc4 b5, when 6.Bd3!?:
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posed more problems than the more popular 6.Bd5.
Grischuk, A - Korobov, A saw 3...Nd4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nxb5 6.Nxb5 Nd5, when 7.Ng5!:
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led to a very unpleasant position for Black which strong players keep falling into.
In Grischuk, A - Harikrishna, P Black chose (by transposition) 3...Nd4 4.Nf3 e6 5.0-0 a6 6.Bd3, a position we’ve covered in the Archives several times:
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Grischuk built a clear advantage but was unable to convert.
Rossolimo: 3...e6 4.0-0 Nge7 5.Re1 a6 6.Bf1 [B30]
Grischuk, A - Bocharov, D continued the theoretical discussion started between Grischuk and Gelfand in London 2013 after 6...d5 7.d3 d4 8.e5 Nd5:
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Black did not seem to have any improvement on Gelfand’s play, and Grischuk won a model game.
Rossolimo: 3...g6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 [B31]
Onischuk, V - Frolov, A was a model demonstration of White's chances in the popular position after 5.h3 (5.d3! is a better move order) 5...Bg7 (5...e5!) 6.d3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.Be3 e5 9.0-0 Qe7 10.Qd2 Nf8 11.Bh6 f6 12.Bxg7 Qxg7:
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White’s position is at least easier to play if not objectively better, and Onischuk gave an excellent technical display.
Moscow: 3...Bd7 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 [B52]
In Bologan, V - Dann, M the players discussed the position where Black tries to punish White’s move order (instead of 4.Bxd7+) with 7...Nc6, leading after 8.0-0 Bg7 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.c5 to an interesting and unbalanced position:
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Bologan handled the opening well but then went astray, allowing Black to score a fine victory.
Anti Open Sicilian 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 dxe5 5.Nxe5 e6 [B50]
This sideline contains some poison for Black. In Bernadskiy, V - Vovk, A the players followed a game of Yuri Vovk’s for several moves, in the symmetrical structure after 6.Bb5+ Nbd7 7.d4 a6 8.Bxd7+ Nxd7 9.Qh5 Nxe5 10.dxe5:
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White has some chances for an edge, but the game soon ended in a draw.
Till next time, Sam
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