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Hi folks,
I’d like to say a yuge thank you to Dan for all his work in keeping the Antis updated in my absence. This month’s update features a nice balance of sharp and positional lines which will hopefully appeal to a wide variety of players. Enjoy!

Download PGN of June ’24 Anti-Sicilian games

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Morra Gambit Accepted: 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Nxc3 Nc6 5 Nf3 e6 [B21]

First up is a club player’s favourite: the Morra Gambit! It’s been a while since we’ve taken a look at it. In the era of modern engines, one would expect an opening such as this to be unplayable. Indeed, the traditional tricks and traps in this line are well-known, and suitable antidotes have been found. However, the engines have added more sophisticated tricks to White’s arsenal! The featured game, Weishaeutel, M - Bodnaruk, A from Titled Tuesday last month is a case in point:

The natural 11 f4 provides decent compensation for White, but 11 Nf5!? is far more exciting! Black decided to capture the Knight and was unceremoniously dispatched. The second player should still be objectively fine if the Knight offering is declined, but it’s a difficult position to navigate, and I would suggest deviating earlier on (I’ve explored some alternatives for Black on moves eight and nine). It looks like the Morra still contains a drop of poison!



Grand Prix Attack: 2 Nc3 d6 3 f4 g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 Bc4 Nc6 6 0-0 e6 7 d4!? [B23]

Another gambit worth considering arises in the traditional mainline of the Grand Prix Attack:

The move 7 d4!? has been going strong ever since Grischuk introduced it into top level practice in 2017. The game in question, Janaszak, D - To, N also from Titled Tuesday, features a specialist on the White side of this line winning a convincing miniature in thirteen moves! While the game itself has limited theoretical value, I’ve taken the opportunity to investigate this line deeply and suggested many interesting ideas for both sides. Readers who study the notes to this game will be well ahead of the curve!



Rossolimo 3 Bb5 e6 4 0-0 Nge7 5 d4 cxd4 6 Nxd4 Ng6 7 Be3 Be7 8 c3 0-0 9 Re1!? [B30]

Our next game features a new move for our site in a very popular variation:

9 Re1!? was chosen by White in the game Muzychuk, A - Cramling, P from the recently-concluded Norway Chess Women’s event. It’s certainly very logical and a top engine choice (along with the more common 9 Nd2). White simply prepares to retreat the Bishop back to f1 and take it from there. There have only been four games so far (including this one!), so this is well-worth adding to one’s repertoire! Muzychuk exchanged on c6 and traded Queens early on. Cramling missed a couple of chances to more or less equalise, and White achieved a pleasant, long-lasting advantage which she patiently converted. I expect to see more tests of 9 Re1!? over the coming months.


Rossolimo Variation: 3 Bb5 g6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 d3 Qc7!? [B31]

Another topical variation of the Rossolimo features a very early ...Qd8-c7 by Black. We’ve seen the position after White’s seventh move in the diagram below before:

where Black reacted to the attack on the e5-pawn with the obvious 7...f6. However, in the game Fedorchuk, S - Van Foreest, J from the French Team Championship, Black instead went for the fairly drastic 7...b5!? exploiting the fact that capturing on e5 leaves White’s Knight short on retreat squares after ...f7-f6. The aggression didn’t stop there: Black reacted to 8 Ne3 with 8...f5!? (that’s six pawn moves out of eight, if anyone’s counting!) White replied passively and his Knight was finally driven to the back rank. Black missed a few chances to establish a substantial space advantage, and the game was more or less finely balanced, eventually ending in a rather cagey draw where neither side could make progress. 9 exf5! would have been the most challenging line for Black to face, but it still looks like Black can secure a fighting game with more or less equal chances. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone else dares to imitate Van Foreest’s enterprising play!



Delayed Alapin: 3 c3 Nf6 4 h3!? [B50]

The 4 h3!? line of the Delayed Alapin received several successful outings this month, including the significant upset Ibarra Jerez, JC - Vidit, S from Titled Tuesday. Vidit went for 4...Bd7!? which certainly has its logic (I’ve checked some of Black’s alternatives in the notes and updated some lines from the archives). However, he then went wrong as early as move seven with 7...g6? in the below diagram:

Black needed to take measures to prevent d2-d4 from White, and in the current position, White is able to get away with this advance, securing a clear advantage. White played the game quite accurately considering the short time control and earned a well-deserved scalp. Black usually needs to resort to ...e7-e5 to successfully deal with White’s set-up.



Anti-Najdorf/Dragon: 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5+!? [B50]

We’re now going to investigate a line which has recently become popular among strong players, but which we’ve only previously analysed once in 2007! Several of the current Anti-Sicilian trends were considered completely harmless until the modern engines breathed new life into them, and this line is no exception:

4 Bb5+!? is a tricky idea that could easily confuse an unsuspecting Black player. Interposing with the Queens’ Knight on d7 can easily lead back into the usual Moscow Variation, but in the game Sanal, V - Garifullina, L from the Dubai Open, Black chose to block with 4...Bd7. White continued with 5 Qe2!? preparing to ultimately castle Queenside. After the natural but inaccurate 5...Nc6?!, White was able to steer the game into a favourable version of the Hungarian Variation with 6 Bxc6! Bxc6 7 d4 cxd4 8 Nxd4, where the Queen is better-placed on e2 compared to d3 and White hasn’t wasted any time playing Qd1xd4-d3 followed by Nf3-d4. White already had a pleasant advantage and followed up by fianchettoing his dark-squared Bishop on b2. Black tried to drum up some play against White’s King with an exchange sacrifice, but it was insufficient, and White slowly but surely converted the extra material. I think this line is a very useful addition to any White player’s repertoire.



Moscow/Rossolimo Hybrid: 3 Bb5+ Nc6 4 0-0 Bd7 5 Re1 Nf6 6 c3 a6 7 Bf1 [B53]

Our next game features a critical line of the Moscow/Rossolimo Hybrid:

The game Svane, R - Williams, S from Titled Tuesday last month showcased the move 13 Nd2, which we haven’t looked at on this site before. After the further 13...b5 (I also check 13...Be7 in the notes), 14 a4!, Black erred with 14...bxa4?, allowing a very strong exchange sacrifice on a4, which White executed on move sixteen. White kept very good control over the game, especially considering the short time control, and earned a well-deserved win. Theoretically, this line is quite risky for Black, and it should be possible for a well-prepared White player to navigate their way to a risk-free endgame edge or a position with extra material, where Black must prove they have compensation. However, there are many tricks to avoid along the way!


Moscow Variation: 3 Bb5+ Nd7 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Ngf6 6 0-0 e6 7 Re1!? [B51]

Finally, we’ll take a look at another new move for our site, namely 7 Re1!? in the below diagram:

The game Tari, A - Leiva, G from Titled Tuesday was ultimately unsuccessful for White, but he did emerge from the opening with a decent plus. Similar to Muzychuk’s 9 Re1 above, White simply prepares to tuck the Bishop away on f1, in this case in preparation for c2-c4. The engines are quite keen on this idea, so I’m sure we’ll see plenty of future games here. With some care, Black can achieve a normal Hedgehog-type position, where the engines prefer White slightly, but there is all to play for. I’ve analysed a few different sample games in the notes, which illustrate some of the typical plans and ideas for both sides. In the game, both sides underestimated the strength of Black’s typical ...b6-b5 and ...d6-d5 pawn breaks at different moments. White allowed a simplifying tactic which equalised for Black, and then after some mutual errors, Black achieved a winning major piece ending, which ultimately transposed into a drawn Rook ending. However, the short time control definitely played a role, as White missed a key idea for Black and was unable to hold. The result of the game notwithstanding, 7 Re1!? is here to stay.



Until next month, David

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