Download PGN of December '12 1 e4 ... games
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Centre Counter - 3...Qd6 [B01]
We start out with two games in the 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6 line:
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Leko - Caruana sees the critical 6.Nb5 Qb6 7.Na3!? - White should've had the better chances but Caruana comes up with a good plan in the middlegame and holds the draw without too many problems.
He is again Black in the next game which features the less theoretical 6.Bc4 - White gets absolutely nothing from the opening and Black wins a model game in Dominguez Perez-Caruana but White could've tried 9.a4 to set more problems.
Centre Counter - 3.Nf3 [B01]
Given that 3...Qd6 (and other lines) are proving hard to crack, White players might like to investigate 3.Nf3 instead. In Short - Liiva White gets a good position after 3...Nf6 4.Be2 Bg4 5.0-0 e6 6.h3!:
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Alekhine's Defence 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Bc4!? [B03]
Are you looking for a non-theoretical way to give Black some problems in the Alekhine? If so this may be the line for you!
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That said if Black knows what to do he should be able to equalise but it could be a decent surprise weapon! See Ibarra Jerez-Asis Gargatagli for more...
Czech System [B07]
Back in March I annotated a game with Mamedyarov on the Black side of a Czech system (against Hou Yifan) and here he repeats it in Leko - Mamedyarov. After 4...Bg4 Leko chooses the more aggressive 5.h3 (rather than Hou Yifan's Be2) and after 5...Bh5 White has a choice:
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Leko played 6.Bd3 and was somewhat better but 6.g4 Bg6 7.Qe2 is also worth a look. I've added in recent developments into the notes.
Pirc - 4.f3 [B07]
As you'll find out in the game I'm not a big fan of 4.f3 - it's rather inflexible and it allows Black the time to choose a sensible setup. In Perez Candelario-Granda Zuniga White erred with 9.a4?! and 11.f4?! and after 12...Nc6 Black had a very good game:
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Pirc - 4.Bg5 [B07]
Instead 4.Bg5 is a very dangerous line for Black so Zhigalko - Onischuk offers food for thought. After 4...Bg7 5.Qd2 h6 6.Bh4 Onischuk tries 6...0-0!? Instead of ...g5 (previously annotated in the archives). This leads to interesting play but Black seems to be holding his own. A critical position occurs after 7.0-0-0 c6:
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White tries 8.f4 but this may not be best.
Caro-Kann Exchange Variation [B13]
We end with a subscriber question. After 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Qc7 Praneeth has asked me to investigate 6.f4 which hasn't previously been covered on the site:
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The idea is clear: clamp down on the centre, develop quickly and attack on the kingside. In Nielsen - Agrest I try to assess the pros and cons of this line and I suggest a sensible setup for Black to adopt against it.
I'll see you in the New Year, Tom.
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