Download PGN of December ’24 1 e4 ... games
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Alekhine’s Defence 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 c6 6.Be2 [B04]
Rakhmatullaev, A - Gareyev, T was in the 5...c6 Alekhine defense, which some people know as Miles' Variation. Black opted for the rare 13...e5 move and kept his King in the centre for a while:
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The game was balanced but later the h - file was opened, Black managed to create pressure then simply developed a mating attack and won.
Pirc, Austrian Attack 5...0-0 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 e5 8.d5 [B09]
Smeets, J - Boyer, M was in one of the main lines of the Austrian Attack in the Pirc until White went for 9.f5:
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and one move after we already had a new position on the board. Quickly the pieces started to disappear and in the endgame Black managed to find a tactic to gain an edge and later won the game.
Caro-Kann, Advance 3...c5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Qxd4 Nc6 6.Qf4 [B12]
Korneev, O - Fier, A featured the Caro Kann Advance with 3...c5 and the new trendy line with 5.Qxd4:
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Black decided to leave his king in the centre, but exposed all his dark squares and White managed to open the kingside with 23.f5 and soon won the game. In the notes I have also added a game in the same line, played the day before in the same venue at the Emirates stadium, but in the top GM event, which had an elegant mating finale.
Caro-Kann Advance 3...Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.Bd3 [B12]
Paichadze, L - Smeets, J was the Advanced Variation of the Caro-Kann where Black went for the complicated system with 8...c5:
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Soon Black kind of mixed the lines and took the pawn at the wrong moment with 12...Qxb2. Just a few moves later he found that the pawn was poisoned as his king was stuck in the centre and White developed a strong initiative and quickly won the game.
Caro-Kann, Short Variation 5.c3 Nd7 6.Be2 h6 7.0-0 Ne7 8.a4 g5 [B12]
Pichot, A - Arfan, A was another Advance Caro-Kann where White went for the positional line and for a long time there was a lot of maneuvering. Black castled long and both players were rolling pawns against the opposite king:
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In the middlegame Black went for a pawn but White got some serious pressure. In the ensuing complications White managed to play better and won the game.
Caro-Kann, Short Variation 5.Be2 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.0-0 Bg4 [B12]
In Llamparthi, A - Eljanov, P Black again went for the 5...c5 line and it became like a French where Black has an active bishop:
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Black decided to slow his development on the kingside and White could have got a small edge but instead he went for the wrong plan and Black even started activity on the kingside. White then opened the centre at a bad moment giving Black a big edge which he converted and won .
Caro-Kann Defence, Korchnoi Variation 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 h5 [B15]
Krallis, C - Pantsulaja, L was in the Korchnoi variation of the Caro Kann. Black went for the rare 7...h5 line and decided to skip castling.
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White found a nice idea with 14.Ng6 after which he got an edge. Black went for a risky line hoping to win material but instead he lost an exchange and was forced to resign just a few moves after.
Caro-Kann Defence, Korchnoi Variation 6.Be3 Bd6 7.Qf3 [B15]
Nyzhnuk, I - Ostrovsky, A. it was also in the Korchnoi variation and White went for a rare but interesting plan with 7.Qf3:
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Black could not find an active plan and went a bit passive. Later White found the nice idea 18.d5 and managed the get a big advantage and soon won the game.
Till next month, Marian
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