1 e4 ... Jan '04 update
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Welcome to the New Year! I sincerely hope that 2004 is happy and successful for you, both on and off the board! IM Andy Martin |
To download the January '04 1 e4 ... games directly in PGN form, click here: 
Owen's Defence
We stray a little for our first Game, which looks at a little used, but in my view very playable, move order i.e. 1 e4 b6 2 d4 Bb7 3 Bd3 g6!?
            
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Black angles the game back into the Modern and at the same time wrong-foots White into a variation that possibly he wasn't ready for. Few of the standard attacking plans are easy to carry out and innovator Blatny will show the potential of this idea with a recent rapid victory.
Scandinavian Defence
On then to the Scandinavian and poor Handke is having a very rough time at the hands of ChessPublishing and against the Scandinavian in particular. Something about 1...d5 seems to trigger the psycho in him i.e. 7 g4?!
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but he certainly doesn't get what he wants in our featured game.
Pirc/Modern Defence
Hilarp Persson-Azmaiparashvili is a short, sharp shock to the system! The game seems to be plodding along and then comes 14...Rxf2!!
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, wiping White from the board. Take a look at the opening for some interesting move-order ideas.
Motwani - Carlier is a recent game from the Belgian League and Black toils manfully to make a draw after a dubious opening. I trace the error back to 7...Qc7?!
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and Black ends up mixing systems. It's better to play 7...d5 at once.
Caro-Kann
Galdunts - Schulz is a messy Advance Caro. I give new games and improvements for Black commencing with 8...Nd7:
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as played.
We have an 5...exf6 Caro:
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and a 5....gxf6 Caro:
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, both of which come roundly unstuck and frankly, are made to look inferior.
Then, last but not least, Anatoly Karpov is strategically outplayed and this by a Brazilian amateur player!! Admittedly the game comes from a simultaneous display, but the quality of play is very high indeed and extremely instructive.
After 26 Bxe5
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I would not have believed that White could lose but it is one-way traffic from then on and Karpov can have no complaints.
I hope that you have no complaints either, and are satisfied with the chess on show this month!
Until next time, all the best! IM Andrew Martin
Please post you queries on the 1 e4 ... Forum, or subscribers can write to me at AMartin@ChessPublishing.com if you have any questions or queries.