Download PGN of July '10 1 e4 ... games
Scandinavian
I will start this month's update with a couple of successes for Black in the Scandinavian. In Zinchenko - Bauer we saw White try a quiet set-up with his knight on e2. Bauer grabbed the initiative early:
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and here played the wonderful 14...hxg3!!
In Nabaty - Chatalbashev White employed 3.Nf3 and the Bulgarian GM went for the sharpest response. White was probably a little better out of the opening but his position was difficult to play.
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Here we can see that Black has already achieved a decisive advantage.
Caro Kann Short Variation
I start my Caro-Kann coverage with a couple of games in the topical Fantasy Variation. In the first game I examine Nepomniachtchi - Ivanchuk, where the young Russian Super Grandmaster kept faith with his pet line and Ivanchuk employed the novelty 4...e6:
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and reaches a promising position.
The second game in the Fantasy wraps up the survey I started in April with a look at 3...dxe4 and 4...e5. In Pruess - Fridman, the German Grandmaster got into all kinds of trouble and here he's just played 15...g6?!:
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Can you see how Pruess finished off his high rated opponent?
Bronstein-Larsen Variation
We move onto the mainline of the Caro-Kann and first of all I have a look at Alekseev - Short in which Nigel played 4...Nf6, a rare guest at the top level.
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In the diagram position he has just tried the rare 6...h5!?
Classical Caro-Kann
Dobrowolski - Fridman follows the mainline down to 13...Rc8, an attempt to cut out the dangerous 14.Nf1 line. However White still achieved a decisive kingside attack.
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Here he crashed through with 26.Rxg7+!!
In Shyam - Ovetchkin we see another alternative 13th Black move in the shape of 13...c5. They followed the main line up to the following position:
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where White tried the topical piece sacrifice 17.Nxh6+.
Bok - Seirawan completes this month's coverage of the Caro-Kann. Bok employed 11.Bf4, rather than the 11.Bd2 seen in the last couple of games. Seirawan played his speciality of 11...Qa5+ and 12...Qa4 but after a semi-forced series of moves the following diagram was reached:
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when the young Dutch IM came up with a move that looks to have put the line out of action.
That's all for this month, I hope you all enjoy the Summer holidays!
Till next time, Gawain
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