Download PGN of June ’24 1 e4 ... games
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Scandinavian Defence 3...Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bf5 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bd2 [B01]
In the first game between Amin, B - Malassagne, R there was an interesting line in the Scandinavian. Black went for the variation with 7...Bb4 where he is conceding the pair of bishops. Then White offered a pawn with 12 Bc5 and Black took it.
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It is hard to say if this was preparation or just underestimation but Black could even have become better. In the game he got a good game after the opening. However later he started to make some mistakes and White managed to win, but the line looks good for Black.
Scandinavian Defence 3...Qd8 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 g6 [B01]
Rakotomaharo, A - Abergel, T was also a Scandinavian but with 3...Qd8. It was not a common type of game for this opening as it looked like a mix of ideas: Black played a double fianchetto and White castled long. Everything was normal until Black decided to take a kind of poisoned pawn with 13....Bg2:
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It turned out to be a blunder and White opened the game in a few moves with 15. d5 and managed to win material, and later the game.
Modern Defence 3.Nc3 a6 4.Be3 d6 5.g4 [B06]
Pultinevicius, P - Mescovs, N was in the Modern Opening. Now I know many GMs who play this for Black without knowing much theory, and even me before. It looks like an easy opening, but there are some sharp lines. White went for an early 5.g4:
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and then it seems Black was not well prepared for this. His 7...h5 is not so good and White already gets an edge. The game opened up and Black could not even develop and lost in 20 moves. Things like this sometimes happen in these openings.
Pirc, 150 Attack 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6 6.f3 b5 7.h4 [B07]
Gschnitzer, A - Fernandez, D was a Pirc Defence and White went for a plan where he is preparing long castles but first he went 7.h4 and Black, my predecessor here, played almost a novelty with 7...a5:
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White played aggressively and went for 10.e5 and later 12.e6 a bit like in the games before. But then suddenly he started to play without a plan, Black managed to consolidate and started to improve. Later somehow the White king got exposed and Black created a strong attack and won the game.
Pirc, 150 Attack 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6 6.f3 b5 7.h4 [B08]
Degraeve, J -Gharamian, T started as a Modern and switched to a Pirc which sometimes happens. It was a similar story to the previous game only here White got a big positional edge after 12. e6 which is a known idea, actually:
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Even if Black managed to develop and was looking okay White actually had total control in the centre. He slowly prepared his attack and won the game quite easily.
Two Knights Variation 3...Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 e6 6.Be2 [B11]
Hamdouchi, H - Abergel, T featured the Two Knights Variation of the Caro-Kann. Everything was normal until Black did not want to play the common ...dxe4 move and went 8 ...a6:
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Then it was a slightly strange game where Black wasted time moving a few pieces forward and then retreating them, but even then White could not get anything special. However, later in the middlegame White managed to outplay his opponent, won an exchange and then the game.
Caro-Kann Advance, Short Variation 5...c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7 8.Nd2 [B12]
Ganguli, S - Brunnelo, S was in the popular Caro -Kann Advance, Short Variation. Black went for the early 5...c5 lines and the game followed one of the main variations there:
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Black managed to develop and castle and then things were quiet as the game was heading into an endgame. However, Black kept the queens on and slowly started to activate everything. At some point he could get a big edge but he missed it and White managed to consolidate and the game was drawn.
Caro-Kann, Advance 3...c5 4.dxc5 e6 5.Nf3 Bxc5 6.a3 Ne7 7.b4 Bb6 8.Bb2 [B12]
Miron, L - Postny, E was also a Caro-Kann Advance but with 3...c5, instead. White opted for a rare line with 9 h4 which actually looks interesting:
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He should have proceeded later with a more standard plan and he would get some edge. Instead he wanted to bring his rook into the attack which eventually was the wrong plan and Black started counterplay in the centre at some point, won material and then the game.
Till next month, Marian
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