Download PGN of October ’22 1 e4 ... games
>> Previous Update >>
Modern Defence, 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3 a6 5.Be3 [B06]
Through a slightly odd move-order my game Maatman, N - Fernandez, D reached the main Tiger’s Modern position of 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3 a6, whereupon my opponent essayed the unassuming-looking 5.Be3 b5 6.Bd3 with an air of tremendous confidence. While I wasn’t quite sure what he was up to, it definitely became clear to me that I was in a prepared line after the further 6...Bb7 7.h4:
             |
An extremely dangerous try within this generally modest variation. My opponent proceeded to improve upon an earlier (already very promising) game by the younger GM van Foreest, and after 7...Nf6 8.e5 Ng4 9.e6 f5 10.h5!N was close to winning. Thankfully, I was able to complicate matters and win anyway, but a huge scare and a lesson well worth learning from!
Modern Defence, 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 Nd7 [B06]
In this month’s other Modern game we see a move-order that is not tried all that often. My guess is that 5.Qd2 might be a better try than 5.Nf3, but the next few moves of the game demonstrate fairly well how White can shut down the winning tries: 5...a6 6.Bd3 Ngf6 7.h3:
|
|
I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for Black to bite the bullet and play the drawish-looking 7...e5, with the prospect of being tortured endlessly only to achieve a draw against a player 200 points lower. Nevertheless, he did so in Kholin, A - Afanasiev, N and (just like our first game) ultimately managed to confuse his opponent after passing through a lost position.
Pirc Defence, Classical System [B08]
Definitely this month’s most interesting game, though it only became clear why in hindsight, was the matchup Niemann, H - Carlsen, M from the Crypto Cup. Magnus demonstrated his versatility in flexible Pirc positions, starting with 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.Be2 Nf6 5.Nc3 0-0 6.0-0 and here opting for 6...e6!? which leaves it deliciously unclear quite what Black intends to do in the centre:
|
|
Positions without a fixed structure tend to favour the higher-rated player. White’s next move 7.h3 wasn’t the most useful, but after 7...b6 Hans made an understandable decision on both practical and objective grounds, to simplify the centre with 8.e5. There was perhaps still a small advantage for him, until he threw it away with the optimistic 11.Nb5?!
Caro-Kann Defence, Endgame Variation with 5...Nf6 6.Nbd2 g6 [B10]
The theory on this topical line continues to develop at pace, with a test of the interesting line 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d3 dxe4 4.dxe4 Qxd1 5.Kxd1 Nf6 6.Nbd2 g6 7.Ne5. White prepares to play f3 within the next couple of moves, and poses very slight problems to Black’s queenside development schedule. I believe that after 7...Nbd7 8.Nd3:
|
|
the most accurate move might be 8...h5.
Instead, the reasonable 8...Bh6 was played in Jones, G - Sarin, N, but did not seem to equalise.
Caro-Kann Defence, Two Knights Variation with 3...Qa5 [B11]
A minor trend has started to infuse a bit of Scandinavian energy into the 2 Knights, with 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 Qa5. The point is that it’s not totally obvious which developing move actually benefits White here (other than d4.) Candidates have included 4.d3, 4.Qe2, and the game move 4.Be2, consistently met by 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bf5:
|
|
I quite like the vibe of Black’s position and the way the ideas flow, but that’s not to say it’s equal. By judiciously gaining space on the queenside (a4, Nd2-c4) and not forgetting to push f4 if the opportunity arises, White can probably demonstrate something. I was not a fan of 9.Nh4?!, although the subsequent play Firouzja showed to outplay the world champion was quite something. See Firouzja, A - Carlsen, M.
Two Knights Variation with 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Qe2 Nxe4 6.Qxe4 Be6 [B11]
I continue to have a soft spot for this line (a reminder that 7.b3 is probably the strongest answer) and one reason is the possibility of getting a minority attack going. After 7. Bc4 Bd5! 8.Bxd5 cxd5 a reversed Carlsbad structure is already reached, so Black’s 7th is to be preferred over capturing on c4. As is quite often the case with a minority attack, the tension came to a head around move 20, with 19...b4!? giving White a difficult decision to make:
|
|
In the following ten moves White’s position slid further downhill, to the point of being completely lost, but some miraculous chances arose in the pawn ending. See Hollan, M - Tin, J.
Caro-Kann Defence, Advance Variation with 4.h4, Pichot Gambit [B12]
I am going to christen the line 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.Bd3 Bxd3 6.Qxd3 Qa5+ 7.b4 as the Pichot Gambit, after its most enthusiastic 2600+ patron. It has been fairly well established that Black should grab the pawn, though there are some tricky bits to remember. Instead, in Grieve, H - Rowson, J Black declined with 7...Qa6 8.Qb3 e6:
|
|
Black is almost ready to play ...Qc4, and almost any move by White (9.Nf3 etc.) allows it, while 9.a4 would unfortunately allow ...Qb6 instead. As such, the novelty by the British champion of 9.Bd2! makes a lot of sense, and certainly stood him in good stead in this game.
Caro-Kann Defence with 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Ng3 [B15]
Another unorthodox way to fight for an advantage was seen in this month’s final game Bjerre, J - Mendonca, L. As Black did in the Tin game above, White’s idea in this game was simply to enter a better structure and then exchange pieces. It is worth thinking about how Black can meaningfully counter this idea, the initial phase of which can be summarised as ‘wait for ...c5, then take it’, especially since ...c5 is largely indispensable. The game continued 5...e6 6.d4 c5 7.Bd3:
|
|
Here Black tried 7...Nc6 and White unsurprisingly took on c5, while perhaps 7...Nbd7 would have made the Danish grandmaster think twice about it.
All the best, Daniel
>> Previous Update >>
Please post you queries on the 1 e4 ... Forum, or subscribers can email me at support@chesspublishing.com.