Download PGN of April '12 1 d4 d5 games
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The Slow Slav 6...Be4 [D12]
Hillarp Persson-Hector: White's clever pawn sacrifice 11.c5! gave him an annoying initiative in the ending:
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and cast doubt on Black's approach.
Marshall Gambit 8. Ne2 [D31]
Nepomniachtchi - Pavasovic: Dusko Pavasovic improved upon an ambitious and tricky Black setup, which has been known to be dubious for many years, with 15...Be6!:
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A series of unusual moves gave Black decent counter chances but he might have failed to recall his analysis and went astray in a quite acceptable position.
Moscow Variation [D43]
Jankovic - Saric: A small innovation in a line which was known to be fine for Black, has recently brought White some victories. This game was no exception but Black's play can certainly be improved...
Botvinnik Variation 16. Na4 [D44]
Grischuk - Shirov: Alexander Grischuk came up with a novelty which posed some problems for Alexey Shirov in a long theoretical line. Black's defence wasn't perfect and at some point White could have obtained a decisive advantage, which he spoiled in time trouble. As to the whole line, Black is under pressure though it seems it's bearable.
Sarkar - Jayakumar: White's strong novelty 26.Rd1 quickly brought him a full point:
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but perhaps Black can hold on with precise play.
Shkuro - Ghane Gardeh: The queen's lunge 19. Qg4 is an important alternative to 19. Qd4 but for some strange reason I did not go into details till now:
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It's time to correct this omission. In this important game Black was able to hold the balance. However, White always keeps the better chances in this line, while fighting for equality without getting even slight winning chances as Black may not be to everyone's taste.
Latvian Bayonet 7...h6 [D45]
Bartel - Pavasovic: A pawn sacrifice gave Mateusz Bartel a long-term initiative in the ending:
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However, contrary to the game Hillarp Persson - Hector, DEN-chT 2012, here Black escaped thanks to his opponent's inaccuracies.
Till next month, Ruslan
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If you have any questions, then please post a message at the 1 d4 d5 Forum, or subscribers can email me at ruslan@chesspublishing.com.