Download PGN of February '05 1 d4 d5 games

Vienna Variation [D39]

Ivanisevic - Ninov: In the Vienna Variation Black begins Q-side activities rather early, trying to give White some concrete problems to force him to make some concessions, for example, to sacrifice a pawn. Thus if Black suddenly stops at the half-way stage and decides to complete his K-side development, White usually does not have any problems and he can comfortably think about concrete play. The first moves in the Vienna are promoting White's development and Black must try to obtain something as compensation, even if that entails taking more risk.

Sakaev - Kharlov: Sometimes Black does not want to damage his K-side pawn structure and plays ...Nb8-d7 before capturing on c3 and playing ...Qd8-a5, for example, such players as Andrei Kharlov, employ this approach from time to time:

Then Black castles with the hope that the weak c3-pawn will make White's life less comfortable. However, White should not be too worried much this. It also gives him the possibility of castling and his chances seem to be better thanks to his good development and active pieces - everything is in his hands to gain real benefit by using the advantages of his position. What is Black hoping for? The position becomes unbalanced and in such a situation, as a rule, one cannot only play safe moves - strong chess is very much required and so it gives Black chances to outplay a less experienced opponent.

Dreev - Kharlov: In the following position:

Apart from the 11 Bh4 of the last game, White can also try 11 Bxf6. This simple approach can still give Black some problems, but they do not seem too dangerous.

Stahlberg - Sefc: As a rule, it is too risky for Black to open the c-file and this old game was no exception - White energetically developed his initiative and finished the game in beautiful style.

Kaidanov - Ivanchuk: White's approach with 10.Bxf6 was popular some 15-20 years ago but during the last few years it was supposed to be almost harmless for Black:

Black wins the pawn on c3 and, despite the fact that he only has the queen developed, White has still failed to prove more than just adequate compensation for the pawn. In this game Gregory Kaidanov tried to get more than a perpetual check but one slow move was enough for White to spoil his initiative.

Naumkin - Delchev: After winning the pawn Black must play very carefully as he is behind in development and his king cannot castle and should stay in the center. He usually tries to simplify the position by swapping the knights but in this game Black preferred a risky and rather suspicious approach, trying to keep his extra pawn on the board. He eventually managed to defend but White's initiative was more than enough to compensate the sacrificed pawn and he could find more promising continuations.

Norri - Hjelm: One of the main lines has been tested in this game. White sacrifices a pawn but gets all his pieces into play. Then in most cases Black leaves his h7-pawn to the mercy of fate but completes development and places his queen on a very strong position in the center:

White is usually counting on his passed h-pawn and if Black is not able to find counterplay then he might face real problems, as can be seen in this game.

Bagaturov - Palac: An interesting pawn push forced Black's king to go for a walk but his queen worked at full power - just in time it eliminated a strong passed pawn on the h-file and prevented all White's attempts to get attacking chances.

Tunik - Vyzmanavin: This game shows how Black can gain the advantage in such a position if White only relies on his passed pawn on the h-file. Black's superiority in the center always promised him sufficient resources not only to fight against White's passer but also to make progress and eventually win the game.

Sasikiran - Gustafsson: A new and rather interesting approach by Krishnan Sasikiran. Instead of going for the h7-pawn by Qd1-h5-h7, after which White's queen is usually rather passive, he moved it to the opposite direction, on b3:

The idea is fairly interesting - first to stop the development of Black's rook and bishop and then to find an opportunity to get a pawn back by using the better position of White's pieces and the vulnerable position of Black's king. In the game this approach worked very well and it certainly deserves more attention. It might also increase the popularity of the whole 10.Bxf6 approach since Black is recently holding on after 10.Bb5.

Till next time!

Ruslan

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.