Download PGN of October ’24 1 d4 d5 2 c4 games
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Main Slav Defence with 5...e6 [D16]
The line 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 e6 6. e3 c5 has been quite fashionable since it was discovered that White's extra 5.a4 (as compared to a Queen's Gambit Accepted) is not incredibly useful. In Vidit, S - Ivic, V they reached a typical isolated d-pawn position after the further 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.exd4 Nc6 9. 0-0 Be7 10.Qe2 0-0 11.Rd1 Nb4 12.a5 Bd7 13.Ne5 Be8. Here White's 14.h4!:
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was a new move in this particular position, but the idea was covered some years back in Lev Psakhis's book, 'Advanced Chess Tactics'.
Queen's Gambit Accepted with 7.e4 Nxe4 8.Qe2 Nf6 9.d5 [D27]
The gambit line with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 and now 7.e4!? became quite challenging for Black after the discovery of 7...Nxe4 8.Qe2! Nf6 9.d5 Nxd5 10.Rd1. So Rauf Mamedov's innovation in his game against Quintiliano Pinto, with 10...Be7 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Rxd5 Qc7 14.Ng5 b5!:
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provides him with some welcome and timely relief (Quintiliano Pinto, R - Mamedov, R ). White immediately went wrong in this game with an unsound sacrifice, but Black's chances look pretty good in any case.
Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation with 4...Nxd5 and 7.Rb1!? [D35/41]
The revival of the Semi-Tarrasch (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5) has led Black to angle for a transposition from the Exchange Variation, with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5. One way to avoid a direct transposition is via 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5 7.Rb1, which stops the immediate simplification which would occur after 7.Nf3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+. This has given rise to some independent lines such as 7.Rb1 Be7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.h4:
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The game Rodshtein, M - Stefansson, V took the theory a tad further with Rodshtein's 17.d5!, which gives White a powerful attack.
QGD, Exchange Variation 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Be7 8.Bd3 O-O 9.Bg3 [D35]
Recapturing on d5 with the pawn (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5) is what most people consider to be the starting position of the Exchange Variation. Despite the age of this venerable line there were some further developments at the Olympiad, mainly in the lines where Black plays for ...Nf6-e5. In Yu, Y - Sargissian, G White introduced 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Be7 8.Bd3 O-O 9.Bg3 Re8 10.h3 c5 and now 11.Nge2:
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rather than 11.dxc5 or 11.Nf3. There haven't been many games with 10...c5 but they were all between very strong players. They evidently think this development is important.
QGD, Exchange Variation 6.Qc2 c6 7.Bg5 [D36]
Another ...Nf6-e4 line featured in Aoshima, M - Stefansson, H (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Qc2 c6 7.Bg5 Be7 8.e3 h6 9.Bh4 O-O 10.Bd3 Re8 11.O-O Ne4 12.Bxe4 Bxh4 13.Bh7+ Kh8 14.Bd3) and now after 14...Be7 15.Rfe1 Kg8 White 'innovated' with 16.a3:
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To be honest I think that White might have been on his own at this stage, otherwise he might have put the other rook on e1, but I did think this was an interesting game which showcased both sides' resources.
Queen's Gambit Declined with 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.c5 [D37]
Black's closed treatment with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7:
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is looking like a solid option these days. I partly noticed the game Shevchenko, K - Tabatabaei, M because of White's recent appearance in the news. His 17.Rb2 is a theoretical novelty but does little to change the assessment of this yawn-worthy variation.
The game Kazakouski, V - Adams, M piqued my interest rather more, it followed some very standard play but with White having played 9.h4:
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rather than 9.h3. White's 17.Rc1 is new in the 9.h4 line, well known in the equivalent variation with 9.h3. I tried to check for differences between the two h-pawn moves and came up with 18.Ng5!? instead of 18.Nd2. White either missed or rejected this idea, and as the game went he was rocked by Black's exchange sacrifice.
QGD, Orthodox Variation 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Be7 8.Rc1 0-0 [D63]
When I was in Portugal in August, Canadian GM Kevin Spraggett opined to me that ancient openings are making a comeback because engines are finding flaws in the more risky ones. I think there is a lot of truth in this, which is confirmed by the migration of top players to strictly classical openings.
They don't come much more classical than Magnus Carlsen's choice as Black against Le Quang Liem (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Be7 8.Rc1 0-0 9.a3 a6), except the ancients might have frowned upon the voluntary weakening of Black's king position with 6...h6. Personally, I take the more modernist view that this weakening of the kingside is justified by the tempo saved should White attack the h7 pawn. In the game (Le, Q - Carlsen, M ) White apparently introduced a 'novelty' with 11.Qc2:
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presumably hoping to improve on a 1931 vintage Bogoljubov, E - Tartakower, S game in which 11.Bd3 Ne4 was played. Carlsen responded with an idea which stems from the Alekhine - Capablanca match of 1927, the move 11...Ne8 seeking a reduction of arms whilst routing the knight towards the d6 square.
See you next month! Nigel Davies
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