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QGD - Ragozin System 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 c5 8 e3 c4 [D38]

Game 1 sees action from the French Team Championship, with Simon Williams going for the most principled line against the recently popular approach with 7...c5 and 8...c4:

After 9.Be2 g5 10.Bg3 Ne4!? a very sharp position had been reached. Sanikidze appeared very well prepared and, apart from one slip late on, was ruthless in punishing Williams for a slip in the opening. 13.0-0 looks like a mistake here and it's probable that White players will be investigating 13.h4 (or Ruslan's suggestion 13.Bf3) for potential future encounters in this line.

Ragozin System 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 c5 8 dxc5 [D38]

Game 2 is another encounter from Saint Quentin. Riazantsev decides not to allow 8...c4 by playing 8.dxc5 when play continued 8...g5 9.Bg3 Nc6:

This approach of Istratescu's is extremely active, but my opinion is that the move 8...Nbd7 is more reliable. Riazantsev's 12.Be2 looks strong, and I think Black could be under some pressure in this line...

In Game 3 Aronian's second, Tigran Gharamian, goes with the safer alternative when faced with the same 8.dxc5 line, just a few days after the previous encounter was played. However, Vazquez comes up with a very interesting novelty on move 9:

The surprise worked well and White managed to get a grip on the position, but with careful and patient play Gharamian steered to safety. The opening approach by Vazquez absolutely deserves attention and could be a nice surprise weapon for White players to have ready. However, I can't help but feel that a well prepared Ragozin player will find a way to a comfortable position after the early queen move.

Ragozin System 6 Bg5 Nbd7 7 Qa4 [D38]

We move on to the big clashes that were taking place in Norway last month. Simen Agdestein, what a hero. It was very nice to see him battling so well with the best players in the world, and he didn't look out of his depth at all! His approach with 7.Qa4 in Game 4 isn't considered to be so dangerous for Black, but I don't think there's a consensus on how best to react.

After a moment of mutual blindness, Agdestein may have had some chances for an edge but eventually it became clear there would be a peaceful end.

Ragozin System 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 c5 8 dxc5 Nbd7 8 e3 [D38]

I've always been a fan of Topalov's preparation. Cheparinov is probably the one who deserves the majority of the praise, but it's clear that the Former World Champion has a great team behind him. His approach against Carlsen in Game 5 with 10.Nd2!? gave him good chances for an advantage:

I've speculated a little as to what his preparation may have been if Magnus would've gone down a different path on move 11. Out of all the approaches used by White in this update, I am most attracted to this one. It must be said that Carlsen's reaction to the opening surprise was very strong in a practical sense, never giving Topalov clear or obvious moves to play.

Ragozin System 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 Nbd7 [D38]

Game 6 is a big one. World Champ against World number 2, you can't ask for anything more heavyweight! Carlsen won't be happy with the nature of this win, but his decision to capture on g3 in the following way makes a strong impression:

Aronian played excellently during the middlegame and gave himself every chance to upset the World number 1. All kinds of action in this encounter!

Ragozin System 5 Qb3 [D38]

In Game 7 we move away from the action in Norway and take a look at yet another masterpiece from the flamboyant Hungarian star Richard Rapport. He uses the 5.Qb3 line and plays what I think is a very aesthetically pleasing game. I'm just in awe of his early middlegame play, starting with 15.Nd2!:

A tough knock for Gajewski, who was never really in the game after his novelty on move 14...

Ragozin System 5 Bg5 h6 6 Bxf6 Qxf6 [D38]

Game 8 sees Aronian getting a chance to take some revenge, albeit in a rapid clash. His approach with 11.Ne4 isn't new, but is certainly not easy to handle for Black:

Lev had his chances but as is always the case with Magnus, if you miss your chance, he's closing the door on you. A very exciting game, loads of action. My feeling is that Black must be ok in this system, but the middlegame is maybe just a touch more comfortable for White to play.

I hope you've enjoyed the update and that you're all armed and ready for the Ragozin system in your own games! Best wishes, Stephen

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