What's New - March 2002
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Sorry for the delay with the March update. I am currently playing in Dubai, but will be back to complete the next one before the end of the month. Ruslan Scherbakov |
All this month's new games are easily downloaded in PGN format using ChessPub.exe: open ChessPub.exe, put the date on, say, 15th April 2002, and then click on '1 d4 d5', over on the right. All these games should appear (and the new ChessPub Guides, too)!
You can also enter the specific ECO code, given below, if you are only interested in a particular opening. For those who can't use ChessPub.exe, the March '02 '1 d4 d5' games can be downloaded directly in PGN form here: 
Queen's Gambit Accepted [D20 to D29]
In the Chapter on the line 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 e4 Nf6 4 e5 Nd5 5 Bxc4 Nb6 6 Bd3 Nc6 I mentioned the sharper move 7 Be3:
            
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And all the following games involve this variation.
Gurevich,M - Greenfeld,A/Elenite 1994 [D20]
The continuation 7. Be3 leads to sharper play than 7. Ne2 but only if Black reacts in the most principled way. Slow development does not solve the problems completely - in this game Black treated the position rather logically but was nevertheless completely outplayed, despite not having made any obvious mistake.
Boensch,U - Varga,Z/Mitropa Cup Baden 1999 [D20]
His total control over the d5-square prevents Black from being crushed by a direct attack. Perhaps White should treat the position in a more subtle way - the idea of completely ignoring this central square is worth considering...
Tregubov,P - Zvjagintsev,V/Russia (ch) 1992 [D20]
A principled way to counter White's set-up. White is forced to isolate his d-pawn and at first sight the blockade on the d5-square gives Black comfortable play. However, the idea of Pavel Tregubov imparts a concrete flavour to the play - such details as the vulnerability of the Black king would prove more important.
Atalik,S - Vincenti,D/Elista (ol) 1998 [D20]
White proves the advantages of his position by very energetic and enterprising play. It looks like Black faces problems in this line because it takes him too much time to secure his king.
Ibragimov,I - Yakovich,Y/RUS-ch51 St. Petersburg 1998 [D20]
A new idea of Yury Yakovich - instead of capturing the pawn with check, which in fact leaves the bishop vulnerable and soon forces Black to walk with his king, he first completes his development. In this game the idea worked at full power - White didn't manage to take the initiative and so Black's stronghold on d5 and better pawn structure eventually told.
Miton,K - Sadvakasov,D/Continental Open 2000 [D20]
The last word on theory of this line. Thanks to his aggressive play White managed to deprive Black of castling and win a pawn, but it was not free. Black also detained his rival's king in the center and seized strong counterplay. Yet White found the way to simplify into an ending, although it was a fairly difficult task to convert his extra pawn.
Main line Slav [D16-D19]
Next we consider the position after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5:
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Bareev,E - Morozevich,A/Corus, Wijk aan Zee NED 2002 [D17]
Alexander Morozevich stands up for his dubious-looking set-up with 11. ..g5. Here he found himself under pressure but managed not only to solve the problems, but eventually force White on to the defensive.
Kramnik,V - Morozevich,A/Amber Rapidplay, Monaco MNC 2002 [D17]
Vladimir Kramnik tried another way to counter Morozevich's 11. ..g5 but Alexander seemed to be well prepared for it. The fairly unexpected long castling increased the tension but a serious mistake, which soon followed, led to quick disaster. Black's play can definitely be improved although White's chances here seem to be preferable anyway.
Piket,J - Gelfand,B/Amber Blindfold, Monaco MNC 2002 [D17]
theory of Morozevich's 11. ..g5 is growing. The line is under test at the top level which, in my opinion, is not very good for Black - the set-up looks fairly suspicious and frequent and thorough tests would just make its life shorter.
Gelfand,B - Bareev,E/Amber Rapidplay, Monaco MNC 2002 [D17]
The deep line with Beliavsky's 16. Qf3 was tested here. White introduced a small innovation on the 26th move (!) but failed to give Black serious problems.
Sasikiran,K - Motylev,A/13th Goodricke, Calcutta IND 2002 [D17]
Another triumph for Ivanchuk's idea in the "piece vs pawns" endgame. Black introduced a fresh and fairly interesting idea and achieved quite an acceptable position, but, as often happens, a series of inaccurate moves led him into trouble. It's not easy to play the ending without a piece!