Download PGN of October '15 1 d4 d5 2 c4 games
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[D12] The 4...Bf5 Slow Slav, 5.cxd5 Variation
Recently I had a subscriber ask for some updated coverage on here of the 4...Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Slow Slav variation, one of the major lines of this opening, however when I checked the Archives I noticed there wasn't anything yet on the quiet 5.cxd5 variation, which was quite popular before pursuing the bishop pair took over:
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Looking at such a position for the first time, it's easy to think that White can press a bit without taking any risk, however in the game Wu Wenjin-Qun Ma I demonstrate the move that put me off this system completely, namely 7...a6! depriving White of the Bb5 resource in response to ...Nc6. My analysis suggests that it is even White who has to be careful here, which is not something you usually read about a Black opening!
[D12] 4...Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4 Slow Slav
In next month's update I will cover the 6...Bg6 variation, but for the time being I have concentrated on the 6...Be4 line, where most players assume that White has to play 7.f3 Bg6 and then 8.Qb3 to fight for an edge, but recently Inarkiev has been trying 8.Nxg6 hxg6 and now the curious 9.g3!?, with the idea of Kf2-g2 to consolidate the kingside:
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While I don't think it guarantees White an advantage against best play, it is definitely a serious try and in the recent Hansen - Bauer from the World Rapid Championship, White was pressing out of the opening even though Black went on to win fairly convincingly. In the notes I also suggest an enterprising answer to the timid 6.Bd3, namely 6...Bg6!? which keeps more tension in the position.
[D12] 6...Be4 Slow Slav Main Line
The game Sargissian - Bartel is one of the more heavily analysed games for this month, with a full update of the developments from the position after 8.Qb3:
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From this tabiya position, White played 10.Rc1 which is new to our site, although Black found the way to equalise in the game. However White has several other serious tries that force Black to be accurate to gradually equalise, and in fact after 10.0-0-0 I'm not sure Black can achieve complete equality if White is familiar with the subtleties in the notes. In any case, the more strategic nature of the middlegames (with White aiming to use his bishop pair and often a central majority) make it hard to give a conclusive verdict and I expect more tests in these lines to reinforce where Black comes under the most pressure.
[E10] Closed Catalan with 7...Nbd7 8.Nc3!?
Of the various World Cup games, one that made an impression on me was Nakamura - Adams, not least because of the very unusual opening idea of playing an early 8.Nc3, which is traditionally considered inconsistent with the Catalan setup:
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However, chess theory nowadays is much less rigid and in the game Adams wasn't able to solve the problems set over the board. Had he played 9...c6 instead of 9...c5 he could have transposed to a more known line where Black is in good shape. Furthermore, in the notes I indicate one advantage of the 7...Nbd7 move order, namely that the somewhat trendy 8.Qb3 system can now be met with 8...Nb6 which seems a very clear-cut equaliser. So there are a few move order points to take in, but if you study the notes you will be on top of them.
[E10] Closed Catalan Main Line with Bf4
For the final game of this October update I analysed Cheparinov - So from this year's Turkish League, where White improved on Avrukh's analyses in Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4: The Catalan with 20.e4! in the position below:
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With a lot of effort I did find a narrow path to equality for Black with 18...f5!, which was in fact played by Gelfand after I conducted my initial analyses, but it's clear that White is pressing in this entire 11.Ne5 variation and I expect it to remain at the forefront of theoretical discussions. In fact I would not be entirely surprised if the problems Black faces here lead the fashion towards 4...Be7 in the near future.
That's all for this update, however I will be ready with the next update very soon, which will be more like my previous updates - with pretty detailed analysis of some topical variations as well as under-rated weapons! Max
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