Download PGN of October ’16 1 d4 d5 2 c4 games
>> Previous Update >>
Exchange Slav with 6...Bf5 [D10]
It was a while since I looked at the Exchange Slav, since most games this year didn’t really affect my earlier conclusions. However, the game Mamedyarov, S - Rapport, R from the Olympiad started 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bf4 Nc6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Qb3 Na5 8.Qa4 Bd7 9.Qd1!?, which is new to our site. This is the critical position of the game:
             |
In the game Rapport played the overly ambitious 12...Qa5?!, but my analysis demonstrates that he has no problems if he plays the right move at this point. For an interesting exercise, see if you can guess what Black should play instead, and what the best reply is to 12...Qa5, before seeing how Mamedyarov won a sharp game!
5.g3 Chebanenko Slav [D15]
I’ve mentioned before that the Chebanenko has come under pressure in the last year or two, and in another top GM Olympiad game, Giri, A - Le, Q, we see White obtain an advantage quite easily with 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 a6 5.g3 after Le tries to avoid a heavy theoretical battle with 5...Bf5, leading to the following position after 6.Bg2 e6 7.0-0 Nbd7:
|
|
We can say that the ...a6 move is a bit pointless, but how would you claim a positional advantage? For a bonus question, what would your plan be after the alternative 7...h6? When you do go through the game, make sure to check my analysis on the correct 5...dxc4, as well as 5.c5 g6!? where I’ve demonstrated how Black can play for a win without risking an objectively bad position.
Main Line Slav 6.Ne5 e6 [D17]
You’ll probably notice from this update that I have an interest in taking ‘old school’ openings and seeing how they hold up to engine scrutiny, and what new possibilities they may offer. In the game Zhou, J - Shankland, S I state my case for why I think, after 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5, the move 6.Ne5 offers White a slight advantage in all lines, but let’s fast forward to the critical position for the assessment of the old 6...e6, which occurred in the game:
|
|
Rather than just memorising my analysis, how about you try and find White’s best move here for yourself? True, from a human perspective the positions in these piece sacrifice lines look very messy, but the play doesn’t tend to branch out much, making it a lot easier to apply the right consolidating ideas for White over the board. Don’t forget to check my thoughts on 6...Nbd7 either, including an important improvement over some old ChessPub analysis of mine.
The Alatortsev with 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 [D31]
A question that tends to be asked every year or so on the ChessPub Forum is whether, after 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4, Black should prefer 3...Be7, or the classical 3...Nf6. I think they are equally good, so I covered both of them in this update, but there are principled White tries where Black must be prepared and precise to equalise, as we’ll see.
Both our Alatortsev games feature Caruana, and let’s start with the 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.e3 Bf5 7.g4 Be6 8.h4 of Lenderman, A - Caruana, F, which was also Dreev’s recommendation in his recent 'Bf4 in the Queen’s Gambit and Exchange Slav'. The key position is as follows:
|
|
White has just played a strong pawn sacrifice 10.g6! and if you haven’t seen this position before, I invite you to figure out Black’s best move for yourself. Caruana’s move set problems his opponent was unable to solve, but was objectively not very good. If you check my notes, you’ll see the new ideas I found against Dreev’s analysis to secure equality for Black, but I’m sure we’ll be coming back to Botvinnik’s favourite 7.g4 in the future as the arising positions are very dynamic and can be analysed even more deeply.
The second game, So, W - Caruana, F, was a win for White, but we can’t read too much into the result, especially in blitz. That said, after 6.Qc2 (instead of Lenderman’s 6.e3) 6...Nf6 7.h3 g6 8.e3 Bf5 9.Qd2, we come to a key position where Caruana didn’t play in the best way:
|
|
What move should Black play here, if he wishes to maintain the balance? You can check my notes for the details, but don’t neglect my analysis of 7...Qa5 or 7.e3 Nh5, where I show various new ideas for Black. There’s also updated coverage of 6...Bd6, in case you prefer positions where you don’t have to memorise concrete variations.
Before moving on, one basic point has to be made - 3...Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 and 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 lead to the same position, so you have to be ready to play the Classical QGD with either move order. But the latter move order gives you slightly more options against non-Exchange lines, in that you can play 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 and 5...c6 to head towards a Cambridge Springs, or meet 4.Nf3 with something other than 4...Be7 to dodge the Blackburne, for example.
Main Line Tarrasch 9.dxc5 [D34]
The game Carlsen, M - Sloan, J from a recent simul is one I’ve included for the lower-rated end of the readership, as it’s a great model game for playing against the IQP. For example, let’s take the following position from the game:
|
|
Do you know the key plan for White when Black places his bishop on the a7-g1 diagonal? You can check the game for the answer, but it’s not just a middlegame lesson, as I also show a very instructive endgame display by Mamedyarov at the Olympiad, and cover some Tarrasch move order points that most tend to skip over.
Exchange QGD Sidelines [D35]
Our other game for more illustrative than theoretical purposes, Carlsen, M - Marx, S from the same simul, shows how to deal with a development often seen at junior tournaments, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3 Be6?!. If you are rated below 2000 you might like to think for yourself about why this move is bad, as well as trying to guess what Carlsen played in the position below:
|
|
What is the correct plan for White in this structure? As an aside, the notes include a successful implementation of a rare idea by Carlsen in a blitz match against Grischuk.
Exchange QGD with Nge2 [D36]
Now we turn to the main line, where the conventional wisdom is that after 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Qc2 0-0 9.Nge2 Re8 10.0-0 Nf8 11.f3, White has the much easier game. I think this assessment is correct after all Black’s tries but the best one, 11...g6!, as played in Moroni, L - Brunello, S:
|
|
This is the main trend for Black, and we will not just be waiting passively - after ...Ne6, we often play for the ...c5 break, and in the game Black successfully preceded it with a dynamic ...b5-b4! thrust. I present a full repertoire for Black after 9...Re8 in the notes, showing a lot of little-known and even completely new ideas. In any case, I feel this game (together with Navara-Hansen) shows that White can’t count on an advantage in the main line of the Exchange QGD.
There is one key position where you have to remember the right move as Black, namely after 12.Rae1 Ne6 13.Bh4:
|
|
What should Black play here? Check the notes for the answer!
Meran with 6...Bd6 [D46]
Although the game Khairullin, J - Bocharov, I is classified under the Semi-Slav, it raises important questions for those who play this via the Slav move order, as after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bd3 Black has to be careful not to get move ordered into a worse position. When Sargissian played this against me in the Isle of Man Open, I transposed to a QGA with 5...dxc4 6.Bxc4 c5, but obviously most people won’t have all of the Slav, Semi-Slav and QGA in their repertoire.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure there’s a better option, since after 5...Nbd7 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Nc3 0-0 8.e4! Black has been move ordered into a second-rate line of the Meran, and after the game’s 8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 e5, you’re invited to work out White’s best move:
|
|
White obtained an advantage quite easily in the game, but it should be noted that if Black plays the best moves, White will only obtain a slight pull, or 0.25-0.30 in engine speak. However, Black does not have to panic, since I noted in Giri-Ding in the Archives that a setup with ...Be7 and a queenside fianchetto can be very solid. We’re still waiting for further developments there.
Open Catalan with 7.Ne5 [E05]
It is not the first time I have covered the 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Ne5 variation of the Catalan, but the game So, W - Nakamura, H from the Sinquefield Cup wasn’t just critical for the tournament standings, but was of theoretical significance. After 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Na3 Black must be very accurate to maintain the balance, but in the critical position Black mixed up his preparation:
|
|
To give you a feel for a position, let me ask you - what should Nakamura have played instead? You can check the game for how to equalise, but it was an impressive piece of preparation by So, and I do feel White’s position is easier to play from a human perspective, as the bishop pair is very strong.
That’s the update for this month! Sorry about it being a little late - the next one will be early! Max
>> Previous Update >>
If you have any questions, then please post a message at the 1 d4 d5 Forum, or subscribers can email support@chesspublishing.com.