Download PGN of September '14 1 d4 d5 games
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The Slow Slav 4.Qc2, 5...Bg4 [D11]
Let's start with a Carlsen game or two! Nyback - Carlsen isn't anything new from a theoretical perspective, as the rare 7...e5!? (see the diagram) was already recommended in Avrukh's GM Repertoire: Classical Slav:
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This is essentially a move order device to reach the 7...Bxf3 8.gxf3 e5 9.dxe5 line and avoid 9.Be3. The practical disadvantage is that White can get a very safe position in more than one way, including with Nyback's continuation. I've shared a couple of ideas that could work against someone blindly following Avrukh, but it doesn't change the fact that 4.Qc2 is theoretically harmless.
The Smyslov Slav 5...Na6, 8...Bxf3 [D16]
As some of you may know, I do a fair bit of coaching, and one of my students was thinking of adopting this system (5...Na6 in the Main Line Slav) as a solid surprise weapon, feeling it was somewhat underestimated. So when it was tried in the heavyweight clash Aronian - Carlsen at the Olympiad, well, I just had to take a look!
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This middlegame position arose after Black traded with ...Bxf3 (as opposed to ...Bh5 as seen in the archives). Theoretically the game has little value as White is just slightly better here and Aronian played it safe to help the team achieve their match victory over Norway, but I think the pawn sacrifice 6.e4 and 8.Qxf3! (first brought to my attention by my student) is a strong, if almost unknown continuation that would put a lot of people off 5...Na6 if it became common knowledge.
Slow Slav 4.Nbd2 [D11]
With Markus covering 4.g3 in the previous update, we should turn to another new move for ChessPublishing - 4.Nbd2 - which, like 4.g3, requires precise play from Black to achieve an equal game. Remember the Italian super-GM's treatment in Nakamura - Caruana:
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This arose from 4...Bf5 5.Nh4 Be4! 6.f3 Bg6 - had Black played 5...Bg6 immediately, 6.Qb3 Qb6 7.Qh3! with threats of Qc8 and Nxg6 would have been embarrassing. This is basically a Slow Slav where White's d2-knight should be on c3. However, the main reason I chose the game is for the very interesting positional struggle arising from the middlegame position with pawns on d4 and d5 (and the c and e-pawns exchanged) - Caruana's knight moves are particularly nice!
Symmetrical Exchange Slav with delayed Nf3 [D10]
I've saved the best for now - I've done some work on the Exchange Slav lines without an early Nf3 for this update, as they have become very trendy but weren't addressed on ChessPublishing prior to this update. Slav exponents don't just have to worry about White's attempts to kill the game, but also White's really ambitious options, which offer real chances for an advantage. The top Armenian GMs (especially Aronian and Melkumyan) have specialised in this line and you should study and follow their games.
To make the game annotations easier to read, I've started with Trendy Exchange Move Order-4.Bf4 Nc6 5.e3, where by delaying both Nc3 and Nf3 he aims to reduce Black's options, and with 5...Nf6 6.Bd3 can even try to avoid ...Bf5 lines. However, if Black goes for the position below by playing an early ...Bf5, I see no problems for him:
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Black will expand on the kingside with ...g5/...h5 as White often does in the ...a6 systems, and I see little difference in the ensuing positions. Instead, in Vachier Lagrave-Batchuluun, Black opted for a dubious queen exchange, and I've covered the endgame in detail so you understand all the nuances - including that White should probably prefer to develop via. Bb5/Nge2 so he can continue with the f3/g4/h4 plan.
Before I share the next game of the update, I noticed someone ask about the 7.Rc1 Exchange Slav on the Forum - indeed, it's a useful move in these lines and keeps all White's other options open too. For those of you who haven't read the discussion, this is the position in question:
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The question was already partly answered on the thread with 7...Rc8! 8.Nf3 e6, but even in this symmetrical position Black needs to find a few more accurate moves after 9.Qb3 to guarantee equality. 7.Rc1 goes unmentioned by Avrukh as well, so this is definitely something you could pick up for a game as your opponents are unlikely to be prepared, unless they subscribe here ;).
The last game of this section, but perhaps the most theoretically important, is Aronian - Navara, where I cover what I think is White's best try against the ...Bf5 variation, namely 7.Qb3!, which leads to the following basic position:
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Compared to a normal position, Black has got in ...Bd7 and ...Na5 for White's Qc2, but there's a lot more to the position than that - Black can't get in ...Bf5 and you'll see in the notes that a later ...Nc4 doesn't automatically equalise for Black either.
My notes are just a summary of what is an extremely fashionable line, but I second Avrukh's recommendation of lines with an early ...Nh5 - Black can equalise only by eliminating White's dark-squared bishop. I'm not sure Aronian's improvement in the game gives White an advantage, but his position is quite easy to play and in the game Navara didn't solve the fresh problems.
Vienna Variation 7.Bxc4, 8...Qa5 [D39]
Getting the theoretically not so critical games out of the way now, we have Kramnik - Vallejo Pons, where the Spanish GM used an opening strategy seen quite a lot at the top level - accepting a slightly worse position that you know how to hold. However, White has to play very accurately from the position below to make something of his small edge:
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What would you play here as White? In the game Kramnik played too ambitiously, and found that his 'mating attack' didn't actually lead to mate. In the notes I've looked into the details of when White should play f4, when Black should respond with ...e5, and other positional questions in this pawn structure.
Closed Catalan ...Bb4+ - e7, 10...a5 [E08]
In my opinion the most solid way for Black to meet the Catalan is with the ...Bb4+/...Be7 systems, and while this has been covered a bit on ChessPublishing, the 10...a5 of Ding Liren-Gajewski seems a very simple way for Black to equalise, despite the final result of the game:
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The idea behind 10...a5 is that White can't put pressure on the queenside with a4-a5 (as he could after 10...Ba6). I also answer a question on the Forum about the difference between ...Bb4+ and ...Be7 in my notes, and my conclusion is that White needs to look elsewhere to fight for an advantage. ...Bb4+ also has the advantage of dodging White's interesting option in the next game.
Catalan/QGD Hybrid 7.Qd3 [E06]
You've probably heard before that you should avoid Nc3 in the Catalan, because after ...dxc4 the knight on c3 gets in the way of regaining the c4-pawn, but modern chess is only becoming more concrete and Kramnik twice met 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 with 5.g3!? recently. In Kramnik - Topalov he reached the following position:
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The basic idea of this move order is that after 7...c6 8.0-0, we've transposed to a very nice Catalan version where White gets in e4 early, and Topalov's 7...Nb6 wasn't a panacea either. I've also analysed what happens if Black grabs the c4-pawn, and I still haven't seen a route to equality against this version of the 'Nc3 Catalan' - 4...Nbd7 5.g3 dxc4 is a better version as now there's no Ne5.
It's been a dream of mine for a while to write for ChessPublishing :) and it's my hope that subscribers score at least one extra win from my analysis!
See you next month! Max
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