What's New- December '01
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Greetings and a festive welcome to the December Update. We won't meet again until next year so I'd like to take this opportunity of wishing you a very Happy Christmas. IM Andrew Martin |
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You are here for the chess, so I'd like to move straight in with all the points of interest.
You will see an interesting game between 6 h3 specialist Krasenkov and Antoniewski, DEC01/01. Perhaps Black's 10th move 10...Nd7!?
            
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compels him to live on a knife edge but it's certainly worth trying again.
Check out the most attractive move of the month 20. Qxf5+!!
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in Shulman-Ginsburg, DEC01/03.
Beliavsky employs Cebalo's 6...Qe8 to good effect but his opponents 8 Nge2?
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was a real lemon. 8 d5 is critical.
Sokolov employs some interesting effects in his game vs Gislason, DEC01/06. One look at the diagram after 12...axb5
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will show this is no everyday King's Indian.
We see an unusual counter to 5 Bd3 this month after 5...0-0 6 Nge2 Nc6! 7 0-0 Ng4!
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Farakhov continues to befuddle his opponent and wins nicely with a Kingside attack in DEC01/08.
In the high-level encounter Marin-Shirov, DEC01/11, White bravely sacrifices a piece eg 24 Ndxe4!?
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but is never quite able to roll those central pawns.
A game from the recent World Junior shows high-class prophylactic play from Jan Werle. The position after 16 f4! tells Black that his attack is at an end, see DEC01/02.
Novelties from Cebalo, DEC01/07, and Kocheyev, DEC01/09, round of the set and we have the usual round up of tournament games which don't quite make the top ten (or eleven this month).
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IM Andrew Martin
Classical
DEC01/02 It's still an open question whether 9...a5 is better or worse than 9...Nh5.
Coming to another subject, I was extremely impressed with the standard of play at the World Junior Championships. Out in Spain as one of the English seconds, I got the opportunity to observe the play first-hand. This is just one of many excellent games.
DEC01/03 An attacking masterpiece from White.
DEC01/07 8 Rc1 is a strange-looking move but the Rook comes in very useful in certain lines where White plays b2-b4 (hitting a Knight on c5 presumably) and then c4-c5!
DEC01/12 RIVAL ATTACKS
DEC01/13 SLUGFEST
DEC01/14 LIFE IN THE OLD DOG YET
DEC01/21 MR DANNER HAS JUST LEFT THE BUILDING
Four Pawns
DEC01/04 There is a penalty for not knowing enough about this sharp line: DEFEAT. And that applies to both colours!
DEC01/15 THE PERIL OF 12...f6 ?
Fianchetto
DEC01/06 Sokolov toys with the traditional move-order to produce a new and provocative position.
DEC01/09 Kochyev makes 8 Nbd2 look a very good move against the Panno. I give alternatives and improvements.
DEC01/10 Playing ...Bf5 is a rather solid idea. Black intends to try to exchange off his light-squared Bishop and then put his central pawns on e6 and d5.
DEC01/11 After Shirov's 12...e5 the blocked position is known to slightly favour White. I would have expected 12...h5!? or maybe 12...bxc4 13 bxc4 Bh6, variations both unclear and unresolved.
DEC01/16 WORN DOWN
Samisch
DEC01/17 FTACNIK ANALYSES EVERYTHING
DEC01/18 WHAT'S A PAWN BETWEEN ARTISTS?
DEC01/19 THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE NA4 AND THE CRUSHING KINGSIDE ATTACK!
Bg5 Systems
DEC01/01 6 h3 is a Krasenkov favourite. Despite the slow appearance of White's sixth move play is always rich and complex in this variation.
DEC01/05 Black tries Cebalo's move, preserving options. I like this move, which enlivens Black's game.
DEC01/20 KRAKOPS KRUNCH
Miscellaneous Lines
DEC01/08 Black's exotic use of the Knights forces one to like this game. White doesn't appear to make any particular mistake yet gets quickly crushed!
I do sincerely hope you are enjoying the ChessPublishing experience. Contact me at amartin@wizard2.demon.co.uk with your thoughts and suggestions.
Yours In Chess,
IM Andrew Martin