Download PGN of February '14 KID games
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Fianchetto Variation 5...c5 [E60]
In the topical line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 c5 (even Grünfeld players are turning to this) 6.Nc3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Qc7 8.b3 d5 9.Ndb5 Qa5 10.Bd2 dxc4 11.bxc4 Qd8 12.0-0 a6 13.Na3 Nc6 14.Nc2, Black's 14th move 14...Be6!? looks like the product of his home laboratory:
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White is running out of resources here in the quest for an edge. See Nakamura - Caruana.
Panno 8.Qd3 Bf5 [E63]
In the Panno line 7.Nc3 a6 8.Qd3 Black has several moves here, but I do not completely trust 8...Bf5, even though I quite like the idea. After 9.e4 Bg4 the advance 10.d5 heads for a Maroczy position which I think gives him good chances of an edge:
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See Gordievsky - Grischuk where White score a big upset.
Panno 8.h3 Rb8 9.e4 [E63]
This unusual line of the Panno 8.h3 Rb8 9.e4 b5 10.d5!? pops again, and at the highest level in Aronian - Nakamura:
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I do not think it should trouble Black too much, but it's something new and different and in this game that was enough.
Sämisch Gambit Declined 6...c5 7.Nge2 [E81]
One of the hottest lines in the Sämisch Gambit Declined is 7...Nc6 8.d5 Ne5 9.Ng3 h5 10.Be2 h4 11.Nf1 e6:
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Now 12.Nd2 is safest (avoiding the bombshell 12.f4 Nxc4! of Svidler,Grischuk, London 2013). See Guseva - Smirnov for the latest developments.
Classical Variation - Makagonov 6.h3 e5 [E90]
In Navara - Biolek White plays 6.h3 e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.g3 9.Be2 f5 10.exf5 gxf5 11.Nh4 Nf6 12.f4 which looks rather strange to me. Navara is 2700+ though so it cannot be dismissed too lightly despite the result of this game, where Black quickly scored a big upset.
Irregular 6...c6 7.0-0 Bg4 [E91]
In Sos Andreu - Kamsky Black shows that you can play offbeat systems if you are really strong! 6.Be2 c6 7.0-0 Bg4!? certainly qualifies as unusual:
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The game is worth a look if just for the tactical shot Kamsky plays on move 23.
Gligoric 7...Ng4, 11.c5 [E92]
Aronian - Nakamura is a bit of a strange game. In the line 7.Be3 Ng4 8.Bg5 f6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Nh6 11.c5 Nakamura plays for simple equality with 11...g4 12.Nh4 Nc6 13.cxd6 cxd6 14.dxe5 dxe5:
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But this is not really his style. Black is within reach of the goal, however, when he makes one slip and the game is over.
9.Ne1 Nd7 Mainline, 13.g4 [E99]
Finally, Wesley So wins in his favourite 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.f3 f5 11.Be3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 13.g4 line but Black had his chances, as usual in the King's Indian. I think Black's best methods are becoming clearer in this line. See So - Van Wely.
Until next month, David
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Don't hesitate to share your thoughts and suggestions with me. Any queries or comments to the KID Forum, or to me directly at david@ChessPublishing.com (subscribers only) would be most welcome.