CVO_005.pdf

No. 5, February 4, 2009

OPENINGS

WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT?

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A closed chapter

in the Archangelsk

By IM Merijn van Delft & IM Robert Ris

Frequency

The Corus Chess Tournament had a spectacular inish

and we give you a inal round-up. Meanwhile, events

like the GibTelecom Masters in Gibraltar and the

German Bundesliga are drawing our attention.

WHAT’S HOT?

Score

The Petroff did not receive any real testing in Wijk aan Zee after

all and therefore it’s still is the toughest defence against 1.e4. Of

course the risk of losing is limited for White; otherwise it would

attract more Black players.

The Ruy Lopez on the contrary leads to more varied play. The

Marshall is generally doing very well, but Dominguez managed

to inflict a rare loss on Aronian. At first it seemed that White had

finally found ways to make Black suffer in the Berlin Wall (which

did take some years after Kasparov-Kramnik), but Black also

keeps on finding new ways, as was shown by Wang Yue.

As the tournament in Wijk aan Zee progressed, more Sicilians

were played and the decisive last round encounter between

Najdorf experts Dominguez and Karjakin showed that 6.¥e3 ¤g4

is still a valid option to battle in the Najdorf. Karjakin won the game,

and with it the tournament.

While 1.e4 is clearly hot this week, we did notice that in the

German Bundesliga Shirov showed his universal style by beating

Landa with White in an active, positional Catalan.

Source: Megabase + TWIC, 2500+ only

A Ruy Lopez line that seems to really suffer lately is the Archangelsk Variation. In our Game of the Week, Svidler shows that 7...d5 is

probably no longer an equalizer due to 9.dxe5! (see diagram) and as our investigations show, Black doesn’t have an easy life in the

other lines either. Everything that’s not an absolute first-class opening has been under pressure in the passed few weeks. The French

Winawer was beaten in both encounters and the Caro-Kann also had a terrible score.

Against 1.d4, lines like 1...d6 and the Dutch Defence had a similar fate.

WHAT’S NOT?

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ChessVibes OPENINGS what’s hot and what’s not?

No. 5, February 4, 2009

A Svidler improvement upon a Svidler game

Four years ago, Alexander Onischuk drew quickly with Peter Svidler using the move 7...d5

against 7. ¥ c2!? in the Archangelsk Ruy Lopez. This week in Gibraltar, former world champion

Antoaneta Stefanova tried the same against Svidler, but was unpleasantly surprised.

GAME OF THE WEEK

¥f5 20.¦dd1 ¥e3 and Black is comfortable

with his pair of bishops. Two days before

in Wijk aan Zee the third option was tried:

9.¤bd2!? exf3 10.£xf3 ¥e7 11.£xc6+

¥d7 12.£f3 exd4 13.¤e4 0–0 and now the

novelty 14.¦d1! which soon gave White a

strong initiative in Nijboer-Holzke. The

computer wants to close the d-file here

with 14...c5! 15.cxd4 c4 which prevents

immediate disaster.

9...exf3

9...£xd1 10.¦xd1 ¥xf2+ 11.¢f1! exf3

12.exf6 with the idea of taking on g7

followed by ¥h6 is very good for White.

10.exf6 £xf6 11.¤d2!

Svidler improves on his own game: 11.¦e1+

¥e6 12.¤d2 0–0–0 13.£xf3 £xf3 14.¤xf3

¥d5

Svidler,P (2723) - Stefanova, A (2557)

Gibraltar Chess Festival, February 2, 2009

C78: Ruy Lopez Archangelsk 7. ¥ c2

side with 12...b4!) 10.£xf3 ¤a5 11.¥c2 b4

12.d3 ¦b8 13.¤d2 0–0 14.£e2 (we prefer

the profylactic 14.¦b1!? with the idea of

¤b3) 14...¦e8 15.¤f3 bxc3 16.bxc3 ¤b3

17.¥xb3 ¦xb3 18.d4 exd4 19.cxd4 ¦xf3!

(this exchange sacrifice is known from

the second matchgame Anand-Karpov,

Lausanne 1998. 19...¦xe4 20.¥e3 ¥b4

21.£xa6 gives White a dangerous passed

pawn) 20.£xf3 ¥xd4 21.¦a2 ¤xe4 22.£d3

£f6 (Karpov played 22...c5) 23.¦e2

(23.£xa6 ¤g3!) 23...d5 24.¥e3 ¥e5 25.¦c1

and here Black got into trouble after 25...

c5? 26.£xd5 ¤c3 27.¦xc3 ¦d8 28.¦xc5

¦xd5 29.¦xd5 and White eventually won

in B.Socko-Stefanova, Gibraltar 2009,

whereas 25...h6! gives Black very decent

play.

7...d5?!

For over a decade this move has had the

reputation of an equalizer, but the current

game is putting this in question.

8.d4 dxe4

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9.dxe5!

Well tested is 9.¤xe5 ¤xe5 10.dxe5 £xd1

11.¦xd1 ¤g4 12.¥xe4 ¤xf2 13.¥c6+ ¢e7

14.¦d5 ¥b6 15.¥xa8 (15.¥g5+ f6 16.exf6+

gxf6 17.¥h4 ¤g4+ 18.¢h1 ¦b8 19.¤d2

¥e6 20.¦h5 ¤f2+! 21.¥xf2 ¥xf2 22.¦f1

¥e3 is also fine for Black) 15...¤d3+ 16.¢f1

¤xc1 17.¤a3 ¥e6 18.¦xc1 ¦xa8 19.¦d3

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4 ¤f6

5.0–0 ¥c5!?

After the more usual move-order 5...b5

6.¥b3 ¥c5 White can play the main line with

7.c3 but he can also opt for the immediate

7.a4!? after which Black cannot react with

¥g4 (line c below). Black in return then has

the extra possibility 7...¦b8 8.c3 0–0!? with

the idea 9.d4 ¥b6.

6.c3 b5 7.¥c2!?

White is trying to take advantage of the

particular move-order. The main line runs

7.¥b3 d6 8.a4 with the following options:

a) 8...¥b7 9.d4 ¥b6 10.¥g5 h6 11.¥xf6 £xf6

12.¥d5 gives White a small but steady edge.

b) 8...¦b8 9.d4 ¥b6 10.¤a3 (10.a5!? is a

tricky alternative.) 10...0–0 11.axb5 axb5

12.¤xb5 ¥g4 (12...exd4 13.cxd4 ¥g4

14.¥a4 and now 14...¥xf3 15.gxf3 d5

16.e5 ¤h5 17.¢h1 Leko-Topalov Monaco

rapid 2005 or 14...d5 15.e5 ¤e4 16.¥e3 f6

17.£c2 ¤b4 18.£b3 ¥a5 19.¤d2 Kramnik-

Topalov, Monaco rapid 2004) 13.¥c2

¥xf3 (after 13...d5 14.exd5 £xd5 15.dxe5

£xb5 16.exf6 ¦fd8 interesting is 17.£e1!?

while 13...exd4 14.¤bxd4 ¤xd4 15.cxd4

¥xf3 16.gxf3 ¤h5 17.¢h1 £f6 18.¥e3

¦a8 19.¦xa8 ¦xa8 20.¦g1 was Karjakin-

Adams, Baku 2008) 14.gxf3 ¤h5 15.f4!

(Black was looking forward to play ¤e7-g6

followed by installing a knight on f4, but now

he can forget about this beautiful square)

15...¤xf4 (15...£h4 16.£f3 ¤xf4 17.¥xf4

exf4 18.¢h1 is similar but also interesting is

16.fxe5!?) 16.¥xf4 exf4 and now 17.£g4 or

the profylactic 17.¤a3!? with a solid edge.

c) 8...¥g4 (this is what Stefanova played in

round three of the same tournament) 9.h3

¥xf3 (9...¥h5!? is critical as well, because

when White tries to unpin with 10.d3 ¦b8

11.¦e1 0–0 12.¤bd2 intending ¤f1–g3,

Black can start some play on the other

15.b4

½–½

Svidler-A.Onischuk

Beersheba 2005.

11...0–0

11...fxg2 12.¦e1+ ¥e6 13.¤e4! and the

knight covers all vital squares.

12.¤e4 £g6 13.¤g3 £f6

13...£g4 is met by the strong 14.£d5! and after

the tricky defence 14...fxg2 15.¦e1 £c4! White

simply plays 16.£xg2! and suddenly Black is

defenceless against the many threats.

14.£d3 g6?

14...£g6 15.£xf3 ¥g4! (15...£xc2 16.£xc6 is

a double attack) 16.£d5 £xc2 17.£xc5 ¥d7

was the only defence, but after some accurate

moves starting with 18.£d5! ¥e8 19.¥e3 ¦d8

20.£b3 £xb3 21.axb3 f6 22.¦xa6 White has

a serious endgame advantage, enough to put

Black off the 7...d5 line.

15.¤e4 £f5 16.¤xc5 fxg2 17.¦e1 £xc5

18.£f3 ¢g7?

The last mistake. 18...¤e5 19.£xa8 ¥f5

20.£xg2 ¥xc2 21.¥e3 and because of the

threat f4 Black now sadly has to exchange

queens with 21...£c6 22.£xc6 ¤xc6 after which

White is technically winning.

19.¥e3 £c4 20.¥b3 ¤e5 21.£g3 £h4

22.£xe5+ 1–0

SVIDLER - STEFANOVA

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ChessVibes OPENINGS what’s hot and what’s not?

No. 5, February 4, 2009

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Sicilian Najdorf 6.¥e3 ¤g4

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1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤xd4 ¤f6

5.¤c3 a6 6.¥e3 ¤g4 7.¥c1 ¤f6 8.¥e3

¤g4 9.¥g5 h6 10.¥h4 g5 11.¥g3 ¥g7

12.h3 ¤f6 13.£e2 ¤c6 14.¤xc6 bxc6

15.e5 dxe5 16.¥xe5 0–0 17.g4

Ruy Lopez Anti-Marshall

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1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4

¤f6 5.0–0 ¥e7 6.¦e1 b5 7.¥b3 0–0

8.d4 ¤xd4 9.¤xd4 exd4 10.e5 ¤e8

11.c3 dxc3 12.¤xc3 d6 13.¥d5

Ruy Lopez, Berlin Wall

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1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 ¤f6 4.0–0

¤xe4 5.d4 ¤d6 6.¥xc6 dxc6 7.dxe5

¤f5 8.£xd8+ ¢xd8 9.¤c3 ¢e8 10.h3

h5 11.¤e2 ¥e7 12.¥g5 b6

Nimzo-Indian 4.£c2

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1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 ¥b4 4.£c2

0–0 5.a3 ¥xc3+ 6.£xc3 £e8

This little £-move is by no means

a new idea as Timman and Keene

have played as early as 1973, but

it is certainly not very well known.

Black sidesteps the pin on g5,

remains very flexible and seems

to follow a futuristic white-squared

strategy involving the moves a5-a4,

b5, ¦a7 and ¥b7. In the Bundesliga

game between Sipke Ernst and

Oliver Reeh, Black sacrificed up to a

rook to feed his initiative, but had to

acknowledge defeat in the end.

For the important last-round game

against Dominguez, Karjakin chose

6...¤g4, whereas 6...e5 is the more

popular response to the English

Attack. White replied with 13.£e2

instead of the more common 13.£f3

and followed up with the scary novelty

17.g4!?. This blocks the g5 pawn so

that h4 will come with extra force. In a

fantastically wild game with chances

for both sides, the Black ¢ walked

out of the checks towards victory.

In another attempt to avoid the

Marshall, Dominguez brought

new life into a less explored (8.d4)

line. Instead of the more common

13.£f3, the Cuban theoretician

went for 13.¥d5, which forces

Black to accept a slight material

disadvantage. Aronian was not able

to get full equality and eventually

lost. Further tests are required to

show whether Black can hold or has

to switch to 8...d6.

In the Berlin Defence the move 10...

h5 is a well-known idea to prevent

White's expansion on the ¢-side,

but in the given position it ’ s rarely

seen on top level. At Corus, Wang

Yue tried this setup twice. Where

Dominguez went for the harmless

11.¥f4, Stellwagen aimed for the

exchange of black-squared bishops,

but with the exact 12...b6! the

Chinese GM neutralised this idea, by

meeting 13.¥xe7 with 13...¥xe2!.

OPENING EXPERT

Who:

Sergei Movsesian

Expertise:

Black: Scheveningen and

Born:

November 3, 1978

Chebanenko Slav. White: Italian.

Nationality:

Slovakia

Why:

Deep positional understanding

Rating:

2751

and very strong in tactical phase.

Since winning last year ’ s Grandmaster Group B of the Corus Chess Tournament, the Georgian-born GM made a

big jump in the world rankings. It is remarkable to see that he stayed faithful to his openings and that his opening

repertoire is still valid. His wins over the ever-creative Ivanchuk and Svidler are true model examples of how to

play the Scheveningen and illustrates perfectly Movsesian ’ s class.

www.chessvibes.com/openings

ChessVibes Openings is a weekly PDF magazine that covers the latest news on chess openings. Which openings are hot in top level chess?

Which are not? Editors IM Merijn van Delft & IM Robert Ris keep you updated once a week! Singles issues cost € 1. You can subscribe too:

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