CVO_123.PDF

No. 123, May 11, 2011

OPENINGS

WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT?

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Just like Alekhine

and Capablanca

By IM Merijn van Delft & IM Robert Ris

Frequency

Kamsky beating Topalov and Grischuk beating Aronian

in the Candidates were mild surprises. Kramnik

beat Radjabov after a very even match (four regular

games, four rapid and four blitz), while Gelfand was

superior to Mamedyarov. We also checked out the

Asian Championship.

WHAT’S HOT?

Score

In blitz, Radjabov answered Kramnik's Berlin with 4.d3 twice. In the first

Mamedyarov-Gelfand game, the safe 6.¥e3 e5 7.¤f3 Najdorf ended in a

draw, while below we look at what went on in their 6.¥c4 Najdorf and the

two 6.a4 Najdorf games between Kamsky and Topalov.

The Queen's Gambit Declined is as hot this week as it was during the

Capablanca-Alekhine World Championship match. Kramnik and Radjabov

played a true theme match and the games with Grischuk as White and

Aronian as Black provided more study material on the QGD. After 1.d4

d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 ¥e7 4.¤f3 ¤f6 Black answered 5.¥f4 0-0 6.e3 with

6...¤bd7!? and 5.¥g5 h6 6.¥h4 0-0 7.e3 with the Lasker Defence 7...¤e4!?

(see the PGN file).

In our Game of the Week , Kamsky dealt with Topalov's Anti-Grünfeld

impressively. In the diagram position Topalov played 5.£b3, and two

games later he introduced the novelty 5.£c2. Only in the last blitz game

did Radjabov finally play his trademark King's Indian, but to no avail. 1.d4

c5 didn't really work out for Mamedyarov in his must-win game against

Gelfand either.

Source: Megabase + TWIC, 2500+ only

Aronian was generally seen as the most difficult opponent for World Champion Anand, so his defeat by Grischuk was a crucial development.

Aronian came close to beating Grischuk's Grünfeld (see below), but when he stopped playing

the main lines in the rapid games, things went from bad to worse. After 1.¤f3 c5 2.c4 ¤c6

3.¤c3 e5 Grischuk actually scored 1.5 out 2 with Black, thus qualifying for the next round.

WHAT’S NOT?

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

No. 123, May 11, 2011

Dealing with the Anti-Grünfeld

Topalov came up with some highly ambitious and risky novelties in the Anti-Grünfeld, but

failed to follow them up correctly. The typical 12.h4 pawn push in the second game of the

match was simply too slow and ran into a razor sharp reaction from Kamsky.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Black will gain the upper hand on the queenside.

15...f6!

An excellent multi-purpose move. Black covers

the e5–square and prepares to bring his ¢ to

the kingside, after which his heavy pieces will be

connected.

16.¤e4 b6!

Preventing another invasion by the ¤, while

simultaneously preparing to open the c-file.

17.¥e2 £c8 18.¦h4 ¢f7 19.¦d1 g5 20.¦h2 g4!

Fortunately, engines still don ’ t understand

everything, which is confirmed by the following

line 20...¤xa2+ 21.£xa2 ¤c3 22.¤xc3 ¥xa2

23.¤xa2 when White is absolutely back in the

game. Kamsky ’ s choice is cleaner and leaves

White without any counterchances.

21.¤fd2

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21...c5!

A strong and logical follow-up. White ’ s pieces

are driven back and hence the time has come to

open up the position.

22.dxc5 f5 23.¦xh6

A radical decision, but on the other hand 23.¤c3

£xc5 also looks horrible.

23...¦xh6 24.¤g5+ ¢f8 25.¤xe6+

A better attempt would be 25.¤b3 though after

25...¥g8! Black retains a powerful initiative. After

the text move the Black pieces join the attack

with devastating effect.

25...£xe6 26.¥c4 ¦c8 27.¥f4 ¦f6 28.e4 ¦xc5

29.exd5 £xd5 30.b3 £d4!

Looking at both a1 and f4.

31.¥e3 £c3+ and White resigned, because of

32.¢b1 £c2+. 0–1

Topalov, V (2775) - Kamsky, G (2732)

Candidates, game 2 (Kazan), 06.05.2011

A15, Anti-Grünfeld

10.d5! ¤xd5 11.¤xd5 ¥xd5 12.e4 and White

wins a piece.

10.¥g3 ¥h6+!?

A very interesting decision. After the ‘ normal ’

10...0–0 White gets the type of position he wants

by means of 11.e4 ¤xc3 12.bxc3².

11.e3

11.¢b1? ¥f5+! 12.¢a1 (12.e4 loses a pawn

to 12...¤xc3+ 13.£xc3 ¥xe4+) 12...¤db4 and

White is in big trouble.

11...a5

1.¤f3 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.¤c3 d5 4.cxd5 ¤xd5

5.£b3

In the decisive game of the match, Topalov

introduced the novelty 5.£c2!? where Kamsky

failed to come up with an adequate reply, since

after 5...¥g7 6.e4 ¤b6 (6...¤xc3 7.dxc3! and

compared with 5.e4, Black can ’ t exchange £s.)

7.d4 0–0 8.¥e3 ¥g4 9.¤e5 ¥xe5 10.dxe5 ¤c6

11.h3 ¥e6 12.¦d1 £c8 13.f4 ¦d8 14.b3 ¤b4

15.¦xd8+ £xd8 16.£b1 f5 17.exf6 exf6 18.¥e2

White had a clear advantage. The position that

arose in the game is often reached by the move-

order 5.£a4+ ¥d7 6.£b3 ¤b6 but Topalov had

possibly come to the conclusion that 5...¤c6

6.¤e5 £d6 offers Black reasonable play.

5...¤b6 6.d4 ¥g7 7.¥f4 ¥e6 8.£a3

It ’ s worth following the role of the £ in this game.

In general she aims to gain control over the vital

c5–square, but in case of failure she is completely

misplaced on the rim of the board.

8...¤c6

Bearing in mind the dynamic potential, Black

delays castling. In case of 8...0–0 it has

been shown that after 9.e3 ¤8d7 (9...¤c6

10.¥e2 a5 11.0–0 ¤b4 12.¦fc1 and White is in

control.) 10.¦d1! Black finds it hard to generate

counterplay, e.g. Ivanchuk-Vachier Lagrave

Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.

9.0–0–0!?

A sharp and new idea. In two earlier games,

Kamsky didn ’ t face any particular problems after

9.e3 a5 10.¥b5 (10.¥e2?! ¤b4 11.0–0 was seen

in Ivanchuk-Kamsky, Jermuk 2009 and it seems

Black could have played the simple 11...¤c2!

12.£c5 ¤xa1 13.¤b5 (13.¥xc7 ¤d7! 14.¥b5

¢f8!) 13...¤d5 when I (RR) failed to find sufficient

compensation for White.) 10...0–0 11.¥xc6 bxc6

12.£c5 ¤d5 13.¥e5 ¤xc3 14.£xc3 ¥d5 15.¥xg7

¢xg7 16.0–0 ¥xf3 17.gxf3 £d5 with a balanced

game in Eljanov-Kamsky, Ohrid 2009.

9...¤d5

Forced, since a move like 9...0–0? is met by

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12.h4?

A first step in the wrong direction. Better would

have been 12.¢b1! intending to proceed with

e4. After 12...¥f5+ (12...¤cb4 13.e4 c6!? White

ignores the ¤ by playing 14.h4! and enjoys a

pleasant edge, thanks to his space advantage.

(14.exd5? is met by 14...¥f5+!) ) 13.¥d3 ¥xd3+

14.¦xd3 White ’ s position seems preferable, since

Black isn ’ t able to carry out counterplay against

White ’ s centre.

12...¤cb4 13.h5

Another option is 13.¤g5 though after 13...¥g4!

it ’ s not clear what White should do. He doesn ’ t

really want to play 14.f3 since after 14...¥c8! the

pawn on e3 might become a weakness.

13...c6 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.¦d2?!

A rather odd-looking move, but White had to

cope with the threat of 15...¥xe3, winning the

exchange. More natural was 15.¥e2 but here too

with 15...f6 16.¤e4 b6 17.¦h2 ¢f7 18.¦dh1 ¢g7

TOPALOV - KAMSKY

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

No. 123, May 11, 2011

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 a6 6.¥c4 e6 7.¥b3 b5 8.0–0 ¥e7 9.£f3 £c7 10.£g3 0–0

11.¥h6 ¤e8 12.¦ad1 ¥d7 13.f4 ¤c6 14.f5 ¤xd4 15.¦xd4 ¢h8 16.¥e3 ¤f6 17.£h3 d5 18.e5 £xe5 19.¦h4 ¦fc8

20.¢h1 ¦xc3 21.bxc3 £xc3 22.¦d4 a5 23.¦d3 £c6 24.c3 a4 25.¥c2 e5 26.¥g5 b4 27.£h4 bxc3 28.¦h3 ¢g8

Mamedyarov was the Elo favourite, but Gelfand's enormous experience turned out to be the decisive factor. With

1.e4 Mamedyarov deviated from his beloved 1.d4 and Gelfand pleased the crowd by refraining from the Petroff

and returning to his old love, the Najdorf. Already in the first game of the match Gelfand sacrificed a pawn for

active counterplay in the endgame, but in the third game he created one of his finest masterpieces by sacrificing a

¦ for a very impressive pawn steam roller. Black constantly showed cool defence (in the diagram position 29.¥xf6

¥xf6 30.£xh7 ¢f8 leaves Black's king completely safe on e7) and picked up one pawn after another along the

way. 14.f4 was still known from the high profile game Morozevich-Kasparov, Astana 2001, but with 15...¢h8!?

Gelfand went his own way. With 17.£h3 followed by 18.e5 Mamedyarov went all in, but with 20.¢h1 he hesitated

for a moment, whereas the position still seems to be balanced after the consistent 20.¥g5. Gelfand immediately

took over the initiative with the thematic 20...¦xc3! and never let White back into the game.

Sicilian, Najdorf, 6.¥c4

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Sicilian, Najdorf, 6.a4

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1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 a6 6.a4 ¤c6 7.a5

Kamsky took a very interesting approach to his match against Topalov, which reminds us of the 1993 World

Championship match between Xie Jun and Ioseliani: he kept things under control with White and played for a

win with Black. Back then Xie Jun had a very modest positional approach in the Open Sicilian (the 8th game of

the match was the most extreme example, with a theoretical repetition of moves) but scored 5.5 out of 6 with the

King's Indian. On the previous page you can find Kamsky's efforts with Black, while with White he played the

restrictive 6.a4!? against the Najdorf. Topalov is a big fan of the disturbing b5–b4 pawn push in the Najdorf and

likes to restrict White's kingside play himself with the hypermodern h5. Kamsky never achieved anything beyond

control of the position (two draws with White), but one can speculate about the psychological effect this had on his

ambitious opponent. In the diagram position from the first game of the match Kamsky played the early theoretical

novelty 7.a5!? which is a fascinating gambit, and quite possibly the fruit of computer analysis. If Black accepts the

pawn with 7...¤xa5, then he has enduring problems coordinating his forces after 8.¤d5!. The half-open a-file is

a factor, and Black's ¢ will never find a safe home.

Semi-Slav, Anti-Meran

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.¤f3 ¤f6 4.¤c3 e6 5.e3 ¤bd7 6.¥d3 dxc4 7.¥xc4 b5 8.¥d3 ¥d6 9.0–0 0–0 10.£c2 ¥b7 11.a3 a6

12.b4 a5 13.¦b1 axb4 14.axb4 £e7 15.e4 e5 16.¤e2 ¥xb4 17.¤g3 exd4 18.e5 ¤xe5 19.¤xe5 c5 20.£e2

In these heavily analyzed opening lines, it's getting harder and harder to come up with new ideas. Kasimdzhanov

belongs to the elite group of opening experts and manages quite often to deviate from the common path in well-

known positions. His last move 20.£e2 hasn't been seen before and isn't recommended by the engines either.

However, the idea contains a certain logic. First of all, the ¤ needs to be protected. With the £ on e2, Black can no

longer play 20...c4, in view of 21.¤xc4! Secondly, the £ aims to join the attack on the kingside and hence doesn't like

to stand behind ¥d3. On the other hand, the pin along the e-file might be quite annoying and in some cases Black

may profit from the clumsy placement of White's forces. However, all in all, the surprise value of Kasimdzhanov's

novelty can't be rated that high, as his opponent Negi reacted adequately. The ensuing positions remain extremely

complicated and even spectacular shots like 24.¥h6! and 29...¢h8! couldn't disturb the equilibrium.

Grünfeld, Exchange

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1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.¤c3 d5 4.cxd5 ¤xd5 5.e4 ¤xc3 6.bxc3 ¥g7 7.¥c4 c5 8.¤e2 ¤c6 9.¥e3 0–0 10.0–0 b6 11.dxc5

£c7 12.¤d4 ¤e5 13.¤b5 £b8 14.¥e2 bxc5 15.f4 ¤g4 16.¥xc5 a6 17.¤a3 £c7 18.¥d4 e5 19.fxe5 ¤xe5 20.£c1

The influence of last year's WCh match between Topalov and Anand has clearly been visible in the first part of

the Candidates Matches. Grischuk surprisingly opted for the Grünfeld in his black games against Aronian and

gratefully made use of Anand's 10...b6!? in the 7.¥c4 main line. Whereas the Bulgarian decided to build up his

position slowly with 11.£d2, Aronian went for the more challenging 11.dxc5. After a forced sequence it was

Grischuk who came up with the important novelty 14...bxc5!, which works out well for Black. An important resource

in Black's strategy is the thematic central break 18...e5! White remains a pawn up, but Black gets a wonderful

square on e5 in return, due to White's fractured pawn structure. Moreover, White's ¤ on a3 is temporarily out of

play, which enables Black to coordinate his forces well. In the diagram position, however, Grischuk went for the

interesting ¥g4, which seems to give Black a playable game had he proceeded with 28...¦fd8!. 20...¥e6 deserves

further investigation as well.

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

No. 123, May 11, 2011

IT'S YOUR MOVE

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LAST WEEK'S SOLUTIONS

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Gagunashvili-Ipatov, Nakhchivan Open 2011

White has the pair of ¥s, but has advanced his g-pawn too quickly. Due to the weakness that have emerged on

the kingside, Black is able to activate his forces. 16...¦h3! Attacking f3 and leaving the ¦ on h1 passive. 17.¦df1

c5! Black shouldn ’ t fear opening the centre, as White ’ s ¥s have no time to make a difference. 18.dxc5 ¤xc5

19.¥c2 ¦d8 20.¦f2 ¤d3 21.¥xd3 ¦xd3 Black has eliminated White ’ s strongest piece, while retaining pressure

on the kingside. White has a very unpleasant position. 22.¢c2 ¦d8 23.¦d1 ¤d7 24.¤e2 ¤e5 25.¤g1 ¦h7

26.¥c1 ¦xd1 27.¢xd1 ¤d3 28.¦c2 ¤b4 29.¦c8+ ¢d7 30.¦b8 ¢c7 31.¦e8 ¥d6 32.h3 ¢d7 33.¦g8 ¤xa2

34.¥d2 ¤b4 35.¥xb4 ¥xb4 36.¢e2 g5 37.¢d3 ¥d6 38.¢e4 g6 39.b3 ¥h2 40.¤e2 ¦xh3 41.¤d4 ¥d6 42.¦g7

¢e7 43.¦g8 ¦h2 44.¦a8 e5 0–1

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Miroshnichenko-Guseinov, Nakhchivan Open 2011

Black has a promising initiative, but has to be careful not to exchange too many pieces. Immediate action is

therefore required. 22...¤xg2! 23.h3 23.¢xg2 £xg4+ 24.¢h1? h3 leads to mate. 23...¥xg4! Another huge

blow, typical for Black ’ s kingside attacks in the KID. 24.hxg4 £xg4 25.¢h2 ¤f4 26.¤xf4 £xf4+ 27.¢g1 h3! An

important move, which had to be foreseen. White is forced to return the material in order to prevent mate on g2.

28.£c3 £xe4 29.£g3 £xc4 30.¥e3 £xd5 0–1

ChessVibes.com/openings

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