ChessBase Magazine 143, August '11

Magnus fronter det ledende DVD-produktet ChessBase Magazine igjen. Her er det som vanlig både mye og variert innhold av eksklusivt kommenterte partier og sjakktrening, pluss bl.a. videointervju med Kramnik.

De 13 ferske åpningsartiklene er likevel tradisjonen tro stoffet som kanskje aller flest kaster seg over. Denne ganger behandles disse variantene:

Schipkov: Dutch Defence A89

1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.d5 Na5 This line from the Leningrad System still remains playable for Black. The most frequent replies 9.Nd2 and 9.Qd3 are hardly a challenge to it; the most interesting is the exchange sacrifice 9.b3, but there is no need to accept it.

Kritz: Sicilian Defence B30

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 g6

After 3.Nc3 the option of d2-d4 remains open and if Black wants a Sveshnikov, he must reply 3...Nf6; after 4.Bb5 White then plays a sort of Rossolimo plus Nc3/Nf6. According to Leonid Kritz he achieves a paper-thin advantage in the variation with 4...g6.

Grivas: Sicilian Defence B33

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 5.Nb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bd3 d6 8.0-0 a6 9.Kh1 Be7 10.f4 Qc7 11.Bd2 b5 In the Apollo Variation which is dealt with, the similarity to the Scheveningen System cannot be overlooked. But the slight differences tend to favour Black and so what we have here is not a critical variation.

Karoly: Sicilian Defence B90

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nde2 Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu has had a few nice successes with 7.Nde2. In his article the author presents a detailed analysis of all the lines. Usually the structures which occur are less typical than those in other lines of the Najdorf.

Stohl: Queen's Gambit Accepted D27

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.Bb3 In the second and final part of his repertoire for White based on 7.Bb3 Igor Stohl investigates above all the moves 7...Nc6 and 7...Be7 as well as 7...cxd4, with their many transpositions.

Breutigam: Semi-Slav D43/D44

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 The same position is also reached after 5...h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.e5. So if one can make the variation playable, it will form a weapon against two different systems at the same time. Martin Breutigam shows that promising positions can be reached.

Schandorff: Queen's Gambit D52

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd2 In his second contribution on the Cambridge Springs Variation Lars Schandorff points out that Black does not have an easy life in the side lines 8...N7b6 and 8...Bb4 9.Rc1 e5 or 9...0-0.

Kuzmin: Queen's Gambit D53

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Qb3 This side variation has above all been played successfully by top Chinese player Bu Xiangzhi. There may be no way to prove conclusively an opening advantage for White, but most players are content enough with a little pressure.

Avrukh: Grünfeld Defence D90

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qa4+ In the main variation 5...Bd7 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 0-0 8.Bf4 White tries to prove that compared with the 5.Qb3 variation the Bd7 is not so well placed. Perhaps it is then possible to get a mini-advantage.

Postny: Slav/Grünfeld Defence D94

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 g6 5.e3 Bg7 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 e6 In the side variation 7...e6 too, you get what is mostly there for Black in the Schlechter Variation: a playable position which is almost level.

Marin: Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 d5 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.a3 In the position in the diagram our author examines the moves 6...Bxd2+ and 6...Be7. Although something can be said in favour of the exchange, Mihail Marin does prefer the retreat. It is not easy for White to obtain an advantage.

Anic: King's Indian E67

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 d6 6.0-0 Nbd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.h3 exd4 9.Nxd4 Nb6 10.b3 d5 White plays 8.h3, because it is always a useful move and then unlike with 8.e4 the line 8...a6 would be favourable (9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Be3!). But the sequence of moves which leads to the diagram seems to give Black sufficient play.

Kuzmin: King's Indian E73

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 With this setup, which is related to the Averbakh System, White is planning an immediate kingside advance by means of g2-g4; the development of the Ng1 is temporarily delayed.