Chess.com - Masters Bulletin_August2013.pdf

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August 2013

1 of 24

The Master’s Bulletin

Topical Theory 2

In the News 22

In the Spotlight: Why Chess.com for Titled Players and Coaches? 23

Featured Blogs 24

Leaderboards 24

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09+ zp vlpzpp09p+nzp sn +09+p+ zp + 09 + zPP+l+09+LzP vLN+ 09PzP + zPPzP09tRN+QtR mK 0xiiiiiiiiyGM Jan Smeets on 9.d4 ¥ g4

10. ¥ e3 in the Closed Ruy

Lopez, Part 2

Mamedyarov Wins BeijingGP; Topalov in Candidates

L.A. Resolution forViswanathan Anand

Mekhitarian WinsDeath Math #16

XIIIIIIIIY9r+lwq trk+09zppzp zppvlp09n+ + snp+09+ + + + 09 +QzPP+ +09+ sN +N+ 0

9PzP + zPPzP09tR vL mKL+R0xiiiiiiiiy

GM Victor Mikhalevski on

7...¤a6 in the Gruenfeld,

Russian System

XIIIIIIIIY9rsnlwqkvl tr09zppzp zppzpp09 + + sn +09+ +p+ vL 09 + zP + +09+ sN + + 09PzPP+PzPPzP09tR +QmKLsNR0xiiiiiiiiyGM Melikset Khachiyan on

Hikaru Nakamura playing

the Veresov



August 2013

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2 of 3

The line 10...exd4 11.cxd4 ¤a512. ¥ c2 c5

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09+ + vlpzpp09p+ zp sn +09snpzp + + 09 + zPP+l+09+ + vLN+P0

9PzPL+ zPP+09tRN+QtR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

13.h3

13.dxc5 ¤c4! (13...dxc5 is played

almost exclusively. The line is

complicated and not bad for Black but

there is a much easier way.) 14.cxd6

¥ xd6 with great compensation for

the pawn. This was rst played in Tal-Beliavsky 1987(!) but then apparently

forgotten for 25 years. It resurfaced

in a high level game in Firat-Ragger,

Istanbul Olympiad 2012.

13...cxd4

a) 13... ¥ xf3 14.£xf3 cxd4 (14...¤c4

15.¤c3 This simply looks pleasant for

White and avoids all complications.

15.dxc5 has been played in many

high prole games. I believe Whitehas chances to ght for an advantage

but it will require lots of deep

analysis. Those interested can start

their analysis by checking Jakovenko-

Grischuk, Saint Vincent 2005.)

15...¤xe3 16.£xe3 cxd4 17.£xd4²

Bartel-Postny, Barcelona 2008.

15.¥xd4

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09+ + vlpzpp09p+ zp sn +09snp+ + + 09 + vLP+ +09+ + +Q+P09PzPL+ zPP+09tRN+ tR mK 0

xiiiiiiiiyBlack voluntarily went for a position

where White has the bishop pair and

he is stuck with a weak pawn on d6.

Why? White is not yet fully developed

and Black will be able to activate

his pieces with gain of tempo (¦c8

and ¤c6). In a best-case scenario

Black will convert his activity into

something more tangible such as

pushing d5 or exchanging one ofWhite's bishops. However, I think

White has more than one way of

preserving some edge.

a1) 15...¦c8 16.£d1 (16. ¥ b3 allows

16...¤c6 17.£d1 d5 18.exd5 ¤xd4

19.£xd4 ¥ c5 with enough activity

for the pawn) 16...¤d7 (Planning

to exchange the passive bishop on

e7 for the monster on d4. 16...¤c6

17.¤c3 as in Carlsen-l'Ami allows

White to develop comfortably

ensuring an advantage.) 17.¤c3 ¥ f6

18.¦c1 (18.¦e2 also looks good. The

idea of both moves is to overprotect

the bishop on c2 so that ¤d5 can be

played.) and now:

a1a) The machine recommends

18... ¥ g5 19.¦b1 and now 19... ¥ f6

back! (19...¤c6 20. ¥ e3 ¥ xe321.¦xe3 ¤ce5 22. ¥ b3 ¤c5 23. ¥ d5²

The only difference compared to the

position 2 moves ago is that the rook

has mysteriously gone to b1. This is

probably a very minor achievement

for white as b2 is preemptively

defended now. 20.¦e2 ¦e8 (20... ¥ e5

21. ¥ xe5 dxe5 22.¦d2 ¦c7 23.a4²

21.¤d5²;

Topical Theory

9.d4 ¥

g4 10. ¥

e3 in the Ruy Lopez, Part 2GM Jan Smeets

This is the second and nal part of GM Jan Smeets' coverage of

9.d4 in the Ruy Lopez, the move that allows 9...¥ g4 but has been

tried by several World Champions nonetheless. At the end, Smeets

includes a game he won with 9.d4 shortly after nishing this article!



August 2013

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a1b) 18... ¥ e5 19.¤d5;

a1c) 18...¤c6 So far we are following

Timofeev-Carlsen, Skanderborg 2005

but now I suggest 19. ¥ xf6N followd

by £d2, with a solid plus for White.

a2) 15...¤c6

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09+ + vlpzpp09p+nzp sn +09+p+ + + 09 + vLP+ +09+ + +Q+P09PzPL+ zPP+09tRN+ tR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

16. ¥ e3 ¤b4 (16...d5 gets rid of the

backward pawn but allows white

to develop unchallenged. 17.exd5

£xd5 18.¤d2 the bishop pair will

be a force to reckon with in the

endgame.)

a2a) 17.¤a3 was played in

Kryvoruchko-Kravtsiv 2013 but I

don't like this move. 17...¦c8 18.¦e2

¤c6!N Black is very active, this

should compensate for his permanent

minuses, the d6-pawn and the bishop

pair. It is not easy to meet ¤e5 as

the queen has no comfortable hiding

places. 19. ¥ b3 - or 19.¦d1 ¤e5

20.£f5 b4 21.¤b1 - 19...¤e5.

a2b) 17. ¥ b3 ¤d3 18.¦d1 (18.¦e2 isan option as well but the upcoming

dance of the queen is so articial

that it's hard to recommend

18...¤e5 19.£f5 g6 20.£f4 ¤d3

21.£f3 ¤e5 22.£g3 ¤xe4 23.£f4

¤f6 24.¤c3 and for those willing to

memorize the line a great, active

position awaits.) 18...¤xb2 19.¦d2

¤c4 20. ¥ xc4 bxc4 21.e5 as in

Shomoev-Romanishin, Warsaw 2005

looks good for White. In most lines

he ends up with a dangerous passed

pawn on d6. Some sample lines: a)

21...¤d7 22.exd6 ¥ f6 23. ¥ d4 ¤e5

24.£d5 ¤d3 25.£xc4N (25.¤c3

¦c8) 21...¦e8 is the engine move.

22. ¥ f4! (22.exf6 ¥ xf6 23. ¥ d4 ¦e1+

and White is in trouble) 22...¤d7

23.exd6 ¥ f6 24.¤c3.

b) 13... ¥ h5

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09+ + vlpzpp0

9p+ zp sn +09snpzp + +l09 + zPP+ +09+ + vLN+P09PzPL+ zPP+09tRN+QtR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

b1) 14.¤bd2 cxd4 15. ¥ xd4

transposes to 13...cxd4 14.Bxd4

Bh5 15.Nbd2. Black equalises with

15...¤c6 16. ¥ e3 d5 as in E.Carlsen-

Bryn, Oslo 2006.

b2) 14.dxc5 ¤c4!N is similar to

13.dxc5 Nc4. (14...dxc5 is the only

move that has been played so far.

White can try 15.¤c3 ¤c4 16.e5 and

black has to be very careful.) 15.cxd6

¥ xd6 16.¤bd2 ¤xe3 17.¦xe3 ¥ f4

with great play for the pawn;b3) 14.¤c3 ¤c4.

b4) 14.d5 ¤c4.

b5) 14.g4 The other moves don't

promise anything so we bravely go

forward! 14... ¥ g6 15.¤bd2 and now

black has played many moves; ¤fd7

and ¦e8 seem most reasonable. It is

hard to analyse this position as the

lines branch out quickly. I will just

say that White usually plays d5 at

some point and the long term plan

is to advance the kingside pawns

That said, I don't think White has an

advantage here as Black is very solid

and can start quenside counterplay

combined with the pressure on e4

If this position is not to your liking

perhaps analysing 14.dxc5 a bit

more makes sense, especially since

14...¤c4! has never been played.

14. ¥ xd4 ¥ h5

14... ¥ xf3 15.£xf3 simply transposes

to 13... ¥ xf3 14.£xf3 cxd4 15. ¥ xd4.

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09+ + vlpzpp09p+ zp sn +09snp+ + +l09 + vLP+ +09+ + +N+P09PzPL+ zPP+09tRN+QtR mK 0

xiiiiiiiiy15.¤c3

The pin on the d1–h5 diagonal is very

annoying of course, but we will only

play g4 after Black plays ¤c6. That

way we avoid ¤c4 lines, especially

the transposition to 15.g4 ¥ g6

16.¤c3 ¦c8 17.¦c1 ¤c4.

a) 15.g4 Is the main line but

cannot nd an advantage for Whiteafter 15... ¥ g6 16.¤c3 ¦c8 17.¦c1

(17.¤h4 ¤c4 18.¤xg6 hxg6 19.£e2

d5) 17...¤c4 (17...¤c6 is played

more often but here white has

some possibilities) 18.¤d5 h5!N

analysed this position in some depth

but couldn't come up with anything

convincing for White.

b) 15.¤bd2 ¤c6 16. ¥ e3 d5 E.Carlsen



August 2013

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Bryn, Oslo 2006.

15...¤c6

15...¦c8 16. ¥ b3N still postponing g4.

16...¤c6 (16...¤xb3 17.axb3 now

a6 will give Black some headache)

17.g4 ¥ g6 (17...¤xg4 18.hxg4 ¥ xg4

19.¢g2 ¥ xf3+ 20.¢xf3 and even

though the king feels a bit naked he

can quickly run back home to get

some underwear. White is better.)

18.¤h4 most likely this knight will

go to f5 in the near future and I think

White enjoys a small advantage.

16.g4 ¥ g6

a) 16...¤xg4 17.hxg4 ¥ xg4 18.¢g2 ¥ f6 19.e5 ¥ xe5 (19...¤xd4 20.£xd4

¥ xf3+ 21.¢xf3 ¥ xe5 22.£d3 and

white has the initiative) 20. ¥ e3 Nd5

will follow soon. White consolidates

and may start his own attack.

b) 16...¤xd4

17.¤xd4 ¥ g6 18.g5 and White is too

active.

17.¥b3

17. ¥ e3!?

17...¦c8

This is a transposition to 15...¦c8

16. ¥ b3 ¤c6 17.g4 ¥ g6.

18.¤h4

Instead of making look look it up I

will copy the assessment: most likely

this knight will go to f5 in the near

future and I think White enjoys a

small advantage.

Ponomariov-Eljanov

Ukrainian Championship (Kiev), 2013

Now we nally get to the game

that inspired this article. I will give

provide extensive analysis on Black's

14th and 16th move alternatives

because they are critical for the

assessment of this line. The rest of

the game will also be covered simply

because it is an enjoyable game.

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4

¤f6 5.0–0 ¥ e7 6.¦e1 b5 7. ¥ b3 d6

8.c3 0–0 9.d4 ¥ g4 10. ¥ e3 exd4

11.cxd4 d5 12.e5 ¤e4 13.h3 ¥ h5

14.¤bd2!?

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09+ zp vlpzpp09p+n+ + +09+p+pzP +l09 + zPn+ +09+L+ vLN+P09PzP sN zPP+09tR +QtR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

Strategically speaking, this position

is very unbalanced. White has

a great centre but Black has a

powerful knight on e4. Black can try

to undermine White's centre but if

he fails White will use the half-open

c-le to attack a lot of weak pawns.

In a surprising amount of lines White

can sacrice an exchange to achieve

domination.

a) The main line is 14.¤c3 ¤xc3

15.bxc3. Compared to the 14.¤bd2

line White has strengtened his centre

but lost the half open c-le. Now

Black has to quickly target White's

center with ...c5 and a possible

...b4 before White starts a kingside

avelanche. ¤a5–c4 and £d7 & ¤d8–

e6 both lead to complicated play.

15...£d7 (15...¤a5 16. ¥ c2) 16. ¥ c2

¤d8 17.£b1 ¥ g6 18. ¥ xg6.

b) 14.g4 ¥ g6 15.¤h2 prepares f3–f4–

f5 winning a piece or at least gaining

a lot of space. It looks tempting,

I've tried it myself, but White is just

too disorganized. 15...a5! was twice

played by Shvidler (not a typo) and

effectively refutes White's setup.

14...¤xd2

a) 14... ¥ b4 adds another pin.

a1) 15.g4 comes close but not close

enough: 15... ¥ g6 16.a3

a1a) 16... ¥ a5?! 17.¦c1 £d7 18.¤xe4

dxe4 (18... ¥ xe4 19.¤d2²) 19.d5

(19.e6 fxe6 20.¤g5 ¢h8 is a mess

19... ¥ xe1 20.£xe1 exf3 21.¦xc6±

¥ e4 22.¦c5 White is in complete

control.

a1b) 16... ¥ xd2 17.¤xd2 ¤a518.¤xe4 ¥ xe4 (18...¤xb3 19.¤f6+

gxf6 20.£xb3 with the initiative

19. ¥ c2 f5 with an unclear position.

a2) 15.£c2

a2a) 15... ¥ xf3 16.¤xf3 ¤a5

17.¦e2²;

a2b) 15...¤a5 16.¤xe4 dxe4

(16... ¥ xe1? 17.¤eg5 ¥ g6 18.£c5

¤xb3 19.axb3) 17. ¥ g5 £c8 18.¦xe4

¥ g6 19.¤h4 ¥ xe4 20.£xe4 ¤xb3

21.axb3 and White has great

compensation for the exchange.

a2c) 15...¤xd2 16.¤xd2 ¤a5 17.a3

¥ g6 18.£d1 ¤xb3 19.£xb3 and

Black is stuck with his pawn on c7.

a2d) 15... ¥ xd2 16.¤xd2 ¤b4

17.£b1 ¤xd2 (17... ¥ g6 18.¤xe4

dxe4 is a strange position, probably

somewhat better for White.18. ¥ xd2 ¥ g6 19.£c1 ¤d3 20.£c6

once again with great compensation

for the exchange.

b) 14...£d7 as in Schneider-Mueller

Bundesliga 2008 looks like a very

reasonable move. I recommend

15.a3 (15.¤xe4 dxe4 16.e6 looks

attractive but doesn't promise much

after the cool 16...£d6) 15...¤xd2





August 2013

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26.¦xg6+!

The end is brutal.

26...hxg6 27.¦xg6+ ¥ g7 28.e6 ¦f8

29.£c5 £e7 30. ¥ d6 £h4 31.£xa7

1-0

10...h5 and conclusion

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4

¤f6 5.0–0 ¥ e7 6.¦e1 b5 7. ¥ b3 d6

8.c3 0–0 9.d4 ¥ g4 10. ¥ e3

Some of you may have noticed that I

have not mentioned 10... ¥ h5. In all

the lines that I have recommended

White plays the move h3 as soon aspossible. That means we are bound

to transpose back to one them after

11.h3.

If you have made it this far,

congratulations! We have covered

many, many lines and most promise

White at least a small advantage.

Ponomariov 's idea against one of

the main lines is very interesting,

offers White attacking chances and

takes play into uncharted territories.

Unlike some commentators/writers

trying to 'sell' an opening I am trying

to stay objective so here comes the

bad news. Against the following

lines I have not been able to nd an

advantage: 10...exd4 11.cxd4 ¤a5

12. ¥ c2 c5 13.h3 ¥ h5 and 10...exd4

11.cxd4 ¤a5 12. ¥ c2 ¤c4 13. ¥ c1 c514.b3 ¤a5. There is no reason to

abondon 9.d4 alltogether; no one

and no opening can promise a plus in

all lines. I am sure 9.d4 will serve you

well. If that assurance is not enough,

then remember that many World

Champions and elite players have

played 9.d4. If you like 9.d4 and hate

playing against the Marshall I have a

recommendation: after 7...0–0 try

8.d4!. 8...d6 9.c3 transposes right

back into 9.d4. You do have to check

8...exd4 and, more importantly,

8...¤xd4 but it is going to be a lot

less work than going through the

entire Marshall!

Post Script:

Smeets-Ernst

Dutch Ch (Amsterdam), 2013

After writing the articles I felt morethan ready to play 9.d4 myself and

decided to give it a try at the recent

Dutch championship. The game was

played on July 10th, after the rst

newsletter was published, so there

was a chance my opponent would

have read the rst article. Luckily he

had not but surprisingly the arbiter

had!

1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4

¤f6 5.0–0 ¥ e7 6.¦e1 b5 7. ¥ b3 d6

8.c3 0–0 9.d4 ¥ g4 10. ¥ e3 exd4

11.cxd4 d5 12.e5 ¤e4 13.h3 ¥ h5

14.¤bd2 £d7

£d7 makes a lot of sense as the knight

on c6 is protected and the h3 pawn

is hanging in some lines. A side effect

is that the rooks are connected as

well. I expect this move to becomemore popular. I had already written

the rst version of this analysis and

remembered that

15.a3

is the way to go. A young Karpov

played like this (without the inclusion

of h3 and ¥ h5), Karpov-Detkov 1967.

White is now ready to increase the

pressure on e4 by playing £c2 - no

more ¤b4 - and can comfortably

take back on d2 with the queen

no more ¥ b4. (15.¤xe4 dxe4 16.e6

looks attractive - 16...fxe6 17. ¤e5

- but doesn't promise much after

the cool 16...£d6.) Black has lots

of reasonable moves; I will provide

suggestions against all of them.

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ + trk+09+ zpqvlpzpp09p+n+ + +09+p+pzP +l09 + zPn+ +09zPL+ vLN+P09 zP sN zPP+09tR +QtR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

a) 15...a5 is a very ambitious move

Black is going for a5–a4, gaining space

and securing the c4 square, followed

by ¤a5–c4. 16.£b1 Looks like a

strange square but c2 is reserved for

the bishop - White really wants to get

rid of that knight on e4. 16...¤xd2

(16...f5? pins the d5–pawn 17.¤xe4

fxe4 18.£xe4; 16...a4 17. ¥ c2 ¤xd2

18.¤xd2 ¥ g6 19.f4 ¥ xc2 20.£xc2

¤a5 21.f5 gives White a nice

initiative on the kingside that should

outweigh Black's advantage on the

queenside.) 17.¤xd2 f5 (17... ¥ g6

18. ¥ c2 a4 transposes to 16... a417. ¥ c2 ¤xd2 18.¤xd2 ¥ g6.) 18.f4

and Black will manage to achieve

the perfect setup on the queenside

with a4 and ¤a5–c4 but after that he

might run out of ways to improve his

position. I think White is better as he

has lots of useful moves as and wil

gradually prepare himself for the g4

break.



August 2013

7 of 24


b) 15...¦ad8 overprotects the

d5 pawn. 16.¦c1 (16.£c2 allows

16...¤xd2 17.¤xd2 ¥ g6 18.£c1 f6!

with an unclear position, the rook

on d8 turns out to be quite useful.

16. ¥ a2 ¤a5) 16...¤a5 17. ¥ c2 ¤xd2

18.£xd2 ¤c4 19.£d3! ¥ g6 20.£c3

looks nice for White.

c) 15...¤a5 16. ¥ c2 ¤xd2 17. ¥ xd2

¤c4 18. ¥ c1 does not bring Black

anything; b3 will chase away the

knight.

d) 15...¤xd2 is the most forcing

line. 16.£xd2 Now we see the pointof a3; ¥ b4 is not possible. 16... ¥ xf3

17.gxf3

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ + trk+09+ zpqvlpzpp09p+n+ + +09+p+pzP + 09 + zP + +0

9zPL+ vLP+P09 zP wQ zP +09tR + tR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

d1) 17...£xh3 cannot be

recommended as the d5 pawn is

crucial. 18. ¥ xd5 £d7 19. ¥ b3 and

White's bishops have a great future.

That was my assessment before this

update. In essence it is correct butunfortunately the proof is in a very

long line. 19...¦ad8 20.¦ed1! This

is the key move. The e1–square will

later be used by the white king (!).

20...£f5 (20...£h3 21.£c3 £xf3

transposes) 21.£c3! £xf3 22.¦ac1

and now:

d1a) 22...¤xd4 is a strange

computer recommendation 23.¦xd4

c5 24.¦f4 £h5 25.f3 £h3 26.£e1 and

Black has run out of steam.

d1b) 22...¤b8 23.£xc7

d1c) 22...£g4+ 23.¢f1£h3+ 24.¢e2

£h5+ 25.¢e1 It all looks very scary

but to continue the initiative Black

has to sac the knight now. 22...¤xe5

would have transposed. 25...¤xe5

26.dxe5 £h1+ 27.¢e2 £h5+ 28.f3£h2+ 29. ¥ f2 ¥ h4 30.¦f1± White has

consolidated and will soon start his

own attack.

d2) 17...a5 This is more solid and

possibly Black's best bet overall

against 14.¤bd2. 18.¢h2 a4 19. ¥ c2

White has chances for a kingside

attack but Black is pretty solid.

15...¢h8?!

was played in the game.

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ + tr mk09+ zpqvlpzpp09p+n+ + +09+p+pzP +l09 + zPn+ +09zPL+ vLN+P09 zP sN zPP+09tR +QtR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

Getting out of the a2–g8 diagonal

is useful if Black wants to go for f6

or f5 in the near future but it never

really works. This move is too slow.

16.£c2

16.¦c1 is the other reasonable move

16...¤a5 17. ¥ c2 ¤xd2 18.£xd2 ¤c4

19.£d3 ¥ g6 20.£c3 and White looks

slightly better.

16... ¥ g6?!

16...¤xd2 17.¤xd2 ¥ g6 18.£c3 b4

is the way to keep some couterplay;

16...f5 allows some tactics. 17.¦ac1

¥ e8 18.¤xe4 fxe4 19.£xc6! £xc6

20.¦xc6 ¥ xc6 21.¦c1 and White

crashes through.17.¦ac1

There are no tricks, for example

17...¤c5 18.£c3.

17...¤xd2 18.£xd2 a5 19. ¥ g5

White is conquering the c5 square for

his rook.

19...f6? 20.e6+– £d8 21.¦xc6 ¥ e8

22.¦c5 fxg5

22... ¥ xc5 23.dxc5 fxg5 24.e7.

23.¦xd5 £b8 24.¤xg5 £b7 25.£d3

g6 26.£g3 ¢g7

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ +ltr +09+qzp vl mkp09 + +P+p+09zpp+R+ sN 09 + zP + +09zPL+ + wQP09 zP + zPP+09+ + tR mK 0xiiiiiiiiy

27.¦d7 ¥ xd7 28.exd7 1–0



August 2013

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7...¤a6 in the Gruenfeld, Russian SystemGM Victor Mikhalevski

Garry Kasparov's favourite answer to the Russian System (4.¤ f3

¥ g7 5.£ b3 dxc4 6.£ xc4 0-0 7.e4) was the move 7...¤a6, and

he played several games with it in his matches with Anatoly

Karpov. At the Beijing Grand Prix, the knight move resurfaced!

The Russian System with 7...¤a6

Hello everyone. In my rst opening

survey for Chess.com I wouldlike to tell you about the latest

developments of theory in the

Russian System of the Gruenfeld

Defense with 7...¤a6. It rst

appeared in tournament practice in

the game Kramer-Prince, Hilversum

1940 and despite having its ups and

downs, it has never disappeared

from the radars. One of the most

important adherents of the system

was the 13th World Champion Garry

Kasparov, who introduced a lot of

important ideas, most of them still

being actual. Especially important

for the development of the system

were the World Championship

matches Kasparov-Karpov, in which

the system was studied by the

specialists and two teams in detail.Recently it enjoyed a "second youth"

with two games in the recent Grand

Prix tournament in Beijing.

From Black's points of view, one of

the main ideas of the system is to

attack the centre by means of ...c7-

c5. After White closes the position

with d4-d5, Black usually answers

with ...e7-e6 and takes on d5. Other

important ideas are ghting for the

e4-square by means of ... ¥ f5, ...¦e8

and ...£b6, which is sometimesfollowed by ...£b4. White, at his

turn, is trying to support the isolated

d-pawn by his rook from d1 and

prove that it's more a strength than

a weakness. White is usually happy

to advance the pawn to d6 to restrict

Black's forces, although sometimes it

may become a weakness there.

The main line, which I'm considering

in the game Gelfand-Topalov, is 10.

0-0. Gelfand has chosen an ambitious

line with 12. ¥ f4, where the main

alternatives include 12. ¥ e3 and

12.¦d1. In my opinion, the critical

continuation in the 12. ¥ f4-line is

14...£f6 instead of Topalov 's 14...g5.

The latter is too agressive and yields

White good chances for obtainingadvantage. The rare line, which

occured in the game Morozevich-

Gelfand shouldn't cause Black any

problems if he deviates from the

most popular 11... ¥ e6 with the

Dorfman's 11...£a5.

Gelfand-Topalov

Grand Prix (Beijing), 2013

1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 g6 3.¤c3 d5 4.¤f3

¥g7 5.£b3 dxc4 6.£xc4 0–0 7.e4

¤a6

XIIIIIIIIY9r+lwq trk+09zppzp zppvlp09n+ + snp+09+ + + + 09 +QzPP+ +09+ sN +N+ 09PzP + zPPzP09tR vL mKL+R0

xiiiiiiiiyThe popularity of this system is

getting back with at least two games

in the recent Grand Prix tournament

in Beijing. Curiously, in both games

the current vice-Champion, Boris

Gelfand, was involved, playing once

with White and once with Black. It

has to be said that main adherent

of this system in the last 15 yearsof the 20th century was none other

than the 13th World Champion Garry

Kasparov, who played it in the World

Championship matches against

Anatoly Karpov.

8. ¥ e2 c5 9.d5 e6 10.0–0

Boris goes for the main line. A few

days later Gelfand faced 10. ¥ g5 in

his game against Morozevich, which



August 2013

9 of 24


you'll see below.

10...exd5 11.exd5 ¥ f5

The most popular move order. Black's

idea behind the line is to ght for the

central square by means of ...¦e8

and then to jump there with the

knight putting pressure along the

a1–h8 diagonal. Black can also start

with 11...¦e8, which may either

transpose to the text after 12. ¥ f4

¥ f5 or 12.¦d1 giving the game an

independent value. However the

position after 12... ¥ f5 may arise in

the 11... ¥ f5–line if White meets itwith 12.¦d1.

12. ¥ f4

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wq trk+09zpp+ +pvlp09n+ + snp+09+ zpP+l+ 09 +Q+ vL +0

9+ sN +N+ 09PzP +LzPPzP09tR + +RmK 0xiiiiiiiiy

An ambitious line, which has the

purpose of bringing the queen 's rook

to d1.

a) In the database you can nd the

most games with 12. ¥ e3, which

has been ignored by the playersof the 2700–club. Nevertheless, I

would like to give you an idea how

play may develop here. Since I'm a

Gruenfeld player myself, I like to

follow Kasparov and Svidler, two top

authorities in the opening. They both

preferred 12...£b6 over 12...¦e8.

So let us go with the experts. Now

I'll focus on the main line of 12. ¥ e3,

which is 13.b3 ¦fe8 14.¦ad1.

a1) The well-known exchange

sacrice 14...¦xe3 is interesting,

but doesn't seem to fully equaize:

15.fxe3 ¤g4 16.¤a4 £d6 17.£f4!

£xf4 18.exf4

a1a) 18...¤e3 19. ¥ xa6 bxa6

20.¤xc5 ¥ f8!N I suggest this

improvement. The idea is to invite

White's king to f1, where it's on the

same diagonal with the knight on

a6. (The only game, which reached

this position featured 20...¤xd1?!

21.¦xd1 ¥ f8 C.Horvath-Z.Ilic, Skopje2002. Now there was nothing wrong

with the simple 22.¤xa6 and despite

the bishop pair Black's compensation

for two pawns isn't sufcient. For

example, 22... ¥ d6 23.¤e5 ¥ c8

24.¤c4!± An important resource,

which doesn't work with the king on

f1!) 21.¤xa6 ¤xf1! 22.¢xf1 ¥ d6!

although White seems to retain

slightly better chances after 23.b4!²

with the idea of 24.¤c5.

a1b) 18...¤b4!? 19.¦d2 ¤e3 Now

I would like to improve White 's

play by means of 20.¦e1!? (After

20.¦c1 ¤bxd5 21. ¥ d3 (21.g3!? b6

with certain compensation for the

exchange.) 21...¤xf4 22. ¥ xf5 ¤xf5

23.¦xc5 ¤e6 and Black was okay

in Korotylev-Baikov, Moscow 1999.)20...¤ec2 21.¦c1 b6 22.¢f2² Here

White seems to have more chances

for a win than after 20.¦c1.

a2) 14...¦ad8! The most natural.

Black brings the last piece into

the game. 15.h3 (15.¤a4 £d6

16.¤xc5 ¤xc5 17. ¥ xc5 £d7 is good

for Black as White can't hold the

d5–pawn.) 15...£a5 16.¦fe1 ¤d7

(The immediate 16...¤b4!? looks

interesting. 17. ¥ xc5 ¤c2 18.b4 £a3

19.¤b5 £a4 20.¦f1 b6 with a serious

initiative for the pawn.) 17.¤a4

¤b4 18. ¥ g5 (18. ¥ f1! was better.

18...¤c2 19. ¥ xd8 £xd8 with at

least sufcient compensation for

an exchange, Khalifman-Kasparov

Linares 2000.

b) 12.¦d1 is an important

alternative. 12...£b6 (12...¦e8!?

13.£h4 (The rare 13.h3!? followed

by 14.g4 is an interesting idea too

Moreover it seems to be White's only

chance to ght for an advantage in

the 12.¦d1–line. 13.d6 has been

known to be good for Black since the

following game 13...¦ad8 14.¤a4

£c6 15. ¥ e3 ¤e4³ Anand-Kasparov

Frankfurt 1999.) Now the Kasparov's

13... ¥ c2! 14.¦d2 ¥ f5 seems to

equalize. 15.¦d1 ¥ c2 16.¦d2 and a

draw was agreed in Anand-Kasparov

Frankfurt (rapid) 1999.

12...¦e8!

Black has to prepare ...¤e4 as soon

as possible.

13.¦ad1 ¤e4 14.¤b5!

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wqr+k+09zpp+ +pvlp09n+ + +p+0

9+NzpP+l+ 09 +Q+nvL +09+ + +N+ 09PzP +LzPPzP09+ +R+RmK 0xiiiiiiiiy

Control over the d6–square is

important here. 14. ¥ d3 is met

by 14... ¥ xc3 15.bxc3 b5 16.£xb5



August 2013

10 of 24


¤xc3 17.£xa6 ¥ xd3 18.£xd3 ¤e2+

19.¢h1 ¤xf4 20.£c4 £d6= with a

comfortable position for Black in

M.Gurevich-Kasparov, Moscow 1988.

14...g5!?

An agressive, but rare alternative to

Kasparov's 14...£f6. Topalov wants

to gain control over the d6–square.

Earlier this move occured in the

games of unknown players. It would

be interesting to see what Gelfand

had prepared after 14...£f6!.

XIIIIIIIIY

9r+ +r+k+09zpp+ +pvlp09n+ + wqp+09+NzpP+l+ 09 +Q+nvL +09+ + +N+ 09PzP +LzPPzP09+ +R+RmK 0xiiiiiiiiy

Garry defended Black's position in

this line not less than three times and

it looks perfectly playable for Black

as some recent games conrmed.

15. ¥ d3 and now:

a) In the rst game Kasparov played

15...¤b4, but after 16.¤c7 ¤xd3

17.¤xe8 ¦xe8 18.£xd3 £xb2

19.¦de1! White was somewhat

better, Karpov-Kasparov, London/Leningrad 1986.

b) 15... ¥ d7! An improvement of

Kasparov's team member Dorfman,

who introduced it back in 1988 in

his game against Ivanchuk. 16. ¥ e5!

The only chance to ght for an edge.

(In case of 16. ¥ c1 ¥ xb5 17.£xb5

¤d6= Black is doing ne.) 16... ¥ xb5!

17.£xb5 ¦xe5

b1) In the stem game White

played 18.¤xe5, but obtained no

advantage. 18...¤d6 19.¤g4 £f4

20.£d7 c4! 21.g3 ¤c5! 22.£c7 £xg4

Black plays for a win. (22...¤a6!?

is enough for a draw as White has

nothing better than 23.£d7 ¤c5=)

23.£xc5 £d7 24. ¥ e2 (24. ¥ c2!? looks

better.) 24... ¥ xb2 25.£b4 c3 with a

roughly equal position in Ivanchuk-

Dorfman, Lvov 1988.)

b2) 18.£xb7 This continuation

was tested in two recent games:

18...¦ee8! 19.d6!? (Curioulsy, wecan nd Ivanchuk on the other side

of the board 24 years later. 19. ¥ xa6

¦ab8 (The immediate 19...£xb2!?

also looks good.) 20.£c6 £xb2

21. ¥ d3? (21.d6!= allows to retain

the balance.) 21...¤c3 22.¦de1

¦ec8µ and Black was better in Giri-

Ivanchuk, London 2012.) 19...¤xd6

20.£xa6 ¤f5! The simpliest way

to equality. 21.£xf6 ¥ xf6 22. ¥ xf5

gxf5 23.¦d2 (or 23.b3 ¦e2=) 23...c4

24.¦c1 ¦ec8 25.g3 ¦ab8= and Black

equalized in Atalik-Dominguez, Loo

2013.

15. ¥ e3!

The important alternative 15.¤xg5

has never been tried on practice, but

I'm pretty sure both players analysed

it at home. 15...¤xg5 16.¤d6!£f6! The only move. 17.¤xe8 ¦xe8

18.£b5 ¦d8 19. ¥ e3 with a position

of dynamic equality.

15...h6

Protecting the g5–pawn. Black

prepares a blockade on d6. In case

of 15... ¥ xb2 Veselin probably didn't

like 16.d6! However the capture on

b2 seems to be critical. 16... ¥ f6

17. ¥ d3 (Both 17.a3!? and 17.¦d5!?

also come into consideration.

17...£d7 18.¤d2! ¤xd2 19.¦xd2

when a strong passed pawn and

a weakened kingside yield White

serious compensation for the

sacriced pawn.

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wqr+k+09zpp+ +pvl 09n+ zP + zp09+Nzp +lzp 09 +Q+n+ +09+ + vLN+ 09PzP +LzPPzP09+ +R+RmK 0xiiiiiiiiy

16.d6!

Time to push the pawn. 16.£b3!?

protecting the b2–pawn is a

reasonable alternative. 16. ¥ d3¤d6?

(16...¤b4! 17. ¥ xe4 ¦xe4 18.£xc5

b6 yields Black compensation for

the sacriced pawn.) 17.¤xd6 ¥ xd3

18.¦xd3 £xd6 19.h4!² was better

for White in Bai-Dolgener, Budapest

2013.

16...£d7!

Allowing the d-pawn to d7 looks

risky. For example, 16... ¥ xb2 17.d7

¦e6 (17... ¥ xd7? is dubious due to

18.¤d6! ¤xd6 19.¦xd6 ¦e6 20.¦fd1 ¥ d4 21.¦6xd4! cxd4 22.£xd4± with

an extremely strong initiative.

18.h4! g4 19.¤d2.

17.a3!?

Gelfand restricts the a6–knight; a

common idea in the ¤a6–system.

17...¦ad8

After 17... ¥ xb2!? White retains

serious a initiative for the pawn







August 2013

13 of 24


here it's less effective as White's king

is safer on the kingside. (13...£a5+?!

14.¦d2² and White was better in

Lysyj-Gabrielian, Yekaterinenburg

2013.) 14. ¥ xf6 (14.¦d2 £c6 15. ¥ xf6

£xf6 16.0–0 ¦ad8 17.¦fd1 ¦xd2

18.¦xd2 is just slightly better for

White thanks to the misplaced knight

on a6.) 14...£xf6 15.e5 £e6 16.¤g5

£e7 17.f4 ¦ad8 18.0–0 and White

seems to retain a slight edge.

13.¦d2

a) Obviously not 13.£c3? £xc3+

14.bxc3?? (14.¤xc3 ¤b4! is betterfor Black too.) 14...¤xe4 0–1

Freccia-Comp Shredder 7, Vicente

Lopez 2003.

b) 13. ¥ d2! deserved serious

attention. 13... ¥ xd5 (13...£d8

14. ¥ c3!²) 14.exd5 £b6 15.0–0 ¦fe8

(or 15...¦ae8 16.¦fe1 ¤e4 (16...¦e4

17.£c1 ¦fe8 18. ¥ c4²) 17. ¥ f4! ¥ xb2

18. ¥ f1! ¤d6 19. ¥ xd6 ¦xe1 20.¦xe1

£xd6 21.¦b1 ¥ g7 22.¦xb7²) 16.¦fe1

¤e4 (16...¦e4 17.£c1¦ae8 18. ¥ c4²)

17. ¥ f4 ¦ad8 18. ¥ f1 ¤d6 19.¦xe8+

¦xe8 20.£c2² when the knight on a6

is rather useless

13... ¥ xd5

13...¤c7! seems to equalize.

14. ¥ xf6 ¥ xd5 15.exd5 ¥ xf6 16.0–0

¦ad8 17.¦fd1 ¦fe8! when 18.d6?!

is always answered by 18...¤e6followed by 19...¤d4.

14.exd5 ¦fe8!

In case of 14...£b4!? 15.£xb4 ¤xb4

16. ¥ xf6 ¥ xf6 17.a3 ¤a6 18.0–0 ¦fd8

19.¦c1² White is slightly better.

15. ¥ xf6!

Certainly the knight can't be allowed

to e4.

15... ¥ xf6 16.0–0 ¦ad8 17.d6!

The only chance to ght for

advantage.

17...¤b4!?

Bringing the knight to d4 via c6.

17...¢g7!? also promised equal

chances.

18.£f4

18.¦c1 ¤c6! (After 18...b6?! 19.d7!

¦e7 20.£f4! ¢g7 21.£c7² White's

edge is out of question.) 19.£xc5

£xc5 20.¦xc5 ¤d4! 21.¤xd4 ¦xd6

22.¦c7 ¦xd4 23.¦xd4 ¥ xd4 24.¢f1

¢f8! 25.¦xb7 ¥ b6! White can't avoid

exchange of rooks. The latter leadsto an equal endgame with opposite-

coloured bishops. 26. ¥ b5 ¦c8!

27. ¥ d3 ¦e8! 28.¦d7 ¦d8=

18...¢g7 19.h4 h5

There was also a tactical solution of

the Black's problems, although the

text looks safer. 19...¤d5 20.¦xd5

¦xe2 21.h5 h6! 22.hxg6 £b4! 23.£c1

fxg6 24.¦xc5 ¦xd6 25.¦c7+ ¦e7

26.¦xe7+ ¥ xe7 27.£c7 ¦e6 28.£d7

£b6=

20. ¥ c4 ¤c6 21. ¥ xf7!

XIIIIIIIIY9 + trr+ +09zpp+ +Lmk 09 +nzP vlp+09wq zp + +p09 + + wQ zP09+ + +N+ 09PzP tR zPP+09+ + +RmK 0xiiiiiiiiy

A clever try, which shocked Gelfand.

21...¦f8??

Missing White's move, Black succumbs

to the pressure and blunders again.

The sacrice had to be accepted.

21...¢xf7! 22.d7 ¦f8! The only, but

sufcient defense. 23.¤g5+ (23.¦d6?

is bad due to 23...¢g7–+) 23...¢g8

The only move again. 24.£e4

(24.¤e6 also leads to a draw after

24...£xa2 25.£h6 £xe6 26.£xg6+

¢h8 27.£h6+=) 24...¤e7! 25.¦d6

¤f5! 26.¦e1! ¢h8! 27.¦xf6! ¦xf6

28.£e8+ (28.£e5 ¢g7 29.¤e6+

¢h7 30.¤xd8 (30.£xf6 £xe1+

31.¢h2 £xf2=) 30...£xd8 31.£e8

¦f8 32.£xf8 £xf8 33.¦e8 £h6!=

28...¦f8 29.b4!? (29.¤f7+ ¢h7

30.¤xd8 £xd8 31.£xf8 £xf8 32.¦e8£h6! 33.d8£ £c1+ 34.¢h2 £f4+

with the perpetual.) 29...£c7

(But not 29...cxb4?? 30.£xg6+–

30.¤f7+ (30.£xg6 ¦xd7 31.¤e6 ¦g7

32.£xh5+ ¦h7 33.£d1 £f7 34.¤xf8

£xf8 and Black survives.) 30...¢h7

31.¤xd8 £xd8 32.£xf8 £xf8 33.¦e8

£h6! 34.d8£ £c1+ 35.¢h2 £f4+

with the perpetual.

22. ¥ xg6!+–

The only move.

22... ¥ e5

After 22...¢xg6 23.¦d5!+– White's

attack is unstoppable.

23.£g5 ¥ f4 24.£xh5 ¥ xd2 25.£h7+

¢f6 26. ¥ h5

26.¦d1!?+– wins too.

26...¢e6 27.£g6+ ¢d5 28.¤xd2

£xd2 29.¦d1 £d4 30.¦xd4+30. ¥ f3+!?+–

30...cxd4 31.b4 ¦xd6 32.£g7 ¦df6

33.£xb7 ¢c4 34.b5 1–0

In my opinion the safest way to meet

the line with 10. ¥ g5 is 10...exd5

11.exd5 £a5! and I don't see many

chances for White to ght for the

advantage.



August 2013

14 of 24


Nakamura-Becerra Rivero

U.S. Chess League, 2009

It’s always fun to observe when

player’s of the highest level choose

slightly offbeat opening variations.

How, why and when do they make

these choices? These are mysteries

that often remain unsolved to the

“uneducated viewing” amateur chess

player. Super-GMs usually make these

“well-timed” decisions in an attempt

to catch their opponents off guard.

Maybe they think their opponent

has been sleeping on a specic line?

Sometimes the hope may be as simple

as trying to grab a quick point in

“miniature fashion” of a rapid game.

Other times, their offbeat choice of

opening is actually shown to be full

of accurate, challenging preparation

that they believe will stand up even

in classical tournaments against the

world’s elite. The Veresov Opening,

and its very sharp, evolving theory,

represents just that type of option

for White - or at least Supers on the

level of GM Hikaru Nakamura seem

to think so! Nakamura has featured

this variation as a consistent part

of his repertoire in both rapid

and classical style chess settings.

The dangerous variations of the

Veresov have the potential to catch

players of all levels off guard, and

can lead to some very interesting,

exciting, and potentially memorable

games for you if you’re looking for

something “fresh” to add to your

own repertoire. I myself have played

the Veresov for years, and so, with

the analytical help and collaboration

of my friend IM Danny Rensch, I have

prepared what should be a fun look

at this relatively unknown to most,

but potentially very dangerous

monster of a “sideline” opening!

1.d4 d5 2.¤c3 ¤f6 3. ¥ g5

XIIIIIIIIY9rsnlwqkvl tr09zppzp zppzpp09 + + sn +09+ +p+ vL 09 + zP + +09+ sN + + 09PzPP+PzPPzP09tR +QmKLsNR0xiiiiiiiiy

3...¤bd7

We start off with a rapid game

(online) between these two U.S.

heavy weights. Becerra chooses the

most popular response for Black,

who tries to protect the integrity

of his kingside pawn structure. 3...

c6/3... ¥ f5, allowing White to create

a doubled f-pawn with 4. ¥ xf6, is

covered in Nakamura-Mamedyarov

3...c5 is covered in the Hector vs

Evdokimov game of this Bulletin.4.f3

More popular these days is 4.£d3

with idea to prepare the same push

in the middle (e4), but without

creating any potential kingside

weaknesses. 4.£d3 is a bit slower

than 4.f3. In games where White

truly wishes to “bring the heat”

against an unsuspecting opponent

4.f3 is often the way to go...

4...e6

A very viable alternative to the move

chosen in the game is: 4...c6 5.£d2

e6 6.0–0–0 ¥ e7 and now:

XIIIIIIIIY9r+lwqk+ tr09zpp+nvlpzpp09 +p+psn +0

9+ +p+ vL 09 + zP + +09+ sN +P+ 09PzPPwQP+PzP09+ mKR+LsNR0xiiiiiiiiy

a) 7.e4 ¤xe4 8.¤xe4 (8. ¥ xe7 ¤xd2

9. ¥ xd8 ¤xf1 10. ¥ g5 f6 11. ¥ f4 e5

12.dxe5 fxe5 13.¦e1 0–0 14. ¥ xe5

Nakamura's VeresovGM Melikset Khachiyan in cooperation with IM Danny Rensch

The Veresov is quite popular at club level, but "you'll never seethe top guns give it a go". Well, Hikaru Nakamura disagrees! The

American grandmaster has played it ve times this year, once

even in a classical game!



August 2013

15 of 24


¦e8 15.f4¤xe5 16.fxe5¤e3! is a key

idea at the end of these lines where

Black’s knight seems to “almost” get

trapped. Rxe3 is met by d4, with an

equal endgame.) 8...dxe4 9. ¥ xe7

£xe7 10.fxe4 e5!=.

b) 7.£e1 This is one of my own ideas

(Khachiyan) to keep more re on the

board and prevent trades, instead of

the "objectively better" 7.e4. One

possible line could be: 7...b5 8.e4 b4

9.¤b1 h6 10. ¥ d2 £b6 11.e5 ¤g8

b1) 12.¤h3!? with the interesting idea

of ¤f4–h5, targeting the g7 squareand Black’s undeveloped kingside,

is an interesting alternative. Should

Black choose to preven the knight’s

inltration to h5, which could be

dangerously followed by £g3 at

some point, with a move like ...g6,

White will have more targets for

a kingside pawn storm (Rensch).

12...£xd4 13. ¥ xh6 £xe5 14.£xe5

¤xe5 15. ¥ xg7 ¦h5 16.¤f4 (16.g4!?)

16...¦f5÷.

b2) 12. ¥ e3 c5 13.£g3 (13.¤h3 c4

14.¤f4 £a6 where Black’s initiative

seems to be arriving rst.) 13... ¥ f8

14.dxc5 ¤xc5 15.£f2 ¥ d7 16.¤d2

¦c8 17.¢b1 ¤e7 18.¤e2 ¤f5

19.¤d4 ¤xe3 20.£xe3 ¥ e7 21.f4 0–0

22. ¥ e2 a6.

5.e4 ¥ e7 6.e5 ¤g8

(diagram)

7. ¥ e3!

A critical, important retreat by

Nakamura. White intends to head

for variations similar to a Classical

French, with advantages in terms of

development because of Black’s

XIIIIIIIIY9r+lwqk+ntr09zppzpnvlpzpp09 + +p+ +0

9+ +pzP vL 09 + zP + +09+ sN +P+ 09PzPP+ +PzP09tR +QmKLsNR0xiiiiiiiiy

kingside confusion.

7...a6

7...c5 Possibly it’s better for Black to

attack White’s center immediately.

Black needs not worry about ¤b5,

because the d6–square is sufciently

protected.

8.¤ce2!

Another important move by Nakamura

in this postion! He is going to protect

his center now by placing his pawn

on c3. This relocation of his forces is

key for White to reach an advantage

in the Veresov middlegame.

8...b6

With the idea to prepare a trade of

light-colored bishops by playing a5.

9.£d2

Perhaps even better was 9.¤f4

c5 10.c3² with the idea that it’s

important to keep the light-squared

bishops in this position. Now 10...a5

is met by 11. ¥ b5 ¥ a6 12. ¥ a4!? andan eventual relocation to the b1–h7

diagonal. White is also preparing

ideas of ¤f4–h5 with this interesting

move.

9...c5 10.c3 a5 11.a3 ¥ a6 12.h4

And though we will all see how quickly

and aggressively Nakamura turns this

move / idea into a dominant kingside

attack, in reality, it’s practical bluff.

The notes to White’s 9.¤f4 move

should be remembered for serious

Veresov players. Here White has to go

"all in" and keep the attack running

on the kingside or his development

issues might bankrupt his position.

One important, and instructive note

from Nakamura’s move in general

is that White needs to push the

h-pawn rst before playing f4. This

is because White needs the c1–h6

diagonal open to inltrate with the

bishop and queen at the right time.

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ wqk+ntr09+ +nvlpzpp09lzp +p+ +09zp zppzP + 09 + zP + zP09zP zP vLP+ 09 zP wQN+P+09tR + mKLsNR0

xiiiiiiiiy12... ¥ f8?!

Black took the bait! Needed was:

12... ¥ xh4+ It was very important

for Black to realize this is the only

move. In the game he simply found

himself defending a passive position

until his ultimate demise. 13.g3 ¥ e7

14.¤f4 (14.¤h3 with the intentions

of building up an attack more slowlywas also possible.) 14... ¥ xf1 15.¢xf1

¥ f8 16.¤ge2 ¤e7 17.¢g2 h6 18. ¥ f2

a4 19.g4 ¤c6 20.¤h5 where lots of

play remains. White has achieved

some level of compensation for the

pawn, but a long game remains to be

played.

13.h5 h6 14.f4

Note that White only plays this move



August 2013

16 of 24


after Black has pushed the h6–pawn,

weakening the light squares and

making the idea of g4 and f5 more

viable for White.

14...¤e7 15.¤f3 £c7 16.g4 a4

17. ¥ h3!

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ +kvl tr09+ wqnsnpzp 09lzp +p+ zp09+ zppzP +P09p+ zP zPP+09zP zP vLN+L09 zP wQN+ +09tR + mK +R0xiiiiiiiiy

Another great desicion by Naka!

White’s bishop joins the kingside

advance, and leaving Black’s bishop

on a6 forever hopeful of an exchange

that won’t happen.

17...¤c6 18.f5 ¥ e7 19.fxe6 fxe6

20.£c2

According to computer analysis,

the most accurate continuation

was 20.¤f4! which makes the most

“direct threats” on Black’s kingside

and the e6 weakness. 20...¤f8 21.g5

cxd4 22.cxd4 £d7 23.£g2 0–0–0

24.0–0–0 ¤a5 25.¢b1 ¢b7 26.gxh6

¦xh6 27.£xg7±

20...¤f8 21.¤f4 £d7 22.¢f2?!22.¤g6 ¦g8 23.g5! was much

stronger!

22...¤a5 23.¤g6 ¦g8 24.¢g3?!

Fancy! Exciting Nakamura style

chess, but in reality, too slow! Better

was 24.¤xe7 with connection of

hiting c5 square and keeping eyes on

the a4–pawn.

24...¤b3 25.¦ae1 0–0–0 26.¤d2

¤xd2 27. ¥ xd2 ¤xg6 28.£xg6

¢b8?!

Naturally preparing to defend the

e6–pawn with the apparently out of

play bishop on a6 (moving it to c8),

but unfortunately, this move again

gave White chances to keep the

attack going, and Nakamura didn’t

slip up twice! Better was to play

¦de8 with idea to protect e6 pawn

with the rook, and most important to

meet g5 move with a series of trades

starting with ¥ xg5.

29.g5 ¥ c8 30. ¥ f1!?White punishes Black for leaving the

critical diagonal on the queenside!

30...¦df8 31. ¥ d3 c4

Black takes away

his queenside

worries, but in the

process ensures that

White is “playing

for two results” on

the kingside since

Nakamura’s active

piece placement

leaves his holding all

the cards.

32. ¥ b1 £b5 33. ¥ c1

¥ xg5 34. ¥ xg5

hxg5 35.¦e2 £d7

36.£xg5 £f7

37.£g4 £e7 38. ¥ h7¦h8 39. ¥ g6 ¢c7

40.¦f2 ¦xf2 41.¢xf2

¥ d7 42.¢e2 ¢d8

43.¦f1 ¦f8 44.¦g1

A good decision by

White again. He

needs to keep the

rook in order to

continue the attack.

44... ¥ e8 45.¢d1 ¥ xg6 46.£xg6 ¦f7

47.h6 gxh6 48.£xh6 ¢d7 49.¢c1

Safety rst!

49...¦h7 50.£d2 £f7 51.¢b1 £f3

52.¢a2 £e4?

Black’s best was 52...£f7 This

move highlights that Black needed

to be a little less condent about

his chances. Overextension of the

queen’s position, and therefore the

neglect of the black king, is what

ultimately led to Becerra’s defeat in

this game. One line that highlights

how hard pressed Nakamura wouldhave been to try and win this position

is as follows: 53.£c2 b5 54.¦f1 £g8

55.£f2 ¢e8 56.¦g1 ¦g7 57.¦h1 ¦h7

A top GM playing the Veresov: Hikaru Nakamura



August 2013

17 of 24


58.¦xh7 £xh7 59.£f6 £f7 60.£h8+

£f8 61.£h5+ £f7 62.£h6 £f5

63.£h8+ £f8 64.£h5+=

XIIIIIIIIY9 + + + +09+ +k+ +r09 zp +p+ +09+ +pzP + 09p+pzPq+ +09zP zP + + 09KzP wQ + +09+ + + tR 0

xiiiiiiiiy53.£f2?

Nakamura misses his chance to end

the game decisively, but Becerra

still realizes that his queen has no

future and he must trade into the

much worse rook ending. 53.£g5!

was a desicive blow with threats

to “backdoor” Black with £g8–a8.

Lines that might have followed are

below: 53...¦h1 (53...¦e7 54.£g8±;

53...£c2 54.£g8 £b3+ 55.¢b1 ¦e7

56.£a8 and Black’s queen is tragically

misplaced. White is going to mate

the black king shortly...) 54.¦xh1

£xh1 55.£g7+ ¢c6 56.£e7 £h3

57.£d6+ ¢b7 58.£d7+ ¢b8 59.£c6!

¢a7 60.£xa4+ ¢b7 61.£d7+ ¢b8

62.£c6 ¢a7 63.£c7+ ¢a6 64.a4+–

53...£f5!? 54.£xf5 exf5 55.¦g6¢e7?

55...¢c7 might have offered

miserable, but potentially more

promising defensive chances. 56.¦f6

¦h5 as it’s unclear exactly what

winning plan exists for White here.

Perhaps a long journey of the king on

a2 to the kingisde? But it won’t be

easy with the b2–pawn coming under

re.

56.¦xb6 ¦h1 57.¦f6 ¦f1?

¦h5 might have actually kept the

balance in the game. Black’s rook

needs to be very active in order to

save this game. Now the position

goes downhill quickly.

58.¦d6 f4 59.¦xd5 ¢e6

59...f3 60.¦d6 f2 61.¦f6+–

60.¦d6+ ¢f5 61.¦f6+ ¢g4 62.e6 ¦e1

63.d5 ¢g5 64.¦f7 ¦e5 65.e7

Finally this very exiciting game

by Naka, with many mistakes for

both sides, comes to an end. Avery typical for Veresov victory and

despite Nakamura’s missed early

opportunities, he seemed to be

pushing the entire time. 1–0

Khachiyan-Bojkov

Los Angeles Metropolitan, 2011

1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤c3 d5 3. ¥ g5 ¤bd7

4.£d3

XIIIIIIIIY9r+lwqkvl tr09zppzpnzppzpp09 + + sn +09+ +p+ vL 09 + zP + +09+ sNQ+ + 09PzPP+PzPPzP09tR + mKLsNR0xiiiiiiiiy

As said, the more popular move order

is usually the more aggressive 4.f3.

4...g6

Nakamura’s only classical game with

the Veresov went 4...h6 5. ¥ h4 e6

6.e4 dxe4 7.¤xe4 ¥ e7 8.¤xf6+ ¥ xf6

9. ¥ xf6 ¤xf6 (9...£xf6 10.¤f3 0–0

11.£e3 c5 12.0–0–0 cxd4 13.¦xd4

¤b6 14.c4 ¥ d7 15.¤e5 ¦ad8 16. ¥ e2

¥ a4 17.¦f4 £e7 18.¦g4 ¢h8 19.h4

¤d7 20.¦h3 with a nice initiative

Nakamura-Caruana, Tal Memoria

blitz (Moscow) 2013) 10.0–0–0 0–0

11.¤f3 b6 12.¤e5 ¥ b7 13.¦g1 c5

Nakamura-Ponomariov, Thessalonik

2013 which ended in a draw on move

49.

5.e4 dxe4 6.¤xe4 ¥ g7 7.0–0–0

White has more space, and might

like to avoid the trades, but it is too

time consuming after 7.¤c3 0–0 8.0–0–0 b6 where Black has caught up in

development.

7...¤xe4 8.£xe4 ¤f6 9. ¥ xf6

Played instantly, suggesting

preparation from my opponent

(Bojkov). 9.£h4?! is worse after

9...£d5! centralizing the queen with

tempi! 10.c4 (10.¢b1 ¥ e6) 10...£a5

11.¢b1 ¥ f5+ 12.¢a1 ¤e4µ and

Black’s initative is taking over.

9... ¥ xf6 10.¤f3 c6

10...0–0 immediately allows White’s

kingside attack to get going with

11.h4. There is the interesting pawn

sacrice 10... ¥ f5!? 11.£xb7 0–0

12. ¥ d3 (12. ¥ c4) 12...¦b8© with the

potential for compensation.

11. ¥ c4

It should be noted here that Whitecannot easily advance the pawns

11.g4?! £d5 12.£xd5 cxd5 13.g5 ¥ g4

14. ¥ g2 ¥ xf3 15. ¥ xf3 ¥ xg5+µ.

11... ¥ f5 12.£f4 £d6 13.¤e5

13.£xd6 exd6 14.d5 c5³.

13... ¥ e6

Black must defend f7 and remove

the strong bishop on c4 if possible

13...0–0 14.g4 ¥ e6 15. ¥ xe6 £xe6



August 2013

18 of 24


16.¢b1 might in fact transpose; the

move in the game though gives some

extra options for Black.

14. ¥ xe6 £xe6

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ +k+ tr09zpp+ zpp+p09 +p+qvlp+09+ + sN + 09 + zP wQ +09+ + + + 09PzPP+ zPPzP0

9+ mKR+ +R0xiiiiiiiiyThe critical moment of the game as

well as for our purposes with this

Bulletin. The decision made here

was the wrong one and the analysis

below (after 15.¢b1) should be what

our readers rst remember about

the position that was reached from

this Veresov opening. I went into

deep thought, and as it happens

sometimes right after preparation, I

made a mistake.

15.¦he1?!

Over-optimistic and wrong. Best was:

15.¢b1 0–0–0 (15... ¥ xe5 16.dxe5

(16.£xe5 £xe5 17.dxe5 ¦d8=) 16...

0–0 17.h4 ¦ad8!? (17...¦fd8 18.h5

£f5 19.£xf5 (…19.£h6 g5!) 19...

gxf5=) 18.h5² where White maintainsa small initiative.) 16.¦he1 ¥ xe5

17.¦xe5 £f6 18.£xf6 exf6 19.¦e7

¦he8?! It was only at home I found

that this is ill-calculated; it is safer

to play: (19...¦d7=) 20.¦xf7 ¦xd4

21.¢c1!²

15...£xa2

Bojkov correctly evaluates he has

nothing to fear and grabs the pawn!

16.¤xc6

“After the game Melik suggested the

brave 16.¤xg6” (Bojkov).

a) The idea is 16...£a1+ 17.¢d2

£a5+ 18.¢d3! (18.¢c1 ¥ g5 traps

the queen.) 18...£b5+ 19.¢c3! and

the king is perfectly safe in the open

air. That said, the position remains

extremely unclear after the move

19...c5! (19.c4? £b3+ –+).

b) However, the move is refuted by

16...hxg6 17.£xf6 0–0–0 18.¦xe7

£a1+ 19.¢d2 £xb2µ.

16...0–0Also interesting was 16...¢f8!?

17.¤e5 (17.£h6+ ¥ g7; 17.¤b4 £a1+

18.¢d2 £xb2) 17...£a1+ 18.¢d2

£xb2 19.¤d7+ ¢g7 20.¤xf6 exf6

21.¦b1 £a2 22.¦xb7 ¦ac8 23.¦c1

¦he8–+. Not good enough however

was 16...bxc6 17.£xf6 0–0 18.£xe7

£a1+ 19.¢d2 £xb2 20.£c5 which is

less clear.

17.¦xe7

XIIIIIIIIY9r+ + trk+09zpp+ tRp+p09 +N+ vlp+09+ + + + 09 + zP wQ +09+ + + + 09qzPP+ zPPzP09+ mKR+ + 0xiiiiiiiiy

"This is why White went for the

line. Melik thought he could force

a perpetual check." (Bojkov). In the

line 17.¤xe7+ ¢g7! the knight is in

danger:

a) 18.£c7 £a1+ 19.¢d2 £xb2 20.d5

¦fe8 21.d6 ¦ac8! 22.¤xc8 £b4+

23.c3 (23.¢c1 ¥ b2+ 24.¢b1 ¥ c3+

25.¢a2 £b2#) 23...£f4+ 24.¢c2

£f5+ 25.¢b2 ¦xc8 wins for Black;

b) 18.¦e3 £a1+ 19.¢d2 £a5+µ;

c) 18.¦d3 £a1+ 19.¢d2 £a5+

20.¢e2 ¥ xe7–+;

d) 18.£d6 ¦fd8–+.

17...¦ac8!

17... ¥ xe7 18.¤xe7+ ¢g7 19.¤f5+

gxf5 (19...¢h8!?) 20.£g5+ ¢h8

21.£f6+=; 17...bxc6 18.£xf6 £a1+

19.¢d2 £xb2 20.¦d7 also offers

Black a slight edge, but is less clear

than the game.18.£xf6

18.¤b4 £a1+ 19.¢d2 £xb2 20.£xf6

£xb4+ 21.¢e2 ¦xc2+ 22.¢f1 a5µ.

18...¦xc6

The difference in the kings’ positions

claries the situation. Black has a

decisive attack.

19.£e5 £a1+ 20.¢d2 £xb2 21.¦c1

The only way to save the c-pawn,

as 21.£e4 would be met with

21...¦xc2+! (not 21...¦d8? 22.¦e8+

¦xe8 23.£xe8+ ¢g7 24.£e5+ f6

25.£e7+ ¢h6 26.£e3+ g5 27.£d3=

or 21...£c3+?! 22.¢e2 £xc2+

23.£xc2 ¦xc2+ 24.¢f1) 22.£xc2

£b4+ 23.¢e2 £xe7+ with a

technical win.

21...¦c4!

21...¦d8? 22.¦e8+=.22.d5

22.¦d7 ¦fc8 23.£e4 a5.

22...¦d4+ 23.¢e2

23.¢e3 £c3+ 24.¢e2 £d2+ 25.¢f3

¦xd5.

23...£b5+

The d5–pawn is won in the attacking

process, and this leads to an immediate

collapse of White’s position.



August 2013

19 of 24


XIIIIIIIIY9 + + trk+09zpp+ tRp+p09 + + +p+0

9+q+PwQ + 09 + tr + +09+ + + + 09 +P+KzPPzP09+ tR + + 0xiiiiiiiiy

24.¢e1

24.c4 £b2+ 25.¢f3 (25.¢e3 £d2+

26.¢f3 ¦d3+) 25...¦d3+ 26.¢e4

£e2+ 27.¢f4 £xf2+ 28.¢g4 £xg2+29.¢f4 ¦f3+ 30.¢e4 £g4+ 31.£f4

£xf4#.

24...¦xd5 25.£e3 ¦fd8 26.f3

26.c4 £b4+ 27.¢f1 (27.¢e2 ¦d2+

28.¢f3 ¦8d3) 27...¦d1+ 28.¦xd1

¦xd1+ 29.¢e2 ¦e1+.

26...£b4+ 0–1

White resigned due to the lines:

a) 27.c3 £h4+ (27...£b2 28.¦e8+

¢g7 29.¦xd8) 28.¢e2 ¦d2+ 29.£xd2

(29.¢f1 ¦d1+ 30.¦xd1 ¦xd1+ 31.¢e2

£e1#) 29...¦xd2+ 30.¢xd2 £xe7;

b) 27.¢f1 ¦d1+ 28.¦xd1 ¦xd1+

29.¢f2 £h4+ 30.g3 £xh2#;

c) 27.¢f2 £h4+ 28.¢e2 ¦d2+

29.£xd2 ¦xd2+ 30.¢xd2 £xe7.

Hector-Evdokimov

Politiken Cup (Denmark), 2008

Another strong GM who’s played

the Veresov Opening for years is

GM Johnny Hector from Sweden.

Though I’ve studied many of his

games in this line, as he’s denitely

one of the strongest GMs “pushing

along” Veresov Theory at the high

levels of chess, I chose only this

particular game for the Master’s

Bulletin because I found it to be very

interesting and entertaining. Even

for myself, playing this line for many

years, I can denitely say I learned

something new from Hector in this

performance!

1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤c3 d5 3. ¥ g5 c5

XIIIIIIIIY9rsnlwqkvl tr09zpp+ zppzpp09 + + sn +09+ zpp+ vL 09 + zP + +09+ sN + + 09PzPP+PzPPzP09tR +QmKLsNR0xiiiiiiiiy

At some point, this was a very

popular approach for Black. I think

the way Hector (White) played

this game was very inuential on

the entire theory of this variation,

and a big reason why we don’t see

Black take this approach as often

any longer. 3...¤bd7 is the main

line these days. Observing Hector’s

approach to Black’s terrible kingside

pawn structure in this game makes

it very clear why Black prefers this

move!

4. ¥ xf6 gxf6 5.e3 ¤c6 6.£h5 cxd47.exd4 e6

7...¤xd4 8.0–0–0! It’s not hard to

imagine White establishing a very

strong initiative in exchange for the

sacriced d-pawn.

8.¤f3

Before Hector’s game here I had

always played 8.0–0–0 and play

normally continued... 8... ¥ d7 9.f4

f5 10.¤ge2 £f6 11.h3 0–0–0 For

many years, I believed this was the

best White could hope for. My plan

was to prepare g4, try to capture

on f5, breaking open the center

and trying to target Black’s d5 and

f5 pawns for the remainder of the

game. Black’s well placed queen on

f6 made it very difcult to achieve

these goals, because Black is also

consistently looking to trade queens

with moves like £g6 and £h6, an

endgame White doesn’t really want

in view of Black’s bishop pair. Hector

taught all Veresov players a new way

to play this line with his 8.¤f3 move

8... ¥ b4 9. ¥ d3

XIIIIIIIIY9r+lwqk+ tr09zpp+ +p+p09 +n+pzp +09+ +p+ +Q0

9 vl zP + +09+ sNL+N+ 09PzPP+ zPPzP09tR + mK +R0xiiiiiiiiy

The key points behind Hector’s new

approach? First, White is no longer

intending to castle queenside

bringing the White king into the

“danger zone”. Secondly, The whiteknight is more aggressively placed on

f3 and eyes the e5–square should the

pawn on f6 ever advance. Finally,

White’s attack is developing much

more quickly with the more natura

developing moves of ¤f3 and £d3.

9... ¥ d7 10.0–0 ¥ xc3

Otherwise White will play ¤e2

solidify the pawn structure with c2–







August 2013

22 of 24


Mamedyarov nished 7.0/11, whichwas half a point more than Alexander

Grischuk of Russia. Shared third

came Peter Leko of Hungary and

Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, who has

now secured victory in the overall

FIDE Grand Prix with one tournament

to go. With 410 Grand Prix points theformer FIDE World Champion cannot

be overtaken.

The top two players in the Grand

Prix qualify for the 2014 Candidates

Tournament. Mamedyarov is now in

second place with 390 points, but heis not certain of qualication yet. If

either Fabiano Caruana or Alexande

Grischuk nishes clear rst in the

nal GP tournament, Mamedyarov

will be out. Read the nal report on

Beijing online here.

In the News

Mamedyarov Wins Beijing Grand Prix;Topalov qualies for Candidates

L.A. Resolution for Vishy Anand

Mekhitarian Wins Death Match #16

In what was an excellent summer for the Azerbaijani,

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov won the fth FIDE Grand Prix

in Beijing, shortly after he took rst place in two rapid

events. Veselin Topalov has won the overall Grand Prix.

Los Angeles city councilman Paul

Krekorian introduced a resolution

on behalf of Viswanathan Anand

during the Indian's visit to Southern

Regning Brazilian Champion GM

Krikor Sevag Mekihitarian won

Chess.com's Death Match 16 by

a score of 13-10 over GM Robert

Hungaski. Mekhitarian started well

California in July 2013. Anand joined

coaching activities and gave a simul;

one board was against the World via

Chess.com's "Voting Chess" platform.

with four straight wins early on, and

afterwards Hungaski said: "Those four

games denitely came back to haunt

me." The match saw some fascinating

and instructive endgames!



August 2013

23 of 24


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Documents

Chess.com - Masters Bulletin_August2013.pdf