Hello Chess lovers,
I wish to share with you a concept which some Grandmasters use in their openings especially with the white pieces when they assume the responsibility that comes with the white pieces. Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and Carlsen all have this aura when they play with the white pieces. The impression is that they are the ones doing the action and their opponents just applaud. In many cases we see them assuming an unstoppable initiative. The positions are not all very forced and they find moves that prepare for onslaughts and keep the momentum going.
At the same time they are alert for counterplay. They also are aware of the GMs who try very solid variations in which they are happy to respond to the ideas of white and then develop potential as GM Rowson would put it.
In this small trilogy I will focus on a GM who is quite powerful with the white pieces.Ivan Sokolov, the Bosnian-Dutch player who really causes more than his fair share of problems with the white pieces. We shall see how he maintains the momentum with the white pieces in positions where there are no forced lines until much later in the middlegame.
Unto the game!
I Sokolov v Akopian
1.d4Nf6 2.c4e6 3.Nc3d5 By transposition, the players have reached the Queen's Gambit Declined, a favourite of the world's top players in the 80s and 90s until the Slav defence took over.
4.cd5ed5 5.Bg5Be7 6.e3c6 7.Bd3Nbd7 8.Qc2 This move order keeps open the possibility of playing 0-0-0 and Nge2.
8...0-0 9.Nf3Re8 10.h3Nf8This is the standard plan for black.The h7 square is over protected and the c8 bishop gets some air.However it requires a lot of patience. 11.0-0Ng6 12.Ne5Ne5 13.de5Nd7 14.Be7Qe7 15.f4 The position has been transformed.The dark square d6 has been weakened by the exchange of the bishops on e7.
15...Nf8 16.Qf2From this position the queen prepares for action in a different sector of the board.
16...b6 17.e4This is the beginning of a passage of play where it seems that the only direction that white is going is foward.
17...Bb7 18.Rad1Ne6 It appears that black is placed to deal with various white threats.The problem is that black is passively placed and has no target to aim at.
19.ed5!This exchange leaves b5 free for the knight.
19...cd5 20.Nb5 The knight heads for d6.
20...Nc5 21.Nd6Mission accomplished.To get this position against a strong GM like Akopian is a wonderful achievement.21...Re8
22.Rfe1a5 23.Bb1This is both a preparatory and information gathering move.It is possible that Ivan also had the idea of a3 and Ba2.
23...Bc6 24.Nf5!Qe6 25.Qh4g6 26.Nh6Kf8 27.f5!Qe7 28.f6!Qc7 29.Nf5!This position must have been a nightmare.Nothing is forced yet Ivan is able to develop a steady momentum.
29...h5 White now invades the weakened dark squares. 30.Qg5Ne6 31.Qh6Ke8 32.Nd6Rd6 This is perfectly understandable. However it introduces a new line of attack-the e-file.
33.ed6Qd6 34.Qh7 now f7 is the new focal point.
34...Kd8 35.Qf7Nf4 36.Qe7Qe7 37.Re7 and black had enough.1-0
So what were the key moments here?
A) The move 12.Ne5 and the subsequent exchange on e5.
B) The move 14.Be7 removing a defender of the dark squares.
C)15.f4 grabbed more space.
D)19.ed5 resulted in the knight's move to b5 and then to d6.
E)27.f4-f5 the beginning of an onslaught on the dark squares.
It should be noted that the c3 knight became a star player for white causing a lot of trouble. In this game most of the white pieces went forward and Ivan exploited the changes in the pawn structures very well against a strong GM with a good track record.
Sunday 25 September 2011
Monday 5 September 2011
Theoretical highlights from Sunningdale Congress Part One
Hello Chess lovers, I would like to share with you the theoretical highlights of the August edition of the Sunningdale Congress. Before I get into the openings I would like to say that these tournaments organised by Sean Hewitt give hundreds of players an opportunity to earn norms and simply advance their ratings. Its a quiet venue in Windsor, England and hotel rates are ultra reasonable.The atmosphere is friendly and the playing conditions excellent.
Onto the first theoretical highlight featuring the really creative, out-of-comfort zone play by GM Simon Williams.
McClement v Williams Sunningdale Congress
1.e4c5 2.Nf3d6 giving the invitation to white.... 3.d4cd4 4.Nd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 ...so it looks like we will see a straight Dragon....
6.Be3a6 !? -This is not a new concept. GM Williams wrote a book on this line. Black does not just routinely play Bg7 and 0-0 allowing white to know the fixed address of the king. Instead he plays for an attack on e4 and to develop on the queenside. It is also an information gathering sequence. Imagine a young player booked up for the Dragon and ending up playing such a move order. All of a sudden new questions emerge about tempi lost and gained and where white should put his pieces.
7.f3(7.Qd2Ng4 was Ivanchuk v Ljubojevic 1992)b5!? Square denial. The c4 square is taken away from white's bishop.
8.Qd2Bb7
And now black's design are clearer. Black anticipates that white will castle long and so clears c8 for a rook.This means that it is black who will be poised for an attack. Pyschologically this is really hard for white. Generally he has a bishop on b3 in normal Dragon lines. Now white is having to adjust to black's ideas.
9.Bd3Nbd7 10.0-0-0e5!? 11.Nb3
All of a sudden the big picture changes. The problem for white is that his pieces are in the path of black's pawns. between moves 11 and 17 the board changes irrevocably with pawn advances by black.
11....b4 12.Ne2a5 13.Kb1Qc7 14.g4a4! 15.Nbc1a3 16.b3d5! black has more than equalized. He has shifted white from an offensive mindset to a defensive mindset.
17.g5d4 18.Bf2Nh5!? contesting f4 and physically delaying h4-h5 ideas.
19.h4Be7 20.Rdf10-0 - an interesting decision.GM Williams realized that the move 17.g5 prevents Bh6.
Therefore the danger of a mate on the dark squares is remote.
21.Ng3Nf4 22.Nce2Ne2 23.Ne2Rfc8 24.h5Ba6 25.Rfg1Nc5 26.hg6hg6 27.Rg2Ne6 28.Rhg1 and here we can see that the game is simply in black's favour. Black's pieces are poised on key squares and lines.The g5 pawn is a key concern and other points will soon receive GM William's treatments.
28...Bd3 29.cd3Ra6!? 30.Rc1Rc6! 31.Rc6Qc6 32.f4Nc5 black continues to improve his position.In this phase of the game, no concrete tactical variations need to be calculated. The simple aim is piece optimization.
33.Qc2Qa6 34.Qc4?! -The lower rated player often does this.Seeking the refuge of a simpler position he exchanges a valuable piece. The problem is that pawn structure changes radically in favour of black.
34...Qc4 35.dc4d3! 36.Ng3ef4 Things fall apart. 37.Bc5Rc5 38.Nf1Bg5 and black has a massive edge.White puts up symbolic resistance. 39.Nd2Bf6 40.Nf3Rh5 41.Kc1Bc3 and white had enough.
so ...0-1 In this game GM Williams did not play a single move novelty but rather developed an entire concept of playing. Some of the key phases came early.
1) 7....b5 took away c4 and prepared Bb7.
2) 10...e5!? fixed the e4 pawn and also contested f4.
3) Moves 11 -17 radically altered the pawn structure in black's favour.
4) It was uncomfortable for white to shift from offence to defense.
Onto the first theoretical highlight featuring the really creative, out-of-comfort zone play by GM Simon Williams.
McClement v Williams Sunningdale Congress
1.e4c5 2.Nf3d6 giving the invitation to white.... 3.d4cd4 4.Nd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 ...so it looks like we will see a straight Dragon....
6.Be3a6 !? -This is not a new concept. GM Williams wrote a book on this line. Black does not just routinely play Bg7 and 0-0 allowing white to know the fixed address of the king. Instead he plays for an attack on e4 and to develop on the queenside. It is also an information gathering sequence. Imagine a young player booked up for the Dragon and ending up playing such a move order. All of a sudden new questions emerge about tempi lost and gained and where white should put his pieces.
7.f3(7.Qd2Ng4 was Ivanchuk v Ljubojevic 1992)b5!? Square denial. The c4 square is taken away from white's bishop.
8.Qd2Bb7
And now black's design are clearer. Black anticipates that white will castle long and so clears c8 for a rook.This means that it is black who will be poised for an attack. Pyschologically this is really hard for white. Generally he has a bishop on b3 in normal Dragon lines. Now white is having to adjust to black's ideas.
9.Bd3Nbd7 10.0-0-0e5!? 11.Nb3
All of a sudden the big picture changes. The problem for white is that his pieces are in the path of black's pawns. between moves 11 and 17 the board changes irrevocably with pawn advances by black.
11....b4 12.Ne2a5 13.Kb1Qc7 14.g4a4! 15.Nbc1a3 16.b3d5! black has more than equalized. He has shifted white from an offensive mindset to a defensive mindset.
17.g5d4 18.Bf2Nh5!? contesting f4 and physically delaying h4-h5 ideas.
19.h4Be7 20.Rdf10-0 - an interesting decision.GM Williams realized that the move 17.g5 prevents Bh6.
Therefore the danger of a mate on the dark squares is remote.
21.Ng3Nf4 22.Nce2Ne2 23.Ne2Rfc8 24.h5Ba6 25.Rfg1Nc5 26.hg6hg6 27.Rg2Ne6 28.Rhg1 and here we can see that the game is simply in black's favour. Black's pieces are poised on key squares and lines.The g5 pawn is a key concern and other points will soon receive GM William's treatments.
28...Bd3 29.cd3Ra6!? 30.Rc1Rc6! 31.Rc6Qc6 32.f4Nc5 black continues to improve his position.In this phase of the game, no concrete tactical variations need to be calculated. The simple aim is piece optimization.
33.Qc2Qa6 34.Qc4?! -The lower rated player often does this.Seeking the refuge of a simpler position he exchanges a valuable piece. The problem is that pawn structure changes radically in favour of black.
34...Qc4 35.dc4d3! 36.Ng3ef4 Things fall apart. 37.Bc5Rc5 38.Nf1Bg5 and black has a massive edge.White puts up symbolic resistance. 39.Nd2Bf6 40.Nf3Rh5 41.Kc1Bc3 and white had enough.
so ...0-1 In this game GM Williams did not play a single move novelty but rather developed an entire concept of playing. Some of the key phases came early.
1) 7....b5 took away c4 and prepared Bb7.
2) 10...e5!? fixed the e4 pawn and also contested f4.
3) Moves 11 -17 radically altered the pawn structure in black's favour.
4) It was uncomfortable for white to shift from offence to defense.
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