What's New (January 2004 update)
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Hi Everyone! This month we take a look at games in the Nimzo Indian, Modern Benoni and Queen's Indian from tournaments that took place last month. |
Remember, if you have any opinions, ideas or questions, please either make yourself heard at the Forum (the link above on the right) or subscribers can email me at JohnEmms@ChessPublishing.com.
To download the January '04 Nimzo and Benoni games directly in PGN form, click here: 
Nimzo Indian Classical Variation (4 Qc2)
First up this month is the game S.Ivanov-T.Hansen, Stockholm 2003/04, which features a highly theoretical line in the Qc2 Nimzo: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 d5 5 cxd5 exd5 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 c5 8 dxc5 g5 9 Bg3 Ne4 10 e3 Qa5 11 Nge2 Bf5 12 Be5 0-0:
            
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Recently Tony Kosten advocated this way to play for Black in his Knockout Nimzo-Indian video. The game continued 13 Nd4 Nxc3! (an improvement on Short's choice of 13...Bg6? in his 1993 match with Kasparov) and the position is already incredibly complex, with many alternatives for both sides.
Nimzo Indian Rubinstein Variation with 4...b6
Onto something a bit less theoretical, we have the game Templier-Vallet, French League, Clichy 2004, which begins 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 b6 5 Nge2!? Ne4 6 Qc2 Bb7 7 a3 Bxc3+ 8 Nxc3
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Normally Black plays 8...Nxc3 here, but in this game Black instead played 8...f5!? and reached a very comfortable position.
Modern Benoni: Flick-Knife Variation
Now it's back to the crazy stuff! Ivanov - Cheparinov, Seville 2004 sees the controversial 8...Nbd7 variation of the Flick-Knife Variation: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 4 d5 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 e4 g6 7 f4 Bg7 8 Bb5+ Nbd7 9 e5 dxe5 10 fxe5 Nh5 11 e6 Qh4+ and now instead of the normal 12 g3 White varied with 12 Kd2!?
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We've discussed this unusual try once before, but in this game there's some new analysis.
Modern Benoni: Modern Classical Variation
Mohota - Ravi, Mumbai 2004 begins 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 Nc3 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 e4 g6 7 h3 Bg7 8 Nf3 0-0 9 Bd3 a6 10 a4 Nbd7:
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Lines involving an early ...Nh5 have become quite popular since being recommended by John Watson in his book Gambit Guide to the Modern Benoni. However, Watson recommends omitting (or at least delaying) the moves ...a7-a6 and a2-a4 for Black. In the notes to this game you'll see one of the reasons for this.
Modern Benoni: White plays Bf4
The game De Haan-Lacroix, Belgium 2004 may become theoretically important, as White appears to play an interesting novelty: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 Nf3 d6 5 Nc3 exd5 6 cxd5 g6 7 Bf4 a6 8 e4 b5 Be7 10 e5 dxe5 11 Bxe5 Nbd7
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Here De Haan was successful with the move 12 Bg3!?, an enticing alternative to the normal move 12 0-0-0.
Queen's Indian: 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 Bg5
Finally this month we have the game Van Wely-Bologan, Wijk aan Zee 2004, which begins 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 Bg5 Bb4 6 Qb3 c5 7 a3
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Now the main move is 7...Ba5 (see Moreno-Adams, Cala Galdana 2001 in ChessPub) but there's certainly nothing wrong with this simple capture 7...Bxc3+ as played in this game.
Till next time,
John Emms