Oct '99 Update
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For classic ingredients in all these daring defences, don`t miss JT`s Key Games To test your wits at JT's Quick Quiz, come this way But for the latest recipes read on... |
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We still have some souls out there that don't mind a bit of daring in defence. When signing up to take on this motley assortment of openings, I thought that most of the work would come in the conventional areas, namely the socially respectable options, The Grünfeld and The Benko.
Part of the difficulty of this job is balancing what I believe the public
would want from such a site - namely:
1) information and ideas without being overwhelmed with theory (call me lazy,
but I really believe that is what we all want), while meeting
2) the demands of those who want to follow the twists and turns of modern theory
and information overload (you know who you are).
Much to my surprise, it was easier to handle the conventional openings this time - at least to my satisfaction, I'm sure many will protest - while there were many hot games and growing converts to the shadier members of our defensive team.
I find it particularly intriguing that there are so many strong Armenian players cropping up in this survey. Since there has just been an Armenian world championship finalist (Vladimir Akopian for the forgetful, or those having trouble following the chaotic world championship scene) and, even better, one who publicly stated his disdain for the theory race, it should be encouraging that this school of thought makes its mark here.
All this talk of good practical chances and fertile, less explored fields of investigation gain credibility with this kind of backing, in case some of you thought that kind of talk was purely marketing.
English Defence
The English Defence saw a lot of action, and several games of theoretical interest.
Burnett decided to give 6…Qg4 a test flight. More normal is 6…f5 with …Qg4 to follow, but… well, who knows? Keene, who was one of the early experts on this line after preparing it with Korchnoi for Candidates matches, only said that Burnett's choice would force Kf1 at the cost of much time lost with the Black queen. True enough, but Kf1 leaves White's king very awkwardly placed for ages. A very messy game resulted, and I don't think White players will be lining up to try and build a major highway here.
Hummel-Kraii was a beast of questionable heritage - this kind of double fianchetto has become seen in some classical Queen's Indian's, but one could attribute that to the English pioneers. Black achieved a position that was a satisfying blend of solidity and counterplay, and seized the initiative energetically.
For that rare crossbreed, the offbeat-opening-theory-addict, Yermolinsky-Miles features a practical test of a very old analytical suggestion by Otto Hardy, an English Defence buff who predicted the course of the entire game in the 80's!
However, grabbing rooks and having both sharp and blunt objects flying round
one's head for the duration of the game is not everyone's cup of tea. The somewhat
less drastic 5…Bb4+ had two games in this fascinating line, featured
in J
Watson-Wolski.
The most interesting thing about the focus here is that White has been avoiding
the critical line 7.Be2, which Beliavsky introduced in his wild win against
Short. Black sacrifices varying amounts of material, and Bunzmann's idea of
limiting the investment to a pawn with 7…Bd6 led to the usual murky play.
This variation (4.Bd3) gives black a choice of moods - grabbing the rook a la
Miles and weathering the storm, offering bits and pieces with …Bb4+ in
order to keep the initiative, and the solid 4…Nc6.
Finally another ...Nc6 line with which previously Black has had discouraging results, but DD155 may be about to change that and revive this idea.
Budapest
The Budapest got a reasonable work-out, one at a very high level, even if that game was less than deadly serious. Ljubojevic decided to hang on to the pawn and got nowhere against black's rock-solid structure, which is nothing new. But it is always fun to see the big boys playing the Budapest, see DD150.
The other two selections are both in my personal pick for underestimated critical variation (4.e4), recommended elsewhere on this site. Budapest players will be pleased to note that the site caretaker received absolutely no statistical support for his hypothesis, with Black having a very comfortable life in both games, DD151 and DD153. Nevertheless, I am not about to take down my ramblings on this subject just yet, as White did not manage to play the most testing lines in either case.
Old Indian
The Old Indian also looks likely to force this writer to trade in his crystal ball, though I admit I was starting to get a twinge about this section. I now lean towards believing that this opening is going to quietly but steadily grow in popularity as people hunt for reliable, less navigated backwaters.
The combination of soundness and lack of theory books seems to have attracted several of the top Armenian players, including self-confessed lazy-man Akopian himself. Akopian reacts without stereotype vs. Formanek and always has at least his share of the play' see DD144.
In DD143 young, talented compatriot Aronian goes down in thematic flames against two-fisted GM Kozul, who exploits the typically sensitive c6 square in generous and energetic style.
Garcia Palermo's upset loss makes good PR for the defence. You can almost feel the higher rated player banging his head against a brick wall while playing through this game. One bang too many, and the proverbial coiled spring within Black's solid position let loose and catapulted Miranda's forces through Sr. Palermo's living room window, see DD145. If patience and solidity suit you, the Old Indian offers many ways to drive players of all strengths crazy.
The final example is another graphic warning about the c6 square, and included for instruction purposes (kids, don't try the stuff in DD 146 at home). The move …a5 was a grave positional error, perforating the already sensitive light-squared complex on the queenside, and it was a fitting punishment when the decisive action occurred there.
Benko
Hey, I hear you say, how can you give one game on the Benko Gambit? Easy. I think there is one line that is causing big problems, and I haven't seen anyone solving them yet.
Preparing material for this site was a big job, and one of the sad things about it is that certain opinions expressed are bound to be out of date by air time. Surprisingly, one of the most critical developments then seems to still be in force now. The game included here contains several examples of what you can expect to happen at a less than stratospheric level if you adopt this variation.
One of the neatest things about the line is that it doesn't even lead to a new position. The move 10.Rb1 is a lovely finesse by Jeroen Piket, and he used it to demolish the esteemed Veselin Topalov, see DD13. Earlier, this line, with 10.0-0, had given Black a lot of trouble, until he found the neat move order reply 10…Nb6, postponing castling to immediately pressure d5. Now 11.Rb1 is met by the fork 11…Bc4 and Black is (very) OK.
For some reason, the counter line of thought, where white delays castling to put his pieces where he wants them first, took quite a while to emerge. But now it has, and Black is collecting eggs, and until someone does something about this, I am going to just put this line down here and wait. DD156. So there.
Blumenfeld
There hasn't been a lot of relevant action in the Blumenfeld, but Malinin and Iljinsky combined to produce a very thematic win for black, see DD149. Sacrificing a piece for long-term compensation in the form of a clump of central pawns should be familiar thinking to players of this gambit.