Maverick Daring Defences #5 2002 - GM Jonathan Tisdall
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I think that I have been fussier than ever before in selecting material for this instalment of the Maverick DDs. Dealing with the proverbial information boom is one thing, but one starts to develop intolerance when the sorting process involves dozens and dozens of games that would have been classed as "unprintable" in the days when people digested information rather than served it up raw. |
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To download the September '02 games directly in PGN form, click here: 
Working through the latest crop of games, I was simply amazed by the number of times I saw 'contests' that continued while one side was (at least) a queen behind, and a few memorable duels featured a disparity of an entire set of pieces. One gets provoked by this kind of sight, and even though my basic philosophy is to examine each game for that elusive clever idea, the reflex to chuck things into the waste basket quickly becomes quite strong after a few hours of watching pieces hang!
I believe GM Glenn Flear will be taking over the new reunited DD from next instalment. I wish him luck - just a portion of these unruly openings is hard to manage, handling the gamut of Daring Defences will be a real challenge.
My final selection is quite different in character from the prevailing pattern. The most notable deviations are the lack of English Defences and the often deep theoretical discussions in even the variations one would tend to categorize as untested.
The Budapest and Fajarowicz [A51-52]:
Several very instructive encounters, and entertainment as well. A game with both was the speedy Georgiev - Kluenger where White demonstrates an important move-order finesse and then shows that even the great can do some very silly things when the time control is fast, e.g.
                
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15 Rxc5?? losing to 15...Qxc5! 16 Qxc5 Nd3+.
Ward - Pert is a good example of efficiency by Black, with White's tricky line being ably defused. Lalic - Marchand shows how incredibly dangerous the 4.e4 line can be if Black is not prepared. Lalic puts his knowledge of the Budapest to good use and it is impressive just how quickly the Black position collapsed. Since the variation chosen by White doesn't have the greatest reputation, I would also suggest that Budapest lovers have a careful look for a possible improvement Lalic may have planned if play had followed the main line.
Vallejo Pons - Romero Holmes is one of the DD highlights for this instalment. An interesting opening, a fascinating sacrifice and a swashbuckling finish - but here, too, the Budapest was in no danger from a theoretical point of view.
The Benko [A57-59]:
Plenty of interesting ideas from White in topical theoretical lines, so much so that this DD was less maverick than usual. Things to note: in the still trendy line with g3+Rb1 Black has sudden started playing ...Qa5 a lot. I have earlier assessed this as a solid alternative, where Black seeks to provoke b3 and then blocks the queenside with ...Qa3. With this line getting a bit of a workout lately, I am less convinced that this is such a great idea, though it is an intricate position.
Particularly relevant are positions where White refrains from playing Bd2 early, preferring to keep a3 under control for various reasons. Another theme to note is the possibility of Ne1-c2, which can also prove useful for seizing useful squares on the queenside.
Epishin - Piantoni has perhaps the most important theoretical novelty, with White finding a subtle way to avoid a recent dangerous plan of Black's, seen in the previous instalment.
Danner also unveils an interesting novelty deep in a line thought to be harmless for Black, but this is not one of the main highways of this variation.
The Blumenfeld [E10]:
No action here this time.
The Albin [D08-09]:
This gambit produced some fun for Black, as is often the case when White refrains from playing the most critical lines. The best tussle was Gil Biag - Taylor where Black's gambit spirit was rewarded with a blistering initiative.
English [A40 &A50] and Owen's Defence (1...b6) [B00]:
A remarkably quiet section for a change. Only one game made the cut for this instalment, and that was a bit of a curiosity. Playing through Chetverik-Czebe it is hard to imagine that such a sensible White handling can be new. This game offers White players a safe option.
Lima produces a logical and ambitious idea in a sideline of the Owen for Black, 6...Na6!?:
     
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Even though he got carved up, the concept is worth a closer look, even though White's choice of variation is far from critical.
1...Nc6 [B00]
I wonder if history will look back and call this the Mestrovic Defence. Once again this determined man finds new ways to keep his favourite methods alive. The Nimzovich Defence also gets some support from great Dane Bent Larsen. A big fan of Nimzovich the man, Larsen dredges up a rare variation and makes it look very good indeed. This game shows that there are still some promising backwaters to explore.
1...a6 [B00]
Nothing to report.
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