The Very Latest Developments
The April 2002 UpdateI am writing this from Reims, the capital of Champagne country, where the final phase of the French Team Championships is being held. Although I decided to concentrate on higher-level chess this month, I couldn't resist sticking my game from yesterday in! TonyK |
All this month's new games are easily downloaded in PGN format using ChessPub.exe, open ChessPub.exe, put the date on, say, 30th April 2002, and then click on 'Flank Openings', over on the right. All these games should appear (and the new ChessPub Guides, too!)
You can also enter the specific ECO code if you are only interested in a particular opening. To download the April '02 Flank Openings games directly in PGN form click here: 
First, a question:
What amazing killer move did yours truly miss as Black in the following position (from a sub-variation)?
                   
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The answer is to be found in my game against Horvath.
English Opening
1...e5
A29: In Bacrot,E - Topalov,V White's reversed Dragon goes catastrophically wrong.
1...c5
A30: Just when those early d4 ideas seem to making the e3 Symmetrical look dangerous, along comes Bareev,E - Leko,P! However, as I show, White was clearly better at one stage.
A30: Vallejo Pons,F - Adams,M demonstrates a reasonable line for Black against the 7 Re1 Hedgehog, but White manages to start a ferocious attack anyway, which left Black teetering on the edge.
A32: In Lautier,J - Leko,P we examine the trendy ...Qxc4 'pawn-grab' line.
A33: I decided to have another look at the 1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 e6 6 a3 line in Lautier,J - Topalov,V, where Black played 6...Nxd4!? 7 Qxd4 b6
 
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and won comfortably.
A33: Amazingly enough, a couple of days after analysing this I had the good fortune to be able to repeat the line as Black, against Joszef Horvath, and won the brilliancy prize!
This game has to be seen to be believed!
A36: Last month I intended to analyse a sharp line for White in the 5 e3 Symmetrical Variation, but forgot, so here it is in Mohr,G - Tratar,M, worth a look!
Réti
A04: After last month's examination of Dunnington's 'anti-KI' line, I couldn't help but notice a game where White does the same thing against a Dutch, Vaganian,R - Kuczynski,R, but what was that knight doing on b7?
A07: In the Capablanca System of Azmaiparashvili,Z - Shirov,A, Shirov plays a 'combination' which allows his opponent a queen sac leading to a forced mate. Fortunately for Shirov, his opponent didn't see it!
e-mails
Don't forget to pop over to my E-mailbag!
I will catch-up with this month's e-mails in May. Please feel free to share any of your thoughts with me, whatever they are, suggestions, criticisms (just the polite ones, please), etc. Drop me a line at tonykosten@chesspublishing.com
Till next month, Tony K