Download PGN of April ’26 Flank Openings games
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Réti, Reversed Benoni 4.Bg2 d4 5.0-0 Nc6 [A13]
In Socko, B - Gumularz, S, White played the topical Reversed Benoni in a slow fashion with Na3-c2: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 d4 5.0-0 Nc6 6.d3 Bc5 7.Na3 After 7...0-0 8.Nc2 a5 9.a3 e5!:
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Black gradually obtained a better game and won in a convincing way. I suggest 9.Re1!? as a potential way to rehabilitate the Na3 approach for White.
Réti, Reversed Benoni 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d4 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.e3 Nge7 [A13]
In the battle between two top seeds in the Candidates tournament, Caruana, F - Nakamura, H, there followed an interesting sub-variation of the Reversed Benoni. 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d4 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.e3 Nge7 7.Nxd4!? Nxd4 8.b4!:
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White’s idea was interesting, but it nevertheless didn’t seem to pose Black particularly serious practical opening problems. Black’s loss later on cannot really be attributed to the opening phase in any way.
Réti, Reversed Benoni 4.0-0 e6 5.c4 d4 6.e3 Nc6 7.d3 h6 [A13]
In another Polish Championship game, Wojtaszek, R - Malek, J, Black played a sub-variation of the Reversed Benoni aimed at stopping Bg5: 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.0-0 e6 5.c4 d4 6.e3 Nc6 7.d3 h6 White delayed exd4 with 8.Na3!?, and after 8...dxe3 9.Bxe3 Be7 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Bd7 12.Nab5!:
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got a position with a small but pleasant pull.
Réti, Reversed Benoni 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.b3 d4 [A14]
Eljanov, P- Seeman, J, saw another interesting Reversed Benoni: 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.b3 d4 7.e3 c5 8.d3 Nc6 9.exd4 cxd4 10.Re1 Re8!?:
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White did not react the best way to Black’s idea with 11.Ne5?!, but Black also failed to exploit the deficiencies of the early knight jump. The game was nevertheless very interesting as an illustration of thematic motifs in this Reversed Benoni position.
King’s English 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Qc2 [A21]
In Xiao, T - Garifullina, L, White reacted to the fashionable 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 with 3.Qc2:
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White achieved an opening success, tricking Black into allowing the Nd5-jump in a better version for White than in the case of the immediate 3.Nd5 after 3...Nf6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nd5!.
Reversed Rossolimo 3.g3 Bb4 4.Bg2 Bxc3 5.bxc3 0-0 [A21]
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Bb4 4.Bg2 Bxc3 5.bxc3 0-0 6.Nh3!?N:
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In Panchanathan, M - Sanal, V White demonstrated a creative novelty - the knight deployment on h3 combines with play with the f-pawn. White got a great position but spoiled it in the later phase of the game.
Four Knights 4.e3 Bb4 5.Qc2 Bxc3 6.Qxc3 Qe7 7.a3 [A28]
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e3 Bb4 5.Qc2 Bxc3 6.Qxc3 Qe7 7.a3 e4!?:
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In Puranik, A - Uskov, A, Black took a novel approach to a fairly old and well-known line, and showed an unexpected and extremely convincing alternative to the main lines for Black.
Symmetrical English: 3.g3 g6 4.Nc3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Bg7 7.Qa4+ [A34]
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.g3 g6 4.Nc3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Bg7 7.Qa4+ Nc6 8.Ng5 Nb6!?N:
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In Caruana, F - Wei, Y, Fabiano Caruana won another Candidates game with the Flank Openings approach, but again, it was mostly due to his opponent’s mistakes in the later game than the opening itself. The idea of Black’s move 8 is very interesting and challenging for White. Black sacrifices two pawns but gets a lot of play in return. In the comments I point out what led to Black’s unexpectedly quick defeat and I show that it was not so hard to keep playing with great compensation.
Until next month, Lukasz.
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