Daring Defences - #1 2002 - GM Jonathan Tisdall
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This was a strange crop of games. I cannot remember seeing so many hair-raising blunders and bizarre, nearly random games. While picking through the raw material for this instalment I even came across people being mated in under 10 moves by some of the hoariest traps in the book. Even the games that made the cut often contain a bit of this seasonal madness, with the interesting ideas being interrupted by ghastly miscues. |
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Maybe, just maybe, this is what we can expect to see as FIDE turns the game into a variant of speed chess - already I notice that it is nearly a chore to thumb through the latest games, with the blunder rate soaring at every level of competition. Those few that kept their head occasionally managed to show the old-fashioned reason for gambiteering.
On to the action:
The Budapest and Fajarowicz:
My bewilderment grows as the popularity of the Fajarowicz does the same. I never thought I would see the day when the number of interesting Fajarowicz Gambits would outnumber the Budapest, and the single Budapest that crept in is just a warning reminder to those who think a Daring Defence means one can be fully ignorant of theory.
Gutman joins the ranks of GM Fajarowicz Gambiteers, JAN02/04, and produces a very novel approach. He never regained the pawn and seemed to be on the verge of extermination in the opening, but he emerged with full compensation, and even tried to squeeze more than a full point out of an ending a pawn down.
On the opposite side of the scale, Yermolinsky worked up a huge advantage by spurning any attempt to refute the gambit, trusting in his skill in increasing small assets, JAN02/18.
See also JAN02/09.
The Benko:
Epishin once again turned in a couple of exemplary pieces of work in the g3 system of the Benko Accepted, JAN02/19, and JAN02/22.
Dinev-Stojanovski, JAN02/02, featured a new idea for White in a very risky line in the 5.f3 line, and Black won a crisp game after a white gaffe, but the assessment of this variation does not change.
The highlight of the section was Teske's remarkable handling of the line where White plays Kxf1-g1-h2, JAN02/14. He tossed a second pawn into the bargain and launched a full board offensive that resulted in a very pretty win - but can Black really play like this?
The Blumenfeld:
One example of the gambit declined, and quite an interesting sideline - Black played a line that is considered to be terrible and equalized quite handily, though White did not play the sharpest test. This game indicates that this variation could well be worth a closer look, see JAN02/03.
The Albin:
A surprising duo of games with JAN02/13 in an obscure line where Black drops the option of regaining the e5 pawn in order to just start hacking. Not the most convincing variation from a scientific viewpoint, but Henriksson - Furhoff, JAN02/01, was a marvelous triumph of romance, with a crackling tactical finish that will probably go down as the game of the month in DD.
English and Owen's Defence (1...b6):
Owen's: There were a couple of intriguing games in the 1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nf3 c5 5. c3 Nf6 6. Qe2 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 line. Bakre - Popchev, JAN02/11, was akin to a French where Black staked-out some space with ...g5 and then slowly laid siege to white's centre.
The highlight of the section was Rosandic - Filipovic, JAN02/08, which was a lovely attacking game and a very interesting approach to a standard position generally accepted as better for White.
English: This defence continues to be one of the most popular of the DDs. There were no eyebrow-raising new ideas here, though nevertheless a few things worth noting. The adventures of Pixton at the US Championship were an interesting look at an obscure but oddly promising line for White. After an initial disaster against Ambarcumjan, JAN02/16, Pixton rallied to find a thematic solution that eventually netted a full point vs. O. Sagalchik, JAN02/17.
Another duellist at the US Championship was Kraai, who started the event with a bad loss from a reasonable position vs. Kaidanov, JAN02/20, before getting late revenge by refuting D. Gurevich's overambitious attempt to infuse some life for White in a main line, JAN02/23.
Other Games:
1...Nc6
The action here occurred in side branches. Sindija - Mestrovic, JAN02/05, was quite interesting but too sloppy to be informative, and Black always looked the slower man in the race.
Lopez - Huerta, JAN02/06, confirmed that the variation 3.exd5 is not White's most threatening option.
The most eye-opening game of the section was undoubtedly the mini-tussle Levi - Rigo, JAN02/15, which revived an old gambit idea of Milner Barry's that looks quite scary. Declining the offer is probably the best practical advice, as per JAN02/21, perhaps. Black players who want to take the challenge should study the game closely.
1...a6
Nothing to report here this time.
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