Download PGN of July ’25 Open Sicilian games
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Kan 5.c4 Bb4 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qd3 [B41]
We start with Hilby, J - Xiong. J , where the higher-rated opponent went for 7...d6. This somewhat risky choice (compared to 7...d5) fully paid off: in the position after 11...Nfd7:
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as White came up with the novelty 12.Bf4 that doesn't seem to pose Black any problems. Moreover, a few further mistakes, especially 21.Qa3? allowed Black to quickly develop a crushing attack.
The Four Knights 6.Bf4 [B45]
The game Abdusattorov, N - Praggnanandhaa, R saw Nodirbek play the new move 7.Bb5!? that might pose Black some structural problems:
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In particular, after 9...e5 White's pressure along the d-file felt rather annoying. Luckily for Pragg, his opponent didn't manage to play this complex middlegame properly, and after 18.gxf4? Black managed to quickly make decisive threats on the b-file.
I expect to see further practical tests of 7.Bb5!? soon.
The Four Knights 6.a3 d6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Be2 [B45]
The game Duda, J - Caruana, F illustrates the drawbacks of the original setup with 9.Qd2:
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Black's energetic response 9...e5!, followed by 10...Nxe4! allowed Fabiano to quickly obtain a comfortable endgame. Duda had to put in much effort in order to achieve a draw at the end.
The Four Knights 6.a3 d6 7.Be3 Be7 8.Qe2 [B45]
The game Esipenko, A - Najer, E saw White play the more ambitious 8.Qe2 :
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Evgenij reacted with the novelty 10...a5, which could have been justified after the inaccurate 11.Nc5?! Alas, Black quickly went astray with 11....Rb8?, followed by 13...Bg5?, so White obtained a strategically winning position.
The Four Knights 6.a3 d5 7.exd5 [B45]
The game Kacharava, N - Bai, J saw Black enter a solid, but somewhat passive middlegame that was previously covered in Rapport - Mamedyarov. Jinshi was the first to deviate with 12...0-0-0:
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that seems to offer Black an acceptable position after the bishop trade. However, for some reason, at move 17 Black refused to regain the pawn, and after 17...Bf5? 18.Bd3! Nikolozi managed to convert his extra pawn into a full point.
The Four Knights 6.a3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Bd3 [B45]
In the game Puranik, A - Mohaved, S White chose a rare setup with 8.Bd3!
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It seems that, this confused his young opponent, as Black soon initiated unfavorable complications with 13...Nxe4? that led to a horrible position with tripled e-pawns. Puranik's further technical play was decent.
Despite such a defeat, I don't think that 8.Bd3 sets Black serious problems.
Najdorf 6.h3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f4 [B90]
The game Sargsyan, S - Bocharov, D has definite theoretical value. In the critical position after 13.Qf3!:
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Dmitry prematurely took on d5, allowing White to quickly start a traditional expansion with g2-g4. Shant didn't manage to handle this position properly, and at some point Black could have obtained decent compensation for the pawn. Luckily for GM Sargsyan, the impulsive 26...Qg3? Was the decisive mistake in this game.
Najdorf 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.g4 b5 [B90]
In the last game, Goganov, A - Zakhartsov, V, the players entered a sharp and relatively unexplored position after 16...Bd8:
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White deviated from a few correspondence games with 17.Nc6, and this could have fully paid off, since Vladimir carelessly played 20...Bf6? Had White found 21.Bc4! it would be very difficult for Black to claim any compensation for the missing pawn. Instead, Alexey went for 21.Rc4? and later erred a few more times, letting his opponent take over the initiative and score a full point.
See you next month, Michael
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