Download PGN of June ’23 Open Sicilian games
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Kan 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Ba7 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.Be3 [B42]
We start with Karthikeyan, M - Smirin, I, where White went for one of the most aggressive setups against 6...Ba7. In the position after 11...e5:
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Murali wrongly played 12.Qe3?! which allowed Ilya to easily solve his problems. An approximate balance was kept till move 25, when GM Smirin took a major risk with 25...f5? This could have led to a quick collapse, but Murali soon returned the favor with 30.Qg6? The further play was full of mutual mistakes, but eventually it was Black who developed a crushing attack.
This line looks promising for White. In fact, 12.Qd2! seems to pose Black serious problems.
Taimanov 5...a6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.a3 [B46]
The game Sethuraman, S - Galperin, P saw Black employ the rare and risky 7...b5:
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It was correctly met by 8.Nxc6 and the endgame that arose was quite unpleasant for Platon. The critical moment came on move 20, when GM Sethuraman wrongly played 20.Nxc3? and let his advantage disappear. In his attempt to play for a win White soon committed a few more mistakes such as 31.Re1?! and was soon defeated.
Taimanov 5...Qc7 6.Ncb5 [B47]
In the next game Vidit, S - Lagno, E the players entered a rare, but rather important position after 10.0-0:
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Ekaterina played the dubious 10...Bd6?!, provoking the dangerous e4-e5. Moreover, she soon erred again with 12...Qb6? and from then on it was very hard for Black to secure her king.
Undoubtedly, 10...Nf6 is critical, and we should see more practical tests of this position.
Taimanov 5...Qc7 6.g3 h5 [B47]
Another theoretical discussion in one of the sidelines took place in Kovalev, V - Erigaisi, A, where Arjun chose the ambitious 6...h5 to confuse his lower-rated opponent:
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Vladislav's novelty 7.Ndb5 is a challenging reaction, and it was definitely analyzed by GM Erigaisi in his home preparation. It led to unbalanced and double-edged play a-la Sveshnikov, where the only serious mistake 16.c3? allowed Black to gain the upper hand. In my opinion, we will surely see further practical tests of 6...h5, although it looks dangerous as Black delays his development for a long time.
Taimanov 5...Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qf3 h5 [B48]
In the game Sevian, S - Gukesh, D Samuel was trying to improve over the memorable game Abdusattorov - Van Foreest with 11.Kb1!?:
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Perhaps the surprise effect did its job, as GM Gukesh played the inaccurate 13...Bb7. As a result, after 14.a4! Samuel managed to create a serious weakness on the q-side. Still, with precise play Dommaraju managed to achieve a draw, although 19.b3! could have set him lots of problems.
Najdorf 6.Bd3 d5 7.Nde2 [B90]
The next game, Stearman, J - Mareco, S, saw Black follow Svidler - Donchenko with 9...Bg4!? :
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In reply White played the new move 10.f3, but which hardly poses Black any problems. Still, the careless 16...d5? could have led to a collapse had Josiah found 18.Nf5! Instead, the slower 18.Be3?! let Black slowly neutralize White's pressure.
In general, 9...Bg4!? still looks like a decent alternative to 9...Be6.
Najdorf 6.Rg1 h5 [B90]
In Vallejo Pons, F - Donchenko, A White was trying to deviate from the previously covered Abdusattorov - Giri with 8.g4:
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but it was hardly a good idea. In fact, the inaccurate 11.Be2?! was strongly met by 11...Bxg4! and White already found himself in an unpleasant endgame. White's further play wasn't optimal, but Donchenko's technique was still impressive.
Instead of 11.Be2?! White should probably try 11.Nxc6!?, but I still prefer Abdusattorov's way.
Najdorf 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Bc4 Qb6 8.Bb3 e6 [B94]
In the last game, Asadli, V - Gupta, A, White opted for a fashionable plan with 13.a3:
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It looks like Abhijeet was well-equipped, as his deep reaction 16...Rb8! is definitely the best way of developing counter-play. The critical moment came on move 18, when the impulsive 18.g5? made it impossible for White to open files against his opponent's king. As a result, Vugar was forced to switch to a defensive task, but it was too difficult.
See you next month, Michael
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