Download PGN of November ’23 1 e4 ... games
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Nimzowitsch Defence with 3.e5 [B00]
We kick off with Caruana, F - Carlsen, M. The ex-champion essayed 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 against his ex-challenger (from a historic match that also took place in London!) and while the time control was rapid, he showed no signs of getting flustered in the stressful 0.00 middlegame that arose. Play continued with 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6:
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The American rejected the move many think of as more critical (5.c3) but after the no less sharp 5.Bd3 Bxd3 6.Qxd3, nevertheless had some chances of an opening edge. My two problems with 1...Nc6 remain as 3.exd5 (psychologically unpleasant if the opponent knows some details in the long castling lines) and 2.Nf3 (offering the choice between 2...e5 or some kind of Pirc.) One assumes that Carlsen is typically ready to meet 2.Nf3 with ...d6, bringing us neatly to the next game.
Classical Pirc with 4...Nc6 5.d5 Nb8 [B08]
The next game, Bjerre, J - Carlsen, M, followed exactly the order referred to above before reaching a Classical Pirc. White handled the early decisions well, most likely having a small advantage by the time of Carlsen’s 10...Na6:
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The correct call is almost certainly to snap this knight off and then bring the major pieces to bear down the central files, which would suggest the rook on a6 to be slightly misplaced. Black also has a slight space disadvantage which necessitates lashing out with ...b5, ...c5 or ...e5 at some moment, so by judiciously calculating those options White can usually keep decent control. As things were, the Dane played 11. Bf1 and shortly allowed a thematic exchange sacrifice before then fighting back to almost win a very sharp game near the time control.
Caro-Kann Defence, Endgame Offer with 3...Qc7 4.Nc3 dxe4 [B10]
I continue to favour the pawn recapture in this line, but Abasov certainly provided food for thought by playing 5.Nxe4 twice this year. The second of these efforts is our focus today in Abasov, N - Bosiocic, M, where play continued 5...Nf6 6.Qe2 Nxe4 7.Qxe4:
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We have a Two Knights where 3.d3 Qc7 has been inserted. The difference maybe favours White ever so slightly (e.g. Bf4 can come with tempo) but one aspect that favours Black is that 7...Be6 could no longer be met by Bc4. An interesting opening discussion which I suspect is not over, particularly for White players that enjoy pure Caro structures more than the Italian ones that ensue after 5.dxe4.
Caro-Kann Defence, Endgame Variation with 5...g6 [B10]
Next up one of my favourite lines to play with either colour; we turn to the game Willow, J- Noe, C which took place during a particularly short game of mine from the Hammersmith event. The move 5...g6 is relatively minor, but Jonah had presumably understood the correct way to play from an old game of his coach: 6.Ne5 Nd7 7.Nd3 Bg7:
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It is largely impossible to stop Black from playing ...h5 and ...Bh6, or White from playing a4-a5, so most of the nuances in the position revolve around the interplay of those two ideas. Personally, I feel that delaying this a-pawn push with 8.Nd2 allows the knight to get in the way a little too early, and that the German player should have met that choice with 8...Ne5 in place of 8...Ngf6.
Caro-Kann Defence, Advance Variation, Short System with 6...a5 [B12]
Another double-header in the Eljanov variation (he is likely the pioneer of the system and released a modern-chess.com course on it) which I will probably leave alone for some time after this update. It starts, as many will doubtless know by now, with the moves 5...Nd7 6.0-0 a5:
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Our first game Dominguez Perez, L - Rapport, R saw a novelty right at this very moment, namely 7.Ne1, and it seems like a strong one. Against any sort of speculative move from Black, the idea is simply a pawn storm (possibly combined with Bd3 trading light squared bishops.) I really like this idea and after lengthy deliberations am recommending 7...a4 8.c3 (not White’s only move) and now, in place of 8...Qb6, perhaps 8...Ne7 is more constructive to deal with the coming pawn storm. A very valuable theoretical idea.
Caro-Kann, Advance Variation with 4.h4 h5 5.c4 [B12]
Our second game Adams, M - Bartel, M saw the more tried-and-tested approach from White of 7.a4 f6 8.Be3, and now rather than ...Qc7 Black decided to try 8...Qb6N:
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The threat to this pawn is best understood as a bit of a bluff, and after the sedate 9.Nbd2 Black understandably opted not to take it. Equality was perhaps within the Pole’s grasp during the early middlegame after some good defence, but missed a chance for dramatic late queenside castling and then succumbed in a major-piece middlegame.
Caro-Kann, Advance Variation 4.Nd2 e6 5.Nb3 Nd7 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.Be2 c5 [B12]
To finish, another duo, this time starting with 4.Nd2 e6 5.Nb3 Nd7 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.Be2 c5:
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The 1st game saw the interesting (prepared) pawn sac 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nxc5 Qxc5 10.Be3, and the solid reply from Black 10...Qb4+ 11.Bd2 Qb6. White has a number of tries, but Black has resources against any attempt, and White came perilously close to overpressing in Aravindh, V - Kushko, D.
The 2nd game was Wang, Y - Zhou, W and featured the line my engine prefers, starting with 8.c3 c4 9.Nbd2 h6 10.Nf1 Ne7:
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White certainly had no advantage after the game’s 11.Nh4, since the knight frequently gets driven back with gain of tempo, but it is a natural move and so instructive to see what happens. Meanwhile after the more stable 11.Ne3 as tried by Dominguez & Tari this year, Black needs to keep in mind a number of piece sacrifices for dynamic play through the centre if they want to maintain equality.
All the best, Daniel
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