Download PGN of August ’16 1 d4 d5 2 c4 games
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The Slav with g3 [D11]
It is quite common knowledge that the Double Fianchetto setup by White against the Slav is not theoretically dangerous, but do you know how to handle the arising middlegames? A key theme we will see in the notes to Zaragatski - Salinas Herrera is that most of White's attempts at direct play tend to backfire, and that means Black can be somewhat patient/prophylactic in the early middlegame. However, the actual game makes for a nice puzzle:
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White had played the e4 break earlier and admittedly, Black did not place his pieces in the best way. After Black's last move 18...Nd7, what would you play here? Check the game for the solution!
Slow Slav with 4...Bg4 [D11]
One thing I came to appreciate quite recently is that to get a full understanding of our openings, we should not just study model games, but also learn what things to avoid. It is much easier to learn from someone else's mistakes than our own, after all! In the game Lupulescu - Pavlidis we see Black first place the wrong knight on d7, and then continue to neglect his development, relying on the closed nature of the position below:
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Now we understand that in closed positions, we should look for the best pawn break to play for, so with that in mind, what do you suggest for White? If you're a subscriber, you can click the game link for the answer!
Chebanenko Slav with 5.e3 b5 6.b3 [D15]
After the first two games of a more general nature, we come to a very concrete and effective idea employed by Levon Aronian. That is, to play 7.Qd2!? after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.b3 Bg4:
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He had already used this move to gain an advantage against Karjakin in 2009, but it was also effective in Aronian - Svidler as White obtained an advantage after 7...Nbd7, though to be fair I couldn't find a way for Black to equalise with the alternatives either. By the way, make sure to check the game all the way to the end as the endgame is quite instructive!
Noteboom Main Line [D31]
It has been a while since the Noteboom was covered on the site, as Scherbakov had been pretty thorough in the analysis of his specialty. But some new games have been played in the meantime, and I catch you up with the developments in Rudd - Fodor, as well as offering some new ideas for Black. The following position from the game can serve as a good test of your understanding of such complicated positions:
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White has just played 18.Bc4! threatening the e6-pawn. Black didn't find the best defence in the game, but can you do better? See my notes for the solution!
Tarrasch with e3 [D32]
One could debate whether to include the game Howell - Houska (also from the British Championship) as it arose from a Flank Openings move order, but it's classified under this section and presents an absolutely model example of how to play against the IQP:
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In this position, after 12...Be6, I invite you to try and find the plan Howell employed in the game. As you check the game, note how Black created serious problems for herself by playing in an overly forcing matter, which allowed White to improve his piece placement and make the right exchanges while Black ultimately lost time.
Semi-Slav Exchange Variation [D36]
Our next game might also fit best as showing how to handle the good version of the Carlsbad pawn structure as Black. Even today, there are GMs who use the harmless version of the cxd5 exchange (such as in the Semi-Slav and against the Triangle) to avoid a theoretical battle and try to outplay their opponent in a strategic position. While that proved successful in Tomashevsky - Maletin, it won't amount to anything if we are prepared as Black:
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Having said that, the above position from the game is a bit tricky, and I invite you to try and find the best move for Black! Take your time, it is not that easy!
Ragozin with an early ...0-0 [D38]
The general rule of thumb is that Black should not castle too early in the main line Ragozin, as he often needs that tempo to create counterplay in the centre. But it's a reaction you could easily face at lower levels, so I thought it would be interesting to show how to meet it, given that even strong players have made some fairly basic (for a GM, at least) mistakes in the Ragozin positions lately.
For instance, how do you assess the following position (Black to move) from the game Wei Yi - Wan Yunguo?
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Now if you studied your Archives well, you might already know that this position is very bad for Black, as despite being an exchange up he has no counterplay, and the piece sacrifice 15...Nxc5 did not suffice in the game. It's easy to get confused with the version with ...h6/Bh4 included, which is a much better version for Black as the bishop on h4 proves a target in many positions.
The ...h6/...Nbd7 Orthodox System [D61]
Of course, the game Lazarevic - Karpov from Karpov's youth is not the theoretically most important game, but I selected it for the club players reading this as it shows a lot of typical mistakes from both sides in the c4-c5 QGD structure. I've noticed from my coaching experience that a lot of club players mistime moves like c4-c5 and ...c5-c4, releasing the tension in the centre, and it is important to know how to deal with such moves:
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Well, what would you play as Black here, after White's 8.c5? Check the game for the answer, as well as the recent developments after the more critical 8.Qc2 and 8.Rc1, where Black is doing completely fine.
Catalan with an early ...c5 [E06]
One practical advice I can offer to anyone wishing to learn/relearn an opening is to look for somewhat mismatched games, with a significant rating difference between the players. That way, you will see the kind of positions/plans 'your' side should play for, without too much interference from the opponent. And indeed, the game Ivanchuk - Ozen illustrates the dangers for Black when he pushes his e-pawn too far in the Catalan structure:
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White is better here as Black's pieces are tied up to the e4-pawn, and the exchange of queens makes the space 'advantage' more of a disadvantage. Nonetheless, we should practice defending difficult positions as well, so what do you think Black's best try is here? Check out the game analysis for the correct move!
Closed Catalan with ...Be7 [E06]
Our next game, Banusz - Cai, is similar in that it demonstrates some fairly rudimentary ideas, but there is also an important move order point - that if Black were to play 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 d5 to try to move order White into the Catalan, as Tiviakov liked to do, White's most accurate move order is 6.0-0 Be7 (transposing to the game) 7.Nc3! 0-0 8.Ne5!, using the fact that Black can't easily challenge the knight on e5. Then after 8...Bb7 9.e4, Black fell for a common trap with 9...Nbd7, which however is new to ChessPublishing:
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Now this position is very important to know if you play the Catalan as White! Can you find the move for White that Kotov missed in a 1970 analysis for Chess Informant?
Closed Catalan with 4...Bb4 5.Bd2 Be7 [E11]
Our final game features a sideline of the Closed Catalan that hadn't yet been covered on the site - namely, the variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.Qc2 c6 9.Bg5, which was recently played by Li Chao and in the game Zeng - Wei Yi. However, it is quite easy for Black to solve his problems, and with the correct move in the position below Black even gained a plus:
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What move do you suggest for Black? As usual, subscribers can find the answer by clicking the game link.
That is all for this month! I realise the Sinquefield Cup just finished and featured many interesting Queen's Gambit battles, and I will definitely cover them in next month's update, which will focus on the 'classical' approach to the Queen's Gambit Declined. Until then, I wish you luck with your ChessPublishing openings! Max
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