Download PGN of August ’19 1 d4 d5 2 c4 games
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Slav Triangle 5.Qd3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 b5 7.Qd3 a6 [D43/D30]
The lines where White supports the c4-pawn with his queen can end up being rather slow and positional, but not Can, E - Saric, I which quickly exploded into complications:
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Black's previous move, 10...Ng4, invites the fork 11.Qe4 (a novelty, which was duly played) whereupon White wins material but gets his queen stuck in the corner. Although both sides missed their chances, the idea of grabbing the a8-rook seems to be fraught with danger. So 10...Ng4 looks playable to me, but this also seems to be the case with 10...Nfd7. I'm less keen on 10...Qxd3 which compliantly helps White's development.
Botvinnik Variation 7.a4 b4 [D44]
I can understand White players opting for 7.a4 as occurred in Kovalenko, I - Ganguly, S. There is less to learn and the opponent is perhaps less well prepared against this sideline. However, it seems that just about all Black's reasonable moves are playable, so theoretically the line doesn't look that challenging. Ganguly soon obtained an advantage with Black as 13...c5! opened the game nicely for his bishop pair:
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Later on, he made a couple of clear errors (curiously they were 24...Be7-d8 and then later 32...Bd8-e7) which cost him dear.
Botvinnik Variation 6.e3 [D44]
The slow-looking e2-e3 didn't work at all well in Gareev, Y - Nyzhnyk, I where Black played a strong novelty on move fourteen. Before that though he sacrificed the exchange...
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In the diagram position (after 9.axb5) Nyzhnyk courageously (and correctly) replied with 9...cxb5! (the last chance to avoid giving up the exchange is 9...Bxc3, but I don't think that it's very good) and then after 10.Nxb5 played the principled move 10...axb5. This rare line goes back many years, but it was notably employed once by Aronian in a Blitz game. Despite his material advantage I think that it's White who has to take the most care.
Anti-Meran 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 0-0 8.Bb2 e5 [D45]
In Cori, J - Shankland, S it was White who sacrificed the exchange and went on to win. Shankland employed a new plan involving an early ...g5 to 'fix and close' the kingside where his king was castled (and the opponent's wasn't!). However, Cori found a good counter in the central f2-f3 break. For his exchange, White had a safer king and a greater central presence and Black had one of his rooks rather dormant on a8 (until it was too late!). I suppose the assessment of many a crowded-board-middlegame often comes down to relative king security (whatever the material count, within reason!). Black has a wide choice on move nine, to appeal to all tastes, but the closed centre (as chosen by the US champion) with 9...e4 is as good as any (as long as Black desists from 12...g5).
Anti-Meran 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 0-0 8.Be2 b6 [D45]
When I examined Giri, A - Ding Liren I was really surprised as to how blunt the b2-b3 lines have become in the Anti-Meran. I really like the idea of ...b6 and ...Bb7 and then reacting accordingly. A generation ago, it always seemed to be White who was calling the shots, but now Black's resources are better understood, so in the diagram position...
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...Black can confidently react with 11...c5! as Ding Liren did. Nor do White's alternatives on move eleven look that great either.
In the game, Ding Liren outplayed Anish Giri increasing his advantage gradually and ultimately converting a drawish-looking rook endgame.
Anti-Meran 5...a6 [D45]
The early ...a6 lines can be something of a headache for White players, as Black's slippery set-up often enables him to angle play in a direction that suits him. This wasn't the case however in Wojtaszek, R - Fridman, D as the well-prepared Polish GM opted for rapid development involving e3-e4. The consequence of this was a slightly compromised pawn structure, but his far more active pieces more than compensated for any potential weaknesses in his camp. This one-sided encounter followed an earlier one in which Etienne Bacrot had already shown the strength of White's game. As for improvements for Black, there is a possibility on move fifteen, but if that proves not to be palatable then perhaps one would need to go back to move ten and vary from Fridman's 'slow' 10...h6.
Meran/Anti-Meran 6...dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.a3 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qc2 [D46]
The types of position that occur in Moiseenko, A - Kollars, D happen when Black insists on a 'Meran approach' even against the Anti-Meran. There are a number of plans that White could try, but Moiseenko opts for an early a2-a3 (to blunt ...b5-b4). Kollars was also cautious in his choice of 11...h6, which turned out to be a useful addition once the game opened up.
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It seems that there are notable differences in various analogous positions once the e3-e4 break occurs (see the notes), but despite it's lack of popularity I would be happy with Kollars' choice. Later on, I wonder if Black could have squeezed a win out of the endgame by holding back with his a-pawn advance (see move 30), but in any case Black's opening was a success.
Meran 8...a6 9 e4 c5 10 e5 cxd4 11 Nxb5 axb5 [D49]
One of those sharp theoretical lines that can be baffling for the outsider occurred in Navara, D - Ding Liren. I've noticed that a number of players seem to go down this line with either colour as it's rich in possibilities where the expert can hope to outplay the uninitiated:
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The diagram position is new to ChessPublishing and, even for those in the know, Ding Liren's 15...h5!? might be a new idea to many. Black indicates that he isn't going to castle and hopes to create some kingside action with active piece play combined with ...Rg8 and/or ...h4. This theme occurs in a number of lines, but usually a move or two later. The difference between obtaining the better or worse of a middlegame can often come down to a fine detail, but it might well be that the Chinese GM's problems started on move twenty where he perhaps unwisely snatched the a-pawn.
Glenn Flear
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