modern chess preparation part 6

8/13/2019 Modern Chess Preparation Part 6

1/31

5 1 3

-

fer 29gS Black also defends wian only move: 29 c8! 0xf7+g7 c7 a 2 e 7 b4 ec7

3 331

--

Black doesn wisand e ension despie essenially aving resolved al isproblems Te simple c2 !2d xb2 g g7 4f6 c8 g6 + S 6 xg7 c + 7 f bb guaraeed a draw from aposiion of sreng

3 -533 1 - 5--

nd is already loses faigue andime rouble clearly ake eir oll draw would ave followed afer ad8 4a7 d2 S 7+ 76 gS+

3 -ow S ad8 is impossible ad eaciviy of e wie rook becomes edecisive facor Kasimdzanov conducse nal aack wi minimal forcesbrillianly

3 -35 -3 5-3 - -53 -5 5-3 5 -33 5- -5 -5 1 3 5- 3 0

Chapter 2 The Computer Era

In erms of dep of immersion ino emyseries of a posiion is exampe recalls e nand games we receny

looked a Tas no coincidence if yourecall a Rusam is par of e WorldCampions coacing eam ere, owever, for e rs ime we encouneredone of e key problems of moderncess No maer ow deep and awlessyour ome analysis, sooner or laer illcome o an end, and e swic fromauopilo o maual conrol can be difcul even for e sronges gradmasers rangely enoug, i ca beeasier o exen for te player woges caug ou by a variaion esbalancing on e edge of e abyss andca save imself only a e cos of exreme eor e doesn kow a wicpoin is opponens ome analysis willend, so wenever is opponen eadsou ono e open seas es already fulymobilised and ready o solve e moscomplex of puzzles In conras, eplayer wos leading c immediaely adap o e new mode, and during e ime aken for im o readjuse fruis of mons of work are ofen

ruined For exaple, in e game welooked a Kasimdzaov almos le ewin slip away, bu is ired opponenwasn able o exploi is cancesIs always ineresing o see encounersbeween researcers wo ake differingapproaces o opening preparaion Boris Gelfand is one of e few mem

bers of e elie o ave been formed asa player in precompuer imes Terefore e sill , in e old manner, akes responsibiliy for e concepual sideimself, allowing e MF o work oue deails Dmiry Yakovenko as mucmore rus in e macine of course,wen is used properly

49


2/31

Modern Chess Preparation

[35]D Yoveoo Ge

Jermuk 2009 (4)1 - -3 1-3 '1-5 5 1-5 5

Game 48

----55-5

Of couse noone any longe epeasKees misake of 7 0 00? wic wevealeady seen

7.

5---5

Gelfand as also played is posiion asWie 8 00 9e gS 0 g e4 f d7 2 e2 dxcS wi appoximae equaliy, GelfandKajakin,oci 2008

-31 3

j

-

W t l

1 3

Foced, due o e ea of a4+ O ae, i s foced i f Black i s planningo ake on b8, bu ees anoe mucmoe ineesing opion 0 f6 ! ? g (e mos pincipled moveBo f and a ae oally

amless fo Black) xc 2 af 'd2 aS

A) 4b4 e4 S 'c c8 6 a2

xcS 7'a c6 8 eS + d8 9 x8 + d7 0 , I okolovAonian, Tuin Olympiad 2006 I wasacually Aonian wo inoduced f6 ino pacice ;B) 4 ? isn so caasopic fo

Wie, bu is ceainly no a way ofging fo an edge 4 b S xaS xb2 6 a4+ d7 7 e c B ) If you so desie is also possible

o lose ee: 8 b4? 'xa + 9 d2d4! 20 xd4 (2 0 xd4 e4+ 2 c2'a2 + 2 2 c 0 0 ) 20 b2+2 e c + 2 2 d2 bS ;B2) 8 d ! xd 9 xb2 xb2

20 b a4 2 xb7 xcS ;C ) 4 e ! 0 0 0 ! ? ( 4 00 S b4!

d8 6 f e4 7 ' c is bee foWie) S d6 Black as a coice inis exemely sap posiion

C ) S d4 ! ? 6 e 2 ! g 6( 6 g4 ! ?) 7 xd4 e4 8 xaS'x + 9 d d7 Afe someoug e MF mly gives zeos in all

e main lines don ask me wy;C 2 ) S g4 ! ? 6 f ! ? d4 7 e4 e8

8 e2 ? ( 8 d ! ) 8 xf ! 9 gxf'xf Vav Popov, Budva 2 009 Res assued, bo playes, eoeicalexpes and vey ad wokes, kewpefecly well wa we also now knowWy didn Gelfand play f6 and

wa did Yakovenko ave in mind foa move? Ta quesion and , above all ,e answes o i, make up e main inne conen of is game

11 31 '-13 '-

--


3/31

1 3 -15

1 5 -

Fomally a novely, bu in ealiy accessible o eveyone Tue, my MF onlygives is move as is second line, bue s 7 isn even wodiscussing Weake is e8 6 4

e 7 7xg xg 8 'e 9 wi a small bu pesisen edgefo Wie, BocaovZou Weiqi,Moscow 2009

1 5-

I s ad o say if is las move by Blackcame as a surpise o Yakovenko, bu is

eacion was pefecly pedicable Isexemely dangeous o open addiionallines wen youe pooly developed

1 1 -

-

7 d7 ! ? 8 xg 'xg

1 5 51 -3

lile consevaive Te obvious movewas 9 6 e6 ( 9 g 7 ? 2 0 g6 2 d+) 2 0 7 2 xe6fxe6 22e bu afe e foced2 2 only e fa fom obvious2 f4 ! pomises Wie any winning

Chaper 2 The Compuer Era

cances , as e naual couse of evens,2 e c8 24 d f6 ! 2 'xf6+xf6, leads o equaliy

1 '-

1-

fe is move e posiion becomesoally even oweve, Black also didnave any paicula poblems afe oe

normal coninuaions 20? e4!;o 2 0 d2 ! ? e 2 d be822 xe 2 xg g24 c2=; o 20 000 ! ?

51 1 5 1

3 3 '5 1-1 5 1- - - - - -3 - f-

Te above encoune wasn disinguised by any paicula exenal effecs, and as ofen appens in encounes beween opclass gandmases auge amoun of e wok emainedouside e game played Bu even eunspoken quesions (some of wice auo fomulaed) povoke cuios


4/31


ity among colleagues and stimulatefurter investigation

Vasily Ivancuk, a representative of tesame generation as Gelfand, also reliesmore on imsel True , is opening repertoire is signicantly wider tan tatof Boris, so its very dicult for opponents to prepare to play against imTe game given below as a long prestory Ivancuk anysed te idea of f6 a long time ago, but never gotte cce to use it i practice, and tevariation was left i is ome arcive Itsurfaced ag from is memory wene prepared for te Capablanca Memorial i 2006 Te upcoming tournamentwas a double roudrobi, so you ad toprepare bot colours for eac playerOne of te upcoming opponents,Evgeny Bareev, usuy played 4c2agnst te NimzoIndia Defence, adte alfforgotten novelty was just tetg Fortunately, in te passig yearsno new games on tis topic ad appeared in te database, so all tat ad tobe done was to ceck and refres tevariations Te work t stop even

during Vasilys wedding, wic tookplace a few days before is trip to Cuba,as is second Granaster OrestGritsak was also te grooms best mao Ivancuk can consider te win in tisgame is wedng present to imsel

[3 7]

Evgeny BeevVily IvchHavana 006 {4)

1 3 13 1

1 5

Game 49

5

5. 3 3 3 7. '3 5

5 5 51 13

I " .

1

J

t was tis move tat lay beind Blacksidea Usually Black would coose fS Te novelty worked excellently, toug subsequently it turnedout tat Ivancuk ad neverteless beenpreempted

11 3

Te most natural reaction However,

just recently Wite successfully triedte extravagant 4! ? Zu Cen gotnoting in particular after fS 2 g S e6 c 6 4e f6( 4 00) S gS 'e6 6 f4 d4 7 e 0 0 8 c4 'f6 but se won tegame, Zu ChenHou Yifa, WorldCampionsip 2 0 0 If we recall tat

te Qatari players second at tis tournament was Morozevic ten it comesas no surprise Moreover, te MF, aving thougt a little, also rates tis ideaquite igl Also wort consideringwas te solid g

1 1


5/31

1 1-

d4?

A ) 2 x d 4 ? ! . e x d 4 d ?( 00) 4b + e7 S xd x+ 6 e2 x 7 e;

B ) 2 d ! xd xf2 + 4e x S .xc6 bxc6 6 .g0 0 wit better cances for Black in tegame ElianovCsBalog, BosnianLeague, Teslic 2006 For some reasontis game only made it into te databases muc later, so neiter Ivancuknor Bareev were familiar wit it

1 13 -1 1-

--5-

Black continues to up te tension Comfortable equality was guaranteed by 4 e.

15 1-11 '

-

Black didnt get into all tese complications in order to be satised wit asligtly worse position after 6 . . .e 7 . fxe e7 8 .

1 '-11 131 3 3

-333-5

Again rejecting simple equality20 .'x 2 .'d ' 2 2 . eS2 .e2 xcS

1 3- 33 '1-1 -

53'3'3-5

After 24d6 6 2 S .b4 e6 2 6 .8+7 2 7 .xb7 d Black also has sufcient counterpla

Chapter 2 The Coputer Era

-

Deciding not to force a draw wit

24 g6+ 2 S 'e4+ Ivancukcontinues to look for winning cancesagainst is extremely tired opponent,wile not running any particular risksimsel

5 1-1 -5 3- '5- 1-1 5

3 1 -1

Equality was maintained by 2 9 .xe4'xe4 0 .d8 + 7 d 7 , but fortat you needed to foresee tat after . . f 2 .b f4 teres te far from obvious g4!

3 1-31 -3

31

3 '1-5

'--

-

Tis loses te game 2 e was morestubborn, altoug after 2 . . .' c6 g f6 Wite would be faced wita dicult defence

3 '-

5 3


6/31


33 1-3 '5335 3

3 '333 3 ' 3

5'51

5--5

Witout waiting for 9.S g6+40. xg6 + fxg6#, Wite resigned.

0

Te following tree games were playedin a topical variation of te Petro, anopening witout wic not a singlesupertournament now passes. Moreover, tey all took place in one and tesame tournament Wijk aan Zee 20 0 However, te parallel wit te Gotenburg story mentioned before is purelysupercial All te participants in tecurrent teoretical duel were perfectlyinformed about te state of aairs in tevariation, wile te games played in tetournament were undoubtedly subjected to a immediate and exactinganalysis It appears no exaustive aswers ave yet been reaced to all te

questions, so a continuation of te teoretical dispute probably wont be longin coming.Te rst game to be played was

(42]Sergey KrjJ Smee

Wijk aan Zee 20 1 0 6)

1 133 35 535 13

5 4

Game S

5-5

3

1 1311 -31 313 1-11 515 1-

53--'5-

All te games in question very quicklyreaced te diagram position

1 -3

A novelty! Wat move asnt Witetried in tis most recent of 2 stcenturytabiyas? 6 (wic we ll come back

to later) , and 6 .d and 6 c4 . . . Even 6 .a4 was once played by IvancukWell, i ts not tat surprising te position is complex and interesting socreate, invent , ave a go !Moreover, te MF also doesnt ave aclear preference for ay of te optionslisted. Te curiosity is instead tat te

move in te game, wic is evaluatedquite positively by te macine, adntyet been played Its also amazing tatte move tat s te rst line and appearsquite natural, 6 f as been usedextremely rarely.

1 -5


7/31

Blacks reaction is quite typical of modern cess. A novelty particularly infairly wellknow positions often

causes suc sock tat its met, almostimmediately, wt a mistake! Te logicis perfectly understandable: te givenposition as been played and analysedso muc, and by top players, tat a newmove sould eiter be very bd, or fantastically good As te rst can almostbe ruled out all tats left is te second,wic often gives rise to uncertaintyand panc leadng to mistakesBut let s leave te conjectures and speculation and return to cess Wats tepoint of te move 6 g ? Its probablyaimed at defending te bisop in advance If 6 c4 isnt dangerous becauseo f 6 . 'e4 wt 'c2 to follow, tennow 7 c4 wit 8 .d to follow is a se

rious treat. Black does defend against it purely mecanically but tebSpaw is now a weaess tat givesBlack serious problems. Muc betterwas te calm and natura 6 . . .f6 7 .d2 ( 7 . c 4 'd7 ) 7 . .'d7 witan excellent position for Black, wente pawn on g looks a litte strange.

1 3- -5

Mistakes, as is wellknown, come npairs. If Blacks previous move only created problems , ten ts one essentialy


resolved tem in Wites favour! Alltats eft is to state tat Karjakins opening blu brilliantly justied itself! Black

sould ave dug in 7 . . . a6 8 .fd7 wit a sligtly worse but perfectlyplayable position

1 -1

Alas, Wite wasnt on te top of isgame eiter. Instead of te standardknigt switc it was practically wnning to play 8 a4! b4 9 .a6 ! (mostlikely it was tis less tan obvious movetat escaped ergeys attention) 9 . bxc 20 .e 'd7 2 xc8 xc82 xa cxd2 2 .'xd2 .

1 5-1

Here as well you can note ow mstakes

are paired. It was possible to pose sopponent problems wit 9 a4 ! ? altoug now its no longer as strong ason te prevous move: 9 . . .d6! (tenatural 9 . a6 would again ave leftBlack on te edge of defeat: 20.axbabS 2 .xc4 'xc4 2 2 .e 'e62.d 'd7 .xfS 'xfS 2.xc7!

xc7 26.d6 d7 27 .xe7 dxe728.dxe7 'eS 29.d8) 20.xd6 !2 . xe 2 2 . xdS xd 2 .xd xd6 and if Black plays accurately tegame sould end in a draw

1 1-31 35

'5'-

Te variation 2 .d d7 2 2 xf'xfS 2.xc7 xc7 24d6 d72.xe7 dxe7 26.de7 'eS only underlines te necessity of 9 .a4. Witte ale opened tis position would beabsolutely lost for Black, wile now eolds.

1 5 5


8/31


1 1-53 '1-

'55 5

'5'5--

-

After 2S .xe8 26'd xf4 27gxf4g4+ 2 8 g 'f Black isnt worse.

A sort, but very dramatic, teoreticalduel.

Te next instalment came towards teend of te tournament

[42] Game S Aexey SovVaWijk aan Zee 20 I O ( I I )

1 - -5 1-3 -3 35 -4. 5-3 5. - -5 1-3 -7. - -

- -9. 3- -1 1-3 -51 1 -3 31 3 -13 1-1 -1 5 '515 1- -

And again te familiar tabiya Up to apoint irov follows te beaten pat .

1 -3 5-

Te most popular continuation at tetime. Also seen more tan once was 6 . . 6 7 .d2 d7 8 .c4 d6wit a certain initiative for Wite

5 6

1 3-

Te secret of tis system s appeal is tat

on every move bot sides ave a few almost equivalent options, leaving broadorizons in wic to searc. All kindsof nuances and details ave great significance, and not everyone is capable ofremembering tem all. o memoryplays no small role wen you adopt tisvariation. For example, oter movestried in tis position include 7 .e 7 a4; and 7 .'a4, never mind te lesspopular optons. Te move in te gamewas considered armless back ten.

1 1 -

-1

Te best move After 8 . . . fS 9.e2 a S ( 9. . .bS 20 .a4 ! a6 2 .axbS axbS22.b also favours Wite) 20.'a4!it s ard for Black to defend .

1 -3 -

E E i8 8 8 8Z ' l

1-

A novelty tat was lying on te surface or in any case, te MF gives tis moveas its rst line witout any esitationo te surprise factor can, essentially, bedisregarded. Evaluating te more longrange consequences is a different story.Te source game went 20 .f ? ! fS2 .S g6 22 .x gxS 2 g +


9/31

8 24f ? ! ekoAnand, an uis200 Here Wite even ultimately wonte game Frankly, 20f looks a little

strange Te MF as undoubtedlygained in skill in te intervening years

55

isky is 2 fxe4 2 2 fxe4 e4 2 ce8 24 xe4 xe4 ( 2 4 xe42 S xc7) 2 S xc7 ! and Black will avetrouble in te endgame

3

Te rst concusions can be drawnWites novelty asnt altered te evaluation of te position as equal, but itsgiven it an origina congurationWite as a certain space advantage, butis king is weak

5-

Given tat Wite was neverteless almost forced to excange queens it wasa little more accurate to immediatelyplay 2 2 e7

3 3

3 Following te main line Te careless24 xb7 dS 2S xe8+ xe826 e gS (26 xc 2 7 c dS28 cS d8= is also perfectly possible)27 c4 e7! 28 d g6 migt actually ave led Wte into diculties te king is naked !

5 3- 5

Its unlikely irov ad tis particularposition on is board during prepara


tion for te game (altoug nowadaysanytings possible), but e migt verywell ave glanced at someting similar

Altoug objectively te positions stillequal its neverteless more pleasant forWite to play Given te absence of risktats not suc a small acievement !

5 3 53 3 -3 -

3 -5 33 3 5

It was perfectly solid to play 4 cSS e4 xe4 6 xe4 xe6 7 fxe6 + e8 but te move in tegame doesnt look any worse

35 5

Its ard to imagine you can nd a spectacular resource like tis in suc a calmposition wit very imited material Itprobably came as a surprise to Kramnik

35 53

If we assume Black was socked by telast move e faced a very toug coiceTe variation xe6 6fxe6+ e7 7 e4 ! bxcS ( 7 dxc? 8 gloses) 8 b c 7 9 b8 migt seemdangerous to a uman from a distance,


10/31

Modern Cess Preparaton

but te MF is unmoved 9 xg440g8 gS 4 .g7 + d8 42 g8 +wit a draw.

3 5 inaccuracy in response. Black facedmuc more tricky tasks after 6.e4!xe 7.xd6+ f8 8.xe8 (itseems Black also olds after 8 .c6 xe6 9 .fxe6 a8 40 c7 d 4 c8+xc8 42xc8 e8 4d6+ d844.fS f4 4Se+ d7 46.d6 e6)8 . bxcS ! (losing is 8 . . e8 ? 9 .c 6!d 40 c7 c8 4 .d6 cS 42 .e7)9 .xg7 xg7 40 .xe , altoug after 40 c4 Blacks drawing cances areperfectly realistic

3 3

3 '3 51 5

31

Kramnik olds te ending wit accurate play.

5

3 5 1 15 5 3 3 5 35 53 5 3 5

5 5-

Te nal instalment took place in telast round, were old arcrivals metface to face irovs novelty adtsaken Kramnik at all, altoug someadjustments ad probably been made. Afamiliar position soon arose on teboard.

[42] Game 2Vishwanathan dVlaKa

Wijk aan Zee 20 1 0 ( 1 2)1 35

11 1 1 13115

1

13355313

313331151

3

55

53'5

5

I ope te reader asnt yet forgottentis position In te previous game wementioned Wites numerous options.It turns out tere was yet anoter, and a

very unpleasant one!1 '1 1

Te idea beind tis move isnt newand is perfectly understandable as 7 c4 will be met by . .'fS, Witedefends is bisop in good time, preparing te cc4 advance in full com


11/31

fort. But it turns out teres lso ter, less obous ide .

000 5

nturl rection, but Blck soon encounters serious diculties. Its possile te move in te gme is lredy inccurcy. It ws wort consideringte composed 7 . . .6 8 . c4 (in cse of 8 .e teres te strong 8 . . .d6) 8 . . .'f 9. e ( 9 .d i s goodfor Blck) 9 . . .xeS 20 . xeS g62 . g4 fS nd Blck s no probems. Vldimir Krnik sid fter tegme tt ed forgotten is nlysis erps e d tis possibility in mindBut its extremely dicult for youremory to retin lot of similr positions diering only by nunces. If teorlds best plyers complin bout te

problem it mens it relly does exist

1 -

Blck d prepred bot for 8 .d2 ,after wic teres te equising 8 . . .d6 9 .xd6 cxd6 2 0 .xe4xe4 2 .f xe + 2 2 . xe b ,nd 8 .c4 'f 9 .e were tere

would follow 9 . . .xf 2 0 . xfd6=. However, its possible e underestimted te oter, more veiledide beind Wites 7 t move.

-

A nturl move, but one leding to dicult position. Te problems lso

werent solved by 8 . . .d6 9 .eS cS20 g6 2 f b 2 2g 4 butit ws wort considering 8 fS

- '5

Its not possible to escpe by giving upte excge: 9 . . .x 20.cxdS e2 .fxe xdS 2 2 g4.

Chaptr 2 Th Computr Era

5 51 '

t _ 1

1

: : 1 -

Aesteticlly unppeling are bot2 .c6 and lso 2 . . .c6 2 2 xc6bxc6 2.cS. Its lso rd to decide on2 . . .f6 2 2 .xS (22 ) 22 . . .xd42 .f c6 2 4. xc6 xf4 2S x7

Tere ws lso rdicl solution to teposition: 22.cS?, but Annd prefers more nturl course of events.

2 2 . . .f6 ws te lesser evil .

Followng te sme strict line. Te vition 2c x 24.g f2 . g e6 26 g6 2 7 .g4 f28.dS is of course striking, but too coopertive. Moreover, it reeks of mcineoi.

55 5

5'-5

Aoter vrition on tis teme waste l ine 2 S . . .c2 2 6 d 2 S2 7 c2 'xc2 2 8 .6 + 829 .x + g8 0 .e 'e4 .f .

5 9


12/31

Mdern Chess Preparatn

5-

26 . . .cS was a little more stubborn

1-1 5-3ts already too late to admit te mistae 27 . . f 28 cS ! .

1 -3 31 -

3 - 33 -

3 -5

'


13/31

bare kings Sb b4+ 6.d2 e7,and .bd2 and te unpretentious .'a4 and .'b .

5 1- -5

--5

. A 1 A

Its precisely tis unexpected pawn sacrice tat as breated new life into avariation tat ad been abandoned asabsolutely unpromising. ince 2 006 teteory of tis branc as developedrapidly, and te variation as enteredte repertoire of many of te worldstop players.

7.

5 -1 1-111 '-51 -

5

5--5-


1 -

A move rst played by Judit Polgar. Un

til tis it was considered obligatory toplay 2 . . g6 .'f4 00 4e Sand now Wite as a coice

A) S 'c4 dS ! 6 . exd6 xd6 7 . c aS 8 .'d c7 9 .'c2'e7 2 0 .e 'd7 2 g Gelfandeko,Jermuk 2009;B ) Also tried was S .'g4 d S 6 .exd6

x d 6 ( 6. . . f6 ? ! 7 .c d4 8 xd4 xg2 9 .fS c6 2 0 d7 ledto an edge for Wite, Carlsenvancuk,Monaco rapid 200 7) 7 c wit averdict tats typica of te ensuing positions ere Wite as compensationfor te sacriced pawn.

13 -5 '-

A A

Tis is Backs idea returning te pawn,but at te cost of an excange ofqueens. Good development sould, inprinciple, compensate for te faradvanced d6pawn. However, limited

practice asnt yet conrmed tat verdict.

1 '5-

Nisipeu neverteless avoids an excge of queens and cooses a move teM doesnt approve o Teres no doubttis coice was preceded by an enormous

1 6


14/31


amont of researc. 4.'xd7 + xd7 S .exd6 f6 6e + 7 .c b4 8 .gS ! ? ocrred te source ge:

8 . . .?! 9. d8 20 .x6 62 .e7 BareevJ. olgar, CandidatesMatc 2 007 . However, Black an obvious improvement: 8 . . .c2! 9.f6xf6 20 .e7 xf 2 .xf e8 !22.xe8+ xe8 2.c6+ d8 24.dd4, and Black notng to fear. Tatsow elleer played agst Carlsen, Biel2008 . However, te expected 9 .e7 !foowed, and Black agn encoteredces 9 . . .?! (te capture one7 is crical) 20 . g 2 . xd7d8 22.d8+ d8 2.d. eeerad most likely fond improvement onis play, but Nisipeanu preempted im . Ifyou consider te need to o pay seriousattenon to 4.4!? and 4.'f4!? youc oy imagine wat a montain ofvariaons te Romanian grandmaster adto ploug troug duing is preparaon. But te eort wnt in vain!

1 -15 '-

Insucient are S .b dS and

.'c e4.

15 1 '-1

After 6 .e Wite, besides te same 6 . . .c2 , also as to consider 6 . . .g4or 6 . . .fdS.

11 '1-1 51 1-1

-1

You can understand Blacks desire to retain te possibility of castling, but kngmoves also by no means lose : 9 . . .d820.c e8 2 .d b7 22 .d 6

6 2

9 . . .f8 20 .e xeS 2 .xa8 c82 2 .g2 S and in bot cases play is totally unclear. Its not so easy to win te

knigt tats got stuck on a , wile during tat time Black will be able to organise counterpla

1-

Te games critical position. In Blacksfavour is a gigantic material edge , wileno direct treats ae visible for Wite.However, tings aent so simple . Witealso as is trumps : wonderfully mobilised pieces and te a knigt isdoomed. Te position on te board ismost likely one of socalled dynamicequality, but ow unequal te players

practical cances are! elletier as already long since ad to make dicultcoices at te board, wile even ifNisipeanu adt analysed all te nuances in great detail ed ave ad aglance at ow te play migt develop.For im te game ad, essentially, onlyjust begu, wile Black as long since

been working ard. His mistake terefore comes as no surprise .

-

Castlng ad in fact been predetermnedby Blacks previous move, but e kgsod ave been evacated e oterdirecon! ter 20 . . . 0 00 ! 2 .'dS ! ?


15/31

(weake s 2 b f6 2 2 b2 xb2axb b7; Black also as a comfotable positon afte 2 .dS e8 22 b4

f6 2 xf6 gxf6 24 b2 xe +2Sxe e8 26. a e2) 2 . . .b722.'d f6 ! ? (22 . . e8 2.d2 f624.xa is so teesg) 2.dS(2 d2 dS) 2 . e8 24.e c2!2S .xe7+ xe7 26 .xc2 e4 e gamecould ave ended in y way watsoeve

1 35 '

Muc moe stubbon was 2 . . .fS !22xa8 deS 2.e4 'e6 24dSd8 2 S .xe7 + 'xe7 2 6 .c d42 7 .b Altoug n te na postioWites cances ae udoubtdly betteBlack would detely ave ben able toput up esstance

5 3 35

But now Blacks position goes apidlydownill.

3 '

aestetically unappealing move, butte moe natual 2 . . .'7 lost amat

cally and by foce: 24.ce7+ 82S.b! e8 26 b2! xe7 27 .xg7+xg7 28.c+ f6 29e7+ 'xe70 .xe7 ad8 d .

3

Also not bad is 24 .b4.

5 3 5

'50

In tat game te gambles isk an eseaces inquisitveness fully justiedtemselves Te pionee was less successful in te next encounte.


[ 1 5] Game 4Alexder evSergey Krj

Poikovsky 2 0 0 (8)1 3 13 3 5 '1

Te same fasionable line.

5 1 57. 5 5 5 5

1 'A elatively fes idea Muc moecommon as been d c 6, as inte NisipeanuPelletie game looked atabove, and also in LekoKajakin, Wjkaan Zee 2 0 0 .

1

Its no good at all to play . 'c7? 4 c6 2 f g6 c ! gxfS 4.xd d6 S 'xfS wt a decsiveadvantage fo Wite, akaevEkstm,Budva 2009 c6 eS f6 2 xc6 xc6 . ' d gves Wite te two bisopsad, as a esult, longtem compensation


16/31

Modern Cess Preparation

for te sacriced pawn (te oter queenretreat led to equality : .a4 0 0 4. d d4 S .c bS 6 .'a6 b4

AronianAnand, Morelia/ines 2008) 11 3- g7-g6

A natural reaction to te igt attack,toug te treat of 2 fS was farfrom fatal. For example : . . . 0 0 2 .fS b8! .'a4 ac7 (also interesting is . . .b ! ? 4.'xb ab4 witunclear compications) 4. e4 b4 andnow te best move for Wite is probably S.f4 as if S . c ten S . . .disnt bad. After S .d tere s testrong S . . b S ! .No doubt te position after . . . 0 0

will soon become a testing ground fornew teoretical experiments

1 -5

Neverteless! Te stunning knigtsacrice was of course prepared byiazantsev at ome, especially as it wasquite straigtforward to predict suc a

course of events. 2 .'eS ! ? f6 .'e4'c8 4 d ac7 S .xg6 ? !( S .a ! ? ) S .g6 6 .'xg6+ d8was played in Karjakinvidler, oci2008 Black managed to successfulyparry te attack.

1 5

I 64

1 3 -5 -

Muc worse for Black is f6 4' .

1 55Now S.e4 is treatened, so Black isforced to give back te knigt. Tatmeans Wite was risking absoutelynoting wen e went for te piecesacrice, especially as te allseeing MFvery quickly indicates suc a possibility.Karjakin also by is own admission,knew about te possibility, butiazantsev ad gone muc deeper intote mysteries of te position

1 -15 1-3

Te obvious S xdS xdS 6 'xdSwoud lead to equality after 6 . . .b4 7 'fS dS .

1 5 -

1 -

Its actually from tis move on tat man

and macine begin to cooperate asequals Initialy te MF clearly underestimates tis possibility, preferring 6 . xdS xdS 7 .xdS xdS 8 'xd f6 altoug ere Black asabsolutely noting to fear. Karjaknended is analysis at tis point , but isopponent went signicantly furter.


17/31

11 '51 5

1 35 -1 1- -53 '-

--5

55--5

It wasnt too late to be content wit abeaufu aw: 2 .g + f6 24 . fe +e6 2.xe6+! dxe6 26.6+ 62 7 .'6+ e7 28.'4+ f829.'8+, but Wite ad aeady takens decision on e 6t move.

3 -

only move. osing was 2 .f624.g+! xg 2.f4+ 6 26.fxed (even worse s 26 e7 27f!'e6 28f) 27 'g4 g8 28f6+g6 2 9 .af wit a triumpant wteattack.

-5 '- 5 1-

-5-5-

Of course Blacks task is muc moredicult at tis stage e needs to ndonly moves at te board and is literallyon te edge of te abyss At te sametime, its absolutely obvious tat Witestill asnt started playing independently azantsev was making ismoves quicky and condentl You

couldnt envy ergey is mental state:after all, it migt well turn out tatBlacks position is objectively lost andWite kows about it. Its incrediblyard to maintain your composure insuc a situation

'-


Its essential to take Blacks serious defensive idea of 28 e7 into consideration

-Wit te idea of involving te queen inpla Here 28 .e7 is no longer sostrong due to 29 .g ! (muc weaker is2 9 . f8 ? ' xf8 0 . xf8 xf8 )29 . . xf7 0 .xd8 g7 .c7 +xc7 2 .f and Wte as bettercances Teres an interesting try toseize te initiative wit 28 . .g829 .f d4 0 .f6+ c7 .'xe +b7 2af e8 ' but Witealso maintains an edge ere.

1 -1 5-

Te regrouping 29 . . d6 0 f6g8 .f ae8 2 xa7 doesntbring any relief, as after 2 ...c4 Wteas .b4! wit a wnning attack.

3 1- -5

Black as activated is queen and te

rst impression is tat es resolved allis problems. However, te attackngresources are far from exausted

31 -

Its ard to say ow far azantsevsanalysis stretced, but it cant be ruledout tat it also included te brilliant

6 5


18/31


.xa7 ! . In any case, up to tis pointites play as been awless botfrom a computer and a uman point of

vie From tis point on, owever,ites moves lose teir macinerougt quality and accuracy excellent ideas cease to be backed up by accurate calculation.

3 -

A strong and absolutely uma move,preventing te black king from escaping a te b7 square. However, terewere also oter options, including2f8! wit te idea of 4.e72 . . . xf8 (2 . . . d .e7 'd4+4.f bS S.xd8 xd8 6.xe6f8+ 7 .g2 'xb2+ 8 . 8+9 . 7) . xe6+ d6 4. ae7 xe6S.xe6+ d7 6.xb6 and Black iselpless; or 2.'f7!? d .'b7+bS 4.a6+ c6 S.xe6+! 'xe66.'b7+ bS 7.d2! wit a irresistible attack.

3 5

More serious problems were posed by 2 . . . d .'7! (it seems tat was ow

Wite was intending to play) . . .d4+ 4 .g2 d6 S . !(propylaxis!) S. . . d2 6. d7 + xd77.'xe8 'dS 8.xd2 c7 9.xe6'xd2 40.e7 wit excellent winingcances.

33 '-

In tis form te move is no longer sostrong. Tere was an easy win after .f8 ! :A) . . .d 4.7! and its time for

Black to resign. so sucient is tetematic 4 .e 7 ;B ) . . .xf8 4 .xe6 + d6 S .'7

'xe6 6 .'b7+ cS 7 .a+.

33 -3 -

4 . c 7 + ! 6 .xe7 + b4c S . e 7 ! 7 . xe 6 xe7xe78.xe7 maintained serious winningcances for Wite.

3 3

i '' :. ,

' -'

35 -Over te course of te last few movesWite, wo ad a tempting coice, askept guessing wong. However, itsonly ere tat e exceeds te bods ofacceptable risk . S .bxc! c4!( S . . . dxc 6 .xc c4 7 . e clearly favours Wite) 6 .cxd4 would

still ave kept an edge.

35 3 3

5--3

Up ut ts poit Black, by process ofelmation, ad been nding oymoves. However, wen at last a coiceappeared e also went wong. 6 . . .dc!

7 .c + b ! gave better caces.3 3-

Te tempting 7.'g6 d 8.cwould come up against te expected 8 . . .f4! 9 .gxf4 g8 .

3 '5-


19/31

3

In te eat of battle its practicayimpossible to sense wen te windcanges. Te entirely logical move inte game turned out to be too sow. Itwas necessary to be decisive 8 .xe6 ! ?e6 ! ( 8 . 'xe6? 9 'f+ c240.'e2 is too dangerous for Black)9.'f c2 40.c+ d 4 .f7

f6 42 xf6 'xf6 4 g d6 led toa draTere were unpredictable consequencesafter 8 .g6!? d 9. c d4+40 . 'xc4.

33

11

'

40 . .c2 4 .xb6 xd2 also wasntbad.

1 1-1

4 .xb6+ c2 42.g (42. bxe6 + 4 . 'x2+ 44.f ' +4 .f f8) 42 . . .xd2 4 . bxe6

xe6 44.xe6 c2 4.c d! led tote position in te game.

1 3

Also opeless for Wite is 42.e7xe7 4.'xe7 xd2 44.xe6 d4+4 .f c2.


3 ' -

'-5 '- 5- 3 '-3 - '3 3

0

An amazing game ! Of course azantsevcan curse is bad luck e in no waydeserved to ose te game. But you can telp but admire te selfpossession andingenuity of is opponent .Here weve once more encountered acurious penomenon of modern cessA player landing a surprise at te startof te game as an undoubted advantage wile e remains wtin is ome

analysis. His opponent risks tripping upat any moment and nds imself undercolossal psycological pressure However, if e neverteless manages not tolose immediately and survives crossingtat particular mineeld, te baance ofpower alters dramaticaly. Te unter,prepared only to soot is prey wit

impunity, often relaxes ad mself fallsvictim to is desperately resisting andextremely focussed opponent .Te above games cleary demonstratete depts to wic ome analysis ofpopuar opening variations can stretcIts a different matter entirey to construct your preparation for an oppo

nent during te course of an eventTat as a specic, pinpoint caracterand is connected not only to te peculiarities of te opponent, is openingand paying tastes, but often aso to tetournament situation and te immediate sporting goals. As a rule, suc preparation taes place directly before a

67


20/31


game, so time and eort must be spentrationall Its tempting, of course, tond a weak point in te repertoire of

your opponent and land a crusingblow, but wen time is limited someting like tat is usually unrealisticTerefore posing even small problemsin te opening is already an acievement Te realistic task comes down togetting te most comfortable positionfor yourself wile also one tats unpleasant for your opponent. ometimes ,owever, even in te few ours tat acess player usually as available to imbefore a game, e manages to nd anoriginal idea. In suc cases its enougto convince yourself tat te risk isnttoo great. Even if te objective value ofte novelty isnt so ig te surprisefactor is more important tan tequality. uc an approac is particularlyeective at accelerated time controls.Te following game was played in rapidcess, wic was undoubtedly someting Ivancuk took into account. Hereit must be added tat wit is encyclopaedic erudition and extremely wideopening repertoire, Vasily is particularly

strong wen it comes to preparing for aspecic opponent.

[87]Viy IvchSergey KrjNic rapid 2008 ()

1 - 1-33 - 35 1-3 1- -3 -5

6

Game

-5-5----5-

1-3 -1 -5 -1 5

1 3-3 -513 -- -

Altoug te position tats arisen wasnot considered critical for te ozinAttack, it was neverteless encounteredperiodically, and was tougt moretan satisfactory for Black Tat verdictwas also backed up by a game played byKarjakin a few years earlier.

1 '3

Vasily ad learned of tis move not longbefore te tournament in Monaco.Analysis, in wic te MF played no

small role, conrmed tat te sacricewas perfectly correct Te time controlsould only increase its eect. In tegame mentioned Wites play wasmore restrained: 4 .xf6 gxf6 :

A) .d ? ! d 6 . c xd4 7 . cxd4 a 7 8 . f4 d6 9 ? (itwas essential to switc to a miserable

defence : 9 . d 0 0 0 2 0 d ) 9 . . . 00 0 20 .xf6 xd4 0 , PapaKarjakin, ausanne 200. Altoug tenovelty Vasily played doesnt ter teevaluation of te position it totally alters its caracter and forces Black to actextremely accurately. Moreover, ergeywas forced to act wit extremely lim


21/31

ted time, wic mde is tsk evenore dicult

B) .e4 ws better, nd no doubt

Kjn would ve ten tis mproveent into ccout. . . .xd4 6.d4xd4 7 .x6+ 8 8 'xd4 d8 9 .4 ( 9 . . .6 ! ?) 2 0 .g 4 wirougly equl cnces.As for estetics, until very recently tisnd would ve provoked sorm odeligt mong connoisseurs o cessbeut Now te itul M nds 4 .xe6+ in seconds , nd soon gives ts te rst line. For me personlly, ttsunplesnt news

1 15

Blck ws ced wi n extremelytoug coice, so its no surprise ergeydidn t guess correctl

1 5 -5

Te best deence (undoubtedly due toe Ms eorts) ws demonstrted veryquickly : . . .e7 ! 6 .e xe6 !

7 .xe6+ e7 8.6 gx6 9 .d !(in AndewsGopl, Pildelpi 2008,tere ollowed 9 .de ? d7 wibeter cces for Blck) 9 . . .xd20.xd nd e mos liely outcomewould ve been d t seems stoug e move in te gme is ony trnsposition o moves , bu ts not e


cse. Blck could ppently so vecieved dw t te elp o te utterly composed b6! 6 .e

(Wite so isnt losing ter 6 .xc7 +xc7 7 .e + e7 8 .d b8 9 .xb7 xb7 20 .x6 gx6 2 .e6 22 x6) 6 . . .'2!! nd Wites noting better perpetul ceck: 7 .c7+ ( 7 xg7 + 8 8 .e6+ 9 .4+ 8) 7 . . .8 8 .e6+ 9 .4+ 8 20 .e6+ . o itseems vncuks briint nd ws perectly correct, nd even i Blck plyedcorrectly e ws tkig no risks. ts just pity tt te potentil o tis discoveryws exusted ter only few gmes.

1

Wite wouldnt ve d ts resouceter . . .e7 ! .

1 -

osing ws 6 . . .e 7 ? 7 .e 88 .

1 - -

And tis coice s well turned out to beless n optiml. Better ws 7 . . .e 7 !

8 . e x2 ! 9 .xe xe 20 .g 7 ! c4! 2 .xc4 bxc4 22 . 7! 2.x g6 wit n pproximtely equl position.

1 1-1 51

Te decisive mistke. esstnce couldve been continued in two mnners

8 . . xg + ! ? 9 .xg + g620 .ce4 ! e7 ! (20. .xe4 2 .xe4e7 2 2 .d6) ltoug fter 2 .(or 2 .e 6) Wites cnces regreter.Deserving o serious considertion is 8 . . .x!? 9 .xe xe 20 .d8+g6 2 x6 x6 22 . xb7 8 !

1 6 9


22/31


23/31

1 3 1 -11 1-15 3

-5

Tis position far from new. Evenat grandmaster e dozens of gamesave started from ere Te teoreticadispute ad added interest due to tefact tat Wang Yue, an ardent devotee ofte Berlin , ad recenty defended tisposition against Almasi and Adams,wile Yakovenko ad beaten Alexeevwit wite.

1 3-

A pan introduced into practice byKarjakin. Previously Wite ad usually

cosen 6 .f4.

1 - 1-3 -1 - -1 1 1 1

After te loss in tis game Wang Yue by

no means lost fait in tis positionAgainst eko (Nice bind 2009) e retreated te king to e8 (wic looks sensibe as te main events are developingon te kingside) and eld te positionTrue , tat game took pace blindfold Ofcourse, far from everyone is ready againand again to play tis uninspiring posi


tion for Black, but its weknow tatteres no accounting for taste

1

33 -3 3

-5-5

It was better not to rus tis excange,but Wite coud ave gradualy forcedit wit te following regrouping: g,2 and ten e4.

5 3 11 1 1 3

-1--

Amazingly, exactly te same posonarose in te previously mentionedAlmasiWang Yue, Baku 2008. n tatrapid game Wite automatically wentfor 0c4, but didnt manage to breaktroug is opponents fortress Duringis preparation Yakovenko managed togo deeper into te nuances of te posi

tion3 3-

Te excamatin mark isnt for testrengt of tis absoutey obviousmove, but for te principed rejectionof te c2c4 continuation. Te point oftis subtlety wil be reveaed later


24/31

Modern Cess reparaton

331 -3 -5

33 53 535 -3 5-3 -33 3-5

3 -3

--5

5-3--3-55-

Here wy te pawn ad to remain onc2

3 -5

Due to te treat of 40d4 tere noway of avoiding ti undeirable ad

vance, and after it Black biop become an invalid

3- -5

Only ti move i te deciive mitake40 bc4 4 bc4 c6 wa te onlycance for Back He loe te cSpawn,but not te game Te rigt quare a8

become te key factor1 5- - - 5-3 - 1- - 5 5 3 -

5- 5 -

5 551 5-55 -53 5-35 3-

---5

--3-3--

A it impoible to give up te biopfor te paw, Wang Yue reigned

0

Dmltry Yakovenko

upercially ti wa an amazingy eayvictory for Wite, but you can onlyimagine ow muc eriou analyticalwork it required predicting te opponent coice of opening, potting teaw in wat ad eemed to be an impregnable fortre and ten nding an

elegant way of detroying it ucacievement are rare but tat maketem all te more creatively atifying.Even te ucky defenive reource onmove 40 doent cange ti verdictYakovenko did i job perfecty and tefull point wa a welldeerved bonufor i ard work


25/31

Grandmaster Morozevic is kown foris origina and sometimes even para

doxica decisions. His opening repertoire aso stands out for being unconventiona. For years e successfuypayed te Cigorin Defence, wicunti e came aong wasnt consideredto be an entirey correct opening. Hisideas aso signicanty revived te avDefence. On tis occasion, e payed a

new move in a variation of te NimzoIndian Defence tat appeared to avebeen studied inside out.

[39] Game 7Alexder MorozeviRl PonomariovMoscow 20 08 {)

1 3. 13 4. 1 - -5 13 5 5

5

Wat moves aven t been peope payedin tis ongfamiiar and westudiedposition! Aong te most widespreadare: 7 .a; 7 .g; 7 .d2; 7 .e, but testrange move made by Morozevic intis game adnt occurred to anyonebefore im. Its objective virtues arent


obvous, but at te same time its by nomeans bad. If you aso take into account

te surprise factor, te drastic aterationof te pawn structure and te ensuingnove probems tat need to be soved atte board, ten its an interesting andpromising approac to te opening.

7.

Te oter capture ooks more natura

we were al taugt in our cidood totake wit a pawn towards te centre.Immediatey after te main tournamenttere was a bitz tournament, in wictat line was aso given an expressceck: 7 . . .bxc6 8.a xc+ (ess logical is 8 . e7 9 .e4 d6 .b4! ? b8 e2 aS 2 b axb4 .axb4 a6

MalakovFedorcuk, Budva 2009)9 .xc :A) 9 . . . d . e ( b4 e4 c2

cS 2 .b c7 .e a6 Carlseneko) . . .cS c2 ce4 2 .e2 aS( 2 . . .b 7 . 00 c 4 .b 'e7 MorozevicAlexeev) .b b6 4. 0 0b 8 S .b a 6 Morozeviceko;

B) 9 . . .c .c2 aS .e ce4( . . .e7 2 . g a4 g2 a6MorozevicKarpov) 2 .c a4 .d2xd2 4.xd2 a6 S .g dS MorozevicPonomariov.Atoug tese games nised in various ways (bitz is bitz! ) , Back ad noneed to compain about te outcome of

te opening. If you add Ivancuks idea 7 . . .d ! ? 8 .a (8 .cxd ! ? ) 8 . . .xc+9.'xc e4 .'c2 bxc6 wit fuyedged play for Black (MorozevicIvancuk, eon rapid 2009), ten youcan consider te peak of te popuarityof 7 .c6 ! ? to ave passed.

-3

8 .g ! ? .


26/31

Modern Chess Preparaton

'3

3-5

Excessive activity connected wit9 . e4? ! leads to diculties: 'eS !acS b4 f6 2 f4 c .d2e4 4. xc xc .e a4 6 b b6 . d ! ( . c d ! ) .

1 1-3

1 5-

Te wrong knigt! . . .fe4! ? .c2'aS+ 2 .b4 ( 2 d2 xd2 xd2a4 4.'xa4 xa4 0 0 0 d8 !also promises Wite little) 2 .'a4 'b2 ! ? d 4.g4! (te position after 4. g aS .'d4 df6 favours

Black) 4 . a .d4 b 6 .d'xd exd d6 Cances are abouteven in tis sarp position.

11 '3-5

Te e4knigt unexpectedly turns outto be in danger

1 1 -5gely enoug, tere was no longer asatisfactory defence Even after e morestubborn . e 2 .0 00 d8 .xd8+ 'xd8 4.g4 d6 'f4 b6.g .g4 g6 8.e Wteas an undoubted edge Bad is . .'d6 2 d xe xe or .c 2 .g4.

7 4

1 -

Its remarkable, but by te 2 t move,just ve moves after .c6!?, its time forBlack to resign.

1 -5

Relatively better was 2 6 4x 4.x xg4 but tats alsobad.

13 -51 -15 5

'-55

Wite doesnt just ave extra piecebut also an attack. ometimes tat turnsout to be too muc, but not in tis

game

1 5 -1 3-

6 . g g6 'xb is simpler.

1 -1 '5-

1 -5 -1 1-1 - 1-1 '1 5- 1- '53 35 -5 5 5 1-


27/31

.

5

331333

33533

5555--31-1

3133

5

5353-33-3

50

Te abrupt cange of rytm i a fairlyackeyed position ocked even asstrong ad experienced a player as Ponomaiov o balance. However, Moro

zevics inovation is an articial product, ad one ard to recommend as ametod. Wat is possible wen alysing opening positions, toug is to tryad deliberately dsregad te rst lnesof te computer d concentrate on teless obvious continuations. Perapsyoull maage to nd a fres idea tat

suts you style and mood In moderncess , wen everyones studying te rstee or fou lines suc a approacmgt bring you decent practical resultsTe overwelming majority of illustrations in tis capter are taken from tegames of elite grandmasters , but teyrenot te only people wo work on cess


Te following example is, to my tastes,one of te most memorable in tisselection

[94]Sebastien FellerManuel ApicellaFrance tt 2009 (9)

1 3 1-

5 13 1 13 - 1-1 31 1 1 1

1 3

Game 8

55-

Tis position, ising from vious moveorders, cant be considered one of temost topical Its even more remkable,ten, wat appened in tis viation It

began wt te game FellerBacrot in te2008 Frenc Campionsp Bacrot, after a long tink, felt tat sometng wasup ad rejected te most principled 2 d Te neutral 2 . . c7 led to asligtly worse position for Black. ButFeers next opponent Apicella ceto te game fullyamed

7 5


28/31


1 -5

A natural desire to exploit te te oppo

sition of te pieces on te ele 13 5 5

I * _

CjCj '

1 3

A bolt from te blue! Te move itselfand, above all, te idea beind it, makean enormous impression It also defeatste MF, wic doesnt include it in terst ten lines at a dept of 4 It recommends te perfectly sensible and predictable 4 b cS 'a( b4 f8 ! ) cd7 wit a complex position We can assume tis adbeen te subject of Blacks preparation

for te game But wats most amazing(and galling, for me) is tat after beinggiven 4f4 to look at te macine veryquickly reassesses its values, fully appreciating tis amazing resource forWite

1 5

Tis Frenc story was continued at teEuropean Team Campionsip in Noviad, wen Fressinet, wit te elp ofis teammate Feller, defeated Mcaneafter demonstrating te drawbacks ofte oter capture : 4 xe4 S xdSef6 ( dcS is refuted by 6 f !xdS 7fxg6 xg6 8 c4 S

7 6

9 xf7 +) 6 c7 xe 7 xa8wit an edge for Wite

15

Rybkas rst line, altoug up to a pointte macine doesnt fully believe in testrengt of Wites idea, evaluating teposition as equal owever, youve gotto assume tat Feller ad enoug patience during is preparation toconvince te MF

1 5 trangely enoug, Bologan, an acknowledged expert in te King s IndianDefence, also decided to test out tecorrectness of Wites idea owever,after a 6 g S 7 xgxS 8 b4! c7 (peraps te lesserevil was 8 xb4 9dS 'c20 c7 xd4 2 'xc xS 2 2xcxcS 2xe8 24f6+ g72 altoug its also ard forBlack to survive ere) 9 d ! xc220 xc2 f8 2 f eS 22 d4 eended up in an extremely dicult situation, GyimesiBologan, EuropeanCampionsip, Rijeka 2 0 0

1 51 51 1

55

At rst te MF tinks 8 xd4 leadsto equality, but teres no need to arguewit te mindess macine, as you justneed to give it some time to tink and

ten it comes up wit te rst line: 9 xd4 'xg S + 20 \ xf72 xe4 xe4 2 2 'xe4 df6 2 fd7 24b7 d8 2 b6 e726 xd8+ xd8 2 7 xa6

1 1 1-1

-5


29/31

1 3-

It seems it was only at tis point tat

Wite began to create independentlyTe MF clearly prefers 2 c4 ! . I tsard to kow wat was beind tat: inis ome analysis did it seem to Fellertat all roads lead to Rome? Or did ismemory let im down? I m inclined towards te second version.

1

5

3 -5

'-

'5

Passionate, beautiful and umanly understandable, but in a struggle against iron intellect it would be insu

cient. He sould ave calmly includedte queen in te military actions:2 g4 cS 24.'g2 or 2 .'c (witte idea of 24'e) 2 . . e 24.f

3 -

Te MF indicates a pat to a forceddraw: 2 . . gxfS! 24 dS e

2 S . dxfS b6 ! 2 6 gS (2 6 Sf4e6 27.xe4 g8! 28xgS 'xgS isweaker) 26 . .'xgS 27'xe4+ g628 '4+ '6 29 d+ g8 0 .'d8 + f8 Here as well te MF insists tat all sensible moves lead to apeaceful outcome. Ill limit myself tosowing te most picturesque pat:

Chaper 2 The Compuer Era

d d 7 ! 2 . e 7 + . g 6 + g 8 4 . e 7 +S g + f7 6 . f + .

8g7

5

5 1

Remaining true to te metod of bruteforce. Wite stood better after2S .'d2 ! ? 26 .f4! .

5 5 3-5 - - 5-

Blacks desire not to allow 28'd4+ isunderstandable. However, after2 7 . . .f7 28.d4+ f8 29b4+g7 0 xe4 f .d4+ f8

2 .f d8 Wites sligt edge isn tenoug for victory

-

28 b4 ! .

2 8 g .

-3 5- 31 1 -13 33 1 -3 '-35 5

-5

--5--3--5


30/31


You can only sympathise with Black e had to undergo too many trias inthis game!

I d put 4. f4 ! ! on top of the hit paradeof te most wonderful moves in thisbook. Te recent scandal around theyoung Frenc grandmaster has ad noinuence on my assessment. his gamedemonstrates Fellers great creative potential: a paradoxical idea and deep andaccurate analysis of all te ramications preparation of the very ighest classAs for the inaccuracies in the middle ofthe game, thats a topic weve alreadytouced upon. Its extremely tough toquickly switc from te comfortablemode of we ad this at home to thetense rhythm of taking decisions at theboard.

Te following game is, in a sense, aprototype of te cess of the near future. Or, to be more precise, of ow tisautor sees it: an ideal marriage between te umans creative impulse andthe accuracy and infallibility of the MF.Te encounter could easily serve as amodel of modern preparation. Of

course, not all chess players possess theintuition and imagination of MagnusCarlsen. Given that, it would be appropriate to use te prompts of the failsafeMF The realm of general knowledge te top lines of the programs is consciously ignored, as your opponentsalso study tat carefu Te search for

new possibilities takes place at greatdepths and te attitude to the openingis somewat altered its not about obtaining advantage with white orclearly equalising with black, but aboutgetting a playable position which youunderstand better tan your opponent.Of course, acieving that requires enor

mous work during preparation, selfcondence and... greater class All ofthat was demonstrated by the young

Norwegian in this encounter.[097] Game 9Ma Clsenener Donez PerezWijk aan Zee 20 I 0 ( I I )

1

3 1 3 1 -35 '13 3 - 5 '3

55-5

A wellow position thats been triedmore than once at the very ighestlevel.

1 3-5

A theoretical novelt Its objective value

isnt so obvious , but the fact that Rybkadoesnt include tis move in its top ten( ! ) lies at a depth of 4 immediatelydramatically increases both te psychological and practical effect of Carlsensnd He could predict in advance thahis opponent woult have looked athis continuation in his preparation


31/31

wic is aready a great success in modern cess Normal moes in tis position are 0 e2 and 0 e , wile te

moe most often encountered in practice is te sarp e6 Howeer, in teopinion of te MF none of tese moesalters te ealuation of te position asapproximately equal

11 1 1-31 1-1

13 1-

--5

Lines like e6 xd4 (or f6 4 f7 c8 d a 6 b4ac4) 4 xd4 xd4 xf7 xe6 6 xd8 xf2 + 7 e2 xb 8 axb axd8 9 xd d820x d2+ ae absolutely unclear,besides in no way corresponding to teNorwegian s style

131 3-15 -

-55--

Black as, up until now, resisted te obious attack on te gSkigt wit 7 6, and now extracts certan dii

dends from tat Wites paw centreas been attacked wit tempo

1 5-31 3

35

7 c6 8 e4 e6 9 d cxdS 20 d4looks ery dangerous, but after2 0 d7 Black olds Aso interesting

i s 7 d 8 xd xdS 9 xe7xa2, altoug in bot cases te position is tactical, and up until tis pointte Cuban grandmaster ad used up alot of time and energy wic was temain consequence of Carlsens openingnd Blacks desire to stabilise te paw

Chapter 2 - The Computer Era

ral and understandable, but it as purecess drawbacks it opens up te dlefor Wite, and te main ting is tat it

poides im wit te crucial d4square

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It looks more natural to play 20d4!but after te forced 20 d7 2 axeS you ae to nd 2 2 d ! , wicis muc stronger tan te supercial22'xa6 or 22xf In tat caseWites cances would be preferable

After 20 c2! Wite could sacricete excange axb ! xd 2 2 xd wit sucent compensation

1 3 3-

5-

E

. .

: :

It seems as toug Black as no problems all is pieces are in play, and te

extra pawn, altoug doubled, is also aserious factor In order to maintain teagging tension Wite as to come upwit someting

3 -

An unexpected resource Te obious

modern chess preparation part 6

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