No.

12, March 25, 2009

OPENINGS
what’s hot and what’s not?
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The Caro-Kann is the 9rsn-wqkvlntr0
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9-+-+p+-+0
hottest answer to 1.e4 9+-zppzPl+-0
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By IM Merijn van Delft & IM Robert Ris 9PzPP+LzPPzP0
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The Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament has taken Frequency
a surprising course as far as the theoretical battles
in the opening are concerned, and we bring you the
highlights of the Austrian League.

what’s hot?
In Nice White continues to be successful with 1.e4. Anand mildly Score
surprised Kramnik in the Petroff and the latter couldn’t solve his
problems at the board. Carlsen showed a simple and safe way of
playing against Aronian’s Marshall, which quickly brought him a
big advantage. Karjakin barely escaped with his Najdorf against
Anand’s English Attack.

This week’s most suprising development is the rise of the Caro-

Kann. Anand alone has played it five times and overall Black even
has a plus score. To start with, the Panov Attack seems to be best
met by 5...¤c6. In the main line, Leko managed to quickly beat
Topalov, but as we explain below this shouldn’t be a theoretical
problem for Black. The game Ivanchuk-Anand almost reached the
Kotronias idea we mentioned two weeks ago, but deviated shortly
before that.

In our Game of the Week we have a closer look at the Advance

Variation. In the diagram position Anand prefers 6...cxd4 7.¤xd4
¤e7, but as Morozevich has shown, Black might have even more
fun with 6...£b6. Source: Megabase + TWIC, 2500+ only

1.d4 is not very hot this week and in our opinion this is due to Carlsen’s effortless use of the Classical Queen’s Gambit. Ivanchuk,
Morozevich and Topalov all had nothing to show as White. Gelfand made the Chebanenko
Slav really look one-sided with his wins over Ragger, Levin and Miroshnichenko in the
Austrian League.
what’s Not?
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ChessVibes OPENINGS what’s hot and what’s not? No. 12, March 25, 2009
Allowing a knight fork in the Caro-Kann
In his blindfold game against Sergei Karjakin, the ever-creative Russian grandmaster
Alexander Morozevich showed a spectaculair way of dealing with the Short System of the
Caro-Kann. Black players can take note: this might well be the way to play it!
game of the week
Karjakin, S (2706) - Morozevich, A (2771)
Nice (Amber blindfold), 19 March 2009
B12 Caro-Kann Advance Variation, Short System
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5
Two days later Morozevich also launched a new
idea in the main line with 4...¤d7: 3.¤c3 dxe4
4.¤xe4 ¤d7 5.¤g5 ¤gf6 6.¥d3 e5!? Leko-
Morozevich, Nice rapid (7) 2009.
3...¥f5 4.¤f3 e6 5.¥e2
This method of development is called the Short
System and was popularized by the English
Grandmaster in the early nineties.
5...c5
The most active way of playing, questioning the
white space advantage.
6.¥e3 £b6!?
True to his style Morozevich chooses the
most adventurous line. The more solid 6...
cxd4 7.¤xd4 ¤e7 is preferred by the World
Champion:
a) 8.c4 ¤bc6 9.¤c3 (9.£a4 a6 10.¤c3 dxc4
11.0–0–0 £c8 12.¤xf5 ¤xf5 13.¥b6 ¥b4
14.¦d8+ £xd8 15.¥xd8 ¦xd8 gives Black
decent compensation for the queen) 9...¤xd4
10.¥xd4 dxc4 11.£a4+?! (11.¥xc4 seems to be
a better option) 11...¤c6 12.¦d1 ¥d3! Topalov-
Anand, Nice (blindfold) 2009.
b) 8.¤d2 ¤bc6 9.¤2f3 ¥e4! (this may be an
important improvement over the less flexible
9...¥g4) 10.0–0 ¤g6 11.c4 ¥e7 12.¤xc6 bxc6
13.cxd5 ¥xd5 and Black even went on to win,
Karjakin-Anand, Nice (blindfold) 2009.
Another option is 6...¤d7 7.0–0 ¤e7 8.c4 dxc4
9.¤a3 c3!? as played in Morozevich-Kamsky,
Moscow 2008.
7.¤c3
The sharp 7.c4!? £xb2 8.¤bd2 ¤e7 9.0–0 ¤bc6
10.¤b3 0–0–0 has been discussed in two games
Volokitin-Macieja and gives chances for both
sides. White may return to this option in the future.
7...¤c6
A refinement of the Black concept: he needs
to develop one more piece before he can take
the plunge. The immediate 7...£xb2 is worse:
a) 8.¤b5 c4! (8...¥xc2!? S.B.Hansen-Berkes,
 14...£xb4 15.£c1 ¥g6 would have been simple
Crete 2007) 9.¤c7+ ¢d7 10.¤xa8 ¥xc2
11.£c1 ¥b4+ 12.¢f1 ¥c3 was good for Black
in Hasangatin-Bayev, Moscow 1996. As far
as we can see Russian IM Alexander Bayev
introduced the concept of allowing ¤c7 in
tournament practice.
b) 8.£b1! £xb1+ (after 8...£xc3+ 9.¥d2 £xa1
10.£xa1 Black is one tempo short of stabilizing
the queenside.) 9.¦xb1 c4 (9...b6 10.dxc5 bxc5
11.¦b7 d4 12.¥xd4 cxd4 13.¤xd4 ¤d7 14.¥b5
0–0–0 15.¦xa7 ¤b8 16.¤xf5 exf5 17.¤a4 Bak-
lan-K.Rasmussen, Plovdiv 2008) 10.¦xb7 ¤c6
11.¤b5 ¦b8 12.¦xb8+ ¤xb8 13.¢d2 with a
comfortable edge, Bologan-Palo, Skanderborg
2003.
8.0–0 £xb2!
Black used to play 8...c4 here, but that just gives
White an advantage because of the pawn break
b3.
9.¤b5
After 9.£b1 £xb1 10.¦axb1 Black now has
10...0–0–0.
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9...c4!
This concept is not new, as we have pointed out
above, but certainly spectacular and not widely
known. If Black manages to trap the knight he
will have nice compensation for the exchange.
10.¤c7+ ¢d7 11.¤xa8 ¥xc2 12.£e1 ¥b4
13.¥d2 ¤ge7
Black took a second pawn and is now one step
away from achieving his goal.
Karjakin - morozevich
14.¥xb4 ¤xb4?
and strong, which shows that Black has won
the opening battle. Morozevich explained it as
follows: “Black is OK after the opening, but after
14.¥xb4 I got confused and thought for about
ten minutes.”
15.¤g5?
White should have played 15.£d2! which forces
the positionally undesirable 15...c3 after which a
mess remains.
15...¦xa8 16.¤xf7 ¤ec6 17.¤d6 ¥g6 18.a3
¤xd4 19.¥xc4 ¤bc6 20.¦a2 £b6 21.¥e2 a6?
Probably Moro overlooked that by playing
21.¥e2 White gave up the protection of the
e5-pawn, so that in fact 21...¤xe5 was much
easier.
22.£c3 ¦b8?
22...¤xe5 was still better.
23.¦d1 £b3 24.£xb3 ¤xb3 25.f4
Karjakin is completely back in game.
25...b5 26.¥g4 ¢e7 27.h4 h5 28.¥h3 ¤ba5
29.¦f2 ¤c4 30.¦f3??
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A huge and decisive blunder. 30.¦e1 would
have been better, since 30...¤xa3 can be
answered by 31.f5.
30...¤4xe5! 31.fxe5 ¤xe5 32.¦g3 ¢xd6
With his centralised king and passed pawns
Black now has a technically winning position,
which he converts flawlessly.
33.¦e1 ¥e4 34.¦xg7 a5 35.¦a7 ¤c6 36.¦a6 b4
37.axb4 axb4 38.¥xe6 b3 39.¦c1 d4 40.¥xb3
¦xb3 41.¦c4 ¦d3 42.¢f2 ¥d5 43.¦c2 ¦c3
44.¦d2 ¢c5 45.¦a8 ¥e6 46.¦g8 ¥xg8 0–1
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ChessVibes OPENINGS what’s hot and what’s not? No. 12, March 25, 2009

this week’s harvest

Petroff Defence, 3.d4
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1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤f6 3.d4 ¤xe4 4.¥d3
d5 5.¤xe5 ¤d7 6.¤xd7 ¥xd7 7.0–0
¥d6 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.¤c3 ¤xc3
11.bxc3 0–0 12.£h5 g6 13.£xd5 £c7
14.¥h6 ¦fd8 15.h4 ¥e6 16.£g5
The Petroff line chosen in Anand-
Kramnik (Amber blindfold) should
be fine for Black theoretically
speaking. For example 16.£f3
£xc3 17.£f6 is answered by the
elegant 17...£xd4! and in the end
Black has a ¦ fork on h4. The new
16.£g5 took Kramnik by surprise
and with 18...¦d5 he created
trouble for himself, whereas after
18...¢xf8 we cannot see more than
a perpetual coming from White's
attack.
Ruy Lopez, Anti-Marshall
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1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4
¤f6 5.0–0 ¥e7 6.¦e1 b5 7.¥b3 0–0
8.a4 b4 9.d4 d6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.£xd8
¦xd8 12.¤bd2 h6 13.¥c4
With 8.a4 b4 followed by the
concrete 9.d4 White convincingly
prevents the Marshall Attack (as
opposed to 8.h3 ¥b7 9.d3 when
Black can still opt for 9...d5!?)
and on top of that limits Black's
options considerably. Of course
White cannot hope for more than a
slight edge himself, but for anyone
who likes a manoeuvering game
(13.¥c4 prepares ¤b3) this is the
perfect solution. Carlsen quickly
reached a close to winning position
with it against Aronian in Nice.
Caro-Kann, main line
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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.¤c3 dxe4 4.¤xe4
¥f5 5.¤g3 ¥g6 6.h4 h6 7.¤f3 ¤d7
8.h5 ¥h7 9.¥d3 ¥xd3 10.£xd3 e6
11.¥d2 ¤gf6 12.0–0–0 ¥e7 13.¤e4
¤xe4 14.£xe4 ¤f6 15.£d3 0–0 16.g4
¤xg4 17.¦hg1
As becomes increasingly clear,
the only way of punishing Black for
castling kingside in the Caro-Kann
is by playing g4 at some point.
Leko's 16.g4 has hardly ever been
played before. Topalov answered
with 17...f5 but immediately
found himself in trouble. Instead
17...¤xf2 seems to be the critical
move, leading to a perpetual in a
whole variaty of ways. In the game,
Leko won already after 24 moves.
Queen’s Gambit, 5.¥f4
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1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤f3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.¤c3 ¥e7
5.¥f4 0–0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 ¥xc5 8.cxd5
¤xd5 9.¤xd5 exd5 10.a3 ¤c6 11.¥d3
¥b6 12.0–0 ¥g4 13.h3 ¥h5
With his opening repertoire
ranging from the Sicilian Dragon
to the Queen's Gambit Declined,
Magnus Carlsen proves to be
a truely universal player. At the
Amber tournament In Nice he
looked very comfortable against
both Ivanchuk's 14.b4 and
Morozevich' 14.Be2. Unfortunately
with 20.£b3 Ivanchuk deviated
from the 5th match game Leko-
Kramnik, Brissago 2004, as it
would have been interesting to see
how Carlsen would have defended.

opening expert
Who: Jan Gustafsson Expertise: White: Closed Games
Born: June 25, 1979 Black: Marshall and Semi-Slav
Nationality: Germany Why: Gustafsson combines deep
Rating: 2634 understanding with deep
preparation.

Gusti, as the grandmaster from Hamburg is generally called, is known for his deep understanding of chess and
his mighty theoretical preparation. Last summer he almost won the elite tournament in Dortmund. In the Austrian
League he convincingly beat Nakamura (Semi-Slav) and Beliavsky (1.d4) this week.

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