The Semi-Slav: A GM guide for the tournament player
The Semi-Slav (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6) can arise via various move orders, has decided World Championships, and is one of Black's most fascinating replies to 1 d4. Magnus Carlsen's second, Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen explains in detail what this opening is all about.
Everyone loves data, and the new FIDE administration commissioned research firm Nielsen to conduct a wide-ranging survey which launched on July 12. Now the survey period is quickly drawing to a close, and FIDE plans to wrap it up and begin analysing the results this weekend. If you haven't yet participated, it's not too late, and you can have a chance to win a two-hour training session with Vladimir Kramnik!
Apropos Nielsen and soliciting feedback...this week, if you've been paying attention to chess Twitter, you may have seen the back and forth between Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen and GM and FIDE Vice-president Nigel Short, among others, which began as Nielsen's effort to remind Short of some of his 2018 FIDE Presidential campaign ideas — specifically this one from July 23rd of last year:
FIDE should introduce a register of PB members' financials interests, with steep punishments, or even prosecutions, for non-disclosure, so that individuals do not vote to enrich themselves to the detriment of the organisation. #cleanhands4fide
— Nigel Short (@nigelshortchess) July 23, 2018
Using the Twitter hashtag #cleanhands4fide (Short's campaign slogan) and #1year, Nielsen mused:
Corruption is historically by far the biggest problem in the Chess-world. [Nigel Short's\ suggestion of full financial transparency in [FIDE] needs every bit of support.
That, unsurprisingly tweaked the former World Championship Challenger just a little bit, who suggested Nielsen could be more constructive than acting merely as an "armchair critic":
I am delighted with your enthusiasm for reforms within FIDE, Peter. I warmly encourage you to become actively involved. You will be so much more effective than as an armchair critic.
— Nigel Short (@nigelshortchess) July 23, 2019
Nielsen suggests that the new administration could be more forthcoming than they have been so far on enacting the sorts of reforms that both Dvorkovich and Short supported in the run up to the election.
@nigelshortchess I was a huge fan of your campaign, wrote to the Nordic Federations asking to support you.
— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) July 23, 2019
And I believe you want to have genuine reform within FIDE.
I just do not see the changes happening and fear a new power-elite forming.
That served only to provoke Short further, who broke out a bit of "what you don't appear to realise" condescension.
What you don't appear to realise, Peter, from the comfort of your armchair, is that changes require support. Some of them even require the 2/3 majority of the General Assembly, without proxies - because we have already done away with that particular electoral abuse.
— Nigel Short (@nigelshortchess) July 23, 2019
But, getting in the last word (for now), Nielsen wondered:
What is actually stopping the PB-board from putting your suggestion of financial transparency into effect?
— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) July 23, 2019
For a start it could be on a voluntary basis until the GA.
Touché Grandmaster! And in another bid for greater #Transparency...
@FIDE_chess Under the previous administration they actually published the Presidential Board members income from FIDE events. Will this practise be continued?
— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) July 25, 2019
And if so, where can one see the 2018 figures? #Transparency pic.twitter.com/O39LonACOe
Neither of those last two tweets has, as yet, received a reply.
Reform is certainly a topic on the FIDE agenda, however. Earlier this month there was a meeting of the Constitutional Commission at FIDE's new offices in Lausanne, Switzerland to discuss a new draft FIDE Charter, which is expected to be "ready by the end of July 2019 so that to be presented [SIC] and disseminated to relevant FIDE stakeholders for final discussions".
(Standing L to R) Francois Strydom, Kezzie Msukwa, Tomasz Delega, Lakhdar Mazouz, Ken Koort, David Jarrett, Willy Iclicki
(Seated L to R): Casto Abundo, Roberto Rivello, Ian Wilkinson
No mention on whether the draft will be made publicly available, but the press release about the meeting strikes the relevant notes about good governance and transparency:
The hard and intensive work went in a very positive and constructive atmosphere and all participants contributed to further relevant improvements and amendments so that the strategic FIDE material is as much as possible supporting the efforts of the world chess umbrella organisation to transform in the well governed and transparent body.
Peter Heine Nielsen has previously recorded three FritzTrainer video series for ChessBase.
Volume one of the DVD deals with 9.Bc4, White's sharpest option, and shows how Black can counter this ambitious try by White with the main lines of the Soltis variation (12...h5), which was played by Magnus Carlsen regularly as well.
