Aeroflot Open: Bologan's masterpiece

2/23/2018 – The A group of Aeroflot Open is one of the most keenly contested open tournaments out there. There are 32 GMs above the rating of 2600 and all of them are vying for the top spot which not only earns them a hefty prize fund, but also a chance to play in the Dortmund super tournament. After three rounds we have only two players on 100% score Viktor Bologan and Tigran Petrosian. Bologan's victory over Korobov was a beautiful game and it is analyzed in great depth in this report. ChessBase India's Niklesh Jain brings you all the updates from Hotel Cosmos in Moscow.

Aeroflot Open 2018 starts in Moscow

2/19/2018 – Starting on Tuesday, February 20th, the Cosmos Hotel in Moscow (view from a guest room pictured) is once again the venue for the major annual Open sponsored by the Russian airline Aeroflot, which is already celebrating its sixteenth edition this year. There will three separate nine-round Swiss tournaments, and the top A Open is one of the strongest open tournaments ever — for a place on the starting list a player must have an Elo rating of at least 2550. The top seed is last year's winner Vladimir Fedoseev (Russia, Elo 2724), followed by Indian phenom Vidit Gujrathi, just one Elo point behind. | Photo: Niklesh Jain

The Kasparov Gambit

The introductory position of the Kasparov Gambit can occur after 1 d4,1 Nf3 and 1 c4, which can appeal to a wide range of players. The usual move order is 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nf3 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e5!? 5 Nb5 d5 6 cxd5 Bc5 bringing us to a very sharp position. On this 60 mins, FIDE Senior Trainer Andrew Martin argues the case from the Black side, showing both classic Kasparov masterpieces and games from the present day and suggests that White's defensive task is not easy. This is a practical gambit which will help players at all levels to win more games. It is ideal for must-win situations with Black. It is a gambit that White cannot decline,as if he does, Black gets a good position instantly. White must take up the cudgels and fight!