Andrew Martin – Cut and Thrust

It's ... the Andrew Martin Radio ChessBase Show

Gambits are alive and well in the modern version of chess, but you have to be selective. In our first game Nigel Short has no inhibitions and launches the Evans Gambit on Sokolov.

Short,Nigel D (2712) - Sokolov,Ivan (2690) [C51]
Sarajevo Bosnia Sarajevo (7), 25.05.2004
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3

Then comes 5...Bd6!?. We take a close look at this interesting move.

New ideas against the King's Indian don't crop up every day because the opening is so well analysed. We review the monthly column TWIC Ttheory and dip into Andrew Martin's December column for Larsen-Gabriel where the topical 9.a4 is investigated.

Larsen,Bent (2515) - Gabriel,Christian (2555) [E97]
Bad Homburg Bad Homburg (5), 21.07.1998
1.c4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.a4

The recent struggle between Carlsen and Morozevitch brought this move back into the limelight, but maybe Carlsen got his ideas from the veteran Danish Grandmaster .

Topicality will always be important on the radio show and we examine Aronian-Morozevitch from the Tal Memorial.

Aronian,L (2741) - Morozevich,A (2747) [D27]
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (1), 06.11.2006
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 a6 5.a4 Nf6 6.Bxc4 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Rd1 Qc7 10.dxc5 0-0 11.b3 e5 12.h3 e4 13.Nd4 Ne5 14.b4 b6 15.Nd2 bxc5 16.bxc5 Bxc5 17.Ba3 Bxa3 18.Rxa3 Ng6 19.Nf1 Qc5 20.Rc3 Qg5 21.Ng3 h5 22.Kh1 Nh4 23.Qc2

23...Nxg2 would have scared a lesser player, but some fascinating cut and thrust develops.

Take a look at the King and Pawn ending making up this week's puzzle.

What would you do as Black and why?

Answers to andrew@andrewmartinchessacademy.com by 19:00 CET / 18:00 GMT Wednesday 8th Nov. Last week's winner was Dave Winder from Blackpool in England. Congratulations!

Solution to last week's puzzle

1.Kd7!! An ingenious move, threatening 2.Qg6+ Ke5 3.Nxd3 mate. Other white tries are elegantly foiled: 1.Nfxd5 Nb1!; 1.Nfxe6 Nb3!; 1.Ng6 Nc4! Black must defend by protecting d3. 1...Qb1. Similarly, if 1...Qb3 2.Nfxe6; 1...Qc4 2.Ng6!. 2.Nfxd5! and mate will follow with either 3.Nc3 or 3.Qf4. Superb!

The radio show this week starts at 18:15 GMT / 19:15 CET. See you there!

The Andrew Martin Chess Academy opens today, March 1st 2006. The site offers a personal game annotation service; a regular newsletter written by AMCA staff; the best online tuition in terms of value and quality; a series of tournaments for children aged under 14; all aspects of chess training, including specific opening preparation; an AMCA room at PlayChess.com, where lessons may be held in complete privacy with our expert tutors – all at a time that is best for you at any time of day or night, anywhere in the world. The motto: "Join us, Improve and enjoy your chess!"

Andrew Martin, chess trainer and teacher

He is not some unknown in the world of chess. Andrew Martin was the star commentator in the 2000 London match between Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik, and he gained recent international fame and popularity with his live audio commentary on Playchess.com during the FIDE world championship in San Luis.

Andrew is also a prolific chess trainer, not just live in British scholastic circles, but also in a series of training DVDs he has produced for ChessBase, taking full advantage of our Chess Media System. His lively, entertaining style, combined with a good dash of humour, makes any lesson with him a delight to follow.

Andrew Martin is 47 years old and lives in Sandhurst, England, with his wife and four children. His book King‘s Indian Battle Plans for Thinkers Press was an international best-seller.

Each week Martin will cast his eye over the contemporary chess scene, presenting a veritable pot-pourri of interesting topics. We look forward to the pleasure of your company.

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