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Two games from the Sicilian Grand Prix Attack show this controversial variation in contrasting light.
Chandler,M (2540) - Schenk,An (2512) [B23]
4NCL 2006-07 Coventry ENG (3), 11.11.2005
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.0-0 e6 7.d3 Nge7 8.Qe1
0-0 9.a3
White's 9.a3!? works out wonderfully, but perhaps he only got the chance for this luxury because Black played 2...d6.When Black delays ...d7-d6, the variation is less effective , as we come to understand when we view
Gantsevich,A (2034) - Nadjezhdin,D (2238) [B23]
Petersburg Autumn St Petersburg RUS (2), 01.11.2006
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bc4 e6 6.f5 Nge7 7.fxe6 dxe6
8.0-0 0-0 9.d3 Na5
Black's position after 9...Na5! shows the difference.
Beware the sleeping Petroff, as David Navara finds to his cost against Rabiega.
Navara,D (2725) - Rabiega,R (2529) [C42]
Bundesliga 2006-7 Berlin GER (3), 18.11.2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nc4
4.Nc4 turns out to be less than inspiring.
Then a virtuoso endgame performance from my old friend Bruno Carlier. He starts with his usual rubbish
Carlier,B (2451) - Retera,J (2281) [A05]
TCh-NED 2006-7 Netherlands NED (1), 23.09.2006
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b6 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.0-0 e6 5.d3 Be7 6.e4 d5 7.e5 Nfd7 8.c4
dxc4 9.dxc4 Nc5 10.Nd4 Bxg2 11.Kxg2 Qc8 12.Qf3 Qb7 13.Qxb7 Nxb7
After 13...Nxb7 it just gets better and better for White. I seem to recall the puzzle position this week might have been inspired by another of Carlier's games, but I'll have to check on that.
This is the position after nine moves by both players. All I ask is that you reconstruct the game. Answers to andrew@andrewmartinchessacademy.com by 19:00h GMT, Wed 22 November please. You cannot use your engines for this one so I hope you do not feel exposed.
Florencio Mendes de Morales
White checkmates in seven moves using his trio of queens, but ONLY on the a-file. You have a choice on the first move, but then all the other six moves have to be exact.
An offbeat puzzle which is not as easy as it might first appear. The solution: 1.Qa4 (or 1 Qa3) 1...Kg8 2.Qa1 Kf8 3.Q1a2 Ke8 4.Q2a3 Kd8 5.Q6a4 Kc8 6.Qa8+ Kc7 7.Q4a7#. I am sure that you will find this exercise useful when you next come to play over the board.
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