2022 Candidates Tournament with videos by Rogozenco and Ris, "Special" on Anna and Mariya Muzychuk, opening videos by King, Marin and Sokolov. 11 opening articles with new ideas for your repertoire and much more.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be3 This might have been a minor surprise. I had mostly played 7.Bc4 in my online games and over the board.
7...c5 8.Rc1 0–0 Black should be able to equalize after 8...Qa5 9.Qd2 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qxd2+ 11.Bxd2 0–0 12.Nf3 with precise play, but the text move is more in line with Salem’s enterprising style.
9.Qd2 Nd7
This move surprised me. I had looked at 9...e5 10.d5 Nd7 in my preparation, but here White can also play 11.c4.
10.Bd3 Another promising option is 10.Nf3 Nf6 11.Bd3, but I was not willing to play this without preparation.
10...e5 11.d5 f5 12.Bg5! This move forces Black to make a decision.
12...Bf6 While 12...Nf6 13.c4 is double edged, White’s position looked more pleasant to me. 13.h4!?
f4?! 14.Nf3 Kg7 15.c4 Playing this move, I hoped to activate my bishop through a4. The knight transfer to d6 takes time, so perhaps White could execute a bishop swap after h4–h5, g6–g5, Bd3–e2, Nf3–h2, Be2–g4.
15...h6 16.Bxf6+ Qxf6 17.Qc3 Re8 18.Bc2 Nb6
19.a4?! After a more accurate continuation 19.Rb1! Re7 20.Nd2 Black could not quickly transfer his knight to d6 because of the vulnerability of the pawns b7 and a7.
19...Bd7! 20.Rb1 Rab8 21.Nd2 Nc8 22.Qa3 b6 23.a5 Nd6 24.Ba4 b5?!
This impulsive move eventually helps White, due to the opening of the b-file. That said, it was far from obvious at this point. Black’s position would have remained solid after 24...Bxa4 25.Qxa4 Re7. White could play Rh1–h3 and then hide his king on g1.
25.cxb5 Bxb5 White would have an edge after 25...Nxb5 26.Qd3! Qa6 27.0–0 Qxa5 28.Bxb5 Bxb5 29.Nc4 Qa4 30.Rbc1! due to a protected passed pawn and a safer king.
26.Bxb5 Nxb5 27.Qh3!
The queen protects the kingside and at the same time creates threats to Black’s king and knight.
27...Nd4 White was threatening 28.Rxb5! Rxb5 29.Qd7+, winning a piece.
28.0–0! Better late than never! If not for this move, White would have big problems with his weak king and the passive kingside rook.
28...h5 29.Nf3
Nxf3+?! This exchange of the centralized knight helps White. Black could try 29...Qe7 30.Ng5 f3!? 31.Nxf3 c4 with some counterplay and reasonable practical chances.
30.gxf3! I also considered 30.Qxf3? Qxh4 31.Qc3 , but 31...Qe7 should be tenable for Black, who could sometimes liquidate into a defensible rook endgame by returning his extra pawn.
30...Kh6 31.Rfc1 Red8?! The counterplay does not work, but 31...Qe7 32.a6+– was also bad in the long term.
32.Rxb8 Rxb8 33.Rxc5+– Rb1+ 34.Kg2 Qa6
Black is threatening a mate in two, but it is White’s move and Black’s king is not safe, either.
35.Kh2! Qf6 After 35...Rb2 36.Qg2! Qf6 37.Kh3! Qe7 38.Rc6+– White protects everything and starts a decisive attack. 36.Rc6 Qd8 37.Kg2 a6 38.Qf5 With his last move Black prepared a witty stalemate trap: 38.Qe6 Qg8! 39.Qxg8?? (39.Qxe5+–) 39... Rg1+! 40.Kh2 Rh1+ 41.Kxh1=.
38...Qe8 39.Qg5+ Kh7 40.Rc7+ Kg8 41.Qf6+– 1–0
The complete and much more extensive analysis by David Navara can be found in the new ChessBase Magazine #209
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Single issue: 19,95€ or annual subscription (6 issues) 99,70€. You can find the ChessBase Magazine subscription (incl. ChessBase USB stick for new subscribers) on the CBM homepage! Or subscribe to ChessBase Magazine in the ChessBase Shop right away!
The start page of ChessBase Magazine #209 gives you direct access to the editors' recommendations: the highlights of the issue!
CBM authors analyse their favourite games of Anna and Mariya Muzychuk. Look forward to an exclusive collection of 21 annotated games!
FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022: Dorian Rogozenco shows two games of the clear winner, Ian Nepomniachtchi, in the video. Anish Giri analyses two selected games.
Prague Chess Festival 2022: The winners of the Masters, Pentala Harikrishna, and of the Challenger, Vincent Keymer, comment on one of their games. Plus analyses by David Navara, Vidit Gujrathi and Sam Shankland.
More annotated games: Anish Giri analyses two brilliant games from Norway Chess 2022.
Jan Markos devotes Part II of his video series to the topic of how to play in a "must-win situation" - a task that arises time and again not only in individual tournaments but also in team matches. To complement the video, our new author provides a small collection of five training exercises that you should go through after the video lecture!
Renato Quintiliano explores a provocative idea for Black in the Queen's Gambit Accepted, while Yuriy Kuzubov presents "a crazy Alekhine" with 5.Ba3!
Daniel King shows "a shocker": the gambit 4.e4 in the Jobava London System, often tested by GM Hans Niemann. Ivan Sokolov in the second part of his video analysis of the Queen's Gambit Ragozin Variation with 8...h5 deals with the main move 9.h4. And Mihail Marin presents new developments in the English Opening based on the game Ding Liren-Nepomniachtchi from the Candidates Tournament.
Daniel King: Jobava London System
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e4!?
Mihail Marin: English
1.c4 e5 2.g3 c6 3.Nf3 e4 4.Nd4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nc2 Nf6 7.Nc3 Qe5
Ivan Sokolov: QG Ragozin Variation 8...h5 (II)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Bb46.e3 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bg3 h5 9.h4
CBM #209 covers a broad spectrum of opening systems with 11 opening articles:
Evgeny Postny: English Four Knights 4.e4 Bb4 5.d3 d6
Petra Papp: Trompowsky 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Ne4
Martin Lorenzini: Scandinavian 3...Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3
Alexey Kuzmin: Sic. Moscow Variation 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4
Yago Santiago: Sic. Najdorf Variation 6.Bc4 e6 7.0-0
Krisztian Szabo: Centre Game 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Nc3
Sergei Grigoriants: Spanish 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nge7 5.0-0 Ng6
Roven Vogel: QG Ragozin Variation 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.e3
Christian Braun: Gruenfeld Fianchetto 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Nc3 d5
Andrey Sumets: Catalan 8.a4 Nc6 9.Qxc4 Na5 10.Qc2
Spyridon Kapnisis: King's Indian Petrosian Variation
"From Sicilians to the Queen's Gambit" - Rainer Knaak takes a close look at eight traps from current tournament practice, three of which he also presents in video format. 1.e4 players beware: In the French Advance our expert has come across "a very promising, completely new trap"!
Ian Nepomniachtchi is a master of the Petroff. His victory against Alireza Firouzja with the black pieces is the topic of Robert Ris' interactive training session. Can you find the moves of the winner of the 2022 Candidates Tournament?
Mihail Marin highlights a few typical aspects of the positional play of Maria and Anna Muzychuk. The material is classified in the categories "Positional attacks", "Positional sacrifices", "Static play" and "Dynamic decisions".
Dorian Rogozenco presents Pillsbury-Lasker (St. Petersburg 1896) - "a beautiful game" by the then world champion, Emanuel Lasker, with a number of sacrificial motifs worth seeing.
Oliver Reeh's tactics contribution consists of 39 games with many training questions. Don't miss solving his favourite combinations in interactive format with video feedback!
Hamburg endgame expert Karsten Müller has again found plenty of illustrative and training material. Do you already know the "Troitzky endgame"? In addition, Mueller provides a selection of the most beautiful endgames of Anna and Mariya Muzychuk (incl. video)!
Order now in the ChessBase Shop !
Single issue: 19,95€ or annual subscription (6 issues) 99,70€. You can find the ChessBase Magazine subscription (incl. ChessBase USB stick for new subscribers) on the CBM homepage! Or subscribe to ChessBase Magazine in the ChessBase Shop right away!
