ChessBase Magazine 151 – 'Commended for the aspiring player'

by ChessBase
1/11/2013 – The final CBM issue of 2012 is once again packed with exciting material. On the DVD you will find over 4,000 games, 139 with annotations, from four world class events, in each of which the level of tension remained high right to the very end. There are eleven detailed opening surveys, sections for strategy, tactics, endgames – something for everyone. Review by Prof. Nagesh Havanur.
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ChessBase Magazine # 151 (DVD + Booklet)

Review by Prof. Nagesh Havanur

For the ambitious player ChessBase Magazine offers both an ammunition tank and also a field manual. Its vast database of recent games can “feed” a whole army of tournament players. The current issue alone has 4467 OTB games and 6037 Correspondence Chess games. Admittedly, the number of commented games is relatively small: 139 OTB games and 40 CC games. From my own experience I can say it’s not easy to annotate games nowadays in spite of the availability of books, databases and sophisticated engines. One still needs human understanding and judgment to make discriminating use of these tools.

Nevertheless, there is one game that I would have liked to see with commentary in this issue.

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27.Bf4?? R8xf4! Levon did see this move. Nevertheless, he played 27...Bc3? After 28.Qxf3 Bxa1 29.Qg2 Qf5 30.Bd2 Bd4 the game led to a draw. 28.gxf4 Nxf4 29.Ra8+ Bf8! This was the move he missed. In dire time trouble he only saw 29...Kh7?? 30.Ng5+!+- and dismissed the combination with 27...R8f4. 30.Rg1 30.Nf6+!? Kf7! 30...gxf6 needlessly gives White a few chances of survival. 31.Rg1+ Kf7 32.Qf1 Now 32...Qxh2+ 33.Kxh2 Rh3+ does not work on account of 34.Qxh3. 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Nd7+ Ke7 33.Rg1 Qxh2+ 34.Kxh2 Rh3# 30...Qxh2+! 31.Kxh2 Rh3#
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Magnus Carlsen-Levon Aronian-2012Grand Slam Final 2012


Magnus Carlsen reveals to Levon Aronian the missed win

As for commented games, some are annotated by players themselves, notably Carlsen, Caruana and Kramnik (one each). The rest are by experienced commentators like Mihail Marin, Michal Krasenkow and Alexander Mikhalchishin. In the notes to the following game Krasenkow shows what both the players missed. I have simplified his analysis a bit for the uninitiated player.

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 This Hypermodern line is in vogue today. The bishop first targets c4 and when White defends the pawn he loses control of d5. 4...Bb7 is the classical continuation. 5.b3 If the queen moves to defend the pawn she won't be there to support the advance d4-d5. Bb4+ Showing the drawback of White's last move. The knight cannot be deleloped to c3 to exrert pressure on d5. 6.Bd2 Not 6.Nbd2 Bc3 7.Rb1 Bb7! 8.Bb2? 8.Bg2 Be4 9.0-0 Bxb1 10.Nxb1 Bb4 may be the lesser evil for White with some compensation for the exchange. 8...Ne4 9.Rg1? 9.Bg2 Nxd2 10.Bxc3 Nxb1 11.Qxb1 d6 9...Qf6 and Black went on to win (Shirazi-Benjamin, Berkley, US Championship 1984). 6...Be7 The flip side of all this manoeuvering is that Black has spent more time with the bishops and not managed to develop the knight on b8. 7.Nc3 The immediate 7.Bg2 is the main line. 7...0-0 8.Bg2 c6 9.e4 d5 10.exd5 cxd5 11.Ne5 Nfd7? Krasenkow commends 11...Bb7! 12.0-0 Nc6 as played in a correspondence game. 12.0-0 On 12.cxd5 Nxe5 Krasenkow gives 13.dxe5 Nd7! After 14.d6 Bxd6 15.exd6 Nc5 16.Be4 f5 17.Bc2 Qxd6 18.Rc1 Rad8 and White is not able to free himself, although he is a piece up-NSH Not 12.Nxd7? Nxd7 13.cxd5 e5 14.d6 Bxd6 15.Bxa8 Qxa8 16.d5 Or 16.f3 exd4 16...Nc5 with a dangerous attack-NSH 12...Nxe5 13.dxe5 Nd7 14.Re1 dxc4! Black sacrifices the exchange to obtain active counterplay on light squares-Krasenkow 15.Bxa8 Qxa8 16.Bh6 Rd8! Very fine. Black activates the rook and also vacates f8 for the bishop. 17.Qg4 Bf8 18.Rad1! The White rook neutralises the knight on d7 before his own knight moves to e4 with threats on f6-NSH Not 18.bxc4? Rc8 19.Nb5 Rc5 20.Bf4 Rxc4= NSH As Krasenkow shows, 18.Ne4 cxb3 19.axb3 Bb7 is unclear as White's kingside attack is counterbalanced by Black's threats on the h1-a8 diagonal. 18...Nc5? Instead Black should have played 18...cxb3! 19.Bg5 Nxe5‼ 20.Rxe5 Rxd1+ 21.Qxd1 21.Nxd1 bxa2 22.Qa4 Qf3 23.Re3 Bb5 24.Qd4 Qd5 25.Qxd5 exd5-+ Curiously enough, there is no way of stopping the Black pawn from queening. The White rook cannot reach a3 as it is covered by the Black bishop on f8-NSH 21...b2 22.Re1 Qc6 23.Qb3 h6! creating a luft for the king with a tempo. 23...Bb7 24.Ne4 f5 25.Qxb2 fxe4 26.Be3 looks similar. But it may be better to create a safe haven for the king at h7 to free the bishop on f8. 24.Bd2 Bb7 25.Ne4 f5 26.Qxb2 fxe4 27.Rc1 Qd7 28.Be3 Bd5= An incredible variation given by Krasenkow 19.bxc4?! 19.Rxd8 Qxd8 20.bxc4 Bb7 was a better way of transposing to the game. Not 20...Qd3? 21.Rd1 Qxc3 22.Qxg7+ Bxg7 23.Rd8+ Bf8 24.Rxf8# 19...Bb7? 19...Nd3! 20.Re4 20.Re3 Nb2 20...Bb7 21.Re3 Nb4 22.Rxd8 Qxd8 23.Ne4 Nc2! 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.Rc3 Qd4! 26.Rxc2 Qxe5 27.Qe2 Qxf6 and White stands only slightly better. 20.Rxd8 Qxd8 21.Rd1?! 21.Nb5 Qa8 22.Re3 is better. 21...Qc7 22.Bf4 Qc6 23.f3 Nd7? 23...Nd3! 24.Rxd3 Qxc4 25.Rd8 25.Re3 Bc5 25...Ba6 25...Qxc3 26.Bh6 Qe1+ 27.Kg2 Qe2+ 28.Kh3 Qxe5 29.Qg5+- 26.h4 Qf1+ 27.Kh2 Qf2+= 24.Ne4 Qa4? Not 24...Qc7?? 25.Rxd7! Qc8 26.Nf6+ Kh8 27.Qh5+- NSH 24...Qc8 25.Nf6+ Nxf6 26.exf6± was the lesser evil. 25.Rxd7! Bxe4 25...Qxd7?? 26.Nf6++- 26.Rd8 Bg6 Only thus. Not 26...Bc6? 27.Bh6 Be8 28.Qg5 Kh8 29.Bxg7+! Bxg7 30.Qe7+- 27.Bg5? Unbeknown to both the players this move throws away the win. 27.Be3!+- settles the issue as White would play Kg2 followed by Bf2 against possible checks by the Black queen. 27...Qa3? Missing the last opportunity to mix up things. 27...h6! 28.Qd4 The point of Black's play is revealed in the line 28.Be7 Bd3‼ 29.Rxf8+? 29.Rxd3 Bxe7 30.Rd2 still gives White winning chances. 29...Kh7= and White cannot escape from perpetual check. 28...hxg5 29.Qd6 Kh7 30.Qxf8 Kh6 31.Qd6 Qxc4 32.Rh8+ Bh7 33.Qd2! Qc5+ 34.Kh1 Qxe5 35.h4 f6 36.hxg5+ Kg6 37.gxf6 gxf6 38.Kg2+- 28.Qd4 h6 29.Qd6 Kh7 30.Qxf8 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Aronian,L2816Karjakin,S27781–02012E15Grand Slam Final

A tough battle and Michal Krasenkow’s annotations are just out of the world! The Polish GM is not only a fine analyst but also a strong player. He has just won the XLII Rilton Cup Tournament at Stockholm, Sweden.


ChessBase analyst and strong GM: Michal Krasenkow

For reasons of space I am not able to do justice to other events reported in this issue. Don’t miss the Olympiad games, especially the efforts of the Armenian and Russian teams, who vied for the first place till the end.

This brings me to the other sections of the Magazine. There are eleven detailed opening surveys ranging from Slav to Spanish systems. Among them I would single out Boris Schipkov’s analysis of an Anti-Benoni system. One particular game that he cited in his notes deserves attention, and I am giving it in full here with additional notes.

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1.d4 This line is also reached in English Symmetrical Variation with 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 . However, 3. d4 is hardly played in this opening according to Schipkov, perhaps on account of the line seen here. 1...Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 Avoiding the Benoni systems, but this leads to some dangerous paths as we are going to see. Of course 3.d5 leads to Modern Benoni. 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 This sharp line was invented by the late American master Alexander Kevitz. 5.Nb5 d5 Gambiting the pawn for rapid development. 6.cxd5 Bc5 Not 6...Nxd5?? 7.Qxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc7+ Kd8 9.Nxd5+- 7.e3 7.d6?! 0-0! 7...Ne4? 8.Qd5! 8.Nc7+? Qxc7! 9.Qa4+ 9.dxc7?? Bxf2# 9...Qc6!-+ Huque,R.-Hodgson, Julan, 0-1, London 1987 8...Qa5+ 9.Nd2 Qxb5 10.Qxe5+ Be6 11.e3+- An interesting line given by Tim McGrew at Chesscafe.com 8.Nc7 Ne4 9.e3 9.Nxa8?? Bxf2# 9...Bb4+ 10.Nd2 Qxd6 11.Nxa8 Rd8-+ 7...0-0 8.N5c3 Bringing the b1-knight to defend the d-pawn with 8.N1c3 would make it awkward for White. a6 9.Na3 b5 10.Qb3 Bd6 11.Nab1 11.Nc2? Nc6! 12.dxc6 Be6 13.Nd5 13.c7!? Qe7 13...Qxc7? 14.Nxb5! 14.Nd5 Bxd5 13...Bxd5 8...Qe7 9.Be2 e4 10.Nd2 Laying siege to the e-pawn. 10.a3 Rd8 11.b4 Bd6 12.Bb2 a5 13.b5 Nbd7 10...Rd8 11.Qc2 Bf5 12.a3 Nbd7 13.b4 Bd6 14.Bb2 Rac8 15.Qb3 Ne5 Schipkov prefers 15...Nb6 here. 16.0-0 Bb8 Planning to bring the queen on the same diagonal 17.Rfe1 a6 18.Rad1 Neg4 19.Nf1 Qd6 20.h3 Nh2 21.Ng3 h5 22.Nxf5 Nf3+ 23.Bxf3 Qh2+ 24.Kf1 exf3 25.gxf3 Qxh3+ 26.Ke2 Qxf5 27.Rg1 g6 28.Rd2 h4 29.Qd1 Be5 30.Na4 Bxb2 31.Nxb2 Rc3 32.Na4 Rxa3 33.Nc5 b6 34.Nb3 Rxd5 35.Nd4 Qd7 36.Qc1 Qa4 37.Qc4 a5 38.Qc6 Qxc6 39.Nxc6 Rxd2+ 40.Kxd2 Ra2+ 41.Kd3 Rxf2 42.bxa5 bxa5 43.Rh1 g5 Perhaps White's play can be improved in this line. Overall, it is full of pitfalls for him. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Moran Rodriguez,L2130Mihailovs,J22980–12006A31Benidorm Op-A

Apart from these surveys, there are regular exercises in opening traps, middlegame tactics and endgame technique. Good stuff!

Commended for the aspiring player.

Full description of the contents of CBM 151 here
 Price: €19.95 – €16.76 or $22.25 without VAT (outside the EU)

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