New Opening Ideas in Bucharest – Part 1

by Joshua Doknjas
6/11/2021 – The 2021 Superbet Chess Classic is the first event of this year’s Grand Chess Tour and it takes place in Bucharest, Romania from June 5 to June 14. Canadian FM Joshua Doknjas had a look at four interesting games from the first five rounds of the tournament, all of which contain important opening ideas and are dynamic battles.
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A Sharp Rubinstein French

Fabiano Caruana played on the White side of a sharp Rubinstein French against Constantin Lupulescu and posed challenging questions by attacking along the kingside light squares. The critical moment of the game arose on move 17, when Caruana calculated a forcing line which would have led to a fine position for Black, but this difficult sequence was missed by Lupulescu.

Looking back at the game from a theoretical perspective, the dynamic and rich middlegame that developed out of Caruana’s opening play may shift more attention to 4.Bg5 in future discussions. In recent years, 4.Bg5 has been completely overshadowed by 4.e5 at the top level, but this trend may change as there appear to be many interesting ideas and nuances in Caruana’s setup.

 
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1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 The Classical French has experienced a burst of popularity recently. Grischuk employed it twice in the second half of the Candidates (against Alekseenko and Wang Hao) and Matthias Bluebaum had a lot of success with it earlier this year against the world's best in the Opera Euro Rapid tournament. 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 is the Rubinstein French. Instead of transposing to the game with 6.Bg5 here, White has many other challenging options, such as 6.Nxf6+ or 6.Bd3 6...Nxf6 7.c3 4.Bg5 The most popular move, but I would consider it to be a slight surprise, as 4.e5 is the overwhelming preference at the top level. In Round 4, MVL and Lupulescu headed down one of the most forcing lines in the Classical French. 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 Bluebaum has had success recently with 7...a6 8.Qd2 b5 8.Nxd4 Qb6 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Bb5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 a6 13.Bxd7+ Bxd7 14.Rxb7 14.Rb3 Qe7 15.Rxb7 is the main line. 14...Bb4 15.0-0 Bc8 16.Rb6 0-0 17.Rb1 Bc5 and Black quickly solved all his problems in ½-½ (45) Vachier-Lagrave,M (2760)-Lupulescu,C (2656) Bucharest ROU 2021 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7 A very principled choice. Lupulescu transposes to a Rubinstein French with White having already committed his bishop to g5. 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bxf6 Caruana deviates from the more common 7.Nxf6+, where Black is very solid. Nxf6 8.Bd3 Nxe4 9.Bxe4 c5 10.Qe2 Qa5+! Limiting White's options. After the atlernate 10...cxd4, there is a strong idea of recapturing on d4 with the rook. 10...cxd4 11.0-0-0 Qb6 12.Rxd4! Be7 13.c3 Bf6 14.Rb4 and the pressure on Black's b7-pawn should have given White an advantage in ½-½ (38) Nisipeanu,L (2667)-Meier,G (2636) Magdeburg 2019. 11.c3 cxd4 11...Be7 12.0-0-0 cxd4 13.Nxd4 leads to the same position. 12.Nxd4 Be7 12...Qc7 prepares to begin developing the queenside pieces with ...Bd7. 13.0-0-0 Bd7 14.Qf3! (putting pressure on the f7-pawn to prevent Black from castling queenside) Rb8 15.Kb1 Be7 16.Rhe1 Once Black castles, White can play in similar fashion to our main game by putting pressure on the c2-h7 diagonal with Bc2, Qe4, and pushing the h-pawn. 13.0-0-0! 13.Nc6 is the preference of most engines, but not as challenging as Caruana's choice. Qc7 14.Nxe7 Kxe7! 15.0-0-0 Bd7 Followed by ...Rhd8 and Black is extremely solid. 13...0-0 13...Qxa2? 14.Qb5+ Bd7 14...Kf8 15.Nb3 a6 16.Qb6 Qa4 17.Nc5 15.Qxb7 Rc8 16.g3!+- This very important move leads to a winning position for White. Qa1+ The point behind 16.g3 is seen after 16...Rxc3+ 17.Nc2 Bg5+ 18.f4 17.Kc2 Qa4+ 18.Kb1 Rd8 19.Nxe6! fxe6 20.Rd4 Qa5 21.Bg6+ Kf8 22.Rxd7 1-0 (22) Beerdsen,T (2495)-Pijpers,A (2480) Wijk aan Zee 2020 14.Kb1 Rd8 15.Bc2 As mentioned by Caruana after game, White has one idea in this position: to play Bc2, Qe4, and invade on Black's kingside light squares. Starting with 15.h4!? is an interesting move order to consider. Now in addition to Caruana's Bc2 and Qe4 idea, Black has to be mindful of g4-g5. Bf6 15...Bd7?! 16.g4 with a powerful attack, for example, Bf6?! 16...e5 17.Nf5 17.g5 hxg5 18.Qh5! 16.Bc2 transposes to 15.Bc2 Bf6 16.h4! below. 16.g4 e5 17.Nb3 Rxd1+ 18.Rxd1 Qb6 and Black is fine. 15...Bd7 15...e5 deserved serious attention, exchanging a pair of rooks. 16.Nb3 Rxd1+ 17.Rxd1 Qc7 18.h4 (intending to meet ...g6 with h5!) 18.Rd5!? 18...Kf8! 18...Be6 19.Qe4 f5 20.Qe3 and Black has some undefended pieces. 21.Nd4 is an idea on the next move. 19.Qe4 Bf6 Maybe White can obtain some slight pressure, but Black's king should be okay on e7. 15...Bf6 16.h4! The most challenging move order in this case. 16.Qe4 g6 17.h4 e5 is fine for Black. 16...Bd7 16...Bxd4 looks unnatural, exchanging off two of Black's developed pieces. 17.Rxd4 Rxd4 18.cxd4 Intending Qe4 and Qh7. Black might be okay with accurate play, but the undeveloped queenside makes things very unpleasant. 17.Qe4 Kf8! 18.Qxb7 18.Qh7 Bc6 19.Rhe1 Threatening Nf5 and Qh8+. Bxd4 20.cxd4 Bd5 21.a3 b5 and Black obtains sufficient counterplay on the queenside. 18...Rab8 19.Nc6 Rxb7 20.Nxa5 Rc7 Black should try to double his rooks on the b-file and create counterplay by pushing the a-pawn. Despite the extra pawn, White will have difficulties making progress. 16.Qe4 g6 17.h4 The critical moment of the game. Ba4? 17...h5 18.g4 Bf6 19.f3 and White retains pressure on Black's position. 19.gxh5 Qxh5 20.Qxb7 a5∞ The narrow path to equality was pointed out by Caruana: 17...e5! 18.h5 In view of the lines that Caruana saw after 18.h5, he would likely have chosen a different, less forcing move. One playable alternative is 18.Nb3 Qc7 19.h5 Bf5 20.Qf3 Bxc2+ 21.Kxc2 gxh5 (opening up the g-file, but White will not be able to exploit this) 22.Qxh5 Bg5 and Black keeps everything on the kingside under control. 18...exd4 19.hxg6 19.Qxe7 Be6 provides sufficient counterplay based on White's a2-pawn. 19...Qg5! The only move for Black to hold everything together. 20.f4 Qxg6 21.Qxe7 Bf5 22.Bxf5 Qxf5+ 23.Ka1 and here Caruana had calculated Re8 and 23...Rd7 , both should lead to equality. 18.Bxa4 Qxa4 19.h5 g5 20.Qxb7 Bc5? Allowing White to force the trade of queens and achieve a winning endgame. 20...Bf6 was preferable. White retains a clear advantage after 21.Qf3 Bg7 22.Rd3 Rab8 23.Rhd1± Black's play on the b-file isn't enough to compensate for White's extra pawn and well-positioned major pieces. 21.Qc6 Qxc6 Caruana mentioned how White easily refutes Black's attempt for counterplay after 21...Qc4 22.Nb3 Qe2 23.Rxd8+ Rxd8 24.Qxc5 Qd3+ 25.Kc1+- 22.Nxc6 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Bxf2 24.Rd7+- The endgame is completely winning for White because of Black's passive rook on a8 and the weak pawns on the kingside. f6 25.Nd8 Bb6 26.Nf7 Rf8 27.Nxh6+ Kh8 28.Kc2 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Caruana,F2820Lupulescu,C26561–02021C13Superbet Classic 20212

Counterattacking in a Double-Edged Open Spanish

The Round 2 game between Bogdan-Daniel Deac and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave entered what appeared to be a fairly quiet Open Ruy Lopez. This changed quickly on move 16, when Deac opened up the game and boldly grabbed a pawn on b2. MVL responded very energetically, and it looked for a moment like the game was heading towards a crushing victory for him. Then Deac fought back immediately with an excellent counterattacking resource which caused MVL to lose control of the position.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 The Open Ruy Lopez is not part of Deac's opening repertoire, so it must have come as a surprise for MVL. 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Be7 10.c3 0-0 11.Bc2 f5 12.exf6!? I recommended this line in Opening Repertoire: The Ruy Lopez because it avoids a lot of the concrete theoretical lines after 12.Nb3 while still asking Black some questions. In recent encounters, this line has been shown to be a very serious attempt at an opening advantage. The main line is 12.Nb3 Qd7 13.Nfd4 but lately 12.exf6 has become fashionable. 12...Nxf6 13.a4 Giri demonstrated some nice strategic concepts in the following rapid game: 13.Re1 Bg4 14.h3 Bh5 15.Nf1 Bc5 16.Ng3! Ignoring Black's threat of doubling White's kingside pawns. 16.Be3 d4= 16...Bxf3 17.gxf3 Qd6 18.Kg2 In return for the weakened pawn structure, White has the bishop pair and ideas of attacking on the kingside. Rae8 19.Rxe8 Rxe8 20.Bg5 Ne5 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.f4 Ng6 23.Bxg6 hxg6 24.f5 and White won quickly in 1-0 (37) Giri,A (2776)-Anton Guijarro,D (2673) chess24.com INT 2021 13...b4 14.Re1 Bg4 15.Nf1 15.h3 Bh5 The inclusion of h3 and ...Bh5 appears to be slightly beneficial for White. One advantage is that Nf1-g3 will come with tempo due to Black's bishop on h5. 16.Nf1 Bc5 17.Be3 Bxe3 17...Qd6?! 18.Ng3 18.Rxe3 d4 19.cxd4!? In my book, I suggested that 19.Rd3 leads to a roughly balanced position after Bxf3 20.Rxf3 Qd6 19...Bxf3 20.Rxf3 Nxd4 21.Rd3 c5 22.Nd2 followed by Nf3 with chances for a slight edge. 15...Bc5 16.Be3 d4!? 16...Bxe3 17.Rxe3 d4 leads to similar positions that we saw after 15.h3, but without the inclusion of h3 and ...Bh5. There was a very solid option in 16...Qd6 17.Bxc5 Qxc5 18.h3 Bxf3 19.Qxf3 Rae8 when White can only hope for slight pressure on Black's position. 17.cxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Bxf3 19.Qxf3 Qxd4? A mistake, in view of the powerful idea unleashed by MVL on move 25. 19...Bxd4 20.Rad1 Qd6! 21.Ng3 Qc5 Removing the queen from the pin on the d-file and threatening the f2 and b2-pawns would have provided Black with sufficient counterplay. 20.Rad1 Qxb2 20...Qg4 21.Qc6 Bb6 22.a5! Distracting the bishop from the b6-f2 diagonal. Bxa5 23.Ne3 21.Re2! 21.Bxh7+?! regains the pawn, but loses the initiative. Nxh7 22.Qd5+ Kh8 23.Qxc5 Qf6 and Black is okay. 21...Qc3 22.Rd3 Qa1 23.Rd1 Repeating the position once. Qc3 24.Rd3 Qa1 25.g4! A very powerful attacking idea. Black's position is close to collapsing, but Deac finds an excellent resource for counterplay. b3‼ Without this resource, MVL would have been able to launch a crushing attack on the kingside. Suddenly, White's bishop is removed from c2 and the open f-file is utilized by Black. 25...h6 26.g5! hxg5 27.Bb3+ Kh8 28.Qf5+- 25...Kh8 26.g5 Ng8 27.Qh3! Threatening 28.Qxh7+! Kxh7 29.Rh3# h6 27...g6 28.Rd7 28.Qh5+- 26.Bxb3+ Kh8 27.g5 Ng8 28.Qd5 Bd6 29.Rh3 g6 White retains a large advantage if he can find the best move at this point, but the position no longer looks as clear or decisive as it did after 25.g4! 30.Qd3? 30.Qe6! Qg7 30...Ne7?? The knight cannot move due to 31.Rxh7+ Kxh7 32.Qh3+ Kg7 33.Qh6# 30...Rf4 31.Re4+- 31.Ng3 Bf4 32.Bc2 Bxg5 33.Bxg6 and Black is in a lot of trouble. 30...Rf5! One of the most important strong points in White's position is lost: the g5-pawn. 31.Qc3+ The computer suggests that better defensive chances were offered if White started with 31.Qe3 Bf4 before exchanging queens, but the endgame is very unpleasant in any case: 32.Qc3+ Qxc3 33.Rxc3 Rxg5+ 34.Ng3 Rb8 31...Qxc3 32.Rxc3 Rxg5+ Black has an extra pawn and a much better pawn structure than his opponent. 33.Ng3 Nf6 34.Kf1 Rb8 35.h3 Re5-+ 36.Bc4 Rc5 37.Rcc2 Ra5 38.Ne4 Nxe4 39.Rxe4 Rxa4 40.h4 Kg7 41.h5 gxh5 42.Re1 Rbb4 43.Be2 Rh4 44.Bf3 a5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vachier-Lagrave,M2760Deac,B26270–12021C83Superbet Classic 20212

Bogdan-Daniel Deac | Photo: Lennart Ootes

New Battlegrounds in the English

Caruana and Wesley So debated one of the most cutting-edge lines in the English. This 3…Bc5 4.d3 system was seen twice in the 2020 Candidates and it leads to complicated middlegames full of ideas for both sides. As shown in the game, there are many playable moves and plans for both sides in the early stages of the middlegame, which demonstrates how rich these types of English positions are.

Caruana employed a very fresh concept early in the opening by pushing his a-pawn up the board to create some problems for White on the queenside. Both players continued quite ambitiously, but it was So who obtained the upper hand by exploiting the lack of coordination between Black’s pieces and seizing a kingside initiative.

 
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1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bc5 This modern line became very popular in 2019 after it was used by a number of top players. The idea is to meet 4.Nc3 with 4. ..c6 followed by ...d5. Compared to 3...c6, Black has the d4-square under control which prevents White from playing d4. 3...c6 is Caruana's usual choice, which was also featured in a game between the two players from 2019. See ½-½ (36) So,W (2776)-Caruana,F (2818) Saint Louis 2019. 4.d3 A flexible approach, avoiding the concrete nature of the 4.Nc3 lines. Both So and Caruana have tried 4.Nc3 with the White pieces. c6 5.e3 (a rather quiet line) 5.Nf3 (a very sharp, double-edged line) e4 6.Nh4 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.d3 Ng4 9.0-0 g5 10.dxe4!? gxh4 11.Bf4 with a very sharp position in ½-½ (35) Caruana,F (2822)-Van Foreest,J (2644) Wijk aan Zee 2020 5...0-0 6.Nge2 d5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.d4 exd4 9.Nxd5 cxd5 10.exd4 Bb6 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.Be3 Be6 13.0-0 Qd7 14.Na4 So obtained the bishop pair advantage and proceeded to outplay Ding Liren from this symmetrical position in 1-0 (50) So, W (2754)-Ding,L (2805) Zagreb 2019 4...c6 5.Nf3 d6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 a5! Gaining space on the queenside before White has the chance to do so himself. 7...Re8 8.Na4 Bb4 9.a3 Ba5 10.b4 Bc7 11.e4 a5 with a tense middlegame in 0-1 (45) Ding,L (2805)-Wang,H (2762) Ekaterinburg 2020. 8.d4 exd4 9.Nxd4 9.Na4!? slightly misplaces the knight on the side of the board, but prevents Black from playing ...a4-a3. Ba7 10.Nxd4 d5! (taking advantage of White's lack of control over the d5-square) 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.b3 Re8 13.Bb2 Reaches a complicated middlegame with nearly all of the pieces still on the board, a typical feature of this complex 4.d3 c6 line. 9...a4 10.Rb1 So mentioned after the game that he wanted to avoid 10.e3 a3! Indeed, the modern engines suggest that the queenside flank advance promises Black very good play. For example, 11.b3 11.Na4 Bxd4 12.exd4 d5= 11...Re8 12.Na4 Na6 13.Nxc5 dxc5 14.Nc2 White will pick up the a3-pawn, but Black's piece activity easily compensates for the slight material deficit. Bf5 15.Qxd8 Rexd8 16.Nxa3 Nb4 with an excellent endgame for Black because of White's poor minor pieces on the queenside. 10...Re8 11.e3 In view of the line shown below after 11...Bg4!, White may look to deviate here in future encounters. 11.b3 axb3 12.axb3 Na6 12...Bb4!? prevents White from playing b4 with tempo. 13.Bb2 Bg4 14.Qc2 Nbd7 leads to an interesting position. White will probably try to put pressure on the d6-pawn, but Black should be fine after he develops his major pieces (starting with ...Qc7). 13.h3 Nb4 14.e4 and Black's position looks slightly unpleasant because of the undeveloped bishop on c8, but there may be counterplay with the active b4-knight and open a-file. 11.h3 immediately preventing ...Bg4 looks interesting as well. Qa5 12.e3 Nbd7 13.Bd2 with another complicated middlegame. 11...Qa5!? So pointed out the following concrete line after the game: 11...Bg4! 12.f3 Be6 13.Nxe6 Rxe6 14.Nxa4 14.Re1 keeps the position more complicated. Qa5 Followed by developing the b8-knight and putting some pressure on White c4 or e3-pawns. 14...Qe8 is met by 15.Kf2 14...Bxe3+ 15.Bxe3 Rxe3 16.Qd4 Re8 17.Nc3 leading to a roughly balanced position. 12.Bd2 Bg4 The complicated nature of these positions makes it possible to consider many alternatives on each move for both sides. For example, 12...Nbd7 is a good alternative, delaying the development of the light-squared bishop. 13.f3!? Having analyzed Black's alternatives after 13.f3, 13.Qc2 Nbd7 14.h3 may have been a stronger continuation. Some sample lines: Bxd4 or 14...Bh5 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Nf4 and White obtains the bishop pair. 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.hxg4 cxd5 17.exd4 intending g5, when the bishop pair should provide White with good chances for an edge. 13...Bh5?! The bishop quickly finds itself misplaced on the kingside. 13...Bc8! 14.Ne4 Qd8 15.Nxc5 dxc5 An important difference compared to the game is that Black can develop the bishop to a better diagonal on e6. A very solid and more natural idea was 13...Bxd4 14.exd4 Be6 15.Nd5 Qd8 but perhaps Caruana liked his chances in the dynamic position that arises after 13...Bh5. 14.Ne4 Qd8 15.Nxc5 dxc5 16.Ne2 16.Nf5 also deserved consideration because of Bg6 17.Bh3! Nbd7 18.Qe2 with a strong pair of bishops. 16...Qd3 17.Nf4 Qxc4 18.b3 axb3 19.axb3 Qb5 Black's poor piece coordination makes his position unpleasant to play. In particular, the queen and bishop are misplaced. 20.e4 Bg6 21.Bc3 Na6? So was expecting 21...Nbd7 when play may continue 22.h4 h6 22...Ne5!? 23.Nxg6 fxg6∞ Compared to the game, Black's weaknesses on the kingside cannot be easily exploited. White certainly has sufficient compensation for the pawn, but not much more. 22.h4! Threatening Bxf6 and h5. h5 The computer points out a surprising defensive resource for Black: 22...Rad8! 23.Qc1 Nd5! 24.exd5 Bxb1 25.Qxb1 cxd5 with an unbalanced and unclear position. 23.Qc1! A very powerful idea, threatening the sequence Nxg6, Bxf6, and Qh6 to invade on Black's kingside. Additionally, White is preparing another way to put pressure on the kingside with Qb2. Kh7 23...Nb4? demonstrates White's idea: 24.Nxg6 fxg6 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Qh6 24.Rd1 24.Qb2? would throw away White's advantage due to the following idea for counterplay: Nb4 25.Bxf6 Ra2! 26.Qc3 Rc2 27.Qa1 Ra2= 24...Rad8 25.Qb2 c4 26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.Qxf6 Rxd1+ 27...Qb6+ 28.Kh1 cxb3 29.g4! hxg4 30.h5 is a nice way to take advantage of the trapped g6-bishop. 28.Rxd1 Qc5+ 29.Kh2 Qe7 30.Qxe7 Rxe7 31.bxc4+- The endgame is winning for White because of the extra pawn and difference in piece activity. Kg7 32.Bh3 Nc5 33.Rd6 f6 34.Ne6+ Nxe6 35.Bxe6 Be8 36.c5 Bf7 37.Bc8 Re5 38.Bxb7 Rxc5 39.Rxc6 Rb5 40.Ba6 Rb2+ 41.Kg1 Be8 42.Rc5 Kh6 43.Kf1 Bd7 44.Be2 Be8 45.Kf2 Rb3 46.Rd5 Ra3 47.Bd3 Kg7 48.Ke3 Rb3 49.Kf4 Rb4 50.Rc5 Bf7 51.Rc7 Kg6 52.g4 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2770Caruana,F28201–02021A20Superbet Classic 20214.1

Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Solving Problems Concretely

Levon Aronian and MVL reached a standard isolated queen pawn position out of the opening, when MVL surprising decided to capture the d4-pawn immediately. This allowed Aronian to obtain a clear advantage in development and exert pressure on the queenside. There were several moments where Black’s defensive task looked quite challenging, but MVL managed to simplify into a pawn down endgame and hold comfortably. However, I don’t believe MVL’s concrete approach will catch on, and Black should probably deviate on move 10 to play the middlegame more solidly.

 
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 e6 Previously, MVL mostly relied on 5...Nxc3 which is more in the spirit of the Grunfeld. However, White players have been creating some pressure after 6.dxc3! 6.bxc3 g6 leads to a Grunfeld-like pawn structure. 6...Qc7 7.e4 e6 8.Bd3 Be7 9.Qe2 Bd7 10.0-0 0-0? 10...Bc6! delaying castling should be preferred. 11.e5 Bc6 12.Ng5 h6 13.Bh7+! Kh8 14.Bc2 and Black was already facing extreme difficulties in 1-0 (45) Radjabov,T (2758)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2774) Khanty Mansiysk 2019. 6.Bc4 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qe2 Nc6 Black's setup is very solid, but the pawn structure is not a typical one for Grunfeld players like MVL. 9.d4 Grischuk won a nice game against MVL a couple years ago in the following line: 9.Rd1 b6 10.d4 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Qc7 12.e4 Rd8 13.Be3 Na5?! Opening up the b7-e4 diagonal for the bishop, but also releasing some pressure on White's d4-pawn. 14.Bd3 Bb7 15.h4! b5 16.Bxb5 Bxe4 17.dxc5 Bxf3 18.Qxf3 Bxc5 19.Bf4± 1-0 (63) Grischuk,A (2764)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2777) Hamburg 2019 9...cxd4 9...b6 10.Rd1 transposes to 9.Rd1 b6. 10.exd4 Nb6!? A very concrete attempt at solving Black's opening problems, but I don't think it is as strong as the main alternatives. 10...Nxc3 11.bxc3 b6 12.Bd3 Bb7 must be met by energetic play on the kingside, otherwise Black will achieve a very comfortable setup. For example, White can try 13.Qe4 13.h4!? Rc8 14.Ng5 g6 15.Bf4 also leads to interesting play. 13...g6 14.Bh6 Re8 15.Qg4 Bf8 16.Bg5 with a dynamic middlegame in 1-0 (82) Gukesh,D (2578)-Keymer,V (2591) chess24.com INT 2021 10...a6 is another very logical way of playing. 11.Bd3 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Rd1 Qh4!? There are a couple of other queen moves that deserve attention. 13...Qf6 14.Bc2! preventing the development of Black's queenside. The point is seen after Bd7? Stronger is 14...g6 and now that Black has slightly weakened the kingside, White should play 15.Be4 15.Rxd7! Nxd7 16.Qd3 Qf5 17.Qxd7 Qxc2 18.Qxe7± 13...Qc5 14.Be3 Qe5 15.Be4 and White retains the initiative. Once again, Black has difficulties with his pieces on the queenside. 14.g3 Qh3 15.Be4 e5 16.Bg2 Qg4 An excellent demonstration of White's compensation for the pawn was seen in the following game: 16...Qf5?! 17.a4! a5 17...Nd7 18.a5 18.Be3 Nd7 19.Nd5 Bd8 20.Rac1 Kh8 21.Qb5 Nf6 22.Bc5 Rg8 23.Ne3 Qh5 24.Bd6 with a crushing position in 1-0 (60) Adams,M (2751)-Salem,A (2656) Sharjah 2017 17.Qxe5 Regaining the pawn but losing some of the initiative. 17.Bf3! Qe6 18.a4 was a more challenging try, creating threats on the queenside. 17...Bf6 18.Qe1 Bf5 19.h3 Qb4 Leading to an unpleasant endgame for Black. 19...Qg6!? 20.Bxb7 In this case, the pawn can be safely taken because Black doesn't have any threats of his own on the queenside. Rab8 21.Bg2 Rfe8 22.Qf1 Rbc8∞ 20.Ne4 20.Bxb7? is not playable because of Rae8 21.Qf1 Bc2! 20...Qxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Bd4?! The computer prefers Black's defensive chances after the exchange of minor pieces. 21...Bxe4 22.Rxe4 Rfd8 Although White has the bishop pair advantage, it isn't so easy for him to develop c1-bishop or a1-rook. 22.Nd6 Be6 23.Nb5 Bc5 24.Be3?! I am not sure how MVL intended to play after 24.Bf4! Rad8 25.Bxb7 Nd5 25...Bxh3?! 26.Rac1 Bb4 27.Red1 26.Bxd5 Bxd5 27.Be3± 24...Bxe3 25.Rxe3 Rad8 26.b3 Nd5 27.Re5 Nb4 28.Re2 28.Bxb7 Rd2 and the rooks activate very quickly, for example, 29.Nc3 Rc2 30.Re3 Rd8 28...Nc6 Allowing White to get an extra passed a-pawn on the queenside, but it is turns out to be very difficult to put this pawn to use. 29.Bxc6 bxc6 30.Nxa7 Ra8 31.Nxc6 Bxb3 32.Rb2 Be6 33.a4 Ra6 34.Ne7+ Kh8 35.a5 g6 36.Rb6 36.g4 would have kept the game going a bit longer. Black defends by playing actively with the rooks, for example, Kg7 37.Rc2 Rfa8 38.Rc5 Rd6! 39.Nc6 Rc8 40.Rac1 Rd5 36...Rfa8= 37.Rxa6 Rxa6 38.g4 Kg7 39.f4 f5 40.Rb1 Rxa5 41.Nc6 Ra4 42.Rb7+ Kf8 43.Rb8+ Kg7 44.Rb7+ Kf8 45.Rb8+ Kg7 46.Rb7+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Aronian,L2781Vachier-Lagrave,M2760½–½2021D41Superbet Classic 20215.5

After 5 rounds, the tournament is wide open with So, Grischuk, and Mamedyarov tied for first on a +1 score. I look forward to analyzing the interesting games from the second half of the event in Part 2 of this report.

Standings after round 5

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  • Start an analysis engine:
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  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
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Joshua Doknjas is a FIDE Master from Canada and the author of two books on the Sicilian Najdorf and Ruy Lopez. He enjoys teaching, following, and writing about chess. Joshua is especially interested in the role of engines during opening preparation and understanding how AI has influenced modern chess.

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