Opening Encyclopaedia 2024: Introduction and Open Games

by Nagesh Havanur
10/26/2024 – When analysing grandmasters’ opening choices, the wealth of available chess resources demands careful selection. ChessBase, a leader in opening theory, provides players with powerful tools, including the Opening Encyclopaedia 2024. With over 1,400 articles, thousands of games, and numerous new repertoire ideas, this resource allows players to build their opening strategies effectively. It highlights the importance of balancing recent trends with older, reliable lines that may have fallen out of favour but remain sound.
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Building blocks for your opening repertoire

Even as I write these lines, the Global Chess League Tournament has come to an end, with Triveni Continental Kings beating PBG Alaskan Knights in the Finals. As expected, there was fierce competition among all teams. One question of interest is, "How do these grandmasters play their openings?"

Now there is no dearth of information on opening theory in chess books, magazines and websites. However, one has to make a distinction between quality and quantity. In my view, the leaders in the field are ChessBase and ChessPublishing.com. ChessBase publishes a number of DVDs on individual openings and main variations. The flagship, ChessBase Magazine, offers a dozen opening surveys and three opening DVDs every two months. Its output goes directly into the Opening Encyclopaedia. This is helpful to a player as he cannot keep track of every opening system analysed in ChessBase Magazine year after year.

The current edition of Opening Encyclopaedia has as many as 1.463 opening articles, 75 videos, 7.679 surveys right up to March 2024. It has a database of 40,738 games played right till the end of 2023.

From May 2023 to March 2024, 66 new repertoire ideas and 50 new videos have been added to this edition.

ChessBase Opening Encyclopaedia 2024

What can the Encyclopaedia do for you? Essentially, it offers building blocks for your opening repertoire. You have to choose what suits your temperament and style. Thereafter, you have to see which lines have stood the test of time and which others are making a return.

Here let me offer a general guideline: opening surveys from 2021 to 2024 along with games offer a fair idea of recent practice. So do check out the variations. Use the older surveys and games for ideas. In some cases, lines have merely gone out of fashion, and they are still intrinsically sound. In other cases, lines have undeservedly fallen by the wayside on account of a resounding victory. So verify both ideas and variations. The engine is of course an ally, but use your own judgement at the end of the day.

It's said, "A week is a long time in politics". I would say, a month is a long time in chess. Soon after this Encyclopaedia appeared, the Candidates Tournament was played. The games enriched theory. In more than one opening. The variation, Jaenisch Gambit (C70), became famous on account of Praggnanandhaa's victory over Vidit Gujrathi in this event.

Vidit Gujrathi, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu

Vidit Gujrathi v. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: FIDE/ Michal Walusza

In this edition of the Openings Encyclopaedia, you find Adrien Demuth's analysis of the opening. You have to supplement it with Petra Papp's analysis in CBM 221. Here we have room for the main game:

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 f5!? An extremely brave decision for such a big tournament. Its surprise factor stood as the main point for Pragg. 5.d4! Of course! This is the most principled continuation. 5.exf5?! e4! Is just perfect for black. 5...exd4! The correct capture! 5...fxe4?! The other line, but it's pretty worse. 6.Nxe5! Nf6 7.0-0 Bd6 8.f4± White has a clear edge. 6.e5! The critical move! The e5 pawn makes problem for Black so he needs to find some accurate way to develop. Here again taking on f5 does not work out well for White. 6.exf5?! b5 7.Bb3 Qe7+! This really creates problems for White. 8.Kf1 8.Qe2 Bb7! 9.Bg5 Nf6 10.Bxf6 10.Nbd2 0-0-0 11.Qxe7 Nxe7 12.Ne5 Nxf5 13.Nf7 Re8+ 14.Kd1 Rg8-+ Rabatin-Biolek, Czech Republic 2010 10...gxf6 11.Bd5 0-0-0 12.Qxe7 Nxe7 13.Bxb7+ Kxb7 14.Nxd4 c5 15.Nf3 Nxf5 Tahay-Vaibhav, Barcelona 2022 8...Bb7! 9.a4 9.c3 (Manik-Vojtek, Tatranske Zruby 2016) Ne5! 10.Nxd4 10.Bg5 Starting point of a funny line. Bxf3! 11.Bxe7 Bxd1 12.Bxf8 Bxb3 13.Bxg7 Bc4+ 14.Kg1 Nf7! 10...c5 11.Ne2 Nf6 9...b4 10.Nxd4?! (Burke-Theodorou, Chess.com 2021) Qd6!? 11.c3 Nge7 6.Nxd4 A natural recapture, however black has an easy way to equalise. Nxd4! 7.Qxd4 c5! A very strong move. Black intents to trap the bishop with b7-b5, c5-c4, so the queen trade is force here. 8.Qe5+ Qe7! 9.Qxe7+ Bxe7 10.c4 10.Bb3 d6= 10...fxe4 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.Bf4 12.0-0 b6!? 13.Re1 Bb7 14.Bc2 0-0-0! 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Bxe4 17.Rxe4 Bf6 Hawkes-Nunn, London 1984 12...0-0 13.0-0-0 b5!? A nice pawn sacrifice. 14.cxb5 d5 6...b5! 6...Bc5?! The most popular move which seems logical, however, thanks to the strong engines this line is just refuted. 7.0-0 Nge7 8.c3! A usual pawn sacrifice. dxc3 9.Nxc3! 0-0 9...d5 10.Bg5!± 10.Nd5!± White has wonderful pressure! 7.Bb3 Na5! Immediately atatcking the bishop is the strongest. It prevents the unpleasant a2-a4 line. 7...Bb7 It was considering as the main move, but again engine gives a great idea with a big advantage for white. 8.a4! A powerful move. The sense is clear, attacking the b5 pawn also gives a place for the bishop on a2. Na5 9.Ba2! c5 10.0-0 Qb6 Black has 3 loses in this position. 10...Ne7 (Sokolovsky-Kozak, Teplice 2022) 11.e6!± 11.c3! 11.Na3!? 11...Ne7 (David-Raahul, Vandoeuvre les Nancy 2024) 11...Qc6 12.cxd4 c4 13.Bd2! Qb6 14.b4! Nc6 15.d5+- Huff-Cuccumini, ICCF email 2023 12.b4! cxb4 13.cxb4 Nc4 14.Na3!?± 8.Nxd4 The most natural move which was played after 20 minutes thoughts. 8.Qxd4!? This never happened, but of course it's a rather logical move, also suggested by GM Cheparinov in his course on the Ruy Lopez. I give the main line of the engine which he gives some small advantage for White, but there are plenty of new ideas which you can try out in your games. :) Bb7 9.Bd5! 9.Bxg8 Rxg8 10.Nc3 Bxf3! This is the point, why including Bd5 c6 is more favorable for white. 11.gxf3 Nc6! 12.Qd5 Ne7 13.Qd3 d6! 9...c6 10.Bxg8 Rxg8 11.Nc3 c5 12.Qd3 Cheparinov finishes his analysis here, but I think if Black knows some more accurate lines, he is still fighting and the position is pretty double edged. Qb6! 13.Be3 h6 14.Nd5 Qc6 15.0-0-0 Qxd5 16.Qxd5 Bxd5 17.Rxd5 Rc8 18.Rhd1 g5!? 19.g3 Rc7 20.Nd2 Be7 21.f4 8.0-0 Bb7!? This will just transpose to the game. 8...Nxb3 9.axb3 Bb7 10.Qxd4 Qe7!? 11.Rd1 Qe6! 12.Nc3 Ne7! 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bxe7 Bxe7 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.Qxd5 Qxd5 17.Rxd5 c6 18.Rd3 a5! 19.c3 9.Nxd4 - 8.Nxd4 9.Bxg8?! Rxg8 10.Nxd4 Qe7!? 11.Nxf5 Qe6 12.Nd4 Qg6 13.Nf3 0-0-0 Rodin-Theodorou, Tornelo INT 2020 8...Bb7 9.Nxf5?! Of course the most logical move which was played in the game almost immediately, but Black has a great resource which was still a prep of Pragg. 9.0-0 c5! 10.Nxf5 c4 A really exciting position. Without a deep preparation I don't recommend to anyway to come here. There are plenty of interesting and important tactical lines which both players should be aware of it. 11.a4‼ Pretty unbelivable move, which is still a novelty! 11.Nc3 Qb6! A typical saving move. 12.Re1 12.Be3?! Qg6 13.Ng3 Ne7 14.Qd2 Nf5 Suyarov-Nigmatov,Tashkent 2024 12...Qg6! 11.Qg4 Qb6‼ Only but good enough! It's prepares 0-0-0 also Qg6 or Qe6 in some moment. 12.Nxg7+ 12.Re1? It's just slow. 0-0-0! 13.Bg5 Re8 14.Nd2 Nh6 15.Nxh6 gxh6 16.Bf6 Bc5! 17.Bxh8 Bxf2+ 18.Kh1 Bxe1 19.Rxe1 Rxh8-+ Kamalidenova-Puranik, Sharjah 2022 12.e6? (Ayush-Nigmatov, Baku 2023) Qxe6!-+ 12.Bg5?! Qe6! 13.Bd2 Nc6! 14.Nxg7+ Bxg7 15.Qxg7 (Konguvel-Ganguly, Pune 2023) 0-0-0! 16.Qxh8 Nxe5! 17.Qxh7 Nf6 18.Qh4 Nf3+! 19.gxf3 Qd5-+ 12...Bxg7 13.Qxg7 Qg6! A strong counterattack! 14.Qxg6+ 14.Qxh8?? Qxg2# 14...hxg6 15.Bd2 Nc6! 16.Bxc4 bxc4 17.Na3 (Gretarsson-Domalchuk Jonasson, Mosfellsbaer 2024) Nd4! 18.Nxc4 Bc6!? 11.Re1!? A logical one, preparing Nd6+. Qb6! 12.Nd6+ 12.Be3?! Qg6! 13.Nh4 (Mohammad Fahad-Kuybokarov, Chess.com 2020) Qe6 12...Bxd6 13.Qh5+ 13.exd6+ Kf8! 14.Nc3 (Padmini-Koustav, Novi Sad 2022) Qc5! 13...Kd8! 14.exd6 Nf6 15.Qg5! 15.Bg5?! Kc8 16.Qh3 Ne4 17.Be3 Qxd6 And black is totally safe! 18.f3 Nf6 Albornoz Cabrera-Ganguly, Havana 2022 15...Kc8! 16.Nc3 Rg8!?∞ 11...cxb3 12.axb5 Qb6 13.Nc3 Qe6! 14.Qd3 Nc4! In time the knight is coming back to the game. 15.bxa6 Rxa6 16.Rxa6 Bxa6 17.Nd4 Qb6∞ 9.Nc3!? A great novelty which we can expect to play in any day. :) Nxb3 9...c5? A big mistake. It's allows a nice way for white to gain big advantage. 10.Nxf5 c4 11.Qg4‼ Wow! The threat is Nxg7 also Bg5. g6 11...cxb3 12.Nxg7+ Kf7 13.Nf5+- 12.Bg5! Qc7 12...gxf5 13.Qh5#! 13.Nd6+! Bxd6 14.exd6 Qc5 15.0-0-0+- 10.cxb3! From this point I just give the top engine recommendation. In the end white has some advantage, but till that moment is hard to reach also there are plenty of branches. Qe7 Interesting manouvre. The queen is going to g6! 11.0-0 Qf7 12.Re1! Qg6 13.Nf3 Bb4 14.a4! Ne7 15.Bg5! 0-0 16.Bxe7 Bxe7 17.Nd5 Bd8! 18.Rc1 Qf7 19.Rc5 h6!∞ 9...Nxb3 10.axb3 d6! This is exactly such a line where Black cannot afford a single mistake. 10...g6? 11.0-0+- Rakotomaharo-Christiansen, Paleochora 2021 11.Qe2 An ambitious plan which took again 20 minutes of Vidit. 11.0-0 dxe5 12.Nc3 Qxd1 13.Rxd1 h6!?= the endgame is equal. 11.exd6 Qd7! What a nice point! Attacks the knight and prepares 0-0-0. 12.Ne3?! 12.Qd3 g6! 13.Ng3 0-0-0 12...Bxd6 13.Nd2 0-0-0 Ernst-Muntean, Karlstad 2023 11...Qd7! 12.e6 Committal decision, the e6 pawn can easily became a weakness if not getting enough back up, though after 12.exd6+ Kf7! 13.Ne3 Bxd6 14.0-0 Nf6 15.c4 Rhe8 Black has absolutely no problem. 12...Qc6! 13.Bg5 The engine supports 13.f3!? Ne7 14.Ng3 g6 15.0-0 Bg7 16.c4 with mutual chances. 13...g6 14.Ne3 h6 15.Bf4 From this moment the strategical battle revolves primarily around the d5 square, with both sides trying to take control over it. 15.Bh4! Qe4! 16.Bg3 0-0-0 15...Ne7! Controls the important d5 square. 16.c4 b4! Limiting the b1 knight's movement. 17.Qg4 Qc5! If Black was planning to castle long, now is a good time for it. Funnily and rarely enough, both sides have the options of castling short and long depending on the lines! 17...0-0-0!? 18.Nd2 Bg7 and now White could also try 19.0-0-0!? Qc5 20.Nc2 Qxf2 21.Nf3 Rhf8 22.Rhf1 Qc5 18.0-0 Bg7 19.Nd2 0-0-0? But here this gives a nice tactical option to White, and it was neccesary to castle short. 19...0-0! 20.Nf3 Rae8 21.Rad1 Qh5! We may observe this thematic idea in many variations. 22.Qxh5 gxh5 23.Bg3 Bxb2 20.h4? A fine precautious move, but White has the perfect opportunity to change the character of the game and grab the initiative with 20.Nd5! Nxd5 21.e7+ Rd7 22.Ne4‼ A nice intermezzo! Nf6! 23.Nxf6 Bxf6 24.Rfe1! Bxe7 24...Re8 25.Qxg6+- 25.Rxe7 Qf5 26.Qxf5 gxf5 27.Re3± and in this endgame it's already Black fighting for the draw. 20...Rde8 21.Rad1 Bxb2 22.Nd5 This jump is far less powerful than it would have been two moves ago. A better practical option would be 22.Rfe1!? after which Black has to find really unnatural maneuvers to keep the advantage. Bd4! 23.Ndf1 Bc3 24.Re2 g5 25.hxg5 hxg5 26.Qxg5 Rh5! 27.Qxc5 Rxc5 22...Nxd5 23.cxd5 Bxd5 24.e7+? This check is wrong, the white pawn gets more vulnerable on e7! After 24.Rfe1 Bc3 25.Ne4 Bxe4 26.Rxe4 Black would keep some initiative just after the precise Qh5! 27.Qxh5 gxh5 24...Kb8 25.Be3 25.Rfe1 Rh7!-+ Further attacking the e7. 25...Qb5 26.Nc4 Bc3 27.Bd4 After such a complicated first part of the game it is no wonder that mutual time trouble has emerged and had dramatic influence on the subsequent play. Rhg8 Quite a solid option, but more active and better would have been 27...Rh7! 28.Bxc3 bxc3 29.Qd4 A natural centralizating move, but better would have been the tricky maneuvre with 29.Na3! Qb7 30.Rd4! c5 31.Rd3 and White gets enough counterplay. 29...Bb7 More precise would be 29...Ba8!? and the bishop will not be under attack. 30.Qxc3 Rxe7 The engine shows a small improvement with 30...g5!? 31.h5 Rxe7 32.Na5 Re4 keeping some advantage. 31.Na5 Re5 32.b4? Decisive mistake! White is losing time and doesn't substantially improve his position with that advance. Instead after 32.Nxb7 Qxb7 33.Rd4 the b4 square could be used for counterplay, White still has very good chances to save the game. 32...g5 The "monster" bishop could also be kept on the bord via 32...Ba8!? 33.h5 More stubborn would have been 33.Nxb7 Qxb7 34.Qc4 33...g4 Now it is Black who is hunting the opponent's king! 34.Rfe1 g3 35.Nxb7 gxf2+ 36.Kxf2 Qxb7 37.Qf3 Reg5 38.Qxb7+ Kxb7-+ The endgame is lost as Black has both material and positional advantage. 39.g4 Rxg4 40.Re6 Rh4 41.Rxh6 Rg5 42.Rh7 Rhxh5 43.Rd7 Kc8 44.Re7 Re5 45.Rg7 Rhf5+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vidit,S2727Praggnanandhaa,R27470–12024FIDE Candidates 20243.4

The Opening Encyclopaedia here covers almost all lines of the Spanish (C60-C96). Only some older lines of the Chigorin (C97-C99) are left out.

Last time I had dealt with some lines of the Closed Spanish. This time I shall deal with some important lines from the Open Spanish. For starters, let me take up the treatment of the Dilworth Variation by Robert Ris. This is fairly detailed, and we have room for one game, Carlsen-Mamedyarov, 2021. I have offered more explanation and updated analysis for readers not familiar with opening theory.

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 The Ruy Lopez or the Spanish Opening has a chequered history of 200 years with almost every great player having played it. a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 Dr. Tarrasch recommeded this Open Variation and Korchnoi was its greatest exponent in the second half of the 20th Century. In recent decades Mamedyarov has played it with varying success. 5...Be7 leads to the Closed Ruy Lopez. 6.d4 b5 The Riga Variation 6...exd4 7.Re1 d5 If 7...f5? 8.Nxd4 Qh4 9.g3 Qf6 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.f3 Bc5 12.c3+- 8.Nxd4 Bd6 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10.Kh1 Qh4 11.Rxe4+ dxe4 12.Qd8+ Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2 Be6 Not 14...f5?? 15.Bg5# 15.Be3± favours White. Black's e-pawn is weak. White's two minor pieces are stronger than Black's rook and two pawns. 7.Bb3 White is threatening 8.dxe5. d5 So this is forced. If 7...exd4? 8.Re1 d5 9.Nc3‼ Be6 9...dxc3?? 10.Bxd5 Bb7 11.Bxe4+- 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Rxe4± 8.dxe5 The sober 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.dxe5 c6 10.Be3 Be7= is also played. 8...Be6 9.c3 White prepares 10.Nbd2 and 11.Bc2 undermining the position of black's knight on e4. 9.Qe2 followed by Rd1 with pressure on the d-pawn is the Keres Variation. 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 d4 is deeply analysed by Tanmay Srinath in the Openings Encyclopaedia 2024. The developing move 10...Be7 is fine, keeping the option of ...d5-d4 later. 9...Bc5 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bc2 Nxf2!? The Dilworth Variation. Black gives up two minor pieces for a rook and a pawn. Korchnoi's recommendation 11...Bf5 12.Nb3 Bg6 13.Nfd4 Bxd4 14.Nxd4 Nxd4! 15.cxd4 c5 16.f3 cxd4 17.Qxd4 17.fxe4 Qb6! 11...f5 12.Nb3 Bb6 13.Nfd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Qxd4 The historic line 15.cxd4 f4 16.f3 Ng3 17.hxg3 fxg3 18.Qd3 Bf5 19.Qxf5 Rxf5 20.Bxf5 Qh4 21.Bh3 Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 Qxe5 23.Bd2 Qxb2 24.Bf4 d4 25.Bxg3 c5 26.Rae1 d3 27.Be5 Qxa2∞ 1/2 -1/2 (89 moves), Boleslavsky-Botvinnik, Sverdlovsk 1943 15...c5 16.Qd1 f4 17.f3 Ng5 18.a3 11...Bxf2+ 12.Rxf2 Nxf2 13.Kxf2 f6 14.Nf1!?N is deeply analysed by Tanmay Srnath in Opening Encyclopaedia 2024. 14.exf6 Qxf6 is better known. 12.Rxf2 f6 13.Nf1 Bxf2+ 14.Kxf2 fxe5 In terms of material Black has a rook and two pawns as against White's two minor pieces. However, it takes time for White to mobilize his forces together. 15.Kg1 Bg4 16.Ne3 Be6 17.b3 Kh8 This is Mamedyarov's novelty. If White succeeds in opening b3-g8 diagonal with c3-c4 advance, both Black bishop and the king would be vulnerable. The move takes the monarch to relative safety and makes the bishop free to move. The main line is 17...d4 18.cxd4 Nxd4 18...exd4? 19.Qd3 g6 20.Bb2 dxe3?? 21.Qxe3+- There is no way of Black meeting 22.Qc3 with a king hunt. 19.Nxd4 19.Qd3 g6 analysed by Robert Ris is no longer played. 19...Qxd4 20.Rb1 Rad8 21.Qe2 Bf5 22.Bb2 Qb6 23.Bxf5 Rxf5 24.h3 Rf7 1/2 -1/2...33 moves, Firouzja-Abdusattorov, Tata Steel 2024 18.Ba3 Rf4 19.Bc5? An inaccuracy. Carlsen is concerned to neutralise Black's d5-d4 advance. However, it allows the Black queen and rook to move to active positions. Subsequently a proper line was found. 19.Qd2! b4 20.Bb2 Qd6 21.c4 dxc4 Not 21...d4? 22.Nd5 Bxd5 23.cxd5 Qxd5 24.Re1 Raf8 25.Qd3+- Black cannot defend both pawns on e5 and h7 at the same time. 22.Qxd6 cxd6 23.bxc4 Bxc4 24.g3 Rxf3 25.Nxc4 Raf8= 19...d4? Returning the compliment. Mamedyarov rushes headlong into attack. After 19...Qf6! 20.Nd2 (meeting the advance ...d5-d4 with Ne4) 20.Nxd5? Bxd5 21.Qxd5?? Rd8-+ The queen is trapped. 20...e4 21.Rc1 Rd8 22.Bb1 b4 23.cxb4 d4∞ great complications follow and everything is unclear. 20.cxd4? This looks obvious. But it's a big mistake that eases pressure on Black's position. 20.g3! Rf7 21.cxd4 exd4 22.Qd3 Qg8 23.Nxd4 Nxd4 24.Qxd4+- with 25. Qh4 and 26.Bd4 in the offing. Black is tied hand and foot. 20...exd4 21.Qd3? This move still allows Black to defend h7 with the bishop. Even now 21.g3! is preferable. After Rf7 22.Qd3 Qg8 23.Nxd4 Nxd4 24.Qxd4 Rd7 25.Qh4 Rad8 26.Rf1 Black is under pressure. 21...Bg8 22.Nf5 White has all pieces in play. However, the Black pawn on d4 is a thorn in his flesh. Qd5 23.Ba3 Re8 24.Rd1 Rfe4 The suggestion of Robert Ris 24...Rg4!? also important. It may be met by 25.Ng3 Ne5 26.Nxe5 Qxe5= 25.Ng3 If 25.N5xd4?! Nxd4 26.Nxd4 Re1+ 27.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28.Kf2 Ra1 29.Bf8 Qf7+ 25...Re3 26.Qd2 R3e6 27.Bb2 Rd8 28.Nxd4 At last White has eliminated the pawn on d4. Qc5 29.Ne4 Unpinning the queen and threatening 30.Nf5 29.Qf2! unpinning the queen and threatening 30.Nf5 29...Qe7 30.Qe3 Nxd4 31.Rxd4 Rxd4 32.Qxd4 c5 33.Qc3 c4? Mamedyarov seeks counterplay on the queenside to deflect Carlsen's forces massed for an attack on the king. Sadly, it turns out to be inadequate. He misses the paradoxical 33...h5! 34.Ng3 34.Qf3 Bh7! 35.Qxh5 Kg8!= 34...h4 35.Nf1 c4 36.bxc4 Re1 37.Qd2 Bxc4 38.Qh6+ Kg8 39.Qh7+ Kf8 40.Qh8+ Kf7 41.Qh5+ Kg8= 34.bxc4 bxc4 35.h3? Playing safe towards time control and preparing Kh2 as and when required. If 35.Qxc4? Rb6 36.Qd4 Rb4 37.Qc3 Bxa2= The point of Mamedyarov's pawn sacrifice on c4. Magnus also overlooks 35.Ng3! (with the idea of 36.Nf5) h5 36.Kf1 Bh7 37.Nf5 Qf6 37...Bxf5 38.Bxf5 Qf6 39.Qf3+- 38.Qxf6 gxf6 39.Bc3+- Black is tied hand and foot. Hiis pawns are isolated and weak. So White would be able to win. 35...h6? One can hardly blame Mamedyarov for making this simple move. He still had 35...h5! 36.Qxc4 36.Qf3 Bh7 37.Qxh5 Kg8 38.Qd5 Kh8 39.Qh5 Kg8= is an echo of the previous line in analysis. 36...Bh7 37.Ng3 Bxc2 38.Qxc2 Qa7+ 39.Kh2 Re1 40.Qc8+ Kh7= 36.Qxc4? This obvious move alows Black chances. But then Carlsen was racing towards time control. It was not easy to see 36.Ng3! Bh7 37.Qxc4 Bxc2 38.Qc8+! 38.Qxc2? Re1+ 39.Kh2 Qa7! 40.Qc8+ Kh7= is similar to the previous line that we have seen before. 38...Qe8 Forced. Now the queen cannot reach a7 to give a check. 39.Qxc2 Re1+ 40.Kh2+- There is no way of meeting the threat of 41.Nf5. If Qe3? 41.Bxg7+! Kxg7 42.Nf5+ wins. 36...Rb6 37.Qc3 Bxa2? 37...Rb7! 38.Ba3± was the lesser evil. 38.Ng3? is met by Rc7= and White has no opportunity of playing Nf5. 38.Ng3 Bg8 39.Nf5 Qf6 40.Qxf6 40.Nxg7!+- was even more decisive. 40...gxf6 41.Bd4 Rc6 42.Be4 Re6 43.Bd5 Re8 44.Bc6? An inaccuracy. He had an immediate win with 44.Bxf6+! Kh7 45.Nd6! Re1+ 46.Kf2+- Black loses more material in preventing 47. Be4+ 44...Re6?? A terrible blunder. Now the rook is caught in the crossfire of White's minor pieces. 44...Rf8 45.Nd6 Better than 45.Nxh6 Be6 46.Ng4 Kg7 45...Be6 46.Ne8± prolongs resistance, although the outcome may not be in doubt. 45.Bd7 Re1+ 46.Kf2 Rd1 47.Ke2 Bb3 48.Bxf6+ Kh7 49.Nd4 Kg6 50.Be5 Kf7 51.Be6+! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2855Mamedyarov,S27621–02021

The lines shown in the variations are a testimony to the richness and complexity of the Dilworth variation.

There is another line similar to the Dilworth Variation. It is analysed by Tanmay Srinath.

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Be3!? When I initially began checking the Open Spanish, I didn't take this move very seriously, as I remember it was not the main line. However, on checking it deeply, I have come to realise that this is a very decent weapon for White players. 9.Qe2 White wants to adopt a simple formation with Qe2 and Rd1 to put pressure on the d5 pawn. This system was popularised by Caruana in his Chessbase DVD series. Initially, I found this system to be quite daunting, but on further analysis I realised that Black is perfectly fine in many different ways. Nc5! I belive that this move is the most fighting option for Black. 9...Be7 is also a playable line, but in those positions White can press with almost zero risk, so winning the bishop pair while keeping the position complex appealed a lot to me. Now in almost any position Black takes on b3 next. 10.Rd1 The main move. I've also checked 3 other options, though they are mostly transpositional in nature and don't worry the 2nd player. 10.Nbd2 Qd7!? An interesting scheme of development. Before taking on b3 Black wants to see what White does. 11.Re1!? When I was checking this line this move seemed critical to me (relatively that is). 11.Rd1 Be7 12.c3 White has to play this before committing the knight. This is to ensure he can take back with the knight on b3. Nxb3 13.Nxb3 13.axb3 d4! Gives Black a lot of play. For example - 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.cxd4 0-0! The pawn doesn't matter. 16.Qd3 Qd5 With powerful compensation for the missing pawn. 13...Bg4! Another strong move. Black would love to grab the e5 pawn. 14.h3 14.Bf4 Nd8! Black is ready to support the d5 pawn further with c6 and reroute the knight to e6. 15.h3 Bh5 16.Be3 Ne6 Despite Stockfish's initial protests, it eventually calms down and assess this as close to equal. 14...Bh5 15.Qd3 15.Bf4 transposes to the note above. Bg6! Initiating a forced sequence leading to a benign endgame. 16.Qxd5 Qxd5 17.Rxd5 Be4 18.Rd1 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Nxe5 20.f4 Nc6∞ Black has absolutely no worries here and can actually hope to outplay his opponent due to his better pawn structure. 11.c3 Bf5 Now 12.Re1 Be7 transposes to the main line so I have checked some alternatives. 12.Rd1 12.Qd1 Be7! Simplicity is often best. 13.Bc2 White wants to exchange bishop for bishop. Bxc2 14.Qxc2 d4! Initiating mass exchanges leading to a more favourable ending for Black. 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.cxd4 Qxd4 17.Nb3 Qd3 Once the queens are exchanged it seems easier to play with Black thanks to the queenside majority. 12...Bd3 This is simple enough. For example - 13.Qe3 Be7∞ The computer wants some weird regrouping with Ne1 and Ndf3 which is not so important to memorise. Black is fine here. 11...Be7 12.c3 Bf5!? A very interesting maneuver, wasting a tempo but taking control of d3. Simply developing. 13.Nf1 The only real move worth considering. 13.Nd4 Nxd4 14.cxd4 Nd3 14...Ne6 is also a playable option. 15.Rd1 Nf4 16.Qf3 g5∞ White has to be careful not to get worse. 13...Nxb3 14.axb3 0-0 Black has a perfectly playable position. For the sakes of showing that I can click buttons I decided to give a few more moves. 15.Ng3 Bg6 16.Bg5 Perhaps the most active move. Bxg5 17.Nxg5 Rfe8 18.f4 f6 19.e6 Qd6∞ The computer now gives some weird forced lines ending in draws, but that is upto you to investigate. Black seems to be fine here. 10.c3 There are two drawbacks to this move. White is forced to recapture with the a-pawn, which is not always preferable. Also, the White knight loves to be on c3, which is now taken away by the pawn. Nxb3 11.axb3 Be7 White's position already lacks harmony, as the engine switches between equality and a slight Black plus. 12.Rd1 The best move White has at his disposal. 0-0 13.Be3 I don't see how else White completes his development. 13.b4 a5! is a strong resource. 14.bxa5 Nxa5 With powerful counterplay. 13...Re8! The start of a lovely sequence that sees both bishops retreat to their initial squares. 14.Nbd2 Bf8 15.h3 Bc8 16.Bf4 f6 With strong play against the e5 pawn. 10.Be3 This move contains some transpositional possibility, so Black must be prepared for it. Nxb3 11.cxb3 The only serious move. 11.axb3 Might actually leave White struggling to equalise. For example Be7 12.h3 0-0 13.c3 d4! Black gets rid of the semi-weak d-pawn and prepares to free himself. 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Bxb3 16.Nd2 Bd5 17.f4 c5 18.Bf2 Qc8 The position has opened up, and Black's bishop pair with the queenside majority looks scary. 11...Qd7! It is important to get the move orders right here. Black must start with this move. 11...Be7 12.Rc1! This is a very annoying move to face. Black must either play a pawn-down ending or suffer a bit in an uncomfortable middlegame. 12.Nc3 White is forced to go here. Be7 13.Rad1 13.Rfd1 0-0 transposes to the main line. 0-0 14.Rd2 This is still the critical plan for White. 14.h3 Allows Black to liquidate the strong e5 pawn. f6 15.exf6 Rxf6 16.Ng5 Rf5 Returning the bishop pair. 17.Nxe6 Qxe6= With a playable and balanced middlegame. 14...Nd8 As in the main line Black regroups with Nd8 and c6. 15.Bg5 c6 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Qe3 Bg4∞ Freeing e6 for the knight. Black has a playable middlegame. 10...Nxb3 11.cxb3! White's main idea here, and the reason I was initially scared to enter this variation. The structural damage is offset by the ease of development - Be3, Nc3 and so on. Also, White's main goal is to clamp the dark squares. However, I managed to revive this line for the 2nd player with a rare concept in the main line. 11.axb3 is the old main line, but no longer a really serious try, as Stockfish immediately zeroes in on the best line for Black. Be7 12.c4 White's point, and the only serious move in the position. b4 13.Nbd2 This is perhaps the only reasonable try for White as there is one variation where he can try to scare Black in a practical game. 13.Bg5 Leads to mass exchanges. Bxg5 14.cxd5 Bxd5 15.Nxg5 Qxg5 16.Rxd5 Rd8 17.Rxd8+ Nxd8= The knight comes to e6 and Black is perfectly fine. 13.cxd5 The chicken variation. Black can't avoid a draw if White forces it, but chess is a draw, so I guess we should be fine with it. Bxd5 14.Qd3 Black has to keep going Be4 and Bd5 if White goes Qe2 and Qd3. 14.Nc3 If White wants to try then this is the way, but following a simple sequence bxc3 15.bxc3 Qd7 16.c4 Bxc4 17.bxc4 Qe6= Black seems to be doing fine. 14...Be4 15.Qe2 Bd5 16.Qd3 Be4 17.Qe2 Bd5= Unfortunately chess is a draw sometimes, but this is the only place where we have to take the draw by force. I have tried to ensure we avoid it as much as possible. 13...0-0 14.Nf1 The typical Spanish maneuver. Qd7 15.Bg5 15.cxd5 Bxd5 16.Bg5 Black can equalise quite simply with Bxf3 17.Qxf3 Qe6 18.Bxe7 Nxe7= With a perfectly acceptable game. 15...Rfd8! The other rook must stay on a8 for now. 16.Ne3!?N Of course the best move in the position is a novelty :) d4 17.Nd5! White's only reasonable try. 17.Bxe7 Qxe7= is simple enough. 17...Bxg5 18.Nxg5 Bxd5! Black must grab the pawn. 19.cxd5 Qxd5 20.Qd3 Nxe5! Forced. 21.Qxh7+ Kf8 22.h4 Rd6! A powerful move. The rooks enter the fray. 23.Qh8+ Ke7 24.Qxg7 Rg6 25.Qh7 Rag8∞ The computer showed some weird repetitions here, but safe to say that Black is doing fine. 11...Be7 12.Nc3 0-0 The first real branching point. White has a few ways to set up his pieces but only one setup is critical. 13.Be3! The only real test. 13.h3 Qd7! Black continues to follow the same setup. 14.Bg5 14.Be3 f6! 15.exf6 Rxf6 Leaves White fighting for equality. 14...Bxg5 15.Nxg5 d4! The pawn advances to gain space. 16.Nce4 Bf5 17.g4 Bg6! I don't like the other forcing line with 17...h6. 18.f4 Rae8! Black sacrifices a piece, but the king on g1 and the monster pawn on d4 offer ample compensation. 19.f5 This feels like the critical try. 19.Nc5 Qd5 20.Nxa6 Wins a pawn, but after d3 21.Qe3 Re7 Black has loads of counterplay thanks to the strong d3 pawn and potential to break with f6. 19...Nxe5 20.fxg6 fxg6! The obvious point. 21.Rf1 d3 With enough compensation for the missing piece. 13.Bf4 Also a possible setup, but nothing to dangerous. Qd7 14.Rd2 d4! The typical freeing move. 15.Rad1 Bc5 Black has great play. 13...Qd7! The main move for a reason. Black connects the rooks and waits to see how White commits his forces. 14.Rd2 14.Rac1 is also possible but not as critical as the main line. Rad8 15.Rd2 15.h3 f6! This break gives Black very easy equality. 16.exf6 Rxf6 17.Ne4 Rg6= With comfortably play. 15.Bg5 Not a great move, but Black can now choose how he responds - Bxg5 16.Nxg5 d4!N is my proposal. 17.Nce4 Bf5 With powerful play thanks to the strong center. 15...Nb8!? A strong maneuver. The knight allows Black to play c6 and fortify the center. Other things will come later. 16.Qf1!?N Improving on previous play. 16.Rcd1 c6 gave Black a great position in Cranbourne-Ducret 1999. Even if White improves with 17.a3 after Rde8! Black has the better side of equality. 16...c6 17.Ne2 Rc8∞ Black solidifies the only weakness on c6 and slowly prepares counterplay. 14...Nd8! My attempted improvement. It has been seen in games before, but in a far lesser number than the main line. It also happens to be the top choice of modern engines. Black's plan is simple - c6, Bf5/g4 and Ne6 with comfortable play. White doesn't have an easy decision to make - which piece does he improve while Black initiates this plan? 15.Bg5!?N Perhaps White's best plan - he exchanges a key defender of the dark squares. 15.Rc1 is marginally better than h3 as White brings in another piece, but it is nevertheless not enough to challenge the 2nd player. c6 16.Ne4 Bf5!?N Improving over an old Ding Liren game. 17.Nc5 Qc7= Again Black has no problems. 15.h3 c6 16.Ne4 Bf5 Preparing to bring the knight to e6. 17.Nc5 Qc7= With comfortable equality. 15.Rad1 c6! The presence of the two rooks on the d-file makes for a funny sight. 16.Ne4 was seen in a game before, but Black is better following the simple Bg4! 15...c6 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.h3 Bf5= The key position for the soundness of Black's idea 9.Qe2 Nc5. At the moment, I am unable to find any way for White to get an advantage from this position, and I think that the 2nd player has a great game. While 9.Qe2 is not the most serious try, it does require some precision from Black, hence the detailed coverage. 9.a4 is a weird move tried by Van Foreest and Moussard. It is not a bad move by any stretch, but White can't hope for any advantage. b4 10.c3 I believe this is White's best chance. 10.Be3 Van Foreest's idea, which was previously tried by the ever-creative Gashimov. However, Black's route to equality is quite simple. Be7 11.a5 11.Nbd2 Black now takes on d2 and plays for the c5 advance. Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Na5 13.Ba2 c5 With strong play. 11...0-0 12.Qd3 Nc5 13.Bxc5 Bxc5 14.c3 I believe Jorden was aiming for this position, as the game Van Foreest-Mamedyarov 2022 shows. However, despite Mamedyarov winning the game, I believe that Black can improve on the aggressive Azerbaijani player with the strong sequence g6!?N 15.Nbd2 Qe7 With the easier game to play. 10.a5 is not a great move. Nc5! 11.Nbd2 Be7 Black has the preferable position. 10.Nbd2 Be7! Only here we don't put a piece on c5, but it doesn't really matter as the ending that arises seems easier to handle with Black. 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Bxe6 Qxd1 13.Rxd1 fxe6 14.Ng5 Bxg5 15.Bxg5 Rf8= Black brings the rook to f5 and attacks the e5 pawn. He has at least equal chances. 10...Bc5 Whenever possible I like to put a piece on c5 as it is the most dynamic way to play. 11.Nd4 Again White's best chance. Here I want to suggest a powerful novelty. 11.cxb4 This is the most played move, but White is just worse after Nxb4 12.Nc3 0-0 Black has good pieces and a better central presence. 11...Qh4‼N The knight on c6 is irrelevant. 12.g3 Qh3 13.Nxc6 h5! Smooth and calm! 14.cxb4 h4! Now the bishop on c5 is left loose. White's best chance is 15.g4 Nxf2 16.bxc5 Giving up the queen, but after Nxd1 17.Bxd1 Qd3∞ I feel Black's play with the queen is easier, mostly because the White king is still exposed. 9.Nc3 is simply bad - White is worse after Nxc3 10.bxc3 Ne7! The Black knight comes to f5 and Black has ideas of c5. 9...Bc5! Keeping with my philosophy, it's some piece on c5 against almost anything! 10.Qe2 10.Bxc5 Nxc5 This exchange was useful for both sides, but White now has one attacker less, so Black's bold play in the opening hasn't been punished. 11.Nd4 Stockfish's main line. However, I am not sure that this move is too challenging. 11.Nc3 d4! Forward! 12.Ne2 12.Bxe6 Nxe6 favours Black since the knight is much better placed on e6. 12...Bxb3 13.axb3 13.cxb3 d3 14.Nf4 Qe7 15.a3 0-0-0 With a super pawn on d3 Black has no worries. 13...Ne6 14.Qd3 0-0 15.Qe4 Qd7 16.Rad1 Rad8= With comfortable equality as the d-pawn is a strength. 11.c3 0-0 Such play is often too slow to cause Black any problems. 12.Re1 12.h3 Nxb3 13.axb3 f6 A powerful break that removes the thorn on e5. 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Re1 d4! With comfortable equality. 12...d4! Dynamic and strong. A pawn is sacrificed to win the bishop. 13.Nxd4 13.cxd4 Nxb3 14.axb3 b4 Leads to similar positions as in the main line. 13...Nxb3 14.axb3 Nxd4 15.cxd4 b4 With a strong light squared bishop for a pawn. 11...Qd7! Almost a novelty, but an incredibly strong engine idea. 12.Re1!?N Somehow in my files White's best chances come in the form of novelties! 12.c3N Nxe5! Black grabs the pawn with a very concrete idea in mind. 13.f4 Nc4! Somehow my Stockfish initially missed this move, which allows Black to play for more than equality. 14.f5 Ne3 15.Qh5 Nxf1 16.fxe6 Nxe6 17.Kxf1 0-0 Black has a rook and two pawns for two pieces, which amounts to very good play. 12.Nxc6 Qxc6 13.c3 Rd8= Was comfortable for Black in Eynullayev-Yakubboev 2019. 12...0-0 13.c3 Once again the Stockfish main line. 13.Nc3 Rfd8! White's play has not been the quickest and Black takes full advantage. 14.Nxc6 Qxc6 15.Ne2 d4 With wonderful play. 13...Nxb3! A strong resource that the NN engines spot in a second. Stockfish is still in the illusion that it is better, but Black has very comfortable equality following 14.axb3 b4 15.Nd2 a5 which gains space and removes any weaknesses on the queenside. 16.h3 bxc3 17.bxc3 Ne7 With comfortable play. 10...0-0 11.Rd1 The main move and the only serious one. 11.Nbd2 Nxd2! This exchange allows Black to get the better side of equality. 12.Bxd2!?N A novelty more out of necessity. 12.Qxd2 d4 13.Bf4 White's best chance. 13.Bg5 Qd7 is very comfortable for Black. 13...Bxb3 14.axb3 Qd5 With the better side of equality. 12...Bg4! 13.Be3 d4! Black's play is energetic and sound. 14.Bf4 Na5 15.h3 Bh5 With strong pressure against White's misplaced pieces. 11...Bxe3 11...Na5 was my initial move order, but this one is more forcing. 12.Qxe3 Na5! This is my recommendation. It has been played by a young Mamedyarov in the past, and leads to very interesting positions with opposing races - Black plays on the queenside and White pushes pawns on the kingside. 13.Nbd2 13.c3 Nxb3!N 14.axb3 Bg4 Leads to positions where Black has absolutely no issues. 13...Nxd2 14.Rxd2 The critical position for the entire survey. On the face of it, it looks like White has got everything he wants from the opening - he is better developed and d5 is a juicy target. However, my novelty in this position changes the assessment of the position and gives Black a playable game. Rc8!N Black has a simple plan - push c5 and play on the queenside. I believe that this move revitalises Black's chances in this line. Now I've checked all the branches quite extensively, so hopefully you have enough ammunition to breach your opponent's defenses! 14...c6 15.c3 Qe7!?∞ is another option that I briefly checked, but I believe that my novelty is flashier and leads to more interesting play. 15.c3 The main move in my file. 15.Rad1 Nxb3 I also had 15...c6!? in my file, but it is best to stay consistent to the plan. 16.axb3 c5 White's best chance is to transpose to one of the branches in the main line with 17.c3, since after something like 17.Qd3!? h6 18.h3 Qe7 19.c3 Rfe8 Black has a very easy game. 15...c5! Black delays taking on b3 for the moment and instead advances on the queenside. 16.Ng5!? The critical attempt - White tries to launch a kingside attack. 16.h3 h6 Both sides have made useful waiting moves and now White has to show a plan. 17.Rad1 17.Kh2 Nc4 Is a very good exchange for Black. 18.Bxc4 bxc4 The half-open b-file gives Black good chances on the queenside. 17.Nh2 Nxb3 18.axb3 a5 19.Ng4 b4 White hasn't really improved his position while Black has made progress on the queenside. 20.Qg3 bxc3 21.bxc3 Bxg4 The simplest solution. 22.Qxg4 Re8= This major piece endgame is approximately balanced. 17...Nxb3 18.axb3 a5 19.b4!? The only real plan for White in this position. cxb4 20.cxb4 a4! 21.Nd4 Rc4 One of those critical positions in the sub-lines, as it can also come from another move order. 22.f4 White's only reasonable plan. 22.b3 axb3 23.Qxb3 Qh4= is just equal. 22...Qh4! The queen will disturb White's kingside plans. 23.f5 Bd7 24.e6 fxe6 25.fxe6 Be8∞ This is a rather unclear position. White's knight is strong on d4 but Black's pieces are positioned perfectly. Chances are about equal. 16.Rad1 Nxb3 17.axb3 This can also arise from 15.Rad1. Qe7!? The more fighting option. 18.Ra1 Attacking a6 is White's best plan here. 18.h3 a5! Helps Black get rid of his only weakness. 19.b4!? The comp's main move for some reason. I guess it really hates allowing b4. cxb4 20.cxb4 Qxb4 21.Nd4 Bd7∞ White is a pawn down and has to be careful not to over-press. 18...Qb7 19.b4 White was probably counting on this idea, but Black has a strong rejoinder. d4! Opening the long diagonal. 20.cxd4 cxb4 21.h3 Rfd8 Black has a strong light squared bind. 22.Ne1 Ra8 23.Nd3 a5 24.Rc1 Rac8 25.Nc5 Qe7 Both sides have their chances. 16...h6! Asking the knight an important question. 17.Ne4 The best move. 17.Nf3 is just a waste of time - Nxb3 18.axb3 a5 19.b4 cxb4 20.cxb4 a4 21.Nd4 Bd7 Black has got an ideal version of one of the previous variations. 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.f4 is a possible idea, but after Nxb3 19.axb3 a5 20.g3 c4 Black obtains very strong counterplay on the queenside. 21.bxc4 Rxc4 17...Nxb3 18.axb3 White should not be too cheeky! 18.Nf6+ Right now is not working so well as after gxf6 19.Qxh6 f5 20.Rd3 f4 21.axb3 Rc6! Black brings a piece to the defense of his king and is slightly better. 18...Qe7! 19.Nf6+! Perhaps White's only serious try. 19.Nd6 Rc6 20.h3 f6! Black liquidates. 21.f4 fxe5 22.fxe5 Qh4 23.Rdd1 Qf4 24.Qxf4 Rxf4= This ending still has enough complexity for both sides to lose, but it is balanced right now. 19.Ng3 Rfd8 What now follows is a forced line. 20.Rxa6 d4! Simplifying into a drawn ending. 21.cxd4 cxd4 22.Rxd4 Rxd4 23.Qxd4 Qc5! White has to take as the back rank is too weak. 24.Qxc5 Rxc5 25.h4 This tempo allows Black to win back a pawn. Rxe5 26.Rd6 Re1+ 27.Kh2 Bxb3= with comfortable equality. 19...gxf6 20.Qxh6 Black has to either know or find the following move. f5! Not a really hard move - exf6 is no longer a threat and the pawn becomes a very good defender. 21.Rd3 f4! Preventing Rg3. 22.g4! White's only serious try. Rh3 is threatened. 22.Qxf4 Kh7‼ is Black's beautiful point. White has insufficient compensation for the missing piece. 22...f6! The last precise move. Since 23.Rh3? Qg7 is not desirable for White, he has to grab the a6 pawn and hope for the best. 23.Rxa6 Bxg4! Simplifying by force. 24.Qxf4 Qg7 25.Rg3 fxe5! Not fearing ghosts. 26.Qxg4 26.Qh6 is not too scary as well - Qxh6 27.Rxh6 Kg7 28.Rd6 Kf7 29.Rxg4 Rfd8= with equality. 26...Qxg4 27.Rxg4+ Kf7 28.Kf1 Ra8 29.Rc6 Rfc8= White has to repeat moves or enter a complex double-rook endgame which is equal. This brings an end to this survey which looks at 9.Be3 and 9.Qe2 among other moves in the Open Spanish. While the former is a very serious try, the latter and other minor tries don't pose Black too many problems. In Part 2 the critical variations with 9.c3 and 9.Nbd2 will be checked.
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Open Spanish-9th Move Alternatives-2022

He has also made a remarkable theoretical discovery in the Open Spanish.

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 The starting position of the Open Spanish. Black accepts a slight structural weakness in exchange for active piece play. In this survey, I will check the two most critical lines - 9.c3 and 9.Nbd2. As far as my analysis goes, Black is in excellent shape and I wonder why people play the Berlin when life here is so simple. 9.c3 The absolute main line and what I expect well-prepared White players to do. I used to consider this variation to be quite tricky, but recently a new line has come to the fore that promises Black excellent winning chances while keeping the objective balance. 9.Nbd2 I would consider this move to be slightly less challenging than 9.c3, as the path to equality demands less precision. Nc5 Keeping with my policy of putting a piece on c5 against almost everything! 10.c3 d4 All this has been seen 1000s of times before. Black is doing quite well according to modern theory. 11.Bxe6 The only real try. 11.Bc2 d3 12.Bb1 Qd5 13.Re1 0-0-0 14.Ng5!?N Perhaps White's best chance. 14.Re3 was Wesley's move, but here we deviate with a strong novelty. g5! is already better for Black. 14...Nxe5! Now the complications end as usual in equality. 15.a4 Bg4 16.f3 Bh5 17.axb5 axb5 18.Ba2 Qd6 19.Kh1 h6 20.Nge4 Nxe4 21.Nxe4 Qc6= So far everything was forced. White has few moves he can try but they all end in equality. You can check the rest :) 11.Ng5!? Kasparov's famous novelty. While it caught Anand by surprise, I don't think it's a particularly great move. Qxg5! What Vishy didn't know in 1995 and what we now know - this is harmless. 12.Qf3 0-0-0 13.Bxe6+ fxe6 The most principled. The other move is really risky. 13...Nxe6 If you want to make this line work, investingate the following complications 14.Qxc6 Qxe5 15.Qxa6+ Kd7 16.a4 Rb8 17.Nf3 Qd5 18.axb5 Bd6 19.cxd4 Rxb5 20.Bd2 Rhb8 21.Qa4 Ke7 22.Bc3 Nf4 Black has decent compensation but Stockfish is adamant that White is better. 23.Rfe1+ Kf8 24.Re3 g5 25.Qc2 Qf5 26.Qxf5 Rxf5 The final position is still a bit better for White but Black can hold. Still, this feels like a very big gamble for nothing. 14.Qxc6 Qxe5 15.a4 15.b4 Qd5! This is already slightly better for Black. 16.Qxd5 exd5 17.bxc5 dxc3 18.Nb3 d4 The pawns are too strong. 15...bxa4!N The only way to play on without undue risk. 15...dxc3 is just a draw - 16.Nf3 Qd5 17.axb5 Rd6= White has to force the draw. 16.b4 16.Nc4 Qe4 17.Qxe4 Nxe4 18.cxd4 Rxd4 19.Rxa4 Bc5 This position seems playable for both sides but it should objectively be drawn. 16...Qd5!? Stockfish is now royally confused after my latest crazy piece sacrifice! 16...axb3 is another forced draw. 17.Rxa6 Nxa6 18.Nc4 Qc5 19.Qxa6+ Kd7 20.Qa4+ Kc8= 17.Qxd5 exd5 18.bxc5 dxc3 19.c6 cxd2 20.Rxa4 dxc1Q 21.Rxc1 Rd6 22.Rxa6 White threatens mate so we have to give up the exchange soon. Kd8 23.Re1 Rxc6 24.Rxc6 Kd7 I checked this endgame really deeply. It always ended with equality. However this already feels more pleasant for Black since the pawns are a real force. 25.Ra6 25.Rec1 Bd6 is fine. 25...Bc5 26.Rb1 Rf8 27.Rb2 Bb6 28.Rd2 Kd6 Stockfish calms down quite quickly once it is show this point. Black can try for a while but objectively White should hold. 11...Nxe6 12.cxd4 Once again White doesn't have much of a choice if he wants something from the opening. 12.Nb3 is not great - after dxc3 13.Qe2 Qd5 14.bxc3 0-0-0 Black has a great game. 12...Ncxd4 13.Ne4 13.a4 Bb4 14.axb5 a5!?N Just to give something different. The main line is obviously fine. Now for example check the following lines just to see how play goes. 15.Nc4 15.Ne4 0-0 16.Nxd4 Qxd4 17.Qxd4 Nxd4 Obviously this ending is fine for Black. 18.Be3 Nxb5 19.Nc5 Rfe8 20.Nd3 Be7 21.Rfc1 f6 Once the e5 pawn goes away Black argues that the queenside majority means something. 15...Nxb5 16.Qb3 Nc5 17.Qc2 Qd3 The queen exchange is beneficial for Black. 18.Qxd3 Nxd3 19.Be3 Ke7 20.Rfd1 Rhd8 21.Kf1 a4= With equality in the ending. 13.Nxd4 Qxd4 14.Qf3 Hari tried this line once from the White side but it isn't a serious test. Rd8 15.Qc6+ Qd7 16.Qxa6 Bb4!? Playing active chess. 17.Qb7 17.Nf3 Now Black gets a lot of activity for the pawn. Nc5 18.Qa7 0-0 White has to be careful not to lose control. 17...0-0 18.Nb3 Qd5 A novelty and quite a natural one - Black trades queens and despite the pawn minus the ending is tenable. 19.Qxd5 Rxd5= With equality as White struggles to get developed. 13.Nb3 Nxb3 14.Qxb3 Be7 Exchanges favour Black who has the queenside majority. 15.Rd1 15.a4 c6! Retaining the queenside majority. 15...Qc8! Black retains fighting chances. The queen heads to b7 and Black castles 'into the storm' on the kingside. 13...Qd5! Far more forcing than the alternative with Be7. 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.Nc3 Qc4 16.Be3 0-0-0!N A strong novelty that Stockfish eventually understands. The king is pretty safe on c8. 17.Bxd4 Perhaps White's best try. 17.Rc1 is initially given a high eval, but the engine returns to zeroes at high depths. Bc5! White has two serious moves here. 18.Re1 The more testing try. 18.Kh1 Bb6 19.Qg4+ Qe6 20.Qe4 Kb8∞ With fighting chances. White can choose to liquidate into a drawn ending but that's not much of a problem for us. 18...Ne6 19.Qf3 Bxe3 20.Rxe3 Kb8 21.b3 Qf4!= Black is doing well with or without the impending queen exchange. 17...Rxd4 18.Qf3 Kb8 19.b3 Qe6! The easiest. Here I checked a lot of different lines and everywhere Black was holding up fine. 19...Qd3!? 20.Qxf7 Ba3 Needs some exploration as well but my line seems to be simpler. 20.Ne2 The most serious try. The knight on c3 is a target so White reroutes it. 20.a4 b4 This inclusion seems to work out well for Black as b3 is a serious weakness. 21.Ne2 Rd8 22.Qe3 22.Rac1 Qxe5= is easy enough. 22...f6! Breaking up the strong central presence. 23.Rad1 23.Rfd1 Be7 24.Nd4 Qd5 25.Qe2 Bc5= With full equality. 23...Be7! Simply developing. 24.Nd4 Qd5 25.Qe2 Bc5∞ White has to give up some material in the short term and that's not easy to do. 20.Rad1 Bc5 21.Ne4 Qxe5 22.Nxc5 Qxc5 It can be argued that Black already has the better side of equality due to the queenside majority. 20...Rd8 21.Qc3 21.a4 Qd5! 22.Qf4 22.Qxd5 Rxd5 23.axb5 Rxb5 24.Nd4 Rb6 25.Rfc1 Kb7= Full equality again. 22...b4 23.g3 Bc5 24.Rac1 Bb6 25.Rcd1 Qxb3= White has to be careful not to lose the plot. 21.Rad1 Bc5 As usual once this bishop comes out White has to start being careful. 21...Qd5! Well, It feels good that sometimes human intuition can over-rule the Fish. 22.Rac1 22.Rfc1 Rd7 23.h3 Be7 24.Rd1 Qxd1+ transposes. 22...Rd7 23.h3 23.h4 Be7 24.Rfd1 Qxd1+ 25.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 26.Kh2 Rhd8 The presence of the pawn on h4 means Black has an additional target. This is obviously fine for the 2nd player. 23...Be7 24.Rcd1 Qxd1! This is what attracted me to my novelty. If this works then nothing like it! 25.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 26.Kh2 Rhd8 27.Qc6 R1d5! 28.f4 28.Qxa6 Rxe5= is of course fine for Black. 28...g5! Forcing stuff. 29.Ng1! Apparently White's best move. h5 30.Qh6 Until here Stockfish was giving an edge for White, but then I showed it a beautiful point g4! and immediately the eval dropped to 3 zeroes. Black is obviously fine in this ending - in fact I prefer the two rooks already. 9...Bc5!? This is the line! Previously Black exclusively brought the bishop to e7, but this gambit line, where Black gives up the two pieces for a rook and pawn has risen in popularity. As far as I can tell, the current state of theory shows nothing for the 1st player here. 9...Be7 is also a possible setup. For example after 10.Nbd2 Nc5 11.Bc2 d4 12.Nb3 d3 13.Bb1 Nxb3 14.axb3 Bf5 Black seems to be in excellent shape, but I like the main line a bit more as it's a newer and more promising direction. 10.Nbd2 The main move by far. 10.Bc2 is simply transpositional after 0-0 When White has to play Nbd2. 10.Qd3 10.Qe2 more often than not leads to similar positions after 10.Qe2 0-0 11.Be3. 0-0 11.Be3 White's point - he wants to exchange Black's good bishop. Here there are many ways to play, but I quite like following the Beast with 11.Nbd2 f5! This advance helps Black get a great game. 12.exf6 Feels like the most sensible response, since leaving the pawn on f5 does White no good. 12.Bc2 Kh8! A powerful move. Black gets out of the way of any tactics along a2-g8 and prepares the d4 advance. 13.Nb3 d4 14.Nbxd4 Bc4! 15.Qe3 Bxd4 16.cxd4 Nb4! We don't take the exchange but instead threaten the bishop on c2. Black has excellent play. 12.a4 b4 13.Bc2 Be7 Leads to a more comfortable middlegame for Black. 12...Nxf6 13.Bc2 The bishop was hitting a wall on b3 so it is rerouted to greener pastures. 13.a4 Bf7! Protecting the bishop by retreating it from the exposed e-file. 14.Ng5 Ne5 15.Qh3 Qc8! Endgames are good for the 2nd player. 16.Qxc8 Raxc8= With a complex but balanced ending. 13.Ng5 Is not so threatening as Black gets to develop quickly. Ne5 14.Qg3 Qd6 15.Re1 Nfg4 With a playable middlegame. 13...Qd6 14.Nb3 Bb6 15.Be3 Bxe3 The simplest response. 16.Qxe3 Bg4∞ With a complex position where Black is no worse. 11...Bxe3 12.Qxe3 f5!? Which leads to really fighting positions. 13.Nbd2 The engines prefer not to take on f6, which is understandable, but now Black gets his own play going on the kingside. 13.exf6 Qxf6 Transposes to a main branch where Black is doing really well. 14.Nbd2 The main move in the database. 14.Re1 Rad8 15.Nbd2 is popular in the CC domain, but Black seems to be holding his own after Nxd2 16.Nxd2 Bf7 17.Qg3 and now we can improve over - Hladecek,M -Rynkevich, S ICCF email 2009 with Qd6 18.Nf3 Qxg3 19.hxg3 d4!= with full equality. 14...Nxd2 15.Qxd2 Rad8 Perhaps starting with this is more precise. 15...Kh8 is also possible. The game went 16.Rfe1 Rad8 17.Nd4 Bg8∞ Adhiban later went to win in Xiong,J -Adhiban,B Douglas 2019 16.Rae1 Kh8 17.Nd4 Bg8 18.Nxc6 Qxc6 19.Re7 Qd6 Black has enough counterplay to hold the balance. 13...Qe8 Getting away from any tactics on the d-file and supporting the bishop on e6. 14.a4 The only serious try. 14.Rfe1 Kh8 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Bxe6 Qxe6 17.Nd4 Qd5∞ leads to typical positions where Black is doing fine. 14.Rfd1 Rd8 15.a4 b4 is also fine for Black. 14...Rd8 15.Rfe1 Kh8 16.Nd4 f4! With powerful counterplay on the kingside. 10.Qe2 0-0 with possible tr. 10...0-0 11.Bc2 Once again if White wants something he has to accept the sacrifice. 11.Qc2 Bf5 Leads to very comfortable play for Black. For example 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 The bishop is now a very powerful presence on e4. 13.Qd1 Qd7 14.Re1 Rad8 15.Bg5 Be7 Exchanging off the good bishop, but it's one more piece off the board. 16.Bxe7 Qxe7= Black still has enough complexity to try and outplay the opponent. 11.Qe2 Bf5 Is also fine for Black. For example after 12.a4 Rb8 13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.Ng5 Nxe5 15.Nxe4 I propose that we deviate from existing theory with Bg4 16.Qc2 bxa4 17.Bxa4 Bb6∞ with a playable middlegame. 11...Bxf2+! The entire point behind Black's opening concept. 12.Rxf2 Nxf2 13.Kxf2 f6 We can call this the real starting point of the 9.c3 line. White has two principal ways to play, but in both of them the 2nd player gets a comfortable game. 14.Nf1! I have to say that I initially underestimated this move. It looked stupid to me - White gives up another pawn just to co-ordinate his pieces. However, the ripple effect eventually dawned on me - once White co-ordinates the extra firepower will tell. I would go as far to say that this is the line that will make or break Black's opening concept. 14.exf6 Qxf6 This has been the mainline for quite sometime now. Here White has tried everything under the sun, but only a few moves are worth checking. 15.Nf1 The main move and the only one worth checking seriously. 15.Kg1 Rae8! This move promises Black very easy play. 16.Nf1 16.Nb3 The knight has very little to do on the queenside. Ne5 The same pattern as before. 17.Be3 Nxf3+ 18.Qxf3 Qxf3 19.gxf3 Rxf3 20.Bf2 Bh3 I would argue that this is a better version for Black since the knight on b3 has no influence, but either ways White gets nothing here. 16.h3 Ne5! The move h3 was not very useful. 17.Nxe5 17.Qf1 Bd7! This move promises Black a big advantage. 17...Qxe5 18.Nf3 Qg3 White has to force a slightly worse ending now. 19.Qe1 Qxe1+ 20.Nxe1 Bxh3! With good play for Black. 16...Ne5! White can't take and has to liquidate into the ending. 17.Be3 Nxf3+ 18.Qxf3 Qxf3 19.gxf3 Rxf3 20.Bf2 Bh3= With equal chances. Subjectively I would already take Black as the rooks grow in power in the ending. 15...Rae8!? The 2nd most popular move in the database. Turns out it is just a transposition, though it can get White to make a few stupid decisions. 16.Be3 16.Qd3 g6! is simple enough. 16...Ne5 17.Bc5 Once again the only serious move. 17.Bd4 Bg4! Gives Black a very good game. For example 18.N1d2 Qg5 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Kg1 Qe3+ 21.Kh1 Qf2 With very clear counterplay on the kingside. 17...Nxf3! Insisting on damaging the White structure. 18.gxf3 18.Bxf8? Nh4+ 19.Kg1 Rxf8-+ is just crushing for Black due to the initiative and extra pawn. 18...Rf7 19.Ng3 19.Kg2 d4! is a very powerful resource. For example 20.Ng3 20.Bxd4 Qg5+ 21.Kh1 Bd5 22.Bb3 c5! with serious attacking chances. 20...Qg5 21.Bxd4 c5 22.Bf2 Rxf3! An insane number of CC draws here, but the path to equality is quite thorny for White. 23.Be4! Strictly the only move. Rf6! Asking more questions 24.Qh5! Another only move. Bh3+ 25.Qxh3! Once more the only move. Rxe4∞ Even here White has only one comfortable move to make. The tests continue. 19...Bg4! 20.Kg1! The best move for White. Qxf3 21.Qxf3 Rxf3 Almost by force we reach this ending on Black's 21st move. Is it drawn or can White use the two pieces? I spent a lot of time checking the intricacies and it turns out that Black has full equality. 22.Rf1 Perhaps the most testing move. White removes his rook from the board. 22.a4 Bh3! is Black's idea. Now both the rooks have to stay on the board. 23.axb5 axb5 24.Ne2 c6 25.Nd4 Rf6 26.Bd3 h5 Black has very easy play and White has to be careful not to get mated. 27.Kh1 h4 28.Rg1 Re3∞ With equal chances. 22.Kg2 h5! Getting the h-pawn involved. 23.Bg6 Re6 24.Bxh5 Rxg3+ 25.Kxg3 Bxh5= This ending is balanced but clearly Black is the one trying with the extra pawn. 22...Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 This is perhaps another critical position. Different engines give different evaluations. For the sake of this survey I will keep it really simple with my recommendation. a5! What I had in my notes seems the cleanest. Black liquidates the queenside. 24.Bd3 Perhaps the most testing. White goes to win a pawn. 24.Kf2 Re6! The rook on the 6th is incredibly nasty. 25.a3 Rf6+ 26.Ke1 Rh6 27.Nf1 Bh3 28.Ne3 Be6= White has nothing better than to repeat. 24.a3 Re6 The same idea again. For example 25.Bd4 g6 26.Bd3 c6 27.Kf2 Re7 28.Nf1 Rf7+ 29.Kg1 Bf5 30.Be2 h5= Black is very solid and White can't do much. 24...b4! The pawn must be given up. 25.cxb4 25.Ne2 Bxe2+! The pesky knight is removed from the board. 26.Bxe2 bxc3 27.bxc3 Kf7 28.Bb5 Re6 suddenly Black is trying here, even though White should hold. 25...axb4 26.Bxb4 Rb8! 27.Ba3 White tries to keep the tension. 27.a3 c5! 28.Bxc5 Rb3! 29.Ba6 Rxb2 WIth excellent counterplay thanks to the active rook. 27...Kf7 28.Ne2 Perhaps the only serious plan that White has. c5 29.Nf4 c4! The pawn on h7 is worthless. 30.Bxh7 d4 31.h3 Bd7 Black has very active piece play even in this ending. White can't do much. 14...fxe5 15.Kg1 The critical position of the line. Qd6! After long hours of analysis, I decided to give this move. Quite simply, the old main line with 15...Bg4 was untenable. Black's idea is to keep developing as quickly as possible instead of giving White tempi to build up. 15...Bg4 I didn't really see a need to deviate from the main recommendation, but White gets an advantage by force after this move. 16.Ne3! The only serious try and the only move needed to make me go back to the drawing board. 16.Bg5 Was a crazy try by Jorden, but Mamedyarov was excellently prepared - Bxf3! 17.Qd2 Qd6! 18.gxf3 e4! A fantastic series of moves. 19.fxe4 Ne5 20.Kh1 Jorden goes wrong, which is understandable. 20.Bd1 is probably safer though after c6= Black has nothing to worry about. 20...Nf3 21.Qg2 Here we deviate from Van Foreest, J -Mamedyarov,S Zagreb 2021 with Nxg5! 22.Qxg5 Rf2! 23.Bb3 Kh8! White has to be careful not to get steamrolled. 16.Bb3 Ne7! Leaves White struggling for equality. 16...Be6 17.b3! I initially underestimated this move. It turns out Black can't equalise here. 17.b4 I had only checked this move but Black appears to be fine here. h6 18.Bb2 Qd6 19.a4 Rae8 20.Qe1 Ne7 With nice counterplay. 17...e4!? When in doubt, trust the correspondence players! However, even here I don't see how Black equalises. 17...d4 was played by Vidit, but he was clearly not using the best engines as after 18.cxd4! Improving over Alireza's 18. Qd3. Nxd4 18...exd4 19.Qd3! is White's point. 19.Nxd4 Qxd4 20.Rb1! Black is struggling to equalise. 17...a5 was my last attempt, but Leela laughed in my face with 18.Bb2 Rb8 19.Qe1 e4 20.Nd4 Nxd4 21.cxd4 c6 22.Bd1! The move NNUE engines missed when checking the line. b4 23.Rc1 Who will ever want to play Black here? 18.Nd4 Nxd4 19.Qxd4 Qd6 20.b4! The fun is just beginning! 20.Bb2 c5! is fine for Black. 20...Qf4 I was following top CC players, but it turns out that modern engines have turned the previous evals upside down! 20...a5 was my attempted improvement. However, after 21.Bd2! Rf7 22.Be1! I was left struggling for equality. c6 23.Bg3 Qe7 24.h4!? I believe that with precise play Black can neutralise the White initiative, but it is no fun to play this position. 21.Bd2 Qf2+ 22.Kh1 a5 23.Bb3 c6 24.Be1! My improvement. 24.Rg1!? is also given a big eval by Stockfish. 24...Qb2 25.Rd1 Bg4 26.Qd2 Qxd2 27.Rxd2 Be6 28.Kg1 Black has to suffer for a long time and even then I don't see how he equalises. This came as a bit of a shock, as I had decided to give Bg4 as my main line. 15...Qd7 16.a4 b4 17.Ng5! 16.Be3 The only real try for an opening advantage. This move also has Fabi's stamp of approval. 16.Ng5 Bf5 17.Bxf5 Rxf5 gives Black a very good game. 16...Rad8 The critical position of the entire line beginning with 9. c3 Bc5!?. Here White has a number of options. 17.Qe1 The critical move, planning to reroute the queen to the kingside. 17.Ng3 Bg4! leaves White struggling to equalise. 17.Ng5 Bf5 is simple enough. Once the light squared bishop is off the board Black has little to fear. 18.Bxf5 Rxf5 19.Ng3 Rff8! This is better than Rf6 as White is forced to keep more pieces on the board. 20.Qg4 Rf6!? Strange maneuvering, but I guess Ne6 has to be stopped like this. An additional point is that after 21.Rd1 Qd7 22.Qh5 Rh6 23.Qe2 Rg6∞ The black rook is really active on the 6th rank. Chances are approximately balanced and Stockfish cools down after a while. 17.h3!?N Not a particularly scary novelty. e4! Simpler than Bf7 which also equalises. 18.Nd4 18.N3d2 d4!= brute-forcing it. Black is fine here. 18...Nxd4 19.Qxd4 Bxh3! A piece sacrifice to play for an attack. 20.gxh3 Rf3 White can try to play on but he entails as much risk as us. Black is fine here. 17.a4 h6! 18.axb5 18.Qe1 b4 is also fine. 18...axb5 19.Qe1 b4 With counterplay on the queenside and center. 17.Qe2 d4! With good counterplay. For example 18.Rd1 Bc4 19.Qe1 d3 20.Bb3 Na5 21.N3d2 Qd5 The d-pawn is very strong. 17...Bf5! Once again this idea. Black has to try and exchange White's powerful bishop on c2. 18.Bb3 The critical move, avoiding the exchange and taking aim at d5. 18.Bd1 Bd3! is very comfortable for Black. For example 19.Ng3 Rde8 20.a3 d4 21.Bf2 e4 22.Nxd4 e3 23.Bb3+ Kh8 Black has fighting chances. 18.Bxf5 Rxf5 Is already quite comfortable for Black as the two rooks will soon start working their magic. 19.Rd1 Rf7 20.Bf2 Rdf8 21.Bg3 Qc5+ 22.Bf2 Qd6= White either has to repeat or play a balanced middlegame. 18...Na5 19.Qf2! Once again White has to be precise. 19.Bf2 Rde8! A strong centralisation. 20.Qe3 Nxb3 21.axb3 Bg4∞ With an unclear middlegame. 19.Qg3 Rde8 20.Re1 20.Qf2 Rf7 21.Bc5 Qc6 22.Qe3 h6∞ An unclear middlegame with chances for both sides. 20...c5! The pawns look quite menacing. 21.Bf2 Nxb3 22.axb3 Be4 With strong counterplay. 19.Ba7 Be4!= is also fine for Black. 19...Nb7! Preventing Bc5. 20.Re1! Once again the critical move. Anything else allows Black easy equality. 20.Qg3 Rde8 21.Re1 a5 is quite fine for Black. 20.Ng3 Bg6 21.Bg5 Rd7 22.Qe2 h6!∞ With good counter-chances. 20...Rde8 21.Qd2! This was the line that initially worried me, but letting the engine for hours solved all the problems I had. 21.Ng3 Bd3!∞ is quite clear-cut, even if the poor Stockfish is quite confused initially. 21...c6 22.Bd1 22.Ng3 Bg4! The main idea. 23.Bd1 h6 24.b3 e4 25.Nd4 Bxd1 This exchange relieves Black from a lot of pressure. 26.Rxd1 Rf7 Balck has enough play to maintain the balance. 22...a5 23.b4 axb4! Finally Stockfish proved useful! It is important to include this exchange. 24.cxb4 Bg4 This is the final critical position. I checked this quite extensively upto to insane depths, and I was pretty happy with my conclusions. I give the following two lines as examples. 25.h3 Insane depth time! This took about 4-5 hours to run! 25.Bf2 e4 26.Nd4 Bxd1 27.Rxd1 h6 28.Ne3 Qd7 29.Qc2 29.Qc3 Rc8 30.Bg3 Nd6 31.Bxd6 Qxd6 32.Rc1 Qf4 With enough counterplay to equalise. 29...Rc8 30.a4 bxa4 31.Qxa4 Rf7! 32.Qa2 Kh7 33.Bg3 c5 34.bxc5 Nxc5 35.Qxd5 Qxd5 36.Nxd5 Rd8 37.Nc2 Nd3 38.Nce3 Rc8= With an equal endgame. 25...Bxf3 Illustrative line goes as follows 26.Bxf3 Qg6 27.Qe2 Qf6 28.Bb6 g6 29.Qc2 h5 30.Bd1 Re6 31.Qc3 Nd6 32.Bb3 Kh7! 33.Ng3 Qg5 34.Ne4 Nxe4 35.Rxe4 dxe4 36.Bxe6 Qf6 37.Bc5 Qf1+ 38.Kh2 Rf2 39.Qg3 Re2 White has to either force a perpetual or get mated. Nice times!
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Open Spanish-9.c3 Bc5!? and 9.Nbd2 Nc5-2022

King's Gambit

One section that needs to be updated is the work on the King's Gambit. ChessBase has produced a string of DVDs on the King's Gambit. The main analysis in these DVDs set is yet to be included in the Encyclopaedia here. How should players with Black deal with the King's Gambit? They can accept the gambit pawn and be prepared for a tactical slugfest.

In this context let me mention a rare bird in the King's Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Nf6. It is named after Emil Schallopp (1843-1919).

Emil Schallopp

German chess master and author Emil Schallopp

Aficionados of the King's Gambit should check out Krisztian Szabo's analysis of the Defence in this Encyclopaedia.

Readers would also find another line here: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Ne7. However, I am sceptical about this line. The knight blocks the path of the dark-squared bishop and is also unable to fight for the control over the centre.

If you are Black, you also have to cope with lines branching with 3.Bc4 or 3.Nc3, very dangerous lines. You can avoid all of it with the Falkbeer-Nimzowitsch Counter Gambit. Currently, it is out of fashion and not included in this Encyclopaedia. I believe, it deserves to be tested. Here is a sample of the variation:

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1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 c6 The Main Line of the Falkbeer Variation 3...e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Qe2 Bf5 8.Nc3 Qe7 is well-analysed. 4.Nc3 4.fxe5?? Qh4+-+ 4.dxc6 Nxc6 Black is well ahead in development and itis sufficient compensation for the pawn. 4.Qe2 cxd5 5.Qxe5+ Be7 6.Qxg7?? Bf6 7.Qg3 Bh4-+ 4...exf4 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.d4 Ne7 Or 6...Nf6 7.Qe2+ Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Kxe7= 7.dxc6 Nbxc6 8.Bb5 0-0 9.0-0 Bg4=
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King's Gambit-Falkbeeer Nimzovich Countergam-2024Analysis

Is the King's Gambit playable in 2024? Yes. There is nothing like it for sheer romance and adventure in chess. It is also a surprise weapon in rapid and blitz tournaments. However, you have to be thorough in your preparation.

I am sympathetic to both the Latvian Gambit and the Elephant Gambit. As of now, both are under rough weather. However, the analysis here by Peter Leisebein and Alexander Bangiev is of archival value.

In the second part of this review, I shall deal with the treatment of semi-open games in this Encyclopaedia. Watch this space.

Links

Further Reading

  1. How to Open a Chess Game (RHM Press 1974)
  2. Chess Opening Essentials Vol. 1 - The Complete 1.e4 (New in Chess 2007)
  3. Mastering the Chess Openings (Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4) by John Watson (Gambit Publications 2006-2010)
  4. The Ruy Lopez: A Guide for Black by Sverre Johnsen and Leif Johanessen (Gambit Publications 2007)
  5. The Ruy Lopez Revisited by Ivan Sokolov (New in Chess. 2009)
  6. The Chigorin Bible: A Classic Defence to the Ruy Lopez by Ivan Sokolov and Ivan Salgado Lopez (Thinkers Publishing 2018)
  7. The Zaitsev System by Alexey Kuzmin (New in Chess 2016)
  8. The King's Gambit by John Shaw (Quality Chess 2013)

The new ChessBase Opening Encyclopaedia 2024 - More content. More ideas.

Prof. Nagesh Havanur (otherwise known as "chessbibliophile") is a senior academic and research scholar. He taught English in Mumbai for three decades and has now settled in Bangalore, India. His interests include chess history, biography and opening theory. He has been writing on the Royal Game for more than three decades. His articles and reviews have appeared on several web sites and magazines.
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