Robert Ris' Fast and Furious: Muradli vs Mamedyarov (Open Catalan 5...Bd7)

by Robert Ris
3/2/2026 – Two weeks ago we looked at a spectacular victory by Mamedyarov at the National championship of Azerbaijan. The pre-tournament favorite eventually managed to reach the final but was surprisingly defeated by GM Muradli. It seemed as if both players surprised each other with the Open Catalan (5...Bd7) and in a well-known theoretical position Mamedyarov committed the decisive blunder already on move 12. This variation used to be quite popular 10-15 years ago, but isn't seen often any longer. In this episode I'll offer an overview of the theoretical possibilities for both sides.
This video course offers you a complete, clear repertoire for Black against the moves 1.Nf3 and 1.c4. The recommended variations are easy to learn and not difficult to remember, but also pose White serious challenges.

Two weeks ago we looked at a spectacular victory by Mamedyarov at the National championship of Azerbaijan. The pre-tournament favorite eventually managed to reach the final but was surprisingly defeated by GM Muradli. It seemed as if both players surprised each other with the Open Catalan (5...Bd7) and in a well-known theoretical position Mamedyarov committed the decisive blunder already on move 12. This variation used to be quite popular 10-15 years ago, but isn't seen often any longer. In this episode I'll offer an overview of the theoretical possibilities for both sides.

In this DVD, Erwin l'Ami guides you through the fascinating Benko Gambit. As early as move three Black starts a fight for the initiative, a strategy that has proved to be successful in countless amateur and master level games.

Exercise: How does White seize the initiative here?

Feel free to move the pieces on the live diagram!

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Topics: Fast and Furious
Robert is an International Master who mostly spends his time training and coaching talented youngsters. On the PlayChess server The Fast and the Furious is a popular show where he explains sharp opening lines for a wider audience. He is also a well-known ChessBase author who produced numerous DVDs and regularly contributes to ChessBase Magazine as well. Since 2015 he is the organizer of the Dutch Rapid Championships in his home town Amstelveen. He has started a YouTube channel with chess analysis as well.
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Robert Ris' Fast and Furious: Jan Timman

2/24/2026 – Dutch chess legend Jan Timman passed away earlier this week at the age of 74. In this week's show I'd like to pay tribute to his amazing chess career and share my personal experiences with Jan. I have a look at his spectacular victory in Hilversum, 1985 against the Garry Kasparov. It was Kasparov's first loss as a World Champion, and although it was perhaps not Jan's best game one could see the creative and adventurous attitude which were characteristic for him and brought him so many successes.
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Robert Ris' Fast and Furious: Flohr-Mikenas System Mamedyarov-Ibrahimli

2/18/2026 – I have a look the game Mamedyarov-Ibrahimli from the second round of the Azerbaijan Championships. Interestingly, the two players followed for a very long time my game against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from Reykjavik 2013! In a Flohr-Mikenas System, White voluntarily accepted to play with isolated doubled pawns on the c-file in order to develop a lot of play with its major pieces through the center. The similarities between both games is simply striking and are absolute modelgames from White's perspective. Still, a well-prepared Black player should be able to neutralize this concept, but when caught by surprise I can tell you from my own experience that these positions are highly unpleasant to play with Black!
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MiddleGame 08594EC Springing pawns

A pawn move can change the character of the whole position. Jussupow-Anand (Linares 1991) is all about such powerful pawn moves.

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