Jon Speelman: Beware the Centaur's Hooves

by Jonathan Speelman
9/16/2026 – GM Jon Speelman returns to the theme of opening preparation in the computer era, examining how engine-assisted novelties can unsettle even the strongest players. His examples begin with Fabiano Caruana's preparation from the recent Grand Chess Tour final, before moving to an earlier attacking idea by Hikaru Nakamura and, finally, the famous gambit introduced by Frank Marshall (pictured) against José Raúl Capablanca in New York in 1918.
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Discombobulating opening surprises

One topic I often come back to here is opening preparation in the age of the computer and the consternation caused when the opponent manages to catch you in the grip of a "centaur" - their collaboration with a chess engine.

Of course sometimes it is a human idea which you then examine with the machine's help, but sometimes it is simply an idea of the machine itself.

The latter can be particularly discombobulating because they produce moves which people really wouldn't think of - I suppose that since they are the "horsey" part of the creature, it is their hooves that do the damage.

I'm revisiting some old chestnuts today but starting with a game played last month in the final of the Grand Chess Tour, in which Fabiano Caruana uncorked a novelty which - at least to my human eyes - was very surprising even if it may not be if you think logically. Can you guess what Caruana and his minions had prepared?

Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So

Fabiano Caruana facing Wesley So at the recent Grand Chess Tour Finals in Saint Louis | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

There are so many examples of opening surprises, deadly and otherwise. For my first I'm going to one which I may have used fairly recently in which Hikaru Nakamura (and friends?) played a ferocious novelty against Sergei Karjakin.

And I'm finishing with the granddaddy of them all: Frank Marshall's Gambit (or Attack if you prefer), which the American introduced against José Raoul Capablanca with very high hopes in New York 1918 - but lost with even so.

(Normally I would have made a video but nice MRXSplit is demanding that I use one of their standard log-in methods – i.e. Google, Apple or Microsoft - rather than my normal email which I've always used before and my account is tied to. How tremendously helpful!)

Select an entry from the list to switch between games

In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
Bent Larsen (1935–2010) was the greatest chess player in Danish history, and for a time, the second-strongest player in the Western world behind Bobby Fischer. Between 1954 and 1971, he won the Danish Championship six times, and achieved numerous international tournament victories throughout his career. 
Free video sample: Introduction to Bent Larsen by Peter Heine Nielsen
Free video sample: Introduction to the Opening Section

Links

<< The first major tournament after the Second World War: The Staunton Memorial 1946
Topics: Jon Speelman's Agony Column
Jonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.
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Jon Speelman: Castles by the trees and Fluffy Ducks

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