Svitlana's Smart Moves - Caruana's Sicilian surprise!

by Arne Kaehler
9/14/2023 – Fabiano Caruana had to face the underdog Nijat Abasov in the match for third place at the Baku World Cup. In round 8.2, the US player made a fairly unknown move in the Four Knights Sicilian, by moving the bishop to f4. Svitlana offers insights into various variations arising from this opening. The endgame provides valuable lessons as well!

The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.

Svitlana's Smart Moves - Episode 74

With Svitlana Demchenko and Arne Kaehler

Svitlana Demchenko is an 18-year-old, Canadian WIM and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the Women's International Master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bf4 6.Ndb5 d6 6...Bb4 7.Bf4 transposes 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 6...Bb4 7.Ndb5 Nxe4 8.Qf3 8.Nc7+ Kf8 9.Nxa8 Qf6! 9...Nxc3? 10.bxc3 Bxc3+ 11.Bd2 Bxa1 12.Qxa1= 10.Qf3 10.Bd2 Qxf2# 10...Nxc3 11.bxc3 11.Bd2 Nd4 12.Qd3 Qe5+ 13.Be2 Nxc2+-+ 11...Bxc3+-+ 8...d5 8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 Ba5 10.Nd6+ Kf8 11.0-0-0+- 9.Nc7+ Kf8 10.0-0-0 10.Nxa8 e5 11.Bd2 Nd4 12.Qd3 Nc5 13.Qg3 Nxc2+∞ 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 Qe7 11...g5 12.Qxe4 Qxc7 12...dxe4 13.Rxd8+ Nxd8 14.Bd6++- 12...gxf4 13.Qxf4+- 13.Bxc7 dxe4 14.Bb5= 12.c4 Qf6? 12...Nb4 13.cxd5 Nxa2+ 14.Kb2 Nac3 15.Rd4 e5 16.d6∞ 13.c3 g5 14.Bd6+ Kg7 15.Qxf6+ Kxf6 16.Nxa8 Nxd6 17.cxd5 exd5 18.f3 Nf5 19.Nc7 d4 20.Bb5 Ne3 21.Rd2 Bd7 22.Re1 Rc8 23.Rxe3 Rxc7 23...dxe3 24.Rxd7 Ne5 25.Nd5++- 24.Re4 dxc3 25.Rd6+ Kg7 26.Re3 a6 27.Ba4 Be6 28.Bxc6 bxc6 29.Rxc3 Bxa2 30.Rcxc6 Re7 30...Rxc6+ 31.Rxc6 Be6 32.Rxa6+- 31.Rxa6 Re2 32.Rd2 Re1+ 33.Kb2 Be6 34.Ra1 Re5 35.Kc3 h6 36.Kd4 Rb5 37.Ke3 Rb3+ 38.Kf2 Rb4 39.Ra5 Rh4 40.h3 Rb4 41.Kg3 Kf6 42.Re2 Bf5 43.Ree5 Bg6 44.Reb5 Rc4 45.Rb6+ Kg7 46.Rab5 Rc2 47.Rb2 Rc4 48.R2b4 Rc5 49.R6b5 Rc2 50.Rd5 Ra2 51.h4 gxh4+ 52.Rxh4 h5 53.Rb4 Rc2 54.f4 Kf6 55.Rg5 Rc6 56.Kh4 Re6 57.f5 Bxf5 58.Rf4 Re5 59.Rxh5 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Caruana Fabiano (USA)2782Abasov Nijat (AZE)26321–02023B45World Cup 2023 Open60.2

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If you like Svitlana's Smart moves, you will certainly enjoy her video lectures about "Surprising your opponents with the Lazy Sicilian", her first Fritztrainer "Understanding Material Imbalances", and her brand new Fritztrainer "The Scotch Game". Her newest Entry is the "Leningrad Dutch Defence"!

In just 60 minutes, you will be well-equipped with a surprise weapon, which will take most of your opponents out of book right from the start.

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.

The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.

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Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.

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