Svitlana's Smart Moves - How to fight the Gruenfeld with h4!

by Arne Kaehler
3/14/2024 – This episode was lost in the depths of 2023, but luckily returned! The Gruenfeld is a very hyper-modern opening, which gives White the centre, while Black has to fight around the flanks. If Black knows the opening well, White has a difficult time gaining some advantage. But with an example game from Vincent Keymer, the move "h4" is a beautiful way to attack the Black pieces. Svitlana shows us how to master this idea.
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 91

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.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 More typical lines: 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4= 4...Bg7 5.h4!? Surprise weapon against the Grunfeld Defense Other options: 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 c5 8.Rb1 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 a6 8.Be2 b5 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 5...0-0 Other variations from Black: 5...c6 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Bf4 5...dxc4 6.e4 c5 7.d5 b5!? 8.h5! Nxh5 8...b4? 9.h6 Bf8 10.Na4+- 8...gxh5 9.e5 Ng4 10.Rxh5± 9.Nxb5 Qa5+ 10.Nc3 5...h5 6.Bg5 dxc4 7.e4 5...h6 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.e4 Nxc3 8.bxc3 c5 9.Be2 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.h5 7.e4 Nxc3 8.bxc3 c5 9.h5 Bg4 7...c5 8.hxg6 hxg6 8...fxg6? 9.e4 Nxc3 10.bxc3± 9.Bh6 Nxc3 9...cxd4? 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.Nxd5 Qxd5 12.Qd2± 10.bxc3 Bxh6 10...Nc6? 11.Qd2+- 11.Rxh6 Kg7 12.Qd2 cxd4 12...Rh8 13.Rxh8 Qxh8 14.e4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.Rh4 Qa5 15.e4 f6?! 16.d5 Qxd2+ 17.Kxd2 Nd8± 18.Bd3 e5 19.Rah1 Nf7 20.Rh7+ Kg8 21.Bc4 Rd8? 22.Ne1? 22.Nd4! exd4 23.d6 Rxd6 23...f5 24.e5 24.Rh8+ Kg7 25.R1h7# 22.d6? Rxd6+ 23.Ke2 Be6-+ 22.Rxf7? Kxf7 23.Rh7+ 23.d6+ Kg7 23...Kg8 24.Rc7-+ 22...Rd6 23.Nd3 Bd7 24.Nc5 Rc8 25.Nxb7 Rb6 26.Na5 Rc5 27.d6 Rxd6+ 28.Ke3 Rxc4 29.Nxc4 Ra6 30.a4 Bxa4 31.Kd2 Bb5 32.Nb2 Ra2 33.Kc3 Bd7 34.f3 a5 35.R7h2 Ra3+ 36.Kc2 Be6 37.Nd3 Ra2+ 38.Kb1 Rd2 39.Nc5 Bc4 40.Kc1 Rd6 41.Kb2 Rc6 42.Na4 Bb5 43.Nc3 Bc4 44.Ra1 Rb6+ 45.Kc1 Ra6 46.Rh1 Bb3 47.Kd2 a4 48.Rhb1 Rd6+ 49.Ke1 Rd4 50.Ne2 Rb4 51.Nc1 Nd6 52.Nxb3 axb3 53.Ra3 b2 54.Ra8+ Kg7 55.Kd2 f5 56.exf5 Nxf5 57.Ra2 e4 58.Raxb2 Rxb2+ 59.Rxb2 exf3 60.gxf3 Kf6 60...g5 61.Ke2 Nh4 62.Rb6 Ng6 63.Ke3 Kf7 64.Ke4 Nh4 65.Rb5 Kg6 66.Ra5 Kf6± 61.Rb6+ Kg5? 61...Kf7± 62.Ke2 Ne7 63.Re6 Nf5 64.Ra6 Ng3+ 65.Ke3 Kf5 66.Ra8 Ke5 66...g5± Last chance to fight for a draw 67.f4+ Kf6 68.Kf3 Nh5 69.Ra5 Kf7 70.Ra7+ Kf6 71.Kg4 Ng7 72.Ra6+ Kf7 73.Rb6 Ne6 74.Kf3 Nf8 75.Rb7+ Ke6 76.Ra7 Kf6 77.Ke4 Ke6 78.Ra6+ Ke7 79.Kd5 Kf7 80.Rd6 Ke7 81.Ke5 Kf7 82.Rf6+ Ke7 83.Rxf8 Kxf8 84.Kf6 g5 85.fxg5 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Keymer,V2721Rapport,R27481–02023D90European Team Championship6

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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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