Cape Argus E-dition

MARK RUBERY CHESS

World Champion Magnus Carlsen, at present defending his title against Ian Nepomniachtchi, is on his way to becoming one the most imposing champions in chess history.

Part of Carlsen’s success has been due to the broadening of his opening repertoire, particular in facing 1e4 which has seen him switch from the solid 1…e5 to the more dynamic Sicilian beginning with 1…c5. Unlike his predecessors Fischer and Kasparov who employed the Najdorf as their primary weapon (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cd4 4 Nd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6), the current world champion has embraced the Sveshnikov Variation (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cd4 4 Nd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5!?) which he used with great effect to stymie Caruana in the last world championship match. Whereas the Najdorf and similar variations allow White the option of raising the stakes by queenside castling and throwing the kingside pawns forward, Carlsen’s choice leads to more strategic play much to his liking, as the wild attempts against this variation in the past (usually involving piece sacrifices on b5) have all be neutralised by computer analysis.

In the 2019 Grenke event Peter Svidler decided not to test Carlsen in a main line and instead chose a solid continuation that normally yields White a safe, if slight, advantage…

Svidler,P (2735) - Carlsen,M (2845) [B30]

GRENKE Chess Classic 2019 Karlsruhe/Baden Baden GER (8.3) 2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 6.Nd2 Nf6 7.Nf1

(White’s manoeuvre aims at frustrating any dynamic ambitions Black might have)… Nd7 8.Nd5 Nb6 9.Nxb6 axb6 10.c3 0–0 11.Ne3 Bg5 12.0–0 Kh8 13.a3 f5! 14.Nxf5 Bxc1 15.Rxc1 Bxf5 16.exf5 d5 17.Ba2 Rxf5 (Whilst the position could be judged roughly equal there is far more opportunity for Carlsen to outplay his opponent than say if he were defending against the Ruy Lopez) 18.Qg4 Rf6 19.f4?! exf4 20.Qg5 Qf8 21.Qxd5 Rd8 22.Qf3 Ne5 23.Qe4 Ng4 24.Rce1 Ne3 (Already Black has a serious edge. Note that in comparison to the knight Svidler’s bishop, while not bad, is totally ineffective) 25.Rf2 Re8 26.Qxb7 g5! (Beginning an irresistible attack to which White, already in time pressure, quickly succumbs) 27.Rfe2? (27 Qf3 was more stubborn)… g4 28.Rf2 Qh6! 29.Qc7 Ref8 gxh3 31.g3 fxg3 32.Rxf6 h2+ 33.Kh1 g2# 0–1

We must finish once and for all with the neutrality of chess. We must condemn once and for all the formula ‘chess for the sake of chess,’ like the formula ‘art for art’s sake.’ We must organize shock-brigades of chessplayers, and begin the immediate realization of a Five-Year Plan for chess. – Nikolai V. Krylenko (People’s Commissar for Justice of the USSR, speaking at a 1932 Congress of Chess Players)

THE XFILES

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2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

http://capeargus.pressreader.com/article/281986085831853

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