Cover Story / Wijk aan Zee
e1 and White not having castled can also be a bonus.
8. Bg5 f6 9. Bh4 Nc6 10. d5 Ne7 11. Nd2
5. Nc3 This is the continuation of choice for
top players trying to break down the rock- solid Petroff.
5. ... Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0
Delaying castling and sometimes head - ing for the queenside is also popular. 8. Qd2 b6!?
8. ... Nc6 would be standard.
9. 0-0-0 Bb7 10. h4!? “The first new move. 10. Nd4 is natural,
11. ... f5?! The obvious move, but experience in
the 1980s showed that 11. ... Nh6 is much safer.
12. Bxg4! fxg4 13. Bg5! The key idea. The white bishop will
return to e3 after which Black’s ruined pawn structure on the kingside means that his normal attack on that flank can never succeed. Rapport tried ...
13. ... h6 14. Be3 c5!? But after ...
15. dxc6! e.p. bxc6 16. b4 Be6 17. 0-0 g5 18. b5
White had pressure on the queenside
and Rapport was lucky to hang on for a draw.
Cracking the Petroff: Petroff Defense An opening which is annoying for 1. e4
players of almost all levels is the Petroff Defense but following Dominguez’s exam - ple—plus other top games with Dominguez’s 5. Nc3 plan—could pay dividends.
Petroff Defense (C42)
GM Leinier Dominguez (FIDE 2754, CUB) GM Wesley So (FIDE 2719, PHI) Wijk aan Zee GMA (8), 01.21.2014
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4
12. ... c5 Played after long thought. “If he doesn’t
play this I will build up with Ng5 and Qf4 and he has no real counterplay,” explained Dominguez.
13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qf4 d5 15. h5 Re8 16. g4 g6?
Black’s first and perhaps deciding mistake; normally in a Petroff Black has rather more margin for error. After 16. ... d4! Black can generate counterplay.
17. hxg6 hxg6 18. g5 Bg7
2. ... e6 The anti-Trompowsky choice of many
strong players, who are keen to pick up the bishop pair, even at the cost of allowing White a strong pawn center. 2. ... Ne4 and 2. ... c5 are the sharpest alternatives.
3. e4 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. c3!? d6 6. Bd3 e5 6. ... Qg5! is much more annoying for
White. 7. Ne2
to try to exploit the weakened f5-square,” said Dominguez, “but I thought why not try to start an attack on the kingside?”
10. ... Nd7 11. Bd3 Nf6 12. Bd4 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 21. Qh4!, Black resigned.
Attacking with the knights: Trompovsky Opening Sometimes an opening system will look
so good in the hands of a strong player that you feel as if you are watching an adver tise ment for a new opening. In this case Van Wely achieves a huge attacking position without really trying—but as with most ads, read the fine print.
Trompowsky Attack (A45) GM Loek Van Wely (FIDE 2672, NED) GM Anish Giri (FIDE 2734, NED) Wijk aan Zee GMA (3), 01.13.2014
19. Rh7!! d4 20. Bc4 Qe7? Losing quickly. 20. ... Bxf3 looks ugly but
after 21. Rxg7+ Kxg7 22. Qxf7+ Kh8 23. Qxg6 Re7 24. Qf6+ Rg7 25. Qxf3 Qxg5+ 26. Kb1 Rd8 27. cxd4 cxd4 28. Bd3 when White still has some work to do to get the win.
7. ... Qd8 Rather passive, but 7. ... Nc6 8. 0-0
Bd7 9. d5 Nb8 10. Qb3, with Na3 and f4 to follow, is also promising for White.
8. 0-0 Be7 9. f4 0-0 10. Nd2 exd4 11. Nxd4 Re8?!
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