This page will be a permanent list and a brief description of all the new feature games for that month.
---> Be sure to check out, "The List of Supplemental Games" for this website as well.
October,
2003: GM Peter Svidler - GM Alexander
Morozevich.
This was the game that virtually decided first place for the Russian
Championships. (A Petroff Defense, [C42]; main line of
3.Nxe5.)
November
2003: GM Peter Svidler (2723) -
GM Alexey Shirov (2737);
An astounding game from the European Team Championships that were held
in Plovdiv,
Bulgaria; in October of 2003. It features a move that has to be
extremely high on the scale for pure shock value!! A very interesting and entertaining
game. (The Advance Variation, [B12]; {3.e5}; of the
Caro-Kann Defense.)
December
2003: GM Alex Wojtkiewicz (2571) -
GM Pavel Blatny (2494); (NY
Masters.)
A really tough struggle ... that ends in a FOUR-Rook end-game!! It is
also a VERY unusual opening ... at least for a Black. I am fairly sure that this
is a contest that the average player, (rated below 1800, USCF); could learn a lot
from! ( An odd line of the Reti - 1.Nf3, b6; -
which transposes to something that I guess is a Dutch Defense {QID?} where White fianchetto's his light-squared Bishop.
[A04] )
January,
2004: GM
Emil Sutovsky - GM Hikaru Nakamura; ICT/Pamplona,
ESP; 2003.
An extremely interesting game featuring some VERY unusual tactics.
This is a game that had me (and my computer!) befuddled for the longest time. (From TWIC #
476.) This is an extremely well-annotated chess game, that took a really long time to
do. Take a look! (An sideline of the Classical Sicilian, [B30]. 1.e4, c5; 2.Nf3, Nc6; 3.Bb5, "The Rossolimo
System.")
February,
2004: GM
Viswanathan Anand - GM Jan Timman; ICT / GM "A"
section / Wijk aan Zee / NED; 2004.
The key game of the tournament, it
turned out that this win put Anand at "plus five" ... and the competition would not
catch him. A fiery Sicilian ... with an awesome attack. And ... oh yes, there are tactics
aplenty! Check it out!! (A main-line system of the Sicilian, [B67].
"The Richter-Rauzer Attack," with 6.Bg5, for White.)
March,
2004: GM
Peter Svidler - GM Alexander Rustemov; (TT) Bundesliga,
2003-4.
An extremely interesting game between two very uncompromising Masters.
Svidler essays his pet
line against the French and Rustemov strikes back with a little surprise of
his own. A very difficult struggle soon ensues ... it is not clear, for a few moves, just who is
getting the upper hand here. Finally it becomes clear that White has the better game - but how to finish
off? Svidler does - as always - in style. (A good game to study to learn both tactics AND strategy. On top of
everything else; there is a fairly good opening repertoire included ... AND a
list of links so you can learn even more! Check it out!!) (Posted
March 15th, 2004.) (Black meets White's "Advance
Variation" of the French Defense, with a rather odd move of 3...b6!?. [C02] The second player strives for ...Bc8-a6; we get out of book very
early on.)
April,
2004: GM
P. Leko - GM V. Kramnik; XXI Super GM / Linares, ESP; 2004.
Maybe THE game of Linares, it certainly decided first place. It could
also be a portent of things to come in the match later this year between these same two
players. (Posted 04/17/2004.)
This game also contains a fairly detailed and in-depth look at the
current state of theory of the main line of the Sveshnikov Defense. Many of the side-lines are
looked at. BONUS!!! There is a very nice game of Karpov's analyzed within the
context of this game! Check it out!! (The main line of the system of the Sicilian, [B33]; known as the "Pelikan/Sveshnikov
Sicilian.")
May, 2004: GM
Sergey Rublevsky - IM Andrei Volokitin; Team {League} Champ,
Sochi, Russia, 2004. A thrilling and exciting
game ... and also one that was a challenge to try and analyze correctly. It turned out to be ... very, very, VERY
complicated!!! Check it out!
(White plays a Sicilian line - that
is a little off the beaten path. After 1.e4, c5; 2.Nf3, d5;
3.Bb5+, we have the "Bolesavsky"
or "Moscow Variation." [B52].)
June,
2004: GM Alex Shirov (2713) - GM Bojan Kurajica (2540)
[B01] ICT / Bosnia GM (34th Bosna GM) Sarajevo, BIH; (Round # 1), 18.05.2004
An interesting game of chess, with a nice tactical finish. A good repertoire
on the Center-counter opening.
I worked very long and very hard on the analysis of the game. I also went
out of my way to make the opening survey in this game something special. One of my better efforts!! (Good
stuff for the aspiring student.) (The Center-Counter Opening, [B01]; with 1.e4, d5!?
After 2.exd5, Qxd5; 3.Nc3, Black plays the rather quirky and odd move of
3...Qd6!?
here. The main
line, of course, is 3...Qa5.)
July,
2004: GM
A. Shabalov (2624) - GM H. Nakamura (2580); [D97] ICT / Open Tournament
/ Chicago, IL (USA)
/ (Round # 07); May 31st,
2004.
Once again, Shabalov always seem to be able to rise to the occasion. He
defeats young Nakamura in a key
money round in a very difficult variation. An important game to study ... a
fair look at the theory of this line. (There are also
TWO
bonus games this month, but you have to visit the page to find them!) (A modern, main line of the Exchange Variation
of the Grunfeld Defense, [D97]. Black plays the slightly
different line of ... "The Prins
System," that begins with the move, 7...Na6!?)
August,
2004: GM
A. Morozevich - GM K. Sasikiran; ICT / Chess Festival.
[C95] Super-GM (A) Tournament / Round
# 08 / Biel, SUI; 2004. (One
bonus game.)
A very powerful tournament was held in the resort town of Switzerland,
and for the second straight year, GM Alexander Morozevich not only won ... he dominated this incredibly
strong event.
Here it is, a very deeply annotated game for your enjoyment. (It is also the third
installment of my opening school.) (The opening is a MAIN LINE Ruy
Lopez - Breyer System. [C95] Check it out.)
September,
2004:
IM A.
Volokitin - GM V. Malakhatko; / ICT,
Master's (Inv?) / (Rd. # 2.2)
/ 73rd National Championship
Tournament / Kharkiv, UKR; 2004.
[B43]
This was a very strong tournament - Vassily Ivanchuk was knocked out
(early!) by veteran GM O. Romanishin.
The young - and I predict ... superstar - player, IM Andrei Volokitin won
the whole bag of marbles. A very
enjoyable game that isn't too terribly long, and even contains a fairly
detailed look at the current state of the theory of this line. The game also includes plenty of diagrams, and a link
to a nice JS-script game. COOL!!!
(The opening is a
modern variant of the Paulsen/Kan System of the Sicilian.
[B43] Check it out!)
October,
2004: GM
Peter Leko - GM Vladimir Kramnik; / WCS
Match, G#5 / Brissago, SUI / Oct,
2004.
The two super GM's duke it out ... Leko wins a very important game to
level the match score. Not only this, but this one encounter will wind up GREATLY changing the theoretical landscape
... Black can no longer view the first player's position as being toothless! A great game, that is very thoroughly
annotated for your enjoyment. Many diagrams. Enjoy!
(The opening is s side variant of the
"Queen's Gambit Declined." [D37] Normal is 5.Bg5,
here Leko uses 5.Bf4!?)
November, 2004: GM
Alexander Morozevich - GM Vassily Ivanchuk;
36th Olympiad / Calvia, ESP; 2004.
Two players ... both rated over 2700 ... duke it out in an
ultra-sharp and ultra-wild Caro-Kann Defense. Neither player will accept a draw - or so it seems. The result is one of the most
incredible and complex games that I have ever studied!!! (The opening was a Caro-Kann Defense,
The Advance System. [B12] But not much book here ... the
players go their own way very quickly in this
contest. Take your MCO ... and throw it out the window!)
December,
2004:
GM Garry Kasparov - GM
Alexey Dreev; 57th National Champ.
Tourn. / Moscow, RUS; 2004.
Two of the world's best players slug it out ... toe-to-toe ... in a
highly controversial variation. The result is a very hard-fought contest that is also highly significant to opening theory.
(The
opening was a sub-system of the "Queen's Gambit
Declined," the "Moscow
Variation." [D43] A
highly significant game to the theory of this entire opening system.)
**********************************************************************************
January,
2005: GM
Vishy Anand - GM Livieu Dieter Nisipeanu; German
{national} Team
Competition, (Bundesliga 2004 - 2005);
Porz, GER; / (Round # 6),
12,12, 2004.
A really interesting game ... with some fantastic tactics to
finish things off by GM V. Anand. Check it out!!!
(This opening was a Philidor's
Defense, [C41].
Black gives up the center / opens the game with 3...exd4.)
February,
2005: GM
Viswanathan Anand - GM Peter Leko; ICT / CORUS
"A" / Wijk
aan Zee, NED; 2005.
Two top GM's really go after each other in this historic battle. Leko
sacrifices a Pawn, but gets a ton of play. I think. Anand must have underestimated Leko's play, because he misses some
very key tactics. A truly exciting game!! (This opening was the difficult Sveshnikov
Sicilian, [B33]; a tough line to play, analyze or study!)
March,
2005: GM
Sergei Volkov - GM Emil Sutovsky; ICT
/ Aeroflot Masters,
(Open) / Moscow, RUS;
2005.
An exciting fight - a magnificent struggle of truly heroic
proportions. Sutovsky HAD to win ... with the BLACK pieces
in the last round of this tournament, and he did so!!! Thus is born the
stuff of legends. A really fascinating chess struggle.
(This opening was a wild variant of the
"Russian System" of the GRUNFELD DEFENSE, [D97]
truly
interesting stuff.)
April,
2005: GM
Michael Adams - GM Garry Kasparov; ICT / Super-GM / (Rnd. #
12) / Linares, Spain, 2005.
A real barn-burner, White is flattened in less than 30 moves in a cascade of
shocking moves.
(The opening starts off as a Najdorf
Sicilian, but soon transposes to a Scheveningen Sicilian, [B90]. A
great game by Garry - one for the ages!!!)
May,
2005: GM Vladislav Tkachiev
(2609) - GM Alon Greenfeld
(2549); Open Coventry /
ENG; (Round #4), 26,03,2005.
An interesting game
... in a line of the King's Indian that I have not covered too often, (it
was my first game in
that line for this website). The tactics are quite
intense, there are a lot of really quality ideas in this game. Black wins,
but only
after a real tussle. (When I first went over this game, I was not
at all sure who was better ... or why ... or even what the losing
move was.)
A good game to study if you are a die-hard KID fan, it is also a good game
to study to improve your tactics. (This is
the FIANCHETTO Variation of the "King's Indian Defense, [E68] of
the ECO code for this opening.)
June,
2005: GM Ivan Sokolov - GM Alexei
Shirov; 35th Super (Bosnian) Masters / Sarajevo, BIH;
2005. (R# 9)
This exciting game ... had a HUGE impact on who won this tournament ...
Sokolov and Bologan tied for first in this event.
(Normally, Shirov plays in this event every year - usually he is an odds-on
favorite to win.) It was a TREMENDOUS see-saw battle, that also had fairly
important theoretical overtones. Black might have missed the best defense,
and went down in flames just before the time control. An exciting, fairly
well annotated chess game ... just for your enjoyment! (The opening is a sub-system of the "Botvinnik Gambit" versus the
Semi-Slav Defense. [D44] There are dozens of key references here for
you.)
July, 2005: GM Vassily Ivanchuk
(2739) - GM Sergei Movsesian
(2628); 6th EICC,
(European Individual Championships) / Warsaw, POL; (R #8) / 26,06,2005.
This
is an exciting and difficult Sicilian Defense, where White eventually
triumphs. A good game to study if you are trying to learn this sharp opening ... LOTS
of wild tactics!! (A Lowenthal Sicilian, [B32].)
August,
2005: GM Loek Van Wely (2655) -
GM Vladimir Akopian (2705); 15th ETC (The
Euro.Team Champ.) / Gothenburg, SWE; (Round #4)
/ 02,08,2005.
Here is a very hard-fought contest ... which
allowed the Dutch Team to edge
out the Armenian Team in this event. It is a Nimzo-Indian ... I have not
covered a lot of games in this opening, so you should definitely check this one out. (A Nimzo-Indian
Opening, The Classical System with 4.Qc2. [E38] )
September,
2005: GM Vicktor Korchnoi (2615) -
GM Alexander Beliavsky (2599); / International Chess
Tourn. / Igualada, ESP; (Round #2)
/ 18,08,2005.
An incredible,
fighting game of chess ... by two of my favorite players! I also went
all out to make this a special page. (On
Korchnoi ... AND this opening!!! If you print the CB
version of this game out, it runs over 15 pages!) This is a great game of chess, that does
credit to both players. I have left almost no stone unturned - to make
this page an outstanding reference document on this opening, many
opening references and dozens of links. (The
opening is a "Queen's Indian Defense,"
with 4...Ba6!? The ECO code is [E15].)
Please ... check it out!
October,
2005: GM Vassily Ivanchuk (2752)
- GM Zahar Efimenko (2643);
21st ECC (European
Club
Cup Champ.
/ Saint Vincent, ITA; (R2) / 19,09,2005.
A great game of chess, it was easily one of the more complex positional
grinds
that I looked at out of the selection for this month's games. I also went to
great pains to make this a very carefully annotated chess game. There are MANY valuable reference links as well. So ... check it
out! (King's Indian Samisch, [E81].)
November, 2005:
A very special game and analysis ... GM Peter Leko (2763) -
GM Veselin Topalov (2788); The [FIDE]
World Chess Championships /
(WCh-FIDE)
DRR Tournament
/ San Luis, ARG; (Round No. One / R#1),
28,09,2005.
This game was the
start of Topalov's amazing run - that led to his eventual victory in this
particular event. Even though I knew it would be a lot of work, it seemed
that I HAD to take a good look at this one. Also, I felt that it was high
time that I show some respect to Topalov as the new World Champion! A great
game, some really good analysis, so check
it out! (This game was a tough
Sicilian, [B90]; the popular "English Attack" ... so
have a look.)
December,
2005: This effort - and the corresponding
downloads - are my Christmas presents to chess fans everywhere.
GM Pedrag Nikolic (2584)
- GM David Navara (2646);
The (FIDE) World Cup
(Champ.) Tournament,
(WCC) / Khanty Mansyisk, RUS; (Round # 1.2) / 27,11,2005.
Two very talented masters go head-to-head in one of my favorite lines. Its a
game full of fighting content ... in an opening system that I have never
featured in this column - prior to this particular contest. I also went to
great pains to make sure that I scoured my library and
the database for the best possible analysis. {I
spent nearly a month in the analysis phase, and probably more than a week
formatting the game.} So
... check it out!!! (This
is a great example of "The Modern Benoni," [A63].
All the major Benoni Systems are covered!)
**********************************************************************************
January, 2006:
This month is a game from the FIDE World Cup which was held in Khanty
Mansyisk, Russia. (In Dec, 2005.)
It is the contest: GM
B. Gelfand (2717) -
GM E. Bareev (2675); WCC,
Places 5-6 / Khanty Mansyisk, RUS;
(R #7.3) /
17,12,2005.
I took my time, and annotated this game,
virtually no reference was skipped. It is a carefully annotated game, (I
did dozens of database searches to insure that no key game was missed);
... in a line that is currently very popular, especially at the GM level.
The download complements this month's effort, so overall, I think that most
classes of players will find this interesting. Check
it out! (This game was an
unusual variant of "The Slav Defense," [D15] and it
is a fun game to study.)
February,
2006: This is the contest: GM
V. Topalov (2801) - GM L. Aronian
(2752); /
ICT, Corus Masters,
"A" group.
/ Wijk aan Zee,
NED; (R#10) / 25,01,2006.
This is one of the most brilliant games of the last 10-20 years, it is also
one of the most amazing "TN's" of the last 50. You have to see -
and study - this game, to believe it! (This
is a great example of "The Queen's Indian Defence," [E15].
ALL the major systems of this opening are covered!)
March, 2006: This is the last
round battle: GM Peter Leko
(2740) - GM Levon Aronian (2752);
XXIII SuperGM Morelia/Linares;
MEX/ESP; (Round
# 14) / 11.03.2006.
This is
the game that decided clear first place in one of the most important
tournaments of the whole year. Without question, this is a
"must-see" contest. (It is also a
"Marshall Gambit Declined, [C88];
I do not think that I have covered this opening system anywhere before.)
So have a look, won't you?
April, 2006:
GM V. Topalov
(2801) - GM L. Nisipeanu
(2693);
/ "Match of Champions"
/ Bucharest, ROM;
(Round #4) / 09,04,2006.
The World Champion faces off against the European Champ ... in a four game
match, this contest came from that event. Topalov treats us to a model Q+P
endgame that every aspiring student should study carefully. (The
opening is a Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer System. [B65] The opening is
covered in some detail.) Its a good game, so take a shot!
May, 2006: GM
V. Topalov (2804) - GM V. Anand (2803);
2nd M-Tel Masters / Sofia
BUL; (R #2)
/ 11,05,2006.
Not only is this an important game - theoretically speaking - it is also
a brilliancy of the first magnitude. Anand plays a stupendous effort, one
that could easily be placed alongside one of Alexander Alekhine's, or Bobby
Fischer's or even Garry Kasparov. (Not
only this, the opening is meant to be a current, up-to-the-minute survey
of [C88], the Marshall Gambit (declined) lines of the Ruy
Lopez.)
June, 2006: GM
S. Rublevsky (2687) -
GM R. Ponomariov (2738);
Aerosvit GM / Foros,
UKR; (R#3)
/ 19,06,2006.
As I write this, GM S. Rublevsky just had a fantastic result, winning this
tournament. However, when I picked this game to annotate it, only three
rounds had been played ... and I had NO IDEA of who the winner was going to
be!
However, I will confess that Rublevsky is a player that I like ... but this
also was not primarily my main reason for choosing this game,
although it was a part of the overall formula. So why did I choose to
annotate this game? I guess you will just have to go over the game ... and
decide for yourself!!
(This is also a Scotch Game, [C45]
with a small - but thorough - opening survey and many references.)
July, 2006:
GM Alexei Shirov
(2699) - GM
Penteala Harikrishna (2680);
Aerosvit GM / Foros, UKR;
(R#9) /
26,06,2006.
A most unusual game. When I first began annotating this game, I
mistakenly assumed that it was all new ... that Shirov created a great deal
of this ... as he sat at the board. (I had done a cursory examination of the
theoretical lines in a few books, to include ECO, and found no mention of
these lines.) Imagine my surprise when I discovered ... {after
several searches of the on-line games db} ... that the piece
sacrifice was NOT new, and that Shirov had even been on the Black side of
this variation before!!!!! In the end, Shirov wins a beautiful game, his
poor opponent is no match for Shirov's constant pressure and crumbles under
the prolonged assault. (This game is a pure Slav
--- 1.d4 d5; 2.c4 c6; 3.Nf3 Nf6; 4.Nc3 dxc4; 5.a4 Bf5;
{and now lines without 6.e3.}
--- and there is a fairly thorough opening survey as well. This line, [D17],
is not one that I have featured too many times before ... in fact, I am not
sure if I have even seriously analyzed this continuation before.) Its
a new path for me, and a highly interesting clash, so check it out ... won't
you?
August, 2006: GM
Magnus Carlsen
(2675) - GM
Alexander Morozevich (2731);
/ ICT, Bienne Chess Festival
/
Biel, SUI;
(R#2) / 24,07,2006.
Two top GM's go head-to-head, and both want to win. What follows is an
extremely uncompromising struggle, with neither side willing to back down.
While White eventually wins this one, both sides can be proud, each man gave
his utmost; but in the end, only one could come out as the victor. And while
Carlsen won both games off Morozevich, this Alexander was certainly great,
he won almost all the rest of his games, and finished as the clear winner of
this event. (The opening was a "King's Indian
Defense, ECO code was [E97].)
September,
2006: GM K. Sasikiran
(2675) - GM L.D. Nisipeanu
(2696); /
ESP-chT Honor
(Gp1) /
Olite, ESP;
(Round # 01) /
05,09,2006.
A very careful analysis of the whole
game. The move order is not the standard one, but after around 15 moves, an
interesting middlegame is reached. Then ... eventually, the contest reaches
a K+P endgame. Special attention is given to the ending, but you would have
to study the game in order to figure out why. A great game by one of India's
top (young) GM's. (The
game began as a Reti with 1.Nf3, but then transposed to a
Nimzo-Indian Defense, [E54]. Without question, a solid effort, and -
with the notes given - one that you should be able to learn from.)
October, 2006:
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2728) -
GM Veselin Topalov (2813); / 10th Essent
(Crown) /
Hoogeveen, NED; (Round
# 01) / 22,10,2006.
One of the co-winners of this event defeats the former World Champion, and
does so in a fairly convincing manner. The only question was: "Is
it live, or is it Memorex?" In any case, this is a well-annotated game
in a line that currently all the rage at the GM level. (The
Semi-Slav Defense, ECO code [D47]. A carefully annotated game, that
you certainly can learn from. There are also many links as
well.)
NOTE: My wife was very sick during
this period, she was (almost constantly) in and out of the hospital. Due to
this - and the loss of a main sponsor - there was no game for almost six
months.
**********************************************************************************
March, 2007:
GM
Magnus Carlsen (2690) -
GM Viswanathan Anand
(2779);
/ XXIV SuperGM
Tournament Morelia/Linares,
MEX/ESP (Round
# 03) / 19,02,2007.
I get a ton of e-mail, sometimes 30 or 40 in a single day. One of the things
I am asked almost constantly, is: "Why
don't you show more games where Black wins,
(instead
of White)?"
The short
answer would be is that Black wins only rarely at the Super-GM level, and
many times when Black does come out on top, it is because of an ugly blunder
- therefore, the game has little instructional value. Well, here is a nice
win by GM Vishy Anand, who manages to win a solid game ... with the Black
pieces! And by virtue of his stellar play, (especially
his two wins vs. Carlsen); Anand won clear first at this event. (The
opening is a Semi-Slav, ECO openings code is [D47]. Its a solid job
of analysis and makes a nice complement to the last column, so please check
it out, OK?)
April, 2007:
GM B. Gelfand
(2733) - GM T. Radjabov
(2729); 16th Amber-blind /
Monte Carlo,
MNC; (R#9) / 2007.
Here is a fantastic chess game, two top GM's slug it out in a fairly
topical opening line. GM Boris Gelfand is still capable of playing excellent
chess, here he cranks out a very sharp game and demonstrates that he can
still play an attractive combination. (The
opening is the Torre Attack versus 3...g6; ECO openings code [A48].
There is enough material here to keep the average student busy for several
hours, especially when you count all the games and links.)
May, 2007:
GM
M. Carlsen
(2693) -
GM M. Krasenkow
(2661); GM
Chess Classics / Gausdal,
NOR; (Round #
9) / 18,04,2007.
The young superstar just
seems to get better and better. Here, he hammers a solid GM. Its not a
brilliant game, its not even a real flashy game with a ton of tactics ...
just a solid, workman-like effort that gave Magnus clear first place in this
event. (The opening was a Dutch Defense with 4.Nbd2
vs. a Stonewall. [A90] A rather off-beat line.)
June, 2007:
GM Gata Kamsky
(2705) - GM Etienne Bacrot
(2709); WCh Candidates
(s/f) / Elista,
RUS; (R#3) /
29,05,2007.
Here is an interesting chess
game, another "Anti-Marshall" line. Kamsky plays an off-beat line,
and gains a pawn, although the end-game with
"Bishops-of-opposite-colors" seem to produce a position that would
favor a draw. However, Kamsky presses Bacrot hard, and in the end, the
French GM makes a mistake that allows White to come out on top. (The
opening was a "Marshall Gambit," but features the systems where
White declines Black's gambit. The ECO openings code is [C88] for
this contest.)
July, 2007:
GM Vadim Zvjaginsev
(2658) - GM Wang Hao
(2624); 4th GM (team)
/ Taiyuan, CHN;
(Rnd. #01) / 04,07,2007.
A solid game by a player better known for his ventures into a fantasy
wonderland. It starts out as a "possibly wild opening," but after
Black makes a few poor choices, the game turns into a positional display by
White. Black is tied up hand and foot, the end of the game is nice, however
... and features some interesting tactics. (The
opening was a King's Gambit, [C36] but White was not down a pawn for
long.)
Note:
For a period of close to five years, I did no work at all on this website,
other than fixing broken links - no new games were added.
October,
2011: GM Maxim Rodshtein
(2625) - GM Zhou Jianchao
(2655)
/ 10th Aeroflot Open
("A" Section) Round # 08
/ Moscow, RUS; 15,02,2011.
This - for me, anyway - is
an extremely brilliant game. It starts off as a Fianchetto System (for
White) of the Grunfeld Defense. [D74]
Black seems to play well, and has all of his pieces posted on promising
squares on the Queen-side. However, this has the drawback of leaving his
King completely undefended ... a fact that has not gone unnoticed by White.
When he gets his chance, Rodshtein plays a completely unexpected and
shocking sacrifice ... however, it soon becomes apparent that the Black King
faces a harrowing attack. Nothing seems assured until the final move, which
is a brilliant denouement by White.
November, 2011:
GM Hikaru Nakamura
(2758) - GM Vassily Ivanchuk
(2775); /
ICT, 6th Tal Memorial
/ Moscow, RUS;
(Round # 07) /
23,11,2011.
This is a struggle
between two "Top Ten" GM's, and Black eventually comes out on top.
Its is an extremely carefully annotated game with all the references and
links that I could possibly provide ... and (additionally) there are over 35
diagrams (plus a link to a replay page) ... so you might not even need a
chess board to follow the game. Further, with this page, and all of my pages
that are linked to it; you could (with a little study)
learn all of the opening systems/branches of the Gruenfeld Defense, [D34].
Please take a look,
and be sure to write
me, and tell me what you think. (And if you really like it, be
sure to tell a friend!)
October 9th, 2012:
I had to completely re-do this game all over again ...
December,
2011: Viswanathan
Anand (2811)
- Hikaru Nakamura (2758);
/ Third (3rd)
Chess Classic, (Round
# 04) / London,
ENG; (UK)
/ 06,12,2011.
This is a fighting game of chess, its far from perfect ... but all the more
intriguing, despite the flaws ... in fact, more engrossing because of the
miscues. (Perhaps.) This is a "King's Indian Defense," ([E97])
The Mar del Plata System/Variation. There are many links, references ... its
like a mini-book on this line. So check it out, won't you?
January, 2012: GM Nikita Vitiugov
(2729) - GM Alexander Morozevich (2762); [A16] /
ICT, 54th Masters' (Invitational) / Reggio Emilia, ITA;
(R#10) / 06,01,2012.
One of the more complex games that I have ever tried to analyze on this
website, it also had a direct impact on determining who was going to win the
tournament. The opening is an "English Opening," [A16]. It
has a very thorough opening survey. Additionally, there are close to 50 game
diagrams and nearly a dozen analysis diagrams ... AND a link to a replay
page. Please check it out!
February,
2012: GM A. Giri
(2714) - GM L. Aronian (2805) / [D37] / 74th Tata Steel
- GMA / Wijk aan Zee, NED; (R#10) / 25,01,2012.
This game is already being hailed as the greatest master game of the last
decade or so, it certainly features one of the more amazing combinations of
recent memory. The opening is an unusual QGD, but White does not even try to
get the Pawn back ... perhaps the analysis will prove that this was an
unwise course for White. Many diagrams, plus a link to a replay page, so
check it out, OK?
March, 2012: GM K. Sasikiran (2700) - GM N. Short (2677) / [A62] / The Gibraltar Open / Caleta, ENG/UK; (R#10.3) / 02,02,2012. This is the game from the last round of the Gibraltar Open, GM N. Short had to win to tie for first. This web page features a detailed analysis of the actual game, plus over 20 diagrams. There are many links, over 20 diagrams, plus a link to a replay page. (The opening is the Modern Benoni, A62; where white plays g2-g3 and then Bg2.) Its a very detailed analysis that took quite a bit of time to generate, so please check it out.
April, 2012:
GM Sergey Karjakin
(2766) - GM Pavel V. Tregubov
(2599) / [B48] /
19th (National Russian) {Tournament} Championship / Sochi,
RUS; (R#2) / 10,04,2012.
Karjakin played brilliant, nearly perfect chess in this event. The game is a
type of Sicilian where Black eschews the {standard} Scheveningen Sicilian in
favor of a pin with an early ...Bb4. Then GM Karjakin gives us a
textbook example of why great play is better than a simple weakness,
especially when your opponent has difficulty in exploiting the
weakness.
(The opening is a B48 Sicilian where Black plays his Black Bishop to b4 and
then doubles White's QBP's by capturing on c3.)
January, 2013:
GM Magnus Carlsen
(2861) - GM Hikaru Nakamura
(2769); [B32] /
75th Tata Steel, Group "A" / Wijk aan Zee, NED; (R#12) / 26,01,2013.
A grand game, by winning this sharp Sicilian, Carlsen locked up a clear
first finish ... with a round to spare. The opening is a Kalasnikov
Sicilian, [B32]; I do believe that this is the first time that I have
featured this particular opening on my "Game of The Month"
website. (The web page is the product of around two weeks of writing and
analysis, there are many links on the web-page itself, and there is also a
link to a "You-Tube" video as well ... which is quite different
than the actual web page.)
January, 2015: GM
M Carlsen - GM L. Aronian; [D38] / 77th Tata Steel (CORUS)
"A" / Wijk ann Zee, 2015.
Many consider this to be THE game of the tournament, Carlsen plays a grand
positional game. Plenty of diagrams and links, you will learn a good
deal from this web page.
The opening is a "Ragozin System," [D38] ... a seemingly
antiquated line of the Queen's Gambit Declined that masters are re-visiting,
after decades of very little use.
February,
2015: GM
M. Carlsen - GM D. Baramidze; [C95] / Grenke Classic / Baden
Baden, GER / 2015.
This is a great, fighting game of chess, I feature the endgame here, but,
(if you follow all the links); there are hundreds of resources to follow up.
The opening is a Ruy Lopez, Breyer System. [C95] There are six diagrams, a
link to a replay game, and also a free copy of my analysis is available in
the popular PDF format ... which you could either print out or save to your
computer.
Next?
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game
for 2013] [Games
for 2015]
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This page was first posted on: Saturday; September 20th, 2003. This page was last updated on 04/09/15 .
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A.J. Goldsby I;
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 1985 - 2014.
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 2015. All rights reserved.