Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Grand Prix 2017; 1st stage; Sharjah, February 27, 2017
Nimzo-Indian Defence E20
FIDE Grand Prix 2017; 1st stage; Sharjah, February 27, 2017
Nimzo-Indian Defence E20
Notes by Grandmaster Alex Vladislavovich Yermolinsky, ChessBase.com, February 28, 2017.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4. 3. ... c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 Bd6 6. e4 Bc7 7. Nf3 d6 8. h3 0-0 9. Bd3 Ba5 The original Snake Benoni.
4. f3. Mamedyarov’s favorite reply to the Nimzo. He took up where Shirov blazed the trail some twenty years ago, and ever since the Azeri star has been the main driving force behind the development of this line.
4. ... c5. Transposing to a Snake Benoni is one of many options available for Black. The advantage is in getting there quicker, but the question still remains how good Black’s position really is. Karpov used to play 4. ... d5, and there’s 4. ... 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Nh5 (Karjakin – Carlsen, 1st Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir 2014).
5. d5 0-0. 5. ... b5 6. e4 0-0 transposes.
6. e4 b5. Some players prefer to hide their intentions a bit and first go 6. ... d6 Just five days ago it was seen in a blitz game between Mamedyarov and So. There followed 7. Bd3 b5 (7. ... Nbd7 8. Nge2 Ne5 gets the Bishop, but White may be OK with that as 9. Bg5 creates problems with the pin) 8. Nge2 bxc4 9. Bxc4 exd5 10. Bxd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 this appears to be the problem with putting the Pawn on d6 — Black doesn’t have ... Nb8-c6 to save the Rook. Wesley, as we might always expect, had something prepared. 11. ... Qb6 12. Bf4 Be6 13. Qxa8 Nc6 14. Qxf8+ Kxf8 15. Bxd6+ Kg8 16. 0-0-0 Na5 with extra-sharp play. In the end of that crazy game Shakh was able to inflict a rare defeat on the hard-to-beat Wesley.
7. e5. No looking back. The positional approach 7. Nh3 d6 8. Nf4 e5 9. Nfe2 spends too much time, and Black gets to start his own play with 9. ... Nh5 10. g4 Qh4+ 11. Kd2 Nf4 12. Nxf4 exf4 13. Kc2 occurred in Eljanov – Harikrishna, 4th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2016.
7. ... Ne8 8. f4 d6 9. Nf3 exd5 10. cxd5 Nc7. The game that started it all was a classic battle Shirov – Kramnik, 上海 (Shànghǎi) 2010: 10. ... c4 11. a4 Bg4 (11. ... Nd7 12. Be2 Qb6 13. axb5 Nc7 in the later game Mamedyarov – Karjakin) 12. axb5 Nd7 13. e6 fxe6 14. dxe6 Nb6 15. Be2 Nc7 16. Ng5 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 d5 (possibly better was 17. ... Qf6 18. 0-0 h6 19. Nce4 Qf5) 18. 0-0 Qf6 19. f5! leading to a victory for the Latvian.
RR Gramdmaster Viktor Petrovich Moskalenko gives here 10. ... c4!? 11. a4 Nd7 12. Be2 Qb6 13. axb5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Nc7= with equality.
11. a4. There comes a novelty. 11. Bd3 c4 12. Be4 f5! worked out for Black number of times, including Shirov – Grandelius, 42nd Chess Olympiad, Baku 2016.
11. ... Bb7 12. Bd3
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4. 3. ... c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 Bd6 6. e4 Bc7 7. Nf3 d6 8. h3 0-0 9. Bd3 Ba5 The original Snake Benoni.
4. f3. Mamedyarov’s favorite reply to the Nimzo. He took up where Shirov blazed the trail some twenty years ago, and ever since the Azeri star has been the main driving force behind the development of this line.
4. ... c5. Transposing to a Snake Benoni is one of many options available for Black. The advantage is in getting there quicker, but the question still remains how good Black’s position really is. Karpov used to play 4. ... d5, and there’s 4. ... 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Nh5 (Karjakin – Carlsen, 1st Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir 2014).
5. d5 0-0. 5. ... b5 6. e4 0-0 transposes.
6. e4 b5. Some players prefer to hide their intentions a bit and first go 6. ... d6 Just five days ago it was seen in a blitz game between Mamedyarov and So. There followed 7. Bd3 b5 (7. ... Nbd7 8. Nge2 Ne5 gets the Bishop, but White may be OK with that as 9. Bg5 creates problems with the pin) 8. Nge2 bxc4 9. Bxc4 exd5 10. Bxd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 this appears to be the problem with putting the Pawn on d6 — Black doesn’t have ... Nb8-c6 to save the Rook. Wesley, as we might always expect, had something prepared. 11. ... Qb6 12. Bf4 Be6 13. Qxa8 Nc6 14. Qxf8+ Kxf8 15. Bxd6+ Kg8 16. 0-0-0 Na5 with extra-sharp play. In the end of that crazy game Shakh was able to inflict a rare defeat on the hard-to-beat Wesley.
7. e5. No looking back. The positional approach 7. Nh3 d6 8. Nf4 e5 9. Nfe2 spends too much time, and Black gets to start his own play with 9. ... Nh5 10. g4 Qh4+ 11. Kd2 Nf4 12. Nxf4 exf4 13. Kc2 occurred in Eljanov – Harikrishna, 4th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2016.
7. ... Ne8 8. f4 d6 9. Nf3 exd5 10. cxd5 Nc7. The game that started it all was a classic battle Shirov – Kramnik, 上海 (Shànghǎi) 2010: 10. ... c4 11. a4 Bg4 (11. ... Nd7 12. Be2 Qb6 13. axb5 Nc7 in the later game Mamedyarov – Karjakin) 12. axb5 Nd7 13. e6 fxe6 14. dxe6 Nb6 15. Be2 Nc7 16. Ng5 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 d5 (possibly better was 17. ... Qf6 18. 0-0 h6 19. Nce4 Qf5) 18. 0-0 Qf6 19. f5! leading to a victory for the Latvian.
RR Gramdmaster Viktor Petrovich Moskalenko gives here 10. ... c4!? 11. a4 Nd7 12. Be2 Qb6 13. axb5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Nc7= with equality.
11. a4. There comes a novelty. 11. Bd3 c4 12. Be4 f5! worked out for Black number of times, including Shirov – Grandelius, 42nd Chess Olympiad, Baku 2016.
11. ... Bb7 12. Bd3
12. ... h6? 侯 (Hóu) chooses the wrong way to secure the King. Granted, it was hard to ignore the threat, but 12. ... Nxd5 13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14. Ng5+ Kg8 (14. ... Kg6 15. f5+ crashes) 15. Qh5 Qxg5 16. fxg5 Nxc3 might just be playable for Black, e.g. 17. 0-0 g6 18. Qg4 Nc6 19. bxc3 Bxc3 20. Ra3 Bd4+ 21. Be3 b4. Best was 12. ... g6 13. 0-0 c4 14. Be4 Nd7 15. exd6 Ne8.
13. 0-0 [RR ±]
13. ... Bxc3. Now in case of 13. ... c4 White has a powerful idea in 14. Bb1 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nxd5 16. Qc2.
14. bxc3 dxe5 15. axb5 e4. 15. ... Nxd5 16. fxe5 with is Bishops pair and strong Pawn on b5 White should be very optmistic here: 16. ... Nxc3 17. Qd2 Nd5 18. Be4 Qd7 19. Ba3±.
16. Bxe4 Bxd5
13. 0-0 [RR ±]
13. ... Bxc3. Now in case of 13. ... c4 White has a powerful idea in 14. Bb1 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nxd5 16. Qc2.
14. bxc3 dxe5 15. axb5 e4. 15. ... Nxd5 16. fxe5 with is Bishops pair and strong Pawn on b5 White should be very optmistic here: 16. ... Nxc3 17. Qd2 Nd5 18. Be4 Qd7 19. Ba3±.
16. Bxe4 Bxd5
17. Bb1! Nd7 18. c4! Bb7. Naturally, not 18. ... Bxc4? 19. Qc2, but 18. ... Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Ne6 was a must, although I doubt Black can survive this.
19. Ra3! Shakh is incredibly strong in such positions.
19. ... Ne6 20. Qc2. A mere extra Pawn after 20. Rd3 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Nd4 22. Qf2 Qc7 23. Bb2 Nf6 24. Bxd4 etc. was not good enough for Shakh.
20. ... Nf6 21. Bb2 Ne4. Black should have tried her luck in the endgame: 21. ... Be4 22. Bxf6 Bxc2 23. Bxd8 Bxb1 24. Be7 Rfe8 25. Bxc5 Nxc5 26. Rxb1 Re4 although White then has the powerful 27. b6.
22. Rd3 Qc7 23. f5. Black’s pieces are totally overwhelmed.
19. Ra3! Shakh is incredibly strong in such positions.
19. ... Ne6 20. Qc2. A mere extra Pawn after 20. Rd3 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Nd4 22. Qf2 Qc7 23. Bb2 Nf6 24. Bxd4 etc. was not good enough for Shakh.
20. ... Nf6 21. Bb2 Ne4. Black should have tried her luck in the endgame: 21. ... Be4 22. Bxf6 Bxc2 23. Bxd8 Bxb1 24. Be7 Rfe8 25. Bxc5 Nxc5 26. Rxb1 Re4 although White then has the powerful 27. b6.
22. Rd3 Qc7 23. f5. Black’s pieces are totally overwhelmed.
23. ... Nd4 24. Nxd4 cxd4 25. Bxd4 a6 26. b6 Qc6
27. f6 Rfd8 28. fxg7 Rd6 29. c5 Rg6 30. Ba2 Ng5 31. Rg3 Nh3+. One last try, but 32. Kh1 forced resignation. It seemed 侯 (Hóu) was a bit out of her league challenging Shakh in his home turf, but overall, she showed solid play in Sharjah. Shakh, in his stead, must be content with making up for his loss to Grischuk in the previous round and gaining a share of first place. 1 : 0.
阴阳 (yīn and yáng). Photo © Maria Yassakova.
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