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This week’s article is structured differently than normal, instead of picking one opening for this week, I will show 8 tricky traps found in 1. e4 e5 openings. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Next week I plan on returning to the traditional format, so if you have an opening system you’re curious about, let me know.

I didn’t receive any suggestions this week, so I chose the opening. This week I will examine a line that I think is white’s best chance for an advantage in the highly drawish Petroff Defense. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 And now, instead of the main line 5. d4 5. Nc3!? Now for the theory: More interesting than the main line, don’t you think? Now for the examples: The above game was a perfect example of the plusses in black’s position in this opening. Gelfand shut down all chances for a white kingside attack, knowing that all rook endings and pawn endings favor black. In a mutual time scramble, Gelfand let Nisipeanu back into the game, but Nisipeanu returned the favor and black won. Karjakin gave an excellent demonstration on how to attack the black king in this line, and was able to beat no less of a Petroff expert than Kramnik. Vachier Lagrave played an offbeat line, so Giri was in unfamiliar territory. After the opening phase, the 2 players went back and forth with inaccuracies. After Giri made the last mistake, Vachier Lagrave started a dangerous kingside attack, but black defended excellently, and white had nothing better then a perpetual check (and even if he didn’t black would give it. Conclusion: The Petroff defense is what Grandmasters break out when they want a draw, but at club level it is seen often as well (I have faced it many times). What I have presented is what I think is white’s best try for an advantage, or at least a position fertile enough to where both sides can look forward to a complex, equal fight. For those of you that have studied the positions arising after the main line (5.d4), I am sure you will agree. If anybody has requests for next week, let me know. I didn’t get any this week, so I decided what opening to use.

I didn't annotate this game, but I was proud of it, as it was my first victory over a 2000+ player.

After a month of not being able to post a game, it finally works now, so my column can finally resume. This week’s column is on the open Catalan, after examining the closed Catalan last week month. Obviously, the difference between these 2 systems is that one leads to an open position, and the other leads to closed structures. Just like last week, there isn’t a specific order of moves, but simply when black releases the central tension with ….dxc4 Basic Theory: Examples: Kramnik came with an unsound novelty, so Leko was out of his book fast. Leko had emerged with a pleasant position, but made a mistake which gave Kramnik an edge. Then when Leko was given a choice between 2 seemingly identical choices, he picked the wrong square and then succumbed to Kramnik’s attack. White had an uncomfortable position after 20.e5? which weakened kingside light squares. Carlsen created a dangerous attack on the king with few pieces left on the board, so Eljanov was forced to bail out for a lost ending. This 10. Na3 line is quite trendy right now at the highest level, but due to fast entrances into drawish endings I can’t recommend it. Anand couldn’t make any progress. Conclusion: Unlike the closed Catalan, in the open Catalan both sides have so many possibilities in the opening that the game can take many different characters that I can’t give a universal guide on what to do that will apply to every line. I will tell you that black is pretty much forced to break with …c5 or …e5, and white will keep his center at all costs. Again, this opening is highly theoretical, so despite all the variations in the basic theory, it was basic. There are many lines I didn’t include because I don’t have a month to write this (this week notwithstanding). The theory is an introduction to what opening I am examining, not a through guide. If you have suggestions for next week, let me know!

2 weeks ago, (by request) I wrote an article on the Froms gambit, 1. f4 e5!? I was then requested to examine the main line bird (by the same member). I decided to take a week off of the bird last week, but this week I will go back and use the main line bird. 1. f4 A rare move in top play d5 With white’s first move, he takes control of the e5 square but weakens the e4 square, so black’s first move makes sense. Here is the basic theory: The Bird never really appealed to me, but I was surprised to see so many variations ending in an advantage for black. Time for some examples: So black emerged from the opening much better, but he failed to take advantage of white’s weak pawns and allowed his king to come under attack. Even though the above game was a draw, Svidler was dominating before time-trouble blunders swept away his advantage. So, in our final example, black didn’t just wait passively for the easy draw and instead reacted energetically with 17...h5!? and later pressure down the c file gave black the win. Conclusion: Before I looked at this line, the Bird (1.f4) never really appealed to me, and after writing this I can say I respect it even less. It amazed me how many opening lines ended with positions better for black, which explains why the only top level games I found to use as examples were a blindfold game, a blitz game, and an internet game. Putting all of that aside, this opening does appeal to many amateurs (and that’s who I’m writing this for) because it is a simple opening to play. The game will usually turn into a battle between white’s attack on the kingside to get to the king, and black’s positional play in the center and queenside. Although black’s play tends to be the strongest, some players feel most comfortable when attacking, so this opening is a viable choice. If you have a request for next week’s opening choice, post it here! This week’s opening was by request, and if there is a variation of some opening that is bugging you, you like, or you’re just interested in, let me know!

I was requested to examine the Catalan in my column, so this week will be the first part of a 2 part series on the Catalan. This opening, based on the fianchetto of the king’s bishop, is gaining popularity at an amazing speed, see the chart below: (Mega Database 2011) Basic Theory: So in the closed Catalan, black places his pieces behind his pawns, which are normally placed on e6 and c6. The arising positions are filled with slow positional maneuvering, so many positional players like the closed Catalan. Now for the examples section: What can I say, the above game was a typical encounter in the Catalan when Vladmir Kramnik has the white pieces. As Mig Greengard said, “You have 2 choices against Kramnik’s Catalan: the long squeeze or the risky breakout. Either way, you die.” Topalov suffered the long squeeze, even before his blunder, he was in a worse position without making any obvious mistakes. This game showed white under-estimating black’s powerful center, and when white thought the …d4 break was under control, it came anyway with decisive effect. Black complicated the game with a couple sacrifices, and Anand eventually lost his way in the complications, so the game ended in a draw. Funnily, that game took on a character of an open Catalan. Conclusion: The closed system is a respected system against the Catalan. Black gets solid play, and the game generally takes on a positional nature (that last game notwithstanding) with slow positional maneuvering. White will generally seek play on either one of the wings, and black will use his central pawn majority (his e and d pawns) to advance in the center. Next column will feature the even more popular open system.

I annotated the following game of mine, where I built up a massive front on the kingside before finally setting up the winning blow.

This week’s opening is a variation in the classical Slav defense, dubbed the Sokolov defense by James Vigus in his book, Play the Slav. I was inspired to play this variation when I first read that book. Ivan Sokolov is the strongest player who regularly plays this variation, and I will use his games in the examples section. I will concentrate more on examples this week, so I will have more examples and less detailed theory. We get to the Sokolov defense with the following moves: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Nb6!? [7...Qc7 is the main line] Black challenges the c4 knight with this little known move, white is often caught off-guard. 8.Ne5 a5 Okay, so white has four choices at his disposal, 9. g3, 9. f3, 9. e3, and 9. Bg5. I will divide the 4 choices into 2 games: So, black gets very dynamic and flexible positions which tend to balance out white’s center to give black an equal game. Also note black’s main plan of getting in the …e5 break. Now for some examples, all from Ivan Sokolov: In the above game black slowly but surely pressed white and his very minimal advantage turned into a win, although white defended poorly to allow it. In the previous example, if black had solidified his position with …f6, his position would have been fine. Instead he allowed the ruination of his queenside pawn structure, which led to his downfall. I found the above game remarkable, as it seems black had the inferior pawn structure; it was in fact white who had weak pawns, and was lucky to escape with a draw. So, once again after white’s center collapsed, his remaining pawns were quite weak, and one by one they dropped off the board. Conclusion: Well, I hoped you enjoyed this week’s article on the Sokolov defense. This move, 7…Nb6 wasn’t really seen in top chess games until around the turn of the millennium. Ivan Sokolov (and other Grandmasters, for example Morozevich) has proven in practice that this is a completely viable approach to the Slav (and in my humble opinion, I think it is better than the main line 7…Qc7). White has many different tries against this, but in all lines black’s plans were very similar: Break with a pawn in the center (usually …e5) attack white’s center with your pieces, and once white’s center is gone and weak pawns remain, go pawn grabbing! You may have noticed that this line leads to a lot of queenless middlegames, with slow, positional maneuvering. Personally, I enjoy such positions. For those that don’t like this, take up the King’s Indian, because a lot of Slav games are like that. If you have a request for a future article, post it here! Last week’s article on the From’s gambit (1. f4 e5!?) was by request, and then requested an article the next week to write on the Main line bird. (1. f4 d5) I decided to take a break from the bird in this week’s article, but next week, 1. f4 d5 will be featured.

This week’s opening is the From’s Gambit, which was requested by a member of this group. If there is an opening you would like to see discussed, let me know! The From’s Gambit only takes one move to begin, 1. f4 e5!? White weakens the e1-h4 diagonal with 1. f4, so black sacs a pawn to open files and diagonals for his pieces. I don’t think this is the soundest Gambit ever, but the fact that many white players play 2. f4!? transposing to the king’s gambit says something. Here is the basic theory: Okay, so we have the moves 1. f4 e5!? 2. fxe5 d6! 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 This is the main starting point for this gambit Now, black has 2 choices a) 4…Nf6 and b) 4…g5 NOTE: For some reason, the 4...Nf6 line below isn't working so I posted it in the comments So, after examining 4…Nf6 I have concluded that if white plays simply (avoiding complications with 6. g3 and 7. e4) with 6. Qd3 and aim for an ending white will be better. Black will win his pawn back but will be forced to defend a worse endgame. After 4…g5 if white stays in the main line, he will reach a position where black only has partial compensation for the pawn. Now for some examples: So, white made some mistakes that allowed black his advantage, and with correct play white would have emerged out of the opening better. Still, the above game nicely illustrates how if black can blockade white’s mighty center, he has great chances for counterplay against white’s king. So, after analyzing this opening, I can conclude that this gambit really isn’t very sound, and thus isn’t seen on the highest level. I found 2 games in my database [Mega 2011] with 2500+ vs. 2500+ encounters, one of them shown above. Then again, the Bird itself (1. f4) doesn’t appear on the board often, so if you do like this gambit you wouldn’t have to use it much. Despite all my criticism, I am not saying this is an unplayable opening that should be avoided like the plague. The majority of people (like myself) reading this are amateurs (<2000) players , and although you may not see this position in a game between Anand and Carlsen, at our level these openings are often just fine, and although I wouldn’t play it, that doesn’t mean you can’t. Just watch out if we play! Also, keep suggesting ideas. As the member who suggested the From’s gambit last week was the only person who made a request, I used it the very next week!

This week’s opening is a well-known gambit in the Sicilian Defense, the Smith Morra Gambit. This gambit is reached after 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3!? White offers a pawn for a lead in development and to open lines for his pieces. This isn’t completely sound, and really isn’t seen on the highest level. However, in club level and internet blitz, this is seen frequently. Black is often forced to defend positions in unfamiliar territory, so this system does carry some bite. As a Sicilian player, I have faced this opening and I have had some troubles and lost a lot. I finally won vs. this system a few days ago, but my position was much worse for much of the game. This article will give what I think is black’s best defense. Okay, so here is the basic theory: Okay, now for some examples. Even though I’m trying to give you a repertoire for black, I want to seem somewhat neutral, because some people reading this may play this with white. So, I will give a win and a loss. This first example is a perfect example of the minefield black is forced to walk through; the slightest and seemingly unimportant inaccuracy can be black’s downfall. This next game shows that if black can survive white’s onslaught in the early middlegame, he can generally look forward to a pleasant endgame. I hope you enjoyed this week’s column on the Smith Morra Gambit. This opening is a real clash of styles. If you’re white you play an exciting game, filled with attacks and sacrifices. If you’re playing black, you have a tough road ahead of you, but remember that it will be your time to shine in the endgame if you survive white’s attack. I’m confident black can! If you have a request for next week, let me know. I didn’t get any last week.

From now on, in this group and my new blog, every week I will post a small opening article, explaining various openings. I don't know what you want to learn about, so suggestions on what opening to research would be appreciated. Try to be specific with your suggestions. For example, don't say, "Sicilian Defense", you could say the Dragon variation of the Sicilian, or the Grand Prix Attack. This week's article is about 4. g3 in the four knights. It is a simple, fun to play opening that doesn't require memorizing variations, but rather knowledge of some basic concepts. This is perfect for those that don't have a lot of time to study openings, or (like me) people who play other openings that require a lot of memorizing (In my case the Dragon). So here is the basic theory: Now for some examples (Since I play this, I'll use my own games): Forgive me for reusing past material, but since I already annotated this game in the thread 4. g3!?, I didn't want to again. Note how when I carried out the thematic f4 break, my attack came through. The previous example was recent, this next game came from a while ago. I managed to get a knight on f5, (which is often a great square for the knight, because the knight usually comes to h4 to make way for f4, so it might as well continue to f5) so the knight was perfectly placed for a d4 break. So, despite all the mistakes in that game, it shows a typical white build up on the kingside. Send those suggestions in!

I had built up an impressive attack, but my opponent managed to swap queens. He must have felt he was in the clear. He then made a huge mistake, forgetting that Rook+Bishop have the same powers as a queen.

I had steadily out-played my opponent and reached a winning position. Sadly, I blundered and allowed the game saving move. Can you find it?

Here is a game where I employed my (rarely seen) 4. g3 system.

Hello everybody, it is puzzle time!! So there you go!! Enjoy and leave your result -->(how many did you have correct out of 7?) !!

My first queen sacrifice ever! I've seen them in tactics collections, now I can boast my (admittedly simple) own sacrifice: