Chessville Reviews - New In Chess Yearbook 83 - Edited by Genna Sosonko - Reviewed by Prof. Nagesh Havanur

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New In Chess Yearbook 83
Edited by Genna Sosonko

Reviewed by Prof. Nagesh Havanur

New In Chess, 2007
ISBN-13: 978-90-5691-213-0
Published 4 times a year
soft-cover, 248 pages
figurine algebraic notation

The cover of this Yearbook features Sergei Karjakin, one of the finest talents in the chess world today.

Karjakin (born 12 January, 1990) holds the record for becoming the youngest chess grandmaster in history at the age of 12 years and 7 months. Unfortunately, his achievements have been overshadowed by the more spectacular success of the other prodigy Magnus Carlsen. Undeterred by the less flattering comparison, Karjakin continues to make his ascent on the chess Olympus. On the FIDE ranking list of January 2008, he has a rating of 2732, making him No.14 in the world.

During the World Cup 2007 which served as a qualification tournament for World Championship 2009 he reached the semi-finals in which he lost to Shirov. The rivalry between the young player and the experienced veteran has always produced exciting battles like the following:

Sergei Karjakin - Alexie Shirov [B33]
Corus A 2007

(Notes based on annotations by Emil Anka in the Yearbook.)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5

The Sveshnikov Variation.

6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 Bg5 12.Nc2 Ne7

12...0–0 is the main line.

13.h4!?

Safer is 13.Ncb4 0–0 14.a4 bxa4 15.Qxa4 a5 16.Bb5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Be6 18.Bc6 Rb8 19.Ra2 f5!=Timofeev-Yakovich, Moscow 2007

13...Bh6

Not 13...Bxh4? 14.Rxh4 Nxd5 15.Qxd5 Be6 16.Qb7 Rb8 17.Qc6+ Kf8 18.0–0–0 Rb6 19.Qc5!+-

14.a4 bxa4 15.Ncb4 0–0

15...Bd7? 16.Rxa4! Nxd5 (16...Bxa4 17.Qxa4+ Kf8 18.Nxe7 Qxe7 19.Qc6 Ra7 20.Bxa6±) 17.Nxd5 Bxa4 18.Qxa4+ Kf8 19.b4± was played in Karajkin-Rajdabov, Warsaw 2005 and Karajkin went on to win (1–0...41 moves).

16.Qxa4! Nxd5

In his original notes to the game Karajkin suggests that the variation 16...a5 17.Bb5 leads to the position in the game by transposition. But Emil Anka points out that the continuation leads to a different position and it is good for Black. 17...Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Be6 19.Bc6 Rb8 20.b3 Kh8=. This line needs more tests.

17.Nxd5 a5 18.Bb5 Kh8 19.b4! f5 20.Bc6 Ra7 21.exf5 Bxf5 22.bxa5 Bd3

Worse is 22...Raf7 23.Ra2! Bb1 24.Rb2 Bd3 25.a6 Ra7 26.Bb5 Qb8 27.Qb4 Qxb5 28.Qxb5 Bxb5 29.Rxb5 Rxa6 30.0–0 Kg8 31.Rb7±

23.Bb5 Bxb5

A little better is 23...e4 24.Bxd3 exd3 25.0–0. White has to play carefully to consolidate his gains.

24.Qxb5 Raf7 25.0–0! Qxh4 26.Qe2 Bf4

After 26...Rf5 27.g3 Qh3 28.Qe4! Rh5 29.Qg2 Black's attack comes to a standstill and White's a-pawn will decide the game.

27.g3 Bxg3 28.fxg3 Qxg3+ 29.Qg2 Rxf1+ 30.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 Qd3+ 32.Kg1 e4

If 32...h6? 33.Kh2 e4 34.Nf4! Qxc3 35.a6 Qa5 36.Qf1+-

33.Qf2! Qd1+

33...Qxd5? 34.Qf8+ Qg8 35.Qxg8+ Kxg8 36.a6+- is fun.

34.Qf1 Qg4+ 35.Kf2 h5 36.Ke1!

Not 36.Ke3? Qg5+ 37.Kd4 Qe5+ 38.Kc4 e3 and Black launches a counterattack.

36...Qg5

36...Qg3+? loses to 37.Kd1+-

37.Qc4! h4

Again 37...Qg3+? fails to 38.Kd2 Qg2+ 39.Ke3 Qf3+ 40.Kd4+-

38.a6 Qg3+ 39.Kd2 h3 40.a7! Qf2+ 41.Kc1

And now Shirov resigned in view of 41...Qxa7 42.Qc8+ Kh7 43.Qxh3+ Kg8 44.Qe6+ Kh7 45.Qxe4+ +-

1-0

(For more on this talented player, see the following link: http://karjakin.blogspot.com/)

Apart from the Sveshnikov Sicilian this issue offers as many as 30 other opening surveys.* (See the list - Ed.)

Beside mainstream openings like the Sicilian, French, Slav, and the Grünfeld, the issue also has a fair sprinkling of 19^th Century openings like the King’s Gambit and the Scotch Game (4…Bc5 Variation.)

There are also the regular features like the Forum, Sosonko’s Corner and book reviews. Readers’ contributions in the Forum section continue to surprise and delight.

The following game would have qualified for the brilliancy prize in the good old days of chess:

Martin Ahn - Tamas Ruck [E00]
Team Tournament, Belgium 2007

(Notes based on annotations by Peter Boel in theYearbook)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4

The Scotch Game.

4… Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 d6

9.a4??

The position is fraught with dangers.

A. 9.Nd5? Nxe410.Bxd8?? (10.Qh5)Bxf2+ 11.Ke2 Bg4+ 12.Kd3 Ne5+ 13.Kxe4 f5+ 14.Kf4 Ng6# cr. Witling-Sergiev, ICCF Cup-5 1985

B. 9.f3? Be6 10.Qd2? Nxe4! -+ Alapin-Janowsky,Vienna 1898.

After the Book line 9.Qe2 Be6 the position is unclear.

9...Nxe4!! 10.Bxd8 Bxf2+ 11.Ke2 Bg4+ 12.Kd3

12...Ne5+!

Not 12...Bxd1?! 13.Nxe4 Nb4+ 14.Kc3 Be1+ 15.Nbd2 Bxd2+ 16.Nxd2 Nd5+ 17.Kd4. White has a piece for three pawns, and what is more important: a wide-awake king.

13.Kxe4 f5+ 14.Kd5 Rxd8

15.Qxg4

Forced. 15.Qd2?? c6+ 16.Ke6 f4#

15...c6+ 16.Ke6 0–0 17.Nd5 fxg4 18.Bd3

...and now Black would have mated quickly with the neat 18...Rde8+ 19.Ne7+ Kh8 20.Kxd6 Rf6+ 21.Kc7 Rxe7+ 22.Kc8 Rf8#

Instead he played the more prosaic 18...g6. He won anyway. (0–1, 25 moves.)

Highly recommended.

Other NIC Yearbook reviews by Prof.Nagesh Havanur:

New In Chess Yearbook 70 (2004)
New In Chess Yearbook 71 (2004)
New In Chess Yearbook 75 (2005)
New In Chess Yearbook 81 (2006)
New In Chess Yearbook 82 (2007)

31 Surveys

Sicilian Defence - Najdorf Variation 6.Bg5 - Berg
Sicilian Defence - Rauzer Variation 6...Bd7 - Galkin
Sicilian Defence - Sveshnikov Variation 9.Nd5 - Anka
Sicilian Defence - Paulsen Variation 6...Bd6 - Fogarasi
Sicilian Defence - Alapin Variation 2...Nf6 - Sveshnikov
King’s Fianchetto - Accelerated Dragon - Rogozenko
French Defence - Burn Variation 4...de4 - Grivas
French Defence - Winawer Variation 7/8 h4 - Vilela
French Defence - Winawer Variation 7...0-0 - I.Almasi
Caro-Kann Defence - Advance Variation 4.Nc3- Boersma
Caro-Kann Defence - Classical Variation 3.Nc3 - Olthof
Scandinavian Defence - Main Line 5.Bd2 - Prié
Petroff Defence - Steinitz Variation 5...Nd7 - Vladimirov
Ruy Lopez - Berlin Defence 7...Nf5 Almasi
Ruy Lopez - Open Variation 5...Ne4 - Van der Tak
Scotch Opening - Classical Variation 4...Bc5 - A.Kuzmin
King’s Gambit - Early Deviations 2...Bc5 - De Zeeuw
Slav Defence - Classical Variation 4.Qc2 - Ikonnikov
Slav Defence - The Slow Slav 4.e3 - A.Kuzmin
Slav Defence - Alapin Variation 5.a4 Bf5 - Giddins
Queen’s Gambit Accepted - Classical Variation 4.e3 - Karolyi
Catalan Opening - Accepted 4...dc4 - Stohl
Catalan Opening - Open Variation 6...dc4 - Lukacs/Hazai
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Ragozin Variation 6.Bg5 - Mchedlishvili
Queen’s Indian Defence - Bogo-Indian 3...Bb4 - Langeweg
Grünfeld Indian Defence - 4.h4 Line GI 3.1 - Cebalo
Grünfeld Indian Defence - Exchange Variation 7.Bc4 GI 5.8 - Mikhalevski
King's Indian Defence - Four Pawns Attack 8.de6 KI 58.1-6 - Moskalenko
Benoni Defence - Four Pawns Attack 5.f4 BI 7.12 - Grivas
Queen’s Pawn Openings - Neo-London System 2.Bf4 QP 9.4 - Prié
English Opening - Groningen Attack 4.g4 EO 59.3 - Krasenkow