Yearbook 142

Forum

In the FORUM Section, the winner of the 2021 Novelty of the Year is presented to you. He is also the overall Novelty of the Year winner! René Olthof looks at various very (extremely) early g2-g4 outings in the opening and celebrates the return of Alexei ‘Fire on Board’ Shirov. We have two elaborate pieces by Wayne Gradl, a topical correspondence game by Ahmet Odeev in the 7.Nd5 Sveshnikov, a follow-up on Dubov’s 6.b4 gambit in the Giuoco Piano by Peter Boel and the continuation of a heated discussion on the Fegatello Variation by Karsten Müller and José Lopez Senra.

From Our Own Correspondent

Erwin l’Ami’s final instalment of this popular column is no less than 17 pages long! He analyses five correspondence games extensively, in a broad range of openings: the Classical Nimzo-Indian, the Sämisch King’s Indian (an attacking gem!), the Anti-Grünfeld with 5.h4, Karpov’s 4…Nd7 move in the Caro-Kann, and an Anti-Slav Gambit in the Réti Opening.

Reviews

Glenn Flear covers a wide spectrum of books on 1.e4 openings this time – from specialized lines to entire repertoires. The reader will become acquainted with Ranko Szuhanek’s book Beating the Najdorf rare lines, Michael Roiz’s new volume in the Grandmaster Repertoire series on the Berlin Defence, a new product by the illustrious duo Richard Palliser & Simon Williams on sharp gambit lines called Grandmaster Gambits 1.e4 and, last but not least, James Rizzitano’s sensible but frequently surprising Modern Chess Opening Repertoire for White.

1.e4 openings

• Sicilian Defence - Rossolimo Variation 3....f6 4..c3 - Stohl
• Sicilian Defence - Grand Prix Attack 2..c3 d6 - Matinian
• French Defence - Steinitz Variation 4.e5 - Smerdon
• French Defence - McCutcheon Variation 4....b4 - Warmerdam
• Caro-Kann Defence - Two Knights Variation 3...dxe4 - Bosch
• Petroff Defence - Steinitz Variation 3.d4 - Fogarasi
• Ruy Lopez - Berlin Defence 6..a4 e4 - Timman
• Ruy Lopez - Cozio Defence 3...g6 - Flear
• Ruy Lopez - Dilworth Variation 11....xf2 - Sokolov
• Scotch Opening - Mieses Variation 5..xc6 - Ponomariov

1.d4 openings

• Slav Defence - Slav Gambit 5.e4 - Kuljasevic
• Slav Defence - Semi-Slav 5..b3 - Ris
• Tarrasch Defence - Semi-Tarrasch 4...c5 - Vilela
• Catalan Opening - Early Divergences 4....d6 - Ikonnikov
• Nimzo-Indian Defence - Rubinstein Variation 5....e8 - Odegov
• Nimzo-Indian Defence - Classical Variation 4..c2 d5 - Lukacs and Hazai
• Grünfeld Indian Defence - Exchange Variation 7..f3 - Gupta
• King’s Indian Defence - Old Main Line 7....bd7 - Szabo
• King’s Indian Defence - Fianchetto Variation 6...c6 - Fishbein
• Queen’s Pawn Defence - Colle System 3...c5 - Olthof