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This issue’s five featured games from TWIC 1135.

The weekly updates feature thousands of game and are available each week from TWIC.

Bogo-Indian 4.Bd2 Qe7(E11)

Shankland-Saric

After 22..Nf6(Diagram)

White used a modest buildup to reach a positionally crushing position.

After 22..Nf6

Queen’s Indian 4.g3 Bb7(E18)

Vitiugov-Liang 

After 26..Rxc6(Diagram)

White started well, lost control but was handed the game after Black made a large positional concession after ..c6

After 26..Rxc6

King’s Indian Classical 9.b4(E97)

Fier-Sean

After 23..Qe8(Diagram)

White followed theory which included a piece for 2 pawns sacrifice. Black could not get anything going on the kingside and was playing without his queenside pieces.

After 23..Qe8

Sicilian Taimanov 6.g3(B47)

Predke-Zhigalko

After 35.Rb5(Diagram)

Black took some risks to get winning chances and managed to reach a complex unbalanced endgame.

After 35.Rb5

Sicilian Taimanov 7.Qf3(B48)

Balagh,Cs-Bellaiche,A

After 10..b5(Diagram)

White played the standard sacrifice 11.Nxb5

After 10..b5

Later after 19..Rhc8(Diagram)

White has a reached an innocuous looking unbalanced. Find a plan and suggest a move.

After 19..Rfc8

GM Balogh has co-written several useful training books as part of Chess Evolution.

Most Instructive Endgames 2012-2015

The 5 book set of best games 2012-15

Today’s Lunch Adventure

I was taken to a Thai restaurant quite Kalvin ter.

The surrounding area

Coconut cream vegetable soup

Chicken and stir-fried vegetables

Delicious!

Iron Lady Wins Gold in Swimming

Hosszú Katinka won the 400m IM gold in record time.

I have been slowly adding Open Games to my repertoire but there is a ton of new literature to go through. GM Shaw is recommending the Scotch against 2..Nc6 in his new book, Playing 1.e4-Caro-Kann, 1..e5 and Minor Lines.

Playing 1.e4 by Shaw (2016)

There were some interesting games in TWIC 1134.

The Games

The Petroff Defence

5.Nc3 is still popular.

Wei Yi-Ma,Z

White came up with Bd3/Qe2 instead of Qd2 but got nothing from the opening.

After 19..Qc8(Diagram)

After 19..Qc8

White got a gift later as Black just blundered a piece to a simple tactic.

The Scotch-Mieses Attack

Sipila-Amin,B

Black held easily in the 8..Ba6 line and showed resourceful play in the equal endgame.

After 26..Re1(Diagram)

Material is equal but Black took over.

After 26.Re1

The Italian Game-Slow(c3/d3)

Black gets some additional defensive options by not committing to an early ..d6

Sambuev-Lesiege

After 21.h5(diagram)

Black held on in an action packed game.

After 21.h5

Berlin Defence 4.d3 Bc5(C65)

Howell-Adams,M

After 26.Rhf1(Diagram)

Black was resourceful on defence and won with a nice counterattack.

After 26.Rhf1

Spanish Opening-Breyer Variation(C95)

The Accelerated Breyer(11..c5 instead of 11..Bb7) is gaining some momentum. Black does not block the b-file and plays ..Rb8 to support b-file counterplay.

The Bologan Twins

After 11..Bb7

Sadzikowski-Ipatov

Ipatov played a model counterattacking game and finished with a ruthless kingside attack.

After 28.g3(Diagram)

After 28.g3

Time for a look at the Dutch Defence. Last tournament I gave this defence a try but did not really do much background work. Now it seems time to do some proper work as I have not done well against it as White in recent games.

The Williams Variation

The Bishop System 2.Bg5 against the Dutch Defence is one try to avoid big theory but can be met with the odd looking 4..Rh7!?

After 4..Rh7!?

Thematic Endgame

An interesting endgame arises that gave me some trouble to understand.

after 10..Kxf7(Diagram)

After 10..Kxf7

Black won a recent correspondence game but the initial Stockfish7 evaluation favours White, which makes the line hard to evaluate.

The Killer Dutch and the Williams Variation 4..Rh7

The Main Lines-White Repertoire

I would rather have a sideline against the Dutch rather than have to find a line against everything that Black can do like

• The Leningrad(7..Qe8)
• The Classical
• The Stonewall
• 7..Nc6 and 7..c6

etc

The Leningrad Dutch

The latest TWIC instalment is now available.

Grunfeld Defence

Russian System 7..Na6

Farago,I-Heimann ZMDI 

After 15.Rd2(Diagram)

A fairly typical position has been reached. Black followed with  a typical idea.

After 15.Rd1

Later in the game

After 24.Qe1(Diagram)

Black had a big attack going and finished nicely.

After 24.Qe1