Category Archives: Aronian

Tata Steel 2013 Group A

Here’s Aronian’s nice endgame win over Leko from Tata Group A. For more see Tatasteelchess. The site has a fantastic gallery.

Aronian obtains a better pawn structure but Leko has the bishop pair for an active defence. Later the ending is BN-BB but with Aronian having an extra pawn.

Aronian,L – Leko,P

Aronian,L (2802) – Leko,P (2735)
4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 c5[E15]
75th Tata Steel GpA Wijk aan Zee NED (6.3), 18.01.2013

Position 1

White to Play

28…a6


Position 2

White to Play

53…Bc2


Verifying Schandorff-Playing 1.d4 The Indian Defences

Schandorff proposes 4.e3 against the Nimzo-Indian with 5.Nge2 in Playing 1.d4 The Indian Defences(Qualith Chess 2012).

His key games are,

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Game Line Tournament Year
1 4…Nc6 Botvnnik Taimanov Moscow(4) 1952
2 4…c5 Botvnnik Smyslov Moscow(5) 1952
3 4…0-0 Botvnnik Keres Hague/Moscow 1948
4 4…b6 Aronian Istratescu Antalya 2004
5 4…b6 Ugge Hall Corr 2003
6 4…c5 Popov,S Savic Mataruska Banja 2007
7 4…c5 Najer Mitenkov Moscow 1996
8 4…c5 Sasvari Kunzelmann Corr 2005
9 4…0-0 Iljushin Murzin Togliatti 2001
10 4…0-0 Ivanisevic Gyimesi Bihac 2010
11 4…0-0 Ponomariov Kramnik Wijk aan Zee 2003
12 4…0-0 Astroem Yarshenko Corr 1997

I verified game 4 where Schandorff proposes the aggressive 8.Qf3/9.g4 plan. White imposed a sharp game in the 2004 Aronian stem game. I found some independant improements and present these findings.

My first outing with 4.e3 did not go so well so now additional work must be done to upgrade my knowledge level. This analysis is part of  the hoped for ‘cure’.

Aronian,Levon (2645) – Istratescu,Andrei (2587) [E45]
EU-ch 5th Antalya (11), 27.05.2004[Yip]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Nge2 Ba6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.Nxc3 d5 8.Qf3 A very direct approach that exploits the absence of Bb7.[Yip] 8…0–0 9.g4!? (diagram) 

Bayonet type attacks are common the Open Sicilian but not so much in the Nimzo-Indian.

Position 1
White has the bishop pair deep in the ending. How should white make progress?
White to play