Category Archives: Quality Chess

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

Noteboom(D31) Analysis-Verifying Schandorff

Here is a preliminary look at GM Schandorff’s anti-Noteboom repertoire idea in Playing 1.d4 The Queen’s Gambit 2nd Ed(Quality Chess 2012).

The first edition suggested the 8.Rb1 sideline but in the 2nd edition, Schandorff has presented a more positional idea in the main line-13.c5!?

I looked at Schandorff’s proposed TN(21.d5!) and his other ideas. Now I’m happy I get the basics and this will have to do for now.

Lomineishvili,Maia (2401) – Melnikova,Yana (2171) [D31]
EU-ch (Women) 5th Dresden (2), 22.03.2004[Yip]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bb4 6.e3 b5 7.Bd2 a5 8.axb5 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 cxb5 10.b3 Bb7 11.bxc4 b4 12.Bb2 Nf6 13.c5 The idea is to play Bb5-a4 to blockade the queenside passed pawns (Diagram) 

Position 1
Black has just played 18…Ne4 to extend the light square blockade idea to the center.
Q1-What do think of black’s idea?
Q2-How should white react?

White to Play

Playing the Queen’s Gambit 2nd Ed

Playing the Queen’s Gambit
The second edition is out from Quality Chess.

The big question is what’s the difference? More games have been added and the analysis strengthended.
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1st Ed 2nd Ed
Pages 248 320
Games 66 77

Breakdown by Chapter
10 new games have been added. The big difference is also in the line against the Noteboom(D31) where a more positional main line has been added while keeping the older 8.Rb1 recommendation.
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Ch Year 1st Ed 2nd Ed
1 QGD Wojtaszek Fressinet Wijk aan Zee 2011 New
2 QGA Aronian Stevic Plovdiv 2010 New
3 Slav Topalov Anand Sofia(m/8) 2010 New
4 Semi-Slav Nakamura Smeets Wijk aan Zee 2011 New
Hansen,E Yang,D Lubock 2010 New
Shyam Siddharth Visakhapatnam 2011 New
Hracek Elsness Port Carass 2011 New
Anand Shirov Wijk aan Zee 2011 New
8 Minor Lines Shirov Kaczmarek Warsaw(rapid) 2008 New
Lomineishvili Melnikova Dresden 2004 New