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Smyslov Variation Mainline 5...c5 6.d5 h6 7.Bh4 d6 8.e3 g5 9.Bg3 Nh5 [E61]
The Smyslov Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 0-0 5.Bg5) may be one of the best ways for White to avoid intensive theory. If there is a sharp line then it's 5...c5 6.d5 h6 7.Bh4 d6 8.e3 g5 9.Bg3 Nh5:
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This featured in the game Danielian, I - Krush, I, with White playing the critical 10.Nd2 Nxg3 11.hxg3 f5 12.Bd3 e6 13.g4!. This actually looks very dangerous for Black and makes the Smyslov an interesting choice.
Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav System 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Bf4 Nh5 [E65]
In my August update I covered the lines 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 d6 6.0-0 c5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Be3 and also 9.Bf4 Nh5 10.Be3. In Bu Xiangzhi - Vasquez Schroeder, R White varied with 9.Bf4 Nh5 10.Bg5!?:
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which provokes Black into playing the inferior 10...h6. White won a tempo on the h6 pawn with 11.Be3 followed by 12.Qd2, and with 14.b4! he obtained the initiative and later won. This looks like a nice surprise weapon for White.
Karpov Variation 6.Be3 Nc6 7.d5 Ne5 8.f4 Neg4 9.Bd2 [E73]
The line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Be3 Nc6 has featured in several previous Chesspublishing.com updates. Galaviz Median, S - Vitiugov, N took the theory a bit further in that after 7.d5 Ne5 8.f4 Neg4 9.Bd2 Nh6 10.Nf3 c6 11.0-0 cxd5 12.cxd5 b5 13.Bd3 b4 14.Na4 Bd7 15.Kh1 Black played 15...Nhg4:
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Actually this doesn't look like an improvement for Black and he struggled to draw.
Classical Makagonov 7...e6 8.Bd3 exd5 9.exd5 Re8+ 10.Be3 [E90]
The line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.h3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Bd3 exd5 9.exd5 Re8+ 10.Be3 is often reached via a 2...c5 move order as it was in Peralta, F - Duda, J. Black's exchange sacrifice with 10...Rxe3+ is bold and practical, but the really interesting aspect of this game was Duda's regrouping with 13...h6:
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followed by ...Nh7. Black has shuffled his pieces around in various different ways in this line, but not this one. I think it will be playable against other 13th moves by White too.
Classical Variation, Accelerated Simagin 5...Bg4 6.Be2 Bxf3 7.Bxf3 e5 [E90]
Lupulescu, C - Bologan, V provided a trip down memory lane for me in that Bologan used the line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 Bg4!?, something I played in my youth. But rather than meeting 6.Be2 with 6...Bxf3 7.Bxf3 Nfd7, which is how I played it, he used the simple and direct 7...e5:
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Several other players used this line too, and I think that it is rather good. Although Black should have lost this game it was not because of the opening.
Classical Variation with 6...c6 and 7...a6 [E91]
The plan of 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 c6 7.0-0 a6:
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has also reappeared in some recent games, Injac, T - Assaubayeva, B being just one of them. White got a good position with straightforward play, and it seems that Black must struggle to try and equalize. One thing to note is that Krum Georgiev, who played this line some decades ago, did better by playing a timely ...Nf6-d7 in order to prevent White's e4-e5. This seems like a better chance.
Classical Variation with 7...Nbd7 8.Be3 h6 [E94]
Capturing on e5 by White seems to be very popular these days, last month I looked at Ntirlis's analysis in his Playing the English which often included this concept. Quintilliano, R - Markus, R was another great advert for it, after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.Be3 h6 White played 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.h3:
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and just obtained a nice edge. This certainly wasn't what Black wants when playing the King's Indian.
Classical Variation with 7...h6 8.Re1 Nbd7 [E95]
The game Schitco, I - Salem, A was quite similar to Quintilliano - Markus and I'm unsure why they are coded differently in Chessbase! After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 h6 8.Re1 Nbd7 White played this same 9.dxe5 plan and after 9...dxe5 10.Qc2 c6 11.Be3 Qe7 12.h3:
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he also obtained an excellent game.
This treatment of the King's Indian looks like a tough job, and certainly doesn't give Black the kind of active counterplay he hopes for. I wouldn't be surprised if it drifts out of fashion.
That's all for this month! Nigel Davies
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