Sunday, December 26, 2010

Budapest Fajarowicz (A51) Webliography





It seemed about time to do a Budapest Fajarowicz (A51) Webliography and Bibliography, if only because there has been such a proliferation of good material on this opening in recent years.  And the Fajarowicz deserves the attention it is getting, since it is a fascinating line, especially at the amateur level.  In the regular Budapest Defense, Black generally recovers his pawn following 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 since the only way for White to hang onto it is by making major positional concessions with moves like 4.f4?!  But in the Fajarowicz with 3.dxe5 Ne4!? Black generally foresakes his pawn and focuses instead on rapid development and tactical threats.  Often, after exchanges, Black will eventually be able to recover the e-pawn in normal Budapest fashion to achieve an equal game, but this is rarely the second player's prime motivation for playing 3...Ne4.  


The line was first developed by Sammi Fajarowicz (1908-1940), a Jewish chessplayer who lived in Leipzig through the beginning of WWII and died of tuberculosis under the terrible conditions of Hitler's Germany.  He played a number of games (not all successful) with the line in the late 1920s and early 1930s (see, for instance, Glig - Fajarowicz, Bautzen 1929).  


I became interested in the Fajarowicz rather indirectly from researching the "Reversed Faj" positions that can arise from 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ne5!? and I became intrigued enough to make this an occasional weapon and a third way (besides 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 and 2...Nc6) of sidestepping lines of the King's Indian when White does not commit to Nf3.  I'm not sure the Faj is really sound, but it can definitely be fun and its tactical themes are worth knowing.


As always, I invite additions to this list from readers in the comments section below.


Budapest Gambit (A51) at Chessgames.com
A useful collection of games and a good place to start for players looking for ideas.


Jim West, New Jersey Open, Day 2 (2010)
Features his game against Ippolito using the Fajarowicz.


Jeremy Silman, The Blunder Gland and the Fajarowicz at Chess.com (2010)
A strong argument for White's chances, especially after 4.a3, but featuring other tries as well.


Lev Gutman, "The Real Fajarowicz-Richter Gambit, Part IV" in New in Chess Yearbook #97 (2010)


Lev Gutman, "The Real Fajarowicz-Richter Gambit, Part III" in New in Chess Yearbook #94 (2010)


Tim Taylor, The Budapest Gambit (Everyman 2009)
After several chapters giving a thorough and positive treatment of 3...Ng4, IM Taylor has a brief chapter on the Faj in which he claims that 4.Nd2 is pretty much the refutation.  Reviewed by Harding and Hansen.


Lev Gutman, "The Real Fajarowicz-Richter Gambit, Part II" in New in Chess Yearbook #92 (2009)


Lev Gutman, "The Real Fajarowicz-Richter Gambit, Part I" in New in Chess Yearbook #91 (2009)


Arthur Kogan, "The Budapest Gambit Can Still Surprise!" in SOS #8 (2008)
GM Kogan presents an ambitious (if sometimes optimistic) Fajarowicz Gambit repertoire based on his own games.


Viktor Moskalenko, The Fabulous Budapest Gambit (New in Chess 2007)
A fabulous book for Budapest fans, though it only has a relatively short section on the Fajarowicz.  Reviewed by Hansen.


AMM, Fajarowicz, 4...d6!? posted in the ChessPub forum (2007)
An interesting analysis and discussion of 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6!?


Jim West, Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Variation (2007)
NM West offers up three of his games with the line without annotations.


Jim West, Fajarowicz Analysis (2007)
Discusses how he was inspired to play the Faj by Harding's book and then analyzes several games with the line.  Also in Atlantic Chess News (September 2007): 15ff.


Gary Lane, Opening Lanes #99 (2007)
Focuses on the line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 Qh4!? which tends to backfire on Black despite the tricks it contains.


ECO Chess (2007)
A collection of 100 Faj games through 2007.


Knaak, Budapest-Fajarowicz Gambit A51 in ChessBase Magazine #119 
Focused on the critical 4.a3 line, recommending 4...b6.


Jyrki Heikkinen, Fajarowicz win over a GM (2006)
A short blog post with java replay game in the critical 4.a3 Nc6 line.


Dany Senechaud, Le Gambit Fajarowicz (Mjae 2005)
Simply a collection of classic Black wins, but covering all of the main lines from Black's perspective.


Steve Goldberg, Scholastic Chess #11 at ChessCafe (2005)
Features a lovely Faj attacking game vs. 4.a3.


The Budapest Fajarowicz (A51) by Susan Polgar and Paul Truong Chess Life (April 2005): 44-45.
A useful two-age introduction to the gambit, covering the most critical lines.


Dmitrij Oleinikov, Budapest Gambit CD 2nd edition (ChessBase 2005)


Lev Gutman, "A Study in Analysis - Fajarowicz Gambit" in New in Chess Yearbook #70 (2004)


Lev Gutman, Budapest Fajarowicz: The Past and the Future of the Fajarowicz - Richter Gambit (Batsford 2004)
Available from USCF Sales, reviewed by Seagaard, Elburg, and Hansen.  By far the most thorough analysis of the Faj, offering useful lines for both players.  Though this is an indispensable reference work, especially for correspondence players, it is not what I would recommend to anyone trying to learn the line for the first time.  The Faj is actually pretty simple, with just a few themes to learn and a few critical lines, and Gutman's book can be quite intimidating.


Lev Gutman, 83 Games with the Fajarowicz gambit in ChessBase Magazine #90 
Try buying through ChessCafe.


Tim Harding, Playing the Budapest in Budapest (2001)
Features a nice game in the Faj played by the author in a theme tournament in the city that gives the defense its name.


Kjell Krantz, "Fajarowic Gambit, Bonsdorff Variation with 4...b6," Kaissiber #16 (2001)


Stefan Buecker, "Fajarowicz Gambit,"  Kaissiber #16 (2001)


Gary Lane, Opening Lanes #21 at ChessCafe (2000)

Gary Lane, Opening Lanes #20 at ChessCafe (2000)
Offers to refute 4.a3 Qh4 but thinks 4...d6 an improvement.

Bogdan Lalic, The Budapest Gambit (Batsford 1998)


Tim Harding, How Stands the Faj? at ChessCafe (1997)
An encouraging account of the Fajarowicz by the author of an early book on the line.


Tim Harding, The Fighting Fajarowicz (Chess Digest 1996)
This book precipitated the renewed interest in the Faj and encouraged quite a few masters to try it.  Available from the reliable ChessCafe and from Edward Labate (who has posted images).


Niels Joergen Jensen, Fajarowicz-gambit 1.d4 Sf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Se4! (Eleprint 1995)


John Donaldson articles Inside Chess (1990)


Otto Borik, The Budapest Gambit (Batsford 1986)


Tim Harding, Counter Gambits (1975), pp 123-124 -- available through Google Books.
An early analysis of the Faj in an interesting collection by Harding, where he gives both 2...e5?! and 3...Ne4?! dubious marks.


A more complete bibliography can be found on page 287 of Lev Gutman's thorough Budapest Fajarowicz, listed above.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A Psychological Autopsy of Bobby Fischer



It's worth reading "A Psychological Autopsy of Bobby Fischer" by Joseph Ponterotto in the latest issue of Miller-McCune (whose main site seems to have gone temporarily off line).  Though most of the material it contains will be familiar to my readers, I thought it did a pretty good job of putting together the known information regarding Fischer's mental health and avoiding any simplifying view of this complex man.  I was also impressed to see a magazine article that linked to online material and embedded videos in many of the ways blogs normally do.  Worth a look.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

King's Indian, Fianchetto and Gallagher Variation

I have annotated the game Carrelli - Goeller, Casual Correspondence 2010, just completed this past week, which featured the Gallagher Variation against White's Fianchetto in the King's Indian Defense.  In my notes to the game, I explore some of Black's other possibilities against the Fianchetto Variation, so it may be of value even to those not interested in the Gallagher specifically.  I learned a lot about the opening from the game, and while I now have some reservations about the Gallagher as Black, I found it is definitely full of dynamic piece play and tactics, which can make it an exciting line against the otherwise dull fianchetto.  White has to watch out, and it is easy to miss a shot even in correspondence.  In the diagram below, for instance, it is Black to play and win at least a pawn utilizing a classic KID motif.


Carrelli - Goeller, after 23.bxc5?
Black to play


I have just started playing "turn based" online correspondence at Chess.com (as both "urusov" and "kenilworthian") and find I really enjoy it.  The standard time control gives you 3 days per move, so you can fit chess into even a busy schedule. Chess.com sends you an email whenever it is your move, so it is easy to keep track.  Seems a nice way to keep in touch with chess buddies you only see occasionally.  I also like that they now sync up with your Facebook account, which makes for a smooth and easy login.  Highly recommended.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

KCC Consultation Game

Adjourned Position, White to Move


The Chess Coroner and Kenilworth Kibitzer both offer up the first half of the Consultation Game played at the Kenilworth Chess Club on Thursday night.  John posted some notes.  It looks like quite a balanced and sharp struggle between teams led by FM Steve Stoyko and SM Yaacov Norowitz.  You can participate in the conclusion of the game at next Thursday's club meeting.

Thursday, December 09, 2010

2nd London Chess Classic

I really enjoyed the first day of the 2nd London Chess Classic , which made for excellent chess spectating, with all of the games sharply contested. Just as with last year's tournament, the organizers have done a spectacular job of getting great players with a big Western fan following (Anand, Carlsen, Kramnik, Nakamura, Short, Adams, McShane, and Howell) and making live coverage freely and widely available (including at ICC and Chessgames).  Though the tournament website is running a little slow (likely due to higher than expected traffic), it has a great set of links to all of the live games and live video commentary from the amusingly British IM Lawrence Trent and GM Danny King (backed up by a supercomputer running Hiarchs) -- complete with interviews of all the players immediately following their matches.  What more could you ask for?  Check it out.

Monday, December 06, 2010

Grand Prix with Na3!?



I could not resist annotating the game Pullin - Villarreal, 1st North American Amateur Closed, Skokie IL 2010, which features the seemingly inevitable new idea of Na3!? in the Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian.  I say "inevitable," because ever since Vadim Zvjaginsev's amazing run with 1.e4 c5 2.Na3!? (against Khalifman, Ponomariov, and Wang Yue among others) it was probably just a matter of time before someone put the knight on the rim in the Grand Prix.


I have been trying the traditional Grand Prix Attack move order with 1.e4 c5 2.f4 myself from time to time and have been surprised that most opponents do not throw Tal's 2...d5 at me like I had expected, though I'm not sure what is the best way to meet that (I'm curious what Pullin has in mind).   One of the chief attractions of 1.e4 c5 2.f4 is that you can meet 2....e6 (annoying vs. 2.Nc3 in my opinion) with 3.Nf3 d5 4.e5 transposing to the Labourdonnais - McDonnell Attack, which Zvjaginsev - Zhang Pengxiang and Stripunsky - Nakamura have shown to be quite viable even at the highest levels.  I see from his games that Pullin has been trying out this line himself and it makes an excellent repertoire fit with his idea of Na3 in the Grand Prix, often leading to thematically similar positions. 






Readers may remember that Matt Pullin produced some nice videos devoted to analyzing my favorite Left Hook Grand Prix with a3.  I'm glad that he has given me a good substitute for pawn to a3 after his critique of that line!  There is a good article at the USCF site describing how he won the A-section of the 1st North American Amateur Closed, from which this game comes.  I wish him continued success and look forward to seeing a video about this line some time in the future.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Jonah Lehrer's "The Cognitive Cost of Expertise"

Jonah Lehrer has written a fascinating post on "The Cognitive Cost of Expertise" (The Frontal Cortex, in Wired's Science Blogs, November 19, 2010) that uses Adrian de Groot's famous work with chess masters as a jumping off point to talk about the cognitive trade-offs of expert knowledge.  Lehrer seems to be making his career by writing about the science of choice and decision making, and I very much enjoyed his book How We Decide .  I have pointed readers previously to his essay "Don't: The Secret of Self-Control" and commented on a piece he wrote on Carlsen's "Chess Intuition."

Thursday, November 18, 2010

NYPD's Chess Bust

DNAinfo broke a story yesterday ("Chess Players Ticketed by NYPD"), since picked up by The New York Times ("Police! Step Away from the Chess Table"), that late last month New York City police ticketed seven chess players at the Inwood Hill Park for ignoring signs near the chess tables that the area (adjacent to a playground) was "off limits to adults unaccompanied by a minor."  Both articles have drawn numerous comments, my favorite being: "Chess only leads to more violent board games, like Go and Risk."  Obviously, if they want to keep chess players away from children, they should just move the tables a pawn's throw away.  But it does make you wonder why we have gotten so crazed about "protecting the children" that we can't imagine adults going to a playground just to play.  Update: the New York Post made the story front page news under the headline "CHECK MATE" today.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

GM Larry Evans, 1932-2010


GM Larry Evans died this week at the age of 78 after complications following a gall bladder operation.    I think his work touched every U.S. player in some way, and we probably all have read something by him over the years.  My favorite Evans book is An Unbeatable Opening Repertoire after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, focused on the Four Knights, which is surprisingly durable.  One of his better recent articles was "The Bobby Fischer That We Loved," which appeared in Chess Life and celebrated the positive side of Fischer following his death.  Though Evans is remembered more as a chess journalist than as a player, he certainly had his share of interesting games: favorites include Evans - Pilnick, Marshall CC 1946 (which he considered his best) and Taimanov - Evans, New York 1954 (part of a match in which the young American took down the famous Russian star.)  He will likely be widely eulogized this week as a natural American-born chess talent, and I will post additional links as they appear.

Friday, November 12, 2010

50th Anniversary of U.S. Victory at Leningrad

Spassky vs. Lombardy

Eliott Hearst's "Victory at Leningrad: The 50th Anniversary" has been posted in full at the USCF website for all to read (a slightly shorter version of the article appears in this month's Chess Life).  It tells the story of the great American victory at the 7th World Student Team Chess Championship, which represented one of the most important international titles ever won by U.S. players during the long period of Soviet / Russian dominance of the game since WWII.  I posted an article on the event  about four years ago and analyzed  many of the better games (also a subject I returned to later). I was most impressed by the deep games of Charles Kalme, especially those where he played the King's Indian Attack.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Ippolito's Attempt at World Record Delayed

IM Dean Ippolito has postponed his attempt at the World Record for a chess simultaneous exhibition until the specific rules required by Guinness can be clarified  (possibly some time in April 2011).  There have been questions raised by Guinness regarding the age and affiliation of the players involved in the most recent records established in Iran and Israel, so Ippolito quite rightly does not want to go ahead until the Guinness criteria for qualified opponents can be clarified.  Watch his website for further news and details.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Kavalek on Anand and the Lasker's Defense

Lubomir Kavalek is my pick to win the CJA's "Best Chess Blogger" award next year for his wonderful articles at The Huffington Post (which appear with even greater speed than his Washington Post columns ever could). His most recent post is "Chess Champion's Class Act" (republished at ChessBase), where he analyzes Anand's impressive victory today in Nanjing, again using the Lasker's Defense to beat Topalov, just as he did in the last game of their World Championship match.  I have written quite a bit on the Lasker's Defense (see my recent "Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit Webliography" for details), and I am especially fascinated by the line that Anand deployed: the nearly forgotten Cotlar Counter-Attack (as documented by Edward Winter in Chess Notes 3581, 3584, 3613 and 6085), about which I have long been planning to write myself.  I may update this post later with additional analysis of this fascinating game that might appear on the web.  

Monday, October 11, 2010

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Chess Mates Open House

Chess Mates (located at 1531 Irving Street in Rahway, NJ) will have its "Grand Opening" and Open House today from 10-8.  The full schedule of events includes:


  • 10:00 a.m. - Opening
  • 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Ribbon Cutting & Lunch
  • 12:30-2:00 p.m. - Lecture by SM Yaacov Norowitz
  • 2:00-4:00 p.m. - Simul/Lecture by GM Leonid Yudasin
  • 4:30–6:30 p.m. - Blitz Tournament (No Entry Fee!!)
  • 6:30-8:00 p.m. - Casual Play

Snacks and prizes provided.

Friday, October 08, 2010

Stoyko's KID Lecture #5


FM Steve Stoyko finished his lecture series on the King's Indian this evening with his fifth and final installment devoted to offbeat White tries and to an Old Indian path to the KID that avoids a lot of theory.  The Old Indian path involves playing 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6!? and meeting 3.Nf3 with the King's Indian continuation 3...g6, and meeting 3.Nc3 (which leaves open the annoying possibility of a future Saemisch f3 or Four Pawns f4) with either 3...e5 (as in Aganalian - Petrosian, Tiflis 1945, analyzed by Chernev in his 62 Most Instructive Games--that part of which you can view online) or 3...Bf5!? transposing to the Janowski Indian and related lines).  In the regular King's Indian section, Steve went over a number of interesting games, including Zita - Bronstein, Prague 1946 (compare Pachman - Bronstein); Stein - Geller, Moscow 1966 (compare Spassky - Fischer 1992); Seirawan - Ivanchuk 1997; and Stoyko - Volovich, NJ Open 2006.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Stoyko's King's Indian Defense Lecture #4


Steve Stoyko discusses the King's Indian.

I finally made it to the club for FM Steve Stoyko's fourth lecture on the King's Indian.  It was absolutely helpful on many levels.  Though I wish my busy work schedule had permitted me to attend the earlier lectures, I think I picked the perfect one to attend.  We started with a review of some main line Mar del Plata lines, including the Bayonet Attack, and then turned to viable White options without Nf3, including the Four Pawns Attack, Saemisch, Hungarian (with Nge2), and Averbach (with Be2 and Bg5).  I have been playing the KID only when White commits to Nf3 to avoid these lines, but after Steve's lecture I feel confident to play it against everything.  Steve's series of lectures concludes next week with the fifth installment on the Saemisch (which he did not finish covering) and off-beat tries (such as Bd3).  I may post some notes on a particular line that interested me.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Scott Strattner Reviews "The Kenilworthian"

Scott Strattner discusses The Kenilworthian blog in his inaugural review in a new series of "Chess Weblog Reviews" at Chessville.  I'm always curious what types of articles readers like best, and I've long suspected that my chess opening compilations are most appreciated, which Strattner confirms.  Funny that he doesn't mention any of my own opening analysis (most of which can be accessed via the Articles page of the KCC site).  But he does point to my essay on Chess and Evolutionary Theory, which I was just thinking the other day might have been among my best pieces.  For those interested in learning more about the blog, you can read two self-reviews of sorts in Chess Blogs: Profiles of Chess Blogs and Their Authors and Questionnaire Tag.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

The Mar del Plata King's Indian (E97)

FM Steve Stoyko's lecture series on the King's Indian Defense begins Thursday, September 9th at the Kenilworth Chess Club.  In anticipation of his talk, I have been spending some time playing over games and thinking about the opening.  Since Steve will probably begin with the  the Mar del Plata variation (E97), I have focused my attention on that line, which begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 and leads to very sharp and complex positions.


The King's Indian Defense has been part of my repertoire since I first started playing, when my repertoire mostly followed Bobby Fischer's.  I was also hooked on the KID by the many fascinating games with the Mar del Plata (such as  Taimanov - Najdorf, Zurich 1953).  It is practically like a trip down memory lane to follow Gligoric's historical introduction in King's Indian Defence: The Mar del Plata Variation and I remember exactly where I was when I first played over some of these classics.  

Though analysis of the Mar del Plata goes very deep, for most amateurs it is sufficient to know ideas and just some critical theory to get started.  I doubt there are too many people who know more than that, especially since KID theory is just so vast.  There are so many great books on the King's Indian, it seems practically an impossible task to list them all.  Many of the best are inevitably "one man's journey" through the King's Indian (by Bologan or Golubev or Gufeld, etc.), and they present a model for how you have to approach the opening.  Among the more useful repertoire books are Joe Gallagher's Play the King's Indian, Graham Burgess's classic The King's Indian for the Attacking Player, and (for reference) Panczyk & Ilczuk's The Classical King's Indian Uncovered.


Here are some useful online resources for those looking to get started or refresh their memories:
  • Robert Bellin and Pietro Ponzetto, Mastering the King's Indian Defence.  If you want, you can download a copy of this great book from ebookee or rapidhsare.  This has got to be one of the best introductions to the King's Indian and expecially to "the Mar del Plata Centre" -- since it focuses on pawn structure and the requirements of the position
  • BabalooMoon.  King's Indian Defence -- Mar del Plata Centre.
    This is a wonderful games collection from Chessgames.com, inspired by Bellin and Ponzetto's excellent book (though BabalooMoon forgets to include the great game
    Ftacnik - Nunn, Vienna 1986 which is one of their main examples).  I especially like White's counter-plan of attack on the kingside, which no one has ever tried against me in a game but which I would surely use myself if I played the White side.
  • KingG, The Taimanov 9.Ne1 variation of the KID.
    Another spectacular game collection that includes wonderful historical commentary on the development of this line from White's perspective.
  • Guillermo Rey, King's Indian Defense: An Eternal Balance
    Close consideration of a Kortchnoi victory against the Mar del Plata.
  • Andrew Martin, KID Fireworks -- Part 3.
    Nice discussion of a game with the Bayonet Attack.
  • Jeff Otto, A Patzer's Progress.
    This article inspired me to take up the KID again after long disuse.  I often recommend it to new KID players.
  • Little Fluffy, How to Play against the Bayonet Attack.
    A very useful collection of games from Chessgames.com.
  • Josembk, Best Games in King's Indian Defense.
    An inspiring games collection for those who want to consider it for Black.












Friday, September 03, 2010

Steve Stoyko to Lecture on the KID

On Thursday, September 9th, FM Steve Stoyko will begin a four-part lecture series on the King's Indian Defense at the Kenilworth Chess Club.  Admission to each lecture is $5.  Some of Steve's previous lectures at the club have been documented on our site:


Steve actually gave a series of lectures on the French Defense but most were posted at the now defunct Geocities site.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Russ Makofsky, Chess Instructor


Russ Makofsky, who teaches chess at the Village Chess Shop, which he also helps manage, is featured in Channel Thirteen's "New York on the Clock" series.  Hat tip Susan Polgar.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

2010 US Open, Round 8 Update

GM Alejandro Ramirez continued his dominating performance at the 111th U.S. Open and Jerry Hanken Memorial in Irvine by beating GM Alexander Shabalov last night in a wildly tactical 8th round game.



With the victory, Ramirez has the best chance of winning the tournament.  For a comprehensive report written before the 8th round, see "Ramirez & Shabalov Lead in Irvine" at the USCF site. Among the more interesting news it mentions: former Kenilworth Chess Club president and founding member Mike Wojcio won the golf tournament (which he also directs). 


There are a number of bloggers reporting from the scene, including Dana MacKenzie, Mark Ginsburg, and Polly Wright.  You can see today's final round online at Monroi.

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit Webliography

GM Ronen Har-Zvi's five-part series at ICC on Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Ne4) inspired me to take a look around the net to see if there are any good online resources


General Articles and Videos


Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined at the Kenilworth CC website
Based on a series of lectures by FM Steve Stoyko at the Kenilworth Chess Club, this article presents a complete Queen's Gambit repertoire for Black centered on Lasker's Defense.  This may be the most complete article on the Lasker's Defense available on the web and it includes an extensive bibliography of print sources.  Recommended lines often diverge from standard theory to make the Lasker's Defense into more of an active weapon than a drawing line.  This article is a condensed version of several other articles which can be found on the Articles page of the Kenilworth Chess Club website under "Queen's Gambit."  











Annotated Games

Topalov - Anand, World's Championship, Game 12

Topalov - Anand, Queen's Gambit Declined, Lasker Defense (D56)0-1This game, with which Anand retained the world title, is surely a major reason for resurgent interest in Lasker's Defense.  It is now widely annotated.












Thursday, August 05, 2010

Melekhina's Milner-Barry Gambit


Melekhina - Forestier

Position after 9.Nbd2!?

I have annotated the game Melekhina - Forestier, which features an unusual variation of the Milner-Barry Gambit against the French Defense.  WIM Alisa Melekhina has demonstrated some excellent preparation in her games at the World Junior and Girls under-20 Chess Championship in Poland, where she has started with a perfect 2-0 score.  Let's hope she can maintain her stamina through this grueling 13-round tournament.