| Feb-22-05 | | coffee monster: Ivanchuk once again conquers the Sicilian and looks smooth whilst doing so. 16.Bb4 looks to be the novelty and things fall apart soon after for Ni Hua. The key idea in the game seems to be the e4 push by black. If 20...e4! then play should continue 21.Bxe4 Bxc4 22.Bxb6 Qxb6 23.Bxa8 Bxf1 24.Rxf1 Qxb5 when black has drawing chances. However, after 23...e4 black is already in trouble, 24...Bd4? then seals black's fate. |
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| Feb-22-05 | | AdrianP: 9... Qa5+ seems to have gone out of fashion a bit - anyone know why? |
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| Feb-22-05 | | waddayaplay: Maybe because it is a general rule to develop in the opening (9...Be7) The best thing with it may be that white has the possibility of drawing if he wants to: Tal vs T Georgadze, 1981 so in a way black proposes: "do you want to draw? Would you like a pizza and a beer, not sitting here for 6 hours?" Like in the Bf5 slav, where White plays Nh4 and black may answer Bc8, then white plays Nf3, and black plays Bf5 again, etc. But all of these are only guesses on my behalf... But it can't be that outdated. Radjabov played it in 2004.
L Dominguez vs Radjabov, 2004
So the reason shouldn't be that there is a refutation to it. |
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Feb-22-05
 | | acirce: Aagaard says in "Easy Guide to the Sveshnikov Sicilian": <For the last few years 9..Qa5+ has been out of fashion. The game Kupreichik vs N Nikcevic, 1992 gave the impression that the move is no good at all, and I shared this view before I had looked more deeply into the material. Now I am not sure there is anything wrong with 9..Qa5+. Of course, there is the possible practical drawback that White can repeat moves with 10.Bd2 Qd8 11.Bg5, though Black can always return to the main line with 11..Be7!?> Why is that a drawback?? ;-)
His suggested improvement on the game he mentions is - I give only the main course - 14..Bxd5! 15.Bxd5 Nxd5 16.Ba5 Ndc3! 17.Bxc3 Nxc3 18.bxc3 d5! 19.b6 Rb8 20.Qa4+ Qd7 21.Qxa6 Bc5! 22.Rab1 Qc6 23.Qb5 Qxb5 24.Nxb5 Bxb6 25.Rfd1 Rd8 and <Black does not seem to be worse>. The big 'but' is that theory is likely to have been significantly updated since the book was written in 2000. |
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| Feb-22-05 | | waddayaplay: <the possible practical drawback that White can repeat moves> lol?! Maybe if black needs to play for a win it would be a drawback... Say that Kasparov was black, playing Sting. I think the Be7 variation is the *least* unsound. Giving up queen side play does not appear to be correct in theory. (refering to Korchnoi's and Fischer's statements about the KID). But exciting, sure, and unless refutations are found (as I think they will be) -- it is probably ok to play, for now. |
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