pinoymaster77: Back in the late ’90s and early 2000’s Kazakhstan had a solid core of grandmasters who successfully represented their country in various team tournaments. There was Serik Temirbaev, Evgeny Vladimirov, Murtas Kazhgaleyev, Ruslan Irzhanov, Pavel Kotsur and Petr Kostenko. Later on they were joined by Darmen Sadvakasov, who won the 1998 World Junior Championship. Sadvakasov was a house on fire and he even won matches against Viktor Korchnoi in 2003 by the score 5-3 and former World Champion Anatoly Karpov in 2004 by the score 4.5-3.5.Evgeny Vladimirov is a former coach of Garry Kasparov -- he was the one who Garry accused of selling out opening secrets to Karpov during their 1986 world championship match. I am merely stating that as a matter of record -- personally I find it hard to believe. As Vladimirov himself told me, Kasparov lost three straight games in the middle of the match and had to blame someone for it.
Anyway, quite a strong team. Unfortunately, of that core only Kazhgaleyev, Kotsur and Kostenko still play regularly and no other player has come up to take the cudgels for Kazakhstan. A great pity.
But enough talk! Kim Steven Yap used an “old opening” and drubbed Kostenko in Dubai.
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Yap, Kim Steven (2419) -- Kostenko, Petr (2484) [C54]
Asian Club Cup Danat Hotel, Al Ain (7.1), 28.06.2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4
When was the last time you saw the main line Giuoco Piano? As all of you know this is the oldest of all openings.
5...exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2
All of our beginner’s books on openings give 7.Nc3 as the mainline. One of these days I will write about the latest theory on it.
7...Bxd2+
In Starting Out Open Games GM Glenn Flear recommends 7...Nxe4!? After 8.Bxb4 Nxb4 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qb3+ and now
1) Black can either go for dull equality with 10...Kf8 11.Qxb4+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.0-0 Re8 14.Re1 Kf8 15.Na3 and now 15...c6! 16.Ne5 d5, or
2) inject some action (and risks) with 10...d5!? 11.Ne5+ Ke6 12.Qxb4 c5!? (12...Qf8 is comfortable for Black) 13.Qb5!? a6 14.Qe2 cxd4 15.Nf3 Re8 16.0-0 with both winning and losing chances for both sides, E.Lie-M.Thinius, Gausdal 2003 1/2 42.
8.Nbxd2 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.0-0
[10.Qb3 is also possible but if Black wants a draw he can play 10...Na5 11.Qa4+ Nc6 12.Qb3 etc...]
10...0-0 11.Ne5!?
11...Nxd4?
Way back in 1912 Richard Reti showed how to play this with Black, improved even further by Oleg Korneev. This is very interesting: 11...Nxe5 12.dxe5 Nf4 (with the threat of either ...Qg5 or ...Bh3) 13.Nf3 Bg4:
1) Exchanging queens is not so appetizing. 14.Qxd8 Raxd8 15.Ng5 (where else? 15.Ne1 Rd2 is obviously bad) 15...h6 16.f3 Bf5 17.Ne4 Ng6 18.Ng3 Be6 19.Bxe6 fxe6 White’s pawn on e5 will not be easy to hold;
2) So White played 14.Qb3 b5! (14...Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Qd4 16.b3 Rae8 17.Rad1 Qxe5 18.Qxb7 Re7 19.Qxa7 c5 20.Rd7 Qe4 21.f3 Qc2 0-1 (21) Pesitz-Reti,R Temesvar 1912) 15.Rfd1 (Obviously unsatisfactory are both 15.Bxb5 Rb8; and 15.Qxb5 Bxf3) 15...Qc8 16.Bf1 Qf5 17.Rd2 a6 18.Re1 c5 19.Qe3 Nh3+! 20.Kh1 Bxf3 21.gxf3 Ng5 Black has strong pressure with no material investment. Karpatchev,A (2459)-Korneev,O (2559) Arco 2003 0-1 45.
12.Nb3 Nxb3
Against Van Groningen Capablanca continued 12...Nc6 and then came 13.Nxf7! Bg4 14.Bxd5 Bxd1 15.Nxd8+ Kh8 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Bxc6 Bxb3 18.Bxa8 and now he had to resign 1-0 Van Groningen,S-Capablanca,J Hamburg sim 1911.
13.Bxd5 Nxa1 14.Bxf7+! Kh8 15.Qh5 g6
His other game in the simul continued 15...Bf5 16.Qxf5 Qf6 17.Ng6+ Qxg6 18.Bxg6 Rxf5 19.Bxf5 g6 20.Be4 1-0 Kluxen,W-Capablanca,J Hamburg 1911. What a disaster!
16.Nxg6+ Kg7 17.Nxf8 Qxf8 18.Bc4 Qf5
[18...Bf5 19.Rxa1 Qf6 20.Rd1 might put up a better fight, but c’mon, Black’s king is exposed with White’s pieces all in action and White is a pawn up]
19.Qd1 b5?
[19...Be6]
20.Qd4+ Qf6 21.Qd5 c6 22.Qg8+ Kh6 23.Bd3 Qg7 24.Qd8 Qxg2+ 25.Kxg2 Bh3+ 26.Kxh3 Rxd8 27.Be4 Rd2 28.Rxa1 Rxf2 29.b4 Rb2 30.a3 Rb3+ 31.Kg4 Rc3 32.Rd1 Kg7 33.Kf5
Kim still wants to mate Black, and he actually succeeds.
33...c5 34.Rd7+ Kf8 35.Kf6 Ke8 36.Bc6 cxb4 37.Rd6+ 1-0
Kibitzing
