Rossolimo-Moscow Powerbook 2025

This second edition of the Rossolimo/Moscow Powerbook was based on an Elo average of at least 2300. Thus 50 000 games from Mega and from Correspondence Chess met the threshold for the Powerbook, and to them have been added 263 000 games from the engine room of playchess.com. Previously White played above all 3.Bb5 against both 2...Nc6 and 2...d6, when he wanted to surprise an opponent. But recently there has been an enormous development in theory and no one is surprised any more if the ambitious Rossolimo Variation even plays an important role in a WCh match, as it did in Carlsen against Caruana (November 2018). On the other hand, the Moscow Variation is considered relatively harmless, above all whenever the light-squared bishops are quickly exchanged. What is striking in the Powerbook is the high number of games with the hybrid of the Rossolimo and Moscow Variations: 2...Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 or 2...d6 3.Bb5+ Nc6. From Black’s point of view this line does not have the best of reputations, but that cannot be demonstrated with the Powerbook.