ChessBase Magazine Extra 186

Over the decades 1.e4 players have developed and tried out various strategies against the Najdorf Variation. In this video Adrian Mikhalchishin shows you a new and “very simple positional method”. After 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 White continues with 6.Qd3 and sets up a Maroczy structure. With correct play, according to Mikhalchishin’s analysis, White should emerge from the opening with a very slight plus. He can probably hardly anticipate much more. But the practical aspect is much more important, namely that this plan will absolutely not be to the taste of classical Najdorf players!

In May this tear Yannick Pelletier published an extensive repertoire DVD on the French Defence. On this Extra DVD he offers you a “bonus video” or even an “appetiser” to his main work. In a rapid chess game against up-and-coming player Etienne Albaric the Swiss grandmaster successfully took up Botvinnik’s idea of 6...b6 against the Tarrasch Variation. Pelletier explains, e.g., under what conditions Black may set in motion the advance on the queenside and why in this type of position Black should castle neither short not long!

This time Georgios Souleidis presents one of his own games, but of course powerful attacking chess in on the agenda once again! In his preparation against the German U16 champion Konstantin Urban he spotted a weak spot in the latter’s Sicilian repertoire. Souleidis armed himself with the variation 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Bc4 and was bang on the money. After 4...e6 5.Bge2 Black did not make the best choice with 5...Ne7. Let the International Master from Hamburg demonstrate White’s attacking plan in copybook fashion.