Thursday 7 July 2011

Surprising your opponent in the opening !

We'll take a look at two positions where GMs (with the White pieces) were able to find a strong move before the 20th move of the game. Here it is not a matter of finding a combination but rather attacking chances early on. In both games, Black was not able to defend succesfully afterwards.

Position I: White to play




















In the first sicilian position, White could routinely continue by 1.Rae1 or 1 Nce2. However, GM Mitkov was able to surprise his opponent ( rated more than 120 points above him) and start the attack immediately. What did he play ?



Position II: White to play




















In the second position, GM Akopian found a very strong move. While the game lasted 20 moves longer, this move created defensive problems for his opponent who lost material quickly after that. This is certainly the key moment here, although there is no forced win. What did he play here with White ?

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