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Reviewed this Month

Enter 1.f4, Bird's Opening!
by Andrew Martin

Try the Sicilian Kalashnikov!
by Dejan Bojkov

Beating the Sicilian:
A Grandmaster Repertoire, Vol. 3
by Viktor Bologan

Chess Endgames 10,
Rook and Two Minor Pieces
by Karsten Müller

This month we feature three opening trainers and one on the endgame. Two of the opening trainers, by Bojkov and Bologan, feature the ever-popular Sicilian, and one, by Martin, is for those who want to tread new ground by playing Bird's Opening. The world's foremost endgame expert, GM Karsten Müller, attempts to educate us on endgames with rooks and two minor pieces in a trainer worthy of university credit! As an added bonus, he emphasizes positions in which the pieces work together in harmony, something that has to improve your middlegame skills as well.

The latest CB11 update fixes the copy and paste problem noted a few columns back. So be sure to update your program. I know it has made my life a little easier when it comes to making my own databases of games!

Enter 1.f4, Bird's Opening! (DVD) by Andrew Martin, ChessBase, Playing time: 3 hours. $30.95 (ChessCafe Price: $26.95)

Andrew Martin makes a good case for the Bird by first massaging our egos with a bit of old-fashioned salesmanship: we amateurs don't have much time for studying openings, but we are original and creative players who don't want to sit through a memory test. He then makes a case for the Bird by providing an unusual repertoire that does seem to offer chances of success, if you can handle it.

The DVD is divided into four chapters: The Bird Game, From Gambit, Leningrad Game, and Other Systems. I recommend you start this DVD with the last section from the first chapter, Repertoire Choice, as it immediately shows you the choices he is going to recommend. In the case of the From, he eschews accepting the pawn with 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.Nf3 dxe5 4.e4. This seems reasonable, and an open game in the style of the King's Gambit Declined. Against 1...d5 2.Nf3, and against moves other than 2...Bg4, where he recommends 3.e3, he wants you to play the Reversed Leningrad, where I prefer the name "Polar Bear Opening."

There are a number of players Martin features on this DVD who play the Bird. These are GM Danielsen, GM Granda Zuniga, and even GM Kamsky (who occasionally plays the Polar Bear by transposition from 1.g3). He makes the excellent suggestion of following their games.

When it comes to choosing a repertoire for that "busy amateur" who wants to play creative chess, it seems to me that a repertoire with similarity of positions and goals offers the best chances. For example, if you play the 2.c3 Sicilian, you might want to combine that with the Tarrasch French and the Panov-Botvinnik as white, and the Tarrasch as black against 1.d4. The three set-ups Martin recommends, though, seem too diverse, and would work against the idea of chess openings as a memory game – they all require quite a different handling of the opening.

Still, those of us who have tried the Bird have dreamed of playing such a game as this:

Danielsen, Henrik (2512) – Luther, Thomas (2507)
Petermaennchen GM 1999
Bird's Opening [A03]

Surveying Megabase, I note that Danielsen went 6-3 in 1999 with the Bird for a performance rating of 2520. His weakest results (draws and a loss versus Nunn) were in the Reversed Leningrad, whereas he shone in games such as these.

6.Nc3 is another option, forcing a defense of the d5-pawn, and after 6...e6 (6...c6 is also possible) lead to a win for Nimzowitsch versus Kmoch, Kecskemet 1927, continuing 7.g4 Bb4 8.g5 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Ne4 10.d3 Nd6 11.c4 (opening up the position for the two bishops) 11...c6 12.e4 dxe4 13.dxe4 f5 14.exf5 Qa5+ 15.Bd2 Qxf5 16.0-0-0 0-0-0 17.Bc3 Ne8 18.h4 Rf8 19.Bh3 Qxf4+ 20.Qxf4 Rxf4 21.Bxe6 1-0. One question here is whether ...e5 is a threat or not, Danielsen makes for a slow but aggressive build-up.

If 6...e5, then 7.g5. Then 7...Ne4, ala Nimzowitsch-Kmoch, 8.d3 and White wins a pawn. If 7...e4 8.Qe2 Ng8 and now either 9.Nc3, or Timothy Taylor's 9.Qb5! should be advantageous for White.

A creative position no doubt! White has moved only his queen and pawns, and is playing according to precepts first advocated by Philidor, with bishops first inside the pawn chain he is creating, and then opening lines for his bishops.

With a rook and knight practically trapped in the corner, Black has few options.

14...Nb6 15.Be3 Qd6 16.Na3 c6 17.Nc4 Nxc4 18.Bxc4 0-0-0 19.Rh2 Qc7 20.Bxf7 hxg5?

Martin, as always, makes a good case for his repertoire. However, in the end, I didn't buy it, mostly because the opening choices don't really fit my style of play. So take my skepticism with a healthy dose of your own. If all this sounds intriguing to you, go for it. In the end, opening choices are a personality fit, and this one might fit you well. The usual good work by Martin makes this both an educational and entertaining DVD.

Try the Sicilian Kalashnikov! (DVD) by Dejan Bojkov, ChessBase, Playing time: 6 hours. $33.95 (ChessCafe Price: $27.95)

It was a game in the Kalashnikov, sometimes called the Neo-Sveshnikov line, that won the best game prize in Informator 75 in 1994. The game is featured on the trainer, of course, and even in John Nunn's own book Understanding Chess Move by Move.

Nunn, John (2600) – Nataf, Igor (2481)
French Team Championships, 1999
Sicilian Defense, Kalshnikov Variation [B32]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Be7 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 f5 9.Bd3 f4 10.g3 Nf6 11.gxf4 exf4 12.Bxf4 0-0 13.Bg3 Ng4 14.Be2?

Else White secures an advantage. Nunn notes that this sacrifice is one "where one cannot give any kind of justification based on general principles." It certainly reminds of the sacrifices Tal made in his heyday.

15.Qd5+ Kh8 16.Bxf2 Nb4 17.Qh5 Rxf2 18.Kxf2 Bh4+ 19.Kg2 g6 20.Qf3 Qg5+ 21.Kf1 Bh3+ 22.Qxh3 Rf8+ 23.Bf3 Qe3 24.Qxh4 Nd3 25.Nd5 Qxf3+ 26.Kg1 Nf2 27.Kf1 Qxh1+ 28.Ke2 Qxa1 0-1

The main drawback Black faces is the weakening of the d5-square, and of course, if Black can overcome this deficit, he has at least equalized and perhaps has the better game.

I like how this DVD is subdivided. There are two parts, giving a total of thirty-two videos. Part one provides the main ideas behind the opening, and the second gives the theoretical material. Too often, opening study is concerned with move order choice instead of understanding the ideas behind them.

The first part contains sections like "Historical journey," "Attack on the dark squares," Play on the queen's flank," Endgame dangers with heavy pieces only," "Endgame dangers with all the pieces on the board," and so on. Bojkov stresses the potential positives and negatives of playing this line, never excessively proselytizing the line. The following is the kind of endgame "with all the pieces on the board," taken from Popovic-Ivanovic, Vrsac 1994, that you can fall into if you are not careful:

Some of Black's more egregious weaknesses are highlighted, but I am sure you see them anyway.

In the second part, where theoretical lines are given, one primary game is used as the showcase game, as is the custom in these trainers. I was bolstered studying these lines, as now that I knew the basic ideas, I was learning exactly when to implement them in the theory section. Bojkov is a decent presenter of the material; he is a bit on the quiet side, and has a very slight accent that does not disturb. One thing I found impressive is that he caught any small flub he made in his presentation and quickly corrected himself. This is not the case in all trainers, where sometimes presenters just fly on without acknowledging their mistakes.

From my Mega Database 2011, I see that GM Radjabov has played the most games with this line in the decade of 2001-2011, with an impressive score and Elo performance of 2703, but there is only one game by him on the trainer, with Sveshnikov getting the lion's share of examples. Sveshnikov has played the most games with the line, 102 to Radjabov's twenty-three. It's simply that Radjabov has more recent games.

This, coupled with the fact that the most recent book on the line seems to be authored in 2001, may signal nothing more than the fact the theory of the line is pretty well developed, and not subject to much change, which can be a good thing for the amateur player. If you like an opening that can be aggressive, but also has a relatively sound positional base without too many positional deficits, you may want to "try the Kalashnikov." Bojkov's trainer might be your ticket to exciting games!

Beating the Sicilian: A Grandmaster Repertoire, Vol. 3 (DVD) by Viktor Bologan, ChessBase, Playing time: 5 hours. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95)

This third volume in the series by GM Bologan deals with 2...e6. This is a "less direct, more subtle" approach to the Sicilian, and is usually adopted with the intention of slowly outplaying White. However, if White reacts strongly and quickly, Black can find himself in some real trouble. The DVD is dedicated mainly to various Paulsen lines using 4...a6 and 4...Nc6. In some cases, Bologan recommends Nxc6 for White, but usually he recommends an English attack set-up (Be3, f3, Qd2, and 0-0-0), as he does against the Najdorf and Dragon.

Side lines such as 5...Bb4 are also covered, and the classical Keres Attack in the Scheveningen, where 6...e5! is still the test for White's strategy. Bologan tries to show an advantage for White, and his original treatment is very interesting:

One can play the "normal" 6.Be3 here, but Bologan feels if Black is going to allow the Keres attack, White may as well play it!

6...e5 is something of a trick, where White should get the advantage if well-prepared, so knowing the specific lines is very important.

The immediate 7.Nf5 has good results in Mega Database 2011, but Bologan does not cover the line.

Here Black is forced to play 9...h5 right away, else he gets killed on the light-squares, especially d5. The f8-bishop has no active prospects at this time.

If 10.g5, then 10...Nxe4! The only game by Bologan I could find in this line saw 10.gxh5, where Black also countered with 10...Nxe4. He won that game in fine style with a TN, but must have reconsidered the move in the meantime. A little on that, "entering the grandmaster's mind," so to speak, would have been a great addition.

Such an active measure by Black is needed, as "normal moves," such as 11...Nc6, just lead to positions where White has all the play. Even if a knight gets to d4, it will eventually be driven away with c3 (or as Bologan piquantly states, "his joy will not be forever"), and White will control two important squares on the queen's file. He is preparing an exchange sacrifice on c3, and 12.Bg5 is wrong.

If 12...Rxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Qf3! (Playing on the f-file) 14...Nc5 15.Be3, White threatens to take on c5. 15...Nba6 16.Rad1 0-0-0 17.Ng3 f6 18.g5. And White has very active play, down only one pawn for the exchange, although that pawn is, of course, doubled. 12...g6 is also possible, but the knight just drops back to a better square.

Another exchange sacrifice! Yet without such an aggressive countermeasure, White just dominates the game with no disadvantages of his own to contend with.

14.hxg3 Nxe4 15.Qf3 Nf6 16.g5 Qxf3 17.Rxf3 Nfd7 18.Be3 Nc6 19.Raf1 Nd8 20.Nd5 Rc8 21.c3 b6 22.Kg2 Nc5 23.c4 and White dominates the board.

I admit I found it hard to digest the material on this DVD, and some of the lines have not seen many tests in master games. For someone like me, a lengthier overview at the beginning would have helped, but I also imagine that this DVD is precisely not for players like me, but for Sicilian aficionados. The analysis is fascinating, but by using CB11 and my Mega Database 2011, I noted there were many continuations Bologan did not cover. I imagine he has refined his analysis to the most critical lines.

For anyone who wants to contest the main line Sicilian as white, this series is absolutely essential. The first two DVDs were of good quality, with plenty of original ideas, and this one doesn't disappoint either. Study this series and you may find that your club mates will suddenly switch to the French! My only critique is that Bologan flips through lines quickly at times and you often have to pay more attention than usual.

Chess Endgames 10, Rook and Two Minor Pieces (DVD) by Karsten Müller, ChessBase, Playing time: 7 hours 38 minutes. $34.95 (ChessCafe Price: $28.95)

This DVD comes in at a whopping seven plus hours, which means you know the material will be covered in sufficient depth. Müller did some research and found that the distribution of material with a rook and two minor pieces against a rook and two minor pieces is very common in practical play. In fact, these various types of endings are found more often than rook endgames alone, which prompted his decision to make a tenth endgame DVD. Most endgame texts that cover this sort of material balance mainly only discuss the bishop-pair. So there is new material here that you will not find elsewhere, not even in those weighty endgame tomes.

Müller emphasizes achieving harmony and coordination of pieces, which also makes the DVD good for learning about the coordination of pieces in the middlegame. In fact, some examples are really the so-called "queenless middlegames," included to show the full range of possibilities for the pieces. In terms of achieving harmony, one example is the geometry of the knight-pair in connection with rooks. Here the important question is: should the knights be defending one another or standing side by side?

The question of "slight initiative" is also covered. What was a "slight initiative" in the middelgame can rapidly become a winning advantage in the ending; if you don't believe that, I encourage you to study Karpov's games.

As an example of exploiting a slight initiative, Müller addresses whether it becomes an even greater when there are a rook + two knights against a rook + two knights. Steinitz's restriction method and questions of pawn handling, such as Capablanca's rule, and some new concepts, such as "Bacrot's bishops," are all covered here. Müller has a knack for giving these endings witty names that encourage memory retention, such as, "Shirov's knight power" or "Short's net of knights." Here are the chapters:

The material in this trainer is more detailed than any endgame text I have seen, and the examples are presented in near perfect style. One of the things I find particularly attractive about all of Müller's columns, books, and trainers is that he is able to find recent grandmaster and master games to illustrate his points, whereas many endgame "experts" rely almost exclusively on classic examples. Look at this recent Shirov-Anand rapid game, Leon Masters 2011. If you have never committed the sin of overextending your king in the endgame, blindly following the dictum to activate your king, and then fall into a mating net, well, you either are much stronger than me or haven't made it to many endgames!

You don't need to be a study composer to see the near model mate that results after 38...Ng4+ 39.Kxg6 Rxf6+ 40.Kg5 Kg7 41.h5 Rf5+ 42.Kxf5 Ne3+ 43.Kg5 Rg4#, but this was a rapid game.

And White gets mated by the two rooks. The pitiful looking knight and rook in the corner are still there.

Here is an example of Bacrot's bishops, from a Smyslov-Bacrot match in 1996. Beating Smyslov in an endgame was an accomplishment of phenomenal proportions no matter what his age, and here Bacrot does it while missing an even better winning continuation. Smyslov made a few mistakes before this position, letting the superior harmony of the black pieces take what should have been an equal endgame to one that was very difficult for him in just a few moves.

Waiting for the optimal moment to play axb3, according to Curt Hansen. But Müller notes that the engines find the incredibly deep 35...Bxc4!! (he also notes he probably would have played "a normal human move" such as Rb6 as well) 36.bxc4 Rb2+ 37.Kd1 Rxa2 38.Rd5 Bb4 39.g4 a3 40.g5 Rh2 41.gxf6+ exf6 42.Rd7+ Kg6 43.Be1 a2 44.Ra7 Bxe1 45.Kxe1 Rb2 46.Be4+ f5 47.Bd3 and now Müller gives 47...Rb1, winning, but I think Black can play with White a bit here with 47...Kf6! etc. – not that it matters.

Better was 38.Rd1 Ra3 39.Rb1 Ra2+ 40.Kd3 Rd2+ 41.Kc3 Bd4+ 42.Kb4 Be5 43.Be1 Rd8 44.Ka4 Rh8.

This final mistake ends it all. Better was 41.Be4 e6 42.Rh3 Be2+ 43.Kc1 Bxg4 44.Rb3 Bd2+ 45.Kb1 Ra7 46.Kc2 Bf4, but is still winning.

43.Kb1 Bc3 44.Rxe7+ Kf8 45.Re2 Ra1#. White is mated with the two bishops hanging right over the king's head.

Any endgame work by GM Müller is of great value to practical players. So save all his columns, buy all his books, and his trainers. If you are serious about taking endgame points away from your opponents, you'll heed this advice, and probably have the equivalent of a Ph.D. in practical endgameology as well. The only drawback I can find to this DVD is that GM Müller still has a somewhat hesitant speaking style in English with many "verbal pauses." I've watched his trainers in German and noted he has no such problem there; I assume he is searching for the proper words during this time, and perhaps this could be fixed with a little more rehearsal before making the trainer.

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