Yearbook 101

Forum

Readers from all over the world join in discussions on previous Surveys. Titled players, correspondence players and club players shed their light on opening developments and search for the truth together. With contributions by Viacheslav Zakhartsov, Andras Adorjan, Jose Vilela, and many others.

Benjamin’s Opening Takes

Joel Benjamin’s helicopter view on openings swoops to the choices of the 21st century’s World Champions, Vladimir Kramnik and Vishy Anand. After Kasparov’s reign we have now entered the years of 1.d4. Benjamin takes an in-depth look at the 4.Qc2 Nimzo-Indian and the Lasker Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined on the highest level.

Book Reviews

Glenn Flear reviews Andrey Obodchuk’s labour of love on The Four Knights Game and found it a valuable addition to existing (scarce) theory. He welcomes Nicolai Pedersen’s play the Benko gambit, as this opening is experiencing a revival.

The eternal struggle against the Sicilian has resulted in two new books: Experts on the Anti-Sicilian by various authors, and Gawain Jones’ How to beat the Sicilian defence. According to Flear, the first is a ‘must’, the second has ‘great merit’, so there you are.

Surveys
Sicilian Defence - Najdorf Variation 6...Nbd7 - SI 4.1 - Tuncer
Sicilian Defence - Delayed Poisoned Pawn Variation - SI 4.8 - Olthof
Sicilian Defence - Paulsen Variation 6...Qb6 - SI 41.9 - Fogarasi
Sicilian Defence - Paulsen Variation 5.c4 - SI 41.15 - Ninov
French Defence - Advance Variation 4...Qb6 - FR 3.3 - Boersma
French Defence - Steinitz Variation 8...Bc5 - FR 4.4 - Finkel
French Defence - MacCutcheon Variation 6.Bd2 - FR 5.4 - De Dovitiis
Ruy Lopez - Jaenisch Variation 7...Qg5 - RL 6.10 - Steenbekkers
Ruy Lopez - Berlin Defence 9...Ke8 - RL 7.1 - Anka
Scotch Opening - Classical and Mieses Variations - SO 4-5 - Van der Wiel
King’s Pawn Openings - Two Knights Defence 8.Bd3 - KP 12.8 - Mikhalevski
Vienna Game - Fianchetto 2...Nf6 3.g3 - VG 1.11 - Finkel
Various Openings - Van Geet Opening 1.Nc3 - VO 12.2/3 - S. Kasparov
Queen’s Gambit Declined - Blackburne Variation 5.Bf4 - QO 1.7 - V. Georgiev/Arnaudov
Slav Defence - Slow Slav 4.e3 - SL 1.6 - Andriasian
Slav Defence - Chebanenko Variation 5.a4 - SL 3.1 - Gupta
Slav Defence - Marshall Gambit 4.e4 - SL 6.1 - Harika/Karavade
Slav Defence - Botvinnik Variation 6.a4 - SL 6.5 - Ikonnikov
Slav Defence - Moscow Variation 5.Bg5 h6 - SL 6.6 - Karolyi
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Classical Variation 4...0-0 - NI 20.4 - Lukacs/Hazai
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Classical Variation 4...0-0 - NI 21.5 - J. Horvath/Juhasz
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Westphalia Variation 5.Bg5 - NI 27.9 - A. Kuzmin
Queen’s Indian Defence - Nimzowitsch Variation 5.b3 b5 - QI 15.4 - Adorjan/Vegh
Grünfeld Indian Defence - 4.Bf4 Line - GI 3.11 - Panczyk/Ilczuk
Grünfeld Indian Defence - Exchange Variation 7.Qa4 - GI 4.1 - Flear
Grünfeld Indian Defence - Exchange Variation 7.Nf3 - GI 4.1 - Adorjan/Vegh
King's Indian Defence - Averbakh System 6...Na6 7.f4 - KI 27.9 - A. Kuzmin
Benoni Defence - Benko Gambit 8.g3 - BI 28.6 - Kidambi
Dutch Defence - Stonewall Variation 3.g3 - HD 3.7 - Moskalenko
English Opening - Symmetrical Variation 4.g3 - EO 36.7 - Marin/Stoica
English Opening - Symmetrical Variation 5...Bb4 - EO 44.8 - Antic
English Opening - Anti-Grünfeld Line