The editor's top ten
1. “I decided to just make a move”: Wesley So annotates his win against the world champion.
2. The problem: Erwin l'Ami shows in his video how you shoueld meet the French Winawer Variation with 6...b6.
3. Erosion of the Berlin Wall: Peter Heine Nielsen explains the brilliant strategic performance of his protégé in Carlsen-Aronian.
4. Theoretical duel in the Grünfeld Defence: Yannick Pelletier analyses Karjakin's innovation 16.Na3 against Vachier-Lagrave (Video)
5. “Short and sweet”: together with Simon Williams and the 11-year old Praggnanandhaa defeat a seasoned GM!
6. “With minimal means”: with Oliver Reeh’s help get the pawns in front of your castled king into play and win! (interactive video)
7. New Trend in the Caro-Kann: let Igor Stohl show you how Black should set about things in the Exchange Variation!
8. This is how to convert an advantage: Dimitrij Jakovenko annotates his opening victory in the “Karpov tournament”: Jakovenko-Artemiev
9. A problem knight on a5? Mihail Marin examines typical examples in the King’s Indian and in the Ruy Lopez Chigorin Variation.
10. “Unbelievably exciting”: Daniel King presents Caruana's thrilling finish against So in Norway Chess (Video)
Recommendations for your Repertoire
Schandorff: English Opening A13 (Recommendation for White)
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Nf6 4.b3 c5 5.Bb2 Nc6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bb5
What are the options for a 1.c4-player, if Black sets a course for the Queen’s Gambit with 1...e6? Lars Schandorff recommends a setup with 3.e3 Nf6 4.b3. Then Black has several natural replies. In the first article our Danish author examines 4...c5.
Stohl: Caro-Kann B13 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3
Previously considered completely harmless, the Caro-Kann Exchange Variation is once again recommended since Black has more problems than was supposed. In his article Igor Stohl pleads in favour of an early ...e5, possibly even at once.
Quintiliano: Sicilian B35 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3 Re8
Till recently 8...d5 was considered a secret weapon, but there is now some doubt about the move and attempts are being made to prepare it with 8...Re8. As Renato Quintiliano demonstrates in his article, the rook move holds up above all against 9.h4 and 9.f3, because Black then follows up with 9...d5!.
Szabo: Sicilian B80 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 b4 9.Na4
The Topalov Variation (8...b4) has again become more popular of late. But Krisztian Szabo shows in his article on the DVD a very promising setup for White, which has been successfully employed by, e.g., Hikaru Nakamura.
Karolyi: French C02 (Recommendation Black)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7
This setup, with which Black has in mind ...Bb5, is called the Wade Variation after its finder. Tibor Karolyi’s article is an extensive one with a long introductory text and 17 annotated games.
Ris: Scotch C45 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.h4
After the rare 8.h4 play can become very sharp. Alexander Morozevich and Hikaru Nakamura have played the move with success. From the opening positon Robert Ris investigates no less than six continuations for Black.
Papp: Ruy Lopez C60 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 4.Nc3
As Petra Papp shows, in the critical line with 4...g6 Black ends up relatively by force in a positionally worse position, but the alternatives on move four are not particularly appealing. Thus a lot can be said for 4.Nc3, which makes the Cozio move 3...Nge7 appear inferior.
Marin: Ruy Lopez C76 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 Bd7 6.d4 g6 7.0-0 Bg7
In the second part of his article on the Deferred Steinitz Variation Mihail Marin examines the alternatives to 8.Re1. Once more Black has to deal above all with 8.d5, but our Romanian author cannot see any danger to the black setup.
Havasi: Queen's Gambit D31 (Recommendation for White and Black)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.e3 Bf5 7.g4 Be6
The Botvinnik move 7.g4 has scarcely lost its popularity. But as Gergö Havasi shows in his article with 11 extensively annotated games, Black has no need to fear if he energetically meets White’s play on the kingside.
Krasenkow: Queen's Indian E12 (Recommendation for White)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb7 6.Nc3 c5 7.e4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Nf3
In the previous issue Michal Krasenkow had given a broad survey of the present state of play in the Queen’s Indian with 4.a3; there was also a line which favoured Black after 9.Nb3. The author wants to save the variation for White with 9.Nf3!?.
Kuzmin: Nimzo-Indian E51 (Recommendation for White)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Nf3 d5 6.Bd2
The bishop move looks harmless, but as Alexey Kuzmin explains, in the main line with 6...b6 7.cxd5 exd5 White has in mind a setup with Bd3, 0-0, Ne5, f4 and an attack on the kingside. There is still no settled opinion as to what is the best setup
