October 21, 2016
Matthew Sadler
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In 1927, Bogolyubow beat Reti twice from the same opening: 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.e3. The first game was a sharp fight in an IQP structure; the second was an instructive example of the fight against hanging pawns. In a previous article – https://matthewsadler.me.uk/the-middlegame/hanging-out-with-efim/ – we saw Bogolyubow in trouble while…
October 6, 2016
Matthew Sadler
2 comments
Watching Mihai’s Marin analysis of Karpov’s middlegame skills on a recent Chessbase DVD has been a wonderful learning experience. Marin identified a facet of Karpov’s play that I had never noticed before: moving the same piece many times in succession. After this manoeuvre, no one knows why, but he’s better! Marin cites many examples. This…
September 29, 2016
Matthew Sadler
2 comments
In 1932, Bogoljubov and Spielmann played a 10-game match in Semmering, Austria which Spielmann edged 5,5-4,5. In his biography of Bogoljubov, Soloviov is dismissive of the match, stating “…after [Bogoljubov] won the first two games, he failed to press home a huge advantage in the third game and then he blundered a piece in game 4….
September 22, 2016
Matthew Sadler
4 comments
The most intriguing part of a game is the turning point: exactly which moves shifted the objective balance of the game and put one of the players on the back foot? With complex games, I start analysing close to the end of the game from a position in which I can demonstrate a clear advantage…
September 16, 2016
Matthew Sadler
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A little while back I analysed the double-edged idea …c5-c4 in Queen’s Gambit Declined structures (https://matthewsadler.me.uk/chess-for-life/c5-c4-dogma/) and explained the conditions necessary to make this a viable plan for Black. At the recent Baku Olympiad, Nigel Short won a fascinating game in this structure against his young 2746-rated Chinese opponent: Li,Chao b – Short,Nigel D…