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REVERSE GEAR I don't know if you've ever tried playing your favorite Black opening with the White pieces. Never quite seems to work out does it? Not the same at all. Perhaps the most extreme example that I ever saw was 1.c3 e5 2 c4!?, reaching a Sicilian with White! And that was a Grandmaster playing an International Master although you wouldn't have believed it! Usually Black has no need to commit himself to anything - he can react as he pleases. A modest approach almost always best, sticking to general principles of development and the centre. For instance 1.g3 e5! 2.Bg2 d5! is quite equal as long as Black is careful , whereas 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 is rather a tense position, with White about to choose an attacking system and reveal his hand. We are about to see two very strong players duel in one of these ' reversed ' openings. The game sends out a message to Black players not to take liberties or to over-press. Miroshnichenko,E (2599) - Krasenkow,M (2609)
[Click here to
follow along on an interactive JavaScript board] 1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.d3 Nf6 6.c3!?
Here is the ' reverse ' psychology coming into play. Naturally 6.c3 cannot give White anything at all as long as Black plays sensibly but it's not a bad move... 6...0-0 7.a3!? White has a plan: he wants to advance with b2-b4. This is extremely provocative with the Black Bishop already on g7 and the net effect is to get Krasenkow rather excited. 7...e5 8.b4 e4!?
It's punishment time, or at least that is what Krasenkow is hoping for. But I think 8...e4 is exactly what White is hoping for, leading his esteemed opponent into very murky waters indeed. Perhaps Black should have kept it solid, for instance with 8...d6! 9.Nbd2 h6 and the game is equal. 9.dxe4 Nxe4 10.Qd5! Wow!
The exclamation mark is for both bravery and originality. The game departs now from the normal tramlines and becomes a complete mess. 10...Nxc3 He must accept the challenge, having come this far. 11.Nxc3 Bxc3 12.Bg5 Qe8 I don't think Krasenkow believes White at all - that's the strong impression that he is trying to convey. Alternatives see White working up compensation or even getting the clearly better position:
Early ' Kasparovian ' compensation is the way I would describe this position, although that is just me. 13.Qxc5 Bxa1 14.Rxa1 Qe6 The point of ...Qe8. Black is hoping to keep White out of the dark squares. But as it is clear that it will take ages to develop the queenside White is going to have a strong initiative for some time to come. 15.Rd1 Building. 15...Re8 16.Rd6! Qxe2 17.Bf6
So he got what he wanted. It remains to play Qg7 mate although that isn't legal right now. 17...Re6 18.b5 An unsettling jab. Rather haughtily, Krasenkow sweeps the Rook from the board. 18...Rxd6 19.Qxd6 Qxb5 Tournament competitors consulting Pocket Fritz in the toilet would note a big advantage to Black after 19...Qxb5 and return to the board more than relieved.
20.Ng5! However, Fritz tends to change his mind rather easily. At this point a return to the john would be necessary for different reasons. 20...Qb1+ After 20...Qe2 21.Bd5! is extremely strong. 21.Bf1 Qe1 22.Nxh7! It's dead simple: Black is playing without his queenside. He is going to be murdered in his bed. 22...Qe8 23.Qf4! Very nice. Unstoppable dark-squared threats. 23...Ne7 What else to prevent Qh6? 24.Bc3 1-0
One must not try to 'punish' these unusual openings too
severely. After all, the King's Indian with an extra tempo cannot be
bad! Poor Krasenkow was provoked out of his usual solid style and got
quite carried away with greed. Maybe there's hope for us all! [Index of IM Andrew Martin's columns]
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