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Sicilian Defence: Najdorf, Opocensky Variation — Part 1 of 2

Ponomariov–Anand, Tata Steel GMA 2011 · So–Shankland, ch-USA 2022 · 8:04 · ECO B92

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In this video

Game 1: Ruslan Ponomariov (2744) vs Viswanathan Anand (2810)

Tata Steel GMA 2011, 15 January 2011 · Black won (0-1) · 52 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 9.Be3The first move after the opening line0:38
  2. 40.Qc8Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here3:09
  3. 41.Rc2The evaluation moves from −2.62 to −5.283:14
  4. 48.g3The evaluation moves from −6.66 to −8.333:49
  5. 50.Rec1The evaluation moves from −9.23 to −10.003:59
  6. 52...Qb4Black wins after 52 moves4:12

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

Game 2: Wesley So (2774) vs Sam Shankland (2712)

ch-USA 2022, 8 October 2022 · White won (1-0) · 46 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 9.Be3The first move after the opening line4:49
  2. 40...e4+The evaluation moves from +1.30 to +6.03, and White stays more than two pawns ahead from here7:22
  3. 44...Rxe4The evaluation moves from +7.00 to +9.087:42
  4. 46.Qg3+The evaluation moves from +9.89 to +6.087:50
  5. 46.Qg3+White wins after 46 moves7:50

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

About these games

After 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Black accepts a backward pawn on d6 and a hole on d5 in exchange for central space and quick development. White aims to control d5 with pieces and to press on the queenside. Black tries to complete development with ...Be6 and ...Nbd7 and then free the position with ...d5, or with ...f5 and ...e4 on the kingside.

Ponomariov–Anand went 9.Be3 Be6 10.Nd5 Nbd7 11.Qd3 Bxd5 12.exd5. Black's knights took up posts on c5 and e4, and 17...f5 and 22...e4 gained kingside space. By 28...Bxc3 the score was −2.09. After 40.Qc8 Black stayed more than two pawns ahead, and 41.Rc2 moved the score from −2.62 to −5.28. White gave the queen for a knight with 45.Qxe5 dxe5 to create a passed pawn with 46.d6. Black's ...g5 and ...g4 then broke open the white king, and 48.g3 moved the score from −6.66 to −8.33. Black won after 52...Qb4.

So–Shankland avoided the early 10.Nd5 of the first game and played slowly instead: 10.Re1, 11.a4 and 12.a5, then 16.Na5 against Black's queenside. When Black broke with 31...d5, White took on a6 with 35.Rxa6 and gave the exchange with 36.Rxf6 gxf6. The knight then went to g4, and the score rose to +3.99 by 38...Rh8. 40...e4+ moved the score from +1.30 to +6.03, and 44...Rxe4 moved it from +7.00 to +9.08. White won after 46.Qg3+.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Ponomariov vs Anand, Tata Steel GMA 2011
  3. 4:20Game 2: So vs Shankland, ch-USA 2022

The opening line

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O O-O

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