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Sicilian Defence: Taimanov, 6.Be3 a6 7.Qf3

Vachier-Lagrave–Anand, GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 · Abdusattorov–Van Foreest, Tata Steel Masters 2023 · 7:08 · ECO B48

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In this video

Game 1: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2789) vs Viswanathan Anand (2776)

GRENKE Chess Classic 2018, 1 April 2018 · White won (1-0) · 38 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. 7...Nf6The first move after the opening line0:34
  2. 24...Rxc7The queens come off1:52
  3. 28...Rc7The evaluation moves from +0.98 to +2.022:12
  4. 31...exf5White stays more than two pawns ahead from here2:26
  5. 38.fxg6+White wins after 38 moves2:59

Evaluation

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

Game 2: Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2713) vs Jorden Van Foreest (2681)

Tata Steel Masters 2023, 29 January 2023 · Black won (0-1) · 49 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. 7...h5The first move after the opening line3:32
  2. 10.hxg3The queens come off3:40
  3. 38.Be2The evaluation moves from −1.13 to −2.345:58
  4. 40.c3Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here6:08
  5. 49...b3Black wins after 49 moves6:55

Evaluation

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

About these games

After 6...a6, White plays 7.Qf3 to prepare quick long castling, and the queen often moves on to g3, where it confronts Black's queen on c7 and eyes g7. Black chooses between developing with ...Nf6 and ...b5, accepting sharp play against White's king, or offering a queen exchange on g3 to reach a slower queenless position.

Vachier-Lagrave–Anand followed the main line 7...Nf6 8.O-O-O Ne5 9.Qg3 b5. White took a pawn with 11.Bxb5, and Black won the e-pawn back with 12...Nxe4, giving White the initiative. After 19.Bxf8 the dark-squared bishops were gone, leaving White's knight against Black's light-squared bishop. Black had stood at −1.45, but 21...Rfe8 brought the score back to +0.30. The queens came off with 24...Rxc7, and White slowly improved to +0.71 at 27.a4. The f5 break, 31.f5 exf5 32.gxf5, opened the kingside at +2.64, and from there White stayed more than two pawns ahead. White won after 38.fxg6+, with the score at +3.33 at 37.c4.

Abdusattorov–Van Foreest, played in the last round at Wijk aan Zee, went 7...h5 8.O-O-O b5 9.Qg3 Qxg3 10.hxg3, so Black chose an early queenless game instead of Game 1's sharp middlegame. Black advanced the h-pawn with ...h4 and ...h3, then used the open h-file for the rooks. The score drifted from +0.06 at 12.f3 to −1.06 at 37.a4. After 40.c3 Black stayed more than two pawns ahead, reaching −4.73 at 47.Ka2, and Black won after 49...b3.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Vachier-Lagrave vs Anand, GRENKE Chess Classic 2018
  3. 3:08Game 2: Abdusattorov vs Van Foreest, Tata Steel Masters 2023

The opening line

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3

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