There are amazing chess sidelines that can be used to surprize the opponent. The following variation is a sideline of the Slav Defense. You might be able to apply it yourself in your games.
Explanations by GM Bogdan Lalic
“Today I thought I would finally win on the birthday of my son but it was not destined to be, I only drew. He hit me with now popular computer variation played by computer addicts GMs Nakamura and Edouard where Black sacrificed exchange for the initiative ( tipically today’s modern day computer chess ).
I did not know that I can also face that shitty computer line from the Slav move order not only from 3 e4 b5 QGA (Queens Gambit Accepted) more order.
It just shows how much I work on my repertoire ( most of time I spend on facebook ). I did not analyse this position before and he knew all the critical correspondence games ( afterwards he explained me in the analysis ).
My Bg5 is a new move but probably not the best one, the best is to follow the game Gharamian-Cornette where white gave up exchange by playing Ra7 and taking on b7 and later on e6, computer gives there advantage for white ( it is important to remove the key black’s piece the bishop on b7 ). My 19 Kh1? move is a clear mistake after which Black is slightly better ( he has a pawn for exchange and white’s bishop on e2 is restricted while White’s queen has no good move ).
I should have played 19 g4! clearing up situation in the centre ( very difficult move to play for human weakening the kingside but clearing up black’s initiative ). After 19…Nxe2+ 20 Qxe2 Ne7 21 Qe4 0-0 22 Ra7 Qxe4 23 fxe4! Rb8 24 Nxb5 Bxe4 25 Nc3 white has very small advantage and it could still end up in a draw but it is White who is pressing. This game shows just the victory for the new computer school over the old classical school, it is all too concrete and everything depends on the best move which is found at home by computer. Terrible to which extent had all that come. RIP (Rest in Peace) Classical chess.”
Lalic, Bogdan (2483) – Englert, Fabian (2305)
Kantor, Gergely (2390) – Lalic, Bogdan (2483)
“I won in the 9th round of First Saturday GM tournament. My opponent young Hungarian IM and promise Gergely Kantor played fantastic model game, he was winning and it is not clear where is my mistake ( this new computer line with the pawn sacrifice just makes previously interesting Adorjan’s line 5…b5 as not playable any more ).
GM Cheparinov played this pawn sacrifice twice ( once against Magnus Carlsen ). I did not have a club it exists that move!!! His 13 Qb3! is a strong novelty ( previously was played 13. Qc2 which was not that strong ).
In time scramble 22 Rxe4?? is a terrible blunder, he was winning with 22 Rxd5! ( I saw that move but I thought it leads to the move repetition ) 22…exd5 23 Bh3! Qb6 24 Qe1 Qa6 25 Qc3!! with idea Bd6 and computer gives plus 4 for white!!!
So I was lucky today I should have lost without doing any visible mistake ( just the choice of the line ). It is so tough to play in Budapest First Saturday tournaments, all those young kids knows theory like 2700 players not worse so it is a suicide for elo playing them.”
One of the best lines for Black versus 1.d4
“How chess has changed, this is unbelivable. The following game I lost to the young FM ( now IM ) 18 years old, Justin Tan, elo 2383. He just had brilliantly prepared the whole Meran Defence by computer ( I did not have a clue about the line, instead of Re1 I have to play Bd2 and Rc1 ). At the board it is not possible to find the best moves, it has to be prepared at home by computer.
This was the last 16 Bunratty blitz tournament, last year I lost in the final to Mark Hebden, this year I lost to some youngster from Australia. Increadible, the time limit was 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move, I was white. I feel now like an alien ( the old school of chess ) without having prepared openings in advance. Terrible.”
“…h6 is finesse instead of ordinary cxd4 Re1 g6 etc I did not have a clue about it after I looked it up Anand played it and it is one of the best lines for black!!!”
“I lost in the 2nd round of Cappelle la Grande Open tournament. I did not know the opening very well but my opponent played many moves like first computer choice ( The subtle 17 Rfe1! instead of normal and weaker 17 Bg3 etc ).
My only obvious mistake is 19…Qf4 ( second choice by Rybkla but passive, I have to try 19…Nf4 20 Bf1 e5 with some activity although even than computer gives 0,30 for White ). My 28…bxa5?? loses a piece but I already was short of time and also computer was giving plus 1,0 for White.
What to do, a bad luck, I do not know how and why are now SouthAmerican so strong, before they were not strong, but now they are stronger than ordinary Russians ( from former SSSR ) and much stronger than previously chesswise strong players from former Yugoslavia, how is that possible???
Anyway here is the game, I ended up 77 games in the last 130 days without defeat ( the game is similar to the 1st round game which I won, did not know some little finesse, came to time scramble because I did not like my position and at the end blundered something ( he played two very strong computer like moves avoiding tactics like I did in the first round etc ).
Horrible, this is completely new chess, now you are getting punished for small mistake, it is not like it used to be when even grandmasters let you back easily in the game.”
Vazquez Igarza, Renier (2592) – Lalic, Bogdan (2489) 1:0
“I have to be honest and to admit that I got in Cappelle la Grande tournament 220 euros prize because I was in the group under 2500 elo players ( much more prize than 40th place with 6 points ). I have to be happy to had elo under 2500 so I could get that prize. I should never ever talk against that elo group. In the past I was joking calling that elo group as ” idiot group “. That is not right.”
“There were 555 participants this year (2015) in Cappelle la Grande open tournament in which there were 6 participants from former Yugoslavia.
GM Kurajica Bojan – Bosnia and Herzegovina ( 13th place ) – best veteran player
GM Djukic Nikola – Montenegro – 29th place
GM Lalic Bogdan – Croatia – 40th place – 3rd in the group under 2500 elo
GM Jovanic Ognjen – Croatia – 84th place
GM Drasko Milan – Montenegro – 92th place
IM Peric Slavisa – Serbia – 123rd place – 2nd in the group under 2200 elo”
Bisby, Daniel L (2321) – Movsesian, Sergei (2665) 1:0
“Well done FM Daniel Bisby for his win over former number one of Slovakia and now playing for Armenia GM Sergei Movsesian. This just shows how competitive English league is and to play in England – their 2300 players are very strong and can compete with strong grandmasters.
I know this from my own experience playing in UK soil since 1994 – it is big difference between 2250 player in UK and in Croatia – in UK is worth about 100 points more ( 2250 elo player is like 2350 elo player in Croatia due to opening knowledge ) – believe me.”
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