The Tata Steel Masters and Challengers were the main high-profile tournaments in January, and games from these events form the greater part of our selection. Daniil Yuffa was a very consistent proponent of the Flank Openings in the Challengers tournament, and two of his games made it to this month’s Update.

Réti Opening
King's English
Symmetrical English

King’s Indian Attack 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.d3 0-0 6.Nc3 [A07]

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.d3 0-0 6.Nc3!? c5 7.e4:

In Yuffa, D - Panesar Vedant, we see yet another modern interpretation of the King’s Indian Attack, a frequent opening guest in our column. This time White strived for a pure reversed colour King’s Indian, and he actually got a reversed version of the Petrosian Variation after 7...Nc6 8.a4 d4 9.Nb1 e5 10.Na3 Bg4.

In what followed, neither side played the most accurately according to standard Petrosian Variation knowledge, which suggests both sides were improvising.

Reversed Benoni 4...d4 5.0-0 Nc6 6.e3 e5 7.exd4 e4 [A13]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 d4 5.0-0 Nc6 6.e3 e5 7.exd4 e4 8.d5 exf3 9.Qxf3 Ne5 10.Re1 Qe7 11.Qd1 Bg4 12.f3 Bxf3 13.Qa4+ Kd8 14.d4 Bxg2 15.Rxe5 Qd7 16.Qxd7+ Nxd7 17.Kxg2 Nxe5 18.dxe5 c6!:

In Sabuk, P - Balakrishnan, P, both sides follow a forcing line where White ends up sacrificing an exchange, first introduced in 2023. Black improved on the source game and it turns out it is not such an easy task for White to demonstrate compensation, and Black won. I show in the comments where White went wrong. The verdict is: Black does not need to shy away from this line, but White has his chances if he plays accurately too. The variation awaits further practical developments.

Reversed Benoni 4...d4 5.d3 [A13]

1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 d4 5.d3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 a5 7.Na3 Bc5 8.0-0 Nc6 9.Nc2 0-0 10.a3 a4 11.Re1 Qd6 12.Bg5:

In Warmerdam, M - Roebers, E Black successfully exploited the classical Benoni Bb5+, a4 idea in the reversed colours version, and she could have obtained a better game with the consistent 12...e5! Instead, 12...h6?! led to nice play for White.

Reversed Benoni 3.b3 d4 4.g3 [A13]

1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.b3?! d4! 4.g3 Nc6 5.d3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Bb4+! 7.Bd2 a5!:

Suleymanli, A - Ivic, V was a tale of punishment for nonchalant opening play administered with remarkable precision. Black used the same idea of Bb4+, ...a5 as in Warmerdam - Roebers. White got a bad reversed Benoni by playing a dubious move order and never quite recovered.

Réti Opening
King's English
Symmetrical English

King’s English, Keres Opening 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nf3 e4 [A20]

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 d5 6.d3 Qb6 7.Nb3 Ng4!?N:

A very interesting development in a hotly debated English Opening variation. In Erigaisi, A - Erdogmus, Y Black came excellently prepared and introduced a whole new long semi-forced line, obtaining a position with great compensation for an exchange, and went on to win it after mistakes from his opponent.

King’s English, Keres Opening 3.Bg2 c6 4.d4 d6 [A20]

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.d4 d6 5.Nc3 Na6!?N:

This was an excellent and slightly surprising novelty played in Praggnanandhaa, R - Keymer, V, which seems to rehabilitate the whole line from its second-rate status. See the annotations for the clear-cut explanation of the point behind this idea. Black went on to play ambitiously and win a good game after crazy complications in its middle phase.

King’s English 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nf3 f5 4.d4 [A21]

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nf3 f5 4.d4 e4 5.Ng1 Nf6 6.Bf4 Nh5?!:

This was a fairly fresh, but dubious idea played in Oro, F - L’Ami, E. The game reinforces the impression that White seems to be enjoying easier play in general due to Black’s static structure in this early ...f5 line of the English.

Réti Opening
King's English
Symmetrical English

Symmetrical English 8.Qa4 [A34]

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.0-0 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qa4 Nb6 9.Qh4 e5 10.Qxd8 Rxd8 11.d3 c4!:

In Yuffa, D - Assaubayeva, B, Black demonstrated a precise way to equalize in a known Symmetrical English line at first, but after 12.dxc4 Nxc4 13.Bg5! f6 14.Rad1! she didn’t play the best follow-up to nullify White’s slight imitative. I explain exactly how White’s attempt at a slight edge should be dealt with by Black in the annotations.

Réti Opening
King's English
Symmetrical English

Until next month, Lukasz.

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