unfamiliar positions .
I am uncompromising however in that I will not play less than what I perceive to be the best move though I will possibly play more aggressively . If the best move is not an aggressive move , if aggression is not an option in a game that is equal , I will simply try to extend play without compromising the quality of my game ; that is , without weakening my position . It is unwise to engage in overreaching as demonstrated by my game versus GM Arkadij Naiditsch which appears later in this article .
If a grandmaster having the white pieces is higher rated , I do my best to play more solidly . I tend to wait a bit longer for opportunities to arise . I am more likely to try to equalize . If I detect an opening , then I pounce . I say these things because it is dangerous to play aggressively with the black pieces versus a grandmaster who is rated significantly higher .
For example , in 2007 , I had black against Ukrainian grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk at a rapid tournament in Spain . I was , of course , aware of his strength and skills and so played solidly — but not as solidly as I could have . At one point , I became over-ambitious which enabled ‘ Chucky ’ to seize the initiative and eventually win the game which appeared to be a draw . However , when a similar opportunity presented itself ( having black against a grandmaster ranked much higher than I and a situation in which aggression was not a viable option ) I was mindful of my previous error in judgment and endeavored to avoid repeating it .
PHOTO : CHRIS BIRD
French Defense , Tarrasch Variation ( C06 ) GM Francisco Vallejo-Pons ( 2778 ) GM Varuzhan Akobian ( 2709 ) North American Open ( 7 ), 12.29.2011
This game took place in the final round of the 2011 North American Open in Las Vegas . My opponent is Francisco “ Paco ” Vallejo-Pons , a very strong grandmaster from Spain and who was ranked 30th in the world at 2705 FIDE . At this point he was the tournament leader and I was one-half point behind him . Consequently , I attempted to create complications in order to perhaps obtain winning chances .
1 . e4 e6 2 . d4 d5
GM Vallejo-Pons opted for the Tarrasch Variation of the French Defense ; a variation that is generally recognized as very solid for White .
3 . Nd2 Nf6 4 . e5 Nfd7 5 . Bd3 c5 6 . c3 Nc6 7 . Ne2 cxd4
This next move is another interesting possibility for Black . 7 . ... Qb6 8 . Nf3 cxd4 9 . cxd4 f6 10 . exf6 Nxf6 11 . 0-0 Bd6 12 . Bf4 Bxf4 13 . Nxf4 Qxb2 14 . Re1 0-0
GM Varuzhan Akobian at the 2009 National Open
leads to an unclear position with roughly equal chances . Black exchanges his “ good ” bishop for White ’ s “ bad ” bishop given that Black wins the b-pawn and as any retreat would also result in a loss of tempo . Thus , capturing is the best move .
8 . cxd4 f6 9 . exf6
This next move results in very sharp variations and require both players to know the theory on a profound level or risk having a worse position . 9 . Nf4 Nxd4 10 . Qh5 + Ke7 11 . Ng6 + hxg6 12 . exf6 + Nxf6 13 . Qxh8 Kf7 14 . Qh4 ( 14 . 0-0 e5 15 . Nb3 This is the main line for White and probably the strongest continuation . [ 15 . Nf3 Nxf3 + 16 . gxf3 Bf5 17 . Bxf5 gxf5 18 . Bg5 Bc5 19 . Qxd8 Rxd8 and Black will be fine in the endgame despite being down the Exchange , due to his strong center and centralized king .] 15 . ... Nxb3 16 . axb3 Bf5 17 . Bxf5 gxf5 18 . Bg5 Bc5 19 . Qh3 Qd7 Black has compensation because of the strong center and White ’ s compromised queenside pawn structure .) 14 . ... e5 15 . Nf3 Nxf3 + 16 . gxf3 Bf5 17 . Bxf5 gxf5 and despite a lack of clarity , Black again has sufficient compensation for the Exchange due to his strong center and White ’ s weakened pawn structure ; worse for White is 9 . Nf3 fxe5 10 . dxe5 Ndxe5 11 . Nxe5 Nxe5 12 . 0-0 Bd6 13 . Bb5 + Bd7 14 . Bxd7 + Qxd7 .
9 . ... Nxf6 10 . Nf3 Bd6 11 . 0-0 Qc7
The idea behind this move is to stop White from exchanging the dark-squared bishop which will help White to obtain a small advantage . Another viable possibility is 11 . ... 0-0 12 . Bf4 Ng4 13 . Bxd6 Qxd6 14 . h3 Rxf3 15 . hxg4 Rf8 with an equal position . It is interesting to note that a search of the databases reveals that my opponent is very familiar with these positions with the black pieces .
12 . g3 Not the most popular move in this posi-
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